She Laughs at the Days

It's been a while since I did a 7 quick takes post. But I've had several interesting things I've been reading, probably all linked to by friends on facebook, up on my laptop for a week or two now and it seemed time to just share them all at once and close those tabs. Many of these are variations on a theme.

1. Three Huge Mistakes We Make Leading Kids Basically, this article talks about the problems inherent in not allowing children to take any risks, and rescuing them too soon from the consequences of their actions, their own mistakes, and work they find challenging.

2. A Nation of Wimps From Psychology Today, exploring why overprotective parenting is causing kids to be weaker, not stronger. (I told you there was a theme to my reading. ;)

3. Safety Second, (Or Maybe Even Third) I loved how they address the issue of physical safety in this article. I have lost count of the number of times a fellow parent tells me they are amazed at how well my kids can navigate playground…

So you want to know what it's like to be pregnant in Thailand.

Where do I begin?

Let's start with wanting to buy a cotton nightshirt to sleep in. They have cotton night shirts. Just none made to go over pregnant bellies. I could buy 3 of the teeny tiny things they do sell and sew them all together to fit over me. That was one option I considered. But since I have to sew, I just went and bought fabric and hopefully in a few days I will just make the thing and be able to wear it while breastfeeding a baby also. An enterprising business person could probably make a bundle if they had maternity clothes tailored and sold here in a boutique. Women here just make do with what they can find.

Today I realized that not one of the many babies in the hospital waiting room was strapped into a car seat, or stroller, or any other sort of carrying device. They were all held. You know how in the US they won't even let you carry a baby around in the hospital in case you drop it, and they w…

I have concluded that either, Thais are immune to foot fungus of any kind, or they just consider it something normal to live with. This is the only possible explanation for the eternally wet state of their bathroom floors.



You see, you don't wear shoes in a Thai house. But the bathrooms are one big room with a drain somewhere in the floor, and there might be a shower attachment on the wall, and maybe a sink, or toilet, but essentially, it's all one big wet floor with a drain. This may seem awesome, because to clean it all you have to do is hose everything down and it all just goes down the drain. It's simple, no one has to plan these bathrooms with any forethought, other than, "Is there a drain and a way to spray water? Awesome, we have a bathroom." But in practical reality it is significantly less awesome than it sounds.

First there is the pesky bit of trickery that is figuring out where to put your towel, and clothing so they remain dry while you are spraying y…

The lights flicker for a second while I'm in the shower, and I quickly duck my head under the water again in case they go out completely. Our water comes from a well here, and is pumped into the house. No electricity = no pump = no water. It's almost an instinct, now that the power flickers threateningly several times an evening, and sometimes during the day.

The fans come to a standstill, and suddenly the frogs and crickets and cicadas and birds and all the other night time critters sound like a gigantic chorus swelling outside the window.

The wind starts blowing in the late afternoon, sometimes the evening, and the clouds roll in and the lightening flashes across the darkening sky. The kids count the seconds until they hear the thunder roll. Things not tied down in the neighborhood start to crash and fall.

I love it.

I love the wild wind whipping at the curtains, the echo of the thunder, and the way everything outside starts crashing around. I especially love the rain, how i…

It's sinking in now, that this is home. Aaron is here at last, and now we go about having this baby and making a home here, along with all the work we need to be doing.

It's not really home yet though. Not like you might imagine. It's a house shared with another large family and their often stopping in extended family as well. It's a very big comfortable house, with lots of room, so it's not as crowded as that sounds. It is kind of chaotic though at times.



They are so gracious, and kind and welcoming. They have made space for us in their space, and allowed for us to be bumping up against their routines and we are so blessed to have this time to find our way through this strange country, and this strange time in such a welcoming and safe place. There are children everywhere and my kids think it's awesome to have so many playmates so near at hand.

I have been alone with my kids in our little house for 2 years. The presence of other people presses against me. Almo…