David and Karen's Blog - The Latest

Spencer at school

nospam@example.com (Karen and David) — Fri, 3 Sep 2010 20:33:38 -0400

Spencer is doing pretty well at school. The first day he didn't cry when I took him, but was crying when I picked him up. He wanted to get his Thomas bookbag himself. The second day I had to push him in the door crying, but when I picked him up he was very happy. He tells me about the teachers playing the piano, eating cookies and soup. He talks about using the toilet. When we ask him if he made any friends, he says, "No. I don't share." And then he reenacts yelling at some kids. It's kind of funny, but sad that he's not nice. So, we're pretty happy about the situation. They have very good security. The gate is locked and the classroom door is locked. We're just hoping that he will really learn Chinese through this environment.

Preparing for Pre-school

nospam@example.com (Karen and David) — Wed, 1 Sep 2010 07:58:45 -0400

We got back to our home on Sunday and then Monday morning I had to take Spencer to the hospital to get a medical exam to start pre-school. He had to fast before the exam which wasn't until 9 am. Spencer got up at 6 am so it was torture to make him wait that long without milk and food. He was crying asking for food.

When we got to the hospital we had to register him and start to process of going to different "professionals" for his exam. First was the drawing of blood. He didn't not know what was going to happen but he did great. He did cry half way through it but didn't move. He was so thankful to get food and drink that he stopped crying quickly. He said, "That was sharp." They looked at his eyes, ears, teeth, checked his vision and listened to his heart and lungs. He of course passed.

The next day I took Spencer to the Open house, where we paid the money, took a tour and met his teachers. He is lucky number 8 in his class, so his cup, towel and bed are all numbered 8. He is in the same class as our best friends' daughter. That evening there was a parents' meeting where they talked about the school, the rules, the awards, etc. Then we went to the specific classroom and the teacher told us what we needed to send with the child and how to drop off and pick up. The school is in session from 7:45 am to 5:30 pm, including 3 meals and a nap time, but we plan to just send him in the mornings. We are excited about this new adventure, but a little nervous about how Spencer will do. This is an all Chinese environment, and Spencer knows very little now. We are hoping he learns quickly and will enjoy his time there. Tomorrow is the first day!

Moldy Mess

nospam@example.com (Karen and David) — Wed, 1 Sep 2010 07:52:03 -0400

We had a great time in Beijing. Our meetings were encouraging and challenging. We got to really think about this up coming semester and think about ways we can serve the people around us. It was fun to catch up with old friends and meet as a team for the first time. Our bus came on Sunday nice and early and we were able to leave before schedule.

When we got home, we came home to a huge mess in our apartment. There was mold all over our furniture, carpet, refrigerator and many other things. There was a small flood in our bathroom too. It was so stressful and overwhelming. We had to go straight to an official lunch with the university and then we could go home, put Spencer and Mia down for their nap and then attack the mess. One of our teammates helped us a lot. It was so hard to come home to that, when all we wanted to do was unpack and get settled. By the end of the day though, we felt like we had cleaned most of it, but our suitcases and stuff was still everywhere. It was very stressful. After a few days now, we are still finding things with mold on it but the apartment is getting organized and clean.

Back in China

nospam@example.com (Karen and David) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 03:21:04 -0400

We are now back in China after a nice time in the US. We were able to see many people we love, but there were so many we weren't able to see too. If you are one of them, know that we miss you and are thinking about you.

We flew back to China on Monday. Of our 13 1/2 hour flight, Spencer slept 4 hours and Mia slept 7, and the rest of the time they were pretty good. Spencer asked us about a hundred times where we were going. That's one of his new questions; he is now asking "why" all of the time, so sometimes that is tiring too, but fun to see his curiosity too.

We are in Beijing now for meetings. It's fun to see our ELIC friends. Spencer loves all of the kids around. We've been able to see our new teammates, old teammates and friends. It's been great to introduce Mia and meet other new babies too. We've been doing some planning for the next semester and are excited about it.

We will take a bus home on Sunday morning and then have a week of preparation as a team before school starts. David and the team will start teaching on Labor Day and Spencer will start pre-school. We will have to get him a medical exam before he starts, as is the custom in China, and I have a parents' meeting Tuesday night. This is a big step for us. We will be getting even more involved in the culture. I'm sure we'll have some interesting stories this year.

Going back to China

nospam@example.com (Karen and David) — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 23:41:38 -0400

After a great summer in the US, it's time for us to go back to China. We've seen family and many friends and had many opportunities to talk about what's going on in China. We're going back a little tired, so we need some extra grace as we travel and get ready for a new semester.

We're driving to DC on Sunday and then flying to Beijing on Monday. We'll be there for a week of training and then finally get to go home. All summer Spencer's been asking about our real home. He's definitely learning about different places. Spencer is starting to have long conversations now and is growing in his obedience. Mia is now 6 months old; she is sitting alone, rolling over, trying to get on all fours, has 2 teeth, says "dada" a lot and is growing some hair. She has changed a lot this summer. We know we will be given much grace as we take our long journey across the world.

Differences

nospam@example.com (Karen and David) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:46:00 -0400

Every summer, we come back to the US and notice things that are different between our two homes. We notice how empty neighborhoods are. Spencer says, "This is a quiet town." It's rare to see people outside sometimes. We notice how there isn't dirt everywhere. We notice how many kids and babies you can find at a store or mall. We notice how some things are very easy, like ordering things, watching TV. We notice how difficult things are, like going to the doctors. But we are good at adjusting. We have come to accept that America is America and it will never be like China; and China is China and will never be like America.

Here is a conversation Spencer had last night with one of our friends:

Friend: Are you American?

Spencer: No

Friend: Are you Chinese?

Spencer: No

Friends: Then what are you?

Spencer: Christian.

We were all laughing; we didn't know where he learned that from, but he's so true. We are Christians before our nationality. What a great reminder.

Crazy Spencer

nospam@example.com (Karen and David) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 23:58:07 -0400

We are having a great time in the US catching up with family and friends. It's been great going swimming, driving, going to the beach, going to church, eating great food, etc.

Today we went to our old office. While we were waiting for our brother-in-law to come down to the lobby, Spencer was climbing on the chairs. He is a very active little boy so we weren't too concerned about him climbing on the chairs. Then David looked over and said, "No, don't touch that." It was too late. Spencer pulled the fire alarm. The receptionist looked over at us and we were terribly embarrassed. We didn't know what to do. This is not a small office; there are about 2000 employees that had to evacuate the building and enter the scorching Florida summer heat. Spencer didn't quite understand the magnitude of his action. We could do nothing about it, so we just left with the masses that were flooding out of the building. We got to see many of our old co-workers and now we have a great story.

In the US

nospam@example.com (Karen and David) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:29:28 -0400

Hey friends and family

We're in the US for the summer, updating everyone about what happened this year in China. We've been here for 3 weeks and it's been so much fun. Spencer's favorite part of the US the first week was checking the mail and going swimming. We're busy visiting a lot of people but doing great.

Please lift up our times with people, that we will have guidance and energy.

Aliens

nospam@example.com (Karen and David) — Thu, 8 Apr 2010 22:41:06 -0400

Lately our team has had several conversations about aliens and the supernatural with our students. Many of them believe in supernatural things, like ghosts and spirits. A few students have even talked about believing the world will end in 2012.

Yahoo news wrote an article where they stated, "The Reuters Ipsos poll of 23,000 adults in 22 countries showed that more than 40 percent of people from India and China believe that aliens walk among us disguised as humans."

It has been very interesting to have these conversations and share beliefs.

Back in China

nospam@example.com (Karen and David) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 04:28:47 -0400

We have been back in China for nearly two weeks now. We are all doing really well and are starting to see our new schedule form. David has been teaching and working with his teachers. Today he started his office hours again. Tomorrow night the whole team is giving an introductory lecture about who we are.

Spencer's chinese tutor is coming over for the first time tomorrow. We hope he really likes her and that he learns a lot of Chinese this semester.

Mia is doing great. She is already up to 10 lbs and 21 inches. We just love having a baby again. Spencer loves his sister so much.

We are looking forward to Easter and all the activities that goes with that.

Amelia Grace Rigsby is here!

nospam@example.com (Karen and David) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 03:21:05 -0500

It has been a long journey, but Amelia Grace was born on February 12th at 4:48 pm in Bangkok Thailand. She is 19 inches long and weighed 7 lbs. She has brown hair. Her eye color is TBD. She is so beautiful. Many features remind us of Spencer as a baby but some are different.

Many of you know that I had a c-section with Spencer and was trying everything to have a natural birth this time. We found a hospital that is very friendly toward natural birth, found a doctor willing to do it, hired a birth coach, etc. We were careful not to have me do too much walkng so my water wouldn't break. I did some natural things to help my cervix dialate on its own, etc.

I started having contractions around noon on Thursday, but they were pretty light so I didn't think too much of them until around 2 when they were definitely regular and lasting 45 seconds to a minute. David was out shopping and I told him I thought I was in labor but he didn't really believe me. By 5 pm I knew it was for real and I called my birth coach. My contractions continued to be about 5 minutes apart, about 60 seconds long for several more hours. I went swimming, ate dinner, baked a cake, watched a movie and put Spencer to bed. Around 2 am I decided to lay down. By this point my contractions were increasing with intensity and they were about 3 or 4 minutes apart. I did get rest between them as I was getting very tired. By 7:30 we decided to go to the hospital. I only had about 4 contractions in the taxi.

When we got there the nurses hooked me up to a contraction tracker and baby heartbeat monitor. They saw that my contractions were strong, regular and that I was handling them well. After all that work I was hoping to be at 5 cm (out of 10) but I was only a finger tip's worth. That was very disappointing. They said that Mia's head was still very high.

We got to the labor room and got to work. My birth coach encouraged me to do squats, lounges, dancing, etc to help get Mia's head down. The contractions were regular and really were getting stronger and closer during the lounges. Around 2 pm my water broke and then my contractions really increased. They were so intense and so close together. I was really doubting if I could make it. Then they decided to check my progress again. I was devasted when they told me I was only 1 cm. I knew I couldn't go on. My blood pressure had been high and by this point my water was a little yellowish brown, indicating that Mia had a bowel movement. I knew I couldn't handle 12 more hours of contractions like that. My doctor suggested doing the c-section and it was the easiest decision. I was ready.

I hate getting epidurals so I was not looking forward to that but ready for teh contractions to be over. They prepared me and David for surgery. It was a little different from my c-section in Beijing. I couldn't feel anything this time which was a huge improvement. David took some good pictures. The doctor showed David how high Mia was when he cut me open. He could see that she just wasn't moving down. David got to hold her shortly after she was born and sat with her in a room while I was recovering. I had a few common side effects from the drugs but over all it was a very good expereince.

Mia was very alert all that evening. She didn't nurse very well, but now after nearly 48 hours she is doing pretty good. I got to get out of bed today and take a shower. I am in pain obviously but doing well. I am disappointed the natural birth didn't work out but I know I tried everything I could do. I am at peace with what happened and not as upset as I thought I would be. The Father gves such peace and assurance.

Spencer LOVES Mia and wants to hold her and touch her all the time. My Mom and sister Lisa are here now which has been a great help. I'll post pictures soon. Thanks for your prayers.

Thailand

nospam@example.com (Karen and David) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 22:12:05 -0500

Wow, I'm sooo ashamed! I can't believe I haven't updated this more. We are experiencing so many things here that you probably would find very interesting. I've just neglected to share them.

First of all, we are enjoying the warm weather. It's in the 80's and 90's here, so we've been swimming a lot at our hotel. We've had a very good time at the hospital so far. My doctor is very hopeful that I will have a successful VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). I'm hoping to have a water birth, as this hospital has two natural birthing labor rooms that have a water birth tub. We met with our birth coach too and she will be a great help to us during this time.

I'm 36 weeks now, so I still have a lot of time to wait. It's so hard to be patient. Amelia is now measuring about 6.4 lbs. Spencer is as active and crazy as always. David is in another city this week for work, so it's a little harder for me at this time.

I'll write more about cultural things soon. Thanks for your patience and prayers

Merry Christmas

nospam@example.com (Karen and David) — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 01:47:53 -0500

Merry Christmas everyone.

We had a wonderful Christmas. We were very busy with our Christmas lecture, Christmas movies and parties with students and our team celebrations. It was a very nice time. Here are a few pictures:

Off to Beijing

nospam@example.com (Karen and David) — Sat, 5 Dec 2009 07:45:03 -0500

We will be in Beijing for a few days this week. We are going to see Karen's OB and we will work on getting our 90 day Thai visas. We will be there for as long as it takes, but hopefully it will only take two days. We'll also get some Christmas shopping done too since we'll be around great places to shop.

Freshmen

nospam@example.com (Karen and David) — Sat, 5 Dec 2009 07:41:09 -0500

We finished up our freshmen classes this week. It went by so fast. We both feel like we didn't have enough time with these students. Fortunately, they will still be around and hopefully will continue to be in our lives.

We showed both of our classes the Nativity Story last night. It was great. Everyone came, plus some uninvited students. These students don't know anything about the Christmas story so it was very powerful for them.

We will see many of these students this month even though class is over. Some are coming over to make cookies and many attend David's office hours and our Coffee House.