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.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Friday, November 25, 2011
Pork Flakes
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.
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 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
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!).
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.
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!).
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
Our Visitor
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.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
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...
Friday, November 4, 2011
Henri and the oven
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...
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)