Yes, we are back! It's been now three days but it feels like we have been back longer....I think each day has been kind of long with a lot of activities trying to unpack, set up house, reconnect with friends, and get Jeany set up for her time here. Also, Elijah has been having more tantrums and wow, it drains me of my energy! Poor guy, I think it's been tough having his life be completely out of whack for some time. Plus, I feel like we're in sauna here. It's not as bad as Thailand so I should not complain but it has been hot and humid.
I am so thankful for the wisdom that the Lord gave in thinking about spending a week in Thailand to decompress and to get over our jet-lag before arriving in India. I think the transition would have been really tough if we had not done that! I can't even imagine trying to unpack and set up the house while dealing with your kids and your own jet-lag. And, am I grateful for Elizabeth, our house help, and Saliendra, our driver! We would be starving right now if it weren't for them. I have absolutely no time to cook, clean, or do anything else besides watching the kids and trying to unpack and organize. When it comes to house organization, I'm the queen and I don't want any one messing with it, so Paul's not much of a help in this regards. But, he's been busy shopping, getting our phones working again, orienting Jeany, etc. By 9pm, we're both pretty wiped out.
It's been tremendously helpful to have Jeany with us. It's been great to have an extra set of hands to help, but more than that, I have really appreciated being able to pray together and have her friendship during this time of transition. She's such a mellow person. I love being around her when I'm feeling high strung!
Elijah had his first heat rash. We also learned that he gets car sick. He seems to like dhaal-bhaat so that's good, although he's been melting down a lot over food. It has a lot to do with familiarity and just having his life be completely out of whack. Rena and Sophianne are doing alright for the most part, although we have been turning on the AC because Sophianne in particular wants to be swaddled when sleeping, and it's too hot to have her swaddled with just the fan on.
I've been doing alright for the most part, except for the fact that I am constantly hungry and there is nothing quick to eat! I had my own little melt-down becoming a mean witch because I was so hungry and there was not even a peanut butter around to have a PBJ. That problem has been solved and it has become my snack food for now....I should have packed a lot of granola bars and stuff for myself when we were packing. Just didn't think about how difficult it is to find good nutritious snack here.
However, I was pleasantly greeted with two containers full of kimchee upon my arrival. A fellow Korean had made kimchee over the winter and left them in the fridge for me. There is also a bag full of kimchee frozen in the freezer. Thank you God!
I think we may have found another helper for us! Our driver's wife wants to work for us. We're really glad that his family is now together in one city where as before, she and the kids were up in the hills.
Next week, Elijah will start preschool. Please pray that it is a positive experience for him....
And, I think we are going to have to start looking for a new place. Our current space is too small. All five of us are sleeping in one room. It's been okay at night because we're all deep sleepers, but during the day, trying to have three kids in one room for nap, plus a sleepy mom -- not working out very well! Pray that we can find a good place for us.
All in all, things haven't been easy here but God has been good to us in taking care of us. It's a good sign when I am still really happy to be back and thankful that God has called our family to serve Him here!
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Monday, May 09, 2011
How has life with three kids been?
It's probably one of the most common questions we have been getting. How has life been with three kiddos under the age of three? We laugh because right now we have three different size diapers in the house....
It has definitely been hectic and challenging at times, but our general response has been, "It's been a lot easier than we had anticipated." People are usually surprised by our answer and in some ways we also have been pleasantly surprised by it too. I don't think I had realized the extent of the learning curve one has to go through with your first child. With Elijah, there was only one baby and two adults, but it felt so much more taxing! Now, we are totally outnumbered but we feel like we're much more relaxed. In many ways, I feel like P and I are much more of a team. We are both more confident as parents and know where we are in terms of how we feel about certain things that we are able to work much more cohesively. We are not having to negotiate every little thing and figure it out for the first time! :)
Of course, my experience (our experience) has been a little different than what most mothers who have husbands work from 8am to 5pm jobs. I have been very fortunate to have P around a lot to help. So it has made our transition much easier than another family in our situation. We'll have to see what being with three is like in India--it probably will be the real test.
But for now, I am and I have been really enjoying being the mother of three amazing kids! I was sharing with my sister that having three kids is so much more fun than having one! She shared an insightful reflection about her own experience--that with one, there is still this desire and effort to live your life as if you still have your independence and can feel frustrated when it seems to be hampered. By the time the third one is here, you have pretty much surrendered yourself to the fact that this is your life and it will be for some time. I think she is right. I have no illusion at this point that I am going to have a lot of "space" for myself or to do the things that I would like to do outside of the home. Being in charge of our home-life is going to be my life for the next few years for sure.
As a person who values her independence quite a bit, I have been surprised at how peaceful I feel about this reality of my life. Some of it has to do with "maturity." I understand that this stage of life is temporary. I also feel grateful that I even have the option to be able to focus on the kids and family life because not all women have the option to do so. Thirdly, I feel like if my attention was divided in many ways or if both P and I try to make "job sharing" work during this stage, we would both end up feeling frustrated because I think we will feel like nothing is getting the excellent attention we like to give but we're juggling to maintain everything....if that makes any sense.
So, I have been telling my friends and others that for the next few years, I will be "m's wife." I want to release P to do ministry and work so that he can fulfill what God has called him to do with excellence. And, I will be the chief of home ministry affairs. In about three years, I know that I will be ready for a change in my role, and I anticipate that there will be some changes as we might choose to home school E. I know for certain that I do not want to home school by myself but that P will need to be fully engaged in it as well. Three years of being a M's wife is not very long. :)
So, how has life with three kids been for me? I love it! It's a lot of work but triple the fun. I am so thankful for God's generosity with us and His graciousness to us the last three months as parents. I highly recommend having three kids--not sure about three kids under the age of three, but definitely three kids.... feels more complete for me.
It has definitely been hectic and challenging at times, but our general response has been, "It's been a lot easier than we had anticipated." People are usually surprised by our answer and in some ways we also have been pleasantly surprised by it too. I don't think I had realized the extent of the learning curve one has to go through with your first child. With Elijah, there was only one baby and two adults, but it felt so much more taxing! Now, we are totally outnumbered but we feel like we're much more relaxed. In many ways, I feel like P and I are much more of a team. We are both more confident as parents and know where we are in terms of how we feel about certain things that we are able to work much more cohesively. We are not having to negotiate every little thing and figure it out for the first time! :)
Of course, my experience (our experience) has been a little different than what most mothers who have husbands work from 8am to 5pm jobs. I have been very fortunate to have P around a lot to help. So it has made our transition much easier than another family in our situation. We'll have to see what being with three is like in India--it probably will be the real test.
But for now, I am and I have been really enjoying being the mother of three amazing kids! I was sharing with my sister that having three kids is so much more fun than having one! She shared an insightful reflection about her own experience--that with one, there is still this desire and effort to live your life as if you still have your independence and can feel frustrated when it seems to be hampered. By the time the third one is here, you have pretty much surrendered yourself to the fact that this is your life and it will be for some time. I think she is right. I have no illusion at this point that I am going to have a lot of "space" for myself or to do the things that I would like to do outside of the home. Being in charge of our home-life is going to be my life for the next few years for sure.
As a person who values her independence quite a bit, I have been surprised at how peaceful I feel about this reality of my life. Some of it has to do with "maturity." I understand that this stage of life is temporary. I also feel grateful that I even have the option to be able to focus on the kids and family life because not all women have the option to do so. Thirdly, I feel like if my attention was divided in many ways or if both P and I try to make "job sharing" work during this stage, we would both end up feeling frustrated because I think we will feel like nothing is getting the excellent attention we like to give but we're juggling to maintain everything....if that makes any sense.
So, I have been telling my friends and others that for the next few years, I will be "m's wife." I want to release P to do ministry and work so that he can fulfill what God has called him to do with excellence. And, I will be the chief of home ministry affairs. In about three years, I know that I will be ready for a change in my role, and I anticipate that there will be some changes as we might choose to home school E. I know for certain that I do not want to home school by myself but that P will need to be fully engaged in it as well. Three years of being a M's wife is not very long. :)
So, how has life with three kids been for me? I love it! It's a lot of work but triple the fun. I am so thankful for God's generosity with us and His graciousness to us the last three months as parents. I highly recommend having three kids--not sure about three kids under the age of three, but definitely three kids.... feels more complete for me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
