Merry Christmas

We are in the process of getting ready for Santa and it is taken on a whole new perspective. Maya really does not have a concept of what is happening but we are all excited about Santa coming. I'm sure when the big day comes, she will be overwhelmed by the event. We took Maya to get a Christmas picture done (the same day as the family portrait) and it was extremely difficult to get her to stay in one place for more than 2 seconds. The photographer took over 30 pictures and only 3 or 4 were suitable. Here is one of our favorites. We hope that everyone has a Safe & Happy Holidays

Fall Fun

Maya loves playing with leafs. Any chance she gets, she will grab one and dissect it. On this day, we had just come back from a walk and sat in the front yard where she had fun with the fallen leafs. The scenery was so nice that we could not resist taking this photo.

Growing Up Proper

This is one of my favorite pictures. Maya loves playing with hats and will usually take the hat off my head and put it on hers. Although you only see the back of it, this is a picture of Maya wearing her favorite hat and I can be assure you that the front has the emblem of the best hockey team ever, the Montreal Canadians. It is reassuring to know that your child will grow up proper and know what a championship team is like.

Computer Whiz

I don't know what it is about computers, but Maya is fascinated by them. If she sees you on the computer she will want to be in your lap and once there, she heads directly for the key board. No matter how far you distance her from the keyboard, she will twist, turn and reach to get at it. I had my laptop home the other weekend and when she finally noticed it, this was the end result.

Me & My Dog

Given the opportunity, Maya love to make a bee line for Jessie. Some times she pulls at her, climbs over her or just to hang out and watch the scenery.

Family Picture

It is amazing the numbers of pictures we have taken since Maya has come into our life. She has become a bit of a ham in front of the lens which is making getting that "perfect picture" very difficult. It is funny to watch her perform but at the same time, more pictures need to be taken. Thank god for digital photography!

Christening

This weekend was Maya and Zoe's christening. They performed wonderful and were the hit of the church. There were not many tears shed but the long service made them a bit antsy at the end. All and all it was a great day.

Happy Halloween - Lady Bug

Not that she really had an idea of what was going on but we dressed Maya up and took her to her Grandparents and a couple of houses. I know that we ate more candy than her but that will change in the upcoming years.

One Year Old

While her birthday was two weeks ago, we took Maya to get he picture taken and looking back, it is amazing how much she has grown and how far she has come. Now she is talking up a storm; mostly babble but from time to time you can make out a real word. She has also found out that she can use the walls and other objects to walk around. the other day she went down the hall, into the bathroom and over to the bath tub without plopping to her bum. I know it is only a matter of time before she is walking and talking with ease.

Facisnation with Foilage

Maya sure does enjoy her walks and exploring She is now fascinated by leaves, there different colors and shapes and will pick them up to check them out.

Mobility

One of Maya's birthday gift was a walk behind toy and it is by far her favorite. When she starts to walk she gets very excited and starts to laugh. By the look of things it will only be a matter of time before she will be walking on her own. I'm sure we will be happy but at the same time wishing she was just crawling.

Happy Birthday To Me

Saturday was the big day, Maya 1st birthday. We are not sure she undestood what was going on and at times was a little overwhelmed but she had a great time with the family. When we brought the birthday cake she was not sure what was going on and was a little afraid. We even let her have a piece of cake but she liked playing with it more than eating it.

Hamming it up for the Camera

I think these pictures are self explanatory.

Teething

Well the teeth are coming in and Maya is chewing on everything. The good thing is that she is also feeding herself. So far her teeth are not bothing her too much but here cheeks get red from time to time. no matter what she has in her hand she wants to bite it.

Maya Update

Tanya has Maya to the doctor today and everything is fine. Maya is now 72 cm tall and 22 lbs. Since she has been home, she has grown 4cm and has gained 1/2 a pound. We have just started to eliminate the morning nap with the hope that she will nap longer in the afternoon. We will have to keep our fingers crossed with this one. Although many may think that she is a quiet, docile child, she has become very vocal and active. Every so often she will start screaming just to show that she can (no reason at all). Here are some picture of Maya with her cousins from both sides of the family.

Finally an Update!

I know it has been a while but after talking to some people they wanted to know when we would be updating the blog so here it is. Maya has been doing great. Still a little difficult with the naps but her progress has been amazing. There have been so many changes in the last month and a half that it is hard to believe. Before we were hoping to get her to put weight on her feet and crawl and now we are hoping that she will slow down. It has been an incredible two months and she has changed immensly. We have the big 1st birthday coming up at the end of the month so it will be interesting how small of an affair this will be. We have the house baby proof but just when you think you have everything covered, she will expose another flaw. Oh and by the way, I have changed a poopy diaper on several occassions without an incident (other than gagging). I have a system in place to reduce my potential exposure to the evil down below. anyway we will try and keep up to date and add some info and pictures on a regular basis.

A Day at the Park

This morning Mommy and Maya went for a walk down to the park and went to the playground. This was Maya'a first time on a swing and as the picture shows, she thoroughly enjoyed her time. Although a little jealous, Jessie loves the walks and today surprised Tanya by walking right up to Maya and lying down beside her. This was a totally unplanned picture but quite nice. So far the two are getting along quite well.

Happy Birthday Nanny

Here is a picture on Mommy and Maya at Boomerangs. All of Tanya's family got together to have a belated birthday celebration for Eleanor (Nanny) Munden. Maya was more than happy to meet and greet everyone and did not fuss at all.

Photo Shoot

This Thursday we had Maya for her first photo shoot. It went quite well but we had to tickle her to get her to smile. The end results were well worth it. The days of staying up late and sleeping in are now over and Jessie and Maya are getting along well (with a little jealousy by Jessie). Maya now will try and climb over jessie is she is in the way. She is now crawling like crazy. You turn your head and she is gone. She is also standing up and it will probably be only a manner of time where she will be fully mobile.

At first we thought Maya was a little shy but she is turning out to be a social butterfly. It takes her a little while to scope the surroundings but after she has done that, she is good to go and meet and greet everyone.

Week 1

Well the first week is over and things seemed to have got into a routine. I did not know how bad you could get jet lag but all three of us experienced it for the first 3 days. We would all be wide awake between 2am and 3am. After a while we were all running on fumes and a little irritable. On the fifth day mommy and Maya slept better and it took me an extra day. Now we are all on a regular sleep schedule.

Maya has been trying different types of food and so far she likes carrots, sweet potatoes, corn, peas and yougurt. Each day she seems to become more active and vocal and her and the dog seem to be ignoring each other but can be side by side wothout any issues. So far Jessie has been great. A little jealous after first but now she is back to her old ways. It should not be than long before Jessie will, be reaping the rewards of food on the floor. We took Maya to the Doctor and things are very good. Other than a stubborn cold for which the doctor has given us something for her (she fights taking it to Mommy's chagrin) she ot fit as a fiddle.

She seems to be a social person. It is when she is by herself that she is the most discontent. When she is with others, she is the happiest. In sawing that, it takes her a while to warm up to new people. She needs to check you out for a while and when you cheack out, you are allowed in her presence (all hail princess Maya).

We will try and remember to update the site from time to time and add pictures. Thanks to all for your wonderful comments. It was incredible that you could experince this journey with us.

Maya is Home

We finally made it home. The trip home was absoutely horrible. We got to the airport in Beijing and our plane was delayed by over 5 hours. When we did finally get on the plane, they delayed us another hour prior to take off. After a 12+ hour flight we found out that some of out group got bumped off the flight and would have to overnight on Toronto. After some fighting, we got the majority on the flight and a few chose to stay behind. When we were ready to come home, that flight was delayed by over an hour so it was after 2am before our plane landed. We still had a welcoming crew of Nanny and Poopy, Auny Melissa and some of Tanya's school mates. For the time of night, it was very speacial and appreciated.

It is approximately 5 am as I write this and we are tryinto get Maya to Bed. For the 30 hours we sent travelling today, she did incredible. The next couple of days will be trying to get back on N.S. time and get Maya adjusted to here new home

Next Stop Canada

This is our last day in China before we go home and we went for a tour of Bei Hai Park. It was a beautiful day here today and the park was lovely. We were surprised that it was not one of the stops that was arranged for us, but I guess there is just so much to see and do here that they pick the most popular places.

Maya had a good day, although she was a little fussier today than usual, I think she is getting us tired if dragging her all over China. It will be so good to get home and have a routine again. I finally understand why parents are always so concerned with the child’s ‘schedule’, they really do get cranky.

I am feeling a little nostalgic tonight. It has been a really wonderful experience here, a little stressful at times, but an absolutely amazing journey. We came all the way to the other side of the world to become parents and meet Maya, and there are no words for how it feels, not to mention what it was like to be here and experience this country and its culture. It has been the most extraordinary experience of my life. You just never know where life may take you. We came to China, just Paul and I, and now we are leaving a complete, forever family, the family I have always dreamed of and I can’t wait to introduce our beautiful daughter to all of you at home. Love, Tanya, Paul and Maya XOXO.

Hu Tong, Silk Market & Group Dinner

This morning we went to the Hu Tong region for a rickshaw ride and it was amazing. This is part of the old city where there in nothing more than narrow streets and alleyways where people live. The price per square foot to buy in this area is $400 USD. The newer generation prefers to live in large high rises but the older generation like to live here, so it is mostly comprised of retirees. Houses basically consist of a small living room, a bed room small storage area, a kitchen and an out door area where they are usually trying to grow something (i.e. grapes, persimmons, etc). The only downfall about this area is that there are shared bathrooms between 25-35 people.

On the tour we got to visit a day care which was amazing. Children from the age of 2 1/2 to 6 can go here for 500 Yuan ($70 Cdn) per month, which includes 3 meals. The facilities were very nice and we actually went into the classes to meet the children. The boys far out number the girls but when we went into one room two little girls came over to meet Maya so I bent down and then two more came over. There was a set of twins in the group and on came over and started to squeeze Maya’s cheeks and the others started laughing. After that, each girl took turns and squeezed her cheeks. Everyone laughed and enjoyed the experience.

We then went into an individual’s house and had a quick visit. Like I mentioned above, they are quite small but their outdoor area was beautiful. The couple’s houses that we were in were 66 and 67 yrs old respectively. They has pet turtles, dogs and birds. Although we did not hear it, the birds have the ability to speak Chinese and English. During our travels, we drove around this lake which was quite beautiful and after 2 hours of traveling, we were returned to the bus. It was a very worthwhile and enjoyable morning.

When we got back to the hotel, we geared up and went back to the Silk Market. I went back to get my suit, which turned out very nice and we did some more shopping. With the prices so cheap, it is hard not to shop. You go there with saying that you won’t, but when you are only paying $5 for a t-shirt, it is hard not to. Oh well, we will probably coming home with more than what we left with.

Maya has turned out to be an incredible traveler on our journeys (so far, knock on wood) but she fights going to sleep. It is quite the routine that she puts on; first she starts scratching her head, then she rubs her head into your chest and then she will start moving her legs and talking and tries to sit up. She can do this for 10 minutes or 1 hours depending upon how tired or over tired she is. When she falls asleep, she is awesome; We usually have to wake her up.

We had a group dinner at the Dumpling restaurant tonight which was nice. Due to the different schedules of the babies, the group at times seems to be ships passing in the night. Usually 2-3 baby’s will be napping or fussing or whatever, so there may be days where you may not see a particular family. The meal was great but there was total KAOS with all those babies in the same room. I guess that was good prep for the plane ride home. It is amazing how in such a short time your immunity to a baby’s cry goes from feeling like a chalk board to something more like an idle babble.

Kung Fu & Steak and Eggs

Today was a fairly low key day. There were no planned activities so we took our time getting ready this morning and then we headed back to the Silk Market for some more shopping. With all the touring we’ve been doing Maya hasn’t been getting regular naps, just cat naps here and there throughout the day, but this morning she got a good nap in before we went shopping and boy was she full of piss and vinegar for the rest of the day!

This evening we went to a Steak and Egg restaurant that is owned and operated by a man from North Sydney (named Paul). Who would have thought we’d get Cape Breton home cooking in Beijing, China! It was a nice change from the fast food and Chinese food that have been our staple foods since we’ve been here.

Last night Paul stayed home with Maya and I went to a show with the group. It was called ‘The Legend of Kungfu’ and though it may sound cheesy, it was an absolutely magnificent performance. It was a story of a young boy becoming a Buddhist monk and combined martial arts, acrobatics and dancing. We all loved it! The sets and costumes were awesome as well. A few people took their babies with them but they were scared of all the loud sounds and music. I’m glad that Paul opted to stay home with Maya, it really wasn’t the place for small children.

Only two more days left before we leave to come home and I think we are both ready to bring Maya home. All our love, Tanya, Paul and Maya XOXO.

Temple of Heaven & The Pearl Factory

Today was another day of travel. We went to the Temple of Heaven and then the Pearl Factory. Other than the smog and the temperature, it was absolutely beautiful. Due to the heat, almost all the girls bought straw hat to keep covered from the sun so our group was very easily recognizable. We spent about an hour walking around the temple and then about another hour in the pearl factory. The Pearl Factory is on the cutting edge of consumerism. Not only do the have fabulous jewelry but they also have free beer. That’s right, free beer. So while the mom’s were shopping, the dads were sitting down with the babies having some refreshments. Believe me, if they had this in Nova Scotia I would want to go to the Mic Mac Mall more often. I think this level of service is a a long time coming to NS. I think it is a way to break down the husband’s defenses so the wives get what the want (Tanya did very well) . Very smart and innovative.

Tonight Daddy and Maya are going to hang out while mommy goes to a show. There is a Kung Fu show taking place which is supposed to be spectacular so mommy gets a well deserved night out with the rest of the group while I relax with my girl. I just hope Maya does not decide to do a #2 or that will make the night extremely interesting for me.

It is hard to believe that we have only had Maya for 7 days, it seems much longer. She seems to be settling in fine and I think that she already has us figured out and has us dancing to her drum.

P.S. Maya is 10 months old today.

The Great Wall & Jade Factory

We have had another busy day! We went for a tour of the Jade factory and made a few purchases there. Jade is quite expensive, but it is very popular in China, it is not only worn because it is beautiful, but it is also believed to have some health benefits (good circulation).

After that we were off to the Great Wall of China. It was a little disappointing just because the weather was not that great. It was overcast and foggy and quite humid and I was sweating after only climbing for a little while. We were climbing a rather steep set of steps when I decided I’d had enough. I was surprised Paul decided to quit then too. The thing was you couldn’t see anything above or below because of the fog, so there didn’t seem much point in exerting ourselves so much when we weren’t going to get to enjoy any kind of view. Mom and Dad and Angie, Shannon and Zoe did climb higher than we did and they got to a point where they got a certificate saying they had climbed the Great Wall of China. It’s a nice souvenir and had I known those were available I may have tried to climb a little higher. You could tell that it would be really spectacular on a clear day. It was very lush and green in that area and there were some very nice gardens at the base of the wall.

Paul, Maya and I wandered the grounds at the base and went into a temple which was quite lovely. Maya fell asleep in the snuggli for most of our walk-about and was in great spirits when she did wake.

After we left the Great Wall we went and had lunch at a Chinese restaurant which is above a shop where they make Ming vases. The meal was very nice, there were a variety of dishes, including a whole fish (which I did not eat, I prefer my food with the heads removed). We did some shopping in the store afterwards and I am now the proud owner of a genuine Ming vase. We got back to the hotel around 5pm and are spent the rest of the night relaxing. Maya was a bit fussy going to bed tonight but she is now sleeping peacefully. Tomorrow we are going to the Temple of Heaven and Tiananmen Square.

That’s about all for now, all our love, Tanya, Paul and Maya.

The Silk Market

Today was a free day so we went to the silk market. On our way in the cab Tanya noticed a smell coming from Maya and when she looked, her diaper was full. We forgot the diaper pad so we improvised and bought a receiving blanket and changed Maya on a bench at the market. I really had a hard time because when Tanya opened the diaper, it was everywhere and although all I had to do was hold her, I gagged the whole time. Tanya, Bert and Eleanor had a great laugh over this. I know there will be a time soon where I will have to step up to the plate and do this on my own.

The Silk Market is basically a 5 story department store with tiny kiosks set up with vendors selling everything. Everything is so cheap it is unbelievable. It is all done by bargaining and this process is very amazing. We will be going back to pick up a suitcase for the trip home and I am having a navy blue suit hand made for me which I have to pick up. This was by far the most expensive thing we bought today and it cost $142 Cdn. It was funny that we kept on putting our bags around the handles of Maya’s stroller and when we took her out when we were getting ready to leave, the stroller tipped over from the weight. We had no other choice but to leave because we ran out of money.

The picture attached was very funny because this girl basically grabbed Tanya and dragged here into her stall to make a purchase after a long period and the girl not wanting to let Tanya go without a purchase, Tanya negotiated strong and got 2 silk scarf’s for 180 Yuan ($24)

Tomorrow we are heading to the Great Wall and the Jade factory so we are getting pretty excited about this. I think we will be heading to Wal-Mart tonight to get supplies for the full day tomorrow.

Travel Day

It has been a very long day. We left Chongqing this morning at 7am for our 8:40 flight.

Maya was an angel on the plane, she played and had a little sleep, no problemo. A lot of the other babies were screaming, but not our girl. Once we landed in Beijing we were taken to the SOS clinic for the babies to have their medical exam. There were so many of us that we had to go in different groups because there wasn’t enough room in the waiting room for everyone. We got put in the last group (lucky us) and so the guide took us to a tea house. We got to stop at a Subway on the way there and let me tell you that was the best tasting sub of my life!

The tea house we went to was awesome! We all sat around a table and the lady told us all about the different types of tea and what it is good for and showed us how it is prepared in China. It is quite a ritual and we got to sample several different types of tea. Anyone who knows me knows I love tea and so I was just in heaven! I bought a beautiful Chinese tea set and some tea. Maya was again an absolute dream while we were there. I cannot say enough what a wonderful child she is. She is so pleasant all the time, she rarely cries and she sleeps and eats well.

We finally got in to see the doctor and Maya had a brief check-up and is doing very well. We didn’t get back to the hotel until 6:45 and even though it was a long day for her she was in good spirits. She was a little fussy tonight, I think she was just way over-tired as she didn’t get a real good nap today. She is now sound asleep in dreamland and Mommy and Daddy won’t be long behind her.

Paul has been doing most of the blog so I haven’t had much of a chance to brag him up, but he is a wonderful father. It melts my heart to see the two of them together, he is so in love with her and I’m seeing a new and tender side to him, he just can’t do enough for her. Of course I’m still her favorite, but I can tell she loves her Daddy an awful lot too. Well that’s about all for today, all our love, Tanya

The Old City - pictures

Here are some picture of the old city where we went shopping.

The Old City and the Meeting of the Two Rivers

Well our first outing went quite well but the heat was unbelievable. Mommy dressed Maya in her finest for the trip. The old city was amazing and we did some souvenir shopping. Tanya was not a strong bargainer but still the prices were unbelievable. we had many old Chinese ladies stop us and want to fix Maya's hat or give us advice. Too bad we did not understand anything they said.

By the time we reached the joining of the rivers it was around 102 degrees and the group only stayed outdoors for a short period (most of the babies stayed on the bus, including Tanya & Maya)

Mothers and Granparents

Well it is the end of another day. Our time is slowly coming to an end in chongqing. I went up on the roof to take a view of the city at night and it was still about 90 degrees. Many of the buildings are lit up which makes the landscape look beautiful.

Tomorrow will be a true test for us because we are going on a tour of the old city with Maya which will last for approx. 5 hours. It will be interesting to see if our packing skills will meet the cut.

The pictures above are Tanya & Maya, Angie & Zoe and Lori & Mia.