Some of Hava's various sleeping environments over the past 3 monthsin the car...
in a hammock with someone else...
in a different hammock...
yet another hammock during the day (notice her sweaty head)...
under a mosquito net...
in someone else's bed...yes, more mosquito bites...
on the bus...
another hammock...
on the boat...
in a different crib...
in the car...
on the plane...

among many, MANY others.

SCHEDULES

As any of you who have or have had young children know, the schedule is everything.  Hava has always been our "little clock" since she was born. And I knew that no matter how I tried to keep her on schedule, this trip was gonna be a little wacky for her.  The first half was not so bad, but the second half really took a toll on her.  Besides having to sleep with a mosquito net every night, the heat was unbearable as much for us as it was for her.  I also had to lay down beside her crib EVERY NIGHT during the second half of the trip to get her to fall asleep.  I'm not sure if it was just the different environment or if it really was spiritual, but she screamed bloody murder if I left her side before she was sleeping.  Then she would only sleep about 9-10 hrs a night versus her 11-12 hrs here.  Her naps dropped down from 2 1.5-2 hr naps, to only one 1.5-2 hrs.  It was completely understandable as the heat during the day was worse than at night.  In fact, she slept in a hammock during naptimes just in order to be able to sleep.

Of course the sleeping affects the eating, which affects the moods and so on.  Considering everything, Hava was a trooper and really held up pretty well.  That is until we flew back.  The 6 hours of sleep she got in my arms in the airport on the 25th barely held her over till we finally got in the plane the next afternoon.  She didn't sleep at all on the plane.  When we arrived in Miami at 7 pm the next day, she had to get back in her carseat (which she had gotten unaccustomed to while in Brazil, since it is not mandatory there).  That was a fight...she screamed for about an hour until she conked out.  Then we arrived at our friends house where she went to sleep pretty quickly that night (26th).  

For the week we were in Florida and traveling home, she did better in the car seat and took plenty of naps.  I think the lack of sleep was catching up with her.  There were still tough times though as none of our stomachs were back to normal.  But we really wanted to get home and try our best to get her in her own bed and sleeping and eating on a schedule again.  The first couple of naps and night, there was a bit of screaming and during the first night, she woke up in a terror - I think because she still wasn't sure where she was and we were in the other room.  But last night was a blessing - she went down at 8:30 (regular time) without a fight, went right to sleep and didn't wake up till 9 am this morning!!!  (At 7:30, I went in to check on her since it was so strange that we hadn't heard a thing and she was completely out.)  

Anyway, she is eating well and although we have been dealing with some behavioral issues since we got back (and we're not far from the 2s), she seems to be calming down and obeying more consistently.  We just wanted to really thank all of you who specifically pray for Hava.   She is and has been such a special blessing to us and especially on this trip.  There were people she would go up to and just hug for no reason - people seemed to be moved by her presence.  Her family just fell in love with her and she with them.  Neighborhood kids would come up to the house where we stayed asking for Hava.  And now, she is a blessing to us.  While we could be frustrated and stressed with our current unpredictable situation, she keeps us laughing and happy.  Pray that Hava continues to be this blessed part of this ministry as long as the LORD allows her to be with us.