I can’t believe we’ve been in Taiwan for three weeks already! Two weeks of school down; two more weeks to go. Fleur and I are planning to cram in as much eating as possible in the next week for “research” purposes. That way when Hapa Papa joins us next Friday, we can take him to only the best. The sacrifices we make.

I’m sure many of you are interested in where we ate and what. I will try to cobble together a food related post later but be forewarned. I am mostly a consumer of food, not a reviewer. So this is just to say that YMMV on that post.

Here now are some more random thoughts and updates on our life in Taipei.

1) The MRT and bus here really are super convenient. Not only clean and easy to use, but also with breastfeeding rooms (so nice!) and signs in English. I couldn’t quite catch the whole breastfeeding room at the subway station, but it is part of a bigger baby changing area. There are two private rooms for nursing mothers, an attendant you speak with via intercom to let you in and out of the area, a baby changing table, hot and cold water station for formula, air conditioning, magazines, and a sink.

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2) I am surprised at how much I miss Hapa Papa. We Facetime every few days and text throughout the day, but it’s not the same. I barely know what time zone he is in due to all his traveling. At least he got to see a lot of cool sights. 🙂 The kids are counting down the days until Hapa Papa is here and are very happy about it. Of course, Facetime still can’t compete with videos, but they do clamor to tell him about their days and lives when they finally can be torn away to chat with him. Glow Worm is especially excited to talk to Hapa Papa. It’s very cute.

3) Gamera has been eating lunch at school now for a week. She even ate TWO bowls of noodles yestersday. Whoooo! She still cries at drop off, but her Chinese is improving and she seems to like her teachers and is having a good time.

4) And a miracle has happened. Cookie Monster ate a bowl of noodles (albeit plain) at school yesterday. PRAISE THE LORD JESUS. I told him for every bite of lunch he ate, he’d get a bite of cake after dinner. But that wasn’t what convinced him. Somehow, his teacher made him try one bite and since it tasted good, he ate the rest.

5) Fleur and I never manage to stay awake long enough to take out garbage. We have to chase down the garbage truck at 9pm each night if we want to throw stuff away. The streets here are too small for a garbage truck to go down every alley so they have set routes and you meet them at whichever corner is more convenient for you. Except we always fall asleep. Then one of us wakes up at midnight and does laundry and hangs it to dry. And in my case, also eats dinner.

6) When Cookie Monster was getting frustrated on a logic puzzle and wanting me to do it for him, I told him to use his brain. He said, “I can’t. I dropped it!”

7) Fyi: Gamera says her vagina castle is her favorite. When I posted that snippet on Facebook, a friend wrote that as long as she keeps her drawbridge up, all would be well. I know she meant well and was trying to be funny, but come on! Gamera is barely 2.75years old. And as much as I would like all my children to remain pure as the driven snow and make grand babies through cellular fission, I also want them to live a full and meaningful life – which includes living as sexual beings. So as long as all my children (not just Gamera, the lone girl) are physically and emotionally mature to have healthy sexual relations, I am ok with that.

Plus, what the heck is up with people telling me that Gamera needs to be sexually protected but that Cookie Monster is going to “clean up” in high school? (My friend didn’t say anything about Cookie Monster. These are just related comments.) There are just so many problems with these world views I can’t even begin to unpack it without writing a super long screed. But suffice to say, my boy doesn’t need to be encouraged to use and throw away women just like my girl doesn’t need to be locked up and guarded with a shot gun.

8) I went to go buy dinner with Cookie Monster and Fleur had the rest of the kids. Glow Worm was inconsolable. He kept thinking I was in the bathroom and kept crying for the half hour I was gone. Then the next night, I had to go to the bathroom and he thought I left again and wailed and wailed. My poor baby boy. How am I going to leave him for five days in September when I attend a blogging conference in Atlanta? I want to cry just thinking about it. I’ve already had sad dreams because of this.

9) Glow Worm and Baby Gnome, Fleur’s 3.5 month old girl, are “talking” to each other through the bedrooms. Grunting and making dinosaur noises. It is hilarious.

10) Glow Worm really does understand everything I say to him. He can’t talk yet, but he knows to follow directions and basic commands. How can he be so big already? He’s turning one in a month! (Which means my blog is also about a year old, too!)

11) It just goes to show you that my heart is a selfish and self-important beast. Since Fleur and I live together, we’ve come up with a rhythm each day. After we get home from picking up the kids each afternoon, Fleur will bathe and hose down all six kids while I prep/cook/fetch dinner. We wash dishes and clean up after our kids as if they all belonged to us. And yet, each time I do the dishes or do some normal adult thing, I expect thanks and adulation. Keep in mind, we are all very considerate and express our thanks to each other. Rather, I write this to point to my own heart and how selfish and egotistical it is. That even while doing the stuff of ordinary necessity, taking care of my kids, my heart wants to seem special and amazing. What is it Chris Rock says? “You’re supposed to, you dumb motherfucker! What kind of ignorant shit is that?”

All too true, my friends. All too true.

12) The typhoon day was seriously The Longest Day Ever. Fleur and I were exhausted trying to entertain and occupy the kids. They watched three movies, played Connect Four, Penguins on Ice, Camouflage (another puzzle type game), red light green light, dress up (my tops make awesome dresses it seems), playdough, coloring, I cut out crowns, they made puppets out of bags and stickers, we pretended to “shop” and buy things to put in those bags, statues, dancing, ipad, and I’m sure more stuff but OMG, the minutes just crawled by.

Below are pics of the kids in dress up, random pics, and one of Glow Worm pooping. 🙂

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Alright, have a great weekend every body! See you next week.