Baby Steps

When this evening rolls around we will have been home for three weeks. So much has happened, it seems impossible to capture it all in my head let alone on a blog.

Overall, Island Boy is becoming increasingly comfortable meeting new people and experiencing new things here at home. He is certainly less comfortable when away from our home, but he seems to be getting better with that, too, as long as Mommy and Daddy are with him.

We've tried to take baby steps with things like introducing Island Boy to new people, spending time away from home and the like, but with Thanksgiving in the middle of things, we have instead gone over the top in the other direction. Thanksgiving weekend gave us the opportunity to spend time with family and friends from both in and out of town. On Saturday we had a house full of toddlers ranging from 2-4 years old and Island Boy had a great time rolling with the "Big Boys" (and one "Big Girl"). He wanted to do everything the big kids did and the next day he demanded to walk (with our help) much more than usual and for what seemed like all day long, wanted to ride the scooter (but his legs aren't long enough so we need to help with that, too) and generally wanted to act like a Big Boy. He was definitely having fun and so were we.

The weekend was also a big step for Mommy - it was the first time I have spent even a minute away from baby since Pick Up Day. Those few hours were overdue and glorious.

We also enjoyed our first dinner over at a friend's house (and we're pretty sure we might even get invited over to said friend's house again ;-) and had our first play date and trip to the zoo! (I am embarrassed to admit it was also my first trip to the LA Zoo.) We had a good time, but mostly because it was an outing. I'm not sure Island Boy appreciated the cuddly-looking koalas and the adorable giraffe baby as much as Mommy did!

Of course, we've paid for all of the activity and for the parade of people. Island Boy always seems a little unsettled after any flurry of activity. (During the flurry of activity, all often appears well, but we soon learn otherwise!) This time, he was bored and grumpy for a few days as our lives returned to "normal" (whatever that is). Today he seems to be cheerier once again. We're keeping our fingers crossed that the good mood continues.

Mommy Brain

I had heard of "Mommy Brain" before and figured it had something to do with post-delivery hormones. Apparently, it is not hormone related and I have a very bad case of it!

What is Mommy Brain? It is a condition brought on by the onset of children. It impacts a mother's ability to hear anything as her ears become finely tuned and specialized to hear only the cry of a baby (or to tune it and everything else out when absolutely necessary for survival). It is destructive to both short and long-term memory as all of her brain's processing power is dedicated instead to the particulars of creating a safe, nurturing, yet stimulating environment for a developing child to thrive in. It also severely limits a mother's speech as it becomes impossible for her to complete any single thought, let alone articulate it.

In short, you know you have "Mommy Brain" if you cannot complete a...now what was I saying??

Travel Tips

This post is about traveling to Taiwan to bring your child home, but it will include some general travel tips as well, so even if you're not planning to bring your child home from Taiwan, feel free to read on...

Don't overpack. Seriously. Overpacking is almost impossible NOT to do, but try. You'll be so glad you don't have extra bags or weight to juggle. (Note: You won't need any dressy clothes for this trip. You want to look decent, but you don't need a suit or even a dress. That means you can leave your fancy shoes at home, too. Bring shoes that are comfortable to walk in. Two pairs each should be more than enough!)

If you are planning to bring home souvenirs, bring an extra duffle - one that folds up nicely until it is needed. This is much better than trying to cram anything you buy into a suitcase that is already fairly full (as all suitcases are for some mysterious reason whenever anyone travels).

Learn at least two words of Mandarin (or the foreign language of any country you travel to):
Hello -----> Ni hao (pronounced knee-how)
Thank you -----> Xie xie (pronounced sheyay-sheyay)
You'd be surprised how many people don't bother to learn these 2 words and what a warm reaction you will get for attempting them - in any country.

Take a town car to/from the airport in Taipei. You can negotiate the rate to be very close to the rate of a cab and it is soooo much nicer - particularly when you have baby with you on the return. Your hotel can set this up for you or you can do it yourself when you arrive in Taipei. After you pick up your luggage, go to the counter under the "Hotels" sign. They'll help you out.

Purchase individual travel packets of formula. We used these to mix formula (along with bottled water) in restaurants, on trains and on planes. It is soooo much easier than trying to get the little scooper from the tin into the little bottle while in a moving vessel of any type - I can barely manage that at home!

Bring a soft cuddly toy or two (you never know which one he'll like) for your baby to snuggle with when you bring him back to the hotel. It will help the transition far beyond your time in hotels. Daddy picked out a silly plush doggie puppet to bring along and our Island Boy fell instantly in love with him in Taiwan and has slept with him every night since. It's like magic when we give him this little toy - his face lights up like Rockafeller Center. Beautiful.

We stayed at the Howard when we returned to Taipei with baby. Although we didn't love the hotel, it is very nice and walking distance to AIT (where we needed to be two days in a row to get Island Boy's travel documents), so that makes it the right choice. If you stay there, we recommend asking for the Rosewood Suites. You will have your own check-in area and lounge and the little bit of extra room is nice for the crib. They also treat you to rubber duckies - perhaps the best part of the stay (other than the proximity to AIT). Another hotel which we loved is the Westin (where we stayed prior to pickup), but you will need to hop on the subway or grab a very quick cab to get to AIT and that can be a hassle with baby.

We stayed at the Landis in Tainan and LOVED it. It is a beautiful hotel with excellent service and is situated next to a very high-end shopping center that has everything you need, including a food court in the basement. When we requested a crib, they also sent us a baby bathtub and step stool. I just can't say enough good things about this hotel!

While in Taiwan (or anywhere), eat like the locals. That doesn't mean you should find all the weirdest foods and eat them. It means check out what the locals are eating when you go to the night market (look for the longest lines!) or a restaurant, and try it!! It's going to be good even if it isn't what you can find at home (and isn't that the point of experiencing other cultures??).

Plan to spend several hours for pick up. While there is no requirement that you stay a certain amount of time, the staff has a wealth of information about your child and they are really interested in sharing it with you. Besides, your little child just met you, so the extra time can make for a more gentle transition for him, too. Plan to spend the night in Tainan if you can. You don't want to have to be worrying about rushing from pick up to the train station instead of whether or not baby needs food or a change. Relax! Tainan is a beautiful city with amazing food, so enjoy it!

We were given a tin of "Snow" brand formula, which we used up on our final day in Taiwan. We had no trouble switching (we did "test" our travel packets of Similac Advanced on Island Boy to make sure he would do ok with it the day before we got on the plane). We have tried a few other formulas since being home and all have been fine (although Island Boy was not fond of the soy-based mix we tried).

We brought 2 bottles with us and used them almost exclusively even though we were given one at pickup. Island Boy had no difficulty making the transition and the VentAire bottles we brought worked a lot better than the one they gave us. (Don't forget to make sure the nipples are Stage 2.)

Bring a Baby Bjorn and allow plenty of time to put baby in it in advance of your wanting to depart from your pickup appointment...just to see how he does. Island Boy loved his and relaxed enough to fall asleep whenever we walked anywhere with him in it (facing us - if we wanted him to remain alert, we would face him out and he enjoyed that too). He did get fussy (and still does) if we stand still for too long, but who doesn't?? We credit the Baby Bjorn for helping us all to get some sleep the first few nights, for making it easy to get around Taiwan and for making the transition to being strapped in to a car seat easier. Hubby and I both used it and it is easy to switch back and forth.

Plan to get sick. If you don't, you'll be pleasantly surprised, but our little guy got the sniffles shortly after pick up and we had a very bad case of them for the first week and a half home.

Try to freeze some food for yourselves before you leave or have someone stock your fridge with a week's worth of meals and some fresh fruit and produce for you just prior to you returning home. If you are sick for your first few days home (or even if you aren't), it's tough to get the hang of recovering from jet lag, taking care of a new baby and finding time to feed yourselves a decent meal (let alone three meals a day).

Finally, the most important thing to remember on this trip or any other is to have a sense of humor no matter what happens (assuming it is not life-threatening). Travel can be stressful if you let it, so remember that no matter how tired you are or no matter how difficult someone you are dealing with seems or no matter how bad it gets, at a minimum you will have a good story to tell. Above all, HAVE FUN!! :-)

Going Bananas

While we were expecting, I ate a lot of bananas. The bananas in Vietnam and Cambodia aren't like the bananas here. There are lots of varieties that we don't get here and they are all DELICIOUS!! I ate a LOT of bananas while we were expecting.

So, we weren't surprised to find our little Island Boy devouring a banana even when he wasn't interested in any other food. We've heard that babies like the foods their Mommies ate while they were expecting. :-)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Enjoy each voice, each smile, the colors of the food, the tastes...get outside and smell the fresh air. Take it all in and have a very very Happy Thanksgiving!

Two Weeks and a Lifetime to Go

It's difficult to believe it was two weeks ago that we picked up our little Island Boy. It seems like such a very long time ago. He's been adjusting surprisingly well. We're very proud of him and very happy to see him smiling so often.

When we met him, he was very quiet - like a computer processing a ton of information. It took him a while to take everything in, but he soon had a very big smile for Mommy & Daddy. Since he's been home, he has big smiles for us every day (although not all day, every day!) and has demonstrated all of his little 9 month old skills including cruising, transferring objects from one hand to the other and using the "pincer" grip. In addition, he's amazed us with his curiosity and with a few surprises (which you will be hearing more about in a later post). The boy also has some mad climbing skills!

He's still far more interested in the refrigerator, our shoes, every technology item in the house (and there are plenty of those) and anything made of paper that Mommy & Daddy are reading or might want to read than his own toys.

He is still sleeping through the night - a fabulous 12 hours worth if we let him - and still loves his bath. He's a challenge to feed, primarily because he wants to do it all himself and isn't quite skillful or speedy enough to get enough food in entirely on his own yet (although he does manage to get a spoon of a variety of thick purees into his mouth on his own, so we're certain it won't be long). We're feeding him tiny baby-sized bits or purees of whatever we're eating. Although the pediatrician suggested trying a new food every three days or so, he's been getting perhaps 3 new foods a day. As long as he's happy, we're happy! So far he's indicated a clear preference for cavalo nero (black kale) and peas, but he's been willing to try anything he can get his little hands on.

Alas, all is not paradise here. Our little angel does let us know when he requires a basic need to be met. Most of the time we figure it out before a meltdown occurs. When we don't, we all pay for it. Meltdowns are no fun. Trust me.

Although baby is getting more sleep, Mommy & Daddy have been getting less (we're busy catching up on work and housework after Island Boy goes to bed). Mommy & Daddy have also been getting less to eat despite spending more time at the table. Funny how that works!

All in all it's amazing to think of all that's transpired in the last fourteen days. And this is just the beginning...

The Wonders of the World

Island Boy is reintroducing us to the wonders of the world and we don't even need to travel to Cambodia (or elsewhere) to experience them.

When was the last time you were mesmerized by the way the sunlight moved across the kitchen floor?

The last time you spent minutes simply exploring the way leaves on a tree reacted to your touch?

Do you remember what it was like to feel grass under your feet for the first time?

Sand through your fingers?

Do you still giggle because you find it funny that your Mom and Dad sang a song to you (for the 1st or the 32nd time in a row)?

Have you ever (since you can remember) experienced the joy of sitting in the bathtub and splashing just for the sake of splashing?

Take five minutes (or five hours!) to wonder at your world (today and every day). I can think of nothing better.