Happy, happy, happy

I left you hanging on my last post in which we were still looking for a place to deliver our baby come November. Since then, so so so many prayers have been answered. I'm so thankful, and not for a second taking these blessings for granted!

Here's how the last couple months went down:

A place to deliver!

My lovely new friend Delia (originally from Romania, but also the States, who has been in China for 11 years and is impressively fluent in multiple languages) first took me to her hospital where she has delivered all 4 of her children. I was unable to see the doctor on that day (sometime at the end of June) but they did give me an appointment on July 2nd, the day before my big trip home for the summer. The next few weeks dragged on. I was still unsure how this was all going to go and of course, I'm still not confident in the outcome of this pregnancy.

Bright and early that Tuesday morning, Josh accompanied me to the hospital via the very crowded subway. As usual, we swayed with the crowd like grass on a windy day. I knew it was going to be a good day because a teenage girl approached me and said, "would you like a saint?"

"A saint?" I repeated with confusion. Then she pointed to where (I'm assuming) her mom was sitting. "Oh, a seat!" The older woman motioned for me to take her seat. I told her that it wasn't necessary because we only had a couple more stops. But honestly, that brightened my day so much. So many times I've rolled my eyes at how awful and selfish the general public can be. But to see a simple act of kindness was so encouraging. Just another sign that things are looking up for us and the future is BRIGHT!

We arrived at the hospital, marched right up to the 5th floor VIP section. It was super busy, but smaller than the local sections I've seen. We paid our money and then a nurse took me to different stations to do all the tests and procedures that I'd missed out on in the last 18 weeks. Blood, urine, blah blah blah. Delia met us just before it was time for the ultrasound.

Outside of the ultrasound room was a sign that said only one person at a time allowed inside. How thankful I am to have a gusty friend like Delia. In we went: me, Josh, Delia, and her little baby Jeff. A nurse tried to kick them all out, but then the ultrasound technician became distracted with the cute white baby that was in the room. So, I lay down, Delia's trying to sweet talk the technician to tell us the gender, while Josh is trying to snap a picture of the screen so we can have our own ultrasound keepsake.

This is the best we got:

Lovely lady lumps...

Delia and Jeff chatting up the technician

I mentioned before that it's illegal to officially tell the gender to expecting parents. Perhaps this is why they don't let you get a real good look at the ultrasound either. Delia said that they'll sometimes tell you if they're in a good mood. So, I lay there trying to discern for myself what's what on the screen. Ever so casually, Delia says, "it's a boy." I'm sorry, what? Josh looked at me in shock. I don't know why, but we were convinced it would be a girl. Wrong.

SURPRISE! We're having a BOY!!!

After the ultrasound, Josh and I got to meet with Dr. Tony. He's Chinese, but speaks excellent English. Also, he encouraged me from the very beginning to have a natural birth. YES!

At 18 weeks, he said things looked good, and that I would be okay to fly to America the next day. I think the funniest thing about this appointment was the discussion about the down's syndrome test and structural scan. I agreed to do the gestational diabetes test because you can monitor your own blood sugar. But really, to me, the other tests are unnecessary. I'm having this baby regardless, I don't want to waste time worrying.

Dr. Tony's assistant did not like the sound of this. He kept saying, "But, you have to do it. It's procedure. You need to see if there is something wrong with the baby." Dr. Tony grabbed his arm as if to say, Cool your jets, bro. Showing great defeat, the assistant had us write down our wishes to opt out of these tests and then proceeded to translate it into Chinese. As we left, the assistant just kept shaking his head in disapproval.

Overall it was a successful day at the hospital. I left there feeling a huge sense of relief and gratitude. Oh, and the intense shock that our baby has a penis. Seriously. Still. In. Shock.

The next day, I headed out for a 6 week holiday in the good ol' U.S. of A. But, I'll save all that for another post. I've just got to update you on how our situation has so greatly improved!

A new apartment!

While I was away, Josh took it upon himself to start hunting for a new apartment. In case you didn't know, I absolutely HATED our old place. It was far from practically everything cool in the city. Besides being old, dirty, and roach infested- we had a rat. Then another rat. The silver lining at the time was that our apartment was only a 7 minute walk to work. But, since neither of us work at the school anymore, it's time to move!

I know our closest family and friends know what our current work situation is, but for those who don't, let me update you.

Last April, Josh got an amazing opportunity to work at a microbrewery in Shanghai. It was a difficult decision for him to break his contract at the school and face the unknown. But, we decided we didn't have much to lose and the risk was worth it. It has been wonderful! I'm so proud of him. Not only that he's doing something he  loves, but that he's really good at it and he's gaining incredible experience that most only dream of.  And you may be wondering what that means for our future in Shanghai. I honestly have no idea. We will probably staying for at least the next two years. Beyond that, your guess is as good as mine.

When I had the realization that we might actually have a semi-permanent life here, I was less than thrilled. As I've said before: China just isn't for me. Or so I thought.

For six weeks this summer, I was busy eating, socializing, relaxing, and having a good ol' time at home. All the while Josh was stuck in this miserably hot city, working full force and trying to look for a new apartment in his spare time. Man, he did so good. SO SO good. After checking out 10-15 places, he found the one. It is perfect!

To begin, it has a living room! And a bathtub! That right there makes me a happy camper. Here are a few pictures of our new place. These are from before we moved in.

Did I mention how clean it is?! It's so spacious, and we'll have plenty of room for our little boy and any visitors who are willing to make the long journey. The location is perfect too. There is so much stuff around us in walking distance. There is a little grocery store in our apartment building, and I've already found 3 Korean restaurants within a 10 minute walk in any direction. Josh can walk to work in about 30 minutes or easily take the subway or bus. Or a scooter...

Oh yeah, we have a scooter now.

Baby Love

Last week I had my second check-up and the gestational diabetes test (I had to drink hot sugar water on an empty stomach, bleh!) Dr. Tony said things are still looking good. And as I move farther and farther along, I'm beginning to replace my anxiety with excitement. Can you believe I'm days away from the third trimester? Unbelievable! This little guy is starting to move and kick a lot too, which is the coolest thing ever. He is such a miracle. Keep growing, little one!

And so, that's what's been going on with the Deits.

Happy, happy, happy!

(and yes, we've recently become very enamored with Duck Dynasty.)