Zechariah is 5 months old!

Yes, this baby is 5 months old today! He weighs just over 19 lbs and is (still) wearing 12 month clothes. Zach is very interactive now. He loves to make eye contact, smile, laugh, "talk," watch his sisters, grab at everything (keep your hair away!), and is starting to play with toys. He stares intently at us while we eat. Just one more month before you get to start that, little buddy! Zechariah goes by several other names including Zach, Zakharia (his name in Indonesian), Zachy, Zakaroni, and Zack-attack. I think that he resembles Zoe's baby photos--the only part of his appearance that reminds me of myself is his eyes. Maybe he'll look a lot like his Daddy. :)

We love our big-little Zachy so much!

How I get veggies and fruit

As a mom of little people, still getting adjusted back to life where fresh fruit and veggies are sold in open markets, I find getting out to shop to be difficult. Here in Wamena I am so very blessed to have two ladies come by on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and sell me fresh food right on my porch! I never know exactly what they will bring (though there are pretty much always pineapples). In that way this is a bit like a farm share... My sister learned lots of new way to cook greens and started drinking green smoothies when she had a farm share because she received all kinds of veggies that she had never bought at a store. Similarly, it is fun to buy whatever these ladies bring and then think about ways to use them.

Here is a photo of all the food that I purchased on Tuesday, after I washed it:

If you are interested, here is a list of the veggies and fruit and of what I paid for each item:
wortel (carrots) $4.50
ketimun (cucumber) $1.50
salada (lettuce) $0.75
nenas (pineapple) $0.75
tomat (tomatoes) $1.85
pisang (bananas) $8.15
kol bunga (cauliflower) $3.70
alpokat (avocado) $0.75
jeruk manis (oranges that are green on the outside) $1.50
mulberries (the lady picks them from bushes at her house and calls them blue berry, but I know that they're not blueberries. my girls gobble them up!) $1.50
markisa --free because Ariella is so cute and asked for some
green onions $0.75
papaya $2.25
total: less than $30.

We eat the fruit plain and in smoothies. Yum! Pineapples here are very ripe and sweet. The cherry tomatoes are not from the usual fruit ladies, but are from the garden of Hosanna, the woman who helps me to clean my house. Here is a photo of her with Zach (who adores her):

I am so very grateful for these strong and resourceful women and for their help in feeding my family!