If Looks Could Kill

Someone takes lotion time with her little brother a bit too serious!

Siblings

Growing Like a Weed

 1 Month

2 Months

It's Picture Day!

We're Going to the Zoo

Every week, one of the 5 Year 1 classes puts on a mini-show about what they have been learning.  The class that week performs in front all of the other Year 1 classes and their parents.  I love this concept, as it is teaching these kids an important life skill.  Not only are they having to prepare and practice something, but they are developing a sense of confidence speaking and performing in front of their peers, something many adults can't do.

Eric's class is Year 1E, so his class is the last in the rotation.  They had just come back from a field trip from the Shanghai Zoo and have been studying animals, their habitats, and what they need to live and be happy (thus the theme of the play).  I have to say, I was so impressed with what they were able to do.  When you watch, remember that these are 5-6 year olds. 

Enjoy! 

Back to Basics

I am home a lot more these days, trying to get Carter into a schedule and giving him a bit more solid sleep than what he gets in the car, stroller, at gymnastics, swimming lessons…well, you get the picture.  I have started eating lunch with my ayi a bit more and working on my Chinese language skills with some small talk.  Like most small talk, it starts with talk about the weather, the weekend activities, the kids, etc.  This past Thursday, I was busy getting ready for Thanksgiving.  We got talking and we got on the subject of our upcoming move (just within Shanghai…our landlord is kicking us out.)  I told her we had decided to stay in the building, just moving down 5 floors.  She asked what happened to the other place I had told her about and I told her it was too expensive.  Then she asked the dreaded question…how much was our rent going to be.  You see, I have successfully avoided this question a few times before.  But this time, here I was sitting across the table from her, sharing a meal.  There was no avoiding it.  So, I bit my lip and uttered the words, RMB 50k/month.  Yes, it is an obnoxious amount of money and luckily we don’t pay the monthly bill.  Doug and I always joke that this is the most expensive place we will ever live in.  Our apartment is on the market for something like $10 million USD.  

It is crazy.  And embarrassing. 

She then goes on to tell me about her apartment.  She pays RMB 700/month.  She has no heat, no hot water, and she has pans all over her apartment (which is the size of our living room) to catch the water coming in from the ceiling.  I ask her why her landlord doesn’t fix it.  She says he doesn’t have to.  She says that she has tried to move to a better place, but everything better is around RMB2,000/month, two thirds of her monthly salary.  So, she stays.  Not because she wants to, but because it is the best she can afford.  She explains that is why she showers here; it is just incredibly cold at her apartment.

I continue to listen and stare down at my lunch, thinking about what our life would be like if that was how we lived.  And honestly, I can’t.  

A few hours later, walking to school with a $10 pumpkin pie in tow for Sophia’s class to try, I can’t stop thinking about my earlier conversation.  I pass people on the corners with little signs, advertising their skills, hoping for a day’s work.  Tucked away behind the storefronts are tiny apartments with their windows  open, laundry drying on the electric poles outside.  A shiny black hummer pulls up beside me, stops in the middle of the road and a presumably wealthy Chinese man jumps out and walks into a local restaurant.  The hummer just sits there waiting, traffic piling up behind it.  

The disparity of wealth in this country is astounding.  Perhaps it isn’t more than other countries, but it is so much more obvious here.  On every block, there are million dollar apartments surrounded by ones that might not make it through the winter.  There are people carrying $5000 handbags walking next to those carrying the fake $5 version.  There are electric scooters showing more duck tape than paint sitting at the stop light next to a bright orange Lamborghini.  

This is the thing I struggle with the most living here.  For me, right or wrong, it translates into guilt, something  that I carry around every day knowing what I have and what so many do not.  And it’s especially hard with those whose lives are intertwined so closely with ours.  And what is more insane is that we live a modest life compared to many of the Chinese here.  I struggle with how I can help, how I can make a difference.  But the sheer number of people here and the extreme inequality makes it feel impossible. 

This Thanksgiving, my list of what I am thankful for is different than most past years.  Yes, I am thankful for my family and friends, my children and loving husband.  But this year I feel especially grateful for having my basic needs in life met.  I am thankful that my children are warm when they fall asleep.  I am thankful that my house is dry and that I don’t have to wake up in the morning wondering if the buckets overflowed with water last night while I slept.  I am thankful that my family has food on the table every night and never even flirts with true hunger. 

And oddly enough, I am thankful for my feelings of guilt, as they are my daily reminder of how much I have and how much others don’t.  And hopefully that feeling keeps me grounded and doesn’t let me fall into feeling complacent.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Happy Halloween from China!

All Dressed Up

 This pretty much sums up our night....

Hopefully one day soon happy Sophia will be back to join us.

The Many Faces of Carter

One of the complications of having a baby in China (and most likely any other country outside your home country) is registering them with the US Consulate as well as the Chinese government.  The Chinese registration has to be done with 30 days and of course requires their passport.  Since we are giving up Carter's Chinese citizenship and registering him as an American, his US passport is a requirement before we can register him with the Chinese government and secure his residency Visa.

As expected, we need a passport photo of him.  So, Doug and I bravely took on the task without the help of professionals.  Our first attempt failed, as his picture was rejected by the US Consulate because his eyes were closed.  Our second attempt, we were armed with the exact requirements, dimensions, and nuances required by the US government.  Another trip downtown in traffic with a 2 week old resulted in slightly better results.  Apparently, both ears visible in the picture is also requirement (although not specifically specified in the 1 page document we received).  I mean really??  3 years from now when we are going through immigration, is it really going to be the missing ear that they are concerned about or rather that he looks nothing like he did at 2 weeks old.  However, they took pity on me as panic set in and my eyes welled with tears thinking of yet another photo shoot and trip to the consulate.  They will "try".  We will see.

In the meantime, what resulted from our photo shoot was a pretty humorous set of pictures.  Enjoy the laugh. I know we did.

 

And Baby Makes 5

 

 

 

Made in China

But 100% American...

We are so very proud to welcome Carter Douglas Lohse into the world.

He was born on Friday, September 28th @ 12:05PM 

weighing in at a hefty 4.4 kilos (9lbs, 11 oz) and 55cm (21.5 inches).

Are you ready for some Football??

Football season has officially started and thankfully the drought has somewhat ended here in Shanghai.  In the past year, there have become more options for us to watch both NFL and college games, some even live.  Technology, Doug's best friend.  So, Doug is officially a happier person now and has a little buddy for all the games.  

Our stats man, Eric, can tell you who the Packers are playing in which week and what the scores of all the games have been to date.  He changes into his Packer uniform every day, helmet and all, and has games with himself and his imaginary teammates in our living room.  (The Packers always win of course, even though the Bears have come close a few times!)  He comes home from school on game days and his first question is "What was the score of the game?"  Even Sophia is asking about the Packers.  I think it is safe to say they have officially been brainwashed.  But Doug says he is ok with that since he was also brainwashed at a very early age.  We just need to work those Hokies in there a bit too...

Here are a few videos of the kids practicing their skills with Daddy.  Not sure if Doug is being completely fair here, but it has good entertainment value!

Our City

And our crazy kids...We wouldn't change a thing.

They Continue to Amaze Us

The Great Lohse US Summer Tour

5 weeks.  11 airplanes.  6 States.  9 beds (plus a tent).  Loads of fun.

This is how we spent the summer, traveling the east coast of the United States.  While it was exhausting for all of us, it was worth every flight and time we had to re-pack our suitcases.  Being that our family and friends are so very important to us and because we are so far away for 11 months of the year, it is important for us to reconnect real time, face-to-face with as many people as we can fit in.

It has also proven to be an important time for us to ensure that the kids are continually exposed to our home culture.  It is amazing how quickly they take on the culture here as their own.  It's all they know, especially Sophia, as her first memories will be of her time living here in China.  So, in theory, our time in the US will help to reduce the amount of culture shock they will have when we move back to the US.  This visit, Sophia was particularly out of sorts, asking every day to come back to her "real home" here in China.  And we were all a bit overwhelmed by the amount of advertising and stuff that was everywhere we went.  Don't get me wrong, China is actually stockpiled full of stuff everywhere you look.  But it is different.  In the US, it is organized, clean, and displayed in a way that makes it feel like there is more.  Their eyes (and probably mine as well) when we walked into Target said it all.

We are now back to our "real home" here in China and back into our routines.  And I have to admit, it is nice to be back in our own beds.  But looking through all of the pictures already has me a bit sad knowing it will be another 11 months before we get to come to the US again.  Charlie will be walking and talking.  Emma will probably have pig tails and be a full-fledged toddler.  Bella will have shed all her toddler traits and will join her big kid cousins.  And Eric and Sophia will both have the responsibilities of being a big brother and big sister to this new little one that will be arriving in the next few weeks.  Wow...

Thanks again to everyone that put up with our craziness and took the time to meet up with us, house us, feed us, or just humor us with our China stories.  We can't say thank you enough for yet another memorable summer.

Enjoy the pictures! (Click on each of them to see more pictures from that state.)

Maine

Wisconsin

South/North Carolina

Columbus

  

New York

我的肚子 (My Belly)

I am 35 weeks pregnant.  It has been way over 100F for the last month.  My feet are the size of small boats and feel like they have been beaten over and over.  And admittedly, I have *maybe* increased my intake of chocolate and ice cream just a bit.  But if another person, Chinese or otherwise, asks me if I am carrying twins or tells me how big I am, I may lose it.  I have only gained 25 pounds so far and have been pretty content with that.  But twins!!!  Come on people.  I know Chinese people are small and have small babies, so I keep telling myself that is all they have to compare it to.  And I also know that Chinese people in general have no filter, so they just say what comes to mind.  Indeed, my belly is big.  But my body is supporting a growing child, obviously a very large growing child.  But to be honest, I am particularly proud of that.

If you think about everything that has happened in this belly of mine over the last 9 months, it is no surprise that my body is starting to rebel in other ways.  Some days I am housing an acrobat, others a hiccup machine that could easily become an alternative energy source.  But there is a true miracle inside my big belly that to me has been a constant reminder of how amazing my body is, how amazing God is.  Everything just happens.  The heart developed and started beating all on its own.  Fingerprints have developed that will forever ensure this child is unique from the other 7 billion people in the world.  The baby can hear Eric and Sophia scream “Good night baby shu shu!” every night and see the Darth Vader flashlight they insist on putting on my belly.  The baby is given constant access to food and at this point just continues to grow bigger until he or she is ready to meet this very excited family.  And all of this without true intervention of my own or even my doctors for that matter.  

So, yes…I am very pregnant and have a big belly to show for it.  And soon, sooner than I think I will be ready for it, I will be rocking a third miracle in my arms, most likely of the big variety.  But third time in, I am proud, prouder than I ever have been at what my body is capable of doing.  I can finally truly appreciate what is happening without feeling self-conscious of what my body has transformed into.  Bring it on big belly!

You know your child is spoiled when....

Yes, that is a "Babychino"

Summer is Officially Over ;O(

Hobbies

If I ever knew what this word meant, 5 years of being a parent has caused me to forget.  But over the past year with both Sophia and Eric in school, I have been able to explore a few interests that I had forgotten I had.  

Photography was something that has been easy for me to pick up here.  There is just so much around us every day that is interesting and different for my foreign eye.  It is also a fun way to document our time here. 

Here are a few of what I think are my best photos from my last class.  Maybe one day I can make this something more than a hobby.  Who knows...