Under 2 Months

Robyn's almost done! Or I guess I should say our daughter is... Her time in the oven is coming to a close really soon. We didn't get any good pictures from the inside on our last visit, so we'll offer a few from the outside.
As of our last visit, she was almost 2 kilos (a little over 4 lbs). She's still very active and likes kicking her mommy in the ribs.
We're sorry you can't see her, but the images we saw on the sonogram looked really cute! Her due date was moved to Nov. 7, but who knows...

Iftar!

Many places in our city offer free meals during Ramazan for the evening meal which breaks the fast. Robyn an I attended one of these with a friend of ours to get the experience. We waited a while in line, but there was PLENTY of food to go around. There was soup, a main course of beef (usually very expensive) and rice, sweets, a roll, and ayran (a salty milk drink like buttermilk).
We enjoyed the experience and got to visit with some of the folks there. The atmosphere was very friendly and mostly relaxed, but the business of food was definitly the first task of the evening! It's understandable as many people don't even drink water from sunrise to sunset.

We were surprised about the range of how much people adhere to the fast. Some people we thought were very conservative didn't fast at all, and others we thought didn't care about their religion at all held tight to the regulations of no food or water.

A little fishy

It's a small, small world! One of our friends here visited one of her friends in Europe, where some of our friends happened to be staying as well. As soon as they realized the connection, they hit the market and our friends got both Robyn & baby some beautifuly pearl earrings. They have a secret way of making these pearls out of fish scales which makes their opalesence even greater. It'll be a while before our daughter can wear her pair, but they're gonna look great one day!

Thanks Summer & Greg!

Our little Mavs fan!

Our new little teddy is modelling our Mavs onesie from Luke's cousins, Chris and Randa. Our daughter may be conflicted and confused when it comes to what school to root for, but she's gonna be a Mavs fan for the NBA and a Saints fan for the NFL! We're leaning toward the Rangers for baseball, but if anyone ever gives her any baseball gear (other than the Yankees) it probably won't be shredded.
We're also proud of Chris and Randa's daughters for giving their little cousin some of their own clothes!
Thanks Chris, Randa, Avery & Anika!

Let's make beautiful music!

Robyn's family has been busy! They've been sending a steady stream of baby goodies over the past few months: onesies, twosies, headsies, booties...
When they went on vacation in Tennessee, they had a cd made with her name put into the songs...pretty cool!
We've also gotten some blankets and sheets with the style we like that go with our Noah's Ark/animal theme for her room.
Her sisters also made a cute Eeyore blanket that will fit right in with some of the other Pooh things we've got.

Thanks for everything Huffs!

Security Blankets

When Luke was a kid, he had 2 blankets he used. He was hardly Linus carrying them around everywhere, but they were around quite a bit. He even wrote his name in large magic marker so he could take it to school. Don't knock it... He took it to school and no one ever stole it ;)
Now his mother is getting her grandbaby well set for blanket practice. Her contribution so far has been crocheting several receiving blankets and wash cloths to welcome her home. She even included Luke's oldest friend--his own teddy bear. Who knew that little guy would be making the trans-Atlantic flight one day!

Lake Arlington Goodies

Thanks to our friends from Arlington who sent us some edible goodies! Our little experiment proved that although it takes about 3 weeks for boxes to arrive, there are many foods that can survive the trip. Pre-cooked bacon and cheese can actually make it over. The cheese gets a little oily, but it's still good. Of course, the Peter Pan PB made it. Life just isn't the same w/some good ole pb&j.
They also sent over some over-the-counter meds that will really help. On top of it all, they sent a great teddy bear. I'm sure she's gonna love it!

(Natalie...Our planner isn't pictured because it's being used :)

Thanks to all of you who contributed!

Baby Shower in a Box

Our friends and families have been real encouragements recently as they've sent us some great care packages. We got a box from Luke's brother & sis-in-law today, which has sparked this short rash of blog entries.

Thanks Matt & Amy!

Cost comparison

So here are some prices that we have here that can perhaps give you an idea of the cost of living. There's a definite give and take, as veggies & fruits are usually pretty cheap, but most everything else seems to be a little more expensive if it's in the same quality category. The fruits fluctuate according to season, so I've put what they generally are.

Peaches $1 lb
Strawberries $.50 lb
Cherries $1
Head of lettuce $.66
Potatoes $.66 lb (I think)
Loaf of bread (sliced) $1
Homemade bread $.66
Turkey (250 g)$4
Can of coke at store: $.80-$1
Can of coke at many restarants: $2-$3
Can of Dr. Pepper (if available): $3
Oreos: $11
Log Cabin syrup: $19

Burger King Whopper Meal: $6.50; Whopper Jr. Meal $4.50; Whopper Jr. $3
Krispy Kreme: Dozen Glazed $12 Dozen Mixed $13; single donut $1.50
Chili's: chicken crispers $15; Chips n salsa $5; refillable drink $4; sirloin steak $17.50-$20

Haircut: barber-$4.30 kuafor: ?????

Play Station 3: $750
Nintendo Wii: $500

And here's the kicker:
gas $8.50 gallon!!!!!!

Just for Kicks

We go to the doctor for some more pics next week, but until then, we'll fill you in on how the baby's doing. We've decided that she's either going to be a dancer or soccer player based on her performance this week. She's been kicking hard enough to see Robyn's stomach move.
Luke's favorite thing is to put his hand on Robyn's stomach hand have the baby kick or punch his hand. Robyn says that the baby follows the hand from the inside by punching or kicking the newest location of his hand.
We're also thankful for all the goodies we've gotten this past week from our friends and families! Who knew peanut butter would be such a commodity? (about $25 for a jar of American-made pb).