Fancy Shmancy

In one weeks time we have been invited to two different balls. And we've agreed to attend both of them.

The first one is April 5 and it is a fundraising event for the school that Morgan will attend in the Fall. Apparently this is the event of the year. There will be a silent auction, a live auction, dinner and dancing. It is a black tie event and will be held at the Shangri-la here in Shanghai. We will attend with 3 other couples, but will know many more people there. It should be fun. We've been told to book a sitter quick, too, as they go fast. There will be close to 500 people attending.

Mark is in India this week for business and his boss is there as well. At some point, Mark's boss Mike invited he and I to attend the St. Andrews Ball in November in Korea. Mike is Scottish and is the head of some Scottish organization in Seoul. He promised that it would be a great time with good whiskey. And he is quite proud that they are the only ball in Seoul that serves two meals....dinner and breakfast. Since Mark is of Scottish heritage, he gets to wear a kilt. So he and I will be studying up on the family history and will soon order him an authentic kilt.

Molly, Our Little Chef

Because I know you love them....here are some new pictures of Molly. It was cold and rainy today so we were stuck inside, which didn't turn out to be so bad.

Delivery!!

I decided to take advantage of the free grocery delivery service from one of the export stores here in Shanghai. I don't mind doing the shopping, its just that City Shop is about 30 minutes away in good traffic. Not too convenient with a little one in tow. I picked up a delivery catalog during a recent trip and, on Saturday I placed my first order. They guarantee same day delivery if you order before 3:00p.m and next day if you order at 3:00 pm.

I placed my order which consisted of Aussie beef (the only kind trusted here), chicken breast, frozen imported shrimp, fruit and veggies (organic from the stores own farm), bread and some pasta. Not too long after I placed my order I received a confirmation and a delivery window of 6-9 p.m. A little late, yes, but not uncommon here.

I had a dinner to attend with the parents of Morgan's school and Sophia was watching the girls. So I left her some money and explained that the groceries would be delivered before nine. I also asked if she would please place the meat in the refrigerator. No problem.

Except for one thing...I didn't ask her to put the chicken or shrimp in the fridge. So when I got home I found a bag containing warm, thawed chicken and shrimp sitting on the counter. I checked the fridge, and sure enough the beef was in there just like I asked. Note to self...next time be more specific.

Another lesson learned is that I need work on my metric measurements. Everything here is measured in grams, kilograms, Celsius, etc. I can't remember the exact amount of fresh spinach I asked for, but I received 6 large bags full of it. More than Popeye could ever eat in a week. I only needed 3 cups worth for a salad recipe. So I'm going to try and freeze it and see how it lasts.

Overall, I am really pleased with the service, and I will definitely be taking advantage of it again soon.

Molly's 1 year checkup

I took Molly to the pediatrician today for her one year checkup. A little late, I know. She now weighs 23 pounds and is 29 inches long. The doctor was Chinese but spoke very good English. She did a thorough check on Molls and was overall impressed with her growth and development.

Molly has always had eczema, but it has really flared up since we've arrived in China. The water here is not wonderful and the house is awfully dry. I was advised to put a humidifier in Molly's room, to add a few drops of baby oil to her bath, and then apply hydro cortisone cream twice a day.

I expressed my concern to the doctor about Molly not getting enough Vitamin D and Calcium. So it has been recommended that I add tofu and fish to Molly's diet and go outside for some sunshine. I was also sent home with Vitamin A&D supplements to give Molly once a day.

The doctor was impressed with Molly's vocabulary. (As am I.) Her list of words consists of Mama, Dada, Mah-y (Molly), Maga (Morgan), by, hi, shway (Chinese for water), go (when someone leaves), jay-jay (Chinese for big sister), may-may (Chinese for little sister), back, bib. She can also understand several word including the following in Chinese: light, book, baby.

Luckily she did not have to have any vaccines today. They have to be ordered from the UK, so I will have to take her back in about 2 weeks. They wanted to administer a blood test to check for lead and this was a disaster. The nurse was trying to hold down Molly to draw blood from her little arm. Her "rolls" were not cooperating and they could not find a vein. Not to mention Molly was in a screaming fit. The nurse had the audacity to ask me if she cries a lot at home. Um...NO! Neither of my girls have had this done in the states, even though the doctor tried to tell me this is common and should be given at 6 months, one year, and each year following. I understand the importance of a lead test, but I feel very confident that my children have lived in a fairly lead-free environment. And yes, the air quality is not wonderful here in China, but we've only been here for 2 months. Anyway...they said they'll do the test when I go back for the vaccines in two weeks. We'll see.

Chinese Cooking 102

OK...lets try this again. Without the help of Sophia, I managed to make a pretty decent Chinese meal for us last night. This time the menu called for shredded pork with vegetables and pan fried noodles.

Sophia was busy playing with Morgan and Mark was playing with Molly, so I knew it was safe to get in the kitchen and make dinner on my own. I followed the recipe from my new Asian style cookbook and made only one substitution - I used orange juice instead of cooking sherry. The recipe called for pork and a variety of vegetables such as carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, onion and red pepper and egg noodles. The sauce was basically soy sauce, the Orange juice and chicken broth.

Everything turned out great. Well, actually the noodles were a little overcooked. But considering the package they came in was entirely in Chinese, I couldn't figure out exactly how long they needed to boil. But overall, the flavor was great and the whole family enjoyed the meal. It was given 2 thumbs up and the go ahead to make it again for another night.

Pictures....

just because. Enjoy!!!

Chinese Cooking 101

After almost 3 months of being in China, I was finally ready to try my hand at Chinese cooking. I even went to Carrefour today and bought a wok. Not an easy thing to do when there were well over 100 choices. I purchased all of my ingredients for the recipe found in my new asian cookbook and could taste the sweet and sour pork all day.

I chopped the meat and vegetables in the afternoon and by evening I was ready to cook. I asked Sophia for some help. My first clue that this was going to be less than tasty was when she asked me if I had any "MSG". Yep....you heard it right....MSG. Which by the way is sold in Carrefour. An entire aisle dedicated to the less than healthful substance. I told her no that we don't cook with it and showed her our regular salt.

She proceeded to cook the pork in the new wok and to my dismay removed it and placed it back into the same bowl it was originally stored in. My heart sank. I new this meal was ruined. I would have a hard time serving this in the US let alone in a country whose meat I don't quite trust unless I overcook it. Next she quick-cooked the veggies, then added the meat back to the pan. She put a few tablespoons of ketchup in the pot and tossed it all together. This, by the way, was not part of the recipe. She removed the "meal" from the wok and this time placed it in the bowl used to store the veggies. But then, took the original bowl that held the raw meat and turned it over the dish, spilling the raw meat juices on top of the cooked mixture.

Not only was the meal covered in raw meat juices, but the pork was raw as well. The meal was ruined. The only thing salvagable was the stickly white rice still steaming in the rice maker. As Sophia was stepping out the door to go home, I quickly put some Kraft Mac n' Cheese on the stove. Then hid the evidence.

Morgan had her heart so set on having a Chinese meal tonight, that she insisted on eating her all-American dinner with chopsticks. And this is how Molly eats most meals....one hand on a utensil, the other shoving food in her mouth. She will use a spoon/fork ocassionally, but usually she just fists her way through it.

Livin' the City Life

I don't consider myself a city person by any means. And I certainly never thought I'd be living in the fourth largest city in the world. But we have embraced our new surroundings and are taking advantage of the opportunities that it brings.

This weekend we enjoyed some family time since Mark was in Korea until late Thursday night and will be leaving again this Friday for India. On Friday, he worked from home and was able to take Morgan to/from school. She loved that! After dinner, he took her to the pool.

We didn't have our driver come back to the house until late Saturday evening. So we relied on our bikes to take us around town. Late that morning, we rode about 2 miles to Thumb Plaza. An outdoor area with several restaurants and shops. We had lunch at Pizza Hut....Morgan's request. It was actually quite nice. A very different set up than what we are used to in the states. They have several different menu items as well as their usual pizza, which tasted good and even had sauce. (We've had pizza here in china where they just put a few chopped tomatoes on the crust and call it sauce.) After lunch, we walked around a bit before heading home. Molly loves her bike seat so much that she fell asleep before we got home.

While Molly was napping, and Mark was well on his way, Morgan and I walked a few blocks away to a strip of shops nearby. We went to a bakery to purchase bread. Bread only lasts a few days here and its not because we are living on sandwhiches. The bread here is fresh, with no preservatives. So unlike in the states, I am not able to buy a loaf of bread and have it last 2 weeks. Therefore, I have to buy several half loaves more frequently. I also freeze them. Next we stopped in a "wet market" to buy some fruit since we were out, then headed home.

We had a sitter come to the house to watch the girls for us so Mark and I could go out to celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary. Jesse is 15 and lives just a few houses down from us. Morgan was so excited to have her come that she kept asking about her all day. Once our driver arrived and we had the girls all settled in, we went to a nice restaurant, New Heights, on the other side of the river with a water view. We had a window seat, a wonderful warm meal and quiet conversation. A rare occasion these days. Both of us never thought at the beginning of our 7 years that we would be living on the other side of the world. After dinner, we walked across the street and had a drink at another restaurant, M on the Bund, with a fabulous view of the river.

The girls were up early today (Sunday) and so we just mellowed out and lounged around most of the morning. Some friends called and said they were going swimming and would be having lunch by the pool today and asked us to join them and their two young boys. We agreed and had a really fun time. The weather was so nice today (about 53 degrees) that I took Morgan to the outdoor play area while Molly napped. In the evening we rode our bikes to Johnny Moo's for dinner. We went pretty early, but still had to ride home in the dark. Morgan thought this was cool.

This is a very different way of living from we are used to. While I'm not sure I could do this forever...you now what they say..."You can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl"....I'm definitely enjoying our "city life".

Our first attempt at pictures

I want to have Molly's picture taken for her 1st birthday. However, there are no JC Penny Portrait Studios here and I am not willing to pay more than $3.99 per portrait sheet. There are several photographers here in China, but their prices are outrageous. I found one woman with reasonable prices but we have had some scheduling conflicts. So Mark and I attempted to take some pictures today with our camera and pass them off as professional. As you can see, Molly was not interested in this and was much more concerned about the raisins than she was about smiling.

"Em-O"

What is it about Elmo that children just seem to flock to him? Molly has discovered the furry guy, or "Em-O" as she refers to him. Yet, she's never seen a Sesame Street episode to know how cute and loveable he can be or to hear his funny laugh. Her only introduction to him was though books. Well last night she discovered the chair. Here she is lounging in Morgan's old red chair. Molly loves it!! She found it yesterday afternoon and couldn't part with it, so we brought it upstairs from the basement to the family room. After dinner, she crawled up in it and was just chillin'. Look at her little legs crossed. I read to her while she sat in her new "Em-O" chair.

Molly is very particular about her books, by the way. She knows which ones she likes and which ones she doesn't, and she's not afraid to voice her opinion. She does enjoy reading though. Her favorites are "peek-a-boo" books. And she likes to help turn the pages, even if you've not finished reading it yet. It looks like Molly will follow in Morgan's footsteps as far as reading goes. My little bookworms.

Our sweet baby girl...

...is growing up. She is just about down to one nap a day. She wakes up early in the morning (about 6:30), she eats breakfast, gets dressed, and then plays, plays, plays all morning. Every since she became mobile, there is no stopping this little one. She is a true crawler, on all fours. And in case you're wondering, no, the hardwood and tile floors do not slow her down. Her poor knees.


She is so curious and into everything. Once she figures out that she can open a cabinet or drawer, she can't help herself to not get into it. Don't dare tell her "NO", either. She will turn on the water works and throw a fit. What is it about first birthdays that bring on first tantrums?!?! I can specifically remember Morgan's first tantrum, about a week after first birthday. I will never forget we were in the checkout line at JoAnn's in Franklin, TN. She kept reaching for the junk they so conviently display at the checkout.


Molly naps from about noon to almost 3 in the afternoon. When she wakes up she is ready for another round of play. Then dinner, bath, and in bed by 7:30. Thank heaven Morgan has been going to bed earlier too. We finally have some down time in the evening and then early to bed to prepare for another fun-filled busy day.

Health Check

Knock on wood, it seems like everyone here is feeling much better after our weekend full of trips to the clinic. The girls' eyes are back to their beautiful hazel and blue. No more pink eye. Morgan is feeling a thousand times better since being on the antibiotic. She hasn't complained of her ear hurting since Sunday morning when it all began, and her cough is almost all gone. She is happy to be back to school today. She missed her friends and teachers. The class will not do anything to celebrate Valentine's Day tomorrow, but the teacher said the children can do something on their own if they wish. I think that means pass out cards, etc.

I am feeling "normal" again too. I had managed to pick up something but never actually made it to the doctor. I had some antibiotic on hand and took that which has really helped. Oh...by the way, you can buy antibiotic in the drugstore here without a prescription. Good to know for when I'm in the mood to self-diagnose myself or the girls.

Mark somehow managed to stay well and is in Korea this week. He returns late Thursday night. I don't know his exact travel plans, but I know he has more trips in store come March. I think India and Australia are next on the list.

Keeping the hands washed, toys sanitized, and vitamin C poppin. Hoping we can stay healthy for a while now.

Chinese Dumplings

This is an example of how the Chinese children look when they go out. Bundled in I don't know how many layers of clothes. They look like overstuffed dumplings!! Mind you this picture was taken inside , not outside, of the Aquarium.

Another Dancing Video

Only because it was requested and I just can't resist....here is another video of Molly "dancing". Actually, this is mostly of Morgan dancing, but Molly eventually gets the hang of it and starts bopping along to the music. FYI...she is laughing not coughing.

Whose desk??

Both girls have recently discovered that playing under the desk is fun. Sometimes Morgan will go under to color, or Molly might go under to "explore". Yesterday I caught them both under the desk playing together. Too cute!!!

Our Street

We may not live on a typical American street, in a typical American neighborhood, or in a typical American house. Yes, we do have guardshacks but no, we don't have sidewalks or streetlamps.

However, on any given day you can see a group of kids playing roller hockey, or children playing in the courtyard on their bikes or scooters. You can see people walking their dogs, big and small.

If you take a walk through the different courts in our compound you may find basketball hoops, a jumprope, or ball. You may see a woman out gardening or a man washing the family car.

We may not live in America, but China really isn't that different after all.

A Message From Mark

I finally get a chance to post. I know Kristen normally does all of the posting on the blog, but she is giving me a chance to post something finally.

The transition for all of us has been going well as you can tell from the postings. My job has been challenging and has been requiring a lot of time. Kristen and the girls have been very understanding of my scheduale. Things are getting better every day as I continue to get to know the region better. China is a great country and has many things to offer the girls that I could not have given them at home. We are trying to take advantage of all the oppertunities that are being presented to us.

Kristen and the girls have been sick the last several days which has not been good, but it has given us a chance to finally just relax and stay home and be together for awhile. We have not had this chance as a family for a long time since we have been so busy moving and trying to adjust to our new life.

The girls seem to really like it hear and Morgan has made many friends and is back into a routine that is working out well. Molly is growing up so fast it is hard to believe. Every time I come home from a business trip she is bigger and bigger. She is very independant and reminds me of her Aunt Kimmie quite a bit. I have a feeling she is going to be my WILD one. Kristen is settleing in quite well, I have had to start requesting time on her calendar in order to get any time with her. I quess I would rather have it this way than to have her be miserable and want to move home all the time.

Well that is enough for now!

Just to keep things interesting....

Morgan woke up this morning complaining that her ear hurt. So we made yet another appointment at the Worldlink International clinic. Mark took her in and the doctor confirmed that yes she has an ear infection (yes the doctor checked her ears just yesterday), as well as tonsilitis and the pink eye. So she is on antibiotics and we are all washing our hands like crazy here. Hopefully we will have a healthy household before long.

Another trip to the doctor

Yesterday, we noticed both girls had green eye "boogers" near their tear ducts. This morning they woke up with pink swollen eyes that were crusted over. We were able to get a 10 a.m. appointment with the doctor. He confirmed that yes the girls have pink eye. This was the same doctor that treated Morgan for her burned thumb 2 weeks ago. He looked at it and is happy with how it is healing. We were sent home with eye drops and were reassured that the girls should be fine in about 5 days.

Needless to say we have had to cancel our party/get together that were planning to host tonight. Molly is down for a nap now, so I am off to sanitize all of the toys.

Wow! You can even flirt in China

Its a nice day today, and since our driver is still off for the holiday I rode my bike to the store. On my way there I passed a flower cart. I promised the man I would be back. So after I purchased my groceries and loaded them onto my bike, I made my way back to the flower cart. I made my selection (yellow tulips and two bunches of other flowers that I do not know the name of) and began bargaining. I suggested 75rmb (about $10usd), he said 90rmb. I smiled and took off my sunglasses and kindly asked again "how much?" We finally settled on 80rmb. As I was loading the flowers into my bike basket, the man pulled a bunch of yellow flowers from his cart and handed them to me saying "for you." Even though the man barely spoke any English, it just goes to show you what a little smile can get you.



p.s. Molly helped with laundry today.

Birthday Videos

Here are videos of Molly enjoying her cake:

Happy 1st Birthday Molly!!!

Today is Molly's Birthday!! Our sweety is no longer a baby, but a little girl. We've had a good day. Unfortunately, Molly woke up with a runny nose and isn't quite herself today. She ate a good breakfast and we played for a while, and then she took a 3 hour nap. The birthday festivities began after lunch. Morgan's friend from school, Emily, joined us and we had a good time.

She opened presents first. Morgan gave Molly a pink plastic activity purse. It makes music and has buttons to push. She seems to really like it. We also gave her a horse toy. When you push down on the cowboy, the horse "gallops" across the floor. She hates this toy and cries when it is turned on. She does, however seem to enjoy the activity table we gave her, as well as the books and teeter-totter she received from grandparents.

After presents we sang and had cake. Molly did not waste any time getting into the cake. All while we were singing the Birthday song, she kept reaching for it. I had to help her "blow" out the candle, but finally she took a lick and LOVED it! She didn't get too messy and seemed to have a good time. We've been invited out to dinner with another family tonight. So we will do that and then of course enjoy the fireworks tonight.

Molly is such a joy to have in our lives. She wakes up with a smile each morning and is ready to tackle the day with great spirit and energy. She makes us laugh with her little tongue that she sticks out, and with the way she scrunches up her nose. We watch her in amazement with the things she can do even though she is so small. Most recently snap her fingers. She is such a bright spot in our day. We see her going far in life and look forward to seeing where the years will take her. Future dancer, singer, president?? We don't know for sure, but will definitely have a front row seat to what is bound to be an entertaining show.

Here is a slideshow of pictures we took today. I will upload the cake video in anther post. Enjoy!!

Happy Chinese New Year!!

I think...

It really is fun to be in a foreign country and to experience the culture and traditions. But enough of the fireworks already!! Indepence Day has NOTHING on Chinese New Year when it comes to these bright displays of color and heart stopping noise. We knew there would be fireworks, but we just didn't know to what extent. They have been sold in street side tents for weeks now, and underground markets I'm sure.

I am not kidding when I say that we have heard them off and on all day, and NON STOP since about 4:00 p.m. We can see them from our windows. They are all around us, including right in the courtyard of our compound. I have no idea how the girls managed to get to sleep and stay that way. Morgan did find her way into our bed, but is once again fast asleep. If there is even the slightest calm moment and I manage to fall asleep, I am suddenly awakened moments later by a thunderous boom. I need ear plugs, and some Tylenol.

Molly can dance!!

I mentioned yesterday that Sophia gave Molly a dancing catepillar toy. Well, Molly has grown quite fond of it. Yesterday afternoon she was playing with it. When the music would stop, she would start to cry. Once the music turned on again, she would laugh. Well, today we caught her "dancing" along with the catelillar. It is much cuter in real life, but this video will have to do:

Sisters

There is no real reason to post this picture other than to share how sweet our girls can be. Morgan is still such an unbeleivable big sister and Molly simply adores her. She looks up to her with her sweet round face and just watches and smiles. Morgan is still eager to help and as you can see, "read" to her little sister. They have their moments, don't get me wrong. But they have a love that only sisters can share.

A break in the weather

We finally saw the sun today and the temperature warmed up to about 43 degrees. Once Molly was up from her nap and had her lunch, I took her out for a bike ride. She loved it and was all smiles the whole time. Mark picked Morgan up from school today. So once they were home we all went together. Morgan was happy to get on her bike again and Mark was able to try out his new bike for the first time.

This morning, Sophia brought presents for the girls. She said they were for Chinese New Year. She brought Morgan a winter coat and it was all I could do to give Morgan the "you will try this coat on with a smile and like it" look. She brought Molly a funny catepillar toy that dances and sings real silly. Mr. Yu, our driver, also brought red envelopes for each of the girls containing money. It was like Christmas all over again.

I went to the grocery store today and when Mr. Yu picked me up he pointed to a bag in the back and said "for you. Morgan will like it." He bought us two large fireworks to shoot off for the New Year. Fromt he looks of the packaging, these are not fountains or bottle rockets. They look like 4th of July fireworks. We are having a get together on Saturday and will shoot them off then for the kids.

Chinese New Year Celebration

A compound close to us had a Chinese New Year Celebration today, complete with traditional lion and dragon dance, drums and dancing. The sun is shining today, which was nice since we were outside for the festivities. Morgan enjoyed watching the lion's play, and you'll see in the pictures where the white one "swallowed" her. Once the dancers were done they led everyone to the front of the compound. And a character dressed in costume gave all of the children hong boa, or red envelope. Inside the envelope were two chocolate gold coins. Morgan loved that!

Super Bowl....Monday???

Because of the obvious time difference the Super Bowl airs here on Monday morning. Several local bars have advertised Super Bowl Parties and will open as early as 4 a.m. The clubhouse here in our neighborhood is having a get together in the main ballroom starting at 6 a.m. I'm not to sure about this. It will certainly feel different watching the game before the sun even rises. But to have a few beers and some guacamole just doesn't sound too appealing for breakfast.

Mark has to work and Morgan needs to be to school by 9. I don't think we'll be attending any Super Bowl parties.

Well...we met the doctor yesterday

I had the girls in the playroom at the clubhouse. (Think large scale McDonald's Playland.) I was down on the floor with Molly, and Morgan was climbing way at the top when I heard screaming. She rushed down and showed me her thumb which was white and blistered. I immidiately assumed she'd touhced a light bulb and burned her thumb. We were able to get it under cold running water, and one of the ayi's on staff got her some ice. We got home and called Mark to come home, since he was out with a friend from out of town. I then called WorldLink, the international clinic, and was able to make an apt for Morgan. We were there in 20 minutes time.

In the meantime I was trying to talk to Morgan about what happened. She would cry every time I asked. But I told her it was very important that I know exactly what happened. I'm still not exactly clear about it. But either she pinched her thumb somehow, or burned it.

The staff at the clinic was very helpful and all spoke english. We waited only a few minutes before seeing the nurse. She gave Morgan another cold compress to hold while we waited for the doctor. He was in within a few minutes and checked out Morgan's thumb. I told him I couldn't be sure what happened exactly, but he said it looks like a burn.

Long story short...we left with some antibiotic cream and bandages and were told to let it heal on its own. We only have to go back to the clinic if it becomes infected. Morgan is doing fine but is definitely favoring her hand and taking full advantage of the situation. "I can only eat with one hand now. Be careful of my thumb. I have this big bandage now, I can't do that."

I think she will be just fine. And for those that keep tabs on this sort of thing...the doctor went to U of M. Go BLUE!!

More snow today

It started snowing yesterday afternoon, just in time for rush hour, and we woke up to about 2 inches of snow. The snow is still falling this morning and is forcasted to continue all day. On our way to gymnastics this morning, we saw a large front end loader clearing one of the main streets of snow. At the grocery store there were about 20 people out sweeping the snow away from the driveways. From what we've heard from the locals, this is the first snow they've had in about 20 years, and the worst "storm" in 50.

Many people are getting ready to leave for the Chinese New Year. So it will be interesting to see if the snow will impact flights. Most expats go away for vacation to Thailand, the Philippines, or Australia. We weren't able to schedule a trip without advanced notice. Otherwise we would be going somewhere too. I did ask our Ayi if she still plans to take the train to see her family, and she said "Yes. It's OK."

According to www.weather.com, it is supposed to warm into the 40's early next week. Hopefully it will help to melt the snow.