Hossacks 3

We're Moving

2009-06-01T04:43:00.000-07:00

We've had it with Blogger.

That's not fair - we've had it with Blogger in China.

Too unpredictable, too hit and miss.

So we're moving.

Check us out at http://www.hossacksthree.com/

We hope to see you there.

#?&#! China

2009-05-19T21:34:00.000-07:00

We are experiencing lots of technical difficulty here in China with the blog.

WHY is blogger banned here? I have no idea!

We can get to our blog, but it is tricky, and quite honestly a pain in the butt.

Here's hoping things will be resolved quickly and I can start posting pictures again.

16 school days to go.

Blowing Bubbles in the Bath

2009-05-17T04:00:00.000-07:00

Blake loves the bath. It is a sweet, laughy, splashy time of day!

This weekend Blake added something new to our bathtime fun. Scott held up water in his hands and blew bubbles in it. Then he held up two hands full of water for Blake to blow bubbles into. Blake pushed his hands aside, leaned over and put his whole face into the bath water and blew bubbles in the water.

We can't wait to get to Canada and play in Grandma and Grandpa's pool!!

My Fairy Princess

2009-05-14T16:41:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Blake and I went to a baby shower. It was super fun. There was lots of food and lots of people to play with Blake. Everything was wonderful for a while.

And then it wasn't. Blake started getting bored and fussy right when Glynis was opening her presents. I wanted to see all the lovely gifts so my friend Sharon offered to look after Blake.

Thank you Shaz!

She took him to the neighbour's apartment where two wonderful little girls with many wonderful toys live. They played on the piano, in the toy kitchen, on Abigail's bed, AND Sharon found a fairy dress to dress him up in.

It didn't slow him down at all, but he sure looked funny.

Thanks to Todd and Joy for the photos.

Rituals

2009-05-12T18:49:00.001-07:00

When I was about seven or eight months pregnant my friend Sharon and I went to Hong Kong on a shopping trip. When we were there we found a store that sold some really lovely stuffed animals and she picked out a soft, fuzzy bear for Blake. He showed no interest in this bear for months and months.

But that has all changed.

When we take Blake into bed at night he reaches for his bear and gives him a big cuddle, before he settles down for the night.

And each morning when we go into get him, he gives a big smile and then he passes up bear to us. We give bear a cuddle and then pass him back. Blake gives one last snuggle and then he is ready to start the day.

This is the reason we started this blog. These are the things I never want to forget.

We tried to stage a photo this afternoon, but instead of bear cuddles we had a fun game of peek a boo.

Bubbles

2009-05-12T03:20:00.001-07:00

Blake LOVES bubbles - not the bath kind, those get in his way when he's playing with toys, but the bubble wand kind.

A couple times a day, Blake will lift the bubble bottle down from the shelf and hand it to you. Then he will watch in complete awe as the bubbles float around him.

After several moments of watching he will try to grab them and pop them. Then it's back to whatever he was doing before.

In other bubble related news - last night in the bath he blew bubbles in the water!! Scott showed him how and then held up a pail of water and Blake blew bubbles in it! Clever, clever baby!

Another Glorious Weekend in Shanghai

2009-05-10T04:15:00.000-07:00

The weather has been fabulous in this part of the world! Weeks and weeks of sunshine, warmth and no humidity. I get nervous about checking the weather report, because this is really too good to be true and I'm sure it will all pack in before we leave.

We even turned our air conditioning on for a little while this afternoon after a certain baby woke up from his nap drenched in sweat! But mostly it been windows and doors open and fresh air!

We had another terrific weekend filled with walks, bike rides and play grounds. We also went to a baby shower, and skyped with Grandma, Grampa (Happy birthday Larry!!!!), Aunt Peggy and Uncle John. We ate lots, played lots and slept lots.

Here's Blake getting ready for a day outside - hat on and sunscreen in hand ready to slip, slop, slap.

Our compound has drained all their ponds and streams again, so no boots necessary.

Hope your Mother's Day was as happy as mine was.

Somebody call Aunt Reta...

2009-05-08T04:51:00.001-07:00

...and tell her how cute Blake looks in the hungry croc outfit she gave him!
But you'll have to look quick because he's off again to slide down another slide!

One more reason to love Ling Ling

2009-05-06T03:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon we got off the school bus - no Blake.

We walked home expecting to see him inside the apartment - no Blake.

This is pretty unusual so I called Ling Ling to find out where they were - no service.

I kept thinking I could hear Blake in the foyer, but every time I checked - no Blake.

Finally I went outside to talk to our neighbour & was sure I was going crazy because I thought I could hear Blake again!

Then I really did hear Ling Ling calling my name. From inside the elevator!

Blake and Ling Ling were trapped inside the elevator just below our floor and had been there for awhile.

Ling Ling was awesome - calm, cool and collected. She and Blake had a pretty good time in there. One more reason to get down on my knees and thank heaven for Ling Ling.

Water Play

2009-05-05T04:27:00.000-07:00

One of things Blake likes to do inside is play with water. He enjoys splashing around in the bath tub and sink and, I'm sorry to say, the toilet.

We often throw out some towels and some buckets of water and cups and spoons and let him make a big, wet mess.

It's awesome to watch how hard he concentrates moving the water from one container to another.

He was having a play on Monday night and I remembered my sister's desperate plea for some new video. Look how wet he is already!

This is for you Pegasus.

Baking with Blake

2009-05-03T21:05:00.000-07:00

Today we made muffins together.
Blake stirred the bowl and put the muffin wrappers in the tin.
I burned them but the top halves were really yummy.

Yes Sharon, we washed our hands before we started.

Gumboots 2

2009-05-02T17:46:00.001-07:00

The youngest of the Hossacks 3 woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning! All of the usual distractions were no help at all. He wasn't interested in cuddles, food (!), playdoh, crayons, blocks, puzzles or wooden spoons.

As a last resort we gumbooted up and headed outside. Thank goodness for outside! Blake is always happy exploring.

We got ready in a bit of a rush so as not to wake the neighbours at 5:45am. Blake still has his jammies on under his fleece and we accidentally put the too big boots on. It didn't slow him down much. We just had to stop from time to time and put the boot back on.

The boots were a big hit! Walking in the creek was wonderful. Blake and I came home wet, dirty and happy.

I shudder to think how many of these guys we stepped on. There were thousands! The grass was alive with little froglets or toadlets.

Gumboots

2009-05-02T04:00:00.000-07:00

We have a shallow little stream in our compound that Blake has been dying to get into. It's only a few centimeters deep, but too wet to wear sneakers in so Scott and I have been on the lookout for baby gumboots. An article in Shanghai Parents and Kids sent us to the underground market at the Science and Technology Museum - a place I normally avoid like the avian flu. We found the store straight away and they did have lots of lovely little boots .... for girls and one pair of boots for boys. So we snatched up two pair - one that fits now and one that will fit later.

According to the side of the boots - these are Thomas the Tank Engine boots. I will bet my right eye that the good people at Thomas have never seen these boots. You can't read the little trucks on the boots so let me tell you what they say. Cram Cream. I'm not sure what Cram Cream is, but it just doesn't sound good.

Blake had a lot of fun trying them out in the apartment and we can't wait to wade in the stream tomorrow.

Drinks with Friends

2009-04-30T05:45:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the first day of a long weekend. Three glorious days ahead of us with absolutely nothing to do but throw rocks, play with playdoh, slide on slides, go for bike rides and look at flowers. We celebrated by having friends over tonight and the kids played (and ate) so well together.

Somebody I love loves strawberries A LOT!!!!

Playdoh with Dad

2009-04-29T03:39:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Blake visited our downstairs neighbor Jacob and the two boys played with playdoh. I was a bit freaked about the possibility of his eating the dough but I watched carefully and none was ingested. So the next time we were near a Toys R Us we picked up some playdoh of our own.
We brought it out tonight and my two boys played for ages with the blue and the orange. Oh how I love these two guys. And watching them play together fills me up.

Ping Pong Balls

2009-04-24T19:15:00.000-07:00

Mom sent a big birthday package that arrived on Monday.
Thanks Mom! We love presents from home.
There were goodies inside for all. Including some ping pong balls for Blake.
Blake thinks it's fun to put the ping pong balls in shoes.

Not All Playgrounds Are Created Equal

2009-04-24T19:01:00.001-07:00

This morning we went to a new playground at a local school. It looked great - and I'm sure it is great for older children, but there wasn't much that Blake could do on his own.

He did spend a lot of time playing in the rain water left in these steps.

Blake

2009-04-23T16:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Blake had his 15 months well baby checkup and all is well.

The nurses & receptionists at the clinic told me how much he looks like his daddy. People all over China tell me how much he looks like his daddy. Friends, strangers, family... it's a pretty common topic of discussion. Usually after they tell me that they quickly say they can see a little bit of mum in him too. As if they are worried that my feelings will be hurt if I'm told he just looks like his dad.

And I know that physically he is a complicated little mix of all the family members that came before him. And I know that his temperament and personality will also be influenced by us, our family and friends.

But to me he is just Blake. He is his own little wonderful self.

Let me tell you what I see when I look at my son.

I see a happy, laughing kid who smiles easily and often.

I see bright blue intelligent eyes that are curious to see everything there is to see.

I see little hands that reach up to grab mine on the rare occasion when he needs help over uneven terrain.
Little hands that reach out to touch and feel everything he sees.
Little hands trying hard to discover how everything around him works.

I see a boy who loves to explore, play, read, catch, throw, investigate, laugh, smile, shout, slide, look, stir, eat, drink, dance, laugh, spin and tumble.

I see Blake, the most amazing, incredible kid.

Wordle

2009-04-21T22:49:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to fool around with wordle.net in my class blog, but it's been banned in China for a long time. It's a little toy that reads all the words in a text and arranges them in a 'cloud.' The words you use more often are larger.

It's finally back up and running so I thought I'd try it using this blog.

Here is the word cloud for the Hossacks 3 blog.

It would seem I write a lot about Blakie.

Here we go again...

2009-04-21T03:05:00.001-07:00

We got through the biting and the pinching phases of Blake's young life relatively unscathed.

Blake's newest thing? Eye gouging.

Ai - ya!

Possibly the Cutest Hat Ever

2009-04-20T04:09:00.000-07:00

Spring is here and sunny days have come to Shanghai. Yahoo for me who loves the sun! But it also means the beginning of worrying about sun protection for the Big Gunner.

Our friend Colleen calls Blake the Captain of the Pale Force. And she's right - sun screen is definitely something we need to be concerned about.

I went out on the weekend and bought Blake the cutest hat ever! I then took 34 photos trying to get one with the hat still on his head. 34! He's pretty fast. This is the only one that I caught before he ripped it off and threw it down.

Maybe we'll have to resort to using duct tape this summer.

Puzzling

2009-04-20T03:59:00.000-07:00

Blake has discovered puzzles in a big way. Our active little guy will sit and play with his puzzle for many minutes at a time. He takes all the animals out of their holes and then move them around on the mat. Next he'll place them really close to where they belong and slide them around a bit in the hopes of getting them in the slot. See how close purple hippo is to where he belongs? Clever baby!

Climby McClimberson

2009-04-14T04:31:00.000-07:00

These days Blake is a climber. He climbs stairs, he climbs rocks and he climbs people! Here we see him beginning his acsent of Mt Scooter.

He has a little step stool that he uses to step up to the bench behind the couch or to reach the top shelf of his book case. Sometimes he just climbs to the top to be a little bit taller.

We are so proud of our curious little guy and excited to be part of the adventure as he explores this fascinating world around him, and above him.

Weekends

2009-04-11T17:10:00.000-07:00

I can't tell you how much I look forward to weekends. I love spending the whole day with Blake! Especially warm, sunny, outdoorsy days.

On Friday night a bunch of teachers headed to a local pub to enjoy the lovely weather we've been having. And celebrate that there are only 8 weeks til summer. Here's Blake with Malin and Riley.
On Saturday we went for a big long bike ride. We started here, at the bike shop for a tune up, and ended up at Slice for a smoothie. We biked all over Jinqiao, up and down the canal, and through some local villages. Blake carried this flower the whole way!

Peekaboo

2009-04-11T15:59:00.000-07:00

This video is a over a month old. I took it on Scott's camera awhile back and forgot to post it. Or maybe I tried and it wouldn't load.

Anyway, here it is.... my broccoli eating boy playing peekaboo.

Feeding the Fish

2009-04-09T04:18:00.000-07:00

As I understand it, the word for good fortune and the word for fish are very similar in Mandarin. Naturally fish are very lucky and you see them everywhere - stuffed ones and the real deal. At the shopping complex across the street from us there is a fish pond and today Blake and I went to have a look. We bought two little canisters of fish food and fed the RAVENOUS fishies. They were jumping out of the water to get to the food! Blake wasn't really interested in the fish, but he did like the containers. Lid on, lid off, lid on, lid off.

Pretty cool that he was very his big gunner, big fish shirt for the photo - not even planned. It was pretty hard to get good photos because I was too worried he would topple in to the pond when I was getting the shot.
Later on, we went grocery shopping. I guess Blake likes cottage cheese - he put about 12 packs in the trolley.

Chucking Rocks

2009-04-04T22:24:00.000-07:00

Today has been so beautiful! Warm and sunny!!
We have been outside all day - walking, running, shouting and, Blake's favorite, throwing rocks into the river.

We (I) collected dozens of rocks and then we (Blake) threw them into the water. It was super fun. We're home for a nap now, but plan to head out again as soon as the big gunner wakes up.

It was fun to watch where they landed even though it freaked mum out a little bit.

Some black and white pics.

Ben came to play for a little while, too.

Sick Baby at the Doctor's Office

2009-03-31T20:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I took Blake to the clinic.

He's not been sick, sick, but he's not been himself lately. He's been running a low grade fever for 4 or 5 days now, a bit whingy, and not eating very much. We know at least 3 sharp teeth have just popped through the gums, so maybe that is what's been bugging him, but I just wanted to check that everything is okay so off we went to the doctor.

My sick baby was HILARIOUS at the doctor's office and not acting very sick at all. He began by running over to the pamphlet holder and grabbing two large, illustrated hand outs about Self Breast Examinations and ran around the waiting room to show everyone.

Next he walked up to each person, arched his back and lifted his shirt and showed them his big belly and then ran away laughing.

Finally, when he got up on the scale to get weighed, he started dancing and wouldn't stop.

Not surprisingly, the doctor said he was fine. Must bring my camera next time we go to the doctor.

Playing Around the House

2009-03-31T04:29:00.000-07:00

Blake is pretty physical kid. Sometimes it seems like he is in constant motion.
One of his favorite games these days is to stand up on the bench behind the couch and then throw himself over the top and land on the cushions below.
We are constantly amazed by the number of times he can do this without getting tired and how much joy he gets by simply tumbling over the sofa.
As an added bonus for mom and dad, he stops from time to time to play peekaboo with us behind the cushions.

Good Mates

2009-03-25T04:49:00.000-07:00

We spent the day in Puxi visiting with some good friends. Here are the two buddies at the top of a double slide.
Introducing the beautiful princess Maeva.
I guess Blake forgot which hand his snack was in.
Here he is seconds after throwing the soccer ball.
Still a little small to mind this net.
Kilani found a shopping trolley to play with.
Blake still LOVES slides, but we may have a new fave - the swing was a big hit!

Uh Oh

2009-03-23T23:07:00.001-07:00

Look who's learned to take off his own nappy.

This could get messy!
One of Blake's favorite activities lately has been standing up on a hope chest playing in my jewelry boxes. Opening the box, closing the box. Pulling out the drawers, pushing in the drawers. And emptying everything out of everything.

If you are a robber casing our joint, let me save you the trouble. These 20 kuai 'pearl' bracelets are about my most valuable possession.

Life is Good

2009-03-23T23:05:00.000-07:00

Sitting in the early morning sun, reading a book. Life is gooooood.

Celebrity

2009-03-23T22:45:00.000-07:00

Have I blogged about this already?
I can't remember, but I'll do it again because it cracks me up!

When we walk into Carrefour we are immediately mobbed by a group of ladies who work there. All of them calling, "Blak-uh, Blak-uh," and all of them scrambling to find some food to offer him. A few weeks ago there was a new twist. The lady in the orange shirt above, a cigarette & honey saleswoman (the two things go together so nicely), rushed over to us, grabbed the baby and two kuai out of her cash register and rushed over to this little yellow car and plonked him in and started the machine.

It was very clear to us that this was not Blake's first turn in the yellow car. He grabbed the steering wheel and started driving.

Today Scott got his haircut in the Salon behind the car while Blake basked in adoration of his Carrefour buddies.

Having a baby in China is at times the most difficult and at times the easiest place in the world. Difficult because safety standards are low or non-existent. Difficult because heaven only knows what is in the sandpit or in the water or in the food. Difficult because when things go wrong we are VERY far from our families
But there are some incredible perks:
No one would ever expect a mother and her baby to have to wait in a queue in China. Even in the most official places, like customs lines at the airport, we are whisked to the head of the line and treated like visiting royalty.
The whole country loves Blake and gets giddy at the thought of holding him or touching his little hand and they line up to have their photo taken with him.
For the first time in four years we have genuine interactions with the people who live here. Yes, they are all about Blake, but they are real.

It's a wild ride, but it sure is fun.

Sunny Days in Shanghai

2009-03-23T22:21:00.000-07:00

They don't come too often. They don't always come on weekends or holidays.
So when the sun does make a surprise appearance, the best thing to do is to get outside and enjoy it!
Throw some bark and stones around. Climb on top of pillars. Get kisses from dad. Lovely.

Bloodshed

2009-03-23T22:09:00.000-07:00

A few months ago Blake was biting everything in sight, including Scott and myself. I was getting a little bit worried that he would be that kid at preschool, you know, the biting kid. But then one day I realized he hadn't bitten anyone in over a week. We had made it through the biting stage without any bloodshed.

Lately, Blake has been pinching us. Like biting, he does it when happy and when sad, when joyful and when miserable.

Today while riding on Scotty's shoulders he reached down and gave his dad a big, loving pinch on the cheek. And cut him! It bled and bled and bled.

Hope he's not the pinchy kid at preschool.

Shanghai Ocean Aquarium

2009-03-21T23:58:00.000-07:00

Today Scott, Blake and I went with some friends to the Shanghai Ocean Aquarium. By Chinese zoo standards it was a pretty nice facility. Clean, safe, organized, full of cool stuff.
Hard to say which part Blake hated the most. It could have been the crowds, though he's certainly been surrounded by that many people before - we do live in China. Though he clearly wanted to borrow someone's camera and no one would let him. It might have been the gigantic fish. Maybe it was the dim lighting or the ocean sounds piped in. We know he's not a big fan of the ocean.
Whatever it was, Blake did not have a good time at the aquarium. He started whining, by the middle of the tunnel he was full on crying and when he started screaming we said goodbye to our friends and high tailed it to the exit.
Outside, Blake cheered up pretty quickly, happy to be away from the fish, dark, music & whatever else was bugging him down there.
That's when things got sucky for Scott and I, though. Some cheeky devil unzipped our backpack and lifted my camera right out!
So no pictures of the cranky baby in front of the fish tanks.

Surprises

2009-03-17T04:21:00.000-07:00

Surprise #1
Today when Scott came home from practice he poured himself an ice cold glass of lemonade straight out of the fridge. Out came the lemonade AND two pencils!!
I know what you're thinking - sue the company and win a million dollars. Good idea. Only these were Shanghai American School pencils, which means they were put in the carton in our house, not at the factory.

Surprise #2
Later on I was making some pasta for dinner and there in the spaghetti canister was a blue bouncy ball.

Blake is a curious kid. He loves exploring indoors and out. He loves opening and closing doors and putting on lids and then taking them off. And clearly he likes putting stuff in other stuff.

Everyday is an adventure.

Spaghetti for Dinner

2009-03-16T05:06:00.000-07:00

Blake had just had a bath and was ready for bed when he decided to have some of dad's spaghetti. He got sauce on his face, tummy, legs and even in his nappy.
So after Blake's second dinner, he had a second bath in the sink.

Blake just loves noodles.

Bathtime

2009-03-16T04:57:00.000-07:00

Bathtime around our house is a pretty fun time.

And there's nothing cuter than Blake sitting in his towel after getting out of the tub.

Blake Comes to School

2009-03-06T03:30:00.000-08:00

Blake came to visit us at school today. We went out to the Kindergarten playground.Blake headed straight for the slide.
He and dad slid down together.
Like every other child in the world, Blake likes going up the slide as much as he likes going down.
Scott got a big cuddle at the bottom.
But then it got too cold and we headed inside. On our way home we stopped in the library and found Corduroy the Bear and gave him a little love.
A great day!

And we found his ninth tooth tonight while brushing!

Blessings

2009-03-05T18:09:00.001-08:00

If I was the kind of person who counted her blessings, very high on the list would be our wonderful ayi Ling Ling.

Yesterday I was home sick. Not feeling badly, not stuffed up or headachy - I was genuinely sick, as sick as a dog and didn't move from my bed all day.

Mostly I slept, but when I woke up I could hear lots of noises from the other side of the door.
Running noises - he's small, but sounds a bit like a wild elephant.
Talking noises - Ling Ling talks away in Chinese and Blake grunts back in his own sweet baby language.
Crying noises and comforting noises.

We don't see eye to eye on everything. I think Blake should eat meals in his chair and Ling Ling allows him to graze all day in his play area. And we will never resolve the 'how many layers of clothes does he really need' debate. But it doesn't matter. What really matters, what is so so so important, what makes me the luckiest working mom in the world, is that Blake is loved and cared for by a kind, compassionate woman in our home where he is safe and happy.

I definitely should start counting my blessings because I have a lot to be thankful for.

A little while ago I blogged about Blake's new nighttime snuggles. Here is a picture of Blake cuddling with his dad on his way to bed. Beautiful.

Crayons

2009-03-02T20:26:00.000-08:00

Today I visited our Pre K teacher and pinched some big, fat, non-toxic, washable crayons and then emptied half of our scrap paper basket and put it all in my school bag.

Blake has been showing a lot of interest in us while we are writing recently and is always desperate to hold the pen or pencil, so I thought I would give it a go.

At first he seemed very interested in the crayons. He lined them up. Then he held each one up on the paper like a little soldier. Next he tried to eat them. Finally he rolled them across the page which made some of the marks you see on the paper below.

And then he was done and ready to get out of the chair.

Maybe we'll try again next month.

Something Different Everyday

2009-03-02T03:24:00.000-08:00

It's so exciting to watch Blake try new things and discover what he can and cannot do.

For example, he's doing a lot of backward walking these days. Sometimes he just turns around and walks backward.

Lately he's been spinning a lot, followed by crazy walking and eventually falling. Another thing he's been doing is standing with both feet on the ground, arching his back and sticking his tummy as far out as it can go - which is pretty far. Why does he do this? I get the spinning, that's fun, but this archy back business is a mystery.

Also, I am sorry to report, he is experimenting with tantrums. Lying down on the floor and crying so hard until he either gets what he is looking for or gets distracted. A glimpse of what is to come, I guess.

Today I came home to see Ling Ling pushing Blake around IN his trolley with a piece of melon in each hand. Bless. She is so lovely.

Some things haven't changed - he still enjoys 'reading' books - especially his favorite baby face book. Lift the flap books are also a huge favorite, though I am concerned about the safety of these books as their flaps are lifted very vigorously.

Cuddles

2009-03-01T03:08:00.001-08:00

Lately Blake has begun to show an interest in soft toys. This is new.

Naturally, he likes to throw them, poke them in the eyes and occasionally bite their noses. From time to time, he also likes to CUDDLE them!! He holds them up to the side of his head and gives them a nice hug!

It is just about the sweetest thing I have ever seen.

My boy, the cuddler.

He's Young....

2009-02-26T00:06:00.000-08:00

This afternoon my precious little baby fell and skidded across the tarmac along his right cheek.

He screamed! He wailed! He was beside himself!
Until he got in the elevator and started pressing all the buttons and the crying stopped right away. Having to stop at every floor is a small price to pay for a happy baby.

He has a graze across his cheek, but he is just fine.

And he will fall many more times and get many more scrapes and bruises as he explores this big wild world of ours. And as much as I don't want him to be hurt, I do want him to learn and grow and discover! That means falling. It also means getting up and trying again and again and again.

Like his dad always says, he's young, he'll bounce back.

Itchy, itchy head

2009-02-23T03:23:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday I had an itchy head. Thought I had nits so I went to see our school nurse. We ruled out headlice and she thought it was dandruff, so I began using Scott's Head and Shoulders. But my head kept getting itchier and itchier.

Today, at work I went back to the nurse, she said I had no dandruff, but she thought I had ringworm. Ringworm! Two of our colleagues have shingles so we needed to rule that out too.

I left school and headed into our local clinic where the doctor started to examine my head using his regular hand and a tongue depressor to lift my hair. He excused himself for a moment and came back with 2 colleagues. All of them came back wearing gloves and face masks! That's a little scary. The doctor told me he's like to send me for a consult with a dermatologist, but he thought I had scabies, only he didn't know the word scabies, instead he said, "little bugs tunneling in your head." What a terrific verb tunneling is - so vivid.

The dermatologist took one look at my head and said that it wasn't scabies, ringworm or shingles. In fact he didn't even need to look at my head to rule out scabies because people can't get scabies on their heads. Turns out I had a bit of a dry scalp and a serious allergy to Head and Shoulders. Got some antihistamines and I'm good to go.

What a drama!

Here's Blake using his new stool to climb up to the top of the bookshelf. That's where we keep the medical books and he was just trying to help.

Sleepyhead

2009-02-21T03:40:00.000-08:00

Even when Blake was a little tiny guy he was a good sleeper. And for this we are very thankful.
Once he is asleep he sleeps long and he sleeps deeply. However, getting him to sleep can sometimes be a bit tricky.

Lately, though, things have taken a turn for the better. When we take Blake into his room for his nap or bedtime, he lays his head against our shoulder and cuddles in for a song and a pat and then he goes down, sweetly and quietly.

Blake has never been the snuggliest guy in the world, so these bedtime cuddles are LOVELY. I never want to let go.

I don't have any photos of the bedtime cuddles or any recent photos of Blake sleeping, so here are some unrelated photos of Blake playing my guitar. Little cutie!

Trucks, Cars and all Toys with Wheels

2009-02-19T00:00:00.000-08:00

There is a little boy down stairs who is car crazy. He also likes to line stuff up.
Scott and I always know when he has visited because every car in our house is lined up along the edge of the couch. He chooses cars first, but also lines up any toy with wheels - we have a phone with wheels and a ducky with wheels too. Blake has never been too interested. Books, blocks and balls have always been more to his liking.

In the last day or two, though, Blake has discovered cars. He can't get enough! He 'drives' them up and down the floor, the table, the bench, and any other surface he can find.

Another quick story about cars:
Blake has two superhero toys, the first of many, I should imagine. One of them is a little car that has the Superman S on the side. When Blake chooses that toy to play with it, I always tell him that is how Superman drove to the Daily Planet just to bug Scotty a little bit. He is very quick to correct me and inform Blake that Superman didn't drive, because he didn't need to drive, because he can fly.

Who needs an Ayi?

2009-02-18T03:05:00.000-08:00

We do.

I'm not even sure what to write about this picture. That smile, the broom & dustpan - they say it all. Isn't he just the most incredible boy you have ever seen?

Being a mom is a crazy thing - every kid in the world goes through the same phases - the sitting, the crawling, the climbing up, the walking, the sweeping, the pointing, the waving and on and on it goes. But when your baby reaches these milestones it's as good as climbing to the top of Everest. Nothing is surprising, but everything is amazing. He astounds me and knocks me off my feet every day just by being Blake.

Exciting news!

2009-02-14T18:50:00.000-08:00

Blake has been saying da-da-da-da for months now. He's been saying mum-mum-mum-mum for quite some time too. He says other sounds like ya-ya-ya and na-na-na and ai-ai-ai-ai-ai but none of them meant anything, just noises - sweet, lovely noises.

Then on Saturday I asked Blake if he would like a bite of banana and he answered 'na-na,' and then went on to eat half a banana in one mouthful, but that's another post. I was floored, but I figured it was just a coincidence. It happened on Sunday and then after school today he did the same thing, so I'm pretty sure Blake's first word was banana.

Sorry Grandma, but it looks like you're going to have to stock up on bananas again this summer.

The Incredible Eating and Sleeping Boy

2009-02-12T18:27:00.000-08:00

Scott and I have cut way back on Blake's formula according to our Pediatrician's advice. He now has a little bit in the day and a bottle at night.
Is the little fellow wasting away, I hear you asking?
Not a chance.
This guys eats everything.
Yesterday for breakfast he had half a banana, some of mom's toast, 2 mandarin oranges, some pear, a glass of water (including 3 ice cubes) and a scrambled egg.
Ling Ling told me that right after I went to work he went back to sleep for a THREE HOUR NAP!
I guess eating all that food wears a boy out.

Riding in the Elevator

2009-02-11T03:51:00.000-08:00

We have two elevators in our building.
One is slow and has a window, the other is fast, but windowless.
We live on the 9th floor and I think it is nice to get where you are going as quick as possible.
Blake disagrees.
He definitely prefers the sightseeing elevator.
Here he is looking out across Green Court on our way to Scotty's birthday dinner at the Howitt's.

Another thing Blake enjoys about the elevator is the acoustics. Much banging and loud 'talking' occurs within. Good fun.

Happy Birthday Dear Scotty!

2009-02-11T03:37:00.000-08:00

Today is Scott's birthday.
We spent the day at work, of course, and then went to Cody and Lynsey's for dinner and the world's most delicious chili!
And as I type this Scott is on the other computer skyping with his mom and dad.
Not too grand a day, but lovely friends and lovely family.

In other exciting birthday news, when I was at the store buying Scott's birthday present, a mobile phone that actually works, I won a dvd player. Yay.

Laughing

2009-02-07T18:02:00.000-08:00

There is nothing quite like the sound of my little guy laughing.

It has kind of amazed me what lengths I would go to to make him laugh. I didn't think I would be the 'play peek-a-boo 5 thousand times in row' type of mom, but I am. I thought I might be the 'play peek-a-boo a few times til I get sick of it' mom, but I'm not. I will do it as long as he enjoys it. I will also hide in the curtains for Blake to find me, pull funny faces, make silly sounds, blow on his belly until he gets sick of it.

And he laughs a lot. He really is the most smily, laughy, wonderful boy.

Laugh often,
Dream big,
Reach for the stars!

First Haircut

2009-02-06T20:13:00.000-08:00

There was no putting it off anymore.

The baby's hair was too long and it needed a cut!

Our friend Kristi cuts her husband's hair and he looks pretty good, so we were very happy when she volunteered for the job!

We plunked the long, curly haired baby in his chair, gave him some goldfish crackers and she went to work. Quickly. I think we all knew that this would have to be fast.

Blake was a very good boy, but he made her job a bit tricky by always trying to watch the scissors.

We thinks he looks fantastic!!! Thanks Kristi!

I should have asked her to cut my hair too.

The Musical Stylings of Blake W Hossack

2009-02-04T00:00:00.000-08:00

I just had a quick look at recent posts and noticed that the last three entries featured a naked or almost naked little fella, so I was bound and determined to get some shots of him in clothes today. And if I didn't tell you, you'd probably never realize that he's not wearing pants in this picture, would you?

For Christmas, Blake's lovely friends Sharon and Tony gave him a band in a box, which was absolutely perfect because Blake loves to make noise. Santa brought him a set of bongo drums so the baby is all set! Every day he treats us to some little performance, banging the drums, shaking the shakers or clanging the clangers.

Today was extra special because today he banged the drums with the maracas, making one heck of a sound. Our little prodigy.

Ice, Ice Baby

2009-02-03T03:23:00.000-08:00

Lately, one of Blake's favorite treats is a cube of ice, or cubes of ice is more like it. If you pour yourself a drink and forget to share the ice cubes with Blake it is a BIG DEAL!

I did a little research online to see if all babies did this and it turns out lots do. Some even develop a 'condition' called Pica where they only eat non-nutritional foods such as ice and this leads to iron deficiency and other nasty stuff. Other non-nutritional foods listed were chalk, dirt, sand, paper, etc. I'm no expert, but doesn't every baby eat that stuff some time or anytime they can get their hands on them? The internet doctor cautioned that this only becomes a problem when the child forgoes nutritional food for the non-nutritional stuff. Not a problem in our household! My little sweetheart packed away a gigantic portion of broccoli tonight with a little mango on the side.

Back when Blake had no teeth and chewed everything, I tried giving him some little ice chips to soothe his wee gums, but he wanted no part of them. Now they seem to be a snack he enjoys. They're cold and delicious and crunchy. What's not to like?

The Naked Chef

2009-02-01T03:41:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow it is back to work for Scott and I. Back to 10 hour days and back to missing Blake like crazy while we are away. It is bearable because we know that he has such a loving, capable, kind & wonderful caregiver in Ling Ling.

It is also bearable because it is only 7 weeks until our next holiday. And 19 weeks til we head home to Canada for the summer. The life of a teacher, always counting down to something.

I cant type long because I need to get ready for school in the morning, but I will leave you with a gorgeous photo of a gorgeous boy. Scott calls this one The Naked Chef. He just can't get enough of those pots and pans!!

Don't You Just Love Hand Me Downs?

2009-01-30T04:17:00.000-08:00

I hated them as a kid.

But as a mom I LOVE them!!

Another teacher family has a boy about 5 months older than Blake and we get all his old stuff, which is fabulous because his mom is a super shopper. This means we get nice clothes and lots of them!!

This little beauty, however, didn't come from our normal source, it came from our friend Kimbra and her lovely daughter Mimi. Before that it belonged to the fabulous Tara and her awesome baby Sojo and I've had my eye on it for months.

Kimbra brought it over on Blake's birthday and I couldn't wait for everyone to leave so I could plonk him in the bath and dry him off in this froggie robe.

Which is exactly what we did and then grabbed the camera to take some of the cutest photos ever.

I am very sad to report that it is waaaaay to small. This is the only photo out of the 25 I took that doesn't display his boy bits for the world to see. It just looks a little too Hugh Hefner-ish as he strolls around the apartment.

What a tragedy!

Our Little Vegetarian

2009-01-29T03:12:00.000-08:00

Blake has been eating solid food for a while now. He took to it like a pro!! For a few months it looked like he might turn into a sweet potato. Next, he couldn't get enough of green peas. Most recently it was those little oranges that he loved!

Blake was eating every fruit and vegetable we did plus lots of cereals, and as you can see from the pictures, he is thriving. So Scott and I made the decision to hold off giving him meat. We eat meat, lots of it, so it wasn't a save the animals kind of thing. We just don't know what is being fed to the animals here in China or what conditions they are being raised in, so we thought we would wait until we got home to Canada to introduce meat.

Then last week I called home during the day and spoke to Ling Ling and she mentioned how much Blake was enjoying his dumplings, his pork and shrimp dumplings!! Apparently our little porker can eat up to 7 at a time!

Scott and I had a little laugh about it. The best laid plans of mice and men.....

I had such a clear picture of what I would and could do during pregnancy, child birth and then child rearing. And my plans have gone awry time after time. The good news is I'm getting better at rolling with the punches, going with the flow, and any other cliche you might care to insert here. If Blake is happy and healthy then everything is great.

Here he is, our little vegetarian, hoeing into some delicious pork jiao zi. YUM!

Hanging out with Sam

2009-01-27T22:11:00.000-08:00

Today Blake and I spent the afternoon playing with Sam and his owners.

Sam is a brand new, very lovable red poodle who belongs to our friends Marypat, Karl, Cam and Matthew. They live in Green Court like we do, but they have a first floor apartment. On a beautiful, sunny day like today, the first floor with it's decks and yard looks pretty good.

Blake enjoyed wandering around the backyard following Cam and Sam. Now that he's mobile it's hard to slow him down.

Sam seemed to enjoy playing with Blake too.

Just Two of the Many Faces of Blake

2009-01-25T13:47:00.000-08:00

There are two photos I want to share with you today.

The first one is a new trick Blake has been doing for the past couple days. We call it the chipmunk trick and it's impressive! He packs a large amount of food into his mouth and holds it there for a long time. This particular photo is slightly more than half a banana that he swiped off a table.

The second photo is less adorable.

It occurred to me today that folks at home only see the smiling, gorgeous boy that he is most of the time. And truly he is a very happy, smily guy. Except for when he's not and then he looks like this:

I'd like to retract my earlier comment because smiling or screaming, he's always adorable.

Xin Nian Kuai Le

2009-01-24T15:44:00.000-08:00

This is the most important holiday in China, today is New Year's Eve. It is celebrated by families coming together from all over the country & maybe world, eating special foods and the most amazing displays of fireworks you could ever imagine!

Blake was born in January, 2008 at the beginning of our western year and at the end of the Chinese Lunar year. Little Blakie was born in the Year of the Pig. It was a special Year of the Pig too. I don't understand why, but every 60 years, it is known as the Golden Pig. So Blake is a Golden Pig and our friend Dean is one too.

Three weeks after Blake was born, the Year of the Rat began. Tomorrow ushers in the Year of the Ox. Some lovely friends, Julian and Kristi, gave Blake this terrific ox bank and it has been a big hit!

Happy New Year Everyone! Peace, Happiness & Prosperity to you and yours!

Making Soup

2009-01-24T03:23:00.000-08:00

Chinese New Year holiday week is here and I have to tell you being around all day with Blake is a lot of fun!

For months his main focus has been taking stuff out of other stuff. His absolute favorite was to pull all the tissues out of the box, but he also enjoyed taking nappies out of the basket, pulling books off the bookshelf, grabbing toys out of the basket, pulling pots and pans off the shelf, getting cans out of the pantry, taking socks out of the drawer, etc, etc, you get the picture.

In the last few weeks, Blake has begun to put things into other things. This is exciting because it might mean our house looks less like a small bomb has gone off in the toy area by Sunday night. Today I watched him take a photo of me from when I was a kid off the ledge, have a look at it and then put it back. Well, he tried to put it back, but his efforts actually knocked everything else of the ledge too. His heart's in the right place.

Today he carried a pot around the lounge all afternoon and from time to time put stuff like toys into it. Here he is making golf ball and Chinese Lantern Soup. We had it for dinner and it was delicious.

Crazy, Crazy Hair.

2009-01-23T15:48:00.000-08:00

Blake's hair is getting long and kind of crazy. When wet, it comes right into his eyes. After taking a hat off things are wildly out of control.
I think a lot of babies have too long hair because parents can't bear to cut it. I've seen way too many baby mullets (bullets?) when the hair grows long in the back and nobody cuts it. Another reason people don't cut baby hair is because of gorgeous curls - definitely not a problem that Blake has.
But we do have a problem because someone is going to have to cut Blake's hair someday soon. Which means somebody is going to have to put scissors near his eyes. And he is the wriggliest boy ever!
What we'd really like to do is get to Canada and let Aunt Reta cut it for us. Only 5 months to go!

It's cold in Shanghai

2009-01-23T03:38:00.000-08:00

Shanghai weather!!
Yesterday was balmy and today it was absolutely freezing! From 15 C to -2 C overnight. Brrrr.

Not Canadian winter freezing, but much, much colder than we are used to, or have clothes for. Blake doesn't even have a winter jacket. He does have a lovely warm, fleece lined sweater with a hood. He also has terrific hats knitted for him by Gaye and Ling Ling.

But that wasn't enough on a day like today. So when we went outside we really bundled up.

Someone's in the kitchen with Dinah...

2009-01-21T03:41:00.000-08:00

I seem to spend about half my time chasing Blake and half my time being followed by him. Or maybe the ratio is more like 80 - 20. One place he loves to visit and isn't allowed to unless there is very strict supervision is the kitchen. And I have to tell you, having Blake bang pots and pans at your feet makes preparing dinner a lot more bearable.

Today I watched him put the lid on a saucepan, take the lid off a saucepan, and then put the lid back on the same saucepan again for over 20 minutes. From time to time he would shake things up a bit by lifting the pan to his face and give a really big shout, but mostly it was lid on, lid off. I'm not saying he's a genius, but he's a whole lot of fun!

Introducing the Wonderful, Amazing, Incredible YOU!

2009-01-18T04:00:00.000-08:00

The doctors told me you would be coming on the 29th of January.

Everybody else told me first babies are ALWAYS late.

But ten days before we expected, you came into this world on the 19th of January 2008, all 7 pounds of you, in an emergency C-section and changed our lives forever.

Our obstetrician checked you out and she said you were perfect and you were, you truly were. Even your little purple feet were the most perfect purple feet that I had ever seen.

I want you to know that your mum loves you more than you could ever know or she could ever begin to express.

You are one of the neatest kids that this world has ever seen, and I thank God for you every day.

You rocked my world to the core with your arrival and I have never been the same.

I am better, thanks to you.

Happy first birthday, baby Blake!

Birthday Party

2009-01-18T03:25:00.003-08:00

This afternoon we celebrated Blake's first birthday. Lots of friends joined us for food and drink to mark this special day.

Thanks very much to our lovely friends who came and played and helped and supported us today and through this whole long year. We love you so much and are so glad that Blake has such wonderful people in his life!

After spending half the weekend in the kitchen making cupcakes and burning cookies, I had hoped that Blake would love eating his birthday treat. But he didn't. He liked the flame on the candle a lot though.

He chose (stuck his hand in) the K cupcake so we plonked it in front of him and waited for the hilarity to begin. But he preferred the chunk of watermelon he had in his other hand and just kind of ignored the cupcake. Our sweet neighbor Brenna even tried putting some icing on the watermelon to lure him over to the cupcake, but no dice.

He got some lovely books and toys that he was very keen to play with! Thanks again to all our buddies - we'll see you again next year!

There are six hands in this photo - the top four belong to Blake and Brenna, but I can't figure out who owns the bottom two??????

Two days til the big day...

2009-01-17T03:35:00.000-08:00

It's a year minus two days since Blake was born. I'm not going to let myself get all reflective and gooey yet. I still have tonight and tomorrow to get through without falling apart. Tomorrow is the birthday afternoon tea day and there are lots of jobs to do before 3pm!

This morning Scott turned to me and asked, "Are we going to get Blake a birthday present?" and I realized I hadn't even thought of a present. Of course, he's only one and he has no idea that he's one and a present doesn't mean anything to him, but I thought it would be nice to say, "We got you such and such for your very first birthday," one day.

So we headed for Toys R Us at Super Brand Mall and made Blake cover his eyes while we bought him some lovely Mega Duplo.

Here he is with his brand new present. He really likes the box.

And here's another photo of the walking baby. They're much easier to get now that he's walking all the time.

Fully Mobile

2009-01-15T03:15:00.000-08:00

Blake is walking!

It's been awhile since I posted and there are two reasons for this:

1. In a teacher's life report cards suck up way too much time and energy and leave very little time for fun stuff and we've just made it through report card week - phew.

2. I've been wanting to write about the biggest news around our house and include a picture, but every time we pull out a camera, the little guy stops walking, drops on to his bottom and crawls like mad towards the camera, hoping to get it in his little hands.

I finally got a photo today:

So here's how it all happened.

On the last day of school we all went upstairs to Elaine's house for a drink. For the first time ever Blake let go of the table and stood on his own. He stood for a few seconds and then slowly sank to the floor. After much fussing and cheering, I called Scotty and he came up to see the incredible standing baby.

Then, maybe a week later, just before Christmas, Blake took his first steps in our apartment. They were very cautious little steps and from one table to another. Gradually he's gotten braver and braver and now he's walking all over the place. What a super star!

How Quickly Things Change...

2009-01-08T03:40:00.000-08:00

Just yesterday I wrote about Blake's favorite toys and included the shopping trolley.
Today when I came home he had a new 'vehicle' for getting around the apartment and when I tried to encourage to use the old one he wanted nothing to do with it. This new 'toy' lets him change direction much easier than the trolley. Take a look:

By the way, if you are the person who lives in the apartment below us and you are reading this, we apologize.

Toys

2009-01-07T03:28:00.000-08:00

I had a bath with Blake tonight which is becoming more and more fun every week.
We went through a time where the bath was quite a dangerous place. He was fascinated by the hot water taps, kept banging his head on the overhanging spout and just didn't have the motor control to do all the things he wanted. Plus the wriggliest boy on Earth kept falling under the water.
Now, it's all about the splashing. And Blake must love the acoustics in the bathroom because he 'talks' loudly and continuously.
These days he sits up or stands safely, splashes, talks and enjoys himself a great deal.
And just recently he became interested in bath toys - to play with not to eat. Hands down, his favorite is a little red watering can we bought in Sanya.

This little beauty can do many wonderful things - if you slap it against the water, it makes great splashes, it's small enough to hold in your hand and chuck it across the bath tub and then chase it and you can fill it up with water and pour it out again and again and again.
This got me thinking about Blake's other favorite toys and I decided to keep track of his favorites. These are some of the things he is loving right now.

My almost one year old baby loves all balls including golf balls and squishy balls, but this one must be just the right size and weight, because he will play with it and chase after it for ages! Our lovely ayi, Ling Ling, gave it to him.

Blake still loves books - the baby faces book has been a favourite for months, calming him down and entertaining him in some pretty desperate times. The Who Loves Baby books have pictures of himself in them, which he adores and the little alphabet set were handed down from two girls downstairs and they seem to fit perfectly in his little hands.

The trolley was another hand me down from our friends the Toas and he is always happy pushing that trolley and those cans around the apartment. Without the trolley he can take a few steps from hand to hand, or cruise around the furniture, but with the trolley he is free to go wherever he likes and he loves it!

Back to Work..

2009-01-05T03:16:00.000-08:00

Today was our first day back to work after a two week break.

It was tough...
Just getting up that early is hard.
And getting organized in the morning, trying not forget anything is tricky.
I always find it impossible to eat that early, but if I don't I'm starving by morning tea.

The hardest thing about today, hands down, was leaving Blake.
It's been so fun just playing with him everyday.
Would you want to leave a face like this?

Or a bottom like this?

Oh how I love you my baby boy!!!!

Not So Sunny Sanya

2009-01-02T03:15:00.000-08:00

For our winter holiday Blake, Scott and I traveled to Sanya on Hainan Island in Southern China.
We chose Sanya because it was warm, close and due to Blake's passport/citizenship problems we couldn't leave the country.
It was warm, but not sunny, which is good when you consider Scott and Blake's tendency to sizzle in the sun. We stayed pretty close to home, only leaving the resort twice.
We played in the pool, at the man made baby beach, in the kids room and in our gigantic outdoor bathtub.
It's probably not somewhere we'll go back to, but it was lovely to get away. Here are some pics from our week.

Old Friends

2009-01-01T04:23:00.000-08:00

We spent the day chillin with old friends across the river. They have a son about a year older than Blake. It has been so neat to watch him growing up and get a sneak preview of what Blake will be doing one day soon. We also saw a brand new bubba - just one week old. Talking with his mom I remember how terrified I was when Blake was that new and fragile. She tells me it's less frightening the second/third time around, but I'm skeptical.
It's fun to see people who haven't seen Blake in a while to let him show them all his tricks. Things like eating noodles and standing are so exciting when they are new! He's a marvel, our boy!

We left for the day without any nappies. Sigh. I am still waiting for the day when I leave the house with everything I need for Blake all in one bag - food, nappies, wipes, snacks, the list goes on and on and I always forget something!

The beginning...

2008-12-31T03:41:00.000-08:00

Setting up this blog is something I've been wanting to do for awhile. Scott's been blogging with his class for years now and I jumped on the bandwagon last September.

It seems to be a medium that fits our message - we can record stories, thoughts, events, photos, videos and whatever else for us and Blake, and family and friends can check in if they like.

Incredibly, Blake's been around for almost a year now and there are already events and stages of his life I've forgotten. I see a little baby now and I have to strain to remember him being that small. Of course, I do have gazillions of photos to jog my memory.

Here he is the day he arrived in his pink blanket and here is today, the happiest, smiliest, most wonderful boy.

Zzzzzz

2008-12-31T03:31:00.000-08:00

My little guy is not a quiet sleeper.
He snores, for one thing, which he must have got from his father because I have never heard myself snore.
But that's just the beginning. He also sighs, laughs, grunts and moans.
Just recently he has begun to make a fog horn sounding noise before he falls into a deep sleep. Eyes closed, body still and then he makes 4 or 5 long fog horn like sounds that make me laugh so hard I nearly wake him up.
That phrase slept like a baby has whole new meaning for me now.

Can you believe how dirty that shirt is? He loves oranges and the juicier the better.