"More Weemaway?"

Sam is a big music fan, and one night Mark played "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" for him. Oh, man, it was a dance party, ranging from some silly swing hustle (with Sam being held between the two of us) to freestyle American-Bandstand-type frugging. Ever since, Sam has requested "More Weemaway!" every evening after getting into his PJs. He even puts down his beloved bottle to dance all over the living room with his goofy parents, and is doing his best to sing along. Here's a little taste...

Clean Baby Cuteness

Sam is particularly cuddly when he comes out of the bath (at least when he's not trying to run around naked, peeing on things). Thanks to Auntie Shar-Shar for sending these pictures; there are also new pictures on the journal entry about Adam and Shari's visit.

Consumables

We are leaving so soon! In two weeks we will pack out again, go to New York for a few days and then on to India. Preparations in the lead-up include buying obscene amounts of favorite foods (canned and dry goods that don't spoil quickly) and other items (toilet paper, diapers, shampoo, etc.) that will be sent out with our furniture or as a separate Consumables Shipment. These are things that can be difficult or expensive to get in Chennai, and we're glad that State will ship them for us.

But, if you can imagine trying to plan and buy a year's worth of groceries ahead of time, you can picture what we're going through (and the expense!). Just how much peanut butter is enough for a year? What if Sam doesn't like peanut butter? What if he has one of those toddler phases when PB&J is all he will eat? Does peanut butter count as a liquid under the "no liquid" policy for packages mailed to us later? We don't really drink, but it's expected for hosts to provide wine at dinner parties, and Tamil Nadu is a "dry state" so it's better to buy it here. How much will we need? Should we bother with Kosher wine? Can you get cases of Baron Herzog in Virginia? How many "hostess gifts" will we need? We're supposed to give something that represents where we come from (Knott's Berry Farm Jam, check!). How long will Sam fit into his current size of diapers? What about pull-ups; when do kids start potty training? Dang, better buy a potty. We don't know how our new house is configured- how many baby gates should we get? Babies-R-Us is now on our "to do" list, along with Target, Costco, Trader Joe's, Safeway... multiple trips since our little Prius only holds so much.

Even for someone who enjoys shopping as much as I do, it's a bit daunting. So is the organization; it can take weeks to months for the various shipments to reach us, and some come sooner than others. We have to decide what must get there earlier rather than later, and allocate accordingly. Luckily, if we send our own packages to Chennai now, they should arrive soon after we do.

I'm not complaining, buying consumables is far and away more fun than the packout from L.A. was, or any previous move, actually, except that I don't get to do it with the family and friends who helped me in California. And it's a Foreign Service rite of passage... I'm sure I'll hit a point next spring with way too much peanut butter and not a jar of salsa to be found, and I'll be making a mental note for the next time we're sent to a Consumables Post.

In the meantime, I'll send out an email with our American forwarding address. You know, just in case you want to send us a care package. Without liquids.

Shoes...

True to his genes, Sam loves shoes. Like Mark, he would rather be shod than barefoot (even in his PJs, he'll demand shoos!), and like me, he can never have too many pairs. Here he is, sporting the Elmo slippers his Grandma and Papa gave him:


Sometimes he gets into our shoes on his own:

And sometimes he needs a little help (especially when the shoes are longer than his legs). Usually he finds Daddy's boots to be good places to hide things like cellphones and TV remotes.

Of course, one pair is never enough-

But he does have a healthy appreciation for his bare feet.

Chase

Sam really loves his great grandmothers, Buba-Gigi Miriam and Chase.

This is Sam's Buba-Gigi Miriam:



Chase was here last weekend and made a lasting impression. Sam was very happy to say her name repeatedly (Chiz! Chiz! Hai, Chiz!) and give her lots of hugs. It doesn't hurt that her name is similar to that of his favorite food (cheez!). Now that Chase has gone back home, Sam has named a Sesame Street Muppet in her honor.

This is Sam's Chase:


And this is Zoe the Muppet, now also called Chiz:


I'm sure you'll agree that the resemblance is striking.

The Best Laid Plans

How's the first week of packout prep going? We-ell, factor in one toddler with a fever/ear infection combo that kept him out of daycare all week, and you end up with less than the most productive week ever. Oh, did I mention that there were workers replacing our roof so there was banging and hammering all day? Worked wonders for naptime. Still, one car is now en route to D.C., and there has been some progress at Chez Packout.

Dramatic re-enactment of Sam's unhappiness this week, minus the runny nose:

Actual photo of Sam's unhappiness this week, demonstrated at Sears:

In "bizarre coincidence" news, our doula (labor coach) Serena has just joined the Foreign Service community! It was great to hear from her and we're looking forward to hanging out at the pool together in D.C. before we leave for India.


Two weeks of prep to go...

Who's reading?

We can't remember who we've told about the blog and who we haven't! (I know, I know, it should be "whom we've told," but it just sounds obnoxious.)

If you're already a Near/Far reader, post a comment so that I know not to spam you in the next group email. :)

Our former dog Vickie didn't blog, but she read magazines...

Pack Out Prep

Just in case you think nothing interesting is going on this week... it's Packout Prep time!!! In other words, I am sorting, organizing, selling, donating, and shifting as many of our possessions as I can. Mark has helped categorize (storage/D.C./India/toss!) and I am doing my best to have everything ready when the packers come at the end of the month. This is my fourth move in five years, and it's been crazy, last-minute and stressful each time. At least this go-round I have three weeks without work (and with daycare) to prep, even if I don't have Mark around. Hey, if we do this right, it'll be easier next time!

(Sam is in the "hand carry to D.C." category, btw.)

The OBC

One way to ensure that families will be happy living abroad is to give them a lot of information about their post before they leave the U.S. The Overseas Briefing Center (OBC) at the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) is where foreign service families can research any of the 250+ posts worldwide. There are "briefing boxes" for each post with official reports, details about local schools, regulations for bringing pets, and so on. This week, Sam and I checked out the Chennai briefing box:

We love those internets!

I won't be in D.C. until tomorrow, so most of the research I have done on Chennai is via Google and Wikipedia. In D.C. I will go to the Overseas Briefing Center and do lots of reading, but if you know me, you know that I need information to process things, and it's a long way to Tuesday!

This is where the fabulous internet comes in. There is an online usergroup for members of the foreign service community, and I have been hanging out there since Mark got "the call" from State. Yesterday I posted that we were going to Chennai, and wow! Three fabulously helpful people so far (two in Chennai now, one who just got back) have written to me with all sorts of advice, websites, book recommendations, and just an ear for any questions I might have.

It's a little daunting to pick up and move to a new country when you've never visited and don't have family there. I've done it once before, to England, with the nice people at the U.C. Education Abroad Program to guide me. What really made me ready for the move to the UK, however, was a welcome booklet, written by students from my Hall of Residence (Wha-hey, Tap-ton!). I didn't understand all of the slang or cultural references (and sheltered 20-year-old me was a little shocked by the fact that a pub would advertise in an official college publication that it was "within walking or crawling distance" of the dorm!), but nonetheless, it made all the difference. I was armed with inside knowledge about where I was going to be living, and it made me just that much more comfortable.

The emails I got today were my Chennai welcome booklet. Thanks, R, L, & M!