Peru part 1

Hola a todos from Peru!  It has been a super fun 2 weeks.  I'll start out with my current pregnancy pic, 16 weeks plus a couple of days:

So, there is a baby growing away in there!  I also am pretty sure I felt it move the last few days, not a lot, but just a little.  They say the thinner you are the sooner you will feel the baby move and even today when I was laying down, Patsy came over and we both some my stomach moving once in a while, so who knows!  And yes, I'm in front of a clothes line here, we wash and dry our own clothes, even though it is super cold here at night, it is still relatively dry!!

Anyway, Peru is beyond amazing!!  Here are some pics of Machu Picchu, it was built by the Incans in the 1400s, but no one really knows what the purpose was.  Hiram Bingham discovered it in 1911 and sent off the pottery and other crafts to Yale University, where they are still held today.  However, you can see that there were temples and houses.  Theories say it was either a fortress (but they didn't really need protection) or a sacred domain, but no one is sure.  The Spaniards never found it, so today it still remains and as such, there are no cathedrals or religious crosses in sight!  If you're ever interested in reading about the Incans, there's a lot of information and it is fascinating!!!!!

Here is a picture of my esteemed travel companion, Patsy Hansel.  This is right when we entered Machu Picchu.  2 whole weeks together and not even one fight, lol!   

And one last picture of me by the fountain in Ollaytaytambo, part of the Valle Sagrado, the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

All in all, things have been great.  We have another week of classes next week, 2 hours of practice, where we walk around and speak in Spanish the whole time, learning about Cusco and everything else and 2 hours of grammar, which Patsy and I finished in 2 days... our grammar teacher is supposed to have prepared some stories or plays for us to read instead.  We just weren't getting anything out of the grammar books. 

Sorry it's been so long since I updated, I didn't want to post anything without pics.  Please keep the baby, me and Patsy in your thoughts and prayers.  In 2 weeks, I'll be on a plane back to sunny AZ!

Off to Perú & 14 weeks along!

Well, this will be my last post from los estados unidos for a month! I leave for Perú Saturday morning and I am very excited and very anxious! Here's a pic of me at 14 weeks - I am wearing the maternity shirt that my mom bought me (among several others) from Ross. Yes, Ross has a maternity section and they have some pretty cute and very reasonably priced stuff. I love this shirt!

And above is my side profile.  This shirt is "flowy" (that would be "floja" in Spanish), so if I am sitting or from a distance I don't think I look too pregnant, but there is a belly growing under there! 

I had a lovely dinner with Ryan, Dr. Garcia and Alvaro, (who also has a doctorate and is a professor, but I've only ever heard him called Alvaro,) at Contigo Perú, which is a really great Peruvian restaurant in Mesa.  I even ate some steak meat and rice and we had some awesome ice cream - helado de lucoma, I don't think I spelled that fruit right, but it was amazing and Patsy and I will definitely be ordering it in Cusco!!  And for those of you that don't know, that Disney movie, The Emperor's New Groove was in Cusco and that's where we will be studying and living in Perú!! 

Travis is doing well, he has his first olympic triathlon this weekend on Sunday, the 16th.  It's the Tempe International triathlon.  He'll do great, though, he's been training like crazy!  We are definitely going to miss each other and it's hard because I don't even have an address to give him yet, but I will be emailing with contact information shortly after I arrive.  But it's a great opportunity and I am really thankful to be able to go and to have a husband that is encouraging me to go.  Although I only wanted to go for 3 weeks, Trav pushed me to go for 4.  I always bring that up whenever he says he'll miss me, LOL  :) 

The altitude is supposed to be crazy high, which it is.  The altitude is 11,203 ft. (3395 m) above sea level. The annual average temperature is 52ºF/11ºC.  So I have to take it really easy the first 24 - 48 hours b/c there is a lot of altitude sickness and it's higher than the highest city in the U.S., Leadville, Colorado which is around 10,500 ft.  CRAZY!!  And only bottled water for me! 

Otherwise, please keep me and the baby in your prayers and thoughts!!  I am praying for a healthy and safe and educational trip!!  Luckily I am going down with Patsy Hansel, a gal from the ASU program, so I am VERY thankful for her!!  Also, pray that Travis remembers how to unload the dishwasher, just kidding...  but that he does well with training and that he does okay down here by himself! 

I'll keep you all posted from Cusco I hope!   Have a great weekend!!

Baby is ahead of schedule!!

Well, our little baby is 3 days growth ahead of schedule!  But that will probably even out as the pregnancy progessess.  However, we are a fast paced family, so we're glad the baby's keeping up already!  Here are some more ultrasound pics:

And yes, although we're only 12 weeks and 6 weeks along in development, the male organ starts to protrude and elegate at 12 weeks, so we have this picture as well.  The doctor and the u/s tech are fairly positive that it's a boy, but they made me promise not to be "certain" until our next u/s, which is June 16th, right when I get back from Peru.  So we may be expecting a baby boy!  The baby was flipped over perfectly, so we got a good shot of between the legs.  I don't think I'll be referencing the baby's down there parts too much more during his/her life, but who knows.

Other than that, I was pretty sick today.  I think I ate something bad last night b/c I was up at 3:30 am throwing up, then at 7, then 4 times at the doctor's office.  My bladder was empty b/c of that, so the u/s tech pushed, jabbed, shook (and did everything else imaginable to) my stomach since I didn't have any fluids in me.  The first time we saw him/her, he/she was just hanging out, facing the camera and actually waving to us.  Well, he/she was just moving his/her arms, but I think it was definitely waving! 

Well, I have my final presentation tomorrow, so I need to get going and working on that.  After that, only 1 big paper and 1 big exam to get done.  And then, PERU!!!!

12 weeks! (And bilingual baby Bible!)

From babycenter.com: "Your uterus has grown to the point where your healthcare provider can now feel the top of it (the fundus) low in your abdomen, just above your pubic bone. You may already be into maternity clothes, especially if this isn't your first pregnancy. If you're still fairly small and not yet ready for maternity clothes, you've no doubt noticed that your waist is thickening and that you're more comfortable in loose, less restrictive clothing."

Here's me at 12 weeks - I swear I am not pushing anything out at all, but I will say that I ate more for dinner tonight than usual, so I don't think that's all baby...  I did do some checking though and depending on your size/weight/build, even in your first pregnancy, you can start showing at just 10 weeks.  Still thinking that's more pregnancy bloat than baby/uterus.

And I am actually modeling my old navy maternity shirt and old navy maternity tank top.  I will be bringing the skirt to Peru for sure!  I also have it in black - thanks, Bethany, for the great shopping stores recommendation!  Here's me at 8 weeks, slightly more "scandolously dressed" (not my best pic, lol).  Don't ask me why... 

I went to the Christian bookstore with my aunt and mom the other day and I bought a baby bilingual Bible!  I am super excited about it - it's a board book, here are some pics:

I also bought a "toddler's Bible" b/c it was super cute and they both have good stories and lots of pictures.  The chair that Jim made us in our other post has a built in bookshelf on the back, so that's where I put these 2 books!  The baby is going to love to read!!

Travis and I went and checked out stroller systems tonight at Babies 'R Us!  I am going back with my mom tomorrow to pick up our stroller set.  Travis and I even practiced several times - we are excited about our choice!  It closes with one hand, right away, and it's the Graco Quattro Tour Deluxe Travel System Stroller - Deco.  It's even the Graco Snugride 32 car seat, which goes up to 32 lbs - which is great as most infant car seats only go up to 22 lbs.  And it's not as heavy and bulky as some people said it would be.  We folded it up and carried it around and everything (obviously, the baby would make the car seat heavier).  Here's a picture of the pattern - I love the dots.  I don't think Travis really cared about the pattern, but he had fun questioning the lady about a lot of things regarding the stroller!

 

Then Travis proceeded to try out all the rocking chairs and ottoman sliders while I decided to feel all the nice fuzzy and velvety blankets.  Then we got a pizza (1/2 taco and 1/2 pineapple from papa murphy's, which was AWESOME!)  I couldn't handle the salsa in the taco, so the pineapple was mine, in case anyone was wondering and we rented Sherlock Holmes.  Not anything like the books at all, but we both really liked the movie.  It was a good night!  We're meeting my aunt and mom for church tomorrow and then going to lunch!  Then I am going to have some phonology fun with Patsy!  But school is almost out and then Patsy and I are off to Peru! 

Chau!