The Pikes Website - The Pikes Blog http://www.roamingpikes.com/blog The blog of Christy and Tom daily 1 2006-02-27T12:00:34Z The Pikes Website - The Pikes Blog http://www.roamingpikes.com/blog http://www.roamingpikes.com/logo.jpg A Slice of Heaven! http://www.roamingpikes.com/blog/archive/2008/11/30/a-slice-of-heaven Tonight Tom went to the pinnacle of culture, so much culture some would say it was chockers. Tom went to the Speed Way tonight, it was a beautiful thing for the two qualifying races we watched before the hail arrived. It was a fantastic night...


Tom's Dinner

Litre Cars Rounding the first corner.

And then the hail came...

]]> 2008-11-30T15:42+00:00 2008-11-30 15:42:16 thwpike Photos of our time in Oz http://www.roamingpikes.com/blog/archive/2008/11/22/photos-of-our-time-in-oz Hi all, sorry we haven't blogged much from Oz. It has been a busy time catching up with lots of friends & family. We have posted a link to our facebook photos so you can see some new pictures of Peter. You can see them here.

Will try to write more soon.

]]> 2008-11-22T21:57+00:00 2008-11-27 21:38:34 capike Reflections on first day in Oz http://www.roamingpikes.com/blog/archive/2008/11/06/reflections-on-first-day-in-oz Tom, Peter & I have made it safely to Oz. The flight went well with Peter happily eating, sleeping and smiling at passengers nearby. The stewardesses were all really nice and helpful.

We spent most of our first day back at the local shoping centre doing some admin things and meeting up with friends. The shopping centre is the most amazing place in the entire world at the moment. The wide spaces to walk and the consideration for those with prams/babies is incredible compared to what we are used to. There are amazing baby/parent rooms with change tables, tvs, places to sit and so much more! Much different from trying to change Peter holding him in midair because there is no place to set him down.

The supermarket is also the most amazing place. The variety, the smell of the fresh food, the fresh bread and the ease to buy things is great. The meat section is also AMAZING!

A woman approached me while I was looking at baby things and randomly started talking to me about how it was so hot today (Maybe 21C). I didn't really know how to respond seeing how it is still 26C at night in HK so I smiled and nodded. Really a different world!

It was great to catch up with some old friends and we even ran into Katrina, who works with us in HK and just also happens to be back in town. Small world!

]]> 2008-11-06T22:16+00:00 2008-11-06 22:16:43 capike Heading to Sydney http://www.roamingpikes.com/blog/archive/2008/11/05/heading-to-sydney The three of us are heading to Sydney Wednesday morning. We hope to see many of you who are in the area. Hard to believe it has been almost a year since we left. More to come from Oz.

]]> 2008-11-05T00:51+00:00 2008-11-05 00:51:03 capike 3 months old http://www.roamingpikes.com/blog/archive/2008/10/30/3-months-old Peter is now 3 months old! We have loved seeing him grow and be able to do new things day by day. It's amazing to see how much he has grown in 12 weeks. We has big blue eyes and we are sure he is well over 7kgs now. A few photos - from day 1 to now:

It seems that little lights turn on each day and he is as excited as we are to see what he can do. The latest new achievements are noticeable although small things:

Can now grasp things (but doesn't really know what he is doing)
Drools a lot (are told there is more to come)
Smiles all the time
Sleeps through almost every night
Loves to go on walks
Talks a lot

Here are a few photos of the past few weeks; I couldn't resist getting him this tigger suit:



And finally a slightly blurry family photo...

]]> 2008-10-30T02:46+00:00 2008-11-02 12:01:55 capike A little bit jealous... http://www.roamingpikes.com/blog/archive/2008/10/22/a-little-bit-jealous I (Christy) have been seeing amazing photos of the autumn colours in the US at the moment as well as photos of families going to the pumpkin patch** to choose out a pumpkin. I must admit I am a little jealous and wish we could take Peter to a pumpkin patch although he wouldn't really remember it this year. The colours look beautiful and I can picture the cool air this time of year.

Of course, I did walk outside today and it was down to 29c and maybe 80% humidity and I thought "what a nice cool day!"

I am scheming as to how to get Peter by a pumpkin. They are selling them (small ones) at our supermarket for about $10USD!

**A pumpkin patch is more than a kid's clothing store in Australia. It is a farm where kids are allowed to come and choose out a pumpkin from the field, pet some baby animals and generally have a good time. I did it many years ago when I was little.

]]> 2008-10-22T01:02+00:00 2008-10-22 01:02:57 capike Peter with his Teddy Bears http://www.roamingpikes.com/blog/archive/2008/10/16/peter-with-his-teddy-bears

]]> 2008-10-16T01:43+00:00 2008-10-19 19:18:11 capike Peter out and about http://www.roamingpikes.com/blog/archive/2008/10/16/peter-out-and-about Peter attended his second wedding this past weekend. We searched the markets to find him a little outfit (which is much harder to do for little boys than girls!) We managed to find him this cute little Chinese one that lasted most of the day without too many spills.

You will notice that he is asleep in lots of these. We always get asked how he is sleeping at night. The answer is he consistently sleeps from 10pm-4:30/5:30am and varies sleeping during the day from very little to 3 hours at a time. He has started to talk back to you when you speak to him and is becoming more aware of his surroundings. We can tell he can see a lot more as he looks around and tracks objects with his eyes. He has also started to graso his hands together as well as grab other things in reach.

Here are a few more photos of him with us:

]]> 2008-10-16T01:40+00:00 2008-10-19 19:32:05 capike What are you willing to pay $10 for? http://www.roamingpikes.com/blog/archive/2008/10/15/what-are-you-willing-to-pay-10-for Was wandering through the supermarket yesterday admiring some imported food items that I would buy if living in the US. However, here they cost a bit more.

Here's a few examples of items that cost about $10USD here:

1 box Honey Nut or Regular Cheerios
1 pack of 8 hot dogs
1 tub of Yogurt
1 pack of sliced sandwich meat (12 slices)
1 bag of 3 type shredded cheese
1 pack of Bacon

So, what would you be willing to pay?

At the end of the day, we look at them on the shelf and pass them by for cheaper options.

]]> 2008-10-15T15:53+00:00 2008-10-19 19:34:10 capike Mr Smiley http://www.roamingpikes.com/blog/archive/2008/10/11/mr-smiley Peter has a great smile and is happy most of the time so he does it a lot now. Here are a few I got from him today.

]]> 2008-10-11T14:18+00:00 2008-10-12 01:56:47 capike And you thought the paperclip only helped you write a letter... http://www.roamingpikes.com/blog/archive/2008/10/11/and-you-thought-the-paperclip-only-helped-you-write-a-letter We were given this outfit for Peter and love it. It is still a bit too big for him as it is in the 3-6 month size but he's not far off.

]]> 2008-10-11T14:13+00:00 2008-10-12 02:01:49 capike Two months to remember http://www.roamingpikes.com/blog/archive/2008/10/03/two-months-to-remember The past few months have been rich in events. We have had so many friend’s birthdays to celebrate, a very good friend’s wedding, baby showers, baby’s arrivals and other events. It has been really special as these events have involved some of our closest friends here in HK. We have so enjoyed be able to celebrate these occasions with them.

The newest thing to celebrate is the arrival of the 3^rd baby on team. This one a little girl named Hannah. Last week, Peter’s new little friend Finlay arrived on Christy’s birthday as well. Peter is celebrating his 9^th week of life today and did so by sleeping through the night for the first time. He also had his first round of some vaccines yesterday and took them very well compared to the other kids in the clinic. As we sat waiting, several other mothers and relatives came up to us to stare at him. I think they were looking at his blue eyes. We also went to the hospital to see the new baby and several people stopped to come over and see Peter as we waited in the hallway.

We celebrated Christy’s 30^th with a trip to the local hotel for a buffet dinner and then a family night away. Tom also threw a big surprise party with a Mexican theme. We had a lot of wonderful Mexican food and even a cake made to look like a sombrero!

Peter has made 2 trips to Disneyland and has met Mickey & Minnie. His first ride was it’s a small small world which he had his eyes open through but not sure how impressed he was about it.

We have seen 5 typhoons/tropical storms come very close to Hong Kong since July and are watching another one that should arrive in a couple of days. It brings a lot of wind & rain as well as many broken tree branches all over the site.

Tom has been busy with a long list of things since his return to work a few weeks ago. He has been working on a lot of electrical design/planning for the “Blind Xperience” which is a simulation activity to help people relate to what it is like to be blind. This has been a massive project for him requiring a lot of time and many trips to an area of town called Sham Shui Po where you can buy any electrical/computer gadget known to man.

Christy has been busy looking after Peter and learning how to manage time to get things done as he is sleeping. The top 2 things people ask everyday are 1) how is he sleeping? and 2) how is he eating? And then the comment of “you look really good considering” has been heard many times. She has been taking Peter out of the house to visit our fair trade café onsite (which is what she was managing before he was born) and introducing him to the world of fair trade coffee and chocolates.

We have really loved having Peter in our lives. His addition has not turned our lives upside down or thrown it into chaos as some hinted it would. He has been such a calm, happy baby that has made life so much fun.

On a final note, thanks to all who have sent us emails, letters, gifts and encouragement. We are slowly getting around to sending out thank you letters and photos so please bear with us!

]]> 2008-10-03T21:54+00:00 2008-10-03 21:59:11 capike Typhoon craziness this year http://www.roamingpikes.com/blog/archive/2008/10/02/typhoon-craziness-this-year We are watching the weather this week as another typhoon/tropical storm is headed straight for Hong Kong. This is about the 5th or 6th since the end of July. These storms aren't as intense as a hurricane but they bring a lot of wind & rain for a day or two. So far they haven't actually "hit" us but come very close.

Click on this link to see the tracker: http://www.hko.gov.hk/wxinfo/currwx/tc_pos.htm

]]> 2008-10-02T11:50+00:00 2008-10-02 11:50:24 capike A place for a baby http://www.roamingpikes.com/blog/archive/2008/09/30/a-place-for-a-baby Yesterday Tom & I took Peter in to town with us. We have to take public transport around which is a bit daunting with a stroller/pram so at this point we are carrying him in a couple different slings. All went well on the way in and Peter enjoyed his time at the Starbucks.

However, after his nap, he woke up in the middle of a gigantic shopping centre in need of a change and very hungry. We went looking for a place to change him and perhaps sit down and feed him. Sadly we couldn't find a change table and ended up with a really angry upset & hungry little one.

In the end he did get a change and then was fed as we walked around the shops as there was no place to sit down. People stare at us all the time now and especially Tom carrying a big blue sling with one tiny foot poking out the edge.

We have become so aware how difficult it is for the elderly, disabled, pregnant & families with children to travel in the city. There are stairs everywhere with no option of a ramp, lift or alternate route.

]]> 2008-09-30T19:35+00:00 2008-09-30 19:35:41 capike Mum and Dad Pike Visit http://www.roamingpikes.com/blog/archive/2008/09/14/mum-and-dad-pike-visit For the past couple of weeks we've had Tom's parents here in Hong Kong. The other weekend we went out to Lantau to see the old houses where we used to live, below are the photos of our houses; buildings 16, 20 and 69:

We also walked around the village where we lived:

We also did a bit of sight seeing around Hong Kong:

Mum and Dad also had time with baby:

]]> 2008-09-14T00:21+00:00 2008-09-14 00:21:39 thwpike