Uncle 'Eko!

What do you get when uncle 'Eko has a business trip to Shanghai and is able to pull off a weekend in town? A great time for the nieces! Apart from coming to KL bearing some great gifts, Aleko has been one of the favorites for Irini for quite a while. But he hadn't yet met Amalia. He arrived fairly late on Friday night, and got his first glimpse of his younger niece in the bedroom. As luck would have it, she would wake up soon and start wailing for food.

The next morning, Irini woke up Laurence and whispered "Eko", pointing to the other room. Amalia was awake too, so they quietly opened the door and peered inside. Aleko was sleeping, but not for long. :-) Within minutes he was woken up, and jumped out of bed, opened his suitcase and revealed a number of presents. A Pippi Longstocking book with accompanying Pippi and Mr. Nielsen dolls and a set of play cookware for Irini. Amalia promptly took the cookware and began to eat them to the best of her ability. No pot was spared. For Amalia, Eko brought a wonderful little battery-operated car that makes sounds and moves slowly enough for a crawling baby to follow. Irini promptly took it and turned it on and watched it move back and forth across the room. It was clear that the presents were enjoyed thoroughly, but not by the niece Aleko had planned for! No matter, a visit from 'Eko is a success regardless of who's playing with what present. And besides, Amalia also got a small pair of slippers that were too small for Irini, so no mix-ups there. Natalia got a present too... she got to sleep in until 8:00 am since everyone else was in the other bedroom, a present she was very thankful for. Little things, big appreciation!

The next two days were energy-filled (though not always positive) and certainly the highlight was the dinner at Passage Thru India, a well-known and quite yummy Indian restaurant in town. Upon arrival Irini, who had spent her afternoon hanging out with uncle 'Eko looking at his iPod instead of napping (the downloaded movies were a big success), started running around the restaurant for the entire hour and a half that we were there. Amalia, not wanting to be forgotten, decided that she would wake up from her slumber in the stroller and cry for a while too. There were some tense moments as everyone tried to smile and shifts were taken with Irini and Amalia. Between bites and running around making sure that all patrons at every table were greeted appropriately by a very friendly Irini, the dinner was a bit of an afterthought for the local Myers-Giraldo clan. Aleko slurped the chicken tikka and palak paneer with a grin, however, stopping intermittently to share a "mmmm" with the rest of the family. Dinner chatting was sparse. It was the loneliest dinner he's had in KL. :-)

Happily the next day was much better, filled with time at KLCC park roaming through the playground and visiting the pool and water fall. Irini was happy as can be. The afternoon included a trip to a street market (Aleko made a point of showing his appreciation for avoiding the globalized brand marketing for a short while). By the time Aleko flew back to Copenhagen, he was happy to have been here, but also happy that his own children are grown and can take care of themselves these days. :-) Thanks for the visit Eko!!

Humble Beginnings...

On the sixth floor of a high-rise building in an outskirt of Kuala Lumpur, overlooking a rather small ex-tin mining lake and the distant eastern foothills of peninsular Malaysia, a little girl takes her first basketball shot on a toy backboard attached to the side of her sister's cot. The girl walks up to the basket. She holds the ball in two hands. She gets into her ready position, knees slightly bent, balance on the balls of her feet, center of gravity allowing her a sway without falling over. Her eyes are set on the target. She eases her hands forward and, with a smooth follow-through, pushes the ball through the hoop. Instant success!!

...To her father the image unleashes dreams, hopes and aspirations that she will be healthy and active, that perhaps she will become an athlete and sport will be important to her, as it is to him. Perhaps he'll get a chance to coach her in little league, and shoot around with her in the park because she wants to. Maybe he'll watch her play varsity basketball one day. He sees himself in the stands, cheering and being proud. She'll win awards and medals and recognize the value of hard work and persistence. She'll recognize the importance of teamwork and cooperation and sportsmanship. She'll internalize the value of sport in society and learn to identify herself with it. She'll become a better person because of it. Daddy's thoughts return to the moment...

Irini smiles, celebrates and moves over to pick up the ball again. She's 100% from the line. Time for another shot. :-)

Growin' Up & Smilin' Wide

Life is full of ups and downs. From tantrums to fits of laughter. From a floor full of spilled milk to a house full of giggles. From a persistent level of exhaustion forcing mothers and fathers to early bedtime, to a house filled with little footsteps in the wee hours of the morning. From tears of frustration to group hugs and shared kisses. Life is all of this. Thankfully, and happily, there is much more laughter and giggles and footsteps and kisses in our end of the world. Irini is growing into a beautiful young lady and her sister is catching up pretty fast too! Whether they are hanging out with Ida, or playing with mommy, or climbing all over daddy, life is a good one and moments come and, unfortunately, go before you know it! The girls are growin' up, but every day brings with it a new joy we never knew we could find. Irini and Amalia are amazing. Laurence and Natalia are tired (but extremely happy). Ida comes and goes and makes sure we're all in one piece. Group hug!!

Family, Community

It's a Sunday morning. Natalia has spent much of the night making sure that Amalia has been breathing well. Yesterday we went to the doctor, who was out. We were asked to visit another doctor, upstairs. We did. He was delightful and spoke some Spanish. A real hit, but when leaving we were given a small arsenal of medicines which, upon review, were all geared toward adults and children over two. We deliberated, wondered, read the information sheets in the medicine boxes and decided to put four of the five medicines away. The one was a cough syrup. Amalia has bronchiolitis, we were told. It's a virus. Amalia's first. She spent much of the past two days like Irini had the few days before, coughing and slightly wheezing. Natalia and Laurence, not wanting their poor children to go through this alone, decided to pick up "the bug" as well and have spent a good portion of their days with runny noses and phlegm filled throats. Last night was better, though still with a couple bouts of cough. Today was a new day.

In the morning we were visited by Polly. Though she is leaving for Bali tomorrow she was able to sneak a few moments to share a breakfast with us and bring some yummy apple-lemon muffins. They were inhaled almost instantly and, when Amalia began to cry again, Polly's soft touch and movement were perfect to put little Amalia to her first nap of the day. Later, Laurence took Irini to KizSport where he met up with friends/colleagues Chris and his son Fletcher and Matt and his son Jonny. It was active and fun and the return home brought with it instant naps.

Then it was Skype time with family in Greece and Sweden, before Leanne finally arrived with goodies for dinner (two entire chickens - baked and oh so much more), followed closely by Rebecca and Scott, with even more things for dinner. It was great, and Irini and Amalia had some good old fashioned quality time with all of them (and some of us too) before heading off to bed. Now that we sit back and chat about how wonderful our daughters are, we realize how wonderful everything is - from community here to family across the world to the friends at KizSport to the time in the pool.

As Sunday night found its way to us, Amalia had largely recovered and smiling broadly and Irini had only vestiges of a cough. She is ready for pre-school tomorrow and Laurence and Natalia are ready for the new week to arrive. Every day is a new day. Every night we fall in love with two beautiful faces peacefully dreaming beautiful dreams.

Amalia's a-growin'...

A month or more back Irini was playing with our camera and dropped it. Oops. Laurence rushed as quickly as he could and picked it up, moving it from side to side and turning it on and off. Apart from a small dent/scratch in the upper corner there seemed to be no problem. Then, a couple days later, it decided to go to sleep. It was promptly taken to the Cannon shop where they informed us that they could fix it, but it would take a few weeks. It has not come back yet and so, as little Amalia (and Irini) grows we have few photo opportunities actually captured.

But despite the lack of photo documentation, Amalia is impressing the world. Today she was picked up by a family of a Saudi man and his two wives (or was it a wife and friend, or sister?) and passed from one to the other. They are expecting their first child in the end of this month and seemed very excited. The contrast between the black-clad full-body-covered women and little Amalia in her pink shirt (and Irini who was soon picked up as well) could not be starker, and yet there was a common thrill in all of us. The two women cooed and ahhhed their way through the discussion and Natalia talked with all of them. It was a true bridging of cultural gaps and Amalia was at the forefront. By the end of the meal, we gave them our goodbyes and congratulations, they asked if they could have Amalia (presumably in jest) to which Natalia politely responded, "you'll have your own soon" accenting it with a broad smile, and we went off. How amazing that a little girl who cannot yet speak (though communication is loud and clear) can bring people together like that? If it were not for her we would have sat there in our respective tables, side by side, and chatted amongst ourselves, perhaps sharing stereotypical thoughts of the people 'next door' or attempting to decipher the intricacies of the other culture's value systems and behaviors. This approach was a whole lot more direct, interactive and completely positive. Way to go Amalia!!

The pictures above were shot not at that interchange, but last night as our friend Rebecca (and her husband Scott) were visiting. Amalia smiled broadly most of the night. She is delightful and lovable. Her parents, her family, even the people at the next table, are delighted and in love.

Role Reversal and Smiley Days

It's a Monday morning. Laurence is woken up by a little girl tugging at his shorts (aka pyjamas) and making moves to push him over the side of the bed (a playful smile on her face). He opens his eye to attempt a focus on what it is causing such a commotion. Irini smiles back. She jumps off the bed, takes hold of one of his fingers, and pulls him along until he is upright and sitting, squinting with the day's light, hair disheveled, eyes trying desperately to focus on the world around him before having to take the first step.

Her little voice is clear: "You go school?". "Nai agapoula" (yes, little love) he responds and finally takes a step toward the beginning of the new day at work. Along the way, Irini helps with the deodorant, puts the toothpaste on the brush, watches and smiles, chats a bit. She brings out his socks to make sure he has a fresh new pair before heading down the hallway. She announces to Ida that "daddy go school" as Laurence and Idah share their morning greetings. Similar announcements are made to Natalia as she holds Amalia. Laurence clumsily shuffles from place to play, saying hellos and giving kisses to the appropriate people. He takes his shower, gets ready, lifts his arm to have Irini place the deo, and dresses for school. Thankfully his 'professional attire' is a simple t-shirt and pair of shorts and the only requirements from the fashion police is that they don't have the same color.

He lumbers down the hallway and stops to put on his shoes, given to him, of course, by Irini. She opens the door and locks it in place, gets his backpack, walks outside and around the corner to summon the elevator. Now fully awake, Laurence happily (and proudly) follows his daughter around the corner and into the hallway. Idah knows to follow to, to make sure Irini isn't stranded outside the apartment on her return. Irini presses the button for the elevator and they wait a few moments until the characteristic "ding" announces its arrival. Laurence steps in and Irini, anticipating the departure, says "kiss". Laurence leans down and she stands on her tippy toes and the kiss is shared briefly and generally with a smile. Laurence backs up into the elevator. Irini waits until the doors shut, waving all the way.

Laurence, now in the silence of the elevator as it descends six floors to the bottom, wonders how it is that his daughter is making sure that he's taken care of as he goes to school. Shouldn't it be the other way around? His smile accompanies him on his walk to school. Her smile lingers in his mind all day.

Growin' Up and Finding New Stuff

Amalia has been sneaking up on us as Irini has been more active and vocal. It means that our time with "number 2" is not spent staring and sharing smiles and raspberries as much as when Irini was young(er). But none-the-less Amalia is growing and growing. At her last doctor's appointment - 4 months already! - she weighed in at 6.41 kilos and was 62 cm long/tall. Her little lungs are also letting us know, in no uncertain terms, that they are likewise growing in size and capacity. But more than anything her growth is manifested in her new-found ability to focus on objects, both moving and stationary, to communicate (albeit in grunts and "wheeee" sounds), to sit up more steadily, to roll from side to side and her realization that she can reach for things a bit beyond her immediate reach. It is this realization that has lead to many moments of foot grabbing and toe tasting in our home... the kinds of stretches the adults can only dream of these days. Most often these new positions - somewhere between yoga and pilates - are accompanied by broad smiles.

Amalia grows daily. She becomes more beautiful. She has all of us enamored. She is steadily becoming her own self, filled with positive energy and happiness. Irini, for one, loves the fact that her little sister is starting to respond to her in such direct ways. They look at each other, play together (okay, more like Irini playing with Amalia), take baths together and, as is standard in our family circles, Amalia is the content recipient of a multitude of kisses... well deserved, all of them.

School for the First Time

Irini started pre-school on Thursday, September 2nd. After a run of visits to several pre-schools, Natalia decided that this was probably the best fit for our little one. It helped that this place had an outdoor trampoline that Irini loves to play on!

On the first day of school, Laurence was up before Irini was and he took a close look at his daughter, wished her well on the beginning of her journey to independence, pushed aside a mad rush to keep her home under the protection of the family, glanced at her once more, and slowly made his way out the door and off to work.

Later that morning Irini would wake up, take a shower with mommy, have breakfast and ask, time after time, if this was the day to go to Buzzy Bee. Natalia would smile and say "yes" and deal as constructively with her daughter's energy and inability to be patient. Finally the moment came and Natalia, as her mother before her, took pictures of her daughter's first departure to school. The surroundings were new (as Natalia and her sister and brother left from their Bogotá house), but the routine was essentially the same. Put on her clothing. Fill the backpack with little things to make the day better. Walk outside, where Irini would reach the button and summon the elevator to the sixth floor. On the ground floor she looked both to the right and the left to make sure no cars were coming, and walked out and onto the car with mommy's help.

Once at Buzzy Bee it was slow at first - the Greek-Colombians having arrived early! - and Natalia was allowed to mosey around and take pictures of her daughter with the few people that were there. Irini immediately went to play with a puzzle and a doll ('Baby') which she had played with the day before when they had come for the final pre-enrollment visit. Putting it to bed and roaming around happily was cue for the pre-school's director to patiently announce that, "when you're ready you can feel free to go". Natalia stayed a little longer, and then finally backed out, stealing one last sight of her happy daughter in her new environment.

Within minutes Irini was starting her new class, in her new group of classmates. She is happy there, it seems, and despite some moments of crying when she is being dropped off (not that first day, but the subsequent ones have been a little harder to say goodbye to mommy) she is happily involved in everything the pre-school has to offer. The director says she has become very comfortable very quickly. Now, when Natalia arrives to pick her up she has the same response as when she arrives: She cries and says she doesn't want to go home. How wonderful to be so happy with every aspect of your life that you don't want it to end. Of course, within minutes, she is happily chatting with Natalia and showing all the dance moves she learned that day.

We hope that this is the beginning of an education that will fill her with a love for life and a life of love. We hope it gives her the tools to be what she wants to be, to find something she loves, and to deal positively with those around her. We hope it equips her with imagination and dreams. We hope so much for our little Irini. She just wants to go and play and dance.... and so it begins.

Once Upon a Time (Mia Fora kai Enan Kero)...

The following is the written version of the first ever bedtime (or otherwise) story that Laurence had to come up with for Irini's entertainment. In it's oral version it is said in Greek with a few words of English scattered about, and with lyrics from English childrens songs. A true bilingual affair. Previous attempts never made it to the end, but this time Irini listened, participated, requested songs to support the story line and lyrics to be sung...

Once upon a time there was a young girl named Irini. She lived in the woods with her family and spend much of her time with her pet animals. Her favoritest of pets was a five-humped camel named Alice.

[insert lyrics to "Alice the Camel has Five Humps"

introduced to Irini by her Tia who was visiting for the summer]

Alice and Irini loved playing together and soon Alice was having a birthday. Irini couldn't wait to give her a great birthday party. But as they were playing one day someone came to the forest and took Alice away. He put Alice in a big truck that said "Zoo" on the side of it. Irini was very upset and wanted to find her friend. She walked down the road to her friend Jonny's (insert any name here - Jonny is Irini's friend who lives downstairs) to see if he had any ideas. Jonny told Irini that perhaps they could go to the zoo and get Alice to come back. Irini thought it was a great idea and ran back home to ask her mother. Her mother was delighted that Irini wanted to go to the Zoo, and so Irini called Jonny up and said that her mother was going to take her to the Zoo tomorrow and he could come too!

[insert song "Going to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo"
by Raffi given to us by our friends Scott & Rebecca]

The next day Irini's mom took Irini and Jonny to the Zoo to look for Alice. It was their first time in the Zoo and, though they were looking for Alice, they were also very impressed with the number of animals there. As they were walking by they noticed water flying in the air. They excitedly walked closer to see some huge elephants on the other side of the enclosure. The elephants were using their trunks to collect water and drink and splash each other in the river. They were having so much fun that Irini and Jonny had to stop and watch them.

[insert modified stanza from "Going to the Zoo":
"Look at all the elephants splashing in the river, splashing in the river, splashing in the river".
The song is accompanied by motions with the arms pretending
they are trunks and showering water or drinking water from the river, of course]

Irini and Jonny were having so much fun that, for a moment, they forgot that they were looking for their friend Alice. They sat there and talked to the elephants because, even though they were scared of them, they also really found them exciting to watch. But as they were talking and splashing and playing, suddenly, from behind the enclosure there was a loud sound: Boom, boom, boom!

The elephants all stopped and looked around in surprise. Irini and Jonny looked at each other and, in unison, yelled "Alice!". The elephants asked them how they new what that sound was, and Irini explained to them what had happened the day before and how she had come to the Zoo to take her friend back home and celebrate her birthday. The elephants immediately said they would help Irini and Jonny out. But Irini was confused. The elephants were in the enclosure and the door was locked. She wondered how they would get out, but the biggest of the elephants came over and spoke to her softly so as not to scare her. He explained that they were there because of the free food and that, really, they could leave whenever they wanted. In the distance they heard 'boom, boom, boom' again, and the elephant turned and went to the door, and put his head to the door, pushed it open until the entire door came off its hinges. The other elephants looked on in delight, chatting amongst themselves that they were going for an adventure. Irini was worried, but the big elephant walked over and picked her up with his trunk and placed her on his neck. Two other elephants walked up and did the same with Jonny and Irini's mother.

As the elephants walked out into the zoo's grounds people were alarmed and ran away. Soon the zoo was empty and the elephants followed the boom sounds around the bend and down the path. Finally, they turned a corner and, behind two large trees there was Alice the Camel, with all her five humps, looking at them happily... boom, boom boom!

[Insert "Alice the Camel" song again]

Irini was happy as can be to see her friend! The big elephant walked up to the gate of her enclosure and pushed the door down, letting Alice come outside and meet Irini and Jonny once again. They were happy as can be! They were so happy that the elephants decided to take them all home, and as they zoo was now empty they walked happily down the pathways. Along the way they were joined by some monkeys who wanted to continue the celebration at Irini's house the next day.

By the next day they had all reached Irini's house and the monkeys, five of them, began to find things to do in the house. Naturally they began to jump on the fluffy bed in Irini's room.

[insert song "Five little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed"
introduced to Irini by our friends Joe, Trina and their daughter Sarah]

Despite the monkeys bumping their heads, preparations were all made for the big event. Not only was Alice back home again, but it was her birthday! So Irini, Jonny, their families, their neighbors in the woods and all their new-found friends the elephants and monkeys stood around Alice and sang to her.

[insert the "Happy Birthday" song]

Alice, of course, was happy as can be. Boom, boom, boom

Sorpresa!!

Yesterday Natalia brought Irini to work and surprise Laurence in his office or classroom. They arrived during a health class and he saw them through the window that separates the classroom from the office. Irini was smiling broadly and Laurence was delighted to see them both. He rushed into the office to hear Irini - now conscious of the number of people surrounding them in the PE Office - let out a soft whimper, "sorpresa". Natalia would later explain that Irini had been practicing for a good amount of time and she had been ready to yell it out until the extra people around made her think twice. By the time Laurence picked her up and carried her into his class for the spontaneous session of show and tell she was completely quiet and a bit overwhelmed. She looked around at the "ahh"ing and "ohh"ing students and was less than impressed that her father would do this to her. Laurence exited, stage left, as fast as he could, trying - successfully as it turned out - to avert a breakdown. Laurence loved it. Natalia loved it. Irini survived it. The sorpresa fizzled into a cute story.

Tonight she and Natalia decided to try again, but this time from the comfort of the dining room table... Despite Irini's little accident at the end, and the confusion in script, she was happy as can be performing for daddy this time. After the show was filmed, she watched it over and over, as she loves to do with any action moving starring herself! :-)

Note: If you're having difficutly watching the video on this post, it might work in "full screen" mode by clicking the four little ourward-moving arrows at the bottom right of the video. At least that's what it does on our computer. :-)

Irini's Phrases at 30 Months

Here is a compilation of phrases (in her variety of languages and word choice) that Irini impresses us with on a daily basis. The list grows with each passing day and we love it!

1. What doing?

2. Come, I show you

3. No pepas (fruit pits in Spanish)

4. No eat pepas

5. Polla ("many" in Greek)

6. Open shoes - take off your shoes

7. Sasu (salud)

8. I want jumping

9. I want pay (play), go swimming

10. No toc (touch)

11. Two, three, sen, go! (one, two three go!)

12. No go!

13. I want see Amaia

14. Amaia wake up

15. Amaia sleeping

16. Patillas (pastillas)

17. Want see?

18. Open fos - turn on the lights

19. Be careful

20. Ok, bye-bye

21. Sagapo papa, mama, tia, taita, Palou, grandma

22. Where it go?

23. I take

24. Want carry Amaia

25. Hot

26. Come, come!

27. I eat

28. Tak you (Thank you)

29. I want majito (masajito- a masaje)

30. Come on!

31. Elephants care (scare) me

32. Bill pease (please)

33. I show you

34. I go shopping (sad, but true)

33. Ant (her word for any insect)

34. Gecko poopoo (if you live in the tropics this is inevitable) :-)

The World Through Irini's Eyes

A while back Irini delicately (by her standards) picked up the digital camera, pushed the button to turn it on, directed it to her mother and took a picture. Her hand safely held on to the camera, ensuring that it would not fall. Her mother and father looked on with a mixed emotion of absolute delight that their daughter was working things out and complete terror that the said camera would come tumbling to the ground. In the end the picture was taken with only a few minor adjustments. Irini already knew to look on the other side and see what she took and, when the image came up, Irini and parents sat there with a smile on their face... A beautiful view of the sides of Natalia's face and a big finger running right through the middle of the picture, turned a bright orange-red from the flash at such close proximity.

Needless to say there were more pictures taken, of the ceiling fan and the refrigerator, or the family members from various (some not so flattering) angles, and of the various toys and pieces of furniture, all from Irini's perspective. Some, admirably, came out very nicely! This, of course, prompted Laurence to put them all together and decide that it was time to share with the world the first set of such pictures - only the finest, of course - for Irini's very own first photo collection and exhibit. We have attached them above for your enjoyment!

Water Sliiiiiiide

Since we're at it, we wanted to share a fun moment between Irini and her Tia. Beto and Emilia Particia had arrived just the day before, and we were invited by our friends Dave and Jody (who have since welcomed their third baby (but first girl), Alexandra Rose into the world!) to a hotel in Port Dickson, about an hour and a half south of KL. We were happy to oblige and give our new guests a chance to relax and cool down after a long flight. As you can see from the video, getting Irini out of the water was a little tricky.

Kuantan

Kuantan is a sleepy small city lying on the East Coast of Malaysia. A three hour (or so) drive across the peninsula of West Malaysia it is a rather simple affair to get to... so with the little ones and visiting ones in tow, we headed out for what will be our only out-of-town official vacation of the summer. We stayed at the Swiss Garden Resort, as we have in the past. In fact, this was the location of Irini's first entry into the water a couple years ago when we went with Sammy and Erika (we miss you!). This time it was Amalia's turn, in almost the same exact spot! It was a three night vacation filled with family time on the beach, at the pool, in the restaurants and sharing king-sized beds (always a favorite with Irini!). Add a little bit of massage time at the spa for the out-of-country guests and some batik time for Irini and you have an instant success! Irini began the time not particularly impressed with the sand (too sticky on the toes) but ended up very happy in some one's arms as they bobbed up and down as the waves came up to the shore. There was also discovery time looking at the thousands of little crabs sitting in the tidal pools in low tide. How exciting - just a little bit scary but mostly interesting - to see so many little critters roaming around, pushing minuscule balls of sand around as they push themselves onto the beach. We all watched and explained things to young minds eager to learn. Amalia smiled on, working in determined fashion on her raspberry bubbles...

On the way back we stopped at the Hyatt Hotel for lunch and a coffee. This has become our customary stop before the drive back. This time around everyone fell in love with Irini (could it be any other way?). Within a minute or two of ordering the waiter came over with an assortment of food items from the buffet lunch menu. We happily accepted and ate them immediately. This was followed up shortly by an assortment of appetizers from the buffet as well. Finding that our daughters reminded him of his own, he later brought us a third platter, this time of an assortment of deserts. Irini later walked over and received the gift of a box of chocolates. Just a few minutes after that we walked into their short, where she was given a gift of a small toy. Five gifts in just over an hour! We can only hope that our daughters don't end up being spoiled rotten. The food was great though! :-)

We returned a few hours later, rejuvenated by the salt in the air, the coolness of the water, the physical recuperation that takes place with being pampered for a while, and tired from doing nothing for all that time. Life is good.

Taita & Tia

With the departure of Abuela, followed by the departure of Pappou, we had three days of quiet solitude, reflection and stillness in the house... not! Irini still ran around and Amalia worked on perfecting her smile. She had shown signs of it in the last week Pappou was here and now she is able to impress even the most difficult critic. Kisses continued in a frenetic pace but for those few days we had a rather basic nuclear family in the place. Not much to our liking we were happy as can be with the arrival of Beto (Taita) and Emilia Patricia (Tia), both off a trans-pacific flight from Colombia to Florida to Chicago to Hong Kong to Singapore and finally to Kuala Lumpur. We were - and still are - happy as can be to be with them. Irini and Amalia took the change of extended family members roaming the apartment's floor in stide and happily continue growing, laughing, tantruming (is that a word?) day in and day out.

The style, of course, is different with this new shipment of guests, as their personalities and approach to things is a personal matter, meshed to perfection with our own. Irini doesn't seem to mind and Amalia, as long as she's in someone's arms, is happy as can be. In the meantime we roam the city (and country) showing Tia the ropes and the happenin' places, (she's the only one who hasn't been here before) from the playground in Great Eastern Mall to the open pool by the Petronas Towers to the Immigration office in Putrajaya. :-) In a week or so they were up-to-par with all the great spots for toddlers and infants. By now, they are experts. :-)

Memorable Moments

Growing up. It's what happens to you when the moments add up and you find yourself walking along with baggage of maturity, experience and memorable moments. The past month or so have seen their fair share of them, some when it made sense and others when we least expected them.... all of them cherished. Here are some snipets of our lives in the routine of summer predictability:

Snipet 1: Irini was crying in her sleep. Laurence went to make sure all was well. One thing led to another and he picked her up from her cot, put her on a single bed that sits across from her cot in her bedroom and then settled himself in beside her. We slept soundly until he could hear the faint sounds of Irini's voice. The sun had come through the window and there were birds chirping in the distance. The light was evident, but his eyes still firmly shut as he tried to get the most of his sleep. Then, a soft touch of a finger moved over his closed eyelid. It pushed ever so gingerly so that the eyelid itself moved up, revealing the daylight as a face filled with smiles looking back at him. It was a morning filled with good!

Snipet 2: Laurence was in the master bathroom brushing his teeth. The room was quiet with Amalia sleeping soundly on the bed. Natalia had gone into the other room to check her email. Laurence heard the bedroom door open and the sound of soft footsteps. He continued brushing his teeth, remaining ever so mindful the Irini is sometimes a little too enthusiastic in her expressions of love for her sister. He heard her get onto the bed, and move closer, and begin to talk to her. He slowed his brushing to make sure that his ears picked up all that they could, ready for a quick entrance to the bedroom. The talking continued momentarily and the sound of slapping moved the alarm level higher... but no crying. Talking and slapping continued, but no crying. Now more curious than anything Laurence moved to the doorway and peeked around to see the bed. Irini sat next to her sister, clapping her hands so that Amalia could play with her. As she slapped her hands together Amalia smiles as broadly as she has ever and Irini giggled in delight. Heart-melting replaced heart-stopping in an instant.

Snipet 3: A thunderstorm came through town the other day. It was during the afternoon nap and Irini woke up at the sound of lightning and became very concerned and scared. Laurence and Natalia tried to get her to calm down but were unable to. For about 10 minutes Irini continued to cry and be cranky until her gaze fell on her sister who, by now, had waken up. Amalia layed there smiling - for reasons unknown - and immediately Irini's crying stopped, replaced instantly with a smile, as she says "Amalia up". Already these sisters are helping each other out!

Snipet 4-7 (or so): This has happend many times. Irini often runs around the house and gives kisses to all of us, for no particular reason. Same with her sister. On one particular evening she decided it was time to bring the family together and she insisted that her mother, then her father, then her abuela and pappou, join together for a mass of kissing and hugging that made everyone giggle and smile. Love, it seems, can make a big difference. There is lots of it in this household. This same scenario played out on Pappou's last night before leaving for Athens. Emilia was not here that time around, so we was spontaneously replaced by Polly, a friend of ours who was at our place for dinner. Polly blushed in the beginning, but by the end of family hug session it was obvious that this type of bonding really works.

Snipet 8: The morning Pappou was leaving (yesterday at about 6 am) he snuck into the master bedroom. Natalia was up and about to say her goodbyes, to give him the customary Myers pen for travelling and to fill the glass of water which, once Walter would leave, would be thrown on the floor to ensure that his was is clean for his return. Walter entered the master bedroom, and slowly edged his way to the bed. He said some words of goodbye softly to a sleeping Amalia, placed his hand softly on her body and said his goodbyes. He then continued to Irini's room, where he did the same thing. His tears were few but appropriate and as he stepped away he could see their bodies moving ever so gently to the rythm of their breathing.

Snipet 9: Irini was being "difficult" yesterday when Laurence was trying to get her to bathe, brush teeth and get to bed. The bath was done and Irini decided to play in the bathroom. Laurence tried, in vain, to control her, and finally gave up, leaving Irini naked in the bathroom and a floor full of water. He stormed out of the room and into the living room where he fell onto the sofa, taking deep breaths, trying to control his frustration. He lay there for just under a minute when the door of the bedroom opened up and Irini came out. She walked over to him and said "What you doing?". Laurence explained that he was frustrated with her behavior and he needed time to collect his thoughts. Irini's response was immediate, "pana?" (Greek for "diaper"). Laurence put his arm around her head, brought it close to his, gave Irini a kiss on the forehead, got up from the sofa and walked back into the bathroom. Lesson learned: Get over it fast and move on with living.

Snipet 10: Pappou has been working on a new dresser. Ikea purchased (meaning that it's nothing spectacular in its original version) but with the touch of Pappou magic. When Irini was born he painted one for Irini - a magic tree with a variety of citrus fruit. This time it is a more somber tree, filled in with much more vegetation, with a variety of red fruits (pomagranite, cherries and apples, with one passionfruit at it's base signifying "passionate roots". There is also a smattering of blue dots, a representation of the fireflies at Kuala Selangor which we visited recently. Irini walked in, took a look at Pappou at work, decided that it was worth while, and gave her approval to the whole process. Now she walks around pointing at the dresser and stating "Amaya".

Snipet 11: Visiting the Kuala Selangor fireflies (discussed in snipet 10, above) we were asked by the local guides and boatsmen where we were from. The spoke very little English. Laurence replied "Greece". The all took a look at each other, turned to us and said "World Cup" and, just then, there was an outburst of laughter as an exclamation of Greece's poor performance against Korea in the first game. Walter's statement "I am in the middle of nowhere with people who don't even speak English and I am humiliated!". Emilia laughed to her hearts content as we boarded the small boats. Minutes later the World Cup was forgotten as we moved slowly along a dark river surrounded on all sides by the syncronous lighting of thousands of fireflies. No laughter then. Just awestruck silence.

Snipet 12: Later that night, upon returning from the fireflies, Greece defeated Nigeria. Irini sat on Laurence's lap and, together we cheered "Hellas Ole, Hellas Ole, Hellas ole ole ole ole ole". Irini would put her fists up in the air and waver her arms with every Ole. No one was feeling humiliated then. :-)

These and many more mark our lives these days. For two days we are just four once again. Tomorrow Emilia Patricia (Natalia's sister) and Beto (Natalia's father) come into town for a month. They are flying now (are probably nearing Hong Kong as we write this) and will spend the night in Singapore before arriving here in the morning. Welcome to Asia!