A Second, Of Two Excursions

The Second was the hour, hour and half family time snatched in between Kings’ meetings as he prepares to travel again. Well to be exact we uh, snatched about 30, 40 minutes, hung around while he had the meeting at a nearby table, then snatched another about 30, 40 minutes, many of which he was umm driving us home. He will wheels down late Sunday night and spend the night home, before we all pick up again the next day.

Rockstars In Da House. Cova, Alexandra House. Little Miss appears unimpressed by Rockstar’s Spy Watch.

So we brought the circus to the Kings, discovered why there are no other strollers in da house. (But then at Mother Care in Prince Building they would all mysteriously materialize – how did everyone deal with…………

…this?)

The whole time Little Miss is determinedly toddling where the work warriors are speed walking, I’m thinking Wow This Is As Un-kiddie-place As We Get. The Rockstars score more annoyed looks (if anyone actually looks at them) than indulgent ones, the latter either from older aunties/ uncles, or the odd expat. I am amazed, how many speed walking work warriors actually look 1.5 feet above the floor. Everyone just swerves around The Earnest Toddler Who Is Waving Madly. It’s just amazing. Some have expressions like: It’s A Toddler. How Did It Get Here?! (Replace “toddler” with cow/goat/chicken/alien and you will just about get the right picture)

At one point, a business meeting right next to our table breaks forth….. a portfolio of children’s books. (In itself super surprising. Those look like proper work blazers I made myself wear when it was my turn to present to the RMs (much preferred writing from my desk though)). Unfortunately Rockstar strangely decides to clam up and concentrate on his bacon and eggs. (He hardly ever does that now – too bad, or I would’ve taken photos, business suited expats asking his opinion on a portfolio with kiddie book illustrations. Instead, he quickly looks away when they catch him watching and open up the whole thing to show him. I missed the conversation because I was minding the Miss – by the time I make it back to the table he’s clammed up <disappointed> :()

Little Miss shows off her walking skills (racked and racked my brains after being asked several times both online and off… I actually don’t know exactly when Little Miss officially walked – she cruised for a long time and at one point I kinda forced her to get back down on her knees and crawl, whereupon she proceeded to do what another mum (interestingly, from Budapest) called a “lazy crawl” – with one foot to the floor instead of both knees down. Mum From Budapest described how her daughter had been recommended physical therapy to make her crawl properly – which was basically grab Little Miss’ lazy foot and make her crawl with both knees down. So that’s what I’d been doing. IF she crawls. Anyway she mostly does that now, but she walks 80, 90% of the time. All I remember now is around her 1st birthday another mum friend looked up while we were at the pool and was surprised to find her walking completely unaided next to the water. I think for about a month+ before that she was cruising a few steps at a time….

Rockstar walked before his first birthday too, actually, and crawled way, way better. Mainly because he badly wanted to play ball with the dog. But Little Miss is more gabble-y and responsive to even mild facial expressions. I think it’s a girl thing…)

WHERE are our eggs? Little Miss protests being put back in the stroller because I think the food’s coming

It’s not a bad idea to split the Cova big breakfast between The Rockstars, actually – at HKD 128 the two eggs any way (hard boiled – which stumped them a little because they have hard boiled for the salads but it’s cold. Don’t let them hard boil from scratch, it takes forever and they might give up. Just have them pop the cold eggs in hot water to warm em up a bit) are easily divvied up, while Rockstar polishes off the sliver of bacon and lone sausage he declares to be quite yummy, if a little chewy. He’s spreading butter on his toast when Little Miss, who was up at 5-something that day (a.k.a. a bad day), fusses, drains her breast milk and falls asleep quickly (thank heaven!) in her sling. Whereupon I munch my ham and cheese omelette and my toast with a scrumptious marmalade, while pouring my Earl Grey with an unshaking, unstressed-out hand! <preens> (Oh, and my omelette breakfast was HKD 98. Damn I forgot food pictures again <unpreens>)

Rockstar poses with Spy Watch (don’t ask)

And then Rockstar has to stop at Bookazine’s beanbag in front of what is usually The Wiggles (or whatever they’re called) on tv because it’s cooler to wait for me there while I browse Mothercare. My standard parting greeting before moving to the next store? “Don’t move from there. And if anyone tries to pick you up, scream at the top of your lungs.” Central Hong Kong, with the heavy security cameras and outspoken locals, is safe.

(An incredible luxury to me. Another mum told me of a locally-reported MTR would-be kidnapping sometime back – woman with young child enters train cabin. Child pipes up “Where’s my mum?” as they try to get off at the next stop. Locals stop the woman, “Aren’t you the mum? And where’s your diaper bag, you’re not carrying any mum things.” Couple enters cabin looking for their child. Woman takes off sans child before anyone can stop her.

That’s an unverified story told to me by another mum during one of the times they tell everyone to be on the alert for kiddie kidnappings from the Mainland. I would like to say I would like to think it’s true, except then that also means the bit where someone tried to walk off with someone else’s child is also true. But I tell this story as an instance when I really, really liked “Hong Kong Outspoken-ness.”)

And Little Miss browses…. what are those, crayons? She liked the clattery sound the boxes made…

(To the tune of I’m Too Sexy) “I’m too cute for crayons”

And then we tried to cut across Landmark with the stroller because at least there were escalators instead of steps.

Whereupon this Dior store renovation billboard was too good a photo op to miss.

Dis Dior is a landmark, ok. A…. landmark. In… Landmark. Just how do I come up with this stuff? But it really is. I have had French-speaking big bosses from Geneva arrange to meet their wives in front of this store.

Kudos to Kings for being able to stand still long enough for me to get Her Highness out of the stroller and into her Shoo Shoes. Her Highness? Nnot so much.

Rockstar does a bang up job of trying to keep her still but….

“I’m too cute to stand still”

 The Ends.

ps: Yes “fans”! That’s your Kaloo halter bubble! Very easy to put on/ change a diaper/ layer! Super loves!