On this Day in (the) History of David

Lots of changes these days. David has gone "mobile"...on his stomach for now, but able to move around to all parts of a room and even open/close drawers that are in his reach. He also seems to be experiencing a combination of teething and separation anxiety, which calls for some extra cuddling.

The only "acceptable" nap set-up

Some special characteristics of this time period:

1) Naptime: only in someone's arms??? Yep, just when I thought we had avoided any potentially hard-to-break habits, David is suddenly very particular about where he sleeps. The moment he is lowered to the mattress, he is wide awake. In the evening he eventually gets tired enough to stay asleep, but during the day it's often 30 minutes or less. I've had to rethink the way I do things. Instead of trying to do everything during naptime, I take those little 5-10 minute spurts when he's fed/cheerful, and wash a dish or two. I don't dare take a shower during naptime lest he wake up in my absence...so I bring him into the bathroom with me in the carseat (which he's wiggling out of).

2) Parallel labor: David now has his own container station where he can "work" while I'm trying to do something in the kitchen. I also sometimes just plop myself down on the floor and peel potatoes or whatever down at his level, so he can watch for a few minutes...and then I have to escape before he starts grabbing! David also works hard at knocking things down. As soon as the tower is up, he's scooting across the room to fell it with one swipe of the fist.

3) Learning "no": Babies and power cords....need I say more?

4) Things that I hear myself saying: (and then make myself laugh as I realize I'm saying them to a wiggly 7-month old...but we have to keep up with the English exposure, after all)

-"That's Mommy's face. We don't eat Mommy's face."

-"How about going back to your toys?"

-"Can you play quietly for a minute?"

-"Can you stay on your back, please?"

-"Are you supposed to be over there?"

That's IT???

I never thought I would see this prayer answered.

Whenever I visited the Immigration Office, I would timidly ask the Lord that something would change. I knew I couldn't wish away the other foreigners, or expect the building to be renovated. I used to wish so much for an advocate, for someone to look at the conditions and try to make them better.

On Monday I went in to try to apply for permanent residency.

Here's how it works:

-Apply for temporary residency (I did this in 2010)
-Wait 6 months
-Claim temporary residency
-Wait 1 year
-Pass inspection, become eligible for permanent residency
-You now have 1 1/2 years to apply for permanent residency or go back to the beginning

Here's how my 1 1/2 years went: 2012 sped by because of pregnancy/the birth of David/the Estonia episode/etc.

In December, I was at the 3-month mark and got everything ready to apply for permanent residency. 3 months was enough to fix potential problems right?

Well, I knew there there was a pretty tough road ahead of us as far as making it to the front of the line. There could be 50 people on The List and only 4 or 5 people would get in that day.

And then, there was news: an appointment system had been employed. This is something I'd dreamed of! A time to go that was MY time; no more guarding The List and crowding the door.


But....the fights were not over. It took Nina 2 or 3 tries (getting there early in the morning and standing in line for several hours) to actually get into the room in order to make an appointment. And even back in December, the earliest appointment wasn't until February. Uh oh!

I had gathered all my documents just in case, so there they sat gathering dust, until February 18th when I had my appointment.

Oh, how I didn't want to go into that room. Nina was home with David, Vladimir was on guard in the waiting room just in case they called me earlier, and Andrei was on his way from work to join us.

Andrei and I went into the room together...

"Let's see your application."

"Passport."

"Proof of income."

I had to really dig for each item as I had piles and piles of potentially-needed papers, BUT they were all there.

She yelled about all the mistakes in my application (I had modeled my answers on my successful temporary residency application, but apparently each inspector has his/her own preferences).

Besides all those mistakes, we didn't have Andrei's actual passport with us. I wasn't married the last time I applied, so there had been significantly fewer documents to keep track of.

Now came the clincher...could I fix the mistakes and still apply, or would it take another 2 months to get an appointment, causing me to miss my deadline?

She saw that I had until mid-March, and then saw that my medical forms were running out in the beginning of March, so she signed me up for Feb. 28th. Hallelujah!

I can't believe I might actually get permanent residency without any drama.

My Teacher Sleeps in School

As a shy child, I often found it very awkward to see teachers outside of school! In the grocery store, downtown, etc. Even in the hallway! I remember a teacher in elementary school bringing me my Valentines and a stack of library books when I got sick. So thoughtful! But my TEACHER at my HOUSE? Worlds collide!

Did you ever find it hard to imagine that your teachers had real lives? Families and pets, dishes to wash and laundry to fold? Wasn't it hard to picture them in normal clothes? There is a cute picture book by Leatie Weiss that covers this topic very well; I definitely recommend it. :)

In college, the lines were more blurred and we could be friendlier with professors, even visiting their houses and meeting their families. The issue was temporarily forgotten...

But whenever I think about Russian bureaucracy I find myself wondering about the lives of the inspectors. I have friends who have worked at McDonald's, in the local grocery store, etc....but who are these government people sitting behind their desks? While sitting in that Room, I want to dig out photos of my family and explain about my parents in the U.S. and my adorable husband and baby here. Isn't there something that can be done? I have a little baby at home. My name has changed because I fell in Love and got Married. And even before that...I fell in Love with Russia. Is there anything at all that we have in common?

As I walk down my street, I wonder what it would be like to run into one of them. Do they take public transportation? Do they have enough money to buy their own apartment? Do they spend all day deciding other people's fates and then go home to cook dinner? Do they laugh and cry like other humans? And what I'd really like to know is what we would say to each other if we had met in other circumstances. If we could even be friends. But I don't expect it and it isn't even a goal. Just one of those mysteries of life.

Brainstorming for Lent

Just musing on some ideas for observing Lent...

We still have the Jesse Tree up and it makes a nice decoration, but we can't very well leave it up all year! A new season is beginning....

Lent has a different feeling to it than Advent. Advent always feels joyful even in its moments of poignancy and expectancy. But can we really wait for the Resurrection with the same cheerfulness, though it ultimately becomes a victory celebration?

I'm not sure how to react to some of the ideas I've found. A "Crown of Thorns" maze for Sunday school? Crucifixion coloring sheets? I do think there are many meaningful ways to observe Lent with children, and they don't necessarily have to be somber.

But it's somewhat unsettling how many of these activities are described as "cute." And I realize as I'm writing that I've been avoiding the words "decorate" and "celebrate."

I like the idea of doing something like a Jesse Tree that will focus on one aspect of Easter, each day. Maybe just keep our Jesse Tree and use different ornaments. I know that Catholics use "Stations of the Cross" or the "Spiritual Way of the Cross" as one tradition.

Another tradition I saw was the act of covering up decorations with draped fabric until after the Resurrection. I'm not sure how I feel about that. It seems too "TA-DA!".

It's late, and I forget what else I was going to write. But I would be interested in suggestions!

P.S. Lent here doesn't start until March 18th, so I have some time.