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Published: December 8th 2012
In which Hagit writes her thoughts – which are always interesting, insightful and emotional
A few months before I got pregnant with Zohar, we already planned that when the baby turns 2 months, we will go to New Zealand. I am used to people's comments prior to our trips: how will you manage? Well, you did it with 2, now let's see you with 3. Are you out of your mind? How will you bath the baby? The kids will miss kindergarten (!?????) etc. Well, I have some of those thought myself but I make them to be quiet.
I always prefer a 2 month trip over 2 weeks, the pre-packaging is the same, but in a 2 weeks trip until you get into a trip mode and the kids understand their new routine, you are back on the plane home. But this time the packaging was complicated, I had to pack summer and winter clothes for 5! Thinking of every little thing we will need. Even brought with us dolls, plastic animals, work books, crayons ... eventually, the kids loved the most to play with some strings I pulled from their training pants... They invented numerous
games with the same strings 😊
I also wondered how the kids will react to the trip, last time, Liya was home sick and Ariel was only one year old. I was happy to see that the kids got adjusted to the trip from the very beginning, weren't home sick at all and understood that home is where your family is. Guni's vocabulary was very improved in the last few weeks and we are constantly amassed with his smart questions and funny comments. But still, as a 2.5 year old boy, he can make us crazy by repeating questions in a loop: if we stop just to turn off the indoor light just one minute after the beginning of the drive, he will ask: “are we there ? " higaanu?"
As soon as we begin a track he starts mumbling: “camper, camper "oto bait, oto bait" or on the other hand he can get all excited and can sing loudly for 1-2 ours straight. Liya on the other hand, walks long distances of 6-8 km without a problem!!! We do tracks of 3 hours daily our record so far is 5.5hrs!. Guni's rich language enables them now to
play together in many kinds of pretend games. They can play mom and dad for hours. Guni's found out that he likes ducks, he calls them "gagush" and they should always come in a family size: mom, dad and nana (baby), but he is satisfied with the answer that mom/dad went to find some food for nana in case there is one missing.
I like cooking and especially love cooking for the kids. From time to time, we stop next to a beautiful lake, snowy mountain, foggy forest and I make lunch. The kids always lick their fingers and I enjoy watching them (keeping in mind that they also lick their fingers after a McNuggets meal..) once we even ate a wonderful salmon that Yaron caught us from a stream!
We developed a nice routine, we wake up before the kids to have coffee/hot coco with cookies, than we wake the kids and while I prepare breakfasting. Yaron makes the beds to be our dining table and the kids car seats. Liya and Ariel are playing with Zohar, than we drive/walk/ eat/ see a view point until about 7 pm and get settled for the night. We try
to work with Liya at least once a week on math and ABC in a work book I brought with us for first grade and she takes it very seriously and I enjoy very much working with her. Ariel decided that he also has to do homework while Liya does her own and since his kindergarten teacher Neta bought us tons of work books, puzzles, games etc, he is painting his books with great effort.
Zohar got bigger and cuter during the trip, I watch her every morning and evening while she wakes up/ fall asleep and getting in love with her. She is a very smiley baby, her blue eyes looking at me with fate, reminding me that she is mine for good. I fed her the other day, while standing in the forest in the middle of a track and felt very connected to her. There are frustrating days that although she was on me the entire day (with the carrier), she saw my face only while changing her diaper, or days when I don't have time to put her on her belly . But then, she smiles to me and I again know that she is
a very happy baby, lucky to have her brother and sister, mom and dad with her for 2 months, all happy, relaxed and interested with her.
Once again, I will finish my third maternity-leave blog, with the feeling that I am lucky to have such a wonderful family, amazing kids, adventurous husband (without him, we wouldn't have done it) and that it is a beautiful way to have my leave spent!
Quote of the week #1
“But what will I do when I succeed ?” - Yaron, not quite sure what will happen after a fish will take his bait for the first time.
Quote of the week #2
“איך – עם סבון מיוחד?” – “how? With special soap?” – Ariel trying to understand how the water in New Zealand is so clear.
Quote of the week #3
" אוף – אני רוצה להיות לבד קצת" “Man - I want to be by myself a bit” – Liya telling us what she thinks of living in a cramped campervan
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Anastasia78
Anastasia78
What about Kindergarten???!!!!
Loved this entry! Reading about your adventures with your beautiful family was the perfect way to start my morning here in cold Illinois. Your kids are awesome and these trips are molding some serious future wanderlusters.....