Brown Bear, Brown Bear

As a young child, my mother instilled the love of reading in me. She took my siblings and I to the library, let us buy books through the book club, had subscriptions to magazines and highly encouraged us to read "Reader's Digest" although I preferred "Teen Beat." Now as an adult, I still enjoy reading.  Lately I have been reading articles about toddlers and adoption but you can also find me reading the "Wall Street Journal" or cooking magazines.

Jackson has taken a liking to books.  His favorite is "Brown Bear, Brown Bear," by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle. In fact, he is sleeping with the book right now! I am not sure how he came to love this book but I started reading it to him the night we became a family. He taps the book as I read it signaling that he is also reading it with me (he does this with all of this books now). Jackson has had several crying spells and every time I say, "Brown Bear, Brown Bear," he stops crying.  I don't know what it is! For an instance, it was nap time today and I know he was really tired. I said, "Jackson, Brown Bear, Brown Bear," he stopped what he was doing, ran into his room, got his book and sat on my lap.  We read the book together and he fell right to sleep.

I hope the love of reading will continue. Books are so powerful and often times they can express what we cannot say. So, if you are having a bad day pick up your favorite book or just read "Brown Bear, Brown Bear."

Finally Home!

We are now at back at home. Yesterday my dear friend Wendy and the Carlsons came to greet us at the airport.  It feels great to be back in my own environment. Jackson and I woke up extremely early (4:30 AM) and had a full morning. We let dad sleep in until 7:00 AM.  The house is almost back in order and the washing machine has been running all morning. Jackson has been exploring the house- opening every door, pushing every button and touching everything. Is this typical of a toddler boy?

Tomorrow Jeff goes back to work so it will just be me and the little guy. Let's see how long I last until I call reinforcements!

I wanted to share some pictures of Guangzhou and Los Angeles. Enjoy!

An eco way of food delivery.

    Steaming is still one of the best ways to cook.


  My parents dragged my all around town.  I am so tired!


Jackson before take off.  Dad says, "Please sleep...please sleep."  He slept for 9 hours straight!


  Angry Birds saved our lives after we landed and waiting on the runway.


      Welcome to the newest citizen!!!!


     Yee Yee Kelley meeting me at the airport.


        I got to play with my fun cousin at Bok Po's house.


          Bok Po helped me build a tower with legos.


        Bok Po and her 3 great grand kids


        My Ng Ng and Yeh Yeh


        My Bok Bok and cousin

       A very tired child...home at last.

Grandparents, Aunties, Uncles, Cousins and Friends

Today was a big day.  First off, we are on China time so our sleep is off.  I know it will take time to get back on US time. Hopefully it will not take too long!  Then Jackson met many relatives and friends today. For the most part, he did well.  He played well with cousin Hannah and they were screaming and chasing each other around Bok Po's (great grandma) house.  He ate his first In and Out burger (part of it) for lunch and Chinese food for dinner.  He just loves soup, rice, meat and veggies. It was a full day! We are so blessed to have so many caring and wonderful relatives and friends.

We're Back!

We arrived safely this evening. I know you have been praying for our journey home.  We took a red eye back to Los Angeles and guess what?  Jackson slept for 9 hours on the plane.  He fell asleep on the take off.  He did pretty well after his sleep but he was getting a bit anxious because he could not run around. We did our best to entertain him and made it to the end! We did realize that he doesn't like seat belts because as you know in China, no one wears seat belts. Jackson met some aunties and uncles and Bok Po (great grandma).

The past few days, Jackson has only wanted daddy.  He wanted daddy on the airplane, daddy at the airport and daddy at bedtime.  This is great because the first week he only wanted mommy.  Jackson would cry if I left the room, now he cries when Jeff is out of the room. I know there have been many changes the past two weeks. Hopefully the one thing Jackson does know is that mommy and daddy are not going anywhere.

Coming to America

We will be leaving for America tonight. I am so excited to be coming home but a little sad that we are leaving China.  This has truly been an incredible experience. I had a good idea how the adoption process works and what is to be expected but it went beyond my expectations. The plane rider to China...the smells of Wuhan....and the first meeting of Jackson will be forever imprinted in my mind. We have come full circle (literally) in the past year. We had many struggles and challenges throughout the way but the Lord has been with us and has guided us. We see how God's grace, love and mercy is bountiful and never ends.  Jackson is our daily reminder.

 

Love, Michelle

A Fun Family Outing

We went to a museum and a park today. It was great to get out and see some of Guangzhou.  Jackson loves  being around other kids and people. For lunch, we had Yum Cha.  I think it was made to order. The food came out so fresh and I have never tasted egg tarts so flaky and light. The restaurant got the green light from our own food critics. I guess you can figure out who they are! In the afternoon, during Jackson's nap, I went shopping.  There's a lot of shops and places to eat around the hotel. There's bakeries, clothing stores, 7-Elvens and Starbucks. I bought a few things but will probably go again in the next few days. We have been in China for one week and we cannot wait to get home.  

Love, Michelle

The Dreaded Airplane Ride and Bottle Caps

The 1.5 hour plane ride seemed like the longest ride ever! First of all, we had some things going against us-no nap and he didn't eat at his regular times. But, it all started when Jackson dropped his sippy cup cap on the floor during take off. It was all he could think about. Food distracted him for awhile but he could only eat so much of it. After he ate, he kept reaching for the cap.  It was the most important thing for him. I really do feel sorry for the people around us. We were in the last row of the plane so maybe only a few people heard him. Jackson tried to sleep but again, wanted the cap! I know Jeff was frustrated and so was I. Jackson settled for an empty water bottle and the cap was on. We made sure he didn't drop the cap this time!!!!   I could tell Jackson was fighting his sleep but he finally fell asleep as we landed only to wake up again when the lights went on in the plane. We got our suitcases, boarded the bus and FINALLY Jackson was able to relax and fell asleep for the rest of the night. At the end of the day, Jeff and I have to remember that he is still a baby, we have only had him since Monday and he has been through a lot of changes. We are officially "those parents" on the airplane. If you have any advice for us for the plane ride back to America, please email me. 

Jackson's First Flight

Well, we are packing to go on our first flight.  Every time Jeff and I fly, we always think, "oh, no...families with kids!"  Now, we are those people!    We will be flying to our motherland, Guangzhou and will be there for the remaining time. We will be traveling with another family who adopted a little girl here too.  We will also meet all of the other families who have adopted from different provinces. We are so overjoyed to be bringing home Jackson but at the same time, it's bitter sweet because this has been his home for the past 2 years. 

Side note- Mc Donald's sell fried pies-taro and pineapple ones. They also sell spicy crispy chicken wings and the coke is pretty flat.  NBA is really popular here. We have been able to watch our favorite team, the Clippers play on ESPN.   It's strange to see our normal sports casters but with Chinese speaking announcers in the background. This morning at 6:00 AM, college basketball was showing. The market sells really interesting Lays chips-kimchi, fish balls and even seaweed favored.  We are trying to take in as much of the local culture as we can.  Wuhan is pretty modern!

A Note from Po Po

Hi! This is Kelley. Since Michelle is unable to post updates in China, she asked me to maintain her blog. My mom sent me an email this morning about Jackson and I thought it was the sweetest way to describe her first grandson.

Hi Kelley!
How are you doing? Hope things are going well. Wished you and Spencer were here. Jackson is so sweet! He has bonded with our family and doing well. You will love him-he is quite a character. He has the cutest
expressions and I can't seem to keep my eyes off him. He eats and eats-loves everything. He is also very neat. He always wipes his mouth and wipes the table.

Yesterday we visited the orphanage. Michelle and Jackson didn't go-the little one had to take a nap. Well, he is adjusting and is a happy little tot! Can't wait to get home. Miss you all.

Love, Mom

By the way my family is describing Jackson, he sounds exactly like his dad, Jeff. Darren thinks Jackson is left handed...just like Jeff. Jackson loves to snack and is very tidy...just like Jeff. I'm sure Jackson will place all the items in the fridge in alphabetical order...just like his dad. =) Like father, like son!

Day 2

Yesterday, we realized that Jackson will eat anything that is put in front of him. We also know that he has been "well taken care of" by his foster mom. I feel we are slowly getting more comfortable with each other because he was testing us a little bit throughout the day. Jackson is talking more, but we aren't sure what he is talking about since we don't speak the same language. At least he understands what we are saying. My ESL job skills have kicked in! God has been training me for this special event.

Love, Michelle

Our New Son, Jackson

Today was a momentous occasion as we received Jackson into our family! We were unsure how Jackson would react to us. Jackson immediately took a liking to us, especially Jeff. He is becoming more adventurous with us...in other words, he is testing our limits. He is very curious and knows how to do things like work the remote control, turn the tv on, and tells us when he wants something. Thank goodness Jackson is a great eater, he had a bowl of soup, rice, fish and vegetables.

The sad part of the day was at night when we were getting ready for bed. I was in the shower and Jackson started to cry. I believe he wanted his caretaker. Jeff said he started cleaning up his toys and getting his shoes on. Jeff had to tell Jackson that he was staying at the hotel. When I came out, Jackson calmed down and after that, he would not go to Jeff at all. I told Jackson in Chinese that he needed to sleep...he still

thought he had to leave. For the next 3 hours, Jackson cried on and off. Finally, he went to bed at 12:30am.

My dad, mom, and Darren have been a tremendous help. If it wasn't for them, Jeff and I wouldn't have been able to do this on our own. Today is my dad's birthday and I know this is the best birthday gift given to him. We thank God everyday for all he has done for our family. 

Love, Michelle

Day 1 in China

Well, we finally made it to Wuhan this morning. The flight was very long!!! We are exhausted from the journey, but everyone is doing well. I wasn't sure what day or time it was since China is 14 hours ahead of  Los Angeles and 16 hours from Nashville. We walked around the area today and it's pretty modern all with the comforts of home,  Mc D's and shopping centers. The agency guide said everything is on schedule for us to unite with Jackson tomorrow morning. The family is very excited and hopefully, we can add video to the next blog post. Stay tuned...

Love, the Mommny to be.

Today is the day!

I know I skipped number "One" yesterday. Yesterday we were on a flight to Los Angeles.  We have been on that route many times but this time it seemed so long! Perhaps it's because we flew with a different airline and didn't have the cheery SW people helping us or it could have been that I didn't want to sit still for 4 hours. Anyways, tonight is the night. I am just taking it easy today. I have to gear myself up for the long flight over there. The next time you hear from me, we will probably have Jackosn!

Lots of Love

Michelle

two, one

Two things that are on my mind right now.

2. Phew! I finished my work project.
1. We are leaving very soon! I need to get organzied!

three, two, one

Three things that I am looking forward to in China (Jackson is a given).

3.Family time
2.Good dim sum
1. Eating jook at KFC