And so we have arrived.

I am sitting down to breakfast in our new home in Lagos. The boys are in their pajamas driving circles around the flat on their bicycles. Elizabeth is eating frosted cheerios combined with long-shelf-life milk at the table with me while I wait for my Starbuck's Via coffee to cool enough to drink. Michael left for work before 7 a.m. Victor, our steward arrived a few minutes ago and is already busy cleaning the house. He is younger than I expected. I have a headache. I think it is allergies. Everything smells like dry wall here. I don't know if it is all the construction or the dust off the Sahara ... probably both. Let's hope Flo-nase works as well on dust as it does on dog and pollen allergies.

I gave the kids their second dose of Malarone (anti-malarial medicine) this morning. It is a mustard yellow pill with flesh-colored coating that has to be cut in half for the kids' dose and then swallowed whole. I smashed each half pill into a wad of banana nut bread and told them to swallow it whole. Nathan managed with no problem. Elizabeth chewed it up and ended up horrified with a mouth full of yellow dust, and Dane cried and choked and gagged until the construction crane next door distracted his attention, but at least he got it down. I am going to have to get more creative with my pill administration. We have to do this every day.

There is so much to be done at the flat that I need to set priorities. Let's see ... what shall it be today? Beds are all made (and VERY comfortable, I am happy to say). We have enough snacks and food to get by for another day or two. I need to find the shower curtain today. Maybe set up bathrooms and start to unpack clothes. Definitely need to set up the Wii and try to sort out which bamboo shades belong to which window (Brenda: get out your notes; I may need your help with this). Ok, so I have my marching orders. First stop? Aspirin for the headache and then ... to work!