Maddie's Minute

We've MOVED!!!

2007-12-12T05:25:00.000-08:00

I've done it.... I've been talking about it for months and I've finally done it. I purchased my first domain name. I've exported all posts and comments from blogger. I've installed Wordpress 2.3.1. I've installed several themes I'm playing with. I've installed a new ClustrMap! I've installed some funky Plugins. I've downloaded FileZilla so I can start the whole FTP thing as it's so much faster. Please come visit us at http://www.maddiesminute.com/! I'm learning so bear with me!!!!! :) As you can see, I've completely demolished my sidebar to the right. It was an accident. I thought you had to push the blog from blogger to Wordpress. You can actually pull it from blogger using Wordpress.... learning everyday!

Christmas at the Links!

2007-12-07T18:38:00.000-08:00

This entire week has been about children running around the Links after dark, knocking on doors as loud as they can and then running to hide as fast as they can! There are about 20 kids out at the Links and they were all part of a Secret Santa gift exchange. I keep forgetting (sometimes) that Maddie is four as this is all still very new to her. We had participated in Secret Santa last year, but doesn't really remember doing so. Maddie first heard the door on Monday night and was ecstatic as she was opening the present... when she realized it was a book she burst into tears because "Santa" didn't bring her the ballet slippers she wanted! It was then that we had the discussion about the difference between Santa and a Secret Santa. She decided a Secret Santa was like a leprechaun - it worked for her! :)

Tonight we did the final gift exchange, but before we did so we were entertained a bit during a dinner. Sometimes you just have to pinch yourself and ask, "where am I and how did I get here?"

The young boy on the bicycle juggled and threw plates onto his head while riding a unicycle. I loved the look in his eye when he tossed three bowls at once to the top of his head from his foot... even he was proud! Then there was a young woman who did a dance for this kids where her face changed colors. It's difficult to describe so look a the clip and watch the color of her face change in the middle of it. I think it changed seven times in all! The girls then came out in their purple outfits with roller skates on where they spun as fast as they could in a very small space.

Girls twirling plates on the top of long sticks and a magician ended the show! Maddie sat in the front row with her mouth wide open the entire time! The gift exchange is what they all were waiting for though. Maddie gave Cleet his basketball and then received a PINK SAS sweatshirt from Cooper! It was a great night had by all... now it's time to head home for real down home Christmas time! One week and counting!!!!

Santa's Workshop

2007-12-05T18:10:00.000-08:00

This week at school Maddie had Santa's Workshop at school. Neither Andy or I were able to attend with her so we gave her a set amount of money to spend and sent her on her way. Maddie bought presents for Ms. Zhou, mommy, daddy and Amelia. She decided that she wanted us to open the presents as soon as she got home - she must get that from me! She bought me a beautiful necklace, dad a great tie, Ms. Zhou a pretty necklace, and Amelia a cute little Santa Clause! Thanks for the Christmas presents Madeline Anna!!

Friday Night Date Nights... with Amelia!

2007-12-01T18:04:00.000-08:00

While Maddie and Ms. Zhou enjoy their Friday night movie ritual, Andy and I go out for date night. I thought for sure that we would put it on hold after Amelia arrived, but this kid likes to be a part of it all! If she's sitting in your lap, she's a happy camper. So... dad I continue the date nights (with Amelia in tow) while Maddie continues on with her Ms. Zhou/Maddie bonding time. Life is good!!

Shanghai Wild Animal Park.... WILD!!!!

2007-11-29T14:09:00.000-08:00

Forgive me if I mentioned this, but I was really sneaky and put "Personal Day" on Andy's school calendar last month so that he could take the day off today? Why you ask??? Maddie had her first field trip of the year to the Shanghai Wild Animal Park and the whole family joined her for this wondrous event! It started off with a very Jurassic Park like tour through the various kingdoms in the school bus. It stared off light with looking at the vegetarians, but ended with lions, tigers, and bears... literally! They walked right up to the bus as the children sat there gobsmacked. The seal show was... hilarious is the word I'm looking for here. Maddie was giddy with excitement all day long and crashed hard when we made it home. Coincidentally, Amelia has decided that lemurs are her favorite animal... or perhaps it's the other way around!

Mom and Maddie at the Seal Show

Dad and Maddie break for a snack... apple and peanut butter sandwiches!!

Maddie runs through the Chicago Eagles nest!

Maddie enjoys one of the four pandas at the park...

Maddie and a few lemurs have a conversation about snacks...

Parents of the Year or just cute??
"Hmmm... what's in here?"

Not quite Sea World, but....

Presents from Grandma Dotty

2007-11-27T17:31:00.000-08:00

Maddie loves it when there is a box waiting for her when she walks in the front door from school. Today though, the package came to Maddie at school because the Chinese government couldn't figure out where we lived! She saw it though and immediately wanted to open it in front of her friends... she didn't 'cause mom said "I don't think so" to the little lady but Maddie opened it as soon as we got home!

Mom has sent us lots of packages while we've been in China. Sometimes, we'll order things online and ship them to her. She in turn stuffs them in box and includes other goodies above and beyond what we've ordered. I get my Splenda or favorite hot sauce, Andy gets a golf ball or two, and Maddie, well, Maddie gets everything from dresses to coloring books. She truly looks forward to these almost Christmas presents from Grandma! So Grandma, hope you enjoy the clip here and thanks much for the awesome things once again!

Christmas, Flat Tires, and Ballet

2007-11-25T21:36:00.000-08:00

This was our day in our nutshell!! It is the day after Thanksgiving which means that it's technically an okay thing to put up your Christmas tree. We are still hear for three weeks, so why not enjoy the lights and the ornaments? Besides, it's the perfect time to talk about Rudolph and Santa and flat tires...

After getting the ornaments on the tree, the star on top, the stockings hung over the fireplace and a wish list made for Santa (which consisted of ONE thing... proper toe ballet shoes) we realized that we were going to be late for ballet. Andy ran out to the car and noticed it right away... a flat tire. As Maddie says, "Bu Hao!" Andy was quick as whip and got that doughnut wheel on the van only to find that it too was flat. Ron to the rescue and we borrowed his car to make it to ballet class in the nick of time! It's a great thing when life throws your curves, but you learn to swerve!

I actually think that Maddie is learning something in ballet class... I can't be sure as they won't let us parents into the class. Maddie comes home though, makes us sit on the couch and shows up everything she has learned that day. She always starts off with how sad she is that she can't dance on her toes because she doesn't have toe shoes that tie around her ankles. After she gets over that one, she spins and twirls around the living room with a grin from ear to ear. She loves the ballet - hope she likes The Nutcracker just as much when we head home!

The holiday season is in full swing!!! We are so excited to head home for Christmas this year - it will feel good to be with family again!! :)

Maddie's Third Thanksgiving of the Year...

2007-11-24T22:12:00.000-08:00

Days like today are the ones that people will talk about years later. Holidays overseas can either be really, really great because you may be sitting someplace exotic and forget that it's even a holiday OR they can be really, really tough because you know all of your loved ones are gathered back home - together - as a family. I think that most of the Americans overseas at SAS this year felt the latter, so we invited them to our house for a Thanksgiving feast.

Maddie and I made jello/marshmallow/popcorn balls for the kids early in the morning and Andy made one turkey with AMAZING stuffing - but that is all the cooking we did as everyone brought a dish. The weather was brilliant allowing the kids to play across the street at the playground all morning before everyone showed up around 3:00 for a rerun of a football game (it was new to us)!

It was quite the spread we had of food and there was lots of laughter. All in all we had 25 people at our house.... 11 of those were kids! When the last guests walked out the door at 9:00, it looked like a cyclone has just run through out house! It was well worth it though... must have been because when Maddie said her prayers before going to sleep she actually prayed for another party tomorrow just like this one! Um, Maddie.... only if you do the dishes!!!!

Maddie's Second Thanksgiving of the year...

2007-11-23T19:17:00.000-08:00

Moving to China means working on Thanksgiving. When we were in Saudi, the weekend fell on Thursday and Friday so the only work to be done was cooking, beverage partaking, and swimming! Moving to China has meant work. Maddie had her party at school on Thanksgiving which is great, but we were also able to have a Thanksgiving meal at home Thursday night! Once again, we invited Todd, Tonya, and Cooper over for a meal of sorts. The meal was definitely pulled together at the last minute, but they are such good friends of ours that it's really about the company not the food. We ordered a turkey from Eurest, the school's cafeteria, the day before and then Andy made gingered carrots and boxed mashed potatoes. Tonya brought over a great bottle of Chinese wine and Todd brought over balloons to entertain the kids.

Maddie always has fun playing with Cooper as they are like brother and sister. Andy always gets to unwind with Todd as he's one of the few people that don't see Andy as the Deputy, and Tonya and I.... well, we just gel. Pretty soon Bauer and Amelia will start forming a relationship!!

Thanks for the memories and a Happy Thanksgiving! Tag, you're it for next year!!!

Maddie's First Thanksgiving of the Year

2007-11-22T19:00:00.000-08:00

Maddie has been looking forward to her class party all week long. It ends up that the kids made a place mat and each was laminated for the shindig. Since I started back to work this week, I wasn't able to go in a help the other moms (and some dads) help set up and I knew that it would be a slight shock for Maddie. However, I promised her that I would come to the party for 10 minutes at least and so I did! My kids were in the midst of learning about rate of change and I gave them a task that had to be completed in 15 minutes, told my colleagues I was leaving, grabbed Andy in his office, and we zipped to the party.

The room was bustling with activity and we saw Maddie sitting at the end of the table a bit long faced, but when we both walked through the door she simply BEAMED from ear to ear! She was so proud to show off the things she had made for the party and was more than willing to share the food on her plate - (read: "the sooner my plate is cleared of this stuff, the sooner I can get to the dessert!") The only thing that she really, really, really wanted to clear off her plate was the seaweed.... the child is addicted to seaweed! (So much for tradition!) Thanks for sharing your party with us Maddie and thanks to Preeti for organizing the event!

Interesting Concept...

2007-11-18T11:05:00.000-08:00

It has been an excellent weekend!! I am heading back to work on Monday so Maddie decided to come to school with me for about five hours on Saturday to get my room ready. She watched cartoons and actually helped me a bit by cleaning off tables, putting books away, erasing boards....

We had some interesting conversations to boot! We were talking about me returning to work and in her most honest voice possible this is what she had to say to me:

"Good mommy! That means Amelia can crawl back into your tummy!"

Sounds painful, doesn't it?

Thanks for perspective Maddie Anna!!!!

So Hopeful....

2007-11-15T10:30:00.000-08:00

The mood is set...

A hungry Amelia awaits her feeding, the boppy is in place, Maddie stands by adoringly looking at her sister....AND DAD WANTS TO STICK WHAT IN MY MOUTH?!

I get to head back to work on Monday so we're trying a few different things out and a bottle would be one of them. This time didn't work, but the absolute joy on daddy's and Maddie's face is enough to want to make me keep trying!!

Here's the thing with returning to work. My heart is really heavy and I've been thinking about the little things I'll miss during the day, but leave it to Maddie to put it all in perspective.

Maddie: "Mommy, will you be a teacher again?"
Me: "Yes, Maddie - next week... four sleeps from now."
Maddie: "Will you come see me again at school? I've missed you..."

So there you have it. Even though I've been a stay at home mom for 8 weeks and gone into Maddie's class a few times, I actually saw Maddie more during the day when I was working full time. I would see her at least once a day during her lunch time and sometimes during her recess which was my plan time. It was our "thing" and one of the reasons I love being a teacher in an international school. I get to keep my family close so that I don't miss those little moments that happen at every age.

I've missed you too Maddie!!

Good Year...

2007-11-13T16:18:00.000-08:00

Maddie is speaking in terms of years now...

Me: "Maddie, how about you take a bath before bed tonight?"
Maddie: "Next year Mommy...with bubbles!"

Me: "Maddie, aren't you going to school today?"
Maddie: "Um... no... next year Mommy! I want to go to ballet class now!"

So... Maddie is having a good year! And just to confirm that she really is having a good year, we "ran into" the Goodyear blimp in Shanghai! :)

In English

In Chinese

At the ballet...

2007-11-11T16:11:00.000-08:00

Maddie has been looking forward to this day for a long time! She has opened her eyes almost every morning and said that she is ready for ballet class. She has AT LEAST 10 different books about the ballet and I'm pretty sure that we've read all of them every night this week. She even took one of the books to school for Show-and-Tell so that Ms. Preeti would read it to the class...

She has several ballet outfits, but she understands that the special tutu outfits are only for performances, according to the 10 books. So she was content in her tights and leotard! When her teacher opened the classroom door and asked students in the hallway who was ready for ballet class, Maddie every so sweetly looked up to her with big blue eyes and said, "I am ready for ballet class." It's difficult to catch the breathless sound of her voice in this blog, but it's a moment I will never forget.

Parents aren't allowed in the classroom as there will be a final performance during the last class. So I sat outside her classroom for an hour and listened to Maddie giggle with delight as she danced on her tippy toes oh so high! When class was over she even ran back to her teacher, Becky, so that she could give her a big hug.

She is such a little girl!!!! :)

Hair and Nails

2007-11-10T11:22:00.000-08:00

Maddie is starting to really understand this whole concept of time. She knows that when the clock reads 6:00, her favorite show is on T.V. She knows that she gets to put up her Shanghai Christmas tree in 14 days because she is marking them off the calendar. She knows that tomorrow is ballet class. So when she woke up a little cranky saying that she didn't want to get her haircut, I played the ballet card. "But Maddie, you'll want to make a good impression on your first day of ballet class!"

Hook - Line - Sinker!!

Parent-Teacher Conferences!

2007-11-09T14:33:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I just have to pinch myself... where are we and how did we get here? I have a four year old daughter who goes to SCHOOL... Not a daycare - not a nursery school - not a preschool. I must be growing up.

Maddie's report card came home last week which made me crack up for two years in a row. Every report card Maddie has received ALWAYS says something like "Maddie can count to 65.... WHEN SHE WANTS TO." This little sweet child of mine is so her own person and everything has to be her idea most of the time. I love her for it...

The pic to the left is her thank you note to us for attending her conferences. As you can see, she copied Dear Mommy quite well, but what is even cooler is that she wrote rainbow under her paw there. Ms. Preeti sounded it out and Maddie wrote what she heard - R-A-N-B-O!

Not too shabby kiddo!!! Keep sliding on those rainbows and everything will be just fine!!!

The Fish Died...

2007-11-08T16:49:00.000-08:00

Maddie's class blog is password protected so I've copied with permission the latest entry to be posted. When I dropped Maddie off at school this morning, Preeti showed it to me and said that Maddie was the star of the post! So... kind of morbid, but fish die - it's a fact of life!

From Ms. Preeit's Blog...

Why did our fish die?
Last Friday afternoon, we realized that our fish were not doing well. Three goldfish did not look good. They were swimming belly-up in the tank. I took the three fish out into another tub, as advised to by a colleague who is knowledgeable about fish. He also suggested I check the quality of the water with a PH value kit. I did this discreetly - my intention being not to upset the children. The PH value was in the acceptable range. It was almost time for the buses, so children didn’t quite realize what I had done. Nor was there enough time to explain to them, since the fish looked pretty bad. After the children left, the three fish died. Now, there was only one that survived. I fed the fish, crossed my fingers and left.

Monday morning, when children started to arrive, Maddie was the first to notice that the lone fish didn’t look too good. “The fishy is sick, Ms. Preeti”, she said. “Like this”. And she opened our “How to take care of Fish” book to a page which gave info on signs that meant the fish were sick. A couple of other girls came by to check the tank. They compared our fish with the picture in the book. Samantha said that we needed a thermometer and medicine for the fish because he was sick. At that point, I went to ask the colleague for more advice and he suggested trying to check the levels of Nitrate in the water. This time, children saw what I did. I explained to them that I was checking to see if the water was good for the fish. We measured 5ml of tank water and put in 7 drops of the chemical together. We then shook the tube and compared the color with that on the chart. It was yellow-which is what it should be. The water was good. But the fish wasn’t. And it did die. Children saw that I was bothered. Maddie said to me: “Ms. Preeti, don’t be sad. I will buy you some new fish”.

At our next meeting, we discussed what had happened to our fish and children were pretty sure that the fish died because they were sick. We also discussed that living things don’t necessarily die if they are sick. I asked them what we should do. Most children wanted to buy new fish. In our class, children take turns everyday to feed the fish and turtles. And they are quite responsible about their job. Even if the child whose turn it is forgets, invariably someone else will remind the child.

47 Shopping Days Until Christmas

2007-11-07T20:35:00.000-08:00

Our little American now has her passport in hand so we are counting down the days until we can head back to Oregon to put our feet on homeland soil. It may be 47 shopping days until Christmas, but it's only 37 until we can shout "TIMBER" at the top of our lungs as we chop down the tree! Can't wait to see you all...

We love Book Fairies!!

2007-11-06T21:15:00.000-08:00

There are two things Maddie said to me this morning the very second she opened her eyes.

I'm ready for ballet class now (more later on that one...)
The Book Fairy is coming to school today

I knew it was Book Fair day at school, but I had no idea that it was the Book Fairy that delivered the books! I love looking at life through Maddie's glasses. I am so very humbled by being a mom!!

We kind of went way out as she took her shopping bag and stuffed it with books from every corner of the room. Before checking out, we went through and counted the books to see how many we were splurging on and found that Maddie had grabbed a book in Spanish. This is how the conversation went...

Me: "Maddie, mommy doesn't know how to read Spanish... I can read Japanese, but Spanish I cannot do."
Peanut: "Hmmm... maybe daddy can read it to me!"
Me: "Daddy can order certain items at restaurants across, but I don't know if he could read this book."
Peanut: "Hmmm... maybe Ms. Zhou can read it to me!"
Me: "Ms. Zhou can read Chinese, but not Spanish. What shall we do Maddie?"
Peanut: "Hmmm... maybe we should give the book to Pattie Lou. Pattie Lou can read Dora Spanish!"

And so Maddie searched the room for the newest student to join her class. Pattie Lou is from Mexico and speaks very little English, but is quite the celebrity in class because she speaks Dora's language! Maddie was so excited to give the book to her and the heartfelt look of knowing she had just done something darn good beamed across her face!

In the end, we purchased 12 books! After the big purchase, we went back to class and I offered to read books to groups of kids. This may surprise you, but they all wanted to read the newest Dora books. Go figure...

Happy Reading Maddie Anna!

Dad Came Home with a Prize!

2007-11-04T20:02:00.000-08:00

I return to school from maternity leave in two weeks.... oh my gosh, two weeks. How time flies! I've been thinking about how to make it as easy as possible on my heart. I'm been planning and worrying and thinking some more and decided to have a "rainy day plan"... literally. IF it's raining, it doesn't make sense for Amelia to enter the rain to come to me... it makes sense for me to go to her! So.... this is what dad came home with today!! The nice thing about it is that everybody in the family can enjoy it!! We can zip to school in a jiff or zip to the village when we need some grub. And it's RED!!! Thanks Andy!!

Dad's Home!!!

2007-11-03T21:59:00.000-07:00

At last... we've been waiting and waiting! Dad is HOME!

Before Andy left for Thailand, we all went to the Shanghai Fabric Market and ordered a family set of cashmere coats! This is Maddie's first tailor made cashmere coat and, of course, it is pink! It was in the 60s today, but as soon as she saw it, she had to wear it for the rest of the day! She can't wait to show it off at school on Monday... I hope it's cold then!

We took Amelia and Maddie down to the Bund for Amelia's first visit. The wind was calm, the neon was out, the boats had their horns blaring.... it was awesome! Full of giggles and light...

Hope you enjoyed your day girls!

Moments that make you Smile!

2007-11-01T17:19:00.000-07:00

And that's all I have to say about that...

Halloween - Part II

2007-10-31T21:03:00.000-07:00

Maddie was giddy most of the day and the squeals of delight did not stop until she crashed at bed time. Leading the parade was a highlight and Trick-or-Treating around the the community was a highlight. I love living out here because it's just so... down home. Go figure - in China of all places.

The kids and parents all met up together around 6:00 and then went Trick-or-Treating for over an hour. They say that there aren't that many houses out at the Links but I think an hour and 17 houses is plenty of fun! I was so happy to see the parents dressed up too... we didn't even plan it that way. And of course, because we were dressed up we were able to partake in a few treats along the way. Leave it to Todd Parham, our resident, "keep it real" father to bring out the beverages for the walk around the Links. Everyone was laughing and having a great time!!

Even mom dressed up for Halloween!!!

Maddie, Rigel and Annika...

One of my students, Sam, always decorates his house and hands out presents like Santa at Halloween time. And then he has something special for his teachers... but I didn't fall for it this year!!

Lucinda, Preeti, Michele, me, and Carolyn prepare for our treats!!!

Halloween Day - Part One!

2007-10-31T11:07:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a full morning at school and so much has happened to the girls today that I thought I would do TWO entries. Both will be full of pictures!

Maddie decided that she was going to be a fairy princess for Halloween and Maddie also decided that Amelia would be a kitty cat for her first Halloween debut. I've gotta give Maddie full credit as she was seriously thinking ahead when we walked past Halloween costumes at Babies R Us over the summer - it was all her idea!

Running into Maddie's VP, a.k.a Super Sacha, in the school library is always a great way to start the day! Here's the deal with walking through the hallways with two beautiful children..... it takes FOREVER to get anywhere!!! :)

Maddie, Malin and Ms. Preeti found themselves leading the entire elementary school for the parade. Thank goodness I gave tours of my university campus - walking backwards while holding a baby, talking, and taking pictures/video can't be done by just anybody ya know!

Taking a break on the parade route for a partial family photo! We sure miss you dad!!!!!

Snoozing Kitties....Carol had some quality snuggle time with a sleeping Amelia while I had some quality one on one time with Ms. Maddie during the assembly!

I had to include the picture of art teacher extraordinaire, Robert Davis.... the man has got style! That and he makes Maddie laugh really, really hard!!!

We ended the morning with a PreK party where Maddie actually got down and dirty while searching for spiders in a glob of goo!!

Happy Halloween Punka-doodles!!!

The Great Pumpkin

2007-10-29T04:36:00.000-07:00

Andy bought a pumpkin before he left for Thailand so that Maddie and I could have our traditional pumpkin carving time! This was Amelia's first halloween and Maddie was eager to share her years of experience with her little sister. Amelia hung on for about... oh.... 10 seconds so I put her down for a nap and Maddie continued on our merry little way on our own. This year definitely brought a twist to the traditional pumpkin carving event. Let's just say that the twist involved nail polish!!

Maddie decided to use nail polish as a glue for glitter hair!

Digging the seeds out with a spoon so that our nails don't get "too yucky!"

Check out the eyebrows on that pumpkin!!!

Moments from class...

2007-10-28T23:28:00.000-07:00

Maddie's teacher just sent this video out of the kiddos attempting a Halloween song and it was something I just had to share! I love being a mom!!!!

Halloween Parties!

2007-10-27T22:45:00.000-07:00

Andy and I rushed home after our Puxi meeting today so that we could go with Maddie to the Halloween Party!! I'm glad we did because when I saw Preeti (her teacher) at the party, she came and threw her arms around both Andy and I with a big thank you! Maddie had a "tough" day at school and just needed some straight Maddie Time. Apparently, she had even taken her blanket to school to help make her feel better...

Halloween parties are just the ticket though! It's just so America out here sometimes - it's a good thing around the holidays! Maddie may be a Third Culture Kid but she knows her holidays!!! I think this picture shows the third pumpkin she has carved this year... and there is more to come!!!

Maybe they are still a bit too young for Harry Potter!!

Some Night Jumpin' on the trampoline with Rigel!

Waiting to get into the Spooky Haunted House!

Maddie's Day at Home

2007-10-25T06:10:00.000-07:00

You've gotta give the girl credit...

Our house has been sick this week. No fevers - just asthmatic coughing that can be exhausting! Maddie stayed home on Monday, came home from school on Tuesday and stayed home on Wednesday. I was feeling under the weather so I had no problem "plugging" Maddie in for a Pixar marathon session. She's the one that turned the TV off - it wasn't my idea! She REALLY misses going to school when she is not there!!!!

You've gotta give the girl credit!

Lessons Learned... from a four year old

2007-10-22T20:15:00.001-07:00

"Maddie, Amelia is four weeks old today!"
"Mommy, we're the SAME! I'm four too!"
"You're right Maddie, shall we go wake her up together?"
"I can do it Mommy..."

So she walked into Amelia's room and stood on stool so she could see in and then I heard it.

"Good Morning, Good Morning, Good Morning... I love you... Good morning to you... hey... Good Morning." Just then, Amelia opened her eyes, turned to her sister and gave the BIGGEST smile I have seen so far.

This is the simple song I sang to Maddie when she was little. It has definitely been awhile since I've woken Maddie up with that song, but she pulled it from her memory bank and has started to sing it to Amelia. My four year old daughter has taught me yet another lesson and I've embraced this one. You see, I've struggled with keeping Maddie's identity Maddie's. Do I create another blog for Amelia? Do I write in Maddie's blog? I've been thinking about this for weeks and I feel like all of the clouds of doubt have disappeared now thanks to the peanut.

Maddie and Amelia are not the same, but....
they have the same parents that love them both very much and they will share similar memories their entire lives. They are both sisters to each other and they are connected. Rather than fiercely hold onto their individual identities, I'll go with the flow, take my daughter's lead, and celebrate their identity as sisters and our identity as a family.

Thank you Maddie Anna... we love you!

Wonderful Weekends - Sunny Days

2007-10-21T20:02:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that it's almost the end of October here! The air and skies have been clear in Pudong, the temps have been warm during the day and cool at night, workers are still mowing lawns and I'm still cutting roses off the rosebush! Maddie loves to be outside right now.... she's such a homebody these days too. Anytime we suggest going someplace in town, she' simple says, "no thanks!"

Feeding the fish in Jinqiao is a sure fire way to get the peanut out of the house though. The fish are now huge since it's the end of summer feedings by children begging to feed them just a little bit more!

Heading to Decathalon with the hope of buying a new ball or golf club is a sure fire way to get her out of the house as well. Ever since Andy bought her a golf club over the summer, she's convinced that she's the next Anika. They practice putting it the garage in the evenings... I wish I could say it was a cute father/daughter bonding moment in the traditional sense, but it's usually filled with screams of "I CAN DO IT BY MYSELF!" Maybe she'll be interested in learning later - for now, it's all for fun!

In the end, she's a home body though. She wants to come home to play with her things - to play with her friends. The fact that we live across the street from the playground gives her a birds eye view of who is there and who is not. This time it was Cooper. So, we came home and they played on the tire swing for what seemed like hours...

Shoot - it felt like I just of glass of lemonade for the this lazy afternoon in Shanghai Summer!!!

Happy Birthday Roqueya!

2007-10-20T19:21:00.000-07:00

Birthday parties are just downright fun when you're a little girl! Maddie wanted to wear pink, pink, pink, and then on top of that, she wanted to ride her pink scooter over to Roqueya's house!

She wanted to wear the puppy dog pink shoes that Allison bought her which made the scooter an "interesting" choice, but she was determined. (Note: she starts off
riding the scooter and a half a block later resorts to walking the scooter!!!)

The girls made princess crowns, colored, made candy bracelets, and genuinely had a great time! Amelia came along to observe proper etiquette at a party as well. Maddie wanted to show her how to act... please, thank yous and all!

Happy 5th Birthday Roqueya and a big thanks Roqueya, Rory, Carolyn, and Mike for throwing such a great party for the girls!!!!

Things you need for a passport...

2007-10-19T18:57:00.000-07:00

A big sister to gently wake you up...
A white background... a towel will do.

Open eyes... facing forward....
One hundred plus attempts... ergo, patience.

A Chinese birth certificate.... how cool is that?

Eureka!

Dooms Day - FLU SHOTS

2007-10-18T18:31:00.000-07:00

Oh boy.... this is one for the record books.

During my pregnancy, Maddie saw my blood drawn numerous times and she always watched with great interest and commented on how brave I was. She said she was brave too....
Maddie is definitely older and is absolutely capable of reason...
I promised her ice cream after her flu shot and she even held the money so that I couldn't change my mind...
We met up with Ri-Ri who before the flu shot and the two had quite the conversation about bravery... Ri-Ri said that he was three and Maddie was four so Maddie had to be brave because he was brave...

If only things went as planned...

The following sequence looks peaceful enough... notice there are no pictures after the nurse cleaned off Maddie arm to prepare for the shot. In Maddie's words,

I DON'T WANT TO BE BRAVE ANYMORE!!!

Big Sister Duties

2007-10-15T21:21:00.000-07:00

Part of the responsibilities of a big sister is to look out for one's little sister. The few weeks after Amelia was born, the neighbors organized a Meals on Wheels where they made us home cooked meals for two straight weeks. Every night at 6:00 a new meal would arrive and usually a present or two.

Our neighbors genuinely have hearts of gold. I have been curious about how Maddie would handle not being the first one recognized in the family. Would she be jealous of the attention that Amelia was receiving? Every parent out at the Links must have thought the exact same thing because most of them arrived with a present for Amelia AND a present for Maddie!

The is where the big sisterly duty comes in... Amelia obviously can't open presents yet so Maddie is more than willing and able to assist by opening presents and storing them for future use. Tonight she opened a present for our superintendent and his wife. Dennis and Lois brought crotchet booties for Amelia and a nature cotton sweater. Maddie received a flying butterfly to add to her collection. She loved it and LOVED getting on Andy's shoulders to hang it from her light in her room. Check out the grin on that face!!!!

After School

2007-10-12T21:22:00.000-07:00

Maddie always wants to play after school.... I just can't see why. She simply doesn't have any fun and NEVER laughs!!! ;o)

Baby Day

2007-10-12T20:59:00.000-07:00

Friday was Baby Day in Ms. Preeti's class at school. Maddie had been counting down the days until she could bring Amelia to school to show her off to her classmates. She had been showing pictures online and her friends may have seen me pass briefly in the hallway, but this was the big show!

We met all of the children first. Amelia was the smallest at two weeks, Bauer was six weeks old, Trinity was four months old and Eva was nine months old.

The children brainstormed questions beforehand and had most of them answered by the time we all left. Maddie's questions was, "why do babies cry?" which I thinks he asked because she knew the answer!!! The children wrapped up the day by singing a song to the babies. BUT Maddie wasn't done...

We had taken Amelia to the doctor the day before and had pictures. Andy had printed them off for Maddie to share and she sat right next to Ms. Preeti and acted as a teacher herself by holding the pictures in front of each child's eyes. She was soooooo proud and we were so proud of her!!!

Amelia's First Doctor Visit

2007-10-11T20:50:00.000-07:00

We picked up Maddie from school early today because she wanted to go to the doctor with Amelia to show her how to be brave... hmmm. On the way to the doctor's office, I realized that this would be the first time that Maddie saw a male doctor. Maddie's doctor in the States is a girl... my doctor is a girl... so I thought I would mention that Amelia was going to have a male doctor. Andy and I then listened to Maddie's reasoning for why Amelia needed a girl doctor for the hour ride down to Xiantiandi. At least she knows that girls can be doctors - it's the norm in her life!

One reason we took Maddie with us was because tomorrow is baby day at school. The children are very interested in why babies go to the doctor. So we took pictures of Dr. Jenkins checking out her soft spot and over Amelia being weighed. Incidentally, we must be doing something right because she was 2.7 kg when we left the hospital and now she's 3.6!! Maddie was brave today and played the big sister role proudly! The doctor was wonderful and had Maddie hold onto instruments for him... she was an excellent assistant! Maybe a doctor someday? We'll see if this bravery thing holds!!!!!!!!!

Alicia Visits!!

2007-10-08T20:36:00.000-07:00

As time goes by, we are realizing more and more just how special Maddie's Saudi experience truly was. The friendships we developed there will last a life time as the bonds that were formed are unbreakable. Common joys and common sorrows in a place that is so completely different from one's own base have cemented friendships for which we are extremely thankful.

Alicia and Andy Lewis came to Saudi our last year there and are quite simply, the best of the bestest people. Alicia was a music teacher extraordinaire with talent and personality! Maddie loved going to Alicia's room to play instruments... piano, bongos, whistles... you name it, Maddie loved it. One of my favorite memories was of Alicia and Maddie sitting at the piano at Alicia's house and Maddie trying so very hard to play just like Alicia. Alicia has patience and joy in her heart and Maddie's responds well to her because of it.

We are in different places now, but we were lucky enough to have Alicia come to Shanghai as part of an Atlas Rubicon visit to Maddie's school. Alicia stayed with us and Maddie, of course, remembered her. When we saw Alicia and Andy this summer, Maddie remembered the lady with the piano and when Maddie saw Alicia this time in Shanghai, she again asked where her piano was... I had to explain that it didn't fit in the suitcase!

Why am I not surprised that Maddie jumped up on Alicia's lap to snuggle before bedtime? Why am I not surprised that Alicia let Maddie work on her computer in her lap? Why am I not surprised that Maddie let Alicia carry her up the stairs and put her to bed? It's wonderful to see such acceptance and joy in Maddie's heart! She's a special girl who was able to spend more time with a special lady. Thanks for being here Alicia!!

Maddie's Pink Light

2007-10-08T07:07:00.000-07:00

Pictures like this from the Japan Meteorological Agency make Maddie wake up at 2 a.m. screaming SCARY at the top of her lungs! Unfortunately, Maddie lives on the weathered side of the house. All of the wind and all of the rain that comes in from White Dragon Bay slams against Maddie's outer wall and makes the siding on the house simply shake. She ran out of her room refusing to go back inside and was in downright hysterics, but I convinced her to show me the "scary" stuff. She pointed to the monster in the wall and I explained that it was just the wind, but honestly, I wouldn't have believed me either at her age. So... we decided the monster was really tap dancing! After a few giggles... we turned on all of Maddie's favorite lights.

We pulled out this lovely pink light from Ikea - Maddie's favorite color seemed to make her consider the thought of staying in her bedroom.

Her second favorite night light is the hello kitty plug-in that I bought in Jingdezhen last May. Now she pondered staying in her room for the night.

The clincher was the sparkly night light. Between the tap dancing monster and her favorite three night lights - she said her thanks and told me to go to bed!! Not bad for a mere 20 minutes of considering and pondering!!!!

Maddie and Ri-Ri

2007-10-07T18:05:00.000-07:00

I really like living across the street from the playground. Maddie looks out the window to see if anybody is out there and then decides that she must go play with her friends right then and there. She opens the front door and yells, "Hi friends" at the top of her lungs. She gets to the street and then announces to them that she must wait a minute to cross the street because she has to look for cars!

I just love watching Ri-Ri and Maddie together... in a way they are like an old married couple. They love each other most of the time and then every once in awhile, Maddie does her Maddie "thang" and Ri-Ri just looks at her as if to say, "oh, get over yourself!" I LOVE IT!

Maddie always has the biggest smile on her face when she plays with Ri-Ri. They love to do everything kids should be doing together. They chase each other, they play hide and seek. Ri-Ri even has pretend tea parties with her (for short moments) and she even sometimes let's him put sand on her head. I had to laugh really hard the other day though when he had done this and she insisted on coming in and changing her clothes because she was too dirty. As I said, the "get over yourself" look came out fast!

Thanks for playing with us Ri-Ri! You are one cool kid and Maddie loves you tons... just wait until she asks for that first kiss! Can you imagine???!!!!

My Miami Ink Girl!

2007-10-06T17:33:00.000-07:00

It may be a sign of thing to come! One of Maddie's classmates had a birthday party today and they went way out for the kids. There was a magic show - there was a balloon man - I think the guests may have received more gifts than the kids! The point is that Maddie had fun in spite of one phone call home saying she had bonked her head (I talked to her on the phone and the mere thought of going home early was enough to stop the water works)!

We woke up the next morning and Maddie begged to put on her tattoos. Dad, of course, jumped at the opportunity and they went to work. I don't know who was more excited!! She may not be on Miami Ink anytime soon, but it does have potential.... ACK!

Maddie Shares Her Life!

2007-10-03T21:43:00.000-07:00

It's the October break in China no which means we have an entire week at home with the newly formed four. It's a good thing because we get to figure out how to bring Amelia into our daily lives. I am so cognizant of Maddie's feelings and emotions right now. She's like me though and as long as she is helping, then she is just fine. Andy and I can't be Amelia hogs in other words! Amelia "belongs" to Maddie just as much!!

Maddie always wants to hold Amelia - even when she's crying. She is a bit frustrated that she can't feed Amelia, but she helps out in soooooo many other ways. Maddie is in charge of getting everything ready for Amelia's bath. She has the list in her head knows exactly what to make available: tub, soap, PINK washcloth, Amelia's hooded towel, lotion, TWO diapers (just in case), new clothes. It was actually Maddie's idea to have two diapers - smart kid!!!

First Morning with a New Sister!!

2007-09-28T22:04:00.000-07:00

HA!

I've just realized something... it took Amelia's arrival to make me realize this certain something. I admit it to it readily and take full responsibility for my actions:

I've been a Maddie Hog. :)

I just love her so much and want to do things with her... I love brushing her hair. I love the routine we have in brushing her teeth. I love the song I sing when I wake her up in the morning. Fortunately for Maddie, Amelia's arrival is going to let her experience these things with dad more often. Dad will probably get too wake her up and brush her hair and brush her teeth more often now... this always means that dad gets to negotiate how to brush her hair and teeth now too!! HA!

Today Maddie woke up and asked to have Amelia sleep her in bed with her for a few minutes. We snapped the above pic as Amelia just cooed while listening to Maddie's soft morning voice. It really hit us today: OMG - There are TWO of them!!!!!!

Had to attached this pics as well - as I said, dad gets to brush Maddie's hair sometimes now too. Guess who won this negotiation???

And then there were FOUR!!!!

2007-09-24T22:36:00.000-07:00

Maddie's world became very flat today indeed. She woke up as the sole little girl in our household and is going to sleep with a sister in hands and heart for the rest of her days!

Maddie's sister, Amelia Mabel was born today in Shanghai, China only one block from Xintiandi which was the site of the First People's National Communist Congress. Our friends Daneah and Jeff brought Maddie in with Carol and Ms. Zhou for a first time visit.

I'll never forget Maddie peeking into the room for the first time. The amount of energy that took over her body was amazing. She had apparently wanted to change her clothes for the big occasion and was wearing her favorite Laura Ashley dress with her ballet slippers. She immediately ran to Amelia and begged us to hold her.... so she hopped up on the bed. I held onto Maddie and Maddie held onto Amelia.

My favorite part of the evening was when Maddie started to sing her class song to Amelia... she literally looked like she could just eat Amelia all up... she discovered her tiny little toes, fingers, fingernails.....

This is the beginning of something special.....

Swimming, Snacks, Santa, Snow

2007-09-22T00:40:00.000-07:00

Maddie has been studying the letter S in school. SSSSSSSSSSSSSS... on this Saturday we've been through a lot of S events! Maddie woke up talking about how it's not really hot outside (it's 80 degrees) and she tried to convince us that it's Snowing and that Santa will be coming soon so we had to prepare. She put on her Summer dress but then followed up with a pair of pants, her winter coat from last year, socks, and shoes. Ain't she cute??!!!!

After convincing her that it wasn't Christmas time yet, we hopped in the car and went over to Puxi because daddy was the Official Ceremony Starter for the swim meet. Just think, he's had tons of education and has recently been promoted to Deputy Superintendent.... just to say, "Swimmers - on your mark!" Maddie and I were so proud of him!
After hitting a few antique stores we came home to hang out inside while it pours outside. I think there is more rain today than there was with Typhoon Wipha earlier this week! The last S for the day would be the Snack though... I know I've written about this before, but I'm still just gobsmacked.

Snack:
Pimento Stuffed Olives
Seasoned Seaweed
Apple Pears
Multi-Grain Ritz Crackers
Cheese

Her favorite?? The seaweed of course!!!!

Still Three and Loving Life...

2007-09-21T08:12:00.000-07:00

I dropped Maddie off at school this morning fully expecting that the next time I saw here would be with sister in hand. Ends up that sister is just as stubborn as Maddie and will do things her own way in her own time. She's moved to an "unfavorable" position so we'll just a little bit longer...

Today was an important day at school for Maddie though. It was the annual Shanghai American School Spirit Walk. Every time we get Maddie's House Shirt out, she just starts giggling. This year, she wrote us invitation to participate with her - which we couldn't do, but I was able to snap this pic beforehand. Maddie is a PUMA, Ms. Preeti is a PUMA, Malin is a PUMA.... Maddie couldn't be happier! I amazed that she knows and recognizes all of the House names. Falcons, Bears, Dolphins... she knows them all and says, "look mommy, that boy is dolphin!"

I love this school for her - it's such a positive and uplifting environment. As a parent, my favorite things is how the grades mix together. Middle school kids go into Maddie's class to read, older elementary kids acknowledge her in the hall... it's a genuine community. Maddie is one lucky young lady and loving life all the way...

Last Night of Three - Maybe....

2007-09-20T16:48:00.000-07:00

Maddie has been a very healthy child. There - I said it. JINX!

Amazingly, I could probably count on one hand the number of times Maddie has had a fever. When she does get them though, they always seem to hang out for a long time. Now I'm staring tho think she may actually have some type of control over the timing of these fevers... wouldn't that be amazing?

Amelia is "scheduled" to arrive sometime tomorrow so it's our last night of three at home - not including Lester and the fish. We've had a great day and a great night. Because yesterday was a Typhoon Day (not like the snow days I experienced growing up), Maddie and I accomplished quite a lot. We made brownies for Treat Day at school, we finally got our family photo framed to take to her classroom and most importantly, we finished her About Me book. Ms. Preeti had us make on last year so I should've been a bit more prepared this time, but we had no color printer, yada, yada, yada. The combination of being a stay-at-home mom AND having a Typhoon Day let us take the three hours required to make the book this year. She helped me choose pics out of i-photo and we sent them to dad at school so he could print them on the color printer. We then cut out all 40 pics with decorative scissors and glued them strategically into the book. She then told me about each picture and I wrote a caption to go along with it. She then took colored smiley face stickers and color coordinated the sticker with the colored pencil I had used to write the captions. Did I mention that this took three hours?! :) It really was a great day and great night of three plus Lester plus the fish.

Cough, cough, gag, gag... it started earlier today but she seemed to be ignoring the symptoms. By evening though, the peanut looked a little gray around the edges. We'll see what the night holds and then we'll see what the morning holds. And then we'll see if Maddie is up to Amelia's arrival tomorrow! :)

Maddie Became a Baby

2007-09-16T08:15:00.000-07:00

There will be four years between Maddie and Amelia. I like the age difference because Maddie is her own person with her own life with her own memories. She's old enough to remember Amelia coming home for the very first time. As "the day" approaches, Maddie is becoming a bit more.... baby-like. At the beginning of the pregnancy, Maddie was convinced that SHE was never a baby. Pics we would show her from her first year of life were of "somebody else" and the the ultrasound picture we have framed of her was NOT of Maddie.

Every once in awhile though.... she wants to be the baby. It started with her sliding out of bed in the mornings and actually crawling into our room. When we set the crib up, she had to show us that she really did fit and that she could sleep in the crib. She told me that the diapers we bought were too small for her and that she needed some bigger ones - we just had to go shopping. All of this while she's telling me everything she is going to teach Amelia. (Number 1: Don't splash the bathroom wall with water when you're taking a bath. Funny that she doesn't take her own advice though!!)

Something happened today though! Maddie's Grandma Barbara bought a new computer and was transferring all of her files over when she came across this very special movie. Maddie's first steps actually occurred on Barbara's birthday when we were in Saudi Arabia... for some reason we had the video camera on Andy was able to make this movie. Maddie has now watched this movie 10 times in 10 minutes and is now convinced that she was, indeed, a baby at one time. In her words, "Maddie became a baby."

We love you so much Madeline Anna! Your first steps continue and it's a pleasure to be a part of all the firsts you experience!!

Dad Took the Keys...

2007-09-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

We had the car. We were ready for school. Recognizing we would get drenched just walked in the car in the driveway, Maddie was prepared.

Rain boots - check
Rain coat - check
Umbrella - check

Keys to the car - no check!!!

Oops! Dad took them with him so we though we would try to walk to school. HELLO?? We live on the Links!!!! The Links is on White Dragon Bag and when it rains hard, it rains sideways. We made it one house down and turned around. After changing clothes, we called dad and enjoyed (just a little bit) the moment he realized the keys were in his pocket!

We waited the rain out and just had a leisurely hour at home. There is this great website for her that Ms. Preeti has on her blog page. So we just sat there and played on the computer(s). This isn't the actual shot of that moment, but it just goes to show ya... the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!!

Think of Solutions!

2007-09-15T00:38:00.001-07:00

The Wang Dang Dingers that I've written about still happen and actually they are happening a little bit more now that Amelia is close to arriving. BUT, Maddie does sometime choose to listen to reason at times. Today she came home with a heart balloon from school and within five minutes she had let it go in our entryway. Our entryway goes all the way up to the second floor so from her point of view it was a lost cause and the balloon was lost forever.

Enter: Wang Dang Dinger

WAIT!!!!

Me: "Now Maddie, I need you to think. Do you want the balloon down?"
Maddie: "Yes, but I can't reach it... I'm too small."
Me: "Now Maddie, think. Don't give up - let's use our mind. How can we get that balloon down?"
Maddie: "I don't know Mommy" she said with a hopeful look like I may have an idea.
Me: "Maddie, let's look for some broomsticks, rope, and tape."
Maddie: "Okay, Mommy. Can we get the balloon then?"
Me: "We can certainly try!"

Ms. Zhou was with us at the time and I'm pretty sure that she thought I was insane. It wasn't about getting the balloon down though; it was about trying to problem solving without resorting to crying as a first instinct. We found a mop. We found a long kite still in it's plastic wrap. We found a long white stick used to hold up one of her tents. We couldn't find rope, but we did find a long white cable TV cord. We found tape. We put all of this together and then Ms. Zhou decided to join the party because Maddie and I were laughing so hard! Ms. Zhou stood up on those stairs and reached way up high so that she was able to get the balloon with the tape I had put at the end of the long pole. Success!

So we laughed and Maddie has now decided that it's a good thing to let balloons go in the entryway....

Stay at Home Mom

2007-09-11T23:19:00.000-07:00

As of Friday, September 7 I officially went on maternity leave. I am now a stay at home mom for the next 10 weeks. Me... stay at home mom. I never thought those two would appear in the same sentence! I will enjoy the benefits though and especially enjoy these last few weeks of Maddie and Me time. I know that we'll still still have Maddie and Me time after Amelia arrives just like I'll have Amelia and Me time, but I'm sensing that my girl needs some reassurance.

Every morning we have the same ritual. Dad gives us kisses and heads to work. We eat breakfast together. Maddie feeds the fish and then we drive to school. Even though it's only three short blocks, who wants to walk when one is this pregnant? So, we drive! Maddie loves the wind in her hair and loves screaming "Ni Hao" out the window to the all of the guards we pass on the way to school.

The second year of school for Maddie is so familiar yet different. She's so much more "present" when we arrive at school. She knows to get the yellow folder out for Ms. Preeti and she knows to go to the chart of the wall where she puts a check next to her name and then puts a check in the box of chocolate milk or apple juice for lunch.

On Tuesday, I went into her class during Centers time. Ms. Preeti was helping the kids perfect their people drawing skills. No more stick figures for these little ones! They are noticing and drawing in the details now!! I was at the station where the kids pasted a head-shot photo onto paper and then drew in the rest of their body. Their first attempts were hilarious! Typically, the girls paid attention to the details like the colors of the flowers on their desk and the boys... well, they just wanted to finish it and get onto the next station. It was great fun witnessing all of this!

Stay at home mom? I don't know if I could just stay home, but I sure love going into Maddie's class!

Maddie's Show and Tell Day

2007-08-27T21:45:00.000-07:00

Maddie had a show and tell day last year and she brought in her two stuffed horses - they were actually unicorns, but don't tell her that! It was early in the school year and she really didn't have a lot to say about them.

When we found out that today was her first show and tell day this year, we talked about what she wanted to bring in and share with the class. A stuffed animal? no.... A favorite book? no.... She thought of bringing in her own golf club all by herself!

I didn't even have to "give" her the words as she just started rambling on and on and on and on. Daddy bought me this hat in a store - in America. He said I had to wear it if he bought it. It's my golf hat. Daddy bought me my golf club. Don't swing it high or someone will get a bonk. Hold it like this and hit the ball soft - not hard. (As I re-read this, I can hear a "Rainman" type voice in my head. She really doesn't sound like Dustin Hoffman that much!!)

Now that's pretty darn good! I love it for two reasons: a) she has the words to say what she really wants to say. b) she really does listen to us sometimes even though she acts like she's not listening! :) She loves that she and daddy can go into the garage in the evenings and hit golf balls together.. she seems really interested! Who knows if she'll be interested down the road, but it's kind of cool that she's interested now.

Maddie's First Day of School!! Take 2

2007-08-20T10:02:00.000-07:00

I have a daughter....
I have a daughter who is in her second year of school....
Maddie has grown up and she's an official member of Ms. Preeti's Pre-K 4 class.

It was slight torture for her because school actually started on Thursday but the school was "evaluating" all of the new kids in order to find the right placement for them. So much to Maddie's chagrin, she had to extend her summer vacation and extra few days... she hated that!!

She was ready to show off her new backpack from her birthday and her new Dora the Explorer watch from the knock-off market. There was just enough change for her too as she had a different classroom and a different aide, but she still has the same teacher. This is a good thing because Preeti knows Maddie. She's knows how Maddie thinks, how she works, what to do if, and if, and if...

The girl is in school again and I can tell it's going to be a really good year for her. There is a new library at the school which is almost as good as Christmas in her eyes. Her vocab allows her to express herself and she sees herself as a helper to the new kids. Life is good and Maddie knows it!!!!

Happy 4th Birthday Madeline!!

2007-08-05T15:55:00.000-07:00

We've been back a week and found that both blogger AND youtube are blocked in China so it takes TIME to get the posts up and running. This post is worth it though as it's all about Maddie's 4th birthday!

She woke up just a bit cranky but came around a bit and surprisingly did not want others to know that it was her birthday. We went swimming with Cooper in the morning, but she didn't want to tell him it was her birthday. She only wanted mom and dad to know. Things that make you go, hmmmmmm......

We went to the Links' store and Maddie decided to buy a chocolate cake with chocolate icing! Between the three of us, I'm pretty sure we got chocolate in every nook and cranny in the kitchen! Maddie thoroughly enjoyed licking the bowl and I think she's coming around to the camp of believers in batter being better than the actual cake. As Maddie decorated the cake, she would put one spoonful on the cake and one spoonful in her mouth... she explained the pattern to me through her chocolate teeth!

We got the sprinkles out and she decorated away... again with sprinkles rolling in every nook and cranny in the kitchen but she was so happy! I had brought back things from our "American home" and Maddie put those on the cake... 4 candles, 3 pinwheels, and 4 toothpick clowns.
I think Maddie was more interested in the decorating of the cake rather than the eating of the cake because after blowing out the candles and taking a single bite, she declared that she was ready for her presents!

She loved her new chapstick and put it in her make-up bag after trying it out on daddy - she said he needed a little color! She loved the finger paints... she loved the new Hello Kitty backpack for school... she loved the new Mac game that she played with this summer in the Mac Store... but she is a girl so most of all, I think she loved her Barbie!

She getting quicker at opening her presents! At Christmas time it took 3 hours to open 3 presents. This time it only took 1.5 hours to open her presents! The please and thank you's were flowing freely and she was one happy little four year old girl!!

And We're Off!!!

2007-07-24T21:42:00.000-07:00

I have to admit something here to everyone that reads this blog. When I leave, I cry. It doesn't matter where I leave, how long I've been there, or where I'm going... I always cry. It's one of those things that you try to call endearing to make yourself feel better, but secretly it's a negative attribute that clouds ones personality. When Maddie was born, I promised myself that I would try really, really hard not to pass that personality trait on to her. Life is about enjoying the moment and looking forward to the wonderful possibilities that come your way.

Obviously, she is older now and more aware of the whole leaving aspect. She's aware of what "missing you" feels like... it hurts sometimes and I don't blame her one little bit for trying to avoid it at all costs. The way Maddie is growing up though, she is always going to be missing somebody, but I want her to learn that she gets to go on life adventures and then come back to share all that she has learned, hopefully enriching her life and the lives of everyone she touches.

The adventures this summer have been most excellent. Thanks to Grandma Barbara and Grandpa Earl for getting us set up in our new home. Thanks to Connor and Sam for spending such quality time with us and building memories. Thanks to Susan and Doug for striving to bring the family together for special occasions (you prove that it CAN be done)! Thanks to Larry and Kim for helping with move and sharing your wonderful AND GROWING family with us. Thanks to Grandma Dotty for showing us the Wild West and all the wonderful things it has to offer. There are so many thanks for so many things... this was just the tip of the iceberg.

So... we'll be missing you (the ones we saw and the ones we didn't... and we'll be looking forward to the next time we meet face to face where we'll enrich each others lives and enjoy the moment.

And.... WE'RE OFF!

Family Day...

2007-07-21T21:37:00.000-07:00

Sam and Connor came over for the last time today before we leave to China. Maddie simply loves them and they are soooooo good to her and for her. She just beams. I'll tell ya something... there are almost 12 years between her and Connor and there are nearly 12 years between me and my brother, Mikey. (I think I'm the only one in the world that still calls him that by the way.) When I was a little girl, I remember being in absolute awe when Mikey would shuffle cards. I remember being in absolute awe when we would make pudding on the stove together and he had the strength to push that flexible wire whisk to the bottom of the pan so that it did not burn. I really looked up to my big brother and Maddie is starting to do the same thing with Connor. He can do no wrong in her eyes.

Today we all went to the park to run around a bit. I love to see the joy in Maddie's face when she is on the swings. I caught her singing "our" song today when she thought nobody was looking or listening. I sang it to her when she was a tiny little baby in Saudi Arabia and we had a red Little Tykes booster swing on our front porch. I'm amazed that she remembers the words and sings it without any prompting.

Swingin', being, good as pizza pie...
Swingin', being, I could swing all night...
I close my eyes...
I count to three...
Now let me tell you...
What I see...
My toes up to the sky!
I think I'll swing all night!
Swingin', being, good as pizza pie...
Swingin', being, I could swing all night...

Aunt Susan and Elena came over in the afternoon to give Maddie an early birthday present. Elena is the girl in Maddie's family that she strives to be. This summer Maddie has "informed" me that we must stop trimming her hair because she wants long hair like Elena. She wants to wear Elena's dresses... she wants to be Elena. This Maddie Anna is one lucky kid - let me tell you.

After "the boys" and Maddie went shopping they came home and we invited Grandma Barbara and Grandpa Earl over for dinner at our place. Andy made a great feast of smoked ribs, pork chops, salmon, spuds, broccoli... it was kind of a potpourri feast! In other words, we were cleaning out our fridge! After dinner we sat around the table and played cards. It was great fun for Maddie to sit there and listen to all of us chattering at the same time. We were all talking and listening at the same time and she sat there desperately trying to follow. Before we knew it, she started talking very loud in tried to grab our attention with her own story. She was very serious and was thrilled to be a part of it!

Thanks Connor for showing Maddie was a good hand in poker looks like... she listened and learned! Of course, all she learned from me most of the night was how to say, "I fold!" I guess that's what big brothers are for though...

A Daddy Day!

2007-07-21T07:08:00.001-07:00

I was along for the ride all day, but I was the official photo taker - I've gotta blog more! I like to tell stories about Madeline. We started the morning off with heading out to Reedville Cafe in the morning for some excellent grub... there's nothing better than a hometown breakfast on a rainy day! Maddie, of course, had her fill of pancakes which left her in an excellent mood!

We then went shopping with Dad and got some things for him - he still needs more things but getting him to shop for himself is almost impossible. He bought some new running shoes with Maddie's approval on the color choice. It will surprise you to know that she felt if he bought anything other than pink, then he just was not a hip dad!

We then HAD to stop by the golf store and as soon as we got in there, I took Maddie to the putting green in order to let dad concentrate on mecca experience around him. Immediately, Maddie went to the PINK gripped putter and started putting away. She was cute in that she would plant her feet and kind of rock back and forth on them to get set up and then she line up the putter and usually get it in. Granted, she was swinging the putter between her legs, but the ball was getting in! We had just bought her a PINK baseball cap at REI and she told me that her pink cap gave her luck.

The lucky pink hat was simply too tempting for Andy so Maddie and I politely sat on the putting green and watched daddy work his magic. We have him the courtesy golf clap and then decided to go ahead and get a putter for Maddie. It does not have a pink grip, but she wanted it and I know she'll use it. We live on a golf course in China and we best take advantage of it while we have it! I envision waking up on Saturday morning and heading to the club house while dad goes to the driving range and Maddie and I hit the putting green!

When we left there, we headed to the recycling place and Maddie knew exactly what to do She is a true Oregonian at heart and gets the recycling thing. When she finished with something that is recyclable, she puts in the our recycle bin without thinking twice. She's a green girl!!

Four more sleeps until we get on that plane! The next couple of days will be spent playing with the boys, getting some last minute shopping in and simply enjoying the moment. It's raining and it's gorgeous... the air is fresh, the birds are singing, the grass is green... I love Oregon - I simply love it. I'm glad that Maddie is proving to love it too!

And She Sleeps...

2007-07-21T07:04:00.002-07:00

It has been a week since I've written in Maddie's blog - we've been busy. I think because it gets dark soooooo late (9:30), I find that the day just isn't long enough. I usually blog at night when Maddie goes to sleep. Sleep has not been plentiful for Maddie and she needs it. She'll not be a happy camper when she's older and realizes that I snapped this candid moment and posted it to her blog! Had to do it Maddie!!

Maddie and I have something in common right now though! I'm sleeping even less than she is simply because of my back! Sheesh - this pregnancy thing was much more novel the first time around. Look at this picture and SEE how huge I am - doesn't it look like my back would hurt? :)

We're all so happy in our new home (especially Maddie with her bunk beds) and we're really not ready to head back to Shanghai... I feel like we just got back to the States a few weeks ago. Perhaps it's time though to head back... perhaps.

Making Brownies

2007-07-12T19:31:00.001-07:00

Andy and I have been at workshops so Maddie has been spending time with Grandma Barbara and her cousins, Elena and Ethan. I know she loves the time with them, but I miss her so much when I'm away from her... you know, distance makes the heart grow fonder! Summer is supposed to be OUR time so I feel like the workshops are intruding on that sacred time.

When we got home though, Maddie begged to make brownies. What a perfect time to use our new mixer!

Then of course we had to use our new convection oven!

But of course, we had to eat some of the batter before baking the brownies!

Of course... it was good quality time!!!

The Last Birthday Celebration...

2007-07-10T19:02:00.000-07:00

... before your birthday celebration Maddie! You've been counting the birthdays and the next one will be yours - I promise!

It was a great celebration today and Maddie had a great hula lesson from Sammy! I think they are both naturals! Maddie helped wrap Connor's birthday presents and even helped unwrap the presents. I don't know who was smiling more - Maddie or Connor. They both were thrilled to give and/or receive the gifts. Thanks to all who came over, for sharing the All Star Game, and Connor's birthday cake with us!!

Maddie's Busy Day At the Races!

2007-07-09T22:45:00.000-07:00

The peanut had to wake up early, but she made it to the ultrasound appointment with us and as soon as she saw Amelia's pictures on the screen, she immediately woke up! I'm so glad that she is going with us to all of these appointments. She's excited - I can tell because she's wanting to give up some of her securities in order to share them with her new sister. SHE actually said to me yesterday, "mommy, maybe baby Amelia should take my blanket. I think she'll like my blanket." That is HUGE!

Maddie spent the rest of the day with her Grandma Barbara and cousins Ethan and Elena. She loves her cousins and just kind of claims them as her own. She's not shy and she looks up to every single one of them for different reasons. Today, she went with Ethan to the veledrome to watch her cousin's bicycle races. He's quite the competitor and I wouldn't be surprised if you saw him in the Olympics someday. He's smart and dedicated which is an excellent combination to achieve dreams. It's good for Maddie to see other people's dreams as she forms her own.

Take Maddie Out to the Ball Game!

2007-07-08T22:16:00.000-07:00

Things that Maddie likes at baseball games....

1. wearing sunscreen, glasses and a hat
2. eating snowcones
3. eating pretzels
4. eating licorice
5. running the bases after the game with her cousin Kayana
6. reading books with her cousin Elena
7. notice that baseball is NOT on this list

It's the most perfect thing to do on a warm Sunday afternoon and you can't beat the $8.00 general admission tickets. Baseball, even if it's triple A, is Americana at it's finest! We spent the afternoon with Grandma, Grandpa, Larry, Kim, Alexis, Kayana, Susan, Doug, Elena, and Ethan. Maddie was in absolute heaven! The video below is over a minute, but for those of you that are interested, you will see her completely miss the bases, run past the bases, and you will notice that she is the shortest on out there!

Maddie turned Grandma's Hair Purple....

2007-07-07T22:24:00.000-07:00

On our last day in Tucson, Maddie and Grandma Dotty had some serious bonding moments. Andy and I packed and just let them be all day long. If Maddie asked for something, Grandma Dotty gave it to her... it worked well in Madeline's eyes! They started off the day finger painting and I noticed that Maddie was showing her controlling side by making Grandma observe rather than participate! I can't tell if she thinks that she's a teacher or if it's the need for a sense of order in her life. They were both having fun though as Maddie narrated a story for every single one of her pictures with the reoccurring theme of rainbows!

Now, what I'm about to tell you in slightly hilarious, but you must know that I asked permission to tell the story and post the pictures. The bottom line is that Maddie turned Grandma Dotty's hair purple. About a year ago, mom decided to let her go grey... actually hit had been grey but she was exposing it to the world! We went to the store and bought this beautiful dark blond color.... Maddie wanted to buy pink, but we talked her out of it. Maddie wore gloves and we worked together in squeezing the color on Grandma's hair and mixing it in well. We followed the directions to a "T" - I promise! After 25 minutes of waiting, then rinsing, Grandma Dotty came downstairs to show off her color (note: she's waiting for her new glasses to come in and can't really see what color it is herself). Let's just say that Maddie could not have been more pleased with herself! She had gotten her way after all!!!!!!! Shades of purple and pink will rule the world if she has her way!!

It provided all of us with a good chuckle and we had to live mom in Tucson for her to fix her own hair. Bless mom's heart though, she proudly took us to the airport with her purple hair and strutted her stuff so as not to hurt Maddie's feelings. Now that's brave! :)

Thanks for a great Tucson Trip mom - Grandma Dotty! Baking cakes, eating icing, going for walks in the wash, swimming, and having a girl's night were the most fun of all.

Hope you can fix your hair....

Happy Fireworks Day in the States... and China?

2007-07-06T10:47:00.000-07:00

The 4th has always been special. I think it became even more special on a personal level when we moved overseas. America with all of it's positive and negative attributes is still the best country in the world. We've discovered that many of the people that live here don't really know how lucky they have it day in and day out. Maybe it's because it's so familiar, but I think it's easiest country in the world to live in. Your worries are different when you live overseas and it's a pleasure to "head home" for the summers to let those worries be at bay for a short time. I love America and I want Maddie to grow up loving it too inspite of her TCK (Third Culture Kid) status.

The 4th is about fireworks and BBQs. Even in the heat of Tucson, we had it all. Andy decided to give Maddie a "lesson" of sorts. Even though she looked at him like he had two heads it was quite funny! Maddie has seen fireworks in Arizona, Illinois, and Oregon I have to admit that as far as SPECTACULAR goes, nothing will beat the fireworks over Chinese New Year in Shanghai. Below is a video clip from the outskirts of "town" on the last day of the new year... it was a panoramic view from one end of the sky to the other... at midnight!

Maddie and the Moosehound

2007-07-05T18:37:00.000-07:00

Jacob Terwilliger is his name when he's in trouble. He's a moosehound (aka: a chocolate lab) that I bought the week I moved home from Hokkaido, Japan. Jake is officially 11 years old. To be honest, he wasn't supposed to live this long. He had parvo when he was a pup and the vet said it would shorten his life (he's 11) and that he would be smaller (he weighs 110lbs). He's a well traveled moosehound - he has lived in the States and in Saudi Arabia.

Jake is the most gentle giant and even in his old age, lets Maddie torment him just a bit! I think he secretly loves it when Maddie arrives mostly because she has been feeding him either intentionally or unintentionally since she was born. This time she noticed that he's a drooler though and she would hold a piece of her hot dog up in the air and swing it in circles just so that she could see the drool fly off his face. She's a very clever girl!

Top Six Things to Do With a Moosehound:

1. Take Jake and Grandma down to the wash for a walk which works pretty well with the moosehound being the age he is... besides, Grandmas, three year olds and older moosehounds all move at about the same pace.

2. Feed him your table scraps but make him beg for as long as possible.

3. Throw the ball for him and demand that he sit before hand no matter how much he protests.

4. Put small things on his back and watch him run around the house with it on until it falls off.

5. Lounge around with him and use him as a pillow when watching television.

6. All in all - just love him because that's all he really wants out of this life!

Thanks Jake for being such a great moosehound to us for all these years - you're a trooper!!!

Maddie's Carpet

2007-07-04T18:22:00.000-07:00

When we lived in Saudi Arabia we had access to some of the best carpets in the world. It's funny because we didn't even like carpets... until me moved to Saudi. It's kind of like how I didn't like pottery... until I moved to China. (See the April 16th blog entry!) Since we moved into our new place in Oregon and have bamboo floors, it only makes sense to buy a carpet!

In the middle of May, we contacted our favorite carpet man in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He was absolutely wonderful when we lived in Saudi and Maddie loved going to his store because he would let her crawl all over the carpets. He's actually from Afghanistan and always had "the story" behind the carpet. See the article written in Arab News back in January of 2003 where they wrote a great article called "From Andkhoy to Jeddah" about him and his shop.

Sadly, we have discovered that because of recent times, the US had made it VERY difficult to wire funds overseas and it just didn't seem to pan out. So...... we started looking for carpets in the States. When in Tucson, look for Persian carpets! (That just sounds so weird.) Today Maddie got a taste of carpet shopping again and it felt great! Hope you all like Maddie's choice!

Larry the Balloon Man!

2007-07-04T14:38:00.000-07:00

Grandma Dotty surprised Maddie today by inviting her neighbor, Larry, over to the house because he is a balloon man! If you remember, a few weeks ago Maddie encountered a balloon man at the Portland Saturday Market. This was more special though because Maddie got a few different things and Larry explained to Maddie (and us) how he puts these things together.

He actually started doing this 10 years ago in college and has not been able to give up this great hobby. (See www.twistedtucson.com) What a great thing it is to have the ability to make people and their children smile! Thanks Larry for the pink horsey, the flowers, the toucan, and the American chopper bike! Don't be surprised if we come knocking on your door for a princess tomorrow! Don't ever give up your talents because the smiles you help create last all day long and then some!!

My Little Nest

2007-07-01T22:05:00.000-07:00

Sometime around February of each year, Andy and I start craving quality Mexican food. In our honest opinion, the only place in the entire world to get this food is at Mi Nidito in Tucson. I couldn't enjoy the margaritas this year, but the food was enough to knock my socks off. As Maddie gets older, she too is learning to appreciate the finer things in life! Andy always orders the President's Plate which was named after Bill Clinton's order when he dined at the restaurant during his presidency. Dad shows off his ability to match President Clinton!

Item 1: Beef Taco... you must eat this first to maintain the crispy outer shell

Item 2: Chile Relleno... you have to eat it when the cheese is still hot or it gets congealed

Item 3: Beef Tamale... who cares if you're already getting full? If Bill can do it, so can you!

Item 4: Chicken Enchilada... you feel your arteries closing, but you must persevere

Item 5: Bean Tostada... you must eat this last so that it soaks up all the "juice" from the other items.

Maddie Nests...

2007-07-01T21:20:00.000-07:00

I love seeing Andy nest. When Andy nests, then Maddie takes his lead and she nests too. It's good for the soul!!!

Today, Andy helped clean up Mom's back patio. When we were falling asleep last night, I "heard" it raining so I went outside to inspect and found that it was only "raining" in one spot on the patio. The sprinkler system had sprung a leak so Andy (and Maddie kind of-sort of) helped repair it this morning. Once Andy got started though, he went nuts. He re-potted tomato plants, planted columbines, put that basil plant into the ground, blew all the leaves off the patio and most importantly installed a misting system over the patio. It actually works quite well as it brought the temperature down from 110 to 85 in that area!!!

As dad finished up, Maddie came inside to nest even more. She is a girly girl and helped to paint both Grandma Dotty's nails and my nails. She is actually getting quite good at this! I still am thankful that she chooses the lightest pinks though as it doesn't show up on the skin like bright red. Good job Maddie and thanks for taking charge on the "How To" of painting your nails!

Swimming in the Sun

2007-06-30T21:44:00.000-07:00

Sixteen years ago, I worked at the Desert Garden Restaurant as a hostess and I watched all of the guests playing in the awesome pool at the Westin La Paloma. Everytime I go back now as a guest, there is a bit of satisfaction just knowing I'm on that guest side of the fence!

Maddie joined us for some serious swimming and giggled her way through the heat by staying cool in the pool. She's getting braver and braver in the pool which makes me want to sign her up for swim lessons. I think we'll have to do this next summer for sure!!!

Happy Swimming Madeline! Stay Cool!

Embracing the Southwest

2007-06-28T20:29:00.000-07:00

Maddie's first words off the airplane...."Mommy, it's really hot."

Our trip down to the Southwest in the middle of summer has given Maddie the "opportunity" to appreciate the finer things in life - like air conditioning for example! Just in the nick of time, a new air conditioner was installed a few hours before we arrived and her Grandma Dotty's house was plenty cool when we finally made it home. Before heading home from the airport, we headed to Texas Roadhouse for some excellent steaks. My mom sat there most of the time in complete awe of Maddie as she was having REAL conversations about REAL things - her vocabulary has simply sky rocketed over the past few months.

Our first full day in Tucson was spent running from air conditioned place to air conditioned place. We started off at Leo's Mexican Restaurant which was an absolute hole in the wall that had GREAT food and drinks. Maddie made her version of a Mexican Shawarma which consisted of a corn tortilla, french fries, beans, ketchup and shredded chicken. Only Grandma Dotty could convince her to try it! Andy and I ate shawarmas in Saudi all of the time (probably more than we should have) so we're glad that Maddie, too, knows the finer things in life!

Once we left this air conditioned restaurant, we headed over the Honda dealership to "price" cars. Wouldn't ya know that we would walk out three hours later with a brand new car. Dobbs Honda is smart. They have a kids section complete with toys, TV and DVD player. Maddie was able to sit back with a few sodas, some popcorn and watch several movies as we did our thing with car. She of course, had to "test" all of the horns in the showroom which I'm sure the salesmen appreciated, but she was being cute so I'm pretty sure that she was forgiven quickly.

More to come on the rest of our Southwestern Tales!!!!!

A Beautiful Oregon Day!

2007-06-23T21:22:00.001-07:00

Today we jumped on the MAX train in Hillsboro and made our way down to the Rose City and the Portland Saturday Market. It's a great place to find cool things by local artists. Today we found a bracelet for Maddie where the artist resized it just for her. Amazingly, she wore it all day long and it was torture getting it off her wrist at bedtime. We also found some great flannels for both Maddie and Amelia for when we come home at Christmas time. I do think that Maddie's most special find was the balloon man. I'm still amazed that she has conversations with people she doesn't know, but the though of getting a flower balloon hat definitely got rid of all inhibitions!!!

When we left the Saturday Market, we made our way to Dan and Louis Oyster Bar. When Andy was growing up and lived in Eastern Oregon he and his family would eat here so it's always fun to go back. On the way though, we saw "Shanghai"sign that was definitely a photo opportunity - how could we not?! Once again, Maddie ate shrimps for lunch - I think she's addicted!

We ate our Oyster Stew, Clam Chowder, and Shrimp before hopping on MAX back to Hillsboro. I think I love living so close close to Max - it's just so easy to get into Portland and Maddie thinks that all trains are just way too cool.

Maddie helped us pick up the house a bit and Andy started cooking for our first dinner guests. Barbara and Earl came over for a great dinner of yummy oven poached salmon (Andy used the Convection Oven for the first time), fresh corn on the cob, delightful olive ciabatta, and a garden fresh salad complete with dill and smoked salmon. I tell ya, my husband can really cook! We completed the night with Grandma Barbara ready Maddie's entire library to her on the couch. Maddie loved it and I can tell that she misses the stimulation of school. She's just one of those kids that thirsty for knowledge as her wheels are always spinning!

It was an amazing Portland, Oregon day and we'll treasure it!!

How Old Were You When.....??

2007-06-22T23:08:00.000-07:00

You Learned How to Use a Mouse?

I was in 7th grade and I first learned how to use it in art class! We've spent a total of 6 hours in the Apple Store at the Genius Bar over the past two days because our Mac has been sick. I'll spare you the details, but I will share with you that 6 hours simply was not enough for Maddie Anna. The Apple Store has four computers set up for children to experiment with software. Maddie was like white on rice when it came to the computers. At first I thought she was just trying to "pretend" that she knew what she was doing. But when she skillfully used the mouse to select several different pieces of software and when she skillfully maneuvered her way through the programs, I was amazed.

Thanks to my friend, Jeff Utecht, and his blog, The Thinking Stick, for being amazed at this skill as well. How cool is that? Look what our children are learning!!!!!

Shrimps for Dinner

2007-06-21T22:20:00.000-07:00

Here's what I know:

Maddie is an interesting kid that never ceases to just plain shock me. After a big day of moving, cleaning, fixing computers, etc... the three of us went to Orenco Grill for dinner. Andy's dad, Earl, gave us a 50% off card so we decided to splurge a bit! Maddie feasted on peel and eat shrimp. Everytime I see her eat shrimp, I'm just amazed. She loves seafood... salmon (cooked or raw sushi) and shrimp are her favorites.

Enjoy your shrimp for dinner while we're in America Maddie! It will be a Sunday brunch in Shanghai before you get it again! :)

Brothers to Build!

2007-06-21T07:32:00.000-07:00

We thought it fitting to have Connor and Sam stay with us for the first night in our new home. As soon as Maddie found out that they were coming over, she kept saying over and over and over, "I love them." Of course, they scored major points in her world when they helped assemble the new bunk beds! Connor is natural builder of things and didn't hesitate once in picking up the power tools to put the bed together. Maddie watched and kept saying that it was "amazing" which is her new word!

Once we got the sheets on the beds, she had to try out both top and bottom bunks. As you can see, her smile was much bigger when she was on the top bunk. All the stickers warn not to let children under 6 sleep on the top bunk, but she may convince us yet!

The day was wonderful and I'm glad that Maddie was able to share it with Connor and Sam! She adores them and looks up to both of them. The day ended with a screening of The Monster House on the big screen and Maddie immediately made her way to where Connor was sitting. Apparently, he makes an excellent pillow and I'm pretty sure that she was thinking he would protect her from the evil house!

Thanks for being here Connor and Sam!

Maddie's Move In Day!

2007-06-18T10:31:00.000-07:00

Just because you have a new house, doesn't mean you get to move in!! You have to get some of the comforts of home in the place or it's just a big empty shell. What strikes me the most in a new house is the empty wall space, but I just need to remind myself that the walls have to create their own memories and tell their own stories - you can't force it! So, memory number one:

New TV in the background, complete with cable. Old TV on the floor, completely turned off. What does the old TV offer that the new TV doesn't? A REFLECTION! Every chance she could, Maddie grabbed the cord and held it like a microphone as she sang her heart out to her reflection in the TV screen. She wanted an audience so I sat on the couch and watched her sing Happy Birthday to me, grandma, grandpa, daddy, Lester.... I have to laugh because I did the same thing only in the living room window of my childhood house!

We watched the dump trucks move fresh earth around the complex and Maddie was amazed that she could get so close to the trucks. We unpacked boxes, moved furniture, washed new sheets - she helped with everything! Of course, in the end, SPROUT won out. She used that old TV as a chair and loved watching her favorites on the new big screen!

Forgive the end of the video... I just had to put it on!

Happy Father's Day Deputy Dad!

2007-06-17T08:45:00.000-07:00

We jet lagged through father's day quite well this year! I was just commenting to my mom-in-law that this has been the easiest trip for jet-lagging yet. I think it's because Maddie is on the exact same schedule we are on as far at sleep goes. She was a trooper on Father's Day because we are literally running around at top speeds trying to get "things" for our house. We got the big things purchased yesterday (Saturday) like a refrigerator, washer, dryer, one full size bed and two twin beds .... phew. Today we focused on the "little" stuff like sheets to go on those beds, Tide to put in the washer and dryer.

We spent late afternoon over at Andy's sister's house. Maddie's Aunt Susan is the ultimate entertainer and has everything you would ever need for guests of all ages. I'm always impressed with that because I ALWAYS forget something important for guests. (As I sit here and write this, I just remembered that I forgot to put soap in the guest bath and Connor is in the shower!) Anyway, Father's Day was wonderful because we were able to have the .family together. Maddie played with all five of her cousins the entire time and was completely mesmerized by how wise they were!! :) They roasted marshmallows on the fire pit and watched as both Dads and Grandpa opened up their gifts!

Happy Father's Day Deputy Dad!!

Maddie Can SHOP!!!!

2007-06-16T07:21:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that I don't like shopping that much. I'm not a window shopper. I'm one of those people that likes to get in there - get out with what you wanted in the first place - and then be done with it. Let me tell you, that way of thinking does not lend itself to furnishing your first house.

Maddie has gone almost everywhere with us for the past four days. She has been to Home Depot twice. She has been to Macy's four times (though one time she was being.... um, three... and daddy removed her from the store after one of those infamous Wang Dang Dingers). She has been to Costco three times, George Smith Warehouse twice, Bombay once, and Sam Levitz once. She has been our official "Jumpability Tester" and has jumped on twin mattresses, full mattresses, and numerous couches. She has the right attitude.... shopping can be boring, BUT it's possible to see the good in every situation! :)

I still don't like shopping like this as much as I should, but I'm at the point where I'm taking Maddie's advice. If you're tired and there's a bed - sleep. If you're excited and there's a bed - jump. If the Sam Levitz salesman is driving you absolutely insane because he's the pushiest salesman you've ever met in your entire life and you're hungry - eat the free cookies and get out of there!

Thanks for the advice on how to shop Maddie!!!!

It's All About Connections....

2007-06-15T06:15:00.000-07:00

TCK.

It seems as if it's THE buzz phrase in international education these days. Expat children are growing us a Third Culture Kids. We saw this when we lived in Saudi Arabia for four years. Most of our kids were from Pakistan and India, yet they attended an American curriculum school and talked like they were from the Midwest or California. They didn't belong in their "home" countries, yet they didn't belong in America... they belonged in a third culture which seemed very ambiguous.

Maddie's dad an I are always talking about how we are choosing to raise Maddie. We want her to grow up internationally to have first hand contact with other cultures on a daily basis, yet we recognize the value of what we grew up with. Looking back, we both value all of the connections we made when we were growing up. Andy values the time spent with family when they went camping every summer. I value all of the memories I have with family growing up. Growing up means family. Maddie has us when we are overseas, but there is nothing quite like the connections that she nourishes when she comes home for the summers.

When Elena, Maddie's cousin, walked in the door today around lunch time, Maddie's eyes just sparkled. I was curious if Maddie would remember Elena as it's been almost a full year since seeing her. Maddie clearly recognized her as she didn't hesitate to start telling Elena about her world. Maddie downright SHINED when she realized that both of the them were calling grandma just that..... "Grandma, can we make some cookies" they almost said in unison. Now that doesn't happen everyday!!!!

Elena took great care with Maddie and in my mind showed an amazing amount of patience with my jet-lagging three year old daughter. Even when Maddie used the bubble solution to water the flowers, Elena was brilliant. They built trains together and Elena even taught Maddie how to throw a Frisbee for the first time. The greatest find was when they were in the crawl space and found a wooden rocking chair about Maddie size. They soon found out from Grandma Barbara that her dad had made it for her. Amazingly, Grandma Barbara said that Maddie could take that rocking chair to her new bedroom in her new house. I had to run upstairs and shed a tear for a minute (I am pregnant after all) because that's a connection for Maddie - a connection that I pray she never takes for granted because not all people are lucky enough to have those connections.

What a joyous day!!! It really is all about the connections....

What's Your Flight Plan?

2007-06-14T04:55:00.000-07:00

The night before we fly, I always get Maddie's goodie bag together. She may not know it, but I have a flight plan for her that keeps her entertained!
Contents:
coloring books
crayons
markers
books
stickers
dvd player
movies
sticky notes
plastic scissors
Sudoku book (hey, she's my kid!)
juice
crackers....

I secretly knew that this flight would be a bit different though. Andy and I had saved enough miles so that we could upgrade to Business Class for the long haul back to the States. Maddie jumped into a Business Class seat and waited for me to ask her to move because that's what I always do!! But when I didn't ask her to move - I saw stars in her eyes!!!!!

The pilot walked by Maddie and said, "well doesn't that look like the little princess in the big princess chair?" He asked her if she wanted to come upstairs to the cockpit (it was a bubble plane) and I immediately jumped up asking if I could come too!! :) So we walked upstairs and talked with the pilot, the co-pilot and two other crew members in the cockpit. Maddie was shy BUT she did talk to the pilot and answered all the questions he asked of her, looking him in the eye the entire time - THANK YOU MS. PREETI FOR THAT!

Her flight plan was completely different that what I had in mind for her. She ate A LOT of food that started off with a special salad just for her appetizer (well la-de-da) and had a main course with dessert before she watched the Disney channel for a hour. She then rolled over, gave us kissed good night and proceeded to sleep for the next six hours. So, her flight plan was to milk those seats for all they were worth!

What's Your Next Flight Plan?

Maddie's First Year of School

2007-06-08T07:26:00.000-07:00

On Maddie's first full day of school back in August she sported her Fighting Illini orange dress that her Grandpa Bill had picked out for her. She had her pink Hello Kitty backpack, her Tevas, and she was really ready to go. We didn't make a big deal out of going to school because she has been doing everyday and I really think that this helped her transition a bit better. I did catch her taking a few moments of quiet reflection though right before she entered the school gate. All of the other mom's were dropping off their children as well and I could immediately tell that I was thankful that Maddie has grown up in schools. While others were sad that their mom and dad were dropping them off, Maddie gave us a kiss good-bye with just a bit of trepidation in her eyes, but let us go without incident. I'll never forget her focusing her attention on Malin, who was sad that her mom was leaving. "It's okay Malin-don't cry...", Maddie reassured her.

Ms. Preeti had us fill out a survey about what we wanted our child to learn during their very first school year. I wrote one item and one item only - I just wanted Maddie to love school. If she loves school then everything else will fall into place in its own time. As we reflect on the year, I can say with 100% satisfaction that Maddie loves school. She just happened to get a few bonus items throughout the year to make it even better! She knows her colors, her shapes, recognizes all the letters of her classmates - not to mention the social skills she is learning day in and day out. Mid-year Maddie learned how to write her name for the first time and has been practicing it ever since.

The last day of school was so much different that the first. Maddie is much more confident and won't shy away when people talk with her. Maddie is much, much bigger now and even though she's still the youngest in her class, she's taller than many. Maddie can walk herself to her own classroom now (though there is NO WAY I would miss the opportunity to see those first few moments at school). She has gone from quietly entering the class, to mid-year announcing herself with a bark or a meow when she entered, and finally now runs in with the latest caterpillar or bug to share with Ms. Preeti and her classmates. She always has a story to share. She wore a new dress on her first day of school, but even her backpack had "grown up" to a Dora bag with wheels!

What a wonderful year for Miss Maddie with so much love and support from her SAS community family!

Warning... Warning... We're Going to Carrefour

2007-06-03T05:05:00.000-07:00

You must prepare yourself mentally before heading to Carrefour in China. We've been to Carrefour in several cities, including Prague, Paris and even in a major city in Bahrain, but those outings never came close to what you experience when you go in China. The few foreigners I see in there are usually the ones new to China because the experienced ones know to stay away at all costs. Carrefour does have things that no other store has though so sometimes you just gotta bite the bullet. As the last expat I saw in Carrefour said to her driver dude, "Mr. Wan - remind me to drink heavily before coming here next time." (I write that in Maddie's blog because I know that someday she will understand.)

As always, Maddie is a HUGE attraction. We try to ignore the stares and touches (impossible) while moving quickly through the aisles (impossible again) to get our things. Maddie can last about 20 minutes and then it's just too much to handle. As always, there are stories to tell afterwards so that is what I share with you today.

Maddie was eaten alive by mosquitoes last week so on top of the plug in, I also tried to buy some Raid so we could spray her room down a few hours before she goes to bed. I had the Raid - it was in the cart - and then some random person grabbed it out of my cart and started speaking to me in Chinese really fast, flailing her arms in all directions. I will translate: "Are you a crazy mother? You can't buy this poison if you have such a beautiful child. You must buy something that is more natural and won't be as harmful to her. Here - buy this one." She then proceeded to put in my cart what I should buy. What could I say other than, "xie xie?"

After 40 minutes in Carrefour, Maddie had officially given up and was worthy of another Wang Dang Dinger entry on her blog. As we finished getting our fruit weighed, we tried to make our way to the cash registers. We, of course, could not move very fast and were stuck in front of the final fruit stand with pre-marked costs. Maddie was throwing a fit because I would not buy a small carton of blueberries for $11.00. Just then, another random person started talking to Maddie in Chinese. Maddie then explained to the woman through her tears, in Chinese mind you, that she wanted those blueberries. So the random woman grabbed the blueberries and put them in my cart. What could I say other than, "xie xie?"

Author's Note: I put the attached picture as proof that I indeed paid 78 rmb for blueberries and I did not purchase Raid. AND if you know what the red fruit is on the side, please tell me. It's the color and texture of raspberries, but has a pit and is much bigger.

I love you Maddie....

Maddie Wanted to Get Her Teeth Cleaned!

2007-06-03T03:30:00.000-07:00

When Maddie got her first tooth, the first thing I thought of was what her first trip to the dentist would look like. I had visions of pinning the poor child down as she cried when the only good thing about it was that at least her mouth was open from the crying.

In May 2006 when Maddie was two years old, we tried to take her to the dentist for the first time. We took around 5:00 at night after she woke up from her nap. We were rushed - she always wakes up cranky from naps (she gets that from her dad!), and she was hungry. The dentist was somebody we had never met before and was way too animated for Maddie's taste so Maddie acted accordingly and refused to open her mouth for any purpose. We didn't push her and said we would try again someday.

Someday was today.

All three of us went today (a Sunday) after a relaxing morning of breakfast and cartoons in bed. While dad has his checkup, Maddie watched me get my teeth cleaned from beginning to end. The hygienist was awesome and would explain what she was doing throughout the entire process. Maddie was soooo interested and was studying my teeth almost as much as the hygienist. When I finished, Maddie quickly exclaimed, "MY TURN!" and hopped in the seat with anticipation. I told the hygienist that since Maddie didn't even have an appointment, I would be happy if she was simply able to get a finger inside of her mouth! And then Madeline surprised me...

She lay down flat, soft and still. She rested her hands on her belly just like I had done, closed her eyes just as I had done and let the hygienist use the metal pick to clean her teeth, use the sprayer to clean between her gums, and even let her use that really interesting mint polish on her teeth. She opened wide when asked and closed her mouth when asked so the "spit sucker" could do it's job. All in all, she was in the chair for almost 20 full minutes. No decay and her teeth are in great shape! :)

She was amazing and we're so proud of her. My goodness, she's growing up fast!

Kids Say the Darndest Things!

2007-06-02T04:01:00.000-07:00

Maddie already has Amelia sleeping the garage. Is that bad?

A few weeks ago, we bought a crib for Amelia's arrival in September. We have not painted her room yet and still have a queen size bed in there so it's all set up in the garage just waiting to be moved upstairs. A few days ago, Angel and Tony's delivered the changing table and dresser that we had made for Amelia's room. Again, it's in the garage because her room is not ready for the furniture yet. So when I came home from work earlier this week and showed Maddie the painting that one of my students had made for Amelia, I suggested that we go up and put it in Amelia's room. Maddie quickly exclaimed, "I'll help mommy" and proceeded to take the painting out into the garage!

I asked Maddie if Amelia was sleeping in the garage and in her world, yes, Amelia is sleeping the garage because that's where all of her things are located! For the rest of the evening, Maddie went through her closet and got the dresses and shoes that no longer fit her, and then took them down to Amelia's "room." What a great kid! :)

I also put a picture of the Pottery Barn changing table on here that sells for $549. Notice how Amelia's changing table looks very similar - it was about $80. Gotta love China!

So why do kids say the darndest things? Not only is Amelia going to live in the garage, but Maddie informed me this morning that my eyes were broken. I had woken up and went to give her a morning hug. She kissed and hugged me all over before looking at my eyes. She pointed to my "crinkles" around my eyes and told me that my eyes were broken.

Don't worry honey, your eyes will be broken someday too, but just remember that you earned every single one of the breaks and they all have story! :)

Maddie's Minute Soars!

2007-06-01T01:47:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since I posted. Maddie still has a lot to say about what is going on in her life, but the end of the school year has left her "personal assistant" otherwise engaged with correcting papers and writing maternity sub plans!

We are on the final countdown though to heading home for the summer which means you'll get tales from all of our summer destinations. I'll update when I can, but I did run across this cool little widget while I was procrastinating at work today! Thanks to Beckett's Blog for the insight!

Maddie's BIG Day!

2007-05-24T04:58:00.000-07:00

Today was a special day for Maddie because it was her portfolio sharing day in class. I took a half day off of work so that I could spend the entire morning in her class and it was just special from beginning to end. When we walked into the class, Maddie immediately discovered the chrysalis had opened up and that there was a butterfly in the cage that she and her classmates had been watching for several weeks. The fact that the word, "chrysalis" came out of her mouth just about floored me. What three years old know that word and can recall it from the file banks in their brain?

Maddie and her classmates have been making books in class. Over several months, they were given folded paper, made a cover page, drew pictures in the middle pages and drew on an end page. They then sat down with Ms. Preeti and described what they had drawn so that she could write it down for them. The class then decided to invite all of the parents to sell their books so that they could have an ice cream party. Andy came into class for almost an hour today and Maddie sat with both of us and she read her books to us. We discovered that going "bonk" is a major theme in all of her books! She then told us how much to pay for each book and we obliged quite willingly!

Maddie followed her sale of books with the sharing of her portfolio from the year. Pretti had laminated a poem that Maddie had her hand prints on and gave them to the parents right now. I am so pregnant right that I immediately teared up because when she was 6 months old in Saudi Arabia, Val Awad had made the same poem and hand prints for us. I still have it in my classroom today! Maddie shared all of her things from the year and was so very proud of her work... each and every item had a story and the fact that she could describe in such detail things from October was amazing!

We ended the day by going out the playground and I pulled Maddie and all of her classmates in a wagon. Watching children at play is just so pure... I don't know how else to describe it! Maddie was so happy though to have her mommy be the center of attention - she actually seemed proud that I was playing with everybody! What a great year!

Maddie's Classmates 2006-2007

Maddie Loves Lester

2007-05-23T05:16:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen a child sing the Alphabet Song to their cat? Have you ever seen a cat sit there and endure the entire song without scratching or jumping out of the way?

I have!

Maddie loves Lester, our well travelled, very expensive, free cat. We originally got Lester to keep our dog, Jake, company during the day when we lived in Saudi. Lester is a Saudi cat with a long, long tail and a pointy nose. We were going to leave him with a nice family in Saudi, but my heart got the best of me and I insisted we bring him to Shanghai with us - via London - via Chicago - via Tucson - via Portland - via San Francisco. Well, he was free when we originally got him in 2002!

Maddie does love him though and he is VERY patient with her. He has never scratched her and lets her pull his tail without too much complaining. He may for himself to endure, but he's patient. He's a good splat and we love him!

Snacks - What Would You Choose?

2007-05-21T06:22:00.000-07:00

Maddie has a hollow leg lately. She ate three pieces of pizza the other the night PLUS a huge bowl of watermelon. She then turned around the next day and ate about the same amount for a brunch Sunday morning. When she gets home from school everyday, she's super hungry so Ms. Zhou gives her a snack. However, since she has a hollow leg lately, she gets another snack before dinner when we get home at 5:00. So this was today...

Andy drove Maddie and Ms. Zhou to the Links office where Ms. Zhou catches the shuttle bus home and then Andy offered to buy her ice cream. Who could turn that down, right? So she ran inside the house, screaming at the top of her lungs... "I've got ice cream - I've got ice cream." I thought we could debrief about the day around the table so I grabbed myself a vegetable plate and decided to sit next to her. She had a choice: ice cream or vegetables. Guess what won! Vegetables won and in her words, "trees (broccoli) are fun to eat!"

She was finishing up her veges (still ignoring the ice cream in front of her) when she saw a jar of olives inside the fridge when Andy opened it. She had another choice: ice cream, vegetables, or olives. Guess what won! Olives won and in her words, "pickles (olives) are silly to eat!"

She finally did partake in that ice cream and then proceeded to eat a huge plate of shrimp for dinner immediately thereafter. Who is this kid?

Given the choices, what would you choose?!

Maddie's Passport

2007-05-19T17:17:00.000-07:00

Warning: This one is REALLY long but I had to catch you up to where I started writing Maddie's Minute!

We've already established that Maddie has STATUS. But I got to thinking about how she has this super-duper special Miss I Fly A lot status. I remember when I used to get a plane with her and say, "This is fifth time she has taken off on a plane." I know that I lost count when we got into the mid-twenties. It was a nice way to waste some time on the plane though between her dad and I. "How many flights has she taken now?" we would say back and forth to each other.

I think we've got it about right for Maddie though. Youngins do crave consistency, but I think it's healthy to push the envelope a bit. We really pushed the envelope when we took her back to Yanbu, Saudi Arabia at 4 weeks old. Here she spent the first 21 months of her life. She probably thought it was normal to sit on the Red Sea during a lazy Thursday afternoon.... mostly because Thursday and Friday were our weekends!

It really all started when Maddie was 6 weeks old and we went to India. Perhaps this was pushing the envelope a bit too much (smile) but it was a wonderful experience. We ventured out to look at carpets and took her in taxis where there would be traffic jams because of all of the cows in the road.

Her next major trip was back home for Christmas vacation. We went to Helvetia Winery where Santa took pictures with all the kids. Ethan, Elena, Connor, and Sam all jointed Maddie in the picture. It seems she was just beginning to get the best of both worlds.... the stability of family yet she was a traveler. This was the year that we had a huge ice storm in Portland and we were three days late getting back to Saudi. But the trip was wonderful as there is nothing quite like Christmas at home with family.

Her third major trip was to the Costa Del Sol in Malaga, Spain to meet her Grandpa Bill over the February Eid Al Adha school break. This was actually her second time there, but she probably didn't remember the first time since wasn't born yet. We made it Ronda to see old bull fighting rings while her mom and dad downed Caffe con Leches. It was just plain fun to be there with her - the only downside was that there wasn't an agent at the window to stamp her passport with a Spain stamp... it is really all about the stamps ya know! Again, we were snowed in but this time in Saudi for two extra days. How often does that happen?!

Her fourth major trip was to Bangkok and Koh Samui, Thailand for Spring Break. She just sat in the Baby Bjorn while her dad and strolled up and down the beach. It also was Maddie's first of three visits to Zazen, the most wonderful place on Bophut Beach. Dad and Maddie slept on hammocks in the shad in between eating pineapple on the beach and wading in the sea.

Her fifth major trip was back home for the long summer. It was a great first summer of family, fun and sun. Not only were we in Portland, but we made it down to Tucson and, of course, into Mexico to eat at our favorite restaurant in Nogales. El Cid closed after that summer, but we keep going back to try to find the next good place. Maddie spent some quality time with the best chocolate lab every to walk the planet. Jake (aka: Moosehound) was the best traveled dog at this point and was as patient as could be with Maddie. We also made it to Maddie's first baseball game in Bloomington when we went to see the Peoria Chiefs. We couldn't beat the seats behind the dug out!

Maddie's sixth major trip was to Prague in November over the Eid Al Fidr school break. She sat in her SUV of strollers as we walked the cobble stone streets sipping warm mulled wine. It was Maddie's first real experience with cold so we bundled her up in a coat given to us by a friend in Saudi and bought her a hat the had airplane ears. We took pictures in front of Prague Castle and looked at a lot of crystal... another reason to keep Maddie in the SUV of strollers!

Maddie's seventh major trip was to Paris also in November. We stayed one block away from Notre Dame and window shopped in front of all the stores that had moving nutcrackers, snowmen, ice skaters, and Santas. One day we just walked and walked and walked while it was drizzling. We walked to the Louve and the Eiffel Tower, crossing bridges back and forth.

Maddie's eighth major trip was back to Thailand for Christmas with Grandma Barbara and Grandpa Earl. It was proven time and time again how Maddie is a real trooper. Bangkok was wonderful as we put Maddie in her backpack and then hopped in and out of Tuk Tuks. This picture is of Maddie at the Jade Buddha Temple. We left Bangkok right before Christmas Day and made it down to Koh Samui for Maddie's second trip to Zazen. Opening Christmas presents on our balcony with the sound of the ocean on the beach was anything but the cold we experienced a month earlier!

Her ninth major trip was to Florence, Italy over Spring Break. This is where we stayed in an old farmhouse with her Grandpa Bill, Grandma Mary, Great-Aunt Rhonda, Great-Uncle Jack, Second Cousin Cathy, and Bert. While we visited the doumo in Firenza, we also made it the countryside. It was the week that the Pope had passed away so it was an interesting time to be there. Absolute silence in all the cathedrals was a must and Maddie was actually quite good at that!

Maddie's tenth major plane ride was back home for the summer of 2005. This was the summer we left Saudi Arabia for good and prepared for the next chapter in life onward to Shanghai, China. Before doing that though, Maddie had the distinct honor of being the flower girl in my niece's wedding. We managed to get Maddie all measured in Saudi and Jessica had a very special flower girl dress made for her. My favorite part of the wedding was when Maddie was following the other flower girl, but kept saying "messy" as the other flower girl threw rose petals onto the aisle!

Maddie's eleventh major trip was to Shanghai where she now lives out her life and you read about it on her blog. Since we've been in Shanghai we've traveled home for Christmas (12th trip) and then met up with Grandma Barbara and Grandpa Earl in Hong Kong (13th trip). We all walked around Kowloon and then took the ferry to Hong Kong where we took the tram to the top of Victoria Peak on a rare sunny Hong Kong day. After Hong Kong, we traveled to the Philippines (14th trip). We ventured out into the very busy city several times and once again, Maddie was a trooper.

Maddie's fifteenth major trip was back home for the summer which was the first summer she was truly mobile. The summer was filled with preparing for the move to China. We stayed in Portland most of the time, but we also made it to Tucson and Illinois. In Portland, we visited with family and flew kites. In Tucson, Maddie helped us paint the house yellow and, of course, we search for the best Mexican food in Nogales. In Bloomington, we chased bubbles in Grandpa's back yard and tried to catch fireflies with our bare hands.

Maddie's sixteenth major trip was back to Thailand for Christmas in 2006. Christmas and New Year's at Zazen where they remembered her as a little tiny baby. I think we'll stop with her major trips right there. What is interesting is that when we lived in Saudi, we were also leaving - that was the thing to do.... to meet people around the world. Now that we are in Shanghai though, people want to come see us! Grandma Dotty has come, Grandma Barbara and Grandpa Earl have come, Aunt Susan has come to Shanghai.... Grandpa Bill and Mary have come, along with Great Aunt Rhona and Great Uncle Jack. Recently, Aunt Sissy and Uncle Bubba came to China. See? Everyone visits us now! Who knows how much traveling is ahead, but life is good and Maddie is growing up as a citizen of the world.

If you read this entire post, then kudos to you! Andy calls me a blog addict but I write with a sincere purpose. That purpose is to document our daughter's life in the hopes that someday she'll be able to look back at how much we loved her and respected her spirit day in and day out.

The girl's GOT STATUS!

Maddie's got STATUS!

2007-05-19T06:24:00.000-07:00

Maddie's got STATUS ya know.

Maddie's got STATUS because she lives in Shanghai......

Maddie's got STATUS because she thinks bunny ears are cute......

Maddie's got STATUS because she eats at restaurants where they give you a flashlight if you can't see......

Maddie's got STATUS because she stays at hotels on famous rivers around the world......

Maddie's got STATUS because she spends much of her life riding around on luggage carts in airports.....

We bought plane tickets for summer travel today and used our complimentary vouchers to upgrade to first class. This is how the conversation went today:

Nice United Lady: Your three year old won't have any vouchers.
Me: But she has had her own number for a year and a half.
Nice United Lady: But she doesn't have STATUS.
Me: Have you checked? Look it up!
Nice United Lady: I've been here for ten years and this is the first time I've met a three year old with Premier status.
Me: Welcome to our world!!! ;)

Happy Travels are Coming Our Way!

Chinese Fun Day!

2007-05-18T06:46:00.000-07:00

Chinese Fun Day!

I have to giggle a bit because at Maddie's school, they plan days focused around all things China. I think the parents expect this too. Sometimes I just want to say, OPEN UP YOUR DOOR, but a lot of expats surprisingly aren't comfortable really getting in there.

Admittedly, we are about 50/50 when it comes to experiencing the China around us. It's not because of desire though - it's because of time! When Maddie's Grandma Barbara and Grandpa Earl visit us in China, they remind us quickly what it's all about. We'll head off to school and they'll head off to the most excellent adventures around Shanghai. Oh The Places You'll Go!!! (A most excellent post by Maddie's Grandma! - Go to Friday, May 11 on her blog!)

Maddie has a great day at Chinese Fun Day! Though I think she has just as much fun with Ms, Zhou on their Fridays together. I actually stayed home this Friday while Andy went to a school function and was able to eavesdrop on Maddie and Ms. Zhou when they weren't outside playing or going to movie night. The entire conversation is in Chinese and I have NO CLUE what they are saying. They were chattering back and forth, singing songs, Ms, Zhou even "corrected" Maddie in Chinese when Maddie splashed her with her bath water - Maddie responded with excuses in Chinese that went something like this.... "but Ms. Zhou, I do this every week to you and I think it's funny!" I stay out of the way because the minute Maddie sees me, she stops speaking Chinese. She's not embarrassed - it's just that it doesn't make sense to speak to a non-Chinese person in Chinese.

Chinese Fun Days can really be everyday if we want them to be. We are a very lucky family and Maddie is a very lucky three year old!

Maddie's SISTER!!!!

2007-05-14T06:21:00.000-07:00

Maddie found out today that she will have a baby sister in September!

When I was pregnant with Madeline, Andy and I chose to NOT find out what we were having. She kept us guessing up until the very last minute and I will never, ever forget Andy screaming, "WE HAVE A GIRL!" as I was in my daze. What a joy it was to be surprised! We wanted to be surprised like that again this time, but Maddie is convinced that she is going to have both a new brother and new sister! So we decided to find out and talk up the new peanut with Maddie. The most amazing thing happened when the Chinese ultrasound guy told us we were having a girl - we were so surprised and delighted - just as surprised and delighted as we were with Maddie.

Amelia Mabel is set to arrive in September and I'm sure she'll arrive strong and ready to try out for the Olympic team in gymnastics.! She's a very active little sister and Maddie will have fun with her... even now Maddie lays on our bed at night talking to my expanding belly while giving "zerberts" to her little sister. Amelia responds with a kick right in Maddie's nose as is an appropriate sibling response.

Ah..... this is going to be fun!

Maddie's FIRST/SECOND/THIRD Golf Tourny!

2007-05-12T04:04:00.000-07:00

I lied... er, um, okay I fibbed.

Maddie attended her first PROFESSIONAL golf tournament a few weeks ago. She actually attended her second EXTREMELY IMMATURE, er, um... I mean, Amateur golf tournament today! SAS holds an annual golf tournament for its staff and parents every May. This was actually Maddie's second SAS golf tournament! So, I fibbed kinda sorta a few weeks ago when I wrote about the BMW Classic.

Maddie and I took Andy to the clubhouse around 11:00 so that he could "practice" (aka: sit in the clubhouse and do some serious male bonding) and then came back home to grab our camera because we were the official picture takers for the tournament. How I got roped into that one, I don't know, but all of the men thought it was pretty funny seeing the pregnant lady on a golf course! Maddie was okay for the first three tee times, but then quickly grew restless and got in "trouble" by playing in the sand traps. I see no problem with that if she's out of the way and quiet but the Links management thought otherwise... I'm so NOT a golfer. Andy says I have the Too Loud gene. Maddie must have the same gene but at least we have fun!

I let two of the school's secretaries, Eva and Ruby, take Maddie for awhile so they ended up in a golf cart taking pictures of various people. Maddie was so happy to be on the golf course. Andy and I were talking again last night about how we are choosing to raise her. How can we explain that this isn't NORMAL when all she knows in her short little life is surrounded by these surreal things that her father and I didn't do until our twenties/thirties? I guess that is why we talk of going "home" for at least a year to help her stay grounded.

Maddie and I met up with Cooper and Tonya after an hour of picture taking and climbed in another golf cart to race around the course. Three year old - golf course - quiet. Those are three words that prove over and over again to not go together! Thank goodness Andy played with the same team that he played with last year so they remember her running down the 14th fairway towards Andy one year ago. She did the same thing again today just because she could. She LOVES being a part of his life. Loves asking questions about golfing, Loves saying "good job daddy", Loves wishing him luck and giving him kisses. As she said tonight after a very exhausting day, "Daddy is my favorite mommy, but I love you too."

Aw, shucks..... at least she doesn't lie or tell fibs! ;)

BUGS - My 7 - 11 Week in Review -

2007-05-11T07:34:00.000-07:00

Maddie is addicted to bugs right now. I'm actually quite amazed because she is such a girls girl. She loves make-up, dresses, tea parties, nail polish..... and spiders, worms, and bugs! Ever since her class went on their first field trip to the Insect Museum, she's enthralled with starting her own collection.

Malin's mom is a first grade teacher at school and ordered some silkworms with mulberry leaves for Maddie's class. The kids have been watching the worms for the past week eat and eat and eat and eat. Finally, today they came to class and one of them had started to build its cocoon. It was actually even fascinating for me to see the little guy through the thin cocoon working diligently inside to make it stronger and thicker.

Maddie is even collecting bugs at home to take into class. She catches a bug in the morning and then brings into Ms. Preeti - she's so proud!

From Maddie's Weekly Newsletter....

• We continue to expand our knowledge about transformations and transitions through insect life cyles. Malin’s mother, Ms. Toa has given us some silkworms to keep and observe in our classroom. Children’s first observations were that they were caterpillars, that they could not be snakes, that they were worms! Great first observations! We then discussed what might possibly happen (prediction) after we looked after them for a while. Some children thought that they would become “very big”, “very hungry”, build a house and become a butterfly. These observations and predictions prove that children have extended their original learning about caterpillars and butterflies to other similar life cycles. Much excitement took place when we arrived in class this morning to find that one of the silkworms had metamorphosed into a pupa having built its cocoon.

The First Swim of the Year!

2007-05-10T06:35:00.000-07:00

Cold.

I, personally, am a wimp. I'm either "boiling" or I'm "freezing" and the "just right" range is quite small. Maddie, on the other hand, is a kid and most kids don't care too much if it's boiling or freezing!! The weather is turning quite gorgeous in Shanghai and thankfully it's not "boiling" in my mind. This is "just right" as far as air temperature goes! Water temperature though? In my book - it's FREEZING!

Maddie came home today and heard her friends screaming in what I think was delight over at the swimming pool. Maddie was waiting by the door with Ms. Zhou when we came home around 4:30 with her swimsuit in hand. Apparently, the peer pressure of her friends screams were just too enticing so we grabbed a beach towel that had been collecting dust for way too long and headed across the street to the swimming pool. I was having one of those "we're the luckiest people in the world moments" because here I live on the golf course across from the playground that is behind the house that is dedicated to kids which is next to the swimming pool with a lock and a lifeguard 12 hours a day!

Maddie saw Ri-Ri in the kiddy pool and immediately asked for me to blow up her purple float. As always, these two see each other and it's absolute glee. I don't know how else to describe it. She talks - she listens - she laughs and Ri-Ri does the same thing. It will be great having both of them in school next year! She swam long enough to turn blue and then jumped out, shivering uncontrollably. But then she braved it one last time before heading over the swings with Ri-Ri. That was the most perfect way to come home from school and the most perfect way to spend your time before dinner!

So, that was the first swim of the year! Swim lessons are hopefully on the horizon as I can tell that there will be many, many more of these to come!

Warm Afternoons After School

2007-05-08T05:06:00.000-07:00

This week at school was China Alive, which means that all middle school students go to various places around China for a week long field trip. The 8th grade trip is quite grand with kayaking, rock climbing, caving, mountain biking, traversing through the air 100ft up along a rope. Basically, it's everything a pregnant woman should NOT be doing so I was lucky/unlucky enough to stay home and work on the middle school schedule for next year. What this means though is that I don't have kids staying after school everyday so I'm able to come home at a good time that leaves lots of play time with Maddie.

Today we sent daddy off to the driving range and just played across the street at the playground. There is a trampoline over there that Maddie simply loves. She jumps 6 inches off the ground but the look on her face makes it seem like she is jumping 6 feet! We jumped on the trampoline and went down all of the slides before making a couple of hopscotch patterns with chalk.

This was Maddie's first experience with hopscotch! It was fun to write the numbers down and have her tell me what comes next. How did that happen? She kind of had a hard tie with the hopping on one foot thing so we practiced jumping with our feet together onto one number and then our feet apart for two numbers. What a blast it was! we hopped and laughed before coming in to enjoy an apple juice ice pop. The sky was so blue and wind was just slight - it was a perfect day after school! Even Lester sat with us the entire time - I actually think he was considering climbing up the slide. Hope to have more of these this week as we wind down the school year!

A Wang Dang Dinger of a Day!

2007-05-01T05:13:00.000-07:00

May 1, 2007

Dear Diary,

WOW! What a day this has been as Maddie's mommy and daddy. Today is a "special" day for us in that this is a day we celebrate all of the wonderful things in our life. No matter what is going on, no matter what comes our way, we celebrate and quietly remember what happened three years ago today. As much as we try to stay positive, it's inevitable that our nerves are on edge just a bit and I think that Maddie picked up on the vibes the very minute she woke up. The picture to the left is just one of the many time outs that happened today!

Two things to note that are special: She gave up one of her words today... you know, it was one of those baby words that we all think are so cute. We often sit around saying, "remember when Maddie said this or said that?" Well, not we add glop-glop to that list. In the bath today, she didn't ask for a glop-glop - she asked for a washcloth. I think she even surprised herself when she heard the word fly out of her of mouth! The second thing that's worth noting, Maddie is now alternating feet as she heads down the stairs. She been alternating feet going up the stairs for months, this was the first time she alternated her feet going down. It certainly speeds up the process a bit!

It took FOREVER to get out of the house because EVERYTHING seemed to be a battle. She didn't want a bath, she didn't want to eat breakfast, she didn't want to go to the bathroom before leaving, she didn't want to leave her balloon at home, she didn't want to sit in her car seat, she didn't want to stop scratching the car window with her plastic horse's legs.... she didn't want to talk without that whine in her voice. We love you Maddie.....

After a brief shopping trip, we headed to school in order to get some work done. Maddie actually likes to go to school with us on non-school days because we hook one of her movies up to the projector and she gets to sit in huge bean bags. What is truly special about today is she had a pair of scissors with her while she was watching Cinderella III. And guess what she did with those scissors?! Maddie gave herself her very first self haircut... on one side of her head only. I have no pictures as proof, but I do have several HUGE chunks of hair sealed in a school envelope that I will give to her when she turns 18! ;) I was thinking it was time for another haircut - now we are really get to get one.

Like I said, it was a Wang Dang Dinger of a Day! Oh but we really do love you Maddie!

May Holiday Rocks!

2007-04-30T05:36:00.000-07:00

TV Turn Off Week was not too bad - Maddie spent most of her time running around instead of watching her favorite cartoons. This usually meant that she was EXHAUSTED in the evenings when it was time for bed. She was even EXHAUSTED when the May Holiday started on Saturday! Pics like this don't happen that often anymore because Maddie is always on the go!

Jeff and Daneah were coming over for brunch so Maddie and I prepared by making sugar cookies! When Maddie is at school, every Friday is "Cooking Day" so when I told her that we were going to cook, she told me that it must be Friday! There was flour from floor to ceiling, but we had lots of fun and Maddie is quite the little mixer. We didn't quite finish when Jeff and Daneah showed up so we'll have to save the frosting and sprinkles session for later.

It was GREAT to have Jeff and Daneah over as Maddie always shows off for Jeff. She used to just run around and neigh like a horse, but now that her vocab is increasing, she goes to get things and shows him all of her worldly possessions!

May Holiday has been really relaxing so far. We've gone on shopping trips to scope out what's in babyland in China. Andy has rearranged most of the furniture in our house - with Maddie's approval of course. We baked cookies, enjoyed Jeff and Daneah's company... now it's back to school here within the next couple of days. Something tells me that Maddie is REALLY going to be ready!

TV Turn Off Week - Day 1

2007-04-23T05:35:00.000-07:00

I thought for sure there would be no way this would fly! Maddie without her cartoons? Me without my American Idol? Then the strangest thing happened when Andy and I got home from school today around 5:00. Maddie was upstairs playing with Ms. Zhou and when she heard us come in, she galloped down the stairs, screaming "NO TV MOMMY - NO TV DADDY - I SAID, NO TV!"

This week marks TV Turn Off Week or for the really hardcore folks out there, it's a screen free week, including computers. Hmf! I'm not that hardcore! Maddie grabbed my hand and told me that SHE wanted to read a book to ME. She read me a quick story about butterflies and took both Andy and I outside for some serious chalk writing on the back porch. While taking a break from the chalk writing, she ran around the yard through plants and managed to scare all of the little creatures out of their wits. She did find a frog which kept her entertained for quite sometime. She would make it hop and then run over to tell us about how it was once a tadpole. She's three and I'm amazed that she can remember this!

After some frog chasing, we all came inside to make cookies. Maddie LOVES to cook and measure things. She usually doesn't like peanut butter, but today was the day! She and daddy mixed the ingredients and then she helped me grease the pan with Crisco. She was an absolute star at rolling dough into round balls and then flattening them in a grid pattern with a fork! I suspected that she may be one of those kids that likes batter better than the cookie itself by the way she was devouring the uncooked dough - weren't we all like that at some point?! Sure enough, the end product came out of the oven and she dropped the bombshell - "I DON'T LIKE IT" she said with every "T" hit hard. Life is about the journey, life is about the journey, life is about the journey - now what I am going to do with all of these cookies?!

We then went into the den off the kitchen and listened to music while she danced for us. Before you knew it, it was time for books and bed! I thought for sure Andy and I would succumb to the TV's whispers of "Prison Break", but we went back into the den where he took the time to update his great blog, Sentiments of Common Sense, and I graded math papers. We're still listening to music and now Lester is dancing and rolling right in the middle of us.

Happy TV Turn Off Week! Even if you aren't participating - don't forget to take the time to do the things you think you don't have time to do!

Maddie's FIRST Golf Tourny!

2007-04-21T07:14:00.000-07:00

I gotta say this... Maddie's daddy deserves A LOT of credit. When a major golf tournament comes to town, I'm guessing that most men think, "wahoo - guys day out!" Did I mention that he had VIP tickets which were donated by the Sr. VP of HSBC? Well, daddy decided to take Maddie and mommy to a day of golf... with Ernie Els, Paul Casey, and Retief Goosen to name a few.

Maddie decided to wear her pinkest dress possible for the 2007 BMW Asian Golf Classic here in Shanghai. We arrived at 8:00am with our VIP tickets and parking pass in hand and made our way to the Fairway Club where we showed the nice people are VIP tickets so that we could enter. We enjoyed a leisurely champagne brunch while looking over the 18th green before we decided to actually watch some golf! We watched a few people tee off before heading over to see Paul Casey make birdie on the 6th hole. I've never seen so many news cameras and photographers with such big lens' before and what's funny is that they all turned their attention to the little girl in the pink dress telling her mommy "shhh" while Paul Casey set up his shot. I wander if she'll appear in some magazine or on a sports channel somewhere in this world!

Maddie was a trooper and walked 9 holes with us. Actually, daddy was a trooper because he carried Maddie on his shoulders most of the way. One of my favorite shots was when we were sitting on the back of the 2nd green watching a French golfer trying to make eagle and she was more interested in the grass and the holes in leaves! At least she was quiet... well, she was quiet most of the time! She finally feel asleep around 12:30 so we parked at the 5th hole for awhile to watch a few pairs play through before heading back to the VIP Fairway Club for the rest of the afternoon. Why watch golf in the sun, humidity and heat when you can sit in the comfort of A/C? HA!

We enjoyed another great buffet lunch and headed downstairs where we sat and watched golfers for about 4 hours. Andy was trying to convince me that it really wasn't normal to be sitting on white leather couches in the A/C, 4 feet from the 18th green, having servers in tuxedos bringing drinks on a whim. Well, I just can't believe that and that standard has been set! ;) In actuality, Maddie slept the entire afternoon, but we watched all of the leaders finish on the 18th green and chatted and dreamed about things to come while waiting for the next pair of golfers to come through - it really was a perfectly relaxing day - finally.

Thanks Andy for being such a great husband, a great daddy, and for including us girls in your golfing fun! WE LOVE YOU!

Why, yes.... that is Ernie Els!