is Christmas REALLY in 10 days?!?

"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord."  Luke 2:11

Merry Christmas!

Seriously?  I feel like December just began, and here it is 10 days out from Christmas!  WE have been SOOOO busy and it's really not gonna slow down until after the holidays.  So, sorry I haven't been able to blog recently!  So I'll just give you a quick update on what's going on right now:

1.  Poppa came to visit us!  I mean WOW!  How excited were we?!  We're still on a high from his visit.  It was too short, but thankful beyond measure that he was able to come.  He was the first, of our parents, that has been able to come see us over here!  So yeah, you can just imagine how unbelievably ecstatic we were!    Here's some pics:

Ben & Poppa on The Great Wall

Aben pullin Poppa's hair

Poppa with the grandkids :)

Junior with the IV

Our ride around the Minority Village

Braidynn (at Minority Village)

The boys

on the Gondola, riding up the mountain

Poppa and his lil man

Junior, the III, and the IV

My lil sunshine

Beautiful Pagoda in our city

Poppa feeding the elephants!

wearing a Minority headdress

2.  We've been FREEZING.  So, the city we live in is actually called "The Eternal Spring City."  And for the most part, it truly is Spring year round.  But, because of this, no homes/apartments have central heating or air conditioning.  It didn't bother us at all this summer (we have fans), but the winter has just begun and it's BBBRRRRRR!  We purchased some space heaters, but come on now.  When you leave the apartment and go out, you will never get warm until you come home and get under some blankies by the heater.  Except, Ben has found out that McDonald's has HEAT! Real heat!  So, he frequents Mickey D's, or at least now he has a better excuse for always wanting to go.  :)

3.  Aben has bronchitis and a pretty bad ear infection.  :(  So not fun.  And actually even a little scary, since we don't have the best meds at our reach.  I took Aben to the doctor today, because he's had this bad cough for about a week and started to get a little fever.  He's been so lethargic, and not himself at all.  Anyways, I'm used to ear infections, because Braidynn was one away from needing to get tubes.  But it's just a total different ballgame here.  The doctor gave me a nebulizer with saline to use 2 times a day and then some asthma medicine (expired in 2008, but it's the best we have here) to use with the nebulizer also, twice a day.  Then here comes the fun part, for his antibiotic for his ear infection, I was given adult capsules and told to break one up and put in his food twice a day.  Yeah, for my 5 month old, who has yet to eat ANY solids.  I'm scared and not looking forward to giving my 5 month the same medicine an adult would take!  I don't even know what the antibiotic is, because the name is in Chinese!  Now, don't get me wrong, I completely trust our pediatrician here and am SO thankful for him.  (He actually just called a lil bit ago at 9:30pm to check on Aben.)  So, I'm thinking what food do I want to introduce to Aben? And do I just go ahead and put the yucky pill powder in the food immediately so he doesn't even know I've changed it?  Should I put it in a food that I don't care that he will like later in life?!  ha. 

When we get home, I feed Aben, change his diaper and think to myself, I should see if my friends here have any infant antibiotics.  As I'm typing out the text I realize something.  When we were in Thailand, having Aben, I asked the doctor for Amoxicillin to bring back in country! Yes, that's right!  For such a time as this!  PTL.  Wow.  I've NEVER been so thankful for Amoxicillin in my life.  So YAY!  I don't have to introduce foods yet AND I don't have to give Aben adult meds!  God is so good.  He is my provider.  

So today I started him on the antibiotic - which he is not too fond of, but that's ok!  Now just praying for a quick recovery.  My doctor friend said the reason, he's having so much treatment - the nebulizer with 2 different breathing treatments and antibiotics, is we don't have a fall back plan here.  There is no, lets just ride this out and see how he does.  If a sickness gets worse here we have to fly out of the country for good treatment.  So please pray for my baby for fast healing!  :)  Thank you!

my lil sick man

I want him to be like this again!  Smiling & happy!

 4.  We've also been crazy busy preparing for a Christmas team to be here!  We are SO excited and want to make sure they are being used to their full extent.  We want them meeting students, PR walking, and sharing the Christmas story with those who have never heard.    They are making a huge sacrifice celebrating Christmas with us, students, strangers, without their families.  We are overwhelmed by their commitment to spreading the LOVE of our Father and so thankful we get to hang out with some totally awesome cool people.  :)

Here's where I leave you for now.  Hope you and yours have the most and best Christmas ever!  

 Merry Merry Christmas 

love, Ben & Hannah

Braidynn & Aben