A Sapling Grows in Spain

The daily grind

2008-09-29T17:49:00.006+01:00

Hail ye faithful few who haven't given up on the blog despite months of silence! You are about to be rewarded for your patience.

Let's see, how can I sum up our lives since May? We had a busy summer of family BBQs, pool parties and a few outings in between. We have two new members of the Sanchez-Nario clan (my husband's family). His brother Alberto and wife Carmen had a baby girl in June, who they've named Martha, and just recently his oldest brother Marcelino and wife Marta (sans h) had a boy, who they have named Alberto (after Manolo's dad who passed away 10 years ago). The name crossing is going to get hairy from here on out - we now have 3 Marthas (2 with h, 1 without), 2 Albertos (and 1 Roberto which sounds similar) and 2 Pablos. The old tradition of namesakes is still strong here, as you might have guessed.

In August we spent a glorious month of vacation with my family in Maine. My parents made it so comfortable that we never wanted to leave, and we had a great time seeing all of my mom's side of the family. The third week was spent at Old Orchard Beach on the ocean with my Nana and my dad's sister Alison, with her husband Vic and my cousins Jeff and Charlotte - and the icing on the cake was the presence of my brother Ethan, his darling cherie Vivian and their sweet boy Anatole. It was so wonderful to spend time with everyone, getting reaquainted with some and newly acquainted with others. The older I get, the more I appreciate family!

When we came back in September, we jumped right into the fray. I had loads of work awaiting me, as did Manolo, and of course Bobby had to resume his duties as prince of the house, so we've all been busy little bees. There seems to be a lull this week, which is nice for a change, so I decided to take the time to post a new entry and some more recent photos - and here there are!

Grandmother and Bobby

Daddy and boy

Family three at boy's first baseball game

Bobby and cousin Anatole playing with Grandfather

Papa and Bobby

Cousin Anatole

Photos of my wee man

2008-05-23T11:59:00.002+01:00

Hi again, everyone,

Life with Bobby is going very well - we are enjoying every moment, especially since he has learned to smile and giggle. He is a very happy baby and well-adjusted to his schedule: as incredible as it may sound, he now eats 5 big "meal" a day, has three long naps during the day, goes to bed at 9:30-10, and wakes up at 7:30 - 8 in the morning! During his waketimes, he is happy sitting in his infant seat beside me while I work, rolling around in his playpen, hanging out with the Boppy pillow, listening to me make silly conversation, looking at colorful storybooks and even sitting on my lap while I play piano (though his limit is about two songs - which I understand, considering he doesn't have much visual stimulation staring at sheet music and a black-and-white keyboard). We also take walks, do laundry and water the plants together - mama's little helper. : ) He has a very sweet and happy disposition, making him a joy to have and easy to care for. I'm finding that it's not as hard to combine work and baby duties as I thought it would be. Ok, I know you're all just scanning through this to get to the pictures, so here are a few selections from the hundreds I've been snapping recently:

the mankin and me

2008-05-01T09:31:00.001+01:00

I love it when Mama talks to me!

2008-05-01T09:29:00.001+01:00

so, like I was saying...

2008-05-01T09:26:00.002+01:00

my first pair of shoes

2008-05-01T09:22:00.001+01:00

fresh from the evening bath

2008-05-01T09:18:00.001+01:00

Me and my petit lem (little lemur)

2008-05-01T09:14:00.001+01:00

life with Bobby

2008-05-01T08:58:00.003+01:00

Hi folks,

Yes, long time no blog... but I have the fabulous excuse of being a new mother! The little guy is adorable, a sweet and happy baby who loves sleeping, eating and giggling. He is coming up on his three-month birthday (May 12th), but he has been wearing 3-mo. clothes for a while now, and some of the 6-month sizes already fit him! He is quite long for his age (61 cm, about 2 feet) but not very chubby - just the right amount of chubbiness for a baby! We guess he is going to be quite tall, as he is in the 92nd percentile for height. He already holds his head up straight and can prop himself up on his forearms, and I think he is learning how to roll over. This morning I discovered him working his legs to propel himself off the edge of the couch! (GULP) Thankfully I caught him in time before he took a nose dive. It looks like he is going to have his daddy's dark brown eyes, but his dark brown hair is slowly getting lighter and I think it will be blond before long. I never thought I'd say this, but I almost wish I didn't have to work so I could spend all day playing with him!
He is an incredibly "good" baby. He now sleeps 8 hours straight through the night, and last night he slept in his own room in the "big boy" crib for the first time (until now he had been sleeping in a cradle at the foot of our bed). I think he actually sleeps better this way because he has very sensitive hearing and was emitting little grunts every time he heard one of us roll over. So it's better for him, and better for us as well.
As for me, I'm still working to drop the baby weight and fit back into my old jeans, but it's hard because breastfeeding makes me constantly ravenous! Thankfully Bobby is a good eater and follows a regular feeding schedule, which makes it easier for me to organize my work hours and other responsibilities.
I could go on and on telling you every little detail of my precious boy, but free time is short, so I will just post some photos for you to ooh and ahh over.

more pics

2008-03-02T16:23:00.002Z

All I can say is thank goodness my mother came over to help out!! Having a new baby is such an amazing and overwhelming experience, especially when you don't have a clue about how to take care of such a little person. My mom arrived exactly one week after Roberto was born and has been invaluable to me - cooking, cleaning, laundry duty, changing diapers and providing the wisdom gleaned from experience and much-needed advice on bringing up baby. Thanks to her help, we have managed to establish a sort of routine by now, and Bobby is actually sleeping 4 whole hours at night between feedings, which means I really only have to get up once in the night (although I go to bed late and wake up early). But your body adjusts and I am feeling pretty well at this point. The worst part, oddly enough, wasn't contractions or labor but recovering from the episiotomy stitches (OW!). Thankfully that discomfort seems to have passed. My Dad arrived on Friday and he and Manolo have already started working on the yard and the house, fixing up the garden and doing projects that I would never have the time to even start otherwise - another amazing blessing.

Baby Bobby is a real joy and a sweetheart. He is strong and getting chubbier by the day (apparently I am good at being a milk cow), very alert and even smiles occasionally, much to the delight of all us doting adults. Manolo and I are over the moon, as are the grandparents. I'm not sure how much free time I will have to blog in the future, so please forgive me if there are long lapses between posts, but I wanted to make this entry and post some more pictures for you all to enjoy meanwhile.

Thanks again to everyone for your love and support!

Presenting His Highness...

2008-02-15T16:59:00.002Z

Hi folks!

This isn't going to be a long entry because I'm still recovering, but I know everyone's waiting for news so I figured I'd put up a quick post to tide you over until I can provide more details.

Roberto Sanchez Jerry was born on Tuesday evening at 9:30 pm (local time - Spain) at the Clinic of Our Lady of Fatima in Seville. He weighed 7 lbs. 11.2 oz. and measured 19.75 inches (thanks to Mom for providing the conversions from metric!). He has dark hair, chubby cheeks and what looks suspiciously like the "Jerry nose" - but only time will tell. Right now, he doesn't really look much like anyone except his own sweet self!

Manolo and I just arrived home from the hospital yesterday and we are still getting used to the new routine of life with baby. It is pretty overwhelming and tiring at the moment, so please don't be offended if you call and no one answers... we have had a lot of people call and right now it's just not possible to get back to everyone personally, but thank you all for your concern and well-wishing and I hope to introduce you to Bobby in person shortly!

Here is a picture of the little guy (more to come, of course, but right now he's sleeping and I'm taking advantage of the free time to write - can't risk waking him!).

Thanks again to everyone for your encouragement, prayers, fun messages and friendship throughout this grand pregnancy adventure... although I have the feeling that the true adventure is just getting started!

Love to all from the three of us

The final countdown

2008-01-09T18:06:00.000Z

Yes, I'm still here... I know it's been forever. I guess my contact skills haven't really improved with the advances of modern technology. "If you don't know me by now..." etc. Sorry folks, I'm just bad at keeping in touch and probably always will be!

Anyway, last time I wrote was after Thanksgiving. A lot has happened since then, although in our little world the most noticeable development has been my expanding waistline (ugh). The last ultrasound estimated Bobby's weight at almost 2 kilos (2 kilos = 4.4 lbs for those of you who haven't converted to metric yet), and that was at 32 weeks, so it looks like he's going to be a big boy. I think this is the first time I actually feel grateful for my wide hips! Tomorrow marks the end of week 36, after which I'm told everything is fully developed and the big moment could come at any time (although it's usually sometime between week 37 and week 42). I'm itching to get it over with and meet our firstborn! Here's what I looked like last week:

Over the holiday weekend in early December, Manolo and I took a trip to Madrid with his brother Marcelino and his wife Marta, and my mother-in-law Martha. We rented a Renault Scenic and had a fun road trip north, staying three nights in Madrid and playing the tourists. It was a great time, but all that walking was pretty hard on my feet with the extra weight. We visited the Prado Museum, had a yummy stew called cocido at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, scooted out to Segovia for a gander at the Roman aqueduct and a bit of roasted suckling pig, visited the monument called the Valley of the Fallen in the hills outside Madrid (built by the Franco regime to honor those who died in the Civil War, also his burial site), saw the city sights and stopped over in Toledo on the way back home. We really enjoyed being able to get away, and believe it or not, we had a great time with the family. I know in-laws are supposed to be a nightmare, but I won the lottery with Manolo's family - I actually like hanging out with them!

Here are some shots from our trip:

Waiting in line at the Prado

Marta and I

The gang in Toledo

The holidays in Spain seem eternal because there are three weeks of festivities - first Christmas Eve/ Christmas Day, then New Year's Eve/ Day, and a week later Three Kings Day (also called Epiphany in English) which is when everyone exchanges gifts. Maybe it just seemed longer to me this year because I tire more easily and can't work up my usual party energy. But a great time was had by all, again in the company of Manolo's family. A few visuals:

These two are up to something!

Me & Martha (mother-in-law)

The 3 Holiday Hoodlums

I took advantage of the break to get my hospital bag ready and buy a few starter items for when we bring Bobby home. I think we're pretty much all ready. I got my last few tests done this week and will pick up the results in 10 days, and that's all that remains to be taken care of on the health front. I do have loads of things I want to get out of the way soon, though, and I'm still working (although I've limited myself to only one client, they have started the year off with a bang so I'm still pretty busy). I figure it's better to keep occupied than to just sit around waiting for the baby to come. I feel fine so far, despite the occasional discomfort. I just can't wait for the finale (and then Mom will come and make me chicken soup - YAY!).

I'm getting kicked savagely, which means I need to shift positions, so I'll sign off for now. Just wanted to get an update in while I had a free moment.

Lots of love to you all!

Giving thanks

2007-11-27T09:43:00.000Z

First of all, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

We continued our dual Thanksgiving tradition this year, with a "friends" dinner on the Saturday before and a "family" session the Saturday after. Both meals went off without a hitch, everyone had enough food, the turkeys were fat and juicy and the diners expressed their gratitude for all the blessings they've experienced over the past year. It's so nice to get together and give thanks instead of our usual moaning and groaning (yes, we all love to complain, but we have to remember that there ARE good things to talk about as well!).

Cooking up a storm for the first Thanksgiving meal

My buddies Esther and Alysson (yes, it's a male name in Brazil)

"I'm stuffed!" said the gobbler.

Another big recent event was the acquisition of a REAL piano - after many years of dreaming and hoping and waiting, it's finally here!! Thanks to the generosity of my grandmother, who passed away this summer, I was finally able to afford it. She actually was the one who made it possible for me to take piano lessons when I was younger and encouraged my love of music, so it is very fitting that she was the one who made it possible for me to recover one of my passions.

Here are some pics of the little beauty:

I'm still working on getting my fingers back in shape and making up for lost time, but it is such a pleasure to play that it doesn't seem like work at all.

We've also been busy decorating the nursery in preparation for Bobby's arrival - only 2 months left to go! I am currently at week 30 of my pregnancy (out of a total of 40 weeks) and am feeling fine. I have a more noticeable belly now, but nothing too unmanageable. The latest ultrasound revealed that everything is progressing as expected, and the little guy now weighs about 1.2 kilos (2.67 lbs).

We painted the baby's room a light powder blue and applied a decorative border around the room at chest height (with little bears in race cars). This weekend I also tried to channel some of my mom's sewing talent and sewed curtains for the window - they turned out quite well, although I kept thinking that what took me an entire day would have taken my mom about 2 hours! I just have to keep practicing, I guess. My next project is to use some of the leftover curtain material to make a cover for the changing table and maybe some other little details for the room. Here is a sneak preview of the nursery (we have yet to set up the crib):

In short, we are having fun and the time is flying by - Bobby will be here before we know it! My next priority is to get out there and do some Christmas shopping before I get too unwieldy to navigate the crowded stores. I refuse to get caught doing last-minute shopping the night before and trying to press through the desperate hordes!

All the news that's fit to print...

2007-11-05T19:04:00.000Z

Hello faithful blog-readers!

Once again, it's been an eternity since my last entry. But it's all part of my plan to build up anticipation...

Since I last wrote, life has been busy as usual. I've had a few check-ups and tests, which so far have proved that everything is normal - no blood sugar problems, anemia, blood pressure, and all the other things that might go wrong but thankfully haven't in my case. I do have a more noticeable belly by this time (at 26 1/2 weeks, currently), but it still doesn't look like the pictures of round, taut pregnant stomachs I've seen so I'm postponing the infamous "belly pic" until a later date. We've decided that we're definitely sticking with the name Robert (Bobby for short until he starts protesting it's too childish). I've started attending pre-natal classes at the local health center (tomorrow will be my second one), and I've got more literature than I can digest. Guess I can't plead ignorance!
I found out that I have to talk to a woman at the Social Security office to get advice about all the paperwork I need to fill out for taking maternity leave and filing for the various bonuses and stipends that the Spanish government pays working mothers. It almost sounds like I could get rich off of having kids! Honestly, I have to get more information first, but I'm not sure if I want to file for all the hand-outs I can get just because they're available - somehow it seems like that money should be put to better use, or at least given to mothers who really need it instead of everyone. Yes, the capitalist in me is rearing its head again... but it just seems weird to ask for free money from the state if you don't need it. Although I guess I could look at it as a tax rebate. I never have a problem with those! : )
I also discovered that my OB/GYN works with Clínica de Fátima, so that's the private hospital I'll be going to when it comes time to "expel the creature." I've heard that it's very nice, albeit a bit old-fashioned, but I'm planning to arrange a visit to the hospital soon so that I can see their facilities and get some information about their modus operandi. They do have an entire building dedicated to women's health/ maternity/ neonatal care, which is one of their specialties. At least there I will be ensured privacy, a single room and more say in how I am treated than I would at the public hospital. I have a long list of questions about specific procedures/ treatments that I will address at my next doctor's visit, but I am getting a clearer idea of what I want and how I need to go about getting it, so that's encouraging. I just can't believe it's November already!
Speaking of which - Turkey Day is looming on the horizon. I have two events scheduled - one the Saturday before Thanksgiving, a dinner for friends at our house, and one the Saturday after, for Manolo's family. I'm sure I will be sick of turkey and stuffing and cranberry sauce by the end of the month, but it takes a while for me to get tired of any good food so I think I'll manage!
A few weekends ago, Manolo and I made a quick getaway trip to the Sierra de Cazorla in Jaen and wandered around the national park in the mountains... we had a wonderful time but I caught a nasty cold that hung on for over a week. Since I couldn't take anything to get rid of the symptoms, I just had to wait it out - I never appreciated cold medicine fully until I was told I couldn't use it! However, I'm over it now and back on track.
We went to two weddings over the last two weekends: the first was Manolo's brother Alberto, and the second was the daughter of long-time friends of Manolo's parents. We had a great time at both, and I even danced a little! Not too much, though, since my belly and my two left feet don't make for a lot of graceful moves on the floor... thank goodness there is no video evidence.

I think that's all for now... we are both busy bees with work and preparations in the house for the baby's arrival, but we are very happy and excited about Christmas and meeting Robert(o) soon after!
Here are some photos to browse:

The bride and groom with Manolo's brother-in-law Pablo at the wedding supper

The family photo (I'm peeking out in the back row)

2007-10-02T12:17:00.000+01:00

Hello again!

Yes, it's been quite a while since my last entry on the blog, but you will see why when I tell you all about what I've been doing lately.

First things first: I've had a couple of check-ups since I last wrote, and the doctors have confirmed that we have a little boy on the way - Yay!! I was kind of hoping for a boy, although Manolo didn't really have a preference either way, but we are both very "chuffed" as our British friends would say. We're still debating the name. It's hard because Manolo likes very traditional Spanish names (a lot of which don't have an English translation, such as Rodrigo), whereas I like a lot of Celtic names that have no equivalent in Spanish. We really want to find a name that we both like but that can be easily used both here and in the States. We've been thinking about the name Robert/ Roberto, but the jury is still out. We might end up with a short list of names to take to the hospital and then we can decide when we see the little guy.

My mom and dad came for a long-awaited visit from September 22 to October 2. The weeks leading up to their arrival were busy because I was trying to get all of my translation work done and out of the way, and we were also working hard to get the house spiffed up a bit, especially our bedroom which has been half-painted for months. It got finished just in time (2 days before they arrived!) and I managed to get all the translations done as well. The only thing I couldn't get done in time was the American Women's Club newsletter, my first one. I had planned to have it all pretty much ironed out by the 22nd, but since it was the first issue and a lot of people were just getting back from summer vacation abroad, I wasn't able to collect all the information I needed in time. This meant that I had to dedicate some time to finishing up the project while my parents were here, but it got finished eventually.

We went to Aracena, in the hill country of Huelva, which is about an hour from our house, and spent the day there exploring the Gruta de las Maravillas (Grotto of Marvels, an amazing underground cave complex), the castle ruins and the local cuisine. Yum!! Here are my mom and dad after conquering the castle:

We also had a family BBQ at our house to spend some time with Manolo's family, which is always fun, even though it was a bit too chilly to swim. Here I am with my mom, dad, Manolo's mom and little Carlota (Manolo's youngest niece) on our back porch:

Another side trip was made to the Parador in Carmona. We spent Sunday afternoon exploring the old city center, which is very quaint and typically Spanish, and had a coffee in the town square. Here I am in front of the parador:

We had a really great time with my parents - they are such easy guests to have! We only wished that they could have stayed longer, but it's hard with work schedules and the long journey. We will be seeing them again soon in February when the new grandson is here. As you can imagine, they spoiled us rotten. My dad finished painting the house, which Manolo had started but never got time to finish, fixed our sagging clothesline, weeded the flower beds, fixed our pool pump shed, helped Manolo rig up a heater for our bathroom, and generally made our house look better than it ever has! Mom cooked scrumptious meals, did all my backed-up mending and patching jobs, cleaned every corner of the house (it's never sparkled this much!) and gave me a wonderful spa treatment day with masks, massages and manicures. I don't know if I can wait until February! Both of them harvested our olive tree in the backyard, with a little help from yours truly, and the olives are now sitting in water getting "sweetened." Preparing olives is a long process, but I really wanted to try it this year so I'll let you all know if they turn out edible.

Of course, they also brought lots of wonderful and useful presents for us and the baby, making our lives a lot easier and helping us get prepared for parenthood. They got us screens for our windows, which will be ready to instal any day now, because they realized that we have a problem with mosquitos and flies out here in the countryside. They also bought us a much-needed 3-in-1 baby transport set, which includes the stroller with an attachable car seat and transport bassinet and comes with a handy baby bag. At least we know that we are equipped to take the baby home from the hospital now! Manolo's family has also been helpful in this sense, passing on a crib, cradle, and all sorts of linen items for little Bubba (now there's a nice name!). I think we won't have to buy anything, at least not at first. My parents also visited IKEA with us and bought us a beautiful bureau that fits perfectly in a little space at the end of our hallway, which we can use to store baby items and other sundries. Storage space is always in short supply in our house, so this is a big help!

They also got to go to the Doppler ultrasound with us and see their grandson "in person" at the doctor's office. I was so glad that I was able to arrange it so they could participate in at least a little bit of the pregnancy process, and I think they really liked it too.

In short, we had a great time with them, and they helped us out in so many ways that it's impossible to list them all. Most of all, I'm thankful for their constant support and prayers and their love - I just hope Manolo and I will be able to live up to their example. If we can manage it, we will have some very happy kidlets. THANK YOU, MOM AND DAD!

For all of you Mainers (and those who wonder what we are like) I thought I'd share this funny video of the biggest event of the year in our area - the Cumberland County Fair. I can't wait until Manolo and I can visit Maine in fall to see the brilliant foliage and take a turn around the fairgrounds (fried dough, yum!). Don't worry if you can't understand the people talking, it's just the real Maine accent in all its glory. Thanks to my Aunt Kathy for passing on a taste of home!

Anyway, folks, that's all for now. I'm back in the saddle again and hope to carry on strong until Christmas, after which I will probably cut back drastically on my work intake in anticipation of the arrival of our little bean (due date is February 7th, but he could come earlier and I don't want to have to take my laptop into the hospital with me!).

Love to all!

Update

2007-09-06T09:18:00.000+01:00

Hello again... just wanted to fill you in on the latest news. On Monday evening I started my weekly yoga classes for expectant mothers, which is a real blast. It's incredibly relaxing and we're learning breathing techniques, exercises to strengthen stomach and pelvis muscles (for a quick birth and a swift recovery), and tricks of the trade to avoid tearing, stretch marks, discomfort, etc. The instructor is a hippie lady with 3 kids of her own, very caring and kind and "earth-muffinish" (as my mom would say). The class is very small, only 5 of us, but two of the girls are repeat offenders and swear by this method - they both say that everyone at the hospital was asking them why they were so calm and marvelled at how quick their births were, and they chalk it up to the breathing techniques and preparation they received from this instructor, Ana. It's nice to have some contact with others who are in the same boat as I and get good advice.

Yesterday I visited my OB/GYN for a checkup and all appears to be in working order. We saw the little bean hopping around inside. It looks like we have a gymnast in the making! The doctor said he is fairly sure that it's a boy (Wahoo!) but the little guy was squirming around so much that it was difficult for him to get a good look. All the blood tests are back and everything is within normal range, so that's one less thing to worry about. The doc also prescribed a visit to a special lab to get a Doppler ultrasound, which checks out the baby's organ development and blood flow, and when you get one of those you can also opt for the 3-D ultrasound imaging. The best thing about this is that I managed to get an appointment for the week when my parents will be here, at the end of September, so they will get to enjoy this experience as well!

Finally, I went to see my "matrona" (the scary midwife) for another checkup this morning. Everything looks fine to her as well, and this time she was actually pretty nice - maybe I caught her at a bad moment the last few visits. I also told her about the yoga classes and the association, and she was really interested and asked me to keep her updated because she's heard a lot of success stories about people who did prenatal yoga and is interested in joining "El Parto es Nuestro." I think maybe her attitude is changing because she sees that I know what I want and I'm taking things seriously, healthy habits and research and such, and she's interested in information I have (which always softens people up a bit!). So score one point for the home team.

This month promises to be busy: translation work is pouring in, the American Women's Club starts up at the end of the month and I have to put out the first monthly newsletter, I have baby-related appointments up the wazoo, and my parents are coming. It's all positive activity, though, so as long as I can keep my calendar straight I'll be OK. The baby stuff is already trickling in... Manolo's mom just got back from a visit to her home in Uruguay and some of the relatives sent over booties and baby knick-knacks. We have to get cracking on the baby's room and buy something to store all the stuff in!

Lots of love to you all.

doulas, midwives and so much more

2007-08-23T09:36:00.000+01:00

I've been doing some interesting research on the health care system in Spain with regard to the birthing process. Apparently a lot of women are beginning to complain because Spain is one of the European countries with the highest rate of medicalized births as opposed to natural ones. They have one of the highest C-section rates in Europe, and hospitals regularly use a variety of procedures and drugs that are not necessary in most cases but help to speed up the process (I guess so the staff can get home sooner), such as forcibly breaking water, the administration of oxytocin to speed up dilation and epidural anesthesia, which effectively paralyzes you from the waist down during birth, the indiscriminate use of forceps to extract the child's head, and routine episiotomies (surgical incision to facilitate easier exit for the baby, which can result in infections and a variety of postpartum health problems for the mother - this is only practiced on 31% of women in the US, while the going rate in Spain is now around 80% despite repeated warnings from the World Health Organization). It all sounds pretty scary, but I've found a good association called El Parto es Nuestro (The Birth is Ours) which provides lots of information about hospital practices, scheduling interviews with hospital obstetricians to find out where they stand on certain sketchy practices, and preparing a "birth plan" to present to the hospital where you intend to give birth, outlining your wishes and preferences, which must legally be respected as long as there is no risk involved. The local chapter leader also gives prenatal yoga classes (like Lamaze classes), which I've signed up to begin in September. This class teaches you how to develop the muscles you will use during the birthing process to make it easier, breathing techniques and such, but the instructor also organizes monthly reunions with former students who share their experiences as well as special sessions for the future dads. This is really appealing to me because it will be a good way to get informed about my options and get help drawing up a birth plan, and also because the only alternative prenatal classes are offered at the local health centre by the scary midwife, who I am all to anxious to avoid. Looks like I'm going to have my hands full over the next few months! But I am glad I'm finding out all of this with plenty of time to spare so that I can make informed decisions without the pressure of time constraints.
I've also found contact information for a local doula and a few private midwives who coach expectant mothers and can be hired to assist in a home birth. It's nice to know this option exists, but I'm not sure that this is for me, for several reasons. 1 - Manolo would probably have a heart attack if I told him I wanted a home birth - he's scared enough about attending a hospital birth! 2- We live at least an hour from the nearest hospital with maternity/ neonatal care, so it would be risky if there were any complications. 3- I think my in-laws would try to get me admitted to a psychiatric ward if I chose this option, so I'd end up in the hospital anyway.

On the bright side, I went to pick up my results from a barrage of tests that they performed on me 2 months ago, and everything is perfectly normal - no anemia, no blood pressure problems, no bad cholesterol, etc. I was almost hoping I'd have a little anemia so that I could justify how tired I feel, but I guess that's just par for the course with pregnancies so I have to deal with it as best I can.
I'll keep you all updated on my information gathering. The first order of business is sending letters to all the hospitals that are available to me under the insurance policy, asking that they provide information about their obstetrics/ birthing protocols so I can see what to expect and what parts of their procedure I don't agree with. Then I schedule an interview with the hospital and present my birth plan to see if they are willing to respect it or if they have objections. I'm almost hoping that the birth goes so quickly that I won't even have time to get to the hospital and have to ward off zealous needle-pushing nurses and forceps-wielding doctors! Ah, the joys and trials of living abroad! Good thing I'm not the fainting type, eh?

long time no blog

2007-08-17T09:03:00.000+01:00

Hello folks!

Sorry I've been absent from the blog for so long. Getting back into the groove after vacation is sapping all of my energy, I guess. I've also been occupied with a rather sad event - my maternal grandmother, Marjorie Scott (who some of you know as Mimi) passed away a few weeks ago after a long battle with cancer. I was fortunate enough to be able to talk to her frequently in the weeks before she died, and although I wasn't able to physically be there I felt that somehow the connection was maintained thanks to the telephone. She was a brave and amazing woman, and I feel privileged to have had her for my grandmother. We will all miss her terribly, but in a way it is a relief to know that her trials and sufferings are over and that she is now resting with God.

My lovely Mimi with her first great-grandson, Anatole (my brother Ethan's son)

As soon as we got back from vacation, you may remember that we had a dinner with Manolo's gang - here are some good photos of the guys and gals:

Last weekend we popped over to Sagres, Portugal, which is the most south-westerly tip of Europe. Manolo's sister and her husband and little Juanito were vacationing there, so we drove over for a day of beach, wild waves and good food.

View of the impressive beach - popular with windsurfers

Windsurfing competition underway - right before our eyes! I wanted to sign up for an hour-long lesson (only 20 euros!) but the family vetoed me for the peanut's sake. Party poopers.

Whitey on the beach

Juanito having a temper tantrum - his horrible uncle snatched him just as he was about to roll down the cliff to the beach. Bad, bad Tito Manolo!!

In other news, Manolo's business is going very well now that he has broken ties with the franchise network. He's actually getting MORE clients now that he can offer more decent commissions; before he had to apply the franchise's table of commissions, which were very high, and now he can tailor the commissions to adjust to people's financial possibilities. His two employees are hard workers and are fully invested in making the business a success, which makes it possible for him to relax a bit and take time off when he needs it (or when I need him!). I thought August would be a quiet month for me, but it seems that there are still a lot of people needing translations done, even in mid-summer, so I've been keeping quite busy. Thankfully, this August has not been a scorcher in Seville, so we haven't been suffering too much. We even slept with a light blanket a few nights ago! (Those of you who've been here know how significant that piece of info is.)

My mom and dad are coming to visit at the end of September, and we can't wait to see them. I am especially looking forward to getting spoiled a bit - and no one does it better than Mom! Manolo's family is really looking forward to seeing them as well.

As far as my "carrier" status is concerned, I think I have expanded laterally but no outward bulge is apparent at this time. However, I have had to make the transition to more roomy clothes. I am currently at 15 weeks (next week will make an even 4 months) and I feel fine except for the occasional afternoon fatigue. The next doctor's visit is scheduled for September 4th, and I'll let you all know how it goes.

This weekend my friend Rosa is celebrating her 30th birthday at her family's summer home in Zahara de los Atunes - a lovely beach on the coast of Cadiz, about 2 1/2 hours from here by car. We'll be driving down on Sunday morning to have lunch and an afternoon swim with her and a small group of friends. I'm heading to the mall now to look for a birthday present for her - wish me luck!

Back on track

2007-07-31T20:17:00.000+01:00

We're officially back in the saddle again! We had a fantastic time on vacation in Galicia... you'll find photos below. We met some nice and strange people along the way, and we were joined in our last few days by a former co-worker and friend of Manolo's with his girlfriend (which I wasn't planning on, but it turned out OK after a little "discussion" with my husband about the protocol when inviting strangers to crash your romantic vacation). We were planning on ending our holiday with a leisurely drive, stopping at the halfway point to stay the night in some new and undiscovered corner of central Spain. However, by the time we had made it halfway we realized that we really just wanted to get home, so we switched places and drove the rest of the way, arriving home at 3 am on Friday morning. By the way, on Thursday I hit the three-month mark, so the ominous 1st trimester is safely completed.

On Friday, Manolo's gang of friends organized a dinner to get us all together, which was a wonderful time. It turns out that I am one of three pregnant wives in the group, so it was nice to not be the only one unable to drink wine or eat yummy jamón serrano (apparently there is a miniscule chance of getting some disease from eating cold cut meats, so the ham is out until I get tested for this mysterious ailment at some future point).

Anyway, the man himself just walked in the door and is HUNGRY, so I'm signing off for now....
let's see if I can manage to post the pictures in a more interesting format this time!

At a chiringuito (beachside bar/ restaurant) near the house where we stayed, after scarfing a yummy paella - and Manolo chowing down on the free steamed mussels we were given on a tour cruise of the Ria de Arosa.

Ah, I still can't get them to go where I want - ¡Sarita, ayuda! How come yours look so nice?

On holiday

2007-07-16T16:08:00.000+01:00

Hi again!

We arrived in Galicia yesterday after spending two nights in Lisbon. The weather here is wonderful, especially coming from the desert heat of Seville - we even have to wear jackets in the evening! The house that Manolo's friend has lent us is lovely, and the area is beautiful. I don't have a lot to tell, so I'll just post some pictures for you to peruse. The photos are an assortment from Lucia's birthday party last week (as promised), this past weekend in Lisbon and the house & beach here in O Grove (Galicia).

first baby picture

2007-07-03T20:23:00.000+01:00

I am SOOO happy to report that the gynecologist we chose is a wonderful, kind and serious doctor who made us feel welcome and explained everything in detail to our satisfaction. He also gave me the first sonogram and a chance to check out the chickpea - it actually looks more like a fish at this point, but it was fun to see my insides on camera and make sure that everything is moving along as it should. We even got a snapshot to take home, although I can't honestly say that I see anything other than a blot on the screen. Manolo and I both started laughing when the doctor pointed it out. Trust this silly pair to laugh at a moment when we should be getting all emotional and weepy, but it just seemed funny to us to imagine that the little blurb is what all this fuss is about. The cool thing is that the insurance company offers the new three-dimensional sonograms at a later date in the pregnancy, which I've heard is quite impressive.
Manolo was also very thrilled to discover that the doctor is Curro Romero's brother-in-law (for those of you who don't know, Curro Romero is a legendary bullfighter from a town just outside of Seville - his statue stands in front of the Seville bullring). Trust Manolo to pick up on the doctor's last name and ask him about it. Though I have to be fair and say that with all the society gossip shows on TV here, it's hard not to know who everyone and their dog is (and who they're dating to boot).
This weekend is Manolo's niece's birthday party at our house - I promise to post party pictures and document my sure-to-be-lame attempt at making a Barbie Cinderella birthday cake. Lucia knows exactly what she wants, so if it doesn't turn out right, I'm sure she'll let me know!
Hugs and kisses to all my loved ones far and near!

all the latest

2007-06-27T17:33:00.000+01:00

Let's see... this past week has been busy. I've had lots of work, Manolo's had lots of work. As far as the little bean goes, I've been calling the doctors listed in the insurance manual to get an appointment before we go on vacation the last two weeks of July (we're heading up north to Galicia, where a friend of Manolo's has offered us the use of his summer house - free lodging, whoohoo!!). I thought I was going to have to wait until August, but thankfully a nice assistant just made room for me next week, so I FINALLY have my first REAL doctor's appointment lined up. It'll be nice to not be greeted with scowls for a change (hopefully).

I will admit that I have felt a little queasy once or twice, but I just chalk it up to hunger and have a piece of fruit or yogurt. I feel like if I refuse to admit that I'm queasy, it will just go away - and it works, at least so far. Tomorrow I hit the 9-week mark. (Even though fewer weeks have probably passed since the actual conception date, doctors have their own way of calculating, I guess. I just take their word for it - baaahh.) I've come to terms with giving up my bad habit and am actually doing OK now. I've also come to terms with the fact that quitting means a few extra pounds, but I'm putting up a fierce fight with traipses around the countryside and healthy eating (ok, so I sneak a slice of pizza every once in a while, but only when the peanut wants some - I'm such a good mother that I can't say no!). I think this will probably be a good couple of months for me health-wise, as I kick myself into gear and get serious about not being a lazy couch potato. I'm actually having fun doing it, too.

We had Manolo's family over en masse on Saturday for a BBQ and pool dipping. The temperature climbed to around 45 degrees Celsius (113º for you Fahrenheiters) so all 15 of us were submerged in the water together, splashing around and having a good time. Manolo has told all of his caring, loving and slightly overconcerned relatives that until I get over the initial adjustment period, all enquiries and advice are to be communicated to him, who will in turn pass them along to me (what an amazing man!!) so they didn't come down too hard on me. I only got asked about baby names four times, which is a pretty good average. : ) I think I'll be more excited when I finally get to see an OB/GYN and hear about the baby's progress, when it becomes more real in my mind. I always was a stubborn one...

Ah, I promised better photos from my morning walks, so here are two of the famous sunflower fields (I included my hand so you can see how big some of the flowers are) and the equally famous solar plant. The UFO-like appearance in the picture is where the reflections of all the mirrors converge, and then they somehow shift that bright spot over to the tower to heat the water tank inside and generate power - we only get to see the alien spacecraft in the mornings, and only on certain days, but it certainly is a sight to behold! I've also included a boring snapshot of the lonely eucalyptus trees that mark the halfway point on my walks, just in case anyone wanted to see them (er...for lack of better material?).

what a day! (part two)

2007-06-21T08:26:00.000+01:00

Ok, so I left off with my visit to the lovely midwife. Once that wonderful time was over, she sent me to get an appointment for a barrage of tests with the lab and told me that I had to give blood for another test but that they couldn't do the labwork there. Ah, and I also had to get an appointment with the GYN. So, I waited in line to get my test appointment; I waited in line at the GYN door (you can't just call, because they only answer the phone between 12:30 and 2:00, and it just so happens that the line is always busy during that interval) to get an appointment - which she wrote down wrong and got peeved at me because I actually asked her to change it - and it isn't even until August; and then I figured, hey, why not get all of this out of the way and take care of that final blood test now? All of this while the work is piling up at home and every hour I waste running around is another hour I'll have to spend working this weekend in order to make my deadlines.

So, I scoot in to Virgen del Rocío Hospital, a mega-complex in the city. The closest parking space I could find was 30 minutes' walk away from the unit I had to visit. (At least I fulfilled the midwife's demand for a 1 hour walk every day.) I wandered around the hospital until I found the lab, figured out how to get a number (like the ones you grab at the meat counter in the supermarket) by asking two different people, and spent another 30 minutes waiting. Finally, it was my turn, so in I went to get the RH test. This test is supposed to determine whether your blood's RH factor is negative or positive, because I guess that if it's negative then they have to test your husband since there could be a problem... I didn't really pay too much attention because I know what my blood type is, and I know I don't have a negative RH factor, but for all the times I've had blood tests here for check-ups, never once have they bothered to record my blood type... sigh. They could save so much time and money if they just thought to do these things all at once, but that just wouldn't be as much fun. The nurse asked me for my "cartilla" which is like your health care card with a history of recent visits and tests done, only now that I'm pregnant I have my old booklet, a new booklet for appointments, and another colorful booklet for pregancy care... I just gave her one, hoping it would be the right one, but no such luck. I ended up handing over all three and telling her she could pick whichever one she liked best.

I hiked back to the car, stubbing my big toe along the way, running into baby carriages left and right that blocked my every move as I tried to maneuver my way along the sidewalk and glaring in a very un-expectant-mother-like way at the innocent babes (I should have glared at the mothers, but I was afraid they might glare back). Just as I reached the car, my cell phone started ringing as I juggled the keys, my bag of manuals and "cartillas," my waiting-room book and my purse, and of course as I finally fell into the car and answered the phone I smacked my head against the top of the car door frame. The first thing Manolo heard on the other end of the line was "OOOOOWWWWW!" Good thing it was him and not a client. Naturally, he got an earful of what an awful morning I was having (by this time it was 12:30 - the entire morning wasted, and no work done). Thank goodness he is patient and understanding and willing to put up with my occasional tirades against the system.

After calming down a bit, I went over to my old office where my friends Rosa and Esther still work, and since the boss was away I set up my laptop there and got a bit of work done. Then we headed over to another friend's apartment for lunch, which was a scrumptious mix of Portuguese and Brazilian cuisine (our friend Alysson is from Brazil and is an amazing cook; and in case you're wondering, Alysson is a guy - in Brazil Alysson is a man's name). Then another friend called and wanted to meet for coffee, so we all headed out to a nearby café (I had tonic with a twist of lemon - whoohoo!) and saw her. We finally split up at 6 and I drove back to Sanlucar, the town where we live, and tried to buy some pool products but the store's credit card machine was out of order and I didn't have any cash on hand, so I just left it and came home. Of course, by then it was 8 in the evening, so I had to start watering the plants and getting supper ready. Although I wasted the entire day (work-wise), it was good for me to be able to meet up with friends and take a break from the solitude of my country living, so at least half of the day was productive in a sense.
I went to the clinic again this morning for my appointment with the lab, but at least this time it was straight in and out!

We found out that because Manolo is a member of the Seville Bar Association (Colegio de Abogados) and pays a monthly insurance fee, he has a private health care policy that covers me as well. We're just waiting for the go-ahead date, which is July 1, to start lining up appointments, but at least this will mean going to doctors who actually pretend to care and not having to deal with that awful midwife. The best part, in my opinion, is that I won't have to go to Virgen del Rocio Hospital for delivery; I can go to either of the two private clinics in Seville that work with the insurance provider, which means a private hospital room. I never was very good at sharing. I may sound fussy, but I've been to visit people who have had their babies at the public hospital and it just seems so crowded and stuffy in the rooms - you've got another person 1 yard away from you, with all her family and friends crowded into the room, plus everyone who's come to visit you. I think I'll just want as much space as possible, so if there's a possibility of having a room to myself I'll jump at it. Everyone says that the public hospital is better and that it makes sense to go there because if you have any complications they'll transfer you there anyways, but I'd rather take my chances on everything going well and hope for the best - and if they have to send me to the public hospital, then I'll just grin and bear it.

Ok, now I SERIOUSLY have to get to work, or I'll be stuck in front of the computer all weekend. Thanks for sharing in my sadly comical adventures!

what a day!

2007-06-20T19:42:00.000+01:00

Today was a real corker. My plan was to go to my appointment with the matrona (midwife) at 9:15, out by 10 at the latest, and back home to work. Then I planned to meet some friends in the city at midday for lunch, and then back home to continue working.

HA! Thwarted, yet again.

For starters, the midwife didn't see me until 9:30 (which actually isn't that bad). This woman is a total harpy (I'm not exaggerating). She gave me three manuals to read (one 60 pages, the other 144), a list of daily and weekly exercises to do, rattled off a list of tests I have to get and specialists I have to see (of course, I didn't have time to write them all down) and then laid out her master plan. "You have to sleep at least 10 hours a night, brisk walk every day for at least 1 hour, set aside another hour for your pelvic exercises, eat something every three hours, take frequent 15-minute breaks to put your feet up and rest..." I drifted off as I tried to calculate how many hours this wonderful new schedule would leave me to actually work and do the things I have to do. Her coup-de-grace? "Just live normally, a normal life, don't get stressed out." Right. "Oh, and when you have toast for breakfast, make sure it's whole wheat bread fresh from the bakery, not that sliced stuff." My question: "Why?" "Oh, because it's SO much better for you." My answer: "Well, that may be, but I'm not getting up at 6am to drive 15 minutes into town to the bakery every morning so that I can eat toast made from fresh bread. I do weekly grocery shopping, not daily." She frowns and shrugs and says, "Well, you'll just have to buy it and freeze it." My eyes lit up as I contemplated the scrumptious possibility of soggy, half-frozen toast every morning for the next 8 months. I pointed out that the vast majority of people who live in the US and in many other countries do not buy fresh bread every day and indeed, do eat sliced bread, EVEN WHEN PREGNANT. So far as I know, sliced bread has not been proven harmful to pregnant women or their children. She didn't like that. But, then again, it was clear she didn't like me anyway, so not much lost.

Thankfully, I'll be moving to private health care so I won't have to see Smiley again any time soon. More in my next entry... today was too long to fit in one.

daily walks

2007-06-17T18:07:00.000+01:00

Since exercise is supposed to be good for you, especially when "expecting," I now stride purposefully across the fields behind our house to the lonesome clump of eucalyptus trees and back every morning. I took the camera today so you could share in some of the sights along the way. The most impressive view is of the recently constructed solar power plant, which generates energy using thermosolar technology (basically huge mirrors on the ground all reflect the sun's rays back onto a single point and heat a huge water tank in the tower, producing vapor which makes turbines move and thus generates electricity - I think). There are also panels that don't look like mirrors, so maybe the plant mixes thermosolar and photovoltaic methods. At any rate, it's interesting to watch, especially on a sunny day when the spot where all the mirrors' reflections converge looks like a UFO hovering in our backyard! If you want more photos or information on this fascinating plant, go to http://www.solucar.es/ (there's a button you can click to switch to English).

The crops planted this year appear to be barley and sunflowers. I didn't get a good shot of the sunflowers, although they are quite beautiful so I'll try again some other day. We do have lots of livestock around here, including a herd of goats that come through our housing development every day on their way to graze and stop to trim everyone's hedges. The best sight so far, however, is the thoughtfulness of this local sheepfarmer, who obviously knows how hard it is for sheep to eat all their food before it goes cold:

Hmm... I love country living. You won't see sheep heating up their coffee in the city, that's for sure! I think the idea was inspired by the arrival of the solar plant.

Yesterday was the christening of Manolo's niece, Carlota (Charlotte in English). The church ceremony was very nice, although the sound system was bad so no one understood what the priest was saying (but since the ceremony is always the same in the Catholic church everyone already knew what he was saying). The proud parents invited everyone to a light catered lunch afterwards, which lasted until around 6 pm, and then Manolo and I headed home. We were both so tired that we fell asleep as soon as we reached the house, which is really strange considering that we usually don't go to bed until 12 or 1am! Here's a picture of the christening...

That's all for now... not much more to report on the baby front. More later!

trip to Madrid

2007-06-15T18:36:00.001+01:00

This blogging thing is more addictive than I had anticipated... I'll have to be careful and make sure that my work doesn't suffer because of my blogging!

I'm now on the train back to Seville from Madrid after a successful and relaxing visit. I met with my best client today, a translation agency run by two French women who are absolute sweethearts; we did the business lunch thing, but á la Spanish - namely, at a funky restaurant on the outdoor terrace in the sun and eating at a very relaxed pace. It was nice to finally put faces to names and reinforce our working relationship.

Yesterday I visited a couple of galleries participating in PHotoEspaña and saw their exhibitions. It was nice, since I've been translating texts about a lot of the artists involved and I wanted to see the actual artwork I'd been writing about. I ate lunch at a nice little tavern (taverns here are mostly respectable eateries, not beerhalls, in case any of you were worried) where the waitress gave me three scrumptious tapas with my Diet Coke and only charged me 2 euros!!! In the late afternoon, I took a walk through the Royal Botanical Gardens. If you've never been there and you ever have the chance, it's a beautiful place to visit, especially for lovers of plants and trees. I'll post something about it when I get home. Anyway, I think it did me a world of good to just wander around under the shade of those ancient trees, reading the identifying placards and mulling over this whole pregnancy thing. I admit I haven't been very positive about it and I've been looking at it from the wrong perspective. Instead of focusing on everything I have to give up and how "boring" things have become, I needed to sit back and look at things from a fresh and more positive angle. Those of you who know me will remember that I've never been much of a "kid" person, so that has made it kind of hard to come to grips with all that is now looming on the horizon. But I've made a conscious decision to be excited about it, and look for something "glad" in every aspect of my new like, like Pollyanna. I feel much more enthused and less irritated now, so I guess my introspection did some good!

First doctor's visit,

2007-06-14T07:50:00.000+01:00

Well, for all of you who aren't familiar with how health care works in Spain, I'll provide a brief outline. Spain is based on a model of social welfare, which in this case means that health care is free to all Spanish citizens and residents. Everyone who works here has to pay a pretty high social security quota every month, but it eliminates the need to deal with private health insurance and ensures that you'll get excellent medical attention whenever you need it. Political debates aside, I'm quite happy with how things work here... although the Spanish notion of time does make for a more interesting experience.

My first appointment was on Monday morning. I visited my primary care physician, who is a very serious and very competent woman, and she shipped me over to the nurse's station to get a test confirming the diagnosis. I went to the station she told me, but it turned out that only one nurse handles my doctor's patients and she had moved across the builidng. So, I went across the building and found Nurse Amalia. We spent at least 10 minutes trying to figure out how they had registered my name in the computer so that she could open up a new file for me. Since everyone here has one first name, two last names and rarely a middle name, mine poses a rare challenge to computers. I finally asked if she could just look me up using my SS number, and that option worked. (Turns out they had me registered as Brooke Jerry Deirdre??) Anyway, she was finally able to do the test, confirm that it was positive, and send me back across the building to my doctor again. I got the usual vitamin prescripions and advice about taking care of myself (but not going overboard or being paranoid). I was in the health center for about 90 minutes, between waits and running back and forth, which really isn't that bad - sometimes I've had to wait that long just to get into my first appointment. I've learned that it's best to ask for the earliest possible time (if the doctor begins work at 10, ask for an appointment at 10 or soon after) because the later it gets, the more behind the doctors fall. The problem is that the system only allows them 8 minutes per consult, which is fine for someone renewing prescriptions or with an easily solved problem, but a lot of patients need (or take up) more time, obviously, so they inevitably fall behind as the day progresses. But hey - it's free!
I'm now on the high-speed train to Madrid for meetings with some of my top clients. Thanks to this wonderful mobile modem, I can be connected to the internet practically anywhere, even on a moving train! Modern technology is amazing. I also plan to visit a few art exhibitions while in the city, things that I've been working on translating and sound too interesting to pass up. It will be nice for me to get away and just spend some time with myself (and no one in Madrid knows I'm pregnant so I won't have anyone fussing over me - this is what I'm finding hardest to deal with at the moment. Well, that and the fact that quitting smoking is making me gain back all the weight I worked so hard to shed - GRRRRR!).

More in the next installment!

Inkling confirmed

2007-06-12T18:00:00.000+01:00

Well, ladies and gentlemen, in a twinkling (or tinkling?) the inkling became an incontrovertible fact... a Sánchez-Jerry is on the way!
The surprise was confirmed on Friday, June 8 in the wee hours of the morning. After a brief debate about what two lines mean, we re-read the instructions and figured out that it was positive. I was hoping we'd get the test I saw Apu and his wife use on the Simpsons, with the slot machine images popping up in the windows, but no such luck...
We're a bit surprised since this was only the first month of trying (I remembered your comment, Liz!) but I guess we shouldn't be - at least I know that my years of struggling with wide hips have an explanation.
I've had to give up my last nasty habit, of course, which I wasn't ready to do. Then again, I probably never would have given up the smokes if not for a VERY good reason, and I think this is probably as good as it gets. So pity me as I spend my days clawing the walls, fighting my bad mood and trying to keep my mouth shut (as Thumper says, if you can't say sumpin' nice, don't say nuttin' at all). But don't pity me too much - I have a lot to be happy about, after all, and I'm sure the tobacco effects will wear off soon!

This is my first attempt at a blog, but I thought it might be a good way to keep everyone around the world updated as things progress. I'll try to include funny pictures and anecdotes to make you laugh, and I hope this will allow any of you who would like to see me pregnant and can't to at least participate in the virtual universe.