Still Sam Sam, But Different (Thank God!)

"Just like this kid is not immediately
related to me, in the same way,
these pictures are not immediately
related to this post :)"

Hello, dear very few and very faithful readers. We haven't given you much to read this past year . . . thanks for staying tuned and keeping up with us through other means. You know who you are. We appreciate your friendship, love, and prayers. We thank God for you.

Aidan finally fell asleep beside Betsy after doing Olympic feat gymnastics on his little mattress on the floor. Meanwhile, his tiny sister was performing the same stunts inside Betsy’s belly; for those of you who don't yet know, we are expecting again and about 6 months along, due August 20th. We thank God for this gift, due to arrive about the time Aidan hits 18 months of age. We pray they'll be best of friends and keep each other entertained so we don't have to. Just kidding. Somewhat.

Before sitting down to type, Betsy grabbed a few bites from a delicious blueberry donut. Newsflash #2: Bobo, we're not in India anymore. (Bobo is a common baby-reference to dogs in India). We landed on the soil of the good ol’ USA just before the first of April, and will be here an unspecified amount of time, though we're hoping to wrap up this trip by the first week of November—pending the speed of baby girl’s passport and visa paperwork.

Here’s a quick synopsis of the past few months both prior to leaving India and including our time here. We wrapped up our semester at the Bible College the first of March. It was a whirlwind of grading, graduation prep, and paperwork for departing students, as expected. Within days of finishing that we started to pack up our household and move our things gradually back into storage at the guesthouse on the ministry campus. We moved back into our “old room” where we were living at the time of Aidan’s birth for a week or so before our flight to the U.S. The last days of our time in India—literally, last days as in up until 2 days before we left—were spent in a large part (for Sonu/Wayne) and a little part (for Betsy) in procuring all the tardy documents related to my visa extension and mine and Aidan’s exit permits. It tested our faith and gave us much opportunity to cry out to God for deliverance, especially since at one point they were telling us we wouldn't be allowed to leave the country and suggested we reschedule our plane tickets. Sonu could write a book about his experiences with the FRO and Indian visa paperwork, but we'll allow him the pleasure at a later date and say for now that it is long, tedious, and exasperating. Having heard that now you may not want to read his book. Sorry for the spoiler. :-)

"That's hilarious, Mom!"

We arrived to the States and all got sick in turns: allergies, stomach virus, tonsillitis, ear infection, etc. Maybe Aidan had to get a round of antibiotics through his system to feel like this place could be as much “home” as India. Wayne and Betsy attended a pastor’s conference with Betsy’s dad, Wayne’s dad and brother Suny, and another friend in Louisville, KY. There Betsy got to catch up with her dear friend Amber from her Nepal years. 

"Dad, you are a lucky man: Mom's pretty funny"

In short, our time here so far has been filled with a lot of car rides and visiting family and friends. Betsy’s sister gave birth to her second child, so we spent some time in her home helping out with housework and eating yummy food. We've been in Wake Forest quite a bit, eating more good food, going to the doctor, and playing with our adorable nephew Steven.

"Grandpa is not as funny as my mother. Right, cousin Steven?"

Our plans from this point are kind of hazy, aside from the hard-and-fast fact that at some point this baby will need to make her entrance into the world and we’ll be present for the event :-). The days between now and then will be spent in some part-time work (Lord-willing), paperwork for re-entry to India, paperwork for medical coverage, and paperwork for the preparation of the new Bible College year, which begins mid-June. Good thing Sonu is so good at paperwork . . . it means Betsy is free to go shopping more! That’s only happened a couple of times.

"Hey, I told him he was a lucky man. But, he just remained silent.
I'm sorry, Mom; Dad will soon realize."

At the end of the month we're planning to head to the beach and introduce Aidan to the ocean for the first time. Can't wait to see his face. The salt water and sand will do us all good, as will the time with our Virginia family. Drop us a line sometime in the next few months and update us on how you're doing. We'd love to negotiate a visit with you while we're here, too!

"Hey Dad, have you thought anymore about what I said about Mom?
She is pretty funny . . . pretty & funny."

God has been faithful to us, as always, in providing and protecting. Please continue to remember us in your prayers, especially for Betsy and the baby, and for God's provision for medical, legal, and travel expenses.

Walk the line

I’m reminded of that line from the Johnny Cash song this morning after doing some initial research on offering finger foods to Aidan. There’s a concept floating out there called “baby led weaning” which has something to say about timing and types of foods to first offer a baby. And then you have the traditional cereal first, spoon-fed, everything-pureed-into-smithereens approach. And of course, the timing for all these things varies greatly. Here in India, baby is offered cereal at least by his or her 3^rd month (take a deep breath, WHO and AAP).

I’m a formulaic person. I like to have predictable, measurable schedules for things and know what the expected outcome should be. I love WHO and AAP guidelines on breastfeeding, supplemental feeding, etc. In early days of feeding Aidan (see other post), I was following internet recommendations and advice on breastfeeding issues like the most devoted stock market broker does the stocks. So my natural instinct was to do the same when it came to feeding Aidan his first foods, despite hearing my own Mom’s simple, tried-and-true advice: “When he starts to grab food from your plate, he’s ready! Give it to him.”

Now I see what she was talking about. All my online searching hasn’t turned up anything more helpful or astute than what she said. A host of websites I scoured today recommend that when baby’s pincer skill is well developed (aka, grabbing food) that baby is ready. Mom, you’re a genius.

Back to baby led weaning. The idea is that, just as in breastfeeding, you offer food to your baby and allow the baby to work to get it. Baby determines when and how much to eat, which hones motor skills and the ability to determine for him/herself when the stomach is full instead of overfeeding with a spoon. Give the baby big, easy to grab blocks or sticks of food and let him/her go for it. Nice idea, but then so much food is wasted (which is a big deal here where cost of food is rising, as in many places). Aidan has been getting pureed, spoon-fed meals since he was just a bit older than 6 months. We bravely moved into the slightly mashed meat and egg stage pretty early on (week 1), and only in the past few weeks did he really get the hang of gumming things around in his mouth that had any texture. I guess it’s time to move on, as he’s getting better with his pincer skills, too. Yet, I want to help him. I want to make sure that food gets into his mouth—especially after I went to all the trouble to dice/tear/soften it! But he needs a measure, a good measure, of freedom. Freedom to experiment, learn, and grow without me hovering over every bite.

All this to say, I think that with feeding solids, as in every area of parenting it would seem, there’s a tightrope that has to be walked between overseeing and allowing independence for the child. As baby grows into a new skill, he needs some breathing room to practice. . .and be allowed to make mistakes. . .and waste food (gasp). . .and find some success for his hard work, even if it is only a few, hard-won bites. For me, giving Aidan grace means rejoicing in this learning process, not getting frustrated with him or expecting perfection. Or speed. I guess I can always follow a meal up with a little spoon feeding if he still seems hungry.

Hello, ugly, green plastic floor mat. You are our new friend.

Funny Stoly

Some of you may know the boy in this picture, but for those who don't, this is Jonathan. He is the youngest one in the Children's Home here. His parents didn't want him because he was born with a deformed foot. Long story short, God brought him into my parents' lives, and gave them the privilege to take care of him. God provided for his foot surgery, so that he is able to walk and run now. That was just a quick intro; now to the funny part.

Jonathan is now five, and he struggles with the letter 'R'. He pronounces it as 'L'. Not an unusual thing, I think, for this age, but, some times, funny.

Last week's incident was pretty funny. Jonathan ran in to the dining room, either in a good mood or in an attempt to cover up some trouble he had stirred (I couldn't tell which), singing the following song that made me laugh:

"Lead youl Bible

Play evelyday

If you want to glow"

Whether this made you smile or not, please don't base your theology on this song. Just wanted to share a laugh. Anyway, whether you are laughing or not, please don't forget to say a prayer for Jonathan and others like him in the Children's Home. They are precious; each of them. They are the children of the King.

P.S.: For those who do not know the original song misquoted above, here is a little exercise: replace all the 'L's in the song (except the one in 'Bible') with the letter 'R'.

Catching Up

So much has transpired that, while I would love to write about some things I've been learning in motherhood lately, let me give a quick update on where we've disappeared to the past few months.

On February 12 of this year God entrusted to us an amazing and precious gift: our son Aidan. Wayne kept the blog afloat by posting a bit of his bio info and some pictures while I was trying to get my bearings amidst the new challenges of nursing, diapering, and not sleeping--in a word, motherhood. Quite unsurprisingly, his little life has consumed much of ours the past 4 months, hence the slowing down (okay, cessation) of blog posts. Throw into the mix the acquisition of all Aidan's paperwork in preparation for travel to visit family and attend a family wedding in the U.S., illness, and a business trip for Wayne, and we had barrelled toward the time to leave for the States. A few days after our first wedding anniversary we boarded a plane for a six-week stay in America. I won't lie, it wasn't without some trepidation; I scoured blogs on how to travel internationally with young babies, and sometime will post what I found most helpful for your benefit as well. Our time in the U.S. flew by, with plenty of adjustments to keep us on our toes. After eating our weight in hamburgers, cheesecake, and breakfast meats--Wayne's poison of choice--we boarded the plane to come back and jumped right into work. Or, at least Wayne did. I had a bit more time to recuperate with Aidan who, thankfully, is now back on a regular schedule. A volunteer missions team arrived the day after we did, which was a busy blessing as we jet-lagged together and prepared for the start of Bible College classes in just over a week. God faithfully brought students and augmented our meagre student numbers within a few days of beginning classes.

So, that brings us up-to-date. Sometime soon, maybe next week, I'll post more :)

Aidan, Week One (at the hospital)

Aidan with his Dhaadhi (paternal Grandma)

Aidan with his Aunt Sweety

Baby Sam

We thank God for His gracious gift to us. Baby Sam is here. By the grace of God, both Betsy and the baby are fine.

This post will be short. Just wanted to post a quick note to thank all who have been praying for us, and also include a few pictures of our son. More details (name, weight, more pictures, etc) coming soon (when we get a break from the diaper changes and things like that) :)

Baby (Boxer) Sam is here

He's been asking for a phone ever since he woke up

And he wants 'Danger' ('Abunai' is Japanese for 'Dangerous') as his middle name

Sub-tropical Christmas Cheer

It feels strange to listen to Christmas music when it's a balmy 95-100 degrees outside. "White Christmas" has been at the top of the playlist, don't ask me why ;) I've found that many songs which I previously appreciated for getting me in the "mood" for Christmas don't strike me the same way anymore. Make no mistake--I love some good ol' "Jingle Bells," "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year," and "Frosty the Snowman" and other notable hits like these. But I've found them hard to relate to here. They don't make sense in this setting. Most of them just sound, sadly, superficial and materialistic.

The Christmas music I have enjoyed and been able to relate to more are simple hymns like "O Come All Ye Faithful," "The First Noel," "Joy to the World," etc. When playing these in my kitchen while cooking or cleaning, people who pop in the house can actually sing along and enjoy them with me, which is a bonus ("Deck the Halls" has never taken root in India, I think ;). Thank God for songs which remind me Who I am celebrating especially at this time of year. Our Jesus is glorious. He has come to us in our need to show us the Father. He is worthy of singing about!


"Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
Born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be glory given!
Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing!
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord."