Happy New Year! We arrived in Senegal on Saturday morning the 5th after a long (but now routine) trip from the United States’ west coast… and still paying for it. How? Though we are all on Greenwich Mean Time again, some of us are not sleeping very well in the new year. Hint: the adults in the household are doing fine.
I am already thinking of devious ways to remind Madeline as a teenager (and wanting to sleep all the time) of her bizarre aversion to sleep as a baby.
Anyway, other than the sleep thing (and to a lesser extent the eating thing), Madeline is doing just great. A little bit of a head cold (caught it from her best friend Julie), but all well. The day before we came back to Senegal she went to the pediatrician for some vaccinations and more health-related items like flouride drops for her teeth and vitamin drops for those days when she doesn’t eat much. Additionally, we discovered that she had a slight ear infection for which the doctor prescribed antibiotics (this may have been a reason for the absolutely hellish all-night flight between New York and Dakar during which she never settled down and did her best to make everyone around her miserable). In terms of height and head size, she’s right in the 50th percentile, but a bit feathery, coming in at the 25th percentile in weight. This is not really surprising given the fact that she’s still such a light eater, and on travel days (she had four during the holidays) she almost boycotts eating altogether. The doctor says it’s nothing to worry about, however, as she is still eating just as much as she wants to and needs to.
The holiday trip to the United States was a good one. Though such trips are not always relaxing (for mom and dad), they are a lot of fun and necessary for everyone to get their fill of Madeline. For dad, the most taxing part of it was a 4 1/2 day jaunt to Colorado to visit his family with Madeline, sans mom. This was the first time that mom and Maddie had ever been apart for more than a work day… so was quite a big deal and we weren’t sure at all how it would turn out. But the kid was great, sleeping better at night than she ever has slept before with mom around (she drank full fat milk from a bottle at night). The taxing part for dad was that she was incredibly clingy the entire time and never completely warmed up to that set of grandparents. But it was great for her to connect with that side of the family. Of course it would have been much better to have mom around but it was a valuable experience for everyone. Lots of Maddie-dad time, for sure.
As a father, it’s a funny thing to be traveling with your toddler without mom. It is easy to pick up on the vibes of people who clearly are surprised to see a dad and kid together, just the two of them. What they assume is beyond me – probably everything from parental separation to who knows what else. But their expressions are telling, and it is always women who are most interested in observing.
Another thing that made the Colorado trip tough was the weather – miserably cold, snowy, and windy the entire time (as in -20 degrees with the wind chill). Maddie went strolling only once and even then it was a quick dash to the mailbox and back. It didn’t help that she refused to wear her mittens and only reluctantly ever wore a hat! After living in the tropics now for 6 years now, I really don’t think I can ever go back permanently to a climate like that. Yes, I have become an absolute cold wimp. We couldn’t even get pictures of Maddie in the snow, it was so cold.
The California weather was much kinder to us. Some rain here and there but very baby-friendly. Mom’s family is doing great too and all were happy to spend quality time with Maddie. Days there were spent lounging around Green Valley, playing with the kiddo and watching college football. Maddie has a new cousin, a beautiful little girl named Scarlett, and a future playmate! She was born just before our arrival and it was a great Christmas present for all. But Madeline has never been especially interested in little babies and generally is only interested in kids her own age or older. The exception to this is her little doll that she sometimes carries around with her – but the real thing doesn’t interest her much.
Saying goodbye to Mom’s parents was much easier this time around, because we will see them in the middle of February for a week. We are meeting in Manhattan for some big city time (actually going to attend an international school job fair) and the grandparents will be the daytime nannies for the week while mom and dad are working. Maddie in the big city – now that is something not to miss!
