Circumcision, Princesses, and silly babies that spit up

I have gained knowledge in some pretty interesting areas since moving to Moscow.  Case in point- Colin and I started talking the other night while giving John a bath and he told me that the boys in his class have been making fun of him in the locker room because his penis looks different from theirs.  I had to laugh a little bit because boys are so ridiculous with those things, but then I had to comfort my son.  I have discovered that Russians and many Europeans do not circumcise their little boys.  So of course, Colin does look quite different from the other boys in his class.  I did explain to Colin that we are Americans and many Americans do this, but he is still a bit upset over why he does not look the same.   I will let Jesy tackle this when he gets home.  Later on that night we were looking at pictures from his class and  for every boy picture Colin would say "his penis is different than mine, his is different than mine".  I asked him why he knew all of this about other little boys in his class.  He looked at me like I was crazy and told me that's what they do in the locker room- look at each other.  I am so happy I am a girl.
Amalie has many friends in her preschool class, but one little boy, Toby, is her favorite.  They are very cute together and they have lots of fun playing.  Two weeks ago Toby made Amalie a very pretty necklace at the craft fair.  On Tuesday when I picked Amalie up from school he had made her several crowns and told his teacher that of course he would make Amalie a crown- she is his princess!  Only four years old and she is already a princess for someone besides Daddy.  Poor Jesy.  Jeanine- the good news is that Toby's mother is Italian, so if they were to ever marry maybe we can fulfill our dream of living in Italy.
I would say that about 80% of the time Kathleen is very nice to John.  But we all know how she is, so she cannot be on her best behavior all of the time.  Last week John was crying alot while I was attempting to make dinner.  He was in his swing and Amalie was trying her best to comfort him while Kathleen walked next to him and hit him.  Of course Amalie almost had a breakdown over this, and when I asked Kathleen why she hit her brother she replied " he was crying too much.  That's what you do when someone will not stop crying- you hit them."  How delightful- anyone looking for a babysitter in a few years?  On Sunday John was playing on his mat and he spit up.  Whenever John spits up Colin and Amalie go crazy and you would think it was the end of the world.  They get so concerned.  Not Kathleen.  She walked by him and said "stupid baby that is always throwing up".  I laughed so hard at that after I corrected her.
The weather in Moscow had not been that bad.  There is some snow on the ground, but after living in Iowa for 4 years I know it could get worse.  This morning I went for a lovely walk in the woods behind our neighborhood with a friend of mine.  It was so peaceful to be walking amongst the trees and snow.  Mom- she is Hungarian, so I was thinking of Grandma and how she would get such a kick out of me walking with my Hungarian friend while in Moscow.  Life is so funny that way.

Happy Thanksgiving America!

Last year we celebrated Thanksgiving in Texas with Jesy's family and I had three children.  This year we are celebrating in Moscow and enjoying our new baby, John Thomas.  What a change in one year!
Since this blog is for my children, I have to include the recent health problems we have had.  Two weeks ago Kathleen became very ill and was put in the hospital for pneumonia.  I stayed with her and it was quite a weekend.  The first night was rough- she was so sick and weak and I hated watching her get hooked up to an IV and having blood taken.  By Saturday morning she was doing so much better, though, and we spent the rest of the weekend reading books and watching movies.  I had to argue a bit with the hospital staff, but I got them to release us by explaining that I had a new baby at home that also needed me.  And thank goodness Kathleen was feeling much better and really enjoying being the center of attention at the hospital.  Colin and Amalie came with Jesy to visit her on Saturday and you would have thought she was the queen of the hospital.  And it was quite sweet that Amalie brought her a bag full of books and toys that she had picked out herself.
We got home on Sunday night and by Monday John was sick.  He had a cough and some congestion in his chest.  By Wednesday night they had hospitalized him with bronchitis.  John was put on the NICU floor of the hospital he was born in since this sickness is quite serious in a baby his age.  They checked me in to the hospital also for my scar.  Jesy and I both think they did this so I could stay with John on the floor as I really felt fine.  The first few days at the hospital were pretty rough.  John was really sick and quite lethargic and I was really worried.  By Saturday I knew he was feeling better, but they did not release us until Tuesday.  It was really a long time to be in the hospital and as you can imagine I was quite anxious to go home to my other children.  John is doing much better and I am happy to report that he has gained weight and some centimeters.  Now just to keep everyone healthy for awhile.  Which will be tough because I just picked Kathleen up from school early as she threw up on herself.  Winter in a cold climate is soooooo frustrating.
One always has to look for the positives, and I am so thrilled that Jesy and I have made plans to take the kids to Athens, Greece after Christmas.  New Years in Greece- I am beside myself with happiness.  Greece and Italy have always been my top two places to visit in the world and I will be visiting both within the next six months.  Kind of a last minute decision, but Jesy and I thought that with the three hospital stays in the past month (I am counting John's birth in here) that we deserved a vacation.  And it will be so lovely to see the sun and be warm for a week.  We have rented an apartment for the week that has lovely views of the city.  Jesy is hoping for fireworks on New Years Eve, and I am with him on that.
In the spirit of Turkey Day, some things I am grateful for:
My amazing husband, who loves me and keeps me calm.
My four beautiful children, who make me laugh and keep me on my toes.  And for the continuing good health of these children.
My dad, who is also my good friend, and told me many times during this last pregnancy how beautiful I was.  You know he's a nice person, because I was a wreck during most of that pregnancy.
My mom, who also calms me and listens to all my crazy problems while living in Russia.  Thank goodness she is retired and I can call her whenever I want.
My siblings, who I miss more than they will ever know.
My Nee-Nee, who after a serious illness last winter is back.  We are so looking forward to seeing her this summer.
Jesy's job with John Deere-which provides us with a paycheck to live on and gave us the wonderful opportunity to live in Russia.
Our support system in Russia,which includes our nannies and drivers and the neighbors who brought us food after John was born.
We are missing our fellow Americans today, but are looking forward to our turkey dinner tonight- bought from Colin's school.  How fun that I can just go pick it up this afternoon with no cooking on my part!