Holiday Letter 2008

Ni hao friends and family,

As always, Travis and I hope this letter finds you and your family happy and healthy this holiday season…

Here are some of the highlights of our year:

Summer: This summer we went home to Washington State and had a great time visiting with family and friends. One of the highlights was visiting the farm in Wisconsin where Travis’ mom grew up. We visited with many of his relatives who made us feel right at home. Another Wisconsin highlight was sharing time with Travis’ grandma Gert. We had a lovely visit and enjoyed hearing stories about the farm and how life was back in the day. It was particularly nice for Gabby to meet her great-grandma. This trip turned out to be quite timely because the family farm was sold this fall. We were really happy we made that trip and feel lucky to have created warm memories that will last a lifetime… While in Wisconsin, we made a trek to visit some friends in Minnesota and I did a ton of shopping at the Great Mall of America (no tax!). We also made two separate trips to Oregon. One time we drove to visit my brother, Todd, in Astoria, where we had a great visit with him. The second time, we drove to Bend to visit some friends and enjoyed the beautiful scenery and also the no tax shopping! I have to say, there’s no place like the northwest…

Olympic Games: This was awesome. Travis and I got tickets to see the final women’s Gymnastics Team Medal competition and ceremony. If you recall, U.S.A. came in second to China. We also saw a men’s beach volleyball game, which was a total blast. I’m a huge fan now. There’s lots of loud music and people cheering and it was fast-paced. I loved it. China did a decent job representing itself and although I complain about China a lot, I’m proud that our host country pulled this off. Now the Chinese gymnasts all being sixteen and over? That’s another story.

The “Today Show:” This was the biggest highlight of my year! If you’re familiar with the NBC morning show, then you know that they tape live and show people in the crowd. We ended up getting there and pushing our way to the front. I know the producers are suckers for cute babies, so I was literally holding up Gabby and saying “meet my baby girl!” It worked and during a segment we were in the background for a long time waving at the camera at like idiots. I had a huge, yellow sign that said, “Hello Bremerton, WA.” This is the best part! At one point they got a close-up of Gabby smiling and waving two American flags. THEN, while they were taping live, Gabby dropped a flag and Matt Lauer picked it up. Of course, she dropped it again, and Meredith, Ann, and Al were laughing because they know toddlers do that on purpose. Ann Curry graciously picked up the flags and gave them back. About thirty seconds later, while I was looking at Gabby and trying to get her to wave the flags more… SUDDENLY, Al Roker was in our face with a microphone asking where we were from, etc. Travis and I sounded a bit lame but we were really excited. We I had no idea we were going to be interviewed on live TV so neither of us was prepared. This is where I have to brag… after we were interviewed, Meredith, Ann, and the anchor from New York (Natalie Brown) were talking about how cute Gabby was on live TV… I thought that was pretty cool and wanted to share. I had no idea until I watched the show the next day. Fortunately, we have TV that airs the “Today Show” the following day, so we got to watch it. One of these days I’ll get that on video and send it out. We were diligent enough to get autographs of Nadia Comaneci, Meredith Viera, Matt Lauer, Ann Curry, Al Roker, and Voda (she does the show afterwards with Kathy Lee Griffin). We also met Stephanie Brown-Trafton Gold Medalist for discus (This is corrected, initially we said shotput). I have to say everyone was really friendly. My favorite Olympic memory was walking around at night through the Olympic village with all the lights from the bubble and bird’s nest lit up. The energy and excitement, or “Olympic fever,” was contagious. I never thought I’d be waving an American flag in a communist country, but on this night it was okay. I have to say it was a very, “I’m proud to be an American” moment.

Growing Family: Gabby has two new cousins! Toby (Travis’ brother) and Debbie had a boy, Wesley Thomas, in July. Tahnee (Trav’s sister) and Geoff had a boy, Langston Geoffrey, in September.

Travis: He continues to work as a seventh grade math/science teacher. As most of you know, he’s hoping to pursue administration in the near future. In the meantime, he’s gaining leadership experience and still finds teaching rewarding. He has also picked up the saxophone again and is learning to play the guitar. He plays it everyday and makes up new, funny songs. This has quickly become a family ritual every night. We also have video of Gabby dancing to his guitar playing that I need to show you guys.

Cara: I’m not really doing anything exciting… Hmmm… I did finish my college counseling internship and will earn my certificate through UCLA, so that’s good. It’s nice to finally be finished. Work is very busy and with any free time I get, I like spending it with my family.

Gabby: I don’t even know where to start… If you’re counting, she’ll be 18 months on the 28th of December. It was a bit of a bummer, but she was recently diagnosed with Celiac’s Disease, which means she has an intolerance to gluten or wheat- so anything with flour, rye, or barley she can’t digest or absorb nutrients. It’s been a challenge and a significant lifestyle change but we’re getting the hang of it and will be seeing a specialist soon. However, we’re happy to know that we can fix her issues by just changing her diet. It could be a lot worse. She’s growing like a weed too, which is cliché to say, but true. She’s hitting all the developmental milestones and surprises us by how much she learns each day. Some highlights include- learning sign language, such as please, more, hat, food, cheese, shoes, and so on. She is also talking up a storm now in both Chinese and English. Just yesterday she said, “Wake up daddy!” Instead of thank you, she says “shieh shieh,” which means ‘thank you’ in Chinese. I think it’s just easier for her to say. My favorite thing she says now is, “wuv wu.” Music to my ears! My least favorite word is, “no!” I think I hear that about a thousand times a day. Travis and I love her so much and are truly enjoying being parents…

For this winter break, we’re off again to Washington to spend it with family and friends. We wish everyone a safe and FUN holiday season and have a Happy New Year!

Warm Wishes,

Travis, Cara, and Gabriella Tebo

Winter Ball 2008

Our school does a fantastic job of celebrating the holiday season with organizing a winter ball. The men wear tuxes and the women dress up in cocktail dresses. It's the equivalent to the prom but for grown-ups. We always have a blast and this was no exception.

Early X-Mas in Beijing

I bought x-mas presents this summer for Gabby because I thought we would be staying in China... I couldn't wait to give them to her so we decided to have an early x-mas... why not? I LOVED Fisher Price Little People growing up, so I got her the barn, which she really likes, an airplane (I figured a plane is something she can relate to since she flies half-way around the world at least four times a year), a car, a boat w/ building blocks, and a princess horse and carriage that comes with these really cool purple and pink building blocks. Where were these when I was growing up? It was also a good X-mas for Trav too. In an effort to have a husband who will sing and play the guitar like Dave Matthews, I bought Trav one. I completely surprised him and whipped it out after he was complaining that I wasn't being supportive. Ha! He's been practicing everyday and can play a mean version of Johnny Cash's, "Folsom Prison Blues". Where were my presents, you ask? I'm ordering them online. All in all, it was a grand day but the next one will be even better with family around.

Guys Night Out

On Friday we had a guy's night out on the town. We started with dinner at a Chinese restaurant with great food, especially the ribs with meat so tender it just falls off the bone. With our stomachs full we headed to an indoor GoKart racing track. The picture above shows us with the showercaps we had to wear under our helmets. Even though I didn't go very fast compared to the other guys the experience was pretty exhilerating. I kept getting passed by people who would nudge me into the tires causing me to flail my hands in the air to get the workers to come push me loose.
We left the races around midnight and headed to a new establishment downtown that was playing 80's music. After a short time we left there to go to a Russian restaurant that has a dance and music show. They have dancing woman, breakdancers, and a fire eater. Several times during the performance they drag some sorry soul onto the stage to involve the audience. Since I moved to Beijing, whenever we go to a place with these types of shows, I am ALWAYS one of the first people that gets chosen. Friday night was no exception, I was pulled up not once but twice on stage to dance, once with a live snake wrapped around my neck. I don't necessarily hate the experience, but what is it about me that makes this happen so often?
My favorite performance of the night was from a break dancing group who were incredibly talented. They dressed up like old Russian women and acted out a skit that intersperced break dancing. At around 3AM a group of us decided we had had enough and left right after the fire eating act. When we left the restaurant the party was just getting started.

Gabby Girl

Here are three of my favorite pictures of Gabby in the last couple months.

Thanksgiving - Beijing Style - Part One

While growing up in the USA, Thanksgiving was one of my favorite times of the year. Living in Beijing and working at an international school, neither of the Canadian and US Thanksgiving holidays are days off from school. In general, those that celebrate Thanksgiving have two or more gatherings during the week of Thanksgiving, once at a nice restaurant, and once as a potluck at someone's home. Keeping with expat tradition, we gave Thanks twice last week.

Our first feast was on the evening of November 27th at a middle eastern restaurant called Zhatar. The co-owners of the restaurant both work at our school, and the husband of one of the owners is the Head Chef and Manager. About 50 people attended the private event, many of them from my school. The menu included two kinds of soup, babaganush, hummus, pita bread, zhatar, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potato, and three kinds of desert. The price was around $20 and included all you could drink softdrinks, wine, beer, and sangria. The food and drink were excellent, and being around our good friends, many of which will be leaving Beijing this year, made for a wonderful evening.

My friend Stephen who organized the event made a playful toast to recognize Gassan the chef, that went something like this...When I was thinking of a place to have Thanksgiving this year I thought, we need restaurant with a Palestinian chef, raised in Jordan and Italy, trained in Middle Eastern cooking, to prepare an American style Thanksgiving feast, and at Zhatar I found what I was looking for!
The success of this event shows that in Beijing, anything is possible!

Thanksgiving - Beijing Style - Part Two

On Sunday November 30th we went to a potluck Thanksgiving gathering in downtown Beijing. Most people were members of our school staff who come from not only the US but Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK, and China. One thing I quickly learned when moving away from America, is that people everywhere are eager to adopt the traditions and celebrations of other countries. Every year at Thanksgiving time, people from all over want to join in. From this perspective, I have come to think of Thanksgiving as more of a global holiday.

In many ways, this is the exact same type of gathering I remember as a child. My parents had moved away from where they grew up soon after graduating high school. Our family eventually settled in Bremerton, Washington State with no relatives nearby. During our first Thanksgivings we would go to large parties where the adults got drunk and the kids ran all over the place on a sugar high from too much desert. These occasions made me feel like I wasn't missing out by not having extended family around.

Although it would be great to be back in Bremerton for Thanksgiving with my family, my experiences of the past four Thanksgivings here in China have been some of my most memorable. One of the traditions started at our group's first Thanksgiving gathering is for everyone to share something they are thankful for in the past year. This year one person was thankful that her boyfriend is in remission from cancer, another was thankful for her friends that helped her get through a divorce, overall everyone expressed thankfulness for the community that we had formed, and felt a bit of sadness that so many people will be leaving at the end of this school year.

I couldn't help but think back at my first Thanksgiving in Beijing. It is difficult to cook a large 16 pound turkey in an oven that can barely fit a chicken. The people in charge of the gathering decided to have cooked turkey delivered. None of us knew much Chinese which comes in handy when you are trying communicate the concepts of Giant Turkey, Cooked to Perfection, and Delivered Ontime. The person who negotiated this difficult task was successful in getting a turkey to the door, but instead of it being "fresh cooked", it was just plain "fresh", as in still frozen! Thankfully it was still several hours before meal time. With the help of many knives, at least three ovens, and a six pack of Tsingtao beer (for me, not the turkey) the turkey was cut up and baked just in time for dinner.

Sax in the City

When I was in 5th grade the school band program began. My friends and I wanted to play the saxophone, and who wouldn't at age 9 with the shiny metal, beautiful curves, it had maximum "coolness" appeal. I remember begging my mom to get me one, not really understanding at the time what a huge expense and drain on our family's finances a brand new saxophone might be. Wanting to support my interest in music my mom began searching for an affordable option in the want adds of the local paper. She found a Conn Alto Sax for $350 and told me that she would get it for me if I promised to play it all the way through high school. I eagerly agreed and began practicing in earnest. Like most things with kids, band was just a fad and some began to quit after only one year. By the time sixth grade was through almost all the saxophones had quit and I wanted to join them. In two short years being in band had gone from being the coolest thing you could do to being the lamest thing you could do. No matter how many times I begged to be allowed to quit my mom would hold fast to the promise I had made.

When I got to junior high, band went from being dreadful to being my favorite activity. There were two reasons for this change of heart, making friends with another sax player named Todd (22 years later still my close friend), and getting the chance to play jazz for the first time. It had a transformative affect on me, causing me to practice hours and hours to improve my sound and ability. With my increased passion, my mom paid to have a professional give me lessons and I continued to grow. I went on to play in my high school jazz band, even winning a solist award at a festival in Oregon. When I went to Washington State University I played baritone sax for the jazz band and soon discovered that music was not my future. The truth is, I loved science too much and wanted to study veterinarian medicine. I could have continued down the music path, and most likely would have become a music teacher, but I was 18 and the thought of being a teacher didn't appeal to me. Little did I know that I would eventually choose to teach, this year being number 10. As a result of finally quitting band I played my sax less and less, eventually stopping all together....until yesterday.

In China, if you want a large variety of specialty items you need to go to the street where those items are sold. There is an award products street with every shop selling the exact same trophies and plaques. There are sporting goods streets, jewelry streets, fabric streets, etc etc... I went to musical instrument street yesterday with a music teacher from our school. He wanted to pick up several items he had ordered, and I wanted to see if they had a tenor or soprano sax I would want to buy. The shop we went to was only about three meters wide (~10ft) and seven meters deep (~20ft). The left side held all the wind and brass instruments and the right side was wall to wall guitars. There were a few recognizable brands, but most of the instruments were knockoffs with a random brand stamped on them. I asked to play a black painted tenor sax with the brand name "Ailflow". I'm guessing the brand was going for the name "Airflow" but somehow didn't spell it right. Regardless of the name, the saxophone was surprisingly responsive and full sounding. I have not played seriously for many years, but you couldn't tell by the sound of the horn. After ten minutes or so of scales and random songs from the past, I asked to play a couple other saxes but they couldn't even come close to how the black model felt. For years I have been telling my wife that I wanted to play music again. In that tiny shop, out in West Beijing on musical instrument street I decided that I would start by getting myself a brand new Ailflow tenor sax to practice on. The negotiations didn't take long, both of us finally agreeing to a price equivalent to $350, the same price my mom paid for my first sax 25 years ago. I can't wait to rediscover the passion I felt as a kid, getting caught up in the music.

Beijingers For Obama

With Beijing being 13 hours ahead of US East Coast time we have to constantly do mental math calculations in order to follow any important events back home. On 9PM Tuesday night I arranged to meet someone who works for Democrats abroad so I could get an Obama T-shirt, buttons, and stickers for a big election gathering on Wednesday night. Since we are 13 hours ahead, the voting was just getting started in New York by the time I got home at 10PM. I tried to stay up to follow the news but decided I would get some sleep and check things out in the morning. When I awoke there was still little news from the Internet since polling stations were still open for another couple hours.

A large number of our school's staff had election trackers up on their computer screens throughout Wednesday morning as more and more states became bathed in blue. Before noon, it became obvious that Obama was going to be victorious and a general feeling of giddiness filled the halls. Students spontaneously shouted "Obama" as they walked the halls and teachers smiled and shook hands. I felt a great sense of relief to know that for the first time in my adult life there will be a president in office that makes me feel hopeful that our country can be changed for the better. Among the adults in our school there were very few supporters of McCain, and no supporters of Palin. Leading up to the election the non-Americans seemed perpetually perplexed at how so much of the USA could reject the hopeful message of Obama. When looking at opinions from around the world there was virtually no support for McCain. Stories of Palin's ignorance and ineptness became lunch room conversation for several weeks. Looking at the end result, almost half of the USA voted for McCain/Palin. From my international perspective, this seems incomprehensible. Why did they vote for them? Was it guns, gays, abortion? Was it racism, bigotry, or ignorance that prevented them from voting for the candidate with more melanin than them? Was it absolute loyalty to the party that has completely sold its soul to the religious right? What has happened to the Republican Party? How did the party of Lincoln turn into what it has become today?

On Wednesday night more than 50 people gathered at my friend's house to celebrate the end of this election and an Obama victory. At one point CNN played a portion of Obama's victory speech and the room went very quiet wanting to hear his words of hope. I think Obama appeals to many people because of his confidence, hopeful message, and realistic outlook that it will take hard work. His supporters are under no illusions that he will somehow magically fix the myriad of problems that now exist in our country. Many Americans are ready to roll up their sleeves and begin doing the hard work to repair what has been broken. To me, that is the true definition of a Patriot.

A Bar Mitzvah with Chinese Characteristics

Yesterday, Cara and I had the honor to attend the Bar Mitzvah of a former student of mine. It was a first for both of us and proved to be a wonderful occasion. We bagan the celebration in the morning with a religious service at a downtown hotel in Beijing. For the service women and men were divided and seperated by some planters in the middle of a modest sized room. The rabbi sang most of the prayers in Hebrew with a beautiful voice. For two hours Cara and I stood and sat trying to follow along with the readings with the help of a book in both English and Hebrew and some assistance from our more knowledgable neighbors. During the service, my former student read several passages from the Torah which is a very large scroll. He spoke of the story of Noah and the flood and followed a similar sing song reading as the rabbi. After the service, a lunch was hosted by the family. In addition to very nice food and drink there were several speaches from family members, the rabbi, and my former student. During the meal, the election in the States was the only topic of conversation. The man to my left has been working for the Democratic Party going door to door in rural Virginia to reach out to undecided voters. In the time since August he has sensed a change in attitudes about Obama and he felt strongly that Obama would surely win the election. At one point the rabbi joked about speaking on behalf of Obama, there were catcalls and clapping of agreement. If this small gethering is any indication, the Jewish community is solidly on the side of Obama. In fact, it seems the entire American faculty at our school are also Obama supporters. As an aside, we will be attending a post-election party at a friend's house on Wednesday, so win or lose we can make a toast, or drown our sorrows among friends.

When lunch was finished we went back home, about a 30 minute drive and played with Gabby for awhile. She stayed home with Chen Ayi (In China, the nannies, maids, etc. are called Ayi, it is a bit like Auntie) while were were away, and would be looked after by Chen when we went to our second part of the Bar Mitzvah celeberation, a dinner at a replica of a French Chateau! The hall for the initial reception was simply palatial. It was a three level rotunda with giant entryway stair, a gorgeous painted dome and giant crystal chandalier. The doors opened up to a large patio with gardens and fountains. A folk music group (two of the members are from Port Townsend, Washington) played traditional Jewish folk music which eventually turned into traditional Jewish dancing. Although I did not join in the dancing, I enjoyed watching the events unfold.

We were then lead to the dining hall which was huge and marble clad. We sat with several other teachers from our school and simply relaxed, drank wine (too much) and took in the cultural experience around us. The meal was entirely vegetarian with most items made to look like something else, but made of tofu. There were tofu meatballs, tofu sea cucumber, but also veggies in between courses. Overall the food was great. When we managed to get a ride back home at 10:30 the dancing and singing was still in full swing. I was very grateful we were able to join in this experience and felt honored to be included.

Halloween in Beijing

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There is quite a bit to do in Beijing for us Americans... The first set of pictures are of Gabby at a Halloween party at the local bilingiual pre-school. The second set was when we went trick-or-treating in one of the local compounds, Gahood. The last couple of pictures were of Gabby in her purple butterfly costume. As always, she had a ball...

Beijing Tebo's Blog Up and Running

Hello to all family and friends around the world. In the ever shrinking world there are more and more ways to keep in touch. We hope that this blog will become a space where we can share our lives with you. Stay tuned for stories, pictures and video from the Far East.

May 2008 Gabby Update

One word this month- PERSONALITY. Gabby is 11 months old now and is definitely becoming her own little person. She’ll discover new noises that she can make with her tongue or mouth and then she’ll start laughing hysterically. Of course, this makes us laugh and reinforces the behavior. I think she’s getting a kick out of being a little comedian. She’s starting to understand Chinese, especially when we say “Zijian” (goodbye) because then she’ll start waving bye-bye. Although pointing at things seems to be the preferred way of communicating, she does the sign for “more and “cheese” now. Another thing she’s been doing… She’ll point at something, like an ant on the ground, and go “Ooooh,” which cracks me up. Of course we think she’s perfect in every way, but I still think we have our work cut out for us as parents. Travis and I have seen a bit of a temper in our little girl. She actually stamped her feet when we wouldn’t let her play with something she wasn’t supposed to. I have no idea where she learned that. Is that an innate thing in toddlers? So far redirecting her works well, but I know the day will come when she says, “no!” Gabby continues to grow and amaze us… She loves to climb on everything and has long arms that grab things off of the kitchen counter, so we’re constantly on the lookout for safety hazards. Our ayi always says that Gabby is very busy, which is so true. She’s that kid that runs around and tries to get into everything and explore. As most babies are, she’s curious. She also went to her first concert, called “Rynostock,” where all the local Beijing bands get to play. She had a good time bouncing up and down and we had a blast with her too. Our ayi also says that, “everybody likes Gabby,” in our compound- which makes me feel good. It’s nice to know people like your kid. All in all, May has been a busy month with lots of play dates and things going on. Now that the weather is nicer, we’ve been going outside a lot. We have a fountain and an area with fish in our compound. She LOVES watching the fountain and gets so excited when we walk up to it. She also likes to stare at the fish and point at them, so walks now have been more and more fun as she is so interested in the world around her. Oh! And one last thing… she squeezes you back when she gives a hug.

April 2008 Gabby Update

Gabriella is 10 months old and things are going smoothly. April was a big month for us in the Tebo household- walking, running, climbing (really fast up the stairs!), more dancing, giving high fives, pointing at everything and saying “dada,” and being little miss curious. She loves opening up drawers and cupboards and getting into stuff. I know this is nothing new for a baby her age, but it’s nice to know she’s hitting all the milestones… Her attention is a little better and she can sit still longer. She can actually sit in your lap and let you read to her without getting too antsy or without trying to tear-up the whole book. Travis reads her “Click-Clack Moo” which is her favorite book at the moment. Oh yes- that book and “Bard’s Rhyme Time” because it’s a flap-book and she enjoys opening and closing the flaps. Right now, she enjoys playing with her toy cars and Buzzy Bee (which is a New Zealand toy that a Kiwi buddy got us). This month we went to Tianjin to a Hyatt Regency Resort and spent two nights there. We got a coupon for two free nights because Travis teaches the General Manager’s daughter. It sounds really great, but nothing was open yet, such as a swimming pool or workout facility, which was disappointing so we drove into to Tianjin. We went to Food Street and ate some dumplings and then culture street to check out the shops. Gabby enjoyed all the attention and was flashing her smile every chance she got. It wasn’t a super-exciting trip but we had fun as a family and it was good to get out of Beijing.

March 2008 Gabby Update

Gabby is 9 months old now and changing everyday (Duh. She’s a baby, I know)… She’s still not officially walking but has taken five steps. She continues to cruise and is even trying to climb things. AAH! She’s showing more affection now and even initiates kisses (which hurt because she wants to bite my lip) but they’re sweet and sloppy and oh so awesome. She’ll also come up to one of us and cuddle, which just makes me melt every time. She loves being tickled under her arm, holding hands, and she loves Earth’s Best brand of prunes and oatmeal. Thank goodness she’s learned to like bananas because they’re so easy to eat and good for you. Now we’re on to finger foods which is going okay, although I still need to coax her to stick the food in her mouth, but we’re getting there. Go figure. She’ll stick everything else in her mouth. Her new thing now is dancing. It totally cracks me up! She gets a big grin on her face and moves up and down. She also plays peek-a-boo with us. She’ll pull a blanket, bib, or anything else over her face and pull it down really fast to reveal a delighted grin and a little squeal. Love it! Vocalizing is becoming better and better too. Whenever she says “nay, nay, nay” that’s bad. I’m not sure of she’s trying to say no or what, but it does mean she’s ticked off about something. In addition to being a busy month, my mother and father came for a visit which was great and I know she loved the extra attention and cuddles. We did some touring and took Gabby to the Temple of Heaven where she got her first experience with being mobbed by Asian people wanting to take a picture of the Western baby. She did good, but looked a little confused. We also saw the very first major league baseball game ever played in China (Padres vs. L.A. Dodgers), which was also Gabby’s first one. We had fun, although it was a bit too windy and there were no proper toilets. Just imagine port-o-lets Chinese style where you have to squat. Not very convenient for changing a diaper but we survived.

December-February 2008 Gabby Update

Gabriella is 8 months old now and full of so much life and personality! We went to the doctor this week and she’s 19.5 pounds (75th percentile) and 29.5 inches (97th percentile). As with all babies, lots of “firsts” have been happening… A week after she turned 6 months she was crawling, which quickly became standing-up, and then cruising all over the place. Just two days shy of turning 8 months she took her first steps. Although not officially walking, I’d say we’re well on our way but who knows. She’s been standing by herself for longer and longer periods and every day she does something new or looks different. Her speech is sounding more like words as well. The day she turned 8 months (February 28th) was when she reached out to Travis and said, “Daddy!” Travis and I both agreed we’d consider that her first word and it’s now officially in the baby book. However, she did say “Hi!” to a real estate lady back in December but Travis won’t count that. The teeth are coming in, which I felt first before I saw them. I like to kiss her on the lips (Oooh, those sweet kisses!) but just last week she bit down on my lip really hard and there was no mistaking that two little teeth are starting to poke out. Eating is going well, except she really doesn’t like bananas, which I find strange. She’ll eat these nasty pees but not mashed-up bananas. What? I haven’t given up yet, though. My mom said I didn’t eat bananas either so maybe it’s genetic. She has such a wonderful laugh! I’ll get up close to her face and say “hi!” and she busts out laughing. I think she’s going to be a really fun kid. We celebrated Chinese New Year in February and stayed at a hotel down the street from Tiananmen Square- but too bad we all were sick… I took Gabby for a walk and she got a tiny bit of wind burn on her cheeks because it was so windy. Oh well, the weather is getting better here so there’ll be time for more walks.