There are numerous benefits to getting 2- and 3-year-old siblings on the same schedule.
Wake time, meal time, bath time, and bed time are conducted with unison, harmony, and the minimum of fuss.
The hidden underbelly of such synchronisation, the simultaneous and urgent need to use the toilet, is rarely discussed. So I have coined my own term: simul-poo.
I'm trusting it will all work out when Lex is using the flush toilet as well.
Vi demonstrates our latest piece of safety equipment
After three-and-a-half years of gate-free parenting, it was the confluence of Lex getting his litter box back and Vi's increased mobility that forced our hand.
We bought a baby gate to let Nikki, Michael (with Nikki's help), and Lex have access to toileting facilities while keeping Vi safely out of the fray.
Once the warmer weather returns, we'll take what we've learned about cat toilet training and restart with Lex. We hope to have him using the flush toilet full time before next winter.
Today we welcomed Lex to our Perth home! After seven months of quarantine - six months in Singapore and one month in Perth - our Egyptian rescue cat is now declared fit to join Australian society.
We drove down to Byford Animal Quarantine Station this morning and rang the bell to request our weekend pickup. One of the ladies who has been looking after our cat let us in. We waited in the lobby while she enticed Lex into his carrier and brought him out to us.
Baba carried Lex to the car and strapped him in .
Once he was in the house, Michael and Nikki enthusiastically welcomed Lex who waited patiently for his transition accommodation in the bathroom to be prepared.
Nikki helped by scooping food into Lex's bowl .
Baba opened the the carrier door, and Nikki hospitably pointed out various amenities in an effort to encourage Lex to explore his new home.
I added captions to this video - this picture shows how to turn them on or off.
Lex is settling in well. We will start him off living in the bathroom but he'll have the run of the house once he's feeling a bit more confident.
Our Australian visa was approved yesterday!
Eight weeks until we hop on a plane to Perth. Time for an update on our transition.
Selling the SUV. A few lookers, no takers yet.
Changing addresses. We have temporary addresses set up in Australia and the US , but they are not yet activated. In the meantime, please hold all letters and packages for us.
Inventory for the movers. They've sent us a spreadsheet - all we have to do is fill it in. Here is a video with more information on moving to Australia.
New employer for Nadia. She has two families who want to split her time. I'm training Nikki and Michael to take over some of her duties...
Back in Egypt and over our jet lag, life is returning to normal - which of course means constant change!
Michael can sit up all on his own for short periods of time, and Nikki feeds Lex his dried food in the mornings - despite Lex himself sometimes getting in the way.
Last night, some twelve hours before Michael turned six weeks old, he smiled at me for the first time. He is a treasure!
This morning we went to church for the first time as a family of four, with the added bonus that it was also Good Friday . A young girl joined the worship team on stage for the last song and performed sign language as we sang. It was nice to be able to recognise some of the signs we have been teaching Nikki, including 'father,' 'finished,' and 'son.'
After lunch, Nikki and I visited Lex the cat . He has been hiding since we brought him home again after boarding for three months. When we entered his enclosure, Nikki pointed at his empty food bowl, and signed 'more' 'food'. I agreed that Lex did need more food. Since Nikki had noticed his plight, I handed her the scoopful of food to fill up his bowl, which she did. This tempted Lex out of his box, and Nikki gently petted him several times. The first time she reached out and touched him, he skitted away. But she was so gentle and he was so hungry that she was able to pet him several more times as he ate his fill. He then retreated to his box. Nikki sat and waited patiently outside his little house for several minutes, hoping to pet him more. After a little while, it was time for her nap. Ben explained that Lex was sleeping, and that it was time for Nikki to sleep, too. And so she did.
This morning Ben went to his o'dark-thirty men's Bible study while Nikki and I hung out before my counselling session with Barb. Nikki was playing in the living room when, unprompted, she looked up and started making her cute cat sound . I asked if she was thinking about the cat, and she bounced her whole body up and down happily. Then she pulled herself up and started pointing to her legs. She was communicating the cat's name, 'Lex,' by pointing to her legs!
So much to be thankful for - an adorable daughter, a son on the way, a pleasant cat, a handsome, godly husband, friends, family, the pumpkin pie it took me six hours to make from scratch yesterday, and a feast to attend this afternoon. But most of all, I am thankful that God sent his son Jesus to die on the cross and take away my sins so I can live in harmony with Him now on earth and forever in Heaven.
I remember how excited I was when my dad first had to have extra pages added to his passport. Not that I enjoyed his traveling when I was small, but I thought it was pretty cool. Ben had extra pages put in his passport a year ago, and yes, I was a bit jealous. Today I got my passport back - with extra pages added! A small but fun milestone.
Two for one is a pretty good deal. Usually you have one thing and you exchange it for two other things. What a deal! In our case, the bargain went in the opposite direction, and we are very well pleased. We traded in two Egyptian cats (Freckles and Greta) for one Siamese (his name was Arabesque, but we're calling him Alexander, or Lex for short).
Lex had been abandoned on the street, and a family who already had two indoor cats began feeding him outdoors. Now this family is leaving Egypt and brought Lex to The-Cat-Flat in Maadi. When we told Julie that we just hadn't been able to train Freckles and Greta to the standard we had hoped for, she asked if we would consider a swap. We weren't sure, but we were happy to meet Arabesque and see what we thought. Talk about contrast - from two rambunctious, aggressive kittens to one calm, affectionate adult cat.
We spent the day Saturday cleaning the office from top to bottom in preparation for a new tenant, while Lex waited patiently in his cat carrier. He seemed pleased when we introduced him to his new space. He loves to rub his head up against me and curl up in my lap, and especially to be scratched under his chin. Quite a pleasant change from swiping, jumping, nose in my face, claws on my neck, nipping my toes and forcible escapes from the enclosure. Two for one was a fantastic deal for us!
Aileen:
Simply beautiful - I have never heard this song before but it is so touchingly beautiful, all the more so at the image of Ben with two of his children
Poppa & Grammie:
Happy Father's Day to you, Ben. So grateful that you are following your heavenly Father's leading in love with your children!
Jen:
Happy Father's Day, Ben! The video is great and you are amazing for multi-tasking so well!
- our Egyptian rescue cat is now declared fit to join Australian society.
this morning and rang the bell to request our weekend pickup. One of the ladies who has been looking after our cat let us in. We waited in the lobby 
while she enticed Lex into his carrier and brought him out to us.
and strapped him in 
.
who waited patiently for his transition accommodation in the bathroom to be prepared.
.
This morning we went to church for the first time as a family of four, with the added bonus that it was also Good Friday . A young girl joined the worship team on stage for the last song and performed sign language as we sang. It was nice to be able to recognise some of the signs we have been teaching Nikki, including 'father,' 'finished,' and 'son.'
After lunch, Nikki and I visited Lex the cat . He has been hiding since we brought him home again after boarding for three months. When we entered his enclosure, Nikki pointed at his empty food bowl, and signed 'more' 'food'. I agreed that Lex did need more food. Since Nikki had noticed his plight, I handed her the scoopful of food to fill up his bowl, which she did. This tempted Lex out of his box, and Nikki gently petted him several times. The first time she reached out and touched him, he skitted away. But she was so gentle and he was so hungry that she was able to pet him several more times as he ate his fill. He then retreated to his box. Nikki sat and waited patiently outside his little house for several minutes, hoping to pet him more. After a little while, it was time for her nap. Ben explained that Lex was sleeping, and that it was time for Nikki to sleep, too. And so she did.
So much to be thankful for - an adorable daughter, a son on the way, a pleasant cat, a handsome, godly husband, friends, family, the pumpkin pie it took me six hours to make from scratch yesterday, and a feast to attend this afternoon. But most of all, I am thankful that God sent his son Jesus to die on the cross and take away my sins so I can live in harmony with Him now on earth and forever in Heaven.
