New videos

Happy Easter, everybody!  Here are a couple new videos of Caleb from the last couple weeks.  We have a couple more from Easter weekend, so stay tuned.

Caleb playing with his Spaceship toy at 16 weeks.

Caleb talking in the morning.  He usually wakes up a pretty happy baby, and this lasts anywhere from one to ten minutes, depending on how hungry he is.

Waking up in the morning.

At 15 weeks, Caleb discovered he could grab his feet!  He's 16 weeks now and changing so fast!

Paris

We just got back from our spring break, and we had a wonderful time!  Julie's parents decided they did not want to wait till June to meet their grandchild, so we planned to meet somewhere in the middle between Mali and California - but since the midpoint is in the Atlantic Ocean we settled on Paris.

It was a short trip - only four days to see the City of Light! - but it was well worth it.  Caleb loved getting to meet his Grandma and Grandpa Griffis, and they love him very much!  Highlights include:

Travel: Caleb did a great job with travel, and enjoyed his priority seating in the bassinet in bulkhead.  For those who haven't flown with a baby, shortly after takeoff they bring out a small bassinet that attaches to the wall in front of your seats.  We made the rookie mistake of traveling without a pacifier (we don't use them at home) but luckily a fellow missionary in Bamako came to our rescue (thanks Becky!).  I'm pretty sure some other travelers on the plane thank her too.  There was only a one hour time difference, so we'll have to wait till June to find out about baby jet lag.  :)

Caleb arrives at Charles de Gaulle Int'l Airport

Grandparents: Julie's parents were ecstatic, of course, to meet their little baby grandchild, and it was nice for Julie and me to have some help watching him.  They even gave us a night on the town alone - Caleb's first evening without Mom and Dad!  I think this picture says it all though - the very first meeting.

Caleb meets Grammie and Grandpa Griffis

Hotel fire: Yes, our hotel did catch on fire.  We came back from seeing the Eiffel Tower at around 5:30 PM.  We first noticed there was a lot of commotion going on up ahead in the street.  Then we saw lots of fire trucks and police, and noticed a fire ladder up against a building.  Hey, there was a fire pretty close to our hotel.  Wait, a minute - that IS our hotel!  The block was roped off so we could not even get near.  A few police officers told us in broken English that there'd been a fire.  When we told them we were staying at the Best Western they made a face like, "Ooh, too bad for you!"  It was looking bad and we couldn't get much information about how extensive the damage was.  Fast forward a few hours: Julie waited with her mom and Caleb in a different Best Western lobby down the street while her dad and I waited in line for an hour or so to be escorted inside and claim our belongings.  Turns out the sixth floor was wiped out - one guy lost everything but the clothes he had been wearing, including his passport - but the fifth floor was only affected by water.  The parents' stuff (fifth floor) got a little wet and smelled like smoke, and our stuff (fourth floor) was nearly unaffected.  By 9:30 or 10:00 PM we were settled in our new hotel, a Holiday Inn on the other side of the river.  Our new hotel was nicer, location not quite as great, but overall we were thankful not to have had any damage and thankful to have a place to stay.

The sights: We had a wonderful time touring around, though we've begun to see how having a baby changes the way you travel.  We toured around Notre Dame, the Champs de Elysee, climbed up the Arc de Triomphe, saw the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night, went up the Eiffel Tower in the daytime, and spent one afternoon at the Louvre.  Four days is nowhere near long enough, but we felt good about what we did get to see.  L'Open Tour buses allow you to hop on or off all day at any of their tourist destinations, and that provided a great way to get around to the places we wanted to go.

Be sure to check out our pictures from Paris in our facebook album (It's a public link; you don't need facebook to view these.)

Out-takes from Mali

Living in a foreign culture means that you are bound to run into some funny situations due to misunderstanding or cultural differences.  Add in travelling with a dog, being pregnant, and having a baby in a foreign country and it's a recipe for confusion and comedy.  The following are some of our fun memories from our time so far in Mali.

1. Setting - Bamako Airport, shortly after landing.
Julie: (after searching for an airport worker who spoke some English) Excuse me, I'm looking for my dog. Can you tell me where the oversized luggage is?
Airport worker: You want a dog to pull your luggage?
Julie: No, my dog is the luggage. She is in a crate.
Airport worker: You put your dog inside your luggage?!
Julie: ...Thank you for your help sir.

2. Setting - Our laundry room the first week after we've arrived.
As Brian and Julie begin taking down a load of whites from the laundry line they realize they've been welcomed to Mali.  Lizard poop down Julie's white shirt. Mental note - fix the screens.

3. Setting - Koutiala Hospital, EVERY prenatal check up from 8 months on - this same conversation.
Nurse: I see you are having twins.
Julie: No, just one baby.
Nurse: (Looking at Julie's belly) No, you're definitely having twins.
Julie: No, really, I'm pretty sure it's just one.
All Nurses in the room: (Looking at Julie's belly and nodding in agreement) Congratulations on your twins.

Disclaimer to the twins story - I wasn't THAT big... it's just that Malian women and their babies are much smaller on average than American women and their babies. :)

4. Setting - Mission compound, two days after Caleb's birth.
Woman from the church: (Rubbing Julie's belly) Congratulations! When is your baby due?
Julie - (Pointing to Brian holding Caleb) This is my baby.
Woman from church: (Covers mouth and walks away laughing embarrassedly).

5. Setting - Mission compound. Greeting a Malian female visitor who had arrived.
Woman: (To Brian) I' ka kene? (How are you?)
Brian: Toro te (No problem)
Woman: So mo go ka kene? (How is your family?)
Brian: Toro te (No problem)
Woman: Muso ka kene? (How is your wife?)
Brian: Toro to (No problem)
Brian (Using his new Bambara language skills, and cultural savvy regarding greetings) I' ka kene? (How are you?)
Woman: Toro te (No problem)
Brian: So mo go ka kene? (How is your family?)
Woman: Toro te (No problem)
Brian: Muso ka kene? (How is your wife?)
Woman: (...)
Brian: (D'oh!)


6.Setting - Koutiala Souvenir shop, 10 Days after Caleb's birth.
Souvenir Man: Is your baby 3 months old or 4?
Brian: 10 days.
Souvenir Man: French equivalent of "No Way!"

7. Setting - Streets of the outdoor market in Koutiala. (Background info: Malian women breastfeed their babies anytime, anywhere. It doesn't matter if you're walking through the streets, sitting in church, or riding on a moto.)
Julie and a friend are walking through the hot and dusty streets of the market while Julie is holding Caleb. When she stops to buy some cilantro, Caleb starts crying loudly.  Within 30 seconds of this crying, male and female vendors along with passersby begin yelling out in Bambara and French - "Feed the baby!" "Give the baby the breast!" "Put the baby to the breast!" Julie imagined Caleb smiling mischievously on the inside as he had found his biggest support group ever.

8. Setting - Mission Compound.
As Julie walks over to the school, she sees one of the guards, Dirisa, sitting in a chair. He picks up a bottle of Cheer Laundry Detergent, pours some into the lid and takes a sip. After the initial shock, Julie realizes that he is just drinking water from the detergent bottle. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle... taken too far.

Loving life in Mali -
Brian, Julie, Caleb, and Sierra

     Seven weeks into parenthood and Brian and I find ourselves in the place that so many new parents must experience; feeling more and more confident each day as we learn the cries, smiles, and noises of Caleb...until he does something to completely surprise us and remind us that we are utterly inexperienced at this world of parenting. The time really has flown by and we love watching Caleb learn and grow so much each day.  He's able to pay attention to faces, smile at us, and hold his head up on his own.  Each day brings a new discovery of this great big world for Caleb.

     After two weeks at home with me, Brian returned to teaching and took on the job as the only teacher for the six students we have here.  That was enough to keep him busy; meanwhile I was staying at home being kept equally busy by my one little guy.  Last week I was able to come back into the classroom in the afternoons to help Brian out.  Caleb has been a good sport about it by sleeping through most of school.
     A few weekends ago we borrowed a car and took a 5 hour road trip to Bamako, the capital of Mali.  While we were excited to get out of Koutiala (we haven't done much travelling at all this year) this was not just a trip for fun - we were on a mission.  We had to go to the US embassy to apply for Caleb's citizenship and his passport.  Caleb slept the whole way there despite the frequent driving off the side of the road as we passed large semi-trucks that took up more than their share of the road.  It always makes me hold my breath in anxiety as we pass by these truck bursting forth with all sorts of cargo - crops, boxes, food goods, animals, and on top of it all- people- packed in, perched precariously, and clinging to whatever is beneath them as the monster truck sways and tilts in the wind. We spent one night in Bamako and enjoyed our first real hamburger in 6 months. Our mission at the embassy was successful and we hope to soon get back all of Caleb's paper work, including a passport with a picture of a 4-week-old, floppy headed baby, who is gazing off into the corner.  

Road trip to Bamako!

Going for a walk

     Our days now are a strange mix of constant business and the continuing refreshment of not having a lot to do.  That is to say there are always diapers to be changed, a baby to feed and cuddle, teaching to be done, planning for the next day. But there are no sports teams to coach, professional development meetings to attend, or restaurants and movie theaters to frequent.  We occasionally take walks around our neighborhood and always laugh at how a 10 year old child can maneuver a herd of 10 long horned cebu through a pasture using only a tiny stick, then yelp out in fear and run at the sight of our dog Sierra on a leash. Neither of us ever imagined going on a neighborhood stroll and passing donkies, chickens, pregnant dogs, groups of boys playing soccer barefoot in the dusty fields, and women walking while carrying huge bundles on their heads and often toting 2 year olds on their backs.
     I'll leave you with those images and wishes for a very happy Valentine's Day.  Brian and I decided to forgo the Valentine's Hallmark Cards and fancy restaurants and just enjoy the melted chocolates that made their way to us on an apparently difficulty journey from kind hearts in America. But don't fear - the romance is not lost.  Thanks to our frequent loss of electricity we've been enjoying more than our fair share of candle lit dinners this year.

Lots more pictures over here on facebook (public link):

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2062319&id=179201877&l=4167ee10fe

Our Christmas Gift

Our little Christmas package

   Christmas is always a very special day, but this Christmas will undoubtedly be my most memorable. This Christmas Brian and I received our much anticipated gift of our first son, Caleb Sama O'Neill. For those of you who would like more details about his birth here in Mali, here is the story...

   Caleb was in no hurry to come out and greet the world, and with me being 41 weeks pregnant, my Doctor, Dan, was beginning to have concerns about letting me go too far post term. There were some concerns regarding the baby's size as I've been on the borderline for having gestational diabetes, as well as added concerns about avoiding any post term complications since we live here in Mali and medical help is limited. Brian and I tried many natural induction methods including walking for hours around the villages here (which led to us being followed home by a herd of goats one day), but none were successful.

   I really wanted the labor and delivery to be as natural as possible, knowing that pain medications such as epidurals are not available here, and medical interventions such as inductions can make contractions stronger and more painful than natural ones. When it was finally decided that labor should be induced, Dan broke my waters and then let me and Brian walk around for about 3 hours hoping contractions would kick in on their own. We walked and walked the hospital compound, and I was having contractions, but no different from the ones I had been experiencing for weeks, and they were not progressing any further. Eventually I was induced with oxytocin and my contractions quickly became very powerful. I was monitored for about seven hours on oxytocin and was making progress, but the baby's head was not dropping down. After about seven and a half hours of hard labor my back began to give out on me. It became really difficult for me to stand or even move my legs and I wasn't able to push at all. On top of this, my IV came out and the nurses on duty were struggling to get a new one back in, which meant the oxytocin stopped, and unfortunately so did the contractions. My body and the baby seemed a bit stalled at this point and I was pretty exhausted.

   At this point I had a hard decision to make. I really wanted to continue on since I had come so far, but I also knew that the pain in my back was limiting my ability to do anything. My Doctor was not convinced that the baby was going to drop down, especially without me being able to push, so we decided to do a C-section.

   Thankfully the team of doctors that work at the hospital here quickly assembled (in the middle of their Christmas evening) to prep me and complete the C-section. Things are a little different here than in the States as I walked myself into the operating room and sat down on the OR table. Before beginning, Dan and all the other doctors stopped to say a prayer before operating, which helped to calm me and made me feel so much better. Even with the C-section, Caleb still fought coming out into the world. It seems he was quite stuck inside of me and had to be suctioned out – a rare occurrence according to my doctor. The surgery went quickly and smoothly and I was able to be awake for the whole thing and see Caleb as soon as he came out. He took his first breath at 7:38 PM on Christmas Day. Brian was a great support the whole time and gave me a play-by-play narrative of what was going on. Caleb was quickly toweled off and checked over by a pediatric nurse, and he weighed in at 9 lbs 5 oz. and was 22 inches long.

   After the surgery, we were taken to a recovery room that was shared with 3 other women, and Caleb was brought into the room with us. After a few hours of observation, I was walked down the hall to own room and we got to spend our first night together as a family. I was pretty sore and couldn't move much, but Brian helped me take care of Caleb, and really all three of us slept pretty soundly that first night as it had been a long day.

   Several of the hospital staff insisted that we name him Emmanuel because he was born on Christmas, but we had already chosen Caleb, and Sama seemed like the perfect middle name as it means “gift” in Bambara – the local language. It especially signifies a gift that is brought back after someone goes on a journey, so it is symbolic of our time here in Mali.

   We spent two nights at the hospital and were taken care of by a great staff. We are now enjoying our Christmas vacation at home adjusting to being a family of three and all the joys of new parenthood. Although the birth didn't go as we had originally hoped and planned, in the end we were simply thrilled to have a healthy, happy baby and mom.

Many more photos over here on facebook (public link; no need to sign in):

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2060570&id=179201877&l=528f676c11

New Pictures

Plenty of new pictures to see over here on facebook:
(No need to have a facebook account, just click the link!)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2059428&id=179201877&l=a6d26361c3

An eventful weekend

   This weekend brought more activity than we're used to, a welcome change from sitting around wondering what to do with a Saturday.  It started off early when Julie woke me at 7:15 on Saturday morning.  Truthfully, I don't think we've slept past 8:30 any weekend because it's so bright and noisy outside in the mornings.  The guards start raking the gravel around 7:00 and the goats, dogs, cows, zebu (yes, like in the Silly Songs with Larry song only spelled differently), roosters, and/or other creatures outside the compound get going right away too.  The sun rises and sets early here, and it's often bright by 6:30 and dark by 6:00 in the evenings.

Baby update

33 weeks

   We started the day with an early trip to the hospital to check Julie's fasting blood sugar.  It has to be tested before breakfast, so there's no waiting around.  Thanks to a family history of diabetes, the doctor wants to keep tabs on Julie's blood sugar - so far she's doing great and staying within the range the doctor wants.  Little Baby O'Neill is 34 weeks now, and growing fast!  He moves and responds to noises and likes to play jungle gym on Mom's ribs.  

   Julie has been healthy but is feeling the energy drain of the little guy.  We're thankful for a job situation that is very flexible and where she doesn't have to be on her feet the whole day.  

   The baby is yet unnamed, but we've gotten some pretty helpful suggestions from the students, including "Batman" or "Jedi."  

Hospital dedication

   After our quick morning run to the lab, we returned to the hospital at 10:30 to attend a dedication ceremony.  The brand new third building is nearing completion and there is a team visiting from Christ Community Church in Omaha, NE, which has nearly single-handedly financed the construction of the hospital from its inception.  The dedication was scheduled to allow those team members to participate, to the confusion of many Malians who only dedicate buildings after they're open.

Dignitaries in the front row

   It was quite a production, and many honored and distinguished guests made an appearance, including the Mayor of Koutiala and the Minister of Health of Mali.  A choir of women provided some lively music before the ceremony while we waited for all the dignitaries to arrive.  As word came of the Minister's arrival, we all lined up in a tunnel and he greeted down the line.  There were speeches and a ribbon-cutting, followed by a mass tour of the facilities and Malian-style lunch: a communal bowl of rice and meat shared amongst every five or six people.  After we'd eaten our fill people milled about and things slowed down.  We got home in time for a little rest before...

The soccer match


   Soccer is pretty big here in Mali and I have been playing with a team of staff members from the hospital.  Our local rivals -- the team from the other hospital, associated with Doctors Without Borders -- challenged us to a match.  It was scheduled to coincide with all the dedication festivities, and plenty of friends and coworkers came out to watch.  Unbelievably, there is an incredibly nice stadium with full stadium seating and a beautiful grass pitch!  Contrasted with the bumpy, weedy, anthill-covered field we play on at the hospital, this was sheer heaven.
   The guys on the team are incredible players, and it's my goal just not to screw up and embarrass myself.  It's hard not being able to communicate with them (French is the second language here, not English) but I'm glad they let me get involved and play, and they call me "Gerrard," which is half welcoming and half daunting.

Post-game team picture

Bethel


   Sunday morning we went to church up the road at Bethel, an evangelical seminary.  The pastor visiting from Christ Community Church (aforementioned) was preaching, so we jumped at the opportunity to go hear a sermon that's not in French or Bambara.  Usually Julie and I have home church, which is always conducted in English.  The service was a great mix of Malian and American singing, and Pastor Mark gave a very powerful message that was challenging and encouraging.

A Pastor shows us one classroom.  The tin roofs were
not galvanized properly and leak after only a few years.

   After church, we were given a tour of the facilities at Bethel.  There are currently twenty-three students in the seminary.  I was amazed and humbled at the simplicity and the physical needs of so many of their facilities.  Due to a lightning strike in June, all electricity was out for three months.  Their internet access has not yet been  repaired.  The library consists of four standing book racks half-full of books, of which more than half are English.

   We saw the dormitories where students live during the school year (usually with their wife and children), the "chicken project," which is currently feeding 400+ chickens that will soon begin laying eggs.

   After the tour at Bethel, we returned home and everybody gathered at the Mission (the compound where we live: there are three staff houses and a large guest house) for a potluck lunch with the two visiting teams.  There are actually lots of visitors currently in Koutiala: A visiting team from Christ Community Church has come to help lead Field Forum next week (Field Forum is a retreat for all Mali CMA missionaries.); a team cryptically known as "Jack's team" has come to do construction at the hospital; and most of the CMA missionaries from the capital city of Bamako came down for the dedication and are traveling with us to Field Forum tomorrow.

Our friends Jake and Jason enjoying the potluck
and November sunshine (it was 95 or so)

   Tomorrow afternoon we'll head off to the city of Sikasso for our Field Forum.  We are looking forward to a change of scenery and the opportunity to get to interact with some of our friends and coworkers in a non-professional context.

We'll post links to facebook photos anytime there's a new album.  For the time being, if you want to see some pictures of the baby bump, check out our most recent album:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2058569&id=179201877&l=37aad7a2ac


Blessings,
Brian and Julie