Observations

Wow, this week has flown by. I remember from my past deployments that the first week is always the toughest and once you figure out how things work, it gets easier. Since I've been living in this hotel for almost two weeks, we've gotten to know the housekeepers and some of the staff.

At the very least, the hotel is very clean. The housekeepers work very hard. Every morning, the moulding in the hallways are wiped down and dusted. When we asked them to come and clean the room and they immediately ran down the hall to do it. The most impressive work is done when someone checks out. The entire room is cleaned from top to bottom. The plant on top of the TV stand is dusted. The fan blades are cleaned, the floors are scrubbed, the refrigerator is completely wiped down, and the lamp shades are dusted. I would daresay this would not happen in the US. All this is done with a genuine smile. Of course all the housekeepers are Korean and their work ethic is impressive.

We've tried some of the local food - bulgogi and bi bim bop -not bad. These were made on base so I want them once we move off base.

We get the keys to our new apartment tmw but we aren't signing the lease until March 17th because of a mix up at the housing office. At least we can move in. All of our rent payments must be made in cash and in won. The current exchange rate is 1550 won (pronounced waan) to the US dollar which is good the the Americans. Our rent is a direct reflection of what the housing allowance is for A's rank. So, we need to come up with over $1300 in cash and convert that to won. That's a lot of bills!

FYI - I'm not sure how the internet service will work in our new place so I'm not sure when the next posting will be.

Birthday celebrations

First of all, David slept until 6:15AM which is close to his normal wake up time so I think he's over his jet lag. We started out the day getting blueberry pancakes and eggs in honor of Shrove Tuesday. After a nap, we picked up the cake, balloons, and some ice cream. Daddy came for lunch and after lunch we had cake! At first, David wasn't sure about it, but after a taste, he knew what to do. Good thing the weather cooperated and we were able to be outside. Mardi Gras beads were a big hit as well. We didn't get through all of his presents but he did enjoy the "Look at me!" mirror cards from Grandma and his farm set, especially the cow.

Happy First Birthday, David!

To our sweet little boy,

Where did the year go? Just yesterday, we brought you home from the hospital and you’ve brought us such joy ever since. You make us laugh everyday – even when we are about to fall asleep at night, one of us is chuckling from something you’ve done. Of late, you’ve started to repeat sounds. Uh-oh is one of your favorites and you are starting to learn when to use it correctly. It’s especially funny in the early morning when you’ve just awakened and we hear a soft uh-oh repeated from your crib. You also started “mooing” when we talk about cows but you make the sound without moving your lips. You’ve learned that your paci and your puppy is only for sleeping and when we say “bye-bye paci, bye-bye puppy, “ you promptly get rid of them by throwing them down or just spitting out the paci. You then throw up your arms at us so we can pick you up.

You are such a precocious little guy, not much gets by you. You are really picking up your sign language. Eat, drink, apple, banana, more, etc. You are getting pretty good at it. And when we tell you “good job” you smile this wonderful, dimpled grin and shrug your shoulders. It’s so cute. You are also forever pointing at things and it sounds like you are saying “what’s that?” You love your books too. Brown bear, baby Boo!, your signing book, Dr. Seuss’ ABCs, The Hungry Little Caterpillar, Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb, Goodnight Moon, the Very Busy Spider, and That’s not my Dragon are all part of your daily fun. You pick out which ones you want us to read to you. You are going to make us work hard to keep up with you in the future.

And judging by the way you enjoy food, you are clearly our child. Mmmmm. You want to try anything we are eating but it’s hard since you only have 3 teeth. You LOVE yogurt. There is really no other way to describe it. Of course, you can point to and almost say yogurt but when I ask you where’s Mommy you just look at me. Why is that? You are also fond of mac and cheese, good fish, chicken, peas, corn, and oranges, apples, pears, and noodles. You are basically a good eater and I can tell you aren’t feeling well when you turn food down.

You are also VERY active which we hear comes from us as well. You crawl up the stairs almost faster than we can walk up them. You can also sit on the bed, roll over on your tummy and scoot your way down on your own. Again, you will make us work to keep up with you in the future.

So, Happy Birthday Davey Doo. The Lord has truly blessed us and may He watch over you as you in the coming year. We love you very much and we can’t wait to see how much you grow this year.

With all our love,
Mommy and Daddy

51 weeks left

We've officially been here for a week. In some ways, time has slowed considerably here. Nowhere to be, no pressing calls to make or things to do. In other ways, it has dragged on. We are all getting over some type of illness. David was mostly recovered by the weekend but A and I woke up w/a fever Saturday morning and I'm still not 100% recovered. I did managed to make some chicken stew in the crock pot and we did a little exploring off base on Sunday.

As soon as you step outside the gate, you are inundated with hotels, restaurants, and various store fronts. I was amused to find the obligatory McDonalds and Baskin Robins. Before arriving here, previous residents were telling me about places, down this alley and that alley - it's hard to imagine what an alley really is but it's a fairly accurate description. It's definitely a whole new world out there. See for yourself.

A million little pieces

Corelleware isn't indestructible despite the claims on the box. Do you know what happens when you drop it on a tiled bathroom floor? Yes, not only does it break but it shatters ... everywhere. I was carrying Davey at the time, trying to rinse out the dishes and a bowl just slipped to the floor. Absolutely mortified doesn't even begin to describe it. I felt a piece hit my arm and found another one inside of the trash can. Cleaning it up was more fun as I found more shards on the carpet outside of the bathroom. When I changed David after cleaning the floor, another little piece fell out of his jacket. Oh, the housekeeper is going to love us.

The latest on the housing situation is that the housing office will inspect the place on Thursday the 26th and we can sign the lease on Friday the 27th. Now what to do about Davey's 1st birthday on Feb 24th?