Baby Girl, you are the size of a honeydew melon!
Hey baby girl,
Made it through another week! I can't believe we're getting SO close! I am actually a week behind on blogging again and making up this past week. As you can see in the photo, we have your crib all ready now. You can't tell by this picture maybe (I played with it a bit on picmonkey) but you have a pretty mosquito net covered with ribbons and lace hanging over your crib now, you have all your bedding from Auntie Paola, and a musical mobile with flowers and butterflies from Auntie Paola too (hopefully it will drown out all the loud noise that comes with living in the DR). Lately it has been EXTRA loud because the presidential elections are coming soon. The way they do things here is so funny - they campaign with rap songs and use slogans like "This country has no mother - Dad has arrived", and they ride down the street on horses blocking off traffic and screaming at the top of their lungs. I'm sure you can hear it all the time. Your dad and I have to yell across the dinner table just to hear each other sometimes. It is fun to see, but we are looking forward to them electing someone so it will be done. I hope whoever gets picked will do great things to make this country a better place.
Well, being on bedrest, I don't have too much exciting news for you from the week to tell you about. But I was looking through old pictures on the computer on our way home from the beach last week, and there were so many that I wanted to show you of life way back when - first years of living on my own, volunteering, teaching, traveling, discovering the world. Pictures I looked at and said "Oh my gosh, I miss this. I miss him. I miss her." I have had so many rich experiences in our lives that we will never forget and I hope someday you have so many rich experiences of your own. One of my favorite quotes is "Do something everyday for someone who can never repay you." The secret is, that you will be repaid - in bucketloads. Not the kind of pay that fills your bank account necessariliy, but in the kind that fills your heart to the rim and overflows. The best part of all of this is not in what you give or what you receive, but in the relationships you build along the way. Never underestimate the power of one person, rich or poor, young or old, to touch and change your heart in mighty ways. There are so many big and little people who have done this in my life. So I am just going to share a few of many. :)
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| Hogar de Amor orphanage in Colima, Mexico where I lived and volunteered for 7 months as a houseparent and fell head over heels in love with these little girls. 2005-2006 |
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| Some of the high school kids I was able to take back to this orphanage two years later to see them love, grow, and dream, while making a difference in the lives of the kids I love. 2008 |
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| 2 week mission trip to an orphanage in a cloud-filled mountain village in Jamaica. - 2006 |
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| Working for Lutheran Social Services' program for refugee and unaccompanied minors. That summer after the cyclone hit in Burma, I was DETERMINED to go to Burma to volunteer there for the summer. I couldn't believe I got turned down for every program I applied for and was so upset. Then I found out that Lansing (where we lived) had more Burmese refugee children than any other city in the world. And they offered me a job working with these and other youth who came from unbelievably devastating backgrounds but demonstrated joy, love, and determination in incredible amounts. This experience also led us to being foster parents to two Burmese refugee girls. Working for LSS was one of my most treasured and life-changing experiences ever, and one that opened up my eyes to a world of genocide, civil war, child slavery, and human trafficking that I had never known before. - 2008- 2009 |
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| My first teaching job teaching special ed. in Owosso, Michigan. One where I had books, chairs, and four letter words thrown at me regularly, but it became one of the most rewarding jobs of my life as well. 2006-2009 |
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| Volunteering at NPH orphanage in the DR - hanging out with lovely ladies who challenged me daily. 2009-2010 |
My dream was always to volunteer in an orphanage and to someday start one of my own. While I still haven't quite made it to achieving that last part, but the doors God has opened this year to allow us to be house parents and start a home for girls who are victims of human trafficking have become the open doors to my dreams. And while it is my dream, I'll tell you the truth girlie, it's not always easy, and it's not about taking the easy road. But I am so grateful that I am getting to live out my dream. And in this same year, my other dream is coming true - I am going to have YOU. My birthday is in a couple weeks (the BIG 30!) and I couldn't ask for anything more.
So baby girl, I know that I've said this before in other letters, but I wish you all the rich experiences of a lifetime and hope you never stop dreaming and reaching toward your dreams. Here are the lyrics to one of the songs I dedicate to you (I think you already know by now that I love country music), but this is what I wish for you too:
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| credit - pinterest.com |
Love,
Your momma
Beautifully said, Kris! You have so many magical stories to share with your daughter already, and there's so much more to come. I'm already so very proud of the mother you will be! xx Laur
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