We've Got Culture, Yes We Do!

For several months Randy has been telling me about the world’s greatest steak found here in Abu Dhabi. It’s at a French restaurant called Le Bistrot but they don’t open until 7:00 pm, which is typical for restaurants here in Abu Dhabi, and with no one to babysit Artem, Le Bistrot and their 7:00 pm opening time, has been out of the question for a boy with an 8:00 pm bedtime. This Thursday (Thursday is the last workday here in UAE, like our Friday in the states) we threw caution to the wind and decided to make reservations and enjoy the world’s greatest steak. The food was WONDERFUL and surprisingly the French food was actually cooked by a French chef. You know, versus your favorite Mexican food restaurant that is owned by people from China? But I digress. Apparently, at this particular restaurant they don’t have a kid’s menu, so the chef came out and spoke to us about what he could prepare for Artem. After playing an animated round of charades to communicate “cheeseburger”, the chef served Artem his version of what we were trying to explain to him. Artem looked a little confused when it was served to him, but he happily ate it despite the fact that it lacked cheese or a bun.

I’ve wanted to practice my photography skills on some of the local wildlife of Abu Dhabi and have been on the lookout for a place where I could get up close and personal with camels. Someone recommended we visit Heritage Village for a glimpse into Abu Dhabi life before it became the bustling metropolis it is today. HV was so picturesque and it was the perfect backdrop for picture taking. And even though we were allowed to go onto the grounds, HV was closed and we did not get to see any of the displays on Bedouin life. I was disappointed because it truly looks like an amazing place to visit and learn. Not only was it closed, but the lone camel at HV was bound by his ankle and I couldn’t get close to him to get the pictures I had envisioned.

A Bedouin market place minus the merchants:

I want to be a duck, ahhh the life:

My only picture of a camel, not exactly the award winning shot I was hoping for. I don't think National Geographic will be knocking on my door for this one:

Since we hadn’t crammed enough culture into one weekend by Friday evening, we decided to venture across the street to see WOMAD. WOMAD stands for World of Music and Dance and is a combination of music, dance, and food from all around the world converging on the pristine beaches of Abu Dhabi…and the best part is; it’s FREE. We spent Friday and Saturday listening to some great bands, watching cultural displays throughout the concert grounds, seeing beautiful fireworks explode over the Persian Gulf, and dancing, dancing, and more dancing. Artem had so much fun and is still dancing to the CD I purchased of Dohl Foundation at the concert.

Our dancing machine:

Playing the drums at WOMAD:

It took these ladies two days to make this:

This picture is for my sister. Stef, this is Shwarma...YUMMY!!!:

I don't typcially make a habit of posting pictures of porta potties, but I had to take a picture of this one. A few years ago we attended the St Patty's day parade and party in Savannah, GA. The porta potties were so bad they were literally over flowing. It was the most disgusting thing I've ever seen. But these...oh my, these porta potties had flushing toilets, running water in the sinks, soap, and air conditioning. No one can do a porta potty like the UAE. (United States, take note)

This coming weekend, we’ll take a break from culture and attend the Big Boys Toy show at the convention center. *see me smiling and clapping??* I suggested to Randy that this would be the perfect bonding experience for he and Artem while I head over to the spa and have a massage but I think he pretended to be suffering from some sort of temporary hearing loss from the concert. Oh well, I can practice taking pictures of monster trucks.

Potty Training...The Extended Version

I'm convinced Artem will not be potty trained till he's an adult. And I'm fine with that, really. I'm sure I can find him some snazzy pull ups that he can wear on his first day of Kindergarten, and I'm sure no one will notice them under his dress pants at his 8th grade graduation, and I'll probably be shopping for some ultra thin pull ups for him to wear under his tuxedo on prom night.

I've accepted this fate. And I'm thinking the blame might lie with the Skittles. Artem isn't allowed to have candy but after peeing on the potty he gets one Skittle. If he poos on the potty he gets two Skittles. That part has never happened. But I'm starting to wonder if he has figured out that if he drags potty training out for several months, he's securing himself a steady supply of candy each day.

Clearly, Artem is taking a VERY relaxed approach to potty training.

And in an attempt to take me just to the edge of crazytown, I put Artem on the potty today, he gave me his usual valiant effort at a stream of pee, and off he went to retrieve his coveted award...a Skittle or as Artem calls it, a Diggle. He's had some diaper rash issues lately, so I thought I would be nice and let him run around with no diaper on so he could air out. Less than one minute later Artem came up to me and said, "Hi mama, poop!" I asked him, "Do you need to go poop?" and he told me, "Noooooo..." (voices trails off and he turns his head) and I ask him a question that I hope he's going to vehemently deny..."Did you GO poop?" to which he happily responds, "Uh Huh!!" and his face lights up with joy.

I ran to the hallway and found a lovely lump of poo in the middle of the floor and then ran to his room to see if there was more. Fortunately there wasn't any more poop but there was pee!! (thank goodness for solid surface flooring) He just went to the bathroom less than a minute prior. If I had known there was a jumper in the chute I would have put a diaper on him. I cleaned up the mess, put a diaper on Artem, and told Randy, "I can't wait to use this against him someday!"

Lesson learned today, my desire for clean, sanitary floors, trumps Artem running al naturale through the house.

Shameless Brag Ahead

I offer no apology for the following brag:

Randy has completed his Masters degree in Aeronautical Science with dual specialties in Aviation/Aerospace Safety and Aviation/Aerospace Management from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University with a perfect 4.0 GPA!! He started taking classes a few years ago, and persevered through 14 months in Iraq, an international adoption, a move around the world to the Middle East, and fatherhood. He is the first in his family to earn a masters degree. To say I'm proud of him is the understatement of the year.

Then and Now

One of my favorite things to look at on adoption blogs are the before and after pictures. I love seeing how much the children blossom when they come home so in honor of the one year anniversary of Gotcha Day, I'm posting "then" and "now" pictures.

A year ago we dressed a little 17 month old boy in a teddy bear sweater with an American flag in it's hand. He had no idea how much his life was going to change in the next few months, and neither did we.

We left the Fryazino orphanage with scared little boy with a vice like grip on his new mama.

We started the drive home with a sweetly sleeping baby, only to horrified by the projectile vomiting he started doing five minutes into the trip, which lasted the entire two hour drive home.

All subsequent car trips in Moscow required heavy armor and lots of plastic protection.

Now we have a jet-setting little boy that has travelled from Russia, to the US, to Mexico, to the United Arab Emirates. He's flown to several states and is a pro on road trips.

A year ago in Russia, we had a boy that screamed bloody murder anytime we put him near the bathtub, or in this case, the sink.

Now our son loves the tub and we have to drag him out of the swimming pool kicking and screaming.


The first few days we were home from Russia, we had a little boy that always held onto something for a "security" blanket. He kept his fists clenched tightly and had a worried look on his face most of the time.

Now we've got a curious little boy that eats the Easter egg dye tablet when I turn my back, even after telling him not to touch it.

He's secure and happy and loves to snuggle and pat our backs while saying, "yuv you mama." (kind of makes up for eating the egg dye) He loves trains, motorcycles, books, and being tickled. He's a loving, smart, healthy, happy, typical two year old with a stubborn streak and knack for pushing my buttons at times, but I wouldn't change a thing about him.

Our lives are beyond blessed with Artem and we still don't understand what we did to derserve a son like him. In the past we've asked him if he'd like a little brother or sister and he always responded with a strong, "No ma'am", but the other day we asked him if he wanted a little brother or sister and he excitedly said, "Otay!!" I guess we need to start think about adding number two to the family.

There are just some things that never change no matter how much time passes. Ugh, nose picking then and nose picking now.

Wanna Be A Rockstar

Photobucket Account

You'll have to click on the above link for pictures. While I'm in UAE Blogger will not let me direct link to the slide show on this post. It also won't let me spell check and the blogger dashboard comes up in Arabic which makes it a little difficult for this non Arabic speaking and reading gal to blog. But that's a whole other post. You'll also have to click on the Photobucket slide show so you can view it at your own pace. Photobucket won't let me slow it down. Sorry.

Now on to the story: Last week I was trading emails back and forth with my buddy Tiffany and I told her I had to get packed for Dubai. I had my photography course to attend on Saturday and I told her we were staying at the Atlantis resort for the weekend and were going to live like rock stars minus trashing our hotel room. I couldn’t have been more correct; the Atlantis resort was AWESOME!

It’s on Palm Jumeirah, which is a man-made island off the coast of Dubai that is in the shape of a palm tree. To get to the Atlantis you have to drive under the ocean in a tunnel which Artem thought was pretty cool.

The resort was gorgeous and everything was very ornate with no detail left undone. We had a standard room but it was still one of the nicest rooms we’ve ever stayed in. The view off our balcony was the aquarium directly below us, with the Burj Al Arab (only 7-star resort in the world) and the Burj Dubai (tallest building in the world) in the distance. At certain times of the day the employees would come out and feed the fish and you’d see all the sharks, fish, and stingrays come up to the surface. Randy says it’s the only place he’s ever stayed that if he fell off the balcony, he’d be eaten by sharks.

The room was nice with a comfy king size bed and a wonderful spa like bathroom. It had a rainfall shower and a deep soaking tub. The bath products they had for us were lovely and I may or may not have brought a few back with me. This time I made sure not to dry my face with the bidet towel. (Little lesson I learned back in November) Even the crib they brought for Artem was nice, not the Motel 6 fold up death traps that we’ve had in the past, and in his crib were baby products like gentle soaps, lotions, baby oil, and powder. I’m telling you, I need to win the lottery and live like this all the time!!

On Friday evening we met up with some fellow expat friends at Festival City Mall and ate at Macaroni Grill. Yummy and it’s so nice to have a taste of home while on the other side of the world. The men talked airplanes, they are both pilots, while the ladies talked about how much we miss home and how crazy life in UAE can be. It’s so nice to have someone to talk to who understands how much I miss the United States.

On Saturday I had my photography course which was great, but while I was gone Randy and Artem played at the resort. They have several pools and a splash park for the kids. Randy and Artem spent the day swimming, eating at the buffet, and finally settled in for a long afternoon nap just in time for me to return. That night we went to the aquarium and Artem enjoyed looking at all the fish and I got to practice my newly acquired photography skills. Every time Artem would see a new fish display he’d say, “Oooo nice” only he pronounces it “nish” with the “sh” on the end.

On Sunday the three of us went to the water park and Randy braved the Ziggurat, a very steep water slide that free-fall drops you straight down into a tube of sharks. I was happy to stand on the sidelines and wave as he passed us by. They have a lazy river that we rode tubes through and we finally ended up at the splash park. It is sooo cool, but Artem was a little scared to be there. You’ll have to look at the pictures to see it all but at the top of the park there is a huge bucket that fills with water and every few minutes the bucket tips over and soaks everyone playing below. That didn’t go over so well with Artem and he told us, “Noisy” and asked to go back to the kiddy pool. He was happy as can be to just swim with his floaties. This weekend he really got the hang of swimming with floaties and figured out how to steer himself. Once he got it, we could not get the boy out of the water. He swam and played so much that his toes were scraped and bleeding on the bottoms but he still didn’t want to leave the pool. He was quite the little fish.

My photography class was taught by Chris Hurtt and it was awesome and I can’t wait to take another class. It was all day and I could’ve happily sat another day trying to soak up all our instructor was teaching us. He made us learn the settings on our cameras and made us shoot exclusively on manual mode, which was great because I’m no longer afraid of the “M” on my camera and now I understand metering and how to determine if I’m getting the correct exposure on my camera. He taught us some tricks for shooting at dusk, taught us panning, taught us depth of field, taught us some auto focusing tricks, explained ISO’s and how to use them, when to shoot in RAW mode, how to use filters, and the importance of a tripod. There was so much to learn and it was just the tip of the iceberg. He also gave us the idea to pick one thing we want to get better on and just shoot those pictures for one week and after that week move onto something else. So this week I’m practicing on flowers and plants and next week I plan to move to cars. I feel a lot more confident with my camera and can’t wait to move to the next class.

So now we are back to the real world, no more rock star life for us. We have Easter to celebrate this weekend although we have to do it on Saturday. The work week over here is Sunday to Thursday with Friday being the holy day (like our Sunday) and Saturday being a normal weekend day. Randy will have to work on Sunday since it’s basically like Monday for us in the states so we’ll celebrate Easter on Saturday. Confused?? I was too for the first two months here. Welcome to UAE.

And something very special for our family this weekend is our first anniversary of Gotcha Day on Sunday the 12th. Sunday will mark one year with Artem. Last year we were driving the dreaded 2.5 hour drive home from Fryazino baby home with a very carsick 17 month old boy on our laps, all three of us (Daddy, Mama, and Artem) covered in barf, with Randy’s mom in the front seat handing us Kleenex in between taking pictures of the madness and Pasha driving a new personal speed record from Fryazino to Novy Arbat. We can laugh about it now, but back then, not so much. I think this Sunday will be much different!

I also wanted to say that I added some new pictures to Project 365 on My Traveling Camera.