How to stop a baby from crying

Not sure how many people out there still read this blog…. I have to give full credit to my dear Sheela for keeping it up. I apologize for not contributing. In my ten years of teaching, this has been the most challenging year yet. Hopefully things will calm down sometime soon and I can actually have time to post and keep you informed as to what the heck is going on with us in Dhaka!

One thing I wanted to share was a conversation Kaya and I just had. Kaya and I were talking about the new baby and how he was going to help the baby out. Kaya was being very thoughtful and put the balloons on the top shelf so the baby wouldn’t get germs or put them in his mouth. Then he started to show me how the baby would act. His demonstration included: laying down and staring straight at the ceiling. I then moved in and started to do a little baby talk and tried to make Kaya laugh, similar to how you might interact with a baby. Now it was Kaya’s turn, so I got into the same motionless position Kaya had been in and started to cry like a baby. I asked Kaya what he would do if the baby started to cry. Without pausing, he took two hands and closed my mouth. Brilliant! I wish it were that simple. Kids never cease to amaze me in the way they can find solutions and simplicity in a complex world.

The birthday was awesome, thanks Robin for pointing out that I am now closer to 50 than 20. I had fully accepted closer to 40 than 30, but damn, closer to 50 than 20 caught me off-guard. Young at heart. My wonderful wife got me everything I wanted and made the day perfect! Thanks my love.

Hopefully I can find the time to write about my recent trip to Malaysia with the Grade 10 students. Land sharks, albino fire monkeys, and other creations of my mind....

not to mention one of the top ten venomous snakes in the world...

Closer to 50 than 20 :: by mama

Yesterday was Chris's birthday! No, he did not receive a Barbie. However, he did get a couple of other things that we hope he liked just as well. One thing that I thought I would share is a fun little craft to celebrate some of Chris's favorite things: the outdoors and recycling. Using some photos from my trip to Portland this summer along with a stack of scrap paper, I made him a photo journal. The instructions, which I originally found via this blog post, can be found here.

Lacking a paper cutter, I used good old scissors, which led to some uneven edges... and lacking craft glue or bookbinding glue, I used wood glue, which seemed to work just fine.

Also, we had our favorite go-to cake, the Moosewood Restaurant Six-Minute Chocolate Cake (also known as the Vegan Chocolate Cake on their website, here). I had wanted to try out these Chocolate Whiskey and Beer Cupcakes as well, especially since they use Guinness and Baileys, two of Chris's favorite beverages. However, Bangladesh being a dry country, that seemed a little unrealistic. Instead, on the same website, I found Cheesecake-Marbled Brownies that sounded too good to pass up (and required no alcohol). End result: a very chocolatey birthday for a very wonderful man.

Happy birthday, Chris! We love you!!

A new obsession :: by mama

One day last week, Kaya came home with a party bag from a classmate's birthday party. Among the contents of the bag was a sheet of Barbie stickers. I should say here that one of the small benefits of living in Bangladesh has been the fact that Kaya is rarely exposed to branded characters, as there are no real toy stores or advertisements for him to see. So, I didn't think he would even know what a Barbie was, and I certainly did not expect him to show any particular interest in the Barbie stickers. Boy, was I wrong.

:: The stickers went up on the wall right away, before Mama even noticed. ::

[10 minutes later]

Kaya: Mama, I want a Barbie. She's beautiful.
Mama: Really? Why do you want one? Do you know somebody who has a Barbie?
Kaya: Yes. Denise. [Note: Denise is his second cousin, with whom he spent exactly one day this past summer. How he remembered her Barbie doll, I do not know.]
Mama: Oh, right. Well, maybe you can ask Santa for a Barbie, if that's what you really want.
Kaya: Okay. [Looking around] Santa, can I please have a Barbie? Mama, where does Santa live?

[The next day]

Mama: Kaya, Daddy's birthday is coming up soon. What would you like to get him?
Kaya: A Barbie.

[A day later, at breakfast]

Kaya: Mama, I want a Barbie that talks.
Mama: Hmm. I don't think there are Barbies that talk.
Kaya: Well, Santa can make one. He has his elves and his workshop, so they can make a new kind of Barbie that talks. That's what I want for Christmas.

:: A "Welcome Home" sign for Daddy on the front door, with three people and three corresponding Barbie stickers. Daddy is Ken. Kaya and Mama are Barbies. ::

The view from year 4 :: by mama

Kaya recently had a birthday. He is now 4 years old! And what a 4-year-old he is: lively, smart, sweet, and affectionate. Every time I think he can't get any cuter, somehow he manages to do just that. As cliché as it sounds, he brings pure joy to our lives just by his presence. And, in a way that is so wonderful and gratifying to see, he brings joy to so many other people as well. It is so lovely to watch his interactions with other people, from his grandparents to his teachers to the guards in our apartment building, and to see how he brings smiles to their faces.

Kaya is also a very verbal, articulate kid. He is very expressive with his thoughts and emotions, and he always seems to have a clever response at the ready. He is constantly making me laugh out loud in ways that nobody else can do. And, boy, do I love him for it. So here are a few of the quotes that have been making me laugh recently:

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Daddy: Well, I'm pretty big, you know.

Kaya: Well... not much bigger than a giant!

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Kaya, in a moment of shock and surprise: Mama! I'm growing hair on my legs!

Mama: Yes, Kaya, I've noticed. You have hair on your arms, also. Someday you'll grow up and have hair on your chest and your face, too, like Daddy. How do you feel about that?

Kaya: Mad. Will you stop feeding me?

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Kaya: I'm going to win the race!

Daddy: Winning and losing isn't everything, Kaya.

Kaya: I know. Winning is everything.

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Kaya: Mama, underpants are a very hard thing.

I think that pretty much sums up life for a 4-year-old, don't you?

Happy Birthday, Kaya!