January through March

Hey Everyone! Time to catch you up a bit on what's been happening 90 miles from the equator in the Stewart's lives.

First off, I have to mention Jakobine and the Cooley family. They all were a vital part of helping our family out with having Juniper in Brazil. Jakobine was our nurse extrodinaire (see last blog post for the whole story).

The Cooley family (our amazing neighbors) were the BEST! They helped out with the practical needs: lining up meals, babysitting our boys, hanging laundry and making sure Jill wasn't over doing it. Huge thanks to them!

Rainy season has brought knee-high puddles and buckets of clothes soaking in bleach. (George's shirt was white at one time.)

February found us planning our 3rd Valentine's Banquet...and yes, we were tired from it.

The students decorated their hearts out, and we all had a great time eating Valentine tacos! Taking care of our little Juni Bug is a lot of fun. She is a joyful little girl who loves her baths. Good thing too, because she gets one every afternoon in this heat.

Happy 8th George!

The moment before impact.

Juniper gets a kick out of her brothers. Always putting on a show for her!

Some special visitors came to see us and meet Juniper! Uncle Dave, Tim's brother...

Gramma, Tim's mom...

and Yia Yia, Jill's mom.

Juni loved meeting everyone and relished being held 24-7.

Our high school CIA group (Christians in Action) is led by the Cooleys and us. We get together a few times a month to plan songs, stories and games to take to the children at the local orphanage.

In December we got some gifts for the kids through a generous donation. (notice the 9-month belly)

Game time with the kids.

Song time.

The kids receiving their Christmas gifts; it was a special day!

Even Juni is part of CIA! (until nap time)

Baby Born in Bethlehem, Pará, Brasil

We thought it was pretty cool to have a baby born in December in the city of Bethlehem (Belém in Portuguese). A reminder of a miraculous birth so long ago—the dawn of redeeming grace.

Almost there!

Two hours after delivery--Mommy meets Juniper!

Tears of joy!

She can have anything she wants!

Swaddling clothes.

Pleased to meet you.

Our view.

First diaper change.

"So this is the world, huh?"
Brothers meet sister.And now there is five.

I ordered coffee to go.

She's official.

Home, Jeeves.

Juniper Bea Stewart arrived at 5:30 am on December 7, weighing 7.7 pounds and measuring 20 inches long. To quote her big brother Finn, “She has a tiny chin…she’s so cute!”

Needless to say, having a baby in Brasil was a bit different than our experiences in Spokane. Of course, as a husband, my role was largely the same—trying to be supportive and helpful and trying not to say anything stupid like, “I’m tired of all this standing.” Although I’ve never swatted mosquitoes in the labor room before—that was new!

Jill woke me up at 1:30 am, and it was time to go. While we waited for the taxi, we packed the final things in the suitcase—a rather large suitcase because we had to bring such things as:

• Diapers, wipes, baby shampoo & cotton balls
• Pillows & sheets (for me)
• Post delivery medical stuff for Jill
• Hat, gloves & socks for Juniper
• Jill’s entire medical file
• Cash for the doctor

It took less than 15 minutes to get to the hospital which is a real answer to prayer since during rush hour the drive can take over an hour. Our doctor was waiting for us as well as a missionary nurse, Jacobine, without whom we may not have survived.

They immediately whisked Jill away, and I stood at the counter getting us checked in. We paid cash in advance a few weeks before because they won’t let patients in until they’ve paid the projected bill. Finally the paperwork was done, and I dashed upstairs to find Jill in a cramped, stuffy room with a couple beds, several gurneys and some miscellaneous medical equipment laying around. The air-conditioner was on but couldn’t keep up and before long I was dripping sweat—to say nothing of Jill!

As Jill huffed and puffed, a woman next door was giving birth. The door between the rooms was thin, and we heard her screaming and then silence, then the cry of newborn. Apparently, most births in this hospital are C-section, so the staff is unfamiliar with natural birth. Jill asked for water and the nurse was astonished. “She can’t have water!” Jacobine rolled her eyes and demanded the water—NOW!

The room grew hotter, so we opened the window and let some night air in. It helped a bit (nights here are usually around 78 degrees Fahrenheit). After what seemed like a day, but was actually two hours, the doctor said Jill was ready. They put her on a very skinny gurney and warned her not fall off. I went and changed into scrubs, and then we moved from the hot mugginess of the labor room to the cold sterility of the operating room.

It was like stepping into a medical scene from a 1940s Technicolor film. Mint green tile on the floor, walls, and ceiling, bright lights, scary metal implements.

When Juniper popped out, she was very blue—like a bluestone angel. They whisked her to a cold table, and she quickly turned white. After cleaning her up a bit and letting Jill have a brief, brief look at her, they absconded with her to the nursery. Jacobine stayed with Jill while I went to make sure Juni Bea was treated with the dignity and respect my first daughter deserved. In the nursery under the hot lights, Juni turned quite red. Red, white, and blue—she was born in Brasil, yet illustrated her nationality. I stood and stared through a tiny window at our sweet little gift.

Meanwhile, Jill, after having the placenta forcibly removed (you didn’t know an umbilical cord can function as a handle, did you?), was wheeled out into the hall for ‘observation’. Back on the gurney, they tucked her in under a big wool blanket and told her not to talk or lift her head. When she did, a nurse would reprimand her, “No talking, keep your head down!” Jacobine rolled her eyes yet again.

I waited with Juniper, and Jacobine waited with Jill. Finally, two hours later, we were all united. We gave the doctor a wad of cash for her services and she left.

The rest of the story is fairly normal…normal for Brasil.

A Short Nativity Parade

An interesting sight on the street today. (Sorry about the quality.)

Almost There!

Eight and a half months along...and dying in the heat and humidity -- I hope she comes soon!!!


A few different things we are required to do in order to have our baby in a hospital in Brazil:

• pay our hospital bill BEFORE she is born
• bring our own diapers, wipes, shampoo, powder, soap and even the hat for the baby
• bring my own medical file, as they don't keep any information
• find a place to have her immunizations done after she and I get out, as they do not administer them in the hospital.
• AND...have her in a hospital. It's actually illegal to have a baby at home. The hospital is only five miles away, but can take over an hour to get there in the traffic. Pray we make it in time!

Our next blog will be an introduction to the newest member of our family!

When I Call Your Name, Say "Here".

Welcome to language arts with Mr. Stewart. Please, come on in and shut the door--don't want the AC to cool down the Amazon!

Take your seats, and we'll begin. Look at all the smiles today (well, most of you); you're looking fresh and ready to learn!

What's that? Sure I can help you, never too busy for some one on one teaching time. The two sitting behind you are next.

Got it everyone? That is your assignment, due tomorrow. I expect your best work, and if perchance an iguana eats it on the way to school, please bring in the iguana as proof.

You're dismissed. Don't forget to say good bye to Gill, Gill and Gill on your way out the door. See you tomorrow.

Jill happened to come across a rare veggie in the stores here, celery, complete with full foliage. Needless to say, she made a gigantic soup using it all up. Nice to taste that flavor again.

She is heading into her seventh month of sweating for two and is praying for a rare frost to hit this region in the next few months. All seems to be going fairly well. Her doctor is confident she'll be set for a natural birth in ten weeks.

Finn had some technical issues with his bike, so it's neighbor Nate to the rescue! Finn enjoyed hitching a ride with an eleventh grader to school. Notice who is carrying Finn's Cars lunch box.

The joy of having about twelve fruit trees in your yard: Clean up! Keeping the rotting fruit picked up is a daily job, year round. But hey, that's why we have kids! (Just kidding Gramma and Grandpa.)

Great work, George!

Finn, this IS fun!

And a happy first birthday to our dog, Supernova, who protects us from the giant grasshoppers. It's been fun to own an animal that isn't cold-blooded.

Summer Break & Beyond!

This summer, we went on little trip down south to see the Falls of Iguassu. While there, we celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary! Wow, seems like just yesterday we both had totally different hair styles and we were planning our big day! The Lord has been too good to us, and we thank Him for sustaining us.
George, the butterfly whisperer. He had them fluttering all over him! Riding around on public transit in the south of Brazil. Always a fun time, huh George?Finn enjoying one of the various views of the Falls. It was breathtaking to see the creativity and mighty power of the Lord up close. It matched my outfit, so I had to put it on.

July brought some special visitors our way. Tim's folks came down and spent some good, quality time seeing our home, ministry and the city. Oh yeah, and they enjoyed their grandsons too!

Finn turned four, and it was great to have family to celebrate with!

Enjoying a genuine Brazilian BBQ---more chicken hearts anyone?

July is the hottest part of the year. We tried to beat the heat with fresh coconut water.We found out that we are having a GIRL!!!! We hear big changes are in store for us.

Our friend Nick came down for a visit too. He brought our baby car seat down, and spent some time exploring the area. It was great to catch up with him as he begins his year-long world journey.

Some students bring their teachers apples, pictures or cute cards. Tim's students bring him bird-eating tarantulas, boa constrictors and mighty cockroaches. Here I am at six months along. All is well with the baby and I. Only fifteen weeks left.

School started back up in early August. Tim began his third year of teaching, George is in 2nd grade and Finn started his school career in the Kindergarten 4 class. All is going smoothly thus far!

We got to know the new 9/10th grade class over ice cream sundaes. Yes, that is Tabasco as one of the toppings.

Here's to a new school year! We know we will see the Lord at work in the lives of our family, students and staff here at Amazon Valley Academy.