Take My Breath Away... pt 2

cont'd...









We had heard that our home shipment was finally going to be delivered on Sunday (after almost 10 weeks), so Richard and I agreed that we didn’t want to do anything too much on Saturday. Instead we decided to take a stroll around Dong Tai Lu – this is a street filled with antique and curios stalls. I had been briefly on my tour of the subway system, but had wanted to take the family back for a proper look. It is an amazing little street filled with all sorts of relics (me included). I love the atmosphere and the stall holders are so sweet. None of them are pushy, instead they are all smiling and saying hello and even let me take photos of them. I love this area; it is so interesting and such a contrast to Xintiandi and the modern side of Shanghai. The people are so fascinating, I could just sit and people watch all day. One problem was negotiating the little narrow street with 3 small children – there are people on push-bikes, scooters, electric bikes, and small vans and trucks coming and going in all directions. I spent the first 5 minutes shouting at the kids to watch where they were going and to stay alert of their surroundings. I then had to eat humble pie as I turned to see an older lady on a pushbike heading straight towards me. I had nowhere to go and rather than avoid me, she simply stumbled off her bike and proceeded to chew me out in Chinese as she got back on board and headed off. I am still not sure how it was my fault since she was coming at me from behind, but hey, I am the visitor in this nation and I do not yet have the avoidance instinct that every Chinese person in Shanghai is born with. It is like watching a ballet watching the traffic here. How they avoid each other amazes me, they get so close and are headed in all directions, but they very rarely collide or even get upset. I have yet to see any real road rage, which is so different from being in South Florida, where it is everyman (or woman) for himself.







After Dong Tai Lu, we headed over the street to another area which contains the market and the wet market (fruit, vegetables, and meat). We decided not to go to deep inside the wet market building since the kids were with us and we didn’t want them seeing anything strange or scary. We did however; spend a long time wandering around with the locals looking at the market. I was one of maybe 5 or 6 westerners in the whole place, I really enjoy that. This is the China I have come to see and absorb. Everyone is full of smiles and the sights, sounds and smells are nothing like you have ever seen. One of the first curios we saw was a man selling snakes in a bag. I am not sure why and really didn’t get close enough to find out, but the kids thought it was awesome. To get a feel for the action, I had Richard video a little, since photos would never do the experience justice. It felt like we were treading water in an ocean that never stopped. There were waves of people walking and on scooters and bikes coming at us from all directions. It truly is amazing. In one area of the street market there were a lot of vendors on the pathway selling live crabs. Apparently they are in season right now and quite a delicacy. Seeing them clawing their way out of pots, buckets and plastic tubs was a little different to seeing the lobsters at the grocery stores in the US.



One of my favorite sights was the elderly man who was having the wax dug out of his ears by a (medical or barber) man in the street. I took his picture, but he was not happy about it. I told Richard that I am very respectful and conscious of people’s privacy, but hey I was not the one getting my ear cleaned out in the middle of a busy market place. If he wanted privacy, he really should rethink his choice of location.







At one point Richard and the two younger kids got ahead of Aimee and I. During this time, Aimee and I were watching the older men with the many small cans who had formed a line along the street. We couldn’t see what they were doing so went for a closer look. A small group of middle aged men took us under their wing and introduced us to the delights of crickets. There were hundreds of them of shapes and sizes, and apparently it was cricket fighting season. The locals buy their hopefuls and then they and their friends gamble on which cricket will win. Aimee and I liked listening to them and at first we thought they were selling them as pets. I guess we have watched too many episodes of Sawga, where the magistrate has the singing cricket. We caught up with Richard and the kids and told them all about our little chat with the men with their crickets. It really is wonderful how complete strangers take us into their world for a closer look. The experience our children are getting is amazing.







On the way back to meet Xiao He, we took a little detour through the pet market. We saw all kinds of animals and birds. There were tanks of brightly colored fish, a chipmunk, puppies, kittens, mice, and tons of turtles and birds. There was also a whole section dedicated to crickets. Our kids love all the fish and I am sure at some point we will have fish of our own. Now we no longer have a cat, I don’t have an excuse not to have them. Before we met Xiao He, we popped into a local store and picked up a couple of snacks and drinks and headed to the small public park to rest. Sitting in the park was so cool, the weather was perfect and the snacks and drinks hit the spot. Within a few minutes a little boy of about 3 years old had taken a shone to Aimee and was following her as she ran around with Hansen and Cadence. There were a few grandparents there with their little grandchildren getting some exercise. Again, even though we really can’t communicate, we somehow are taken in by these incredible people and they make us feel so welcome. They love to practice the little English they know and generally just hang close-by watching us and smiling. One thing I feel is completely inadequate in my Chinese language. I would so love to be able to talk more than a few words and learn more about their lives.













Soon enough it was time to go home. We called Xiao He and he came out of nowhere to collect us. As we said our farewells to the grandma and the little boy and loaded into the car, a man came to practice his diabolo juggling (that is the spinning cup/yoyo thing they throw in the air on a string between two sticks). Somehow he made it look very easy, but having tried to do it myself last year at Chinese summer camp I know it really is not easy at all.




Just before the kids went to bed, they and Richard sang Happy Birthday and presented me with my cards and a Moon Cake complete with chopsticks in-lieu of candles. Even though I had said I didn’t want anything, of course I was still spoiled. I got a couple of dvd’s, some beautiful drawings and handmade cards from the kids, and two gift cards to the local Massage Spa. I can now be manicured, pedicured and massaged to my heart’s content while the kids are in school. My final gift was the one that meant the most to me. It was a certificate from Richard for $420 ($10 for every year of my life) to be donated to a charity of my choice. Of course, I know exactly who that is going to.






All in all it was the perfect day. I have written 6 pages to journal the day and almost 600 photos to capture it, but what really matters is that I will remember in my heart forever.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Take My Breath Away... part one

I want to start this entry with a huge thank you to all those people who have contacted me regarding the babies I am working with here in Shanghai. Your thoughts, prayers, well wishes, kind words and advice have truly helped all of us this week. Thank you also to those of you who offered to donate to the fund - I really wasn’t asking for money, but thank you from the bottom of my heart. I will ensure your donation no matter how small will make it to the babies.

The good news is that today is the last day of surgeries and all the children that have received surgery so far are getting stronger, livelier and healthier by the day. The two surgeries today are the longest and most complicated, so please keep the surgeons, care givers and of course the babies in your thoughts.

Now I would like to share my weekend with you. It started on Saturday morning with a run to a local restaurant to collect some delicious lunches they had donated to the surgical teams. I had arranged for our driver, Xiao He to collect the lunches and deliver them to the hospital for the 4 days of surgery. However, since it was the first day and neither he nor I really knew the location of the restaurant or the final destination at the hospital, I thought it best that I should accompany him. The whole family loaded in the car and set off in search of the restaurant. We were so surprised to find a large plaza filled with different stores and cafes hidden behind the subway station. At some point we will head back there for dinner and a wander around. The owner of the restaurant is a generous man who agreed to donate lunches for the entire surgical team for the 4 days they were operating. I could not believe how good the food smelt and how delicious it looked. The journey to the hospital was so hard with the aroma of freshly cooked pasta filling the car – I was already hungry before we left home. I thanked the restaurant staff for their kindness and they were all so humble and just thrilled to be able to help in a small way.


Kim & Xiao He collecting the lunches


When we got to the hospital Xiao He parked the car and we left Richard and the kids watching a movie, while we took the food in. All the babies are staying on the 5th floor and we went in search of the amazing Ting Ting from the foundation. Ting Ting was not available, so we asked Amanda if she had any idea on where the food should go. For those of you who do not know Amanda, she is an incredible woman who came to China 3 years ago to run an orphanage/care home for Chinese orphans. Before heading downstairs I made a point of checking in on my favorite little guy – Gavin (or Fei Fei), his little buddy Shaun and beautiful, soulful Iris. Gavin is totally adorable and by far one of the fattest, healthiest looking orphans I have ever met. He comes from an orphanage in Xi’an and it is obvious the babies are well fed and cared for. His ayi adores him and it shows in his personality (and that of the other babies from the same orphanage) that they do the very best they can for the kids. He is such a happy little soul and I love to smother him in kisses and hugs. OMG! He is a cutie pie, I could just eat him up. The funny thing is his Chinese name is Fei Fei, which means to fly. Another translation of Fei is to be fat, so I guess he got the right name, just it is the wrong Chinese character. He is such a little dumpling that he could not fly even if he tried - lol

Anyway off went Amanda, Xiao He and I in search of the surgeons, only to be told they were still operating and the nurse would ensure the food was delivered to them once they were done. As you already know I had put out a request for help for Baby Abbi, who had been diagnosed with various heart defects as well as her hydrocephalus. Since I could not find Ting Ting, I was discussing Baby Abbi and the advice I had received on charities that could help her with Amanda in the lobby of the 2nd floor, when all of a sudden the large double doors opened and out walked our surgery team. I got to meet them all and shake hands with Dr Lazareff from UCLA and Dr Bao from SCMC and thank the staff in person for their kind deeds and compassion for these children. Again, of course they said it was nothing and it was their pleasure to help. I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to meet them face to face. It was such an honor for me. The funny thing was they were telling me how grateful they were to me for delivering their lunch – lol. I told them that it was definitely nothing in comparison, but they should go eat while it was still hot. We said goodbye and headed for the elevator.

Xiao He and I said goodbye to Amanda and headed for the car, but just as we reached the front door, who should walk in but Ting Ting. I had a quick chat with her and told her about the support and well wishes we had received from the adoption community and she was visibly touched by them. She then went on to tell me that Baby Abbi was really struggling and had been diagnosed with some new complications, on top of everything, she had pneumonia, was on a ventilator and now had some other internal malformations. Her prognosis was really not good, but we were hopeful the new information on heart charities would help find her assistance quickly. As always, as I was talking with Ting Ting her cell phone rang and she was back on the job of working with the hospital to get the babies the help they need. Ting Ting is an incredible young lady, with a grace and dignity that I could only aspire to. She is one of the most beautiful, elegant, compassionate and kind women I have ever met. I am in awe of the work she does for these kids, it is obvious that she holds each child close in her heart.

We said a quick goodbye to Ting Ting and headed back out to the car. As the car door opened and the internal chaos spilled into the street (better known as my own three kids), I was struck by what a lucky life I lead and how wonderful it is. I am here in China, doing something that makes me feel complete, accompanied (and more importantly fully supported) by a man I adore, and I have the best job in the world – being the mom to 3 incredible, healthy children. Life does not get better than this. For a moment I just stood in the parking lot hugging my amazing husband and just soaking up the moment. Saturday was an incredible day for me, but it was made all the more special since it was also my 42nd birthday. I had told Rich I didn’t want anything for my birthday since I already had everything I could wish for. At that moment in the parking lot, I had never felt so complete or content. There was nothing more in the world that I needed.

I was however starving hungry! We headed off for a birthday lunch at a beautiful area of Shanghai called Xintiandi (or Heaven on Earth). We found a great restaurant called Luna and sat watching the world go by as we ate a delicious lunch. The whole lunch I just kept looking around and wondering how life could get any better. The day was simply perfect. I was basking in the love of my wonderful family and feeling like the luckiest lady alive. After lunch we wandered around the streets of Xintiandi, stopping to take photos and also to partake in a Haagen Daas or two. Xintiandi is a modern shopping and eating area popular with Chinese and expats alike. The thing that makes it special is that it is within an area of renovated buildings. Our relocation guy Tony, told us that he had grown up in an area like Xintiandi as a child, but with the modernization of the city many of these areas where disappearing under new construction. The little winding lanes and courtyards are just so pretty. It is a photographers dream.

Positive Thoughts From Around The World

Hey everyone,

I am reaching out to you in the hope that you will be able to send some positive thoughts and white light to Shanghai.

Since moving here I have had the privilege of becoming involved with an incredible group of women who have started a foundation to raise funds to assist seriously ill babies and children receive neuro and gastro surgery. All the children are currently living in orphanages all over China and have severe special needs.

Over the next four days a team of 12 doctors from China and 12 from the US will be performing long and painful surgeries on these precious children, in the hopes of giving them a better quality of life and the chance to become adopted either domestically or internationally.

I cannot begin to tell you how important this project is to me or how humbling it is to be able to share this emotional time in these children's lives. I have kissed and hugged each child and they have each touched a place deep inside my heart. The children range in age from 2 weeks old to 12 years old, they are all survivors already and have faced so much alone. To be able to see them smile and to hold their little hands is almost too much to bear. Over the past week they have arrived from all over the country and they will remain here until they are healthy enough to travel back to their respective caregivers. Each child has an ayi with them and they are the most wonderful women, who care deeply for their charges.

I will write more when I can, but I just wanted to let you know about this incredible moment in my life. I have never felt so fulfilled and I feel so blessed to be here to help even in a small way. Coming to China was a dream for me, but to be able to be here and help other children gain the chance of a better quality of life and eventually a family is way more than i could have dreamed.

Please, please as you go about your lives over the next few days keep the wonderful medical staff, the ayis and of course the children in your thoughts. I know how much combined positive thoughts can help. One of the babies surgery has yet to be fully funded (she will receive the surgery and we will find the funds to pay for it later), so if you have any spare change or large bills, please consider donating to this wonderful cause.

I am meeting such amazing people, who have such a heart for our children and the thousands like them who do not yet know the love of a family. There are just not the words to express how good it feels to be a part of this medical mission - the red threads that brought us together are incredible.
The babies names are Philip, Gavin, Shaun, Orly, Chase, Iris, Tyler, Lucas, Shanna & Jack.

BTW: We have one little girl (Abbi) who has just been diagnosed with heart issues and she now cannot proceed with her neuro surgery until she has had heart surgery. If anyone knows a great charity that helps fund heart babies, please let me know. This little girl is so precious,unfortunately the foundation I am with does not do heart surgery, so we want to try and get her the care she needs quickly with another group.

This is too funny not to post

I am not trying to make a political statement either way, but this was too funny and too clever not to share. You gotta love You Tube!

Thanks for sharing Meigan!

Happy Day

There is a lot of good news to report from the Chois this week.
The first part of the good news, is that Aimee is finally getting a little relief from her hives. Poor kid has been itching for almost a week with little sign of ever knowing what was causing it. We think we may now have identified the culprit – the new fabric softener our ayi was using. We don’t know for sure, but we are going to stop using it and have washed all Aimee’s clothes without it. Add that to the cornstarch baths, the calamine lotion, aloe vera, allergy meds and we seem to have hit upon a winning solution. The rash is still there, but is not itching as bad and looks to be slowly getting better. I have to say that Aimee has been a total trooper through the whole episode. I would have been a nightmare, but she has approached this with a maturity beyond her 6 years. All she keeps saying is, ‘Mom I am glad the hives is getting better, then we can just focus on the Molluscum.’ Her class starting swimming lessons this week and we skipped the first lesson due to concerns that other parents and kids would panic thinking Aimee was some kind of threat to their health. Yesterday Rich and I went out and bought her a new swimming outfit to help cover her skin properly. Considering it was a thrown together outfit, she manages to pull it off as only Aimee can – with complete style. It consists of a long sleeve swim guard top, a pair of black ballet footless leggings and pair of black (boy) Speedo’s. She looks adorable in it and I think she may actually start a new fashion here, she looks like she is going surfing, but more importantly she is covered from head to toe and can therefore join her pals in swim class on Weds. To say she was upset not to join in on Monday is an understatement. This kid loves to swim. I would like to mention that her teachers and the school have all been so kind and supportive to us. We are so happy we chose SCIS as our school, they are incredible. As you know, Aimee is always told how beautiful she is and has not been easy on her to get unkind looks with her skin looking so bad. Through it all, she has held her head high and soldiered on regardless. In some ways it has been a good lesson for her (and us) to learn, but I still wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Aimee, we are all so proud of you and yet again you have proved you are even more beautiful on the inside – which is really where it counts the most.

So the second good news came in the form of an informal speech assessment we had done on Cady on Sunday. She and I met up with one of the only speech therapists here in Shanghai for a quick test to see how Cady is progressing and to see if she might need any therapy here. The good news is that Cady scored pretty much normally for her age. She has a minor issue with L’s and R’s, which we are going to work on at home, but otherwise she is right where she should be. We are so proud of how far she has come in the past 3 or 4 months. Bringing her to Shanghai on our look-see visit was a stroke of genius (thanks Neil!). It has helped her open up, gain confidence and most importantly she has found her voice and everyone is going to know what she has to say. I actually spend a good part of the time asking her to be quiet, lower her voice or (incredibly) to stop talking!! We are going to see how she continues to improve over the next six months and check in again with the therapist then, if we have any concerns. Based on where she was and how far she has come recently, we don’t anticipate a 2nd assessment.



This leads me on to our fun packed Saturday, when we attended our first FCC Shanghai family outing. We had a great day with a handful of Families with Children From China at the Shanghai Aquarium. We met up at 10am and immediately were welcomed as family by Kathy Sue and her beautiful daughters, Janna Mei & Jolene Fei (Kathy is from Kentucky – can you tell?), as well as Jennifer & Dan and their adorable, but shy little girl Remley. Another family was caught in bad traffic, so we started without them. Within minutes of being in the aquarium, the Choi kids had decided that they were among friends again. They immediately opened up to everyone and poor Dan spent most of the day carrying, lifting, spinning and generally playing with all 6 kids. I am sure he slept well that night. Cady in particular loved ridng on Dan’s shoulders to see over everyone’s heads. To say that the Chinese like to push to get a better view is an understatement, even the adults would push to get in front of the little kids. I had to have a quick word with my kids to tell them it was okay to push through all the legs and they did not have to wait their turn. This goes against everything I have been teaching them, but honestly we would still be there waiting, if they had used their usual level of manners.

The Aquarium was awesome, quite the experience but since it was quite dark I did not get that many good photos. One thing I was not expecting was the noise – it was so LOUD in there. I wish I had bought ear plus for poor old Cady and me who have an issue with noise. It was a relief to the senses to head back outside, but we had a lot of fun inside too. There were glass tunnels that enabled us to walk through the exhibits and feel like we were under the water with sharks, etc swimming just above our heads- very cool. Actually, aside from the noise the other hardship was the heat – there was no a/c in there. It was so dang hot, I was very happy to cool off outside. You can see from Dan’s shirt in the photos how hot it was in there. The other family (Rich, Yingxi, Kyle & Sarah) managed to catch up with us as we finished the tour of the aquarium and we all headed off to lunch together. So there were now 7 adults and 8 kids and only 2 midi-vans as transport and it has started to rain. When in China, do as the Chinese do! We all piled into the 2 vans with kids on our laps, no seat belts or kiddie car seats and made a dash for the restaurant. My kids were a little confused by the lack of personal safety that Rich and I are usually so anal about, but thankfully we were only going 5 minutes down the road.


For me one of the best parts about attending an FCC event in China is that we don’t have to add culture and cuisine for our kids – they are surrounded by it now everyday. This meant we got to go to a German restaurant for lunch – You know that made me very happy. The kids chowed down on schnitzel, Vienna sausages, bratwurst, spatzle, mashed potatoes and sauerkraut. Delicious! It was quite bizarre sitting in the middle of Shanghai surrounded by Chinese families eating German food and ordering in German. Life is never dull, that’s for sure. The best part for me was one of the mums who ordered a beer. When it came it was it one of those HUGE glass tankards and probably held close to 2 pints. We never had FCC events like this in Florida ;-)
After a delicious meal and way too much talking, we headed out to the garden so the kids could let off some steam. They all played so well together and it felt like we had known everyone forever.



Taking photos with The Bund in the background was just too surreal for me. I have dreamed of this place all my life and now my kids are playing in front of one of my favorite places on earth. Good news indeed. Being with the FCC really made us miss our FCC family back in Florida. It would have been wonderful to share the day with them too. It was made even more bittersweet knowing we were going to be missing our favorite FCC Florida event over the weekend. Our friend back in FL, were preparing for the annual Autumn Moon Festival event. This has always been a family favorite of ours even before we had Cadence. The evening starts with a delicious meal at Miss Yips in Miami, followed by a lantern parade down Lincoln Road dressed in our finest Chinese outfits to the stunning beach. At the beach, we send white balloons up towards the moon with special wishes to those we love, those we miss and those we may never know in this life, such as our children’s birth parents and families. As the balloons float off into the night sky I never fail to have a tear in my eye, it is such a sentimental moment for me. It is filled with so many emotions, love for my precious children, who I am so lucky to be Mama to, sadness for the loss they and their birth families have to endure, thoughts of my own parents and family who are so far away, the sorrow I have at the loss of Richard’s parents who will never know their grandchildren, and this year I add the loss of our family back in Florida. On the positive side, I am thrilled to be spending this year in our youngest children’s birth country and all that it entails. We are living our dreams.




Today (Tuesday) is a good day back in Florida since we are closing on our house. We are not getting as much as we would have liked, but in a declining market, getting anywhere close to a good offer is a miracle these days. We are sad to close the door on our beautiful home for the last time, we had many great times there and we hold a heart full of good memories as we start our new lives in China. Strange but true, the family we sold our beloved home to are Chinese!


Then finally, today is General Motors’ 100th Birthday! Happy Birthday GM. It is hard to believe that Richard has worked for GM for ¼ of those 100 years. Here is to the next 100 years. I know Richard and I will not be around to see what happens, but thanks to GM’s support our children and their children will be. Thank you GM and Happy Birthday.

New Florida Driver's License Rules

Okay, based on personal experience with this, I had to laugh at this news item.

I understand the need for tighter restrictions for obtaining a license, since it is used as a primary id for almost everything in the US. But please, could they not have looked at making it harder to get a license, so that drivers were actually safer on the road? The threat to security is nothing in comparison to the accident rate and death toll on Florida's roads. It's insane and I know, I am now living in China and even though driving here is crazy, they rarely hurt each other.

TALLAHASSEE
New Florida driver's license rules go into effect Oct. 1
Posted on Thu, Sep. 11, 2008

Miami Herald Staff Report



Starting Oct. 1, the state will make it harder for Floridians to receive a new or renewed driver's license.

'We anticipate the benefits of enhanced identity protection will far outweigh the inconvenience of providing additional proof of identification,' said Sandra Lambert, director of the state division of driver licenses.

Starting Oct. 1:

• The Department of Motor Vehicles will no longer accept driver's licenses or identification cards issued by other states as primary identification.

• All customers must present proof of a Social Security number, including Social Security cards, tax returns, W-2 forms, property tax statements, paychecks, DD-214, school records.

• All passports, permanent resident cards and employment authorization cards presented as identification or proof of legal residence must be valid.

Several other changes in state law will go into effect on Oct. 1:

• A person will be allowed to elect school to avoid points five times in a 10-year period instead of five times in a lifetime.

• Commercial Driver License holders who receive a Driving Under the Influence conviction on or after Oct. 1 will be disqualified from operating a commercial vehicle for one year for the first offense -- even if the conviction stems from driving a personal vehicle. They will be permanently disqualified for a second conviction. Penalties are based on date of conviction, not date of the offense.

Other changes going into effect on Oct. 1:

• Class E licenses will be valid for eight years except for drivers 80 and older.

• Class A, B and C commercial licenses will be valid for eight years except for drivers 80 and older. Hazardous materials endorsements will be valid for four years.

• All licenses for drivers 80 and older will be valid for six years.

• Identification cards for children between 5 and 14 will be valid for four years. ID cards for anyone 15 and older will be valid for eight years.

• Fees are also rising. An original Class E license will cost $27, renewals, $20. New and renewal commercial licenses will cost $67, ID cards $10, replacement Class E licenses $10, and all endorsements $7.

Okay Lori, you have a lot to answer for...

After checking my friend Lori's blog today, I just had to do this too. Then of course in true cyber-style I got hooked and took additional tests.

Here are a few of my results....

And why am rated PG, you might ask?

Here's why....

This rating was determined based on the presence of the following words:

knife (4x) pain (2x) prick (1x) ??????

This test cracked me up, cos it thinks I can take 12 x 5 year olds in a fight. I don't do well against my own 3 kids when they gang up on me, let alone 12.

12

And the verdict on whether I am a Geek is also in

48% Geek

This was a surprise, I actually expected to score higher...

I SCORED A 76%

I could also name 33 colors in 5 mins - not much a of a claim to fame, but hey work with me here.




Finally, I tried to see if I talked too much in my blog. The widget is supposed to word count my blog compared to other bloggers. Since I am still waiting for a result, I can only guess the widget is still counting my blog!!! I guess that is my answer right there.

Oh DAMN It! is all I can say.... Hey I wonder if my blog is now considered Rated R now...?

Okay I am off to check.

Spots Before My Eyes

OKay, we have been here just over a month and I have to say I have seen enough of the medical facilities already. As someone who never takes my kids or myself to the doctor, I feel like that is all I have done since we arrived.

I know it is not really true, but after Cady and her knife incident the other week. Now she complaining she has a toothache. I called the local pediatric dentist today and was told he could not see her tomorrow. I was put out since then it will be the weekend and MOnday is a holiday here. Poor kid has to wait till Tuesday? But no, how about 11am on Sunday? What? A dentist appointment on a Sunday... Who ever heard of such a crazy idea? Well, I for one have not, but that is where we are going to be on Sunday morning. Please keep your fingers-crossed that things go well. Since the stitches nightmare, Cady is 'off' anyone medical and anytime I mention the dentist, her toothache miraculously gets better.

Anyway, back to my rant about the spots and doctors. As some of you know just prior to leaving Florida I took Aimee for an appointment to a dermatologist for some yucky bumps she has had for a few months. I figured that the move to China warranted a checkup to see what these things were. They had started out as one or two on her thighs and slowly got more obvious and grew in number. At the dermatologist we were told that she had something called Molluscum Contagiosum - EEww! Never heard of it, but apparently it affects approx 1 in 200 kids before the age of 10. It is a viral condition, that basically hangs around until it decides to leave. There are numerous things you can do to manage the condition, but basically they all hurt and are pretty much useless. The doctor gave us some cream and sent us to China. We started the course of treatment a few weeks ago and I jhave to tell you that the 'cure' is worse that the disease. What looked like benign warty things suddenly started turning red and nasty and flaky, not to mention painful. I immediately contacted Dr Liang for advice and she like me agreed that we were better off with the disease than the pain. So we stopped the creams. In a few days the eczema like welts started to clear up and we were back to the warts.

Fast forward to Tuesday night - Aimee informs me that her feet are itchy. On closer inspection she has a rash all over the tops of her feet - Weird! I give her some antihistamines and put some benedryl cream on to stop the itching, but it looks like a heat rash. She has a pretty rough night and in the morning the bumps are still a bit itchy. Off to school with a note to the teacher mentioning the Molluscum and the new rash. Thankfully, the school are incredible and the nurse knew all about Molluscum (her kids best friends had had it for 5years!). Last night Aimee could not sleep for the itching again, but still wanted to go to school. I checked her skin and it looks like her Molluscum has broken out all over, she has bumps everywhere. About two hours after leaving for school Aimee calls me to say the itches are now on her hands.... Oh Man, does she have some dreaded lurgey?

I tell her I will collect her and then manage to make an appointment with the 'Professor of Dermatology' at a local hospital that caters to Expats and rich Chinese. Cutting a long journey short, we arrive at the hospital and find the place we need. I have to say that everyone is so nice and the place reminded me of Cleveland Clinic, very modern and clean. We are seen by this wizened old professor who ask a fwe questions takes a good look at Aimee and tells me that no it is not Molluscum that is itching, but Urticara or Hives (to you and me). He thinks she has had an allergic reaction to something and duly prescribes some allergy tablets and Calamine lotion. Oh and yes, the Molluscum is normal - not infected and no, you just have to wait it out since it is a viral infection. Great, so poor old spotty now has two spotty complaints, poor kid. One thing I love about the healthcare system here is they write you a prescription in one room, you take your file to check out at reception and they already have the prescription filled and waiting. None of that dropping it off at Publix and waiting 20mins. I can't say that we have received any great medical cures, but at least I walked out of the doctors office with everything I need to help Aimee feel better. So 554rmb (80usd) later I have some tablets, 2 bottles of calamine lotion and a chat with the Professor, the 54rmb (7usd) was the meds and the 500rmb (73usd) was the consultation fee. To stop my poor baby itching and for the peacxe of mind of knowing that dreaded Molluscum was nothing serious I would have paid twice that in a heartbeat. Aimee took one of the tablets in the car and was feeling less itchy within about an hour. We have slathered her in Calamine lotion tonight and apart from looking like a lumpy, bumpy voodoo woman, she is sleeping peacefully.

I do want to say that Aimee has been such a trooper through all of this. The Molluscum is incredibly unsightly and I know she is embarrassed by it, but she has not let it get her down yet. We have talked about it and she knows it is not her fault and it will go away sometime, but honestly, I don't know how she bears it. I had Psoriasis as a teenager (and sometimes still do) and it bothered me no end. I hated anyone commenting on it. I wish the darn warts would just up and leave my beautiful girl alone, but I fear that they are here for a while.

Please if you have never heard of this condition do some research. It is very, very common, especially in humid regions and is believed to be transmitted by swimming pools or sharing towels and equipment. I assume Aimee caught it from swimming somewhere, but since it lays dormant for a while, we will probably never know where she got it. I for one had never heard of it and wish I never had.

Introducing Xiao Mei - our newest addition

OKay, I just had to get one of these for the blog.

As a huge panda fan, life would not be complete without my own panda. I am not sure if she will work for you, but if you click on 'more' you can feed Xiao Mei. She also watches wherever the cursor goes.
OMG! She is way too cute!
I am so in love.
Bet you get one too, there are all kinds of animals for those who are not panda mad like me.

This made me laugh...

Please select from the following options menu:

If you are obsessive-compulsive, press 1 repeatedly.

If you are co-dependent, please ask someone to press 2 for you.

If you have multiple personalities, press 3, 4, 5 and 6.

If you are paranoid, we know who you are and what you want,

stay on the line so we can trace your call.

If you are delusional, press 7 and

your call will be forwarded to the Mother Ship.

If you are schizophrenic, listen carefully

and a little voice will tell You which number to press.

If you are manic-depressive, hang up.

It doesn't matter which number you press,

nothing will make you happy anyway.

If you are dyslexic, press 9-6-9-6.

If you are bipolar, please leave a message after the beep

or before the beep or after the beep.

But Please wait for the beep.

If you have short-term memory loss, press 9.

If you have short-term memory loss, press 9.

If you have short-term memory loss, press 9.

If you have low self-esteem, please hang up.

Our operators are too busy to talk with you.

If you are menopausal, put the gun down,

hang up, turn on the fan, lie down and cry.

You won't be crazy forever.

If you are blonde, don't press any buttons.

You'll just mess it up.

Interesting thought!

I just checked the tickers at the bottom of the blog and did you know...

It is 3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days till Christmas!!!!



Who knew?

Better get some shopping done...

It is hard to believe.....

Wow, it is hard to believe that the first week of school is behind us already. For so long we have talked about it and in the blink of an eye we are already into the 2nd week. The good news is that all 3 kids adore their new school and their teachers. I keep teasing Rich that a month at home alone with just me, no toys and no friends will cure any kid of not liking school. They practically run out of here each morning to get the school bus. Honestly though, I cannot really take the credit. The Choi kids are all a little nerdy and positively love school. It is a joy to see them so excited each morning. I give a lot of credit to their former preschool A Children’s Carousel. They really helped nurture our family values of education and the love of learning. Setting the right foundation is the key and I truly hope that it lasts them a lifetime. Thank you Miss Grace and everyone at ACC for starting us off right; we miss you guys so much.

So backing up a little, the kids, Richard and I went to visit the school at the Open House on Aug 22nd, just for them to get a look around and meet their new teachers. Everyone is so nice and the school just oozes that warm fuzzy feeling. First off, we met Aimee’s new teacher Mr Leichner. He is her first male teacher and it is going to be interesting to see how she handles that. He is a really nice guy and everyone I have met speaks very highly of him, so I am sure it is going to be a great year for her. After telling us that she would continue to be Amelia at SCIS, Aimee promptly wrote her name as Aimee on her coat hook outside the classroom door. So we can all relax, she is officially Aimee again. I am a little disappointed, but since I never really got to calling her Amelia anyway I guess I will live.



Next up was Hansen’s class; he is on the other side of the hall from Aimee on class down. He has the ‘beautiful’ (his words not mine) Miss Bowman. Miss Bowman again was just such a warm personality and she immediately took a shine to Hansen, who was on top form in the charm stakes. She had him play the computer for a while, which completely sold him on her, while we got to know more about her and the class. It turns out that Miss Bowman in a Florida native and is actually from the Fort Myers area. I know Hansen is going to have a great time in her class, I just don’t know if she is ready for his charm.



Finally it was onto Cady’s class. She is also on the same corridor about 2 classrooms down from Aimee. She was her usual hesitant self, hiding behind me and being very shy at first. She too has a male teacher Mr Michael, also a first for her. He is new to SCIS and China, but has been teaching in Asia for the last 7-8 years. Again, he was such a sweet guy I know she is going to love him. Cady takes a little while to warm up, but once she has I hope Mr Michael is ready for her. Right now he thinks she is sweet and very shy – oh how wrong he is. By the time we left, Cady had warmed up a lot and was happily drawing with her brother and sister. Mr Michael was so pleased to see Cady writing her own name with such bold strokes. I told him, she is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.



After meeting the teachers we went to get the information on the school bus schedule. Since we live about 25mins from school and Richard and I are not allowed to drive in China, the kids will be taking the bus to and from school everyday. After some quick negotiation the school bus manager added a new bus stop to our bus route so the kids don’t have to walk so far to the original stop. Whoohoo! I love China! Now we only have a very short walk to the stop. At 7.15am each morning and especially in the winter, this is going to be very welcome.

After sorting out the bus, the kids wanted to let off some steam on the school playground. They immediately took over the slide etc and were so excited they were yelling and screaming at each other with delight. Cady’s teacher, Mr. Michael happened to poke his head out of his classroom window to see who was making all the noise and was quite surprised to see shy, cute and quiet Miss Cady shouting orders to her siblings at the top of her lungs. I guess he is getting a glimpse of the real Cady Mei. Before we overstayed our welcome, we made a hasty retreat and headed out to pick up Joyce from the other side of Shanghai.


Cadence informing her Daddy of what he should be doing!


3 Choi kids ready to start their new adventure. It is going to be an incredible year!