Week in Pictures

With NZ gone last week, Sal and I filled our calendar with outings and playdates. I can't remember what we did on each day, so here's our week in pictures...

Such a big boy holding his bottle on the way to his friend Jan's house

He.gets.into.EVERYTHING. But just look at that face. How can you get mad?



 

Monkey bridge at the Park by Lake Taihu

Sal & his bud test out chairs at B&Q
"Hey mama, I think I neeeeed one of these. Aren't I cute?"

Where'd all the fishies go? Our complex drained all of the ponds this week.

My favorite find this week. 11 RMB for 24 fresh eggs. That's like $1.50

We caught wind that NZ was going to be returning with a case of the flu...
so Sal & I found a pharmacy and some US made cold & flu medicine.

We shopped at the baby stores by the Hospital and got picked up on by the ladies.

And by far my favorite thing...morning walks with the boy.

Oh, and before I forget....Sal has added two more chompers to his grin. He cut his top two teeth this week!

Koi ponds

I'd love to do a video tour of the grounds here, but everywhere I go, there are signs specifying "NO cameras", "NO laying", "NO sitting", "NO skateboarding", "NO rollerskating", " NO swimming", that makes me envision this eye in the sky keeping tabs on us, because people around here really do follow the rules...Well, sorta, I did catch a little boy peeing in the planter outside block 14 yesterday--in his defense, there is no sign that clarifies "NO peeing"..Why does this not surprise me?

Anyways, aside from the pee anywhere acceptability (did I mention the police officer we watched pull his scooter over on the greenbelt behind our complex to take a leak one afternoon? ..Anyways, yeah--we watched him pull over, drop his drawers and pee in the trees)..Back to the point--the tour--and the "NO camera" policy. I guess it's to keep privacy for those of us who live here, but I wish I could just snap a few pictures to share back home.

Well, it's your lucky day--because this morning, NZ came along on Sal and my morning walk.

With iPhone in hand.

And guess what? He got a picture of Sal and I about to feed the koi.

Sneaky husband. He's so cool.

We have 5 koi ponds in our complex, and many of the first floor apartments actually have yards that open up out onto the ponds. Some have decks, some do not. Although we think living in a first floor apartment with a basement and yard sounds pretty cool, I do have reservations about it--seeing as I have a rather curious little boy to raise. I can just picture a mobile little one year-old motoring out the door, straight into the pond. He'd be the kid whose mom made him wear floaties24/7 "just in case".

Anyways, Sal and I take a few walks each day, zig zagging through our complex, and sometimes we get really wild and go out onto the greenbelt on the other side of our gates, but that means I have to have our passports in hand, and well, that's a nuisance, and I am lazy. Carrying Sal is enough.

We stop and look at the Koi, and on a few of our walks, we have passed by an older gentleman who plays the flute for the fish. I call him the pied piper. If he is out playing music, we usually have a seat ( where allowed, of course..don't want to break the NO sitting rule either..apparently some benches you CAN sit on, and others you can't. Go figure) and listen to him. All of the fish come his way-- there are literally hundreds at his feet.

This morning, NZ grabbed a bag of oats and we got to feed the fish with Sal. We may not have musical talents, but a bag of oats works just the same!