Our Christmas Card

Christmas Eve

We enjoyed a wonderful sunny Christmas Eve day together! Our staff Christmas party filled the morning and early afternoon. Our Bastke-ball bump got lots of love pats and cuddles from our co-workers and family. We had an afternoon of resting and delighting. And a very sweet and quiet Christmas Eve time together on the roof. It's nice that both Daniel and I grew up opening gifts on Christmas Eve. We have shared traditons and are making our own too.

Over 40-weeks with our little BB.

Oh, Tannenbaum! Oh, sweet little Christmas tree!

Still waiting for God's perfect timing to meet our precious Christmas gift :)

Getting Ready for Baby and Christmas

Our dear/creative/artistic friend Ashley put this Christmas/Diaper cake together for my Christmas Baby Shower in Nov. It is now a fun part of our baby's "corner" in our little rooftop apartment.

A bigger glimpse of our baby's quarters :) We'll be personalizing more decorations for the walls once we know who our baby is!

Chi Chi is excited about the baby and Christmas!

Taipei is also being filled with Christmas decorations. Though Christmas is not a holiday, may these reminders set off curiosity in hearts. This "Let is Snow" giant snowglobe is at a cram school that is part of our apartment building.

We had fun getting some Christmas packages and cards together and "On the Go" across the ocean!

Christmas Baby Carols

I am so enjoying the Christmas music of the season! Last Sunday we had a Bluegrass band lead the worship time at church and we all sang Christmas songs together. Our little rooftop is also filled with Christmas music, songs are on my iPod shuffle, labour soundtrack CD, and in our hearts a glow for the season.

This brought me back to some Christmas Baby Carols that were created and sung at my baby shower last month. Here they are!

Deck the Nursery (Deck the Halls)
Deck the nursery with boughs of diapers
Wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa
Parents are now bottom wipers
Wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa
Don we now our little onsies
Wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa
Babies sure are lots of funzies

See the breast pump now here before us
Wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa
Nightitme has never been joyous
Wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa
Feed the baby
2 am, 4 am, wa wa wa
I'll sleep later, I hope, maybe
Wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa

Fast away the first year passes
Wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa
Now the kid is off to classes
Wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa
Out the door our kid is flying
Wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa
Empty nest parents are crying
Wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa

Away on an Island (Away in a Manger)
Away on an island of mangoes and tea
The little Bastke laid down his sweet head
The stars in sky were covered with smog
The little baby Bastke asleep on the roof.

The dogs loudly barking the baby awakes
But little Baby Bastke no crying he makes
We love you sweet baby your eyes are sparkling
We'll stay by your crib and sing German lullabies.

Be near us Lord Jesus, we ask Thee to stay
Close by us forever and love us we pray
Bless all our seven children in they tender care
And take us to ORTV to work with Doris there.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Diapers everywhere
Take a look in every room, baby stuff everywhere
With bottles and wipes a glow.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Toys in every room
But the prettiest sight to see is the baby fast asleep
In his own big crib.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Sleep is hard to find
With circles under my eyes, onesies on the lines
I'll catch up on sleep when he's off to school.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
The joy of being a mom
Eating fast food, chasing him around
I'll remember this time with JOY!

Do You Hear What I Hear?
Said Peng Meng Hui to Nancy
Do you hear what I hear?
A baby, on the rooftop
Do you hear what I hear?
A cry, a scream, it's waking Buddy up
With a voice as loud as a truck
With a voice as loud as a truck

Said Little Angus to Stevie
Do you smell what I smell?
It smells worse than the kitchen drain
Do you smell what I smell?
A poopy diaper up above our heads
With a stench that fills up the sky
With a stench that fills up the sky

Said Andrea to Daddy B
Do you see what I see?
In your bed warm sleep dad
Do you see what I see?
A child, a child is waiting to be fed
Let us bring him warm milk in bed
Let us bring him warm milk in bed

Said the sisters to the Bastkes
Listen to what we say
Baby is a precious gift
Listen to what we say
The child, the child God's given unto you
He will bring you joy and zhufu
He will bring you joy and zhufu

Swimming

A few weeks ago I went to the Nei Hu Sports Park for a Saturday morning swim. I hadn't been for a while, so it was nice to head over to that area again. As I waited for the elevator I noticed a poster advertising new Aqua fit classes for December. What pulled me in to read past the Chinese characters was a picture of a foreigner. And there I was – me and my pregnant self in a bathing suit, in the water, smiling at the camera the traditional Asian picture sign (bunny ears, victory). I just had to laugh out loud. I though I was just taking an innocent photo with one of the friendly Aqua fit instructors. You never know how things go here. Oh, my!

I recently found a pool just two blocks behind our apartment that I've now been swimming at. Being able to walk there within five minutes has been such a blessing! The friendly neighbourhood gym gave me a special rate to use the pool as long as I can before the baby comes. I've been almost every day for over a week, and hope to keep going as long as I can. Swimming has been such a blessing my entire pregnancy, but especially in these last weeks and now days. I feel my best in the water, and I think the baby really likes it too. It's also helped my swelling tremendously.

I think our little BB will be quite the swimmer – we swam a 5 KM ocean swim when he/she was just a little appleseed (5 weeks old), got to swim in Lake Huron this summer at home, in pools throughout Taiwan, and may even have a water birth. The birthing centre we are going to also offers newborn swimming therapy. Daniel and I saw a baby doing this while we visited. I wish you could see Daniel's impression of this. Our little one may also give it a try!

Until then . . . I'll keep on swimming! :)

How Pumpkin Pie Is Made

My mother-in-law sent this! :) I had to post it!

Future Bastkes?

We were wonderfully blessed by our dear sisters here with a Christmas JOY Baby Shower. It was a twinkle light celebration of delight with some fun new discoveries. One of the shower games particualrity set off great laughter and brought our future generations to a new point of creation - with photos, scissors, and tape! Each team of two was given an original photo of Daniel and I. Participants then cut out our features and pasted together a possible picture of our little BB in the future. Teams choose the gender, name, and the look from mama and papa.

These are the two original pictures of us that were used.
Meet Meet Ezra Johan Bastke. He's got a long face and friendly smile.

Meet Zechariah Christian Luke Bastke. He looks like that friendly guy you'd just want to be friends with. Creators Naomi and Lisa also saw an Amish influence. I totally seem my nephew Christian in him.

Meet Taroko Bastke. She's a fun girl who likes to run. She has her father's bangs and her mother's body in her hair. She's named after Taiwan's Taroko Gorge. This where her parent's relationship blossomed into a dating one. It was also where her mama ran a marathon with Auntie Rachel.

Meet Samuel Lucas Bastke. Samuel is a name from the Old Testament that means answer to prayer. Lucas comes from the New Testament. The book of Luke shares the Christmas story. Lucas in the German form of "Luke."

Meet Isabelle Carol Bastke. She is athletic (look at her broad shoulders) and edgy (with her fun haircut). "Carol" is in honour of her birth season where Christmas Carols are sung. Daniel thinks she is goofy, yet intelligent. The kind of girl you'd meet in an AP course.

Meet Christiana Sparkle Bastke. She definitely takes after her father. Daniel thought it was weird to see what's he'd look like as a girl.

As Daniel said, "Thankfully God is in charge of our child's features." :) But this was a fun and a little wacky wild look at a possible Bastke troop. :)

Are You Hungry Tonight?

“Elvis ate macaroni and cheese at home whenever possible. He loved it homemade, thick, gooey, and made with American cheese.”

I got this cookbook from Campbell and Linda for my birthday in March. Tonight the title question pulled me in with an affirmative response and I tried the macaroni and cheese recipe. I made a few changes – macaroni to fusolini, dry mustard – Dijon mustard, and I didn't add any salt. I think I used a casserole dish that was a little small, so the gooeyness didn't spread throughout the dish, but it's the only one that fits into our little counter top oven. Are You Hungry Tonight? :)

Mama Bear

The mama bear in me is coming out! Last week while hiking in the morning, two dogs decided to mess with the mama bear. I started scolding them like I've not done before. When there owner turned the corner, I got very embarrassed, but she took one look at my belly and started scolding them with me. Thankfully, they whimpered away, and I don't think they'll be messing with the mama bear again. Another example of this is in Taipei traffic. It's always been especially challenging when trying to cross the street at one crossing in particular. But now I take it into my own hands. I've become a traffic cop as I have my hands out and signal cars to stop. Last week a car still chose to cut me off. I took my umbrella and hit the car with a vengeance as it crossed my path. It was at that moment, that I realized I need to control the mama bear. Being protective is a natural response, but how can I do that while still showing grace? It's a balance this mama bear is striving for. And what will I be like once our baby is outside of me? Daily lessons are to be learned. Until then I'll keep eating my berries and crossing the road with my umbrella in hand, but connected to my heart.

Aqua Fit

On Saturday I went to the pool and had an invigorating 45 minute swim. I feel my best in the water these days! Baby and I just weren't ready to get out of the pool yet, so I just enjoyed soaking in a quieter part of the pool a little longer. That's when a very enthusiastic fitness instructor came up to me and invited me to join a promotional Aqua Fit class. I pointed out my belly, and he said this it's fine for me as “Mama.” I waddled out to the pool area where the class was filled with about 30 other participants already. We all exchanged our mandatory swim caps for special ones with the name of the sponsor of this class in bold letters on all four sides of the cap. This made the photo opportunities more sponsor friendly :) We also got to borrow webbed gloves for our hands and the class began. We had two “energizer bunny” type instructors and all the participants were incredibly into the moves, motions, grunts we were to make and songs we sang along to. At one point we were all bouncing in the water and singing “We Are Family!” That was only topped by the conga line as we all danced around the pool together. I've been to my share of aqua fit classes, but none quite like this. It was one of those surreal moments where I thought, “Why am I alone for moments like this?!” I rubbed my belly and I felt like Sparkle Bean and I were joying and giggling together over the randomness of this class. Oh, Baby, just you wait for all the adventures we'll keep having! Throughout the class the instructors continued to refer to me as “mama” and offered some modified “mama moves” for some of the exercises. I had to sneak out of the class early, but still got a few photos with one of the instructors before I left. And they proudly told me to keep my new swimming cap :)

Daniel thinks my new swimming cap is pretty cool :)

Square Dancing

After a trying time with a taxi driver who didn't understand where I wanted to go I was pretty huffy as I was walking down the street again. A very friendly driver came up to me and said he could help me. This friendly, warm man was so welcoming, and I soon found myself in his taxi on my way home. Though I began the trip deeply engaged in the book I was reading, our conversation pulled me out and continued until I was home. The kind driver's English was fantastic. I asked him where he learned English so well, and his response began with an “S” . . . I immediately thought he was going to say, “Studio Classroom.” :) But no, he continued with “Square Dancing!” This put a whole new dosey doe in our conversation. Turns out this dear man is a square dancing instructor in Taipei and has been to several square dancing conferences and competitions all over America. He told me city kids aren't into square dancing and it's been a challenge to keep the clubs going. I tried to encourage him as best I could. Memories of my square dancing days at public school and even taking the top prize in our high school competition came to mind. An ESL learner who can understand square dancing calls and music prompts is truly advanced. Teaching “swing your partner” would make a very fun ESL class! Bless this dear square dancing taxi driver's heart!

Everything's coming up BABY!

Our apartment is housing more and more baby items. We are getting ready for our new roofmate while baby is still my wombmate :) Chichi helped us try out a few new baby items :)

Can't wait to carry Baby Bastke in the Baby Bjorn.
Bouncy Chair for BB :)
Baby B will be strolled about with stylin new wheels! Thank you, Doris!

A crib in our crib!

We've been able to buy these things second hand from other ex-pat families in the area. We are thankful for connections and the generousity of others. We also just recently picked up a baby bath that a family was giving away. Everything's coming up Baby!

The Scale

This is the scale I stand on before I see my doctor during his hospital clinic hours. It stands at the front of the waiting room with many seats for waiting patients looking on. At first it was rather intimidating to stand on the scale in front of a crowd of patients and weigh myself before going to see the nurse. That followed by announcing my weight to the nurse so she can write it in my “mama book” :) Now I find it just hilarious and jump in the scale with precise efficiency, mentally record the result and then join the others waiting. It is also incredibly interesting to watch the other mamas maneuver on the scale. Some take their time to get the exact number right, others enlist moms, husband and friends to help them get the exact reading. Sometimes the husbands, moms and accompanying kids then all take their turn on the scale. You also see the random passerby jump on the scale just because it is there.

I've long sworn off of scales for my own personal sanity, but I recognize this as an important part of our baby's journey. It's been quite freeing actually, and I enjoy the scale shows at each doctor visit. That's scale shows, don't mix that up with what the scale shows :)

The Park

I enjoyed lunch on a beautiful sunny day in the park this week. I'm glad I had my camera to capture the scene about me and just take it all in. I got takeout pasta (mustard chicken noodles) so good! And enjoyed the refreshment in The Word and in God's beauty about me.

Dry Cleaners

We walk by a dry cleaners on our way to and from work every day. Often times I marvel at some of the things that are hanging out to dry -wedding dresses, evening gowns, curtains, etc. It must have been wash day for Lamb and Teddy :)

30 weeks!

Our little Baby Bastke has grown from a poppy seed to a cabbage! What a miracle within my womb. These past few weeks have been especially active as our little BB pulls out the sumo wrestling moves! Sometimes the movements are still just little butterfly wings that calm this mama's heart. Makes me feel that BB is saying, “Mama, I'm still right here.” Other times they are full on soccer or flutter kicks. Other times it's a mystery of trying to grasp these new motions in utero. It's truly amazing – our little miracle and gift from God – life within.

Entering the 30s has made this point in the pregnancy journey much more of a reality. In ten weeks, our little one will be full term, and the countdown takes on a whole new feeling. Can't say I'm ready to be done being pregnant yet. I'm thankful for ten weeks of Daniel and me time before we blossom into three. But it sure does make me think a lot more about the reality of holding our little one in our arms of love. I find myself thinking about so many things from labour and delivery, to our doula and doctors, to sleeping schedules, to getting a crib, to sharing with the grandparents, to actually having this baby in Taiwan, to having a water birth, to really needing my mom, to wonderment and awe, to craving chocolate, to watching swelling, to making it through each day at the office, to little onesies, to little fingers and toes, to books to read, and so so so much more. In all of this and through the little discomforts and discoveries there is such joy!

BB and me - 30 weeks :)

Moments, Morsels and Mozart

A Mozart Ball or Mozartkugel in German (sounds a little more refined in German) is one of my favourite chocolaty indulgences. It's the layered nougat, green pistachio, and marzipan covered with dark chocolate that looks rather artistic and blends with a melt in your mouth composition. These confectionery treats have had a special spot in my sweet heart since I first tried one in Germany. I remember spotting them at the Christmas market and at some of the popular German stores in our area at home. They must be savoured morsel by morsel. One ball alone can last you a while and set off Mozart's Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in your heart.

Daniel found a heart-shaped box in Taipei for me and surprised me for our very first Valentine's Day together. He figaroed it out. I think that's the last time I had this musical treat . . . until last week. One of Daniel and Steve's student's at our Friday Night Live Bible Study recently returned from a trip to Salzberg, Austria. Bless this student for thinking of her teachers! Daniel handed me his little boxed treat and Steve followed suit. They are good men! Talk about Purple Peppers in a box!

I have been rationing my four Mozartkugeln. I seek to find and have found the perfect moments to marriage the flavours, taste bud dance, and memories of savouring, to enjoy them. Oh, and I did offer to share with Daniel and Steve . . . but I guess I am sharing with Baby B :)

Breathing in the Goodness with the Brodersen side!

Mom and my nephew Christian met us at the airport when we arrived in Toronto. They had to wait a long time for us as we had to wait a long time for our luggage. Christian had a great attitude as he said, "It was an adventure!" What a sweet reunion with my side of the family too! My dad and brother met us at the pick up area. My mom made an incredibly special "bib and onsie bouquet" for "the little mamale" as she now calls me. We now have it in our baby's corner back in Taipei too.
We got back to New Hamburg and found our own personalized mugs from Yosemite. A souvenier from my parent's 45th anniversary roadtrip in June. Ha ha! They are fun!
Mamale and her son-in-law! So fun to have time with my parents and Daniel together again.
Dad still does his daily New Hamburg round on his bike. We also enjoyed some little day trips together like going to the Farmer's Market in St. Jacobs. We enjoyed all the good Mennonite treats, baked goods and fresh produce.

Mamale shops for peaches.

We also enjoyed our time at Timmies! Ah, Tim Horton's truly is a Canadian Institution.

Daniel and I had a day trip to Stratford. We walked along the Avon river and enjoyed the park and wildlife. The city was filled with tourists getting ready for a matinee performance at the famous Stratford festival. It was great for people watching too!
Our traditional goodbye picture was taken in our driveway this time. We were off to my brother's place close to Toronto. My parents were off to the airport to pick up our dear Tante Ute who arrived in the afternoon of the day we left in the evening.
We got to have dinner with Tante Ute before it was our turn to go to the airport. And we were able to get one quick picture! Tante Ute is such a vibrant bundle of energy. I was also glad Daniel got to meet her before we left. Our goodbyes were again incredibly hard as they just don't get easier, and I guess that's part of living away from family. We were so incredibly thankful for our time together. And already look forward to our next family time with our little baby too!

We spent the long weekend at one of my family's favourite spots - Red Bay on Lake Huron. Our church has a little retreat centre that we could rent out. We retreated there for five days over the Labour Day long weekend. Daniel was pretty excited to experience this!
Daniel was the cameraman with his apprentice, Christian. One day Christian's camera will come off of his shirt :) We love Lake Huron this much!
Daniel and the boys got into the sand. I heard one little girl on the beach ask her mom if Daniel was Sauble Beach's famous sand sculptor :)
We also went to Ontario's famous Sauble Beach!We went on a day trip to Tobermory, and enjoyed a nice picnic in the woods.
We gave a hoot and didn't pollute! Saw this royal owl named Einstein at the nature centre. What incredible eyes he has!

I got one of my favourite ice cream cones - Tiger Tale. It's orange and licorice ice cream!

With a skilled photographer named Daniel in our family now, we had a family photo shoot.

The boys are fans of the Jungle Cafe!Can't tell you how much I relished in the moments of rest and refreshment. So good for this mama!

Meet Elmer. He was created by Daniel. I added the bow tie to give him a little happy sparkle. Elmer needed a little encouragement. He's one of many clay creations by Daniel and the boys. Flying son and sunsets - My brother and his Jonah.
Our drive to and from Red Bay took us through Mennonite areas. On our way home to New Hamburg, we found some nice buns at Harvey's. Harvey's is my favorite fast food place at home!
Time with family . . .