May Update

I feel we have been rather remiss in blogging recently...between 3 blogs and facebook updates, our old friend "The Adventures of Eric and Rachel" gets rather neglected at times. Looking at our sidebar blog roll, it appears we are in good company. :) Well, there hasn't been a whole lot to blog about in the past month, but here's what we've been up to.

Kids:

I have enjoyed staying home these past few months. It's back to work for me in June, but in the meantime it's been fun to watch both Ben and Maggie grow and change. Ben topped the scales at 14#5oz at 9 wks when we brought him in for a check up. He smiles all the time and has even started laughing. Other developments are taking their time (I think because his head is so big) but he is sleeping well at night, for 7-8 hours at a stretch. Maggie's vocabulary grows by the day and it's fun to watch her develop new interests in things like coloring, stickers, play doh, and carrying her dolls and animals around. She puts everything down for "naps" on a regular basis. Wonder where she got that idea?

Hospital:

Eric has been rotating on the peds and medicine services, and this month branched out into my world! He is spending a few days each week learning some basic C-section skills. He also got a chance to go out with the hospice team into the villages and watch how the chaplains minister to people at the end of their lives.

One of the chaplains involved in the hospice program

A traditional Kipsigis hut seen out in the villages

Family:

My mom arrives in just 1 1/2 more weeks! She'll be staying for a month and we are soooo excited to see her and introduce (or reintroduce) the kids to "gamma."

Future:

Our plane tickets are purchased for the homeward bound leg of our 2 year adventure here. The McLaughlin feet will be back on US soil on Sept 9. Maggie has started packing for the journey already (see picture below). We still have four months here at Tenwek but I'm sure the time will fly. Then the plan will be to travel, visit friends and family, get some tropical medicine training for Eric, and support raise through summer of 2012. By August 2012 we hope to be headed off to Albertville, France, for French language school, and then Burundi by summer of 2013. It's been great to watch God's hand directing us to just the right places these past few years. The Faders and Alyssa just took a trip to Burundi to get a more in-depth look at our future workplace. You can read about it here.