Monday, February 28, 2011

Kicks & Wiggles

Well, here is our little kiddo in week 31! Still 9 weeks left to go... really looking forward to meeting him in person. He's been especially active lately, I think just as excited as I am to have his daddy home again!
We are excited to have my mom book a ticket to come out to be with us over the time of his arrival, and I'm making lists of everything that needs to happen between now and then.
So far so good...our son is healthy, growing, and getting stronger!
April 30th can't come fast enough!




Friday, February 18, 2011

Wrote a letter to my love...

...or rather lots and lots of emails. Although most would say he'll be home soon, Sunday evening still seem so far away. It's bringing back memories of our long-distance dating days!!

It's been a good trip for him, though! When he gets back I'll let him add the names of the universities that I have photos of here, since he told me, but I forget. :)




a parkbench that would have been perfect for the two of us...










Now that the university tour is over, Joey has been able to spend some time with his family! The entire time he's been there I've been trying NOT to think of everything that I'm missing while he's there: mom's amazing meals, the lively conversation around the dinner table, baby Ethan, laughing at the Risk games, the sibling-rivalry football games in the mud, seeing grandparents again, falling asleep on Joey's shoulder while everyone gets into the football game on TV, etc etc etc etc...
It makes me look SO forward to being back there in the summer again!!
Some ask me why I would "let" Joe visit his family after he's been away for 10 days already. The truth is, even though it makes his trip longer, my only regret is that I'm not with him. We loooove our families! Stealing as much time as we can with them is a no-brainer!!
Bek & Joey both sent me some photos of what has been going on in the home front. Can't wait to be back there myself, in the middle of the action! Just think: we'll have our first reunion of the cousins this summer!!!! Yay!!! :D

Love you guys!!
Here is Jason showing off his set of wheels to Uncle Joey... lol, so cute!!


And Uncle Joey with Brooklyn, Jason, & Cossette!!

There's always action around the dinner table. Wish I were there, too!!!


Aw, so jealous that Joey got to see Ethan so long before me!!
Good to get some practice in there, hun!! Can't wait till you're holding our own little guy!! :D


The kids grow so quickly...I treasure these photos! Thanks for passing them on, Bek!



aww.... Way Way & Wia!!! <3

Jeremy, Bek, & Ethan!

Uncle Mikey and Cossette

Miriam! back from Israel!

Cossy enjoyig auntie snuggles

Still waiting to see the promised photos of Jon & Sheila who will have their baby boy probably the week (ish) before us! Hope you're doing well, Sheila!! :D
I'll post more belly-shots of me when my beloved comes home with the camera. Our little guy is getting BIG!!! I can't imagine getting any bigger than this...and April 30th is still so far away!! The bonus of getting bigger is I no longer have to keep pulling up my maternity jeans. And I always get a seat on the subway. And other people always insist on carrying anyting I'm carrying. Trying to stay positive. ;)
Hugs to you all!
Nica (& baby) --next post will be with Joey home again!! yaaaaaay!!!!!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Yew Wah 2011 US University Tour & Stroller shopping!

So, for those of you who haven't heard, Joe is now the proud driver of a shiny, full-sized van filled with teenagers! Lucky guy! He is on a university tour with 25 Chinese students from his school who are working towards attending a university in the US after their highschool graduation.


Feb 7: A/J -- Atlanta, GA
Feb 8: B -- University of GA
C-- Clemson University
Feb 9: D-- Furman University
Feb 10: E--University of NC
Feb 11: F--Duke University
G--Wake Forest University
Feb 12-13 H--weekend activities
Feb 14: I --Savannah College of Art & Design
--Armstrong Atlantic State University
Feb 15: J/A --Kennesaw University (back in Atlanta)
Joey can then go to visit his family for a few days in PA before flying home to Shanghai to ME!!
Thaks for praying with me for safety as he drives!

Here is a pic of Joe with some of his collegues, and a friend, Jessica, who was a good friend of ours in Shanghai but now lives in Greenville! She arranged for the entire crew to experience some real American cuisine at Sticky Fingrs Smokehouse on Tuesday!






So, what am I doing these days? Other than sitting around getting bigger (and still working, of course!), I have been searching for just the RIGHT stroller! We originally thought I could order one in the US and have it shipped to Mom & Dad Martin's for Joe to bring back; however, the perfect stroller did not exist in the US. I found ones I liked in Europe and China, though!

Call me new-mommy-zilla, but this was a big decision for me! We do a lot of walking here! So it had to be one that reclines fully (to help with diaper changes), and has cup holders, and light enough to carry, but durable enough for the rough terrain and dragging up and down stairs, and compact enough to collapse easily to throw into a taxi, AND good storage space for when I carry groceies home, AND can weave easily through crowds, AND looks good, AND affordable (so many strollers are ridiculously priced in my opinion!).

The result? Check it out!




I also like this feature to have baby face me:


Until baby grows a little bigger, we got this car seat so he can stay asleep longer (I got it in red)

And as bonus features: it comes with a rain guard, a mosquite net, and a flashing light so drivers around us can see us coming! (I didn't get the sleeping bag pictured far left). And, if anything breaks, they'll send replacement parts or repair it free for up to 3 years!


So, the stroller is being shipped to my home as I type! If, for some reason, it's not as good as it sounds, I'll return it and Joe can still pick one up while he's in the US.
There's the update! Love you all!!
Nica

Thursday, February 3, 2011

January photos

Here are a few photos from the first part of January.

Daniel and I had a grading party the week of finals.



My amazing wife working hard in the kitchen



We had a couple of rare snow falls in Shanghai this January



Some views from our apartment . . . .
















Joe

Chinese New Year Chun Jie!

To celebrate Chinese New Year Eve, Wednesday evening we had traditional spicy Sichuan hot pot as well as "traditional" chocolate fondue hot pot with friends in Shanghai.



the cooks



Ivy brought some great food from her hometown in Sichuan



Chocolate fondue that Nica made






May brought an ice cream cake with Rabbit for the Year of the Rabbit



Ivy enjoyed the candy rabbit



Fireworks in our compound



We walked around enjoying all the fireworks our neighbors were putting off



Nica and Ivy enjoying the fireworks