Mangoes and Other Thoughts

I admit, I am longing for Spring. I know that in a land far away daffodils are blooming, breezes are blowing, trees are budding and those inhabiting that land are tempted to think that all just may be right with the world. There is certainly no lack of blooming beauty here, but it is heating up, and it's just not Spring.

Although it's not the season of rebirth and beauty here in Thailand, it is the season of mangoes. They're not a cure-all, but fresh, ripe mangoes go a long way toward easing the pain of longing. My industrious and creative husband even took it upon himself recently to attempt that loveliest of Thai delicacies, mango and sticky rice. He found a recipe online for making sticky rice in the microwave, which is a far cry from the rinsing, soaking and steaming that is traditionally done. True to character, I had my doubts about his experiment, but it turned out beautifully, as you can see above. If you can get your hands on some ripe mangoes and a bag of sticky rice , I would urge you to try it; perhaps it will inspire you to begin planning your trip to The Land of Smiles...

In other culinary news, Asa is eating cereal, sweet potatoes, pears and bananas. He's not sure what to think about the bananas; I don't know if it's the sweetness that's throwing him off, but he makes funny faces when he eats them. As you can see above, he can sit in his booster seat now, and is sitting up like a big boy in general.

And here's the big news: Saturday we found his first tooth coming in! My finger found it, and we all crowded around him, exclaiming for joy. We made him cry with our exuberance. This discovery has been bittersweet for me, for several reasons, I think. One is simply that he's growing so quickly, and that is joyful but sad. Another is that I know the end of those sweet gummy smiles and him chewing on my chin is at hand. I also just realized today that a big part of my sadness is seeing him develop and knowing that so many of those we love are not witnessing it...this is so hard, and I'm giving my hurt about it to God. Tim reminded me that we would not wish upon him the fate of being forever toothless, and that does help to put things in perspective.

Besides being a great sister and sweet daughter and Imaginer-In-Chief, Emmy is growing and developing in so many ways. The Thai schools are out for summer right now, so she's been enjoying the company of the children across the street some during the days, and that's been really good for her. They've invited her to lunch several times, and I hear reports that she downs rice and noodles with relish (not pickle relish, of course). She does, however, draw the line at Fish Ball Soup, and one can hardly blame her.

She's also busy with her vocabulary, both real and imagined. Her favorite new word is "Smackadome", which, from what we gather, is close in meaning to "share". As in, "She smackadomed the milkshake with her friend." She's been laughing gleefully over the adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh, and especially loves the escapades of he and Piglet when they attempt to capture a Heffalump. She made us laugh last night when she asked for a snack, and Tim offered her apple. She paused, then said, "Are there any other options?"

One final story from tonight. Tim and I were finishing dinner preparations, and we saw that she had climbed on the stool, up on to the counter, and was getting the glasses down for dinner. We just had to stop and hug her. What a big girl.