pack unpack pack upack

 Pack unpack pack upack… we are back from a weekend in Toronto and will get ready for Jamaica take-off any time now (aaaaany time now, really) – we’ll drive back to the city again tomorrow night, so as to avoid an early start with a mess of other commuters on Wednesday morning. And then we’ll be in Jamaica! On a beach, with warm sunny weather all around! I hope. Here’s a quick recap of our weekend in Toronto:

We started it off with a bed pick-up; I found a travel bed/travel tent on Craigslist and snatched it up for less than half of the regular in-store asking price. Any time we sleep away from home (which is never, right?), we fold up the pack and play and mattress and cart it around. Sure, it’s convenient, but it’s also heavy and cumbersome and it makes traveling light (with two children) seem like a reality only to be found light years away. I thought the new red bed might mean we could travel with just one portable cot… but we’ll see. On night one Alana slept with me for most of the night (she was fussy fussy fussy), and on night two, both kids were in separate fold-up cribs. Anyways, from there we continued on to lunch at our very favourite pizza place, Pizzeria Libretto – I’ve blogged about the to-die-for-delicious pizzas before, and the lunch deal is still as good as gold. The $15 set menu allows for a choice of an arugala-walnut-pear salad or a beet caprese, a margharita pizza, and gelato or biscotti for dessert. Plus bread and oil and your choice http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=776151006586619354#editor/target=post;postID=4928158167715168937of sparkling or still water… I love it! We were all in food heaven for a good hour before our parking meter ran out and we had to attend to our next order of business – the library. I’m on my way to becoming obsessed with H.A. Rey, and found a small list of hard to find books at one of Toronto Public Libraries many branches, and voila! it was just around the corner from our lunch spot. The kids fell asleep in the car, and Steve stayed with them while I spent an hour or so drooling over some seriously hard to find, expensive books. I could have stayed there all afternoon but then… Steve called and Alana was crying her eyes out in the background and I quickly came down from rare-book-heaven and back to the reality of a nursing mom – I have to feed my baby eeeeek! Anyways, it was all good.

books!

hendrik, upside down in alana's carseat... he was on.fire.

 And then – and then (and here I feel like I’m just getting into way too much detail but whatever) – we get to our hotel and I’m waiting with the kids with our pile of stuff while Steve checks in, and picture this: I’m feeding Alana and Hendrik is climbing all OVER our stuff, into Alana’s carseat and upside down and jumping on the crib mattress and rolling around on the floor as if the waiter snuck a double espresso in his gelato… and meanwhile, the lobby is overflowing with people and bustle, and Hendrik is commanding a good deal of attention - rambunctious little two-year old (or was it our mountain of stuff?) goes berserk! Most folk were wearing conference name-tag thingies, and I asked someone what was going on and what was it but a READING conference. I could hardly contain myself! And there were booths galore downstairs – all geared towards literacy and reading and educating educators with the goal of encouraging the development of a lifelong interest in reading. Ak! After we get keys and schlepped all of our stuff upstairs, Hendrik and beelined down and got past security with a special tag (we caught the last 20 minutes before tear-down began) and ogled at books, and of course, bought a few (The Biggest House in the World and Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature). Fast forward a few hours and Steve goes out for eats and to the Raptors game with a bunch of his buddies, and I hang out with the kids. Saturday we walked around The Bay and then met friends for an afternoon playdate. Sunday morning we hit up the ROM and Hendrik and Hunter (Rob’s kiddo) ripped around the awesome dino exhibit, and then ripped around some more in another wing of the enormous museum. After lunch we drove out to Mississauga to see Peter and Lisa Turpin and their new little guy Mason who is just two weeks old, eek! And then it was back to B-ville where had supper waiting for us – amazing! It was a great weekend, full and fab.

museum dads, museum dudes: rob, steve, hendrik and hunter

And since I’m doing my best to stay off the grid in Jamaica, this might be the last post for a week and a half or so – we’re just bringing the ipad so maybe maybe I’ll sneak one in there… but maybe not. And now it’s time to pack.

skating, round two!

 

mixed bag

What have a I got to say here... hmmm...
1. Our beach vacation is BOOKED! Next Wednesday we're going to Jamaica for one week and we're staying here. I'm so excited!
2. Because we don't travel much, we decided to head to the big city this weekend, Friday through Sunday. Plans? See friends, meet dinosaurs at the ROM, go to the library, and that's all that is slated as of this very minute.
3. We are still jet-lagged. Alana is up at least once in the night still to eat, and several times to gab and whine, and Hendrik is still hit and miss with 3:00-4:00 wakeups... it is not enjoyable. I am seriously looking forward to full nights of uninterrupted sleep....
4. We are in baked good heaven. Since our arrival here in Bowmanville one week ago, the following has been on offer up in the Brinkman kitchen: walnut squares, brownies, apple cake, cinnamon buns, banana chocolate chip muffins and bran muffins. BAKED GOOD HEAVEN!
5. Pho-tos:

a clown fish - ALL Hendrik

the one is a picture of me - all done by Hendrik - !!

and this is Dan-O

ready to hit the skating rink

jolly jumping!

POTTY CHARTS

I had to include pics of the potty charts somewhere; I may have to create a few more to entice him to do his dirty work on the porcelain (or plastic).

on Valentine's Day - three loves: Steve, Alana and Trento :)

back. home. canada!

one last look at our place, #1784

We’re back in Canada, and it’s the best. Outside, instead of smog and big-city-buildings, there are trees and snow and birds … and fresh air! And inside, there’s family, space, good food, a dishwasher! and more. Sigh… I love it. I need to list this blog up, so here you go:

1. Jet lag is the worst. Well, okay, it’s not the worst but uugh – is it better or worse with kids? On one hand I think it must be worse, because instead of two adults trying to self-manage adjusting to a new time zone, we’re trying to coordinate the kids and their schedules and getting them to stay awake in the day and sleep (and stay asleep) at night. But on the other hand, maybe it’s better because we’re somewhat forced to make the switch, because we want to get them on the right track asap. But here’s the question: do we join them in sleepy-ville at 7:30 or 8:00? Yes, yes we do. Hendrik has been up mighty early (4:00), and staying up, and Alana has (temporarily I HOPE) reverted to the newborn schedule of up every three hours to eat ah-round the clock… ugh. BUT – here’s the good news – each night of the last four has been better than the night before, so I think we’re getting there….slowly. Whatever way you look at it, kids or no kids, a full on flip-flop of sun and moon will take a few days to get over.

our travelin' man

 2. Business class is THE BEST.  (THE BEST.) And that statement pretty much dominates our trip home – but maybe I should start from the beginning.

We had a fairly leisurely morning and early afternoon on the day of our departure, finishing up packing and eating leftovers and getting ready to quit the Oriental Plaza. We had Alana in disposables and they leaked everywhere (pffffff) so I had to dig out some cloth diapers from the packed bags and cross my fingers that we wouldn’t go through as many sleepers in our 13 hour flight as we did in the eight awake-hours we spent at home before being picked up at 3:00. (We didn’t – zero leaks.) We got to the airport with plenty of time to snack in the Business Class lounge and then got to jump the massive queue at the gate to take our seats up front. And here’s where I get super excited and happy - because we didn’t have to take part in the massive mob-gob line-up at the gate, because we didn’t have to fight for overhead bin space or rub shoulders with smelly neighbors, and fold our big selves into economy class seats. Because we were served freshly squeezed orange juice and had tons of room to spread out, because flights attendants were friendly and smiley and available, and I could go on and on. Hendrik’s first experience of his own seat on an airplane officially can not be topped: he had an appetizer, and dinner on a white “tablecloth”; he slept fully spread out for at least nine hours of the flight, no problem. And Alana was happy too; she slept well and ate well (no tablecloth for you) and neither take-off or landing posed any problems for her little ears. We were equally as excited to be sitting up front, but she just happened to be a little more animated; it would have been weird if I had been as giddy as she was, throwing my arms around and smiling non-stop gooey from ear to ear… no?

On the inside I felt the same way!

Soooo the flight zipped by and we managed to skip the hour-long wait at customs by appealing to a very nice man in the Special Assistance line, and then there were Grandma and Grandpa Brinkman waiting for us in the welcome hall… yay! With our six fully loaded bags, it was a two car pickup kind of deal, and we managed to get it all in and get back here to B-ville and stay awake until mmmm midnight or so before hitting the hay. If only those business class tickets weren’t so expensive, I’d say it was the only way I’d get on an airplane… I LOVE IT!

date night on the plane

PB+J sandwiches before the final leg of our journey

family of four + six bags - we made it!

3. Happy Valentine’s Day! My mom and dad sent us the loveliest book – An Awesome Book of Love, and I love it. An excerpt:
If I were a river and you were the sky
If you were down low and I was up high


Or if I was an apple and you were a sundae
If you were a Wednesday and I was a Monday


If you were spring seasons and I was the fall
We might never have gotten together at all


But we aren't all of those things
You're you and I'm me
And we're as together as together can be

And you know I'm aglow with a smile on my face
When I wonder what magic you'll make of this place
of this town
of this world
You'll transform your surroundings!
That spirit inside you is truly astounding...

And when I'm beside you I'm leaping and bounding
so proud I can hardly contain my heart pounding

I love you I love you! In so many ways
Over thousands of years over billions of days

I love you so much I would scream it from mountains
and dance like a fool in the coldest town fountains

(and the awesomeness goes on and on - I could excerpt the entire book! LOVE!)

And Hendrik made Steve and I Valentine’s Day cards with Grams yesterday – are they not the cutest? I love him! I love our little kiddies… what gems.

Valentine's Day cards for me and Steve... love!

4. Kiddie Updates
So, besides the jet lag, there are a few things. Alana is teething and drooling like nobody’s business, but is still a happy little camper with smiles alight in most of her waking hours. She had her first swim this morning and loved it, and Hendrik had his first skate yesterday (!!) and loved that. He’s in a big boy bed and is less enthused than I thought he would be with playing outside in the snow. Our stuff is everywhere and both Steve and I are feeling a bit paralyzed by the recent trip and all of our stuff (times four) spilling out of suitcases, so the thought of planning and packing for another trip is proving to be a bit difficult… but we’ll get there. We’re still thinking of a sun vacay sometime soon and a trip out to Vancouver, but for right now, we’ll have to wait (and sleep) and see.

from China, for the last time?

The guys have had a crazy week of post-season team obligations: team dinner, TV talk show, meet the mayor + high-up-CCP people, team soiree, meetings with agents, trip to Li-Ning shoe headquarters (Steve, Freddie and Salvador all scored some free swag) – and that’s all since their return on Monday afternoon. Now, it’s Thursday, and in four days at this very moment we’ll be sitting in BUSINESS class on our flight from Beijing to Toronto (ohhhhhh yeah). Steve’s upgrade certificates expire on February 28th, so we’re sneaking in with just a few weeks to spare and I can’t wait! I’m never excited about airplane rides, except when it involves sitting up front. Really, after this year Hendrik will wonder what lowly world he’s been thrown into – mom has to clean her own house again? What’s economy and why are these airplane seats so small and close together and why aren’t we sitting up there again? Before I get thick into this blog, I have to post these two videos: the first, of Hendrik reciting parts of The Gruffalo’s Child (you have to watch the whole thing), with a few made-up lines of his own; and the second – some eye-popping volleyball skills. Yup, my eyeballs were popping:



Over a dinner of fah-bu-lous leftovers thanks to Shanti (or thanks to Freddie who didn’t eat it all), Steve and I briefly started talking about how our experience here measured up with our expectations – we could have gone a bit deeper, but I spilled a carton of milk. Anyways, first thing to clear up is this: we definitely did not live like locals here. We live in a posh posh building with housekeeping that comes twice a week and a five-star hotel’s pool and workout room facilities downstairs. There are doormen that open doors 24 hours a day, and a front desk staff that will help you do just about anything. If something breaks or needs fixing, you call customer service (“Simon”) and a building maintenance person is at your door in 10 minutes. If there’s nothing in the fridge for dinner you can order room service, and if you don’t feel like going for groceries, those can be delivered too. (On that note, Carol – Salvador’s wife – didn’t go to the grocery store once. Not one single solitary time.) So we didn’t quite get a glimpse into the real China – though Steve might have a bit on his trips. I didn’t. I saw the hustle and bustle of hutongs (alleys) and local life from taxi cab windows, but never explored areas of the city that feel more like real-life (as opposed to five-star living); with two little kids, mountains of polluted air and cold weather, that kind of exploring was off-limits for me. We enjoyed what we did do: playgroups, playgyms, mom groups, local walks, mall walks, lots of time at home and at the pool and - ? It was all good. I enjoyed my time here but am so looking forward to breathing clean air and spending time outside.

So, back to how our experience measured up to my expectations. The one point that I did get in before I spilled the milk was that it was way less busy than I thought it would be. I expected crowds and throngs of people everywhere all the time, but besides Tiananmen Square just after the Communist Party Congress, and the subway at the wrong time of day, it wasn’t too bad. Both Steve and I thought we’d have to have Hendrik on a leash every time we left the house, but never did we have to put it on him. I didn’t realize how dependent we’d be on taxis to get around, and I had no idea how ridiculously crazy the driving is here. I didn’t know what to expect when Steve went on the road and left us here alone, but it was all a-ok, and that’s 100% thanks to well-behaved, happy kids. The food? I didn’t eat much Chinese food. The grocery stores? Interesting. There was actually very little that I could recognize. I mean, besides the regular stuff: milk, juice, produce, some meat. Pictures:

Every year with a season spent in a different country, we learn a few things (or more than a few things), and this year is no exception. Besides the tiniest smattering of Mandarin, I learned that I can get by with one trip to the grocery store every two weeks. I realized that I take clean, breathable air for granted. I learned how to leave the house with two kids in a crazy, big, bustling city. And I could go on – with much more that has nothing to do with living in China (I smile way more now, with two little ones – love!), but I won’t. The biggest thing that I could say I learned is something that I already knew: we are more than lucky to call Canada home. Only a few more days and we're there!

six hundredth post!!

champs!

The guys won! BAIC Motor won the championship for the first time ever... YESsssss! I'm so pumped... They won 3-0, beating Bayi for just the second time this season - CHAMPS!

Here are a few pics of some of today's activities, and then I'm watching the rest of The Little Mermaid. (On that note we sang Ariel's song again numerous times tonight (at dinner), and it morphed into this: "I wanna be where the plates/cups/lions/Alana/Hendrik/whatever is, I wanna see wanna see 'em hold food (or whatever)..." - it was good times.

climbing on a Chinese New Year mall decoration; there were a few other kids clambering up over this little bridge, including one boy in split pants sans diaper underneath. he was promptly told to get.off.

while i was on the computer, hendrik drew some letters (and a #): "mom, i did a U/L/J/6..." really?!

another day of different weather: snow AND smog this morning!

what a life!

with and without (much) pollution - what a difference!!

There are two three big ticket news items: 1. BAIC WON! They won this afternoon and forced a third match, and play for the championship tomorrow. If you’re interested in watching, I think it’s streamed live on the CCTV5 site; game time is 4:00 here, which means... middle-of-the-night at home in Canada. 2. The last two days have been sunny and clear and nearly pollution-free - eeeee! It’s been fabulous. Obviously, we left the house both days, with a Fundazzle trip yesterday (playgym) and a long walk outside this morning – soaking up some sunshine:

3. We’re coming home! Our flights are booked and sealed and dealed for February 11th… eeek! I’m so excited. We fly to Toronto, and that’s as far as we’ve made it in terms of planning. Depending on surgery dates (which I should have nailed down in the next week or two) and a few other things, we’ll go on vacation or go back to Gatineau or travel and visit. We are one with our suitcases.

And this isn’t so big ticket but it is kind of a big deal – BOTH kids slept for TWELVE hours last night - !! I put up an ad on a Beijing yahoo groups page (for moms and dads mostly; it – by the way – has been an amazing resource living here – Beijing Mamas), and had someone coming by this morning at 8:30 to pick up the Ikea chair that Hendrik sat in maybe three times. Anyways, she woke us up at 8:45…. !!! Crazy. Needless to say it was an ah-mazing sleep for all.

Mmmm okay, what’s next. Shanti and Carol came over the other night to watch The Little Mermaid, and – so many things to say. I loved this movie when I was little, and hadn’t seen it in many many years – since I was 12? Who knows. Anyways, it's funny, the parts I remember and the parts I don't, and too, how watching with adult eyes makes me question some of the content. “But Daddy, I’m 16!” Hehe. And whatsername the evil octopus? In her raspy devilish super-duper suggestive voice: “Never underestimate the importance of body language!” PFfffft. Anyways, what I really wanted to say is that Ariel’s song “Part of Your World” is stuck like super glue – I wanna be where the people are, I wanna see, wanna see ‘em dancing etc etc etc. I sing it, Hendrik sings along (sort of) and then we just sing the tune in gibberish – all except for one line: “what’re they called again? feeeeeeeet”, except we don’t say can’t say feet (so says Hendrik). He was interested in parts of the movie, but attention fizzled after an hour or so which was convenient because it was bedtime. I’ve been hoping to watch the second half by myself – I won’t force it on him and anyways, he’d rather watch The Gruffalo’s Child (trailer here). He LOVES it! And we love acting out and talking about different scenes: we build “logpile” houses, he makes owl eyes (which involves doing something with his eyebrows that I can’t quite imitate) and we substitute and switch lines like this:

me: out slunk the creature! his hair was short, and he didn’t have whiskers of any sort! YOU’RE not the mouse!
hendrik: hoohoo, not me! he’s somewhere nearby drinking mummy pee!

Yes, he says that, and I giggle to myself and then say something like OH Hendrik that’s silly, eeeee no, not mummy pee, he’s drinking Gruffalo tea! or green tea! or lollipop tea! or something like that. - Mummy pee? Really?

Two other quotables:
1. In the bathroom, wearing just his big-boy-undies (no more diapers during the day!) the other morning: hendrik, touching his nipple: “I have a nipple. It’s small. Daddy has nipples.”

2. In the bath:
me: how old are you hendrik?
hendrik: I’m 2!

me: and when’s your birhtday?
h: november 28

me: ummm and do you know where you were born?
h: (pause…) in a hospital
me: yes, yes you were born in a hospital. do you know what city you were born in?
h: (pause…) Trento
(we haven’t talked about Trento in ages; Vela, yes, but Trento, no.)

If only I had a headcam on to record his sweet little voice and all of the funny, sweet, interesting, intelligent things he says… and then I’d be able to non-stop-film Alana’s perma-smile too - it’s the best! She is such a happy baby… I love it! And I also love cloth diapering – I sure didn’t see that coming. It really is amazing what and how much those suckers can hold. Alana is in the Assunta diapers (which are crazy cute and affordable) but I started stuffing them with bigger inserts, and we’ve had zero leaks since then. She’s growing fast though – they are on their biggest snappy setting and they are none too big at all. Most of her sleepers are 12-monthers and I had her in 18-month MEC pants today; she is five months old aujourd'hui. Smile, grow, eat, sleep, pee, poop, repeat. What a life!