Here We Go Again...

Because we haven't had enough big changes recently...

This was a very difficult picture to take!  Tucker had different ideas of what to do with his sign than what I had envisioned for him:)

So, here's the answers to (at least some of) your questions:

I was pretty nauseous for awhile.  I am not back to normal, but I am definitely getting better.  Evenings can still be pretty rough, and if I am not careful about the type of food I eat and the amount I eat than I regret it.  Rich, creamy food gets me every time.  Taste so good, feels so bad.

We are planning to come home to have the baby.  The time we spent considering having it here in Haiti was pretty short lived.  We know things can change and for some reason we might be here.  But as long as we have any say in the matter, we will be coming home.

I don't really have any inclinations as to what it is yet.  Summer has been diligently praying for a sister for quite awhile now.  Before we told the kids I asked her "What if God would give us another baby and it would be a boy?  Would you be okay with that?"  And she says "Well, yeah, it would be okay.  But I just don't NEED another brother!"

I haven't had any appointments yet but I will plan to do prenatal care down here.  The OB doctor has a very good reputation and speaks excellent English and I am plenty comfortable going to him.  This has definitely been a reminder in how much I put my trust in men rather than God.  Even though this doctor here is really good, he doesn't have many of the resources available to him that my doctor in the states would.  Those resources give me a lot of comfort when I think about things going wrong.  But, just as with everything, God is in control and I do believe that, and now it's time to put that belief into maybe a little more action than I have in the past.

We are..... excited:)  And a little overwhelmed.  And maybe questioning our sanity.  But overall excited.

And that's all I can think of for now!  (Pregnancy brain, you know...)

Visitors!!

We have enjoyed some visitors in the recent days and weeks!  A couple weeks ago, my uncle was in Haiti with a team and was able to come spend a few hours with us.  We had a great time catching up and the kids loved playing with him.  We're so glad he could come!

This past week my parents were in country.  My mom spent the whole time with us while my dad did a lot of work with the organizations he is heavily involved in.  He was able to come up yesterday though, and spend the night with us!

My favorite thing that mom did while she was here was all the dishes!  She just jumped right in and I don't think I washed a single dish all week.  So amazing!  The kids' favorite thing was that she brought face paints:)  It was a huge hit!!

Even huger of a hit was when she agreed to let Summer paint her face in return.Summer was more than delighted and took her job very seriously!

Sawyer, who mostly boycotts naps these days, couldn't help but fall asleep to the sound of grandma's late afternoon book reading time.  Twice she sat down to read books with the kids and after awhile we noticed Sawyer cashed out!

Also, it just so happened that she was here over our anniversary.  Since date night places are pretty limited, we did a little at home date.  She had brought in some boneless skinless chicken for me and I had sent down some Panda Express orange chicken sauce.  So the kids had hot dogs while me and my hubby of six years now had orange chicken and fried rice.  We ate in our locked bedroom where we enjoyed a movie with no interruptions and no falling asleep because we actually started it in good time:)  It was quite tasty and about as fun as it gets as far as dates go around here.  We were really glad for that time!

But now, as of this afternoon, they are gone:(  We loved having them here!  Thanks for all the help, mom!

Tucker Goes To The ER

So the moral of today's lesson is this:  Hide Your Pills!

Actually, the pills around here are pretty well hidden and high up.  But Danny had gotten one of his blood pressure pills out to take, then realizing he didn't have any water just set it down.  And it doesn't take long, does it?  Tucker found it and ate it.  We really think he ended up not actually ingesting any because Danny pulled a chunk from his mouth and Summer said he had something white on his hands, like maybe he didn't like how it tasted and tried to take it out of his mouth.  But we just didn't know for sure.  So we talked to a fellow missionary who is a nurse practitioner and we called poison control.  Even though we were pretty confident he was okay, we decided to take him just for observation.  Because in case he would have gotten more than what we thought, we knew it could be bad.

In the waiting area, which is just two small benches sitting in a corner of the ER, Tucker was more than happy to be there.  He had no idea what was coming.

Dr. Mesidor, the hospital pediatrician, speaks very good English and got us started.  We were very happy to have her there.  But Tucker?  Well, his fun was rapidly coming to an end.

Next he was admitted for observation, which meant getting an IV in case he would need medicine quickly.  At this point, my fun also came to a screeching halt.  It took four sticks, some jiggling of the needle, some blood spurting everywhere (twice), three nurses, and me holding Tucker down to get it accomplished.  I am not usually too quick to cry, but that did me in.  It was rough for both of us.  The second time blood started spurting Danny said he was going to go get some air.  I thought he would be coming back soon, but he ended up just going to his office.  So there I sat, thinking he fainted somewhere in the hospital and was getting taken care of somewhere else.  But then communication was made, and all was well.

Anyway, back to the IV.  They finally got one in the underside of his wrist which was a terribly inconvenient spot.  Before they even left the room, Tucker hooked his thumb on the tubing and it came off of the IV, sending fluids squirting all over the place.  He had been getting tired while we were waiting to be admitted, and after the IV trauma, he cashed out in my arms.  They came back in to put this little contraption on to help stabilize the IV, and he hollered the whole time even though he was still asleep.

But then finally the ordeal was over and I could lay him down.  He did not move an inch for about an hour.

After he woke up, it was quite the chore to keep him from yanking on the IV.  But earlier I had run home to get a few toys, books, and snacks, and that helped.  Danny came in at lunch, so I could go home again to eat and bring something back for Tucker.  Things were looking up by then.  Even though he was still hooked up, he was getting more comfortable with the IV, crawling all over the bed while I moved the tubes around like a jump rope so he didn't pull them out.  And lunch time always makes him happy:)  Although even at 17 months, he figured out how to milk it pretty good.  He wanted me to feed him, and even if I just put a bite in my hand for him to pick up, he would just lean forward and eat out of my hand rather than going to all that effort to pick it up himself!

Finally, FINALLY, the IV was taken out and we were able to go home around 4:30.  We had gotten to the ER about 8:30.  We even had some company!  There is a couple here from the states visiting the hospital.  Soon after we were admitted, she was wheeled in for low blood pressure, fainting, and dehydration!  So she was in the room next to us all day.  Quite a day for the Americans at Hospital Lumiere!

And then after supper that night, Tucker got a sucker.  You earned it, buddy!

Didn't Mean For It To Go This Long...

Well now!  I've been wanting to blog for awhile now, but I was having some technical difficulties.  Which is nothing new under the sun in my world.  But here we are finally!  We've been back almost a month now though it feels like longer.  It feels weird that we were ever even gone.  I know we were though because of all the language we lost.  I got plenty made fun of when people realized how much I completely forgot:)  But I can tell that I am once again making progress!  

I think I mentioned in the last post that the container with all of our stuff on it finally came while we were in the states.  In it was my beloved purple bowl.  I got this bowl in a Christmas grab a few years ago and I just really liked it.  I had originally put it up in storage but asked Danny's sister if she could put it on the container.  I just was wishing I had it.  Well she searched and searched for it but just couldn't find it so I said don't worry about it.  And then at the last minute she found it in an unexpected place.  I was so excited!  So I unpacked the boxes and found a spot for my beloved purple bowl.  And then within about ten minutes of me putting it there, along comes Tucker to get into the cupboards.  Cause that's what he does.  And he pulled out my precious bowl, dropped it onto the tile floor, and broke it beyond use.  All that for nothing!  It looks usable in the picture but there was a crack over halfway through the whole thing:(

Some of us spent time at the beach a few weeks ago.  I think it is a pretty regular activity here, but with all the unrest it had not been safe enough to travel freely and we had never been.  So we finally got to go!  Summer loved playing with the other kids and loved being turned into a mermaid.

 

Sawyer played mostly by himself, thoroughly enjoying digging and digging and digging.  We left Tucker back with someone who didn't go which made for a much more relaxing experience.

Speaking of Tucker, he finally got a haircut.

It was his third or fourth haircut but it still made me a little sad.  But he really needed one and I guess he's still pretty cute:)

Sawyer's birthday presents, including a little pool, were on the container.  His birthday is in October so it was fun for him to be able to celebrate again.

One of our house ladies stopped by one day with her darling little baby.  So cute!!

These three stop by our house multiple times a week.  Depending on my mood and what I'm doing at the time I either enjoy it or get annoyed.  Just being real.  But they always like to try and sell me produce.  Sometimes I  buy it and sometimes not.  But they are regulars around here!

And then the next container came right on schedule!!

I took the kids down to watch it be unloaded for awhile.  We had a few things we had put on there but mostly just restocking our pantry and our SNACKS!!  I mean, once I saw the amount of snacks I had sent I realized I may have overcompensated for not sending many the last time.  But we're all set for a good while now!

Also on that container were some fake tarantulas that a certain grandma who likes to play tricks sent down so her grand kids could scare people:)  I told Danny they're going to be so normal for Tucker to hold that one day he's going to pick one up outside and I will freak out!!  Good thing they mainly just come out at night when he's in bed:)

We are feeling good and settled again.  We've had back to back teams the last three weeks.  That doesn't affect me too much since I don't do too much with them.  But it keeps a lot of the others plenty busy!  However it has been nice to enjoy some extra fellowship with them being here.  And now hopefully I have all my technical difficulties figured out and it won't be so long until I post again:)

We're Back!

Well we made it back all in one piece!  We had about twenty some boxes waiting for us along with all our luggage to unpack upon our arrival.  Everything is coming together but still not quite finished yet.  It was pretty overwhelming opening up all of our stuff.  We had just a couple weeks after we first moved to decide what we wanted to have sent on the next container.  Having just gotten here, we were not used to living with less and we sent far more than we probably would have if we had had the chance to settle in a little bit more.  It seemed like for most of the stuff we opened we thought "WHY did we send this???"  So our once sparsely filled house is now very much so no longer sparse.  One more thing to try to reconcile in my mind and heart as the "us/them differences" are even more so glaringly obvious.  But I will say there are a few things I'm really glad we sent:)

All that being said, we are glad to be back and are looking forward to feeling settled again.  And I am once again all flustered at the thought of learning Creole.  Just when I felt like I was making some progress....

And we want to finally introduce our house help and yard guys!  We took these pictures with them right before we left in October.  First up, our house ladies!  Johana is holding Summer, and she cleans for us.  She is quiet and soft spoken and leaves the house spic and span when she's finished.  Madame Mari is holding Tucker and she does the cooking.  She is bubbly and outgoing and makes some really good food.  They make a pretty good team.  I think before they were hired they knew of each other but that was about it.  I can't understand what they're saying but they seem to enjoy working together.

Then we have our yard guys.  Most people only hire one, but we have a large yard with an abundant supply of plants that we have no idea how to take care of, nor do we really have the time.  I'm not around them as much since they are always outside, but they seem to have a good thing going.  They  even have a garden going for me!  So far I don't think you can classify it as a bumper crop but we're all new to this so we'll see how things go with it in the future.  Someinson is the shorter one on the left and Famito is in the red.

They all kept working while we were gone, keeping things in tip top shape.  They all work hard and do so with a smile.  I'm looking forward to getting to know them all better as time goes on.  While Danny was here in November, he started having them eat in the house with him for lunch rather than on the porch where they had been before.  He enjoyed it and got them all to admit that they preferred it:)  It should help with developing more of a relationship with them and we are going to keep up with that arrangement.

So there's our people:)  Come visit us and you can meet them in person!

Christmas And PLANS!!

So where did we leave off.....?  Oh yeah, we had just finished another stint in Illinois and hit up the hotel with our kids on the way back to Indiana.

We jumped right into Christmas activities with a candlelight Christmas singing and also caroling.  The kids were generally happier than what the picture would suggest:)

Then it was time for the Christmas overnighter with Danny's family!

Always loud, chaotic, but fun.

Each year the kids do a play and this was the first time Summer and Sawyer were into it enough to have roles.  Sawyer's part was Baby Jesus and he took it VERY seriously!

After staying up until midnight the night before, a nap was in order.  Midnight was only the kids' bedtime.  That was the hour the adults put on a movie and broke out the snacks.

And then back to Illinois we went for my family Christmas.  (Yes, we have grown very weary of going back and forth.)

Tucker's present was a big hit with all of our kids!!

On Christmas day we had our own little family Christmas.  Once we got home from church that morning I made sure to wear my festive Christmas leggings for the rest of the day to celebrate.  I just love them!

We said our final farewells to my family on the 28th and then hit the road..... again.  We had one more extended family Christmas where our kids got toothbrushes.  Because we are very much at a point where small, useful, and/or consumable is very important.  Summer loved hers and since there was two in the package she gifted one to a cousin.  Brushing their teeth together while using their new toothbrushes was a highlight for Summer.  It's the little things I guess:)

We had a very multi cultural, kid friendly New Year's celebration that ended at 9:00 at night.

Then once all our kids were in bed we finished out 2019 by playing games and solving the world's problems with Aaron and Cass.

And now we have a whole new year ahead of us again.  A clean slate.  We are pretty excited to say we have tickets bought and plan to head back to Haiti this coming Sunday, January 5.  Well, to Miami anyways.  And then Haiti on Monday.  We are thankful for the unexpected blessing of this time but we are also very ready to go back.  We need routine.  Our kids need routine.  We have another big adjustment in front of us that might not be super fun or easy but it's time.  Our family and friends have been more than generous- especially our parents for letting us crash their houses and putting up with our suitcases and back and forth-ness.  We want to give a huge thanks to everybody for all the support you've given us during a very unplanned and uncertain time.  We appreciate each one of you so much!!  We would love to be kept in the loop of your lives, whether every day happenings or prayer requests or whatever it might be.  Please feel free to shoot us an email or Facebook message anytime.  We'd love to hear from you!  But for now, God Be With You Til We Meet Again!

In NO Particular Order

We've been keeping busy enough during our time here!  Here's just a random smattering of life.  In a very random order because that's just how they got uploaded!

We spent the night at a hotel with the kids for a Christmas present.  They had fun, we had fun, I sure hope we do it again:)

All our babies be growing up!

We were at my parents when the newest batch of turkeys came.  It was Tucker's first time in the turkey house so I wasn't sure how he would do.  But he loved it and had not an ounce of fear!  The turkeys were the ones who needed to fear.  I have a video where all of a sudden it cuts out because I had to quick put down the phone and rescue the bird from a baby who was holding it by the head and shaking it back and forth!

One morning during the time Danny was back in Haiti, Sawyer came to my room extra early and crawled in with me.  And then I had some really sweet snuggle time with my sleeping boy:)

He is quite mobile these days and loves to just go exploring on his own.  And then he gets stuck.

Summer has always loved the turkeys!

Three weeks was plenty long for us to be apart.  I was more than willing to stay up and pick him up from a late night flight:)  And yes, I got all teary eyed when he finally walked into the baggage claim area.

I took Summer to a Jr. High basketball game when my niece was playing.  We both had a great time.  Me watching the game and talking to other people in the bleachers, and Summer playing with her cousins!

He said "No mommy, I did not sleep in gwandpa's twactor."

Three years ago there was a concert in Indy that I really wanted to go to but it was on Thanksgiving weekend when we would be travelling and we also would have a one month old baby (Sawyer) so we decided not to go.  And I was sad.  This year, the concert came back around and we went!  Their voices were older than what we hear on the radio, but the Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant Christmas was like being with an old friend.  Familiar songs I've heard most of my life that just kind of feel like home.  And I could hardly stay in my seat when they finished with an awesome rendition of "Emmanuel"!  Throw in some great conversation during our driving and supper times and it was a night very well spent!

Again with the exploring.  We can hardly get enough of this kid.  He's just so fun to have around!

So that's life lately.  And to answer the question that everyone has, we do have some plans!  Currently we are in Indiana and will be until Dec. 22.  Then we will be back in Illinois over Christmas before coming back here for a little bit.  If everything goes as planned we will hopefully all go back to Haiti the first week of January!  It will be nice to get resettled there and find our normal again.  Whatever normal is.  But speaking for myself I will say it was bittersweet packing almost everything up from my parents this past weekend.  After that being my home base for almost two months, I was really enjoying feeling a part of my old hometown and church again.  Just being around everyone and not feeling like it was a rushed hi and bye over a weekend was great.  I know it can't stay like that forever, and I don't even want it to.  We need to be where God has us and not on a disorienting vacation type thing.  But it has been an unexpected blessing to have this time!