Sunday, November 27, 2011

Thanksgiving Trip - Kenting

The trip started our with a bang! On the right of us, a monster tour bus cruised at high speeds when suddenly we heard a loud noise. Something had hit the Freeca but we were in no position to stop and hoped for minimal (meaning that we would never notice) damage. A few moments later, the steering column ceased to respond and I managed to get over to the shoulder. The rear driver-side tire was flat, flat, flat.


No problem. Audrey hopped out of the back, we pulled all the bins and bags for this camping trip out, lifted the faux-carpet and voila! The solid metal flooring of the Freeca's body. There was no hidden compartment for the jack and tire iron. Ok...The spare tire is attached to the back so we thought the equipment would be nestled in with the spare. Nope. Well, this was a situation. Cars zipped by and some drivers politely waved as they sped past but no signs of assistance were given. Fortunately, we had passed an emergency phone and I jogged back towards it. After a few moments convincing the operator that I have no operational level of Chinese someone's voice suddenly spoke out in perfect English. He told me to wait and stay away from the road. Fifteen minutes later, a tow truck arrived and the Freeca pulled onto the bed. A police car also showed up and the policeman ushered the three of us (Audrey was still in the back of the Freeca on top of the tow-bed) into the cab of the truck. Infant car seat? There weren't even seat belts!

We arrived at a hole in the wall garage and found out that the side wall of the tire was punctured and the tire was not repairable. Krista hopped onto the back of a scooter with the mechanic's wife for a quick trip to the ATM and a new tire was soon on the car. Our southerly expedition to Kenting was again rolling.

Pulling into the small camping area, we quickly set up a tent and raced down to the beach to see the sunset.

This trip was our first foray into camping with Xian. With the long Thanksgiving weekend, time was on our side. A night or two at the beach and then back home to recover before the end of the weekend. The four of us hopped into the tent after a short excursion into town. Audrey quickly migrated to the bottom of the tent and set-up shop on her thermarest hoping that she would not be bothered during the night. Xian seemed to enjoy snuggling into sleeping bags.

(thanks Auntie Kristie for my awesome blankie!)

Babies love car rides, right! It helps them sleep are what we've been told. That means that if a car trip takes five hours the little wee one gets plenty of sleep. She was well rested that night so we didn't get that much sleep but all in all the first night camping was a success. The next day we went to the beach to enjoy the sand and warm water. A few shots...

all smiles as Mom protects Xian from the wind


Yay! I''m a beach girl.

hello tongue!

woohoo!

I'm exhausted. Let's get outta here.

Unfortunately, the wind howled and howled with few areas of shelter and we decided to go ahead and make the return trip after a morning on the beach. The car ride home featured another diversion. All the water Audrey absorbed during her swim came gushing back up. Yuck. 

Our first camping trip was a success! Xian was awesome and the "hiccups" came from the car and dog. I guess we're hoping for another trip in the near future.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Xian in Love




Special nights exist when the temperature of the bath water is just right, Xian comes out of the bath nice and warm and gets put into soft fuzzies without getting cold. Aah, it's great - she seems to enjoy squirming around.

Monday, November 14, 2011

5 Weeks, 7 pounds 3 ounces


Xian’s one month check went off without a hitch. However, it was quite a bit different than I had anticipated. Upon arriving at the clinic, we were ushered into a private waiting room. Shortly thereafter, we were led in to see the doctor.  Instead of the typical bed, the doctor’s room consisted of what appeared to be a dentist’s chair, complete with scary looking instruments. The doctor though was amazing! She suctioned out Xian’s nose, looked in her ears and mouth, and then gave us a clean bill of health. At five weeks, Xian now weighs 7.3 pounds. Our little peanut is growing up! Her clothes are finally starting to fit her. This completely shocked the doctor who wanted to know where we found clothes as small as we did. Here in Taiwan, they do not bother with buying/selling newborn size clothes. They buy larger clothes and just fold up and tie back the excess fabric.



Friday, November 11, 2011

To Camp or Not to Camp, That is the Question


The two week countdown until Thanksgiving is upon us. I have been spending the past few weeks contemplating what we should do. Do I cook a traditional American turkey dinner? Do we sit around, do nothing and enjoy the time together-potentially with take out? Or, do we follow last year’s lead and head to Kenting for a few days lounging on the white sandy beaches? Lately, I’ve been leaning more and more to Kenting. Only one problem. . . .our baby will only be 7 weeks old. Do we dare camp with a 7 week old? I suppose we have to dive in at some point. Hmm. . .decisions, decisions.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Four Weeks of Bliss


With the arrival of Xian’s four weeks on this earth, Frank and I decided to memorialize this event with a photo shoot. The little model immediately took to her new garb and was a doll for the camera. She seemed to ham it up with pursed lips, arms waving, and poses struck. It seems as if she’s completely at home in her new sparkly tutu.




And of course, who can resist big ole cloth diaper butt with tutu?