So here's a run down on where we're at since our computer is falling apart as I type (Murphy's law is unbelievably active on this island). Sorry, no pictures (the SD slot doesn't work and I'm typing with only half a working screen), just updates and some thoughts of a crazy lady.
Jaron is liking school. He'll finish his first semester at the end of this coming week. Even though the classes are harder and more fast-paced than chiropractic school was, he does see a lot of material that is review so far. He's been nice enough to tutor a bunch of people, especially in the anatomy lab, but he says it helps him too because he has to know his stuff. Everyone seems to ask what he wants to do when he's done school but it's too early to decide what he wants to specialize in. A lot of that will depend on what he likes in clinicals and how well he does on exams. As long as he doesn't say he wants to do more school, I'm fine with whatever he chooses! ;-) Not much fishing for Jaron yet, unfortunately. It seems like you have to have a boat to do much of that and Jaron hasn't had time to meet many locals who'll be willing to take him out. Hopefully he'll get his fishing fix this semester break.
Alden is a laugh a minute. He says the funniest things these days. The other day, he found a tiny snail under our deck and it was the cutest thing. It crawled all over the place and Alden was in heaven "mothering" it until about 3 hours later when the snail was toast. Somehow it accidentally got squished. Poor thing. I am thankful the snail sacrificed his life for Alden's 3 hours of pure joy, however. Alden is such a good, good kid. I know I say that a lot but he really is. Sure, he whines a lot like any other 3 year old (which drives me UP THE WALL some days) but he is so obedient. He has a remarkable memory which means he remembers rules and reasons I've given him those rules forever. I guess one morning Alden came in to wake me up and I told him that I was really tired because the baby had been active that night and kept waking me up. Now, a few weeks later, Alden often comes into our room in the morning and says, "I'm tired. The baby kept me up all night. Did the baby keep you up all night?" Alden is a great big brother. Often Alden and Eli want to play with the same car (we're getting 2 of everything from now on!) but Alden is also really willing to help Eli out whenever he needs it. He's great at sharing with Eli, even when it's his favorite candy. I couldn't have asked for a better firstborn!
Eli is a sweet and funny little ball of personality. Ever since he was born, he has always displayed so much personality for his age. His bowel issues started when we moved to the drier climate in Colorado and magically cleared up when we moved to this extremely humid environment and he is now generally a very, very happy kid. He loves to make people laugh and has won over the hearts of many island women with his sweet little wave and "hi!" or "ba-bye!" when we're out on walks. He loves to swing in a swing we have hanging from the tree out in our yard and he says hi to every car that drives past. I'll push him in that swing for 30 minutes and he still cries when I pull him out. The funny thing is, he is the shyest kid I've ever met as well. Eli gets upset when people come over to our house to visit, especially people he's not familiar with. Anytime I pick up hitchhikers in our car (very common and safe on Saba), Eli bawls and bawls and tries to climb into my lap (yeah, no carseats) until the strangers aren't in our car anymore. He won't go to anyone but mom and dad, a phenomenon probably created by a mix of age and the fact that I can count the number of times he's been left with a babysitter in the last year on two fingers. He is picking up new words everyday it seems. Eli loves mechanical stuff, especially cars. Anytime there's a car in our yard he goes outside and walks circles around it, just "inspecting" it and touching it. His favorite place to play is in our car and all he plays with in the house is toy cars. Anytime a loud vehicle goes by, Eli stops whatever he's doing and runs outside to see what's coming. He loves to be tossed around by Daddy but Alden is the apple of his eye. Eli tries to do everything Alden does and loves it when Alden runs with him. I am so thankful to have two boys so close in age, it is SO, so worth it!
I am doing well. Third trimester has brought with it that "stiff belly" feeling where I just can't bend like I used to and it seems something is always pressuring my diaphram (sp?), making me sit up straighter. Jaron says I always have to have something to worry about and right now I worry about two things: 1. How much it's costing us to live on this island and whether we'll have enough and 2. Delivering a baby in such limited circumstances. But, worrying keeps me praying a lot and in a way, I've never been happier than I am here either. Living on an island where I have absolutely no outside demands on my time (jobs, church callings, mother's groups, etc.) has truly pulled me inside my house. My whole focus here is what goes on within these four (very close together ;-D) walls. And it's made me happy! I focus on Alden and Eli like I never had time to while we lived in Colorado. I focus on Jaron and what he needs from us like I never have before too. I cook like I never have before for a few reasons. One, it's difficult to get things like chinese food and donuts on Saba. And let's face it, if "the baby" wants chinese, who am I to deny?! So I've learned how to make them. Two, food is expensive so I make more things from scratch than I ever have. And three, making dinner gives me a focus - something to plan and prepare for. (Do I sound bored? Sometimes I am but two little boys help fill the time!) Oddly enough, it took extreme simplicity in my life to make me realize that taking the time to plan ahead makes everything go smoothly. Funny, huh? I'm a little worried about delivering baby #3 here in a hospital that doesn't have much as far as access to emergency care goes but given my delivery histories (even though I had a c-section which me and the doctor here both believe was totally unnecessary), all should go fine. I'm very worried about an all-natural childbirth but if you know me, you won't be surprised to discover I've been reading books on the subject and I'm convinced that childbirth will be really hard and really painful but I can do it. And a little part of me looks forward to the satisfaction and sense of self I'm going to get after I have done it. But please keep praying that all goes well with the delivery for us!
Well, that was quite a book, sorry for the boredom! I don't usually journal like that on my blog - I usually save it for my good ole' fashioned pen 'n paper journal where no one can comment on my craziness. Oh well!
The view as we take off. Is the runway a little close to the ocean? Yeah.
The sprawling metropolis of Philipsburg, St. Maarten. It's funny how flat St. Maarten is compared to Saba. There are two sides to the island. St. Maarten is Dutch and Sint Martin is French.
Another picture of Saba's shoreline:
Here's a great snapshot of Saba's runway (the captain's cabin is open on the airplane). Saba has the shortest runway in the world (literally!!) and it is quite an adventure taking off and landing. It is so short that take offs and landings cannot take place at night or if the wind is blowing in certain directions. Crazy!
