Trip to the Dead Sea

This past week we spent a couple of days at the Dead Sea with Jonathan's parents. We had a great time soaking up the sun, relaxing in the water, and just hanging out together. Life in Amman feels pretty harried much of the time. It's a hard place to rest and we always notice an immediate sense of relaxation once we're out of the city. The only hard part about the trip was sharing a room with Guy, who could not understand why he had to sleep in his pack-n-play while we were awake in the room. He's gotten used to sleeping alone in a dark room with a loud fan on, so our first night in the hotel was spent listening to him throw a fit over the sleeping arrangements. We wore him out the second day~getting him out in the sun, going swimming for the first time (!), and keeping him busy so that he would sleep better at night. While Jonathan and his parents lathered themselves in Dead Sea mud and then went swimming in the water, Guy and I took pictures of them and then headed up to the pool.

As Guy and I were getting ready to go swimming, this man came over to us and asked if he could take a picture with Guy. He is from Baghdad (living in Jordan until things settle down over there) and his wife is 5 months pregnant with their first child. I guess he wanted to show his wife what awesome baby skills he has. Guy was very patient (though a little unsure) and I even managed to get him to smile for a couple of shots. He was then passed off to the man's sister who also took pictures with him. They both covered his fat cheeks in kisses (Who can blame them? They are so kissable!), handed him back to me, and walked away away grinning from ear to ear. Fortunately I got a picture as well so that I could show Jonathan and his folks all the excitement. It wasn't the best one, but it's still pretty cute.

Lots of Good News

We've had a great week and I'm happy that I get to blog about it today! Because we now live in a neighborhood where I can just step outside to take a long walk, Jonathan and I decided to sell the treadmill we bought two years ago when we moved to Jordan. We found a buyer quickly, and with the money they gave us for the treadmill, we bought a new stove! I cook almost every day, and though I have learned to cook with the (already used) stove we got when we arrived in the Middle East, I have often longed for one that had heat settings other than "hot and hotter". Here's a couple of pictures of our old and new one:

But the best part of our week has definitely been the arrival of Jonathan's parents! After speaking at a retreat/conference in Italy, they extended their trip and have come out to Jordan to see us. We have often said that there is no replacement for grandparents, and it is so true! It is such a blast to watch Guy with them. He thinks they are great, and they're pretty crazy about him too.

Since they arrived, we've spent lots of time just hanging out and visiting together. They've gotten to meet some of our best friends out here. Lou and I painted our living room (Becky picked out the color). We drove up north and visited Ajlun castle (from the Crusader period) and then went to a delicious restaurant and ate our weight in Arab cuisine. And, of course, most of our time is spent playing with Guy and watching him grow right in front of our eyes.

We are SO glad they are here and are not sure we'll let them go at the end of the month! I'll get some pictures up over the next few days of our various adventures.

Celebrating Six Months!

Guy Charles is six months old today! It's hard to believe that half a year has gone by since he came into our lives. On the one hand, it feels like the time has flown, and on the other hand, we can hardly remember life without him. He brings us so much joy every day and we are so grateful for him.

At his six month check-up (pictured here), Guy weighed in at 19 pounds and measured 27 inches. He's toothless as can be, but is sitting up well and turning into a squirmy worm. Though a little stranger-shy, Guy is super sweet and can be found quietly checking out new people and situations. He doesn't seem to miss a thing and is reaching out to feel and taste everything around him. He's got lots of gummy smiles and chuckles for Mom and Dad and occasionally bestows them on others who are willing to work for them.

His favorite pastimes right now include jumping in the Johnny Jumper (big hit!), rolling over and over and over, sitting up and "fishing" in his toy box, and putting everything in his mouth (except food...sigh). He's a great kid and we're really proud of him!

Engagement Ceremony

Well, it's been several days since I said I would write about the engagement ceremony I went to last weekend. Lest I forget details as time passes, I'll go ahead and give you a brief glimpse at what my evening was like. It was my first time going to a Muslim engagement, so I was really excited to see what would happen and learn more about this part of the culture. The engagement ceremony is as important as the actual wedding, at least in the Muslim Arab culture. It is, in fact, as official as marriage. After becoming engaged, a couple would have to get a divorce if they decided not to get married. I guess the only difference between engagement and marriage is that they don't physically live in the same house until the latter takes place.

First, the ceremony was for women only (most of the time). Another American friend and I went together. When we arrived at the hall where the ceremony took place, it was pretty interesting to watch the women take off their layers of clothing. Like I said in my last post, this group was particularly conservative, with probably half of them dressing in head-to-toe coverings. The bride and groom's family were dressed in formal evening wear. The bride's family greeted the guests as they came in and sat down at tables in the hall. There was an "aisle" cleared for the bride to walk down and a small stage with a two-person couch at the end of the walk.

After about 45 minutes, my friend (the bride) arrived and danced down the aisle to very loud music. Then she danced in front of the stage for several minutes while all the ladies danced around her. She eventually went up on the stage where the guests then greeted and congratulated her. They cycled through those two activities (dance, greet, dance, greet) for 45 more minutes while the guests ate cake and drank Pepsi.

Then the atmosphere suddenly changed as all the ladies threw on their garb and sat in their chairs. The bride, by the way, didn't cover herself but was in her "wedding dress" which resembles one you might see in the States except that it was pink. She returned to the entrance of the hall and waited to greet her groom. He entered, the music started again, and they walked down the aisle. They danced together while many of the women surrounded them and clapped in keeping with the music. Eventually they went up on the stage and exchanged rings. The groom, of course, presented the bride with gold, and she gave him a simple gift. There was no sort of verbal recitation or formal exchange of words as far as I could tell (the music was too loud to hear anything).

The affair was over after about 2.5 hours. I was the only guest to come armed with a camera(!), so I was asked to spend most of the evening photographing the bride and groom. Not having a clue what to expect beforehand, I was pleasantly surprised by the whole event and glad to see that the couple seemed genuinely happy. Hopefully I'll get to go to the wedding as well, which I'm told may take place anytime between two months and a year from now. I'll let you know!

A Quick Update

There hasn't been much going on around here the past week or so. I've been doing detective work trying to figure out what food Guy is allergic to. We tried rice cereal (mixed with water) again, assuming he was allergic to the formula we mixed it with last time and he had another reaction. So I did a skin test for formula (thinking instead it was the rice cereal) and he reacted again. So, after researching all the ingredients in the various things we've tried so far, I'm thinking the culprit may be milk. I tried a skin test with our cow milk yesterday and, once again, he broke out in hives. Poor little fellow. At least we're getting closer to figuring out the problem.

I did have a great cultural first last night. I was invited to an engagement ceremony for one of my friends. Another American friend and I were both invited, and since neither of us had ever been to an engagement before, she called one of her (Arab) friends and asked what we should wear and bring. Her friend told us to wear a skirt or pants, a fancy t-shirt, a sweater, and boots. Hmmm. We opted for just trying to look a little dressed up.

I would LOVE to post pictures of the event. However, almost all the women who were there fully cover (face, gloves, etc.) and the rest at least wear a hijab (head covering around face, not over). And because it was just women gathered together, they shed their outer garments and were all dressed like they were going to the prom. The bride asked me to take pictures of her, which I was happy to do, but I was told not to let any men see the pictures. When I tried to take pictures of the general assembly, some of the ladies were visibly disgruntled and I was asked to photograph no one but the bride.

I will give a detailed account of the ceremony on my next blog. It was definitely an interesting experience. On the home front, Jonathan cared for Guy all afternoon and evening. He gave him a bottle (his first one since October), which Guy finally ate after a lot of coercion. Here's a quick video of Guy in his jumper that Jonathan shot while I was gone. There's not much to it. Guy is sporting his "camera face" that he puts on when we try to capture special moments. We think he's pretty darn cute.