Baby in the mirror

One of our favorite things to do these days (Emma and I) is to play with the baby in the mirror. We talk to her. Emma competes with her to see who can suck her hand the loudest. I tell Emma about the baby's cute cheeks, eyes, yummy hands, happy feet, etc. Without exception, these times lead to the three of us laughing (3rd party being Emma's reflection).

This game had been done in the mirror, but we started playing the game on the iPhone with the camera reversed so we could see our own reflections. She LOVES IT! It's less distracting than a full-sized mirror because all she can see is her own face. This, like Skyping with her grandparents, makes her get chatty and smiley. I have pictures and videos of our fun times. Below is just one play session from today! Love my baby girl!

Refreshment

Yesterday, Emma and I got out on our own for the first time without her daddy!  We went to a moms group at a local church with one of my friends. It was fabulous! There is a coffee shop in the bottom of the church where this group meets every Wednesday. It was so nice to get to meet the other moms--nationals and expats alike--to talk together and pray for each others needs. This might become a weekly time of refreshment for me as I've really been longing for some sense of community here. Two of the gals have babies within a week to 3 weeks of Emma's age. It was also nice to have a frappuccino that is icy and thick since most shake-drinks here are milk with flavoring in it and they call it a shake even though it is just flavored milk.

When we got back to our apartment, I decided to walk one lap around our buildings and ran into a family I've been trying to reconnect with since their daughter got married in December and moved with her husband to DC. They had their daughter long distance on the phone and let me talk to her as we walked to their apartment. She then got on Skype and was able to meet Emma. Unfortunately, Emma was exhausted from the moms outing so our visit was cut short by the savage need for feeding and bedtime, but my friend's mom was very understanding. I'm so thankful for great neighbors like this family!

It was a very refreshing day!

A few blessings

 PEOPLE WHO LOVE OUR EMMA

SWEET MOMENTS WITH OLD BUDDIES

DON'T THOSE LITTLE FACES JUST WARM YOUR HEART?!

Reflections

Today, I spent a little bit of time reflecting on why we left home in the first place.  Thoughts that turn homeward are usually sad times of homesickness for me, especially now that we have our little Emma.  I want to get down these thoughts just so they aren't lost.

Why did I leave home? ...and how did it feel to leave?

• I did not leave home so that I could be blessed, but so that I and my family could be a blessing.  This is very important for me to remember because it is VERY hard to live away from home, especially in a foreign culture.  
• I did not happily leave home with great anticipation of how cool it would be to live in South Asia.  I was scared then of what weird encounters we would have, bad illnesses we may contract, and insane cultural moments that would drive us crazy.  
• I grieved the thought of my family not being around for the births of my children, and that we would have no pictures with grandparents and aunts and uncles throughout our childrens' lives as a result of this move.  
• We prayerfully left the normal and usual and entered the unknown and unusual.

What is it like now... one year later?

Life in South Asia this past year has been easier than I had forecast it to be.  That is not to say that my heart isn't aching on a daily basis that we cannot have more access to our family and friends back in our homeland.  It is also not saying that this has been a piece of cake.  Morning sickness was killer those first four months due to the smells here that can make anyone queasy.  Car sickness is a new issue due to the traffic and absence of true traffic laws.  Pollution aggravates my sinuses provoking sinusitis unless I wear a face mask when out near the roads.  Also, the heat is ridiculous and makes cabin fever take on a whole new meaning for this new mama.  However...

• I did not get dengue fever, or any other mosquito-injected illnesses, and neither did Matt nor Emma.  
• We were not in a traffic accident (if you don't count the common fender-benders that rickshaws tend to get themselves into).  
• I had a pregnancy and birth without complications (if you overlook the lady who wouldn't have a medical license if she operated in the States who said my uterus was divided in two sides when there was nothing in an ultrasound to prove what she was saying - this was so she could make me come every two weeks to get re-scanned by her to check for issues in my pregnancy due to deformities).  I did have a very long labor, but a very quick delivery of Emma that also was without incident.  

As I was tearfully going through yet another round of culture shock blended with homesickness, the Lord kindly reminded me that if I will lean on Him for the strength to endure, that He will give it to me.

The Lord reminded me that I'm not a failure and that my role is actually quite important.  I'm raising our daughter, the next generation.  Through this role as Matt's wife and Emma's mommy, He will allow me to make attempts to impact the culture here in a way that would be pleasing in His sight because the culture will get to see how He makes a difference in this simple life we live.  Even though I am a broken person, His power is made perfect in my weakness because when I am weak, He is shown to be strong.

This is the hope He gave me for this next year -- He will fill me if I will empty myself.  He will empower me, if I will run to Him when I'm overwhelmed.  He will light my path, if I will seek His route.  He will be my home, if I will take rest in Him.

The daily grind

So, it is usually between 90-105F here during the day.  This means that it is pretty miserable being out of the house and that drinking water often is a must if you do go out of the house.  Most people here don't bring their infants out much.

EMMA ROLLING ON A QUILT WE JUST RECEIVED IN A CARE PACKAGE

I learned yesterday that women here who say they have a baby could be referring to any child under 10 years of age.  Odd.  This is because a woman told me that she wanted to see my baby and was shocked that I was actually referring to "an infant" as "my baby".  Apparently babies are much older in appearance than infants here.  So strange.  I informed her that, as far as I know, in our culture babies are infants who cannot walk... toddlers are babies who can walk... and that if a toddler is able to run and speak in sentences, we call him or her a child.  Ah, culture!

Our daily grind consists of as much language as we can tolerate; usually home-making tasks of self-care, soul-care, and baby care; and trying to get out into the community to meet people.  Aside from that, we both have audio recordings of our language lessons that we listen to repeatedly to try and make the language stick in our minds.

When we want to have fun, we hang out with friends we have here, go for walks around our complex, go to the local mall, do tummy time games with Emma, and relax between diaper changes and taking care of home duties.  This is our life at this stage -- lots of baby times, some language, a little community.

We are super thankful for the friends we have... and are hoping that Merilee can meet more people in our neighborhood as she takes Emma for walks in the mosquito-net-covered stroller.  Sometimes Merilee can get lonely in the house avoiding the beating down sun with Emma.  It will be awesome once monsoon season hits and we are able to don an umbrella and get out to meet people when the sun is still shining (or behind a cloud, as it were).

Good Friday & Easter

We went to the local contemporary service for both events. It was so awesome getting to worship our Lord with Emma! First of all, she is event-friendly. During the GF service I only got up to change her and then to bounce her. Secondly, Emma LOVES the singing portion. She kept her eyes on her daddy's face as he sang. It was a bit distracting for Matt to be stared and grinned at during the songs. Very sweet, though.

I can't really describe how awesome it was to worship in English and also in Hindi. We could understand lots of the words we were singing since they were transcribed in English text on the screen as we were singing them. So awesome! Here is my favorite of the songs we sang:

Yeshu Masih Tere Jaisa (Hum Gaye Hosanna)

EMMA IN HER EASTER OUTFIT FROM MOMMO TAYLOR

Like a dandelion

EIGHT WEEKS AND GROWING FAST

Emma was born at 7lbs3oz and 20" long.  Now, at two months old (nearly), she is 13lbs1oz and 22" long! We have retired her newborn jersey and the 0-3 months sized clothing is snug. Her three month clothing has a tailored fit and 6 month clothing fits comfortably with space to squirm. We have also retired her napper that was in her crib because she is too long for it.

GROSS MOTOR SKILLS

Emma maintains head control for seconds of time when held looking over my shoulder. She rolled from her tummy to her back. When on her tummy she can support her upper body with forearms and push her head up to 90 degrees with her chin perpendicular to the floor. She can also do a micro-push-up from that position, elevating her rib cage and elbows off the floor. This morning (3/30/2013) she shifted with her arms and legs while on her tummy so she could be facing a light-up toy that was at her hip's side in the crib - she was facing it with her head nearly up against it once she stopped moving.

FINE MOTOR SKILLS

Emma can bring both hands to her mouth to suck them, puts her index finger in her mouth, rubs her eyes when sleepy, grasps an object that touches her hand, though she doesn't yet reach for one. She is fascinated with her hands.

SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL SKILLS

Emma calms herself by sucking her hand, cries when left alone, is more attached to Mommy and Daddy than to others, recognizes Mommy as food source, enjoys social interactions in limits (no more than 2 minutes of non-stop interaction).

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Emma coos, gurgles, squeals with glee, and grins when smiled at or talked to. She cries to indicate her different needs and stops crying when she knows we've guess her need correctly (e.g., when placed on the changing table, when picked up and adjusted to feeding position). She enjoys experimenting with how loud she can joyfully scream in the morning.