Blogger blocked!

Well, it's true that the Chinese government is very strict on what content can be viewed online. We can only access this blog right now through the handheld cell phone issued by work. It is very hard to see the screen and type for any length of time!

We are doing well and starting to finally feel adjusted to the 12 hour time difference from home. Dean is like a little celebrity here. Matt took him to a tea shop today while I went to visit a jewelry factory for work. The women working in the tea shop showered him with gifts like a swiss chocolate cake roll and a marshmallow shaped like a cow on a sucker stick. Matt said the little guy loved the attention. The Chinese people truly love babies, especially when they have blomd hair and blue eyes.

First Tooth

We realized this evening that a tooth is officially breaking the surface on Dean's lower gums. Our baby has his first tooth! But he’s too miserable to understand this is a good thing. He has a terrible diaper rash, and he's still getting over ear infections in both ears. One minute he's happy, and the next he's arching his back and crying non-stop.

We leave two weeks from tomorrow, so there is so much to get done in the coming days. I hope and pray that Dean feels better very soon. I did manage to capture him on video for a few seconds today playing with a new favorite toy - a wooden spoon. Give him one of these and sing "Pants on the Ground" and he's happy for at least 30 seconds.

Dean takes a stand

We’ve had some special moments together as a family lately. It usually happens right before bed time, when Matt and I meet in Dean’s room after bath time for some last-minute play time. Dean will do something new (like last week when he discovered the door spring), and we look at each other and smile and laugh.

Tonight I set Dean down on the floor after putting his PJs on, and he crawled straight to the electronic toy my friend Dani let me borrow. It’s a Fisher Price music center with a mirror and lots of fun instruments for him to beat on. Right before our eyes, he pulled himself up to a standing pose. With his feet planted firmly apart, he played with the star at the top. It looked so natural, as if he’s done it a hundred times. Then we could see hesitation in his eyes… he wasn’t sure how to sit down. Rather than get upset or look to us for help, he slowly lowered himself down again to a sitting position. Success!

With my mouth open in awe I clapped and celebrated, but Dean didn’t even acknowledge me. He pulled himself up again, babbled a bit to his new star friend – the one he used to look up to, but can now stare straight in the eyes. After about 30 seconds he sat down again, a little quicker the second time, and kept right on playing.

This is the first time either Matt or I have seen him pull up to stand, and we happened to both be in the room together at the same time. We’re not even used to the idea of him crawling yet, so seeing him stand there was a bit surreal. Hopefully I can catch him on camera one night this week.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

We skipped green beer this year and replaced it with some play time with Dean before bed. The little guy is really moving now... he's 8 months old, never stops wiggling, and is officially mobile.

He's grown attached to a terribly cheap looking Sponge Bob Squarepants stuffed toy. We discovered tonight that it's pretty good incentive to get him moving across a room.

We also discovered that he's afraid of doorstop springs, but that doesn't keep him from going back again, and again, and again...

Happy New Year! Count down begins...

A new year is here, and what a year it will be! We're counting the weeks (only 14 left) until we pack everything up and move around the world. Before we know it, we'll be counting the days. Pretty scary.

Here are some of my favorite pics from the holidays and Dean's first Christmas to kick off the new year: