Kenaz 16 months old

Biggest change of Kenaz is he started sleeping through all night long. During New Year’s holiday we stop giving him a bottle after his sleep. He used to wake up every three hours and asked for a bottle. Akiva sleeps next to him. I didn’t want to wake up him so I started giving him a bottle whenever he wants. It became his and my habit and it was really hard to change. For 2 days he cried. I had to tell him no more bottle. He cried and shook his head and asked for a bottle. On the third day he understood there is no bottle. A week after he stopped waking up in the middle of night. He sleeps from 9 pm till 7 am. He is a big boy and good boy now.
Kenaz can saying “bottle”, “qiche” (means a car in Chinese), “bao bao” (means ‘pick me up’ in Chinese), and “bao bao” (when he looks for me).
He loves jumping on a trampoline. He loves to eat broccolis like Akiva used to like when he was a baby. He wants to do everything Akiva does.

Sunday still snowing... (updated on Monday)

I thought snow would stop over the Saturday night. Yet it is still snowing on Sunday. It is very wet snowflakes stick together and melt instantly when it touches on the ground. We ate a left over birthday cake after breakfast and went out to play snow. Our Korean school mates’ dads were making a big snow man. We tried to make one too. Making a snow man was more difficult than what it looked. The first you have to squat on the slippery ground to roll around a snow ball. The snow ball gets really heavy. We could only make a small snow man. Oh, mighty Korean dads!
Kenaz didn’t want to play yesterday. Today he was more comfortable. He got on the snowy ground and had a good time with us.
It was really unexpected mass snow. Our fridge is empty. We have been ordering in Northern Chinese dumplings and Chinese sour cabbage soups.

[Updated on Monday]


[Jesse] This was part of my path to work. I rode my bike first to the telecom office to pay the phone bill for my company. The roads were part ice, part snow, part slush. I fell several times.


But at least when I took a short-cut through the park, it was very pretty. I wish I could have the time to get over to one of the historical gardens and take pictures there. But all the taxis and many busses have stopped running... so I don't think I will make it accross town to the gardens.

and a lot more snow after the party

Akiva became 3 years old

On his birthday I took his favorite chocolate cake to his kindergarten.

He likes to play with blocks and cars at home and kindergarten.He played puzzles with his classmate.Next day on Saturday, we had his birthday party at kids playground in KTV (karaoke). 6 of his classmates, 3 of his neighborhood friends and their brothers and sisters joined to the party and celebrated his 3 years old.

Snow in Suzhou

It snowed today. Which is nice. Except that the snow melts as soon as it hits the ground.

This is the view from our balcony. Notice the white area in these pictures. That's snow on the grass before it melted.

In other news...
Good movie: The Great Debaters
Good dreams: going to Thailand on February 3rd.
New play activities: making swords out of roled up newspapers and hitting Daddy on the head with said swords.
Did I mention this?: I'm the volunteer VP of Marketing for the new Suzhou Toastmasters club. This Thursday I have to give a speech...hope I won't bomb. I already feel this is too much extra work and I am not doing anything yet (other than inviting customer to attend)

More Holiday Update

Christmas holiday is over.

Last night when Akiva went to pee, he looked at a little picture hanging in the bathroom in our new apartment and said "There is a Christmas tree". In the picture, there were some pine trees on the mountain. To his eyes, a pine tree is already a symbol of Christmas....

I actually like Christmas here in China rather in the US. Yes, I have to listen to innocent children singing Christmas BGMs all the time. It doesn’t bother me that much. In fact, any Chinese people don't go to a Christmas shopping. They don't even have a day off. They really don’t celebrate Charismas either. It is just some event they don’t know anything about. I don’t feel like holiday either.
On the other hand, when I was in the US, I often got a holiday blue. Jesse doesn’t celebrate Christmas, but everyone else is in a holiday mood. I often got an idea if I should convert to a Christian and take free English lessen at church and eat Christmas dinner there. I also missed my family in Japan.

New Year came.

We moved to a new place on New Year’s Eve and had the party just Jesse and me. We watched Hero second season all the night. We opened the champagne.

3 days after New Year, I started working. I miss my kids but I also miss a hip hop class and its instructor at gym which always made my day. I am working at Japanese staffing service company in Suzhou. I went to the company to help me to find a job. They told me there is no job for me in Suzhou. Instead they asked me join to the company. I am very excited to going to work. However so far I don’t have many things to do. Jesse thinks I got an OL job (office lady job means make some copy and pour some tea for manager). This time of season is slowest in the year at work. Chinese New Year is coming within a month (this year is 6th of Feb). I will stick around this company and see where I am going from there.