Update

You may have noticed that we've rather given up on the blogging for now, but I figured there may still be a few people checking here now and then. As of now, I am definitely planning to write more regular entries once we are in Africa and there are lots of exciting new things to write about. I suppose that may be rather ambitious though; I'm sure we'll both be busy and have limited internet access. We do update our photo album a bit more often. There's a video of Daniel "commando crawling" on there now.

Until January, we are here in Norway. We've been having a beautiful fall and enjoying plenty of walks outside in the sunshine. We are very much in "preparation mode" at this point, but are still trying to stay connected here as well. I've started thinking about some of the luxuries I have here that I probably won't have in Africa. It makes me appreciate them more in the meantime. Like hot showers, good chocolate (I have been to Tanzania, and you really just can't get that there), wireless internet while sitting on the couch, and neatly packaged fresh meat. Another luxury we won't have is disposable diapers. We're trying to prepare ourselves for that by practicing with cloth diapers now, and so far I don't think it's that big a deal. But then, so far I still use disposables for nighttime and when we go out. And here we have a washing machine.

We have been to six different places in the last few weeks to speak about the work we will be doing in Tanzania with Wycliffe. It's great just to spread awareness about the need for Bible translation and get people interested, but at the same time we are still in the process of developing a support network and getting our funding in place. So we are waiting in some suspense to see this month's financial statement from Wycliffe, to see if there is any response from all these speaking engagements. We've also been getting lots of vaccinations, and right now we are doing a test run of a medicine that is used to prevent malaria. Possible side effects include hallucinations and depression, so it's important to see how we react to it before we get to Africa. I have been having a lot of weird dreams, which is a common side effect, but so far no daytime hallucinations! ( :

Photos and US Trip

Cute new baby photos in the album (link to your right). We're coming to the US on August 2 and staying until September 2. We're doing very well, having a nice summer, and Daniel hasn't been sick anymore. If anyone at all would like to get together with us while we're there, either just as friends or to learn about the Mbugwe Bible translation project we'll be working on starting in January, let us know! We'd love to talk. You can either post a comment here, or send me an email at rosebud15_13@hotmail.com, or call my parents' house while we're there if you know the number.

"My faith being small and my obedience slight, of what meaning are these words, 'I believe, I obey,' ? Deep is the abyss. The core of our being is put into question the moment we believe and obey as well as we can. In this situation, (which is the same for every Christian) prayer means going toward God, asking him to give us what we lack - strength, courage, serenity, prudence - asking him to teach us how to obey the law and accomplish the commandments, and then that God may instruct us how to continue in believing and believing yet more, and that he may renew our faith. Such a request can be made solely to God - it is an honor due to hom who has revealed himself to us by his Word...For it is the word of God that maintains us in this situation wherein prayer becomes a necessity." Karl Barth

Daniel gets a funny hat

A couple of weeks ago Daniel had his second urinary tract infection. Which is really not that big a deal, although quite uncommon for boys, but it ended up being kind of dramatic because we were at the hospital so much.

After he had his regular three-month immunizations, he had the normal fever in the evening, but then the fever persisted for several days. We called the doctor to make sure it was still ok and normal, and they insisted that up to a week of fever was normal. But after five days we started to wonder if it could actually be an infection (his pee smelled strongly, like the last time he had a UTI). In the evening his fever was higher than ever, so we decided to take him in to the emergency room/immediate care.

Even after three urine tests which tested positive for bacteria, and two blood tests showing infection, they were still quite hesitant to treat him. But in the end they decided to give him IV antibiotics for a week, plus oral antibiotics for a week after that, plus preventative antibiotics for the whole summer. His IV was in his head, so he had a funny "hood" of netting on all week to keep it in place, and the IV stuck out like a little antenna. They also did an ultrasound to check for abnormalities in his renal system which could be causing the infections. I had to stay in the hospital with him for three nights, and then keep coming in every day for the rest of the week. Unfortunately, I had to miss the Wycliffe conference, which I had really been looking forward to. We had a lot of friends from all over Norway there. Viggo got to go though. Wycliffe's "project manager" for Tanzania was there as a guest speaker, and she mentioned to Viggo that it looks like there may already be a house lined up for us in Babati in Tanzania.

Daniel had quite a fever for the first couple of days we were in the hospital, and I had to keep giving him tylenol to keep it down, and he got IV fluids overnight the first night. The medicine did it's job, though, and he's perfectly healthy now. We're finished with the last dose of oral antibiotics today, and will be going in to the hospital for a follow up appointment on Friday. In the fall, he is scheduled for and x-ray check, using contrast fluid in his bladder, to check for any problems the ultrasound didn't pick up on.

Daniel had a physical therapy appointment last week - starting a little early I'd say. He has developed a significant flat spot on one side of his head because he always sleeps on that side. We've been trying to reposition his head, but it doesn't seem to help much. The physical therapist said he has a tight muscle on one side of his neck, and gave me stretches to do with him, and strengthening exercises for the other side. He is not a big fan of his stretches. We have another appointment with the physical therapist tommorow to see if we're making any progress. Apparently it's not the lopsided head that they worry about so much as the crooked neck, which can continue to be a problem as he grows older if it isn't taken care of now.

I would still say he's a healthy boy, though, and he's growing and developing well. He sleeps though the night consistently, smiles and laughs at us, holds up his head and chest well, and grabs onto his toys and looks at them and puts them in his mouth now. We're practicing rolling over, but so far it is just onto his side.

Long weekend

Viggo and I have been enjoying a nice long weekend with no plans, except hanging out with his family. Daniel is still amazing - and now he is smiling and talking and even laughing. I think he will be sleeping through the night soon. He usually makes it at least 5 1/2 hours before eating. I don't feel like I have much to post about these days - besides Daniel, and sweet as he is, he doesn't really do much yet. I'll try to keep up with occasional updates though - there should be some more excitement next January as we post about our move to Tanzania and life there. We're looking forward to the Wycliffe Norway conference in two weeks, where we'll get to see our Norwegian Wycliffe friends (who otherwise live in very different parts of the country from us) and will meet some leaders from the Uganda-Tanzania branch.

By the way, I've just sent out an English newsletter (a Norwegian one is coming soon from Viggo, for the rest of you). Let us know if you didn't get it, but would like us to email it to you. (Send us an email or post a comment on this entry to let us know. (if you don't have a blog, you can always post as "anonymous" and just sign your name on your comment).

At Home

I had to post my favorite new picture of Daniel below. He loves to lie under his play gym and look at his toys. Yesterday he had an online video conversation with his Grandma and he seemed to think that was pretty cool too. I should perhaps mention that the sleeping through the night mentioned in the last post was a one-time thing. We seem to be rather going downhill as far as that is concerned. He's still the perfect baby though.

We are happy to be in Norway for now, but are very much looking forward to going to Tanzania! When Viggo and I were getting married, I had a period of feeling very overwhelmed by the idea of truly leaving home, first for Norway, then for Africa. God gave me a verse from Psalm 23 that was a huge reassurance: "Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever". Viggo and I will probably live quite a few different places over the years, but wherever we go we will always be at home in the Lord.

Seven Hours

That's how many hours Daniel slept last night without waking up to nurse - from 10:00PM to 5:00 AM. We were very pleasantly suprised. We're back home in Norway and doing wonderfully. Daniel went to his first Norwegian church service on Easter and was much admired. It also snowed two inches that day. Now, though, it is sunny and beautiful and about 60 degrees. I think I will take Daniel out for a walk in his baby carriage soon. It is very nice to be in our own little home again.

Here is Daniel doing his "superbaby" pose, wearing an outfit knitted by his great-great grandmother, which once belonged to Viggo. Daniel weighs a whole 11 pounds (5 kilos) as of today. More pictures will be coming soon, Mom and Dad, but Viggo is busy translating today.

Going home

We finally received Daniel's passport yesterday, and we should be leaving for Norway tomorrow. It will be good to go home, although it has been good to be "home" with my family here in Oregon as well. Daniel's American grandparents are definitely going to miss him.

Daniel had a bit of a fever much of last week, which it turned out was caused by a urinary tract infection. It took three trips to the doctor to figure that out, but ultimately he got the antibiotics he needed and he's much better now. He wasn't eating very well while he was sick, but he's making up for lost time now, eating voraciously every 1-2 hours and getting chubbier every day.

Viggo was invited to speak in church last Sunday and shared about our experience of God's faithfulness over the past year and since we'ver been married. It is awesome to see how he has provided for us and taken care of us and enabled us to trust him even in some difficult situations. We were also glad to see our church here getting excited about being involved in our future work.

I haven't quite figured out how to post pictures yet, or I'd put up one of Daniel. However, there's a new video (narrated in Norwegian..) and possibly some new pictures in our photo album under "Daniel's first month". He's pretty cute!

Viggo got a Visa!

So, you may or may not have understood before about the situation we were in with Viggo's visa. He came into the states on a 90-day visa waiver, which ran out March 7th. There is basically no way to extend your stay on a visa waiver, and it is not allowed to apply for any other kind of visa from within the US. As far as we could tell, and we had called every number we could find to call, Viggo was going to have to return to Norway without me and Daniel before the 7th.

As a last attempt, though, we contacted Senator Gordon Smith's office to ask if they could help us in any way. They were able to set up an appointment for Viggo right away at the US Consulate in Vancouver, Canada. Viggo drove up to Canada on Tuesday, spent some nice time with friends up there, and came back on Friday with a Visitors and Business visa that is valid for six months at a time for the next ten years. So contrary to all expectation, he is going to be able to stay here with Daniel and I until Daniel receives his passport and can come home to Norway.

Also, Daniel's social security number was processed very quickly. We should be able to apply for a passport for him on Monday and receive it within two weeks, so we expect to return to Norway by the end of March.

Wonder Baby

Daniel is amazing. He is, of course, the most beautiful little boy ever. He hardly ever cries; he lets me know he's hungry by grunting and opening his mouth instead. He sleeps well at night most nights, just waking up a few times to be nursed. When he was four days old he rolled over from his back to his tummy, two different times, and he manages to find his thumb and suck on it on a fairly regular basis. So clearly he is a genius. He hasn't been weighed for over a week, but we can already see on his cheeks and his little fingers that he is getting chubbier. He is a good nurser, and I seem to have more than enough milk to keep him satisfied.

The first few days after we came back from the hospital, I found myself worrying quite a bit. I had a hard time sleeping because I kept wanting to make sure he was still breathing. I'm finally beginning to believe that his lungs will probably keep functioning without my constant supervision. He had jaundice for a few days, but it's all cleared up now.

Although anxiety was a prominent feeling for me during his first week, I am getting more comfortable with my role as a mom, and have been able to really enjoy him for the past few days. We get just a couple of hours a day where he is really alert with open eyes, and that is really precious time. Otherwise he mostly sleeps peacefully, either in someone's arms or in his cradle or carseat; he doesn't seem to care where. Of course he also wakes up on a regular basis to eat. We do usually get a few cries out of him when we change his diaper, if he isn't to sleepy to care. His one bad habit is that his favorite time to pee seems to be during diaper changes; aunt Pamela got well-sprayed the other day.

I am spoiled here at my parents' house, not having to really do any laundry or cleaning or cooking, with several willing pairs of arms to pass Daniel on to if I get tired. In so many ways it is a blessing to be here for these first weeks, where I am so much at home and have so much support.