Hi everyone!
Sorry for the long break between chapters. I’ve been busy travelling, dealing with my baby and just feeling some burnout in general. Sure, the little one is super cute and all but sometimes I wish I can just call it a day, go off and be alone for a while.
So, Jan has a spot in the waiting list of a bilingual daycare and I have to wait and see how it goes. Daycare registration is… interesting. The whole process to get him enrolled is like discovering a whole new realm. Based on what they tell me about availability, I can expect him to start daycare in November or December.
That aside, we’ve travelled to Singapore in January and to New York in February. Jet-lag in babies is not something to sneeze at. The midwife at the mutterberatung (sort of an advice-giving centre for parents run by midwives) actually told me that on average, babies take one day per hour in time difference to get over jet-lag. So according to what she said, the trip to New York would take six days of adjusting, and… Her theory proved true. Side note: bring a lightweight travel stroller and be prepared to cart it up and down stairs when using the subway. Soooo much walking in NYC! My feet grew new calluses from that trip… (T.T) The trip to Singapore involved less walking but I had a health check-up and minor dermatological surgery scheduled so it wasn’t all fun and games. Sure, I could have it done in Switzerland too but I’d rather be able to read my medical reports in English and pay less since these procedures aren’t covered by insurance anyway.
I have some students taking Chinese lessons from me now so more of my time is taken up with writing teaching materials and planning for the lessons. The good thing about this is that I can re-use these lessons for future students too. Hooray! Any takers? Heh.
All in all, a busy busy year so far.
Now, Jan-Jan.
Jan started walking (or staggering) sometime in early March and he’s become quite adept at picking up tiny things too. Dangerous tiny things like cat litter and small pieces of plastic that fell off packaging, etc. It’s always a race to get to the piece first and yank it from his hands before he swallows it. The boy has strong jaws and sharp teeth too, so digging in his mouth to get that thing out will cost you eight little punctures in your hand. He’s also a tall baby so he can reach things other babies can’t. Most people do a double take when they ask how old Jan is and I say, “14 months”. This is followed by “Wow! I thought he was two!” Yep. I think he was about 82cm the last time I measured him. He’s making more fuss at mealtimes now and sometimes crying at night due to teething pains or a tummy ache (I told you not to put that in your mouth).
Sunny Lugano. 
Jan and Gigi up to mischief. She opens the door and he gets some stuff from the drawers for her. Jan wouldn’t stay still long enough for me to button him up again after a diaper change.
TL;DR – thepolarwife is busy with life and will do her best to update. Baby Jan is growing well.
ULTRA TIME WASTER: A 24-episode Chinese crime drama. Slow-ish for the first two or three episodes but it picks up and becomes real interesting later. Also features Chen Mo as a side character. Nope, not from the web-novel. You’ll see.
https://www.viki.com/tv/29266c-love-me-if-you-dare?q=love%20me
Translation Raven 
smart cat guess u will have to lock the doors with the key. wish you well and hope jan will let you have some rest.
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Only found the side today. Great translation you did there until now (as far as my own broken english can judge it^^). So I’m happy to see that the side isn’t dead like many of the other small ones.
Hope you can find the time to manage your own private life (which seems to be largely taken up by the small one) with some translations in between for us leachers. Of course children will always remain more important so take your time 🙂
I will check this side every now and then to look for an update.
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Great to hear from you! Was getting worried but glad to hear its just life keeping you busy. Jan is SO CUTE!!! You are right though that he is growing incredibly quickly though. If you don’t feel like translating, but still want to keep us up to date, I for one love these little snippets about life – something to distract us and keep us informed of the general situation. First time comment obligation, you are an absolutely fantastic translator – incredible quality, good grammar (<– I HOPE YOU REALIZE HOW NICE THIS IS… IF YOU DON'T – ITS REALLY NICE!), and a person who we can relate to – some translators lose track of their community but you never give me that feeling at least. Anyway, hope Jan keeps growing well and life starts settling down again for you. Look forward to a surprise chapter whenever you are next inspired and in the meantime feel free to just give us these quick little updates if you like!
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