Catching Up

Of course it is not December 22nd. Technically our Christmas and holidays are officially over and we are gazing into 2010, wondering what the next year will bring us- not to mention the next month.

Still no news from the USCIS with our approval to move ahead with interviews, visa applications and other embassy business here in Kinshasa. Meanwhile, our departure date (January 15th) looms largely over our heads since we know that at least David has to depart that day in order to return to work responsibilities at Goshen College. Should David end up leaving alone- Desmond, Amari and I will stay on with Grandma Suzanne (who returned to Kinshasa this afternoon!) until we are given permission to move forward.

We have been rather busy. Busy in this context means we've had a steady flow of visitors and outings and adventures, as well as, of course, Desmond and Amari who still seem to want our attention more often than not, for which we are grateful. It seems like every day they are learning new skills and activities that take lots of time to "ohhh and ahhhh" on our behalf. And then of course, there is the play and exercise regiment that includes rolling over, singing songs with lots of arm and leg gestures, and of course the ever popular tummy time. Desmond has found his fists and has begun drooling in his free time. Amari is quite acrobatic and is well on her way to rolling over on her own (while her brother likes to just sort of lay lodged in a face plant).

At this point, given the amount of time that has lapsed, I thought we would just offer some brief highlights in chronological order for those of you interested in our goings-on. We'll start off with a little ditty from Desmond.