We are back! Well we have been for a few days now, but this is the first chance I really had to sit down and write. The trip to the US was great! I couldn't believe how homesick I was. I didn't realize it until I got there, and I was like, "Oh how I miss it here!!" I had a great few weeks, and so did the kids! I definitely missed having Johana around, but it was sure nice to be able to just sit around, do nothing, decide at the last moment what we would do for meals. It was very nice. Plus, the weather was gorgeous and we were able to spend a lot of time with family and friends. It got me so excited to be there with Carlos come the end of Oct!
When we got here, we met Carlos in Bogota, and rather than go back to Bucaramanga we flew to Santa Marta for our little vacation! It was really nice and the kids had a lot of fun! But while we were there, I was again reminded of one of my pet peeves here... Kids are constantly consoled whenever they get upset. It is definitely not the norm to let a kid cry. If one more stranger asks me why my kid is crying, or gives me a dirty look because I am not coddling my two year old during a tantrum, I am going to scream. People never mind their own business about it! Complete strangers will come up to Emma while she is screaming about something, and try to comfort her, which just makes it 10x worse since she is so shy. After making the situation even more difficult for me, they continue to ask why she is crying. In the US, no one would ask. You see a toddler throwing a fit and you are just glad it isn't you that has to deal with it. It goes without saying why they are crying- they are a toddler, and the terrible twos are terrible for everyone :) Now, Carlos has nicknamed me "Ferber Mom" since I made such a big deal about my rights to ignore a tantrum haha!
Anyway- it is SO nice to be back here with Carlos and our typical routine. Johana missed Charlie a lot, so I did not feel at all bad leaving for my run yesterday morning :) Speaking of running, I am signed up for a 1/4 marathon here in a week and a half! I don't know if I will be able to do it though since it is the day we leave :( We thought it was the day before, but then when Carlos signed me up, he saw that it was on Sunday. Hopefully it will be early enough that I can do it. We don't leave until the afternoon, so it may work.. But we'll see. I am still training for it in hopes that I will be able to do it.
A first will be happening this weekend!!!! Carlos and I are going out of town together! He got invited to speak at a conference in Bogota on Friday afternoon, so we are going together! We will leave early Friday morning, and get home early evening on Saturday. It isn't much time, but I am so excited. We haven't left the kids for us to go out of town ever. Just for a few hours at a time when we went out on dates. They have stayed with family overnight before if I had to work and Carlos was out of town, but never for us to do anything fun! So so excited!! It will be like old times!
Here we are 4 1/2 years ago in Japan! We look so young!
When we got here, we met Carlos in Bogota, and rather than go back to Bucaramanga we flew to Santa Marta for our little vacation! It was really nice and the kids had a lot of fun! But while we were there, I was again reminded of one of my pet peeves here... Kids are constantly consoled whenever they get upset. It is definitely not the norm to let a kid cry. If one more stranger asks me why my kid is crying, or gives me a dirty look because I am not coddling my two year old during a tantrum, I am going to scream. People never mind their own business about it! Complete strangers will come up to Emma while she is screaming about something, and try to comfort her, which just makes it 10x worse since she is so shy. After making the situation even more difficult for me, they continue to ask why she is crying. In the US, no one would ask. You see a toddler throwing a fit and you are just glad it isn't you that has to deal with it. It goes without saying why they are crying- they are a toddler, and the terrible twos are terrible for everyone :) Now, Carlos has nicknamed me "Ferber Mom" since I made such a big deal about my rights to ignore a tantrum haha!
Anyway- it is SO nice to be back here with Carlos and our typical routine. Johana missed Charlie a lot, so I did not feel at all bad leaving for my run yesterday morning :) Speaking of running, I am signed up for a 1/4 marathon here in a week and a half! I don't know if I will be able to do it though since it is the day we leave :( We thought it was the day before, but then when Carlos signed me up, he saw that it was on Sunday. Hopefully it will be early enough that I can do it. We don't leave until the afternoon, so it may work.. But we'll see. I am still training for it in hopes that I will be able to do it.
A first will be happening this weekend!!!! Carlos and I are going out of town together! He got invited to speak at a conference in Bogota on Friday afternoon, so we are going together! We will leave early Friday morning, and get home early evening on Saturday. It isn't much time, but I am so excited. We haven't left the kids for us to go out of town ever. Just for a few hours at a time when we went out on dates. They have stayed with family overnight before if I had to work and Carlos was out of town, but never for us to do anything fun! So so excited!! It will be like old times!
Here we are 4 1/2 years ago in Japan! We look so young!
You look so happy!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Let her cry.. let them stare! :) Thats my motto anyway