Dorian acclimates to Thailand humidity. The flute gets some action as a mosquito net prop.

Dorian is passed out in his crib (hooray for small victories!), Corbet is on a trip to IKEA with the other newbies, and I have time to write a blog post!

26 hours of travel has transported our little family from Big Sky Country (Montana) to Bangkok, Thailand. We arrived on Thursday night, the 24th, at around 11 pm local time and immediately set to work helping our little one adjust to his new surroundings/time zone. The journey was…long. Dorian fussed less than I normally would on a journey that long. For the last seven years, every time I have left my family to return to/relocate to my international home, I have been an emotional mess for at least the first leg of the trip. When we moved to Tunisia, I was such a mess that the flight attendant offered me chocolate, hoping that would help. This time was different. There were tears, but they were before the journey. The tears appeared while saying goodbye to family members, and in the privacy of our little apartment as I wondered, once again, why on earth we are consciously separating ourselves from our family members, the people who love us most. On the flight, however, there was no time or energy for tears, as we had a precious little man to take care of. He was a champ, and he is now an international traveller. He’s doing great here in our new home, slowly readjusting his idea of night and day, and napping better and better each day. I have no doubt that he will handle this humidity better than his parents.

As I look back on the last four months, I remember thinking, way back in December when I took the job here at ISB, that perhaps we are crazy. We’re really going to move out of Tunisia, move to Montana, have a baby, move to Bangkok, and start a new job? Well, so far we have overcome 4 of those challenges, and the remaining one will begin next week as both Corbet and I take on new roles. It’s been a really intense summer, full of challenges and growth, and I’ve come out of it a better, stronger person, a mother. In the past few months we were lucky enough to be able to spend time with quite a few family members. It’s family and friends like the ones we have that make it both harder and easier to live so far away. They give me strength and provide me with roots and I miss them with all my heart. Thank you to all of them for spending time and energy visiting with, supporting, and cheering on our family, and for loving on our little boy.

Check out Dorian’s photo page for pics of him with some of his family, and stay tuned for an update on our new life in Bangkok and at ISB!

Cousins Ave, Johnny and Owen