Tuesday, January 9, 2007

Fun in the Tub & Yummy New Grub

What a fun night - and a successful one, to boot: both kiddos were washed and in bed by 7:30 p.m. That's 30 minutes earlier than I'd originally planned -- woo-hoo! After a fun bathtime session, Hannah and Jaycie both conked out early. I'm sure it helped that I limited Hannah's nap times today, since her long nap yesterday (4 hours long), made for a too-playful baby between 1:30 and 4 a.m. this morning! Hopefully, she'll sleep all night tonight without too much incident; who knows, maybe I'll get to sleep all night, too. One can hope.

On another note, I discovered yesterday that Hannah loves green beans. I even let her eat some cornbread with them, and was that ever a hit! I think she enjoyed crumbling it up just about as much as she did eating it. She wasn't a big fan of tonight's baby food offerings, though, maybe because she couldn't feed herself (interestingly enought, baby food is called "paste" in China; how appropriate). I just hope she keeps liking the rice cereal and yogurt I've been offering; self-feeding those two items would be icky indeed.

For any of you out there in waiting-to-travel-to-China-to-adopt land who are still reading my these random ramblings, I'm going to start posting packing / travel tips as I think of them. In no particular order, here are some things I'm glad packed:
  1. safety pins: I took a box but could've gotten by with about 10; they came in way handy for taking in the 12 month pants that were too big in the waist for little Hannah. I even safety pinned a little pair of slippers that kept slipping off.
  2. clothes pins: We took 5, and they did the trick (albeit in a not-so-fashionable way) when the disposable bibs' sticky tabs didn't work; we also used them for laundry and to keep the formula bag closed.
  3. peanut butter: I'd suggest taking a whole jar if you have a child travelling with you, but it would helpful, too, if you need an afternoon snack yourself (a small jar would do unless you really dislike Chinese cuisine); this can be especially helpful when appointments run long (into lunch) or when the strong smells start getting to you and you need a familiar flavor in your mouth.
  4. ziploc bags: We brought a handful in a variety of sizes; I like the classic kind (not the sliding zipper; those tended to come undone sometimes). They're lightweight and perfect for packing baby snacks. It's helpful to have, too, when you need to snag a couple of pieces of bread from breakfast for that emergency peanut butter sandwich or for extra Cheerios for the road.
  5. long sleeved shirts, short sleeved shirts, a light jacket w/ a hood, & a heavier jacket w/ hood or stocking cap (for winter travellers only): Beijing stayed cold; I was glad I had a jacket with a hood and gloves. Nanchang was warmish during the day and cooler at night most of the week before turning colder right before we left. Guangzhou was short-sleeve weather most of the time and a little cooler at night (I was wishing I'd had a light weight jacket, instead of just fleece pullovers). It was pretty cool the last day there.
That's all. More later.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm still checking on you daily. I'm so grateful you are home safe ans sound and that everyone is adjusting. Love the pictures, and can't wait to meet Hannah!

Mommy of Boys said...

You are such a pro at all this, aren't you?! Glad to hear you're all doing well.

Love from the Carpenters

Unknown said...

Hi Fowlkes Family!! It's Tina Folster (Clancy's mom) and so glad to have your blog info. Sorry, we had not checked email for a few days. Glad to hear you made it home safely and wow what an airport adventure you had. We traveled well expect Clancy did not sleep at all on the way home and we're still all recovering just a bit from jetlag. She's sleeping through the night (with about one hour of crying around 1am)but getting better daily. Love all the great pictures on the blog!!
Tina