Monday, October 31, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
Henri on the slide
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
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
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
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
Henri is starting to pull up more and more. He really enjoyed this roll of carpet until he decided to be afraid of it...
Monday, October 24, 2011
Henri Stats
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.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
Henri at the park
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...
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Getting Settled
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...
Thursday, October 13, 2011
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!
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Happy 7 month birthday Hen!
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 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.
Hen not sleeping
Henri thinks that now that he can push himself up into a seated position by himself that he should do it even when he's trying to fall asleep. So this is what nap time looks like for me right now...
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
Sunday, October 2, 2011
The Move
No fewer than ten men arrived with three small moving trucks with our belongings. Within one hour all the boxes and furniture were in and a couple hours after that our stuff was unpacked and all the boxes were removed.
One of the guys - a grandfather type and the boss it would seem, displayed an interest in hanging out. He shared his cashews with me and told me they were from Canada. He said he was also a massage instructor and started explaining pressure points, showing me on my arm how you just grab the wrist right here and sqeeeeeze it will get rid of motion sickness - I had to scream mercy to make him stop...
Some of our furniture was banged up a little but nothing to get worked up about. It was nice to see my familiar things but it is such a gigantic mess!
So then I started getting the apartment Henri ready.
I started off with a load of laundry. I heard a strange noise and when I checked I watched the sink (which is what the washer machine drains into) fill up and then overflow onto the floor. Hmmmm. On top of that, the refrigerator , which we had turned on the day before, still wasn't cold.
The management person was on it and sent a repair guy right away.
In the meantime, I ran to a nearby store to acquire some essentials. On my way I saw a dog run by like it's got some place to be.
At the store I have the opportunity to do a little comparison shopping. One roll of bounty paper towels is the same price as a six pack of local paper towels. Only difference is local paper towels are about three inches shorter when stood upright. Looks a little funny in the holder but no biggy.
The store was crawling with workers offering up samples. I must say they are very aggressive. This lady kept speaking a combination of English and Mandarin at me pushing a toothpick with some sort of meat at me - eventually I realized she was saying "hand packed chicken," punching her fist in her other hand, then slapping her thigh. I had already read the package which just said chicken wings. Another lady was pushing tea which she said would fight the signs of aging and gray hair. When I showed my disinterest by trying to move away she took a closer look at me and suggested I try this other one for not getting enough sleep.
On my way back I see another free roaming dog, also on a mission. I actually feel like I'm in his way as he trots past me on the sidewalk.
When I return to the building I realize that I can't get in. I didn't forget my keys - I had all 18 of them on me (every door has a key, bedrooms, balcony, front door, back door, gate, etc) but I had left the security code in the apartment. A dog that lingers about our building just stares at me through the door, not helpful at all.
After trading a few texts and a call with the property manager I get the code, no problem.
Other than wrestling with the crib for an hour, my afternoon went off as well as can be expected. Until I realized that my kitchen has not a single drawer. No where to place silverware... Ugh.
The repair guy comes and tells me the hot and cold water were reversed on the washer machine but I'm not sure what that has to do with draining. He also scrapes out a mound of black dust bunnies from the bottom of the fridge and declares it fixed.
Once he leaves I wrap it up. Maxime texts me that Henri's crawling which was totally cruel. I think I spent the longest time away from the little guy that day - 10 Hours. Hen will be crawling very soon. He can inch his way across the room already - mobility, just in time for the move...
Pictures of the new place will follow soon.
Drainage issue
The washing machine is set up to drain into this sink. This sink clearly cannot handle the pressure...