Day 3: To Guang Zhou We Go

The pace of this trip is definitely unlike any other Hon reunion. Instead of leisure mornings nursing late nights and debating the day's activities, we're on a strict, can't-be-late schedule where if we miss one departure, it's a chain effect of missing everything else. 

This day started off with a heavy knock on the door and a panicked Shobab waking up out of his much needed slumber. "Almost ready!" He yells. We throw everything in our bags and wait to wake Yaelle up until the last minute. 

Today is one of the more meaningful days. We're busing to a small, poor village in the eastern part of Guang Zhou to our Hon family ancestral temple. It was destroyed during the cultural revolution in the 1940's and has been in the process of being rebuilt over the last 10 years. 

Boarding our bus for the 1.5 hr drive to the village.

Day 2: Shen Zhen

First of all, China is so much more beautiful than I expected. I'm sure I'll be visiting the overcrowded, smog-filled, stank-ass areas I envisioned in my head, but here in Shen Zhen? Feels like a tropical paradise. I'm most impressed with the beautifully manicured landscaping and how well-maintained it is. Every hedge is even, every tree pruned, I even spotted workers along the freeway pulling dead fronds off plants.

So, this day started with a tour of Dahon's factory. From raw material to finished product. And though I'm sure safety standards exist here in China...let's just say, OSHA would have had a field day. Lol. I didn't spot any children though, good job guys ;)

Walking from breakfast to the factory floor. The Dahon campus houses and feeds about 900 workers, many of which come from far away villages and go home only a few times a year. 

Day 1: Hontourage Takes China

For years my Uncle David had been inviting the family to China visit. His offer was we buy the flight and he'll take care of the rest. Whether it was the distance, or the hassle of flying with kids, it wasn't until last year we finally took it seriously and 24 of us set a date and got our flights. 

The trip is a 10-day tour through China, starting at his factory outside of Shen Zhen and then to a different city every 2 days. I know the traveling will be exhausting, but the experience will be once in a lifetime. So, here we go! 

Day 1 - SFO to Hong Kong to Shen Zhen

After a 14 hr flight, we touched down in Hong Kong. Yaelle did great but didn't sleep as much as I hoped, which meant neither did I. The flight was comfortable, roomy seating, and they even set me up with a bassinet. Singapore air was the way to go. 

After passport issues, (because Hon's can't go anywhere with at least a couple surprises), we finally got through customs and Taxi'd to the Hyatt Regency where we met up some others waiting for us. The drive into Hong Kong was incredible: Through towering green mountain sides, on bridges that make San Francisco's new bridge seem completely average, with a skyline of never-ending high rises, surrounded by thousands of ports. The city was super impressive and clean. No trash on the street, no rank downtown smells, and cost of everything surprisingly similar to what you would expect in an American city.

When I Realized I was Married

As of today, Shobab and I will have been officially married on paper for 1 year. Since that momentous day, it feels like we’ve been on the fast track of change...moving in together, getting insta-pregs, having our formal wedding, and then of course giving birth to Yaelle. Needless to say, we really haven’t had the time to “settle in”. From my fluctuating hormones, to our differences in domestic habits (him having almost military-like cleanliness and me being much more, well, fraternity-like), it's felt like we’ve squeezed a “normally” progressing relationship's 3-5 years into 12 months. 

4.4.14 @ the Gaskin Family Ranch in Guinda

Going into this whole marriage with Shobab, there has never been a doubt in my mind that I married the right person. From our first date and beyond, it was easy, right, full of love, faith and understanding. Before he met me, he hadn’t thought he would ever meet someone he’d actually want to spend the rest of his life with. I thought that if/when I eventually got married, I’d have to give up on some of the qualities I was looking for in a man and in a relationship (every girl’s infamous “check-list”). Turns out we were both wrong: he eagerly led our relationship into the deep commitment we find ourselves in now, and I got the whole kit and caboodle, my dream guy.

My father married us, his parents signed as the witnesses.

For most of my adolescent and adult life, I heard more about how much work marriage is than anything else. I also come from a family of entrepreneurs. So naturally, my view of marriage seemed more like entering the ground floor of a startup: I'm committing to a vision, with a partner whose decisions I can trust, work well with, while anticipating the responsibly of wearing "multiple hats”.

FTW: Cascade Falls Trail

We never would have thought that having a baby would inspire us to go hiking this much. Maybe it's because if we were to stay at home we'd be at each other's throats, and this seems to be the best post-baby hormone balancer, for the both of us.

Spectacular view of Cascade Lake and Lake Tahoe. 

This last hike was hands down one of the best I've ever been on. The view was incredible and the trail actually felt like a trail vs a paved, fake hike for city people

An example of the path terrain. 

My Girl Likes to Potty all the Time

Since Yaelle was 1 week old, Shobab and I had been associating a loud "Ssssssss" sound in her ear every time she went in her diaper. Finally, this past week (now a little over 9 weeks old), I got around to the next step in her potty training, which is to actually put her on the pot. I was surprised and really excited to find that she immediately began grunting and pushing when I made the "Ssssssss" sound. Within 5 minutes she did both her duties! Majorly proud mommy moment.

Hovering Yaelle over infant potty insert until she's big enough to sit on the potty herself (seen in background).

Infant potty training, otherwise known as Elimination Communication (EC), is a practice that uses timing and cues to address the infant's need to eliminate waste. While it seems almost baby-genius status to us in the western world, it's actually standard practice in non-industrialized countries. My sister practiced it with her boys, which is where I witnessed the success and learned of it myself.

It doesn't take a special baby, or a special mother. All it takes is a little effort on the parent end and the pay back is SO worth it. Yaelle was blowing out a diaper at least 3x a week...which is not fun on the cleanup end. Now, we're taking steps to eliminate that problem. So far, she's only soiled her diaper twice in the past 3 days. The limitation is not on her end, but my job as a mother to anticipate her timing, pay attention to her signals and take her to the potty. 

I felt like it was a huge milestone in our mother-daughter relationship. I also felt like she had been ready for a while, and it was my own laziness and skepticism that kept me from starting this with her sooner. Now, every time she successfully goes in her potty, she gives me huge smiles and coos as a sign of happiness. It's pretty amazing how much awareness infants have than they're given credit for. Eventually, she'll even wait until I take her to the potty, instead of me having to rush her there at the first sign of some action.

I encourage every new mother, and father, to try this with their infant (you may want to google more in-depth how-to's), you'll be surprised how quickly you see results. Although the best time to introduce the practice is in the first 4 months, it's also never too late to start. I'll be going back to work in less than 2 weeks, which will make the consistency of EC challenging, but between mine and Shobab's flexible work schedules, and our hands-on mothers, I think we'll be able to keep up the good work :)

Lastly, below is my nephew at 4 months (now 5 y.o.) demonstrating how much fun potty time can be, in music video form:

Poop Detective

I never thought I would be googling pictures of baby poop...but here I am, comparing photos of poopy diapers to my baby girl's poop. Is the color right? Why is it stringy? Is that normal??

I feel like I've been playing detective for most of this little girls life, analyzing whatever fluids that come out of her little body, making sure it's "normal". And if not, figuring out the remedy without having to deal with a doctor. 

So far, it's seems as though sleep, breastmilk and coconut oil are a cure all for everything. (eg. Breast milk in her eyes (and mine) clears things right up!) 

I can only imagine the things I'll end up googling in the future as she gets bigger...and then if we have a boy?? Probably even more gross ;)