Saying Goodbye

The time has come to pack our bags and head on home. It will be nice to be home but soooo sad to be away from family!

Wish us luck on the flight. I am scared.

Tchau,
Sara

Shopping List

The past few days Nate and I have been saying our goodbyes (again) and mowing through our shopping list. I am thinking that unless the flight home goes great and I somehow am teleported back then we won't be returning to the US until Christmas time.

This means I need to stock up on clothes for Belle and toys.... I am just having such a hard time trying to figure out what she will need or want to play with!

The other day Nate and I stepped into Toy's R Us for the first time and honestly the air evacuated my lungs so fast I didn't have time to scream. That place is ridiculous! Nate and I decided to tell Belle that Toy's R Us is a made up place and it doesn't really exist so we never have to return! I prefer to splurge online through Amazon :)

Sunday is the big day for leaving so lets just hope that everything fits and we get a chance to say goodbye to everyone!

Tchau,
Sara

Thank God for our Troops

I know that I haven't written but things have been busy! I just want to say that I have never appreciated living in the USA or being a US citizen until I moved abroad. No matter what problems might be going on this election year I feel blessed and honored to be a part of the most amazing country in the world. A big thanks to all the troops who make and keep our freedom. I honestly cannot wait to be home. Home in the States. Tchau, Sara

Homecoming

Nate is finally coming home! After spending a week traveling around in NYC and OKC he was called back to Brazil for some meetings. Two weeks later, now, he gets to finish up his vacation. Let me just say that it is really hard not having him around. Basically for almost 2 months we have been away from each other and not to mention the almost 2 months we spent away from each other around the holidays. 

One day I dream of having a home with a yard and jobs that keep us in one place and together. Of course then my travel bug will kick in and I will want to go somewhere else. I guess the grass is always greener on the other side so I will continue to water the side I am on! 

Below are the few pics we did get to take of us together in NYC. Just looking at them make me miss him even more! 

Tchau,

Sara

New Favorite Toy

Well I was trying to take a picture of her playing with the travel shampoo and conditioner but she found my phone which changed the whole game. She wouldn't drop the little travel bottles which I think is hilarious but now she loves the phone.

Also I caught her doing her new favorite move....offering you what she has in her hand. Rarely she will give it up but she does offer!

Tchau,
Sara

Grandpa!

At the land to see Grandapa and have dinner!! I love these two ;)

Tchau,
Sara

Sick Baby :(

While I did get a full nights sleep last night I know that my luck is catching up with me! Belle does for sure have a little bit of a cold and running a little fever. Fingers crossed that she starts to feel better soon. I read a statistic that infants get around seven colds before they turn one and each cold lasts seven to ten days. Blah! Tchau, Sara

Sleeping in Tulsa

This is me the past two nights.

The past few days have been great for me and Belle! Turns out that my outlook on life directly relates to how much sleep I am getting or not getting. I feel great with 9 hours of sleep in me for two nights in a row... I am actually contemplating having another child :) 

Belle has even been sleeping in until 7am!! I cannot believe it! I would have been happy with her sleeping in until 6am so I am really excited and I hope it lasts. Of course now because I mentioned the two day spurt of rest I will pay for it tonight I just know it.

I am not really sure if the allergy medicine is kicking in or it's the air purifier we put in her room but whatever is causing her to get the rest she needs I will keep doing forever!

Her allergies/cold still seem to bother her and her nose turned into a snot faucet the other day causing her frustration while eating. At least her outlook on life seems to be pretty happy so it makes me happy.

Well off to do some cartwheels around the living room while she naps. Oh I am so not getting any sleep tonight!

Tchau,

Sara

Popular Baby Names

When Nate and I were deciding on Belle's name we both wanted something that would translate well between Portuguese and English and nothing too crazy. Although Isabelle is very popular because of all the Twilight movies and the movement of classic names making a comeback we both agreed and loved it. So there you have it- despite popularity we decided on a name we loved and would stand the test of time. Besides we really didn't want to name her Apple or Orange....

Once we named her it was very clear that the name fit her well and I have zero regrets. I did however wonder if she would be one of 5 Isabelles or Isabellas in her class in elementary class. In Brasil the name is considered beautiful and not very many people name their little girls this name. The popular girl name in Brazil for the moment is Beatrice (based on what I hear around the play grounds).

This morning I came across an NPR article that makes me feel so much better about Belle being an individual instead of 'just another Isabelle'. 


Check out some of the article:

But, as demonstrated by the Social Security Administration's latest annual list of the most popular monikers, the percentage of newborns given the trendiest names is much smaller than it was a generation ago.

At the height of the baby boom, nearly 25 percent of all boys and girls had the 10 most popular names. Now, only about 8 percent of all children are given one of the 10 most popular names.

So, there likely will never be as many Isabellas and Wyatts running around as there were Marys and Jims.

So there you have it. Just because the name is popular doesn't mean that the entire population is following the trends.... just a small percentage!

Even if all her friends have the same name I know that she will stand out and I cannot wait to meet the girl/women she will become!

Tchau,
Sara

Speed Demon

Although this video was taken about three weeks ago it still makes me smile. Belle in a walker outside in my parents driveway holding a silver spoon wearing her pajamas and blue bandanna! She was loving hiking up the driveway and then running down it... needless to say she burned a few holes in her socks and even skinned up her big toes. That's what being a kid is all about though!




Tchau,
Sara