mini heart attack...

Henri decided to give me a scare yesterday by sticking a leaf down his throat while I was talking to someone at the park - I never got it out but I think he swallowed it down after a bit of choking and carrying on - about gave me a heart attack but somehow I managed not to burst into tears even though I wanted to out of fear for my little angel. Here he is looking as dashing as ever (a bit slobbery) in the stroller this morning.

Henri's new toy

Henri walking a video by mdelagrange on Flickr.

A turn towards positive... But first a couple rants

I'm not big on new years resolutions because I don't keep them (mainly because I forget) - but there is something about the new year that makes you think you can have a new beginning so I find myself thinking of what I'd like to do differently in the new year. Two things come to mind - lose weight (obviously) and from now on, I'd like to be more positive. My Aunt Corliss is my role model on this effort as I have always noticed that she isn't one to join in when the people around her start talking negatively and she seems to see the good before the bad which is refreshing. 

That said there are two rants I absolutely MUST get off my chest before I'm forced, I mean before I take a turn towards the positive...

Mosquitos

Who knew that when the weather cooled off I would get my own family of Mosquitos as roommates? And guess what, they only feast on me. Every morning I wake up with at least one new bite.  I'm glad that Henri isn't being attacked but maybe if Maxime was sharing in my misery he would take our situation a little more seriously...

Did you know that Mosquitos just park themselves up on your ceiling all day? I do. Did you know that they pretty much laugh at you from up there? Today I threw a balled up sock at one repeatedly and it just kept flying just a few inches over. It wasn't even scared, he knew he was too high from me.

Did you know that if you don't clean up a dead mosquito right away the little carcass pretty much becomes a permanent fixture on your wall?

These aggressive Mosquitos actually harass you when they are ready for a meal - they buzz around your face by your ears. One night that happened five times so when I went to sleep that night I pulled the covers up over my head to protect myself. After a while I realized I needed to breath so I reluctantly exposed my face.  I'm sure you can guess what happened next - I woke up in the morning with a bite just below my eyebrow.

I'm being harassed, I want you to know. These Mosquitos have really gotten into my head - each time I walk into our room (their favorite hangout, just waiting for me) I scan the walls and ceiling to see if there is one who slipped up and decided to perch low enough for me to reach.  When they don't, I've resorted to calling them names. Seriously - and then I hear myself and I realize I'm not as sane as I once was.

The Internet isn't very helpful, not providing a cure all for my problem but I did learn that they have survived for millions of years from the arctic to the tropics for a reason - they are freaking resilient! 

Noise pollution 

In San Francisco we survived the building of a new row house right next to ours. In Chicago my neighbor was renovating right after Henri was born and I had to suffer through that construction throughout the day for months. In addition, we lived near Navy Pier where they set off fireworks two to three times a week. I thought I was pretty used to the noise pollution that comes with living in densely populated areas. How wrong I was. Taiwan takes the cake when it comes to noise pollution that makes you want to scratch your own eyes out and then throw them at people.

The biggest offender? Their blatant abuse of loud speakers. 

There are cars that drive slowly up and down the street blasting a message that either advertises what they are selling or promotes some candidate running for election (see below video/picture).  Think ice-cream truck without the ice-cream, replace music with Chinese sentence repeated over and over and over...

Garbage trucks don't go door to door here, they park in a central location and blare classical music to let everyone know in a one mile radius that it's time to bring down your trash. 

Sometimes you walk by a store and there is some recorded message attempting to very loudly lure you into their store - you look down to see that they have left a loud speaker out on the sidewalk that is looping their pitch. 

Everyone says just wait for Chinese New Year... Ugh...
I am officially old because I spend so much time complaining about noise.

Campaign truck

Fw: Nuisance a video by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Campaign motorcade

Campaign cars, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

This candidate apparently rented out a handful of taxis, decorated them with banners and threw in some loud speakers blaring campaign messages and music (yes, it was all overlapping)... I'm just happy it was going down a commercial street and not mine!

Ancestor day

Ancestor day, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

As I was leaving this morning the family that owns our building was out front burning (fake) money - they were also burning several inscents on a table they set up outside. One of them told me it was ancestors day. You regularly see money burning but I guess today is a bit more special. This is our neighbor's fire left unattended (didn't think I should gawk at my landlords...). Anyway, while my own beliefs don't compel me to make offerings to my deceased ancestors I can appreciate that they do honor theirs in their way.

Rainy day fun (?)

Hen at mitsukoshi play area, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Today I took hen to the mitsukoshi play area for the first time. Its rainy and cold(ish) and we needed a change of scenery. We are regulars at the takashimaya play area near our apartment which is free and has only a few toys in a carpeted area for the kiddos. Well, the play area at mitsukoshi is much more serious. When we pulled up in the stroller the lady at the gate took Henri's temperature, wiped the drool of his face and washed his hands with antiseptic. Then we entered the kiddy fun house and We took a tour. I showed him the slide, he clung to me. I showed him the balloons being blown about by a fan, he clung to me. I planted him down in front of this slow motion merry go round which in the end was his undoing. He stared at it for about a minute before commencing a meltdown that not even the ball pit could remedy. The lady at the gate gave me my $200NT back, even though I didn't ask for it - I guess he needs a bit more time before he can appreciate this crazy place.

Just before his melt down

Not a fan, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Possessed bear

Possessed bear, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

In their attempt to scare small children the good people at mitsukoshi even attached this poor bear to a machine to make it swerve around mindlessly...

First croissant

First croissant, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Henri was given his first croissant the other day... He gave it more of a shot then some of the things I've handed him... But I can't say he immediately took to it. I'm sure his French genes will kick in sooner or later...

Mmmmm....

Mmmmm...., a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Croissant v. Teether

Croissant v. Teether, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

8 teeth!

Fw:, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Hen finally broke his fourth tooth on the bottom the other day, making it 8 total!

???

Fw:, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

This is some kind of motorized bike/trailer thingy which you see around. What makes this one unique is the doll heads on stakes ... Which clearly are a warning to other dolls... Not to.... Mess with his stuff?

Cozy in the stroller

Cozy in the stroller, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Henri taking a stroll

Henri at takashimaya, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Henri at the takashimaya play area playing with a walker (properly) for the first time...

Happy 9 month birthday, Henri!

This past week Henri’s 9 month birthday passed with me thinking “Whoa! What happened to my baby?” He is growing up so quickly. He’s curious about everything. You can’t walk by anything without his hand whipping out and grabbing it. He is starting to protest when he can’t reach something or when something is taken away… I can tell he understands “no” and occasionally he listens. While I haven’t had him measured/weighed lately, he is a big boy - he has grown out of nearly all his 6-12 month clothes and is already wearing 12+ month sizes – he is about the same size as most the one year olds we know. He is also cuddlier now, I feel like I’m getting real hugs from him and he loves to grab the sides of my face and go in for an open mouth slobber kiss.

He’s very social. He crawls after the older kids at the park – some try to get away from him other’s try to engage.

At the park a couple weeks ago Henri had pulled up on a small pedestal as I was talking to the Australian mom of a 2 ^1/2 year old. Her son wandered over to Henri and took a seat on a nearby pedestal and says “hello” to Henri and introduces himself. Henri looks at him, smacks the pedestal with his open hand a couples times and wobbles around in response. Then the boy, clearly realizing Henri had missed his social cue asks encouragingly “What’s your name?” Henri continues staring at him. The little boy repeats himself. I tune out of this one-way conversation to continue talking to his mom and then when I tune back in the little boy is asking Henri “Are you shy?”

 

It’s hard to believe we are about to celebrate Henri’s first Christmas. I find myself being very grateful for all of my many blessings. We have received Christmas care packages from our parents containing gifts (mostly for Henri), hard to find products like cans of peas and Tylenol PM, as well as my beloved reindeer food (which I polished off in two days – Maxime is hoarding his jar of it just to taunt me).

I count myself so lucky to have such an incredible son, husband and family. I don’t know if it is the distance or the arrival of my son (or a combination of both) that makes me feel so blessed. I find myself thinking about what great parents I have and how much I love my husband and my son(who we waited so long for). So even though the holiday spirit isn’t all that strong here in Taiwan (not that they don’t have some décor and music going in the stores), it’s pretty strong in my heart. I can’t wait to see everyone back home in the spring of 2012. Merry Christmas!

Pa Pa and Henri

IMAG0346.jpg, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Mitsukoshi play area

Mitsukoshi play area, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

This department store's (overly pastel) play area is insane. Everything you see is actually in motion - the cylinder is spinning, the little merry-go-round, also spinning... The balloons are being blown around - there is a slide that is clear that has water running through it and a ball pit, as well. Intense...

Dude cleaning streets on scooter

Dude cleaning streets on scooter, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

I'm pretty sure he was cutting corners here...

The easy shop....

The easy shop...., a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Interesting choice of name for lingerie shop...

Henri and I

Fw:, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

This weekend the family went to the Taipei European School's Christmas Bazaar. Maxime's hotel had a booth there. We sat on the grass and enjoyed a hamburger right off the grill.

Henri at the TES event

Fw: Bonjour tata gaelle, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Pork Flakes

IMAG0325.jpg, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Yes, you read correctly. I'm only pretending to take Henri's picture here - really I'm wanting to share with you this stand which apparently (or so I was told) sells different types of pork flakes - I have to pass it every time I go to the grocery store and I'm not a fan of its scent.

Borrrrring....

Borrrrring...., a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Apprently Hen wasn't all that enthusiastic about the park that day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This thanksgiving came and went before I knew it. We were invited to someone's home to celebrate so luckily I got my turkey/stuffing fix for the year. Unfortunately Maxime had to work.

A friend was kind enough to offer us a ride which was great because hauling a baby/car seat/hot casserole dish/diaper bag in a taxi was going to be quite challenging. She and her husband showed up a little worse for wear. Their oven had gone out so they were behind schedule and their nearly one-year old had picked up on the stress and was making her unhappiness known. Very loudly. So there I was, wedged between one crying baby (who seems to be crying at me for invading her domain) and my own (who after joining the fun initially by adding his own screams, opted to just stare at the other baby in shock for the duration of the ride) in the backseat with a hot casserole dish on my lap while we sped through Tianmu to get to the thanksgiving feast. Anyone who has been stuck in a car with a screaming baby would know how stressful this can actually be...

Thanksgiving was different with a baby. With Maxime gone I pretty much had my full attention on Henri who was on the move, mouthing every toy he could find and chasing the older babies around who could definitely care less.. I was proud of him - it was late for him but he kept his composure.  Until the drive back which was very similar to the drive there, minus the hot dish, but adding Henri's screams.

My friend had a little trick up her sleeve. She turns around in her seat with her cell phone in hand. She finds the ringer settings and goes through each one, playing cell phone ring after cell phone ring. The babies would fixate on the phone while it rang but would start up again when it stopped so she had to hurriedly go from ring to ring... Disco music rings, robotic rings, club music rings... By the time we made it to my place my head was spinning a bit but all in all it was a good time.

A quick visit

Vanessa's time here in Taiwan was way too short. It flew by and unfortunately it was pretty rainy most the time she was here. We took many walks around my neighborhood (often in the rain), hit a museum, a night market, and took in great views of Taipei from the top of Maxime's hotel - other than that we were mainly in the house taking care of Henri. I was fortunate enough to get to enjoy Vanessa's baked goods; brownies, cookies, more brownies...

Hen loves his auntie - he took to her right off the bat and enjoyed playing with her. The only time he gave her a hard time was when she tried to put him down without his pacifier... Which was pretty traumatic for both if them... My evil side found this kind of funny since I'd been there, done that.

We look forward to seeing Vanessa again when we travel back to the U.S. this Spring.

A Local Wedding

The day Vanessa left, Maxime and I went to a Taiwanese wedding. Our connection was through the bride, who works very closely with Maxime.

In some aspects the wedding reception (we didn't attend a ceremony) was very similar to weddings I've attended in the past - banquet style set up, the childhood picture presentation, toasts... I have to say this wedding had a bit more... flare... than your typical run of the mill wedding in the States.

When you arrive you are greeted by a gigantic photograph of the bride and groom about the size of a billboard. There is a station where you can have your picture taken which is then super imposed onto a picture with the bride a groom - there are several photos of the happy couple to choose from - from goofy to serious- so your picture won't look exactly like the person next to you. The bride was on the creative side and had a wedding logo which was featured prominently throughout the venue - from the flying screens in the ballroom to the tiny candy jars that were handed out to the guests. The bride changed her wardrobe three times and was a beautiful bride in all her gowns.

One thing that is very different from an American wedding is the gift giving part. You don't buy wedding presents you give money. It must come in a red envelope and you need to choose an amount in a number that is not unlucky. When you arrive you hand over the envelope at a reception desk and they open it to see how much you gave and then they write the amount on a ledger for the world to see.

The meal was 12 courses! Lots of fish I had to pass on - especially the fish head which was placed on our table in the event someone wanted to gouge it's eyes out to consume - and yes, our table had a taker. No wedding cake or dancing - plenty of wine, though.

It was fun - we didn't stay late since we had to get back home to Henri and thankfully he had not woken up in our absence so he didn't even know we were gone (success!).

Vanessa and Henri

IMAG0294.jpg, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Henri and his Aunt at the National Palace Museum in Taipei.

Maxime and Henri atop the Shangri-La Hotel,
with Taipei 101 in the distance

Our Visitor

I’m happy to report that we are currently hosting our first visitor… My sister! She had a 24 hour trip with only about six of that being in the air. She flew Kandahar (flight delayed one day) to Kabul – Kabul to New Delhi (delayed three hours, 11 hour layover) – to Bangkok, finally to Taipei (without her luggage!).  I’m very happy she is here and this should* force us to finally see some of the sights… Pictures to follow…

The Hen – Making him earn his keep.

Here in Taiwan, in attempt to appear international, local stores and brands often prefer to use Caucasian models. So one day we were walking down the sidewalk and a lady circled my stroller to take a look at Henri. Rubbernecking is quite common here so I didn’t think anything of it but then she hands me her card, explaining that she is a modeling agent. Not a week later she calls me up with a job for Henri. I decided to give it a try. I thought it might be fun and that if it turns out too hard on Henri then I won’t do it again.

So Henri decides to refuse his nap time in the morning so he shows up completely exhausted. Luckily they told me to take a walk, let him sleep and return when he awakens so that’s what I do.  When I return there are two other models there and we start alternating – Henri would be dressing while one of the other kids were doing pictures on the set. Henri was very intrigued by his surroundings and wanted to see everything. When he was up he did quite well. There were two Taiwanese ladies whose job was to get him to smile, set him up the way they wanted (turn this way or that) and smooth his hair or outfit. They had all kinds of equipment – remote control cars they would drive right at him to his delight, they would throw a ball back and forth… This is their JOB… Anyway, Henri had to change about 10 times during his two hour shift which he didn’t really like. But once he was dressed he was back to his chipper self and seemed to like the picture part.  Towards the end both of us were ready for it to be over but all in all I didn’t think it was overly rough on the guy. He was in good spirits the rest of the day and caught up on his sleep so I would be open to doing it again. Plus he earned $3,000 NT! (about $100 USD)

Taiwanese Potluck

Last weekend Maxime, Henri and I were invited by our landlord attend a potluck lunch in the common area of our building. Our building is owned by a family of five or six siblings – each owning one or two apartments. One of these siblings is estranged and so his unit’s tenants were NOT invited…  Anyway, they had a full spread of unfamiliar food, including pig liver and boiled chicken. The host accompanies you while you fill your plate – hovering and putting unspoken pressure on you to try EVERYTHING. So I filled my plate, stomach twisting at some of the dishes, and sat with the other tenants in a big circle with Henri crawling around in the middle entertaining everyone. It was explained to me that THIS was a very traditional Taiwanese thing to do. The family of owners was there with their grown children and their children… there was even an elderly matriarch sitting on the couch, reigning over it all. .. I looked around and said outside of what was being served this is how it would work in the States, as well… Well, we left and were upstairs for a few hours.  Probably four hours later, when Maxime and I reemerged around 5 p.m. we were surprised to see that the party was still going on. The elderly grandmother and four sisters (50’s or 60’s) were blasting music, singing karaoke (in mandarin, of course). Then when we came back around 7 p.m. with an exhausted Hen, the party was STILL going on.  So possibly this potluck turned karaoke fiesta wasn’t EXACTLY how my family would roll back home – it was pretty funny to see them at it.

The Help

About a month ago Maxime and I hired a helper who comes three days a week for half a day. She is a housekeeper and babysitter. Since having Henri I had stopped doing certain things for me – like yoga, haircuts, and so forth – so having her around means I have someone to watch Henri so I can duck out a couple of hours and take care of shopping and maybe do something just for me.

So through a friend we found Ana. Ana was born in the Philippines to Chinese parents, speaks five languages and assumes all Americans are fat.  On her first day she tells me that she is surprised I’m not heavier being from America. She often makes comments that I could find offensive but for now I find pretty humorous. When she saw me making a sandwich for lunch one day she looked confused and said “you don’t eat rice? You must do exercise then.”

The first two weeks I nearly let her go three or four times. This is not because of anything she did but because I suffered some major anxiety about letting her watch Henri. At first I thought she might kidnap him… Then I feared she might be rough with him... I really imagined her as a monster and it kept me up at night. One night I had resolved to call her the next morning and tell her not to come back – ever. Deep down I knew it was me – not her. So I pushed myself to keep her a little longer and just watch, wait and see.  I tortured myself by googling awful things and then stumbling upon even worse things. When my family visited after Henri was born I had anxiety over leaving him with them, and God knows they would never hurt him – so you can see this was a very difficult thing for me.

Now I can say that Ana does make my life easier. The floors are thoroughly cleaned three times a week, which is great since Henri occasionally lays on his belly and starts licking the floor before you can stop him... While she will never take care of Henri like I would, she does a good job and he smiles at her when she arrives which is a good sign.

Halloween

For Halloween we were graciously invited to take part in trick or treating at a park here in Tianmu. Henri was SUPPOSED to be dressed as a cowboy but that didn’t really work out. He screamed until we removed his chaps. His hat was too big and he kept kicking off his fake cowboy boots. So basically we showed up with him in wranglers and a plaid button up.  I cried. I know that’s silly but I wanted him to be dressed up for Halloween and I wanted really cute pictures. Next Year…

This group of parents, mainly American School faculty, gathers at a park which is nestled low beneath a sheer cliff by a river.  It is beneath a canopy of trees and I was actually pretty creeped out wandering around there in the dark.  The way it works is one parent accompanies the kids and the other sits down on a bench or somewhere along the path of the park and sets up shop – some actually brought a jack-o-lantern and were dressed up themselves.  So the kiddies walk around from spot to spot, trick or treating. Sadly, it probably takes less than twenty minutes to hit everyone, but their bags are full and they can play on the playground when they finish.

So next year I will definitely buy a proper costume WAY in advance from the U.S. and I will blow you away with amazing photographs for sure.

Happy 8 Month Birthday!

Happy 8 Month Birthday! a video by mdelagrange on Flickr.

This video showcases some of Henri's major achievements as an 8 month old...

Henri and the oven

Henri and the oven, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

I know! I shouldn't let him touch the oven but he looked so cute pulling up on it. He has officially become a (sweet) little trouble maker. Every time I turn around he is headed to forbidden territory. Eating shoes, taking apart his floor tiles, grabbing the cable box...

Hen Making discoveries

Kitchen drawer, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Little reader

Little reader, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Great slogan

Great slogan, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Under construction

Now that I have access to a "real" computer I'm fiddling around with the blog design... This is not the final product - consider Baby Expat under construction!

mmm mmm

?, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Family Photo - Tianmu Park

Family Photo - Tianmu Park, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Henri and Maxime at the park

Hen and Maxime Park, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Henri on the slide

Hen slide, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Henri seems to enjoy the slide- We hold his hands as he goes down and he seems to understand what's going on - at the bottom he gets really happy.

Burning money

Burning money, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Some days you notice fires in bins along the sidewalk - I'm told that on certain days the time is ripe for burning fake money as an offering - apparently it can earn you good will and fatten the pockets of your deceased ancestors.

Corn - a menace at the grocery store

Corn, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

So you are perusing the grocery store, keeping your eyes peeled for all things western and you see a huge selection of campbell's products and hone in, only to find that it is only corn. Shelves and shelves of it. This has happened to me three times at various stores and brands. I get excited that maybe finally I can buy a can of del monte green peas only to find three shelves of various types of del monte corn. Seriously...

Getting into trouble

Getting into trouble, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Here's Henri trying to be sneaky about messing with the cable box. Perhaps if he isn't facing it I won't notice...

Pulling up

Pulling up 2, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Henri is starting to pull up more and more. He really enjoyed this roll of carpet until he decided to be afraid of it...

Henri Stats

Today Hen went to the doctor for a shot - he was a trooper and after screaming bloody murder for a few seconds he calmed down and was his cheerful self about a minute later. They didn't measure his height but he weighs 9.7 kilos which is 21.38 pounds. While I waited for some paperwork I was pretty amazed when a (well intentioned) girl that works there handed Henri a small sticker, which he promptly stuck in his mouth (which I promptly removed) - Still not getting the whole age appropriate toy thing she went off and brought him a balloon which he of course starts trying to consume - even though there wasn't a real choking hazard I felt there was a popping hazard with Hen's little sharp teeth and all... 

Henri's crawling skills continue to improve. He is now starting to move from room to room - only to follow me, though, he hasn't started to explore on his own. Sometimes when I leave him alone in a room and he notices he assumes this little angry baby march to where I am. He trudges along very slowly, legs squeaking against the floor with each step, head hanging down, with a tortured face and an angry little cry. Strangely, I think it's the cutest thing. When he gets close he stops, sits down and lifts his elbows so I can scoop him up.

I've been a bit homesick lately. As I'm winding down for the day I'll look at the clock and imagine the day starting for my family and friends in the U.S. Henri is down at 7 p.m. - by then my friends on the East Coast are up and getting ready for work but my friends on the West Coast won't be up for a while. Just thinking about everyone going about their lives 12-15 hours behind me back home makes me sad. I guess the vast difference in time zones makes the distance more real. 

Hen rockin i

Hen rockin it pecziwZAZez, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Henri at the park

Hen at the park, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

I took Henri to the park by our apartment today. I brought a little device that blows insane amounts of bubbles because I thought Hen might enjoy that - he did, but not as much as the older kids that were there. I had little people stalking me...

Hen and I

Hen and I, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Getting Settled

Our getting settled period seems to be taking longer than expected. When Henri is awake it's near impossible to get anything accomplished and when he is asleep I have to be oh so quiet. Henri's crawling skills are improving and he has started to follow us around a little bit. Unfortunately he injures himself a lot, too, bashing his head into the coffee table, the floor, etc.

I'm starting to get used to the building and the neighborhood. I didn't realize before moving in that our building's underground garage is only accessible by car elevator. So the garage door opens, you drive in, roll down the window and hit the appropriate button, and the elevator first rotates about 45 degrees then lifts you up to the street level. I'm not a fan but I have not allowed my new found fear of car elevators paralyze me... One day our building dog just cruised into the car elevator when Maxime drove in, sat there patiently as it rose to the street and then was off on his merry way.

One aspect of the neighborhood that requires some getting used to are these vehicles that drive around with loud speakers blaring some message in Chinese. They stop every block or so and the same sentence or two is repeated over and over and then they move on. You hear them coming several blocks away so it takes a while to be free of them. Apparently they are trying to lure you out of your house to mainly take something off your hands - they might buy your cardboard boxes or an old computer. Luckily Henri doesn't seem to be bothered by them.

And then there's the grocery shopping. My first trip was a bit challenging - I sat in front of the milk section for several minutes trying to figure out which carton might be low fat. In the end I checked the nutrition facts - I couldn't tell what each number was associated with but I figured lower numbers meant lower fat so that's what I went with - when you buy products with no English description you have no idea if that carton of milk actually says "hormone infused goats milk" or something like that...

Speaking of food, I regularly burn dinner. My gas stove doesn't seem to have a low setting. I even burned the first thing I baked because I didn't realize the temperature settings were in Celsius (big difference)...

It will be awhile before everything is settled but we're getting there...

Car elevator buttons

Car elevator buttons, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Henri crawling...

Henri crawling... a video by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Here is a clip of Henri doing his thing - he hasn't mastered the crawl but he gets around. Things have been really busy lately, hence the lack of postings. We haven't completely settled in yet and poor Maxime has been very sick. I plan to post more soon!

Happy 7 month birthday Hen!

Happy hen, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

I'm a couple days late...

This little boy has grown so much since we arrived in Taipei. He now has four teeth and he is starting to crawl - he can actually go a handful of steps now - luckily he is still slow and his range hasn't gotten too big. The apartment is not ready for a fully mobile baby, yet!

Henri's new high chair

Henri's new high chair, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Henri is now taking his meals in a high chair instead of the bumbo we were using at the hotel. He seems to like his new little perch. He really likes chewing on the tray.