2 years ago today, Shawn and I woke up at 4:00am in a tiny hotel room in Honolulu. We scurried in the dark, hardly saying a word to each other as we got ready for what the day would bring. We nervously sat in the hot humid hotel lobby as we waiting for the airport shuttle to arrive, listening to Hawaiian Christmas music but not actually hearing it. Once we arrived at the airport we met other couples, who would not only become life long friends but who were about to embark on the same journey with us. We were about to board a plane and change our lives forever.
2 years ago today, we landed on a tiny strip of land in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. We were shuffled into an open air airport and we watched as the airport baggage workers unloaded our bags from the plane, drove over to a metal "slide" and dropped our luggage down to us. It was hot and humid and extremely sunny for 10am. The sky was a vibrant blue and matched the water that surrounded us. We grabbed our bags and headed out the door to meet Bwritwon (Mr. Majuro) and the social worker who would become our best friend on the island, helping us with everything from language to cultural differences. Bwritwon drove us to the MIR, telling us all about the island on the way and pointed out important buildings to know, like the US Embassy, the Long Island Hotel and the tuna canning plant. He helped us unload and even carried our bags to our room. We found out later that that was not part of his job, he just enjoyed helping everyone he met.
2 years ago today, we walked into a hotel room that would become our home. It was painted beige with few furnishings and island paintings on the wall. We tried unpacking and setting up our home but we were so nervous, we mainly paced around the room, moving things from one place to the other in an attempt to keep calm. Shawn was much better at it then I was. I resorted to recording our surroundings to calm my nerves. Then at 1:50pm, the phone rang.
2 years ago today, we met you. You were just as beautiful then as you are today. Shawn held you first and you looked up at him with your big brown eyes and daddy was hooked forever. At that moment you became our life, our reason for living and our sole purpose. We loved you before we had even met you but that moment erased any doubt, anxiety or fear we had had. We held you and have never let go.
We love Noemi Emita Nilsson. Happy Nice-to-meet-you Day <3
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Picture update :)
One day, I will have time to sit down and actually write something meaningful, insightful and poetic. Until then, enjoy more pictures of our cutie :)
Sunday, September 30, 2012
2 year old Ms.Mimi
Noemi has decided that her name is now Mimi and has agreed (after some convincing) that she is now 2 and no longer 1 :). My baby girl has grown into a beautiful toddler with nonstop energy and an increasing decipherable vocabulary. She's able to express herself in 2-3 word sentences and I think would say more if her mouth would just get the words out! She stops herself mid word/sentence to think about how to say the next part and if she can't think of it, she starts over with a different word or phrase. Her English is coming along rather quickly so this is when we really need to stick to our guns and speak to her only in Spanish.
She loves puzzles these days and can do peg board puzzles and iPad puzzles. She's working on jigsaw puzzles but she's not very interested in them yet. She's a wonderful "mommy" to her babydolls and likes to feed them and buckle them into her booster seat to eat :)
Noemi has become quite the singer and loves to sing along to any music; if there are no words, she hums. She tries singing along to songs she's never even heard before which makes it even more adorable!
Healthwise, Noemi is doing really well. She had a vitamin D insufficiency since we arrived from Majuro but her numbers are finally in normal range now. She's still small for her age measuring in at 33.5" (37%) but doing good in weight at 26lbs. Her teath are finally straightening out and no oral surgery is in her future at this point!
We have not had any new contact with Majuro but have heard from others that Rosita is doing well and still in Rita.
She loves puzzles these days and can do peg board puzzles and iPad puzzles. She's working on jigsaw puzzles but she's not very interested in them yet. She's a wonderful "mommy" to her babydolls and likes to feed them and buckle them into her booster seat to eat :)
Noemi has become quite the singer and loves to sing along to any music; if there are no words, she hums. She tries singing along to songs she's never even heard before which makes it even more adorable!
Healthwise, Noemi is doing really well. She had a vitamin D insufficiency since we arrived from Majuro but her numbers are finally in normal range now. She's still small for her age measuring in at 33.5" (37%) but doing good in weight at 26lbs. Her teath are finally straightening out and no oral surgery is in her future at this point!
We have not had any new contact with Majuro but have heard from others that Rosita is doing well and still in Rita.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Our trip!
We had a great time on our road trip. Noemi did great job with being in the car and I think really enjoyed all the constant attention from mommy and daddy :)
While in Springdale, we met with Carmen Chong-Gum, the Consul General for The RMI. It was such an honor to not only meet her but she also volunteered to show us around town and took us to a couple Marshallese shops. She was interested in knowing what families are looking to purchase from the RMI and I expressed that we'd personally love some kid guams, more handicrafts, jewelry, and music. Some of the other families here in MN are looking for Kemem mats and all expressed an interest in Art. Hopefully we'll now be able to get these things from Springdale instead of shipping from RMI!
Our route was Kansas City, then down to Springdale through Joplin, Springdale for a couple days then up to St.Louis, Dubuque and back home!
Here are a few pictures of our trip :)
While in Springdale, we met with Carmen Chong-Gum, the Consul General for The RMI. It was such an honor to not only meet her but she also volunteered to show us around town and took us to a couple Marshallese shops. She was interested in knowing what families are looking to purchase from the RMI and I expressed that we'd personally love some kid guams, more handicrafts, jewelry, and music. Some of the other families here in MN are looking for Kemem mats and all expressed an interest in Art. Hopefully we'll now be able to get these things from Springdale instead of shipping from RMI!
Our route was Kansas City, then down to Springdale through Joplin, Springdale for a couple days then up to St.Louis, Dubuque and back home!
Here are a few pictures of our trip :)
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Crazy?? Maybe a little
We are about to embark on something some might call brave, others inspiring... my family calls it crazy :) We're going on a 1600 mile, 5 day road trip with our 21 month old :) We are heading to Springdale, AR to get a little culture, Marshallese culture that is!
Springdale, AR has the largest concentration of Marshallese outside of the RMI. The story goes that in the early '80s a man left Majuro and found work at the Tyson Chicken factory in Springdale. He sent word to RMI that Tyson was hiring and they migrated but the thousands! Springdale currently has a population of about 70,000, 15,000 of which are Marshallese! We want to go shopping for more Marshallese handicrafts and possibly try some new foods :) Shawn's also on a BBQ quest so we'll be stopping in Kansas City and St. Louis.
Noemi update: My little girl finally grew and now fits 24 month clothes :) Last time we weighted her here at home she was still 26 lbs but this little girl is as active as they come! She is definitely in her terrible twos and loves to look you in the eye as she challenges you... We're going to have our hands full when she becomes a teenager!
Springdale, AR has the largest concentration of Marshallese outside of the RMI. The story goes that in the early '80s a man left Majuro and found work at the Tyson Chicken factory in Springdale. He sent word to RMI that Tyson was hiring and they migrated but the thousands! Springdale currently has a population of about 70,000, 15,000 of which are Marshallese! We want to go shopping for more Marshallese handicrafts and possibly try some new foods :) Shawn's also on a BBQ quest so we'll be stopping in Kansas City and St. Louis.
Noemi update: My little girl finally grew and now fits 24 month clothes :) Last time we weighted her here at home she was still 26 lbs but this little girl is as active as they come! She is definitely in her terrible twos and loves to look you in the eye as she challenges you... We're going to have our hands full when she becomes a teenager!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Update time :)
Noemi is 1 1/2 today!! She's getting so big and is semi-starting to calm down a little bit. She has learned to carry her stool around to climb up on things and she is definitely aware of good actions and bad actions. That, of course does not mean it stops her from doing actions she'll have to apologized for later, but it's a start :)
Let's see stat update from today's Dr. Visit:
Height: 2'7"
Weight: 23lbs
We're really working on getting her to learn new words and use them but she seems stuck on her vocabulary and doesn't see the need to use the new words she learns. We've noticed that she can be very indifferent about things which makes it very easy for her to give up instead of try to say the name of what she wants. Rosita was very similar. Rosita has a very "oh well; whatever" attitude about things so maybe thats a hereditary trait. Well I guess, you could say Shawn and I are like that too so maybe it's a learned behavior... Either way, it's getting in the way of her getting frustrated enough to try the word out. Does that make sense??
News from the RMI??? None. We have not heard from anyone in Majuro. We're once again getting ready to send a package out but I wish they would tell us what they need. When we asked Peter all said was shoes for him. I'm sure Rosita needs something or Peter's wife but he wouldn't tell us what. Did I mention the birthdate thing yet?? No one in Majuro will tell us Rositas birthdate! I just want to know so we can send her a gift (we're nit even asking for the year), but they either don't reply to us or they'll ignore the question or say," oh I'll ask her later"! A fellow RmI mommy suggested that maybe Rosita doesn't know her birthdate but it sounds to me like she does but for some reason doesn't want us to know it. That's fine, I guess we'll just have to respect that.
Well my IPad is acting funny so I'll call it a day and post some more next week ~SPRING BREAK!! Maybe I'll finally load some videos of this crazy beautiful little girl <3
Let's see stat update from today's Dr. Visit:
Height: 2'7"
Weight: 23lbs
We're really working on getting her to learn new words and use them but she seems stuck on her vocabulary and doesn't see the need to use the new words she learns. We've noticed that she can be very indifferent about things which makes it very easy for her to give up instead of try to say the name of what she wants. Rosita was very similar. Rosita has a very "oh well; whatever" attitude about things so maybe thats a hereditary trait. Well I guess, you could say Shawn and I are like that too so maybe it's a learned behavior... Either way, it's getting in the way of her getting frustrated enough to try the word out. Does that make sense??
News from the RMI??? None. We have not heard from anyone in Majuro. We're once again getting ready to send a package out but I wish they would tell us what they need. When we asked Peter all said was shoes for him. I'm sure Rosita needs something or Peter's wife but he wouldn't tell us what. Did I mention the birthdate thing yet?? No one in Majuro will tell us Rositas birthdate! I just want to know so we can send her a gift (we're nit even asking for the year), but they either don't reply to us or they'll ignore the question or say," oh I'll ask her later"! A fellow RmI mommy suggested that maybe Rosita doesn't know her birthdate but it sounds to me like she does but for some reason doesn't want us to know it. That's fine, I guess we'll just have to respect that.
Well my IPad is acting funny so I'll call it a day and post some more next week ~SPRING BREAK!! Maybe I'll finally load some videos of this crazy beautiful little girl <3
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Details about Noes kemem
Just some more FYI about Noemi's kemem:
We had a picture slideshow of our trip playing with marshallese music.
We had the kids play island inspired games:
Hot Coconut (same as Hot Potato but used a plastic coconut instead)
Island Hopper (We drew a palm tree on an island on 8 sheets of paper. We laid the paper around in a circle and basically played musically chairs but they had to hop from island to island)
Pin the coconut on the Palm tree
We had sea shell baskets as our centerpieces with hibiscus flowers poking out
My nieces learned a Marshallese dance but did not get perform it :(
Anyway, just random thoughts that I forgot to share earlier.
We had a picture slideshow of our trip playing with marshallese music.
We had the kids play island inspired games:
Hot Coconut (same as Hot Potato but used a plastic coconut instead)
Island Hopper (We drew a palm tree on an island on 8 sheets of paper. We laid the paper around in a circle and basically played musically chairs but they had to hop from island to island)
Pin the coconut on the Palm tree
We had sea shell baskets as our centerpieces with hibiscus flowers poking out
My nieces learned a Marshallese dance but did not get perform it :(
Anyway, just random thoughts that I forgot to share earlier.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
I found our packing list- hope this helps
Baby Needs:
Health:
o Aspirator
o Thermometer
o Band-aids
o Bottle brushes
o Wipes
o Baby carrier
o Diaper bag
o Rash ointment
o Baby Tynenol
o Gripe water
o Scabies Meds
o Antibiotics
o Pink eye drops
o Sun Screen
o antifungal cream
o Stomach meds
o Ear infection
o Eye infection
o Baby Tylenol
o Lice
o Vitamins (parents and baby)
o Hydrogen peroxide
Basic Needs:
o Formula
o Bottles
o Pacifiers
o Pacifier clip
o Nipples (different sizes/styles)
o Wash Clothes
o Diapers
o Crib sheet
o Blankets
o Bath towels
o Stuffed animal
o Few toys
Clothing for baby:
o Bibs
o Sleep sacks -long sleeves
o Swaddle Blankets
o Onsies
o Pants
o Sweaters (for airport/plane)
o Long Sleeve top
o Socks
o Sun Hat
o Bathing Suit
o T-shirts
o Shorts
o Outfit for court or Celebration Dinner
Parent needs
Health:
o Shampoo/conditioner
o Razors
o allergy medicine
o Bug spray
o contact lenses/solution/glasses
o feminine products
o lanacain
o Q-tips
o hand and body lotion
o Bath towels
o deodorant
o Soap
o tweezer
o toothbrushes/toothpaste
o hair brush
o hair clips/bands
o hand sanitizer.
o clorox wipes
Basic Needs:
o Flashlight
o DVDS
o tupperware
o laundry bag
o hangers
o ziplop sandwich bags
o gallon ziplock
o Crystal Light
o Sunglasses
o Laptop and charger
o Camera and cords
o Cell phone and charger
o Camcorder, cords and cd’s
o Batteries
o water purification tablets
o Cash
o Roll of quarters
o luggage locks
o breakfast bars
Clothing:
o Long sleeve shirts
o Beach cover up
o Sun hats
o Clothes for court
o Shoes for court
o Flip flops
o Shorts
o T-shirts
o Sweaters
o Socks
o Underwear
o Bras
o Swimming suits
o Skirts
o Pajamas
For Marshallese
o T-shirts
o Photo Album
o Flip Flops
o Necklace
o Toys for kids
o Coffee Table book
o Gourmet treats
o Things to buy in RMI
o Burner
o Hot Pot
o Pan?
o RAID
o Bowls/silverware/cups
Health:
o Aspirator
o Thermometer
o Band-aids
o Bottle brushes
o Wipes
o Baby carrier
o Diaper bag
o Rash ointment
o Baby Tynenol
o Gripe water
o Scabies Meds
o Antibiotics
o Pink eye drops
o Sun Screen
o antifungal cream
o Stomach meds
o Ear infection
o Eye infection
o Baby Tylenol
o Lice
o Vitamins (parents and baby)
o Hydrogen peroxide
Basic Needs:
o Formula
o Bottles
o Pacifiers
o Pacifier clip
o Nipples (different sizes/styles)
o Wash Clothes
o Diapers
o Crib sheet
o Blankets
o Bath towels
o Stuffed animal
o Few toys
Clothing for baby:
o Bibs
o Sleep sacks -long sleeves
o Swaddle Blankets
o Onsies
o Pants
o Sweaters (for airport/plane)
o Long Sleeve top
o Socks
o Sun Hat
o Bathing Suit
o T-shirts
o Shorts
o Outfit for court or Celebration Dinner
Parent needs
Health:
o Shampoo/conditioner
o Razors
o allergy medicine
o Bug spray
o contact lenses/solution/glasses
o feminine products
o lanacain
o Q-tips
o hand and body lotion
o Bath towels
o deodorant
o Soap
o tweezer
o toothbrushes/toothpaste
o hair brush
o hair clips/bands
o hand sanitizer.
o clorox wipes
Basic Needs:
o Flashlight
o DVDS
o tupperware
o laundry bag
o hangers
o ziplop sandwich bags
o gallon ziplock
o Crystal Light
o Sunglasses
o Laptop and charger
o Camera and cords
o Cell phone and charger
o Camcorder, cords and cd’s
o Batteries
o water purification tablets
o Cash
o Roll of quarters
o luggage locks
o breakfast bars
Clothing:
o Long sleeve shirts
o Beach cover up
o Sun hats
o Clothes for court
o Shoes for court
o Flip flops
o Shorts
o T-shirts
o Sweaters
o Socks
o Underwear
o Bras
o Swimming suits
o Skirts
o Pajamas
For Marshallese
o T-shirts
o Photo Album
o Flip Flops
o Necklace
o Toys for kids
o Coffee Table book
o Gourmet treats
o Things to buy in RMI
o Burner
o Hot Pot
o Pan?
o RAID
o Bowls/silverware/cups
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