Same difference

People say that baby girls develop language and motor skills at a faster rate than boys. I am now one of those "people", because I can now vouch for it.

Sophie was already pulling up and cruising at 7 months, but Ju is still experimenting with getting to sitting position during this same period.

Sophie at 7 months - pulling up

Ju at 7 months - sitting up

Yet the two are also very similar in character - they both fuss terribly when they are tired, and much prefers to kick up a fight than to surrender to sleep. They both want attention, want to be carried, and want to be entertained during playtime. I have resigned to the fact that my children are not of the breed who sleeps 10 hours continously throughout the night at 1 month-old, nor are they contented to play with their own hands and legs quietly when Mommy is busy, nor are they going to let me go to the toilet for 2 minutes peacefully.

Sophie at 7 months - London, UK

Ju at 7 months - Beijing, China

p/s If I didn't label the pictures, would you have guessed who's who?

Playtime

Sophie imitating Ju who is trying to move on all fours
Trying out the luggage

Other Images from Beijing

The kids fell asleep soon after takeoff
Ju, all excited for his swim at the pool in the hotel

Sophie & Ju fooling around in the pool

The little princess poses in one of the countless courtyards at the Summer Palace

The little prince grins while taking a break in a courtyard restaurant in Nan Luoguxiang (South Drum Road) hutong

Waiting to board our flight to Beijing

A pensive Sophie at Nan Luoguxiang (South Drum Road) hutong

Beijing Day 4: The Great Wall

The Great Wall of China. China's icon. A stellar architectural feat. Awe-inspiring. And d*mn difficult to hike on a hot summer's day!

We had an early start on Day 4, so that we arrived at the Mutianyu section of the Wall before 9am. Unfortunately, the Tohs could not join us as Caleb was still not fully recovered from his recent brush with roseola infantum.

The walk to the actual part of the Wall itself consisted of 1000+ steps up a steep incline. I think we took about 45 minutes to scale it, with constant breaks to catch our breath. You can see YL, Sophie & Popo at the top of part of the picture above.

The Dr trying to look relaxed. He was actually soaked in sweat.

"I can do it!!!"...while carrying a front load of 8kg...

With the Wall in sight, Sophie took a break to munch on some snacks and fill up.

Popo DID IT!!!

(And now, for Part II...getting to the cable car station...another 45 minutes' walk)

Before that, a group photo to commemorate the achievement...

(Notice Ju is sleeping happily in the carrier, despite the sun and heat)

Mao Tsedong said, "He who has not climbed the Wall is not a man". So here we are, two freshly minted men.


A rare family photo
(where Sophie is not pouting or looking away, and Ju is not sleeping or moving around)

Beijing Day 3: The Summer Palace

The weather was much more agreeable today. Cloudy and cool. I think Popo enjoyed this attraction the most - the gardens, lakes, pavilions, temples, and of course, the famous Long Corridor.

The 3-tiered performance stage where Empress Cixi enjoyed songs, dance, and plays, sometimes taking part in them herself. The 3 storeys are connected by secret passageways so that the actors can move from one tier to another. Fascinating.

The famous Long Corridor

On YL’s urging, we climbed up the 100+ steps to the Temple of the Chasing Clouds (Pai Yun), which you can see in the background. I guess it was a preview to our Great Wall hike.

Photos taken in the grounds of the temple at the top of the hill, while recharging before going down again.
Boat ride to relieve our tired feet

Chinese babyQuick pose in front of the Bird's Nest stadium

All dressed-up and ready for our dinner date with the Tohs. This time, it's Beijing's most famous dish - Beijing duck.

Dadong restaurant - good choice, Aunty Su-En & Uncle Kelvin!

Peking Duck BJ style is apparently very fatty and oily, but this Dadong branch specializes in super lean meat. It was good – I ate A LOT.

It was a huge establishment made up of 2 floors, boasting modern décor, many rooms, and a long queue at 6pm. The menu is modern Chinese, very creative & innovative dishes that are also - surprise, surprise, - delicious! Not at all the typical kind of bland Northern Chinese cuisine we were expecting.

Throughout dinner, the diners at our table were never all at the table at the same time. Someone was bound to be walking around with a baby/kid at any one time – either Ju or Caleb who was fussy with suspected roseola infantum. That's how it is for parents with no help....

Beijing Day 2: Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven (Tian Tan) was another glaringly hot spot – literally & figuratively. It was completely open to the sky so there was no way we could get reprieve from the sun. We hurried through the buildings, but still spent 2-3 hours there.

She finally agreed to pose for the camera at the Temple of Heaven

Braving the heat and sun with Popo at the Temple of Heaven

We sought some reprieve from the sun by resting in the shade in the park next to the Temple, and received several comments from the locals that we should put socks on Ju (to prevent stomach troubles).

Then, there's the compliments...

That boy can really bring on the crowds wherever he goes. Maybe it's his Ah Pak (uncle) looks, maybe it's his chubbiness, maybe it's his complexion. He is not initimated by the attention, and actually dishes out smiles and excited squeals every now and then, enough to keep his audience begging for more. Sophie used to attract the same kind of attention when we travelled with her in Europe, but I always thought it was because the Europeans don't see Chinese babies very often. But here we are in China, stuffed full of Chinese babies (relatively speaking) and somehow our offspring is still drawing attention, even from other parents with cute babies themselves. It's a mystery to me, but I'm flattered all the same, of course.

The Tohs very kindly invited us over to their apartment for dinner. Sophie & Joshua had their own dinner conversation at their own kids’ table. It was very cute, but I cannot remember the details now. Something about where Sophie visited today, I guess.

Beijing Day 1: The Forbidden Palace

It’s been a long-awaited vacation, if you can call it that. It was scorching hot, tiring, cumbersome, and a test on my nerves juggling the demands of the whole family. But a vacation is a vacation, and a vacation with the family always makes it worthwhile.

Our first full day was taken up by a visit to the Forbidden City, also known as the Palace Museum. Tiananmen Square nearby was crammed full of tourists, and boomed with commentaries from the hordes of tour guides waving flags, umbrellas, and all sorts of stick contraptions. It also oozed with familiarity from the images in the media and from my own visit 13 years ago. Much has changed, and yet much remained the same.

The sun was out in full force, and I felt bad for Ju who was probably baking in the Baby Bjorn. He ended up sleeping for most of the time, probably lulled to slumber by the heat, and by my rocking movements.

The kids are alert after their snacks & milk, so we can get some smiles for this photo

Took a pedicab from the palace to Nan Luoguxiang (South Drum) hutong.

It was a surprisingly pleasant ride, despite our initial reluctance to use them. Cost us CNY 20 per pedicab. Yes I know, I know, we were fleeced...but being fleeced is part of being a tourist, right??

The hutong was also a nice experience, not so much for its history - which unfortunately, we chose to skip on this trip, in order to preserve our sanity travelling with a brood -but because of the interesting shops in the preserved dwellings.