Early Adventures of Baby L - Ông Ngoại comes to visit Part 2

So when I left off on Saturday in Ông Ngoại comes to visit Part 1, we had no hot water and we had just gone to visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.  Sadly, we still didn't have hot water by Sunday morning, so it was an ultra fast cold shower for Dad and I before we went to church. We decided  to go to mass instead of the Anglican service that G and  I usually go to. I was't 100% sure where the Catholic church was, despite having already been there twice.  My excuse is that G always drives, and I had pregnancy brain!  Anyway, I managed to drive us pretty close to the church, and then we met a lovely couple that was also headed to mass and they showed us the way.  Baby L slept like a champ at church (unlike at the mosque)!

Baby L's first Catholic Mass!

After church, I needed to drop of a bunch of paperwork for Baby L's residency visa.  G and  I are hoping that the  process for her is less cumbersome than the process for him was.  Fortunately, we're not travelling anywhere until January, so per UAE law, we have until 23-Dec to get her residency established.  While she slept like...well, a baby...at church, she woke up on the way to my office. Dad and I parked the car in the basement parking garage of the mall where my office is located and  I fed her in the backseat of the car.  I could have used one of the nursing rooms in the mall, but then I wouldn't have gotten to hang out and chat with Dad about how awesome Baby L was at church.

After my hungry hungry hippo ate and fell back asleep, we swooped into the office to drop off her papers so they could get delivered to the visa team in Dubai.  The office gals fawned over Baby L, but we didn't really stay long enough to make the rounds at the office - after all, she hasn't had her shots yet!  We then ran down to Abu Dhabi Co-Op so Dad could get some chocolate covered dates as gifts for some of his friends.  Note that Co-Op is grocery store #5 for this visit with Dad.  In order of appearance, grocery stores we went to during Dad's 8-day stay:

• Chinese Store
• Spinney's
• Waitrose
• Carrefour
• Abu Dhabi Co-Op 

It's one of the things that drives G and I nuts about this city - there is no one-stop shopping for us. Groceries are this  ongoing almost-daily thing.

Sunday evening, still not hot water (this is now Day #3!).  We went back to the hotel side to shower, and this time, Dad and I were smarter.  Instead of bathing Baby L first in the cold overly AC'ed bathroom, I showered first to get everything nice and steamy.  THEN we bathed Baby L, and Dad showered last while I nursed her.  The whole ordeal involved zero tears and was all around much smoother.

Post-bathtime smiles!

Some giggles when we tickle her tummy!

After so much adventuring, all three of us were ready for a day off.  Monday was pretty low-key...we stayed home, with the exception of Dad running downstairs to Waitrose to pick up a few things.  Dad cooked, Baby L and I took pictures and relaxed.  Baby L got super spoiled with naps on Ông Ngoại's chest. Our hot water came back (Praise the Lord, I don't think I could have done without it much longer).  It was a good day.

Monday night was a different story.  After getting spoiled with a week of tummy time naps, Baby L would not sleep on her back for more than 10-15 minutes.  She would catnap and then wake up crying, and she had a hard time eating.  I cried because I was so tired, Dad cried because he felt bad about how stressed out I was, and Baby L cried because she was tired and hungry.  No one got much sleep.

Fortunately, we didn't have any plans on Tuesday either, just more cooking from Dad and bathtime for Baby L that evening.  We thought maybe a walk in the stroller would help her sleep, so we took her up to the observation deck.  It didn't work.  We decided to just walk around and have lunch back in the apartment instead. After lunch, she finally passed out and all of us got to take a much-needed  nap.  Funny how such a little creature dictates the schedule of two fully grown adults!

Ông Ngoại with his Baby L at the observation deck

Naptime.  Finally!

Tuesday night, Dad copied a video that my uncle Michael had made for my mom's funeral with photos of her as a kid in Vietnam.  I remember watching it right after her funeral and feeling  pretty raw, so I haven't wanted to watch it again since.  I watched it again and cried. Having Dad with me and my daughter has made me miss my mother more than I've ever missed her before.  I see so much of my mom in my daughter, and watching the video, I see the resemblance even more.  Growing up, most people would say I looked more like my Dad, so I'm glad to see my mom's genes passed down.  Dad said something along the lines of, "well, you DID name her after your mom, what did you expect?" Dad and I talked about mom and we both cried again. I feel fortunate that Dad's second wife is so respectful of Mom - she keeps flowers at Mom's grave and talks of her often, even though they never met. At the same time...well, I really miss my mom.

This morning (Wednesday), Dad had to get up at 3am to take a shuttle to Dubai for his 8am flight.  I wanted to drive him to Dubai myself, but with the baby, we both agreed it would be safer for him to take the shuttle - especially since it was offered from the airline for free. Baby L and I got up to say goodbye, there were more tears and more hugs, and then he was gone. I'll be honest, it's been a rough day for me with G in Houston taking care of our move to Dubai and Dad on a plane back to Boston. I hired a doula to visit me for every day during the gap between Dad leaving and G returning, so I'm at least getting to shower and take a nap without worrying about Baby L.  I'm so glad I did, because I didn't expect to have this emotional roller coaster with Dad visiting.  The housekeeping staff has also been wonderful - when they found out I was alone, they stayed a little longer to talk to Baby L and make sure I was ok.  We're counting down the days until G comes home to us!

So hard to say good-bye! :-(  We'll see you again in January in Vietnam!