Pretentious Much

Last night I was talking to a mother who used baby sign language with her children. Apparently the way of communicating can be accomplished before the first year of life. Can you imagine being able to communicate with your child other than the type of cry or temper tantrum given? The conversation got me thinking and so I have been researching the subject.

The are several 'how to' books and dvd's with flash cards to help in the process. If all goes well then the first sign should be mastered by 7 months. The signs are not complicated communication but very simple: sleep, eat, change (for diaper), milk, hold, and a few others.

The book I am looking into bases it's teaching on the American Sign Language so technically the child would be learning a second language.... really it would be the first language.

So now the question is, is it worth it to teach this or is it just some pretentious worthless thing to do? We have all seen the scenes in Meet the Fockers where little Jack signs for milk by squeezing his hands like he's milking a cow. I remember how ridiculous I thought it was for him to be doing this but now I am kinda curious!!

Also I run the risk of the first word being A##... hole.... check out the video clip below. I really can see this happening to Belle if I go forward with the sign language! 

All in all if I do decide to teach her sign language it would only be to ease the communication between her and the rest of the world. Trust me, I will not make Nate wear a breast to feed her to prevent nipple confusion! Plus, who is to say that I will even have the time to teach her or the energy. I still have 6 months to think about this and I am sure that Nate will have some input about the situation. Maybe I will make the decision after she gets here but the idea is floating around now to be honest.

Tchau,

Sara

Cutie Nephew Colson

How cute is this picture?? Not only does Colson look great but he is making me miss the corn on the cob from the states.... Brazilian corn just doesn't have the same appeal. It's almost like the corn is feed corn for chickens because it's definitely not the sweet corn from the south that we are used too!

I can only hope that Belle mimicks her cutie cousin! I can't wait for the two of them to meet this Christmas :) and possibly sooner....

Tchau,

Sara

IADC Golf Tournament

The long awaited pictures from the golf tournament. Unfortunately in my efforts to not stick out to much I didn't take pictures outside the course with my fancy camera. These were all taken last Friday for the tournament which is a three-four man scramble. 

Nate was paired up with two of our friends from Macae so we didn't really meet anybody new. The teams usually consist of different ranking players that way no team is stacked to win. Although the same people win quite often. 

Below some of the caddies waiting for the tournament to begin while the players hit balls on the driving range. 

Nate with one of his teammates and a good friend of ours.

Nate is already sick of the pictures :) The day has just begin sweetie.

More golfcart/caddie mixture. The course does not provide golf carts so the ones that are in use are privately owned. Rumor has it that one of these babies is around 20,000 USD..... ridiculous. We always laugh because most of the owners of these carts really could use the walking!

 

Geting ready to go.

and were off with me trailing behind at my own little pace. I walked the 18 with them just sitting out 4 of the holes at the rest stops. Of course I got a few comments about having the baby on the course. Some guy even said he had clean towels- Gross if you ask me. NO thank you, I will deliver my own baby before you touch me with your clean towels.

Nate evaluating the putting position.

I assume that he didn't make it because another shot has to be made.

Go team.

Trust me that I asked Nate prior to taking these shots if he would mind the clicking of the lens. Of course he said no he didn't mind but I should have known better.

Probably a good shot with a slice to the right.

The dreaded 17th hole. A nice chip over the water to the green.

Right after this shot I was told no more pictures.... I do believe the ball almost skipped it's way across the water to the green :)

So I stood really far away to take pictures.

Eventually got bored and took photos of trees and scenery. If you look closely you can see the ocean. Most of the time the sky isn't clear enough to capture all of this so consider yourself lucky.

Different settings same tree.

Different tree

One last shot before I call it a day.

Well that's about it for the tournament. The team ended up 3+ over par and with there handicaps included it reduced the overall score by 12. It wasn't enough to pull them in contention for anything but a fun day was had by all! Trust me, I was exhausted and sleep good that night.

Nate currently has plans to golf again this weekend with some friends but I think that I will stay home rather than make the trip up through the traffic. I am just glad that Nate has the chance to let off some work stress and have some fun. 

Tchau,

Sara

What to do?

The only books and web searches I do these days involve being pregnant and what to do with a baby. I haven't turned on my Kindle in weeks for fear that I will fall asleep the moment the words show up on the screen. Today is the day the Kindle makes it's way back to my heart. I fear that once Belle gets here I won't have time to read for pleasure anymore. Besides, all I do is sleep anyway so what's the harm of falling asleep while reading?

Right now the little monkey, aka Belle, is cooling off from her kickboxing lesson by doing a post workout stretch. The only explanation that I can come up with for being so tired is that she uses up all of my energy with these little workouts of hers. I wonder if I will ever gain my energy levels back?

One of the things that I fear the most after she gets here is that I won't be able to keep up with all the things she does. Once she gets old enough I want to take her tons of places and go somewhere everyday.... even if it is just to the beach/pool. Only time will tell and I guess I will deal with the situation when it arrives.

Off to nap. I mean read.

Tchau,
Sara

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