getting to know you...

Sleeping beauty.  All tuckered out after our shopping excursion! 

Ahh..Yesterday she wrapped up Violet in the doggie blanket.  A big step!

After dinner activity tonight, measuring the dog.

And tonight she wanted V. to stay and sleep in her bed.  I still can't believe she stayed!!  Now Aoli has her tucked in, arms around her and her new Build-A-Bear she finished sewing together in bed tonight. She calls this bear a wa-wa (doll).  Thanks Antonella.  

It's a process..

It's a process....I think I have said this a million times through our travel and arrival home.   The trip from China was easier in many ways than I expected and infinitely more challenging in others.  Here at home, Aoli and Violet are trying to sort out their relationship (not kidding).  I thought we were lucky to not have to deal with sibling rivalry but it turns out that V. thinks of herself as a person too (well, we do as well, truthfully).  Jealousy abounds but today Aoli was really trying to be nice.  She came down from bed in perfect form (dressed, teeth brushed, hair combed, bed made with "Good morning mama & baba & doggie."  Then the dog barked at her a bit aggressively.  In addition,  Aoli is small and when she gets down on the floor, the dog thinks she might be a mate!!  Oiy vay.


We had a fun night tonight.  Aoli is pretty consistently silly at the dinner table.  Tonight, Gerry had turned some music on and A. was playing various instruments and conducting with her chopsticks.  I think just having dinner with a table full of food and people to share it with fills her heart with 10-year old-style joy.  It may have been a perfect night for her.  She got to show off her newly pierced-ears (I promised her in China she could do this in the U.S.) and new clothes from shopping trip today, had a great dinner, computer time with Baba, and then a bath and book with the all four of us.  No major meltdowns today, thank goodness.  Afternoons between 2 and 4pm can be hard.  Sometimes Aoli has a an issue with following directions and I noticed this timeframe is particularly cursed.  Other parents tell me that this can be a problematic time of day for many kids.  As new parents, part of our ongoing challenge is just figuring out what is normal kid behavior.  I have found that keeping up with food helps a lot and also just understanding (on my part) that it will pass.


Yesterday we had a pretty successful trip to our pediatrician's office.  I LOVED her doctor.  She is going to assist with getting our expedited orthopedic appointment (for Aoli's foot) with a particular specialist at Children's Hospital.  Aoli has a medical issue that impedes her walking. At the doctor's office, Aoli, at first, refused to dawn the johnnie, can't really blamer her.  She do this eventually and did ok at the appointment until we had to wait in the lab for her turn to have 7 vials of blood drawn for tests.  Good grief.  She was hungry and bad mama neglected to bring snacks.  Won't happen again, I can assure you!


Some images from home:

Math Fun.  Last night Aoli enjoyed her new craft scissors by writing her numbers 1-110 and cutting them out into individual squares.  Today she wrote out and completed some math tables.

A girl after my own heart:  she LOVES workbooks.

Tonight Violet stayed up in Aoli's room for a few minutes when she went to bed .  I just noticed that Aoli took the ribbon off one of her teddy bear's and put it around Violet's neck.  Too cute.  

At Home!!

Violet meets Lili, well Aoli, at last!!  

We have been settling in and recovering from jetlag, all the while figuring out how to be first time parents.  Um, yes, lots of Hard Work.  

Aoli is doing very well.  She is cheerful and silly (mostly and except yesterday when she was exhausted and briefly sick to her stomach), seems to enjoy the house and yard, and has recently demanded Raman Noodles (instant).  She and Violet are still in the Getting To Know You phase.  I think both are a little skeptical, curious, and jealous of one another.  More Flashcard Fun, now out in the yard.  We broke into the second set.  We trace and copy them and then color in the pictures and write the text.  This was Aoli's idea in our first days in Shanghai.

First night home!!  So nice to be welcomed by beautiful  flowers, food, and gifts.  Aoli loved the grapes.

Aoli likes lots of different types of dolls.

Our 15 hour flight from Hong Kong to Detroit was great.  Aoli loved every minute of it and every amenity provided on her bus/first class flights.  The flight staff and passengers sitting near Aoli were completely taken by her.  She was extremely polite throughout the flight and Mamma got to watch two foreign films, read, and even nap!  One of the films was about Coco Chanel and her rise to fame in the fashion industry after she spent several years in a French orphanage (when she was 12) where she learned to sew.  Of course, this couldn't have been more fun to watch!

Aoli on the train out of mainland China.  I think I will always remember this moment, not sure what she was thinking...
I was fascinated with the train ride from Guangzhou to Hong Kong for other reasons too.  An amazing view into the industrial landscape of factories and factory housing (dorms, mid-rises) as we rode through Dongguan, known as the workshop to the world.  I read a really neat book about this area called year "Factory Girls" in which a journalist follows some young "urbanized" women as they move from the countryside to industrial towns like this and move from job to job.

Aoli's moment on the Red Couch, ostentatiously flashing her custom-made necklace that Baba bought for her at an art museum in China.  Though this looks all lighthearted and fun, she was actually a real stinker to get to take photographs of at different parts of the trip, including here at the White Swan hotel. I had to bribe her for photos here and also on the flight out.  Too bad I hadn't mastered the art of bribery earlier on (at least for our stay in China).

Last blog post from US

Off to a nice start today. We are in Detroit, 6 hours since we left the house and about 20 more until we get to our hotel.

Had a nice meal and all set to go!

Twas the Night Before the China

                                        
Twas the Night Before China and all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even my spouse.  He had everything buttoned up at 4pm. Suitcases were packed and our gifts wrapped with care....


Ok well then, I have been running around like crazy but thanks to my sensible husband we were packed  up nicely by the afternoon.  I even had a chance to secure some Polly Pockets for Aoli and some pack-rat food to take with me on the plane.  

I should say that my husband did nearly made me CRAZY this morning with last minute total panic and melt-down behavior.  I was wishing I were going to China sans husband like Tina (and he was too).  Fortunately I had an appointment with the school ELL person (which was sooo good and encouraging) that by the time I got home he had worked himself out of it by knocking some manly things off his to do list (like hanging blinds and assembling furniture) and I was in a great mood after settling things away at school.
 

Please do send us your best wishes and prayers tomorrow and for the next 2.5 weeks of travel.  I will try to update you as best I can.

temporary site for China photos and updates

my temporary site for China photos and updates is set up at http://www.dropshots.com/violetmeetslili.  Blogger is blocked in some China locations so please see this alternative sites for updates.  We are nearing our departure and almost ready to go!  I have all of my belongings organized and ready to just assemble into the actual suitcases.  Check out Aoli's new gear from her big cousin Joe...Pretty cute.

I am leaving everything spread out on my bed in the guest room so that I can continually edit down.  I would strongly prefer to not bring too much!  We are leaving on Friday, 9/3, and our wonderful neighbor has generously offered to give us a ride to the airport.  
It has been a great week, with a visit from my family over the week-end where I was showered with the most adorable gifts and clothes for Aoli and then a lovely little celebration at work.  Thanks to all of you.  It makes this last week special and now I am prepared with lots of great nine-year old gear.

Gerry and I finally finished the bedroom and even got to move on to setting up her playroom/hang-out room.  We will just have to wait and see what she feels like doing but we are getting plenty of space set up for her to pursue whatever she likes.

A pleasant surprise in our travel planning

boston→detroit→shanghai-guangzhou→hong kong→detroit→boston
After booking the 16 flights and embarking on myriad last minute home-projects, Gerry and I were feeling a little frazzled.  However, did I tell you how amazing Gerry is?

When Gerry was a youngerish professional, he worked his **** off traveling every single week (usually multi-city trips) for a number of years. He thus accrued a nice stash of frequent flyer and Amex points that we never, ever touched.  Ever.  Not even once, well once he did give some to his aunt who was not well.  Anyway, we wanted to use them but just never did.  Bottom line - we ended up having to buy a smallish number of points and our in-country flights but did manage to get our flights to and from China all first/business class for the cost of one coach ticket!!  I think Gerry was really happy to be able to do this and it will be really nice.  I guess you can lie down in these seats so I am gearing up for a nice 15 hour nap:)  Sounds kind of nice, in a way, don't you think?