Maybe I should start by saying we had macaroni for dinner tonight (box number six).
After a great morning riding bikes in Nakajima Park (a city park that was decked out in fall colors where Jack was riding on two wheels like a pro, his bottom tooth practically dangling out into his bike basket), we returned home for lunch. And at the end of lunch, Katie started dancing and the next thing I heard as I was working with Jack on his French was a crash. And crying. And Katie in John`s arms and blood.
Ah... head wounds. Jack`s encounter with a coffee table when I was 8 months pregnant with the girls taught us that head wounds bleed a lot. So we didn`t panic. Katie had a gash just to the right of her eyebrow -- and we were able to get it to stop bleeding, at which point I discovered that of the many, MANY bandages I had brought, none were a butterfly type and the regular kind wasn`t sealing it up. So I biked to the nearby pharmacy and found they don`t seem to exist in Japan. After searching all the bandage shelves, I even asked an employee there, using my dictionary and just got confused looks. So I came home, cut some myself as John cradled the still-sad Katie, and we debated (at length, it`s kind of sad to say) if we should take her to a doctor, as my homemade butterfly bandages were just OK, but didn`t keep the cut sealed in a tight or straight line.
Now it`s kind of embarrassing to admit that the thought of having to deal with our lack of language skills could keep us from seeking medical treatment for our children. But it`s not like she was having a heart attack -- it was really just a matter of how it would seal up, and what kind of scar NOT taking her would likely make. We poked at her head, tried to squeeze it together, briefly tried out a potato chip clip (too tight), and agreed if we could just hold her still for the next 2-3 days while we pinched it shut, she`d be fine. But since that wasn`t likely, we thought we better take her to a doctor.
In the midst of this, John was trying to send something in to work... so I took Katie to the pediatrician`s office that Hiromi told me about (yay Hiromi) and John stayed to finish work and try to get Liv and Jack to nap (yeah, right). I got there at 1:20 and discovered the doctor was `resting`until 2... so we waited, and when they finally opened up, I tried (my fingers flying on the keys of the electronic dictionary) to explain what happened. The conversation sounded like this.
ME: (In Japanese) Daughter... fell... table... big... cut... (point to still slowly oozing head wound on now chipper Katie, who thinks this is a great adventure)
NURSES: minutes of conversation... one asks where I am from... it felt weird to say `Canada`but that is where we are `from`and it probably wasn`t the time to explain our permanent resident status and citizenship history... she goes to find a nurse who speaks some English.
ME: (In Japanese) Daughter... fell... table... big... cut... to new, kind nurse who speaks a little English. I also told her when it happened, that we got `chi`(blood) to stop but `big cut` and asked `doctor sew or OK`...
NURSE: For some reason she asked how high the table was and measured the (very vague) height I indicated. She then peeked at the cut and looked shocked (it wasn`t THAT bad -- only about an inch or so) and nodded, `doctor sew`and something that I figured might have been `scar`... I looked it up and asked `big scar` and she said `yes. No big scar on little girl. No good. No good.`She then went to get the doctor (we were still in the waiting room when all of this was happening).
ME: (in Japanese) Daughter... fell... table... big... cut... to the doctor... he also peeked under the bandage and agreed it needed help. But... we would need to go to a hospital. He (apparently) couldn`t do it there. I said that in Canada, when something similar happened to our son, the doctor used a `special glue`to fix it. The English-speaking nurse looked horrified and translated and they all looked like we had just said we amputated our own son`s leg to get rid of a splinter. Maybe `special glue`just doesn`t translate...
I asked if I could call my husband who, it turns out, was on his way there with the Jack and Liv (deadline having been met, I think...). As we waited, I asked again about the glue and said `son cut head on table, too, when he was 2`and again got a bit of a horrified look -- like `how could you let TWO of your children crack their heads open on coffee tables...`Then I explained `Katie-chan san(meaning Katie is three), son roku (meaning son is six) and other daughter san`... then looked up the word for `twins`(which I am ALWAYS forgetting, even though it`s one of the words people ask me all the time here..). and then looked up identical... she, I think, got a kick that they will no longer be identical, and, I think, understood why there might be a bit of chaos in our house.
Also while we were waiting, she wrote out the name and address of the hospital for us to give to the taxi driver, and a brief history in Japanese of what happened (including the oh-so-important height of the table) to take to the hospital. I asked in Japanese `how much`for the office visit (or waiting room visit) and they conferred, and agreed that it was no charge. Have I mentioned the niceness of the people here...
John showed up and she explained much of the same in Japanese to him... and we thanked them repeatedly for all of their help. John had quite his own adventure at the hospital, so I will let him tell you that now. All I`ll say is that I stopped at Victoria Park on the way home with Jack and Liv, and had to leave after Liv tried to use the `squatting`public toilet by herself and got completely soaked with pee. Yes, the fun never stops, where ever we are...
Ok, Lisa is indicating that there is an important hole in this story to be filled. Yes, I spoke with the nurses as the kodomo (child) clinic where Lisa had taken Katie and they seemed emphatic that she should go to the hospital even though we knew her cut was slightly less severe and much less bloody than the precedent set by her brother 3.5 years ago. I asked her if the hospital was far, and she indicated that it was very far. She convinced me that there was no good way to get there except taxi, but that the whole family could go together and that Lisa might enjoy watching the other children there and going to the nearby grocery store. Lisa looked at two sleepy--though to their credit, not bleeding--children and decided she would rather take them home.
I hailed a taxi and got in with a now asleep Katy clinging to a shoulder. The taxi ride took forever. It was far away. Lisa later told me that the nurses at the children`s clinic had conferred for a long time when selecting which hospital to send us to. Apparently, the consensus was that the further away the better. There were also many red lights, the traffic seemed 25x heavier than Lethbridge (well, Sapporo is 25x bigger), and it was expensive. Katy slept on my shoulder from just before leaving the children`s clinic to well after arriving at the hospital. She did not know we were in a new place or that her Mom was no longer there.
To her credit, she took everything in stride at the hospital. She had cried earlier that morning about what clothes to wear for riding bikes, but she cried very little when splitting her forehead open and not at all during the various procedures at the hospital. About those procedures. It started in a way that felt frighteningly more American than Canadian. I was asked if we had a reservation. No. I asked if we had insurance. I said `No, at least not in Japan.`This was greeted with three friendly Japanese faces giving pained expressions and repeating `takai,` (expensive),`takai,`(yes, really expensive), and even an emphatic `takai desu yo`(wow, this is really, really going to be expensive) unless I made that one up in my head. This is the point where I would normally turn around and leave. That is, if it was my cut, I would not have come. If it was Jack`s cut, I would have reasoned that this will ultimately help his pirate costumes in the future. However, the nurses at the children`s clinic had won me over with the idea that it will not do for a girl to have a scar.
As some of you know, Japan is almost completely a cash economy. I said, all this in Japanese of course, that it would be no problem. I would pay, but would it be possible to pay on another day as I did not have much cash on me. Often in Japan, I do have US$200-$500 on hand, because that is what you do in Japan. Today, with biking in the park and no plans for shopping, I had just under US$200 in my pocket. They conferred and agreed that I could come back next week Tuesday (after the long weekend) and pay then. Out of curiosity, I asked what `takai`meant in this case. They said probably ni, san man yen (2 or 3 10,000 yen notes; about US$200-$300). This actually sounded like great news to me after hearing `takai`and remembering some of our recent experiences in US hospitals for fairly minor procedures.
I then went up and spoke with a doctor. First, I had to fill out forms on the first floor, get a medical card they created for Katie using the katakana Japanese characters that I gave for her name. Then I went to the third floor and began to struggle through a Japanese medical history form. Fortunately, I was able to set this aside and see a doctor almost immediately. I was still thinking that they might be surprised that we were at the hospital for this sort of cut. So I told him that we took her to a children`s clinic in the neighborhood, but that doctor insisted that we take her to this hospital. The doctor thought that was a good idea. He too was interested in the table height, oddly enough. Perhaps there are different categories of head wounds depending on the type of furniture involved. After all, you use different words to count in Japanese depending on whether you are counting flat things, long things. etc. Anyway, he also asked probing medical questions about how her head felt. For some of this he used some English words. He did not register any recognition of the word `glue`and I did not know it in Japanese. He looked it up after I told him that a Canadian hospital used a type of super glue on a similar wound for her elder brother. I have now cemented Canada`s reputation as a backwoods country where rugged recluses use McGyver-like jerry-rigging for almost all problems. Usually, these involve duct tape. This time glue.
He did not go for it. Not only did he decide she needed a sewing operation, he said he needed to consult with the plastic surgeon. The pained expressions and predictions of `takai`came flooding back. Now I thought, US$200-300 may have just gone up tenfold! Oh well, Katie remained happy throughout these conversations and went over to get books while we waited to hear from the plastic surgeon. All the books were in Japanese. They were, however, kids` books that I could stumble through. We read Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. The `mirror, mirror on the wall`agreed that I had to go to the plastic surgeon or risk that Katie might not be the fairest of them all, and that her once-identical twin might rub it in.
We were sent to floor 2, plastic surgery. Gulp. Two very nice women took over from this point. The amount of English had decreased once again. However, Katie`s stoic cheer transcended linguistic boundaries. They were quite amazed with her. They wrapped in a towel (to bind her arms to her body) and strapped a net over her to further immobilize her. I kept her head in position while talking to her with my eyes locked on hers. She grimaced with the anesthetizing needle and then again when they were putting in stitches. She didn`t cry. She didn`t move. She didn`t cause any trouble. She often smiled. She skipped afterward and agreed that she deserved a toy. Katie has been difficult the past week in a number of ways that seem like they should be easy. Katie was a champ at the hospital in circumstances that would text Bruce Willis`Die Hard persona.
Now we had to go downstairs to get medicine. They were prescribing antibiotics. They had disinfected numerous times, but weren`t taking chances. We got the medicine, made a follow up appointment to take stitches out (or check on them, or something...) Wed. morning (before their school and our fancy welcome lunch with the HGU president and 5 others). I also met with accounts payable department to make sure I could pay next week when we go back. They said ok. I asked how much. They seemed to indicate less than US$100. I had that and just paid. I may later find out that was just for the medicine or something. Then again, this might be like our Canada health care experiences where we had to pay for a few things out of pocket early on and found that the prices were quite reasonable. I don`t know. I do know Katie is pretty happy and has 3 very smart stitches near her right eye. I do know that she insisted on getting treats for the brother and sister and mama and me too, so we did. Katie and I found our way home with a combination of train and subway (and the requisite `need a bathroom NOW`stop somewhere between transferring from one mode to the other).
We got home to Mac and Cheese. We`ll see what all happens next Wednesday. We may be writing all blog readers for money. More likely, we will simply be impressed once again with how friendly, helpful, professional, etc. all the people here have been to us in an increasingly varied array of situations. Oooooh, this has become long. Good thing I am not doing the blogging most all of the time . . .
Friday, October 10, 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008
A good day at school!
I was able to leave Kate and Liv at school yesterday! Hooray! We had had an email (the school had called our contact at HGU who emailed us... I do wonder exactly how clear the final message is, but that's another story) saying the teachers thought Katie did well on Wednesday and they were glad I was able to be out of the classroom. So we took that as a sign that they were comfortable to have me out of the classroom. We decided to both taken them to school in the morning (walking in a huge rainstorm... all five of us, the stroller, their backpacks, the adult shoes were completely SOAKED). I dropped off Jack and John took the girls. Katie was upset to be so wet (well, I was too) and didn't seem like it was off to a good start... but he was able to extract himself, and we watched from the window for a while, and after about 30 minutes (with her moaning from time to time, but doing it cuddled up on a teacher's lap, while Livie had a HUGE smile on her face), John knocked and asked the teacher if she thought we could leave. She said yes!
I was worried when it was time to pick her up, but she was fine. Happy! With stories about the day and willing to walk home in the rain (with my newfound freetime, I bought rubber rainboots). Olivia and Jack had had a good day, too. When I was watching at Jack's window, a mom of a 6yo head me (and saw me with my dictionary) "talking" to the teacher and said something in English. It turns out she had spent a year in Banff. We chatted a bit and I asked if she'd ask the teacher how Jack was doing in class -- if he was enjoying it. She did, and translated back that "Jack is so cool... he knows how to do everything and is very happy." Now, seeing that his response to any Japanese question is to speak French, I am not sure what all he knows... but I think she was speaking honestly that he is happy.
My cold seems to be in its last gasping stages, and we are eager for the weekend ahead. And I *will* add those pictures somtime soon. Really!
I was worried when it was time to pick her up, but she was fine. Happy! With stories about the day and willing to walk home in the rain (with my newfound freetime, I bought rubber rainboots). Olivia and Jack had had a good day, too. When I was watching at Jack's window, a mom of a 6yo head me (and saw me with my dictionary) "talking" to the teacher and said something in English. It turns out she had spent a year in Banff. We chatted a bit and I asked if she'd ask the teacher how Jack was doing in class -- if he was enjoying it. She did, and translated back that "Jack is so cool... he knows how to do everything and is very happy." Now, seeing that his response to any Japanese question is to speak French, I am not sure what all he knows... but I think she was speaking honestly that he is happy.
My cold seems to be in its last gasping stages, and we are eager for the weekend ahead. And I *will* add those pictures somtime soon. Really!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Just a few updates
Sorry for the lapse in writing about our adventures. I have been battling the tatami-induced cold (more likely just a regular old run-of-the-mill cold, or a we-are-finally-settled-in-and-I-can-catch-my-breath cold, but it feels kind of good to be able to blame on something). The last few days have felt very much like our new routine -- John teaching, all of us going for groceries, and me and the kids cooking -- but there are a few things I wanted to mention, though.
1. Hiromi took me grocery shopping last Friday night and it was wonderful. What luck to have met her at the park that day. She was able to point me to things I had been looking for since I got here (baking soda, sesame oil -- tricky to guess among the hundreds of tannish looking liquids) and give me good insider advice (such as -- only buy spinich with the little kid on the front of the bag since it is the only spinich, she said, that is "safe to eat." The *other* spinich (which looks the same except for the lack of a little kid) is somehow prepared, or fertilized, or treated (I never fully understood) with LYE and needs to be boiled, she said, for a very long time. Good to know!) She and the rice guy spent about 15 minutes discussing just what kind of rice (chewy, hard, sweet, short, medium, long, white, brown...) would be best for our family. I just took her word for it... the bag we had bought and finished and thought was just fine, was probably like picking out a Velveeta at a specialty cheese store.
2. And I found the specialty cheese store in Sapporo! It is wonderful. But in the course of about three minutes, I picked up three small packages of cheese and was a bit horrified to see the bill when it came time to pay ($22!). I never imagined a day when I thought Canadian cheese could be considered cheap... but it came yesterday. And we thoroughly enjoyed every delicious bite of one package last night (mozzarella).
3. Jack has a loose tooth. This is very exciting for all of us, and especially Jack, who asked me last night to hold his hands while he fell asleep because he just couldn't stop wiggling.
4. We returned to school today. As usual, Jack had a great day. And I continue to be impressed with the school... there are pianos in every classroom, and music and songs sung throughout the day. Katie and Olivia started off kind of poorly, though -- clinging to me, not wanting me to be more than inches away, slumping on me, hiding their heads in my lap. I was pretty sure we had made a huge mistake sending them to Japanese preschool -- that the double whammy (of being in Japanese, and being their first preschool) was just too much. That seemed to be confirmed when a wonderful teacher came in for the English lesson and they perked up, finally participated, didn't look like they were being tortured. I was debating in my head whether it would be bad to have them go to an English immersion preschool across town and keep Jack there, since he is clearly having a good time, or not bother with preschool at all (which might make everyone crazy and wouldn't do much for them actually interacting with Japanese children)... and suddenly, after the English lesson, I found I was able to go check on Jack, go to the bathroom, leave the room, watch for 5 minutes from the window outside... and then they had soup for lunch (which Katie loves) and she ate so well (which pleased the worried teacher)... and then they went outside to play in the afternoon and I said I couldn't come with them right away and that was OK... and I think (maybe, just maybe) that it might work out. Or not. But I was able to spend most of the afternoon sitting on a little chair outside of their classroom reading a book -- which is 1000 times better than being clung to by two sad girls and 28 other very loud children singing songs and clapping hands (did I mention my cold came with a headache?)
5. We voted in the U.S. election this week and are watching all of the news there (and in Canada, and around the world) closely. I am so glad we can vote (and in Pennsylvania, a swing state).
6. I am getting a little nervous (some might say paranoid) about earthquakes. There have been many in Hokkaido and Sapporo in the last 100 years (note to self... when paranoid about earthquakes, do NOT go to the USGS website listing all earthquakes over the last 100 years. It won't help). I find some reassurance that all of these buildings have been around and weathered those quakes, and so even if one happened, we should be fine. Right? Right. Right....
I still want to write more about Lake Toya and add the photos... but it seems a bit too daunting for my state of mind (and nose, and lungs) at the moment. I haven't broken out a box of mac-and-cheese yet though (well, we had one the night we got home from the trip, but that was a true necessity!)... we've been eating the world's best apples, apple pears, pears, broccoli, rice and even miso soup one night (made with detailed instruction from the very kind Hiromi.) More soon!
1. Hiromi took me grocery shopping last Friday night and it was wonderful. What luck to have met her at the park that day. She was able to point me to things I had been looking for since I got here (baking soda, sesame oil -- tricky to guess among the hundreds of tannish looking liquids) and give me good insider advice (such as -- only buy spinich with the little kid on the front of the bag since it is the only spinich, she said, that is "safe to eat." The *other* spinich (which looks the same except for the lack of a little kid) is somehow prepared, or fertilized, or treated (I never fully understood) with LYE and needs to be boiled, she said, for a very long time. Good to know!) She and the rice guy spent about 15 minutes discussing just what kind of rice (chewy, hard, sweet, short, medium, long, white, brown...) would be best for our family. I just took her word for it... the bag we had bought and finished and thought was just fine, was probably like picking out a Velveeta at a specialty cheese store.
2. And I found the specialty cheese store in Sapporo! It is wonderful. But in the course of about three minutes, I picked up three small packages of cheese and was a bit horrified to see the bill when it came time to pay ($22!). I never imagined a day when I thought Canadian cheese could be considered cheap... but it came yesterday. And we thoroughly enjoyed every delicious bite of one package last night (mozzarella).
3. Jack has a loose tooth. This is very exciting for all of us, and especially Jack, who asked me last night to hold his hands while he fell asleep because he just couldn't stop wiggling.
4. We returned to school today. As usual, Jack had a great day. And I continue to be impressed with the school... there are pianos in every classroom, and music and songs sung throughout the day. Katie and Olivia started off kind of poorly, though -- clinging to me, not wanting me to be more than inches away, slumping on me, hiding their heads in my lap. I was pretty sure we had made a huge mistake sending them to Japanese preschool -- that the double whammy (of being in Japanese, and being their first preschool) was just too much. That seemed to be confirmed when a wonderful teacher came in for the English lesson and they perked up, finally participated, didn't look like they were being tortured. I was debating in my head whether it would be bad to have them go to an English immersion preschool across town and keep Jack there, since he is clearly having a good time, or not bother with preschool at all (which might make everyone crazy and wouldn't do much for them actually interacting with Japanese children)... and suddenly, after the English lesson, I found I was able to go check on Jack, go to the bathroom, leave the room, watch for 5 minutes from the window outside... and then they had soup for lunch (which Katie loves) and she ate so well (which pleased the worried teacher)... and then they went outside to play in the afternoon and I said I couldn't come with them right away and that was OK... and I think (maybe, just maybe) that it might work out. Or not. But I was able to spend most of the afternoon sitting on a little chair outside of their classroom reading a book -- which is 1000 times better than being clung to by two sad girls and 28 other very loud children singing songs and clapping hands (did I mention my cold came with a headache?)
5. We voted in the U.S. election this week and are watching all of the news there (and in Canada, and around the world) closely. I am so glad we can vote (and in Pennsylvania, a swing state).
6. I am getting a little nervous (some might say paranoid) about earthquakes. There have been many in Hokkaido and Sapporo in the last 100 years (note to self... when paranoid about earthquakes, do NOT go to the USGS website listing all earthquakes over the last 100 years. It won't help). I find some reassurance that all of these buildings have been around and weathered those quakes, and so even if one happened, we should be fine. Right? Right. Right....
I still want to write more about Lake Toya and add the photos... but it seems a bit too daunting for my state of mind (and nose, and lungs) at the moment. I haven't broken out a box of mac-and-cheese yet though (well, we had one the night we got home from the trip, but that was a true necessity!)... we've been eating the world's best apples, apple pears, pears, broccoli, rice and even miso soup one night (made with detailed instruction from the very kind Hiromi.) More soon!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Squid guts for breakfast
We are safely back from a WONDERFUL visit to Lake Toya. There is much to write about, and a lot of great pictures, and I will give lots of space tomorrow to all good things. It was so beautiful -- the lake, the ocean, the active volcanos -- and fun -- the traditional Japanese baths and not-so-traditional watersides, the gondola ride up the side of a volcano -- and as always the people have been incredibly kind. But tonight, in addition to letting you know we are home, I want to mention a few things I don't like about Japan.
1. Tea. This was true in England, too. I still can't stand it. But then we kind of expected that.
2. Bugs. This was true in Philadelphia, too. I still can't stand them. Most days we have a particularly hideous visitor or two make its way into our otherwise so very pleasant house. I try not to squeal (trying to model "can't we call get along" behavior for my children, probably not very successfully) and they still freak me out each time.
3. The smell of tatami mats. As we stayed in a traditional (and very fancy) Japanese hotel room last night on HGU's dime, all I could think of was "get me out of this barn!" I wasn't helped by the fact that I might be allergic to the tatami (woven straw), or else was badly bothered by the secondhand/old smoke in the room, as I gasped, wheezed, and sneezed my way through the night. I love the look, feel, and *idea* of tatami, but oh, the smell. (And it's not so bad in our house because the tatami room is only a small portion of our space, and we can open our windows, which sadly was not possible in our hotel room).
4. Japanese breakfast food. This is another for the "I'm probably not fully appreciating the richness of the culture here" category, but I just can't get my head around fish for breakfast. We had an amazing buffet dinner at the hotel Saturday night, and what was probably an amazing breakfast buffet this morning. But all those fish! Platters and platters of fish, including (my favorite) a plate of something which had been translated as "Squid and squid guts" (really)... Sigh. I would have given anything for a pancake...
But more (and more positive) things to come tomorrow -- after I will wake up and enjoy my bowl of rice flakes and milk!
1. Tea. This was true in England, too. I still can't stand it. But then we kind of expected that.
2. Bugs. This was true in Philadelphia, too. I still can't stand them. Most days we have a particularly hideous visitor or two make its way into our otherwise so very pleasant house. I try not to squeal (trying to model "can't we call get along" behavior for my children, probably not very successfully) and they still freak me out each time.
3. The smell of tatami mats. As we stayed in a traditional (and very fancy) Japanese hotel room last night on HGU's dime, all I could think of was "get me out of this barn!" I wasn't helped by the fact that I might be allergic to the tatami (woven straw), or else was badly bothered by the secondhand/old smoke in the room, as I gasped, wheezed, and sneezed my way through the night. I love the look, feel, and *idea* of tatami, but oh, the smell. (And it's not so bad in our house because the tatami room is only a small portion of our space, and we can open our windows, which sadly was not possible in our hotel room).
4. Japanese breakfast food. This is another for the "I'm probably not fully appreciating the richness of the culture here" category, but I just can't get my head around fish for breakfast. We had an amazing buffet dinner at the hotel Saturday night, and what was probably an amazing breakfast buffet this morning. But all those fish! Platters and platters of fish, including (my favorite) a plate of something which had been translated as "Squid and squid guts" (really)... Sigh. I would have given anything for a pancake...
But more (and more positive) things to come tomorrow -- after I will wake up and enjoy my bowl of rice flakes and milk!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Heading out of town for the weekend
Just a quick note to let you know we are heading out of town for the weekend. HGU takes the visiting faculty member and family on one trip -- we are going to Lake Toya and a waterslide hotel. I don't know if we'll have email access while away, so don't worry if you don't hear from us until Sunday evening.
And to show that we aren't that disconnected from things back home -- we just watched the VP debate online. We also received our absentee ballots in the mail this week (we get to vote in Penna) and are glad to be part of this year's election. Interesting to watch (and I won't say more because I know my family reads this blog, and we don't *always* agree on politics!)
And to show that we aren't that disconnected from things back home -- we just watched the VP debate online. We also received our absentee ballots in the mail this week (we get to vote in Penna) and are glad to be part of this year's election. Interesting to watch (and I won't say more because I know my family reads this blog, and we don't *always* agree on politics!)
No free time yet...
We made it through another day of school, although this time I couldn't leave. Jack had a wonderful day... (oh, and before we left, we had a report from the school to the HGU person who went to the interview with us that Jack had a good appetite (three bowls of rice!) and could jump rope. Apparently, these were viewed as great successes on his part. We were also told the girls didn't eat ANYTHING (a strike against them) and that Katie cried, but that Olivia played with other kids and that was good. Ah, the pressure). Back to today -- Jack went off and had a great day... they had English lessons and he said he was the best in the class (I don't think he understood why this didn't impress us as much as other things he does have...) He and some other older siblings came to visit the Melon class at lunch and that was so great... K&O were so happy to see him. And when I picked him up, the teacher had done a search on her dictionary to say he had gotten very dirty at recess... I couldn't tell if that was bad or good (and at one point, she motioned in a way that made it look like Jack was throwing dirt on people, but he didn't... just that he had a lot of fun and got very dirty and she was sorry his clothes were so messy. I think... maybe he got in trouble. Who knows.) At any rate, he was very happy.
Kate and Liv were a bit tired starting off -- they didn't nap yesterday and both have been having a bit of a stomach bug, and so haven't been 100 percent. Katie was eager to go to get another sticker in her little book. That motivated her the WHOLE day. Liv started off well and happy, but got pretty tired by the end of the day (I had to carry her home). Today was a gym day for the girls and Liv jumped right in and tried the different activities... she earned applause by being able to do a forward roll (and then a running forward roll) without help (most of the kids needed a boost on the bum to get over). Kate just wanted to be held the first few times everyone tried the forward roll, but decided to do it the last time. She ran, jumped, and did the forward roll, again to great applause from classmates and teachers. The smile on her face was WONDERFUL.
I think we are lucky the kids are comfortable and confident (for the most part) doing different physical activities. In the big picture, it wouldn't matter if they didn't jump rope or do the forward roll -- no one would hold that against them (the rice, now that's probably another story). But I think it just made things a little easier for them (in a week when a lot was hard), that they could fully be doing what their classmates were doing.
Anyway -- back to school. Jack ate lunch. The girls didn't. The teacher worried. I used my dictionary to say they tried everything (which they did) and "big breakfast". I think she is taking it personally that they don't seem to like rice. Again, I wish I could explain that they don't like much of anything at this moment... it's nothing personal (or political). For now, I'm just happy they are trying. They came home and had a HUGE second lunch (fruit and macaroni, for those who are keeping track. We had box number three over the weekend at the lunch, at the request of the host, and box number four today to celebrate making it through their first week of school).
So I still haven't found any non-kid time (aside from some moments in the morning when John will often take the to a park so I can get Jack's classwork ready)... and have a lot of editing to do before tomorrow at noon. And the girls have been very mama-focused and needing me a lot at night... but I think school is heading in the right direction, and John's schedule is opening up... so there is hope.
And just because she finally let me get some pictures... here is Katie in her uniform today (no complaints).
Katie shows off her uniform.
Too kawai for words!
Livie the dancer. The silk scarves mom and dad gave the girls for Christmas have been a lifesaver... they have become tutus, crowns, capes and other costumes left behind.
Kate and Liv were a bit tired starting off -- they didn't nap yesterday and both have been having a bit of a stomach bug, and so haven't been 100 percent. Katie was eager to go to get another sticker in her little book. That motivated her the WHOLE day. Liv started off well and happy, but got pretty tired by the end of the day (I had to carry her home). Today was a gym day for the girls and Liv jumped right in and tried the different activities... she earned applause by being able to do a forward roll (and then a running forward roll) without help (most of the kids needed a boost on the bum to get over). Kate just wanted to be held the first few times everyone tried the forward roll, but decided to do it the last time. She ran, jumped, and did the forward roll, again to great applause from classmates and teachers. The smile on her face was WONDERFUL.
I think we are lucky the kids are comfortable and confident (for the most part) doing different physical activities. In the big picture, it wouldn't matter if they didn't jump rope or do the forward roll -- no one would hold that against them (the rice, now that's probably another story). But I think it just made things a little easier for them (in a week when a lot was hard), that they could fully be doing what their classmates were doing.
Anyway -- back to school. Jack ate lunch. The girls didn't. The teacher worried. I used my dictionary to say they tried everything (which they did) and "big breakfast". I think she is taking it personally that they don't seem to like rice. Again, I wish I could explain that they don't like much of anything at this moment... it's nothing personal (or political). For now, I'm just happy they are trying. They came home and had a HUGE second lunch (fruit and macaroni, for those who are keeping track. We had box number three over the weekend at the lunch, at the request of the host, and box number four today to celebrate making it through their first week of school).
So I still haven't found any non-kid time (aside from some moments in the morning when John will often take the to a park so I can get Jack's classwork ready)... and have a lot of editing to do before tomorrow at noon. And the girls have been very mama-focused and needing me a lot at night... but I think school is heading in the right direction, and John's schedule is opening up... so there is hope.
And just because she finally let me get some pictures... here is Katie in her uniform today (no complaints).
Katie shows off her uniform.
Too kawai for words!
Livie the dancer. The silk scarves mom and dad gave the girls for Christmas have been a lifesaver... they have become tutus, crowns, capes and other costumes left behind.
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