Photo Session!

Yea - he got a little tired of the camera at the end!

Which comes first . . . ?

I know that's a rather strange title for our blog. But it kind of sums up the conversation I just had with Nathan's pediatrician. We were wanting more information about the duct in his lung that is not closing up properly. Our questions were:

1) is the duct problem related to his congenital diaphragmatic hernia that he was born with and had surgery for?
Dr. Jijon said that it's not necessarily part of the same problem, but rather a complication that came about because of the hernia.

2) what is the duct problem?
Dr. Jijon said that they aren't sure which comes first (hence my post title today). They aren't sure if the high arterial pressure in the lung causes the duct not to close OR if the duct not closing is causing the high arterial pressure.

So we don't necessarily know the causes of the problem, but the plan is to continue keeping Nathan on oxygen while he's sleeping to help out with pressure. And we will be doing another ultrasound in 2 months to see if there has been any improvement.

3) At what age would they normally do the surgery to close the duct?
Dr. Jijon said that he doesn't want to get ahead of things and predict this. . . he'd rather continue with the oxygen and see how things go and then make a decision. So that's an unknown for us at this point - we'll just see how God continues to work.

4) do we still need to be keeping Nathan at home and not taking him out much?
Dr. Jijon said that we can now lead a "normal life" (yea, right - try hauling around a 20 lb. tank with you all the time! smiles!). And so now it's possible to take Nathan out on walks and do some of the regular errands and so on that I'd normally be doing. Especially, now that Nathan is awake more, it will be easier to do this as he won't need to be connected to the tank while awake! This was encouraging news!

So I wanted to share this update with you from the doctor yesterday and thank you for your continued notes, encouragement and prayers! Sometimes it can be easy to be discouraged, especially finding out that Nathan might need another surgery - but your prayers and encouragement help us to keep positive in all of this!

Thanks so much! Oh and Nathan seems to have recovered just fine from his vaccines and is back to normal today - his usual smiley, happy self - and he's talking up a storm - the only problem is that we can't understand what he's saying! He likes the words Bla, bla, bla and la, la, la a lot though!

Two Months Old

Nathan is now two months old! I took these photos yesterday. I also decided to include a photo from right after Nathan's surgery when he was just two days old! Isn't it amazing how far he has come in two months! We praise God for His love and care and grace to us.

Update from Nathan's Pediatrician

Yesterday, we had our appointment with Nathan's pediatrician. Again, they were amazed at how well he looks - he keeps gaining weigh and growing! He now weighs 11 lbs. 12 oz. and is 58 cm long. They checked him over thoroughly - listening to his heart, looking at his nose and ears and making sure that things are coming along.

Then came the vaccines! Nathan was a brave little boy during his two injections and did very well. Thank goodness for Children's Tylenol to help him keep feeling a bit better, but I can tell that he's feeling achy and yucky as he's pretty fussy and not sleeping well. He probably would be running a fever too if he weren't taking the Tylenol.

And now for the report on the oxygen situation. Once again, Nathan's blood has a good oxygen saturation level and if it were only for that, he would be able to go off the oxygen.

However, as we mentioned last week, the cardiologist indicated that there is still too much pressure in his lungs which could cause his heart to work too hard. Also, the pediatrician explained to us that the ultrasound showed that there is a duct in his lung that has not closed completely. And because of this, we need to continue the oxygen. Additionally, if the duct does not close (apparently all babies are born with this duct open and then it closes on its own), then Nathan will need another surgery. For the medical people out there, I'm probably not explaining this very well - especially since I'm trying to translate what I understand the doctor to be saying in Spanish.

Needless to say, it was a little bit discouraging to us to think that Nathan might need another surgery. However, we reminded ourselves that God has helped us this far, He certainly is not going to abandon us now. Please pray with us that the duct in Nathan's lung would close properly so that he will not need surgery.

Our next appointment with the doctor is March 25 - so we have a month of continuing things as they are until we find out more from the doctor. At some point, Nathan will need another ultrasound so that they can see what is going on with the duct and pressure in his lung. We thank you again, for going to our Heavenly Father in prayer for Nathan's situation.

More good news . . .

This past Wednesday, we had our appointment with the surgeon, Dr. Davalos, who did Nathan's surgery when Nathan was just two days old. Dr. Davalos gave us a good report on Nathan after examining him, saying that he's doing very well.

His recommendation for Nathan's oxygen situation was that we take a week's vacation and go to the beach where we'd be at sea level (rather than at 9,300 ft. altitude here in Quito). . . we thought that was a pretty great idea (but unfortunately not possible right now). And I was kind of hoping that he could write out a prescription for this and then maybe our insurance would cover it (yea, right, in our dreams!).

He also told us that the fact that Nathan's saturation level is now where it should be is a good indicator that he should be coming off the oxygen soon. We shall see . . . .

And so tomorrow, we have our two-month appointment with Nathan's pediatrician. It will be good to sit down and talk with him about the reports from the doctors (the cardiologist and surgeon) and figure out a plan of action based on the reports.

And it's time for several routine vaccinations for Nathan! I'll be closing my eyes when they stick him with the needle!

And on Tuesday, Nathan will be two months old! He's come a long way in two months! Praise God for His goodness, grace and mercy to us.

Goodnight and goodbye from all of us!

7 hours

I had forgotten how wonderful 7 continuous hours of sleep feels like! Nathan slept for 7 whole hours last night without waking up! It was so great and boy, do I feel more alive today! Of course, I'm not imagining that this will happen every night from now on, but at least it's a start. He's always been a good sleeper at night, but this is a fun breakthrough at 7 1/2 weeks!

Daddy's Hand

CSO Ministry Trip - Manta

Most of you know that under normal circumstances, I'm part of the group that provides a Kids Club for the children at the Quito City Dump. It is something that I have missed a lot during the past few months and am looking forward to getting involved with again in the future.

Part of our group is formed by a group of high schoolers from Alliance Academy here in Quito. The group is part of a extracurricular program they have, called Christian Service Outreach (CSO) - a really neat program that provides ministry opportunities for the students. Our group is called the Extreme Response CSO and every Wedsnesday afternoon during the school year you will find the students out at the dump, providing a fun Kids Club for the 35 -50 children.

There are other CSO groups on Wedsnesday afternoon - one that goes to the public children's hospital, another that paints Christian-themed murals, another that mentor's Junior High students, etc. I believe that there are about 10 groups in all.

Anyways - in addition to doing the Kids Club on Wednesday afternoons, we also do a special ministry trip during Carnaval in February (this year, it was Feb. 2 - 5). You may remember that we normally go to the province of Chimborazo - about 5 hours south of Quito to a Quechua indian community to provide a VBS for the children there over the long weekend. I've talked about it many times as the trip is truly the high light of the year for me and for the group.

This year, the group decided to do something different and go to the coastal city of Manta where Extreme Response has a partner ministry - Por Amor Foundation (www.por-amor.com). Por Amor has an orphanage there as well as a ministry with the people who work in and live near the garbage dump there in Manta. So our CSO group headed to the coast (a much different climate than previous years in the cold mountains) to provide a VBS for over 100 children in a community near the garbage dump.

I really missed going this year. The high school students are incredible - they work so hard to plan the songs, verses, Bible story, games and crafts for these children. And we have such a great time together. This year, I had to enjoy the trip via photos taken by my friend/leader, Teri Newburn. She put the photos in an on-line photo album. Feel free to visit this link if you want to see more photos. You will need to scroll down and choose the album that says: Feb 2 - 5, 2008 Ministry Trip. You will also find photos from the Weds afternoon Kids Club on the site. I recommend that you visit it. http://ercso.shutterfly.com/action/

And below is a report she wrote about the trip - what a blessing! I'm so glad to be a part of the ER CSO group and am looking forward to getting back with them and the Kids Club at the dump! Thank you Teri, for writing this for us.

Carnival weekend is a time of fun and mischief for most Ecuadorians. (Carnival is the same holiday as “Mardi Gras” only with a water fight theme instead of masks and parades.) However, 22 Alliance Academy International high school students (and several adults) gave up vacations on the beach, favorite television shows, and even running water for four days (Feb 2 – 5, 2008). They spent the long weekend camping out on the floor of a small high school and eating meals cooked by a local family in San Juan, a community near the dump in Manta. During the school year, this same group of students organizes the Wednesday afternoon kids’ club for approximately 40 children at the Zambiza dump in Quito (and volunteers at the Extreme Response Daycare), so the Carnival trip was a natural extension of the yearly community service project.

The purpose of the trip was to provide a “Vacation Bible School” for over 100 children, who otherwise might not enjoy their vacation. The high school students prepared songs, Bible stories, memory verses, hygiene lessons, crafts and games. The Bible stories presented the story of creation, the first sin, and Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection. The crafts included coloring pages of the Bible story. The children loved the framed Polaroid picture craft. The next morning, the students helped the children trace and cut out their hand prints to make sequin-decorated butterflies. Another afternoon, the children painted creative designs on t-shirts. Long after song time was over, the children were still singing a song about a “sapo” (frog) with a tagline about their friend Jesus, and a Spanish version of “John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt” (Juan Paco Pedro de la Mar). They also enjoyed the song about the marvelous love of God and the “Aleluya” song where they get to shake a friends’ hand, and hug a friend, etc. The children squealed with delight while running under the colorful parachute, and playing duck-duck-goose or freeze tag. The hula hoops and jump ropes were also popular novelties for the children. During the final club session, the students presented the gospel message and prayed with the children. The high school students quickly became friends with the kids, and the farewells on Saturday morning were only softened by the hope that the group might return for the 2009 Carnival vacation.

The best part of the trip is that the students learn so much about themselves and about God. During the trip “debrief,” one of the “missionary kids” said that his parents had gone on many mission trips, but he had never participated in one because he didn’t see “the point.” Most people had heard about Jesus anyway, and how could any “real” ministry happen in a few short days. But after the trip was over, he realized that many people even in Ecuador still need to hear about Jesus, and there IS a point to even short mission trips. He realized the great need for missions everywhere, and that he could be a part of God’s work. Many other students shared about how they realized that life isn’t all about them – it’s about God and His plan. What a great encouragement!

AS A REMINDER - PRAY FOR THE KIDS CLUB AT THE DUMP THIS AFTERNOON! AND FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO WILL BE SHARING SONGS, VERSES, A BIBLE STORY, GAMES AND A CRAFT.

Busy Week

This week is a busy one. We have a number of doctors' appointments for Nathan.

Today we started with his pediatrician's office for his monthly vaccine. We got to meet Philipe, the child who is also needing the vaccine. We shared a vial with him (we both needed 1 and 1/2 vials of the vaccine). This expensive vaccine helps prevent against respiratory infections, which could really be serious for Nathan (Philipe was born premature so it could be serious for him too). We also found out that Nathan now weighs 11 lbs. 4 oz. . . so he is indeed growing!

They also took advantage of the fact we were there to check Nathan's oxygen level. We were very encouraged to find that his saturation level is finally above 90 without being connected to oxygen! That was very exciting as this is the first time that this has happened and brings us closer to taking him off the 24 hours a day oxygen. However, we needed to see what Nathan's cardiologist would say. So . . .

Then we rushed over to Dr. Davalos' office, Nathan's pediatric cardiologist. We spent some time talking about Nathan's progress and then he did an electrocardiogram and listened to Nathan's lungs and heart quite a bit with the stethoscope. He also did an ultrasound on Nathan's chest (which was interesting trying to keep wiggly Nathan as still as possible!).

We found out that Nathan's heart is doing really well; however, the pressure in his lungs is still a bit high (as a reference point, it should be at around 20 and is at 33), so the cardiologist is recommending that we keep him on round-the-clock oxygen for a few more weeks yet. If there is too much pressure in the lungs, it causes the heart to work too hard, which of course is not recommended.

So I guess you could say we received good and bad news today - good news that Nathan's oxygen level in his blood is up to where it needs to be, but bad news that we still need to keep him on oxgyen to help his left lung continue to develop and stabilize. The cardiologist did say that this will definitely take time and that we shouldn't be discouraged - it just takes some patience.

In fact, he mentioned that Nathan's case has been presented three times at the hospital for educational purposes because his situation has been about the best it could possibly be considering what he was born with and that he is responding so well to the surgery and treatment he has had so far.

In the meantime, we still need to be careful of taking him out and having a lot of visitors here at the house. The idea is to minimize the risk of infection as much as possible, especially now during the cold and flu season. Along this line, please pray for Santi as he has been feeling a cold coming on the past couple of days and he certainly doesn't want to pass it on to Nathan (or to me for that matter).

Santi also took a quick trip to my OB/GYN's office (thankfully all these offices are on the same medical compound) to get that all-important signature and seal on Nathan's birth papers . . . the signature that we need to start the process to get Nathan's birth certificate. So since we had that paper, we decided to make another attempt at the Civil Registry office. So once again, we stood in line and made our way into the small little cramped room to register Nathan's birth.

Let me just say it was quite a process. We first had to hand over the paper from the hospital along with our ids. A lady typed the pertinent information onto a form (I mean literally typed - on an old-fashioned typewriter). She then handed the form to us to make sure it was all correct. Then we had to pay her 50 cents because we didn't register Nathan's birth within the first 30 days after he was born.

Then we turned to the next lady (mind you, there was barely room to turn around in the small little room - granted we did have Nathan and his carrier seat and a diaper bag and the oxygen tank!) who was HAND-WRITING the same information again into an "official" book. Santi then had to sign the original form that was typed and also sign in the "official" book. Mind you, she hadn't hand-written the information in yet, so I guess he just had to sign, assuming that she was going to write everything in correctly.

Later on this week, Santi can go back for Nathan's computerized birth certificate (thankfully this Civil Registry is located a few blocks from HCJB). I guess it takes them all week to transfer the type-written form and then the hand-written book into the computer. Then if we need a really official, original certificate (which I'm afraid we're going to need in order to get Nathan's US passport), we'll need to take a trip to another Civil Registry located way on the south side of Quito (about an hour away) . . . and who knows what adventures we'll have then. I can hardly wait! It never ceases to amaze me how much time we can take up with paperwork like this (even after living here 11 years, I still haven't gotten used to it).

Looking ahead, we have another doctor's appointment on Wednesday afternoon with the surgeon who did Nathan's surgery. As far as we know, this is just a follow-up checkup to make sure Nathan has healed up from the surgery. And then a week from today, we have Nathan's 2 month check-up with his pediatrician. I was looking at the list today and I believe that he will be getting most of his regular vaccines then. . . . thankfully Santi comes along with me on these appointments as he's a lot braver than I am when it comes to giving Nathan shots!

Well, this has turned out to be a lot longer than normal. Hopefully you haven't fallen asleep while reading all the medical updates (oh and the birth certificate saga that continues). I'm afraid I don't even have a photo today to make things more interesting. Thanks for tuning in and for your continued prayers and encouragement - we definitely feel the love and concern from so many of you - THANK YOU! We'd really appreciate your prayers that Nathan's lung will continue to develop and grow so that we can soon take him off the oxygen . . .

Happy Valentine's Day!

I couldn't resist posting these photos of the roses that my husband, Santi, gave me for Valentine's Day! Aren't they beautiful! I'm very spoiled because he often comes home from the office with a bouquet of roses for me. So today, I'm sharing my bouquet with you.

Ecuador is one of the world's major exporter of roses. Chances are, if you were blessed with a bouquet of roses today from your loved one, that the roses came from Ecuador! Here in Ecuador, we get the "cast-offs" that aren't good enough for exporting, but at $1.50 for a dozen (yes, that's $1.50 in US dollars), we certainly can't complain and as you can see, they are still very beautiful!

We want to wish you all a very special day - thank you for your friendship and love!

With love from Quito . . . . Santi, Ruth and Nathan (and of course, I couldn't resist including photos of Nathan!)

“. . . Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”- John 13:34 - 35

Paperwork in Ecuador

Things are going well with Nathan - just hanging out at home and loving baby time with him. He is still on oxygen. We will be going to the doctor's on Monday for another one of his super expensive vaccines. He now needs 1 and 1/2 vials since he has gained weight (which is a good thing), so we're going to try to share that other 1/2 vial with another baby who needs the vaccine as well so that the 1/2 vial is not wasted (and the other family will pay for that other 1/2 so that we don't have to).

In order to make this all work, we have to first call the other family and set up a time to meet them at the doctor's office. Then we have to call the company that sells the vaccine and have them also meet us at the doctor's office. Then the doctor has to be there as well to inject the vaccine. Basically once the vaccine is prepared, it needs to be injected right away otherwise, it will be wasted! So I'm busy this week, trying to get this coordinated via phone calls.

Yesterday, we decided that we really need to start the "registration" process here for Nathan's birth and start working on all that paperwork. So I packed up Nathan and his oxygen tank and got it strapped down in the car and drove the 20 minutes to go meet Santi at his office so that we could go to the "Civil Registry" here to register his birth.

Thankfully, the civil registry is close to HCJB so we didn't have to go far. We got there, found a parking spot, unloaded Nathan, his stroller and his gas tank and headed to the "Birth Registration" window. I must admit that this is one of my least favorite places in Ecuador to visit (we went there in Oct 2006 for our legal "ceremony" for our wedding - not the most beautiful setting in the world). Let's just say it's a little dirty, unorganized and well . . . just not pleasant!

We first found out that since we didn't register him within the first 30 days of his birth, we have to pay a fine of 50 cents. We certainly can't complain about that. Then we stood in line for a while until a nice man noticed that Nathan was on oxygen and he sent us right to the front of the line!

We handed the lady our paperwork. Now - even though this is an official process (basically, we're just beginning the process to get Nathan his birth certificate), the lady in front of us didn't look very official . . . even Santi laughed at the fact that she had this huge old-fashioned typewriter in front of her and no computer in sight!

She took one glance at the paper we had from the hospital and said that it won't work. We needed a "seal" from the doctor who attended my labor/Nathan's birth (I guess it didn't matter that his name was typed into the space by the hospital's records department - we needed the all official seal)! So after all that, we couldn't get anything done - and we have to go back to my doctor's office and get that seal! Otherwise, we can't do a thing! So it's back to square one, I guess.

But it was nice to get out of the house for a bit and I know that Nathan enjoyed his ride in the car and we had fun seeing Daddy for a bit. I guess we'll leave this task for another time!

The Faces of Ecuador

Here is a photo from last month. I snapped it while sitting in the car waiting for the stoplight to change. I happened to have my camera with me and saw this little girl playing by herself in the small little median in the road. Her mom was selling gum and candy to people stopped at the light. The look in her eyes captured my heart.

I never cease to be amazed at the little children we see out on the streets on a daily basis here in Quito. They spend the whole day out there while their parents try to sell something (such as fruit, candy, newspapers, etc.) to passersby - earning maybe just enough money to buy food for the day. Some of the older ones aren't with anyone - they may have been sent out to sell things themselves or they may just be living on the street because they have no place to go.

Sometimes it's hard to see this day in and day out. For one thing, as sad as it sounds, you start getting used to seeing it. For another thing, you know that no matter how many quarters you have in your car to hand out to these kids on the street, you'll eventually run out. And finally, sometimes, it's just hard to think of any practical way to help them.

BUT THERE IS HOPE! We all know that there is hope in Jesus. And I'm reminded of two amazing organizations who Extreme Response partners with here in Quito (by helping with funding, medicines, used clothing, short-term teams, etc.). These are two organizations that are doing what they can to help the children, moms and dads who live and work on the street and who probably don't have much hope in their lives. They bring the hope of Jesus to these people through very practical ways. I'll let you read about these organizations for yourselves. I invite you to visit their websites.

Pan de Vida - - - http://www.pandevida.ec/

Casa Gabriel - - - http://www.youthworld.org.ec/street.htm

At Extreme Response, we are grateful for the opportunity to help these two organizations. And for me, I am reminded that there is hope for children like this little girl hanging out on the street the other day.

Volcano Update

Yesterday, I posted photos and information about the Tungurahua volcano here in Ecuador that has been spewing lava and ash this week. Here is another photo that I pulled off the internet.

Also below is an update that was sent out by the US Embassy here in Quito:

The volcano is located approximately 140 kilometers south of Quito, near Baños. Pyroclastic flows occurred on the northeast flank of the volcano. The extent is not yet known. Two main pulses occurred and scientists predict ash activity will continue and is likely to increase.

The government has declared a Code Red (highest level) alert for the surrounding area and closed schools in the immediate vicinity and in Baños. The road from Pelileo to Baños is officially closed. Residents of the highest-risk areas have already been evacuated, and more people were evacuated late in the evening on February 6. Satellite images show a disperse ash cloud moving to the east and southeast. Ambato and Riobamba are also affected, and road traffic is slow. Tungurahua erupted in 2006 causing significant damage, displacement, deaths, and injuries. Ash from the eruption affected not just the immediate vicinity of the volcano, but also closed the city of Baños.

Here in Quito, we don't notice any affects from the volcano - but it's hard to believe all this is going on just four hours south of here. And of course, we feel for all the people who have had to leave their homes and belongings behind.

We are also aware of the severe weather up the states this week - including the tornadoes in TN. We were sorry to see so many people who lost their homes and all the damage that was done.

"Throat of Fire"

Some of you may have seen in World News about the volcano that has been erupting here in Ecuador. The volcano is called Tungurahua - which means "Throat of Fire" in the Quechua language. It's located about four hours south of Quito where we live. The volcano has been erupting the past couple of days and the people living in the area have been evacuated. We saw on the ecuadorian news tonight that some people refuse to evacuate . . . they just don't want to leave their homes, livestock and all that they have in this world. Extreme Response will probably be doing some relief effort once it's safe to go into the area again. Pray that God will give us wisdom as to know who to help as well as how to help.

If you want to read more about the volcano, I found this news link on yahoo news. And here are a couple of photos from the Ecuadorian newspaper (on-line).

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080208/wl_afp/ecuadorvolcano_080208013232

The Tank

No, I'm not referring to Nathan, although, at the rate he's gaining weight and growing, we may soon be calling him The Tank.

Actually, I'm referring to the oxygen tank that Nathan's connected to. . . . we had a good visit at the pediatrician's today. Thank you for praying. Nathan is still needing just a bit of oxygen, so he's still connected to the oxygen tank until our next appointment in two weeks, when we will check his progress once again. The doctor doesn't seem concerned at all that he still needs oxygen. The idea is to help his lungs be as strong as possible and keep the saturation level of oxygen in his blood where it should be (at 90 or above). A lot of the issue also has to do with the fact that we live at such a high altitude here in Quito (over 9,300 ft.).

The doctor also weighed Nathan and he weighs in at 10 lbs. 8 oz. which means he gained a pound in the past two weeks and he also grew another 2 1/2 cm - so he's now 56.5 cm long (which is probably around 22 inches). The doctor is very pleased with how is he progressing!

In the next two weeks, Nathan will also have another of the expensive vaccines to help prevent respiratory infections. Because of his weight, he now needs 1 and 1/2 vials of the vaccine. The doctor put us in contact with another family whose premature baby also needs 1 and 1/2 vials so we're going to see if we can share the three vials that we need between the two of us. This will lower the cost by over $400 for both of us.

We will also be making appointments with the pediatric cardiologist and the surgeon who did the surgery on Nathan. These are just follow-up appointments to make sure everything is healed and doing well after the surgery. In the meantime, the doctor told me it would still be wise to stick close to home with Nathan and not take him out much unless it's necessary. So I spend my days at home with Nathan - needless to say, we're very excited to see Santi when he walks in the door in the evening! And Santi is very good about watching Nathan on the weekends while I get out some.

So we have a few things ahead of us still. But God is good and we continue to be amazed at how well Nathan is doing. Seriously, if you didn't know that he had the surgery due to the CDH, you could never tell it by looking at him! He definitely doesn't look like the sick little boy that he was. Again, we give THANKS TO GOD and to all of you who prayed and continue to pray!!!

Here's a couple of photos of the oxygen tank - you'll notice that Nathan is raising his arm in excitement because Daddy's favorite soccer team scored a goal (we were watching the game while Nathan was eating)! Daddy is getting him started early with Latin America's favorite sport!

O2

We're headed to a visit to our pediatrician today. He told us to come in this week to see how Nathan's oxygen levels are. We're hoping and praying that he will tell us that we can finally take Nathan off the oxygen! Wouldn't that be exciting! To use a quote from a friend who wrote me today - it sure would be nice to "shed the tank!" I probably won't know what to do without having that tank to wheel around with us as we move around the house. And having Nathan connected to it by the tube. And trying to constantly keep the tubes in his nose (we've often considered duct taping it to his nose, but then thought that it probably wouldn't be wise!).

So we'll keep you updated as to what we find out today - in the meantime, Nathan and I are excited to have an outing (or at least I am - although I do know that Nathan loves riding in the car, so he's probably excited too).

Children are a gift of the Lord

We have been enjoying a two-day holiday here in Ecuador - it's called Carnaval, always celebrated on Monday and Tuesday, making it a big four-day weekend for most people. The main tradition during this holiday is to throw water on unsuspecting people as they pass by your house, car or corner! They call it "playing carnaval" - we have found that it's usually best to stay inside during this weekend unless you really want to get wet!

And the nice thing is that Santi has been home (even though he has been on call for the computer department at HCJB, thankfully he hasn't received any calls so far!) and we've been working on various projects around the house.

One of our main projects was to take down the Christmas tree! Yea, I know, we're well into February and the tree is still up! I guess we kind of took a late Christmas this year - considering that we didn't get the tree up until Dec 21. And then it wasn't the typical Christmas for us - one that didn't include all the food (yes, I guess we did get to eat the turkey before running off to the hospital) and gifts and guests and glitter and events.

However, today as I was taking off the ornaments, I was reminded of a very special gift this year. Some dear friends recently sent us Nathan's very first Christmas tree ornament - a bronze set of baby shoes that says "Baby's First Christmas 2007". When I put the ornament on the tree, I hadn't noticed that the back of it had a verse from the book of Psalms in the Bible. But today in taking down the ornaments I noticed the verse which says:

Psalm 127:3 Children are a gift of the Lord . . .

This year, we may not have had all that goes with a traditional Christmas, but we received a very special GIFT indeed. Nathan came into our lives on Christmas day and we could never imagine our lives without him. In six short weeks, he has filled our lives with wonder, love, joy, and happiness. (and dark circles under our eyes due to lack of sleep -but that's a given with a newborn in the house I guess!). This verse also reminded me that the name Nathan means "Gift of God". (I guess I could start a theme of "gifts" here).

I know that none of this is necessarily anything new and I'm sure that all of you who are parents out there have already come to this realization - the fact that our children are a gift from God. For me today, it was just a special moment as I was taking down the ornaments from the tree and to see that particular verse on the back of Nathan's ornament was neat.

Ready for the Superbowl!

Okay - so we don't have any Patriots nor Giants outfits, but you can bet that we're planning on catching the Superbowl tomorrow. Nathan would have been rooting for the Colts as you can see! Thanks to our good friends, Nanette and Mike, from IN for sending the Colts paraphernalia - they would have been perfect for tomorrow's game had the Colts not been eliminated . . . maybe next year! We can always hope!