Future artists or critics? You decide

Some of the art from the Louvre (Athena, Mona Lisa, Wings of Samothrace and Venus de Milo). Also, a shot at the Eiffel Tower. Read more about our day in the previous entry.

Never a boring moment in Paris

Like their parents, Eena and Baba love action-packed days. Today, they went on kiddie rides, walked near the gardens and ate vanilla gelato at and near the Tuileries. We ate lunch at a vegetarian restaurant, which we all thought was horrible. The lettuce was warm in the salad. The only saving grace was that we were able to buy rice cakes there, and the girls ate most of them throughout the day.

After lunch, D went to his conference, and the rest of us to the Louvre. The girls did really well there. They enjoyed finding famous statues and paintings that I had printed out pictures of before we left. And Eena was excited to see two Athena statues.

Right as we were leaving the Louvre, Eena fell asleep. Unfortunately, I had to wake her a few minutes later so we could take the Metro (subway) to meet D. For those who know anything about Eena, she hates (not a strong enough word) to be woken up. Eena turned into a little Napoleon, ordering me to carry her to the train, through the station to the transfer, etc. Of course, she would scream and cry if I put her down once. It would've been fine if it was just the two of us, but I was holding Baba's hand too while Apa carried the strollers. When we finally arrived at Les Infantes stop, she was happy and no longer tired. We met D for a fantastic Italian dinner (the kids devoured their usual: penne with beurre). Our crew worked off our dinner by walking to the Eiffel Tower and going up to the top (right below the top). The girls charmed some Korean tourists who asked to take pictures with us. We felt like celebrities!

Everyone is exhausted and sleeping, except for me because I drank a diet coke at dinner or it's jet-lag or a combo of the two.

Bonne nuit.

Oui, oui to Paris

It's official: Eena and Baba think Paris is pretty cool with all the places to play. Eena says "Bonjour" to strangers, and Baba belted out "Frere Jacques" in the grocery store. Speaking of the grocery store, it took Apa and me about 30 minutes to find the butter (beurre). And, much to Apa's dismay, it was beurre doux (unsalted butter).

Tomorrow, we head to the Louvre and Les Tuileries.

Bonjour, we're here

Although D and I are often late for everything (we like dramatic entrances), we're always early to the airport. We arrived between 1:30 and 2 p.m. for a 5:15 flight. Everything was fine until the worker couldn't find an e-ticket for Baba even though we had a confirmation e-mail. The worker tagged our bags but wouldn't check them in until they could confirm Baba (technically a lap baby) had a ticket. Air France sent us to Terminal 2 (from Terminal 5) so we could figure it out with Continental. D and Baba went while Eena, Apa and I kept watch over the bags. Eena enjoyed dancing on the suitcases. Finally, with 45 minutes until takeoff time, we had the e-ticket and officially checked in our bags. We ran through security, several gates and arrived as passengers were boarding. Right across from the gate was a small playground, which would've been great had we not been stuck dealing with the airline.

As were running through security, the TSA agent asked me if I adopted from overseas, how long it took and where I adopted from. I figured she was asking security questions to make sure Eena was my child. Then, she told me that she's been trying to adopt a baby for two years, the first country fell through, and that she put in the paperwork for an Ethiopian baby. She said her social worker told her that she can't rent a room in her two-flat or something like that. She really wanted to talk more, but we were late for the plane. I gave her my email address, and she was very excited that she could email questions to me. She said I'll know it's her because she's Susan from TSA. I find that I meet more and more people in the adoption world wherever I go. Which is why I wasn't surprised when the 20-year-old woman next to me on the plane told me she was placing her unborn child up for adoption. She's 17 weeks pregnant. She's a college student and said that she's not ready to become a mother. She's working with an adoption agency, and she's going to have a partly-open adoption (she provides medical info and the family will send yearly photos of the baby). We both enjoyed talking to one another about adoption from both sides. I told her that adoption is a wonderful gift, and that whichever family she picks will be appreciative. Later on the flight, I realized that within one hour I had met one woman who wanted to adopt and another who was placing her baby for adoption. I told the college student about the TSA agent, and asked the college student to email me who the agent can contact at her adoption agency. You never know I may have made a baby connection.

The flight went smoothly (gotta love vegan meals especially because they're delivered first). Eena and Baba both slept on the plane, which was definitely a bonus. We kept them busy with coloring books, Band-Aids, etc. After we arrived, it took forever for the shuttle service to drive us to our apartment. We must've been in the vehicle for about two hours during which Eena vomited on D and I about three times. Thankfully, she's feeling better. I napped earlier. Davis, Apa and Baba are all napping. Eena is watching Dora videos on YouTube while I type this. I'm ready for everyone to get over the jet-lag so we can start exploring this glorious city.

Bon voyage

We're leaving tomorrow for our European vacation (no Chevy Chase won't be joining us). Please follow our journey to Paris (France) and Lemnos (Greece). Eena and Baba are excited about their first trip to Europe. Although they've both flown on airplanes before, we are a bit nervous about the 8 to 9 hour flight. In preparation, I've packed plenty of snacks, coloring books, crayons, play-doh, plastic bottles with cheerios, stickers, paper, Band-Aids, etc. We're also bringing their favorite toys: plastic spoons and paper plates. Seriously, it'll occupy them forever. Eena likes to pretend plastic spoons are magnifying glasses, hat or shovels. Aaah, the wonders of a preschooler's mind.

Wish us luck! We'll update once we arrive.

Eena's adventures in preschool camp

Eena started preschool camp this week at the preschool she'll attend in the fall. The first day, it took Dad about an hour to leave until she wasn't scared. Yesterday, it took me and Baba just 15 minutes to say goodbye. Today, it took Dad and Baba a bit longer again.

Overall, she's having fun making pink playdough, acting out "The Three Little Pigs" and playing with fake snow and bubbles. She's even remembered a few of her classmates' names. We're hoping by the fall, she'll have no trouble transitioning.

Playground haven

Being a mom to two children close in age can be a bit daunting at times. When we go to most parks, I'm pushing Eena on the swings as I supervise Baba on the slide. Running back and fourth in what I like to call the "Mom Dance." All moms of two or more do it at some time. I also have rapid eye movement at the park where my eyes are always on Eena or Baba, which can be difficult at large parks as they try and run in separate directions.

Luckily, I've discovered the World's Greatest Playground. It's a tot lot, which means everything is geared for children 18 months to 4 years old. Here are 8 reasons why I love it.

1. Everything is the perfect size for them. There's even a little stove under the equipment. Baba likes to "make a cake" by putting the wood chips on the stove
2. A small see-saw, which they love. Eena pretends it's a bicycle.
3. A teeny, tiny rock wall is a great way for them to practice without Mom worrying that they'll fall.
4. It's usually empty, which means I don't have to worry about bigger kids climbing on top of the equipment or trying to push the girls.
5. A great place to socialize. I've already had one playdate there. Plus when my husband and I go, we can actually sit on the bench and talk (sometimes for a whole 3 minutes before Eena and Baba demand our attention).
6. It's about a 20 minute walk from our house. There's nothing better than getting a workout with the kids.
7. There's no sandbox! See earlier post about sand.
8. Because of the small perimeter, I can avoid the Mom Dance.