Elevensies

It seems impossible to believe that Willow is already 11 months, and that next month she will have her first birthday! I am amazed at how fast time has gone by.

Here's what she's been up to the last month in terms of development.

• Walks short distances (anywhere between 6-12 steps) but prefers to crawl still. She is an incredibly fast crawler, and sometimes I have to jog to keep up with her. 
• I've noticed that she is starting to 'sing'. When we are listening to music, or there is a song on Sesame Street or The Princess and the Frog, she 'oohs' and 'aahs' along with the music in a different pitch than her usual babbling. It's pretty cute!
• She dances! She has several new dance moves. Sometimes she does just one at a time, but I've also seen her do them all at once which is hysterical. She waves her arms to the beat, stomps her feet, wiggles her body, and bounces up and down. She will do this either while standing, sitting, or on all-fours. 
• Started drinking from a straw. For some reason, this took her awhile to master. Finally, finally, she can do it. 
• She opens the cabinets all the time--it's one of her favorite activities because then she can take everything out of the cupboards/wardrobes and make a royal mess.
• Climbs up the slide at the playground 
• Opens her dresser drawers and excitedly removes all her neatly folded clothes. She can also slide her toy box drawers open to gain access to her toys 
• Increasing attention span for activities like reading books and, unfortunately, watching television. The other day, she sat quite still while I read fourteen board books to her in a row! I was shocked!
• Willow is a very social baby. There is nothing she loves more than going outside to find other babies/toddlers/kids to play with. She likes the babies in her board books, and the little kids on Sesame Street too. 

It is so RARE that Willow relaxes. She is always moving, moving, moving! An extremely active baby; so, I had to laugh when I saw her just 'taking it easy' on the couch yesterday. What a silly girl! She reclined for a whole minute...but was still kicking her right leg around. 

Her listening comprehension is also improving as I observe her understanding more phrases.

Here are a few simple sentences that she understands:

• Learning what 'no'/'don't do that'/'stop' mean 
• "Give ___________ a kiss" (daddy/mommy/kitty/baby) 
• "Want to eat?" 
• "Say goodbye" (usually waves goodbye after some prompting) 
• "Say hello" (will put the phone on her ear) 
• "Give your baby a hug" 
• "Where is your baby?" or "Where is your kitty?" (she will find the toy) 
• "Do you want to read a book?" (will get a book to read) 
• "Hi-Five!" (will give a high-five) 
• "I'm going to get you!" (will crawl away, squealing, because she knows she will get tickled)
• "Dance!" (will do her silly wiggle) 
• "Clap your hands!" 
• "Clap your feet!" (she likes to do this when she is getting dressed) 
• "Let's go outside!" 
• "Bath time" (although recently she hates baths again. sad) 

Now if only she would understand other phrases like: danger; don't eat that; sit down; it's time to sleep; do you need your diaper changed? 

What a typical day looks like for eleven-month-Willow: 

• 6:30--wake up, get changed, nurse 
• 6:45-8:30--play time, cheerio snack, maybe skype 
• 8:30-10--nap
• 10:00-12:00--nurse, play time, maybe go outside, eat lunch
• 12:00-2:00--nap 
• 2:00-4:00--play time, maybe watch Sesame Street 
• 4:00--Daddy gets home and plays with Willow while Mom makes dinner 
• 5:30--eat dinner then play some more 
• 6:30--bath time on some nights 
• 7:00--pajamas, brush teeth, put toys away, nurse, and then sleeping for the night 

She's usually still waking up in the middle of the night to eat. But it is starting to be hit or miss. Sometimes she  wakes up, and sometimes she doesn't at all--like last night. I'm sure that just as she starts to sleep through the night again, we will have to go through jet lag all over again. 

Some Current Favorites: 

• Singing/music, especially The Princess and the Frog and Sesame Street (Elmo!) 
• Her stuffed tiger, and soft bunny/blanket 
• Her pink blanket 
• Steamed green beans 
• Outside/playground/walks 
• Other kids/babies 
• Making messes 
• Technology
• Board books with photography of other kids/babies 
• Bananas 
• Drinking yogurt 
• ANYTHING that she shouldn't have, especially: 
• wires
• computers
• garbage/trash cans
• the water cooler

Common messes caused by Willow: 

• Dumping the box of q-tips all over 
• card games, puzzle pieces, scrabble pieces, poker chips...ALL OVER 
• Removes clothes from wardrobes and dressers 
• Empties kitchen cabinets 
• Throws her food on the floor during lunch or dinner 
• Dumping the garbage cans over 
• Removing all the wipes from the container during 'nap' time

But, between all the messes, temper tantrums, and stubborn attitudes, I think that this has been the cutest, most fun stage to experience so far. She is always active, non-stop motion, and learning to discover and explore. She is giggly, wiggly, and fairly 'innocent' still. She babbles a lot, says 'mama' and 'dadda' often. She likes to give me kisses and sweet little hugs. I love her chubby little self! 

Eleven Month Photos:

Sorry--the lighting is terrible! We went outside on an impulse, and didn't really plan for a great time with the sun.

Later that day...

 She has discovered that her reach is big enough to get what she wants.

Caught red-handed. Literally. 

On to the next shenanigan. She likes to climb up onto the back of the couch (here she is getting ready to do so), and then lunge herself over the gap onto the window sill. This is how she gets to our home phone. She likes to play with the land line so much that she actually broke it last week. Now we need to buy a new phone! 

We love you, Willow Rose! 

I cannot believe you've been around for nearly one year! You've impacted my life in every possible way and I couldn't imagine my life without you in it.
Hugs and kisses!

xoxo
-mommy 

Adjustment

Our living situations is pretty different, than if we were living in America. I think that is an under-statement! 

I've mentioned these fact before, but for those who don't know--here's the deal with the apartment where we live. 

• We were assigned this great apartment when we first arrived. Someone on our team took the time to find an apartment available to rent, and then worked out all the details with the landlord so that we could move in. 
• I've actually never met or even seen our land lord. Kind of unusual! 
• All of our furniture belongs to the landlord. I've spent considerable time and money trying to make it feel more like 'our' home, and not someone else's. 
• I have a love/hate relationship with this situation. 
• Love: didn't have to spend the money on furniture, and was saved the headache of trying to locate furniture when we first arrived. Not to mention, we wont have to worry about selling everything. 
• Hate: everything is mis-matched and in various stages of disrepair; it's a hassle to get pieces removed if we don't want them; I'm always worried we are going to break something or get blamed for the disrepair that the furniture is in; some of it hurts my eyes. 
• All-in-all, I'm really thankful that we don't have to buy furniture, or have the burden of ownership on so many things. It's prolonging the 'dorm' experience a little and suspending our adult-hood. I feel like when we own all our own furniture, we will finally be adults. :) Also, we have no drawers in our apartment. Not in our kitchen, not in our bathroom, not in our closet space...when we have drawers, then we will be official adults. 

Anyway, the point is, we bought a desk. 

It's nothing special. We actually lent it to Little Women, and now that the play is over, we've made room for it in our little apartment. It involved moving two bookshelves and one wardrobe, plus Willow's little cardboard castle. I'm not in love with how things look right now, so I hope that it will grow on me. 

One bookshelf has our games, books, and DVD's in it. The other is like our linen closet and medicine cabinet combine--along with lots of other odds and ends. 

Pictures--Willow likes to look at these every day. If I'm holding her, she points at this wall so that I'll go over there. Then she likes to give everyone in the pictures kisses. 

And....a picture of our real life. Laundry hanging on the curtain rod, and Willow going after my laptop the second I leave it unattended. 

It might not look like much, but we've lived here for three years and it feels like home.

~julie 

Baby Love

You might almost be able to forget you were in China---if not for the several million people on the other side of the fence.

Sneak Peak

These are part of Willow's 11 month photo-log. Couple days early, but I couldn't help myself. Plus, can't sleep again! Blast that iced tea!

Can't believe that this trouble maker is nearly one month away from her first birthday! It's hard to believe how fast the time is going by--the days are fleeting, even when they feel an eternity long.


At least she's sleeping better the last few nights. No 9pm or 10pm crying fests from supposed nightmares.

In other news, I think I have the beginnings of arthritis. Lots of pain in my hands lately. It's genetic! Thanks, Mom! ;)

Confession: I finally put clean pillow cases on my pillows today. I've been using my pillows without any covers for over a week. Fail.

Tomorrow is the last day of school for the 2011-2012 school year. I'm so excited! Although the excitement will be short lived. Dear friends will be leaving, precious students will be moving on, and Adam will be going to Beijing on Sunday. He will be gone for three weeks!It's been said that absence makes the heart grow fonder. I truly hope that this will be the case--because the adverse is me losing my mind via the clingy baby girl who will be keeping me company. Adam and I have had our fair share of being separated by geography because of school or work. I was calculating, by the time Willow is 1, Adam will have spent over two of her 12 months out-of-town.

I'm sure I'll survive. I have some help, which I am thankful for. And there's things to look forward to. I want to read the manual for our camera and start packing for America.

OH MY GOSH!!! The hugest centipede is in front of me, crawling up the wall! Should I wake Adam up to kill it? Ah!!!!

Ok. I woke Adam up and he killed it. I was too chicken.

I am NOT going to survive.

That Summer Evening Feeling

We ate chicken enchiladas and a spicy rice dish for dinner.

Homemade cookies in the oven.

Adam is running sound for the 8th grade graduation ceremony tonight.

Willow and I went on a walk by the river after dinner.

We saw a disgusting, mangy cat--worst off cat I've ever seen.

There was a little dog running around--he had only three legs.

We swung on a swing.

I almost lost her favorite cat at the park.

Willow let me read a record amount of board books to her tonight: 14 in a row!

She was sleeping by 7pm. Peace at last!

Have a stomach bug--so I'm dealing with it.

Started Chinese lessons once again today, after my hiatus (due to Little Women)

Last day of school tomorrow.

Adam leaves for Beijing on Sunday.

Willow will be 11 months on Friday.

We'll be in America in 24 days.

This Home is Temporary

This home is temporary. 

Everyday I think about leaving this place. It's eventual. It's inevitable. It's like a time bomb ticking away, to an unknown detonation point. It's a constant battle in my mind. About the little things that we invest in. Is it worth decorating your home when you'll just have to paint it back to white, sell all the trinkets and frames, and putty up all the nail holes? Is it better to keep it is as sparse as possible, because that's most economical?

But I can't stand sparseness. Sterility, fluorescence, bareness. Yuck!

I sit here, unable to sleep for the millionth time. I'm a little in a panic about not being able to sleep right now. I would give anything to rest. I know that Willow will be up in a few short hours, and I have a long day ahead of me with activities planned straight through the day from morning till night.

I look at all our possession here and there, and think about selling them someday. Every year, some friends move away, and new staff arrive to replace them. Every spring, it's a reminder that someday it will be us. It will be us selling our stuff, saying our goodbyes, packing up what we want to keep, discarding what no one wants....I don't know if it reveals some sort of compulsiveness in my thinking, but I literally think about this everyday. I'm positive that Adam does not think about leaving. He thinks about staying. But I have a running tab in my brain of my 'treasured objects'. What do I want to take back with me because it would be too sad to sell or throw away? The cross that I can hang pictures on, the Chinese style jewelry box, my recipe book, the growing pile of appreciative letters from students, our Starbucks city mugs, the handmade baby blankets, a few books...really, we don't have that many treasures.

This home is temporary. 

That means that everything we want to take back to America with us, someday, will have to fit in five suitcases. What an impossible concept to wrap your mind around! How to fit three people's lives into five suitcases?!

Not too long ago, people moved to foreign lands to serve and minister. They didn't plan on returning to their home country. Some packed their few belongings in a coffin, because that was the mindset they had. They would serve in another country until they died, and then they would be buried there.They didn't have google to research the place they were going to live, they didn't always have language tutors, or foreign import stores, or English movie theaters, or email/skype to keep connected with family and friends. Really, they were amazing. They humble me, because I'm positive I couldn't do what they did. My life is plain luxurious in comparison.

But they went because they were obedient. Because they knew that this world is temporary, and their 'home' really isn't a four-walled structure. They knew that where their true home was, they weren't allowed to check five pieces of luggage.

You won't need it. 

While I continue to struggle with my sleepless nights, and obsess about my possessions, I'm at least encouraged that it's just stuff and that I should always consider my homes to be temporary resting places.


~julie

Friday Afternoon

To nap or not to nap.

 That is the question! 

We had a busy day on Friday. First it was mom's group, where Willow got to socialize with other babies/toddlers for a few hours, then it was home to cook and bake--during which time I realized I needed a few missing ingredients. This meant taking a walk to a nearby veggie market. During all the tasks of the day, Willow only napped for thirty minutes. the. entire. day. Which meant she was pretty crabby the rest of the time. Adam had a soccer party that evening, and since Willow was so fussy, she and I did not stay very long. It was on the roof of one of the apartment buildings where our friends live. What a fun way to celebrate the end of a successful season. We ate tacos, Mexican rice, and brownies.


Willow thinks it is her role, or birth right, to hold the apartment keys whenever we go out. If I don't give them to her, she throws a fit. She's also still in love with her stuffed tiger, which she refers to as, "Meow".

Just holding onto these keys for safe keeping

Approaching the market (it's on the right). Some produce is outside, and the other  items are in the small building. Further down the road, straight ahead, is a busy road with lots of hole-in-the-wall restaurants and hair salons. The gate for a local university is straight ahead. 

Some apartment buildings in the background. The first floor level is for restaurants, car-wash shops, and other little stores. 

How bad to you have to go? 

Sunflower seeds. Buy them by the pound. 

The shop keeper reading his newspaper. I'm told that you have to know at least 2,000 characters in order to read a newspaper in Mandarin. Oi. I'll never be able to read a newspaper...and I'm OK with that. 

Cherries! 

Fruit is sold when it is IN season. There are very few fruits that are offered year round. 

Later, at the soccer party, Willow was placed in the hammock. She was a little uncertain about her safety. 

Swaying in the summer breeze

Ok, enough of that. 

Later, we left the party a bit early so that I could put Willow to bed. On the way home, we saw a bunch of friends at the little playground by our building. Of course, Willow was re-energized by the sight of familiar faces. So we stayed out for a few more moments. 

There's that cutie again! 

Willow drinking her yogurt while sitting on Adam's lap. She freaks out if you try to hold the container for her. She insists on holding it herself. She grows in independence more and more everyday. It's a little ridiculous what she thinks she's capable of. It's also a little shocking what she CAN do on her own. I can't believe she will be ONE next month! 

Two Years

Happy birthday, Blog-of-mine.

You've been a great outlet, a public journal, a place to upload pictures.

Over two hundred posts.

It's fun to look back and see what's happened.

Two years

~julie 

Tuesday

Had the chance to watch some kids last week. They are toddlers, so much more advanced compared to Willow. But she still likes to 'play' with them and watch them. Willow has been learning how to walk the past two weeks. She can take 6-12 steps on her own without falling or sitting down. After this little play time, she grew in a lot more confidence. I think seeing other little people walk around is very instructive. She is also learning about sharing. I guess she isn't really learning how to share. Mostly she is learning about being stubbornly possessive.

These two cuties were only over for a little while, but we were able to do so many things. Played toys, watched Sesame Street, went outside, ate a snack, read books, played games...it was great!

He loves getting his picture taken!

After they went back home, Willow and I went out shopping. It was a hot day, and the store wasn't air conditioned. We were both so warm by the end of the trip, I splurged and bought a cold drink from Starbucks. After the overwhelming crowds, the stressful taxi rides, the heat, and dealing with a tired/hot baby--I did something I'm not proud of. I let Willow drink some of my strawberry frappe. Talk about everything she shouldn't be eating at this point in her life. But, she was screaming/demanding it, and it seemed like the best thing to do at the moment. What shocked me was the immediate attitude change she went through. She went from being lethargic/upset/tired to silly/happy/content. Don't worry, this doesn't mean I will be putting her on a sugary-Starbucks diet. I guess I write this as a confession. Father, forgive me, for I have given my baby Starbucks. And she liked it. I also write this to remember that: 1) Shenyang now has strawberry frappes 2) Willow drinks from a straw 3) I am will do anything to keep sane in stressful situations. Before you judge me too harshly, let me defend myself a little.

Shopping in China is mega-hard. It's loud, stressful, over-crowded, and everything is communicated in another language. Add a baby to the equation and the experiences intensify. First off, I get more attention. Everyone wants to touch my baby, hold my baby, take pictures of my baby, ask me a million questions that I can't always understand/respond to about my baby. Secondly, my baby is driving me insane with her demands. She's tired, hungry, overwhelmed, hot, thirsty, bored...everything...and it's not her fault. Finally, the guilty conscience starts to creep in hard-core. What kind of mother submits her child and herself to this kind of torture? It took forever to get home because of traffic, and the taxi was about 100 degrees. It's one of those trips that you are excited for, that you know will be difficult, that you hope will be successful, and that will completely exhaust you physically and emotionally. Whew!

But it was a successful trip because I got what I set out to purchase. Summer pants for me, and little gifts for the girls on Adam's soccer team.

Oh, and Willow got some too. Although 1) she doesn't care 2) she doesn't have hair 3) she is completely oblivious. I bought these in good faith--that one day my daughter will have hair.

You can start growing some luscious locks any day now, Willow 

"You know, after a tiring day, it's best to chill on the couch with one's lap top and surf the web. Oh! The only thing I'm missing is an iced mocha--mother! Whip up one of those fancy drinks for me, please. I'm in the middle of some important business" -W

Actually, I think Willow was watching the trailer for Les Miserable (in the above picture).

Here's to creating monsters. 

Friday Morning

One of the great things about the improving situation outside, is that Willow is able to experience more 'nature'. We don't have a lot of it, in our city of several million, but I still manage to get horrible allergies every May/June. Willow has several new obsessions this month, one being live animals such as dogs and rabbits.

The other morning, we were on our way to a friends house, and we were greeted by six small dogs. Willow was extremely excited and interested by these four legged creatures. On the way back home, later that day, we saw another dog. He was a very fluffy, brown poodle-looking-thing, and reminded me more of a teddy bear. Willow grabbed that dog's face and pulled hard. I though the dog might bite her in retaliation, as I swiped her hands away from the dog's face. Poor dog! I can't believe how fast she was! I will have to be more careful about interactions like that in the future--she doesn't know what she's doing!

Eventually, I pulled Willow's attention away from these puppies, and went towards the apartment building where she spotted some rabbits. People keep rabbits here, and bring them outside during the day. The rabbits are confined to small cages and are fed a lot of vegetables. Once they are plump, they become the main dish on the family's dinner table. But all the kids, foreign and national, love to spend time with all the rabbits scattered about our complex. They feed them weeds. Willow has just started to notice them, and if we walk past without a visit, she pitches a royal fit.

Fascinated by the dogs 

Devine is so cute!

This was our last mom's group of the school year, and we finished the time by eating Chinese food together. My friend who organizes this activity is moving back to the States next week. 

Chinese food here is very different than what you might get at a take-out or buffet place in America. In some ways, it's 100 x better---but sometimes I miss "American Chinese" food. 

Getting ready to eat lunch

This is what the garbage pick-up cart looks like. Not your typical 'garbage truck' for those of you State-side, but an all too common sight here. 

~julie