Zack’s First Plane Ride

Zachary took his first airplane trip!  We wanted to take a test trip before the big one we will take in August.  I know Z will be fine but I needed this test trip for myself.  He slept the whole way to the airport and was happy and playful once we got checked in…I think he knew and was excited about riding in an airplane.  He was bouncing on my legs until take off.  I fed him (to make it so his ears didn’t pop) during takeoff and he fell asleep for some of the trip. The way back went equally as smooth.  We really had a successful trip.  Now if only I had faith that this one hour trip on a plane could be a window to the experience we will have on our 20 + hours of travel we will have in August.

YangShou

I am sooooooo mad at myself.  We have been in China for almost a year and a half and this is only the second city we visited within China (other than Shenzhen and Guangzhou…but I feel like a 2 hour car trip doesn’t really count).  Not only that but this resort area was only an hour away from us (by plane…plus the 2 hours to the airport and the 1 hour to the hotel) but it was a super cheap wonderful vacation.  This could have totally been a great weekend regular get away spot. 
People told me that this was the most beautiful place in China…well I was skeptical because I have taken hikes or climbed stairs to see a “great” view and none have been worth it.  But honestly I have never seen mountains like this.  It was truly beautiful (this is a lot coming from someone who doesn’t like looking at pictures unless there are people in them and never appreciates a view). 
We stayed at the Yangshou Mountain Retreat.  This place was really special…the rooms weren’t anything exciting but we were on the river overlooking the mountains.  It is owned by an American who built it using all green materials and they don’t serve anything disposable (not even straws).  The receptionist (who is listed as someone to call if you want to organize an excursion) is a local girl with severe brittle bone disease.  Typically someone in her situation would have been sent to an orphanage when she was young or you would find her on the street begging for money.  She took initiative and got a job, learned English, Quickbooks and Hotel finances.  She was truly a blessing to meet.

The waitresses at the restaurant were great girls.  We only ate a few meals at the hotel restaurant but we enjoyed it because the girls were totally smitten with our little boy and would entertain him so Adam and I could eat a meal at the same time. 

We strolled through west street where there were tons of handicraft shops and great restaurants.  The travel book mentioned that haggling prices for these crafts was tough but honestly (as an experienced Chinese haggler) it was nothing…it wasn’t even fun!  You look at something, they quote a super high price and you walk away and they cut their price by 75% without you even showing more interest. 

Our big outing was a Li river raft cruise.  The raft was made of bamboo and had a motor the size of a personal fan.  We got to see the beautiful mountains while the much needed breeze cooled us off.  We left the hotel at 8:30 and were supposed to be back at 12:00.  At 11:30 we had just turned around on the river and not 10 min after turning around the police boat yelled at us and we turned back in the other direction.  We pulled up to a local fishing village with a restaurant.  Adam and I already planned on having lunch at the hotel where they had a boneless version of the local beer fish.  We each had a coke and took a little rest.  When we were ready to leave we got up and started walking toward the river, our driver said no he wasn’t ready yet, and decided to order lunch.  I started to freak out.  We were an hour from where the car was meeting us, which was 45 min away from the hotel and we had the baby.  After he ate he wondered around so Adam told him we wanted to leave, the driver said he wasn’t going to leave for a half hour.  We called the hotel and after talking to the driver Angel informed us that the government shut down the river and it would open again at 12:30.  I don’t know what happened but once it was 12:30 we left and well we survived.  Once we got on the raft with the cool breeze all was well!

3 Months

My little man is just that…a little man.  He is full of personality.  He knows what he likes and he likes being able to move…meaning he hates things that cause him to be strapped in like the sling, the baby carrier and the car seat…or my arms unless he is sleepy.  When you try to cuddle he straightens his legs so that he is “standing” on your legs and tries with all his might (you can tell by the grunting) to stand up on his own.  If you hold him he will stand up all day…and is very proud of himself. 
He doesn’t really cry unless you aren’t quick enough with a bottle (then watch out).  I tried explaining to him that if he nursed that he wouldn’t have to wait for us to heat up a bottle from the fridge or hang out while I pumped…but he didn’t listen J.  He goes from full to starving and from wide awake to totally sleepy in 20 seconds.  He will give you a warning whimper than his face will turn red and he screams if his needs aren’t met.  However if you try to put him to sleep or feed him before he needs it, too bad…it won’t work.
He is really an easy baby.  We tote him along with us wherever we go and he is very content.  He loves his new umbrella stroller (I know you aren’t supposed to put babies in this kind of stroller until 4 months but he sits up really well and is very happy in it). 
He grows into his personality more and more everyday…it’s funny that all the things I noticed about him when he was younger are more pronounced now and quickly making him Zachary.
I can’t wait for people to meet him…however I have to warn…he refuses to put on a show.  Once the camera is on and we have friends around and we are trying to show him off he shuts off…and as soon as the camera is back on he smiles.

Looks like I got one with a smile

Happy Fathers Day!

Happy Father’s day to my grandpa’s.  I was lucky to have two amazing grandfathers, both very different but the same in ways that mattered.  Until I got older I thought it was normal for my cousins on my mom’s side to call my grandparents on my dad’s side grandma and grandpa.  I thought it was normal to spend all holidays with both sides of the family at the same time and location.  I know my grandparents all became good friends but I am sure the reason they became close was for the grandchildren.  I will never forget the look Grandpa Marum gave every time he saw me (even though he lived down the street), or the fact that he and my grandma moved twice just to be near us; and I will never forget the time Grandpa Dalland made my Tante Janet call me so he could talk to me, or the way he waits for us by the window and then pretends he is annoyed that he no longer has peace and quiet.

Happy Fathers day to my daddy.  My dad made a lot of life changing decisions about his career so that he could be a part of our lives.  Once we moved to NC he worked 6:00 am to 3:00 pm and was home every afternoon.  He coached our teams he was a boy scout leader.  He picked us up when we were sick…well at least until I figured out that I could get him to come when mom wouldn’t and mom caught on to my game and told him he wasn’t allowed to come get me anymore.  My dad would come up to my college just to fix my computer (this is after I asked too many “stupid” questions and the Tech at Elon told me “just to call my daddy”).  My dad met my future husband already trusting that I wouldn’t date a jerk and now he loves Adam as much as he loves me…in fact sometimes I wonder if he likes Adam better.  My dad was proud to walk me down the aisle and he was the most excited of all when he found out he was going to be a grandpa.  When Zachary was born my dad (who types maybe 1 word a min.) sent Zachary a very long e-mail, the sweetest letter I ever read.  My dad has been a great example to me, as a father, a husband and a man.

Happy Fathers Day to my husband.  Adam hasn’t been a father long, but I couldn’t have picked a better man to raise my children with.  Before Z was born Adam was scared about everything, but as soon as he held Z in his arms he stopped worrying about the exact temp. a bottle needs to be.  Adam loves to read to Zachary and since children’s books are my thing I bought a junior chapter book “Robin Hood” that is going to be a Father/Son thing.  Adam read to my belly now he reads to the baby and eventually Z will read it to Adam.  I know as Z gets older that I may have to be the tough one because Adam is mush around the baby; he hates to see him cry or even look like he may cry.  I can’t wait to watch Z grow up and look up to his daddy.

A Tale of Two Repair Men

Anyone who has read my blog knows how I feel about the repair men in China…the water guys totally drove me crazy and the one time we had our lights fixed it took 3 days to change a light bulb.  Today we had to have someone change all the bathroom lights and one of the kitchen lights.  You may be wondering why we need someone to come change a light for us…well they are wired in and not something we want to mess with.  Then we needed someone to come fix our AC which has been leaking water.  Now repairs here are hit and miss…you may get someone who fixes the problem or you may get someone who makes the problem worse.
The lightbulb guy was wonderful.  He took of his shoes when he entered (and he had clean socks on) he looked at each light and wrote down the model we needed. I gave him some money and he went to buy the lights and came back to replace them.  While he was out another light went out so he went back to the store and replaced that light as well.  He only wanted to charge me for the cost of the bulbs but I gave him some money because I truly appreciate when someone does their job and shows respect for me and my home.

The AC guys (there were two) were the total opposite.  They came in and I had to yell at them to take off their shoes (if you saw what is on the sidewalks you would feel the same way…not to mention it’s a typical Chinese custom).  They both had nasty smelly socks.  When I showed them the problem they asked me something in Chinese and I didn’t understand what they were asking so in Chinese I told them I didn’t understand…they laughed and made a comment to each other.  My cleaner came to my rescue (apparently they were asking for a ladder), she explained that I didn’t have a ladder so they weren’t going to do any work.  She carried one of my dining room chairs into the bedroom and covered it with plastic bags (so they wouldn’t dirty it) and moved the bed side table out of the way…all while these two men watched and checked their text messages.  Then they made her stop what she was doing to get something else to help them fix the ac (in my opinion if you are a repair man you bring the tools you need).  Before they left they made her stop what she was doing again to put the bedside table and the chair back (what gentlemen).  After I paid them I asked for a receipt and they laughed again (in a rude way) and my cleaner came to my rescue again.  Since they didn’t have a formal receipt she made them write a note. 

The most annoying part about the repair men here is that they have no respect for women.  They have more respect for a foreign woman (frankly I think they are a little scared of foreigners) but they still don’t believe that I have any idea what I am talking about.  In order for them to fix something they don’t think is broken I need to have Adam tell them over the phone.  I may not know how to fix everything but I do know when the internet isn’t working (a few days ago we had the internet guy come because our connection cuts on and off…they told us that we needed to stop using it because it needed a break).  I know when I don’t have a hot shower.  I know when I have to clean up water spilling out of the ac.

Growing Like A Weed

Zack went through another growth spurt this week.   From what I read (and I know all babies are different)…this is not a typical time for babies to have a growth spurt.   I am wondering if he is going through extra growing periods because he is still underweight or it could just mean he is ready to roll over.  I HATE growth spurts.  For 3 days he is fussy, all he wants to do is eat and sleep; however he is only able to sleep if I am holding him.  During the rare times he isn’t eating or sleeping he is just plain unhappy, he doesn’t want to play he just wants to cuddle.  I enjoy a rare cuddle with Z but I hate that he isn’t his usual playful self.  After these days are over he basically sleeps for three days meaning I have no one to play with.  During this spurt I would tell Adam how fussy he was and how I couldn’t get anything done because he couldn’t be put down.  I am sure he didn’t believe me because it’s very unlike Zachary and by the time Adam came home Z would be so tired from not sleeping well all day that he would be sound asleep in his crib.  This weekend I figured Adam could help hold him and feed him (have you ever tried pumping while holding a baby?) however it was Zach’s time to hibernate…he basically slept all weekend, and was happy to sleep anywhere.  However I still didn’t get anything done because I hate doing chores on the weekend when I could be spending quality time with my hubby!
Zack’s sleeping really did give Adam and I a chance to be super lazy.  We watched movies and TV shows all weekend, we played wii, we played with the baby (the short time he was awake).  It was WONDERFUL.

Eper

Well it turns out that there is a name for people like me…people that pump exclusively for one reason or another.  I finally (after 2 months of research) found an online support group for Epers.  Most information I read is for nursing mothers and the advice I get is don’t pump too much and don’t introduce the bottle.  It is so nice to read information for people in my situation.  I found out that the way I have been pumping is all wrong…it’s right if you are nursing as well but totally wrong if you are eping.  I love that I didn’t have to adapt any of the information to fit my situation, I loved that other women dealt with the exact same thing I did, I love that the women have the same concerns, praises and failures that I have, I love that I can read about the amazing success stories of women who pumped for an entire year (which is my goal…but we shall see), I love that the women didn’t make anyone feel bad for using or switching to formula (I honestly don’t know if I would have switched had we been in America where the formula isn’t Chinese). 
I know in my head that I am not a failure but it is so hard to know that in your heart when you are pumping as your baby is screaming for food and you can’t pump enough due to stress and end up giving them formula.  It’s hard to not feel like a failure when it seems like everyone else in the world can nurse.  It’s hard to not feel like a failure when you read anything from La Leche League (I know it’s a great group for some people but honestly I am not a fan). 
It’s been a little over a week since I embraced the pump and I feel so much better, I don’t dread trying to make Z nurse (what mother wants to do something that makes their child so miserable…it’s worse then when he got his shots!).  Zack I am sure is much happier not having to go through this horrible experience every time he is hungry.  Basically I love my new identity and I plan on becoming a support for anyone who has trouble nursing.