Alexander John Nicholson

Alex was born on January 13, 2010 at 7:24 pm. When he was born he was 7 lbs 9 oz and 20.5 inches long. He is a beautiful little boy with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes. John and I are enjoying having him around...especially since he is such a good baby. He has been sleeping 4-6 hours straight at night and only cries when he is hungry, tired or has a dirty diaper. Here are a few pictures from his first few days at home and a video as well.

Moving Back!

I thought I would put a quick post to let all our friends and family know that we have safely moved back to Chicago. It was very hard for both of us to say goodbye to all of our friends in Thailand but we look forward to visiting with them all again one day. The past year has been one of the most wonderful experiences for us and we are so thankful to have had this opportunity. We would like to extend a huge thanks to our Siam PVS family for their generous gifts and supportive words before our departures. You will all be missed!

We are now looking forward to starting the next chapter in our lives with a new addition to our family. We are patiently waiting for our little guy to arrive and will be sure to share photos and stories once he comes.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Siam PVS English Class

After spending the past few months teaching English at both the plant and the office, it was sad to see it all come to an end last week. After teaching the final classes each student received a certificate in Beginning English Conversation and we celebrated afterwards with delicious Thai lunches. I was even surprised with a few gifts! All in all this was such a fantastic teaching experience for me and I couldn't have asked for a more friendly and hardworking group of people.

Chatuchak Weekend Market

On Sunday, since we had a day without rain, we decided to head off to Bangkok's famous weekend market. This is The Worlds Biggest Weekend Market selling practically everything under the sun, from bathroom towels, to foods, trendy fashions, antiques intricate wooden carvings, masks from far-off lands, adorable fluffy dogs, colorful fish of every kind and singing birds. There are almost 9,000 individual booths overflowing with every imaginable to please the thousands of shoppers. Once inside the market, you will be caught up in a world of bursting crowds and stalls stretching as far as the eye can see. But, before entering the market it is always important to be prepared for the heavy crowds, extreme heat, and some most unusual smells. So, with a backpack filled with cold water, hand sanitizer, an umbrella (for rain or sun), tissues (you won't find toilet paper in the bathrooms), a map, camera, and money; we were off to the market.

After watching John bargain with a Thai salesperson over an antique piece with sweat dripping down his face we decided it was time to head back. We managed to last about an hour at the market but we were on a mission to find Thai artwork to bring home to Chicago. Our mission was completed!

Ancient Siam

Since I am not able to walk as much as I would like at 7 months pregnant, we did a driving tour through Thailand's Ancient Siam last week. Ancient Siam is acres of land with numerous replicas of palace halls, temples, stupas (mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics), stone sanctuaries, and traditional houses that may be found throughout Thailand. One the tour you can also visit several reconstructed historical buildings and sample villages from all regions of the country. Here are some interesting sights we saw along the way.

The Courage of the People of Bang Rachan

The Garden of Pha Daeng-Nang Ai

Sala of Ramayana

Sumeru Mountain

Bangkok Post

We're famous! (Not really) A few weeks ago we attended the opening of a great French restaurant next door to our apartment. John and I both became obsessed with their delicious sandwiches and fresh French bread. While we were in the restaurant we met the owners, who also live in our building. They are a lovely couple who moved here from Las Vegas to open up this restaurant. She is originally from France and her husband, the chef, is from Miami. After seeing them a few times in the restaurant they invited us to the opening. Little did we know that our picture was taken and has been in the advertisement that has been running in the Bangkok Post the past week.

You may have to use your zoom to actually see us or click on the picture. :)

Krabi

This past weekend we headed south to Krabi, on the Andaman Sea, to spend a few days with our friends Mike and Lauren. This is a very special time for Mike and Lauren because they are here on their honeymoon. They were kind enough to let us join in on their vacation for a few days to spend some fun in the sun together. It was also a special trip for us because we celebrated our 1 year anniversary on the 4th. Hard to believe a year has gone by! We have had some incredible experiences together this past year and look forward to this next year together with a new baby!

We returned to Bangkok on Sunday evening and left Mike and Lauren in Krabi for a few more days together. They will return to Bangkok on Thursday and spend two more days with us before heading back to Michigan. Enjoy the pictures from the trip!