Brasília or Bust

While those of you living in the US of A spend the weekend celebrating Labor Day, we'll be doing a little long-weekend celebrating of our own down here in the southern hemisphere.

September 7th is Brasil's Independence Day, so we are taking our little Brasileira to, where else, Brasília to commemorate the day!

Gabriela and I just got home from putting Eric on an overnight bus. Gabs and I will be flying out bright and early at 7:30 am tomorrow. (It's a bit of a story as to why we aren't all traveling together, but let's just say that Gol's website wasn't playing nice last week when I was trying to book our sale-priced tickets . . . )

One day I'll wrap up our vacation posts (Morro de São Paulo, Salvador, and my in-laws' trip to BH and Rio are all still to come). But for now, we're off again!

Trip to Georgia July 2009

On July 27 we flew out of Cedar Rapids down to Atlanta to spend a week in Georgia with my folks.

We spent most of the week in Colbert (outside of Athens) where my parents live before heading down to Perry (where my grandparents live) for the weekend.

Grandpa getting in on the bedtime bottle routine.

Gabs and Grandmo shared lots of laughs that week!

My middle brother, Justin, and his girlfriend, Casie, came over to Mom and Dad's on Wednesday and stuck around until Friday, when they left on a road trip to Canada.

That afternoon we all (Mom, Dad, Justin, Casie, and the three of us) headed to Stone Mountain Park. Stone Mountain is a gigantic hunk of granite that pokes out of an otherwise rather flat landscape. (Good thing I took Geology in college, huh? Otherwise I might not be able to give such a technical description.) You can usually spot it off to the east if you fly into Atlanta during the day.

Oh, and it has a huge carving of Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Jefferson Davis on the north face - the largest bas relief sculpture in the world, actually. It makes a southern girl's heart swell to lay eyes on a 100' tall Confederate hero.

While I have a picture of Justin and Casie handy, I should mention that those crazy kids went and got engaged at Niagara Falls on their road trip to Canada! And I'd like to add that I knew my brother was going to propose - despite the fact he never bothered mentioning it to his ol' sis. Or asking for my approval. In fact, all I got was a Facebook message saying, "I'm engaged. Get excited!" But I showed him. I was crazy busy traveling with the in-laws in Brasil so I never even acknowledged his message for like a week or something. ;) Anyhoo, his bride-to-be is awesome, and I'm pretty sure Gabriela spit up on her which is her little way of showing affection and approval - and she's a great judge of character and stuff. And Casie seems to be okay with Justin's love of all things leafy and/or wooden, and I guess she is impressed by the fact that he can recite the latin botanical names of all the trees native to Georgia. And the trees of the world not native to Georgia. And that he is able to talk at length about the attributes of a certain heritage variety of cantaloupe that he grew in his garden this year. But basically it just boils down to this: those of us in the southern hemisphere are pretty pumped about the upcoming nuptials. Especially since this is part of life when I get repaid for putting up with three brothers my entire life - now I get sisters!

Now, where was I? Oh yes, Stone Mountain. Almost every trip Eric and I make to Georgia, we try to take in something "cultural". On past trips we've been to the aquarium, the World of Coke, a traveling King Tut exhibit that was showing, Church's Chicken . . .WHAT? The boy's from Iowa, let me assure you that a trip to Church's Chicken IS a cultural experience! (I mean, I even have to translate for him as, despite his skills in Portuguese and Spanish, he is far from fluent in Southern Ebonics.) So anyway, this year I really wanted to take him to Stone Mountain, especially since I hadn't been in several years.

After riding the Swiss cable car to the top, hiking down the mountain, riding the train around the base of the mountain, taking in a 4-D movie, checking out the glass-blowing, trekking through the tree tops on the new "Sky Hike", and stuffing ourselves with chicken fingers, we stuck around that night for the real attraction: the Lasershow Spectacular (which also happens to be the world's longest-running lasershow). My cousin, Becky, even met us there after work to meet Gabs and watch the show with us.

Camped out on the lawn, waiting for the show to start.

I wasn't sure how Gabriela would do with the loud music, bright flashing lights, and fireworks well past her bedtime. Ten minutes into the show, she fell asleep. And that's is what I love about this kid! So easy.

On Thursday, we hosted a Sip-N-See at Mom and Dad's (where you sip on sweet tea and see the baby). Basically, it was my out though. There were so many people I wanted to see while I was in North Georgia and I knew there was just no way to get around to them all. So I took the easy way out - I invited them all to come to me. Or well, rather to Gabriela. I guarantee we wouldn't have had that kind of turn out if it was just Eric and me at the house waitin' for folks. But bring a baby around . . .

We had a great turn out and really enjoyed seeing extended family and friends. Go figure that my dear daughter wasn't in much of a pass-the-baby-around mood though. So most everyone got to hold her for just a second before she demanded that she be put down on the floor to stretch and play. She plays well with others, but only on her terms! :)

On Friday we headed down to Perry where we were met by all but one member of my Dad's side of the family. Aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents all got together and had a great time, as usual! We played in the pool, hung out telling stories, went shopping, attended church together, grilled ribs, and my Grandma did what my Grandma does - fed us all waaay too much! But oh, was it good!

Oh, and they all took turns spoiling Gaberdoodle to no end, the benefit of being the first great-grandchild . . . we haven't had a baby around for a while!

Catching some Z's with Great Uncle Ed




Hanging out with Uncle Travis (and trying to convince him she needs a cousin - hehe)

Not sure if this was a nap session or just some cuddles with Grandpa.

Aunt Brii was all smiles - I don't think she needs convincing in the cousin department! ;)


My Bathing Beauty out by the pool, complete with new sunglasses and hat (which was the contents of 1 of the 14 boxes I had waiting for me at my Grandparents when I got there. I love Amazon. Grandad suggested Eric might want to take away my credit card. I said go ahead . . . I have the number memorized.)

Going for her first swim with Daddy!

Post-swim. All worn out and ready to nap in Great-Grandma's arms for a while.

This guy again. Grandpa couldn't stay away from Gabriela for very long at a time! Even with 18 other people around, my Dad somehow always managed to sneak in there close to the baby!

Napping in the same crib Mommy slept in as a baby. (Also where she adopted her new face-down sleeping position . . . after winning the battle with her swaddle-wrap, apparently.)

Fire Alarms Might Be a Good Idea

We interrupt this attempt at catching up on vacation posts for a quick news story:

Remember way back in 2007 when I had a little experience with fire here in Brasil? (As in, our hotel caught on fire and the only way I found out was that the front desk was calling each room and asking them to evacuate?) No? Well, read here to refresh your memory.

And now I would like to reiterate my point about the need to add "fogo" to your vocabulary if you're going to visit Brasil.

Monday evening Eric called me. I assumed it was the nightly, "Honey, I'm on my way home" phone call. But this time it was actually a "Hey guess what? I'm standing outside the plant watching it burn" call.

The bad news? Big, hot fire. Major damage to the supply warehouse building (and contents) for the factory.

The good news? It started after 5:30, so most everyone had already left for the day and the firemen got it under control before it spread to the offices and factory/assembly area.

The scary part? Not a single fire alarm in the whole place went off. Because there aren't any.

You can see the Globominas news coverage of the fire here.

Thank goodness no one was hurt, but without fire alarms, can you imagine how bad it could have been if it happened in the middle of the work day?

Trip to Iowa July 2009

We planned this year's home-trip to coincide with Ryan and Tammy's wedding (Eric's sister). Since Gabriela was just turning 3 months old, we figured it would be an ideal time to go back for the wedding and to introduce the little munchkin to all the family.

We flew out of Belo Horizonte on July 17, landed in Miami, flew to Chicago, and then ended the first part of our journey in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Gabs did awesome for the traveling - she just slept on all the flights. In between flights, we laid a blanket on the floor and let her stretch and play before loading her back into the car seat for the next leg of the journey.

Reading with Daddy in the Miami airport at roughly 6:00 am

The first order of business in Iowa was to head up to Urbana to see Eric's folks.

Gabriela, Eric and me with his sister, Tanya, and her three girls

Nena and Papa (Eric's parents)

Not too long after arriving in Urbana, we got cleaned up and headed out for Ryan and Tammy's bachelor and bachelorette parties. Gabriela got to attend her first Bachelorette Party! (But she only stuck around for the supper-portion of the evening. Tanya offered to keep her the rest of the night so I could go out with all the girls and Eric could stay out late with the fellas. And that made Aunt Tanya Gabriela's first babysitter!)

Tammy's Bachelorette Party

One of the most fun parts of introducing Gabriela to the family was watching our nieces interact with her. She doesn't spend much time with other kids here in Brasil, so it was cute to see her with other people a little closer to her own size! Her cousin closest in age is Hannah who was 9 1/2 months old at the time - they will be in the same grade once they start school.

Madison just turned five. She is such a big girl and so helpful. Right away when we got there she wanted to hold Gabriela. It wasn't for too long though - she's a busy girl and had lots of other things to go do. :)

Kaylee just turned three in April, and I think she would have sat there holding Gabs all day if we'd let her. I'm not sure what Gabriela would have to say about that though . . . my kid wasn't really in the mood to be held the first time meeting Kaylee, but we let her hold the baby anyway. After getting Kaylee situated on the couch with a couple pillows around her, we put Gabriela in her arms. She gave the baby a great big hug (which sort of resembled a headlock) and rocked back and forth. As Gabriela started yelling in protest, Kaylee got a huge smile on her face and exclaimed in the most dramatic tone, "She LOVES it!!!" I didn't have the heart to tell her that wasn't exactly her cousin's happy noise, but I did suggest that maybe the baby wanted her Mommy right now.

A picture taken later on, when Gabriela was a little happier about being held.




Bath time with Nena

It wasn't all fun and games though (for Eric). Our first week back in the US, Eric worked at his old office in Burlington. So after spending the weekend in Urbana, we headed 2 hours south to the town where we were living prior to Brasil. While Eric worked during the day, Gabriela and I took care of a little shopping and other errands.

Visiting Daddy at the office

We did have a good time in Burlington though. Our friends Jeni and Adam offered to let us stay with them, which was much more comfortable than a hotel room with a baby. Each night we had plans with friends, including a cookout and a pool party, and had so much fun.

We even met up with some Brasilians in little ol' Burlington, Iowa! Andre (the normal-sized guy) works for the same company as Eric and is in Burlington now. The two enormously tall guys play basketball for the community college in town. (One of them actually played for Minas Tênis Clube and lived in BH for a while - just 1 block from us! Such a small world!)

My Mom and Dad flew out to Iowa for the wedding and, since Eric and I were both in the wedding, to babysit Gabriela for us. They got in Friday before the wedding and met Gabs and me for lunch (chicken lips - YUM!) in Burlington.

The first meeting

And then, on July 25, we got to celebrate the marriage of Ryan and Tammy! It was a great time and Eric and I were so honored to be a part of the wedding party.

The beautiful bride with her 4 nieces

Our little family - all dressed up

Posing with Gramps, aka Grumps ;)
(Doesn't he clean up nice!)

In the limo after the ceremony
(Wow, could we be showing any more teeth in this picture?!?)

And what's a wedding without a wardrobe malfunction?
I'm concentrating hard on fixing her dress (and apparently causing her pain? hehe)
Meanwhile, Ryan, her new hubby (with the white flower), is looking quite concerned.

The day after the wedding a bunch of us got together in Urbana for one last day of Iowa fun before we headed south to Georgia (aka God's country).

Our good friend, Jimmy, came by and we finally got to spend some time with his awesome wife-to-be, Jenna. (Aren't they the cutest couple? We are so excited about their wedding in March!)

While we were all goofing off, agricultural duties still called. So my father-in-law spent his Sunday afternoon in the combine. Everybody needs a supervisor though, so Eric suggested that some of us head over and watch his Dad work for a while. :)

The supervising staff

We had a great, albeit quick, trip to Iowa this year. I decided summer is a much more reasonable time of year to be there than winter. And I don't think re-acclimatizing to the weather will be difficult at all when we move back . . . so long as we are only there during the months of May - September. If it weren't that we'd miss the number-one-man in our life so badly, the Brasilian and I would make our home in Brasil for the "frozen Iowa tundra" part of the year! :)

2 Incredible Years

Before I get started on all the catching up posts from our vacation, I would be remiss if I didn't give a little shout out to my one and only, the apple of my eye, my big hunka hunka burnin' love . . . um, okay, I'll stop there. I might have mentioned it before, but I am married to the most awesome guy around (and I know all wives say that, but seriously, my fella is the bestest!!!)

So in honor of our second anniversary, I present a little pictorial walk down memory lane: The Story of Us.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

4 Months

My Dear Little Gaberdoodle,

Another month down. I know I've said it before, but really, where does the time go? And why do you have to look like such a big girl in your 4-month picture? Time waits for no one, I suppose (even those of us who have spent the whole month in vacation mode)!

Every month brings new stages and with each new development I constantly find myself telling people how much fun "this age" is. Your Papai and I have had so much fun with you this month!

You're currently in the grab-it-and-stick-it-in-my-mouth phase. You have been very busy exploring the world by means of taste. And lucky for you, your eye-hand coordination has gotten good enough to facilitate this new-found fascination. Everything from my hair, to your toys, to Daddy's shirt, and even sand from the beach has entered your mouth in the last few weeks and you have very little use for anything that won't readily fit into your little pie-hole. You tend to quickly toss aside toys that you can't easily chew on.

You have mastered rolling over in all directions now, and you really enjoy the mobility. I have had to expand your floor play area from just your play gym to accommodate your need to be on the move. I put down a 5'x5' foam play mat for you and quickly learned that's not even going to be big enough. The very first day, I left you playing alone on the floor just long enough to start a load of laundry. I came back into the room just as you made your final roll off the mat and got to witness you bump your head on the stone floor. Then you looked up at me all mad like it was my fault and proceeded to yell at your ol' Mommy. (Have I mentioned that you're starting to get quite the little temper when things don't go your way?)

And while I have your attention, we need to talk about the "Back to Sleep" campaign. Babies are supposed to sleep on their back to lower the risk of SIDS. Now, I guess you didn't get that memo, as you absolutely refuse to stay on your back when we put you in your crib. But really kid, you sleep awesome at night - still sleeping from 8:00 pm to 7-8:00 am to eat and then going back to bed until 10:00 am. And your parents would be sleeping well too if only you didn't insist on rolling over and sleeping on your face (often times even burying your face in your bumper pad!)

Not a waking hour goes by that you don't make your Papai and me crack up laughing at you. Whether it's you playing alone and breaking out into uncontrollable laughter, the funny faces you make at us, your big splashes in the bathtub, that pouty bottom lip you roll out when you're mad, or some of your crazy antics, you ensure there is plenty of laughter around the house! Just this week, I left you on your play gym as I walked into the other room to greet your Daddy when he got home from work. We walked directly into your play room to the sound of you slurping. At first we thought you where just sucking on your hand, but as we sat down to play with you, we realized you had spit-up big time and were nose-down happily sucking it back up. Your Uncle Nathan would say that you're disgusting - it's moments like these that I have to agree (through the tears from laughing so hard).

Notice the puddle near your right hand and the spit-up on your forehead, nose, and mouth!

The highlight of this month was all the time you got to spend with the extended family! Everybody thought you were really something special and did their best to spoil you. Between your grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, they all kept you right where you like to be: at the center of everyone's attention! You quickly made it known that it had to be on your terms though; you preferred to be on the floor (not held, which is apparently entirely too confining for your taste) but with everyone gathered around to talk and play with you. From your little throne in the middle of the floor, you kept all the family entertained with your giggles and no one could resist playing with your hair. (Your mane, by the way, is getting quite curly and long. When wet, your hair completely covers your eyes now.)

Five Generations! You met your Great-Great Grandma who was 96 years old. She passed away a week and a half later. You are descendant number 102 or something like that (counting only direct blood-line relatives, not all the spouses, etc!) She was an awesome lady and leaves behind quite a legacy!

Your Papa and Nena thought you were so special they followed you back to Brasil! ;) You got to spend two weeks showing them (along with Aunt Kelly) around your home country this month.

You are the first grandchild for Grandpa and Grandmo. They're pretty darn smitten with you! They even came out to your Aunt Tammy's wedding in Iowa so they could get an extra 3 days with you while we were in the US.

You are the first great-grandkid for Grandma and Grandad. Their oldest grandchild turns 30 next year and the youngest is in high school - they thought it was about time to have a little baby in the family! (Grandma was the only person you never minded holding you - and almost every time you fell right asleep in her arms!)

Grandpa Bob (aka "Gramps" to your Daddy and affectionately called "Grumps" by your Mommy) has a whole bunch of grandkids and great-grandkids. It's a direct result of having a right large gaggle of kids (8 to be exact) himself! He loves to see the family grow and scooped you right up the second he met you!

Other note-worthy items from this month include:

- You're riding in your BabyBjörn forward facing now. You have perfect control of your head these days, so we made the switch for anytime you're awake and not sleepy. You love being able to look out at everything now!

- At your 4-month check-up you weighed in at 12.9 pounds (40th percentile) and 24 inches long (50th percentile).

- You have started noticing your feet. But since you have a hard time getting them into your mouth unassisted, you have very little interest in them.

- You are trying your darndest to crawl. You don't have the strength to do it yet, but you've got the motion down perfect and you know if you can ever make it work you will be able to get to where you want to be. You totally wear yourself out moving your arms and legs trying to crawl towards a toy - but you don't even move an inch!

-Naked time is your favorite time of the day. The second we start to undress you for your bath at night you get all excited and talk/squeal like crazy. You especially love it when Mommy gives you an oil massage. (Pampered Princess, you think?!?) We try to let you have a good 30 minutes of "naked time" prior to making you scream by putting clothes on you. You're quite the budding little nudist. Your father is really hoping you outgrow that.

- You can blow raspberries like a pro now. Anytime you notice no one is paying attention to you, you really blow a good one to get everyone's attention. We're working on getting you to give beijinhos (little kisses) now - hard as you try, you can't quite make a smacking sound quite yet though.

- You have completed 13 flights, 2 boat rides, been on 2 trains, in several taxis, on more than a dozen buses, on 2 Swiss cable cars, and logged countless hours in the car. You've been on 6 beach trips, hiked Stone Mountain, been on an island, visited 4 states in the US and 6 states in Brasil. At 4 months of age, you have seen more/done more than most of the world's population does in a lifetime.

You continue to be such an easy-going baby most of the time. Being your parents brings so much joy to your Daddy and me! We expect an awful lot out of someone so little and you've risen to the challenge time and time again.

I love you bunches, minha princesinha,
Mommy

WHEW!

The whirlwind tour is over.

After more than 2 months of guests and/or traveling, we are back home, all alone, and working on recovering. (Though I still haven't attempted unpacking yet . . . maybe tomorrow.)

We had an incredibly fabulous (though very busy) trip to the US and thoroughly enjoyed bringing Eric's parents and youngest sister back with us to Brasil for a couple weeks. But I must admit, walking back into our apartment at midnight Sunday was a good feeling - having no pending plans for a while is rather appealing right now.

Although poor Hubby is back to the grind at work, Gabriela and I are taking the opportunity to rest and recover from all the running. And apparently the little chickadee needed the rest - it's after 11:00 and except for getting up for 20 minutes to eat at 8:00, Gabs is still sound asleep!

I'll attempt to recap our weeks away real soon, but for now I might go curl up on the couch with a book and take advantage of the quiet!