Oh Happy Day!!!

What a sweet, sweet reunion it was with our families as we hugged each other for the first time in over almost 3 years and as they held Maya for the first time! God is good!

Home at last!

 In her grandmother's arms

Nana can't get enough

Aunt Merf!

This is one proud granddaddy!

Auntie Ash gets some sugar from a tired lil Maya

Off to Bali!

Before we headed back to America we took a family vacation to Bali- our first vacation as a family of three. We packed up our little Honda City and embarked on the 10 hour drive...

On the ferry crossing over from Java to Bali

Here we come, Bali!

A true beach babe. This was taken at Uluwatu, one of the most famous (and beautiful) surf spots in the world.

Maya is serenaded at Jimbaran

Busy, busy

We had a busy weekend! On Saturday we went to some hot springs up in the mountains with our friends. As much as I wanted to put Maya in her cute little strawberry bathing suit (that her Auntie Ash bought her), I couldn’t bring myself to do it because the sun was SOOOOO strong! MJ came home with a bright red sunburn on his back as proof. Poor guy!

Giving her strawberry bathing suit a try. Cute as a button! It was a gift from Auntie Ash.

 Then Sunday we went to our friend Eli’s wedding out in the “desa” (village). Maya throughly enjoyed being passed around at the reception as EVERYONE wanted to hold her.

Maya’s latest accomplishments include: drooling, sucking on her hands, staring in a very intruiged manner at her hands, and her very first ever chuckle (heard on February 26th while playing with Daddy)!!!

Celebrating our 4th anniversary!

Chunky and Spunky!

So far I’ve counted 6 fat rolls on each arm. She has her fair share of neck and leg rolls, too. Here’s a pic of Maya showing off her chunky self.

check out the cheeks!

Not only is she a chunky monkey, but she’s a spunky chunky monkey! Well, as spunky as you can be at 2 months. Maya has been smiling all the time and melting her mommy’s heart! She often smiles in her sleep and because of that her pacifier falls out, the smile vanishes, and the crying begins. She loves her pacie and has to have it. I’m already dreading that dark, dark day when we have to start weaning her from it. But for right now, while it’s still cute, we are pacifier people. It earns me a few minutes of peace and quiet, anyway. :)  Here’s Maya showing off her spunky side.

And now for some everyday pics...

Maya waits in anticipation. What will the blue star on her mobil do next?

This is one of my favorite outfits on her. Too cute!

Maya in her swing. Thank you, Gigi!

 And last but not least, M.J. and I had the chance to celebrate Valentine’s Day together at our favorite restaurant. While we celebrated, Maya looked on and celebrated 2 months in this world. No Valentine for her yet. She did, however present  little Noah Klein with a valentine when he made his way into the world on February 1st.What a handsome little guy!

I love my hubby!

Sudah Mandi?

This is one of the most commonly asked questions here in Java. It means, “have you already taken a bath?” We often hear our neighbors or people who drop in on us ask this question. After some time have realized it’s not because we smell bad or that our hair looks dirty, it’s just small talk. “How are you? How about this weather? Have you already bathed?”

Oh, the many things we love about Java. Here is Maya proud to announce that she has “sudah mandi”.

 

visiting baby noah

Family

This Moby wrap is a magical piece of cloth. Whenever Maya is fussy I strap her in. It is 90% effective in calming her! Yesterday we decided to sit at the piano and sing to Jesus while we cuddled. If I had to guess I'd say we have a music lover on our hands. And a worshipper!

We sang a song that has been very special to me in the last year that is based on Psalm 124. I sang it many times around the close of 2008 and into the next year, during one of the darker times in my life. One of my favorite lines reads:

Had it not been the LORD who was on our side

The waters would have engulfed us

We would have surely died

Had it not been the LORD who was on our side

 Blessed be the LORD who would not give us up

"I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. I will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless, nor forsake you, nor let you down, nor relax my hold on you. Assuredly not! Hebrews 13:5 (Amplified)

I remember waiting on the LORD at the beginning of 2009 to see what God had in store for the new year. Like I said, it was a dark and lonely time and as I prayed I didn't have much hope in my heart of things to come. I remember He spoke simply and clearly to me. He said, "This is to be a year of family." I didn't think much of it at the time, just noted it and moved on. MJ and I at that time weren't even considering starting a family. But as you can see, God granted us what He promised. And what joy Maya has brought to our lives! We are grateful!

 

A Lazy Sunday

There’s nothing like a lazy weekend. MJ and I spent most of the weekend sitting around the house, just enjoying being together and with our little one! Last night was the first time Maya has slept through the night! (Can anyone say MIRACLE!?) Trying not to get my hopes up in case she doesn’t pull that off again.