Comparison Time

Today marks 18weeks and I although I seem to be growing everyday you all don't see me. Here are two pictures and one of them you saw at 14wks.... so that means in four short weeks I have grown this much!

I think this is 14 but it may be 13 or 15...

For sure this is 18wks!

Besides the belly do you notice the green bucket in the bottom picture? Yep that's to catch the water that is leaking from our airconditioner. Hopefully that will get fixed sometime this week.

Happy Monday to all!

Tchau,

Sara

Breast Milk Ice Cream?

While I was browsing the news this evening I stumbled upon this story on NPR. In England an ice cream shop created a new flavor using breast milk from screened mothers. While my initial reaction caused me to dry heave, I realized it's not that big of a deal. Really, I drank it for 1 year with my mom and what makes cow's milk any better? Break it down unemotionally and you have yourself a simple way to get nutrients.

Plus, maybe this will promote breastfeeding. Then all the women breastfeeding will either sell some to ice cream stores or decide to give to a donation bank. If more people are doing it then chances are that more people will donate. Save a hungry baby :)

If this catches on then I really hope to see more access to donation banks. The benefits of breast milk are so great and very cheap. People donate blood and plasma all the time so why not milk? Just a thought.

Tchau,
Sara

Bigfoot

I put on my "carnival threw-up on my flip-flops" flip-flops the other day and I thought they were someone else's!! My feet grew over night! After taking this picture I realized how veiny my feet are and dilated my veins are... That is probably a result of my blood volume increasing because of Belle and how hot it is right now. All the blood is pooling in my feet. The nurse in me wants to place an IV but the girl in me says, "Gross"! Owell. Nate feet are still way more gross than mine :)

Tchau,
Sara

Ps- Nate hates these flip-flops because he says it looks like a carnival threw up on them. Hence the name. He will be so happy to know I can't wear them anymore even if it means I get to buy more shoes!!

Belle moving!

I promise that I felt her moving around this morning. I was laying in bed contemplating going to the bathroom again. Then I felt it. I think that she like to hang around the lower right side by my pelvis because she brought me to my knees once last week. It was just a little flutter but enough to wake me up fully and it happen on the lower right side. How crazy!

I know for sure that this was her because gas doesn't feel like that at all and being pregnant you become very familiar with that feeling! Nate thinks that I am turning into him while I am preggers. I have hair growing in weird places, weird skin stuff going on, I eat more and I have gas. I beg to differ :) While I do have those weird things going on, I also feel like I am glowing constantly, my boobs are huge (are yours Nate?), my hair and nails are awesome and people in the street are really nice to me! Love it!

Tchau,
Sara

17 weeks and 2 days!

Here are a few photos to show you the growing tummy! The other day someone told me I was huge which made me laugh because now I have heard everything. I have been told: I'm going to have the smallest baby, I didn't even know you were pregnant, what a cute little bump, your baby is going to be huge, and now that I am huge myself. I guess nobody cares what they say about your body once your pregnant. Really I find it all hilarious because I am loving the way I look big or small. Grow Belle grow!

Tchau,
Sara

Are we there yet?

Lately I have had very little incentive to write. I am so happy to be pregnant but now it's seems that nothing new is happening. Each day I grow a little bigger but there really isn't anything to being pregnant. I make a few modifications and go on with my day. So far, I haven't had any of the typical pregnancy problems. Which means that I really don't have to do anything.

The one thing I am focusing on still is nutrition which seems to be a constant struggle. While my appetite is back Belle seems to be hungrier than me so I constantly have to eat when I am not hungry. In other words the weight gain is still slow going. At this point I need to be gaining a pound a week which would put me in the range for 25lbs-30lbs for overall weight gain. This number is recommend all across every pregnancy book and by medical professionals. That is my goal.

Basically I am ready for Belle to be here already! I am not in the stage where I want her out but I just want her to be here! It's taking forever! Well, it's only been four months and one week but I am really ready. I guess I wouldn't be ready now at this moment but if she came in two months instead of five that would be great. I still need to get a bunch of stuff from the US and fix up her room. Ahhhh. That's a post I should do... show you what her room looks like now and what I want to do with it!

Alright. This week I will be more interesting I promise.

Tchau,
Sara

Long Weeekend

Wow. Where did the time go? The summer time here in Brazil makes weekends go by so fast. Another weekend almost identical to the last weekend. Concerts, cookouts, beach walks, and lots of friends leave little time for anything else. I am officially exhausted.

This week marks the last week that I will be participating in pilates. Fridays class started out rough and didn't improve over the hour so it's not worth it to pay for another month. She actually told me to go spit out my gum while she was eating an apple :) I didn't even have gum in my mouth so I said no I don't have any and then she pointed to the bathroom and repeated. When I showed her she kinda laughed a little but seriously?

I will be taking the high road but I don't feel bad about her losing my money. I am just going to tell her that yoga is better for my back right now which isn't a lie. Besides, I ran into my yoga teacher a week ago and she is pregnant too! I didn't think that I could go to yoga while I was pregnant but she told me that she will modify all the poses for me. Awesome. This works out great because I still get to practice my Portuguese because nobody speaks English there either. Plus, it is 1/8 the cost of pilates.

Other than that life is great! I feel great and still have no problems being pregnant. More people are starting to touch my belly or ask if they can. A brazilian friend of ours told me last night she didn't care if I didn't want her to touch my belly because she was going to anyway. That's Brazilian culture. I just started laughing and told her I really didn't care. When in Rome? Besides people started touching my belly at 6 wks so I have already had the adjustment to it being the weird new thing in my life. I honestly do love how much Brazilians love pregnant women, babies, and kids. It rubs off on you and I find myself constantly happy.

I just can't wait until lil Belle starts moving around and I can feel it. They say after 16wks but for sure after 20wks. Our next doc appointment isn't until after Carnival but I will be 20wks and then the week after I have another ultrasound and then I visit home!!

I am so excited to shop for things and start preparing for her arrival. Even though I only have about 5 months left I wish it was here sooner!

Off to pilates. T-3days until I am free. Fake smile. check. happy attitude. check. good to go.

Tchau,
Sara

Clean Pool!!

I love my new pool guy!! After four consecutive days of work we finally have a clean working pool! He not only fixed the piping but he hand scrubbed the pool when a brush wasn't good enough. He showed up each day on time with supplies ready to go. Of course this cost a pretty penny but worth it to not worry anymore. He will now be visiting our place twice a week to clean and maintain! Ahhh. To bad today is a little chilly for a swim. Tomorrow the sun should be back as usual and I will be taking full advantage!

Tchau,
Sara

Lost in Translation

Last Friday I found myself lost in a conversation with my pilates instructor. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal but with her it is. She has a very thick carioca accent and speaks very fast. Despite my requests for her to slow down she continues to baffle me. Most of the time I get through class with minimal damage except for the occasional mix up of stepping back when I should have stepped forward. This happens to be a mistake I would make in English as well so I never worried about it. 

I have no problem communicating with anyone else in the studio except her. When I ask her to repeat, because I am concentrating on my workout, she gets flustered and then speaks really really fast. A few instances I have heard her comment about how difficult I am because I don't speak Portuguese. I have even heard her tell people that I don't speak any at all which is not true. These people then look at me with a confused look because we have already had a 15 min conversation in Portuguese together in the lobby. 

One time while I was working out my bill at the front desk, my instructor came up and started mixing in the conversation. We were doing great without her and then she came and confused everyone involved. Then she turned her head and said, it's so difficult to the lady sitting in the chair across the room. When she finally left the conversation the other girl and I just laughed because we both didn't have any problem communicating.

With the conversation on Friday she pulled the same crap by turning her back and telling a random person how difficult it is speaking to me. I jumped in and said I was sorry and that I really do try. Of course she just blew me off but I was pissed. I refused to speak to her the rest of the session for fear that I would blow a gasket. I then went home and cried. I understand that you might have to put in a little more work with me but I pay her really good. I am pregnant so I have to pay for private classes which means that I am her only student for one hour. So doesn't that mean she should at least be nice to me? 

Today was the first class back after Friday's incident and I no longer feel comfortable speaking with her. It almost seems that everything that she says I immediately cannot understand. Then I am so self conscious that I have trouble speaking. This has never really happened where I have been afraid to open my mouth because I can't say everything perfect. 

I am lost. I want to tell her that her behavior is unacceptable but then I cannot finesse the conversation it will be very blunt. I don't think that is the right solution. At this point it cost to much money to put up with it though. I want respect from her even if it is fake. Behind my back she can say whatever she wants. I think I might just cancel it all and not deal with it. Actually I think I will just reduce it to two days instead of three. Ugghhh! 

The sad part is, is that my Portuguese has made leaps and bounds in the past year. I told Claudia about the instance and she told me to hit her! Of course she was kidding but she even told me that my Portuguese isn't bad it's just not perfect. I love Claudia :) I want to take her with me everywhere I go in the world.

For those of you who speak Portuguese here is an example of a simple misunderstanding with my instructor:

Me: Estou com calor

Instructor: Que?

Me: Estou com calor

Instructor: Ahhh. Ta com calor. 

F-off. Because I didn't shorten the verb I got chastised? Seriously. 

I am lost still. I thought writing this out would help me solve the situation but it didn't. Maybe Friday's class will give me some insight. Maybe I will just stop being a baby and shrug it off. 

Off to cook lunch. 

Tchau,

Sara

Pot Pie

This photo is proof that my cooking skills keep increasing. Bad for you because there are less funny stories but good for our little family! Granted I have tasted this yet but individually all it tasted good. Steamed carrots, bell peppers and potatoes along with broiled chicken and homemade broth and gravy. Two hours of cooking for chicken pot pie!!

Now to eat!

Tchau,
Sara

Sunday Cookout

This weekend was another great weekend with some fun in the sun and lunch at the beach. Usually by the end of the day we are so worn out that we end up canceling our night plans for a date with the couch.  As carnival approaches the spirit of everyone seems to be at a high. People are just everywhere all the time. There are always activities at the beach including mini concerts, volleyball tournaments, and families just enjoying the sun. 

Sunday we had the pleasure of witnessing a Bloco parade for carnival. The weekend before we missed one because we were not home :) These parades start at the beginning of the beach road and go all the way to the end which is about 2 miles. There is usually a large truck that play music and everyone follows as they slowly move down the road.

To be a part of the parade you have to buy a ticket. The ticket includes: a t-shirt that must be worn so you can be identified as part of the group, water, beer, and various other drinks. Basically you pay to walk in a huge party while listening to music and have a great time with friends. 

We were not a part of the parade but we watched from our deck as we cooked out. Below are the pictures we took :)

The parade moving down the street. All the people participating are in red shirts. 

Getting closer... the music being played can be heard pretty much all over town. 

A water truck was leading the group that continuously sprayed water at the crowd and everyone dancing.

Trying to get a pick with us and the crowd in front of our house. 

The band playing music on the top of the truck. 

The beer and drink truck following behind the band. Drinks will only be given if you are in a red shirt that they provide to you.

For those not participating in the parade but just following along, have no fear. These guys with the umbrellas sell everything you could want. 

The crowd as they leave our house.

The police maintaing our blocked street. Notice how clean the streets are right after the crowed left! There were zero trash cans around but a group of people hired to clean up the mess as the parade made it's way down the street. Amazing. I wish they were here all the time because I really get annoyed with no trash cans along the street.

Well that has concluded our fun little weekend. Next weekend one of the larger Bloco parades is walking. I think the last count was around 3,000 tickets sold. A bunch of my friends are either walking in it or just hanging out at a restaurant down on the beach a little further! More pictures to come as carnival gets closer!!

Tchau,

Sara

16 weeks!

Oh my! How I have grown this past week!! It's great. I am officially wearing maternity stuff. My shorts don't fit and I am using one of those bands to make them fit together. I know the picture is bad but the lighting is challenging in this house and so is the self portrait. Ha!

I am about to get a massage but after that I have a huge post on the weekend with quite a few pics that I am going to post today.

Happy valentines day!
Tchau
Sara

Sleep Troubles

For the past week and a half I have not been able to sleep on my back or on my stomach. That leaves me with the left side or the right side. I am happy with this development of growth but my neck and back say other wise.

I got a massage last Monday to try and fix the pain and the girl told me I needed a new pillow. One from NASA. Except NASA sounded like Nausa and I thought she was saying some random word in Portuguese that I didn't know. I understood that she was telling me I needed a new pillow but I didn't know the word Nausa. Then she said it was an English word and place in the US.... wait for it. Click. OOOOOHHHH- N.A.S.A. :) Sometimes the English words are the hardest to figure out!

Anyway, I went to look at the Tempurpedic pillows and they were the usual expensive price of about double the cost in the US. I opted to keep looking. Then today I found the most amazing nausa pillow with inserts to make it higher or shorter but still had the awesome memory foam in it. They only wanted roughly 45 USD and I was sold!

Just got done taking the best two hour sleep that I have had all week. The random things that happen to you during pregnancy that seem so minimal few people warn you about. Thankfully this problem can easily be solved. Ahhh, looking forward to a great night sleep. Hopefully the pillow remains as wonderful as it was this afternoon!

Tchau,
Sara

Bring on the weight!

The first trimester left me less than satisfied in the food department. I found myself basically avoiding food in general because nothing smelled good or tasted good. I got full so fast it wasn't even worth it to order anything at a restaurant. It also became one of the reasons that I didn't really believe that I was pregnant. Wasn't I supposed to be hungry all the time?

I definitely thought the second trimester would bring a new light. The past two weeks have mimicked the entire first pregnancy then yesterday I had a break through. Actually, this morning. I craved food. Just food in general. I had three bowls of cereal! Then I started thinking about lunch.... then I went to the grocery store and picked up a roasted chicken breast came home and made mashed potatoes! What? Seriously!

Just got done licking my plate and I couldn't be happier. Finally I can enjoy food again and it not be a chore or something I dread doing. I can see my future appointment now where Dr J is mad because I gain too much after not gaining enough. You know what. I don't care about the weight as long as Belle is healthy and I am too. That doesn't mean I am going to eat an entire cake but I will eat whats good for us both.

Last week I finally started to gain some weight. While I not back up to my starting weight I have no doubt that with this new appetite that I soon will be visiting that number again. Life is great and back to normal! Today is just a great day :) and now off for a walk in the sun with the Aussie. Hope everyone is as happy as I am because this feels great.

Tchau,
Sara

Negative!

The test came back negative!! I am so relieved and happy that I can move forward with having a baby here :) Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers.

Tchau,
Sara

15 weeks

The fourth month is approaching fast! I thought I would go ahead and post a belly pic since I was wearing something other than workout clothes and my hair was actually down. Today I am quite impressed with the growth of my tummy! It almost sticks out further than my chest. I don't think it will be long before it does with the rate I am growing. Each morning I wake up and find that my belly is harder further up toward my ribs. Right now it stops at my belly button leaving about four more inches of upward growth then out she grows!!

Tchau,
Sara

Glucose Tolerance

Bright and early this morning I went to the lab to get tested for gestational diabetes. The first fasting blood sugar test that I had was within normal limits but it was toeing the line for unacceptable. Dr. J just wanted to check me a little early just in case I have developed it.

Blah. I really hope that I don't and I am kinda nervous. If I do then this changes my plans of giving birth in Brazil. Of course people manage with it and most of the time everything is ok but the NICU nurse in me cannot forget.

The test involved me fasting for 8 hrs, just overnight while I slept, then getting blood drawn. Once the fasting glucose is taken then I am required to drink a high sugar drink that they provide for you. Then I have to wait two hours and have my blood drawn again. It shows how wells my system tolerates the high sugar. If the sugar remains in my blood in high amounts then I could possibly be diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

For those of you who don't know the complications of gestational diabetes and the risks to the baby, here they are: Mom doesn't produce enough insulin to cover the amount of sugar in her body. The baby then receives that extra sugar via the placenta. Even if I was able to give myself supplemental insulin it will not cross the placenta for the baby. The baby is able to produce their own insulin naturally so they do.

So the possible side effects to the baby, if I cannot manage my blood sugar through diet, are: baby gets tons of sugar, gains tons of weight, and gets used to over producing insulin. When the baby is born sometimes, most of the time, the over production of insulin causes the baby to have a sugar crash. This can be extremely dangerous if not taken care of immediately. These babies tend to have trouble wanting to eat, even though you would think the opposite, and generally have to be supplemented either by tube feedings or IV in extreme cases. Basically these babies are taken straight to NICU for at least 6 hours for monitoring.

So, if the test results tomorrow come back positive the first thing I am going to ask my doctor for is another test just to confirm. If it really is true then I will have to begin preparations to return home to have the baby. Having the baby in Brazil really isn't an option for me with this complication.

To be honest I really don't want to have to come home to the States to have the baby. I will obviously do what ever is necessary but idealistically I would like to stay here. Well, no use worrying about something I don't have but I just needed to express my plan if things do go array. I feel better now. Tomorrow the results will be in around lunch time for all of you. Think of me and Belle and say a little prayer, or a big one!!

Baby bump pics to come :)

Tchau,
Sara

Weekend Update

Well Friday was spent in the sun and then out to dinner with friends. Most of the time I run around in workout clothes or a bathing suit so it was nice to switch my flip-flops for heels and actually put on some make-up for the night. We went to a sorta new restaurant in Macae called Top Grill and they serve blooming onions, which are not Australian despite what Outback says. They also have pretty nice ribs. They don't have the onion down perfect yet so sometimes it's still undercooked in the middle. No worries the ribs make up for it!

I know I should be taking more shots that show off growing lil Belle and so I will start this week. For now here is Nate and I at dinner. It's too dark in the photo to see but the ocean is right behind us. Needless to say that my hair didn't last that long with all the sea water in the air.

Oh- and that will probably be the last time I wear this dress. The tummy area was working a little too hard and you could even sorta see my belly button! 

Saturday was spent trying to make a dent in our ever growing 'honey do' list. A pool guy has been called but we decided to buy a new pump ourselves rather then try and listen to someone else say they can fix it. Nate ended up shocking himself a little and then later knocking out one of the rotten beams under the deck. Let's just say Belle had earmuffs on for the language used that day :) This house is such a piece of crap.... It looks nice but upon inspection there are so many structural problems. We then agreed to let the new guy set up stuff where he would like it but that didn't stop us from filling up the pool!

It still has a few more inches to go and needs a good scrub. The Aussie said she would swim in it now but I would put money that anyone who did would contract some sort of disease. 

Sunday we watched the Super Bowl on the sling box until 2 am and tried to have an American BBQ. Not the same but close enough. 

I feel that we really haven't spent that much time at home lately. I think that should catch you up to the current point. Try to stay warm Northern Hemisphere!

Tchau,

Sara

PS- Nothing from the 'Honey do' list was completed... 

Day of Birth

Well today is the big day where I turn 29 :) Surprisingly I think that I was more freaked out when I turned 20. I bet it has to deal with the place that I am in life. At 20 I didn't want to grow up and be an adult! Now that I am here, and have been for awhile, I am so very happy.

Maybe this birthday just caught me at a good time. Either way, today is going to be a good day and I am loving life. Plus it helps that Nate turns 30 this year..... hahahaha! Love it!

Hope everyone is safe that is caught in the snow. Try not to get too much cabin fever.

Tchau,
Sara

Toxoplasmosis

While talking to Dr. J she mentioned staying safe from Toxoplasmosis. The first thought that came to my head was, "I don't have cats or a random litter box with cat crap in it so why?" Of course she went on to explain that we don't have to worry about it in the US, leading me to believe I was wrong in my thoughts, and that in Brazil this infection is common. While I am here I need to eat only meat that is well cooked, eat fresh vegetables that I have cleaned and not from a restaurant and fresh fruit that is peeled. I do this anyway but it's weird to even have to think about it.

When I got home I looked it up and found that we were both right. In developed countries the risks are associated with cats and their little boxes, while in developing countries the have to worry about contracting it via water sources, meats, fruits and veggies. Ouch. Broad range for people who are already struggling. Just proves as to why clean water is so important for a country and it's development.

Off to clean my veggies and peel my fruits! Ha- That's a lie for now. I'm actually going to make a protein shake: Coconut yogurt, whole milk, wheat germ, four scoop of chocolate protein mix, and some really expensive ice! Trust me it is amazing.

Tchau,
Sara

Isabella

Introducing Isabella aka Belle. She is currently 14wks 3 days old and weighing in at a measly... not sure!! The whole thing went great and we even got a video copy of our ultrasound. We want to compress it so we can post it but for now here are the photos.

Below is the overall view and then the measurement from head to tail :)

Below is the baby's profile, eye sockets, and the measurement for the head.

Below is the cross sections of the Thorax (chest cavity), Abdominal cavity. The legs (Pernas) are on the lower left.... you see nada! Next to the legs are the arms.

Measurements of the Femur and the Humerous (long leg bone and long arm bone). The last picture is the heart and then the EKG :) So happy!!

We couldn't be happier to be having a healthy baby as of now. Of course things can change but we are enjoying the moment until other wise. No need to worry about things that haven't happened yet.  Also the gender and name could change but right now this is what we are thinking and more than likely going with!

Tchau,
Sara

Good Two Days!

Ok I am working on a big post but I just wanted to tell everyone that we are alive and well. The ultrasound went great and so did the doctor's apt. I need to scan the ultrasound photos that way I can post them!! The post will be up later today as well as the sex!!

Awesome week :)

Tchau,
Sara