Kitchen tour

I've gotten a lot of positive feedback on my last post "To Market We Go", so I will make an effort to share a bit more of our day to day with you all. So much of what surprised/shocked/scared us at first is so normal now that we forget just how different life here is from America. 

Today I'm going to knock your socks off with a tour of our kitchen. What once seemed like it better suited an RV, now seems spacious. I think NZ is conspiring against me with this small kitchen business. Now when we move home to our house, my previous plans for kitchen expansion seem silly. I can totally work with what we have there..all it needs is a facelift. Saving my husband money. 

You're  welcome, honey.

Here's our kitchen in all its glory.

All 200x240cm of it. 

Here's my view while washing  and drying dishes. 

No dishwasher here. I AM the dishwasher. We've got a small dish rack on one side of our sink, that is currently drying Carla's chew toys. I sanitize them in a vinegar and water solution. Speaking of sanitizing, I also use that concoction for cleaning our floors, fruit and veggies etc. 

Vinegar is my BFF.

The soap dispenser was awesome while it worked, but it was made in China. Need I say more? It's been replaced with a jug of soap that now lives on the sill next to our three knives (paring, bread and an all purpose one) so that little hands can't reach them.

Jealous yet?

Here's our microwave and cutting board storage. Up above is our Tupperware and stainless bowl set. We have six glass storage containers to our name. The benefit? I don't lose many lids.

Down below I've got my appliances. All made in China, and definitely up for grabs before we leave here. China has different voltage than the USA so we've bought cheap appliances that get the job done, but they are definitely not Cuisinart quality.

What've I got in there? I see you peeking.

A two slice toaster, a blender, a hand mixer, a juicer and a crock pot. The crock pot and juicer are my favorites. The toaster is temperamental and the blender makes me want to fork out money for a vitamix  when we get home. I'm so over shoving utensils inside to keep it blending.

The next cabinet houses our pot and pans. A singular pot. Primarily for pasta cooking and soup making. I've got a small saucepan for rewarming things and also three fry pans. One needs to be thrown out, because it suuuuucks, but the other two larger ones are great for our needs. The apartment came outfitted with a rice cooker. Sal has used it as a piggy bank, and now many coins live in the bottom of it, never to be returned.

Above the pot and pans, I've got two gas burners. They have three settings. High, higher and scorching. Want to simmer something? Good luck.

Next to our pot and pans cabinet live our spices. Some purchased here and some smuggled from home. We love garlic salt. How can you not bring a costco size shaker back? 

The most popular cabinet in my kitchen has to be the kid's cabinet. Sal opens it a dozen times a day to empty it and find juice cups. 

And yeah, I totally cleaned that up before taking this picture to share with you. It still looks messy. 

Life with kids, yo.

Last but not least, (don't laugh), our oven. 

Yes. It's a toaster oven. 

It cooks at whatever temp it wants to, and sometimes the timer works, and sometimes it doesn't. It turns every meal that succeeds into a miracle. I've mastered cakes for the most part, and NZ finishes off a mean filet mignon (after pan frying the outside) in this little oven. 

Above the oven you can see that we aren't really set up for entertaining. 4-6 of each setting. These dishes break so easily that we've had a few losses over the last year and a half. Want coffee? I'll  have to wash the cup when I'm done so you can use it. We can't both drink at the same time, cause uhm....we only have one coffee cup. (In all honesty, neither of us drink hot tea or coffee at home). 

On the opposite side of my cabinets, is a sliding door to our pantry room. Our refrigerator and NZ's surfboards live there along with our food.

So, there you have it. 

Our Chinese kitchen.

Oh yeah.

For like ev-er: nursery reveal

I've finally gotten around to taking pictures of Carla's nursery. Up until this week it has sat empty (aside from diaper changes) since she came home.  We, *ahem*, I finally pulled the trigger. NZ was ready from night one, I'm sure. However, it took some time before I was comfortable having her across our flat. We have a good quality audio monitor, but due to our concrete walls, reception from her room to ours is crap. Now that she usually sleeps in a seven hour stretch, waking at 3:30-4:00 each morning, I feel more confident in waking to feed her without use of a monitor at all.

So here it is..a pink explosion that would make Elle Woods and the 818 proud. 

                     

We utilized some existing furniture, and bought a sundvik crib and coordinating dresser at IKEA. The dresser is the perfect height for diaper changes, with just enough space on top for a changing pad & wipes. The drawers are nice and deep for storage.

 I was able to maximize storage by using zippered boxes from IKEA to organize diapers, toiletries and clothing. The long narrow ones are perfect for onesies and cloth diaper soakers, while the large square ones easily fit folded sleepers and two rows of disposables. 

I attached two little dog booty hooks to the side of the dresser using 3M tape which are the perfect height for her to hang her coat or hat when the time comes for her to become independent.

On the walls, I made a collage of prints that fit my color scheme above the changing table and finished it off with her framed birth announcement from tinyprints. Frames used were from IKEA. Channelling my crafty side, I painted a couple canvases with two of my favorite Valley Girl-esque quotes. I fell in love with the "for like ever" print way back when pregnant with my first girl, but having it shipped here would be a lesson in futility, so I made my own to go above her crib. 

                             

Above the futon, I painted " love you more" in gold on an aqua background, and weathered it with sandpaper. The angle and lighting of this photo doesn't do it justice--it's cuter in person. The pillows are covered in an extra receiving blanket and Victoria's Secret "one size fits all" wrap dress that no longer fits (explain how that works?!). I followed a pinterest pin on no sew pillow covering and these were a snap! The pillows that were on the futon were even more chinese (& hideous) than the futon itself.

                             

The flat came furnished with the fugly futon and a bookshelf. I've used the bookshelf to store burp cloths, bibs, blankets, and her shoe & bow collection. One of my college besties sent us a bow board full of texas sized bows, and my sister has been buying headbands off etsy to fill our bow apothecary jar. Carla better grow some hair so I can put them to use--no pressure, my bald little baby. 

                          

Since we are short on space and this room was our office B.C. (Before Carla), I purchased white magazine and storage boxes from IKEA to disguise our paperwork, office supplies, and extra stroller parts to keep mischievous little hands out. 

                             

Here's my favorite part...the linens!

My super-awesome-couldn't-ask-for-a-better-best-friend, sister made fitted sheets for the crib using a tutorial over at the Dana-made-it blog (see link at end of post). I purchased fabrics within the general color scheme and she whipped them up and sent them our way.

                  

 

 I like to change out the linens to change the look of the room. My favorite sheet is the chevronish herringbone print, but I also have a dainty gray & pink floral sheet and festive turquoise, coral and yellow one waiting for their time to shine. I don't use crib bumpers because they freak me out, so changing crib sheets is really easy because there's no disassembly of a crib bumper to contend with each time the sheets need changing. 

Well, that's Carla's "crib"...hope you liked it...but I must say, my favorite part of her room is walking in to find this little girl waiting for me...

Like the crib sheets? Want to make your own? It's easy..follow Dana's instructions here:

http://www.danamadeit.com/2008/07/tutorial-crib-and-toddler-bed-sheets.html

Like the burp cloths? Visit my uber-talented sister-in-law's etsy shop, Coral Tree, here:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/CoralTree?ref=shopsection_shophome_leftnav

Like the birth announcement? Here it is on tiny prints:

http://www.tinyprints.com/product/33589/girl_photo_birth_announcements_sweet_salutation_begonia.html#color/01/pid/33595/paper/2

不要

                                Sal says "heck yeah!" But mama says, "búyào". 

One of the most popular questions I get about living over here is whether we've learned the language. In short, the answer is a BIG.FAT.NO. Mandarin is difficult with all of the different tones (which I cannot hear, nor can I replicate). I give props to my friends who take courses and actually practice during day to day interactions, even if they get laughed at by the locals. 

We know a select few words and phrases. Both Nick and I know how to navigate a taxi with directions of straight, left, right, stop, here, there....and we both know our numbers. Knowing your numbers is key to not getting ripped off. One of the first phrases I was taught (and use almost daily) was búyào.

Búyào means "don't want", or "want not" in direct translation.

I use it in many situations. For example, someone goes to touch my kids faces or hands--I swat their hand away with a strong búyào to make my point. Do.Not.Touch.My.Kids. I also use it at the market, when my vendor asks if I need spinach this week, or when she tries to push a newly available vegetable my way. A quick sweet búyào does the trick. 

Well, turns out, someone has been listening and picking up on the uses of búyào, because Sal now answers us with búyào when he doesn't want/ or doesn't want to do something. His most popular use of the word is at dinner when we sit him in his chair, and he decides he doesn't want to eat what we've placed in front of him. He'll feverishly yell "all done, all done, all done...búyào búyào búyào!" to make his point. He also uses it when our ayi tries to get him to put pants on (Sal prefers a pants optional household) and I'll hear a búyào! from his room, followed by the chatter of my ayi, presumably warning him that he's going to get sick and die if he gets cold. Sal chatters back at her, but I don't know what he is saying. I don't think it's English or Mandarin. But, who knows? Maybe he has picked up more than we know. 

It's pretty awesome to have evidence of what a sponge he is for learning. It's also a reminder for us (me especially) to watch the swear words I tend to let fly.

Last thing I want is my kid sounding like a sailor's spawn. Major búyào. 

Farewell Hedder & fam

 Life as an expat family is a unique experience. Most of us come over with contracts for a set amount of time, and once that time is up, we head back to our homelands. It's a revolving door of people coming and going around here. 

I've done alright with the goodbyes we have had to say thus far--although I won't lie-- they were difficult.  Now I'm staring down the barrel of our next goodbye and it's going to be the hardest one yet. 

I met Heather two weeks after moving to Wuxi. Nick and I were walking a restless 5 month around our compound when we spotted another white couple on the playground with a little boy. As we approached the couple, I remember being hopeful that they spoke English. That's when I heard a sweet southern "hey ya'll" from the woman who would go on to become one of my best friends here. 

She immediately took me under her wing (she had already been here 18 months) and showed me how and where to get groceries and introduced me to new friends. Even better yet, she had a son that was a year older than Sal. 

Sal and Aiden became buddies, and we spent many of our days hanging out together. She has become a second mama to Sal and he affectionately calls her "Hedder". Most of our good times and memories include Aiden and Hedder.  

In just a few days, their family will return to the states....

For good. 

Goodbye Ratliff family--so happy to have shared the past 18 months with you as our second family. You will be greatly missed. 

A walk down memory lane...

The boys at one of our many Starbucks trips. Don't look so excited, Sal.

Sal and his Hedder watching fireworks for his first birthday. 

The day we thought it was a good idea to go grocery shopping in the snow together...

After a long day of pediatrician visits and lunch in shanghai...

An afternoon finding rock treasures...

Sal's first friend, ever. 

Baking days at Heather's. That's Sal in the kitchen "mixing" with her...

At one of the many parties Heather hosted. This one happened to be a holiday cookie exchange, which equalled heaven for a pregnant girl. 

We're seriously going to miss them. 

Like. Seriously.

Desperately seeking.....

A couple of months back, NZ and I were in Shanghai near People's square, and found ourselves in the middle of the most perplexing "fair" we've ever experienced. To be quite honest, we weren't actually sure what we were in the midst of, but I can tell you there were literally thousands of people sitting side by side- many with upside down umbrellas that held fliers with what we thought to be personal information--because we can read mandarin and all-not! 

But, we could make out phone numbers, birthdates, ages...that was enough to get us thinking...

Were these people all aging parents looking for long lost children? 

There are tons of orphans throughout China, for many different reasons, but mainly because of China's strict one child per family rule and the extreme fines for anyone who breaks the law. This is what I thought, at least. I couldn't stop thinking about those pictures and the people squatting in the park with their fliers all afternoon.

NZ on the other hand, suggested that perhaps these people were looking for mates for their children. 

It took us a few months to show the pictures to his assistant for translation, but NZ was in fact correct. The thousands of people squatting out in the brisk November air were all parents looking to find mates for their children. 

For me, as a westerner, this just seems crazy, but for a culture like China in which social standing is key to survival, this is just a way to try and better one's life. When a couple marries, they often take on the responsibility of caring and providing homes for their parents. These parents are taking things into their own hands, hoping for a better life.

2nd Christmas in China

                                                                Card by tinyprints

This year's Christmas was much more normal than last year's strange Chinese worker jackhammering out our shower at 8:30 Christmas morning fiasco which lasted all day and inevitably left us opening presents well past Sal's bedtime. This year, we slept a bit later than usual, and all woke together. Nick grabbed his camera and went to the living room so he could capture Sal's reaction to Santa's visit.

I'm not sure he really "gets it" yet. I mean, he went from thinking the Duck Dynasty patriarch was Santa on a CNN news story, to  later seeing a Chinese Santa at  Christmas Eve dinner. Poor kid has got  to be confused. He knows Santa has a beard, and that's about it.

NZ and I have given up gift giving to one another while here  to simplify life ( and to be honest, there is nothing here in China that either of us want), but we did receive many thoughtful gifts from overseas. Sal made out like a bandit, and enjoyed his Mickey ball and Duplos from Santa. He also got his very own clock-the kid has a love for clocks and watches. It's quite funny to see how excited he gets when he spots a clock somewhere. 

We are happy to have survived our second Christmas here in China, and even more excited that we only have one more left before we can go back to our friends and family in California. 

Next on our agenda is getting healthy (Sal and I are both sick this week), then getting through New Years, having my sister arrive, giving birth to our daughter, NZ's birthday and Sal's birthday....all before mid January.

Lil lady baby shower

I've mentioned a time or two before that the support network of fellow expats here is amazing. I have met many women through the Wuxi international Club that NZ and I joined our first week in Wuxi, and I have to say, we've created quite a village together.

From keeping each other's spare keys (for the inevitable lockouts that happen here), to group walks to Starbucks, to last minute babysitting, to cooking meals for housebound friends, there's always somebody doing something for somebody. This past week--the ladies gave me and our daughter-to-be a baby shower, hosted by Mimi and Heather, and attended by many. 

They chose a ladybug theme for the shower which was adorable. There was punch, a hot chocolate bar (they know I love me some hot cocoa!), cheesy dip and chips, ladybugs made from tomatoes and olives as well as funfetti cupcakes and cookies sent by my sister. 

We played games, chatted, and just enjoyed the afternoon together. 

Oh....and of course, I was spoiled with gifts.

It's really weird being over here in China, and pregnant. Things I looked forward to with my previous pregnancies have seemed to sort of slip by on us without much excitement or build up. We were caught off guard when we were told the sex of the baby four weeks before we expected it. There was no buildup of anticipation prior, because we really didn't think we would have an ultrasound that particular appointment. I didn't register (do people even register for second showers?) at babies r us or target or wherever American's register for baby showers now. I didn't sign up for Enfamil freebies. I haven't shopped to maternity clothes or baby clothes (thank goodness for hand me downs).

It's been all about getting from appointment to appointment without complications. There's less baby preparation excessiveness, I suppose. 

So, to have the women pull together a shower to make this pregnancy as special as it really is for us, really touched my heart. This baby is a miracle. I'm pretty sure all babies are miracles, but to have this one come much sooner after Sal than anticipated (based on our lackluster history of pregnancy successes) and so far be healthy and low risk in a risky country is really a miracle.

A huge thank you for all those who showed up to shower us with love. 

Fanfare

Today is a big day in our household.

It marks the "official grand opening" of the company that NZ has come over here to get started. He's been hard at work for the last 18 months, dealing with surprises around every corner. If there is one thing about China, it's that nothing is straight forward, and everything is convoluted and even simple day to day tasks are difficult. I think he has earned a few gray hairs in the process, but I am very proud of him for giving his 100%. 

The owners of the company flew out for the affair, and Sal and I were invited to join for the ceremony and lunch. As with anything over here, there was an overload of red and gold, streamers, fireworks and a ribbon cutting with some "important people". Although Nick's speech was good, Sal was the star of the show, as always, with his big American eyes and soft white skin. 

It is hard to put into words what this experience has been like for us as a family. I know Nick would have a completely different description of his day to day experiences vs mine as a stay at home wife and mother, but one thing I do know, is that what he is doing, and has done, is no easy feat. There is still a ways to go....so don't get your hopes up, we aren't headed home yet...but having the opening today is one step closer to the end zone. 

Saving face, by lying to my face

Ahhh, what would life here be without some more growing pains?

My newest "I-just-can't-wrap-my-head-around-it" cultural divide is that of what I, and most westerners would consider lying. Like bold faced lies.

As in, not telling the truth to "save face."

I've mentioned before that the Chinese culture has this innate need to "save face", or to not bring shame to themselves or their families. This in turn, means that at times, they will lie to protect themselves from losing face, and also, as a "courtesy" to the person they are lying to, as to not upset them (assuming the person being lied to doesn't find out).

But what happens when we, as Westerners find out we are being lied to?

We (or I), take it personally. Especially when it is someone that I trust, and have come to love as a part of our family. My insides hurt. My heart is heavy. I'm sad.

Our ayi has been dishonest with us. This being said, I also know she has a good heart. I know she cares about my son, and wants to keep her job with us. I'm contradicting myself, aren't I? How could someone who lies, actually care? 

 I think her recent lie ( about dropping my husband's shirt off at the cleaners, when she really hadn't) was a small harmless one that really was just an inconvenience to us. It by no way put us in danger. It simply meant that my husband took an hour out of his day to go retrieve something from the shirt at the cleaners who had no record of receiving the shirt that day--even though the ayi claimed she had dropped it off. When called out about it, she admitted she had not dropped the shirt off at the cleaners that day. Had she been honest right away, my husband could've saved himself a trip to the cleaners and she could have just retrieved the item from my husband's shirt and brought it to us the next day....but she didn't. Instead, she lied.

The lie that makes me lose trust more than anything is something that I've mulled over in my brain for the past few weeks. Before we left for the US and then Bali,  I specifically told her that she must come each day and clean our floors and care for our cat. Caring for the cat entailed cleaning the litter box, throwing the waste outside (gotta be specific here, so it doesn't stank up our house) and feeding the cat food and clean water daily. 

NZ and I have been so lucky to have friends here that are cat lovers. They sweetly offered to check in every few days to snuggle with Beaver while we were away. It was brought to my attention by my friend who had stopped in, that the same cat vomit was on our floor two days in a row, indicating that the ayi did not come as arranged. My friend actually stopped in twice in the same day before alerting me to her concerns about our ayi not coming.  When we told her [ayi] that we knew she hadn't come each day as instructed (because of the lingering cat vomit and furballs around the house) she lied and said she went in the morning and that my friend must have missed her. Here's my beef--even if she had come in the morning, she still neglected to clean up after the cat (the floors)....so, in my western eyes, she didn't do her job. She didn't hold up her end of the agreement. She lied.

It's hard to know where to go next. What steps to take. How to deal with this cultural difference. Some of the articles I have read basically say westerners will never fully comprehend why Chinese people lie and do not feel that it is immoral. Some articles claim they tell lies to save face, to not rock the boat, or to keep peace. I have to step back and remind myself as I bounce back and forth between anger and hurt that I need to make an attempt to understand and respect the culture of the people I live amongst, but it is oh so difficult. I was raised to believe all lies are bad. 

Perhaps we will need to sit down and have a talk with her (translated, of course) and explain that we won't be mad for her telling the truth, but that if we catch her lying on one more occasion, she will lose her job with us. I really don't want another ayi. I want her. I just want her to be honest. As I said before, we love her. To our  knowledge she has never stolen anything from us, has been wonderful with our son, and keeps our home sparkling. 

So, what's a family to do? Accept it as a TIC (This Is China) situation, or take it to heart like a Westerner and give her the three strikes you're out warning?

Awesome sauce

China is known for its fake markets, and faux-everything. Copycats. Whatever you want to call them. They are everywhere. Most fakes can be spotted a mile away. They are that bad. I'm talking UGG knockoffs with an UCG label, Gucci bags with the trademark red and green stripes reversed, Louis Vuitton spelled Vutton, and so on and so forth.

I get a kick out of all the screen printed shirts and hats I see around town. Sayings that make no sense, written in improper English, or screen printed as a mirror image. If I weren't so camera shy, I'd snap a picture of each funny one I see.

A few weeks ago, a friend and I were talking about baby carriers and I had mentioned I wished I had an Ergo instead of my baby bjorn (Sal outgrew the crotch dangler months ago), as sometimes it would be nice to carry him on my back. I have known of people who use an Ergo from time to time to carry their tired three and four year olds around. Granted you wouldn't want to carry your older child 24/7, but I like the option. The smaller footprint is nice as well. Especially here in china where store checkout lanes are narrow and barricades cause problems for stroller doting mamas.

Later that evening, after our conversation, I received an email link to my favorite shopping website taobao (its like amazon/eBay) for an Ergo at an unbeatable price. I looked over the advertisement, and compared it to the Ergos back in the states. Identical. But so cheap?! Something must be wrong with it.....well, we both ordered one, willing to "take a chance", and to my surprise, it's just like the ones from home. Is it fake? I don't know. Looks real. Feels real...and I'm in love.

Sal (25lbs) and I have used it a lot while playing tour guide to my sister who has been visiting the last two weeks. It's much easier than the stroller when weaving in and out of crowds, and I think he really enjoys the view from his piggy back perch.


This thing is awesome sauce.

Sunday, Bloody Sunday

Literally.

This morning, NZ and his mama left to Lingshan to see the big Buddha. Sal and I opted to stay home, since he is fighting a cold, and we have a big week ahead. As we usually do most mornings, we headed to my bedroom to make the bed. I had all the pillows on the bed, except for one big bolster pillow that Sal was playing with.

A pillow? For a toy? Nice choice son. Totally harmless.

Whack! (Followed by cries)

I walked over to give him some love (he falls a lot more with all this walking business), and that's when I saw it.

Blood.

I'm no stranger to lacerations, having worked for a plastic surgeon. I'm accustomed to frantic calls, and the advice my boss would give about applying pressure. I went into action, holding my screaming child, talking in a calm voice and strategically cradling his gashed eye with a clean towel to keep the pressure. I held it a few minutes, then slowly peeled it back, and I could see that it was pretty deep.

I said to myself, "Shiiiiiiiiiiit. It does need stitches."

I reluctantly called NZ who promptly had the driver turn around and head back home. NZ called his assistant who translates for us ( she's awesome), and she agreed to meet us at the Hospital. NZ and his mom got back here, we loaded up Sal and headed to the hospital.

He got checked in, then taken to a room where we were told he needed 3-4 sutures. The doctor said he didn't need novacaine because novacaine hurts. What the???! Are you effing kidding me? This is a BABY. Not a man. A little baby that is going to flip the eff out anyways, so why not just inject the novacaine, so the multiple suturing that needs to be done is pain free?

After some insistence, NZ got his way with the surgeon who agreed to proceed with novacaine. We were instructed to put him on the gurney, head pointed toward the surgeon.

Okay, but what about that hair on the gurney? This is supposed to be a sanitary procedure. Pretty sure that someone else's stray hair is not sanitary. I pulled out a brand new disposable changing pad and we laid that under Sal.

We both agreed that NZ was better suited to restrain the boy so he straddled the gurney and was able to keep Sal's arms down and neck stable. Apparently, this wasn't going to work for the surgeon....we got the, "in china....." talk, and were told that NZ must stand at Sal's head, me hold his arms down and the translator hold his legs. I'm sorry, but three adults to restrain one child is overboard.

Sal flipped the eff out (did I call it or what?)

In went the novacaine.

And without hesitation, or ANY amount of waiting for the novacaine to set in, the surgeon went to town suturing. My heart still cringes at the thought of her piercing that skin before he was numb. Once the novacaine set in, the last two sutures were cake. He calmed down a bit, and before we knew it, it was over.

Or so we thought.

..and then came....." in china......".

In china, lacerations are not released from hospital without first having a tetanus shot. No matter whether your child is up to date on their DTAP immunizations. So, we agreed it was probably a good idea. We went, paid for the tetanus, then took the fapiao (receipt) to the pharmacy dept, who gave us the medicine, which we then took to an injection room.

In that communal injection room, we then learn that they won't give Sal his tetanus shot until they do a "test" on his wrist. The test is another injection of a little medicine under his skin, then a thirty minute wait to see if the bubble goes away.

Sound familiar?

Yeah- a TB test. Wtf?!

At this point we just want out of there. Due to translation difficulties, we didn't know it was a TB test until she was administering it and I realized that she wasn't trying the tetanus on him, but instead doing a TB test! NZ and I were boiling at this point. It's not enough to just say "in china we do this and it is good". I need the who's, what's, why's and when's answered. In this instance, we couldn't leave until he had the tetanus shot, so what's done is done. Thirty minutes later, we took him in, no bubble on the wrist, so the nurse gave him a tetanus shot. Then.....again, "wait for thirty minutes and come back."

It was a long, long morning of waiting.

Poor kid.

If there is one thing I can say, he proved his toughness today. Stitches sans novacaine, having two injections on top of that, and then flashing us a big smile when all was said and done.

Sometimes I think its harder on us as parents then it is on the little guys. I think that as Sal's parents, we dealt with our first "emergency" quite calmly, cooley and collectively......especially for dealing with it in a foreign country knowing very little mandarin. We are so far our of our comfort zone it's not even funny...but we're doing it. The world hasn't ended just because things are not "the same" as we expect them to be. Our son got medical care, although marginal quality at best, and we are back home safe and sound.

Now if you'll excuse me, I will be padding every single straight edge in the house.

Easter 2013

Our international club was invited to an Easter brunch at the Hilton Doubletree Wuxi Lingshan Resort this weekend. We made a weekend of it, by first visiting the nearby Buddha on Saturday and staying the night at the doubletree resort. The resort overlooks Lake Taihu, and just hearing the sound of lapping waves was music to my ears. If you didn't already guess, we miss the ocean. We miss home.

The Easter brunch was fantastic. It's been months since we have had a full spread of "western" food. They had prepared everything from burger sliders, to chicken wings, sushi, steak, a pasta bar and loads of salads. We should have worn our stretchy pants.

Perhaps the best part of the morning was the addition of some newly hatched chicks, ducks and baby bunnies for the kids to pet. Sal wanted to touch the chicks so badly that he literally broke the fence down to get one. That kid of ours is persistent.

There was an Easter egg hunt, which NZ and Sal went on together. He found an egg in a tree and was happy as a clam with AN egg, so we went back to the buffet and stuffed our faces some more while the older kids left no stone unturned. It was a lot of fun to watch the kids go nuts over hunting for eggs. I know that Sal will be running along with them before too long. I'm savoring these days when he still wants his mama and dad to be close by.