Spring Flowers

Every March the fields across the street from our house bloom. I have grand ideas of a beautiful family picture in them, but we try it and as usual find it extremely hard to get a picture of us all smiling/eyes open/pointed towards the camera. Oh well - it was a fun walk on a nice chilly Spring day!

This year they had 'guards' all around the fields. They roped them off with flags and the guards would yell at you with a megaphone if you crossed the flags. I guess thousands and thousands of people tromping through the flowers to get pictures wasn't what they were going for this year. 

And no outing is complete without getting your picture taken with strangers.

The apartment in the background is where we live. A river runs between the apartments and these flower fields. It is one of our favorite places to explore. 

Look at those pigtails! I love how her hair curls out like little fire works.

The 'best' picture we could get of the two of them

In our House/Neighborhood...

I often find toys left out to spell things

the kitchen floor looks like this while I'm cooking

I get to dress up this cutie

you can play with these at school

we call this baby Jordan when her tongue is out like this

the kids bathe in a tiny blow up pool

we have daily play group outside on nice days

all one year old babies get to wear these fish jammies (Beia)

Caedmon 2009

Birthday Boy

For Caed's birthday we took him and his BFF Grady to a park that had rides. G gave him this superman costume as a present in the car so he of course wore it the whole day :)

This little boy wanted to take a picture with Caed.

Later that afternoon we had over our Chinese friends for snacks and cake. As per Caedmon's request here is a 'rainbow spider lizard cake'. I used the 'easy fondant' recipe from all recipes to make the critters

hard to get a picture of all these kids sitting still...

Next day I brought in a smaller version of same cake to C's preschool class. I can't be the only one ever who brought chopsticks instead of forks or spoons along with their kids cake to class right?!

C got a new bike for his b-day. Here is riding with his friends :) Funny thing was he had this idea that he didn't want to learn how to ride a bike before he was 4. Even though his best friends had been doing it for over a year. Every time we would ask him to try to pedal anything he would try and then give up right away. I guess it was another one of those 'all on his own time' things. I was nervous he would have a hard time with it. First time out a huge crowd of kids gathered round, to see th bike and also ask why he couldn't ride it. Then they all promptly shouted out advice and put their hands all over C and the bike to 'help'. So dad took him to a less populated area (is there such thing here??) and Caed picked it up within a few minutes. And now he is off... He even made up a song about how him, Liu Chen Ye (boy in middle) and Grady are the superhero bikers...I need to get that song on video :)

When A Dream Come True Turns into a Nightmare

Well I am hesitant to post this, but since we have already been so open and honest here with all things how can I not...

Yesterday I woke up feeling very normally pregnant, sick and all. Then out of nowhere I was playing with caed (stop reading if you don't want to her too much information about my body) and felt warm blood. I freaked out and went to bathroom and there were gushes of blood. Found phone called Sean to come home, called good friend to come get Caed. And laid down on my couch, while laying there looking up at the poster that I made last year that has the verse, "In everything give thanks, for this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus" and if ever there has been a time that I wanted to call that 'rubbish' it was then (though I tried to still list off things I was thankful for). Sean got home, held me we prayed, asked for the one hundredth time for God's mercy. After much looking on the Internet, calling our doc in Thailand and talking to a few others we decided to rest and see what happened then go in for ultrasound the next day (today).
After many long hours the bleeding did stop, never any cramps this whole time. And then (stop reading if you are afraid of TMI) just brown old blood for the next 10 hours.

I slept horrible, so afraid of bleeding again and so sure that this pregnancy was over.

We went to the local hospital (you are a lucky person if you have never had to endure small local Chinese hospitals). I was real nervous they would be cold and unhelpful and not let Sean in (as men are not usually allowed in women's department. They let Sean in. I am seven weeks today. They refused to internal ultrasound, so did abdominal instead. First time she (and the other five people in the room who were all watching) said they thought they saw a heartbeat, to go drink lots of water and come back. Thirty minutes later there was a heartbeat we could see and hear. Then we go back and meet with the doctor, which is where I wish I wasn't in China. Because its all in Chinese, baby is good size 2.5x2.8 cm. Everyone there kept calling the baby our guier (literally expensive baby- but maybe translated like most precious baby?) because we told them it was an ivf baby. We are pretty sure she said there was some blood around the outside of the placenta. She said to rest 3 days not to worry or be nervous and eat lots of vegetables and try not to poop (um this has to be China advice right?!) Of course no sex (last thing on anyone's mind) and no heavy lifting.

So here I am in bed resting. Going a little crazy. Having some hope but also not knowing what in the world is going on. Wishing I could talk to an English speaking specialist/doctor. Holding this baby with open arms, in a posture of surrender to the Lord, all while asking/begging for his mercy on us. Walking down a road I do not want to be on. Thankful for helpful friends, encouraging words and Sean.

Anyone out there experienced something like this before? I still feel nauseous, they took my blood today and I almost threw up, but maybe that's because of all the meds I'm on or the fact I lost a lot of blood.

So now we wait. Again. Wait. Hope. Pray. Wait. Rest. Beg. Wait for hope and future or wait for loss, I am not sure.