It’s become very clear over the last couple of days that life truly is more complicated with a baby.  We’ve made some small “excursions” with him, like going out to eat or taking a walk in the park.  Yesterday, however, was just the beginning of new experiences for all of us.  Kristen went grocery shopping with him and then picked me up so we could go to the DMV to title our car (so it could be shipped to Colombia).  I had gone last Saturday morning to attempt to title it, but even though I got there 15 minutes after it opened, there were already 175 people in the waiting area.  For what I was wanting to do, they were on #4, and I was #39.  After an hour, they had only move 8 spots!  Needless to say, I left.  Which brings us back to yesterday.  Thankfully they were much faster and we were out of there in less than an hour.  Later that night, we got organized enough to go to small group for the first time since he was born.  He cried almost all the way there, but was very peaceful once we arrived.

But that was all preparation for today.  We went to the main State Department building to get his passport and visa photos taken and then to apply for his passports.  Kristen and Jack met me at my training site and we got to show him off to a few people.  We then caught the shuttle to “Main State” where Kristen and Jack had to wait outside while I went to an adjacent building to get some papers.  Afterwards, we walked around (in the hot summer heat) to the visitor’s entrance and proceeded to get his pictures taken.  Amazingly, we only needed two tries before we got an acceptable picture.  Kristen actually had to hold him up in the air so she wouldn’t be in the photo.  We then headed to another part of the building to apply for his tourist and diplomatic passports.  While I waited in line, Kristen gave Jackson a bottle.

We had arranged lunch with my mentor but Jackson needed his diaper changed.  So I went into the men’s restroom, hoping for a changing table.  Unfortunately, State hasn’t become that daddy friendly, so I had to wipe down the sink counter, lay down a changing mat, and proceed to change his diaper before he rolled into one of the sink basins.  Meanwhile, men are asking me questions about him while I’m trying not to get my suit dirty.  Turns out, Kristen told me afterwards that the women’s restroom had a changing table!

After lunch, we tromped back around (outside) to the shuttle, headed to the training site, and drove home.  We all collapsed in our apartment, with the A/C running!  Like I said, everything’s more complicated!  Jackson, however, was a champ and except for letting us know he was hungry, was very diplomatic about the whole situation.

No creative titles tonight! We just realized that it has been a while since we have written a general update.

Our move to Bogota is fast approaching. We leave for Houston 5 weeks from Friday. We will spend the weekend there with family and then head to Bogota on Oct 3rd. The preparations for our move are well underway. Our focus right now is getting Jackson a passport. He is officially medically cleared which means we can take him in to get his visa and passport now. He will have to keep his passport for 5 years so let’s hope he can look mature in his picture! Maybe he will get to meet Secretary Rice when we take him to the Main State Bldg.
Seth is wrapping up his Spanish training. He will take his exam on Sept 21st. He has really enjoyed his training and doesn’t appear to be too stressed about the exam. He has adjusted to long hours of Spanish immersion.  Jackson and I are so thankful that he has so much Spanish since we will need it for survival. I plan on picking up more Spanish classes at the Embassy when we get settled.

Jackson is growing like a weed! He is one month old tomorrow. He is now 10 lbs 4 oz and 23 3/4 inches long. He is changing everyday. We are having so much fun interacting with him. He is smiling now and starting to coo! The doctor gave us the okay to let him sleep as long as he wants at night since he is gaining weight so well. I have been waking him up to feed him and then he wouldn’t go back to sleep. Last night (after getting the okay to sleep)  Jackson woke up on his own even more than usual. We are hoping that he was just testing us!

We don’t know exact details yet about our new home in Bogota. We are anxiously awaiting details. We interviewed someone via phone who will be helping in our home. Her name is Sonia and we are looking forward to meeting her. She is going to be so helpful to us especially since we will not have a car for a few months so we will need help with errands and grocery shopping. She will also clean and help with Jackson when I attend classes. Sonia does not speak English so we get good Spanish practice early on! We are excited that Jackson can learn Spanish from her.

On another random note, we got engaged 2 years ago today. So much has changed since then! It’s hard to believe it’s only been 2 years. We look forward to all of the new adventures ahead.

take care!

Kristen

Today I am three weeks old! I haven’t gotten my turn to blog until now. I guess my mom and dad think I am finally mature enough to be a contributor.  The first three weeks of my life have been pretty exciting. I am finally starting to settle into a “routine” and my personality is starting to shine! I enjoy staying awake, particularly at night, so that I can interact and look around. I think my mom likes to interact with me more during the day but she is still very willing to be up with me in the night. This past weekend, Grandan, Mia and Aunt Claire visited me for the first time (they are daddy’s parents and sister) . I was on my best behavior most of the time although I didn’t want them to think I didn’t know how to cry so I let them hear it a few times. I went in my first stroller ride when my mom and dad took me to the Farmers Market. It was so much fun to see lots of other babies in their strollers.  Everybody I meet comments on how long I am and how big my hands and feet are. It turns out my daddy was around the same length when he was born and he isn’t a giant so hopefully I will slow down on the growth curve. When I went for my 2 week check-up the doctor said I was over the 95th percentile for length. I think I need to work on plumping up instead of getting longer!   My favorite time of day is when my daddy comes home from work. He enjoys holding me and talking to me. He also gets diaper duty when he’s home…I still can’t figure out why no one is thrilled to have diaper duty! I am so cute. How could they think I was so stinky??

That’s all for now…I will write again soon when something exciting happens. In the meantime, you can know that I am very busy eating, sleeping and taking care of other baby business.

Some of you may be wondering why we have been so negligent to blog lately. We have had our hands full! With what???…Jackson David Kolb. jacksons-birth_041.jpg Born Monday morning at 7:58 am. He weighed 8 lbs 3 oz and measured 21 3/4 inches. He is all legs and arms! He is quite the long and lean little boy. He overcame his cord being in a knot and wrapped around his neck as well as mechonium in his lungs which scored him a visit from the NICU team. He is strong and healthy so we are so thankful! jacksons-birth-day-2_36.jpg We brought him home on Wednesday night and have been running ever since. Jackson was having a hard time feeding for the first few days which led to some very long nights of screaming. Mommy was very ready for some sleep after 5 nights without any. Jackson is settling in and enjoying life now! jackson-day-3_30.jpg We just love looking at him and learning about his personality. He looks different everyday as he grows and has room to stretch! jackson-day-5_32.jpg

Grandma and Grandpa Seckinger have been here working hard to help us with making meals, doing laundry and whatever else needs to be done. Mia and Grandan Kolb, along with Aunt Claire will arrive in less than 2 weeks to meet Jackson. He is so excited to meet them.

Seth was not quite sure about how it would be to change diapers but I must brag that he has become a pro at changing diapers and burping! Jackson just loves it when his Daddy talks to him and reads him books. For those of you who don’t have a baby boy I will forewarn you that you will go through lots of diapers…some just because of sudden unexpected showers. I suggest investing in diaper stocks if you plan on having a baby anytime soon.

Daddy goes back to work on Monday. I have offered for him to use the baby sling and take Jackson along but he thinks Jackson might get bored in Spanish! He’s also not sure if his sleepless brain can transition quickly enough between baby talk and Spanish. He thinks this might interrupt his Spanish rythm. I don’t mind giving it a try just to see if he enjoys it!

We will keep you posted as often as possible. We happened to come up for air long enough to blog but we can’t guarantee that we will resurface again any time soon.

Here are some pictures from the last few days! Enjoy!