Strawberries

I love strawberries- who doesn't? Not only do these happen to be Gabby's favorite food at the moment- they can also be a source of humor (see picture). Who knew strawberries could be a nuisance? 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Travis and I aren’t really big fans of Valentine’s Day, although I do like the candy that comes out around this time… cinnamon bears and cherry hearts- a box of See’s Candy is always good. China gets hit, at least a little, with the Valentine Day dinner specials, roses, etc. They don't celebrate it but there's such a huge expat community that it does get its fair share of attention. I actual got a box of candy from a student and another made me a brownie and a card- quite a surprise since high school people usually don't get anything from students for VD. We spent the day at our friend’s house eating left-over food from their big party the night before. This particular "wing ding" party has become an annual event because they order a bunch of chicken wings and people bring food. It also happens to be our friend's birthday party. We had a great time. On Sunday, we had a play date with some people we met in our child birth class. They have a girl named, Sophia, who is two months younger then Gabriella. It was so fun watching her play- she was taking kid’s sippy cups and trying to help them drink. She was also sharing her toys- which I’m quite proud of. Its interesting watching her develop socially- she seems to really enjoy playing with other kids. She was even trying to engage with a seven year old boy. She kept giving him balls to play with. The poor kid had no idea what to do but then started playing ball with her.

We’re still trying to get that house in Capital… fingers crossed that works out.

Busy, Busy, Busy

We're keeping pretty busy lately. Travis and I went to a hot pot restaurant and a karaoke bar on Saturday for a friend's birthday. Many of our friends are leaving this year which is sad- a lot of hellos and goodbyes when you live overseas. We went to the doctor on Sunday because Gabby has this rash around her mouth. We were originally told it was because of her pacifier so we took it away cold turkey (surprisingly easy to do!) but it's still here three weeks later. Needless to say, we're trying an antibiotic cream which seems to be working. We're moving to a new compound, called Capital Paradise- or as Travis endearingly says- Crapital Parasite. We lived there before but it was lame. However, we can get a big place (over 2000 square feet) and there's a clubhouse that has an indoor/outdoor pool, indoor play gym, fitness room, squash court, bowling alley, massage and hair place, and restaurant. It probably sounds really cool but it looks a bit run down. The compound is FULL of families with kids so we'll be able to make friends easily with other families and Gabby will have tons of play dates. Another bonus is that the two year old Pre-Pre-School (not a typo) is across the street so the ayi can easily walk her over. We're looking at places this week... * fingers crossed * we find something.

Gabby Highlights: She's talking up a storm! She says "belly-butt" for bellybutton- this cracks me up every time. I'm not sure if I want to correct her. She knows all the body parts too and likes to point them out on you. Today she grabbed my arms when I was watching American Idol and said, "dance, dance!" I can't believe how fascinated she is with books! Luckily, we can check-out books at our school library. Her favorite book of the moment now is "How Does a Dinosaur Say Good Night?" I highly recommend it! My mom's best friend bought her that one.

We love Hong Kong!

As you can read from the title, we had a fantastic time on our Hong Kong trip. In fact, it's my new favorite city! It's clean, there are easy and affordable ways of traveling around the islands, nice parks, the people are great and speak English, and the food is awesome. The best tasting shrimp and dim sum I've ever eaten. I think the most striking feature of Hong Kong would be its scenery. It's located on a beautiful harbor with ENORMOUS skyscrapers and gorgeous green hills as a back drop. Not to mention, the neon signs in the alleyway and streets. 

Hong Kong Disney was great, although a lot smaller than the California and Florida ones. Gabby had a fun time, but really had no clue what was going on yet so we'll have to go back. The poor thing is still scared of people dressed up in costumes (i.e. Santa Claus) so when we took her to see Pluto, she freaked out. She did go on the train and the "It's a Small World" ride. She LOVED the Lion King show, as did Travis and I. 

We met up with some old friends from Beijing for lunch on one of the days and enjoyed a good time at the Peak, which is a look-out spot on the hill far above the harbor and buildings. Our hotel on Hong Kong island was incredible. As you can see in the video and the picture of Gabby, the view is insane. It was a splurge that probably won't happen again for a long time but we got the room half off and couldn't help ourselves. Shopping was good but really spendy. Food is expensive too, even the street food we ate. Maybe we didn't know the right places. We found a well stocked grocery store and loaded up on gluten free foods for Gabby and bought some things cheaper than in Beijing. The only small complaint I have is that it wasn't a stroller friendly city. I'm happy now with our super lightweight stroller, though- it made carrying it up and down stairs a breeze.

If you have time, check out the video. Travis made this the night we came back and it's his first video on the iMac. I'm really proud of all his hard work. I think it really captured our time there...

Click HERE to view the video.

New Gabby highlights. she's counting. Well, not really. She says, "two," "two," "TWO." As if she was saying one-two-three. She's been pointing out things she knows- like boat, car, flower, star, bike, moon, hat, doggie, etc. She does this while we're driving and reading books. It cracks me up. Her favorite food at the moment is curry, especially singapore noodles and she loves the Thomas the Tank Engine book, "Go Train, Go!"

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.