What counts as "walking?"

So, we're home safe and sound from Mexico. All prayers were answered. It was an amazing trip, and we have approximately 1 trillion photos to share with you...but not until the laundry is done.

When we picked the kids up from my dad's Sunday morning (we got back late Saturday night) Rebecca was scooting around their coffee table with ease...and then we saw her stand by herself and take two little steps before sitting herself down on the ground because crawling is still more efficient. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that this wasn't the first time it happened...but we're okay with that.

The ones and twos have continued and yesterday afternoon she walked between me and our friend Christal--5 steps. This morning Kyle witnessed 6. So...she's definitely on her way. We're telling ourselves that we may have missed her exact "first step" but that we're still witnessing her learning to really walk!

More on our trip and the kids' experiences with the grandparents (and my brother--who got a rough welcome to "parenthood") soon...

Prayer Request Letter for Mexico Medical Mission Trip (or PRLMMMT)

Friends and family,

Kyle and I leave Friday morning for a week-long medical mission trip to Mexico (July 16-24). We have gone with this group before (TIME for Christ, Mexico Ministries, aka "The Caravan"*) and are really excited to get to serve with them again. Kyle will be doing anesthesia and I will be interpreting. Kyle's mom Franny will also be on the trip, working in the lab. My mom and my dad will keep both of the kids while we are gone. We would really appreciate your prayers while we're gone!

We will be driving from San Antonio, TX to a small village called Moctezuma in the central state of San Luis Potosi. We drive across the border Friday, spend the night in a town called Saltillo, then drive the rest of the way Saturday. The "hospital*" opens Monday morning and will be in full swing until we leave Saturday morning. (The trip continues through the next week with everyone else driving back Friday and Saturday, but we can only stay a week so will fly home from San Luis Potosi the first Saturday.)

Here are some specific requests:

* Safety: We know that Mexico isn't what is used to be (violent crime has increased exponentially, especially along the border), but our God is the same--sovereign and faithful. We pray that the Caravan has safe border crossing, that the leadership of the trip make wise decisions, and that we are all kept in good health.

* Supplies//Logistics: This trip is the "maiden voyage" in many ways for the organization (even though these trips have been happening for over 30 years) because a lot is changing with respect to how we transport all the required medical gear, medications and other supplies to our site. We pray that we will have everything we need to do the work we set out to do, that the leadership gains valuable insight for planning future trip, and that all interaction with the Mexican officials whose help we require to make the trip happen each year will be positive.

* Anesthesia: Kyle will be the only anesthesiologist for our week (with two nurse anesthetists). We pray that all the clinicians on the trip would be be given extra wisdom to take really really good care of their patients and that there are no adverse outcomes or mistakes. We pray specifically that Kyle, his anesthesia team, and the entire OR would be well-equipped to handle every challenge that comes up (in what is a somewhat rudimentary set-up), that they would make wise decisions in deciding what cases to do/not do, that they would work well as a team, and that all patients would come out better than they went in! (Kyle has taken on a lot of new responsibility for this trip, so pray that he lead well and not be anxious.)

* Interpreting: I'm obviously not a native speaker and haven't had the time to study up I would have liked, so we pray that somehow what needs to be communicated is communicated, that there are no errors that result in safety issues, and that the message of the gospel is clear!

* The Gospel!: We pray for the TIME participants and our Mexican partners who will be charged specifically with sharing the gospel with the Mexican people (and Totenoc Indians) we serve. We also pray that the love of Jesus and the grace of the gospel would be evident in everything we do while we're there--from the free, high-quality medical services they receive, to the not-so-high quality accent I interpret with! With all of it--to God be the glory!

* Our kiddos: We are so blessed to have grandparents willing to take Rebecca and Owen for 9 days! Whoa! We pray that the kiddos would not get sick, would sleep well at night and at naptime, would be on their *best* behavior, and would not struggle with missing us because they're having so much fun with Bee & JoJo and Dahdo & Pam. We pray for extra grandparent stamina (good naps on the kids' part wouldn't hurt!). (Selfishly, we're also praying that Rebecca NOT take her first steps while we're gone--she's that close!)

* Long term vision: We are hoping to get a better understanding of what our role with the Caravan should be in the next few years, as much of the current leadership team is retiring. We pray that we would be open to the Lord's calling, would not agree to take on more than we can handle with our young family, but would not be selfish with our time/energy. (Just to clarify, this would be something done from Austin--we're not moving to Mexico.)

We can't wait to share stories and photos from our trip when we get back. Thank you for your prayers!

Love,
Kyle & Alison

*The Caravan sets-up a MASH-like hospital in a school that is out of session for the summer. It will include a medical clinic, OR, pre- and post-op areas, procedure room, lab, x-ray, pharmacy, dental clinic, kitchen, and children’s ministry in addition to living quarters for Caravan participants. Common surgical procedures include: hernia repairs, hysterectomies, prolapse repairs, cleft lip and pallet repairs, tonselectomies/adnoidectomies, varicose vein strippings, orthopaedic procedures, etc.

(Big) July Baby Book Post

I'll admit this post is for ME because its of the heavily-detailed baby book variety...stuff I want to have a record of. So...skip to the pictures if you're so inclined. For those who care to read on, these are tid-bits I've been writing down over the last month of so...

Rebecca:

• If you saw the last post--she's really close to walking! She's cruising around pieces of furniture and pushing carts/toys and has stood up on her own for a couple of seconds. 
• She is fully weened as of last night! (Bitter-sweet, but mostly sweet!) We have been cutting out feedings one by one for a couple of weeks now. She hasn't been the biggest formula fan, but doesn't have a choice now. She has done great going straight to the "sippy" cup with straws (no bottle). She has even drank out of a cup (non lid or straw) a couple of times but it makes quite a mess!
• Owen loves to feed her. He hands her pieces of food from her tray and asks her if she likes it, Yes? No? Then he says he's teaching her how to eat. The other day he pushed a kitchen chair over to our fruit bowl, climbed up, got her an apple, brought it to the table and told her that "This is a peach. You will like it. Try it!"
• My mom (Bee) is teaching her how to eat healthy--she gave her her first "white donut" (the powdered sugar ones). 
• Words she knows: fan (looks up), bird (also looks up, especially in Bee's kitchen where there is a big fake parot on the fridge), clap.
• She's saying lots of Da, Deh, Do, Beh. After Dada (which always seems to come before Mama--in fact, Owen called me Dada for a long time!) we bet she says Owen (or her version of it) pretty soon. 
• In addition to clapping, she's able to wave on "command".
• She is SUPER squirmy. She prefers being down on the ground, crawling, trying to walk, than being held, especially if you're not moving. Changing her diaper has become a real challenge because she fights having to lay still. 
• She is really really tough. She has taken some pretty impressive spills (out of Owen's bed, off his chair) and just keeps on going, not phased at all. We think part of it is her temperment in general, and part of it is a necessity of being a younger sibling trying to keep up!
• Teething hasn't been fun. She's had the two on the bottom for a while, and how a big ol' snaggle tooth on the top (left). The right one has poked through too, but it's not down yet. She'll probably have a full set up of teeth when we get back!
• I had forgotten how many transitions there are around this age...new food, new teeth, new sleeping schedule...she's sort of in between 2 naps a day and 1 nap a day. It's getting trickier and trickier to get them to nap at the same time (which is something I covet!)...although she's waking up earlier in the morning now that she's weened (no nursing her back to sleep--boo!) which is ensuring that she takes an earlier morning nap and therefore an afternoon nap that overlaps with Owen. 
• I occasionally wear a baseball cap and when I do she LOVES to put her face right up in mine under the bill and then move away and bite the bill and move my head around.  It's the first little game she's invented with me. 
• Owen on the other hand is a master at inventing little games with her. His favorites right now are 1) having me put her on him on his little arm chair and they both roll off (and laugh!!!), 2) he jumps from the couch to the ottoman and says ribbit and she dies laughing, 3) he puts the two big couch cushions across the couch seat to the ottoman and creates a "cave" that they crawl under together.

Her favorite toy right now is Owen's chair. She loves to sit in it, stand in it, roll off of it, climb on him in it.

 

Her smile is sort of crooked these days because she sort of grinds her one top snaggle tooth on the bottom two. So cute!

 Hot and sweaty. Let me assure you she didn't stay put on the blanket for long.

 Playing with her big girl sippy cup and puff dispenser (which she's really good at shooting puffs from.)

 Owen:

• Owen loves stories. He has a repertoire of ones we've made up about random characters we've made up. He requests them by name, character and plot and in doing so essentially tells the entire story before you get a chance. We've learned to be careful in making up new stories because he will request them again as if they're from a book and you have to remember what you said (or fear being corrected by a 2.5 year old)
• Frankie (the Fox who lives in Bee's backyard and is very mischievous)
• Speedy the Race Car, Tommy the Truck, Jesse the Jeep, Arnie the Airplane (they all act like people too and go on adventures with Owen and Frankie)
• Even if the story starts out about Owen and Frankie or Owen and Speedy, he always ends up including everyone else he knows...Bee, JoJo, Dahdo, Pam, Nana, Luke, Mel, Bailey, Blake, Dog named Blue, Alex, etc. etc. etc.
• Owen likes to make up songs too, but they're almost always to the tune of Old MacDonald. He'll also joke about them, singing "Old MacDonald had a....sandwhich!...is that right? He he!" He also likes to really belt it out and add syllables (usually "ee"): "Jesus loves Me-eeeee, this I know-ee!", "Bee though my vision-ee, oh Lord of my heart-ee!"
• His favorite books right now are Curious George
• Somewhere he picked up saying "Yes-Sir-Y-Bob" but he has made it his own by mostly saying "Yes-Sir-Y-Bobby" or "Yes-Sir-Y-Bob-the-Builder".
• He says "This is very serious" when he's playing with his trains.
• Owen to Kyle: "Will you help me wif someping wight quickt?"   Kyle: "Sure, what is it?"   Owen: "Let's play trains!"
• Getting him into his pajamas one night, he pushed his hand through the long sleeve and when it came out he made a little mouth with his fingers (like a puppet) and said, "Hi, I'm hand" in a deep scratchy voice. Where did he come up with that?
• He loves to practicing casting his little fishing pole...he hits the bottom to release the line, picks up the toy fish attached to the end (where the hook would be) and throws it across the room. Pretty close...
• He's also learned how to play a modified version of the card game "Go Fish"...cards are face up and everybody wins!
• Anytime we go to someone's door or someone comes to our door he yells "surprise!" (even if it's not a surprise at all).
• I bought a little bath toy tea set that is pink and was clearly intended for Rebecca but Owen really likes to have "tea parties" in the tub. One day I told him he should make crumpets to serve with his tea. I explained that a crumpet is sort of like a cookie. He said, "Alright Momma, I will make you a very special trumpet...it's called a hot dog!" If your pretending to drink looks to real he says, "no! pretend!".
• I put a milk jug in the trash yesterday (I know, shame on me) and Owen saw it and said "Momma, what is this doing in here? That's funny! Momma, you should put it in the wecycling because it's made of pwastic!".
• I've already mentioned that Rebecca loves Owen's soft toddler-size arm chair, and so does Owen. He likes to run from as far back as possible (like the kitchen) and jump into it. But that's not enough. He tells you to go in his room so he can run and jump in his chair and "you will laugh!". Then he says (quietly, to himself) "Ready, Set, Mark, Go!"
• "Menungi" is one of Owen's favorite words. Each time we ask him what it means he makes up something else like "it means don't break my trains Rebetta" or "it means I need more juice" or "it means let's go swing".
• He started doing this thing where he folds his fingers in (like a loose fist) and puts his hands together and it sort of makes a heart. Then he puts his hands into your hands (palms open) and "give you a heart for later," then he'll make himself one and "put it in his pocket". Surely someone taught him this but we haven't figured out who.
• Owen is very particular about his goodnight kisses. If he doesn't like it then he says "that's not a very right kiss" and you have to give him another one (I just hate that!).
• The toddler-variety stream of consciousness talking hasn't gotten us into trouble yet (like saying something inappropriate to a stranger), but it has made for lots of laughs. His prayers sound more like a game of eye-spy...
• The other day he put on some of his toy doctor kit and told me he needed to go take a nap because he didn't get much sleep last night at the hospital! (I wonder where he's heard that before?). Similarly, one day when Kyle was post-call Owen instructed him that playing trains would make him feel better.

 Owen enjoying a "dewishoud and refreshing" milk shake. The boy knows what he likes!

 Enjoying some rock throwing and watermelon eating with Kyle along the Barton Springs Green Belt.

Whew! You made it to the bottom, and I made it through my list and can now leave the country knowing that the lastest update has been made!

Walking (with a little help)

So, Kyle and I are leaving for Mexico (more on that later) this Friday for a little over a week...There is a real possibility that Rebecca is going to start walking on her own while we're gone. Yesterday she stood up for about 3 seconds on her own. My laundry baskets keep ending up in different parts of the house because she pushes them places. And this video shows her "walking" with the help of a little shopping cart.

Beach Trip Part Deux

I'm slightly afraid that Owen is going to start expecting a trip to the beach every few weeks. That or the Ranch. Probably both. We made another little 4-5 hour jaunt down to Port A this past weekend for a quick little beach gettaway with Nana/Franny. She rented a great little condo and had been there all week with friends, but saved her last weekend for us and the Mukes (Luke/Mel and kiddos). Even though it was a quick trip we had a great time. The weather and everyone's health cooperated more than our trip with the Gang back in May. Kyle and I were amazed that we actually had time to relax and read! Here are some highlights...

Playtime in the sand. (Owen did a great job swimming at the pool our first morning, but still prefers the sand to the surf...just like his Momma.)

 

Owen's pallet (therma-rest and Thomas sleep sack) in a tiny triangle closet in our room--he LOVED it!

Lots of snuggle time for Blake with Nana.

 Rebecca's "chewy" face...

Did we really eat an entire bag of oreos? Yes, more milk please!

Miss Priss getting dirty.

Let's go fly a kite! (Actually it was "broky" and never really got off the ground).

An attempt at 1) an "artsy" photo w/ our new camera, 2) not getting pooped on by the swarm.

 Sweet Kyle.

Sweet Blakers.

 The look of defeat after faceplanting (on purpose?) in the sand...

 Toddler Miracle: Both Owen and Bailey let us bury them in the sand.

 The Supreme Matriarch and Weekend Sponsor.

Bailey's famous beach curls.

Nana playing the role of construction site (what a good sport!)

 Don't you wonder what's going through their little heads?

 Nana with all four grandkids.

 Two of Kyle's cool moon shots.

We're a blessed bunch, that's for sure...

Good, no GREAT news! (and a question)

Just heard back from the data-recovery company we sent our hard drive too...looks like they were able to recover ALL of our data, pictures included! (Sigh of relief!) Money spent. Lesson learned. Big smile. :)

Random question to others who use Blogger: Are you able to upload videos these days? My "compose new post" screen does not have a "video upload" icon anymore...thoughts?

Owen the Submarine

Owen completed the rigorous pre-Navy Seal swim training program affectionately known among Austin moms as "Mrs. Cathy's"...For a guy who would hardly put his face in the water to blow bubbles the progress he made in 8 1/2 hour lessons is staggering. Take note: her methods are not for the faint of heart...but Owen is now voluntarily swimming UNDER the water to retrieve his "dive sticks" from the (shallow) bottom of the swimming pool...