Been a while! October 4, 2008

It’s been a little too long since my last post.  I guess after a few weeks, then months it’s kind of like where do i begin. 

Just a little update on what’s going on.  

We have three days left in our house and then we move out, we’ll be staying with the Stover family until we leave.  I never realized how involved it can be moving out of your home and selling everything, or just the things that won’t fit in a bag.  :)  We are leaving here with about 10 bags.  Sounds ridiculous, but they add up quick.  We have a group coming down from Vision for the Pastor’s Conference this week and they are kind enough to help us get our bags back.  

So we’ll be traveling around visiting churches and raising some support for the families from Peru going with us to North Africa.  I’ll try to keep you updated.          

yep, a random picture of norah

 

 

 

 

 

9 Months Today! July 14, 2008

Norah turned nine months today.  She is really enjoying herself, she is making all kinds of new friends.  She has lately been spoiled rotten, and we are really reaping the “benefits” of it.  Her new name is Chica Bonita (pretty girl), given to her by her Tia (aunt) here.  She actually responds to it before her own name. 

She started crawling this past week, she’s been standing with support and climbing for a little while.  She drinks only from a real cup or a straw.  Loves to sit with Daddy and watch Baby Einstein.  Prefers the nude.  Her favorite toy is definately a spoon.  (she’s actually sleeping with one right now)  She loves to go for walks in her stroller, and loves to be with both Mommy and Daddy together.  Just yesterday morning we were holding hands and she had to put her little chubby hand in there too.  She absolutely loves to be with people.  I hope this sticks,  because I really have to try to be a people person.

She is such a blessing and joy in our life.  I am so thankful for her. 

 

New Toys July 6, 2008

Thanks to the couple who’s house we are staying in Norah has all kinds of new toys.  One in particular that Norah loves, is this little pink cup.  She picked it up and instinctively drank from it holding it by the handle. 

I can’t give her too much water or she’ll dump it all, but just a little and she drinks it.  the only thing is i could sit there all day and hand her water as she takes a drink and then throws the cup on the floor to hear it bang.  This doesn’t last very long.   

Where in the World? July 5, 2008

We have been here in North Africa for 4 weeks with 3 weeks left. Our purpose here is to host 9 interns as they teach English, make contacts and learn what it is like to be on the mission field.  I was scared to death to do this, mainly because it was an area that we were not very familiar with.  We haven’t been here except to visit.  So how are we going to host this group of interns when we are learning about this place as well.

The Lord then showed me that He was in control.  We were not planning on being here, but He worked it out this way.  I didn’t think i would enjoy this but the Lord has really used this in my life.  He has given me such a love for the people here and who gets the opportunity to visit their future mission field for this long of a time? 

We are very blessed, our life seems to be crazy.  I feel like it is such a whirlwind sometimes.  But I just can’t complain.  We have some of the neatest experiences, things I once dreamed of doing we are now doing.  It is amazing what the Lord allows us to do.

Visiting Cousins June 27, 2008

In May Norah and I made a trip up to New England and Ohio.  Norah just loved seeing all of her cousins, it didn’t matter if they paid attention to her or not, as long as they were in the same room as she was she was thrilled.  Here are a couple of my favorite photos of our visits. 

 

First Tooth June 26, 2008

ok, so she has two teeth now, and she is eight months, i wanted to put this out with a picture, and all of you super organized moms who get all your pictures off the camera the same day are probably thinking, how ridiculous!  ( I just know there aren’t that many of you) 

Norah now has her first tooth.  Actually it was just into her seventh month.  I have to admit I was releaved to be the first to find it.  So if anyone else did see it or feel it, thanks for not telling me. 

 ok, so she looks like she belongs in a trailer park, it is just that hot here. 

So Sweet! June 25, 2008

Norah must just be the sweetest one in the house; She has mosquito bites head to toe.  (Literally)  We thought maybe it could be chicken pox.  This would be nice to get out of the way.  But pretty sure they aren’t. 

They seemed to go from a few bites to “oh my goodness, do you take care of your child?” amount of bites.   We have shut the windows got bug spray, and now a mosquito net has seemed to do the trick.  I am praying the old ones clear and we can keep her from getting many more.  She does look pretty rough, but doesn’t seem to be bothered in the least. 

I guess this is what comes with the African work,  I can only imagine what it is like anything below the Sahara. 

 

 

Traveling the world with a baby June 11, 2008

I haven’t written any thing for months now, due to different reasons.  My computer stopped working and then we started traveling. 

Not planning to come to North Africa this summer I informed Norah’s grandparents they would be seeing her while Tyler was in North Africa.  Our plans changed, now I am in North Africa with Norah, so we got to visit our families a little earlier, because you can’t break that kind of promise. 

When Norah first flew she was so little she hardly noticed the flight, she slept most of the time.  She is now completely aware of everything.  So our first flight was probably my worst flight ever.  She got hungry, and with all that waiting to board waiting for everyone else to board.  By the time i could actually feed her she was frantic.  And all the nice people on the plain felt bad for her so they ALL decided to help me out and tell me what to do, over and over.  Even the nice single man in front of me suggested “maybe she’s hungry, you should try feeding her”.  What i told him i said with a smile on my face, so that counts for something right?  I just shared with him that i had tried that and i was not an idiot.  Nothing too mean.  Even the flight attendants would just not leave me alone.  It was just bad. 

Well, she seemed to get better and better from that point on.  She deffinately had a period of screaming on the first five flights, of our traveling, but nothing for the last four.  So Nine flights and three train rides later, we are here and doing well.  North Africa is beautiful, and I look forward to getting some more posts published in the next few weeks. 

Blessed Sleep May 3, 2008

At least that is what we are trying to get Norah to realize.  The physical purpose of a parent is to raise their child to become more and more independent, and it starts early.  I’m discovering this is the hard part of parenting.  

We are trying to get Norah to sleep through the night.  It hasn’t been so bad, the first night we decided to try to just let her cry.  The thought of leaving her in a dark room crying is a little disheartening.  (before i had my own child, it seemed so easy)  She cried for a while and calmed down, and a few minutes later started up again.  So since it had been 4 hrs i fed her and she fell asleep, I felt better, but worse all at the same time.  I failed!  Later on she woke up again and we let her cry it out.  The next morning she was happy.  So no psychological damage.  

So every night this past week we’ve been wondering what is going to happen.  Some nights she has up a fight and others she’s slept.   One night i sang to her and she fell right to sleep.  She’s even started rolling herself over, so last night she had to cry that out a while and then she sang herself to sleep. I checked on her and she slept the entire night on her back. (first time, huge step, yes i know i’m a horrible mother)   It’s been interesting.  But I know this is the right thing.  She needs to learn how to sleep independently.  One of the first steps of many to come.  

Unexpected Blessings April 19, 2008

I was just reminded recently how much the Lord cares for me, and little things like my poor spanish.  He just put a couple in our house, now I was very leery to say the least about someone living here.  But through some struggling the Lord changed my attitude and It has been one of the best things that has happened.  She is helping my spanish like I couldn’t believe, Not that it’s much better, just being corrected constantly.  And speaking spanish 24/7 isn’t so bad. God knows what’s best usually what we would least expect