Can You Believe How Big He's Gotten?

It's been so long since I've been able to post pics! So here I'll make sure to post a few to keep everyone happy, but first I wanted to show everyone how big this kid has gotten! He 21 mos. old and is wearing a 2T. He has only been with us for 10 mos. so it's sad that he's growing so fast, but better than not growing at all, right?

Here is a pic of JJ in our hotel room in Almaty. He was 11 mos. old in this picture.

And here is a pic of our boy today...

Crazy - Isn't It?

Two Toots Are Now One

No spell check again - what's up with that?

Here in Toledo we have a cute little restaurant called Two Toots Diner. It is a very small place with booths all around a center counter that has a train track with two toy trains that deliver your food right to your table via the rail cars. It is a very novel concept and the place actually has decent food with plenty for the kids to look at and keep themselves entertained.

So today my cousin Carrie (who has one of those sweet jobs with like every holdiday off) called me at work and said she was going to pick up JJ and Aunt Bea for lunch and I should join them over at Two Toots. The plan sounded good to me and I happily drove over to the diner to meet them. We ate our lunch without much excitement and JJ behaved as best as he could for the amount of time we were there (1/2 hour wait to even be seated).

We were just finishing our lunch when a mom with 5 little ones came in and sat at the table behind us. She had brought organic bread, cheese, and butter with her and asked the restaurant to use these items when making the children's grilled cheese. She even brought organic ketchup for the french fries (I still don't get why could they eat the fries but everything else had to be organic? Shea - you probably know the answer to this one). The kitchen promptly complied with the woman's request and sent the table's food out on one of the little trains. As the train approached our table, JJ lunged for the cars and grabbed the engine and slammed it down, derailing the entire train. On the floor beneath our feet was the specially made food...totally destroyed. Oh yeah - and the train was broke too.

The poor woman was trying to maintain her composure, but very obviously upset by what had happened. One waitress was trying to fix the damaged train while the other tried to explain to the woman that they would make new food right away. The mother was having none of it and said that this was special food and if it wasn't in too bad of shape she would take it. Carrie and I looked at each other, not knowing what to do next and wondered if the lady really wanted to have the food that was laying on the floor. Our question was answered a second later when the mother came over to our table and asked for the food. She totally took the food off the floor and fed it to her kids because in her words "this was all the bread I had, this was specially-made food, the kids are hungry and we have to go."

I felt awful. Is it really better to feed your kids food off of the floor of a dinky little diner just to make sure they are eating all-organic? Would grilled cheese on wheat bread have killed them this one time? I really don't know. And I'm still not sure if the train is back in working order yet. Until then, they'll just have to call the place One Toot.

Mama's Don't Let Your Babies Play With Make-Up

I have a vanity in my bedroom that I have had since I was about 12. It is where I get ready each morning – where I do my hair and make-up.

JJ loves the vanity. He insists on crawling onto my little stool and sitting by himself, grabbing each and every piece of equipment sprawled in front of him.

Last week I noticed that one of my brushes was wet and the bristles were all sticking together (the blush brush as a matter of fact). I assumed that JJ decided sucking on the blush brush was a good idea and figured he had somehow gotten it wet using his mouth.

I laid the brush out to dry and resumed using it for normal make-up brush activity the following morning.

Fast forward to yesterday’s conversation with Jerret:

Jerret: Did I tell you what JJ did the other day?

Me: Ummm….what?

Jerret: I found him in the bathroom with one of your make-up brushes. He was sticking it in the toilet and “painting” the inside. When the brush got wet, the color started coming out and he was coloring with it.

Me: WHAT? ARE YOU KIDDING? I’VE BEEN USING THAT THING EVERY DAY SINCE!

Jerret: So. It’s only toilet water.

Now I don’t need to tell you readers that the conversation didn’t end there. I was horrified. In what world is that an ok thing to do and not tell your wife that she is putting fecal matter on her face? Just wondering.

My New Blog

I've added a link for a new blog I've recently started. This blog isn't going anywhere, but it is really JJ's blog and I need to keep it PC so that he has something he can look back at when he's older. So if you are interested in my deepest thoughts and random musings, check out my other blog at www.brandnewmama.com

He's Home!

Jerret finally arrived home last Friday. I was actually working at the time, and a limo picked him up at the airport and drove him home, only to realize that he couldn't get in the house! His keys were inside the house, and our keypad to the garage door stopped working a few days after he first left for China. He ended up calling me at work and I came and picked him up and we proceeded to pick up JJ from Aunt Bea's house.

I was so happy that I got to be there when the boys frist saw each other. To say that JJ was excited would be an understatement. I called Bea when we were on our way over and she and JJ were staring out the window waiting for us. She said that when JJ saw our Jeep pulling in he first began calling for me, saying "Mama," but as we got closer and hopped out of the car he saw Jerret and began jumping, literally jumping, and hitting the window grinning from ear to ear. Actually, he was more like laughing hysterically at the idea of his daddy being home - finally! Jerret was ready to cry and said that he can't believe JJ has grown so much in the past month. He said that his motor skills are so much further developed then they were when Jerret left. I thought he was crazy, but after some thought, babies do grow so fast in such a short time. And I was here watching it for the past month, so to me he seems like the same kid, but if I were away for a while, I'd probably see it his way.

We had a very realxing weekend. I was under strict orders from Jerret that we would do NOTHING all weekend. He said he just wanted to be able to chill out in his own house for a while, so that's what we did. Saturday we woke up and went to Bob Evans for breakfast followed by haircuts for the boys, but that was the extent of it. Back home we went and everyone took long naps. When we woke up I was ready to do something - anything. I asked Jerret if he wanted to go to the Sat. night service at church - No. Dinner? - No. Go pick up dinner? - No. We ended up calling and having pizza delivered.

So Jerret and JJ are attached at the hip for the moment. JJ will not do anything without his daddy. Whenever he needs help with something, it is Jerret who has to help. When it is time for bed, Jerret must be the one to lay him down. I wonder how long this could last? I might get myself a nice little break!

Here are some pics of Jerret in China.

In case you couldn't tell, that's him in the Ohio State hard hat. Jerret is a mechanical engineer and was there (in China) to install a new glass machine. Most engineers sit behind a desk drawing all day. Not Jerret - he LOVES to get dirty. (As if you couldn't have guessed).

This is a picture of Jerret and his work friends at the Great Wall. This was Jerret's third time visiting, but I guess that's something that just doesn't get old. Oh - that is him in the middle with the crazy hat. He forgot to pack a warm jacket for the trip, and according to him it was *freezing* that day, so he ended up buying the one he has on in the pic, along with the "cat hat" as we like to call it. He said the hat cost him $1 and I am beginning to wonder what kind of "fur" they used to make that thing.

P.S. - the stupid spell check isn't working in blogger right now, so please forgive my misspellings. I really can't spell that well. - but obviously I can rhyme......

It's Almost Over!!!

hooray! Jerret is coming home in 2 days! They finished their work early and he gets to come back to this freezing cold state.

I had my nephews again last weekend. I played it safe this time and did not venture out of the house alone with three boys. Can you tell I learned my lesson? I think the whole multiple-kid adventure is something you have to slowly work yourself into, not just jump in with both feet like crazy ol' me did! Aunt Cyndi came over and cooked breakfast for everyone, which was terrific because I caught some kind of bug that has been going around work and was exhausted with a head cold all weekend. After breakfast she made play dough with the kids. They loved it, and especially loved the fact that cherry kool-aid was the secret ingredient to make it red.

In other news...that genius son of mine has been saying all kinds of new words lately - banana, no, door, shoe, sock, hello, and TV. He also learned how to put his shoes on all by himself! They were actually on the wrong feet, but Aunt Cyndi made sure I didn't touch them since this was a feat he accomplished all on his own and taking them off would make him think he did something wrong (thank God for unsolicited advice - hahaha). She is a pre-school teacher so she really does know what she is talking about.

Oh - and Jerret called me this morning (10:00 p.m. in China) and said the plant guys (30 of them!) all took him out for his last day there. He had a few too many beers and ended up giving away his prized Ohio State football jersey to one of the furnace workers! I need to get that man drunk more often and see what I can get out of him!

It's Getting Harder

In a moment of pure madness, I agreed to watch my two nephews last weekend. Don’t get me wrong – Raymond (age 9) and AJ (age 6) are good kids. And they are both willing to help whenever I ask. With that being said, they are still kids and display typical kid behavior.

We decided to attend the 5:15 Saturday church service since all of the boys were going and we’ve been having so many attachment issues with JJ – issues I didn’t really feel like facing [alone] at 8:45 the next morning. Once we arrived at church I dropped each of the boys off at their respective classrooms and proceeded to the auditorium to meet my cousin Carrie. Two minutes into the first song and my number appeared on the digital sign up front, meaning I needed to go check on my kids back in WeeVenture Land. Sure enough, as soon as those doors opened I could hear JJ crying. He was sobbing hysterically, like he was hurt or something and wouldn’t even stop when I picked him up. He just kept waving bye-bye to all of the adults in his room like he wanted out of there. At the same time a little girl named Ella held her arms out for me and cried “Mama!” She too started crying hysterically until I picked her up, and then she was fine. All I can figure is that I must look like her mother because she had super kung-fu grip going on and was not about to let me go. JJ wasn’t too pleased that I was showing attention to another baby and continued to cry off and on the entire hour. I ended up just staying back in the 1-year old room for the whole service.

After church Carrie and I talked with the boys and we decided to go out to eat at Chili’s. Carrie got there first and called me to say there was a 15-minute wait. We were still 5 minutes from the restaurant and I thought the kids could handle a 10-minute wait, so I was fine with that. What a total mistake that was! Our 10-minute wait turned into 15, then 20, and then 25. The boys were getting crazy restless and I was getting cranky myself. JJ was hungry and upset with just sitting there and wanted to get up and run around. Raymond and AJ were being typical kids and laying on the waiting benches with their coats covering their faces, and picking on each other non-stop. Finally, after 30 minutes of not calling our name, I packed the boys up and we headed for the car. JJ has been really irritated with the car seat lately and has gotten really good at throwing his body so that he doesn’t have to sit in the seat. He will stiffen up and cry and fight me so that he doesn’t have to get in the seat. After our 30-minute wait with no food, the kid was hungry, and cranky - very cranky! And I understand the reasons, but still, his attitude didn’t sit well with me. I was literally going to flip a gasket.

We ended up having McDonald’s for dinner and on the way home I remembered that I still needed to stop and get diapers and food to make for a funeral on Sunday. Luckily for me, Jerret’s family lives close and I was able to call Aunt Jill to come over and help (a.k.a. save me). My nephews really like her too, so it all worked out in the end. I was able to get much-needed alone time shopping at Wal-Mart for an hour and the boys were able to have fun with Aunt Jill. Later that night AJ and Raymond helped me make blueberry, banana, and cinnamon muffins for the funeral.

I never imagined being without Jerret for 6 weeks would be so hard. Although I am thankful for the opportunity, I think those Women’s Lib-ers screwed something up along the way when they fought for mom’s to get into the workplace. They forgot that we are still the ones responsible for the majority of the cleaning, laundry, shopping, and cooking! (At least in my house). With double the workload, this whole working mom thing is tough! And to all of you single, working moms…you’re crazy! But you have my utmost respect.

JJ's First Slumber Party

My friend Denise and her son Boston (who is 4 days younger than JJ) came over and spent the night with us Friday. Her husband is also working out of town and we thought it a good time to get the boys together - besides, JJ seriously needs to spend some time with kids his own age. JJ was very excited and wound up at first. He was a little aggressive, but chilled out after about 20 minutes and the boys had a blast together.

Saturday morning we woke up and had breakfast. I was making oatmeal for JJ and asked Denise if Boston wanted some. She said that he had only tried oatmeal one other time and spit it out, but that we could try again. Boston immediately began gagging upon taking his first bite and didn't stop until he threw up the yogurt he had earlier. I am going to take this as a sign that Boston doesn't like oatmeal.

After breakfast we went walking at the mall where JJ enjoyed his first ride (you know- those 50 cent kiddie rides that go back and forth) and then to lunch. It was a great day. I would LOVE to show you some pictures, but Jerret took the camera with him to China. Of course, I do have my 35mm, but do you think I thought enough to bust that out?

Here are some pics of JJ at Grandma's house last weekend. They have one of those huge bathtubs that could fit 14 people and JJ is terrified of it. Instead he has taken to bathing in the kitchen sink, which he loves, although it looks as though he is going to outgrow it soon!

Is There A Doctor in the House?

Updates will be slow coming as our computer has a virus...a serious virus. We are in the process of having our hard drive rebuilt, but until then, no computer. Luckily for me, I have my handy-dandy work laptop!

Sad Day...

Jerret left for China today. He is scheduled to be gone for 6 weeks, but he thought things could go well enough that he might get to come home early. Although, last I heard, the machines they are installing at the new plant are stuck in Customs and who knows when they will be released. Regardless, Jerret has only been gone one day and it wasn't a walk in the park. JJ definitely noticed Jerret's absence and really wasn't himself tonight. Bedtime was pretty sad and I felt so bad for JJ that I let him fall asleep next to me in bed. We will be Skyping daddy often during his trip. Hopefully, it helps...

My first day (4 hours) as a single parent went something like this...

1. Picked JJ up from Aunt Bea's house
2. Fed him green beans as I was microwaving chicken strips I got from the Schwan's man
3. Put the chicken in for 4 minutes as the package said
4. Spilled 1/2 a gallon of milk while getting JJ a cup
5. Noticed smoke and a burning smell coming from the microwave and realized God was punishing me for feeding my baby microwaved chicken strips for dinner
6. Threw burnt chicken strips into garbage where they proceeded to burn a hole through the bottom of the bag, making a nice exit point for the milk-soaked paper towels I JUST threw in there
7. Let JJ go play while I made him an omelet instead
8. Found him minutes later shoving the plunger in and out of the toilet (no doubt a trick learned from his father)
9. Kicked JJ out of the bathroom and cleaned up the toilet water mess
10. Only to find him seconds later in bathroom #2, squirting a bottle of my lotion into the bowl
11. Held JJ for an hour while he cried, realizing that his daddy wasn't here :(

Jerret dropped JJ off with Bea this morning and said it was hard. I could tell he was sad, and JJ is such a daddy's boy that he probably won't take things well. It wasn't an easy evening, but I was happy just being with my baby. And I still say I would be totally cool with being an at-home mom. I'm not saying it's easy, I'm just saying I'd be cool with it!

A Visit From Friends

One of the most exciting things that happened this weekend was a little visit we received from the Martin family, who also adopted from Kyrgyzstan and who happened to travel with us when we went to pick our babies up! They actually live in South Carolina, but have family living in Indiana and Pennsylvania. They were on their way to Indiana and called us to come meet them off of the Ohio turnpike. It was so wonderful to see them again. They have 5 kids!!! Oh, the energy! I talk to Esther Martin on the phone every few weeks and it was so nice to get to sit and chat face-to-face. Their daughter, Aliya, is growing just as fast as JJ and is gorgeous. Their older children were so excited to see snow, but were definitely not used to the cold!

Here are a few pics from our visit...

JJ saying goodbye to the kids before they hit the road

JJ being a little too aggressive with that sweet Aliya.
You can't see her face, but he did make her cry :(

Another Jockey in the Making...

My great-grandfather, Joseph Marsh Sr., was a jockey. Actually he was a harness racer (are they still called jockeys?) and his son, Joe Marsh Jr. still is. I have many photos, trophies, and news articles written about their spectacular careers and wish I been around to actually see Grandpa win one of his races. Below is one of JJ's favorite gifts he received this Christmas...

According to JJ's adoption papers, his bio mother was 5'1" and his bio father was only 5'4"...looks like he'll be carrying on the family tradition....

The Perfect Gift

We had such an awesome Christmas with JJ. We are so fortunate to have family we are so connected to and who live so close to us. We actually had 4 get-togethers this Christmas! Yes, 4! Five if you count the Christmas party we went to Friday night at our friend Tim's house.

Saturday night we hosted a party here for the Schimmel family (mom's side). There were about 25 people over, so we decided to move the party downstairs and get some use out of the basement that Jerret worked so hard on finishing. Here is a pic of the boys beginning to hand out presents at that party...

Above is JJ playing with his gorgeous cousin, Kayla.

Sunday morning we went to the 9:00 service at church, which is our usual time to go, but because of the holiday falling when it did, they decided to make the Sunday services their special Christmas service. It was SO awesome! The music team there is phenomenal and reminded me of something you would typically hear from Transiberrian Orchestra or Mannheim Steamroller. Just spectacular. At one point they even busted out about 7 metal trash cans and did a little "Stomp" action!!!! AND I am proud to say that we even brought along Jerret's sister and father, who aren't quite sure what to make of our contemporary church, but they did give it a try and for that we are grateful. Unfortunately, we have been having attachment issues with dropping JJ off at the child care during church so Jerret's mom stayed behind and watched him so that we could enjoy the service uninterrupted.

Pastor Lee talked about getting the "perfect gift" this Christmas. He was referring to a gift that would last a lifetime, and suggested that an invitation to church may just be the "perfect gift." I so wish that I could get my brothers interested in seeing what good things are waiting for them if they would open the door to Christ, but I have asked many times and they are not ready....So to anyone in the area, I would like you to consider this open invitation to come to our awesome church. We will even go to a later service if you would like...just say the word and we will be so thrilled to have you with us.

What a Lucky Girl....

I have wanted one of these since I first discovered their glory during Home Economics, freshman year of high school.

Tag - I'm It!

Fellow blogger-momma Andrea at Holding on for the Ride tagged me, which means I am supposed to list 8 interesting/unknown to others/special things about myself. Apparently when I get to 100 posts on my blog, I will need to list 100 other facts about myself so I guess this is good practice...

1. The first job I was offered after college was as a newspaper reporter. Writing is one of the few things I do well enough at to actually make money at - but then I found out how much newspaper reporters are paid. I couldn't afford to take the job and pay back my student loan!
2. I was once (actually twice) on the Ricki Lake show. This factoid actually doubles as my "most embarrassing moment." Hey - I was 18, what can I say?
3. I have always wanted to be famous.
4. I need to learn to think more before I speak. Sometimes, I can say the nicest thing in the world with no ill-intent at all, and my words are taken completely the wrong way. Maybe that's why I like to write - I have more time to read and re-read my thoughts before they are viewed by others.
5. My husband and I actually first met in Jr. High (even though we didn't attend the same schools) and I was in LOVE with that boy.
6. If I could have any job in the world it would be to sit at home and write for a parenting blog or to write books. I actually feel pretty lucky that I get paid to write now, even though it is something as dry as a federal proposal.
7. I worked two jobs and completed my internship my senior year of college, and still managed to find time for fun!
8. As a freshman in high school, I tried to break my arm on purpose in order to avoid going out with a boy. (How crazy is that??)

Ok, that's it. And I have thought of a few more that I can use on my list of 100, but we have a while for that one. I am only up to post 60 or something.

I tag: Esther, Amanda, and Mala.

Kyrgyz Memories

I was wrapping presents last night when I remembered a box of treasures we had hidden away in JJ's closet. They are gifts we brought back from Kyrgyzstan to give to our families and friends. I don't want to spoil the surprise, so I am not going to say what they are until after Christmas, but I am so glad we thought ahead to buy these gifts for JJ to give everyone. It will be so fun.

While I was going through the box of Kyrgyz goodies, I found this...

This was actually his "baby" hat from when we picked him up, but we just had to see if it still fit. Using minor force, it did. Jerret was determined to get that thing on. We also purchased some larger hats for JJ to wear in the future. I wish I had a cute coat to match. I would totally dress him in this gear and take him to the grocery store, mall, Target, etc. with me. He's too cute not to share with the world. (I'm not biased at all).

Because....

...the Buckeyes rule! That's why.

I'm Good!

Thank you to all who prayed for me during surgery on Tuesday. Things went well - probably as best as we could have hoped for. I am still very sore, but happy that the surgery is over and I am home, in one piece, able to play with my JJ. Now we are just waiting for good news from the biopsy and we can all breathe easier.

Privately...

I consider myself a fairly private person. Not private in the sense that I am shy - because I am not- and anyone who knows me knows how much I love to talk (especially about JJ), but private in the sense that I don't like to share my "problems." I try my best to be tough. I hate to admit defeat, and sometimes that means putting on a pretty face even when things are bad.

My doctor has told me on a few occasions that I have a "high pain tolerance," but I consider myself more high maintenance than anything and her assessment came only after my refusal to admit I was having any pain during my ectopic pregnancies. I thought that if I could fight through the pain that somehow I could stay pregnant and everything would be OK in the end...we all know it doesn't happen that way. I think twice about even posting about my infertility issues or failed pregnancies because it is further proof that I am being defeated. Being a Christian in has helped me to acknowledge this fault of mine. I know that God is the only perfect one and everyone else is just like me...faults, disappointment, and all.

I bring these things up because I have once again found myself in a predicament, and once again it is medical in nature. And I need help. So I am going to ask....I will be having surgery on Tuesday at noon and need all of your prayers for the very best possible outcome. I am very nervous and hate the thought of going "under the knife" (although I know Michelle will tell me there is nothing to worry about ;) . I just feel so vulnerable being on that table - totally out of it. The only other times I have had surgery were in emergency situations and I had no choice but to have the surgery right at that time. Since I have opened myself up, I will share with you some minor details (it's all I can allow myself - sorry)... The doctors have found something growing inside of me...we really don't know what until it can be biopsied. It is dangerously close to my reproductive organs and who knows, could be the root of why I haven't been able to get pregnant. It is pretty large. We need to pray that it is benign and that it can be removed without damage to any of my organs. So if you think of it, please add me to your list.

'Tis The Season...for Shopping!

Holiday shopping didn't go as well as planned this year. Jerret recently mentioned that he wanted a Zune for Christmas. It's like an I-Pod, but only with a bigger screen and you can transfer music person-to-person much easier. Anyway - our local Meijer store was selling the 30-gb version for only $89 - a steal compared to the regular price of $199!

My family and I woke at 3:00 in order to arrive at 4:00 so that we might, just might have a chance at being in the right place when the store employees brought the sale merchandise out for the 6 a.m. rush when the prices were actually valid. I waited...and waited...and watched the crowd grow...and waited. I asked people around the store what "hot" items they were there to purchase. I only found one other person who said he was there for the Zune. 'Sweet!' I thought...I've got this one in the bag...I am totally getting one of these Zunes!

I paced around the back of the store, eagerly looking for my treasure. Store employees had already brought out most of the special-priced items and were standing guard until 6:00 a.m. to make it fair for everyone (?). This meant no one was allowed to even touch the products until the clock struck 6. As I was pacing around the Dora tents and circling the talking kitchen set, I heard a voice over the loudspeaker announce "If you are here to buy the Zune, please line up at the pharmacy." I was so far from the pharmacy. I knew I had to hurry. I pushed my cart and began running through the store. And I mean RUNNING. I almost crashed into two innocent bystanders - yelling out my apologies after I was far enough away that I couldn't hear them scoffing at my ridiculousness or the fact that I almost killed them. As I turned the corner to the main aisle, one of the boxes on the bottom of my cart went flying off and landed near the checkout lanes. I ran back, picked up my box, threw it back in the cart, and finished my trek to the pharmacy counter. By the time I arrived I was too late. I was about 10 people from the desk and heard another announcement over the loudspeaker: "If you are in line for the Zune, we are now sold out."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This was not happening. I waited two hours to find out where this thing was going to be sold and I needed it for my husband. Unfortunately, I never got my prize. It seems that Meijer only received 8 Zunes in the entire store. I am convinced that someone in the front of the line bought all 8 but I'll never know. All I know is that I didn't get my husband the gift he really wanted for Christmas :(

In good news...JJ is great. He went shopping with mommy for a good portion of the day. He also said "water" today. I so wish we could adopt another. I am praying for a girl!!