We may have a problem

Our oldest?

She has a bit of the stereotypical red-headed temper.  And stubbornness.

I decided to take a break from writing the story of Quinn's birth to bring you a few exhibits to prove the supposition.

Case Number One: Toddler wants the tent out of her room.  Hilarity ensues.

Did you note how she totally played it off in the end?  "Oh, I need to take my Halloween teddy to Daddy's office now."

Yeahhhhhhh.

Case Number Two: there was the day she played with some fun kitchen items at our friend's flat while we decided where to go for dinner.  Once decided, we went to gather the girls.  Harper INSISTED on taking the colander with her.  Since nothing would be harmed, we said fine.  Here are a few shots of a girl holding hands with Daddy on one side and clutching her stainless steel buddy on the other.

The people at the restaurant thought it was hilarious.  The German guys at the next table laughed and laughed.

Stubborn.  And tenacious. Hopefully the traits will prove to be a strength for the young woman she becomes.

And now to add a little about the littlest Golson girl. Quinn is growing fast and starting to smile and coo.  I attempted to get a coo on video, but instead got some milk on the newly cleaned changing pad.

And one more for good measure.  Pay no attention to the banging in the background.  Big sister was "cooking" using her play kitchen and babbling away about it.  

Remembering the end of pregnancy

Kind of like a "Things I Don't Want to Forget" entry at this point, but better late than never.

We moved to the new apartment when I was 37 weeks pregnant.  And Shanghai was hot, hot, hot.  And I was tired.  And Harper was excited.

I entertained her (perhaps too often) with episodes of "Yo Gabba Gabba" and cuddles.

Our normal TV watching pose

Harper would climb into my lap and make herself comfortable by leaning on the bump.  Sometimes, she would even bring a snack.  The cuddling became routine, and I enjoyed time with my toddles each day.  Neil added a few movies to our routine- the biggest hits were "Aladdin" and "Monster's Inc."  

Another day, another cuddle.  Excuse the swollen... well, everything.

I thanked God every single day for Ayi Wu.  She adores Harper, and Harper loves playing with Ayi.  Their relationship allowed me to rest and have some time to adjust to Shanghai on my own terms before  baby Quinn arrived.  

Our fearless little fish

Okay.  I have lived the last few weeks in denial about how soon little sister will be arriving.  The reality is sinking in now though- at 8 1/2 months pregnant (34 weeks), I cannot take Harper to the pool alone anymore.  Honestly, it has been a few weeks since I tried.

You see, the kid ADORES the water.  She comes by it honestly- both Neil and I really enjoy swimming and water sports, and we actually met for the first time in a lifeguarding certification renewal class.

When you ask Harper if she would like to go to the pool, you must be ready to get her there in the next ten minutes else she might burst with excitement.  Maybe even tunnel straight through the wall a la the Tasmanian Devil if you don't move fast enough for her taste.  Reason number one I don't do it alone: I don't do much of anything quickly anymore and putting on my bathing suit is an act I can only compare to the hippo ballet dance in Fantasia.  Except it takes longer.

Also, the child has zero interest in the kiddie pool.  She likes the water feature that spills water from brightly-colored containers, but Harper has little interest in actually swimming there.  The tile on the bottom is glazed and therefore slippery, and she needs traction in her life.

Well, that leaves the "hot tub" and large lap pool/ adult pool.  The lattert has no stairs as entrance- only ladders.  And ladders are fine, but one cannot enter the water on the ladder while holding a toddler- never mind while being extremely pregnant.  And Harper is not so good at staying on the side while I get in or out.  Sister has to MOVE.

And she loves the hot tub (disclaimer: it is not the 100+ degree hot tub we know and love in America.  It's like a really warm bath- just around body temperature or a bit more). With all the benches and jets to play with, she is in heaven in there.

However, dear readers, the main reason my overly pregnant self does not take Harper to the pool alone is her fearlessness in water.  Not an ounce of healthy concern in her little toddler body.  We have had her in it since she was  a little bug, and she is incredibly comfortable maneuvering on her own and with help.  She blows bubbles, kicks her feet, jumps in from the side, pulls herself up, wants to be tossed/ thrown/ bobbed/ dunked by us.  We just started working with a kick board and the only skill we continue to have an issue with is the back float.  I mean, why hold still when you can swim?

As illustration, I have a couple videos to share.  First, in the hot tub with Daddy.

Then, Harper in the big pool.

I rest my case.

Still here.

Just got fairly busy.  A few posts in the works for you based on the past week's adventures: An update from my OB appointment on Friday, a detailing of our family trip to the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum on Saturday, some information about the ayi hire as our wonderful lady starts Tuesday (!), and a recounting of the Sunday Funday we are just finishing up.  Lots to share.  And with the ayi starting, I will have a bit more time to write.

Neil returned home on Thursday night very late.  It was so great to see him and hear about his travels first hand.  He took some amazing photos, and I will be sure to ask to share some here.

That Thursday had been a successful day in itself since Harper and I had a fab play date with some new friends.  I met another red-headed kid mama while at the Kerry playground one day, and we began to chat.  At the end of our visit, we exchanged information and planned to get the kids together again soon.  She invited another fun mama with a kiddo the same age as ours, and we set out to an indoor playground to let the kids run and play a bit.

First off, the indoor playgrounds here are serious business.  They are HUGE, and I am pretty sure Chuck E. Cheese would bow his head in shame if he saw what awesomeness they have here.  Hampster maze like levels, a mini-zipline, a ball shooting/ collecting/ air toy room, trampolines, kitchens, cars, ball pits, slides, FUN FOR ALL AGES.  I mean it, the parents can follow the kids right on up.  Here is a video I took while resting on the edge of the ball pit.  My mom-friend was following Harper (seen in the distance mid-video) as she climbed up into the hamster maze.

Only problems: Very busy.  Lots and LOTS of kids and parents everywhere.  And then the air conditioning.  We are spoiled in the Southern US- the A/C is usually out-of-control starting in April, so the instant relief you get when walking inside spoils you.  Actually, I used to take a sweater everywhere "just in case" it was too cool.  Yea, not here.  The air conditioning is not as powerful, not set to cool as far down, and not turned on until the business opens.

Translated: The play area is full of kids and grown-ups running around in a warm room.  Makes for a very sweaty pregnant lady.

Luckily, my new friends were willing to run after Harper when she decided to climb up into the second layer of the hamster-maze.  She is a daredevil climber now (thank you so much, Neil's genetic code), and the bigger the slide, the better.  Kid has very little fear.  Here she is on the slide:

And discovering the ball room:

We finished our trip with a yummy lunch and then an extra-long nap.  New friends and play dates are fast becoming one of my favorite parts of the China experience.

About signs.

There are some really great signs in China.  Really great.

First of all, Shanghai spoils us.  The city is incredibly kind to foreigners, especially Anglos.  Most road signs are in both Mandarin and English.  Most areas that do business with expats also have dual-language signage.  There are times that one can easily forget that you are even in Asia.

But sometimes the signs just stop you in your tracks.  You guffaw. You make eye contact with your spouse and do that little head jerk that means "lookovertherebutdon'tLOOKlikeyou'relookingoverthere"
the first few times.  But now?

Now I take pictures.  Because those things are awesome.

So starts a regular feature we will call Shanghai Signs.  I have three pieces for you all this evening.

Found in our apartment

The light switches are very cool in modern in our apartment, and all labeled well for easy use.  Took me a couple weeks to realize that this did not, in fact, actually say "dining."  I now giggle almost every time I use it.

Found in our area grocery store- the fancy "Whole Foods" like one

The spelling of yogurt aside, the pronoun usage along with the adjective instead of the noun just makes for a great sign.  Totally communicates the point, so successful there, and totally makes me want frozen yogurt, so successful marketing.  (This commentary is also where I remind all of you that I am an English teacher by trade; therefore, grammatical explanations tend to be specific and use proper terms.  However, also note that I am writing this blog as a casual matter, and I take liberties with the general rules of grammar and usage to speak in an authentic voice and better communicate tone.  Contradiction?  You betcha.)

Also from said grocery store

I am going to have to write out for you the wording of this sign. 

Ahem.

"Meat, in its broadest definition, is animal tissue used as food. Most often it refers to skeletal muscle and associated fat, but it may also refer to non-muscle organs such as lungs, livers,"

You know what makes me hungry for steak?

Not that sign. 

On another note: Thanks for the concern about the finger.  I am doing well, the finger is healing and the throbbing has finally stopped.  I have a few posts in the hopper and should be posting on the regular yet again.  

  

Things I don't want to forget

Update from previous list:

The washer and dryer problem has multiplied.  The clothes were not drying.  Ever.  I was basically steaming them to death, and I had no idea what was wrong.  I called downstairs, they said to empty the tray.  I looked for a tray.  Nope, didn't see one.  Saw a heat conductor thingy, tried to dump it, but alas, nothing to dump out.

Then the washer stopped working.  Well, it would start a cycle, ding to say done, then the clothes would be sopping wet when I opened it.  I gave up and called for a service man to come up.

Service man speaks no English.  He assessed the situation, called downstairs for a front desk clerk, and then proceeded to speak to her rapidly in Mandarin.  She called me in, said that the service guy said I needed a lesson on the machines.  Well, duh, dude.  They then explained that the setting I chose on the washer was just a rinse cycle.  Doh.

In my defense, I chose it based only on the temperature reading and the length of time on the display.  It was all I had to go on.

He then showed me the cycles I would want to use, the buttons and what they do, and such.  He made me laugh because he clearly thought I was dense- many times he said, don't touch that, just make sure these lights are on, only use this or this.  I was incredibly thankful.  And I would get actually clean clothes instead of just incredibly well-rinsed clothes.

And I asked about the dryer while he was there.  The man reaches up, pulls on the side of the top of the machine (well above my head) and pulls out a giant tray full of water.  You see dear readers, the machine is not vented.  The steam collects in the tray, condenses, and you empty it after each cycle or two.  Or else, steamed clothes that do not dry.

I could have kissed that Chinese service man right on his mouth.

Small side note: I may have broken the microwave today.  When it just stops working in the middle of cooking your frozen lasagna for lunch?  And then won't turn back on for an hour?  That's broken, right?

Other items to remember:

• Every time Harper sees the stroller in the apartment, she says "bye-bye?" and pushes it.  She loves our trips out so much that we have taken to hiding the stroller in the guest bathroom to keep her from pitching a fit to go out when she gets bored.
• We finally opened a set of blocks we have been saving since Christmas.  My Aunt Janie gave them to Harper, and they are blocks in the classic style, but with Chinese lessons on them.  Simple words, characters, phrases.  She LOVES them.  Harper wants either Neil or I to sit with her and build tower after tower and makes the funniest shocked face when she knocks them down. 
• Harper has a "lift-the-flap" book of animals at the zoo.  The first set of flaps focus on animal sounds.  She picks up the books hissing for the snake sound every time.  Takes after her Papaw, there.  
• I just made a trip to Metro- think Sam's, Costco, BJs- and was ridiculously excited to buy a broom and dustpan with a stand-up handle.  No more pregnant lady on the floor trying sweep up around the high chair.  High class right there, people.
• Harper's pure joy when we opened the air shipment and she rediscovered her chair and her musical instruments.  We even opened a new baby and a stroller.  Of course, she LOVED it.  Strolled that baby all the way to the mall for a grocery shopping trip.  She was the talk of the town, I tell ya.

Weekends

Before I begin chatting away in earnest, I just wanted to take a moment to say that I am writing with a heavy heart this morning.  Loss is a part of life, but when we lose someone so young for a completely senseless reason, it hurts all the more.  As a teacher with almost a decade under my belt, I have lost too many young people already.  Today, the Auburn community is reeling from the loss of of three of its own, while two more are still battling to make it in the hospital.  One of those students was an eighth grader I taught years ago at Loachapoka High School, and I am saddened to hear of his loss.   When I think of the grief of his friends and family, I hug Harper a little tighter.

Le sigh.  This situation has given me a glimpse of what hardship it must be to experience grief as an expat- far away from those you would love to hug and comfort and hear kind words from.

So, my plan was to tell you today a bit about how we have spent our weekends while here in Shanghai.  Tomorrow will mark two weeks in country, and we are developing a bit of a pattern already.

Harper loves weekends because she gets to sleep in a bit, and enjoy full days with both Mommy and Daddy to order around.  Fun tidbit: Most parents dread their children learning the word "no," but Harper has latched onto "yes" as her go-to bossypants command.  Too many times she has said, "More?" and heard me ask, "You want some more crackers?" She then replies "YESSh" and subsequently gets more crackers.  Harper has taken out the middle man now.  We hear, "More? YESSH.  Yessh.  MORE? YESSH.  YESSH."  Constantly.  Sub in any other word for more.  Bath? YESSH.  Gab-Gab YESSH. It might get annoying if it wasn't so damn cute.  My Southern upbringing pushes me to turn her bossiness into politeness- We are now working on, "More.  Yessh pweeeese."  See?  Fixes everything.

Okay, back to the weekends.  We eat breakfast at a downstairs restaurant buffet on the weekdays as a family every morning.  Very nice perk to our staying in a hotel residence for a month.  I reference Dylan McKay a la BH, 90210 on many occasions.

However, on the weekends, we are on our own for breakfast.  Last weekend, we ordered in and enjoyed the posh spread from the "American breakfast"on the room service menu.  We were better prepared this weekend, and we were able to cook eggs and toast and jam and RICE CRISPIES.  I might have been a *little* excited about the cereal...

After we eat, we generally clean up.  Either Neil or I will take a bath with Harper while the other cleans up the kitchen and dining area.  The bath tub is a pregnant lady/ toddler mom/ bath enthusiasts dream.  Deep tub, handles for assistances, fast filling and draining, non-slip tile floor on the outside since the shower is enclosed with the tub.  Our water baby generally loves it as well, and bath time shared with Mommy or Daddy is extra special.

Neil has been working with a fancy Hong Kong trained tailor since his last visit to China on a couple suits, shirts, and a sport coat.  The work is BEAUTIFUL and costs a bit less than a suit off the rack at home.  His work wardrobe was in dire need of an update, so we decided to outfit him here.  Each Saturday morning so far, we have gone in for a fitting with the tailors.  Yesterday, we picked up his first suit, grey glen plaid with a lovely purple lining, four dress shirts, and a tie.  The men and women there are amazing at both customer service and making beautiful clothes.

Neil at his first fitting with the fab tailors

Then we shop.  Last weekend, we took a stroll to Metro- a large. big box style store.  Think Costco or BJs. Larger amounts, good prices.  Buy a patio set and some chicken all at the same place.  This weekend, we discovered City Shop.  This is smaller than the US version of Publix or Kroger, but much the same in what it carries.

People, I was in heaven there.  Neil laughed at how excited I was to find grape jelly (now where else had grape, just every other flavor), JIF smooth PB, applesauce squeezes and mandarin oranges for the toddles.  It was a great haul.

We always venture out to find fun activities for Harper on the weekends too.  Both weekends we went to the pool, which she loves.  Daddy takes charge since he moves a bit faster than I do right now, and Harper loves to jump in from the side, blow bubbles, float (well, she's working on being comfy on her back right now), and kick, kick, kick while we pull her along.  Oh, and splash.  And watch the fountains and big kids play.  And this momma LOVES the excuse to submerge the big belly in the water and have the weight lifted from my back for a bit.  Win-win.

The kiddie pool, completely with water-dumping fountain

Harper loves the outdoor playground right outside the pool area.  She plays on the swings and mats and riding toys, but what she really loves is the rocks.  With gardenias and rosemary planted right by the play area, it is just like being back at home.

Harper making a pile of rocks earlier this week

Last weekend we wandered together through the Kerry mall, which is right by our apartment.  We ventured further out this weekend to the IFC mall- much, much bigger and grander by far.  We ate at a steak house.  It felt so posh.  And yummy.  Harper entertained the entire waitstaff, as usual.  She ate almost half of my lobster bisque too.  That kid LOVES a creamy seafood soup.

So, weekends here are busy.  We get many things done, and use the time to plan our week ahead and discover new places.  More than anything else, we enjoy the time together.  This morning, Harper spent a good thirty minutes looking for Neil after he left for work.  She just adores him.

Okay, folks.  I am going to shut down the computer for a bit and rest before the toddles gets up.  I have a errand to run for me residency paperwork this afternoon, and I need to get some downtime in before that happens.

Week One, Updated

Hi all.

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.