I had a sleepyhead on my hands Tuesday morning and of course it was the one day we had things to do! places to go! people to see! But after a full breakfast of oatmeal with smashed apples and bananas, I got my little munchkins out the door and we headed downtown. While the boys were still sleeping I had previously called - as I do every month - all of our utility providers and gotten the amount owed for February (since most of our bills never make it to our home address.)
We parked at our usual spot on the corner of Av. Baquedano, where a friendly parking attendant keeps good watch over the vehicle (and ensures that the headlight stealing incident is not repeated.) Our first stop was the bank. Just as I had feared, it was not child-friendly or handicap-accessible. No ramps, no elevators, just a steep set of stairs downward into the room below. Fortunately the security guard did not seem too annoyed when I asked him to help me lug the heavy double stroller with its two occupants down those stairs. And he was nice enough to direct me to a line with few customers so that I could complete my transaction quickly.
Then it was back out into the bright Iquique sunshine once more. For the record, the sun here in the desert region of Chile is very strong. It sunburns fiercely and saps energy quickly with the intensity of its rays. (That is why sunscreen was high on my Walmart list on our quick trip through the USA last week!)
A couple of blocks from the bank, I entered the darkened building of the water company only to be informed that their computers were down. Alrighty then. I decided to trudge up the hill and a few more blocks to the post office to check our mail and was rewarded with one envelope. Then back into the blazing sunshine and back to the central plaza, where I bought the boys some crackers and water from a street vendor for the walk back to the car. Along the way I decided to stop at a small sandwich shop and order a fresh strawberry juice because I was feeling rather hot and weary. Yummy! Finally we made it to the car and through the process of unbuckling, buckling; unbuckling, buckling; from stroller to car seat times two.
Since we hadn't been able to pay the water bill, it was off to Servipag for its one-stop bill paying service. The line was long and everyone was hot. By now the boys were antsy, and so it was music to my ears when the ladies before me suggested that I be allowed to go to the front of the line with the kiddos. I was so very thankful. With bills squared away, only purchasing diapers remained on the to-do list and that could be accomplished in the adjoining grocery store. Unfortunately by the time we reached the checkout line the clock had run out for Alec!
It was a screaming, wailing sight to behold as I tried to quickly wheel through the crowd and get the boys situated in the van. Alec cried all the way home but the end result was that after a good lunch, both boys were exhausted and took wonderfully long naps.
In the evening, Norma from church stopped by for a visit and the boys enjoyed showing off all their new tricks to her. She is a mom and grandmom, too, so of course she was duly impressed! We drove her home and ran one last errand before calling it a night. Ian woke up once around 1 a.m. and it wasn't until I softly turned on the "magical" children's songs again that he settled and went back to sleep. Sweet dreams!
We parked at our usual spot on the corner of Av. Baquedano, where a friendly parking attendant keeps good watch over the vehicle (and ensures that the headlight stealing incident is not repeated.) Our first stop was the bank. Just as I had feared, it was not child-friendly or handicap-accessible. No ramps, no elevators, just a steep set of stairs downward into the room below. Fortunately the security guard did not seem too annoyed when I asked him to help me lug the heavy double stroller with its two occupants down those stairs. And he was nice enough to direct me to a line with few customers so that I could complete my transaction quickly.
Then it was back out into the bright Iquique sunshine once more. For the record, the sun here in the desert region of Chile is very strong. It sunburns fiercely and saps energy quickly with the intensity of its rays. (That is why sunscreen was high on my Walmart list on our quick trip through the USA last week!)
A couple of blocks from the bank, I entered the darkened building of the water company only to be informed that their computers were down. Alrighty then. I decided to trudge up the hill and a few more blocks to the post office to check our mail and was rewarded with one envelope. Then back into the blazing sunshine and back to the central plaza, where I bought the boys some crackers and water from a street vendor for the walk back to the car. Along the way I decided to stop at a small sandwich shop and order a fresh strawberry juice because I was feeling rather hot and weary. Yummy! Finally we made it to the car and through the process of unbuckling, buckling; unbuckling, buckling; from stroller to car seat times two.
Since we hadn't been able to pay the water bill, it was off to Servipag for its one-stop bill paying service. The line was long and everyone was hot. By now the boys were antsy, and so it was music to my ears when the ladies before me suggested that I be allowed to go to the front of the line with the kiddos. I was so very thankful. With bills squared away, only purchasing diapers remained on the to-do list and that could be accomplished in the adjoining grocery store. Unfortunately by the time we reached the checkout line the clock had run out for Alec!
It was a screaming, wailing sight to behold as I tried to quickly wheel through the crowd and get the boys situated in the van. Alec cried all the way home but the end result was that after a good lunch, both boys were exhausted and took wonderfully long naps.
In the evening, Norma from church stopped by for a visit and the boys enjoyed showing off all their new tricks to her. She is a mom and grandmom, too, so of course she was duly impressed! We drove her home and ran one last errand before calling it a night. Ian woke up once around 1 a.m. and it wasn't until I softly turned on the "magical" children's songs again that he settled and went back to sleep. Sweet dreams!
1 comment:
Sounds like a busy day. I love it when the kids get won out and have great naps!
Not sure if you prayed, but the day after I requested prayers about our adoption process, we got a call that a baby girl was born on January 23! Our paperwork is still not done, but we are going to be permitted to foster her until our paperwork is in, and then we can proceed in adopting her! The hope is that Maya Grace will come home today, but pray that she will be here sooner than later.
As soon as I can I will post pictures of our sweet baby on our xanga account.
Thank you for your prayers!
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