Summer jet-set...

This is a different kind of blog entry. All dates and numbers and no real substance... so far. The substance will be filled in as we meet up with friends and family, share experiences and introduce Irini to the world! Our plans are set for the summer, tickets purchased, seats arranged, cots in order, and we just wanted to share them in case you had a chance to mosey our way over when we're there.

June 9th - 15th: Athens
June 15th - 19th: Prague
June 19th - 22nd: Athens once again
June 22nd - July 15th: Bogotá
July 16th - 27th: Athens
July 27th: Return to Kuala Lumpur
July 28th: Year 7 in Malaysia begins (can you believe it?)

Will we see you?
We'll be paying our self-imposed carbon offsets well into 2009, I'm sure. :-)

The sun lives with us.

As I wrote my previous blog entry, I stole a moment or two in the bedroom to check on Irini. She was put to bed by Natalia who took off for a bachelorette party of a friend. She gave me a kiss and told me that Irini isn't sleeping, but is just roaming around her bed. I went in there to check on her. Irini was, in fact, moving around with the pushing of her legs. She tends to go around in circles that way, but doesn't seem to mind. She saw me as I stood there and gave me a massive smile, somewhat hidden by the four fingers that she so effortlessly held inside her mouth. I smiled back and watched her for a while before leaving quietly.

I returned a few minutes later to see our little baby putting herself to sleep. She has learned how to do it now, by placing one or more fingers in her mouth and sucking furiously at first and more intermittently as she lulls herself to sleep, and moving her opposite hand and placing it gently around her nose. I am not sure what it is that she thinks she is holding, but adorable it is for sure. When we were doing ultrasounds when she was still in Natalia's womb, for moths we could not see her face because her hand was in the way. We've realized that this look, the one she has now, is probably exactly why it was the she could not be seen. But, really, for the image of her putting herself to sleep, I would happily give up 6 months of ultrasound darkness.

I write on. She begins her night's sleep. She will wake up for a 10 minute period sometime in the middle of the night and then, at about 8 am we will be there to witness her return to the light, where her body will shift this way and that as it stretches every possible muscle that it can, she will flop from one side to the other and then she will look up, trying to focus as well as she can, and see us smiling at her, at which point she will share with us her huge smile, and bring the sun into our very bedroom as she does each morning. How fortunate we are to have her. I smile just writing about it. :-)

Friends, fellows, countrytikes!

Natalia rushes to remind me that Irini is developing a social life that is worth mentioning in a blog. Certainly she is the life of the party regarding the adult population of ISKL (where we work), but perhaps more impressively, she is becoming a social animal.. that is to say the mommies unite to do some "group" parenting sessions while the little ones look at the walls, the rattlers and, on occassion, each other without much of an interaction. Pictures of more than one little baby are a hot commodity and - now that digital technology is here to stay - immediate feedback, "ah"ing and "oh"ing is a necessary part of the event. Moms of the area are happy as can be, particularly those who have some time to spend with their little ones.

Irini has two good friends right now. Isabelle is a young girl born here in Malaysia but quickly - as in 24 hours - was adopted by our friends John and Melissa upstairs. Isabelle lives on the sixth floor, with a more awe-inspiring view of the surrounding areas than Irini who lives on just the 2nd floor. But Irini is closer to the pool, a popular destination for mothers and little tikes alike around here. Isabelle is three months older than Irini, and so much more able to relate to the fact that there is a real 'person' in Irini. As Irini watches much of the time, Isabelle is actively trying to grasp at Irini's nose, hair, arms, anything she can get her little hands on. They are both wonderful to watch, and watching we do a lot of while passing the time away for Melissa and John.

The other little friend is Jamie. He was born just two days before Irini in the very same delivery room area as Irini. That is where the similarities end. He is tall (like his parents) and blue eyed, with hardly any hair at all on that little cute head of his. Irini has a rounder head and a full set (obviously) of hair. She is quiet while he tends to be a little more Mediterranean in his disposition (after all, his father is Portuguese). Pedro and Nancy are a delight to hang out with as well, and we take walks around the golf course on occassion. Natalia and Nancy also steal some time away to organize mini play dates for Jamie and Irini. If you ask Laurence, it's too early for any kind of dating, play or otherwise. :-)

And then there were three...

By now the realities around the Ampang apartment have changed quite a bit. A while back - it seems much longer than it's been - Sammy and Erika hugged us goodbye and decended the escalators at the KL Central Train Station on to track 2 northbound, first to Thailand (Phuket and Bangkok) and then, by plane, to Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh and onwards), where, we are certain, they are enjoying each and every minute of Viet culture. Their final push will be the end of the month, when they move on to Hong Kong and then back to Europe.

We already miss them sorely, we must admit. We miss their smiles and singing to Irini in the back seat of the car (albeit in a rather tight fit). We miss their just showing up in the late morning to have breakfast, just hang out, check their email, or perhaps to watch TV. We miss the competitive nature of their table games (Yatzee and the "dice game"). Now they're gone and we have to assume that it will be similar one day when Irini too embarks on her own solo journey's without us. But that, hopefully, is a while off and between now and then there is much to do, to see, people to meet and cultures to blend into and live within.

For the time being Irini impresses everyone with her smile, with her quiet and rather philosophical demeanor, and her manner of being. She often puts herself to sleep with little or no crying at all, she smiles very very often and has begun her attempt at conversation. Without knowing exactly what the conversations is, of course, we talk right back and the vowels keep flying in all sorts of directions. It is rather amazing, if one thinks about it, what a 4 month old can do. She can stop entire classrooms and instantly magnetize everyone to rush toward her. She can make everyone - every one - in a room smile with anticipation of getting to meet her. She can bring an entire party to a halt as they all look at her trying to keep her head up. She can watch a volleyball practice and enjoy it thoroughly. Her only difficulty so far has been the attendance at large party-like gatherings where there are very large crowds and high-volumed music. The crowds alone seem to have little effect. Dad is already happy that she doesn't like the "party scene" but would rather be in a gym or walking (aka: being carried) down a school corridor.

Life is good. She is a living example of how simple things can be the most rewarding. A morning stretch on the cot. An afternoon nap on Natalia's stomach. An evening splash around while bathing. A smile that lasts all day long. Our journey to Ithaka is well under way.

Finally... the ocean!

The tail end of our Spring Break found us driving away to Kuantan, on the east coast of Malaysia. A short 3 hours from Kuala Lumpur lies a beautiful stretch of beach where the South China Sea brushes against the sands of Malaysia. In there somewhere Natalia, Laurence, Irini, Sammy and Erika managed to shove their bodies into the car and reach the Swiss Garden Resort and Spa.

Irini took things in stride, now becoming quite acquainted with this in-the-car, out-of-the-car routine with lunches on the fly, different smells, temperatures, and weather. She adjusted perfectly to the new sea-side location and enjoyed her first entry into water...

From dawning her first wet suit (made for 1 year olds) to being pushed around the sand on her new (though used) red roadster stroller, she was "hip" on the beach. As mom and dad gushed with pride and excitement, Irini just watched as the water wrapped around her feet and climbed up her body. The coolness was certainly a big hit, however, as she seemed quite content to be water-bound.

Sammy and Erika also seemed to enjoy the place, from a visit to the Spa to a walk on the beach. The food was perfect and much time was spent in the different restaurants in the hotel and around the area playing yatzi and our dice game. The youth won out time and time again as Erika found her niche with the dice game and Sammy won nearly every yatzi game. Natalia and Laurence were content to just get away with one win each after three days of thrilling competition.

Life was good for three days. Now we're back in KL to the regular routine. Life is still good, but without the ocean to keep us company.

Here's a short video of Irini meeting the South China Sea...