I am "That Parent" (Zack's first time in nursery)

OK...yes I know my baby is 5 months old, but for the past 5 months it's been just me!  We didn't have grandparents around to watch him so Adam and I could have a date night.  We didn't have playgroups where he could interact with other babies.  Zack has really only had Adam and I since day 1 and since we like to spend time together when Adam isn't working there has only been 3 times where I have gone out just me.
I didn't hesitate about putting him in nursery, I was actually looking forward to it...until we pulled into the parking lot.  I was going totally crazy as the traffic directors were showing us where to park.  It took about 3 min. to get through the parking lot but it felt like 30.  I had my seat belt unbuckled (but I held it down so no one knew I wasn't wearing it).  I had my diaper bag on my shoulder and my hand (the one not holding the seat belt on the door handle.  I didn't want to be the parent dropping their kid off late!  I don't remember but I was most likely snapping at Adam to find a parking spot.  All of a sudden I became that parent...the one that I used to swear I wouldn't be after years of seeing happy kids comforting their parents on the first day of kindergarten. 
I knew Zack would be fine, I knew he would play and have fun.  He has no problem with strangers.  I most worried that the nursery workers would put him in a swing while he was wide awake, or put him on his tummy...he hates that!  I worried that they would want to cuddle him and he would just grunt and try to get away.  I worried that he would scratch another baby (his nail clippers are in our shipment) and I would have to look at a mother as she picked up her baby who now had a big scratch on their face.  I really wanted to be a fly on the wall to see what he was doing...but that would be crazy even if I was a fly there is no way I wouldn't interfere.
When I got to church the music had already started and I felt my eyes get heavy...was I really going to cry because my baby was down the hall playing?  I tried to sing away the tears...it worked but I decided that I wouldn't get anything out of the service, I would basically sacrifice this sermon and next time it would be better.  All of a sudden the power shuts off and the emergency lights turn on.  Everyone sat down and started chatting with one another.  The power came back on after a minute and they started on a new song.  I figured it had something to do with the hurricane.  This happened 2 more times than the sermon started.
This church must just be in my head because it always seems like they know what I need to hear.  This "power outage" was intentional!  They stopped after 6 min for a 1 min rest to symbolize the day of rest we are supposed to observe.  One of the first things our pastor said was, you can't do it all, you need to take time to relax and enjoy, basically you need to let go and let God (will I ever learn this lesson?).  Meanwhile here I am with my knee bouncing, thinking that the nursery workers won't know how to play with Zack because he is different from other babies (yes I am that parent).  I wished I had given more instruction on his personality.  Then Adam had to make a joke that when they shut off the power they couldn't flash his number if something was wrong...thanks for that.
It may sound crazy but I really needed that 1 min of rest, all the stimulation from the music and the talk was not helping...but this crazy power outage thing made me think of other things and gave me a chance to ask Adam questions or make a comment like I usually do during the talk, which usually makes me miss something and leads to another question or comment. 
In the end I debated if I should pick up Zack before or after meeting up with our friends...I opted to head straight to the nursery and yes I was the first mother there.  All the babies were in 1 piece and none had any scratches...that I could see.  The nursery worker said he played the whole time.  In fact he played so hard he missed a bottle and whined for his bottle as soon as I got him.
A friend of mine is taking her oldest baby to kindergarten today...I have been telling her how amazing kindergarten is and how much both her and her little...well BIG girl are going to enjoy it.  Now I am wondering...if I had this much trouble for an hour long church service...God help Zack's kindergarten teacher, because yes, I will be that parent!
In the end...forget about Zack he had no idea I was gone, I survived!

5 Months!

I didn't miss the event I just didn't have time to write about it, what with making a move from China to NC and all.  Now it's 4:30 am and I have a few hours before Zack will wake up and want to have play time.  Why am I up at this hour?  Good question...they do say the second day/night of jet lag is the worst and I am partly blaming that and partly blaming the fact that all the things we need to do in the next couple days is catching up with me and making me think, and thinking is the biggest cause of insomnia (according to Dr. Lindsay).
Anyway back to my 5 month old...wow...it seems like yesterday that he was still in my belly. 
Zack has discovered many new things this month...two of which have taken over photo's and video's.  He discovered his feet!  He loves playing with them so much that when we went out to eat last night and put him in the high chair he groaned and grunted trying to figure out how to get to his feet.  It was so cute his legs were stretched out and his muscles were flexed and he just kept trying (even if it meant bumping his head on the table a couple times...which I am assuming since it didn't bother him...he thought a bump was totally worth it). 

The other discovery was how fun it is to make a farting noise with your mouth.  Since my goal is to raise a gentleman, I try to be a good mom and tell him that it isn't a polite thing to do.  He usually responds my pursing his lips and making the noise right at me...I am assuming that since Z is a boy this noise will continue until he is about 25?

Multi-tasking...playing with the feet while making the "fart" noise

He sleeps through the night...I am hoping that it continues.  Last night he woke up just long enough for a bottle and tonight he hasn't woken up at all.
He is so funny when we put him to bed.  He usually kicks a couple times (both legs up in the air) before settling on a comfy spot...all without opening his eyes.  I have tried to get it on video but the room us usually too dark.  However if you ask nicely I may be willing to demonstrate!
He can fit into his 3 month clothing (he is wearing a little 3 month romper in the photo's above), but we will need to move him into 9 month pj's because he is really long.  It's been really good for me that he wears the 6 and 3 month clothing because we kept the number of outfits he has down due to lack of storage in our China apartment...and honestly I like not having so much extra.  The only problem is he wears the same things in all his photos...oh well.  Ask me again if I like not having so much extra stuff after a few more visits to target.  Our first visit we already started buying toys (well toy).

It's Z's perfect toy...the elephant trunk is great for chewing and grabbing, the belly makes a rustling noise, and the feet are teethers.  Plus the elephant is flat which means he can fit any part in his mouth...it's so frustrating trying to chew on the belly of a stuffed animal.  A lot has happened this month but I think our biggest exciting event was meeting family members on his 5 month birthday...and hey his 5 month birthday lasted a day and a half due to our 12 hour time change!

We Survived! Our Travel Story...thanfully nothing interesting or exciting happened

We made it!  We left our hotel at 7:00 am...honestly I was worried out airport shuttle wouldn't be able to handle our luggage.  We checked in and went through immigration and found our gate.  There were a ton of adoption families at our gate so I was very thankful we weren't going to be the only ones with small children on the plane.

We were in business class and boarded the plane last min (we didn't want Z to get cabin fever before the plane left) and I could see the looks on the faces of the people who had paid a fortune so they could get a good sleep on this 16 hour flight.  "How is it that I am the one sitting next to the baby?!?"  A few hours into the flight (when other passengers realized that Zachary was going to be alright) Zachary was the star of our section, he was fascinated with the grandma sitting across from us.  I am so thankful Cree put us in business class...not only was I able to lay the seat flat so Zachary could kick and play, but I was able to pump in the privacy of my own seat without being that girl who spent 20 min in the airplane bathroom. 

The new face of Delta Business Elite!

Yes I used my manual pump in my seat on the plane...twice!  I really thought I would have to give a lot of formula (my milk supply was down due to the stress of the last couple days and I wasn't sure what plane pumping would be like) however I only had to give 4 ounces of formula...and it would have been 2 but immigration in Detroit took a while and I didn't have time to pump before our second flight.
When we got to the Raleigh airport we were greeted with big smiles and hugs (well I avoided the hugs...not being able to pump and all...mommies you know what I'm talking about). 

We checked into our hotel (which is packed with families leaving the coast) and headed to Moe's for dinner with our families.

Ahhhhhhhhhh...I really expected Z to be angry that he couldn't play (it's been hard while the movers were packing his favorite toys) and I was really worried about the state of my milk makers...I have been up to 12 hours without pumping and I have to say it's the worst pain, it radiates through your body...and I wondered if we would be stuck in Detroit again...although this time I was prepared with extra clothing in our carry on...plus Irene was worrisome.  Thank goodness we didn't take a later flight!

Moving Day 5 (Checking Out)

If we have to move to China again the only thing that would make me hesitate is the disorganization of everything and the paperwork.
We went to the apartment really early so I could wash bottles and Adam could get the last of the stuff that we were giving away.  When we finished we stopped off at Starbucks (will I go to starbucks so much in NC?  I don't think so, I don't even like coffee...I just liked the feel of America).  Adam got an e-mail with the amount we owed to cover bills and it ended up being 10,000 RMB (over 1,500 US)!  We knew it was going to be a lot and because we have a foreign ATM card we are only allowed to take out 2,500 RMB each day.  Usually when we pay bills we take a few trips to the ATM over a week...yes we HAVE to pay everything with cash.  We had 8,000 and no way of getting more because we already got our max for the day. 

It's so hard watching someone else clean.

The last picture of Zack on this floral sofa!

I went back to the hotel to pump, Adam went to the apartment to sign out while Zachary and I hung out with his birth buddy (a baby born to a French Bulgarian couple 10 days before Z in the same hospital...and they live in our building).  Adam's 20 min checkout ended up being about 2 hours...and I am so glad I didn't go because I would have gotten really annoyed and mad (I am so lucky to have a husband who can deal with people telling us we owe more money because they have to hire someone to move the furniture back and repair pin holes...meanwhile when we moved in Adam moved furniture by himself and there were huge nails sticking out of the wall.  Anyway all that is over with and we figured out how to get them cash.







Goodbye 1201...yes the number was held up with scotch tape.







Our driver took us to the HK border and we said goodbye...see a later post.  Another car picked us up and drove us to the airport hotel.  We hadn't eaten lunch so we had an early dinner then a late dinner with my good friend Judi and her husband Cesare...I am so going to miss my hotel friends.  Cesare is an Italian chef and the head Chef of the Intercontinental hotel on the Hong Kong harbor...he had his assistant prepare a special meal for us.  We finally crashed at around 1:30 am.

Moving Day 3 (sea shipment)

The morning went a little more smoothly than yesterday.
They came...did their thing...

In each one of these is a small glass...yeah I don't think anything is breaking

At this point I stayed in the living room...I didn't want to trip or mess anything up

and when they left we had nothing left...goal met!

Before

After

After watching them pack I have no doubt all our stuff will get to our new apartment (wherever that may be) in one piece.

Good-Bye Huizhou Family

We have been saying goodbye for a while...it all began last Friday (2 weeks before take off).

Dina bought this outfit for Zachary.  She wrote "to Handsome Milton" on the card because she wasn't sure how to spell Zachary.

I had to throw in a cute picture of my boys!

We started by taking Dina out for lunch.  Dina is one of my favorite people at Adam's work.  She has been my lifesaver.  Not only will she translate when I am desperate and she will organize crazy schemes so that I don't end up doing any of the work.  It's funny...sometimes I call because I need her to explain my errands to the driver and she will end up telling the driver to do them for me...and since Zachary was born I don't argue.  It has been a huge help because taking Zachary out means blocking cameras, explaining in broken Chinese that he doesn't need socks when it's 100 degrees out, and making sure people don't give him food (like a whole tomato...yes this happened).

Last Saturday night we had close to 25 friends over for dinner.  I made NC style pork BBQ, homemade chicken nuggets, hot dogs, cole slaw (from scratch...this won't happen again...cabbage makes your kitchen STINK), pasta salad, chocolate cake and rice krispie treats. 

Adam with some of his co-workers

Some of oour Ex-Pat friends

Amber and her little girl Lottie

Monday night Adam went out with some of the Engineers he works with.  The went to dinner and KTV...I wasn't invited...I think it was because they were intimidated by my singing voice.  Adam had a great time and when I asked him what he sang...he replied "everything".

enjoying a nice dinner

Toasting Adam

 

Saturday afternoon we threw another party this time with Cree people.  I prepared finger foods.

This baby is 2 weeks younger than Z...and belongs to one of the first Cree people I met.  Who would have thought we would both get pregnant at the same time.  BTW- ever tried to take pictures of two 5 month olds?  At least here they are both looking at the camera and Z isn't attacking the other little guy!

Zack's new best friend...I honestly thought he would never give him back, it's so sweet watching men play with a baby.

The whole group!

Sunday we went to Palm Island.  This area is about 45 min. from where we live and this is where some of the first people I met live.  Most have moved away but my friend Jacqueline and her family are still there and moved to Huizhou from Cary, NC...talk about small world.  Jacqueline was the one who lent us the crib and our favorite thing...the Jumparoo.  We are so sad to give it back but even more sad to say goodbye.  I am hoping we meet up again sometime for an Orange Julius in Briar Creek!  I am so mad I didn't take any pictures...I was having way too much fun!

Our last celebration dinner was tonight (Wednesday)...honestly I was super exhausted and had way too much on my mind to enjoy it as much as I should have.  I can't believe we are leaving tomorrow...I feel like I am a few years behind my life...you know...things move so fast.

Adam with the top Cree Huizhou guys

The head table

Adam invited 40 people to his big dinner.  Here are some.

and some more

These are my two favorite Cree ladies...Rolin helped us when we first moved in (hers is the baby with Zack) and Dina helps us all the time now.

These events along with several trips to Starbucks with the ladies were a great way to end our stay in Huizhou.  I hope to bring Zack back someday to meet all these people who were so excited to be a part of his life, and who Adam and I are honored to know!

Moving Day 2 (Air Shipment)

Today began with a late start...Adam was working late and pressed snooze a few times on his alarm so he was 15 min later than planned going to work which means the driver wasn't able to pick me up until 8:45.  The movers were due to come at 9:30 and I still had a few things to do.  I got a call on the way to the apartment that the guards wouldn't let the moving truck in our parking garage.  Then I got a call from Adam saying he got an e-mail this morning with paperwork we had to fill out before they would move our stuff.  Then another call...the movers found another entrance and they would have to carry the boxes a little further but they were there and ready to move.  Adam must have gotten the same calls and would have known that I was freaking out because I got a text from Adam saying he called the movers and told them not to come to our door until 9:30...AHHHHHHH! 

Once Jackson (the nicest mover ever) and his crew got there they went straight to work...I just remember the one person that packed our stuff back in the states who basically threw stuff in a box...these (5) guys were out of control.  The wrapping they did was amazing and they made boxes to fit everything that didn't fit in a regular box.  One man spent the whole morning making chair boxes.

We ended up with about 250 pounds left over so we were able to pack most of the paintings and photographs I had framed along with the wii!

Can you guess what this is?

What do Zachary and I do while they do all the work?  well...
a little of this and a little of that...

who needs toys when you have feet?

I mean can you think of a better time to have a mini photo shoot?

Moving Day 1 (organizing and a second roll of bubble wrap)

One less item than we had coming...for one more person

I think I went a little bubble wrap crazy.  Especially since we have professional movers and all our stuff will be insured.  We don't have a lot of stuff that is worth a lot of money...but I love the picture frames I bought for $1 in the street of Thailand and the platter we bought for $5 in the ceramics village in Vietnam...and yes I love the dining table and chairs we picked up at Ikea in Shenzhen.  I wrapped the chairs and table in towels and covered them in bubble wrap. 
I finished my piles.

These will be our only kitchen items for a while

And did my last load of laundry in China (YAY) washing sheets and towels...yes I will wash them after unpacking, but it makes me feel better that they are traveling clean.
Tonight we move into a hotel...HELLO WATER PRESSURE!

A Positive To Our Feeding Situation

What makes bottle feeding worth the extra cleaning, the pumping, the medication to keep up my milk supply and the power pumping before going out for a few hours?

Would Zachary grab my hand and look me in the eyes if he was nursing...I don't know, but I don't care.  These are the moments I will cherish.

The Master Plan

You know how they say..."if you want to make God laugh...tell him your plans", well if that is true God laughs at me all the time.  Do my plans always work out?  NO  Should I think that my plans will work if I organize well? NOT EVERY TIME.  Does that stop me from working really hard to make sure my plans all work out...not in the least.  The realistic part of me knows that there is absolutely no way that I can get my stuff together so that packing and unpacking will be an easy job.  The planner/optimist in me (which is about 90% of me) just knows that I have figured out the perfect way to organize and pack.  I am certain that I have thought through everything so that we don't end up with something we NEED in the sea shipment or so that we don't end up having to take too much on the plane. 
Here it goes...

This sign is on the door of the Master Bedroom...this is the stuff we want to send in our air shipment.

Clothing and gifts...we are also sending our table by air so we won't have much room.  There is more (some dishes and kitchen items) still in use.

This sign is on Zachary's door...the stuff that we would like to send by air if there is room...if not we will send by sea.

Mostly artwork and photos...we are also hoping to fit the Ikea chair.  I can't wait to decorate.

This is on the Guest door and has everything going by sea.

Clothes, some art, golf clubs...etc.  This may look a mess but it is actually organized

Our closets have only the clothes we will need through Friday...Adam's has the most because I figure I will mostly be in yoga pants and I plan on keeping Z in his pj's all day to cut down on laundry...I have washed the last of our clothes.  The only laundry I plan to do is the sheets and towels before they are packed.

I requested that the movers come twice, once for air, once for sea.  It shouldn't take too long each day and they could have done it in one day but this way I can pull things out of the room and organize it by room and then by category to make unpacking super easy.  I told them that I will need to see each box before it's sealed so I can make notes on the outside.  The same people that moved us here last June and moved us from apartment to apartment will be here again and they are very nice but only one guy speaks English and they didn't empty any drawers...this time I have emptied everything and am categorizing everything.  My shipping inventory is organized by room and then separated into categories as well.  I am hoping that my hard work will pay off in September and again in October (I hope October) when our shipments arrive.  We shall see...