couple weeks. Here is the finished product. His room will be done in
primary colors. Hopefully when we get back to Iraq we'll be able to
get the nursery more set up!
8.06.2009
Paintings for Haydn
couple weeks. Here is the finished product. His room will be done in
primary colors. Hopefully when we get back to Iraq we'll be able to
get the nursery more set up!
8.03.2009
Vacation!
We're so excited, it is the long awaited eve before our departure tomorrow! We are heading to Istanbul tomorrow afternoon and will spend a couple days there before heading to Thailand for two weeks. After saying farewell to our neighbors tonight we are ready and excited to spend some time out of the country. I think I'm most looking forward to cooler temperatures, non-Kurdish cuisine, and hopefully even some Burger King and Starbucks thrown in there. It's amazing what being out of America for 6 months will make you crave (pregnancy probably doesn't help with this either). While in Thailand we are planning to see/ride some elephants, go on a dinner cruise, and Jeff is going 4 wheeling in the jungle, so it should be pretty awesome. I'll try to post some pics while we are gone, so keep checking back. I'm kind of nervous about the long flights so please pray for me and baby to have a safe and uneventful trip. As they say here "Xwat Legal' - that means go with God.
7.29.2009
Four heart surgeries!
It has been 1 weeks since we sent 4 children to Turkey to receive life saving heart surgery and all four have received their operations.
This is 3 year old Maziyar. He is out of ICU and running around the hospital! He is doing really well and will likely be returning home to Iraq very soon.
This is 11 year old Mohammed. He is still in ICU and will hopefully be released soon. His surgery went really well and we are hoping he will be stable very soon.
This is 8 year old Ruzhan with her father. She just returned from surgery yesterday and was looking great! She received a full correction and has a full life ahead of her.
This is 4 month old Daryan. He was the last to receive surgery and is still in ICU in critical condition. Please keep praying for him over these next few days that he would begin breathings on his own and continue to recover.
We are so thankful for our team with the kids and their families in Turkey and for the amazing surgical team at ASM! Praise God for the opportunity that these children will have to grow up and be healthy. To read more about these kids and watch some pretty cool videos, head on over to the PLC blog.
This is 3 year old Maziyar. He is out of ICU and running around the hospital! He is doing really well and will likely be returning home to Iraq very soon.
This is 11 year old Mohammed. He is still in ICU and will hopefully be released soon. His surgery went really well and we are hoping he will be stable very soon.
This is 8 year old Ruzhan with her father. She just returned from surgery yesterday and was looking great! She received a full correction and has a full life ahead of her.
This is 4 month old Daryan. He was the last to receive surgery and is still in ICU in critical condition. Please keep praying for him over these next few days that he would begin breathings on his own and continue to recover.
We are so thankful for our team with the kids and their families in Turkey and for the amazing surgical team at ASM! Praise God for the opportunity that these children will have to grow up and be healthy. To read more about these kids and watch some pretty cool videos, head on over to the PLC blog.
7.27.2009
A letter to my son
Dear Haydn,
This is the first of many letters I’m sure I will write you over your lifetime. I can’t wait to meet you and hold you and see your sweet face. Right now you are 24 weeks old and growing more everyday it seems. I can feel you kicking me all the time and the other night you got the hiccups and I could feel it for the first time. Last night Daddy could feel where your head and feet were. Your kicks are getting stronger so I think you are going to be a pretty strong little boy. I didn’t know it was possible to love someone so much that I’ve never met, but mommy and daddy love you so much already.
You know, from the first few months of pregnancy I knew that you were going to be a little boy! I hope you can hear it at night when we pray for you and sing to you, that is one of my favorite parts of the day. I want you to know what a special blessing from God you are. We were so surprised by you and you have already proven yourself to be quite a fighter. We know that God has special plans for your life and we have told God from the beginning that your life belongs to Him.
We have been praying that you would know and love God from an early age and that you would be a joyful baby. We are praying for the boy and man that you will become and believe God’s great love to cover and mark your life. We are praying that you will grow to love God’s glory among the nations and praying for your first friends who will likely be our Kurdish neighbors. We are praying that God will give you a heart of compassion and passion for other people, especially people who need mercy and justice the most.
Haydn, I know we will make a lot of mistakes in your lifetime, but we are so thankful that God has called us to be your parents and to take care of you. We promise to love you, provide for you, and commit our family to God. You are doing somersaults in my tummy right now. =) I love you Haydn Walker Priour and I can’t wait to be your mommy.
Love,
Mom
This is the first of many letters I’m sure I will write you over your lifetime. I can’t wait to meet you and hold you and see your sweet face. Right now you are 24 weeks old and growing more everyday it seems. I can feel you kicking me all the time and the other night you got the hiccups and I could feel it for the first time. Last night Daddy could feel where your head and feet were. Your kicks are getting stronger so I think you are going to be a pretty strong little boy. I didn’t know it was possible to love someone so much that I’ve never met, but mommy and daddy love you so much already.
You know, from the first few months of pregnancy I knew that you were going to be a little boy! I hope you can hear it at night when we pray for you and sing to you, that is one of my favorite parts of the day. I want you to know what a special blessing from God you are. We were so surprised by you and you have already proven yourself to be quite a fighter. We know that God has special plans for your life and we have told God from the beginning that your life belongs to Him.
We have been praying that you would know and love God from an early age and that you would be a joyful baby. We are praying for the boy and man that you will become and believe God’s great love to cover and mark your life. We are praying that you will grow to love God’s glory among the nations and praying for your first friends who will likely be our Kurdish neighbors. We are praying that God will give you a heart of compassion and passion for other people, especially people who need mercy and justice the most.
Haydn, I know we will make a lot of mistakes in your lifetime, but we are so thankful that God has called us to be your parents and to take care of you. We promise to love you, provide for you, and commit our family to God. You are doing somersaults in my tummy right now. =) I love you Haydn Walker Priour and I can’t wait to be your mommy.
Love,
Mom
7.20.2009
Baby Daryan
We are sending 4 children to Turkey tomorrow for heart surgery. We are hoping to send one more, but are waiting for all of their documents to be in place before we can send them. Please be praying for these children and their families. We are sending one baby, baby Daryan. He is 4 months old but still looks like a newborn. He has several very complicated heart problems.
Our doctor in Turkey isn’t even sure that he will be able to operate but the best chance this baby has is to get to Turkey so the doctor can see what can be done to help him. These will be difficult weeks ahead for these families. We pray that the grace of God would rest heavily on them and that they would KNOW the peace of Christ, which surpasses all understanding. You can be checking PLC’s blog for more updates on these kids as they arrive in Turkey and are scheduled for surgery. Thank you for your prayers!
Our doctor in Turkey isn’t even sure that he will be able to operate but the best chance this baby has is to get to Turkey so the doctor can see what can be done to help him. These will be difficult weeks ahead for these families. We pray that the grace of God would rest heavily on them and that they would KNOW the peace of Christ, which surpasses all understanding. You can be checking PLC’s blog for more updates on these kids as they arrive in Turkey and are scheduled for surgery. Thank you for your prayers!
7.19.2009
Banquet
Last Friday we had a big party for all of the kids who have received heart surgery this year. It was great to see these kids running and playing and having fun. It was also great to spend time with these families who we have gotten close to as we have spent time in their homes with them and their children. Here are some pictures of the occasion.
the girls next to me and Abby both had surgery this year and the girl on the end (to the right) was inoperable. Please join us in continuing to pray for her!
This is the family of Heran. She is the taller girl in the gold dress. She had surgery in May and is doing much better! Her family has really welcomed me into their home - in fact I can't go there without them feeding me, no matter what time of day it is!
Here are all the girls in our Cili Kurdis - this is the special Kurdish dresses that women wear for picnics, weddings and other special occasions.
Here is Jeff with the Dad of one of the kids we sent in February, his son Zana is doing great! Jeff plays soccer with him every time we go to their house.
the girls next to me and Abby both had surgery this year and the girl on the end (to the right) was inoperable. Please join us in continuing to pray for her!
This is the family of Heran. She is the taller girl in the gold dress. She had surgery in May and is doing much better! Her family has really welcomed me into their home - in fact I can't go there without them feeding me, no matter what time of day it is!
Here are all the girls in our Cili Kurdis - this is the special Kurdish dresses that women wear for picnics, weddings and other special occasions.
Here is Jeff with the Dad of one of the kids we sent in February, his son Zana is doing great! Jeff plays soccer with him every time we go to their house.
7.06.2009
Randomness of Late
• It is pretty stinkin hot here, I wish everyone would quit telling me how it is only going to get worse…. I can only imagine.
• The internship is wrapping up, they only have 3 weeks left – I can’t believe it. The interns have really done some great work though; we have been so blessed to have them here.
• Our friends from Waco are coming to visit next weekend! We are so excited!
• PLC’s annual banquet for the children who received surgery this year is coming up next week. It is great to see these kids enjoying childhood like they are supposed to.
• Iraq’s Presidential elections are coming up on July 27th – it is pretty crazy here, I’ve never seen anything like it. You can’t go out at night without seeing vehicles covered in flags and political paraphernalia with people hanging out of the windows screaming things. Everyone seems pretty excited about it.
• The most exciting thing for me lately is that I can feel the baby moving a lot more these days. It is pretty amazing to watch my stomach move and for Jeff to put his hands on my belly and feel our baby’s little kicks and punches. Right now it is really cute, I hear it starts hurting later.
• We are going on vacation in a month! I’m so excited! The last few months here have been really productive, but I think we are both pretty desperate for a break and are looking forward to our first time getting out of the country since we moved here in January.
• I’m getting huger by the moment it seems. Here is the most recent belly picture – taken yesterday at the beginning of week 22. Notice my wedding rings are around my neck on a chain that Jeff got for me, I was kind of sad when I couldn’t wear them anymore.
• PLC just launched a memorial fund for Shad Farydoon Hama to fund infant surgeries. We are realizing more and more the dire importance of these kids who are born with heart defects receiving surgery in infancy while they still stand a chance. During our staff meeting Sunday a family came to our office with their 3-month-old infant who looked like a preemie because he was so underweight and small due to his complicated heart problems. There are countless babies just like this one who desperately need surgery. You can go HERE to read more about how you can help send one of these babies to surgery.
• Pregnancy really does make you stupider and clumsier. In the last 2 weeks I’ve slammed my fingers in a door, burned my arm trying to light the stove, burned my hands taking a dish out of the oven, burned my fingers pouring boiling water, and forgot what shoes I wore to someone’s house. I miss my mind… does it return after the baby?
• The internship is wrapping up, they only have 3 weeks left – I can’t believe it. The interns have really done some great work though; we have been so blessed to have them here.
• Our friends from Waco are coming to visit next weekend! We are so excited!
• PLC’s annual banquet for the children who received surgery this year is coming up next week. It is great to see these kids enjoying childhood like they are supposed to.
• Iraq’s Presidential elections are coming up on July 27th – it is pretty crazy here, I’ve never seen anything like it. You can’t go out at night without seeing vehicles covered in flags and political paraphernalia with people hanging out of the windows screaming things. Everyone seems pretty excited about it.
• The most exciting thing for me lately is that I can feel the baby moving a lot more these days. It is pretty amazing to watch my stomach move and for Jeff to put his hands on my belly and feel our baby’s little kicks and punches. Right now it is really cute, I hear it starts hurting later.
• We are going on vacation in a month! I’m so excited! The last few months here have been really productive, but I think we are both pretty desperate for a break and are looking forward to our first time getting out of the country since we moved here in January.
• I’m getting huger by the moment it seems. Here is the most recent belly picture – taken yesterday at the beginning of week 22. Notice my wedding rings are around my neck on a chain that Jeff got for me, I was kind of sad when I couldn’t wear them anymore.
• PLC just launched a memorial fund for Shad Farydoon Hama to fund infant surgeries. We are realizing more and more the dire importance of these kids who are born with heart defects receiving surgery in infancy while they still stand a chance. During our staff meeting Sunday a family came to our office with their 3-month-old infant who looked like a preemie because he was so underweight and small due to his complicated heart problems. There are countless babies just like this one who desperately need surgery. You can go HERE to read more about how you can help send one of these babies to surgery.
• Pregnancy really does make you stupider and clumsier. In the last 2 weeks I’ve slammed my fingers in a door, burned my arm trying to light the stove, burned my hands taking a dish out of the oven, burned my fingers pouring boiling water, and forgot what shoes I wore to someone’s house. I miss my mind… does it return after the baby?
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