We hope you won't mind receiving this rather than a Christmas card!
This year began with Jonathan and Jenny separated by a distance of 5900 miles, but
Jonathan returned from China for the birth of Kai on 28 January. All too soon after the happy event Jonathan was on his way back to Guangzhou (GZ) again, and it would be another three months until the family was reunited when Jenny and Kai made the trip to GZ - after attending Helen and Laurent's wedding.
Kai's first year on Earth
Xiao KaiKai (Little KaiKai) as he is known in these parts has made great progress in
his first year. In the early months he was waking up in the nights but soon began to
sleep through and give his parents a decent night's sleep. He was soon able to stand up and also began to drag himself around on his belly. That was his preferred mode of locomotion for a long time as it was so easy on the smooth marble floor of our apartment. But he really liked standing up and began to "cruise" around as much as possible - that is, walking along with the support of a sofa or other furniture. Walking with hands held was soon to follow, then a month or two ago he finally realised how to crawl on all-fours. But he doesn't resort to it very often - he seems to think it's beneath him! Right now he is able to take a few steps unsupported before falling over, so he should be properly walking in the next few weeks!
Kai's favourite activities:
1. Walking with one hand held (not two hands - that's for babies)
2. Riding out in his pushchair
3. Pushing buttons (light switches, remote controls, phones, kitchen appliances, lifts)
4. Playing football
5. Tearing tissue paper to shreds
6. Having a bath
7. Opening and closing (doors, cupboards, drawers, wardrobes)
Kai is less proficient at speaking, but we think that is normal for bilingual babies; it's confusing to be hearing two different languages every day. Although he can say a few words which sound about right we don't think he really understands what they mean. He will probably be slower than most babies to develop speech but hopefully will be rewarded later with the ability to speak two languages well at an early age. He now has six teeth and is eating a lot of the same foods we eat.
Kai's favourite foods:
1. Noodles
2. Rice
3. Oranges
4. Pumpkin
5. Fish
6. Tofu
7. Apple
8. Rusks/biscuits
9. Mashed potato
10. Steamed bread
Jenny's parents have been staying with us for most of the time and have been a great help taking care of Kai. And Kai has already taken two long (20 hour) train journeys to Jenny and her parents' home town Shiyan. The first time was in May when he had a severe haircut and then had some nice photos taken and the second time the whole family attended the wedding celebrations of Jenny's sister in September.
Kai's favourite toys
1. Mum's mobile phone
2. His fabric football
3. Empty plastic bottles
4. Any other packaging
5. A plastic fan from KFC
Jonathan's bit
Jonathan's job is going well and he is enjoying life in China. He hasn't made very much progress in learning Mandarin so far must try harder next year! Jonathan's friend Darren came to visit and they went o Macao (the Las Vegas of the East) for a weekend to play poker. Jonathan lost money on the first night... but won back an equal amount on the second. After that it was a week in GZ and the three of us watched the Olympic opening ceremony in a packed local pub, which was quite an experience! Then they both flew to Shanghai for a week of Olympic football, taking in five games which included two matches featuring the eventual champions Argentina.
The weather in GZ is oppressively hot and humid from March to November and then here is the brief respite of a very mild winter with no snow, nor even frost. This year September was the hottest, with temperatures in the high 30's Celsius. The summer months are extremely wet, whereas in the past three months we have had only one or two brief rain showers. Jonathan hasn't got used to the climate here yet - hopefully next year!
Jenny's bit
Jenny is now thinking about getting a job, but it is easier said than done - China certainly is not immune to the current world economic problems. Her health has improved dramatically this year since moving to GZ. Her back problem has eased due to a combination of medicine which she couldn't take before (Kai's fault!) and yoga. The Chinese doctor initially put her on a course of "traditional" Chinese medicine: a medieval concoction which had to be brewed in a cauldron-like pot on the stove every night, it included an assortment of herbs boiled up with dried centipedes and scorpions! It tasted even worse than it sounds, yet it did seem to work! But now it's a much more palatable combination of "Western" medicines and yoga classes almost every day for Jenny.
Our bit
At the beginning of December we moved to a new apartment in a relatively quieter area of GZ. There is no construction noise within earshot (at the moment) which is a rarity in GZ, and we are just across the road from a huge park which is great for Kai.
The weather in GZ is oppressively hot and humid from March to November and then there is the brief respite of a very mild winter with no snow, nor even frost. This year September was the hottest, with temperatures in the high 30's Celsius. The summer months are extremely wet, whereas in the past three months we have had only one or two brief rain showers. Jonathan hasn't got used to the climate here yet - hopefully next year!
We wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, we will be thinking of you in China. This Christmas we will be thinking of Grandad especially, and recalling the many happy memories of Grandma Collidge.
Love
Jonathan Jenny and Kai
We shall leave you with Kai's first encounter with Father Christmas!
PS for the full story of Kai's development go here:
http://jjorton.blogspot.com
and for more on life in GZ go here:
http://jonathaningz.blogspot.com
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