34 wks!!

Just realized I have three short weeks until I am officially considered term by March of Dimes and the American OBgyn association!!! My doctor estimates that the dates most likely for her to come are July 20th- Aug 7th... Well those are the dates that she wants us in Rio for sure but who really knows. When she is ready she will come an it doesn't matter what we want or think!!

Tchau,
Sara

Waiting....

All the prepping and planning and waiting leave me feeling like a kid the night before Christmas. I slowly check off the days by filling them with useless tasks and mundane chores. The more I read and prep the less I feel that I have a purpose for today. I know that I still have the purpose to let her bake a little longer in the oven but I want more.

Blame it on the overall excitement for the unknown and the sleepless nights accompanied by total exhaustion. In a way, I really am filled with joy for having a job again! No longer will Nate be jealous of the days that I complain about not having a thing to do. Each day new adventures will come giving me a reason to be tired! 

These days I am tired after a couple of miles walking and the Braxton Hick's contractions kick in which leaves me stuck in the house most days. Walking used to once calm her down but now she moves constantly. Her favorite move right now is pressing both her legs to the right side of my abdomen and stretching causing her butt to press on the other side of my belly. I have to admit it's fun to watch now because she's so strong all her movements are visible. Nate claims we are going to break out the video in a few weeks to document her play times. We will see about that!

As of right now all of my bags are packed for the hospital. Belle's baby book is filled out as much as it can be. Belle's baby bag is packed for the hospital. Schedule worksheets are made and printed out and I just need a binder for them. Developmental sheets and what to expect the first few weeks have been read and mentally noted. All the baby clothes are washed but the toys still need to be sterilized. I even have an email to send Nate in the next few weeks to prepare him for the big day. Oh, I also have her baby announcement prepared with all the recipients and mailing addresses done. 

All we are waiting for is her to get here!

Tchau,

Sara

Bathing Suit Galore

Nate and I made it back from Buzios but it's really hard to leave that place sometimes! Today I have zero energy so I am just going to share Belle's new suit ;). I did not really have plans to buy anything but then I came across this tiny bikini!!! It matches my red and white polka dot bikini so when the summer rolls around the two of us can sport matching suits! I should be on the lookout for some dark blue swim trunks for Nate so the whole family can match... Yea right- Nate would never go for it.

To date Belle has five bathing suits already. All of them gifts except this one I bought. Oh we are in trouble and I can't wait!

Tchau,
Sara

Golf tourney!

Off to Buzios for the golf tourney! Write an update in the next couple of days :)
Have a great weekend!
Tchau,
Sara

Sara

10 Things Pregnancy has Done to Me

1. I now appreciate being able to rollover in my sleep without waking or making a 3-point turn.

2. I never knew how rare clean public restrooms were until I have visited them all.

3. Jeans that have a little stretch in them can save your life by not cutting off your circulation while your belly is growing!

4. How in love you can be with someone you have never met.

5. How you laugh, but cry on the inside, when your husband has to help you get up from the couch.

6. I find it impressive how many naps in a day I can take and still go to bed early.

7. How heavy your belly actually feels. I actually have way too much forward momentum!

8. You actually worry about the mother's curse now that the possibility for it to come true is reality. (Mother's curse is defined by these words: When you grow up and have kids they are going to be just like you!)

9. The new appreciation you have for all mothers and women who have gone through this experience. Thanks mom!

10.  Laugh every time Nate uses the 'my wife's pregnant so I have to/need to' excuse. If it were up to him I would look like I was pregnant for the rest of my life just for the special treatment and built in excuses!

Tchau,
Sara

Crazy Dreaming

With all the bathroom trips I take each night it disrupts my sleep pattern. Imagine that? I spend the entire night dreaming and when I wake up I feel like I watched tons of short movies instead of sleeping. Here are just a few of the weird dreams from the past couple of nights. 

1. Nate's father stole Nate's resume and passed it out to OSU, Texas A&M, and the current company he works for. Turns out the resume was for the football team and he made the team for his current company at 30 years old! Needless to say Nate was upset that his father went behind his back to send off the resumes. I, on the other hand didn't know what to do with such a big lifestyle change and still expecting Belle. Then I woke up and had to go to the bathroom.... 

2. Nate worked in the NICU with me just to make sure I didn't push myself. Then a really sick baby needed tons of support and isolation precautions so Nate took over my job. When I tried to get back in the room to help he yelled at me for endangering Belle and not to push myself. Then I woke up and had to go to the bathroom.... again.

3. Nate decided that he didn't love me anymore and I was left to take care of Belle by myself. I spent the entire dream begging for him back but then I woke up and had to go to the bathroom :) 

I know it sounds weird but I read that dreams about your significant other leaving you while you are pregnant is very common. During this time I feel very vulnerable and change makes me cringe! Without Nate I don't know what I would do. He really has been so supportive and caring so I think my subconscious knows this and uses it against me! 

Now off to walk off the crazy. These days my walking has decreased from 3 miles to less than 2 miles in the morning. I have to go really slow sometimes because Belle let's me know when the speed walking begins. My belly gets really tight and it doesn't really hurt so much but just uncomfortable. I know that these are Braxton Hicks contractions so I slow down and drink some water and they go away!

Tchau,

Sara

Buzios- The Golf course

This weekend Nate will be playing in the IADC (International Association of Drilling Contractors) golf tournament in Buzios this weekend. Hopefully I can get some good photos of him throwing something in the water.... :) J/k- It's a scramble so I doubt that he will get too worked up! In the past I have posted some random pictures of the golf course and club but the last time I played which is about a month ago, I took pictures to show you all. 

The driving range below

The golf carts which they don't always have and are not included in the green fee. During the week it's best if you get a Caddie which is the same price as the cart.

Inside the clubhouse.

The bar and food area.

Entrance to the course from the parking lot.

The pro shop :) Keep in mind that golf really isn't that big here in Brazil. Everything is very expensive and hard to find which is why we bring our stuff back from the states.

Practice putting green. Something I need to work on!

Random view. The guy in the yellow is one of the caddies. 

My friend teeing off with a great drive as always.

Approaching the ball with belly and all!

Slight bend in the knees.

And straight into the bushes 10 yds ahead. I blame nerves because I was being filmed :)

Photo of the a water hazard. 

All those brown dirt mounds are actually termites mounds... weird huh.

Close up of the termite mound.

Bird hazard.

These ones have babies and nests surrounding the course. If you get to close they attack! The babies are so cute though.

Beautiful shot of the 17th green. I never play this hole because I have a 100% in the water record. On the tee you need a nice in the air chip to the green... 

Voltures. Normally I don't see these buggers on the course but for some reason today they found something worth hanging around for.

Flag shot.

18th hole green. Time to go home!

Before we go a shot of a huge bee hive in the tree next to a huge termite home. Fascinating!

In Olympic news I did some research and in May the Itahanga golf course put a bid in to host the 2016 Olympic golf tournament. This existing course, located in Barra, features 18 holes plus a 9 hole practice course. I believe that this course is private which will make world golfers a little disappointed since they wanted a course that could be used for everyone and not just the elite. It's still up in the air who will receive the bid or if they will chose to build a new course. My guess is they chose this one since golf is not that big. Then again, golf has not been in the Olympics since the early 1900's!

The article below talks about the bid and is the most recent news I have heard or found on the subject.

http://olympicgolfnews.com/itanhanga-golf-club-for-2016-olympic-golf

Tchau,
Sara

3D Photo

Here she is at 33 weeks! So crazy that they do this now :) To do it they took two profile pictures and then a frontal face photo. The computer then combined the images to create what's below. Honestly I think that she looks like some of the baby photos of me when I was young. Then again Nate and I sorta look alike so she could very well look like him! 

Totally in love already and cannot stop smiling. 

Tchau,

Sara

33 wk Update

Sunday we left Macae and headed to Rio since we had an Ultrasound appointment at 1030 and a Dr. appointment at 1 pm. Since this trip was personal we used some of our 200,000 Sheraton points for a free night. Once we arrived they upgraded us to an amazing room with two bathrooms and a separate living room- wow. Then for dinner they surprised us with a bottle of champagne which I obviously couldn't drink. (I think they did this because yesterday was Brazilian Valentines Day) I did however take the bottle home with us so after Belle is born we can have a celebratory glass!

To start the morning off we headed off to the ultrasound appointment. Our normal ultrasound guy was busy so we had the sweetest lady working with us. She checked positioning of Belle, fluid level, blood flow and growth. I really love all the ultrasounds that Brazil passes out like candy. It puts my mind at ease for how things are going inside.

I am 33 weeks and she measured out to be 32 weeks 6 days. Pretty great huh? They graphed her number and we are right in the middle of the chart so her growth is on target. They are estimating her weight at 2.3 kg which equals right around 5 pounds already! Slow down Belle! She is already facing down which confirms all of the rib kicks I get daily. Everything is just great!

After the ultrasound we grabbed a quick snack, hopped in a cab and headed to the doctor's office. For once we actually didn't have to wait and she saw us immediately. I cannot complain to much because each visit she spend 30 minutes with me. Anyway, this time around she totally redeemed my confidence in her abilities. She did make a comment on my weight telling me once again I have gained too much in the month but I have come to expect it. PS- I believe my weight gain total is 22 pounds at 8 months 1 week with possibly 7 weeks to go....

On to the good part and possible boring for some :) Next week she will be testing me for Group B strep which does not cause strep throat but rather a common infection that can be deadly for infants if untreated. If the test comes back positive, meaning that I have it, then when I go into labor I will receive the antibiotic penicillin. If I go into labor before the results are cleared then she will give me the antibiotics anyway!! Having seen several newborns suffer from complications of Group B strep (full life support and seizures so often that tube feeding is necessary) this makes me so happy. We continued to discuss how some Dr.'s in Brazil do not test for this at all and believe it's false. Big deep breath!

We continued to talk about what will happen after birth. I think you all know that I want to have as natural of a birth as I possibly can. I also want to only breastfeed and wait to give into the pacifier. When I asked about how soon after birth can I breastfeed (helps contractions for your body to return to normal and bonding with your baby) Dr. J replied with the following: As long as the baby is fine, I wait one minute to cut the cord (very progressive and not everyone in the US does this as standard) and then Belle will breastfeed immediately!

Dr. J you have my complete confidence and I couldn't be happier. I now realize that she will not be doing any unnecessary medical interventions. If she does then it's because I really do need them and not because she needs to get back to the office. I am so happy! This really couldn't be any more perfect!!

I do have a 3d picture of Belle that I need to scan so I can post- hopefully later today! Hope everyone's day is going as great as mine!!!

Tchau,
Sara

Appointment

We just got back from Rio and both of my appointments went great! Since it's been such a long day I will catch you up on the details tomorrow. For now my bed keeps calling my name making sleep hard to resist!

Tchau,
Sara

Sara