After Sydney's nap, we walked down to the Sydney Opera House and to Circular Quay to have lunch. The Circular Quay was a strip of restaurants and stores next to the Opera House. It was another beautiful day so we had a fun time hanging out and watching the boats in the harbour.
I really enjoy Sydney's curiosity --- everything has to be touched and played with. This city is a perfect place for it because it is clean and has a lot of offer, especially to someone who is 16 months old.
We arrived in Sydney yesterday morning after a 10 hour flight from Shanghai on Quantas. We took an overnight flight so it didn't take very long for Sydney to go from this
to this
Although she did wake up every couple of hours because she likes to roll around when she sleeps and wasn't able to do so on the plane. She did scream like a banshee for about 15 minutes....the worse that she has ever screamed on a plane and I have to admit I was so stressed out that she was waking the entire plane. I profusely apologized to the people around me when we landed but they were all very kind about it. Unfortunately, Sydney needed most of my seat to be comfortable so I didn't get much sleep on the plane.
I had reserved a rental car with a car seat because Australian law requires Sydney to be in a car seat. Actually, I've been getting conflicting info about this here. Some people said that the car seat law applies only to babies under 12 months. Once they hit the 12 month mark, they can be in a seat belt. I cancelled the car at the last minute because Australians drive on the left side and it was too much of an adventure for me. I wanted a more relaxing vacation. Luckily, there was a taxi at the airport with a car seat so we didn't have to wait for one to be called. It is very convenient to call the taxi company and have them send over a taxi with a car seat.
We stayed at the Marriott hotel in the center of town. It is pretty dated but clean and is conveniently located to most of the places that we wanted to visit. It also has a small kitchen in the room, which is nice because eating out 3 meals a day for 6 days would tiring. I caught my second wind when we checked in so we went across the street to Hyde Park to get some fresh air and exercise. Luckily, there were enough pigeons, dogs and ducks to keep Sydney occupied so I could just sit back and enjoy watching my sweet baby play.
The weather has been amazing so far --- sunny and warm yesterday, and and sunny and cool today. Because of the pollution in Shanghai, I can count on one hand the days that I saw sunshine and I wouldn't need all of my fingers. We walked everywhere here, which is easy to do. Sydney has about 4 million people, and there are about 20 million people in all of Australia. There's about 20 million people in Shanghai alone. With only 4 million people, it is very easy to get around on foot. We've also taken taxis and the bus ---- all very affordable and easily accessible. Everyone is so friendly here. No one has given me unsolicited advice on how Sydney should be dressed for the day.
After a nap for Sydney, we grabbed a burger at a place called Burgerlicious. With a name like that, how could we NOT stop in?? It was burgerlicious. I had forgotten how good beef tasted. Then we spent the afternoon shopping, and shopping and shopping. Luckily, I only had 2 hands and had to head back to the hotel before I could do anymore damage on my credit card. I bought Sydney some toys for the flight back to Shanghai since it will be an afternoon flight. But Sydney couldn't wait that long.....
One of the things that I enjoy about traveling is seeing how the new environment affects Sydney. When we were in Phuket, she was very peaceful and friendly. Here, she is definitely much more laid back and goofy. When we are in Shanghai, she would tolerate the seat belt for a couple of seconds before the banshee screeching commenced. But she has handled both the car seat and the seat belt here like she was going to receive chocolates when we reached our destination. She's not as short tempered and obstinate here as she is in Shanghai. If she can't do something, she just moved on. I can't tell if I'm more relaxed on vacations and she is just reflecting the change in my demeanor and attitude or if this is about her adapting to her environment. Either way, I'm glad that she's enjoying herself here.
We went to a Vietnamese restauarant called Phamish for dinner that was recommended by our concierge -- yes, I'm still on a quest for good pho. The restaurant was opened at 6pm and we arrived at 6:20pm and it was already packed. We had to wait 20 minutes for a table. I was disappointed that they didn't serve pho but the food was great and the owner was a very sweet lady who took good care of us.
We made a run to Target this morning. I won't embarrassed myself by describing how happy I was at Target. It is inside a mall and only 1/2 the size of a Target in Dallas. We were still able to get most of what we needed -- cheap play clothes for Sydney and toiletries for me. As a bonus, they had a sale on all of their Disney books and I bought every one for AUD$2 each (USD$1.60 each). Now I just need to hide them from Sydney until we get on the plane for Shanghai.
After a long nap for the both of us, we walked down to Darling Harbour. It is so much fun there -- there were music, a fun crowd, food, playgrounds, sprinkler park, paddling boats, souvenir stores, pigeons and kids. We had a great lunch at I Thai in Darling Harbour and walked around a bit.
We came across a beautiful carousel, which Sydney loved. One of the great things about having a kid is that you get to see the world through their eyes, and you get to have a 2nd childhood. After walking around for a bit, touching and checking out each horse, Sydney made her pick and the fun began.
We went to the aquarium, which was also in Darling Harbour. Sydney has been to about 5 aquariums now, and it is great to see how she responds to the sea animals as she gets older. I think this is the first time that she really enjoyed seeing the animals. The penguins and the seals were a big hit, and so was the shark tank. She wanted to climb into some of the tanks because touching the glass screen just wasn't enough for her. Or she would chat with the fishes. The aquarium was big enough that we spent over an hour there and didn't see it all.
We probably did more than we should have this afternoon because we returned to the hotel and Sydney took a long nap. I ended up waking her up for dinner. We walked to a Spanish restaurant near the hotel and had fantastic tapas for dinner. The restaurant didn't have a high chair so Sydney had to sit in a regular chair. She handled it like a pro.
We are having such a great time here. I have no idea what we are doing tomorrow yet, which isn't like me (as you know). I guess Sydney isn't the only person that is affected by the laid back Aussie attitude.
Sydney and I are taking the opportunity to visit Sydney, Australia for a week. We are leaving Shanghai on Thurday, September 27th, and returning on October 4th. I am SOOO excited -- English speakers, rental car so I can get around at will, untainted food, non-diseased pigs, and Target stores. If that's not the formula for a great vacation, then I don't know what is.
There are 2 stories that are associated with the mooncakes. The first story was recounted in the prior post. The second story involves the liberation of the Chinese from the Mongols in the 13th century. The Chinese wanted to stage an uprising among the population but didn't know how to get the word out to everyone. So they decided to bake the plans for the rebellion into the mooncakes, which the Mongols did not eat. Families were instructed to not eat the mooncakes until the moon festival, which was when the rebellion took place.
Rest assured that there was no message in the mooncake provided by Sydney's school.
That's the boring version of the history of the festival. I like the foklore version, which goes something like this: there were ten suns rising in the sky, which scorched all of the crops and drove people into poverty. A hero named Hou Yi wanted to end people's suffering so he ascended to the top of the Kunlun Mountain and he drew his extraordinary bow and shot down the nine superfluous suns one after another. He also ordered the last sun to rise and set according to time under the threat of being shot down. For this reason, he was respected and loved by the people.
Hou Yi had a beautiful and kindhearted wife named Chang E. One day on his way to the Kunlun Mountain to call on friends, he came upon the Empress of Heaven Wangmu who was passing by. Empress Wangmu presented to him a parcel of elixir that would cause anyone drinking it to ascend immediately to heaven and become a celestial being. Hou Yi, however, hated to part with his wife. So he gave the elixir to Chang E to treasure for the time being. Chang E hid the parcel in a treasure box at her dressing table when, unexpectedly, it was seen by the greedy Peng Meng.
One day when Hou Yi led his disciples to go hunting, Peng Meng, sword in hand, rushed into the inner chamber and forced Chang E to hand over the elixir. Aware that she was unable to defeat Peng Meng, Chang E made a prompt decision at that critical moment. She took up the elixir and swallowed it in one gulp. As soon as she swallowed the elixir her body floated off the ground, dashed out of the window and flew towards heaven. Peng Meng escaped.
When Hou Yi returned home at dark, he knew from the maidservants what had happened. Overcome with grief, Hou Yi looked up into the night sky and called out the name of his beloved wife when, to his surprise, he found that the moon was especially clear and bright and on it there was a swaying shadow that was exactly like his wife. He tried his best to chase after the moon. But as he ran, the moon retreated; as he withdrew, the moon came back.
Thinking of his wife day and night, Hou Yi then had an incense table arranged in the back garden that Chang E loved. Putting on the table sweetmeats and fresh fruits Chang E enjoyed most, Hou Yi held at a distance a memorial ceremony for Chang E who was sentimentally attached to him in the palace of the moon.
When people heard of the story that Chang E had turned into a celestial being, they arranged the incense table in the moonlight one after another and prayed to kindhearted Chang E for good fortune and peace. From then on the custom of worshiping the moon spread among the people.
Epilogue: Hou Yi chased down Peng Meng and beat the *(W#$*#&$*# out of him while mocking the fact that his name rhymed.
During the Zhou dynasty, Emperor Qin Shi Huang had thousands of terracotta warriors made in an attempt to reconstruct his empire for the afterlife. The tomb to the west is still to be fully excavated, and is said to include a full reconstruction of the ancient capital, complete with rivers and lakes of mercury. According to historian Sima Qian, over 700,000 workers were drafted for the project, and those involved in the construction of the tomb were rewarded with graves beside their emperor. Originally painted in bright colors, the warriors were constructed from interchangeable parts luted together by clay. Because the heads were hand-molded, no two warriors appear the same. Huang's army was drawn from all over his vast empire, and this ethnic diversity is reflected in the variety of hairstyles, headdresses, and facial expressions of the warriors.
In 1974, peasants were digging a well near the Emperor's tomb and found fragments of pottery. Further excavation led to the discovery of the army of warriors. Can you imagine what a waste it would have been if they were never discovered?
We did manage to do a couple of things during reprieves from the rain. We went down to Tiannamen Square when we first arrived. There really wasn't much to see other than a swarm of tourists and General Mao's tomb. I'm not big into oppression of the masses so we passed on the tomb.
We visited the Forbidden City, which is very impressive. It takes a while to go through the entire city. There is only one way in and one way out so you have to make sure that you want to see this place before you start it. It took us 1.5 hours to go through it and that is without stopping to admire the many treasure rooms and museums. Sydney was tired and it was threatening rain so we just made a mad dash through the city. It is NOT stroller friendly -- the floor is made of broken cobblestone.
We were also able to visit the Temple of Heaven. At the same time that the Yongle emperor built the Forbidden City, he also oversaw construction of this enormous park and altar to heaven. Each winter solstice, the Ming and Qing emperors would lead a procession here to perform rites and make sacrifices designed to promote the next year's crops and curry favor with heaven for the general health of the empire.
After getting our fill of Peking duck, we headed on to Xi'An.....
As expected, Sydney didn't recognize Cassi at first. It made me a bit sad because Cassi has been an amazing aunt to Sydney. But since we left Dallas when Sydney was only 1 year old, I wasn't surprised that she didn't take to Cassi right of the bat. She was shy and very quiet with Cassi when she first arrived. She wouldn't even let Cassi hold her. But it only took about an hour of bonding before Sydney and Cassi were giggling and laughing just like old times. While I made dinner for Sydney, she was on the couch having Cassi read to her and bombarding Cassi with non-stop chatter. It was really sweet seeing them together again. Christmas is going to be awesome with my entire family here!
The weather here has been perfect all week --- sunny and cool. But, of course, it rained on and off all day today. We will be going to Beijing and Xi'an this weekend. Keep your fingers crossed for us that we will be blessed with good weather.
Sydney is teething AGAIN. She has 16 teeth now and it looks like she is getting one more in soon from the redness and swelling of her gums. So 2 nights ago, Sydney had a horrible time sleeping, getting up every couple of hours screaming. It wasn't until the next morning at breakfast that I had a sneaky suspicion that she was teething. But at that point, we were both very sleep deprived. So Sydney got up, yawning every 5 minutes from the lack of sleep and I seriously thought about keeping her home so that she can get some rest. But the first thing she did after breakfast was to go into her room, open the closet and pull out her school backpack. She really likes it at school (except the mornings when the other kids are crying for their parents because they are still working through their separation anxiety). So I decided to let her go to school and see how her day goes.
"Baby Doll, check. Sippy cup, check. Change of clothes for after lunch, check."
"Mom BETTER be ready to go!"
So I dropped Sydney off at school and told her teachers about her sleepless night and warned them that Sydney will probably be irritable until her nap time. I get a call from the school a couple of hours later saying that Sydney felt warm so the teachers took her to the nurse's office and the nurse said that she had a fever and that Sydney was sick. So I rushed to the school to get her and it turns out that Sydney had a temperature of 99.7. And she was deemed cranky because Madeliene keeps wanting to hug Sydney and Sydney wouldn't let her. Sydney finally had enough of it and broke down and cried. The teachers and the nurse all thought Sydney was VERY sick and they were very concerned for her health, and rushed to call me. They all admitted that Sydney did not cough or sneeze once in their care, and Sydney's appetite hadn't changed and she exhibited the same level of energy as she had on other days. I wanted very badly to ask the nurse to provide me with a copy of her nursing degree and/or certification. But that seemed rude. I wanted to tell them to keep the needy girl off my daughter. But that seemed mean.
"Why does that French girl keep touching me?"
I was looking for an excuse to cut out of work early anyway, and we had the Shanghai Mamas party to go to at 4pm, so it wasn't a big deal. When I dropped Sydney off as school today, the nurse pull us into her office and took Sydney's temperature. She gasped and shook her head and I was sure she was going to tell me that Sydney had typhoid or yellow fever.
The nurse didn't speak English so we had to go to Sydney's classroom to have the teacher, Ms. Kang, translate. As it turns out, Sydney had a whopping 99.3 temperature and the nurse suggested that I take Sydney home. Sydney gets a 99.3 temperature running from her bedroom to the living room. Since it was just a suggestion, I decided not to take it and informed the teacher that Sydney is just teething and that the elevated temperature was not high enough to warrant taking Sydney out of school. I explained that Sydney's temp is always a bit elevated when she is teething so this is not a case where Sydney is sick and contagious.
I called throughout the day to check in on her and her teachers said that she was doing fine. But when I picked her up, Ms. Kang said that she still thought that there was something wrong with Sydney's stomach because she had a poopy diaper at school today and that had never happened before. (Need I comment???) (off topic: When our ayi first started working for us she asked me what time Sydney pooped every day and was perplexed that it occurred haphazardly)
But it gets better. Sydney typically has wet poopy diapers (everyone reading this blog who do not have kids are totally disgusted now) when she is teething. So she had one when she got home from school. Our ayi said "Sydney stomach not good". She said it was because I gave Sydney cold food from the fridge and that's why Sydney's stomach is "not good". When I asked her what food she is talking about, she said "water". She's just BEGGING to be fired.
Shanghai Mamas sponsored a Welcome Back party at Kid's Town today. Apparently alot of members are gone for months for summer vacation and the party was to welcome everyone back to Shanghai. I need to find out where these people work and how I can apply. I took 3 days off this summer to go to Phuket. The founder of Shanghai Mamas was able to find a couple of businesses to sponsor the party so that we only had to pay 40RMB instead of the usual 120RMB to play at Kid's Town. Everyone who attended brought food, drinks, etc. There were about 20+ adults and 20+ kids at the party. I met some really nice Americans there who had kids around Sydney's age. I see new playdates in our future. We ran into a classmate of Sydney's from school at the party.
I saw the RSVP list and knew that there would be alot of people at the party so I showed up early with Sydney so that she would have time to play before she will have to share some of the toys. Plus Sydney seemed really tired today so I wasn't sure how much stamina she had in her. Of course, the battery in my camera died right as the party was starting so I don't have pictures of the parties or our new friends. It was such a madhouse with kids running everywhere and Moms running after them. I did get some pictures of Sydney playing before the party.
That includes getting her fed, washed, changed, teeth brushed, hair combed, clipped and pig-tailed. It does not include me taking a shower or brushing my teeth. I've been taking her to school, which starts at 8am, and then returning home to shower and get ready for work. But now that her bangs are shorter, I'm hoping I'll be able to squeeze in a shower in those 45 minutes.
She's still enjoying school. Every kid has a communication book where teachers will write what the kid did that day or if the kid needs more supplies. And parents can write messages to the teachers in the book too. It's really for kids whose ayis take them to school, so since I take Sydney to school and pick her up too, I usually talk to the teachers directly. I really appreciate the communication book because her teachers do a good job at letting me know how she's doing, what she enjoyed doing that day, what words she said that day, etc.
Now that Sydney is at school, I'm working from home a couple days a week. There's nothing like sitting around in my pajamas all day that puts a smile on my face. I'm still at the F-ing Office twice a week and I'm still cranky about it. I pick up Sydney everyday instead of letting the ayi do it, much to her disappointment and annoyance --- more on that below. I really enjoy picking her up at school, having her run to me and giving me a big hug as soon as I walk in the door. It just makes my day!
After 4 months of training (not counting the first month that we moved to Shanghai), I'm finally able to put Sydney in her crib at night, kiss her on forehead, say good night and walk out, and have her put herself to sleep. She always cries when I leave but it only lasts a couple of minutes. Sometimes I hear her talking to herself for a bit before drifting off to sleep. I'm not able to do the same for afternoon naps yet. But we are working on it.
Sydney can say a couple more words since my last update on her. She's quite chatty now, which was noted in her communication book. She insists on doing everything herself, even things that she isn't able to do yet (like change her clothes, change her shoes, and put on lotion after her bath). I usually watch her struggle with these tasks for a while until she bursts into tears from frustration, and then Mom swoops in to save the day. I like saving the day.
Our ayi is having a hard time with Sydney being in school all day and then being with me when we are home. Sydney would wave to her when we get home but then ignores her until the ayi takes her outside while I make dinner. Even then Sydney doesn't always want to go without me. The ayi even bribed Sydney with a cookie, which she knows she is not suppose to do. Then she was annoyed when I took the cookie away from Sydney. Our ayi is practically elbowing me out of the way to get to Sydney when we get home, only to be rejected by Sydney. And then she makes excuses for it saying that Sydney is just tired, or Sydney is just hungry. I want to tell her, it's because Sydney misses her Mom who she hasn't seen all day. I feel like she's keeps competing with me for Sydney and there's no competition. When I meet with my tutor this weekend, I'm going to ask her to teach me how to say "Sydney is not your daughter."
I'm actually torn between disliking our ayi and feeling sorry for her. She has had 2 miscarriages and was told by her doctor to stop trying because she can't have babies. She keeps telling me over and over again how much the other kids that she's worked with love her, even more so than their moms. It's sad but it also creeps me out. Everytime I think about getting rid of her, my friends here remind me how hard it is to find an English-speaking ayi who is honest and hard working. Then I change my mind. I was hoping that with Sydney in school now, I only have to deal with her for 2.5 hours. But it is a long 2.5 hours.
Sydney turned 15 months last Thursday. We didn't see a pediatrician for her check-up because she received her 15 month vaccination at her 12 month visit. I am curious to know how tall she is now. I know that she is 21.4 lbs from her doctor's visit last month for her bronchitis. But I just put a handful of clothes away because she's outgrown them so I know she's growing.
