Guest Post for Djibouti Jones: How Pregnancy Brought Us Together

/ Whitney @ Journey Mercies

Hey friends! Instead of a post today on Journey Mercies, I've written a guest post for the blog Djibouti Jones. The post is part of a series on diversity running on the blog. You can check it out here - What I Learned: How Pregnancy Brought Us Together.

Rachel Pieh Jones, the author, is one of my favorite bloggers. She and her family live in the horn of Africa, and she writes about "life at the crossroads of faith and culture." I think part of why I enjoy her writing is that it reminds me a bit of my time in north Sudan - different country and culture, but lots of similarities.

She is someone I'd love to be like ten years from now - still serving overseas, observing and appreciating her host culture, living out her faith, and writing about it all. Some of my favorite posts on her blog are - 


And one more thing - I'm trying out something new this month with a monthly newsletter. I'll include stories and photos from Cambodia, resources that will encourage and inspire, and the best of the blog. It's a great way to stay updated if you don't want every new post coming in. You can sign up here!

follow along!
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39 Weeks - Or, What to Do In Bangkok While Waiting to Have a Baby

/ Whitney @ Journey Mercies

The finish line is finally in sight - 39 weeks, and only days left before baby boy will {hopefully} a make his appearance into this world.

I say "hopefully" because there's always the chance he could wait a little bit longer...but I really hope he doesn't!

We've been hanging out in Bangkok for over two weeks now, and it has honestly flown by. I was afraid we'd get bored just waiting around, but I forgot how fun Bangkok is and how easy it is to find something to do.

I've definitely had a lot more energy than I expected this late into my pregnancy - which is a good thing, because we're staying on the fourth flour of our host's townhouse. I definitely count those trips up three flights of stairs as part of my daily exercise! And we've been blessed with unexpectedly cool weather up until this week, which makes lugging around an extra 20 pounds on my frontside a little more bearable.

We've been getting our weekly check-ups at the hospital, and everything continues to look good - except the little guy has twisted himself into a pretzel - right transverse anterior, or something like that. The doctor gave me exercises to do to encourage him to move around. When I asked her what would happen if he didn't, she answered, "A very long labor!" Great. So much to look forward to.


Today I made a quick list of ten things to do in Bangkok while waiting to have a baby - just in case any of you decide that moving to Thailand to deliver your firstborn is a fabulous idea, too!

Yes, that is a lighthouse. Inside a mall {Terminal 21}. And they were having a book sale - be still, my heart...

1. Get your daily exercise walking through malls. They are everywhere, they are air-conditioned, and they are where everyone else hangs out, too. Two of my favorites are Terminal 21 for their international layout and quirky independent shops, and Mega Bangna, because they basically have everything, including Ikea.


2. Eat lots of fruit. Dragonfruit? Passion fruit? Mango? Pomelo? Rambutans and mangosteens? Just go crazy!



3. Catch up on reading. English books may be a bit expensive here, but thanks to my and the KC Library's e-book collection, I am one happy reader. {did you know you can check out books from your library? life-changing for expats like me!}

 4. Sleep in. Do I seriously need to explain this one?


My favorite shake/coffee shop...

5. Drink veggie smoothies every day for 70 cents. From the "Parking Garage Food Stalls." Yup, seriously, we eat at least half our meals in a parking garage that has some of the cheapest, most delicious food around. Should I be afraid of "street" food? Maybe. But I like to live a little on the edge.



6. Go swimming. Our host's apartment complex has a swimming pool, which is amazing. I've been pretty disciplined up to this point in my pregnancy doing my and , but now, I just do some laps and call it good.



7. Go to the Bangkok Farmers Market. It's held once a month at K Village on Sukhumvit Soi 26. There are vendors from all over the city selling Thai and Western food, baked goods, natural body products, organic produce, and handmade items. The abundance of free samples of brownies, juices, scones, bread, and cake will make you forget about the hot weather.



8. Ride the BTS sky train. Which will take you to malls, which helps you accomplish #1 on this list. Cheap entertainment. Also, when you're pregnant, everyone gives you their seat if the car is full, and you get to skip the lines and go through the "special gate", letting the security guard scan your card for you. And it's air conditioned. {are you picking up that A/C is very important to me?}



9. Go to a baby fair - even if it's risking your toenails and sanity, it will be a cultural experience.



10. Get a pedicure - especially if the aforementioned baby fair ruined your toenails. It's cheap, luxurious, and fun. Oh, and the salon has A/C. Double win for the pregnant lady. Not so much for the pedicurist {is that a word?} wearing three sweaters and a scarf.


Note: Affiliate link used.
/ Whitney @ Journey Mercies/
"affiliate", , "bangkok"

Whitney @ Journey Mercies

37 Weeks: Baby Update in Bangkok

/ Whitney @ Journey Mercies
It's been a bit quiet around here this weekend, because we've been busy moving to Bangkok.

Looking down the BTS tracks into downtown Bangkok

Just to catch you up in case you haven't been around long, Andrew and I are expecting our first baby. Because medical care in Cambodia is subpar at best, most foreigners {including us} travel to Bangkok to deliver. Bangkok has international standard hospitals at very reasonable prices. It's also only four hours away from Poipet, which meant our trip up here Saturday morning by taxi was pretty fast.

Andrew is happy to be here, too. I'm happy about dirt-cheap, delicious street food and beet shakes for seventy-five cents. I've seriously had one every day so far. Yesterday it was beet-carrot-tomato-pineapple-apple. Who knew it could be so delicious?!

We have a wonderful Welsh-Irish family hosting us, who have been working in Thailand over 15 years. They live just down the street from several other friends, and we're familiar with the area. I really can't imagine moving to Bangkok if we weren't so comfortable here. But it's a bit like our home away from home, and moving here actually feels a lot less stressful than some of our days in Cambodia.

At the Thailand Best Buy Baby Fair

We've only been here three days but have managed to pack our days pretty full. Sunday, we attended a baby and kids fair at a convention center. It basically felt like a massive indoor shopping market that sold all baby items - crowded, chaotic, noisy, and overwhelming! And we discovered that baby gear really is cheaper in America than in Bangkok. For example, a Graco pack n' play that I've had my eye on is $80 on Amazon, but $200 here. Even some baby swaddle blankets I registered for were way overpriced - $21 for three on Amazon, but $25 for one at the expo. I feel grateful all over again for my parents bringing in lots of baby stuff for us in a few weeks!

I can't help but wondering if the mirror is included?

Yesterday, our doula gave us a crash course on labor and delivery, and our doctor gave us some good news - baby boy has dropped down and 'engaged', meaning he should hopefully be on his way in a few weeks. This also means my breathing has become significantly easier and I can eat more in one setting, because he's not shoved up under my ribs anymore. It's amazing what two centimeters of space can do for you!

I hit 37 weeks today!

The next few weeks, we have plenty to keep us busy. Our baby shopping list is still incomplete, and there's lots of logistical items we need to figure out before he comes - such as how to get a Thai birth certificate, his American passport, and his visas for Cambodia and Thailand, as well as renewing our visas when they expire in about 3 weeks.

And in case you're wondering about safety amidst the political protests here, it has honestly affected us 0%. We only saw protesters at one metro stop this weekend, and it looked more like a street party - huge television screens and stages set up, loads of food and souvenir stalls, and bands playing live music. If I hadn't known about the protests, I would have had no idea it was political!

The party protest stage at the Asoke-Sukhumvit intersection

Later in the month, you may also be seeing some new faces pop up. I have some amazing blogging friends who have offered to write guest posts for Journey Mercies once baby arrives so I can focus on learning to be a mom, but still offer you encouraging, inspiring content. But don't worry, I'll still be posting photos of the little one - I don't think our families would allow us NOT to.

/ Whitney @ Journey Mercies/
, "bangkok", "thailand"

Whitney @ Journey Mercies

My Days at the Clinic Are Over

/ Whitney @ Journey Mercies
This week, I said goodbye to work and hello to SAHM-status {stay-at-home-mom}.

At 35 weeks pregnant, I decided it was time to call it quits. Andrew and I are moving to Bangkok next week to wait out little boy's arrival, and I feel ready to stop working and focus on preparing to become a mother.


But, it's still bittersweet.

I have worked with three of the staff ever since I came to Cambodia almost three years ago. We started the thyroid clinic together, learned from each other, and have shared so many experiences. We've seen visitors come and go. We've driven to the villages on motorcycles and in Land Rovers to visit patients that needed encouragement or a check-up on their health - some of them living in desperate situations I can't imagine raising a family in. 

We've taken care of our share of cute kids and said painful goodbyes to the ones that didn't make it. I've even taken their blood to see their blood type, hoping that one of them would be able to give blood to help out a critically ill patient who traveled across the country to see us. And of course, there are plenty of routine days mixed in with the exciting ones.

I've learned about Cambodian culture from them, things like why many Cambodians are afraid of doctors. I've seen the clinic doors shut for a year while the doctor went back to America for home leave, then helped reopen them when he returned this past fall. 

A video made by a friend of our first two years of clinic, 2011-2012

So many of my memories and life lessons are wrapped up in the four rooms of our small clinic on the outskirts of the city hospital grounds. I find it hard to imagine that their work will carry on, while I'm at home every day.

My last day at clinic was also the busiest of the year so far...17 patients, and no electricity all day to boot.

Wednesday night, all the staff gathered for dinner at one of the outdoor casino barbecue restaurants. We shared memories, laughed together, English and Khmer flowing in and out of the same conversation. I'll still see all the staff at church, as, thankfully, we're all part of the same community. But I'll never be part of the daily loop again.

Our last staff photo together...awful lighting, but awesome people 

Yet, what am I getting in exchange? A chance to stay home and focus on being a mom. I don't plan on returning to work as long as we're in Cambodia, because there's no one else to watch the baby. And I'm actually really grateful that I don't have to make the decision about whether to go back to work, or try to find a way to decrease my hours. And we are really fortunate that Andrew's job has allowed me to volunteer the past three years, without worrying about an income, because now I can stay home and still not worry about it.

I think God has really moved around my heart's priorities. I see our new adventure as parents as a door opening up to a whole world of new possibilities. I know I'll have days when I struggle with the everyday routine and miss the challenge of medical work. But for now, this is my role, and I'm eager to embrace it.

/ Whitney @ Journey Mercies/
, "medical work", "motherhood"

Whitney @ Journey Mercies

The Mother I Want to Be: Thoughts on Impending Motherhood

/ Whitney @ Journey Mercies
The past few weeks, a question has been swirling around in my head: what kind of mother do I want to be?


Photo from our 7-month maternity photos

Maybe it's the shocking realization that our little boy will arrive in eight weeks (or less - I'd be ok with a week or two early...). It may be due to the surge of goal planning and vision casting that surrounds the New Year - and realizing this year will introduce me to a new role I've never played before. 

 I don't want to fall into motherhood, without vision, or ideals, or purpose. Regardless of how a baby is conceived, women have nine months to prepare for their new position in life: mother. Fortunately, women also get a bit of a break in the first few months of their child's life, when the most important thing is keeping the kid alive, clean, and fed.

 This week I finished reading Meeting Motherhood, a new e-book by Nicole Joelle (you can download the book, along with free Scripture printables, at the Meeting Motherhood website). I've been following her blog for the past few months and was excited to read her motherhood story, which started at week 28 of her pregnancy and went to her son's six month birthday. She shares her heart honestly about the physical and emotional changes and challenges in becoming a mother. I needed to hear her story, as I'm entering that same phase myself. 

I laughed at all the same pregnancy problems she wrote about that I am experiencing now, then sobered up as I read about the first few draining weeks of motherhood. 

 I am in for some big changes. How I will react to them? 

 Maybe being a mother is just an extension of who I am as a woman. If I am a woman who loves Jesus, speaks life into people's lives, and trusts in God's control over the world, that affects how I will parent my child and how I shape their view of the world and of God.

 This is who I want to be as a mother:


I want to model repentance to my kids - towards God, my husband, and my kids.

I want to encourage them to pursue their dreams, not my dreams.

I want to raise them open-eyed to the world, not in a bubble.

I want them to respect and love their father, because they see how I do.

I want them to hear words of life, not shame or condemnation, coming from my mouth.

I want them to know being their mom is my dream - they don’t get in the way of my dreams.

I want to be a mom who sees Jesus as her only hope - not being more organized, creative, fashionable, disciplined, or a person who has awesome well-behaved kids. Those things aren’t my ultimate hope; they don’t give me status. Jesus alone is my hope, and my identity and worth is wrapped up in what he did for me. Clinging to that hope as a mom means my kids won’t make me their idol. 

Jami Nato said in an Influence Network recording, when moms react in embarrassment or shame when their kids act up, they’re telling their kids - You should be making me look good, but you’re not; shame on you. It teaches their children to view them as their god. But that’s not our role as moms. We should tell our kids, That grieves the heart of Jesus - your attitude and your disobedience is pushing you away from the Lord. 

I know motherhood has already begun for me. In the first year, it will less what I say to my son and more how I respond to exhaustion, frustration, and helplessness. Who or what will I run to for comfort when I am at the end of my line? Where will I seek stability when the baby's schedule throws mine out the window? Where will I look for my problem’s solutions when I have no idea what the answer is? Will I check out of reality or run to Jesus?

 I want to be a mother who runs to Jesus - when she comes to the end of herself, her strength, her knowledge, her abilities, she doesn’t just throw up her hands in defeat or go looking for a human answer. She clings to the Word and to God’s promises and says, God, I trust in you, and I know you won’t abandon me. 



Disclosure: Nicole sent me her e-book for free in exchange for an honest review, which I have given. 
/ Whitney @ Journey Mercies/
, , "motherhood"

Whitney @ Journey Mercies