swimming

Most of the time we've been here, the weather's been beautiful and even a bit cool in the evenings for our tropical tastes. However, on Tuesday it finally got nice and warm so we spent the afternoon at the pool.


Actually, it's a great pool. As you can see, it's just for little kids (deepest point was up to his armpits) and filled with fun stuff for younguns. I was a bit hesitant because everytime Keanu has gone swimming in the past few months, he's been very afraid of the water and wouldn't let go of mom or dad. He was a completely different boy on Tuesday. As soon as he saw it, he was ready to go and Mom was more hesitant about him wondering around the pool alone! He took a couple of drinks of the water and loved the big kids splashing him when they came down the slide, so nothing could stop him!

I guess we'll have to go back when the weather warms up a bit.

A trip to the mall

So far we've only had a few little adventures here with Grandma and Grandpa. On Monday we decided to go along as they did some errands and shopping and it's a good thing we did, too, because we ran into lots of people! After making a few necessary purchases at Target, I was HUNGRY, (already - my dad said "but it's only 4:30!) so we went to the food court to eat some early dinner. Soon enough my mom convinced my cousin Roxanne to join us and Keanu enjoyed having another pretty girl to look at and play with.

Keanu was also enthralled with the horses on the merry-go-round, so we decided to give it a try. He enjoyed sitting on the horse until it started to move... then he was much more happy to hang on to Mommy for dear life! Something that was much more to his speed was a trip to the kids' playland while visiting with another cousin, Andrew. He enjoyed burning off some steam and jumping off the thermometer (seen here).

We were about to leave (by way of DQ because Keanu's little sibling was hungry again) when we ran into my friend Arianne and her parents who were also filling a craving for Dairy Queen treats. It's a good thing we were able to sit down and visit for a while because Keanu must have also been hungry since he ate half of my BBQ, and he doesn't usually like meat! We'll be able to go up and spend some time with Arianne next week so there'll be more info about that trip later.

Jet Lag

FYI, we've arrived. It was a long trip of 20-some hours, but we're enjoying hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa. I was worried about what a busy toddler without his own seat would do on a packed to capacity flight, but he was fantastic! He was excited to see the big airplanes at the airport and the droan of the engines lulled him to sleep at take-off during each of our three flights.

Then we arrived in MN... We took a little time to get to know the new surroundings before going to be the first night at a reasonable 10:30, but then my little king slept until 3 the next afternoon with only a couple sips from his cup overnight! I guess he was tired. That started our fight against jet lag. In the evenings since then, we've gone to bed at 12, 12, 2, 1, and tonight it was just after 11, so I guess you could call that progress. I'm hoping that after spending next weekend with Early Bird, he might decide to go to bed earlier?!

Summer's just around the corner

Alright, the countdown is on. I've got a day and a half left of school. I turned in all of my grades last Friday, so all that needs to happen in the next day and a half is monitoring students taking tests for other classes. Then, Friday morning it's off to the airport, if all goes well weatherwise.

Last Friday they predicted a typhoon to come up from the Philippines on Monday and Tuesday of this week. As the weekend progressed, the typhoon slowed down and the path moved farther and farther west, making us think that it might swing around and hit Taipei instead of Kaohsiung and losing strength before reaching Taipei. So far we've had hot, humid days and sunny skies, so I'm hoping that means it's moved even farther west and will go to China instead. I've had troubles getting to the weather website, but you can try at http://www.cwb.gov.tw/ and click on the English at the top of the page.

Afternoon at the park

Last Sunday after the afternoon rains, we decided to go back to the university in Guandu for a chance to run around. Since it was Dragon Boat Festival, everyone was at the rivers watching the dragon boat races and nowhere that we went. It was quite a relief. We found a nice shade tree to relax under and a big grassy area that was great for playing ball and and trying to ride the trike. Keanu realized how difficult it was to ride his trike with his short legs on the bumpy grass. I guess it works better in the courtyard at Yoyo's house instead.

The boys also had a good time chasing the ball and playing in the grass. It makes me really look forward to our trip to the US that's coming up in just 2 weeks! That'll mean lots of time for playing out in the open grass, which is a rare treat here in the city.

Remember how I said we found a nice shade tree to set up our chairs under? Well, as I was sitting, I kept hearing little things drop from the tree. The first time I assumed there was a bird in the tree and was happy I wasn't under the bird. But then it kept coming. "plop, plop." I still don't know what kind of tree it is, but it has a great canopy for shade and tons of little red berries that kept plopping down. That also explains how Keanu's behind got red spots all over it - whenever he fell down, he squished some berries! It's a good thing they came clean in the wash!

Dumpling makin' party

Yesterday we went to Julie's house to make some Chinese dumplings. OK, the women put the fumplings together while the guys chatted and "watched" the kids. I learned that the guys who make dumplings in the dumpling shops can make theirs much prettier than I could, but then as my students tell me, "practice makes perfect". I'd probably make beautiful dumplings quickly, too, if that's all I did all day. I like my life much better.

The kids had a great time, too. The big girls locked themselves in the bedroom to play with barbies so the little boys wouldn't bother them and eat the shoes. The three little boys enjoyed running around and playing with toys. Being 1 and 2 years old, they only played "together" for about 3 minutes. They had quite a time trying to keep all of their eggs in one basket. (Yes, Keanu forgot to put his shorts back on after changing his diaper. Silly boy!)

Thanks for a good time, Julie!

Evening sickness

Usually one of the first questions people ask when they find out we're expecting is "How's the morning sickness?" Ironically, the mornings are the times that I feel the best. I've found that the best way to start the day is with a ham and cheese omlet and milk tea followed by snacks the rest of the morning. It's the evenings that are the worst. After school the only energy I have is to force down some dinner and pass out on the couch trying to keep it all down.

Last week when we went to the doctor and I'd gained .2kg in the past 4 weeks, he said it was OK, but I should try to eat a bit more. When I looked surprised, he said that was alright and with the first trimester ending this week things would get better. I certainly hope so.