Growing up...in Hong Kong...

Most of our news lately is less related to us being in Hong Kong and more just raising 2 kids - the location is not all that relevant.

On the Hong Kong front - Shafi went and signed the lease on Friday - so we are indeed moving to Stanley in a couple of weeks. Yay! He continues to find his job interesting and challenging. He's working long hours - leaving at 7 a.m. and coming home around 9 p.m. - but hopefully that will scale back a bit once he gets ramped up. Leah definitely misses seeing him during the week. And since the apartment was settled, I took Leah to Sunshine House in Tai Tam and paid for her first month+ (last week of October and all of November) of preschool. We also got her uniform and backpack while there. She stayed for about an hour - just went in and joined the class like she belonged - while I filled out paperwork and such. She is in the Moonbeam room with 14 other kids. And she's the only American - the other kids are all white but a mix of European and Australian (maybe a Canadian too). There are Americans in some of the other classes - so I guess it's just a coincidence. Leah was so excited about school that she wore her uniform home (we were just trying it on to make sure the size was right) and also has been wearing her backpack around the apartment quite a bit.

In general family life news...

Leah is making huge strides in potty training. She's been wearing pull ups for a couple of weeks, because that's what the preschools prefer. I also told her that when she's potty trained and wearing big girl panties she will get a Becky and Buzzy - the puppets from the Kids Club. I ordered them and they will be brought over from the US by a friend of my parents who will be visiting Hong Kong at the end of the month. I also offered Anna May a 1 week bonus if she helps get Leah potty trained by the end of the month. This morning Leah peed and pooped on the potty. And while we were at lunch she asked to go to the potty twice. Both times I put her on the seat and she peed right away - so she really did need to go - as opposed to some past experiences where she really just wanted to go check out the bathroom. Tonight at the beginning of dinner she told us she was going to go pee pee on the potty before bed. Then after finishing her grapes while Shafi and I were cleaning up she said, "Mommy, I need to go to the potty now." I took her right up and she sat down and peed right away - quite the volume in fact. That seemed to be to be a good sign - her diaper had been dry for about an hour and she requested the potty. Not sure whether school is the motivation - she will be starting a week from Monday - or if it's other factors. But whatever it is - I hope it continues!

And Will is eating solids! He hasn't pooped in almost a week again - so I decided to try adding some food and see if that helps. Yesterday I watered down some stage 1 applesauce - about 50/50 applesauce and water. He loved it. After the first few bites he seemed to really get it - started opening his mouth for the spoon and trying to "drink" the contents of the spoon. If I put much in his mouth he definitely dribbles most of it out - but with very small spoonfuls he seems to really eat it well. Tonight I didn't water down the applesauce - and he ate about 1/3 of the jar with very little mess. I also bought a jar of pear, so assuming we finish the apple tomorrow, we'll try pear on Monday. And if all of that goes well, I think we'll try rice cereal. We're slightly fearful that it will make his pooplessness a bit worse - but it's also possible that the added heft will actually make it better. Let's hope!

Leah had her 2nd ballet class on Wednesday. This time she asked me to stay in the room, but I sat by the door, and after a few minutes when I could see that she was doing fine without me, I told her I was going and I walked out. It was nice to get to sit and chat with the other moms - I even got a couple phone numbers for making playdates. And I peeked in a few times - and Leah was following right along! When she came out at the end she came running up with a huge grin and said, "I participated, Mommy!"

Leah has also started to get bold in the pool. She can "swim" all over the pool, including the deep end, by herself while wearing arm band floaties. But the same child who earlier in the week would not even loosen her grip on my arm in the pool suddenly decided on Thursday that she could swim. She got out of the pool, put her floaties with the bag, came back and walked right on down the steps into the pool...and not the baby pool. Luckily I was standing just a couple feet away in the pool. I thought she would walk down the steps and maybe be able to stand. But when she got to the next to last step, she sort of dove in. She then more or less crumpled down under the water. I pulled her right out and she was totally fine - but she was incredibly freaked out - cried for several minutes. So then I put her floaties back on and coaxed her back into the pool. And I showed her that I have to move my arms and legs to stay afloat and when I don't then I sink and that she needs some lessons to learn to really swim - so for now she promises to keep the floaties on!

Today we went exploring in Stanley a bit and had a nice lunch with a couple friends of mine from college - Jen and Jason. They moved to Hong Kong about 4 months ago. Jason grew up here until age 8 and had been wanting to come back, so they found jobs and made the move. They are still settling in but seem to be enjoying it. It was nice to see some familiar faces and the kids took to them right away.

Leah after ballet class:
Leah in her new preschool uniform:
Leah swimming:
Will's first meal:

"Mmm - applesauce - I want more!" - Will's 2nd meal:

Finally...we have an apartment...we think

The last one we thought was ours fell through...that's 3 we lost. Our offer was submitted and accepted yesterday and we signed the offer letter and sent the deposit today. We should receive the tenancy agreement tomorrow. Once that is signed and submitted along with a check for a 2 month security deposit, then it will truly be a done deal.

This is a large 3 bedroom in Stanley. It's in a 3 story low-rise called Ho's Villa - and it's a 1st floor walk-up. There are 6 units in each of 3 buildings and there is a pool in between them. It's a great location - just 1 block from the beach, a few blocks from the Stanley Market and Stanley Plaza, and close to the bus depot, restaurants, etc. Stanley seems to be the only part of the city that is really a walking area - it's even got nice sidewalks and is stroller friendly. We are really excited about the place and the location. It has great closet space, a nice kitchen, fairly large rooms, and big windows. Of course the location and the low floor means there's no view...but I'd rather be a block from the beach than farther from it and looking out at it.

I will be checking out the preschools in Stanley, but most likely we will stick with the one we liked before - Sunshine House in Tai Tam. It's very close by...just a 5 minute drive or so.

You can see pictures and floor plan of the apartment here: http://picasaweb.google.com/elissa.imran/StanleyApartment#

Leah started ballet class last Wednesday. Week one did not go so well. She was very shy and timid - just sat and did not participate - until the end when the teacher gave them each a piece of candy and they walked out of the room in a line on tiptoe. Leah promised that she'll participate tomorrow - and I told her she doesn't get the candy if she doesn't at least try. Meanwhile, we went to Stanley Market on Thursday and bought her a proper ballet outfit and ballet slippers so that she'll feel like part of the class - we'll see if that helps.

We also got Leah some cute new sandals and a ladybug costume for Halloween while we were at Stanley Market. I'm excited to live close by, as I think I could have lots of fun exploring there - but it was a bit tough running through with a 2 year old and trying to find the things we needed in a short time to get back and feed Will after. No doubt a few more visits and I'll feel like a pro.

Last Friday I took Leah to meet Carter and Caden at Ocean Park. It's an amusement park that is actually on the south side of Hong Kong Island - just a 5-10 minute drive from us. It's free under age 3 and I bought a season pass for myself for a little under US$100. I figured that since it's so close, it can be a frequent afternoon destination. We had lots of fun exploring. There are animals and rides and performers. We were there for about 4 hours - which was pretty tiring for both of us - I could see even going for shorter visits than that.

Sunday we all went exploring in town. We started with a shuttle ride to Wan Chai, where we went to an American style diner called The Flying Pan. It's a bit hard to find the restaurants here sometimes as they are often on the 2nd or 3rd floor - we walked right past this one and had to ask for directions to find it. The food was pretty good and it was nice to get some comfort food. Then we walked from there to Causeway Bay and Times Square. It wasn't a short walk, but it was fun to walk along by all the bars, shops, etc. and explore the area a bit. We had planned to walk up to explore Happy Valley as well, but the weather didn't cooperate and we never made it. We went back in to Wan Chai for dinner and ate at a pretty good Chinese restaurant - we all enjoyed and it was actually pretty cheap - which was a nice change as we have been finding most of the groceries and restaurants to be quite expensive here.

Today we finally had some nice weather after over a week of overcast and scattered showers, so I took Leah to the pool. She was very timid at first, but by the end she was all over the baby pool and even jumping in by herself. Even with arm floaties on, she's afraid to let go in the deep end, but I'm sure she'll gt there eventually.

Mmm - Leah ate noodles, pork belly, chicken soup, pork dumplings and a pork bun:

Will's first restaurant highchair - at The Flying Pan:
Will is really discovering his limbs - these rattles are really fun now:
A little green screen fun with Caden & Carter at Ocean Park:
Leah's first midway game - she got the ball on one of the red holes and won a flying cow:
Leah with the Ocean Park red panda:
Mmm - Will doesn't get out as much - but he's having fun at home:
Leah trying on her Halloween costume:
And her ballerina outfit:
Leah carrying her purchases and wearing her new sandals while shopping in Stanley:
Leah shyly watching the other ballerinas:

Slowly but surely...

Well, we did not get the apartment we were excited about. But we decided we did really like the building - Pacific View in Tai Tam. Our real estate agent pulled a list of other available apartments and already negotiated on our behalf on another apartment with the same layout. This one does not have the contemporary touches that we had liked about the other one. But it is a good size 4 bedroom (technically over 2000 square feet - but they count the square footage a bit differently here - so I'd say it feels more like 1600 by our standards) and it is in good condition. It's owned by a major landlord here called Sun Hung Kai - supposedly the best landlord in Hong Kong. We're getting it for the same price as the other. It will be newly painted and floors freshly polished with new appliances. It's not quite a done deal yet - but more or less it is going to be our new apartment.

So with that in mind, I set out to find a preschool for Leah. There are 3 preschools in Redhill Plaza - which is in Tai Tam. I was able to make back to back appointments to see all 3 this morning. I brought Leah along but left Will home with Anna May. Leah and I both picked the same one. Yes - she really did have an opinion without my prompting her. The first one we saw was called Sunshine House. It really was bright and airy and everyone was incredibly nice. We recently met some people in our building whose 2 girls go there, and we had already heard good things about it. They were very welcoming - even offering Leah to sit and join the circle where the teacher was reading a book in the class she would be in. She happily joined them and even stayed while I went off to see the rest of the school and talk further with the director. They brought her back out to me at snack time because they weren't sure if she should have the snack. The director offered for her to stay for snack, but we said no as we had another appointment. I just did not have the same feeling at the other 2 schools, so I feel pretty confident that this is the right spot for Leah. We are going to see one more tomorrow, but it is a bit more expensive and a bit further from where we'll be living - so unless it's miles ahead, I think the decision has been made. And with that in mind - I am scheduled to go in on Friday to fill out paperwork, provide a check, get her uniform (yes - uniforms in schools are very common here), and have everything ready for her to start school on Monday. She's incredibly excited.

In the meantime, she will be taking a swimming class here at The Repulse Bay for the next 3 Mondays and a ballet class here starting tomorrow for 4 Wednesdays. And she loves going with friends to the American Club - so hopefully we'll get more invitations there....and hopefully we'll join soon.

We're getting more and more used to having a helper. I still need to find a permanent helper, but for now we have Anna May - and I think we can continue with her for as long as we need - but she is "live out" and we'd like to find someone to coincide with our move to "live in." I have now left Will with her a couple times and he's getting used to her. She's done great with getting him to nap and giving him a bottle. And she continues to be great with Leah. She is definitely not a fabulous cook, but she is more or less capable in the kitchen. And as long as it's edible, I'm more than happy to have her take care of all the cooking. This morning I asked her to have eggs and toast ready at 8:30 and she did. When Leah and I got home midday, she prepared our sandwiches for lunch. And I asked her to have dinner ready at 6:30 - and she did. Not to mention that she is taking care of laundry and dishes and will do the grocery shopping if I ask.

I am continuing to meet people. I did go to Will's baby group yesterday morning, although it was a small turnout with only 3 of us. And I called the American Women's Association (which I joined a couple months ago) to get the membership materials mailed to me now that I am here in Hong Kong. They are also going to officially put me in the baby group for Will and get me set up with the appropriate playgroup for Leah. I have also joined a Foon Ying (new members group) there which will meet for the next 3 Wednesday mornings.

So slowly but surely we are finding a routine...and I am starting to feel a little more settled and a little less overwhelmed.

Starting to see the sights...

I'll begin where I last left off - Thursday I went to lunch with a few moms from the baby group I've joined with Will. We had a nice lunch at the salad bar at the Marriott in Pacific Place. Pacific Place is a very posh mall in Admiralty, near Central. I took the shuttle from the apartment by myself with Will - with his stroller even - and managed to get there with time to spare to check out the mall. Lunch was nice - good food and nice to meet a few people.

Thursday afternoon we joined Lee and her boys at the American Club. The place is pretty nice. They have great facilities for kids' classes, a nice gym, a nice outdoor pool, and a huge indoor play area. Leah had a blast playing at the Eagle's Nest (the play area) with Caden. There is lots of obstacle course type equipment, a ball pit, an art area, a play kitchen...we didn't even get to explore the whole thing in the hour or so we were there. We'll definitely be going back...and probably joining.

Friday was a holiday in Hong Kong - National Day. Apparently there were fireworks at night - but we didn't make it out for that - it was past our bedtime. Although on a very positive note, Will seems to have finally adjusted to the time change. Both kids are still suffering from a sleep deficit, but we're getting closer to normal. Friday we decided to take the Star Ferry to Kowloon. We took the shuttle from the building to Central, which let us off pretty close to the ferry terminal. The ferry was a quick but fun ride with great views of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. We explored Kowloon - walking along the streets filled with shops ranging from high end to junk. We went to the park there, including a nice playground that Leah loved. And we ate at a Pakistani restaurant that Shafi had read about. Unfortunately the restaurant was not so good - but it was still a nice outing overall. And after getting back home and taking a nap, we spent an hour or so playing at the pool.

Saturday we decided to do another tourist day - we took The Peak Tram up the peak, went to the Peak Terrace, walked around, had lunch, and took the tram back down. It was a nice outing with great views and good food. And once again we spent some time at the pool after napping.

Today we decided it was time for a beach adventure. We'd been told that Big Wave Beach in Shek O is the best beach on the island. It is fairly far - all the way on the Eastern side of the island and a bit north. But taxis are so reasonable here that the approximately 30 minute drive was only about US$15 each way. We bought some beach towels and straw beach mats, rented an umbrella, got Leah some swimmies (inflatable arm bands) and sand toys, and picked a nice spot in the smooth sand. Unfortunately the water was very rough today - according to others it was the roughest they had seen it - the red flags were up and they were recommending no swimming. We did wade in to about our knees, though. Leah was a bit timid in the water but still had a good time splashing a little and then playing in the sand. We ran into a family who we had been introduced to at the American Club. They were very nice and encouraged Leah to play with their 3.5 year old daughter Nina. We also had a nice lunch at the beach - burgers and hot dogs and fruit smoothies. It was a bit hot for Will - we stripped him to his diaper and wrapped him in a very light muslin blanket to keep the sun off. He did manage to nap a bit, but overall we'd probably be better off hitting the beach without him next time.

Will sleeping on the beach:

Leah and Shafi on the beach:
Leah with Elissa and Will (under the nursing cover) at the Peak Terrace:
View from the peak:
Shafi playing with the kids Saturday morning at home:
View from the Star Ferry:
View of the Star Ferry:
Leah playing with her new friend Caden at the American Club's Eagle's Nest (indoor play area):

Settling In

We are getting more settled in slowly but surely. We arrived here in Hong Kong on Thursday. We are staying in a serviced apartment in Repulse Bay - in fact it's in The Repulse Bay - in de Ricou. It's a duplex listed as over 2,000 square feet, but by our standards I would say it feels more like 1,500. The living/dining room is a bit tighter than we're used to but the kitchen is huge, it has 2 full baths, a large master bedroom, smallish 2nd bedroom and tiny office. We had planned to use the office as Will's room, but so far he's in the pack n play in our room instead...maybe we'll get him into his own room soon.

After Leah's vomiting incident I decided I needed to do laundry right away. The apartment has a small combo washer/dryer...definitely a new thing for me. It takes 5 kg in the washer and then no more than half that for the dryer, so there is actually a setting for it to stop while you remove half the load before drying. The longest drying time is 120 minutes...and it seems to need more than that much of the time. But I digress - Thursday night I went to the grocery store in the building and was immediately overwhelmed. It is a good size grocery store (bigger than what I was used to in Brooklyn Heights but not suburban large). The laundry detergent section included several Chinese brands but not a lot in English. After several uncomfortable minutes of trying to figure out the options, I stopped an American family and asked for some guidance. The woman/wife/mom - who seemed about my age with a young daughter - said she uses Tide because the Chinese stuff is harsh and beats up her clothes too much. So I bought Tide, some Downy dryer sheets, and a rotisserie chicken to eat for dinner.

We had some chicken, put some laundry in, and went to bed.

Now, in retrospect, I wish I had known that there is a Pizza Hut nearby that delivers, a delivery service called Dial a Dinner that delivers quite a few local restaurants, and 3 take-out options in the complex. That would have made life simpler on our first night. But we survived.

Much of our time since then is a bit of a blur. Will still has his days/nights mixed up. Leah is still a bit jetlagged, so she is a little cranky and is waking up at least once a night and then for good around 6 a.m. (frustrating since she was sleeping approximately 8 to 8 back in NY). Shafi and I are exhausted.

But we have been getting things done. Friday we took the shuttle bus from The Repulse Bay into "town." We are on the South side of Hong Kong Island and the action is really in sort of north and west of us. We went first to get our Hong Kong IDs in Wan Chai and then to Causeway Bay and then more specifically to an area called Times Square. We had some Chinese for lunch (pretty good) and looked at cell phones. Then we took a taxi home. Even though it was over 20 minutes, it was HK$70 (just under US$10). So we understand now why everyone says taxis are cheap...although of course our frugal nature keeps us thinking that we should take the shuttle bus (less than US$2 per person and free for the kids) or the regular bus (we haven't even investigated this yet) more often than not. We also took the MTR, which is Hong Kong's subway system from Wan Chai to Causeway Bay. It wasn't too intimidating but unfortunately it does not run to the south side of the island.

I'm not quite sure how it has already been almost a week, as it still seems like we just arrived. We spent the weekend trying to get our bearings, get some rest, run some errands, etc. We have been to the grocery store a couple of times. We met up with my friend Lee and her family. We went down to the Repulse Bay Beach a couple of times. We're trying to get lots of sunlight during the day to help get adjusted to the time change.

This week has been all about finding an apartment. On Monday we went out with one of the agents that was recommended by Citi (and gives a discount - 30% of a month's rent instead of 50% of a month's rent). She took us to several places in our price range in our preferred district (Repulse Bay) but not meeting our other criteria of wanting a view, modern fixtures, facilities in the building (pool, playroom, shuttle bus, etc.). We were feeling very discouraged. But Tuesday we went out with Jill - a recommendation from a friend - she is an American who has been in Hong Kong for the better part of 17 years. She took us to a range of places so that we would be able to get our bearings, understand what's out there, etc. But she was right in her estimation of what we would go for.

Today we went back with her to see more places in a building called Pacific View. It is in Tai Tam - which is a few minutes drive to the east from Repulse Bay. It is across the street from the American Club (which we probably want to join). It's a huge building - actually 5 towers - with nice facilities, lots of expats, and moderate sized apartments for reasonable prices. We really loved one particular apartment and put in an offer...we should know tomorrow whether it will work out. Just in case, we also put in an offer on another apartment that we would also be happy with. Our favorite is a 4 bedroom / 2 bath with nice modern fixtures. The other is a 3 bedroom / 2 bath that isn't quite as nice but is significantly cheaper. I think we'll be happy enough with either - so hopefully one will work out.

On another exciting note, it will probably take us a little time to hire a helper. But our real estate agent has an "extra." Her helper's niece lives with them, sometimes works for them and sometimes works for others. It's kind of complicated and may or may not be totally legit, but she offered us the option of hiring Anna May. We said yes...pending meeting her of course. We are so glad it has worked out so well. Anna May is 25, cute, perky, sweet. She's from the Philippines. Her father died 4 years ago and she came to work in Hong Kong to send money back to help raise her 6 younger siblings. She is fabulous with kids both from her experience with her siblings (the youngest of whom is 15 years younger than she) and from her experience working in Hong Kong. Leah took to her immediately - sees her as a friend more than a babysitter.

We have hired her until we find a permanent helper. She lives with our real estate agent but works for us from Monday through Saturday. We have arranged that she will arrive around 9 a.m. and stay through the preparation of dinner, but she prefers to eat on her own rather than with us, so she has been leaving around 7, give or take. She's been really great with Leah - playing, reading books, taking her to the beach, the pool, the building's playroom - and also giving her baths, helping with potty training, feeding her, etc. She also does household chores like laundry. The serviced apartment includes maid service, so there's not much else to do around the apartment. Tonight she made dinner for the first time - I bought the ingredients for a simple lemon garlic sole and rice and broccoli to go with it. She did a great job preparing it. And she stuck around long enough to do dishes and put out fruit for dessert (as per Leah's request). She seemed a bit less confident about her cooking abilities, so we were pleasantly surprised at how well dinner turned out. We have asked her to make us something of her choosing tomorrow night. We have some plans in the afternoon, so while we are out she will do the grocery shopping and make dinner - plus she's going to iron Shafi's shirts that are a bit wrinkled after having been packed for our flight.

So - for approximately US$160 per week we have full time help here 6 days per week. I do see the allure in this lifestyle. I spoke to my friend Lee today and asked what the moms do all day. It seems that most of the kids have school and activities and such to keep them busy. She said the general schedule for a lot of women is gym in the morning, or running errands, and then lunch out (yes - ladies who lunch - my dream come true), and then spending time with the kids in the afternoon. We see that the pools around here seem to be empty until after about 3:00.

Tomorrow I will get my first taste of meeting the other moms, as I am joining Lee for lunch with the baby group her youngest son Quinn is in - which will be the appropriate group for Will, as well - April through June 2010. And then later in the afternoon, we are going to join Lee and her family at the American Club to see the facilities, play in the playroom, swim in the pool, etc.

I'm sure I have left out lots of great details that I will try to fill in when I have more time. In short, we are still jetlagged and tired - primarily because it is so hard to adjust Will's clock - but we are starting to feel a bit more settled. Hopefully we will have an apartment officially picked out by the end of tomorrow and then will feel more free to do more exploring and acquainting. Shafi starts work on Monday, so we have a few more days to get more settled first - but it is fast approaching. I am so thankful to have Anna May to help me out. This is definitely not a stroller friendly city, and without her I think I would feel pretty trapped in the apartment with 2 kids.

Hong Kong!!!

On July 23, Shafi told me he was about to get a job offer in Hong Kong. Of course I responded with shock...and a bit of disbelief. Sure enough he got the offer the following week, had final negotiations and accepted it on August 2. Since then it has been quite a whirlwind. We had about 7 weeks to prepare. During that time we closed on a refinance of our mortgage and opened a home equity line of credit (to have just in case of emergency). We had water damage in our living room and decided to have our floors completely replaced with new hardwood after our move. We found renters and rented out our apartment starting October 15 for 18 months - a nice young couple who were recently married.

And of course we hired movers, we found a serviced apartment for the beginning of our stay in Hong Kong, we organized, we donated lots to Salvation Army, we spent extra time with friends and family as much as possible.

And now we are in Hong Kong. Our movers came and packed our stuff on the 20th, loaded it into a 20 foot container on the 21st, and we flew out on the 22nd, arriving in Hong Kong on the 23rd.

I've decided not to rename the blog as this is still mainly about my family and the adventures of Will and Leah - but no doubt it will be very Hong Kong focused for awhile.

We packed our things into 4 large suitcases, 2 medium suitcases and my large backpack (from my trip to Europe in 2000). Those and the pack n play were our 8 checked bags - along with 2 strollers and 2 carseats. We carried on 2 small rolling bags, a big tote of snacks and toys, a diaper bag, a laptop bag, and a gym bag with other miscellaneous items for the trip.

We actually chartered a van from Super Shuttle to get to the Fairfield Inn at JFK, where we stayed for our last night in New York. Everything went mostly smoothly with the pack/load of the container - they had to muscle it closed at the end but everything made it in - we'll see what condition it arrives in. If all goes well, it's on a ship that left NY on the 24th and arrives in Hong Kong on the 25th of October. We don't have confirmation of the load onto the ship yet, but the container was delivered to the port - so we've got our fingers crossed that it all went smoothly.

We flew business class on Cathay Pacific - Leah had her own seat and Will was in a bassinet in front of my seat. The 16 hour flight was not too bad. Leah was a bit restless but loved watching lots of TV. Will slept quite a lot and wasn't too much of a handful when he was awake. Shafi and I each got about an hour of sleep and each got through 1 movie. Leah stayed awake until 9 p.m. NY time and then slept about 3 hours. She woke up just in time for descent and was incredibly cranky, but we managed to keep her awake.

Immigration and customs was uneventful and our things seem to arrive unscathed. Our cars were waiting for us - a sedan to ride in and a mini-van to carry our belongings. We arrived at The Repulse Bay, where we are staying for about 6 weeks, pretty quickly and they were ready for us, as well. Our only complication was that something upset Leah's stomach and she vomited in the car. Luckily for everyone she hadn't eaten much the 2nd half of the flight and so it was pretty much just water - no smell - and it was all in her carseat and did not cause any issues for the car/driver - although he was obviously much less friendly after that incident than he had been at the beginning of the drive. Fortunately she was fine after that - not sure what caused it but at least she's not sick.

That's a long enough post for now...I will write more about our first few days here when I get another free minute. I've posted some pictures on Picasa - http://picasaweb.google.com/elissa.imran/September2010#

Quick update on the kids

I have been seriously neglecting the blog - an explanation on that will be in the next post.

But for a quick update. Will is now 4 months old. He weighed in at 16.5 pounds and measured 27 inches - that's 74% for weight and 96% for height - definitely a tall kid! He's all healthy and doing great. He started to roll a bit here and there. I believe his first official front to back roll was September 9. He has done it a few times since, but overall he just doesn't seem to be that interested in rolling. He does, however, like to sit. If you put him in a tripod position he can stay up for a bit - and if he's on a soft surface (like the bed or couch) he seems to actually like falling over and being propped back up. He has started to play a lot more - holding on to toys, grabbing and kicking things in the activity gym, etc. He "talks" quite a lot - babbling on in vowels.

Leah had a height and weight check at Will's 4 month appointment. She's still 38.5 inches tall but has put on 3 pounds and is now about 31 - that's a good thing as she was looking awfully skinny for a bit. She's continuing to talk up a storm, climb on everything, and become a real "big girl."

Will and Leah both had haircuts - her 2nd and his 1st on 9/8. They both behaved very well and looked quite cute after.

We enjoyed the rest of summer in Brooklyn - playing with friends, at playgrounds, etc.

Will and I took a trip to DC in August to see GG's new apartment and so she could meet him. We stayed there for a long weekend and had a really nice time.