Two awards we'll be applying for this year:

Samba Dancer of the Year: Z Baby

I swear she picked up some moves from the dancers in the parades at the Sambódromo! And I'm not even close to kidding. She's had some seriously fancy footwork and booty-shaking going on ever since Sunday night. And apparently she partook in some other Carnaval festivities without me - she got hiccups for the first time (that I could feel) on Saturday and they have continued on and off since then . . .

Trooper of the Year: Yours Truly

Not to brag, but I did manage to stay at the Sambódromo from 9:00 pm until 5:00 am in all of my 33-weeks-pregnant glory. Our tickets were in the general seating area (arquibancadas, setor 5), meaning concrete bleachers, and we spent the first three parades without a place to sit. Which means that I had to stand until after 1:30 in the morning. After that, some people in front of us left and we were able to score enough room to sit down when I needed to. It was quite hot and humid and we were surrounded by lots and lots of sweaty people. (Have I mentioned my incredibly heightened sense of smell since being prego?) Furthermore, I would like to add that when we had to wait in a poorly managed line for over an hour for a taxi, from 5:00 - 6:00 am, I was the one who kept having to encourage Eric to relax and just chill out. (Well, except for the one incident involving the middle-aged Brasilian woman who cut in front of a bunch of people in line and kept trying to push her way in front of me . . . I did sort of lose my patience with her and share a piece of my mind . . . but hey, a hot, sticky, sleep-deprived pregnant woman with slightly swollen ankles and a full bladder can only handle so much, you know?)

But in all seriousness, we had an awesome Carnaval. I am incredibly exhausted still, but it was a great time! Look for lots of pictures coming tomorrow.