my very first baby shower

Thanks to some VERY sweet ladies here in Tanzania and Kenya, I had my very first baby shower and it was great! It was for both me and a friend, Erin, who is due in March. We had so much fun. We played games, got advice about raising kids in Africa, ate some great snacks (Paige made my very favorite...funfetti cupcakes! Thank you!) and opened gifts. Everyone was so generous and I cannot believe how much stuff we came away with for Zoe.

Here is a picture of me and Erin with our sweet friend Emily at the shower



Here is all the stuff we got for Zoe! Such a blessing!

 This past weekend we also had a prayer/marriage retreat in the mountains. It was wonderful! We arrived on Friday afternoon and everyone brought a Thanksgiving dish to share, so we were able to have a "family dinner." It was up in the mountains, which was even more wonderful, because we got to escape the heat of Morogoro for a few days. For anyone who doesn't know...the seasons here are opposite of in the States...so as you are cuddling up to each other beside a cozy fire, we are sweating it out in the heat, praying for cool breezes.

Anyhow, one of my favorite parts of the meeting was sharing praises and prayer requests. When it was Nate's turn, he shared that he needed prayer over not just being a new father, but a new father to a little girl. He said he didn't know why God wanted him to become one of those guys that is wrapped around his daughter's finger. He also told everyone at the meeting that if their boys decide to come knocking on our door one day, it would be work-out and sharpen his machete day. I'm so excited...he is gonna make a great daddy :)

She strikes again

Sooo...yesterday we got a package in the mail from our sweet friends Matt & Lauren Zwitt. Nate cut open the box and I pulled out the first thing. It was wrapped so carefully in bubble wrap and it looked like some sort of beautiful figurine...and as I started to unwrap it little by little, I said, "Nate, I think it's an angel!" Then...we both thought the same thing at the same time and caught each others eyes and started laughing hysterically. This is what it was:

Let me give you a little history. This "angel" first appeared on our doorstep at our seminary apartment in New Orleans. She was just sitting there. No note. Nothing. At first, we didn't know what to think. Is this a gag? Or is it a real gift that someone left for us? We thought..."surely it's a joke, I mean...look at her..." But nobody ever owned up to it, so we decided to pass along "the gift" to none other than Matt and Lauren. Well, without going into all the details, this little angel was passed back and forth I don't know how many times. Never just handed off, but she always snuck her way into the other couples apartment in some sneaky, clever way. And now...here she is...she has traveled halfway across the world to Morogoro, Tanzania. We will make a little spot for her, but not forever. Eventually, she will make her way home.

But in all seriousness...thank you so much, Matt and Lauren. They didn't just send the angel...the sent clothes for Zoe, stuff that I will need as a new mom, a book, and letters & advice they have learned from their two boys: Abe & Josiah. We are so thankful to have them as friends and we miss them SO very much. Just the other night, we pulled out a card game we haven't placed since we were in New Orleans. I pulled out the cards and the directions, which had an old score card with all four of our names on it and we thought about the good old days of playing cards, eating m&ms and just hanging out. We love you guys and thank you again so much for everything!

this is me and lauren at her baby shower for Abe!

Our Newest Addition

A few weeks ago, we added a 2–year old Rhodesian Ridgeback to the family. Another family here in Tanzania needed someone to take care of him while they will be traveling for a little over a year. His name is Chester and he is huge. Rhodesian Ridgebacks were originally bred in Southern Africa for hunting lions, and they get their name from the beautiful ridge that runs down their back. Me, personally, I don’t really care for big dogs…but Nate has found a new best friend, and I have to admit that he is a sweet dog. He loves Nate more than anything…one of his favorite things to do is jump on Nate (yes, that’s right). This dog can put his front paws on Nate’s shoulders and Nate lets him. Don’t worry…Chester doesn’t care enough about me to jump on me. He knows Nate is the only person he is allowed to “play” with like that.

He also has this weird thing that he likes to sit on our laps. If either of us sits on the floor, he carefully sets himself down on us and if we are sitting on the couch, he slowly tries to go unnoticed by sitting his butt up on the couch beside us (and NO, he is not allowed on the furniture! But I had to take this picture because this dog is so ridiculous)

He makes an excellent guard dog and he barks at anyone who comes to our gate. These poor Tanzanians, they don’t know what to think of him. To them, meeting a dog his size is like meeting a lion. Almost all our Tanzanian friends will not even enter our gate until the dog is tied up or shut away in a room. They are deathly afraid of him, and I can’t blame them.

So that’s Chester.

Nonnie's quilt

This week we got TWO packages from my Aunt Judy in Florida. She sent all sorts of good stuff: lots of baby clothes and books for Zoe, a dress and some makeup for me, and a frisbee for Nate (just to name a few). My aunt is wonderful at crocheting and sewing, so she sent Zoe a crocheted pink and white blanket, a cap and booties, and some beautiful potholders for me :)

But the most special gift in the package was a quilt that she made. It’s not just any quilt, it was made with the fabric from some of my grandmother’s (Nonnie) clothes. After she passed away, my mom gave some of her clothes to my Aunt to see if she could make something from them.  And Aunt Judy put together this beautiful quilt.

I just love it because even though Nonnie isn’t here to meet Zoe, we know that she is looking down on her and now Zoe will always have a special piece of her great-grandmother in the quilt.

the BIG 3-0

Pregnancy Highlights:

How far along: 30 weeks

Maternity clothes: i'm still wearing my normal jeans but mainly lots of skirts and a few maternity tops that my mom and nate's mom have sent

Gender: a sweet baby girl

Movement: lots...mainly after i eat, especially the wasabi cashews that my mom sent in a package...im not sure zoe appreciates those very much.

Food cravings: um...lets see: diet coke (oh, how i've missed it! by the way, coke light is NOT the same and its gross) anything from taco bell or chick-fil-a, olive garden's lasgana or baked ziti, chilli's chips and queso, mcdonalds fries and mcflurries, wendy's coffee toffee twisted frosty...you know, pretty much everything that's impossible to get here 

Sleep: a little uncomfortable at times, but still pretty good!

Belly button: still an innie, but then sometimes after i eat alot, it raises up on the sides like a volcano...i dont know, its weird

 Best moment of the week:  we just got a package from our good friends in Rome: Reid and Kyra. they sent a pink and brown zolo baby carrier (so cute) and the sweetest note, complete with a comment to Nate on how zoe will have him wrapped around her little finger! thanks guys! you are the best :) 

What I miss:  please refer back to the food cravings question, also (and moreso) i miss our family and friends!

What I'm looking forward to: zoe's arrival! my mom visiting in march, going home for vacation in may, nate's parents visiting in june :) it's gonna be a good year!

zoe's room

It's not quite finished yet, but we are trying to do as much as we can now, because we leave to fly up to Nairobi on December 15...which is getting closer and closer!

This is the sign on her door

And this is her room...Nate did such an awesome job painting the room pink and brown...and we were so happy that the colors we picked out for paint matched so perfectly with the bedding, which we had yet to see !

This is a close-up of the wall mural that my mom sent over in a package, which also happened to match perfectly with the paint and bedding...yay!