Happy seven months to our baby boy! Although he’s so big, I don’t really think of him as only seven months. No doctor’s appointment this month so no measurements. Next doctor’s appointment is at nine months but my arms estimate that he’s not quite 20 pounds yet but he’s getting there! He’s a big guy!
My mom tells me that I had so little hair as a baby (much like Chloe), that my first haircut wasn’t until I was two years old. I guess the same holds true for Chloe as she got her first hair cut around 22 months – and she really didn’t need it – but we noticed she was scratching her neck a lot and so we figured it was because of her longer hair. I wasn’t exactly sure at first whether Chloe was going to let me cut her hair but she was pretty patient all things considered. I don’t think she liked the sound of the scissors cutting her hair or the feeling of her hair being cut as you can see she moves each time I cut so I’ve got to figure out way to cut her hair quickly and in as few cuts as possible. This was a first step though – it’s not nearly as crooked as I thought it would be!
In an effort to get the kids over their jet lag, we went out for some day time walks over the weekend hoping that the daylight would help them fix their sleeping schedules. I thought the hard part would be traveling to Asia but actually I think the hardest part has been the kids’ jet lag since we got back! It’s uncharacteristically warm for November so we’ll enjoy it as long as we can.
And what’s the best part of the fall season? Tromping through the leaves of course!
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!
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.[wpvp_flowplayer src= https://chezmuirichard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/20151123_park_blog.mp4 width=540 height=360 splash=https://chezmuirichard.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-video-posts/images/default_image.jpg]
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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
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!