I’ve been staying at home waiting for Logan’s birth for a week now, and I’ve actually enjoyed it even though I can see how being a housewife could be a bit lonely.

And I’m not even a housewife…  I haven’t really done anything at home.  The ah-yi, Xiao Mei, started working on Tuesday.  So far, she’s done a real good job, and I feel like a lazy queen.  She does everything and always tries to occupy herself with whatever she can find to clean.  Hopefully she keeps it up coz I really don’t like how ah-yis come and go from our Living Quarter.  I don’t want to have to keep changing ah-yis like a lot of people do.  In S.A. and in Taiwan, the maids seem to be much easier to manage than the ah-yis here.  I wonder if skin color has anything to do with it.  In S.A. the maids we had were Africans.  In Taiwan, the maids are usually from south-east Asia.  Here, the ah-yis look just like us.  We’re all of Chinese origin.

This is the first time I have a full-time ah-yi.  I thought I’d be annoyed having a stranger around me for 12 hours a day, but it’s actually gone pretty well so far.  Praise the Lord!

This week I send her home for 2 hours of lunch break everyday.  Next week she’s probably going to get busier because my parents and my brother will be back and will probably have some meals at my home.  I wouldn’t be surprised if my mom takes her grocery shopping too.  And, Logan’s probably gonna add to her workload a bit too.  John’s prepared to take 2 weeks off from work right after Logan’s birth.  I can’t wait!!!

Other than that, I’ve just been visiting and being visited by friends.  Saw Hanna finally and held her baby, Mayah.  She’s so cute and tiny, and looks like Hanna a lot more than Stephen.  She opened her eyes, pooped, and smiled during the 1.5 hours I visited.  I was very happy coz I got to see pretty much all that a newborn can do.  It was really nice just to chat with Hanna also. 

Luisa came to visit me and brought so many things for Logan.  I really enjoyed seeing her and being able to gossip with her for 3 hours.  Hee!  And tonight, we’ll be having dinner at Deborah and Marybeth’s.  Debs can cook really well, and she’s so kind to invite us to dinner sometimes.

My good friend, Ingrid, since third grade was going to fly over to visit me on Wednesday, but a typhoon in Taiwan forced her to change her travel plans.  Bah!  I was really looking forward to seeing her this week.  But it might as well be later, this way she’ll probably be able to see Baby Logan.

Been really wanting to pop in and visit friends at school, but it’s been rainy and I’ve been lazy.  I watch dvds and basically just wait for Logan’s birth all the time.  I really can’t wait.  Why is he still in there?!  When?  When?  When will he be born?!  I wonder all the time.  Just can’t wait to hold him!

John got a cold since yesterday.  He’s worried about passing it onto me and baby.  We hope he recovers very soon.  Please pray for all three of us.  Thanks!!!

Ok, I gotta go eat lunch now.  Smells nice!  I thank the Lord for all that He provides in my life.  Logan, Logan, my precious Logan!  Please come out soon so that I can see and hold you!  ^_^

This morning we went for a routine check up.  Dr. Kuo suggested weighing him again, and we did an ultrasound.  Dr. Kuo said that Logan’s in position and that it looks like we should be able to do a natural delivery.  I really hope so.  God help me!  He also said that with Logan being a smaller baby, it should be easier on me.  Mmm… not sure.  I’ve been getting irregular contractions already sometimes at night and I can barely deal with those, so…  I feel like running to beg God for a healthy, safe, and painless delivery without medical interventions.  Is that possible?  Possible with more faith, probably.

We saw Logan opening his mouth really widely on ultrasound today.  Sooo cute!  He was licking the back of his hand.  Hee!  I guess there’s not much to do in the womb.  And, he’s running out of space, so moving his mouth and tongue is probably easier than kicking and punching.  ^_^

Dr. Kuo told us that Logan’s ready to come out any time any day now.  So, I guess Logan had his last ultrasound today and the next time we see him, we’ll really see him!!!  ^_^  Can’t wait to hold and kiss him!!! 

Pray for all three of us!

Few days ago I hired an ah-yi.  Yesterday she came to work for 5 hours and did a pretty good job cleaning.  She’ll start to work full-time for us from Tuesday, 12 hours a day, Monday through Saturday.  I hope she can cook well too.  Praise the Lord we can hire ah-yis here.  These days, I am physically exhausted just being a human being.  A pregnant human being.

I also ordered the one-month confinement food already, after asking a few friends about it.  After delivery, they will send me special food everyday for a month.  It’s not cheap at all, but hopefully it’ll be healthy.  Certainly convenient.  I’m not so sure about the other rules of one-month confinement such as not washing hair for a month.  I don’t know how that’s possible but a lot of admirable women have successfully done it throughout centuries.

My parents left Shanghai for America on Wednesday for a holiday and to attend my brother’s graduation.  (They never made such efforts for my graduations.)  They will return next weekend.  I’m not sure if they will be back in time when Logan makes his debut.  I don’t understand this decision and don’t feel cared about by this decision at all, but Chinese parents are Chinese parents and what else can I say?!  I’m getting my own experience in becoming a parent now.  God knows that that must be a tough job and a very humbling experience.  It must be the toughest to be God, coz He’s not just our Father; He’s also our friend, our protector, our doctor, our nurse, our teacher, and everything else.  With all the bad things that we do, He still loves us so much.  It’s good to know that God is always with me, even if my parents weren’t.  Praise God for creating Logan!  What a great blessing!!!

It’s nice that it’s quiet and I can relax at home.  I miss John all the time when he’s not with me.  I love our Sunday mornings especially.  We just kind of stay in bed, sometimes chat about anything, sometimes just enjoy the tranquil morning thinking about Logan before we go to church.  Life always seems the most perfect on Sunday mornings.

Enough of me.  I’m going to rub my belly and talk and read to Logan again now.  Do some bonding.  ^_^  John often talks to him in secret codes, as if he had some kind of secret with his son.  What a weirdo!  He enjoys talking to his boy in English with an Italian accent too.  I enjoy it the most when he sings in Italian to Logan.  It’s funny having a huge boy on my side and a little boy in my belly.  I love it!  ^_^ 

Guess what…  I’m going to the school prom tonight!  I must be going crazy, and don’t know why I even signed up for it.  Perhaps just trying to make more fun memories during my pregnancy.  Can’t believe that the school actually lets me go.  I could go into labor any time any day now.  Hee!  Yesterday I tried to see what I could wear to the prom.  The theme of this year’s prom is Old Shanghai.  I love qi-pao, but obviously can’t fit into one now!!!  Last night Fai came to visit me.  She was so shocked by the size of my belly that she seemed to be in disbelief throughout the whole hour of conversation and kept saying how big I was.  Well, I am at my 9th month.  Anyway, I decided to wear this dress, after laughing at myself so much looking at the mirror.  Logan’s making me look totally ridiculous and hilarious in any dress now.  My bump is sooo huge.  But, I LOVE my baby so dearly.  Can’t wait to even just look at him all the time.  When John came back last night, I put the dress on and asked for his opinion.  Of course, he’d always say I look so beautiful and he does.  He luuuves my huge bump, coz his son is in there.  ^_^

So, this should be interesting… going to prom.  My baby is going to be my date tonight while John waits outside of the hall.  Heh!  We’ll go with Angelia and Marybeth to the Peace Hotel.  I’ve never been to the Peace Hotel.  It should be fun hanging out by the bund tonight.  Hope Logan will enjoy it too!  ^_^  I love Logan!

During the May Holidays (last week), John organized my shoes, cataloged them, and numbered them.  I was almost dizzy after finding out that I had 53 pairs of shoes, and that’s after I threw many many pairs out already.  John always lets me buy anything I like.  Often, he even encourages me coz he just wants me to be happy.  Now that we are having a baby, I really need to be more disciplined in my spending.  Best thing is not to go shopping at all.  Why do I have so many shoes?!  I live fine and just as happily without them.

Click on this image to see my whole collection: