The Countdown Is On!

 Raelynn wriggles around as we pose with my folks and a lion statue in front of the stunning Peninsula Hotel in Shanghai.

I'm so excited because in just 10 more days, I'll get to hug my folks! They'll be here for the Chinese New Year, which will likely be our last Chinese New Year celebration while we are residing in China. My parents are all kinds of awesome, as I've mentioned many times before. They've come to visit us once a year since I've been over here. They came to visit just after Raelynn was born, plus that was their first time meeting my husband (remember, we originally married at the US Embassy in Seoul). Then, when they came for another visit at the same time my brother and his wife were visiting, we had our wedding ceremony. And in October of last year, we met them down in Shanghai. That was the trip where someone mistook me for a chair on the subway. That was right before I'd gotten pregnant with Seoul.

I don't think my parents were planning on coming to China for a while but when I told them they'd be getting another grandchild, they then planned their upcoming visit. So very soon, Seoul will get to meet her Papa and Mimi in person instead of staring at them quizzically via Skype. Sidebar: Raelynn always asks where Papa and Mimi are if we Skype with anyone else, be it friends of mine or her own Uncle Phillip, which I think is hilarious.

In addition to this excitement, we'll also have all the hullabaloo that typically comes with the Chinese New Year. The Small Chinese New Year is coming up this week. Then, the night before my parents arrive, we'll be celebrating the official start of the year of the goat, or sheep, depending on who you ask. My husband interchanges "sheep" and "goat" quite often and I'm not sure if it's a Jeremy-thing or a Chinese-person thing. Anyone care to chime in on this? Let me know in the comments. Then, we'll be expected to make the rounds to the older relatives, bringing them gifts in the form of beer and Chinese snacks. Oooh...maybe Jumu and her husband will let me try the ginseng and opium-filled jar! I'll have to ask though I'm sure Jeremy will give me the Don't-Even Face and ruin my fun. Awww come on, Honey! Let's make our time at Jumu's house more exciting please please please!

Anyway, stay tuned for future blog posts about all this and more!