Caitlin has recently started walking.  Not perfectly, and not for long but it is definitely walking.  Joshua didn't walk until after a year old so at only 10.5 months, we are pretty impressed with her accomplishment.  Here is a short video of her efforts so far:

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If you have trouble viewing the above video, click here to view it directly on YouTube

Caitlin has finally learned to crawl and there is no stopping her now.  She can get anywhere she wants to go and get into just about anything.  Here's the video:

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If you can't see the video above, click here to view it directly on YouTube.

Here is a collection of photos of Caitlin from around the time she is 7 months old.  She is now sitting up on here own and has cut her first teeth (front two teeth on the bottom)

Click on any thumbnail to see the full size image.

Press the left or right arrow to move forward or backward.

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This past month, we had the joy of having Caitlin baptized, welcoming her into the covenant community of the Christian church.  Baby Molly, the daughter of our friends Chris and Paige was baptized at the same time.  A fellow missionary videotaped the event and I include it below.  The video is all in Thai and I am afraid that I haven't had time to add English subtitles.

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Pastor Natee, who did the baptism, had some really helpful comments about the nature of baptism that got me thinking.  First, people are baptized not because of what they have done but in recognition of what God has done.  Therefore, in the case of people who come to Christ and are baptized as adults, they are baptized in recognition of God's work in their life, regenerating their heart and granting them faith and repentance.  They are baptized because it is evident that God has chosen to bring them into the fold of the Christian church.  Baptism welcomes them into the visible church because God has already brought them into the invisible church. 

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The other day our house helper was holding our baby Caitlin while I (Sun) grabbed a bite of lunch. She suddenly realized that Caitlin had a double cowlick on her head and, after confirming that the baby was born on a Monday, foretold that Caitlin would be feisty and strong-willed just like one of her sons who had similar traits. The week before she had told me that as an infant her son was so strong-willed and hard to please that she went through a Thai ceremony in hopes of making her son more manageable. With a group of elderly people around, the ceremony required her to ask aloud, “Who’s baby is this? Whatever spirit or ghost or demon out there that owns this baby, come and claim him.” At this point, the group of elders assuming the role of a “Mae Seu” (แม่ซื้อ) would respond by saying, “He’s ours and we will take him.” This ceremony is supposed to make the baby be less difficult to raise. However, it didn’t work for her, she confessed. He was still keeping her up all night from 7 pm to 7 am and sleeping during the day for a long, long time.

Last night, baby Caitlin at almost 6 weeks woke up at 3:30 am and after her feeding gave us a big smile twice. What a treat! Today she gave us another smile. So precious!  We haven't been able to get a picture yet.  Coming Soon!

DOWNLOAD PDF - OCTOBER 2009 DAHLFREDS PRAYER LETTER

Dear Friends & Family,Praise be to God for the addition of a new little one to our family.  Caitlin Mei Dahlfred was born on Sept 21, 2009 in Bangkok, Thailand.  7.9 pounds, 20 inches long, pulsing with life & energy, and sporting a full head of hair (see pictures here).  Thank you to all of you who have sent your congratulations on the birth of our daughter.  God has been very gracious to us.

DOWNLOAD PDF - BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT FOR CAITLIN

If you are curious about the name, "Caitlin" is an Irish name meaning "pure".

"Mei", in both Cambodian and Chinese, is a word meaning "beautiful".

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