Two Weeks in Taiwan: Model Baby

Behold Luke's ever-adoring fans of all ages!

Mostly oblivious, he charmed them with his blonde hair and beautiful blues while trying to make friends with all of the little Asian toddlers. 

He did have a breaking point, however, like when some lady picked him up and began to dance away with him amid shrieks of terror (not pictured, since mom was freaking out, too)...

or in the elevator leaving Taipei 101, when he found himself in the middle of a circle of phones and cameras and started yelling "no!" with his hand outstretched. 

 No doubt Luke is now the wallpaper on many a Taiwanese and Chinese person's "hone". 

To top it all off, we were stopped by a very eager model agency guy who begged us to move to Taiwan so Luke could model. 

(Kenny said no)

Two Weeks in Taiwan: Favorites

In addition to the sights listed, I thought I would delve more deeply into my favorite activities during the two weeks (outside of food, which deserves an entire post of its own).

#1: Shifen

Just about an hour outside of Taipei, we visited this little town the day after Chinese New Year, which meant that it was just packed. Which actually added to the fun, in a way (outside of finding parking) because all of the shops were open and all of the vendors were out and lots and lots of lanterns were being sent skyward. 

Including ours!

The main part of the town is a small street lining a rickety old train track; every forty five minutes or so you'd hear a train whistle and all of the pedestrians would empty off of the train tracks and take pictures of the absolutely jam-packed trains and then swarm onto them again once the train passed. The tracks were also where the lanterns were lit and released from, to avoid hitting buildings or getting tangled in telephone wire (both of which happened while we were there, so we got to see their New Years' dreams sadly burn). 

The lanterns are four-sided, and can be painted along the train tracks outside or inside one of the shops, and then designated attendants are there on the tracks to help light the lanterns appropriately and take pictures. 

#2: Shrimp fishing!

So hilarious. Big indoor pools of murky water, where you pay by the hour to catch shrimp they throw in there themselves. After your time is up there are sinks to clean the shrimp and big grills to grill the shrimp and tables to eat the delicious shrimp. Colton and I caught eight shrimp in an hour (which, compared to when Dallin and Colton tried and failed to get any, is pretty darn good!), but some people were pulling them out every couple of minutes. I was uncharacteristically a wuss and had a really hard time ripping off their claws and removing the hooks (pretty funny video to follow), but they sure were delicious! 

#4: Bike riding! 

No pictures, unfortunately. But Baga and I took a delightful daily ride along the Danshui River near their house, and there are typically more bike riders along the streets of Taipei than pedestrians. 

#4: Hiking! 

We did not make it down to the iconic mountain ranges of central Taiwan, but we did hike some nearby "mountains" in Taipei and the scenery was beautiful. Yes, the trails were paved and mostly made of stairs, but it still felt like you were no longer in the middle of a big city and the views were incredible. 

Happy year of the goat, everybody!

Two Weeks in Taiwan: Highlights

Luke and I just got back (a week ago) from his first international trip to visit his grandparents in Taipei. Although two weeks isn't nearly long enough to really get to know a place, it is now one of my favorite places to visit (mostly because of the food) and one of Luke's favorite places to visit because of all of the attention he got (see upcoming post).

Things we saw: 

 Chiang-Kai Shek Memorial:

Taipei 101:

Baga's Office (one of Luke's favorites):

Shifen:

Pingxe:

Wulai:

Shilin Night Market:

All highly recommended.

A post that has nothing to do with Luke!

In which: I re-upholster a chair!

Before:

After:

Voila!  Ten bucks at a garage sale.

20 Months

Seem like last month went by fast? That happens when I procrastinate one post and then manage to get another one out sort of on time!

(and look! He's sitting still! And purposefully smiling at the camera! And if you could hear him you would hear an adorable, drawn-out cheeeeeese!)

So a few words has turned into many and now we just have a little vocal toddler on our hands. Every once in a while he will revert back to grunts and shrieks and I will realize just how much I have come to rely on his verbal skills and how out of practice I am with "baby-ese". His favorite word of the month is definitely phone (pronounced "hone"); he will ask to see both mama's and dada's, and while facetiming will want to see baba's and coco's, and is happiest when grandma lines three or four phones up for him to see at once. 

He loves to repeat phrases (usually), and is pretty good at mimicking (I think), although I do realize that I understand him more than other people. By far the best part about this whole talking thing is being surprised by a word that I sure didn't teach him--like when he climbed into bed with us one morning and loudly demanded "pillow". Unfortunately, he can now ask to go outside ("side?") every fifteen minutes. 

Luke is still very friendly with adults and children, and has developed a newfound fascination for babies, but has entered the age of no-sharing; whenever little friends come over to play, Luke will quickly began gathering up his toys into his "hobo cart," as Kenny calls it (the shopping cart he got for Christmas--thank you Wheelers!), for a quick getaway. Balls are what he is most possessive about and what he mostly plays with, besides electronics and socks, and he thinks any and all belong to him. 

Luke can now open all of our doors, too, which is great fun, especially since he has figured out that he can hide in the shoe closet and shut the door behind him. He thinks he's hilarious. 

Merry Belated Christmas

And for those of you whose Christmas card got lost in the mail, here's a little taste of what you missed.

19 Months

There are really only two words to describe little Luke now: busy and bored. The next would probably be loud. He's just so unentertainable most of the time. He received a fantastic play kitchen from Mere Mere and Opa D for Christmas which kept him solidly entertained for pretty much an entire day, and I had really high hopes that the fascination would be a permanent fixture, but it has now become just another five-minute fix.



His favorite things to play with are non-toy things, like phones and remotes and keys and mom's cookware and wallets and lotion bottles (and yes, socks), and Mere Mere can attest to his continuing fascination with cupboards and drawers and all of the things he isn't allowed to touch.

We have already begun spelling out words, too, since he seems to understand everything we say (as in, he will pitch a fit if he hears the word "yogurt" and one doesn't appear in front of him in a few moments). He will still talk your ear off with incoherent babble, but some of it is actually starting to make sense and he has figured out how to string a couple of words together here and there, like when he orders me to "call dada". No is still his favorite word and is still used for both no and yes, but his yes is now more of a "noyeah", so it's a bit easier to interpret.

Luckily he still has those expressive Young faces to keep us all entertained.