Gabby's Understanding Gluten... Sort Of...

As a mother of a Celiac kid, I am insanely curious about the process that Gabby will go through as she learns about her disease... I have daydreams of her rebelling against her diet as a teenager and getting really sick, but so far things are going well and she listens. Anyway, this weekend she was eating some gluten free animal crackers (which are like gold here so she eats them sparingly) and her friend, Emily, asked for some. She told Emily, "No, because it will make your tummy icky." This is exactly what I say to Gabby when she wants to eat my Subway sandwich or something else that's gluteny (adjective that explains food that contains gluten and is commonly used among Celiac people). This was the first thing she's said that let's me know she's getting it... in other words, that some foods make your tummy feel bad. I didn't have the heart to say that Emily could eat it too and that she's the one with the tummy issues... I'll leave that conversation for later, when it's more developmentally appropriate. This is a first step, though.

Gabby's First Jack-O-Lantern

Keeping the American traditions alive, we went over to a friend's house for dinner and had the kids do some jack-o-lantern cutting. As with most things in China, the pumpkins here are... ummm... different. They're not the orange color I'm used to but they're good enough. You may notice a greenish tint on our pumpkin. This was Gabby's first time doing this and I guess she had fun... she lasted for a little while but quickly got bored. Oh well, she's a toddler. The parents had fun, and Travis did a good job making our first family jack-o-lantern.

Gabby's School Newsletter 10/12-10/16

Kung Fu with Zhang Laoshi

Last Thursday Zhang Laoshi started teaching the children some basic Kung Fu poses. The children did very well in listening and copying Zhang Laoshi and were very patient waiting for their turn. Well done little Kung Fu Masters!


Gabby and Chen also went on the school field  trip trip to a fruit orchard. I would have also LOVED to go but I had a presentation that day and wasn't able to take the day off work. In addition, Gabby was picked as the "Star of the Week" because she was a good listener and a great helper. She doesn't really listen to me, so glad to know she listens to someone. :)

Made a Decision

The Tebo family finally made a decision... we'll be staying in China for one more school year (2010-2011), which will make six years total. Crazy. Many people ask if we'll be moving back to the States but that is not in the cards for us right now... it's one of the few life decisions that Travis and I totally agree on. We love America but we've got "the bug," the travel bug that is and international schools are an AMAZING place professionally for us to be in, not to mention for Gabby. People always ask us when we're moving back to the States but there are many reasons to stay overseas... the opportunity for our family to travel the world, understand cultures, learn a new language, and for our kids (yes, plural but don't read into that too much) to have access to a top notch private school education- for free! I like the idea of us being global citizens... is that cheesy to say? We meet really interesting people and have developed close relationships with others who have become our surrogate family. Gabby probably won't have the opportunity to develop into a sports star (that is such a huge American value), but there are plenty of athletic teams here for young kids to participate in, albeit not as competitive but that's fine with me. We also have no house and no plans on building our house, in say... forever, so that makes it easy to stay overseas. We have no where else to live! Of course, that's another long story. Basically, I hate money and I hate the housing market if you want to sell... Stupid land...woulda-coulda-shoulda...

There's always a chance that we go back for a couple of years and then go back out overseas... I like the idea of laying down roots so that Gabby knows she's American. Third Culture kids have a hard time with the question, "Where are you from?" I want her to know that she's American and from Washington State and take her to football games (go Cougs!). However, with the job market nowadays??? Is that smart? Living near our family pulls on our heart strings and there's no denying that it's difficult being so far away... I'm okay with leaving that door open and not having a specific plan. In this day and age, you need to be flexible. Plans don't always go your way and you need to adjust. Anyway, that's where our heads are at. We're staying in China for another year and will continue to stay overseas for awhile... maybe forever, maybe not, we will see...

As for winter break plans... we are coming home! Bremerton, Washington that is... I can smell Spiro's pizza right now... I know I told people we were going to travel around Italy but I love being with family and friends at Christmas time and miss them tons! Are you happy, Beth? Do I hear a woot-woot?!?!

Gabby's New Hairdo

Gymnees

We had two staff development days this week, and since our school is really into wellness (which I like too) we started off the day with a one hour wellness activity (yoga, softball, healthy cooking class, etc). One of the P.E. teachers created a gymnastics area for kids that our Gabby's age and their parents. She LOVED it! One of the ladies in the publication's department took some pictures and here are some of Gabby. When she's old enough, we will definitely put her in gymnastics... this kid loves to move. Something funny... her and Jack were playing on the parrallel bars and were laughing... they put their faces together and Gabby kissed him. It was really cute. Yesterday she took my face in her hands and said, "I love you," in a dreamy voice then kissed me on the lips for about 10 seconds. It was awesome! Maybe she is watching too much TV? Where did she learn that?

Spa Day

Travis and I had an awesome and much deserved spa day... two hour massage (head, neck shoulders, and a foot massage) and we also got manis and pedis. I love China on these days! I came home and Gabby saw my toe nails painted purple and she said, "Oh wow! pretty nails!" She really likes girly stuff like that. In a year or so we'll be able to do that together which will be fun. :)