[twelve months = one year]

[thanks jamie sue for the photo, amanda joan for the sweater, & kimmy for the bowtie]

hard to believe, but our little boy is one this month.  

in the early months of being pregnant with cedar, i spent a month studying in uganda.  while i was there i was feeling pretty sick, strangely exhausted, and overwhelmed as i looked ahead to see life in cambodia + grad school + full time work + a new baby in my future.  during our chapel one morning, the spirit of God reassured me, saying that this baby i was carrying was a gift to us & not a burden.  & those simple words were a huge encouragement to me at that time.

& as we look back on one year with this little guy, they still encourage us.  true, he's not perfect, he doesn't sleep well & we end most days exhausted since he arrived, but still, this year has not been a burden, our little son has already lived up to his name, & has been a gift.

& we could not be more grateful for our sweet cedar james.

[oh yes, & now he walks!]

cozy christmas memories [2011]

two weeks of winter wonder in ny + all hastings siblings + significant others + cedar's first christmas = a cozy christmas for the memory books!

porch party

this is what injustice looks like [borei keila]

 

[mok phaith, 65, cries as she searches through the remains of her home which was demolished by authorities in borei keila.  photo by:heng chivoan, phnom penh post]

 on january 3rd, policemen, guards, and employees of the development company phan imex destroyed the homes of over 300 people in the heart of phnom penh. 

[bricks & debris are all that remain. photo by: mai vireak-phnom penh post]

the company plans to use the area for commercial deveoplement.

[former residents. photo by: Samrang Pring/Reuters]

read more about the eviction and the response of civil society groups here & here.

snapshots [december 2011]

[11 months]

[braving the NY winter - who dresses this poor kid?]


 baby cedar (i've got to use that phrase as much as possible, because its close to not being applicable anymore) is growing & changing like crazy & its a real joy to be a front row observer.  at 11 months, he's not walking yet, but has become a very fast crawler & enjoys toddling around holding onto couches, chairs, tables, people's legs, whatever he can find.  he has 3 words that we can recognize and they are all khmer (cambodian) words so far.  he says the baby forms of ch'gai (dog), p'gaa (flower), k'bal (head).  he also knows the cambodian sounds for "don't do that", which sounds like eht eht.  we know he knows that one, because he often says it to himself when he is doing something he is not supposed to do - he's a mischevious one, that's for sure.

at 11 months he has 4 teeth.  we get a kick out of the top two, because his outer teeth are coming in before his middle ones, so he looks a bit like a vampire when he grins.

[vampire baby - pictures by jamie, more to come later]

he's a good eater & this month his favorites have been rice & his grandma mary's (who he visited this month, more on that later too) turkey soup.  he's still not a very good sleeper, but makes up for it by being pretty happy & charming when he's awake.  (& his momma makes up for it with lots of coffee)

when cedar was born, i thought there was nothing  cuter and more fun than the tiny baby he was.  but i was wrong.  sitting in a cafe yesterday, i saw some new parents with their newborn & realized what a difference 10 short months makes. he's so much more fun than that little guy who could only sleep & cry.  at 11 months, baby cedar is a complete delight & we couldn't be happier to be journeying with him.

[bonus picture: wearing uncle ben's hand-me-downs, 30 years later]

phnom penh + evictions + injustice

 a good short video news report about some of the eviction issues happening in phnom penh recently.