 | Diary Navigation:
|
November 12, 2003
***All quiet on the eastern front***
I didn't write an entry last week, because nothing is happening. No news is good news, but it sure makes for a boring diary.
I've always disliked November. It's the most blah month of the year, summer is already an impossibly distant memory, the holiday season is still really far away, we don't celebrate Halloween or Thanksgiving so no holidays to liven up the time until New Year (Russian Christmas is January 6, and it's a religious holiday), it's dark and gloomy without snow, which brightens things up, and the kids like to play in it. November is a month you just have to make it through somehow. Lest you think I am depressed, I will tell you that "marraskuu", the Finnish word for November, means "death month" (as in "not living", the leaves are gone, nature is barren, the trees are forlorn sticks, it's dark, you get the picture...) So it's not just me, our northern neighbours feel similarly about November. Though what you don't want to know is that Russia and Finland are consistently in the top-10 nations with the highest suicide rates (according to the World Health Organization). Russia, well, that's a given, but for years and years, everyone has been trying to figure out "Why Finland?"
***'Tis the Season***
That said, we are just twiddling our thumbs and waiting it out until December, when all that holiday cheer overcomes you like when you open the door on a surprise party. I can't wait for the parties, for tree decorating, mulled wine drinking, cheezy Christmas carol listening (they only have meaning for me, Dima and the kids can't understand English, nor can they understand why I actually like "dashing through the snow", "silver bells", and "deck the halls"). I can't wait for the baking, and the eating, and for the whole festivity of it all. Andrei is definitely old enough to be excited about the holidays, and I will try to make it as exciting and wonderful for him and Anna as it was for me as a child and still is.
What I DON'T know about is gifts. I have no idea what to buy the kids. I don't know if any of you have the same situation, but my 3.5 year old and almost 2 year old are very hard to buy for. You never know what they will like, and almost 100% of the time, it is not what I **think** they'll like. They have a lot of toys, most of which are virtually ignored. Andrei had no interest in the Lego train, for instance. I mean, ZERO interest. Anna had the same total lack of interest in the cute doll whose smile captured MY heart. Stuffed animals are met by the same enthusiasm I thought kids had only for white Fruit-of-the-Looms Y-fronts; a look as if to say "what am I supposed to do with this?", a polite "thank-you" (at my insistence), and relegated to the shelf to collect dust. Shape sorters, stacking rings, almost all "educational toys", and Lego sets that I would have sold my country for at their age have NO popularity with my kids.
On the other hand, last week I bought them cheap Russian-made rubber boots and they were thrilled. They actually wanted to wear them to bed! The next day, Andrei dragged all the kids in his class into the cloakroom to show them his "real fireman boots".
Boots aside, what do they like? They like the tent in shape of a car which is filled with plastic balls and which they can sit in. Anna likes two Lego fireman. She carries them everywhere with her. They're from the Lego fire rescue set, the rest of which is unused in the box. Just the firemen. For sleeping, Anna has Antosha, the doll I made out of a towel, Andrei has a small stuffed raccoon Dima bought in Moscow for two dollars. Andrei has his assorted cars, big plastic ones, and little matchbox-type ones. And that's it. That's what they like.
And then there are books. To say my kids are bookworms would be an understatement. My kids are 19-foot book pythons. They spend A LOT of their time looking at books. Morning starts with them dragging books into my bed. "Mama, read this." They will read ANYTHING from National Geographic to "Love You Forever" (in my loose and teary translation), to Encylopedia for Children. Andrei can already read a few words on his own. Anna can name at least half of the letters (we have 33 letters)in the alphabet anywhere she sees them.
They don't need more books, though. So what do I get them? Help!! Anyone out there with suggestions?! Talk to me!! Keep in mind that we live in a rather small apartment!!
For December 25, they get gifts from me in their stockings, and for New Year's, they get one or two gifts from "Father Frost". It's not a tradition to have an avalanche of gifts here.
Well, for someone with nothing to say, I've filled a lot of space. Stay with me just a bit longer, I want to talk about TTC #3.
Gynecologically, I've had a hard year, which began at the end of last December when I had my cervix electrocuted to remove some abnormal cells (not cancerous, but needed to go). I have no clue what the procedure is called in English, but my OB told me it wasn't too bad, and she was lying through her teeth. Fast forward to last month's miscarriage and ensuing two D&Cs. One month on, and I am still having some irregular spotting. I am tired of everything that's been going on "down there". Dima and I have been talking about how and when is the best way to have a third child (by adoption or biologically). At this point, I don't feel physically ready to get pregnant again. I don't feel secure about my reproductive system right now. So I am not ready to make any decision about how and when. I am also not psychologically ready to be pregnant. I have never had a totally "normal" pregnancy. All three pregnancies involved bleeding (subchorionic hematoma with Andrei, unexplained with Anna, miscarriage with the third), and I am not ready to deal with anything that may happen. I feel like my reproductive system needs some time out. Yet, we do want to have a third child, and sooner rather than later. So that's where we're at with TTC.
Warm regards,
Lisa
 |  |
|
want to keep a diary on iParenting?
Authoring a diary on the iParenting network allows you to chronicle your family's story, preserving it for years to come. It's also a great way to get the most out of the iParenting community. Click here to start...
|
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families. 
