Monday, November 6
We flew direct from Houston to Taipei late Monday night, so drove to Houston that morning. I was actually pretty proud of myself for not packing the entire house. I knew we'd be able to wash clothes, so only brought about 4 things. The hard part was not knowing how to dress Kennedy for the weather. It looked to always be in the 60s in the evening, maybe into the 70s in the day, but humidity is 90%, so she had an assortment of things.
Our flight left at 11:40pm, so the plan was to get Kennedy bathed and in jammies, and then it'd be time to head out. I figured she'd be awake at the airport (she was) and then crash as soon as we got on the plane. Spoiler alert - she didn't. I think she takes after me as a kid and actually gets more energy the more tired she is. Not to mention, she was going through a random clingy phase and only wanted me to hold her. So it was pretty much just me and her for 16 hours :) We had a bassinet attached to the wall in front of us, but she wasn't a huge fan of it because she couldn't turn over well, so ended up sleeping on me instead.
But overall she was happy on the flight and two people complimented her when de-boarding, so that's a win in my book.
We can do it! I feel like you can see the apprehension in my face.
We made it!
Wednesday, November 8
We landed early in the morning, completely losing Tuesday, November 7. We will never know November 7, 2017....
Anyways, we got to his grandmother's house and gave Kennedy a bath, and then it was playtime. To say his grandmother loved Kennedy was an understatement. She was totally and completely smitten. It was adorable seeing them interact with each other our whole stay. She was determined to hold Kennedy, and Kennedy was determined to squirm around. It was always fun to see who won ;)
I'd read to keep naps to 2 hours, so after a 2 hour morning and afternoon nap, we loaded up and headed out to dinner with friends. And we were exhausted. Poor Kennedy fell asleep on the bus ride to the restaurant (something she never does) and was tired at the restaurant, but she made it and getting home to bed was the best.
Of course she was up to play in the middle of the night....
Thursday, November 9
We spent the day trying to get adjusted to the time change and spending time at home with family. We obviously excelled at the former.
Which was kind of a mistake because we were up a lot of the night, again. At least Kennedy looks happy?
Friday, November 10
We woke up and went for a walk around the area, and Nelson's mom took us by his grandmother's old apartment, showed us where the school was, and we checked out what restaurant was where.
Later that morning, Nelson's mom treated me to a wonderful 90 minute massage that felt fabulous, especially after traveling and being so exhausted. It was more on the firm side, so I couldn't fall asleep, but I haven't had one since the day before I went into labor and it was so needed. Kennedy did this:
Kennedy didn't do well in the crib we borrowed because it was too narrow for her to roll around (I never realized how much she moved until she was restricted), so we started co-sleeping. Such a bed hog.
Saturday, November 11
We met-up some of Nelson's mom's elementary school friends for lunch and then we went shopping at an indoor mall afterwards. I don't have many pictures, but all I can say is thank goodness for baby wearing.
Sunday, November 12
We started the day with another walk. I never saw kids playing on this playground; only elderly people doing exercises.
And we napped. We always needed to nap.
I don't have much from this day because we then went to meet up with Nelson's mom's college friends at one of their houses. It was fun meeting everyone, and I know his mom loved showing off Kennedy.
Monday, November 13
Nelson's dad has stayed in touch with his elementary school teach (wow!) and made plans for us to have lunch with he and his son (who happened to be visiting from Plano). How sweet is the teacher??? He reminded me of Carl from the movie "Up" :)
Kennedy was such a happy camper in her high chair, hanging out and eating the food we gave her from the buffet.
One thing I want to remember about this hotel, Golden China Hotel. Before lunch, I needed to nurse Kennedy, but didn't know where to do that. Nelson went to the restaurant desk and said I needed to "feed milk" and asked if there was a place I could go. A gentleman walked us to the front desk, they had Nelson sign his name and the time, and they gave us a room key. The gave us a room key to a clean hotel room! Talk about hospitality! It was so nice and comfortable and I loved not being stuck in closet or something.
Tuesday, November 14
Another day, another lunch! This time we met up with Nelson's dad's cousin and his wife (visiting from Canada), and his brother (still in town from Hawaii, without Aunt Joanne) and sister. I had to nurse Kennedy at the beginning, so the restaurant let me use a private dining room that wasn't being used. Again, so nice! Poor Kennedy was exhausted and fell asleep, so took a short nap in the arms of her favorite Năi Nai.
And when she woke up, everyone got a turn playing with and holding her.
I feel like this is a good representation of how I felt throughout most of this trip....
That night, she got her first taste of wax apple (lian wu). She mostly just sucked the juices out.
Wednesday, November 15
Nelson's dad had plans with friends, but after a good morning nap, we all went to the Taipei Zoo! Kennedy had fun seeing the animals at her first zoo trip, but I must admit I think Nelson and I were a little more excited than she was. I don't know the last time I went to the zoo and I enjoyed seeing all the different animals.
They have pandas, so it was a pretty big deal to see those. I had no idea only zoos that China gives panda to has them, and Nelson's mom said they just loan them.
Ignore the baby panda in the mouth; this was the only one kids weren't playing on. For obvious reasons, I guess?
Another fun photo opp! I have no idea what the sign says, but they were doing construction on some parts, so maybe it was saying something about that?
Not sure if you can tell, but this is a hippo's face. There were several and it was made to look like the hippos were coming up out of the ground (like they would water).
Kennedy didn't take an afternoon nap in the stroller (too much excitement at the zoo!), so the trip home was eventful. Nelson's mom didn't want to do public transportation, so she graciously paid for us to take a taxi. I held Kennedy (don't tell CPS) in the car, but she was so tired and fussy and squirmy, I eventually fed her to get her to settle down. When we got back home, his mom said the driver took a wrong turn, so he didn't charge us the full amount. I told her it's probably because he got a peep show - hah!
Thursday, November 16
We dressed up for a lunch with Nelson's grandmother's friends. She's the first in her group to have a great-grandbaby and they all wanted to meet Kennedy.
But first, how precious is this picture??? It makes my heart swell, I love it so much. Four generations together <3
Getting his grandmother to look at anything besides Kennedy at all times was so difficult. But also so cute.
Pictures with all of the sweet friends :)
At one point, I looked over and saw Nelson's grandmother tying Kennedy's shoe. You don't understand how touching this was to see. Kennedy had been nonstop movement pretty much since we got to Houston. She wiggled in your arms, on the bed, in the tub, everywhere. She just never sits still. But when his grandmother was tying her shoe, she just sat there. She was so still, it's almost like she knew she needed to be. It was precious and I'm so glad I captured it.
After lunch, we walked around the shops in the area with Nelson's mom while Kennedy slept in the stroller, and then took the MRT to Bitan Scenic Area to see the bridge and walk around some more.
Friday, November 17
Nelson's dad hired the same driver that picked us up at the airport to drive us out to his grandfathers' and grandmother's memorial sites. We went last time and I remember it being a scenic drive. Some people didn't see that because they slept.
This is Nelson's dad's parents' memorial site. Everyone from their church is in the same section. Wow.
This is the view from the opposite angle of the picture above. I'm not sure you can see because of the haze, but that's the ocean right there.
This little toot liked hanging out with me in the middle of the night instead of sleeping.
Saturday, November 18
We finally had to buy some diapers and got a small pack of MamyPoko's. Right after I took this picture, she peed and it leaked out the back - ugh.
The poor girl was always tired. We tried not to do too much each day, but to do anything required a trip, so she would either get a good morning nap or good afternoon nap, but rarely both. I think this was after lunch with the friends from a couple nights before.
Sunday, November 19
Kennedy turned 9 months old! I brought her blanket for her monthly photo shoot, but decided to do it a little differently this time and include her great-grandmother. That made it so much more special :)
Monday, November 20
We spent the last day just soaking up time with family. Saying goodbyes were so hard, so much harder than last time. I don't think there was a dry eye.
Kennedy got a bath and in her jammies right before our ride to the airport. We had another evening flight, but this time she was exhausted and slept about 9 hours of the 13 hour flight! And most of it in the little bed!
When she was awake, she was in a great mood :)
And most importantly, we survived, again!
It was a long trip. It was hard with a baby, the time zone difference and making sure she got her rest. We realized co-sleeping is not for us. But I would do it all over in a heartbeat because there's no other feeling you get when watching your baby play with her great-grandmother. I know it was something really special for both of them. Even though Kennedy won't remember it, we'll have the pictures, and it was only her first trip of many there!
Now, let's get adjusted back to Central Time.
Now, let's get adjusted back to Central Time.
