Happy Gotcha Day Jadyn

Just to hold you over, here is a recount of Jadyn's gotcha day. It was 2 years ago today that our beautiful daughter was placed in our arms. In a small conference room at the orphange in Fuling, China. Our lives have never been the same.




May 13, 2007

2 Mothers, 1 Gift

OK, I'm laying in the bed feeling guilty because I didn't make more of an effort to get some pictures posted, I did try - really I did, but I was just SO exhausted. After I got Jadyn to sleep, caught a few winks and woke up with you on my mind. This is the best that I can do until she is wide awake tomorrow. This was a risk, snapping pictures of a sleeping baby, what was I thinking?

Let me just answer those questions rolling around in your mind. Yes, we think she is absolutely beautiful. She is truly a treasure and "Bao" means treasure in Chinese. We were deeply saddened by the conditions of the orphanage. This is one of the better facilities in China, but still it is an orphanage. And we were reminded of this with our visit. We were somewhat shocked back to reality. There were times all four of us were sobbing. The boys hearts were truly broken to know that she spent the first year of her life here. They will come away from this trip forever changed. And that was our goal.

She is still pretty somber, although, we are seeing a little personality. She has begun to play with her toys a little, self feed from our hands (love those Gerber puffs) and seems to be letting her guard down. No smiles on camera yet. Maybe tomorrow. She has on her "gifted" pajamas because what a gift she is. She is truly beautiful. What a day it was, life changing at the very least. We will forever be connected to a family in this part of China. The family that gave us the gift of our daughter. Whether I can look out the hotel window and not realize that they are just over the hill, or they are somewhere many miles from here in the countryside, I will truly be forever connected to the woman who carried, gave birth to, and loved my child enough to give her a chance. When I look deep into her eyes, I can't help but think of her Mother on this Mother's day. The joy, elation and excitement of one Mother is paralleled by the pain and sadness of another Mother. One that I will never know. But, on this day, there is a Mother who prayed for another Mother and praised the Father above for the connection that the two of us will forever have. The connection sleeping soundly just a few feet from me. Our daughter Jadyn Grace BaoJun Hood. Truly a treasure.


And yes, in case you are wondering, that is MY bed she is sleeping in. I just didn't have the heart to put her in that port-o-crib. Not quite soft enough in my book. Pat's sleeping well in the other bed. ;)

Reflections on China: The Greatest of Walls

Thinking all this week about where we were 2 years ago today. What sweet memories they are...


"We left the factory and traveled to the Great Wall. I'm talking the Great Wall of China - the one that you read about, the one that can be seen from outer space, the one that stretches about a bazillion miles through the mountains of China, the one that you read about in your history books and travel guides. Pretty incredible huh? But, here's the deal. It was amazing and it was definitely incredible. How many times to you get to climb the Great Wall in a lifetime? But, the strange thing is that, while we were impressed, standing at one of the highest points on the Great Wall, it just simply pales in comparison to the real reason that we're here. Sounds strange? An abandoned orphan girl, given up by her parents, while probably in tattered clothes and a bungee cord diaper, more exciting that the Great Wall of China? In my eyes and the eyes of every family traveling with us, you will get a resounding YES. Pat and I were talking on the bus on the ride back to the hotel and in less than 24 hours, we are going to get our little girl. That little girl that we have always wanted or at least that I have always wanted and Pat has wanted for the past two years. I can't help but wonder what she is doing right now and how she has no idea that in less than 2 days, her whole world is about to change as well as ours. Our minds are reeling and our hearts are full. Tomorrow is Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City, equally important, it's also a visit to the Beijing Harley Davidson dealer."

Reflections on China

Days 2 and 3 of our visit to China

"WOW! What an amazing 48 hours!!! I think we arrived in Beijing last night. I'm really not sure since I'm in the twilight zone. We met Hope Chen, the house mom for the foster home ran by the m* family where we're exploring starting a partnership with. We arrived at the foster home about 11:15 and went straight to bed."

We visited the city of Langfang, went to the small orphanage there and had a very somber tour of that little orphanage. We spent all day in Langfang and then were taken to our hotel, the Beijing International, in Beijing to meet up with the rest of the travel group.

"We arrived at our hotel in Beijing about 3:30 and got settled in before going to dinner and STARBUCKS with some of the families in our travel group. It's already been an amazing adventure and it's just begun. One thing I know, the people of China have a spiritual hunger that only Jesus can satisfy."

And here is the post from my blog:

WE'RE HERE! And we still can't believe it. Pat posted some pictures on his blog so be sure and check them out.

Man, what a trip. We are having a great time so far, but everything just pales in comparison to the real reason that we are here. My mind is on one thing and I'm having a little trouble feeling the excitement of everything else around us.

We had a great visit with a M family last night and this morning. They are doing an incredible work running a foster home. I so enjoyed seeing the children and visiting with them. All of the 12 children in their home are special needs. They are just so precious. We arrived at the hotel this afternoon and have been out walking the street looking for dinner. The guys ate at McDonald's and I opened the lid of a grilled chicken (?) sandwich that just didn't look to suit me - to much unidentifiable things attached to it. Oh well, the picture on the box looked good. Anyway, I don't think I will starve. I had part of a mashed blueberry muffin that I saved from the plane. :)

Remember to check Pat's blog for more pics. Remember to pray for our little girl. We're so ready to get to her. We love you all and we'll post more tomorrow!

Stay tuned for more reflections.

Here is the post from May 7, 2007, we were headed to China. I cannot believe it's been 2 years. What an exciting 2 years it has been. I will be posting all this week about our adventure. Let's take a stroll down memory lane, shall we?


May 07, 2007

WE'RE OFF!!!!

I can't believe it's finally here. We flew out of Nashville this morning at 8:12 & are now sitting in the Detroit airport waiting for our connecting flight to Tokyo. It'll take us about 24 hours to arrive in Beijing...this really gives new meaning to the phrase "slow boat to China."

We've been waiting for this day for two years & it seems almost surreal. I'll be updating my blog every day, complete with pictures & maybe even a little video, so check in & see where our adventure takes us.

We won't arrive in Beijing until 9:25 tomorrow night, which will be 8:25 AM in Nashville. We're being picked up by some missionaries & we'll stay the first night at their home. They'll take us to our hotel on Wednesday evening, China Time, so it may be Wednesday morning, Nashville time, before I'm able to have Internet access & give you an update.
If I have a chance between now & then, count on an update.

Until then, please pray that we all stay healthy & safe. Pray for Jadyn to have as little problems as possible attaching to us when we pick her up on Sunday. Pray that all the families with us have an incredible experience.

Jadyn's Birthday Slideshow

Sorry it took so long, I've had a little trouble with my printer transferring my pictures. Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

Special birthday post to come...stay tuned.

Happy Almost Birthday Uncle Vern!

Today Tomorrow is my brother's/Jadyn's favorite Uncle Vern's birthday! (I didn't notice that it was the 3rd and not the 4th) Oops! Anyway, Happy B-Day tomorrow, we love you! Here's a little present from Jadyn.

Enjoy.

What a Nice Surprise!

Last night, not too long after dark, I passed by the front door and looked out the side glass.  And what to my wondering eyes should appear, but SNOW!  It's only December and we're getting SNOW!  It was a wet, fast sticking snow that looked like cotton balls falling from the sky.

Jadyn changed clothes about 15 times this morning trying to put on something to wear out into the snow.  Some of the outfits consisted of capri pants, black sunday shoes without socks, her blue crocheted hat, a pair of pajamas - size 18 months, and an old navy jacket that is a 12-18 month size.  Here are a few pictures from her time outside.  Sorry that she would never be still long enough to catch her face on the camera.

Now, I must go pick up clothes that are strewn from one end of my house to the other.

Really.

Enjoy your snowday!

Bless You Mommy

A couple of evenings ago I was in the kitchen doing kitchen things.  Jadyn has perfected being under my feet in such a short amount of time.  She loves to be right where the action is. No matter what I am doing, she is somewhere close by.  Because we're coming up on Thanksgiving, things have been particularly busy in the Hood kitchen.

I had my hands full and felt a sneeze coming on.  Loudly, out it came without much warning.  I tried to stifle it, but it was pretty loud and boisterous.

"Bless you Mommy" was Jadyn's response to my sneeze.

 In her sweet, tiny little voice - Jadyn "blessed" me.  I  held back a tear or two and my heart felt very full.  Jadyn responded to my sneeze and I realized among the dishes in the sink and the milk spots on the floor that God has truly blessed me, more that Jadyn will ever understand.    Oh, my sweet child,  I am blessed.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Bless you,

Happy Halloween 2008

Happy Halloween From Our Castle to Yours!

Ole Twinkle Toes

Man+pedicure+NFL=Great Blog Post

It seems to take away the sting of watching your masculinity fly out the window before your eyes if you watch football while you are getting your pedicure.  Jadyn started out with just a nail file and then it was all down hill.  She put her little finger in the air and said "I get my pink" which is what she calls nail polish of any color.  Pat new he was in for it when that statement was made.

And he cannot tell her no.

It was actually quite funny, however, his right foot looked as though he had got it stuck under the lawnmower.  We all know that could never happen though ! I love him for the "tea" he drinks out of the little pink disney princess cups and for letting our little girl paint his toenails.  However, I spent the next 30 minutes with the remover and cotton getting the "pink" off his nails and feet.  I think he enjoyed it. Me, not so much.

Here are some pictures from the occasion.

It's That Time of The Year!

Wow, it's hard to believe that it's time to get back into the swing of things and start back to school. We had a great summer, but as summer is quickly coming to a close, I have tried to spend time preparing Jadyn for her return to school. Well, as much as you can prepare a 2 year old. We have talked about it, or at least I have talked about it, Jadyn, not so much.

This past Monday was the big day. Actually, it was not quite as bad as what I had anticipated. She cried a little Monday morning but the other 3 days, no tears. She wasn't exactly thrilled about being there, but no tears nonetheless. She has been going through this very clingy stage, this I blame on Ted Koppel. Another post for another time. So, I was concerned that she would melt down when it came to leaving her at school. It seems as though I was wrong and I am VERY grateful for this. Here are a few pics from her big day. Doesn't she look like such a big girl? She is growing up too fast. Where does the time go?

Thanks Angie!

My old friend Angie, well, she's not old because she is my age and that is certainly not old, just reminded me in her comment that I failed to post the link to Alison's site for the rest of the pics. So, if you check the post below, it now has the link.

Thanks Angie, my really YOUNG friend who has been my friend for A LOT of years.

Annual Red Thread Picture

I had the bright idea of taking or having Jadyn's picture taken for Pat's Father's day gift with the "red thread" in her hand. The picture at the top of this blog is the one that I took from last year.

This year, I took her to have Alison take the picture for me, but as you have already read, she acted like a total barbarian. It was quite the fiasco. Oh well, it's really a beautiful picture of our very beautiful girl. The picture looked beautiful framed in a black frame with a large white mat. Here is the picture so you can see it. So, what do you think???


And yes, I made the dress.

Picture of the Week

Feeling a little sentimental today, so I thought that I would show you a picture of our sweet girl, before she came home with us. We were blessed to have MANY pictures of Jadyn while she was still in the orphanage. We were very fortunate to get these, alot of families don't get anything except 2-3 referral pictures. So, here is baby J.



What a difference! I've got many others that I will share as time goes by.

Have a great Friday!

Our Little Nudist

We CANNOT keep Jadyn's clothes on her. Every time I turn around, she
is butt naked! It is absolutely driving me nuts. I dressed her 4
(FOUR!) times yesterday morning. She strips down and goes on about
what ever she was doing. Yesterday, she was sitting in a chair at her
kitchen "cooking", naked. I explained the dangers of cooking naked,
it will always get you more than you bargained for! ;)

Now, she has learned to take her shorts and diaper off and put her
shorts back on. Imagine our surprise when we "discover" that she has
on no diaper. Nice.

Since she has learned the art of removing her clothes and putting them
back on, she also changes clothes quite often. The combinations of
clothing is quite the sight sometimes, but I don't know what I am
going to do with her. I hope that this is not a glimpse of things to
come! Oooh, that's scary!

Summer Fun in May!

Jadyn absolutely LOVES to be outside. She is perfectly happy digging in the mulch, mud, grass or whatever she can find to dig in. She writes on EVERYTHING with sidewalk chalk, including the dog, grill and patio furniture. And, she constantly wants the water on. She loves the water. I can't wait until she's old enough to ask her Dad to put her in a pool. Maybe when we get her sister here they can tag team him. I grabbed my camera yesterday and took a few pics of the water fun.

Here's my fav!



Thanks for reading,
A

One Year Ago - Part 4

May 19, 2007 - We returned from a long, but wonderful trip to China.  We arrived at the Nashville airport and were greeted by wonderful friends and family.  What a very special time for all of us.  It was such a joyous and happy time for everyone.  I only have a couple pictures from that day, because I was not the one with the camera!  But, here is one of them.

More later,

Amy

One Year Ago - Part 3

Today was the day that Fu Bao Jun became Jadyn Grace BaoJun Hood. We gathered in the Civil Affairs office and had our first family picture made, signed the papers, stamped our thumbprints in red ink and ta da, she was ours, FOREVER!

Gotcha Day Letter

My dearest Jadyn,

When I was a little girl, my Daddy took me to a local bicycle shop and bought me a brand new Schwinn bicycle.  I'll always remember that bicycle.  It had training wheels and my goal was to learn to ride that bicycle.  Day after day, Daddy would spend time teaching me how to ride that bicycle, time after time, I would try to ride it and he would come along behind me and hold the back of the seat.  There were two words that I can still hear him say to me that helped me to know that I was safe.  "I've gotcha" was all I needed to hear to give me a sense of safety and comfort.  I knew that as long as Daddy had the back of the seat, I was not going to fall.  I was completely safe.  The day that you came into our lives is commonly know in the adoption world as "Gotcha Day".  There's lots of people that don't use this term for various reasons, but it speaks volumes about the greatness of that day.  We will always come along behind you and hold you up.  We will try our very best to not let you fall.  I want you to have the feeling of security and safety as I had when my Daddy spoke those words to me many years ago, I've gotcha.   Many years have gone by and a lot has changed.  Unfortunately, your will never meet your Grandaddy as he is in heaven, he would have loved you so.  But, one thing will always remain, Jadyn, I've gotcha, your safe now, and loved more than you can ever imagine, and you will never be alone.   I will protect you, be there for you, and help you not to fall.  

I cannot believe that it's been a whole year since that day in Fuling, China when your Dad, your  brothers and I gathered, along with our travel buddies, in that crowded conference room to get our first glimpse of you in the flesh.  We had stared at, prayed over, and shed many tears longing for the day when we would hold you in our arms.  Finally, that day came and it did not disappoint.  We were so taken by you.  Your sweet, round face and beautiful black eyes and hair just captured our heart.  You were such a scared little girl and our hearts broke knowing the fear you must have been experiencing.

Being able to visit the place where you had lived for the past 13 months and seeing first hand the other children and caregivers gave us a great deal of comfort.  It was evident that you were loved and cared for and that made us very happy.  Spending that time there had a profound impact on all of us.  We left there better people than when we arrived.  

Jadyn, I simply cannot put into words the joy that you have brought into our lives.  Your sweet smile, your silly laugh, and the sound of your voice still makes my  heart skip a beat.  You were placed in my arms on this day, one year ago, and that feeling of happiness and gratitude are just as strong today as they were a year ago.  You are truly a gift from God.  The name Jadyn is Hebrew for "God has heard" and He truly has.  He heard my prayers of 5 years and He was faithful.  He allowed you to be born to another family, but to be delivered into our family on May 13, 2007.  We are so very thankful that He did.

My prayer for you, sweet girl, is that you always love the Lord.  You are truly a blessing and we are so thankful for your life and for the country where you were born.  Someday, Jadyn, you will do great things.  God has a plan for your life and I am so very thankful that He allowed us to be a part of it.  Thank you for being our daughter.  Thank you for being such a joy and light in our lives.  You have brought excitement, love, laughter and life to our home that cannot be described by mere words.  Never in a million years did I think that I would look around my house again and wonder how it could get so messy, so fast.  It's filled with babies, blankets, plastic fruit, and dishes.  Thank you for the constant source of joy that you are to us.  I love you, sweet one, with all my heart.  I pray that you will always know how much you are loved.

You make my heart smile.

I love you,

Mommy