Before and After

Hooray, hooray, we have a new refrigerator!! Before we were married, Dave had bought a little refrigerator to keep a few things cool and now that we have a child, we were really wanting a bigger one. We are so thankful to Jim and Ruthie's (Dave's parents) Sunday School Class who so kindly, and graciously bought it for us. Thank you! It's so nice because we can keep so many things in it and it has a freezer too! We didn't have space in our old one for vegetables and so all of our vegetables would get spoiled really quickly. Soon I'll be making baby food for Kate and it will be nice to store some veggies in the fridge.

I've been doing lots of investigating about when we should start feeding her solids and there are so many conflicting opinions about when and what to start feeding her. Some people say anywhere between 4-6 months, but others say you shouldn't give anything before 6 months. Some people say you should start with rice cereal and others say veggies and then fruits. I was talking with a friend yesterday and he said that they gave their son banana when he was three months old. I bought some Cerelac this week which is a rice cereal and we're thinking about feeding her some in the next couple of weeks.

There is a conference here this next week with many of the Church leaders throughout Northeast India. They are gathering to plan and make strategies about how to plant more churches and reach more people. It's very interesting because they are from many different denominations and organizations and there is great expectation about what God may do this next week and in the next few years to come. Dave is on the planning team and is helping to find housing for everyone in various hotels and hostels in our city. It's kind of funny, but he often gets put in charge of the housing in situations like this and jokes that it's because he's a "Houser."

"We never know the love of our parents until we become parents ourselves." -Henry Ward Beecher

Our friend Sunny came over to our house on Saturday to watch Kate for a couple of hours. It was the first time in a long time that Dave and I went somewhere alone and so we thought we'd make a date out of it. We ran some errands and stopped and got something to eat while we were out. We were sitting across from each other in what used to be our favorite restaurant, and the funniest thing happened... we didn't really know what to say to each other. After an awkward silence, Dave asked me, "What did we use to talk about before our baby was born?" I really couldn't answer him very well. I guess I feel that way about this blog too, I don't really know what else to talk about besides Kate. I'll work on it though.

Everyone told us that our lives would never be the same once she was born, and it really is very true. Dave goes to the office most days for extended periods of time and has responsibilities here in this base as well as another project that is going on with some leaders in this city, and so his days are varied and usually quite full. These days my main responsibility is to take care of our baby and there is great satisfaction in that for me. She just turned 4 months old on Saturday and it seems as if the days and weeks are flying by. Once she is 6 months old, I will be more involved with different things here, but I don't want to travel around much with her now. I'm enjoying this season of life and well aware that she won't always be this age. It's so neat to see how she daily grows and learns. Dave and I think that her hair grows longer every night, it seems to be getting taller and taller.

Here's a quick update on what's going on here. The Lecture Phase of the July Discipleship Training School is nearing the end and soon all 20+ students and staff will be going on outreach. Our School of Frontier Missions will be starting next month and so far has a wide mix of tribes and nations. We usually have mostly people from the Northeast, but this one will have people from America, Switzerland, New Zealand, as well as others from different parts of India. The House of Prayer here has been doing a lot of ministry in a slum area and has been seeing quite a few people coming to the Lord. Right now they have been working with another ministry to try and see a church planted there. They've been trying to figure out what to do as there isn't a home or meeting place in that area to accomodate all of them and they are looking for a hall or building to rent.

We are thankful for the neat people that are here that we get to walk and learn with.

Kate's Friends

It was Ziza's 2nd birthday party a couple of weeks ago and it was fun to see the new generation arising. Ziza is the son of our friends, Theja and Aren. He is so cute and has grown so much since we last saw him. While we were in America, one of the other couples that we work with, Lipok and Sanni, had a baby girl as well. Her name is Anna Joy and she is a month younger than Kate. While we were at Ziza's party, all the kids were taking a nap on his parents bed and we thought they were super cute.

Now another couple here are expecting a baby soon and it's neat to see our families growing together. Right now when Kate and Anna hang out, it's not too exciting as they are both really young, but pretty soon they'll be running around together and playing games. Ziza loves babies and when he sees Kate and Anna he wants to play with them.

Doctor Visit

Last Saturday we took Kate to the doctor for immunizations. We found out about this Pediatrician from two couples that we know here and they both highly recommended him. It's a really interesting process that we go through to actually see him. Dave had gone earlier in the day to meet him at the hospital and to try and figure how we should do her shots as the American schedule and Indian schedule of shots are different and we needed to catch up on some (like Tuberculosis) that are not given in America that she has already missed. He said that his clinic is open from 2:30-5:30pm and we should call ahead and get a number. So Dave called to make an appointment and about 4 or 5 times they wanted him to call back until a certain person was there. When he finally got through to her, they gave us number 18 and told us to come at 4:00. Dave called to verify if the doctor showed up yet around 3, and he hadn't arrived yet so we thought maybe we would show up at about 5 pm and sure enough we only had to wait for maybe 5 minutes or so.

We got there and waited in a tiny little room with maybe 6 or 7 other moms and their children, while others were waiting outside. We got to sit in the waiting room because our number was coming up. Kate is a big attention getter wherever she goes and everyone in the room was looking at her and different people asked us questions and told us how beautiful she is.

I was really nervous to be in the room when she got shots because the last time she had cried and cried and her little chin quivered and I was a bit traumitized for a couple of hours. I know I need to get tougher, but I had decided that this wasn't to be the time for that and so I asked Dave if he would hold her and I left the building after she was weighed and everything. I was wondering what the women in the waiting room were thinking about me as I scurried quickly through the room so I wouldn't have to hear her cry. The good thing to know for next time is that these shots weren't as hard on her as the last ones. The last time she cried and cried and was inconsolable for a long time and seemed to not recover until the next day. This time, by the time that she got home she seemed to have forgotten about the whole thing. The next few days after the shots she was a bit fussy and not feeling too well, but she's back to her happy, laughing self these days.

She weighs 6.8 kg now which is about 15 pounds. I asked the doctor if that was enough and he said, "Yes, more than enough." So I was really happy about that, she is growing and becoming taller as well.

Lots of Pictures

We have had several requests for more pictures and so I have uploaded many pictures of Katriel and her family and they can be accessed in the "My Pictures" link on the right hand side. There is an album called "Katriel and Family" at the top right and there are lots of pictures of the past few months. It will take a while, but I'm trying to slowly update everything.

Kate has an appointment today to get more shots and the last time was a bit traumatic for all of us. We don't like to see her in pain. This will be the first time that we are seeing a doctor here and we're curious to know how much she weighs and how tall she is now. Our friend here says that she is growing like a cucumber.

One of our close friends here Aren, gave Kate an Ao name a couple of days ago. It is Naro and means flower. She was also given an Angami name, but we have to ask our friend to write it down as it was difficult for us to pronounce and remember, but it means "loved by everyone." We liked that and think it's quite applicable.

Four Generations

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them..." Psalm 127:3-5a

One of the best things about our time in America was the time that we got to spend with our families. Since being married, Dave and I have never spent more time than two months or so in America and that time has always been broken up on both sides of the coast. So this was a neat time to be able to spend more time with our families and it was a great blessing to us. It was neat to take these two pictures showing four generations on bothe sides of our families. I have two nephews in California and they grow up so quickly, when we're gone they grow leaps and bounds. Since being back in Asia, this has probably been the hardest things for us as well, as we really miss our families and want them to be around Katriel as she grows up. It's always been pretty easy in the past as we prepare to leave, but this time was a lot more difficult because we have a precious little girl with us now and we want to share her with our family and close friends. Nothing really prepared us for how much we would love her, and how having her would draw us closer to our families.

One of my favorite passages of scripture through the years has been from Mark 10:28-30: " Then Peter began to say to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You." So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospels, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time- houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions- and in the age to come, eternal life."

God has been so faithful throughout the years to provide family for us in foreign lands before we ever had a baby and so we have ample reason to trust and believe that He will continue to do so now. There are friends here now who love us and our little baby and people that we can share with and cry with. But these days we are still missing our family a lot and wishing we were closer to them.

Road Trip

From Pittsburgh we drove to Ft. Wayne, Indiana and stayed there a couple of days with some friends of ours. We really enjoyed it there and wished that we could have stayed a little longer. After Ft. Wayne, we drove to Kansas City and stayed there a week. It was a good break of driving for us and we got to spend time with more friends and also at the House of Prayer. Katriel did really well in the car alonjg the way and slept most of the time. We had to stop a lot during the way to change her diaper and feed her, but we still made pretty good time. Beverley left us in Kansas City as she had other plans.
After Kansas City we drove to Colorado and spent a night in Colorado Springs with some more friends. The drive was incredible as the landscapes changed dramatically and as we got to watch the shadows mark our surroundings as the sun came up and went down again. Often our hearts were drawn to worship God as we saw the beauty of His creation and how it varied from state to state. We spent one night in Holbrook, AZ and then the next evening we made it safely to California where my family was waiting for us with a lovely dinner. So overall we passed through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona before reaching California. We had a really nice trip and we were really thankful to Jim and Ruthie for letting us use their car, especially as they were flying out to California to drive it back to Pennsylvania. It was good for us though as we would get to see them again before we left for Asia.

Leaving Pennsylvania

One of the most difficult times that we had while we were in America was when we had to leave Pennsylvania. We had been there for about 3 1/2 months and it had become home for our little family. We had stayed in a really nice furnished apartment owned by Wycliffe Bible Translators and we had really enjoyed being there. It was Katriel's first home and we had received so much love and support from Dave's family and church and so it was with heavy hearts that we packed all of our belongings. We had no idea how much stuff is acquired when having a baby (especially with so many generous people around us) and it took us quite a while to pack everything. We were really wondering at this point how in the world we would be able to pack everything into the 4 suitcases that we were allowed to bring on the plane to fly to Asia. Luckily at this point we didn't have to really worry about that as Jim and Ruthie (Dave's parents) kindly and graciously allowed us to use their car to drive cross America. We had no idea how it was going to work out as Katriel was only three weeks, but we were ready for an adventure and looked forward to meeting friends and family along the way.

Our close friend Beverley, from Australia, met us in Pennsylvania and came along with us for a good chunk of the journey. It was good to have her along. Our first stop was in Pittsburgh, with Andy and Sarah and their lovely family. They had a brand new baby at that time too and it was good to spend time with them.

April 24, 2008

Katriel Eden Houser was born on Thursday April 24th, 2008 at 2:34 am. She was 7 lb, 4 oz and 20 inches long.

I had gone to the doctor on Monday the 21st for a check-up and the doctor decided to induce me into labor because they said that my amniotic fluid was low. My mom had flown to Pennsylvania and I was so thankful that she was going to be there during the labor and help me through everything. So at about 8:00 am on Tuesday the 22nd I checked into Women and Babies Hospital in Lancaster. We were certain that later that day we would be proud parents, but the process took a lot longer that we anticipated. The nurses and doctors there were so kind and helpful.

How do you briefly summarize a birth? Words fail to communicate the range of emotions that I went through in that span of time. We played worship music the whole time that we were there and I really felt the presence and nearness of God as we were in the delivery room. I was scared at different times and I kept meditating on the verse "The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe," and the first verse of Psalm 91, "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." I was also excited to meet our baby and to not be pregnant any longer. However there is nothing that prepared me for the love that I would have for her. When I saw her and held her, something truly beautiful happened in my heart and I was surprised by how much I cared for her and treasured her. I loved the way that Dave looked at her and held her carefully and tenderly. I truly got a fresh glimpse into the Father heart of God as I watched him with her. I think I changed maybe two diapers the first week, and he changed all of the rest. He was so helpful to me and didn't leave the hospital the whole time that I was there. It so touched our hearts as we saw how much she meant to our families too. We cannot over emphasize the support that we had from our families and friends, we were surrounded with love on every side. I guess I could probably write a book to explain all that happened those couple of days and all that we thought and felt. I just wanted to say that we eagerly waited for her and were so happy when she finally came.The world became a more beautiful place the day that she was born.

America

We stayed in Asia until I was about 6 months pregnant and decided that we wanted to have the baby in America. It took us a while to figure out which state we would be in for the delivery and we did a lot of research and prayed a whole bunch, and finally decided that Pennsylvania would be the best location. While it was difficult to be away from my family (they're in California), we were overwhelmed by the love and support that was lavished on us by Dave's family and church. We were showered with gifts and supplies way before our baby was born and were wondering how in the world we were going to be able to pack everything into a few suitcases. The doctors and nurses that we saw for all of the prenatal care were really good and helpful and we loved the Childbirth Classes. We really enjoyed watching Winter turning into Spring in Lancaster County, and eagerly counted down the weeks and days until our precious baby was born. I vividly remember the joy I felt watching the first flowers bloom and the squirrels and bunnies coming out to play in the warming weather. But that joy was nothing compared to the joy we felt when we finally saw her little face.

Gallbladder Flush

In October 2007, Dave began having severe pain in the right side of his stomach and after going to the doctor and running a few tests we discovered he had many gallstones. After doing a bunch of research on the internet he decided he wanted to do a Gallbladder flush, which included drinking 2 cups of olive oil and 2 cups of lemon juice. It was definitely a true adventure and unfortunately another ultrasound showed that the gall stones were still there. He had his gallbladder successfully removed in Thailand in January.