Announcment: A Party

It has been a summer of huge adjustments, ups and downs—and sometimes sideways. Writing has taken a back-seat to other priorities, which is why it has taken so long for an update.

But today I am not writing an update:

Karl and Nádya's Reception

We got married a little over three years ago, on the 27th of August, 2005. Since it was in Brazil our friends and family here in the States could not come, so we are holding a reception in honor of the occasion.

We would love it if you could come to our reception on the 11th of October at 6:00 PM in Vancouver Washington. We sent out invitations a couple of weeks ago, so if you got one and have not done your RSVP then now is your chance. If you did not receive an invitation, then here is your chance (I have heard that some people nearly mistook them for junk-mail, so if you misplaced or round-filed it you are not alone!).

In either case, you may click here for our page with all the details, directions, RSVP instructions, and gift registries.

If you just want to RSVP at the moment, here is the link to do that: RSVP to Karl and Nádya's Reception.

Oh, and if you bring a digital camera or video camera to the event you can share your photos with everyone else here.

We look forward to seeing you there!

PS: I started a new job this week that I really like, and look forward to working there for some time to come. More to come on that in another post.

Kylie: Eight Months

Here are some nearly forgotten images I recently stumbled across in my photo library. They are from Kylie's eight-month-party, which is sort of ironic in that tomorrow is her nine-month-party. As you can see from the photo above, Kylie is beginning to discover what a good cook my mother-in-law is.

Here is the slideshow version of the album (Make sure you can see the captions, there are a couple of narrations by Kylie on some of the photos.).

Here is the album.

Three Things About Kylie

She loves to play with her hairbrush. This includes chewing on it and hitting things with it, she just hasn't quite figured out how to brush her own hair with it.

Kylie loves typing. She loves the keyboard so much that she only has to see someone using one, and she will start whining to go over to it and pound on it for a while. This picture is in her stroller; she was lucky enough for the computer keyboard to quit working with the computer, and now has her own for a toy.

She also loves this monkey. It happens to be my mother-in-law's, and is from USBank. I am not sure of the story of how it got here (I have a guess, but will leave that for someone else to tell in the comments.), but Dona Carmélia has been very clear that it is hers and she wants it back. We will happily oblige her.

Kylie: Seven Months

Our little princess turned seven months old on Saturday, so we had the usual party. There were not as many in attendance because of various activities, but those who were there enjoyed it thoroughly.

It has been fun to see people's reactions to Kylie change over the last month, or so. When she was first born people would say things like, "Oh, she looks exactly like her dad!" That has been changing recently with more and more people saying she looks exactly like Nádya. She is growing and changing so much!

We took her to the doctor for her monthly checkup on Friday, and the doctor said everything looks fine. She will start teething soon (Well, she has already started chewing on nearly anything she can get her hands on.), and she gained 300 grams (0.7 pounds), and grew one centimeter (0.4 inch) since we were there three weeks ago.

Kylie had a great time getting her picture taken. Incidentally, she hardly ever automatically smiles for the camera—we usually have to coax that out of her, but it is not terribly hard to do. She actually loved the cake, and wanted to be close to it. In the picture above I am holding her back from diving in.

Singing? Clapping hands? Kylie loves them both. I think I have mentioned that she likes to dance, as well.

We sing the birthday song every month, and last night was no different, except that Kylie was kind of humming along. She is beginning to form words, and really recognizes when mom is talking to dad. She is even beginning to catch on to the concept of waving goodbye!

Of course, at the end of the night she is ready to go to bed. Saturday she tuckered out pretty early, so we were glad that we started the party a bit earlier than usual.

The following is just for a technical verification. You may ignore it. Undergoing MyBlogLog Verification

Video Of Kylie

The facebook page works great, but I discovered this morning that if you are not logged in, or do not want to start an account with them, you cannot see the video. So, I added it to YouTube, and placed it here for you to see a little more conveniently.

My apologies if you tried to view it, but could not because of these issues. Had I known, I would have just posted it here in the first place.

Kylie Growing

Of course we expect that our little princess will grow up; it is just happening so fast! Kylie is standing on her own as long as she has something to hold on to. She is also walking up and down the hall with help. She hasn't really got the hang of crawling at all, but can scoot around a little when she wants to.

She also loves the camera:

Here she is mid-scoot—and mighty pleased with herself:

She has also discovered that life isn't completely a bed of roses:

When we took her to the doctor shortly after Nádya's birthday for her six month checkup. She weighed in at a very healthy 8.4 kilograms [18.5 pounds], and was 67 centimeters [26.38 inches] long. It is a good thing she is not spending so much time in our arms!

The doctor said everything looks good, but that we need to watch her weight a little bit, though with her increased activity it should not be a problem.

There are more pictures of this little princess in our web album. They are displayed chronologically, so the newest ones are at the bottom.

Kylie At The Six Month Mark

From Kylie's 6th Month

On the 16th of January we had our usual monthly celebration of Kylie's birth. As we get closer to heading to the United States these parties become a little more precious to us, as the family gathers together and celebrates.

There wasn't anything particularly special about this one—well, the cake was spectacular. But that is always the case. Kylie is getting to the point where she has a bit of involvement in the parties, which makes them more fun. I am not sure that she understands that the parties are for her, but she certianly warms right up to having lots of people around. At least until it is just past her bedtime...

There are a great many more images in our web album, should you wish to see more. Which reminds me: If you have questions about a particular photo in the web albums feel free to use the comment form below the photo.

There are a couple more entries coming soon. :)

Photos: An Update From Teresina, Brazil

From Kylie's 5th Month

There have been a number of events since Christmas that we took photos of, some of which have been posted in our photo album. The above is from a trip we took to the mall to see the Christmas display (It was interesting, but not as interesting as other years.).

Here are some of the highlights:



Kylie has begun to sit on her own, and loves looking around and exploring the new vistas in that way.



About the same time she started sitting, she started gleefully giggling at certain things we do. There are a couple more like this in the album.



While waiting at the mall before another event (which I will write about shortly), we ran into some friends from church. Their daughter is one month older than Kylie. They were fast friends.



Nádya's brother, Júnior, came from Parauapebas, Para to spend Christmas and to ring in the New Year with us. Kylie loved the extra attention. ;)



While no teeth are showing yet, Kylie is definitely getting ready to teethe. She loves chewing on this little thing, or another toy that looks like a foot—or her own foot for that matter.

Oh, and since this is the first post of 2008: Happy New Year!

Kylie: Five Months

From Kylie's 5th Month

On the 16th we had another little party for Kylie turning another month older. At first I balked at the idea of having these every month, but now I have come to cherish them. They serve as a reminder of how quickly the time goes by—besides it is a good photo opportunity, and her Grandma and Grandpa (and other family) in the USA like to see the photos.

The party was fun. The cake was purchased this month, and nearly everyone was disappointed in the quality of the cake (the chocolate on top was real good...).

A couple of days later, we took Kylie to her monthly checkup. She is doing really well. She weighed 7.5 Kilograms, and is 65 centimeters long.* The doctor was impressed with some of the things she has been doing, and told us to keep up the good work.

Kylie is a joy. Even though I have no experience with other babies, I would call her an "easy baby." As long as she gets her food and sleep on time she is quite content. She laughs often, and is beginning to explore the world around her. She even had her first instant message conversation the other day!

[For many more pictures from the party—and some from after—click the link below the photo.]

*Oh, I suppose I have to translate that: 16.53467 pounds, and 25.590551 inches

Photos of a Cute Baby

From Kylie's 5th Month

Sometimes one just cannot resist the temptation to share pictures of one's offspring.



And finally, "Afterbath."

Sickness

From Kylie's 4th M...

Check out the linked album above for more new photos of Kylie.

Kylie is running a bit of a fever today, along with a cough and sneezing—her first such illness. We took her to the doctor, who said that it is just a cold or the flu, and assured us that we were doing things right.

The weather is changing; we had our first real thunderstorm last night. None of us slept real well. That means cooler temperatures, but way higher humidity. Fun.

We are doing just fine otherwise. Time is marching along, and we look at our child every once in awhile and say, "Wow, hasn't she doubled in size since yesterday afternoon?"

Four Months

Here it is four months, and I feel like it has been two. Okay, maybe not in all ways, but it has really flown by.

The cake was excellent (those are candy-coated peanuts on the frosting). The family was gathered round, and the conversation was great (in two senses of the word ;) ). It was quite the fun event; we even got some great pictures of it:

Kylie's 4th Month

Note: Unfortunately for this here blog, I am finding I need to cut back on the writing. While I will try to keep you up to date on what is going on around here, there will probably not be as much detail. This is because I am now a stay-at-home-dad and so have a few other things to do. I love it. But I miss writing here.

Kylie: Three Months

Time must fly even faster when one has kids. The past three months have rushed by like the waters over Iguaçu Falls. On the evening of the 16th we celebrated Kylie's third month since her arrival. As you may have figured out from the picture above, there was a chocolate cake involved; but before that there was a healthy dinner and plenty of conversation.

It is customary to celebrate each month up to the first birthday here in Brazil. These are usually just family. Then on the first birthday, there is a big celebration with many people invited.

Here are the photos from the event:

Kylie - Three Months

[composed and posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: kylie, Our Activities, Our Story

Recife Trip: Success

We are home after an eventful trip to Recife, but before all the details, here is a quick rundown of our itinerary for the trip:

1. Sunday the 23rd, at 10:15 AM 10:55 AM:Leave for the bus station.
2. 12:30 PM: Bus leaves for Recife.
3. Monday the 24th, at 6:15 AM arrive in Recife.
4. 1:30 PM: Arrive at US Consulate.
5. 2:30 or 3:00 PM Leave US Consulate.
6. 7:15 PM: Bus leaves Recife for Teresina (with us aboard).
7. Tuesday the 25th, noon: Arrive in Teresina.

Does that look grueling enough? It was more than enough for me. I am still recovering!

It is a fairly common thing among Evangelicals when traveling to ask for hospitality and give it in turn. So we thought we would try to save on the hotel that way. On the advice of our pastor here (who had tried to find other arrangements for us ahead of time, as one needs the commendation of a pastor) we asked to be taken to this Baptist Church/Seminary, but ended up at a slightly different church.

We walked in at about 7:15 AM, and to my wonder there was a service going on. On the way to the church from the bus garage Kylie had put her diaper to good use, so we were really in need of somewhere we could change her quickly. Nádya asked someone sitting in the back who the pastor was.

I went down front to where he was sitting, and asked him if we could talk outside for a moment (the music was playing so loud that it was difficult to communicate). It turns out that he was not the pastor—in fact, he did not even go to that church!

He is a missionary from the United States. He was also kind enough to invite us to his home and rest there. It was a beautiful apartment with a wonderful view of the city—which is drastically different from Teresina, and far more beautiful. They were very gracious in offering their home, taking us to lunch, and even offering s'mores (marshmallows are impossible to find). They even dropped us off at the consulate!

At the consulate we were treated very cordially (in stark contrast to last time), and all the applications, forms, and other documents were accepted. I did need two more documents for Kylie's registration, but those can be emailed when I get them. So, it was a successful trip.

I have already had a couple people ask me when we were coming home since the trip was successful. We don't know. This is the first step in the process, now we wait to be called for our big interview in Rio de Janeiro. There will also be some more documents to get for that, as I recall, but hopefully they will inform us what we need to do before we get there. They say they will.

Now we just wait.

[More panoramas of Recife here, and other photos of the trip are coming.]

[composed and posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: eventful trip, bus station, missionary, commendation, recife, cordially, marshmallows, drastically, baptist church, Our Activities, Our Story, leaves, rundown, itinerary, bus garage, s'mores, Teresina, evangelicals, stark contrast, kylie, grueling

Will Travel For Visa

The ink is dried. The writer's cramp is still wearing off my hand. The paper cuts are beginning to heal. The forms are all tucked safely in a nice folder with our passports and work-permits. We even have the bus tickets.

Recife here we come!



We are heading to Recife via bus this Sunday at noon so that we can do two things at the US Consulate:

1. Register Kylie as a citizen of the United States of America.
2. Apply for Nádya's immigration visa.

This is the first step in getting moved to the US. If all goes well the process will take about six months, and who knows, maybe less (okay, so that is not to likely).

It will be a seventeen or eighteen hour bus ride on two-lane roads with a two-month-old. Want to sit behind us?

Very long-time readers may remember that we have made the trip to Recife before. It did not turn out the way we hoped. The rules have changed now, and are a good deal clearer now (at least, so it seems to me). The Consulate even seems to be more ready to answer questions than before.

Other News:

Following are some posts you may have missed if you are not signed up to the email subscription to Karl and Nádya's Blog*:

• Kylie recently turned two months old there is a post about that called: Two Months With Kylie
• We had a beautiful rainbow the other day: Teresina Rainbow
• I also posted a story about burning saltwater that you should read.

*This is a different list than many of you are already on, but still managed by me—I am in the process of trying to switch you over to this list, but you have to sign up for yourselves.

[composed and posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: passports, six months, work permits, kylie, immigration visa, bus ride, teresina, united states of america, Our Activities, Our Story, bus tickets, recife, feedburner

Two Months With Kylie

Sunday marked two months of Kylie's existence outside the womb. So we did the logical thing; we had another party. The cake was great, but I am not sure Kylie was to interested in it. She slept almost the entire time as you can see from the pictures above.

She has been growing a lot: In fact, Monday, when Nádya took her to the doctor, the doctor was surprised at some of the things she saw. For example, she has grown eleven centimeters (4.33 inches)—she (the doctor) said that the normal growth for a three-month-old is fifteen centimeters. Kylie has been smiling since before we even left the maternity ward, the doctor was surprised that she was smiling so frequently now.

Kylie is a joy to be around. She is particularly happy after a good night's sleep and some breakfast. Her cooing, squirming, and screaming (happy screams) have brought the profound joy only a parent can know on a number of occasions.

She loves taking baths. When we put her in the water she wants to swim. She usually cries when we take her out of the water.

I could go on oozing like a new parent proudly telling about their child (nice analogy, huh... :D), but I don't want to bore you to much.

[composed and posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: type application, picasaweb, Our Story, slideshow, kylie

Video: Kylie At Play

This morning Nádya took some video of Kylie playing and happily cooing. It is adorable. It is about an eleven megabyte (11 MB) download in Quicktime format, so you will need the Quicktime player to view it.

Some other really cool things happened this week too, but I have put them in another post: See "With Grace For The Children" .

[composed and posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: megabyte, cooing, kylie, cool things, quicktime format, quicktime player, Our Activities

Trying New Things

The past weekend was pretty huge for us. I preached my first sermon on Saturday (after teaching two English classes—I was really tired by the end of it all). Then we took Kylie to church on Sunday, her first time. And, on Monday we had our Second Wedding anniversary.

Sermon:

The sermon went well. I am not really the right person to analyze it, as I know what was left out that was meant to be included. God used me. People were touched. I am happy with the end result.
Nádya said that, “It was like you had been preaching for years!” I joked that it was because I went long (I did—but it was the interpreter's fault [joking!]), and she said that she was really impressed with how it went. I could tell that others were too. In fact, I have been asked to preach again at my church here.

Unfortunately, we were not able to get an audio recording of the sermon. Nádya did get most of it on video before the battery died, but it is to big for any place I have to store it on the web (and the audio is barely intelligible too...).

Kylie's Trip to Church:

We loaded up the diaper bag, and hauled our kid to the bus stop early Sunday morning. Kylie falls asleep when we walk with her in our arms, or ride in a car with her.The bus was no different. She was out by the time we got to the bus stop, and stayed out until we were almost to church.

People “ooh-ed and awww-ed” like they do everywhere when they see a 40-day-old baby. Kylie loved the attention, and was adorable as always. (Disclaimer: I am not biased. Not at all.)

The service was very different Sunday; usually there are a few songs, the pastor preaches, then Sunday School. Last Sunday, though, there were two guest preachers, and no Sunday School. I did not understand much of what was said because both of the guys had accents from different parts of the country.

All the same, I could tell that the sermons were moving, and that people were responsive to them.

Our Anniversary:

Two years! Wow, that was fast.


We went to the shopping center where our first date took place, and subsequently got engaged. That was mostly just to get a picture—it is far to hot recently to stay outside in the afternoon, and that mall is outdoor except for the shops themselves.

Then we went to Teresina Shopping, where it is air conditioned, and spent the afternoon there. Kylie loved it—“it” being the air conditioning. We used the mall's stroller, and had a very relaxing afternoon wandering the mall.

People “ooh-ed and awww-ed” like they do everywhere when they see a 41-day-old baby. Kylie loved the attention, and was adorable as always. (Disclaimer: I am not biased. Not at all.)

Of course, there is a down-side of spending the afternoon in air conditioning: Leaving it. None of us liked it, but Kylie least of all. Poor girl cried for a long time when we got home because it was to hot. Next time we might not stay as long.

It was all worth it. One of the best (if not most tiring) weekends I have had in some time.

[composed and posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: guest preachers, end result, sunday school, audio recording, interpreter, first sermon, bus stop, diaper bag, have been asked, old baby, second wedding anniversary, kylie, joked, awww, sermons, intelligible, ooh, accents, air conditioning, Life In Brazil, Our Activities, Our Story

Kylie's First Month

One month? Already! How time flies...

Kylie celebrated her first month of life outside the womb on the 16th, and her aunt Hérika had a birthday the day before. So we had a party the 17th. The newest pictures are not titled, unfortunately, as I did not have time. Kylie is well photographed; in just one month she has nearly 500 photos of her! Enjoy more of the photos at our album.

All of us have been fighting some sort of flu, or cold to some extent. That can be extra miserable when it is so hot all the time. I went one week without my voice because my throat was so sore. That was ... fun.

We are making preparations for a trip to Recife to both register Kylie's birth with the US Consulate there, and to apply for Nádya's visa. Pray for us. There is a lot to have in order before we go, and we need to have our ducks exactly in a row.

Also, pray for me this week. I have been asked to preach this coming Saturday. It is my first sermon, and I have never really had any training in this specific area. The main idea and sub-points are pretty solid, but now I am not sure what to say in the sub-points.

[composed and posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: visa, photos, recife, first sermon, time flies, have been asked, womb, ducks, preparations, flu, extent, kylie

Your Questions Answered

This post is a response to questions I have been emailed recently. If you have questions you would like me to answer just let me know. After the questions there is a short update with a link to new photos of Kylie.

So ordinarily, in the birth room in Brazil the male is not around or even wants to be there?

I don't know what is ordinary, but we were reading that it is a legal right for the father to be present. When I found that out I thought it was odd that the Doctor and hospital both seemed to think it was their option. I want to write up what it was like to be in the room, but that will have to wait for another time.

Can just anyone come visit Kylie and mom like here?

Yes, and evidently they can stay as long as they want. Nádya had a roommate at one point, and she had about five friends and family that made the first night really miserable.

How long do they stay in the hospital? I imagine it is a few days with the C section.

It was actually two days. I think they would have liked it to be longer, but Nádya wanted out of there after the roommate experience.

What kind of diapers are you using?

Right now we are using disposables. We have an army of cloth ones on standby, though. (Should I make a joke about feeding an army here? Probably not.)

What church are you guys going to?

We are going to Primeira Igreja Batista do Teresina. Which is to say: First Baptist Church of Teresina. That is also where all my classes are currently held.

How is the process of coming back to the states coming along? The US folks are the delay or the Brazilians?

The first step in that process is getting Kylie's birth certificate (for which we have applied, and are waiting). Next we have to get her a Brazilian Passport. Then we can all take a trip to Recife and submit paperwork to get Kylie registered with the US Government and get her a US Passport. Kylie will be a dual citizen.

At the same time we will start the process for Nádya's visa.

How long is maternity leave there?

Four months!

______________

Kylie is growing every day—to the point where we can see the changes on a daily basis. She is already looking around, touching things, and exploring her new world in the short times she is not sleeping or eating.

Her mom and dad are tired. Dad has a cold, or something else nasty. Mom is healing well from the surgery, and looking forward to full recovery.

Here is the link to pictures as promised:

Kylie

[composed and posted with ecto]

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