We've got mail!

My sister spoils us. 

This months care package included a whole lot of stoke. 

Sal made out like a bandit with a Tonka set and police badge from uncle Juls, and custom excavator cookies from aunt Stephanie. 

I came in second with all of this elastic for headbands. I've got enough to make a few sizes and will probably make some gifts for friends. 

Carla got some leggings and she and Nick both got some reading material. A few books for her, and a Surfer magazine for him. You know--just to make him miss the ocean more, lol. 

But really, we've loved and appreciated all of the care packages we've been sent over the last few years. It's not cheap, and it's not easy to ship to China. So, the fact that people have gone out of their way to send a slice of home has made us feel remembered while we are away. 

To market we go...

The kids and I spend most of our mornings walking the same route to do our errands. It's a mundane task, but I also know that when we move home, I will miss parts of my life here. One of the changes that I've had to make, that is for the better, is to find ways to meet our needs without the use of a car (although we have access to one now--bonus:no more car seat installation). For the past two years my primary mode of transportation has been my own two feet.

In the states, our house is within half a mile of stores, yet I always drove wherever I needed to go. Never did it dawn on me that maybe I should walk to pick up my husband's dry cleaning or buy groceries. I could've, but I didn't. 

My kids are young. Too young to remember life here. Sal may remember some parts of living in China, but my guess is that he will forget most if not all of his experience here once we hit US soil. My goal for our last year here is to take pictures of the day to day stuff that wowed us when we arrived, but is now so "normal". I'd like to make a yearbook of sorts so that our family can look back and be like, "yeah, we did that". 

So, today, I documented our errands. The sights we saw, the transactions made...all things we see every day but may not remember years from now.

It's been raining this week, but we were still able to roll through the mud well enough to sneak through our "secret" exit that is accessed through the green belt below our home.

We started our walk over the tiled bridge that gives us a view of the canal that runs behind our compound. It smells during summer.

On the other side of the bridge there is a strip mall below Vanke apartment complex. Our drycleaner & favorite Korean market are located here.

Right now, there is a mangy kitty (hello fleas!) outside our dry cleaners. He's cute but in terrible shape.

Here's our dry cleaner. I'm exchanging four dirty shirts for two clean today. 

Our stroller doesn't fit inside so the kids wait outside while I prop the door open with my foot. One foot in the store, one hand on my stroller. 

After our stop at the cleaners, we continue on across the intersection towards the market. We often pass other children riding on their Nǎinai's e-bike. This Nǎinai and her kids are riding three deep. That's a kid on the back covered in a "bike seat". 

I don't judge, we do it to. 

With helmets, of course.

Today there is a fire burning in the rubble of the recently demolished apartments and vegetable market.

 The government has come in and torn down our produce market. The big dogs have  plans for the land. Selling produce is not one of them. For now, the vendors have moved to the driveway that used to lead to their building. They set up shop under umbrellas. I'm talking everyone. Veggies, fruits, fish, pork, spices....they're all outside now. My heart hurts for them.

We buy our fruit and veggies from the same family every time. Their son speaks English, and the husband knows "banana" and "cherry". I know how to say apple, mango and watermelon in mandarin. We laugh at each other's use of the words. With admiration for trying, of course.

He always gives Sal free fruit. Today Sal got two bananas, a melon slice and a lingonberry. 

Sal declined the bananas so Carla tried one. She was quite peeved with me when the banana was gone. Girlfriend can eat!

We left the market and found ourself in a traffic jam. Busses, e-bikes, pedestrians, cars, bikes and tuktuk trucks.. It's quite common for women to ride their e-bikes in mini skirts and pantyhose. Flashing is a sport here.

We made our way through, and passed our favorite roadside watermelon vendor with his new tuktuk on our way home.

We crossed the intersection towards home but had to watch for e-bikes and turning cars, as always. Crossing a street here is like playing frogger. There's the water delivery man below. $1.20 per jug, deliverd to your door. 

As we approached the bridge below our compound, we passed what Sal and I call the "pee pee water" spot, in which we often see taxi drivers pull over to relieve themselves. It's just a bunch of bushes right before the  bridge begins. Today we passed a taxi driver relieving himself. Naturally, I let him photobomb my selfie (then conveniently cropped myself out) to share with you all--cause I'm sneaky like that. See him next to the tree? Yeah...he's doing what you think he is.

We cross the bridge and see our block. Almost home. During winter and rain, the tiles on the bridge get slick, and I'm happy to have my stroller to help keep me from falling and busting my tailbone. I think we've all pulled a groin or two on these tiles.

We cross paths with the lady that I've told Sal is our recycling lady. She digs through the trash cans in our compound looking for recyclables. Now that my ayi is no longer, I try to put our recyclables to the side for this lady. I know she will dig anyways, but at least she won't have to dig for ours. 

Through the gates...Sal will tell you not to touch the wires above, because "they will hurchew" (hurt you). Electric fences keep the bad seeds out, or so we hope. 

And up the elevator...at two and almost a half, Sal can almost reach the up button. Today I gave him a boost, but I speculate that by the time we move home, he will be tall enough to reach the button himself. He loves to be my doorman.

And finally, we have arrived  home...time to unpack the car, I mean...stroller.

You just walked a mile (literally) in our shoes. Thanks for joining us on our errands today.

Love, Brie & co.

As seen in China

Thought I'd share a few of my recent sightings.

Just another day in the life.....

The local bike repair shop. Got a flat? Fix it fast. My father in law took this photo while visiting. This man sets up shop across from our compound.

NZ and I followed this guy through the potholed side streets of Binhu district last weekend. He had a canister of some pressurized gas just hanging out while his trunk banged up and down on it. (Don't worry mom, we didn't follow that closely. This was taken at a stoplight. Rest easy.) my sister pointed out the license reads "DUM", and I agree..dumb move transporting a gas canister this way..hopefully it was empty.

Split pants and fertilizing potted plants at the mall. This one doesn't even phase me anymore. At least this Nǎinai held her grandson over a plant. We've seen a mother squat with her child on the front steps of KFC to poop before. Like, seriously?! On a positive note, potty training Sal could be easier while out and about. I just can't bring myself to do it. 

Hey Nick, why is that lorrie crooked? 

Oh, that's why. 

Missing an axle. 

It's all good, it's tied up with a rope. 

China's interpretation of a food truck. The food tuktuk. 

This guy pumps out puffed tubes of corn. A whole bag for 2 ¥. 

I've never tried them...because, well...gutter oil. 

So, there you go...some of the stuff we see everyday. There's never a shortage of " what were they thinking?!" moments.

Sucker

Sal and I set out on a walk to go buy our weekly produce on Tuesday. We are lucky we went early because it's been raining ever since Tuesday night... And it's cold. Not Midwest cold, but 0-8 Celsius cold. 

When we made the right hand turn into the produce market's alley, Sal spotted the balloon guy...and kept saying "Minnie" over and over as we passed by.

He was such a helpful boy during our visit that we stopped at the balloon guy to buy the Minnie balloon on our way home. 

Mama is such a sucker. 

How to survive in China with two kids and no car

I miss my car.

I shouldn't, because we sold it, so it's not technically my car anymore, anyways...but I miss having A car. I miss the independence it provided. I miss being able to make a change of plans midway through a shopping trip, and make an impromptu stop at target to stock up on a bunch of not-really-necessary-necessities. 

I love our driver. He is Sal's homeboy. He helps me with grocery shopping, and car seat installation. Can I just say that installing car seats, while easy enough...is a pain in the butt to do each and every time I want to go somewhere? Multiply that by two, and I'll be carrying almost 40 lbs of car seats up and down the elevator every time I take the car. I'm gonna have some strong arms at the end of this stint.

Since using the driver is sometimes more work than it's worth, we've invested in a few items that make life in China a bit more bearable. I love walking when the pollution levels are lower. It feels like freedom to load up my stroller and just walk wherever my heart desires. No translator needed. Just me and my feet, walking without help from anyone. It's an extra bonus when both kids rack out midway through a walk so I can enjoy the peace and quiet of honking horns and screeching brakes on the city streets. 

[ babyjogger city select, Quinny footmuff, chicco keyfit, PPB swaddle, Ella Vickers tote, Ergo]

Obviously, having two little people to tote around changes things a bit, but we fell in love with the babyjogger city select stroller after seeing its narrower wheelbase (versus the standard side by side doubles) and stadium seating. Side by sides are less than ideal here, as sidewalks are not of uniform width, nor are grocery store checkout lanes wide enough. It met all my must haves. Large foam filled tires, easy folding for storage, car seat carrier compatible, and both seats are reversible and recline with large sunshades.  Oh....and the best part? A huuuuge storage compartment for my grocery hauls. 

It's still winter here (despite today being 75 degrees), so we have continued to use the Quinny footmuff that we purchased last year for our old quinny buzz stroller. It's super cozy and keeps Sal warm without needing to layer up on the clothing underneath. My kid haaaates jackets, so the footmuff has been a life saver. Added bonus? The Chinese grandmas approve and tend to stay out of my hair about my baby not being warm enough when I've got the footmuff on. I highly recommend this bunting bag to anyone shopping for one. Sal is 32.6" tall and still fits in it, however, I think he will have to pass it on to Carla after this winter. 

We use the chicco keyfit 30 carrier for Carla when we use the car. We left the base in the states, but it is quite easy to install with just the lap/shoulder belt. It also fits into my baby jogger city select by way of a universal car seat adapter. Most people in China do not use carseat carriers, and have no idea what they are staring at when I walk by with Carla loaded up in it (and covered with a anti-grabby McGraberson canopy cover made by my friend, Liz) so they keep their mitts off of her. I had problems with people reaching in my old stroller when Sal was little, so I'm relieved to see that the canopy cover really does work to deter curious hands.

Both of our kids enjoy a good swaddle. I swaddled Sal well into his 4th month, until he became the master roller, and the he switched to sleeping in a halo sleepsack. Our favorite swaddle blankets come from petunia picklebottom. We received one as a gift when Sal was born, and love the stretch and softness and perfect swaddling size of the blankets. I went ahead and found one on eBay before Carla was born for a steal of a deal. I usually swaddle her before sticking her in her carrier (unless we are going in the car-in that case, we buckle up appropriately) for extra warmth and snuggliness before we head out walking.

My diaper bag carries everything from sippy cups to passports to extra hats and matchbox cars. I'm partial to the Ella Vickers line of recycled sailcloth totes, because of their ability to withstand a beating. They are waterproof, which is extra helpful when it comes to leaking bottles and sippy cups, and have a nice large main compartment with three smaller pockets on each side. For me, that's just enough pockets. Give me any more pockets and I won't be able to find anything for a month of Sundays.

And lastly, my ERGO carrier. I freaking love this thing. I didn't invest in it (a whopping $16 on a Chinese website) until Sal was 15 months old, but it has been money well spent. I back carried Sal all around downtown Wuxi when my sister visited last Spring, and it also got us through our Bali trip when I was first pregnant with Carla. Now that she has arrived, I use my ERGO daily. She often takes one of her naps in it while snuggled up against me, so that I can have my hands free to do activites with Sal. It's definitely a must have item for me. I'm thankful to have found one for a fraction of what they cost in the USA. 

So much gear, but all so worth it for the ounce of freedom it provides us. 

What's your must have baby item?

WIC cookie exchange

I keep mentioning WIC in my posts, but rarely remember to take pictures from the events we attend. Last week, WIC hosted a holiday cookie exchange at my friend Heather's apartment. 

The cool thing about having a cookie exchange with an international club, is all the truly traditional cookies and sweets we get to sample. For this years cookie exchange, we had guests from all over the world...America, Spain, Belgium, France, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Thailand, Canada, United Kingdom and Romania.

                             Some of my international friends  (Photo credit:Heather Ratliff)

Check out the table. It was stocked full of delicious desserts and recipe cards to share.

  (Photo credit: Heather Ratliff)

I made toffee to share, and sure hope nobody broke a tooth on it. It's one of my favorite Christmas treats, but my dentist would probably scold me for eating it. There was apple bread, wedding cookies, peanut butter cookies, no bake oatmeal stacks, brownies, custard, gingerbread and so much more. I was stuffed by the end of the day, but was sure to bring a sampler home for NZ who always happens to miss out on the WIC fun. 

The kids had fun playing together. It has been fun to watch them all grow up, as this time last year they were just babies, and now we are all staring potty training and big kid beds down the barrel. Crazy how fast time flies.

                         

                            Aiden, Sal and Dakota (photo credit: Heather Ratliff)

I had fun too. I love that we have so many events hosted in our complex, so it makes it easy to attend even while massively pregnant.

                             My friend Heather, me & Sal (photo credit: Heather Ratliff)

                                          Happy holidays to all! 

Hazy shade of...

Pollution level is currently 353 in Wuxi and it's all of 8:00 am. This puts us in the severely polluted classification. 

All I can say is boooooooo!

Add to that the idiots behind us lighting off fireworks this morning...

I'm told it is because people are starting to fire up the coal for heat now that temps have dropped, but I don't know whether to believe it or not. 

This comes just one day after my water was shut off without notice and a load of laundry was ruined by the resulting brown water that ran out our pipes once it was turned back on. Management told us it was "safe" to use the tap after we ran the water through the pipes for a few minutes, but each time we turned it off and back on, it ran brown. 

That can't be good.

Thank goodness for bottled water!

Ahhhh, America (mainly Ventura county), I miss the hell out of you!

33 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 26 lbs. This means that I didn't gain any weight in the last 2 weeks. I really haven't had much of an appetite, but I am eating...so, it's a mystery. I'm sure with a baby shower this week and a cookie exchange next week, I will make up for the lack of weight gain by my next visit. 

Maternity clothes? I left the house in my oversized Steeler sweatpants from VS, sneakers and Nick's XXL puffy jacket today. 

On our e-bike. 

No shame.

 I fit right in with my Chinese counterparts now. Matching? What's that? My challenge will be to find something comfortable and party worthy for my baby shower on Friday. 

Stretch marks? Nope, but I have some awesome blue veins showing through my belly. 

Sleep: As good as it can get overnight. I'm napping less too. 

                      [ outside Redleaf Hospital last Saturday ]

Best moment this week: We had an ultrasound last Saturday (just before 33w) and the baby measures right at her gestational age. Not bigger, not smaller...right in the middle. We didn't get any pictures, but hearing that we aren't faced with growth restriction at this point took a weight off my chest. I am so thankful to be at this point, and be so close to bringing another baby into our family. I don't take for granted a single day of carrying this child one more day. 

     [my personal assistant removing my UGGS]

Miss Anything? Breathing easily. Bending over to put shoes on instead of sitting down. Sal figured out how to unzip my UGG boots for me yesterday so I think I'll hire him for boot removal from here on out. 

Movement: Yes. Feet out my right side, and head into my bladder seem to be her favorite places to jab. 

Food cravings: melting ice and anything potato based. Cheddar ruffles, potato soup, hash browns, French fries.....

Anything making you queasy or sick: The thought of eating chicken. 

Gender: Girl.

Labor Signs: unfortunately yes. A few b-h contractions here and there. Sal is going through a phases (at least that's what I'm telling myself) where he refuses nap until I rock him to sleep. We have always just put him down and he goes to sleep--so where this insistence on being rocked comes from, I don't know. He's out within 5 minutes of me rocking, but good God he's long and heavy to be rocking with a big ol belly of my own. I have a feeling the rocking may have something to do with the increase in contractions during the early evening. 

Symptoms: Back pain, leg cramps

Belly Button in or out? Flat

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody?: Hopeful. Thankful. Happy.

Looking forward to: My baby shower this week. I look forward to an afternoon with friends.

31 weeks & my birthday

How far along? 31 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 26 lbs

Maternity clothes? The options are dwindling. I prefer to wear leggings and NZ's t shirts at home, and oversized sweaters when I have to get dressed to go out. 

Stretch marks? Amazingly, still clear. I even made NZ double check the other day. 

Sleep: terrible. Awful. No good. I've got a massive head cold and the baby pushing on my ribs, so it makes me feel short of breath most of the day. I remember being sick at this point while pregnant with Sal as well. 31 weeks must be the magic get sick week. 

Best moment this week: Having yet another "normal" prenatal check up. Every time we go, I am worried we will be told something is wrong. The girl seems to be growing just fine, and measures a moderate size. Because of my uterine reconstruction, one of my biggest worries has been that my uterine septum will grow back, causing restricted growth. As the weeks progress, I am more and more thankful for finding Dr. Hubert, who back in 2010--listened, took interest, and diagnosed and fixed what I believe to be the cause of my previous losses. I truly believe that without his expertise, we wouldn't have Sal, let alone be expecting another. 

Miss Anything? Being able to breathe easily.

Movement: Yes. I have a foot lodged under my ribs a few times a day. 

Food cravings: ice, citrus, mashed potatoes and McDonald's (yes, McDonald's) greasy hashbrown patties.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing 

Gender: Girl.

Labor Signs: None.

Symptoms: aching hips, back and difficulty getting a deep breath.

Belly Button in or out? Flush.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody?: Happy and nervous. Nervous because I am pulling the trigger and buying her crib and dresser drawers this week. I want to get her room set up so Sal sees that someone new will be living with us rather than --BAM! Here's your sister. 

Looking forward to: getting over my headcold, and setting up her nursery.

Today is my 36th birthday. I actually had to do the math to confirm this. I thought I was 37. A year younger? I'll take it! Since I am exhausted and sick, my friends kept it real simple, planning a walk in "local fashion" to get my favorite cheap Muslim noodles for lunch. I wore my best Chinese maternity pajamas with fashionable shoes adorned in rhinestones. I felt ridiculous, but comfortable. I even dressed Sal in split pants (with a diaper, of course). 

He was not amused.

We brought the noodles back to my house and enjoyed cake to follow. The plan was a Christmas movie, but knowing I was in need of a nap, the girls left me for an afternoon snooze instead. I'm so thankful for my friends here. We are all from a different neck of the woods, with different pasts, but I've found such support in each and every one of them, that their friendship could be considered the best gift of all.

Donglin academy, Wuxi

This past Friday, Sal and I joined the Wuxi international club for a guided tour of a historical "famous" academy located in Wuxi. Donglin Academy, built in AD1111, was the place for Yang Shi, a well-known scholar at that time, to give lectures. 

                                          [entering the academy]

                [Pan pool- built for peaceful reflection]

                 [ enamored with the circular doorways]

                 

                 [ sitting in wancui house, a lecture room]

                                [star student]

                  [ playing outside on a beautiful day]

All in all it was a beautiful tour, although, I have to admit, the educational message of the tour was lost on me, as it is impossible to listen to the guide while chasing a toddler away from ancient artifacts and open waterways. 

I've always shied away from doing these types of tours, but I really enjoyed getting to see a little bit of Wuxi's history, and think that we will sign up for more in the future. I'd hate for my time here to be spent holed up in our apartment, or only seeing shopping malls, grocery stores and indoor playgrounds. Sal is so little he won't remember any of this life in China, so it's my duty to get out and take pictures for him to look back on as he grows up. 

Plus, an afternoon with friends?

Can't beat that.

Interested in learning more about the history of the academy? 

Check out this link: http://www.wxdlsy.com/eabout.htm