Things are going well, and I thought I would take a break from writing some recaps to give you the details of our first week in Shanghai.
Neil is doing incredibly well. He picked up the same cold on the airplane that Harper got, but luckily he was able to shake it within a few days. Work is going well, and he has been able to get home for dinner most nights. We are enjoying the time together in the early mornings immensely and have had family breakfasts most everyday.
I am doing pretty well myself. I managed to avoid the airplane cold and only had to contend with jet lag and confused toddler. Some of you know that this pregnancy has left me pretty sick throughout the entire thing, and I am happy to report that my medicine has managed to help me stay on track and feeling as well as I did stateside. I have an appointment next week with my new OB, and I am hoping that we will get some idea of when the delivery will be scheduled within the next few appointments.
My transition has been great so far- everyone in our apartment complex is friendly and outgoing. There are lots of kids and moms at the playgrounds and restaurants to talk to and visit with. Harper is outgoing and social and makes getting to know new friends easy for both of us. Neil used to joke when we first met that I could form life-long friendships in the line at the grocery store check-out. While he is relying on hyperbole there, I am finding that my extroverted personality is coming in handy throughout the week.
And Harper is adjusting so well. Sure, she is a toddler. We have challenges. Like, a lack of baby-proofed cabinets in the kitchen and meltdowns over the iPad going back into the drawer when her episode of "Gab-Gab" is over. But mostly she is her sweet, funny self.
We have explored the apartment fully, and her favorite feature by far is the windows and wide windowsills. She loves to sit on them and plays lots of games with the curtains. The video is on the longer side, but it will give you an idea of how independent playtime in the apartment goes right now.
Harper and I take small excursions out of the apartment daily- usually an morning excursion and an afternoon one as well. There are lots of things to do in our immediate area- the outdoor playground, the kid's pool, the Adventure Zone indoor playground, walking the mall, walking the courtyard, eating at one of the many, many restaurants, or getting chores done like grocery shopping. As always, she loves the opportunity to meet people and see other kids. Here is a video of Harper playing with some Chinese kids in the courtyard this morning- I took the video as an afterthought at the end of the visiting session, but she played and visited with these kids and their families for a good ten or fifteen minutes.
We have been working on coordinating our shipments and establishing residency visas for Harper and me. Tons of paperwork and red tape, but luckily we have great guides with the relocation through Neil's company.
One thing that has surprised me is the sheer amount of passport-sized photos required for this move. Silly, but it is a LOT. No exaggerating, I think I have now had almost 30 copies made for different passports, visas, applications, and the like. Even our gym memberships asked for photos.
Another observation before I wrap this post up- there is not voicemail service in Shanghai. None. The Chinese do not use it. Though I was loathe to check my voicemail in the States, call screening does not really work unless there is voicemail to rely upon on the other end. So, you just answer every call. Had not been an issue until today when a lady called me four or five times before she realized that I did not speak Mandarin.
Okay folks, that's a quick update in the books. And I'll have a few recap posts ready to go in the next few days. More to come soon.
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