The Echerds

Self-portrait Attempts

2012-02-11T06:16:00.001-05:00

These are getting more difficult now that Eliana wants to grab the camera. Fun times!

Eyes

2012-02-10T05:01:00.001-05:00

Gotta' love those big, beautiful eyes (whatever color they are!)!

A Little Taste of Home

2012-02-04T11:59:00.001-05:00

So, like every other American woman I've become a user of Pinterest. I'm mostly using it to find new recipes and some ideas for things to do with Eliana. And, mostly I've found recipes for desserts that I want to try but I have found a few regular food recipes that looked tasty and tonight we tried this- a copycat recipe for Chick-fil-a chicken nuggets. Since we are VERY far away from any CFA I thought it would be fun and though they were labor intensive, they were delicious and a wonderful treat to have every now and then. The best part for me was that Drew ended up doing all the work and I just had to eat them! I don't think I'd take the time to make them if we lived in the US but like I said, it was worth it for a special treat.

Thanks Pinterest!

More Practice

2012-02-03T10:09:00.001-05:00

Eliana is working hard on this crawling thing. I'm having fun watching her try and learn. If we are able to have another baby some day I have a feeling I won't be able to take in all of these little details as easily so I'm enjoying every minute of it while it lasts!

Look at me go!

Don't you wish you could pull off wearing a fleece one-piece during the day!

And, one shot just because she is beautiful!

Moving...or at Least Thinking About It

2012-02-02T02:12:00.000-05:00

Eliana is getting closer and closer to crawling every day. Right now she's moving backwards pretty well by scooting around and yesterday started going from a sitting to a crawling position. Two nights ago I got a few pics of her hanging out and thinking about moving. As always, too cute to handle!

Love her crazy hair!

Eliana These Days

2012-01-31T21:34:00.000-05:00

Lately there has been a shortage of Eliana postings so I wanted to put something up today. I recorded two short videos showing a little of where she is these days...wanting to be next to me almost all the time! They really aren't that exciting, but for the family-types who've been missing seeing their baby girl, it should do the trick.

Enjoy!

New Friends

2012-01-27T23:53:00.001-05:00

My introverted nature makes meeting new people a little more difficult for me so when one of my extroverted friends told me about some new ladies she had met at a local store I took the opportunity to go with her to meet them one day. It was really a good deal for both of us because it allowed me to meet some new people and I have more language than my friend so she was able to interact more with my help.

So anyway, we had a nice time talking and then they invited us to come back for lunch on Friday. Awesome! So, I left Eliana with another friend and we went and had kurutob, a dish with a fried flat bread, sesame oil, strong sour cream/yogurt and some veggies. It's one of my favorite dishes here and we had a good time hanging out and spending some time with two of the ladies. I hope for more such outings in the future!

Thank you Lord for friends!

Snow...Again!

2012-01-26T00:05:00.003-05:00

I think it has snowed every week, except for one, since November here. In addition, the temperature hasn't been more than 50 degrees since November either. Needless to say, the snow has lost it glamour. However, I am thankful for the snow because it's very good for the earth and it means that we'll have plenty of power in the summer, since all our power is hydroelectric. I'm also thankful that the weather was not like this last winter when I was having to walk outside to go to the bathroom. That would have been much less fun and makes me even more thankful for my indoor quarters!

Anyway, the snow is always pretty so I got a few pictures this morning to share with you. Enjoy! May those of you having a very mild winter live vicariously through us!

Watch Out World

2012-01-24T11:15:00.003-05:00

Or at least all the drivers in our city, because I have my documents now and can finally drive! Woo-hoo! I hadn't wanted to drive until now but I've decided I think it's time so Drew got me my documents and I'm ready to go. With these two things...

(No, it doesn't matter that this one is expired because the other one is the really important one.)

I'm legal! I want to go out with Drew first and let him help me navigate and learn the rules some (you don't have to pass any tests here to get your license) and then I'll try on my own. Driving here is a whole different ball game than in the U.S. (much looser interpretation of the laws by fellow drivers, lots of getting pulled over, the need to be aggressive and not many women drive, just to name a few) and I don't plan on doing it often but I think I'm ready. We'll see how things go and then decide if I should renew it in the summer.

Here's to many new adventures!

Eight Months

2012-01-18T11:30:00.002-05:00

Eliana was eight months old on Monday! Amazing! She's had a great month and continues to bring us such joy every day. I think the biggest thing we've noticed this month about Eliana is her continued growing love of people. She really just loves engaging people. She will look around a room and find people to engage with and talk to them and smile and wave her hands. We recently talked with Drew's mom on his Ipod touch and Eliana even interacted with her on the tiny screen of the Ipod. It's crazy!

This month Eliana has tried lots and lots of new foods, since we were in Turkey. Now that we're back here her diet isn't as varied, but she eats great and eats pretty much everything. She's still nursing five times a day and eating solids three times a day. I don't think I'm going to drop the dream feed/fifth feed yet since she's still so small. I think she needs the calories and since I can feed her around 9 or 9:30 and she sleeps until 7 it's really not too much trouble. She's still taking a two-hour morning and afternoon nap and a catnap around 5pm.

I took Eliana to the doctor's office today and she weighed in at a whopping 14 lbs and 13 oz, which is 7% so she's staying right on her curve. We measured her at 27 inches, which is 49% so she's a bit of a string bean. She's finally grown out of most of her 3-6 month clothes, though those pants still fit, and is wearing mostly 6-9 month clothes. I just got everything out that we have for winter and am hoping she can use most of it.

Eliana loves to stand up and would do it all the time if she could. I'm working to push her a little bit more to learn to crawl by making her spend more time on her belly, even though she doesn't love it. She's very active in her crib and moves around a lot and today was the first time I saw her roll from front to back outside of her crib. She can also take steps while holding on to our hands.

Eliana is definitely a big fan of me right now and usually if I'm around she won't stay with other people so I just leave so she can be with other people. I think being in Turkey was good for her and she's playing a lot better by herself right now.

Eliana enjoys bath time but is still pretty cautious and gently splashes and plays around. I think she's going to be a fairly cautious kid.

I can't believe we're eight months in. It's amazing! Eliana is such a joy to us and we just love spending time with her and seeing her grow and develop. We never thought we'd be so in love with just watching a baby. It's crazy! What a blessing!

Here are some shots of her eight month shoot (she finally figured out there was a puppy to play with so that added a lot of fun to the shoot!) and all of the shots at the bottom in a slideshow:

Jumping...well, sliding is more like it!

2012-01-17T11:27:00.001-05:00

While looking through some toys a friend gave us, I found a Johnny Jumper! I was so excited! I have wanted one but didn't think I had the option so it was a great surprise. Eliana has been enjoying playing in it and though she hasn't gotten up the nerve (or had the idea) to jump, she likes sliding around and pushing off the door frames. She also got her first balloon at a restaurant this weekend and it adds a little extra fun to the sliding experience. Fun times!

Notice the little tear under her eye that was still there after being sad that I walked away from her. So sad!

Yikes!

2012-01-14T23:59:00.000-05:00

You never know when something is going to melt, break or just quit working around here. It's just how life goes. Saturday night we had two things happen...first I smelled something strange near the kitchen and asked Drew to come check and he found that an outlet had melted in Eliana's room. I'm thankful I noticed the smell and we found it quickly. I think our noses are more sensitive now.

Then, I was putting a batch of cookie bars in the oven and as I was closing the door the glass just shattered. It was crazy! Thankfully I wasn't hurt and the linoleum didn't melt from the hot glass. God was gracious tonight! We are always so grateful for his protection. I'm hoping the landlord will get us a new oven, since it is as old as dirt anyway, but Drew suggested she might just replace the door so I'll try not to get my hopes up.

Anyway, just a glimpse into how life goes here. Maybe I'll take my unbaked cookie bars to one of the neighbors and ask to use their oven and have a chance to hang out. We'll see!

Something New Everyday

2012-01-14T06:39:00.001-05:00

It seems like Eliana is doing something new everyday and this week it's been making new sounds. One day she starting sucking in air and squeeking and then the next she was clicking her tongue. We got a little video of her doing it, though it's a little hard to hear. It happens around the 30-second mark and you can hear us say that she did it. If anything, it's a fun video for the family and a way for us to remember this fun phase. :-)

Practicing Standing

2012-01-13T11:45:00.001-05:00

Eliana has not seemed to have much interest in crawling but this week has been very interested in pulling up to standing when holding our hands. Today we got out a toy given to us by some friends and Drew put her hands on the top of the toy and let go and she stood by herself...for quite a long time too. She even moved down one side and transferred her hands to the other side. It was really amazing. Who knows? Maybe she'll skip crawling and go straight to walking? She's still a long way from that but it's a start!

Here are some pictures and a little video at the end. I stopped the video right before she transferred to the other side of the toy unfortunately. You can get the drift though! Such a big girl!

Our Little World Traveler

2012-01-11T06:36:00.000-05:00

Just chillin' on the plane...

Swimming

2012-01-07T14:57:00.004-05:00

Another first for Eliana this week was the swimming pool! The water was pretty cold to her Mama and Daddy so we didn't stay in long but she seemed to enjoy it and not mind the cold water, which surprised me because I certainly minded it. She didn't enjoy having her head put under the water, but other than that did great. A little girl let us borrow a floaty ring too so Eliana also got to try that out. So many new experiences!

Dinner

2012-01-07T14:53:00.003-05:00

Eliana has really enjoyed eating this week at our conference. She has tried many different foods- more than I can even remember- and just loved them all. It's been so fun feeding her and seeing her sit like such a big girl at the table. I got a couple of pictures of her with Drew after dinner one night. I couldn't miss the opportunity for another cute picture!

Eliana and the Beach

2012-01-04T11:01:00.000-05:00

We are in Turkey this week for a company conference and the hotel we're staying in is on the Mediterranean Sea. It is so beautiful and I was so excited for Eliana to see the beach and the sea for the first time. I absolutely love the beach and it's definitely one of the things I miss the most living where we live, which is very FAR away from any beach. In fact, I was so happy to be here that when I walked out and heard the waves Monday I started crying. It had been almost a year and a half since I'd seen the beach so I was pretty excited. What a blessing!

Anyway, we took Eliana out and got some pictures and put her feet in the water, since it's a bit too cold for a full dip. At least we can say she was here!

Here are some pictures...

Soli Nav

2012-01-01T03:45:00.002-05:00

So as I've mentioned before, people here don't celebrate Christmas but instead celebrate Soli Nav or New Year's. Much of the celebrations are similar to Christmas as far as Santa Claus and gift-giving goes. This week many stores have put up decorations and people have been out and about preparing for their celebrations. It's actually been pretty amazing to me to see how similar things look compared to our Christmas. I feel like we live in a very interesting culture with both the Muslim and Western influences. Sometimes I just can't wrap my head around it. It really is amazing. I Look forward to continue learning about this place to which we have been led.

Here are some pictures of the decor around town. I had hoped to get some pictures at night of the lights but that just didn't happen. Drew and I did end up with a fun story though! Happy New Year!

Christmas Collection

2011-12-26T01:01:00.000-05:00

Thanks to friends and grandparents, Eliana had quite the collection of Christmas clothing for this year. I had a lot of fun with it and was thankful for this little blessing of fun clothes.

Enjoy the collection...

Mom, do we really have to do this again?

Smiling, even though she was still feeling yucky.

Cute in white

Please don't make me wear my non-Christmas clothes!

Cute PJs

More cute PJs

Thanks for my outfit Mo!

The girl sleeps in style!

Beautiful Christmas dress

The one thing I actually bought!

First Christmas!

2011-12-26T00:26:00.001-05:00

Eliana's first Christmas, our first Christmas away...lots of new experiences for us this year! We had a wonderful Christmas and even though we weren't with our families, we were blessed to be able to be with our friends and to celebrate with our sweet Eliana. I just can't say enough how amazing it is to have a child after waiting to so long and to finally get to have Christmas with her was just such a blessing! I am overwhelmed with God's goodness to us.

When thinking through traditions we wanted to start with our family to try to keep the focus of Christmas more on Jesus' birth, we decided to do our Christmas gift time on Christmas Eve morning and then spend Christmas morning worshiping together as a family. Of course with Eliana being so small she didn't know what was going on, but we still did it and it was really sweet. I look forward to our times together in the future as Eliana grows.

Also, on Christmas Eve we went to our small group and had a service and then on Christmas afternoon we celebrated with friends with a meal and an afternoon of games. We were able to Skype with our families too, which was a blessing. Technology is wonderful!

Praise the Lord for the celebration of Jesus' birth! In the words of the angels, "Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth to men on whom His favor rests!"

Here are some pictures (and a video of her opening her Daddy's present at the bottom)...

Office Christmas Party

2011-12-24T00:52:00.000-05:00

We had our office Christmas party on Friday night and it was a lot of fun. The ladies cooked some great food- salads, soup, stewed meat- we played games, talked about Christmas, gave out gifts and had some yummy desserts. There were about 30 people there and it was a fun evening. We have great office staff and it was fun to have a party for them to celebrate Christmas and another great year of work.

Here are some pics of our night...

Making Cookies

2011-12-24T00:42:00.000-05:00

This week I invited the neighbor kids over to decorate sugar cookies. We had a really nice time and even though I actually didn't have all my cookie cutters, the girls had a fun time. I also shared the Christmas story in Tajik, which was fun and exciting for me.

Here are a couple of shots of us and our cookies...

Sweetness!

2011-12-24T00:38:00.001-05:00

Eliana was sick this week and the night before she got really bad she fell asleep on Drew. She never does this so we knew something was up and I had to get a picture. So sweet!

Echerd Family Pictures

2011-12-20T06:32:00.001-05:00

Well, this is really late but hey, at least I got to it!

While we were in Hickory my awesome friend Laura Leigh Moseley was kind enough to meet us at a park and take some family pictures. We wanted to get some taken since it's likely to be a long time before we're all together again. It was tricky trying to get three little kiddoes to smile at the same time, but we had fun and she got some nice shots. I'm just thankful to have had a chance to document our time together and that time in our family's life. Love you all and thanks again LL! You rock!

Here are some of my favorite shots:

Eliana and Noah playing

Cousin love

A good one, well of everyone except me at least!

Mo and Papa and their grandbabies

All the kids look a little unsure here!

Sweet baby girl

Papa and Eliana

Mo and Eliana

Love my family!

Wow!

2011-12-20T06:11:00.003-05:00

A couple of weeks ago we got an AMAZING package from some girls at PBC. Now the catch was that we didn't even recognize the names on the package or card. This was simply a group of girls who got together to send us some love. How awesome is that? The other crazy thing was that it was like we were best friends. They sent us some of our favorite things like mango mandarin body wash, clorox wipes, oreos and the exact chapstick Drew uses. It was wild!

Anyway, it was a great surprise and we were so thankful! Here's a pic of us with our loot:

Thanks ladies! You are awesome!

Seven Months!

2011-12-20T02:43:00.001-05:00

Eliana turned seven months on Friday. Once again...amazing! The months seem to be flying by now. Eliana is growing and developing every day and is just so much fun. We continue to see her love for people when we are out and about as she tries to get each person she sees to make eye contact with her. She'll talk to people and just stare at them until they look at her, which usually results in a smile from that person.

Eliana seems to be on the cautious side though, despite what seems like an extroverted personality. She really likes taking real baths now but just gently splashes. She also is great at sitting up and can sit on all fours in crawling position but doesn't seem to want to go get anything yet. She's also not really interested in rolling over. I give her lots of time on her back and she's rolled over but seems to have no desire. Oh well, more freedom for me! Those days will end soon so I'll enjoy them while they last!

Eliana is eating great and seems to really enjoy it. This month she's tried sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, apples, bananas, bread, cauliflower, broccoli, pumpkin, oatmeal, gretchka (buckwheat), chicken and eggs yolks. As you can tell I've not really abided by the 3-day rule. The only foods she hasn't really liked were the eggs, gretchka and chicken. I think she'll like the eggs and chicken in the future (the chicken and egg I gave her were pretty bland) but I don't really like gretchka either so I can't really blame her. It's really healthy though so I thought I'd try it. She usually eats oatmeal flavored with molasses and cinnamon for breakfast and then either a carrot/sweet potato combo or peas for lunch and dinner. If I have something else appropriate for her on my plate at dinner I'll share. She'll have some fruit in the afternoons or if she's still hungry after her other food. All of this is just regular food that I fix so she can eat it, mostly using my hand food mill.

I think the thing I've enjoyed most from this month is going to a four-hour schedule. I feel like I have so much more time now! It's amazing! So now she gets up around 7, sleeps from 9-11 and from 1-3 and then maybe for an hour or so around 5 and then is back down around 8 to 8:15. She nurses at 7, 11, 3 and around 6:30. I'm still doing a dream feed around 9:45 but may cut that out after we get back from our conference in January. Now that we're finally here I'm not sure I'm emotionally ready to cut it out so we'll see.

Eliana has become much more clingy to me and if I'm in the room she'd rather be with me, but if I go away she is fine. She's also getting more snuggly, which is really fun.

No teeth yet but she has been a bit off the past two days so maybe soon? I really have no idea so we'll see!

Eliana is up to 26 inches now (35%) and probably around 14.5-14.75 pounds (we had her weighed two weeks ago at her shot appointment) which is around 11%. Both Drew and I were much bigger than this at her age weight and length-wise so we're not sure who's child she really is but we'll take her! Her eyes aren't brown yet but are quite dark and sort of a gray-blue color with specks of brown around the middle.

One funny story, we went to a birthday party for the first birthday of one of our co-worker's grandsons and while there Eliana was working the crowd of ladies, as usual. Well, one of the women started talking about her grandson and asked Eliana if she wanted to be her daughter-in-law. Eliana promptly shook her head no! Of course, that's the only motion she knows how to make, but it was pretty funny and everyone laughed really hard. Good job baby girl!

Okay, that's enough. We need some pictures! We are amazed by our sweet Eliana and are so excited for our first Christmas together. I still get emotional when I think about how amazing it is that she's here. I'm so thankful!

Lovin' Some Pumpkin!

2011-12-15T06:28:00.002-05:00

Yummy Apple

2011-12-11T09:45:00.001-05:00

This month Eliana has been trying out foods for the first time and she has really enjoyed apples. Right now we just bite off a piece and make a small piece for her and let her gum it and she does really well. A couple of days ago I discovered she really enjoys just sucking on the apple and tonight Drew was feeding her and let her hold the apple and go to town. She sucked on it for at least five minutes. It was really cute and we were able to get some good shots of her. We're just loving each new stage with our beautiful baby girl!

Tree!

2011-12-10T23:12:00.001-05:00

We didn't get to bring many Christmas decorations with us and we definitely didn't bring a tree. We knew we could find something here and were just hopeful that it would be fairly nice.

Last week when I put out the decorations I did bring, it was a little sad because of how few things I have. However, we went out yesterday and found a nice little tree and I think our apartment is quite festive now! It's not the same as when we're in the US (I do have 5 huge boxes of decorations there!) but it's nice and more simple, which, in a way is nice.

Our tree is about four-feet tall and is pre-lit with LED lights and fiber optic needles and came with a pre-lit star. It's a little flashy when everything is going but with just the needles it's really pretty. I like it both ways though and even though it might be a little over-the-top for US standards, I think it's pretty fun. We were able to snag some hand-me-down ornaments and with the three we brought from the US, it looks nice. I used some fabric I bought in October and haven't done anything with for a tree skirt and I think it looks pretty fun.

Here's to a new way of Christmas!

With the flash so you can see the ornaments

Just the fiber optics

Fiber optics and LED lights

A Little Christmas Cheer

2011-12-10T22:44:00.001-05:00

Since people here don't celebrate Christmas (they do celebrate New Year's and it's similar to Christmas, but hasn't gotten started yet), there isn't a lot of Christmas cheer around. However, at the Hilton Hotel they have up decorations and I went there yesterday for a Christmas tea with other ex-pat ladies. It was really fun to see the pretty decorations and even more fun to be with other women and have a time of encouragement. We hung out, ate some delicious desserts, read the Christmas story together, shared Christmas memories and prayed for each other. It was a really sweet time for which I was very thankful. Being away from friends and family is difficult so it's nice to have friends here to spend time with, who also are far away from family and friends. The Lord is so sweet to provide this fellowship for us.

Anyway, here are a few pictures of the decor....fun times!

Merry Christmas...a little early!

2011-12-06T06:37:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving

2011-12-02T22:37:00.001-05:00

We spent Thanksgiving in Murphy with my family. Drew's parents also came down and spent the day with us, which was really special. We enjoyed lots of good food, good time with family and had fun watching the Cowboys beat the Dolphins! (Well, I enjoyed that, at least!)

I also had the chance to hang out with my friend-from-birth, Holly. We had fun going to Big Lots (the new attraction in Murphy!) and playing with Eliana. I'm so thankful to have had that time with her.

Once again, a great blessing to be with family and friends!

Eliana and Grandpa

Eliana and Holly

Drew caught us at a very funny moment

Nothing like a friend from birth

Eliana getting a Christmas gift from Nanny

Eliana eating her gift from Grandpa and Grandma

Eliana and Papaw

Early Christmas

2011-12-02T22:17:00.001-05:00

When we were in Hickory we had Christmas with Drew's side of the family. It was so much fun spending time with Uncle Matt and Aunt Olivia and letting Eliana meet her cousins Noah and Luke. The boys loved her and Noah was especially sweet, wanting to hold her and kiss her. Even though they're far away I hope our kids can be good friends and enjoy having each other as cousins.

We also had the chance to briefly visit Drew's Mamaw Moose who has Alzheimer's and isn't doing so well mentally. I'm sure she didn't really know who we were and doesn't remember we were there but Eliana brought a smile to her face so that made me happy.

What a blessing to have such sweet family time!

Here are some of my favorite pics and a slideshow at the bottom...

Staying Warm

2011-12-02T04:16:00.001-05:00

Since I don't have a car to drive around during the day, keeping Eliana warm when we're out is a little more difficult. Plus, people here are a little obsessed with keeping babies warm so keeping up with their standards is also important. Fortunately we got a couple of great outfits for Eliana to wear when we're out and about so she'll stay warm and the natives will be happy with me. Here is one that was given to her by her great-great Aunt Ann. So cute!

I'm Getting So Big!

2011-11-30T23:14:00.001-05:00

While we were gone Eliana perfected her sitting-up skills and is really good at it now! I think it was because she saw Felicity doing it so well and she wanted to be like her!

Anyway, I just think she's so cute sitting up and playing all by herself and that she just looks like such a big girl. It's really amazing! I wonder if I'll be as enamored by all these milestones in the lives of any future children we may be blessed with!

Here are some cute shots of her playing and a short video at the end (note the jet-lag whining at the end of the video!)...

Houston, We Have a Problem

2011-11-29T04:56:00.001-05:00

Our bumper pads for our crib have been a work in progress and while we were in the US Drew's Mamaw actually gave us a set to bring back. Before we had a chance to put them on this is how we found Eliana a couple of days ago...

Don't worry, she was fine and we changed the pads that day. Please don't report me to the SIDS commission. We are doing our best to rectify the situation and in the meantime, snapping pictures when they're too cute to pass up!

Six Months

2011-11-24T21:00:00.001-05:00

As I mentioned earlier, Eliana turned six months old last Wednesday! I can't believe we're already halfway through our first year with Eliana. She is so sweet and getting more and more fun each day. We've had such a great time showing her off over the past three weeks and are so thankful for this time that we've had with our families.

I feel like Eliana has changed so much over this past month. She is sitting on her own now, making almost-consonant sounds, shaking her head back and forth, on a four-hour schedule, sleeping without her swaddle and eating solid food. Eliana has such a fun personality and just loves being around people and being the center of attention. She had her first nursery experience, went on her first trans-Atlantic flight and saw the Grand Canyon.

Eliana is quite the little-bit. We took her to a pediatrician's office in Raleigh and she was all of 13lbs. 3oz, which is about 6%. We measured her at around 25 inches (I think we didn't measure correctly last month! Sometimes not having a doctor to do these things has a bit of an impact), which is about 20%. I recently discovered that at six months I weighed 20lbs and was 28.5in. She obviously isn't taking after me! All of her 3-6 month clothes still fit very well.

We also had Bianca's father-in-law look at her since he is a pediatrician, and despite her stature, she is doing well and he felt like she was right where she needed to be, which was encouraging, since no one has really looked at her since we were in Turkey.

I am still amazed that we have a baby. I never could have imagined how amazing it is to be a mom and I'm just so incredibly thankful God has given me this privilege. Sometimes I wonder how I could love another baby so much; how my heart could have room to love more. I am even more amazed that God loves us all that way. I just can't fathom it but am so thankful!

Here are her puppy shots...

Happy 6 Months sweet girl!

Kissing Cousins

2011-11-22T21:34:00.001-05:00

Luke loves his cousin Eliana!

So does Noah but we didn't get any pictures of them kissing! :-)

A Lifestyle of Good-byes

2011-11-20T21:25:00.001-05:00

One of the hardest things about the life God has called us to is the constant saying of good-byes to the people we love. I have been reminded of this reality during our trip here in the US. Just this evening we said good-bye again to Drew's sister, her husband and our two beautiful, sweet nephews, Noah and Luke. We had a great time hanging out this weekend but it was so sad to leave again. I hate missing family events. I hate missing seeing Noah and Luke continue to grow. I hate that they and Eliana can't be together more and be the cousins to each other that I never had growing up.

I hate that last weekend I had to say good-bye to my brother again and that I don't get to hang out with my new sister-in-law over Thanksgivings and Christmases and games of Spades.

I hate that our parents don't get to see Eliana on a regular basis and that she misses out on having her grandparents love on her. I hate that in five short days we'll say good-bye to them once again and that we have no idea when we'll see each other again.

I hate not getting to do life with our amazing friends and church family who have loved us and supported us over the years. I hate that every visit seems too short and ends in tears.

You see, I think that sometimes people hear what we do and think we're crazy or have a horrible life here in the US. Why else would we move halfway across the world to live a life most people can't imagine away from our family, friends and the comforts of life in the US? How could we take our daughter away from her grandparents? It doesn't seem rational and in reality it isn't. You see, it's all about Jesus and His call on our lives. It's all about the fact that He said we must hate our families in order to truly follow Him. It's about the fact that He's called us to go to the nations; to those who've never heard and share with them about Jesus so they don't spend eternity separated from Him.

So, as we've been here the past two weeks I have reveled in the fleeting moments we've had with our family and friends. I have soaked in the sweet sounds and sights of our parents holding Eliana and spending time with her. I have cried tears of sadness and lonliness as I once again said good-bye to the people who I love the most in my life.

But when I stand on my apartment balcony and look at the people walking by who are lost and have likely never heard the truth I will once again know I am where I am supposed to be. As I sit with Eliana telling her about the amazing people in her life who are far away I will also tell her that Jesus loves the Tajik people so much that we have to be there telling them about Him. And when I'm tired, lonely and frustrated with life in Central Asia I will remember the sacrifice Jesus made in obedience to His Father so that I could have eternal life with Him and rest in the knowledge that my small sacrifices in this life give glory to the One who sacrificed it all.

Food!

2011-11-19T09:26:00.001-05:00

Eliana turned six months (that post to come later) on Wednesday. After going to public health school and studying a lot about breastfeeding I knew I wanted to exclusively breastfeed for six months and even though at times I thought we might not make, we did! I am so proud to have accomplished that! So, on Wednesday we gave Eliana her first real food, sweet potato, and she did great! It was a little emotional seeing her sit in the high chair with her bib and look like such a big girl but she was ready and so was I so it was good. She's been eating more each day and seems to really like it. A whole new world is opening up for us. Fun times!

Here are some pics (not all from the first time) and a video (from the first time)...

Pictures!

2011-11-18T17:23:00.001-05:00

Our sweet friends, Josh and Bianca, treated us to some studio photos of Eliana. We've not been able to have any professional pictures taken of her so this was a fun treat. We ended up spending enough money to get a CD with all the pictures, which I was excited about even though you can't print them. We got lots of great prints too to share with family and friends. It was a fun time and Eliana did great, hamming it up for the camera like she'd been doing it for years. Thanks Josh and Bianca! Here are some of my favorites...

Future BFFs (or BFFFB)

2011-11-14T14:14:00.001-05:00

This weekend Eliana met my best friend's new daughter, Felicity. Felicity is only about five weeks older than Eliana so we've been excited for them to meet ever since they were born. Danielle already has two other kids and being pregnant together and having kids the same age is something we've always wanted to happen and the Lord finally allowed it with Felicity and Eliana. We had so much fun letting them meet each other and "play" with each other and of course, getting some really cute pictures. My only regret is not having more time with each other.

So, someday when the girls are older and they are BFFs they can say they're also BFFFB, best friends from birth!

Here are some pics of the two cuties...

Wedding!

2011-11-13T12:10:00.001-05:00

Well, the wedding is over! We had such a great time and are so thankful we were able to be here. Blake and Melissa did a great job planning everything and really created a beautiful wedding. It was such a blessing and honor to be a part of. We are also so excited to have a new family member and look forward to many years of life together, even though we're far away. Melissa you are beautiful and a perfect mate for Blake. Welcome to the family! Blake, I love you so much and am so thankful to not only have a brother but a great friend. You are a blessing to me! Congrats to you both!

Here are some pics...

Grand Canyon

2011-11-10T22:33:00.001-05:00

So we're in Phoenix, AZ for my brother's wedding and today we took the four-hour trip up to the Grand Canyon. It was a long day and I'm exhausted (and so is Eliana!) but it was totally worth it. Words certainly cannot describe how amazing the canyon is. We were all pretty awestruck. Pictures also cannot accurately depict the amazingness but I'll post a few of my favorites and then the album will be at the end. If you get a chance, go see the Grand Canyon. You won't regret it!

Family Fun!

2011-11-08T07:45:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the delay in blogging but we've been busy having fun with the family! We got in on Saturday after a long and tiring, but good, trip and have been enjoying resting and relaxing and enjoying family and friends. Drew's dad has been taking bunches of pictures for us so I'll post a few of my favorites and then a slide show with all of them. Eliana is being spoiled rotten and loving it and even though I'm going to have my work cut out for me when we get back it's worth it. So thankful to be here!

Enjoy!

Reuniting after almost six months (that's one tired baby!)

Bianca surprised us at the airport!

Eliana and Mamaw (Drew's grandmother)

Eliana and Pop (Drew's grandfather)

Too cute baby girl!

Eliana with her Aunt Liv

Beautiful, smiley baby

Eliana playing with Aunt Laura and Uncle Jim

Just Having Some Fun

2011-10-29T03:25:00.000-04:00

Pie Crust Success

2011-10-26T09:52:00.001-04:00

So I have never been able to get the hang of making pie crusts and while living in the US I never really had the motivation to try too hard because I could find perfectly acceptable crusts in the freezer section of my local grocery store. Well, luxuries like that are not to be found in Central Asia. I've attempted to make a few in the past but they never turned out well. They'd be lumpy or too wet or something else. As a result I've been discouraged to try again and haven't made one in awhile.

Well, when Bianca came she brought me several cans of pumpkin that Julie sent so I decided it was time to make pumpkin pie, which would require me to try once again to make a crust. I was determined to make it work so yesterday I got a recipe given to me by a friend and tried it. I slowly and thoroughly incorporated the butter into the flour using my pastry blender (which I highly recommend!) and then carefully added the cold water, just adding enough to let it come together (in the past I think I've added too much water). Then I carefully divided the dough into two pieces, put some flour out and rolled it into a nice almost circle. It was so easy and looked great and came together perfectly! I was so proud! Now I don't know how to make fancy edges but overall it looked wonderful and tasted great too when it was cooked. And the best part is that I have another one in the freezer for next time. I think the key was being slow and deliberate, something I'm not always good at. I can officially say I can make pie crust and it's not painful! It's amazing what you can do when you have no other options! Here's to many more pies in our future!

Here are a few pics of my pretty crust!

Exersaucer Fun

2011-10-25T00:04:00.001-04:00

As Eliana continues to hone her grabbing skills the exercauser is becoming more and more fun. Here are some pics of her exploring and enjoying this great toy! They also show how much her hair is growing! And no, she has no signs of teeth yet even though most everything goes into her mouth and she drools a lot. Just an FYI for those of you who might be curious!

Five Months!

2011-10-19T09:38:00.001-04:00

It's hard to believe that Eliana turned five months old on Sunday! I feel like time is flying by now. I can't believe it's almost time to give her solids (there have been times I thought that day would never come!) and that soon she'll be halfway through her first year. Amazing!

This month Eiana's big developments are holding and grabbing things and sitting up. I feel like all of these things just happened so quickly. It was like all of a sudden a light switch turned on and she was doing them. I just find it so fascinating to watch her developing.

I took her to the doctor's office to weigh her but that scale said she'd only gained 3 oz. over the month (12 lbs. 5 oz) but I really don't think that's right because she feels like she's gained more than that so I weighed her with me at a friend's house and that scale said 14 lbs. So, she's somewhere in between that. We measured her at around 25.75 inches. I hope we can find somewhere to get her weighed and measured for real when we're in the US next month.

Eliana's developed a bit of separation anxiety this month and is less happy playing by herself and being with our Tajik friends. We're working on both these things! She still loves to talk and loves being in a group of people. She'll just talk and talk. No consonant sounds yet but she uses her voice well! She is the center of attention at our small group on Sundays as all the big kids just love her and want to play with her. It's really cute!

She's still only staying up for about 1 1/2 hours at a time, but can go longer if we're out and about. That means we're still on a 3-hour schedule and eating six times a day. Most nights she's still sleeping well but she's had a cold for a few days and has been waking up earlier than I'd like some days but that's okay. She's still a great sleeper. We are going to have to make bumper pads for her crib though because she's started to move a lot and hit her head and get her feet caught, which wakes her up at night.

Eliana's 3-6 month clothes fit very well and probably will for some time. She can still wear most of her 0-3 month clothes, they're just too thin to wear now. It was really sad to start putting that stuff up. They were her first clothes after all! I'm now experiencing all those emotions I've always heard about and never understood.

I've not started any solids yet. I'm planning on waiting for another month but we'll see if she needs them before then. I think she'll be fine but I'm keeping an eye on it.

So yeah, things are going well. We just love Eliana so much and are so thankful for another month with her. I can't wait to see what this month holds, especially as we travel back to the US and meet lots of new people.

Here are her five month photos...

Our Little Diva

2011-10-16T02:05:00.002-04:00

Drew's mom bought Eliana the most adorable little fur coat for winter and at night now it's cool enough to wear it so we got it out the other day for our before-bed walk. I have to say, I think we have a little diva on our hands! Thanks Mo!

These little hat with ear are very popular here and came in a gift from a local friend. I'm not a huge fan of the ears but it's all we have right now so we went with it. And, I do think it actually looks pretty cute!

Chillin'

2011-10-16T01:41:00.000-04:00

Eliana's Latest Trick

2011-10-15T12:03:00.000-04:00

Pretty cool, at least to me it is! She can only do it if she's leaning on her hands but I'm pretty impressed. I know, I know, soon she'll be going to college! :-)

Pooped!

2011-10-13T22:27:00.000-04:00

Eliana must have spent some time playing in her crib before she started crying one morning because this is what happened after about 10 minutes of laying in the floor...

She had never fallen asleep in the floor before this. She slept for about 40 minutes and then woke up for awhile and then went back down for her real nap. She tried it again the next day but I put a stop to that. I don't want this to become a habit. It was pretty darn cute though!

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'

2011-10-13T12:15:00.001-04:00

Eliana has been rolling over for quite some time now but every time I tried to capture it on camera she wouldn't do it. Finally, I got her! It took about four minutes, but I got it! Here's the progression. Each clip is about one minute and she rolls over at the very beginning of the last video. This won't be that exciting for anyone but the grandparents but I wanted to post it anyway. She does a few cute things along the way so watch if you'd like but, like I said, the main event is in the final video! (P.S. I have no idea why the first video is so much bigger!)

Ready For Bed

2011-10-11T23:19:00.002-04:00

Family Pic

2011-10-11T12:35:00.001-04:00

Since Bianca was here we had her snap a couple of pics of the three of us. I think Eliana looks so tiny!

Week Full of Fun!

2011-10-09T22:58:00.002-04:00

Well, Bianca has left and my heart is sad but I'm so thankful for our week together. It was awesome! I had so much fun showing her around the city, introducing her to our friends, letting her get to know Eliana, watching "Gilmore Girls" and of course talking! It's really hard to be away from our friends and family so this week was so special. Thanks Bianca for coming and spending a week away from your family to be with us. I'm so thankful! Thanks to Josh for being a superhero husband and staying at home with the babies. I'm so thankful! I can't wait to see you guys in November!

Oh yeah, we LOVE having guests so please know you are always welcome here!!!!

Here are some pics from the week...

Chillin'

2011-10-01T10:14:00.001-04:00

Rattle!

2011-09-30T12:43:00.001-04:00

Eliana has begun to be able to hold on to some things and really enjoys holding a little rattle that Mo gave her. She doesn't fully reach for the rattle but can hold it when we put it close to her hand. I got a few cute shots of her with the rattle in her hand and of course, also in her mouth, since that's where everything goes these days!

Now that it's cool enough to leave the door to the balcony open the bugs have gotten Eliana's face at night. She's just too sweet!

Sorry for the view up my nose but I thought her face was way too cute!

All these developments are pretty amazing to me! God is such a creative God and I'm so thankful to be able to watch Eliana grow. What a blessing!

Do I Look Like Mama or Daddy?

2011-09-28T12:05:00.000-04:00

So, Drew and I still aren't set on who we think Eliana looks more like. Most people these days say that she looks like Drew but we still aren't sure. We don't have many pictures of us when we were babies here with us but we do have a couple so here are pictures of Drew and me at around the same age as Eliana is now. What do you think? Mama or Daddy?

Watch Out Jane Fonda!

2011-09-24T12:15:00.000-04:00

So Blake and Melissa gave Eliana some really cute headbands that finally fit her so I put a couple on this week. I just love them and think they're so adorable but something about the headband with her little cotton pants just makes me think 80's aerobics and Jane Fonda. All she needs is some legwarmers and watch out Jane Fonda, you've got some competition! Dressing a little girl is so fun!

Eliana's New Ride

2011-09-22T09:04:00.001-04:00

I ordered this sling from the US and had my parents send it to me in my birthday box. I really like it and think it will work well. She does a pretty good job riding in it. I think it will be a little better when she's big enough to be on my hip. She leans forward quite a bit right now making it a little uncomfortable so we'll just see how it goes. It was on sale really cheap so I figured it was worth a try!

Wedding

2011-09-21T04:02:00.001-04:00

We were able to attend another wedding this weekend. Once it again it was loud and crazy but was cooler than before because there were snake guys and a fire eater. Crazy! We had a fun time dancing and enjoyed some good food. It was also a double wedding, with one of the grooms (who works for our office) and his sister getting married at the same time. That's a great way to save some money!

Enjoy some pics from the big day and a video of the fire eater!

Four Months!

2011-09-20T05:34:00.000-04:00

Eliana turned four months old on Friday! Life has been crazy busy since then, which is why I'm late posting about it. She is doing great and is more and more fun every day. In the beginning there were times that I wondered if I'd actually make it to four months and now we're here and life is good! We have a great rhythm going and I'm just loving being a mom.

At her doctor's appointment she weighed around 12lb 2oz (17%) and we measured her at a little more than 25 inches (87%). She is definitely filling out more and more in her face and her legs.

Eliana is still on a three-hour schedule and pretty much consistently stays up for 1.5 hours and sleeps for 1.5 hours during the day. She has her last feeding between 10 and 10:30 and then generally sleeps until around 7am. Now if she wakes up in the night, I can get up and give her her pacifier and she'll go back to sleep. It's so nice to not have to nurse her at night now and just get our day started at 7. She did have a growth spurt this month so that threw us off for a few days but she's back on schedule now.

Eliana has rolled over from stomach to back in both directions but has only done it a few times. Mostly she doesn't love tummy time but tolerates it. She likes standing in her exersaucer and sitting in the bouncy seat. She's gotten less interested in laying on her playmat and almost always cries when I lay her down to change her diaper or clothes. I have to talk it up a lot to keep her calm. I guess she just likes being up! She'll also hang out in her carseat too, which is good. Lately she's been a little less content being by herself when I'm doing things around the house so I got a sling and will be using it when necessary.

Eliana loves to talk and seems to really love people. Last Friday we had a bunch of people over for my birthday and she was awake from 4-8:30 just hanging out with everyone. I hope this trend continues as it makes events that like much more fun for Drew and me.

Eliana loves sucking on her hands and fingers and is a drooling machine! She also grabs on to skin, hair and clothing with a grip that will leave a mark when her nails are long. She still only uses the pacifier for sleeping and mostly spits it out after she falls asleep.

Eliana is not grabbing things yet and hasn't found her feet. Maybe she's going to be like me and have less than spectacular hand-eye coordination. She's also still sweats a lot! I think Drew passed that gene on to her. Her head just gets drenched when it's warm outside.

Eliana loves to ride in cars and just sits and looks around when we're riding. it's really cute. She also does well when we're talking on Skype with family and when we're watching a show on the computer. I think she really likes the lights on the screen.

So yeah, we're doing great! It was a year ago on Friday that we found out that I was pregnant and each day we're still amazed we get to experience this gift of a child. I never thought I'd be able to and I'm overwhelmed with God's goodness to us. Eliana is such an amazing gift! We love her and just enjoy her so much!

Here are some shots from the four-month shoot and then a slideshow with all of them...

Party!

2011-09-18T04:03:00.001-04:00

Here is it customary for you to throw yourself a birthday party on your birthday. This is because in our culture it is more honorable to host than to be hosted. So, Drew and I threw a party for my birthday last night. We invited the two families we've interacted with in our stairwell, which would have been quite a few people if they'd come. Well, 30 minutes after we'd told them to come no one was here yet, which was not unusual, but we had a TON of food so we wanted a back-up plan. So we called some more people and were able to get one of our teammates and our language teacher and her daughter to come over. They, along with two of our neighbors ended up coming- all ladies. So, Drew mostly did the serving and I hung out with the guests. As usual, Eliana was a big hit, despite being a little more fussy than normal. It was a fun night and we are thankful to have thrown our first Tajik party. I hope to have more interactions with our neighbors in the future and even though not everyone came, I hope it opens up doors for relationships.

We went all out and tried to make the party as Tajik as possible. We served everything on the dasterhone- tablecloth on the floor with korpachas to sit on. My househelper made two local salads for me. One is called Francuski and has beets, cabbage, spicy carrots, kielbasa and crispy potatoes held together by mayonnaise. The second is called Oliviay and is a type of potato salad with carrots, kielbasa and peas, also held together by mayonnaise. I really like both of these salads and they were delicious. We also had meat and veggies platters, cookie/candy plates, cake, fruit, bread and we made pizza for the American touch. We had a TON of food and TON leftover but that is normal here. People are just so generous and like I said, the honor is in hosting so everyone always goes over the top.

Everyone also brought small gifts and we actually ended up with a box of wine, which was very surprising. Not sure what I'm going to do with it, but it was nice. Like I said, we have a ton of food left over so we'll be working on getting rid of that this week.

Here are some pictures of the night. Be sure to see the pictures at the end of the potato salad and how much was eaten of the six plates we served. It was a fun night, but a lot of work and I'm thankful it's over! It made me appreciate all the work people put in to throwing parties here. Good times!

Birthday Breakfast

2011-09-18T03:34:00.000-04:00

My birthday was Friday and Saturday morning Drew and I went out to breakfast at the Hyatt. They have a breakfast buffet on the weekends and we got a babysitter and went out. It was so much fun! The food was delicious, even though it was a little pricey and we had a lot of fun just relaxing and hanging out sans baby. It was our first time out alone since she was born. I didn't worry too much and was able to relax and have a good time. Here are some pictures of our morning...

Moving on Up

2011-09-18T03:27:00.000-04:00

This week I tried on one of Eliana's 3-6 months dresses. It was a little big but definitely worked. She's getting so big!

Haircut and Fun with Daddy

2011-09-13T07:44:00.001-04:00

I finally got a haircut this weekend! I hadn't had one since before we left for Turkey so it was high time! I definitely had the busy new mom look and it wasn't good. So, I went extreme and am very happy. The best part is that it only cost about $7! I don't think I'll wait so long next time.

Also, Eliana took a little ride on Daddy's shoulder this weekend and it was much more successful than her time on my shoulders. I think we'll stick with this being a Daddy-only activity. (Great idea Anna!)

Just for Fun

2011-09-09T06:46:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures of Eliana from this week...

What's up peeps?

That flash is bright!

That's better!

Nevermind!

I love my exersaucer!

Wow!

Hey Mama!

Check out my hair!

Just Mama and Me

2011-09-05T23:40:00.000-04:00

Making Life a Bit Easier...and Having Some Fun Too

2011-09-05T06:41:00.003-04:00

So, before moving into this apartment I didn't know that people actually made ovens with no temperature control. I simply had never even thought about this being an issue. All ovens can be set to 350 degrees, right? Wrong! Our oven here only has three settings...both burners, top burner only and bottom burner only. In addition, it doesn't actually work on the top only setting. Needless to say this makes baking a bit more interesting. Fortunately we brought an oven thermometer with us so I have been able to use the oven. I have just had to check the oven every five minutes or so while baking and then either turn the oven off or back on to keep the temperature in check.

Well, Drew being the handy guy that he is, wanted to fix this problem without having to buy a new oven. Enter the arduino! I won't even attempt to explain how it all works but the bottom line is that Drew built me something to control the oven. Eventually it will also work to pasteurize our milk and make yogurt. He's so cool! He made a video of the contraption for anyone interested in learning about it. If you're not, just play it briefly so you can see what it looks like since I didn't take any pictures.

Here's to making life easier!

Drew's Oven Temperature Controller Project from Drew on Vimeo.

Saturday Afternoon

2011-09-03T09:08:00.001-04:00

Here are some Saturday afternoon pics of Eliana, including a couple showcasing her excellent spit-bubble blowing abilities...

I'm seeing this one making the wedding slideshow!

Eid 2011

2011-09-01T05:18:00.000-04:00

We have really enjoyed our first Eid here in our country. The Eid marks the end of Ramazan and is one of the biggest holidays in our country. The first day was yesterday and people will continue celebrating through the weekend. The celebrating started early yesterday morning with children ringing our doorbell beginning around 6:15am wanting candy or gum. Unfortunately we forgot our gum and candy so we weren't able to contribute but I saw some of their bags out of the window and they weren't lacking. Kids were coming until around 11am. I'm glad I had our door locked too because some kids felt free to try to come right in!

People were out and about on the streets from around 7am on. People were dressed up and everyone was happy. People go to neighbor's and family's houses throughout the day and have sweets and soups. We were told soup is served on this holiday because it's easy to keep hot and you don't have to work hard for it. We went to two houses- the family we lived with during the winter and one of the ladies who works at our office. Both places had wonderful food and we had a great time relaxing and hanging out. Today we went to our language teacher's house and had more good food. Tajiks are so hospitable it just amazes me! I would never think to be so generous when having guests. They just amaze me!

I didn't get many pictures but I did get two of the food from both days. Here's a glimpse into how you are treated when you are a guest here:

So yeah, it's been a fun couple of days. We look forward to many more opportunities to celebrate with our friends! Come and celebrate with us some time. We'd love to have you!

Bad Idea

2011-08-30T12:11:00.000-04:00

The other day I thought it would be fun to put Eliana on my shoulders. It wasn't! She quickly clamped down onto my hair and wouldn't let go and Drew thought it was so hilarious that instead of helping me he just recorded the whole thing. Eventually I was able to get her off but it was a lot of work. I'll spare you the video but here are a couple of pictures Drew took before my triceps starting melting down! I think I'll wait awhile before I try that trick again!

She quickly calmed down and didn't really make a peep the whole time. Go figure!

Finally!

2011-08-28T01:09:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I, well actually Drew did most of the work, made the crib sheet for Eliana's crib out of the fabric I bought in March! The precipitating factor was that every time I got Eliana up from her nap I noticed that her hair was really smelling badly so I figured it was time to wash the other sheet, making me also decide it was time to get down to business and make that sheet!

I won't bore you with the details. We used this tutorial: http://www.michaelmillerfabrics.com/Blog/Fitted_Crib_Sheet_Tutorial.pdf. I taught Drew to sew and he did most of the work because I was feeding Eliana. He did a great job! I think it looks so nice and just makes the room/crib look so much more special and personal. It was also really easy and only took about 1.5 hours. I'm really excited and it makes me want to make another one, but based on my track record, I don't think I'll buy any more fabric right now. I do have leftovers of this fabric so maybe I'll make a pillow or something. We'll see!

Here are some pics...

With the quilt the room looks so special now!

Ready for Guests

2011-08-27T12:28:00.000-04:00

All Tajiks have cushions for sitting/sleeping on the floor called korpachas. We finally got some this week so we'll be fully prepared to have guests! I'm so excited! Now we can lay out our tablecloth and cushions and eat like Tajiks (with a little help with the food of course!). They are also good for sleeping so we're excited for our next overnight guest, the one and only Bianca Thompson, to get here in October and try them out. I think they're quite comfy and can't wait for you to come and try them out B!

Here they are. We got four of each color and they are about nine feet long and maybe 2.5 feet wide.

More Cuteness

2011-08-23T23:54:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures in another one of Eliana's cute dresses. This one is from Aunt Olivia. Thanks Aunt Liv! She looks adorable!

Milk Coma, Part 2

2011-08-23T06:35:00.000-04:00

A few days ago we were able to the milk coma on video. Enjoy!

Milk Coma from Drew on Vimeo.

Milk Coma

2011-08-20T01:04:00.001-04:00

Eliana is usually pretty out of it after she finishes eating and since we always have awake time after eating (except after our 10:00pm feeding) I have to help her get going. Yesterday she was unusually out of it after her 4:00 feeding and I got some cute pictures of it.

Pretty cute!

Lake Time

2011-08-18T12:11:00.000-04:00

Wednesday we went to a lake right outside of town with our team just to have some fun together. It's a great little lake surrounded by little platforms with tents over them that you rent by the hour. Each platform has a ladder going into the lake and you just hang out, swim and relax. You can also order food so we got some shashlik (meat kabobs) and enjoyed it with other goodies that we brought.

I didn't take many pictures, which I should have because it's beautiful out there, but I did get a few of Eliana. It was her first time getting in any water other than bath water and she was NOT a fan. The water was pretty cold so I can understand why she didn't like it but she only got in the water up to her knees and was freaking out. We didn't keep her in long, just long enough to get a picture so she can witness her first water experience. I'm sure next year will be better.

Here's the shot...

Like I said, she did recover and here are two shots in her Wolfpack gear to prove it...

So yeah, fun afternoon! Can't wait to do it again!

Three Months!

2011-08-16T12:37:00.000-04:00

Eliana is three months old today! The past month has been much easier than the previous month, even though emotionally I've had my ups and downs and I've not felt great physically. Eliana however has been wonderful! She is getting more and more fun each day and is such a joy and a blessing to us.

I took her by the doctor's office today so I could weigh her since she's too big for our kitchen scales now. She's up to 10lbs. 9oz, which is 15% and we measured her at 24 inches, which is 71%. She's gotten some chub on her legs now which is really cute and her arms are actually getting pretty musclely (that's my word for it!). Today when she was sitting on the floor she initiated pulling up to standing while holding on to our hands and you could see her biceps. It was pretty crazy.

She still hasn't turned over again though the past couple of days she's been a lot more active so it may be soon. She can move around a lot when laying on her back if she has something to push off of.

We're still doing a three-hour routine during the day which is still working pretty well. She is staying awake from 1 to 1.5 hours at a time and if we're out she can go longer but then crashes hard for her next nap. She's gotten great during the night and we had four nights in a row of her sleeping until after 6:00, that is with her eating around 10 - 10:30 and then going straight to sleep.

Eliana loves sitting up and looking around when she's awake. She also like to stand in the exercauser with some support from the blanket. She knows it's time to go down for her nap when we take her in the bedroom and lay her down for her swaddle and screams bloody murder but then falls to sleep quite quickly and easily when we lay her down. She only sucks on her pacifier for a couple of minutes and then spits it out.

Her hair is growing back on top really fast and seems like it's going to still be dark. We think her eyes are getting darker and headed towards brown but we'll see. She loves to talk to us and two night ago gave us her first real laugh when Drew tickled her. She's not done it again but it was awesome!

Oh yeah, she loves her hands now and is great at sucking on them, getting drool everywhere and blowing some awesome spit bubbles!

So yeah, she's doing great! We are so thankful for her and just enjoy every day with her. Here are some shots of her with her dog and then a slideshow with all the pictures we took...

Bread!

2011-08-14T04:11:00.000-04:00

It is very difficult to find good loaf bread and rolls here because by the time they get here from Russia they're almost stale. We'd been thinking about buying a bread machine but they are quite expensive so when we found one in the yard sale stuff we decided to snatch it up. I wasn't totally sure I wanted to spend the money on it but man, am I glad we did! Drew made a loaf of bread yesterday and some rolls and both were incredible! I'm so excited! Plus, we had our fresh, homemade raspberry jam to put on them and they were just delicious. I'm looking forward to many more delicious sandwiches and burgers in the future!

Spike

2011-08-13T04:21:00.000-04:00

Eliana's hair has gotten to the spikey phase. It's so cute! Check it out!

Cat Cuteness and a Fun Package

2011-08-12T02:19:00.000-04:00

As you know, Eliana has so many cute outfits! I got a few pictures of her in her cute cat onesie the other day...

We also got a great package in the mail for Eliana a couple of weeks ago with some cute outfits for winter from her great-grandmother, Mamaw (Drew's Dad's mom). Thanks Mamaw for the clothes! I can't wait to let her wear them! We'll think of you every time!

I Found My Hands!

2011-08-10T02:14:00.000-04:00

Last week Eliana found her hands and she is enjoying sucking on them whenever she gets the chance!

Back to the Beginning

2011-08-05T00:15:00.000-04:00

While uploading the wedding videos last week I accidentally uploaded two videos Drew recorded the night Eliana was born. So, I figured I'd post them. Enjoy a little blast from the past! :-)

Untitled from Drew on Vimeo.

Untitled from Drew on Vimeo.

Wedding Food

2011-08-04T05:58:00.000-04:00

One of my faithful followers asked about the food at the wedding since it's quite different than what we have in the US . Here's a rundown starting from the bottom of the picture...

1. Chaka- sour cream-like substance that is VERY strong. I'm not a fan.
2. Sambusas- meat and onion-filled pastries- very tasty
3. Meat and cheese plate- processed meat is of questionable quality here and only beef
4. Beet salad- contained some other veggies as well
5. Cucumber salad- this had a spicy/Korean flavor to it. There are a lot of Koreans here and there is a lot of Korean influence in some of the food.
6. Veggie plate with pickles, cucumbers and tomatoes- delicious!
7. Potato salad with meat and pickles- I really like this salad. I think it's my favorite.
8. Salad with carrots, cabbage, beets and other veggies with a mayonnaise sauce. You mix it all together and eat it. It's quite tasty.

9. There is also bread and plates with watermelon and regular melon.

Later on they brought out individual plates of chicken legs and french fries and then plates of rice and beef stir-fry type stuff. Both were delicious. There was probably dessert too but we left before that.

So, that's the scoop on the food. Pretty tasty!

Wedding Fun!

2011-07-31T02:20:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we had the chance to go to a wedding, which was a first for both me and Eliana. It was a fun experience and I'm really glad we got to go, however, I was okay with leaving as well because I was beginning to wonder if I might get permanent hearing damage from the loudness of the music. I cannot adequately communicate in words how loud the music was. It is beyond anything I've ever experienced besides the Lifehouse concert I went to and stood right in front of the stage and speakers. There is no way you could have a conversation with anyone and when Drew and I talked to each other it was literally right in each other's ears. It was crazy! Somehow Eliana managed to sleep for a little bit though which amazed me. I was thankful though. We did leave early because she was exhausted and there was no way to get in a real nap but she still did great.

Here are some other observations that are different about weddings here compared to the US:

There is a lot of dancing and most people actually join in. Please note that both Drew and I got out and danced but both of us were kind enough to not capture that on film!
There are a lot more women in the crowd than men.
There was a professional dancer entertaining everyone. She even got Drew up and danced with him (after much trying to refuse her by Drew). It was a little awkward.
Throughout the event they stopped and had people give speeches.
The bride and groom remain very solemn throughout the event and the bride even keeps a look of sadness on her face as she bows her head over and over.
There is a ton of food that just keeps coming and coming.
The music is LOUD!!!!

So yeah, we had a good time and are thankful we got to go. Enjoy a few pictures and videos from the event! (The professional dancer is the lady in yellow!)

Untitled from Drew on Vimeo.

Untitled from Drew on Vimeo.

Untitled from Drew on Vimeo.

Untitled from Drew on Vimeo.

Untitled from Drew on Vimeo.

Untitled from Drew on Vimeo.

Wiggle Worm, Part 2

2011-07-30T07:23:00.000-04:00

So this is what Eliana is supposed to look like in her swaddle:

This is what she looked like this morning when I got her up...

She wasn't upset at all- just really cute! I wish I could see the progression from the first picture to the second. I imagine it would be pretty funny!

Exersaucer Fun

2011-07-27T00:14:00.000-04:00

Our friends who gave us the Bumbo also sent us an Exersaucer and Eliana actually does quite well in it. I thought she might be too small for it but her feet just touch the bottom and she likes standing/sitting in and just looking around. It's really cute! I'm excited to see her continue to grow and learn how to use all the fun toys. She has to figure out she has hands first for that though!

Here are some pics and a short video of her in the Exersaucer...

Untitled from Drew on Vimeo.

Another Cute Dress

2011-07-26T00:07:00.000-04:00

Just a few shots of Eliana in another really cute dress that she's finally big enough to wear...

Eliana in Action #2

2011-07-25T02:05:00.002-04:00

Here's a little clip of Eliana hanging out in the Bumbo. It's not that exciting but I figured the family would enjoy it. She makes a cute noise right at the beginning so listen carefully! :-)

Untitled from Drew on Vimeo.

Bumbo

2011-07-24T02:00:00.000-04:00

One of our friends recently gave us her Bumbo to use. We got is this weekend and I think Eliana likes it! I'm very thankful to have it and am so grateful for our generous friends. They've been such a blessing! The Bumbo even has a tray with it so we are set. Here's Eliana chillin' out in her new seat....

Family Fun

2011-07-23T05:27:00.000-04:00

Yesterday afternoon the three of us were hanging out and we got some cute pictures. Enjoy!

Knots

2011-07-22T05:31:00.000-04:00

The past two days Eliana has managed to put knots in her hair while she sleeps. I guess she just wiggles around enough to get her hair all tangled up. If she's inherited my delightful fine hair I guess that could be a continual problem. Lovely!

And, just for fun a couple of shots of Mama and daughter...

The Sheep

2011-07-21T03:08:00.001-04:00

Those of you who get our updates know that Drew went camping with a group of guys over the weekend and that they brought a live sheep to the campsite and killed it, cooked it and ate it. Drew said this was a "once in a lifetime" experience! We forgot our camera so I got a few pictures from one of the other families who went. Please be aware that a few of them are quite graphic. I wanted you all to be able to experience what Drew experienced! Life in Central Asia is always an adventure!

The last two pictures are of the whole group. I especially love that they got the Tajik guys to act silly. That is something worth capturing on film!

Two Months Old!

2011-07-19T02:22:00.000-04:00

Eliana turned two months old on Saturday! Amazing! I do think the second month feels like it went by more slowly than the first month but it was still great. She is such a joy and we are so thankful for her. We took her for her check-up yesterday and everything was good. She had one shot yesterday and will get the other one today, along with an oral vaccine. She wasn't a fan but did great. She weighed a little under 9 pounds (8lbs 14oz) and was 22 inches long, putting her at 11% and 18% on the charts- she's a little one! She gained about two pounds this month though so I'm thankful.

Eliana is still on a three-hour schedule during the day, with about 1 hour being awake time, including feeding. Sometimes she goes longer, sometimes shorter. She goes to sleep quite easily, after a little bit of crying. Sometimes she likes her pacifer, sometimes not, though she almost always spits it out while sleeping. She can hold her head up well and likes to be able to look around and see what's going on. She smiles back at us really well now and makes lots of cute little noises. She's not turned over any more since she did it three times right after she turned one month old. I guess she figured she checked that one off the list so why bother!

At night she sleeps from about 10:30 to anywhere between 2:30 and 4:00 and then again until between 5:30 and 7:00. Two nights ago she actually slept until 5:45! That was amazing though I'm not sure when it will happen again.

She is out of her newborn clothes but her 0-3 month clothes are very roomy still. They should easily last the rest of the summer.

She and I had our first weekend without Daddy this weekend and everything went well, despite me being quite nervous to be by myself. It was a good confidence-building experience for me.

This morning when I finished feeding her we were laying in bed and she just laid there and smiled at me and "talked" to me for a couple of minutes. It was the most adorable thing ever! What a great gift she is to me (and to Drew too of course)!

So yeah, Eliana is doing great. We are excited to continue to see her grow and develop. We are so thankful! Here are her two-month pics...

First Carseat Ride

2011-07-17T10:45:00.000-04:00

Since we don't have a car and there aren't really carseat laws here Eliana just had her first carseat ride this weekend! We went on a long trip so we used the seat. I did not want to hold her for four hours and it's just safer that way! Here are some pics of the happy rider!

Love those eyelashes!

Cowgirl in Charge

2011-07-14T22:35:00.000-04:00

One reason I like taking so many pictures of Eliana is because of all the way cute clothes she has. I want her to be able to see what a great wardrobe she had and I want to remember as well! Yesterday she had her "Cowgirl in Charge" onesie on. Here are some pics...

Today we're headed to the mountains for the weekend. It will be Eliana's first road trip and carseat ride. I hope it goes well!