Elikya: August 2011

Monday, August 29, 2011

Hannah's Homecoming

We returned to Gemena, DRC on August 23^rd and were welcomed at the airport by many friends. Unfortunately Hannah had puked up her lunch on the plane just before we landed…so her adorable, pink dress smelled terrible as she was passed around from person to person. We were excited to see Aaron, Michelle and Soleil again. The past few days have been full of many visitors coming by the house to meet the newest member of the Elikya family. It is a joy to introduce our friends here to Hannah. So many people have been praying for us over the past several months of pregnancy and while we were in CAR. Now Hannah is finally here to meet all of those people who prayed for her.

Hannah meets Simplice, Bebe and Pastor Elangha

Mama Francoise...Hannah's Congolese grandma

The ELikya Center babies, Hannah and Soleil

Hannah officially has three names now: Hannah (English), Hana (French) and Ana (Lingala). They all sound similar enough that she should learn to respond to all names.

A few things have changed around the Elikya Center that will make living here much easier for us. While we were in Gamboula the internet tower and wireless internet were finally set up. We have internet access at our house!! This is monumental. It is relatively fast internet, too. It only runs at night between 6(ish) and 10(ish) when the generator is running but that is a huge advantage to us. We actually have access every day and do not have to walk 3 kilometers to check our emails. The other exciting change is that we have a 4-wheeler we are now renting for transportation. So, if we do have to go 3 kilometers or so to get somewhere, we can hop on the 4-wheeler instead of walking. These two changes are huge blessings that will make our daily life and work much more manageable.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Hannah meets Papa Jim and Mama Luta

On August 11^th we left Gamboula, CAR and flew to Bangui, CAR—the city capital. Waiting for us at the airport was Sam’s dad who came all the way from Illinois to meet Hannah. Of course, Sam’s mom couldn’t stay home knowing there was a brand new granddaughter for her to meet so she also made the trek to Africa. We spent 7 days with “Papa Jim” and”Mama Luta” in Bangui and they soaked up every minute they had with Hannah. We thoroughly enjoyed having family around and were delighted to introduce our daughter to her grandparents.

We enjoyed eating out at a few restaurants while in Bangui and even left Hannah with Mama Luta and Papa Jim one evening so we could have a belated 3^rd year anniversary date.

3rd anniversary date night

Our purpose for going to Bangui was to apply for Hannah’s US passport through the US Embassy. One of the hardest parts of getting a passport for an infant is getting a good enough passport photo.

Attempting to snap the perfect passport photo

Papa Jim and Mama Luta left us in Bangui to visit Congo for a few days while we stayed and got everything in order for Hannah’s passport and prepared to return to Gemena. Unfortunately, Sarah got an infection and Malaria during this time so our last few days in Bangui were not exactly restful. But, now we are back in Gemena at the Elikya Center and we will tell you more about it in the next post…

Monday, August 8, 2011

Welcoming Hannah

As you can imagine, the last week or so we have been quite occupied with the newest member of our family. We are now finding the time to tell you about our new baby girl, how she arrived and how we are adjusting to parenthood.

I started showing early labor signs on Saturday morning the 30th, which happened to be Sam’s birthday. We went about our day and watched a movie and made a tasty steak dinner and squash pie to celebrate Sam’s birthday. By the time dinner was over, my contractions were 5-10 minutes apart so Sam went to Dr. Tim’s house (about 300 feet from the guest house) and Dr. Tim came by and confirmed that I was in early labor and that we were in for a long night.

Labor progressed smoothly throughout the whole night and we stayed in the guest house. I lay on the bed the rest of the night and Sam pulled up a chair next to me and watched my every move, timed my contractions, coached me through relaxation and breathing exercises and was overall the most amazing coach and support a laboring woman could ask for! We knew that we might be able to deliver the baby right in the guest house if everything progressed well, but I was mostly prepared to go down to the hospital (about 300 feet from the guest house) when it came time to push. After an hour or so of some very intense contractions, Dr. Tim checked me at 5:30am and, with some surprise, announced that I was ready to start pushing. He rushed off to get his delivery team (his wife Ann, Jan Cone another missionary and nurse, and Julianne an African maternity nurse) and we got ready to deliver our baby right in the bedroom. After some reposition and a little preparation, I pushed through about four contractions and then Hannah Margaret appeared!

Our very first family photo

Hannah's first check up with Dr. Tim Wester

We couldn’t be more delighted with our baby girl right now. We have survived our first week of parenting and Hannah is eating well and sleeping well for the most part. We are tired, of course, but we are starting to get into a good routine with her. We will leave Gamboula on August 11^th and stay in Bangui for about two weeks getting paperwork together for Hannah’s passport. And….Sam’s parents Jim and Ruth Snyder will be meeting us in Bangui and visiting for a week. We are so excited for “Pa” and Mama Luta” to meet their granddaughter!