Curry and Scones

Raja's Home Video #1

2008-03-24T00:03:00.003-05:00

Well....(deep subject, ain't it), here is our feeble attempt to create a compilation of raja's videos from the cradle (Hammock) to the crawl (All over the house) - It wasn't the best tool that we used, but we sure had fun setting it to the tune of 'Kholo Kholo' from तारे ज़मीन पर । Incidentally, some of the sequences match the words of the songs and we take full credit for it.
Kids, don't try this at home (at least not on a windows pc, mac preferred)

Burke Look-alike Meter

2008-02-10T14:22:00.001-05:00

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

Raja Look-alike Meter

2008-02-09T22:39:00.001-05:00

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Family history - Family pics

Playing Catch-up

2008-01-07T17:37:00.003-05:00

August - October

So, where were we? Last time in October writing, but pictures from July! Please forgive! We will now fly through three months in this entry! Fasten your seatbelts!

Raja, ever becoming more and more playful, daily surprising us with his antics, will show you now himself!

He's loves when mommy plays the piano and she leaves it open so his little fingers can reach the keyboard during the day - ah, to be serenaded!

We took our new (used) van on a roadtrip to Atlanta and our friends Praveen and Preethi accompanied us. We all stayed at Andre's beautiful apartment and enjoyed some natural wonders around Atlanta. One little trip was to some mountains and waterfalls (some long Indian name I can't pronounce let alone spell!). So, see............!!!!!!!!!

Aren't they beautiful? Then Andre took pictures of baby Raja, then the rest of us, shoes off, jeans rolled up, wading in a stream...

Another treat, while in Atlanta, was spending the night and attending church with some friends from Bangalore. I met Subu at our friends, Vikram and Misty's wedding in Oct. '05. The boys all played well together. Here we are..

Back home, mommy had fun making floral projects for us and friends and neighbors, here's a sampling...

And to finish off our Indian summer (no pun intended), here's the first fruit of our okra harvest (boy, we sure planted a huge variety of vegetables, well, no...)

Until can find a couple of pictures, Raja had a wonderful 1st birthday here in the USA. The theme was "Lion King" (his name, David Raja "king"!). Our church let us use their youth center, which was perfect for our 50-70 guests (can't remember exact figures). One room has pool tables, etc... so the older kids (and some adults!) enjoyed that. We had a catered Indian lunch plus Derick's famous tandoori chicken (even Grandma commented, "I'd rather have another drumstick than a piece of cake!"). Streamers, balloons, goody bags for the kids, face-painting "lions" on the kids and a lion puppet craft made for a fun, memorable time for all. Raja had started walking a week before, so he was sprinting around on his new-found legs. Thanks, again, one and all who came and/or helped. We love you!

So, look forward to a blog near you, filled with scenes and stories from Raja's 1st trip to India. Otherwise, who knows, maybe a comment or two thrown in by mommy or dada Leonard.

We should write more often...

2007-10-14T16:01:00.000-05:00

As I read other blogging friends and relatives, I get inspired, challenged, blessed and humored. I blame being a perfectionist the reason you don't see more of our blogs. Or getting stuck in a rut, too. Let's change that. No promises as to inspirational, challenging or even humorous entries REGULARLY, but an attempt is just now being made. An apology to those who check here often only to be met with month-old entries at best(worse than day-old bread!).

Enough said. Excuses...

So, what shall we talk about?

Raja

Okay. He's high on my list! He turns a year old on 23rd of October. I'm already feeling nostalgic about him getting older and out of baby-hood. Every day is filled with new awarenesses and discoveries for him and us.

One day last week it happened in threes... First, he discovered his legs float in water while in the bathtub. The first time he lifted them together, he fell backwards. But he tried it 2 or 3 times more for fun. Second, he found that if he pinches his nose closed, his voice alters when saying his name...Ra-da...and third, he grouped all the drinking straws he could find under the dining room table. When I looked underneath, he was tooting happily with three straws in his mouth....wow!

He started walking this weekend. Yesterday he took 16 consecutive steps. And today? More (couldn't count).

We're busy planning his 1st birthday party on the 20th and packing for our trip to India. We'll be gone 5th November through 5th December. Hopefully we'll keep you posted..

Grandpa and Grandma Burke moved down to Jacksonville from Kansas two or so weeks ago. Dad flew out and brought them back while two of my brothers drove the moving van. My third brother, Tim, challenged his older brothers to drive straight from Kansas to Florida without stopping (you know). I mean, he tried it from Florida to Seattle, so what's the big deal? Always up for a challenge, Nate and John had the goal to reach mom and dad's house before dad reached home from the airport with the folks. AND they did it! Even Derick, Raja and I got there to give them the grand welcome! Thankfully, they are moved into their new place and are settling in. It's so wonderful to have more family nearby. Now, if only John and Tim would move back too. :-)

Our Indian bible study started up again due to requests from our friends. They asked Derick for an overview of the bible, so we started in Genesis with, "In the beginning...God.." It's very exciting to see their hunger for the word of God and the joy-filled fellowship. Pray for our group. Pray also for Derick's daily encounters with co-workers and mine with neighbors that we would authentically live our faith and encourage the hurting.

Okay, that's our news.

No pictures (except in words) this time.

-Sarah, for all the Leonards

July Days

2007-09-12T03:02:00.000-05:00

July...what fun!

Did somebody say we're packing? I'm ready!!!......................

What better way to start off then a birthday party? Uncle Nate's family was in Slovakia for the summer, so we took him to our favorite Mexican restaurant: La Napolera....cheap and good! Love the sombrero!
Nani-ma, Uncle Nate, me and mama... oh, and the cake...I think I'll kick it (it's round like a ball..)Nani says, "No, don't kick that."Uncle Nate says, "Eat your toes instead."
What to do? You can't kick your cake and have it to! Oh well...

So, that was July 2nd. On July 4th we made a surprise stop-over in Orlando to visit friends of Daddy's. Elvino, Preeti and Ethan. We went to their hotel in Disney and hung out all day. It was my first time in a swimming pool. Kicking!!!Delighted!!!

VACATION TIME!!!!!

We went to Burnsville, NC where dada and mama had their honeymoon! A friend from church lent us their cabin. It's in Mountain Air Country Club on top of a mountain (everything is mountain in NC!). The weather was pristine - not hot and humid like Florida! Here we are: I learned to crawl up stairs, throw and chase golf balls (indoors, not on the green!), and pull electrical cords. Mama and dada were always on the lookout for me!We swam at the pool, sat in the hot tub, I watched kids playing ping pong, air hockey and mama and dada play pool. We watched Toy Story II and Monk, ate out on the deck, went to a nature center, even had breakfast at the restaurant there. We took walks and rides on the golf trails, watched small planes take off and land, swung, sang, and entertained countless people!

A big highlight was our friends, Nag, Sheela, Anesh, Vikram, Misty (baby to be), and Vikram's mom visit us. Aunty loved me!Can hardly wait to meet baby Johanna!!!!!!!!

Vikram had a birthday, so we celebrated with a pistachio cake and wild flowers!

Here's Sheela feeding Anesh...

And other photos of Nag, Sheela and Anesh Sheela (and Misty)Anesh! You are one cute kid!

A highlight for all of us was to hear Vikram and Derick "jam"! They both played together in a band in college, then at each other's weddings! Simply wonderful.. maybe an album one day? (hint,hint!)

One night we drove into Asheville and met our friends, Daniel, Lynne, Adam, Sarah, and Dillan Pearson! They are from our church in Jacksonville and moved away after Dillan was born. We had a nice meal and time at the their house. I loved watching everyone try the hool-a-hoop! that's us in their backyard! Lynne and kids came up to our cabin one afternoon. Swimming, etc.. FUN!

We tried our hands (or clubs) at golf one day. I decided not to chase golfballs, just watch.too much fun!

Our last day we went into Burnsville to mama's favorite shop: D.K. Puttyroot. It's a card/handmade papers/calligraphy and tea shop. We ate in the Indian room (they have an Oriental and African room, too). Then we walked around downtown. Lots of the buildings had murals...

this must be the "yellow brick road"

We will never forget the beautiful sunrises and sunsets viewed from our deck. Amma and Misty were both inspired to paint watercolors of them (paintings not included here..)

See God's brushstrokes of color across the sky! Praise His matchless Name!!!

Well, as all good blogs must come to an end, let me leave you with some child-like wonder:

Raja, you make flowers seem more beautiful!!!

Laughter squealing..
golf balls racing across hardwood floors, walker whizzing across the deck, bits of red flowers picked and strewn, splashing and watching water fall, crawling on restaurant floors, discovering first book (on dinosaurs), countless attempts on climbing stairs, making friends with that endless smile, and giving parents a reason to sell the small car for a van (that's later...)

God is good. His big (mountains) creations and small (babies) never cease to give us wonder and a reason to praise Him.

You all have a wonder-full day and we'll be back real soon!

Derick, Sarah and baby Raja

June Bug!

2007-07-30T10:29:00.000-05:00

June Bug!...RAJA

...life is good...... just me a'smilin'......living in the hood with dad...and......grasping for...

...leaves.

It's June after all, and I love being out in nature...

My backyard is so great, I even bring my visitors here...

...and we admire flowers...

...I match in my pink dress!

I also eat in the backyard (no, not leaves and dirt...yet!)

Two close friends came to visit me. Satish and Pastor Valdex!

After many attempts at convincing, my parents finally took me to the beach. Grandma Burke made me my own sun hat, it's a little big yet! I didn't get in the water, but got to crawl on the sand. Dada carried me in a pouch, too. It was a beautiful day!

Come back in July, I've gots lots to show you! (hint: our vacation!)

Hope you are all having a great summer! Come down to Florida (Jacksonville) and visit me anytime! We love guests! I entertain!!!

Love in Jesus,

David Raja Leonard

2007-06-11T21:37:00.000-05:00

Raja's Monthly Memories

Aprilवी May...

this is me and my smile/laugh... I'm generally happy thus making everyone else happy too... (expect when I have fever because I'm teething...)

April started off with Palm Sunday and the next week is Easter. For us, it is a major time for celebrating the death and resurrection of our saviour, Jesus the Son of God. In the Old Testament we're told the story of how Abraham was asked of God to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. This was a test of Abraham's devotion to God who said this was the son of promise through whom he would be blessed (the whole Jewish nation was to come from his seed). But Abraham believed God could resurrect the dead (although he had never seen it), so with an open heart he was willing to give back to God what God had given him in his old age... a son. Just as he lifted the knife to sacrifice his son, God called from heaven to stop, He had a provision (a lamb was nearby). God saw Abraham's faith and blessed him. Isaac, his son, lived and had two of his own sons and from Jacob had twelve more (the twelve tribes of Israel were birthed) and later King David, and Jesus Christ (who's father was God). Abraham's sacrifice pointed to God's very own sacrifice of His one and only Son. The lamb that was the provision for Abraham pointed to the spotless Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.

Palm Sunday is the time when Jesus was entering Jerusalem on His way to be sacrificed. Good Friday (Friday after Palm Sunday) is the day He was crucified. Easter is the next Sunday when Jesus rose from the dead. The book of John says, "Because He lives, we shall also live." Jesus has ascended into heaven and is waiting till all who believe in Him, will, and He will come back and receive us as His bride (He is our bridegroom). There is no greater joy for a follower of Christ to know one day we will see His face, His nail-pierced hands and feet from hanging on the cross and dying in our place. Through His death and resurrection He has conquered sin and death - the works of the devil. He has secured our place in heaven with Himself forever. And when He returns, it will be as a triumphant warrior who will claim all whom He fought for. That gives me pause and all my life I want to sing as loud as possible, "Hallelujah...and He shall reign forever and ever!!!!!" (Handel's Messiah).

How does the fact Jesus died and rose again affect my life today? When I see the works of the devil and selfishness of men I wonder why "God so loved the world He gave His only Son"...? We know our own hearts and we know we don't deserve this amazing love and forgiveness of our sins. The provision for our sins did not come without a price as you read before. Sin kills. It even kills the Son of God. But, that's not the end of the story. God does resurrect the dead. And just as Jesus lives again, he can resurrect our shattered lives, too. How? You don't need to know allot about the Bible, but you must believe Jesus to be the One to rescue you from your sins. He understands you, He will listen. He made you and you will never know Love till you see Him. How? Realize you have been trying to live life your own way and you know it's not right. You have nowhere else to turn but to look up. Look up and say, "Jesus, if you are who you say you are, the very Son of God, and if you died for my sin so I won't have to suffer all it's consequences. Then, I give you my life. I sacrifice all my rights to myself and my dreams like Abraham did and accept your provision, Jesus. Come into my heart, you are now Lord of my life. I will do whatever you ask me. For you love me so much and I can't stop praising you! Thank you, Jesus, thank you." If this is your prayer, get a Bible and read all about your Saviour. If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask. But, a gift Jesus will give you when you call out to Him is his Holy Spirit. He will come into your heart and you will be taught how to love Jesus and love those things Jesus loves. It is an exciting adventure when you know you will never again be alone and He is coming back to receive you too! Let us know all about it!!!!

this is me and papa on Palm Sundaymama and me, same dayditto....

papa and me...

Papa got a video/camera, so he and mama are happily taking pictures and videos of me. Perhaps dadda will share some videos with you on the next blog. For now, just imagine me laughing and moving around!!!

yeah, you'll have to imagine me moving around, cause I'm not here...
here I'm moving and grooving and...
yep, "reading" a book...

We've done lots of outings, too. We have a little park nearby that we walk to. Mama calls it Jasmine park because it grows there. See...!!!

We स्विंग there too... and sit in trees with cousin, Barbora...see!

April 17th was papa's big day - his birthday! I helped mama pick out a chocolate-chip cookie cake and helium balloon with Tow-Matur from the animated film, Cars, on it. Last year, mama threw a big surprise party for papa, so this year was just family and we met at our favorite family hang out - La Napolera Mexican restaurant. Even Uncle Timmy was there from Seattle! Wish I could show you pictures of it, but mama forgot the camera... oh well, here's me and papa hanging out!

who's cuter?!!!

My friend, Pervez, came home and offered to take me on a motorcycle ride. We didn't go far, just our driveway, but it sure was fun!!

And then Grandma and Grandpa, cousin Barbora, mama and dadda and I went to the beach. It was a wierd day. There were lots of forest fires nearby, so the air was smoky and the sky, hazy...

So closes April and May! See you all in June!!!

Love,

David Raja

Raja's Monthly Memories

2007-06-01T23:08:00.000-05:00

February

ऎंड

March

Time is flying (in the shape of a crow or a parrot?). Well, mommy wants to speed these entries up because I'm full of new surprises everyday and she doesn't want to miss them! February and March were busy times as we helped prepare Maria and Kaleem to go back to India. Shopping, packing, weighing bags, re-packing, re-weighing bags... Yeah...Plus we tried to have many friends over to greet them and of course taste chef Maria's dishes... Here's a couple shots...

this is me and Alba.............. dada, mommy, Maria, Rajsekhar and his
wife, Kaleem and me.....

I just love my dada. I also love his toys....computer, cell phone, t.v., fax machine...if it beeps, gives off shiny lights I love it! So, although you may think I'm helping dada work, I'm really waiting my turn to pound on the keyboard...
don't I look mischevious?

Mommy and Maria had fun taking my photo, I even wore my teddy's bears suit...

I think my head is bigger than my teddy bear's, but couldn't you just squeeze and cuddle me? :-)

One of the biggest highlights this month is that Great-grandma McKissick came to visit me all the way from Kansas!! She thinks I am so cute! I haven't been to Kansas yet, but I can hardly wait to meet more cousins and relatives when I do. Mommy grew up there.

Daddy grew up in India and I'm planning on meeting my other grandparents, cousins and relatives the end of this year! I will keep you posted!

Mommy always feeds me breakfast outside in our backyard. My favorite food is raggi (red millet) and baby tea (thanks, Aunt Juli). After I eat, then we get to swing on the hammock.

One day I surprised everyone (technically I can't crawl) by climbing up the hammock fast as a circus monkey! It kinda scared me too, so ever since I'm just happy to sit on mom's lap. Hey, know what I'm looking at in this photo? Besides some tall grasses, we have tall yellow flowers back here. I pick the blossoms and give them to mommy? Aren't I a sweet boy? Isn't Maria strong?

Well, we said goodbye to Aunty Maria on 20th March. I won't tell you who cried most (well, I really don't know). But I want to thank you, Maria, for being a light in my young life. You give nice baths. Marie biscuits are named after you! That Dodge Magnum car still plays great! Nobody can put me to sleep quite as well as you. You sing beautifully and love me so much. Mommy and daddy appreciate all you did so self-lessly and with such joy. We pray God grants the desires of your heart and you fill others lives with much happiness and care as you did ours. We love you!

Kaleem left April 3rd. So, now, after a year we live as a small family unit. We miss all the activity, but we're adjusting. Mommy and daddy are doing their best to love and care for me. I'm happy mostly and love meeting neighbors, friends, family and anyone else who smiles at me. I haven't met a stranger yet. Are you smiling? OK, you're my friend, too!

We'll meet up again in April. (Weird how the calender says June and I'm saying April...)

God be with you till we meet again.

David Raja

Raja's Monthly Memories:

2007-05-26T01:27:00.000-05:00

January

The weather is still chilly, so you will always see me in a hat and with gloves! This cute hat was from Aunt Juliana from Slovakia!

Well, here's me in my red-neck hat! Don't I look grown up?

This is my Amma and Dada on mommy's birthday! I stayed home with Aunty Maria while they went out to eat at Biscotti's. Don't they look festive? Two days later, we had a huge birthday party at home. I was told it was a grand slam: food, Tamil movie on the big screen, the house decked with saris (thanks, Kaleem). Well, I helped celebrate by sleeping all the while in my swing! But, I heard it was a big hit. In fact, they all loved the big screen movie so much, the sheet is still on the wall!

Oh, I forgot to introduce you to Kaleem! He's a friend of Maria's who came and stayed with us for three months. I learned Hindi songs and ate (vicariously) scrumptuos biryani and stuffed parathas... Kaleem worked for Uncle Nate at Outdoordecor.com (check it out!). Here's a picture of him with Maria and friend Andrea...
hey, where are we?

Vineyard Church, where we go too (the other one is Christ Church Presbyterian) wanted to honor me with a baby shower AFTER I was born! We went to a beautiful home on a lake! Thanks Richard, Susan, Miss Cathy, Barrett and Andrea for all you did!
here's papa and Barrett on the swing! And my beautiful cake with FROGGIE! my favorite toy!

Aunty Smitha likes to come visit me. I got to go to the walk-through of her new condo. It's beautiful and I just love her new tv (especially with cartoons!)

This is my first piano lesson with mommy. I'm not very good yet, but when I'm ready to give my first concert, I'll let you all know! Oh, and I found out it's hard to play the notes with these gloves on!

See you in February! Bye for now,

David Raja

Raja's Monthly Memories

2007-05-21T17:52:00.000-05:00

December
yawn, busy month...this is really serious...
you're making me think...

Okay, so December can be a busy time! But, we remember our Saviour's birth and share His love with everyone...

mom made this for a neighbor...

mom made this for us...

Christmas this year was extra-special! Last year mommy and papa were in India, so this was the first Christmas celebrated in our house in Jacksonville, and I was here to enjoy it! We tried something a little unusual and went to Daytona Beach the week before Christmas... someplace "warm" for Aunty Maria.

here's the view from our room!!

here's me crying, mommy and Aunty Maria

this is my favorite picture, see how they just love me!

Christmas morning!!!

these are our stockings all lined up in a row, can you guess which one is mine?!our friends, Nag, little Anish and Sheela came to visit me on Christmas Day all the way from South Carolina!

this is me in my zebra suit with Miss India (aka, Aunty Maria, shhh, don't tell!)!

After Christmas, everyone thought we should take a wild trip up to Atlanta for the New Year holiday! What a better way to introduce Maria to daddy's friends (he lived there before he moved to Jacksonville and met mommy) and show me off! We stayed at Andre's house and friends who wanted to meet me came there instead of me gallavanting all over the countryside!

meet Anu and Kishore!

and Stephen and Marie

and here we all are with Sandeep and Shivani!

One day during our week in Atlanta, we traveled to Lookout Mountian, GA where mommy went to college and visited her friends, the Pettit's. We had planned to stay for tea, but Aunty Maria offered to stay and cook a full Indian meal for them. With all of us, that was 17 people! It was so much fun!

here's Linda and Ethan Pettit

The Georgia Aqaurium was new in Atlanta, so we went with Andre and I slept mostly...

here's Andre, Maria and mommy

these sea anemones attracted mommy's attention for their ethereal beauty, like watching a silk scarf ripple in the wind...isn't God's creation just amazing!!!

daddy really liked the sea horses, can you see why? Si? If only I could lasso one and ride on it's back, but it may be hard to catch my breath!

We went to daddy's old church, the Marietta Vineyard too. the former pastor, Rick Coffin now lives and ministers in India! Isn't this mural pretty? Bangalore, where daddy and Aunty Maria are from, is painted there too! Hope I can visit soon!

Raja's Monthly Memories...

2007-05-13T17:53:00.000-05:00

October:

Since I was born on the 23rd, this month was already hopping along. Although I entertained many different visitors. Here's some I'd like to introduce you to...

meet Aunt Juliana, she just loves me and talks in Slovak, I want to learn a few words!
these are my friends Joy and Mitasha. Don't I look tiny?
this is Shiju, mommy, and Roslyn.
this is Uncle Jerry. He sings and dances with me, I think I can fit in his hand!
this is Martin Luther King (Allengarraraj?)! Oops, I'm sleeping again.
this is Jodi and son, Jude, I'm trying to tell you!
this is Smitha's cousin, Smitha, and her friend all here at once. I love Smitha's voice, she says, "Hi cuuutttiiieee!!!"
And finally, Arunava. He lived with us before I was born and said if I were a girl, he'd call me "Strawberry", but since I'm a boy, he calls me "Groundnut". He wants to give me driving lessons, but daddy says no.

What did you all do for Halloween? In India, they don't celebrate this holiday, but since we live in the USA now, we hatched an egg of a plan. I wore my BOO! bib, and mom and/or dad stood sentry at the front door as children paraded their costumes. We gave each one candy and a Christian tract. We want to reach our world for Christ, so this was one way to share His Love with our neighbors! Here's my garb:
BOO!!!

November

I slept allot. My mommy was happy to take some naps too. Aunt Maria was busy cooking. Mom and I stayed home always that first month. Sundays, dad went to church to represent us and we found our pastor's sermons on-line and listened in. His voice put me to sleep, too.

Yep, Aunt Maria and Grandma share the same birthday, November 16th. We had a party and I gave my first "real" smile to everyone the night before! They were watching Sylvester Stallone in Cliffhanger, I thought it so amusing!

You probably saw a couple pictures of my baptism in the previous blog entry, but here's the inviation daddy sent on-line, you can view it all if you click on the link.

http://sarlamusica.googlegroups.com/web/Raja_Baptism_InvitePdf.pdf

Mommy is going to show a couple more pictures of the day..

starting from top left to right: meet cousin Katie Burke, she lives in Kansas; Aunt Christina (Katie's mom) with Aunt Maria; Maria, me and cousin Barbora who I'll lovingly call "Awuka" like her sister Matilda calls her!; cousin Joey (Katie's brother) and daddy; Barbora; Matilda (or Matik) with her usual donut!

It was so fun having so many family and friends over Thanksgiving! Uncle Timmy even came to see me from Seattle!

here's Uncle John and Aunt Christina
here's Uncle Timmy (me!) and Hannah

Well, gotta run (well, roll over) so, bye for now and keep checking in on me as mommy records each month up to the present. She better hurry cause I'm growing fast! Love you guys!!

-David Raja

Raja-Fearfully and Wonderfully Made!

2007-05-04T22:52:00.000-05:00

Raja's Story

The News

We found out about Raja in February 2006. I took the home pregnancy test and couldn’t believe it! I retook it at the Pregnancy Center (Christian non-profit) to verify. Derick was sure all along! January 1st 2006 we were in India and I got this promise that God had given Sarah in the Bible, that she would be fruitful and have a seed. Here is the link to that verse:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2017:16;&version=31;

God was true to this promise to me!
The Symptoms
I was teaching full-time Spring 2006, so was pretty busy and on my feet constantly. I found cheese and salami as my “no-nos” for morning sickness. I never vomited except twice, both times for food poisoning. I’m so glad God protected Raja from this!

June 1st, my first day of summer vacation, I started walking daily. I increased to 30 minutes per day up until the day Raja was born! My sister-in-law, Premila, in India said, “be active!”
This is a picture of Premila with her kids, Melu(5) and Alu(3)

Symptoms of pregnancy for me included: some tiredness, swelling in one foot only and other standard symptoms. I tried different things for the swelling such as drinking lots of water, massage, and elevation above the heart. I was really blessed overall and give God the glory! Weight gain? About 17 pounds.
Health Insurance or Why-we-change-jobs-in-america
One faith building experience for Derick and I was having (uh, not having) health insurance that covered me. At the time, Derick was working for Blue Cross and Blue Shield health insurance Company!!! He had an individual plan that wouldn’t cover me. When we applied for different plans, I was labeled with a “pre-existing” condition and thus turned down! Meanwhile, Derick had applied for his green card. One Friday afternoon, we received Derick’s green card in the mail, he got a new job and I got health insurance! I went to the OBGYN asap and I was 17 weeks pregnant at the time. She asked me if I was taking pre-natal vitamins, yes I was, and then said she was going to take the first sonogram – I hadn’t missed a thing! God’s timing is always perfect. He stretched our faith through this experience. I knew He’d be near us all the way!

East to West- A Culture Shock (walk)

Since this is a true story, I must confess my trepidation at being a mom. Although I’ve dreamed of it all my life, it still felt daunting and overwhelming to me. Perhaps my American outlook helped color this illusion. Let me just mention some differing perspectives on family life, for literally for me “East meets West” is a daily experience (If you have heard of Ravi Zacharias, the christian apologist, this is the name of his latest book - Walking from East to West). http://shop3.gospelcom.net/epages/rzim.storefront/463c05090076438b271d45579e7b05f8/Product/View/BK29

As Americans we stress our independent, individuality, our “rights”! But what can be seen as our strength can also become our weakness. I think I can safely say that Americans suffer from fractured family structure, loneliness and depression, and superficial relationships with friends and neighbors. What we long for is a real sense of family and community and we do our best to find it in school, church, pets, community causes, support groups, therapists, on-line sources and let us never forget the media! We strive to the point of stressed exhaustion - not at peace with God, the world and ourselves. Can anyone, or other cultural perspectives help? Yes, I think so! Everyone is talking about how to simplify your life. Or, as a friend of ours is known for saying “Ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” Is it possible in this fast, frenzied culture? Here’s what I’ve learned from Indian culture:

Dinner at 6:00 pm sharp, are you crazy???
When you tell friends “come home!” they will – anytime
You never need a reason or invitation to stop by
Open door policy is always enforced
Who really plans anyway????
Call first? Who does that?
Thank you cards? A Hallmark invention
Sharing is a way of life
Belongings belong to everyone!
Try chai, or anything I’ve prepared, there’s always food to share
“How is your health?” “How are your parents?”: two frequently asked questions
Without your cell phone, how do you exist?

This is only a sampling! But maybe you get my point! Indians are all about community! And what a richness of relationship they offer to me. This is a story about David Raja, but I want to introduce you to the setting into which he was introduced! For my American friends, I want to stress what Indian culture has meant to me and how it is affecting our little family (or BIG family, we have lots of relations, as evident in this 2005 pic with one family of Derick's Aunty!)

The Family

I started with some Indian cliches for you, but in all seriousness, it IS serious! Derick may be Indian, but he’s also a Christian. This is important to mention because what follows is a blend of these two things. Keep in mind, he has also lived, worked and interacted with American culture for about seven years.

Family life is very important to us and we were both raised similarly. Both of our dads were engineers working for aircraft companies and both of our moms were schoolteachers. I am the oldest of four children and he is the youngest of four children. Our parents raised us to honour God through their godly example, to work hard, to place family in high regard, and to pursue our dreams. We both possess a love and talent for music, a witty pun-bentness (is this a word?), and a desire to love and serve others, an enjoyment of homemade food, and a deep reverence for Jesus, our Saviour. What this practically means is that we are sharing our talents and ourselves with others. We love having people over for meals and music sharing, we share God’s word with friends, we open our home to people in need of a place to live, and we laugh and joke (almost) constantly. I am learning that I don’t have to have a perfectly manicured house before people come over, that time with others only enriches the time we have alone together, and not planning my day entirely opens a flexibility to meet others’ needs at a moments notice. For me, this all requires faith in God that following my husband is His perfect will for me. Like Ruth said to Naomi in the Bible (King David’s own great-grandmother!) “Your people will be my people, your God will be my God, and where you go, I will follow.” Literally, that’s also my outlook on life. I love and accept my Indian husband and am open to whatever that entails. Derick has taught me these two principles: People are more important than any possession and Do all for the sake of relationship.
Maria and Us
Before Raja came we spoke a lot of how we wanted our own family life to be. We knew it would be a blend of our two cultures. It started with plans for family help from India. Derick’s sister, Maria, came one month before Raja’s birth and is staying six months (as much as an Indian visa allows). Normally, Derick’s parents would come, but in this case, Amma’s (Derick’s mom) health has been of some concern. In their stead, they sent Maria. Maria has helped with her other nieces and nephews, so she has been a big help to me! Maria has cooked yummy Indian dishes and helps me with the baby. It has been wonderful to have “adult conversation” and I’m learning more and more family stories! She’s teaching me recipes, too and we love doing house and craft projects together. My mom was able to stay with us for one full week after the birth and now we call each other regularly and see her once a week. She has been helping with certain sewing projects and loves holding the baby!
To Roll or Not To Roll
Derick also wanted our baby to stay in our room with us and share a family bed. I have to admit at first I was nervous. What if he or I roll over on him in the night? Well, I’ve found that if he’s not nursing (which is awesome laying down!), he sleeps in the crook of our arm and thus, it’s impossible to roll on him! During the day, he naps alone, so nighttime is family time! Derick was raised this way, so I trust his judgment.
The Days before Raja
During the pregnancy, we tried to do plenty of fun things we weren’t sure would be possible to do after the birth. For example, we traveled twice to Atlanta to visit friends, went to Disney in Orlando, (See Below- From L-R clockwise: Andre, Sandy, Shivani, Derick and Me)

a weekend in Daytona Beach, Amelia Island one day, the beach, movie theatre, a Shakespeare play, a symphony concert, an art museum, a favorite bookstore, and out to eat!
A Mild Shock - but God is always in control
I had a healthy pregnancy, although there was one scare. I was visiting the OBGYN one day where we unsuccessfully detected the baby’s heartbeat. My doctor was afraid the umbilical cord was around the baby’s neck…. So, I spent the rest of the afternoon in the hospital. They put a heart monitor on me and one on my tummy (for the baby). I watched the screen for signs of stress on the baby during my heartbeats. Thank the Lord everything was really fine after all!
The Baby Shower
My two sister-in-laws (or sisters-in-law, to be precise), Maria and Juliana, plus mom and my maid of honour, Jodi, planned my baby shower! The food was a blend of Slovak dishes (Juliana), Italian (Jodi), Indian (Maria) and American (mom)! The walls of dad’s church hall were draped in colorful Indian saris! Yes, it was my one request as it had been my idea for Derick and my rehearsal dinner for our wedding, which was in this same room! They “decked the halls” more beautifully than I could’ve imagined! What a precious time! My “job” which I had volunteered myself for was table centerpieces. I had availed the services of my previous employer to order the very special orchids. I didn’t anticipate the cost, though. Oh well, it’s my baby shower! Anyway, I had a grand plan that fell through. I had gotten to the church early to assemble these and looked in the car and saw everything was there except… the flowers! Too late, no driving back home now… I had to swallow my pride and do without them at the shower. The Lord reminded me again, “people are more important than any possession!” So, with a genuine smile, disappointment now fleeing away, I enjoyed the shower and the beauty of the saris on the walls, colorful tablecloths and the wonderful fellowship with family and friends! At home that night, I made up the arrangements as “thank you's” for those who helped and Maria and I delivered them next day! What did they look like? Small clay pots I had painted gold and applied gold glitter, one long stem fuchsia dendrobium orchid, a large single acid green cynbidium orchid bloom on a bed of green moss, and green and orange-variegated leaves and grasses… Maria and I tied red “thank you” tags I had calligraphied. What a joy to bless friends for the help they were! Since Derick and I wanted to be surprised as to the sex of our child, the most popular game at the shower was guessing the sex as well as other vitals. I kept the results so to gift the person closest to the real thing! Mom said a moving prayer for the baby, not forgetting to pray for David’s future salvation and spouse! Jodi read an old poem on being a mother, and Juliana spoke from her heart on the joys of mothering. One comment that made an impact on me was that we shouldn’t complain of the discomfort of pregnancy or birth because many women would love to have a baby and cannot.

Two weeks before the due date (October 27), my cervix was dilated three centimeters. This was the same the next week. My doctor asked if I’d like to be induced. Derick and I had already discussed that we wanted the baby to come on God’s timetable, so I told the doctor “no”.
Barret and Andreas Wedding-One Day before Raja's Birth
Derick was asked to be a groomsman for our dear friends Barrett and Andreas wedding October 22nd. He was concerned that this was so near our due date that they also picked a “plan B” groomsman. Nevertheless, I cried out to God and asked Him if I could go to the wedding and our church one last time before the birth. God was gracious and we were able to attend both! It was pretty close, though! I did my normal exercise routine that weekend, but my belly felt heavier (baby dropped?!), so I had to support it… Also, at the rehearsal dinner on the 21st, I had pain and had to walk around a bit... The wedding was beautiful. The photographer was intrigued with Maria’s and my sari, so we were heavily photographed! Derick and I enjoyed dancing at the reception (although I couldn’t kick up my heels for “Cotton-Eyed Joe”!) Church, also, was especially sweet. One lady asked if I was pregnant (you’re kidding!)! She figured she hadn’t noticed since Indian dresses hide it so well!
This is the Day (that the LORD has made)
I came home from my walk around 11:00 am Monday the 23rd of October. An issue of blood (the mucous plug) came loose. The bleeding continued… I was a bit alarmed, so called my OBGYN. I came in around 2:00 pm. My mom was with me and Derick also arrived. The doctor said my cervix had dilated to 9cm (the details are just a little fuzzy now) and she admitted me to the hospital (next door!). Thankfully, I had packed my hospital bag previously and had kept it in the car!

Around 3:00 pm, I was sitting comfortably in a labor and delivery room in a hospital gown with warm socks and an annoying IV stuck in my wrist. The attending nurse was like a loud, but friendly grandmother-type! We immediately warmed to her and she proved to be a wealth of helpful information on... babies!! She asked if I’d eaten lunch. Thankfully, no, as the IV would help… I was mildly uncomfortable for some time as contractions were starting to come. They were coming more frequent, every 20 minutes or so when the doctor came by. She asked if my water had broken yet, no, it hadn’t. We had decided on going natural, so when she was suggesting breaking my water for me, I was opposed. Unfortunately at the time, Derick and mom had just stepped out, so I was without back up. She said that the membranes were pretty stretched already, so she broke the water. Afterwards, my contractions REALLY started!!!

Now I regretted not taking Lamaze as I had trouble breathing. Mom stepped in and had me follow her breathing for the duration! For some time, Derick had been typing something on the laptop. When he finished, he had me read “A Little Miracle”, a letter to our future child from us. Some of you have read it now, too. Needless to say, it was so beautiful I cried. What a blessing to have a husband who cherishes and longs for children! Here’s the letter in full:

A Little Miracle
Oh, what a joyful sensation, what bliss that adorns the news of this child that the Lord bequeaths unto us. It only draws me to my knees in prayer, thanking the Lord for this miracle, the miracle of life, of love and of parenthood

The breath of God in its nostrils, the hands formed by the very hands of the one who fashioned the universe, the feet that are going to be anointed to carry the message of God's love, the heart pumping the very lifeline of blood because of the our Saviour's unblemished blood offered on the tree, the lungs breathing the air of freedom that the Lord secured at the cross, the eyes reflecting the very enchantment that drew a smile on the creator's face, the eyes that first looked upon the Lord before anything, the eyes that will one day see the savior – appearing like the dawn, fair as the moon, bright as the sun. I consider the feet of this little angel that we pray one day would tread upon the streets of gold in the New Jerusalem, the ears of this blessing that will one day hear the trumpet call and be ready, ready to spring into the arms of the Saviour.

Even now as I hear the news that this fearfully and wonderfully made creation of God is beginning to emerge from its safe haven, as the eventide of its inevitable journey from within its mother to the outside world draws near, my soul beckons me to grasp this reality with the fullest sense of gratitude – knowing that my creator, my all in all, is the same one who is going to guide this bundle of joy thro the crests and troughs of this life.

Welcome little one – you are an unstoppable miracle!

From your Momma and Dada.

Derick later read Psalm 139 (a child knit in its mother’s womb…every day written out by God before any came to be… “I am fearfully and wonderfully made!”) He held my hand, fed, and gave me lots of water to drink. In India, husbands aren’t allowed in labor rooms, so this is an American tradition Derick enjoyed!
Pain and Our Saviour
Pain. “The problem of pain” (C.S. Lewis’ book). I wanted to know first-hand what every generation of woman has experienced. Eve, our first mother, was “cursed with pain in child-bearing” because she had disobeyed God. Derick read to me Paul’s words from the Bible directed towards women, “you shall be saved through childbearing.” Later, we discussed how we understood that verse on the Other side! This is a confusing passage, but what I learned was only in my death will life spring forth. Yes, the pain was so intense I felt like I was being ripped apart…to death. Then, gloriously, when the baby sprang forth from my body, the pain ended! When you search Holy Scripture, there are many references to childbearing. Paul, a man, said he was going through pangs like childbearing till Christ was formed in his followers. Centuries earlier, in Isaiah, God is pictured as gently leading those carrying young (captured beautifully in a soprano passage in Handel’s Messiah ). Jesus says in a parable that a seed of wheat must fall to the ground to die in order for a new plant to spring forth. Most importantly I am able to better identify with Christ in His “sufferings” that I might participate in His new life! Christ says he dies our death so that we can live His life. He also says we must be born-again to inherit the kingdom of heaven. Child-bearing is so profound that even “creation suffers as in pains of child-birth till the sons of God appear”! So, am I “saved” through childbearing? Yes, in the sense that I must die to myself and let Christ live in me. So, as baby Raja is our “first-fruit” as a Christian, I am also given the “fruit” of the Holy Spirit! The parallels of Scripture to my own life often astound me. I will always be a little child, learning things from my Father in heaven! What an awesome privilege to impart this to the next generation – this heaven-sent wisdom of the ages! Jesus, God’s beloved Son, sent to us, for us and wants to be with us and have us with Him in heaven one day! Ah, Home!
The Final Minutes before the "Its a Boy!"
As the pain increased, Derick said not to hold back but scream if I had to. I walked, sat, laid down. Nothing was comfortable. Then, I was standing and leaning on mom and just felt like I was that little girl again who runs to mommy for comfort after a fall or something. She was just breathing, deeply now, Sarah, okay, again… Around 8:30 pm, I felt like I couldn’t take the pain any longer, so asked for an epidural. The tech came in and explained all precautions for what seemed like forever. He installed the stint in my back and gave me a button to push to release medication as needed as I was so far along; he thought it too dangerous to administer a large dose. Well, some numbing came to my left leg just above the knee for some 6 inches, but nothing else as Raja was on his way! If only I had waited! I told the nurse, “I’m going to push now. I have to.” So, a flurry of activity occurred as delivery nurses came and prepared themselves. Still, no doctor. Grandma nurse (as we secretly called her) stood on one side, mom on the other, and Derick watching for baby. Grandma nurse said to push with all my might, hold it for 10 seconds, relax and do this three times in a row. I did this series three times and then the doctor magically appeared. The head was crowned, so she cut (epistiotomy) and I felt it (ouch! She scolded me for not doing the epidural sooner) and WHOOSH, the baby practically flew out! One nurse pressed hard on my belly, the placenta came then and I requested to see it. Wow! Derick watched amazed and when the doctor announced, “it’s a boy” the first thing we said was, “I knew it!” The doctor stitched me up (again, ouch!) and all the wiping, washing, and scurrying ensued. Before long, a bright-eyed, smiling baby boy was placed in my arms. Ah, what relief. What a miracle! Derick and I were both crying. It was 9:08 pm October 23rd, 2006. All in all, I was in labor for six hours.

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift
The flurry of activity finally came to an end. Raja’s PKU test results came as 9 out of 10, his hearing seemed fine, and his nails needed cutting! He even suckled immediately! The doctor commented on his even skin tone, a beautiful golden tan! (Boy, I’m jealous!) He was 6 pounds 12 ounces and 21&1/2 inches long. He had dark hair and eyes. Thankfully Raja was with us in the room as there was no nursery. He didn’t cry for the first three days after his birth! Maria had prepared yummy Indian food, so mom and dad could also eat in the room with us and later my brother, Nate and his family. We had a pastor friend and other Indian friends visit us in the hopital. After the first day, we were moved to a tiny overflow room, as our room was needed. The temperature was unregulated, either blasting cold or hot air respectively. Derick, the ingenious engineer, put a fitted bed sheet in the ceiling tile, catching the air from the vent so not to directly hit the baby. On our bed, we imagined we were in a small sailboat! Nurses commented and we enjoyed!
Post-partum Happiness
Post-partum depression? I almost expected it, given past medical history… Yes, the hormone level dropped immediately after the birth. I was shaking violently, feeling cold one minute and hot the next. Mom, the ever-faithful home-remedy guru, gave me a large mug of herbal tea especially for this and miraculously, my body relaxed immediately! We kept this secret from the nurse (you never know what the medical community will say about homeopathic remedies!). Emotional/tears? Yes. Just the thought of all my new responsibilities coupled with the miracle of life kept (and still keeps!) me emotional at times! I can thank God for an incredible support group, though, through my family and friends! Family and the sense of family is key to keeping perspective…sanity! Derick and Maria haven’t heard of post-partum depression in India. Amazing, huh? We’ve discussed this at length and figure it must be so rampant in America due to isolation mainly. As I’ve stated before, independence, personal “rights”, personal space… What can be seen as America’s greatest strength can also be her greatest weakness. Also, fractured family life seems to contribute to a sense of isolation.
A Joyous Homecoming
When finally we brought David Raja home, it was a surreal feeling. Arriving at our house 10:30 pm 0n the 25th, walking inside, lights and candles, mom and Maria, food placed on the table…bringing the baby HOME. I can honestly say it felt like NOW my house was complete as HOME! The next six weeks are a blur. I took my sister-in-law, Juliana’s advice and never left the house with the baby during these weeks. Something about the developing immune system for baby. It didn’t stop curious visitors from coming. Little Raja has been popular from the start. In his first week of life, four different pastors came and blessed him! A significant gift was from Pastor Valdex, a Brazilian brother, a gift of $33, each dollar a year of Jesus’ earthly life! Pastor Sittema’s visit prompted a song (we often subject our guests to our music) in Tamil (Derick’s mother tongue) entitled, Yejemananae, talking of Jesus, our Master and King. Dr. Sittema suggested we sing it at Raja’s upcoming baptism since the song included his name, as our tribute and prayer for our son.
Raja's Baptism
The baptism was a wonderful memory for our family and friends. In India, Raja’s cousins, Melvin and Alvin, were celebrating a similar event the same day! We sent out e-invitations to our computer-savvy friends and I made lots of phone calls. Thankfully, as it was the end of Thanksgiving weekend, my whole family was in town and 99% of our guest list attended. Well, at least attended the luncheon after church. Dad was honoured to perform the baptism at our church, the happy grandpa who has baptized ALL his grandchildren (5 thus far)! Pastor Sittema gave us time early in the service so mom and dad could race across the river for dad’s church service where he was preaching. Most all of our family and a few friends dressed in Indian clothes for the baptism. We all stood together at the front of the church, like a multi-colored flowerbed! After the ceremony of baptism, Derick and I sang our Tamil song, with Derick also on guitar. We had the English translation on the overhead so the congregation would understand the meaning of the song. Everything was so surreal and joyful, as if we were in heaven with the blessing of God on our heads! It was baby and my first time back to church after our 6 weeks of “solitude”. What a joy to be back and for such an occasion! Our family and friends were also blessed with a wonderful sermon as well. I remember one story in particular. A friend (father-in-law?) of Pastor Sittema was incredibly wealthy. As an unbeliever, he took great pride in his costly possessions. After he was born again, his perspective altered as the Spirit always gives us God’s perspective when we follow Him! He began to see his wealth NOT as his own, but as God’s blessing. One day a friend was called over, as he wanted to gift him his favorite, very expensive car. He was excited like a child when he began showing his friend his car’s unique capabilities. When his friend left with the car, he was joyfully smiling. Soon thereafter, this man of great wealth lost everything. He could then only afford a one- room apartment… Did he lash out angrily at God for his circumstances? No, rather he rejoiced! His security wasn’t to be found in any possession except his relationship to his loving Father in heaven! He knew from experience that “if a man gains the whole world yet loses his soul” it would be a worse death than a pauper’s death! After the service, Maria had prepared a full Indian buffet lunch at our house! I think we had around 50 guests! What a privilege to celebrate our son’s baptism with friends and family!
The Story Begins
I will end this chapter of Raja’s story now. I could mention his first trip to the beach, to Atlanta, his first smile or laugh. But, this is a time of many firsts for all of us even as parents. We just pray that David Raja will be as King David in the Bible – a man after God’s own heart. We pray he will become a servant-leader, humbly submitting himself to his Father in heaven and gladly serving others. He has many admirers already, but we hope they come to admire him for his godly character... Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Sarah, Derick and Raja- from the Photoshoot

2007-03-17T20:00:00.000-05:00

Here we were, taking pics from a professional in JAX - Jim Labranche.

PrintRoom.com: View Image

Maria's pic from the photo shootout

2007-03-17T19:56:00.000-05:00

PrintRoom.com: View Image

Raja Sucking on his Thumb...Nay- its his toes

2007-03-10T00:52:00.000-05:00

If you thought sucking your thumb was an ordeal, check this out..Raja sucking his own toes. Well, at his age, his amazing abdominal dexterity is inhibited only by the blightly diaper...

Raja's First Video on Google

2007-03-08T20:00:00.000-05:00

Here is a simple trial that we did...a video of Raja drinking milk from the bottle..on his own...well almost..

2007-01-25T00:30:00.001-05:00

Good Start..lets keep the ball rolling