We're Back....

................safe and sound. While too tired to write much about our trip as we have been traveling for close to 24 hours, it was wonderful. I'll be posting over the next few days with lots of pictures, so stay tuned.......................

Florida

Well, here we are in sunny and horribly hot Florida, where the temperature during the day has been getting dangerously close to 100 degrees – every day. Ariana has learned a new meaning for “hot” as getting into a car that has been sitting in the sun for hours is a new experience for her. Baba-san solved the problem by telling me to put a towel over the car seat – now why couldn’t I have thought of that? Probably because I am in the middle of “jetlag hell”, sleeping one night 12 hours and the next 3, waking at 4 in the morning with an obscene amount of energy. It did, however, provide me with enough alone time to finish the new Harry Potter book, as gratefully Ariana stayed asleep.

 

Ariana has been having fun with all of the old people here – teasing them, doling out attention to only the chosen few. The more they demand it from her, the more she ignores them, only rewarding the calm and collected with a smile or wave. It is amazing how competitive they are with her “she smiled at me!”, “I think she is starting to recognize me”, “can I have a kiss? (to which Ariana replies with a serious, very serious glare)……..well, maybe next time”.

 

I do think it would be great if every senior residence instituted a program with the neighborhood schools because just seeing her makes most of them smile. And they don’t do that all that often, because their complaining takes up so much time. Mostly about the food – which deserves it, it is awful. You know there is a problem when even the instant mashed potatoes are inedible.

 

Olive Garden – here we come!!!

 

Family Visits

Cousins Keiko, Ryushin and Chris visited yesterday. After a quick nap and a bite to eat, Ryushin got down to playing with the toys and the dog. Tess was on her best behavior and only gave Ryushin a dirty look when he grabbed a fistful of hair, much of it which came out in his hand (pugs do shed.....a lot).




Then......the pool.......note to self - do take Ariana out of her regular diaper. She is bending over to see exactly what is that big blob between her legs. She proceeded to take the diaper off, holding it up and saying "heavy". And it was.............................these things really are absorbent, soaking up half the water in the pool.

We are off on Wednesday for another tour of the east coast of the United States, making stops in Florida, upstate NY, Canada and NYC visiting family and friends. Ariana will be seeing her grandma, nana and gramps, meeting some cousins and aunts for the first time, seeing her brother and sister for a short visit and having a reunion of her buddies from China. And of course seeing our friends in NYC.

I am preparing for a fourteen hour flight alone with a toddler - although after two previous trips, Ariana is an expert at flying. We settle in, and as long as I continually provide entertainment, she is fine. The only problem arises when I put her on the floor to sleep and the flight attendant gives me a hard time. I try to explain that the alternative is having a screaming child as she moves around a lot when she sleeps and can't do that in the seat, and the screaming will cause much disharmony for the other passengers, but they are firm - it is against the rules. So she will scream for some portion of the flight, I will walk her back and forth in the isle, getting disapproving looks from the other passengers ("don't blame me - direct those dirty looks at the flight attendants!!!") until she either quiets down or we land, whichever comes first.

The short flights are a breeze, although the hassle of getting through the airports in the US are a pain. But it will be worth it to see all of the familiar faces and have the opportunity to catch up.

And shop.