Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Twenty-six things we've learned in China

Here are some of the things we've learned in China (in no particular order).

  1. Grief sucks. Bad.
  2. Grief may be just as bad for mama and baba.
  3. This, too, shall pass.
  4. Stacking cups are the bomb.
  5. Split pants are great for potty training (and a big help in the squatty potty).
  6. Our son is actully potty trained during the day.
  7. Our son is really smart and will make a great engineer - we've already applied for admission to MIT online.
  8. Poopy in the potty chair is cause for great celebration.
  9. Men who swim in the cold river will stand wearing only a towel and shout something like Hah Hai! (Is this Mandarin for hooah?)
  10. Hahaha in Mandarin means hahaha.
  11. The Chinese supermarket is completely overwhelming.
  12. Micah has no patience for the Notary Office. None. It evokes the same feeling as waiting in the Motor Vehicle office for baba.
  13. Elmo rocks.
  14. You can have best friends you've only known for three days (Love ya Donna and Randy!)
  15. You can use baby wipes for almost anything.
  16. You can buy little eels on the bridge accross the river.
  17. Rice cereal is a favorite for breakfast.
  18. We all like steamy eggs, which is actually like a custard.
  19. Steamed pork dumplings are a lifesaver.
  20. Being a guide is tough work - thanks Wendy!
  21. We are learning so much about Micah everyday.
  22. Men and women alike think Micah is cute.
  23. The blonde children in our group are like rock stars.
  24. Honking once means get out of the way. Honking twice overrules honking once.
  25. KFC and McDonald's have a different menu in China. (Spicy McWings? Egg drop soup?)
  26. Parenting is the most difficult and rewarding thing we've ever done.

And of course what post would be complete without a couple of pictures of our boy?

We must keep "quite" in the Notary office.A very proud papa!

11 comments:

Michael said...

He needs to go to Georgia Tech with Sheridan instead of MIT.

Heather said...

That was GREAT!! I love seeing your big smiles!

. said...

I am checking your blog like crazy! So glad you have your Micah. I know the grieving is heartbreaking but it will pass-- promise!

Anonymous said...

Love the pictures..keep posting them.
Panina

Susan and Dan said...

You guys are so funny! I'd like to try some of those spicy Mcwings!!

Steph said...

Karen, I'm sure by now you're finding out that this trip and experience will change your life forever. You'll look at everything with a different set of eyes from now on (especially now that you know that hahaha is universal!). Thanks for the pics of Micah. He is so adorable!

Tracy said...

So glad to hear things are going better. I also agree fully about making best friends quickly in your group AND parenting being equally difficult and rewarding. It's so incredible. Adoption is such a miracle.

RamblingMother said...

That is a very good list. And I totally agree.

Beverly

Anonymous said...

You are ready to write for Letterman! Love the one about honking, LOL.

Christina

Unknown said...

It is so fun to follow your journey. It is a pleasure to get to get a tiny glimpse of your first days as a family.

Donna said...

Hi Bruce and Karen! Even though we were ALL the way down at #14 (lol), we still wanted to say thanks. We so enjoyed hanging out with you in Beijing, and hope to be able to spend more time with you here in Guangzhou. Keep in mind too, Atlanta is only about 5hrs from Jax...anyone up for a road trip? For world travelers like us, 5hrs is nothing! And also, being seasoned parents ourselves (ha), if we can do anything to help out this week, let us know!
Randy and Donna