Doo Days

What has Melania been up to, you might be asking yourself, to stop her completely from blogging for all this time?

Well, first off, we were all really sick for a really long time. Then, we got better just in time for my parents to come with my brother Steven, and they were here for a month, and we traveled a lot and did touristy stuff with them. I will be publishing my Dad's writing about that trip here in the blog. Then, after my folks left, I started cracking down with my studies for the LSAT, which I hope to write in December before we move. I also found myself once again deeply involved in fundraising and purchasing things - lockers, mattresses - for the boys' home that we've been helping. We had to go to Chile to renew our residency here, and now it appears that sickness is once again with us; Aaron had a throat infection that required antibiotics, both kids have had colds, Alec had some sort of tummy bug for the first half of this week, and I have a cold with a very sore throat right now.

To top it all off, I have started Alec in estimulación temprana, or "early stimulation", classes, at Joffre's preschool, which basically consist of 3 one-hour sessions a week with other moms and toddlers where we sing songs, play in the sandbox, mold clay, dance, build with blocks, climb, jump, slide, ride trikes, etc. Oddly, now that I think about it, Alec's three hours a week cost 140 soles a month ($48 CDN), while Joffre's twenty hours a week cost 180 soles a month ($62 CDN). So, I'm only paying $14 more for 68 more hours. Huh. Mind you, all our supplies are provided for Alec's class, whereas we had to buy all Joffre's school supplies.

Anyway, Alec has been accompanying Joffre to the gate of the preschool every morning for many months. So his recent initiation into "early stimulation" has been the source of great excitement. This morning, as I got the kids dressed, I commented to Joffre that I would be taking him to school today as Alec was going to have his class too. Right away, Alec jumped up and teetered off, returning with his shoes and announcing, "Doo! Doo!" ("School! School!") I got him into socks and shoes, and he lurched as only a toddler can for the door, arms outstretched, punctuating his meandering charge with cries of "Doo! Doo!" all the while. He was like the cutest little academically-inclined zombie ever.

It doesn't totally make up for Peruvian September being devoid of all things autumn and back-to-school, but it comes close.