And as quickly as we got there, that’s how fast the time went. I’m so glad we made the trip out to see the family. Bye bye Hong Kong, until next time!
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I used to think our apartment in Brooklyn was small but that was nothing compared to our hotel room in Hong Kong. We booked the “deluxe” room as opposed to the “standard” room because I was already very concerned about how tight we would be on space. I was happily surprised by the size of our room actually and we were on the top floor and off to one side so hopefully we didn’t bother too many people on our floor when the kids were noisy. Laurent and I had to find lots of different ways to keep the kiddies entertained as there was little square footage inside the hotel for them to burn their energy and be engaged, especially when they were both up at 6am!
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Less than a mile from the hotel, there was a new playground built in Happy Valley that we took advantage of. It’s a huge playground and it’s super nice since everything is brand new.
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Here are some random videos and photos from our few days around Hong Kong.
Getting the kids to regularly nap was probably one of the most challenging obstacles. I actually thought the hardest part would be getting the kids to sleep at the same time at night without waking each other up but they were usually so exhausted from the days events that night time was actually the easy part. Here’s a rare instance in which I got both kids to nap at the same time and even got them in the same bed! We tried our best to give the kids a “regular” schedule while in Hong Kong so every morning, we rode the “ding ding” (the tram in Hong Kong). It’s one of the slower modes of transportation in Hong Kong but there’s plenty to see and I think Chloe really enjoyed it.
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Here’s Chloe’s first taste of black sesame soup, YUM!
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I don’t know why but my Dad thinks it is the FUNNIEST thing to flip Sebastien’s bib up and have him wear it like a turban. He definitely looks silly enough!
And if you didn’t know it already, Mr. Sebastien Mui is a TOTAL CAMERA HOG. He LOVES to have his picture taken. I can’t get enough of him in this outfit with his matching hat! He absolutely lights up when you go to take his picture and loves to smile for you (unlike Ms. Chloe who I can never get to smile – sounds like her mother). 
And here’s a video of the kiddies at dim sum making a WHOLE lot of noise, as if dim sum wasn’t noisy enough!
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The weather was absolutely beautiful in Hong Kong. Mid 70’s and sunny all day. So we took full advantage and went to the highest summit in Hong Kong at Victoria’s Peak to enjoy the afternoon. Thanks to Uncle Kenneth for playing tour guide!
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The main purpose of our trip to Hong Kong was to introduce Chloe and Sebastien to their Great Grandma. She was in great spirits the day we visited and we got some great footage.
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And for the family, here are the actual family photos in case you want to save them for your files. Just click on the photo and when they load in the window, right-click and select Save As.
For those of you who have flown to Asia, you know how difficult a flight it is for an adult, let alone a child, and let alone an adult with a child. On every flight to Asia, there’s always at least one child if not more, and it’s always a very young child. It’s my opinion that there will always be young children on these transatlantic flights because (1) the Asian family culture is so strong that many new parents bring their kids to visit their older relatives to pay respects and (2) who wants to pay a full fare for a child when you can pay 20% if they are under the age of two? I have just entered these ranks. I’m that parent that you dread when you’re flying – the one with not one, but two kids under the age of two – and you’re hoping that I’m seated as far away from you as possible. If only non-parents knew how stressful it is to fly with young children, I think there would be so much more sympathy out there for parents traveling with children. Since becoming a parent, I’ve made it a point to always offer kind words to such parents as I can relate and know that every little bit helps to ease the stress.
Let’s talk about stress. Our flight departed JFK at Monday at midnight. Not Tuesday at midnight. Can I tell you that I thought up until Friday night or so that we were leaving Monday night for the airport (to catch the early Tuesday flight)? Then when I went to check my confirmation, I completely freaked out and thought I had purchased the wrong flight and went from 6 adults on the plane to just Laurent and I. I kid you not when I say I had a panic attack and called my uncle and my sister to reconfirm their flights. Mind you, Laurent is cracking up the entire time as if he were watching some reality television show. Luckily I wasn’t the only one who was confused and thankfully we were still all on the same flight. First crisis averted.
So I tried to be very pro-active about packing for this trip because I knew it was going to be a pain in the @$$. About three weeks prior, I had already put together my list. Don’t laugh. I don’t make a list when it’s just me I’m packing for but can you imagine packing for three? It’s out of control. And what makes it so much worse is that I’m using everything every day that I need to pack. So there’s no packing in advance. So to keep some sort of sanity, here’s my list.
You think I’m crazy but really that’s what I’m trying to avoid. I do laundry Thursday night so that I can pack the kids clothes on Friday after I get off work. Can I tell you that despite my best efforts, the next 48 hours is probably the most stressed out I have EVER been? It’s a nightmare. I can’t seem to pack anything quickly and I find myself doubling back to pack and re-pack. And it takes Chloé all of five minutes after she wakes up the next morning to unpack a suitcase I packed while she was asleep. AH. In total, we end up with two suitcases to check and five carry ons (yes five). We’ve got a duffle bag with diapers, blankets and extra changes of clothes, the cooler of milk, the purple rolling suitcase with things to keep Chloé entertained and emergency toiletries, a bag for my pump and Chloé’s solid baby food and oatmeal, and Laurent’s carryon with the tablets and passports. And two kids and a stroller. It’s really crazy. Thankfully we have an army of support with us between Mom, Dad, Queenie and Uncle Savio, I don’t know what we would have done without them!
Since we decided to go on this trip, my concern has always been about how Chloé will react. Sébastien is not really my concern because all he does is eat, sleep and poop. As long as I have enough milk for him, he’s manageable. Don’t even get me started about his milk. Can I tell you that I specifically sought out a store to purchase dry ice for this trip to carry his milk aboard? And we totally went over the 5 pound TSA mandate. And we packed Chloé’s whole milk into the same breast milk bags as Sebastien so that she would have milk for the trip as well. HA. How’s that for clever thinking? Meanwhile, with all that milk and approximately 10-12 pounds of dry ice, the cooler we brought was SUPER heavy. Thankfully Laurent has got strong arms. And we made Chloé walk while the stroller wheeled the cooler.
So back to Chloé. Our flight was at midnight on Monday and we planned on leaving the house at 8:30pm on Sunday. So my plan was to let her nap in the morning as she usually does but to not put her down for her usual 3pm nap so that I could put her for a nap around 6pm and she’d last until we boarded the flight. I don’t know what was in Chloé’s system but she was out and about the gate having a good ol’ time and not showing any sign of tiredness. She specifically had lots of fun rolling around her purple carryon suitcase.
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Meanwhile what am I doing? I’m roaming Terminal 1 at JFK for a family restroom only to find out they don’t have one. So what do I do? I find a gate that they’ve roped off and I sit there so I can pump in public semi-privately. What’s my secret you ask? Two clothespins and a pillowcase. That is how you pump in public.
So we board the plane. You know that when they announce for parents with small kids that we all get up to go board. We get lucky and the flight is not full so Laurent and I have the two aisle seats and an empty seat between us. Same for my parents. Queenie absolutely lucks out and gets a row of three to herself. The flight leaves on time and the takeoff is smooth; neither of the kids seem to be bothered. Chloé is completely absorbed by the buttons on the seat console. And what button does she absolutely have to push? The call attendant button. Not the volume or the channel or the light. No, it has to be the attendant button and I don’t even realize it until they come over and tell us that the light is lit – SO embarrassing! Once we’ve climbed to cruising altitude, the attendants install the baby bassinet on the wall in front of us and it is HUGE. Originally I had planned for Sébastien to sleep in the baby bassinet but we ended up putting Chloé in it since Sébastien fit in the seat between us. My parents ended up taking Sébastien for most of the flight and according to the flight attendants, he was so well behaved as we barely heard him at all. As you can see, my son is definitely a ladies man.
Chloé slept for the first five hours or so and then woke. In between her various naps, I let her pace the aisles which was challenging at times since they were so narrow and I didn’t want her to run and knock her head against the metal arm rests. Overall it was a very successful flight as she wasn’t terribly loud – she had her moments now and again when she wanted to get down while the seatbelt sign was still on. The layover in Taipai was fine as well, it was a good chance to stretch her legs, although if we were to do it again, I definitely would fly direct to Hong Kong. Between the two flights, the express train from the airport to the subway and then waiting for the connecting hotel shuttle bus, it was a very long day to say the least for everyone. Both kids were great sports but they were absolutely wiped from traveling for 24+ hours. It’s been a long day but we’re so glad we’re finally here in Hong Kong! Thanks to Mom, Dad, Queenie and Uncle Savio for helping make the trip bearable and lending many helping hands! And many thanks to my amazing husband for his patience and commitment to this trip!
Now that Sebastien is six months old, he’s so much more interesting and fun to film. The best part is watching his interactions with Chloe and how they respond to each other. At fifteen months apart, I think these two are going to be like two peas in a pod and hopefully the best of friends. Whenever Chloe is home, she always asks for “Di Di” which means “little brother” in Cantonese. She’s so aware of him and loves to be with him and I think now that Sebastien is a little bit older and more alert, he’s also becoming more aware of her.
Here’s a video of the two kiddies together. Love the hats they are wearing, my parents bought them back from their trip to Macchu Picchu in Peru. I’m actually really surprised how long Chloe kept the hat on given how much she doesn’t like wearing them!
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In this video, you’ll hear Chloe say “awwwwwwwk” which means “kiss” in Cantonese. If you ask her to kiss Sebastien, she’ll put her head against his head and lately now she also says “kiss” when she is doing it. They’re so much fun! Sebastien is also now big enough to ride in the double stroller with his big sister and so Daddy took them to their latest checkup in the double stroller for the first time together.
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Here are some mash up videos of Sebastien lately. Our sweet, happy Sebastien. So precious! I just want him to stay like this for just a little bit longer.
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We leave for our big trip to Hong Kong on Monday. The list of things to pack is crazy long and I am super stressed about packing, getting to the airport, getting on the plane, pumping on the plane, getting to the hotel, you name it, and I’m stressed about it. I had a near panic attack the night prior because I thought we were leaving on Tuesday and come to find out our tickets say Monday and for a moment, I thought we had bought different tickets than my parents. AHHHHHH!
We definitely have at least two things ready. First is our passports, not that Chloe or Sebastien look anything like their baby pictures.
And Chloe has been practicing for our trip, check this out:
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It’s going to be a memorable trip with lots of laugh that I’m sure will provide LOTS of blog material so stay tuned!
The weather has started to turn colder and the leaves are falling off the trees and everywhere. Sebastien is six months old already and this little man is not so little! I have a feeling he might be heavier than his big sister by the time he turns one! Sebastien’s new milestone is playing on his tummy. Daddy spends lots of time rolling him back and forth from his back to his tummy on his playmat. It’s just a matter of time before he turns on his own. He’s definitely got the leg strength, you should see it when we try to change his diaper. Sebastien plants both feet firmly on the changing table and lifts his butt high up in the air so that every time you go to put the diaper on him, it keeps lifting out of place. He’s a funny guy this one. And he’s just too cute, I just want to squish his cute face all day! Happy six months to our little man.
