Teachers Day 2013

Tu 9.10.13

• last year for teachers day, the school gifted us with a night at the theater
• this year, we ate beef...and lots of it!
• the night before Teachers Day, the school took us out for a nice meal at La Escondida, a traditional Argentine parilla in Palermo Soho
• here are some views upon entering...check out that hunk of provoleta cheese on the left there!

•  on thing I really liked about this place was the all-you-can-eat salad buffet...nice compliment to the meat
• I ordered the bife de chorizo...it was an excellent choice!

•  these ladies ordered kabobs, which came with some fun waffle fries

•  the table also shared various types of provoleta and french fries with onions...and as is typical, people passed around their meat choices to share as well

•  it was a nice way to start off the celebration of our profession!

W 9.11.13

• DAY OFF!!! = sleeping in! :) 
• ...followed by a relaxing breakfast at home
• I then made my way to a favorite cafe, Delicious

• this was my first time having lunch here...usually it's just a coffee and/or treat...but I had been wanting to try their lunch food
• I love that they bring out little toasts and hummus for a complimentary appetizer!

• after a meat-filled night, I went with the veggie sandwich

•  since we had our 30-week ultrasound scheduled today nearby, Jake met me for lunch and ordered the special...hamburger, fries, and salad
• look how the burgers came out - sin bun!

•  we then went over to get our fancy-shmancy ultrasound!  very fun...pictures here
• Jake went back to work, and I went to work...at another cafe...a new favorite that's located between home and school, called Blas Parera
• I really couldn't wait to get my hands on one of their fancy desserts:

photo taken at a previous visit

• but...unfortunately, their cake display window was quite sparse this afternoon
• so I settled for a latte and a lemon bar

•  and let me tell you...I may just have to order this again sometime...not over-poweringly-lemony...undercooked (favorite) sugar cookie-like crust...YUM!!!
• I went home and spent some time tomando-ing sol on the patio
• ..and took a bath
• then Jake and I interviewed a pediatrician (she might be the winner, although she doesn't speak English)
• then guess what husband did?!
• surprised me (earlier in the week) with tickets to the Colón Theater to see the ballet!...the International Gala to be exact!
• both of us had never been to a ballet...and it was on our list before the big move
• so we decided on a casual dinner at El Curatito

• really can't go wrong with that fugazzetta ...SO...MUCH...CHEESE!!! 
• we made it to our seats just in time...Colón, I know you were built over 100 years ago when maybe people were shorter, but...poor Jake and his daddy-long-legs!

• can never get enough of this beautiful teatro!

•  guess what?! the ballerina on the far right is from Wisconsin!

•  we were amazed, dancer after dancer, with the amount of talent these athletes have...it truly is a sport...incredible how these people can tone their bodies and train them to move in such strong, forceful, yet elegant, beautiful ways...it was a great show

•  I think the baby enjoyed its first ballet too...well, at least the music

•  dancers' final bow at the end

• I think this has been my favorite Teachers Day yet!
• now if I can just get CPS to give us a Teachers Day off in Chicago....

gift and card from Tomás at Nightingale...he drew the sweetest picture of me and "bebe de Becky"  LOVE!!!

School Lunches in BA

• the first time I brought a lunch like this:

• ...to school last year I got some weird looks and questions from my 7th grade students...you like uncooked carrots? is that all you're going to eat? don't you want something hot?
• to me, this is a very normal school lunch: deli meat and cheese sandwich with a side of veggies (I think I also had an apple that day, not pictured)
• well then you look around at what everyone else packs for lunch, and you begin realize your lunch is not so "normal" here in BA
• you see a lot more hot dishes that either arrive hot because a nanny or mother dropped it off, or meals that need to be microwaved:

cannot survive without tuppers here

*this was a school-catered lunch...and happened to be the 29th of the month, gnocchi day (they also get a piece of fruit  or dessert with their school lunch meal)

only one empanada today!  I think empanadas are kind of like our sandwiches..and maybe seen more as a snack than a full meal

chicken nuggets and potato balls (like french fries in the shape of a ball)

LOVE their mashed potatoes (aka pure) and  milanesa (breaded meat patty)

also a kind of milanesa

a fellow-teacher's lunch...looks much more appetizing than my cold sandwich and carrots!

• as you can see...pasta is a favorite, along with rice, meat and veggies
• I should point out that Argentines typically eat a fairly small breakfast...maybe a couple pieces of toast and some juice...or tea and cookies...or maybe some cereal, but usually not something too heavy...and our lunch doesn't start until 12:45 for 4th-7th grade...a little later than what's typical in the US
• my students still think I have bacon and eggs every morning for breakfast...silly kids
• below you can see my 7th graders getting the 4th graders to try the black licorice I brought back from the States

• this year, one of the books we read was Roald Dahl's autobiographical book, Boy, where he shares stories of his childhood, particularly his fond memories of visiting a sweet shop after school where he'd buy licorice
• you can't find licorice here, so I brought some back, they thought it was awful, and so they found it pretty hilarious to get the other kids to try it (and quickly spit it out)...definitely an acquired taste!
• all of these photos were taken at lunch on just one day, and therefore don't give the BEST view of the variety of meals these kids bring to school...but it gives you an idea
• thanks to the students for letting me snap shots of your lunches!  they definitely thought I was a little strange for doing it, but I explained to them that this was the best way for me to explain the difference in our school lunch customs :)

30-week ultrasound

W 9.11.13

• I tell ya...this baby bump of mine is keeping everyone guessing...nena, barron....I get a mix every day
• I think this is one of my favorite parts about not finding out the gender...it's fun to hear people's predictions...they've been pretty even so far ~ 50/50, boy/girl
• the shape of my belly was a bit more wide in the beginning, making many guess girl...now it's starting to protrude a bit more leading to more boy guesses
• from our super-detailed 30 week 4-D ultrasound today, I think the baby looks more like Jake...it's got his lower lip (adorable) so maybe we're thinking boy?
• check out some of these images!

•  yes, that's our baby's foot...way up there covering his/her little eye
• this had me quite concerned...but I try to remind myself that babies are so flexible...and the doctor didn't seem at all worried
• I think he/she has Jake's long toes too!
• the doctor was able to get the baby to move its foot, but not without a little tongue sticking-outing first :)

• the little nugget isn't such a little nugget anymore!  isn't he/she filling out nicely? has mom's cheeks :)
• the wee one didn't really like us messing around with him/her...the one of it crying makes me sad, so I didn't put that one up...this one is similar:

• been having a lot more movement lately...mostly feels like the baby is changing positions... 
• it's crazy when suddenly part of my belly feels super hard, especially after I get up from sitting down...it's fun to try to guess what party of the baby we can feel
• la panzita has turned into quite la panza now...will have to get some 30 (cucumber, what?!) - 31 (pineapple, woah!) week photos up soon!
• can't believe we're in the 30's already!  3/4 done!!! so crazy that we only have about 9 weeks to go!
• and almost forgot...

SOME ECOGRAFIA STATS (for all you médicos out there):

líquido amniótico: adecuado

placenta: anterior   grado: I

                

              measurement                             ~ weeks

• diámetro biparietal: 7.79 cm -           31.2 semanas
• circunferencia cefálica: 28.22cm -      31.0 semanas
• circunferencia abdominal: 25.66cm -  29.6 semanas
• fémur: 5.97 cm -                             31.1 semanas

todo bien, creo que...