Rebekah Update: 21 Months

Yes, I have been very delinquent in posting Rebekah updates and photos lately. This past month has been particularly busy with guests and travel, and I haven't had a lot of time to spend on the computer. Or perhaps I just haven't made the time. Either way, this will be a fairly long post because this was a big month for Rebekah! Rebekah loved having Grandma Eileen here! The two became fast friends, and Rebekah kept Grandma busy coloring and playing "babies" almost constantly. Rebekah is learning to help set the table, and sometimes she still tries to set a place for Grandma. Rebekah misses you, Grandma!

"Resting" with her baby

Father's Day was the same day as Nathan's birthday this year, and Rebekah had fun celebrating both. She made a card for Daddy and helped Mommy decorate the dining room for Daddy's birthday lunch. Rebekah also had her first experience "singing" onstage. The little ones sang a couple of songs about Daddys on Father's Day. The four in the front had never been onstage before, so it was quite humorous to see their reactions. Rebekah was a bit hesitant at first, but once she realized that everyone was watching her and smiling at her, she really got into it and was quite the ham.

Whether it's a mango smoothie or corn on the cob, Rebekah LOVES her food!

We spent almost a week in Chiang Mai, Thailand near the end of June. We found a fantastic guest house that is incredibly kid-friendly. They had three different play areas outside, and even a play area geared for toddlers in the dining room that is in plain sight of the tables. Lots of other folks like us use this guest house, so it was wonderful (for mom at least!) to be able to let Rebekah go play with the other kids in the play area - keeping an eye on her while still being able to have a nice conversation with "co-workers" living all around the world.

The slide in the play area was a HUGE hit! Rebekah rushed through her meals (which were provided by the guest house, by the way) so she could go slide. =)

The slides outside were not to be ignored either. One of the outdoor play areas had slides, ladders, swings, etc. just the right size for Rebekah, and she had a blast playing on them!

Rebekah also enjoyed her first swim in a "real" pool (instead of her little 4-inch-deep wading pool). She has always loved water, so she was thrilled with this once she got over the initial hesitance.

A taxi driver/tour guide that is associated with the guest house has a wonderful, inexpensive package deal where you get an elephant ride, ox-cart ride, elephant show, huge buffet lunch, and a bamboo raft ride down the river, not to mention transportation to all of those places, as well as trips to several nearby factories if time and energy allow!
Here is Rebekah "driving" our ox cart. At one point during our ride, the driver got down to take a picture of us, and told us to put Rebekah in the driver's seat and give her the reins! Both Nathan and I were a little nervous (they were dumb oxen, after all), but Rebekah was sure proud of herself. =)
We also got to feed bananas to the elephants after our elephant ride. Rebekah was of two minds about that. She would ask for a banana to feed the elephant, but she got pretty scared when that trunk got close to her!Nathan took the above photo on our bamboo raft ride. It was naptime by this point in the day, and Rebekah was worn out from all of the excitement. She fell asleep sitting here with her sunglasses and BIG sun hat.

Rebekah will tell you that probably her favorite part about the trip to Thailand was the airplane rides. =) She had recently become very fascinated with airplanes, and was extremely excited when we told her that she would get to ride in one. Our plane to Thailand left Bangalore at 12:30am, but Rebekah was wide awake and ready to go! The flight attendants must have picked up on her excitement, because they spoiled her rotten on that first flight! I don't think we had even left the ground yet before she had been given three different "Thai Airways" toys. One of the toys was a little model Thai Airways airplane, so of course that was the big hit. We have been home for nearly two weeks now, but Rebekah still asks me several times a day when we are going to go on an airplane again!


She enjoyed the airports too. I'm not sure why...maybe just because they are where the airplanes come. Above, "Aunty Marie" is giving her a ride on our luggage cart while we waited around in the Bangkok airport on our way home.We ended up spending an entire afternoon in the Bangkok airport on our way home, so Rebekah took her nap on the floor - On top of Daddy's jeans, and covered with Uncle Sam's shirt. =) You can see Sam and Nathan on the left, playing a game on the floor.

Now we are home, and Rebekah is in the process of graduating to a "big" bed. This was the first nap she took in her new bed. She has now started sleeping there both at naptime and at night time, and she is doing very well. Sometimes it takes her a little longer to get to sleep, but she always gets to sleep eventually. =)

Rebekah is continuing to barrel her way towards age two, and sometimes makes her parents wonder if she has forgotten all of the training of her past 21 months! You can pray that we (Mommy especially, as I am with her all the time) will be lovingly consistent with Rebekah as she tests her limits and our patience.

Even with the "testing," Rebekah is learning and growing in many ways, and she is such a joy to have in our home. She makes us laugh often with her teasing and little quips! She is also learning to help with various things around the house. Sometimes things take longer to accomplish when she helps, but she loves it, and she is learning.

Rebekah is also understanding more and more that there is a baby on the way. She got to see the baby on an ultrasound a few weeks ago, and loved it. She seems to understand that "there is a baby in mommy's tummy," and has felt him move several times. She says he "bumps" her when she feels him kick. =) When she puts her hand on my stomach and can't feel him, she asks me if he is asleep and wants me to wake him up! She takes great care of her own baby dolls, and I know she will be a big help (or at least try to be) when he arrives. Our baby girl is growing up quickly!