One week home in the US and I am already refreshed and have almost forgotten that I was robbed of a day back with my family. I've gotten my fill of turkey, cranberries, and pie (thanks to mom!) and have loaded up on all the veggies we cannot find in Ghana (well at least affordably find) - namely spinach, broccoli, and asparagus. It has been really incredible to be back with my family in Georgia and to watch them get reacquainted with their grandson after so many months apart.


And to top it off, we got a solid few days with my brother, sister-in-law, and 1 1/2 year old nephew, Gus, who were all visiting from Miami. The highlight was to watch Gus and Eli "play." It's really the first time Eli has gotten time to play with another child because he's mostly playing with us or Rita and doesn't yet have baby friends. I figured he wouldn't take much notice of Gus but in fact, he reacted at times with giggles and eagerness as Gus got on the floor to play and at other times with whines and fussiness when Gus got a little too close for comfort. But overall, they did great together. Gus showed Eli how to crawl properly - tummy off the floor- and Eli really perfected it over the weekend. Gus let Eli touch his Winnie The Pooh fire engine but only for a minute or two. And the both got plenty of loving from aunts, uncles and grandparents over the last few days.






Alan and I have really enjoyed just spending time in a Malaria-free environment with sidewalks and crisp air. It's funny how very small things feel like such luxuries. One of the first things I did when I got home was to take Eli for a walk in his stroller around the neighborhood...something that is impossible to do where we live in Ghana. And it was so much fun to bundle him up, as he's never felt the cold outside air before. I even managed to make this hat for him.


We realized that Eli had never felt leaves before so after we plopped him down in some leaf piles he soon became enthralled with them, even tasting a few.


Just as Eli is getting comfortable being an Athenian, we're going to whisk off to Colombia today to visit Alan's family who have been deprived of their grandson for 6 months now. Eli sure is the world traveler and his momma is getting pretty good at packing and unpacking for a 7 month old.