Come to Momma!

No, Beckham isn't crawling yet. The news is even more exciting than that! Our air shipment will be here on Wednesday. And I don't mean in Brazil, I mean in our. apartment.!! We are SO excited! Finally, some of our stuff. It's not much, but boy will it help!

Here are just a few things we are excited about getting:

1. The Walker - Beckham is ready to scoot. 

2. The Vacuum - Just think back to the dirty feet picture. It's a must have. 

3. Toys for Cayden - To say he is a little bored is an understatement.

4. Kitchen stuff - I'm ready for some cooking supplies. We bought a can opener last week, it deserves its own post. Trust me.

5. Beck's Crib!

And funny enough, we actually don't remember a lot of what we are getting. Not that we can't live without it, it's just that moving and getting our stuff packed up was such a whirlwind, we don't remember what is in there!

OH! And, our container made it to Brazil yesterday. Maybe by April, we should have that. I'm not holding my breath. 

If he knew what was coming, he would be happier. 

We've Been Here a Month

Wow! It's funny because it feels longer. If feels like a lifetime since we lived in the quiet neighborhood, houses away from friends, and minutes away from family. I miss home. Not in a "I cry at home all day, every day way" I just miss it. Some things/Most things are easier there. But that is part of the journey, right? If it were easy, everyone would do it? Journey's and adventures are about trying new things, making new friends, having new experiences, etc. 

I had my first Portuguese lesson on Monday, with another scheduled for tomorrow. I really hope that within 6 months, I can speak fairly well. Well enough to communicate with the people that work here, to go shopping, to go out to eat. All of these things we can do, but it would be so much easier to speak the language. And while we are on the subject, I have a new appreciation for those within the US that don't speak English. As long as they are trying, cut them some slack. It's hard. 

It's hot here. For Brazil, it's hot. We have AC in our bedrooms, but the boys don't. I feel bad for them. Thankfully, we have begun the process of getting some installed. I know it will be a month or so, but at least we will have it going forward. I'm sweating writing this post. 

Last Friday, Cayden was at school, and Beckham and I were having a leisurely day at home. The light was nice, he was in a good mood, so I snapped some photos. 

He has pretty much mastered sitting up. I can sit him down, and leave him for a few minutes, and not worry about him smacking his head on the ground. He's also getting really mobile. He's not crawling yet, but the kid has mastered the army crawl. If he'd realize he could pick his belly off the ground, we'd be in trouble. 

I've started a Bible in a Year plan. Basically it gives you four passages to read every day. One from each the Old/New Testament, and from Psalms and Proverbs. I really like it. Anyway, this week just happen to be about coveting your neighbors stuff. I'm paraphrasing very loosely. 

I don't want to be jealous that the neighbor several floors up had their stuff delivered this week. But it was hard not to be envious. I'm ready to have my things. Minimalist living would be fine, if the minimal items were mine. 

 This is the entrance to our place. I like that there are tons of trees and greenery around. 

 And the award for most useful gift, that fit in a suitcase, goes to Kristin. She got Cayden this parachute. Now, we probably aren't using it like we should, but Cayden loves to be pulled around on it. Beckham wasn't quite as fond of it. In due time, I'm sure. 

Well, we have survived. Who knows what sorts of outings I can force Heath to go on this weekend. There are some really, really nice malls not too far from here. :o)

Tchau-Tchau

Free TIme

I know it's cold back home. And whatever apprehensions I had about moving down here, weather was not one of them. I was glad to say Sayonara to winter, and Hello, to warm temperatures! 

So, in our free time on the weekends, we hang out at the pool. It's been quite warm here lately, and there is nothing quite as refreshing as taking a dip in the pool. Jealous, Arkansas?

Is it just me, or are boys just that much cuter in a pageboy hat?

In that pesky air shipment that hasn't arrived yet, are our swim diapers. So Beckham and I hang out poolside and dip are feet in, while the older boys swim. When we know we are heading home, we will dunk him in. Water logged diapers are terrible. Who wants to sit in that all day?

So long for now!

Quirks

We've been here for three weeks. We've noticed some differences. Duh, you say? Yes, I know. Obviously there is the whole language barrier, and the fact that we are living in a different culture. I get it. It's the little things that strike me as funny and well, quirky. Some are related to Brazil, others are related to the fact that we are living with dorm room quality/quantity items. 

1. Cooking has been different. It's not that it's hard, but it just takes some getting used to. I don't have my cooking stuff, which takes me out of my comfort zone, if you wish. I have two skillets. This is how we cook our meat. Utilizing both. Don't worry, these aren't ginormous hamburgers, just tiny skillets. Everything is in portuguese, which is great for language acquisition, but sometimes harder when you are looking for a particular type of meat. 

I don't have a can opener, or measuring cups. We've had to buy all the essentials, like salt and pepper, so we don't have quite the spice drawer that I had at home. Like I said, it's just taking time to acquire the basics. 

Hot dogs are basics, right? Do you see it too? They ARE orange. I had heard about this before we moved, so it wasn't so shocking. I'll admit that I haven't tried one. I've smelled them, and they smell like a hot dog. However, Cayden loves them! 

When you boil the orange hot dogs, your water changes colors! Exciting stuff, no?

2. Bathrooms. The toilets don't have tanks. All bathrooms have a drain in the floor. You flush the toilet by pushing the big silver button on the wall, and holding it down for a few seconds. 

The first week we lived here, I ran a bath for Cayden and the water was yellow. Apparently the pipes are old. Thankfully, it's only happened once. 

3. Laundry. So far, it hasn't been too bad. The washer and dryer are small. Really small. You can't put a load of towels in the dryer or it will take 6 hours to dry. Seriously. Or longer. The timer on the dryer goes up to three hours. So most people, I say most, I really have no idea, but I'm assuming here, that most dry their clothes on the racks featured on the ceiling. If you air dry your stuff for a bit, then put it in the dryer. It's much more efficient. 

4. Language. This is sort of related to cooking. Heath and I use Google Translate for a lot of stuff. I use it mostly for cooking directions on packages, when I can't decipher. It's wonderful. 

These are just a few items that I have noticed. I'm sure I will come across a few more in time!

Boa Noite!

Beckham is 7 months old Today!

Beckham is 7 months old today. Really? Look, I know I breezed right over his 6 month post, and sadly there isn't even a picture to commemorate it. We were really busy. But it's crazy to think that he will be a year old in 5 months. He could crawl at any moment (he won't, but he could), he could walk in the near future, he could start saying Mamamamama, and Dadadadada. Crazy.

Beckham for the most part is a very happy baby. See pictures below. He likes to be a part of whatever is going on (I'm not sure who he got that from **COUGH** Heath **COUGH**). He loves Cayden. period. Loves him. 

At his 6 month appointment he weighed 19.04, just a little less than Cayden was. And was 28 inches long! Yowzer! I would say that he will be tall, but the genetics in our families probably won't make that happen. He still has his allergies and I am doing what I have to do to control that. Down here, it's a little harder. There is literally a bakery on every street. And it's not like Rick's (which is lovely) but you walk into these Mom & Pop shops and every square inch is covered in some sort of baked goodness. Breads. Tarts. Pies. Cakes. Cookies. Savory Items. I digress. Back to Beck. 

Once we took Cayden to school this morning we took a few pictures. 

 He has taken the move fairly well. The problem is that we don't have much in our apartment. He only has a few places he can really be put down or in, and he doesn't like them for very long. I can't wait until our air shipment comes in so that we can get his walker and JumperRoo. WOO HOO. Sleeping is hard. We had such a good system before the move, and we haven't be able to replicate it down here. 

He currently eats baby food and cereal twice a day, although if it were up to him it would be all the time. He loves that stuff. He still nurses and we are working on taking a bottle again. For a while he decided it was in his best interest to stick to the boob. However, recently he has become a biter, and it's not a pretty situation for me. 

We are still working on sitting. He's getting better, but not to the point where you could sit him somewhere and leave him. He will still topple and smack his head on the ground, so we continue to practice. 

Beckham's hair is starting to grow back and I think his eyes are one of his best features. If you look closely they are a mixture of blue and brown. Cayden's eyes had gone completely brown by this point, so I'm hoping Beck's stay this color. 

He has recently started clapping. Not intentionally, but he claps his hands together while he lays on the floor. He is hovering between size 3 and 4 diapers. And the 6 month clothes are going to be a thing of the past soon. You can tell he works out a lot, I mean, look at those arms. Gun Show? I think it's more like a Battalion Show… 

I told Heath that we needed to start thinking about 1st birthday ideas. He said we had plenty of time. Obviously he has never perused Pinterest. HA! I know it won't be like Cayden's. We aren't near our family and I can't really go all out with the decor and such down here. I kind of hoping we'll be back in the States in June, so I can just have it up there. :o)

Beckham One Week:

Two Months:

Three Months:

Four Months:

Five Months:

Seven Months:

Sweet Baby Beck - 

How you have completed our family. Your smile and laugh are easily the best parts of my day. I love that I'm getting to spend a little more one on one time with you in the mornings. I am enamored with how much you love Cayden. I hope that you two are the best of friends as you get older. While your patience level is low, I know it's because you just want to be involved. Thank you, Beckham Connor, for being ours. 

Love, 

Mom and Dad

Cayden's First Day of Pre-K

Today was Cayden's first day at school. He woke up this morning, later than usual, thank goodness, but was roaring to go! In fact - he traipsed down the hall in just his pajama shirt. He had underwear and a t-shirt in hand. 

All weekend he has been talking about going to school. What a relief it is for him to be excited to go. Moving down here, I was worried about a few things, school being one. Not that it would be a bad school - It's wonderful! But that he wouldn't like going, and that I would be really anxious about it. I haven't been at all. Prayer goes a long way!

We arrived at school, and I took him to his classroom. I wish you could see the school. It's open-air. The classroom are inside, but the stairs and everything are open, it's really neat. We said "Hi" to his teachers and he immediately went and started playing with stuff. Great! I said "good bye" and "I'll be back later." It didn't phase him. 

After turning in paperwork, one of the workers asked me if I was staying for Adaptation. Um, no, I'm a supposed to? So I went back to Cayden's class and asked the teacher. Her response was more of a surprise - "For Cayden?" she asked. "If he was crying I would say yes, but he's fine."  Yes, he was. 

I love the packet they send home with the daily report. He's in a K2 room right now because they thought he was a little young for the K3. He seems to like it and he ate all of his food! He doesn't do that at home! The big change is that he will be going five days a week! Only half-days. I know he will love it and it will be a great transition to school down the road!

Cayden is 2.5 Years Old

It's hard for me to do "monthly" updates on Cayden. I guess once they reach a year, the updates get fewer and farther in between. Today is the day that he turns 2.5, so I made it my goal to post on the actual day. Now, if I give Beckham the same gusto, we'll be cooking with gas!

Cayden has become such a funny character lately. His vocabulary and speech have improved significantly and the oddest things will come out of his mouth. Since the move to Brazil, he asks to go to people's house on a daily basis. "NeNe's House" "Mills House" "Play Mill" "Go to Cayden's old house" 

I know this is so confusing and such a hard thing for me to explain and for him to understand. So I tell him that they all live far away and we can't go today. There is a pool here, so that helps his homesickness. :o)

Where's Cayden? I guess hiding in a suitcase full of clothes passes the time. He also hides in the closet.


One really great thing that is starting to happen around here, Cayden is really starting to want to play with Beckham. Beckham has always loved any interaction from Cayden, but just recently Cayden has started to say, "Play with Beck." 

"Cheese me, Momma!" We've been here a week, and already the playground is part of the routine. I don't mind really. It's here, the weather is nice, why not! 
He likes it pretty well, although there are never any kids there at the same timer to play. He misses Mills quite a bit. 

We've told Cayden that he is going to start going to a new school with a different teacher than Miss Kay, and he seems excited about it. We have a meeting to fill out paperwork and for Cayden to see it on Thursday, but I think he will enjoy going. I know I will. 

Cayden Likes: Fruit snacks, playing with the broom, having people chase him, playing with Beckham, orange juice, the pool, Phinneas and Ferb, clean underwear (more on that), sweets

Dislikes: eating large quantities of food, doing what you tell him to, sharing.

A few Cayden stories:

Cayden loves his Lightning McQueen and Tow-Mater underwear. If he is not wearing them, he's on the prowl trying to find them. Most of the time there is at least one pair clean, however if there are multiple pairs clean, there is trouble. He likes to do a quick change. He sees one, wears it for awhile, sees another, drops his drawers, and is ready for a new pair. UGH. Today, he did this about 5 times. I am certain I asked him, "Where are your underwear?" or "Why are you not wearing underwear?" quite a few times today. 

We went to the pool today. When we got back, we changed Cayden's clothes first, and then I proceeded to change Beckham's clothes in our room. Cayden was messing around in our bathroom, being a little too quiet. Not a good sign. I walked in to find him sitting on the floor, a Clinique foundation bottle in hand, lid tossed to the side, and a nice coating of Alabaster tint on his mouth. He had decided it looked tasty, and went in for a sample. Geez. 

He's pretty sneaking. When left alone, he has gone into the refrigerator and pulled out the eggs and taken them out of the box. He's taken all the lightbulbs from their boxes in the laundry room. There was a bag of black beans on the couch today. Let's see, what else?


He's definitely trying my patience and giving me a run for my money, each and every day, but he's 2.5, this is normal right. And darn it, if I don't love him. He wants to be Mr. Independent but still wants you around to watch him. He can listen when he wants to, and has started reading books to himself. He's quite good at The Very Hungry Caterpillar. 

Some days are hard, and I pray for patience and to see the joy, when it's hard to see behind foundation covered lips, and thankfully I can see it. 

Cayden Rhys we love you!