Spoiled but not rotten

So my son has gone from being spoiled once we got the nanny, to being Really Spoiled since we moved into our house. I don't mean the rules have been relaxed or that he's no longer expected to say thank you, etc. but he is now lavished with attention the entire day. As I've said before, the nanny doesn't believe he should ever be left alone, or she thinks if she did she wouldn't be doing her job, or something like that. So not only does C have a nanny that plays with him constantly, but there are other people here who would like nothing more than to play with him. He is completely surrounded by people who think he is absolutely wonderful. So far this hasn't turned him into any kind of monster, and I regularly remind his nanny that he needs to help pick up, etc., so I am trying to only think about what a good thing this is. Especially since he has no friends his age here, which we feel continuously guilty about, I think he deserves to be surrounded by people who want to play with him ALL the time. And since I know Indonesians love children, I know his "friends" are enjoying it too.

Finding a preschool is on the "to do" list for next week. Just to get him in one 2-3 mornings/week would be great, mostly so he can start making friends, but also so he is exposed to some structured learning and so we know he is on track. A friend of mine who we met through C's daycare mentioned they are trying to get their daughter to recognize letters and to know that an A is an A, etc. I had no idea C should be learning this as well! I miss having wonderful teachers around who give me some idea of what C should be learning...

We actually have a playdate scheduled for tomorrow morning. I was put in touch with a family who was moving here (as if I would be able to help...ha ha) to give them some ideas on life here with a toddler, finding daycare or a nanny, what to pack, etc. They have since arrived and the husband is in much the same boat as me - no solid job and finding himself a full time caretaker of a 2 year old. So we are getting together at a play center tomorrow to amuse our wee ones and to grab a cup of coffee (something I desperately need as we can't remember if we shipped our nice coffee maker, so we haven't bought one yet, and I am stuck with instant Nescafe every morning...). I think we are all hoping we adults hit it off so we can claim to have made at least one friend here.

This is probably what stinks most about this whole experience. Some friends of ours are envious of this adventure, and I understand as there are some really great things about it. And they are like us and have an itchy travel bug most of the time. But it would be sooo much better if we had friends and family to enjoy it with. We have this house that is great for entertaining, and yet we have no one to entertain! I expect this will come with time, just like most new places, but it is a bit lonely getting there.

We tried a new fruit yesterday, called rambutan. I recommend it, because 1) it's so funky looking and colorful, 2) it tastes like lychee fruit, 3) it's easy to eat. All good things in my book. I've never seen it before, but maybe you can get it canned in the states? In an Asian grocery store? You cut the fun hairy outside layer off and then eat the lychee-like white fruit that surrounds an almond looking seed. Unfortunately it is not an almond inside and you can't eat it, but how nice would that be! Then it really would be the perfect fruit.


I also had a doctor's appointment this morning. All looks good with our squirmy little munchkin. Evidently my doctor routinely gives ultrasounds at every visit. So I got another one today, and the bonus prize was that he also did it in 3-d! It was so totally cool. So I got to see the face, a human looking baby face!, and the little hands and fingers. It was really neat. And evidently our second child is inheriting my nose, passed on through my dad's side of the family, as it was quite prominent. Or maybe at this stage of development the nose is large? The other thing that was quite prominent was his penis and scrotum. No doubt about it - we're having another boy. Unfortunately J was not there to see the 3-d ultrasound, but we'll make sure he goes next time.