Jones Family Update

Can you believe we are officially halfway through our journey? I thought we should take a break and let you know how we’re doing aboard MV Explorer:

Abiona

Abi has made a lot of friends on the ship. She definitely thinks she is second in command to the captain, and on a regular basis she walks up to random people and asks if they want to see her room. She is constantly at play with her “big friends” (college students) in the evenings. Abi always has “things” with her every where she goes now. She packs a big purse around full of things that she has collected around the ship. She is quite protective of it. We go swimming every afternoon that the pool is full, and spend the morning doing school and projects.

Abi is becoming a good traveler – what is frightening is that she has no inhibitions in the port cities. Every taxi driver is her best friend, and she leads the way down streets and through stores. Developmentally, Abi is becoming quite in touch with her feelings. The other day she told me she was “upset, angry, and frustrated”. It gives us such an insight into the things that are important in her day to day life. She is also getting taller and more coordinated. She looks more like a four year old than a three year old I hate to say. She played Peter Pan with a friend today, and I was nostalgic about the idea of a NeverNever Land. My favorite moments are when she gently takes care of Lily when she is crying. She really has a compassionate little heart.

Lily

Lily has changed significantly – she hardly looks like a baby now! She sports six teeth, has started feeding herself, has mastered crawling, and says a few words like “mama”, “dada”, “up”, and “uh oh”. Lily definitely enjoys the attention on the ship. Most meals she looks over the seat at all the people in line and waves at everyone while “talking” to them. In country, it varies. In India she was followed by a paparazzi like crowd of local school children, grandmas, daddies, and mommies all eager to pinch her cheeks and thighs and pose in pictures with her. She found it a little overwhelming, but was a good sport overall. Her favorite toys are the TV remote, the laptop, and anything that Abi is working on. Clearly, we need to invest in some things that hold her attention a little better.

Watching her pick up eating has been hilarious. We have been feeding her for 11 months because she absolutely refused to put her hands anywhere near her mouth. She would hold onto food all day long, but unless we were shoving it in her mouth it was just a toy. The look of surprise on her face when she put together the hand to mouth connection was so amusing. She just looked so shocked, and then she was instantly devouring food.

Her newest trick is getting out of bed. A few nights ago I heard giggling on our baby monitor at 10 o’clock at night. I went in the room and both girls were sitting across from each other just belly-laughing. I scolded Abi, assuming she pulled Lily out of bed for entertainment purposes. She later told her dad that Lily had been crawling all over the bed and dresser, pulling things into her bed, and that she crawled off the bed and was playing in the floor. Abi had pulled a chair in front of the bed to keep her in, but Lily was determined to be awake to try out her new crawling skills. We haven’t had a repeat of that night, but she does purposefully scoot off the bed. She throws all her toys on the floor, says “uh oh”, and then scoots off after them. I have a feeling that our parenting world is about to change once again.

Mel

I brought 96 Dr. Peppers with me. I thought they would last until Japan if I stuck to 1 a day. They are all gone as of South Africa. The withdrawals were rough, because I am not a huge water fan, and I’m caring for the endless energy duo all day. My solution has been to start training for a triathlon. This is working out really well. I run every day during nap time, and get really thirsty for water. I actually crave it all day long, and now when I drink soda it doesn’t feel that great. Weird how quickly it happened, but now I spend all day waiting for my workout time instead of rationing my DP intake. Someone with a PhD in psychology could probably explain all of this. Basically, I have learned I just need an addiction through this process. So far, running is a reasonable substitute for liquid sugar and caffeine. We’ll see what happens when I get home and Safeway “enables” me by running a 4 for $12 special on DP bricks. I’ve always hated running, but having an “event” to look forward to makes it kind of fun! There is a triathlon in Portland on August 23rd. If we are still there in August, I will be there! If not, I’ll have to find another one to enter wherever we wind up. It will be a good incentive to get familiar with the workout options in whatever place we wind up at.

I have a few students that I am enjoying quite a bit. There is a girl from Stillwater, OK and another one from Snyder, TX. They are both sweet and fun to talk to – I even sacrificed two Dr. Pepper’s when we shared stories and pictures from our Namibia port. We also have a “family” of three girls that we get together with for dinner and conversation. I like getting to know all of the students. There are some really creative and ambitious students on our voyage. I am down the hall from two mothers that are my source of sanity. I won’t lie: being around my children all day, not the easiest thing I have ever done. It has been a complete blessing to have some people to swap stories with. One day, after a few public meltdowns, K & H knocked on my door and said “We’re stealing you!” and took me out for wine and girl time right before bedtime. It was saving grace. Just having some time to talk through the day allowed me to see the humor and appreciate how quickly this sweet time will pass in my life.

Luke

Luke is famous on the ship. I get to eavesdrop on students talking about how good he is frequently, which makes me smile. He delivers the announcements every day, and also does the Pre-Port before we arrive in each country. Students turn out en masse to hear him talk about traffic safety and avoiding pick pocketers. He really does have a gift for talking to the students, and the presentations are relevant, humorous, and engaging. He has made a special point to encourage students to give of themselves in port, whether that be time, conversation, song, a special talent, or just a smile. As a result, we frequently have students approaching us to share stories of the meaningful ways they connected with the local culture of a port. I love that!

Luke has been working a lot as he tries to apply for jobs. Applying for a job at a university is challenging enough as is, but waiting for our internet sometimes adds a new layer to the frustration. The unique thing about this voyage is that he is often able to connect with a student from the university or the city he has applied to. Sometimes students are able to share about the “culture” of their university and the community that surrounds it. I don’t think there is another place where you could get that kind of student insight as you apply for positions. Luke is also talking to lots of professionals from different universities that are on this voyage and asking about their careers and lives. The ship has been a good place to reflect on what exactly he wants from his career. The feeling of being “in limbo” seems to be something that has followed us throughout our marriage, so it doesn’t really feel too stressful to be job hunting.

Well, the computer is dying so I’m going to post this now! Look forward to seeing friends and family soon!

Did I really say that? Equator crossing, Family, Making Your Kids Crazy.

Did I really say that?
Before we got on the ship, I lamented about packing up the kitchen. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE to cook, but I was crazy! Every day, for almost a month, I have thought nothing about food or cleaning. Not even for Lily! The kitchen staff on board MV Explorer is AMAZING.

I roll out of bed around 8am, the whole family goes to breakfast and we just choose what we want from a buffet of food. Mardy the waiter comes and brings pureed fruit for Lily to try, and asks what we want to drink. When we are done, we don't even clean the table. We return to the cabin to get ready for "school", and magically the beds have been made, the towels changed, and the toys arranged in cute little entertaining scenes by the cabin steward.

Then, it's like rewind and repeat for lunch and dinner. I thought it might be hard to have so little control over what Lily and Abi eat, but in a lot of ways it is much easier. After all, if the choices available aren't favorites, it isn't like I can be at fault for cooking a bad meal. It is clear, even to the three year old, that there really aren't any other options.

Equator Crossing
We crossed the equator today! Now that we are on top of the equator, the weather is warm, the pool is nice, and the girls are sleeping well after lots of outdoor play.

Family
We have "adopted" a family of three girls on the ship. We'll have to put up a "family portrait" eventually. Our daughter's are enjoying this adoption, as the advantage has been even more people to play with.

Making your kids crazy.
Abi's daycare provider mentioned in passing that kids that have their parents around all the time become neurotic. Not like, just staying at home with your kids makes them crazy. But being in the same room as them all the time, where they never have any imaginary time away from you, makes them, edgy or something. I would like to verify that is true. There are so many ways a child can be injured on the ship, and zero places they can be unsupervised. I have been having her play with students more and more, just so she can escape me for a while. She is more relaxed without the constant hovering. Also crazy, Abi prefers to sleep on the floor at night. We're just letting that go. I don't know why the floor is working so well for her, but hopefully it is just a phase!

Six time zones from Spain!

Our ship is averaging about 20 knots these days, which means it is only an eight day trip to Spain. It also means we have to set our clocks forward one hour every night. Lily is making this adjustment more easily than Abi. I am catching up on z's during naptime, so I hope not to be affected as much as everyone else! I am less than delighted about being that parent with the screaming three year old in the floor, but unfortunately I think that will be the case until we get this time change business figured out.

Yesterday we were able to watch the inaguration of Barack Obama live via satelite -- isn't it amazing what can be accomplished in the middle of the ocean? Abi sat through the entire hour long affair while she played with cars. I was glad that we all got to watch together. In the Bahamas, many people we spoke to turned the conversation to our new president. It struck me as interesting that there were people in the Bahamas planning to celebrate the innaguration of Barack as well.

Tonight is an involvement fair on the ship. There will be groups gathering to set up different activities, so I will be attending and looking for a yoga class or something. My hope is that there will be something early enough in the morning or late enough in the evening that I might be able to participate. I'm also trying to pull together a group of students to participate in a Preschool Enrichment Program (PEP). There are 5 children from 1 to 5 on the ship, and I think it would be really nice to have story times, swimming buddies, student-led activities and crafts, etc. Sometimes it is easier for someone other than a parent to direct a group of kids this age, and most of the preschoolers on board have come out of a daycare/preschool setting. I hope we can pull together a nice group of students.

Luke took some pictures of the girls on board the ship this morning. I will try to have them here for you ASAP!

Bon Voyage...Sort of.

Maybe you are wondering why it says "three days until we set sail" when we are already in the water. We left port last night, and it is only 50 miles to the Bahamas. However, it saves money to just drop anchor between Miami and the Bahamas. That explains how I was able to spend this afternoon seasick, even though we aren't really going anywhere at the moment.

Right now there are no students on the ship, so we have been able to connect with the children and staff on the ship a bit better. We will arrive in the Bahamas at 8am on the 18th, and then we will welcome the students aboard on the 19th.

Tomorrow the parents of younger children are meeting to discuss how to share childcare and learning opportunities. I'm excited to get the kids together. There are two young men that are near Abi's age, and one little girl that is fairly close to Lily's age.