la familia hernandez

Plans Change...

2009-11-04T15:53:00.004-04:00

We're not having a baby after all. I had a miscarriage last week. Actually, it's my second (the first was before I got pregnant with Eric). Why these things happen I don't know. I know the statistics say something like 20% of pregnancies end in a miscarriage, but that doesn't help your hurting heart much. I still wonder why there was a heartbeat one week and all indications were that everything was good and then there wasn't. What happened to this little one? I keep asking this question to God knowing that I won't know the answer. I wrestle with this...the what happened and why question. I am so profoundly sad that I won't be able to be a mother to this baby or that this little one won't be a part of our family here on earth. My heart smiles, though as I consider that this one is with our Heavenly Father, being spared all the pain and sorrow life on earth brings with it.

I keep thinking of Job in the Bible when he was surrounded with calamity from all fronts he said, "Should we accept good from God and not bad, too?" (my paraphrase). A popular song I have sung in church for years has also be on my mind a lot these days. The lyric is, "You give and take away. My heart will choose to say, Lord blessed be your name." My head is asking the questions, my aching heart is choosing to trust God.

I must say a tremendous blessing has been good friends. Our good friends Kelly and Steve were visiting us while all this unraveled and their presence represented a sense of family and home for me. My mother-in-law went out of her way to make sure Little Eric was taken care of. Friends near and far that knew what was going on have been willing to enter into our grief with us. I have made some really good friends over the past year here, friendships for which I am grateful. What has made a deep impression on me is how many people have openly acknowledged the miscarriage and been heartfelt in their sadness, not mincing words, not feeling akward, not covering it over with idle chit chat. This has been refreshing to me as it has helped the grieving process along for me.

So, here we are pressing on and taking it as it comes. Looking for the good in it all and feeling the sadness along the way. My hope is in Him and his promise that my life and the life of my family is in His hands. The day before all of this happened a friend reminded me that God is saying this to me, "For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Then you will have a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)"

Thank you, Lord that your mercy is new every morning. Thank you that I can weep and not fall apart. Thank you that there is hope for more than what I see here on earth. Thank for the incredible husband and child I have right now. You are good. Amen.

* p.s. I have literally been trying to write this for about three days and everytime I actually get a chance to get on the computer and get my thoughts focused the electricity goes out. Today I actually wrote this through four power outtages each time the computer turning off in the middle of a sentence. Is it strange that my 2 1/2 year old knows how to say, "No power or water" ("No hay luz, ni agua). Thank God I am finally done!!

Guess who is going to be a big brother?

2009-10-19T16:45:00.003-04:00

Yep...this cutie...who is getting so tall.

I am due at the end of May. So tired. So sick a lot. SO excited!

BTW...this is why I haven't been blogging much...the crummy, morning sick part.

Altos de Chavon

2009-10-19T16:26:00.004-04:00

Last weekend we took a day trip to Altos de Chavon. It was just what we needed to get out of the city and b-r-e-a-t-h-e. It's this little village on top of a hill overlooking a river that was built as a replica of an italian village. It is so sweet and quaint with cobblestone paths, little art shops, a cafe, romatic restaurants, waterfalls, and a amphitheater where they often host concerts (Kenny G is coming up, Andrea Bocelli was here in the Spring). I felt like I was in Europe, definately not like the Caribbean, and I didn't want to leave. Can't wait to go back and hope we can make it a romantic trip next time.

Here are a few pics from the day:

The expert map reader.
Eric and Ericito on the stage at the amphitheater.

Pretending to be in Europe waiting to hear the 3 Tenors.

The Church in the middle of the village. You can't see the inticate cobblestone patterns on the ground, but they were amazing.

Happy boys.

The whole village is built overlooking a river.

Here is some of the mosiac work on the buildings.

Eric, me, Edi and Little E.

My Chacabana Man

2009-10-12T15:52:00.002-04:00

This past weekend Eric participated in his first graduation ceremony as a full-fledged professor. Most of you know he is a research professor at a University here in Santo Domingo that specializes in technology. To his disappointment, the "proper" faculty attire is not robes and hoods, but Chacabana. Chacabana is a typical Dominican dress shirt made out of linen with two pleated plackets down each side of the front of the shirt and 4 pockets. So, here he is sporting his look for graduation. He did wear his Northeastern pin to show his devotion to his alma mater.

Untitled...not enough coffee or energy to come up with one.

2009-10-05T06:49:00.003-04:00

5:18 a.m...I hear the doorknob turn and the pitter patter of little feet..."Mama, ven," which literally means, "Mama, come," but in my head I translate it to mean, "Get out of bed right now. I don't care that it's still dark and I have a fever and a cold. I am ready to hit the day and you better be too."

Where's the coffee? Oh, yeah I need to make it right after I get the little one settled into a Thomas video (that I sadly know by heart). *side note: I actually put the movie on in Spanish the other day so we I didn't have to hear it in English ONE MORE TIME. OJ in hand, DVD in, sick child on sofa and the sun won't even be up for at least an hour. Oh joy.

Somehow my sick child becomes more energized when he is under the weather. How exactly does this happen? I used to wonder why the children's channels played cartoons in the middle of the night, but now I know it's really for the adults with sick children who are awoken in the middle of the night and don't have the energy to do anything else but doze on the sofa while their child is happily awake with no idea what "the middle of the night" is. Seriously, when he is sick and he comes into my room at 3 a.m. it's not because he is crying or hurting, it's because he woke up with all of his energy ready for a new day that won't officially get started for a few more hours.

I guess I can be happy that my child is a somewhat easy sick kid. He doesn't really whine and pretty much acts normal. But, why does he have more energy when I need him to be the most laid back so I can get a break from either fighting off what he has or recovering from my own lack of sleep thanks to 4 hour apart tylenol doses and 3 a.m. wake-up calls.

This morning, well before the sun was up (he actually pointed out the window at the moon), he watched about 5 minutes of the video, ran to his room to play with his train, ran back to the dining room to play with his trains at the table, rode his big wheel around the house, laid in bed with me for exactly two minutes and is now running back and forth from his room to the living room.

It's going to be a long day.

Look what I got today...

2009-09-12T16:37:00.004-04:00

Today I had my first experience with a "missionary sale". I had heard of these sales shortly after I moved here, but since I'm not really in the complete missionary "loop" (you know I really just hang out with all the cool missionaries) I always seem to hear about them a day too late. Missionary Sales are basically yard sales that happen when a family moves back to the country they are from and they usually sell EVERYTHING. Well, I got the word from my friend Kirsten, who is always in the know, about a sale that took place this morning. The family moving has lived here for 15 years or something like that and has run a school, so you can imagine all of the possibilities of things they might be selling. It was packed and I saw a lot of my friends there, which was fun. And, I'm not sure where all of the stuff came from, but there was a ton of very random things, not unlike what you might find at a yard sale in the states, but a little surprising for me to see down here.

The best part, by far, was going through all of the school supplies and books they had. I really had to use self-control because I could have bought so many more fun finds. I just kept hearing those 6 famous words spoken by my well-meaning husband (words that have changed my pack rat tendancies)..."What do we need this for?"

Well, I came home with all of this for $265 pesos, which is something like $8:

REAL vintage (can I say that if they are from my childhood) Bristle Blocks and Lincoln Logs, some really fun fabric with numbers and equations, which I am sure will become PJ bottoms for little E, 2 christmas trees, a Barney puzzle, a NEW red recorder, a flowered mug, and 4 vintage books (Little Men, 2nd grade Social Studies book, an American History reader, and a children's Bible that I bought because I thought the pictures looked funky and cool).

And, then as I was walking out the woman selling things asked me if I wanted any plants. And, I got this beauty for another $200 pesos. It's a lime tree!!! How fun is that? It doesn't really look like much, but I know the potential it has if I don't kill it first. She said it has pretty little white flowers that turn into little limes. I am wondering if it is a key lime tree.

So, all said and done I spent something like $12...and Big E never asked the million dollar question.

After playing with his Bristle Blocks, Barney puzzle and recorder he pooped out on the sofa. He was so into the recorder that while we were eating lunch he put his hotdog down, picked up his recorder to blow on it a few times, put it back down and resumed eating his lunch.

The Social Studies book was published in 1958 and is awesome. Even though some things are really outdated (like the clothes or the fact that the part on the neighborhood park says that "I can go there alone.") little E and I were reading it together and he seemed to like it. Check this out:
These kids are helping to build a library area in their classroom. Check out the kid with the saw?!

And, then there are these sections called Who can help? where they ask the kids what they would do to help if they were in the picture, and What would you do? where they have these scenarios with blank bubbles above the kids where the reader can say what they would do if they were that particular kid that particular situation. I LOVE THIS and it seems so appropriate for our time, too. I'm sure President Obama would approve (wink, wink).

He's a breadman like his mama.

2009-09-08T11:43:00.002-04:00

While I was unpacking the groceries yesterday I kept hearing "mmmm" sounds and this is what I found. Guess he likes those carbs, too. And, couldn't wait for lunch.

Colegio is back in session.

2009-09-07T15:37:00.007-04:00

I didn't realize until just now that I only blogged once in August. I guess between power outtages (don't I sound like a broken record, but it's true!) and summer schedules it's been difficult to find a peaceful moment to sit down and gather my thoughts. And, although the weather is no indicating so, the calendar is telling me it's fall and time to regather and organize. Eric started back at his "colegio" pre-school last week. He is in the 3-4 year old class. That's right, I guess he's already showing signs of his father's intelligence and skipping grades left and right. No seriously, he is in the older class at his little school because he is with his same teacher and students from last year. The school just added a classroom for his "pre-kinder" class. It's so cute to see the little table with eight chairs each with the name of a student in the class. And, the room has all the toys and things that are perfect for his age...tinkertoys, a play kitchen with play food (which the kid needs to seriously learn how to "play" eat or we are going to have a cold a month in our house), dress-up clothes, all kinds of puzzles and books, and walls filled with letter, numbers, the calendar, weather, etc. When he started going to colegio in January it was a needed break for me, but now I am more excited about all he is learning. He is exploding with language, colors in english and spanish, letters, of course all of the names of his trains, body parts. And, his time at colegio will really help him with his spanish. I think we are taking advantage of all we can to give him a full bi-lingual experience while we are here.

I am actually kind of busy these days, too, which is a welcome change from the first few months here when I felt a little lost. I have several sewing projects in process from hemming pants and making curtains for friends, to my volunteer work with the women at Cercadillo. I am tuning up all 9 of the sewing machines while Ina is away on furlow in the states. I continue to go out to Cercadillo with my friends, Kirsten and Mercy each Friday to help lead the women's bible study. I am also about to start leading a discussion group in Spanish (hold on everyone) on relationships with a new leadership school that my friends Kirsten and Rich Root have started called Legado. The 10-week series is a DVD driven talk about relationships that Kirsten and I will lead a discussion on afterward, so the Spanish part is really aided by her fluency. But, speaking of Spanish I am about to FINALLY start spending time once a week with a tutor. It's really quite overdue, partially because my previous attempts at tutoring with a few members of Eric's family kept falling through, and partially because Eric thinks I don't really need a tutor and that I just need to talk more. Well, "talking more" has gained me vocabulary and the ability to understand what people are saying to me better, but my grammar lacks a LOT and needs a LOT of improvement. So, my friend Marta, who teaches in a local elementary school is going to come over to my apartment each Thursday afternoon and get me going ahead.

I know I sound like a broken record as I stated earlier, but it's H-O-T. I mean, man it's hot! August and September are supposed to be the hottest months and then it should get cooler (for all my upcoming visitors!). It's just hot and humid from the time you wake up until the time....all the time. We have been kicked in the but with very high electricity bills the past two months (that with regular times when we don't have any power), so we are really trying to conserve and not use our AC until we go to bed at night. Whew! But, at least it's not like this all the time, which is what I thought before I moved here, because every other time I had visited was during this hot season.

We keep hearing stories about thefts and robberies being on the rise, and then on Friday Eric's computer bag with his computer and everything for work was stolen out of the trunk of our car while parked in a supposedly secure parking lot at a mall at 10:30 a.m. with full security all around. How does this happen? Well, no luck in recovering those items, which included some really nice pens in a leather case I gave him for graduating from grad school. And, we have bumped up our family "security alert" to orange, meaning no walking around outside, doors locked at all times, and the particular mall where the theft has taken place is off limits. Bummer.

Well, here are a few pictures of Eric's first day of school. I forgot to mention that his good buddy, Esther or "Esto" is in his class. They kind of look alike with their light hair and olive skin, too.This is the night before Colegio, he was running around like a crazy man in his Thomas undies (potty training has NOT officially started) and his Plaza Sesamo "Fake" eating the food.

Trip to Samana

2009-08-27T16:48:00.006-04:00

We recently spent the weekend at our favorite beach (the picture in my header is actually from this beach) on the Samana peninsula. We went with an assortment of cousins, aunts and uncles, and Eric's immediate family. There were 13 plus two kids in total. So much fun was had as we cooked our meals in the outdoor kitchen and ate them on the patio of the villa we stayed in, swam in the pool until our fingers were shrively and visited 3 different beaches. One of the beaches, Playa Coson, was completely deserted and actually couldn't be reached without a 4-wheel drive. We were laughing that to get to this beach in the middle of nowhere you have to literally drive down an unmarked dirt road until you see a tree in the middle of the road at which point you turn right and look for a break in the barbed wire fence where you turn left and follow that unmarked road until you find the beach. Crazy.

And, it was so much fun. Here are some pictures:

One last noteworthy thing to share is that last weekend was our 4th Anniversary and my wonderful husband took me to dinner in one of Santo Domingo's oldest and nicest restaurants that is deep inside a cave. So much fun and so sorry I didn't think to take my camera. I was too busy getting Little E packed for his first sleepover at Abuela's house!

Visiting Cercadillo

2009-07-31T16:18:00.006-04:00

My heart is singing today because I just got back from Cercadillo. I have been going out for the past couple of weeks to help the women of the village sew. What a beautiful ministry my friend Ina has with these women. They live in a campo outside of town with no electricity and only water accessible by a well put in by the ministry. The campo consists of very simple colorful wooden houses bleached by the sun that are scattered all along the dirt road and a colmado that does triple duty as the grocery store, hardware store and beauty salon. The bumpy dirt road is lined with people walking on foot as there are very few cars, if any at all. Moms carrying water buckets on their heads from the well, kids running barefoot with sticks chasing our jeep, a group of althetic boys jogging toward the baseball field wearing their hopes for being scouted by the American leagues all over their muscular bodies.

When we drove up to the ministry site today the Bible study was already in full swing, women sitting on green benches and yellow plastic chairs listening intently. A few children were running around from one mama to antother, dirty shirts and shoeless feet smiles a mile wide. The open air pavillion we meet under is painted bright yellow and turquoise with a concrete floor.

After the prayer time ends it's time to get busy and set up the sewing machines and work tables. Eight sewing machines are set up and plugged into the bright red Honda generator that soon hums to life. Everyone retrieves the projects leftover from the past week out of the big blue plastic bin and starts to get to work. Some are cutting out patterns, some are pinning their seams together and some are at the sewing machines. Patterns become bags before our eyes as these women use their new talents to create something they can sell. The money they earn from selling their bags will feed their families.

It's a beautiful thing to see these women learning a new skill that brings them a sense of confidence they can use this to change their future. Some sew with relative ease, while others struggle with the simple things like sewing a straight seam, but all are diligent and eager to do their work. The finished bags made from a pattern I helped create lie in a neat pile with colorful tags attached bearing the name of the person who made them. What a gift it is to help them for a few hours, using the basic sewing skills my grandmothers taught me, helping Yaquelin tear out a bad seam and then helping Dona Carmen (a sweet grandmotherly woman with weathered hands and cataracts) finish her bag on the sewing machine. I've learned new words to help them along...hilo (thread), tejiras (scissors), agujas (needles).

Today I walked away with a new bag sewn by Marleni and a necklace made by Yaquelin, everytime I use them I will think of their faces. But, as tired and sweaty I was returning to my home I wore a smile for the rest of the day because I knew my time spent there nourished my soul. Lending a few hours and a hand once a week is a small sacrifice, and yet I am doing something that is making an immediate difference in their lives. It's hard to say who is more blessed...me or those lovely ladies of Cercadillo.

Oh electricity, where are you these days?

2009-07-15T21:06:00.002-04:00

It's been a rough week, I tell you. And, it's only Wednesday. SO, I can either brace myself for more of the same or think it's bound to get better from here.

Electricity. I love it. I have never appreciated it more. I don't have it a lot these days.

It's just part of life that we often lose it. And, it hasn't bothered me until this week. It hasn't been a big deal to lose it for a few hours every couple of days. It's workable. Maybe you don't get to do a load of laundry or you have to wait to use the oven. BUT, I am through with being patient...at least today.

For the past few days we have lost power several times each day, and two nights until 1 a.m. It's July, right? So, it's HOT and no power means no fans and virtually no air flow, especially when you don't have power during the peak daytime hours. And, no power at night means going to sleep without the AC, which a lot of people do here, I know. But, we don't use our AC until we go to bed and I really look forward to that time of day when I know I can be cool.

Well, today after being on the generator back up power for several hours, we lost it completely during the hottest part of the day, no ice in the freezer and sweaty stickiness covering us from head to toe and I just couldn't take another minute. I called my friend April who saved the day, packed up our swimsuits and took a cab over to her cool apartment with the pool beconing us. Oh the sweet coolness of it all.

Apparently there is a power "situation" right now where the political powers are up in arms over something and using power to let us all know in no uncertain terms that they are in control. I can only imagine someone hovering over a power grid fiendeshly rubbing their hands together flicking switches turning off power over certain neighborhoods relishing the control they have over us. Maybe this is my imagination gone wild from heat exhaustion, but it doesn't really sound like a democratic thing to do to wield power over the people by turning off and on their electricity at will, now does it?

And, for the record my quote of the week spoken to Eric last night was, "You can't underestimate the power of that second shower."

We have hit the "terrible" two's.

2009-07-09T12:50:00.003-04:00

Isn't there something else we can call it? We've hit the ______ instead of the "terrible two's"? I'm looking for a spin that helps me to be more positive about this developmental milestone. Maybe "We've hit the I-want-it-my-way period"...well, that's not really any more positive. I guess I need to remember that it's that stage of feeling out how independent he can be and how much control he can garner in each situation. If anyone has a more creative way to look at, please leave me a comment...for my sanity!

SO, today Little E walks out of the bathroom showing me a dripping wet washcloth that he is proceeding to wipe up and down his fully clothed body while saying "agua, agua," as in "look mama, water!" Not too bad, no big trouble, no big mess to clean-up, just something he has never done before. Twenty minutes later he starts pulling my arm saying, "mama, mama" and he's all wet again. I go to the bathroom to discover there is a puddle of water all over the floor and my sneakers are in there, all wet. In fact one of them is 1/2 full of water. It didn't appear that the sink had been on, so I am guessing he filled my shoe with toilet water. And, he can't actually tell me where he got it, because his language skills still keep me guessing.

Twenty minutes later and I am trying to answer an e-mail and he wants to sit on my lap. I very calmly hand him his four Thomas trains and tell him he can play next to me. He immediately puts on the water works, throws not only the toys on the ground but his whole self, too. I keep my focus on the computer trying not to give him the attention he wants, and for the next few minutes he picks himself up, walks a couple of steps, starts crying and throws himself on the ground, picks himself up, walks a couple of steps, starts crying and throws himself down trying so hard to get a rise out of me. I stay calm, finish my e-mail, pretend nothing happened and coax him out of the room. Immediately he stops crying, starts laughing and it's like nothing just happened. One minute the world is ending and the next minute he's watching Elmo with a smile on his face. Go figure.

Seriously, this all started happening just today...where do we go from here?

Just for fun, take a look at this yummy bread I just made that I posted on my other blog. I had my friend, Kirsten over for coffee with her friend, Mitch who is visiting with a mission team from my college friend, Angela's church. Can you keep that straight? And, along with another bestie from college, Angela and Julie sent me a care package!!! Favorite magazines (and in English!), spices, lots of CD's, a children's Bible, notes with love, AND a Trader Joe's reusable bag!!! I'm a lucky girl!

4th of July.

2009-07-07T08:53:00.005-04:00

Man, it's been awhile since I posted last. How does this happen? I think about things to update everyone on, but then don't get around to it, or when I do it seems like the power is out. We've had a lot of power outtages lately...at least one, if not two a day. It's really not a big thing, mostly just annoying when you want to do something like use the oven, microwave or computer.

SO, I just celebrated my first ever 4th of July outside of the country. Although it was not nearly as magical as listening to the Pops while picnicing on the Charles River in Boston we did have a good time. On Friday night Eric and I went to the 4th of July party on the lawn of the U.S. Ambassador's house. Apparently, it was quite an exclusive deal to get an invitation. I will tell you right now that the invitation was not sent to me, rather it was addressed to Eric (who you all know is not an American Citizen). Oh well, I guess receiving a scholarship from the U.S. government in exchange for professional investment in your country deserves some recognition.

It was fun, although a little disappointing that we didn't strike up meaningful and witty conversations with other ex-Pats, which proves to me that the absence of party mingling happens everywhere. The theme for the night was Hawaian, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Hawaii becoming a state. The hysterical part of the whole evening was the fact that all of the food was provided by all of the American fast food restaurants we have here in Santo Domingo and that people were standing in line to get things like a taco from Taco Bell or french fries from McDonalds. What can I say...some things just follow you around the world like coca-cola and Pizza Hut.

Then, on Saturday we went to my friend Ina's house for a good ole American cookout. She has this super cute house with this fun, colorful patio that was perfect for grilling bar-b-que chicken and hamburgers. And, Eric got to play with his friend Edwin who is the exact same age. Between taking each other's toys and claiming them as their own..."mio, mio"...they play surprisingly well together.

So, for an American fish out of water I think we pretty much hit the bases here...fireworks, ice cream, bar-b-que chicken, watermelon and friends.

At the Ambassador's House...we didn't even see him, although I think his wife thanked us for coming.

Getting my picture with some of the Marines stationed here.

McDonalds. OK..for all the joking about the hokey cuisine I really couldn't wait to have McDonalds fries!

Eric eating several mini-hotdogs...no Fenway Frank, but they were still good and they had relish.

Getting a shot with fireworks overhead (which you can't see) with our friends Rhina and Fernandito. Rhina works at the Embassy.

On Ina's patio.

All of us ready to eat.And, finally, Eric Jr. who will eat ANYTHING if it has ketchup. How exactly these kind of things happen without you really knowing it is a mystery to me.

How To Eat A Mango (according to Eric)

2009-06-21T14:16:00.000-04:00

1. Do not pick from tree. You must let it fall off the tree to ensure it is at its peak ripeness.

2. Hang over the curb so as not to get the juice on you.

3. Peel off part of the peel with your teeth.

4. Proceed to eat flesh off of the pit.

5. Repeat steps 3 & 4 until you have eaten entire mango.

6. (and this is the most important step in his mind) Suck EVERYTHING off of the pit.

There you have it. How to eat a mango from a local. My friend, Ina says everyone in her village is always sticky during mango season and that everything smells like magnoes, even their breath.

I still love 'em and can't get enough.

Yucko!

2009-06-15T12:09:00.000-04:00

Well, the "crud" has been circulating. All of my efforts to disenfect and quarantine seem like wasted effort today. I am sick. I started feeling crummy on Saturday night while Eric and I were out on a date for the first time in I don't know how long (of course). I developed a wicked sore throat that was killing me all day on Sunday. I stayed in bed most of the day or quarantined in our room as to try my best to keep Little E from getting it. No fever, thank God, but body aches, sore throat and a little bit of a cough. My throat was hurting pretty bad last night and I was actually kind of scratching my neck from the outside because of the pain, so we took a look with a flashlight. I had a few sores in my mouth (I know, gross) and a couple of white spots on my throat. We called Eric's aunt who is a doctor here by trade (but sells real estate). She said it wasn't at the infection stage because I didn't have a fever, but that I should get this mouth wash called Septicon and some lozenges with lydacaine calle AngiMed. Both are manufactured in the DR, which always makes me a little skeptical, but I didn't need a prescription and the other times local medications have been prescribed to Little E they have turned out to do their job.

Why am I telling you this?

Well, turns out Septicon is this amazing tonic that I imagine was sold from a covered wagon to people in outlying villages as a cure-all a century ago. It sure claims to be. On the back of the bottle in English it says, "Septicon fortifies your teeth, stops gums bleeding, heals mouth ulcers, reduces the abscess. Very efficient for throat infections. Destroys bacterium's, fungus and virus the causes throat infections." First of all, it wouldn't be a Dominican product if it didn't have a couple of type-o's. But, this thing pretty much kills EVERYTHING in your mouth. And, it tastes D-I-S-G-U-S-T-I-N-G...not so bad when you swish with it, but the after taste actually tastes like something died in your mouth.

So, why would I use something like this?

It worked. I gagged it around for the 10 seconds last night before spitting it out. And, the pain in my throat was almost all gone within an hour. No lie. It killed the sores (I know, gross again).

I still feel crummy today, but I'm not as bad as yesterday. I don't know what it is about being in a new country, but along with new customs and ways of doing things you get new germs, which means new kinds of sicknesses, too. The times we have all been sick have manifested themselves very differently in our bodies than in the states. I'm just grateful to God that the little guy has been spared with this round so far.

Happy Birthday Little E!

2009-06-12T21:06:00.000-04:00

So much has happened over the past two weeks that I am sadly just putting pictures up from Eric's second birthday party now, 11 days later (I think). We had a house full of family for 10 days and then a bout with the flu. The H1N1 flu has been circling our area like a hawk (as has another flu strain which is the one I think Big E had, chickenpox, and Dengue Fever which is from mosquitoes). We have been laying low and I have been disenfecting like crazy to try to keep Little E from getting sick, mostly because I don't want to sit in a doctor's office for half a day with other sick kids waiting to be seen.

Now, about his birthday. Our little guy is two and it literally seems like yesterday we were celebrating his first birthday at a bar-b-que in the yard of our old house in Boston. Mostly it seems like yesterday because shortly after his birthday our whirlwind move started. SO, we had what I deem a very "Dominican" birthday experience. (I will try to keep it short)

Dominicans go pretty nuts over kid's birthdays. They are events and a lot of them are held at the most popular and "posh" locations in town...the new McDonalds on Nunez, the Burger King on Lincoln, the Country Club, etc. Seriously, the McDonalds has a one year waiting list...no lie. So, we went back and forth over what to do...at home with cake or in a restaurant. We had to have it on a weekday because the weekend before was Mother's Day here, but it ended up that the party was on his actual birthday, Monday, June 1st. SO, we decided to have it at a local pizza place that has a really great playground, except the place overbooked and there was already a party going on when we got there. And, it was a party...loud music, dinosaur decorations and elaborately decorated cake, kids running around everywhere and a clown providing entertainment. So here we are a rag tag family gathering of 15 walking in with our balloons and homemade Elmo cake. Chaos ensued as we tried to figure out what to do. One family member was "discussing" the situation with the staff arguing about our reservation, Eric was apologizing to the father of the other kid who was very rude to us, I was trying to decide if we should stay or go, and little E was over in the corner with the Elmo cake unsupervised putting his finger in the cake I spent all afternoon decorating and opening his presents. It was a scene from a movie! Of course, you have to imagine a lot of loud, fast Spanish and exagerated gestures to really get the picture. So, we called the other Pizzarelli location near to us to see if they could take us and ended up moving the entire party with balloons, guests, presents, cake and all over to the other place. It ended up being great... we had the place to ourselves and they didn't even charge us to have the party there. I am learning that things usually end up working out in the end...it's just getting to that point that I am still trying to figure out. But it needs to be said that I was one of the more calm people in this situation, so that is progess.

In the end, Ericito had a blast with his cousins and Elmo and the whole crazy gang. The pizza was great, the cake was yummy and we really had a great time.Opening up his presents from us before the party. Yea! A train set!

My day.

2009-05-27T18:56:00.001-04:00

It was a two shower kind of day.

Pictures and such.

2009-05-25T16:15:00.000-04:00

Guess what I am doing this very moment? Eating peanut butter slathered on whole wheat bread. Heaven has come down. No, I am not pregnant. I just haven't had peanut butter since I left the states. It's not as popular here and after the peanut scare in the Spring I was too nervous to buy it. I have been craving it lately and when I was at the store it was calling my name. I actually never even looked at the price. It's entirely possible that I paid $12 for it or something ridiculous. But, it sure is worth it!

We have hardly seen the sun for a week. Everytime it peeks through the clouds and I actually think I might get a chance to put some clothes out to dry, it turns to this in about 15 minutes:
Last week we had clothes drying all over the house.

We have had some trouble our freezer. Human stupidity, really. It's a bottom drawer freezer and unlike my friend Kelly's that has this annoying beep telling you the door has been open too long, we have nothing warning us that calamity is just hours away after we go to bed. So, not once, not twice, but three times everything in our freezer has defrosted overnight. Are we dumb or what? I guess we are actually "insane" because I heard that the definition of insane is making the same mistake over again without fixing your error. Yep, that's us.

So, today I turned thawed out spinach and broken eggs (another story) into a quiche. And, thawed out frozen veggies and chicken into chicken pot pie. I am either working my way from insanity to genuis, or we might all get sick from food poisoning...I'll let you know.

Eric's dad, stepmom, brother and stepbrother are coming for a visit this Saturday. They live in Providence, RI and we are super excited about seeing them. I am certain Papi Orlando is even MORE excited about seeing his grandson. AND, little E's 2nd birhtday is just a week away! Oh the fun we are going to have with Elmo at our side! Stay tuned.

I am going to post some pictures from the past week since I noticed my blog has been word-heavy recently. We haven't really taken any that are very exciting, but at least you can see our smiling faces!

Art fun with cousin Emily.

Trying to get two kids eating cheerios and watching cartoons to smile for the camera at the same time was a bad idea. They are still super cute cousins, though.

This is Paula's signature face.

Some of the bags I made for friends to take back to the states. See the last post for more info.

Sitting on the potty reading. No actual action has taken place, but he wants to practice a lot.

Making cookies with his new best friend Ashley, who is the greatest babysitter ever! She and her family just moved here, so we are all "adjusting" together.

Six Months In

2009-05-21T16:49:00.000-04:00

That's right...we've been here six months already and it feels like such a great milestone to celebrate. The newness of our new life has worn off, the good as well as the bad. We are settled. What a thing to finally say after many months of transition that started well before we arrived in the Caribbean.

A new season has come and gone, and although we don't have winter and spring or summer and fall there is a dry and a rainy season. As I write this we are being pounded with rain for the __th day in a row...seriously, I have stopped counting. All I know is that it's really tough to do laundry in this weather when you rely on the sun to dry your clothes. And, our street is literally an impassable lake at the moment. Hopefullly, our first hurricane season, which starts June 1st, will be q-u-i-e-t.

I have so many emotions and thoughts swirling around in my head as I think about our last six months. It has been a growing experience for our family and for me personally. The first few months were some of the toughest months of my life. The transition here was a lot more difficult than I had expected. It wasn't so much the lack of water or electricity during the day, the adjustment to living so close to family (and latino family for that matter) or the change in our environment. I think the move brought up a lot of discontent in me that I had been able to suppress for awhile. That and a total lack of freedom resulted in behavior I am neither proud of or want to visit again. BUT, and that is the key word, growth comes from struggle. At the end of my emotional rope I started crying out to God for some relief and it came. Thank God for it. I am determined to hang on tight to Him through prayer and never to visit those darker days again. I am actually looking ahead with a smile on my face instead of wishing I could be anywhere but here. And, I realized last Sunday while singing a simple song at church with the words, "Gracias, gracias mi señor, gracias mi señor Jesus," that for the first time in six months I was glad to be living here.

We are all doing really well. Eric is busy and thriving at work. Failing students in his classes, haha. We just celebrated his birthday this Tuesday and I made Strawberry Shortcake with strawberries from Jarabacoa in the mountains.

Little Eric is talking up a storm in Spanish...not so much in English, although he understands EVERYTHING in both languages. It's so cute to here him talk in Spanish, but I am hoping he catches up in English soon or he'll be teaching me Spanish! He is getting ready to celebrate his 2nd birthday with help from Elmo and a visit from his family in Providence (Eric's dad, stepmom, brother and stepbrother are coming to visit). He is CRAZY for cars ("carro" is what he says) and his trains ("choo-choo"). He pretty much plays with them all day linking them together to make a long choo-choo out of them. Can you guess what we are planning on getting him for his birthday?

I have met some great new friends, who at times have been lifesavers, through my Bible study with American women. It's such a nice feeling to know you have friends to call on when you need a little break...from the culture, motherhood, your family, etc. Many of them are doing some amazing work with various ministry projects around the area. One project in particular has been special to me as I have been able to volunteer little bits of time when I can. My friend, Ina (who actually worked in minstry in NE) has a special ministry to women who are making necklaces and small sewing projects to sell. Ina sells what the women make to visiting groups and is hoping to start shipping some things over to the states to sell there. All of the money goes back to these women. It has literally changed some of their lives. I have developed a pattern for an easy bag that you wear across your chest that they can sew (thanks to Stacey and Anne for the bag they brought me from Turkey). And, I have been sewing a few (12 to be exact) for my missionary friends to take back with them to the states as gifts. I never thought sewing would be something I could use to serve others, but it seems to be something God is using.

We are still looking for a church. We have been to several and like some of them, but just haven't found the right one for us yet. Eric is doing a lot better about being in Sunday School, which is g-r-e-a-t. I actually don't dread Sunday mornings anymore.

We have been able to see some of the island and are looking forward to taking a trip back to our favorite beach, Las Terrenas, when Eric's family gets here for a short weekend jaunt. If it stops raining we might head to the mountains this weekend. I was planning to go to the Zoo tomorrow with Eric's colegio class, but since it looks like more rain it was cancelled and that means a stir crazy day is ahead of us.

Life is good, but man we still miss friends and family in the states like crazy! Well, six down...who knows how many more are ahead of us on this crazy Caribbean tour!

Felicidades a mi esposo.

2009-05-14T13:30:00.000-04:00

Eric had a big night last night. Well, I guess we all had a big night last night because we got to be the proud family. He has started an institute in the University where he teaches to facilitate structual engineering projects and research in Latin America. Last night was the inaguration of the institute culminating a couple of years of visioncasting and a lot of hard work once we got to the country up to this point. He is amazed at how easily it has all come together and has a graduate student and two interns working with him. There are so many other types of engineering projects he could be working on and a lot more moneymaking ventures he could spend his time doing, but he feels very strongly that a research institute like this is the most meaningful way he can spend his time and one that has the potential to make a lasting impact on the country. I'm so proud of how focused he is and how hard he works to do what he envisions. He has that amazing ability to have an idea and put it into motion. I'm sure the institute will be beneficial to the structural advancement of the country.

And, the event was also attended by the former president of the Dominican Republic, whom I got to meet. That was kind of exciting.

Ok...done bragging about my man.

Making his big presentation.

Eric with some of his students.

Edi (Eric's mom), Eric, me and Zoila (Eric's sister)

Eric and his mom with Ipolito Mejia, the former president of the Dominican Republic. He seemed like a really nice guy.

Mama's Got A Brand New Do.

2009-05-11T14:15:00.000-04:00

I spent Mother's Day morning in the salon getting my hair "fixed". I had two colors going on and it didn't look all that great. I have had a hard time with my hair color since I've been here and finally found someone who can help. Hair color down here has a lot of red in it and tends to be a lot darker than in the U.S., so it's just been hard to find a color that works. I like the new color and am so glad to find someone who knows how to handle my hair. While I was at it I decided to live a little crazy and get it blown out and styled. Getting your hair blown straight is a big thing here and women go to the salon a couple of times a week to get a "manseca". I did it once when we first got here and then again yesterday. It's fun to have something different. I would probably do it more often, but it hurts like a mother! I have to put my hand over my ears and my forehead to keep from getting burned. I don't know how other women can handle the pain twice a week. So, I thought I would share my new do before I wash it in a couple of days and go back to curly-Karin.

Oh...and as a Mother's Day treat to myself I got a manicure and a pedicure!

Just another day...

2009-04-29T14:41:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was one those totally mundane stay-at-home days and yet I was totally exhausted by naptime...and there are a lot of hours left in the day after naptime. My day started at 6:15 thanks to my little alarm clock that wakes me up with a very insistent string of mama's. I made muffins for Eric to take to work to impress his co-workers (apparently they chanted my name over and over, which is guy-speak for they liked them), washed and hung two loads of laundry on the roof, fed and dressed Little E, swept up cracker and cereal crumbs from breakfast, washed a mountain of dishes and started preparing lunch before 10:30 a.m. I'm tired just looking at the list. I did get a chance to sew this for Eric's bed:

And, I learned how to make a matching fitted crib sheet from this awesome website. I love finding free patterns, since it would cost a fortune to buy and ship patterns here. Anyone know of a pajama bottom pattern for a toddler? I would love a free one because I was going nuts with all of the cheap fun fabric at my new favorite store!

After naptime and two power outtages later I declared it was time to take a walk. Little E and I put our shoes on and walked to the neighborhood ice cream store. I am loving the ice cream here, although my hips not so much. The local ice cream franchises are located all throughout the city, so you are never too far away from one. I compare it to how you can find a Starbuck's on just about every block in Boston...oh, how I miss my friend Tall Nonfat Latte. Anyway, our closest Bon is close enough of a walk that Little E can hold my hand and walk on his own. So, while we were there eating our ice cream I kept seeing this little boy of about 7 or 8 looking through the window asking for money and just kind of hanging around Bon to see what he might make from the spare change handed to him. On the way out I bought an ice cream bar, handed it to Eric and told him to give it to the little boy. I also gave him some change and asked him if he went to school. He told me he did in the morning and I told him that was good and he should keep going. He thanked us, sat down on the curb and started eating his ice cream as we walked home. Even though he didn't have any idea what was going on, I wanted Eric to be involved with helping this little boy because it's really never to early to learn how to serve.

When we got home I discovered we had both electricity AND water. What a treat!!! I cut up the fruit I had bought at the store. A canteloupe, papaya and pineapple all for $3.65...can you believe it! Gotta love that caribbean fruit!
And, then just as I was settling in with Little E on the bed before bedtime thinking I had made it and I relaxation was within reach...my mother-in-law came over and Eric called letting me know he was bringing a friend home for sandwiches. Ah, a mother just really never gets to rest, you know.

Here is the view of the ocean from our roof. See, we do have an ocean view!

This is a view from the roof.

Twitter is distracting me.

2009-04-27T13:38:00.000-04:00

I've been distracted from blogging and I blame it on Twitter. I decided to try it out and for the last week I've been updating a couple of times a day and checking in to see what my Twitter-friends are up to. I'm not sure what I think about it. I don't have a laptop available to me all day, nor am I able to send text messages from my cell phone here, so I kind of have to make an effort to get to the room log back on and send an update. It's fun to know what people are up to at that moment, but I'm not sure about it because I think to be a twitter-er it has to kind of become a part of your routine. Hmmm. Have to think a little more about that one.

AND, I think it is really slowing down the blog traffic. I have noticed my blog-friends aren't updating as often, and I miss that. I look forward to logging into Google Reader each day to see what new posts have arrived. It feels like getting mail to me, especially since we don't get mail here. I want my blog to remain a priority, since it is the primary way we are keeping people in our lives across the sea updated.

Well anyway, here is an update from our house:

Little E is LOVING school and learning sooooo much. I really can't believe how much! He says all kinds of things in Spanish and some things in English. BUT, the best part and the part that amazes me the most is that he UNDERSTANDS everything in both languages. How that is possible for someone who can't put more than two intelligible words together is beyond me. But, hallelujah, we are raising a bi-lingual kid! He says, "hola", "agua", "eso es..." (this is), "si", "seee" (which is for silla (chair)). And, in English he says, "bye-bye", "nigh-nigh", "who" (juice), "this is", "choo-choo" (which he is enamored with right now!)...and a whole lotta animal names and sounds. And, of course, "Elmo", which he asks for all day.

He is also becoming more "able" in a lot of ways. He likes to draw with pencils, markers, crayons. And, we did a bit of painting and gluing yesterday to make a collage. He likes to play with play-dough and in his sandbox on the balcony (which is actually filled with dry oatmeal...thanks for the brilliant idea Kellie!) He is turning two in a month and he is going to get a tricycle from his Abuelo Orlando, so that will be fun to go to the park with.

AND, I am very proud to report that he drank an entire glass of milk (with only the slightest amount of Nesquik) for lunch today!!!!! I found the perfect "milk" cup for him to drink out of and it has made all the difference. He just needed to not see what he was drinking. Today was the first day he has had some with his meal, so I am hoping it's all down hill from here!!

Well, I have to go because he is down for a nap and I am itching to get sewing. I am praying this is a long-nap-day, because I have some fun projects I have been waiting to match up with fabric. I finally got down to Almacenes El Canal to immerse myself in fabric heaven. They have every kind of fabric I could imagine and the prices are amazing. So, I am off to start sewing a new sheet/blanket for Eric's crib, a fitted crib sheet and pillowcase to match, and an apron for me. I'll post pictures soon.

Creepy-Crawly Things

2009-04-14T12:01:00.000-04:00

I have had a few personal encounters with "the adventures of island living" over the past couple of days that I thought are worth sharing. This morning I found a tarantula the size of my hand in a cupboard clinging the wall. YIKES! Good thing I have made friends with the guard of our building. I yelled down from the balcony, "Alex, por favor, ayudame!!" Which means, "Help me, please!!" He graciously came upstairs and tore through the cupboard, having the pull the fridge out from the wall before killing it and saving little Eric and I from death. Well, at least it felt like we skirted death!

And, this past weekend while we were at Eric's grandparents I found a lizard in my cosmetic bag! One of Eric's cousins, Danny, came to my rescue and chased it out of the house, but not after I shrieked a few times and jumped up on the bed. Another cousin, Grace asked me if I was scared of lizards, kind of half laughing. I very promptly and without any shame told her I was, but not quite as scared as frogs (it's personal thing with me).

I have a serious case of the heebie-jeebies right now and get an adrenaline rush everytime I open a cabinet or closet. What else could be lurking around waiting to be discovered? I don't even want to think about it!

A Boy Will Be a Boy!

2009-04-13T15:35:00.000-04:00

For those who know me well, you know that this is a boy after my own heart!! He likes corn on the cob like his mama!! Finding his Easter basket on Easter morning. The same Easter basket his mama used and his Pops, too. Made by his great-great-great grandparents.

Kissing the tiniest puppy I have ever seen. Mama trying not to think about the germs.

Riding a horse for the first time!