Home. Sweet Sweet Home!

So we're back. The highly anticipated trip is over! It seemed like it would never end while we were there and now it seems like it went by so fast (but thats ok). All in all, it wasn't as bad as I feared in could be (i.e. Eli wasn't kidnapped and he didn't really get any horrible disease), but there were some days that made me want to buy plane tickets and come home early. My frustration with not knowing what was going on, constantly being told that Eli was so much better behaved when I wasn't around (and subsequently being kicked out of the room when he wasn't looking), and a bad mood resulting from minor anorexia was exacerbated when I got really sick for a few days and was hardly able to leave the bed. But I still uphold my belief that China is a beautiful country and you should go. Just alternate day trips to tourist sites with window shopping trips in the city and don't eat huge meals of new and spicy foods out everyday.

The flights (14 hours there, 13 back, plus 2 2.5-hour domestic flights) went surprisingly well. Eli had/is having a LOT of trouble with jet lag - the poor thing was actually hoarse for the first few days there. Thank goodness Wayne's parents picked up an umbrella stroller before we left - he did a lot of sleeping in it! That is, when he wasn't
insisting that I hold him!

Now we're still in recovery mode. Eli has been waking up between 2:30 and 4 am every day.

Deperate Housewife of Calvert County

...Wayne thinks I could make a TV show. Based on Wednesday, that is. And (haven't seen either show but really, what do they have that I don't have? [Lots of money, good looks, fancy houses & cars...okay, okay, I get it.]

Anyway, back to Wednesday - I needed to go pick up our Visas from the Chinese Embassy in DC. Mind you, I had already gone to drop them off in a 6 hour debacle that left me yelling about how I'd never go back to that horrible city alone (or without a cell phone). Wayne had thought he'd be able to pick them up, but there he was, Wed. morning, trying to give me directions. Suitland Parkway to South Capital Street to 12th Street to Some Letter then Wisconsin. Okay, fine, sounded easy enough. La-te-da I'm driving and 12th street is closed!!! I ended up in Arlington!!!! So I'm freaking out but keep driving, trying to get back to DC, am calling Wayne but he's in a meeting!!! Luckily, Eli could tell by the yelling and tears that he needed to be quiet. Finally get there, Pick up was no problem and I get home without a hitch.

Get Eli out of the car, he starts to go down the walkway steps to the front door (which he has been doing on his own a lot lately) and BOOM! Falls and hits his head. Big scrape, little bump, some other smaller scratches...nice. I mean, pain doesn't bother him too much so he stopped crying as soon as we walked in the door and he let me clean it up without a fuss. But anyway, After being yelled at, poor Wayne has to come home to see his son all scraped up!

A little later, I try to mow. Get the back yard done , the mower sputters out. I fill up the gas tank (but it didn't seem too empty to me) and proceed to also add some oil. Waaaay too much oil! Smoke everywhere! I BROKE the mower! Couldn't get the weed-eater started (oh, I messed that one up too - put the wrong kind of gas in it).

So I start making dinner and Eli is fussy. I can't hold him and cook when I have 3 dishes on the stove and he is squirmy (I did for a while, but it wasn't working anymore). So I went and started a movie for him (Kung Foo Panda, which did keep him distracted for a while). By the time I got back to the stove, the beef was over cooked and super chewy.

Poor Wayne, some welcome, huh?

Anyway, that was Wednesday, he has since fixed the mower and weed-eater and I mowed the lawn last night to try to make it up to him.

There are new pictures up at picasaweb.google.com/froggio - I'm going to put up pics of Eli's scratches soon.

Belated thoughts on Motherhood

Motherhood is...

- All those amazing catches you make when bottles are thrown, glasses are knocked over, or plates pulled off the counter...and the one person in your audience doesn't appreciate or understand it!

- Realizing that your mother felt and still feels the same way about you that you feel to your little one (and probably went through many of the same things!).

- How is it that the baby always knows when you and your hubby are ___ and, not liking that someone else could have your attention, decides to scream???

...I'm sure I'll think of more :-)

Pain is

- Having to ignore your little one, when all he wants is you, but you just can't give yourself to him all the time (like when you are cooking over a hot stove or cutting vegetables with sharp knives)

- Knowing that this little baby who only wants you will too quickly grow up and you will be one of the people he does not　ｗａｎｔ　anywhere　near　ｈｉｍ。

What Eli's up to

Well, Eli is 11 months, eating everything and crawling or walking everywhere! Right now he's trying to use a sippy cup straw with a bit of pizza crust still in his mouth. In the past few days he has finally been playing the "Ahh" game - opening his mouth and sticking out his tongue, which really comes in handy now that he's eating real people food and I don't always know if he has swallowed yet. He feeds the puppies so often that they now expect it and growl or woof at him in his high chair.

The big news: We are going to China in June! Yup, all 3 of us are heading to the other side of the world! It'll be a long flight for poor little Eli!