the days before becoming a mommy...

• amazing things have been going on around here...so amazing that I've found it hard to get back to this blog, which I feel guilty about and therefore am going to make a good effort to catch up here in the next few days...
• so I think I left off with the 39th week...the days before I became a mommy...

Th 11.14.13

• this morning I woke up and swam at the gym for the last time...swimming really did me good during this pregnancy and I will miss it until I can regularly put it back into my schedule
• after some pool time I walked my way over to the hospital for my weekly non-stress test and OB appointment...everything was fine, baby responded to the OJ and medialunas I consumed, scheduled the same appointments for next week, unless the baby arrived before
• I kind of asked the baby to stay put so I could head over to a pregnant lady pool party that afternoon
• luckily, baby listened, and we got to enjoy an afternoon of snacking, chatting, and soaking up some sun around the pool

pregnant ladies lined up in order: due in November (me), then December, February, March, and April...got a mix of nationalities too: US, Canada, Canada, US, Australia!

• later that afternoon, I had scheduled a little pre-mommy-pampering time (mani/pedi by Cassandra...new in town and best in the city!)
• and that night, one last date night with the husband...our last night just "us" (mom comes tomorrow, and baby soon after!)

finally (kinda) getting the papa in some of these belly shots...39 weeks 2 days

• I do a lot of the "lasts" thing...last pool day, last dinner out, last movie night...all before the baby comes and we become parents

39 weeks 2 days

• I'm sure this drives Jake and lots of other people nuts...but I can't help it!  I think of these things sometimes...which I hope helps me to enjoy the moment, as it will never be the same again... bittersweet, but mostly sweet
• so I requested Bella Italia...a fancier (read: more expensive) Italian restaurant in our neighborhood that I had been interested in trying
• and it was muy rico (delicious!) and a great way to spend some alone time before out lives changed forever (haha)
• the bread basket was impressive

• as was the wine selection, presented to us via ipad (what?! is this the new thing?)

• we split pasta and risotto dishes, both tasty, and service was great, so we'd recommend this place
• here's the bump from my viewpoint looking down...and having to bend over quite a bit to see my toes (isn't the pedicure cute?)

F 11.15.13

• my mom's arrival date!
• Jake and I got up bright and early to take the bus out to the airport
• long story short, after spending the morning at the airport with all kinds of miscommunication about where in the world my mom's flight was, Jake went to work, and I got home around 2pm without my mom
• mom spent the night in Chile, which she ended up really enjoying (ask her about it...or better yet, ask my dad...he felt great not knowing where in South America his traveling-alone-no-way-of-contacting-her-innocent-wife could be)...then finally landed in BA the next morning...this time, we sent a taxi for her

Sa 11.16.13

• around mid-day, the taxi safely delivered my mom to our apartment, along with all kinds of US goodies such as five bags of Christmas cookies (thanks to Betsy Schubert)
• yes, my mom packed cookies on her flight to Argentina, and they surprisingly made it here without too much crumbling (she carried them on)

• we helped my mom get unpacked...most of what she brought was for us and the baby - thanks for hauling it all mom!  We appreciate it so much!

baby stuff on the couch, food in front...my mom was allowed one outfit for herself and a pair of underwear (jk)

• we took my mom to Oui Oui for lunch, a café on my pre-baby list

HOORAY!!! SHE'S HERE!

• I've since caught myself day dreaming of Oui Oui's slushy, refreshing lemonade...must get that recipe to make at home...will get me through these hot summer days!

• I think the babe and I may be making some return visits this summer

• the rest of our afternoon was spent putting things away and organizing the new baby stuff
• here's Jake assembling one of most likely many baby items:

hopefully the future crib will be as easy to assemble as this Rock 'n Play!

Su 11.17.13

• well the baby waited for Grandma, so now we were ready for it to come at any point
• so first we went to church and prayed for its safe arrival
• then we did a lot of walking through the Palermo Parks, because don't they say walking helps induce labor or something?

• we spotted a mama duck and her ducklings...a premonition that baby was on its way?

• the last thing we did to try to get baby to come was eat pizza and empanadas (ok, this one isn't proven to induce labor, but I was STARVING by this point)

mom's happy to be back in Argentina, eating their infamous and delicious empanadas!

• Sunday night, we all went to bed...my mom a Grandma of only three, Jake a non-dad, and me a non-mom
• ...little did we know that the next morning...