Your trip home takes HOW long!?!

Ah, summer vacation. The perfect time for rest and relaxation after a long and arduous school year. But we can't fully engage in the "rest and relaxation" portion of the break until the "travel home" portion is complete. Every year as the school year winds down and the teaching staff begins to talk of plans for summer holidays, the inevitable question arises - how long does it take you to travel back to Idaho, Amanda?

Answering this question with the same number each year is impossible. Because Salt Lake City (which sees few international flights) is the closest international airport to our home, we are never able to take a direct flight home from Dubai or Abu Dhabi. We ALWAYS have to stop at least once - and even a one-stop travel agenda is a rarity. Usually, we have two layovers to sit through. Fortunately, we receive a travel allowance from my company and are able to choose our own flights. This allows us the opportunity to travel to different destinations if we prefer as we did on our first summer trip home when we spent 5 days touring London. We're also able to choose more affordable flight options and pocket any leftover travel money - an option Jeremy and I have chosen each year.

Still, I'm left speechless every time I talk to a coworker who travels to, say, Chicago (where most Middle Eastern airlines fly directly, almost every day!), and hear that they've received a higher travel stipend than me!! If I could just force myself to stop comparing travel allowances, the truth is, I'd be really happy with what we receive. But that's far easier said than done...

So, with the background information in place, here is a breakdown of our travel agenda this year:

July 15th, 11:00 pm (Dubai time) - Leave Dubai airport for Doha, Qatar.
Flight time - 1 hour
Layover time - 8 hours

July 16th, 8:00 am (Qatar time) - Leave Qatar airport for Dallas, Texas.
Flight time - 15.5 hours
Layover time - 2.5 hours

July 16th, 5:00 pm (Central time) - Leave Dallas airport for Salt Lake.
Flight time - 2.5 hours

July 16th/17th, 7:30 pm (Mountain time) - Drive from Salt Lake to Idaho Falls.
Driving time - 3.5 hours

...And then, we SLEEP!!

So, our total time in the air is about 19 hours. With early airport arrivals, layovers, and driving time included, we will spend approximately 36 hours traveling home. Whew!!  Exhausting, but completely worth it. Now, when we're scheduled to meet up with friends and loved ones the day after we arrive home in Idaho Falls, they'll understand why we will look (and probably act) like sleep-deprived, jet-lagged zombies...because that's what we'll be.

Bring on the summer holiday!!

Countdown Clock

Capri's First Birthday

I can't think of a more bittersweet moment for a parent than the day your baby turns one. Often, the birthday party for the one-year-old is more for Mommy and Daddy than for the actual birthday girl. We tried to keep this in mind when planning for Capri's first birthday - think about the baby, think about the baby. Therefore, we elected to make our little one's first birthday party very small and very simple.

Decorations came first. Dalila's favorite part of the day before the party was helping to put up decorations. And what a helper she is!

BALLOONS!!

Capri had a very small and exclusive guest list - babies near her age and their siblings only (plus one of Dalila's best little buddies who always comes to her parties).

Unwrapping presents is an art form!

And, of course, the CAKE SMASH!! Capri is an extremely talented cake smasher.

Happy birthday, Miss Capri!
 

A Year of Firsts

It's such a cliche - "They grow up so fast." Experienced parents always seem to offer the advice to embrace every moment of your baby's life - she's only a baby for a year, after all.  Despite the fact that we are on baby number two and are well aware of just how fast that first year zips by, it still has managed to catch me by surprise.  Little Capri is an infant already, well on her way to toddlerhood, and I'm left marveling at just how rapidly this first year has passed us by and muttering to myself, "They really do grow up so fast..."  In celebration of Capri's first year of life and just a month shy of of her big one year birthday, here's a list of some of her most memorable - and most adorable - firsts.

First Smile
We were holding out for this one for what seemed like forever - Capri was a pretty sad little newborn.  She suffered from painful acid reflux and had to take Zantac from about 3 weeks old.  Thankfully, Capri adored her sister from even a few weeks old and Dalila could always get a smile (and sometimes, even a coo) out of her baby sis.

First Plane Trip
Capri became a world traveler at a mere 5 weeks old.  We may have received a few glares as we strolled through the airport and boarded our flights with a tiny newborn, but that girl was a fantastic flyer!
(Sorry for the lack of photographic evidence - we were quite busy on Capri's first flight!)

First Giggle
Just like her smiles, Capri loves to giggle for her sister.  What a connection these two have!

Precious girls, having a few giggles.

SO Many First Holidays
And here's the photo evidence...

First Fourth of July - at the Menan parade, of course!

First Halloween as a kitty (and Dalila is Blueberry Muffin)

First Thanksgiving - with a trip to the zoo!

First Christmas

First visit to Santa!

First Food
Avocado - YUM!! And she hasn't looked back since starting solids.  This little girl LOVES food!

First Crawl
Little Capri has been determined to show how mobile she can be from as early as 5 months old.  She finally accomplished true crawling at around 6 months old - while I was on winter break!  Lucky me!!

First Steps
Little miss mobile wasn't satisfied with crawling (who can blame her with those hard marble floors - ouch!).  So she began cruising by 7.5 months.  She saved her true first steps for spring break, so I got to witness those, too!  What a thoughtful baby!

Demonstrating our new found mobility by scaling the stairs.

First Hike
Capri got to ride in a pack during a trip to the rock pools in Oman.  She LOVED it!

First Trip to the Beach
ALL she wanted to do was eat the sand.  How on earth is sand this delicious!?!

Mmmm.  Crunchy.

First Word
We're pretty sure her first word is "go," but have yet to catch this on video.  Instead, this is the typical response we get when we ask her to say her first word...

Tomorrow, Capri is exactly one month away from her first birthday.  I can't help it...they grow up SO fast!!

The Month in Review

Here are some highlights since our last post:

Thanksgiving
This was the first Thanksgiving Day that I actually got to spend not working thanks to Dubai winning the bid to host the World Expo in 2020.  We know the UAE folks REALLY like their days off and were so happy they announced a day off of school in celebration of winning the bid. The actual Thanksgiving day was spent resting and preparing for our visitors on Friday. We are so fortunate to have some friends from Idaho who moved to Dubai this summer!  So, on Black Friday, Dalila, Capri and I enjoyed a fantastic trip to the zoo with them while Jeremy stayed home to make our scrumptious dinner.  Lucky me, I know.

Making turkey centerpieces

Feeding the giraffes at Al Ain Zoo

Lila enjoying a swing with her buddy, Jackson

Capri is happy to chew on some sunglasses.

Our delicious turkey

Dubai Christmas Festival
Two weeks after Thanksgiving, Dubai held the annual Christmas Festival.  We had never attended before, so we decided to give it a try this year.  It was PACKED!  Not the easiest place to navigate with three adults and five kids, but we made it out alive, and with only a few minor eye injuries thanks to multiple "snow" balls in the kids' "snow" area nailing Dalila's little friend Kennedy right in the eye.  Fortunately, the mulled wine was delicious and I hardly even noticed the crowd or the plasticy snow particles after downing a few of those.  Perfect way to encourage the Christmas spirit ;)

Kennedy, Dalila, and Jackson

Little cuties dancing to Christmas tunes

Nailed in the eyes with "snow" balls - OUCH!

A Visit to Santa at Wafi Mall
Last year, we discovered the amazing Santa experience at Wafi Mall, so we were really looking forward to taking Capri there for her first Santa visit.  We were mildly disappointed to find that the ginormous Santa grotto of last year had been relegated to a much smaller, far less grand section of the upper floor this year, but we remained steadfast in our mission to give Capri the best possible first Santa experience.  While the location was not as awe-inspiring, we were still very pleased with Wafi Mall's Santa.  Capri stared at him doubtfully for a few seconds, but warmed up as soon as she saw older sister Dalila climb on the big man's lap like he was a long lost friend.  She even gave some of her best squeals and two-toothed grins to Santa, who was no doubt pleased to see an infant smiling rather than screaming in fear.

Doing some Christmas crafts outside Santa's Grotto

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Jeremy's cousin Josh, a very close friend of his since they were little babies, just moved to Abu Dhabi, effectively ending any excuse we've ever had to not pay a visit to the biggest tourist attraction in the city.  So, off we went for a photo-filled visit to Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.  Honestly, I have no idea how we hadn't visited the mosque yet.  When we first arrived in Abu Dhabi - over two years ago - the mosque was the first amazing structure we saw just minutes from the airport on our 2 am shuttle to our hotel.  Even in a state of extreme exhaustion, the building struck a chord in us, and we knew we had to explore it.  Thus, I was happy to stop making excuses and finally pay this beautiful building a visit.  Of course, it's not the greatest place for a wiggly 7 month old or a rambunctious almost-4-year-old, so we didn't spend too long taking in the sights.  But our brief visit seemed to be enough to experience the amazing architecture and appreciate the deep devotion it must take to construct such a place of worship.

The family in front of the beautiful mosque

Dalila posing with her Uncle Josh

How a 4-year-old has fun at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

Aside from all of these activities, we've done our best to enjoy as many Christmas-y things as possible in Dubai and all across the UAE.  We're always so pleasantly surprised to find a random Christmas display at a local store or a scheduled Christmas activity at a place where we would least expect to see one.  Our goal is to give our girls the best Christmas experience possible, and I think we're doing just fine.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE ALLENS!!

The Worst Blogger in the World

Yep. That's me.  I'm terrible.  At this point, WAY too many things have happened since my last post...when we welcomed baby Capri, so I will just have to hit the highlights and call it a day.  Sorry everyone!  I will try to do better, I promise!!

Summer Vacation:
One word - perfect.  We traveled just days after Capri's passport arrived at the embassy.  Turns out you can find some fantastic prices on flights when you're able to fly the next day.  And how did our little 5 week old do with flying?  She was an absolute dream!  Capri slept almost the entire way and we only received a few ugly looks from people who thought she seemed too little to be on a plane.  Win!

Our visit with family was everything we hoped it would be and we got to celebrate the 4th of July at home in Idaho again - something we missed terribly the year before.  The summer was filled with bar-b-ques, camping, parties, late nights drinking on the patio, fires in the fire pit, family, and friends - exactly what we needed after a tough year away.  Summer was a smashing success!

New School:
I don't want to write much on this one.  Basically, the new school building is a dream come true...but the positive points end there.  We've combined our girls' school with the nearby boys' school and...it's horrible.  I have never seen such horrifyingly disrespectful children in all my life.  I'm disgusted by these boys daily and I don't even have to teach them.  I guess the best part about the school is that I've been fortunate enough to stay on the girls' side.  And I know how lucky I am to be there instead of with the boys.  The teachers who have to trudge over to the boys' side of the school every day deserve a medal...a million dollars...a free pass so they never have to work for the rest of their lives...something - ANYTHING - to show them how much they are appreciated and that we all know how hard they have to work just to keep their sanity every single day.  This new situation has completely changed my perspective on teaching in the UAE...and...let's just say any positive opinions I once held about the school system here are now completely gone.  Thankfully, I am able to focus on my students - my sweet, sweet Emirati girls - and know that at least I can make some difference in their lives.  They are the only part about that school that keep me returning every day, and, in that respect, they have their work cut out for them.  Fortunately, there's still the matter of:

Family:
Dalila is the best little girl in the world to come home to after a long day of dodging disgusting little boys at school.  She makes the world go round and she is my shining star.  She can make her little sister laugh with nothing but a smirk in Capri's direction...and she often has the same effect on me.  Thank goodness for my silly, goofy, darling little girl.  Every struggle I go through is completely worth it if it means I can give Dalila and Capri a chance at living their dreams when they grow up.  And, really, that's the whole reason we're here, isn't it?

So - let's just count this as the catch-up post and forget the fact that I've not logged on in...oh...five months?  Deal?  Deal!  To make up for my lack of focus, here are some cute photos!  Cute photos of darling little girls should fix everything!!

The Fourth of July!!

Enjoying the Menan parade with cousins - gotta love small town Idaho on the 4th of July!

Mommy and Lila in patriotic dresses.

Daddy and Capri playing horseshoes.

Dalila took swimming lessons while we were home in Idaho!

 

And here she is on her first tent camping trip.

Experiencing all there is to offer at the Bar J Ranch in Jackson Hole Wyoming

And her first ever haircut, too!

A fantastic time camping in Island Park

And her first time fishing - in a tutu, of course!

Plus - a surprise baby shower for little miss Capri

The sneaky hosts of our surprise baby shower!

  And the best Halloween ever, with these two little sweeties.

Our little Blueberry Muffin and kitty cat

There - I now declare this blog - UPDATED!!!  (that should make it official, right? Right!)

Welcome Baby Capri!

We are so happy to welcome our newest addition - Capri Patricia Allen!!

Aww - our precious little peanut!

 She was born on 20 May, 2013 at 11:12 p.m.  She weighed 2.8 kilos (6 pounds, 5 ounces) and was 52 cm (20.5 in) long.

The VERY proud big sister, Dalila.

A U.A.E. Birth Story:

I had Dalila when we were living in Idaho, so I thought a little summary about our experience having a baby here in the U.A.E. might be interesting to those who aren't familiar with the medical care in Abu Dhabi.  First of all, almost all of the medicines and techniques available in the U.S. are prevalent here as well, so there was no issue of insufficient medical care to worry about.  In fact, with doctors from all over the world coming to the U.A.E. to work, there may be even more options for different types of care and delivery available to pregnant women here - especially in comparison to the small, one-hospital town we come from.

My doctor is a wonderful woman from Jordan who is extremely personable and loves to give ultrasounds. We were able to see our little peanut almost every time we went to the doctor - at no charge, as our insurance is AMAZING!!  Each appointment cost 30 dirhams (US $8.16) and we could have gotten away with paying ONLY that amount for the entire pregnancy (if I wasn't a wuss who insisted on an epidural).  So - an incredible doctor, numerous ultrasounds, and little money from our pockets equal positive experiences 1, 2, and 3.

In truth, most of my experience with the medical care during the entire duration of my pregnancy was very positive.  However, there were a few exceptions.  Due to the lack of doctors here, early labour in the hospital was less than pleasant.  Let me explain.  I came in to be induced and was sent up to my room where a drug was administered to help start contractions (NOT pitocin - yay!!).  The ladies who came in to administer the induction drugs spoke to me in Arabic and sighed audibly when I didn't understand.  Then, they spoke a total of about 4 words to me in English ("wait for 30 minutes"), carried on a full conversation in Arabic while their hands were in uncomfortable places and I had no idea what they were doing, then promptly left the room. They never identified who they were - midwives, nurses, doctors, random people off the street? - no clue!  So I proceeded to wait as ordered.  Thankfully, it was at this time we discovered another positive difference from my experience stateside - I got to eat!!  Remember those flavoured ice chips that make up your diet for the duration of labour in the states?  Not so here - I got a full meal for lunch AND dinner - and it was pretty tasty, too.

Our hangout for the first 11 hours.

Last belly shot!!

Soon, a much more informative nurse came in to see to my comfort and provide better instructions.  After waiting 30 minutes, I was to walk around and move as much as possible to help jumpstart my labour.  Ok.  I can do that.  I even got an exercise ball for bouncing on that Jeremy and I quickly discovered made a fun soccer ball (sorry to any patients next door!).  The nurse explained that the drug could be administered again if I hadn't made much progress in another 6 hours.  SIX HOURS!!!  Ugh.  We were ready to wait and wait and wait - certain at this point that we wouldn't get to meet our little girl until the next day.

Eventually, labour started to move along, and, after another 4-5 hours had passed, I was certainly starting to feel some pain.  A wonderful midwife came in next and identified herself plus gave an explanation of what she was there to do - check my progress and decide if I was ready to move to labour and delivery.  Her verdict was that I was at a 5 and could go to labour and delivery to have my water broken and get the epidural. Here is where another negative experience rears its ugly head.  The dynamic duo returned shortly after my meeting with the sweet midwife to mutter in Arabic to each other and speak 5 more words to me ("you are only a 4.")  HUH!?!  So they made me wait in my room to labour a bit longer.  But wait!!  Only 3 people checking me certainly wasn't enough - so along came ANOTHER pair of Arabic ladies to check me and give their verdict - 4-5.  Thanks, another set of hands was just what I was missing at this point.

FINALLY, things started progressing and I was feeling some intense pain.  I gave in and buzzed the nurse to let her know I'm a pansy and I REALLY want that damn epidural, pretty please.  And the most amazing thing happened - my own doctor came to see me!!  Hooray!!  So this is where things started to move much faster.  When she checked me, she was very surprised to find I was at a six.  She was just explaining that we can move upstairs to labour and delivery when, whooosh, my water broke.  OUCH!!  So, we quickly moved upstairs.  How do we move up to the labour and delivery wing? Riding on the nice comfy hospital bed?  Perhaps in a less comfortable but equally efficient wheel chair?  Nope!  I walked!  Hunched over every minute from wickedly painful contractions I rode that elevator and waddled down the hallway in my hot hospital gown.

When we reached the room, I was happy to find that nitrous oxide (laughing gas) is perched by each bedside to use as needed during contractions.  Hooray again!!  I happily (and quite greedily) partook as waves of contractions washed over me and a nurse chose to ignore my beautifully blue veins on my hand and jab my IV needle into a vein just below the joint on my right thumb.  Ouch again!  That was the part that made me the most angry - out of everything.  Really though, you should see these veins on my hand - a thing of beauty for most nurses, and they were passed up for a tiny little vein I couldn't even see in the most awkward place!  Then, I waited and waited for that epidural to come save me.  Another interesting note here that differs from my birth experience in the states was that we were required to pay for the epidural before it was administered.  This is not covered by insurance unless it's for a c-secton and it cost 1500 dirhams - or US $408.  Jeremy went to go pay the tab, but discovered that the administration staff had already left for the day.  Fortunately, the drug could still be given, but we did have to settle that bill before leaving the hospital.

When the anesthesiologist was finally able to administer my long-awaited savior, she began to express a bit of concern over how late the epidural was being given.  It took several contractions before it finally kicked in and we were all a little worried it was too late.  Her explanation?  "It's best to give the epidural when you are at a 4 or 5."  YEP!!  I knew it!  Those darn unidentified ladies who couldn't be bothered to explain anything to me must have had it out for me.  Oh well - I win - the epidural finally took and the rest of labour was a breeze.  When my doctor was finally free to come and check me again, she was shocked to find that Capri was ready to make her appearance.  I had laboured all the way to a 10 on my own before the epidural took!  I loved being able to laugh with the doctor and enjoy watching Jeremy be the best birth coach around, so I was very happy with my decision to get the epidural.  Jeremy learned to watch the monitor for contractions and instructed me on when to push even when the doctor was out of the room.  Best birth coach ever!

So - after a bumpy start and some irritating moments (all of which could arguably happen in any city, state, or country), we had our beautiful baby Capri!  Hospitals here can boast another positive over hospitals in the states in that they want to keep mother and baby for a full 2 days after birth!  I had to beg my doctor to let us go home to my soft, comfy bed after one full day in the hospital following Capri's birth, and she only agreed to let us leave because she said she knew that my wonderful husband would be there to help.  There you have it - a U.A.E. birth story.  Not so different from any story in the states and the end result was just as blissful!  But a WHOLE lot cheaper, too!!  I'm now home with my sweet little family enjoying my 60 full days of paid maternity leave - another perk that is practically unheard of in the states.