The big gap

Hours after I wrote the last blog, Jacob eagerly ran up to me with blood dripping from his mouth, clutching a bloody stump, to tell me that he had lost his front tooth. I did not realize how large the tooth was until all that was left was the hole. He looks hysterical. Anyway, he was very excited to have officially lost a top tooth.

Andrew has become quite a chatter box. What a change from a year ago! Today he came home to tell me that he had a new teacher's aide at school. Except, he doesn't know that she is called a "teacher's aide" so he referred to her as the mom in his classroom. I asked if she was nice. His response was that she was, "very nice...and fat...and chocolate colored." Another bad PC moment as a parent.

Our IKEA furniture arrived yesterday and we are happily assembling our new buys. Scott had two conference calls last night (10pm and 12am). The calls lasted so long that Scott was able to assemble his entire desk while on. I fear to know what time he actually went to sleep. I had the privilege of listening to the beginning of the first conference call. I guess each Chevron meeting begins with a safety moment. The guy leading the discussion says, "40,000 years ago they didn't have all the things we have now." (How profound.) Blah, blah, blah, "and all this McDonalds and fast food we are eating can be really unhealthy." Let's analyze this. I think that 40,000 years ago, cavemen were roaming the land. So yes, things were a  bit different for us back then. I am so glad that the guy specified that fast food is unhealthy. I was wondering why my thighs were getting so big. I am sure that "safety moment" was quite an epiphany for everyone listening.  Afterwards I asked Scott how he stays up through those things. It sounded like a couple of guys accidentally hit speaker phone in their office and were just jabbering. You can now see why I am not in the business world...

I am starting to feel the peer pressure to acquire "a helper". Everyone here has a helper. In the afternoons, I am usually the only parent in a group of Malays waiting to pick up their stewards from the bus. Yesterday morning I was asked by one of them if I had a helper (I guess she wanted to refer a friend). The first thing that came out of my mouth was, "I am the helper." I hope all the other helpers didn't think I was being rude. Anyway, now the other mothers are starting to ask when I am getting a helper. When I say I am not, their facial reaction is how I imagine it would be if i had just informed them I contracted some rare form of leprosy.