sleeping in Russia

Unlike eating, sleeping wasn't something we were able to do a whole lot. When we travel, we usually have to let Elijah sleep between us in the same bed. The first three nights Elijah would wake up in the middle of the night and want to play, because it was late afternoon in Chicago. We would pretend to be asleep, and he'd crawl all over us, coo, jabber, and show no signs of going back to sleep any time soon. Those were the times when I thought, "Why did we do this again?" When he did sleep, he was a space hog, so neither Ryan nor I were able to get very comfortable. During the day, however, he'd be really tired and often nap on our way to or from my parents. He would also nap in the stroller when we took walks, although I can't imagine that he was very comfortable doing that.

eating in Russia

Eat was something we did a lot. It all started on the plane over the Atlantic Ocean. We boarded around 5 pm and had our dinner around 7 pm. Then we had "breakfast" around midnight. Then we had a third full meal on our second flight. Thus, by the time it was morning in Chicago we have had a couple extra meals.

While in St. Petersburg, our regular eating times were so messed up that we felt hungry at odd times for just a minute or two, and I personally never felt full. We usually ate something before going to my parents, then ate a couple of times at their place, and then ate with our hosts back at the place where we slept. And let me tell you, these were no small meals. They were often several course affairs. In between the meals there was the ubiquitous tea with desert and, of course, conversation.

No matter how much you eat in Russia, your host will never be satisfied. They'll keep adding food to your plate until you are ready to pass out. And when you do pass out, they'll fill your plate again. After one of such meals I overheard my mother commenting to my aunt, "They aren't eating anything!"

The menu at my parents' was different every day, and included all my favorite dishes:

• Borsch (beat soup)
• Mushroom soup (made with dried mushrooms)
• Russian dark rye bread
• Salo (frozen salted pig fat - I haven't had any in 10 years!)
• Kvas (fermented bread drink)
• Russian salami
• Kefir (a kind of yogurt, but better :))
• Russian pancakes
• Syrniki (small pancakes made from a kind of farmer's cheese)
• Fried eggplant loaded with raw garlic
• Pelmeni (Russian dumplings)
• Pickled herring (if you ask me, it's much better than Swedish :))
• Lamb stew made in clay pots (my Dad's signature dish)
• Feijoa jam
• Buckwheat

We brought home a couple loaves of the rye bread, but I am not sharing!

bus #6

Every morning we got up and made our way from the place where we were staying to my parents' apartment. We tried the metro once, but it proved to be too difficult trying to squeeze into the train cars with a baby, two backpacks and a stroller. Fortunately, there was a bus going from where we lived almost to the door of my parents' apartment. Each morning we took the bus there, taking up the entire back row of four seats with all of our stuff. Each evening we took the bus back. And since we took the bus so often and mostly at the same times, we started recognizing the drivers. One of the drivers smoked all the time, so we hated his bus. Unfortunately, his was the bus we rode most of the time.

dogs and ducks

My parents met us at the airport together with a friend of ours Leonid Regheta (he and his wife hosted us while we were in Russia; my parents' place is too small for all of us). Once at their apartment, Ryan and Leonid took off to turn in Ryan's and Elijah's passports to be registered with the Russian authorities (required by law), while the rest of us went for a walk in the neighborhood park. It was still pretty cold in Russia. My Dad wanted to push the stroller. He's been dreaming of it ever since we started planning the trip.



Once at the park, we saw a woman walking a couple dogs. My Dad stopped and was pointing them out to Elijah, "Look, Elijah, a doggy!" Now, my father is not a big fan of diminutives. On many occasions while growing up I heard him speak against using the diminutive suffixes which abound in the Russian language. True to himself, he immediately corrected himself, "Actually, there's no need to say doggy. Just a dog. Dog. All these diminutives are unnecessary!"

A few minutes later we approached a pond. A couple of ducks we swimming in it. My Dad turned the stroller so Elijah could see, and said, "Look, Elijah, a ducky!" (He used a diminutive for "Elijah" as well). I just chuckled to myself, but didn't say anything. :)

the first surprise

Passport control held the first surprise. The officer (a woman - I've never seen a man in that position in Russia) did the most unexpected and surprising thing. If you've travelled to Russia, you'll share my amazement. She smiled at me! And no, I was not holding the baby, he'd already gone through with his Dad, so the smile was intended for me.

In addition, the customs official was friendly! Well, how about that!

going east

The trip started on Sunday evening, March 25th. After a quick lunch, final packing, and a half-an-hour search for Elijah's sippy cup, we were off to the airport. We each had a seat, as Elijah is too big for the bassinet (known as the skycot) provided by Air France for children under two years of age. We did not want to hold Elijah on our laps the whole time, so we had to pay up and get him a seat. We were hoping to be seated in the front row so that he wouldn't kick the back of the seat in front of him, and so that he could stand a little if he got tired of sitting in his car seat. It turned out that those front seats are pretty much impossible to get even if you are flying with a baby, although all the airline agents I spoke with before the flight assured me that they are reserved for people like us. Yeah, right. After having been stuck in the middle of a plane both ways, and a couple adventures during lay overs in Paris, Air France has ceased to be our favorite airline.

Elijah normally doesn't go to sleep easily unless he is in his crib. The trip to Russia was no exception. Instead of going to "bed" around 6 pm as he would at home, he didn't fall asleep for a while. He ate dinner shortly after we boarded, and then signed that he was ready to go to sleep. We confirmed with signs and words that it indeed was time to sleep and Daddy even sang our regular night time song into his ear. However, it turned out that when Elijah signs "sleep," he means something like, "Take me to my crib, lay me down, turn off the lights, and leave me in a quiet room." He continued to sign "sleep" and look at us inquiringly for several hours.

At some point during this exchange of "sleep" sign, when Elijah seemed ready to actually fall asleep, our dinner arrived. He smelled the food and wanted us to share. We did. He liked the chick peas. But the second dinner gave him extra energy and it wasn't until 9 pm that he actually fell asleep. In the meantime, he happily cooed, played with his feet, and played a French version of "peek-a-boo" with the flight attendant, who had a 15-months old at home.

Once Elijah fell asleep, Ryan and I turned on a movie and watched "Casino Royale." As soon as the movie was over, Elijah went into the REM phase of sleep. He tried to get comfortable, arched his back, realized that he was strapped in, opened his eyes, saw the dark airplane, and... SCREAMED. He screamed for quite a while. A few minutes into it I picked him up and walked towards the bathrooms where there was a little more space to stand and move around. The area freaked him out. He screamed louder. After about half and hour he calmed down enough for us to return to our seats. He then sat and eventually fell asleep in my lap, while the car seat happily continued the journey empty, occupying the expensive spot we paid for that no longer carried its intended passenger. Elijah slept for the rest of the trip, while flight attendants went by and pointed him out to each other. No surprises here, he is adorable when he is asleep. :)

Our layover in Paris was only an hour long, so we hurried to get to our next plane. If you've ever had to switch planes in Paris, you'll know that you have to take a bus to go from one terminal to the other. Not my favorite. Standing in line with a squirmy kid in my arms for 40 minutes to get through security wasn't my favorite either. Neither was dealing with an overtired child for the first hour and a half of the flight to St. Petersburg. Fortunately, he fell asleep and slept for the second half of the plane ride.

And so it goes that we landed in St. Petersburg around 3 pm on Monday, March 26th. All of our luggage made the transfer during the one hour layover in Paris.

best russia trip ever

We are back on the west side of the Atlantic ocean after a whirlwind of a trip to Russia and back. We were on the ground for full six days. During some uncertainty before the trip, we would joke and say to each other that this trip has a potential to be our best Russia trip ever. That wouldn't be too had since our last two trips were mostly a disaster, so things could only get better. (The first time all of Ryan's money was stolen the first day after our arrival, and the second trip is known as "the passports adventure" or, more accurately, "the passports nightmare", but I don't want to dwell on that here). And our best Russia trip ever it was! But, let's take it in order.

are we crazy?

Are we crazy to take a fifteen months old on a 13 hour plane ride to Russia? Hm... We'll let you know how it went when we are back in a week. It'll be a quick trip to see my parents and my aunt (who will make a 48 hour journey on a train to see us).

fifteen (and a half) months check up

Weight: 27 lbs 3.5 oz
Height: 32.5 inches

cold food

Elijah is not feeling well these days. We are not sure if he is sick, or if he is teething, or both. Regardless of the cause, when he is not feeling well, he does not eat. He won't even eat cheese! We did, however, stumble into a couple of things he consented to consume. Yesterday it was cold whole wheat noodles. Today - green beans (warm for lunch, cold for dinner).

hamsters

When Elijah doesn't want to eat something, he closes his eyes (or just leaves tiny slits open) and shakes his head so as to make it difficult for us to aim for his mouth. On the first day of our visit to Michigan, DeAnna, a 10 year old animal lover, brought up one of her 5 hamsters to show to Elijah. As she brought it closer to his face to make sure he got a good look, Elijah closed his eyes and shook his head, as if saying, "No, thank you, I really don't want a hamster for dinner!"

A couple days later, another hamster made an appearance in the living room. DeAnna put a towel on the floor to protect the carpet. Elijah didn't care much for the hamster, but he did want to be on the towel as if it was layed out for him!

hello ducky

My good friend Doris invented this game for Elijah one morning while we were visiting them in Michigan about a week ago, and it was an immediate hit! The first time the game was played, we thought Elijah would go on forever! Doris was afraid she'd have to sit there for the next ten hours saying "Hello Ducky! Good-bye Ducky!", and rightly so. Below is but a short snippet of how the game is played.

baby piano

Not a Mozart yet, but you have to start somewhere.

puppies

While visiting friends and family in Michigan last week, we had an outing at the pet store. Looks like at least some of the puppies recognized Elijah to be of about the same age, and Elijah definitely enjoyed running up and down the isle. Meanwhile, I am enjoying not having to carry my 27 lbs son everywhere we go.

box climbing

Climbing a box may not be very exciting for an adult, but it's enough of a challenge for a baby to keep him occupied for a while. And even though I don't personally get into box climbing that much, I do enjoy watching someone else do it. :)

yummy blueberries

Elijah loves blueberries. It was a love from first taste. Even when he refused to eat during his teething bout (to the point where we were wondering if he had simply forgotten how to sign "more"), he asked for more blueberries as soon as he tasted them. Fresh are preferable (and he is a blessed boy to have fresh blueberries in the middle of February), but he'll settle for dried in a heartbeat as well.

Today was a day of snacks. He recently mastered the sign for "eat", and is now in control of when he gets a snack. He started asking for snacks in the morning, shortly after breakfast, and had two by lunch time. First we indulged in some graham crackers, but the second snack consisted entirely of dried blueberries. Well... almost.

As I sat on the couch and he proudly walked back and forth, he'd come back signing "more" every time he'd finish chewing a mouthful of blueberries, and sometimes way earlier. At some point he decided to "ride a horse" on my leg. As I rocked him up and down and he giggled with a mouthful of blueberries, something small fell out onto my knee. I picked it up and put it back into his mouth. Then I thought it was weird that the thing was somewhat whitish-greenish, like the inside of a fresh blueberry, except it was a little hard, like a proper self-respecting dried blueberry should be. And then it hit me. It was a booger! It must have fallen out of his nose. And I fed it to him!!

Perhaps it was merely coincidental that he did not ask for any more blueberries after that :) .

lights and bears

Apparently, when babies begin to sign, they use the same sign for many objects, just like early talkers say the same word for different things. The world, according to Elijah, is full of lights and bears. He signs "bear" for many animals in his books, and also when he is pleased with himself. He signs "light" for things around the house (like a small butterfly tile in our bathroom). All considering, this is not a bad world to live in, as long as the bears are friendly. Could be much worse.

garfield park

Elijah and I joined our friends Katie and Nathan for an outing at the Garfield Park Conservatory a couple of days ago. Until then I had not known that it can be so relaxing taking a one year old on a field trip. The place was pretty much dead at the time of the week and day when we went, so we had an entire section of the park to ourselves most of the time, with an occasional person walking by about every 20 minutes or so. We hung out at the children's room of the conservatory. The "climate" was just right: warm enough to be comfortable, but not as humid as the rain forest room. They have a little enclosure for the really little ones (like Elijah and Nathan) to play in safely. So for two hours we just sat on the cushions under some tropical plant and chatted, while the boys explored the bright colors, each other, and each other's toys.

baby sign language

We started teaching Elijah sign language when he was about 10 months old. It took a number of inconsistent attempts off and on to really get going and to figure out what initial signs we wanted to pursue. After about two months he started signing "more", but that was his only sign for a while. However, in the last week or so, other signs became more and more clear, and now we also have "all done", "bear", and "light" :) (As in "And God said, 'Let there be light'", not as in "of little weight"). I think he is also working on "music" and "dog".

"More" often doubles for "eat" or just simply "I want". Sometimes Elijah will actually point to the thing he wants, and then sign "more". But he only signs "more" in the context of food, because that's the only time we've been using the sign with him. I am now afraid to use it in other contexts so as not to confuse him, but I guess sooner or later I'll have to do it.

It's been great to have the "all done" sign added to his "vocabulary". At meal times he makes unhappy noises while waiting for his food, and then when he is full and wants down. But it's not always easy to know what he means somewhere in the transition from being hungry to being full. Does he want more clementines, does he want some cheese, or is he finished? Now that we have two signs to help us, all we need to do is ask, "Do you want more, or are you all done?" And he "tells" us exactly what he wants! And it's much more fun to do a sign with a smile than to grunt and scream!

When I noticed that Elijah was fascinated by lights, I started to use the sign with him each time I turned the lights on or off. Yesterday was the first day that he'd been unmistakably signing "light". First he looked at the light in the bedroom (that was on) and signed it, then he looked at a light (that was off) in the living room, and signed it again. I turned it on for him. Then all day whenever the kitchen light was on, he'd look at it once in a while, and sign "light". I think at this point the sign means "I see light," but I am hoping that in the near future it can evolve into "I want lights on."

I've sometimes wondered what was going on in his head, but now I don't have to. :) It is really a lot of fun to get a sneak peak into what my baby is thinking throughout the day.

P.S. I know you'd love to see a video or at least a picture of this, but it's hard to be taking shots when you are in the middle of a conversation with your child!

eyebrows game

One day a couple weeks ago while walking Elijah to sleep in his bedroom, I looked at him and raised my eyebrows just for fun. He giggled. I did it again, he laughed a little, but kept his thumb in his mouth so he could resume sucking it shortly. I did it again, he cracked up :) Ever since then raising our eyebrows to each other has become a fun game. Daddy was also allowed to join. Sometimes all we need to do is to say his name with a certain inflection in our voice to get him raising his eyebrows right away. Sometimes he starts the game himself, and sometimes he'd try to do it to get our attention. Silly kid! He doesn't realize that raising your eyebrows doesn't make any sound, so if we are not looking at him, his attempt at attention getting miserably fails!

The game is most often played at dinner table. We just sit around and raise our eyebrows at each other for a few minutes, then go back to eating. Weird family!