sore thumb

I wish I could say I couldn't sleep this morning because I'm starting the daunting task of labor but I think it's just the after affects of a latte I had yesterday afternoon. Caffeine really works on me for a long time. It's Sunday morning here in Beijing. For the last 2 days we've had rain and gray, cloudy skies. Looks like the same for today. For lunch yesterday, Mom and I went to a quaint (which is rare in such a hugely populated land) French bakery for lunch. There's nothing much better than a ham sandwich on a freshly baked croissant. What other sandwich requires no mayo or mustard? None that I've met. And what can top a cheese danish and freshly brewed cup of coffee to top it all off? Again, obviously nothing other than a piece of baklava and fresh coffee. So, it was a nice lunch. We get to attend our 4th service at the International Fellowship here today. I'm amazed at the openness and acceptance of the people. Every couple of days I g

As of today we are 4 days late. That is assuming that man can accurately determine the day a baby should be born. Which, obviously, he can not. So, we wait. The thing with pregnancy is that most woman began to really anticipate that Big Day about a month before the due date and so when that day comes and goes it has been a long time of waiting. I keep trying to remember 2 things. One, when she comes our nice little family of 3 will be forever altered and two, she will come. In fact, she will come by the end of next week if not sooner - thanks to the ability to induce. So in the mean time I'm able to blog with both eyes wide open, take Madeleine swimming on a whim, have dates with Phil whenever and stay up late watching "Numbers" without worrying about my sleep debt. Not so bad when you think of it that way.

I've always thought we women should have been designed with one of those plastic timers that pop out of fully cooked turkeys so that when the baby is done and ready to be taken from our oven our timers would pop out and we'd just head to the hospital. Wouldn't that be so convenient? If it takes 9 months for a baby to be fully done my baby will be ready to come tomorrow, the 9th of June. If she does, she'll share a birthday with our dear friend John Littleton. Which would be really sweet. Phil just knew she's be born around 12am last night since that was when the opening game of the European Cup started. She wasn't ready to come out for the big game but she was very excited as she did flips from about 10pm to 12am and encouraged me to watch the first half with her papa. When that timer does pop I'll let you know.

Grandma's Kitchen makes a good biscuit and gravy plate. In fact, I've eaten breakfast there for the last 2 mornings and if it weren't so darn expensive I'd be back there this morning, too. Good coffee too and a bottomless cup to boot. Our Little-What's-Her-Name is staying put for the time being. Together we've gained a pound over the last week (thanks Grandma!) and her heart rate is normal. Every evening around 9pm she begins tumbling class which is quite entertaining although at times a bit painful. I'm realizing that there will be a few difficult adjustments when we move back to Xi'an. One being that Mom will be living in Wuhan and not with us. I like having her around in the mornings to chat with, going with me to the store and just being here. It will also be hard having Yali back in our lives full-time. We've really enjoyed being stay-at-home parents. And then there's the variety of Beijing that Xi'an lacks. But with these th