As mentioned below, I was surpised to find that blogger is prompting me to add labels to my posts today with the examples "scooters", "vacation", and "fall", which all happen to be profoundly on my mind this evening.
So, here is installment number 2: Vacation and Fall (sadly, in that order)
If the last time you heard from me -- electronically or otherwise -- was the last time you read a post on this blog (i.e. fall 2007), BOY do I have a lot of catching you up to do! I'll save you all the details and summarize thusly:
* worked "part time", though with quite a full plate, at Azusa Pacific University from the time I returned to the States in July 2007 to March 2008.
* was hired full time as "Special Programs Coordinator" for the American Language and Culture Institute at APU a year and a half ago
* am teaching four classes (mainly research skills and academic reading and writing for international students) as well as:
--heading the International Writing Center at APU
--overseeing the American International Mentoring Program
--leading the Summer University Preparation Program
--serving as the Level 4 academic advisor for our department
--and occasionally teaching some extra courses in the TESOL Masters program
* am parenting a delightful and very energy-consuming 4.5 year old
As you might imagine, given all of the above, I found myself in March very much looking forward to my late-August, between-semesters (we teach year round with three semesters) vacation.
When Matt and I realized that he would actually be teaching at Fuller through my entire APU vacation time, I nearly had a meltdown. Praise God, my wonderfully gracious boss was willing to find someone who could cover my Orientation responsibilites, allowing Matt and I to *gasp* TRAVEL TOGETHER AT THE SAME TIME!! (It's been a while... can you tell?)
The idea first came to me -- inconveniently -- in the middle of the night. Two little words with such power to delight!!!
.... Disney... cruise.....
I stayed up till about 3 a.m. researching and planning my sales pitch. We would drive to Florida to save money, take the 3 day cruise, and even get to see Matt's uncle and aunt as an extra bonus. And the price tag? A mere $*#&@...
In true "kid on Christmas morning form", I woke Matt at 5 a.m., giddy with my plans, and was thrilled to find that he was not only relatively unmiffed about the early wake up, but surprisingly open to my elaborate, expensive plan. (Actually, I shouldn't say I was surprised. He's usually pretty great about things like this. I really did get a Good One!)
Over the next few weeks (how does this happen?), the drive-to-Florida 3 day cruise slowly morphed into a cruise plus 2 days in the parks "because we HAVE TO see Epcot, but we can stay with your uncle to save money", which eventually became 4 days in parks "because it's only a few dollars more per day (really) once you get past a certain point", which ultimately ended with 4 days at a Disney resort with a day in each of the main theme parks before heading off for the 3 days at sea. I will say, in my defense, that Disney was offering a promotion where people who stayed on property got free Disney dining for the duration of their stay, which actually paid for the hotel, especially when you figure the cost of renting a car, parking, etc. Needless to say, this vacation became a Big Deal pretty quickly.
Despite the fact that I am generally a very spontaneous, last minute kind of person, I was pleased to discover that planning a vacation six months in advance allows for six months of sheer joy whenever the thought pops into your head that said vacation is drawing nearer. I was amazed at the power the planning and anticipating process had to literally bring me to the brink of tears. Yay for vacation!!!
After pushing through a very intense year+ at work, when the time finally came to depart, I was Beyond Ready. Anna and I spent the day before our trip shopping and packing, including a trip to the recently-discovered Disney outlet in Pomona where we purchase a size 7-8 (she's a size 4) Sleeping Beauty costume. This precipitated the maiden voyage of the "new" sewing machine that Matt bought me for Christmas at the Goodwill. $20. Yes, $20 -- did I mention what a great husband I have? (It worked beautifully!)
With Princess paraphernalia and lots of sunscreen in tow, we headed off for our Magical Vacation...
This is the part where you expect me to say how the "honeymoon" came to a crashing end in a spectacular explosion of sunburn, nap-less preschooler tantrums, muggy Florida weather, long lines, and sickness (both sea and otherwise).
You know what, though?? Despite having all of the above (except the long lines -- we hardly waited 5 minutes for anything!) the trip actually managed to live up to and even exceed the incredibly high expectations of six months of waiting and dreaming.
It was a gift.
Disney vacation 2009: Somehow the perfect exclamation point at the end of a significant chapter of my life. I'm being serious. I know I keep saying that, but I'm struggling to express -- without being completely cheesy -- how significant this time was to me.
In a few (days? weeks? hours? minutes?), we're going to go from being a cozy little family of 3 to a crazy household of (4? 5? ...?) This will happen suddenly and without the ability to plan the way I (a planner while also spontaneous -- yes, both!) NEED to plan. He/she/they may be newborn, toddler, preschooler, singular, plural, male, female, black, white, hispanic, ????? They may stay for a short time and leave forever or come and put down roots in our home and become branches on our family tree. So, we're tilling the soil...and waiting for Change to engulf us.
So, maybe my Disney dream vacation was just a decadent, unrealistic departure from "real life" that allowed me to push foster-adoption, work, house-cleaning/organizing, and other cares completely out of my mind for a week. Or maybe it really was a special little blessed time from God to say, "Hey! Take a minute to savor the last few days of the Daddy, Mommy, Anna chapter of your life."
Now, as I'm fully back into Fall (Fall! I used to love you so much! Why have you betrayed me?) and totally overwhelmed with changes, work, a "huge" class of students (well, 10 is big when you're used to 4), uncertainty, my cell phone dying, my sister moving out, my Tivo losing everything I had recorded while I was on vacation, etc., I'm keenly aware that we can't hold tightly to anything except God's grace. And as I begin to have tiny glimpses of what this new phase of my life holds, I am eternally grateful that He has "written my days in his book." I don't need to read the end first...
Saturday, September 19, 2009
How did you know?
So, when I get to the page to write a new post (on this blog which, let's face it, I haven't posted on in about two years), I notice at the bottom of the text box the following prompt: "Labels for this post: eg. scooters, vacation, fall."
Weird.
Blogger must have been anticipating my return because these seemingly random tags are actually incredibly reflective of the three things that I wanted to post about upon the occasion of my return to the blogosphere. Yes. I'm actually serious.
Scooters (more on vacation and fall in another post...)
As I pulled into the driveway of my little mobile home (we bought a little mobile home last year -- and before you scoff, it's actually a great little house), I noticed it. We affectionately refer to it as "the Tupperwaremobile" -- the 2001 Honda Elite 80 motor scooter that we bought when we were both within a 3 mile commuting distance from work and living carelessly in the pre-child haze of newlywededness. Owning a scooter was fun while it lasted. Upon our decision to move to Prague, we tried to sell the scooter -- and even had an offer that we would pounce on now -- but made the unfortunate choice to keep it in storage in my parents' garage, with my dad's promises to run it from time to time.
In the two years since we returned from (our four years) living overseas, the scooter has come to represent a whole class of objects that I would rather pretend don't exist: the Things-That-We-Don't-Want-But-Are-Too-Valuable-To-Sell-At-A-Garage-Sale-But-We-Don't-Have-Time-to-List-On-Craigslist-Or-Have-Tried-With-No-Luck-Because-We-Can't-Sell-Them-For-Even-Close-to-What-They're-Worth-In-This-Economy.
Do you have one of these sections in your garage, too? Or perhaps in your Scary-Closet/Backroom-Where-You-Throw-Things-And-Try-To-Pretend-They-Don't-Exist?
Anyway, since moving into our own home, we've done a pretty darn good job of weeding things out, particulary as we're preparing for the addition of one or two new little people to our home any day now. (More about this, certainly, in many posts to come.) Space is limited, so I have zero tolerance for clutter and junk we don't use.
But the scooter remains.
Backing up to the "dad's garage" portion of the story... While I'm genuinely not complaining and probably would have done the same thing myself, my dad basically drove the scooter twice in four years and left it to gather an inch of dust and become a buffet for mice. Yes, literally. After trying to pretend it didn't exist for two years, Matt finally tried to start the scooter up a few weeks ago. This proved unsucessful and, a $300+ dollar trip to the scooter mechanic later, we learned that rodents had literally chewed up the electrical system (on top of the aforementioned fact that it hadn't been run in half a decade.)
We were able to get the thing running well enough to bring it home (it's actually in pretty good condition now!), but the mechanical problems were only the first hurdle. The fact that the registration lapsed two years ago (very long story) is proving to be the bigger challenge in our crazy over-busy lives these days. DMV? No thanks.
Thus, arriving at home tonight and seeing the scooter sitting in the driveway, well on its way to what could realistically be another 6 years of sitting completely unused (no! we won't let that happen this time... will we?) reminded me that sometimes in life, you just have to accept that checking that last item off the To-Do list is really, truly, never going to happen. And maybe that's okay. Or, if this one particular thing does get accomplished, another will come along to take its place at the bottom of the list.
Hmmmm....
Anybody want to buy a scooter?
Weird.
Blogger must have been anticipating my return because these seemingly random tags are actually incredibly reflective of the three things that I wanted to post about upon the occasion of my return to the blogosphere. Yes. I'm actually serious.
Scooters (more on vacation and fall in another post...)
As I pulled into the driveway of my little mobile home (we bought a little mobile home last year -- and before you scoff, it's actually a great little house), I noticed it. We affectionately refer to it as "the Tupperwaremobile" -- the 2001 Honda Elite 80 motor scooter that we bought when we were both within a 3 mile commuting distance from work and living carelessly in the pre-child haze of newlywededness. Owning a scooter was fun while it lasted. Upon our decision to move to Prague, we tried to sell the scooter -- and even had an offer that we would pounce on now -- but made the unfortunate choice to keep it in storage in my parents' garage, with my dad's promises to run it from time to time.
In the two years since we returned from (our four years) living overseas, the scooter has come to represent a whole class of objects that I would rather pretend don't exist: the Things-That-We-Don't-Want-But-Are-Too-Valuable-To-Sell-At-A-Garage-Sale-But-We-Don't-Have-Time-to-List-On-Craigslist-Or-Have-Tried-With-No-Luck-Because-We-Can't-Sell-Them-For-Even-Close-to-What-They're-Worth-In-This-Economy.
Do you have one of these sections in your garage, too? Or perhaps in your Scary-Closet/Backroom-Where-You-Throw-Things-And-Try-To-Pretend-They-Don't-Exist?
Anyway, since moving into our own home, we've done a pretty darn good job of weeding things out, particulary as we're preparing for the addition of one or two new little people to our home any day now. (More about this, certainly, in many posts to come.) Space is limited, so I have zero tolerance for clutter and junk we don't use.
But the scooter remains.
Backing up to the "dad's garage" portion of the story... While I'm genuinely not complaining and probably would have done the same thing myself, my dad basically drove the scooter twice in four years and left it to gather an inch of dust and become a buffet for mice. Yes, literally. After trying to pretend it didn't exist for two years, Matt finally tried to start the scooter up a few weeks ago. This proved unsucessful and, a $300+ dollar trip to the scooter mechanic later, we learned that rodents had literally chewed up the electrical system (on top of the aforementioned fact that it hadn't been run in half a decade.)
We were able to get the thing running well enough to bring it home (it's actually in pretty good condition now!), but the mechanical problems were only the first hurdle. The fact that the registration lapsed two years ago (very long story) is proving to be the bigger challenge in our crazy over-busy lives these days. DMV? No thanks.
Thus, arriving at home tonight and seeing the scooter sitting in the driveway, well on its way to what could realistically be another 6 years of sitting completely unused (no! we won't let that happen this time... will we?) reminded me that sometimes in life, you just have to accept that checking that last item off the To-Do list is really, truly, never going to happen. And maybe that's okay. Or, if this one particular thing does get accomplished, another will come along to take its place at the bottom of the list.
Hmmmm....
Anybody want to buy a scooter?
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Here we go!
I feel like I am being launched full speed ahead into this fall.
During the spring, Matt and I spent endless hours applying for jobs, researching all the cities where the potential jobs were located, and dreaming about what our return to the U.S. after four years in Prague might hold. This is what I imagined:
When said job for Matt did not materialize for this fall, I envisioned a very different year:
Vision two, though disappointing on many levels, had one feature to recommend it. It would involve a restful summer, during which we could decompress and try to process the *major* transitions our family has been through in this past year. I was really looking forward to this time.
God has surprised me.
Yes, we are living with my parents in La Verne (Southern California). However, the moment Anna and I stepped off the plane on June 14th, we were launched into a new, busy, unexpected phase of life. Matt stayed in Prague till early July, wrapping up some business and spending time with some friends who had planned a visit. This meant that I had Anna duty all by myself for almost three weeks--a somewhat daunting task on its own, not to mention on top of some of the worst jet lag I have ever experienced. My parents and Christy helped me immeasurable when they were not at work, but the days were still long!
In early July, I began a new job teaching international students in the Summer University Preparation Program at my M.A. alma mater, Azusa Pacific University. This was a wild, wonderful, draining, rewarding whirlwind! In four weeks, I came to know and love fifteen students from Argentina and Taiawan. As soon as they came, it seemed, we were bidding tearful goodbyes.
I had anticipated an empty August--that much-longed-for rest and processing time--but this month has quickly filled up as well. During my interview process for the summer school program, the Provost asked me if I would consider teaching a First-Year Writing Seminar. Thinking that the ESL deparment would have no more than 10 - 15 teach hours for me in the fall, I gratefully hopped on board in the English department as well.
As it turns out, I am now teaching five new classes in the fall:
*First-Year Writing Seminar (on the theme of Christian Missions: Being and Making Disciples)
*Advanced Grammar/Seminar Speaking
*Research Skills
*Presentation Skills
*Audit Report (a 1 unit class which supports international students as they observe an undergraduate course in their field, trying to learn about the culture of American education)
Wow!
August filled up quickly with debriefing the summer school program, making a short visit up to my sister Sarah in San Luis Obispo, participating in a Teaching Writing seminar (in preparation for the First-Year Writing Course), caring for Anna while Matt took the same seminar the following week (he will be teaching First-Year Writing, too), and now planning and preparing for the five new courses.
Busy! Busy! Busy!
I've only had one meltdown, though the pressure feels fairly constant. Fortunately, we made the wonderful decision of buying season passes to Disneyland, in lieu of the vacation to visit Matt's family in Ohio, which we hoped to take in August. So, there have been some bright points. Watching Anna discover the joys of carousels, the Dumbo ride, having her picture taken with her idol (Winnie the Pooh), and It's a Small World (it's actually sweet through the eyes of a child...), has been beautiful.
School starts on September 5th, and both Matt and I are a little bit dazed by how this fall has shaped up. Although I will be working A LOT more than I expected (basically full time), I am getting to do work that's not only in my field, but building some really key skills and experience that I have wanted to develop for a long time. Matt has been approved as part of the adjunct pool for biblical studies at Azusa Pacific. Though they don't have any openings for the fall, there may be opportunities to teach in the spring at the undergraduate and/or graduate levels.
Although Matt wouldn't necessarily have imagined himself teaching writing to first year students, in many ways it makes much more sense than the other part-time jobs he might have taken on in this "gap time." He is able to build the course around a theme connected to his field and interests: Religious Themes in Science Fiction. This will not only be more enjoyable for him than serving overpriced, half-caff iced beverages to the masses, but it is a good thing to have on a resume when working in academia. Many professors dread being asked to "put in time" teaching new students to write. Matt has embraced it with enthusiasm and is vieweing it as an opportunity to learn how to be a more effective teacher, while building connections at APU.
So, it will be a much-busier-than-expected, less-poor-than-expected year for us. We are committed to making Anna a priority in the midst of it all, for which we would appreciate your prayers. Continuing to live with my family, at least for the fall, will actually make that easier, as our financial stressors will be less and our support system will be much stronger. Anna is already thriving in the loving soil of grandma and grandpa's home, where she is showered with affection and attention from five smitten care-givers. She's never been happier, and we are much more at peace, not having to shoulder the stresses of parenting all on our own in the midst of this transition.
God has been very, very good to us. The key now will be managing to do the processing that we still very badly need to do: about our leaving Prague, about becoming parents to a cross-culturally adopted toddler, about working more fully into our careers. IT'S BEEN A BIG YEAR!!!
If you're still reading this far down, thanks for your patience...and your prayers.
During the spring, Matt and I spent endless hours applying for jobs, researching all the cities where the potential jobs were located, and dreaming about what our return to the U.S. after four years in Prague might hold. This is what I imagined:
Matt teaching Old Testament in a one-year sabbatical leave position somewhere in a small town in the Mid-West. Me adjusting to life as a stay-at-home-mom, with Matt working most of the time. Setting up a little aparment. Trying to make new friends, find a new church, and establish routines. Being in major reverse culture shock.
When said job for Matt did not materialize for this fall, I envisioned a very different year:
Living with my parents. Being extremely poor. Having to settle for part-time jobs outside our fields (a la coffee shop/book store/bank teller). Feeling somewhat purposeless and transient. Spending the whole year applying for something like vision one above--for next year.
Vision two, though disappointing on many levels, had one feature to recommend it. It would involve a restful summer, during which we could decompress and try to process the *major* transitions our family has been through in this past year. I was really looking forward to this time.
God has surprised me.
Yes, we are living with my parents in La Verne (Southern California). However, the moment Anna and I stepped off the plane on June 14th, we were launched into a new, busy, unexpected phase of life. Matt stayed in Prague till early July, wrapping up some business and spending time with some friends who had planned a visit. This meant that I had Anna duty all by myself for almost three weeks--a somewhat daunting task on its own, not to mention on top of some of the worst jet lag I have ever experienced. My parents and Christy helped me immeasurable when they were not at work, but the days were still long!
In early July, I began a new job teaching international students in the Summer University Preparation Program at my M.A. alma mater, Azusa Pacific University. This was a wild, wonderful, draining, rewarding whirlwind! In four weeks, I came to know and love fifteen students from Argentina and Taiawan. As soon as they came, it seemed, we were bidding tearful goodbyes.
I had anticipated an empty August--that much-longed-for rest and processing time--but this month has quickly filled up as well. During my interview process for the summer school program, the Provost asked me if I would consider teaching a First-Year Writing Seminar. Thinking that the ESL deparment would have no more than 10 - 15 teach hours for me in the fall, I gratefully hopped on board in the English department as well.
As it turns out, I am now teaching five new classes in the fall:
*First-Year Writing Seminar (on the theme of Christian Missions: Being and Making Disciples)
*Advanced Grammar/Seminar Speaking
*Research Skills
*Presentation Skills
*Audit Report (a 1 unit class which supports international students as they observe an undergraduate course in their field, trying to learn about the culture of American education)
Wow!
August filled up quickly with debriefing the summer school program, making a short visit up to my sister Sarah in San Luis Obispo, participating in a Teaching Writing seminar (in preparation for the First-Year Writing Course), caring for Anna while Matt took the same seminar the following week (he will be teaching First-Year Writing, too), and now planning and preparing for the five new courses.
Busy! Busy! Busy!
I've only had one meltdown, though the pressure feels fairly constant. Fortunately, we made the wonderful decision of buying season passes to Disneyland, in lieu of the vacation to visit Matt's family in Ohio, which we hoped to take in August. So, there have been some bright points. Watching Anna discover the joys of carousels, the Dumbo ride, having her picture taken with her idol (Winnie the Pooh), and It's a Small World (it's actually sweet through the eyes of a child...), has been beautiful.
School starts on September 5th, and both Matt and I are a little bit dazed by how this fall has shaped up. Although I will be working A LOT more than I expected (basically full time), I am getting to do work that's not only in my field, but building some really key skills and experience that I have wanted to develop for a long time. Matt has been approved as part of the adjunct pool for biblical studies at Azusa Pacific. Though they don't have any openings for the fall, there may be opportunities to teach in the spring at the undergraduate and/or graduate levels.
Although Matt wouldn't necessarily have imagined himself teaching writing to first year students, in many ways it makes much more sense than the other part-time jobs he might have taken on in this "gap time." He is able to build the course around a theme connected to his field and interests: Religious Themes in Science Fiction. This will not only be more enjoyable for him than serving overpriced, half-caff iced beverages to the masses, but it is a good thing to have on a resume when working in academia. Many professors dread being asked to "put in time" teaching new students to write. Matt has embraced it with enthusiasm and is vieweing it as an opportunity to learn how to be a more effective teacher, while building connections at APU.
So, it will be a much-busier-than-expected, less-poor-than-expected year for us. We are committed to making Anna a priority in the midst of it all, for which we would appreciate your prayers. Continuing to live with my family, at least for the fall, will actually make that easier, as our financial stressors will be less and our support system will be much stronger. Anna is already thriving in the loving soil of grandma and grandpa's home, where she is showered with affection and attention from five smitten care-givers. She's never been happier, and we are much more at peace, not having to shoulder the stresses of parenting all on our own in the midst of this transition.
God has been very, very good to us. The key now will be managing to do the processing that we still very badly need to do: about our leaving Prague, about becoming parents to a cross-culturally adopted toddler, about working more fully into our careers. IT'S BEEN A BIG YEAR!!!
If you're still reading this far down, thanks for your patience...and your prayers.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Back in So. Cal and feelin'.....weird
I arrived at LAX at about 9pm on Thursday, June 14th, after about 36 hours of not sleeping and corraling a 2 year old on a 14 hour flight. Matt remained in Prague to wrap up some details (like selling our car) and hang out with friends who were coming to town. He'll be here on July 3rd.
Though exhausted, I was still able to appreciate the awesomeness of going through immigration at the airport and getting that little stamp in Anna's passport that says she's finally an American citizen! What a long process...
My parents are so thrilled to have her here. We all sang E-I-E-I-O the whole car trip home and she was bathed in love. When we arrived at their house, her response was, "Wow!" several times. She seems to genuinely love it here.
The next day was full of new discoveries: the playhouse that Grandpa built, the pool, all the fun toys, and the park around the corner. This is a good house for kids.
I, on the other hand, had a very hard first few days. I was really hit with sadness about leaving Prague and missing Matt. Sleep was a big problem for about the first week. Anna slept 4 hours, 6 hours, then 8 hours. She's finally back to 10-11, which is great, and I'm not waking up every hour any more. That helps a lot with perspective.
It's been great to reconnect with good friends, though I've felt lonely in the day while everybody is at work and I'm here with Anna. I have been so blessed the past year to have Matt around so much with us sharing a job and doing a lot of work from home. I will really miss that.
Last week I had a job interview (the final stage of the process for this job which I basically already have but just needed to formalize by meeting with higher up administration reps.) It went amazingly well, despite the fact that I was still pretty foggy headed from not sleeping. They said they really liked my writing (in my cover letter and essays) and were wondering if I would consider teaching Freshman Writing too. I'm supposed to have an interview for that in about a week. Wild!
So, if all goes well, I will be teaching in a 5 week intensive English program for international students who are hoping to go to college in the States. I will be helping to prepare them for the study skills they will need to succeed in the US university context. This excites me greatly and is basically my dream job. If we stay in So. Cal. in the fall, I can probably continue in the same job.
If you're reading this and are inclined to pray, here are a few current things that we're really needing God's help with:
*We need to sell our car in Prague and that has proved to be much more difficult than we expected. It's a bad time of year because everybody is leaving Prague in June. We may need to transfer it to a trusted friend and then try to sell it again in the early fall. This is less than ideal, but might work fine. Please pray for wisdom in how to handle it, protection for the car from any accidents/theft etc., and a good buyer who can be blessed by it as much as we were.
*We're still working on job possibilities and that takes a lot of faith. It's not an easy thing to apply from overseas. Please pray for provision of exactly the right job(s) and for peace in the midst of all the waiting and the big changes.
*This is a tough time financially as we are between jobs. We are praying that many of our supporters will understand this and be moved to continue their support temporarily until we are more settled.
Though exhausted, I was still able to appreciate the awesomeness of going through immigration at the airport and getting that little stamp in Anna's passport that says she's finally an American citizen! What a long process...
My parents are so thrilled to have her here. We all sang E-I-E-I-O the whole car trip home and she was bathed in love. When we arrived at their house, her response was, "Wow!" several times. She seems to genuinely love it here.
The next day was full of new discoveries: the playhouse that Grandpa built, the pool, all the fun toys, and the park around the corner. This is a good house for kids.
I, on the other hand, had a very hard first few days. I was really hit with sadness about leaving Prague and missing Matt. Sleep was a big problem for about the first week. Anna slept 4 hours, 6 hours, then 8 hours. She's finally back to 10-11, which is great, and I'm not waking up every hour any more. That helps a lot with perspective.
It's been great to reconnect with good friends, though I've felt lonely in the day while everybody is at work and I'm here with Anna. I have been so blessed the past year to have Matt around so much with us sharing a job and doing a lot of work from home. I will really miss that.
Last week I had a job interview (the final stage of the process for this job which I basically already have but just needed to formalize by meeting with higher up administration reps.) It went amazingly well, despite the fact that I was still pretty foggy headed from not sleeping. They said they really liked my writing (in my cover letter and essays) and were wondering if I would consider teaching Freshman Writing too. I'm supposed to have an interview for that in about a week. Wild!
So, if all goes well, I will be teaching in a 5 week intensive English program for international students who are hoping to go to college in the States. I will be helping to prepare them for the study skills they will need to succeed in the US university context. This excites me greatly and is basically my dream job. If we stay in So. Cal. in the fall, I can probably continue in the same job.
If you're reading this and are inclined to pray, here are a few current things that we're really needing God's help with:
*We need to sell our car in Prague and that has proved to be much more difficult than we expected. It's a bad time of year because everybody is leaving Prague in June. We may need to transfer it to a trusted friend and then try to sell it again in the early fall. This is less than ideal, but might work fine. Please pray for wisdom in how to handle it, protection for the car from any accidents/theft etc., and a good buyer who can be blessed by it as much as we were.
*We're still working on job possibilities and that takes a lot of faith. It's not an easy thing to apply from overseas. Please pray for provision of exactly the right job(s) and for peace in the midst of all the waiting and the big changes.
*This is a tough time financially as we are between jobs. We are praying that many of our supporters will understand this and be moved to continue their support temporarily until we are more settled.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Learning to play
The past few days, we've taken Anna to several new parks. The fun thing is that she has finally hit the point where she really PLAYS at the park.
In the fall and winter, whenever we would go to a playground (perhaps due to the cold or her having just learned to walk in September), she just kind of stood there or would rely on us to put her on the rocking horse, pick her up and put her down the slide etc.
Now, she is learning how to climb up and then go down the slide all by herself - and she is SO PROUD! :-) It's really cute to see how excited she gets.
The other cute thing is that she likes to make friends with the other moms at the park (not so much the kids, but the moms). She'll cozy up to some stranger in the sandbox, which inevitably gets a lot of amused attention. She knows how to work a crowd.
The other day (on "Easter Monday" - the day that Czechs celebrate Easter), we went to a park near the Brevnov monastery, not far from our home. There was a little boy there playing with a bouncy ball with his mom. Anna's eyes got big and she immediately ran over and tried to take the ball. Fortunately, he found this amusing and sweetly shared it with her. For the next half hour, she chased him around, arms outstretched, little a tiny ball monster trying to steal it from him. It was really funny.
Anyway, all of this to say that "our little girl is growing up", which is both wonderfully sweet and a little sad. She seems more like a kid and less like a baby every day. But it's so much fun to watch her discover the world and her own abilities.
In the fall and winter, whenever we would go to a playground (perhaps due to the cold or her having just learned to walk in September), she just kind of stood there or would rely on us to put her on the rocking horse, pick her up and put her down the slide etc.
Now, she is learning how to climb up and then go down the slide all by herself - and she is SO PROUD! :-) It's really cute to see how excited she gets.
The other cute thing is that she likes to make friends with the other moms at the park (not so much the kids, but the moms). She'll cozy up to some stranger in the sandbox, which inevitably gets a lot of amused attention. She knows how to work a crowd.
The other day (on "Easter Monday" - the day that Czechs celebrate Easter), we went to a park near the Brevnov monastery, not far from our home. There was a little boy there playing with a bouncy ball with his mom. Anna's eyes got big and she immediately ran over and tried to take the ball. Fortunately, he found this amusing and sweetly shared it with her. For the next half hour, she chased him around, arms outstretched, little a tiny ball monster trying to steal it from him. It was really funny.
Anyway, all of this to say that "our little girl is growing up", which is both wonderfully sweet and a little sad. She seems more like a kid and less like a baby every day. But it's so much fun to watch her discover the world and her own abilities.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Friday, April 06, 2007
New hobbies
In the past week I have been trying to watch less tv, so Matt and I have been developing new hobbies. For example, last night we played Taboo (less fun with two people, but still enjoyable) and Speed Scrabble.
If you have never played Speed Scrabble, write me a comment and I will tell you how to play it. It' much more fun than normal Scrabble, in my humble opinion.
My other new hobby...which may not last more than a couple of weeks, but I'm having fun with it for the moment... is Myspace. Myspace is one of the American cultural phenomena which seems to have arisen entirely during our time in the Czech Republic (along with Paris Hilton, The OC, and the whole grain diet revolution). I never even heard of Myspace until about a year ago and I was convinced that it was definitely not for people like me. But I've given in and I'm actually finding it quite enjoyable.
Things I like about Myspace:
*adding a pretty background
*trying to find people to be my "friends"
*actually having contact with my sister Sarah via computer (this is a very big deal! :-)
*using a bit of html again - haven't done this since college
Other than the keeping in touch with Sarah aspect, I would probably loose interest in the other above mentioned things about Myspace, largely because I really am the sort of person who has a small, close knit group of friends, rather than the type who is up late at night ready random people's internet profiles and trying to build up my social connections. In fact, I have been bombarded with "friend" requests from complete strangers, none of which I have accepted because their profiles revealed them to be fairly scary individuals with whom I would rather not be associated.
The genius and perhaps the sickness of Myspace, however, is that I actually considered accepting some of those people's invitation, solely based on the fact that I feel bummed when I see that other people have, for example, 165 "friends" and I have (at last count) 16. Oh well... I never aspired to be Miss Popularity, so I simply remind myself that 16 very good friends are certainly more valuable than hundreds of complete strangers who pretend to be friends for the sake of a number.
So, that's my ramble for today.
If you have never played Speed Scrabble, write me a comment and I will tell you how to play it. It' much more fun than normal Scrabble, in my humble opinion.
My other new hobby...which may not last more than a couple of weeks, but I'm having fun with it for the moment... is Myspace. Myspace is one of the American cultural phenomena which seems to have arisen entirely during our time in the Czech Republic (along with Paris Hilton, The OC, and the whole grain diet revolution). I never even heard of Myspace until about a year ago and I was convinced that it was definitely not for people like me. But I've given in and I'm actually finding it quite enjoyable.
Things I like about Myspace:
*adding a pretty background
*trying to find people to be my "friends"
*actually having contact with my sister Sarah via computer (this is a very big deal! :-)
*using a bit of html again - haven't done this since college
Other than the keeping in touch with Sarah aspect, I would probably loose interest in the other above mentioned things about Myspace, largely because I really am the sort of person who has a small, close knit group of friends, rather than the type who is up late at night ready random people's internet profiles and trying to build up my social connections. In fact, I have been bombarded with "friend" requests from complete strangers, none of which I have accepted because their profiles revealed them to be fairly scary individuals with whom I would rather not be associated.
The genius and perhaps the sickness of Myspace, however, is that I actually considered accepting some of those people's invitation, solely based on the fact that I feel bummed when I see that other people have, for example, 165 "friends" and I have (at last count) 16. Oh well... I never aspired to be Miss Popularity, so I simply remind myself that 16 very good friends are certainly more valuable than hundreds of complete strangers who pretend to be friends for the sake of a number.
So, that's my ramble for today.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Can it be 6 months already???
To our amazement, we just celebrated 6 months of Anna's time in our home on March 15th, 2007. It's incredible how quickly the time passes!
Here are some highlights of the past 6 months:
Here are some highlights of the past 6 months:
- March 15th, 2007 - enjoyed a special family meal out at a Lebanese restaurant to celebrate 6 months of Anna's being at home with us
- March 19, 2007 - we applied for a new birth certificate with our names as Anna's parents
- March 17, 2007 - dropped off the paperwork to classify Anna as an immediate relative so that she can immigrate to the USA with us
- February 27, 2007 - we went to court to finalize the adoption. The judge said "Yes!"
- February 17, 2007 - celebrated her 2nd birthday with friends at the Seminary
- December 25, 2006 - enjoyed our first Christmas together as a family and a visit from Nana and Paw Paw Thomas (Matt's parents)
- November 2006 - attended the TeachOverseas Thanksgiving Retreat together, her first Thanksgiving Dinner!
- October 2006 - dressed up as an adorable bumble bee for her first Halloween
It's such a delight to see all the ways that Anna is growing and changing. She's moved from size 12 month clothing to 18 month, size 3 to size 6 shoes, 75 to 80cm, and lots more...
She is able to walk, run, dance, climb up on chairs and up and down stairs, sing several songs (in her own baby language), speak tons of words and a few phrases, understand much of what we say, and carry on long phone "conversations"...
She loves music, food, taking a bath, everyone at the seminary, going for walks, wearing pretty clothes (she is very fashion conscious!), trying on Mom and Dad's shoes and gloves, swimming, and the Psalty videos...
We feel so fortunate that we get to be Anna's parents!
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Addendum to First Christmas
I am happy to report that the Christmas mood has hit me at last. Interestingly, it came while sitting late at night under the lights of our tiny Christmas tree, which we finally put up on the day that I wrote my last post.
For some reason, Christmas trees really speak to me. I think it is the way they are a link to so many memories. Matt and I enjoyed recollecting the story of each little ornament--all of which we've bought on European travels or recieved as special gifts since we arrived here. This kind of story-telling is one of the reasons why ornaments are my favorite souvenir to buy while traveling. They have the advantage that they can be something a little kitsch while still be useful--and I'm guaranteed to actually get them out and look at them at least once a year.
Ever year in Advent I also try to think more deeply about the person of Jesus and let him meet me in a new way. Truthfully, that has been hard this year because I feel so distracted by all the things we've got to do in the course of a day. But I am trying to be open and have a posture of listening. I'm pleased because my book group which reads the works of Henri Nouwen (one of my favorite spiritual writers) may be reading a book about Jesus as our next text. It was written by Nouwen to his 19 year old nephew who was struggling with what it meant to follow Christ in a very secular world. I am looking forward to reading Nouwen's thoughts and discussing with this group of wonderful, reflective women. Monday nights are one of my favorite times of the week. :-)
Well, that's all for now...
For some reason, Christmas trees really speak to me. I think it is the way they are a link to so many memories. Matt and I enjoyed recollecting the story of each little ornament--all of which we've bought on European travels or recieved as special gifts since we arrived here. This kind of story-telling is one of the reasons why ornaments are my favorite souvenir to buy while traveling. They have the advantage that they can be something a little kitsch while still be useful--and I'm guaranteed to actually get them out and look at them at least once a year.
Ever year in Advent I also try to think more deeply about the person of Jesus and let him meet me in a new way. Truthfully, that has been hard this year because I feel so distracted by all the things we've got to do in the course of a day. But I am trying to be open and have a posture of listening. I'm pleased because my book group which reads the works of Henri Nouwen (one of my favorite spiritual writers) may be reading a book about Jesus as our next text. It was written by Nouwen to his 19 year old nephew who was struggling with what it meant to follow Christ in a very secular world. I am looking forward to reading Nouwen's thoughts and discussing with this group of wonderful, reflective women. Monday nights are one of my favorite times of the week. :-)
Well, that's all for now...
Friday, December 08, 2006
First Christmas
I don't know about you, but everyone I've been talking to around here lately has felt that Christmas came way too early this year. Maybe global weather patterns are changing or there's some other good explanation, but somehow the holidays are just here sooner than they feel like they should be and it's kind of bumming me out.
We spent Thanksgiving, as we do every year in the Czech Republic, at the Thanksgiving Retreat put on by our missions organization, TeachOverseas. It was a strange experience in a lot of ways because it was our first time travelling with Anna so we were in very new territory. We ended up bringing our car just because of all the baby gear we needed to lug along so as not to disrupt Her Royal Highness's routine too much (thus leading to less sleep on the part of the lowly peon parents... our true motivations emerge. :-)
Although it was a good retreat, the Thanksgiving meal itself left a lot to be desired. It was prepared by the Czech hotel's restaurant staff and it just wasn't like mom would make (it was basically just turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy). So, we were relieved to learn that we were invited to a "round 2" Thanksgiving feast the following Saturday with several of the TeachOverseas folks. This time, it was exquisitely American and felt like a proper feast. Anna loved everything and fell asleep that night with a glowing, contented smile as if saying, "Something pleasant has just happened to me and I hope it happens again."
So, two Thanksgivings under our belt, you might expect it would feel like it's about time for Christmas. To be fair, it does feel more that way than after the first one (at which point I felt physically ill at the sight of the Tesco mega mall all dolled up for Christmas). The day after Thanksgiving #2, we headed to the home of some friends from church for a Christmas carol sing-a-long, complete with a wide variety of familiar cookies and a genuine, homemade cheeseball (yippeeee!!!) This put us in the holiday mood, though the strange lack of snow this December (Prague is generally very white in the winter) has left us wondering what to expect.
I still feel a lingering "let down" feeling about this Christmas season, though, and I'm not sure why. Somehow it just seems that it's not time yet and to have Christmas now is gratuitous and extravagant. Didn't we just do all this a few months ago?
One way I'm trying to recapture the joy of Christmas is looking at it through Anna's eyes. Though this is not her first Christmas, she is a lot more aware of her surroundings now than she was at 10 months of age. I had fun the other day buying her some musical instruments (her main present from us) and it's been great receiving gifts for her from friends and family around the world. I am excited to watch her soak up the beautiful Christmas hymns and read the tiny board book we have about the Baby Jesus. Though I know she doesn't completely understand about him yet, she has learned to recognize his name. (The other day I said, "Ani, let's read about Jesus." and she went to the bookshelf, scanned the books, picked out her Baby's First Bible and brought it back to me with a big smile. I also tell her about him every night and how much he loves her and she pleasantly agrees, "Yeah... Mm hmmm..." as if to say, "Of course he does, Mom, what's not to love?")
Although I am glad to be able to share this holiday with her and I know I can focus on God's coming in my life (in gratitude for his Son's birth and in openness to the new ways he wants to come into my life), can it be that I am already hitting that point where Christmas has lost its magic? I hope that this is primarily the result of the general slightly-overwhelmed-and-tired- most-of-the-time-ness of being a new parent. Maybe once our teaching is done at the end of next week (and we have several weeks of vacation to enjoy--my favorite perk of being a teacher!) I will feel different.
We spent Thanksgiving, as we do every year in the Czech Republic, at the Thanksgiving Retreat put on by our missions organization, TeachOverseas. It was a strange experience in a lot of ways because it was our first time travelling with Anna so we were in very new territory. We ended up bringing our car just because of all the baby gear we needed to lug along so as not to disrupt Her Royal Highness's routine too much (thus leading to less sleep on the part of the lowly peon parents... our true motivations emerge. :-)
Although it was a good retreat, the Thanksgiving meal itself left a lot to be desired. It was prepared by the Czech hotel's restaurant staff and it just wasn't like mom would make (it was basically just turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy). So, we were relieved to learn that we were invited to a "round 2" Thanksgiving feast the following Saturday with several of the TeachOverseas folks. This time, it was exquisitely American and felt like a proper feast. Anna loved everything and fell asleep that night with a glowing, contented smile as if saying, "Something pleasant has just happened to me and I hope it happens again."
So, two Thanksgivings under our belt, you might expect it would feel like it's about time for Christmas. To be fair, it does feel more that way than after the first one (at which point I felt physically ill at the sight of the Tesco mega mall all dolled up for Christmas). The day after Thanksgiving #2, we headed to the home of some friends from church for a Christmas carol sing-a-long, complete with a wide variety of familiar cookies and a genuine, homemade cheeseball (yippeeee!!!) This put us in the holiday mood, though the strange lack of snow this December (Prague is generally very white in the winter) has left us wondering what to expect.
I still feel a lingering "let down" feeling about this Christmas season, though, and I'm not sure why. Somehow it just seems that it's not time yet and to have Christmas now is gratuitous and extravagant. Didn't we just do all this a few months ago?
One way I'm trying to recapture the joy of Christmas is looking at it through Anna's eyes. Though this is not her first Christmas, she is a lot more aware of her surroundings now than she was at 10 months of age. I had fun the other day buying her some musical instruments (her main present from us) and it's been great receiving gifts for her from friends and family around the world. I am excited to watch her soak up the beautiful Christmas hymns and read the tiny board book we have about the Baby Jesus. Though I know she doesn't completely understand about him yet, she has learned to recognize his name. (The other day I said, "Ani, let's read about Jesus." and she went to the bookshelf, scanned the books, picked out her Baby's First Bible and brought it back to me with a big smile. I also tell her about him every night and how much he loves her and she pleasantly agrees, "Yeah... Mm hmmm..." as if to say, "Of course he does, Mom, what's not to love?")
Although I am glad to be able to share this holiday with her and I know I can focus on God's coming in my life (in gratitude for his Son's birth and in openness to the new ways he wants to come into my life), can it be that I am already hitting that point where Christmas has lost its magic? I hope that this is primarily the result of the general slightly-overwhelmed-and-tired- most-of-the-time-ness of being a new parent. Maybe once our teaching is done at the end of next week (and we have several weeks of vacation to enjoy--my favorite perk of being a teacher!) I will feel different.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
SparkPeople
A friend recently sent me a link to a really good website: www.sparkpeople.com.
It's a free site for supporting people in healthy lifestyle choices--not dieting but learning to be healthy. I'm excited about this because I want to exemplify a healthy lifestyle to Anna and I have been struggling with that for the past several months.
One thing I like about this site is that they encourage you to start slowly and have small, manageable goals. So, my three goals for getting started are:
1) eat oatmeal and plain yogurt for breakfast each day (that's actually a breakfast I really enjoy, believe it or not)
2) go to my aerobics class two nights a week and try to do 15 min. of stair climbing one other day
3) tell people about my goals and my progress (thus, this blog entry)
Some might say that the week before Thanksgiving is a strange time to be making these sorts of changes, but I have learned from past experience that I need to respond to motivators when they come and not put it off. So, thanks to my friend for sending this loving nudge and I hope to "spur others on" to taking some small steps toward wellness this week.
Blessings,
Jenny
It's a free site for supporting people in healthy lifestyle choices--not dieting but learning to be healthy. I'm excited about this because I want to exemplify a healthy lifestyle to Anna and I have been struggling with that for the past several months.
One thing I like about this site is that they encourage you to start slowly and have small, manageable goals. So, my three goals for getting started are:
1) eat oatmeal and plain yogurt for breakfast each day (that's actually a breakfast I really enjoy, believe it or not)
2) go to my aerobics class two nights a week and try to do 15 min. of stair climbing one other day
3) tell people about my goals and my progress (thus, this blog entry)
Some might say that the week before Thanksgiving is a strange time to be making these sorts of changes, but I have learned from past experience that I need to respond to motivators when they come and not put it off. So, thanks to my friend for sending this loving nudge and I hope to "spur others on" to taking some small steps toward wellness this week.
Blessings,
Jenny
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Little Foo
I've been a mom now for about 7 weeks. Wow! I am having so much fun with it--which surprises me a bit because I had braced myself for it to be very stressful--and it's hard to remember what is was like before. Anna is becoming a full-blown toddler. When we first met her, she still seemed more like a baby because she was only 17 months but looked about 12 months and was being fed in a high chair. Though we still feed her in her beloved high chair (we've taken to calling it her "throne"), she is much less baby-like in most other ways. She walks like a pro now and is mastering the stairs through daily practice up and down the many flights in the building where we live. She literally learns at least one new word per day. Some of her latest:
*weeeeee!
*apple (spoken and sign language)
*cracker (sign language and "kiki")
*meow (comes out like "naaaaah")
*hachi (this is Czech for sit down) and haji (Czech for lay down)
*shhhhhhhh! (accompanied by a finger to the lips)
*beeeeeeep (while pushing someone's nose--she learned this from grandpa Ron)
She has even said a few two-word sentences like:
*tay tay Mama (which means "Take this, Mama")
*Up Dada!
*Ne ne ham ("I don't want to eat that")
*All done! (comes out like "Allllllll duh")
Another thing she has discovered lately is her own reflection in the mirror. She is delighted by herself and loves to make funny faces and see if Mirror Anna will do the same. She seems to find herself very cute. The other day, she was looking at her reflection in a small mirror and she pushed the nose of her reflection and said, "Beeeeep!" Smart girl! :-)
We're also pleased that she has figured out the joy of reading books and often comes running up to us with one in hand saying emphatically: "A buh!", which translates to: "Look! I have a book that I want you to read to me." She spent ages this morning examining the last page of her Baby's First Bible in which little children of many ages and ethnicities are running up to Jesus ("let the little children come to me"...) We hope she comes to understand his love for her at a very early age.
One of the fun things about being a parent is making up nicknames for your child. We have many for her including:
(From the orphanage--her Czech nicknames, I'll spell them how they are pronounced):
*Ani (this is what we call her most often--it's equivalent to Annie but pronounced with a long "a")
*Ancho (another short form of Anna)
*Anichko (Aneechko)--means "little Anna"
*Andulko--similar to the word for "little Angel"
*Yablichko (Yahbleechko)--means "little Apple"
Random things we call her:
*Foo (don't ask where it came from but it has become our main silly name for her)
*the Foo
*the Foofer
*Foofy
*________ Mc Foo (as in: Cutie Mc Foo, Screamy Mc Foo... or whatever adjective seems to suit at the moment)
*Stinky Foo (when she's being naughty)
*You Fooligan! (when she's being REALLY naughty! :-)
*the Bug (Matt's favorite)
*Ani-Boo
*Anchi (my own permutation of her Czech nickname)
*Her Royal Highness when she's being bossy or vetoing our food suggestions :-)
*Little Freddie (if you have known Matt and I for very long, this probably doesn't need any explaining, however Freddy/Freddie has been our nickname for each other since before we were married. It's a long story, but we call each other that so thoroughly now that it feels really weird to use our given names with each other...)
So, there are lots of fun things about life lately. It's certainly challenging at times parenting a 20 month old who was basically parented by someone else during one of the most critical phases of development, but we've actually been amazed at how well we fit together as a family.
On another note, I have been wanting to reaffirm that motherhood is not the only facet of my life these days and I have really been enjoying teaching a few hours a week in the Certificate in Applied Theology program at the Seminary. I teach intensive English and it has been a great outlet for all the stuff I learned in my master's program. Praise God for bringing us to a place this year where both Matt and I can live out our call to teaching as well as welcome Anna into the family. We feel so blessed to be here at the Seminary.
Monday, October 16, 2006
Grandma and Grandpa
My mom and dad are in Prague this week and loving their first visit with new granddaughter, Anna. It's fun to see them in that role and see the changes in my own role through their eyes.
I hope to post pictures soon from the service. She wore a beautiful little coat dress from our family friend, Donna Clarke. Everyone commented on how cute and happy she was!
Anna had such a good day yesterday--from the moment she woke up to the moment she went to sleep, smiling, in my arms. God has really been gracious to us and she is such a joy.
Yesterday afternoon we had a service of welcome and blessing for Anna. Several of our friends from church and TeachOverseas came and we celebrated together. People prayed beautiful prayers for her and we sang some of her favorite bedtime songs (like Alleluia and O Give Thanks, which we also sung at our wedding.) The service was almost like a wedding in that we affirmed our committment to her. We even used similar wording to our wedding vows: We will serve you with tenderness and respect and help her to become the person that God created her to be...I hope to post pictures soon from the service. She wore a beautiful little coat dress from our family friend, Donna Clarke. Everyone commented on how cute and happy she was!
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Grief and kisses
I just got an email from a friend asking how the transition to motherhood is going, so here is some more reflection on that theme...
I am enjoying motherhood very much--in a lot of ways it feels more natural than I expected. I've seen some cool things come out in me that I didn't know were there...a lot of compassion and patience that is surprising at times.
The transition has been monumental but it already feels normal. She is so precious. Lately she's moved into a phase of grieving all the changes. This manifests as disproportionate frustration and irritability (more than is normal for her age) and a lot of tears around naps and going to bed at night. Last night we had to hold her while she cried for more than an hour. It's hard, but it brings out a tenderness in us that helps us get through it. It's very healthy for her to be doing this grieving, so we want to support her through it in any way we can.
We've also learned to be flexible about a lot of things, for example (in case I haven't mentioned it before), we have mastered the art of the standing diaper change because she throws such a fit if we try to lay her down on the changing table. In the end, what does it really matter, right? We know that kids are going to be distressed some of the times, but we'd rather save the tears for the really important stuff, like grieving.
She's not sad all the time, though. There are many happy moments. She's been into kissing lately and loves to plant wet, drooly, snotty kisses on our lips! :-) It's very sweet, if slightly gross. She also loves music and dancing. In church on Sunday a group of Russian students were singing a special song and right in the middle the Spirit hit her and she decided to sing along. Everybody turned around and smiled at her. She was a hit!
Her walking is getting better and better every day (she's been walking for about 4 weeks--several months behind her chronological age, but on target with her physical size, since she is about the size of a 12 month old.)
We've been pleased that she has been able to go on little outings many times a week, taking the bus to the grocery store or a park to hang out with my friend Amy and her new baby. She's even been to McDonald's a few times and loves chicken nuggets. Last night she was there with Matt and he didn't have any sippy cup for her, so he got an apple juice drink box. He didn't want to give her straight juice because we always dilute it, so he mixed it with bubbly water. They ended up playing this funny game with her making "blech!" faces every time she would take a sip. She hated the bubbles, but she loved the attention she got from her reaction. :-)
We've had an overwhelmingly loving response from people here at the Seminary and our TeachOverseas community. People have brought us food, loaned us digital camers (ours broke but we have a new one on the way with my parents in a few weeks), and showered her with love every time we're out with her. She is the darling of the Seminary these days, which is nice.
Overall, I just feel deeply blessed, despite the tiredness and the lack of time to do the things that used to be so important to me. I usually get an episode of Gilmore Girls in each day during her nap and that tides me over till the next day. :-)
Well, it's time to go start making lunch. My life has become so predictable... :-)
I am enjoying motherhood very much--in a lot of ways it feels more natural than I expected. I've seen some cool things come out in me that I didn't know were there...a lot of compassion and patience that is surprising at times.
The transition has been monumental but it already feels normal. She is so precious. Lately she's moved into a phase of grieving all the changes. This manifests as disproportionate frustration and irritability (more than is normal for her age) and a lot of tears around naps and going to bed at night. Last night we had to hold her while she cried for more than an hour. It's hard, but it brings out a tenderness in us that helps us get through it. It's very healthy for her to be doing this grieving, so we want to support her through it in any way we can.
We've also learned to be flexible about a lot of things, for example (in case I haven't mentioned it before), we have mastered the art of the standing diaper change because she throws such a fit if we try to lay her down on the changing table. In the end, what does it really matter, right? We know that kids are going to be distressed some of the times, but we'd rather save the tears for the really important stuff, like grieving.
She's not sad all the time, though. There are many happy moments. She's been into kissing lately and loves to plant wet, drooly, snotty kisses on our lips! :-) It's very sweet, if slightly gross. She also loves music and dancing. In church on Sunday a group of Russian students were singing a special song and right in the middle the Spirit hit her and she decided to sing along. Everybody turned around and smiled at her. She was a hit!
Her walking is getting better and better every day (she's been walking for about 4 weeks--several months behind her chronological age, but on target with her physical size, since she is about the size of a 12 month old.)
We've been pleased that she has been able to go on little outings many times a week, taking the bus to the grocery store or a park to hang out with my friend Amy and her new baby. She's even been to McDonald's a few times and loves chicken nuggets. Last night she was there with Matt and he didn't have any sippy cup for her, so he got an apple juice drink box. He didn't want to give her straight juice because we always dilute it, so he mixed it with bubbly water. They ended up playing this funny game with her making "blech!" faces every time she would take a sip. She hated the bubbles, but she loved the attention she got from her reaction. :-)
We've had an overwhelmingly loving response from people here at the Seminary and our TeachOverseas community. People have brought us food, loaned us digital camers (ours broke but we have a new one on the way with my parents in a few weeks), and showered her with love every time we're out with her. She is the darling of the Seminary these days, which is nice.
Overall, I just feel deeply blessed, despite the tiredness and the lack of time to do the things that used to be so important to me. I usually get an episode of Gilmore Girls in each day during her nap and that tides me over till the next day. :-)
Well, it's time to go start making lunch. My life has become so predictable... :-)
Friday, September 29, 2006
Mother's Dictionary
Every once in a while I type in random URLs of websites that I think ought to exist just to see if they do. Tonight I tried www.jokeoftheday.com and found this:
A New Mother's Dictionary
Bottle feeding: An opportunity for Daddy to get up at 2 am too.
Drooling: How teething babies wash their chins.
Dumbwaiter: One who asks if the kids would care to order dessert.
Feedback: The inevitable result when the baby doesn't appreciate the strained carrots.
Full name: What you call your child when you're mad at him.
Grandparents: The people who think your children are wonderful even though they're sure you're not raising them right.
Hearsay: What toddlers do when anyone mutters a dirty word.
Independent: How we want our children to be as long as they do everything we say.
Look out: What it's too late for your child to do by the time you scream it.
Prenatal: When your life was still somewhat your own.
Puddle: A small body of water that draws other small bodies wearing dry shoes into it.
Sterilize: What you do to your first baby's pacifier by boiling it and to your last baby's pacifier by blowing on it.
Storeroom: The distance required between the supermarket aisles so that children in shopping carts can't quite reach anything.
Temper tantrums: What you should keep to a minimum so as to not upset the children.
Top bunk: Where you should never put a child wearing Superman jammies.
Verbal: Able to whine in words
Whoops: An exclamation that translates roughly into "get a sponge."
:-)
Thursday, September 28, 2006
On being well in a house full of sick ones...
This has been a busy week as I have been the healthy one at home. Anna has a little cold (which makes for impressive snot bubbles, battles over tissue, even-louder-than-normal snoring :-) and a darling scratchy baby voice) and Matt seems to have come down with the same, so I am trying to keep everything running smoothly.
I must take a moment to lament the death or coming demise of an astounding number of electronic items in our household, namely:
*our computer (completely gone)
*our digital camera (the second one this year completely gone)
*Matt's electric razor (completely gone)
*Matt's cell phone (on it's way out)
*Matt's beard trimmer (potentially dying, not sure yet...have to wait until the battery fully dies to see if it will recharge, but we're not holding out hope)
*my watch battery (died this morning, fortunately easy to replace)
All this sickness on top of the demise of so many items that we rely on for the smooth running of our lives has left us feeling like we need prayer for God's protection from spiritual attack! So, if you think of it, we'd appreciate your prayers for our family in this very full time, especially for peace, wellness, and protection.
Okay, so I need to head home and take care of my sick ones.
Love (and still in good spirits), Jenny
I must take a moment to lament the death or coming demise of an astounding number of electronic items in our household, namely:
*our computer (completely gone)
*our digital camera (the second one this year completely gone)
*Matt's electric razor (completely gone)
*Matt's cell phone (on it's way out)
*Matt's beard trimmer (potentially dying, not sure yet...have to wait until the battery fully dies to see if it will recharge, but we're not holding out hope)
*my watch battery (died this morning, fortunately easy to replace)
All this sickness on top of the demise of so many items that we rely on for the smooth running of our lives has left us feeling like we need prayer for God's protection from spiritual attack! So, if you think of it, we'd appreciate your prayers for our family in this very full time, especially for peace, wellness, and protection.
Okay, so I need to head home and take care of my sick ones.
Love (and still in good spirits), Jenny
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Sleepover at the orphanage (PHOTOS)
At the orphanage in the little flat for families... Mom and Dad had to feed me in a carseat because there was no high chair. The place was fine but not really stocked with the necessities, which made for some funny stories. For example, I was in the bath, soaking wet with soapy hair before IMom realized that we had no towel and Dad was out getting dinner! So, Mommy carried a wet baby around while searching in all the cabinets and eventually finding an old tshirt to dry off with. :-)
We also had no sheets on the bed, just this wild, Hawaiian-print-esque duvets. But she did pretty well with the sleeping arrangements for the two nights that we were there. She was delighted to wake up and see our faces in the morning. "Oh! It's you!!!" :-)
My first encounter with a toothbrush was loads of fun. I brushed the floor, I brushed my hair, I brushed Daddy's leg... Of course, I haven't quite figured out brushing my teeth yet, but I'll learn one of these days!Some of my favorite new toys and things are my Old MacDonald hand puppet book and my yellow ducky blankie (thanks Grandma Thomas!). I also love my Lamby (from my Great Grandma Joyce who bought it for me in Italy even before she had any idea I would be coming on the scene.) You can see my snuggling with Lamby my first night.
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