May 31, 2004
Meet Sophia Jia-rong Ann Ingoldsby
Daddy's little girl!
May 28, 2004
May 27, 2004
Hong Kong
The last time I was here was in 1994. This time is better for a whole slew of reasons. 10 years ago, I was staying at Chung King Mansions (known to anyone who's hosteled in Asia), and now I'm in a 5-star, looking at Hong Kong Island. In 1994, it rained every day I was here. Today is a beautiful morning, just a few clouds, and low 80's.
And of course, the purpose of my trip tops the list. Today is my only slacking day. Going to my company's HK office for a brief meeting and lunch, picking up the train tickets, getting used to the time difference, and hopefully meeting up tonight with Nuttaphol's sisters for dinner.
Katie is due here at 10am. This is her first time to Asia. I have a feeling she's going to be wiped out, but if she can rally, I'm guessing we'll do a little sightseeing as well. I'll have to greet her with a strong coffee in hand.
The Adventure Begins...
...in Hong Kong, after a long flight, and a difficult goodbye to Christi. I'm just hoping that Baby B can hold on for an extra week.
Katie (Christi's sister & my 2nd set of hands) will fly into HK tomorrow morning, and we head to Guangzhou via train on Saturday.
Here we go folks!
May 22, 2004
A Trial Run
So we spent the last night packing, and packing, and packing. I bought this enormous rolling suitcase by Swiss Army (black, very cool) that I thought would fit Baby A's stuff plus a little of mine. Not so. We have stuffed that bag, and it contains most of her things.
This is very counter-intuitive for me. My dad worked for the airlines, so I would pack two weeks of clothes into a carry-on.... a tradition that I proudly continue to this day. Christi is on the other side of the spectrum but we won't go there.
So my trial run was a suitcase at my side (real run will have two), Baby Bjorn on my chest (the cat wouldn't get in though), and diaper bag on my back (thanks Judy & David). It wasn't easy but it was accomplished. I still plan to act every bit the bumbling dad on the plane ride back and see how much sympathy I can conjour up with the flight attendants.
May 18, 2004
A new server....
So Christofu.net has moved locations and my buddy Corbett, who is kind enough to host this site for me as well as provide his plethera of knowledge as a web monkey, has been working out some of the kinks. Below is a picture of us. We have been friends since 1983 when I was a Boulder freshman with a habitual habit of wearing oxford shirts. Boy did that change quickly.
Corbett grew up in Denver, and he and several of his high school friends quickly became my band of brothers that still keeps in touch to this day, although we've gone in different directions. Here's a summary (name, residence, job/activitiy)
Corbett - Taiwan - Entrepreneur/Musician
Frank - Singapore - Restauranteur (who I had dinner with in SF last night)
Tom - Brooklyn - School Teacher
Paul - Denver - Commercial Real Estate
Zeke - Denver - CPA, Business Owner
Neal - Denver - Investment Analyst
Me - SF Bay Area - Corporate Currency Trader
It's been 20+ years fellas.
Ready to go (kind of)
So it's been a while since I've posted, basically due to all the last minute things that "need" to be done. We've had the nursery ready for ages, but now there is always "something" that has to be taken care of.
Ultimately, if I forgot everything except proper paperwork, my passport, and tickets, I would probably survive. However, there are lists (many) of what should be brought; everything from diapers to inflatable bathtubs. I hit list anxiety a couple of weeks ago, and now am becoming more zen about it. I'm sure there will be "something" that I forget to bring, but there are 20+ families that will be there to help out, and one of the best agencies to assist me through the process.
May 02, 2004
Names revisited
4/30 was a deadline to give the agency the name that we will be giving our child. We made it through the mediation without any bloodshed and think we both feel good about it. We also have a name for the 2nd baby. Curious? You'll have to wait. We're keeping it to ourselves until the arrival of Baby A (or Baby B if he decides to arrive early).