18 Months

We really rang in the New Year with a bang. 

On New Year's Eve, Aksel woke up with bloody ears and so I called the pediatricians office to beg for an appointment before they closed for the holidays. I was unsure if they'd give Aksel another appointment because I had brought him in just the day before to get his ears checked. He had woken up several times in the night complaining of ear pain. 

Unfortunately, our regular pediatrician, Sigurlaug Agustsson, was out of town and we had to see the on-call doctor, Dr. Ries. She looked in his left ear and said she couldn't see anything because of ear wax. I asked her to remove the wax so she could see. She said it wasn't necessary. 

What does that mean? 

Dr. Ries & Aksel

She checked his right ear and said it looked a little pink, but again, there was too much wax to really see. I asked her to remove it. She said no. She said if he still had a fever on Saturday (today was Wednesday), to bring him in. 

What does that mean? 

The pediatricians office isn't open on Saturdays. That means we would have to take him to the hospital and wait for HOURS to be seen. 

Dr. Ries prescribed Aksel some numbing ear drops and I left feeling mad and helpless. 

We went to the pharmacy and waited for a long time until I realized I needed to take a number before being seen. Duh. A really kind woman showed me what to do and then gave me her number once Aksel started melting down. I nearly cried with gratitude. 

Maybe she thought nothing of it. But I hope she left the pharmacy that day feeling like she had changed the world, because she certainly changed mine. I told Ben I miss being able to scan tags at stores or signs on the road and understand their meaning without really thinking or processing or converting the information. Of course I should have observed the fact that I needed to take a number and of course I could figure out which number to take by translating the options written in French, but it doesn't happen seamlessly or easily and all of these little hiccups add up to a big lump in the back of your throat while you're fighting back hot tears in a pharmacy called Ginkgo Apdikt to get worthless ear-numbing drops you'll have to wrestle your three-year-old to the ground to accept because you couldn't convince the on-call doctor to remove the wax and give you some freaking amoxicillin. 

So, when we all woke up on New Year's Eve and Aksel had bloody ears, I LOST MY MIND and called the pediatricians office prepared to huff and puff until I got Aksel an appointment. I didn't have to give the receptionist my sob story. She got me an appointment 45 minutes later with Dr. Serge Allard (another on-call doctor). 

I wasn't returning to the doctor's office without Ben. I needed him and his French-speaking ways to help convince these people that the wax had to come out and Aksel needed antibiotics. As we parked outside the office and unbuckled our seat belt's, Otto said a prayer that the doctor would be able to see Aksel's ears and that he would get the help he needed. 

No wonder I cry all of the time. 

Waiting room at pediatrician's office. 

Aksel's name was called and our motley crew entered the office. Dr. Serge Allard is a man's man. He is tall and has a "let's cut the crap" air about him. Obviously he and Ben hit it off. They started conversing in French about Aksel's ears and our experience with Dr. Ries. He even started getting out medical books and showed Ben pictures and diagrams of ears. It was fascinating. 

Ben and I both had to body slam Aksel in order for our manly doctor to examine his ears and then remove gobs of puss and wax and blood. As soon as he could see in Aksel's ears, Dr. Allard said: yep, ruptured ear drum. Or at least that's what Ben told me said afterward.  

We'll never see Dr. Ries again. 

I didn't say two words the entire 23 minutes we were there. And I didn't care. I got my baby his medicine. 

We went back to the Ginkgo Apdikt pharmacy and I sent Ben in (with careful instructions he wouldn't need on how to get a number) to fill Aksel's prescription. Then we headed to the Pirate Ship Park, gave Aksel his first dose of antibiotics and let all three kids play until they were filthy and tired. Ben chased the boys around pretending to be a pirate (hilarious) and I lifted Ingrid up onto a slide 52 times. 

Earlier, each child had picked out a box of cereal of their choice from Auchan and they gladly ate cold cereal for dinner and we gladly let them. Once more antibiotics were administered and everyone was tucked in their beds, Ben and I celebrated the end of 2015 by cleaning bathrooms, and drinking polish hot chocolate and sparkling juice from IKEA while watching Star Wars: Episode 5. 

Apparently, this is how Ben cleans a toilet.

I will always happily associate the end of 2015 and the beginning of 2016 with Star Wars. From Christmas Day through January 2, we watched all seven Star Wars episodes together. It was really nice to do something that Ben loves. Predominantly all of our family time and one-on-one time in Luxembourg is driven by my personal agenda to see and do things, so it was nice to mix it up with something Ben is really interested in. He was super patient to answer all of my questions and listen to all my lack of character-development complaints. 

Sabrina came on the night of January 2 to babysit and we went to see The Force Awakens and loved it. I was really tickled that several other movie-goers in our theater were dressed as Jedi's. Made me so happy. 

Three days later, Aksel's ear drums were on the mend and he was feeling frisky (he woke up that morning bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 5:40). That afternoon,  I was putting Otto in his room for a much-needed time out while Aksel and Ingrid were sitting on my bedroom floor playing with a dish of jewelry. All of a sudden, I heard Aksel shriek in pain. 

I ran to his side and quickly scanned the items in the dish for something sharp. I couldn't solve the puzzle. I couldn't figure out what hurt him. I ask him to show me and he points to the electrical outlet in the wall where I can now see one of my stud earrings wedged in tightly. 

Aksel is holding his hand in pain, and I gasp in fear and snatch he and Ingrid up to take them out of my bedroom so no one else will get hurt. 

He's now getting hysterical but staying conscious. 

I call Ben. No answer. 

He texts that he can’t talk. 

I text that Aksel has been electrocuted. He calls right away. 

Aksel walked away with only second-degree burns on his hands and legs. It could have been so much worse.

The 220 voltage in Europe scares the crap out of me. 

Among the outlets, marble floors, radiators and steep stair cases in our house, I can't believe we're all still alive. Like I said, we rang in 2016 with a bang. 

A few days later, Otto locked himself in the downstairs bathroom one afternoon to prevent Aksel from interrupting his privacy. After a few minutes, I could hear Otto trying to unlock the door and realized he couldn’t. I knelt down in front of the door and looked through the keyhole. One of Otto's brown eyes was looking back at me. He was nervous. So was I. 

I walked Otto through putting the key in the hole and which way to turn it. He was able to turn it and click it once, but I knew it needed to turn one more time and click one more time. Otto wasn’t strong enough. We tried to slide the key underneath the door, but there wasn’t room. We tried to see if he could stand on the toilet and open the window; but he wasn’t tall enough. I collected all of the keys to the other doors in the house and tried to open the door with them; but they didn’t work. I knelt down again and looked at his little brown eye again and reassured him that he would be okay and that he wouldn’t be stuck in there forever. I told Otto to put the key back in the hole and use all of his Bumble Bee and Optimus Prime strength to turn that key and unlock the door. 

Then he said, “If I was a Rescue Bot, Mom, I could just punch through the door.” I agreed with him and told him to try turning the key one more time while I said a prayer. He did it. Otto unlocked the door. I scooped him up and he hugged me back tightly. I don’t think he’ll ever lock a door again.

Other things I don't want to forget about the past month: 

Riding our bikes and jogging to Delhaize as a family. 

Going to Auchan and letting the kids ride the Ferris Wheel (Otto had been begging for weeks). 

Making and eating lots and lots of pumpkin bars. 

Ingrid refusing to nap and throwing everything (including her own clothes) out of her bed at nighttime in protest of sleep. 

Ingrid every night. 

Meeting up with Megan, Martha, and Becky at Megan's one night to paint nails and catch up. 

Ben going to the Oliver's to act as an intermediary between them and their contractors. 

Going to the Jardin de Circulation a lot (because it was the only non-muddy park). 

Jardin de Circulation

Otto going over to Elias' house to play one Saturday afternoon and hearing him and Elias talk in Luxembourgish to one another. Elias speaks German and French at home and neither Elias' parents or Ben and I speak Luxembourgish, so it's fascinating to have children that can play together and talk together in a language none of us understand. 

Otto starting to notice what other kids have at school and want the same thing. 

Ben going over to the Mullins to try and help them fix their heater. 

Otto and Aksel playing hockey on the playground after school with Daniel and Albert. 

Playing hockey after school.

Ben going over to the Wares to watch a NFL playoff game and eat pasta. 

Aksel counting everything in Luxembourgish. 

First snow of the season! We were all elated and stood at the windows watching it fall. Otto encouraged Aksel and I to join him outside and we went out to build a snowman. Our neighbors, Kali and Yara Braun joined us. That weekend, another neighbor, Edgar De Kerchove made his way to our house for more snowman building and hot chocolate. Edgar always hugs Ben.

Otto and Yara building a schneiimanchen (snowman).

Our BMW was finally released by the Belgian police, fixed up by the PwC leasing company, and returned to us. Ben is so happy.

New umbrellas for Otto, Aksel, and Ingrid. They played with them all afternoon one day. 

Ben working late and long hours. 

Otto sleep walking all of the time. 

A dinnertoire at Mike and Serene's house one night to celebrate the end of one of Ben's busy seasons. 

  

The primary kids (Otto and Aksel included) sang The Church of Jesus Christ in both French and English as a special musical number one Sunday. It was our last Sunday in the building. The Church ended the lease and we will be meeting at a hotel while in the pursuit of a bigger church building to meet the needs of the Luxembourg Ward.

A view of junior primary from my place at the piano. 

Going bowling with the Packers at Kockelscheuer followed by pizza at our place. Aksel loved to bowl and refused to use any aides. He also insisted on wearing his pajamas to the alley and in the spirit of "picking my battles", I let him. Otto enjoyed bowling and was super concerned about keeping score. Ingrid is lucky she didn't lose a finger on the ball return and it turns out Ben is a pretty decent bowler. 

Our home teachers – Marco Glaesener and Michael Verschuure coming over.

  

Making a fort and eating a ton of chocolate chip pumpkin muffins one Saturday morning. 

Our fort filled with muffins. 

Ingrid identifying the color of objects, especially when she helps me unload the dishwasher or as we are walking and looking at cars parked along the street.

        

The following conversation between Otto and I: 

Me: Hey, buddy, do you like your hair longer or shorter better? 

Otto: Short. 

Me: How come? 

Otto: Because I can finally see. 

One morning, Ben let me sleep in and took care of getting the boys’ breakfast and taking them to school. He even took care of Ingrid when she woke. I nearly burst into tears with happiness when I finally woke up at 8:50. 

   

Aksel had his first Sunday in primary and did really well. He sat on my lap for a few minutes and then was able to sit on a little chair up front by Leticia Verschuure. The boys both wore bow ties and looked so handsome.

Having the Rodriguez family over for dessert one Sunday afternoon. Amanda and Michelle played memory with Otto and the other kids ran around, played in the attic and made lots of noise down stairs.

Aksel really growing and developing his interests in coloring, letter-writing, games, and painting. 

Aksel painting before school one morning.

Driving downtown to go ice-skating in the Place Guillaume but it was closed (contrary to the sign on the door). We were all so disappointed. So we made snowballs and threw them at each other and then walked to Place D’Armes and ate McDonalds for lunch. McDonalds solves a lot of our problems in Europe. 

Place d'Armes

Place Guillaume

Sabrina babysat one afternoon while Ben and I drove up to Clervaux to see the town, castle, Family of Man photography exhibit and the Museum of the Ardennes. 

Tasha outside the museums. 

Swimming as a family at Niederanven Pool. 

Playing at the Airplane Park as a family one afternoon. 

Meeting up with the Mullins and the Packers at the Jardin de Circulation the day after Christmas. Aksel was a bear the entire time and refused to put on his bike helmet, so he didn’t get to ride his bike while we were there and Ingrid was sick and crying and needing to be held. But Otto had a great time!

  

Celebrating the completion of my no-yelling chart by eating lunch at McDonald's (Otto picked the reward). The kids were so happy it’s ridiculous. They played for an hour and a half in a tiny, little, smelly, indoor play place and ran back and forth to shove fries and chicken nuggets in their mouths.

Early morning runs with Megan and Martha through the city. 

Bringing Elias home from school with Otto and letting the two of them play all afternoon. Otto taught him how to play Chutes & Ladders, Candy Land and Sorry. 

Having our first Sunday in the Novotel Hotel in Kirchberg. The boys were bonkers about the new location. Otto kept asking if we were going to sleep at the hotel and Aksel couldn't leave the curtains or radiators alone.