Thursday Thirteen: Rain, Rain, and More Rain

Our two day dry spell has ended, we are all feeling very under the weather, and I am in need of a little pick-me-up. So today instead of focusing on all I don't like about the rain, I thought I would remind myself of all the reasons I am grateful for the rain.

1. It gives us a reason to pull on our wellies.

2. It gives me memories like this one.

3. It gives us the most beautiful spring flowers.

4. It makes me appreciate sunny, dry days all the more.

5. It gives us adventures in the rain.

6. It gives us the beautiful green landscape that I love.

7. It gives us reason to have impromptu picnics whenever the rain clears.

8. It can be a nice backdrop for pictures.

9. It produces mystical scenes such as this one (photo by Sonja).

10. It gives us a reason to stay indoors and make a mess.

11. It gives Antalya's hair the most beautiful natural curls.

12. It gives us a reason to do lots of baking.

13. It gives us puddles to play in.

Thursday Thirteen: The School Run

There are so many things about English culture that I have fallen in love with. In fact, I dare say, if all our family and friends weren't so far away, I would be happy staying in England forever. One of the things that I really love is, as they call it, the school run. There are no school buses in London, and parking is limited everywhere you go (meaning there is NO parking anywhere near a school), so it is custom that children are walked to and from school everyday by their parents or carers.

On the same street as Antalya's nursery school there is also: a Jewish school, a elementary school, and a middle school. It means every morning and every afternoon the small sidewalk is bustling with strollers, kids on scooters, dads on their way to/from work carrying briefcases and quizzing their children on the multiplication table, moms chatting to other moms as they walk with their children hand in hand, and greeting other moms that pass the opposite direction. I always feel such a sense of community during the school run.

Here are thirteen reasons why I love the school run:

1. It gets me out of the house by 8:30 every morning.
2. I start my day with some exercise.
3. I get to spend time outside with my girls everyday - rain or shine.
4. No missed buses - if we are running late, it just means I walk faster.
5. Less pollution
6. It provides me with daily quality one-on-one time with Victoria - after we drop Antalya off, I leave the stroller at school and Victoria and I take our time walking and exploring things as we head home or run errands on foot.
7. I get to know other moms.
8. Antalya is visually reminded that all children go to school in the morning and that children go to different schools.
9. As I pass Jews, Hindus, Christians, and Muslims I am reminded that people can live peacefully together.
10. My girls get some daily outdoor exercise even if its chucking down rain.
11. Watching the pigeons.
12. Daily opportunities to practice safe walking techniques in big city - stopping before we cross the road, waiting at the 'green man' at crosswalks, holding hands when neccessary, etc.
13. Taking part in such an English tradition makes me feel just a little bit English everyday.

Thursday Thirteen - Until I Became a Mother of Two...

When I held Antalya in my arms for the first time, I felt as if I had been born to be her mother; everything up until that point had had the single purpose of preparing me for that moment when I finally became a mother! The adjustment between being a 9-5 office worker to a full-time mom came so naturally. I felt like I could indeed raise a house-full of children and my dream of having children of my own and then adopting several more would become reality.

But then I became a mother of two!

I have to smile thinking back at my naivety. Don't get me wrong - I still absolutely love being a mother and I wouldn't trade anything in the world for my two little darlings. But having the two of them sure has taught me some things.

Until I became a mother of two...
1. I never cheered to get 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep a night.
2. I never understood how a single piece of chocolate could make it all better.
3. I never dreamed I could feel so much love.
4. I never looked in complete awe at others who have more than two children and wondered how they did it.
5. I never served dinner from a can.
6. I never considered a five-minute morning shower a complete luxury.
7. I never considered McDonald's drive thru an "eating out experience".
8. I never was too busy to forget to brush my teeth in the morning.
9. I never had such piles of laundry.
10. I never imagined I could have two babies so completely different from each other.
11. I never so often laid awake at night full of so much gratitude that sleep was impossible.
12. I never prayed to become like Super Woman.
13. I never felt so much joy!

Thursday Thirteen - The Way of the Brits

We have been in England for over two months now. Boy, how time flies. To commemorate the two month mark I thought I would post 13 of my favorite things about living in London.

1. Groceries delivered to your door (this means I don't have to carry them up the two flights of stairs).
2. Curry, curry, curry!
3. All the packages of cigarettes say in big letters "SMOKING KILLS"
4. The way Antalya says "choo-choo" whenever a double decker bus passes us.
5. You never have to wait more than about 30 seconds for a walking signal at a cross walk.
6. Round-abouts - they really speed traffic up, instead of waiting at traffic light after traffic light, you just yield to the cars on your right.
7. The Open Door program for children with special needs. Twice a week I can go for two hours and the staff entertain Antalya so I have a chance to visit with the other parents.
8. Tea and biscuits
9. Foot paths that cut through the winding roads to make your journey on foot shorter than it would normally be. And they have fun names like "Lover's Walk".
10. Zebra crossings! Every time we use one to cross the street I watch for zebras. I haven't seen one yet :)
11. Ready made curry sold in jars like spaghetti sauce at the store. All I do is add some chicken and we have dinner made.
12. Rhyme Time at the library.
15. See-saws at the playgrounds (why have these disappeared in the states?)

Christmas Time

I knew Christmas was coming soon, but I had no idea, until I looked at the calendar today, that Christmas is less than two weeks away. My favorite time of the year is almost past, and I feel as if I just barely started to enjoy it. Something I look forward to about this time of the year is all the yummy food. Here are thirteen of my favorite foods that remind me of Christmas.

1. Big juicy grapefruits
2. Pomegranates
3. My grandma's divinity
4. My mom's hot wassail
5. Almond Roca
6. Cinnamon Bears
7. Hot Chocolate
8. Peppermint Ice Cream with Hot Fudge
9. Shrimp Cocktail
10. Cheesy Potato Casserole
11. Red, White, and Green Jello Salad
12. Pecan Logs
13. Candy Canes

Thursday Thirteen: T21 Mom

I love reading Thursday Thirteens, so I've decided to start my own. This week it is about Down syndrome (what else would I choose for my first topic?) Lately I have really struggled as the gap between Antalya and other kids her age is slowly widening. The hardest part about it, is that it will only continue to get bigger and bigger the older she gets. Every week for the past six months or so, we have gone to playgroup with several other little girls about her same age. It seems like it happened just over night, that they all past her up, even the younger ones. While Antalya is still working on learning to crawl and recognizing and responding to her own name, the other girls are walking and learning to say words. Am I complaining? No! But I do have to be honest with myself that it is hard to deal with my emotions in such circumstances. Do I think these feelings will ever go away? No, although I do think with time it will not affect me as strongly. I hope when the day comes that all her "normal" friends are going away to college, getting married, and starting families and careers of their own I can handle it without getting so emotional.

So this weeks list is thirteen reasons why I love being a T21 (Trisomy 21/Down syndrome) Mom.

1. Before the hospital would let us take her home for the first time my husband and I had to pass off several requirements that ensured the staff we were competent in diaper changing, bottle feeding, burping, infant CPR, giving baths, taking her temperature, washing her hair, etc. This was great training for first time parents!

2. Even though Antalya will be 14 months old next month, she is still happy to let me carry her around in a sling all day.

3. Our local T21 support group that puts on the funnest activities for the kids throughout the entire year.

4. Visits from our occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech therapists every month. They come to our home, and are such a resource with games and activities that I will also use with our other children. Not to mention the fun Early Intervention playgroup that Antalya has just started attending.

5. Big slobbery tongue kisses.

6. Feeling an instant connection and bond with other people. For example, while we were in Chile, we went to the market one day. It just so happened that I ended up standing right next to two ladies who where discussing a Ds event they had just attended. I quickly jumped in to introduce my daughter and find out who they knew that had Ds. We chatted like old friends for several minutes, then parted.

7. My baby doesn't grow up as quickly as other babies.

8. Antalya is the sweetest, happiest, most easy-going baby I have ever known (except when she's not!)

9. Antalya's cute little face. This past year has taught me that babies with Ds are the cutest babies out there.

10. I am more grateful for good health. Not only did Antalya have a rocky start in this world, but having Ds makes her more susceptible to other illnesses and diseases. Each day that I get to hold my healthy baby girl is a miracle to me.

11. I appreciate western medicine more than I ever thought I would. I know realize it a blessing when used properly. If it wasn't for skilled doctors and nurses during my pregnancy, and during Antalya's hospital stay, she might not be with us.

12. Learning to let go of my expectations and trust in the Lord that His plan for me and my family is greater than I could ever have imagined.

13. I get to be Antalya's mom! And that to me is one of the greatest blessings in the world!