On Shaky Ground

Where I am from, the climate changes produce thunder storms and a tornado or two.  But here in Peru they produce earthquakes.  Last night around 1:30 am we had one about 4.5 or so.  It was about 40 miles north of us, and I didn't even wake up to notice it.  Ell is at church at a weekend board retreat, and called this morning to make sure I was okay.  Since I had no idea, I was or course fine.  

Then at about 7:45 this morning we had another quake.  This time it was about 5.5 and 15 miles south of us.  The house shook pretty good, but it didn't last long.  The only reason I was nervous, which I usually am not, was because I was downstairs in the kitchen making breakfast and the kids were in the family room upstairs when it happened.  I ran up the rumbling stairs and hopped over the baby gate, hoping nothing had fallen on my babies.  They were fine, and Shaylee seemed totally unaware.  Micaiah looked at me like, "what?".  

We have had no aftershocks from this one, although Ell said we had them all through the night.  I am grateful to the Lord for always protecting us.  Most Peruvians are used to this, and although they take precautions, don't seem to mind.  It takes a little getting used to for us.  But I know that any Peruvian would be scared silly to spend March or April in the midwest and see lightening and downpours.

My Son's a Genius

I know, it's a disease that affects us all shortly after becoming parents.  We are positive our child is smarter, cuter, stronger, taller, or some other "-er" than every other child.   I suppose I was hit with this bug quite a while ago, but I never really told anyone of my condition.  Well, tonight I am letting you all know - my son is a genius.  I will spare you all the subjective parental bragging, and just cut to the facts.

He has been working on counting for a couple weeks now.  Until just a couple days ago he really only counted to two.  But yesterday he made it to six and tonight he went all the way to eight (in English).  Yesterday he also counted to five in Spanish.  He can identify the colors black, red, yellow, green, and blue.  And knows all his body parts including random ones like elbow and forehead.  He can follow commands like "bring me a toy for sister" or "get me a diaper for Micaiah" (and he can distinguish between the two).  And to top all this, he is not only learning several new words in English everyday, but in Spanish as well.  His favorite thing to say in Spanish right now is "soy lindo", which means "I'm gorgeous".  I know there may be those of you out there thinking your child is just as smart, if not smarter.  And to you I say, "great, let's form a club!"

Anyone care to brag about their child's latest accomplishments?

Oh, How I've Missed Crumbs!

Since the age of two or three I have had excema.  Or so we have always thought it to be such.  I used to have it on my elbows and backs of knees.  When I was pregnant with Micaiah I got it on my feet.  After Micaiah it greatly diminished, but came back with avengence during my pregnancy with Shaylee, this time on my hands.  It has not gotten better since then, and might even be worse.  It has gotten so bad that people have occasionally asked me if I burned the backs of my hands. It's kind of embarassing.  

Over Christmas a good friend told me of a co-worker with a rash on his hands.  He discovered it was a gluten allergy or intolerance, and was able to completely get rid of it.  So for a little over a month now, I have not eaten any gluten (the protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and oats).  This means no bread products of any sort.  Now, you can buy gluten-free(GF) products in N. America, especially at the ever-popular health food stores.  But most of those products are hard to find here.  But a few weeks ago I discovered a park that has an organic market on Saturday mornings.  There I can not only find organic produce, coffee, milk, cheese, and clothes, but also alternative flours!  Amaranth and quinoa flours are originally from Peru and still used readily in the mountains, but here in the city we are "too advanced" for them.  Until now!  I tried several recipes for pancakes, breads, and rolls, but was still lacking a binding ingredient not available in Peru.  But tonight I found a recipe online that looked promising, since it did not call for that ever-illusive binder.  I made the batch, and behold!  I ate pancakes!  Elliott even tried them and said they were good and he would eat them frequently!  As I resisted the urge to totally gorge myself on pancakes but settled for licking the plate clean, I contemplated how I was not afraid of the crumbs.  That may sound odd, but for over a month now I have been avoiding the wheat crumbs left in my butter dish by my toast-loving husband.  But tonight I made a food with crumbs, and I could eat it!  It has truly been an exciting day for me! 

The Temple

What does it mean to you that "your body is a temple" (1 Cor 6:19-20)?  How are we to "honour God with [our] body"?  Does that mean no sex out of marriage? Don't be drunk?  Don't drink?  Don't smoke?  Don't be a glutton?  Does it mean we should never eat anything unhealthy?  Or always eat organic? Exercise three times a week?  What does it mean, and how are you living up to your own definition?

New Blog

I added another blog that will strictly be pictures of the family (mostly the kids). I know most people don't care to see nearly as many pictures as our family does, so I put them separate from this blog. If you're interested, check it out.

More Undignified Than This?

Y'all know I love being a mommy. Most days I still can't believe I'm that "grown up". The smiles, the hugs, watching them grow and learn - it's all so wonderful.

But today I am talking about the other side of mommy-hood. I'm talking about the aspect called 'loss of dignity'. It is rare I make it through the day without being covered in pee, poop, spit-up, drool, food, or a combination. Forget perfume, it just doesn't cover up my "natural odor". I almost never got a hot meal. By the time I change the diaper that coveintly exploded during lunch, the underwear that got soaked while someone was too busy to remember the potty, heat up, cool down or other wise alter someone else's food, pick up the toy, spank the bum, or refill the sippy cup, my food is room temperature. I am constantly being tugged at, pulled, pushed, or manipulated in some other direction. And let's not even mention how nursing boosts your personal dignity. (Although at least in Lat. Amer. I don't have to hide under a blanket.) I almost always need a costume change or two during the day, and never bother dressing for church or any other outing until I am half way out the door. I usually get a shower, but don't often get to dry or fix my hair, so it remains in a perpetual state of "half-doneness".

But at the end of the day, all the cuddles and kisses make it all worth it. When Micaiah says "I love-a mama" or Shaylee lights up and claps just because I entered the room, I forget all about my frizzy hair, scrubby clothes, and that I smell like sun-dried spit-up.

Clueless

My mom and I got "Little Miss Sunshine" from the library a few nights ago. I was really excited to see it because of all last year's Oscar buzz, and several friends who raved about it. But I must say, I don't get it. Yes, I laughed hard at the "dance" routine at the end. But other than that, I really didn't enjoy it that much. The grandfather's perverseness grated on my nerves...untill he died. I was glad the family learned to put their pettiness aside and bond together, but....Oscar-worthy? It certainly was not the worst movie I've seen, but I was all excited and filled with anticipation, then sorely let down. Am I really missing something? Can someone fill me in?

Still Here

Aftrer having a great three weeks in the States, we were all suppossed to head back to Peru on the 29th of Dec. But....the kids and I are still here in Illinois! Elliott has been spending the month of Jan traveling (currently he is in Colombia), and I just couldn't stay home by myself all month with the kids, no help and no car. So, Ell returned as scheduled, and here we stay with my mom untill the 22nd, which is Tues. Then my cousin will come back with us to visit for a week. It's sad to be over three weeks without my husband, but nice to not be all alone. I have been able to spend more time with friends, and spend a little more time picking up a few things I need.

The kids have been growing in leaps and bounds. Micaiah has started saying sentences, and can climb just about anything now, including over the back of the couch. We did have a small set back with potty usage, but now he is doing great and has even woken up dry from a few naps! Shaylee got her first tooth on the 21th and her second on Christmas night. They both had their first colds (Micaiah had never had one before), which was sad for me. Shaylee has begun sitting up, and scoots around a little, too. Things are busily, crazily fun!

Winter Wonders

We are having a great time in the States for Christmas. It is stressful traveling with two little ones. Shaylee's having a hard time sleeping and they are both a little overwhelmed with stimulation, which adds a little crankiness. But even with that we are enjoying seeing our family. We arrived in Illinois on the 8th. The next day we cut down our tree and Micaiah had his first experience with snow. He LOVES it! On the 14th we went to Texas for a few days to see my dad and sisters. Now we are back in Illinois, and Ell's fam (parents, bro and his girlfriend) is here through Sunday for a quick visit. Everyone is excited to see the babies. All the extra stress aside, it's so nice to see the fam for Christmas. It's also nice to do a few other Stateside things like go to Wal-Mart, Panera, Kohl's, eat Chicago pizza, and DRIVE (it's been two years for me).

Exploring Grandma's house in his favorite outfit

Taking the tractor ride out to cut the Christmas tree

Micaiah's first experience in snow

Playing in the leaves with Gramps (Dena's dad)

Flirting with Grandpa Mark (Dena's stepdad)

Fun in Grandma's hot tub

Rock The Vote

A while ago I began the investigation into 2008 presidential candidates. It's so hard to figure out everyone's voting record, who's a flip-flopper, who's telling the truth, and so on. So let me ask you...how are you deciding who to vote for? Are you sticking with your party? The party your parents vote for? Where are you getting info on the candidates? Fox News? CNN? Family? Friends? Know a great website? Now, I'm not asking you to share your pick, but by all means feel free to if you want.

My Life Lately

So it's been two months since my last post, shamefully. I've spent the last several weeks feeling guilty for forsaking the blogging community and thinking that soon probably no one will ever check my blog again because they will automatically assume I have not updated. Then yesterday I realized that I need to stop feeling guilty for being so involved with my family that I did not have time or energy for my computer. So, tothat end, I will give you general highlights of the last couple months. I hope they were worthwaiting for.
My amazing husband was ordained on Oct 14 by Dr. Jerry Pence and Rick West (L. Amer. Area Director). The service took place on Sunday morning at church. Dr. Pence gave the sermon and then proceeded with the ordination. I surprised myself by crying. At the same service, our pastor installed him as the youth pastor at church (timing purely coincidental).
The following week was the biannual conference of JIBACAM, the Latin American mission board (like Global Partners, only for L. Amer). The conference is in a different place every time. Two years ago it was in Mexico, this time here in Lima, and next time in Panama. It was a good time of teaching, planning, and connecting with other missionaries and mission-minded church leaders.
During this time Elliott's parents visited. The three of them went to the jungle for 5 days to explore, fish, etc, while I stayed home with the kids. They had fun eating, playing with the grandkids, and exploring the city. It was definitely sad to see them go.
We tried to start potty training shortly before the grandparents got here. We had two great days, then he wouldn't do it while they were here. No big deal, we started again three days after they left. By the end of the second day Micaiah was asking on his own to use the potty. When it's time to go we throw our hands up in the air, yell "potty time!" get all excited and run to the bathroom. So when he needs to go he throws his hands up and says "time!". I bought him underwear with cars on it, from the movie Cars, which is all he cares about watching. He likes his underwear, but his belly is so big he really can't see the picture on the front of it until he takes them off. He is doing very well, and we even have accident-free days. Although, he has peed on the couch a few times...I think we will have it cleaned after Christmas-it stinks!As for Christmas...we are going to the States!!! We leave on Dec 7 (arriving in Ill Dec 8) and return home on Dec 30th. I am so excited to see family, friends, and Wal-Mart! I need to do some serious shopping for things we can't get here, namely clothes tall enough for me. I can't wait to show snow to Micaiah. I LOVE to play in the snow like a little kid and I hope my son will, too.
In prep for our trip we have been running around trying to get paperwork for Shaylee. First we had to get her government-issued birth certificate. Then I took her to get her Peruvian passport. Has been working all week on her Canadian citizenship and passport. When we travel for Christmas she will have to exit Peru as a Peruvian (by law the first time she leaves the country she must do it as a Peruvian regardless of other nationalities), but will enter the U.S. as a Canadian (if she enters as a Peruvian, we would need to apply for a visa for the U.S. which she could be denied). It's confusing, but at least we are getting it all worked out.

Well, that's my update. I will give more about the kids before Christmas, I promise.

Proud moments at Elliott's ordination.

Getting so big!

My view for much of the day.

Ummm...?

Today I called the national registry to register Shaylee's birth with the government. The call went like this:

Me: Hi, I need to register a birth.
Woman on other end: Of a child?
Me: (pondering what other types of births I could possibly be registering. Someone born elderly? My goat, perhaps? The birth of a new African nation? Yet I simply replied...) Yes.
Woman: One moment please.

I'm not sure that lady was really with it today.

Good Morning Starshine

Shaylee started smiling about a month ago, just after her one month 'birthday'. At first she only smiled at me, but after a little while she began including Elliott in the fun. And now she has a few select toys that also share the pleasure of receiving her toothless grin. A couple of weeks ago she started laughing, and it is the cutest thing! Occasionally she can spend about 20 minutes just laughing at me. It always brightens my day. Even on the stressful days, I love being a mommy!

Bilingual Baby

Micaiah talks incessantly all day long. Most of it is nonsense gibberish, but he is starting to build quite a vocabulary. He says several food words like bread, cheese, juice, etc. He can point to and name several body parts (his favorite is to poke his sister in the eye and say "eyes"). He can name several animals like dog, cat, horsie, bird, etc. He also asks for several things. He'll bring his shoes to me and say "shoes" then run to the door and say "outside". He has learned a few new cute things, like he says "oh man" and recently learned "c'mon" which he says with such inflection it's hilarious!

He speaks English mostly, but says a few things in Spanish. Since he was about 10 months he will play answer the phone by saying "¿aló?" He has a bath book with pond animals that has taught him "cisne" or swan, in Spanish. Since he loves bread he has also learned to ask for that in Spanish (pan). But on Friday we were at home eating lunch with a Peruvian lady, so we were all speaking Spanish. I was also talking to Micaiah in Spanish. He had eaten well, then decided he'd had enough, so he very sternly told me "no más!" (no more). I was amazed! He was in no way prompted, and I've never heard him say this before. One (of the many) thing I like about living overseas is the opportunity my kids have to grow up bilingual. And it's really fun to watch it happen.

Potty Training Here We Come

That's right, I think Micaiah may be ready to use a potty. He's been showing several of the classic signs of readiness (although Elliott is having a hard time-doesn't want his little guy to grow up). We have checked out a few little potties, and I think we settled on one (they are so expensive here!) We are planing to get the potty this week and give him a little while to get used to it before we actually start the training. I am reading about just how to start the whole process and have talked with a good friend about what worked and didn't work for her little girl.

So, here's my question: pull-ups or straight to training underwear? Which did you use for your little ones? Did it work well, or would you do it differently if you could do it over? I've heard some moms say that pull-ups just confused their child and normal underwear worked better. Anyone else have this experience? Or the opposite? Any other advice or "wish I would have known that before" information is most welcome.

Six Weeks of Sweetness

This was originally supposed to be a one month update, but it's so hard to make it to the computer these days. Anyway, Shaylee is doing great! She is such a blessing. She is growing like a weed! At her one month check-up she had put on three pounds since the birth, topping her off at an even 11. She grew from 20.5 inches to 22. I constantly look at her and think, "I'm sure glad that head was smaller when it came out of me". She sleeps pretty well - she only gets up once in the night to eat, usually. She is becoming more alert everyday and starting to show preferences for certain things. She turns her head to follow a voice, and if she is fussy she immediately calms down when her mama comes near. We've even gotten a few smiles out of her! Her big brother is doing well with her, and only occasionally tries to hit her. He does steal her pacifier, though it's been over a year since he used one. He recognizes which things are hers, and will bring me a burp cloth or blanket and say , "sis". When she cries he gives her a kiss on the head and also sometimes gives her high five and "props". They'll have so much fun together in a few months.

Here are a few pictures showing the six weeks of our little sweetie's life.

She's finally here!

Only two days old


She may be asleep, but that smile still melts my heart.

Her baby dedication

Catching some sun after church (after over a week of overcast)


Shaylee's first time at the ocean


Catching some 'shut eye' - ha ha


Future rookie card pose!

All dressed up and ready for church

Posing for a family portrait

Cuddle time with Grandma

Playing with big brother


A Cubs fan from birth

Earthquake Update

As you may have seen on the news, Peru has been hit by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake. We are all fine, if not slightly shaken (pardon the ill timed pun). There appears to be no damage to our house or neighboring buildings and we have received word that our mentors, Jarvis and Sue are safe and sound.

Please keep Peru in prayer as the nation recovers.

Sincerely,
Elliott, Dena, Micaiah and Shaylee Innes

A Shaylee Story

Well, as most of you know from Elliott's blog, Shaylee Ann Innes was born Tuesday July 10th at 6:53pm. She weighed 8 lbs 0.5 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long, and she is beautiful! Thanks to all of you who were praying with us for a safe delivery. (Disclaimer-may contain material considered sensitive by some.) So without further ado, here is the story of Shaylee...

We were staying at a friend's house in twin beds in their guest room, since the floors in our house were just being finished. I woke up at 12:30 very early Tuesday morning feeling very wet. I wasn't sure if my water broke or what, but I turned on the light and asked Elliott to go get a towel. Sure enough, my water had broken. We decided we would just go back to sleep and wait for contractions to start, but since sharing the only dry twin bed was very hard (especially with my big belly) we decided to go home. We arrived home to beautiful new floors and very little odor. We managed to get a few hours sleep, and still woke up to no contractions. Elliott called the doctor and she said for me to walk, walk, walk to get labor going. So I went outside and did a few laps in the back yard, got bored, so I swept the driveway. Still waiting for contractions, I swept the kitchen, did some dishes, vacuumed the hallway, the stairs, then finally took a shower and got ready for the day. We had no groceries, so Ell suggested we go shopping. Well, walking all over the grocery store did it. As we were paying at the cash register I had my first contraction. It was almost 1pm - a little over 12 hours after my water broke.

The contractions weren't very strong yet, so we sat down to eat some lunch with our friends and spend a little time with Micaiah before the real work got started. Then I cuddled on the couch with my little guy until I needed to go to bed to concentrate on the labor.

The contractions were hard to get an average on. I would wait 8 minutes, have an intense one, wait about a minute and a half, have a weaker one, then repeat the cycle. The doctor came around 3:00pm to check me, and said I was only at about 2-3 cm, and the baby was still at station -3. We figured it would be a long labor, so I settled into bed and anticipated a birth sometime after midnight. After a few hours I got in the birthing pool we had set up in our bedroom. I was having another contraction as I entered, but the second the water hit my belly the discomfort greatly decreased. I spent a little over an hour in the water just relaxing through the contractions. Elliott was great to coach me when I needed it and stay silent when I needed that.

We called the doctor about 5:30 to give her an update. She asked if I wanted her to come then, but I figured we had several hours ahead of us so I told her she was fine to wait. About ten minutes later I realized everything was getting more intense and I was starting to feel the "self doubt" that lets you know you are getting close. So we called her back and told her she better head over. Then it seemed that maybe the water was not helping as much as before, so I got out of the pool to see if laying down on the bed would help.

As soon as I laid down I had one pretty intense contraction. The next one came a few minutes later and I could feel I needed to push. The doctor was not at the house yet, so I asked Ell to call to see where she was. Just then the door bell rang. All I wanted was for the doctor to confirm I was at 9 or 10 centimeters so I could push. She took a while getting to our room and I was wondering if this baby was going to beat the doctor. She checked me quickly and then started talking to Elliott. All I wanted was to hear a number. I told her a couple times that I wanted to get back in the pool, but no one could hear me. So I finally yelled, "water, now!" The doctor jumped out of the way as Elliott helped me stand up and walk two steps to the pool. As I was doing this the baby's head came halfway out. I was scared I was going to tear like crazy since she seemed to be coming so fast. I got in the pool and waited, for what seemed like an eternity, for the next contraction to come. Elliott got in the pool with me and waited. The next contraction came, I pushed twice, and out she came -- right into Elliott's hands! The umbilical cord was loosely around her neck, so the doctor helped turn her around to free the cord.

Elliott handed our daughter to me, and we sat there in the tub in awe of what had just happened. I was a little shocked at how quickly our "long" labor had progressed - about 6 hours from the first contraction. And I didn't tear at all! I held her in my arms and she immediately began rooting. So at three minutes old she nursed for the first time, right there in the tub. After delivering the placenta and cutting the cord we all got out. I laid on our bed and cuddled with her under blankets to keep us both warm. After about a half an hour Micaiah came in and we had one of the most precious moments of my life as our new family spent time getting to know each other. Micaiah immediately wanted to give her kisses, and seemed very happy to see his mommy after several hours apart.

The whole birth was a wonderful experience. It was such a blessing to give birth to her at home. Elliott was amazing -- timing contractions, coaching me through labor and even catching Shaylee as she came out. Everything was perfect. Thank you, Lord for a safe and healthy birth, for an amazing husband, and these two little miracles.

*Check Elliott's blog for many pictures*
www.globalinnes.blogspot.com

Baby's Coming!

Just to let you all know -- my water broke today (tues) at 12:30am. Nine hours later I still have no contractions, but everything seems fine and we are just waiting. Elliott will be providing more frequent updates on his blog, www.globalinnes.blogspot.com. The next post from me will probably contain new baby pictures!

We would appreciate your prayers that everything goes well and we are both safe and healthy. Thanks!

Yummm

Last night for dessert I had apple praline ravioli with saffron ice cream. A definate first for me, and oh so good!