And so it Begins

The theme of this blog is, admittedly, a little less tasteful than my usual fodder. However, I find that I am an infrequent blogger because much of my life seems less than blogworthy. Of late though I have been inspired by some of my favorite bloggers to cast aside these self-inflicted chains of propriety and dive into the nitty gritty that is my/our day-to-day existence. Having made this momentous decision I would like to devote this, my first "free to be me" post to heartburn. I know this seems a little odd and maybe just plain boring, but for me it cannot be ignored any longer, it has reared its ugly head and will be my constant companion for the next 21 weeks. With Caleb, it started much sooner, sometime around the tail end of the 1st trimester. And, with this pregnancy when I made it to, through and past the end of week 13 without any sign of the beast I was thrilled, delighted, foolishly optimistic. And then, it happened, I was sitting in a restaurant, enjoying the last of my scrumptious Argentinian beef dinner and out of nowhere WHAM!! the searing, burning feeling arrived, seemingly from the great deep like some unimaginable mythological creature lying in wait only to pounce when I least suspected it, when I had been lulled into a false sense of "maybe this time will be different", when I was beginning to think last time had been a fluke. I tried to ignore it, repeating over and over again that mantra "if I don't acknowledge it, it isn't really there". But, the evidence was mounting, as was the discomfort and the frequency of craving little, chalky tasting discs of temporary relief. Over the last few days my hefty supply of American made antacids has noticeably dwindled and I have been reminded of this time 2 years ago when I never left home without them. I had industrial sized bottles stashed everywhere, my office, the car, my purse(s), my church bag, all 3 rooms of our tiny apartment, Kenny's pockets, my pockets (which also meant a fair amount were hidden in the washer and dryer as well). At the height of the pain I was popping upwards of 15 a day, much to the surprise of my OB who said "sometimes you'll have heartburn, but never bad enough to require more than one or two doses of (tums, rolaids, maalox, mylanta etc.) a couple of times a week" ha! ha! ha! I showed him. The silver lining in all of this is that after 6 months of antacids, this time around I knew in advance which ones worked and tasted the best...for me, that is. I had no idea, until I was forced to become intimately acquainted with these products, the breadth of available options. My assessment, and definitely more than you ever wanted or needed to know, is as follows: Mylanta: not convenient and yucky besides; Maalox: ditto and ditto; Rolaids: Softchews (tropical fruit, vanilla, cherry) taste great (relatively speaking) but don't work; Rolaids: Extra Strength, effective but only the fruit flavored ones are palatable; Tums: Smoothies - PUHLEASE!! - don't waste your time; Tums: EX, all flavors taste okay and it works pretty well in a pinch; And the winner...Tums Ultra, Maximum Strength, Assorted Berries flavor, 265ct (I've no doubt I'll be on bottle number 2 when this phase of my increasingly exciting and blogworthy life ends). So there you have it, a very, perhaps too, personal glimpse into the things that I am thinking about right now all day every day.

An Heir and a Spare

A terrific benefit to being pregnant in Peru is that every doctor visit involves an ultrasound. So, at about 17 weeks we went in for my usual appointment to see if the genetic test results were normal (they are) and if the baby was growing as it should be (it is) and the doctor asked, "do you want to know the gender." Of course we want to know the gender! Since I found out I was pregnant I have been fantasizing about a whirlwind US shopping spree where I envision myself with heaps of clothing being gathered up as if my life depended on it. And, of course, the clothes in this daydream are always frilly, bedecked with flowers, ruffles, ribbons and rosettes, deliciously cute and above all PINK! Add to that my endless cravings for all things sweet (cupcakes, brownies, cheesecake, milkshakes, s'mores, candy and on and on and on) which usually means you're expecting a girl


and you can imagine our surprise when the doctor said...


Of course we are thrilled and not just at the inevitable financial benefits we will garner now that a whirlwind shopping spree is unnecessary (don't get me wrong, there will be shopping, though perhaps not to the degree I had planned). We are thrilled that he is healthy and developing normally and that this pregnancy has been uneventful so far. We are also delighted our family is expanding. And boys are great, we love boys. Furthermore, as my mother pointed out, boys are generally easier than girls over the long haul - she's got several of both so we'll trust her assessment. And, despite my daydreams, I have never really been the frilly type so perhaps this is just as well. And, depending upon how things go, baby #2 probably won't be our last so we could still have plenty of ruffles in our future. The only real issue expecting a boy creates is coming up with a name. We have had a girl's name at the ready since well before we ever needed one. But, as we found with Caleb, boys name are hard for us. We didn't even name Caleb until almost 2 days after he was born. Plus there is all kinds of pressure as you consider ways the name could be turned into something insulting or cruel, or what the initials spell or who to name the baby after (or rather who not to name the baby after for fear that you'll be reminded of that gross boy who drove you crazy in 7th grade) and the cadence of the first name, middle name, last name combination presents a challenge as well. At this point we don't even have any contenders and are hoping lightning will strike convincingly and soon.

If You're Interested, But Not Interested Enough To Look For It...

Of course we have spent the day responding to concerned family and friends and scouring every news source on the planet for any information about yesterday's earthquake, incidentally now upgraded from 7.9 to 8.0. Locally, the US Government has mobilized Embassy and Military personnel to assist with the response and we are sure there will be many immediate and future opportunities to provide the affected regions with aid. The Embassy also sent around some information from the USGS which we thought might be of some interest. The aftershocks are still rolling in as are the reports of damage and sadly, the death toll has reached more than 500.

A-OK

Hola from Peru. As many of our faithful readers know I grew up in Hawaii, land of lush beaches, sparkling blue water and fragrant air so sweet it takes your breath away. And, to be fair, the land of Hurricanes, Tsunamis, Volcanic Eruptions and Flooding -- all these we had, all were devastating, sometimes deadly. What we did not have were Earthquakes. Last night, with my brother, his wife, her brother and my parents visiting, Kenny and I stood with Caleb and them in the doorways of our seemingly impenetrable house for nearly 2 minutes as a 7.9 Earthquake rolled through Peru, the epicenter less than 100 miles south of Lima. Since moving to Lima we have felt 2 previous earthquakes each lasting less than 10 seconds and of far less strength than last night's, but significant enough that we know the warning signs, and, we thought, what to expect. We were not prepared (emotionally, that is) for the events of last night. And, while we did not rush out into the streets to join our fellow Limenos, some escaping buildings they should never have been in in the first place, some looking for signs of the end of the world, many crying and wailing and reportedly seeing a strange light in the night sky, we were a little shaken (not just literally) and it took some time for the adrenaline to stop pumping. As we watched the news last night and have continued to read the reports rolling in today (Washington Post, New York Times, El Comercio, BBC) we are feeling exceedingly blessed to have come through this major event with next to no damage. We are happy to report that all of our elementary school and foreign service training instincts kicked in the instant we heard the glass begin to rattle and we darted for Caleb and the doorways. It is devastating to look at images of damage in places we have visited which are now lying in ruin and where so much death has occurred. Among the many things we are grateful for today is that our house is structurally sound and built to withstand the mighty clashing of tectonic plates.

One final note, yesterday we celebrated our 4th anniversary, still deliriously happy and looking forward to another 40 years...at least. Needless to say, it was an anniversary we will not soon forget.

Please Sir, I Want S'Mores

Once upon a time a young, newly married couple walked through a Washington, DC, Linens 'n Things and spied, as if in a dream, a S'mores Maker! It was truly a moment of Kismet, because like all newly married couples, this couple believed not a single appliance or kitchen accoutrement existed that they did not own. This was not their first romp through stores of this ilk, but this time they were pleasantly surprised to find one more thing to squeeze into their minuscule, yet cozy first apartment. Completely wrapped up in the moment, the young couple thought of other young couples they knew and purchased, not one, but four of the serendipitous and totally superfluous apparatuses. The couple gave away three as gifts and carefully found a place for the fourth in their increasingly cramped living space where it was promptly forgotten.

Once upon a time a not quite as young couple had a baby, moved to Peru and were visited by their parents/in-laws. Their father/father in-law walked into their kitchen and in a vaguely familiar ah-ha moment said "A S'mores Maker, really? Can you actually make s'mores with that." The young couple looked at each other and thought, who knows, we certainly don't, never having used it or many of the other boxed items stored on the same impossible to reach shelf in our kitchen. The next day, one half of the young couple went to a local grocery store in search of graham crackers, Hershey bars and marshmallows (miracle of miracles, they all exist in Peru). That night the young couple, their parents/in-laws and the aforementioned baby roasted marshmallows (conveniently designed with a flat bottom, perfect for s'mores) in their dining room and had their fill of honest to goodness American campfire fun. The moral of the story is, impulse buys are always a good idea.

Caleb wasn't interested in the s'mores, just the chocolate which he ate like a piece of corn on the cob

Hail the Conquering Heroes

My 30 year-old husband and my 60 year-old father have just returned from hiking the historic Inca Trail from the Sacred Valley to spectacular Machu Picchu. To say that the trek was anything but grueling, would be to diminish their achievement, not to mention an abject lie. They hiked for 4 days, usually going up (and up and up) and down (and down and down) rough stairs hewn into the sides and ridges of the mountain itself. They slept on less than adequate mattresses in completely adequate sleeping bags provided by their tour company for the bargain price of $15. We hired a half a porter for each of them to carry their packs (they were allotted 18 pounds apiece) and both admit carrying their own packs would have been next to impossible. They each had a head lamp, a camelbak, well broken in and sturdy hiking shoes and a book, in case they had some down time...they did not, and each night fell into bed/bag utterly exhausted from the day's travails. They braved what sound like the most pitiful excuse for toilets on the planet, fairly treacherous conditions (no railings on the Inca trail) and sometimes extreme temperatures for a trip of a lifetime with spectacular views. On the morning of the 4th day they hiked through the Sun Gate on their way down to Machu Picchu where my mother, wisely opting not to have this particular experience of a lifetime, waited for them having arrived by train and bus. Tired and none too clean, to say they were thrilled to be done would not do justice to their emotions, but the pictures might. While Kenny may someday undertake another such trek, to make clear that he would not, ever, my father gave their guide his trekking poles and camelbak. He had arrived and was most decidedly, done.

Something to Talk About...or To

One of the things that Embassy employees love to do is visit each others houses and compare notes on who has the better digs. To date, we have learned the following from our numerous visits:

1) Our yard is a joke (as opposed to the football field sized yards of nearly anyone else not living in an apartment)
2) Sometimes a pool is just a large, unheated hot tub
3) Garages are non-existent
4) All furniture is EXACTLY the same and comes in cream, green or red (we have green, the most subtle and kid-friendly of the three)
5) We know exactly one person with a dish washer (it's not us)
6) In terms of interior materials, our house is by far the most beautiful (original hard wood [mahogany] flooring and staircase, marble, wrought iron etc.)
7) Wealthy Peruvians favor gaudy and tacky over tasteful and refined (most Embassy housing is rented from well-to-do Peruvians)
8) Decorating with things purchased in Peru is extremely common, and frankly, perplexing

Which brings me back to my current entry. Time and again as we visit friends and acquaintances I am struck by the amount of Peruvian stuff in their houses - art, crafts, weavings, figurines, leather goods, silver whatever, clothing, reed baskets and on and on and on. Initially I thought that they were just first time posters like us and, like us, had little in the way of decorative objects and so went to the craft markets and went a little crazy to compensate for that. But, more and more I am realizing this is just not the case. We are talking about folks who are in their 4th and 5th countries. I wonder, do they also have whole households full of objet d'arte from previous posts as well just sitting in their massive storage unit in Maryland waiting to be joined by the Peruvian clutter when the family next moves to Thailand or Mali? Really, I am totally perplexed by this. And, don't get me wrong, there are some lovely things to be had in Peru, but, frankly, not that much!

Our approach to accumulating what I like to lovingly refer to as "Peruvian Crap" has been to shop around, invest in some high-quality, very traditional pieces and leave our walls blank for future acquisitions from other locales. In that vein, our trip to Cuzco earlier this year yielded two such pieces. Both have become conversation pieces for anyone visiting from near or far. The first is an example of traditional Andean weaving using fine alpaca thread, dyed with natural dyes. Examples of this weaving technique are available all over Peru, but there are only a few places where you are guaranteed that what you are purchasing is genuine (and be prepared, you will pay for authenticity). These weavings take many months to complete as just a foot of cloth is produced each month. Our piece is roughly 5 feet long and represents about 5 months of the weaver's life. We thought is was beautiful and as soon as we come up with an appropriate means of display will, I'm sure, be even more thrilled with our purchase.

Our second purchase is a replica of an Inca mask thought to be worn by the Inca elders and royalty during the 14th and 15th centuries, before they were conquered by Pizarro. It is plated in gold and decorated with the semi-precious stones that are native to the mountains of Peru, lapis lazuli, red coral, Andean turquoise and serpentine. We just got it back from the framers and I decided it was blog worthy. It is definitely a source of conversation even though is it currently propped up in the dining room and not yet on the wall. An added bonus of having acquired the mask is that Caleb has taken to talking to it. Full-length, highly animated conversations between him and the mask. I get the impression that in some way or other the mask is responding because Caleb will finish what he is saying, walk away and then abruptly turn around, come back and say something very pointed to the mask. At this point, I am inclined to leave the mask where it is until I can figure out what "they" are talking about. The pictures don't give you an idea of scale, but with the frame it is about 3 feet tall and 2.5 feet across. One final note, being the frugal, deal-loving person than I am, I am thrilled to report that framing in Peru is practically free. You may notice from the picture that the mask is double framed and sports a double mat as well. Cost: prepare yourself...$50! Needless, to say, we are walking around the house thinking of anything and everything that might need to be framed. I have had to draw the line at post-it notes and church programs!

I Heart Cupcakes

Cupcakes, well cake in general, are a totally foreign concept in Peru. And, I have always been an enormous cupcake fan. Not just the Magnolia Bakery or their competitor Buttercup Bake Shop or Cake Love varieties either. I will eat any and all cupcakes...seasonally frosted cupcakes from Safeway where the dyes are so intense they turn your whole face blue or green, Betty Crocker from a box with frosting from a can varieties that can be whipped up in mere moments (sometimes at 2 am - been there, done that), even questionable cupcake shaped offerings frosted with something less like frosting and more like sweetish glaze. Clearly, I'm not picky. But, for all my willingness to take whatever is offered and be happy, even ecstatic with said offering, Peru is a veritable desert in desperate need of a sweet fountain brimming over with cupcakes (and don't even get me started on the lack of muffins and bagels).


In contemplating a life overseas, I was fully prepared for the fact that we would actually not be living in the USA - a reality that some of our compatriots seem often to overlook when deciding that a life in the Foreign Service is for them (one wonders what they are defining "foreign" to mean instead). And, I might have a skewed view of myself, but in general I think I am a fairly adaptable person who can make things work under most circumstances. I enjoy change and adventure and new things and all of those characterize our present and certainly our immediate, if not long-term, future. I make friends easily and am good with languages and am willing to try most things, at least once before passing judgment. After nearly a year in Peru, I am confident that most of these perceptions about myself are fairly accurate, all things being equal. But now, I am pregnant, and things are most decidedly unequal! The pregnant me is not exactly irrational, but is, shall we say, FAR LESS CONTENT with change and adventure and new things and most importantly doing without certain things than my "normal" self. So, tonight, as I was blog-surfing, I found myself drooling over The Cupcake Blog and also, for the umpteenth time in an embarrassingly short period of time thinking about all the things that I miss about being essentially anywhere stateside and thus counting the days until I will be there again.


I am compensating for this dearth of cupcakes, this catastrophe (for indeed it seems like one to me) by making more batches of these things than ever before, but we are South of the Equator and something highly scientific about that makes these blossoms of goodness fail to rise and while they are still good enough in spite of this failing, there is just something missing. My list of things to do and, apparently, eat immediately upon landing in the States is growing daily, and consuming my fill of cupcakes has just zoomed to the very top!

Jumping on the Bandwagon

No pictures this time, just a quick note to say that we are joining nearly everyone we know it seems (Adrianne, Katharine, Kate, Mary, Kristy, Kim, Lilita, and a host of other non-bloggers) and are expecting a new addition to our family unit. Assuming all goes according to plan, baby #2 will be making his/her debut sometime around January 24th. Our limited experience with Peruvian hospitals has convinced us we are not brave enough to have a baby in Lima so Caleb and I will be heading to UT to stay with my parents and await this new bundle. None of us is looking forward to being separated for 3 months (6 weeks before the baby is due and 6 weeks after it comes), but we are all feeling good about the decision we have made and know that the time will pass quickly. I know Caleb will love being surrounded by grandparents and aunts and uncles for such a long time including the Christmas holidays. No news on the gender yet, but when we know, you'll know too!

PS A note of clarification, some of the above referenced bandwagon riders (Adrianne, Mary, Kim) have already welcomed their babies and are not, as far as we know, expecting another one anytime soon -- I included them because our pregnancies overlapped, confirming my belief that there actually is a bandwagon upon which to jump

Happy 4th of July

Spending the last few years in Washington, DC, we have become used to blow-out Independence Day Celebrations. This year was our first 4th of July not on American soil and it was, frankly, a bit of a bust. The Ambassador threw a big shin-dig at the residence for various muckety mucks (which included Kenny, but not me or Caleb) so even though it was technically a holiday we didn't get any family time until late, late, late afternoon. We joined some of our American friends for hamburgers, hot dogs, seven layer dip, homemade raspberry ice cream and homemade rootbeer. There are no fireworks to be had in Peru so we improvised with balloons and a box of sparklers. It certainly wasn't "A Capitol Fourth" but it was a good reminder of why we are proud to be American and all of the wonderful blessings and benefits we enjoy.

too cold to go outside so we lit our sparklers inside
hoping the marble floors were flame-retardant enough

Caleb loved the sparklers but was none too thrilled at not
being allowed to hold them himself

God Bless America!

Food, Glorious Food!

One of the great things about Caleb is that he is not a picky eater. He eats almost anything put in front of him and these days, more often than not, without any help. He doesn't always make it through a meal without getting messy, but that is all part of the fun of learning. Below are some recent photos of Caleb enjoying one of his favorite things...FOOD.

the kitchen stairs are one of his favorite places for enjoying a snack

pizza, yum!

so many choices and all good

on the stairs again with a banana in each hand

spaghetti and choclo (Peruvian corn)

Nerds candy (no idea why he is eating them this way)

pesto, delicious!

First Haircut

Probably waiting longer than we should have, we finally decided that Caleb needed a haircut. Within a 6 block radius of our house there are no less than 6 hair salons, but only one boasting the haircutting car. As you can see from the "before" picture Caleb's hair was embarrassingly long (no curl for this little guy) around the ears. I don't think the barber cut as much hair as he would have liked because despite the fun noises and steering wheel on the car Caleb's window for sitting still was about 7 minutes. The barber did his best and the end result was a dramatic improvement. We dutifully saved the cuttings for Caleb's baby book though I think everyone in the salon thought we were absolutely crazy!

Before...

...during...

...after.

Partying Like He's Never Partied Before

A couple of weeks ago, our next door neighbor, whom we know through Caleb, invited Caleb to a birthday party for her 1 year-old grand-daughter Marianita. The invitation was written on stationery from the kids show "Lazy Town" (a show about the importance of eating healthy food and exercising - the main character's name is Sportacus, really) and listed the party start time as 3:00pm. We rifled through our gift drawer for something appropriate for a 1 year-old and set off at the, we thought, fashionably late hour of 3:45pm. The party was next door, so we didn't have far to walk and upon arrival we, or rather Caleb, were very warmly received. Frankly, I think they were surprised that we showed up at all and without a maid/nanny in tow to boot. In typical Peruvian and probably Latin fashion, we were among the first guests at what proved to be the most over the top, unbelievable, crazy birthday party we have ever attended...never mind the fact that the guest of honor could neither walk nor speak! There were easily 50 kids under the age of 7, at least 3 adults for every child, and a whole brigade of nannies - seriously, it was amazing.

Up to this point Caleb has had very limited interaction with other children. For lots of reasons we are not regulars on the playgroup/playdate circuit. I once asked my Mom about play dates and if she had ever participated in such things - her response "we didn't have play dates, we had more kids and you all played together". That concept has become passe and apparently play dates are all the rage. Because of his limited interaction with other children, Caleb is fascinated by them, particularly babies. He is very gentle, but loves to touch them as if they were pets. We are working on the concept that babies are not toys or pets but people just like him. Anyway, this party was a child's paradise and there were lots of children to appreciate that. Caleb in particular was in heaven!! They had set up an enormous tent in their backyard equipped with a sound system, an old-fashioned popcorn maker, balloons galore, a table full of goodies generally not suitable for the under 3 crowd - but Caleb tried them all, cotton candy, soda, jell-0 (the one semi-nod to healthy eating), and waiters circulating with food for the adults. The day of the party, Peru was playing in the Copa Americana and so at the other end of the house there was a large, flat screen tv set up for the adults as well.

About an hour after we arrived, "Stephanie" from "Lazy Town" appeared to begin the entertainment portion of the show. She was joined over the next hour by "Sportacus", "Robbie Rotten" (the villain of Lazy Town) and "Stingy". They danced, sang (actually the voices were recorded) and led the children in all sorts of sporty games. Caleb was in heaven and couldn't contain himself. He ran around in circles and grabbed balloons and balls and popcorn and candy and anything he could find. After 2 hours we decided it was time to go home. Our host told us we had to stay longer or we would miss so much, but we graciously thanked her for the invitation and all of the fun and took an exhausted Caleb home for a long overdue nap. We heard party sounds for most of the rest of the evening.

Caleb discovering the fun of helium balloons

Stephanie from Lazy Town - Love the wig!
(Marianita is to the left with her mother)

Kids, kids and more kids

Caleb playing "sporty games" from the back...

...and the front

Crazy party antics

This view does not do justice to the insanity that was this party,
but it gives some idea of the fun that was had