Homework??

Savannah and I recently signed up for "Kindermusik" classes. "Kindermusik" is an international-research based program that is meant to enhance a child's development and instill a life long love of music. Savannah seems to love music (especially dancing) so I figured this was a great place for us to start. Plus it gives us something to together outside of the house while the heat is still scorching. It is a 12 week session, so will last until early December. Today our first "homework" assignment was due. We had to make a train to bring to class today. During class time, the teacher has been working with a train theme, reading a train story and working with the concept of fast and slow. Our train is made from a shoe box and decorated by Savannah with stickers.

UAE Election

Yesterday the UAE held their second election in the country's history. The election was for seats in the Federal National Council. The FNC is considered "a platform on which those elected would convey the "voice" of Emiratis." The FNC has no direct powers to create or change laws. Instead, it acts as an advisory panel to the government on national policies. Women make up about 46% of the voting electorate.

According to one of the local newspapers, "just under 130,000 Emiratis-about 14 per cent of the national population-had been given the power to select half of the seats on the country's Federal National Council." (This is 20 times more than were allowed to vote in the country's first election in 2006.) Among the voters, there were 468 candidates, representing all seven Emirates and vying for 20 seats in the council. The initial results showed that there was only a 28 percent voter turn out on Saturday.

Hot topics among many of the candidates include: Emiratisation (employment of Emiratis in a meaningful and efficient manor in the public and private sector), communication with leaders, the preservation of national identity and women's issues.

In the final tally, one woman won a seat on the council while many others were elected to the council along family lines.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai told reporters; "we are taking steady steps. By God’s will, we will continue progress and (expand) the powers of the Federal National Council."

Photo from "The National" September 24, 2011

Fresh Vegetables

Ripe ME is a new local company that offers local and organic fruits and vegetables. There is not a big offering of this in Dubai so most of the produce comes from other countries thousands of miles away. Today was the first day of Ripe ME's Farmers Market. At the market, you could purchase a box of mixed vegetables. This week's small box has cucumbers, potatoes, limes, tomatoes, mushrooms and green peppers. It seems like a lot of vegetables for 80 AED (about $20 US). You also get a recipe included with your box using at least one of the vegetables provided. The down side to this type of Farmer's Market is that you don't get to choose what comes in your box (so you are definitely buying what is in season) but it is a great way to try new things! According the company, the vegetables boxes are available from September through November. As the weather cools off from November onwards the boxes will expand to fruit, different kinds of veggie boxes and kid boxes.

Since we live in a climate that is not really conducive for farming, I look forward to seeing how the vegetables and fruits change throughout the seasons.

Savannah is 13 Months Old

Hard to believe that Savannah is already 13 months old! She is definitely a walker now...she walks everywhere and is very proud of her accomplishments! She babbles a lot and makes a "uhnn" noise when she wants something. She LOVES the computer, remotes, phones...basically anything that turns on and has buttons but seems to prefer if they aren't actually toys :)! She also loves to climb. She is VERY close to figuring out how to get on the couch by herself. I can't believe how fast the progression is from baby steps to toddler.

We started a "music" class today (The picture in the pink and white dress was right before we left for class) It is a 12-week "Kindermusik" class. I tried to take a picture at music class but she was much to busy to pause for a picture. It is a mom and baby class of singing, movement, story time, etc...she seemed to have fun but it may have just been all of the carpet to walk on! :) The class is for 1-3 year old kids, so she did lots of watching the older kids. She loves to "dance" and starts every time she hears any type of music! (She especially loves "Give Me Everything" by Pitbull...which plays in a commercial on TV here).

She is definitely on the go and into everything!

Everyday seems to bring something new!

Summer Fun Continues

We are anxiously awaiting the cooler weather but have been keeping busy indoors with toys, books, stickers, coloring, tissue paper collages (well, we have attempted coloring, stickers and tissue paper collages) and of course trips to the mall. We have also been doing lots of swimming. Savannah loves the water. She can sit on the edge of the pool and "jump in" (really fall in but close) but doesn't mind going under the water. She does lots of splashing and loves to play on the steps because she can "swim" (walk and crawl) by herself. Since Savannah is so active and mobile now I can;t wait for the weather to break so we can head out to the beach and park!

Great Running!

Chris and I recently did some exploring of Palm Jumeriah and stumbled up a fabulous place to run! The Palm Jumeriah (where our apartment is located) is a man-made island in the shape of a date-palm tree. It consists of a trunk (our apartment is located near the base of the trunk), a crown with sixteen fronds and a surrounding crescent which forms miles of breakwater.

Along the breakwater is a great sidewalk/path, perfect for runs or walks with (or without the stroller)! One of my complaints of Palm Jumeriah and Dubai in general is that it isn't very pedestrian friendly...especially with a stroller. If there are sidewalks, there are not ramps and the sidewalk themselves vary in size (some are not wide enough for a stroller). The traffic and poor driving habits are another issue. This new found path is perfect. The sidewalk/path is very wide and away from the direct line of traffic. It goes on for miles so allows us to change up our runs. And of course the beauty...on one side you have the sea, another side are luxury hotels (or construction of luxury hotels), on one end you look toward the Dubai Marina skyline and the other end you look toward the Burj Al Arab. It is about a 10 minute drive from our apartment and Chris and I have been taking turns either running before he goes to work in the mornings or if he gets home early running around sunset. It is still to hot and humid (even at 6:00 am) to run with Savannah in the stroller but we are both looking forward to running more as the weather cools off! I have signed up for a 10K in November and am seriously contemplating training for the Dubai Marathon in January!

It's Official...I Am A Walker!

This weekend Savannah officially started walking! One morning she just stood up and took a few steps. She also lets go as she cruises along furniture. Now each time she stands up she takes a few more steps. It isn't very steady but she can do it. If she is in a hurry to get from point a to point b, she still crawls but she seems to be opting for walking more and more often. It is so fun to see her face when she gets to wherever she is trying to go. She gets the biggest smile on her face that says "Look at me! I did it!". She seems very proud of herself!

Chris is off for a long weekend for Eid (which is the end of Ramadan) so it is great that he got to see her walk for the first time as well.

**This video is from September 12, 2011. Savannah loves cameras, phones and computers so it has been impossible to catch her in "action"! As soon as she sees the camera she stops what she is doing!