Odds and Ends

It has been brought to my attention that I haven't blogged in awhile! Everything is okay. We have all been a bit under the weather so there hasn't been much to report. Savannah had her first fever. There is nothing worse than your baby sick, except maybe being sick as you take care of a sick baby. Luckily, Chris and I were at our worst on different days so we could tag team the late nights. We are all glad to be back to normal!

A friend of ours went just got back from "holiday". He went to visit family in India as well as spent New Years in Bali. The picture is of a dress he brought back for Savannah from Bali. He also brought me a beautiful clutch from his hometown in India. It is made of handloom fabric and silk. The flap was handpainted by chitrakars (community of painters) using a very fine brush. Collecting unique treasures like this is going to be a fun part of our time abroad. Savannah also got a very cool hammock/swing that we just need to find a place to hang before she can use it.

The weather is started to warm up a bit. It has been in the mid 70's but in the last week or so it has been in the low 80's so I think March may begin our climb to unbearably hot! We have definitely enjoyed the winter months and have not missed the cold, ice, snow, bad roads and shoveling although we will be singing a different tune come July and August.

Savannah continues to attempt eating solids which is a slower process than I anticipated. She doesn't seem to like much. We have tried vegetables in the yellow family (carrots, sweet potatoes and butternut squash) without much luck. We are back to rice cereal for a few days. Hopefully she will get used to that and we can attempt the vegetables again! Yesterday I did get her to eat a whole bowl of rice cereal by distracting her with a skype phone call to my dad (the computer fascinates her) so it seemed to help!

Dubai is very baby and family friendly which has been wonderful, especially since we take Savannah everywhere but one thing I don't think I will get used to is the fascination people have with babies (or Savannah). Everyone is extremely nice but random strangers always ask to hold her or if they can take her picture! Little kids also come up and look over the edge of the stroller to see Savannah. This happens at restaurants, the mall, etc... Definitely things that would not happen back home. I am not sure if it is because she has fair skin (or because she is so darn cute :) ) either way I have become good at all of a sudden being in a hurry to get somewhere so we can avoid the pictures. American friends have told me that this happens to them when they travel to other countries in the region. One friend said that when they were visiting the pyramids in Egypt her son become the tourist attraction with his blond hair , blue eyes and very fair skin. Another thing to get used to!

Chris has been really busy at work, with lots of long hours to go with it. Savannah and I continue to go swimming in the pool and to playgroup. We also manage a few shopping trips and walks at the park. Last Friday ran with a running club. It was great to get out and have someone push me to run a little faster. Chris also got to play golf last weekend...so all in all things are going well and we are keeping busy!

Savannah is Six Months Old

Happy Half Birthday Savannah!

Savannah is officially half a year old! She is still in the 90th percentile for both height and weight. She weighs 18 pounds and is 26.4 inches tall.

At the six month mark she has her bottom two teeth, she can grab things really well which inevitably means it is going in her mouth and although she prefers to sit on her own she can roll over both ways. She is also discovering that her voice is for more than crying with brief chuckles and lots of random babble...although nothing understandable yet. She also smiles a lot and just wants to be apart of the action. This month, Savannah and I started running with the stroller! Definitely a much harder workout for mom but hopefully the more we do it the more I will get used to it and the more she will enjoy riding in her stroller! Much to my happiness she is also starting to sleep for longer periods again. I think her teething caused a brief lapse but we seem to be back on track, usually only waking up once to be fed. Chris and I continue to take her everywhere with us and continue to be amazed at how well she does when we take her out.

I will have to say six months is pretty fun.

Dubai Desert Classic

Today we went to the Dubai Desert Classic, the European Golf Tour Tournament held in Dubai every year. The tournament was played at Emirates Hills Golf Course, which is right across the highway from us. Although it was quite windy, the weather was beautiful and the course was in great condition. This was probably the first event we have gone to where we were definitely not in the minority. Most of the spectators were westerners and English speaking. We picked out a few spots along the course and watched the top groups play through. We were actually able to get really close and could see the top players in the world tee off, chip and putt. Savannah got to experience her first golf event (much to Chris' happiness) and see Tiger Woods, Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and the local favorite Rory McIlroy. (McIroy is currently sponsored by Jumeriah Group, a local luxury hotel company that operates the Burj Al Arab, Jumeriah Beach Hotel, Madinat Jumeriah among other luxury hotels and residences in Dubai. They also have properties in London, New York, Shanghai and the Maldives.)

In Savannah babble she gave the golfers tips as she played in the long grass and she did really well being quiet when the golfers actually approached.

It was a great family afternoon out!

First Bites!

Today Savannah got her first bites of food. Savannah's doctor encouraged us to wait until she was six months old to start her on foods due to the risks of allergies. Chris put her new high chair together last weekend, so we spent some time this week just hanging out in it. So far she seems to like it. Today, we started with a small bowl of rice cereal (see the video below)...the first face she made was priceless and then she gobbled the rest right up...or at least attempted to. She seems very eager to hold the spoon herself. It should be a fun (and messy) introducing new foods!

Life of an Emirati

With much of the Middle East in the center of the global news, we have been asked about the safety in Dubai. Things are normal and safe. There is no protesting or revolt against the government. The goverenment and ruling families are considered very well liked. UAE Nationals or Emiratis are actually in the minority, with expats making up about 80% of the population. Emiratis (not expats) receive many benefits for being a "local" including free electricity, water, healthcare, education for children (most schools in Dubai are private-tuition based) and payments toward wedding costs. Emirati men can also claim free land and interest free loans to build their homes. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai often moves around the city with very minimal security and without an entourage of people. Expats living in the area do a lot of traveling within the region, especially to places like Egypt. I have noticed among American friends that some travel plans are being rearragned or reconsidered but other than that day to day life is the same as it has been prior to the changes in Egypt, Yeman and Tunisia.

British Influence

In Dubai there seems to be a huge British influence. I am not sure if it is from the large number of expats from the European country or if it is from the two countries deep history. The United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom continually renew their 1971 Treaty of Friendship.

On a day-to-day basis we notice the use of British vocabulary. A few examples of vocabulary used in and around Dubai are: lifts (elevators), take away (to-go or take out), prams (stroller), mobile (cell phone), chips (french fries), cinema (movie theater), crisps (potato chips), diversion (detour), dummy (pacifier), fly over (over pass), holiday (vacation), nappy (diaper), petrol (gasoline), queue (line).

Service also tends to be very slow, especially when dining out. It is customary to have to ask for the check or let the waiter know you are ready to order...but not because they are slacking...just seems to be the norm. Here meals out are definitely to be lingered over. The culture here is also much later. Dinners at eight or nine o'clock are normal and everyone seems to stay out later...whether it be dinner, shopping, etc....Even small children seem to have a later schedule than you would find in the US. Chris and I have found that we have started eating dinner later but who knows if that is us adapting to the culture, his work hours or a new baby!

Even though we have been here for just about 7 months there continue to be things for us to learn and get used to.

Gold To Go

One my mom's last day here we discovered a new ATM machine. It is a "gold-to-go" machine...think ATM only instead of money you can purchase gold bars. There will soon be six Gold-to-Go machines within the UAE. One is already located in Abu Dhabi, the remaining five will all be located in Dubai. The one pictured here is in the Burj Khalifa's gift shop. There is another one located at the observation deck of Burj Khalifa. Other machines are planned for the Atlantis Hotel, the InterContinental Hotel in Festival City and the Indoor Ski inside the Mall of Emirates. (According to the local newspaper the Gold-to-Go machine in Abu Dhabi sold out the first day it was in operation!) The price of the gold inside the machine will fluctuate to reflect the daily price of gold. Currently you can purchase a gold bar weighing 2.5 grams for Dh 540 (roughly $150 US), while a ounce bar can be bought for Dh 5,645 (roughly $1540 US). We opted for the quick photo instead of making a purchase!

Surfing Competition

Today Savannah attended her second sporting event (the first was polo) this afternoon we went to watch a surfing competition sponsored by the Surf School that I paddle board with. The waves were much bigger than we have ever seen down at the beach. According to the local newspaper some of the swells were 4-5 feet. There were many surfers out in the water, although from our view it looked like they were doing more swimming than surfing. There were also a bunch of kite surfers out in the water. The water has definitely cooled off. Most of the surfers were out in wet suits and we definitely needed sleeves...but not bad for February!

Splashing in the Pool

So as usual Savannah stopped smiling as soon as I got the camera out but she really does seem to love the water. She splashes in both the pool and the tub and doesn't seem to mind if she splashes the water in her face.

Winter Weather

The weather here is very interesting in the winter time. Some days you get beautiful, sunny, clear skies with temperatures during the day in the mid-70's, perfect for all of the outdoor restaurants and activities that Dubai has to offer. On the other hand we seem to be having a stream of cloudy, windy, humid and sandy days. This is day three of sandstorms and what they call sand clouds (basically sand blowing through the air) unlike a sand storm the sand clouds make it appear very hazy and drastically reduce visibility for a good portion of the day. It also makes a mess. Normally, there is a sand coating on everything (especially cars) but it seems to be much worse the last few days with sand settling on the bottom of the pool, on patio furniture, etc... This all being said, I miss a lot about home, but winter is not one of them so I will take the clouds and sand over inches of snow and ice and cold!