Skip to main content

almost one month

I realized today that we've almost been in Wuhan for a month. We arrived on Sept. 2nd. It doesn't seem that long. But when I think back to that first night here and then our first full day it does seem awhile ago. We're all so much more comfortable now.

My Wednesday mornings are going to get a lot more comfortable. I'm getting a cleaning lady! She'll come around 8:30am and stay until 12:30pm. Other coworkers here use her and they say she's a great worker and is also great with kids. She'll do whatever cleaning, laundry, or shopping I need done. I'm hoping it works out for her to watch Maddie some too during that time so that I can go out and do some shopping or just get out for awhile. The main reason I'm going to use her is because I just need a break.

I shared with my coworkers today that every few days I have a meltdown. It's just that everything builds up and then I just feel so down and discouraged. There's a lot that contributes to the meltdown. One thing is that I can't blend in here and having a cute little blonde girl with me makes it totally impossible. There are days when I just need to get something small from the store but I dread going because I know that I'm going to have several people stop me to talk to me and Maddie. Some days I don't mind and then the next day I can't take it.

It's also hard right now because Phil's really busy with the internship, teaching English, and doing online course work. He's an amazing husband and father. But life is very busy for him right now so that puts a strain on our little family.

So as I shared these things my coworkers just started pouring out encouragement and help. They know how hard it can be and how simple tasks can become huge here. One help was to have the cleaning lady come to my house on Wednesdays. Others said that they really, really want us to let them watch Maddie for us when we need a break or if I just need to run to the store without her. That means so much to me. Just knowing that I can call up a friend and say, "Can I drop Maddie off at your place? I need an hour to myself." is wonderful.

So, that's my life right now. Trying to find my footing in a place that I've somewhat experienced before but that I'm now seeing in a different light with my little nuhai (girl).

Popular posts from this blog

my amazing daughters

*Disclaimer* - The following may not be amazing at all. Lilian can blow her nose.  Hold a tissue to her nose, say "blow" and she blows her nose.  She's 10 months old.  I'm sorry, but that is amazing. Lilian answers questions by shaking her head "yes" or "no".  For example, "Do you want more to drink?"  followed by her head shaking "no". Lilian knows exactly what she is not allowed to touch.  As she approaches the forbidden object she starts shaking her head "no". She waves goodbye and hello. She puts objects to her ear, pretends it's a cell phone and says, "hi." Phil once heard her say, "All done!" Madeleine can tell you the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead.  She knew it after hearing it one time.  She can also tell you about Jesus' ressurection but Lazarus sometimes ends up in there too. She is 3 years old and 5 months. She gets up every morning around 5:30am, goes to the bathroo
Read more

rainy, sleepy saturday afternoon

This is perfect.  My husband and eldest daughter are asleep in the living room with an F1 race on. My baby is asleep in her room.  I've had time to sort through my entire wardrobe and pull out the stuff I never wear.  I just finished looking up recipes for Yorkshire pudding, roast beef and pie crust.  I've had a cup of tea.  Plus I had a nap earlier. For some reason my mother-in-law's pie crust recipe sometimes works well and sometimes makes me want to throw the messy, crumbly dough out our 8t h floor window.  So, I've decided that I will find the perfect crust.  It's going to take a lot of sacrifice on our part as we eat my attempts. Some Canadian friends ate Yorkshire pudding at their Easter meal.  It was the one dish my friend mentioned when I asked how their lunch went (I knew they were having a BIG group over).  So, I figured it must be pretty great.  I'm going to try it.  From what I've read I think it should be called Yorkshire bread. Yorkshire pud
Read more

coffee at ikea

Phil is coming home today! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. This morning I canceled a doctor's appointment (who needs immunizations anyway?) so that Mom and I could take full advantage of the nanny and could enjoy a morning at IKEA. Mom's flying out tonight and we won't have another chance to just hang out the 2 of us before they fly to the States for the holidays. Our first stop was at the IKEA restaurant for coffee and a danish. The store was pretty empty so it was really nice just wondering around. Mom bought Maddie's bday gift - a wooden baby bed for her favorite doll. Then we finished it off with a hotdog and flat coke. The weather it typical here today. Rainy and cool. Both girls are snoozing and since I had 2 cups of coffee, I am not.
Read more