Weekly Alice Update: Week 22

What Fruit are you? Eggplant, spaghetti squash, papaya

Due date:  June 11, 2015

How far along:  22 weeks, 5 days

Next appointment:  February 12 doctor's appointment. Can't wait for her to review all the details of the ultrasound with us!

Gender: girl! The doctor confirmed this again at the ultrasound, and I'm thrilled that it's still Alice in there!

Total weight gain/loss:  last I checked, it was around 4.5 kilos, but that was almost two weeks ago. So nervous to see what the scale will say.

Exercise: going to the gym to walk 30 minutes as many days as possible.

Stretch marks: none 

Swelling: nope

Maternity clothes: mostly everything maternity, especially bottoms. They are just more comfy!

Belly button: in

Sleep: I am still sleeping pretty well. No change here although I'm getting a few more aches and pains.

Food cravings: nothing too interesting. I've gotten hungrier again lately, but not as hungry as weeks 9-15 or so! She must be hitting a growth spurt.

Symptoms: I am starting to have some moments where I get overwhelmed and can't think straight. I've also cried over small things a couple of times. Other than that, I'm pretty good!

Movement: yes! You can see it on the outside of my belly sometimes. She's very active some days and verrrrry quiet on others. I'm pretty much panicking every few days that something is wrong with her. Right when I'm about to go nuts, she moves again!

Labor signs: no

What I miss: nothing much! I like forming this cute baby girl!

What I'm loving: the pictures and videos from the ultrasound. Her face finally looks like a baby's face, and it's the cutest face I've ever seen in my life!

What I'm looking forward to: carnaval break next week when I can order all of her things for the first six weeks! Buying things will make this feel more real.

Best moment this week: definitely the ultrasound. We saw every single organ and bone in full detail. She is perfect and healthy. She is shorter and lighter than average, but I guess she is still in the normal range. Getting to see her for 20+ minutes in action was wonderful. She looks just like a miniature newborn now, and she weighs almost a pound!

News: nothing at the moment, other than getting the great news that she is healthy at the ultrasound.

Milestones: seeing her move on the outside of my belly. She loves the right side!

Words of wisdom: I thought I was an anxious person before, but having a baby can make you more anxious than you ever thought possible! I'm pretty sure I won't stop worrying about her for the rest of her life!

Weekly Alice Update: Weeks 20 and 21

What Fruit are you? Banana at week 20, cantaloupe at week 21!

Due date:  June 11, 2015

How far along:  21 weeks, 2 days

Next appointment:  February 5 (22 weeks) for the next ultrasound, February 12 for the next doctor's appointment. I am so excited for this ultrasound because we will get to see her in so much detail. The gender ultrasound was so quick that I barely got a look at her, so the last image I really have is from 12 weeks. I'm sure she has grown and changed like crazy since then!

Gender: girl! Although I definitely want them to confirm this at the ultrasound before we buy a lot more clothes. We did have two doctors confirm that they were "absolutely certain" it was a girl, so hopefully no surprises!

Total weight gain/loss:  last I checked, it was around 4.5 kilos, but I'm sure it's been more since then. It went up really fast, and I'm hoping I don't continue on that exponential trend. It's been hard to watch, but I swear I'm being healthy!

Exercise: going to the gym to walk 30 minutes as many days as possible.

Stretch marks: none 

Swelling: nope

Maternity clothes: mostly everything maternity. I can do regular shirts, but the maternity ones make Alice look cuter. :) My belly has really popped out in the last 2-3 weeks.

Belly button: in

Sleep: I am still sleeping pretty well although I'm super sick of sleeping on my side and smashing my shoulders. I know I'm supposed to sleep on the left, but I constantly flip from one side to the other.

Food cravings: no, nothing different anymore. Candy and chocolate always look too good, but that's nothing new.

Symptoms: I am actually feeling really great and normal. I know I'm at the sweet spot in pregnancy, and this probably won't last too long. I'm not super huge yet, and I feel like my energy level is pretty much back to normal. Again, I'm sure this won't last too terribly long, so I'll enjoy it and try to get lots of work done while I feel good!

Movement: yes! It really got stronger in the past week, and Brian even got to feel it around the end of week 20! She still has long periods where I don't feel her moving and get worried, but I am feeling her in the morning and at night pretty much every day now. 

Labor signs: no

What I miss: having an unrestricted diet! Mostly I miss sushi. But it's really not so bad.

What I'm loving: my students returned to school this week, and they were amazed that I actually look pregnant now! The girls rub and talk to my belly all day long, and it's so cute. She is getting a lot of love and attention, and hearing my voice a LOT now that I'm back to teaching. Poor little girl!

What I'm looking forward to: definitely the next ultrasound. I hope she is doing really well in there! I can't wait to stare at her...hmm I sound like a creepy mom.

Best moment this week: definitely when Brian felt her move for the first time!

News: not too much. Back to work and trying to make sure things are organized and well planned so this semester can run smoothly. I'll need to spend a lot of time helping Brian with his job search, preparing to move, and getting ready for Alice!

Milestones: again, Brian feeling her move!

Words of wisdom: it feels like pregnancy goes in slow motion for the first 12 weeks, but it really DOES go at lightning speed after that. I can't believe we are more than halfway. I can't wait to meet and love on this little girl!

Weekly Alice Update: Week 19

What Fruit are you? Grapefruit or mango

Due date:  June 11, 2015

How far along:  19 weeks, 2 days

Next appointment:  February 5 (22 weeks) for the next ultrasound, need to schedule the February doc appointment

Gender: girl!

Total weight gain/loss:  about 4 kilos. Honestly, seeing the numbers on the scale tick up is horrible. I've been basically the same weight for 15 years or so, and it's just weird to see it go up and up. I know it's the right thing for the baby, but I'm really struggling to watch it happen.

Exercise: going to the gym to walk 30 minutes as many days as possible. Still looking into pilates.

Stretch marks: none 

Swelling: nope

Maternity clothes: definitely with shorts and pants, but I can still do most normal shirts.

Belly button: in

Sleep: I am having some trouble sleeping on my side and the body pillow isn't helping too much. But overall, I'm still sleeping fine. Still having bizarre dreams, especially nightmares about Alice coming early and not being prepared!

Food cravings: no, nothing different anymore

Symptoms: It has been close to 100 degrees every day here lately, so I have a lot of low blood pressure moments, and I still need to eat frequently. But that's about it.

Movement: yes, definitely! It got stronger this week, and I'm sure it's her. It's very gentle and feels like little pushes. I get worried when I don't feel it for awhile!

Labor signs: no

What I miss: not much. I actually, surprisingly kind of like being pregnant! I do miss not gaining weight constantly!

What I'm loving: feeling her move more, Bella bands, seeing my stomach look officially pregnant instead of fat!

What I'm looking forward to: definitely the next ultrasound. A little less than three weeks! I love to see how she's grown and make sure she is developing well. Also, I'm looking forward to the 20 week mark which marks halfway through the pregnancy.

Best moment this week: meeting with Ju to talk about baby girl clothes and other baby items. I can't get enough of learning about and preparing for her.

News: nothing much. We go back to work on Monday, so I'm anxious to see what that does to my energy level!

Milestones: feeling her move and knowing it can't be anything else!

Words of wisdom: gaining weight is healthy and essential during pregnancy. Again, this is more like an affirmation!

Fast forward a few years!

Well hellloooooo there! Welcome back to our long-abandoned blog! I have decided to return to writing because this blog is now going to take on a different purpose. We have had an amazing 4-year adventure in Brazil that I truly wish we had documented more. We still have 6 months left of this journey, but we will soon be on a new one: parenthood.

Yep, our days of 100% focus on teaching and traveling are going to change in early June 2015. We are seriously thrilled, and I'm beyond happy that this is happening at this time in our lives. I wouldn't do it any other way. We've had 7 years of being married, learning how to be adults, learning again in another country, getting experience in our careers, and traveling like crazy. Our 20's were immensely challenging but also fun beyond measure. Now I am starting my 30's able to fully focus on this baby girl!

2015 will bring a move back to Atlanta, the birth of baby girl in Campinas, a sad farewell to Brazil (for now!) in July, a new job for Brian (TBD), and the start of a year at home with baby Alice for me. So I'm sure there will be a lot to write about here. Let's hope all of these things go as smoothly as possible!

Here goes our new life as a family of 3!

Weekly Alice Update: Week 18!

I've decided to post here to keep track of what's new with baby McD (Alice) every week. Here goes week 18:

 

What Fruit are you? Sweet potato, dragon fruit (depending on which app I'm looking at)

Due date:  June 11, 2015

How far along:  18 weeks, 2 days

Next appointment:  February 5 (22 weeks) for the morphology ultrasound, just had an appointment with the doctor a few days ago.

Gender:  girl!! We found out at 16 weeks, 5 days

Total weight gain/loss:  3.5 kilos/ about 8 pounds

Exercise: getting on track after the holidays. Starting to walk for 30 minutes daily and looking into prenatal pilates.

Stretch marks: none from pregnancy! I'm unnaturally afraid of these, so I've bought a couple different lotions that will hopefully help ward them off.

Swelling: nope

Maternity clothes: mostly trying to wear regular dresses and my old pants/shorts with a Bella band. I'm wearing maternity pants and shorts at times. I have tons of maternity clothes though, so I'm prepared!

Belly button: same as always...innie

Sleep: I love it. Just got a body pillow, so that might help with some back pain. I am having weird, intense dreams and nightmares every night.

Food cravings: nothing weird anymore. In the first trimester, I was craving cheeseburgers, Mexican food, and pop tarts. It seems like my tastes are mostly back to normal. Still loving chocolate too much.

Symptoms: I threw up for the first time on the day we found out the sex, but who knows exactly why. Otherwise, I'm just feeling more tired and sometimes have an upset stomach. I also feel like I have low blood pressure and low blood sugar a few times a day. I can't stand up too quickly!

Movement: I think so, but it's hard to tell. The doctor said first time moms don't usually feel movement for sure until weeks 20-22, and I'm looking forward to being sure about this movement! I think I started to feel it somewhere around week 17.

Labor signs: no

What I miss: wine, caipirinhas, coffee, and sushi. But it's all more than worth it for my baby girl!!

What I'm loving: thinking about what life with Alice will be like. Brian and I are both excited beyond belief to meet our sweet angel. I honestly can't imagine life without her now.

What I'm looking forward to: just meeting and taking care of my baby.  I'm also looking forward to feeling her move more and seeing her on the next ultrasound!

Best moment this week: listening to Brian talk to and about Alice. He is so in love and it makes me so happy.

News: nothing much. It's our last week of vacation, and we are trying to work on Brian's job search. There are a lot of uncertainties right now, so I hope we will have lots of news in the coming months!

Milestones: feeling the first movements 

Words of wisdom: try to relax as much as possible. You're not in control! I have to keep repeating that to myself, haha.

U.S. Trip and Back to Brazil!

Bella and Rufus

Summer!

Brian and Jack--this is pretty much what we did in the U.S.!

Okay, so I thought I should start this post by looking like a crazy dog lady! I took very few pictures this summer, and the ones I took are mostly of dogs...hmmm.

So, we just returned from a month in Atlanta. It was absolutely wonderful. We did a LOT of dog cuddling (obviously) and spent tons of time with friends and family. During the last week there, I also turned into a professional Brazilian shopper. We took one fun trip to Athens and one fun trip to Savannah, but stayed still most of the time (other than bouncing between 2 houses and 3 families!).

It was sad to leave. But I feel like we spent good quality time with the people we love the most. Next year, I want to make sure to swing by Minnesota and Wisconsin to see the rest of the family.

So, we took the lovely Atlanta-Charlotte-Rio de Janeiro-Sao Paulo-Campinas route back on Wednesday/Thursday. We were told that our carry-on luggage (which had to be gate checked in Charlotte) was lost, so we spent the whole night flight worrying. BUT, it turned up in Rio thank God. So other than that, the trip with 5 huge bags and 2 carry-ons was as easy as can be. Since I am moving back to 2nd grade this year, I brought a ton of my old 2nd grade books and other things with me. Hopefully we won't have nearly as much stuff with us next year!

Getting back to Campinas has been nice although WEIRD without many of our old friends here. It has been absolutely beautiful weather here, so the "winter" is pretty great. 

We met most of the new teachers on Friday night, and it is a HUGE group. Everyone seems really nice and positive, so that is a relief. It is going to be pretty nice to not be the new, lost teachers at school this time around. Although, with the grade-level change, there is a bit of that.

Tomorrow, we will take all of our stuff to school, and then we'll have a week to unpack and set up our new classrooms. Brian will have a BRAND NEW classroom (so jealous), and I will be finally moving in to the elementary building, so we have lots of unpacking and organizing to do. I will post some pictures as soon as it's all done.

Maybe, just maybe, I will blog more this year. I have high hopes for this school year. We are much more established and settled than last year, we have an idea of how to get around and do most things we need to do, and we have a car. Which is huge. The learning curve is not nearly as steep.

Now that we are heading back to school, it's time to start planning some fun trips for this year.

Here we go!

The Past 7 Months

So, I have to admit that I thought about blogging many times over the past 7 months. Every time, I felt super guilty for my long absence from the blog, so I kind of gave up on it. But NO! I am here to pick it back up again. Let's hope it's not another 7 months before it happens again. I have been updating most everything on facebook, but it's nice to document things a little more in depth here.

Obviously, a lot has happened in 7 months. In two weeks, we will be heading back to the states for a month-long visit. I am about to jump out of my skin with excitement, so I thought this would be the perfect time to reflect back on an amazing, wonderful, stressful, fun-filled, tiring, and life-changing year.

Looking back on the year as a whole, I feel like our lives took a sharp turn this year. Things had been relatively constant for the past several years (besides all the career changing and moving...hmmm...), so it has been a huge thrill to change things up in a big way. We have had some amazing experiences, but in the end, it of course turns into real life. We are certainly having adventures, but rest assured, we spend the majority of our time working, being tired, and trying to keep on top of bills, chores, and errands, just like every other working adult. The beauty lies in the vacations from school...

So, a short recap of the major events these past few months (in my traditional list style!):

• In November, we went on our first trip in Brazil this time around. We went to Florianopolis with a bunch of fabulous friends and had a blast. Dunes were climbed and new dance moves were created.
• December brought a job change for me. I found out in December that I will be teaching 2nd grade again beginning in August! I really enjoyed 4th grade and could definitely see myself doing it again. In fact, I would have liked to have stayed and experienced it a bit longer, BUT the opportunity arose. These positions don't open up too often as there are only two 2nd grade classes. I really did realize that I am a primary teacher at heart though, and I am over the moon about going back to the little ones.
• We got to experience our first Brazilian summer and a month off in December/January! My dad and Leisa visited, and we got to spend a few days in Rio. Then, my mom visited, and we visited Sao Paulo and celebrated New Years together. Finally, we ended our vacation with a great trip to the beach with fabulous family.
• In February, we realized our long-time dream of going to Rio for Carnaval. It was amazing, and I want to go back. I thought it would be a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing, but no way. HAVE to return.

Carnaval Parade in Rio!

• In April, we had "Spring" Break. We didn't go anywhere cool, but we did something VERY cool. We were incredibly sick of not having a car and the inconvenience of getting to and from work and the grocery store, etc. so we sucked up the outrageous cost of buying a car here. We got our licenses all ready to go, then we bought a 2010 Honda Fit. His name is Fitty.

Driving here is a lot more challenging, but we are both really proud of ourselves for doing it.

• May and June have brought really busy times at school and crazy weekend antics. Last weekend was our 5 year wedding anniversary and the weekend before that was Brian's birthday. This Friday, we will have an end-of-year/Going Away party for all our fabulous friends who are leaving Brazil. So so sad.

My darling children on a field trip to a coffee farm in May. It was super interesting and fun. Not supposed to show their faces on the internet, so I hope these shots are okay!

I am ready to go back home to Atlanta in 2 weeks to recharge, relax, see wonderful family and friends, shop til I drop, etc. I know it will go too fast, and we will be back in Brazil before we know it. Oh well, I just can't complain. I have come to love Brazil this year, and I am happy right here right now. 

Can't wait for what the next year will bring!