Our third week

Daddy and Madeleine in the kids pool

Well we are into week three of the great adventure. Lee is on a trade mission trip to China and Indonesia this week with a group that includes the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke. On the plus side we are in the same time zone for the entire trip, on the minus side the trade mission schedule each day starts at 8AM and goes until 10PM. No Skyping Daddy this trip for Madeleine. Nowadays anyway when she hears the Skype ring she yells, "Dita, Dita, Dita!!!". We Skype Dita A LOT!!!(Dita is Madeleine's name for Kelsey).

I am finally starting to feel settled. Shopping here is very stressful but we have managed to get most of the basics for a pantry and a few creature comforts like plants as well as most of the electronics we needed right away such as a phone, Internet and cable hook up, and baby monitor. Most of that we were able to do in the first two weeks. Now I am focusing on being in a true routine with Madeleine. I finally unpacked the last box I shipped from Texas and she has her books now out and accessible and we can work on our colors and numbers and using sentences as opposed to one work commands. Interestingly, in one of our last music classes in Texas, one of the moms said to me," I feel like I am being bossed around by a two year old all day long!" I realised I felt the same way because all Madeleine would say were one word commands. I am now diligent in having her rephrase her requests into full sentences. I get the feeling she thinks I am crazy but she humors me!! She is also working on her ma'ams and sirs. Yes ma'am sounds nothing like that but as long as I get two words I'm happy.

Unfortunately she is still having trouble sleeping at night. She goes down great but then about 1AM she wakes up and gets very upset very quickly. If I try to make her stay in her room she just gets hysterical. I might be wrong, but my gut tells me she is truly scared when she wakes up alone in the room. All that is in there right now is a mattress on the floor and none of her things that she is used to in her room. I think I might have to rent some furniture just so the room feels more homey and comfortable. The jury is still out on that.

So much more to share, but now I am craving a PB&J with the grape jelly Lee brought me from Los Angeles last week. Can you believe it? No grape jelly in Singapore!! Travesty!!