4 Months Old Today

Renatah is 4 months old today.

At her 4 month wellness check with her doctor ... Dr Hero

she weighed in at 12lbs 6oz,

measured 24.5 inches.

Our little girl is healthy and happy.

Her 'new' things lately are

• grabbing toys and pulling them into her mouth - though she often gets frustrated because she can't hold them in there for as long as she wants. Her mouth wants to chew but her coordination won't allow her the satisfaction for to long
• she is making new sounds (hard to explain in writing!)
• her hair is starting to grow back - lighter and more red!!
• almost sitting without support - she has the strength - she's just working on the balance
• she has discovered that there is a world beyond the ceiling when she's laying on her back - she tilts her head back as far as she can and arks her back so see whatever is behind her
• she now rolls onto her side when she is on her back loving the freedom especially when her bottom is bare

I'm sure there's more but that's all I can think of for now ... oh ... just remembered one more ... she's now laughing without being touched!! It makes me wonder what goes on in that brain of hers - what prompts the laughter - are we really that funny looking?!

Tasty Fingers

At 3 months Renatah started finding her fingers. Now they are a constant feature in her mouth.

She has started teething more intensely and thus the fingers in the mouth help channel the puddles of drool that come with the whole teething process.

She has a favourite finger - hopefully we'll catch it on camera soon so you can see!

Our little friend Violette put together this ensemble for Renatah to wear today. She loves to dress babies! Here is Violette "making a baby" out of Renatah's clothes when she came to visit at the hospital the day after she was born.

Poppy at the Park

The North West of the US is known for its many months of rain. I'm learning just how true this is. It's not all that bad though - it certainly keeps life green - a welcome change from the greyness we grew up with in Manila!

After a period of wet days the sun came out on a Saturday. We took full advantage of the magnificent weather and took a trip to the park with our friends 4 kids that were staying with us over night and Shalom.

A great wooden play structure has been built in a park just up the road from our place. We should have got some more pictures but we just took this one of Poppy's first swing!!

As she lapped up the sunlight we realised that it was one of the few times since she has been born that she has actually been out in the sun - not because we keep her couped up inside all day - but because there just hasn't been that much sun since November 2nd!

We look forward to more play days at the park as Spring brings in the Summer months.

Shoulder Rides

Our little Renatah is so very strong!! She can hold herself up enough to have shoulder rides with papa from time to time!!

Aunties - I Miss You

It was so wonderful to meet my aunties when they came to visit. But I am so so so sad that they are gone. I think mumma and papa are sad too.
I love my mumma but I sure do miss my aunties. They cuddled me lots and played with me and took me on outings. Mumma says I was rather spoilt! I can't wait to see them again hopefully at Christmas time!



I loved my play times with Auntie Anita ...


and my sleepy cuddles with Auntie Karina.

Aunties Visit

We were delighted to have Karina and Anita come from warm sunny Perth to spend about 3 weeks with us. We even took them up to the snow Papa and Renatah had fun watching and staying warm.

Renatah's Language

Renatah's talking often keeps her from crying. She will think about wanting to cry and talk herself right out of it. We love to hear her talk. Wish we understood her language better!

Our Talking Girl

Poppy loves to 'talk' - her gurgles and smiles light up our life!! She loves talking and smiling with papa, who had the camera ready this time!

Renatah and Adelle

Renatah is growing up and starting to 'engage' with people . . . smiles and gurgles and reaching for attention.

We have had fun 'introducing' her to our friends kids. We hope that this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!!

Adelle is the daughter of our friends Nate and Brooke. She is 6 months old here (Renatah is 10 weeks).

Watching Football with Papa

Tim is attempting to ensure that his daughter shares his love of football. Renatah loves hanging out with her papa over a football game!

Easily Entertained

Renatah keeps herself entertained in her bouncy seat! She loves looking at the bear rattle and is all smiles as she bats at the objects hanging from the bar. We can leave her here for 20 mins or so at a time without any complaints!!

I Love Bath Time

In her first days at home Renatah was rather undecided about whether she liked baths or not.

Since then she has convinced us that this is indeed a favourite past time! She has graduated out of the tiny little yellow tub from the hospital and even out grown the portable blue one that we had for her . . . so now it's baths in the laundry tub or kitchen sink.

The laundry tub (pictured here) has lots of room but not so good for mummy's back (it's a bit low). So these days we are using the kitchen sink.

It's the getting out that is detested. It is usually met by screams which subside once she is dry and dressed. We tried using the robe she was given not to long ago and it seems to do the trick. Screams are silenced when bundled in her bathrobe!!

Immigration Paperwork Saga continues ...

This whole process has been quite frustrating at times. Here's the latest . . . news only comes every so often because we go for such long stints of time with nothing happening at all . . . just waiting.

In March 2006 I arrived in Portland on a spouse visa which I was told entitled me to get my Social Security Number (SSN) which would allow me to get a job. I wasn't sure if I would seek employment but knew that getting a SSN was necessary anyway. When applying for my SSN I was told that my spouse visa wasn't the appropriate document to enable me to get my SSN. I needed an approved 'permission to work' form or a 'conditional resident' status card - also known as a green card I think.

Each of these cost money and required processes and other paperwork to gather in order to apply. The cheapest and easiest was the 'permission to work' form . . . so this was gathered and sent in April 2006. When we received notice that they had received the form we were told that I would get an appointment date to get my finger prints taken and then the process would take 3-6months to approve. At the end of August I still hadn't received my fingerprint appointment date so I called to inquire. They said they lodged an 'inquiry' and I should hear something within the month. I went through this process two more times (waiting a month in between each one) and finally I heard back at the beginning of December to say that they were investigating further and if I didn't hear anything in 6 MONTHS then I could call back again.

Now this was the climax of my frustrations!!

It was at this that we decided to finalise the 'change of status' paperwork (from spouse to conditinoal resident). I sent that in the first week of December and on the 20th I received notice of my fingerprint appointment for the change of status paperwork for the 26th of December.

I was in shock as to how quickly that all happened!! . . . if only . . . we had done this in April!! We weren't to know!

So . . . all that is to say I am now 'in the system' my fingerprints were taken electronically - it was actually pretty cool especially when I was prepared to walk out of there with black ink all over my fingers!

Now we continue to wait for that set of paperwork to be approved and my 'green card' to arrive in the mail.

However, with Renatah here now, I have no desire to get a job . . . but having the processes over and done with will be nice. And, if anything ever comes up I will be able to work if I so choose!!

Thanks to those of you who have prayed and continued to ask about what's going on with all this. Just getting here after 14months after we were married was the first step!

Our 2006 Christmas Slide Show

Our Precious Christmas Gift

Renatah was so beautiful in her 'baby's first Christmas' outfit from Aunt Judy.

She did not fully understand all that went on in the celebrations of Christ's birth this day . . . but she was still spoilt by her doting family.

More pictures will come soon!

She rolled over today!

from her tummy to her back . . .

she loves 'tummy time' and is getting so strong

She SMILES!!!

it was a little hard to 'capture' but it was sure cute when it happened . . . 20 minutes of 'play' . . . we even got a laugh!!

Pouty in Pink

we love that little lip

Renatah's Baptism

Sunday, December 3rd 2006

First Sunday of Advent

Parish of Saint Mark

Portland, Oregon

Renatah was baptised by Father Lillegard during a traditional anglican high mass. She has Australian God-parents, Grant and Julie Douglas, and American God-parents, Chris and Joy Dennis. We missed Grant and Julie on the day but know they were there in spirit. We enjoyed sharing the occasion with Chris and Joy.

On this day we, as Renatah's parents, promised to raise her in the ways and love of the Lord, with Christs help and the help of her God-parents.

We thank the Lord for our little blessing and take the responsibility of raising her in Christ very seriously. We value you prayers, encouragement and support along the way.

To find out more about the Parish of St Mark visit www.stmarkportland.org

O Christmas Tree

On December 2nd we went hunting for our Christmas tree with friends from our Home Community. We found a lot on the outskirts of Sandy that was selling trees that you could cut down yourself.
So the three familys trecked into the lot with one little hand saw and eyes peeled to find the 'perfect tree'.

It didn't take us too long to find one we liked. This is our family in front of our 2006 Christmas Tree!

Tim and Shalom cut down our tree . . .

. . . then they hauled it to the car.

Much fun was had by all.

First Snow

On Monday Nov 27th we had our first snow of the year here in Sandy. So we got all rugged up and played outside for a bit. Renatah enjoyed a sled ride with her daddy down the hill!! But didn't enjoy her oversized outfit all that much - at least she kept warm though!

Hey Phil - recognise the coat I'm wearing!! Very handy in this weather- thanks heaps!!

Cramped Quarters

Renatah hasn't decided if she likes baths or not yet - sometimes she loves them sometimes she squawks through the event.

We were using the little tub from the hospital for a few days but as you can see in this picture - it is a tad too small - so we have graduated to a larger portable bath tub.

The Secret is in the Swing

We have found that the most successful way to calm our Poppy when she gets terribly upset is to put her in her sling.

The secret, however, is not to put the sling on - but to swing her in the sling. This quickly turns the tears into little squeaks as she calms down and soon drifts off to sleep.

Daddy figured this trick out!! It started with swinging in the carseat - but that was a bit awkward - so then we tried the sling that we are borrowing from a friend.

It works wonders!

Cuddles with Big Sister

Renatah is enjoying the cuddles of her big sister Shalom.

Shalom is 8 and a wonderfully helpful big sister to Renatah. This was their first meeting when Renatah was 10 days old.

First Family Photo

This was taken when Renatah was 2 days old. Her first day at home.

7 days ago

With all the excitement of the arrival of Renatah I have overlooked letting you know how the whole 'being induced' thing went!

I was scheduled to go into hospital on Wednesday November 1st at 9pm. Earlier that evening I started with mild contractions every 7-10 minutes. It was exciting thinking that perhaps she would just come on her own.

At 10:30pm they gave me a gel to prepare for the petocin (the labour stimulating drug). I was to have the petocin 6 hours after the gel had been put in. Within an hour of having the gel contractions increased to every 1.5-2 minutes lasting for at least a minute ... it was pretty intense. At 4:30am they started the petcoin but because my labour was progressing so well they only had me on a very low dose!! That was an answer to prayer! Dialation was happening and the pain was increasing!! My Dr came in to see me and broke my water at 8:30am - I was 5 cm dialated.

After that I lost all track of time as I focused on getting through the contractions. Tim was an incredible support 'dancing' through contractions with me and helping me keep my breathing focused. Some time in there came the urge to push but I wasn't allowed to yet as I was only 7cm dialated. Things seemed to go quickly then though.


Just after 11am I was allowed to start pushing - my Dr was in surgery with another patient so the midwife on call was there setting up ... just as I was preparing to start the final stint my Dr arrived and a few minutes later (which felt like eternity) Renatah popped out!

The Story Behind the Name

We have had several requests for an explanation of Poppy's name - how we chose it and why etc. So for those who are interested but didn't ask ... here's the story.

As many couples do Tim and I talked lots about what our desires were for naming our children. Three things in particular stood out.

We wanted names that

• were different but not bizarre,
• had strong meaning
• reflected the importance of family relationships

Renatah was a name I came across when I was at university and fell in love with. It is a stong yet beautiful name ... two things that were important to me. When sharing name ideas with each other Tim didn't hesitate in adding it to the 'keep' list.

When researching what it meant, this is what we found ...

Renatah is a Latin name meaning 'reborn', its Spiritual connotation is 'quickened spirit' and a Bible verse to associate with the name is Romans 12:2 which says:

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test
and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.

This is a prayer of our heart as Renatah's parents that she will grow into a child who reborn into Gods kingdom and seek after His will for her life.

Her middle names are where the importance of family relationships come in. We want to name each of our children after people in our lives that are important to us, specifically family but potentially others as well. For Renatah we chose to honor Tim's side of the family. She is named after his mom -Joan- and his grandma -Margaret- who we affectionately call Mimi. Mimi is 92 going on 93 and so we wanted to honor her while she is still with us.

Renatah Joan Margaret Ohlson

We welcomed our 'lil popette' into the world on November 2nd. She was born at 12pm in Gresham Oregon. She weighed 8 lbs 4 oz and was 19 and a half inches long. Mum and baby are both doing wonderfully and settling in at home. Thank you for all the vists, calls and texts welcoming our daughter.

An Update

I had another appointment with my doctor today ... I'm a week overdue and it looks like I will be induced on Thursday, November 2nd if Poppy doesn't come on her own before then. I will go into hospital tomorrow night at 9pm and start the process but active induction won't start till Thursday. We would value your prayers that Poppy might just come on her own and that natural contractions will start before Thursday's induction. Thanks!

not yet

Poppy's due date has come and gone. Looks like she's joining the 'norm' of first babys arriving late. Although in my little world - my friends who have had their first in the past few years have mostly come a week early or on their due date - so that is what 'appears' to be the norm.

I had an appointment yesterday with a nurse-midwife, as my doctor is out of town this week. She understands that I want to have this birth as natural as possible so she told me of a root extract to take today to help stimulate labour in efforts to avoid the need for drugs to induce labour. So we shall see how that goes. She says that in her experience women go into labor within 24-48 hours when taking this ... so ... Poppy could be here before next week.

Stay tuned. In efforts to labor at home for a big part of it I might be on here to let you know that it's happening - but - I might not! I will however make sure that something gets posted when Poppy arrives.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers and excitement with us as we eagerly await the arrival of our daughter!

As big as it gets?

I LOVE AUTUMN!! The colours are just magnificent! We get a little bit of the changes in Australia but not at all like here! It was an absolutely gorgeous day so we took the opportunity to do a photo shoot outside. It will probably be the last one with Poppy in my belly ... the next photos will be of her - introducing her to the world! So it looks like this is as big as I'll get. I feel great! I could probably keep going for another couple of months ... well physically at least ... I'm very ready to have her now though in every other way! I can't wait to introduce you to her!

Soon??

I had some contractions today - nothing too intense or at all regular but definately a little more than the braxton hicks ones. It was all rather exciting ... makes the upcoming event feel a lot more 'real'. Will keep you posted! I can't wait to meet my little girl!

As "THE DAY" Approaches

I've been thinking a lot in the past few days as the day approaches for the arrival of our daughter - our little poppett - who has recently become known as 'poppy'. So I thought I'd share some of my thinking's with you.

The state of being in a time when a life changing and life giving event could begin its journey at any given moment is a rather strange place to be. I had my 39th week dr's appointment yesterday and things are 'just fine'. There have been no significant developments in the past week and we scheduled an appointment for next week - on my due date - and for the following week, by which time I would be over due.

That felt weird - I'm ready for our little poppett to make her entrance into this world ... but to think that in all reality it could be a few weeks before she decides she's ready. Actively waiting seems to be an oxymoron. Yet it is how this waiting game must be played. Life can't go on hold until labour begins. I have things that 'need' to get done and others that I would like to get done and sometimes I wish that Poppy would come so that I have yet another excuse to put the tasks off!!

Physically I'm doing great. I haven't yet reached the state of feeling as if I'm going to burst - for which I am very grateful! Still no strech marks (though I've been told they can come at the last minute so I'm not 'safe'!!) ... and I'm still moving about pretty easily! The Dr has predicted a 6 and a half to 7 and a half pound baby. I'm not sure she will be that tiny but we will see!

Emotionally I'm struggling. All the hormone changes means a very emotional mum to be ... it's a new experience and one I'm not liking too much. I hear it's completely normal so that does help with coping through the 'break down' moments.

Mum arrives on Saturday. I am SUPER excited to have her here ... things are always better when mum is around!

I'd best leave it here before I get too carried away. I'll post another picture soon.

Celebrating 30

Tim turned 30 on Sunday (Oct 15th). He didn't want a big deal made of the occasion so I just organised a little surprise party for him! When we got home from church and a birthday lunch with Aunt Judy, Uncle Jim and Mimi he was sent to his room and told not to come out till he was told he could! He thought I was preparing a dinner for him - which - I guess I was in a way!

While he was up there watching football I was getting things organised down stairs for games and pizza with our friends Joy & Chris and Nate & Brooke and their kids. The surprise was successful and we had a fun relaxed night playing games and eating pizza with a bit of the Broncos vs Raiders game in there too.

His daughter Shalom was with us for the weekend too which made his day all that more special. In the picture above you can see Yzobella's back and Shalom behind Tim who is holding Adelle. Shalom decided to put three candles on the cake to represent the three decades of Tim's life that we are celebrating!!

Thanks to those who sent cards and text messages and phone calls - it really was a meaningful day and I think he went to bed feeling very loved!

18 days and counting

What's that Smell??

We played a few games to entertain ourselves ... the most memorable was the diaper contest.

Is it snickers or reeces peanut butter cups ... Joyce smells a diaper to determine what type of candy bar has been melted into it ... a fun game that kept every one in giggles. Even Uncle Jim got right into the game!!

Poppets 'shower'

We had fun this afternoon with an eclectic group of people to celebrate the upcoming birth of our little Poppett. Tim got some practise with 10 week old Adelle, daughter of our friends Nate and Brooke. Naomi ooooh-ed and aaaaah-ed over all the little gifts that were 'showered' on us ... lots of clothes for Poppett ... looks like she's set for the first year of her life! This gift was a tiny little pair of pink booties ideal for 'coming home' from the hospital.

Expecting - October 25

Not long now ...

This picture was taken at 7 months, but we are now at 9 months and you know I don't feel that much bigger!! I guess I'm lucky - wide hips means she's got lots of room in there and not giving me stretch marks yet!!

I've been blessed with an uneventful pregnancy ... we hope the labour and delievery will follow suit!

Beyond our Wildest Imagination

In January '06 we moved into this amazing place in Sandy Oregon, to house sit for the Chalmers for 18 months. We are in awe of God's provisions and timing!!! What a blessing!

We love company!! So if you're ever in the neighbourhood let us know!!

For Better, For Worse ... Till Death (not distance) Do Us Part

Sunday January 9, 2005

Our time in Barlig and Manila led us to our decision to get married. We tied the knot in Perth, Western Australia.

The international-long-distance-relationship meant facing the challenges of government bureaucracy and the first year of our marriage living on separate continents. Naomi made several trips to Portland in that year which included three months around Christmas '05. She returned to Sydney at the end of February '06 and on March 1st was granted her spouse visa.

Life in Portland as a married couple could truely start!

Though paperwork trials still continue as "permission to work" forms (necessary before a SSN is given) and "adjustment of status to perminant resident" forms are lodged. Talk about frustrations with the government and it's processes!!! Over six months have gone by and we have still heard NOTHING about my permission to work forms inspite of follow-up investigations on our part!