In love all over again

Our little guy was born almost a month ago and it's already impossible to imagine life without him.  He's just perfect, and it was love at first sight (at least for his parents -- hopefully he feels the same way about us). 

The adjustment period has been...um...interesting.  But we're getting there.  He's a wonderful baby.  He eats a lot.  (No idea where he gets that...)  The added challenge of planning an international move makes things a bit more stressful around here.  Sometimes I yearn for a little more stability, but at the same time, I am very excited about life in Brazil and I know that some semblance of normalcy will return once we are settled in at our new home.  I just hope I haven't forgotten all my Portuguese!

So far, the parenting detail I think I was least prepared for was my emotional reaction every time my baby cries.  I was prepared for sleepless nights (at least in theory); I was prepared for poopy diapers; I was prepared for the idea that finding the time for a shower might become a luxury and that the little one would quickly become the boss of our household.  I knew that he would cry, but no one told me how awful that would make me feel!  I feel like my heart is being ripped out of my body every time he starts crying, and I want to make it all better right away.  The books (and the pediatrician!) tell me that this is not good for my baby, that I do need to let him cry sometimes.  Good lord is that difficult! 

And speaking of the little guy, he has woken up from his nap and his crying is pulling at my heart strings again.  Not sure if I will be able to let him cry this time or not...but at least going to check on him.

What TO Say to a Pregnant Woman

When Pedro and I were at the grocery store on Friday, the young lady taking care of our transaction asked when the baby was due.  "Today, actually," I replied.  Then she got all excited and said, "Wow!  You look great!  You don't look miserable at all!  I can't believe how great you look!"

She made me feel like a million bucks, despite all the aches, pains, and general hugeness.  Yes, ladies and gents, THAT is what you say to a pregnant woman (whether it's true or not)!

Impatient!

It feels like I have been pregnant for about 20 years.  (Maybe I shouldn't joke about that since P and I both have family members who actually were pregnant for the better part of 20 years - each of our maternal grandmothers gave birth to 16 children.  I can't even imagine that!)  Still, these last few weeks are DRAAAAAGGING on and on and on.  I can't remember another time in my life when the days/hours/minutes passed so slowly.  I am ready to meet this little guy!  I'm already up every couple hours to use the bathroom or due to some random body ache, so I might as well be up with him.  Hopefully he will decide to try life on the outside sometime very soon.  I think all this waiting is his way of reminding me exactly who will be in charge in this family from now on.  (I wonder how Chama will feel about being usurped...)

Just as a side note, I will not be posting pictures, name, or date of birth information for the baby on this blog because it is open to the public.  If you want that info, check Facebook (if we're FB friends) or look for an old fashioned email after he is born. 

What Not to Say to a Pregnant Woman

I don't know why I'm surprised -- maybe because I'm from Minnesota and we are, to a fault, careful not to say things that might possibly offend someone -- but I do find myself astounded at the lack of filter between people's minds and their mouths when conversing with a very pregnant woman.

I'm not mad, I promise.  I actually find it funny and am not offended in the least.  However, I really do not recommend asking a clearly uncomfortable and almost-there pregnant woman if she's having twins.  Or giggling when she says no, and then suggesting that maybe it's triplets instead.  Because at any minute, the raging pregnancy hormones could kick in, and laughter might not be her first response.  And even if I'm not offended, it really is kind of rude.  Do you think I don't look in the mirror every day and see how huge I am?  Or just look down and try to remember the last time I could see my feet without bending forward (which, by the way, is quite challenging at this point)?  Or notice that I have to practically take a running leap to get enough momentum to get myself into the truck? I am well aware that I am huge, but thank you for so pleasantly reminding me.

Another person also said to me, "Vai ser um bebé muito grande!"  That is, basically, "You're going to have a huge baby!"  While my doctor seems to agree with her (we'll know better after the upcoming ultrasound), it's still not anything I would ever say to any pregnant woman. 

What I find most comical is that, with the exception of one person, the WOMEN who have made these lovely comments/declarations all have children.  Ah, how easily we forget! 

I know these are not the worst comments I could receive.  I am well aware that some friends and family have experienced worse.  I am simply making the point that a little etiquette when speaking with a pregnant lady is definitely a good thing. 

Ironically, being in Portuguese class with a group of men since January has been just wonderful.  They never once complained about me setting the classroom thermostat at 65 degrees, always encouraged me to get plenty of rest, brought me cookies, offered advice on the most useful and most useless baby products, and told kind, understanding stories about their wives and kids.  Perhaps we women have a little something to learn men in this regard???!!!

P.S. In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that I have received myriad supportive and caring comments from women in my life.  It's mostly women I don't know well (or at all) that have felt obliged to make the comments described above.

In the homestretch!

I generally do not love pictures of myself (I never feel like I look the same in pictures as I do when I see myself in the mirror - go figure), but I'm posting a couple because most of my dear friends and family are far away and have not seen me pregnant. 

This one is at about 24 weeks.

This one is from today, at 31 weeks.

Only about 9 weeks or so until the little guy arrives.  We can't wait to meet him!  This is definitely a different stage of pregnancy.  I feel like I waddle everywhere, I move slowly, and I often feel uncomfortable - not in pain or sick, just uncomfortable.  But the flip side is that I know the baby's movements and schedule and now feel so much more connected to him.

During the first trimester, I felt sick every day.  Actually through about 16 weeks.  (I had read that this would stop around 12 weeks, so I pretty much counted the days until 12 weeks rolled around.  Then it continued for another month.  Fun.)  But the good part about the sickness was that I knew that if I was sick, then he was still in there growing and developing.  Then the nausea stopped and I felt much better, but I couldn't yet feel him kicking or moving around.  That was bizarre and made it difficult to feel like I was really pregnant (except, of course, for the increasing need for maternity wear).  It was such a relief when I started to feel him kicking!  Now I think he has moved from soccer to gymnastics and is all about the summersault, taking advantage of every opportunity while there's still room in there for him to do all his acrobatics.

Although we spend many waking moments thinking about, talking about, and getting ready for the newest addition to our family, we do have other things going on as well.  Our Portuguese studies seem to be going well.  Send us all your best Brazilian Portuguese vibes during the first week in May - that is when we need to pass the big test. 

The past month or so has also felt warm and fuzzy in terms of reconnecting with people I haven't seen in awhile.  Sometimes the transition periods feel a little lonely, so this has been good for the soul.  A former student employee and good friend from my days at FFYP is now in the Army and has been in D.C. several times for training, and it's always great to get together.  I had a very happy reunion and giddy trip to Penzeys with a dear friend from Caracas last Saturday.  I barely knew her the last time I was in the D.C. area, but now it feels like home just to be in the same area as her again.  Saturday morning just hasn't felt quite right without a trip to the market and breakfast with the girls.  (Now we just need to get C & G back here!)

T and T are coming to visit in a couple weeks, and I can't wait for them to explore D.C. and to just have some time to hang out.  S and A, my cousin and his wonderful wife, are in town this weekend and we met them at the Newseum this morning.  We always have a great time with them, and the Newseum was incredible.  Definitely the best museum I have visited in D.C. so far.  Of course, I'm a news junkie, so it was probably a good match to begin with, but I especially enjoyed the fact that the exhibits are a little more in-depth than those at other museums we've visited.  In the picture below, P is in front of a portion of the Berlin wall displayed at the Newseum. 

Handsome guy!

No, not the little guy - the big furry mutt!  (Of course, the little guy looks from his ultrasounds like cuteness is a given.)  Here is the promised photo of Che with all his hair.  Isn't he gorgeous?  I especially love the Chesapeake curls on his tail.  We are enjoying every minute of his fluffiness because we don't know when spring is going to show up and kick his allergies into high gear again.

In other news, we did finally decide on a camera.  Thank you to everyone who took the time to make suggestions.  We ended up going with the Canon Powershot SD4500 IS, and so far we are happy with it.  By that I mean I am thrilled that the few pictures I've taken so far look great and not one of them is blurry despite my tendency to have trembly hands (only) when I take pictures.  Let's hope the good luck continues (because, let's be honest, none of it is skill on my part)!

I will be 25 weeks pregnant tomorrow.  We have bought about three outfits and at least as many books for our little prince.  That's pretty much it.  We have a list of other basics we need to buy, but I think we are both overwhelmed by all of the options (even for the basics) and the huge industry of not-so-necessary products based around babies.  So we haven't purchased anything.  It is hard to tell what we really need and what we will actually use.  Every product seems to promise to be amazing and make our lives easy and/or make our baby the brightest, most talented baby that ever lived.  I'm a bit skeptical.  

I've gotten some very helpful, much-appreciated advice from close friends who are moms to newborns or young children.  If you have tried and true suggestions, I would love to hear them as well.  We are newbies, and we can use all the help we can get!  We're not looking to acquire anything more than what we need and what will really, truly make our lives easier and our chiquitín's life more comfortable...especially considering that we'll be making a big international move only a couple months after the little guy is born, and we won't see most of his/our stuff until 3-4 months later anyway.

Our Portuguese continues to progress (I think, I hope...).  I sometimes wonder how anyone could have learned a language well, excluding a direct immersion experience, without the help of the internet.  It has been invaluable to watch videos, news, telenovelas, and even Brazil's Oprah (as our instructor refers to Ana Maria Braga) online.  It's also a confidence builder...well, except for the telenovelas because I'm lucky if I understand half of what they say.  (But they are over-acted so the body language often makes up for it.)

It is now past 9:00 p.m. which means that the cachorros (puppies in Spanish; dogs in Portuguese) need to go out one last time and then this tired pregnant lady needs to go to bed.  I'm doing my best to sleep eight hours while I still can!

My only craving: A CAMERA!

We do not have a camera right now.  At least not a non-phone camera.  The cameras on our phones are actually "better" (in terms of zoom, megapixels, etc.) than our first Sony digital camera, but somehow, I cannot take a decent picture.  Of anything.  (I loved that first Sony.  I could take decent photos with that camera!)  To top it all off, I don't know how to download the crappy but acceptable pictures to my computer, and frankly, I don't really want to take the time to figure it out.

We need to get a camera.  I am not one who usually feels any need to take pictures of everyday life...until I don't have a camera.  Lately, I've "needed" a camera every day.  I want to take a picture of Che with his beautiful, thick coat of hair to send a note to our vet in Venezuela who so lovingly helped us treat his allergies for two years.  I want to take a few pictures of where we live in VA.  And even though I feel like a whale in this pregnant body, I would like to take a couple pictures of my growing belly so that the little one can see what his mom looked like while carrying him.

That said, I'm intimidated by the process.  I loved the aforementioned Sony that was maybe a second generation digital camera (albeit our very first).  We got the updated version a few years later - same camera but better specs - and I pretty much hated it.  Couldn't take a good picture to save my soul.  Luckily, my husband did not have the same misfortune, so it wasn't a totally wasted investment.  He got some great photos with that camera, but we need one that will work for both the artist (him) and the utterly photo-talentless pointer-and-shooter (me).  I can do hours and hours of research, but that only gets me more confused.  I would like something that is a bit higher quality than our previous cameras but easy to use.  And I want it to take video.  I can't handle having both a separate video camera, and I know I'm going to want videos of the little guy's cuteness (as are family and friends who live far away, I imagine).

Any suggestions?