The One Month Milestone

In China, when a woman has a baby, she and the baby are expected to stay in the home for one whole month. The mother is not allowed to bathe or shower, eat hard food, drink or eat anything cold, or leave the house for any reason.

I am used to leaving the house and going about my business as soon as I feel well enough, usually after only a few days. However, I adhered to the not leaving the house policy as well as I could because it was easier than having to answer the questions of the locals. I left the house to go to Zeke's or my doctor appointments, take Huck to school, and occasionally pick up Jack and Jed at the bus stop. Otherwise, I stayed home. I did, however, shower and ate whatever texture and temperature foods and drinks I wanted.

Today Tom had the day off for Martin Luther King, Jr. day. So, we went to two markets. I'd estimate that 90% of the Chinese women we encountered, or merely walked by, inquired as to his age. They ask, "Ji ge yue?" meaning: "How many months?" This happened with women we shopped from as well as women we breezed by in pathways.

On the one day I ventured out with Zeke to pick up Jack and Jed at the bus stop, one of the female workers from our compound stopped me to look at the baby. She asked, "Ji ge yue?" When I responded, "san ge xingqi," she gasped and pointed to her head and said something about a hat. I said that he did have a hat on, and pointed to it. She became more urgent in her tone and said I must wear a hat, I should be inside.