“¡Mamá!”, is what I hear every morning when Braegan wakes up. She just shouts it over and over, in the same intonation that she hears the Dominican children yelling for their mamá’s outside! I love it!!
Braegan was 7 months when we moved here, and I had no idea what to expect when moving to the DR as a first time mom. Now, I can’t imagine raising her any other way. She is exposed to new adventures every day. Whether it’s sitting in a tractor, chasing baby goats, riding a moto to the ice cream shop. driving in the truck with her daddy, observing in surgery or talking to patients in the PACU, Braegan LOVES life!
Chillin’ on the skid steer
Checking the blood pressure on her balloon face
watching turtles at the hotel
looking at cow bones on the land
spending time with a good friend
walking to the grocery store
Driving with daddy
Her vocabulary is growing rapidly. Here is how she counts, “one, two, three, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez”. One of the most common questions that Jeff and I are asked is if we are teaching Braegan Spanish. Our response is she is picking it up naturally, I don’t believe she really sees a difference in the 2 languages she is exposed to on a daily basis. When I download new apps on my phone for Braegan, if there is a language option, I automatically switch them to Spanish. This is a great way for me to learn more words too. One of her favorite words for a while was mapache (racoon). She doesn’t even know the English word for the animal she is saying, but she can identify it quickly.
There are days that I miss being in the classroom and having the structure of a full time job; however, I quickly remind myself that this time I have now with Braegan I could never get back if I was in the classroom. I’m so blessed to be a full time mom and wife.
Popping bubbles
We leave in 8 days for our 2nd trip back to the states in the last 18 months. We will be spending a week in Florida catching up with friends and family. We are looking forward to taking it easy after 10 weeks of groups. Please pray for safety and rest as we travel.