moving in

We spent Saturday at our new place, unpacking suitcases and moving in. Everything in China seems to take longer to accomplish than it would in the States. Perhaps it's got something to do with our inability to speak the language ( but google translate works awesome!), or because we rely on a driver to get us to and from our destinations. Gone are the days of hopping in my car and driving over the overpass to Target to buy the deoderant I forgot on my last trip over there. Over here, that same 20 minute errand is sure to take us at least an hour. Well, at least for now, until we get used to the lay of the land.

We are still living out of a hotel until we get all of our utilities & their respective payments set up (aiming for Monday). In order to pay for utilities from automatic withdrawl, we must first set up a bank account at a Chinese bank. Easier said than done. We have been told by the relocation agent, that one particular branch has a man who speaks English and can help us. The other branches do not. Crossing our fingers he works on Monday!

Until then, here's a peak at what we were able to accomplish so far...The apartment came furnished with everything but nursery furniture, which we purchased & assembled over the weekend. We are still working on purchasing the rest of the linens and necessities.

Master Bedroom. So far all we have purchased were sheets and a light quilt from IKEA. I am still searching for a memory foam mattress topper to make the bed sleepable. We were spoiled by a memory foam bed back at home, and it will be hard to match. Chinese beds are traditionally hard, and lie on platforms like the frame pictured. I actually love the bedroom furniture that the room was furnished with. Dark wood and my own night stand! The bed has storage drawers underneath, so NZ and I think we can function with just those drawers and a single closet to share. Wish us luck!

Office/ Guest Room... We asked for a desk, bookcase and sofa bed, and this is what the owner provided. The sofa bed is super comfortable. Almost more so than our bed! My plan for this room is to buy a fullsize sheet at IKEA to cover the sofa ( to protect from the lovely Beaver who shall be joining our family after his stint in quarantine on Wednesday), as well as some fabric from IKEA of which I will make some pillow cases for the throws. I've already unpacked Sal's small library into one of the cubbies on the bookshelf, and added a Chinese nesting doll that Dameng's wife gave him our very first day. We're learning that giving gifts is a big part of Chinese culture.

Sal's Nursery..so far I am super happy with his room. We may do some more furniture moving since I am not wild about having a changing table next to curtains-- the boy has a good reach, and poor aim--leading me to believe he may shower them with a tidal wave of pee during changing time, or more than likely, grab them with his slobberific hands and stain the silk. ( who puts silk curtains in a baby's room?!). I've already outfitted his crib with a sheet I made back home, and am on the lookout for fabric to sew more sheets (oh--and a sewing machine to sew said fabric!).

Kitchen..It's tiny but it gets the job done! We bought a pot and a fry pan. Utensils, cutting boards and a knife. The plan is to add as little as possible to this tiny kitchen. There is no oven or dishwasher, so I guess I am thankful that baking is out of the question for now ( we may add a small countertop oven at some point). Otherwise, I'd have tons of dishes to wash.

The refrigerator & storage room. Right now it's full of boxes from unpacking our new refrigerator. The relocation agent told us to put our rubbish in the front entry hall, and when we wake up it will be gone. We have a pile out front as a trial because it seems odd to us that someone will actually come to our floor and pick up our trash. We plan on adding more shelving like the one picture nest to the fridge, for dry goods etc.

So,there you have it. The " in progress " shots. I'll be sure to do a grand tour of the completed place once we're settled.