In conversation with my little one

While colouring her Hello Kitty book and I was on the bed feeling off.. "This is a birthday cake Mama. It will help you to feel your sick away, ok?" On a particularly hot day during dinner with daddy and after mummy had failed yet again to turn the a/c on.... (one hand on hip the other with a/c remote pointing at the a/c) "I need the a/c on mum, to be my sweat away." (Daddy, who would have every a/c on in the house if he could, found this and the fact she turned it on herself, particularly impressive.) After one of Steve's workers came to the door to collect the storage key... "Who was that mama, was that daddy's worker?" "Yes, love". "Is he be dead?" "No, love. He's very much alive." (Not sure why but dead is the new fascination) After waking one morning. "Tills can you get me a drink of water?" "You come with me mum." "Sarah helps her mummy get her things. Can you be a big girl like Sarah and get mummy a drink of water?" "You be like Sarah and you get your drink of water mum!" (Cop that mama. Note to self: comparing with other children doesn't work.)

Father's Day

Yesterday was Father's Day in Taiwan. August 8th every year. The number eight is pronounced 'ba'. Therefore, the 8th of the 8th is ba-ba, get it? Baba's day. Steve had a rare day off. How convenient. In the past I would have shuffled him off somewhere so that we could get some 'quality time' in. But, now, I'm slowing down and was content to stay at home and have the quality time there. We all woke after 8 and then lounged around on the bed playing with our new set of Uno cards (kids version, with Winnie the Pooh printed on them - so cute). We played heaps of games and had the best fun ever!! Tilly knows how to play now, but she just can't hold all the cards in her hand. So we always get to see what she's holding. I have been having twinges and pains in my belly, not contractions, but just a lot of discomfort. So the opportunity to sit and do nothing was great. After Uno, I made a late breakfast and cut up some fruit and we ate it all in front of the TV (scandalous!), watching the adaptation of Roald Dahl's book Matilda, the one with Danny Devito. We three love that movie. It was a very slow day indeed. Steve and I were both loath to get up off the sofa and do anything and Tilly was just happy to have us both there together. It was a day well spent.

Surprise visit

Jen returned unexpectedly on a flying visit from California on their way through to Australia and then to NZ where they will settle. Tilly and the other kids from Thursday playgroup (who could make it at such short notice) had enormous fun playing with Hunter. Helena (little monkey on the right) has grown so much and is speaking so much more. It's not often you get to say hello again to someone you thought you had said your goodbyes to!

Art

Butterfly or dragonfly, she couldn't decide. Either way I'm mightly impressed. Of significance to Tilly was the spot she drew so it could 'wee wee out'. Haha.

For those who pray....

I have a prayer request. Little one seems to like snookling up under my ribs, bum down low. I've been told the likelyhood of the baby moving into the right position might be low as there isn't a great deal of amniotic fluid. I don't know. Who knows what that means??? I know the baby has been in this position for quite some time now, and seems pretty happy with it! Ha. I've also been told I can give birth bum first, as long as the feet stay up above the bum like they are now and the baby is no bigger than Tilly was at birth. Not feeling great about that prognosis! Just need the baby to turn, then all will be well. I wrote a big long story about it here last night after returning from the clinic and decided to delete it this morning and just come straight to the point. So, turn baby turn....

Belly update

Was getting ready for church this morning, Steve had the camera and was snapping. I'm into my 32nd week. Bit over it if I might say so.

Coz I'm brown...

Sitting here in the air conditioning right now. Tills has just finished watching Playschool on which there was the classic song, 1 grey elephant. (1 grey elephant balancing, step by step on a piece of string, he thought it was such a wonderful stunt, that he called for another.... elephant) She's got the pipe of the vacuum cleaner on my bed and balancing while I am being instructed to sing the song. Then she suddenly says to me, "I'm a brown elephant mama." Then she rubbed her arm with her hand and said, "coz I'm brown mama and elephants are grey, not brown." Yesterday I told her she had lovely brown skin (as opposed to her pink freckly mama) and she said back in Chinese, "I'm black like baba." In Chinese there isn't really a phrase for dark skin or whatever. It's just a direct use of "black". And I don't really like it much. I don't like the crazy obsessions of the women here to be as "white" as possible either. People tell her in Chinese fairly often that she's black. I respond that black is good and would you rather have my skin? Crazy ideas, but anyway. It's summer and she's got a tan!