叶枫 nathan and effi groff 玉丽

One Week to Go!

Well, we are closing in on the due date (November 18).   Effi and I are on the verge of becoming full-fledged parents.  Our midwife is here waiting together with us now.  That has become the factor that alerts me to the fact that the baby will come out very soon.  I have long since got accustomed to the bulge in Effi’s belly so that doesn’t really make me feel like the baby is paricularly near.  We are excited and want to share that with all our wonderful friends and families and anyone else!

7 Months…

7 down … 2 to go…

Wonders Above

On the first day of the eighth month I saw a sign in the heavens, yea a wonder in the skies above…

 Yesterday as I was preparing dinner for my wife I looked out our kitchen window and saw the sun setting in the western sky.  Being it was almost seven o’clock I was able to look directly at the sun.  I stopped for a moment just to enjoy the magnificence of our sun.  As I did I noticed that what at first glance appeared to be a cloud partially covering the sun had a more definitive shape that a cloud normally does.  Could it be I wondered?  So I grabbed my binoculars to take a closer look.  Sure enough, a round object was covering close to half of the sun.  I was seeing a partial solar eclipse.

So immediately I ran to grab my camera and cellphone to inform my wife and some friends.  I snapped a couple pictures, called my wife and to my despair in those few minutes a mass of clouds rolled in and totally eclipsing the eclipse.

Eclipses truly are a beautiful thing.  A wonder in the skies above.  I watched a documentary that discussed some of the unique features of eclipses.  Total solar eclipses allow astronomers and scientists to observe some features of the sun that are normally unobservable.  Some interesting questions are raised about our position in the universe.  Eclipses are just one of the factors they discuss which along with many others make our location not only ideal for life, but also ideal for observation and discovey.  Our planet truly is a ‘Privileged Planet’.

See: http://www.privilegedplanet.com/

PARTIAL SOLAR ECLISPE - AUGUST 1st 2008

Xinzheng, Henan, People’s Republic of China

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Click image to see full-sized photo

Dynamic Developments

Dynamic: a synonym for moving.

Recently there have been some developments with our baby (at least we are not aware of a plurality of babies).  Why call them dynamic you might ask…  Well, that is because yesterday for the very first time I felt distinctly the movements of our baby.  And it was dynamic in more ways than one.  Effi has been feeling movements for close to two weeks now but this was the first time I was certain I felt it!  What an awesome experience, that young life starting to test the waters, starting to stretch and explore.  Excuse the simplicity, but it was SO COOL!  Exhilirating, enthralling, inspiring, intoxicating, electrifying…  Simply amazing!

So our baby is on the move…

Another development has to do with the “bulge.”  Effi is really starting to show now as you will be able to see in the pictures below.  She is looking good and healthy and carrying well but our little one is getting to big to hide!  Between the revealing of the bulge and the stirrings that we now feel the reality of the new life and the coming of parenthood is beginning to settle upon us… and it is a sweet realization.

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No Smoking Please

One thing I have never fully understood is smoking.  A lot of things have pro’s and con’s but smoking is one of those things I could never really find any legitimate pro’s for.  The con’s… most of us could list a half a dozen or more without even putting any thought to it…  addiction, cancer, inhibited athletic ability, smell, lower quality and quantity in the ’sperm count’, discoloration of teeth and on and on…

So why do people smoke… well obviously there are reasons even if we question their legitimacy…  but I do want to make a statement to anyone who does smoke… please consider others…

I like this pic cause the man (presumably the father) is doing his own selfish thing, enjoying puffin’ on his emotional booster, is oblivious to the child (presumably his) and to his wants and needs.  So self-consumed the man doesn’t even consider that he might be seriously offending others around him.  And such is our situation.  My wife is pregnant and yes, second hand smoke can have a negative effect on the life she is carrying.  People sometimes see the bulge, are aware she is pregnant, and still light up.  And I know the same thing will happen when we are holding the baby in front of them, I have seen it too many times.  No consideration for their own health or the life of those around them.

So we look at the above photo and smile because it is so cute…

but please listen to the kid - no smoking please.

Smokin’ Hot!

Sizzlin’… cookin’… unbearable…

These are but a few words to describe the heat we often experience here in the summer time.  Central China is a hot place and our home is no exception!  Recently we hit a ridiculous 40 Degrees Celsius (104 F for you Americans)… In June, 40 Celsius in the shade!  That is just too much.  If I was living on the edge of the Sahara maybe I’d expect that but not here.

 Anyway, to try to deal with the heat we are going to take a short vacation in the mountains of Yunnan.  Upon our return between Air Conditioning and one of the nearby swimming pools I think we will survive.

   … Almost 40 C in the shade in June! … 

Soccer Champs!

Recently I played on a faculty soccer team for our University Football Tournament.  Eight teams in total joined the tournament from the different colleges and departments in our school.  Our faculty team was made up of teachers and staff from within the University (I was the only non-Chinese).  The games were well played and often very intense.  This past Thursday, our team played in the final against the P.E. Students.  Both teams struggled and the final score was left at 1-0.  One for us, zero for P.E.  The lone goal was tapped in off a corner kick by yours truly allowing me to finish the tourney with 4 goals in 5 games, three of which were game winners.  Despite my four goals I personally nominate my good friend Wei Qiang 魏强 for Tournament MVP.  He is our center midfielder and without his domination in the mid-field we never would have taken the Championship.

Left: 2008 Sias Soccer Champs (The Faculty)

Right: Nate with the Championship Banner

Summer Palace 颐和园

If you are looking for a place to visit in Beijing I would highly recommend the Summer Palace.  Personally, I find Beijing a little too big to be a relaxing vacation but in our recent trip I found an attraction that I really like.  The Summer Palace (  颐和园 yi2 he2 yuan2) is located in the Northwest area of the city.  It was a paradise retreat for many Chinese Emperors in the past.  Now it has become a hotspot for tourists.  But regardless of the fact that on the day we visited there were around 30 000 visitors it was still quite beautiful and definitely worth the trip!

Nathan and Effi enjoying the gardens at the Summer Palace

View of the Main Palace (Nice Vacation Spot!)

Back to Beijing

Living as a foreigner in China it is hard to stay away from Beijing.  I find myself there every 3-4 months.  Without fail, the city looks different each time.  Beijing is definitely developing into a world class city, if it isn’t already.  One thing that impressed me was the mass transit.  The people really are very civilized in their use of public transportation for the most part.  It really looks like they are going to be ready for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Expecting?

There are a few occasions that elicit ecstatic responses.  One is marriage.  Effi and I were married just over 11 months ago.  And now another stands before us.  The anticipation that comes while expecting your first child.  Effi and I are pregnant!

You might say, “no, Effi is pregnant.”  While in one sense you would be right, she is the one who gets to carry the baby.  The reality though is this:  She carries the child, I carry the responsibility.  It’s a great partnership.  A woman does have to ‘bear the blessing’ and deal with many physical aspects related to development and expansion… lots of expansion!  But at the same time she has the privilege of having a direct, literal, physical attachment with the baby’s heart.  Did you know that their is a direct ‘pipeline’ from the mother’s heart connected to the baby’s heart?!  What and intimate privilege!  Yes, I am jealous… talk to me all day long about the struggles of pregnancy and birth and I will still be jealous!  This is a unique privilege that men and women do not share but is available to women only, and oh what a privilege it is!  The one who despises this privilege can not truly understand the miracle of life and the value of a human spirit!

As of yesterday we are officially two months pregnant.  Effi is healthy and I am excited.  Our due date is set at November 18, 2008.  As the day approaches we will post some pictures… especially as the ‘bulge’ starts to show!

Brother Comes to China

We have been rewarded this month by a visit from my brother Mike.  He has came to visit us for a couple months before heading off to university.  This is Mike’s third visit here.  It is always pleasant to have him around and the students especially enjoy his company.  This time Mike got to celebrate his birthday here.  We had a birthday dinner with cake and all to bring in his 19th year.

Lunch at our favourite place ‘Nong Jia’ (also known as Homestead)

Brothers at Birthday Dinner