Snack time

Teeth?  Who needs teeth??

Am I the only one noticing an orange theme here...
hiking backpack, stroller(s), t-shirts, and now all my food!

A painful proximity to poverty

One of the less appealing things about being an expat in a poor foreign country is the constant reminder of the inequalities in the world.  Since looking out for an infant I have become more acutely aware of the disparities that exist between the us and the them.  Compare a single, clean, vaccinated, insured, white baby in a sea of multiple, health and education-deprived local kids content to play with whatever is discarded as un-useful from their local malai family.

As we watched the DHL truck haul up six perfectly packed boxes of 'necessities' for our precious bundle this past week, I could not help the intense feeling of guilt in my own prosperity over the reality of those in who's neighborhood I am a guest.  Unpacking seemingly essential items including a specially designed chair to ensure comfort, ventilation and safety in this warm climate; followed by a specialty backpack to save my precious back from having to return to the chiropractor once more; to the UV hats and sunglasses to prevent the harshness of the equatorial sun; augmented by an array of mosquito nets and repellents to protect our bub against the devastation of mosquito-born disease that is par for the course here.

It is all sometimes too much.  How is it that human beings can live along a divide that means a single item deemed necessary to raise my child in comfort (not opulence) could equal the equivalent of a monthly income of my cleaning lady?

This is not meant to be a righteous post, but as we continue to strike a balance (or try to) between good and bad, necessary and waste, and in basically just doing the right thing in raising Luka, one cannot help but stop and ponder the realities of geobirthing-economics.  

God bless every child tonight. Rich, poor, every one.

Bananarama!

Yummie banana!

Self-feeding training. Lesson 101 - m o u t h.....

So, since moving to the tropics, 'solids training' has taken somewhat of a leap forward.  I guess tropical fruits such as mangoes, bananas and avocados are all the rage on a baby's palate as Luka is practically helping himself from the refrigerator these days!  Of course I blamed ouma for feeding him all the good stuff and no vegetables - so I ensured we had some sweet potatoes and butternut in the mix this week as well, and yes, loved it.    

Beach Bum

Hey, who's the hotty?  Sporting my new sunnies and hat
(not shown in the photo - the insane amount of sunscreen
mommy slathered on me before we left the house!)

Hanging with my homey Adrian.

One of the few benefits of living on a tropical island with 30C/90+F and 90+% humidity weather all the time is the fabulous beach accessories one can invest in.  And so, it only seemed fitting to ensure that our latest edition is not left behind.  When we wandered off to his first beach foray this past Saturday it took all our self-control not to pack the beach tent, matching picnic blanket or the tent, stroller, and peapod sleep tent, in addition to the Baby Bjorn bouncer and funky hat and sunnies (h/t Rebecca) that we did take.

Hey, how's a boy supposed to get ahead without being stylish?

The Tummy Tub

The beauty of the tummy tub apparently lies in the womb-like
posture the baby adapts while in it.

While out to dinner at friends' last night, Luka promptly announced that it was tub-time at 1830.  Fortunately we were at the home of fellow-new parents with all the necessary gear for rinsing a little one after a long hot Timor day.  And so we were introduced to the phenomena of the Tummy Tub!  Not quite convinced of the safety of this odd shaped device, Chris hesitantly lowered Luka into the clear plastic bucket in the shower.  Once we were instructed on the appropriate water level, we were amazed at how much he loved it!  Apparently this is the go-to-tub in Europe.  We couldn't quite figure out how to actually wash him, but hey - he seemed to have a ball and how filthy does a non-walker really get at this point?

Oh! Toes!!

Another day, another new experience!

My first swim

Luka loving every minute of his first swim!

After moving to the Tropics a few days ago, Luka has had to deal with an introduction to all sorts of incredible creatures.  To list a few, these have included: his toes (not seen for six months); mosquitoes (to be avoided at all times); his sweat glands (also, non-functional bar a few hours outside the NICU in Darwin in April); and now today - the best of them all, the swimming pool.

'Splish splash I was taking a ...swim'

We took Luka over to his good friend (and near twin (corrected)), Adrian to play in his neighbor's pool.  Since Luka has spent the last four months in a place where only seals and migrating whales like to swim (I am convinced because they get some travel discount), it was officially his first swim outside mommy's over-sized sunken tub in the bathroom.  Needless to say his ouma had him well prepared for the event and we had a number of bathing suits to choose from.  We went for the island/surfer-dude boy look in a stylish vertical stripe number in blue and white.

Adrian looks like he is saying 'stop
splashing me or I'll punch you!'

To say that he enjoyed the cool water after the (unfortunately non-air-conditioned) ride over to Adrian's house is an understatement as he practically leaped in the water.  He stayed in for at least thirty minutes, splashing, kicking - and yes, splashing Adrian and others around him.  The activity was promptly followed by a nap on mommy's shoulder.  I think a repeat will be in order in the coming days.

Welcome Home Luka!

With Luka in front of our house just outside Dili

When we arrived at our house in Dili, we had a lovely surprise waiting for us to make Luka feel extra welcome.  Thanks to Meredith and Krista (as well as all the little Harries' helpers!).

Luka with the three Harries brothers - we can almost call them
cousins - I am sure they will teach Luka all about being a boy
in Dili

Luka meets Adrian, born 10 days after Luka's due date, so
practically twins!