Hurricane Sandy

As of 1:30 pm, I'm not sure excatly why the federal government is closed and all the flights were cancelled. The rain is coming down, but the wind is not very strong, at least by me.  Maybe things will pick up this afternoon and evening, but as of now, I'm not impressed. 

My main thought today, as I lounge in bed watching too much HGTV, and Ian alternately nursing, napping and trying to climb over my shoulder, is how different a storm is with a newborn than with kiddos.  Typhoon days in Manila are disasters for our house. Thrown off from their usual routine of either going to school or playing outside / swimming, Wm and Patch become little monsters.  We try to entertain them with toys, activities, fort building, etc and usually by lunch time, every suggestion is met with a resolute "I don't want to. I'm bored. What should I do?" (can you hear the thick whining also involved?)  We end the day exhausted from trying to stay cheery and bright.  Even worse, sometimes the typhoons last for multiple days! Inevitably accompanied by flooding, we feel stranded, too. 

By contrast, a hurricane day with a seven week old is so peaceful. I only have to get out of bed to eat, use the facilities, or change a diaper ... and even the eating could probably be done in bed if I sweet talked my mom to bringing a tray upstairs (though, actually, I don't like eating in bed because crumbs in my sheets gross me out).  In dark, cold, storms one just wants to snuggle under covers, and how better to do so than with a cute potato resting on one's chest?

Though I'm bummed to miss Patch's third birthday today, at least he had fun in Manila going to the Active Fun indoor playground.  Were he here with me, he and Wm would be getting on each other's nerves right about now, and my day cooped up would not be nearly so restful.

Three "fun" days

Finally today, at 4:30, I received the A-OK that everything - yes absolutely everything - is OK for me and Ian to return to Manila.  "Bureaucratic nightmare" fairly acurately describes the paperwork process to bring the baby home.  It culminated today when I received a call from the medical office that they couldn't find Ian in the "e-med-2" system and my HR Tech needed to enter him.  So I called my HR Tech (who was out for the day).  Her back up informed me that if I had my travel orders, he was in the system, and the Med office had to figure it out.  I was about to pull my hair out, honestly, since I cannot see either of these systems, so I have no idea who is right and who is wrong, and for some reason ("confidentiality") I have to be the go between.

All I did know is that this is a silly reason to not be able to return to post. I am healthy. Ian is healthy.  We both have passports, visas, and airplane tickets.  I wasn't about to let antiquated software systems (yes, apparently one has to enter a new dependent in multiple systems; do not ask why it is not coordinated) stand in our way.

Finally, at 4:30 on Friday afternoon, Med called me to say they found Ian.  Apparently, he had been entered in the system on his own, not as a dependent.  Why the HR Tech thought a one month old baby was an employee is beyond anyone's comprehension, but at least he was there, floating about in the "system" on his own.  And now, the independent Ian has a Class 1 ("worldwide") med clearance. *phew*  I am not going to worry (just now) about making sure he is "attached" to me.

Instead, I'm going to enjoy the next three days without having to think one minute about what is my next step to make sure we can return to Manila in a timely manner.  That's all behind me now!  And with a sympathetic Delta agent having arranged for the bassinet seats for the long haul flight, I really am not worried about the flight, either.  Just enjoy and relax.  

DC & e-government

I read an article in The Economist - I think it was before we moved to India - that DC was a leader in the e-government initiative.  I remember forwarding it to skeptical family and friends who still pictured a corrput DC under the era of Marion Barry.  Once again, today, I was pleasently surprised by the level of service provided online.

I needed to get a street parking permit for the moving truck which will pack up Ian's "layette shipment" back to Manila (back up disposable diapers, back up formula, baby cereal, and a few other random things acquired in three months in the US).  I went to the d. ("D-Dot" ie, DC Department of Transportation) website which said it could be done almost exclusively online.  Could this really be, I asked myself?  Sure enough, it was.

After a simple registration process and questionnaire, and fee payment online, I was given a permit number and instructed to go to the permit office in SW.  When I arrived at the office, I figured I must be in the wrong location - and even called my mom to get her to look it up and confirm - because the building looked so clean and modern. I was in the right place.  Turns out, the DC government has also embraced mixed use buildings, with a Safeway, Starbucks, and a few tasty looking restaurants on the ground level.

I headed up to the second level, which was so clean and bright, with floor to ceiling windows.  A bow-tie-wearing young man (chanelling the former mayor Tony, perhaps?) sitting at the information desk said my only step left was to print the signs, which I could do myself at one of two kiosks.  When I arrived at the kiosks, though, both were in use.  A lady behind a nearby desk (not for permitting), who was free, noticed me waiting with Ian in the Ergo carrier and asked if she could help me.  I gave her the permit number which was emailed to me, and, voila, emergency no parking signs in hand in under five minutes.

I had expected this to take hours. The efficiency was so surprising, I complemented the staff.

The X1

Pre-Ian, I took the X1 to work every day. I'd try to catch the 7:15 to the office and the 5:17 back home.  Given the predictable commute hours, I'd generally see the same people on the bus each day.  I came to really enjoy the ladies who would get off at the stop before mine (Virginia & 18th), always telling the bus driver to "have a blessed day" on their way out.  I felt like they blessed my day, too.

Today, I was walking back to Beth's car, parked at Virginia & 18th, feeling bouyant after my bureaucratic superwoman feat - which, by the way, was even more amazing because I had to move the car by 4:00 and it was 4:02.  I didn't quite make the parking deadline, but two minutes is negotiable, right?

Anyway, I was about two car lengths from the car when a familiar looking woman walked over and exclaimed, "Oh! You did have the baby! He's so cute!  We were wondering about that on the X1, you know!"

Yes, it was one of the three "blessed day" ladies. Even in the 5.5 short weeks I rode the bus, apparently I was part of a community already.  Maybe I should have walked down to the bus stop at 7:15 just to show my former commuter fellows the baby.  Oh, right - I'm not really out of bed before 7:15 these days.  Guess I'll just have to rely on this woman to spread the word. 

Bureaucratic Superwoman

That's how I feel today.  Still 11 days before my prego-vac ends, and only two easy-to-accomplish tasks remain before this baby is full brought into the bureaucracy.  (1) His visa.  (2) Reinstate my medical clearance.  Visa application will be dropped off tomorrow morning.  My medical review can't take place until after my six week post-partum exam (ie, next Wednesday).

Today I overcame a major hurdle: with ammended travel orders, I booked Ian's ticket on the same return flight as me.  Later tonight (when wait times are less), I'll call Delta to hopefully book a bulkhead seat with a bassinet. We'll see if I can be that lucky!!

Ironically, the part that took the longest today was finding a computer at the Employee Service Center with the printer installed.  I cannot tell you how many times I have said that IT is a hindrance to productivity at the State Department, and today proved no different.  Finally, on my fourth computer,* the printer was connected. Being the knolwedgeable bureaucrat I am, I printed off three copies of my orders since these things can't be sent be email or some work process flow -- and I was pretty sure both the travel office and the visa office would need a paper copy.  I was right. *phew*

(*State employees will understand why this ended up taking 25 minutes -- since my domain is EAP, and it was my first time logging on to the computer, each log on took 5 - 7 minutes!  Non-State employees cannot fathom this, because I don't think it takes 5 -7 minutes to log on to a normal work computer in any other organization that I know of.)

Thankfully, the travel office - once the agent had my paper copy of my travel orders and my reservation - efficiently booked Ian's ticket in under 15 minutes. Amazing!  Then I walked down to get the visa application notarized (required by the Philippine embassy), only to discover I missed the bank by 7 minutes. UGH. If I hadn't had to log on to four computers, I would have made it.

I asked through the grill if the bank employees knew of any other place to get something notarized. They didn't. :( Luckily, at that point, Ian started fussing because he was hungry.  A very sympathetic bank employee emerged from the back, asked if I was trying to get back to post with a newborn, and said she'd notarize the form even though it was after hours. Hallelujah!

Now all I have to do is drop off his visa application tomorrow morning and we're practically set. This nightmare of bureaucratic steps will soon come to an end, and baby and I can rejoin the rest of the family soon :)

Going back is easier!

I realized today that, assuming all keeps moving according to plan, baby and I will be back in Manila in just over two weeks.  Looking back at my posts from pre-prego-vac, I am feeling way less stress.  Hopefully it will stay this way - meaning, hopefully the visa will be approved in time and hopefully plane tickets will still be available by the time "budget" approves baby's travel (should be any day now).

The biggest thing I was worried about was getting the birth certificate and passport done in a timely fashion. With that crossed off the list, the rest seems like a piece of cake.

Not to say the "to do" list isn't huge. Aside from visa and plane ticket for baby, I still need to:
- get my medical clearance reinstated
- visit my sister in Baltimore to shop at Costco for layette stuff
- pack out the UAB layette shipment (unaccompanied air baggage)
- get Ian his first round of vaccines
- squeeze in last visits with family and friends I won't see for months
- organize all the things I borrowed so my mom and sister can return them after I leave

All in all, though, returning to my own "stuff" in Manila - with a healthy baby - and my friendly coworkers - is much more of a known quantity than coming to DC, 34 weeks pregnant, two boys in tow, to a sight-unseen townhouse and unknown temporary office assignment.  Everything on moving here turned out OK (townhouse was great, temporary office super friendly, labor and delivery went smoothly), and knowing that has erased any worries about returning to Manila.

PS - for those of you wondering why I'm not stressed out about the flight home, flying with a newborn who nurses well is so easy, as long as you pack enough diapers and change of clothes (for baby and mom).  It's flying with toddlers that is miserable!

Documenting

I'm not really a picture taking kind of person, but I've realized today I probably should take more.  After almost two years, I've finally put enough space between me and Hyderabad that I can sort through our pictures without getting too sad about the friends we left behind.  My goal is to finish the photo book of the top sites (Charminar, the Buddha, Golconda, the zoo, bidri working, weaving, etc etc) and our daily life (house, office, friends, our street) before I go back to work.  Wish me luck.

While we took some good photos of the tourist spots, what I'm wishing we had more of were daily life pictures.  E.g., of going out for coffee at Ruci or Beyond Coffee.  Of "Bagwelle's friend" - a stray dog that lived on our block and would walk around the block with us each morning and evening, barking at the other mean stray dogs.  Of just haning out with friends - I hardly have any pictures of Somya and Guru or Shae and Timothy, somehow (sorry guys!).  I have no pictures of being at Sunday hotel brunch, despite the fact we did that so often.  And not nearly enough street scenes.

So, lesson learned for my last six months in Manila -- I need to take the time to be more of a photo journalist, documenting the mundane. In two years, where ever I end up next, I'll be happy I did.