A Quiet Day

The goal for today was to pretty much do nothing, and it seems we have succeeded. The boys were up around 6:30, and my father took them out of their room and out onto the balcony so Mom could keep sleeping. I heard them (since I had been awake for a while already: hate jet lag!) and joined them out there. Dad had brought out their laptop and we looked up birds in Bangalore. We identified a black kite, green parakeets, and jungle crows for sure. So many amazing birds. We also identified the breadfruit tree near our room, loaded with fruit. I sneaked back into my room to grab the boys' Gameboys and a DVD player to keep them quiet while the rest of the family and hotel guests slept. It was actually a rather peaceful time.

Kailey came out around 8, then went back into the room to lay down next to Arilyn Sneha so that she would be there when she woke up. I handed her a book and a flashlight to help pass the time. Mom awoke close to 9 am, then I went in to get Greg and Arilyn Sneha. She woke slowly and her first words were, "Good morning, Mommy," said with a smile. We all went to breakfast except for my father who crawled back into bed and stayed there until 1 pm. Fortunately, he is fine and not getting ill.

The kids watched videos, played games, colored, and just enjoyed getting to know each other a little better for most of the morning. We took my favorite Gymboree bubbles out to the lawn and filled the air. Love that. After lunch, Greg took the kids to the pool while I started getting things ready to go for tomorrow morning.

We ordered dinner to come to the room due to the World Cup of Cricket Championship Game between India and Sri Lanka that is being played today. We decided not to face the crowds in the restaurant. I had to wake Arilyn Sneha from a lengthy (2-3 hours, still never sure what time it is here) nap to feed her dinner. Dad and Greg set off to explore a nearby market and did not return until after dark. They walked far and wide to find stores to shop in until they finally came across an art fair.

She has been quiet today. Sweet and clingy to Greg and I, but I'll take that. I am still waiting for that first real meltdown. I know it is coming. She is clearly working hard to keep it together, but that can only last for so long. That will be the first real breakthrough to really getting to know her and having her be real with us.

I popped her into the sling for the first time this evening as I still had work to do toward getting us ready to leave the hotel at 6 am tomorrow. She tucked her arms down and in and snuggled right up to me. She is now laying next to me on the bed, but doesn't look remotely ready for sleep. She seems to go from 60 to 0 in a moment so far, so she may just conk out when we turn out the lights. We will see. She has not continued to sing "Lord's Army" that is a blessing in and of itself.

Tomorrow we fly to New Delhi where we will bounce back and forth between the Max Medcentre and the US Embassy all week. We also hope to get to Agra to see the Taj Mahal on Tuesday, but that does depend somewhat on how our appointments all run. It will be an adventure, I am sure!