New Baby Photo!

We had a really nice appointment with a friend’s OB. Baby Girl Johnson is healthy and gaining weight and remains determined to be a bit bashful. Both ultrasounds have shown her with her hand up by her face as you can see in the photo. It was really fun to have the 3D ultrasound as part of a routine check-up. We’re thrilled to have seen a good view of this little face for the first time! Of course, if Andy doesn't stop saying that she looks like she's made out of Play Dough in the picture, Drew is going to be really dissappointed when she arrives.

Island Tour

Since the weather has been unseasonably warm and sunny, we decided to pretend it was summer on Saturday and head out to the Prince Islands just off the coast of Istanbul. They are a popular vacation spot for locals and tourists alike in the summer, and on warm days in the winter, they appear to be a popular with hikers. The local ferry system runs a line from our local pier that stops at the four largest islands. We had a fun ferry ride out in the morning, and enjoyed comparing each of the islands from the window. The last stop is at the largest of the three, named The Big Island.

We only had about two hours on the island, but we had a really delightful visit… and since most things were closed for the off season, we felt like the time was just fine. We took a horse drawn carriage ride to tour the island. There are no private vehicles on the island, the roads are clear for horse carriages and bicycles. We gawked through town at the Victorian villas and modern palatial summer homes with terraced lawns and landscaped grounds. Then the carriage turned up through the center of the island where a national park preserves acres of pine forest and a wonderful view of the islands and the mainland coast. At a rest stop at the top of the hill, Drew got to “ride” one of the horses- he is going to be talking about it for days!

We had time for a brief lunch right on the Marmara. The view was better than the food, but we were able to eat and make the ferry on time, and that was important so that we could get Drew down for a nap. Drew had great fun on the back of the ferry boat watching people feed the seagulls and watching the wake of the boat. We would especially recommend the trip in the summer, but it was great to get out for the fresh air and green space.

All Things Drew

Well, every now and then we need to have a little update for the grandparents, and other Drew fans! Drew is getting a lot of head rubs…I hope he will manage to still have hair when we leave. Anyone on the street may stroke his hair and say “Mash-Allah” (meaning something like - Allah is generous)… which is really just code for “You are so cute!” but they don’t want the evil spirits to get jealous and come after the child, so they praise Allah instead.

Drew is also getting a lot of credit for being Turkish. His love for Ayran (the salty yoghurt drink) wins big points. His pronunciation of the English word “kitty” sounds far more like the Turkish version, “Kedi,” and there are lots of the little furry guys around, so many people get to share in Drew’s delight in spotting (and chasing) them!


We also get lots of input into Drew’s care on the street. Today Andy was managing Drew, the stroller and some shopping bags on the bus. A well meaning woman wagged her finger at him for not holding onto Drew tightly enough, then scooped him up onto her lap until the ride was over. Later, despite the fact that it was in the high 50s, several grandmothers stopped and put Drew’s hood on, and told us that it was too cold for him to be without it. Never mind that the poor kid was sweating from running his little legs off because pushing his own stroller is a great thrill.

Happily Drew is also learning real truth here in Turkey. We are so thankful for his attachment to his Big Picture Story Bible. The fact that he sometimes throws a temper tantrum when we will not read more to him is irony that is currently lost on him. But I am really excited by some of the little connections he is making. The first story, of course, is that of creation. While Drew has not been able to put together the two word answer “All Things” to the question, “What did God make?” he will quickly and excitedly tell you “moon” – which is a true answer if not complete! But my favorite moment today was when we were reading again that God gave Adam and Eve good words to obey, and that they were to obey because God is king. Drew looked up and me and said, “No bite,” and just went back to looking at the book. I was so excited. Drew is having a very hard time with obedience in that area, and it was exciting to hear that he understands part of our discipline and other instruction. We pray that God will be at work in Drew’s heart, that he will soon desire to obey God, and will live out his design to glorify and enjoy his maker.

Come Drink Tea

We are so grateful to God for our neighbor – I’ll call her Zsa Zsa. She has been so friendly since the day we moved into this apartment. She is always peeking out into the hallway as we come home – we’re hard to miss as we encourage Drew to climb the steps - and she often slips Drew a pair of new socks, or a toy, or a sucker. Andy has been working on polite conversation with his tutor, so today we went to Zsa Zsa’s door and invited her to come and drink tea with us… and she said yes!!! Now this would be a very regular occurrence in other parts of the country, but in more cosmopolitan Istanbul, friends had told us to expect neighbors to be aloof and hurried. We are so glad to have met someone so kind and warm. We had a lovely time over tea. Andy made wonderful conversation and she was gracious to speak slowly and use small words. Pray that we can continue to nurture this relationship and that Andy’s studies will provide him the language abilities to talk with her more. We also hope to introduce her to some of our other friends, so pray that those will be spiritually fruitful relationships!

Turkish Breakfast - Yummy!

In celebration of a full week of study, I made Andy a Turkish breakfast this morning. One of my goals is to learn a little Turkish cooking while I'm here, so it was a study morning for me. The goal, a sort of cheese lasagna that we have purchased before in bakeries as a tasty breakfast treat. Translated, its name is water pastry, but don't let the title dissuade you from the cheese laden dish. With the help of two English language Turkish cookbooks - both of which tend to leave out some pertinent information that the other can often supply - and the prepared pasta sheets from the market (see last post) we had a very fine meal! I look forward to being able to make it in the States, though I'll probably have to make my own pasta there, so this will be an occasional treat when we get home.

Andy's lessons continue to go well. He has successfully purchased cell phones- at a great price, and discovered a new tea house where he can study and chat with people. It has been hard in a lot of places to find people who have time to chat, so that is a really great find! We had the joy of spending an evening with Ronna and Robert and their 4 girls in their home over dinner last night. It was wonderful to pray together for our family and our own specific concerns as well.

Out the Door, Into the Market

Well if getting out and going shopping is difficult for you, move to a building surrounded by a market once a week! This morning the tents went up, the trucks rolled in and by 9 AM things were really hopping in front of our apartment building. We had a fun morning out, the picture only shows the small section near our house, Andy and Drew are standing at our gate, but the market winds around for a total of about 8 city blocks of tented tables carrying everything from farm fresh eggs to wool socks to vacuum cleaner parts. We bought a steamer basket for veggies, a woven wicker tray and a week's worth of veggies and fruit. We also bought two sheets of a bread that you might liken to a raw tortilla... that is used to make a breakfast food kind of like a cheese only lasagna... an update later on how the baking goes. Drew and I looked around and Andy did the negotiating and purchasing. It was fun to be out as a family, and Andy learned a ton of food vocabulary and money slang.

This evening, we had a wonderful dinner with our friends Zane, Catherine, Charlotte and Greg. Drew is struggling to grasp that Uncle Zane is one name. So far Zane is "Uncle" and Charlotte is "Zane." Greg won big Drew points playing ball, and Aunt Catherine introduced a very excited boy to the fish on the television station that just plays music. We are so thankful to be here in a city with so many friends. We also had dinner with Peter and Missy earlier this week, and I had a long lunch with Hope yesterday. We pray that we can be an encouragement and blessing to these dear ones, as they have been to us!

Ephesus

We had a fun weekend excursion to Izmir and ancient Ephesus on Friday and Saturday. We were able to stay with sweet friends from home, Darrin and Christina Donovan, in the port city of Izmir on Friday night. We had a lovely time meeting their baby Justice, in fact Drew is still asking to see Justice and to play with his soccer ball! Many thanks for making room for all of us friends!

We would have waited for a visit until my parents had left, but just down the road from Izmir are some of the most incredible remains of the ancient world! Going to Ephesus is really impressive! I hope the pictures do a little bit of justice to the place, though I would recommend looking up some professional shots online if you’d like to see more.

The 25,000 seat theatre you see in the first photo is where the people of Ephesus rioted against Paul. The library in the next photo was built after his time, and has been reconstructed out of the ruble as an example of what the city was once like. There were also incredible mosaics, homes, public baths and beautiful marble roads. Drew saw it all from behind his stroller – which he insisted on pushing through the entire city. Thankfully he was willing to accept a little help on the streets that aren’t as smooth as they were 2000 years ago or so.

Last Thursday

Sorry to be so long in writing, but we'll catch up here on the last few fun-filled days! Thursday was a fun day of touring with mom and dad for me, while Andy and Drew got to know the neighborhood a little better. We were all grateful to finally see the sunshine, but not as grateful as the people of Istanbul who hadn’t seen the sun in three weeks! You can see Mom and Dad here at the gate to Topkapi Palace, where the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire ruled.



We were properly impressed, as I’m sure was the intended effect! The tour included seeing the private living quarters of the sultans’ families - called the Harem, the public reception rooms, a collection of items from the royal treasury and the sultans’ collection of artifacts from Mecca, Medina and personal effects of the prophet Mohamed. It was certainly a place of power and intrigue - fratricide was a common part of determining ascension to the throne, and the Valide Sultan, the mother of the reigning sultan ruled the Harem, including which of the ladies of the Harem would see the Sultan...



In the evening, we were able to take Mom and Dad to one of our favorite restaurants in Istanbul, pronounced Chi-ya, to celebrate Andy’s birthday together. The food was excellent, and we were glad to finally have some lavash – a yummy bread that arrives at your table puffed up with steam fresh from the oven. Today, Jan. 12 is Andy’s actual birthday – Happy Birthday Sweetie!

Our New Place

We are so glad to be settled into our new apartment. The guest house we have rented is so nicely appointed, we even have a dishwasher and washer/dryer in the unit, which is more than my poor sister in Philly can say! Drew loves running up and down the long hallway that connects the rooms together and checking in on what everyone is up to and he has lots of room to play in the living room/dining room. There were even toys here – what an unexpected help!
Today we took it slow after a long night of baby jet lag. Our prayer tonight is that Drew would sleep well – for everyone’s sake. We are so pleased that Andy’s first language lesson went really well – and I was glad that my first foray into marketing and making dinner, including spaghetti sauce from scratch, ended with a tasty meal. We are also really thankful for a neighbor who brought us dessert. We pray that as Andy becomes more conversant we will be able to get to know her more!

Children Adapt Quickly

Ayran is an acquired taste.... or so I thought until we offered some to Drew. Last night we had some at a restaurant to introduce my parents to the drink that my husband has called: salty buttermilk, cottage cheese juice, and better than fermented horse's milk. I can't say that I have developed an enjoyment of it, but Andy occasionally has some, and since all the kids we know here love it, we offered some to Drew. He could not get enough! He was really sad when the straw made that last gurgle slurping noise at the bottom of the cup. Today we put some in his sippy and he literally chugged the whole thing, then asked for more. But that seems to be in line with Drew's general reaction to Turkey. He loves the tram, the trolley, the boats, the taxis - it's like we've been living Richard Scarry's "Things That Go" book out on a daily basis! And of course, his Mimi and Bomp are here, so life is really good for Drew!
Tomorrow we move our apartment on the Asian side, and Andy begins his language study in earnest on Wednesday. Pray that we will fall into a good routine quickly that will serve his learning goals and bring glory to the Father as we seek to love and serve one another.

Arrival in Istanbul

We enjoyed our first full day in Istanbul! The weather is cold and wet, but we were really glad to get out and moving and try to walk off our jet lag today. We are staying in a fun little suites hotel in Sultanahmet, the neighborhood with most of the major attractions in Istanbul for the next few nights until our apartment is ready on the Asian side of the city. It was just a short walk up the hill to tour the Blue Mosque, The Hippodrome and the Aya Sofya this morning. We are so blessed to have Lee and Lynn Riggs with us for the first ten days of our stay. They have been so helpful in caring for Drew already! And Andy loves to be the tour guide, so we hope to give them the full tour of Istanbul, rather than just the highlights we usually have time for on smaller trips. Maybe by tomorrow Drew will be the only one taking an afternoon nap, but that will depend on whether he sleeps through the night, or needs a playdate at midnight again.

Drew's Baby Sister!

We are so excited to share our big news with you! Our ultrasound on Tuesday revealed that Drew is going to have a little sister to play with in a few more months, Lord willing! God has truly intended to create us male and female. We are amazed that while we were excited to be expecting a baby, it has been even more real and exciting knowing that he is knitting together a little girl to be part of our family. Look how she's already posing with her little hand up by her face for the picture. We pray that we can prepare Drew well to be a big brother, and that we will have wisdom to prepare our own hearts to raise a girl into womanhood.