Us in an old estate.
Looking at their laundry strings of undergarments and cured meat?
We planned to stay for a few days in Wuhan.
But Amanda started having runny nose in Shenzhen.
The weather was also cold and windy in Wuhan.
I felt like I am about to fall sick with my sore throat.
I was also starting to miss Home.
I hate to admit (in China) there’s really no place like home in Yuncheng.
These days, traffic in every other city is congested.
Being caught in the traffic with a bursting bladder and a baby who only wanted to bounce on Mummy was probably the most memorable part of my trip.
We have returned to Yuncheng for about a week now.
Been busy nursing a cold for the first 2 days (I was really tired and had little strength) and was out and about.
Mum came back to Yuncheng with us while Dad came to visit later after he was done with his business, the reason why he came to China in the first place.
I am reluctant to see them go tomorrow. But I am sensing that they are quite tired of Yuncheng.
And of course, they couldn’t quite get used to having an active toddler, who needs lots of attention, after some 20 years…
I know that Yuncheng isn’t interesting or an exciting travel destination but I love having them around and being part of my life here.
Amanda may sometimes push them away, these days she and her legs really has a mind of their own, but she definitely recognizes them, when we welcomed them at the Arrival gate.
I also love seeing her pull her Grandpa or Grandma to her play mat so that they can play with her toys and bond.
She enjoys their company. It warms my heart.
After all, it isn’t everyday that we have such doting Grandparents and parents around.
Hope I have more time and more pictures for this blog soon. Its getting quiet here.
Visited the Zoo in Shenzhen and because of visa requirement Amanda and I, we had to get out of China made our shortest trip to Hong Kong ever.
Less than 3 minutes. And no shopping.
What a record!
We are now touring Wuhan and with my parents, Uncle, Auntie and cousin.
It’s good to let Amanda get acquainted with her Mummy’s relatives.
I am one month late for this.
But the last time I was very late with my update. I was 1 year late.
Better late than never, I am sure I will enjoy looking back and reading this post years later.
With every trip, we gain confidence traveling with Amanda.
Surely, it isn’t as easy as before. But we are getting better at it.
This time, the 3 hour drive from Yuncheng to Xi’an was the challenging part.
Getting hot & restless in her rear-facing car seat.
She now has her forward-facing car seat and loves looking out of the window.
Had to carry her for part of the trip.
On the taxi from Hong Kong International Airport to hotel.
With hungry Daddy. Hungry Mummy was getting impatient.
With Grandma Alice.
Was pleased that Amanda sorta remembers Grandma. Considering how little we see her for the past 10 months.
Grandma Alice scooped Amanda off my arms even before my foot got out of the taxi. Amanda resisted for a little but gave in.
I guess Amanda remembers how great Grandma Alice was in taking care of her daily needs.
Its babies’ basic instinct to bond those who takes primary care of them, for survival.
Grandma Alice was a great help for the next 7 days of our trip.
So how did Amanda react to the big City?
I could tell that she was dazzled by the City’s bright lights. She hasn’t seen so much colorful lights since her return from Singapore.
Well, Singapore isn’t as bright as Hong Kong (famous for their skies who are never dark!) and in Yuncheng, its like the people here observe “Earth Hour” 24/7. Its not about energy-conserving here. But its that backward here. :p
Maybe its the traits of a baby, who was delivered via C-section and the discomfort of contractions at all, OR traits of a baby living in a village.
Amanda doesn’t like crowds and small hotel rooms.
We were in HK’s Central during lunch hour. Being HK, its populous, packed and lunch hour in CBD.
Amanda waved her arms to get people out of her way!
Her Daddy fell faint at Central! Village people seriously don’t do well in crowds huh!?
I made a mistake of choosing a hotel with small rooms in HK.
Well, spacious rooms are rare in HK. The room I picked is a little smaller than usual. BUT I love it for it location!!!
Poor Amanda cried loudly every night before she eventually settle to sleep!
I guess its her way of de-stressing in a crowded city and small rooms.
Dp disliked the hotel too, he said everything is too short, the bed, the table, the chair and the sofa.
Village Man and Village Baby can’t deal with crowd and cramped space.
Note to self: Choose only spacious hotels rooms from now on.
Amanda loves to be in the crib though.
It offers her the mobility of moving around by holding the crib’s bar.
Tired Mummy and Baby.
Mummy was afraid that Daddy’s late night World Cup matches might wake her.
So the-baby-who-moves-180degrees-while-sleeping was snugged between us.
Grandma Alice and Yee-ma Ashley.
Waiting for our table.
Pictures Taken with Ashley’s new fish-eye lens.
Spots.
Off to get durian dessert below our hotel.
Amanda tasted durian and likes it.
Anita had a cold. She had to resist kissing and holding Amanda.
And if she do carry Amanda, she disinfects her hands each time she touches Amanda.
Very considerate of her.
After a short 3 nights in Hong Kong, we took the ferry to Macau.
We were looking forward to the much bigger hotel rooms.
Waiting to board the ferry.
Dad joined us in Macau.
First Family Photo.
Were too busy with the shopping in HK.
Dad and Mum very happy to see Amanda.
Chillin’ with Family.
I miss it!
Wanted to include Amanda. But decided not to. Selfish eh?
Its been awhile since we had a photo without Amanda between us.
The second day in Macau. Was the only sunny day we had there.
And it was HOT! No! An understatement. It was a VERY VERY HOT day!
The little one was not affected by the weather.
Dad and Mum first and last visited Macau 28 years ago.
It was their second honeymoon.
A must-see and favorite spot for tourists.
Dad and Mum had one taken 28 years ago.
From the following photos, I am sure you know it remains to be the favorite spot for tourists.
US.
We too took one at this spot during our first visit 4 years ago. And some 12kg lighter.
And I just realized that I did not post picture of it in this blog. Found the picture on Flickr and WE LOOKED kinda WEIRD!
Guess it sooo not cool to look young.
We too celebrated our 8th anniversary this trip.
It was also that very hot afternoon, we went to the pool in the afternoon.
Mummy Mummy! Something went into my eye!
Oh! Silly me. Its just water.
Amanda loves swimming. Loves the pool. And doesn’t mind or cry when her face is wet.
Already. This makes braver than most people here in Yuncheng.
Most people here are afraid of water. And roller coaster.
At the airport.
We left earlier on the same day.
So that we could have some help with our luggage and shopping.
Grandpa, Grandma, Auntie Ashley and YOU! Uncle Andrew.
Hope to see EVERYONE again soon.
Mummy and I miss HOME and SINGAPORE! (You all know if Mummy could handle flying alone with me, we would be HOME very often!)
Will be meeting Grandma Alice and Auntie Ashley in Hong Kong.
And later, Grandpa in Macau.
Mummy is very excited. Considering how frequent Daddy and her used to go before my arrival.
And its been more than a year and half…since they last went.
I heard her telling Daddy, what a good girl she has been and have not shopped for bags in ages!
Mummy hasn’t got the time to do her “homework” on her favorite purse forum…
But knowing her I am sure she won’t leave HK / Macau without one.
Most importantly, Mummy says family vacations are good bonding time.
I can have almost undiverted attention from Daddy and Mummy.
With Daddy away from work and no internet connection for Mummy… they would be able to spend quality with me!
Oh! Maybe Daddy will still be glued to TV in HK / Macau because of the World Cup! And Mummy might be too engrossed with her shopping.
Thankfully there’s always Grandma and Ashley!
Its Father’s Day today.
And I can now say: PapaPa when asked to. I am no longer blabbering PapaPa…
I think Papa means Daddy, Right? Hee!
Mummy wants me to tell Ah Gong, Happy Father’s Day! And See You Soon!
I am sure Mummy will have lots of pictures to share when we return!
Apart from the one hour wait on the stuffy plane, to take off at the Beijing Airport, we had a wonderful weekend in Beijing.
I have lots of errands to run in Yuncheng.
But decided to stay indoor as its raining outside and I am really really lagging on my updates.
Here are the videos I promised.
A really cute one where Amanda goes Wa-wa-wa…
Not a developmental milestone, but something most babies here learn.
Amanda needed help with her “Wa-wa” in this video.
But that night in bed, when she heard me telling my Dad over the phone, how she can do “Wa-wa” with my help, she decided to do her own “Wa-wa”s!!!
And from then on, when she’s bored in her stroller, she would do her own “Wa-wa…” and according to the old folks, there will be rain when babies do “Wa-wa” and she’s probably the reason why we have rainy weather here. :p
Here’s another video that shows how anal Amanda is when it comes to her xylophone stick.
She HAS to turn and hold them CORRECTLY!!!
Noone told her the right way to hold the sticks… but I guess she figured that it would sound better if held and used correctly.
Her turning the stick and holding it correctly aside, from the video, you may too learn a thing or two or three about Amanda!
1) Amanda has quite a temper.
She was quite pissed off when we took her stick away right before the video.
Amanda would let out a short loud angry “Hmmph“, when she doesn’t get what she wants or when the overly-affectionate little 哥哥s (brothers) gets too close for comfort. They like to carry, hug or rub her cheeks with their sometimes muddy hand.
Mummy… … I think Chang Kor Kor is getting too close.
Eeeks! Don’t touch me!
Amanda would not hesitate to slap or push anyone away if she doesn’t like them.
And when Chang Kor Kor, played and snatched her toys.
She screamed! Pushes him away, pulled his ears and tugged his t-shirt with all her might.
Of course, she doesn’t have the strength to deter him from snatching her toys NOW. But one day… she might just succeed.
I was secretly pleased. Hee! At least she wouldn’t be bullied at the kindergarten here.
2) Amanda found her voice… again!
She found her ability to scream… as demonstrated somewhere in the middle of the video.
Many months ago, I blogged about how Amanda found her voice and loves to squeal.
Now other than blabbering “ba ba” and making all sort of cute little noises… She loves to SCREAM!
Loud piercing scream!
When she’s excited, bored, out of the blue while playing and sometimes at inappropriate times, like we were dining in a restaurant in Beijing.
We were pretty embarrassed by the stares we got. But soon got used to it by the next meal.
Its beyond our control and I have been very careful not to be too amused by her screaming. In case, she thinks it funny and uses it to attract our and others attention.
3) Amanda loves crawl under the chair / jumperoo and plays in the tiniest places.
She gets a lot of fun tugging the curtain under the jumperoo.
Party at my jumperoo. Join me!
And here are some of the pictures from our trip to Beijing over the weekend.
Just landed in Beijing.
For the first time, Amanda drank from her drinking cup on her own.
I’m so thirsty from all the screaming!
The Dongs.
With her 姑妈 (SIL), who clearly adores Amanda! But its also very clear that Amanda is afraid of her.
They do not meet often. And to Amanda, she is a stranger.
She is very wary and careful whenever her Auntie is around and near her!
What made this trip FUN was that we stayed at the hotel instead of our apartment.
And Amanda had lots of fun in the hotel’s pool!
Playing in the room.
Family (blur) photo at the pool!
We do have clear photos of us at the pool. But I look FAT! :p
At “The Place”.
Amanda had lots of fun looking at all the older kids playing and running about.
I kept telling Dp how deprived kids are in Yuncheng. :(
Daddy! Its sooo fun here!
By the 3rd day, Amanda lets her guard down.
I am getting used to traveling with Amanda. I do think that her taking the formula makes life a little easier.
I find it easier to pack Hot water in a vacuum flask, bottles and milk powder Than to find a place where I can nurse discreetly.
Yes. The bottle sterilization can be quite a chore when you do not have the right tools when traveling.
Still. I would love traveling with Amanda if I could ditch my frumpy style.
When I told Dp the numbers of Chanels and Birkins I saw during this trip.
I frowned with Amanda’s diaper bag in my arm when he looked and asked Where’s yours?.
Maybe its the holiday mood, but he sorta promised me a birkin… hee!
WE ARE ALL SO LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR NEXT HOLIDAY END OF THE MONTH!
Gonna meet Grandpa Albert, Grandma Alice and Auntie Ashley in Macau.
(Amanda’s Note to Grandpa, Grandma and Auntie: I can’t guarantee I would be in my best behavior then!)
(Judebabe’s Note to Dad: PLEASE LET ME SHOP! I AM DEPRIVED!)
THAT’S ALL FOR NOW FOLKS!
TILL MUMMY HAS TIME FOR MORE UPDATES!
A short break to the nearby city and county.
I realized time flies very quickly when we are out and about.
With the help of 2 other Daddies and Mummies in the day, we managed well without the help of nanny.
Amanda too slept very well in her Baby Bjorn travel crib.
She’s probably tired from the day’s activities.
Carrying a fidgeting baby who refuse to sit quietly (and long enough) in her car seat or sit still in your lap, for 3.5 hour in the confined space of a car is very tiring.
It is therefore very important to time a baby’s nap time together with the road journey.
But I definitely see us doing more road trips together with friends in the future.
The other baby in the group.
Was secretly pleased that our friends decided not to bring their two very active boys along for the trip.
I encouraged Dp and friends to carry Amanda during the trip, to help with Amanda’s stranger and separation anxiety.
I made Dp carry Amanda most of the time so much so that Amanda now clings to her Daddy too and sometimes prefers Daddy over me!
Something I have not seen since Amanda and I returned from Singapore.
We left Yuncheng after lunch for a 3.5 hour drive to Taiyuan.
Had korean bbq dinner and visited Amanda’s Grandpa and Grandma who were in Taiyuan too.
After a night rest, we spent the next day at the mall.
An environment she is enjoys and is very familiar with. (Many say she takes after me in this.)
She’s cranky only when the stroller isn’t moving and when she’s hungry.
Amanda loves and demands that her Daddy carries her forward-facing.
I asked Dp if he’s flattered by all the attention he gets from strangers when he’s at the mall.
He humbly replied, its Amanda they are looking and cooing over. Not me!
The next morning, we stopped for PingYao en-route to Yuncheng.
This is my second visit to Ancient City of Pingyao city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
I first visited it with my family in CNY 2006. Which I don’t know why I didn’t blog about it then.
Family visited it again in June that year, right before my wedding. And Dad described it as smelly. Ha!
This time round, we didn’t visit every place of interest within the small ancient city.
It was a stopover for us to rest and have our meals.
Group Pic
Us on the wall that surrounds the ancient City.
Baby carriers are good for bonding.
Sights around the ancient city.
Lazy travellers – preferred mode of transportation when sightseeing.
The Ancient City is also very popular with foreign visitors…
English signboards, hostels for backpackers and courtyard hotels are everywhere within the city.
Since it was the May Holiday. the ancient city was packed with visitors.
People were crowding outside the few popular places of interest in the ancient city that is also known for starting China’s banking system during ancient time.
After a long walk through the crowded streets under the hot sun, we found a quiet and air-conditioned spot for ours and Amanda’s lunch.
It was a wonderful guesthouse that offers accommodation too.
Yum Yum! Lunch time!
A happy (hot & sweaty) baby after her satisfying lunch!
We stripped Amanda down to her romper after lunch, which made her very happy.
That day was very hot! And I think I got heat stroke that day. Which made me very sick 2 days later.
After we returned to Yuncheng, we had another day of the holiday left, we planned for another day out, this time with Yuncheng, but in the Yongji County, 40 minutes drive away.
I wasn’t feeling well that day. And was feeling awful throughout the ride.
I felt better once we arrived and after an ice-cream, I was ready to 爬雪花山。
Group Pic!
Another family pic!
More Daddy and Baby bonding time!
Half-way across the suspension bridge.
The Manny!!!
We were walked for more than an hour.
The walk wasn’t tiring because it was great to be out in the nature and ‘special’ skills are required to balance and cross streams.
Errm… Gotta go!
Daddy dressed his baby that morning.
Daddy thinks his baby looks cuter with an upright collar!
Last picture of the post.
Unflattering picture of me. Wouldn’t post it but Amanda has such a SMUG & cute look!
Going to go try out a new garment steamer I just received.
Hope they are easier to use than the traditional ones. Loads of crumpled summer wear to try it with.
For the first time, both my arms are sore. Do you think its the shopping bags or my baby? 2 years ago
Not going to lose sleep flashcards! I m not going to sleep well too! Been too bz going out. More quality time wt amanda when back in YC! 2 years ago
Feeling the pressure to use & teach Amanda wt flashcards! I'm kiasu but also very lazy. Dp always say: 要好好培养！Ez for him to say! Not his job. 2 years ago
Her Recent Comments
judebabe: Kam >> even though it was small, but we didn’t managed to explore all the areas. Too HOT!!! But...
kam: What a coincident that we were at the HK Disneyland at the same day!!! Only if i have blogged about where we...
judebabe: Fat Fingers >> Thanks! I will let him know.
judebabe: Fat Fingers >> Kids… they grow up too fast. Hee!
Fat Fingers: I think this post is really sweet. Just to let you know, there are facebook groups for Singaporeans in...
Fat Fingers: I’ve not been to your blog for a while. Amanda has grown so much!
