Grateful: Day 13: Born on the 13th

Lucky 13

Everyday Today I am grateful for the luckiest Friday the 13th, ever. I've never been really superstitious, but I know many people are..from skipping 13th floors on buildings, to not scheduling procedures ( I had a few patients who refused to let me schedule their surgery on Friday the 13th--I was like, reaaaaally?) to just plain thinking bad things happen when the number13 is involved.

Speaking for myself, Friday the 13th's have always been good. I can recall first feeling this way as my childhood idol, Kim Zmeskal, took home the all around gold from the 1991 World Championships, on you guessed it, Friday the 13th..and I was there. In person. And it was...wait for it...

1991 World AA Champion, Kim Zmeskal
Friday, September 13, 1991

AWESOME.

So, ever since then, I look forward to Friday the 13th, and pretty much anything to do with the number 13. I guess you could say it's my lucky number.

Last January, I went in on to my OB as my due date was looming. I had two weeks to go. I was nervous as could be. I swore Sal hadn't been as active, and I was having nightly nightmares that he would meet the same demise as our babies that came before him. I was certain that something would go wrong. Because, we were unlucky when it came to babies.

My OB offered to consider an induction. He was an estimated 7 lbs, and I was starting to show signs of labor, so she spoke to her colleagues and due to my history of recurrent loss, my previous uterine surgery and his size, they agreed to schedule an induction.

For...

Friday, the 13th.

And I just knew that this was meant to be. Things HAD to turn out well.

And did they ever.

I am so very thankful for this little boy. Even on the rough days. Even on the days he  pushes all the chairs around the house and re-programs the chinese only remotes TV. Even on the days he spits up all over my favorite shirt. Even on the just-wants-to-be-held-all-day-and-mama-why-aren't-you-stronger-so-you-can-hold-me-all-day, days.

Hard to believe he was ever this small

We waited what seemed an eternity for his arrival into our lives. Four years of trying, waiting, hoping, losing, and trying again. He is the light of our lives, and I am ever so thankful for this gift I was given just 10 short months ago.

Grateful: Day 12: Western Facilities

Today I am grateful for western "facilities", as in, western toilets.

Before you go scratching your head, asking yourself, Western? toilet? Aren't all toilets the same?

Let me take a minute to show you..

Westerners...meet the Chinese "Squatty Potty".


image from itpleasesme.com
I couldn't bare to show you how dirty they really are. This one must be brand spankin new.

 

Yep. This is what I run into when needing to use the facilities while out and about. Some of the western restaurants have "normal" thrones, and believe me, all of us expat women know which places those are, but the majority of what one might end up using, are these squatty potties.

Oh, and bring your own packet of kleenex unless you like to drip dry. Most restrooms don't have toilet paper. And hand sanitizer. If they don't carry toilet paper, you can bet your dollar that hand sanitizer and soap are usually a missing element to the bathroom experience as well.

Maybe this explains why so many Chinese just pee outside in the open? At least they have the audience fresh air going for them.

Thankfully our apartment is outfitted with western toilets, for which, I am ever so grateful. Three years would be an aweful long time to "hold it", don't ya think?



Grateful: Day 11: Care Packages

I love my sister ( more on that soon). She has made our home away from home even more home-y by sending us stuff from HOME. Are you lost yet?

I'm talking care packages, people.

We received one this week.

It was awesome.

Sometimes they contain items I have asked her to pick up for me ( Knox gelatin, ranch seasoning packets, etc) and other times they have our "favorites" tucked under a pile of clothes for Sal. Swedish Fish for NZ, and Candy Corn for me. Now that Sal likes "real food", he scored with some puffs and yogurt melts in the most recent package.

I am ever so grateful for the care packages.

A taste of home away from home.

Grateful: Day 10: Innocence

Well, I had pre-written my Day 10 post as a "thankful for internet access", which I am super grateful for..but I had to re-write this post and blog about something else that I am grateful for today. With my internet access, and access to FB, I am able to stay in touch with those back home.

My favorite thing about FB, is keeping in touch with my old gymnastics crew--both from club days ( Girls Inc & UCSB Spirals, holla!) and university days ( Go AGS!). Those girls were my sisters for many many years, and many of us continue to be close to this day. We lived, ate and breathed gymnastics. We were in the same boat. Long hours of practice--  up to 30 hours a week during summer-- and make social sacrifices. I did not attend a single high school dance or fotball game, but as I said before, I didn't and still don't feel cheated out of my teen years. I was with my friends. We had each other & still do.

So, imagine the shock when an old club teammate sent out an email with confirmation that our coach had been arrested on 30 counts of child pornography charges this past week. I'm not sure I want to go into detail and ruin anyone's day--but yeah--THIRTY counts and maybe even more than 70 victims over a course of two decades.

I've spent the last 24 hours processing this information--news--whatever you want to call it. I've been in touch with many of the girls I grew up with. Word is spreading like wildfire, but that is what has to happen, right? Just in case there were any girls or boys in my era who were subjects of this terrible terrible occurance.

I am grateful, beyond grateful, actually, that I was never made uncomfortable by my coach. I looked up to him, and still will say with 100% certainty that he was one of the best technical coaches out there. Any good gymnast knows, you ain't nothing without good technique and basics. My brain is ping ponging between my good memories of him as my coach, the image of his mugshot, and the allegations of misconduct. I can't help but replay different situations and wonder why and if what he is being accused of now, was happening then?

So, today, I am grateful that I made it through my teen years with my innocence.

My heart goes out to those children affected in the current investigation, as well as any other victims over the years.

Grateful: Day 9: Driver

Off we go!

Perhaps the biggest adjustment to life in China has been figuring out how to get from point A to B with an infant, a SUV size stroller and a car seat....

...without cars of our own. ( Both of us had our own cars in California)

With taxi cabs making safey belts low on their priority list, trunk space tight, and no way for me to carry  a carseat through the supermarket, for instance, I am only able to travel by a private hire driver. We are lucky enough to have a regular driver, who also allows for our carseat to remain in his vehicle during the work week. Living on the 25th floor, the fewer times we have to lug that thing up and down the elevator, the better.

Today I am thankful for our driver.

He picks NZ & his assistant up every morning, and is available for Sal and I most days of the week, unless NZ needs him for work purposes. Our driver is the ticket to my sanity. He makes it possible for me to leave the 3 mile radius that I am quite comfortable walking, so that I can visit friends, run errands, and feel like I have some sort of independence still.

What's his name, you ask?

Good question.

I still don't know.

But, I certainly am grateful for his services.

Grateful: Day 8: Fresh Food Market

Today I am grateful for the local fresh food market.
Having this market within half a mile of our apartment means that it is extremely convenient to eat healthy. I usually come to the market twice a week, thanks to Sal's ability to annihilate bananas.

fresh produce at great prices

The prices for produce are unbelievably low, and unlike the USA where its more expensive to eat healthy, the fresh veggies and fruit here are actually cheaper than buying the pre-packaged stuff. Way to go China!

Our favorite find at the market so far has been bok choy. Oh how we love bok choy. Other staples include tomatoes, onions, extra long green beans, zucchini, potatoes, carrots, leeks, and broccoli. There are some vegetables I don't know the name of, and have not yet been brave enough to try.

No one would ever guess a vegetable market lives down this path

Live chickens sold out back

Although I haven't been brave enough to try some of the vegetables, or any meat from the butcher shop located within, we have purchased a chicken and had it slaughtered out back. It was the best chicken we have had here so far.

I wish that the US had more local markets like this one. I feel so lucky to have this one in my neighborhood. I am grateful for it's huge selection, as it has allowed me to make my own baby food, and feed my family well.

Grateful: Day 7: Grocery Delivery

City Shop Delivery

Shortly after we arrived in Wuxi, I learned about a Shanghai based grocery chain called City Shop. Shanghai is a 2 hour drive from our door, but the beauty of City Shop is that they deliver imported groceries all the way to Wuxi, and allow for internet orders!

This was music to my ears.

I do most of our shopping at the local METRO supermarket, or the fresh produce market, but there are some imported items that I can only find at City Shop, so it's worth making a monthly order from them. They have free delivery if I spend over 200 RMB, which is roughly $30 USD. With things like my all natural peanut butter running $9 a jar, you can see that it's quite easy to meet that minimum.

Having a baby, a full size stroller & a convertible carseat to carry downstairs every time I need to go somewhere by car is sometimes more of a hassle than it's worth. The thing about grocery stores here is that they don't carry everything all of the time. If you see imported cheese at Carrefor one day, you better buy them all, because if you wait, they will be gone, and who knows if they will every get it in again. It's possible to go to 3 grocery stores looking for butter and turn up empty handed.

Hard to believe for most Americans, I'm sure.

So, about once a month, I log onto City Shop, and spend more than I want to on imported food so I can restock our necessities. Canned green chiles for mexican dishes, cat litter, and while I'm at it, a case of diet Pepsi, since someone else will be carrying them.

I am so grateful for City Shop and their delivery services.