The end of July is approaching a lot faster than I'm ready for, I'll admit. A week ago today, we arrived in Australia and the last week has been spent getting legal, up-to-date and registered not to mention doctors visits, naturopaths and of course seeing my family. And eating certain foods that I've been deprived of for so long (like cream -- I had my fix and I'm good now).

I've lots to blog about, pictures to upload, baby to talk about but alas, the computer charger chose the flight from Singapore to Darwin to give up the ghost and of course Far North Queensland has no Mac Genius's to speak of (in case you're ever traveling through Atherton Tablelands, the local high school has Mac laptops if you need to check your power supply -- see, a useful travel hint hidden in an otherwise inconsequential post). So I'm forced to use someone else's computer. A PC none-the-less. It's been so long since I've used a PC it seems foreign and strange and I just don't know my way around it at all. No access to my photos, my inspiration...so despite all my intentions to 'better my blog' in the months leading up to the eminent birth of henceforth dubbed 'Myrgatroyd' (see note below), I will again be taking a (hopefully) short hiatus.

So here's a quick check-in/check-out to hold you over and prove to even you, that we are in fact in Australia, in the flesh:

* We are 26 weeks pregnant.

* After four days of travel, including multiple security checks, delayed flights, and begging Australian customs to let Jason keep his water bottle, we made it home for the first time in four and a half years!

* My parents will be relocating to NSW in about 4 weeks time. This means we are packing and cleaning amongst getting semi-re-established. I will be about 30 weeks when we make the more than 26 hour drive from Far North Queensland to Northern New South Wales.

* My family has this theory that if they come up a dreadful name and insist on calling my unborn child thus, I will cave into telling them the names we've chosen. They are so wrong. Trouble is, 'Myrgatroyd' is so catchy -- even we are calling the bubby Myrgy. Sad, isn't it?

* The three of us went to see a doctor for Baby's first time. Judging from the persistent attempts to kick it as hard as possible, Myrgy didn't like the doppler and I feel bad that we subjected the poor child to it.

* I have slightly better blood than Jason does.

* They say there are two types of people that live the type of life we do, those who know they have parasites and those that don't know yet. We are of the enlightened kind (meaning we're going to get Jason to put on some weight at last!).

* We've added Singapore to our list of Cities That Can Be Done In A Day.

* My sister announced her engagement and will be getting married late November.

* The new mid-wife insurance laws are squashing our chances at a homebirth and at 26 weeks, its hard to find a birth centre that's still got positions available.

***

As they say, there is no rest for um, well, not us anyway. I couldn't be more happier to be at home after all these years and due to our extra long travel period, I think we got over most of our culture shock. Hopefully I'll be back, blogging in full force, in no time!

One of the many reasons why we are learning Chinese:

http://www.danwei.org/language/yuan_chonghuan_profanity.php

An image that's been making the rounds of forums and microblogs over the past few months.

Yuan Chonghuan (袁崇焕) was a Ming Dynasty general famous for defeating Nurhaci at the Battle of Ningyuan, which put a temporary halt to the Manchu invasion.

I haven't personally been to see this one but its located in Dongguan, Guangdong -- the next province over from us. The language does translate quite strong but there is definitely a better way to translate it into English than this!

As evidenced by the state of my living room, life has been completely turned upside down. And sometimes, I honestly believe, the only way to 'deal with life' is to get away from it. As long as you know you're coming back...or that 'life' will catch up with you at some point.

So seeing we were in need of some serious debriefing before going home, our friend suggested a quick trip to Yángshùo. As it turned out, it was the perfect way to unwind from a hectic 15 months of language learning and full culture immersion...get a bit of a grip on ourselves...get some sun...have a mini affair with a city (or is it a village?) that's not our own...

I'm so ready to pack my bags and move here!

I was talking to my mum on skype the other night, when our temporary room-mate breathlessly popped his head in the front door waving a newspaper clipping.

"I can't stay, I haven't read the whole thing but you have to see this!"

With that he was gone and I was left trying to read and understand what I could of the article -- which wasn't much given that it was in Chinese characters but enough that I could understand the gist of what was being said. Enough to make me so completely embarrassed. I showed my parents (via Skype). I'm pretty sure my face was red.

Jason is regularly in the newspaper. Whether its for modeling, doing interviews, in fact he was in it again the other day, if I remember correctly, just for being seriously good looking. But me? Hello, I'm wall-flower Jane, I get in the newspaper because...people aren't sure if I'm pregnant or not and are too embarrassed to offer me their seat on the bus. Yes. And Yes.

Everyday, somebody comments about my clothes. Or lack of maternity clothes. Or more specifically lack of Chinese maternity clothes. Or perhaps more correctly stated, lack of hideous Chinese maternity tents. I am not in the slightest way exaggerating when I say they are still wearing potato sacks with scary cartoonish characters on them, all in pastel colours, here. So I asked my teacher and my friends about this and they said and I quote: that's what pregnant women wear. It gives me the eebie jeebies just thinking about wearing those things. And a new appreciation for the options my mother had when she was pregnant with me (in fact I think I find that exact dress you were wearing in that 'pre-going to hospital' photo, Mum!). It gives me a new appreciation for Isabella Oliver (I'll except commission for that statement) and all the talented people on Etsy. And if I ever hear anyone complain about how hideous the maternity clothes are at Target, I will slap you.

I went shopping with my very good Chinese friend the other day after explaining this predicament to her. She had previously made me promise that I wouldn't wear the horrible Chinese maternity clothes and sympathetically offered to help me find something. I explained to her the style I like and she says, Yeah I know. Bò xí mī yà (bohemia -- I love it when they just translate the sound!). Love her I do, but in the end she's still Chinese and I'd forgotten that there are 'rules' when shopping. For example, I naturally gravitate toward the darker colours, more earthy tones or bright purples or reds. Well, there are certain colours you're not supposed to wear in the summer and basically it came down to only light summery, pastel colours allowed. There are also certain fabrics you're allowed to wear. And lengths. Etc, etc, etc...

And sometimes, its just not worth arguing about it.

So finally I found a compromise dress that we were both happy with (I know that sounds ridiculous -- next time, I'll shop by myself), and I proceeded to ask the lǎobǎn (shop owner) if this was the biggest size she had. She said, no need as this one fit me fine (obviously). I explained to her that I was pregnant and wanted a little 'room to grow'. So the girl told me, Well, since you're pregnant, you can't buy this dress. Slightly confused I asked my friend to make sure I'd understood correctly and sure enough -- the lǎobǎn wasn't going to let me buy the dress.

Hold on, who's holding the money here???

So I turned to my friend and said "Help." She thought for a moment and then spoke with the girl and finally after about 5 or 10 minutes, (and by this time a crowd outside had gathered), the lǎobǎn said, Ok, because you are a pregnant foreigner, you can wear this dress. But Chinese pregnant women cannot wear this kind of dress.

Thank-you very much. I bought the dress.

The girl I buy pineapples from at the market told me I'm getting to fat for the kind of clothes I wear -- I really need to buy maternity dresses.

The lady I buy honey from told me the entire market was debating whether or not I was pregnant because I still wear shorts and my face is 'too thin' in her opinion.

Another friend told me, that pregnant Chinese women pretty much stay in their houses from now until giving birth unless they're too poor for a house-helper or don't live with their in-laws who can look after them. (If I had to wear that stuff, I'd probably never set foot outside my house again either).

So when I get on the bus, people don't know what to do with me. They're supposed to give up their seats for the elderly, people with disabilities, people with small children and pregnant women. So as this news reporter ever so tactfully put it, if you see a foreigner who looks very large like this one, she is pregnant and you should give her your seat. Mind you, the reporter didn't offer me his seat either...

So the next day, Sunday, we took the bus out to our friends house. Jason and I about busted up laughing because as soon as I got on the bus, everyone started whispering (oh my gosh! Its that pregnant girl from the newspaper!) and people were offering me seats everywhere.

Ah...I'm ready to go back to my 'wall-flower' status...

This morning, I got up to bright, blue skies with but only a scattering of clouds. This seems to happen so rarely these days that I fight with myself to remember that actually I don't live in a smog ridden city. They are really just rain clouds. Teasing rain clouds that taunt me when I'm hanging out my washing or going for my power walk through the park. Or like last Saturday, cancel all my World Cup English lesson plans and force me to come up with other ideas on the fly. Which is not my forte these days. But today's weather was perfect.

Bittersweet actually.

Perfect for a water fight.

Not so perfect for saying goodbyes.

Perfect for decorating tiny, little patty cakes and eating them too.

Not so perfect traffic (a 20 minute bus ride took 1 hour...granted a regular occurrence but still annoying).

Perfect smiling faces while playing.

Perfect faces turning sombre and sad while waving good bye.

(This is the good bye gift they made us and each signed their own names.)

They know why we have to leave. They know we'll be back and that we'll bring them a new little brother or sister to love. They may not have the same loving families that we all know are so necessary to life, but these children have life, and love, and character. Every week I'm so stoked to be with them. This is a part of China that I will miss while I'm not here.

Other parts, not so much, but them -- well, they're not my kids because I'm not with them everyday but they are my very special xǐao mèimeiis and dìdi's (little brothers and sisters).

And they LOVE their Gāo shūshu (Uncle Tall)!

They're a little disappointed they didn't get to feel the baby move (the baby is always asleep in the mornings while I'm there) and today a little four year old with cerebral palsy (not severe but definitely not mild either!) asked with her big brown eyes if she might hold the baby when we bring it back so long as she's very careful?...oh dear...how do you say no to that?!

Disclaimer: I would like to post more photos of the kids but due to security situations in China for us and for the orphanage, I can't. I'm already pushing it with what I have up. Please don't post these anywhere else, and understand, we simply volunteer here and appreciate what a privilege that is for us.