A Haircut, A Bump Pic, and Some Lola-isms

I have had a little more time this week at work, so am just on a blogging roll!

I had been delaying a haircut for a long time, in part because I didn't want to get rid of my waves from my digital perm, and in part because I never could find the time!  But my hair was soooo long and it was getting really heavy and I was feeling a bit washed out by it.  It was also very dry as I did absolutely no maintenance on it whatsoever for about eight months.  I wasn't sure which salon to try but I was in the mood to try a new one.  Well, I am so happy I went for it! 

 

After reading a bunch of different hair salon reviews, I decided to go with Sozo Hair Design, located on Wyndham overlooking LKF.  I liked that the team of stylists was small and they all had many years of experience working both in and out of Japan.  I liked that it was a Japanese salon - I have tended to have good luck with them in the past.  And a 4.4 google rating from 44 reviews?  That seemed pretty solid. 

After surveying the rates and the stylists, I made an online booking for Wednesday morning this past week.  I was the first person in the bright and quiet salon, and I loved my stylist immediately.  A very skinny, soft spoken, platinum blonde Japanese man by the name of Ash greeted me and helped me figure out what I wanted.  What I found most helpful was that he gave suggestions and then explained why he thought that would suit my face/hair texture/style.  I told him I wanted to cut my hair shorter as it was long and dry and heavy, and I wanted some fringe or bangs to frame my face.  My only criteria was that the hairstyle had to be absolutely minimal to no maintenance - I do not use mousse, gel, creams.  I didn't tell him I barely even condition my hair and rarely blow dry it...He explained I should have just a few levels of layers at the bottom to minimize the weight of my hair - I have a lot and it gets heavy and pulls the top of my hair flat.  To add volume, I should also thin out some of the hair I have in the back.  Rather than get a short choppy set of bangs, I should get a long sideswept one that can go either part (left or right), as short hair or short bangs require more maintenance.  I felt very comfortable in his hands.

I walked out of the salon with my head feeling about 2 pounds lighter!

I went shopping on my way home that evening and happened upon a nice full length mirror in a very pretty dressing room, and decided to take a bump pic.  20 weeks in just another few days!  As I told my parents, more than halfway there!  I don't look very big here (I think) but when I changed into my yoga top this evening, my stomach looked huge. 

Speaking of yoga, I was musing on some of the changes between this pregnancy and last as I awkwardly squatted and tried to clamber into various poses:

1. I am much more tired this time around

2. I have gotten much bigger, much faster!

3. I am sooooo creaky and unwieldy.  I don't remember being this inflexible last time around.  I have been going to my yoga classes and especially my prenatal yoga classes with a sigh of relief, trying to stretch out my hips and hip flexors.  They are so sore.

4. I was just informed I have high glucose.  I wasn't given a diagnosis of gestational diabetes (yet) but it looks like I may be headed that way.  They moved up my appointment by 3 weeks, which alarmed me a bit.  Have I become an emergency case...

5. I am twice as thirsty and feel like I already have to pee 2x more oftem!

And finally, to round out the post with some of my favorite recent Lola-isms!  How cute is she here in her little rainboots and backpack and doggie, by the way?  She is turning into a big kid right before our eyes.


She heard Michael exclaim "Oh my goodness!" once and now goes around shouting it with great glee.

When Michael came back from the U.S., Lola leaned back against him while they were on the sofa watching TV and relaxing and said, "I missed you Daddy."

In her nightly routine, Jovie says, "Lola has eaten, brushed her teeth, washed her face, changed her diaper, changed her clothes, and will go to..." and waits for Lola to fill in the blank with "sleep!"  But in her latest shenanigans Lola grins mischievously and shouts, "slide!"  And in another instance, with "play!"

When evening time comes around, she will often exclaim, "Oh, the sun is sleeping!"

Lately she has taken to making her toy dolls ride on, and then "fall" off of, cars and trains and trucks.  She will say, "Uh oh!  She fell!" and then sometimes, will chastise them with, "I told you to be careful!"

My nanny Lily told me that at class Lola didn't want to wear her shoes, and when Lily told her she had to, Lola retorted in Chinese, "But yi yi isn't wearing shoes!"

Today while taking a bath she told us, "I baked banana bread!" She was very proud.  They made oatmeal banana bread in her playgroup and apparently she loved it (both mixing and stirring and, eventually, the eating).

And, perhaps, my very personal favorite, is when she says in Chinese, apropos of seemingly nothing,  "Lola REALLY likes mommy!" (Lola HAO xihuan mama ah!).  My heart!

An Outpouring of Updates

Lola is sick with a cold currently and has been under the weather all week.  Of course as soon as I post that she's been having a great summer this had to happen!  She has been running a bit of a fever and has a lot of congestion and phlegm.  What has made it all so much worse is that being sick wreaks havoc with her already tenuous sleep schedule.  Lola has also been cranky. as. heck.  She has been waking up at all hours of night, calling for me or for Jovie, and crying.  She wakes herself up with coughing... I was up from 2 to 4 am on Friday night with her, playing and cajoling and trying to convince her to go back to sleep, and from 1 to 2 and then from 4 to 5 with her on Sunday night.  Today, we took her to the doctor again, and her cough has developed into an ear infection and bronchitis.  The poor thing.

The only way I have been able to keep the sickness at bay has been through a handy and well timed gift by my friend who is also pregnant: Bioceutical ArmaForce Pregnancy immune support.  We are on the same baby schedule as our first are only four days apart and our second babies will be about a month apart.  She does a lot of long haul flights for work as well, and after I got sick on the return flight from New York to Hong Kong, she gave me these echinacea, zinc, Vitamin C, Vitamin D and lactoferin immune booster pills for pregnant ladies.  These things have worked wonders and I am a wholehearted convert!

Other than that, life has continued at its current fast pace.  Work has been relatively slow but a lot of projects are coming up on the horizon so I suspect it will be a fast-paced fall.  I am trying to take advantage by meeting up with friends for lunches and catching up.  I had a lovely and delicious and filling lunch at the Captain's Bar with my friend on Friday - curry and rice and naan.  I went to Sushi Kuu with another friend on Monday - beef shabu shabu!  And today, I got to enjoy a nice lunch with my corporate team at the very pretty new restaurant, Zest by Konishi, located on the top floor of 18 On Lan.  The decor struck me as a bit claustrophobic but the food was very tasty.  I enjoyed a "Tomato Extraction" cold appetizer, a lovely langoustine artichoke veloute soup, a steak and a mochi desert.  Our team is currently quite small but everyone gets along pretty well.

Time will be flying from here on out as we rush to get everything ready before I get truly uncomfortable and less mobile.  If I make it to 37 weeks, the babies will come at the end of December, just after Christmas.  If I don't make it to term (for twins it is 37 weeks), everything is going to get crazy real fast.

My life suddenly feels peppered with doctor's appointments.  With a twin pregnancy, you're pretty much automatically categorized as a high risk pregnancy - increased risk for gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, premature birth... all kinds of issues.  I am straddling the route between the private and the public health systems here in Hong Kong and as a result have appointments what feels like every week.  I love my OB from my first pregnancy but she encouraged me to register with the public health system here, given Queen Mary has a twin specialty clinic, have a NICU and are the only hospital that take babies born before 34 weeks, and will save me a bundle when it comes to sonogram costs as I will be getting scanned quite frequently as I approach my due date.  So far, the public experience has been a bit of a mixed bag.

First, they handle an insane volume of clients very efficiently and quickly.  As a result, they are very brusque.  Second, they are free.  Seriously, I haven't quite figured this out yet, but so far everything I have had done at Tsan Yuk, the prenatal hospital, and the obstetrics department at Queen Mary itself, has come at no cost.  That includes my initial registration, meeting with the nurse and meeting with the midwife, my initial checkup with the GP, my sonogram, and my glucose test.  Third, they are very good.  The doctors and nurses see so many cases and handle so many deliveries that they are experts.  Fourth, I kind of hate it.  As efficient as they are, and as good as they are, I hate feeling like a little lamb being herded through all of the bureaucracy, I absolutely cannot stand the wait times, and I really don't like the way they deliver news.   But, fifth, see number two - free.  I guess I get why people put up with it!

I have neglected to take any baby bump pictures so far but should really try to do that more, as I now am fully in my 19th week. In contrast to my first pregnancy, I frequently lose track of what week of pregnancy I am in and never track those cute baby apps (you know, "What can your baby do now?"  "Is s/he the size of a brussel sprout?").  Similarly, other than being with me for the initial doctor's appointment, Michael has not been with me to any of the visits.   Overall, it's not so much that we don't care or worry about the pregnancy, but rather that there's no time for the cute enjoyment - every day feels like a battle to slog through umpteen things on our collective checklists.

I have also been getting quotes from moving companies in anticipation of our upcoming move.  In the past we always did the packing ourselves and then had the movers come to help transport, but this time around we are going the professional route, with movers that will come in with all packing supplies, take down and re-assemble large furniture, and generally ensure everything is done on time and accurately in the span of six-eight hours.  That seems worth it to me!  Today I made my decision among a few different moving companies (Baltrans, Santa Fe, Asian Express and Asian Tigers) who all came to look at our apartment to provide a preliminary estimate.  I ended up choosing Asian Tigers, and we have a date: September 12.  All of our utilities will be switching, our internet has to be set up on the day, our current apartment has to pass inspection so we get our security deposit back, and our new apartment has to be inspected by us during the handover when we get the keys.

In anticipation of the new place, I have also been scouting for furniture.  Unlike our current place, where large furniture was provided (like a dining table, tv stand, and all the wardrobes), the new place only has built in closets.  Everything else is a blank slate.  We need to buy a tv stand, a dining table, lamps, bedside tables and office furniture.  I find myself on pinterest and design sites, scouting ideas.  I am aiming for a very light and airy, floaty, predominantly-white bedroom, and a modern but natural living room.  What makes the struggle like 100x worse in Hong Kong is that furniture stores are still pretty limited, it's very hard to know where to look to buy furniture, lots of things are sold out or out of stock requiring months of lead time to reorder, and stuff is $$$$ unless you're going for Ikea.  What makes the struggle 10x harder than that is that I'm married to Michael, who has strong opinions about what he wants to buy but can't commit, give me a design idea, or any helpful links but then keeps pestering me to find stuff on Taobao.  All of it is a pain in the ass and I fully expect to be eating off of a cardboard box for the next three months.

Oh yeah, and this past weekend we finally bit the bullet and bought a car!  It's very pretty, a Mercedes V class 8 seater "people mover" that will comfortably fit 3 car seats.  We primarily bought it for the two big skyroofs and the interesting configuration that they have for the seating - two bench seats facing each other.  We find this makes getting in and out of the car so much easier, as you don't have to slide the chairs forwards as you normally do in a van.  It's a silver color with wood paneling and beige leather interior, and has a backup camera (but unfortunately not the 360 degree camera - because... shopping in Hong Kong.  It should be titled "Lessons in Frustration - Paying a Lot and 100% Guaranteed to Get ALMOST What you Want").  When I went to put the deposit down at the dealership on Sunday, I happened to draw the grand prize in their lucky raffle, winning HK$10,000 for services and repairs.  The staff were very excited for me as I was the first one to draw the top prize!  I was thrilled too until I realized the staff was just going to make me use my lucky win to pay for window tinting, which they otherwise would have thrown in for free.  Somehow it felt like less of a win after that.

All of this shopping and purchasing and we haven't even gotten to what I'm planning to buy in anticipation of twins... we will need at least one more crib, if not two.  We need at least one more carrier, if not two, as Lola still really likes hers and still uses it frequently.  I am thinking about buying a Fisher swing.  My friend has offered me to try her mamaroo swing.  We need at least one more infant car seat.  I am waiting to buy a double stroller as I don't think it works well in Hong Kong.  Instead, I have purchased a buggy board to attach to our current YoYo, and expect that if there is ever an infinitesimal chance that an adult is out with all 3 kids in one go, Lola can sit or stand on the board, one baby can be in the stroller, and one more can be in the carrier.  I want to buy a Twin Z pillow.  We need more sleep sacks, more clothes, newborn diapers (hopefully not preemie size, but likely?), baby bottles... we broke nearly all of Lola's glass MAM bottles and I know babies are all different with which bottle they take.

I have also been trying to hire a second helper by meeting with potential candidates on weekends (their days off).  This is a big change and will bring a lot of change to our current household dynamics.  Helper contracts in Hong Kong run for 2 year terms, and Jovie has been with us for nearly 2 years now.  Adding a new helper also introduces a lot of uncertainty, particularly around whether they will get along and be able to work together.  The process is not straightforward, as you have to navigate helpers who have broken their contracts (given notice to their employers), been terminated, or who are finishing their contracts and do not wish to renew.  Because a lot of helpers fear retaliation by their employers, even those who are finishing their contracts and do not wish to renew will not tell their employers until the very last minute.  You also have to figure out their annual leave and trips home.  All of this makes planning and scheduling challenging and delicate.

This time, I plan to do a confinement period again after the twins arrive - but unlike last time, I am hiring a 2-person team that will work in 12-hour shifts (day and night) so that 24 hours are covered.  I plan to have a sit down with them next week to figure out all the scheduling and timing issues, as well as pay a hefty deposit.  Another friend of mine who has twin girls has provided me with the contact of a former hospital maternity nurse who can help with sleep training and, in a pinch, on a temp basis (provided she is available).  As you can see, there is a LOT of staffing and people that I am considering and lining up.  I don't know if all of these people will be more hindrance than help (though I strongly suspect the latter!) so my philosophy now is to staff up and then figure it all out later.  I found the initial months (the fourth trimester) to be the absolute worst in my entire experience of pregnancy, birth and all the milestones thereafter, and while there is nothing that can eliminate that fact I am trying to mentally, emotionally and physically prepare for it in every way possible.

My parents are also solidifying their plans to come to Hong Kong next year, around March and April, to help with the babies after the confinement nannies leave.  Our apartment will be full and bustling for a long while!

Finally, I have joined a mothers of multiples group in Hong Kong which also has a pretty active whatsapp chat group of all the moms whose babies were born or are due in 2019.  So far there are about 20 women in the group, which I find impressive!  This has been a really nice community that has given me some comfort in the past week - there are people who live here who have managed to make this work, who understand all the trials and tribulations of carrying and caring for two, and have lots of expertise to impart.  Honestly, this is the only reason I reactivated my facebook account.

And... that's a wrap.  Verbal diarrhea of everything that's been going on with my life!

Fun at Maggie and Rose

We opted for a month-long summer membership at Hong Kong's Maggie and Rose children's club at their Causeway Bay location this year.  It's a private kids' club that was started in London and has since made its way to Hong Kong.  They actually have two locations in Hong Kong, one in Repulse Bay, and one in Causeway Bay, but we opted for just one location given ease of transportation.  Of course, I signed up for the one in Causeway Bay before I knew that this would be the summer of never-ending protests from the Hong Kong people!  Planning our travel to Causeway Bay on the weekends to avoid the crowds and any potential situations has required a little more forethought than I had hoped, but it really has not been an impediment overall.

The one month August membership also really worked well for us, because we were in the US for almost all of July and most of Lola's playgroups are off for the summer holidays. 

The best thing about this membership, however, has been how much Lola has loved it.  She often gets bored of similar environments after a while, so I wasn't sure how much "staying power" this place would have.  But so far she loves it, having been there probably 3-4 times a week now.  We don't go for long - she often stays for about 1.5 to 2 hours. 

She loves the little treehouse, the slide, the climbing wall, the ball pit, the ropes course, the big stuffed bunnies they have, the toy trucks and construction helmets, the child-sized kitchen.. even their little leather armchairs for reading... basically, everything! 




There is also an outdoor area with a little train track (have I mentioned she loves trains...) and some small dog sculptures that she likes to move around and clamber onto.



It's been a good summer spot for her.
                                           

 

Lola is 20.5 Months!

These update posts on Lola are long overdue - it's amazing to me that the last time I wrote one was three months ago, when Lola was 17.5 months.  It's quite fun to go back and look at her milestones because in the span of three months she is like a different kid!

Aside from growing taller and gaining weight and becoming stronger (a faster runner, a better climber and a stronger kid overall),  Lola has made mental leaps and bounds.

Lola continues to love fruit (almost all fruit - grapes, peaches, watermelon, apple, oranges, banana, kiwi, and plums being among her favorites - with passion fruit being a relatively new development, and carbs (pasta, bread, pizza), and fish (fresh, steamed with ginger and scallions and cilantro).  Since her trip to the US, she now knows and loves ice cream.  She will often declare food or drink "spicy!" which we think means she doesn't like it, or that it has strong flavor.  She still doesn't like to drink milk, went through an intense "spicy water" (sparkling water) phase in the US, and now loves yogurt and cheese even though she started off feeling a bit lukewarm about them.

She is much physically stronger now - she recently managed to climb a small rock wall and a full set of ropes by herself!  As Michael exclaimed when he saw the video, "She's free soloing already!"  She has gotten much more confident in her physical abilities, which also means she is exactly like the monkeys on the bed that she is singing about - jumping on top of the sofa, on top of her stuffed animals and, most recently, (rather viciously!) on top of the baby doll that we recently re-introduced to her in earnest.

She speaks in both English and Mandarin now, very readily and in full, long sentences.  She knows her ABC song all the way through, as well as The Wheels on the Bus, Humpty Dumpty, Bingo, Twinkle Twinkle, Row Row Row Your Boat, I Love You/You Love Me, Monkeys on the Bed, Fly Fly the Butterfly, Rain Rain Go Away, Itsy Bitsy... and I know I am missing at least 5 or 6 more.  Her song repertoire is very lengthy and impressive.  She also knows a lot of Chinese songs, including I have a Little Donkey, Small Chicken, Two Tigers, as well as a Little White Rabbit rhyme.

She frequently cracks us up with her statements.

When we were in New York, my dad asked her why she wasn't responding to his questions or any of his statements.  After a very long pause, Lola said in Chinese, "[I'm] currently resting."  My dad got a huge laugh out of that!  He said it left him speechless and unable to come back with a witty rejoinder because - well, she said it right!  She's resting!

When we were in Rhode Island, Michael was asking Lola all kinds of questions, including (admittedly somewhat annoying) ones like, "Do you love your daddy," and "Is your daddy your favorite person," or things along those lines.  And apparently Lola said, "Daddy, be quiet now."  We also got a huge kick out of that one.

After we had explained how I couldn't pick her up so readily anymore because I had babies, at one point Jovie told Lola that she couldn't pick her up and that Lola should walk by herself.  Lola immediately responded, "oh because Jovie has babies."  We all had a bit of a laugh over that one - not quite, Lola, but very impressive deductive reasoning!

When we returned to Hong Kong, I picked Lola up to help her peruse her dresses and decide what she wanted to wear one morning - one of her favorite activities.  She immediately exclaimed, in Chinese, while pointing to a long sleeved dress: "this one is too hot!" then while pointing to a gliterry tutu skirt: "this one is no good!" and then, emphatically, while pointing to a flowery dress that she likes: "this one!"  I just found it so funny.  She is so decisive that she is a marvel.  I have so much trouble making decisions now and I wonder, is Lola just this way because she is so spunky and nutty and individualistic, or was I (were we all?) once like that, and society has just scared us out of it?

When my sister was here visiting, she got to witness firsthand how Lola would immediately run to the mirror after donning whatever new outfit or accessory it was at the moment, to check herself out.  She does it with sunglasses, hats, shoes, rainboots, and, most recently, a tutu.

Tonight, while I was getting ready to feed Lola dinner, I plopped down the freshly warmed stir fried noodles with veggies and beef in front of her and, before I could say or do anything, she took a huge, theatrical sniff through her nose and declared in Chinese, "It's so fragrant!"  I sputtered with laughter.  How is she 20 months going on 20 years old??

Lola understands everything, sometimes to our detriment.  While talking about the recent protests with my nanny, we both agreed vehemently to avoid taking the MTR if it was possible.  And Lola got scared and started crying and said she wanted to take the MTR.  If I am reading one of Lola's books to her and she sees yogurt/banana/bread/berries she will suddenly race to the kitchen and ask for it.  When I took her to a trial playgroup last Friday, and the teacher asked if she had been to Ocean Park before, she blurted out suddenly that "Lola saw crocodiles and Lola saw panda bears and Lola saw cats."  Which, she did, at Ocean Park, just the weekend before.  I don't think the teacher had expected such a detailed answer!

Lola likes to refer to herself in the third person, either by her name, or she often will say "She wants" or "She likes."  I'm not sure if this is normal but it is pretty adorable and I am not too inclined to stop it, at least for now.

After the trip to Ocean Park, Lola kept telling me she did NOT like to ride horses.  But a few mornings later, she also felt the need to add that she also did NOT like to ride in cable cars.  That's a pretty sophisticated word in Chinese!  She must have picked it up when I mentioned it to her at the park.

Recently, she has really picked up on the "What is this?" question, which she asks in Chinese.  She asks it of me and her nanny at almost every opportunity, pointing to all kinds of phenomena or things around her.  I'm sure the "Why" question is going to come up very, very soon!

Lola continues to have strong opinions on what people around her should or should not be doing - one of her favorite activities in the morning is to race into my room and wake me up, calling out, "Mama no sleep!" If I am sitting and not participating in activities with her, she will come over and pull on me demanding, "Mama no sit!"

Lola used to be scared of looking at videos containing me, Michael or herself, but now she loves it and, I would say, has a bit of a photo addiction.  I cannot really have my phone out around her before she will stop whatever she is doing to demand "pictures."  Hence I have stopped getting pictures or videos of her as much!  She loves watching videos of herself and one of her favorite activities is reliving past moments that she really enjoyed.  She has some favorites that she will request, such as "slide with Daddy" or "Daddy airport" or "little bunny" or "Mama hold you" or "See you tomorrow," each which refers to a video or set of videos around that theme that she likes.

Finally, I've been trying to work on Lola's separation anxiety.  She has always had some, to varying degrees, though I think in recent months it has gotten quite bad.  She hates to see me leave, and I was always tempted to slip away before.  But now I hold her close and speak quietly in her ear, and explain that I have to go to work.  I always promise to see her at a certain time, or to take her to do something together when I am back from work.  It has worked to varying effect - sometimes she calms down considerably and other times she still insists on dragging me with her.  These past few weeks I have often fled the club/apartment/MTR/school with Lola screaming loudly and frantically in my wake.  It's not easy...

I once told Lola, probably just about 3 months ago, that she was my "xin gan bao bei" which translates loosely to "precious darling" or "precious sweetheart"  Now she fills in the blank with the phrase whenever I begin by referring to any close family member.  For example, "Lola is Mama's..." or "Lola is Daddy's..." and, as saccharine as it is, it's totally and completely true!

An Action Packed August Thus Far: a Signed Deal, an Anticipated Visit from My Sister and an Inaugural Trip to Ocean Park

Thanks for everyone's well wishes on my last post!  We are excited and worried and scared, but it's all happening whether we are ready or not, so I am just trying to get us as ready as possible!

Meanwhile, to return to our usual programming - catching up on everything that transpired after we returned to the US.  It has been hectic - we were dealing with a lot of issues!

First, Miss Lola was completely turned around and had no idea what time of day was what, wanting to go to bed at 11 am for 8 hours and waking up at 1 am wanting to play.  Ahhhhh jetlag...  But thankfully she managed to get over this in about a week this time.

Second, just as soon as I got back to Hong Kong, battling jetlag and trying to get everything unpacked and back in order, I learned that one of my deals that had previously signed had truly well and completely fallen over.  This has actually never happened to me in my entire M&A career, so I would say that it is pretty unusual and spectacular.  What ensued was an entire week of nonstop negotiations, trying to meet a nigh impossible deadline, ironing out all kinds of issues both commercial and legal.

Third, Amanda was due to come out and visit me on the following Tuesday, and I was worried I would miss her completely.

I was on standby to fly out on Wednesday night (July 31), but due to a typhoon and further developments on the deal I thankfully did not end up flying out until Sunday night (August 4).  I was really worried because I knew that once I left, I wouldn't be able to return until after the deal was signed - which meant, with Michael still being in the U.S. and working, and my sister not coming until Tuesday, I would have been leaving Lola to the care of Jovie and her nanny entirely for almost half a week.  It's at moments like this that I realize how acutely we would love to have family close by - and how much better it would be if they were closer.  Lola loves both sets of her grandparents, and the feeling is mutual - it's just too bad we can't get their help at the snap of a fingers when needed.  Thankfully, because I didn't end up leaving until Sunday night, and with Amanda showing up on Tuesday, the gap was pretty small.  I finished my deal in the wee hours of the early Thursday morning, and immediately hopped on the first flight out at 7:50 am.  I think in the first week of August I averaged about 4 hours of sleep a night.  It was really brutal and awful.

Leaving for Australia on Sunday afternoon for the airport was no easier.   I left on a high note of cuddling with Lola while she ate grapes, nestled in my lap, and reading a book together, but ached at the thought of how many days would have to go by before I could be back to spend time with her.

But, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday passed in the all night and all day blur that only intense last minute M&A negotiations can bring, and I came home with the deal done and dusted (at least for now) and eager to hang out with Amanda who was swinging through Hong Kong after wrapping up her nice long honeymoon in Japan and before moving on to Korea to travel with her friend.

Amanda and I went to dinner at the Chinese Library the first night I returned (Thursday night, August 8, if you're still keeping track), in Tai Kwun, and caught up over beef tenderloin and a salted fish kale claypot.  On the second night (Friday night), we enjoyed a delicious hotpot with beef and pork and lots of veggies (yum) at home, followed by a massage with my regular masseuse for 2 hours and 1.5 hours, respectively.

On Saturday, Amanda and I took Lola to Ocean Park, an amusement park on the south side of Hong Kong, fighting the immense heat and humidity and crowds (although the crowds weren't as great as I expected).  It was so hot, we were all just pouring sweat freely.  I was quite worried about Lola because her whole head was soaked and her cheeks were so red.

Despite living in Hong Kong for over seven years, Michael and I had never been to Ocean Park.  A huge oversight on our part!  Turns out it is a fun place, packed with lots of activities and, like many things in Hong Kong, afforded us a nearly constant jaw-dropping view of the water and mountains.  I am not sure many roller coasters have this kind of view - and maybe it adds to the thrill when it appears you are flying off a huge cliff!  It has to be one of the most vertical amusement parks in the world - built on a cliffside so steep that there is a lower part (the Waterfront) and a higher part (the Summit), the two which can only be reached by cable car or an express train.

Ocean Park is now readily accessible by means of an MTR stop parked directly outside the amusement park entrance.  We made our way there after Lola had her morning nap and lunch.  We first went to the Asian Animals exhibit, where we saw two large crocodiles, a very playful and cute sea lion being fed a lunch of small fish, and tried to see the two panda bears (but in vain).  Lola loves crocodiles!  We also went to a goldfish exhibit were we saw all types of goldfish with huge eyes, and then a koi pond.

 

 

 Then we went to the Whiskers area, which is the play area for little children, with slides, ropes, and an outdoor climbing wall.  We went for a ride on the merry go round - Lola posed angelically for it, then as soon as it started turning she clambered off the horse and demanded to be held.  I held her for the whole time, trying not to feel nauseous as we twirled.  This is the last time I take Lola on a merry go round!  As she told me in Chinese later that night, "Lola does not like to ride horses!"  Well noted, darling.

 The train, however, is where Lola really enjoyed herself.  We probably could have ridden that train three or five more times.

 But we left the Whiskers play area to head up to the Summit.  We wanted to try to catch the show at the Ocean theater.  We took the train up.  Lola was not scared of the dark at all, and ate her grapes peacefully while watching the jellyfish images.

 We missed most of the show at the theater, as we had to change Lola and it just takes so much longer to get anywhere with a stroller and multiple bags.  We did catch the last five minutes and Lola got to see some very well trained dolphins dance and flip in the water.  The theater was packed.

 We decided to ride the cable car on our way back down, but first we took a detour to the cool jellyfish exhibit.  They had some beautiful ones on display.  Lola got a little bit scared because it was so dark in there, but we didn't stay for long. 

The view from the cable car was pretty nice.  I can see why they recommend people who are afraid of heights not partake in this ride!  The cable cars are very rickety - open air, just some thin metal bars, and automatically closing doors that don't look like they really fully close...

To my surprise, Lola, who has sat in multiple cable cars, gondolas and ferris wheels without any noticeable reaction, had a pretty adverse reaction to this one despite being securely tied into her aunt.  She kept insisting that she wanted to get off the cable car.  Thankfully the ride was not long and we managed to distract Lola for long enough until we managed to disembark safely.

 

 

All too soon, Amanda's visit to Hong Kong had come to an end.  She left for the airport bright and early on Sunday morning.  I was really sad that she didn't stay for Sunday, given we still had another day over the weekend - but now, with the benefit of hindsight, I think we're both really glad Amanda managed to get out of Hong Kong on time without delays, before the entire airport was thrown into utter mayhem and chaos, with hundreds of flights cancelled and an interim injuction issued!

Lola, the Big Sister!

The title of this blog post says it all - Lola is about to become a big sister!

I am pregnant, due in January 2020 - except it is very likely that our household is going to be turned topsy turvy on its head late this year rather than next - because...

drumroll...

...


I am pregnant with TWINS!

And it's pretty tough to get to a full 40 week term with two babies crammed in there. 

Yes, that's right.  Two babies.  You could have knocked us over with a feather when we first found out.  It is what they call a "spontaneous" multiple pregnancy, which means we certainly were not expecting it!  I have no history of twins anywhere on any side of my family, so I guess the blame lies with Michael, who does have a set of fraternal twin siblings.  Except, my ob/gyn and the structural sonographer both believe that these are fraternal twins, so maybe the blame still lies with me because my body decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and release two eggs in one ovulation cycle.

All of our family members and a lot of friends know by now and, at this point, given the state of my belly, so does everyone at work and any stranger who sees me.  I am at 17 weeks and look like I am at 24 weeks.  This twin thing is no joke.  I am carrying two of everything (two placentas, two amniotic sacs, two babies!) and it certainly shows.  I already feel as big as a house.  I'm not sure how I still have 20 weeks to go?

Snapped today after I attended a pre-natal class.  I'm wearing all black hoping for the magical slimming effect.

Thankfully, I have had no nausea or sickness despite warnings that the double dose of hormones may be a doozy.  I may have felt a little bit more fatigue but honestly, my life has been such a whirlwind what with travel to Taiwan, China, Japan, the U.S. and Australia in the span of 4 months that I'm not sure how much of it has to do with pregnancy.  I have had no cravings or aversions and generally feel very normal.  Except for perhaps one insane crying jag about a week ago when I absolutely lost it after pulling my third night of not sleeping until 6 am and was so tired and depressed that I could not think straight, my hormones have stayed in check.

I am trying to enjoy my time with Lola as much as possible in these next couple of months.  My darling precocious daughter, the apple of everyone's eye, who has basked in the attention of a doting mom and dad, caring helper and attentive nanny thus far, is about to get a very rude awakening when not one, but two, noisy, hungry, demanding, annoying babies intrude on her precious turf!  The night we first found out that I was expecting twins, I burst into tears while thinking of Lola and worrying about the impact that this would have on her.  I felt my heart breaking for her at how much her world was going to be rocked.  (Ok, so actually, maybe my hormones have not entirely been in check this pregnancy.)

My hope is that during this time Lola will get used to the idea of having baby siblings.  We have been reading books to her to introduce the concept - today she said in both English and Chinese, "Lola is a big sister now."  And she understands that there are babies in my belly, and today she even put her little hands on my belly and gently patted, and also leaned in and gave my belly a kiss.  When she had the picture of the moon spread out on the floor, she even offered for the babies to step onto the moon - which was very generous given she usually reserves that honor for her favorite people and objects.

We found out very early because I suspected right away that I was pregnant when I was only a couple of days late.  But then about 6 weeks in, I got worried because I had some spotting and light bleeding and decided to go in for a check up.  Given my concern, Michael decided to meet me at the clinic.  My beloved OB was out of town that day, so they scheduled me to see a male OB that I had never seen previously.  I clambered onto the table for the doctor to take an internal scan.  Immediately and to our relief there was the sound of a strong heartbeat.  He was thorough and checked everything carefully to make sure, even at the pea sized dot it was at the time, everything measured accurately and looked good.  We were pretty much done with the examination and Michael and I, albeit about to be second time parents, had exhausted our endless barrage of confirmatory questions (mostly along the lines of, "Are you SURE everything looks ok?") and were getting ready to leave.  Then the doctor said, "there's just one other thing."

That alarmed me immediately, because I thought we had just covered all the bases.  I asked him, "What?"  and he responded, "There's another one." 

!!!  I think I said, "You're joking!" to which I think he solemnly assured me that he was not.  He seemed a bit shaken and surprised as well - I think he had just realized it moments before he told us.  To say I was in denial and shock would be an understatement.  Michael says that once the doctor said that "there's just one other thing," he knew that they were twins.  I had no clue and was still worrying about chromosomal abnormalities.  Twins - the mere possibility of twins - never even entered my mind.

Needless to say, we walked out of the clinic stiffly and in complete shock, forgetting to pay the bill and not bothering to pick up any of the information packets they were preparing for us.  We walked to the Starbucks downstairs in silence as our minds raced to try to process the implications of this life-changing news.  Michael later said that he thought no one piece of news in his life had to that point  completely altered the course of his life as this did.

We have now had a bit of time to process.  In that time, we have come to terms with the fact that we are going to grow from a family of 3 to a family of 5.  We will have 3 kids under the age of 3.  Hell, 3 kids under the age of 25 months!!  We are not going to be traveling anywhere for a while.  It is going to be utter mayhem, exhaustion and chaos.  And probably really sweet and very cute and loving...!  Who am I kidding, we are excited but terrified. 

There have been a lot of lifestyle changes in anticipation of this momentous event.  We have located an apartment that is literally double the size of our current apartment (and double the price!) and signed the new lease.  It is 4 bedrooms and comes with a car spot and is in a different part of town.  We are planning to buy a car and have even decided on the exact model and style we want (it is very slim pickings here in Hong Kong if you want an 8 seater car, which is what, practically, we think we need) - we just need to pull the trigger and order it.  We have bit the bullet and purchased an astronomically expensive membership to The American Club which will give us access to a town club and a country club, along with access to swimming pools, children's play areas, tennis courts and various restaurants.  Basically, money is flying out the window at the speed of light.  

This is before we have even started to buy baby gear in earnest - because in what has to be one of the most not-funny life practical jokes, having twins is such a different situation from having one child that lots of Lola's old baby gear is insufficient or inappropriate.  We need three car seats, a stroller that can somehow fit a toddler and two babies, another crib, another carrier... there is no luxury of being able to recycle or reuse because they will be here simultaneously.

Our parents are already talking about when they should fly out to hug and kiss and cuddle and hold the babies.  Michael and I are bracing to bring on as much help as we can possibly get.  Throughout all of this we are committed to ensuring that Lola continues to feel as much love and attention that she has been getting to date.

I guess there's not much more to say except that Christmas 2019 will be one to remember (or perhaps one that I remember nothing of, because I will be in a near comatose state of sleep deprivation). 

Road Tripping Rhode Island (Part 2)

I just finished a massive deal in Australia!  I'll go into details in my next post but now that I have a semblance of a life back, I am back in Hong Kong and trying to catch up on sleep and life generally.

Finishing up the rest of our U.S. trip in Rhode Island (finally!):

Newport was actually really pretty.  We went to see the Breakers, a huge mansion (monstrosity?) that was formerly owned by the Vanderbilts but now is a preserved historical site that gets lots of visitors every year.  I was astounded by the amount of money they charged for admission - for 7 adults it was nearly $200. 

Once we got inside, Lola wanted nothing to do with it.  I couldn't blame her - stuffy ugly tapestries, ornate ceilings and woodwork, marble lavishly spread everywhere... it was just so ostentatious.  And let's be honest here, it is not a historic site like Italian castles built in the 16th century or an old church from the medieval times.  This is just a plain old house built in the late 1800s that was big!  And a copy cat of all the Baroque and Italianate styles from hundreds of years prior.  Bleh.  As Michael said disparagingly, our house in Brooklyn is older than this pile of bricks!

What really upset me, however, and indicated to me a much larger problem with the wealthy, privileged and white environment, was how they described the history of Newport.  I was aghast.

There was one sentence in particular, that in the early 1800s Newport established its name as a trading port and earned its riches due to its instrumental role "in the 'Triangle Trade'".  I kid you not, that was how it was phrased - just one reference, in quotation marks.  First of all, triangle trade is a generic historical term that refers to trading among three parties.  If you forgot your 8th grade history (or never learned it!) and didn't recall what the Triangle Trade referred to, you could have read the entire summary and not understood that Newport's success was completely founded on and due to slavery.  That's what the triangle trade was, people - a trade of black human beings enslaved and bound on ships from Africa  to the Carribbean and the American colonies, in exchange for raw materials like sugar, cotton, and tobacco, which then went to produce final goods manufactured in England.   Newport played a key role in that.

There was also a very oblique reference to Naragansett, another town in Rhode Island, that was completely taken over from the Native Americans.  The summary just made mention of "the local people" but didn't mention that they were forcibly removed from their homes by the new settlers, or make any reference to the havoc that the new settlers brought in the form of violence and warfare, pestilence and disease, or alcohol. Way to literally and figuratively whitewash your entire role in the sordid affair, Rhode Island historical society!

 

 

 

 We did really enjoy the outdoor garden though - seeing that much grass under a big blue sky proved irresistible.

 

After that, we headed for their scenic ocean drive along the water, and got out at a few spots along the way:

 

 Group pic!

 We then split up -Michael's parents and sister and brother in law headed back to Providence, and Michael, Jovie, Lola and I pushed on to Naragansett where we stayed for our last night.  The next morning, we got up early to take Lola to the beaches in Naragansett, widely reputed to be among Rhode Island's best.

We were aghast to learn upon pulling into the parking lot that we would be charged, in addition to the $12 parking fee, $10 per adult just for setting foot on the beach!  Holy smokes.  Is this overcharging thing typical in the U.S., just particular to Rhode Island, or have we just completely and utterly forgotten what it's like to live here?  We went down the road to another beach that charged $15 for parking but then was free entry otherwise.

Good thing we did that, also, because Lola took one look at the beach that morning and wailed, deciding she would die (apparently) if any part of her body were to so much as touch sand.  This was a huge regression from just yesterday, when we could barely pull her away from the beach. 

We had dressed her in her full body fruit swimsuit and matching swim hat for naught.  It was only after we changed her back into regular clothes and she was far, far away from sand, that she returned to good spirits.  On our long, traffic-ridden drive back to New York, Lola got to "drive" the car during one of our rest stops, which made her very happy.  It was just as we neared the fifth hour of our drive that Lola began to lose it - otherwise, she was on pretty model behavior for the whole trip home.  I had forgotten how bad traffic in the New York tristate area was - it took over an hour to go 30 miles.  The last 17 miles was excruciating as we crawled by, mile by mile.

Once we got back to New York, we were once again on a frenzied course of getting everything ready - we took a final trip to Costco to stock up on snacks and items that we like / can't get/ want to get for much cheaper in the U.S. (Advil, Starbucks coffee, quinoa, multi-vitamins, mixed nuts, etc.), packed up all of our suitcases, and prepared mentally and physically for a non-stop 16 hour flight with a 20 month old.

When we landed in Hong Kong, it was to sweltering heat and news of crazy protests that have been rocking the city repeatedly for weeks on end.  I was disturbed to hear that there was one particularly huge and violent protest that occurred on the Sunday night while we were en route, which was a mere block away from our apartment.  Police were in riot gear behind glass and plastic partitions and protestors were in masks, hoods and protective clothing.  If we had been home at the time, we would definitely have smelled and felt the sharp bite and tang of tear gas.  If we had been trying to get home from the airport at the time, we would have been hard pressed to make it as all the streets were blocked.

The disturbance has not yet stopped as the protestors have split into many different factions with different goals.  Bearing the motto "be water," they have escalated their protests into more of a flash mob style of attack, with large groups emerging suddenly and then disappearing as soon as police show up, only to reemerge somewhere else entirely.  All areas of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories are on alert.  The pattern tends to continue of relatively peaceful mass protests during the day, followed by rampant and undiscriminating violence and use of tear gas at night.  Last Monday, there was a mass shutdown as staged protests managed to bring the MTR, buses, tunnel traffic and streets to a standstill and most people stayed away from work.  In the meantime, we are paying close attention to news alerts and traffic updates, and eyeing the sharp drop in tourism and the dramatic number of shuttered shops with increasing concern.  At some point this will all come to a head and it is worrying to think of how all of this tension and anger will be resolved.