Day 7

 

 

Morning:

And on the 7^th day, we rested…We got up a little late this morning. I found that if I keep the curtains closed, Camellia sleeps longer. We headed down for breakfast and then enjoyed some time feeding the fish.

 

It’s really quite cool today. Jeans and a long sleeve T-shirt kind of day and no humidity!! So we were actually dressed too cool. We came back to our room and updated our outfits to accommodate. Camellia and I thought we would take it easy today and just kind of relax at the hotel. Aside from the day she was sick, we have been going almost every day. Tomorrow is a big day of going back to the doctor office and then to the zoo, so I wanted to make sure she got some play time and rest today. She sits busily on the floor and plays well as long as she has something with zippers to open and close. This evening we are looking forward to going to dinner with our new friends, Jeanette and Palmer Muntz.

We got to spend a good 2 hours talking with Ma Ma this morning (or tonight.. depending on what side of the globe you are reading this). Camellia and Ma Ma interacted quite a bit, blowing kisses to each other, saying hi, and having fun. I think Camellia will end up really loving her Ma Ma once they finally get to meet.

An update from home… Jack, Ian, and Chloe are doing really well. Jack is trying to help Mommy a bunch and be the “Man of the house.” Evidently, they decided to clean the fish tank today. Mommy indicated that Jack was very helpful and trying to do it but then indicated, “Daddy sure does make this look easy.”  Not to worry, my boy, you sure do make a roundhouse kick look easy. I can’t do that! I am VERY proud of him for all he’s doing to help. Ian has been helping Mommy clean the bathrooms and straighten around the house. He’s a little sweetie, and I am VERY proud of him for cleaning and keeping up on his school work.  Proverbs 10:1 teaches us, “A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son grief to his mother.” You boys are wise indeed, and I miss you.

Chloe, my little sweetie, Daddy misses you! I think Camellia misses you too as she is bearing the brunt of “Tickle Time” all by herself. She’s going to need a big sister to help out! You are also going to need to teach her how to wrestle, as she hasn’t figured out how to climb all over Daddy and have fun. Keep helping Mommy, guys, and I’ll see you in 7 days!

My darling wifee, “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Proverbs 31:29. Thanks for encouraging me every day. I had a few rough days earlier, and I couldn’t have gotten through them without you. Camellia’s a blessing, and she is blessed to have such a wonderful Ma Ma. I know you are excited to meet her, and I am delighted to hear about all the shopping you have been doing for her while I’m gone.

Ok, so you probably noticed that I’ve been reading Proverbs this morning. J So glad to have purchased a Bible, as I was kind of bummed I forgot mine in the rush to get all of my luggage under the appropriate weight limit. In addition, I thought it would be appropriate to put some pictures of the rest of the family on the blog, as folks may want to know/see how they are doing.

Afternoon:

Camellia and I took it easy this morning. I finally upgraded her beloved Mr. Juicy bottle for a sippy cup with a flip top and a straw. It was $10.00 American, which I thought was a little expensive, but it might keep her from dumping juice everywhere when we go out. I’m still going to pack and bring home the Mr. Juicy bottle, as I think it would be cute in her keepsake box.

 

 I bought the spill-proof cup, and she immediately took it out of the box and wanted it filled. So luckily, I had a bottled water with me, and while we were still in the store, I filled it up and gave it to her. She loved it. Of course, this resulted in her drinking the entire thing. After making it back from the store we decided to go out to the garden and feed the fish again. We started feeding the fish but then she gave me that look…

Upon our return from the potty, we finished feeding the fish and sat down under a tree for a little bit.

 

 

Afterwards, we headed upstairs for her nap. She wasn’t thrilled about the nap but managed to sleep for an hour. She awoke to a new box of Legos that she had no idea I purchased along with the spill-proof cup. We played until dinner time when we went out for noodles with the Muntz family.

Evening:

This evening went great. We walked down to the noodle house, and I warned everyone that Camellia could put away some noodles.  

 

 

When the food came, I never had time to look up until the noodles were all gone!

 

 

 

 

Camellia must have eaten 4 bowls of noodles. The poor girl was hungry tonight!!

 

After noodles, we took a nice walk back to our hotel while looking at a few of the local shops. Jillian had the biggest smile from her piggy back rides. Big thanks to Palmer and Jeannette for letting me join them this evening!

 

Well evidently, I’m not the brightest dad in the world. This is because it took me 7 nights to figure out how to put Camellia to bed without a fight. Can everyone say, "Got Milk?"  I seemed to recall that she had milk for a snack at night. I was never able to ask any caregiver questions about her routine or anything, so I’ve been kind of guessing. But I remembered she did get milk for a snack before bed, so tonight I gave her a bath, turned all the lights out in the living room, and sat on the bed with her and some milk. She sat on my lap and drank it. Once she was done, I laid her in the crib, and she stuck one hand up in the air to kiss, and then the other. After that she rolled over and went to sleep. What a relief for both of us I’m sure! I’m sure all the moms out there would have thought of that sooner!