Thermal Springs of Papallacta

All the Fulbright scholors in Ecuador got together this week for some special lectures, and they also were taken on a field trip to the Termas de Papallacta (Thermal Springs of Papallacta) located 40 miles east of Quito.

First we took a hike through some mountain/jungle areas. This area is known for it's large species of birds, including the Andean Condor, the largest flying land bird in the western hemisphere. We were bummed we didn't see one. We did see a few wild llamas though!! We didn't think we'd ever really see wild llamas.

(there are 3 of them, a little hard to see)


Then we enjoyed the hot springs. The outside air was a bit cold (we were higher elevation than Quito!) but the water was nice to relax in. I let Owen dip his toes in, but I didn't want him to get wet and cold. He'll have to go swimming for the first time on another day.

It was amazing to be surrounded by such beautiful landscape!


Here is the whole Fulbright group.
It was lots of fun to get to know them a little bit, since this was really the only time everyone would be together. A lot of smart and talented people!

Owen Updates, Two Months Old

Since I know many people read our blog just to see Owen, here are lots of pictures for your enjoyment!

Owen turned 2 months on the 12th. Some of the things he does now:

-we have lots of tummy time. he doesn't always like it and often fusses and cries, but we try to do it at least once or twice a day. his head is getting stronger and can lift it almost 90 degrees
-he can hold his head up pretty good by himself
-he loves his toys, especially the blue octopus that plays music and his bright yellow stuffed "gato volador" (flying cat)
-he has discovered his hands. he looks at his fists when he's playing, and he's just started sucking on his fists. he's never been a thumb or finger sucker though.

-he has discovered his tongue. he'll stick out like a little snake, lick his lips, and click his tongue
-he is awake for longer periods and sleeps less, often skipping a nap. he still sleeps well at night, although all our traveling and running around has thrown him off and he no longer sleeps through the night. he wakes up every night around 2 or 3am. we're working to break that habit.
-he smiles all the time, and he seems so close to laughing. I'm sure it will happen soon.
-he's started blowing bubbles and gets all foamy at the mouth. it's pretty funny.
-he loves being rocked to sleep and always falls asleep when he's out and about in his Baby Bjorn.
-when it's time for his nap he loves being swaddled and has to have his Soothie pacifier. this combination always calms him right down. and he doesn't take any other brand of pacifier very well
-he loves going for walks in his stroller. he loves to look around at all the buildings and city sites

-he seems to be tolerating dairy better. I've slowly introduced cheese and yogurt and a tiny bit of milk (milk in Ecuador is gross) and he hasn't had any reactions!! yay!!!!!

He is such a happy baby and is so fun to have around. We are so blessed to have him a part of our family. We love him very much!!



Now the pictures:

first teddy-bear from Build-A-Bear


first time at a mall, he was enthrawled with all the lights!


at Harold Washington Library in Chicago, once again entrawled with the lights





2 months old


all smiles!



trying out the new sling



Sun Devil fan







we've learned he has to wear a hat anytime we go outside or he'll get sunburned.


tummy time. I love this outfit.



sporting his baby Air Jordan's (thanks Aunt Katy!)



bubbly bubbles!

(I tried so hard to post some videos on here but I guess the internet in my apartment in too slow. I'll have to figure something out.)

Our Apartment

In case any of you were curious as to where we are living....and so you can see we're not living in a hut (at least not yet--we will be living more "primitively" one week out of every month while we're in the jungle where Josh will be working at a medical clinic)

Outside of the building. We live right above a tiny cinema called Ocho y Media. They show mostly Spanish movies though.


inside the building





not a lot of space, but it's comfy for us.


our bedroom

Owen's bedroom

amazing views from the roof of our building

La Mitad del Mundo

We went to "la Mitad del Mundo" translated to the Middle of the World, also known as the equator. We had the great opportunity to straddle both hemispheres! We saw two equators. No, there aren´t really two equators, but there is the "official" one, with a big monument and where all the tourists go. But, about 15 years ago or so, with GPS technology, the actual equator was verified, just 200 meters to the north. We did lots of fun things on the real equator, including balancing a raw egg on the head of a nail. It´s easiest to do this on the equator. It´s also more difficult to walk in a straight line with your eyes closed on the equator due to forces from both hemispheres pulling at you. And we did confirm that yes, water does really spin in the opposite direction south of the equator! It spins counterclockwise north of the equator, and it spins clockwise south of it. What do you think it does right on the equator?? It indeed falls straight down, no spinning! And I have video proof. We want to go back on March 21st, the day of the equinnox. At noon on this day nothing casts a shadow! It also does this on September 21st.

The "official" equator


Owen even stood on the equator


The GPS verified real equator


egg balanced on the head of a nail


on the equator, no spinning at all


south of the equator- water spins clockwise


north of the equator- water spins counter-clockwise

Quito, Ecuador

After a whirlwind few weeks, our family has finally been reunited and we are officially living in Quito, Ecuador now! Owen and I arrived late last Wednesday. Owen has become quite the international traveler, and has done very very well on all six plane rides he's been on. Josh's mom Cathy came with us to help me out. Traveling with a baby, 4 suitcases, a pack n play, a carseat, a carseat base, and stroller by yourself is not easy!! She has been such a huge help!!

We are thoroughly enjoying Quito! We've had a few recent bumps in the road though: our laptop, ipod, and portable DVD player were stolen out of our apartment while Josh was gone at the rural clinic, I already got sick with some bug, likely e. coli, which caused me to lose the contest Josh and I were having of who could go the longest without throwing up (yes, I made it through pregnancy and labor without throwing up once), and now I have lost our camera. But don't worry, Cathy has taken lots of pictures I will post! Luckily our renters insurance will cover our stolen things. We essentially will have all new electronics now.

In our apartment. Josh's birthday was Oct. 1 so we missed it. We made up for it by throwing him a party when we got there. The big 29! (don't worry, Josh has since shaved his moustache off)


Our church building, a 15 min walk from our apartment


In the front of our apartment building. It was really windy.


A view of Quito, looking to the west. These mountains are beautiful and behind them is a volcano, Volcan Pichincha. It's usually always covered with clouds.


Checking out a local market in Mariscal


In old town Quito. This is the oldest church in South America, built in 1538. It was gorgeous inside.


A street in old town Quito. It rained all afternoon, as it tends to do here. It will be warm and sunny in the morning, then dark clouds quickly roll in! The rain doesn't stop our fun though.


We will be very comfortable here in Quito, with access to almost any American brand we want. Some of the American stores we've come across: TGIFridays, Papa Johns, Dominoes, Ruby Tuesdays, Pizza Hut, Radio Shack, Payless Shoes, Cinnabon, Baskin Robbins, a Mac store, all sorts of mall stores, and a cinemark movie theater is coming soon! Yes, we will be spoiled.

I'm back in Chicago

So I had no choice to take a trip out to Chicago. This birth certificate issue has been the worst nightmare of my life! Thinking back, I laugh how I thought it would be possible to get his birth certificate/passport/visa before we had moved to Arizona. Such a silly thought.


Condensed version of story:

After much pleeding, the supervisor at the vital records office agreed to mail me the birth certificate. It should have come in the mail last Monday, but I waited all week and it still didn't come. I assumed it got lost in the mail. The people at the office said they could do no more to help me. Arrrrgh! Now I'm down to the wire with time left to take care of this. Saturday I decided to take matters into my own hands and I bought a ticket to come to Chicago to get everything needed in one trip. Then Monday rolls around and what comes in the mail...yep, the birth certificate. A week late. But I still came to Chicago to get the passport and visa. I no longer had time to get the visa from LA through the mail, and I thought flying 3 1/2 hours to Chicago with an infant would be a lot easier than driving 7 hours to LA. Plus, I've gotten to visit some friends which is always fun! The cool fall weather has been a nice break from the Arizona heat.

So far I've gotten the passport (YAY!!!!), and tomorrow I'll go get the visa. Cross your fingers it all goes smoothly!!