All in a Name...

If we have heard this question once, we've heard it a thousand times. Have you picked out a name yet?? Normally, I would wait until she is born to tell people, but it seems to not be such a big deal in the Arab world and Hary has already told everyone on this side of the ocean.

So before we even knew she was a girl, we had one of each name picked out. Hary and I both wanted a strong biblical name. However, the next qualification was a bit trickier...we wanted it to be pronounced the same in English and Arabic. As you can imagine the list was pretty short!!

In Romans 16:1-2 there is a faithful woman named Phoebe who Paul advises the people to listen to and help her as she was a deacon in the church. We liked that even though she is only mentioned in 2 verses, she is a strong, faithful, godly servant of the Lord, worthy of respect.

Middle names are rare among Arabs, but very important to me. So her middle name has 2 parts...Joyann. The "joy" comes from the translation of the Setswanan name that the Africans in Botswana gave me during my time there. And the "ann" is my mom's middle name. Mothers and daughters can have such special relationships and I wanted her to always carry her mother and grandmother in her name.

And of course, although it is not normal in Belgium or with Arabs for the wife to take the husband's name, it is perfectly normal for the children to take their father's name. In combination of her middle and last name, she will be a perfect mixture of 2 families, 2 lanugages, 2 worlds, and 2 cultures.

So coming soon in November...Phoebe Joyann Khano!!

A Message Sent from Karin...

Karin has been Janée's dear sweet sister-friend for 19 years. They have spent many seasons of their friendship with an ocean between them. Although they can't be in the same place at the same time, Karin still insisted that Phoebe needed some kind of baby shower, which is neither a Belgian or Arab custom. She wanted to invite anyone who would want to participate in this way. Hary and Janée were not anticipating any kind of baby shower or presents, so there is no pressure in this invitation, just a possible avenue for those who wanted to give a gift.

There are 3 items that they want to get Phoebe from Wal-Mart and have Janée's parents bring out with them in November. These 3 items are up to double the price in Belgium. That is why they will be brought out from Wal-Mart. They are a stroller/car seat system ($211.50), a baby monitor system ($40.94), and a lullaby projector ($31.39).

Janée's mom's address is Betty Angel, 14930 N. 1600th St., Teutopolis, IL 62467

Sneak Peek...

Well, I am normally not one for photos, but I have had so many people ask to see me when I am pregnant. Uggh! So I had my own personal "photographer" snap a shot this week.

So here I am at 22 weeks...about 5 1/2 months pregnant. Since she is due on November 17th, I still have about 3 1/2 months to go. We are preparing as much as possible for the coming day. This week we took a tour of the hospital maternity ward and at our next appointment we will discuss when I need to start preparation classes, although I have been doing my share of studying and learning on-line. As time gets closer, I will do my best at posting other photos as well...and hope that my photographer can always get my best angle!!

Homemade...

For Christmas last year, my sister-in-law bought me my first little sewing machine. My mom and grandma are both great at using the machine, but I had never used one and did all my mending by hand. I wanted to learn so that I could do some basic handy work. So far I hemmed pants, made some curtains and made a small quilt for my mom's birthday.

But last week I felt motivated to do what my grandma and mom did for me, make a little dress for my little girl. So I found a free pattern at http://rae.oostendorp.net/ITTY%20BITTY%20BABY%20DRESS.pdf and made my very first piece of clothing. There weren't as many directions as I would have liked to come with a pattern, so I had to wing it and added a few of my own personal touches. But at least she will now have something hand made by her mama too!

Just Checking In...

This is the day we found out that our baby is a indeed a little girl! Everyone had placed their bets and most thought she would be a boy. But I guess all of those old wives tales of how to tell if you're having a boy or a girl just don't always work.

We love going to the doctor here in Belgium. With every visit, we have a sonogram. That ensures that at least once a month we can see our little one. We have been amazed as we have watched her little heart beat and have seen her stomach and her brain at work. What an amazing thing God does in the creation of each little life!

And I am assuming she will have a lot of her "baba" (daddy) in her. Each visit we get to watch just how active she is. Certainly Hary has a very hard time just staying still for more than 5 minutes! There are many mornings now that I am awakened by her movements. And just the other day I got a swift kick when she wasn't at her most comfortable. Oh la la...what is instore!