JJ's First Ice Cream Cone

Need I say more?

The Big Boy Bed

Ever since JJ climbed (and then fell) out of his crib we have been worried about him getting out again. Jerret’s idea to stop his ability to get out was to turn the crib around so that the low side (where we would typically reach in to grab him or lay him down) was facing the wall, and the higher side was facing out. This is all fine and dandy for Daddy who is 6’2” and has go-go-gadget arms. I, on the other hand, was having a heck of a time reaching down into the crib and had to ask him to stand up so that I could lift him out in the mornings.

The other day I was staring at him as he lay in his crib and I realized that he is a big boy! We didn’t need the stinking crib anymore, it was time for the big boy bed. So we converted his crib into the toddler bed, bought a rail to help prevent any falls, and tried it out. The big boy bed was a hit! JJ slept through the entire night and never once tried to get out of bed. Then Jerret had golf night. For some reason, when Daddy wasn’t there, JJ didn’t want to sleep in his bed. I didn’t have the energy to argue with him and I grabbed his blankets and laid them out on the floor. Surprisingly, it worked. JJ had no issue whatsoever with sleeping on the floor and we both feel asleep together until Daddy returned (and then we took some pictures).

Last weekend was a small carnival that I took JJ too. It was a cold, windy day, but here are some JJ pics before we left the house. A friend called to invite us over for a bit, and another friend was already there with her 4 kids, so I packed up JJ and off we went. Our friend has a 6 month old daughter who has hearing loss and has since been fitted with hearing aids. Of course, leave it to JJ to walk right up to that pretty baby and pull her hearing aid out of her ear. I don’t think he did it out of curiosity either, I think he just was being a bully and he wanted it for himself. He pulls this same stunt when he sees children with pacifiers in their mouth. He (who never used a pacifier in his life) will walk up and snatch the paci’s right out of the mouths or hands of whoever has them.

School Days

JJ started school last week. We had a few rough mornings (ok, they were all rough). Jerret took him on the very first day and JJ was not getting it. He cried and ran to the door and wanted out. I called the school at 1:00 when the kids were supposed to be napping (12:00 to 3:00 is naptime) and the teacher said he was playing quietly on his cot. When Jerret went to pick him up at the end of the day they were all playing outside and JJ didn't want to go home! We thought we would both try and drop him off the next day and again, he cried. Jerret snuck out the door while I stayed for 1/2 hour and played with the kids. Well - I played with everyone else's kids and JJ sat on my lap with his arms around my neck, crying "Mama!" The 3rd day I was determined to make it fast and as soon as we walked in the room JJ started crying again. He kept saying "Shoes, Mama, Shoes!" and pointed at my feet. (He thought that if I would take my shoes off I would stay).

On Thursday and Friday he went back to Aunt Bea's house and it was so nice just to be able to drop him off and walk away. It was also comforting to know that he would take a nap and eat lunch, as he only slept 30 minutes for each day at the school and only ate "some" lunch. I would love to be able to show you pictures of his first day of school, but we being the awesome parents we are, forgot to take them! So here are a few pictures from his first days "after" school.

My Adoption Soap Box

After watching a recent 60 Minutes episode, Jerret and I were reminded of the strife occurring daily in the lives of so many innocent children - children who dream of a better life, and pray each night that God sends a family to love and care for them. As many of you know, my long-time blog readers, finding JJ was the very best thing that has ever happened to our family. And given the opportunity or resources, we would certainly welcome the opportunity to adopt another child who needs a home. It breaks my heart to know that there are so many families out there who want to adopt, but are unable to do so because of their personal finances or something as silly as age [some parents are deemed to “old” to adopt, and others too young, as in the case of Chinese adoption which requires both parents to be age 30 or older].

Why must it be so difficult to match families with children who need a home and a family? Why must it be so hard for these children who have nothing ? Many of these kids have no personal possessions whatsoever. The only thing JJ left his orphanage with was his wet diaper that he had probably been sitting in all day (they took the fresh one I had brought with me and added it to their own stash). He didn’t even get back the blanket we sent over to him a month before we went to pick him up. Personal possessions aside, all these kids really want is L-O-V-E. All they need is you.

As desperate as the situation is over there, imagine being an older child and knowing that with each day that passes, your chances of finding a forever family also fades a little more. Imagine seeing children around you being adopted and moved to be with their new families as you kneel in prayer each night that your turn is next. Imagine for a second that you never had a mother or father to love and care for you and not having an explanation as to why.

A Canadian man named John Wright and his wife Julie have recently travelled to Kyrgyzstan where they will live for the next 6 months with their two teen-age daughters, caring for and providing basic needs to the orphans in Kyrgyzstan – specifically in Tokmok, where JJ lived. Please take a minute and view John’s webpage to see the good work they are doing. His blog link has been on my home page for a while now. John is a living example of someone who is willing to take action and trust that God will provide. He and his family have already done what so many of us need to do – to stop worrying about material possessions and focus on the two things that are most important – love and family.

In the long-run, does it really matter if you drive a BMW? Will spending $40,000 on an in-ground pool help make you a better person? Would spending $30,000 on a new Harley really provide you more joy than giving a child a whole new life? I am not trying to knock anyone here or cast stones, as I myself live in a glass house, but it does give you something to think about .

Nighttime Issues

JJ has recently discovered the wonders of Thomas the Train and is slowly but surely turning his discovery into a full-blown obsession. We just went to lay him down for the night and he threw a raging fit - pointing at the TV and crying "Choo Choo! Choo Choo!" We explained that Thomas went to sleep for the night, and JJ cried "Noooooooooooo!" We finally had to leave him crying in his crib and put the 5-minute rule into effect. Well - I gave him 5 minutes. Jerret said that JJ knew what he was doing and was playing us, and refused to go in and comfort him. He said he would let him cry for an hour (we all know that would never happen, and this is really funny because this is totally opposite of how we normally operate). I, on the other hand, didn't want to let him cry. Adopted children already have so many attachment issues and while many parents would just let their kids cry themselves to sleep, it is not always recommended with adopted kids.

I watched the clock closely and after 5 minutes I went into JJ's room and he once again asked for the Choo-Choo. I picked him up and said that it was time for everyone to sleep, the Choo-Choo and JJ, and he just laid his head on my shoulder and went to sleep. It's so hard to know the right things to do. But I am glad I went in there and didn't just let him continue crying until he fell asleep or made himself sick.
JJ will be starting school on Monday. He really needs it and we are very excited. He has not been playing well with other children and didn't want anything at all to do with my niece Jayden, who is only 1 month older than JJ. My sister watched him the other day and JJ cried whenever Jayden came near.

It's Official!

We officially have a US citizen on our hands now. Monday was our court date to finalize the adoption of JJ here in the US. The judge was great and JJ actually did pretty good (although he didn't appreciate the pictures being taken). Notice the small gavel in his hand - a gift from the judge. I'm so glad that part is over. One less thing for us to have to worry about. I can sleep better at night knowing I don't have to worry about Kyrgyz immigration officials peeking in my windows at night to check on their native son. He's ours now!

JJ Jackson

This is JJ's new thing...wearing socks on his hands. If he doesn't have shoes on, he insists on taking one sock off and wearing it on his hand. We have found him many mornings sleeping with his "sock hand."

Gotcha Day

Gotcha day was last week and didn't end up going as smoothly as I would have liked. I wanted to celebrate so we went to dinner, only JJ wasn't having it. He refused to sit and eat and wanted to run up and down the aisle and climb on top of the table. We ended up getting our Gotcha dinner to go. I tried to take pictures, but he wasn't having that either and wouldn't even look at the camera. So much for our big day. I did wake him up that morning and tell him the story of how mommy and daddy went all the way to Kyrgyzstan to pick him up and bring him home with us, but that was the extent of our little celebration. Next year we'll have to plan a little more and call our Kyrgyz friends or something. Happy Belated Gotcha Day Aliya (SC Martins)!

Jerret's mom and dad bought us a new grill for Christmas. We've been keeping it at their house until the weather was nice enough for us to actually use it, so Saturday Jerret decided to go over there and he and his dad put it together - with JJ as their little helper. He even brought his own tool belt and tools.

We have a very important day coming up tomorrow. I promise to post pictures soon!

Easter

We had a quiet Easter this year. Saturday night we went to my dad’s house and had dinner with my grandpa, sister and her 3 kids, and my bother and nephews. Dad lives next door to my great-great Aunt Edna who is 95 years old. She lives all alone and does great except for the fact that she needs a walker to get around. She is such a sweet lady and her mind still sharp as a tack. Dad and I took dinner over to her and visited for a while. She asked right away how JJ was and had he not been sick I would have taken him to see her. I think my family has great genes. My great grandfather lived to be 97 years old, my great grandmother was 92, my great uncle was 92, and we have Aunt Edna still going strong. I’ll have to ask her what the secret is.


Sunday morning we went to church, which was great as usual, but we still aren’t able to take JJ. He just doesn’t do well with us leaving him there. Maybe once he starts preschool things will be different. Go here to check out the service (click on "watch Message Now"). After church we had lunch at Jerret’s parents house followed by naps! I do have pics of us dying Easter eggs with JJ, but haven’t gotten them off of the camera yet.
Anyway – here are some pics of JJ.
PS – anyone know how to get red Easter egg dye out of carpet?

An Award? For ME?

Look at this! I have been given an award - twice! Fellow blogger mamas Shea at Tapsalteerie Farms and Andrea at Holding on For the Ride (see links list on right) have both given me this "You Make the World A Better Place Award" for my blog. How cool is that? Both Shea and Andrea have Kyrgyz kiddos who I am dying to meet in person. The three of us were part of an original group - pioneers, if you will - at our adoption agency when they were just starting their Kyrgyzstan program. In fact, in 2007 there were only 60 adoptions by US citizens in the entire country of Kyrgyzstan - and Andrea, Shea and I were part of that 60!
For this award I would like to thank...(picture me standing at podium holding this award) my wonderful husband for seven years of wedded bliss, my friends for all their support, Cold Stone for always being there through the tough times, and my favorite movie, Hope Floats for reminding me that all the negative junk sinks to the bottom and hope is what is left, and that's enough for me.
I now pass this award to...
Gen at More Than We Can Ask Or Imagine for her positive attitude and kind words for everyone.
Esther at SC Martins for being such a good friend and inspiration as a mother
and Mala at Bringing Home Beck for being a "real" mom who we all can relate to (well except for the fact that she's in movies!!)

Check Out My New Hat

After church Sat. night Jerret and I went shopping at the new mall. We wanted to get Aunt Jill a present for babysitting all the time and Jerret insisted on buying this Ohio State hat for JJ. It really is cute, especially when he wears it backwards like in the pics.

Sorry Y'all!

Sorry to say I am turning the anonymous comments option off. I have had some negative feedback left in the past few weeks and really wanted this to be a place where opinions are not only shared, but valued. Anyway, I can take the heat, but need to draw a line when other commenter's are getting attacked for sharing their opinions. Still feel free to comment, just say what you have to say without the comfort of anonymity! If you said it, say you said it!

Clarification...

I think I have been misrepresenting myself with this whole stay-at-home thing. It's not that I don't want to work at ALL. It's that I want something more flexible that doesn't require my being out of the house and away from JJ for 50 hours a week. I am actually pretty good at what I do and don't want to waste a bachelor's degree plus a year of grad school. I would really like to do something at home or telecommute. That's all. So I would rather be a WAHM (work at home mom) than a SAHM (stay at home mom). Just wanted to clear that up.

Look At The Tough Guy!

I am so impressed with the definition in JJ's arm that I had to show you all this pic. Jerret always talks about how strong JJ is and the other night he was lifting himself up between two chairs and balancing himself using only his hands (kinda like a gymnast does). It was spaghetti night when this picture was taken and we learned our lesson with trying to get tomato sauce stains out of JJ's clothes.

In other news...Aunt Bea isn't going to be able to watch JJ for a while. Her father-in-law has a serious staph infection and has been hospitalized and Bea needs to spend her time up there so we need to find somewhere else to take JJ. The problem is that we don't really have anyone else who can watch him on a consistent basis, so it looks like daycare for us. I am really not excited about this prospect, but there isn't any other option as I haven't yet been able to convince Jerret that I should stay at home.

Snow Days

We've had plenty of snow around here lately - enough to last until spring. I have no idea why this post is underlined. I've tried to fix it but can't. Weird. Anyway - below are some pics of us playing outside with JJ in the snow. He LOVES the snow and runs to the window to watch Jerret when he goes outside to use the tractor/snowblower. His favorite thing to do is eat the snow and if we don't let him, he collects whatever we bring in on our shoes and tries to eat that.

Animal Sounds

My first video post. I hope it works

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