New baby photos

This week we had a new scan done. Here are a couple of the most recent pictures.

Sort of side on view of his head, with his hand near one eye.


Profile shot - this is my new favourite photo.

As you may have been able to tell, we decided we wanted to know the sex. So enjoy the photos of our gorgeous SON!

Spring Break - Italy

Recently Dave and I took our Spring Break vacation in Italy. We were able to spend the first few days with some friends we knew from our Hong Kong days and enjoyed the beautiful peace and quiet of their place in Soriano, about 80 Kms north of Rome.

The view from Elizabetta & Adam's front door!

We spent just 1 day in Rome itself, and used it to visit the Vatican Museums, which included going through the Sistine Chapel. The halls and galleries of the Vatican Museums are absolutely loaded with wonderful artistic treasures.

One of the halls in the Vatican Museums.

The painted ceiling in one of the Vatican Museums' galleries.

The Sistine Chapel.

St. Peter's

After the 3 hours or so of going through the Vatican Museums we were ready for lunch and had a wonderful meal, finished off with a delicious coffee granita.

Enjoying my coffee granita!!

Our last 2 days were spent in Florence, seeing the sights and enjoying some more wonderful food. Michaelangelo's statue of David is truly magnificient and I'm so glad we were able to see it. Florence is a beautiful city and very easy to navigate around.

The Duomo

Michaelangelo's "David"

Just some of the pork products we were able to indulge in while in Italy!!!!

Habitat for Humanity - March 2009

Dave and I had the opportunity last month to join a weekend Habitiat for Humanity trip in Minya, about 245kms south of Cairo. This was my second Habitat trip and Dave's third. We had a great group of 8 volunteers, half were from the university and half from my church. We assisted at two build sites, moving bricks, sifting sand and brick laying at one site, and nailing the wood boards for the roof at the second site.

Me helping with nailing the roof.


One of the Habitat staff working on the roof.


Our team with the homeowners and family on the completed roof.

While in Minya we had a sunset felucca ride on the Nile. I really enjoy felucca rides, but this was made even more interesting by the police presence on the boat, as well as the water police escort that followed us around on the Nile!!

Just two of the police/security that followed us around all weekend.

The water police following us on the Nile (taken in secret, hence the funny angle).

Police/security escorts are a fact of life for foreigners 'on tour' in Egypt. Thankfully we personally don't have to deal with them on a daily basis.

Our first OB visit

Last week we finally got around to having our first obstetrician's visit. It all went pretty smoothly and the doctor confirmed the due date that I had already worked out with the help of the internet - Sept. 1. The exciting thing about the visit was that we had a scan done and got to see the sprog moving around. I might be biased but I think OUR baby scan is clearer than anybody else's I have ever seen. Look for yourself.

Our first baby photo.

New campus inauguration

Recently the new main campus out in the desert of AUC (American University in Cairo) was inaugurated. The main ceremony on Feb. 7th included special guest and alumnus, the first lady of Egypt, Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak. This was an 'invitation only' event, for which Dave declined attending.

The campus scrubs up pretty well.

We did attend an event a few days later - the opening of the Sharjah Art Gallery and the Malak Gabr Arts Theatre. The Sheikh of Sharjah, Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, donated a significant amount of money towards the buidling of the art gallery and then allowed pieces of his personal collection to be shown as the inaugural exhibition.

My invitation to the Sharjah Art Gallery opening and dinner.

The exhibition showcased some wonderful oils and water-colours of various middle eastern scenes, that the Sheikh has spent years collecting.

After the opening there was a dinner. It was quite the spread, and to be quite honest, more than I could eat at 9pm on a 'school night'.

And then we were three ...

I can finally announce that David and I are expecting our first child. Now the questions begin - what doctor? where to have the child?? names???

Weird and Wonderful Egypt - pt.2

During Dave's recent bout of the 'flu his doctor prescribed a handful of pils and potions, among them these tablets. Would you take something labelled Retard??????