August 2015: At the beginning of August just two weeks before Blake would go back to nursery school we decided to have his adenoids and partial tonsils removed. He battled ear infections when he was one and we put in ear tubes, they worked for about a year and then we had more problems. After consulting a specialist and pediatrician we decided to have the surgery in Shanghai. While we were staying at the hotel the weekend before his surgery I walked into our hotel room with Grace attached to me in the baby carrier and slipped and fell, Grace was fine, but as i looked around the room i saw puddles of water. I went to the ER and a few hours later had x-rays, MRI, and seen two doctors to determine I had torn the rotator cuff, pulled a tendon and chipped the bone. I was in a sling for 4 weeks ..... with two little kids to care for. Blake had his surgery and did great, he had one night in the hospital (Brian stayed with him) and the next day he was bouncing in the hospital bed. The doctor said everything went well and he should recover quickly since it was only partial tonsils, but we had to stay in Shanghai for 2 weeks due to risks of bleeding being high and the need to get to the hospital immediately if needed, so we spent 2 weeks in Shanghai. Then it was Back to School time, Blake has a new nursery teacher and some new classmates, loves it just as much as last year, maybe a little more with his best friend Ali in the class too :)
September 2015: This is a busy month, we are getting Blake back into the swing of things with school, I am still in a sling for my shoulder and have an Ayi to assist me at home with taking care of Grace and cleaning. Blake had his 3rd birthday party, since we will be in the US he wanted to have a party with all his play mates here in China. He had a nemo birthday party at the local aquarium and all the kids had a great time! We have a lot of travel this month, off to Bali for our make-up vacation and then to the US for 5 weeks with the family! Bali was AMAZING! We traveled to Sanur which is the most family friendly area and stayed in a private villa with our friends, they have two kids the same ages so it was perfect. The weather was wonderful, the scenery of sun, beaches and good food was had by all. Blake and I got up close with an elephant at the zoo and my friend and I had beach side Balinese massages :) After Bali it was time to head to the US again! We started in Oahu, Hawaii, it was Dad's 60th birthday trip, we all met at a house on Kailua beach and it was really great! We spent the week enjoying the beautiful weather, the ocean , the sun, good food, and fun! We toured a chocolate factory, Brian and Jayme did a zipline tour, seeing Pearl Harbor, we took Blake on a pirate ship that Brian and I both got sick on, had lots of Island Snow and took Grace to the beach! It was such a beautiful place and we all really enjoyed being together, the house was great, it was really easy with the kids to have the house and a pool, then across the street was the beach!
October 2015: We went from Hawaii to Arizona, back home to see Brian's parents and spend some time with them in Sedona! We were able to change our plans to come for 5 weeks instead of 3 so the kids could have more time with both sets of grandparents. It was really fun to ride the Grand Canyon Railway, Blake loved meeting the conductor and the bandits that robbed the train on the way home! We stayed at Junipine resort in Sedona, it was really nice and on the creek! Brian and I were able to celebrate our 6 year wedding anniversary. We got back to the Phoenix area and saw a few friends, then Brian was on his way back to China and the kids and I were still there for two more weeks. We took a trip to Nevada for a week to see my parents and let the kids hang out, we went to Bonnie Springs Ranch, I recommend this but not on a rainy day. We had lots of fun playing with grandparents and friends, if we didn't get around to see you don't worry we move back in 2017. It's hard to get around every day for 5 weeks, with naps, kids schedules and everything else, we miss all our friends and family, so grateful many of you Skype us, text and email to stay in touch so we know what's going on in your lives! Grace had her first Halloween, Blake was Buddy the dinosaur from Dinosaur Train and Grace was a little pink dinosaur! It was fun to be in the old neighborhood and let the kids trick-or-treat.
November 2015: Back to China we go! November 4th was Grace's first birthday! I can't believe she is ONE! We had a ONE-derland party for her here in Changzhou to celebrate! She started walking, had 8 teeth and can say mama and dada. She loves the water, taking baths or floating in the pool. Grace's favorite foods are pumpkin and squash, caramel cookies and cheese. As we get back to China, my best friend Krystal came back with me to assist on the plane since Brian already went back to China and then spend a week with us, seeing what China is all about! We took her around our city for a few days, showed her the sites and then on to Shanghai! We went to our traditional afternoon tea on the Bund in the Waldorf Astoria, it was perfect! Then we walked the bund, saw Yu Garden and did some shopping! It was nice to have an old friend in our new city. I went back to the orthopedic doctor and they determine my physical therapy wasn't working so they wanted to plan for surgery, December 1 is the date. We ordered a frozen turkey for Thanksgiving and made our dinner, Brian did most of the work due to me being sick and he did awesome, tasted just like at home.
December 2015: Well December 1 was my surgery, what was supposed to be a one hour surgery became three as they saw much more damage than the MRI showed in August. I had completely torn the rotator cuff and the tendon was no longer attached to anything, they had to shave the bone and when i woke up it was great. After being in the hospital overnight I was doing better and sent home in a sling, i now have 4 weeks in the sling and many months until I recover to full use of my shoulder again. Blake had his performance at school of Stone Soup, they did a great job signing their songs, he was a carrot in the vegetable patch :) School is now out for three weeks so lots of time for me to spend at home with him and our countdown to Christmas. He really likes the Polar Express movie and understands a little about Santa this year. He is asking for a Thomas the Train castle from Santa this year. Grace hasn't voiced her requests to us but maybe Santa knows. We wish you all a Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and festive holiday season. My new Year's resolution will be not to go 6 months without updating the blog :)
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