We're Still Here...(Part 1 of 3)

Ok...let's see how far I can get here...Alli's taking a nap and the boys are watching a movie. I'm finally motivated to try to write a new post. This will be the first of 3 posts as I try to catch up to where we are now.

UPDATE: I had to stop partway through the post after Alli started crying, so now it's the evening and everyone is out for the night.

Let's see...it's been almost 6 months since my last post. With 3 kids and a busy schedule, it's been easier to post quickly on Facebook than on our blog, so please "friend" us there if you want to keep up with us more regularly.

Here's my Facebook album with pictures of our Life in Thailand.

I'll pick up from where I left off and see how far we get.

Allison
So, yeah...Alli was born on April 20. =P She's now 6 months and is growing and developing so well. We're so thankful to God for blessing us with a beautiful daughter and that she (and I) have gone 6 months without getting sick, even with all the boys in our family (including David) enduring several bouts of colds, flus, and stomach viruses.

I don't know why it is, but girls do truly develop faster than boys. Or maybe it's because she was born drug-free. =P She had reflux as a newborn, so we had to always keep her upright. I usually kept her in the baby carrier. We also put her to sleep on her tummy because she just hated being on her back. Because of that, she started trying to crawl at 4 months. Now at 6 months, she's quite the crawler. She's also pulling up to stand and cruising when given the opportunity! We've had to resort to using the mattress pad that Eli usually sleeps on as her playmat. I think she's the most active and loudest of the 3. The whole family's enjoying her so much.

Ian and Eli run downstairs every morning to play with her before school. Ian is a great older brother who plays gently with her and helps me watch her when I'm busy with other tasks. Eli adores her and is learning how to play nicely with her and trying not to smother her with his hugs and body.

Here's my Facebook album with pictures of Allison.

My Mom
David started his official first day of work at ZOE on May 1st. Thankfully, my mom was still here at that time, as I adjusted to our new life of 5. She was an enormous help and blessing as she helped with cooking, cleaning, and caring for the boys. She stayed from March through the end of May during the hottest time of year and when the air quality is the worst. While I was sad to see her go, I was glad that she was able to get some rest with a stopover in Korea for a week on her way back to the States. Her health took a slight beating during her stay here, but all her numbers went back to normal after returning to the States. It was also challenging, but nice to try caring for the family on my own.

And here's my Facebook album of my Mom in Thailand.

David

After about 6 months of language study and settling in, David began his first official day of work at ZOE in May. His first assignment was to attend a 5-day self-defense training course with ZOE's Child Rescue Team. They spent all day learning techniques and sparring with each other in a room without air conditioning, only fans. Needless to say, it was an intense first week. Here are some photos from the training:

Missionaries David, Greg, and Rob (on the ground) with the trainer:

Missionary Sam:

I don't have any shots of David sparring, but here's a shot of some of the aftermath:

His next project was to host a team of 12 interns from The Master's College, which happens to be affiliated with the seminary David graduated from. They were here for 6 weeks working on various projects for all the different ZOE departments, from sewing curtains, school outreaches, manual labor projects, to activities with the children at ZOE. Ian had a blast going to ZOE with David every Saturday to play with the kids and the interns. I think it was reminiscent for him of our lives in the States with our church family, having the attention of so many to play and talk with. He talked and asked about the interns daily during their time here. Here are some shots of the team:

The team at an outreach:

What a treat for Ian to be able to celebrate his birthday with the team:

One of Ian's buddies, Phill:

One of the interns is a photographer (Emma Leigh Photography), and she generously offered to take some family photos for us before she left. Here are some of my favorites.

In addition to hosting the Master's team, David also worked on developing protocols for areas of his responsibility and also counseled with individuals who work on the field for ZOE to assist with child rescue investigations.

He hasn't been able to continue his language studies with his new work schedule, but he does get to practice and hear Thai more often now that he works amongst Thai staff and the children.

Ian
After moving to a new country and beginning half-day kindergarten at the start of his school's 2nd quarter, Ian finished off the year at the beginning of June. Looking back, he accomplished so much. He learned to write his uppercase and lowercase letters, practiced adding his numbers, made new friends, studied Thai once a week, and learned to work through emotional setbacks on a daily basis...all while adjusting to a new life in a foreign country. We couldn't have been prouder of him as he finished off the school year. One of our greatest concerns in our move was how our sensitive Ian would handle the move to Thailand, but by God's grace and through all your prayers, it ended up being one of our least concerns.

In particular, he enjoyed attending a Christian school where he was surrounded by peers, older students, and teachers who knew about Jesus, sang about Jesus at weekly chapel, and shared prayer requests and praises regularly.

He continues to entertain, endear, and exhaust us with his many questions. Every day, he's learning how to respond graciously to his rambunctious little brother who seeks his attention by taking away his toys and smothering him. One of his great accomplishments is being able to play games like Candyland without throwing a fit whenever he gets sent back to the start or loses. He's still working through trying to use his words to express his discontent in the classroom, rather than immediately breaking down in tears. This still happens in 1st grade, but not as frequently. He's also learning to do his best to participate rather than quit even though the newness or difficulty of an activity causes sensory overload and great anxiety. Most importantly though, he continues to process his daily life's experiences in the context of something greater than himself. We continue to pray for a deeper understanding of who Jesus is to him personally as we try to highlight the Lord's presence and hand in every aspect of our lives, each and every day.

Here are some photos of Ian:

Playdate with his fellow Korean friend John, whose older sisters must've influenced his Kpop look:

Last day of school:

 Graduation:

What his teacher wrote about him:

Celebrating his 6th birthday in Thailand:

Eli
Our very active Eli finished his school term at his bilingual school in early March and attended a summer program from March to April, which is summer in Thailand. His 2nd year of preschool began mid-May. He loves attending school until 12pm every day, continuing to charm the entire staff and enjoying play with his Thai friends.

The adjustment to being a middle child wasn't as rough for him as our initial move here, mostly because he now has words to express himself, rather than screams and physical tantrums. But the transition hasn't been without difficulty. He's definitely in need of attention from us all.

His great accomplishments have been potty training (yipee!), willingness to feed himself (he's still working through this), and knowing/writing his letters and all their sounds. He continues to challenge us with obsessive-compulsive tendencies, throwing tantrums when we don't have time to wait for him to do things "his way." However, now we've worked through most of the issues and now have the tools to address his heart and behavior as he tries to balance independence and obedience.

He continues to delight us every day with his uncanny ability to learn choreographed dances and routines from his favorite shows. He's moved on from The Wiggles and now loves to do Power Ranger poses, but he still loves Yo Gabba Gabba and Imagination Movers. He has a lot of personality and brings us great joy with his affectionate hugs and kisses.

Here are some photos of our crazy Eli:

In his uniform:

He loves dressing up, but it's so hot!

Music & Movement:

Summer camp fun:

Initially, we didn't anticipate putting Eli in school when we arrived. But his preschool has been a tremendous help and support for us during our transition. We're so thankful for the dedicated and caring staff. We feel like we're sending him to family every day.

Me
The adjustment to caring for the family after my mom left has been hard, but not as crazy as I anticipated. Thank you God! If I prepare a day's schedule at least the day before, it's actually quite manageable. The problem is taking the time to prepare. Most of my days revolve around meal preparations, cleanup, errands, and just trying to enjoy the family in the midst of it all. I took a break from Thai lessons beginning in April and started up again after I returned from the States.

Ok, this post was quite a marathon. The next one will be about our return to the States for our first visit back. Thanks for reading if you made it this far!

Thailand Fails on Trafficking

Please pray for Thailand...

Thailand Fails on Trafficking

Birthing in Thailand...

Ok, let's see how far I can get with this post before I have to tend to my kids...

On April 20 at 11:29pm, we welcomed Allison Jessie Yu into the world. She was 7 pounds, 5 ounces and 19.3 inches. She weighed a pound heavier than the boys at birth. We're so thankful that she was born healthy and that my recovery has gone smoothly. It was truly one of the hardest physical experiences I've had to endure, but the Lord sustained me. Praise God!

We were originally going to deliver at Chiang Mai Ram Hospital, the only local hospital that administered an epidural. But a few weeks before my due date, the hospital announced it would no longer give epidurals for natural births. We decided to deliver at a different local hospital called Sriphat. In some cases of emergencies, newborns are transported from Ram to Sriphat, so we thought we'd go with them. While there were many uncertainties and concerns, there was much peace as we meditated on the truth that the Lord would work all things out according to His good purposes. We met one woman who came from Vietnam to deliver at Ram, but ended up traveling 3 hours to Chiang Rai to get an epidural.

My original estimated due date was April 10, but my ultrasound seemed to show an April 17 due date. After many bounces on the yoga ball and then a 20-minute walk, on the evening of April 20, just after dinner around 7pm, I felt some strong contractions. They were coming about every 10 minutes. Then after 8pm, they were coming about every 5-7 minutes. We were told to stay at home as long as possible so that we wouldn't have to labor at the hospital for very long. But once I had to stop and use the wall for support through contractions, I told David I wanted to go to the hospital. I didn't want to be keeled over in the car.

We arrived at the hospital around 9pm. I was 5cm dilated. It was eery when we arrived because there were no other patients and the lights were all turned off except some dim lights where the nurses were.

Here I am waiting for a contraction on a yoga ball:

The room itself was nice:

Ok, here it comes:

Ouch...do you like David posing while I'm in pain? Months ago, I told David that if I have to give birth without an epidural, he would have to sing Maxwell's "This Woman's Work" to me. He did sing a line or two, then started playing and singing some DeBarge song to me. I told him I didn't want music after all. 

Another mom who just gave birth a few months before me told me that someone told her that when your legs start shaking through contractions from the pain, you're at 7cm. She said this ended up being true for her. Sure enough, my legs started shaking. When they checked me at 10:30pm, I was indeed 7cm. While going from 5cm to 7cm was painful, everything after 7cm was unbearable. I tried my best to use the techniques we learned to relax through the contractions and not fight against them. I was able to do this until 7cm. After 7cm, I just couldn't relax through them. The doctor kept asking if I wanted to lay down, but I was afraid I wouldn't be able to adjust positions from a reclined position once the contractions came. So I stayed on a yoga ball, hunched over at the foot of the bed. The pain was so intense that I started rubbing my forehead on the bed, moaning, pulling on my hair (I think to create an alternate source of pain), scratching the bed, and shaking my head and breathing out like a horse. David said he's never seen me like that and I was going crazy. I actually wish someone videotaped me so I could watch myself go crazy and at least get a good laugh with my sisters.

Around 11:15pm, I couldn't take it anymore and I asked for some medication. They were just walking in with demerol, when I said that I felt like pushing. They hurriedly got me on the bed. I was 9cm. I thought the pushing would be easy, but I had several moments of panic when I thought I wouldn't be able to push her out. At this point, I was screaming, yelling, and crying, "Help me, please! Help me, please! Get her out!" While pushing, the Thai nurses howl "Oooooo." I heard about this, so it was funny to experience it. Thankfully, Allison came at 11:29pm. I was told that because the labor was so quick, it was more painful. At the same time, I don't know if I could've endured a longer labor. After all this, I don't think I could go through labor without an epidural again, but God-willing, I won't have to because if it's up to us, we're very happy with our family of 5. =)

Here she is:

Proud papa:

Relieved mama:

A visit from my mom and the boys:

Our duplex neighbors, who've become close friends, brought them. This is Mrs. Chang: 

"We did it!":

"Hello world!":

We left less than 24 hours in post-partum. The doctor only ordered Tylenol for me, and for some reason, the nurses were slow to bring it to me after repeated requests. With that, the ants on the countertops and tables, the language barrier, and general hygiene concerns, I thought I would just be more comfortable recovering at home.

"Home sweet home":

Excited big brother Ian:

Curious big brother Eli:

The men in her life:

Very alert:

Daddy's in love:

Gaining well:

Gaining really well:

Lately, she spends a lot of time in the Bjorn because she seems to have acid reflux, so she's very colicky. She cries in pain and she's inconsolable during some parts of the day. She doesn't like to be laid flat.

We were able to celebrate Mother's Day out with the family. I couldn't have gotten through these last few months without my wonderful mom:

We have yet to get a full family shot...Alli was sleeping:

What a blessing to have gotten through all of this with a healthy baby girl and full recovery. We are so thankful for the gift of a beautiful new daughter. We have wonderful support with our ZOE family and new friends we've made here in Chiang Mai. God is good. And here's a wonderful care package with requested items from our church family back home:

Not Yet...

So, we've been getting calls and emails daily during the month of April asking, "Is the baby here yet?" The answer is, "No, not yet." =( We're surprised because I was contracting during the last few months and really thought this baby was going to be early. But perhaps having my mom here has allowed me to take it "too easy" so that the baby is resting comfortably in the womb. After looking at my ultrasound measurements, the doctor said the due date could be a week later on April 17. That was yesterday. Contractions are getting more intense and painful, but they taper off and don't seem to be moving to active labor quite yet. Hopefully soon. I'm currently typing this post while bouncing on a yoga ball, hoping to progress labor. =) We're certainly thankful that the baby made it to term. Thank you Lord!

The sad thing about not knowing when this baby will deliver has been not being able to commit to any ZOE activities this past month. The Thai school schedule runs from May to March, so some of the ZOE children have graduated from school. We would've loved to attend the school graduation. Also, ZOE runs a summer camp for the children while they're on break, but we weren't able to participate as we've been waiting for the baby. And ZOE's Ministry School had their graduation and we would've loved to witness the culmination of the accomplishments and dedication of the wonderful students. Fellow missionaries have great posts summing up some of these activities here and here.

These past months have allowed for opportunities to build some relationships and learn more about life in Thailand. Specifically, I've gotten to spend more time talking with the woman who works as our "maebaan" (literally "house mother") and comes to clean our home. It's not uncommon to hire maebaans here in Thailand as the noncarpeted floors have to be cleaned regularly due to dust, dirt, ants scouting for crumbs, etc. And it only costs about $2/hour. She's been a great resource for us as we can call upon her anytime to translate for us when needed. Conversations have allowed me to practice my Thai while also learning about her life. She's single and 39 years old. Recently I learned that she only completed her education through the 6th grade, which is very common here. Her brother and sister completed even less schooling than her. She and her siblings had to work in the fields with her parents at that young age. Also, they needed money to buy school materials and curriculum, which they didn't have. Her sister committed suicide around 20 years of age by drinking worm poison in her bed. Our maebaan accepted Christ several years ago through one of the families she cleans for. She works 6 days/week cleaning homes. She does all this even with a bad back. One of the families she used to clean for paid for back surgery for her. On Sundays, she currently attends school to complete her education, so she hasn't been able to attend church for some time now. Our prayers are that we can be a good testimony and encouragement to her in her faith.

Though I've taken a break from Thai lessons during the month of April, prior to this month, I've also been able to grow closer to my Thai teacher. She's a Christian, and we've had many opportunities to share about our lives as we practice speaking Thai. It's great to be able to come from different cultures, yet share the bond of Christ and encourage each other in our faith. She, too, would not have been able to complete her education, but the school allowed her to continue to attend on some type of scholarship basis and she was able to excel in school enough to continue her education. She's also been a wonderful resource to learn about life in Thailand and just knowing where to go to buy specific items, specifically items for babies because she just had a baby 6 months ago.

Hearing all these personal life stories really puts into context the value of what ZOE is doing in the lives of these precious children. They are growing healthy and provided with a great education. You can imagine the pressures of poor families who are lured into unknowingly sending their children to be trafficked due to false promises of a good education, or even knowingly selling their children for money. What promising futures the children at ZOE have...

Having my mom here has been a wonderful blessing as she has tirelessly been slaving and sweating away in the kitchen making meals and doing the dishes. I can't describe to you how hot it gets in the kitchen during the hottest month of the year here in Thailand. She tries to make dinner earlier or we order in or go out to eat so she doesn't have to cook in the evenings. Some of our new experiences here have been due to her.

On her first day out with a new Korean friend she made at the local Korean church, they went to the local golf course. I forgot to remind her to keep any money on her and not in her bag. Unfortunately, she had a small sack with a ziploc baggie of some cash. They had 2 female caddies. Her caddy kept putting the sack on her back, and my mom would take her bag back as if to look for something inside and then put the sack back in her golfclub bag, but the caddy kept putting the bag on her back. Then the caddy disappeared into the restroom for a long time, long enough that she wasn't available to give my mom her clubs at one particular hole. Being suspicious, my mom peeked inside her ziploc bag of cash and saw that cash was still there. As they finished up their round of golf and my mom reached in her baggie to give her caddy a tip, she realized then that she was missing about $60. Also, her makeup bag was dumped upside down and a wad of bandaids she had was missing. When she told her friend, her friend didn't want to tell the golf course as she felt there was nothing they would do. Also, her friend was scared that if the caddy lost her job, she might become angry and seek revenge. So they left.

When my mom came home and told us what happened, we told her she should've reported the incident to the course management. I called our maebaan to help us settle the matter. She said to go to the police station. We arrived at the station and our maebaan spoke with the head guy there via phone. We ended up driving to the golf course with two plain-clothed policemen. I had them drive because I didn't know how to get to the course myself. When we arrived at the golf course, the policemen questioned the caddy. She denied she took the money. Then all 6 of us, including the caddy and the other caddy that served my mom's friend, drove back to the station in my car. They took the caddy to another room to question her some more. She continued to deny that she stole the money, but the police indicated that they found she had a record of a past discretion so they believed us and felt she was lying. We told them that we didn't need the money back, but wanted to report the incident and inform the golf course what happened. The head policeman was very apologetic and said he would try to get our money back for us. The update is that they've told the woman to pay us $60. She still denies it, but she's paid some of it back and said she'd pay the rest this month. We're supposed to go to the station to collect the money. A great thing that came out of this is that the head policeman at the station gave us his name and number and told us to call him if we had any problems in the future. Hopefully, that'll come in handy if we ever run into something worse.

Will post more later, but I'll leave you with some pics...

Hazy March from burn season:

The haze is pretty, but not good for you:

Skyping with Mark...

...Henry...

...Danny, Cathy, & Carol who were all dining together:

ZOE staff fellowship activity at Sticky Falls:

I sat out since this game involved running...there's Dave in the blue though:

Staff having to sing a song:

P. Yim & Kaylee climbing the falls:

Grace & Yumi:

Group pic:

Rice farmers working on the field:

Boys playing before church begins:

One of our regular cheap Thai meals...rice, chicken & soup for $1:

 Grilled chicken & pork, sticky rice, spicy dipping sauce for about $2:

Ian spotted this frog hiding in our front lawn. He has an eagle eye:

David poked it out with a stick, then flung it over our wall onto an open field next to our home:

Playdate with fellow missionary kids Ethan & Nathanael:

Storytime at school...there's Ian with his classmates Noah & Elise:

We're continually surprised at the various connections we have through ZOE Children's Homes. When the Wintersburg Presbyterian Church short-term team came, we weren't able to participate in the activities, but we were able to go to the BBQ they hosted at ZOE.

We were told that one of the team members looked like me, and her husband Sam, who didn't come on the trip, knew David when he was younger. We got to meet Amy who brought these great pictures from David's childhood. David remembered Sam as an older brother and great artist. Their families went to church together where David's grandfather was the pastor.

Here are Amy and me:

Can you spot David? Sam is the one in the cool blue suit and pink shirt in the back row:

David's the one in the brown shirt in the front row, and that's Mikey next to him in the other blue suit:

And here are Sam & David...how cute is this? And David was rocking the trucker hat before it became a trend: