Iki Tane Ekmek

As part of our living in an apartment here, we pay a monthly upkeep fee. The fee goes to keeping the hallways and elevators clean and running, as well as the security guards at the gates and removal of garbage twice a day. (This is nice considering we are on the 9th floor, all I have to do is put it outside of my door and it disappears.) Well, one thing extra that we have access to is a doorman. He rings the doorbell twice a day and checks to see if we need something. Now, you can't give him a whole shopping list but you can ask him to get several items that you are missing to make dinner or whatever. When we first moved here, he pretty much avoided us. But one day, when I desperately needed some milk, I opened the door and asked him to get it for me. Since then, he has come everyday except Friday - which is his day off.

It was a windy, slightly chilly day today and I thought soup would be a nice change for dinner. I was preparing a dinner for eight people and, not only would it be easy but it would also be filling. So I was planning on ordering bread for our door guy. J surprised me by asking if she could order the bread and give him the money. I was doubtful she would follow through on this but I said she could and promptly taught her what to say. Iki tane ekmek. (iki-2; tane - pieces or item; ekmek - bread) So we practiced and practiced and the time came when he rang the doorbell. We opened the door and, it wasn't our regular door man, it was someone new. I thought for sure that J would back out because she didn't know him but she didn't. "Iki....tane....ekmek" she said and handed him the 1 TL. He smiled and understood what she said. About 15 minutes later, the doorbell rang again, she opened the door and received the 2 loaves of fresh, warm, just out of the oven, bread. She said thank you and that was that. We had fresh bread delivered to our door thanks to J and the door man.

This may have not been the most exciting thing that happened today but I believe it was significant. She took the time to learn a new phrase and put it to practice. She overcame her shyness, which is usually evident around T people and she spoke up. I could have done it myself because it would have been easier but I didn't. I took the time to teach the phrase she needed and allowed her the chance to do it. I
 was very proud of her.

One side note, J loves bread, especially this bread. She probably ate about 6 pieces of it with her soup and, the funny thing is, she only eats the inside. She leaves the outside crust in a big long strip and hands it to her dad to eat. If I would let her, she would probably eat the inside of a whole loaf. I don't have to worry about the bread going to waste around here, which is a good thing since it is made without preservatives and doesn't last long anyway.

Baby Update: As of Friday, I have two more weeks to go. I am now visiting the doctor each week. I went this week on the 21st. Everything is going well. I am not sleeping well, though that is to be expected. The doctor did a stress test on Kaleb and he is doing fine. He is all most 7 pounds, if the ultrasound is correct and we got to see a 4-D picture of him sucking his thumb. Keke is calling me cankles because of my swollen ankles and J is still excited. She has been a big help around the house. She is helping mommy fold clothes and wash all of the baby stuff. I hope she still is excited when we bring him home! I think I finally have most of my hospital bag packed and I believe we are ready...but is anyone truly ready? It will definitely be a big change around here but we are looking forward to it.

New Discovery

While I was in America, some friends of mine picked up a chalkboard/dry erase board for me really inexpensively (10 TL). I had planned on buying one for J for her birthday coming up at IKEA but it was going to cost 5 times that. So, these friends graciously delivered it to my house and it was waiting when we arrived. Doing "school," we sometimes use it to practice number writing and just plain drawing. Well, imagine my surprise when J informed me that she drew a picture of our family on the chalk board. Now, this may look like a simple drawing of an all most four year old child but I believe it is a huge developmental stage. Her drawings of us actually had legs, eyes, mouths, and her picture of me had a round tummy for baby Kaleb. I was impressed. This was the first time she drew her family that didn't look like scribbles and I thought I would share it with you. I wrote the names of each family member as she told me who was who.

A funny thing, while drawing, J asked me if I thought her head was big and, of course, I told her no. So she ended up with the smallest head of them all! Enjoy your day!

Still Here

Sorry that I have been a bad blogger these days. Days just have a way of getting by me and before I know it, it has been weeks. Since we have been back, I have been getting ready for the new baby, having guests, working with J doing "school." I seem to have gotten J's cold and it isn't being very nice to me right now. All I really want to do is sleep but I can't - too much to do. My craft projects are put on hold  for awhile except for making sheets for the baby crib.

One thing I have been trying to be consistent on is doing "school" with J. We are learning about farms and numbers. We are using a preschool curriculum called Winter Promise and so far, we are having fun with it. We are reading many books about the farm, learning about who lives on a farm, how farms give us food. We are practicing writing and learning our numbers and we have played some farm games on the computer to help us learn how to move a mouse. Here are some of our pics for our farm unit, so far.

Here J is matching counters with numbers. This is a homemade version of a Montessori one that I saw on the Internet.

This is something new that I brought back from America, it is a magnetic board with logic style puzzles using magnetic shapes. The one we are using is based on objects or animals found on a farm. She has to match up the shapes on the pictures. The beginning ones are easy and they get progressively harder as you go.

We are learning about how farms give us food this week and one way is eggs from chickens. Since we are plenty far away from a farm, I made some "eggs" from ping pong balls which I numbered 1-12 (for a later math game) and I put some water in a plastic container. We put the eggs in the water, after counting them of course, and then J had to fish them out using tongs. This activity helps with fine motor skills and hand-eye skills. She had fun putting them back in and fishing them out again, several times.

Again, working with eggs and hand-eye coordination, we balanced a plastic egg on a spoon and had to walk around the room. I placed one of her plastic animals in it to give the egg some weight in case it dropped. This was to show her how an egg would crack open if dropped on the ground. We started with a large spoon and worked our way down to a smaller spoon.

Baby update - I am all most 37 weeks (this Friday to be exact) and I went to the doctor last week. The baby is doing good and he is the correct position. According to the ultrasound, he is measuring a week larger than he should at the moment. I had a good discussion with my doctor and I am hoping that this delivery will be good. I was able to tell her what I was expecting and what I wanted to do (natural birth, circumcision) and she seemed okay with my requests. We will see. Here, in this country, circumcision is done when the child is older (around 9 or 10) and it isn't usually done by a doctor. They have a big party and parade the child around in a white suit, so everyone knows (except the child) what is going to happen. The doctors will do it here after the birth if the child is healthy. So we are shooting for that option. We were also able to find out that the hospital will bill the insurance so we don't have to pay out of pocket for the birth. We will have to pay for the circumcision and then bill the insurance. We were alittle worried about that, so finding that out was a relief. DH was supposed to go on a middle school retreat the weekend before my due date but he has decided that it was too close. Just in case I go into labor early, he will be here. (I was alittle worried about that so I am glad that he decided to stay home.) J reminds me daily how big my stomach is getting and is constantly telling me to pull my shirt down - ha ha. She is having fun playing with all of the baby toys and is anxiously awaiting her baby brother so she can teach him things. And a special thanks to my family and friends, Kaleb will be well outfitted. He has just about everything he needs at the moment. Thank you, thank you.

School Week

Today is Wednesday, September 1st and it is the first day of school for most of the family. Actually, DS started school on Monday but the rest of us start today. I was up late last night trying to help DD get ready, she seemed nervously excited at this new adventure (she hates when I say that). Tenth grade and before I know it, she will be graduating and going to college like my son. Last year, I was able to homeschool her and I enjoyed her company as we learned to get along. I am going to miss her this year. Every day, we had lunch together and sometimes watched a movie. She was my partner in crime when I needed to go somewhere. She was my companion, I will miss that. Not that we can't do stuff on the weekend but it just won't be the same. Anyway, I am excited for her as she starts a new school year with her friends, I hope she enjoys every minute of it (minus the homework and tests).

DH started school as well. His teacher-in-service days actually started last week but this will be his first day in the classroom. He has been preparing all week, trying to get his room ready, his syllabus and lesson plans. Today, he went off in dress pants and a tie, looking handsome, ready for his new year adventure to start.

DS started school on Monday. He was more than ready for it to begin after "fish week" at his college. He had to wear a sailor hat which told everyone he was a freshman and if he took it off, his team lost valuable points. His week was jammed packed with activities, chapels, and service projects to prepare him for his first semester of college. He was dog tired when I briefly spoke to him and was desperately needing a nap. Too many late hours! He worked on his first service project this past weekend. Service hours are mandatory at his school. Guess what he did...he planted flowers! His floor was assigned flower planting, I am not sure where, but those of you who know him will find this funny. All along, we have been joking with DS that he should get a job in lawn care since he was soo good at it, working with his father. DS always vehemently refuses to do lawn care anymore but it seems to be haunting him more than ever. So, he planted flowers on Saturday, haha.

DD J will also start school today (as soon as I am done with this post). Our theme this 9 weeks is farm. We will be reading stories about the farm, learning our numbers and shapes, painting, and playing. She is excited and has been asking for "school" all week. She has waited patiently for this as I planned our projects, set up our new school table and organized all of her stuff.

Well, I hope your week goes well. I will be posting some ideas from J's school and projects soon, including some pics of her redesigned Hungry Caterpillar (by Carle) room - thanks to Grandma and J's new bed quilt. Hope you have a great adventure today, as for us...we will be "visiting" the farm :)

To My Dear Family and Friends

This past trip to the states was short and jam packed with things we had to do. Getting DS ready for college topped our list but also, we wanted to spend time with family and friends, get the kids ready for school/winter and prepare for the baby's arrival. We had 6 weeks to do it which in my book, wasn't near enough time but it got done. One thing I would like to say is thank you to all of my family and friends that we connected with this past time, as well as those we missed. We were truly blessed above all expectations - Keke was able to go to a Young Life camp and spend a week as a teenager having fun, Josh was able to attend a Vineyard conference with his father as well as get ready for college with the help of our church family, and I was able to prepare for this new addition to our family with an abundance of clothes, a new stroller and diaper bag complete with his name! I was floored when my mom's friends had a celebration of life party for me and I received a wonderful new bracelet to commemorate my baby's birth as well as being able to add charms to it. I was surprised to see old friends from our church and such at an impromptu baby shower. We were given a house to stay in Florida while we were there getting Josh ready for college thanks to my friend Tracy (as well as many breakfasts, dinners, laundry etc... the list goes on and on). We had good friends, Janette and Collin move us in a time of need to another house in the middle of a rain storm. My friends Liz and Freddie fed us and fixed my computer so it doesn't overheat anymore. I was able to experience the youth reach out to my son. I had lunch with an longtime friend and prayer warrior. While I know I have missed many people and haven't mentioned it all, don't think I have forgotten what you have done. Thank you for blessing me and my family. I know thank you isn't much but know that I love you and hope to see you all soon.

Hardest Thing I Had to Do

This morning, after the first call to prayer, I lay awake allowing my mind to wander through things. This past week, I had to endure one of the hardest things I had to do. I had to leave my son behind in the states so he could attend college. I am having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that he won't be here when I wake up in the morning or when I go to sleep at night. He has been a part of this family for 18 years and now he is somewhere I am not. I am very proud of him and I know that he can do this but I also miss him terribly. Coming back to our apartment without him just doesn't feel right. I keep expecting him to show up but he doesn't. When we left him, I told J that I was sad and she replied "don't worry, mom, we will see him again." But when we arrived at the apartment, she asked me where he was.

What am I doing right now? I am unpacking and then I will be getting ready for the baby. I am trying to keep busy so I don't have to think about it....much. Only in the darkest part of the morning, when the prayer wakes me up, do I let my mind wander over the things that I am trying to avoid.

So...DS have you called your mother lately?

We are here

After a long day of traveling, we finally made it to our destination. Two nights before we left, we started to pack and weigh each and every suitcase. We shopped for items that we can't get here and we packed and repacked several times. The trip was relatively uneventful except for the last leg of it. The airline of our longest flight had decided that our part of the plane needed the heat on. All most the entire trip was in extreme heat. I was wearing jeans, support hose for my swelling legs, and had J laying across my lap sleeping which didn't help my situation. I begged the stewardess to do something about it which she did for a couple of minutes and then, the heat was turned back on. It was sweltering and it is still summer! I had hoped that the plane would have been freezing since this was my last hurrah in the air conditioning since we don't have air here. But, it was not meant to be. But overall, the trip went well and we made all of our connections and went through security with little problem. We even avoided traffic on the way back to our apartment during a peak traffic time! That was a blessing.

Now, we are unpacking and trying to get used to the time change. It was definitely different hearing the call to prayer out of our window especially since we haven't heard it in the last 6 weeks. Also, the feel of the apartment has been different as well, since we are missing a part of our family - DS- whom we left in the states to attend college. This will be a year of great change whether we like it (or are ready for it) or not.