Asia's Daily Activities

You can lift our bed and store stuff under it.  Between the base of the bed and the wall there is a tiny little tunnel that Asia loves.  She creeps in there and somehow manages to turn around.

She looks so sad, but she always goes under there.

Her shirt says "Go Green".  Too bad her parents run the A/C all day and leave the lights on.

Our bed connects to a window seat.  This is the perfect spot for Asia to keep an eye on the water.

Snuggling

Totally unrelated picture of a gigantic spider we found sneaking out of our front door.  We almost fell over each other trying to get out of it's way.  We let the door shut on the poor fellow.  Then we put an iphone there, so you can see the size in comparison.  Biggest spider I've ever seen in my house, ever!

18 Weeks Update- I felt the baby move!

     For awhile, I was so unsure whether I could really feel the baby moving.  I just assumed it was gas digestion.  Around a week ago, the feeling became more consistent.  Every night around 8 or 9 pm I would start to feel alot of activity in my tummy.  After 4 days I started to believe it was actually the baby.  Even Blair could feel it.  He was so excited and amazed.  At first it felt like very subtle movement, but now I can tell the difference between the baby kicking or rolling over.  I notice it whenever I lay down.  It's the most reassuring feeling.  I hear it gets way more pronounced.  I think I may really freak out when I can see the outline of a foot in my stomach.  God is so incredible to give Blair and I this experience.  I feel very blessed to have an active little baby inside me.
     In November, we have two dates to see our little one.  We have our Week 20 appt. on Nov. 3rd and then the fetal scan is Nov. 13th.  They will do an ultrasound for both, but during the fetal scan they will take a really close look at the baby's brain, heart, hands, feet, and all the other body parts.  Blair thinks we might catch a glimpse of the gender, if the doctor lingers too long in that vicinity.
    Belly update:  it's very frustrating getting dressed for work.  Maternity clothes are too big and my old clothes are too small.  Everyday someone tells me "You're getting bigger!"  I don't know how to reply "Ummm, thanks?!"   I just don't think that's easy to hear, even if you're pregnant. Now that the weather is getting cooler, I have no idea what to wear.  It sure does make for some creative outfits with lots of rigging your pants to fit.  I'll post pics next week.  
Your prayers mean the world to me!!

Hong Kong Fashion

           There is no rhyme or reason to the fashion in HK, basically anything goes.  You can combine any colors, pink and red, black and brown, navy blue and black, white and off-white, or light green, neon green, and forest green.  All shades can be combined, no restrictions!  Why don't we look at patterns?  No one will bat an eye if you want to wear plaid with polka dots, floral and stripes, or mix it up with plaid and floral.  Now pair any of those combinations with the colors mentioned above and you're in business.  It's very liberating to know you can't go wrong.  Footwear is a whole other topic.  Shoes are very rarely bought in neutral shades, they love purple, yellow, pink, and neon retro sneakers.  If you want to wear a red dress, what color shoes would you choose?  A local woman would choose purple, pink, or perhaps, green, the choices are endless.  I think it will help you to see some pictures of the local fashion scene.

Notice the patterned leggings... who needs pants?

A dynamic couple

Diaper pants are all the rage!

"Let's get physical, physical"



Obviously, it's rubbing off on me.

 My friend blogged about the footwear in HK, Check it out!
http://vannoordadventures.blogspot.com/2010/10/foot-fashion.html

16 Weeks Update

     We had a another date with our baby yesterday.  There is nothing more exciting than seeing the ultrasound each month.  The image of our baby popped up right away.  Baby Phillips has doubled in size since last month and seems to be measuring a bit big, so either I'm more than 16 weeks or I need to lay off the sweets!  We saw the baby kicking and moving all around.  Just as we zoomed in on the face, the baby waved at us.  Seriously, it raised it's little hand and moved it side to side.  Then we looked at the leg area, and for the second time the doctor said he could tell the gender.  He's dying to tell us, but we're holding out.  Brooke gave us a great idea, to get the doctor to seal his or her gender in an envelope and wait until the baby is born to open it.  Our doctor wrote the result in Chinese, that way if we have a moment of weakness, we still won't know the answer.  Later on, we'll put it in the baby book. 
      The belly has definitely emerged and can't be sucked in anymore.  My pants are becoming a little less comfy.  I have gained a total of 7 pounds.  In an eating contest, I would beat Blair hands down.

the baby's back

hands and feet

in a ball

Bumpalicious

Riding on the MTR

        Aboard the MTR, Hong Kong's subway, you never know what you might find.  A few things you can count on, wall to wall people, sweating, body odor, many passengers asleep, and folks staring at you like you're an alien, at least in my case.  Other things are more rare, but do occur, like people trimming their fingernails (toenails if you're lucky).  That just grosses me out.  Today I sat next to a lady clipping her nails,while the couple across from me was totally passed out.

Look closely to see the nail clippers.

Don't mind us.

I hope the flash from my camera didn't wake you.

The crowds are worse closer to HK island, but where we live it's not so bad.

Happy National Day ( and happy long weekend)

      This weekend we celebrated a holiday near and dear to our heart, China's National Day.  The cool thing is we got Friday off of school.  Friday we went shopping, I bought a baby journal and Blair bought a heavy metal CD, then we ate at a tapas restaurant called Mes Amis.  Saturday, we bit the bullet and decided to finally trust a local dog groomer to cut our dog's hair.  Asia was looking ridiculous, kinda like an ewok off of Empire Strikes Back.  Now she is clean shaven and 3x smaller!  We grabbed some Thai food for lunch in Tai Wai, then headed home.  On Sunday, we went to church and then watched "Survivor".

Can you find Blair in the mall?

Mes Amis for tapas

Freshly groomed pup

Discovery Bay

          Two weeks ago we went to Discovery Bay.  It is a very nice area of Hong Kong.  People say it's like California, because there is a beach, they have neat restaurants, where you can eat on the patio, lots of people have dogs, it's very westernized, and tons of expats live there.  We went because Salome and Michelle were part of an arts and crafts fair.  I got some great earrings and a little owl magnet, that they made.  After the fair, we ate at Subway, YUM!!, and then went to the beach.  Blair said he wants to move to Discovery Bay, but I didn't move to HK to separate myself from this lovely culture.  I like living in a more local area, where I can really get some stares while I walk to and from work.  It's fun being a part of the community.  Of course, I do enjoy visiting places that remind me of home.

 

Tim and Rebecca also teach at ICS, Tim lives out here.