Happy New Year of the Ox

WOW! What an awesome weekend we just had... The Hilton has a deal now where you can stay half off over the weekend if you book by January so we stayed Saturday and Sunday night at the Wanfujing Hilton which is just down the road from the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Night Market, and lots of other cool stuff. The weather was cold but there were blue skies, crisp air, and the sun was shining bright, so I can't complain. We did some walking around the area and got a chance to swim- which Gabby really liked. Travis and his buddy got some "man time" (plus Gabby) and flew kites around Tiananmen Square. I guess she was having a blast chasing the fallen kite and helping them fix it. She was so bundled up that she looked like the kid from "A Christmas Story." While the boys were doing that, I got a foot massage with my friend who is about to give birth any second. As always, that was a nice and well deserved treat. We stayed in a pimp room and watched the AMAZING firecracker show at midnight. The entire city was engulfed in bright lights... it was truly spectacular... check out the video. We laid in a big, comfy bed and just watched it out our window. Gabriella fell asleep through the whole thing.

Other Gabby highlights... she is saying three word sentences, "Where is it," "Here we go," and "I don't want." She also took her first poop (okay turd) on the toilet. Almonds and satsumas seem to be the favorite food of the moment.

It's a Happy Day...

The inauguration of president Barack Obama... The first Black president! I never thought I would tear-up and be emotional about something like this... What a sap. I'm feeling very optimistic about America's future and I'm so glad Gabriella will grow up knowing that anything is possible. What a great day in history!

Ice Biking on Ho Hai Lake

Just north of the Forbidden City is a lake, called Ho Hai. In the summer it's bustling with vendors, tourists riding in rickshaws, local people fishing, and boat rides in Chinese style gondolas. The nights are alive with flashing lights, people on roof top bars enjoying cheap beer, and dancing. During winter there is still magic and bustling in the air- but the VERY cold kind. The lake freezes over, and people from all around bundle up to ice skate or take part in the tradition of ice biking. Travis and I being the adventure-seeker-types (I'm being sarcastic here) thought it would be fun, and in all actuality... it was. Just cold. As you can see in Gabby's face, she is really excited and having a blast. Afterwards, we warmed up and ate pizza at "Hutong Pizza." In Chinese, hutong means small lanes. Who says Chinese people can't make pizza? This stuff was awesome. We had some good laughs with our friends and Gabby flirted with her new boyfriend of the minute, Kieran.

Gabby's Doctor Update

We got good news today, which is that Gabby has gained weight and is doing much better! As some of you know she was diagnosed with Celiac's Disease (gluten intolerance where you can't eat any wheat, rye, or barley) last month and lost a bunch of weight and stopped thriving. The doctor siad she just needs to get more calcium and fiber, so we're giving her brown rice and calcium supplements. We're very relieved things seem to be progressing... now, if we can just get her bloated tummy down...

"No, My" and Other New Things...

Gabby's new thing now... almost making sentences. She says- "No, my" when we take something away. That's fun. She also pats the couch or something else and says, "chair," which means she wants you to sit next to her. She also says, "No, egg." Her favorite book now is "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom," which she got for X-mas. I highly recommend that- it's fun to read and it teaches them the alphabet.

Dancing Queen

Get this girl in dance class. Gabby is all about dancing and shaking her booty to any type of music she hears. I have to say, she has pretty good taste in music...

Winter Break in Washington State

Gabby, Beth, Cara, and Harper

Christmas Eve at Ron and LaNita Tebo's House

Wesley Tebo and Langston Bollert

Marty (Cara's Brother), Cara, Gabby, and her Dad on Christmas Day

Cara's mom, Travis, and Gabby

LaNita and Ron Tebo

Christmas Day 2008

Gabby's X-mas Stocking


We had a lovely and low key Christmas and New Year. Because of the Olympic Games, we only had two weeks off instead of our usual three weeks. When we arrived, we were lucky enough to make it home before a huge snow fall which left us stranded for a couple of days. Luckily, Travis' father has a 4 wheel-drive car and chains. He drove us to Seattle for Gabby's doctor’s appointment where it was confirmed that she does has Celiac Disease. Celiac is an autoimuune disease that causes a person's immunie system to attack the cilia in their intestines when they eat gluten, which is found in wheat products. Click HERE for more info on Celiac Disease. This has been quite an adjustment for us but we're figuring it out and reading labels... Her belly is still bloated, which reminds me that she's physically still not better yet. The doctor said it will take about 2 months. I think Gabby had a blast with her cousins and it was fun watching her interact with them. She really loves to dance too. On Christmas Eve, her cousins were singing while she was dancing. It was awesome and not to mention hilarious. On Christmas, Travis and I bought her a "Little Mommy" doll and accessories. We were mesmerized by how she took to the baby and literally became a "little mommy." She started to hug and kiss it and put a blanket over her... It was amazing to see how she instinctively knew what how to take care of a baby. I think she'll make a great big sister. It was so nice to see Gabby's cousins, Emerson, Stuart, Wesley, and Langston (whom we've never seen before). As with most overseas families, we feel the push and pull of how fun and easy it is being home with family but the benefits and adventures of living overseas... I'm not sure if that ever goes away... you just deal with it. Our x-mas purchase to ourselves was an iMac computer. We drove down to Portland, OR with Toby, Debbie, and Wesley and bought it tax free and used my student discount, so that was good. All in all, we had a great visit with our friends and family but two weeks went by way too fast.