We’re headed to Timika this weekend for a little shopping.  We’ll post some new photos from the trip when we get back, but for now there are some pics from the last month that didn’t make the first cut.  Diana’s top four teeth have all broken through, so now she has a total of seven!  She’s still being a bit picky with food, other than sweet potato and Cheerios, but we’re still trying.

[Show as slideshow]

And for a little something new, here’s a video that I’m hoping you’ll be able to watch…..

riverdancewmp

The Easter bunny was very generous this year.  We went to Sunday brunch at the Lupe club that was both delicious and festive.  Diana was also able to enjoy her Cheerios at brunch with us.  Then on Monday we finally got our sea freight shipment.  There were boxes on every available surface!  Luckily our maid Annie was here, so she was able to take care of Diana while Em cleared pathways and started in on the boxes.  By the end of the day we had our dining room table, loveseat and bed all unpacked and in place, so at least we were able to be comfortable while we worked on the rest of the boxes.  After hearing a number of horror stories from other ex-pats (wet boxes, molding and broken contents, etc), we were a bit worried, but we have now unpacked every box and nothing has broken.  We are missing one box, but we’re pretty sure it got sent to our storage unit, and there wasn’t anything vital in it (just kitchen items), so we feel very lucky.

Diana has been getting several “solid” meals a day, and her favorites are Cheerios, sweet potato and pear.  Sometimes all she wants is Cheerios, so we’re going to try some more foods that we can have her feed herself.  She seems to really like the challenge of grasping something in her palm and then getting it into her mouth.  Plus, she’s getting more teeth, so the chewing action must be satisfying.  She has a total of 4 teeth that have broken through (including her two bottom middles) and has three more on the way (all on the top).  She’s doing pretty well with the teething process on her own, but did seem a little happier at night when we gave her a little infant Tylenol.

We also got to try out our baby backpack, a gift from Diana’s only uncle, for a walk around town today.  She’s still a little small in it, but she seemed to enjoy being able to look around from up higher.  Plus, it was nice not to have all of her weight up front for Em during the walk.  We’re going to spend the rest of the weekend putting the rest of our stuff away and hopefully posting some pictures of the recent snowfall up in the mine.

[Show as slideshow]

Family Brunch

"Traditional" Easter cake

Desert buffet

Is it all gone?

Boxed in

Mommy and I
go hiking

Diana makes a silly face

Big smile for the camera

Mommy and me

We went swimming with Diana this weekend and she really enjoyed herself.  She’s a great kicker, and was very curious about looking down into the water and got quite the shock the first time.  We also got our sea freight on Monday, which meant we were (finally) able to file our taxes – once we found the box with last year’s return.  Will write more later once we’ve got the house a little more organized!

[Show as slideshow]

I’ve been getting to try all kinds of new things this week.  I got to try Cheerios, and I’m really enjoying learning how to pick them up and put them in my mouth.  Most of the time I get them close, but sometimes I just try to shove my whole fist in my mouth.  I also tried pear, but I didn’t like it too much.  In fact, I’m not really liking any food that I can’t pick up – it’s just too much fun to feed myself!  I got another round of immunizations this week, which was tough.  The doctor says I look very healthy though, even if I’m still petite.  Today I met a three-month old Indonesian boy who is taller than I am!

I love riding the big blue bus which is the public transportation to town, and I like watching it pass by our house from the balcony.  It has big tires so that it can make it up (and down) the steep mountain roads.  Usually the bus driver plays some fun Indonesian music for us, although sometimes they just play American country music; we’ve even heard Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson.

We’re hoping our sea freight will show up next week so that mommy and daddy can sleep in their own comfortable bed and I can get my bureau.  We have gotten a few fun things in the mail from relatives (and Amazon.com) this week, including this fun doggie which is just the right size for me to ride.  We’re going out to Easter brunch tomorrow which should be fun, although most of our Easter candy is gone already!

[Show as slideshow]

Family portrait

Bis biru basar
(The big blue bus)

Giddy-up!

Diana is getting really good at sitting up these days and and playing “by herself” for much longer.  Toys that fit easily in her mouth are her favorites, and we’re still thinking that she’s got some teeth coming in on the top.  She’s still super cute, as you can see.

[Show as slideshow]

Here are a few more pictures of a printable size…

[Show as slideshow]

Mommy and me

Daddy and me

Happy girl!

We’ve had an unusually sunny week with sunshine nearly every day until the early afternoon, and with three consecutive days without rain. It’s been wonderful for being outside with Diana, who seems to know that it’s something special and so is extra squeaky. We have been walking the 30 minute loop around our neighborhood every day before her mid-day nap, and it’s been a good way for her to wind down while still getting to see new things.

The constant sun and lack of rain has created some unusual problems for the town – they’ve had water trucks out to keep the roads damp (all roads in town are dirt), and there is dust all over everything. It’s the first time I’ve seen the beautiful ferns looking dusty instead of perfectly dew-kissed.

The cloudless skies have given us some tremendous views, both up to the peak of Mount Zagaam and down into Tembagapura (1000 meters below us in the valley). The pictures don’t do justice, but it gives an idea of what we can (sometimes) see right outside our windows when it’s not foggy.

Both Ben and I have been able to get out of the house for an adult dinner this week (although not together). Emily went to a French night at the club with our friend Jamie from Morenci, and Ben went to Mongolian BBQ night with our friend Drew (whose wife is expecting a baby in a month). Several folks have offered to babysit so we can go out together, and Diana is very close to going to bed and not needing any sort of comforting afterwards. So we’re trying to talk ourselves into it….

We went to Sunday brunch again this week, which was great. They had some wonderful smoked salmon, an Asian curried beef dish, and a “Small Vegetables with Tomato Sauce, Crepe and Over Baked With Cheese,” which was essentially a lasagna with crepe instead of pasta. Delicious! We were glad we sat outside since the indoor dining room was full of loud kids. Diana was a little tired, but just zoned out with her cow toy until we were ready to go. We continue to enjoy the quality and discovery of food here. We tried Dragon Fruit this week, which Ben had never seen but Emily had eaten in Thailand. It’s a very beautiful fruit, but tastes a little like a bland kiwi, so it is not as exciting to eat as it is to look at.

Diana had her 6 month immunizations this week and did pretty well. We have to go back again in two weeks for round two, but then not again for quite a while. She is on the petite size for her age (despite being so chubby), so she’s fitting into her 6 month clothes, but things labeled 6-9 months are a little bulky. Plus, we’re discovering that all of those “gender neutral” clothes do look a little masculine on her. That, coupled with the fact that all Indonesian girls have their ears pierced as babies, means that most folks we meet think she’s a boy (even if she’s wearing pink!). She doesn’t seem to mind though, and is happier in a pair of overalls than a dress anyway, so she’s already a little tomboy.

[Show as slideshow]

Dragon Fruit

Happy Girl!

Tembagapura (Coppertown)

Tembagapura sport field

Our sunny neighborhood

In the sun with Daddy

Rwaaaaaaaaaa!

Mirror, mirror on the wall...

That's our little girl

North to Mt. Zagaam

Here are a few pictures that are of a high enough resolution that they can be used to make print photos.

[Show as slideshow]

This week we’ve had some really nice weather during the days, so we’ve been getting out for lots of walks, which Diana is starting to enjoy. She loves watching the bus go by, and I’ve been teaching her all the Indonesian words I know (I’ve got most of the colors down since there are three different colors of bus that go by). She had her 6-month check up this week and the doctor said she looked great. She has an appointment for immunizations next week, and we’ll get her height and weight then too (so we can compare her to all those other babies).

Diana got to go swimming for the first time this week. There is an Olympic-sized pool just up the road from our apartment, so we hoped the bus for the 5 minute ride on Saturday, tote bag full of baby gear. The pool is about 28 degrees Celsius (about 82 degrees F), which seemed just perfect for her. She started kicking away and squeaking at the kids who were playing in the far end. She really seemed to enjoy it (except for the dunking, which was a bit too surprising for her), so we’ll try to go again next weekend.

[Show as slideshow]

Chompers!

Little Miss Piggy

She loves bath time as well, and is able to have a lot more fun now that she can really hold toys and sit up on her own. She’s really reaching for things and enjoys being able to see something, grab it, and put it in her mouth. Still no sign of more teeth, but we’re watching. She also got her first taste of sweet potato this week, and we’re looking forward to introducing more foods. A lot more is making it down her throat, instead of down her bib, these days and she likes eating and getting to play with her sippy cup. I don’t know that she actually gets any water out of it, but she sure likes chewing on it.