Monday is Lee’s birthday.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HONEY!




















Well, it’s been a while, and a lot has happened… most importantly, of course, was the birth of our beautiful baby girl, Elizabeth Faith, on April 3. She weighed 8 lbs., 11 oz. and is perfectly healthy – Praise be to God! For those who are interested, you can read the labor story in the next paragraph.

Caution: For some, this will definitely be Too Much Information…

The labor and delivery went great - thanks be to God! Looking back, I think I must have started labor the night before and not realized it. I was clearly having contractions, but not once did I recognize any regularity in them (even on the day of delivery). Then, as I was getting ready for my CTG (monitoring of the baby’s heart rate and my contractions) appointment on Thursday morning, my water membranes "ruptured" at 6:45 a.m. By the time we got to the hospital, around 9:00 a.m., I was already dilated to 6 - Wow! So, they called my doctor and told her to get there ASAP. She works at a hospital in Budapest on Thursdays – we were at a hospital in a country town called Telki – so she wasn't able to get there until just before I felt the urge to push. She broke my water, and the pushing began. Lee was a great coach (according to the Bradley Method) - he reminded me how to push (if that makes any sense), how to breathe properly, he helped lift my shoulders and hold my legs; then he even let the staff pressure him into cutting the cord (which he truly did NOT want to do!). Neither of us can remember for sure, but we think I pushed for less than 30 minutes. Elizabeth was born at 10:36 a.m. Aside of a "fast delivery" with no epidural and no pitocin, I am tremendously thankful for no tearing!...

So, since then, we have been adjusting to life with a newborn and a preschooler. My mom was here for seven weeks and was invaluable in helping around the house – going to the grocery store, cooking meals, doing endless loads of laundry… I can’t thank you enough, Momma! My stepdad, John, came for two one-week visits. It was a great time for the girls to spend with two of their seven grandparents!

Elizabeth is six weeks old now and doing wonderfully. She eats, sleeps and cries, just like newborns are supposed to do. She has started cooing and smiling at us, and I just can’t help but melt when she does it. She’ll go in for her one-month checkup today (a little late, but if you know me well, you aren’t surprised by this).

Abigail is doing great. She loves her little sister – pronounces her name “Liv-beff” – it’s absolutely adorable. Abigail is becoming such a big girl… she talks so much and uses new words daily! I am constantly amazed at how much she knows. Recently, we’ve been reading a Night Sky book filled with observatory and Hubble Telescope photographs of planets, moons, stars and other topics of astronomy. She recognizes Earth, Neptune and our own moon so far. She says she wants to “space walk” on the moon. She will be three in August.

Lee is doing great. Work is going well – getting along great with colleagues and experiencing the usual “learning curve” of a new job. Add to that a foreign country with a foreign language, and he’s got some funny stories to tell. Apparently, one of the impressions Hungarians have of Americans – more specifically, Texans – is that we go around smiling all the time. Not a bad thing to be known for!

Of course, Lee and I have a lot to smile about. We are tremendously blessed by the Lord, and He is providing for us in ways that are clearly His alone. We are attending the same church mentioned in the first posting, Danube International Church. I have attended a ladies’ Bible study a couple of times – and they were even kind and thoughtful enough to have a sip-n-see for Elizabeth! Thank you, ladies! We are going to take a study break for the summer, but we plan to get together for “play group” during our regular meeting time on Wednesday mornings.

I have my own funny stories to tell… one of which happened just last week. The girls and I went to Market Hall, an old train station converted into a huge marketplace with fresh produce, fresh meats and poultry, and freshly baked breads and other treats. And that’s just on the lower level. I was there for meat and produce. It went without incident at the produce and chicken stands. At the meat stand, I needed ground beef. I confidently used the Hungarian phrases for “ground beef” and “half-kilo.” I have used these phrases before, without problems. So, when the guy pointed to a stack of whole meat, I accepted, thinking that he was recommending that cut as best for grinding. So, he cut out half a kilo (approximately 1 pound) and started to wrap it up. Oh no! I got his attention and pointed to a mound of ground pork, saying the Hungarian word for “ground” again. He seemed surprised, but did it anyway. I noticed a strange reaction from the other two guys behind the counter, and I got very concerned. So, I went to check the label on the cut of meat I just ordered. I still couldn’t tell what it was, but saw that it was 6,500 forint per kilo – that’s $20 per pound!!! Who knows, we might be having some “filet mignon” burgers soon!
Love & Blessings…