Family Bike Ride

Yesterday was Independence day. That meant Daniel had a holiday! To celebrate we ate chocolate chip-banana pancakes (Jer missed out on the chocolate chips), went bike riding, and had a b-b-q potluck with our small group. This was our first family bike ride, and the most exercise I've done since being pregnant (I've just been walking and sometimes doing my preggy work-out video). But, I hung in there, in spite of walking up a few of the bigger hills (put too much strain on my belly). We biked to a nearby waterfall (about 30 min ride, though it took longer this time). The whole way there I felt exhausted and wondered why it was so difficult. Then on the way back I coasted 90% of the time and hardly peddled. Ah ha! That's why it was so difficult going the other way!

Here are some pics of our trip:

All Ready to Go!

We put the rest of the bike trip pics on Picasa; it uploads quicker. :) Click on the link below:

Bike Ride

"Arguing" with a Toddler

I had a mild disagreement with Jeremiah this morning at the breakfast table. Here's how it went:
Jeremiah: (squinching his face muscles and concentrating) Pee-Pee!
Mommy: (recognizing that this was not pee-pee and trying to teach him the difference) Poo-Poo.
Jeremiah: (Mouth full of food) Pee-Pee.
Mommy: Poo-poo!
Jeremiah: Pee-pee!
Mommy: Poo-poo!
This goes on a little longer. At which point Daddy just shakes his head in amusement at our very intellectual argument and I laugh. And then Daddy takes care of Jeremiah's "pee-pee/poo-poo." Yay for daddy and a holiday!

By the way, Jeremiah ate 3 banana pancakes and a bowl of fruit and yogurt.

Corning Time!

It's almost March. That means it's time to corn some beef! Well, at least for those of us who enjoy corned beef for St. Patrick's day and aren't able to find it within 100 miles. Yes, I know corned beef was not a typical Irish food (was mostly just eaten by the rich), but it's still a fun way to celebrate St. Patrick's day. So, last night we took out our beef, stuck it in a ziplock, added lots of spices and salt, gave it a good massage, and put it in our fridge. It will need to be massaged daily for a while to insure that the cure gets into the meat thoroughly. We used a combination of these two recipes: here and here, adjusting for size differences in our cut of beef. I'll let you know how it turns out in a few weeks!

Need a Job?

Anyone interested in teaching a 1st grade class for 3 months?
Class includes: 13 cute kids and 1 teacher's aid. We just need the teacher. :)

I feel like a new person!

So, at the beginning of last week I was starting to feel really good again. My energy had come back; I was feeling less nauseous, etc. Then Wednesday hit. I was tired and more nauseous than normal, but nothing alarming. That night I threw up three times (well, 1 was in the morning, but I went back to sleep). And Chiste barked for about 3 hours straight (I'm not joking; it was over 2 hours; we couldn't get him to stop! We finally tied him in the back where we couldn't hear him as loudly and fell asleep in spite of the barking). Thusrday I was absolutely kaput. I hardly kept anything down (except maybe a small bowl of cheerios), was super dehydrated, had no energy to take care of Jeremiah, and didn't change his overnight diaper until Daniel came home at 1:00. All I could do was lay on the couch and feed Jeremiah honey-nut cheerios (We'd sent a "buy order" for cheerios from the States and they didn't have regular, so we received 3 boxes of honey-nut. Hmmm... good thing they were cheap.)
Anyway, back to me being a terrible mom- Daniel was planning on coming home early to "help" me pack for our trip to the beach (he had a conference in Puerto Plata, so we thought we'd stay a few nights and take time away). Well, he ended up doing almost all of the packing as I tried to re-energize. I took a nap, threw up again, and we proceeded to hit the road for a 3+hour drive. I actually felt better during the drive than I had all day. Something about the sunshine and the fresh breeze. I ate a few pretzels and kept them down for the night.
Friday was off and on. I kept down a little bit of food, but not much. I spent most of the day inside the hotel room (which was actually relaxing; it had AC!). I did manage to take Jeremiah in the pool for about 45 minutes; it was enjoyable. But, I quickly lost energy, and we went back inside for a nap. Daniel came back from the conference at about 4:30 while we were putting our feet in the pool. It was so good to see him! (and to pass off the boy...)
Saturday was similar, though I managed to keep down a little more food. We hung out by the pool, relaxed inside, and then packed up to go. Once again, I felt better during the drive, ate some pasta for dinner, watched Sound of Music and had a good night o' sleep!
After relaxing Sunday and taking a long nap, I awoke today feeling like a new person! It is amazing how much energy I had today compared to the previous days. I was so afraid I would just be a bum for 7 more months!
So, I'm half suspecting that I actually had a bug of some sort, due to the violence of my "morning sickness" (I won't go into the details) and it's abruptness (feeling my worst yet in the middle of feeling my best).
So, poor Daniel had a lot of work on his shoulders the past few days. And even though we took our camera, we didn't take any pictures. Nice as the hotel room was, it wasn't really worth taking pictures of it. But, hopefully I'll have some Jer pics and videos to put up soon! :)

Doctor's Visit and Baby Dreams

We went to the doctor's on Saturday for our monthly check-up. We have a different doctor and hospital for this baby. When Jeremiah was born, the hospital was not yet finished. I remember passing it on the main road, in labor, on the way to our other hospital and saying, "If that hospital were finished we'd be there already!" Well, we have our chance with this baby. It is so exciting to go to a nice, quiet, clean hospital (and they take our insurance too; and this time we have insurance because the company didn't mess up! at least that we know of...). The hospital is named HOMS (Hospital Metropolitano de Santiago). It's supposedly "the largest hospital in the Dominican Republic and one of the most modern hospitals in Latin America and the Caribbean," according to Wikipedia. And with our 3-cylinder engine, it doesn't cost too much in gas to get there and back (though it may be a little slower). The bathrooms even have soap! And toilet seats! (unlike the other hospital...) So after you give a urine sample, you can actually wash your hands! What an idea!
Ok, anyway....
At this visit we could actually see the baby, the heartbeat, and the arms and legs! We even saw it move! It suddenly felt real. There's actually a little baby inside of me! We're actually going to have another baby! But then, with relization setting in, the baby dreams started last night. You know, the kind where you have the baby but lose it, or forget it somewhere, or it turns out to be a monkey. I remember having tons of strange dreams like that in my last pregnancy.
Last night I dreamt that we had a baby girl. Only it was about 3 months early. And they wouldn't bring her down to nurse. And then when I was finally nursing her, she disappeared and I couldn't find her. Strange...
So, that's the baby and preggy update. :)
Jer's still doing well. Kept the training pants dry the entire afternoon until bed time (had on diaper for church and nap). We've even taken him out shopping or on a long walk, and he's still been dry when we get home. Apparently he's learned to control it. Of course, I'm still bracing myself for a regression, but am enjoying it for now!

No more rain!

Well, after raining every day for almost a week, today is sunny and warm! (See here for article on the rain)
Here's what rain means in the D.R.:
-Lots of flooding
-No dry clothes (even though we hang our clothes under shelter so it doesn't rain on them, they still don't dry (even the clothes I washed last week!) because the air is too wet. This meant we ran out of training pants for Jer. Which means he was not very happy to be in diapers.
-Not good for roads (when you live on dirt roads, a lot of rain means a lot of mud and a lot of potholes. Ok, not potholes- these things are the size of boulders)
-Cold! Yes, I know it's not nearly as cold as in the States right now. But when I woke up this morning the temperature was in the 50s. And when you have lots of windows that don't close all the way, the house gets very chilly. And we don't have many warm clothes here. And we're wimps after living here 4 years...

But, it's a warm, beautiful day, the clothes are drying, and Jeremiah is back in training pants. So we're all good. :)

Cute Jer moments...

Of course, there are too many to recount. But these two are super cute. And they both have to do with milk.
1)Yesterday, there were still some diaper scraps lying around from when I cut up ragged prefolds to make training diapers. Combine this with a bottle of milk (we've been giving him milk lately, usually from a sippy cup but it was dirty, in spite of the fact I'm still nursing). Jeremiah decided to give me a milk facial! He tipped the bottle over and tried to pour milk on the diaper scrap (none came out, of course). He then proceeded to wipe my face gently with the cloth. He did this several times. After about 5 minute he decided to give himself a milk facial as well. Here's the video:


2) I finished drinking my daily glass of milk. He gladly took the cup from me and wandered into the kitchen. He then went to our water filter, pushed down on the tab, and filled the glass with some water, which he proudly brought back to me to drink. I thanked him, took a sip, and then gave it back to him. He happily drank it himself. After he decided he'd had enough, he poured the leftover water into our potted plant. And then put more water in the cup to give to the plant. Hmmm... not sure our plant needed filtered water, but it's super cute that he's taking care of his mommy and our plant!

Potty Training, Continued

At first I tried to potty train him by letting him run around naked...But this caused a lot of extra work. I was more anxious to get him on the toilet frequently, I had to clean up several messes, I pulled up most of our carpets, and I tried to keep him off the couch. By the end of two days, I was exhausted. The cloth diapers were a pain to take off and put on at a moment's notice. So, finally, I decided that we needed to try training undies. We had three that grandparents brought us. However, I knew I'd need more than that. So, we went on a little shopping trip and bought 11 pairs of big boy undies for about the price of a good cloth training diaper. I took them home and cut up a few cloth prefold I had that were ripping to shreds and were no longer being used. I sewed up any loose ends and using one safety pin, pinned them to each pair of underwear. This didn't take much time and, Voila!I now have 11 training undies! Over the training diapers I put dappi diaper covers, as they are easy to pull on and off. So, over the weekend we stressed that if he goes pee-pee in the potty, he can wear his big-boy undies. Suddenly, he took to it. On Sunday he went 5 or 6 times. Today he's already gone several times and has been dry most of the day. I don't know how long this will last, but I'm enjoying it for now!

And his potty turns into a step stool!

Lots of stickers! (And we have a poor whale and penguin in the mountain valley on the bottom)

And for some random pictures:

He pushed the step stool over to the counter and began to each raw chopped onions.

Potty Training, Day 3

Ugh. That's about the best way to describe it. Everything is becoming a fight with him. We can barely change his diaper because he kicks and screams so violently that it makes it almost impossible. We've been fighting a bacterial rash, impetigo, on his bottom for months now. We've been using an antiobiotic ointment from a pediatrician friend. For a while the impetigo will get better, but then it comes back. He now associates the pain with diaper changes. He also has been fighting his beloved bath. I'm guessing it's for the same reason; it hurts to sit down in the water. And so even things he used to love are becoming a struggle.
For this reason, and becuase I'd like to have him potty-trained before child number 2 comes along, knowing he'll regress some, I've been leaving off the diaper and trying to teach him to use the potty. The first day he managed to go once in it; yesterday he went twice. Today he's been going everywhere but the potty. As he hates diapers so much, I try to explain to him in the simplest way I can that if he learns to go peepee in the potty, no more diapers. But I'm not sure he's getting it. I know this is just a normal part of being a toddler, but man, do I have less patience these days! Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

Happy Anniversary

Happy 4th Anniversary Daniel!
Ok, so I'm almost a week late. I wanted to post this earlier, but was working so hard on retreat stuff that I didn't have a minute to do anything else (like pay attention to my poor child). Anyway, I wanted to share our anniversary meal with you:
We decided to do something a little unconventional. Instead of going out to eat (I was really wanting "special" food, not Dominican food. Nothing seemed worth it for the money), we took Jeremiah to a teacher's house and ate in. I made special "tapas" (appetizers) for the meal. Here was the menu:
-Candied nuts (walnuts and pecans)
-Asian Chicken-Lettuce Wraps
-Shrimp wrapped in chili peppers and bacon
-Dates wrapped in bacon
-Cucumber-Cream cheese mini-sandwiches
-French Onion Soup
-Fruit with cream cheese dip
-We were going to do bruchetta as well, but decided we had enough food.

Our meal lasted about 3 hours. Throughout the time we played card games, read to each other, talked, re-read our vows, and picked up Jeremiah and put him to bed. It was wonderfully relaxing to sit on the couch, not worry about other people or trying to have energy, etc. I couldn't have imagined a nicer evening!

And I'm back... again

After the crazy rush of last week (preparing for our anniversary dinner (Tues and Wed); preparing for the retreat (thurs and Fri), and actually going to the retreat (Fri-Sun)), I am now back. And do I have a lot of blogging to catch up on! Before I post on our anniversary and the retreat I need to back up and post a preggie update, as well as pics from Daniel's fam's visit. So, here goes:

Baby number 2:

I am now 2 months pregnant. That means the baby *should* arrive around the beginning of September. I've been up and down. The first month and a half I was super tired, and nauseaus most of the time. The key is, I can't let my stomach get empty. The problem is, I don't always feel like eating. And sometimes the thought of food makes me nauseaus. Being thirsty adds to it; but when I'm dehydrated, drinking makes me more nauseaus. And the cycle continues... But, praise the Lord I had more energy last week! And after resting yesterday (due to not much sleep over the weekend and a cold) I'm feeling better again today. We haven't decided if we're going to find our the gender. We're already thought of some names. Anything else left to cover? Next appointment is Feb. 14.



Now for the pics:

Jeremiah would like to make an announcement...

Passing...

Yesterday morning, after a battle with cancer, Angela (Dominican mother and grand-mother) passed away. Not only was she the mother of one of our staff members and a second-mother to one of our good friends, but we enjoyed her hospitality and warmth on several ococasions. Please pray for our staff member, Vladimir, and his family as they deal with this loss. Also pray for our friend, Regan, who lived with the family for the 3 years he worked at JCS, and is now back in Indiana.

And We're Back!

Daniel's family just left this morning after a week long visit. During their time here we hung-out, went to the beach, went whale watching, visited the Ark, played games, and enjoyed being together. I, obviously, took a break from blogging. Jeremiah had a blast playing with Grandpa How, Grammy Dee, and Aunt Sara. And, due to our new camera (Christmas present), we took lots of pics and videos!
So, after the holidays and visits life is getting back to "normal." Well, somewhat. I'm still doing last minute things to get ready for the retreat coming up next weekend (in a week). I'm helping with decorations, etc. This year, there's a record number attending: 112 women! Life for Daniel isn't quite normal yet, either. Today he's subbing for teachers and trying to be the director all at once!
When we set up our camera, I'll post some pictures. :)

Thoughts on Atheism

Well, this has been going through my mind for some time now, but this article prompted me to write on it. You may agree or disagree, but as it is my blog, I get to write what I believe. :) Freedom of Speech and all that.

In the U.S., there is so much talk of "seperation of church and state," etc. which, over the years, has been interpreted differently. What many people are apparently calling for is the government, and anything associated with the government, and anyone who works for the government, and any organization that receives money from the government, to be "religiously neutral." Ok, first we need to figure out what "religion" means. Some people think that religion refers only to beliefs that include a "supernatural deity" of some form. Another definition is a system of beliefs (Merriam-Webster includes both of these). Whatever you call it, everyone has a system of beliefs; things they believe in that shape their worldview, determine how they behave, shape their beliefs in how the country should be run, etc. My belief in God and Jesus Christ affects me to the core- it's not just a "belief;" it affects the way I live. That's true of everyone, whether they believe in a deity or not. Every person has a worldview and holds to certain beliefs.

Now, I may sound pessimistic, but frankly, I don't believe it's possible to have a "religous/world-view" neutral country. So many people say "well, we shouldn't offend anyone's beliefs, we shouldn't choose any group over another." It's not possible not to offend anyone. Whatever laws the governent makes will be based on someone's beliefs of right or wrong. Whatever decisions a court upholds will be someone's interpretation of a law. And those decisions and interpretations will largely reflect that person's worldview or the worldview of their supporters. All this to say, I don't want people to be naive. When people push to take God's name out of everything related to the government, they are not being "neutral." Yes, they have the right to fight for it, as I have the right to fight against it. Either way, we are both fighting based on our "beliefs," not on "neutrality." If we take God out of everything related to government and make sure our laws for the country aren't in any way related to the Bible or God, we are not making "neutral" decisions. If we tell the government, "you can believe whatever you want, but you have to speak and behave and make decisions as if there is no God," that is not neutrality, that is Atheism. Atheism is a worldview. And I believe I have as much right as Atheists to stand up for what I believe.

Now let's look at public schools. Do people actually believe that children are only taught things that have been 100% proven as fact? Do people honestly believe that children won't be taught any worldviews in school? I have enough scientists in my family to know that not all scientists believe the same things. What views do we choose? What views of history do we teach? What books of literature do we introduce to our children? All of these choices are made based on some sort of worldview. Whether your god (Marriam-Webster gives one definition as the supreme or ultimate reality) is science, or mankind, or nature, or the God of the Bible, etc... we all have some view of the ultimate reality. So, the question is, what ultimate reality- what worldview- is being taught in our schools? Is being held by the government? And who decides it? Obviously, I think it would be great if the government went with my worldview; I would think Athiests, Muslims, secularists, etc. would all feel the same about their own worldview. And it's better than being apathetic and thinking "I shouldn't impose my beliefs on others" because anyone who stands up for what they believe and pushes for or against a law is imposing their views on others.

I'm not trying to say that I have an answer. All I'm asking is that people stop pretending we can be "neutral." Whether the government listens to Christians or Athiests, Muslims or Jews, they're going to listen to someone. But please, don't tell me that I can't fight for what I believe in because it goes against the beliefs of others. Don't tell me that one group can fight for their worldview while I cannot fight for mine. I expect them to stand up for what they believe. But I also expect to be allowed to do the same.

People will make laws based on their worldviews and ideas of an "ultimate reality." Public schools will teach some sort of worldview. The question is, what will it be? And what are you going to do about it?

Finally Finished!

Our Christmas letter and recent ministry update are finally completed and sent via email! (If you wondered why I haven't blogged lately, that's why) If you would like to receive a letter/update, but have not, please let me know!

Christmas Pictures

Here are our photos from Christmas break (click to view album):

Christmas Break

My dad took even more photos (and has a better camera) which you can also check out here. There are photos of our house, more of Jeremiah, etc.

Have you seen my brain?

It's been one of those days... maybe it's because I'm still sleepy from staying up until 1 on New Year's Eve (yes, I'm pathetic, but babies don't sleep in no matter how much the parents may want to sleep). But, for whatever reason, my brain is not working today. Here's a few examples:

1) I had to make a phone call. Daniel was the last one to use the phone. I went to get it from the charger. It wasn't there. I asked Daniel where it was. He was confused; he thought he'd put it back. I glanced at the coffee table; not there either. I was about to get frustrated until I looked down and... it was in my hands... the whole time. sigh.

2)Shopping exhausted me. I kept asking for "books" of things instead of "pounds." Wouldn't you like a book of cheese?

3)I can't get out the correct words. There were a few times I just stopped talking because the words were not coming out correctly.

I think I need a nap.

Interview with J. D. P.

Name: J.D. P
Age: 1.41666 yrs
Occupation: Full-time Toddler
Interviewed by: Ma P


Ma P: Thank you for giving us a few minutes of your time today.

J.D. P: No problem. But I only have a few minutes before nap time.

Ma P: I'll be quick. To start out, tell us a little about yourself.

J.D. P: Well, I'm a typical toddler-boy who loves to hit things, throw things, make noise, eat, chase the dog, and follow mommy and daddy around.

Ma P: What's it like living on a tropical island?

J.D. P: It's wonderful! I get to play outside in the sun. And when it's raining I try to go outside and make myself as muddy and wet as possible! I also eat delicious foods such as fresh fruit, avacados, and comida dominicana.

Ma P: Sounds exciting. Tell me, what type of activities fill your busy day?

J.D. P: Well, I always start out my day with some hearty breakfast and good ol' mama's milk. Some days I go walking with mommy. I'm there to navigate in case we get lost. I have some time to read books and play with my stuffed animals and toy piano. Otherwise, being a toddler is hard work! I sweep and mop, re-organize the kitchen cabinets (mommy always puts things in the wrong places), feed the dog, hammer wooden balls, help mommy with the laundry, instruct mommy in making lunch and dinner, and entertain daddy when he comes home from work. It's a lot, but somebody's got to do it! And nap time fits in there too.

Ma P: Wow, sounds like you've got an important job to do! You had previously mentioned something about a dog?

J.D. P: Ah, yes. We have one dog, Chiste, and one cat, Chai. Chiste says, "Woowoo" and Chai says "Mow."

Ma P: Interesting. And what is your interaction with them?

J.D. P: I feed Chiste. And sometimes I give Chai treats. I enjoy playing with both of them. I like to pet Chai. Chiste is a little rougher. Sometimes he bumps me over. He also gives me doggy kisses.

Ma P: Well, it looks likes it's time for your nap. Is there anything else you want to tell us? Maybe some helpful information for fellow toddlers?

J.D. P: Always remember that your role in the family is very important, despite your small size. Mommy and Daddy are depending on you, so remind them to drink lots of water, bring them their shoes, and give them plenty of hugs and kisses!



And indeed, what would I do without my snuggly little boy who continually hands me my water bottle, brings me my sandals when I mention a walk, and adds so my joy to my life?!!

mopping the rug

reading with mommy