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: Cultural Excuses
Frank is doing better. Mimi is still awake, but I'm ignoring her, the little imp. She's so darling right now, and so loving. She is an affectionate girl.
Frank is extremely irritating 33% of the time, sleeping 33% of the time, and quite pleasant 34% of the time, so his existence is marginal right now. He is very clingy to me. Cory put it quite succinctly that he would be more appreciated if he laughed his delightful laugh more and screamed less. He's still a terrible sleeper.
I know they both sense my ambivilance toward my dad. (did I spell that right?) And because of that, they are very reserved around him. And it seems like he is always around. So it can get a little tense. I try to encourage them to be affectionate with him and kind to him, but I myself have very little interest in him and the kids certainly play that out for me.
I am strained by all the cultural differences right now. I'm tired of being told what to do. I'm tired of treating all the men like kings. I'm tired of always being wrong and being treated like I don't deserve anything. It has all been a very good lesson for me of how great our life was and how great my marriage is.
I do like that Mimi is a whiz at public transportation, and it tickles me to hear my kids communicating so easily in both languages. They are both unrestrained in their delight with my dad's wife, who is a different kind of mom than me, but is very good to them. When she feels like it, she is playful and funny, and I know they need to laugh more.
Mimi asks me, probably once a day, why I'm not smiling at her, and it cuts me deep inside. I try to be happy, and I spend much more time with them than I ever have, and than I will be able to once I am in our own household. I play with them. I do everything for them, realistically, as there is no one else. It is a heavy load. She really enjoys imaginative play, which is just kind of annoying to me when I have a million other things I have to do, but she needs to learn, so we play all kinds of crazy games.
She made one up this morning where she and Frank were going to and coming from the airport. She packed her bag - underwear, a shirt, and her blanket - and set off for parts unknown. Poor Frank had a fanny pack around his neck with her sunglasses, a clown wig, and "Melmo", Mimi's discarded Ernie doll that he and the dog are constantly fighting over. I had to greet Mimi every time she walked in as though we were picking her up at the airport. I told her how glad I was and will always be to see her, and asked her where she was coming from. She said, "Mommy, I had no home, but now I'm coming home to you!"
Mimi has a friend, a boy, who is four, who calls her on the phone. Their telephone conversations are absolutely priceless. I could write out a little of the one-sided dialog that I hear here, but I don't have that much time. But if you can imagine two little people who like nothing more than to hear themselves talk, you can imagine what they say. As with my co-ed phone calls pre-cohabitation, they always dwindle to, "Do you want to come over here and play? Or maybe I should come to your house."
Frank remains an exceptional communicator. We often have Greek grandmothers who cannot know that we are essentially refugees telling me how clean Frank's words are (in Greek). He even can sing a few Greek songs recognizably. Unfortunately, most of the time he's asking to nurse. I nurse him 3-4 times a day, usually during the night, because otherwise he would be hanging off me 24-7. He is very attached to the point where I wonder if it's healthy. Every one laughs at him because he constantly wants to touch my skin, and usually my soft belly skin. My dad came in and played with them for 10 minutes tonight, and Frank was smiling and enjoying it. So he had to stick his hand up under my dad's shirt.
He needs this the way Mimi needs her blanket - it is for security. It is kind of weird. I call him a molester. I hope he will get the security he needs.
My dad gave him a haircut 2 weeks ago, and it's quite awful. Really awful - all patchy and fucked up. I keep meaning to go get it fixed, but when I have money, we can never quite make it there. I do like Mimi's short hair now, but when I see pre-mullet pictures of her, I think how beautiful it was before.
I think I can wrap up this post by saying I hate it here right now, but I am having an opportunity with the kids I wouldn't have had otherwise. Next week we go back to school. It's been more than 2 weeks - first my kids and I were sick, and then one of the kids at school had viral meningitis so we decided to stay away. I am really looking forward to it, to say the least.
Frank is doing better. Mimi is still awake, but I'm ignoring her, the little imp. She's so darling right now, and so loving. She is an affectionate girl.
Frank is extremely irritating 33% of the time, sleeping 33% of the time, and quite pleasant 34% of the time, so his existence is marginal right now. He is very clingy to me. Cory put it quite succinctly that he would be more appreciated if he laughed his delightful laugh more and screamed less. He's still a terrible sleeper.
I know they both sense my ambivilance toward my dad. (did I spell that right?) And because of that, they are very reserved around him. And it seems like he is always around. So it can get a little tense. I try to encourage them to be affectionate with him and kind to him, but I myself have very little interest in him and the kids certainly play that out for me.
I am strained by all the cultural differences right now. I'm tired of being told what to do. I'm tired of treating all the men like kings. I'm tired of always being wrong and being treated like I don't deserve anything. It has all been a very good lesson for me of how great our life was and how great my marriage is.
I do like that Mimi is a whiz at public transportation, and it tickles me to hear my kids communicating so easily in both languages. They are both unrestrained in their delight with my dad's wife, who is a different kind of mom than me, but is very good to them. When she feels like it, she is playful and funny, and I know they need to laugh more.
Mimi asks me, probably once a day, why I'm not smiling at her, and it cuts me deep inside. I try to be happy, and I spend much more time with them than I ever have, and than I will be able to once I am in our own household. I play with them. I do everything for them, realistically, as there is no one else. It is a heavy load. She really enjoys imaginative play, which is just kind of annoying to me when I have a million other things I have to do, but she needs to learn, so we play all kinds of crazy games.
She made one up this morning where she and Frank were going to and coming from the airport. She packed her bag - underwear, a shirt, and her blanket - and set off for parts unknown. Poor Frank had a fanny pack around his neck with her sunglasses, a clown wig, and "Melmo", Mimi's discarded Ernie doll that he and the dog are constantly fighting over. I had to greet Mimi every time she walked in as though we were picking her up at the airport. I told her how glad I was and will always be to see her, and asked her where she was coming from. She said, "Mommy, I had no home, but now I'm coming home to you!"
Mimi has a friend, a boy, who is four, who calls her on the phone. Their telephone conversations are absolutely priceless. I could write out a little of the one-sided dialog that I hear here, but I don't have that much time. But if you can imagine two little people who like nothing more than to hear themselves talk, you can imagine what they say. As with my co-ed phone calls pre-cohabitation, they always dwindle to, "Do you want to come over here and play? Or maybe I should come to your house."
Frank remains an exceptional communicator. We often have Greek grandmothers who cannot know that we are essentially refugees telling me how clean Frank's words are (in Greek). He even can sing a few Greek songs recognizably. Unfortunately, most of the time he's asking to nurse. I nurse him 3-4 times a day, usually during the night, because otherwise he would be hanging off me 24-7. He is very attached to the point where I wonder if it's healthy. Every one laughs at him because he constantly wants to touch my skin, and usually my soft belly skin. My dad came in and played with them for 10 minutes tonight, and Frank was smiling and enjoying it. So he had to stick his hand up under my dad's shirt.
He needs this the way Mimi needs her blanket - it is for security. It is kind of weird. I call him a molester. I hope he will get the security he needs.
My dad gave him a haircut 2 weeks ago, and it's quite awful. Really awful - all patchy and fucked up. I keep meaning to go get it fixed, but when I have money, we can never quite make it there. I do like Mimi's short hair now, but when I see pre-mullet pictures of her, I think how beautiful it was before.
I think I can wrap up this post by saying I hate it here right now, but I am having an opportunity with the kids I wouldn't have had otherwise. Next week we go back to school. It's been more than 2 weeks - first my kids and I were sick, and then one of the kids at school had viral meningitis so we decided to stay away. I am really looking forward to it, to say the least.