Experimental Baking

As I noted in a previous post there are certain grocery items that are difficult to find.  I found this particularly true when starting to bake.  Every Christmas we make cut-out cookies with colorful icing.  This year I wasn't going to attempt those cookies, for one, we didn't have any of the convenient tools that we normally use and two, I was certain we wouldn't be able to find the ingredients.  I thought that I would shoot for Chocolate Chip Cookies instead. Seems simple enough! We couldn't find chocolate chips, or really any chocolate in the baking aisle that wasn't bark.  We then thought we would try M&M cookies, well, actually Confeti cookies (as that is the local equivalent to M&Ms).  The one key ingredient that I couldn't find was brown sugar.  I finally found something that resembles brown sugar, but it wasn't on the same aisle as the granular sugar, so that was a little disconcerting.  Well, after baking the cookies, I am pretty sure that either that wasn't brown sugar OR the brown sugar here is different.  The cookies were edible, just really sweet.  They actually tasted like dulce de leche - which is a popular sweet treat around here.  We ended up sharing a few with the neighbor next door, I sure hope she enjoyed them.  I decided that I wasn't happy enough with the end product to give out the cookie mix as a party favor for Caden's birthday party, so on to the next recipe.  I needed one that didn't call for brown sugar, so I tried brownies.  The only ingredient that I wasn't able to find was baking powder.  We found baking soda, and something called Pao Certo that was used for leavening.  We went with it.  The brownies turned out great! I made a batch for the party and the guests really enjoyed them, saying that they are unlike any sweet treat they have around here.  It's a good thing they liked them because I gave out brownie mix in a jar as the party favors!  :)  I am SO GLAD that I brought the cake mix and the icing for Caden's birthday cake, it really made things quite easy!

Feliz Ano Novo

Happy New Year!  Last night's celebrations did not disappoint   The random firecrackers started around 6 pm and continued until noon today.  Around 11:30 last night the action picked up.  There were solid fireworks for about an hour.  From the looks of the skyline there were many pockets of celebrations taking place.  The one in our neighborhood was 2 blocks away, and deep into the show we could smell the smoke.  The video below was taken from the living room window.  It was quite exciting and I was really able to enjoy it since the baby slept through the whole thing!  Wishing you all good health and fortune in 2013!

Caden's First Birthday

1 YEAR OLD!  I hate to be too cliche, but honestly where has the time gone.  It's true what they say about you can't remember life without children, I can't.  I have several pregnant friends now and there are not words that can explain parenthood - it's so complex.... All I can say is that I am so thankful for Caden Maxwell and I am so blessed to be his mother.  We have been on such an exciting journey with this little man and he has brought such joy to our life!  Although I am anxious to see the changes that will take place during the next year, I am trying to enjoy the last of the baby months!

Here are a few updates on his growth.  He is still staying steady around the low 20 pound range and his is probably still around 29 inches in length - although, we don't have a measuring tape and would have to do the conversions anyways! ;)  Over the last month he has picked up a lot, he waves, he claps and dances, he blows out lights, he tells barking dogs to hush (and also meowing cats.. I was just waiting for the day he told me to hush!).  He knows the word Bye and associates it with the phone, anytime the phone rings he says Bye, anytime he sees my phone, he says Bye.  I think that Bye is his first word, non-proper-name word. He can give high-fives.  Have I touched on the fake sneezing and coughing - well, he still does that!  He can kick a soccer ball.  He has a tri-cycle that he can back-pedal on.  The most amazing thing to me is that he knows what he wants and what he doesn't.  This especially comes out when he is eating.  One minute pears are great, the next minute he is needing some protein.  It blows my mind that he is able to form these opinions already!  Which leads me into melt-downs, Ohhhh, we have melt-downs.  I know several kids that reach the terrible 2s early, but he was having melt-downs back at 10 months - I sure hope that isn't a bad sign!  

We celebrated his big day with a Construction Zone theme - so fun!  I found these plates that read - I'm Digging Being 1 - with a dump truck and excavator on them.  There are certainly things that I am thankful that I lugged all the way from the states, like Birthday banners and plates (being that I wanted them to be in English).  I made a few more decorations here with white paper and markers (I couldn't find construction paper anywhere!!!).  Brad and his intern went on a wild goose chase to get some balloons filled with helium, again, brought them from home to match the theme and so they'd be in English - THANK YOU BRAD AND LUCAS!  I am so glad that we brought the cake mix and icing from home too!  I've been experimental baking with the local ingredients and haven't been too happy (more on that later).  The party really came together nicely.  Brad's co-worker and his family and Lucas the intern came over for birthday cake and Caden's Birthday Imperial Stout (Brad is HUGE into home brewing, and there is a certain style that needs to age around a year to be at its best when you first drink it.  He decided a while back that he would brew this beer shortly after Caden was born and that we would have it to drink at the birthday party - little did we know we would be in Brazil - but the RIS made it down here and we enjoyed it -  at least some of us did!  It's a dark beer and a much acquired taste if you ask me, but we at least all gave it a try.)  Caden totally dug the cake, but did his best to be efficient at eating it - he cut out the middle man - his hands! 

Birthday Breakfast, a #1 shaped toast

Decorations

Party Favors - Brownie Mix in a Jar

Russian Imperial Stout

He LOVED all the balloons!!! 

Our Brazilian guests

Caden's smash cakse - a construction cone

Caden's First Christmas

Caden woke up early on Christmas morning, almost like he knew what he was doing!  We had a quick breakfast and then I left him to discover the tree with the gifts underneath.  He went for the stocking first and pulled out a few items.  Then he eagerly opened his gifts one by one.  Santa found him all the way down here, but left him a note, saying that his gift was too big for the plane so he left it in Ohio.  He brought him a smaller toy to play with for now - a shape sorter/train/lego toy - pretty cool!  Brad and I decided to follow the "something you want, something you need, something to wear and something to read" gift idea.  It seemed to work out pretty good and helped keep us from going overboard.  We enjoyed the day and played outside at the park, I LOVE the warm weather down here, but from the pics at the park you can tell we are all HOT.  Here's a barrage of pictures....

Tree before Caden....

A ball out of his stocking

Unwrapping presents

Which one should he get next?

Those are actually foam bath toys, but using them as teethers is what Caden prefers

Thank you Dom and Amy for the cool stocking!

His favorite gift from Moma and Daddy - Sticks!!!

At the park

Feliz Natal from Brazil!!!!

Poor Baby!!!  Caden was not a big fan of Papa Noel!

A reflection on our first week in Brazil

Our arrival started off with a bang, literally.  There were fireworks going off when we arrived to the apartment on Wednesday night.  We got in to the apartment around midnight and none of us Americans had any idea the reason for the fireworks.  Maybe I should call them firecrackers, because they weren't the pretty ones that you see in the night sky, they were just the noisy ones.  Brad later found out that a Brazilian soccer team had just won a big game in a tournament so the locals were celebrating.  Not to rain on their parade, but it's not the Olympics and it isn't the World Cup, so I was a little puzzled by the extent of the celebration.  Well, several days pass, we explore the area, make several trips to the stores, eat at several delicious restaurants (one of which was a Churrascuria - of course!) Sunday rolls around and the firecrackers start again, this time at 9:00 am.  Very interesting..... this time there is lots of traffic going past our apartment and there are cars honking and flying flags - not car flags, HUGE flags.  We also can hear music in the distance.  Brad had to run to the field that day, but he got home in time to explain that the locals are celebrating yet another soccer match.  This time the team won the entire tournament - Again, this is not the Brazilian national team, this is not even Uberlandia's own local team, this is "some" club team in another city of the country (Sao Paolo Corinthians)  that had won a tournament.  I find it so interesting that the locals celebrate in this way!  Mom and I walked down the hill 3 blocks to where the celebrating was actually taking place.  We live 3 blocks off a major roadway, which wasn't too major that day.  The police had shut it down so that people could joyfully celebrate IN THE STREET.  I'm not sure that this picture does justice, but I just kept thinking to myself, I don't get it!  I am so thankful that the tournament is over, because we have a sleeping baby and open windows and those celebrations are quite disturbing to his sleep!  I'm very scared to see what Christmas, New Years and Carnival might bring!  ;)

The restaurants have all been delicious.  We have even found a pizza joint that makes a good pizza.  We don't eat out often because 1.) Caden can't eat the foods there and 2.) his attention span won't last through an entire meal.  We cook most of the meals at our house, but are very fortunate to have a corner restaurant one block away that has lunches to-go.  They have a nice assortment of foods, you fill your plate, they weigh it like at the salad bar in the school cafeteria, and then you are own your merry way.  Especially nice for those days when the dishes have already piled up and it isn't even 11:00 am.  Yep... no dishwashers here in Brazil!

The shopping is quite interesting.  We can't find many things that we are used to having, which is OK, and we understand, but it does take a little getting used to.  I'm not a big fan of the meat section, and tend to let Brad handle that when he is on his own.  I'd be fine being a vegetarian while I am down here, but I do have 2 other mouths to feed!  One grocery store is 2 levels, and they have these ramp like escalators that you take your cart up and down on - so funny!  Lots of the toys that are here in the stores are from the states, but packaged differently and much more expensive.  The same little toy that I bought in Ohio for $6.99 is around $19 here. Thankfully we packed lots of toys!

Who doesn't love snack time?!?

This is the tub that Caden bathes in (no bathtubs in this apartment), he seems to enjoy it!

The mall has these awesome piano walkways, that makes music as you step!

Caden playing futbol at a park near the house.

There is an ice cream joint within walking distance that has trampolines to play on.

Everyday is laundry day around here - yep, no dryers either!!!

This is a video of Caden clapping and dancing, one of our favorites these days.

This is a video of Caden riding his mototico (Thank You Nona!)

Makin' Ourselves at Home

We made it to Brazil!  It was a long and exhausting journey.  It ended up being 27 hours door-to-door.  Aye Yey Yey!  We had a planned 7 hour layover at the airport in Sao Paulo, which would have been bad enough without the additional 5 hours that we had to wait for our plane to actually make it there. I don't know (and I don't think that I want to) all the specifics, but something about a wreck on the runway at another airport made our plane extremely late.  Alas, we made it and spent the first day unpacking and getting settled.  Brad and Mom have made multiple trips to the stores to try to make this place as kid friendly as possible.  We've just been boiling water and cooking meals (at least that's what it seems) since Caden just had his Hep A vaccine the day before we left and it'll be a good month before it takes full affect.

We went to the mall today.  It was busy, being a Friday and the week before Christmas had a big impact on that.  There was a HUGE decorated Christmas tree, and there were stairs on one side and a slide on the other.  It reminded me of the Christmas Story - so funny!

I'll write more soon, just wanted to get a note out there to let you all know that we made it!  Yay for 80's and humidity!  Sorry Ohioans!