May 2014 in Status Updates

The beaches of North Carolina, May 31

5/1 Made a new dinner last night (Mexicana Veggie Bake) and it was a winner! Thankful for the friend who passed on her used cookbook to me (Speedy Suppers by Gooseberry Patch), and thankful for cheerful responses from my family. Music to a cook's ears!!

5/2 While weeding in our front garden (bordering on communal land, with no fence between), I came across a gold ring that has a fancy E engraved on it. I'm trying to figure out how to find its owner, but in the meantime, Ethan has gained much pleasure from wearing it (it says E after all) and pretending to be invisible. Can you tell he's currently reading Lord of the Rings?

5/5 Simultaneously proud of and happy for my husband Steve getting accepted into a funded PhD program in Islamic studies at Georgetown University, and wondering what the next few years will look like...

My heart's been breaking for those who loved the 2000+ people who died in Friday's landslides...  (in Afghanistan)

5/6 I have two new students today -- both in geometry -- yay! Thankful for Wyzant Tutoring connecting me with students who need help. Don't like giving away the commission, but at least I'm getting work! (later...) Wonderful students!!! Fun material!! What an awesome job I have!

5/7 Josiah discovered the 'voice recorder' function on my new cell phone today, and saw that I'd used it a month ago (while in IL) to record my piano dabbling. He got inspired and used it to record HIS piano playing (while I wasn't around) and even made it my new ringtone.

It just gets worse and worse. Possibly hundreds killed in another horrible attack by Boko Haram.   

5/9 My kids are thrilled with their consignment sale treasures ... stuffed animals, novels, and plastic soldiers all bought with their own money. I'm happy with my "new" books and games too, some of which will help me teach, and many of which will keep the kids happy while challenging their minds! They've already been playing Taboo Jr. this evening.

5/10 Coats, duvets and all winter apparel are now in the attic; windows have been open everyday; meals are being enjoyed on the back porch; guinea pigs are getting lots of outdoor time -- so are we I love Spring!! 

Hard to believe that my child who has struggled so much with speech difficulties is about to be in a short homeschool drama, which will include many individual lines for him to say ... I have the feeling that he might even outdo his brother and sister, since he has such a naturally loud and dramatic personality.

Scraping a deer hide in the Powhatan village at Historic Jamestown, May 11

Visiting Colonial Williamsburg, May 12

5/13 My kids just had the Best.Time.Ever. They got to take friends of theirs to the creek that they so love, AND it was hot enough (and the Moms were lenient enough) for all the kids to get to swim and enjoy natural water 'slides.' AND they found tadpoles, a frog, and a newt. Thankful!!!

5/15 The kids' drama teacher was so sweet to compliment each child individually at the end of today's final rehearsal for next week's skit. When she got to Ethan, she said she'd never heard him speak better and more clearly than today, and she and all the children clapped for him in particular. Made my mama heart proud and brought tears to my eyes.

5/16 Steve's helping with Georgetown's graduation this morning ... I presume their outdoor ceremony will be moved into the gym due to rain. He can't figure out why their Plan B is a gym instead of their nice hall, but oh well. At least he won't be standing in the sun!

Oh my goodness. Josiah's just discovered Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea books and he is *tearing* through them!! So fun to see the kids get excited about good books! (I haven't read Le Guin myself, but she got raving reviews. I might just give her a try now!)

After torrential rain this morning, the beautiful sun has come out, allowing the kids to cheerfully look for worms and the guinea pigs to enjoy fresh grass. Think we'll take a creek walk to check out the water level and get some natural water for our tadpoles...      

5/18 Why did I decide to "Spring Clean" my closets and bookcases today? Bit off more than I could chew and now just want to collapse in bed early (like I did last night). Maybe the piles will just have to stay overnight... 

Progress made; job unfinished; going to bed anyway. Oh, and hoping that our troublesome guinea pig, who escapes every chance he gets and is currently 'missing' under our back deck, survives the night despite cool temps. I wouldn't miss him at all, but the kids would be heartbroken...

5/19 "I’m angry that some of the most genetically gifted women in the world – actresses and models – are still considered not good enough. I’m angry about what that means for the rest of us." Some good thoughts. I was just sitting in church yesterday looking at all the dyed hair of middle-aged women sitting next to their grey-haired husbands, thinking along similar lines. 

TIRED. Horrible night of sleep, followed by *long* day of errands and work. At least dinner was fun as we laughed over memories as we ate hamburgers at our picnic table. Love laughing with my family!!

Why do my children complain about going to library events? Today's program featured a local nature center, and despite Ethan's bellyaching all the way there, they had fun once it all started. They used nets to catch various pond creatures and then heard a naturalist share interesting facts about each critter. They saw a ghost shrimp, a pregnant mosquito fish, a baby snapping turtle, and baby clams, among others. Our world is an amazing place!

5/21 First day of "Couch to 5K" ... not totally successful, but anything active is more success than failure right now! Enlisting my daughter to be my partner, since we're equally out of shape. Now to hang on and keep going ... Jogging/walking the creek path was highly motivating!!     

So looking forward to seeing my mom's side of the family in just two days, as we gather for my cousin's wedding!! It will only be my second cousin wedding to attend despite the fact that I have 20 cousins.

5/22 Homeschool co-op end-of-the-year field games and picnic this morning, followed by final drama rehearsal and skit performance to a small audience of parents and friends. At home, trying to fit in teaching my neighbor how to care for our guinea pigs while also tutoring two students and packing for our trip. I'm tired Think I'll lie down 'til the next student comes...

My cousin Kelly and our grandma at Kelly's wedding May 24

Mom, cousin Alyssa, sister Saralynn, uncles Bob & Brian, me, in Georgia for my cousin's wedding, May 25

5/26 Getting mosquito bites INSIDE the condo (in Kitty Hawk, NC). Was only here 15-30 minutes and I had at least 5 or 6 new ones. My kids say that the mosquito is the one animal they'd be happy to see extinct.

5/27 Beach: best way to spend a vacation. Today saw dolphins, pelicans, a fish, and my three happy children, building in sand and trying a bogie board for the first time. Water was only 55*F -- so cold I could only take one-minute dips at a time -- but it was nice to cool us off on this warm day!

Josiah tries out a bogie board in Kitty Hawk, NC

5/28 Falling in love with the Outer Banks (North Carolina). So much less commercial than Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head. Spent a total of an hour in the freezing ocean yesterday -- perfect for me, who hates hot temps. Visited the beach in the dark, too, and saw big crabs scuttling across the sand in the light of someone else's flashlight. Went right out to buy my own flashlight so I can take the kids to see the crabs another night...  

Visited the Wright Brothers National Memorial today, and saw the spot where Orville and Wilbur made the first controlled engine-powered airplane flights. Interesting history!

Success today: getting all my family INTO the ocean! Naomi and Steve joined me in the chest-high cold water, and Josiah was out there too, but mostly on his bogie board. Ethan got as wet as he could, but didn't come out to the same depth. The cold water was totally refreshing, and the squeals of glee from my children made my week!

5/29 Josiah seems to have gotten sick, and Ethan might be ill too. Bummer way to spend a vacation...

5/30 To prolong our beach vacation by one more day, we're camping tomorrow night -- for the first time in 3 years! Here's hoping we figure out our tents okay, that the boys feel better and that we stay warm enough to not be miserable. Oh, and it would be *really* nice if we spotted some wild horses -- would thrill Naomi's 11-year-old heart if we did! (6/1 Well, the only "wild horses" we saw in Ocracoke were the penned descendants of a wild herd. At least it was something! We also saw rabbits, something resembling a woodchuck, and a cool crab that buried itself in sand when frightened (Naomi even pet it!) (But the boys felt better and we were warm enough -- yay!) 

 Visited the location of the "lost colony" of Roanoke (1587) today ... not much to see but still fun to walk in their footsteps! Unfortunately the boys are still under the weather. You know when they choose a nap over swimming in the pool that something's not quite right!!      

We visit the first English (unsuccessful) colony in America.

6/1 Such a fun weekend!! It was the vacation we didn't want to ever end. Very hard to say goodbye to the ocean this afternoon, but we'll cherish the memories of falling asleep to crashing waves (while camping), star-gazing in a very black sky, seeing the sunrise over the shore today (though sand was blowing in our faces the whole time!!), and riding the kids' (and Steve's) first ferry (for cars). The boys have felt great and everyone liked camping (despite we adults not sleeping the greatest). Thankful!!

Love the lighthouses in North Carolina!

Highlights of today: waking up to melodic birdsong (we camped right next to a stand of bushes and trees to protect us from the strong winds), seeing the sunrise (which this night owl hardly *ever* gets to do), and eating Carolina BBQ (pulled pork sandwich) & fried okra -- DELICIOUS!!! Enjoyed every bite...  
 

The kids took their first ferry ride. May 31

We love the sand dunes of North Carolina! May 31

June 1

Speech for Ethan -- a Parent's Quandary

Since the time Ethan was a baby, and he didn't babble as normal babies do, we've been concerned about his difficulty with speech. People tried to reassure us that he'd "just start talking in sentences" once he "decided" to talk, but that was not the case. It wasn't until he got one-on-one therapy in Oxford, at age 3, that he even spoke his first words. And when I say "words" I mean things like "bee" to mean "tea" and "toe" to mean "toast" (very important first words in Britain!)

After just a few months of therapy in Oxford, we moved to Amman, Jordan. We actually only agreed to that relocation upon hearing that there was a private special education school in the city that offered speech therapy services. Even though we were receiving no income at the time (Steve was a full-time Arabic language student), we 'invested' our money in private therapy for Ethan and he blossomed under his therapist Maha's direction. He could finally produce some of the tricky sounds that had previously eluded him.

Despite the impressive improvement, most people still couldn't understand Ethan, and when we moved to the U.S. in 2011, he easily qualified for speech therapy through the preschool program in Rockbridge County, Virginia. In fact, the evaluating therapist was frankly baffled by Ethan's speech problems, and said he'd never seen a student quite like him before. Ethan's intelligibility was low in conversational speech but much better in single words. Some of his sounds were so strange, the therapist was tempted to say he had 'speech dyspraxia,' but since Ethan didn't really fit the criteria of that diagnosis, no official label was given.

Within days of having Ethan's IEP in hand, we moved to Washington, D.C. where we'd been told he could receive therapy at our local Maryland school, even as a homeschooler. Sadly, this was misinformation: it turned out that every school district has the choice of whether or not to help unenrolled students with special needs. And Prince George's County most decidedly does NOT help. So Ethan spent his first two of three eligible years *not* receiving any services. His intelligibility steadily improved, which we were thankful for, but when the time came to move and we looked for a new house, a primary concern was finding a school district that would help him.

Here in Fairfax County, Virginia, the local school has indeed acknowledged Ethan's IEP, and been willing to give him therapy despite the fact that we homeschool. We are grateful. The school is a ten-minute walk away, and he's gotten 1-2 hours per month of help there. But compared to the other three therapists Ethan had in the past, this one has been the least effective, concerned, and thorough. It's been disappointing. She has focused solely on his ability to read aloud and produce sounds when given those visual cues. She has noticed new problems but never put them in an official IEP update. She claims that he's reached 90% accuracy without hearing him talk for long stretches and using a ticker to keep track of his errors. And now, near the end of his eligibility window, she's firmly saying that he no longer needs services and will not get a new IEP.

Ethan's sounds certainly have improved, and some people who hear him talk have no problem understanding him. But I still hear many problems in his speech: final consonants dropped ("God" is pronounced "Gah" routinely), indistinguishable medial vowel sounds (short i and short e sounding the same, for example), a very indistinct /er/ sound in the middle of words and weak /r/ in general, to name a few. Additionally, his multisyllabic speech, especially in conversation, is difficult to understand. 

So now I'm stuck, not knowing whether I'm just being over-anxious or whether I'm justified in my concern (especially given his dad's speech difficulties and other family history). I'm stuck not knowing whether I should pursue the possibility of further eligibility by going to the head of Fairfax County Special Services, or whether I should take the therapist at her word that there's nothing more to be done. Maybe Ethan's continuing maturity *will* straighten everything out in the end. Maybe there's nothing more that professionals can do. Maybe it's all up to me and him now. I just know that when professionals told Steve's mom to not worry about his speech issues, assuring her he'd grow out of them, they were wrong. Steve did need more help, and I even wish he'd gotten more than he did. 

What will help Ethan most in the long run? Do I keep pushing 'til the head person finally says "yea or nay"? My son loves to talk, loves little more than chatting even to strangers. My hope and prayer is that his speech becomes as 'normal' as possible, so that he can maintain his verbal confidence and be understood as he shares his voice with the world.

Ethan's pics

Top: Ethan being dedicated by Pastor Peter Comont at Magdalen Road Church in Oxford on Easter Sunday.
2) Ethan LOVES trains!!
3) and 4) Ethan also loves water -- boating, swimming, beaches, baths -- everything!
5) With Mimi (Steve's Mom) on a steam train ride.

Sign Language for Ethan

It was back in late elementary school that I first remember being interested in sign language. I don't know why my parents bought "The Joy of Signing," but they did and I'm pretty sure that sparked my interest. I didn't have any deaf or hard-of-hearing friends or relatives. We had no deaf ministry in our church. But something about it intrigued me.

I learned all the lyrics to a few praise songs. I started a "sign language club" for my friends at school (it never got very off-the-ground!). I studied the book and tried to learn as much as I could. Later when I was in high school and living in Nigeria, I had a few opportunities to go to a local deaf school there. I didn't remember a lot of sign, but I used what I could. It was delightful to finally put my second language into practice!

Now it's more than a decade later and I've hardly given sign language a thought. I used a few "baby signs" for Naomi and Josiah when they were infants and toddlers, but not many. My two-year-old, however, is severely challenged in the language department and I am being re-inspired to take up sign again.

Ethan is 2.3 years old and communicates great with me. He has awesome understanding, great eye contact, and huge desire to be understood. BUT his only word is Mama. He knows a few animal sounds, a few vehicle sounds, and that's it. He doesn't try to copy our words. He doesn't babble or play with sounds. He points, gestures, sometimes yells, and is often left frustrated.

I'm having him seen by a doctor in a few days, to try to get him referred to a speech therapist. I feel like I've waited long enough to see if things just resolve themselves, and nothing's improved. In the mean time, a neighbor recommended that I use sign language with Ethan. I actually had brought my "Joy of Signing" book to the UK with me, so last night I made a list of about 100 words that I use a lot with Ethan, and began to learn them. I've already used a bunch today, and am also trying to teach Naomi and Josiah.

I don't know if it will make a difference. It might very well be pointless. But I'm willing to try anything that might help my little guy on the road to communication.

February '09 Update

My 2 year old Ethan is still not talking, but he sure can communicate. He has the most priceless facial expressions and ingenious ways of getting his thoughts across to us. Ethan also is ga-ga for trains and makes the loud tooting sound every time he sees a picture of one. When he draws, he likes to do complicated “train track” loops while making train sounds the entire time!

Ethan also loves hot drinks (tea, wassail, hot chocolate), clementines, reading books (often upside-down), nursing, going for walks, and taking baths. The other day he was in the tub for almost 2 hours while I got stuff done in the kitchen (I can see and hear him the whole time). It was great! He loves to help people – bringing them things that belong to them, setting the table for me, cleaning up, etc. He’s a sweetie!

Josiah (5) is great at geography! He can identify all the continents, several countries and several states. He loves to point to the map and show you what he knows! He also loves riding his scooter, learning about the ocean, and playing make-believe with Naomi. They create all kinds of scenarios with their mega-blocks, Wow toys, and stuffed animals.

Last week was a special one for Josiah (and Ethan) since it snowed on four different days. (Our weather was the worst in 20 years, I heard!) Josiah was an expert snowball-thrower and never complained, even when his pathetic gloves were soaked through. He also continues to be patient with his little brother and teach him lots of good things. Ethan copies everything Josiah does.

Naomi (6 ½) is really taking off with reading. She reads more smoothly and cheerfully, often picking up random books or papers and figuring out what they say. (Josiah is doing this, too.) She loved watching the snow fall last week, and played outside in it for a little bit, but does not like cold and is more sensitive to it than the boys. She constantly asks me to read the next chapter of whatever novel we’re on (we just finished “The Stream that Stood Still” and “Dolphin Adventure: a True Story.”) I have the feeling that once she reads fluently, I’ll never be able to get her nose out of a book!

Naomi also loves make-believe and if she’s alone, I can usually hear her singing her pretend conversations and stories. Just recently she’s begun helping me cook more often. She actually comes to me asking if she can cook with me, so I let her work on whatever I’m doing. It’s nice to have company in the kitchen!

Steve is making progress in Arabic and just completed the last essay for his Islamic History class. He’s grateful to have more time now to devote to studying Arabic, as it really does just take so much time. There’s no way around it!

I’ve been enjoying having at least one family over for a meal every week for the past month or so. I appreciate getting to know some church folk better that way, and I also enjoy trying out new recipes on everybody! I worked in an office at Steve’s college for 20 hours during the last two weeks (as a temporary fill-in) and had fun being with other adults, doing administrative grunt work. It was a good break from parenting and housework!

We’re all looking forward to Steve’s parents coming to visit us at Easter time, and we’re also hoping winter ends soon so our house warms up a little. Happy Valentine’s Day!!

Puddle Jumping!

It's rained off and on for the past few days, and today the temperature finally rose a bit. I've had to go out by myself to run a couple errands yesterday and today, and each time, Ethan grabbed his shoes and sat by the door, ready to come with me. I hated to tell him that he wasn't coming! So today when I got back from an errand, I decided it was definitely a great day for a leisurely walk -- a puddle walk!

Ah, the joys of childhood.

The kids donned their wellies (rain-boots) and sweaters and we took off around the block. Naomi and Josiah took turns riding our one scooter and Ethan enjoyed every single puddle.

He was doing great at staying dry until we got to a mega-puddle (mini-pond!) near the end. This was so deep that stomping in it got his trousers completely wet above the wellies. Unbeknownst to me, his trousers and socks within the wellies were also soaked. (I only discovered this upon our arrival at home when I removed his boots.) This didn't seem to bother him in the slightest.

Then he tripped and fell face-first into the pond puddle. I thought for sure that was the end of our fun, as he doesn't like to be dirty and now his hands were wet and cold. But he wiped them off, shed a few tears and then wanted to keep splashing! Naomi and Josiah both really liked scootering through the mega-puddle. They tried to get up enough speed that they could coast through the whole thing without putting their foot down in the water.

After a long, relaxed, fun walk we finally made it back home. We'd only gone down our street and the one parallel to ours, but the boys were dirty and wet. I stuck them in the bath tub where they merrily played and continued to splash -- this time on my bathroom floor.

Ethan: I'm Almost Two

I am a few weeks away from turning 2 years old, but my only words so far are “Mama” and “Dada.” I don’t know why I should try speaking when everyone understands me anyway. I get by just fine with sign language, pointing, grunting and crying. But maybe I’ll try some words in a few weeks. We’ll see.

I really love my family. It’s fun having an older brother and sister (most of the time). They read to me, play animals with me, build Lego towers with me, and let me color with them. Josiah runs away from me when I chase him, making me laugh and laugh, and Naomi looks after me, making sure I don’t get hurt.

Josiah has a bunch of animals that he loves, some plastic and some stuffed. Sometimes I get scared of the fierce-looking ones, like the dinosaurs, crocodile and open-mouthed hippo. In fact, Josiah thought this was quite amusing and waved his new crocodile in my face on purpose, just to hear me scream. But I’m gradually overcoming those fears, and now I even fight his crocodile with my cow (and cow always wins!) I realized that it’s fun to roar and grunt and pretend the animals are fighting each other. On my own, though, I prefer to have them kissing each other. My dog, cat and cow are especially fond of each other.

I also like pretending things are cars or airplanes. Did you know that just about anything can zoom in a toddler’s hands? Not to be proud, but I have to admit that I can fly pretty much anything, from a spoon to a Lego tower. And I haven’t even had lessons! Wait ‘til they see me in the Air Force!

Another one of my fortes is reading books upside-down. I no longer restrict myself to cardboard toddler books (though they are my favourites), but pick up anything I find on the bookcase. Today I was reading a book about frogs and tadpoles upside-down. Yesterday I read an Agatha Christie upside-down. I don’t know why the average person’s mind isn’t capable of transposing images as quickly as mine! I guess I’m just smarter than adults.

My favourite library book right now is called “The Selfish Crocodile,” which is about a croc who kicks every animal out of “his” river, but then has a toothache and needs help. A little mouse runs into his mouth and removes the bad tooth for him. After they become friends, the croc relents and invites all to join him in the water once more. I like pointing to the various animals and making my signs and/or sounds for each of them. Monkey and crocodile are my favourites.

My family really loves me too. Sometimes they get annoyed with me because I make a mess or don’t follow their instructions. But I know they love me because they give me lots of hugs and kisses, and they tell me they love me. And they also love to laugh at me. I can make really funny facial expressions which send everyone into hysterics at the dinner table. I also have some cute words that are guaranteed to make the family smile. Their favourites are “uh-oh” and “Lila!” (the name of a St. Bernard who lived next to us in Virginia)

Well that's all for now. I just wanted to let you know how I'm growing these days!

Missing Pictures from June '08

1) Josiah and Steve at Natural Bridge; 2) Ethan riding his trike; 3) Naomi having fun posing; 4) Naomi displaying butterflies that we drew and painted; 5) Josiah on the Blue Ridge Parkway, just above our town of Buena Vista, VA.

Ethan's latest

Ethan (20 months) loves music so much! Mom Gertz plays piano a LOT because she's now the main pianist for her church. Whenever Ethan is nearby, he runs to an open spot in the living room and begins dancing in circles to her piano music. It is so cute! Unfortunately she can never see him because her back is to him while she plays.

Ethan also adores going on walks. We established a bit of a routine as we took family walks for 45 minutes or so after numerous dinners. Then one night, we took a shortened version of it and Ethan disapproved! Even after we'd turned around to go home, he continued on. When we mention anything to do with walks, he runs to get his shoes and then stands by the door just waiting. If we don't open it quickly enough, he begins whining and pointing.

It used to be that I could let him play outside and trust he'd stay nearby. But now he takes off down the dirt road just as often as he plays in the yard. Tonight we'd gotten back from a long walk, but he turned around and started off again. He was a ways down the road and I kept calling to him, reminding him that we were going to begin dessert. But he turned his head around and laughed as he kept walking straight ahead. I think he would be happy if we just permanently lived outside.

Toddler Trouble

Yesterday morning, I awoke to Josiah shaking me and saying, "Mommy, Ethan wrote on me with a marker! And he also wrote on the couches!" I glanced up and there was my 18 month-old with an open black permanent marker in his hand. YIKES!!! I grabbed it from him, turned to the white leather couches that are in our apartment but belong to Steve's parents, and was horrified to see long black streaks across both of them. Not just one long streak, but groups of 10-15 foot-long streaks.

My first thought was, "Dad's going to kill me" and my second thought was, "This is why I've never owned nice furniture!!!" My thought at the end of the day was, "I've spent the last three years making sure every pair of scissors, pen and marker are up high when I go to bed at night, but this one time, I missed one and look what happened."

Steve went online and found that others have also had this mishap and that alcohol is the recommended remedy. Sure enough, Dad spent 1 1/2 hours scrubbing with rags and almost an entire bottle of rubbing alcohol, but he did indeed get the marks off.
The biggest miracle was that he was so calm about it. I never heard him once raise his voice, though I know he must have been steaming inside.

Kid Update

Naomi turns 6 in two weeks and has become a little author. She stapled together post-it notes and made wordless books called "In the Light" (in the let) and "In the Dark." She was making these same books over and over again, and talking about how she was going to have a "book fair" and sell them (can you tell what my latest business is? yes, I'm selling books in book fairs and to friends!)

I broadened her scope two days ago, though, by suggesting that she write a book about her toad. She grudgingly changed gears to write more words and actually have a topic, but now is thrilled with her "toad book." She takes it with her everywhere. She's not done yet, but she has three pages written. "mom and dad fownd a toad. i put it in a box. it was cuqte. it jumped a way. i put a toad in a boat. it wus a box."

I've suggested other topics as well, so I'm looking forward to seeing what my budding author puts out in the next few weeks.

Josiah really likes learning French. I'll hear him (occasionally) counting things in French on his own. He gets excited, too, about the idea of teaching our friends French! He still loves his animals and tells everyone that he is going to be a zoo-keeper when he grows up. He can spend hours playing with plastic and/or stuffed animals, in the sand-pile out back, or on his bed and floor, or in the bath. It really doesn't matter!

He has heard me recount many stories of our family when I've said that one of our kids was still in my tummy. I'll tell about something happening and they'll say "Was Ethan there?" "No, he was in my tummy." Well yesterday I was telling the kids about a trip I took with the two older kids when we were in Scotland. Josiah asked if Daddy had been there. I said no, and Josiah replied, "Oh, he was in your tummy, right?" Then he smiled as we laughed.

Ethan loves to go outside. If we mention anything about going anywhere, he runs to get his shoes, brings them to us and then stands by one of our doors, waiting to be let out. It doesn't really matter what he's doing outside; he just likes to be there. He likes throwing pebbles, watching bugs, riding a three-wheeler, pushing the stroller, playing in the sand, playing in the wading pool, watching people mow their lawns, etc.

He is enthralled with trains and cars right now, especially of the matchbox-sized variety. When we see him walking around (or going to church, heading to bed, sitting down to eat...) he usually has a vehicle in each hand. He makes engine sounds as he pushes them around, but still doesn't say the word "car." In fact he hardly says any words at all, which at 18 months, is a concern to the pediatrician, but not to me. Josiah didn't talk until 23 months, and Steve didn't talk till he was almost three!

All three kids like creepy-crawlies. Naomi likes catching them and putting them in "The Bug Box" (a cheap plastic container from Wal-Mart). Josiah does that too, but then wants to let them go. Ethan doesn't like to touch them, but enjoys watching them walk around the box. It's been fun to see what they've found, and watch their excitement.

Spring news

This is my absolute favorite time of year. The days are getting longer. The air is getting warmer (but not too warm). The trees are all in bloom... purple, white, pink. The kids are playing outside (now all three of them can run around together) and I serve many a dinner on our front porch. This is the life. Too bad it only lasts a few weeks!

Naomi has fallen head over heels in love with Narnia. Steve has been reading her the series for months now, but she's only just decided that her new identity is "Lucy." She actually corrects me every single time I call her Naomi. She's also named Josiah "Edmund," Ethan "Peter," me "Susan" and Steve is sometimes "Caspian." Whenever she plays, she talks about Narnia, pretends to fight the White Witch, and includes imaginary friends Eustace and Caspian in any activity.

Josiah enjoyed this for one day and then grew tired of the pretense. He insists his name is Josiah, not Edmund, and he tells Naomi he doesn't want to play Narnia outside. He enjoys riding his tricycle and kicking the soccer ball around. He is also still engrossed in his "animals," often categorizing them or grouping them in families or zoo stalls.

Ethan has maintained his infatuation with cows after all these months of cold indoor living. He escapes out our front door every time it's left cracked open as he adores being outside. He climbs onto the picnic table for better cow-viewing, enjoys our little slide, and takes things like pebbles in and out of containers.

Steve is coming close to wrapping up the Muslim/Christian history class he's been teaching, as well as the Arabic class he's been taking. He's working with his dad to finish out their basement a bit more before we move in (in 6 weeks). He also continues to pursue any leads for financial aid, still hoping to begin a PhD in the fall.

I'm tired, but mostly happy. I've decided that I much prefer homeschooling my own kids to someone else's highschooler. My geometry student is not doing very well and I have a hard time deciding: is it my fault or hers? How do I determine how much is enough, in terms of my teaching, and then how do I let go?

"Cow-Whisperer"

Ethan and I stayed home from church on Sunday since we were both on the rebound of recent illnesses. It was a sunny morning and not too cold. Ethan is passionate about going outside so the two of us took a leisurely walk down our dirt road.

Without Naomi and Josiah there, it was so quiet. We could hear the birds speaking with various songs. We heard the wind blowing gently in the trees. And we approached 10 or so cows without frightening them. I sat down on the grass with Ethan by my side and made some mooing sounds (more like "mmmm"). Ethan loves cows so I was hoping they wouldn't run away from us.

On the contrary, quite a crowd developed around us (though separated from us by a fence). There were a number of calves and two mama cows that stared and stared at us. I think they were perhaps more intrigued by their view of us than we were of them! Every time I made a cow sound, they pricked their ears and a calf would take a step closer.

For at least 10 minutes, I felt like I was a "cow-whisperer." I had no idea what I was saying to them, but it must not have been offensive. It was a delightfully peaceful, quiet time of mutual gazing and admiring. We watched one calf nurse and I laughed to myself as another calf tried to poke his head through the fence to get closer to us. If I'd stood up to pet him, I'm sure he would have run away.

December family pics

Naomi loves wearing her Little Mermaid crown so much that sometimes we wonder if it's actually attached to her head!






Ethan playing with some flour (while I cook). I thought he'd enjoy feeling it, but didn't anticipate it being dumped so quickly!













Grandpa and Ethan at Wendy's in Charlotte. The Sunday after-church wait at Cracker Barrel was WAY too long. We gave up and did fast food instead.








Naomi, Lisa, Grandma, Grandpa with Ethan, Steve, Josiah
on our last morning together Dec 28












Josiah with his face painted. The kids got face paints for Christmas and I loved doing them up!

Ethan Turns One!

One year ago, I gave birth to my baby boy, Ethan Andrew. I went to the hospital first thing in the morning for an amniocentesis, having not eaten breakfast because I wasn't sure if the procedure required a fast or not. I asked my sister if she could stay with my kids for "just 2 hours" until I got back. She agreed even though she was sick.

I never did come home that day! The doctor decided to induce me since I was already at the hospital. Poor Saralynn had to watch my kids for hours, until Steve's mom could relieve her.

I hadn't wanted to be induced or have a C-section, but because my second child had been 12 pounds 10 ounces at birth and gotten stuck on the way out, we opted to deliver early to prevent that from happening again. The pitocin worked well and my labor progressed nicely. At 6 cm, I asked for an epidural (my first after two natural childbirths!) and was thrilled that it killed the pain.

I began pushing and Ethan headed toward the light. But then the nurse said he was coming face-up and forehead first. She called the doctor and the doctor agreed, saying this was a problem. Uh-oh. He gave me the option of forceps or C-section, but told me he didn't have much experience with forceps and leaned toward the section himself. Sigh.

So after two natural childbirths, I had my first pitocin, epidural and C-section, all in one birth. Thankfully Ethan Andrew was delivered safely at 11 PM, and though the wound hurt insanely for 24 hours, I healed well. Ethan nursed well, and after the first four (LONG) months, slept well. We have delighted in our cute and happy third child, and thank the Lord constantly for him. What a gift he is to us.

Happy birthday, Ethan!

Kids' Update

Naomi sang in her first choir concert on December 1. She knew all the words to her songs and did a great job of singing out. She was scared ahead of time, but said that once she was up front singing, she wasn’t nervous anymore. I’m glad she had a good time. Our extended family was there to hear her, as well as her Sunday school teacher and another church friend.

Josiah’s reading! I’m using Hooked on Phonics, and starting him on the first unit (Naomi’s halfway through the second unit.) He’s only read words in the “at” and "an" families so far, but he’s getting it! He’s also doing great at Bible memory verses, coloring in the lines, and making up his own songs (usually praising God for “making all things”).

Ethan is walking all over the place. He took his first steps a month ago and hasn’t stopped since. He is increasingly aware of what we’re doing or eating, and usually wants to join in. He has 8 teeth now and is really a joy to play with. He has a great sense of humor and still loves cows.

First Steps and New Nephew

The milestones just keep rolling in!

On Saturday November 3, Ethan took his first steps, and hasn't stopped since. He loves to walk!

But bigger than that, my sister gave birth to her first baby yesterday, November 5, in Nigeria. His name is Timothy Marc Dauda Nege, and is healthy and cute =) I'm sad that we can't visit them in person, but thankful that everything went smoothly and glad he's here! To see pics, look on Flickr under Timothy Nege. I couldn't seem to attach one here; sorry!

Kindergarten!

Naomi had her first day of kindergarten two Fridays ago! She loved it so much that she wanted to do more school the next day, and couldn't understand why we take Saturdays off ("I know we don't do school on Sundays because we go to church," she said.)

I have the aim of reading through Mark with the kids, so that first day, they learned about John the Baptist. Then they both did a coloring/listening activity to learn about Vivaldi. They heard a little about the man and a little about Venice while listening to "Spring" and coloring a picture of Venice. Then we danced to the music, imagining different "Spring" pictures to go with the music. I'd like to make that a weekly part of school.

Then we did an alphabet game where the kids walked around the room, stepping on letter squares, until they heard the music stop. They called out to me the name of the letter they were standing on (or the sound that it makes) and then we kept going.

For math, we're just doing free exploration for a while so the kids get used to describing things and learning about various characteristics. Our first activity was making playdough and playing with it. (Although we also read a picture book that involved counting.)

Later with Naomi, I did the first lesson in a learning-how-to-read book, and an art lesson from "Drawing with Children."

I'm feeling very overwhelmed -- not with how much I NEED to teach, because I have no doubt that my kids will learn what they're expected to -- but with how many great ideas are out there. I've checked out a bunch of books from the library, and want to do everything! My next task is to pare it down to just a couple books and then go with those, so I don't drown myself in ideas!

I'm trying to find a support group in the area to join, so Naomi has kids to see regularly. And I'm also trying to find more information about various teaching methods and philosophies so I can have a long-term framework to work within.

Ethan (8 months) has five teeth now. He's also holding onto our push-train and walking around while pushing it. I can't believe it. The kid seems to be born on his feet. Will he walk before he's a year old?

Everybody’s Learning!

I’ve just begun learning Arabic! We bought the Rosetta Stone computer tutorial for oral, written, and spoken Arabic and I began working on it today. It’s a great system (so far) for learning a language on my own (which I admit is highly inferior to learning it in context). Even Naomi worked on it a little with me, but got frustrated and stopped. I was really worried about learning a new language because I never was able to speak or comprehend French very well when I studied it in school. But I’m liking this so far.

Ethan is learning how to get around! He began crawling a month ago and now also pulls/pushes himself to a standing position whenever he can. Sometimes he waits until there is something above him to hold onto; sometimes he just pushes onto his feet from a crawling position. He loves to move!

Naomi is learning to face her social fears and get to know new people. She attended her first Vacation Bible School in mid-July, at a Baptist church in town. She was so scared ahead of time, and even threatened to throw fits if I made her go. But we talked about it a lot, and I managed to convince her to give it a try. She ended up loving it, and even made a new friend. This week, she and Josiah are both attending another VBS at the Gertzes’ Baptist church, and again are loving it.

Steve is learning about an early 20^th Century British missionary to Egypt named Temple Gairdner. He’s considering switching his dissertation topic to this man (instead of Raymond Llull) in part because he would not have to learn Latin in order to read Gairdner’s writing. (He would only have to learn Arabic first!) We’re also trying to learn that though God doesn’t answer prayers the way we hope, he is still listening and providing for us. Steve did not get a job we hoped he would, so we’re unsure what this year will look like, though perhaps it will be a good time for Steve to take Arabic classes and study Gairdner.

July journal quips about Ethan

You started blowing raspberries and sticking out your tongue.

I gave you a plastic card to play with while I was in the shower, but you couldn’t pick it up off the floor because it was too thin. You kept pushing it around and following it.

You love to grab your toes.

You are popular everywhere we go. Today it was Wal-Mart, where people kept talking to you or about you.

Your eyes got wide when I dipped your toes in the cold wading pool water (from a well)

You are fascinated by our push-train. You stand against it and put your mouth over the horn.

You no longer like to sit on laps. You arch your back to get yourself off. You prefer to stand, sit by yourself, or scoot.