This is Halloween, This is Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, HAL-O-WEEN!

When we were a Disney last month it got me really excited about Halloween, then sad that I wouldn’t get to celebrate Halloween for a whole month with my kinders.  This was my first Halloween since 2003 that I didn’t get to celebrate in a classroom.  Halloween isn’t something that Chinese people celebrate anyway so October 31^st was just going to be another day.  I really wanted to throw a party but I knew that trying to get a party together after being in Japan for 10 days would be difficult especially in my “condition”.  Japan was the tipping point; it was Halloween everywhere we looked!  I picked up a few decorations and decided that no matter what…I would have a party!

When we got back I sent out an e-mail and Adam told people at work.  It was last minute but we had a pretty good turnout.  I dressed as a pumpkin and Adam dressed as Dracula (we wanted to be something that the Chinese people would get).  I made mini cupcakes (12 at a time in my little oven), rice krispie treats, chocolate rice krispie treats, jello jigglers, meatballs (frozen from IKEA), I taught Adam how to make my spider cookies and with a little engineering and a lot of patients he used our Chinese ingredients to make a special Halloween treat.  We had chicken wings (from KFC) and a veggie platter.  I tried to make caramel apples but the caramel didn’t melt, so we just had apples.  The rice krispie treats turned out really hard because of the marshmallows here. 

Maybe the food didn’t turn out exactly as planned but the party was wonderful.  The kids looked great in their costumes (and so did a few adults), and we got to enjoy each other’s company.

This doesn’t have anything to do with Halloween but I need to share.  My wonderful husband watched a 7 month old a 13 month old and entertained a 6 year old while their mommies helped me clean up.  I tried to get a picture but by the time I got the camera the very tired 7 month old was crying.  It wasn’t an easy task considering the 6 year old wanted Adam to play wii with him, the 13 month old loved that he was free to roam a new environment with lots of things down low that he could grab, and the 7 month old was sleepy.  Both mothers came to me separately to comment on how good a father Adam was going to be.  Adam thinks they just said that but it wasn’t a situation where people are expected to say something like that.  I think Adam could easily be the father of 3 at some point ;). 

“Looks like the baby is giving you liposuction”

Yes the doctor was a bit concerned at my 10 lb. weight loss; however as soon as he measured the baby and saw how well HE was growing he wasn’t as worried.  The baby boy was in the 58^th percentile for this stage of pregnancy (including the 2 days he knocked off my due date).  The baby is as healthy as he could be!  He had long legs like his daddy and he gave the doctor a hard time like his grandma Marum (or whatever she decided to be called).  His legs were bent and barely had room (the doctor didn’t say they were longer than normal…that is coming from me).  He has 5 little toes on each foot and when the doctor was finally able to count his little fingers he had 5 on each hand.  The poor doctor kept trying to count his fingers and he would make a fist and open his hands and make a fist again.  Then he would move his hands, the doctor would have to try to find them again and re-count to make sure he counted both hands.  In the beginning the doctor pointed out each finger but after the 5^th or 6^th time of having to start over he just said ok…1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10, 10 fingers.  I like to think our little boy was playing a game and joking around with the doctor (hmmmm…who does that sound like). 

The big news this appointment (for everyone else) was the gender.  I have known all along.  I know everyone was worried about my weight loss and I was worried that the baby wasn’t getting the nutrients he needed.  I knew he was growing by the way my belly swelled big time over the past week.  The doctor is still saying that the baby will find what he needs in my body and take it (how clever).  Thank goodness the foods I like are generally healthy; basically I eat like a vegetarian who eats a bite or two of meat a couple times a week.  So, NO WORRIES, THE BABY IS WONDERFUL!

SNAKES AND SNAILS AND PUPPY DOG TAILS…no wonder I felt so sick!

I have known since the day I found out I was pregnant, I was afraid to let myself think boy in case it was a girl.  I have been pickier about our boys name list, thinking no name is good enough for my boy.  I have been dissatisfied with room décor (fabric for sheets, or themes) for my little boy.  Meanwhile the girls stuff has been on the back burner.  And last doctor’s appointment the doctor saw what he called a 3^rd leg.  At that moment I was 100% sure, even though the doctor said he couldn’t tell me for sure until next appointment and he said not to do any shopping.  Well I shopped and I planned, planned for baby boy Milton.  They say a mothers gut is right about 75% of the time, so take that percentage and the 75% sure that the doctor was, and take the 100% sure my heart is and…well you do the math.  Frankly I don’t care for math and I decided to go with my heart.

This was actually from our 13 week appointment but I wanted to be sure before making the announcement...or rather Adam wanted to be sure.

 Well, it’s confirmed!  We are having a little boy!!!!

I have always pictured myself with a bunch of little boys, and my mother has said the same thing a couple times.  Not that I have anything against girls but as a teacher I always seemed to bond with the little boys.  Give me any little boy that drives others crazy (whether he “talks” to bugs in bug language, gets overly excited, can’t go anywhere without sounding like a car etc…) and that little boy will be my favorite student.

 I am looking forward to building forts with my little man, having super hero birthday parties, and watching him grow into a good man like his daddy.

THEY DON’T SPEAK CHINESE IN JAPAN

It was very hard to turn off the Chinese.  I left a lot of conversations moving my mouth trying not to say ni hau.
The Japanese people are all very neat and orderly from their shiny shoes to their perfect hair, their behavior and the cities we visited go along with the neat and orderly.  They would form lines in a situation where lines wouldn’t normally be formed; they were evenly spaced with personal space between each person.  The bathrooms were amazing, heated seats, built in sanitizers and deodorizers, sinks that had motion sensors for the soap water and dryers (all in the sink).  The streets, busses and trains were spotless despite the fact that you were allowed to eat and drink.  Everything was quiet and pleasant.  We decided that when the Japanese do something well it is done to perfection but when they let something fall through the cracks it falls big time. 
Hanging out with Jodie and the baby have made me very aware of stairs and strollers.  Elevators were hard to find (if there was one) and escalators were few and far between.  Normally I don’t mind stairs but when you walk up and down 5 + flights of stairs one way every time you take a train, never mind the stairs to get up to the shrines and temples (those are understandable since they are authentic and old). 
The most challenging part of our trip was lack of clear directions.  All of the other places we have visited so far are very tourist friendly, you get off the train and it tells you what exit to go up and boom you are there!  They also had user friendly tourist maps, which we did not find in Tokyo or Kyoto.  The maps we found were all different some were missing roads, a couple had extra roads and they didn’t quite match the train map so we guessed a lot of things.  I don’t think Adam and I are the smartest people in the world but we certainly aren’t idiots and it took us 3 days to figure out how to buy a ticket for the train.  We also spent a lot of time walking around trying to figure out where to go, thank goodness for our book and specific directions.  As much as I planned we still had a lot of wasted time walking in the wrong direction.
My travel book was a God send; we used that to pick most of the restaurants we ate at.  I picked the cheap restaurants that had cool descriptions.  Most of the restaurants we went to had 8 tables and 5 things on the menu…and they were wonderful!  However the cheapest restaurants in the book still cost us around $35.00 for a meal and a half.  The book also had “walking tours” that took you all over an area and included great places to have snacks or coffee or lunch along the way. 
Despite some of our difficulties it was a WONDERFUL trip and a once in a lifetime experience.

Osaka - October 21-24

Again I got really lucky booking hotels.  Considering the price and how expensive things are in Japan we were in a beautiful hotel close to everything we would want to visit and close to a train station. 

Osaka was my favorite, I don’t know if it is because I planned a more relaxed trip or if I was happy to finally sleep, or if it was because the people were even nicer than they were in Kyoto and had better English then they did in Tokyo.

Friday, our first full day in Osaka was spent in the bay area, we went to an aquarium and took a ride on what was advertized as the biggest giant wheel in the world (after a Google search Adam found it to be false).  We got some amazing views of Osaka from the slowest Ferris wheel I had ever been in.  We had dinner at a Mexican restaurant in the downtown area (Adam had enough Japanese food, and considering Japanese food in America and in Huizhou for that matter is pretty true to Japanese food in Japan, he wanted to try something that we don’t get very often. 

Saturday we went to the local imperial palace and took a tour through the museum.  It was a beautiful park area (complete with a place to get snow cones).  There were jugglers doing tricks and souvenir shops.  Then we went to the floating garden observatory.  The book described it by saying something like: if the fear of heights doesn’t get you the fear of riding on an escalator with only glass to protect you, in a nation plagued with earthquakes will.  We got a great view of the city (again).  For dinner we planned to eat at an Indian restaurant but it was closed so after walking around a bit we saw an Outback steakhouse.  All I wanted was a tossed salad and some bloomin’ onion.  The hour and a half wait was totally worth it!

Picture Osaka: A total cross between Kyoto and Tokyo…the people of Kyoto with the big city feel of Tokyo.

Kyoto - October 19-20

In Kyoto we stayed in a traditional Japanese guest house (B&B) called a Ryokan.  It was pretty awesome.  When you get to the door you take off your shoes and ring the bell.  A little old man comes and takes your shoes and gives you your key.  An older lady in traditional dress takes you to your room (which has your name on the door) and serves you Japanese tea.  During the day there is a table in the middle of the floor.  Before bedtime the ladies come and put a futon mattress on the floor and move the table to the side.  It was a once in a lifetime experience.

We got to Kyoto Tuesday afternoon and went straight to the Ryokan so we could see what it was like.  Then we went to dinner in the downtown area.  The downtown reminded me a lot of Asheville.  It is still very natural and has lots of restaurants and shops.  We had sushi for dinner then went to Baskin Robbins for desert.  The nice part of 2 people eating like 1.5 people means we can stop for snack. 

Wednesday we went to the Japanese movie land.  It is where a lot of samari movies are filmed and they have sets and costumes from famous Japanese movies.  We got to see a live ninja show.  Then we hung out downtown again.

Thursday we went on the walking tour our book suggested.  It was intense and we got to see a lot.  I know I have said this but the best part of the walking tours is it takes you to places you would never find otherwise and it suggests snack breaks.  We started at a couple temples then walked through the residential area to find a house that was home to a famous potter and set up as a memorial to him.  It was really cool.  Then we headed up to a WWII memorial museum and graveyard.  The graveyard was on a steep hill and was never-ending.  We walked on the path (up the hill) through the graveyard and down another street to get to our next shrine/temple.  The first thing I saw after walking up the hill (and not getting much sleep) was the unreal amount of stairs.  I suggested Adam take the video camera and go up and I would rest.  However the book mentioned a place to get snow cones on the other side of the hill.  That was all the motivation I needed and I got up no problem.  We found the snow cone shop at the end of the trail and continued on to our next destination.  We stopped for lunch at a ramen restaurant and headed to the crafty area of Kyoto.  We didn’t buy much in Japan because everything was so expensive.  Most of the crafty things you get in Japan you can by in Huizhou a whole lot cheaper.  At the end of our walk we went to the train station and headed to our next destination!

Picture Kyoto: I maintain that Kyoto is the Asheville of Japan, beautiful mountain views, really cool local craft shops and fun restaurants.  The people were welcoming to tourists and I would say I saw more tourists the first hour we were in Kyoto then I did the whole time in Tokyo.  I feel like Kyoto is the real Japan.

Tokyo - October 15-19

Friday we arrived in Tokyo late and still had about an hour and a half trip to the hotel.  When we got on the bus to the hotel there was an announcement not to use cell phones because it might annoy the people around you, then a man sat down with the beer he bought in a vending machine and drank it while he rode the bus.  There was no “no food or drinks” sign (which meant I was able to snack) and everyone was so quiet and considerate.  We knew at that time that we would LOVE Japan.  I do have to say the quiet did get old especially since Adam and I aren’t loud people but at times I felt like we were being too loud if we whispered or had a conversation on the train.

Saturday we went to a couple shrines and a temple before strolling though the high end shopping district. This was the Tokyo I picture when I think about it, the high (but a little crazy) fashion. We ate dinner at a wonderful little restaurant that our book told us about. It was tucked away in an alleyway and only had a few tables. Adam and I ate food on sticks (grilled veggies and meats).

Sunday was not our most successful day.  I wasn’t able to find a restaurant to eat lunch near the Imperial palace. I figure worst case scenario we would eat pastries at Starbucks or find a McDonalds.  We found a ton of restaurants and a few Starbucks, however since we were in the business district all the restaurants were in the office building and closed.  Not only that but there was a race so all the streets were closed so after walking in the wrong direction for 25 min we weren’t even able to catch a cab and tell him to take us to food.  Thank goodness I had snacks and had eaten too much for breakfast.  We walked another 20 min before we found an open building with restaurants.  At this point we thought this was hilarious, and were really excited that I did a better job planning the rest of our trip.  However after walking back in the right direction and walking through a park to get to the palace, and trying 4 out of the 5 gates (which happened to be closed)…I was a little annoyed and hungry and tired.  The last gate was on the other side of the palace, meaning we would have to walk who knows how far to get there.  At this point we had done nothing but eat lunch in a little French sandwich shop and it was 3:00.  We decided to throw our plan out the window and go to a science museum in the bay area.  The museum was…well Adam loved it!  We had dinner at a Japanese restaurant in a mall and enjoyed the view of Tokyo.  When it was time to go home, we had no cash so we looked for an ATM.  We stopped at the 2 ATM’s in the mall but they don’t accept foreign credit cards.  We went to two 5 star hotels near the mall and well they didn’t have ATM’s but we tried all of the ATM’s they suggested…which didn’t accept foreign cards.  We walked to the next mall and asked the information desk where we could find a 7/11 (the only ATM’s that accepted foreign cards)…they had no idea what we were talking about.  Thankfully a German girl who spoke English and Japanese helped us and we were able to get cash.  It was crazy.  I would not have guessed that such an international city would be so closed off to foreign cards.  It was getting late and I thought we were going to have to book a hotel and spend the night only 20 min. from our actual hotel…apparently Visa isn’t everywhere you want to be (I have to say Huizhou has a ton of ATM’s and all of them accept my bank card).

Monday was my favorite day in Tokyo, we went to the local beer office building (which looked like a beer mug).  Then we went to sushi for lunch and spent the day at a market and a temple.  After our wonderful day we had an even better dinner at a small noodle place (suggested by the book).  It had 5 things on the menu.  We knew it was going to be good when a lot of the local old men came for dinner and to read their paper.  I thought of my Grandpa and how he gets his paper and goes for coffee…he wouldn’t put up with a subpar place to enjoy his paper.

Picture Tokyo: In fashion anything goes…and on them it seems to work.  I would totally look like a fool if I wore anything I saw on a person in Tokyo.  We even saw a man wearing a “Little Bo Peep” outfit and looked surprisingly appropriate in it.  Imagine a city full of Japanese Ken and Barbie’s that you are afraid to get too close to for fear of wrinkling them.  People say it’s similar to NY, but Adam and I don’t agree, the buildings aren’t as tall and it is more spread out and less organized into districts.  

17 Weeks...Pregnancy in Japan

View from the top!

We got back from a wonderful trip at midnight last night; I am surprised I can function today after all the walking and the lack of decent sleep.  It was all worth it though!  We left a week ago Friday at 6:00 am.  I started the morning by vomiting, and then I tried to eat something but couldn’t even bring myself to eat a whole apple.  Halfway to the airport I threw up the partial apple I ate, and when we were in line to check our baggage I took one last trip to the bathroom and threw up whatever was left in my stomach.  I like to call this morning the Grand Finale of morning sickness.  I slept it off on the flight to Hong Kong and felt like I woke up a new woman, a hungry exhausted woman, but a woman (which is new in the past 4 months).  I was wearing my maternity pants (still too big but great for traveling in) and a fitted t-shirt so I looked pregnant (and not just to myself and Adam) and I wanted to eat lunch (I can’t remember the last time when I actually wanted to eat food).  I saw a burger king at the airport and knew right away I wanted the burger king chicken nuggets.  I ate the whole 5 piece nugget myself, which filled me up so much I wasn’t able to eat my French fries. 

When we got to Japan I felt great!  However they had to take my apples (I had packed 6 for my breakfasts) because they don’t let you bring produce from China.  However I wasn’t worried, I felt great and I had eaten chicken nuggets!  Throughout the week I was able to eat something at anywhere we stopped (mostly cucumber rolls, miso soup, green salads with vinegar dressings, French fries and doughnuts…oh and how can I forget snow cones…I ate 5). I wouldn’t say I stepped out too much but I did eat a bite or two of Adam’s meals.  I continued snacking ever 2 hours.  Adam carried a backpack with the cameras and my snacks (our agreement…I carry the baby…Adam carries the snacks…this gave us more walking time and my back a break from carrying a purse).  Instead of feeling nauseated when I had gone too long between snacks I just felt like I had low blood sugar, like I couldn’t speak properly, my brain wasn’t working and like I could faint.  Sounds scary, but it is amazing what a few Oreo cookies can do.  My fruit roll ups and candy gave us 15 min. to find somewhere to get something substantial while carrying a bag of cereal or gummy bears and snacking consistently bought us about an hour.

I have started to have cravings and besides the Burger King chicken nuggets I only want to drink water, anything else and I wish I just had a glass of ice water.  I dream about vinegar.  I would love a salad (iceberg lettuce) with vinegar on it and I have had serious desires for NC BBQ, not the meat just the sauce.  I also crave cinnamon, like just cinnamon…I haven’t given into that one yet and I have tried cinnamon sugar on things and that just doesn’t cut it for me.  I also have lustful thoughts of snow cones (to the point where I climbed 5 stories worth of stairs and walked down a hill after already walking up a steep hill and after 2 nights of no sleep, just because I heard that there was a place that had snow cones at the end.  I have actually been thinking about snow cones since the day I read in my travel book about a “great little place to take a break complete with Japanese snack, green tea and snow cones”.  I still enjoy my French fries, however I have branched out to onion rings (as long as they are covered in catsup – again with the vinegar).  I read that your cravings may have something to do with the nutrients your body is lacking…please tell me the nutritional value of French fries and fried onion rings.  I would also like to know anything about what is in vinegar that my body needs.  The others I have figured out…I am so thirsty all the time and water is the only thing that does it for me…iceberg lettuce, and snow cones are more creative ways of drinking water.

I have some bad news though…when we arrived back in Hong Kong for our 5 hour layover (ironically we could have gotten home before we even left the airport) Burger King was closed, so no chicken nuggets. 

A huge plus is that my face has cleared up, my skin is glowing and my hair is wonderful!

A very new thing is my crazy hormones.  Up until now I felt like my emotions have been totally under control.  I certainly don’t hold things in but I tend not to take things personally and I don’t let things bother me so the only time I cry is when I am totally overwhelmed i.e. the day before we moved to China…I had been so busy and I had so many things to do that when I was finally done I let it all out, not because I was sad to leave but because I had no more time and still felt like I had so many things to do.  Now I cry (or start tearing up) at the drop of a hat, I saw a group of special needs teenagers touring with us and I cried because I was so happy that they had the opportunities to have friends and go on trips together and be around people that love them.  I heard a Dixie Chick song that one of them wrote to her brand new baby and it took everything in me to keep from crying and making the Japanese people on the train think Adam was mean to me.

****Cool Week 17 Fact: My baby is getting ready to nurse; he/she is sucking and swallowing.

Getting ready for vacation, makes me really need a vacation…

Today I did a major about of laundry…scratch that this week I did a major amount of laundry, I hate having laundry in the basket when we leave for vacation.  I took a break for lunch and conversation with the ladies (so much to do, but I wasn’t going to pass up hanging out with the girls).   I also had to get the apartment ready for the mold people.  We were informed that the mold in our apartment was very common in China and not harmful to our health, however if we still wanted it cleaned it would be very messy.  I love the Chinese people, but they aren’t the neatest people and they don’t take care of things the way I do, so I figured if they think it would be messy I didn’t take it lightly.  We chose to have it cleaned because a) we are bringing a baby into this house…never mind the baby could be effected by it now since I am exposed to it.  b) I have never heard of black smelly mold that is OK for your health and c) it smells.  I took all the baby stuff out of the baby room and hid it safely in the guest room, I took pictures off the wall so they wouldn’t get damaged.  I (with the help of my husband) cleared out the kitchen so that I wouldn’t have to wash everything when we got back.

Packing for Japan meant I had to iron anything I washed and hung before it went into the suitcase.  It also meant a few trips to the grocery stores to pick up snacks that are easy to pack, that will help me survive and are going to travel well.

I was exhausted, and we didn’t get to bed until midnight and we had to get up early to get to the airport on time.

16 Weeks

I am posting this early since I will be in Japan!

Since last post I have lost more weight, I am now down 9 lb’s.  At this point I should have gained around 5 lb’s for the first trimester and a pound a week in the second trimester.  I just keep telling myself that Dr. Doo isn’t worried so I am not going to stress.  I am sure stressing won’t help…hopefully Japanese food will be my cure for weight loss.  I just think it is ironic that it took getting pregnant to get to my ideal weight…it just shows me how much I used to love food and how I would rather have a little chunk and good food then be tiny and hungry.
Lately Adam and I have been thinking a lot about baby names.  We have a list of girl names and a list of boy names.  Our girl name criterion is that they are strong female names, names that will be perfect for a lawyer, a kindergarten teacher or even a dancer.  Both of us agree that we want a masculine boys name, in this day of so many interchangeable names we want something more butch, but classic.  Names for both need to be good for a baby, a kid, a teenager, an adult and a grandparent.  The names have to be classic but not old sounding, and not overly common.  As a kindergarten teacher I need to make sure that the name is reasonable to learn to spell and write, and I don’t want my kid to be one of 5 with the same name in his/her class.  I am really happy with our girls list and it will be easy for us to name 5 girls, however our boys list is totally lacking character.  We are trying a couple of each out to see if we get tired of saying/hearing it.

So, I read a book (The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy) and it talked about how if you have a male doctor to expect to fall a little in love with him…I didn’t really understand and I thought it was crazy to think about but honestly I can see it happen to me.  I have not had a happy, bouncy, glowing pregnancy up till now (who knows my fingers are crossed), and the one thing that gets me through each month is knowing that I will get to go to the doctor and see my baby.  I know this isn’t true but I feel like Dr. Doo is the only one on my side sometimes, he doesn’t tell me “just eat anyway” he has never said he is worried about me or the baby, and he always makes me feel good.  I mean who wouldn’t love the only guy who is able to let you see your baby and hear it’s heartbeat.  I have an appointment the Tuesday after we get back where I will find out if it’s a boy or a girl and I think I am more excited about my appointment then I am about Japan…oops.  I 100% know what gender my baby is…Adam won’t be sure until the baby is born I think, but I know in my heart and that’s all I need…however I could be way off.  Check in next Tuesday to see if we are blue or pink!

Ode To Laundry

I am one of those crazy people who actually enjoy doing laundry…I find it frustrating because as soon as you finish a load there is always something else in the hamper.  Sometimes (back in NC) I would even do laundry after I changed into my pj’s just so I could throw in what I was wearing.  If you ask me to list my top ten favorite things, I would have to list sleeping on freshly cleaned sheets, but not any freshly cleaned sheets, sheets cleaned in Tide Clean Breeze detergent and dried in a drier.  Adam is probably so embarrassed that I am writing that little secret of mine but it helps me make the point of how much I love laundry.
HOWEVER, I absolutely HATE doing laundry in China.  I send out our jeans, Adam’s nice shirts and my cotton t-shirts that need to be shrunken back to size and shape.  I hate to complain that someone else does my laundry but all our clothes come back smelling like chemicals, and they aren’t lasting.  I have tried washing everything in the washer here but the jeans get so stiff that they are awful to wear, not to mention they take forever to dry, or that 2 pair fill up our machine.  Adam’s button up shirts I send basically because I don’t want to iron a bunch of shirts that look like they had been rolled up into a ball for 3 years.  My little cotton t-shirts, well let’s just say they don’t look like anything a human would wear when they come out of my washer.  I do enjoy practicing my Chinese with the lady at the cleaners (who drops everything or anyone when I walk in…the joys of being a foreigner in China).  Our washer is small and also destroys clothing so I have had to come up with a system of washing and hanging clothes so that they are wearable then I iron all of Adam’s polo’s. 
As I was doing laundry tonight I have decided I will have to hand wash my babies clothing since things don’t come out soft and the smell of detergent is really strong (tide here just isn’t the same).  I want my baby to have soft clothes J
I know this is one of those entries that sound like I am complaining but I have to say I love it here!  I just want people to know my life isn’t all copy designer shoes and lunch with the ladies.

It’s All About The PLAN!

I just spent the entire day (from when I woke up to about 9:30 at night) working out the details of our trip to Japan.  I had already spent a lot of time doing research on plane ticket prices and hotels (which took a long time as well) in July.  For pretty much all the trips we have taken so far I have planned down to where we will eat…as structured as it is for vacation it makes the trip so much more relaxing and less stressful.  I usually plan too much so we can weed out the stuff we don’t feel like doing but we end up with more time to do extra things we see along the way.  I love that we don’t waste one second saying where should we eat…I don’t know where do you want to eat blah blah blah!  Since food is such an issue for me the last thing I want (or want to put Adam through) is being stuck somewhere where we can’t find somewhere to stop for a snack.  This pregnancy puts a whole new spin on everything because not only do we need to be near food, but I need to make sure we go to a Japanese restaurant where they serve cooked fish that isn’t exotic, plus some cool Japanese sushi and fresh fish for Adam to enjoy.  One of the mornings we will go to the fish market where they say you can stop off for sashimi and sushi rolls at booths on the street (this day I had to plan for a second lunch location so Adam could enjoy the very fresh sushi and I can eat something that won’t harm the baby). 

I read our travel book basically from cover to cover and did research on the internet to decide which cities we wanted to travel to.  We decided on Tokyo (of course) Kyoto and Osaka.  We arrive in Tokyo on Friday night and will take the Bullet train to Kyoto next Tuesday afternoon.  On Thursday we will take the train to Osaka and fly out of Osaka on Sunday morning. 

I am excited about everything but there is one thing in particular that I am really looking forward to (mainly because they could turn out to be the best thing ever or a total waste of money).  One of the things is sooooo expensive that I don’t even like to think about but is something that every website I looked at and our book mentioned was something you HAD to do in Japan.  We are staying in a Japanese Guest House (Ryokan)…we will basically sleep on a futon and sit on the floor but it should be really cool.  My only requirement for the Ryokans I looked at was that they had a bathroom on the floor (so glad I thought of that since I wasn’t even pregnant when I reserved this room)…we actually are staying in an updated guest house where they have bathrooms in your room.  It should be a real Japanese experience. 

This has been a tough job because I reserved the hotel months ago (without knowing anything about the areas…mainly looking at the price).  Usually I pick the cheaper hotel with good reviews and we have to spend a little extra on transportation to get to the tourist areas or the City center.  As it turns out our Tokyo hotel is right in the center of the metro system and equidistant from the three different areas we will visit on three different days, our Kyoto Ryokan is walking distance to some tourist things and our Osaka hotel is right in the center of the things I had planned for us.  This trip has also been difficult because I know nothing about Japan and I don’t know anyone who knows anything about the cities we are traveling to.  The difference between this trip and our trips to Thailand or Vietnam was we are going to a much bigger city with many more things to do and I have to plan for 10 days in three cities rather than some weekend relaxation time mixed with a few cultural sites. 

I’ll let you know how it turns out!!!

15 Weeks

I am beginning to eat a little more.  Thursday I ate a small portion of bland white fish, some carrots (which I haven’t eaten since the carrot incident), a slice of garlic toast (which was HUGE! I haven’t been able to eat toast lately, let alone with seasoning) and a half of a grapefruit.  I have also started drinking milk again…the only way I can drink it is mixed with chocolate (the milk here is in cartons and that doesn’t do much to the flavor…especially when you are flavor sensitive like I happen to be right now).  I have added half sandwiches to my food rotation (grilled cheese or peanut butter).  The biggest celebration for me was the chicken I ate on Friday.  Chicken was the first food that I couldn’t eat (week 6), the first smell that made me sick and the food that no matter how it came up in conversation totally ruined anything I attempted to eat.  Jodie and I took a trip to Shenzhen for lunch at a Thai/Indian restaurant and I ordered boneless chicken (seasoned with lemon…which I could eat whole, ginger…which is great for settling the stomach and Indian seasonings…THE RISK) with a side of fries (my safe food) and some naan.   Jodie ordered curry and fish…and the smell didn’t bother me!  Food still really scares me and I don’t look forward to eating anything but I am feeling soooooo much better and I only had one bad day this week (and this bad day was the equivalent of a good day 2 weeks ago).  Things continue to look up and hopefully food won’t be an issue at all on our Japan trip. 

*I typed this up on Friday after being so excited about overcoming new foods, however Saturday I traumatized my driver by getting out of the car and throwing up in the corner of the parking garage and before I knew it I was back on my dry cereal and apple diet.  It is very discouraging especially after such a great week to have 4 days of nausea and vomiting.  I can’t decide if its worse to see a little light, get excited then realize you are still stuck, or if it would be worse to be consistently sick and not have any expectations.  I feel like I haven’t been a real human being in over 2 months. Even last week when I felt good it is hard to feel really good when you think the feeling is only temporary.  I am so glad that the baby is growing and is healthy…that’s all I can ask for.  I am truly blessed in so many ways and I have such a wonderful life, but this is me venting a bit. 

*****Cool Week 15 Fact: My baby is the size of an apple…I thought this is cool since I am very familiar with the size of an apple considering I have eaten at least 3 apples a day for the past 2 months.

14 Weeks

I am feeling so much better; I no longer am nauseous 24/7!  I still have a motion sickness problem, so I try to sleep in the car or eat continuously, and I am still working on how to not feel sick in the elevators (avoiding is out of the question since we live on the 24^th floor).  And my headaches have been really bad (I have taken Tylenol a few times in the past couple weeks).  I am hoping to get an appetite back soon (hopefully in the next 2 weeks so I will be able to eat in Japan).  I am so happy to have more good days then bad!

I am sleeping a lot, I usually go to bed by 10 and sleep until at least 8:30 – 9:00 and I have a nap during the day.  I think part of the reason is that well…I’m pregnant, but the other reasons are I wake up a lot at night, and because the baby is taking all my stored vitamins (which is totally wonderful…I can re-fuel later but baby needs to keep growing). 

My friends here are saying that I look pregnant…since I am losing weight; the belly really stands out (literally).  I can still wear my low cut jeans and other pants unbuttoned with my “bella bands” (I had the tailor make me a few different sizes and I am on the smallest right now).  I cleaned all the clothes out of my closet that I won’t be able to wear pregnant.  Now my closet is totally bare but when I am in the apartment I wear cotton shorts or yoga pants and t-shirts so I am able to wear “real clothes” a few times between washing.  I have started wearing my fitted t-shirts again because I am lovin’ my little bump that no longer looks like the result of a heavy meal.

I have discovered a cure for fatigue and nausea…baby shopping!  I love that little baby clothes are soooooo cheap here I picked up a few boy things and a few girl things…knowing that we will have other children and if we end up with all boys I am sure I will know someone with a girl who will love my cute little finds (or vice versa).  I am able to by copy carter and copy baby b-gosh outfits for about $2 - $3 US.  As grandma would say…you can’t leave them there for that price, and since I don’t actually need them yet I bargain really low (if they like my offer GREAT…if not…oh well maybe the next shop will like it…but they usually don’t let me walk too far).  I have also done a lot of research on things that I will need to order from the States.  We are trying to have the bare minimum until we move back to NC.  Some people have asked what they can send us and really we don’t need too much…I am thinking about how we have to get everything home and how it took 4 months for our shipment to come here (I am guessing it won’t take that long but I am not going to take any chances).  I think the best thing to do if you want to get the baby something is wait and give it to him/her when we return.  When we come back the baby will be 4 – 5 months old and will have different needs. 

*****COOL WEEK 14 FACT:  Our little one is growing eyebrows!

3 Day Weekend

One of the things I love about China, but kind of frustrates Adam is the amount of Holidays!  Adam had Wednesday off a couple weeks ago for the Moon Cake Festival and he had this Friday off for National day.  Now Adam would usually work these days but we like to give the driver time off and Adam can’t get cabs to the factory.  At first he gets annoyed at the amount of work that won’t get done but as soon as he gets to sleep in and enjoy a cup of coffee he is happy to have a day off.  Friday morning Adam went to the hospital to get his blood type (I am O- and if Adam is + the baby and I will need shots).  Funny thing though the Chinese don’t do + or -.  According to the test Adam’s blood type is A.  I guess this means a trip to Hong Kong to find out more info. 
We invited my friend JJ over to watch Star Wars (Adam and JJ both wanted to watch and Jodie and I figured we could let them watch it and be off the hook…no such luck for me).  JJ joined us for the first movie in the series and Adam and I watched the next 2 on our own.  Only 3 more to go!  Adam did volunteer to watch a series with me another time (I am letting him decide between the Twilight series and High School Musical 1-3).
Saturday we walked around downtown and joined some of Adam’s co-workers for dinner and a Chinese movie.  Sunday our plans are to be totally lazy (again) and watch movies and lay around. 
I think one of the best parts of Chinese Holidays is the fact that it is WAY too crazy to go out and do anything so the best thing to do is stay at home and be lazy (picture trying to have lunch at a mall restaurant at noon on Black Friday x 10…then imagine the 4 million people that live in and around Huizhou hanging out in the 3 main entertainment areas).  I love a good lazy weekend at home with my hubby.

Things people don’t tell you about being pregnant…well at least no one told me:

*You automatically add 2 weeks to however long a baby has been inside you…what is with those 2 weeks?  Why do you count it before conception?
*The burping…I burp all the time…and actually I let ‘em rip…is not caring another pregnancy thing?
*That I would feel so tired in the first trimester…the upside, I have had the greatest sleep of my life!
*Stuffy nose every morning
*Lack of focus…I am already a little ADD (OK A LOT ADD) but I have taught myself over the years to work through it, but I have absolutely no focus at all.  Chinese class is now just a two hour frustration period for my teacher (as if it wasn’t already frustrating to teach me Chinese)…and again I don’t even care about the fact that I am not focused…I don’t even try to pretend.
*The bad taste in your mouth