Baby's words

Naomi's learning how to talk now, realizing that if her sister can do it, she had better start doing it herself. I'm certain she's learning everything much more quickly because she has a little role model just her size, unlike Penny who just had a bunch of adults around.
Naomi was saying sounds for a long time, and occasionally they would probably mean something, like "Mama" or "Bye-bye." For a while, we chalked it up to chance, but by the time I started noticing her saying the right sound at the right time on a regular basis, it was too late to name her "first word." It was probably "Mama," though. ;)
Her first words were these:
Mama
Byebye
Jiejie (Or just a big "dddyyeeh," which she means as the same thing) (Both mean "big sister")
Alternately "Baba" and "Dada" for Dad
Ayi (our houskeeper) (though it sounds like "A-sthhhhh")

Lately, she has added these:
Zai Jian! (She says "die deh")(Goodbye in Chinese)
Gei ("give," or "here you go" in Chinese)
Bao (as in "Bao bao" or "pick me up")
Boo (as in "Peekaboo")

If you go through and count, you'll see one, or maybe one and a half words that are English: Dada, and Boo, although Kevin insists there is nothing more Chinese than learning how to say Boo (which means "no").

I tried really hard to teach Penny Chinese, but this time around I didn't try one way or the other, and this is what Naomi learned.

An evening with Chairman Mao

Shenyang has a giant statue of Chairman Mao on a plaza in the middle of a roundabout. In the daytime, the plaza is practically empty, since there's traffic roaring around it on every side, no crosswalks or traffic lights to help you cross the street onto the plaza, and lastly, nothing to do once you get there but gaze up at Chairman Mao. And he's better viewed at a distance, I think.

The last couple evenings I rode past it in a taxi, though, I noticed dozens of people there jump-roping on the plaza. So last night Penny and I went to check it out.

Penny kind of loves jump roping. She's only two, so she doesn't really jump over the rope. But she loves to take long strings or my measuring tape and swing it emphatically while jumping not quite over it. She's a fan of the sport, though, and I knew she'd like the spectacle at the park. So last night, I grabbed a couple shoelaces as impromptu jump-ropes and took her to Mao Plaza.

We joined the audience bordering the jump-rope group. I gave Penny her shoelace and told her to go jump. She excitedly ran about 10 feet into the jump-rope crowd and then just stood there in awe watching the big kids jumping in time to the blaring techno music. She turned back to me and grinned, showing all the delight the world could possibly offer to an almost-three-year-old. Then she ran back and hugged my legs. She wouldn't go back in.

We watched for a while and did a little jumping, but what she was now completely smitten by were the kites being flown. She loves kites, since they're usually the K-page in her alphabet books, but I'm not sure she's ever seen one in real life. There were some kites being flown so high you couldn't see them anymore in the night sky. But along the kite string, like fishing bobs, were strung blinking lights so you could see where the string led into the sky. Plus, there were some men just starting to fly their kites, so Penny got to see the bumblebee and angel fish kite up close. She was awed.

I enjoyed seeing the groups of older people (older, like my parents' age) doing their line dancing or meeting up in small groups to do other dances. A couple people had giant paintbrushes, about waist-high, and they were practicing calligraphy on the paving stones, using a bucket of water as their inkwell. They had been at it for a long time. Dozens of wet characters were still visible, drying slowly. In the glare of the streetlights, I could see the characters that had already dried, leaving little clean streaks in the shapes of Chinese characters on the stone squares. Hundreds of characters went on for yards in every direction. I think I've written college essays shorter than what was written on the pavement in Mao Plaza.

I had called one of my Chinese friends to see if she wanted to come with us. Her son is Penny's good friend and would like it too. She had other plans, but she warned me to steer clear of the high school students. They gather on the plaza for English Corner, and if they think you speak English, they'll corner you. Her Canadian husband was cornered last time they went, and he couldn't extricate himself until he'd practiced their English for over an hour. Thankfully, they didn't see us. Or maybe I'm starting to blend in. Ha ha ha!

By the time we left, the actual jump-rope club had started its practice. They warmed up and stretched, then the techno music blared some more as they all jumped in unison and practiced their fancy footwork and trick jumps. Penny and I just jumped, ropeless, in the back. We had a blast.

Back into the swing of things

We've been at post for just over a year now, so I find myself thinking back and asking myself where I was, what I was doing at this time last year. It's new and exciting to find myself living in the same place for more than a year-- it hasn't happened in a loooonnng time. But every time I think about it, the answer's the same, and it's not very interesting: I was pregnant, out to there! In fact, about this time last year, I was hanging out in Beijing. We'd rented a short-term apartment, and Penny and I were just chilling out, waiting for the baby to come. We went on walks, we played at the park, we took naps.

Then I had the baby, and the rest of last year gets blurred into the category of "taking care of Meimei." That was all I had planned. I didn't need a calendar, because I had something scheduled, oh, about every month or so. I was BUSY, no doubt about that, but it was structured around Naomi's ever-changing, ever-evolving schedule of needs. 

Then it was winter. It is COLD here, and we just carried on in our low-key schedule.

Now I'm venturing back out into real life again. Naomi is much more of a person now, and since both girls are older now, they're easier to take places, and more importantly, leave places. (Like at a friend's house or with our Ayi. What did you think I meant?)

So we started Penny in preschool last month. She goes a few times a week, and she enjoys it.

I started teaching a piano lesson one evening... a month. We should probably step things up a bit, but for now, that's what works best for us.

I started Chinese tutoring. A couple times a week, I meet with a teacher, and we have a Chinese lesson. I really like my teacher and her lessons so far (all of twice), so I'm excited to be learning this.

I'm studying Portuguese online. Technically, it's what I should be doing right now. I've had a lot of trouble setting up my account and accessing the websites. It seems like I need to email a different person and get a different password for every single page. And since they're in America and I'm in China, this correspondence takes FOREVER. It's been a week and a half now. I just barely got all the passwords I need, but I haven't had a chance to use them yet. Because...

Today I had some friends over to make dinner rolls! We had a great time, and had some great rolls to eat as well... eventually. (That's the problem with them taking 2+ hours to make, isn't it?) But we had a good time making them and eating other food and playing with Penny's toys.
It's kind of nice to be able to schedule my life a little more, adding structure and society. I've never been good at knowing how much to heap on my plate at one time, though. In the past, whenever my life seems a little slow, I start making plans and making plans and making plans until suddenly, everything is happening at once and I need to slow things down again. I'm starting to feel the stress again, but at least for today, it's pushed me to use my time wisely and find those little pockets of time that might otherwise have been wasted (or used for resting...).
And for the next little while, this is what I have on my plate:

I want to make a trip across town to a shopping center to pick up something for my cousin. I think I have time tonight after Naomi's in bed.

Then we have a BBQ tomorrow night, and I believe I'm supposed to bring a dessert.

Then tomorrow night I have a book club meeting. I haven't finished the book.

It's starting to feel like high school again. 

Watch

So as to stop annoying everyone nearby when I get the sudden urge to know what time it is, and since I've lost my cell phone for a couple weeks now, I've started wearing a watch again. Kevin is grateful, as 90% of the time, it's him I'm asking for the time.
Penny likes my new watch. She's certain that if I turn the dial, I'll turn into Megamind. So far, she is unimpressed with my magic transformation skills, though I try.
This morning, Penny looked at my watch for a while, then exclaimed, "Your watch is like a little clock!"
A few seconds later, she exclaimed again, "Clock is being and yours arm!" (Translation: The clock is on your arm!")

Imperfect

One thing I was really excited about when moving to China was the fact that we could afford hiring a housekeeper. I've never been good at keeping my house clean, and in my mind, hiring a housekeeper would change my house from this:

Picture from the internet, btw.

To this:

Okay, okay. I knew I wouldn't be living in Buckingham Palace, but I was sure I'd have a place fit for kings. Or at least dinner company.

I had a few reservations about hiring someone to come work in my home. I didn't want to have someone come full time. I like having my house be MY house, and the idea that someone would be coming as their 9-5 job makes me feel really weird. Plus, I felt like I'd have to be on my good behavior all the time while she was here. I also didn't want to hire a nanny. I just wanted some help keeping my house clean, not someone to raise my kids for me. I'm pretty particular about how it should be done, and I want to be the one doing it. 

Now that we've been here a year, I'm learning about my expectations and what reality is. 

First of all, I had to get over the fact that sometimes I would be sitting around doing nothing while someone cleaned around and sometimes under me. I was sure this would be the most awkward part. Have you ever sat around while the hotel staff cleans and makes up your hotel room? I thought not! They arrange it to be done while you're not there, or if you are there, you leave pretty quick. It's awkward. But when I moved here, I was 7 months pregnant. I HAD to rest and take naps. It was physically exhausting to sweep and mop the floors... so I didn't do it. Then I had a baby, and that pretty much took all my focus, energy, time, and strength. Anything left over, I tried to spend on Penny. And that's how we were for a while.

Our Ayi saved my sanity. If you ask Kevin, he may even question that (ha ha ha), but he's also very grateful for all the help she has given us. She made us dinner, did our laundry, washed our dishes, and cleaned our house. I was still exhausted, but the house looked nice. And smelled nice. And that's always nice.

The one thing that surprised me about having a housekeeper is how it's kind of made me feel inadequate. I've always been proud of doing things myself. In the past, even though my house has never been 100% perfect, it's usually at about 75-80% good, and I knew its beauty and its faults, and they were mine to own. If the living room was a mess, maybe it was because I'd worked all day doing laundry. Therefore, still a positive thing. If the kitchen looked like a tornado had hit and somehow dirtied every single dish in the place, there was usually something delicious to make it worth the mess. And I was always proud that we never had more than a 15 minute mess. (This was before we had kids, btw.)

But now, 30 second after Ayi leaves, all the toys are strewn about the living room, there are dirty dishes in the sink again, and before I know it, the whole house is a wreck again. And it's not because I've been cleaning and baking or whatever. It's not only because of the little girls. It's mostly because I suck at keeping my house clean.

And that has kind of been getting me down lately.

I spent one entire day trying to keep up with the mess my kids made. It was the most depressing day ever! I was cleaning up after them non-stop, but by the time Kevin came home, it still looked like Hurricane Pennaomi had hit. And I spent all day doing something I hate! That was not the way to handle it.

The next day (and many days since then), I have done absolutely no cleaning up after the girls. Their toys, clothes, strollers, empty yoghurt cups, and other junk just gets strewn wherever they throw it. And then one time at the end of the day, I go through and clean up. It looked better than if I'd cleaned all day, and I liked myself better.
So, it turns out the awkward part wasn't so much having someone working in my home, but that I'm having to humble myself and realize that I'm just not that good at cleaning my house. I am very grateful for Ayi's help. And I don't live in Buckingham Palace. I have two little girls, and we all enjoy playing and living in our house. Next time the queen comes to visit, we may have to sweep some toys aside to make room for her red carpet. And I just have to keep reminding myself that it's okay that I can't do it all myself. 

This is our living room on an average afternoon. It's a 2-minute mess or so. :)

My Mom

When you think of a mom teaching her kids how to cook, you probably imagine everyone in cute aprons and chef's hats, big smiles on everyone's faces as they stir the cookie dough, and then the mom carefully piping icing onto adorable sugar cookies. 

That's not how we did things in our house growing up. We did have great aprons, and we did have great food. But my dad enjoyed cooking, while my mom only cooked when she had to. And no one EVER piped icing onto adorable sugar cookies. 

But if you want to be technical about it, my mom did teach me valuable cooking skills:

1) You may not leave the kitchen after turning on the stove on high.

2) Dinner must include a green vegetable.

3) Read the recipe BEFORE you start making food to see if we have all the ingredients. We do NOT run to the store in the middle of cooking just for one thing.

4) (related) If you use the last of something, write it on the grocery list.

5) Wash your hands after touching raw meat.

6) Once a week is plenty for macaroni and cheese.

And these cooking skills are invaluable if you want edible food. Or your house not to burn down. 

I started cooking dinner for the family when I was in 8th grade. It was my favorite chore, so if I got first pick, I cooked dinner. It beats doing dishes or sweeping the floor! And in all the years of cooking meals of varying degrees of deliciousness, there was only one time she didn't eat what I made. And she didn't suggest not eating it. She just agreed when my dad suggested my tomates provencales would be best used as part of a future meatloaf.

So in a round about way, this highlights some of the ways my mom is an awesome mom-- and now grandma. She encourages us to try new things and gain new skills. It takes patience to let your kids learn to cook, and she is endlessly supportive. We did not always make good food. But she never criticized us or the food. 

She supports us in doing good things, learning new skills, and facing life's challenges. She would learn new things about parenting, health, first-aid, gardening, or whatever, and she'd share it with us, even if we were the children she just learned new parenting skills about! This helped me learn a ton, and it also showed me that parents don't start out knowing everything-- they need help just like anyone does. She taught me to pray, to care, to research, to try new things. And those are some skills I'm trying to use as I raise my little girls. 

I'm pretty sure my little girls will never see me pipe icing onto cookies. But I hope they never hear me criticize them. I hope they wash their hands after touching raw meat. And I hope they always keep learning.

My mom and Penny riding the train at the mall.

Riding the carousel at the mall. When it comes to spoiling grandkids, my mom knows what's up! 

Penny and my mom washing dishes. Probably finishing up after someone else cooked dinner.

I love you, Mommy! Happy Mother's Day!

6 hours on a train

A couple weeks ago, the girls and I went to Dalian to meet Kevin, who had been there already for work. We were excited to get out of Shenyang for the weekend, and Dalian is a beautiful city! It rained the whole time we were there, but I could tell it was beautiful from the view out my hotel room window. It's a harbor city framed beautifully by tree-covered mountains, reminding me somehow of Hong Kong. Hong Kong 60 years ago, maybe, but Hong Kong nonetheless. 

We all got to ride on the train on a single ticket. We got a sleeper, so there was plenty of room for the three of us. I had planned a ton of activities for the train, and bought a bunch of snacks.

Mini Jello cups

Meimei wanted some Jello, too

Add caption

After a while, we'd played all the activities I'd brought, so the final game was "take pictures with Mom's camera"

After a few gagillion close-ups of her leg (pictured), the seat, the wall, and the table, I made a rule that you could only take pictures of people our out the window.

Out the window it was!

And people!

Meimei should have napped on the train, but she powered right through

Penny played with her Play-doh molds

The hardest part was keeping the girls off the (disgusting, old, nasty) train floor. We had plenty of room on the bed, but it would have made for a lot less wrestling if they could have walked around a bit.
The actual hardest part was taking Penny to the bathroom. Some random person from the next compartment over helped me hold Meimei so I could hold Penny hovering over the open hole in the bathroom floor. The wind was blowing in such a direction as to blow everything you hoped would go DOWN the whole back UP, into your face. It was pretty much the most disgusting thing in the world.
But all that aside, it wasn't the worst trip in the world.

Styling

Before I write my post on being in China too long, I just want to point out that these glasses are soooo hip right now. All the cool kids are wearing them. And I got some to put in the girls' dress-up box.

No really.

We won't be wearing them in public.

But Mom, they make me look smart!

Look Mom and Dad, I'm you in the 90's!

Yeah, I know how good I look!

Drinkable yogurt

I'd fail to give an accurate picture of our life here in China if I didn't dedicate an entire post to yoghurt.

Mom, I'm just sitting on my stool drinking my first yoghurt of the day

Or maybe my third...

This is the life

I'm pretty content