Friday, December 30, 2016

CHRISTMAS ON THE BEACH



Living abroad we truly miss our family and friends all the time, but we especially miss them during Christmas time.  We planned to go home for Christmas this year, but with being preggo with baby Elea and a long flight we didn't go. Instead we made plans to go to a beach for a week with Keila and her family.  Neither of Keila's girls had ever been to the beach, so it was a fun trip.


 

Christmas Eve is Ana Luiza's birthday, so Jess made her day special by grilling picanha and getting a cake for her.  We also got her a little gift.  She said it was a birthday she won't forget!



Christmas morning we woke up and gave some presents to Keila, Ana Luzia, and Lolo.  After that we headed to the beach for a glorious day of sun and sand.





Each day we started out at the beach, then Tae would come in and nap and we would then go out to the pool at our apartment complex.  It was a toss up for which Tae liked better, he loved the beach but the foot pool was a close second! 



It was an amazing week of relaxation, it was so fun to watch Tae play on the beach and in the waves. The first day he wasn't so sure of everything, he clinched us tight when we held him in the water.  By the last day he was running out into the waves with no reserve (close to us!).


Tuesday, December 27, 2016

STITCHES FOR TAE

The last week of school I got a text from Keila while I was eating lunch.  I was a little surprised because she doesn't normally text throughout the day so I checked it.  She was nervous because he fell, she is very protective of him and I thought she was just overreacting. I asked her to send me a picture and immediately knew he needed stitches.  I rushed to find Jess and we headed home to get our little guy. 

The situation

We took him to the hospital and it was smooth as can be. Tae cried immediately when he saw a doctor, I think he has bad memories of doctors ingrained in his mind from vaccines.  When it was time to get the stitches it was not fun at all, to be honest I cried just as much as Tae. It was the most helpless feeling, I just wish I could have taken all his fear, pain, and anxiety away. At the same time I thought how fortunate we are that Tae is healthy overall and it wasn't life threatening in any way.   

He fell asleep right before the doctor came in to stitch him up

Poor little guy 
After a 3 hour nap to get over his trauma Tae woke up as his happy go lucky self. We covered it with a bandaid following doctor's orders, although he didn't warn us it would be like wrestling a greased pig.




We got his stitches out a week later (had to postpone our beach trip for a day) and our little guy is as good as new.  I'm sure this isn't the last trip to the ER, but pray that it is. 

Saturday, December 24, 2016

CHRISTMAS PICTURES

I wanted to have some pictures of Tae taken for our Christmas card this year.  Well, since we just got them back I'd say that ship has sailed.  I ended up going with a family photo we snapped in Rio while Jess' parents were in town.  Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas! 












Monday, December 19, 2016

SANTA 2016

We took two trips to the mall to see Santa this year, I had a feeling Tae wasn't going to be as chill as he was last year. The first trip we just went around and looked at all the decorations, and the next we committed and took a seat next to the big guy.  The first trip he loved all the decorations, but was a bit leary so we had to hold him and bring him to them.  We took a quick walk past Santa and didn't really get a reaction.


On the next visit, I told Jess we are getting a picture with Santa even if he cries. Tae loved the teddy bear before Santa, so we thought we were going to be in the clear.


 Nope.  We were wrong. Didn't want to be anywhere near him. I'll let the series of pictures speak for themselves.









It's funny because he constantly walks around pointing at anything Christmas related and says, "Ho ho ho."  He carries/drags a Santa around everywhere he goes.  We figured he would love Santa, when will I learn not to expect things. :) 


Phew.  What a day. He must have been traumatized because he fell asleep in the car! 


And just for the sake of comparison...

Christmas 2015 

Christmas 2016 











Thursday, December 8, 2016

BUMPITY BUMP BUMPS

Weeks 28 and 29: 

28 Weeks 
Baby Size: A small cabbage 

Weight gain: I think I have gained about 10 pounds total 

Maternity clothes: A mixture of shirts, but definitely preggo pants. 

Stretch marks: None on the bump! 
 
Sleep: I sleep well, though the past couple nights I've been waking up at 3 AM for a little bit.
 
Gender: Girl. Elea Holbrook Kuemmerlin 

Movement: She tends to move around a lot during the night or when I am laying down. 

Best moment this week: Each morning Tae lays on my belly and says, "Elea" and gives her a kiss.  I'm pretty sure he has no clue whats going to happen come February, but I get all gooey when he does it.  Also, my group of friends hosted a shower for Elea, it was so sweet and perfect.  Homegirl will definitely be well dressed thanks to all those around her! 

Showering Elea with love and sweets 

I love these women 

Mandatory Belly Pic

Looking forward to:
 Meeting our sweet girl and seeing who she looks like.

Food cravings: Not having tons of cravings, but I am making a dent in the Tootsie Rolls Jess' parents brought down.
 
  Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, thankfully I feel great!  
 
Labor Signs: Nope
 
What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach. 
 
Symptoms: A huge stomach? 

Nursery: Still need to decide on this.  We're thinking of keeping Tae in his room and just having Elea sleep in ours.  Or maybe eventually turning the office into her nursery.  
 
Belly Button in or out? Out and poppin!

Wedding rings on or off? On, but last week I had a strange red circle where my ring was. I am giving my finger a break. 

Mood: Mixed emotions, I think because we know this is our last year in Brazil so I'm/we're trying to soak it all in.  I'm very picky about how I spend my time nowadays. 



 Dear Lord, 
        We thank you for a smooth pregnancy so far and pray for our sweet girl to keep growing strong and healthy.  I pray that all her systems continue to grow to be fully functioning, and that the continues to gain weight. I pray for all the adjustment of bringing her home and that Tae embraces her from day one. I pray that we can set a godly example for a Elea, me specifically as a woman. We know it won't always be easy, but let us focus on the big picture. 

Amen

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

RIO WITH MI & GRANDPA

I've said it before, and I'll say it forever, we love Rio.  It was so great to take Jess' parents for a little peek into why we love Brazil so much.  We didn't pack our schedule, in fact we really just hung out on the beach, ate great food, and went to Sugarloaf. It was a perfect blend of family time and relaxation.  Having family in town is so special, we tried to soak up each moment and Tae definitely bonded with Mi and Grandpa. 

The trip up Sugarloaf 
Safe in Dada's arms 
Tae telling Grandpa to, "Sit" 


Another picture mom? 

Just keeping it real...

The original Kuemmerlin clan (minus Benn and plus Tae) 

Tae touching the statue's "boom boom"

Keila and Tae posing in the original cable car (there is NO WAY I would have gone in that!) 

November is normally the rainy season, but we lucked out on the weather.  Although it was a bit overcast for two days, at least it didn't rain! Also that didn't stop us all from getting sunburned.  It's safe to say Ginger and Al enjoyed the weather and the beach Brazilian style. They tried grilled cheese, caipirinhas, acai, Globo, Uruguayan sandwiches, coconut water, fresh juice, Mate and Lemonade, and all our other food favorites. 

Beach day! 

Exploring the beach 

Mr. Beach Bum 

Checking out the waves 

The last time we took Tae to the beach he wasn't as mobile, he basically sat in the little pool and crawled around. This time he explored a little more. He loved everything about the beach, the sand, the water, the beach chairs, burying (and finding) feet, eating Globos, or just hanging out.  Our little beach bum sure made us laugh a few times.  Having a kid definitely changes your beach schedule, we were at the beach before 8:00 AM everyday which meant we had it all to ourselves for a few hours. 

Family pictures 

Jess and his parents 

Ginger trying a caipirinha 

This is us

Playing with Mi 

Wearing Dada's hat 


Up and at 'em, bright and early 

A true Carioca and his Globos