Saturday, Skype, and Snacks

I have has several people ask how last night went with Reni. Honestly it was a little rough. He was confused and maybe a little scared and woke up often. I was emotionally and physically drained, and had really never heard his heart-rending cry before! At first, singing to him was enough to calm him down, but eventually it took rocking, then bottles, then diaper changes... This was one area that Ellie was much easier! At 3:30, it was clear that sleep wasn't on his agenda, so as the cliche goes, "If you can't beat them, join them." We both got up and went to the living room to play. We had some fun, and I tried to keep his banging down to a minimum for our neighbors. Finally at 4:30 David yawned and I jump up and started rocking and singing! He fought it at first, but gave in after just a few minutes, and we both got another couple hours of sleep. 6:30 arrived early, and Reni didn't miss his internal wake-up call. We ate a little breakfast, and then I decided it was time for Reni's first bath as a Waggoner!

Reni liked everything, but wetting his hair. I tried to get him to play in the water, but he didn't seem interested. The whole process only took 5 minutes or less, but it made for a literal clean start to the day.

As I was putting some things away, Reni went exploring. The peanut butter jar was of particular interest. He sure is a curious little boy!

We were supposed to meet Vera at 9:00 to go get David's VISA pictures taken for our appointment on Monday, but while we were waiting for 9:00 to roll around, both Reni and I fell asleep on the living room floor! When I couldn't easily get Reni to wake up at 9:00, I called Vera and we rescheduled for later in the afternoon.

After we got the VISA pictures, we stopped at a cafe for a coffee. I really needed the caffeine! In case you were wondering, Reni had milk I brought in his sippy cup for his first "Albania coffee." The fresh air and heat did it's work and Reni was ready for another nap by 1:00. This time he slept until 3:00 when I woke him up to Skype with Cydil's extended family reunion. We actually Skyped a lot this afternoon. We were also able to reach Nanna and Papa in Ohio, Aunt Ruth and Uncle Jack in Indiana, and called Gjysh on his cell phone in a corn field of Illinois!

Above, Reni prepares the computer for out Skype calls. Dallas, you asked yesterday about the call quality. Reni says it has something to do with the packet relays and the echo cancellation hardware built into the microphones.

On top of a new bath, VISA photo shoot, first 'coffee,' and fun with Skype, Reni also learned a new trick. See the video below.

He has continued eating like this all day. He even ate about 1/4 of a piece of cheese pizza when I tore off bite sized pieces! I love that he is trying new things!

At 7:30 he started to show really signs of being tired, so I changed him into his pajamas. He resisted being rocked right then, so we played for a little longer in the living room. When it looked like he was going to fall asleep on the floor, I picked him up and carried him to the room. He actually reached for the crib, and smiled when I laid him down. I haven't heard a peep since! I plan of following him soon. Tomorrow I know there will be more firsts starting with his first protestant church service. Vera can't wait to show him off to all of her friends, and I have to admit, that sounds fun to me too!