me plus three

Tolga is away in the field, and Teoman has been asking me all week to take him somewhere - so I promised today we would.

We first went to the hospital for a check-up of Tuana.  The interim doctor had found a bacteria in her urine and wanted to test her again.  I was going on Saturday so we could see our regular doctor, as the  interim doctor seemed to do too many tests and be over cautious.

Tuana herself had much more energy - she is back to her smiling and squealing self, minus the cough and nasal drainage.  The doctor cleared her and we moved over to the mall.

Moving, is no small task with three young ones.

At the hospital, they have valet parking. It was full and the attendant suggested I park across the street on my own, and I flat out told him no - I have three small ones in the back.

He gave me the handicapped parking.

At the mall a similar thing happened.  I left my car with the carwash attendants in the parking garage under the mall.  When I collected my car, the attendant pulled it out of the tight spot he squeezed it into, then left it in the middle of the lane for me.  I began the laborious process of buckling the kids in and packing up the trunk.  An Audi was waiting.  Another attendant asked me to move, and Tuana was screaming in the back (she was overtired, and I had kept them out too long).  It's extremely easy to transfer the stress I am feeling over the kids to the nearest person - and so I let the young man have it: I did not park my car here.  You guys did!  If it were me, I would have parked it in place that I can load up my kids.  But you put it here, and I have three small children to buckle up and stroller so help, or back off!

Malls in Ankara are always a nightmare after 2pm, and it was 3pm - I had broken my own rule and was paying for it.  But I had taken the kids here because this is Teoman's latest craze: ice skating.  They have set up a real rink outside the mall - and although the weather was below freezing - my kids were pretty psyched to go.  The is Teoman's third time and he is zooming around already, falling and popping back up.  Tomris is brave, but still can't stay up unless she's clinging to the side with both hands.

I watched from the sides with Tuana in my arms - poor Tuana was tired, and I later realized, maybe her feet were freezing... and I distracted her as long as I could - but eventually had to call it quits and get home.  Those last 20 minutes when I've pushed it just a little too much, is much more costly with kids in tow.