Today was ultra sound day, and OH BOY were we surprised. That’s right, Greta is a boy! He’s looking really good. The due date remains the middle of April. I met with my OB, and was really pleased with everything she had to say. Dave and I are in shock that our little girl is a little boy. We’re definitely going to have to return some pink dresses. Life is such an adventure! We thank God for a healthy baby, and for knowing our baby better than we know him ourselves.
Last night, as I sat watching Sam in the bathtub, I felt inspired to post about my mom. She is such a great mom and a wonderful grandma. Sam really loves being at her house.
My mom has always loved me (as all mothers do) in a really self sacrificing way, but it’s so much more evident to me now that I’m living with her as an adult. Before Sam and I arrived at her house, she moved out of her bedroom and into the guest bedroom. She did this to give my family space to spread out, and she did it without telling us so that we wouldn’t be able to argue with her about it. So, she’s been sleeping in a small twin bed with a bathroom across the hall while Sam and I are spread out in the master suite. Not only that, but she told me when I arrived that she has budgeted extra grocery money for us (on top of the monthly support that she gives us and letting us stay here for free) and that we should let her pay for all the groceries.
Every morning when she’s not working, she gets up and tries to get me to go back to sleep, offering to take care of Sam. There have been many moments where she tells me to rest, relax, and take it easy while she entertains him. She’s also perfectly willing to jump up and get him whatever he needs or wants at a moments notice. Many times she’s way more willing to do this than me.
Really, as far as caring for Samuel, Grandma is kind of putting Mommy to shame. I know that grandmas pride themselves on spoiling their grandchildren, but it really turns into her spoiling me. The thing is, I know that my mom doesn’t believe exactly what I believe about missions or Christ or evangelism, but that hasn’t changed her desire to love and support my family in our decision to move to Africa. On the contrary, my mom is an example of Christ’s call to us to look to each other’s needs above our own. I am so honored to be her daughter, and so humbled by the way that she is really giving to us in every way she knows how. She is aware that coming to the U.S. is, in a lot of ways, hard for us. She has done every thing she can to make this transition easy. Thank you mom. There’s no one in the world who loves me quite the way you do.
Sorry for the lack of updates as promised. As you can imagine, things have been busy. I know that many of you have really wanted to see pictures of Sam in his new environment. The good news is that we are truly doing great. Sam loves living at Grandma’s house. This morning he cried when she left for work.
Sam’s new word within hours of arriving in VA was cold. He is quickly learning that not all places are as warm as the Sahel. I think he’s been a little frustrated by the fact that it’s too cold to play outside, but today it’s supposed to reach the 50s here, so maybe we can go for a walk to see the ducks. Here’s a shot of Sam protesting the stuffed feeling he gets when wearing his coat in his carseat.
Sam was really interested in my gloves, and very thrilled when I gave him the mittens sent by his cousin Jake and Auntie Jen. Thanks to all the friends and family who have sent us warm clothes to wear. We’re both having fun with our new wardrobe items.
My sister, Laura, came from TX to visit us, and we had such a great time. On Saturday we drove to Washington D.C. to see my friend Jaime and go to the D.C. aquarium (which was really small, but perfect for Sam). Fun was had by all.
Last week I went to the OB and they told me every thing looks great. I’m going back on Wednesday for another ultra sound, blood test, glucose test, ect.
Thanks for all your prayers. Sam did really wonderful traveling home. He slept the majority of the flights and had fun playing in the Paris airport. Please pray for Dave as he awaits his departure. A team leaves today from VA to visit him. It’s strange knowing they will see him before we will. They will be working on a very large construction project. There will be 2 teams and 27 people staying in Niamey for the project. Some of them will stay at our house. Please pray that all the logistics will run smoothly and that they will return home safely. Until next time!
We are having a wonderful time with the team. Yesterday they traveled out through the bush- off road- to see some villages. Today they will visit a school, giraffes, and another village.
Please pray for our friends Juanita and Rodrigo. Yesterday Juanita went to the doctor because she hadn’t been feeling the baby move. He confirmed that their baby girl has died. She was about 26 weeks pregnant. Now she must wait for her body to reject the pregnancy. Rodrigo is flying back this afternoon from Niger to El Salvador. We are heart broken for them. Last night I watched Rodrigo hold a very sleepy Sam, and I just let the tears flow. We know that God has a plan for them. This is just such a hard blow to take. They tried for years to get pregnant. Our babies would have been about a month apart.