I love personality tests!  As a matter of fact, my personality type messes up internet statistics for percentage of population for Meyers-Briggs because we take them over and over again.  I love knowing other people’s personality types – I like to understand people better and know how to relate with them in a way that connects with them.  For example, I used to get sad anytime I saw someone eating alone or being alone at all and my little extroverted heart would just hurt for them.  I would devise ways to begin including them in everything I did.  Now I know that there are people who actually LIKE to do things alone, and probably cringed every time talkative Jeni tried to draw them into excruciating conversations.

One of my favorite things about Meyers/Briggs the first time I took the MBTI my senior year in high school is that it validated my personality for me. I am always encouraged and excited to know more about myself, good and bad.  You can take a free, short version of this test at www.humanmetrics.com and get an idea of what your personality type is.  Mine is ENFP, by the way.  DB is INTJ. If you take the test, or have before – let me know your 4 letters – I love to know these things! 

Tonight we took EB to see Santa for the first (and possibly only) time in her life.  Don’t worry Papa D, Mamaw Wilma, Honey, Grandaddio, Aunt Jessi and Uncle DK - we have plenty of prints for everyone!  It was a fun trip to see Santa - EB loved looking up at him - we actually had a hard time getting her to smile instead of stare at his beard.

Also, we got EB a walking toy the other day.

The funniest thing was her response to the “toy”.  While DB was putting it together, she crawled over to the box and pulled up on it and pushed it around much like the toy was meant to be pushed.  It was great - she instantly bonded with the box, but the toy she was a little slower to warm up to.  Now she pulls up on it and walks with it SIDEWAYS - not the way it was made to walk.  She is a funny girl.

9 Things that 9 month old EB Loves

Playing made up baby games and laughing her head off at them

Pulling up

Putting things- anything and everything- in her mouth

Taking a bath (preferably the ones DB give her - for some reason, she likes bath-time better when Papa is in charge).

Music - she not only likes to hear music, she likes to dance and clap while music is playing

People (as long as they are paying attention to her!)

Her Who Loves Baby book -  it has pictures of her grandparents holding her - she seriously carries this book around with her all the time

Holding something in each hand - both hands must be grasping a toy, sippy cup, blanket, whatever at all times

Other babies/children 

TCK (Third Culture Kids) are children who spend a significant portion of their formative years in a country other than the one in which they hold a passport.  They often feel like a foreigner in their “passport” country as well as the country they grow up in.  I have been reading quite a bit about TCKs because God has called our family to live in a another culture, and as far as we can see, EB’s early childhood years will not be in the US.  When we return to the states 4 years from now, America will be the foreign land for her.  I think EB is going to be such a unique, awesome little girl because of growing up in a different culture.  She is going to be bi-lingual (English may not even be her heart language!) and creative and compassionate and world traveled. 

Even with all of the amazing things I think will come of being a TCK, I still cry when I walk through the toy section of target.  I read my friend’s blogs and see how their children get to spend time with their grandparents and how they celebrate birthdays and holidays with pomp and circumstance and extended family and I wonder if I am depriving my child or giving her advantages?  I imagine the day 4 years from now when we get off the plane and my 5 year old little girl will take her first steps on American soil.  (Unless she starts walking before Jan 6^th).  DB and I pray for our precious little girl that she will “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” and we pray for her safety and health as she grows up in a third world country where really good health care will be a plan ride away.  We struggle with God’s call on our lives – the very clear call to Central Asia – and how it affects our little girl who depends solely on us. 

Pray for EB that she will adjust to all of the change that is coming.  Pray that she become a believer very early in life, and desire to share Him with her friends and neighbors wherever we live!  Pray that lack of television and toys will not hinder any development, but encourage creativity and relationships.  

Thanks Everybody for your suggestions!  It meant a lot to me that ya’ll commented and you had great ideas.  We have not decided on our newsletter title for sure, but we are leaning toward Wright of the Press, thanks to Emily Jennings!!!  I also liked DK’s ideas for saying something about Persia which led me to a few other ideas like:

Where the Streets Have No Names

On the Silk Road

Adventures in Persia

So Emily, yours was our favorite comment -  let me know what your favorite candy bar is and your address and I will send you your PRIZE!!!  (Maybe in time for the baby to enjoy her part of it too). 

A GIANT snickers bar (or candy bar of your choice) awaits the person with the winning title for our newsletter. Comment here with as many suggestions as you want to make, as well as your favorite candy bar (I will get your address from you if you win) and if we pick your title, I will send you a prize! (Leigh – this time I WILL send the prize).

Some facts to remember:

We will be serving among the Tajik of Central Asia.

This newsletter will be our monthly update to email out and for our supporting churches to print.

Also, we are thinking of using Constant Contact to create our newsletter. Any other free ideas? We do not have Microsoft publisher or iworks pages.

Many of you have asked what our days look like here in Virginia as we get ready to go to Central Asia.  They begin at 5:00 AM and go strong until about 9:30PM.  During that time we read, pray, get EB fed and dressed, eat breakfast, get ourselves ready, take EB to the nursery, go to class from 8:00-3:00, pick EB up, do various afternoon activities, eat dinner, exercise, give EB a bath and play with her, put her to bed, and then we sit down, take a deep breath, do our homework, read, hang out with our new friends and go to bed by 9:30.  We are getting a flood of information as well as trying to find balance in time with God, family, exercise, homework, our regional team, and communication with our prayer partners.  

Unfortunately, in all of the craziness, EB has stopped being such a great sleeper.  We are trouble shooting her nap times, as well as calorie intake, but for several nights now she has had a little party in the middle of the night.  She has been off kilter all week, but hopefully a weekend of regular naps and eating will put her back in her sweet spot - sleeping 12 hours at night!

I read somewhere that dressing a baby is like trying to get an octopus into a bag.  I laughed, but didn’t really understand.  We have totally arrived at octopus wrestling on a daily basis.  As soon as you get EB laying flat on her back to change her diaper, she has flipped over and is crawling away.  You are thinking, “DUH!  Just hold her down – no big deal – she is a little baby!”  That is a great idea before a child has the ability to flip over, throw arms, kick legs, and contort their body into weird positions in the blink of an eye.  We won’t even talk about the death grip she has on whatever object I was using to try and distract her.  Said object is now a weapon of destruction as well as a hindrance to accomplishing the ultimate goal.  And that is just the diaper!  Add to that shirt, pants, sweater, socks, shoes and hair bow and by the time EB looks like the cute little girl we all know and love, I am exhausted before the day has begun.

All this is to say…expect more naked baby pictures. 

This is a fun conglomeration of EB the past few days…

Eb Cruisin from EB Wright on Vimeo.