25 Weeks

This has been a wonderful week!  Well besides the fact that our water wasn’t hot and would randomly cut off…haha.  I have finally gotten that second trimester burst of energy that everyone has been talking about!  I planned and got everything ready for a party for 50 people (including baking cookies in a toaster oven).  I took a trip to Shenzhen because our water was off for a day.  I went to my first ever Chinese wedding.  A couple of my favorite things this week were staying in a hotel with heat and a nice hot shower and celebrating Christmas with some great people! 
I think the biggest celebration this week is my appetite is slowly returning.  Friday at our Christmas party I was able to eat a slice of pizza and a chicken nugget from KFC.  Pizza is something that if someone mentioned it around me I would either get sick or not be able to eat the bland food I planned on eating.  Anything other than French fries from KFC have also been on my “no” list.  Saturday I ate a whole grilled cheese sandwich and Sunday I ate 2 whole slices of pizza.
This week the baby is supposed to weigh about 1.5 lbs.  I am now in the positives!  I weigh 1.5 lb’s above my starting weight!  I never thought I would be so happy to be gaining weight. 

I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow which is really exciting but this one is a little scary.  I find out the results of Adam’s blood test which will let us know if I am RH- or not.  I also have to get approval to fly.  The airlines require a doctor’s note once you are 27 weeks, I will only be for 2 days before we fly home.  I don’t have a problem telling the airline that I am a week earlier, but during my last visit to the doctor he asked what our Christmas plans were.  I thought he was being casual so I told him that we were going to Australia and would be there through the New Year.  He said that he would need to see me right before to clear me to fly.  I know that everything is OK, I know that the baby is growing (at least my belly is showing a lot of growth) and I feel him kicking all the time, but I am paranoid that he will find some reason that I can’t fly…I would be devastated!

I don’t know if it was the excitement of Christmas or I have in fact gotten an extra burst of energy but I hope it sticks around for at least a month.
******Cool Week 25 Fact: If the baby is positioned the right way you can hear his heartbeat by putting your ear up to the belly.  Adam tried this out and the baby kicked him in the head…haha!  I like this kid already!  Another cool fact if you could see the baby you would know what color hair they have.

Christmas Parties, Chinese Weddings and Big Decisions…oh my!

Friday our Christmas party was a blast…I have no idea how many people we had here (our before party estimate was about 50).  We had nothing left over (thank goodness) and I think everyone had a great time.  I did most of the prep work myself and I can’t think of anything else I would have done differently.  We invited all the people that work closely with Adam and all the ex-pats that we have met in Huizhou.  A lot of the ex-pats were out of town for the Holidays, which ended up working out because I don’t know if we could have fit anyone else in our apartment.  I asked our cleaner to come on Saturday, she did the dishes and cleaned the floors…which was a huge help.  The only part I don’t like about entertaining is cleaning everything that I had cleaned the day before. 

Saturday Adam and I were invited to a wedding of one of his co-workers.  Adam RSVP’d and the day before the groom called and asked if Adam would sit with him at his wedding.  We weren’t quite sure what it meant (was he confirming, was he asking Adam to do something important).  Chinese weddings are very different from American weddings.  The couple gets married on paper and takes pictures in fancy clothes (not wedding clothes) long before the wedding day.  Typically on the day of the wedding the bride and bridesmaids all get ready together and the groom comes to pick her up.  The bridesmaids make a big deal about not letting him in the door until he gives gifts of money (in red envelopes).  Then the couple and all the guests have a meal that the bride’s parents host and then everyone goes to another meal that the groom’s parents host.  Usually these meals are casual (people wear jeans).  The wedding we went to was for a couple whose hometown was in a different providence but they both live in Huizhou.  They wanted to have a party for their local friends.  The goal of the men was to humiliate the couple by making them play games (I am assured the couple will return the favor at other weddings) and the main goal is to get the groom drunk.  Adam and I arrived early (the invitation said doors are open between 11 and 11:30 so we got there a little after 11), there were only a few people there.  SIDENOTE: seating in China is one of the biggest honors.  Adam and I were seated at the head table in the third and fourth most important seats (next to the bride and groom), however the grooms mother moved us to the head seats…a higher level than the bride and groom.  The couple will have a big wedding celebration in their hometown right before Chinese New Year.  Oh and the call Adam got the day before was asking him to make a speech at dinner in honor of the couple.  Adam was surprised to hear his name called after the mother of the groom welcomed everyone.  I could tell he wasn’t quite sure what to say, he gave a typical American congratulatory toast to the couple in English. 

This weekend Adam and I had a big decision to make…should we move and start all over or should we believe that the problems in our will all be fixed.  The argument is we have no idea what could go wrong in the next apartment and how difficult it may be to fix.  We also don’t know that the problems can be completely fixed in our own apartment.  We have decided to move, my reason is I am not convinced that the hot water in the shower can be fixed.  We have hot water in the sink in the same bathroom, so I (an untrained plumber) have a feeling that the problem is bigger than everyone thinks.  I honestly don’t think that it will be fixed by installing a hot water tank next to the shower…not to mention I am scared that the tank won’t be installed correctly and will fall from the ceiling.  Adam’s reason is that he doesn’t want to stay in the same place the whole time we are here and now that we know more about Huizhou and what to expect we know what to ask for or look for.  I have a friend who is moving in the beginning of January and I like her apartment (I mentioned it in a previous entry), the location isn’t as good and the apartment isn’t as big, but they haven’t had any issues and the complex is newer.  The location won’t be a huge deal in a few months because a new mall is opening up right across the street.  I am planning on asking for a clothes dryer (I figured it doesn’t hurt to ask) and put in the lease that a problem needs to be fixed within a reasonable amount of time (1 day for small issues and no more than 3 days for big issues that require a lot of work), we will also make sure that when we ask for English channels on the TV we get them before the landlord pays (and has us reimburse) for a year of useless TV.  We will test EVERYTHING (we were told that the AC unit was also a heater…and yes it does have a heater button but it isn’t actually a heater…the button is just in case).  We love our apartment and I think other then the water issues it is one of the nicer apartments in Huizhou.  I have learned a lot about covering yourself with things in writing, as an American I assumed that the issues we had with our water were reasons for not paying rent, not in China.  I assumed that since the button said it was a heater, it would actually be a heater…not in China.  I assumed that asking for English channels would mean we were asking for channels that were completely in English and not a channel that had a show or two randomly in English.  Not that anyone was trying to “pull one over on us” we just weren’t able to directly communicate…not only were things lost in translation but our views and expectations were lost in the cultural difference.  I have decided once we move back to the states if Cree has to send anyone else to Huizhou I will set up a meeting with the wife and give her an obscene list of things that she needs to know before they move here.

What to do…What to do

So apparently the water cutting off isn’t an apartment issue it is a building issue, the building management worked on it Tuesday (why the water was off for half the day) and they are still working out the kinks.  Meanwhile out of the maybe 5 times I went to use the sink yesterday the water worked once…the other times it worked after a min. or so, but when you have hands full of soap that’s a problem.
The heating issue is my favorite.  I showed up at noon with lunch for Adam and his coworker (our hot water advocate).  The landlord bought a hot water tank that was to be installed in our bathroom it would be big and ugly…but hey I would have hot water.  When the repairman (the poor little man who came the day before) went to install it they found out that there was already a separate hot water heater for the shower.  Meanwhile the new heater fixed our hot water in the rest of the house issue and this explains why it wouldn’t fix our bathroom issue. 
OK, so we have had this separate heater since we have moved in and up until October (the last hot shower was right before we left for Japan on the 15^th) it worked fine.  Now they are telling me that because it has been cold for the past week that the pipes are getting cold and that is the problem.  I don’t buy it because: what about all the hot days (in the high 70’s at least) between October and last week?  The next reason they gave was that the issue with the water pump in the building was the problem.  If that is the problem why can I get hot water in the bathroom sink and in any other faucet in the house but not the shower in our bedroom?  And here is the kicker…why did it work 5 min before I entered the apartment and when they went to show me it didn’t work?  I am assured that everything will fix itself in 2 days.  Normally I am a trusting person and I like to think I have a positive attitude, but honestly I don’t know…
Here is what I am thinking about at 2:30 am when I should be sleeping: A) What if something breaks in a week again and we don’t find out until we get back from Australia.  B) My friend is moving out of her apartment in the beginning of Jan, we could move right in (she has kept it clean, the furniture is nice, it is 3 bedroom but a little smaller then our current place, and she has hot water consistently) She lives in the complex that would have been Adam and I’s first choice apartment wise but second choice location wise.  C) Say everything having to do with the water will work, what if we have another problem…will it take 2 months to fix because the Landlord isn’t local?  D) Moving would be a nightmare, but it would be an even bigger nightmare when I am huge or dealing with an infant.  E) Maybe this time people actually know what they are talking about and I won’t have another issue before we are scheduled to move back to the states (where I will appreciate a hot shower as often as my little boy allows).  F) What if we move and have issues at the next apartment…what next?  (The good thing is I know my friend hasn’t had any problems since she moved in back in April.)
So here is where I need help…should I risk staying in an apartment that we otherwise love and have settled into or should we move to another apartment knowing that the water works?  If we move, we need to do it now.  If we stay I really need to trust that when I turn on the shower it’s safe to put shampoo in my hair because the water won’t cut off and I won’t get goose bumps because the water isn’t hot. 

Not Quite the End…

I am laying in a very nice bed at the best hotel in Huizhou.  I no longer feel sorry for the poor repair man who had to deal with the wrath of Lindsay yesterday. 
Last night I decided to take a shower, I expected to be disappointed, but what could I do?  When I stepped into the shower it was actually hot (and not room temperature), just when I was able to “pre rinse” the water cut off completely.  I called Adam who was on his way home.  He suggested we go to a hotel for the night. I was pretty calm considering.  A couple min. later the water turned back on so I assumed that it was air in the pipe, forgot about the hotel and was relieved.  I waited for it to get hot again then got back in the shower…30 seconds later the water turned off again.  I sent Adam a text that said “WE ARE GOING TO A HOTEL THEN WE ARE MOVING!”.  I assume that the guy that came today to “check things out” did something to mess something…however he didn’t step foot in the bathroom where the problem started. 
Adam and his Chinese coworker (who has been or water advocate throughout all this) will be meeting the same little repair man who was there yesterday.  Adam’s coworker told us months ago that we were being way too nice and he would call and yell at anyone we wanted him to.  I honestly think he is more upset at this new development then I am.  Chinese people are big on “saving face” and while dealing with people you have to make sure they are able to save face and you have to keep in mind that they are trying to save face.  Jiambo felt like his involvement in this is making him lose face.  In my eyes Jiambo is my favorite Chinese person, he has given up his time to help out Adam and I, we both know he is basically the translator and we don’t hold him responsible at all.  At this point my biggest worry is that Jiambo will never know how thankful we are that he has been helping us.  I am really glad that Adam and Jiambo will be there with the repair men today, respect for women is not the same and the people that come never seem to believe me or care whether or not I am satisfied with the job.  I have to call Adam and have one of his coworkers talk to them…if no one is available the repair men just leave.
I still don’t know whether or not we will move, but this is obviously a problem that won’t go away.  I feel like I need to write up a document that I need to make all repairmen sign before they walk through my door.  It would say something like this: “I will not break anything that works OK, and I will not leave until I have fixed or identified the problem and will fix it within 24 hours.  If I don’t accomplish anything or make things worse I understand that I will have to deal with the angry foreign pregnant woman who lives here.” 
Meanwhile I am in a hotel room when I have 40+ people coming to my house tomorrow night…

Pregnant Woman Who Hasn’t Had A Hot Shower In Her Own Home Since Mid October VS. innocent Repair Men Who Have No Idea What She is Saying And Her Poor Husband Who Has To Be The Punching Bag Because He Understands English

In case you didn’t know we have had water issues since the day we moved in…we had repair men come off and on during the first couple months.  Adam works all day so this is more of a Lindsay issue.  As annoying as it is to be stuck in a house waiting for repair men, imagine having them not understand you and if they do not believing you.  I may not know anything about plumbing but I do know that most plumbers carry tools (not in China…and the one that did bring tools brought a hammer…not a typical plumber tool if you ask me).  I am sure most of our issue is communication, but that isn’t the whole problem. 

We have had a couple of days of warm water after the Cree engineers came.  After that didn’t work we demanded a new hot water heater.  This was a couple weeks ago, the landlord was great about replacing it quickly.  Unfortunately it only fixed the kitchen hot water.  Adam decided to take a look at it himself and he discovered that the heater wouldn’t turn on when we turned on the shower.  We had a maintenance worker come and confirm that that could be the issue.  He told us the temporary fix was to turn on the hot water in the kitchen just enough to switch the heater on then take a shower…it was better than nothing but it wasn’t much fun running back and forth from the kitchen to the bathroom so as not to over work the heater.  The long term fix is to tear up all of the tile in the bathroom (floor to ceiling) and fix the pipe, or buy a separate heater for the shower. 

Our landlord refused to do either and instead sent his “expert” to fix the problem.  Which brings us to today…2 days before I have 40+ people coming for a Christmas party and 2 months since I have had a hot shower in my own home.  The guy came with only a hammer (again correct me if I am wrong but don’t you need a wrench to fix a pipe and wouldn’t the hammer be totally useless).  After he turned off the water in the middle of me doing laundry and baking, and flooded under our bathroom sink I was finished.  I tried yelling at him, and I think he was a little scared of me (possibly because I was 3 inches taller than him and yelling at him in a language he couldn’t understand…he did understand my face and the miming).  After 3 hours of turning the water on and off, finding a wrench and taking everything apart he decided that there was a problem. 

Poor Adam had to listen to me yell over the phone, it’s not satisfying yelling at someone who doesn’t understand.  I decided that our Landlord had until the end of the day today to decide if he was going to buy us a heater and when to have it installed…if I don’t like his answer I will be moving.  I have actually already received apartment information from a friend who is leaving in the beginning of January.  All we have to do is make a phone call and we will be out of here in the middle of January. 

I just figured that if he is going to be difficult and if it takes people coming to my apartment 3 times for him to do something I don’t want to deal with him.  I especially don’t want to worry about something going wrong and having people in and out of our apartment when we have an infant.  I have been nice up until now because I know Chinese standards are different then American standards; however none of my international friends here have issues with their landlord.  They have problems fixed the day they discover them or a couple days later if it requires lots of work.  In fact landlords here LOVE having foreigners live in their apartments because they say Chinese people don’t take care of their things.  Tomorrow I will update you on our decision.

24 Weeks

Ok…so these weeks are going by faster and faster.  Meanwhile I am so not prepared for the baby, I am being so un-Lindsay about the whole thing.  The normal Lindsay would have everything she could possibly need for the baby taken care of or at least figured out.  The normal Lindsay would be freaking out right now because she has nothing for the baby to sleep in, she hasn’t started stocking up on diapers and although she has found a few things for the baby to wear, she would be freaking out because she can only find pajamas that are acceptable for her child.  Being in China has caused me to start becoming a lot more “Lindsay” in some ways and let things go…there is no middle ground.  I am kind of happy that I am not stressed out about not being ultra prepared this early, who needs the stress…right now I am just focused on eating. 
Don’t start to worry…this week (actually this afternoon) I am going to a furniture shop that is meant to have decent furniture.  I have also contacted a friend whose brother has a furniture making factory in Huizhou and he takes orders for custom furniture.  If either of those things don’t work out I plan on just picking something up at IKEA (if we were in America I would probably get the furniture from IKEA anyway but most Chinese don’t use cribs so they only have 2 to choose from at our local IKEA).  I figured after our Christmas party this Friday I would start stocking up on wipes and diapers…I just don’t want them stacked when we have people over.  As for the clothes…I have found a few outfits that aren’t pajamas and I ordered a few from America on Black Friday.  I am really only focusing on things Zachary will need while we are here.  There is so much I don’t need to worry about for the first 5 months.  I will most likely be doing a lot of online shopping the month before we move back so I have the things we will need ready and waiting for us in my parent’s garage.

This week I started eating less each time but more frequently.  My typical day is built around food.  I wake up and usually eat a bowl of cereal around 9:00 (this is the most difficult meal because I haven’t eaten all night and I usually need to rest after the cereal…sad…I know) my second breakfast is a granola bar, then I have a snack (maybe a peanut butter bar), I eat lunch at noon which is half of a peanut butter sandwich on wheat bread (which I stock up on in Hong Kong), my second lunch is a piece of fruit, then I eat some sun chips (also smuggled from HK), and I eat peanut butter bars, gummy bears, cereal, granola bars, raisins or whatever I feel like for the 3 or 4 more snack breaks until dinner.  I eat dinner around 6:30 which is usually spaghetti, mac and cheese, or a very small portion of whatever I cook for Adam.  Then I will eat another 3 snacks before bed.  Maybe if you add it up I eat a little more than a normal person does on a given day but not too much more since I eat such small portions.  If I go out for the day all these snacks get put in ziplocks and fill up my purse.  I drink only water (not because it’s good for you but because the thought of anything else makes my mouth dry. 

I am also not sleeping well at all and I wake up with a sore neck and back.  I start with 6 pillows but by the time I fall asleep I am down to 2.  I know I would feel so much better and sleep a lot more if I could sleep propped up like a lounge seat but I just can’t sleep that way.  I don’t get to take naps much because I have kept busy and well honestly every time I think of taking a nap it is either too close to bed time or I feel like I need food.
My ziplock bag preparation and my lack of sleep is really getting me ready for Zachary to be here needing things and crying.  I think taking care of myself is helping me get my feet wet in taking care of the baby and my ability to survive on less sleep will help with night time feedings…hopefully Zachary won’t need to eat every half hour like I need to!
******Cool Week 24 Fact: Zachary is producing white blood cells and he may start hiccupping soon!

Christmas Cheer

Adam and I have been watching a Christmas movie each night for the month of December (meanwhile I watch a couple each day while I fold laundry, eat breakfast etc…).  After we watched Elf this was part of the conversation we had… Me: “I don’t think you have very much Christmas Cheer” Adam: “I have a normal person’s amount of Christmas cheer…unlike you who has a crazy amount of Christmas cheer like Elf”

I am the kind of person who feels just a little happier wearing Christmas socks, I still wake up unreasonably early on Christmas morning, Christmas carols play in my head all day and night, I love the movies where someone who hates Christmas but because of the magic of the season becomes a good person/falls in love/finds their family etc…, I can’t hear the story of Christmas enough, I love waking up early the day after Thanksgiving to brave the malls, I love picking out the perfect gift for my friends and family and I especially love them watching them open it, and I love everything else that goes along with Christmas (the lights, the decorations, Santa, the kindness, the giving, the cookies, the parties). 

I honestly love Christmas, realistically I love all holidays, but Christmas is in a whole other category of love…picture a 5 year old who sees Santa Clause, or listen to a child tell the story of Baby Jesus…that is Lindsay at Christmas.  I thought maybe my love of holidays especially Christmas wouldn’t be as overwhelming this year…not because I am unhappy…but because I am not in a classroom making holiday crafts, singing holiday songs with children, or reading stories out loud to 20 starry eyed children.  I thought that not hearing Christmas stories from children, and not being surrounded by children that believe in Santa, not being surrounded by decorations and music as I go about my life, not being in church to hear the Christmas story, not shopping for Christmas presents (I finished the shopping a while ago since we had to ship the package); would all be the cause of my loss of Christmas cheer.  It seems like nothing can take away my “crazy” (to quote Adam) amount of cheer this Christmas. 
I LOVE that my Cheer isn’t affected by my surroundings.  My Christmas cookies aren’t coming out just right (I blame it on the low quality ingredients), our Christmas tree has no lights and is only 3 feet tall, the presents under the tree are actually empty boxes wrapped for decoration, I can’t watch ABC family/Hallmark channel/Lifetime Christmas movies 24/7, we don’t have a church here in Huizhou…meanwhile Christmas is still Christmas, the season still feels special, and Lindsay is still like a child at Christmas.  I for one can’t wait until my little boy understands and loves Christmas as much as I do!

Pregnant Woman Who Hasn’t Had A Hot Shower In Her Own Home Since Mid October VS. innocent Repair Men Who Have No Idea What She is Saying And Her Poor Husband Who Has To Be The Punching Bag Because He Understands English

23 Weeks

Not only am I 23 weeks today but it is my mommy’s birthday, I am excited that she will be able to spend her next birthday with her grandson.

I have started a not so strict exercise routine…finally!  I have felt so out of shape and I am convinced that those last few pounds I still need to gain were from muscle loss.  I count my days out where I am walking all day as an exercise day and beyond that I use my maternity yoga and cardio DVD’s.  I still do my walk away the pounds, not that I am trying to lose the pounds, I am just trying to prepare my body for childbirth and for caring for an infant…he will be here before we know it.  Speaking of weight…I am currently 2 lb’s away from my starting weight…I have a feeling that Christmas Cookies will take care of those last couple of pounds, however by now the average weight gain should be 12 to 15 lb’s.  I try not to think about that, I am just proud of my -2.

I finalized the fabric and décor for the nursery, now I need to execute my vision.  I also picked up some craft supplies to see if I could bring my vision to life…should be interesting!

I am feeling huge, my fitted t-shirts are now rolling up my belly, and unfortunately they are the only weather appropriate clothes I have.  I had some winter clothing made to fit over a growing belly but the weather is a lot warmer this year then it was last year (apparently last year it was bitter cold and rainy…this year it is in the mid 70’s in the shade).  I am not sleeping well, I have to switch sides every hour because of blood flow issues and belly ligaments stretching.  I think the baby has hit a major growth spurtJ. 

Another record…it has been 3 weeks since I have gotten sick!!!!  Hopefully that means it is the end…either way I am about 4 weeks from my third trimester and I am still waiting for the burst of energy and that amazing feeling people have been telling me come in the second trimester.  I guess I can settle for not vomiting anymore!

******Cool Week 23 Fact: They say I should now be able to see him move around my belly…meanwhile my belly has been bouncing for weeks…I guess I have an active little boy on my hands (just what I wanted)

No more little Adam...

Zachary Ryan Milton.  Girls think about a lot of things growing up, one thing we think about is our wedding and another (at least as far as I know) is how many kids you will have and what their names will be.  I have always had a few favorites as far as names go and they went on my list when we started talking about what this baby would be named.  One name that I never had a second thought about but was one of the first on my list and a name I couldn’t get my mind off of was Zachary.  When Adam added his names to the list Zachary was one of the first ones he suggested.  We tried a few out but Zachary was our favorite. 

We wanted a name that was strong, classic, a name that could grow with our kid.  We needed something that people could read (well the teacher in me needed) and spell.  I think Zachary meets all of those requirements.

Adam thinks I am crazy but I even tested nicknames, we can use Zack, we can call him Z, Z-man, Z meister and when he makes a big mess we can call it a Zack attack. 

Sitting on the beach in Bali while getting a foot massage…does life get any better than this?

Our trip to Bali was just what we needed.  I decided to not do a whole lot of planning since this was supposed to be a relaxing vacation and I figured like in Thailand you can get tour packages much cheaper from men on the street then you can from the internet. 
I really wanted to stay in Ubud which is the more cultural area but the hotels in our price range got mixed reviews, the complaints being that they were too far from town to walk.  After thinking about it staying on the beach was the smarter choice (I mean who wants to sit in a cab covered with sand).  We stayed on Kuta beach which is meant to be where young people hang out to get drunk and party…not what I was planning on doing over the weekend so we stayed on the edge of the beach close to the airport.  Our resort had a private beach and right outside the entrance we had an Indian restaurant, a Thai restaurant, a Mediterranean restaurant and a Mexican restaurant.  There were also market streets and DVD shops.  I know we don’t need another DVD but we had to check for Christmas movies since we haven’t been able to find any in Huizhou. 
Friday we got to Bali around noon and went straight to the beach.  We spent the majority of the day at the beach before moving to the pool.  That night we explored the Kuta area and had an amazing dinner at the Mediterranean restaurant.

This is what Adam did...

and this is what I did...the best feeling in the world as a pregnant woman

Saturday we took a tour of Bali which took us to many of the handicraft areas.  We saw how they handmade jewelry, we saw a woodcarving area, an art area, a fabric painting area and a furniture shop.  We also ate lunch with a view of a volcano which is “alive” but hasn’t erupted in 15 years or so.  We stopped at a coffee plantation where Adam was able to taste the fresh coffee.  (Cool story about the coffee plantation: there is a coffee bean which is fermented by going through the digestive system of an animal.  The animal kind of looks like a cross between a cat and a rat…but anyway the animal eats the coffee beans and poops them out, someone gathers the poop and cleans off the beans, which are still intact, and roasts the beans.  This is apparently the most expensive type of coffee…Adam decided against having a sample of this coffee)  The end of our trip took us to Ubud where we walked through a monkey park and walked the streets looking at the handicrafts we just saw being made. 

Sunday we walked around another area of town after breakfast, then, after lunch spent the remainder of the day at the beach.  The wonderful family who worked our beach gave massages and went on beer runs for Adam among other things.  As annoying as it is having people try to sell you stuff while you are trying to relax on the beach my foot massage and Adam’s ability to get a beer without leaving his chair made it more tolerable.  Thankfully living in China has taught 2 people pleasers how to say “no” in a way that makes them leave us alone. 

Like all the other trips we have taken this trip was way too short…I have added it to very long list of places we will take our children to when we tour Asia and show them where mommy and daddy lived for a little while.

22 Weeks - Pregnant in Bali

For as many things I had to do this week and for the number of times I had to eat on the run and wake up early I did pretty well!  I didn’t vomit at all!  I am able to eat even more (variety not amount)…I am still not able to eat a decent amount at a sitting.  I am eating about 1/3 of the amount of food I ate at a meal pre-pregnancy but I do eat snacks and it probably equals the same amount of food eaten per day. 

Bali was amazing for pregnancy, sitting on the beach, belly sticking out of my bikini, great food, pools and an ocean that made me feel weightless.  I told Adam we may have to go back the next time I am pregnant.  Flying wasn’t the most comfortable since we chose a budget airline, however when they saw the belly they put us in the front of the plane (the not quite first class seats that people pay extra for) which had more legroom.  They also put me in an aisle seat so I could get up as needed.  Our budget airline didn’t do connecting flights so we had to go through immigration in Bangkok, however their “special needs” line included pregnant people (and their husbands) so we got through the line fairly quickly.  This trip was the first time I had experienced special treatment because I was pregnant…I guess my belly is obvious to the world and not just to me anymore.  I am beyond the point where people wonder if they should ask if I am pregnant or if they should keep their mouth shut because I could just be fat. 

*****Cool Week 22 Fact: My baby responds to sounds and melody…so I should sing to him.  They say the same sounds will soothe him after he is born (I guess they never heard my singing voice).

Bali Video

Here are the monkeys we saw in UBUD BALI

"It's still a boy!"

Have I mentioned that I love my doctor in Hong Kong?  He makes the exhausting trip to Hong Kong worth my energy.  Not only does he show me real time pictures of my boy, but he has a great sense of humor.  He checked to make sure and…lo and behold my baby is not shy one bit and we got a perfect view of his little manhood! 

Our boy is growing perfectly despite the fact that that his mama isn’t keeping up with him.  Another thing I found out for sure today (which I already claimed without fact) was that I must have heavy bones.  My doctor was surprised at my pre-pregnancy weight, not that I was overweight but I am over the weight that a person my size typically is.  Anyway slowly but surely…only 4 more lb’s to go before I reach the weight I was in July.  I am not trying to gain weight thought…my goal is to continue to eat healthy food and just eat more and more of it.  I don’t think it would do anyone any good if I gained a ton of weight by eating candy and junk.  I do, however eat my share of popcorn and gummy bears…but a girl can’t live off of carrots and apples can she…

Goodbye My Friend

My friend Jodie, my lifesaver, my lunch buddy, my pedicure friend, my shopping partner, my support system here in Huizhou is moving.  This is part of being an ex-pat but it doesn’t make it any easier.  She was my first friend in Huizhou and she is the first person that I have gotten close to that is leaving.
Before we moved here I was given Jodie’s e-mail address because she was a friend of a friend of a coworker of Adam’s and she lived in Huizhou.  She is one of 6 ladies I know that are ex-pat wives in Huizhou and 5 of them moved here after I did…so basically it was Jodie and I for a while (her best friend here left right before we moved here).  I e-mailed Jodie as soon as we were settled into the first hotel and made plans with her for 2 full days within that week.  I took a Taxi to her apartment complex (now mine) and she told me I would know her because she was the blonde Australian woman standing in front of the KFC. 
Since Adam started working Jodie has been the one that told me what stores were the best for produce, which brands were the best, what price was acceptable when bargaining and other useful facts.  I say that Adam and I live in two different China’s, well Jodie lives in my China…the one where people stare at you and take your picture, the one where people rip you off because of the color of your skin, the one where things break in your apartment all the time, the one where people usually don’t understand what you are talking about, but also the one where you learn by becoming a local.  Jodie and I both love our little city of Huizhou but it is time for her to move on.
This day has been a long time coming because Jodie’s move has been postponed from June to July to September to October and now November.  I have tried not to think about it and I have secretly prayed that things keep happening to make her have to stay (sorry Jodie).  Her husband has been working in their new hometown for a few months now, Jodie has been waiting for everything to be settled (his contract, their apartment, etc…) before she and her two boys move.  Well now everything is settled and she is leaving me.  I am glad for her because she no longer has to be a single parent, and she no longer has everything up in the air, and she gets to see her husband again.
On the plus side she isn’t moving far (a cheap 1.5 hour plane ride) and it is to the “Hawaii” of China, where her husband works for a 5 star resort hotel.  I guess that means I may need to take a trip or 2.  Another plus side is that the Island doesn’t have much so she will still have to come to Shenzhen or Hong Kong to do some shopping…and I will happily meet her.  She has already said she would come keep me company for a few days while I am in Hong Kong waiting to have the baby. 
So I guess it isn’t really goodbye.

21 Weeks

I have finally discovered the reason for the random morning sickness I have been having.  Turns out if I wake up before my body is ready (like with an alarm) or get out of bed as soon as I wake up then I get sick.  Normally I wake up around 8:00 (which is sleeping in on the non pregnant Lindsay clock) and lay in bed until 9:00 (or until I feel like I might wet the bed).  It is a really good thing I am not working because when I have to get up early it usually starts off with a lot of dry heaving, then I eat something just because I have to, and vomit that up (I have tried not eating but I just throw up water).  The only cure is to take a nap and start the day over again…I usually feel better around lunch time.  As long as I can relax in the morning I am generally ok. 

Last Thursday I went baby clothes shopping at a street market specializing in copy children’s clothing.  I came back with some really cute things for my little man.  I have taken pictures and will post them soon.  But forget about the clothing and socks, I found a book shop that sells Children’s books in English…needless to say I went a little crazy.  You can’t beat great books at yard sale prices…never mind knowing that they have a store near my home where they sell books in English!

Tomorrow I have another doctor’s appointment.  At this appointment he will measure baby’s everything to make sure all is well.  I am really excited about the appointment like I am for all of them.  I will let you know how things go…however judging on how much my belly is growing I have no doubt the baby is growing right on schedule.

I have gotten to the point where I am not sleeping well.  I can only sleep on my left side and I think the baby’s foot is getting caught by my rib which feels like I am laying on something.  I have to switch to my right to shift him back into place then switch back.  I am also getting up to use the bathroom 3 times a night.  I guess it is good practice for when my newborn boy is hungry. 

*****Cool Week 21 Fact: The baby has visible eyebrows and eyelids.

20 Weeks

I can’t believe I am at the halfway point…on one hand I feel like it was only yesterday that I took the pregnancy test and on the other hand I can’t remember what it was like not carrying my little boy. 

I have spent a lot of time looking at sheeting fabric and pricing crib bedding at target.  The goal is to have much cuter and more unique bedding for a fraction of the price.  I went to 2 wholesale markets in Shenzhen and the Fabric street market in Hong Kong and came back with a wad of cash and an empty rolly cart.  I could not find a print that was good enough for my boy, unique enough, or something that I totally fell in love with.  I had a plan in my head and so far it is not working out.  I think I have decided to go with a solid color and do bright accents…so back to my fabric market on Wednesday. The problem I am having is the fabric looks either too babyish (I don’t want pastel or primary colors) or the fabric has cartoon characters all over it…not for my kid…at least not until he can talk, and maybe not even then (God forbid he turns out like me where he can out stubborn anyone until he gets his way…only room for one of us in this family). 

I am exclusively in yoga pants or maternity pants…I love that my jeans have the feel of yoga pants but the look of jeans.  I have yet to find a maternity shirt I like so I am just wearing things that are long and baggy.  I have had plenty of things copied at the Tailor, so I am all set for fall/winter…however it is mid November and I haven’t seen a sign of fall yet.  Next trip I am having some of my shorts copied only with a maternity band and some warm weather clothes for my Christmas/Summer vacation in Australia.  Until then I am wearing the same 4 shirts (if I am at home I wear old t-shirts so I can use my 4 good shirts a few times before washing).

Right now I am all baby…the only place I am gaining weight is in the belly (up another pound…only 8 more to go until I am at pre-pregnancy weight).  I am really excited that I am gaining my pound a week (well for the past 2 weeks) that I should be gaining.  I have gotten to the point where it is uncomfortable to bend at the waist.  My ligaments on the sides of my belly are stretching (and painful) and my hips are spreading again.  I walk like a duck, I stand up like an old person, and I nap and eat like a toddler…no doubt I am pregnant.  I love looking pregnant (I know I said this before but I really mean it now) and there is no question there is a baby in there. 

I know living in America I would have had this weeks ago but I had my first ever conversation with a stranger about pregnancy.  I was in Hong Kong, which is probably why I was able to have this conversation and the woman was from Texas, which is probably why she felt like she could ask me about it.  I was at Outback Steakhouse and really wanted a salad and a bloomin’ onion.  Adam was at a work meeting so I was “that pregnant lady” who goes to Outback and orders herself a bloomin’ onion.  A woman from Texas and her husband (from Turkey) sat beside me and she immediately started talking about how they had to get a bloomin’ onion and how Americans LOVE them.  Then she started talking to be about the onion then we got to my favorite question “how far along are you?”.  I have been waiting for people to talk to me about it (and not just about me to other strangers).  That little question totally made my day!

*****Cool Week 20 Fact: Baby can hear now…he can even cover his ears if he hears a loud noise (he will have a lot of practice with that here in China, never mind with the construction in the apartment above.

"If I was in America..."

I try to not start sentences with this phrase but on days like this it is all I can think about.  Today was one of those days where living in China isn’t my favorite thing.  I think I have had a day like this about every 3 months.  In between I have small frustrations, but the majority of the time I gripe to myself about it then totally let it go…like the laundry thing and the grocery shopping.  I may complain about it but frankly I complained before I had to do things Chinese style.  Here is a glimpse at my frustrations…
If I was in America it wouldn’t take 7 months and 5 different repair men to make sure we had hot water.  I have lived in a home in the US where the hot water heater is broken or old, but it has never taken more than a day for someone to come fix it…worst case maybe a week.  Now, it may require a lot of cash to fix but I can tell you I would have paid just about anything for someone to believe me when I told them that the water wasn’t fixed.  Here is a little history…When we moved in we had hot water in the kitchen and in the master bedroom.  Our nice shower didn’t have hot water but we were happy to use the tub shower.  Thinking that I needed to have these problems fixed I asked the landlord’s friend to come look at it.  Repair man number 1 turned up the temperature on the heater.  A few weeks after we moved in the hot water in the kitchen stopped working.  Repair man number 2 came and turned up the temperature on the water heater, which I tried to mime to him that the temperature level wasn’t the issue because we had hot water in a different room, but the problem had to be something else.  Our water in the kitchen was warmer (not hot) for a few hours then was broken again.  Repair man number 3 (and this guy came with tools) came and saw that he needed to replace a part.  He came back the next day with the part and our hot water worked for 1 day in the kitchen and the flow in the master bath had less pressure.  I was worried that if anyone else came we wouldn’t have any hot water or any water pressure at all I figured I would suck it up and boil water for dishes and not mention it again.  Well when we came back from Japan we no longer had hot water in our shower.  I organized the repair man without the landlord and made sure my Chinese teacher was here to explain the whole history.  Repair man number 4 came and said since it wasn’t a pipe issue there was nothing he could do but so he didn’t leave without doing anything he turned up the temperature on the hot water heater.  This did NOTHING.  I asked Adam to contact the landlord again because a cold shower is not something I want to just deal with for another 9 months.  Adam, rather than calling the landlord had the Cree facilities engineers come and fix it.  Turns out the problem was the hot water pipe was mostly closed, and the hot water heater was overheating because the temperature on the heater was too high (hmmmm…yes the other repair men made the problem worse).  It took him 5 min to figure this out and fix our heater.  We now have hot water in both bathrooms and our kitchen…7 months after moving in.
If I was in America it would be rude and unreasonable to have 3 straight weeks of people banging hammers on my ceiling or on what sounds like sheets of metal and using jackhammers all day long.  Normally living in an apartment means you can hear your neighbor’s music, TV, vacuums, and sometimes conversation.  In China apartments are owned and renovated without notice to neighbors or consideration of people.  This morning it was extra loud and I was extra frustrated.  I got out of bed and threw on the first t-shirt and jeans I found and ran upstairs to yell at these workers in English.  Just to clarify I have lived near construction before, I have had noisy neighbors (hello…the criminals that lived next to me at the townhouse), and I totally understand that there are some noises that are unavoidable.  However construction (at least the loudest part) is usually over in a couple months.  This construction has gone on since the day we moved in however up until 3 weeks ago they would work a couple hours a day a few days a week.  I knocked on the door because the doorbell was not hooked up and of course they didn’t hear me.  I was able to look through the peep hole, which wasn’t installed and saw basically the most torn up apartment I have ever seen.  You see they do a lot of construction with concrete meaning they are tearing it all up (the hammering).  I have a brother who plays the drums so I know the sound well.  Basically it’s like having a group of snare drums follow you around all day.  The sound is not muffled and cannot be avoided unless you leave.  I try to leave as much as I can but there are days when you need to do stuff at home and honestly I don’t want to be kicked out of my house every day.  I used my friend’s helper who speaks English to go with me to the management office and to have them contact the owner and make sure that he is mindful that there is an angry, pregnant, foreign lady that lives below him.  Yes I played the pregnancy card (hey, I only have 9 months of the pregnancy card).  The worst part is the look the apartment tells me that there is no end in sight.  Apparently this happens and people are just supposed to move.  Yes I am supposed to move because of someone else’s renovations.  If I lived in an apartment in the States I would have to sign something saying I will not disturb my neighbors and if I did I would get a letter like the management office.  Any neighborhood with a HOA or management office has rules that keep the neighborhood clean and peaceful.  We live in some of the most expensive apartments in Huizhou, because of the location, the size and the safety.  I believe I also pay for the right to a decent living situation…this noise is not decent.  I would have had to contact my neighbors and tell them about the construction, if for some reason they objected they could sue me or report me.  In China they would have to move.  The noise may not seem like a big deal to anyone who isn’t living in my apartment between 8 and 6 everyday but I have never heard anything like this before continue all day. 
I am done venting now, and I have to say this (as I do in all my venting posts).  I really do love living in China and I totally wouldn’t have it any other way.  There are just some days where I wish some of the western culture could come to China.  There are so many positive things about our lives in China verses our lives in the states. 

19 Weeks

nice Linday...this was basically what I wore everyday while laying on the couch feeling bad.

This has been one of the most amazing weeks of my life.  I LOVE feeling my baby, and I can feel him getting stronger because the little bubbles are a lot more noticeable and a lot more frequent.  Up until now my favorite thing about being pregnant was the ultrasounds with the beating heart.  Sometimes it is hard to believe that we are having a baby and that he is inside of me, the ultrasound could be somebody else’s and the sound can be created with all the technology we have.  The movements inside of me have made this pregnancy more real.  I have had more vivid dreams, dreams with his name, dreams where he is 3 (where I can see his face) and he has a younger brother.  I don’t believe in telling the future but my dreams are so real and a new one starts every time I get up to use the bathroom.  I am so in love with this condition, and totally amazed at what my body is capable of even without the proper nutrition.

A new symptom is the short term memory loss.  I already have a bad memory, but this is ridiculous.  Adam and I could have a conversation and I would ask him a question he would answer it and I would be totally confused.  He has had to remind me what I asked him.  I find myself wandering around a lot wondering what I was supposed to do (more than usual).  They say a pregnant woman’s brain actually shrinks…well I can totally feel that.  Thank goodness I have a husband who wouldn’t take advantage of me…I hope ;).

Back to proper nutrition.  I am eating more and I have gained back a pound.  However at this point I should be gaining a pound a week anyway.  I am just so relieved to not be losing any more.  I have actually been hungry, but my stomach has been shrunk due to lack of eating for 4 months.  So every night I feel stuffed like a turkey (which is a much better kind of miserable).  They say the next few weeks I will grow a lot (which means my boy will grow a lot).

Back to the name…Adam and I have discussed it and we had a short list for a little while.  We know his first name and we are working on his middle.  We want to wait till we have everything figured out before we make the announcement. 

******Cool Week 19 Fact: Our little boy may be growing hair on his head and his brain has developed so he can hear, see light and taste.

Lessons Learned and Things That Still Need Some Work…

Yes it has been 3 days since my Halloween party, and yes my house is still in the process of being put back together and no, I honestly don’t care.  Which leads me to a lesson I need reviewed.  I am a typical American hostess who prepares way too much food and expects perfection beyond her abilities.  Normally too much food (at least in the crowds I hang with) is never an issue.  People always say the polite “oh wow look at all this food, you did way too much” when in reality (at least this is what I do) you use your politeness to scan the food table to make your decision on where to start.  At the end of a typical party in America the “too much food” is just enough with a few leftovers that can easily be pawned off on guests.  However in China (this explains their lack of hips) people don’t eat like Americans.  So either I need to learn to make less (which is always the goal but never seems to work) or invite more Americans to the party….Anyone want to fly out here for a Chirstmas party?
Back to my mess of an apartment…lots of platters and no dishwasher.  After each gathering I have the “too much food” needs to be set out perfectly so that it looks nice.  The nicer I try to make it look and the more food I decide last min. to set out means more platters, which means a kitchen full of dirty dishes.  Normally I would load up the dishwasher with anything that could fit and a couple hours later unload and reload.  Although I find hand washing dishes soothing there is a limit to what I am willing to do (especially when that means I need to boil water for each batch of dishes (this party had 4 batches after the party and 4 before the party.  This time I did the really nice platters that I don’t want broken and left the rest for my cleaning lady who is coming today.  Lesson for next party…use paper plates instead of platters.  Now, if I could just find a store where they sell paper pots and pans.
One of the perks of living in China is help is cheap, my cleaner comes and takes care of the things I don’t like doing.  This makes up for some of the challenges I face in keeping house.  When she comes I like to get out of her way.  Today I plan on getting a foot massage (another perk).  For $8 US I can get an hour long foot massage.  Honestly it’s not all about the massage it’s about the news.  The hotel where I go get my massage has CNN World and BBC World, so I am able to find out what is going on back home and all over the world.  Something I am really excited to do the day after the elections.  Problem: Chinese people don’t give massages of any kind or manicures and pedicures, or basically touch women who are pregnant.  Now that I am obviously pregnant and can’t play the “fat American” card I have learned a few tricks.  Wear a baggy shirt and a scarf to cover the belly, now that it is cold, wear a jacket.  When they take you to your chair they give you a warm towel to use as a blanket…I put on the towel, bunched up around my belly and take off my scarf and jacket.  Problem solved, and lesson learned!