'Crossing the River' (4/10/08)

   Today we are celebrating the arrival of our new nephew!  My (Julee) sister just delivered their 3rd baby...a little boy - Wyatt Anderson McKay!  We are VERY excited for them and wish we could be there to celebrate with them and to hold this new little guy!

     Life events like this one open the door for us to learn new words in Khmer as well as cultural things.  As I shared with my language tutor today about this new baby boy I learned several things about having babies here in Cambodia.

     When you tell a person here that you just had a baby you use the phrase, "I have crossed the river".  The Mekong is a rather large river here and swimming from one shore to another, especially at the height of rainy season, can be very dangerous...many people have drowned making the attempt.  Giving birth has its risks for just about everyone, but in developing countries like Cambodia, that do not have good medical care, it can be even more risky.  For this reason, the Khmer describe labor and delivery as having to 'cross the river'.  Some women will make it through this process, and some will not.

     When I told Suen (Sue-uhn) how big our new little nephew is she gasped, grabbing her chest and fanning herself!  Wyatt weighed 9lbs 3oz at birth, which is on the big side in the states, but is on the HUGE side here in Cambodia!  An average Cambodian baby (IF the mother is healthy and ate well during pregnancy) would weigh somewhere around 2 to 3 kilo (4-6lbs), so when I told Suen that Wyatt weighed 4.2 kilo she just knew that my sister hadn't survived the birth!  I told her that things went very well and that my sister was doing great, she exclaimed, "Oh, they must have cut the baby out!"  I told her no, that the delivery was natural, no surgery required.

     She was amazed, and I told her that because we (westerners in general) are bigger than most Khmer, we tend to have bigger babies.  She agreed, but finished by saying "Yes, but SO difficult!"

     Mr. Wyatt, we are SO happy that you are here, and a part of our family.  We pray each day that God will help you grow strong and healthy and that some day you will choose to follow Jesus with all of your heart...for the rest of your life.

We love you!  auntie julee and uncle 'ris