A Walk in the Park...

Well, since we've been back stateside, walks in our local park have been a norm. We're gonna try more walking in the next 24 hrs (not 24 months like we said last post!) & see if Baby D decides to come along...

Almost Time!

After the ultrasound, we went for her regular doctor's appointment. The doctor said the baby was a little on the "larger side" and Elissa was ready to deliver. He did a procedure that usually results in labor within 24 months, and told her to take evening primrose oil extract and drink raspberry tea (apparently home remedies to induce labor). He also has her scheduled for an induction Sunday morning at 5:30 am if she hasn't gone into labor by then. So, it looks like Baby D will be on the outside by the end of this weekend one way or another. Keep E in your thoughts!

Here are a couple of cute pictures of her and Crissy :) Crissy came back from studying Chinese in China to celebrate the arrival of our new one with us :)

Ultrasound Pictures

We went in for an ultrasound today because the OB wanted to find out the baby's weight. The report came back that the baby was 9 pounds 12 ounces - give or take 2 pounds...so that means the baby could be anywhere from 7 pounds to 11 pounds. Doesn't seem to me that you have to have an ultrasound machine to figure that out. Anyway we got another picture of the baby out of the deal :)

We think Baby D's little face is squished in the picture. It's getting crowded and he/she's been head down for a while now. We also think he/she gets his/her good looks from Dad. We took a picture of Jason to "simulate the conditions in the womb," so you can see the family resemblance.

Visiting with Lindsey and Josh

We had the chance to catchup with Lindsey and Josh over great Mexican food. They are just back from a year in England for graduate study. It was great to hear about all their travels in Europe and their experiences in England - nothing like reverse culture shocking with friends over fajitas :)

Visit to the Brains

Last weekend we drove down to Roanoke, VA to visit my sister and family and share about the work in Aceh. Christy Brain (my sister) is pregnant with their second - about six weeks behind Elissa, so they swapped lots of advice. Here they're laughing because they both dripped ice cream on their bellies.



Gavin (my nephew) is a great little guy. This is a slide show of him eating purple dinosaur ice cream for dinner.

...and shortly there after jumping off a trash can trying to burn off the sugar buzz.

Two Weeks to Go

We can hardly believe we only have two weeks left before Elissa's due date. So in honor of the era of "belly pictures" drawing to a close, here are a few more :)




Okay, we looked like insomniacs in the second picture, so we decided to make it a true belly picture.

Weird Things

So somethings just seem a little weird when you first get back to the States...



(The sign reads "Holistic Pet Shop.")

I'm all about getting rid of our dichotomous worldview so I guess I should be cool with this, but I'm just not ready to go there...

Wrestling Gavin

Thought I had Gavin (my nephew) in this match, but then he pulled out a fox from nowhere. We built a really tall Lego tower too :)

Nannie & Pop

On the way back from Nags Head & Sandbridge Beach, we also stopped by Elissa's grandparent's home in Richmond, VA. They served us a great lunch and fascinated us with memories of Pop's days in the service during WWII. Pop sailed through the Straits of Malacca (i.e. right past Aceh) on a trooper carrier after his tour of duty. Among our highlights were stories about his pet monkey and his friend's pet bear (which got big in a hurry).



Grandparents are so great!

Sandbridge at 5 Years

On our way back to VA from Nags Head we stopped by Sandbridge beach to revisit the place we got married. A hurricane came through the area about a month after our wedding, so we thought the house might not even be there, but it was still standing... with new siding and a bigger wrap around porch-gotta love home owner's insurance!

A cool old couple walking down the beach took this picture of the two of us...
Here's a closer shot of the house.

Wright Brothers

We thought, given the amount of travel we do, we should pay homage to the fellows who are in large part responsible for our travel times being counted in hours rather than months so we went to the Wright brothers memorial at Nags Head. Actually, that's a lie. That's why we should have gone there. We really went there because it was within walking distance of the house we stayed at; but it was quite interesting. Here's a couple shots of us at the memorial...

Back in the US

We're back in the US! A couple days after returning we went down to the Outer Banks for the second half of our 5 year anniversary celebration. We housesat for some friends (Thanks Ben and Susie!) and enjoyed Nags Head.

We flew a kite at Jockey's Ridge State Park - tallest sand dunes on the east coast of America. Here's a panning video...



Also, be sure to catch our not-so-subtle hint in the sand in the following pic.



We enjoyed eating a lot - literally, American portions are unbelievable- of American food again. This shot's at a great old fashioned breakfast joint.

A Perfect Explanation

Well, we've been back stateside officially for 3 weeks now & our heads are still spinning a bit....choosing a delivery Dr, birthing center, taking baby classes, figuring out what side of the road to drive on & yet feeling very blessed w/ how we're been provided for above & beyond our needs.

However, there are definitely certain days when the transition is best explained by a clip forwarded by our good friend Amanda (we served in Mongolia together previously). She knows one of Elissa's fav bands is "Shane & Shane" & they had a priceless song on YouTube...check it out & you'll know how all this transitioning really makes us feel ;)

Celebrating in Singapore

On our way back to the States, we took advantage of our layover in Singapore to do the first half of our 5 year anniversary celebration. We stayed at a nice hotel and went out for good (expensive - at least by Indonesian standards!) Mexican food :)

Send This One Back to Marketing Boys

Saw these in Medan. Not sure this company should have expanded into undergarments...



I wouldn't wear them.

Resuscitating a Dead Water Buffalo

Elissa and I were attending a wedding at a neighbor's house about two months ago. As the ceremony was winding down, the older brother of the groom leaned into the father of the bride and said, "Hey if he wants to renovate your house over there, you'd give it to him rent free for a couple years right?" Both men laughed and the father of the bride said, Sure."

You're probably wondering what's so funny right? This is the house...


I laughed with them at the time, and didn't think much more of it.

We were looking for a building that could serve as an office / garage / guest room and the idea slowly dawned on us that we might be able to use this building. As we talked to friends about it, we learned that it was one of only three buildings in the entire town that survived (at least partially) the tsunami. This is pretty amazing given its location right on the coast. Here are a couple shots from what was left of the second floor.



Our house is the farthest yellow building in the second picture (about a 2 minute walk away). I talked to a builder friend and figured out that if we could get the building rent free for three years we could rehab it for what we'd pay in rent elsewhere. When I approached the owner about actually taking him up on the offer he said, "The water buffalo that was dead is being raised back to life!"

Anyway, here are a couple of pictures of the progress on the building by the time we left...Jos is overseeing the renovations in our absence.

E's Belly

Thought this was a great shot from our couch of Elissa's pregnant belly just before we left Aceh. It has that everyday kind of feel to it - like you're just sitting on the couch with the three of us.