Saturday, April 25, 2009

Out and About

Gabriela got to go out on the town yesterday for the first time. We needed to take her to the lab for her Teste do Pezinho (just the basic blood work done on newborns - I love that it translates to Little Foot Test though.) And we thought while we were out we would stop by the Cartório and get her birth certificate issued. (They give you a record of live birth at the hospital, but you have to go to the Cartório to get the birth certificate and actually name your kid and all.)




So she got all cleaned up and put on her polka-dot dress and little "shoe" socks, we packed her diaper bag, strapped her in her car seat, and off we went.

We went to the Cartório first. You can read all about these places here (read the comments for some clarification - I had some info wrong). The hospital deals with one specific place, so we had to go there. It was quite small, very crowded, not very well organized, and exceptionally hot. Of course, any Brasilian would probably have known better than to try doing this on a Friday - there were no less than 6 wedding parties all crammed in there yesterday! After waiting our turn, we finally got called back. And then we were told the hospital had not filled out the certificate of live birth correctly and that if we submitted the form as is, it would certainly be denied.

So off to the hospital we went. It was a quick fix to correct the certificate, but a bit of a hassle with a three day old baby and slow-moving new mommy. And of course, we didn't get any sort of apology from the lady who made the mistake. (I know, we Americans apologize incessantly, but, seriously, please acknowledge that you didn't do your job correctly and caused us an inconvenience! It would make the postpartum hormonal woman feel much better about the whole ordeal!)

And back we went to the Cartório. There wasn't any parking close by and Gabriela was awake and decided that she was hungry. So she and I stayed in the car and I fed her while Eric went back and got the birth certificate handled.

After that we went to the lab to have her blood drawn. She was less than thrilled to be awakened from her sweet slumber by someone poking a needle into her heel and squeeze blood out! But it was over quick and so was the crying.

I think the whole afternoon wore her out a bit though . . .





And I guess we're going to need to get the girl some bows for her hair or something. While Eric was getting us signed in at the lab, I had three different ladies come over to see Miss Gabriela, ask hold old she was, etc. And all three ended up asking if it was a boy. Now, I'm no expert on all the cultural differences between the US and Brasil, but I'm pretty sure they don't dress little boys in pink polka-dot dresses here. Or have a pink blanket in their car seats. Maybe a hair bow would help clarify things in the future though. :)






We decided to go out for a little walk around the neighborhood and to the grocery store this afternoon. Short of our excursion yesterday, I hadn't been out of the house at all and was ready for a little physical activity (as I suppose the soft belly isn't going to tone up on its own!)


(The lighting has her looking yellow in this picture - she's not actually jaundiced! Although maybe a little tan from the prenatal time at the pool in the Brasilian sun . . . hehe)


Gabriela slept through the whole thing. Which I take as a sign that she liked it.




She's definitely pimpin' one of the best looking strollers in town! And those bike tires roll like a dream on our bumpy, uneven sidewalks! I think we're going to find this was one of our best imports yet from our trip home at Christmas!

After coming home and getting a belly full of milk, Gabriela passed out once again and has assumed this position in my lap . I thought it provided a perfect opportunity to post a few more pictures and update on our days!

8 comments:

Amanda said...

You guys!! She is so pretty I can't stand it!! I must say that you two are very brave to go out with a 3 day old baby but seems like she didn't mind one bit which leads me to believe that she has her mama's personality?!! Glad y'all are all doing so well. Love and miss. BTW, luv the shoe socks!!

Kate said...

so cute emily & eric!! you guys both look great, you are so blessed!

lovelydharma said...

I wonder if the questioning if she was a boy has something to do with soooooo many baby girls leaving the hospital with their ears pierced here in Brazil. (All of my nieces for example.) Those ladies must have though, hmmm, sure, wearing a pink polka dot dress (adorable by the way!) but no ears pierced? hmmm, gender is in question.

Wow, congratulations on navigating brazilian bureaucracy with a three day old baby! She's a champ and so are her parents!

Tony said...

I think she got her Uncle Nathan's legs!

Fabibi said...

Emily!!
Gabriela is just beautiful!
Congratulations!
And you look amazingly great!
A loot happiness and love for you three!
Good souls like you and Eric has only to get blesses in this life! :)
I´m going to Brasil in june and would love to meet the new princesa belorizontina.
And we´re also waiting the three of you here in Sweden, you´re always more then welcome!

Many many spring kisses from(a while not that)cold Sweden! :P

Fabi and Carl

p.s I´m completelly addicted on your blog...Can´t wait for updates..hehe

Jen said...

Okay, seriously - you just had a baby? You look fabulous! You look like a pro and could do this with one hand behind your back! Good for you for getting out and about so quickly.

Stephanie said...

I agree!! You look SO good SO soon after having that sweet one! I cant believe anyone thought she was a boy! That is just odd!! I am loving the pictures! Definitely keep them coming!

Justin said...

Hey Em, Gabriela is a beauty. I'm a proud new uncle! Sorry I missed your call on Friday. I've been trying to keep my phone on me the last few days, so you can try to call me back some time :)