Here is a photo that the orphanage sent to us of when Tyler was a baby (he's on the left).
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Happy Birthday
Happy 2nd Birthday Tyler. We miss you and are thinking about you every day.
Here is a photo that the orphanage sent to us of when Tyler was a baby (he's on the left).
Here is a photo that the orphanage sent to us of when Tyler was a baby (he's on the left).
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Final Day
We meet with Ms. Kuo, our in country adoption facilitator, one last time. She is encouraged by our situation and expects that in June we should be complete. She tells us it will be a 100 degrees and very humid when we come back. Awesome! Every time we see her she has a gift for us and kind words. This time she has a scarf for Sara and says it will go nice with Sara’s very white skin. I think it is a compliment but we laugh anyways.
We leave for the Science Museum which we find has motorized pandas that you can drive around for the equivalent of 50 cents. Of course Tyler picks a beat up looking one that looks like it was soaked in the rain. Inside the museum there is an entire area dedicated to small children and we are able to spend a few good hours before he starts to get tired. It is probably time to change him anyway.
So there I was carrying him toward the bathroom and I felt it. With his bum resting on my arm he lets at least one go. I imagine there are two big ones in that diaper now. He is all smiles so he and I both know what needs to be done. I casually suggest to Sara who is walking beside me that she take this one, I need to do something. She happily agrees…she’ll be a good mother. At this point a careful self examination reveals that Tyler saving all the dookies for Sara may not be completely accurate as I mentioned before. I may be helping to tip the scales…either way it is not important. Besides I ate stinky tofu last night…I don’t want a flashback.
Arriving at the hotel Ty is clearly tired but fighting it. We decide to use the stroller again but this time we walk around the property. He is sleeping in moments. This allows me time to video tape the city streets.
Half the vehicles seem to be mopeds. In Taiwan, the joke about a moped being fun to ride until a friend catches you doesn’t translate. More interesting is that fact that most people ride mopeds with little breathing masks on. In fact, even just walking around a few people wear masks. Our understanding is that it is because of the air pollution. We have noticed that most days seem smoggy. Is this what L.A. will be like in a few years?
Forget car baby seats or booster seats. In Taiwan you are more likely to see a 3 year old holding on to the back of a moped with no helmet. It is actually pretty shocking for a country that is so industrialized. It was not uncommon to see a small child hanging onto the back of a moped and another between the parent’s legs in front. Oh yeah and we saw two accidents while we were here.
It’s Valentine’s Day. We eat in the hotel restaurant for the first time. As we sit down, we see that tonight is an 8 course meal. It is a no options special for Valentine’s Day. It’s romantic. We can definitely do this with a two year old. Wine is included, a toast, Happy Valentine’s Day! Ty is hungry. He uses the international sign for hunger by smashing his spoon into his plate repeatedly. The first course has just arrived and Sara and I start to identify the situation. We agree that if we have to leave before dessert that will be fine.
The waitress brings some soupy rice for Tyler which proceeds to consume at rapid speed. He hasn’t eaten that fast all week. The second course just arrives. Even with our inexperienced parenting we know a meltdown is only about 10 minutes of idle sitting away. The crayon and paper may give us 15.
I tell the waitress we would appreciate the next courses as fast as possible, explaining we need to leave in 20 minutes or so. She nods and I think we have a good understanding of the situation. Even if she didn’t understand English she sees the kid right? What about my hand moving from back to front in circles and saying faster. This is multi-cultural I hope. Well it’s not.
The next two courses are so delicious….seriously 5 star. Oh and the romance…candle light….soft music…dimmed room and fine linins. Actually it was not romantic because these two courses were spent taking turns walking/running with Ty in the halls to keep him occupied. I mean if you love fine things in solitude and love yourself in an unnatural way maybe it was romantic but again I digress. I have not seen Tyler this happy all week. He won’t stop laughing. Our lives were too uncomplicated before. This is fine.
If you can count you know we left with 4 courses remaining. We will need to imagine how tasty they were. Half price discount doesn’t translate though. The hostess’s English was great earlier. It’s not a big deal, even a 5 star meal here only cost $60 US dollars wine included.
Unfortunately our week is coming to a close. It is time to bring Ty back to his facility. Emotionally Sara is holding up much better than expected. We say bye and get some hugs. The video camera is on so we know we are not going to get the blowing of kisses. We found that by leaving the camera on all the time in the room we got some good video though. So how do you say ok it is time to leave in a situation like this? There were several minutes of lingering after we had already said bye. It is kind of dramatic. Tyler decides how this trip will end. He closes the door in our faces. Even his rudeness makes us laugh.
We get back to the hotel and there is no little boy to reach up and press the elevator down button even though we want to go up.
We leave for the Science Museum which we find has motorized pandas that you can drive around for the equivalent of 50 cents. Of course Tyler picks a beat up looking one that looks like it was soaked in the rain. Inside the museum there is an entire area dedicated to small children and we are able to spend a few good hours before he starts to get tired. It is probably time to change him anyway.
So there I was carrying him toward the bathroom and I felt it. With his bum resting on my arm he lets at least one go. I imagine there are two big ones in that diaper now. He is all smiles so he and I both know what needs to be done. I casually suggest to Sara who is walking beside me that she take this one, I need to do something. She happily agrees…she’ll be a good mother. At this point a careful self examination reveals that Tyler saving all the dookies for Sara may not be completely accurate as I mentioned before. I may be helping to tip the scales…either way it is not important. Besides I ate stinky tofu last night…I don’t want a flashback.
Arriving at the hotel Ty is clearly tired but fighting it. We decide to use the stroller again but this time we walk around the property. He is sleeping in moments. This allows me time to video tape the city streets.
Half the vehicles seem to be mopeds. In Taiwan, the joke about a moped being fun to ride until a friend catches you doesn’t translate. More interesting is that fact that most people ride mopeds with little breathing masks on. In fact, even just walking around a few people wear masks. Our understanding is that it is because of the air pollution. We have noticed that most days seem smoggy. Is this what L.A. will be like in a few years?
Forget car baby seats or booster seats. In Taiwan you are more likely to see a 3 year old holding on to the back of a moped with no helmet. It is actually pretty shocking for a country that is so industrialized. It was not uncommon to see a small child hanging onto the back of a moped and another between the parent’s legs in front. Oh yeah and we saw two accidents while we were here.
It’s Valentine’s Day. We eat in the hotel restaurant for the first time. As we sit down, we see that tonight is an 8 course meal. It is a no options special for Valentine’s Day. It’s romantic. We can definitely do this with a two year old. Wine is included, a toast, Happy Valentine’s Day! Ty is hungry. He uses the international sign for hunger by smashing his spoon into his plate repeatedly. The first course has just arrived and Sara and I start to identify the situation. We agree that if we have to leave before dessert that will be fine.
The waitress brings some soupy rice for Tyler which proceeds to consume at rapid speed. He hasn’t eaten that fast all week. The second course just arrives. Even with our inexperienced parenting we know a meltdown is only about 10 minutes of idle sitting away. The crayon and paper may give us 15.
I tell the waitress we would appreciate the next courses as fast as possible, explaining we need to leave in 20 minutes or so. She nods and I think we have a good understanding of the situation. Even if she didn’t understand English she sees the kid right? What about my hand moving from back to front in circles and saying faster. This is multi-cultural I hope. Well it’s not.
The next two courses are so delicious….seriously 5 star. Oh and the romance…candle light….soft music…dimmed room and fine linins. Actually it was not romantic because these two courses were spent taking turns walking/running with Ty in the halls to keep him occupied. I mean if you love fine things in solitude and love yourself in an unnatural way maybe it was romantic but again I digress. I have not seen Tyler this happy all week. He won’t stop laughing. Our lives were too uncomplicated before. This is fine.
If you can count you know we left with 4 courses remaining. We will need to imagine how tasty they were. Half price discount doesn’t translate though. The hostess’s English was great earlier. It’s not a big deal, even a 5 star meal here only cost $60 US dollars wine included.
Unfortunately our week is coming to a close. It is time to bring Ty back to his facility. Emotionally Sara is holding up much better than expected. We say bye and get some hugs. The video camera is on so we know we are not going to get the blowing of kisses. We found that by leaving the camera on all the time in the room we got some good video though. So how do you say ok it is time to leave in a situation like this? There were several minutes of lingering after we had already said bye. It is kind of dramatic. Tyler decides how this trip will end. He closes the door in our faces. Even his rudeness makes us laugh.
We get back to the hotel and there is no little boy to reach up and press the elevator down button even though we want to go up.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Day 7- Stinky Tofu
We met with 3 social workers all of them very nice. We got a good amount of detail in terms of the mother’s family background. Ty’s mother, grand parents and uncle signed off on the adoption. They are happy for him and the opportunities that he will have. For a number of reasons that I don’t want to get into, they are not able to take care of him. He has been at his facility with Ling since he was less than a month old. We found a couple of his baby pictures at Ling’s facility on the wall. They have some nice pictures that we will need to get copies of.
In between social worker visits we take Tyler to the mall. This time we need to find pants that fit. We know there is only one more day, but a pair of pants that is not falling off of him or up his crack would be nice. They have some more little rides for him at the mall. We have about 1000 pictures of him expressionless on the little rides outside department stores. As soon as we put the camera away he smiles. He is messing with us. He doesn’t like to be a show pony.
After naps we spent the afternoon playing in the room. He has a rock star guitar now and rocks out a bit. More repeated words. “Bye Bye” while blowing kisses is our new favorite.
It’s time for him to go to bed so we bring him back to Ling’s place. We have another night on the town planned by Grace and Edmund. Tonight we are going to Seafood Island. There is a small island in the harbor that is known for great seafood restaurants. To get there we have two options. First is a big ferry boat which looks very nice and new. The second and the one we want is a small flat fishing boat that looks about two hundred years old. This is an authentic experience. We are told that the safety railing on this boat is relatively new. Just a few years ago Edmund explains it was up to you to have good balance.
We toured a Buddhist Temple which was very interesting and serene. The restaurant has lots of fish tanks with perspective dinner items out front. I think I am going to like this. There is a lobster looking creature that has a flat pushed in head. I think we need to eat that. The food was great. The lobster like animal was fantastic. We also had some grilled fish that was out of this world. The mouth of this fish looked like a piranha but the body is like a yellow tail snapper. I can describe the fish well because it was served fully intact. The seasoning and sealed in juices make this so good I may try something similar on our grill back home.
Last night I decided I need to try both the 1000 year old egg and stinky tofu. Back to the night market we go. I am not going to be scared off this time. The 1000 year old egg when cut looks exactly like you would think. Picture a fossil you have seen at a museum. I go for it. The outer eggs tastes just like a hard boiled egg. What’s the big deal? I take a bigger bite that includes the yoke center. That may have been a mistake. The yoke tastes like a fermented raw clam. Sara is not interested at all. I am also unable to even convince Grace to try it. She lives here. Maybe this really was a mistake. My stomach is fine. Why push it though, I leave some on my plate.
Grace tells me that stinky tofu is much better than 1000 year old egg. I have to assume she is correct. Let’s find out. So we approach the stand. Edmund explains that they position the stinky tofu stand at the end of the market because even Taiwan people feel it stinks. It looks like fried dough triangles served with cabbage. Grace orders two plates one for her and Edmund and one for Sara and I. She seems sure we are going to like it.
I grab my chop sticks and inspect one. I smell it but the fried coating is hiding what is inside. I try my first bite. What the? I thought Andrew Zimmerman said the street market stinky tofu tasted like fine cheese. All I hear is Sara saying “why are your nostrils flaring like that, I’ve never seen you do that when eating”. My first bite was a small one composed mostly the fried portion and I don’t want to waste all this food unless I am sure I don’t like it. I also better suggest Sara taste it before I say anything that I am thinking. I don’t want her to miss out. So we do it together. Sara takes a bite and I take a bigger bite. Literally an explosion of flavor and now I know for sure. I just ate shit.
My stomach is doing flips. I start to look around to see where I could discreetly puke if it comes to that. Who eats stinky tofu for the first time without a drink handy? What is wrong with me? Grace and Edmund have already finished their plate. I suggest that they finish our plate as well to which Sara quickly agrees. We all start laughing because it is obvious that I am turning green. There is no more time for politeness. I confess that I am shocked that they can choke that stuff down and that I need to excuse myself to buy a sugary drink immediately.
Tomorrow is our final day with Tyler on this trip. Sara is starting to get emotional and we are still 24 hours out.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Day 6- Playground
This is the third day that Sara and Tyler over sleep at nap time and we missed our window to get to the science museum before 5pm. Ty and I both want out of the room. He is pushing is stroller into the door repeatedly. It’s cute because it’s not our door.
We pack up and head to the front desk. Today’s attendant didn’t speak English as well as the rest had earlier which stinks because today we need to get a recommendation on where we can take Ty to play. I found some words that triggered her to nod and walk off. This should be an adventure! This should be good, she returns and hands me a phone and motions for me to put it to my ear. It was her boss on the line who speaks fluent English. She recommended the Dream Mall. Honestly this Mall is nicer than most malls in the States. Everything was brand new and it even has a Ferris wheel on the roof.
Without Grace at meal time it is a struggle. Most menus don’t have any English. We found a restaurant that had pictures. For a social study when we get home we should try pointing at a picture in a menu and holding up our index finger to see what happens. Here it works fine. At different points in the meal Sara and I both got up and as we walked away to which Tyler screamed papa and mama. I think we failed to mention that we already gave the agencies the official go ahead to start finalizing our paperwork. The screaming papa and mama didn’t hurt to seal the deal though.
Ty is more regular now. We have had two more chuck full diapers. After our meal Sara handled one of these diapers in a careless manner and result was not pretty. I don’t want to be too graphic but some definitely got on bathroom counter. It’s the Mall’s fault, there was no changing table.
The Mall has a playground for very young kids so it was ideal. Some kind of fan propelled balloon cage with hundreds of balloons bouncing off his head was his favorite. There are many safety signs everywhere but they are not the kind of sign that has a picture of someone doing something with a red cross through it. That would have been too easy. Since we can’t figure out what they say, we approach activities slowly and usually only after we see someone else use them. In the case of the bounce house we had to assume there was a weight limit. So we put Ty in it and did the old lets put one foot in and see if we catch a disapproving look. No bad looks. We made it all the way in and no bad looks. Now we are jumping around with all our weight laughing, fully expecting this baby sized bounce house to explode on each landing.
Tyler starts playing with two little boys. He is helping to build a fort from soft blocks. As they finish he holds the hand of a boy slightly bigger than him and they make their way down the padded steps. Looks like he plays well with others…. Bonus! Oh look, a cute little girl approaches them. Get the camera’s ready…boom...Tyler whips out a left handed slap to her chest. This is when we as good parents rationalize the behavior as him just getting tired and it is time to go.
Now that the # 2’s are coming often, Sara is suggesting I become more active in the diaper changing department. I rolled the dice a few times so far and he is saving the solid waste for Sara. Good kid.
We pack up and head to the front desk. Today’s attendant didn’t speak English as well as the rest had earlier which stinks because today we need to get a recommendation on where we can take Ty to play. I found some words that triggered her to nod and walk off. This should be an adventure! This should be good, she returns and hands me a phone and motions for me to put it to my ear. It was her boss on the line who speaks fluent English. She recommended the Dream Mall. Honestly this Mall is nicer than most malls in the States. Everything was brand new and it even has a Ferris wheel on the roof.
Without Grace at meal time it is a struggle. Most menus don’t have any English. We found a restaurant that had pictures. For a social study when we get home we should try pointing at a picture in a menu and holding up our index finger to see what happens. Here it works fine. At different points in the meal Sara and I both got up and as we walked away to which Tyler screamed papa and mama. I think we failed to mention that we already gave the agencies the official go ahead to start finalizing our paperwork. The screaming papa and mama didn’t hurt to seal the deal though.
Ty is more regular now. We have had two more chuck full diapers. After our meal Sara handled one of these diapers in a careless manner and result was not pretty. I don’t want to be too graphic but some definitely got on bathroom counter. It’s the Mall’s fault, there was no changing table.
The Mall has a playground for very young kids so it was ideal. Some kind of fan propelled balloon cage with hundreds of balloons bouncing off his head was his favorite. There are many safety signs everywhere but they are not the kind of sign that has a picture of someone doing something with a red cross through it. That would have been too easy. Since we can’t figure out what they say, we approach activities slowly and usually only after we see someone else use them. In the case of the bounce house we had to assume there was a weight limit. So we put Ty in it and did the old lets put one foot in and see if we catch a disapproving look. No bad looks. We made it all the way in and no bad looks. Now we are jumping around with all our weight laughing, fully expecting this baby sized bounce house to explode on each landing.
Tyler starts playing with two little boys. He is helping to build a fort from soft blocks. As they finish he holds the hand of a boy slightly bigger than him and they make their way down the padded steps. Looks like he plays well with others…. Bonus! Oh look, a cute little girl approaches them. Get the camera’s ready…boom...Tyler whips out a left handed slap to her chest. This is when we as good parents rationalize the behavior as him just getting tired and it is time to go.
Now that the # 2’s are coming often, Sara is suggesting I become more active in the diaper changing department. I rolled the dice a few times so far and he is saving the solid waste for Sara. Good kid.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Day 5 – Newton’s law, what goes in must come out
Sara is not napping. I don’t want you to think she has a problem.
Our translator Grace and her husband Edmund took us out last night. It was an all you can eat hot pot restaurant that was truly great. We took piles of freshly shaved beef, pork, chicken, lamb and oh to the seafood. Plates of fresh oysters, crab, whole squids, and fish skins. Yes fish skins. FYI, if you leave fish skins it in the hot pot is turns to salty jelly. I had to try it. I find no reason to ever eat fish skins again though. The shrimp were actually still alive. You get to pick the ones you want out of the tank like lobsters! Sara had issues with their sad eyes looking at her but she got over it on her way to polishing off a bucket of them.
Edmund enjoyed potty humor so we bonded quickly. They then took us to the night market. For those that enjoy watching the Bizarre Food with Andrew Zimmerman show this is taken directly from one of his episodes. Stinky tofu, they let tofu rot to perfection then aptly name it. Buckets of Alcoholic snails! How about some chicken testicles? We saw people eating the “1000” year old eggs, yes I know what you are going to say, sounds like something Aunt Pauline had in her fridge at the lake. We may take a taxi back later in the week for some stinky tofu but no promises. While we ponder going back we found the link to Andrew Zimmerman’s Taiwan episode. See below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILexn0r6STg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SMPkyamuR8&feature=related
We just got the call that Tyler took a deuce the size of epic proportions then chased it with a quick second. Seems like a good time to pick him up. We were able to see where Ty has been living for his first two years. It was actually pretty nice. The government funds his facility. Not too many extras but a 1 to 3 nanny to child ratio and pretty safe. Children in his particular situation are able to stay at a facility like this for the first few years and then are sent to an orphanage if they are not adopted. There are a few kids there who won’t be adopted because they have serious medical conditions. It’s really depressing so I won’t go into details or explain why I am being so abstract.
This is supposed to be a fun blog so I need to change my thoughts. As you can tell this is a stream of consciousness. Maybe if I look around the room I will think of something to say….hmmmm….oh my god….Sara is sleeping! Maybe she does have a problem. Tyler is next to her. Both so peaceful…one of them is definitely snoring…I think it is Ty…it doesn’t sound like Sara’s standard deviated septum snore.
Yesterday at the lawyers office we got to briefly see Tyler’s uncle. He seemed like a nice guy about 20 years old. Outside of a quick introduction to the uncle our translator was busy working with the lawyer on the paper work. This left Sara and I to our own devices. She taps me and says…hey take a picture of him. Of course she had no intention of standing up and taking a picture of this guy herself. We went on to break down this guys facial and bodily characteristics until we were both convinced that he was definitely related. He was a pretty decent looking guy. I’m not just saying this as a potential proud father, but Tyler is probably going to do well with the ladies.
You may have noticed from the pictures that after day one Tyler’s hair got cut. One of the nannies asked us if it would be ok with us if he got his hair done. We happily agreed. I was as the point where I was considering using my beard and mustache trimmer on him. We have 3 cameras going on this kid perpetually…something needed to be done.
Based on Tyler’s earlier bowel issues we are going to play it safe for the rest of the week. We will keep it simple with soupy rice, fruits and eggs. His next hamburger will need to wait until he is back in the States. Maybe we can get Aunt Simone to make a famous milk man Hamburger.
Edmund and Grace run a lumber distribution business. They entertain their Canadian suppliers in Taiwan regularly so he knows where to buy things. He mentioned that many of these business men buy Rolexes every time they visit. I was very intrigued. I can’t go into detail but a little old lady, an alley, and short money was involved. Check out our night market picture where Edmund is flashing his new bling bling.
I am starting to think that toys that make sounds were not a great idea. He and I both know that A is for Apple at this point. His favorite toy only has only 3 buttons A, B, and C. You see where this is going.
It’s time to wake up sleeping beauties.
Our translator Grace and her husband Edmund took us out last night. It was an all you can eat hot pot restaurant that was truly great. We took piles of freshly shaved beef, pork, chicken, lamb and oh to the seafood. Plates of fresh oysters, crab, whole squids, and fish skins. Yes fish skins. FYI, if you leave fish skins it in the hot pot is turns to salty jelly. I had to try it. I find no reason to ever eat fish skins again though. The shrimp were actually still alive. You get to pick the ones you want out of the tank like lobsters! Sara had issues with their sad eyes looking at her but she got over it on her way to polishing off a bucket of them.
Edmund enjoyed potty humor so we bonded quickly. They then took us to the night market. For those that enjoy watching the Bizarre Food with Andrew Zimmerman show this is taken directly from one of his episodes. Stinky tofu, they let tofu rot to perfection then aptly name it. Buckets of Alcoholic snails! How about some chicken testicles? We saw people eating the “1000” year old eggs, yes I know what you are going to say, sounds like something Aunt Pauline had in her fridge at the lake. We may take a taxi back later in the week for some stinky tofu but no promises. While we ponder going back we found the link to Andrew Zimmerman’s Taiwan episode. See below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILexn0r6STg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SMPkyamuR8&feature=related
We just got the call that Tyler took a deuce the size of epic proportions then chased it with a quick second. Seems like a good time to pick him up. We were able to see where Ty has been living for his first two years. It was actually pretty nice. The government funds his facility. Not too many extras but a 1 to 3 nanny to child ratio and pretty safe. Children in his particular situation are able to stay at a facility like this for the first few years and then are sent to an orphanage if they are not adopted. There are a few kids there who won’t be adopted because they have serious medical conditions. It’s really depressing so I won’t go into details or explain why I am being so abstract.
This is supposed to be a fun blog so I need to change my thoughts. As you can tell this is a stream of consciousness. Maybe if I look around the room I will think of something to say….hmmmm….oh my god….Sara is sleeping! Maybe she does have a problem. Tyler is next to her. Both so peaceful…one of them is definitely snoring…I think it is Ty…it doesn’t sound like Sara’s standard deviated septum snore.
Yesterday at the lawyers office we got to briefly see Tyler’s uncle. He seemed like a nice guy about 20 years old. Outside of a quick introduction to the uncle our translator was busy working with the lawyer on the paper work. This left Sara and I to our own devices. She taps me and says…hey take a picture of him. Of course she had no intention of standing up and taking a picture of this guy herself. We went on to break down this guys facial and bodily characteristics until we were both convinced that he was definitely related. He was a pretty decent looking guy. I’m not just saying this as a potential proud father, but Tyler is probably going to do well with the ladies.
You may have noticed from the pictures that after day one Tyler’s hair got cut. One of the nannies asked us if it would be ok with us if he got his hair done. We happily agreed. I was as the point where I was considering using my beard and mustache trimmer on him. We have 3 cameras going on this kid perpetually…something needed to be done.
Based on Tyler’s earlier bowel issues we are going to play it safe for the rest of the week. We will keep it simple with soupy rice, fruits and eggs. His next hamburger will need to wait until he is back in the States. Maybe we can get Aunt Simone to make a famous milk man Hamburger.
Edmund and Grace run a lumber distribution business. They entertain their Canadian suppliers in Taiwan regularly so he knows where to buy things. He mentioned that many of these business men buy Rolexes every time they visit. I was very intrigued. I can’t go into detail but a little old lady, an alley, and short money was involved. Check out our night market picture where Edmund is flashing his new bling bling.
I am starting to think that toys that make sounds were not a great idea. He and I both know that A is for Apple at this point. His favorite toy only has only 3 buttons A, B, and C. You see where this is going.
It’s time to wake up sleeping beauties.
A night on the town
Sara here. I'm finally up from my nap and I want to say that kids really tire you out. Either that or I have mono.
Here are some photos from our night out. That shrimp kept eye-balling me and I was really grossed out. The last picture was of Tyler's orphange. His bed is the bottom bunk. Check out the outfit. He really needs some help with style!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Day 4- Still no poop
Sara is napping again. I haven’t even bothered to turn on Fox News today. There is only so many ways you can say that Democrats are bad and Republicans should inherit the earth without boring me.
Yesterday after blogging I had worked up an appetite so we caught a taxi to downtown. We found a traditional market--one of the photos has already been posted. I think they leave the chicken heads and feet on the dead chickens so that you know it is a chicken. There were definitely things there that were not chickens.
We found more unidentified fried protein that Tyler and I both enjoyed. Sara’s pallet has definitely expended over the past years that we have been together but I can tell we are pushing the upper boundaries at this point.
We then took Ty to the shopping equivalent of an old Woonsocket Caldors. He loves to run in stores. It was funny for everyone…the first 10 times. Based on the variety of food we had eaten the past few days it was decided that McDonalds was the appropriate way to end day 3. What could be better? A playground, Ronald McDonald, and food tried and tested to promote acute bowel function.
Interestingly most people here speak at least broken English. Sara and I have been very impressed and it has made our trip easier. Unfortunately at McDonalds the kid I had help me who was sporting a faux-hawk or a “D.A.” haircut knew more about U.S. style than the language. Somehow two cheese burgers and a shake turned into one Big-Mac minus no cheese. The situation was quickly resolved and we were on our way to enjoying our delicious grease treat. Ty ate the entire burger, glutinous American already.
Hours later, still no poop. Seriously?
Now Sara and I are starting to be a bit concerned. We call the nanny and she confirms that no BM in 36 hours is definitely not normal. It is clear he is more than just embarrassed to poop in front of new people. Luckily we already had a doctor appointment today. This doctor specializes in child development. Oddly enough she also can check temperature and fill a prescription for a child laxative.
Tyler is healthy. Three doctors said so. Developmentally he is doing well and we should not be concerned about his limited speech. He speaks all the time when we are alone in our room but is very quiet around others. We show him books and say the English words and he often repeats. His first word repeated unmistakably was puppy. Sara and I cheered so he screamed puppy. Good times.
He really does talk a lot when we are in our room. I pretend he is speaking in full Chinese sentences and not baby talk. He is like Stewie from The Family Guy show except his head is slightly smaller. Not a lot smaller…but smaller. 18 month shirts fit his body but not always his head. He has a full size two year old head. The nanny says it makes him smart. Is it wrong to make fun of our kid? Probably, but while I am at it his taste in clothing in questionable. We are told he picked out the clothes that he wore the day we first met. You all saw the pictures.
A laxative on top of McDonalds. Time to bring Tyler back to his nanny’s facility! We dropped Ty at the facility fully loaded and ready to explode feces. We really did need to drop him off. We had to spend 4 hours in a lawyers office signing paperwork. No place for a kid full of processed meat and stool softener.
I don’t think I said anything to embarrass Sara yet so I should mention that she and the baby are having similar bowel issues. Sara’s problems in this area are a great source of humor but don’t expect a daily journal on her issues. I will be surprised if this paragraph makes it past her.
Last night Sara started to show Tyler how to give kisses. It was really cute and he would pucker then grab her by the face to bring her in for a kiss.
Sara stirs in her sleep now. Soon she will be awake. My time is short. I am really starting to enjoy this blogging time. Hopefully Sara and Ty take a nap tomorrow.
Yesterday after blogging I had worked up an appetite so we caught a taxi to downtown. We found a traditional market--one of the photos has already been posted. I think they leave the chicken heads and feet on the dead chickens so that you know it is a chicken. There were definitely things there that were not chickens.
We found more unidentified fried protein that Tyler and I both enjoyed. Sara’s pallet has definitely expended over the past years that we have been together but I can tell we are pushing the upper boundaries at this point.
We then took Ty to the shopping equivalent of an old Woonsocket Caldors. He loves to run in stores. It was funny for everyone…the first 10 times. Based on the variety of food we had eaten the past few days it was decided that McDonalds was the appropriate way to end day 3. What could be better? A playground, Ronald McDonald, and food tried and tested to promote acute bowel function.
Interestingly most people here speak at least broken English. Sara and I have been very impressed and it has made our trip easier. Unfortunately at McDonalds the kid I had help me who was sporting a faux-hawk or a “D.A.” haircut knew more about U.S. style than the language. Somehow two cheese burgers and a shake turned into one Big-Mac minus no cheese. The situation was quickly resolved and we were on our way to enjoying our delicious grease treat. Ty ate the entire burger, glutinous American already.
Hours later, still no poop. Seriously?
Now Sara and I are starting to be a bit concerned. We call the nanny and she confirms that no BM in 36 hours is definitely not normal. It is clear he is more than just embarrassed to poop in front of new people. Luckily we already had a doctor appointment today. This doctor specializes in child development. Oddly enough she also can check temperature and fill a prescription for a child laxative.
Tyler is healthy. Three doctors said so. Developmentally he is doing well and we should not be concerned about his limited speech. He speaks all the time when we are alone in our room but is very quiet around others. We show him books and say the English words and he often repeats. His first word repeated unmistakably was puppy. Sara and I cheered so he screamed puppy. Good times.
He really does talk a lot when we are in our room. I pretend he is speaking in full Chinese sentences and not baby talk. He is like Stewie from The Family Guy show except his head is slightly smaller. Not a lot smaller…but smaller. 18 month shirts fit his body but not always his head. He has a full size two year old head. The nanny says it makes him smart. Is it wrong to make fun of our kid? Probably, but while I am at it his taste in clothing in questionable. We are told he picked out the clothes that he wore the day we first met. You all saw the pictures.
A laxative on top of McDonalds. Time to bring Tyler back to his nanny’s facility! We dropped Ty at the facility fully loaded and ready to explode feces. We really did need to drop him off. We had to spend 4 hours in a lawyers office signing paperwork. No place for a kid full of processed meat and stool softener.
I don’t think I said anything to embarrass Sara yet so I should mention that she and the baby are having similar bowel issues. Sara’s problems in this area are a great source of humor but don’t expect a daily journal on her issues. I will be surprised if this paragraph makes it past her.
Last night Sara started to show Tyler how to give kisses. It was really cute and he would pucker then grab her by the face to bring her in for a kiss.
Sara stirs in her sleep now. Soon she will be awake. My time is short. I am really starting to enjoy this blogging time. Hopefully Sara and Ty take a nap tomorrow.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Some more pictures
Here are some more pictures. Some were taken at the lake and some at the lantern festival last night.
Day 3-- Justin's first post
Everything is going as good as we could have expected. Yesterday we spend our first full day with Tyler. After you hear everything we did you will understand why we didn’t post anything.
It is noon on Tuesday. Sara and Ty are sleeping so if I begin to ramble on it is because I have nothing to do besides watch Fox News our only real English news channel. Fair and balanced as long as you are a Republican…but I digress. You want to know about our trip, not Bill O’Reilly and Rupert Murdock dominating the Asian market.
We just got back from the doctors office. Everything medically seems good. The doctor’s English name was Justin and he worked at Boston’s Children Hospital for one year. He attended two Red Sox games while he was in Boston so we know he is a good doctor. Ty’s size and speech is a little behind but we knew that before and there is nothing serious. We have read that this can be typical for children who spend time at a facility like he has been. The doctor told us we should have nothing to worry about.
Yesterday we spent the afternoon at Cheng Ching Lake park. It is a nice park with great views and architecture. There was lots of walking, running and playing which all alone would have been a full day for a typical sedentary person which I fancy myself.
But, yesterday was also the last day of the New Year festival. How many chances do you get in ones life to attend this kind of celebration? So in all our wisdom we decided on our first full night with Ty to pack up our stuff and take a taxi to the party. It actually went really well. We ate all kinds of stuff that tasted great but alas we will never know what it was or what it was called. For blogging purposes so you can picture it, let us refer to them as shrimp cakes on a stick and corn dog like foods. That said I have no valid reason to really think it was shrimp, it could have been any seafood. I hope it was seafood. Ty was great, he didn’t fuss, ate everything, and had an all around fun time. I got some great video of Sara and Ty dancing in the street.
It is probably a good time to mention that a white male approaching 6 feet tall wearing a t-shirt and shorts has a tendency to stick out. That said, everyone has been very nice. It is a very safe city. My only criticism is that the people here have very poor internal body temperature control. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is 75 degrees and more than half the people are wearing thick winter coats. I may try and get a picture of me sweating in my t-shirt standing next to one of these guys wearing a puffy Nike down coat looking chilly.
When we got back from the festival we gave Tyler his first bath with us. He is a very neat kid. He likes everything just so. He hates when his hands are dirty. Clearly he and I were destined to be together. He loved the bath Sara gave him so much that he cried a little when we made him get out.
Time for bedtime. Based on the amount of running and playing during the day and how late it was getting this should have been easy. It couldn’t be harder than attending a festival where you don’t speak that language with a two year old boy right? Laying in a darkened room with soft classical music seemed like a recipe for success. But there he was standing up and dancing. Let’s try laying him down again. Boom, more standing and dancing. It was soft Beethoven not Pussy Cat Dolls! Let’s try shutting off the CD. No luck. So I tried walking him in the stroller. Seemed logical every other stroller ride he took he napped. There I am walking up and down the hall catching looks…refer to earlier sticking out like a sore thumb paragraph…with Ty who was sat quietly but was clearly ready to wait me out. 20 minutes of walking in circles later I tried to put him back in the crib. Tears…lovely. After a quick debate, I can’t let this kid cry our first night. So I pick him up. Let the spoiling begin. But, this is when we started making headway. He was content to lay against my chest in our bed. Several still, hopeful minutes later SUCCESS! A few minutes later I put him in the crib and he slept all night without waking.
Sara just woke up and can’t believe I am still typing. She is afraid I am going to say something embarrassing in our blog. I hope I didn’t disappoint. That reminds me, Tyler hasn’t done a poop since we got him 24 hours ago. This next one is going to be a mess of biblical proportions! He eats so much! Oh my god, he ate those “shrimp cakes” and a cornish dog! He is saving it specifically for when it is my turn to change him, I can tell. I think that is why he smiles at me. If Sara doesn’t let me blog again we miss and love everyone.
It is noon on Tuesday. Sara and Ty are sleeping so if I begin to ramble on it is because I have nothing to do besides watch Fox News our only real English news channel. Fair and balanced as long as you are a Republican…but I digress. You want to know about our trip, not Bill O’Reilly and Rupert Murdock dominating the Asian market.
We just got back from the doctors office. Everything medically seems good. The doctor’s English name was Justin and he worked at Boston’s Children Hospital for one year. He attended two Red Sox games while he was in Boston so we know he is a good doctor. Ty’s size and speech is a little behind but we knew that before and there is nothing serious. We have read that this can be typical for children who spend time at a facility like he has been. The doctor told us we should have nothing to worry about.
Yesterday we spent the afternoon at Cheng Ching Lake park. It is a nice park with great views and architecture. There was lots of walking, running and playing which all alone would have been a full day for a typical sedentary person which I fancy myself.
But, yesterday was also the last day of the New Year festival. How many chances do you get in ones life to attend this kind of celebration? So in all our wisdom we decided on our first full night with Ty to pack up our stuff and take a taxi to the party. It actually went really well. We ate all kinds of stuff that tasted great but alas we will never know what it was or what it was called. For blogging purposes so you can picture it, let us refer to them as shrimp cakes on a stick and corn dog like foods. That said I have no valid reason to really think it was shrimp, it could have been any seafood. I hope it was seafood. Ty was great, he didn’t fuss, ate everything, and had an all around fun time. I got some great video of Sara and Ty dancing in the street.
It is probably a good time to mention that a white male approaching 6 feet tall wearing a t-shirt and shorts has a tendency to stick out. That said, everyone has been very nice. It is a very safe city. My only criticism is that the people here have very poor internal body temperature control. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is 75 degrees and more than half the people are wearing thick winter coats. I may try and get a picture of me sweating in my t-shirt standing next to one of these guys wearing a puffy Nike down coat looking chilly.
When we got back from the festival we gave Tyler his first bath with us. He is a very neat kid. He likes everything just so. He hates when his hands are dirty. Clearly he and I were destined to be together. He loved the bath Sara gave him so much that he cried a little when we made him get out.
Time for bedtime. Based on the amount of running and playing during the day and how late it was getting this should have been easy. It couldn’t be harder than attending a festival where you don’t speak that language with a two year old boy right? Laying in a darkened room with soft classical music seemed like a recipe for success. But there he was standing up and dancing. Let’s try laying him down again. Boom, more standing and dancing. It was soft Beethoven not Pussy Cat Dolls! Let’s try shutting off the CD. No luck. So I tried walking him in the stroller. Seemed logical every other stroller ride he took he napped. There I am walking up and down the hall catching looks…refer to earlier sticking out like a sore thumb paragraph…with Ty who was sat quietly but was clearly ready to wait me out. 20 minutes of walking in circles later I tried to put him back in the crib. Tears…lovely. After a quick debate, I can’t let this kid cry our first night. So I pick him up. Let the spoiling begin. But, this is when we started making headway. He was content to lay against my chest in our bed. Several still, hopeful minutes later SUCCESS! A few minutes later I put him in the crib and he slept all night without waking.
Sara just woke up and can’t believe I am still typing. She is afraid I am going to say something embarrassing in our blog. I hope I didn’t disappoint. That reminds me, Tyler hasn’t done a poop since we got him 24 hours ago. This next one is going to be a mess of biblical proportions! He eats so much! Oh my god, he ate those “shrimp cakes” and a cornish dog! He is saving it specifically for when it is my turn to change him, I can tell. I think that is why he smiles at me. If Sara doesn’t let me blog again we miss and love everyone.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Day 1-- Meet Tyler
It’s Sunday night and we’re here in Taiwan giving you the long awaited update. We got in last night and couldn’t sleep primarily because of nerves and excitement but also jet lag. The flight was long but very uneventful. This morning we finally met Jhih-Yuan who we have decided to name Tyler (Ty for short). We had 23 hours of traveling to debate names and this one seemed to fit when we met him.
When we first met him he was a little apprehensive but seemed to like the toys we brought so we knew we had an “in”. After a little playing we stopped for lunch and I was finally able to get a smile out of him. He’s got the most contagious laugh (we'll post a video when we can). Playing catch and peek-a-boo seem to be the funniest things he’s ever seen. During lunch we also discovered that he’ll eat just about anything you put in front of him—from cod livers to shrimp to tofu.
After lunch we stopped at the Shoushan zoo. The entire day we had Grace with us who is our translator. She has been so wonderful in helping us navigate around the city and Taiwanese customs.
Today was a great day but we have a long week ahead of us. We will take him to at least one doctor later in the week and we’ll meet a social worker who will basically decide whether or not we are going to be fit parents. Her recommendation will be very important during the court process.
We’ll keep you updated as the week progresses but now we’re exhausted so good night! One funny note—it was about 80 degrees and humid today and they brought him in a wool sweater and corduroys. When I took the sweater off, he had a sweatshirt on underneath!
When we first met him he was a little apprehensive but seemed to like the toys we brought so we knew we had an “in”. After a little playing we stopped for lunch and I was finally able to get a smile out of him. He’s got the most contagious laugh (we'll post a video when we can). Playing catch and peek-a-boo seem to be the funniest things he’s ever seen. During lunch we also discovered that he’ll eat just about anything you put in front of him—from cod livers to shrimp to tofu.
After lunch we stopped at the Shoushan zoo. The entire day we had Grace with us who is our translator. She has been so wonderful in helping us navigate around the city and Taiwanese customs.
Today was a great day but we have a long week ahead of us. We will take him to at least one doctor later in the week and we’ll meet a social worker who will basically decide whether or not we are going to be fit parents. Her recommendation will be very important during the court process.
We’ll keep you updated as the week progresses but now we’re exhausted so good night! One funny note—it was about 80 degrees and humid today and they brought him in a wool sweater and corduroys. When I took the sweater off, he had a sweatshirt on underneath!
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