Getting Settled

Everyone slept reasonably well the first night but woke up before dawn for several days after that. This makes for long days! Tom and I had a party to go to on our second night, so right away, we left the boys with their Ayi. She was great right from the start. She's very easy going and quick to jump in without being asked. She worked for a family we know for the past 5 years. They have 4 children and highly recommended her to us. We jumped at the chance and are so happy we did.

She walks in the door and Huck will yell "Ayi home... Hi Ayi!" It's such a relief to be able to get out and run errands to get us settled and to be able to attend the Attache events without worrying too much. She even told me to call her if I need anything on Sunday, her day off, while Tom is away. What a safety net she is.

We are lucky to have a grocery store that caters to Americans within about a mile of our house. They have products from America and I can walk there, buy a bunch of stuff and then have it delivered, free of charge and no tipping. The hitch is that I was so happy to see some items the boys love, like Kraft Mac and Cheese and PopTarts. Well, then I went back for more and they weren't there. I've quickly learned that just about everything disappears and reappears randomly. So, while it's a great comfort that the store is there, I can't depend on finding what I need. Weird.

Speaking of shopping...
I went to a Costco type place. It was massive, like a warhouse in the States, but of course it was almost entirely Chinese products. I bought mosquito net tents for the boys' beds. Now that we are in our permanent house, the big boys can't use theirs b/c they are in bunk beds, but Huck is using his and I am thankful for it. When we arrived at our temporary house, there was not a crib there for him. I had one delivered by the embassy after4 nights, but by then it was too late. He's now in a regular bed for good. The tent keeps him contained for now, thankfully. I plan to get tradional mosquito netting for Jack and Jed, but don't see a way to do anything for Tom and me as the ceiling in our room is vaulted and VERY high.

I've posted pictures of the house so you can see what it looks like.