This is mommy and Hava reading our bedtime bible stories. Hava can actually see the bright colors now and seems to stay interested. Here you have it...PROOF that she CAN SLEEP BY HERSELF! It took us about 2 weeks to get naptime this quiet. Now we are working on nighttime sleeping. Pray for us! :o)
This is Hava and daddy on her first Holy Day, Passover.
This is mommy singing at our passover seder.
Daddy, mommy and Hava dancing to Brazilian worship music.

This was today in the car on the way to our congregation. It was snowing in APRIL. It just goes to prove you cannot trust Texas weather. My parents bought this outfit for our baby before we ever even knew we were expecting. It had to be done regardless of gender...this is the symbol of Al's soccer team in Brazil, Paysandu!
This is Hava laying on the floor playing on her exercise mat. Most of the time, she hates being down there alone, but we can catch her on a good day actually trying to hit the ball in the middle. :o)
Here is Hava's infamous Popeye smile! Seeing that everyday makes all other worries seem to disappear.
This is mommy's p.o.v....the most precious time of the day, watching her sleep.

Hava asleep on daddy's shoulder! Keep checking in, I am trying to get more uploaded.

So, I know you will all be relieved to see new pictures of senhorita Hava! Here are some of the newer ones of Hava's daily activities....more to come!

We are working with a new computer and have not yet figured out how to get pics up, but we are doing just fine. Hava will be 8 weeks old this week and we had her 2-month appointment at the doctor's last week. She was back at her birth weight on wednesday (6,11) and on friday was up to 6,14.5 and 21 inches....2 inches past birth! She is still tiny, but the doctor has agreed it seems to be genetic (obviously from Al's side of the family!) She had 4 shots on friday. Mommy was expecting the cries and screams, but not the horrible betrayed face with bugged-out eyes when they stuck her the first time. I didn't know if I should laugh or cry. Hava has been showing her star smile quite frequently and is now trying to master the art of winking. ;o) She has been caught actually laughing out loud now and again. She is a really good baby and only cries when something is desperately wrong...for example, "the pacifier has fallen out of my mouth again, why are you taking off my warm diaper?, what is the deal with putting me in the water?," and the infamous, "I do not want to sleep in this bed by myself, I believe you should pick me up again!" We can't help but love our little drama queen!

Hava is officially one month old. She loves to give kisses before eating!
She has about 1,000 different faces and those are just with her tongue!
She is starting to really focus in on our faces and Al experienced his first true smile recently.
She is starting to sit on her own for up to and hour. She weighed in this week at 6 lbs. 1.5 oz...still not back to birth weight, but doing better.
She smiles a lot while she is sleeping.

These are the three Caldwell women!

Our three hands together.
The four generations of women.
We are so proud of our baby girl. G-d is such a wonderful creator and sustainer. We praise Him for His unending love and care for us all.

We can't go out much since Hava doesn't have all her shots yet, but the Dr. said she is looking good!

We just love this little girl! It is hard not to get emotional when we look at this beautiful creature the L-rd has made. We are having so much fun, even though we are not sleeping much. :o) Keep us in your prayers.

Hava is here!!!
We praise the name of our wonderful Creator for being so faithful in bringing our healthy little girl into our world. Momma Rachel had a C-Section on Jan. 25 and Hava was officially born at 1:14 pm. She weighed in at 6 lbs. 11.2 oz. and measured 19 inches long.

She swallowed quite a bit of amniotic fluid and was not crying properly. She was sent to the NICU for a couple of hours to make sure she got it out of her system. Papa Al was able to be present in the C-section and also stay with Hava in the NICU. Momma Rachel got to see her for a minute and then hold her about 4 hours later after she was discharged to the regular nursery. Rachel recouperated over the next 2 days and all went home together on Saturday, Jan. 27. We had already decided that Hava has been a blessing to us even before she was born and we prayed that she would be a blessing to all who meet her. As we prepared to leave the hospital, we set up a meeting with a pediatrician for Hava who we had not yet met. He seems to be a very nice man....he is Portuguese and speaks Portuguese AND he is Jewish. Al first saw him in the nursery and he noticed Al's kippa. Al noticed he had a pin on his lapel with the American and Israeli flags joined together. We do not think he is a believer, but when he asked us her name, he immediately said "Wow, you guys really are biblical." Later he told us that when we bring her to the office, he really wants to find out our story. Also, as we were being discharged from the hospital, we went to the nursery for them to remove Hava's security tag. The nurse, Sarah, came in and asked Rachel's last name...when she heard it she quickly turned with a gasp towards Rachel (holding Hava), pointed and asked "Hava???" Rachel said yes. She came over and asked if she could please hold her and kiss her one last time. She was the nurse with Hava in the NICU and said that she became especially attached to her. She commented on Hava's loving Daddy and said that even though Hava was the noisiest baby in the NICU that day, she was the one that captured her heart. We are so blessed to know that her precious new life is bringing blessing to others besides us.

Rachel is still healing and feeling much better, Al has gone back to work after a week's vacation to spend with his new baby and Hava is spending each day looking more and more beautiful. Yes, she does have a tan and seems to be getting a little darker every day. She has a cute way of sucking on her index finger between the knuckles, sticking her tongue out in 1000 different ways and most nights have been pretty easy with her waking only to eat. Rachel's parents and grandmother were all present for the event. We are so blessed to have a truly loving and caring family as well as all of you, our precious friends who continue to hold us up in prayer. Our L-rd is wonderful and we testify to His presence, His love and His faithfulness. May His blessed name be glorified forever!!!

We were so blessed last week with a baby shower that our congregation gave us. We received so many useful gifts and are so grateful to the L-rd that He provides us with everything we need. We found out this week that our baby girl weighs 6.25 lbs, so we expect to see her within the next week to 2 weeks. My parents will be here this week, so we are even more blessed to have them present for the birth of their 6th grandchild.

The news today is that we are looking to deliver around the 25th of Jan. The Dr. wants to try to get Rachel that far before she goes into spontaneous labor. Baruch ha Shem, dad and mom should be here by the 18th, so it looks like everyone will be here in good time. Keep us all in your prayers.

We are getting closer and closer to the day when our baby girl will be here. This is Rachel at 35 weeks. Baby Leite should be here sometime this month!

Here we are at the mall this week. We just found out that we will be expecting our baby girl within the next 3-4 weeks. She will be a few weeks early, but that is to avoid Rachel going into spontaneous labor while still on the blood thinners. Keep us in your prayers as we anxiously await this blessing!

Here is a shot of part of the baby's room...the other side is our guest bed! :o) This room used to be a dark yellow/gold....Al painted it white and green all by himself! What a dedicated husband and father!!!

Here's the latest picture of Rachel and baby. This week she weighed in at 4 1/2 lbs. She is growing as she should and still facing down. "Good girl, baby leite!"

She's up-side down!!!
....which is a good thing. We were waiting since last week to find out if our baby girl was going to move out of her breech position, otherwise the doctor's would already be considering a c-section. We went in this morning and sure enough, she was head down again. Thank you for your prayers and concerns.

Baby girl is wrong-side up.
We went in yesterday to the specialist and although she is doing fine, they were surprised at her being in breech position since she has been in the right position for weeks now. They really wanted her to stay that way and hope that she will turn back around by next week...they said they only start to worry about it then.

Other than that, we are doing great. 2 more months!!!!!!!!!

THANKSGIVING

Al, me and our friends from Eitz Chaim on Thanksgiving.

SNEET
Grandma, me and fumaca (my brother's dog) in the front yard..you can hardl tell I am 7 mo pregnant with all the warm clothes on!!! It was so fun.

6 MONTHS - PREGNANCY UPDATE

Here I am (and she is too)! This was at about 6 months.

Attitude runs in the family!!!
It was so exciting to go to the doctor this week to check up on our baby girl via sonogram. As we were looking at her and how much she has grown (she weighed in at 3 lbs, 6 oz.) she showed us what she is made of a stuck her tongue out at us 3 times! Then she winked at us and put her hands over her face like a little drama queen. :o) We can't wait to meet this baby girl.
Grandma is back from her outings and doing good...Al is finally over the muscle tears and is woring hard. We had some actual winter weather this week with sleet and snow, or "sneet," and some very cold 20's. It was such a nice change for us.
Grace and peace to you all...stay in touch.

Well, life is life....
Al torn the same muscle in the other leg! But at least now he knows how to work with it until it is better. Rachel caught a cold/virus that was going around and lost her voice, but she is getting better now. Grandma is still traveling and having a good time with all her family. The best is Baby Leite who has officially entered the third trimester and is growing and kicking as she should. We have a blast watching (and feeling) her moving around in momma's belly! Keep us posted on yourselves and your families.
we love you.

After about a month of physical therapy, Al is back to playing soccer....he is taking it pretty easy, though. We are all doing very well and Rachel's belly seems to be growing daily. We will soon have some pictures up...we will put some here, but you can also see us at our site on www.orkut.com
search for AlessandroRachel
love and peace be with you all.

PRAY FOR AL
Well, we all get old whether we want to or not, right? Mr. Al just figured that out. He went to play soccer a couple of weeks ago and literally tore a muscle in his leg. He will be in physical therapy for a month now. He is actually feeling much better, but has a nice soccerball size bruise from the torn muscle on his leg.

Rachel and baby Leite are also doing great - aside from the not-so-fun shots in her stomach everyday, Rachel hasn't had anything out of the ordinary. Another Dr.'s appointment this week - so keep us lifted up...and THANK YOU!

Al is Outnumbered!
Yep, you guessed it, we are having a little girl! We are so excited and can't help but talk to her and pray for her every day. What a blessing! We did have one piece of not-so-great news. Rachel has a mutation in some of her genes that could provoke clotting and thereby hurt baby Leite. So, Rachel now must giver herself daily injections in her stomach to keep the blood running nice and thin. Other than that, the newest sonograms show that baby Leite is growing just as she should and she is quite the little mover and shaker. She always has a strong heartbeat and we've decided she must love the camera - whenever we get sonograms done, she moves all over the place! Keep her and us in your prayers.

JUST SO YOU KNOW
We are doing good. Rachel is over the first trimester hump and now feeling MUCH better. She had a lot of nausea and migraines, but it seems to be in the past now. The first sonogram was amazing. Seeing that little tiny body was so incredible and when the nurse turned the heartbeat on the loud speaker, tears started rolling. We are so happy - there really are no words to express the thoughts and feelings running through us now. Thank you for your prayers and keep them coming.

WE ARE NOT ALONE!!!
Guess what? You may now begin to refer to Al and Rachel as potential Papa and Mama Leite!!! Yep, Rachel is expecting - there should be a brand spanking new baby with us in February. We couldn't be more excited! Keep us and our baby in your prayers.
Baruch Ha Shem!!!

We are doing great! Everything has been moving very smoothly here in TX and we are trying to keep ourselves busy and out of trouble. Now, let me remind all of you out there who are disconnected from the rest of the world - we are in pure WORLD CUP mode. Al watches the games faithfully keeping his list updated with the scores - who is in and who is out. I have caught myself getting so involved that I watch the games live and the recordings with him when he gets home. Besides that, not much is new. Please keep in touch with us and let us know how you all are doing. We miss you and love you.

Hello and Peace (Shalom) to you all -
Thank you for thinking of us and coming to check on us here. We are all doing pretty well, although Al has gotten quite a cold and sore throat the last few days so he hasn't seemed himself. But we know it will pass as all things do.
Grandma has been busy planting flowers all over the place and has made a new friend down the street - Ms. Mary. Keep Ms. Mary in your prayers. I have been wrapping up the substituting for this year since summer is upon us. Pray that I will find something to do this summer to help us pay our bills. I have been busy at our congregation as well with the music ministry and the children's ministry. Keep our growing community in your prayers - we are literally popping at the seams as our community grows and our space shrinks. We do need a new building. Also, PLEASE BEGIN TO PRAY for a special ministry which could take place next summer under the L-rd's leadership and my surrender to Him.
rachel

Well, there is nothing new under the sun. Jobs are going great, and grandma's food continues to fill the belly to the MAX! :o) Honestly, we are doing fine and just chugging along. We do miss our friends and family that seem to be more scattered than mice on a boat deck. (if you know Rachel, you know why that was the first idea that came to mind as a comparison.)

Keep us in your prayers. We do need them.
love to you all.

"In the Fight"
In Brazil we have a saying: "in the fight." If you are in the fight, it means you are taking on every day and whatever it might bring, you are doing fine, but not necessarily comfortable - just keeping up the faith. That is exactly how we are doing. Everyone is fine, Grandma has a little cold and I had a stomach virus last week, but nothing we can't get over. Al has had some recent news from his family that is somewhat disturbing, but not overwhelming. However, in the midst of the news, we receive a wonderful glimmer of hope that his brother (who died when Al was about 11) had the opportunity to pray to receive the L-rd in his life before passing. Evidently, a believing girl (who noone knows) who happened to be in the hospital, came into his room. Al's parents were there. She talked to Augusto (Al's brother) about the Messiah and asked if he wanted to pray to Him to receive salvation from his sins and eternal life in glory. Augusto accepted and she prayed with him there. Al's dad remembered the event and told us this week. What a blessing!

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of G-d, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the L-rd Yeshua, that the life also of Yeshua might be made manifest in our body... We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak:...For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. (1 Corinthians 4:7-18)

YOU SHOULD ALL HAVE ALREADY GUESSED I WOULD STINK AT THIS

So, yes, we are fine. It seems that we have been so busy lately. During spring break, Al fended for himself (except that I left food cooked for everyday) while I went to Florida to pick up Grandma. She is here now and doing great. We are glad to have another warm body in the house - it seemed so empty with the 2 of us.

Al is working hard and has had quite a few chances to defend his faith recently. Keep petitioning Adonai for him as he speaks with others.

I am still substituting and also giving private voice lessons. Everythings is fine, but I would love for more students to come for private lessons. I really enjoy doing that.

Al and I were asked to participate in a few different things in our congregation. We are working with the youth now. Teaching the younger (Jr. High age) and recently gave our testimonies at a lock-in for the older youth. It was an intense night, but very good and we are sure HaShem was pleased. The hardest thing was realizing how old we feel! - We haven't stayed up that late in a looooooong time!

Besides that, a few other odds and ends, but everything is as it should be.
shalom alecheim!!!!

It's cold in TX!
Hi everybody. We got a nice winter blast here this weekend, even though it is February! It is so nice to stay at home and drink hot chocolate (or coffee in Al's case) and take it easy. The roads are kind of slick with ice. But Al has a hard time working out in the cold, so just remember him in your prayers.

We are doing very well - just chugging along. We do have some surprising and good news - my grandmother (who was just here over the holidays) is coming to live with us. We will be glad to have the company and feel honored to be able to take care of her and honor her in the elder years of her life. She will be 82 this year and is doing perfectly well. But she does get lonesome and no one knows when she won't be able to make decisions for herself anymore, so she has asked to come live with us (and we invited her and accepted her).

Al is still studying English and really is getting much better at understanding and expressing himself. We contacted a friend who met us in Brazil, but is American, this week and she had not spoken with Al in over 2 years. She really noticed a difference, so that was a nice compliment for him.

As far as I am concerned, I am still subbing and enjoying that. It seems that I will be giving private voice lessons before too long at a church music school about 10 minutes from the house. That will be much more "up my alley." Our music school in S. FL, MUZIKA, is still doing well and we are in the process of publishing some self-teaching materials in English and Portuguese. Please pray for that.

In the meantime, remember us - that we will be faithful and true to the ONE who has called and prepared us.

We are doing great. Thank you all so much for your prayers. We know you are praying for us and we know our Father is definitely caring for us. After a few little problems with the car, it seems to be feeling more chipper now! Thankfully, it was nothing we had to pay for, just some adjustments that needed to be made by the mechanics. The weather has been kinda nice lately - rainy and cool which was very needed here in N. TX with all the fires happening.

Some of you might know that we are involved in a congregation called Eitz Chaim (Tree of Life). It is a little far from where we live - about 45 min, but has been a blessing to us. We have learned so much about Jewish tradition and culture which helps us to understand how to relate in order to share the news of the Messiah. Please pray for us as we seek the L-rd's will in our lives for ministry.

Rachel had an interview this week with a music school close to the house. It seemed to go well and the school seems to be very serious in their standards, which is nice to see. They need another voice teacher and asked Rachel to interview and audition. We are still waiting for the results. In the meantime, Rachel is still substituting, which is something she can continue to do with this music school until she has enough students to fill her schedule. After that, she can just focus on these private lessons.

Al is working hard - about 50 hours a week - not counting the 2 hours of travel every day. He enjoys his job and is excited about the possibility of becoming an electrician. He is also studying for the TOEFL. No test date yet - just preparation. If any of you have taken the TOEFL, comments and advice are WELCOME!!!!

We praise ADONAI for His blessings to us - for our health, our family and friend's well-being and the provisions He makes for us on a daily basis.

We are doing well. We just wanted you all to know it. Everything seems to be coming back together and here we are again trying to build a life. We hope you all are doing well. We miss you all. Please feel free to drop us a line..AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT RACHEL'S SITE: www.amazonmk.blogspot.com

Back to Normal?

I was wondering if we will ever get back to "normal." What is that anyway? My dad said something before he left about us never getting used to saying goodbye - I guess we shouldn't. Maybe we should treasure every moment, good or bad, happy or sad, as a moment of lessons learned and new beginnings.
Al and I are starting over. Back to work, trying to make plans for the future. We did find out recently, that Al's job may lead to a possibility of testing to be a liscensed electrician without him having to go to school. That would be such a blessing to us, so pray for that. Pray also for his calling to seminary, his english studies and the TOEFL.

Don't forget to visit Rachel's site with stories from her past.
www.amazonmk.blogspot.com

Well, we don't have much to say for ourselves except that we love our family. This past month has been a rollercoaster of events and emotions, but it has ended with one we have never experienced - a deep, heart-wrenching longing for everyone to come back - to relive this past month again.

During these festive times, we were able to spend time with BOTH of my brothers and their families, my parents and grandma. My oldest brother and his family left at the end of Dec. My parents left last thursday. Grandma left today and my other brother and his family are moving away on wednesday. We are left alone. And as great and wonderful as it was to have them here - as much as our heart is ecstatic with love for each and every one - we feel the same degree of pain and heartache that they are no longer here. It is so similar to the loss of a precious loved one.

In my last blog, I talked about us having a cry day, well, make that a cry week. Please pray for us - we are experiencing sadness and loneliness.

Cry Day

Today was the day for crying and subsequent headaches. Mom and Dad left today and it was a cry-fest at the airport. It was so nice to have them here for the holidays and spend some time of r&r with them - as needed for them as it was for us. Now we are getting back to the daily grind. Grandma is still here with us and doing just fine. She will be headed back on Monday. Please keep us in your prayers as we try to pick ourselves up from this sad day and move on with the plans the L-rd has for us. Pray also for Mom and Dad's safe arrival back in Brazil and successful ministry over the next few years.

Other prayer requests - As many of you know, Al feels called to eventually go to seminary. For that end, he must study for and take the dreaded English test, the TOEFL. Please pray for him as he studies and improves his English. Those of you from FL would be amazed at how far he has come since we moved (and especially after this past month with American family.)

Please continue to keep Al's unbelieving family in your prayers that they may come to understanding, repentance and eternal life.

Festival of Lights and Dedication

During this season, we understand that there are many holidays celebrated. One thing we have realized is that behind every seasonal greeting expressed is a heartfelt "peace on earth and good will" towards every person. We know the meaning behind a joyful "Merry Christmas" is a compassion towards people and a time of giving to one another. What a wonderful blessing to celebrate the giving of such a special SON at this time.

There is also a special meaning behind "Happy Hannukah." Hannukah (or Chanukkah - another transliterated spelling of the Hebrew) means dedication. We are coming upon the time of remembrance of the re-dedication of the temple by the Maccabean family. We also see in the book of John that this SON celebrated this time. This is also a time of remembrance of the light in the temple after its re-dedication.

Could it be that this season gives us a different slant on sharing with others about this SON? Is it possible that He calls each of us to re-dedication of our lives to holy and righteous living? Could it be that He is proclaiming His LIGHT from the temple, or, more specifically, the WORD (torah) made flesh (Messiah) is calling out from the highest throne (the highest temple) so that we may not walk in darkness, but be led into his glorious light (salvation)?

Let us remember to not only be kind and generous at this season, but to fulfill our responsibility to share the news with those who have not heard. "The greatest sin in the desert is to know where to find water and NOT share it with the thirsty."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Isaiah 9:2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

FAMILY

Al and I are so blessed to have my family around for this season. My parents are in from Brazil, my brother and his family from Uruguay, my grandmother from South FL and my other brother and family live here. We are having a great time together. Keep us all in your prayers - especially our dad, who will need surgery while he is state-side.