Get your Party Shoes On!

Ok, so let's talk about shoes. I have never been one to go shopping, to buy compulsively, or impulsively, unless we are talking about thrift stores, Crossroads, or Buffalo Exchange, and I usually keep my buying to a limit. However, in the last few weeks, though I have no where to go, I am buying shoes as if I had a party each night of the week!
Now this is completely unlike me, not only am I buying on a whim, but I am buying things that are completely unpractical! I have spent $280 pesos on two pairs of shoes, that, if I am lucky, I might be able to wear 5 times each. Here is why. They are party shoes! They are high heeled colorful, shiny party shoes, only problem is, I am pregnant, which means that in a matter of weeks my feet will surely begin to swell and I will most likely be going barefoot for the most part of the summer, not to mention that I won't even be able to fit into a party dress to accompany my party shoes, let alone stay up late enough to go to a party! What was I thinking!?!?!
Maybe you can tell me...

They are so stinking cute, I just couldn't pass them up, which means I am going to wear them, even if it is only to the corner store and around my house, by god, I will wear them!

Mommy and Baby Connection

On Monday morning I awoke with a slight headache, the kind that you would typically have after indulging in too much wine, though I don't have that excuse to blame it on because I haven't had a glass of wine in months now.
As I started my day, I began thinking to myself, "Should I try my luck at a finding a massage therapist again?" I haven't had such good luck here, either their nails are long and cut into my skin, they don't know that soft touch actually tickles more than relaxes, and that hard touch does not mean using your fists. I suppose that they are required to do a different sort of training, perhaps of the less rigorous sort, either that or I am extremely spoiled by having a mother as an exceptional masseuse.
Then I remembered that I have always thought about trying Reiki. I have always been curious how it compared to Ayurvedic marma work, and so I imediately took the decision to call and make an appointment for Monday afternoon. Upon arriving to Miriam's house, the Reiki master, I learned that as a pregnant woman there is actually very little Reiki work that I am allowed to have performed on me, as energy work goes too profoundly into the consciousness of the person being worked on, and can therefore be traumatic to the fetus. So, of the three tiers of symobols, Miriam was only allowed to use a few symbols from the first two tiers and none from the third. We decided that, because I don't suffer from any extreme illness or emotional imbalance, that we would work mostly with two symbols, peace and love, to begin building a relationship between mommy and baby. As I slipped in and out of a deep relaxation and a meditative state, the most amazing vision came forth.
With Miriam's hand placed just above my belly, I began seeing myself swimming in the ocean with my infant child. We were swimming as though we were dolphins amongst all of the tropical and beautifully colored fish...As we swam and smiled, I kept pointing out amazing fish to my baby, each time smiling more and giggling with excitement.

It wasn't until after my session that I sat to fully process this vision, and here is what I came up with:

The ocean, for me, represents one of the most serene and peaceful environments to be in. I believe I love no other landscape more than the salty sands of the ocean and it's tides. I am also an Aquarius, the water bearer. My due date, supposedly, is February 16th, also Aquarius, however, many times I have sensed that the baby will come a bit late. If he or she arrives just a few days later, he or she will be born a Pisces, the sign of the fish. So as we swam in the tranquil waters of my bearing, I was pointing out the beautiful fish, swimming as though we were one of them.

Feels like Spring!!!

After what I would these days refer to as a "long night," (we went to bed around 2:00am) we woke up at 6:30am thanks to our loving and yet obnoxious cat, Octubre, begging for food and affection. We decided to "put all our batteries in," as they say in Argentina, and take advantage of the clear morning sky to take the doggies to the beach! It is the first time we have taken all three of them at the same time, and oh did they have fun!

They chased each other, they chased their tails, they chased flying sticks into the river, they even ate from the disgusting trash that had washed up on the shoreline overnight, and after an hour, they were still not tuckered out...but we were. The beach began filling up with upstanding dog owners, you know, the ones with pure breeds on leashes, and we decided to call it a day for our raucous makers.
We bathed them and feed them like good parents do and then headed for home...(the two in the background of this picture are the guard dogs for Claudio's warehouse, and the one that appears in the foreground is our little lady)

These are the days we are thankful to have a truck, though the stench is still with us even after having taken a shower...hehe.

Today has turned into one of the most beautiful days of the year so far, the plants are all budding with spring, the birds are chirping, there is not a cloud in the sky, the sun is shining and the breeze is just enough to remind you that it is not yet spring, but almost.

So, after awaking from a loooooooong late morning, or before noon (instead of afternoon) nap, I told Claudio of my dream while I prepared a fresh beet greens salad that was to be gratefully consumed on the back patio while we bathed ourselves in the welcomed shining sun.
I had dreamt that I was sitting with my unborn son in the future, yes a little boy. I told Claudio, (in my dream) that I was watching myself, as if in a movie, sitting with our son in the future and that I was sure I was pregnant with a baby boy that had hair exactly like Claudio's.

We both reiterated that it doesn't really matter the sex of the baby, as long as it is healthy, though with each day I am feeling more and more the intuition of a little boy.

After clearing the table, we took a few pictures of my current state, 14 weeks, for all of you family viewers at home.

Hope you enjoy them!

p.s. I made this dress, just in case you were wondering...

"I nearly fainted"

Last night Claudio and I went for our first ultrasound. The appointment was scheduled for 7:15pm. I was to arrive having had at least one liter of water and not having urinated for at least 2 hours, something that is bordering on impossible for me. By the time our names were called, it was 5 minutes past 8. It had been two and a half hours since I had gone to the bathroom. I don't know if my bladder has ever been so filled to the brim in all of my life. We entered the small office, darkened so as to see the plasma flat screen image better. The doctor told me to make myself comfortable, laying on my back, facing the eye in the sky. Claudio, at my side, hand in mine, the doctor squirted the gel used for these types of occasions, (hehe and others) and began taking pictures of our young one. Suddenly, the doctor said, "are you sure you don't want to go to the bathroom, just a bit, you have enough piss in there to give away!" I laughed and replied that I had been holding so long that if I started, I may not be able to stop, so that we should just continue.
First he showed us imagines of the baby's profile, it's heart, the developing organs, then the bones, and spine and ears. He/She officially measures 7.4 centimeters, or 2.9 inches. So tiny!!!
He showed us the placenta which is already in place, and my amionic fluid, and said that at this stage of pregnancy, I am exactly where I need to be, though a more thourough ultrasound will be done at 24 weeks, which will confirm that everything is exactly the way it is suppose to be. It is still to early to make declarations about health and development, though I am healthy and feel fantastic, so I am not worried about a thing.
It was a moment I will never forget for the rest of my life. Hearing the little heart beat, seeing it flutter on the face of a television screen, it all just seemed too surreal.
After alliviating my race horse of a bladder, I thanked the doctor, who told me I could pick up the photos and a detailed report of his analysis on Thursday.
As we were leaving the hospital, Claudio confessed, "I nearly fainted in there." I responded, "I nearly broke down into tears." We laughed and thought seriously about how the hell we will get through the hours of labor that await us...him sprawled out on a gurney next to me after having fainted at the sight of blood, and me in a pool of my own happy tears, hands, of course, reached out to eachother and clasped in something short of vice grip.

"I'm in Buenos Aires until Saturday."

Last Friday I awoke to an email titled, "Trip to Buenos Aires." Tami, my Mexican sister, was due to be arriving the following Tuesday to film the latest craze in reality shows. She was chosen as a contestant to compete against other athletes in a Mexican version of, I believe it is called, "Wipe Out." Some of you know and love Tami as much as I do, however, for those of you who don't, here is the brief breakdown of how I came to have a Mexican sister.
During my freshman year of high school, a representative from a foreign exchange program spoke to our Spanish class about hosting an exchange student. I gladly forged my mother's name and returned the slip stating that she would "love" to host a female student in the coming year. I, forgetting that I had even done this, then left for nearly the entire summer to South Carolina. While I was there my mother received a phone call announcing that her new daughter would be arriving shortly and wanted to arrange an appointment to see the apartment and go over the guidelines. Of course, infuriated, my mother called me long distance to scream about all of the reasons there was no way we could possibly host an exchange student. I begged and pleaded, pulling out all of my manipulative weapons of mass destruction, finally convincing her to say yes. So, upon my return to Las Vegas, we met Tami. She lived with us during her entire senior year of high school and my entire sophomore year. She quickly became one of the family in every way imaginable, and after the year was through, my mother looked at me, teary eyed and sad to see Tami go, she said, "Thank you, that was the best thing we could have possibly done for our family." To this day, Tami is still, and will always be, my sister.

When reading about her arrival, I immediately arranged to make a trip to Buenos Aires to see her during her only free day.
Mommy and baby's first trip alone!
We took the bus from Rosario at 7am, and arrived to the bustling bus station in Buenos Aires 4 hours later where we then took a taxi to the center of the city. After meeting up, we walked through the busy streets, talking and catching up in ways we were perhaps unable to in March when I saw her only briefly in Las Vegas.
I took her to see the cementery where Eva Peron (Evita) is tombed, a cemetery for those of you that don't know it, is much more like a miniature city for the dead.
From there we wandered the streets, loosing ourselves both in direction and in conversation, until we finally stumbled upon a nice restaurant where we each ate delicious ricotta and veggie filled crepes, accompanied by rice pudding.
With full tummies and worn out feet, we drifted our way back to her hotel room, where Tami presented me with a bag full of my favorite Mexican goodies, (the lime and chili mangoes are my favorite!!!) I struggled to save just one piece for Claudio so he too could be sample the decadence, however, he truly lacked the appropriate appreciation when he nearly gagged saying it was absolutely the most disgusting candy he had ever tasted. "Great! One more for me!" I responded.
So, after 6 hours in Buenos Aires, the city where, though I have been robbed at gun point and stolen from blindly, the city I fall a bit more in love with it each time I go, we, (the baby and I) took a cab back to the bus station catching the 5 o'clock bus back to Rosario where Claudio was waiting to meet us 5 hours later, yes 5 hours, though it should have only been 4, but, as always, there was a labor strike that cut major roadways. He took me to my favorite restaurant where we celebrated 34 months of being married and sleepily drove home to crash almost immediately, after our long day adventure to the big city.

It has been a long time...

Man! Time goes by so quickly! I have been so busy making lovely lovely things, that I have ignored all you all for at least a week, and for that I am truly sorry!

So, let this be the well deserved and hopefully long awaited update.

12 weeks!!!
I am officially exiting the first trimester! My unborn baby's face is looking very human, with a tiny nose and chin. He/She is about 3 inches long and weighs about 2 ounces. Our young one can now flex and extend their fingers and sexual differentiation is apparent!

After procrastinating for 2 months, I finally went to the doctor on Monday. His name is Ramon Gorina and I like him! He came highly recommended and in the 15 minutes that we met, I think he just might live up to the his reputation. He wrote me an order for blood work and my first ultrasound which I have yet to perform, but have no fear, I will do it in the coming week.

I actually vomited for the first time the other day!!! In fact, the day I entered my 12th week, I woke up in the morning, ate breakfast, felt fantastic, drank tea, and as soon as the tea touched my lips, I had to quickly race to the bathroom toilet...A complete waste of mango and kiwi, sacred scarce fruits in these parts. The first time I have prayed to the porcelain goddess without being inebriated or feverish! hehe

Well besides growing a little pooch, Here is some of my newest finished projects! 3 receiving blankets and a thick faux fur lined cozy blanket...
They were really fun to make. All I did was find some fabrics that I liked, and cut two pieces the same size (one meter squared) and then I folded the edges over, ironed them, and hemmed them right up.

Now this one came out kinda ugly but I love her anyway! The tutorial was fantastic and there was even a pattern, but me being hard headed, of course I just did it my own way, no pattern, no measurements...
After three hours of sewing by hand, I grew impatient, whereby skipping several details, and perhaps rushing the embroidered face...

Hence the problematic nose..hehe
She is not nearly as cute as the ones on the tutorial, but, well, like I said, I love her anyway.