update

just in case you were wondering what we are up to now that the most precious little boy has joined our family on the outside, i figured i would give you a short little post on what we have to do now before we head back home. 

1.  take Titus and a whole lot of paperwork to the American Consulate to get a document called "Consular Report of Birth Abroad" and apply for his passport.  (did this on July 27...his original due date! ha!)
2.  wait for the passport and Consular Report of Birth Abroad....said it could take up to 3 weeks but comes in earlier often.   
3.  get Titus' birth certificate authenticated by the embassy of our country of residence.
4.  get a visa for Titus to enter our country of residence (we might have to mail this back to the states, but we are looking into other options that won't take as long hopefully)
5.  get Titus circumcised...they don't perform these in most asian hospitals, so we are currently waiting for an american doctor who practices here to come back into town (hopefully next week) so that he can perform the procedure...of course, we will also have to wait a little bit for him to heal up too before we get on a plane.  We really don't want to wait and put him through this later on in life so we will definitely wait to make sure this gets done before heading home. 

So, once all these things get done, then we will hop on a plane and take the very long trip back to our home...something we are all ready to do!  Please be lifting up this whole process and ask for favor and speed! 

His perfect Plan A

I shared in some previous posts that one of our biggest concerns leading up to Titus' birth was who would watch Eliana when i actually went into labor.  We lifted this up a lot, had lots of people lifting this up, and had come up with a pretty good plan we thought.  A very sweet couple here had volunteered to take care of Eliana, and she really connected well with them too when we went out with them recently.  they don't live super close to our apartment here, but we also had a back up plan for a closer by friend to come over if needed until they could arrive to pick her up.  so, we packed her little suitcase and made all the preparations necessary.  (on a side note, this plan was only good till Sunday as the close by friend leaves on Sunday, and if i had gone into labor past my due date like i did with Eliana, the couple would also be unavailable as they are preparing to move back to the states!)  anyways, we just kept hoping it would all work out in the timing and way it needed to and tried to not worry and leave it in His capable hands. 
Then, on Monday we get an email from our very good friends, J & S, that they have to come to the very city we are in to take care of some visa issues.  to say we were excited to see our friends is an understatement! Vip called around to arrange a hotel for them to stay in, but everywhere he called did not have a room or an appropriate room for a family of 5 to stay in, so they ended up staying in another apartment in the same building that we are in!  they arrived on Wednesday, we spent the whole day playing together, i went into labor that night, S came up around midnight while Eliana slept away in her own bed, and she played with them the next day while we stayed in the hospital.  since she was so close by, Vip was able to come home for her nap and bedtime to put her to sleep too!   We were just so thankful for J& S and their willingness to serve our family in this way. 
I'm still just overwhelmed at how Father worked it all out.  as we were thinking through it all afterwards, we realized that our "plan A" would not have worked at all.  reason #1, the couple who was going to watch Eliana lost their phone that day.  we would not have been able to reach them if we had tried!  reason #2, my labor went so quick, anyone that had to travel to get here would probalby have taken too long!  i started having real contractions around 10:45.  they progressed from about 15 minutes apart to 5 minutes apart in about 30 minutes time.  S came upstairs around midnight, we went to the hosptial, which is 5 minutes away, and i was already at 6 cm!  Titus arrived at 1:48 a.m., which means i wasn't even in the hospital for 2 full hours before he was born!  i don't even want to think about what would have happened if we had waited any longer to leave!  
So, we are once again in awe of our Father's perfect plan for us.  He truly does have it all mapped out.  one of our favorite verses lately is Psalm 77:19-20 "His way was in the sea, and His path through the waters.  He led His people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron."  we definitely didn't know what it would be like to deliver here and how all the details would work out, but He did.  he parted the sea at just the right time and once again showered us with blessings.  Give thanks to the Lrd, for His lovingkindness is everlasting! 

Look who's here!!!

Titus Samuel entered our lives (on the outside that is...he's been a part of our lives for 9 months now!) this Thursday morning at 1:48 a.m.!!  this is me and him right after he was born.  (i know, it's an incriminating picture of me, but who is really going to look at me when i'm holding such a cute baby??)

the stats: 7.1 pounds and 20 inches long

eliana was pretty excited to hold her baby brother!  since bringing him home, she also loves to help me get his diapers and get the boppy pillow for me whenever he needs milk.  such a good little helper!

me and my dear friend who watched Eliana when we went to the hospital.  it truly was such a blessing to this momma's heart to know that her Elly Bean was in such good care.  this was such an answer to pryr too, so i will have to write the story up in the next post for you. 

on our way home from the hospital! 

Daddy's a fan, can't you tell? 

my two favorite men!! 

eat your heart out ladies! 

eliana and Titus enjoyed a little wiggle room on the bed this morning while daddy tried to get some good passport photos taken of Titus (yes, he will have a passport most likely before he even turns 1 month old!)

and for the fun of it, here's our snoopy hospital recovery room!)  who wouldn't recover quicker when there are peanuts on the wall?? 

Come on in, the door is open....

You may have noticed that you didn't have to log in today when you came over to our blog. We've been thinking through some things, made a few changes to the blog to further protect our family, and feel like unlocking the blog will help us connect with people a little bit easier, so--for now at least--the blog is open. We would ask you to please protect our family's privacy though and not widely distribute or publish our blog's information. (we'll make sure to do that for ourselves!) Thanks for respecting this request, continuing to check our blog, showing interest and concern for our family and what is going on with us, and please stay tuned to see what new adventures await the Vips!! I have a feeling it's about to get crazy!! We love you all!!

A Joyful Heart, a Thankful Heart

We've been focusing a lot lately on having a joyful as well as a thankful heart lately. So, i have a challenge to pass on to you. Make a list with plenty of empty space on it, put it up on your wall, fill it up with as many things as you can think of right now, and then keep adding to it. If you don't have a better attitude and a feeling of His joy and peace by the end of it, no matter what trial is going on, I will be greatly surprised. I was really amazed yesterday as i did this. I put Eliana down for her nap and took out my Good Book (Eliana had woken up REALLY early that morning making a morning QT pretty much impossible...thus leaving me to start off my day in a really tired and not so happy attitude). I first read Ps 135 and was challenged to have an attitude of praise at all times. I was having a little bit of a pity party day, so i didn't really like this challenge that much and was struggling with expressing things i was thankful for and wanted to praise Father for. I really just wanted to whine and cry. (hey...just keeping it real!) Then, i came to Ps 136, the one where every other sentence says "His lovingkindness is everlasting." And, Father just said "well, if you won't give me a "list", then i'll give you one!" So, after that i sat down and remembered all of Father's goodness toward us. It's amazing to see that even the hard things often ended up being blessings in the end. "Give thanks to the Lrd for He is good, for His lovingkindness is everlasting." and, you know what? we had one of the best days afte Eliana woke up that we have had our entire time here in Thailand. He promises that His Word will give you rest and can "revive your soul", and it truly does. What an amazing gift!

fun with cardboard!

Eliana's House is open for business! would you like to stop by and "order food now"?? (in the words of the house's proprietor, Elly Bean.) she's had fun decorating it with all her favorite characters, stories, and serving up lots of goodies like mango shakes, chocolate, and rice!

Golfin' with Daddy

Our Father's Day gift to Vip was a trip to a golf course a little outside the city where we live normally. He had a blast getting away for a little while, enjoying the scenery, and is looking forward to going again as a chance to get to know some new friends. so, while we are here in Tland, he found some new to him clubs to take back with us and has been enjoying some time on the nice and super cheap courses here. he goes way early in the morning before me and Elly Bean are still asleep and usually gets back mid morning. Eliana and I have had some fun girl times together and Daddy gets to enjoy some fun guy time while he's here! He's also having fun teaching Eliana a little bit about the game! she sets up cups in the living room and they practice hitting the practice balls into the cups. i think she has more fun setting up the cups and telling daddy which ball to put into which cup, but she has fun nonetheless!


we went to a 4th of July picnic hosted by the American Consulate here, and Eliana had her first experience with miniature golf! Looks like a natural!


At first, Daddy tried to teach her how to stand and do it "right". then, he realized that any contact with the ball was pretty good for a 2 year old!


then, we just progressed to picking up the ball and putting it in the whole! so, we still have some work to do i guess!

Backtracking!

since I've caught up with all the pictures from our time here that are on the computer (meaning i still have some to download from the camera from the last few days, but we'll get there!), i thought i would do a little backtracking and share the pictures from before we took our trip. Today is definitely not my most comfortable pregnancy day, so i'm spending a little extra time with my feet up on the couch, which means i have some extra time to upload pictures and blog!


Eliana's first french braids! unfortunately, her hair is still so fine that they didn't stay in that long or that well, but it was still fun to try!


I love her little model shot pose in this picture!


she has learned to say "cheese" and smile for the camera really well lately! the shiner above her eye is thanks to a mishap between Eliana's foot, a toy on the floor, and our end table. it was a very sad day, but we got over it and once again have a normal looking eye.


she still loves her daddy! (who wouldn't?)

Our Little Momma

Eliana's always loved playing with her baby dolls, so it's been fun to watch her reaction to all of the baby things we have been taking out in preparation for Titus' arrival.





she was so kind to let the baby borrow her bunny bear while she slept in Titus' bed and sang him very sweet lullabies too!

A Little Clarification

I realized from a friend's recent comment that some of you might be a little confused about all our travel, so here's a quick clarification. We left our city when i was about 34 weeks pregnant due to our visas expiring, which meant that we needed to leave the country, as well as for Titus' delivery. so, we chose to go to Hong Kong (the home of Disneyland!), where we could also get our visas for our stay in Thailand, where our little boy will be born. We would love to give birth closer to home (where we live would be even better!), but the health care is currently not quite what you would hope it to be, especially if any special issues arose. With all the traveling and the things i write on Facebook, i sometimes forget what i have and have not written on the blog!

Swimming!!

enjoy the pics of our little fish! i would write more, but we are currently off for more fun swimming time, so i have no more time for blogging this morning! sorry...gotta have my priorities!! :)

And Monkeys Too!!!!

On our way back from the Elephant Camp, we saw that there was a Monkey Farm too (not quite sure why the elephants get a camp but the monkeys get a farm, but whatever). So, since we were having a tropical animal kind of day, we decided to pull over and have a looksie. Eliana did her best monkey sounds and even got brave enough to pet the baby monkeys and feed them.


"I like the baby monkey, but i really like his toy!"



"Ooh, i guess it will be okay to pet this one. he's not nearly as big as the elephant!"



"he's so cute!"



"I like these monkeys, Daddy, but you still better hold on to me!"



"I definitely think the baby monkey needs more fruit, don't you??"

We also got to see the monkeys play basketball, lift weights, and climb lots of trees. As much as she interacted with the monkeys though, the elephants are still her favorite! We are still talking about them around here, and she has asked to go back and see them several times!

The Elephant Camp!

"Okay, Daddy, let's go see the Elephants!! I think we should wear our matching Elmo shirts today too. Okay? Okay!"



"Look! The Elephants are drawing pictures with their trunks! Don't you dare put me down though, Daddy!"



"Can we please feed the elephants some bananas and sugar cane? Actually, i just want you to feed them, Daddy, as I still don't want to touch the elephants!"



"What is that elephant doing to you Daddy?"



"Oh, is he giving you a hug?? I'm not so sure about this."





We definitely had a fun day seeing the elephants! Hope you enjoyed the trip too!

37 weeks down, ??? to go!

We had our second doctor's appointment today, and it went well. Baby is still doing well and doesn't seem like he's in too big of a hurry to get out here, but I really don't think he will be late like his sweet sister was. :) So, we are packing our bag, making our lists of things not to forget, and still trying to figure out what to do with Eliana when i actually go into labor (please be lifting this up for us!) so we are ready to go whenever this baby boy decides to make his grand appearance. in the meantime, we are trying to get some rest, and enjoy some family time at the pool and play areas while we are just a family of 3. (the pregnant momma...as well as everyone else....prefers options that include either being in water or air conditioning!!)

some highlights from this week:

*vip decided that he needed a project today, so he decided to expand his cardboard toy making skills. he and eliana took a walk downstairs today and found a lady with two big boxes, which she had found and was saving to sell. they decided that 10 baht (about 35 cents) was a good deal and took them off her hands. now, we have the ultimate playhouse/restaurant/drink stand. she has since (since this afternoon that is) learned to say "order food now" (while writing down your order). she can make a mean macaroni and cheese, brocolli, and chicken rice! he's currently having fun drawing all her favorite Good Book stories, veggie tales, and fancy nancy pictures all over it that she can color in tomorrow. oh the fun you can have with cardboard boxes, duct tape, and markers!!

*we're having lots of fun swimming still! she's getting really bold too, which is fun to see! we even got to go to another pool where some friends are staying and play in a kiddie pool. she really thought that was fun!

*Vip and I celebrated 7 years of marriage yesterday!! (July 5) we started off the day getting a little lost driving back to the place we needed to return the car we were driving to, eventually made it, dropped the car off (so sad!), and walked to our friends' hotel where we hung out at the pool, had lunch at a very yummy bakery/home cookin' restaurant called Butter is Better (sounds really healthy, huh?), and then went to the mall after her nap to browse a little and get her an early happy meal dinner. we got her down to bed early and ordered a little more exciting of a meal from another American Restaurant in town and watched a movie we had rented from itunes. unfortunately, i've entered the fun part of my pregnancies where i start to get nauseous when i wait too long to eat (same thing happened at the end with eliana), so i didn't get to enjoy my dinner too much, but it was still fun to have a "stay date" with my hubby on our anniversary. overall, it was just a really fun day to enjoy our family and be thankful for the blessings Father began 7 years ago when we got married! I am truly blessed to be married to such an amazing man who takes such good care of our family and loves the Father with all His heart. blessed beyond words.

*Eliana has definitely shown her emotional side lately too....way too much like her momma on this side of things i'm afraid! while we are trying to have lots of fun, we are also trying to give her as much of us and as much stability as we can. one thing that kids of ex-patriots (those of us who live and work overseas) have to deal with a lot is change. she has had lots of it in a short amount of time with the move back to asia, all the changes in environment and the people around her once we got back there, and then leaving to come here. you can tell she's struggled with it. But, one thing that remains the same is that our Father cares about her and is helping her through it and giving us direction in knowing how to help her. we are lifting her up lots and giving her lots of attention, which i am thankful we are able to do. she is such a blessing, and i can't wait to see her tender emotional heart one day turn to Father and serve Him. dealing with those emotions while just 2 years old though can have its challenges, so please be lifting up our sweet little Elly Bean's transition to Thailand and then to her new baby brother as well! One of the blessings we have seen come out of this is hearing her learn to talk to Father herself. since arriving in Thailand she has learned to say "JC, help me" when she is struggling with a number of things like sleeping, attitude problems, being afraid, etc. I look forward to seeing how He continues to draw her to Himself and to see how He can use me and Vip to do that as well.

well, that's it for tonight. i'll keep trying to post pics this week, but i had to give up after being rejected too many times!! :)

Disneyland!!

I still have a lot of pictures to catch up on from before we left for thailand, but since it makes me totally depressed to always be playing catch up, i thought i would post the current and then go back. the internet here is not exactly cooperating with me though, so i might be a little slow in getting them up. it took me about an hour to get these uploaded, and i only got to post about half of the pics that i really wanted to post! but, better a few than none at all, right? the order is totally messed up too, but i am just going to go with it, so sorry. :)



for her little treats from our time at disneyland, Eliana got this minnie mouse umbrella and a little princess purse, which included a tiara, pearls, and some play make up. we've had lots of fun with our make up and "brella"!



the princess has arrived!



this was me and Eliana's first ever Disney experience, and i must say we had a blast! she was able to ride almost all of the rides as was I, even as big and pregnant as i was!



we have finally warmed up to the carousel! she had always been a little unsure of it before once she actually got on them, but we rode this one twice and she had a blast as you can tell!



and, we have recently discovered that Eliana LOVES ice cream, especially when she gets to feed it to herself. it does make a huge mess, but you gotta live a little sometimes!



she even shared with mommy!!



this was one of the rides that i could not ride due to being pregnant, but i did get to take lots of fun pictures of them while i looked down on the track from a bridge.



we took the subway there, which was fun as the Disney experience began as soon as you got on the last line to Disneyland. the train was all decked out with mickey windows and lights and cushy seats! eliana doesn't look too thrilled in this picture, but she thought it was fun too. i think she was ready to get out of the stroller and play!