We FINALLY got word that we'll actually have a place to live once we get back to China. This has been a year-long battle of broken promises and lots of waiting. We packed up our apartment since the school promised they would move our stuff, but we kept our expectations floor-level low. To our surprise, they actually moved it! We're expecting to have a 3 bedroom, brand-new apartment....WITH an elevator! Yippee! No more climbing 80 stairs multiple times a day! Although, that could affect my plan to lost the post-baby weight quickly...hmm... Maybe biking with both kids (baby strapped and Josiah in his seat on the back) will make up for it!
It'll be a whirlwind unpacking and such when we get back. Michael will be there the 2nd week of September, so he'll be able to start the unpacking process. I'm sure it'll only be bachelor-style though. :) The plan is still for my parents, the kids and I to go back late September/early October, after all the baby's travel docs come in. So in order for this timeline to happen, this baby needs to come SOON!
39 weeks. C'mon buddy. It's much more fun out here.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Ready, ready, ready!
You all know this point of pregnancy...near the end and just waiting for the arrival of the little one. I've been there for a week now. Officially have 2 weeks until "due date," but when is that ever accurate anyway?! I'm just REALLY hoping he comes early for several reasons. The whole pregnancy, I've felt he's going to arrive early..but that could be 1 day in his little mind. He would....
After he arrives, it's going to be a crazy whirlwind of events. We'll spend about 1 week in KC while I recover enough to make a 4 hour road trip. Then we'll head to Branson and scurry around getting last minute items, loads of paperwork for Baby, and packing to return to China. It's going to be nuts! But, thankfully, my family will be there to help AND my parents are coming back with us to help us get settled and see what we do there. Sooo thankful.
My closest friends threw me a baby sprinkle yesterday at the Melting Pot (fondue restaurant). Uhhh..YUM. It was so fun! I love those girls. They have been so genereous, giving, and loving this summer. I might miss them more this coming year. Thank heavens for Skype!
Ok, off to do some jumping jacks or something... ;)
After he arrives, it's going to be a crazy whirlwind of events. We'll spend about 1 week in KC while I recover enough to make a 4 hour road trip. Then we'll head to Branson and scurry around getting last minute items, loads of paperwork for Baby, and packing to return to China. It's going to be nuts! But, thankfully, my family will be there to help AND my parents are coming back with us to help us get settled and see what we do there. Sooo thankful.
My closest friends threw me a baby sprinkle yesterday at the Melting Pot (fondue restaurant). Uhhh..YUM. It was so fun! I love those girls. They have been so genereous, giving, and loving this summer. I might miss them more this coming year. Thank heavens for Skype!
Ok, off to do some jumping jacks or something... ;)
Friday, August 5, 2011
Time Away
My parents and brother took over Josiah for a few days so Michael and I could get away. It was great! We went 1.5 hours south to Eureka Springs, AR. It was quiet and not loaded with tourists. Awesome! We stayed at a quaint bed and breakfast (LOVE those) that was peaceful and had delicious breakfast. Oh, yum. We really didn't do much but relax, eat, and choose baby #2's name. (yes, still a secret) I call that a successful trip!
We're in Branson for a few more days, meeting friends and hanging with family. Then we'll head to KC to wait for baby to arrive. Any bets he'll arrive early? Late? On time? I've been feeling and hoping early the whole time--we'll see!
 |
| I look huge, but I guess that's what happens at 36.5 weeks. |
We're in Branson for a few more days, meeting friends and hanging with family. Then we'll head to KC to wait for baby to arrive. Any bets he'll arrive early? Late? On time? I've been feeling and hoping early the whole time--we'll see!
Friday, July 22, 2011
whoa, hiatus
It's been a while, eh? We've been here a month already! Say what?!
We've loved being back in the good ol' US of A. We've spent tons of time with friends and family, with only more to come. The food has been great, although our bodies tend to disagree most of the time.
We're now in B-town chillin' with my family. I've been shopping nearly every day. :) That's what you're supposed to do in a town of outlet malls, right?! Just trying to follow the rules!
I'm almost 35 weeks along. CRAAZY. I keep feeling like this baby is going to come early..we'll see. Let's just hope we make it back to KC to have him, since that's where we have it all planned out!
Josiah is loving Grammie, Papa, and Unlce "Ecic" in person. They definitely make him laugh..and spoil him, I guess like they're supposed to.
Let the fun continue!
PS. I am currently forming a "you know you're in a small midwest town when..." list. Because some things are that funny to me.
We've loved being back in the good ol' US of A. We've spent tons of time with friends and family, with only more to come. The food has been great, although our bodies tend to disagree most of the time.
We're now in B-town chillin' with my family. I've been shopping nearly every day. :) That's what you're supposed to do in a town of outlet malls, right?! Just trying to follow the rules!
I'm almost 35 weeks along. CRAAZY. I keep feeling like this baby is going to come early..we'll see. Let's just hope we make it back to KC to have him, since that's where we have it all planned out!
Josiah is loving Grammie, Papa, and Unlce "Ecic" in person. They definitely make him laugh..and spoil him, I guess like they're supposed to.
Let the fun continue!
PS. I am currently forming a "you know you're in a small midwest town when..." list. Because some things are that funny to me.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Home!
We made it!
We started the day at 3am, wide awake. Michael made a few last trips to the storage apartment with the last of our things. We were out the door by 4.30. Made it to the airport, through all the hoops, etc., and onto the plane. Then we sat. For THREE hours. There was a storm coming in (come to find out, monsoon rain..good thing our flight was early!) and too much wind. Then the pilots said we sat too long and burned too much fuel, so we had to get more fuel. Wow. The most frustrating part of that was knowing that we could have been 3 hours into our 13 hour flight...instead, we added 3. Bummer.
We had lots of people praying for Josiah, since his first overseas trip was awful. He did great! We gave him a few doses of Benedryl to try to help him sleep. Didn't work that well. It did enough to take the edge off so he could fall asleep, but only slept about 4 hours total. Yikes. He was mostly fidgety and wallered all over the seats and us, not knowing what to do in such a confined space. But he wasn't hyper and didn't cry much. Answered prayers!
Since we sat so long in Beijing, we missed our connecting flight in Chicago. Thankfully, the airline already booked us on the next flight home, and we only had to wait about an hour. While there, Michael used a pay phone to let family know we'd be late. We found out the next day those calls were costly. $30 EACH!! The phone said $1 for 4 mins, but apparently if you use a card, they can charge 30..without telling you...?! He's currently disputing it with our bank. Sure hoping we get our $58 back!
But we made it home in one piece. Were greeted at the airport by my parents, armed with toys with Josiah and Sheridan's for me. So thoughtful. :) We have all pretty much beat jet lag. Since J didn't sleep much on the plane, he was exhausted and crashed and has been on schedule since. Such a blessing!
We've been able to see most of our family, a few friends, and lots of people at fellowship this morning. It's great to see everyone! In some sense, it seems like we weren't even gone that long..
We started the day at 3am, wide awake. Michael made a few last trips to the storage apartment with the last of our things. We were out the door by 4.30. Made it to the airport, through all the hoops, etc., and onto the plane. Then we sat. For THREE hours. There was a storm coming in (come to find out, monsoon rain..good thing our flight was early!) and too much wind. Then the pilots said we sat too long and burned too much fuel, so we had to get more fuel. Wow. The most frustrating part of that was knowing that we could have been 3 hours into our 13 hour flight...instead, we added 3. Bummer.
We had lots of people praying for Josiah, since his first overseas trip was awful. He did great! We gave him a few doses of Benedryl to try to help him sleep. Didn't work that well. It did enough to take the edge off so he could fall asleep, but only slept about 4 hours total. Yikes. He was mostly fidgety and wallered all over the seats and us, not knowing what to do in such a confined space. But he wasn't hyper and didn't cry much. Answered prayers!
Since we sat so long in Beijing, we missed our connecting flight in Chicago. Thankfully, the airline already booked us on the next flight home, and we only had to wait about an hour. While there, Michael used a pay phone to let family know we'd be late. We found out the next day those calls were costly. $30 EACH!! The phone said $1 for 4 mins, but apparently if you use a card, they can charge 30..without telling you...?! He's currently disputing it with our bank. Sure hoping we get our $58 back!
But we made it home in one piece. Were greeted at the airport by my parents, armed with toys with Josiah and Sheridan's for me. So thoughtful. :) We have all pretty much beat jet lag. Since J didn't sleep much on the plane, he was exhausted and crashed and has been on schedule since. Such a blessing!
We've been able to see most of our family, a few friends, and lots of people at fellowship this morning. It's great to see everyone! In some sense, it seems like we weren't even gone that long..
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Josiah's Chinese
Josiah has chosen this past week or so to begin speaking Chinese. On his own. I remember the first phrase he blurted out, I did a double-take...then laughed. It was so cute! Here are some he's been saying lately (again, they just come to his mind in certain situations that he has observed, and he spits 'em out! toddler brains = amazing):
- mei shi (may sher): "it's ok" or "no problem" He says this as he waves his hand, which is what the Chinese do.
- bu yao (boo yow): "don't want" He says this mainly when he doesn't want something to eat. He'll say "mei shi. buyao." haha
- zhen bang (jen bong): "super!" Ayi (our auntie who helps us out) says this to him all the time and always gives a thumbs up while saying it. Josiah hasn't figured out the thumbs up sign, so he just points up in the air. :)
- zhe ge (jay guh): "this" We say this often, so I'm not surprised he picked it up. But when he says it, it's on repeat.
- #s to 10: Again, within the last week, he has started counting (with help) to 10 as we enter our apt building. He counts the mailboxes at the bottom, and sometimes the stairs. He got the English #s down a while ago. The Chinese are coming along fast.
- wo wo shou (wuh wuh show): "shake hands" He hasn't actually said this yet, but it's a command he knows well. Shaking hands with xiao peng you (little friends) is a daily occurrence. Parents and grannies don't want their child to pass up the opportunity to shake a foreigner's hand, so they are quite adamant about making it happen. Josiah does well with it, even if sometimes the Chinese kid is too afraid.
I hope we can continue teaching him Chinese. Better yet, I hope a Chinese person can teach him some! I love his little sponge brain right now and just want to keep soaking it!
- mei shi (may sher): "it's ok" or "no problem" He says this as he waves his hand, which is what the Chinese do.
- bu yao (boo yow): "don't want" He says this mainly when he doesn't want something to eat. He'll say "mei shi. buyao." haha
- zhen bang (jen bong): "super!" Ayi (our auntie who helps us out) says this to him all the time and always gives a thumbs up while saying it. Josiah hasn't figured out the thumbs up sign, so he just points up in the air. :)
- zhe ge (jay guh): "this" We say this often, so I'm not surprised he picked it up. But when he says it, it's on repeat.
- #s to 10: Again, within the last week, he has started counting (with help) to 10 as we enter our apt building. He counts the mailboxes at the bottom, and sometimes the stairs. He got the English #s down a while ago. The Chinese are coming along fast.
- wo wo shou (wuh wuh show): "shake hands" He hasn't actually said this yet, but it's a command he knows well. Shaking hands with xiao peng you (little friends) is a daily occurrence. Parents and grannies don't want their child to pass up the opportunity to shake a foreigner's hand, so they are quite adamant about making it happen. Josiah does well with it, even if sometimes the Chinese kid is too afraid.
I hope we can continue teaching him Chinese. Better yet, I hope a Chinese person can teach him some! I love his little sponge brain right now and just want to keep soaking it!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
one. week.
We're sooo excited to go back home! Maybe me more than the boys. I like to wrap it up in 4 F's: family, friends, food, and familiarity. Sweeeeet!
In a nutshell, this has been a very hard year. Perhaps the hardest to date for our family, but I think more so for me. I won't bore you with the details--those are tucked away in my journal. I don't know if next year will be any easier, honestly. A few things will be, but there are also going to be some even more difficult things that will be thrown at us. (Insert: child #2) And that's when the clinging comes into play...clinging to Him, that is.
I am curious how I'll react to returning to America. When I went to Nigeria (only 2 weeks), I experienced some severe reverse culture shock. I'm expecting some of the same. Some of the warnings we've heard: prices will hurt, overhearing convos that I can understand will be distracting, people's lives have moved on, etc.
Some things I need to remember to adjust to:
- I can't bargain for anything. That will be difficult.
- People follow driving laws. Red light means stop, not look both ways and cross anyway.
- Tipping. Yikes!
- Speaking in more complex sentences, and at a normal speed.
- Preservatives. Not sure I want to adjust to them...
- Josiah is NOT a superstar.
- I can drink water from the tap. That will be weird!!
- Not bagging my own groceries at Mach 90.
And so many more, I'm sure. Perhaps I'll update this list at the end of the summer. :)
I'm wondering how Josiah will adjust, too. He's not used to so many people. (I know, sounds ironic living in a country with 1.3bil) He spends the majority of his days at home or with his friend Ellie. Not with his 6 cousins or umpteen family members or in play groups. We'll see how he does. Hopefully people have some grace for the little guy! I also hope he doesn't forget how to eat his veggies. He's a veggie pro here. But we have a theory: seasoning. I'll have to doctor his veggies there. Then again, I'll have to special order them in restaurants. Why is it that kids meals aren't severed with veggies? Ok, tangent.
We still have a lot to do. Pack up our apartment, since we'll "perhaps" be moved into a campus apartment by the time we get back. Say goodbye to some students and teammates that are leaving us. Pack some more. Organize gifts. Make presentation. The list continues. Hopefully it'll make the days fly by!!
In a nutshell, this has been a very hard year. Perhaps the hardest to date for our family, but I think more so for me. I won't bore you with the details--those are tucked away in my journal. I don't know if next year will be any easier, honestly. A few things will be, but there are also going to be some even more difficult things that will be thrown at us. (Insert: child #2) And that's when the clinging comes into play...clinging to Him, that is.
I am curious how I'll react to returning to America. When I went to Nigeria (only 2 weeks), I experienced some severe reverse culture shock. I'm expecting some of the same. Some of the warnings we've heard: prices will hurt, overhearing convos that I can understand will be distracting, people's lives have moved on, etc.
Some things I need to remember to adjust to:
- I can't bargain for anything. That will be difficult.
- People follow driving laws. Red light means stop, not look both ways and cross anyway.
- Tipping. Yikes!
- Speaking in more complex sentences, and at a normal speed.
- Preservatives. Not sure I want to adjust to them...
- Josiah is NOT a superstar.
- I can drink water from the tap. That will be weird!!
- Not bagging my own groceries at Mach 90.
And so many more, I'm sure. Perhaps I'll update this list at the end of the summer. :)
I'm wondering how Josiah will adjust, too. He's not used to so many people. (I know, sounds ironic living in a country with 1.3bil) He spends the majority of his days at home or with his friend Ellie. Not with his 6 cousins or umpteen family members or in play groups. We'll see how he does. Hopefully people have some grace for the little guy! I also hope he doesn't forget how to eat his veggies. He's a veggie pro here. But we have a theory: seasoning. I'll have to doctor his veggies there. Then again, I'll have to special order them in restaurants. Why is it that kids meals aren't severed with veggies? Ok, tangent.
We still have a lot to do. Pack up our apartment, since we'll "perhaps" be moved into a campus apartment by the time we get back. Say goodbye to some students and teammates that are leaving us. Pack some more. Organize gifts. Make presentation. The list continues. Hopefully it'll make the days fly by!!
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