Saturday 30 January 2010

Finally an english movie

I cannot believe I will be 30 weeks pregnant this week, only 10 weeks to go (give or take). It takes so long to make a baby, I am looking forward to the day when I get to hold the baby in my arms. The baby is very active at the moment and over the past week I have been able to feel the baby hiccup. The baby's head has gone down ready for a natural birth and at the last check up with Dr. Holland on the 18th January the baby was 38 cm long and weighed 1.357 kg. I have entered my last trimester and all that is left to do now prepare the lungs for air and fatten up the baby before it comes out.

It is unreal the love that I feel for this little girl/boy already, and I have not even met it face to face. I have been on my own for so long now, only recently married thinking for 2 but that is not so hard as we are both adults and quite independent but now a little who will be completely dependent on Andre and I. It's hard to imagine what life will be like when the baby comes along. Many questions run through my head; will I be a good mother? will I ever get any sleep? I guess only time will tell.

I try to be good and do exercise most days, since Andre started working we have not been for a walk in a long time and I miss it. I do my squats in the swimming pool, there is nothing better than a swim in the pool to revive me and make me feel alive. I am at my most happiest in the water, must be because I am a pisces and I think better in the water too. I need water around me so if it is not a pool than I need the ocean near me always.

I have been here in Rondonopolis for almost 3 months, my time here has gone fast. Andre and I have brought a house on a closed estate, the house is nothing special but it is ours. I have been longing for a home for some time. The 2 bedroom house is the perfect size and it will be fun decorating the house with colour. I know my husband will hate it but bad luck, I cannot live without colour, colour is so exciting and has so much energy. One thing about the estate that has won me over is the common pool and playground, the baby and I will be using these everyday.

A big enough backyard for a couple of raised vegetable patch's, I cannot wait to grow my own tomatoes, basil, parsley, beetroots, strawberries, garlic, spring onions, chilies and maybe even a lemon tree. I look forward to my very own kitchen so I can cook up a storm, I have so many new recipes I want to try. Have a look at me, the house will not even be ready for another year let alone if we live in it at all and I'm going crazy over this house. I can dream, it's what keeps me going.

For now it's living with my inlaw's, well Andre and I have upgraded and moved into the main house as the bungalow was much to small for 3. I like my new room, it has the most beautiful view of Rondonopolis. Most days at about 5:30 pm I sit in my new sugar cane chair (a gift form Andre) and watch the world go by while I wait for my husband to come home form work. It is so peaceful and relaxing.

Andre has been painting the exterior of his mum's school and it looks fantastic, I am so proud of him. The baby and I have our fingers crossed for the job where he is going through the interview process, a graphic designer for a large company. It is exactly what he has studied in Australia and will give him a chance to use his talent and creativity. He has had 2 interviews already and one more to go.

I finally got to go to the cinema tonight, there have not been any english movies for a month and a half now. Gra, Andre and I watched "Couples Retreat", very humorous. We ate out before the movie and tonight I had the chicken fillet with bacon burger from the "Pantenal Grill" oh it was so good, I devoured it in no time at all. Avatar was the last movie Andre and I watched and it had to be the most thrilling and exciting movie I have ever seen. We watch Avatar in Cuiaba before Christmas when we visited Andrea, Paul and the kids, what an amazing cinema. All I can say is keep the english movies coming Rondon Plazs.


Tuesday 12 January 2010

My dentist check up

Yesterday morning I had to wake up early, something both the baby and I do not enjoy doing. The baby makes it known by making me feel nauseous but I got up and ate some cereal and granola and Andre and I went to work with Messias. Messias is a Dentist and works at a local public dental surgary where I was going to be a patient today. A colleague of Messias was going to do my check up however I had to wait my turn, 2 patients ahead of me. I usually don't mind waiting for anything but when it comes to doctors and dentists I hate it. The longer I wait the more nervous I grow, the sounds of dental drills buzzing in the back ground uneasing me even more.

I had not seen a dentist in almost 4 years so I was a little concerned at the state of my teeth but I do my best to look after my pearly whites. Finally my turn came so in I went with my personal translator (my husband) and I sat down in the chair. After a thorough inspection most of my teeth were fine, need a few fillings however they would have to wait until after the baby is born. I had one tooth in the top left side which was not fine. The outside of the tooth looked fine but looks can be deceiving I had a crater the size of Wolfe Creek. The entire inside had rotted down to the nerves. This was very serious and the horrored looks from Messias and Andre were not helping.

This tooth needed work immediantly but because I am pregnant they can only clean the tooth and fill it, once the baby is born I will require a root canal. I was given a special local anesthesia made for the pregnant and with blood pressure problems. Needles noooooooo, I closed my eyes and felt the needle enter my back gum. It felt like it went all the way up into my brain it was so long. The anesthesia was released from the needle and dispursed into my muscels, the dentist then slowly removed the needle. I could feel my mouth numbing as soon as the needle was out.

The dentist was preparing the drill for the clean and as he brought it into my eyes sight I could feel my body tense and started to perspire under my arms from nervousness. He mumbled a few words to my translator and Andre said "if you feel any pain slap the dentist in the face" this was no time for humor and followed by "no just raise your hand". The dentist went in and the drill started hissing and buzzing, my breathing irregular, the sound piercing my ears and sending chills down my spine. My body was fully erect and I would not dare move.

I felt some discomfort as he was drilling but I dare not say a word for I do not want any additional needles nor to prolong the drilling. What felt like an eternity of drilling before it finally came to an end and the drill was placed on the tray table. Only then did my body ease, relax, my ears rejoiced at the sound of nothing and my breathing returned to normal. The clean was over now the filling, I could handle this bit not a problem. I was surprised how much filling was required to fill in my Wolfe Creek crater, it just kept coming and coming.

The dentist said "bom" and I knew it was all over so I slowly got up and I was feeling a little dizzy. We went home and I snoozed off the anesthesia, my mouth was a little numb at lunch. To my surprise I could finally eat on the left side of my mouth. There was not sharp pains, nothing, this tooth was the problem all along. It was not the baby's fault as I thought from the start. It was a very rotton tooth. You don't know how happy I am to be able to eat on both sides of my mouth after chewing only on the right for 4 months.

Now I have the nightmare of my root canal to look forward to.

Friday 1 January 2010

Christmas and New Years


This year is the first time I have spent Christmas and New Years with my husband so I was very excited. In Brazil Christmas is celebrated the night before on Christmas Eve. A late dinner starting at 10:30 pm with all the family and a table full of food. We gather around the table standing, holding hands as a prayer is said by Messias. He says a special prayer for my unborn baby then on to the usual Christmas prayer and everyone joins in. We all tuck in to some amazing food like turkey, farofa with figs and potatoes, salads, rice, palm white sauce, stroganoff and of course Gaurana. The food is delicious and full of flavour so I eat slowly and savor every bit I take. Dessert was pineapple and cocoanut pudding, so light and creamy I had to have seconds.

Fireworks are not illegal in Brazil and all night long you could hear the cracking going off near and far. After dinner I was on skype to my family till 3 am, I talked to Grandma, Daniel, Steven, Helen, Veronica and mum. They all had a lot to say except Veronica which was unusual, she always chewed my ear off in the past but now Helen was the one to do so. I think Veronica is camera shy, prefers to talk to people in the flesh. Christmas day was spent eating left over food and lazing around the house and we all did that with great style.

Between Christmas and New Years was Jerusa's surprise birthday party, she got the surprise of her life alright. Many of her friends come to help set up the backyard and her boyfriend Diego brought her home, she was so embarrassed as she has said all along that she did not want a party but Iracema could not help herself. I experienced my first proper Brazilian BBQ and it was delicious. Meat and sausages cooked over hot coals served with steamed mandioca and vinagerete salad (tomato, onion and green olives diced mixed with red wine vinegar and olive oil). Andre served up a dish for us to share and I ate it all on my own, it was to good to share. The birthday cake was very impressive, chocolate sponge topped with big swirls of chocolate and a sweet cocoanut filling. It taste like a bounty chocolate from back home, mmmmmmm bounty cake.

I met Andre's God Father Matias, a very tall, friendly man with a deep voice. Andre joked around with him saying that he came to Jerusa's birthday party and Andre did not even get a call from him on his birthday the week before. I also met his wife and very tall son to, Neia, Matias's wife use to be Miss Rondonopolis in her younger days, although a larger lady now she has so much life in her, she is lovely. Jerusa had a skirt on hold in a shop which she went to pick up earlier in the day, it was not there and she was very upset it was sold on her. As it turns out Diego had purchased it earlier to give to her as a surprise. Jerusa had to go back to the shop the following day to appologise to the shop assistant for being so rude. It turned out to be a good night.

New Years Eve was spent at the local country club with the Peixoto family, a great buffet and live music. Iracema curled my hair for the occassion and Jerusa did my make up. The entrence to the country club was impressive with fruit and flowers everywhere, I felt like I was in Eden. The funtion was held in a large room and white was the colour of the night, in Brazil most people wear white to bring in the new year. The band was pretty good but the speakers were much to load to enjoy the music properly. The food did not dissapoint, I could have easily gone for seconds but I wanted to enjoy the night and not nurse a sore belly.

Just before middnight Andre and I went out onto the belcony to watch the fire works, it was beautiful but I think the pirotechicians had some trouble with fire works going off on the ground, all the piros dipursed running for their lives at one point. It was quite amusing to watch. I shared new years with my husband and my unborn baby, our whole family was there, what more could I want, a shower of fireworks. Andre and I danced later in the evening, it was lovely as I have not danced with him in two years. As we left for the night we all grabbed handfulls of fruits including a whole watermelon. A good night was had by all.