Weekend Recap

Last Saturday started off beautifully --- sunny and cool weather, Sydney and I slept until 7am, and after a big breakfast, Sydney and I went outside for a walk. Sydney was as happy as can be.

That was before the nap. After the nap, I had to deal with Sydney's challenging twin. If the terrible twos is going to be worse than what I'm going through now, I will need to get on Valium. Otherwise I fear that I will rethink my no spanking policy. Without warning or provocation, Sydney became whiny and stubborn and fussy. Very quickly it turned into a temper tantrum. Also she's developed a new whine that drives me up the wall. Usually when she whines, I put on a Mozart CD to drown her out. But today, the combination of the whine and banshee screeching made me lose my temper with her.

Work was stressful last week. Our in-house attorney in Beijing tendered her resignation effective on January 31st. Knowing my company, it would take a year to find someone to replace her. I have no interest or plan to learn Chinese law so if we don't find someone before the attorney leaves the company, ....... I may need to get on Valium now. There's a bit more pressure for me to stay in Shanghai longer than a year. I may change my mind in 8 months but as of now, I'll be in Dallas the end of June.

Anyway, Sydney was testing my patience, and unfortunately for the both of us, it was in short supply on Saturday. I yelled at her. She was more bewildered than scared or upset. I felt really bad about it. Knowing that I couldn't deal with Sydney on my own, I took her to Kid's Town. It seemed to do the trick because my sweet baby was back.

On Sunday, Syd and I met some friends for brunch at a place called Coffee Tree. We both loved it --- I like the ambience and food and Sydney liked the big ball pit. I think we've found a replacement for Moon River Cafe.