Grandparents

We had a fun time going out to see my grandmother yesterday. My parents also were in town and Alvin's parents also came. Meliya had a fun time because she was surrounded by all her grandparents and even her great-grandma. So much love flowing around! (Thanks also to Carol for coming and taking the pictures!)

Dangerous

Today, we went took Meliya to the doctor for her 2 month checkup. The doctor said everything is fine, and then put her on her tummy.  She was able to lift up her neck and push up a little, which she just started doing yesterday.  The doctor said that was good, but it makes her "dangerous" because she could unexpectedly roll over anytime now even though she is young.  Alvin and I thought that was funny, and we started quoting, "I don't like you because you are dangerous."  Quiz: Where is this quote from?

We also told the doctor how Meliya is often gassy.  We often call Meliya the "gas man" and use the quote:
"Gas man. How the [heck] did they know that I got gas?" Extra imaginary points if you can name this quote too.

So Meliya is now 2 months old, weighs 12 lbs and 12 oz and is 23.5 inches.  Even though last month she figured out her days and nights, she is again trying to retackle that milestone.  She has been to four cities already and has been spoken to in many different languages. 

Food!

After being back for a couple days, I have had some good "American food."  Well the first night we had Chinese food, but over the last few days I had my Rubio's fish taco (unfortunately not on 1.99 Tuesday), a hamburger from The Counter, sushi, and Noah's bagel.  Mmm.  I was having some digestion problems the day we had sushi, so I didn't actually have any. 

I haven't had many other cravings for food.  We did get to a Trader Joe's and it was so fun.  Since Alvin and I don't eat pork out of respect for our Muslim friends in the city we live in, we had fun picking up some turkey bacon and chicken sausage.  Alvin really likes eating the candy cane Oreo's from Trader Joe's.  Delish!

As for jetlag, I was struck with it for 4 nights, only sleeping about 4 hours total from 4am.  Meliya and I would kind of stare at each other in the middle of the night since neither one of us were sleepy.  Yesterday, I was finally able to get some sleep, of course with some wakings from the baby.  She also was able to be tired at night.  Yeah!  Hopefully we are finally adjusting to the time zone. 

Back to the States, Jinx on Sleeping

We have arrived back to LA.  The plane trip was pretty uneventful, which is great when you have a newborn. She slept most of the flight and only had three short crying periods (two of them were in the beginning while the lights were still on.)

In Torrance and Palos Verdes, I sometimes forget I am not in China.  Yes it is a lot cleaner, and the cars actually allow you to cross the street first, but there are also a lot of Asians and Chinese writing around.  One difference is that when we went to a Japanese restaurant today, they had a sign that said, "Pray for Japan."  Oh, we are for sure not in China.

Of course, after you write about good sleeping, that night everything gets messed up.  The last few nights, she has been getting up 3-4 times a night.  Last night, she was going through some jet lag, at least I hope we can blame it on jet lag.  Let us hope she can go back to her great sleeping at night schedule.

Advantage of Waking Up in the Middle of the Night

The last two months Meliya has been waking up about 2 times in the middle of the night.  For more than a week she has been only waking up about once in the middle of the night.

I have been getting enough sleep, about 6-8 hours a day, of course not continuous though.  Although it isn't the funnest thing to get up in the middle of the night, I try to think about the positives regarding the nighttime waking.

First, it is private, quiet time for Meliya and me.  Alvin has already been super helpful during the day, and so the nighttime feedings are just Meliya and me.    As we sit there in the dark while she eats, I savor the time together (although sometimes we both fall asleep in the rocking chair for a little bit).

Second, the internet is fast in the middle of the night.  After I feed her, I will go check the computer for email and also Facebook now.  Facebook is usually slow to load up here at our house in the daytime, but super fast in the middle of the night.

Hmm, I feel like I should have a third reason, but I can't think of one right now.  After all, even though there are positives, in the end I hope one day there will be no more need for nighttime feedings.  Until then, I will try to think about the positives.

Packing

As of  yesterday, I started to pack. We won't be bringing back that many items, since we are borrowing some baby stuff from friends and family back home.  It is exciting to be heading back to the states.

I am a little scared about the plane ride.  I think Meliya will be sleeping most of the time, but lately she can be a fussy during nursing because she has too much gas and won't eat, but is really hungry.  Well, we will see how she will survive the 12 hour plane ride. 

4 more days until we head back ...

Thankful

It really seems like these last 8 weeks have been a total blur.  I think about how much Meliya has grown and changed even in just the last few weeks, and it makes me excited to think about what she'll be like a month from now or 3 months from now.

We find ourselves very thankful these days - not just because it's Thanksgiving season, but simply out of a reflection of where He has brought us over the last few years.  Transitioning to life overseas has, I would say, been quite smooth - we're thankful for His provision and for the strong support of our friends and family.  We're thankful for Meliya, and just for how everything worked out throughout Bethany's pregnancy leading up to Meliya's birth in Beijing.  I'm thankful for my wife - it's amazing to me how she is able to take care of Meliya tirelessly each day.


We're thankful for the chance to head back to the States for a bit to catch up with friends and family.  There is a little bit of trepidation because of the new experiences we'll be encountering (traveling with an infant, seeing if she'll sleep well in new and different surroundings).  But, if it means being able to eat good sushi and have faster internet that what we're getting these days, then it's well worth it to me.

Oh yes, and we're thankful that Meliya is learning to smile ever so slightly once in a while...