Aussie in the Orient

Curing meat, Shanghai style.

2011-01-19T03:54:00.001+08:00

This rack of meat has been out drying in the dusty street for days. It
must drive the neighbourhood dogs mad.
Just one more reason why I'm glad to be vegetarian!

Lessons of Parenthood- the first month.

2011-01-03T12:18:00.001+08:00

Never, ever lick what appears to be pumpkin soup off your fingers- in all likelihood it is actually orange baby poo.
Bras are the perfect receptacle for catching the baby vomit that is sent running down your cleavage.
If people are staring at your boobs, its probably not because of how amazingly sexy they look, but rather they are looking at the two circular wet patches of milk spreading through your clothes.
3 hours of sleep is something to be thankful for.
4 hours of sleep is something to rejoice.
5 hours of sleep is nothing short of a miracle.
6 hours of sleep however, will have you jumping out of bed every 20 minutes to check that the baby is actually breathing. It seems you can have too much of a good thing.
Explosive poos requiring a full clothing change and hose-down usually only happen when you are half asleep in the middle of the night.
The exception to the aforementioned rule is when you are in public and least prepared to deal with it.
The baby will only sleep when you don't want it to.
You will cry more, and for longer, during any medical procedure than the baby will.
You will rapidly care very little about the state of your wardrobe... "there's not that much baby poo on it..."
There are two types of people in this world: those who will hold open a door for you or help you carry a pram up a flight of stairs, and those who will walk straight past as if you don't exist.
It is impossible to determine the aforementioned two groups of people by looks, age or sex, only by action after the fact.
The baby will always clamour to be fed at the precise moment you sit down to eat your own meal.
You will always forget something when you leave the house.
So long as you don't forget the baby you are doing pretty well.
Ordinary things become hilariously funny when you are sleep-deprived.
A good day is one in which you manage to shower and do your hair.
Then absolute and immense love you feel for your baby cannot be described or quantified.

Hipstamatic

2011-01-03T10:53:00.000+08:00

I took this photo using the hipstamatic application for the iPhone. I
love how aged it looks, it's a great app with all sorts of effects you
can use to change the film, flash and lenses style of your phone camera.

365/365

2010-12-31T17:51:00.001+08:00

Spending the last day of 2010 with my two favourite people.

When I started this 365 Project, and commited to taking a photo on my phone every day for an entire year, I had no idea that what I thought would be a record of our life here in Shanghai would end up documenting such a personal journey instead. It has been a wonderful, bizarre, challenging and rewarding year, and I am so glad to have this photographic record of it.

Farewell 2010, let's see what 2011 brings!

364/365

2010-12-31T17:44:00.001+08:00

She has more friends than I do...

363/365

2010-12-31T17:42:00.001+08:00

Baby, that's no way to treat your mother!

362/365

2010-12-31T17:41:00.001+08:00

Her first bottle with Papa.

361/365

2010-12-31T17:39:00.000+08:00

Photos to show her first boyfriend.

360/365

2010-12-31T17:38:00.001+08:00

It's a wrap!

359/354

2010-12-31T17:37:00.001+08:00

Santa came!

358/365

2010-12-31T17:36:00.001+08:00

Christmas Eve at home in Shanghai.

357/365

2010-12-31T17:35:00.001+08:00

My little Christmas Elf

356/365

2010-12-31T17:34:00.001+08:00

Another hideous Christmas tree- this particular over-grown toilet brush costs AUD$180!

355/365

2010-12-31T17:32:00.001+08:00

Splish splash! The French conjugations written on the wall are for me to learn, not her.

354/365

2010-12-31T17:30:00.001+08:00

Look what Santa left under our tree!

353/365

2010-12-31T17:29:00.001+08:00

A cheeky face at bathtime!

352/365

2010-12-31T17:28:00.001+08:00

Anaïs is less impressed by the toys than the fish tank.

352/365

2010-12-31T17:25:00.001+08:00

Anaïs and I with Yolanta, the fantastic Doula we had asa labour support person for her delivery.

350/365

2010-12-31T17:23:00.001+08:00

Hideous Christmas trees for sale in Shanghai- these trees cost AUD$500 each!

349/365

2010-12-31T17:21:00.001+08:00

You can tell new parents by the size of their coffees!

348/365

2010-12-31T17:20:00.001+08:00

Watching tv with her Papa

347/365

2010-12-31T17:18:00.001+08:00

a week after she was born, Anaïs and I made it out to a cafe for lunch... it was quite the achievement!

346/365

2010-12-31T17:12:00.001+08:00

the 12th of December was a rare snowy day in Shanghai. We enjoyed it from the warmth of our window seat.

345/365

2010-12-31T17:11:00.001+08:00

receiving her first mail- from Max and Emil, her baby friends in Beijing.

344/365

2010-12-31T17:09:00.001+08:00

All rugged up to go out.

343/365

2010-12-31T17:08:00.001+08:00

Anaïs enjoying a morning nap in the sun.

342/365

2010-12-31T17:06:00.001+08:00

Her Chinese birth certificate... pretty cool.

341/365

2010-12-31T17:05:00.001+08:00

Bundled up ready to leave the hospital

340/365

2010-12-31T17:03:00.001+08:00

First weigh-in from the day she was born.

339/365

2010-12-31T17:02:00.001+08:00

Anaïs and I having some skin to skin contact time.

338/365

2010-12-31T17:00:00.001+08:00

First photo with mama and papa from the day she was born

337/365

2010-12-31T16:59:00.001+08:00

4 days and 16 hours after my water broke ahe finally arrives! Anaïs Emilie was born at 6:01pm, Friday the 3rd of December in Shanghai China, weighing 3.16kg and measuring 49cm. This is her first photo.

336/365

2010-12-31T16:54:00.001+08:00

Still in labour- second day of induction, 4 days after my water broke. This is the hospital hallway I paced between contractions.

335/365

2010-12-31T16:49:00.001+08:00

The fetal monitor measuring contraction strength and frequency and the baby's response to it. This is after starting Pitocin induction 3 days after my water broke.

334/365

2010-12-31T16:43:00.001+08:00

My water broke on the 29th November and I was admitted to the hospital tostart the process of induction on the 1st December. This photo was of monitoring my contractions to see if I was in labour or not (I was only in pre-labour).

333/365

2010-12-31T16:37:00.001+08:00

Being silly with our ultrasound scan

333/365

2010-11-30T11:05:00.000+08:00

Crocodile rock- Crocs made by the kids in my nursery class.

332/365

2010-11-28T22:23:00.000+08:00

A squished face but the most beautiful ear in the world- a 3d
ultrasound of our baby at 36 weeks of pregnancy. The image is not
clear as her head has descended into the pelvis.

331/365

2010-11-27T21:55:00.000+08:00

Pipidog or dog pee pee? Either way it's an odd name for a baby body
wash... We stuck with good old johnson & johnson's.

330/365

2010-11-26T21:04:00.000+08:00

Wasting time with silly iPhone applications- our friends Till and
Steffi's baby Emil... Two months old and already so suave.

329/365

2010-11-26T21:02:00.000+08:00

The orange cylinder on the back of the furthest motor scooter is a
speaker, that was blaring a techno version of John Denver's 'Take me
home, country roads' so loudly I could hear it four lanes away with my
window closed. Just plain wrong.

228/365

2010-11-26T20:59:00.000+08:00

Guests at my baby shower playing the 'name that poop' game- players
have to correctly identify the melted chocolate bar in each nappy.

327/365

2010-11-26T20:57:00.000+08:00

Still JUST fitting on the kid's bikes at school.

326/365

2010-11-26T20:54:00.001+08:00

What to do with old CDs/DVDs? The two year olds in my nursery class
assembled these great fish.

325/365

2010-11-26T20:42:00.000+08:00

Another cartoon by Hoby- this time depicting my love and adoration for
my pregnancy body pillow.

324/365

2010-11-26T20:40:00.000+08:00

From the 35 week scan of our baby. She had her face squished up
against the uterus wall so it's not a very clear image. We were
surprised to actually see her sleeping for the first time ever.

323/365

2010-11-26T20:37:00.000+08:00

A closer view of the same method of wrapping scaffolding that turned a
whole apartment building in Shanghai into a tinderbox on the 15th
November.

321/365

2010-11-26T20:25:00.000+08:00

My round pregnant belly turned square by a little foot being poked out
the side.

320/365

2010-11-26T20:24:00.001+08:00

The icing on the cake...

319/365

2010-11-26T20:23:00.000+08:00

More proof why Chinese girls with the taste sophistication of a six
year old should not get to choose the colours of their cars... Ruining
an otherwise perfectly good Ferrari.

318/365

2010-11-26T20:21:00.002+08:00

A lovely open air meat vendor.

317/365

2010-11-26T20:21:00.001+08:00

Phil took this photo in the southern Chinese island of Hainan- all the
tuk-tuk (motorcycle taxi) drivers her saw there were woman, and in
their spare time they all make/mend fishing nets for spare cash. This
is in sharp contrast to the male tuk-tuk drivers in the rest of the
country who simply sleep sprawled on their bikes when they don't have
a fare.

316/365

2010-11-26T20:15:00.001+08:00

Me, as the Cat in the Hat, for our school book month parade.

315/365

2010-11-26T20:13:00.000+08:00

Our friend having a "cupping" proceedure performed after a foot
massage- the suction effect is supposed to draw toxins out of your
skin. I personally think the giant purple circular bruises it leaves
behind are just plain silly.

314/365

2010-11-26T20:10:00.000+08:00

Flower and crockery vendors.

313/365

2010-11-26T20:09:00.000+08:00

Taking out the rubbish? Construction materials from a building
renovation left in the street.

312/365

2010-11-26T20:07:00.000+08:00

The baby blanket I crocheted finally finished.

311/365

2010-11-08T18:10:00.001+08:00

Early morning fog on the Bund.

310/365

2010-11-08T18:09:00.001+08:00

Me disguised as a giant rotund beach ball. Phil and I had a
'staycation' at Shanghai's Hyatt on the Bund for my birthday.

309/365

2010-11-08T18:06:00.000+08:00

Flat cat. A cat lying on the top shelf of a street from display cabinet.

308/365

2010-11-04T20:56:00.000+08:00

Phil took this photo of a Chinese super hero poster- I loved it so
much we had it printed and framed.

307/365

2010-11-04T20:54:00.000+08:00

Jumbo sized bottle of Tums antacids- a pregnant womans best friend.

306/365

2010-11-04T20:53:00.000+08:00

An abstracted view of a lamp.

305/365

2010-11-04T20:37:00.000+08:00

My Halloween costume- White trash. Truth be told I couldn't think of
anything else that would go with my belly.

304/365

2010-11-04T20:35:00.000+08:00

Halloween fun

303/365

2010-11-04T20:34:00.000+08:00

A wooden carved happy Buddha that I picked up in a Market stall in
Xian a few years ago.

302/365

2010-11-04T20:32:00.000+08:00

Our friend Hoby drew Phil this charactature of us for his birthday a
couple of years ago.

301/365

2010-11-04T20:30:00.000+08:00

Scaffolding going up to give a crubling building a superficial paint
facelift.

300/365

2010-11-04T20:27:00.000+08:00

Shanghai street scenes

299/365

2010-10-27T19:11:00.000+08:00

Laid out ready to join...

298/365

2010-10-27T19:10:00.000+08:00

A bunch of 'granny squares' I've crocheted over the last few weeks,
waiting to be joined together into a baby blanket.

297/365

2010-10-26T22:34:00.000+08:00

Living in Shanghai sounds exotic but in truth quite a bit of it is
very mundane and ordinary- such as sitting in a taxi in traffic, as I
do every day.

296/365

2010-10-26T22:31:00.000+08:00

This staircase is literally the only way to get across a 6 lane
highway- and there is no disabled (or pram-friendly) access.

295/365

2010-10-26T22:29:00.000+08:00

Motorbikes are not just for transporting people...

295/365

2010-10-26T22:26:00.000+08:00

When you can't have a blue sky, at least you can be consoled by grey
rain clouds so dark they appear blue!

294/365

2010-10-26T22:24:00.000+08:00

French verb conjugations written on our bathroom wall- hoping for
subliminal learning!

293/365

2010-10-26T22:22:00.001+08:00

Winter is coming: a dark skyline at 5:30pm

292/365

2010-10-26T22:20:00.000+08:00

An antique-style Chinese birdcage

291/365

2010-10-24T22:19:00.000+08:00

The belly cast we made this morning... Though I prefer to think of it
as Han Solo hopped up on hormones before he was frozen by Jabba the
Hutt.

290/365

2010-10-24T22:18:00.001+08:00

A fridge full of fake meat products at my favourite vegetarian
restaurant here in Shanghai- all available to take home straight to
you freezer.... Mmmm. Just because I choose not to eat meat for
ethical reasons, doesn't mean I don't miss the taste.

289/365

2010-10-24T22:15:00.000+08:00

Last weekend I went to Beijing to visit this little bundle of
scrumtiousness- Emil, the 4 week old baby of our friends Steffi and Till

288/365

2010-10-24T22:13:00.001+08:00

Simple things amusing simple minds: Phil "artwork" on my belly.

287/365

2010-10-24T22:11:00.000+08:00

A can of grain-based protein powder... Apparently "artlessly" made.

286/365

2010-10-24T22:09:00.000+08:00

The tree I painted in our nursery- the leaves are cut from
scrapbooking paper and stuck on with wallpaper paste.

285/365

2010-10-24T22:06:00.000+08:00

An Audi with a Winnie the Pooh number plate holder- the tastes of the
average mature Shanghai woman are remarkedly, well, immature.

284/365

2010-10-24T22:04:00.000+08:00

A builder installing shelves in the nursery.

283/365

2010-10-10T17:02:00.000+08:00

A street corner banana seller.

282/365

2010-10-10T17:01:00.000+08:00

Our baby sucking her thumb at a 29 week scan yesterday.

281/365

2010-10-08T16:45:00.000+08:00

Signs of a bilingual household: French magnetic poetry on our fridge.

280/365

2010-10-08T16:38:00.000+08:00

Apartment living: I worked hard to make our balcony nice... Only to
have it covered in laundry.

279/365

2010-10-08T16:32:00.000+08:00

Unwanted: shop dummies abandoned in a back alley.

278/365

2010-10-08T16:30:00.000+08:00

Phil's rings, picked up during his travels: on the top is a dragon
from China; on the bottom is an 'Ohm' symbol from India.

277/365

2010-10-08T16:28:00.000+08:00

A bamboo Chinese pram. Needless to say, we bought ours in Canada.

276/365

2010-10-08T16:27:00.000+08:00

E is for eggshell.

275/365

2010-10-08T16:26:00.001+08:00

A very random duck!

274/365

2010-10-08T16:26:00.000+08:00

Learning about families.

273/365

2010-10-08T16:17:00.000+08:00

Preparing for parenthood, the Philippe Roy way.

272/365

2010-10-08T16:16:00.000+08:00

You can always spot a tourist by their shoes...

271/365

2010-10-08T16:15:00.000+08:00

One of the relatively few churches in Shanghai- photo taken by Phil.

270/365

2010-10-08T16:12:00.000+08:00

Free painting time in my nursery class