It's a little overdue for us to be introducing our new daughter today, but exactly one month ago we welcomed Belen Rae to our family. She was born by c-section on January 20th, here in Nicaragua, and was welcomed home by two very excited little boys, as well as Grandma Jonker, who we were blessed to have with us for three weeks. We are so thankful for good doctors and a beautiful, clean hospital here in Managua. Belen means Bethlehem in Spanish, and our Nicaraguan friends are so excited that they are familiar with the name and can pronounce it. Our North American friends and family, on the other hand, continue to say "Congratulations! (pause)...How do you pronounce that?" The best way we can describe it is that it is pronounced as Bay-len, with the accent on the second syllable.
She may not look Nicaraguan, but she is! Having a baby abroad means that first she needs to get a Nicaraguan Birth Certificate, then go to the U.S. embassy to get a Certificate of Birth Abroad, and then she gets two passports! We will be busy doing these things in anticipation of a visit to Michigan and New York this summer. We are also excited for Belen to meet her Starkenburg Grandparents next month in March.
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