Note to self

When moving to China, don't wait until the last three days to REALLY pack your entire house for storage.

Packing in full force

5 days left until we leave for China, and it looks like a tornado tore through our condo. Boxes and misc "stuff" litter the floor in every room right now.

At times as we're going through things I really feel like we belong on the show Hoarders. I just threw away no less than 30 mini bottles of shampoo/conditioner/lotion/etc from under one of our sinks and discovered some half used Clinique gift makeup samples that are probably 15 years old (those are in the trash, too).

I haven't made it through all of the closets yet, but I'll be tackling the one in Dean's room this evening. I started to work on it Saturday, but it was just too tough with him at my feet picking up everything and shoving it into his mouth.

Dean is spending the week with grandparents - the first half with Langfords and the second half with Adgates. He'll be so spoiled rotten by the time we take off next Monday! We are spoiled, too, with having family so close to where we live. It's going to be such a challenge to not be able to pick up the phone and call a grandparent if Dean's sick or if we just need a mental parent break. Holidays are going to be real tough, too.

Here's a couple pics from Dean's first Easter:

The little guy is still healing from ear infections in both ears that started about 3 weeks ago. He heads to the Dr. tomorrow morning for another ear check, and if the infection is still there, he'll receive a series of 3 shots over the next three days to knock it out. We're hoping and praying that he is well and can fly without pain, especially since it's a VERY long trip!

It will take us almost 24 hours of flying time to get to Hong Kong, and then about an hour by car to the city of Shenzhen on mainland China. We leave Atlanta and fly to Los Angeles (3-1/2 hrs), switch planes and head to Taipei in Taiwan (18 hrs), then switch planes again for a flight to Hong Kong (1-1/2 hrs). We figure everyone on the plane to Taipei will know us by the end. I can only imagine the looks we'll get from passengers around us as we settle in to our seats.

Will Dean be "that" baby that screams the whole way? Will we get any sleep? How will we both eat with an infant in arms? Will the flight attendants be patient enough to bring our meals at different times? What do we do with stinky dirty diapers? Is it considered rude to let him crawl through the aisles to burn off some excess energy? Should we bathe his entire body in hand sanitizer if we do???

We'll have to get back to you on the answers. For now, it's back to packing.

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...

Countdown - 5 weeks to go

I can now say the packing has officially begun! We're stashing our "stuff" into boxes, then loading them into a POD to be stored for the next two years.

I learned last spring through the help of two good friends with a lot of patience that it's ok to let go of things, but it's very hard for me. Dani and Devon, I am still in debt to you for helping me clean out the spare bedroom to make it into a nursery! However, I may need your help again, as I had to talk myself out of unpacking the Goodwill box in the middle of the night.

Dean is at my feet now, still learning to crawl. He scoots pretty well, but sometimes gets frustrated easily. You can see the determination in his eyes as he stares down a toy he wants near him on the floor. I've already been thinking about how best to entertain him on the 24 hour journey to Shenzhen, China. He'll turn 9 months old the day we depart. Any suggestions?

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: