Aberdeen…a few days in

It’s Friday, 2:30 pm and both my kids (and Josh) are napping!!! This is more major than you might realize! Jet lag for 4 people, 2 of whom are 2 or under, is a nightmare!! Rebekah doesn’t want to go to bed until 10 or 11pm, thus, sleeping in until 9-11am, thus napping later and propagating the whole cycle again. We have followed others’ advice and begun to push her back an hour a day. She was asleep at 10:30pm last night, which was great! She fought us for 2 hours the first night, 1 hour the 2nd night, and only 30 minutes last night! I do not mean that she is crying…just singing, whining, and asking for, “Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy…Hi!.” J Thus, she has been getting up earlier each day, thus she can nap earlier, thus we can ALL go to bed earlier at night! On the other hand, Luke went from thru the night the 1st night, to 1 feeding the 2nd, and 2 last night! So, it’s like having a newborn again! However, his 2nd feed was almost 6am and we were able to put him back down until 8:30am, then he took a great nap and is in his 2nd right now!

All that to say, we are tired!!! It has been exhausting getting set up and learning a new culture with 2 little ones on seemingly different planets sleep-wise! In a very un-Emily fashion, I just started taking my Ergo (baby carrier for my tummy) so that Luke can fall asleep on me if we are out and about and he gets fussy. He has been riding in the buggy (aka stroller) like a big boy (strapped in b/c we didn’t bother with an infant carrier with no vehicle) and has loved it! He is darling all strapped in with his little trousers (aka pants) and sweatshirts! He has gotten sleepy several times when we have been running around and has fussed a bit, then fallen asleep in the Ergo. He is an angel most of the time about being removed and going back to sleep in his cot (aka crib). It’s the little things!

As for being out and about, we have grocery shopped a lot as we have figured out what we need. My kitchen here is well-supplied actually- many do not have freezers or dishwashers and I have both!!! The Brocks (the owners, who are in US for a year) also left out nice pots and pans, a hand-mixer, an immersion blender, and a food processor! I went to the Asda (aka Walamrt) last night with my precious Scottish neighbor, Grace, and got some light blue serving dishes and decorations for the kitchen that I love- again it’s the little things! Other than grocery shopping, we have been around campus and St. Machar’s Church, and Seaton park- all of which are LOVELY!!! It was sunny yesterday at lunch (a godsend, I assure you!) and we saw all those places- I could have kicked myself for not bringing a camera!!! The park was gorgeous and had a fun play area for R! The church was pretty cool, too- all the graves are right there in the churchyard, as they are awaiting the resurrection…great theology truly.

This morning Josh watched the little ones so I could meet an American friend, Rachel. She and her husband, Mark, have been here for a year and she works at the U. We walked to downtown and I got to see where she shops for various things, etc…I had to ask her at least once what a cashier asked me…evidently, they ask you if you’d like to “top up” your cell phone minutes kind of like someone might ask if you’d like cash back…

So, now I am here catching up, processing it all…let’s be honest- this is far harder than I imagined. I am homesick already and feeling like a sore thumb sticking out everywhere I go, and not in a good way. I am so thankful for so many things, such as having a 3-bedroom place with kids’ beds right when we got here, having immediate phone and internet access, and having kind people “look after us,” as they say. But, selfishly, I was already spoiled with those things, so I am missing the familiarity of everyday life and routine, such as family time this summer, lots of people who love us, knowing what to buy in the grocery store and being able to do it quickly in a car, play group and my friends, my sweet little house I loved, even our dog…I imagine that, like having children, this is a time for growth, for me to take comfort in Christ, rather than in my usual comforts. Why is it that times of growth are so difficult? :)

The first day was definitely the hardest…it was pouring rain (unusual for such hard rain) and so much change. Each day has been better and even Rebekah seems to be settling in. She still asks for her loved ones, but she is learning the flat and where everything is. However, with less sleep and just being 2, she has been a little naughty. While I was gone last night, Josh asked her (after a naughty incident), “Who’s the boss?” Her answers were Bekah, Mamama, and Lamby… :) Typical. She has been going down easier again, which is nice. She loves the swings out front, so we have done those a few times. She calls them her swings and has names for each of them: the broken one, the fixed one (as opposed to the broken one), and the tire swing. As she and Josh returned from swinging today, she excitedl y told him, "This is my house! And these are my swings! And I have 2 beds!!" She does indeed have 2 toddler beds in her room, which evidently a source of much delight. Rebes has surprised me with how sweet she has been to Luke and how well she has behaved (most of the time) with sharing us with him. Luke is getting more active- he rolled over again in his crib and he is itching to crawl- he looks like he's trying to swim on him tummy!

I have some great pics, but I am working with a new program and am still figuring it out. I will add them soon, I promise!