The day is finally arriving! Tomorrow morning at 10:30 am, a truck will be pulling up to our door and several men will be in charge of moving all of our stuff to our new apartment. I just talked to John and he said that the kitchen is almost completely ready--just a few final details to finish up (like hook up the gas, fix a leak in the hot water heater, etc.). He said it looks great! I am so excited! I can hardly believe it is actually happening!
We are 98% packed up here at our old place; so much so that I called my friend Rachel today and asked if we could spend the morning and have lunch at her place today. With everything packed, it's really not a fun place for the girls to spend much time. They're napping now and we'll just have this one last evening to spend in our place.
About a week ago, I was so impatient for the move, and feeling like saying "Good Riddance" to our apartment with its issues (dusty, a toilet that seems perpetually broken, our "shower" in the middle of the bathroom floor, the touchy electrical outlets, etc.). I shared my feelings with John (read: complained) and he said that instead I should focus on all of the happy memories that we've had in this place. I grudgingly agreed.
Last night, it was his turn. He was celebrating the fact that the girls no longer had to bathe in their tiny tub, with perhaps a touch of "good riddance" in his voice. But then I was the one waxing nostalgic about all of the memories we've made in this place.
We've lived here more than 4 years. That is longer than we've lived anywhere in our marriage. If the walls could talk, they would tell you about the births of three healthy girls, about welcoming those babies into the family. They would tell you about some tough times where we were really lonely and feeling like we weren't doing any good here. They would tell you how we learned and grew, how we made friends, how our language skills improved, how we hosted many people for meals with lots of talking and a little singing around the piano afterwards. They would tell you about the birthdays celebrated, about the over-the-top Christmas lights, and about the good smells that came from the kitchen. And they would tell you that we were happy here.
It's funny, because my girls probably will not remember this place, or only have very faint memories of it, by the time they reach adulthood. A place whose address I have said to literally thousands of taxi drivers over the years will no longer be our home.
As we've prepared the children for our move, we've talked again about what "home" means. This was a discussion we started when we were getting ready to go back to the States last year, when we knew we would be in a lot of transition, and when a simple question from a stranger "Where are you from?" was enough to make me pause and think twice. What we shared with the girls then is what I've been telling them again now: Home is where your family is. If you are with your family, then you are at home. Even more, home is where the body of Christ is. If we are together with those who also love Jesus, then we are at home. And of course, we know that actually, truly, this world is not our home. It is ours only for a brief while until we get to our true Home, which is what we are all longing for. Our desire for safety and security, a place where we can relax, unwind, be ourselves, be refreshed, be encouraged, and all of that are all desires for our true home. No home on earth can perfectly fulfill that longing.
But with that being said, we are eager to provide even a shadow of that type of home for our family to live in. We are excited about our new home. Clara Anne is excited about her new purple room with Dora sheets. I'm excited about a bathtub! But more than that, I'm looking forward to making memories in a new place, and hoping that we can live there for a long, long time. I hope it will be the place my girls grow up.
So, goodbye Jiefang Dong Lu #58-1-3-401. Hello Lu Neng Kang Qiao #12-4-502! Stay tuned . . . pictures to follow in the coming days!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
When Daddy's Away . . .
The girls will play! John has been gone so much lately, working on things at our new house, and we've also had numerous days where our house helper was at that house, helping to make the remodeling process go smoother, so the girls and I have been on our own for lunch. I know, I know, I'm really spoiled to have my helper make lunch for us every day. She is such a help to us and a blessing to our whole family!
But anyway, when she was gone, and John had other events as well, the girls and I decided to have some fun. One day we had popcorn and a movie for lunch (a rare treat!), and one day we had this lovely picnic, as you can see. The menu included peanut butter and honey sandwiches, raisins, potato chips (we can get an only-slightly-funky version of Lay's here) and as a special treat, red Kool-Aid for our beverage! It was a fun time and the girls enjoyed it thoroughly. They are still talking about it now, days later. Fun times!
Monday, June 16, 2008
Christin Cracks A Smile!
Late last week, after a happy afternoon feeding, Christin was feeling talkative and trying out all of her smiley expressions on me. This has been a pattern recently, and finally I caught it on film! So here are some of the pictures taken that day, for your viewing pleasure!
Sweet girl! It's amazing how smiling just transforms her face. We love to see her smiles!
Sweet girl! It's amazing how smiling just transforms her face. We love to see her smiles!
Our Favorite Granola
Granola has been a popular food at our home lately. It's easy to make, tasty, and serves as a good substitute for breakfast whenever rice pudding isn't on the menu. Actually, lately my girls have been requesting it as a topping on their rice pudding, which also works. I enjoy it with cold milk, but it would also be great sprinkled over yogurt or in the winter, with hot milk. Now, this is not the healthiest version of granola that ever existed (mostly because of the butter), but it is pretty tasty and makes the most of ingredients we can get locally. Give it a try!
Homemade Granola
5 cups oatmeal
3/4 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter (I use 200 grams)
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
Mix together the oatmeal, raisins, walnuts and brown sugar in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, melt together the butter, honey and vanilla in the microwave. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix well. If desired (and of course, I usually desire), add 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup shredded coconut. Press into a 9x13 or 11x17 greased pan and bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes, or until edges are slightly browned. While still warm, crumble into small pieces.
Sorry that I don't have any lovely pictures like my friends Sandra or Rachel would have had with this post!
Homemade Granola
5 cups oatmeal
3/4 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter (I use 200 grams)
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
Mix together the oatmeal, raisins, walnuts and brown sugar in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, melt together the butter, honey and vanilla in the microwave. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix well. If desired (and of course, I usually desire), add 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup shredded coconut. Press into a 9x13 or 11x17 greased pan and bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes, or until edges are slightly browned. While still warm, crumble into small pieces.
Sorry that I don't have any lovely pictures like my friends Sandra or Rachel would have had with this post!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
When will we ever move?
You may remember a few months ago, when a frequent theme of my blog was "when will this baby come?". Now, however, we are finding our patience tested again as the completion date for our kitchen remodeling keeps getting pushed back. Originally it was supposed to be this past Monday, but then last week they called and said it would probably be this Friday or Saturday. So, we planned to move early next week. We even booked a moving company.
But, it seems plans are meant to be changed. We called the kitchen people again this afternoon to confirm and now they said it will not be ready until next Wednesday or Thursday. We will then need to leave a day in the middle to clean before we can actually move.
Zaogao! (That's Asianese for "shucks" or "oh dear" or "oh man!").
The most "zaogao" part of it is that we are basically packed up here at home--almost everything is already in boxes or trunks, awaiting the move that we thought was going to happen three days ago. We saved out things we still need but everything is very "luan qi ba zao" (literally "at sixes and sevens" . . . i.e. messy.) Um, is this a post or an Asianese lesson?
Anyway, it looks like we're going to have to live with the mess for a few more days. I feel at this point like I did waiting for Christin--I'm not going to believe it actually will happen until it is all said and done! No use getting my hopes up! I almost don't believe the kitchen people that it will happen next week--I should just be prepared to wait another two weeks or so.
On the bright side, the new apartment looks great and everything is done--including curtains--that we can do before moving in. Patience, patience! We'll keep you posted . . .
But, it seems plans are meant to be changed. We called the kitchen people again this afternoon to confirm and now they said it will not be ready until next Wednesday or Thursday. We will then need to leave a day in the middle to clean before we can actually move.
Zaogao! (That's Asianese for "shucks" or "oh dear" or "oh man!").
The most "zaogao" part of it is that we are basically packed up here at home--almost everything is already in boxes or trunks, awaiting the move that we thought was going to happen three days ago. We saved out things we still need but everything is very "luan qi ba zao" (literally "at sixes and sevens" . . . i.e. messy.) Um, is this a post or an Asianese lesson?
Anyway, it looks like we're going to have to live with the mess for a few more days. I feel at this point like I did waiting for Christin--I'm not going to believe it actually will happen until it is all said and done! No use getting my hopes up! I almost don't believe the kitchen people that it will happen next week--I should just be prepared to wait another two weeks or so.
On the bright side, the new apartment looks great and everything is done--including curtains--that we can do before moving in. Patience, patience! We'll keep you posted . . .
Thursday, June 05, 2008
A Morning Scene
Here's a snapshot of the scene at our house one morning last week. While I was sitting on the couch answering some emails, Clara Anne and Chloe found a little table, covered it with Clara Anne's blanket as a tablecloth, and set the table for tea. They proceeded, completely unhelped by me, to "serve tea" and enjoy a little meal together, as Christin looked on with interest. It was the first time they were all "playing" together! (If you can count Christin's watching as "playing.") More tea, anyone?
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
We are getting there!
Progress is being made at our new apartment! Yesterday saw the VERY happy completion of all the shopping. I am not sad at all to have that phase behind me. John and I learned to be very decisive shoppers. We would go into a store, scan briefly, and then if we liked something, start bargaining for the price. Lots of these places (like light fixtures, for example) group themselves together, which was helpful in the scanning-window shopping phase. There is a HUGE light fixture super-mall very close to our city. It is three floors and then some of shop after shop after shop of nothing but lights! It's the same with furniture; all in the same section of town are huge areas of nothing but furniture stores. There are probably 30 curtain stores within one of the furniture places--all grouped together.
So, we tried to make the most of our time and I'm so happy to say that the last item on our list--a coffeetable and end table for the living room--was crossed off yesterday! No more shopping! Also, the apartment is really starting to look like a home. John set up our living room furniture earlier in the week, so at least now we have somewhere to sit down when we are there working. The table and chairs were delivered that same day, and the girls' bedroom furniture came yesterday. The bathrooms are almost complete; just some cabinets being built that will be installed early next week, hopefully.
The final hurdle is the kitchen. As soon as the kitchen is done, we can move! Right now it is an empty space with absolutely nothing inside. John and I had talked through what we wanted and then he designed it; after showing the designs to the kitchen store that we're using the manager there was pretty impressed with John's drafting ability! They are building the cabinets now and will install everything at the end of this week or the beginning of next week.
And, we had our first time of taking the girls to the house to play yesterday. One distinct advantage of this apartment complex is its beautiful layout. There is a natural spring coming up at the one end which trickles its way through the complex, with trees, bushes, and winding paths all around. The water is filled with schools of goldfish which delighted my girls. It's so lovely and green and full of places to sit and take in the view for awhile. Yesterday my friend Rachel and I met there and took our girls to play at the playground as well as the sand pit which are all within the complex. They got extremely dirty but had lots of fun! It will be SO wonderful to have a place outside for the girls to run and play--at our current apartment we were surrounded by lots of dirty concrete and pavement. I'm really excited for them about this--visions of bike rides, picnics, strolls, and fun times are dancing through my head!
I'm not the only one that thinks it's a great play location for kids--there were tons of other kids out and about yesterday! I'm hoping that Clara Anne can make a few friends, too, and we can go out and play together. It'll probably be a great way for me to make friends, too!
So, in response to my friend Becky's question about "Is it [all the remodeling] worth it?" I will have to say yes. Other than the painting, things have really gone smoothly and we are really excited to see all of our plans and long-delayed ideas come to fruition. Things I bought more than a year ago in the US for "our new house" are finally now getting to be used! That being said, though, I do hope we will not have to move for a very, very long time. Most people feel that way after moving, though, right? But especially in our situation, if something were to happen where we would need to leave quickly, we are willing and ready to leave it all behind. We hope and pray that won't be the case, however!
I sort of wish that I had been taking pictures when all this was happening so that you could see the before and after, but you'll have to be content with the after when it's all finally done! In my mind there is still a crystal clear mental picture of the day some workers were installing new tile walls in our kitchen--with a pile of cement that they had mixed up directly on the floor. A sight to behold, that's for sure! Amazingly, it did all come clean later on.
So we'll wait eagerly for the kitchen people to call, and then it's time to go! John has already done a substantial amount of packing at home so we are nearly ready to actually move. I'm happy for the progress--we'll see what the next week brings!
So, we tried to make the most of our time and I'm so happy to say that the last item on our list--a coffeetable and end table for the living room--was crossed off yesterday! No more shopping! Also, the apartment is really starting to look like a home. John set up our living room furniture earlier in the week, so at least now we have somewhere to sit down when we are there working. The table and chairs were delivered that same day, and the girls' bedroom furniture came yesterday. The bathrooms are almost complete; just some cabinets being built that will be installed early next week, hopefully.
The final hurdle is the kitchen. As soon as the kitchen is done, we can move! Right now it is an empty space with absolutely nothing inside. John and I had talked through what we wanted and then he designed it; after showing the designs to the kitchen store that we're using the manager there was pretty impressed with John's drafting ability! They are building the cabinets now and will install everything at the end of this week or the beginning of next week.
And, we had our first time of taking the girls to the house to play yesterday. One distinct advantage of this apartment complex is its beautiful layout. There is a natural spring coming up at the one end which trickles its way through the complex, with trees, bushes, and winding paths all around. The water is filled with schools of goldfish which delighted my girls. It's so lovely and green and full of places to sit and take in the view for awhile. Yesterday my friend Rachel and I met there and took our girls to play at the playground as well as the sand pit which are all within the complex. They got extremely dirty but had lots of fun! It will be SO wonderful to have a place outside for the girls to run and play--at our current apartment we were surrounded by lots of dirty concrete and pavement. I'm really excited for them about this--visions of bike rides, picnics, strolls, and fun times are dancing through my head!
I'm not the only one that thinks it's a great play location for kids--there were tons of other kids out and about yesterday! I'm hoping that Clara Anne can make a few friends, too, and we can go out and play together. It'll probably be a great way for me to make friends, too!
So, in response to my friend Becky's question about "Is it [all the remodeling] worth it?" I will have to say yes. Other than the painting, things have really gone smoothly and we are really excited to see all of our plans and long-delayed ideas come to fruition. Things I bought more than a year ago in the US for "our new house" are finally now getting to be used! That being said, though, I do hope we will not have to move for a very, very long time. Most people feel that way after moving, though, right? But especially in our situation, if something were to happen where we would need to leave quickly, we are willing and ready to leave it all behind. We hope and pray that won't be the case, however!
I sort of wish that I had been taking pictures when all this was happening so that you could see the before and after, but you'll have to be content with the after when it's all finally done! In my mind there is still a crystal clear mental picture of the day some workers were installing new tile walls in our kitchen--with a pile of cement that they had mixed up directly on the floor. A sight to behold, that's for sure! Amazingly, it did all come clean later on.
So we'll wait eagerly for the kitchen people to call, and then it's time to go! John has already done a substantial amount of packing at home so we are nearly ready to actually move. I'm happy for the progress--we'll see what the next week brings!
Burps, Blemishes and other Baby Fun
Somehow while we weren't looking, our sweet Christin has been accomplishing "firsts" like she's in a hurry to grow up or something! She is already past the one month mark and has achieved some of those first milestones. Her first smile was actually not at me, but at a brightly colored Lamaze toy that I had been holding in her line of vision. It wasn't just a fluke, either! I tried it again a day or two later and she did it again! I think she was just shy of four weeks old at that point. Not to worry, I did get a glimmer of a smile directed towards me just shortly after. Whew! It's tough to take backseat to a bright green stuffed butterfly!
Christin has also started a bit of cooing--using her voice for something other than crying. Her body is filling out a bit, too, and her eyes are less cross-eyed-looking; all signs that the newborn stage is over and she's graduated to "infant" status. Where does the time go?
Then one morning, it was as if someone had flipped a switch and she woke up with signs of infant acne and cradle cap, all in the same day. Right now she's got a worse case of blemishes than I ever had as a teenager, which is saying something! Glad I got the pictures done for her baby announcement before the hormones kicked in!
Christin is so funny--she sometimes is eating so vigorously that she doesn't want to stop to burp. She'll actually burp while nursing and I'll hear the little air bubble come out her nose! None of my other girls have tried this trick--it's uniquely Christin.
Her vigorous nursing, though, wasn't enough to keep the mastitis away. Life around here has been at a fairly high stress level, what with the moving plans, not having my husband around for several days last week, and children who have been struggling with obedience lately. (Maybe the last two go together, what do you think?!) So last week, when I received unexpected guests in the middle of a feeding and got interrupted, I developed almost an immediate plugged duct which led to a high fever only hours later. I was able to continue on with our various packing and moving chores, but at a slower pace. I am thankfully feeling back to normal now and hope that I won't have to go through that again!
Christin continues to do great sleeping. For about two weeks now, she's been averaging 8-9 hours straight with a "dream feed" (eating while basically staying asleep) either at the beginning of the night, when I wake her to eat before I go to bed, or in the morning, when she wakes up at 6. Her long sleeps do wonders for me--I'm so thankful. Clara Anne and Chloe both trained to sleep through the night fairly early, but not this early and so it feels like a miracle! Her sleeping so well has been a wonderful blessing especially considering everything else going on!
I have new pictures to post, but . . . another time! I'll leave you with a quote from Clara Anne about Christin, "Mommy, I like her! She is really precious to me!" You said it, Clara Anne!
Christin has also started a bit of cooing--using her voice for something other than crying. Her body is filling out a bit, too, and her eyes are less cross-eyed-looking; all signs that the newborn stage is over and she's graduated to "infant" status. Where does the time go?
Then one morning, it was as if someone had flipped a switch and she woke up with signs of infant acne and cradle cap, all in the same day. Right now she's got a worse case of blemishes than I ever had as a teenager, which is saying something! Glad I got the pictures done for her baby announcement before the hormones kicked in!
Christin is so funny--she sometimes is eating so vigorously that she doesn't want to stop to burp. She'll actually burp while nursing and I'll hear the little air bubble come out her nose! None of my other girls have tried this trick--it's uniquely Christin.
Her vigorous nursing, though, wasn't enough to keep the mastitis away. Life around here has been at a fairly high stress level, what with the moving plans, not having my husband around for several days last week, and children who have been struggling with obedience lately. (Maybe the last two go together, what do you think?!) So last week, when I received unexpected guests in the middle of a feeding and got interrupted, I developed almost an immediate plugged duct which led to a high fever only hours later. I was able to continue on with our various packing and moving chores, but at a slower pace. I am thankfully feeling back to normal now and hope that I won't have to go through that again!
Christin continues to do great sleeping. For about two weeks now, she's been averaging 8-9 hours straight with a "dream feed" (eating while basically staying asleep) either at the beginning of the night, when I wake her to eat before I go to bed, or in the morning, when she wakes up at 6. Her long sleeps do wonders for me--I'm so thankful. Clara Anne and Chloe both trained to sleep through the night fairly early, but not this early and so it feels like a miracle! Her sleeping so well has been a wonderful blessing especially considering everything else going on!
I have new pictures to post, but . . . another time! I'll leave you with a quote from Clara Anne about Christin, "Mommy, I like her! She is really precious to me!" You said it, Clara Anne!
Monday, June 02, 2008
Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!
Today my parents are celebrating 41 years of marriage! Congratulations, Mom and Dad!
I have much to be thankful for when I look at my parent's marriage. When I think of their relationship, I think "stability." Their marriage has seen the births of three children and the death of one, my brother Dan at the age of 33. They have weathered many health crises together--mostly my mom dealing with diabetes, a heart condition, and lupus, but also my dad's heart attack last year. They have adjusted as both of them have experienced a change in jobs. They have seen a lot together in 41 years. But I am so thankful for how they have remained faithful to the Lord during all of the ups and downs and LIFE that happens over 41 years!
I am also especially thankful for my parent's unqualified support of my life and endeavors. I always felt their support as I pursued music in my earlier life--even if it was operatic singing and not the piano playing where my mom shows such excellence! They came to many performances, from recitals to concerts to operas on the professional stage. Then, as John and I began to shift our focus to farther shores, they showed their support bravely though they knew we were taking their potential grandchildren with us! Now they have remained a wonderful support and even as the grandchildren have arrived, one by one, my parents have never seemed bitter or resentful that they are far away. They simply enjoy the opportunities that they have to connect with my girls--whether it be by living at their house for several months last year or getting together to chat online now. As you can imagine, this is a wonderful blessing for me and our whole family.
So Mom and Dad, I hope you have many more years together. I am thankful for the Lord's faithfulness in giving you these years! Have a wonderful anniversary and enjoy reflecting on some of the highlights! We love you and are always praying for you!
Love from your daughter,
Rachel
I have much to be thankful for when I look at my parent's marriage. When I think of their relationship, I think "stability." Their marriage has seen the births of three children and the death of one, my brother Dan at the age of 33. They have weathered many health crises together--mostly my mom dealing with diabetes, a heart condition, and lupus, but also my dad's heart attack last year. They have adjusted as both of them have experienced a change in jobs. They have seen a lot together in 41 years. But I am so thankful for how they have remained faithful to the Lord during all of the ups and downs and LIFE that happens over 41 years!
I am also especially thankful for my parent's unqualified support of my life and endeavors. I always felt their support as I pursued music in my earlier life--even if it was operatic singing and not the piano playing where my mom shows such excellence! They came to many performances, from recitals to concerts to operas on the professional stage. Then, as John and I began to shift our focus to farther shores, they showed their support bravely though they knew we were taking their potential grandchildren with us! Now they have remained a wonderful support and even as the grandchildren have arrived, one by one, my parents have never seemed bitter or resentful that they are far away. They simply enjoy the opportunities that they have to connect with my girls--whether it be by living at their house for several months last year or getting together to chat online now. As you can imagine, this is a wonderful blessing for me and our whole family.
So Mom and Dad, I hope you have many more years together. I am thankful for the Lord's faithfulness in giving you these years! Have a wonderful anniversary and enjoy reflecting on some of the highlights! We love you and are always praying for you!
Love from your daughter,
Rachel
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Remodeling, what Joy!
I read once that remodeling (putting on an addition, building a house yourself, or just substantially changing your current living situation) is one of the most stressful things you can do to a marriage. And after these last weeks, I believe it!
Actually, John and I have been doing well during the process in terms of our relationship. But there certainly has been plenty of stress. Take last week, for example. We were in the midst of having the painting done, and John arrived at the new apartment one morning early to discover it "trashed" (in his words). The painters had done a lot of taping over the current woodwork but then if, in places, the tape and plastic came up, they completely ignored it and painted over everything. Large areas of the floor had paint spattered liberally across it. The woodwork around doors and windows was, in some areas, almost totally covered in paint.
After recovering from the initial shock, John got on the phone to the manager of the paint store and asked him to come over and look at the mess. The manager was nonplussed. "Don't worry, we will clean it all up when we are finished . . . it will all work out!" The walls still needed a second coat then so there was no point in starting the cleanup yet.
More misadventures followed. The workers doing the painting didn't bring their own tools and kept asking John to go out and buy things. They didn't have a paint stirrer, so didn't stir the paint and before John could stop them, large sections of the walls came out with darker or lighter colors because the paint wasn't mixed. John kept having to ask them to redo areas and they were soon rather irritated with him and his "high" standards. The workers made fun of John's attempts to speak the local language and began to have rather sour attitudes.
Finally, thankfully, a local friend came to help the situation. He also got the manager involved, and this time there was a real change. The manager brought in some skilled laborers (as it turns out, the other workers just got hired for the day and didn't actually know anything about painting) and they totally repainted the apartment. I then spent one day touching up some edging and some overspray on the ceiling, and then John and our helper, Lou, spent some more time cleaning off the paint on the woodwork, and now, happily, it looks great! Whew, what a road to get there, though!
I was happy with the way the colors turned out, which I'm glad for since it's really hard to choose from just a little paint chip! The main living room/dining room has two walls that are a dark red, with two walls that are a darker tan color. The entryway and hallway are also the tan color, and then Clara Anne and Chloe's room is a really happy purple. The baby's room is a happy green color, and our bedroom is a happy blue color. Taken all together, it looks like Easter eggs at the end of our hallway with the three bedrooms, all happily colorful. But I do like it--it will be impossible to be depressed at our house! Plus, once all the furniture gets in it will soften the colors up a bit. Right now they are all really . . . happy! (for lack of a better word!)
I have to admit it was fun to have a paintbrush in hand again. Some of you may know that I spent about 10 summers (give or take a few) doing exterior painting as a job. This job began way back when my dad, a schoolteacher, decided to use the summer months to paint and make some extra money. He had various partners over the years including, as we grew up, both of my brothers and myself. Then I recruited John after we met, and we spent some serious time on ladders together before we were married as well as when we were preparing to come to this country. We did some big barns together as well as houses and even a bunch of interior work at an apartment complex. The pay was good, I enjoyed the work, and once I had learned the skills, it kind of was like riding a bike--you just never forget how to paint. I loved painting with my dad--we had time to talk, could set our own hours (start at 7am and you can go home at 4!), out in the fresh air (ok, sometimes it was beastly hot/humid/bugs/etc), but we made tons of memories during that time. I feel like I learned a lot about life--doing a good job, working hard, pleasing the customer, learning a skill, etc--through painting! But I digress . . .
John has been working so hard to get things ready at the new place, and the past few days have really seen great progress. Some of our new items (a lovely, white, clean, new bathtub!!) have arrived and been installed. The old kitchen cupboards (a bright yellow metal, coated with grease) have been taken out and the kitchen guys have the design of the new kitchen all drawn up on their computer. They will be building the cabinets in the next week or two at a different location and then installing them.
So, the work continues. We may be able to move in as little as two weeks, but I think two to three weeks is a better estimate. John has to be gone Tuesday afternoon through Friday noon of this next week, so we won't be doing much remodeling then. And we still have some things to purchase--mattresses for the girls' big girl beds, lamps, things like that--so we'll see how quickly that all can happen. We're getting excited, though! Moving day is coming soon!
Actually, John and I have been doing well during the process in terms of our relationship. But there certainly has been plenty of stress. Take last week, for example. We were in the midst of having the painting done, and John arrived at the new apartment one morning early to discover it "trashed" (in his words). The painters had done a lot of taping over the current woodwork but then if, in places, the tape and plastic came up, they completely ignored it and painted over everything. Large areas of the floor had paint spattered liberally across it. The woodwork around doors and windows was, in some areas, almost totally covered in paint.
After recovering from the initial shock, John got on the phone to the manager of the paint store and asked him to come over and look at the mess. The manager was nonplussed. "Don't worry, we will clean it all up when we are finished . . . it will all work out!" The walls still needed a second coat then so there was no point in starting the cleanup yet.
More misadventures followed. The workers doing the painting didn't bring their own tools and kept asking John to go out and buy things. They didn't have a paint stirrer, so didn't stir the paint and before John could stop them, large sections of the walls came out with darker or lighter colors because the paint wasn't mixed. John kept having to ask them to redo areas and they were soon rather irritated with him and his "high" standards. The workers made fun of John's attempts to speak the local language and began to have rather sour attitudes.
Finally, thankfully, a local friend came to help the situation. He also got the manager involved, and this time there was a real change. The manager brought in some skilled laborers (as it turns out, the other workers just got hired for the day and didn't actually know anything about painting) and they totally repainted the apartment. I then spent one day touching up some edging and some overspray on the ceiling, and then John and our helper, Lou, spent some more time cleaning off the paint on the woodwork, and now, happily, it looks great! Whew, what a road to get there, though!
I was happy with the way the colors turned out, which I'm glad for since it's really hard to choose from just a little paint chip! The main living room/dining room has two walls that are a dark red, with two walls that are a darker tan color. The entryway and hallway are also the tan color, and then Clara Anne and Chloe's room is a really happy purple. The baby's room is a happy green color, and our bedroom is a happy blue color. Taken all together, it looks like Easter eggs at the end of our hallway with the three bedrooms, all happily colorful. But I do like it--it will be impossible to be depressed at our house! Plus, once all the furniture gets in it will soften the colors up a bit. Right now they are all really . . . happy! (for lack of a better word!)
I have to admit it was fun to have a paintbrush in hand again. Some of you may know that I spent about 10 summers (give or take a few) doing exterior painting as a job. This job began way back when my dad, a schoolteacher, decided to use the summer months to paint and make some extra money. He had various partners over the years including, as we grew up, both of my brothers and myself. Then I recruited John after we met, and we spent some serious time on ladders together before we were married as well as when we were preparing to come to this country. We did some big barns together as well as houses and even a bunch of interior work at an apartment complex. The pay was good, I enjoyed the work, and once I had learned the skills, it kind of was like riding a bike--you just never forget how to paint. I loved painting with my dad--we had time to talk, could set our own hours (start at 7am and you can go home at 4!), out in the fresh air (ok, sometimes it was beastly hot/humid/bugs/etc), but we made tons of memories during that time. I feel like I learned a lot about life--doing a good job, working hard, pleasing the customer, learning a skill, etc--through painting! But I digress . . .
John has been working so hard to get things ready at the new place, and the past few days have really seen great progress. Some of our new items (a lovely, white, clean, new bathtub!!) have arrived and been installed. The old kitchen cupboards (a bright yellow metal, coated with grease) have been taken out and the kitchen guys have the design of the new kitchen all drawn up on their computer. They will be building the cabinets in the next week or two at a different location and then installing them.
So, the work continues. We may be able to move in as little as two weeks, but I think two to three weeks is a better estimate. John has to be gone Tuesday afternoon through Friday noon of this next week, so we won't be doing much remodeling then. And we still have some things to purchase--mattresses for the girls' big girl beds, lamps, things like that--so we'll see how quickly that all can happen. We're getting excited, though! Moving day is coming soon!
Monday, May 19, 2008
Sister Care
It's been wonderful to see how both Clara Anne and Chloe have taken on the role of big sister. They have actually been a help to me at various times! Clara Anne especially takes seriously her responsibility to help Christin be happy and will sing little songs to Christin, bring her favorite blanket to put over Christin, and entertain her the best Clara Anne knows how.
The other night I had my first experience with Clara Anne and Chloe actually "watching" the baby at a time when I needed some help. I had fed Christin at 4:30pm and she was awake, but a little fussy. She would have preferred to be held rather than propped on the bed with a Lamaze toy to look at. But I needed to finish getting supper on the table, so I asked Clara Anne to go in and sing a song to Christin, with strict instructions not to touch her. I checked on her a minute or two later, and Chloe had joined her. They had gotten their stepstools from the bathroom, climbed up on the bed next to Christin, and were singing to her. I checked again a few minutes later (I could still hear Christin fussing) and both of them were sitting around her, with their hands folded sweetly in their laps, gazing down with adorable expressions at baby Christin.
About 5 minutes later, supper was ready, and so I told the girls they could get down and I would take care of Christin now. But Clara Anne said, "Mommy, Christin fell asleep!" And sure enough, the girls had put her to sleep! (Well, sort of, anyway--I guess we can't give them all the credit!) I transferred her to her crib and we all then had a peaceful supper.
It's been a blessing to me how I've seen them really love Christin and so far, there hasn't been a hint of jealousy. Clara Anne, particularly, is really protective of the new baby and I think will be even more of a help to me as Christin (and Clara Anne) gets older.
By the way, the adjustment to having three is going quite well. We seem to have found a pretty good rhythm of feedings/awake time/nap time that fit well into our pre-existing family life. Christin also seems to be (I say "seems to be" since she's still only 3 weeks old, and things could change!) my easiest baby yet, especially in the area of falling asleep by herself. With Clara Anne and Chloe, I remember quite a bit of crying in the early weeks as I would put them down for naps. I felt like every nap where they went to sleep on their own was a victory. But Christin hardly fusses at all--sometimes I lay her down and there isn't even a single peep of protest. Other times she cries a bit, but doesn't seem to have the perseverance in crying that Clara Anne and Chloe had. Thank the Lord! Her nighttime sleeping has also been very good--she is regularly going 4-5 hours straight and has had a couple of nights of 7 and 7.5 hour stretches. Last night she slept from 11pm until 6am this morning; a great help to me as well as good for her. We'll see if that continues consistently!
Princess Girls
My girls have really been into the idea of being princesses lately. They both have several summery, frou-frou dresses that they love to wear. Since our weekly gatherings are not very formal, and the dresses won't get worn very often, I let the girls play dress-up in their fancy dresses. They think it's great!
Talking about princesses has also led us to some good discussions about how if they believe in Jesus, they will also be princesses, because the Father, the King, adopts us as his children! We watched the Disney movie "Snow White" together recently and John and I were both struck by the spiritual analogies. For example, Snow White waits with faith that her prince will come back for her, and then he is the only one that can save her from her sleep of death because of his great love for her. He then takes her off to his castle in the sky, making everything right again, fulfilling his promise to her. It's a wonderful story and allowed us some good talks with the girls.
Enjoy the pictures of my princess girls!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Where are they now?
I must apologize for the long delay away from my blog. Has it already been more than two weeks since Christin was born?! So many things have happened in that time, it's hard to believe she's still only 16 days old! So in case you were wondering, "Where are they now?" here's a brief update . . .
First, I wanted to let everyone know that we are fine, despite a recent terrible natural disaster in our area of the world. Actually John and I had traveled to the capital city on Monday, Christin in tow, to arrange for her passport at the American Embassy on Tuesday. We left our two older girls with our friends Brad and Amy (THANK YOU so much, friends!) to make the trip a little easier. While there, we made an important trip to Ikea to purchase some furniture, an important trip to the doctor for some immunizations, and of course an important trip to the import store for "necessities" like powdered sugar, chocolate chips, and taco seasoning. So we really packed our time full. We returned home on the early train this morning and it was good to get back. Christin has already been through our local train station three times in her 16 days! Now that's crazy!
The trip was surprisingly relaxing, though, with only a very portable newborn to take around. She was happy everywhere and even obligingly took naps during a couple of meals at nicer restaurants, allowing John and I to linger over meals and actually have uninterrupted conversations. So despite the usual stress of travel, it was very refreshing! We were very happy to return home safely today and be reunited with our sweet Clara Anne and Chloe. We missed them!
The last 10 days have been non-stop with the remodeling process at our new apartment, too. John has been out almost every day, shopping, arranging details, making plans, etc. He didn't forget Mother's Day, though! He had gone out that morning briefly and came home with a dozen peach roses for me, thoughtful husband that he is. But in all the busyness, we both almost forgot that today is his birthday! 34 years young, Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband and his beautiful twin, Sarah!
I have lots of great pictures to share but will have to leave that for another day when I have a bit more time. For now, Happy Birthday John! I love you!
First, I wanted to let everyone know that we are fine, despite a recent terrible natural disaster in our area of the world. Actually John and I had traveled to the capital city on Monday, Christin in tow, to arrange for her passport at the American Embassy on Tuesday. We left our two older girls with our friends Brad and Amy (THANK YOU so much, friends!) to make the trip a little easier. While there, we made an important trip to Ikea to purchase some furniture, an important trip to the doctor for some immunizations, and of course an important trip to the import store for "necessities" like powdered sugar, chocolate chips, and taco seasoning. So we really packed our time full. We returned home on the early train this morning and it was good to get back. Christin has already been through our local train station three times in her 16 days! Now that's crazy!
The trip was surprisingly relaxing, though, with only a very portable newborn to take around. She was happy everywhere and even obligingly took naps during a couple of meals at nicer restaurants, allowing John and I to linger over meals and actually have uninterrupted conversations. So despite the usual stress of travel, it was very refreshing! We were very happy to return home safely today and be reunited with our sweet Clara Anne and Chloe. We missed them!
The last 10 days have been non-stop with the remodeling process at our new apartment, too. John has been out almost every day, shopping, arranging details, making plans, etc. He didn't forget Mother's Day, though! He had gone out that morning briefly and came home with a dozen peach roses for me, thoughtful husband that he is. But in all the busyness, we both almost forgot that today is his birthday! 34 years young, Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband and his beautiful twin, Sarah!
I have lots of great pictures to share but will have to leave that for another day when I have a bit more time. For now, Happy Birthday John! I love you!
Monday, May 05, 2008
Meet the Family
These pictures are from April 29, 2008, the morning after Christin was born (she and I were still at the hospital). This was the second time for the girls to meet their new little sister--they were so sweet with her and loved holding her little hands and kissing her. Enjoy the photos!
Family Reunion
Look at her tiny feet!
Clara Anne loves holding Christin.
Family Reunion
Sisters are for kissing
Look at her tiny feet!Clara Anne loves holding Christin.There she is, almost one day old (and finally clean! They didn't give her a bath until the morning of the second day!).
"Don't worry Mom, I've got good hold of her, all by myself." 
"Oops!" A little too much love here from Chloe.
Family of Five--our first family photo!
"Don't worry Mom, I've got good hold of her, all by myself.""Oops!" A little too much love here from Chloe.Family of Five--our first family photo!
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Forgot to say . . .
Ok, so in my writing of the birth story last night I forgot a few details to share with you . . . one amazing one was the cost of this entire process. John had to pay a deposit, and when we wanted to check out on Tuesday afternoon, they started counting back money to him! He was astonished upon receipt of that money to realize that the total cost for the birth and my stay (one night) in the hospital was only 970 local dollars, or less than $150 US! Wowza! That's amazing! I usually spend around 970 local dollars in about two weeks at the grocery store!
I also wanted to praise the Lord again for his timing and faithfulness. You may remember that I was praying for this baby to arrive early, and at night. Instead, she was five days late, and during the day! But His ways our not our ways, and though things didn't go as we planned (especially with my doctor not being there) they definitely went as HE planned, and that was for the best. I am now very glad that my doctor wasn't there. The midwives did a great job and Christin was born safely, that was the most important part. We rejoice in His provision and in her new little life!
Stay tuned for more pictures, coming soon!
I also wanted to praise the Lord again for his timing and faithfulness. You may remember that I was praying for this baby to arrive early, and at night. Instead, she was five days late, and during the day! But His ways our not our ways, and though things didn't go as we planned (especially with my doctor not being there) they definitely went as HE planned, and that was for the best. I am now very glad that my doctor wasn't there. The midwives did a great job and Christin was born safely, that was the most important part. We rejoice in His provision and in her new little life!
Stay tuned for more pictures, coming soon!
Saturday, May 03, 2008
The Story of Christin's Birth
***Warning! Long and involved post! Proceed at risk of being bored!***
If you've been following the blog, you know that I had literally weeks of prelabor contractions. During that time we learned lots about what is called "prodromal" labor, where the contractions are more regular and pronounced than just Braxton Hicks contractions, but yet do not actually advance the progress of labor. We also learned lots about being patient, and I learned to not take my body cues very seriously!
All that being said, when Sunday night came I did feel like something different was happening. We had eaten a yummy Asianese lunch rather late and I didn't feel like eating dinner. I was having the strongest contractions yet and so after the girls were in bed we decided to time them for awhile. To lessen the boredom, we watched "Father of the Bride." (Just had to get that detail in there for posterity!) But, around midnight, the contractions spaced out a bit and weren't gaining in intensity, so we decided to try and get some sleep. John fell asleep immediately but I was awake for awhile feeling the contractions continue. Same story as so many nights of the last month!
At 3am-ish, though, I awoke with some rather strong contractions that seemed to be about 7-8 minutes apart and more intense than before. I woke up John and we timed for awhile, but the clincher was when I went to the bathroom and experienced some blood loss. That hadn't happened until I was 6-7 cm dilated with the other girls, so considering that and the more intense contractions, we decided it was time to call our friend Roby.
Roby lives nearby and had been waiting for this call for a month now, so she was happy to hear that it was us and that the time had come. She arrived about 4:45 and we were then on our way out the door to find a taxi. The sun was just coming up as we were leaving, and the air was fresh and cool with the promise of a beautiful day--the day of Christin's birth!
We arrived at the hospital at 5am only to find the halls and nurses' station completely deserted. No one was anywhere to be seen! I sat down and waited while John went hunting around. Finally he found a nurse who quickly got things going for us. My doctor's previous advice had been to get to the hospital, get checked by whoever was on duty to determine if I should stay or not, and then if necessary, check in and call her at that point. So this is what we did. The doctor on duty ushered me (and only me, not John) into the laboring area to do the check, and then upon examination announced that I was 1 cm dilated. I could hardly believe it! 1 teeny tiny cm after a whole month of work?!!! How could it be? What about the strong contractions and the blood and everything? Suddenly the day stretched out before me, long and arduous. If it hurt this much at 1 cm, what was it going to feel like later?
However, facts are facts. But this doctor thought it would go quickly since it was my third child. She thought I should be admitted, so began the process of asking me lots of detailed medical questions which my Asianese vocabulary wasn't quite prepared for. She wanted to draw blood to do some test (a very expensive test) because of my relatively rare blood type, and I protested, trying to understand what kind of test it was and why it was necessary. Finally I protested enough that she gave up and made me sign a disclaimer saying I wouldn't accept that treatment.
Then there were other issues. John had gone to the main building to register me and check me in, with the understanding that when he finished he would be allowed to join me in the labor room. However, when he got back they told me he could not come in. I had been trying to call my doctor all this time, and she wasn't answering her phone, and the nurses and doctor on duty refused to let him in, saying that it wasn't the policy of the hospital. I told them that my doctor had asked specially for permission and they replied very unhelpfully, "Well, she's not the boss, and we have rules to follow here." This discussion went on long enough, with me alternately trying to call my doctor and then talking with John via his cell phone, that finally I asked to be allowed to go back out in the hallway to be with him. They would not let me get off the bed. This was Dicey Moment #1: John out in the hallway, me inside, not together except through calling one another on our cell phones, me still having strong contractions and feeling emotionally tested there by myself. At this point, the percentage of the discussion in Asianese: 100%.
An hour and a half passed. During that time I further annoyed my doctor/nurses by refusing the "shave." My doctor had said it was standard, but if I really didn't want it I could refuse it, and I really didn't want it. When I realized what the nurse was doing, I told her immediately and in no certain terms to stop, and that my doctor had said I didn't have to have it. Well, that about did it for those nurses. They were pretty irritated with this foreigner who came in, refused treatment, wanted things her way, got upset when her husband got left outside, etc.
But all that changed with a 3 minute phone call. My 15 unanswered phone calls to my doctor were finally answered with a call to the nurse on duty. I never talked to my doctor, but suddenly the nurse was ushering me into a private labor room (previously promised to me), John was brought in to join me, it was fine that I didn't have the shave or the blood test they wanted to do, and I was free to move around as I wished, eat, drink, walk, or whatever during labor. There was even a birthing ball in that room! Even better, my doctor was coming on duty at 8am and so would come herself to check me when she came to work.
John proved himself to be a most invaluable coach for the third time. He rubbed my back, timed my contractions, encouraged me, helped me to walk a bit, reminded me to eat a few snacks (we had splurged on an imported bag of Craisins trail mix--cranberries, nuts, and chocolate chips!), and just generally took great care of me. My doctor didn't come in to see me until about 8:30, and then I happened to be in the bathroom, so the first time I actually saw her was about 9:45 when she came with the head of the department in tow.
They were both concerned because they thought the baby was too large, and so ordered another ultrasound, bringing the total number of ultrasounds for this pregnancy to an astonishing 8! So I went to have that done, then came back and the dept head examined me, and I was happy to find that I was already 5 cm! Hallelujah! They were also both concerned that the baby would come so quickly I wouldn't have time to make it the 15 feet over to the delivery area, so wanted me to get on the delivery bed as soon as I had reached 8 cm.
No problem there, but then my doctor and the department head started talking amongst themselves about John's presence. They began to say to me that maybe, after all, John couldn't accompany me into the delivery room. In classic Asianese fashion, they explained that "maybe" he would have to "wait a moment" while I did the actual work of birthing the baby, and then he could be with me again. I wasted no time in playing my "upset foreigner" card for the second time that day. Honestly, THE major reason we agreed to have the baby here was because my doctor reassured me repeatedly that John and I could be together for the ENTIRE process. When I asked my doctor with some emotion, "Why? You told me previously that you had gotten permission for this!" she replied by saying, well, just because this is [the country we live in]. If there ever was a bad excuse, that was it! This was Dicey Moment #2.
However, as I looked helplessly with tears at John while the doctors were discussing it, they relented and said, ok, if you really want him to be there, then that's ok. I reiterated that it was most important to me that he was with me, and so they grudgingly assented. Yikes! Glad we made it through that one! Percentage of conversation in Asianese at this point: 90%.
So time passed and I was anticipating rapid progress from 5-10, just like 1-5 had been. My mistake. It took F-O-R-E-V-E-R to get to 6. About 11:00 or so, the midwife came in and announced that I should move to the delivery table, though I had not progressed any further in terms of dilation. My contractions were gradually moving closer together, and gaining slowly in intensity, which by then was feeling really, really intense. I did get up on the delivery table, and though it was not so comfortable I didn't feel like moving much anyway. Almost without asking they broke my water at this point, after which the contractions only got more intense. From about that point on, I felt like 10 cm was never going to come, and I was in transition with very intense, painful contractions that got very difficult to relax through. By 12:15 I was still only at a six, but then had a long series of such intense contractions that I could not stop my body from bearing down. Thankfully, it was almost over--I went from 6 to 10 in about half an hour, and by 12:50 was ready to push.
My doctor had not come back to check on me. All of this time, it was a group of midwives/nurses that were attending me. I kept asking for my doctor, but they said she was doing an emergency C-section and would come as soon as she was able. I think she showed up after about 3 or 4 pushing contractions, just as I was getting started, really. And when she came, she started making some dire predictions and saying things like "your baby is stuck too far up the birth canal, and your contractions are not strong enough to push the baby out. . . maybe you need some medicine to make the contractions stronger . . . the baby is in distress, look, her heart rate is too high . . . your baby is too big, we have to consider other options . . . "
Needless to say, none of this made me very happy. I was ready to do the work of pushing, for a long time if necessary, but her alarmist mentality wasn't helping. The baby's heart rate was accelerating with the contractions, but not dangerously so; another midwife present said she didn't think it was a problem. My doctor did start me on oxygen, trying to help the baby, and gave me no choice about starting a IV drip with Vitamin C--how that was supposed to help in that moment, I have no idea. (A westerner who is a nurse told me later that is because they don't allow women who have just given birth to eat anything citrus for a month--so they need the IV.) Anyway, my doctor then announced that she had better get the head of the department to consult with about my case.
Well, this definitely constituted Dicey Moment #3. I certainly did not want to endanger the baby, but I had just started pushing and so of course she was still far up the birth canal. John and I began praying desperately for the Lord to act quickly so that we could prevent drastic measures. We prayed for strength, for the baby to descend quickly, and for my contractions to have great effect. And the Lord answered, in an unusual way!
The midwife that took over for my doctor immediately began to coach me in a very positive way as I was making progress with the pushing. As I could feel some progress happening, it encouraged me and I pushed even harder. Then, as a total surprise, another midwife climbed up on a stepstool next to the birthing bed, and with each contraction bore down on my belly with her full weight behind her fists, literally pushing the baby down from the outside. It hurt like crazy but made my contractions about twice as effective. So with her pushing, me pushing, and the contractions pushing, we made excellent progress. Soon there was no question--the baby was descending, and descending fast.
There was a bunch of other nurses/midwives present--I'm not even sure who was who, but I do know this, my doctor never showed up again! That seemed providential in hindsight, since the midwives weren't so concerned and just took things in stride. Needless to say, without my doctor there, the percentage of Asianese being spoken went right back up to 100%! After about 40-45 minutes, and some vigorous stretching/rubbing of me in places I don't care to mention by many hands, Christin made her entrance into this world! Wow! The midwives did a great job of coaching me so that I stretched slowly and only had a very small tear. So she was born at 1:38--alert, active, coated with vernix, and flailing and crying.
We think she looks a lot like Chloe's birth pictures, and interestingly enough, Christin was exactly Chloe's birth weight and height--4.45 kilos (that's 9 pounds, 13 oz) and 55 cm (about 21 3/4 inches). Her name, Christin Arielle, was chosen because we pray that her life will reflect the glorious truth "Christ in her, the hope of glory!" Arielle means "Lion of God" and is also referred to in Isaiah as a name for the city or dwelling place of God. And of course, the C's and the middle names match with Clara Anne Danielle (named for her grandmothers and her uncle Dan) and Chloe Rachelle (named after a woman in the Bible who had a group in her home, and her mother).
After she was born, the midwives did all the usual stuff, except bathe the baby. Apparently the custom here is to wait until the second day, it's better for their health or something. They stitched my few stitches (without anesthetic, I might add--that was NOT comfortable!) and let me hold the baby really quickly. We then returned to the laboring room so I could nurse Christin and rest a bit before going to our hospital room.
About 3:30 our friend Roby showed up with Clara Anne and Chloe, and they got to meet their sister. Clara Anne was so excited and curious, wanting to kiss and touch Christin, but Chloe seemed a little confused about everything that was going on. I have some great pictures from their first meeting to share with you soon. At one point later, though, Chloe looked up and pointed, saying "Baby!" So at least she caught on to that much! Clara Anne really has been a sweet big sister already--loves to talk to Christin and touch and kiss her, and both she and Chloe seem excited about their new sister.
So, to finally conclude this very long story, we are so thankful for the safe arrival of Christin Arielle! She is such a precious little bundle and is doing great with eating, and getting better with sleeping (last night went 5.5 hours at one stretch, woke up to eat, then slept another 3 hours before I woke her to eat breakfast!). She definitely has the Wind lips from her father and the Bruxvoort (my side of the family) nose. She is so sweet and cuddly, loves to be held and looks at me sometimes with that cross-eyed look peculiar to newborns. We are enjoying getting to know her! PTL for her precious life!
If you've been following the blog, you know that I had literally weeks of prelabor contractions. During that time we learned lots about what is called "prodromal" labor, where the contractions are more regular and pronounced than just Braxton Hicks contractions, but yet do not actually advance the progress of labor. We also learned lots about being patient, and I learned to not take my body cues very seriously!
All that being said, when Sunday night came I did feel like something different was happening. We had eaten a yummy Asianese lunch rather late and I didn't feel like eating dinner. I was having the strongest contractions yet and so after the girls were in bed we decided to time them for awhile. To lessen the boredom, we watched "Father of the Bride." (Just had to get that detail in there for posterity!) But, around midnight, the contractions spaced out a bit and weren't gaining in intensity, so we decided to try and get some sleep. John fell asleep immediately but I was awake for awhile feeling the contractions continue. Same story as so many nights of the last month!
At 3am-ish, though, I awoke with some rather strong contractions that seemed to be about 7-8 minutes apart and more intense than before. I woke up John and we timed for awhile, but the clincher was when I went to the bathroom and experienced some blood loss. That hadn't happened until I was 6-7 cm dilated with the other girls, so considering that and the more intense contractions, we decided it was time to call our friend Roby.
Roby lives nearby and had been waiting for this call for a month now, so she was happy to hear that it was us and that the time had come. She arrived about 4:45 and we were then on our way out the door to find a taxi. The sun was just coming up as we were leaving, and the air was fresh and cool with the promise of a beautiful day--the day of Christin's birth!
We arrived at the hospital at 5am only to find the halls and nurses' station completely deserted. No one was anywhere to be seen! I sat down and waited while John went hunting around. Finally he found a nurse who quickly got things going for us. My doctor's previous advice had been to get to the hospital, get checked by whoever was on duty to determine if I should stay or not, and then if necessary, check in and call her at that point. So this is what we did. The doctor on duty ushered me (and only me, not John) into the laboring area to do the check, and then upon examination announced that I was 1 cm dilated. I could hardly believe it! 1 teeny tiny cm after a whole month of work?!!! How could it be? What about the strong contractions and the blood and everything? Suddenly the day stretched out before me, long and arduous. If it hurt this much at 1 cm, what was it going to feel like later?
However, facts are facts. But this doctor thought it would go quickly since it was my third child. She thought I should be admitted, so began the process of asking me lots of detailed medical questions which my Asianese vocabulary wasn't quite prepared for. She wanted to draw blood to do some test (a very expensive test) because of my relatively rare blood type, and I protested, trying to understand what kind of test it was and why it was necessary. Finally I protested enough that she gave up and made me sign a disclaimer saying I wouldn't accept that treatment.
Then there were other issues. John had gone to the main building to register me and check me in, with the understanding that when he finished he would be allowed to join me in the labor room. However, when he got back they told me he could not come in. I had been trying to call my doctor all this time, and she wasn't answering her phone, and the nurses and doctor on duty refused to let him in, saying that it wasn't the policy of the hospital. I told them that my doctor had asked specially for permission and they replied very unhelpfully, "Well, she's not the boss, and we have rules to follow here." This discussion went on long enough, with me alternately trying to call my doctor and then talking with John via his cell phone, that finally I asked to be allowed to go back out in the hallway to be with him. They would not let me get off the bed. This was Dicey Moment #1: John out in the hallway, me inside, not together except through calling one another on our cell phones, me still having strong contractions and feeling emotionally tested there by myself. At this point, the percentage of the discussion in Asianese: 100%.
An hour and a half passed. During that time I further annoyed my doctor/nurses by refusing the "shave." My doctor had said it was standard, but if I really didn't want it I could refuse it, and I really didn't want it. When I realized what the nurse was doing, I told her immediately and in no certain terms to stop, and that my doctor had said I didn't have to have it. Well, that about did it for those nurses. They were pretty irritated with this foreigner who came in, refused treatment, wanted things her way, got upset when her husband got left outside, etc.
But all that changed with a 3 minute phone call. My 15 unanswered phone calls to my doctor were finally answered with a call to the nurse on duty. I never talked to my doctor, but suddenly the nurse was ushering me into a private labor room (previously promised to me), John was brought in to join me, it was fine that I didn't have the shave or the blood test they wanted to do, and I was free to move around as I wished, eat, drink, walk, or whatever during labor. There was even a birthing ball in that room! Even better, my doctor was coming on duty at 8am and so would come herself to check me when she came to work.
John proved himself to be a most invaluable coach for the third time. He rubbed my back, timed my contractions, encouraged me, helped me to walk a bit, reminded me to eat a few snacks (we had splurged on an imported bag of Craisins trail mix--cranberries, nuts, and chocolate chips!), and just generally took great care of me. My doctor didn't come in to see me until about 8:30, and then I happened to be in the bathroom, so the first time I actually saw her was about 9:45 when she came with the head of the department in tow.
They were both concerned because they thought the baby was too large, and so ordered another ultrasound, bringing the total number of ultrasounds for this pregnancy to an astonishing 8! So I went to have that done, then came back and the dept head examined me, and I was happy to find that I was already 5 cm! Hallelujah! They were also both concerned that the baby would come so quickly I wouldn't have time to make it the 15 feet over to the delivery area, so wanted me to get on the delivery bed as soon as I had reached 8 cm.
No problem there, but then my doctor and the department head started talking amongst themselves about John's presence. They began to say to me that maybe, after all, John couldn't accompany me into the delivery room. In classic Asianese fashion, they explained that "maybe" he would have to "wait a moment" while I did the actual work of birthing the baby, and then he could be with me again. I wasted no time in playing my "upset foreigner" card for the second time that day. Honestly, THE major reason we agreed to have the baby here was because my doctor reassured me repeatedly that John and I could be together for the ENTIRE process. When I asked my doctor with some emotion, "Why? You told me previously that you had gotten permission for this!" she replied by saying, well, just because this is [the country we live in]. If there ever was a bad excuse, that was it! This was Dicey Moment #2.
However, as I looked helplessly with tears at John while the doctors were discussing it, they relented and said, ok, if you really want him to be there, then that's ok. I reiterated that it was most important to me that he was with me, and so they grudgingly assented. Yikes! Glad we made it through that one! Percentage of conversation in Asianese at this point: 90%.
So time passed and I was anticipating rapid progress from 5-10, just like 1-5 had been. My mistake. It took F-O-R-E-V-E-R to get to 6. About 11:00 or so, the midwife came in and announced that I should move to the delivery table, though I had not progressed any further in terms of dilation. My contractions were gradually moving closer together, and gaining slowly in intensity, which by then was feeling really, really intense. I did get up on the delivery table, and though it was not so comfortable I didn't feel like moving much anyway. Almost without asking they broke my water at this point, after which the contractions only got more intense. From about that point on, I felt like 10 cm was never going to come, and I was in transition with very intense, painful contractions that got very difficult to relax through. By 12:15 I was still only at a six, but then had a long series of such intense contractions that I could not stop my body from bearing down. Thankfully, it was almost over--I went from 6 to 10 in about half an hour, and by 12:50 was ready to push.
My doctor had not come back to check on me. All of this time, it was a group of midwives/nurses that were attending me. I kept asking for my doctor, but they said she was doing an emergency C-section and would come as soon as she was able. I think she showed up after about 3 or 4 pushing contractions, just as I was getting started, really. And when she came, she started making some dire predictions and saying things like "your baby is stuck too far up the birth canal, and your contractions are not strong enough to push the baby out. . . maybe you need some medicine to make the contractions stronger . . . the baby is in distress, look, her heart rate is too high . . . your baby is too big, we have to consider other options . . . "
Needless to say, none of this made me very happy. I was ready to do the work of pushing, for a long time if necessary, but her alarmist mentality wasn't helping. The baby's heart rate was accelerating with the contractions, but not dangerously so; another midwife present said she didn't think it was a problem. My doctor did start me on oxygen, trying to help the baby, and gave me no choice about starting a IV drip with Vitamin C--how that was supposed to help in that moment, I have no idea. (A westerner who is a nurse told me later that is because they don't allow women who have just given birth to eat anything citrus for a month--so they need the IV.) Anyway, my doctor then announced that she had better get the head of the department to consult with about my case.
Well, this definitely constituted Dicey Moment #3. I certainly did not want to endanger the baby, but I had just started pushing and so of course she was still far up the birth canal. John and I began praying desperately for the Lord to act quickly so that we could prevent drastic measures. We prayed for strength, for the baby to descend quickly, and for my contractions to have great effect. And the Lord answered, in an unusual way!
The midwife that took over for my doctor immediately began to coach me in a very positive way as I was making progress with the pushing. As I could feel some progress happening, it encouraged me and I pushed even harder. Then, as a total surprise, another midwife climbed up on a stepstool next to the birthing bed, and with each contraction bore down on my belly with her full weight behind her fists, literally pushing the baby down from the outside. It hurt like crazy but made my contractions about twice as effective. So with her pushing, me pushing, and the contractions pushing, we made excellent progress. Soon there was no question--the baby was descending, and descending fast.
There was a bunch of other nurses/midwives present--I'm not even sure who was who, but I do know this, my doctor never showed up again! That seemed providential in hindsight, since the midwives weren't so concerned and just took things in stride. Needless to say, without my doctor there, the percentage of Asianese being spoken went right back up to 100%! After about 40-45 minutes, and some vigorous stretching/rubbing of me in places I don't care to mention by many hands, Christin made her entrance into this world! Wow! The midwives did a great job of coaching me so that I stretched slowly and only had a very small tear. So she was born at 1:38--alert, active, coated with vernix, and flailing and crying.
We think she looks a lot like Chloe's birth pictures, and interestingly enough, Christin was exactly Chloe's birth weight and height--4.45 kilos (that's 9 pounds, 13 oz) and 55 cm (about 21 3/4 inches). Her name, Christin Arielle, was chosen because we pray that her life will reflect the glorious truth "Christ in her, the hope of glory!" Arielle means "Lion of God" and is also referred to in Isaiah as a name for the city or dwelling place of God. And of course, the C's and the middle names match with Clara Anne Danielle (named for her grandmothers and her uncle Dan) and Chloe Rachelle (named after a woman in the Bible who had a group in her home, and her mother).
After she was born, the midwives did all the usual stuff, except bathe the baby. Apparently the custom here is to wait until the second day, it's better for their health or something. They stitched my few stitches (without anesthetic, I might add--that was NOT comfortable!) and let me hold the baby really quickly. We then returned to the laboring room so I could nurse Christin and rest a bit before going to our hospital room.
About 3:30 our friend Roby showed up with Clara Anne and Chloe, and they got to meet their sister. Clara Anne was so excited and curious, wanting to kiss and touch Christin, but Chloe seemed a little confused about everything that was going on. I have some great pictures from their first meeting to share with you soon. At one point later, though, Chloe looked up and pointed, saying "Baby!" So at least she caught on to that much! Clara Anne really has been a sweet big sister already--loves to talk to Christin and touch and kiss her, and both she and Chloe seem excited about their new sister.
So, to finally conclude this very long story, we are so thankful for the safe arrival of Christin Arielle! She is such a precious little bundle and is doing great with eating, and getting better with sleeping (last night went 5.5 hours at one stretch, woke up to eat, then slept another 3 hours before I woke her to eat breakfast!). She definitely has the Wind lips from her father and the Bruxvoort (my side of the family) nose. She is so sweet and cuddly, loves to be held and looks at me sometimes with that cross-eyed look peculiar to newborns. We are enjoying getting to know her! PTL for her precious life!
Friday, May 02, 2008
Home Again
Well, we're home, back to our familiar apartment in our city. Our packing up and moving locations has gone well. We had safe travels yesterday, made it to the train with plenty of time, and arrived back in our city to find that summer has arrived with all its heat and glory. Wow! The temperature difference was quite astonishing considering we only traveled a few hundred km. So sometime in the next few days I will have to find the time/energy to unpack our summer clothes! We're all feeling a bit warm right now!
It is hard to believe, with all the changes of this past week, that Christin was only born four days and several hours ago. It does feel so good to be back, and Lou has already been a great help, but admittedly the time has felt a bit rushed. One extenuating (unexpected) circumstance is that since these three days (May 1-3) are a national holiday, many big ticket items are significantly on sale, and our local business partner here thought it would be a great plan to try and buy some of the needed office furniture during these days. We then thought, well, we also need to purchase some larger items (a kitchen table and chairs, a bedroom set, etc) since when we move we will leave behind our current landlord's furniture. So today, John was out all day scoping out the huge furniture stores on the north side of our city, with the plan that tomorrow I (and Christin) will join him and hopefully make some purchases.
This admittedly was not my ideal picture of settling back in, but hopefully after tomorrow things should calm down a bit. I knew there was lots of transition coming up, and this is just part of it! I am so thankful that we were able to settle on this new apartment, that we will be moving soon, and that so many details have come together. And it should be fun, right, buying new furniture?! (For me, not a real "shopper" type, I'm trying to convince myself of this!)
Anyway, all of this is my disclaimer to tell why I haven't found time to put Christin's birth story into words yet! I do promise that it will be my next post. I have to write it down soon, anyway, so that I don't forget the details!
One funny anecdote--I've already had my first time of forgetting that I had another baby! On Thursday morning we were getting ready to go down to breakfast at the hotel. I had just showered and the girls were just about ready, we were (as usual) having to hurry a bit since we often came just at the end of breakfast. So as I was rushing about, I said to John, ok, I'm ready, let's go (mentally checking that the girls had socks and shoes, we had bibs and juice cups, etc). John said, aren't you forgetting something? Sure enough, there was Christin on the bed, sleeping peacefully. I had TOTALLY forgotten her! Poor girl! Thankfully he remembered and so we went down for breakfast, all five of us.
More later from us!
It is hard to believe, with all the changes of this past week, that Christin was only born four days and several hours ago. It does feel so good to be back, and Lou has already been a great help, but admittedly the time has felt a bit rushed. One extenuating (unexpected) circumstance is that since these three days (May 1-3) are a national holiday, many big ticket items are significantly on sale, and our local business partner here thought it would be a great plan to try and buy some of the needed office furniture during these days. We then thought, well, we also need to purchase some larger items (a kitchen table and chairs, a bedroom set, etc) since when we move we will leave behind our current landlord's furniture. So today, John was out all day scoping out the huge furniture stores on the north side of our city, with the plan that tomorrow I (and Christin) will join him and hopefully make some purchases.
This admittedly was not my ideal picture of settling back in, but hopefully after tomorrow things should calm down a bit. I knew there was lots of transition coming up, and this is just part of it! I am so thankful that we were able to settle on this new apartment, that we will be moving soon, and that so many details have come together. And it should be fun, right, buying new furniture?! (For me, not a real "shopper" type, I'm trying to convince myself of this!)
Anyway, all of this is my disclaimer to tell why I haven't found time to put Christin's birth story into words yet! I do promise that it will be my next post. I have to write it down soon, anyway, so that I don't forget the details!
One funny anecdote--I've already had my first time of forgetting that I had another baby! On Thursday morning we were getting ready to go down to breakfast at the hotel. I had just showered and the girls were just about ready, we were (as usual) having to hurry a bit since we often came just at the end of breakfast. So as I was rushing about, I said to John, ok, I'm ready, let's go (mentally checking that the girls had socks and shoes, we had bibs and juice cups, etc). John said, aren't you forgetting something? Sure enough, there was Christin on the bed, sleeping peacefully. I had TOTALLY forgotten her! Poor girl! Thankfully he remembered and so we went down for breakfast, all five of us.
More later from us!
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Welcome Christin Arielle!
A first look at our precious new little one . . . what a miracle! Christin came out fully alert, crying and moving all around (and very cheesy!).
Moments after her birth.
The proud papa!
She's here! PTL!
I'm home (back at the hotel) from the hospital and am feeling great, and Christin is already sleeping and eating well. She's a Wind--she caught on to the eating thing right away! We're now making preparations to return home; we have train tickets to return to our city for Thursday. Stay tuned for the birth story--though we had a few dicey moments, the Lord was faithful and worked out his perfect plan in such wonderful ways. Thanks again to everyone for your thoughts and prayers!
Moments after her birth.
The proud papa! Here she's had her first meal; with a full tummy and her head against my heart, it looks like all is right with the world!
She's here! PTL! I'm home (back at the hotel) from the hospital and am feeling great, and Christin is already sleeping and eating well. She's a Wind--she caught on to the eating thing right away! We're now making preparations to return home; we have train tickets to return to our city for Thursday. Stay tuned for the birth story--though we had a few dicey moments, the Lord was faithful and worked out his perfect plan in such wonderful ways. Thanks again to everyone for your thoughts and prayers! Monday, April 28, 2008
Introducing...
Hello Friends!
John here announcing some great news. Christin Arielle Wind arrived at 1:38 pm today, April 28, 2008. She arrived safely weighing in at a healthy 9 lbs 13 oz. She and Rachel are doing great. Thanks so much for all the many who were remembering us. To Him alone be the glory! For those interested in more details, look for Rachel to post concerning the birth and Christin in the next few days. As soon as Rachel is checked out and we have the birth certificate in hand, we'll be heading home. Probably Wednesday at the earliest but hopefully Thursday at the latest.
Love John, Rachel, Clara Anne, Chloe, and Christin
John here announcing some great news. Christin Arielle Wind arrived at 1:38 pm today, April 28, 2008. She arrived safely weighing in at a healthy 9 lbs 13 oz. She and Rachel are doing great. Thanks so much for all the many who were remembering us. To Him alone be the glory! For those interested in more details, look for Rachel to post concerning the birth and Christin in the next few days. As soon as Rachel is checked out and we have the birth certificate in hand, we'll be heading home. Probably Wednesday at the earliest but hopefully Thursday at the latest.
Love John, Rachel, Clara Anne, Chloe, and Christin
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Be Still, My Soul
Yesterday afternoon our family went for a walk along the seashore. This seaside city has over 40 km of walking path along the ocean, and so we took a taxi to a particular spot and then had fun exploring along the coastline. The girls thought it was really fun to climb on the big rocks (they must get that from their father!) and I enjoyed finding a flat spot to sit and enjoy the ocean view. We found a great promontory point where there were very few people and lots of larger ocean waves crashing in. As I was sitting there, with the fresh breeze in my face and contemplating the power of the ocean and the force with which it crashed over the rocks, suddenly my heart was moved to worship again. I was reminded of His power, His might, His sovereign control over all things. My worries and stresses about the baby and her arrival (or lack therof) quickly faded into the background as the words of the great hymn, Be Still, My Soul, came to mind.
I remembered that this hymn was a great comfort to me when I was pregnant with Clara Anne. Being a first-time mom and new to another very foreign culture, and especially because I was sick for such a long time with Clara Anne, there seemed to be lots to worry about. But the truth of this hymn really encouraged me and so I thought I would share its verses here; I trust it will encourage you too! The text was written by Katharina von Schlegel in 1752, translated by Jane Borthwick in 1855. The tune is Finlandia.
Be still, my soul! The Lord is on your side:
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to your God to order and provide;
In every change He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul! Your best, your Heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Be still, my soul! Your God will undertake
To guide the future as He has the past;
Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul! The waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.
Be still, my soul! The hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul! When change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.
Yes, that is John, carrying Chloe and holding Clara Anne's hand, clambering over the rocks! By the time we left this spot the tide had come in enough to cover with water the places where they were climbing.
Maybe it's not just me . . . maybe you have something on your heart today that you need to tell your soul, "Be Still!" The waves and winds still know his voice who ruled them when He dwelt below. PTL!
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