Phillip and Rebecca Mefford

These toes are so sweet, sometimes I can't bear to put socks on her! As the experienced parents of three children—all three of which were born after moving to Turkey-- we are still surprised and sometimes befuddled at some of the ideas people have here concerning children that differ from what we have been accustomed to in our home culture. Here is a brief list of ten important keys to having a healthy, happy baby in Turkey—you may or may not agree! 1. The Importance of Her Name: Name the baby after her father's mother. This honors grandma and gives baby someone to emulate as they grow up. A common phrase people bless children with is, “may she grow up to be like her name.” 2. Evil Eye: Be cautious about praising your baby. If you must, follow it up with a maşallah (may God preserve her from evil) or nazar değmesin (may the evil eye not touch her). It's safer just to coo at her with "you're so ugly" so as to not incite the jealousy of bad

Sofia Ezgi at 20 days, and rearing to go! Traditionally Turkish families observe the "forty days,” six weeks after a baby is born in which the mother and baby do not leave home, a precaution of emotional and physical health for both. Today most leave home at least for doctor’s check-ups, and many don’t observe the forty days at all, but in the less metropolitan city that we are in now, we heard about it a lot more. Rebecca and Sofia Ezgi did manage to stay home for a decent three weeks, with the kindness of neighbors bringing food and the good timing of Phillip’s semester break landing right after Sofia Ezgi was born. Since then the little lady has traversed as far as Izmir and Istanbul—but nothing over the border until her passport arrives!