Meeting new friends and the first hair cut.

A few weeks ago we had lunch with the parents of a friend who lives in the US.  They invited a young woman that they knew and we really enjoyed talking with her.  She invited us for lunch and to meet some other family and friends.  So today, despite snow and low temperatures, we packed up the sweet baby and headed out to find a taxi to go to her house.  We got out at a busy, snowy corner where there were many men standing looking for work.  They were all interested in the baby and stopped to look at him.  It was sweet to watch these tough old men surround the stroller and ask us about the babies age, gender, name, and so on.  Of course, they asked the question that all Chinese people ask (all the time)- "Isn't he cold?"  Despite a  diaper, long johns, socks, a onesie plus a kind of union suit with feet. Also a heavy snowsuit and two hats...plus a blanket, everyone was worried that the baby was cold.  It was actually really nice.

So our friends ran across the street and we walked arm in arm on the icy road and up to their sixth floor apartment.  In China, an apartment has to have seven stories in order to have an elevator.  There are many six floor apartment buildings here, including ours.

We sat down with our friends and Paul did what he does best....talk and listen.

With our friend's father-in-law.  He is retired and now does some travelling teaching. He told us about his life in a difficult time in Chinese history.

These two sweet, single ladies both studied the same subject as Paul did in graduate school. They were sharp and really on target. They had many things to discuss.

Once again, we were served a fantastic meal.

The sweet ladies with the sweet babies.

Our host's little boy liked our little guys books.

What a sweetheart.

Our host holding our sleeping baby while her father in law buzz cuts his hair

Her husband gets in the picture.

The father-in-law finishes it off!

Perfect! 

When they finished, they gathered up all the hair and gave it to us. They told us it was traditional to gather up the hair from the first hair cut and have it made into a 毛笔 or a traditional calligraphy brush.  I think we might make two- one for us and one for his future family.