After the twins had their second birthday, it seemed like there were new milestones every week. Expanding vocabulary, developing mobility, intricate dance moves...it seemed like there was something new every day.
It's amazing to see children grow up, but time also brings a sense of wistful nostalgia, as you think about how your little toddlers are no longer the babies they once were.
One day, the front wall comes off the crib, and now they have toddler beds.
This bed will never be a crib again, but I think I can handle that.
Looking back at our final days in Punta Cana, our experiences do not seem as bad as they were while we were living them.
I am not ashamed to admit that I was very afraid. I had searched medical websites and researched possible complications from Hand Foot and Mouth Disease and looked at the dangers of children with ear infections flying on airplanes.
When Pritam woke up one night writhing in inconsolable agony, I was terrified that something was horribly wrong (this turned out to be pain from the ear infection).
As the date of our scheduled return flight approached, we began to make preparations to stay longer until Pritam's ear infection might clear up. We also kept a close eye on Darshan, who had started to develop a few spots on his hands. We looked ahead to later flights to Toronto, Calgary and Edmonton. Our Air Transat tour representative was very reassuring in telling us that he would take care of us if we were forced to stay longer.
We went to see the resort doctor several times each day to check if Pritam's ear infection was improving with a new course of antibiotics.
On the date of our return flight home, several hours before our scheduled shuttle departure time, the doctor gave us the news we were praying to hear. Pritam's ear infection had cleared up and she was able to fly!
Normally, going through the process of traveling home from the Dominican Republic would have been a stressful ordeal. But the next 12 hours were made easier by the relief we felt by simply being able to go home. Not often does one get excited about leaving +30 Celsius weather to get somewhere with -30 Celsius weather.
The cold Regina wind felt good that night when we arrived at midnight. We were home.
As this blog speeds ahead to present day, we come to January 2014.
Courtesy of very generous grandparents, we were able to take a much-needed winter vacation to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.
Everything was going smoothly. The kids were enjoying the swimming pool, the beach, and the warm Caribbean sun.
Darshan was learning the intricacies of chess.
The first week of our vacation was idyllic.
And then came the second week...
It started with the kids getting more and more irritated. Then spots started to appear on Pritam's hands. We immediately worried that she was getting chicken pox. The resort doctor (who was amazing!) found that both kids had ear infections and suspected that Pritam had come down with Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease. This was later confirmed by the pediatrician at a local hospital.
To protect the general population, we had to keep the kids isolated in our hotel room, while taking turns making trips out to secure supplies.
To make matters worse, Pritam's ear infection was not clearing up with the first set of antibiotics she was taking and we were at risk of not being able to fly home on our scheduled flight.
How will this harrowing tale end?
Stay tuned next week for the stunning conclusion.
Most kids love Santa. But there is an age where a child's love of Santa can be in direct conflict with a child's fear of strange new people.
In December 2013, these two emotional forces collided at the Victoria Square Shopping Centre. I took the twins to visit Santa while their mother, Saskatchemom had gone to Minot to help shop for her sister's wedding dress.
I brought the kids to Santa's Workshop, and seeing their eyes light up with delight, I decided that it was time to allow the twins to become personally acquainted with Santa.
And at a distance of about 1.5 metres from Santa, the kids stopped. Apparently, this is the precise distance where a toddler's "stranger repulsion field" makes it physically impossible to continue to approach someone. Tears were shed. Eventually, by placing myself between the kids and Santa, a passable photograph was obtained.
You would think that the kids would be emotionally scarred from such a traumatic incident.
Instead, to this day, they look at their personal photo collage boards hanging in their rooms and squeal with glee..."Santa!!!".
