Meeting Samiul! (#3)

Meeting Samiul!
When we got to the house, Lisa was right there with the baby in her arms.  It was great to finally be able to hold my sweet new grandson and to hug my daughter.  Skype is a Godsend.  It helps us bridge the gap between visits, to keep in touch regularly and to actually spend time together over the miles when we would otherwise feel the pain of separation all the more.  Being with loved ones in person, however, reigns!

It may be difficult to see in the pictures that Sam has fair colored skin.  Unlike his sister, Sam has Lisa's coloring.  He resembles Sara once in awhile, but to me he looks all boy.  His crop of black hair feels like fine silk!  I can see that his eyes are beginning to focus more each day.  He follows the sound of his mother's voice like a baby bird with his mouth open.  He makes funny faces that crack us up!  Lisa nicknamed him Walter, after Walter Matthau, in Grumpy Old Men.  Mostly, he looks like a little angel.  He is a very strong infant!  It could be that I don't remember that all new babies lift their head, raise their upper body when on their tummy and roll themselves over... or I could be right that this is one strong baby!

Sara came home from school about an hour after my arrival.  She seemed shy with me.  At home, she would run into my arms calling, "Nani!"  Today she was tentative and silent.  My eyes filled with tears!  I wondered if she had forgotten me.  I thought my heart would break.  I approached her slowly and when I hugged her she began to tell me all the busy plans she had for us.  Thank goodness!  Since then, we've had sleepovers in my room, like we used to do in MN.  She told me she remembers going to my house, the park, pool, and playground near by.  She talked about the games we've played and how she wants to do all of that again when they go  back to America. 

Foods
Abu's mother, Bilquis, has been great about cooking "plain" foods for me.  Her cook, who has been with the family for over 10 years, needed to take a leave to care for her ailing father.  The maids in the house do not know how to cook and so Abu's mother must supervise or assist/teach.  I am sorry for this extra burden.  Our second night she made a "pasta" that was what we'd call a "hotdish" at home!  I appreciate this because the foods they eat are too spicy for me.  Every food item here is vastly different than home.  Most of the time I have no idea what we are eating.

Weather
While I'd been looking forward to a shower, I was not eager for one without hot water!  The water tanks are outside and heat naturally in the sun.  The best time to shower is in late afternoon.  Even then, the shower is not hot.  What is hot is the air temperature.  It was 95 degrees today and very humid.  The coolish shower is not a problem after all.  We had one thunderstorm two nights ago.  It did not bring as much cool air in as hoped, but the thunder and rain were incredible!  It gets down to the high 80s at night.  Each of the apartments have a room AC in the master bedroom.  Lisa and Abu's arrived yesterday.  It is well appreciated for a nursing mother and new born.  My room has a high powered fan that does a very good job of cooling.  Most nights I sleep with a light blanket over me.

Roof top view

View from the roof

Up on the roof

The mosquitoes are fewer in number in the hot weather.  There are always a few around so we all sleep under netting, but compared to the winter months here, the mosquito  bites are less.  As I write this (on my 5th day here) I have about a dozen bites.  We watch Sam very carefully.  Even so, he has about 3-4 bites on his tender skin.  Infants cannot  wear any kind of repellent until 3 months old.  Lisa and I don't want repellent we wear to transfer onto Sam so this leaves a lot of uncovered skin.  Sara is rarely bothered by mosquitoes.  Lucky girl!







Hospital/clinic visit
I went with Sara, Sam and Abu to the clinic for a well-baby check and post-delivery.  The most unique aspect from how we do things in the US is that doctors each stay put in their own office.  The patients come sit in front of their Dr. at his/her desk.  It feels like an interview.  All notes are hand written into a file that the patient takes with them and needs to bring back each time.  There is an exam table behind the chairs at the desk and a curtain to make that space private from visitors, like me.  Lisa and Sam are doing well.

In this culture staring is not considered to be rude.  When Lisa went to the clinic for her pregnancy, she was the center of attention.  This time, little Sam was the star of the show.  One little girl asked if she could take his picture.  He is adorable!