One month (and counting) in Beijing, China

We've officially been in Beijing for a month, and it's been amazing so far.We arrived right when fall was ending and winter was starting up! Bundling up isn't all that new to me, these days I've traded in my tarha and abaya for a beanie and an N95 mask. My hair and face are still covered, but at least now I don't get in trouble when I walk alone.The anxiety of crossing the streets of Beijing is real. I've survived by praying under my breath while keeping up with the frenetic cadence of other pedestrians. Luckily, there's a 24-hour fruit store just around the corner we can frequent without having to cross any intersection of death.Produce is fresh, affordable, and bizarrely humongous here. Thank you, genetically modified food! Because how else would you feed a population of 1.4 billion people, right?Despite the language barrier, people here have been quite helpful and patient with me. The other day, an elderly lady came up to me at our local noodle joint and proceeded to give me what I assume is advice on my crying baby. She kept pointing to the sky and then to my baby's tummy. I told her I couldn't speak Mandarin (YET!), but that my baby is quite warm and safe from the cold weather. I don't know why I bothered, she clearly didn't understand me. But she just smiled and then went back to her table.I keep getting asked if I'm homesick. Truth is, I don't know what that word means. So, no, I'm not homesick and I don't expect to be. I'm glad I'm here, and that my little family is finally complete (Meatball, we're coming back for you buddy!) and we can brave the winter together with lots of cuddling.