This evening at 10:21 PM (Cambodia time) Caleb Daniel Conklin was born. At birth, he weighed 4 kg (8.8 lbs) and is 55 cm (21.6 in) tall. I’ll write a detailed account of the experience later. But it was short, intense, and painful labor and delivery. Crystal has some minor tearing but is doing well….
Category: Daily life in Cambodia
Almost time for the Baby
Last night Crystal started having intense contractions – distinct from the usual braxton hicks contractions – and we thought it was time. So we quickly prepared everything, borrowed the MCC truck, and loaded up to leave. We were worried because Crystal and I still have this respiratory infection. Labor is hard enough when you can…
Sulphur Soap
File this one under tips for living in a tropical developing country. As you likely recall, I had a very slow recovery from Chikungunya and my immune system was low for a long time. During my recovery I noticed that I had little red spots on my limbs. It was hard not to notice, they…
Respiratory Infection at Nine Months
Two weeks ago, Charlotte came down with a respiratory infection. It isn’t COVID-19, we had that back in December, but rather a more mundane illness. Actually, the December bout of COVID-19, which we suspect was the third time we had it, was milder than this respiratory illness. Charlotte is feeling better now. Unfortunately, she shared…
Little Doggie Bozo
The “Prince” of our street lives across from us. He’s a little black dog owned by an Excellency and he clearly thinks he owns the entire world. The Excellency has a pack of dogs, all larger than the little “Prince”, but he’s absolutely the alpha. After Crystal’s traumatic dog fight experience under our gate we…
Baby Shower
The MCC Cambodia team surprised us with a baby shower this afternoon. It was really lovely of them. It’s hard to be far away from parents, grandparents, and siblings as the due date draws near. Even though we’re well prepared. It’s still hard. So it was nice to feel love and support from our MCC…
Catherine singing on the way to school
Catherine singing a song of her own creation on the way to school. ♪ We live in Cambodia right now! ♫
The Consequences of Fungal Adapation
For a long time – maybe two years already, maybe even longer – I’ve had some sinus issues; congestion, nasal drip, occasional sore threat. It got better, then worse, then better. I thought it might be related to the root canal I had, worried I had allergies, watched the air pollution levels, and fretted that…
Charlotte’s Typing Practice
If I lived in Antarctica… If I lived in Antarctica, I would have special slot googles that would cover my eyes. I’d have huskies to pull the sled. The huskies would have special coats. I’d live in an igloo. For food I’d go fishing in holes in the ice. Everything I know about lizards Lizards…
អង្រ្គងជ្រក់ | Pickled Red Ants
Last month while we were out in Prey Veng province I picked up a container of all natural pickled red ants from a seller in Ba Phnom. It can be quite expensive to purchase these in Phnom Penh but I got a good price on them out in the countryside. These large red ants are…