| THE END OF THIS BLOG!! |
[14 Sep 2008|12:01am] |
I've been contemplating this for a while, but it hasn't been a priority. I'm months away from my quarter century birthday. I have a 5 month old. I have a career (of sorts). Time for an adult blog, as opposed to one named after my favorite condiment. From now on, my thoughts about life, love, God, motherhood, Mexico, mission work, and whatever other random topic seems important at the time will be posted here: http://mexicomercy.blogspot.com/
Please update your... well however you follow this, you should change it.
|
|
|
[12 Sep 2008|11:08pm] |
|
There was another killing today. A guy was murdered this morning about a block from the Madero church. When the federales chased down the killers, they opened machine gun fire on a busy street near a school! One more person died. Baby Paulina's family was there and had to run behind some shelter to escape the whizzing bullets. I guess the famous Sinaloa drug cartel is encountering some competition from the Zetas (the Gulf Coast cartel). I also hear that since Culican is the main drug center, the police there are much more harsh than in Mazatlan. So lots of the cartel members go into hiding in Mazatlan. No one expects the violence to be less any time soon. So far we're grateful to have missed all the action... I also found out today that recently 3 schools in Mazatlan were busted because someone had set up a pornographic studio in one of the classrooms in each school, and then used the kids in their films. Mazatlan is a rough place to be these days. Pray for us...
|
|
| Weather Update- Hello, Lowell! |
[10 Sep 2008|04:08pm] |
While everyone and their mother are worried about Hurricane Ike, I am experiencing my first Tropical Depression since moving to Mazatlan. Mazatlan rarely gets hurricanes. In fact 2 summers ago, Mazatlan got hit twice after we had already gone back to Illinois. Those were the first hurricane level storms in 25 years or something like that. So, I'm kind of looking forward to Lowell. He's just a little Tropical Depression, with less than 1% chance of becoming something deadly. We've already gotten some pretty exciting storms thanks to Lowell, and quite a bit of rain. I guess we're supposed to have 2 more very rainy days as Lowell passes to the north of us. Right now we're getting the first sunshine we've had in 3 days. Hopefully the towels I forgot to bring in from the clothesline Sunday will dry enough that I can take them inside before it rains again tonight.
All the rain has cooled the air, making this a far more enjoyable September than last year when I thought I was going to slowly shrivel like a sun-dried tomato. But even though the temperature is down to the low 80s, the humidity is nearly 90%, even with the sun. I'm pretty sure you could go about 3 weeks without drinking anything, just breathing.
Anyway, worry about Ike if you will, but I'm waiting for Lowell.
|
|
| babies and politics |
[02 Sep 2008|05:09pm] |
|
Ethan changes so often! That's the exciting challenge about being a mom. For example, about every 2 weeks or so, he decides that he doesn't like his current fall asleep method. That usually throws off our schedule and fills my life with frustration until I figure out his newest preferred method. We've had a rough couple days... well, actually sleep-wise Ethan has been off for about 2.5 weeks. He went from sleeping 10 hours at night, no problem to waking up occasionally, and not wanting to fall asleep until midnight. Last night around 12:11am, I finally had a break through. Now, he likes to be held laying down while I stand up, to fall asleep. I think I had trouble with this, because he actually was on the rock me to sleep method for about a month. I kept trying to rock him, even after he gave up on that.
I've found that praying also helps. Sometimes I pray- what do I do now? and along comes whatever idea that puts him to sleep. I don't like to spend more than about 10 minutes max, usually less with the actual fall asleep part. (not counting bedtime rituals- like reading a book) .
Anyway, I don't like to blog much about politics. Even though I have some fairly strong opinions, I'd rather discuss them in person. But, I do have one comment. Sarah Palin (McCain's vp choice for anyone who's been living in a box) had a baby 3 days after Ethan was born. Not only that, but he has Down syndrome. She didn't even take any maternity leave from her job of governing Alaska. Either the woman is super woman, or she's totally negligent. I can't imagine trying to take on a demanding campaign trail schedule, even if it is only 2 months. How can she possibly fly that poor baby all over the place? Her options are that, or let someone else raise him, although I read that she is breastfeeding. Woman, as a mother of a 4.5 month old myself, I have to ask- What are you thinking??!?!?!?!
I also read that she was in Texas when her water broke, and she flew back to AK to have the baby. Obviously she's crazy. Say McCain gets elected. Then because he's older than dirt, say he dies in the first few months of his term. Can she be PRESIDENT with a less than a year old baby with Down syndrome?!?! Has she considered that possibility? I'm all for women gaining political headway, but this is ridiculous.
rant over.
|
|
| watching the olympics in mexico |
[17 Aug 2008|06:08pm] |
|
They show the weird sports. I didn't even know trampoline jumping was in the olympics! Or indoor bicycle racing. The strangest by far was sitting at a little taco stand the other night while 4 Mexican guys were glued to the screen watching the finals of men's power walking...
|
|
| great book |
[17 Aug 2008|05:29pm] |
I just finished an outstanding book called The Year of Living Biblically by AJ Jacobs. It's about this agnostic guy who tries to follow every single rule in the Bible. It's witty and touching. You should read it. Here's one of my favorite parts:
“You’re dressed queer,” he snarls. “Why you dressed so queer.” I have on my usual fringes, and, for good measure, have worn some sandals and am carrying a knotty maple walking stick I’d bought on the Internet for $25.
“I’m trying to live by the rules of the Bible. The 10 commandments, stoning adulterers…”
“You’re stoning adulterers?”
“Yeah, I’m stoning adulterers.”
“I’m an adulterer.”
“You’re currently an adulterer?”
“Yeah. Tonight, tomorrow, yesterday, two weeks from now. You gonna stone me?”
“If I could, yes, that’d be great.”
“I’ll punch you in the face. I’ll send you to the cemetery.”
He is serious. This isn’t a cutesy grumpy old man. This is an angry old man. This is a man with seven decades of hostility behind him.
I fish out my pebbles from my back pocket.
“I wouldn’t stone you with big stones,” I say. “Just these little guys.”
I open my palm to show him the pebbles. He lunges at me, grabbing one out of my hand, then chucking it at my face. It whizzes by my cheek.
I am stunned for a second. I hadn’t expected this elderly man to make the first move. But now there is nothing stopping me from retaliating. An eye for an eye.
I take one of the remaining pebbles and whip it at his chest. It bounces off.
“I’ll punch you right in the kisser,” he say.
“Well, you really shouldn’t commit adultery,” I say.
We stare at each other. My heart is racing.
Yes, he is a septuagenarian. Yes, he had just threatened me using corny Honeymooners dialogue. But you could tell: This man has a strong dark side.
Our glaring contest lasts ten seconds, then he walks away, brushing by me as he leaves.
|
|
| Ethan Samuel: what's hot, what's not. 4 months. |
[15 Aug 2008|05:52pm] |
Ethan turns 4 months old today. I'm not sure if this feeling ever goes away, probably when kids turn 13... but I still spend time in disbelief just watching him sleep, amazed that this little person came from me. Today, I was just walking past the bed where he was napping, and caught my breath to see those little hands. Wow. So intricate, so precious, so strong. -just like their owner. Anyway, every week Ethan's personality shows more and more. He has very definite likes and dis-likes. Here's the list.
What's hot:
-gumming his belly. pretending to eat his baby chub sends him into gales of infectious laughter
-eating real food. I still haven't started an official 2 oz. of rice cereal a day type of regimen, but I do let him taste things. He really likes Jello, ice cream, and sucking the seeds out of tomatoes (which I then clean up the next day...). We really need to buy a high chair.
-old dogs
-standing up
-pooping in his potty
What's not:
-men on loudspeakers or intercoms (women are okay)
-sneezes (more than once Ethan has started crying because someone else sneezed)
-kitchen appliances, in particular electric beaters and the blender (the stuff of nightmares!)
-puppies
-being in his car seat when he is annoyed about something
-sitting in a wet or dirty diaper. i chalk this up to Elimination Communication success, but it is annoying when he won't go to sleep on the plane b/c just peed and there isn't a good place to change him.
speaking of change...
Mexico is changing me. The average first child is born when his/her mother is 17 years old. I think babies are a blessing. Children are a blessing. One of the huge hurdles to more people becoming Christians is sexual temptation. I have lots of friends who decided to stop going to church when they started sleeping with whoever. Our bodies weren't made to be celibate for 25 years. But with the average marriage age creeping steadily higher, and more people being DINKs (double income no kids), lots of first time moms in the US are 30 or older. I wouldn't say that's bad in any specific case, but as a general trend, it means more tired parents, fewer siblings, and more pressure on each child. If you've waited 30 years to get that kid, you might be more willing to spend anything and everything to give them what they want. Or go to more extreme lengths to protect them- helmets at the park? Anyway, I'm not saying 17 year olds should be having children. But I do think the cultural American trend to make everything later and stay unaccountable as long as possible is unhealthy. As a recent NYT article points out. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/college-students-behaving-badly/
My grandparents got married when she was 20 and he was 25. They just had their 60th wedding anniversary, and they still hold hands. I know this idea is very counter cultural and lots of people will disagree. But Mexico, and Ethan, are changing my outlook on children and life.
|
|
| walmart math |
[01 Aug 2008|07:47pm] |
I'm mad at walmart, b/c their stupid website had a dumb bug that deleted the photo album I made. I decided I want to archive all the pictures on my computer (with our camera, they take up a lot of space), and for $18 you can make a digital photo album, which walmart will print and deliver to your door. So I made 1 and loved it. Then I tried a little bigger project- all our wedding photos. I sorted through hundreds of pictures -all different sizes, all out of order chronologically b/c they were taken by tons of people. Over a few days I spent something like 7 hours making this book. Then when I uploaded a couple pictures I had forgotten, their program "auto-filled" over the entire album I had just done. ...and I was on the last page. death to walmart.
anyway, in my walmart angst, I saw in the news that they are telling their employees in friendly terms that they dang better vote for McCain, b/c if Obama helps them unionize it will mean higher prices for everyone. That got me thinking...
According to Forbes 400 richest Americans list, 4 Walton heirs are worth a collective 65 BILLION dollars. That's 65 with 9 zeros behind it. Walmart employs roughly 1.3 million people in the US. If those 4 heirs decided to invest their fortune back into their employees, even if they each kept $2 mil to live on... Walmart could afford to give every single employee a $50,000 raise. ...at least for 1 year. yeah... higher prices for everyone.
|
|
| goat may be my new favorite meat |
[27 Jul 2008|02:35pm] |
I learned a lot over the last 7 days.
It started Monday. A close friend really painfully chewed me out for a completely unintentional offense. Lesson learned: Even relationships that seem strong may be quickly severed or injured. Although it seems totally unfair to me, it's going to take a long time for that person to trust me again. And there isn't much I can do about that.
Then hit Tuesday. We had 100 teens here for the week, AGAIN. So, Tuesday, Ethan was outside in the extreme heat being poked and proded and held by everyone and their mom in the name of ministry. Poor kid barely got a nap. When we finally finished, he slept nearly 4 hours without moving. I think that, for a first time mom, I am pretty generous with baby time and letting people hold, play with, and enjoy my baby. Especially given that for most of the 1000 people within walking distance of my house who know me by name, he is the only blue eyed baby they have ever seen. But it was a rough day. Lesson learned: Sometimes, I am going to hurt people's feelings or be a "bad" pastor defending Ethan. I will be far less sorry for that, than for forcing him to go through more days like Tuesday.
Wednesday came Kendra! Kenda was co-leading a group from Madison, WI. She has 3 little boys of her own and cares for 6 month old. This super mom knows babies. She stayed in the house while Ethan napped in front of the fan, and let me run all over town. She gave me some great tips on scheduling for small children that have been incredibly helpful. Lesson learned: I need the wisdom of slightly older moms. And, Ethan should be taking naps between every meal at this point.
Thursday... Ethan rolled off our bed onto the concrete floor. I nearly passed out from the adrenaline overdose. But he was fine. Lesson learned: Even fairly non-mobile babies should always be super far from anything they can fall off of. I already knew that, but I guess I didn't believe it could happen... And, all babies are going to get hurt accidentally. It's okay. Do everything you can to keep them safe, but give them to God and don't freak out.
Friday... Kyle learned my Thursday lesson after accidentally pinching Ethan's leg in his car seat. Parenting is tough! I just hope the kid makes it to adulthood with all his digits intact.
Saturday we had birrea with our Mexican D.C. team. Paulina and Antonio hand selected the goat, which was slaughtered specifically for our feast. I was pretty sad about that, b/c you have never experienced cuteness like these little goats. I was sad until my first goat taco. OMG, I can't even explain how amazing boiled goat meat is. Wow. It's so flavorful, rich, with such perfect texture. Whew. Down with goat rights. More birrea! Although, on a side note, that goat had a great life, running wild through the valleys with his goat buddies before he gave up his life to bring my taste buds pleasure. Lesson learned: Goat meat... Good!
whew, next week should be calmer.
|
|
| scorpions |
[16 Jul 2008|08:42am] |
|
Ethan and I have been having such great evening walks! Last night we followed our street until it ended. We live on the far eastern edge of Mazatlan, and the whole town is squished between mountains and sea. So, the mountains begin with rolling hills almost in our backyard. Anyway, our street is paved for a few blocks to the east, then turns into some dusty ruts. Apparently developers are planning to claim some of the wild hills, because the land has been cleared and leveled off, but still feels pretty wild. 10 minutes walk from our house in this direction, and even though we live in one of the most densely populated areas in the city, other than the oddly flattened topography and random assortment of trash, there are no other signs of civilization. The air smelled like some flower or fresh spring plant that I couldn't put my finger on... maybe lilac? maybe lavender? What's heather... is that a smell?
The ground had obviously been mud within the past few days, because there were footprints and cow prints a few inches deep. But last night, the path was dry and cracked. We saw a four horses and little horse all alone out in the wild. When the obvious leader of the horse group decided to run off a smaller male, they all galloped and for a brief moment, they were headed straight for us! My heart skipped a beat or two, realizing that if some crazy horses wanted to run us over, there was nothing that me in my little green flip flops and baby carrier could do about it! But they turned and ran another way. The sky put on a spectacular sunset, with a vast array of cloud types and levels in all different colors.
As if all that weren't amazing enough, a rainbow suddenly appeared shooting out of one of the distant purple mountains. Wow! Anyway, we were making our way over the cracked ground headed back towards our house when I stopped for a second. I turned around to see if the rainbow was still behind me, which it was. Then as I was getting ready to move again, I noticed something moving in front of my feet. A light brown scorpion about an inch long was crawling along the ground in front of me. I looked online, but I can't figure out what species it is. I know that small in scorpions is bad, and I know that people here go to the hospital for stings. I'd never seen one like this before, just crawling along in his natural habitat. The way he moved really creeped me out. They lie so flat to the ground, almost hovering over the dirt. He was looking for somewhere to hide, sliding into the tiny cracks in the dirt. I didn't know that they could hide like that!
I can't get that little slidy guy out of my mind. Even though I have never seen one in or near our house, I'm nervous. They way his body moved, it could easily slide in a keyhole or under a door. Mexican houses are notorious for being terribly sealed. We have lizards in our house! Whew, and the thought of that little guy sliding into the house, gliding across the floor, crawling quickly but carefully up the side of Ethan's crib.... shudder. Well, that's just one more thing to pray about when I'm laying Ethan down to sleep- good dreams, and protection from scorpions!
|
|
| Where is our generation's Billy Graham? |
[12 Jul 2008|10:38pm] |
|
I just read an article in which a Rolling Stone reporter went undercover to a Texas Evangelical mega church's healing weekend retreat. The article was hilarious. When put on the spot, the author made up a ridiculous story about being beaten with clown shoes as a child, which he then had to stick to and elaborate on for the rest of the retreat. When prompted to speak in tongues, he quoted the lyrics to a Russian rock song (in Russian). But at the end, the author draws some common conclusions that I've often heard among my secular friends and in popular media. Christians are portrayed as empty-headed, doe-eyed mannequins- pretty on the outside, but lifeless inside. Christians accept whatever doctrine and policies are placed in front of them by evangelical leaders. Most Christian rhetoric is judgmental, and created by the Republican party, covered with a Jesus laden veneer. I can't be too offended, since I don't feel that the Ted Haggards, John Hagees, or Pat Robertsons of the world represent my faith. Plus, that brand of stereotypical evangelicalism far more easily lends itself to witty, but shocking reporting (like this article, Jesus Camp, etc) than a more typical church where people are challenged to really know God, seek truth, and follow the radical, life-altering teachings of Jesus.
Back when Billy Graham became famous, evangelists had a terrible reputation for being con men with slicked back hair preying on the trust people of faith would so easily give them. BG decided to make morality a priority, declining money, alienating other prominent religious leaders by looking to God and to the Bible for his politics instead of going with the flow (especially regarding segregation in the South). He gained the respect and trust of millions of people, even prominent men and women with no religious affiliation what so ever. He changed the face and reputation of American Christianity. Who today will stand up in main stream America without hype, without alienating hurting people, to let people know that Jesus loves them-wherever they are, whoever they are, however they act- to let them know that Jesus wants to change all our lives radically for the better? Who will look to the Bible for policies instead of randomly choosing a few issues to protest? Who will champion the unpopular, but extremely important fight against pornography robbing the innocence of young people like MLK and BG fought against segregation?
I've made it a common theme in my life to constantly tell my secular friends that knowing Jesus looks very different from joining the 700 Club, and tell my Christian friends to resist popular Christian media and look to Jesus for responses to the world's problems. I just wish there were more Christians in the limelight doing the same thing. In other news, a very intellectual and openly atheist friend of mine became a Christian in the past month. I personally have been praying for him and telling him about my faith for the past four years. I have no idea what all God has planned for his life, but I'm super excited. He has the passion and intelligence to really change the world for the better.
Too bad no one in Mexico cares about American Evangelical stereotypes...
|
|
| Beautiful night |
[01 Jul 2008|09:44pm] |
|
Tonight Ethan and I wandered around for an hour or so to see if kids wanted to sign up for VBS. The sun was setting and the air was warm. We could see lightning in the distance, while the clouds around us put on an exquisite display. We talked to 8 or 9 different families. 8 different women held Ethan. (2 were convinced that he was way too hot and 1 that he was way too cold... I think he was just fine.) My favorite time in Mexico is between 7:30 and 11. The streets come alive. Kids run around and play. Parents sit outside and share complaints about the heat or gossip about what 14 year old is pregnant. Taco stands appear out of nowhere complete with virgin Mary statuette and a small tv broadasting the soccer game or a novella. Mexico shows her best side in the half light. A time when everyone is family and there are no strangers. Mexico's relaxed nature makes sense under an incredible sunset, when presence is more important than conversation and peace calms the soul.
|
|
| I'm cranky |
[29 Jun 2008|11:49pm] |
Heat has returned to Mazatlan with a vengance. I've heard rumors that the heat index has been over 120, but I don't know if I believe that. It is hot though. Hot and humid. Tonight we went to see a movie. When we left the theater, it took us several minutes to remember how to breathe that thick, hot air. Mazatlan has the coolest marathon ever in December. I would really love to run in it, but I don't think I can train in this weather. Even early morning air is shimmery thick. Air conditioners can't keep up- at least in places that have a/c.
Oh well, that's what we get for enjoying the most perfect weather ever Nov.-Mar. without a single rainy day.
|
|
| 2 big events |
[05 Jun 2008|10:16pm] |
Today 2 important things happened.
1st- We finally solved all our cat problems by catching the 2 remaining kittens and taking them to the humane society. I'm glad, because I think they will be well cared for until good homes can be found. Now we really only have 2 cats- both dewormed and desexed.
2nd- Ethan laughed today for the first time! It was this morning around 6:45. He had just eaten breakfast and was happily cooing in full bellied baby pleasure. Even though he really started smiling for real on our trip home, sometimes I think he must be confused. He doesn't smile at things I expect him to- funny noises or movements. He usually just smiles staring into my face. He looks into my eyes and this big toothless grin spreads across his chubby cheeks. My heart then melts into a big drippy puddle causing the language part of my brain to switch off, which in turn causes me to utter high pitched single syllables -ahh ooo gah dee dee oooo. This morning, he was doing just that -smiling at my funny face, when I tickled his ribs. He let out a loud half shriek, half cough, half coo through the biggest toothless smile yet. I get the impression that he still doesn't really know how to laugh- which is why it sounded kind of strange. Plus we couldn't get him to repeat the noise- I guess nothing else was quite that funny. But still, he's never been able to make such a positive response to our stimulation before. I also realized today that he likes to stay awake a little longer than he used to. In fact, today he actually only took 2 serious, several hour naps. That means that I need to make a more concerted effort to play with him while he's awake. I need to really rethink some of my commitments and cut them down. I'm realizing quickly that I can't do everything I used to do and do a good job being a mom. I feel some freedom in actually admitting that, instead of running myself ragged and making mistakes on both ends. Whew. I'm sleepy.
|
|
| Happy Mother's Day! |
[11 May 2008|08:06pm] |
Wow. Mother's Day is SUCH a big deal in Mexico.
I have realized as a mother now, that there are all kinds of Mexican old wives' tales that I hear over and over again. They drive me nuts. I'm sure this is true in the states, too- that everyone knows exactly what your baby is feeling and needs. I guess it drives me crazy here because the advice is different than I expect (and a lot of it totally superstitious). No one cares about the poor little baby's ears when everyone blasts their music at ridiculous levels. Instead they care about...
If you are pregnant:
-and see an eclipse, your baby will be born deformed. This applies to animals, whose babies die. Also applies to fruit trees. Since your trees will see the eclipse and you can't move them, you must tie a red cloth in the trees, which protects the fruit from evil eclipses.
-and carry a chair or sweep, you will probably miscarry immediately.
After the baby is born:
-You must stay in your house and eat chicken for 40 days. Also during that time you must wear a gauze girdle which actually impedes your recovery by doing all the work that your stomach muscles would normally have to remember how to do.
-Your feet must never be bare or you will get very sick.
The baby:
-must drink formula in the first 48 hours. Even though newborns really need the colostrum from their mother's breasts and aren't bothered by the initial milk shortage. If infants are left without formula, the nurses will have nothing to do.
-should never be in air conditioning. In fact, even when it is 90 degrees outside, the baby should be well wrapped at all times.
-should always have socks or booties on his feet so spirits don't enter his body.
-should never be held upright for the first 3 months. No bouncing, no sitting, no nothing involving weak head muscles. Sitting will damage the baby's spine. Even rocking is suspect. (Today I was rocking Ethan's car seat with one hand, and the guy across the table actually put his hand on the other side of the car seat so that it wouldn't rock.)
-must be laid on his side to sleep. Even though since the US changed the sleeping recommendation to backs in the early 90's causing SIDS rates to be drastically reduced. Apparently the average nurse has not heard of this study.
I was so frustrated today after 3 people told me that my fussy baby was fussing because he was hungry, and I needed to go feed him right away (do not pass go. do not collect $200). He was not hungry. He was tired. He had just eaten, but everyone standing around poking him (ooooo hermoso, chi-ci-tito) and giving advice kept him from falling asleep. In general, I think advice is helpful. I like sharing my cute son with people who want to hold him. But, I don't like it when people tell me what I need to do with him, especially when I know they are wrong. And I don't like it when people demand to hold him when he needs something- needs fed, needs changed, needs to sleep, etc. Also, I really don't like trying to nurse in public. I can handle the awkwardness, but the gaggle of gawking children who immediately appear to ask the same questions over and over (what's his name? boy or girl? what color are his eyes?) as soon as I lift my shirt, drives me crazy.
|
|
| $%*!@@!#$% hiccups! |
[02 May 2008|10:20am] |
|
Ethan gets the hiccups about 2-4 times everyday. That's okay. No big deal, right? But he gets them usually 5 minutes after I've laid him down happily fed, burped, changed, and asleep. They wake him up every time. They last for 20 minutes, and he cries and cries because they shake him all around. They are crazy stong. It drives me nuts, because they make his night time nursing session twice as long as it would be otherwise... less sleep for me. Stupid hiccups.
|
|
| Ethan update |
[23 Apr 2008|10:05am] |
Being a mom rocks. I love it. I love this little guy so much. He is the best thing ever. He loves to eat and eat and eat and sleep a lot, too. What a great baby. He has already gained 600 grams -over a pound, and actually that was on Monday, so he gained that much in less than a week. Even more exciting, I have lost 12 pounds in the past week, without trying at all. In fact, it's challenging to walk to the bathroom sometimes, so I don't move a lot. That 12 pounds is not counting the 15.5 I lost at birth either, which leaves a very achievable 9.5 pounds to get back to my pre-Ethan weight.
Also, I know 1st time moms always have big plans for how they are going to raise their kids... but I plan to have Ethan potty trained... mostly... in 6 months. I just bought this book to help out. Already we take Ethan into the shower to change him about once or twice a day, and he pees every time. After my years and years of baby sitting, nannying, and Sunday school teaching, one of my biggest pet peeves was 3 year old kids in diapers. Ridiculous. It's expensive for one- diapers are NOT cheap. It's hard on the environment- they don't go anywhere. Not only that, but what poor little kid wants to sit around in his own filth? -bad for the butt. We'll see how that goes. I realize that I tend to be overly optimistic about things like this.
I'm also looking into baby sign language... especially since the poor little guy is probably going to be fairly confused for a while about when to speak Spanish and when to speak English. Have any moms tried the sign language thing and liked it? What resources did you use?
Having Mom here is so great. We're going to have a hard time letting her go. She's worried too about how she can remain one of Ethan's "special people" when she's so far away. I'm sure that feeling is even harder for the other grandparents that aren't here- first grandkid on 3 sides. In May, I'm going to make a video of all the grandparents for Ethan to watch and recognize who he needs to remember is important. That's by far the hardest thing about being here... It's a big sacrifice for us and our parents. Especially since Ethan is the first, and especially since he literally is the greatest baby God ever made.
Finally, shout out to my Great-Uncle Ed, who has taken a turn for the worse and is now losing the battle to pancreatic cancer. He is an exceptional man- German cow farmer, with hands as big as his head and a bigger heart. His personal motto could have been work hard and smile often. He's fighting valiantly to conquer this thing, but is a little conflicted since he also wants to see Jesus soon.
|
|
|
[02 Apr 2008|07:58am] |
|
I think I am going to be pregnant forever. This baby is never going to come out. sigh
|
|
| Baptism (update 3) |
[25 Mar 2008|07:39pm] |
A couple weeks ago, Kyle preached about John the Baptist in Villa Union. As an aside, he mentioned that anyone interested in being baptized should let him know, and we would do it. After the service a thin, tall guy, probably 25 or so, named JuanCarlos told Kyle that he hadn't ever been baptized, but would like to be. The following week, Kyle brought him some materials about baptism (to make sure he knew what he was getting into ahead of time). Then last week, Easter Sunday, we did the baptism. Villa Union is not close to a beach, but it does have a river.
Sadly, it hasn't rained in several months, and the river is low. But, we decided to go for in anyway. We packed the whole church (those that could come) into a few cars and drove down to the river. It was just at sunset when Kyle, JuanCarlos, and a generous volunteer named Al stepped into the water. It was kind of chilly, very muddy, and not deep. They had to wade around a bit until the finally found a spot almost up to JuanCarlos' knees. We sang some songs, and they dunked him. Kyle and Al had a hard time getting his whole body under the water, but I think he got wet enough.
As they got out of the water, the sky lit up with an incredible clouds display- bright pink and purple, like the sunset was celebrating with us. We all gathered around JuanCarlos and prayed for him as dusk began to fall. It was a really, really neat moment. I hope we have lots of other memorable moments like that one.
|
|
| Farm Life (update 2) |
[25 Mar 2008|07:26pm] |
Last Friday, a couple from our small group took Kyle and I to visit their extended family that lives out on a farm. Welcome to the world of paradox. The farm house doesn't have running water, but does have a surround sound theater system! They have lots and lots of chickens and cows. Spring is such a beautiful time on the farm. I didn't think we would notice spring this year, since Mexico is always warm. But lots of things have babies, trees have new leaves and blossoms, and fruit is growing, too! There were lots of baby chicks for us to catch and little cows to pet.
We hiked up the side of a mountain and marveled at all the interesting Mexican plants. One tree we found secretes bright red drops of sap when injured, just like it's bleeding. Our hosts made a huge dish of capirotada. Capirotada is a traditional Mexican desert normally served around Easter time. My neighbor has made it (and brought us a taste) 3 different times. Another lady in the church also brought us some to try. Sadly, Kyle and I can't stand it. It's basically wet bread with soggy raisins, prunes, bananas, and nuts cooked into it. The farm capirotada (made with freshly squeezed milk) was by far the best, but I still am not a fan.
Seeing a Mexican farm was pretty interesting. Hanging out with Javier, Ester, and their family was also a good experience. We even got fresh cow's milk and freshly laid eggs to take home with us.
|
|
| navigation |
| [ |
viewing |
| |
most recent entries |
] |
| [ |
go |
| |
earlier |
] |
|
|
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=92.2){kind=small}
honey_mustard's journal