Dressing Up for Christmas

I love dressing up, and was excited about eventually having an opportunity to wear a saree... so when all of my national friends told me should wear a saree for Christmas, I gladly went shopping.  The first place I went was a nice place having a 30% off sale, but it was still expensive- prices ranged from $20- $10,000.  There were a few there that I liked for about $40, but I wanted something cheaper.  Next I went to the big bazaar in town and found a store where the sarees were less expensive, but I still wasn't convinced that I wanted to pay $30 for something I kind of liked and would rarely wear, so off to another store.  The 3rd store was the charm.  I walked in and the first sarees the guy showed me were about $5.  This did two things for me- it showed me that the guy wasn't trying to rip me off and sell me the most expensive thing in the store, and it showed me that I could get something for less.  I ended up paying less that $10! 

Silas' outfit actually cost more than mine did, but it was also a little less than $10 (half off).  Though all of my friends had told me to wear a saree, I found that very few nationals actually wear sarees on Christmas Day.  I felt a little over dressed.  Oh, well.  Because I don't know how to put on a saree, I had a friend help me get dressed in the morning.  Since I was going to a party in the evening, I ended up wearing the saree all day long.  Silk sarees are not made for getting things done.  I felt useless all day and had a tight string tied around my waist.  Everyday sarees I a little easier I think.

Silas is walking all over the place  now, but he had a difficult time walking in his Christmas pants.  They were a little long and really quite funny.  I wish I had gotten a picture of the back- he looked like he had a tail. 

The sleeves were a little long too! 

Bittersweet

Well, it is official, Silas is weaned now!  If you had asked me a year ago I would have said I would be rejoicing.  It was not easy in the beginning- I endured a lot of pain, bloodshed, having to pump, and of course the normal not being able to be apart from your child any longer than 2 and half or 3 hours.  But then it got better- easier, Silas wasn't nursing as much, and I really enjoyed my special times with him.  I looked forward to seeing him in the morning and the little smiles he would give me and the way he would look up at me and start talking between gulps... So even though I am happy for my freedom and the fact that JP and I can finally go on an overnight date!! I miss my special times with my boy.  I know that we will bond in other ways, but it is just a tangible reminder that he is going to grow up. 
     Just a side note- although nursing was very difficult, I would do it all over again.  Aside from the obvious that it saved a lot of money, was better for Silas' health and mine... It was the special bond with Silas that will make me do it again. ( But, if there are any soon to be 1st time moms reading this- you should be aware of the reality that few choose to tell you - It hurts at first, it is incovenient, very time consuming, and for the 1st few months it seems like it is all that you do). 
Oh, and another up note- I can now get so much accomplished in the morning!

Our 1 Year Old

I have always liked the Mary Tyler Moore theme song- "Who can turn the world on with her smile?  Who can take a nothing day and suddenly make it all seem worth while?..."  It is Silas.  I just love his different smiles and he truly does brighten everyone's day. 

Vital Stats at 1 year:  weight 9.15 kg (20 lbs), height 74cm (30 in) 

He is small for his age but he is healthy and active :). 

What people say about Silas: "How did you get his hair to do that?" (Me: how can I get it not to stand up like that?)  "Awesome hair man!"   "Such big blue eyes"    "Such a good baby"  "Such a smiler"  "Very talkative for a boy his age"   "Too cute!"  "He is so happy"  "Does he ever cry?" (Me: definitely)

What I love about my little man:  The way he squints his eyes and smiles as wide as possible at me, the way he snuggles with me in the auto, the way he talks all the time and the funny things he says (naganaga, dikadika, ahahah...), the way I can see his mind at work when he is trying to figure out how something works, his persistence, his knack for exploring, his sensitivity toward other kids, the way he claps at random times for no apparent reason, how much he loves me...and the list could go on and on.

Mode of Transportation: Silas walks all over the place as long as he has something to hold onto.  He has taken a few steps (up to 4 at a time) but he prefers crawling between objects.  He hasn't riden in a carseat since 6 months but sits on laps in taxis, autos, planes, and trains.

Diet: He is good at feeding himself with his fingers, though somethings are a little difficult to work with.  He likes to eat pureed carrots, apple sauce, mango, plain yogurt, bread, crackers, paneer, tofu, mushrooms, veggie burgers, bananas, chole, rajma... and much prefers Indian food to Thai food.  Silas has just started the weaning process, nursing 3 times a day and drinking some milk from a bottle.  He has no known food allergies and he has tried most of the big allergens.  The above picture was his first time eating cake and it will be a seldom treat in his diet. 

Favortie Activities: emptying the cabinets, emptying the drawers, emptying the bookshelve... singing songs with mommy, reading books, playing with wheels, climbing, playing while both mommy and daddy watch, being with people.

Sleeping Habits: Silas is a good sleeper.  He goes to bed around 7:30 and wakes up around 6:30.  After taking a bath Silas drinks milk, reads a Bible story and Good Night moon, gets in his sleep sack, says a prayer, and sings "Tis so sweet to Trust in Jesus".  He generally goes down without a fuss.  Up until our trip to Thailand he had to sleep with his swamp cooler making noise, but now he goes down without white noise!  Silas takes 2 naps during the day but he seems to be nearing transitioning to 1 nap. 

Vocabulary:  He talks a lot but most of it doesn't make sense.  He says "baby", "momma", "dadda", and tickle tickle. 

King of the Slide

We are staying at a Guest House in Thailand right now and they have playroom for the kids.  Silas loves playing in there and I love watching him play in there.  When older kids are in there it gets a little rough so Silas kind of stays out of the way, but when he is by himself, he is king of the slide. 
This video was taken after his 1st birthday party.  The kitchen staff made cake for dessert and we provided balloons for all the kids.  It was just a little thing, but it was fun.

One Year

Tomorrow is Silas' 1st Birthday!  I have heard most parents say that they can't believe how their child is already one, or how fast the time goes, but my perspective is a little different.  Silas is finally one!  I can't believe it has only been a year since he was born.  So much as happened in our little family since Silas entered the picture that last November seems like several years ago (though I have to say that I still remember the labour nightmare quite clearly and am not looking forward to doing that again anytime soon). 
Since Silas was born we have resided in 6 different cities (7 if you count our short trips to Beaumont) in 3 different countries.  The first six months Silas' life was divided into 2 month interval: 2 months in Fort Worth, 2 months in Virginia, 2 months in Carrollton waiting.  At six months Silas moved half-way across the world to start again.  After a brief stint in our port city, we fortunately got to stay in one place for about 5 months before having to leave to come to Thailand- where we are now.  And Silas is such a flexible boy.  By plane, train, auto-rickshaw, taxi, and car Silas has proven to be a good little traveller!  He has adapted so well to all of his new surroundings and I am so thankful for my little man.
  I wish that we were home so that I could throw him a 1st birthday party with a cute cake, decorations, family, and friends, but we will have to wait until next year. 

On the Move

Last night I had my first South Asian train experience and Silas rode his first train ever.  As soon as the train started they served us tea with a samosa, sweet snack, and salty snack, but with Silas on my lap, it was a little difficult to partake of it.  A little while later they served tomato soup and a roll, again could not eat with Silas on my lap but I didn't really want to.  A little later they came by with a full meal: chickpeas in masala, chicken, rice, chapatis, yogurt, and salad.  But I didn't eat because I was busy holding my squirmy child who was really tired but couldn't go to sleep (he did really well though).  I want point Silas managed to crawl under the seats and go three rows ahead of us.  I laughed imagining what those people thought when they felt something tickling their feet :).  Silas eventually went to sleep so the sound of praise songs and we finished the train ride off with ice cream!  I was reminded of different life is now with a baby, but also how wonderful it is to have a little one cuddled up on your lap, knowing that you are the only one who can calm him in any situation (though normally his father can calm him too). 

Warzone

I am currently sitting in my bedroom listening to the warzone of firecrackers sound around, amazed that Silas actually fell asleep and praying that he stays asleep tonight.  Today is Diwali- the Hindu festival of lights- triumph of good over evil- a day of good fortune.  The festivities are a cross between Christmas and the 4th of July- pretty lights hung on houses, candles, exchange of gifts and sweets, big sales, plus lots and lots of fire crackers.  Some of the fire crackers are a pretty display of colored light, but most of them are just loud- and relentless. 
    But Diwali isn't just about lights and noise, it is about worship- honoring the goddess Laxmi and other gods.  It is about spiritual and physical renewal.  Most people I have met here are not really very spiritual- they go through the motions of spirituality because it is part of their culture- part of their identity, but they have no real relationship with their religion- no relationship with their god.   

Engagement Party

Last night we went to an engagement party for a friend of mine.  The Bride (my friend) is from a somewhat poor family and they are all believers.  The groom was an orphan from a Buddhist background who was taken in by some Americans living in the area when he was a boy.  They raised him, along with many other orphans, and he is now a believer as well.  It was really a blessing to be able to attend this ceremony and experience such a meaningful tradition that was a mix of both Indian tradition and Christian.
      Once the girl and boy were seated, there was prayer and singing songs of praise.  Then the American father of the groom gave a blessing and message about the meaning of the occasion and the commitment that is being made.  I was really thankful that this was in English and then translated into Hindi so that I could understand.  The purpose of the ceremony is to bring two families together- for the family members to celebrate the engagement and get to know one another, as two families are bing joined together.  The message was a really good word on what true love is, and the father used scripture and the example of God's love for us.  I know the hindu family sitting next to me has been having marital problems and I think this was certainly a good word for them, but also a good reminder for me as it is so easy to seek my own good in marriage instead of my husband's. 

After this, the family of the Bride to be lined up in front of her and the family of the groom to be lined up in front of him and the father of the g2b asked the family for their daughter.  Then the couple came forward and there was an exchange of rings and a word of commitment on the part of both families and the couple.  Then the families exchanged gifts with one another. 

The bride 2 be is in turqoise and the g2b is off to the side (people kept standing in front of me so I couldn't get a good picture)

After the family exchange of gifts, other people brought gifts up to the couple and greeted them.  Then a large dinner of fried rice, fried bread, paneer, chickpeas, chicken, and mixed vegetables was served. 
It would be fun to do this when our children get married!

   

Dusheraa

This man is selling some kind of pickled vegetables.

Yesterday when I was walking around on my language route there were many families out all walking to the same place.  My friend told me that everyone was going to the parade ground for the Dushera festivities and recommended that I get JP and Silas and go as well.  So, we did.  Dushera is a celebration of the the triumph of good over evil when Ram defeated Ravana and his sons in order to win back his wife Sita who had been kidnapped and taken to the Island of Lanka. 

A woman dressed like the goddess Kali is collecting money from the crowds of people

Many vendors were taking advantage of the masses, selling trinkets for children like masks, balls, noise makers...

Replicas of Ravana and two of his sons.  At 5:30 there was a reinactment of the battle and the large statues were set on fire (we didn't stay for this event).

Another vendor sells colorful bangles.  These are worn everyday, but even more so for festivals.

Playing in the Bucket

Silas's favorite activity it taking things out.  Whether it is clothes from the laundry bucket, bowls from the drawer, tupperware from the cabinet, books from the shelf, Silas loves to take things out.  He is quite and explorer and is always looking for something new and forbidden.

Some Long overdue Pictures

We had spinach paneer one night for dinner and Silas had a lot of fun putting spinach specks all over his face and in his hair.  Self-feeding is messy but lots of fun!

As I am normally the one behind the camera, Silas and I rarely have our pictures taken together.  I thought this one turned out pretty well. 

Silas loves to scrunch up his nose and put on an intimidating face- here is a side view from our trip up the mountain.

Silas now proudly sports 4 teeth, though it is difficult to get a picture where you can see all of them.  Daddy had to coax Silas to smile for me.

Unfortunately Silas was looking at the other camera, but otherwise a good picture.

So, can you guess what snow capped mountain range is peaking up over the clouds? We were blessed to be there on a clear morning so that we could get a view of Himalayas. 

It's the Holiday Season...

The end of September doesn't normally signal the beginning of the holiday season for me, but by the Hindu calendar, things are a little different.  September 28th marked the first day of Navratri.  Navratri is a nine day festival that celebrates the goddess Durga and her 9 avatars.  Each day of the festival honors a different avatar.  Wednesday's newspaper contained a booklet on Navratri and a story about each avatar and what she represents.  During Navratri people fast on varying levels depending on their devotion, but for most people it just means that they eat simply- without onion, garlic, meat...  They daily offer pooja (worship) to the goddess in their homes and also go to the temple to worship. 
    Because they never know when a new avatar will appear, female children are also honored and worshiped during this festival. 
    At the end of the festival there is a big celebration.  People buy new clothing and it ushers in the holiday season with Dushera and Diwali to soon follow. 
   I hope to attend some holiday events and promise to post more pictures once we get our fast internet back next month. 

Waiting for Guests

Yesterday I invited my friend Ooma to come over for tea time.  I didn't know exactly what time she would show up (she said after 2), so I was here ready at 1 and waited until 5.  I wans't really that surprised that she didn't show up because she runs her own shop and is really busy, so I wasn't disappointed, but.... When we went on our evening walk we passed by her shop and she stopped me.  She told me that she had come to my place and talked to our landlord but he had said that we didn't live there and was wondering what business she had with us.  At this point we didn't know whether she was telling us this to save face, or if our landlord had really turned her away (I thought the latter, JP thought the former).  When we got home I asked my landlord if a lady came by to see me.  He said that two ladies came by and asked what business I had with them.  When I told them that they were my friends he replied, "but they aren't Christians" and made up something about us not being home. 
    Yes, my friend Ooma is a hindu (gasp- how dare I have a hindu friend). I have mentioned before that the people in our neighborhood do not associate with the people on the other side of the sewer and this is an example of it.  My dear brothers and sisters if we do not trust the lost, if we do not extend hospitality to them, then how with they ever be saved?

Date Nights

Just a side note before I get started- the power was out for 8 hours yesterday so we went to KFC for dinner and prayed our food in the fridge didn't go bad.

JP and I have always enjoyed being creative for date night since we were on a very tight budget.  Though it would be possible to do dinner and a movie here, that just doesn't excite us that much- I like adventure (my poor husband).  For our first date night here I decided we needed to try what was advertized as the cities "only authentic Chinese restaurant".  So, we hopped in an auto and went to the other side of town and a little bit into the jungle where we found a Cafe Cofee Day and decided to stop for drinks before dinner.  I got a yummy Lichee chill.  Of course at this point JP discovered that he didn't have much cash on him.  Before going to dinner we tried to find an ATM but to no avail.  So a new game developed- Let's see how much we can do in this city for 800 RPS.  After paying our auto driver I think we had 600 left.
   At the Chinese restaurant we ordered Chinese greens (so craving those), Kung Pao chicken, Jaozi, and Rice. The food tasted more authentic than most Chinese restaurants here, but the vegetable dish had about 5 pieces of bokchoy and then a bunch of mushrooms, cauliflower, and bell pepper.  The pork Jaozi was really good though.  After dinner we were down to about 100 RPS.  We knew that we couldn't get an auto back home for that, so we just started walking and exploring.  When we got to a main road we decided to hop on a Vikram- a little blue truck with the bed turned into a cab for people- it seats 6-8 people and then you have to squat after that.  We took the Vikram a ways and then decided to hop off and look and some stores around us.  10 RPS down.  I then remembered that I needed to buy a sifter so that my cook could sift our flour.  Another 10 RPS down. 
  From there we walked into a Bengali sweet shop and bought 4 little bit sized sweets.  Although I didn't know what I was eating, I thought that they tasted very good and have since bought some more.  15 Rupees down.   Not yet ready to go home and down to about 65 RPS, we walked a little ways and spotted a cute little bakery.  The decor of the bakery looked very French Bistro esque, but it was not well kept.  Regardless, we purchased a piece of mango cake and climbed the narrow spiral staircase up to the second floor to eat and catch a glimpse of the busy street down below.  35 RPS
     With about 30 RPS left in our pocket, it was time to start heading home to relieve the babysitter.  We were still too far away to get an auto for 30 RPS, so we walked until we got to the 30 RPS point and then took an auto home. 
   It was fun just being spontaneous, exploring the city, tasting some new things, trying new forms of transportation, walking around without a baby in tow, and spending quality time together. 

No Power

I finally have time to post on the blog, but we have been without power for about 5 hours so our computer is about out of juice (and our food is probably going bad in the refrigerator).  I am afraid the power will go out mid-writing so I will just keep it simple. 
I have been away because our hard drive mysteriously stopped working :(.  Our computer is up and running but it does not have all of our old programs installed and our picture software has not been installed.  This has been an annoying glitch, but we have survived.  Please pray for our hard drive. ( I realize that we should have backed up our hd, but let's not talk about that.)  We are still attempting to get to our data on our hard drive and all of Silas' pictures from 1 month to 9 months.  I will be very sad if we lose them. 
Will post more when power comes back.

Talking in the Car

9 months Old

My little man turned 9 months on the 17th.  Some people say the time flies by, but I must say, so much has happened since then that his birth seems forever ago.  He is such a precious gift from God and makes us smile and laught many times a day. 
At 9 Months Silas:
crawls quickly across the floor
pulls up on everything
climbs full flights of stairs
eats carrots, chole, yogurt, potato, green beans, mango, banana, crackers, egg plant, mashed peas, roti
talks all the time in a rather loud voice (he says dadada, bababa, mamama, and makes other noises)
loves to sing in the car or in the auto rickshaw
loves not having to sit in a carseat
loves playing with other kids
smiles a lot
scrunches his nose and makes a funny noise
loves reading books
has gotten quite clingy to mommy and has started snuggling :)
puts on a pouty face and starts to cry when he doesn't get his way
has learned how to throw his pacifier out of his crib :(
is greatly loved by mommy and daddy!

Still that Pride Thing

"but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 9:24

I may have said this before, but I am saying it again because it is still tripping me up.  Pride is a big issue for me- and it seems to creep up in many areas of my life.  So I have a confession to make, I am not a Hindi expert (gasp).  In fact, I think the term "novice" is being generous.  I daily stumble about with making sure that my verbs take the correct gender and tenses, and that my pronouns inflect correctly when followed by a postposition.  Yet even though I know that I don't know Hindi, I often find myself not having a very teachable attitude.  It really doesn't matter that I have a Masters degree, have studied Mandarin, and taught ESL, and the language school definitely doesn't care what my GPA was.  And it should not matter that my main teacher is 19 years old and admitted to us that she used to fail Hindi class.  The truth of the matter is that she has something to teach me and she is an expert and I am not.  Sure I may know a better way to teach, but I should give thanks that I am learning, that someone is available to teach me.  I need to get rid of the high and mighty attititude and lurks in my subconscience and realize that I am not above being taught by someone without an MA in Hindi.  We truly do value degrees so much- but it is just a piece of paper (and hours of class, reading, and writing papers).
   I really thinking I am doing better about this than I was in the beginning, but pray for me that even in the times when my teacher is texting during class or goes off on some tangent that fully reveals her age, that I would have an attitude of love and a righteous heart. 

More Pictures from around town

Here are some more pictures from near our neighborhood.  Pictures paint a good picture, but can only go so far, as you cannot hear, feel, or smell (a good thing) a picture.  As you look at these pictures, think muggy sewer.

A fastfood stall where they sell vegetarian momos (similar to Chinese jiaozi or dumplings).  They taste pretty good, but they are not all that sanitary.

Anyone washed their clothes on a concrete slab by the sewer lately?  Just wondering.

So this is how we buy chicken.  We go to a chicken shop and pick out a live chicken.  The chicken walla takes the chicken out, cuts her head off, lets her run around in a small enclosed space until she stops.  Then he takes the feathers off, cleans it, and puts it in a bag so that I can take it home and cook it.  Yes it is fresh chicken, but not the greatest quality.

 Bright colored clothing is the norm around here.  This shop sells fabric for Sariis, Salwar Kamiis, and men's clothing. 

Evening Walk

We try to take a walk every evening between dinner and Silas' bedtime so that we can meet our neighbors, stretch our legs, and get poor restless Silas out of the house. Sometimes we just walk in our neighborhood, sometimes we go get ice cream, and other times we cross to the other side of the sewer to see the real India. This is where the majority of my "friends" live. They are women I talk with, or just sit and stare at because I don't know how to say what I want to say. This is also where I go to buy vegetables, chicken, simple snacks, and to get my clothes ironed. Here are a few pictures from our walk.

Lalita lives right by the sewer.  Her "house" has an open area(as in no roof) with a fire for cooking and then a few rooms to the side for sleeping.  She sweeps floors for a living.

 I pass these buffalo just about every day.  Many people buy milk from this dairy.  They take an empty tin and bring it home full of fresh milk.

This lady was recently married.  She is staring down at us in her red Sarii and veil.

Many people walk around in the back streets selling vegetables from carts.  I think this is an interesting looking vegetable.

This is my Press Walii's stand, the lady on the left is my pw and friend Koosoon.  She loves Silas and Silas loves her.  Tonight she was showing Silas her different shrines to Shiva, Sai Baba, and a collection of other gods.  How important our nightly Bible stories are with Silas. 

These pigs live in the sewer and eat trash whenever they are not sleeping.

Dinner Guests

Last night we finally had our first Indian dinner guests.  We invited our auto driver Benjamin and his family over, and we were so glad that they accepted the invitation.  I decided to make Lasagna because I could prep it all before hand and then pop it in the oven an hour before they were to arrive (since they would be coming right after Silas' bed time and I knew I would be busy then).  Making the Lasagna was certainly an adventure.  I decided to use paneer (the local version of ricotta) that processed in the food processor with a little dahii (like yogurt)- so that I wouldn't have to spend a fortune on imported cheeses.  I also made my own tomato sauce, which is getting easier every time I make it.  With all of my new ingredients though, I was afraid that the Lasagna wouldn't taste good and that we wouldn't have enough food for everyone. 
     When the company arrived it was quite awkward seeing that we had only met the husband and seeing that I don't speak very much Hindi and don't know the appropriate way to host people for dinner in this country.  JP and Benjamin talked for a while and then I served dinner.  I was pleased to find that the lasagna actually tasted pretty good, but disappointed to see that my guests were not all that interested in it.  I don't think the 8 year old boy even tried it, I think it just sat on his plate (though he did eat some green beans) and the parents certainly were not interested in seconds.  Oh well, at least I could offer them ice cream, though for some reason the little girl didn't even like my ice cream. 
    I know it isn't the taste of the food that matters, it is the thought and heart of hospitality, but I should have had an Indian dish there as well. 

The 1st Big Crawl

At first we had to entice Silas to move forward- otherwise he would just back himself into a wall on under the bed, table...Now he has figured out how to go forward and there is no stopping him.  Of course now that he can crawl he wants to walk- but I think that will take a little more time to figure out.

What has Silas been up to?

 In the days before Silas had figured out how to crawl, his favorite position was standing on his head with his bum sticking straight up in the air.  I don't know why he liked doing this so much, but is sure was cute.  The picture below is in our living room.  We put a blanket on the floor with a sheet on top of it to try to give him a softer place to play than just the marble floor. 

The other day we got not 1, not 2, but 3 boxes from America!!  Silas was excited to find out what was inside (or maybe he was just excited to have something new to pull up on).  Thank you Grammy and Gramps!

 My parents have pictures of all of us playing in the cabinets (well at least of me and Kristen) so I had to get a picture of Silas playing with the plastic dishes.  He got himself stuck though and could't figure out how to back himself out).

And here is what was inside the boxes!!  Foam tiles for Silas to play on!!  I don't know how many times Silas has fallen and hit his head on the marble floors, resulting in a sad cry (mostly wanting attention, he wasn't that hurt), a red spot, and occasionally a bruise.  With Silas pulling up now, I really wanted something softer for him to fall on and the blanket on the floor just wasn't cutting it.  Silas loves his tiles and has been putting them to good use!

Blessed are the Meek

I love living overseas!! There are many things that I like about being in the non-Western world (and of course many things that I miss) but the thing that means the most to me is how it challenges me and presses me to be more like Christ.  Really, it is the frustrations, the little trials, the negative things about living in a developing nation that has a completely different culture from my own that I cherish the most. 
    I was struggling with our language school and the way they do things, and struggling with some other things as well and I was getting stressed out because I wanted to be in control. (My way is the best way to do things, it is the most logical, the most just, and the most practical, so it should be done that way).  I soon realized that this did not come from the Christ in me and that I was protecting my rights and asserting my own ideas instead of trusting God. 
    Having been prompted by my reading of 2 John to dwell more in Jesus' teachings, I started reading Matthew 5.  Yes, I know these, "Blessed are the..."  v5 "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth".  Wait a second, what does it really mean to be meek?  I have heard that over and over again in this context, but who really uses that word in modern English?  So I checked the ESV commentary and God really spoke straight to my heart- the meek are "the gentle, those who do not assert themselves over others in order to further their own agendas in their own strenght, but who will nonetheless inherit the earth because they trust in God to direct the outcome of events".  OUCH! I am not so meek.  Sure I may appear meek on the surface, but inside (and to my meek husband) I am asserting my own agenda and telling people what for right and left. 
    Then I turned to Matthew 11:29 where Jesus says, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."  We are to learn from the meekness of Jesus.  I find that much of my weariness and stress comes from trying to make things logical, just, and my way in my own strenght, when Jesus teaches us to be gentle.  Jesus did not assert his own agenda, he set the example of meekness and the example of trusting the Father to work all things for good and for God's purpose.  So many of the things that I take on as my burden were never intended to be my burden.  Jesus is saying that I should not carry more than I was intended to carry, trust God.  Philippians 4:5-6 "The Lord [the God of the universe who created all things, sustains, all things, knows all things, has all power and is righteous, just, and good] is at hand [he is very near to us]; do not be anxious about anything".
   This is such amazing truth.  I am still having a difficult time applying it, but the incomrehensible peace is there when I do. 

Crawling

Silas is all over the place now!  How quickly he went from staying in one place and being able to know where he was at all times to moving all around the house and getting into everything.  More to come, but I better go pay attention to him.

Pretty View

Normally it is too hazy to get a good view of the mountains from our house, but after a good rain the view is is beautiful.  If you look closely you can see the city up on the hill.  This is a resort town that people flock to for a break from the heat.  We went up on Thursday and enjoyed the scenery, cooler weather, and some pizza from a little cafe.

Movie Star

Silas loves his rubber ducky!!

Whenever we go out, Silas gets a lot of attention from the ladies.  The other night we were in a little coffe shop and three different young ladies asked if they could hold him.  In America I probably wouldn't let a stranger take Silas, but here it really doesn't phase me that much as long as Silas doesn't have a problem with it.  He is such an extrovert that he loves being passed around from person to person.

No Car

Texans don't really know how to survive without a car.  Everything is very spread out and there is minimal public transportation, so getting around without a car is very difficult.  I became fully aware of this with my international student friends who had no car and had to depend upon the Fort Worth bus system to get around.  Not so convenient. 
   While it would certainly be more convenient for us if we had a car here, we are making due with our feet, auto rickshaws, and an occasional taxi (buses and little blue public taxis are also available but we have not used them yet).  Typically if we want to go somewhere, we walk about 10 minutes to the mail street and then hire and auto to take us somewhere.  We have recently made friends with a driver named Benjamin who will pick us up at our house to save us those extra 10 minutes. 

   Yesterday I decided to walk from our house to Pizza Hut to collect delivery menus from all of the restaurants in between.  It took me about 45 minutes.  When I got to the Pizza Hut mall I stopped and at a new ice cream parlour and got a mango smoothie (I needed change for an auto ;)).  After a month of being here with all of the walking and sweating I can finally fit in my pre-pregnancy pants!  Too bad I got rid of most of them :). 

Trust

Yesterday we went on a walk to buy a few things and just get out of the house after the nice rain.  As we were walking, two rather tall girls stopped us and asked if they could ask a favor.  I thought they were going to ask if they could take a picture of Silas, but instead they asked us if we could give them a ride (assuming we had a car parked nearby).  They said that they asked us because they don't trust their own people, but they trust us (strange).  We told them we didn't have a car and they told us they were in town for a basketball tournament (explains the tall).  Then they asked to take Silas' picture. 

Another girl told me that the people of her country are bad, they cheat people and you cannot trust them. 
The wife of our language teacher told us, when we asked her to help us find a house helper, that she doesn't trust people, even the Christians because they are tempted by the things we have and they steal. 

So sad.  I am a very trusting person and it is strange for me to hear people say that they trust foreigners over their own people.  So does that mean I shouldn't trust anyone?  I hope I will find that I can.

Shopping

There are many things we take for granted in America, and one of them is one-stop shopping.  I miss the convenience of going to Walmart or Target to buy pretty much everything on my list.  Now I make my shopping list for the week, and then I divide it into different lists depending on where it can be purchased.  I go to one store to buy meat, one to buy vegetables, one for fruit, one for eggs, and then fortunately there is a grocery store that sells all of my grains, spices, milk, cheese... but office supplies, cleaning supplies, hardware, toys,... all have their own stores as well.  I guess the closest thing we have to one stop shopping is Pultaan Bazaar- though it is a distance from our house-  This is a few blocks of just stores: plastics stores, metal stores, wicker stores, clothing stores, paper stores, fabric stores, vegetable stands, fruit stands, chicken, fish, pork, eggs... these are all sold in separate stores, and the stores that sell the same thing are all grouped together. 
   There is however a positive to having to buy everything at a different store, and that is relationship.  Though I frequently went to the same checkout lady at Walmart and saw the same house wives shopping at 10am on a Monday, I never really got to know any of them.  Here, you get to know your shopkeeper, you build a relationship, a trust develops, and then maybe the vegetable lady will stop charging me twice the price she charges the locals (but I doubt it). 

Cloth Diaper Woes

Warning:  May not be suitable for people without children
As grateful as I am that we received 15 free Bum Genius diapers and no longer have to pay for disposable diapers, I have to say that I strongly dislike them.  I seriously do not understand the people who say "I love cloth diapers".  They are basically saying, I love looking at my child's poop and smelling it while I try to scrape into the toilet..."  Disgusting, gross, yuck, stinky, eeuuuuuuuw!! 
   We started cloth diapering full time about a week ago and it was working really well because Silas was constipated and, well, that is easy to clean.  I worked really hard to try to get him regular (prune juice mixed into his oatmeal did the trick), but now that he is, DISGUSTING!!!  Yesterday morning at 6 I changed Silas' diaper and greatly struggled to get the stupid diaper clean, only to have some of the poo fall on my toe "AAAAAH"- I screamed, JP running in to find me be overly dramatic and making up loathsome verse about cloth diapers.  Yes, I will stick with cloth diapers because disposable are about twice the price here as they are in America and because the waste disposal system here is not so bueno, but I will not enjoy it, and I will never say that "I love cloth diapers.

Silas with Laylah

This is before we left the US.  Silas with his arm around Laylah.  Aren’t they cute?

7 Months

We have officially joined the ranks of cloth diaper users.  Believe me, I prefer disposable and would continue using them if we were in the US, but since we are not, lots of laundry here we come!!  Due to the heat, Silas spends much of time in just a diaper, so at least cloth diapers are fashionable:)

I don't know if you notice a different, but the first picture is pre-haircut, and this is post.  Silas doesn't have an AC in his room and his poor little head sweats buckets.  I thought if I cut his hair shorter it might help a little. 

This is in Silas' orange room.  For some reason Silas has stopped enjoying getting his diaper changed (yes, he used to think it was fun) so now he screams.  This picture is post screaming, so his eyes are a little red.

My husband is such a good father!!  Silas is blessed to have a father who cares so much and spends so much time with him.  He kind of reminds me of my father.

Silas is trying really hard to be mobile, but so far this is about as far as he gets.  From here he normally either sits back down, rolls over, or takes a nose dive (we try to avoid that on marble).  Silas has learned how to grab the sides of his tub and stand up, making bath time quite difficult and frustrating for both Silas and mommy.

Here is my smiley boy playing on the cool marble floor.