Our Travels

And here we are at the end of another year. This year we welcomed our little gift from God into our family our son Tauilagi. He's now over six months old and growing. He's first tooth is just coming through. I can see it but it's yet to break through. We're weaning him onto the bottle now. He's been on solids for almost 2 months now and meal times are fun at the moment. Hubby's folks, niece and nephew are here from New Zealand so we're having a lovely time having them here. Tau is spending a lot of time with his nana and I welcome the freedom at the moment. OK I must admit I'm enjoying it a tad too much but the grandparents are also enjoying the time with their grandchild whom they don't see too much of. We had a lovely Christmas with our friends here. Christmas was a bit too quiet for my liking. Next time I will be better prepared and have much more of a hoo hah than what we had this time. Nevertheless it was okay. After Christmas we drove to Sur wi...

The one other Samoan family are leaving Oman. I got the sad/exciting for them news two weeks ago when I spoke to our friend and she said that her husband got a job in South Africa and they are leaving early January. What a shock! Well I've very happy for them as they look forward to another place and better prospects but I'm sad that we're losing friends. I know it's bound to happen but it's still sad when it happens. I wish Gina and Linus all the best on their new venture. Last night another friend of Gina's threw a farewell party for them and what fun it was. The food was yummy and I ate to my heart's(not my hips) content. Great conversation with a range of people and really enjoyed it.

Wishing my twin nephews in California a very happy birthday. In Samoan it's Manuia le lua Aso Fanau. Hope you had loads of fun today. Alofa tele your Aunty Omega, Uncle Alex and cousin Tauilagi.

Today I went out with my son to buy some things from an arty shop and then afterwards we went to the beach to get some fresh air and snag a cinnamon roll from CinnCeo there. I know not good for my health but well I felt like something sweet and hoped for a lift to my spirits. When I head out I have a list of things to do but I tend to reshuffle everything as I'm heading out which of course throws my plans. So like today after the arty shop I just felt like some fresh air and open space so I took baby to the beach. I texted a friend to join us but obviously was busy. So we just went there parked Tau on the sidewalk for a while to watch the locals playing football and people milling around on the beach. I felt sad because I wanted to call on one of my sisters or Mom and ask them to join us on the beach but alas we're in another country on the other side of the world and that may not be very easy. I wonder why are we here? Is it worth being so far from our loved ones? In my moment...

For the past two days baby and I have been really sick with runny noses and cough for Tau and drowsiness and high fever for me. Today we are both much better. Last night however Tau developed this awful sounding cough that at about 5am when I was feeding him he coughed so bad he threw up his milk, so as any worried parent would do I bundled him up and rushed him to the nearest clinic. The doctor said it was common in children at the moment due to the change in the weather. Through it all Tau was his happy self smiling at the nurses which really kept my hopes up that he was ok. Hubby was working so I was going this one alone. When we got home Tau was up and just wanted to continue the day like we didn't get up way too early! I was just thankful that he was normal and all was ok. Anyway later in the afternoon when hubby was home we were hanging out in the room playing with Tau on our bed. Tau was making noises that sounded like "hmmmm" "wawawa" "nganganga...

I'm trying to blog while my husband and mate from work are chatting here in the living room. Baby's asleep so I'm trying to maximise on the free time. I'm a bit blank now though.

Congratulations to all Omanis on their National Day celebration today. Today Tau is five months exactly and he's growing fast. I celebrate this day for when our lives changed forever. I look at our son now and feel so much love.

I enjoy following the news on who President-elect Barrack Obama is choosing for his government. Very exciting times. I was reading an interesting article on yahoo speculating on Obama selecting his foes in important positions mirroring what President Licoln did in his time. Interesting move that would be. Or will he just surround himself with yes-people? And yesterday I saw news about the G-20 where the world leaders are meeting to find a solution of some sort for the economic crisis. Well President Bush came on to say his two cents on the subject and at that moment when I think he was supposed to sound reassuring he did everything but that. It's just really hard to take this guy seriously with his one sided smirk/grin as if he's going to make a snide remark! I better go my son is crying.

I'm blogging while my son is playing in his walker. He's 5 months tomorrow and he's growing fast. We've started him on solids to the doctor's disappointment and to my excitement. What does the doctor know as many mums and Samoans would say! He was showing the signs of wanting to eat more than just good ol' milk. He loves eating so food time is fun. He expects his baby cereal now in the mornings and will not take any more milk but wait for it. He's putting everything in his path in his mouth at the moment. I've moved him to the bouncinette and now he's trying to pull off the toys hanging above him. He's not well today but he's still his bright self. He's got a cold yet again and is a bit hot. We've already been to the doctor's. He woke up a lot last night due to his blocked nose. Just a pity we missed out on the rugby club playgroup this morning but I guess we'll do it another day:(

I stayed up late last night to watch the updates on the US elections. Then I really had to go to bed. This morning I had to rush off to horse riding but I heard the great news on the radio that Obama had won the elections. When I got home I tuned into CNN and watched Obama's winning speech and I teared up as I witnessed such a historical moment. There's hope after all. However like I said before I guess now it's time for him to do something about the economy. He has a lot of work ahead of him and I wish him all the best. What an awesome outcome for everyone.

Oh my, I just read the last blogs and hmmm a bit boring. I must say the wandering of the mind has slowed down or should I say no time to put it on paper! Well I just received a comment on this blog from a German dentist that came by Mom's hotel years ago. I remember you Harold if you're reading this. This guy used his dental drill to write all our names on coconut vases. It was pretty cool. I wonder if those vases are still at home? For some reason too I remember a comment he made when Harold came to Savaii about one tour operator in Apia who drove him to the airport from his hotel. He said he had just met one of the most beautiful women in Samoa but not once did the woman smile which really ruined it for him he said! I've just been reading news on different Samoan websites. It's great to stay in touch with what's happening at home though bad news is never a good read. Elections in the US now and who will win. Obama is leading in the polls but will this eventuate in...

After my horse riding lesson last week I came home and quickly packed all our stuff for our trip to Dubai by car. Hubby worked and needed to sleep that afternoon. After I got everything together minus the kitchen sink I also needed to sleep after my early rise and since baby was knocked out I also joined the slumber party. Well when I woke up, it was almost 3pm so woke up hubby and we quickly packed the car and off we went by 4.30pm. We drove towards the Omani-UAE border and we were there by about 8pm. The Oman side of the border is really nice and well organised. They have this huge building that you drive through but if you want you can park your car and go inside to use the toilets, order a pizza or have a cup of coffee and buy some necessities in the little shop there. This time around it didn't take long to get our passports stamped as I think they now have the Samoan passport in the system. I saw one guy add it to his poster for future reference. We always have problems with ...

We've been really busy in the past week. Last week on Wednesday I rode a horse properly for the first time in my life. The only time I can remember ever riding a horse was back in the village when I was very little. As the road to the plantations ran along our land we always witnessed the villagers going up to their plantations and sometimes on their horses. So one day I waited on the road and asked one passerby if I could ride on his horse. The only saddle on that thing was an old brown cloth sack for coconuts. I must have been 9 or 10. Anyway that's the only memory I have of riding a horse until last week. My friend Nicole who is the closest thing to an animal whisperer I know, had found out about the horse riding classes in Qurum and asked me to come along. "It would be fun," she said. Her enthusiasm was contagious and the next thing I knew, I was up at 6.30am on a Wednesday morning with my son in tow (to stay with Nicole's sitter) while we go off to ride the h...

My hubby had his birthday two days ago. I had ordered little gadgets from the UK of little choppers that one can fly around in the lounge. Wow these things are amazing. They actually do fly lol. And they're small so they don't cause any damage to anything. Needless to say hubby enjoys his little toys and I'm glad. Tau will be four months soon and he's growing fast. He's a big boy. Tall and lean. He can hold up his head on his own for a long while now but now he tries to sit up on his own. When we have him leaning against us he pushes his head foward trying to sit up. He's very strong. He's rolled over a couple of time from tummy to back and vice versa. He likes to suck on a little soft sheep toy. He likes to suck his fingers too a lot. He smiles a lot and laughs too when we manage to get him started. I play with him and sometime he just wants to be on his own so I put him in his cot and turn on his fancy mobile that keeps him entertained for hours. He loves ...

Ramadan is coming to an end and all Muslims I take it are looking forward to Eid which is the celebration of the end of the holy fasting month. I'm sure many a new car has been bought and outfits have been made. Many are visiting the salons to get their makeover for Eid. Now it's hard to get anything made at the tailor's as they are flooded with customers as well as beauty salons as the local ladies are getting spruced up for Eid. Many including expats are going off on holiday during the week break so it's exciting times for a lot of people here. As for us we're staying put until next month we might do something during hubby's holidays. However I'm itchy to travel again so we might go somewhere close by. Last night I baked a cake from scratch that actually worked for the first time. The gas oven we have now is better than our last one so I managed to pull off a butter cake(the simplest of them all) with lemon topping. It was not too bad. I still need to mast...

Well these days of motherhood, there are days when I can't wait for my baby to go to sleep so I can surf the net, read or just have a nap. sad one but well I need me time too. Anyway our son is doing very well. He's taller now and we're getting more reaction from him now. Yesterday I tried the blow on his tummy trick and he laughed I mean a REAL baby open mouth with noise laugh. It was soooo cute. Two weeks ago I went to check on him sleeping in his cot to find that he was wide awake and managed to do a 180 degree turn in the cot. I was so shocked but well he's obviously getting stronger and developing. I value seeing other friends with kids as I learn something from them all the time. So now we've got our routine down to a T now. Bath in the evening and then sleep time around 6-6.30pm. He's now sleeping longer at night which is just a blessing lol. Two nights ago he slepts for 8 hours straight. Last night was 7 hours straight so I'm a happy momma. I've ...

So I got the best surprise party ever last night! We went to the Emirates Mall yesterday and one of the rarest moments my hubby was actually suggesting different shops and clothes to try on!!! Little did I know it was to keep me away as Nets and Rich were working their magic at home. On our way home we kind of lost our way but got home at around 7. Well as surprise parties go I opened the door and there were all our friends here in Dubai yelling SURPRISE!!! I was so shocked I didn't know what to do and was about to step outside again when Alex pushed me inside the house. It was so aweeeeesoooommmeee and just about all our friends here made it. Alex and Nets had been making plans and calls behind my back all week!!! Most of our Samoan friends also made it which was just fantastic. It was a great party too. Nets and Rich were awesome hosts and really know how to throw a party. We had loads of fun and of course everyone fell in love with our little Tauilagi. It was the first time ever...

My first bath with Tau New captain and son Alex has passed his linecheck and is now a captain. I'm very proud of him and we're a happy bunch at the moment with our little blessing Tau and all that's happening in our lives. All thanks to God for his blessings upon us. The weather has cooled in Muscat now it's wonderful. Ramadan starts tomorrow so no eating in public for us and all the best to those fasting. We better go home now. Tau is fast asleep in his pram and it's getting late and we're at our friend's apartment to use the internet. We should get ours soon.

self with Tau on flight over from NZ via Bangkok Tau at home in Muscat Tau with proud daddy and new captain Tau with his 8 month old friend Gemma My little blue eyed boo We are now back in Muscat with our little man. He was so good on the flight and I'm proud of our little traveller. Doing well in Muscat. We don't have the internet in our new apartment so can't blog just yet. Tau is two months this week and he's growing very fast. People on the flight kept saying we were very brave for travelling with a young baby but he proved them all wrong lol.

Managed a smile in between contractions. My beautiful family trying to make light of the situation. Day four. At long last "This is not Guatemala now Dr Ropata."lol Alex was told to don the scrubs for the operation but looking at these photos later I couldn't help but laugh at how he also donned a supervising Doc's attitude with the way he stood their with hands behind his back in the recovery room. hilarious nice going Dr. Ropata. Proud daddy dresses our son for the first time. Note the words on the beanie lol The short of it. I went into labour in the early hours of Saturday June 14th which happened to be an All Blacks test day. Adidas have an ad that if a baby is born on an AB test day they get an AB jersey not that I gave a hoot but hubby and Uncle Gui were counting downt the hours as the 14th came to a close. Thanks very much Tau decided not to entertain daddy's wishes lol. Saturday afternoon we went to the clinic hoping to have a baby by the late afternoon w...

So here I am, about to have baby. Baby's due this week-end. My darling husband is on his way right now from Oman so I'm a happy pregnant woman. I was a bit worried earlier in the week that I would go into labour without my husband but praise God he's on his way. Well that is if I don't have baby within the next 24 hours lol... Ok I don't think hubby would find that very funny...still. So thank-you Lord that things worked out with hubby's job and he could come on time. My midwife came around today and everything's good and there's a possibility that I'll go into labour this week-end but it could also be next week. Baby will come when s/he's ready. Maybe s/he's waiting for daddy. Anyway this week I haven't been sleeping well and finally I can say that I've had enough now. I'm tired of just about living in the toilet and having to get up every hour at night to go. Maybe baby will feel this and come out soon. heh heh! My Mom and my in...

Greg Clydesdale a Massey University lecturer has published a paper here in NZ blaming Polynesian immigrants for the future economic demise of NZ. In an interview with a Tagata Pasefika reporter on You Tube Mr Clydesdale points out that to avoid this taking place NZ should stop bringing in Polynesians as the NZ system cannot support these immigrants. He further discusses that Polynesians are at the lower end of the socio-economic scale in this country. It must be pointed out that Polynesians such as Cook Islanders, Tokelauans and Niueans are at birth NZ citizens as a result of colonial rule. So who is he classifying as the Polynesian immigrants if these people are already NZ citizens at birth. Let’s say he’s referring to Samoans and Tongans as the “Polynesian immigrants” as it isn’t clear in his research who he means. The Polynesians that were brought into NZ fifty years ago were brought in to work in factories and other low level jobs because local New Zealanders would not do those j...

Here I am at over 38 weeks and counting. Baby's still moving around a lot and am praying that all goes well and the birth is uneventful. I can't wait to see the face of our little bundle of joy and just marvel at God's creation. My family's at work and am home alone. My niece is now at homecare during the day starting today. I miss the little munchkin. She's so adorable and doesn't fail to put smiles onto our faces. It's been so great to be here at this time of her life and witness part of her growing up. Happy birthday to my brother Chris in Samoa who turns (never mind) today. It was my nephew Siatua's 2nd birthday two weeks ago. Mom told me the funniest thing that she bought the little one some toy cars to play with. By nightfall she found all the little cars broken apart. The mechanical genius of Siatua's two older sisters Aute and Siu who apparently took them apart to try and find the car keys!!! I thought that was just hilarious!!! Anyway we had...

Last week-end we went to Auckland and went to the Qantas Media Awards dinner held at the Hyatt. It was a lovely evening meeting media people whom my younger sister Cherelle works with. It was a nice excuse to dress up for of course and have a good time with my sisters. We sat at the Spacifik magazine table whom my sister writes for and they won the best subscriber website. The New Zealand Herald took most of the awards that evening. With my journalist sister Cherelle With both my sisters Cherelle and Jody With Jody the travel agent. Us three My sisters, self and baby_bump