update

I want to post an badly-overdue update about my charming, fast-growing toddler.  Every day last week I attempted to upload a few photos of him to post on this blog.  And every time, the upload failed.  I just tried again and it's the same story.  Maybe there is something wrong with Blogger's upload button?  I don't know.  All I know is that the upload reaches completion and then suddenly informs me there is an error.  But it's nearly impossible to post a description that will do Elijah justice without photos!!  :-)

Anyway, I did attempt to post last week, but all my attempts were frustrated! 

We've been in Lusaka over the weekend, and came home last night.  It was our usual mad dash to Lusaka, armed with a to-do list miles long so that nearly every second we're there is spent scampering frantically from one errand to the next.  It was a profitable and successful trip, and we are so thankful to the Lord for answering our prayers and preparing the way before us.  Even though there were moments when David and I were both ready to pull out our hair from the stress, it was obvious that the Lord was caring for us in every detail and providing what we needed.  We were able to purchase the first few household furnishings of our own, since we've been using the M's furniture which they are storing here.  But the biggest purchase was that of our own vehicle!  We have a 4x4 pickup truck on order and soon we will have our own reliable transportation, which will be SUCH a blessing. 

It was good to have another antenatal appointment with my doctor, and a scan to check our baby's growth.  We have found out that Bump is a girl!  :-)  The baby is happy and healthy, and everything looks great!  The only concern is about my iron levels, which have dropped drastically since I was sick with malaria.  As a result, I will have to be carefully monitored to make sure that the placenta is not affected and that the baby continues to develop at a satisfactory rate.  I will need to have an extra scan and bloodwork done next month to make sure everything is okay.  Please be praying that my iron levels will rise and that there will be no adverse affect on the placenta or the baby! 

While in Lusaka we also got another dog!  Another German Shepherd, this one a male about a year and a half old.  We wanted another dog so that our puppy, Merry, will have a companion, especially when we're away at the end of this year.  Our new dog's name is Saurus (short for Tyrano Saurus Rex) and he seems to have a lovely, laid-back personality and he is very obedient.  Of course, it will take some time for him to adjust to the other dogs, Merry and Lassy (the resident female who belongs to the M family) and they are still in the process of establishing the pecking order.  Lassy has been "top dog" up to this point, but Saurus is pretty determined that HE is the king of this compound now.  We'll see how it goes.  It's a bit stressful trying to negotiate between three dogs, but they will sort it out amongst themselves in time, just like Lassy took several days to accept Merry when he first arrived.  I am immensely impressed with Saurus on two accounts, particularly: 1) he's never been allowed inside a house before, but now he is a house dog (inside and outside, but for now he's sleeping in our house) and he has the best manners and is impeccably housetrained by instinct -- I think to make a mess anywhere other than outside would be inconceivable to him!  He spent his first night (last night) sleeping inside (away from the other dogs) and didn't make a peep.  I am really happy about this, because we would like to have a dog who can eventually sleep in or outside Elijah's room for security reasons, but Merry is still too much of a puppy to sleep calmly and quietly in the house at night.  2) He's never really been around children before, since his previous owner was a bachelor, and yet he has taken to Elijah immediately.  He is extremely gentle, patient, and completely laid-back with the baby.  I am keeping a very watchful eye on all their interactions, but I think we've acquired a tremendous family dog, and I'm really thankful!

The weather is really starting to warm up here.  "Winter" is long gone and the sun gets more intense every day.  We've got several pineapples growing in the garden, and I've got rows of broccoli and lettuce which hopefully will be ready to eat within a couple of weeks!