Worms

It's 12:30. Middle of the night by toddler standards but here we sit again.

9-1-1 Calls and Random Memories

Ben did it once.  When we moved from Texas to Virginia we needed our phone until after the pack out so we brought it in our luggage.  When we got into our apartment which would remain empty for a week until our things arrived we plugged it in and were ready to leave when the phone rang. It was 911 stating they had just got a call from our phone.  Totally baffled we realized 12 month old Ben had somehow got the phone in his hands and managed to dial, what else, but 9-1-1.  They were not amused and I apologized a bunch of times as he lectured me about keeping the phone away from my kids.  Heck, he must have grabbed it behind my back while I was plugging it in on the bar height countertop.

 

This week Jake called 9-1-1.  Maybe it’s a boy thing. We have a two line phone and I was on the Singapore line with a neighbor working out a play date for Maddie.  I switched to the cell phone because something weird was happening to the regular phone.  I went upstairs to the TV room because Maddie and Jake were fighting over something and as I walked in I saw Jake tapping buttons on the phone again.  I hung it up and continued my call.  Soon I realized I had FIVE missed calls on the US line.  And it was ringing again with a Virginia number – mind you it was 3:00 in the morning.  I told my I better pick up.  Something wasn’t right for me to get five calls from Virginia in the middle of the night.  I answered and lucky for me this time it was a friendly 911 guy.  Of course once he explained who he was I told him that we were in Singapore.  He snickered and said, “Yeah.  I heard your message explaining that every time I called you back at this number.”  I could feel my body shrinking, wishing there was somewhere to run and hide.  How embarrassing. 

 

I doubt if Jacob actually got as lucky as Ben though in his random selection of numbers.  See, our local hand phone numbers (that’s cell numbers to you Americans) begin with 911.  From the second we got those phones I wondered if our kids were gonna screw that up someday.  We’d be in the states on vacation and Ben would try to call mom or dad on the hand phone and get 911 on accident.  Never did I dream that it would happen right here in Singapore, or that it would be Jacob. I figure he pushed the address book and since we are last because of our sweet last name starting with “Z” he just dialed the last number in the address book.  We get butt dialed all the time actually.  My family butt dials us all the time.  Since Kristie’s kids have been at my mom’s house we’ve gotten at least five messages where I can hear mom and the kids in the background talking about this or that for three to five minutes before the message system times out. 

 

Zufelt.  It’s a bit of a curse.  In fact, the guy I thought I might wait for when he went on his mission didn’t like the name either.  When I “Dear John-ed” him to tell him I was engaged to Brian while he was still on his mission his only response was classy.  He didn’t say I should wait for him because we were a great pair or that he loved or even liked me.  He said I shouldn’t marry Brian because my kids would always be at the end of the lunch line in school.  Way to fight for your girl.  I think I made the right choice.  Brian rocks!  Haven’t regretted that choice once in twelve years. Ooh. That reminds me. Our anniversary is in a few days.  Didn’t even realize it but we’ll be in Thailand at the beach for our anniversary.  Now that’s good accidental planning!

Learning to Roller Skate

Jacob has lately been convinced he needs to learn to roller skate but it’s hard and he’s two and the skates are WAY too big for him.  Yesterday he caught me at a good moment asking me to help put them on his feet.  I obliged and then, of course, he needed help.  I figured he needed something akin to a walker to keep him balanced but lacking that I grabbed the next best thing – a stroller.

Around the front yard we went.  Him holding the stroller for balance and me holding the stroller so it didn’t roll away from him too quickly, occasionally lifting him up to realign his little feet in those gigantic skates. He was so pleased with himself!  Brian watching through the window had to come out and take a picture and tell us just how silly we looked using a set of wheels to “stabilize” him.  Yeah.  I know, but it worked.

Missing the USA

My kids miss their old life.  They are quite happy here, but I know they would move back home if they could.  Frankly, by the time we move home the feeling will be the same only in reverse.  It’s all about establishing your life.  Having friends.  Knowing what to expect.  All of that is a bit shaky here still.

I had to change my language lately.  If we were going to the pool I might holler, “Time to pack up and get your swim suits.”  Maddie and Ben instantly ask if we are going back to Virginia today with bright happy faces.

Then there was the day last week I decided that I wanted to rearrange things in the closet on the main floor. I tossed the luggage in there the week we moved in and hadn’t really organized it.  I wanted the luggage on the second floor above the wardrobes since we don’t need to get to it often.  I pulled every suitcase and backpack we own out into the dining room and then called the kids to help me take them up the stairs.  Maddie was beyond elated!  “Are we moving back home today?!?!?!”  Ben thought it too and Jacob, who usually just follows along, asked if we were going on an airplane.

It all sort of rips at my heart.  I know they are fine.  We’re over the tantrums and into our routines but they miss their friends.  They miss their big grassy field out the front door.  They miss having our pool literally next door to the house.  They miss the summer swim team.  They miss Oak View Elementary.  They miss the Hyatts who just flew out of Singapore last week (actually that’s made it worse for the kids to know they left and we aren’t).  They miss Costco pizza.  I miss the momma’s big red truck (I’m glad it’s getting all the love it deserves from Doug because this wanna be minivan just doesn’t do it for me).  They miss Anthony, Becca and Reagan being free for play dates any day or time.  They miss Claudia and Aimee doting on them every time they see them.  They miss the Hertig family dog, Teddy who loved to play with them in the field.  They miss sledding in the snow.  They miss their moon bounce.  They miss their townhome.  Their church friends.

Moving is hard.  They’ve done well. I need to remember to reassure them that it’s still okay to miss that stuff.  I know I do even if I totally love our new life.

Update

The kids were super happy to find the new family, the Monsons, have five kids and go to our church. The bad news? They just flew in from the States so they were so tired the kids were sleeping on the couch amidst the movers. Oh well. They'll adjust and be ready to play in a day or two. Other good news? Mary and Auntie came today and cleaned the house. It is totally worth every penny we pay them. My house is shiny clean and the double bonus? Brian doesn't have scouts for the rest of the summer so he gets to come home and actually enjoy the clean. Usually he gets home late from taking the train home and basically goes right to bed. As much as I like a clean kitchen counter and dining room floor, he really loves it.

YES!!!

After I showed on the third floor I walked through Jacob’s room and saw KIDS at the new house.  My kids are running around like CRAZY people screaming “NEW KIDS!! NEW KIDS!!”  It’s gonna take some effort the get them to eat their sandwiches before we go say hello.

God Bless the Moving Trucks!!!

I saw a diesel pull around the corner this morning and I held my breath hoping against all hope that maybe a new family was moving in.  Checking out the back window I saw a container has been dropped at one of the larger empty houses.  That was the most beautiful sight I’ve seen all summer long.  My children are bored. They are lonely.  They just want friends to play with.  It’s been a long, lonely summer so far as friend after friend boarded airplanes westward bound to the US.  I swear we are the only ones left on the planet that stayed in Singapore.   We just need some friends.  We’re at the point of desperation here.

I heard a rumor back in May from Melissa Bradford as we cleaned the pews in the chapel one Saturday morning that a nice Mormon family is moving from Switzerland to my very street at the end of July and they have five kids aged about 2 to 14. Her husband has worked with the husband in the past though she doesn’t really know them.  Right now it doesn’t really matter if they are nice or mean.  I’m thinking more along the lines of a warm body count here.  We just need PEOPLE to play with even if we don’t make life long connections.

So I have inventoried our street over and over this summer.  There are only about 20 houses.  I’ve taken note of where this magical family could possibly be moving into.  Five houses were vacated this last June.  Five houses remain empty after all the painting and turn around crews finished their work.  Empty those houses sit just waiting to be filled with seven year old boys and four year old girls and miracle of miracles – dare I ask – a two year old boy?  It’s nearing lunch time now and I haven’t even showered but we all want to go meet our new neighbors.  I know it’s bad timing.  When the movers are hauling boxes in and waiting for direction on where to put each and every box you can’t be bothered with meeting new neighbors.  So we wait. I’ll shower.  And hope the movers take a lunchtime break so we can sneak in real quick to say hello.

Ben wants to bring over cookies right away.  You have to understand the true sacrifice that will be.  See a batch of cookies is expensive here.  A cup of chocolate chips is $9.  Plus the sugar, etc.  And I just took in someone elses food storage flour stored in a #10 can since 1997.  Technically it should be fine, but sometimes stuff like that takes on the metal taste of the can.  Do I risk it?  So I make cookies with $18 of chocolate chips and risk that the flour is metallic and have to throw the cookies out?  Maybe we’ll find a snicker doodle recipe this time just in case until we prove the flour is good.  I couldn’t bear the thought of throwing out that much chocolate brought over in my carryon luggage.  Snicker doodles it is.  And a shower so I’m ready for the lunch break “Hello!” 

And if by chance this isn’t the magical family they will come someday but please let them have elementary aged kids.  Please.  Please.  Please.  And if all else fails today, at least the sea shipment crate parked on my road gives me some shimmer of hope that we have survived this long and dreary summer.  The houses will soon be filling up with new families and old friends will return in four weeks.  I feel like the little engine that could…”I think I can. I think I can. I think I can make it through this summer.”