You know you're VERY pregnant when:
You've finally dropped into bed at the late hour of 10pm (10pm is late..yes, I'm old and pregnant), finally gotten all the pillows situated just right (about 4 pillows...one for my head, one between my knees, one behind my back, one to curl up with), and after the whole process of finally getting settled and comfortable....you realize the light is still on, and that means you'd have to get up to turn it off. But being VERY pregnant....it's just not worth it. So you fall asleep with a blaring bright light shining through your eyelids and just wait until your husband comes to bed, for him to turn it off.
I find me asking myself that question a lot lately...."Is the effort worth it?". Like, "Do I take the effort to bend all the way over just to pick up that __________ (insert toy of choice that Camden has left on the floor)?" And usually the answer is, "Nope!", and I just step over it.
Oh the joys of the last few weeks of pregnancy! At least they are humorous!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Weekend Getaway
This past weekend my hubby and I went for a weekend getaway...kinda like a "babymoon" before baby #2 arrives. We have been saying for over 2 years now that we'd do this. For every birthday, anniversary, or other special occasion we've said, "We won't buy gifts for each other, we'll just plan a weekend away." Well, we've finally taken our weekend away.....the first time leaving Camden for more than 1 night, or a few hours.
Thankfully we knew that he'd be well taken care of by his grandparents, great-grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins. (They all live close together so he was with a lot of family!) And he got to do his favorite thing all weekend long....SWIM! He's such a little fish. He asks for the "pool" every day, if not every hour. So he got lots of swimming time and Daddy and Mommy got some much needed rest.
The funny part is though, that both Renato and I realized that we were actually bored. Yes, bored! Without Camden! He's just sooo busy and takes up sooo much of our time and thoughts and lives, that it was a bit boring without him. We spent most of the weekend just talking about him and wondering what he was doing. Funny how that works. I had been dreaming of this weekend for over a month, then when we were away, all I thought about was home. Crazy!
Renato and I did have a great time though. We went to a beach town called Ubatuba. We've been there twice before, but never by ourselves. The first time we had Renato's brother with us, and the second time we took my parents and Camden. We stayed at the same little hotel as always, called a "Pousada" in portuguese. We love this little place. They have amazing breakfasts and are only about a 2 minute walk to the beach, plus the owners and workers are so friendly and fun. So we spent most of our time just sitting on the beach, not really doing anything, but just relaxing and resting. We know that it was our "last chance" to do this before Dawson arrives, so we figured it was either now, or never!
We're glad we went and had a great time.....but it was so nice to come home to our little guy that we missed so much!
Thankfully we knew that he'd be well taken care of by his grandparents, great-grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins. (They all live close together so he was with a lot of family!) And he got to do his favorite thing all weekend long....SWIM! He's such a little fish. He asks for the "pool" every day, if not every hour. So he got lots of swimming time and Daddy and Mommy got some much needed rest.
The funny part is though, that both Renato and I realized that we were actually bored. Yes, bored! Without Camden! He's just sooo busy and takes up sooo much of our time and thoughts and lives, that it was a bit boring without him. We spent most of the weekend just talking about him and wondering what he was doing. Funny how that works. I had been dreaming of this weekend for over a month, then when we were away, all I thought about was home. Crazy!
Renato and I did have a great time though. We went to a beach town called Ubatuba. We've been there twice before, but never by ourselves. The first time we had Renato's brother with us, and the second time we took my parents and Camden. We stayed at the same little hotel as always, called a "Pousada" in portuguese. We love this little place. They have amazing breakfasts and are only about a 2 minute walk to the beach, plus the owners and workers are so friendly and fun. So we spent most of our time just sitting on the beach, not really doing anything, but just relaxing and resting. We know that it was our "last chance" to do this before Dawson arrives, so we figured it was either now, or never!
We're glad we went and had a great time.....but it was so nice to come home to our little guy that we missed so much!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
One Year Anniversary!!
It was one year ago today that we left our life in the U.S. and ventured out on our great Brazilian adventure!
It was one year ago today:
~That I said good-bye to my friends and family to find new friends and more family here in Brazil.
~That I put my faith and trust in God and said, "Here am I, send me".
~That I left behind all the "comforts" and "familiar" things in my life to open myself up to learning a whole new culture and way of life.
I have learned so much this year:
~It has been a year of many struggles and hardships, but God has been here with us and teaching us in the midst of them.
~It has been a year of growth and trust, and God has been here with us and teaching us in the midst of them.
~It has been a year of joy and new experiences, and God has been here with us and teaching us in the midst of them.
What a year it has been! We really don't know what God has for us in the coming year, but again we are opening our hearts and hands and saying, "Your will, not ours be done, Lord". So we look forward to this coming year and all that God will reveal and teach us, once again.
It was one year ago today:
~That I said good-bye to my friends and family to find new friends and more family here in Brazil.
~That I put my faith and trust in God and said, "Here am I, send me".
~That I left behind all the "comforts" and "familiar" things in my life to open myself up to learning a whole new culture and way of life.
I have learned so much this year:
~It has been a year of many struggles and hardships, but God has been here with us and teaching us in the midst of them.
~It has been a year of growth and trust, and God has been here with us and teaching us in the midst of them.
~It has been a year of joy and new experiences, and God has been here with us and teaching us in the midst of them.
What a year it has been! We really don't know what God has for us in the coming year, but again we are opening our hearts and hands and saying, "Your will, not ours be done, Lord". So we look forward to this coming year and all that God will reveal and teach us, once again.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Where Do You Turn Your Eyes?
When life gets tough and exhausting, where do you turn your eyes?
When all around you there is sickness and strife, where do you turn your eyes?
When fear of the unknown creeps into your heart, where do you turn your eyes?
When frustration and doubt cloud your thinking, where do you turn your eyes?
When distractions and confusion set in, where do you turn your eyes?
When the enemy's lies are all you hear, where do you turn your eyes?
One of my favorite hymns has been rolling around inside my heart and mind today and it just fits so well and is the hope I cling to whenever "life" gets in the way....
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow stragely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
May you find enough courage and strength to "Turn your eyes upon Jesus", so that everything else...all of your problems, will grow dim in HIS light!
When all around you there is sickness and strife, where do you turn your eyes?
When fear of the unknown creeps into your heart, where do you turn your eyes?
When frustration and doubt cloud your thinking, where do you turn your eyes?
When distractions and confusion set in, where do you turn your eyes?
When the enemy's lies are all you hear, where do you turn your eyes?
One of my favorite hymns has been rolling around inside my heart and mind today and it just fits so well and is the hope I cling to whenever "life" gets in the way....
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow stragely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
May you find enough courage and strength to "Turn your eyes upon Jesus", so that everything else...all of your problems, will grow dim in HIS light!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Pregnancy in Brazil-Part 3
Wow, I cannot believe I'm at 33 weeks! Only 7 weeks to go! Sometimes it seems like it's going so fast, and other times not-so-much (like when it's hot and miserable out). I'll try to give the best update I can....or can remember. My pregnancy brain isn't working too well these days. :)
For the most part, everything continues to go smoothly. I say "for the most part" because while in the US and then again in early Dec., I had a lot of pain in my back, under my right shoulder. I couldn't sit up right, I couldn't lay down at all (so sleeping didn't really happen), and it was awful to be in pain and not have anything help it. I went to my Chiropractor when I was in the Springs, and he said there was nothing wrong with my back or neck, but he had a hunch it was my gallbladder. I of course started doing research and it sounded like that was what was wrong, but I never went to the Dr. in the States because I didn't have insurance coverage there. So when the pain started again here in Brazil we went to the emergency room and they did an ultrasound, and sure enough...my gallbladder is full of gallstones.
The stinky part about having gallbladder problems when your pregnant (and actually they are more prevelant when you are pregnant), is that there isn't really anything they can do. The only time they could do surgery to take out the gallbladder is in the 2nd trimester and I was already beyond that. But I can regulate my diet to try to avoid another painful attack. So it kinda stinks that I can't eat dairy (I do eat a little cheese), red meat, greasy or fatty foods of any kind.....so no fun. :) Actually it hasn't been too bad. I would like to eat some ice cream, but I know that's what set me off on the attack the 2nd time, so I'm not touching it with a 10-foot pole! And we just wait until after Dawson is born for surgery to remove my gallbladder. I'm just so thankful that I have no pain right now. Those two weeks were AWFUL! I pray that I don't have any more attacks either!
One thing that is different again here in Brazil is that they don't do the "end of the pregnancy" tests....like a glucose screening or more bloodwork. They just watch for problem signs and then order the tests if they think there may be something wrong. They do have one more ultrasound though late in the pregnancy. I have one scheduled for the beginning of Feb. I'm not sure why they do this one, but I'm all for getting to see Dawson again, so I won't argue! :)
Other than the 2 gallbladder attacks I'm feeling pretty good. My feet have swollen up though from traveling and the hot weather, but they aren't swollen all the time. I can also tell I've begun the "waddle"...yes all you women who have had babies know what I'm talking about. I don't so much "walk" anymore, it's more of a "waddle". :) Dawson sure is an active little guy. I can't remember Camden ever moving and flipping and kicking sooooo much. It's so much fun though....I love watching my tummy contort and move around!
I have more to write about with what the Brazilian hospitals are like here, but I'll save that for another day. Both Dawson and I are healthy and are doing well. Camden gives my tummy "Dawson" kisses and hugs almost everyday. I know he'll be a great big brother!
For the most part, everything continues to go smoothly. I say "for the most part" because while in the US and then again in early Dec., I had a lot of pain in my back, under my right shoulder. I couldn't sit up right, I couldn't lay down at all (so sleeping didn't really happen), and it was awful to be in pain and not have anything help it. I went to my Chiropractor when I was in the Springs, and he said there was nothing wrong with my back or neck, but he had a hunch it was my gallbladder. I of course started doing research and it sounded like that was what was wrong, but I never went to the Dr. in the States because I didn't have insurance coverage there. So when the pain started again here in Brazil we went to the emergency room and they did an ultrasound, and sure enough...my gallbladder is full of gallstones.
The stinky part about having gallbladder problems when your pregnant (and actually they are more prevelant when you are pregnant), is that there isn't really anything they can do. The only time they could do surgery to take out the gallbladder is in the 2nd trimester and I was already beyond that. But I can regulate my diet to try to avoid another painful attack. So it kinda stinks that I can't eat dairy (I do eat a little cheese), red meat, greasy or fatty foods of any kind.....so no fun. :) Actually it hasn't been too bad. I would like to eat some ice cream, but I know that's what set me off on the attack the 2nd time, so I'm not touching it with a 10-foot pole! And we just wait until after Dawson is born for surgery to remove my gallbladder. I'm just so thankful that I have no pain right now. Those two weeks were AWFUL! I pray that I don't have any more attacks either!
One thing that is different again here in Brazil is that they don't do the "end of the pregnancy" tests....like a glucose screening or more bloodwork. They just watch for problem signs and then order the tests if they think there may be something wrong. They do have one more ultrasound though late in the pregnancy. I have one scheduled for the beginning of Feb. I'm not sure why they do this one, but I'm all for getting to see Dawson again, so I won't argue! :)
Other than the 2 gallbladder attacks I'm feeling pretty good. My feet have swollen up though from traveling and the hot weather, but they aren't swollen all the time. I can also tell I've begun the "waddle"...yes all you women who have had babies know what I'm talking about. I don't so much "walk" anymore, it's more of a "waddle". :) Dawson sure is an active little guy. I can't remember Camden ever moving and flipping and kicking sooooo much. It's so much fun though....I love watching my tummy contort and move around!
I have more to write about with what the Brazilian hospitals are like here, but I'll save that for another day. Both Dawson and I are healthy and are doing well. Camden gives my tummy "Dawson" kisses and hugs almost everyday. I know he'll be a great big brother!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Our Trip to Rio de Janeiro
We've been home for about 2 days, and it feels so good to be home. It's always fun to get away, but it's always so nice to get back to "normal" life again. I wanted to show you some pics and tell you a bit about our trip.
Our driving took about 8 hours. It actually went really fast until we hit Rio, then traffic just stopped. It took us almost 2 hours just to get through Rio. We arrived to very hot and humid temperatures. And Renato's uncles house doesn't have any air conditioning....we were all miserable, not just me, the very pregnant girl. Since it was New Year's Eve, everyone else left by 6pm to go to the beach to watch the fireworks. (They needed to leave that early because of the traffic, even though normally it would only take 15 minutes.) We stayed at the house and enjoyed a nice evening with Renato's aunt who prepared a huge meal. And just a little info, there were 20 people staying in the house. Renato's other uncle from Americana drove to Rio too for the weekend (5 people).....so we had a VERY full house!
The next day was New Year's Day. We went to the beach close to the house in the morning for a few hours. The beach was nice, but the water was pretty dirty, but I didn't complain. Camden became our little beach bum! He LOVED playing in the sand and jumping in the water. When we left the beach, he'd always ask (about every 10 minutes) to go to the "pool". :) He would say ocean, and beach, but he called it all the "pool". Here's a pic of Camden playing in the sand with his second cousin Matteus.
Friday we drove a couple of hours away (in a 4 car caravan) to a really nice and famous beach that Renato's uncle wanted to show us, called Cabo Frio. All I can say is, WOW! Was that beach nice! The water was so blue and clear and beautiful. Of course because it was a Friday and the day after New Years, it was SUPER busy. I've never seen so many people packed onto a beach before, but it was worth it. We had a great time!
Here Camden is waiting for the wave to hit. He got brave later on, and would jump into them.
Here is a good picture to show you the water and all the people.
On Saturday Renato's uncle showed us around Rio and all the famous sights and beaches. It was so fun to see all of the famous beaches and drive around the city. Rio is such a beautiful city. It was also a perfect day for it. It was the only clear day we had there....the other days it was foggy and really cloudy. We even made the trek up to the "Christ the Redeemer" statue. It's like the statue of Liberty for NYC. It's super famous and it was hard to get up there with all the people and we had a long ways to walk, but it was worth it. The view of the city up there was AMAZING!!!
This is one view of the beaches from the top of the statue.
So it was a good trip, but just a little difficult for a very pregnant girl. I had no idea my feet and ankles could swell up to the size of balloons!! Camden and I even got tans! Camden is so cute with his little tan....only his little butt is white now. I pray you all had a safe and wonderful New Years!!
Our driving took about 8 hours. It actually went really fast until we hit Rio, then traffic just stopped. It took us almost 2 hours just to get through Rio. We arrived to very hot and humid temperatures. And Renato's uncles house doesn't have any air conditioning....we were all miserable, not just me, the very pregnant girl. Since it was New Year's Eve, everyone else left by 6pm to go to the beach to watch the fireworks. (They needed to leave that early because of the traffic, even though normally it would only take 15 minutes.) We stayed at the house and enjoyed a nice evening with Renato's aunt who prepared a huge meal. And just a little info, there were 20 people staying in the house. Renato's other uncle from Americana drove to Rio too for the weekend (5 people).....so we had a VERY full house!
The next day was New Year's Day. We went to the beach close to the house in the morning for a few hours. The beach was nice, but the water was pretty dirty, but I didn't complain. Camden became our little beach bum! He LOVED playing in the sand and jumping in the water. When we left the beach, he'd always ask (about every 10 minutes) to go to the "pool". :) He would say ocean, and beach, but he called it all the "pool". Here's a pic of Camden playing in the sand with his second cousin Matteus.
Friday we drove a couple of hours away (in a 4 car caravan) to a really nice and famous beach that Renato's uncle wanted to show us, called Cabo Frio. All I can say is, WOW! Was that beach nice! The water was so blue and clear and beautiful. Of course because it was a Friday and the day after New Years, it was SUPER busy. I've never seen so many people packed onto a beach before, but it was worth it. We had a great time!
Here Camden is waiting for the wave to hit. He got brave later on, and would jump into them.
Here is a good picture to show you the water and all the people.
On Saturday Renato's uncle showed us around Rio and all the famous sights and beaches. It was so fun to see all of the famous beaches and drive around the city. Rio is such a beautiful city. It was also a perfect day for it. It was the only clear day we had there....the other days it was foggy and really cloudy. We even made the trek up to the "Christ the Redeemer" statue. It's like the statue of Liberty for NYC. It's super famous and it was hard to get up there with all the people and we had a long ways to walk, but it was worth it. The view of the city up there was AMAZING!!!
This is one view of the beaches from the top of the statue.
So it was a good trip, but just a little difficult for a very pregnant girl. I had no idea my feet and ankles could swell up to the size of balloons!! Camden and I even got tans! Camden is so cute with his little tan....only his little butt is white now. I pray you all had a safe and wonderful New Years!!
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