It's a boy!

We are having another boy!  Praise the Lord!

Interpretation of a low definition ultrasound:  Baby's head facing down, neck and spine visible as long white curve. 

It will be very fun for Jonathan to have a little brother ....I can already see them playing together in the yard and running ahead of us wherever we go, despite our calls for them to SLOW DOWN!  I can see the dirty hands, smudged faces, and scraped knees.  I envision two friends sharing a room for most of their childhood, and a couple of sets of muscles to help me heft furniture around whenever I get the whim.   

Oh yes, Dave is already talking about trying for a girl down the road, but for now we are very thankful! 

So on Tuesday I went with a few friends to the big city to visit an OB doctor who has a fairly good reputation among the expats.

The FUNNY:  When he saw me, before even asking me any questions, he told me how much I look like a combination of Jennifer Garner and Hillary Swank!  Hmmm....I haven't heard that one before although when I was young people said I looked like Daryl Hannah off of "Splash," the mermaid movie.

The GREAT NEWS:  Our baby measured very well for growth and size.  Although the ultrasound was low definition, everything that we could see looked good.  He has all of his major parts.  The amniotic fluid is not too much and not to little.  

The AMAZING:  Because of our history of congenital malformations with Bethany, I asked the doctor to zoom in on the heart if he could.  It was difficult to see details, but I did see that many of the major parts are present, including a good septum, several chambers, and more than one valve.  However, knowing that his ultrasound machine was inadequate to give me a clear view, the doctor gave me a message to reassure me.  My friend taking pictures actually was able to record it.....

Okay, to interpret the video for you, it is a cross section of baby's chest where you can see his beating heart.
In the background you can hear the doctor talking, and here is what he said.  "We give this baby to Jesus Christ.  Because it is gift for us, and I am sure that he give to us the best gift for our life."  

We've wondered what this doctor's religious affiliation is, and this gives us a pretty good idea.  I appreciated his bold and tender words to me.  It was like a prophetic blessing for our child. 

The CONCERN:  I do have a low lying placenta, and doctor thinks it is a partial placenta previa.  This means the placenta is touching the opening of the cervix, which causes a bleeding risk.  Most likely, this condition will resolve as the baby grows, but in the meantime I need to be careful.  Please pray that by the time of my next ultrasound in 5 weeks, there will be nothing to worry about!

Focus on Food! Sugar's tragic history

Today I'm starting a new series inspired by my gestational diabetes.  I've been trying loads of new recipes and different foods in compliance with my healthy diet, and it motivates me to able to share some of it here.  It might help me from becoming too much of a whiner.  Please join me with some thoughts about SUGAR...

A History Book about Sugar?

As I was browsing the school library for something to read, I ran across this book.  I thought, “Hey, well, I can’t EAT sugar right now, I might as well READ about it.”

The book really became a page turner for me.  Sugar had a huge effect on world history – and I don’t even remember ever learning about it!  Much of it is very distasteful.  This did help tame my sugar cravings….for about 2 days. 

So just for fun, here are a few of the notable things I learned about sugar:

1. Sugar as medicine. When sugar was first refined from cane in the 600s in small amounts, it was used as a MEDICATION for illness!  Now this absolutely makes sense to me!  I can totally see how sugar could be a remedy for depression, sadness, weakness and even pain!  Too bad it’s effect is so temporary and the side effects so damaging! 

2. The bearers of sugar to the world were MUSLIMS!   As they conquered the Eastern worlds where sugar was first refined, they brought small amounts to other places they traveled, and understandably the demand quickly grew.  Before too long, they had designed and reproduced sugar plantations for rapid production of massive amounts of sugar.

3. I always wondered “What is molasses made of?”  When I look at the ingredient list it just says “molasses.”  So what is it?  Turns out, the process of refining sugar from cane into the white crystals we love so much is a long, many stepped, energy intensive one.   Molasses is merely one of the first products of the sugar refining process.  To quote from page 17 of the book, “What we call molasses is just a natural part of the first grinding of sugar cane into syrup.  Sugar refiners drain out the dark molasses to use by itself and are left with relatively white sugar."

4. White granulated sugar is a highly processed food.  It may be “natural”, but after reading the book, I’m not sure it has much of a benefit over corn syrup or other sweeteners.  Whether it be from cane or beets, the process involves multiple heatings and boilings and pourings before the white crystals are left.  I do think that brown sugar, raw sugar, and the Javanese sugar we use here are less processed options.

5. Slavery and sugar.   My understanding of slavery has previously been limited to America’s involvement with it in the South.  I watched Amazing Grace, the movie, about how William Wilberforce helped to abolish slavery in Britain.  I didn’t think any further.  Where were the slaves in England?  Britain had no plantations needing huge amounts of workers.  The slaves were overseas, in the tropics, stolen from Africa and sold and cruelly worked to death on sugar plantations, owned by wealthy aristocracy and gentlefolk back in England. 

6. Something about American slavery I never considered.   Although slavery in America was a horrible thing, it turns out that Americans treated their slaves better than other places in the world.  Of all of the people ever taken from Africa, 96% were sold as slaves in the Caribbean, Brazil, and South America, most to sugar plantations.  Only 4% were sold in America.  The reason for the disparity is that those other places literally worked their slaves to death in a very short amount of time, so they continually needed to resupply the manpower.  Whereas, Americans, although still cruel, fed and medicated and rested their slaves enough that they survived and married and reproduced, eliminating the need to import new slaves from overseas.  According to the book, only 500,000 slaves were ever brought to America, but there were 4 million slaves freed at the time of emancipation.  In contrast, over 2 million Africans were taken as slaves to the “sugar” islands, and only 670,000 were alive to be freed at emancipation.

7. How did so many Japanese and other Asians come to be in Hawaii?  Again, the answer is sugar.  As slavery was abolished, the sugar business moved to new places, including Hawaii.  Japanese, Philippino, Indians, and others went to Hawaii as (poorly) paid workers on sugar plantations.  Many never returned to their homelands.

8. Most sugar comes from beets now.  Sugar beets provide the same final product as sugar cane, and you don’t need plantations and slaves to produce it. 

”C & H, pure cane sugar … from Hawaii, sweetened by the sun….”  Do any of you remember this commercial ditty from the 80’s?  I’ve been humming it off and on my entire life!  But I will never think of those words in the same way again.  Thanks for letting me share with you about my enjoyable and lightening read!

Things that are diffferent: Idul Fitri date changed!

Imagine it’s 5:30 pm on Christmas Eve.  Family has gathered from out of town for a special meal -- the food is almost done and the table is set.   Kids, adorned in their new clothes, are excited about the festivities to come – whether marching in the Christmas Eve parade, or just spending time at home opening one special present or perhaps all of them!  Churches are putting the final preparations on their Christmas Eve services.  Some people are already on the road heading to church.  The next morning is CHRISTMAS – they can hardly wait!  Adults are a little frazzled with preparations but happy with a holiday glow. 

Then the announcement comes over the radio and the TV.... people start calling and texting each other immediately with the news!  Christmas has been postponed by one day!  Today is not Christmas Eve …..it’s the day before!   

I don’t know what everyone did ….whether they put the special food in the fridge or just ate it …and I don’t know how they felt ….

This is exactly what happened here last night.  The date for Idul Fitri are published on the calendar, but cannot commence until the moon is exactly right.  On the afternoon of Idul Fitri eve, Muslim experts all over the country peered at the skies for the sighting of the new moon….it didn’t appear and therefore the date was postponed.

Everyone was ready though, when the festivities finally started last night.  Jonathan was excited by the children’s parade that went by our house at 7 pm.  All of the kids were shiny in their brand new holiday clothes, singing and holding candles and marching to the beat of a big drum.  At dusk, the mosques started their all night broadcast.  The music continued until 7 am, when our neighbors gathered at the Mosque to worship and hear a special Idul Fitri sermon.  People are now officially breaking their month long fast with delicious food and will soon start visiting each other and asking forgiveness for any wrongs they may have committed over the previous year.  It’s Idul Fitri!

Update on baby 4: 19 weeks and counting!

17 weeks!

      We are so thankful that we have been able to carry this new little one to 19 weeks already!  The first trimester was crazy!  We did so many crazy things like travel around the world with a toddler and move houses!  Finally, I am now feeling more energetic and the yuckies are gone and baby is kicking every day, and night!   We now have the blessing of a fetal doppler, so we can listen to baby's heartbeat at home whenever we want to!  I haven't been to any official doctors yet, but I am in contact with a midwife, a doctor, a dietician, whenever I need expert advice. 

        Jonathan does have some inkling that something is going on.  My lap is already starting to run out of room, and he will sometimes pat my tummy and say "baby."  We are still nursing, but have been cutting down.  Next week we are planning the big event:  the final weaning from mommy milk.  Pray for us!

       Sadly, but not surprisingly, my gestational diabetes is back.   I know I should be grateful that this condition, if controlled, will still result in a healthy baby.  Also I should be grateful because it can usually be well controlled with only adjustments to diet and regular exercise.  Actually, I am grateful.  But I am also sad .....I love sugar and I love treats and I love simple carbohydrates.    It is a hardship to give them up, even for just a few months!  About 5 weeks ago, when a urinalysis revealed the return of GD, I went through a grumpy and confused couple of weeks.  Grumpy because of sugar withdrawal  (mostly an emotional problem).  Confused because this is a rice country and a sugar loving one.  It's been more challenging to figure out what I can safely and enjoyably eat.    I lost a few pounds those first few weeks.  It's also been more challenging to find the energy and opportunity to exercise with my toddler and the safety restrictions we now observe.  Thankfully, I am now getting into a better eating routine, am gaining weight, and am slowly starting to get a little bit back in shape.  Good thing, because my blood sugar monitor is telling me that my pregnancy induced insulin resistance is becoming more severe week by week! 

      Another subject on our minds is where to have the baby.  I had originally planned on having the baby in the big city about an hour from here.   However, based on my age, my history and my list of mild risk factors, at least one highly qualified doctor has recommended I deliver in Singapore or the USA.  This would require about a 3-4 month absence from here, what with having to fly prior to 34 weeks gestation and having to wait for all of baby's paperwork to be complete before we come back.   I'm in denial about this at the moment.  The thought of having to go through that major transition again with Jonathan, and the expense.... it's overwhelming.   We are considering options and seeing how the Lord will provide for us.... and probably won't make a final decision until October, when we go to Singapore for advanced testing on the baby and consult with the doctors there.  We'd really appreciate your prayers for our peace of mind until God shows us the way, as we know He will!

Ramadan 2011

Our neighborhood mosque is located down an alley and behind someone's construction supplies, but it is bright, cheerful, well attended, and well maintained.

The Muslim fasting month of Ramadan falls in August this year, from August 1- 29.  Ramadan is a time of intense spirituality for Muslims, during which they spend extra time in prayer and seek God's forgiveness and favor.  Sometime during this month, the first revelation of the Quran was revealed to the prophet Muhammed making it a sacred time. 

The people fast from sun-up to sun-down.  Ramadan culminates with the huge yearly celebration of Idul Fitri, which this year falls on August 30 - 31.

The culture in this country is so different during this month ....most of the population is fasting from sun-up to sun-down and the level of activity in general is decreased to be sensitive to everyone's lower physical endurance.  For instance the soccer field next to our house is usually loaded every morning with students from local elementary schools doing their PE classes.  This morning, the soccer field is quiet, and the students stay on campus and perhaps do stretching exercises only for PE.

Everyone needs extra money for their holiday travels, so little temporary store booths have popped up here and there.  There is a new fruit stand near the school -- it's so convenient to be able to buy fruit just a block away from home!  I'll enjoy it while I can, but it will likely be gone after the holiday.

Follow this sign to find our local mosque.

Our local mosque uses this tree to help make sure everyone hears the calls to prayer and neighborhood announcements.  Four speakers facing North, South, East and West are attached high in the branches.

As for the effect on our family, we primarily feel it in the mornings.  The first call comes early, around 4:30 am, to wake people up to eat before sunrise.  At 5 am, a half-hour of preaching is broadcast from the mosque.  Jonathan will sometimes sleep though the 4:30 call to prayer, but he almost always wakes up for the sermon.  I wish it wasn't true, as I could use just 1 extra hour of sleep!

It also affects our decision making.  For instance, I was planning to get an ultrasound in the big city next week to check on our new little one.  However, it's the last week of fasting month.  The doctor and the nurses are likely to be grumpy and not performing at their best.  Also, too many people will be on the road traveling and shopping with their last minute holiday preparations.  I've waited this long ....no problem to wait a few more weeks!

Things that are different: I hate mosquitoes more than ever!

We love our new home, but we are struggling with mosquitoes more here than we did at the other house.  Jonathan gets the worst of it.

I was happy this morning because Jonathan slept through the 4:30 am call to prayer and the 5 am sermon broadcast from our local mosque!  We got to sleep in until 5:30 am and it was WONDERFUL!  But my joy quickly turned to dismay when I pulled Jonathan out of his bed and his face looked like this!  Aaaaugh!

And this is just the right side of his face!

Jonathan sleeps under a mosquito net, but one evil mosquito got inside the net sometime yesterday.  I found that evil bug engorged on Jonathan's pillow this morning, too full of my child's blood to even fly away.  It fluttered it's wings feebly before meeting it's just end.  That thing feasted on my child's face no less than EIGHT times.  

Now we are trudging through our day with pain and suffering, as Jonathan's bites swell up horribly and they are so itchy for the first day or so!!  There are some nice remedies out there...but Jonathan is notorious about rubbing his eyes and none of them are eye safe.  I found a natural remedy on the internet this morning -- oatmeal water mixed with plain yogurt.  I mixed some up and dabbed it on -- he just scratched it right off.  The best thing to do is just cut those fingernails as short as I can and then distract, distract, distract!  I do resort to Ibuprofen and Benadryl at naptime.  It puts him to sleep for about an hour, but that's it.

The scene of the crime:  It looks like a princess bed, but it is Jonathan's Pak-N-Play with mosquito net installed.

We have done so much to try to combat the mosquitoes:  mosquito net, fans on at night, discovery and coverage of mosquito-entrance openings, bug repellent while out, removal of low lying foliage, avoiding being outside at all during prime biting time .....it's so frustrating that they still are getting in after all our hard work! So now we have some new things to try:  Keeping the mosquito net securely closed day AND night, and keeping Jonathan's bedroom door shut when workers are at the house and frequently opening the door.  Also today we installed filter paper over the ventilation window over Jonathan's bedroom door.

On the bright side, we are very fortunate in this part of the tropics that malaria is very rare.  Other mosquito-born illnesses, such as Dengue Fever, are also uncommon.  So it's likely our only problem is a day and a half of itching and swelling and a week of healing.  

If anybody has a great natural remedy for bites in young children, please pass it on!  As much as I'd like to think this will never happen again, I know it will.   

We made it to the US and back in 30 days!

It's kind of old news, but I wanted to share a little bit about our recent trip to the USA.  At least you can enjoy looking at the pictures!

We spent a week in Singapore, where Dave was involved with a conference.  It was hot!  We stayed at a guesthouse right across the street from the Singapore Botanic Gardens, which is free and open from early in the morning until late at night!  Jenn was 7 weeks pregnant at the time, so we weren't ambitious in our adventures.  We were happy to go to the gardens just about every day.   Here we are during our walk through the exquisite Orchid Garden.

It was a bit surprising to go back through my camera and realize how very FEW photos I actually took of during our trip.   (Dave has told me that he is going to be in charge of the camera from now on during our travels!)  We arrived to Dave's parent's home in Mount Vernon, Washington and spent 16 wonderful days with them -- most of those days we were dizzy with jetlag.  I can't believe it but I don't have a single picture of any of us with Grampa Roger!  We especially should have gotten some shots of Dave and his dad fishing -- they went four days in a row!  One of the first tasks I accomplished was to head to a resale shop with Grandma Arlette and buy some warmer clothes for Jonathan!  It was a cool spring in the Pacific Northwest, and definitely cold to us!  Above is an early morning picture of Grandma Arlette with Jonathan ....

Auntie Ruth and cousins Emily and Erica came to visit for two nights!  It was loads of fun and the cousins invoked much silliness out of Jonathan!  (Hard to believe from this picture, I know.) 

Bubbles in the backyard was only the beginning!  One big highlight for Dave and Jenn is that the family babysat for TWO nights in a row and we got to go on a couple of dates! 

What toddler-hood is complete without a ride in the Little Tikes "Flintsones" car? 

Here is another rite of toddlerhood for an American kid -- riding in the "car" cart at the local grocery store!

We really enjoyed all of the fun playgrounds! 

One park had a splash water play area.  Jonathan recognized the concept from Singapore and wanted to get right in ....but the problem was BRRRR!  The Pacific Northwest water was cold and he barely got more than a toe wet! 

We were able to meet Auntie Kristen and family at a park for a few beautiful hours of play and good picnic food!  Here is Kristen reading Jonathan the book she brought for him!

Uncle Mike, Ben, Ethan and Dave all played a game of toddler baseball (Auntie Kristen would only allow them to bring the plastic ball and bat!)  Jonathan surprised us by "getting" the game pretty quick!  Maybe he will be an athlete? 

The smiles say it all -- it was a fun afternoon!

Grandma Coral and Jonathan play "giddy-up horsie!"

Okay, so we spent a week in Lebanon with Jennifer's mom.  This picture is the only proof I have that  we were there!  It was a lovely week spent visiting friends, resting, and eating yummy food.  We also celebrated a big milestone -- Jonathan's first overnight away from Mommy.  It was our 4th anniversary and we had a wonderful dinner at Red Robin (have you tried their new zucchini appetizer) and an overnight to ourselves in Portland!

Grr!  I can't find the CD with pictures from our special day spent with Becky, Sammy and Reuben!  That will have to be another story for another blog post!
 

We left Lebanon on 4th of July to head North on a long mosy back to the airport in Vancouver BC.  That evening we stayed the night with our good friends in Puyallup -- Art, Kim, Shelby and Jenna.  We love this family so much and Jonathan sure had fun playing with the girls.  Here they all are exploring a "sensory box." 

We stopped to visit Aunt Marlene in Seattle, and she lives just a short walk from Cascade Locks.  Jonathan loved the fish ladder!

Yes, that is the last photo from our trip!  I have only commented on the events that I have documentation for, so for all of the dear friends we visited and did fun things with, please know you are loved and we treasure the memories in our hearts.

I'm still feeling rather schizophrenic about our trip, now that I've been home for a month.  It was wonderful to visit family and to reconnect with friends -- but mostly I remember how tired I was most of the time.   I don't recommend month-long (short) trips around the world with small toddlers while pregnant.   I am so thankful to my helpful husband during all of our travels, and our family was gracious to us during our many times of adjustment.

We had some wonderful blessings during our airplane trips, such as the gift of 2 extra seats during one 6 hour flight and another 12 hour flight that surprisingly turned into a mere 8 hour flight.  There are other moments from our flight that are better left forgotten -- like 2 hours or more of turbulence so bad that even all of the flight crew had to be seated and belted, forced to hold a crying Jonathan on my lap while learning to use an airplane vomit bag for the first time in my life!  

So yes, it's GOOD to be home and back into a routine.  We've moved in a new house and are still getting settled.  Dave starts official teacher's meetings next week.  Jonathan, who was sleeping through the night consistently before we left, is still waking up about twice each night after our return.  So we are doing a lot of retraining.

I think this post may sound a little whiny so please forgive me for that!  We are SO thankful for everything we experienced and everyone we saw and especially God's faithfulness in all things little and big!