Labor and Delivery

Thursday I was scheduled to be at the hospital at 7:30AM. It ended up that the hospital was completely full and they told me they couldn't admit me. Ok so those are words you don't say to a 4 week pregnant woman... The doctor had decided to induce me because I was dilated at 4 cm for several weeks and it looked like I was going no where.
After begging and pleading and making up a story that I felt I was already in labor, the hospital admitted and e began the Pitocin at 2:30PM. At 7:30PM my water was broke and it all REALLY began. The contractions began to get unbearable and by 10:00 I finally had my epidural...
Oh and the epidural...I guess i had to much confidence in modern medicine but God had other plans. About 30 minutes after the epidural was placed in I noticed I could still lift my right leg and I still had sensation. I called the nurses desk and they said that was completely normal. So I allowed the contractions to worsen thinking I should at least feel some of the pain. BY midnight I was NOT happy. I looked at Enzo and Mom and told them to get the doctor quick she was coming and I felt EVERYTHING. Sure enough the doctor came in and I was dilated at 10cm. The epidural was not working at all and I really think there is no pain greater than what I felt. I began pushing as soon as the doctor checked for dilation and I pushed till 2:06AM. I knew something was wrong with the epidural when I could turn around and flip myself, lift both legs, etc.. and I think everyone in the room knew how I felt about it as well!
But thank God for 2:06AM! Words cannot express the emotions felt during a time like this. It is an amazing miracle that God allows us to partake in. If you are an unbeliever in miracles you need to watch a baby being brought into the world!

Evelyn is Born

Thank God our baby was born healthy, sweet and cute at 2:06 a.m. today after Paige worked out a lot :)

Evelyn is as pretty as can be and is healthy enjoying company of family and friends, stealing the spotlight from her daddy ;)

We all love little Evelyn and again, thank God for such a great pregnancy, delivery and an amazing little girl...

Watching the baby be born and then holding her in my arms, seeing her snuggled up on her mommy's chest: Surreal... :)

Evelyn is our blessing from God.

Thank you Jesus for our little punkin.

Baby Evelyn is on the Way

Calm down... she is not here yet (at least not as I type this message). We have been at the hospital since around 11:30 a.m., after a great brunch.
Paige, as usual, hasn't been feeling pain, but she does have some contractions and has been on the pitocin for about 2 hours (as I type this post).

We can't wait to meet Evelyn (Evie). So far, everything is really calm: Paige is on her iPhone, we're talking to her parents in the room, her grandparents already came to visit with uncle Dan, Jessica Patterson (our photographer came by) and I have talked to my family via Skype / iPhone and such... :)

Everyone is cheering for Evie and Paige!

Thanks for the prayers and for keeping us in your thoughts.

This is our first child and everything has been so good and calm so far and we're sure it will be like this throughout the whole process.

Keep praying for us, for a smooth delivery, for Paige to stay calm and for a healthy baby.

Finally a light at the end of a dark tunnel!

Yesterday, February 9th, David Goldman got to visit his son for the first time in 4 1/2 years! There are not many details that have bee released due to Brazilian courts wanting to keep it all quiet but I am sure we will know more in the near future! YAY for David and Sean!
Check out this link for media links: http://bringseanhome.org/wordpress/

Shower with Church!

I have been such a bad bad blogger...I should have put this up here before now! Brenda Jones from my church had a great shower for my little Evie on January 18th. I got so many diapers... exactly what we needed! Here is a picture of me and Brenda. It's not a very good image because I forgot my camera... but thank goodness for Iphones!
Hopefully soon i will get up pics from my last shower.

Visitation Granted!

While in Brazil, David Goldman was granted visitation for the first time in 4 1/2 years! Pray that things go right for David. He needs our support. www.bringseanhome.org

Congressman Chris Smith Goes to Brazil with David Goldman

I am completely in shock that a congressman would actually care so much for someone that he would pack up his own bag and go to a foreign country to help a US citizen..that's exactly what Chris Smith did after watching the Dateline Special on David Goldman's case! Here is the emil I received this week with regards to the matter. I don't know Chris Smith but I am so thankful for what he is doing to help the situation.


February 6, 2009

Dear Supporters of David Goldman,

The response from the NBC Dateline special last Friday 1/30 was beyond our expectations, we've had tens and tens of thousands of people visit the web site and we know that they are working with us. We sincerely thank everyone, Americans, Brazilians, Canadians, British, Dutch, Portuguese, French, Swedes, Norwegian's, Germans, Belgians, Spaniards, Danes, - people from all over, who have joined the cause to re-unite David and Sean. Over 22,000 people have signed the Care 2 online petition (http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/return-abducted-minor-sean-goldman-to-his-father) and +20,000 joined the Facebook group, http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=35278616563.

David is now in Brazil for a hearing today with Judge Luis Felipe Salomão, Superior Tribunal de Justiça, who announced a ruling requiring "mediation" between David and João Paulo Lins e Silva. We're all very hopeful that this trip will mark a turning point in this case and at the very least we are praying that David will be permitted to see his son.

It gets better, but we have to go back to last Friday night; U.S. Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey’s 4th Congressional District saw the NBC Dateline story and contacted David for a meeting. The Congressman promised to do all he could to help. David does not live in the 4th Congressional district but Congressman Smith is well known in New Jersey as a stand up guy who will go the extra mile for people. Congressman Smith is with David in Brazil right now and will be with him every step of the way! The added benefit is that the US Embassy will be providing a diplomatic security detail.

On Wednesday February 4th in the House of Representatives, Congressman Smith, a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, entered House resolution 125 regarding Sean’s abduction. A transcript of H. RES 125 is online at http://bringseanhome.org/hr125.html.

IT IS VITAL that additional members of the House become co-sponsors of the resolution for it to have full impact. There is no reason why your Congressman should not sign up. Please email, write, telephone or fax your Congressman/woman and ask them to become a co-sponsor. Find their contact information at http://www.house.gov.

On the Blog you will find links to the latest news video by Jeff Peques of WABC, New York. Bill Handleman of the Asbury Park Press has written his sixth report, Lawmaker trying to reunite dad, son (http://www.app.com/article/20090205/NEWS/90205014). The Associated Press ran the story of Congressman Smith helping David and it's been picked up all across the country. We are told by reliable sources that the AP is not reporting the within Brazil, 180 million people are still in the dark.

Late Thursday New Jersey's two US Senators, Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez issued a press release and joint letter to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, reviewing the case and requesting a meeting with Brazil's Ambassador to the U.S., Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, at his earliest possible convenience (http://www.brasilemb.org). Copy on the Blog or at http://bringseanhome.org/lautenberg.html.


There is a new page on the web site, with pictures of David and Sean. Pictures/Fotos http://bringseanhome.org/images.html. The complete video of the NBC Dateline story is also on the site, at http://bringseanhome.org/dateline.html, it is broken into six individual video segments plus three extra.

Dateline sent a full crew to Brazil to cover today's hearing and any subsequent events. We expect to hear news on the mediation hearing late tonight or Saturday and promise to share that news with you.

Please forward this email to your friends, relatives, co-workers, church groups, whomever you think might join in. Assure them that this is a perfectly "clean" email, 100% safe to open. If you prefer just send them an email with the link to this message, http://bringseanhome.org/email_02062009.html or http://bringseanhome.org

Thank you,

Friends of David Goldman

Dateline Interview with David Goldman

NBC DATELINE: An in-depth exclusive report on David Goldman’s legal battle to bring Sean home will air this Friday night, January 30th at 10pm Eastern time (9pm Central, 9pm Mountain, 10pm Pacific). As always, programming is subject to change due to unforseen circumstances but as of now that date has been confirmed by NBC. We’ve also been told they will be running teasers on the Today Show Thursday (Jan 29) between 8-8:15am and sometime Friday on MSNBC.


MAKE SURE YOU WACTH THIS OR YOUR PROGRAM YOUR DVR!!!!!

How the US consulate handles email

Over Christmas break Enzo and I decided to try and call the US consulate in Sao Paulo to discuss Enzo's mother's visa denial. I wanted to talk to them. So upon calling I decided I was not going to get mad. I was going to remain calm. Well they kept giving me the run around and they would even hang up on me! They were completely rude. I almost even asked if I could speak to an American citizen because they all had Brazilian accents (not that that means they are bad people because they are Brazilian but I don't think it is fair that I pay my taxes and then I am told off by someone who not only doesn't even live in the US but isn't a citizen..with regarding immigration matters!!!)
So this week came and Enzo decided to call himself. They were nicer to him (maybe because he is Brazilian, who really knows) but they told him the only accept questions via email (which by the way... it wasn't like this 3 years ago when we were getting Enzo into the country). I looks like once again there is no real answer to our questions and we are right back where we started. If anyone knows someone who can help please let us know. We would really like Enzo's mother be able to see our lives here.

So...now he began the writing. Here are the emails:

Email #1 (From Enzo)

From: Enzo
Sent: Tuesday, January 27, 2009 3:58 PM
To: Visa, Sao_Paulo
Subject: Re: Request to review my mother's visa application - (Enzo's mom's name went here )



Hi,

it's been a while since I've last talked to a (very cordial) officer at your visa department about my mother's case.
My wife (American citizen) and I are about to have our baby (due date February 26) and it has been a joyful time for all of us. There is one thing bothering us though: my mother not being able to be present to enjoy all this change and happiness with us for a few days or months when/after Evelyn is born.

I would like to ask for clarification on why exactly she didn't obtain a tourist visa (we fully understand there is no such thing as a "visitor" visa, but we would like to make it clear that we WOULD do tourism with her in the U.S. and show her different places in the country while she stays with us for the duration of her visa).

We have NO intentions whatsoever (and neither does she) of overstaying a visa, working illegally, etc. We all all very honest people and can prove income to be able to sponsor her in all aspects of her trip. Although she is poor, she is elderly and WILL NOT commit any illegal acts here or in Brazil (she has never done so, for that matter).

Please reconsider this decision of denying her a visa. All we want is a few days or months for her to be with us and we will pay for all expenses to/from the United States .


Thank you.





Enzo Silva wrote:

I sent this email a while ago and am worried it hasn't reached you, since haven't received any response yet.

Thank you.








Email #2 (response from US consulate)
Visa, Sao_Paulo wrote:

Dear Mr. Silva,



Thank you for your email message regarding your interest in the issuance of a non-immigrant visa for your mother (insert Enzo's mother's name).

We recommend Mrs. Silva bring a copy of your e-mail message as well as documentation demonstrating her social, financial, and professional ties to Brazil when she appears here for her visa application interview.

We want to assure you that, as in the past, her visa application will be given every consideration consistent with United States immigration laws and regulations and that all appropriate courtesies will be extended.

We hope this information has been useful in responding to your inquiry. Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of further assistance on this or any other matter.



Best regards,

Consulado Geral dos Estados Unidos – São Paulo, Brasil

Setor de Vistos de Não-Imigrantes

Informações gerais sobre visto

¿ www.consuladoamericanosp.org.br

É (11) 5186.7000

* visasaopaulo@state.gov

Agendamento de entrevista

¿ www.visto-eua.com.br

É (21) 4004.4950 / (21) 2108.9199










Email #3 (From Enzo)
From: Enzo
Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2009 12:52 PM
To: Visa, Sao_Paulo
Subject: Re: Request to review my mother's visa application - (insert Enzo's mother's name)

Thank you for taking the time to review my emails. However, I have a few follow-up questions.

As for right now, my mother does not have an interview date.
She has already been denied so I don't know if it would help to interview again since her circumstances have not changed. She doesn't have cars, homes, land and other possessions (that would prove wealth as a tie to Brazil by any means).

What ties would be important other than financial ones?

Also, in my mom's case, would you recommend for her to try another tourist visa?
Also, you recommended for my mother to bring along a copy of the email below.
From my own personal experience and from my mother's as well, when she has previously been interviewed for a tourist visa the interviewee did not give her the opportunity to show documents such as these.

What is your recommendation in situations like this?



Again, thank you so much for taking the time to read through my questions and for replying promptly.



ENZO SILVA.



Email #4 (response from US Consulate)
Dear Mr. Silva,

We can not assert that the next time your mother appears for her interview she will be approved or not. If she doesn’t have any strong ties it will be inflexible for her to obtain a tourist visa. We recommend her the next time she appears at the Consulate to bring all the documents that proofs she will return to her origin country. She can also bring a support letter written by you.

Wishes of Good Luck.


Please, read the pamphlet regarding a little about visa denials.


Consulado Geral dos Estados Unidos – São Paulo, Brasil

Setor de Vistos de Não-Imigrantes

Informações gerais sobre visto

¿ www.consuladoamericanosp.org.br

É (11) 5186.7000

* visasaopaulo@state.gov

Agendamento de entrevista

¿ www.visto-eua.com.br

É (21) 4004.4950 / (21) 2108.9199

A little update for all you blog stalkers

Well I said I would only be on bed rest for a week but I was wrong. The doctor asked me to continue just for one more additional week. Argh. So this past week I laid around for the 2nd week in a row. Not to mention I was wasting my maternity leave!!! I was planning on taking the full 12 weeks that is allowed away from my job. Well these past 2 weeks have brought me down to only having 10 weeks! I am trying to be positive because I know this is a gift form God. It is mine and Enzo's last time to just be us.

As for work...I am planning on going back Monday come rain or high water! The doctor had told me that as long as I was on my 36 week mark I was okay because by then the baby is developed.

Also, while I am on my rant of maternity... Brazil just passed a law that allows women 6 months of PAID maternity leave!!! Here we only get 3 and it isn't even paid! Do babies in the USA not really matter?

Update on bringing Sean home....

The interview of David Goldman by Greta Van Susteren of Fox News Channel’s “On the Record” was aired on Tuesday 1/13.

You can view her blog and comment on the story at the following link:

http://gretawire.foxnews.com/2009/01/14/a-fathers-quest/#comment-3803225

http://www.foxnews.com/video/index.html?playerId=videolandingpage&streamingFormat=FLASH&referralObject=3442581&referralPlaylistId=undefined

Evie

Something hit me today: the fact that Paige is having a Brazilian girl and I, on the other hand, am having an American girl. The second American girl of my life...

I was wondering why I haven't blogged about Evelyn or Paige being pregnant yet. I think, besides this bad memory of mine (I never forget to mention that), it has been such an uneventful and calm pregnancy that I haven't felt the urge to blog about it.

Fantastic feeling: we have partnered with God to create another human being that will bring so much joy to our lives.

I can't wait to have Evelyn to play with, run around the house, go to parks, be father and daughter with...

Paige is always complaining about me being hyper and always wanting something to do, that I should leave her alone... ;)

Well, Evie will either play just with me or we'll team up and annoy Paige together...

Her room is ready, waiting for her, and so are her parents... and family...

Can't wait...

One thing: I wish my mom could be here to see the birth, help us through the first months of the big change...

Baby Shower with Work people

Sheri, Sarah, Kristy, Annie, and Frady put together a work shower for me..here are the pictures! It was great.

Shower at Anne's-January 3rd

Happy Birthday Ruben!

So I am a little late on post but it is better late than never, right?! Over Christmas break we got together to celebrate Ruben's 31st birthday...

rest rest rest

So this past Monday (January 12th) I went in for my OBGYN weekly appointment. I was expecting it to be uneventful but I was proven very wrong. The nurse took me back and has her normal question about if I had noticed anything abnormal. I really don't know what is abnormal and what's not to be honest, but I do know that I feel very healthy so I said everything is fine. I have continued to workout through this whole pregnancy and I drink plenty of fluids. I did tell the nurse that my only concern was that I don't feel much. I rarely feel Evie kicking and let alone contractions. Well she put me on a stress fetal monitor that would show me every time she kicked. She put it on and zapped me with this little tool that would get Evie kicking. It worked. I think I thought she was going to jumped out of my stomach. She said she would leave me on it for about 10-15 minutes so she would be back later. Well about 20 minutes passed and I started to get sleepy so as I heard Evie's little heartbeat I decided to take a nap. I woke up to the doctor standing over me saying she was placing me in hospital because my contractions were 5 minutes apart??? What in the world? I told her no I was not and that i didn't feel anything. She started getting frantic because she said she had two other girls in the rooms next door with the exact same issues. One girl even had the same due date. It was obvious there was a full moon. The doctor gave me all the paperwork I needed and sent me on my way to the hospital. I was really confused. I mean I had just spent all day on my feet working at school and was planning on going to the gym that night. Was I really the picture of girl having contractions 5 minutes apart?
I got to the hospital and the girl I had been told about that had the same due date walked in right behind me. I asked her if she was "the other girl." and she said yes and we both started laughing. They soon took me back and hooked me up on IV fluids. They too confirmed that I was having contractions so they gave me medicine to stop them from getting worse. The medicine worked and several hours later (after Enzo, mom, and dad showed up at the hospital) I was released from the hospital. Now I am on bed rest...boring. My next Doctor's appointment is next Monday and I plan on putting up a fight to get back to work.

First Blog of 2009!

Happy New Year everyone! Well Christmas came and gone and then New years came and gone...and no blog! I have been a slacker. We had a great Christmas. Like I have told you before, Enzo's family couldn't be here but we would be a great commercial for Skype. We definitely had a 21st century Christmas. We exchanged presents with Enzo mother via internet.

Bella Bojangles Swan Silva

She is getting sweeter by the day...As most of you read earlier on in our blog, We got Bella and then the next day I found out I was pregnant! This is not something most pregnant women would find comforting. She was (and sometime still is) a handful. She is constantly giving kisses and displaying her puppy eyes. Bruiser is getting better and better with her but they still aren't best friends.

Amber and John Raymond

So December has been insane. I have so many things I need to post. I want to start with how nice it was to have our good friends Amber and John come visit from North Carolina.. Amber was a roommate of mine in college and I haven't seen her in about 8 years! Wow, does time fly!!! Here are some pictures of our good times.

3d/4d Ultrasound 30 weeks

Saturday Enzo, mom, dad, and myself went in for a 3d/4d ultrasound...Unfornately little Evie wasn't really in the mood to play. She slept the entire time and kept her face blocked. :( Luckily the place we went to has a policy that if this happens they will alow you to come back for retakes. We ventured back on Tuesday and she was awake! She kept that arm in front of her face though... It was hard to get good pictures but I will post a few. My favorite is the one of her smiling. :)
It was also neat because the ultrasound tech wanted Enzo to talk to her because everytime he started she would move for us! I really think she already recognizes his voice by her reaction.

Blue Ridge Escape 2

Today we had even more fun. Tom and Wendy, as they did the first day, cooked for us.
We laughed, watched the Gators X Alabama game (go Gators!). Ron and I played bumper pool and FuzBall. Fun! We went to downtown and looked at art and (wooden, usually rustic) furniture.
We also gathered some wood for the bonfire at night which was pretty good. Ron even burned an old Christmas tree.

Sherry and Ron picked a small Christmas tree which we decorated with snow flakes made of wires and beads from 2 kits Paige bought before getting here.

Of course, when we went to get some more liqueur, all the guys were talking about the woman that had a mustache. Since I was the last one to leave the store, they were all crammed in Sherry's Jeep waiting for my reaction which was: "What?! I can't believe I never noticed it"!...

Blue Ridge Escape

After 2 long and stressful weeks at work having to deal with a high pressure and frustrating eLearning manager training course development, it felt good to find some shelter in a wood cabin in Blue Ridge.

Paige had planned this getaway trip with some friends from her work which I also became friends with [names here].

We come in Sherry and Ron's Jeep and got here at around 6:00pm after stopping at a liqueur store for some, well, you know...

Still in the car I had been switching my attention back and forth between work and reminiscing conversations with Ron about country stuff like hunting quail, armadillo and other such activities.

As soon as we got to the comfortably well-decorated cabin and saw Tom and Wendy (Tom emphasizing how we needed to forget all the crap all of us had at work) I started to relax. The cabin has plenty of space, a great view to the mountains and even a game room downstairs... Nice...

Karen and Mike got involved in a fender bender, got here late but are fine.

Ron lit the outside fireplace and we talked unt later when some got in the hit tub and Paige went to bed.

I went to bed later but I wasn't the last one to go...

Looking forward to Saturday.

Today on Dr. Phil

Bring Sean Home was on Dr. Phil today. It makes me so mad every time I see something on it. When are our congressmen and senate going to step up to the plate and do something for this child? This is taking way to long for something to be done. As soon as I can find a Youtube version of the Dr. Phil show I will post it here.

Obtaining an American Visa

As most of you know I am pregnant. We are very exicted as we wait for the arrival of our little Evie. We have done preperation after preperation and there is still more that needs to be done. It's a joyous time. Each day I feel the kicks in my stomach and everyday I get bigger and bigger. There is one thing though that isn't right. Enzo's family is not legally allowed to come visit.
Yes, you heard what I said...VISIT. Most Americans have no idea what is going on in the world of immigration. Most Americans don't care. If you do care, you can keep reading...
When Enzo entered the country, all he could obtain was a fiance visa. We knew we wanted to get married so we knew this is what had to be done. We dated long distance for 3 years and finally we felt that enough was enough. So you might be asking, why could he not obtain a tourist visa??? There is simple answer to this question...he didn't have money while living in Brazil. The US government refers to this as proving that he has "ties back to Brazil." What exactly are "ties back to Brazil?" It is simply showing that if he is given a tourist visa he will return back to his native country of Brazil. A "tie" could be money in bank account, owning land, job, real estate, cars, etc... Of course being a college student at the time, living with his mom in a rented house, and other things led him down the path of visa denials. It is fair to say that some people that are in the same conditions that Enzo was in get student visas, work visas, etc. without being questioned and without having their papers looked at during the 30-second interview... the law is relative...We could have used this as Enzo's excuse to enter the country but this would have been a lie. All we wanted was for him to enter the country and see American life before we committed our lives to each other (trying to be responsible). We had no intentions on getting married while he was here on a tourist visa.
He tried twice and both times the US consulates wouldn't even let him speak during the interview besides answering 2 or 3 canned questions that were already answered on the form he turned in... They just stamped in the passport "DENIED" and turned their backs on him.
Once he finally went in for his Fiance visa interview the US consulate accused him of lying. Yes I said it: LYING. He said that when he went in for the tourist interview he never told the truth about having an American girlfriend. Well first off, they don't even let him speak during the interview and second of all we had no intentions of getting married while he was here on a tourist visa. We planned to obey the law. Our plan was for Enzo to enter the country and stay during his allowed time, get to know my family and some parts of the country (doing tourism!?) and then return to his country of Brazil. He had other American friends too besides me as well.
We are done with this phase in our life...thank God. It was a terrible time and no one deserves to go through what we did (unfortunately others have had to). We strive not to be bitter because in the end that would ruin us. It is just a reminder to me of all we went through whenever Enzo's family attempts to get a visa and is denied because they have no worldly wealth. However, they are wealthy in another area: they have the gift of integrity. No one has the ability to take this away. No one can deny them of this.

I live in an area where illegals are building houses, working in restaurants, attending public schools, so on and so forth. I will admit; it is frustrating to know we had to do it legally while they are rewarded for doing it illegally. Crazy as it may sound, some are from Enzo's old neighborhood. They were never struggling for survival and they never had to jump the fence at the mexican border. In fact, they had enough wealth to be granted tourist visas but decided to overstay. I am sure there are those that have though. When will this country wake up to the devastaing effects of its messed up immigration system? When will the undocumented immigrants wake up and realize they are just as much to blame as the American government? In a nutshell: The more the US government tightens it's immigration laws, the more illegal immigrants will enter BUT the more illegal immigrants that enter America, the more the US government has to tighten it's laws. It is a never ending effect.

All we want is a chance for Enzo's family, especially his mom who's in old age, to come see us and the baby and get to know Paige's family, where Enzo now lives...Is this really too much to ask for? For a country that claims "FAMILY FIRST" shouldn't this be priority?

Seriously, let Sean be with his REAL dad!!!

http://bringseanhome.org/piaui.html
This story may take a little while to read but it will help you understand what the status is on bringing Sean home. Please read.

I guess this story is really disturbing me because I know the pains of dealing with immigration. I also undestand what it is like to be separated from someone because of ridiculous government standards or illegal activity that has not been committed by the one getting punished.