Bangkok, Monday

I feel a bit like the life I want is just beyond my reach. As if by caring for my children, I'm relegated to living like a child - eating dinner when I'm told, napping every afternoon, and going to bed while the band still plays outside. A day of rest did not yield much sleep and the girls still spent much of the day fussing and bickering. Sitting in a darkened room listening to the music waft up from the riverside terrace below, its hard not to be resentful of Dave as he's off checking in with his office and catching up with his co-workers.

Still, in such a comfortable resort, its hard to complain. The grounds have plenty of paths far long enough for a 2-year-old's legs. Staff often stop to amuse us, playing drums and cutting flowers for the girls. The children's room is bright, clean and full of amusing toys.

Rather ironically, our lunch at McDonald's may have been the best part of our day. We sat near the play area, as this is where they placed the high chairs. A troop of Thai children between 3 and 5 years old set up camp next to us, eating ice cream cones and teasing each other. L-- finished her Chicken McNuggets quickly as they coaxed her into the playground with them and I watched my normally shy little girl disappear out of her shell and into the bright tubing of the playground.