Some time since I wrote last time…so what has happened since? Well, we have had some warmer weather, so we have bought outdoor furniture for our 2nd floor terrace. It is really nice to be able to sit there when the weather allows it. The need for the ayi is also obvious since everything, especially outdoors, gets dusty very fast here. I guess it is soil that blows in and I guess it is Loess soil (which I read about in school) which also gives the Yellow River its yellow color and makes dam construction a bit tricky here. Not good if the dam fills up with soil after just a few years (since it then can hold less water), so you have to have some solutions to this before starting to build the dam, like continuous working dredge machines (“mudderverk”) or other solutions. Congratulations, now you have learnt a little about dam construction! If you are interested in dams and China you could take a look at the world’s largest dam: 3 Gorges

Back to us now 
We have had some nice weather: Saturday it was 15 degrees, but yesterday only 11. It seams as spring is slowly getting here though. We have barbequed 2 times already and I guess there will be several more occasions since the BBQ-king Anders seams to have awakened.

Cool Ella	Big game hunter Gabriel

Ella & Gabriel have grown! Even more than what babies are supposed to be able to grow in only one month according to the doctor.

They are now both 20 cm's taller than when they were born!

Gabriel has started to talk a lot. Ella started 2 months ago, but Gabriel has been quieter. Now he talks all the time.  Both have very strong legs and yesterday Ella stood leaning against the sofa cushions. She was so proud since nobody held her and she tried leaning forward to really stand on her own, but she was not as good at that... It is quite amazing to see this little baby, 5.5 months old but only a little heavier than some (big) newborns, trying to stand on her own.

We have started to give the babies taste samples of food every day now and they seam to be okay with most of it, even though the first spoons seam to taste so weird. Both are still feeding every 3 hours (or less sometimes), which we hope soon will pass, since 3 hours continuous sleep only, starts to wear you down after 5.5 months. To be able to get some things done Nilda is allowed to give them formula if I am not back in time when they get hungry, which has happened 5 times until now. It gives me the sense of having sort of a life of my own though and not only as the dairy central. (Bringing the babies with me usually makes it all more of a project, especially when going by car and it takes more time.)

Now some curiosity. Money: We seam to operate with a 10 based decimal system instead of a 100 based decimal system. The coins say: 1 Jiao or 5 Jiao, but the bills and the cash registers (which are probably made for a different market) say 10 or 50. E.g.: 0.50 in a cash register would be paid with a 5 Jiao coin instead of a 50 Jiao coin (which I don't think even exist). This makes your head spin when you are desperately looking through your wallet for a 50 coin but only find 5’s, which you then believe is too little. Compare it with cents or öre, 5 is usually not the same as 50!

Hm..my intention is never to write as much but here we are again…

Yvonne