Julia Heidi - 3 months old
Jolee the Flirt
This must be why she gets so much attention!
Timothy, Katelin and Macey enjoying Global Village
This one is mispelled - I think it should read "Matthew"Monday, December 6, 2010
Kids!
Julia Heidi - 3 months old Timothy, Katelin and Macey enjoying Global VillageThis one is mispelled - I think it should read "Matthew"
Our Neighborhood Park
This is a wonderful park a few minutes from our villa. It has two 1-mile tracks around a lake - one for bikes and one for joggers - complete with work-out stations. And 2 play areas with lots of sand, plus tennis/volleyball/basketball courts and soccer fields and pavillions. The landscaping is beautiful and the cityscape magnificent! We come some mornings to "exercise."
Our First Thanksgiving
Happy 12th birthday Turkey-boy!
International Thanksgiving
Good ol' American food!We decided to celebrate Thanksgiving with another American family who invited another family, and we invited another family, and so on until we had about 65 people! It was a wonderful day of food, fun, and fellowship. We also celebrated Timothy's 12th birthday with a storm-trooper (I think - I just made it!) cake.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Julia loves to cuddle
Mema and Julia - 2 months old
Poppa and Julia cuddling
Are you thinking of smiling at Meme?Beaching it in Dubai
Matthew digging in the sand
Persian Gulf - called Arabian Gulf here
Jolee, Jennifer, and Julia
Jolee's 1st trip to the beach
Chris and kids 
Kite Beach - DubaiMonday, November 22, 2010
Laurel Jenae Uzzell
August 26 - October 31, 2010There is a small hole in each of our hearts that is filled with comfort knowing that Laurel is with our Heavenly Father.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Our Twin Girls
Julia smiling in her sleep.
Julia snuggling with big sis Katelin
Julia with Grandma
Mommy holding Laurel
Laurel sleeping peacefully
Friday, October 8, 2010
Texas
We really started this blog to keep track of our life in Dubai, and now it has taken a turn! We are in Houston, TX, staying at a friend's home. All the kids are with me, Chris went back to work in Dubai. Julia is getting chunky and lots of attention from Aunt and Grandmas. Laurel is in the NICU at Texas Children's Hospital. The doctors are still running tests on her - trying to figure her out. So far, her MRI shows area of her brain that didn't develop quite like it should - but her seizures are under control with medication. They tried removing the ET tube today, and she did not like it. The ENT looked at her throat - all normal anatomy. Her eye exam was good, her lungs are good. They were doing an ultrasound of her kidneys when I left today. One of her hip joints is out of the socket and both her feet turn in, so orthopedics, PT and OT have been by to meet her. Lots of labs have been drawn and sent off to check for diseases/syndromes/conditions/etc. Kinda like looking for a needle in a hay stalk. On a brighter note, I have held her twice! Grandma got to hold Laurel when Julia got jealous and decided she needed to eat. She is such a sweet baby - just like her sister!
We are so thankful for our family and friends that have been here to help, brought food, and sent their love and prayers our way. And for the greatness of our God - His comfort is like no other.
We are so thankful for our family and friends that have been here to help, brought food, and sent their love and prayers our way. And for the greatness of our God - His comfort is like no other.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Homeward Bound
Laurel and Julia are now 1 month old! Julia is about 5 pounds and starting to get fat cheeks! Laurel is still in the NICU, and they have not been able to locate any specialist here to see her. Her doctor recommended transfering her to the US. Chris's company got their International medical team involved, and they decided the US would be best, also. So, our plans are to transport her to Houston as soon as possible. First, we have to get their birth certificates and then their passports - not an easy job here where every document has to be "attested" several times, the father must be present, the paperwork has to be translated into English (if you want!). I have been to the US Embassy - they wouldn't even let me in! Finally, after a few phone calls, I got someone to come out of the Embassy and talk to me. Everything has to wait until after the weekend! We are hoping to be able to leave for Houston by Wednesday. Laurel will go by air ambulance, and we will go on a commercial airline. This sounds dramatic, but it is quite common here for those who are able to seek care elsewhere. Laurel is stable but requires the ET tube to hold her trachae open. Her "seizures" are questionable - the MRI looks good. She just needs some specialists to diagnose her problems and start treatment/therapies/etc. The exact hospital she will be admitted to in Houston is still undetermined, but we are hoping for Texas Childrens.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
More Pictures
Jolee (with Julia - 12 days old) loves being a big sister!
Laurel Jenae doing much better - 10 days
Julia Heidi on her way home!!!
Julia going home - 8 daysMommy forgot the socks!
Laurel - 6 days
Downtown DubaiHere are our latest pictures. Julia went for a weight check today and now weighs a whopping 2kg! Laurel's eye and mouth infections are clearing up. Jolee calls Laurel the "baby in the box (incubator)" and Julia the "baby with wrinkly skin"!!! We are looking forward to meeting some homeschoolers in Dubai on Thursday to ice skate. We missed the homeschool activity today because of a traffic accident across the 7 lane highway - a garbage truck lost a tire - took us 3 times longer to get home!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Pictures!
Laurel and Julia - 3 days old
Happy Birthday to MeJulia - 2 days old
Julia - 1 day old
Starbucks in Ibn Battan Mall
Chris's top corner officeFriday, September 10, 2010
Life is Definitely a Circus!
Sorry we have not been updating everyone. Everything has happened and
we have had no internet access until today! Apparently they did not
lay any internet lines in our neighborhood. So now I have over a
thousand emails to read!
We moved into our house the middle of August as planned. We have a few
curtains to hang and a few pieces of furniture still to buy, but for
the most part, it is home! We got our Surburban this week. Chris is
enjoying his work - he travels to an adjoining emirate once or twice a
week (30 mins away) and goes to India once a month for a few days to
check on the engineers there.
The twins were born Aug 26 by c-section, 2 days before Angela and my
birthday! They were 34 weeks and weighed 1.7 and 1.9kg, 45 and 44cm -
about 3lbs 10 oz and 4 lbs and 17 inches long. Twin B (Laurel Jenae)
had polyhydramnious that was expanding daily and squishing Twin A
(Julia Heidi). I was being monitored twice a day the last week. The
Fetal Specialist had suspected twin-to-twin transfusion since I was 3
months pregnant. So I called Chris to come home from India and we had
the twins the next day. Twin B (Laurel) was born first, didn't cry,
and after awhile decided not to breathe. Twin A (Julia) was born 1 min
later and did well. She spent a week in the NICU and has been home a
week. She is tiny but breastfeeds well. Laurel is still in the NICU
and is still entubated. She breathes on her own but her airway
collapses when the tube is removed. The MD thinks there never was any
twin-to-twin transfusion, but that Laurel was not swallowing much of
the amniotic fluid. The hosp she is in (American Hospital) does not
have a Neonatal ENT, so they are considering transfering her to a hosp
that has that and other specialists for a ent work up - maybe tracheo-
malacia? Also, she has had seizures twice that are under control with
phenobarbital -the MRI and the EEG look good but were sent out for a
second opinion. And her feet turn in at the ankle - the orthopedic
will start castings next week - a 3 to 6 month process, no surgery
required. She is off all IV fluids and is on full breastmilk feeds via
a gavage tube from her mouth to her stomach. She seems to improve
daily, but needs the specialists to see her for a full diagnosis. The
other hospitals are full, so we are waiting, trying to be patient! I do have pictures, so hopefully I can add them to the blog. The twins appear to look
like Mom!
The other kids are doing well. Timothy has made friends with 2
brothers in our church mtg - he has spent the night there twice - they all
like soccer and computer games! The family with 2 girls has returned
to Dubai. So there are quite a few kids in our mtg! We have Friday
morning gospel mtg or Bible Study and Sunday evening mtg (Sunday is a work day). Jolee has become quite the big sister - sleeps with her big sisters. Now if I could get herto use the toilet, I'd have it made!
The last month has been Ramadan here - the Muslims fast all day until
the sun sets and then feast all night! Not much work gets done during
the day - they get to leave work at 2pm. The shops open back up at 9pm
and are open until at least midnight. But there is no public eating or
drinking during the day - very inconvienent! If you are caught, there
is a steep fine and a jail term! We are quite glad it is over today!
Hope all is well with each one there. I know you think it has been hot
and humid there, but I think we might find it refreshing!
we have had no internet access until today! Apparently they did not
lay any internet lines in our neighborhood. So now I have over a
thousand emails to read!
We moved into our house the middle of August as planned. We have a few
curtains to hang and a few pieces of furniture still to buy, but for
the most part, it is home! We got our Surburban this week. Chris is
enjoying his work - he travels to an adjoining emirate once or twice a
week (30 mins away) and goes to India once a month for a few days to
check on the engineers there.
The twins were born Aug 26 by c-section, 2 days before Angela and my
birthday! They were 34 weeks and weighed 1.7 and 1.9kg, 45 and 44cm -
about 3lbs 10 oz and 4 lbs and 17 inches long. Twin B (Laurel Jenae)
had polyhydramnious that was expanding daily and squishing Twin A
(Julia Heidi). I was being monitored twice a day the last week. The
Fetal Specialist had suspected twin-to-twin transfusion since I was 3
months pregnant. So I called Chris to come home from India and we had
the twins the next day. Twin B (Laurel) was born first, didn't cry,
and after awhile decided not to breathe. Twin A (Julia) was born 1 min
later and did well. She spent a week in the NICU and has been home a
week. She is tiny but breastfeeds well. Laurel is still in the NICU
and is still entubated. She breathes on her own but her airway
collapses when the tube is removed. The MD thinks there never was any
twin-to-twin transfusion, but that Laurel was not swallowing much of
the amniotic fluid. The hosp she is in (American Hospital) does not
have a Neonatal ENT, so they are considering transfering her to a hosp
that has that and other specialists for a ent work up - maybe tracheo-
malacia? Also, she has had seizures twice that are under control with
phenobarbital -the MRI and the EEG look good but were sent out for a
second opinion. And her feet turn in at the ankle - the orthopedic
will start castings next week - a 3 to 6 month process, no surgery
required. She is off all IV fluids and is on full breastmilk feeds via
a gavage tube from her mouth to her stomach. She seems to improve
daily, but needs the specialists to see her for a full diagnosis. The
other hospitals are full, so we are waiting, trying to be patient! I do have pictures, so hopefully I can add them to the blog. The twins appear to look
like Mom!
The other kids are doing well. Timothy has made friends with 2
brothers in our church mtg - he has spent the night there twice - they all
like soccer and computer games! The family with 2 girls has returned
to Dubai. So there are quite a few kids in our mtg! We have Friday
morning gospel mtg or Bible Study and Sunday evening mtg (Sunday is a work day). Jolee has become quite the big sister - sleeps with her big sisters. Now if I could get herto use the toilet, I'd have it made!
The last month has been Ramadan here - the Muslims fast all day until
the sun sets and then feast all night! Not much work gets done during
the day - they get to leave work at 2pm. The shops open back up at 9pm
and are open until at least midnight. But there is no public eating or
drinking during the day - very inconvienent! If you are caught, there
is a steep fine and a jail term! We are quite glad it is over today!
Hope all is well with each one there. I know you think it has been hot
and humid there, but I think we might find it refreshing!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Dubai Time
We are still in our apartment but are hoping to move into our villa next week. Villa is what they call houses around here! We have the largest washer and dryer they make (10.5 kg) and the largest fridge (700 L) - everything is metric. We still need an oven and our mattress. There are 2 sizes of twin mattresses and 3 sizes of king mattresses, and so far none of the girls' bedding fits their new beds. I am hoping our's fits when the mattress gets here.
Ramadan has started here as of last night - no public eating or drinking while the sun is up. This is a law, and disobeying comes with a heavy fine and a jail term! Things open later (9 or 10 am) and close later (1am instead of the usual 12 midnight). So nothing goes as planned during the day, Muslims get to go home early, and everyone is hungry. Traffic is horrible - major accidents today. No one moves out of the ambulances way, carseats and seatbelts are optional. We have a whole month of this!! So, with all the restaurants closed during the day, we had to go to the grocery store to get some lunch items. At the deli, I ordered some lunch meat (only turkey or chicken - no ham) and got my metric math screwed up. The guy almost sliced up the whole turkey before I had someone stop him! I had ordered in kilograms instead of grams! Live and learn! We may not learn Arabic, but we will learn the metric system!
Ramadan has started here as of last night - no public eating or drinking while the sun is up. This is a law, and disobeying comes with a heavy fine and a jail term! Things open later (9 or 10 am) and close later (1am instead of the usual 12 midnight). So nothing goes as planned during the day, Muslims get to go home early, and everyone is hungry. Traffic is horrible - major accidents today. No one moves out of the ambulances way, carseats and seatbelts are optional. We have a whole month of this!! So, with all the restaurants closed during the day, we had to go to the grocery store to get some lunch items. At the deli, I ordered some lunch meat (only turkey or chicken - no ham) and got my metric math screwed up. The guy almost sliced up the whole turkey before I had someone stop him! I had ordered in kilograms instead of grams! Live and learn! We may not learn Arabic, but we will learn the metric system!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Dubai At Last!
Sorry it has taken me so long to update our blog, but we have limited computer access. And it took me awhile to find buttons in English - even the computer is in Arabic!
After a 1.5 hour plane ride from Tulsa to Houston on the smallest airplane ever (I'm not sure how it got off the ground with all our luggage!) , a 4 hour layover in Houston, and a 15 hour plane ride to Dubai on a 777, we finally arrived inDubai Wed night (we left Tues morning - 9 hr time change). The kids are still sleeping all afternoon and evening and getting up at dawn. Chris started work this week (weekdays are Sunday through Thursday). We are staying in a furnished apt while we get the house ready.
Our "villa" has been sitting empty since Chris left July 1, and some sand dust has blown in around the doors (no weatherstripping!). Some sisters have a batch about 1 hour from here, and they came to help us clean up before the furniture arrives. So far we have plates and silverware! Shopping for a car and furniture has been trying - it is very expensive and not that much fun for the kids. They do like the pool in the backyard even though the water is at least 95 F.
I have spent the last 2 days doing laundry - in a tiny washer and no dryer. Everything gets hung out on the porch to dry on a rack. It doesn't take too long when it is 115F - but the humidity doesn't help. Some people have dryers but they are not vented, so they don't work that well. Another thing to buy - all the appliances in a house!
I have OB doctor appointments next week to see how the twins are growing. They must be, since I am!!
We miss all of you! So far, Dubai has been an adventure - we have been to lots of malls, met lots of new friends from around the world, and learned to stay inside unless you have to go out!
After a 1.5 hour plane ride from Tulsa to Houston on the smallest airplane ever (I'm not sure how it got off the ground with all our luggage!) , a 4 hour layover in Houston, and a 15 hour plane ride to Dubai on a 777, we finally arrived inDubai Wed night (we left Tues morning - 9 hr time change). The kids are still sleeping all afternoon and evening and getting up at dawn. Chris started work this week (weekdays are Sunday through Thursday). We are staying in a furnished apt while we get the house ready.
Our "villa" has been sitting empty since Chris left July 1, and some sand dust has blown in around the doors (no weatherstripping!). Some sisters have a batch about 1 hour from here, and they came to help us clean up before the furniture arrives. So far we have plates and silverware! Shopping for a car and furniture has been trying - it is very expensive and not that much fun for the kids. They do like the pool in the backyard even though the water is at least 95 F.
I have spent the last 2 days doing laundry - in a tiny washer and no dryer. Everything gets hung out on the porch to dry on a rack. It doesn't take too long when it is 115F - but the humidity doesn't help. Some people have dryers but they are not vented, so they don't work that well. Another thing to buy - all the appliances in a house!
I have OB doctor appointments next week to see how the twins are growing. They must be, since I am!!
We miss all of you! So far, Dubai has been an adventure - we have been to lots of malls, met lots of new friends from around the world, and learned to stay inside unless you have to go out!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
House Hunting Trip to Dubai
I am finally back from a week in Dubai with Chris (he is staying for the month). It was nice and warm and humid - about 107 F and 95% humidity! We met a lot of wonderful new friends and found a home. We will have plenty of room for all of you to visit!!!!
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