Skype Shower

Last Saturday afternoon, about 6pm Ukraine time, 10am Lubbock time, we participated in a long distance baby shower! It started when Beth Elmore, a friend and supporter of ours in Lubbock, wanted to have a baby shower for us, even though we were far away. A few weeks before my mom came, she and Beth collected gifts given by our family and friends. Then Mom was able to pack them up and bring them to Ukraine. On Saturday, friends gathered around a computer in Lubbock while we gathered around our computer here. Using Skype and web cameras, we were all able to see each other. I opened the gifts here while everyone there watched and ohhhed and ahhhed at all the wonderful things we received! It was so neat to see and talk to several of our friends in Lubbock who attended the shower. We felt sooo blessed!

There were so many people who sent so many wonderful gifts for Max and our family

, as well as so many people who gave money that went toward some big items we were able to purchace. Some items we bought with the cash include a car seat, a diaper bag and various other smaller items my mom bought to bring here! In addition, the basement Bible class at Sunset gathered a lot of money and bought us an extra nice double stroller. We took it out today for a stroll and it was wonderful! It was easy to manuever and push on the uneven and holey sidewalks, even with both boys in it! The picture is of how the boys fit now, with Max being a newborn. When Max gets a little bigger and can sit up, they will be sitting like Malachi and Silas, our teammates two boys in the green stroller (they have the sa

me stroller we now have). 

We are overwhelmed by tbe generosity and love that so many of you have poured out on us with the birth of Max! It has made us feel so good to be remembered and loved from such a distance! Thank you so much! 

The Winners!!

We want to CONGRATULATE two winners who guessed closest to the day Max would arrive and closest to his weight.
DATE:
CAROL BASHAM (Lucy's aunt): guessed Februray 3rd, just one day off from Max's February 2nd birth date.

WEIGHT:
MARIO and DEBRA: guessed 8lbs, 3ozs, just one ounce off of Max's birth weight of 8lbs, 2ozs.

My Mom will be returning to the States at the end of February. She will take with her the winners' gifts and we will do another post showing what they won when that time comes! Thanks to everyone who participated in our guessing game!!

Maximus Craig Arrives

As most of you have probably heard, our second son, Maximus Craig, has arrived!!

MAXIMUS CRAIG MCDOUGLE
BORN: February 2nd at 1:20am (Ukrainian time)
WEIGHT: 8 pounds, 2 ounces
LENGTH: 20.87 inches
HEAD circumference: 14.57 inches

Sunday night, I was feeling a little strange. Just a bit sick and tired. But I had been feeling like this off and on for two weeks, so it wasn't too new. Around 10:30pm, Dougle and I noticed that I was having some contractions, but I wasn't feeling them. After a short lecture from Dougle about not wanting to deliver a baby at our apartment or in the car, we decided to try to get some sleep, figuring I'd wake up if my body was getting serious about having a baby!

About 11:15 I started feeling some contractions. After timing a few at 4 minutes apart, I woke up Dougle and we texted my doctor. She recommended that we come in to the hospital and she would meet us there. So we called David and Olivia, who thankfully live around the corner from us, to come stay the night with Canaan. Once they arrived, we headed off for the hospital. It was about midnight when we left; it was snowing and there was not much traffic. And, just like on TV, we were pulled over. I don't think Dougle had broken any laws, but we were just being pulled over for being one of the few cars out in the middle of the night. Dougle quickly told them that he had a pregnant wife and we were on the way to the hospital, to which the police man just told us to be careful and let us go. About 45 minutes after leaving, we arrived at the hospital. There was a small hang up with the fact that I had forgotten my maternity paperwork; I don't know how we managed to forget those, since we know how important paperwork is here. However, we did! But once my doctor arrived, she was able to clear the way for me. I changed clothes and was taken to the delivery room, where Dougle soon followed after changing too (though it seemed like an eternity before he got there). About 30 minutes later, Max was born! It was a completely natural birth, no pain meds or anesthetics! He just came fast. From the time I started feeling my contractions to the time he was born was about 2 hours.

Right after he was born, they cut his umbilical cord and plopped him on my tummy. It was so quickly after he was born, I didn't realize at first what the warm, slimy thing was that they put on my chest! They didn't clean him or anything, they just put two blankets over him after placing him on my chest. And there he stayed for two hours. Just a few minutes after Max was born, Dougle was sent home to get my paperwork. About two hours after he was born, a nurse came in and took him to a corner of the room to clean him up, weigh him, and measure him. Then they took us to our room where we stayed for the next few days. Max never left the room I was in. The doctors and nurses came in and did all necessary checks in the room. We had a private room, with just me and Max, which meant that someone was able to stay with me in the hospital all day and overnight. It is very uncommon for husbands or others to stay with the new moms in the hosptials, but I can't imagine having to take care of Max all on my own right after giving birth! Dougle stayed with me the night he was born and the next night and Mom (who arrived just 12 hours after he was born!) was able to stay and help the last night there. It is also very rare to have visitors, but we were able to have one person at a time come up to the room and see Max and I.

While our stay was very nice and all the people were super kind to us, there were several differences between the hospital and procedures in the United States and here in Ukraine. The biggest difference is that you must bring everything with you to the hosptial. Everything includes sheets, blankets, forks, plates, cups, bowls, all toiletries (including toilet paper), and even your own drinking water. Another difference was with the food. Our hospital was different from most here in that they actually served food (in most hospitals, the families bring food everyday for the patients). For breakfast, we were served hot tea, bread and macaroni; for lunch we received a soup (borsh or vegetable) with a large helping of rice with some meat (a hot-dog type meat) and a fruit juice; dinner was light, just a large plate of buckwheat with bread, though one night they added shredded beats to the buckwheat, but no drink. A final difference was just in some conditions that we consider normal, but that aren't always available here. One night we lost lights and power for a little over an hour, and one day there was no hot water available. These are just some things that we took for granted in the States, but since living abroad, we've learned that these things aren't something everyone can enjoy as consistently and convieniently as we've been accustomed to!

Overall, we were really satisfied with our experience with the hospital and our care. God blessed us so much and answered all our prayers for a safe and healthy delivery. We are so grateful for all your prayers leading up to this! We will be posting more pictures and Max stories as our lives unfold as a family of four now!

Can You Guess??!!

Ok, this is a really short post. We are still without internet, so our times on the internet these days are few and far between (besides what we can get on Dougle's phone, which is nice, but limited!).

We wanted to post a guessing contest. I am just over 38 weeks pregnant. My due date is February 9th. If you'd like to send in or post a comment about a GUESS you have for when Max will be due (please leave a day and a time in case someone else chooses the same day). Whoever is closest to his actual due date, we will send a small Ukrainian gift to you through my Mom on her return trip after visiting us! So, post your guesses, and make sure to put your name if you leave a comment as "anonymous"!

If you would like to leave a guess on how much he'll weigh, you can do that too. We might even send a small gift for the winner of that one too!

We are getting excited for his arrival. We still have a few things that need to fall into place before we'll be perfectly ready, but I actually think that we'll never be "perfectly" ready. Isn't that how it goes!! Canaan seems to know just a bit that things are about to change. We are reading Big Brother books and talking about the baby, who will sleep in the crib, who is coming soon. I think he will be a great big brother!!

Ok, I really must go. We got a call from the people putting up new wallpaper in our house (we'll write about that soon), and we must go! Hope you all are doing well. Leave your guesses about Max's arrival and we will post the winner as soon as we know!! Love you all. Thanks for reading and keeping up with us.

All About Max (and Mommy)

One priority when we moved was to get things figured out for Max’s arrival. The first thing we discovered was that in Ukraine, you have a pre-natal doctor at a clinic and a separate doctor and hospital for delivery. We found a great pre-natal doctor through my interpreter, Ira; everything is done quite different than in the States, but most pre-natal check-ups, including ultrasounds and blood work, all get done, just in different ways. Now that I am approaching the time of delivery, we have started looking into various hospitals. We had one in mind that had the reputation in Kharkov for being the best. However, my pre-natal doctor (whom we like very much) recommended another hospital. She said it has the same level of equipment available, but the doctors at this smaller hospital don’t have big heads, but are more kind and will work with you more. She also said the other hospital is remodeled nicer, but the smaller hospital is still clean and warm. When we went to check out this smaller hospital, we were very pleased. We were able to meet with the director and head doctor; they showed us around the hospital and answered all our questions. They even said the head doctor, who speaks English, could be my doctor, so I won’t have to have a translator. She even gave me her home phone number and cell phone number so I could call at any time. We had an ultrasound done there, they looked over all my paperwork, and we were able to register that day. The hospitals are government run, making it very cheap to register and deliver there; however, it is always common to “tip” the director and doctors, because doctors in Ukraine make very low salaries. In addition, because we are Americans and they aren’t obligated to accept us in their hospitals, we are expected to “tip” extra. We knew this going in, so it wasn’t a problem when the question of cost came up. However, the director surprised us and told us that instead of the registration fee, the delivery fee and the “tip,” we could just buy a couch or a table for a waiting room in their new wing they are having built! So, we will be able to tell Max when he is older that he cost a couch to deliver! Thank you all so much for your prayers about all our medical needs for Max. We know that God went ahead of us in all ways and paved the way smoothly for everything to work out well. We are excited about his arrival, which we are expecting sometime around February 9th!

To read more about our payment arrangement, visit our other blog at:http://www.mcdouglefamily.com/

More Stories about Canaan

New Big Boy Bed
Since we have finally moved into a permanent house, our first priority was to get Canaan out of his pack-n-play that he has been sleeping in for his entire two years of life! We wanted to get him into a big boy bed around 18 months of age, but with moving from Moscow to Ukraine, and then moving several times since we've been here, we couldn't do it until now. However, Gran-Nan and Grand-Dad have been collecting things for his new bed and room, including a sheet set, a comforter, and wall appliques. Dougle got into the mood of the Disney "Cars" theme and bought him a nite light for Christmas. So, as soon as we moved in, we put his new bed together and he loved it! Here is a picture of him laying in it. He has done really well so far, though he still falls off the bed in the night. Right now there is an extra matress that we have for another bed that we put next to his bed to cushion his night time falls. We are hoping he will soon get used to the bed size and not need any cushioning soon. He is also just now starting to sleep in his own bedroom BY HIMSELF. For the past year, our apartments have all been one bed-room, so he has slept in the same room with us. However, now is his first time to sleep by himself in his own room. He is also doing well with this adjustment. He loves his "Lightning Big Boy New Bed"- as he calls it!!

Sorry
We really try to treat accidents as accidents in our house. I try really hard not to come down on Canaan over “spilled milk” kind of things. However, a few days ago, Canaan was trying to climb on my clothes drying rack. I told him not to climb on it. Then, a few minutes later he comes running into the bedroom saying, “Uh-oh. Mommy fix it back on!” I went in and found that he must have continued to try to climb on it and broken part of it. Because I had told him not to do this and his disobedience was the cause of this, I came down on him and told him that he needed to listen to Mommy because he broke it and I wasn’t able to fix it (even though he kept repeating- Mommy, fix it back on!). Apparently, this serious little conversation stuck in his mind and when I got out the clothes drying rack the next time, he examined the broken part of it and said, “I sorry Mommy!” What a sweet boy I have! I have since got out the rack a few more times and he always points out the broken part. I try to brush it aside now and say, “Yes, it is broken, but it is okay now.”

Car Spoiled
For those of you wondering, we have been thoroughly enjoying our new car! After walking around for everything for 11 months, we are enjoying our new “luxury!” Even Canaan is enjoying it. The other night, Dougle and I got out to walk to a nearby little store. I suggested we not take the stroller and just let Canaan walk because he LOVES to walk around places by himself. However, he must have been extra tired this particular evening and wanted carried. When we walked past our car, he said, “Canaan go in new silver car!”
When we are in the car, as soon as we start up the car, he says, “Listen blue hearts.” He has two CD’s called “Hide It In Your Heart” that Nancy Stover introduced us to. On the CD’s they sing Bible verses and Canaan really likes them. Volume one is blue and volume two is green, thus Canaan’s naming of them “blue hearts” and “green hearts.” He just loves to have them playing in the car and will sing along with them as we drive around. Sometimes he even requests- or rather at times demands- that we sing with him. Then he gets extra happy and sings even louder. It is so much fun to see him singing these little Bible verses, some of which I am sure he doesn’t understand now, but will in time!
This and That
For those interested, Veggie Tales are his new favorite movies at the moment, though he still loves Bob the Builder. He has recently started using gerunds in his speech: Mommy talking to David, I eating now, etc. When we are ready to leave, he tells us what we need to do: Canaan put on coat, lightning hat (his new Lightning McQueen hat that Gran-Nan and Grand-Dad sent him for Christmas), and boots. He says, “Go down stairs and go bye-bye in silver car!” He is also VERY into “Canaan do it all by myself!” Today we walked into the house and he pulled off his hat and proudly exclaimed, “Take hat off all by myself!” And earlier today Daddy carried him down a step he wanted to go down on his own; when he was put down, he went back up onto the step and stepped down on his own, saying, “I do it all by my-self.” This is nice, sometimes, and at other times this new-found independence is just inconvenient or time consuming. Of course, he also has the other reaction to some things. I will tell him to do something by himself, and he tries a little before exclaiming in pathetic and stressed tones, “Mommy, this TOO HARD!” So I have to encourage him to try again if it is something I know he can do.

Canaan Stories

Stories
I have been absent for a long time now! We have been in a whirlwind lately with visitors, holidays and moving. I have so much to fill you all in on. So, I want to post a few stories over the next few days, with some pictures here and there too. I hope we can get caught up and you don’t tire of reading all of my Canaan and Max updates. We have found a hospital we are excited about and I will be telling you about all that in the next few days too! Hope you all are doing well! We love and miss you all!
PS. This picture was taken at a big grocery store that has "kid friendly" shopping cars/carts for the little ones!

Canaan is two years and two months old. Though at times it is amazing to think we are parents of a two year old, I am often just as amazed that he is ONLY two years old. He talks so much, understands even more, and just acts older than most recently turned two years olds that I’ve known. Daily we are amazed at his ever increasing vocabulary and understanding of the world around him; I guess you could say that we are just two parents who are too proud of their little boy!
Hurts
Recently, Canaan has had some dry patches on his back. He scratches at them and tells us “my back hurt.” So, when he tells me his back hurts, I’ve been putting lotion on it to help the itching and hurting. Yesterday, however, my growing belly was just itching so much. As soon as we got home, I went into the bathroom and started applying lotion to my belly. Canaan came in and saw what I was doing and said, “Mommy, Max hurt too.” I was amazed and touched!
Canaan knows that Max is in Mommy’s tummy, but I don’t think he quite understands much about what will happen. We recently broke out some books that we have been saving until closer to Max’s arrival about new babies. He listens and looks at the books with much interest, like he knows something in the book is very important and might be soon relevant to his life.
Mr. Repeat
He has been repeating phrases we use a lot. Sometime he just repeats exactly what we have just said, while at other times, he waits and pulls out the new phrase at times he feels is appropriate. Auntie Livi was sitting on the couch the other day and Canaan was bothering her to read him a book. Finally she said in insistent tones, “Hold your horses Canaan.” He quickly replied back, “I TRYING!” Then he calmed down for a few minutes before coming back asking the same thing. She said, “Wait, Canaan,” to which he replied, “Hold R Horses!”
He also used the word sometimes for the first time two days ago. Mommy and Canaan had a big battle over picking up his puzzle pieces before moving on to play with different toys. After Canaan finally submitted and obeyed Mommy, he said, “My obey Mommy sometimes.” I tried to correct him and tell him he should obey Mommy all the time, but he just insisted on using the word sometimes. So, I am taking that to mean that he doesn’t know exactly how to use that new word correctly yet!
Some other little phrases he has been throwing around recently have been:
“Pretty cool.”
“Wow.”
“What d-we have here?”
“Let’s see.”
“Be careful here Mommy”- this was after I messed up a line of cars he had strung across the floor
“What are you doing up here?”- he says this when he stands up on chairs
“Miss a page.” –when we skip a page in a book
“Look, see!! Look see!!”
And more