New Things That Gracie is Doing

Hurray! We finally got our digital camera fixed! After a disaster in Thailand we found our brand new digital camera unusable for the past three weeks. Thankfully Kodak has a service station here in our city. Although their office was roughly the size of a small coat closet, they were able to send our camera out for service. Originally they said it was going to take about 10 days to do the work, but in reality it only took 3 DAYS! So, last night we took a ton of pictures of the ever-changing Gracie girl. We can't even truthfully call her a baby anymore...she's grown so much and is learning to do new things everyday. It's really exciting watching her grow, and now that we have the camera back, we'll be taking a lot more pictures.

Today I thought I would list for you some of the new things Gracie has learned to do:

1. Waves goodbye
2. Blows kisses
3. Says "Zai Jian" which means goodbye (although truthfully she only gets the "zai" part out)
4. Feed herself with her hands or a spoon
5. Kicks a ball
6. Turns on the TV (this drives us crazy)
7. Plays dress up (she usually needs help though)
8. Gives kisses
9. Gives hugs
10. Pats you on the back when you hug
11. Blows her nose when you put a kleenex to it
12. Dances and claps along with music
13. Drinks from a straw
14. Says "A-Yi" which means Auntie in Chinese
15. Sleeps standing up (this is a hilarious sight)
16. Tears things up
17. Opens/closes doors
18. Reads to her baby
19. Plays with Mommy's makeup kit
20. Prays when it is time to eat

Gracie is changing every day. We've noticed lately how curly her hair is getting. Here's a few recent photos so you can see how she's changing too.

The Smell of Fresh Baked Cookies

Jenny and I have been working hard to get to bed on time these days. Mostly because we want to get up early and have qt. We've done pretty well lately, but tonight I just can't seem to sleep. Maybe it's the car alarm blaring outside our window, or maybe it's the sugar running through my system from the chocolate chip cookies we ate tonight. I tell you folks, one thing I've missed a lot is chocolate chip cookies.

On a recent trip to Hong Kong, Jenny brought some chocolate chips back. Tonight she decided to put them to use. We had to adjust the ingredients a bit- didn't have much brown sugar, or any baking soda- but I found Jenny an alternative recipe on the web and she whipped them up. A few minutes later our apartment had that wonderful baked cookie smell. If they haven't started selling baked cookie scented candles by now, someone should jump on this. Anyway, we enjoyed our cookies and a new episode of Lost on the computer and had a nice quiet evening.

We've really eaten well this week. Jenny made fajitas the other night, and we even had guacamole. Avocados are expensive here, but well worth it- and it turns out that Gracie loves it too! Man, those fajitas were great. I guess it's hard for people back home to understand how much we think about food here. It's so hard to eat well here. Jenny and I often joke with each other: "Let's go to Johnny Carino's tonight." Things like that. Honestly, I've been missing home a bit this week. Missing people, church, good food, places we like to hang out. Funny, it's been almost 10 months, and only just now have I really spent much time thinking about home. I know it's natural.

The past few days have been good- Grace has slept in the afternoons, which has given us plenty of time to study. We went to class today feeling a bit more equipped than on other days. We went to the People's Park this week and had a good time. Jenny bought some bubbles, and Gracie had a great time chasing them. Of course, all the people were interested in her and often stopped to make comments, stare, and take pictures. It was nice. The weather's been so lovely lately. I even wore shorts this afternoon. Hard to believe that just a week ago we were still running heat in every room, trying to stay warm. How things change.

I bought a new bike this past weekend. I don't think I mentioned that in my earlier posts. It's nice- simple. My last bike got stolen after only about two months. They stole it right out of our apartment building. It's my own fault though, I left it unlocked. It's a cardinal rule in this country never to leave your bike unlocked. Heck, most thieves will steal it even if you do have it locked up! Anyway, it's been great having a bike again. I bought four locks for it. People have been giving me a hard time this week about all my locks but hey- I want to try to hold onto this one for awhile.

I told you last time about our friend's son urinating on the floor in Gracie's room. Well, today Gracie decided to follow his example. That's a new trick for her, and one we weren't thrilled about. Oh well, guess the floor gets mopped an extra time this week. Grace has been so cute lately. She's eating a little better, which makes us very happy. She's learned how to pray before she eats, which is just adorable. When we tell her it's time, she clamps her hands together and looks at me expectantly. She's also sleeping a lot better these days- it's like she's finally figuring things out.

I'm working on the new website now, and it's coming along well. I hope to have it up this weekend some time. The Mac can do so many cool things- I'm excited to put it to work. One really cool thing happened today- at least, something cool to me. For the past year, I've been making webcomics using this video game and a program I bought back home. Well, turns out the company that makes the game, and the company that created the software have teamed up to hold a contest for people to make their own comics. The contest just started this week, and ends on my birthday. I'm really psyched. I feel like I really have a good chance and winning this thing. So, I've been rattling off ideas all night, thinking about what to do for the contest. I'll let you know how it goes.

Okay, well I should probably try to pack it in for the night. It's after 11 now and I know if I don't hit the sack soon I won't want to get up. One last thing though- the Mac has this cool feature called Photo Booth you can use to take fun pictures. Jenny, Grace and I have been playing with it this week, so I want to share a few pics with you.

Ate Dinner at a Table!

After an incredibly busy weekend we're back to our regular weekday grind. 4 hours of class this morning went down fairly smoothly, although during the last hour we were visited by paint fumes from the renovation going on downstairs. I tell ya, it always seems that they want to paint lacquer on things only on the rainiest days when it is inconceivable to open a window for some ventilation. They were actually painting and lacquering on the 1st and 2nd floors, but because there was no ventilation we could smell it way up in our 7th floor classroom. Yuck. Thankfully, class was over soon enough and we were out.

So, Spring appears to have finally come to our city. It's hard to believe that just last week we were sitting in class freezing our guts out under 4 layers of clothes, when this week we can sit comfortably in just one or at most two layers. The flowers are beginning to bloom, the trees are green and alive, and the rains have set in at last. This was all heralded by a magnificent thunderstorm last week in the wee hours. It was as if the Father were making an official declaration that winter was over- good news for those of us who have had a tough winter.

We had a nice afternoon with some friends and their son, who is about Gracie's age. The kids played in Grace's room and had a great time. Grace loves kiddos, and she finally seems to be learning how to interact with other children with out biting them or physically attacking them. Everything was going great and then our friend's son urinated on Gracie's floor. This was actually kind of funny, because the last time he came over he did the very same thing. Chinese children don't usually wear diapers, and their pants are split at the bottom so it is easier for them to go to the bathroom. Culturally, it's acceptable for children to do their business just about anywhere- even on the street corner. Honestly, I don't think a single day has passed that we haven't seen at least one child taking care of business on the side of the road. Now, there is one benefit to the split pants/go when and where you gotta go theory: no money spent on diapers! And, kids get potty training from the very beginning which I imagine saves the headaches later on.

We also spent some time doing a little light spring cleaning and some furniture rearrangement today. Jenny's been going crazy over the fact that we don't ever get to eat dinner at a table, and always end up eating on the couch. This is due to the fact that our living room couldn't really accommodate the table because of the large furniture set we have. But, it was clear to me that enough really was enough for Jenny, so we moved one of the pieces into the office and exchanged it for the table. When we originally moved in, one of the spare bedrooms was meant to be used for the dining room. Since we have a room for Gracie, we turned the "dining room" into the office. We used the table all summer for our Chinese classes, but lately it's just been sitting there. So, we made the big swap out today and for the first time in almost a year (!) had dinner at a table. Wow!

They Just Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To...

Today during our break between classes Jenny and I started brainstorming ideas for future blogs. I walk around feeling guilty a lot for not blogging with some degree of regularity. Page through my past few entries and you'll notice I almost always open with an apology. So, in an attempt to give me something to write about so that I will write more often, Jenny and I started making a list of topics. Today our topic is: "Things that have broken since we moved to China." These are either items that we brought from the States which have broken since we got here, things we bought at local stores which have broken since we got here, or things in our apartment which have broken since we got here. And now, on with the list:

Things that have broken since we moved to China:

1) Digital video camera
2) Digital camera (which we just got in December)
3) Television
4) Old CD Player
5) New CD Player
6) Computer
7) Palm Pilot
8) Toilet seat
9) Toilet
10) Shower fixtures
11) Plumbing under kitchen sink
12) Coffee Pot
13) Hot water heater
14) Balcony door
15) Washing machine
16) Dryer
17) Various electrical outlets
18) Flooring
19) Light fixtures in Grace's room
20) Air conditioners

Now, that is not to say that some things have not been repaired since their initial problems. We usually have at least one service call a week related to some problem with the house. Some things broke at the very beginning of our time here, but we were able to get repaired. It's just amazing how a few months in China takes a toll on things. We try to stay thankful despite it all. Sometimes you just can't help but laugh. One thing I can say after typing out the items on this list: "They just don't make 'em like they used to."

Integrating All of Life

We took a seminar once that talked about Maximizing Your Life. During the program, we had to complete a questionaire that helped us identify areas in our life that needed attention. One of my areas was "integrating all of life." Balance.

I have a hard time with balance. It's easy, especially with a toddler around for life to get a little lop-sided. Grace needs a lot of attention, and she gets it. But, sometimes other important areas get left behind. For me, one of the areas that I let go was a commitment to my quiet times each day. I used to be really good about qt- getting up early and having meaningful times with Dad every day- but after marriage and a baby came along, I got thrown off track a bit. I guess from Dad's perspective, I lost sight of my first love. For the past several years I've tried to get back into balance. I've had seasons where I've been very successful at this, and seasons where I've failed miserably. Of course, I KNOW how important qt is, both theoretically and from experience, but knowing all that hasn't always resulted in DOING IT. Guess it's one of those hearing, but not doing things. Everyone knows how important it is for us to have quiet times alone with the Maker, but how many of us really do it? I've have counseled and encouraged so many people about this, yet in my own life I've really struggled. How can I expect anyone to benefit from the things I say, if there is no doing in my own life? Ugh! Say it with me: "hypocrite!"

Well, I'm trying to change my sinful, sinful ways. Part of this seminar challenged us to set goals and make action plans to achieve these goals. I almost felt embarassed to put down that my goal was to have qt every morning. The funny thing was, the guy I sat next to at the conference had the same goal. Funny how Dad always arranges for us to be near the right people at things like that. So, as I made up my action plan, the solution to my problem became very clear: I go to bed too late, so I can't get up very early.

This is tough for me. I consider myself to be a night owl. I like staying up late- always have. Especially since Gracie has come along- the night times are the only times of the day when Jenny and I can do things together and be alone for awhile. But, the issue was clear- if I want to get up early, I have to start going to be early. Jenny and I agreed and set the time at 10:30pm. We planned that the following morning then we would get up at 6am. The program advised us that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. 21 days...and counting.

Of course, the first night before our new program started was a total nightmare. We got into bed at 10:30, only to have Grace wake up at 11pm and keep us up until 12:30. The next morning came way too soon and getting up was a real struggle. But, we did it. I think the first day I got up at 6:45. The next night was a little better, maybe we went to bed at 11:30 or so. The following morning was again a bit better- I got up at 6:30am or so. Each day it got easier and easier, and each day my time was a little more meaningful. Habits take time to form. It's not easy, and it doesn't work perfectly from the beginning. The good news is, if you do stick with it, it does gradually begin to work out. Now I find that my body naturally wakes me up at about 6am, and most mornings I feel ready to go. Of course, that was not true this morning, but for obedience sake I got out of bed anyway.

Last night, I decided I wanted to stay up late, because I hadn't had enough time to myself during the day to just play and relax. I did all the wrong things: I drank coke well after 10pm, played on the computer, went to bed around midnight. Grace woke up in the night and ended up sleeping with us, then she tossed and turned all night. At one point (I think I was dreaming) I thought I heard Jenny yelling out and I immediately jumped up and started to shake Gracie awake- I thought she had stopped breathing or something terrible like that- but of course, she was fine, Jenny was fine, and I really just ended up waking everyone up and scaringmyself to death. Then my heart was beating so fast it took another 30 minutes or so to relax. When the alarm went off at 6am, I felt exhausted. I thought it was impossible for me to get up. But, Jenny prodded me to get her a glass of water, which got me on my feet. Exhausted as I was, I resolved to just get up and do it. Qt wasn't easy this morning. I was sleepy. I did feel like the time wasn't as deep. But, I think one thing I realized is that sometimes, it's about obedience, and nothing else. I'm glad I got up and stayed in the habit, rather than retreating to the old way of sleeping late.

I probably will be tired today in class. I probably won't remember everything I read this morning in the good book. But, at least tonight I will feel more motivated to go to bed on time, and tomorrow getting up won't be as tough because I stuck with it. Discipline. It's not always easy, but in the end I can see my life gradually becoming more and more like it should, and I am one step closer to integrating all of life and finding that balance that I seek.

1- 2- 1 -2 This is just a test. Does my awesome new Journaling program actually post to my blog?!