Lately

Oops, it's been over a month since I've posted. I've procrastinated because we've been busy, or I've been tired, or I was just plain unmotivated. I was also sometimes at a loss as to what to say. The sad thing about living overseas after a period of time is that you notice the interesting cultural things less and less because you become accustomed to them. So, I'll just do a comprehensive update since the last one was September, just a month after DB was born. Crazy.

Work: 

• We have been very busy meeting with people, having people over for dinner, going to birthday parties and brunches, etc. It's been a good kind of busy. 
• I'm nearing the end of my language time with my language teacher. I have about 10 sessions left with her. I'll miss seeing her three days a week. Although my sessions with her are coming to an end, I'll remain in level one since I have projects left to turn in. I'm barely suppressing an eye roll because the projects are just busywork and does nothing to improve my language. Anyway, let's move on.
• We are about to leave for a work-related conference stateside in two days. We will first go to my dad's in South Carolina so he can meet the baby-o. We get to wake up at 3am (wahoo) and take a 6am flight, connect in Paris, and keep a cranky baby calm for 10 hours from Paris to Atlanta. It'll be DB's first time setting foot in America -- and she's an American. After spending four days with my dad and stepmom (including Easter), we'll head to the conference for eight days. We hope to see my mom and stepdad somewhere in there. I'm not ecstatic about putting DB through jet lag for work-related reasons but I am thankful that we will get to see family briefly.
• This month, we celebrate two years of being with our organization. In July, we will celebrate two years of being overseas. Two years don't sound like a lot, but it feels like we've been here forever. Not in a bad way.
• I've had an aunt and an uncle (separately) die since we've been overseas. It's been sad to be apart from my family (clarification is needed for some people: I count my extended family as my family) during that time and I definitely sat down and counted the cost of following the Father's call overseas. I remembered His call on us to go overseas and to remain faithful. 
• Sometimes, we get so bogged down in the day-to-day details, going from one day to the next, that it's almost as if we have our heads down with blinders on and we just don't see what's happening around us. Last week, the Father blessed us by lifting our heads up, looking out at the broad canvas of our host country, and recognizing how He is moving and has been moving long before we ever arrived. It's incredible. He certainly doesn't need us to do any work here, but I feel tremendously blessed to witness history in the making. I wish I could say more and hopefully, I get to share more in detail one day.

Culture: I'm really drawing a blank here. I'll have to get back to this later.

A: She turns four years old next week. I'm going to say what every mom says when their child turns a year older: I. can't. believe. A is turning four! Since her birthday is during the aforementioned conference, we will be celebrating with a little party at my dad's, which will include an uncle and aunt, whom I have not seen in years. I'm excited about that. A was recently diagnosed with a small, harmless heart murmur. I know you grandparents are just now being informed as you read this, but we didn't want to worry anyone until we got a firm diagnosis and it turned out to be harmless. Really, she'll outgrow it and it'll be a blip on her radar. Anyway, A is being her usual self. She is signing a lot more with me now, which makes me happy. She loves her preschool, loves to go places, and continues to be extroverted.

DB: Baby, baby, baby. She was a short napper until I finally figured out that I needed to drop naps and stretch her longer. She started taking longer naps, much to my relief. I really stink at figuring out infant sleep. Her weight gain really slowed down around 5 months and the pediatrician turned the pressure on to start solids. I started her on purees at 6 months old and struggled for a month to get her to eat. Finally, I switched to table food and that was a hit. She does really well with the table food and I've been wondering if there is any point to purees at all. She's gotten two bottom teeth at the same time (which made me sad because I can't call her snaggletooth) and a top tooth is pushing out soon. She turns 8 months next week (wait for it...."I can't believe it!") and doesn't give any indication of being close to crawling, but she will be crawling before I know it.

Hearth and Home: 

• Since my last update, we moved A into the front bedroom because her old room isn't sealed very well and the smell of burning coal seeps in during the winter. A was breathing in the smell all winter last year so we moved her out for this winter. She was in a bedroom right next to ours. The other bedroom is by the living room and front door. It's also a better room for her furniture. Her twin bed recently broke and now she has bunk beds in her room. I don't like bunk beds but it's really the best solution since her room is too small for two twin beds in the event she and DB start sharing a room. DB is still sleeping in our room in her pack 'n play.  When the weather warms up (and people stop burning coal), DB will move into A's old room. It's currently an office/guest room. It will become guest room/DB's room. The office (and my sewing corner) will move into our bedroom. Nothing seems to stay settled around here. 
• As for interior decoration, don't even ask. I have been bitten by the DIY bug and have a couple of projects planned. Hopefully I will follow through with them this summer and be able to present them with pictures in a post. 
• I decorated for Christmas and right now, I only have one decoration up for Easter. I wish I could do more. We have an Easter tree with decorated (hollow) eggs from Prague. They are my absolute favorite holiday decorations; they even go on the Christmas tree. 

Our Easter Tree

• I did some major reorganizing. A has a crazy amount of art and craft supplies and they occupy two and half shelves in a closet by the front door. One big bin contains all her markers, pens, crayons, and pencils alone. She has sticker books and other packets of stickers on one end of a shelf, workbooks on another end, and coloring books one yet another end. Playdoh and accessories, construction paper, empty oatmeal canisters for future craft projects, beads, popsicle sticks, stamps and ink, glue, paint supplies, games, flash cards, puzzles. Shelves are neatly labeled so everything stay in place. Anyway, who cares how organized A's arts and craft supplies are? Normally, everything belonging to A stays in her room (I don't like kid stuff dominating the entire house). These shelves are the only place outside of her room that belong to her alone. Good grief, kid. 

Free time: We have some free time. Sometimes we have to carve that out and protect it. G and I try to have at-home dates every week but that doesn't always happen. We mostly play games but I think we have done some other things. I can't remember. I still have not been sewing for over a year. It's sad. I do read a bit. I've been working on Les Miserables for a few months and according to my Kindle, I'm only about 40% of the way through. It's a very long book. I'm currently reading Choosing Gratitude by DeMoss which is really convicting. I'd been talking to my accountability partner about the complaining attitude I'd had lately and how I really wanted to stop because it's just the pits. Negativity, blah. She lent me this book and it's been great reading so far. I recommend it. I squeeze in a TV show before bed about once or twice a week. I like to watch White Collar and Bones. 

Upcoming holidays: Easter, yay! It's my favorite for all the reasons behind the celebration and because Easter also brings spring and family reunions. I'm excited about spending Easter with my dad in a ch-rch stateside, participating in corporate w-rship.

Weather: We are seeing more sunshine now. Winter is one long overcast, rainy season with intermittent sunshine. Now, the days are getting longer and the sun shines brighter. The US is getting some spring snowstorms while the days stay mild on this side with temperatures in the 50s and 60s. Can't complain. 

Visitors: In our last comprehensive update in September, I mentioned that G's parents visited and my mom was coming soon. Since my mom left, we had visitors come and stay with us four times. One was a friend of ours passing through to a conference in October and this same friend came again this month but this time with his sweet wife and two adorable boys, one who is a new baby. In December, our supervisors visited and co-workers from another country came soon after. For now, we have no visitors coming for several more months, but that can change at any time. Our city seems to be a revolving door for people passing through. 

Well, this update was a bit longer than usual. Hopefully, I will update more often. Happy Easter!