Natalie has one year.

Literally translated from Spanish, "Natalie has one year" is how our Bolivian friends would say she is one today! If we were in La Paz, we would be throwing a big party, inviting every small child we see on the street, hiring a clown, serving hot dogs and smashing Natty's face in a cake...although I'd like to leave that particular tradition out of my own birthday celebrations. Since we are not there, we are having a more low-key day. I woke Natty up with "Happy Birthday" while she stared at me from her crib, enjoyed her last nursing session, and then opened birthday presents on the bed with Daddy. She enjoyed looking at the new stuff- almost completely handed down from other friends (who needs new?) and helping me unwrap the special monkey we bought for our own precious monkey. I read my first journal entry after she was born, highlighting the ups and downs of labor, my first thoughts as I held her, and the beginnings of a lot of doubts and joy too. I gave her banana- fitting for a monkey and also her favorite fruit- and we played on the floor with new toys. I'll be making a cake this weekend when our parents come in to celebrate, so today, we'll go to Krispy Kreme for Natty to be introduced to the soft, flaky manna that is a Hot Donut Now...it's a bit of a celebration for Mom too. Then, Scotty has surprised me by making arrangements for us to go out on our first date in a long time for dinner- sans Natty!

This last year has been indescribable. So, instead, I'll describe my baby girl. She is full of wonder and constant observation of everything and everyone around her. You can see in her eyes as she carefully watches your mouth and your movements that she is tucking it all away to be

reproduced by herself in the near future. She is not quick to giggle but will often give a very satisfied grin when she sees her parents or a toy that she is particularly attached to. Her daddy can get some "chortles", as he calls them, out of her and her whole face lights up. She is laid back and flexible during long car trips and time zone changes and loves to watch other kids play. She is sweet and sometimes shy and will wave and say "ba ba" to almost anything- including the toys she throws from her car seat. She has taught us a new level of love and a new recognition of our desperate need to depend on the Lord for wisdom an

d patience. She is so much more than we prayed for. Happy Birthday, Natalie!

Back in Charlotte

Well, it's a bit surreal, but we're back in Charlotte. We spent the first year of our marriage in this beautiful city and have somewhat idylic memories of our time here. The home whose basement we are occupying is in a cute, older neighborhood close to all the areas where homes are being renovated and remodeled- the kind of homes we dream of owning. I think Charlotte, unlike any other city, tempts us to return from the mission field and grow a nice family here where there is Trader Joes and IKEA and parks and seasons. But, our love for Bolivia and the strong call God has on our lives will lead us back when the time is right.

So, we are busy doing the "settle in" thing and I got a jump start to our first day by hitting Aldi. If you don't know about Aldi, it's a discount grocery store that saves money by not having the standard display shelving, but just keeps their stuff in the cardboard boxes it came in. You pack your own groceries to take home in those same cardboard boxes- no plastic bags. It's simple and pure and I have no idea where the stuff comes from, cause only 11% are recognized brands, but I love it. However, they do not accept plastic. This is a detail I had impressed somewhere in the less-used regions of my brain, and happily cruised to the store with the hope that my Visa would do the trick. As I'm filling my cart and loving this first major grocery trip we've taken since returning (thank you Parents for buying all our groceries), an old friend calls. We met her and her husband at our SIM training close to 4 years ago and parted ways after that- them to Africa, us to Bolivia. We are back at the same time and thrilled to be reconnecting. So Jen calls, I happen to mention I'm at Aldi, she throws out that it's a bummer they don't take credit cards. What?! So, it's true? I look at the mountain of generic, cheap groceries that are about to topple over the edge of my cart and wonder how foolish I will look trying to unpack them onto the shelves. However, God had a plan for that phone call and Jen offers to drive over to bring me some cash. Awesome. That works out great, I meet their new son, we make plans for them to come over to our place...perfect.

So, something else that isn't as cool and is just more weird happened today while we were out. While Scotty is getting Natty buckled into the carseat, I trot over to a Thai restaraunt that is next to the store we were just in, hoping to find a take-out menu. I'm looking at the front door to find out the hours when I hear a man's voice behind me say, "Are you Lisa?" Yes, I say. He says, "Hi! I'm Matt." Oh, Matt! (Was I supposed to meet this guy here and I forgot? Is he someone from our church in town that I never met but recognizes me from our prayer card??)What was your last name again? "It looks like we're a bit early to the restaraunt- I'm pretty sure it doesn't open for another 15 mins", he mentions. Click. I think he must be on a blind date. Oh! So you were meeting a Lisa here? I ask- somewhat embarassed by the fact that when he told me his name, I acted like I knew him. "Oh" he says looking confused. "You must be a Lisa also..." What are the odds??? I tell him I am, that I was not here to meet a Matt, and I hope his dinner is nice. Walk quickly away and jump into the van and try not to look over to where he's standing. Has anything so random and strange ever happened to you?

Labor Day

Continuing the idea from Kelly's post, here is my Natalie's Labor Day info from Sept. 22, 2008. If you want to join in, please leave a comment and tell us where to find yours!

How long were your labors?
3 hours

How did you know you were in labor?
As a first timer, I didn't know I was in labor initially and just wondered what I had eaten the night before that was making my tummy upset. I actually started contractions a couple hours before I was scheduled to be induced and realized I was in for-real labor as I showered in prep for my early morning hospital appointment.

Where did you deliver?
CEMES Clinic, La Paz, Boliva. Think- the hospital your parents were born in, but in Spanish.

Drugs?
Was hoping to not need them. However, my Bolivian doctor decided I still needed to be induced because I hadn't progressed after an hour and a half of contractions (hello! first baby- could take longer...). Those of you who have been induced know what kind of pain there is. Zero to Ten in less than 2 hours- ouch. I was begging the nurse for an epidural almost from the moment the first drop of pitocin (or whatever it was) went into my vien- but, alas, the doctor had gone to his office a few blocks away and the nurse couldn't administer the drugs until he returned. So, when he got back, I was at 10 and they still gave me the drugs...which made for slightly ineffective pushing, as you can imagine. No surprise that...

C-section?
I ended up with the big surgery. This is where I whine and stomp my feet and blame everything on my doctor. I fight wishing I could go back in time and demand things differently, but then wonder if I would end up in the same situation, knowing that my doctor really does know more than me about delivering babies. So, I will continue to pray that God will remove my bitterness and I will trust that in His sovereignty, He allowed things to unfold this way.

Who delivered?
My German/Argentine/born in Bolivia Dr. Koziner. Nice man, very warm. Known as the "King of C-sections". Maybe that title should have led me to look for a different doctor. Except they all live in his kingdom.

That said- Natty was extremely healthy- fantastic Apgar scores for being born in such high altitude. Although the C-section was very hard to recover from, especially given the lack of drugs in Bolivia, I do thank God for the perfect little girl He gave to us, no matter how she arrived in the world.

My life by Richard Scarry

Remember that Richard Scarry book that had all the different scenes from everyday living on each page, with words stating what each thing was? There was the tools page, the house page, the cars page, etc... I saw that book in my in-laws attic and got it out for Natty to look at. As we were looking through, I distinctly remember always being enamored with The Supermarket (ok, and a tiny bit loving to pick out the mittens and socks and skirts and such that my little bear would wear on the bear twins page). All the fruits in their bins, the veggies in theirs, the boxes of stuff on the check-out belt. I realize now something that God had put long ago into my little heart- a love of creating meals and serving them to people! I still get the biggest kick out of going into a grocery store and seeing what treasures it might hold and what kind of delicious feast could be formed from each item. When Scotty and I have visited other countries, I always ask if we can browse the aisles for a few minutes at any grocery stores we come across, curious about what the labels on their cans might look like or if their fruit will be in wooden bins or on shelves like ours. I know what you're asking yourself..."Why didn't you like the Mealtime page best?" Well, to tell you the truth, that massive turkey and red T-bone sitting on the table always grossed me out a bit. Did you ever notice that the pigs are serving themselves from that bounty and that there is inconspicuously no pork product on the table? Good thinking, Richard. Anyway, I find myself thinking these days how I have been on the receiving end of lots of people creating gorgeous meals for us and constantly providing so much. And not just food! People are passing on baby clothes, toys, and offering anything and everything we could possibly need while we are home in the states. It has been wonderful to be on this end, but it can be hard to not always know exactly how to express our gratitude, or find ways to be back on the giving end again. Our parents have been amazing in providing so many of these needs, taking care of us and little Natty, and generally entertaining us these past many weeks...but it will be a joy to have a small space to call our own where I can once again use that gift that I first discovered within the world of Richard Scarry. But, how grateful we are for all of you who have seen us and spent time with us and showered us with your generosity and love!