My not-really-yoga classes

7 months pregnant

I feel enormous, and I'm ready for this pregnancy to be over. But I'm measuring and weighing exactly the same as at this point with Gabe, but without that hideous cough, so I guess I should be happy. And at my dr's appt yesterday I had only gained .5 pound a week for the last 5 weeks! I was very happy about that.

In my attempts to stay in shape, stay relaxed, and mostly meet other moms, I had been searching and searching for a yoga class for pregnant women, and thought I had finally found one. Only when I showed up, it was all women over the age of 60. The instructor assured me we all have the same physical requirements so I would be fine. All the pregnant girls go at night and this was a morning class. Oh, and then she also revealed that although she is a yoga instructor, she actually things yoga poses are bad for the body and she doesn't like it so really it's a therapeutic exercise class. um, ok. I decided to swallow my hesitations and even though it created a mess with babysitting, etc, to try the night class because more than exercise I was looking for community - other moms of babies to play with in the park, etc. I also signed up for her preparation for labor class - once a week for 4 weeks - same reasoning.

I have to say the only way to get through it is to think about it comically. First, the exercise class is a joke. We just stretch, and LAY ON OUR BACKS for long periods of time. The first time I abstained (in the old lady class) and she totally called me to task in front of the whole class and told me it was a lie that pregnant women shouldn't lay on their backs. ok. then I started the labor prep class. I didn't bring pen and paper to take notes so she very snippily gave me some. Then she sits at the front of the class and recites very slowly what she has to say so that we can note down word for word her information. Um, if you want me to have your exact words why don't you just make me a photocopy??? She also told us that we can't swim because we could get bacteria from the pool, and that if we had certain problems with our pregnancy, to call HER, and she'll tell us whether we need to contact the doctor. oh, and the doctor knows if we need an epidural or pain relievers or not, so don't ask for them or contradict his opinion in any way. Oh, and it's selfish to ask to hold your baby as soon as it's born, the nurses need to clean and review him first and they'll pass him to you when it's the correct time. and...I could go on.

Needless to say, she brings out the rebelious in my personality. I prompty left and signed up for an aquagym class. Which is also all women over the age of 65 that really go to talk (seriously, I'd say 30% of the women are even attempting to exercise) but I absolutely love it. I can do things however light or strenuous I want, and my belly weighs NOTHING in the water! And the old ladies LOVE my pregnant belly and are super friendly and even invited me to lunch today!

Now I have to tell her that I'm not coming back for the second month of classes...I don't think she'll mind, she doesn't seem to like me much anyway!

Babybook Help!?!

One of my current goals is to finish Gabe's babybook before the 2nd child arrives. As of a month ago I had finished up to about 2 weeks of his life, so it is taking a LOT of time to catch it up, time I'd rather spend on fun new crafty projects.

I bought a basic album, like a scrapbook album that I could put anything in. Then I bought a set of basic babybook pages such as the one below where you bsaically just fill in the blanks:
At first, I was trying to be super creative and create fantastic spreads with adorable baby pictures. But they really weren't that cute and it was taking me FOREVER. So then I just divided all the pictures by month, printed out anything interesting I had written about Gabe on my blog that month, and created really basic collages such as the one below.

This is going much faster and I think if I didn't have 2 years to catch up, wouldn't be so overwhelming. For special occasions, such as first birthday, I tried to create more interesting (read: labor intensive) pages.

(This page looks so simple now that I uploaded the picture, but it seriously took me over an hour to compile)

Part of my problem though, is I don't know when I'm done??? His first year? His first two years? When I get too bored/distracted and give up? And what system should I use for baby #2??

So please, dear blog readers, tell me what you do for babybooks, what worked well or not, and how long I have to keep this up!

WOO HOO!!!

I just got the following email:

*** DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS E-MAIL ***
The last processing action taken on your case
Receipt Number: WAC**********
Application Type: I130 , IMMIGRANT PETITION FOR RELATIVE, FIANCE(E), OR ORPHAN
Current Status: Approval notice sent.
On August 20, 2009, we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I130 IMMIGRANT PETITION FOR RELATIVE, FIANCE(E), OR ORPHAN. Please follow any instructions on the notice. If you move before you receive the notice, call customer service.
If you have questions or concerns about your application or the case status results listed above, or if you have not received a decision from USCIS within the current processing time listed*, please contact USCIS Customer Service at (800) 375-5283.
*Current processing times can be found on the USCIS website at http://www.uscis.gov/ under Case Status and Processing Dates.*** Please do not respond to this e-mail message.
Sincerely,
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

**************************
and we got it in under 3 months, for my spouse or orphan...

Don't cry for me Argentina....

Weekend of Festivities

Last weekend we celebrated all weekend long.

Mario initially told me "I don't want to have a party, let's just go spend the weekend with Paco and Alicia." ok. About Wednesday it evolved to "how about we invite a few friends over for cake on Friday night. Just cake, nothing else." sure, I can make a cake. Thursday sometime he comments "maybe we should have cake and one other dessert, just so there's enough." no problem. Friday morning he calls me "I was thinking you could make make that crab dip I really like and serve it with crackers, just to have something savory. but nothing else." ingredients for crab dip acquired. Friday night when he gets home from work "I'm worried people will be hungry, so I bought a bunch of soda and chips and how about I order some pizzas?" It's your birthday, whatever you want baby!!

So Friday night we had a very casual, but with lots of food, gathering with our friends. We started playing a modified version of Taboo, and were quickly screaming and having a riot. It's amazing that Gabe never woke up!!

The women's team, which technically won.

The men's team, which claimed victory due to a technicality.

Then Saturday, as previously planned, we headed to Santa Fe where Paco prepared a MOST DELICIOUS asado for us. Mario discovered the real secret to preparing the meat has everything to do with the right tools...starter cubes for the fire, "asado" salt for the meat, a state-of-the-art barbeque that sucks up all the smoke without leaving the room cold, and some cool utensil thing for serving the meat straight off the grill and onto the plates - one-handed.

I made cake to take with us but made Mario take a picture with it before we left b/c I didn't think it would survive the trip. Can anyone tell me how to get cream cheese frosting how to set up stiff enough to decorate with??

Gabe is sampling the "cream"

We all played croquet on the lawn, and Gabe loved having lots of space to run around and Pilar's playhouse.

and Pilar got Mario to dress up like a magician and pull a bunny out of a hat (which she previously drew and stuffed into the hat for him. I appreciate her sense of preparedness!)

Gabe really enjoyed all of Pilar's toys, especially dressing up as a "'posa" (mariposa = butterfly).

Then Sunday was Dia del Niño, or Kid's Day. So after church Pilar and Gabe got special presents. Gabe got a kids golf set (now I get my kitchen spatulas back) which he loved for the whole 48 hours he had it before he took it to the glass doors on the entertainment center and smashed one. Now he gets to look at the clubs on a high shelf in his room and contemplate his actions for a few days.

And Tia Alicia also surprised him with LOTS of Play-Doh!!! He is thrilled, I'll try to remember to be thankful that you can't break things with Play-Doh.

We all had so much fun we think we might go back this weekend!

I Love To See the Temple

A week ago Friday we had the priveledge of going to the temple to witness Pilar being sealed to Paco and Alicia. For those not of my faith, when we are married in the temple we are married not just for time, but for all eternity. Children born into such a marriage are consequently sealed for all eternity to their parents. Pilar is the beautiful love child of Paco and Alicia that was biologically born to another mother and adopted by Paco and Alicia. Thus there is a small ceremony to seal Pilar to her parents for all eternity. It was lovely, and not just the part where we left Gabe at home and spent the day with adults!
I made Pilar a sweet little all white dress to wear in the temple using the fantastic flowers Cecelia taught me how to make, but I'm a dork and didn't get a single picture. It was a COLD day so Pilar was already changed into more winter approriate clothing by the time we got outside.



It was a lovely day, made all the better by the fact that when I got home the babysitter had Gabe fed, changed into pijamas, the house clean, and had even DONE LAUNDRY!!!

Azcuy's = Great Friends

Argentine's only kind of celebrate Valentine's Day, and they definitely don't make Valentine's to distribute to all their school friends. The don't celebrate St. Patrick's Day (lack of Irish immigrants??) barely Halloween (unless you are in my close circle and then it is obligatory) or really even their own Independence Day. However, July 20th is "Friends Day" in Argentina and they ALL celebrate friends day. For a society that doesn't generally plan much in advance, if you don't make a reservation a month in advance you won't get into a restaurant.

It was very fitting that our wonderful friends the Azcuy's were visiting us on July 20th! Since they moved back to Cordoba we have missed them tremendously. They stopped through on the way to Buenos Aires and on the way back where they had to update their kids passports in the embassy, and in our approximately 36 hours together:

Mario and Adan confirmed they are soul brothers.




















Cecilia and I talked and laughed and she taught me how to make the coolest fabric flowers and empañadas arabe, which are easy and delicious.















Their two oldest kids Augustina and Tomas were wonderful and played brilliantly with Gabe.

And they accompanied us to a gathering of other Rosario friends to celebrate Friend's Day.

We promised them a trip to Cordoba to visit as soon as it isn't so freaking cold there!

We love you Azcuy's!