Ribbit

Ribbit, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Rooftop pool

Rooftop pool, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Hen and I spend a little time at the pool before starting the bedtime routine.

Family photo

Family photo, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Taken at Marco polo lounge at the hotel

Father-son time

Father-son time, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

A big week

This week is our last at the hotel. I say this ruefully. While I'm ready to have an apartment again with our own belongings, this hotel has become my home away from home.  Once the apartment search was over I started spending more time around the hotel and really only then did I start to appreciate the neighborhood. We just found a little French bakery and I won't have the chance to (over) indulge in the sandwiches and sweets before we move. 

The plan is Friday, get the keys and decide what goes where. Saturday the movers deliver our belongings. Saturday and Sunday, get it into a livable state and move in on Monday. 

Maxime and I are buying a car because we are moving to the burbs. We haven't owned a car since we moved to Boston in 2006. Maxime signs the paperwork this week on a Nissan Tiida - he received his Taiwanese drivers license yesterday - so it's all coming together. 

Henri has done so much growing at the hotel. When we arrived he could barely sit up without assistance. Now he is not only sitting up like a champ, he is scooting around and this morning for the first time he pushed himself up to a seated position from his belly. He seems to only be able to move backwards so I'm always having to scoop him up after he has backed himself up under furniture.  He had zero teeth upon arrival - he has cut three since, and a fourth one should cut through any minute now. His personality is just as happy as ever (well, when his teeth aren't bothering him) and now he is much more playful. He has also entered the stage where he grabs everything within arms reach. So at the table you can guarantee he will make several attempts to swipe your fork, the place mat, a crumb, etc.  

So now that we are moving out of the hotel, it's time to start our "real" lives here in Taipei... I'll keep you posted.

King Henri

King Henri, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

The lady behind the counter at BK presented Henri with a crown - it took him under three seconds to remove said crown and place in mouth.

Phone booth hot spot

Phone booth hot spot, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

I thought this was an interesting innovation - Turning a phone booth into a wifi hot spot. They have way more free wifi hot spots here - various stores, for hire vehicles and even a doctors office have offered free wifi. Love it.

Sweet boy

Sweet boy, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Making friends...

Making friends..., a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Henri at the play group on Sunday

Sunday

Today Maxime and I had a pretty full day. After an early wake up call from Henri we headed for The Diner for breakfast. After polishing off some blueberry pancakes we head to Tianmu to a get-together we have been invited to with about 10 moms with their babies (husbands congregated downstairs with the older children). 

Everyone was really nice. I had to fight paranoia when Henri started mouthing other baby's toys and when he was approached by older babies. There was one little girl who kept stealing his toys and once he was quick enough to steal it back - I clapped for him but stopped when that earned me an odd look or two....

After this we walk to our future apartment while Henri snoozes in the stroller, which is maybe 1.5 miles away. We wander through the park which is just a few blocks away from our soon-to-be-home. There are lots of kiddie things that Henri will appreciate some day. There are also tennis courts, a track and a field for all sorts of frolicking. 

We head back to the hotel, Henri downs his fourth bottle of the day and we head to Carnegie's - a restaurant/bar - to watch France play Canada in Rugby. 

This felt like a pretty normal day that could have easily taken place in the U.S. Minus getting the address for the get-together translated into Chinese for the cab driver. And holding Henri still while a lady who got plain giddy at the sight  of him dug her phone out of her purse to take his picture. And agreeing to let a young Taiwanese boy practice his English on us at The Diner.  And quickly getting up from our table at McDonald's  to escape a woman who took an interest in Henri and started shoving a french fry in his face while making an odd grunting noise... And having to turn down a taxi because the seat belts don't work only to hail another one whose seat belts also don't work... But I digress... 

Henri's new trick

photo.JPG, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

This morning Henri started to push himself up into a plank position - by the afternoon he was doing it nonstop!

Push ups

photo.JPG, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Messy hair day

Messy hair, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Henri woke up this morning with some interesting hair. This picture also shows his two teeth!

Out and about in Tianmu

Out in tienmu, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

On this day Maxime, Henri and I saw about a half dozen aparments in Tianmu. Hen is quite the good sport!

One month in

It's been a little over a month since we arrived in Taipei. I still can't give an honest assessment of how I like it because I live in a hotel where my dirty laundry is returned to me in a lavender scented basket (promptly) and everyone sees me and automatically speaks English to me... The hard choices I make each day revolve around things like what kind of muffin I'd like to eat at breakfast (blueberry, mixed berry or apple?! Ugh, so hard! Maybe I'll take a chocolate croissant instead... ugh... I don't know!) I never have to know how to say anything in Chinese to the taxi cab drivers because the door guys tell them exactly where I need to go - on the way back I just hand them a card that has the hotel's info in Chinese. So yes, I don't think this will be my reality once I move out.

Speaking of moving out...

I think we have chosen our apartment. We were told in the beginning that you have to compromise because no apartment is perfect. This is very true. I saw no fewer than 30 apartments with five different brokers. Poor Henri saw them all, too. In and out of the car into apartments with no A.C., not easy for a baby.

The main differences between a classic american apartment and a classic taiwanese apartment that I observed are:

>The kitchens are WAY smaller and most have no oven! Most have 2-3 burners on the countertops and that's it. 
>Instead of dishwashers, many have dish dryers, which do just that.
>The floors are either marble, tile or wood. The humidity is so high here they don't mess with carpet.
>They put the washer/dryer out on a balcony, which is where many people hang their clothes to dry. 
>Outside of the front door of your would be Taiwanese neighbors you have an assortment of shoes, umbrellas and other items for heading out. When we walked into cleaned units we had to look around sans shoes. 

I found the whole experience a little stressful. Looking for a home is always difficult in a new city as you don't know which neighborhood to choose. Maxime and I normally chose to live near his hotel and that has worked well for us in the past. Then we had Henri. I'm no longer working and so I have to really live in the apartment with Henri so our priorities have shifted from convenience to livability. 

We chose to live in Tianmu (considered the suburbs) which has a very large expat community. The European and American schools are located there so there are lots of families. Not only are there three department stores nearby (Taiwanese version of a mall, sort of) there is a movie theatre and .... Drum roll please... A Chili's. Yes, the chain restaurant I frequented as a college student is now lookin' real good...

We are working on a contract on an apartment and if all goes well we will be out of the hotel on or around October 1. Then the fun will begin... ( who's going to make our bed and bring us fresh towels?)

Henri taking his seat at breakfast

Henri taking his seat at breakfast, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Henri the conversationalist

Henri talkies a video by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Just a couple days ago Henri woke up in a very chatty mood. This mood is still going strong.

Happy six month birthday Henri!

Happy six month birthday Henri!, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Happy six month birthday, Henri!

It's hard to believe that six months ago today Henri was born. So much has happened since then. He has gone from this little bundle who would make us so excited when we finally heard a single coo or spied a tiny grin to a hearty little baby boy who smiles all the time, rambles on and on and sits up by all by himself.  In the first three months of Henri's life he didn't leave a one mile radius. He was born in Chicago at Northwestern's Prentice Hospital. We lived 6 blocks away from the hospital and we actually walked him home in our bassinet stroller. He finally rode in a car for the first time at three months. Now look at him! He went from such a sheltered beginning to moving across an ocean. And he hasn't missed a beat.  Henri's last month was full of apartment searching in the heat and humidity, adjusting to a new "home," getting gawked at several times a day and tolerating daily restaurant dining. Henri never complained. All of the things I think will be tough for him he handles in stride.  Today he had his six month check up at his new pediatrician.  It wasn't THAT different than in Chicago. The doctor didn't check for developmental milestones or talk to me about how much food and sleep he is getting. We didn't put him on the table and she didn't do a thorough exam, compared to what we are used to.  She looked in his ears, listened to his heart while Maxime held him and that was about it.  I brought his shot records and whipped out my ever so handy Baby 411 book to be sure we used the same shot schedule as we use in the States. He got his immunizations and we were on our way. Here are his stats: Weight: 8.4 kilos or 18.5 pounds Height: 69 centimeters or 27 inches On weight he is just under 75th percentile and his height is just over 75th percentile. I used the growth charts that I brought with me from the States. Today we think we have found our new home. Apartment finding here was pretty rough but I'll go more into that soon. I looked at it and thought I could see Henri taking his first steps there. 

Henri post bath

photo.JPG, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Henri has really taken to bath time. He loves washcloths and as soon as he sits in the tub he is looking for a cloth to stuff in his mouth. I have to wrestle it away from him to use it - so I've taken to using two.

Henri sitting up

Henri sitting up a video by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Notes from the sidewalk...

As I take my early evening walks with Henri I take note of certain menaces to the sidewalk - some I am familiar with, some are new. I haven't had a car in years so I would say I'm a seasoned pedestrian. It's quite an achievement, I know. In addition, I've seen some innovations I think would be a good idea to have back home.

One thing that is shared by both the States and Taiwan - walking while texting. This is likely a worldwide Dilemma. I guess this is to be expected but for some reason I find it noteworthy as today I nearly took out a lady who stepped out in front of my stroller, head down, texting.

On the top of my list of menaces to the sidewalk are the insane number of motor scooters. I have to say I'm not a fan. As cars are waiting at a stop light, the scooters will squeeze between cars until they are at the front of the line where they gather in a fume emitting gaggle.  When the light turns green the 5-50 (depends on the time of day) scooters buzz annoyingly by, like a swarm of bees, cutting in front of and behind poor pedestrians like myself. They don't stop there. They cruise down sidewalks (to be fair there are some areas where that is where they park) and seem to come out of nowhere when you least expect it. You see all kinds on the scooters - they aren't limited to one age group or gender or economic class. You see families piled on and once I saw a lady holding her Golden Lab while driving down the road. 

Scooters are not the only menace to the sidewalk. There is also an epidemic of little old ladies on bicycles that are not afraid to run you down.  They seem so innocent on their traditional bikes with the basket on the front until they whizz right by you unapologetically at 50 mph. 

Moving on... 

I think we should adopt the pedestrian signals they have here. Instead of a little white walking figure, here they have a green walking figure that is actually walking.  So when the accompanying count down clock is up at let's say 35, the animation is walking leisurely. Then when it's down to like 9, the little dude speeds up. Cool... 

At construction zones they have a little guy that is directing traffic- only the little guy is a friggin' robot. Okay a crude robot. More like a motorized mannequin but still, it certainly grabs your attention and probably cuts down on costs and injuries! Win, win!

Okay one thing of note that is neither a menace nor an innovation are the ladies who walk around with umbrellas when it isn't raining.  I believe it is to shield themselves from the sun but I'm sure it's handy to always have an umbrella on you since it does rain here a lot - and I mean, who wants to go through the trouble of opening it

And those are my notes from the sidewalk.

And the streets were lined with scooters

Motor scooters, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Traffic signal

Traffic signal, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Faux construction worker

Construction worker, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

So this automated fellow is actually waving a flag...

Faux Construction worker from a distance

Construction worker from a distance, a photo by mdelagrange on Flickr.

Here is the guy from a distance. Maxime's hotel is the tallest building you see here in the distance.