Copycat

Admittedly, it has been a breeze (so far) teaching Yasmin to do everyday, regular things like wearing her clothes, putting on her shoes, bath times, eating her meals at the table or brushing her teeth. It helps that there is Sera, who she simply adores and thinks the world of. Everything Sera does, she must do or at least try to!

So today, I had to pull in another chair for Yas to stand on while she was brushing her teeth. She made it very clear that she felt left out, having been made to sit on a low stool while Sera got a proper stool, privy to all the cool things at the sink. Ha ha.

Asleep on highway 311

Not me but the girls. Out of desperation, and many failed attempts to put Yasmin down for her naps, I got the girls into the car and off we went to destination undecided, oh most likely a mall somewhere. So I thought it was the right turn but I guess it wasn't because I found myself driving on this highway that I'd never been on. It was unfamiliar and seemingly endless. But it was awfully quiet at the back. No correction ... it was beautifully quiet! Sera and Yasmin were fast asleep and I was completely lost on highway 311.

I was too grateful for the silence to even panic, so I looked out for signs and just made sure I didn't drive out of Dubai. Ha ha. After almost 50 minutes on the road, I found myself at the parking garage of a mall, the mall I think I had intended to go. Sera was slowly rousing from her sleep and Yas, was still deep in sleep. So ... is this how our afternoons are going to be?

Pool time

The nice thing about summer here is that many families flee back to their home country or escape to cooler countries ... meaning that the swimming pool is wonderfully quiet. We went to the pool this morning after a hearty breakfast of pancakes. As usual, it got everyone all excited and their tummies satisfied. The girls had a great time at the pool. Yasmin was preoccupied with her pail and watering can. Sera and I were swimming in the big pool, 'saving' bees that were struggling in the water. And Johan stayed in the shade and out of the deliciously cool water. It was such a perfect start to a promising day together!

All ready for the pool and picking flowers on the way

This one is the 'pool jumper' who has no fear!. This time round, she managed to stay a float without drinking too much water.

The girls and I hanging out in the kiddy pool.

Sera decided to wear her goggles today (after having it for more than 6 months). She was practising going underwater and swimming to the edge of the pool and back to me. I know, talk about ambitious but she had a few good attempts.

Yas in her klompen

Remember this pair of klompen? They are Sera's and it's just about that time that Yas has decided it's hers to wear. About 2 sizes too big but that hasn't stop her from walking around, and making a racket, in them.

It's only 40 degrees outside!

Yesterday morning, I thought we could beat the heat. I thought if we just went to the playground early, we could have at least an hour of play before we had to dash back in. So we walked to the playground, it was pleasant and there was even shade from the trees. We picked flowers, twigs, even looked for grasshoppers but only found lots of ants. The girls were excited to be out (as they usually are), and Yasmin was happily pointing at birds that flew her way. But when we got to the playground, we felt the heat descend on us and it was relentless. I saw fat beads of perspiration dripping off Sera's forehead, her nose, her chin ... it was almost comical. She looked a pitiful mess and she probably felt it. She was truly uncomfortable and in the end, didn't want to play at all.

Yas, on the other hand, didn't seem to care about the heat. She went up and down the slide, a dozen times. Eventually I had to stop her as her face was a hot flush of red. Even Sera exclaimed with much worry, "Mama, what happened to Yasmin's face!!!!" So we took cover at a nearby cafe that had big umbrellas outside. I ordered fresh orange juice and a bottle of water and between the three of us, finished it all in seconds. Ahh, much better. And Yasmin's face lightened up too.

But then, we were 10 minutes plus another 5 minutes further away from our apartment. Walking back with Sera would make the walk a 20-minute one. So the walk back was more than a little painful for all of us. Sera was loudly complaining and my ear was buzzing all the way back. It was only 10.30am when we got back home and we were all tired and thoroughly exhausted from the heat. We spend the rest of the day recuperating ... I'm not kidding! So I guess, no more playgrounds ... unless we go there at night.

This photo turned out so misty because of the humidity that hit the lens. But it did give a romantic feel to this photo of Yas.

Yas, like Sera, loves the slide ...

So this afternoon at about 3, we play outside on our balcony. It started optimistically, even though is was still a little hot. The girls were playing with their new handheld bubble toy, going down the slide and then the heat took over common decency. Sera started to peel off her clothes and when Yasmin saw her sister so free and naked, she wanted everything off too. I decided to let them cool off even more by filling up the plastic bath tub, and letting them do whatever they wanted with the water. They had great fun and needless to say, the balcony was nearly flooded after that.

I know, what happened to the simple stick and soapy water? This toy, a little fancier is, admittedly, quite fun and handy

Yas was eagerly pushing the broom (which is incidentally Etienne's) around the dusty balcony

The girls were feeling much cooler and happier ... what a total mess!

I

Johan's on the mend

Intead of sweetly reminiscing on our holiday, Johan fell very ill just days upon our return. What started as a mild sore throat escalated to a severe tonsilitis and somehow, his sebaceous gland on his left cheek got infected in all its glory too. I wish I could say the first doctor helped but he didn't. Not only did he prescribe ineffective medicine, he managed to insult my cooking, the way we raise our two girls ... ahh, but that is another story (and I'd rather forget it anyway). So for 3 days, Johan was battling with a fever that reached 39.7 degrees. His throat was still inflamed and the lump on his cheek grew to a size of a golf ball (I do not exaggerate!).

Day 3 was just bizzare because we thought to seek a second opinion at a hospital but hospital #1 was a joke and hospital #2 was a bigger joke. We ended up at the first doctor who prescribe another set of antibiotics and again, he started counselling us on many things that were unrelated to Johan's illness. I was very uneasy about the treatment Johan was getting and decided to call Sera's pediatrician clinic, who directed us to a GP. That evening, all four of us got into the car, and drove 45 minutes to see yet another doctor. I think it is safe to say that Johan felt better after that doctor's visit. His consultation gave us some more insight to Johan's illness and the best steps forward. Phew, it was a long day.

So two days ago, Johan went under the knife to remove the sebaceous gland and all its unthinkable infection. He's on the road to recovery and as of this morning, he's back to work. Hooray! I mean, as in he is almost 100% ... ha ha. But he's also been a very challenging patient to look after, he knows that himself. Love you baby ... and we're all very happy that you pulled through this very humbling experience.

Sera gives Johan a kiss after he returns from his surgery. She laughed when she saw him but still thought he was the handsomest guy in the whole wide world.

The girls were eager to pose with Johan's new look

Yasmin is 1

Today Yasmin is 1 year old. And this photo is Yasmin, just minutes breathing this world around her. The past twelve months have been unbelievably tiring, ha ha, but every bit was worthwhile. She has grown from such a helpless being to this little Yasmin, who has learned to integrate into this family very quickly. She gets ruffled up by Sera ever so often, but lately, Yasmin is already putting her foot down, and instead taunting her big sister in her own ways. Just this afternoon, she sneakily stole a slice of cheese from Sera's sandwich. I watched in amusement as Sera stared, crestfallen, at her 'naked' bread and then chased after Yasmin, almost in tears, "my cheese, my cheese ... !" Too funny.

So anyway, we kept her 1 year celebration pretty simple. We basically spent the day indoors, due to the heat and a very needy ailing husband (love you baby!), together. There was a birthday cake, not lovingly home-made, though I was really, really thinking about it. I even imagined and maybe dreamt about her first birthday cake. But it didn't happen, and after I bought the this store bought cake, I regretted it. Next year, I'll do better. Yasmin had a good day, nonetheless. Sera and her were playing all day, and our neighbours came over for a visit so that was very nice too.

Thanks everyone for your well wishes and presents ... here are some photos of Yas, on her first birthday.

I woke up in Yas' bedroom this morning (go figure that out?) and I found her sitting in our bed, chatting with Johan.

The girls played outside this morning, when the heat was a little bearable.

Presents for the birthday girl ... Sera was of course more excited about them than Yasmin was. Yas in the end just wanted to chew on the wrapping paper.

Her birthday cake and just look at that strange turquoise coloured writing!

But Yas really enjoyed her birthday cake

Yasmin's birthday cake

1 candle for Yasmin from Que Sera Sera on Vimeo.

Here's a video of Yas and her first birthday cake. Johan was trying to hide behind Yas, ha ha, like she's really big enough to cover his face. Sera was ready to dive into the cake, so she would have done headstands if I had asked her. The only very composed person was Yasmin who, I thought, looked very demure in her birthday dress. Happy Birthday Yas!

Back home

We're back home. After 4 weeks away from home - 28 hours of flight travel (crossing two continents and landing in three countries), way too much bad plane food, stomach flu (Sera and Yasmin), food poisoning (ironically not from the plane food), packing and unpacking too many times - we are actually happy to be back, relieved. Don't get me wrong, we had the most wonderful time with family and friends. In fact, we didn't have enough time!

I've totally gone AWOL on the blog and I do apologise. In the coming days, I will try to back-date some posts of our last 4 weeks. So keep coming back.

Oh dear, my family has contacted some plane sickness??!!!

Get me off this plane! This is Sera, living on 5 hours of TV and 6 packets of apple juice.

Lose screws ... their final moments on the plane back to Dubai from Amsterdam