Comparing Babies!

My sister Rachel is an obsessed baby lover just like me, except she might be slightly worse than me I’m not sure. Anyway, I just love when we talk about our babies and brag about what all they can say. While she brags that Jaxon can say, “Dried fruit, Cris Stump, and hi Mama,” I’m bragging about how Veronika says, “Essa, all done, and ya!!” And by the way, Veronika speaks dutch so essa is eat and ya is yes.

Rachel and I always had dreams of living close to each other so we could do things together with our children but now I live in Haiti and she lives in PA and that is not nearly close enough to do things together. The thing that I miss is that we cannot sit and watch our babies play together and compare and brag and just enjoy them. Instead we have to rely on technology to keep us some-what connected. And not only do our babies not live close they have very different lives.

While her babies, Jaxon and Aaliyah, are dining on organic, hormone free bone broth, fermented carrot sticks, beet kavos, and Kamboucha, my baby is chewing on rice and beans, corn mush, avocado, and peanut butter bread.

While Jaxon and Aaliyah ride around town buckled securely in soft,up-to-date safety carseats in a nice air-conditioned van, watching educational baby films. Veronika sits on my lap with my arms clutching her as we bounce like peas in a frying pan in the back of an old, colorful, tap-tap or on the back of a truck with the hot sun beating down on us and the wind whipping around us.

They play with beautiful, classic, toddler toys that are geared to gently cultivate creativity and imagination.

Veronika lies on her chubby tummy and plays with the brown beetles that invade our house every evening.

Their mother carefully selects outfits that fit her taste.

I dig through the “missionary barrel” full of worn, musty, outdated clothes- sacrificially sent to the poor! ( although Veronika is often dressed in beautiful, new or gently used clothes- lovingly sent from my family and friends!!)

While Jaxon and Aaliyah lie in their nice wooden cribs in their tastefully decorated nurseries wishing to be in Mommy’s bed.

Veronika goes to sleep with her head on Mommy’s chest, thankful that she does not have a nice crib or a cozy nursery to sleep in!

It is interesting to me to see the differences and realize that although our babies lead very different life-styles Rachel and I both have beautiful, healthy, happy, babies. And while I dream of the day our children can play together- I am content to take Veronika to pick banannas in the front yard while she loads hers up and head to the orchard to pick apples!

Here is Veronika enjoying her late-night snack of rice and beans:   

And at lunch-time: