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!

18 Weeks

Well I must finally have made it to the second trimester that I kept hearing about.  I have had a lot of energy (was able to spend a full day in Hong Kong, a full day in Shenzhen and a full day in Guangzhou, then spend a day and a half cooking and cleaning and was still a good hostess at our Halloween party.  Friday I woke up and didn’t feel great.  I wasn’t able to eat much and well, the nausea mixed with the empty stomach, mixed with a long car ride meant having the driver stop the car and throwing up all the water I drank that day.  I have to say I can deal with one bad day every two weeks, especially when I have had some really good days.  As of this morning I still haven’t gained an ounce since the doctor…BUT I haven’t lost anything. 

The big change this week is I realized that those little bubbles I have been feeling in my belly aren’t gas (I love that being pregnant means you can talk about things like your gas issues) but they are little baby movements.  The little stinker stops every time I have Adam touch my belly, but he is moving more and more.  I like to think that his daddy’s touch is soothing and relaxes him. 

I have been coming up with things about his personality a lot lately.  I think he is playful (like with the doctor) but totally subdue and relaxed (like his daddy) because he isn’t overly active.  I try to picture what he will look like as a toddler.  Will he have little blonde curls (I used to have them) like his mommy or straight brown hair like his daddy, will he have brown eyes like mommy or (crossing my fingers) blue eyes like his daddy?  Will he be an obsessive compulsive control freak like his mother or easy going like his father?  Will he struggle in school and earn every grade with blood sweat and tears like his mother, or will school come easy to him like his father?  Will he love to sing and make crafts and become a kindergarten teacher like his mother, or will he be really good at math and science and be an Engineer like his father?  Our child is a total toss up; Adam and I are different in so many ways.  I do know one thing this child will be loved (BIG TIME) and hopefully he will get the drive we both have and the work ethic we both have. 

I don’t know why but I have a feeling this child is going to grow up to be just like his daddy, he is going to get excited about technology, he is going to tell jokes I don’t understand but other Engineers will thing are hilarious, he is going to have to explain things in a kindergarten way (but not condescending) so that I understand.  I think he may go to State like his daddy and become an Engineer.  This could be a mother’s intuition or just me hoping that I am able to raise a little boy who is a good man like his father.  I am truly blessed to have my son grow up with some great male role models (my husband, my father, Adam’s father, my Grandpa Dalland, and the stories he will hear of the great grandparents that he won’t meet on earth).  I would be happy if he took after any of them. 

*****Cool Week 18 Fact: My uterus is the size of a cantaloupe…WOW!