What Should I Call This Blog Now?????

We Have MOVED !!

2011-06-20T19:00:00.002-06:00

OH, BRIGHT NEW DAY,
WE'RE MOVIN' AWAY
WE'RE STARTIN' ALL OVER AGAIN
OH. BRIGHT NEW DAY
WE'RE GOING AWAY
WHERE NOBODY'S HEARD OF OUR NAME

WHERE WE CAN BEGIN AGAIN,
FEEL WE CAN WIN AND THEN
LIVE JUST LIKE LIVIN' SHOULD BE.
GOT A NEW SITUATION,
A NEW DESTINATION
AND NO REPUTATION FOLLOWING ME
---------------------------- "Bright New Day", The Blood Brothers Musical

Olivia and I have MOVED to another blog address!

Visit us, follow us and feel free to comment on http://bigtchongalittletchonga.blogspot.com !
Also, if your blog is private and you'd like me to have access, please send invitation to kikavilanova@gmail.com

Muito thanks! See you in my TCHONGA world! :)

still waiting

2011-06-20T05:08:00.003-06:00

I am still waiting to hear suggestions on a new name for this blog.

In the meanwhile, here is Olivia this weekend on a Sao Joao party - a Brazilian June festivity.

My grandma sent the dress from Brazil, isn't it pretty?

And One Question Remains...

2011-04-17T21:59:00.003-06:00

Haven't blogged in forever, for so many reasons, none of which are probably good enough.

The news for this year 2011? Trevor and I got a divorce. Too personal and painful to talk about it still, but we are very friendly to each other and will always put Olivia first, and that makes me happy right now. Three weeks ago my bishop told me "you may not get over this, but you will.get.through.it!" - ain't that true? And so life goes on, but one question remains.... what should I name this blog now? Suggestions are welcome :)

The love of my life and I

I've Stopped Counting

2010-06-02T23:41:00.004-06:00

I was my birthday on the 23rd of May. I used to love my birthdays, and I still love having an excuse to get friends together, have a little party, food, fun. But I don't get excited thinking o how old I am getting anymore. I've stopped counting the candles.

My dear friend Desiree attempted to throw me a surprise party this year but Trevor told me right away - I think because he really wanted ME to get all the details ready. He is no party planner and I, on the other hand, like to pretend I am. We were going to get together at a park but it was gray and rainning a lot, so we changed plans and told our friends to come over to the house. And a few minutes after that it's sunny and beautiful outside. Utah weather...

Here are some pictures of that day.

Yummie tres leches cake made by Desiree.

I simply LOVE her cakes!

Desiree, looking beautiful, and me, looking like a dufus.

Once I sat on the table to eat the cake,

there was no standing up!

Eventually I stood up and took some pictures.

Here with Helga and Katie.

The after-party! Luis, Manny, me, Trevor and Joel.

And here are two cute pictures of Olivia taken in May at friends' birthday parties. My cheeks are massive, I know. I know everything I have to do to feel pretty, but I have zero energy to work on it. Maybe one day. Hopefully someday soon. I'm getting OLD and it's starting to show!

Oh Hi There How Are Ya?

2010-05-16T18:52:00.008-06:00

Has it really been almost two months since I last blogged? I can't believe it! I've thought about blogging a lot, actualy, and I think I need to be better at making a record of Olivia's developments and life. Yet I feel so tired all the time that I don't want to blog, or do much of anything else for that matter. How lame is that?!

Wel this is the raw version of what I've been up to:

I don't know if it's still PPD but I'm just exhausted... all... the... time. It feels like I use all the energy and physical strength I have to wake up and go to work and after that I am DONE. I lay on the couch and let Olivia play around waiting for her nap time to come, counting the minutes, the seconds. Even if she's not tired I put her in her crib and hope for the best. I nap too. I usually wake up from a nap feeling sick to my stomach but if I don't nap I don't want to leave the couch. Nausea, headache, muscle ache... where in the heck is all that coming from??? The cycle repeats itself until her bedtime. If Trevor is not working we might go out on a little walk or make dinner together. If it's just me and Olivia I call or text most the friends who live around here, asking who wants to hang out, to go to the mall, to walmart, ANYWHERE. Maybe if I get out of the house I won't feel as crapy? It usually works. So I am sorry I am a lazy bum recently, I'll try to do better.

But of course there are good days too! Olivia is the joy in our lives and she just makes us smile all the time! Today something really funny happened. She likes to put her hands on her face to hide her eyes as we ask "where's Olivia?" then she takes one hand off and we say "there she is!" or "picaboo!" and she giggles and giggles. Well today we were outside a little bit and I think she got tired. We came back inside and she was playing with her best friend and cousin Maya and then she sat down... she put her hands on her face and sat there... After a while Trevor started asking "where's Olivia?" to no response. Then Kat said "Is she praying??" and Trevor went closer and touched her and her upper body tipped over her legs. SHE HAD FALLEN ASLEEP! hahahahahah How funny is THAT? Love it! I wish I had taken a picture! I went there and brough her to bed. My sleepy and cute thing!

She is almost 14 months now. She walks everywhere! And dances, and "talks." The walking was also a funny thing. I think she started standing when she was 7 or 8 months and she would take one to three steps when she was about 11 months but never more than that. We had her bday party a week after she turned 1 and later that day she was walking EVERYWHERE! It was so weird! Both Trevor and I were looking at her in awe! Isn't it funny how those things happen from night to day?

So lets update you in pictures.

Here is March:

This was the invitation for her bday party.
I copied the idea from the TomKatStudio blog
and my friend Helga put it together. Isn't it cute?

Trevor stuck her face on the bday cake.
She spent the rest of the time licking herself like a little cat, so cute!
It was also the first time she had sugar... so you can imagine the diaper after that.

All cleaned up and wearing one of her new outfits and posing with mommy.
There are more pics of the party on our facebook.
I love this girl!

What are you laughing at? It's hard to walk or crawl at the pool!
(Lehi Legacy Center, AWESOME warm pool area!)

Here is April:

Easter. My grandma sent the tshirt that says "My 1st Easter"
in Portuguese and those are Brazilian Easter chocolate eggs. Yummie!

Going shopping.

Going shopping again.

Post piggy tail hair.

Big smile.Another big smile.

First time at a theatre performance. She did pretty good!

Gossiping away on my cellphone.

First time hiking the Y this summer.
There'll be more hikes to come.
She LOVED her backpack carrier!

Parent-Tot swimming classes at the Provo Rec Center.
She LOVES it!

As for May, I'll do it another time. This blogger is taking for-freakin-ever to upload pictures today. Or is it all the time? Anyway...

This girl is the love of our lives. She is amazing! We love her, so freakin much! You can also see some fun videos here.

What have you been up to? What are your plans for this Summer?

No Post Title, Just Feelings

2010-03-22T19:03:00.004-06:00

Dear Olivia,

It is 7:27pm right now, Monday March 22, 2010. I am finally starting to feel better from a weekend full of stomach flu and am on the couch, watching Dancing with the Stars, while you stand next to my legs watching it as well. You just took a few steps from the couch towards the tv and as people on the screen started applauding the latest performance, you did the same. You are so cute and funny, it kills me!

Remember when you were in Heaven trying to decide what family you would come to and you chose Trevor and me? I sometimes wonder what drove you into that decision. Why us? Do you know why sometimes when I cuddle you to sleep I just look at you wondering what lullaby to sing next? I can't think of one because none really describes the amount of love I have for you, none is as sweet as your eyes, as comforting as your smile. Will you always remember that I love you with all my heart, that I would die for you, kill for you, walk on fire for you, go to hell and back for you?

I hope you know that. I hope you can feel it. It's been one year now since you've graced us with your presence, your sweet loving presence. You have learned to smile, to giggle and to laugh, you have learned to sit up, you respond to the name we gave you and you have spit up on us more times than we can count. You have learned a few cute sounds, you have started walking, you know who dada and mamae are, you like to turn the tv on and off with your tongue, you love to give us wet kisses, you also have the stinkiest poopy diapers on earth! You love going on walks, you have lots of fun on the swing at the park and you actually enjoy being at the daycare at the gym while your mama works out. You love your family, you're such a sweet delicate girl, you love to cuddle and we love to cuddle with you.

You have changed so much since you were born. That skinny fragile infant is not among us anymore. Your once straight black hair is now light brown and wavy. You have your grandpa Windhorst's hazel eyes and your mamae's nose. You also inherited your mamae's pudge belly and the butt... well that's a fight between your dada and your grandma Vila Nova. You surely have your dada's thick and strong thighs, which is the reason why only 18 month-old pants fit you right now. You have a beautiful natural tan that lots of people pay big bucks to have. You love to dance, you even dance to Law and Order's theme song! You're not a fan of movies but you seem to be hypnotized when Baby Signs is on. I love them too. You also love to eat, but mama is staying strong in her goal to not let you have junks or sweets until you're old enough to want them yourself. You are your dada's pride and he loves how obedient you are. You know your smile can get you whatever you want from your mamae but when dada means business, you listen. We love that about you.

We want to wish you a happy first year of life, Olivia. We pray that there will be many more to come! We want you to know that we could not be happier to have you in our family. You might grow to be our only child and we will do our best to provide you with the best opportunities there are in life. We might not give you brand name clothing - actually you already wear hand-me-downs. We might not buy you the latest generation electronics - heck, we are probably the only people on earth who don't have a flat screen tv. We will probably make you work and save money to buy your first car. But this we promise you: we will provide you with the best education and hope that you will love learning and languages and books as much as we do. We will take you to the parks, we will teach you to love and respect nature, we will make sure you visit your family and make good friends with them, we will try to teach you good work ethics and we will show you by example the goodness in being honest and the blessings that come from serving the Lord. We will be there to catch you each time you fall, we'll always have bandaids available and we will help mend those broken hearts. We will help dry your tears and we will hopefully be a reason for you to smile. We will do and be those things and much more because we love you, and we we could not love you any less!

Feliz Aniversario Meu Amor!

Mama e Dada

Back to Reality!

2010-03-04T17:47:00.006-07:00

I got back from CA on Sunday afternoon and Trevor and Olivia got back from Arizona on Tuesday. It feels so good to be back together, back to reality!

California was fun, the weather was great and I did go to Disney once (to the California Adventure Park), courtesy of Tahitian Noni International. The rides I went on: Indiana Jones, Buzz Lightyear, Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain and Splash Mountain. Trip highlights in pictures:

Mickey Mouse rice crispy treats make me feel sexy, apparently.

Why didn't someone tell us to go to Splash Mountain LAST??

LOVED the Space Mountain, can you tell?

Love this!

Most people thought I was Hawaiian or Tahitian.
Is it the hair? The flower?
Then I told a guy I was Brazilian and he said
"Still pretty" Well, thank you!
(This cute girl is from Vietnam)

My cute roomate, from Moscow, but she lives in Provo,
graduated from BYU and plays tennis professionaly.
She and her boyfriend shared their first kiss before the trip.
Then yesterday he broke up with her via text message.

Dude, you're 27, breaking up via text? How mature...

One thing I decided though, if I do go back to either Disneyland or Disneyworld, I am not going on the rides! The company closed the park just for its employees and conference attendees, and it already took time to go around and get to the rides, imagine on a normal day? No way!

As to Olivia news...

Arizona weather called for a pedicure. Thanks aunties!

I'll never understand the fascination with trash/dirty diapers.

Now, when she is tired, she lays down on the floor.
If I don't catch it soon enough, she falls asleep.
So cute!

Olivia's two top teeth started cutting while she was in Arizona. This is it, people, my favorite gummy smile is going away... my baby is growing... I feel sad. I do! I want her to be a baby forever, to cuddle with me and pat my back and pull my hair. I love this child!!!

I was very upset yesterday... Put Olivia on the stroller and walked towards the Covey Center for the Arts, on Center Street in Provo, to take her to the BYU Young Company performance of A Thousand Cranes. It was going to be her very first theatre show and I was super excited to see her reaction! As we get there, though, the performance was cancelled because they "didn't sell enough tickets." Really? What message are you sending, Covey Center for the Arts? 20 children in the audience is not enough to keep your show running? I know artists need $$ to but we're talking about introducing children to performing arts here... *sigh* Just made me sad. Hopefully soon I'll be able to take Olivia to the theatre again. And I hope she'll like it like her mama does!

I am also looking forward to her first birthday party though! I hope it'll be as cute in reality as I see it in my mind. She'll be the cutest ladybug in town! :)

It Is 'Did'!

2010-02-24T02:35:00.007-07:00

I have sent the invitations to this blog so... hopefuly you can all see this? Yes? I hope so :)

I am leaving today, Wednesday, to Anaheim, CA where I'll work a little and party a lot, right here:

(California Adventure Park)

In the meantime Trevor is taking Olivia to Tucson to visit his parents. I get back on Sunday and Trevor & Olivia get back on Tuesday. I have felt sick most the day today with the thought of being away from Olivia for so long... have any of you ever gone through something like this? I KNOW it will be fine, I will be super busy and she will have a blast with grandma/grandpa/aunts/uncles/daddy in the perfect AZ weather, but its THE FIRST TIME that we stay more than 8hrs apart. I dont feel as sick now, I am so tired that I am trying not to think about it.

Pictures next week when we're back. In the meantime, try to deal with this piece of cuteness:

Got that onesie in Brazil of all places. The guy selling it thought it was awesome that I "got it". Second pic is bath a few days ago after a few issues with our tub. She's had a cold and cough for a little over a week, lost almost 3lbs in the process, can barely eat. But she's doing better, Dr said I have to wait it out... Too cute, though, even sick. I can't stand this girl... I just CAN'T!

Hope you'll all have a great weekend! :)

Last One, I Guess

2010-02-21T16:01:00.005-07:00

Olivia is 11 months old today. WHAT? I know all you moms probably feel the same way I do, and probably ask yourselves these same questions:

How and why is this happening??

Why is my baby getting so independent?

Why does she prefer the floor instead of my arms?

Where's that tiny fragile body that barely fit

between my breasts when she was born?

I WANT THAT BACK!!

Ok, wait, that does NOT mean I want ANOTHER baby, not right now anyway, but I do miss my tiny piece of poops for sure!

So, to the love of my life, the main one responsible for me staying alive and having hope in life and the human race, OLIVIA, I love you so much! Te amo mais do que palavras possam descrever!

Once upon a time we went to the mall

Olivia had a MAJOR blowout

which was stinky and all...

And that's all she had left to wear.

We like Pilates.

And she loves dada.

And hopefully she loves mamae.

Happy 11 months of life, meu amor! :)

{got your emails, will be sending invites to this blog soon. thanks girlies!}

Imagine I Am Chelsea Handler

2010-02-16T00:14:00.002-07:00

and it will be totally ok that I am posting this...

Lets cut the crap and go straight to business.
Rachel, you did hurt me, a lot, a LOT, you know why and you know how much. I decided to keep the details of the situation unknown to "common friends," just because I think that's the adult thing to do, but apparently you didn't and you probably shared your version of what happened with Kristin because she obviously took a side, and that side was yours. Even though that was predictable because she was closer to you than to me, it still sucks that she obviously took your side when she never asked me for my version of the facts. But, whatever, people do what they gotta do. So Kristin, YES I took you off my blogroll and defriended you on FB. Big...deal! I don't think you're losing sleep over it and neither am I. We all have to be selfish sometimes and do things for US. Yes, it saddened me that you went to one side of the fence without investigating the other but that's a choice you were entitled to make, and I was entitled to make my choice: cut you and Rachel out of my life. So lets stop with the subtle messages hidden in blog posts, put things out in the open and MOVE ON.

FYI, I feel 10lbs lighter now.
The End!

To My Blogstalkers...

2010-02-11T08:17:00.004-07:00

Family (mom, brother, hubby, etc) have for a long time requested that I make this blog private. Apparently I am "too open and that's not good." I understand their reasons and know there are a lot of sick-os out there whose noses I wouldn't want in my business/blog (I can name a few) so... I am sad to say that this blog here is going to go private. Sad because I know it's a pain to log in to blogger to read posts, so I hope you will still visit? I can only hope.

Sooooo please email me your email address and I will put you on the list (after much consideration and consulting with a tarot expert... JK)

Luvs,
Kika*

Dirty Laundry

2010-02-03T16:36:00.002-07:00

So, starting in November and going on till today...

One friend sent me a huge email saying how ungrateful I am because sometimes my status updates on facebook are "depressing" and that shows I am not grateful and I am "slapping Heavenly Father on the face" when I do that. Funny how not ONCE on that email did she ask how I was doing and why I seemed depressed...

Another friend laughed at my face when I told her I am want to train for a mini triathlon. What? You think I can't do it? I'll prove you wrong!

Another friend is constantly criticizing almost everything I do in regards to raising Olivia (education and feeding especially), and this is someone who doesn't seem to have read a LINE about child development and education.

Another friend only calls or texts me when she needs something. Hasn't heard a word from her that wasn't the need for me to do her a favor, and yet when I want to hang out she's "just so busy"

These are just a few small examples of the "amazing" people I seem to be surrounded by. Do I need to do some "cleaning" on my friends list? I think so!

Big Poop and Little Poop

2010-01-27T17:47:00.006-07:00

Sweet and endeering nicknames for Trevor and Olivia :)

I love daddy-daughter time! Olivia follows Trevor EVERY WHERE he goes. It's so fun and funny to watch, he just walks around the house and she either crawls or pushes her easy rider to get to him.

When he works out she plays with the weights or kettle bells around him.

When he closes the bathroom door to shower, she either sits by the door or stands by it beating it up and yelling "dadaaa, daddyyyyyyy, dadaaaaaaaa."

She also does that when he is upstairs and she can hear his voice, she goes up to the stairway (which is blocked), looks up and yells "dadaaaaaaa, dadaaaaaaaa, daddyyyyyyyyyy."

I CAN'T STAND IT!! It's too cute!!!

The Most Overused (Yet Truthful) Sentence In The World

2010-01-22T23:14:00.005-07:00

"Time flies!"

Isn't that true?

Olivia turned 10 months yesterday and I am still speechless... I mean, I already miss her newborn body, skinny legs, lots of black hair, the pants that would be too be and would come up to her armpits. It was so cute! Of course she gets cuter by the hour, she IS my daughter after all! ;)

I know I haven't updated much about Olivia, her likes and dislikes and development. I am trying to keep a record of that someplace else more private but I would like to share with you what she's up to now.

She recently had a cold and her first ear infection. She kept her tongue out when she had her cold, for DAYS, maybe to breath better? It was surely funny!

At her 9 months check up she weighed a little over 23lbs and was a little taller than 28inches. My 10 months old baby wears 12-18 months clothes, especially pants since she inherited her daddy's butt! Has two teeth, first one came out about 2.5 months ago and the second is cutting as we speak. And they are BOTH crooked, making a V. I kid you not!

Loves all foods, but adores bananas, carrots, green beans, apples, fresh squeezed juices from our juicer and chicken and cheese. We do not feed her sweet stuff, sodas, candy, fried foods, etc. Of course here and there a 'friend' will just put icecream in her mouth because "it's funny", but they don't think it's funny anymore when mama bear is about to attack them. Call me crazy, but I want my daughter to eat sugar from natural sources such as fruits, so keep the whipped topping and the french fries to yourself, please.

We recently went to Jamba Juice and she loved the all fruit smoothies. She doesn't know how to suck on straws yet, I have tried three different types of sippy cups but she is not interested. One day she will get it, right?

She waves bye bye, stands and holds, climbs mountains (aka stairs), signs milk, says dada and mama (it might be a coincidence but she says dada to Trevor and mama to me so...), loves baths, loves her bath toys, loves to be out and about, turning the tv on and off with her TONGUE, music and DANCING. You can go to our youtube account to see videos of her. Hilarious child. The light of my life!

Now, of course she is CLOSE to perfection, but has her stinky moments. The one thing that we are struggling with right now is BEDTIME. Yes, quite frustrating, and exausting. Olivia was so easy to go down since she was a baby, sleeping at least 8hours/night by the time she was 6 weeks old. I never really had to attempt to "train" her until recently. I am SURE someone out there jinxed my baby!!!

She always slept on her crib but the crib was in our bedroom close to our bed. In November we moved to a new place and she now has her own room. Since then it's hard to keep her asleep. I have tried EVERYTHING I have been told, read, instructed to by her Dr and my therapist.

First we stablished wake up time (8:30am) and nap times (she has two now: 11am-noonish and 3:30-5pmish).

Then we decided that we were going to start her bedtime ritual around 8pm, which has always included bath, cuddling and bottle.

Waking up and naps work great, we put her down for naps when she is still awake but she has learned to stay there playing until she falls asleep. She rarelly cries when we put her down to nap.

Bedtime though... she WILL go down like an angel but ALWAYS, 30 to 45 minutes after she's down, the crying begins. That child does.NOT.want to stay in that crib. I have tried Ferber, the CIO, soothing her, more cuddling, no cuddling, singing, silence, taking her to my bed, walking around, leaving her there, music, white noise, more food, less food, later bedtime, earlier naps and waking up time... ARGH! Nothing works.

Right now it is past midnight... She took her bath at 9:30ish today (again, trying to do this later in the hopes that she will be more tired and STAY asleep!), ate, slept and woke up around 10:30pm and just won't stay down. So I gave up listening to the crying (I HATE IT! kill me!) and brought her to the living room to get the energy out.

I asked my Dr if it's possible that her clock is just messed up, he of course told me WE train their sleep. But I am serious when I say I have tried every method I have heard of, and not for a day or two... for WEEKS at a time. I don't know what to think and/or do because I need to wake up at 5:30am to go to work and even when Trevor stays up with her, it makes it hard for him to wake her up at 8:30am because she will NOT want to stay awake. If you let her, she will sleep until noon or so. MESSED UP! So needless to say... advice is welcome. Sometimes I wonder if she wakes up and doesn't see us there anymore and freaks out? Is she having nightmares? It's a different cry, hiccups and all sounding like she is really freaked out about something... *sigh*

(and Yes, I have read Baby Wise, Healthy Sleep Habits Healthy Child, and about three other books. This Olivia stinker is defiant... give me something that will WORK!)

In the meantime, I'll try some more cuddling tonight. Hey, it soothes ME at least ;)

I Could Use $200 Worth of Cuteness... Could You?

2010-01-16T11:32:00.003-07:00

Then click here to enter an awesome Giveaway by Katelyn & Co.!

that's all! :)

I Did Not Ask Permission To Do This

2010-01-05T19:53:00.003-07:00

But I am sure my dear DIL (dad-in-law) doesn't mind.
A couple of weeks ago I posted about a little heartbrake I am trying to recover from. My sweet, kind, loving and wise dad sent me an email that has been echoing in my head since then:

Dearest Kika;
Lost friendship is often like losing someone you love to death. It is natural to grieve. It is healthy to grieve. Only, with death, we know we will be reunited with that loved one we have lost temporarily. With a lost friend, however, there may never be sweet reunion, as well as the long sought closure we seek. I think it is harder for women to lose a friend than it is for a man. Women form strong bonds, tell each other secrets, cry together, laugh together. men do some of that stuff, but not much.
This I know, whoever this person is, she is aware of your pain and I am sure she reads your blog and has been monitoring it from time to time. She knows. This means that she is sadiscally witholding her friendship from you and feels justified for some reason. Your pain has been apparent, your need for closure is obvious. I don't know if you will ever get that from this individual. I hope you do. Plant your seeds of friendship in fertile ground. there are a lot of people that love you and appreciate you for what you are; beautiful, intelligent, funny, talented, kind, spiritual and warm. You're a wonderful mother and wife, and you have a strong love for the Lord. All your hopes and dreams will be realized in this life at some point. Be patient, be prayerful, be forgiving, be serving. The Lord is aware of your pains and burden. Call upon Him with great faith and He will lift them from your shoulders. Thank you for bringing Olivia into the world! She is a bright light that brings us all great joy!
Love,
Dad

Be patient, be prayerful, be forgiving, be serving.
That is exactly what I need to be! New Years Resolution? I hope so!
Thanks for reminding me, Dad. I love you!

Faster Than I Can Handle

2010-01-03T23:41:00.003-07:00

Can someone please stop this girl?

Standing and holding it for a while,

wearing a beautiful dress from Finland sent by a dear friend,

getting oh so ready to conquer the world

There's no stopping her, I know.

I Guess Santa Thought She Was Naughty

2009-12-27T16:08:00.005-07:00

On the 24th Olivia was all dressed up to take a picture

with Santa at the mall and he was MIA, gone... boo!

So Olivia's sneaky mom got into Santa's village and took some pictures anyway,

so you tell me... didn't Santa miss out on taking a picture with this cutie?

And this is how Olivia's 25th of December was spent:

waking up in Christmas jammies

having yummie breakfast

waiting for grandma and grandpa Windhorst to get on webcam

liking cousin Maya's gifts better than her own

(I got her a onesie and baby signing dvds.

I guess I should have gotten her toys? blah!)

opening gifts from grandma Nely, the Birds and friends

Hanging out with bff Brighton at the Pinegars'

It was a great first Christmas for baby Olivia.

How was yours?

Once Upon a Time, I Was Always on Time

2009-12-26T11:45:00.002-07:00

And now I am always late!

This is our Christmas card,

Some of you will still get it in the mail...

Hope you're still having a wonderful Christmas weekend!

My Christmas Started 9 Months Ago...

2009-12-21T23:54:00.006-07:00

When this stuff was born:

and today she is the main thing that keeps me going.

My love for her is impossible to measure,

to describe, to explain.

Her smell makes me warm and her giggles light my day.

Happy 9 Months Birthday, Olivinha!

Mamae te ama, tanto tanto tanto!

(Born March 21 2009, 6lbs 10oz 20in. 9 months later 22lbs 5oz 28.4in)

How Much Longer??!?!?!

2009-12-16T11:57:00.003-07:00

Me is sadly still suffering from one of those: (and wanting to know...)

How long does it take you to heal from one of those?

Better Late Than Never?

2009-12-11T23:52:00.004-07:00

We were in Brazil from Oct 18 till Nov 6, so it's been more than a month since we got back and I am just now posting some pictures...

BEHOLD...

Brazil Trip week 1. Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Are You Ready For THIS?

2009-10-14T20:48:00.011-06:00

Since I haven't updated in ages and am going to Recife, Brazil for three weeks on Sunday, probably not updating till I get back... Here is a little of info on how we are doing (and I will try not to make this ALL about Olivia, hehe):

My Mountain Man

Trevor has been working at Sundance for a few months now and he LOVES it! Not only has he met "Bob" (Robert Redford) a few times, but has also met other local (Danny Osmond) and not so local stars (Melanie Griffiths or however you spell her name). Besides giving me the "star report" after each weekend shift, Trevor is loved among his peers and customers, but why wouldn't he?? They're always impressed at how strong he is (carrying two 100lbs suitcases up hills and stairs is not something we can all do...) plus look at the picture, isn't that the look of a mountain man? He has told me that sometimes he has guests telling him "wow this is such the perfect experience! You look like a mountain man and we are in the mountains... PERFECT!" To that I say, perfect indeed!

I love translating!

My dear friend Emma used to translate at the MTC and since she moved to Texas a few months ago, she got me the hook ups! First time they called me to translate it was during the swine flu epidemic at the MTC and Olivia was barely one month old so I told them I'd rather not go then. They understood that and have called me a couple of times after the swine flu was gone and it has been A BLAST to translate there! The first time I went I left in tears... it is so easy to feel closer to Heavenly Father in that environment and it's so easy to really miss the mission too!

Olivia loves "solid" foods!!

(why do we call them "solids"? they're all mashed and soft... can't figure that one out!)

I started her on fresh squeezed juices when she was almost 2 months old, apple and pear juice mainly. Then mashed bananas, pears and apple puree when she was 3 months and the Gerber variety of 1st foods and drinks when she was 4 months. She loves all that she has tried so far! Peach is the only fruit that she won't eat a lot of, but she will eat them. She doesn't love rice cereal and got a little constipated on that so I give her the oatmeal cereal and she LOVES that. I try my best to give her fresh fruits and juices and soups but the veggies usually come from Gerber :)

Tia Helga is back!!

Helga spent part of the Summer in Brazil!!! She got back early in September and we picked her up at the airport. She proceeded to BYU Idaho (or Idahell as I call it, hee hee) but came down during General Conference weekend and we hung out again. Tia Helga, amamos voce!! :)

Olivia's friends

I hope she will have more luck with friends than I do, but so far so good! Maya is Olivia's cousin, the daughter of Trevor's sister Kat. Brighton is also Olivia's cousin, the daughter of my American sister Annie Pinegar Shirley. Kyla is the daughter of Trevor's mission companion and best friend Jordan. And Claire is the daughter of my long time friend Newie (ok, her real name is Janessa). Aren't these babies so cute? If you have my facebook you can see some videos of these encounters.

Lost and then FOUND!

So I thought I had lost Olivia's sunglasses! I was seriously so sad over the loss of those sunglasses, I simply LOVE them and think they fit Olivia's personality perfectly! Well, after moving into my inlaws' and putting things away I found them!! Don't they just spell her name?? :)

I think this is it so far!

I'll be back if I remember anything else...

Hope you'll all have a wonderful end of week and I hope it won't rain or snow too much here while we play at the beach in Recife ! :)

So Far This Week

2009-09-24T13:39:00.003-06:00

I've lost 3 days of work due to food poisoning. Yesterday I could barely get out of bed, poor Olivia was bored out of her mind on the bed with me...

Our car was hit and run. The front light on the right side is broken and the bumper is smashed...

My phone was lost or stollen, so if you were thinking of calling or texting your sympathy, think twice...

Yup, it's been a "great" week, wouldn't you say so?

Fake Apologies

2009-09-15T17:21:00.002-06:00

I think everybody knows what happened this Sunday at the 2009 VMAs, I don't have tv right now and I know. Then Kanye West went to tv show(s) and radio(s) to say that he's sorry. I don't believe him. I believe he is sorry that his stupidity and jack*$$ness got caught on camera but his apology did not seem sincere to me.

See, sometimes (or most the time) we tell someone we are sorry just because we know it is the right thing to do. We have all done it, sometimes we just know in our heads that we should say 'sorry' but we don't necessarily feel it in our hearts. I remember once learning that if I have offended someone and it has been brought to my attention, the right thing to do would be to say I am sorry. Then, it's up to the other person to forgive me. I have said "sorry" so... if the person does not forgive me then it's not my fault anymore, right? The ball is on their court.

Deep down, I think that's pretty lame. Call me weirdo but I think we can all tell when an apology is sincere, and when it's fake. I can. I have received one of these ones recently and it just... sucks. It sucks because it is clear that it was just "the right thing to do." It sucks because it was short and with not much thought put into it. It sucks because it came right after the words "I love you" and since then the person has done absolutely NOTHING to demonstrate that so called love to me. It sucks because it came from someone who has blocked me out of their live but loves to know what's going on with mine. And it sucks even more because I was fool enough to believe in it and now am hurt again.

I don't even call it fake apology alone... I call it hypocrisy.
But that's just my two cents... what's yours?

Upcoming Posts

2009-09-10T23:39:00.009-06:00

I look at that "Upcoming Posts" thing on my blog every single day... just too lazy to make the post I guess. But you know what? It's now or never. Here it goes!

Olivia's Blessing

We blessed Olivia on April 19th, two days before my mom left to Portugal. We did it combined with Maya's blessing at my sis-in-law Kat's house. It was intimate and beautiful.

My Friend the Designer!
A few weeks later my mission companion and friend Susie Lancastar made Olivia's birth announcements. She made them in a couple of hours, if I can remember correctly, and she had five different designs for us to pick. We chose one to print in Portuguese and one in English, and some of you have received yours already. For those who haven't seen them, here they are:

If you'd like to contact Susie about birth/engagements/wedding announcements and digital scrap booking pages, just click here!

Farmer's Market

I love Provo's farmers' market! And even though I don't ever purchase farm produce there (nothing personal, I walk there so it's annoying to walk back with a bunch of stuff...), I love going over with Olivia and watching my fellow capoeira friends perform. Olivia seems to love it too! Here we are at two different occasions at the Provo farmers' market.

The Provo Farmers' Market is on 500 West Center Street in Provo on Saturdays from 11am-2pm.

A Girl Can't Wear Pink Everyday

If you read my blog you know that I don't love pinks, purples, bows, etc. I guess sometimes it IS cute but I get overwhelmed and try to dress Olivia in other colors too. Yes, I do shop on the boys section at times, it has great sales and my favorite color: RED.

But this onesie, from Walmart, is just irresistible:

I guess I am updated now on the "Upcoming Posts" section. Phew!!

Is Olivia Too Old for {almost} Naked Pictures?

2009-09-08T00:10:00.003-06:00

I hope not, cuz they are darn cute!

What do you think?

I'm On Call

2009-09-05T23:33:00.002-06:00

From today until Monday evening I will be on call with the Center for Women and Children in Crisis and hope there will be no victims of sexual assault.

Boys, no means no!
Girls, don't get drunk at a party and don't leave your water bottle unnatended.

This is not to make my life easier, but yours!

Thank you!

to everyone else, have a nice weekend!

Inspiration

2009-09-02T01:27:00.003-06:00

Got an email from my Relief Society today and it had this quote:

“The gospel is a thing of joy. It provides us with a reason for gladness. Of course there are times of sorrow. Of course there are hours of concern and anxiety. We all worry. But the Lord has told us to lift our hearts and rejoice. I see so many people … who seem never to see the sunshine, but who constantly walk with storms under cloudy skies. Cultivate an attitude of happiness. Cultivate a spirit of optimism. Walk with faith, rejoicing in the beauties of nature, in the goodness of those you love, in the testimony which you carry in your heart concerning things divine…I am asking that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight”
(from Words of the Prophet: The Spirit of Optimism by President Gordon B. Hinckley).

Isn't this quote just awesome?? Just what I needed. Thank you, sisters! I keep reading it over and over and over again. I need this quote to become part of my being, right.now.

I have a testimony of this Gospel and that "men are that they have joy." I do have many reasons to rejoice and will continue to count my blessings each day! :)

I'm Checking Into Rehab

2009-08-31T17:22:00.004-06:00

cuz baby you're my disease...

I *need* to stop laying my frustrations on this thing (and so many others)!
So help me, Lord!

~~~~ what is your unhealthy addiction?

What Else Is New?!

2009-08-28T08:58:00.005-06:00

We've moved! We now live in my in-laws' house. We made the decision last minute, on the day that we were supposed to renew our contract with the apartment complex we were living at. We're not even unpacking everything cuz it is temporary until the house sells and we have to move again. Living among boxes is not fun but saving money is, so we are grateful that our inlaws let us stay there for a while.

I also changed my schedule at work. I now work from 7am till 1pm. I don't love waking up early but I am LOVING to get home a little after 1pm and knowing I have the rest of the day to spend with Olivia and Trevor! Feels great!

Yesterday was interesting... I took a sleeping aid prescribed by my beloved doc because I was having difficulty falling asleep (I've been sleeping about two to three hours/night for a while... no, not good) but I miscalculated the amount of time I had to sleep after taking the pill... Anyway, I woke up over one hour late for work and felt drowsy all morning until I got home and took a five hour nap. I seriously don't remember 80% of the things I did and said yesterday before my nap. I think my speech was slow too, as if I were drunk. So... fellow blog readers, make sure you have at least eight hours available to sleep after you take a sleeping pill. Lesson lived, lesson learned :)

Besides that life goes on as usual... Murphy's law has been by our side, in many different ways, what can go wrong, has gone wrong. But as I was talking to an acquaintance last week (I am re-learning to use the word "friend", it will take a while, so I have lots of acquaintaces now) she reminded me of Jesus and Job and Joseph Smith and so many others who were nice people and still had bad things happen to them. See, I know that blessings come from doing what's right and when I don't receive a blessing I am asking for, I have a tendency to think that it's gotta be because I am not doing things right. It's a punishment. I am not good enough so I don't receive the blessings I pray so much about. But I guess it's not always that way... Bad things happen to good people and good things seem to happen to bad people. It's just the way it is and it's part of this thing we call life.

I want to know, though, what do you do when things seem to just go wrong all the time?

5 Months Ago...

2009-08-21T10:17:00.003-06:00

I woke up like this:

And after an exhausting but worthwhile battle,

I was given this:

And it was the.happiest.day.ofmylife!

And now I get to enjoy beauty like this:

And cuddle times like these:

I don't think there's a blessing bigger than this!

Do you?

The Bulimic Homeless Dude...

2009-08-18T09:56:00.004-06:00

On Saturday I was walking towards the car with Olivia's carseat on my left hand and my cellphone on the other.
I was talking to a friend.
As I approach my car a homeless guy comes in the parking lot and he's walking towards me.
Ignoring the fact that I am talking to somebody on my cell, he starts talking to me:
"Hey where's the shelter here to get a warm meal and a blanket? The cop told me to go one block east and one block south and it's around here but I can't find it"
I tell my friend I will call her back and tell the dude I'll call the police and see if they have an address.
In the meantime he is giving me the rundown on his life:
"F*ing job got me f*ing laid off and I have no f*ing family and no f*ing place to go, I got no f*ing sleep last night, the f*ing rain made it f*ing cold, I need an f*ing blanket... blablaf*ingblabla"
"Yeah that sucks..."- I try to be sympathetic.
As I am on hold with the Provo Police, waiting for the address, the dude turns a little to his left, sticks his ENTIRE hand in his mouth and starts puking!!!
YES!
Vomit is FLYING out of his mouth and it ALMOST hit me!
EW!!
I was wearing flipyflopies and took a couple of steps back and, in disbelief, watched him for a couple of seconds.
I was seriously frozzen!
Speechless and without speech!
Then he keeps on doing this to himself and I hang up the phone, tell him "hey they're still on hold and I really gotta go, so... good luck" and hurry to my car.

And THIS, my fellow bloggers, is what *I* get when I try to help others!
;)

Mainha

2009-08-16T14:06:00.003-06:00

I had never been close to my mainha (mom) before my mission. I have one brother who is two years older than me and we were not super close like, for example, Trevor's brothers and sisters are. My brother would play war and GIJoes and I would play famous actress growing up. As the years passed, I think I felt a need to be closer to my brother because I would follow him everywhere and do "boy things." I got into skating, motorcycles, climbing trees and jumping off roofs. I was always a daddy's girl, whatever I wanted I got it after giving my dad a hug, and I took fully advantage of that (who wouldn't?!). When I was 11 we moved to Portugal. Until then, believe it or not, I was SUPER shy. I had a stutter problem (still have it when I speak Portuguese, go figure) and even after going to multiple speak therapists and specialists, I still couldn't speak a simple word in less than 10 seconds. It was bad! And kids teased me all the time about it, so I became more shy by the hour. So we move to Portugal and there I, again, would follow my brother who made friends in two seconds and was loved by everybody. I got in his male waterpolo team and rode motorcycles and went clubbing with him every weekend. That is when I kinda distanced myself from mainha. She was the one who imposed discipline and hard work and I thought she didn't understand me. I, in my early teenage years, needed a lot of understanding! Mainha was always girly and I rebelled by going into a goth phase. My hair was super short, I wore black all the time, even black lipstick. Crazy or not, I made friends in Portugal, friends that I still hang out with whenever I visit the country and with whom I exchange emails, pictures, news.

When I was 15 we moved back to Brazil. I was irate. I asked them to stay with my friends but, of course, that was a negative. My friends from Portugal were the only friends I had ever made in my life and I did not want to be away from them. I threatened suicide, I became even more goth, rebellious, b*tchy, I was just mean. Through all that I don't remember my mother ever raising her voice to me or "losing it". I remember saying mean things to her and making her cry, but I don't remember her ever being "mean" back.

So when I am 16 the LDS sister missionaries knock on our door, asking for water (I later learned that was a TRICK to get into people's houses, I did that lots of times on my mission, hee hee). Mainha asked them if they could help me because I needed religion. I was then about to graduate from a catholic highschool full of nuns who I think didn't like me very much. I was a very good athlete at that school and brought in lots of swimming, gymnastics, basketball and dance medals BUT I also skipped classes, didn't wear the uniform as we were supposed to and sat in the back with the noisy boys making fun of the teachers and studious peeps. At least I was having fun, I thought.

The sisters start teaching me and I start changing. Mainha was loving this! I "escaped" baptism a couple of times but one morning in November 1994 I woke up feeling that THAT was the day I was supposed to be baptized. A few weeks after my baptism into the LDS church, mainha was baptized as well. She had been raised as a catholic/espiritist (don't know if that's what it's called, they believe in reincarnation, etc) and a friend told her of the horrible things that happen at the mormons' church and my mom decided to join to watch me and make sure I wa "safe". She gained a testimony and is active till this day.

This is an introduction to what I really want to share today.

Todays is mainha's birthday! She turns 59 with the body or a 39 year old woman. She is beautiful and I love her!

I am sure that my LDS mission saved my relationship with mainha. I remember that she didn't approve of me going when I went because it was my last year of college and she thought I should wait until I got my diploma. But I knew that I had to go then, or I probably wouldn't go at all. Even wishing I would wait a few months, mainha did what a mom does: in the end, she respected and supported my decision to go. She wrote me every.single.week! It was a mission rule to write to our families so I wrote her back. She sent me packages and was involved in praying for my safety and success. As I wrote mainha, I started signing my letters with "te amo", which means I love you. Till this day I always sign my emails to mainha and end our online or phone conversations with "te amo," lots of times. And she knows I mean it.

I feel bad for all the time wasted in my teenage years when I didn't appreciate her. I feel awful about that, really. When I found out I was pregnant with Olivia and started discovering what a mother's love is, I called her and, in tears, asked for her forgiveness for being such a brat in the past. She laughed and said "you need some rest, you're going coocoo, I don't save in my memory anything that might have been bad, you were always my crystal and I could never love you any less." And that is just how she is.

She is an example of unconditional love, patience, dedication, loyalty and charity. I cannot count how many people she has helped change lives and I don't know of any one person who has something negative to say about mainha. All my friends love her, and there really isn't any reason not to. She makes everybody feel comfortable and have a good time. She is also one of the funniest human beings I know! Helga and I actually thought of writing a book called "Mainha's Quotes" cuz some things that come out of her mouth are just... funny! Whenever we go to Portugal she is always surrounded by activities and people who love her. She is trully an amazing woman that everyone wants to have around.

I can only hope that Olivia will love me as much as I love her. I hope I will always treat Olivia with the same kindness, interest, respect, care, sweetness, LOVE, as mainha always treated me. I suffer everyday from being so far away from her but I love knowing that we will be sealed one day and our family will be eternal after this life.

I will never ever EVER be able to repay her for everthing she has done to me and for me. I told you before how she took care of me when I had Olivia. She bathed me for the entire month that she was here after the c-section, she massaged my feet and legs, she made all the meals and brought them to me, she stayed with Olivia every night so I could sleep, she cleaned, she did the laundry, she stayed inside with me for days and days when she loves so much to be out and about. She really sacrificed, but isn't sacrifice the essence of a mother's love? I believe my relationship with Olivia will be so much better because I have this great example in my life: mainha.

I feel bad for people who have a bad relationship with their parents. I know that there are circumstances in life and there are mean people out there, but I think if there is an effort, many relationships can be mended. It took 18 months of weekly letter writing to make me fall in love with mainha and be grateful for her. It was the best blessing from my mission and for that I thank the Lord!

Mainha, Feliz Aniversário! Happy Birthday! I will see you in less than two months and I will hug you so much, SO MUCH that you will want to run away from me! You're my hero and I love you forever!

te amo!

Sua minhoquinha*

{collage of pics with mainha between 2005 and 2009}

How Does She Know?!

2009-08-14T01:25:00.003-06:00

Olivia is overall a very cuddly baby. If you have the priviledge and blessing of being around her and hold her, she will hug you, kiss your face and try to eat your hair. I think that's just super cute. But what I think is even cuter is that she knows *exactly* when her mainha (mommy in Portuguese) needs some luving.

The past couple of weeks have been very difficult for me, but there were three very specific days that were the toughest. On all of these days I arrived home from work just devastated because of some bad news I had during that day, and as soon as I got home Olivia was the ultimate cuddly bug.

She wouldn't want anything else but for me to hold her, and she would rest her head peacefully and quietly on my shoulder and just stay there for ever. It felt so. good.! How does she know!?

How does she know when I need a hug more than anything else that anyone can give? How does she know that her head on my shoulder makes my sadness and my worries slip away for a delicious moment and makes me so happy? She is an angel from God and I am so grateful for those moments, so grateful for having a baby that knows that her mainha loves her and that makes her feel so loved too!

I love her so endlessly!

Need a Favor

2009-08-11T02:43:00.003-06:00

Hello my fellow blogger budides! I need a favor from you!
If you know of anyone in the Utah County area who needs a housesitter would you recommend us? We could really use a money saving opportunity right now (I mean, who couldn't, right?!) and we thought, since so many nice couples go on missions around here we could help them AND help ourselves out!

So... feel free to recommend us to anyone that you know that is looking for housesitters.

thanks a BUNCH!!

:)

Missing...

2009-08-09T01:25:00.004-06:00

Menininho,

Feliz Dia dos Pais!

Eu te amo, tanto, e para sempre!

-- sua menininha

I step off the train

I'm walking down your street again

And pass your door

But you don't live there anymore

It's years since you've been there

Now you've disappeared somewhere

Like outer space

You've found some better place

And I miss you-

Like the deserts miss the rain

And I miss you

Like the deserts miss the rain

Could you be there

You always were two steps ahead of everyone

We'd walk behind while you would run

I look up by your house

And I can almost hear you shout down to me

Where I always used to be

And I miss you-

Like the deserts miss the rain

And I miss you

Like the deserts miss the rain

Back on the train

I ask Why did I come again?

Can I confess

I've been hanging'round your old address?

And the years have proved

To offer nothing since you moved

You're long gone

But I can't move on

And I miss you-

Like the deserts miss the rain

And I miss you

Like the deserts miss the rain

I miss you

{Missing, by Everything But The Girl}

I Had a Son Today...

2009-08-07T00:10:00.003-06:00

His name is Bronson...

So, yes, I was using all my hairdressing expertise to trim Olivia's hair yesterday and... it didn't end up good. So my sis-in-law Kat made it all even. MUCH better!

At least all of you out there who have bald babies can welcome Olivia into that bunch. Brain squeezers, here we come! :)

sigh

2009-08-06T14:28:00.002-06:00

how many things can go wrong before one finally goes right?

we just need a break... *sigh*

:(

Facebook Tag

2009-08-06T09:46:00.002-06:00

50 Qs
1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? according to my dad, yes, after a singer

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? yesterday...

3.DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? nope, but some people do

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? hmmm cheese? heh

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? One :)

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? right now I am not into being friends with anyone, but this too shall pass

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM? I try sometimes

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? yes, it's not common to remove them in Brazil

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? oh YES!!! and sky dive and cliff jump... yeah!!

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? golden puffs... yummie!

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? usually

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? chocolate almond fudge from the creamery

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? their smile

15. SUN OR SNOW? i love both!

16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? cellulite, my hair

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? family in Brazil and Portugal

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST? it'd be fun

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? no shoes, red pjs

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? tv background noise

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Maroon

23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Olivia's breath, Olivia's sweat, Olivia's after bath smell... mmmm

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Trevor

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? yup!

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? soccer, swimming, MMA

27. HAIR COLOR? dark brown, almost black

28. EYE COLOR? brown

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? never did

30. FAVORITE FOOD? hmm how about... FOOD! I love Brazilian and Portuguese food!

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? happy endings? only in movies!

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Yes Man, really liked it!

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? red

34. iPHONE = OVER RATED? i think so

35. HUGS OR KISSES? both!

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? don't know, whoever has time?

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? busy people?

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? can't concentrate long enough to finish a page, let alone a whole book!

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? I don't have one

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? So You Think You Can Dance

42. FAVORITE SOUND(S)? Olivia's laugh/cooing/rzzzzing/squeeling...everything!

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Guns N'Roses, heh!

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Portugal

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I'd like to think I do

46 WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Recife, Brazil

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Newie's, Annie's, everyone's!

48. WHAT MOVIE CAN YOU NOT WAIT TO SEE? G I Joe, baby! (I grew up playing with those!)

49. WHAT IS YOUR DREAM JOB? to NOT need a job, how about that?! I'd really love to have my own drama-therapy company/business

50. DO YOU LIKE YOUR CURRENT JOB? I like the fact that I have a job with lots of great benefits and fun coworkers, but I am not happy there all the time...

My Little Swimmer

2009-08-05T09:52:00.002-06:00

Olivia loves the pool.

I'll Never Lose This Baby Weight!

2009-08-04T15:22:00.003-06:00

If it depends on the crap I have been going through lately

AND

the vending machines at work...

I'll never be skinny and pretty again!

Can you blame me?

It's About Time I Start Obeying My Father...

2009-08-02T14:42:00.007-06:00

My dad used to say the only people you can and should trust is your family: your mother, your father, your brother, your spouse. The rest of the world can go to *%$#. Growing up I thought this was such a harsh statement. I saw my dad suffer too many times as friends that he considered family betrayed his trust, it was the story of his life, and I understood where his advice came from, but deep down I wanted it to not be necessary, to not be true.

If "friends" hadn't lied to (and stolen from) my father, he wouldn't have had to work until the very last breath he took, my mother wouldn't have to be working now to pay for a house that will never be hers, we would still have properties in Brazil and Portugal and they would have been able to spend a lot more time together than they did; travelling, being with family, helping loved ones... the kinds of things they liked to do.

I have to admit that my life so far has been an open book, perhaps too open. I also admit that trusting people and opening myself to them comes easy and natural to me. If you know me, you know that's true. But today I have an announcement to make... it's about time I start listening to and obeying my father's advice!

I am done with being nice! I am done with thinking of ways to help people before they ask for help, or even after. I am done loving and trusting someone who does nothing to understand what being a FRIEND means. If being a "friend' in this world means to be selfish, to not keep one's promises, to be slow to understand and quick to judge, to be vindictive, to lie, to be ungrateful for the good that has been done for you, to take advantage, to not be charitable... then I'm out. If you are this kind of "friend" then I just feel really sorry for you. I feel sorry because you will only end up surrounding yourself with people that are as fake as you are, and even more sorry because you could have had MY true honest loving and eternal friendship and... you blew it!

From now on I will follow my dad's words... I will ONLY trust my family: my mother, my brother, my husband, my daughter and my father/mother/sisters/brothers-in-law. Everyone else can have a good life.
Just remember that what comes around goes around, karma is a b*&$#!

The Show Must Go On...

2009-07-27T23:06:00.004-06:00

I guess...

My doctor prescribed me Pristiq, which is supposed to help with serotonin, dopamin and some other chemical in the brain which name I now forget. I started last week, forgot to take it today, put an alarm on my phone to remind me to take it tomorrow and so on. Fingers crossed, prayer in my heart that it will help. He also suggested therapy, which I have done and am a strong believer of, but I don't know a "pro bono" therapist so that will be on the back burner right now.

Thank you all who shared your opinions, ideas, experiences and prayers with me. I am happy to know I have such sweet friends and wish I could hug you all right NOW! On the other hand I feel kinda sad about us all going through this same thing at times. WTH? Wouldn's we all be better moms if we felt "normal"? I guess some day I will find out why we need to go through all of this. I am a firm believer that I will have my space in line to ask HF some serious questions and He will answer. I feel left alone right now BUT I know it won't be like this forever.

Ah blablabla... anyway...

I promised myself I would end this post on a happy note, so to do that what can be better than pictures of Olivia? NADA! So here it comes, enjoy :)

She loves her new tennishoes

Posing for mommy on her 4mo bday last week

Cuddling in her baby carrier up Provo Canyon

She fell asleep...

Then she woke up to check daddy's strong muscles

This picture is blurry, but I love it!

This Might Be TMI

2009-07-21T02:55:00.002-06:00

{Too Much Information} but... I need to vent!

Sometimes I don't know what's going on with my mind. Is this post partum depression? Am I just still missing my mom? Still insecure? Will I a;ways be this forgetful, this dyslexic, this absent minded? At work I read to people numbers and names that aren't even on the screen. I had always been the most reliable employee but I forget the policies now, and the rules, and the basics of what I have been doing for the past 3 years. Whattheheck?!?!? I mean, I do have a bottle of "happy pills" waiting to be taken to help me feel better but why can't I EVER even remember to take them?! I do love my husband, so very much, but so frequently I have felt that Olivia is the thread that holds my life together... I wouldn't care much not being part of this world if it weren't for her, to be with her, to take care of her... Her smile makes me feel worth of all of this, somehow. Is this silly? Stupid? I don't know! I remember loving summer time, being outside, going swimming, being with friends. Not long time ago I loved being online, and blogging and sharing my life with my friends and family, now I sit here in front of this computer and spend the little time I have doing nothing important and telling myself "maybe later I'll write a few words about how Olivia is doing and etc." But 'later' never comes... I know I NEED to have a somewhat clean environment around me, and now I feel lost in chaos and messy rooms. I couldn't go to bed without taking a shower, feeling clean, smelling good, and now I really couldn't care less about how I look. I stopped caring so much that after effortlessly losing more than my baby weight in her first three weeks of life, I have gained almost all of it back. I stepped on the scale today and seriously felt sick, mad at myself for letting it happen. Yeah I will try to work out and eat well from now on but, you know what, I don't really care that much to stick to it. I HOPE I will but... I don't know. No energy. No strength. I need something and I don't know what it is. I know I am tired of it, it needs to change and it needs to change soon! Anyway... we see our doctor tomorrow for Olivia's 4months check up... hopefully he'll know what I need because I... I don't know anymore.

Time to Store...

2009-07-12T16:44:00.003-06:00

Olivia hasn't fit in her newborn clothes for about 2 months, and now she doesn't fit in almost any 0-3 months clothing either. Does this child think I can afford that she grows this fast??? :)

Question for my friends: what's the best way to store baby clothes? I need to know!

Now I am off to feed her. Be back soon :)

God Bless America

2009-07-05T16:38:00.004-06:00

My home, sweet home

I love Brazil, I miss my family and friends there, the fruits, the seafood, the smell of the ocean, the nice warm yet breezy weather year-round and so much more I can't even begin to describe.

But I love the USA too! I love Provo, UT and I love feeling safe here, feeling that I have oportunities for growth and that my family does too. It's great to know that when we work hard towards a dream, it can come true. It was a dream of mine to move to the USA and I am grateful I was blessed with this opportunity.

I love being here and I love this cute litte American citzen of mine:

picture taken from my phone.

my camera broke and i am

waiting to win the lotery

to get another one. not fun!

Hope you had a wonderful Independence weekend! :)

Freedom Festival

2009-07-03T07:18:00.004-06:00

We went on a walk on downtown Provo yesterday. So much fun! Olivia simply LOVES the stroller and being able to look around. It seems like she's feasting on the images, the people, the smells, the sounds... it's awesome to look at her eyes wide open experiencing the world.

This cute baby is three months old already... can you believe that???

Here are some pics:

So how is YOUR Fourth of July weekend going to be?

R U Ready for Summer?

2009-06-30T09:45:00.002-06:00

She is...

Gone Too Soon?

2009-06-26T10:03:00.001-06:00

Like A Comet
Blazing 'Cross The Evening Sky
Gone Too Soon

~
Like A Rainbow
Fading In The Twinkling Of An Eye
Gone Too Soon

~
Shiny And Sparkly
And Splendidly Bright
Here One Day
Gone One Night

~
Like The Loss Of Sunlight
On A Cloudy Afternoon
Gone Too Soon

~
Like A Castle
Built Upon A Sandy Beach
Gone Too Soon

~
Like A Perfect Flower
That Is Just Beyond Your Reach
Gone Too Soon

~
Born To Amuse,
To Inspire,
To Delight
Here One Day
Gone One Night

~
Like A Sunset
Dying With The Rising Of The Moon
Gone Too Soon
Gone Too Soon

Michael Jackson was the ONLY foreign artist that my dad LOVED.
I think because my dad kind of identified with MJ; they both had a hard childhood and started working very early to achieve their dreams. Both were geniouses in their skills but extremely misunderstood by those around them. Both had few true friends and both left this world too early. They've both gone too soon.
I miss my dad. A. Lot!

I Know You're Dieing to Know!

2009-06-21T23:48:00.003-06:00

Ok, so I'll tell you...

When I go to work Trevor stays with Olivia. Sometimes he goes to his sister Kat's house, since her baby girl is about a week older than Olivia, and they hang out there. Last week Trevor went to pick Olivia up when she woke up from a nap and he felt the back of her neck wet. He thought it was a spit up but her face was clean. When he turned her around... yup, you guessed it... it was POOP! All over her back up to her HAIR! Good thing I keep a change of clothes in her diaper bag and good thing Kat was there cuz she bathed Olivia and got her all changed up. Trevor told me had he been alone he would have watered her down with a hose! Anyway, Olvia's hair is FUNNY: it's curly when wet and streight when dry. How random is that!? So to help Olivia's hair STAY curly, Kat put hairgel on it after her bath. Much to our surprise, EVEN WITH hairgel on, Olivia's hair still went streight once it got dry. WEIRD!!

So anyway, when Trevor came to pick me up at work that is how Olivia looked, and it was cute, cuz the hairgel made her hair go all high and stuff. Just so funny!!

I love her so much!!! :)

R U Into Digital Scrapbooking?

2009-06-19T14:13:00.004-06:00

Then you should go here and buy some stuff on sale! That is my mission comp and friend Susie who is super duper talented and her stuff is ON SALE TODAY ONLY as we speak (or write, or read).

What are you waiting for???? GO! :)

Bad Hair Day

2009-06-19T00:50:00.003-06:00

I could explain how her hair got to look like this but... it's kinda gross. Lets just say the result is really funny.

I love her SO MUCH!!! aaaahhhhhh!!!! :D

I Think I Know Why Some Women Keep Having Children

2009-06-11T09:16:00.001-06:00

It's gotta be because of this:

So warm,
so cuddly,
so sweet,
so heavenly,
so precious,
so sacred,
so special,
so unforgetable...

Is that why?

She Makes Me Cry

2009-05-31T03:20:00.004-06:00

Of joy!

It is 3:30am on Sunday and I am up. I just washed some of Olivia's clothes, by hand, then got her diaper bag ready for church and other events today. I washed and sterelized all of her bottles and put aside the formula she will eat today. I filled in her feeding and potty chart and separated the dress she is going to wear to church. It is 3:30am and I am up, not for me, but for my daughter.

Imagine this: you're running errands, or with friends, or at your inlaws', or just sitting on the couch giving your baby a bottle, and then you look at her, and just... overwhelming love takes over and you start crying. Did this ever happen to you???

It has happened to me a lot lately. I love my baby SO MUCH! I don't want her to grow as fast as she is groing,! What the heck?! Why can't babies stay newborn forever???

Last week I was at a friend's wedding and they had music playing... One of the songs was "From This Moment On" by Shania Twain. I know it's supposed to be a romantic song that lovers will sing to each other, but when it got to the part "From this moment as long as I live, I will love you, I promise you this, there is nothing I wouldn't give, from this moment on..." I started crying! I was holding Olivia and she was sleeping like an angel and that song talks about unconditional love, which I now understand, and I just wanted time to freeze so I could hold her forever and ever!

Just thinking about it and hearing that song in my head right now gives me goosebumps and brings tears to my eyes again.

(I do swear that I'll always be there.
I'd give anything and everything and I will always care.
Through weakness and strength, happiness and sorrow,
for better for worse, I will love you withevery beat of my heart.)

From this moment life has begun
From this moment you are the one
Right beside you is where I belong
From this moment on
From this moment I have been blessed
I live only for your happiness
And for your love I'd give my last breath
From this moment on
I give my hand to you with all my heart
Can't wait to live my life with you, can't wait to start
You and I will never be apart
My dreams came true because of you
From this moment as long as I live
I will love you, I promise you this
There is nothing I wouldn't give
From this moment on
You're the reason I believe in love
And you're the answer to my prayers from up above
All we need is just the two of us
My dreams came true because of you
From this moment as long as I live
I will love you, I promise you this
There is nothing I wouldn't give
From this momentI will love you as long as I live
From this moment on

I had no idea being a mother was so amazing! Did you?

In Memory Of...

2009-05-28T02:03:00.003-06:00

Memorial Day!

It was very relaxing with a bbq at Jordan's parents.

Olivia ready to go party

Jordan's dad working his magic at the grill

Jordan's mom cuddling with Jordan's daughter, Kyla

Me and Olivia in my kangaroo pouch :)

The Windhorsts!

How did you spend the Holiday? :)

I'm Gonna Party Like It's My Birthday!

2009-05-25T02:09:00.006-06:00

So it was my birthday on Saturday and here is how birthdays are celebrated, Kika Style:

Lunch with Trevor's family at Tucanos on Wednesday

Gotta love those bday coupons!

Dinner-date with Trevor and Olivia on Friday
Don't we look cute?

After dinner, a yummie cake at Jordan & Lindsey's

BBQ with Brazilian friends on Saturday

Cake and ice-cream with Trevor's family on Sunday

So I blew a 'few' candles on three different cakes and my birthday wish is sold out. What is my luck? :(

And do you know how old I am now??

My Baby is What?!?!?!

2009-05-22T01:04:00.007-06:00

She is TWO MONTHS OLD!!

What the heck? Where is time going? I had to buy 0-3 months onesies today cuz the newborn ones don't fit her anymore. And the newborn diapers are also tight. NOOOOO!!! Can't she stay a newborn forever?? Please?! *sigh*

Anyway...

Yesterday was our 8 weeks check-up and it was great. Click here to watch her take her oral vaccine, here for the shots and here for some fun before the dr came in. It was a loooong visit but it was all good and we are both doing great. Olivia, silly girl, peed all over the table before being weighed and then she pooped the stinkiest poop EVER right before the dr came in. Thanks Olivia! Poor Dr Woodmansee had to leave, I think he had difficulty breathing in there. Good thing I always carry those small bath and body works body splashes with me, when our dr came back the room smelled like cherry blossom :)

Here are her stats (My bff Rachel suggested that I take a picture of her at the month mark close to a toy or object that she will always have to help document her growth. So here it goes the ones I have so far for 1 and 2 months:)

1 month old - 9lbs and 21.2 inches

2 months old - 10lbs 12oz and 23 inches

50% for weight, 60% for height, 65% head

Here is Olivia during her check-up...

waiting to be weighed and measured.

Playing with daddy

Passing every test with an A+

We simply L-O-V-E our Doctor!! :)

Getting hight on tylenol before the shots...

I just feel so happy and blessed to have

such a beautiful and healthy baby girl!

I LOVE YOU, OLIVIA!!

Cutelicious, isn't she? :)

It's Been Three Years...

2009-05-20T18:00:00.003-06:00

First we met, became friends, fell in love and got engaged:

Then we took fun engagement pictures:

In the meanwhile I was having bridal showers

and pretending to be ANTM:

Finally we got married and had the coolest reception:

And three years later...

it's all better than ever!

HAPPY

WEDDING

ANNIVERSARY

FOR

US!!!

How have the past three years been for you?

My First Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T09:09:00.005-06:00

Today is already a wonderful day because

I get to spend it cuddling with my most valuable gift:

Olivia!

Thank you Richelle for being such an awesome grandma!

Olivia loves you!

And thank you mainha for being

THE.BEST.MOTHER.AND.GRANDMOTHER.

in the entire universe!

Te amamos tanto tanto tanto!!

I pray that all the moms out there will feel loved and appreciated today, and EVERY day!

If you'd like to share how you spent your day today, I'm all ears :)

Updating on Romantic Date

2009-05-09T14:09:00.004-06:00

I was supposed to have posted this long time ago. It was a "romantic date" Trevor and I went a few days before Olivia was born, our last romantic date without a baby. From now on, we can't change the fact that we have a baby, that we love her, and that I feel like my world is coming to an end when I am away from her so... for a while she will come with us to any future romantic dates :)

We are low maintenance, so for our romantic date we went to Red Robin! Yummie!

I want to know, when was the last time YOU went on a romantic date with your special someone? ;)

I Need to Repent!

2009-05-07T10:04:00.005-06:00

I've been the worst blogger in blog history, haven't I? The thing is, I am lazy and think I have a great excuse ( I rather spend time with the cutest baby in the universe! ) but I was just realizing that if I don't blog about Olivia and life with her, then I am failing to register her growth and development... So I need to repent and be better about blogging!

Time is going by way too fast!!! Olivia is not that skinny fragile baby that we brought home from the hospital anymore. She is gaining weight, she is getting smarter and cuter and... OLDER! I took a "one month picture" and I will take one like that every month in order to track her growth. We go to the Dr on the 20th to get her first shots and that shall be interesting. I hear most moms cry when their babies take the shots but so far I think Olivia's cry is the cutest thing in the world. Even her cry is developing, getting louder and cuter, but she really only cries when she is hungry or too tired (which I don't understand, if you're tired, SLEEP! But she fights it and fights me and I have the scratches to prove it!)

She has also started playing with toys, especially the toys on her "floor gym" thing, it's the cutest thing in the world to see her punching them and watching them as they move and then smiling. Everyone tells me how smart she is and that they've never met a baby her age that does the things she does. She's really observant and, as my mother in law says, she is "constant movement." I have some videos on my youtube if you girls want to see them, just click here. I've been making videos of her for my family in Brazil and Portugal to see, they love it and it's fun to go back and look at them. Hopefully when she grows up and watches them she won't be too embarrassed :) I can always show them to her boyfriends, you know, the ones she'll have when she's thirty, hee hee hee

Okay, I will share some pictures of the last couple of weeks. I don't have a lot of pictures with her cuz I am always the one taking the pictures. I will blog more about other stuff that's going on especially Olivia stuff. We simply love her, so so so much! I am sure all of you understand!

One month old! April 21, 2009.

Recognizing grandma's voice on the speaker phone. So cute!

Holding the bottle at 5 weeks. Silly girl!

Business on the front, party on the back!

Sleeping with daddy.

Mini-skirt on Cinco de Mayo :)

And I am looking to get a baby sling, which one do YOU recommend and WHY?

My First Letter to Olivia

2009-04-25T10:51:00.003-06:00

Dear baby girl,

Please learn to speak soon! That way you can tell me it's not a good idea to change your diaper just yet because you still have one GALLON of pee that WILL start coming out just as I lift your bum to put the new diaper under it, hence getting my hands wet, your onesie wet, the new diaper wet, the changing table wet, and your back up to your NECK wet.

So, just let me know when you're ready from now on ok?

Love,

Mommy :)

Parting...

2009-04-23T17:05:00.006-06:00

... is such sweet sorrow!

My mom flew back to Portugal on Tuesday (yes, we're all Brazilian, but she lives there with my brother, long story).

I miss her a lot. A LOT! I still wonder what I am doing with Olivia, I mean, it's funny cuz I have babysat so many kids and loved it and thought I had so much experience and was so ready but... for some reason I still look at Olivia and wonder if I am doing things right. As Trevor says, "taking care of babies is easy: you feed them, you change their diaper, you bathe them, you let them sleep and you cuddle with them." Isn't that true? It's not the hardest job on earth so far, but I still feel so uncapable. I know I will feel more secure one day, how about that day come tomorrow?! :)

I have to say thank you to all of you my friends who visit and post on my blog! Your advice and experiences are helping me tons! I have been procrastinating to visit you but I will soon, I promise! Now that my mainha is gone I need distraction when Olivia is asleep... but... speaking of her, she just woke up!

Enjoy the pics of mainha's last day here and I will be back soon :)

Grandma Vila Nova with Grandm and Grandpa Windhorst

at the airport

giving advice

fighting back the tears...

"É bom sentir saudades, é sinal que se viveu. Das coisas que não se vive não se sente saudades."

It Gets Better

2009-04-18T21:57:00.007-06:00

I'll be honest with you, the first couple of weeks after having Olivia were tough! At the hospital, I rarely wanted to touch her. I kept looking at her and asking myself "What in the world was I thinking? I can't do this! I can't raise a daughter of God! There is no way! What the heck did I get myself into?"

And then there were some things frustrating me. One of them: my milk barely came. I mean, I had drops at a time. At the hospital poor Olivia was hungry for two days because the nurses wouldn't give me formula and I didn't have much to feed her myself. They brought a hospital pump and after pumping for 10 minutes still nothing came out. Nada! On our last night the nurses finally gave me some formula and told me to feed her 10ml at a time. TEN MILLILITERS! That's not enough, but I didn't know it then. My poor baby was still hungry, and I felt guilty.

My doctor told me it could be because of all the stress my body went through with the c-section and all the meds. He said while most moms get their milk by the third day, I might get mine by the fifth day. So when the fifth day came and went and still no milk, I started to freak out. I REALLY want to breastfeed! That was the plan!! I started taking brewer's yeast, mother's milk plus, my mother was making sure I ate 6 healthy meals a day, lots of fluids, I was stimulating, pumping to try to stimulate even more, I was putting Olivia on the breast at every feeding, I saw three lactation specialists and did everything they told me to... but what am I gonna do when my child starts crying because there is nothing there? Am I going to let her starve? I chose not to. Finally this week, her fourth week in this world, I am starting to accept that breastfeeding is not going to happen. My doctor asked me to relax and enjoy Olivia, he said breastfeeding is not supposed to be stressful or depressing for me or the baby and if it doesn't happen... move on. And even though I cried every day for those first three weeks because of baby blues or whatever, and even though I still cry almost every time I feed her a bottle and not my milk, and even though I am crying now... I think this is my first experience as a mom that is showing me that things don't always go as we planned, as we wanted, as we thought would be best. For some reason it wasn't meant to be that I breastfeed my baby, my first baby, and maybe my only baby. It makes me sad, it makes me feel like a bad mother, it makes me wonder what else in the future I won't be able to do for my daughter... I hope not much!

So anyway, I gotta change the subject to stop the tears...

And so those first three weeks went by. I survived them! My mother, again, and Trevor, have been an incredible support. Without my mother here I don't know what I would have done... I really don't! She massaged my feet and legs many times in the day, she spent the nights with Olivia for those first three weeks so I could sleep, she bathed her, she changed her, she cooked and cleaned and made sure I had less and less reasons to cry, and she did make my days a LOT better each day.

And nowadays I feel better. I think my hormones are going back to normal and I am not too emocional anymore. I look at Olivia and can't imagine loving her one ounce more, and then next thing I know she makes a funny face or noise and, there it is, I CAN indeed love her even MORE! It's amazing!

I am sharing some pictures of her cuz she is just so cute! I love her so much! I can't imagine life without my baby girl!

Thank you, friends, for visiting and posting!

All girly on April 4

Loving the couch on April 5

Two weeks check up on April 6

Sleeping like an angel on April 11

Smiling at grandma on April 13

Letting mommy take pics of her on April 16

Like Mother, Like Daughter

2009-04-12T23:12:00.003-06:00

Fashionable, ain't she? :)

Lets Get Down To The Nitty Gritty

2009-04-08T10:46:00.005-06:00

Ah, the long awaited birth story! Here it goes, ladies:

Olivia was due on March 14 and on March 16 my cervix was still completely "closed" and I wasn't dilated at all. My doctor had told me that if on that week she didn't come, we would induce on Saturday, March 21. So on Thursday, March 19, I saw my doctor and still no progress. He then told me that I would go in the hospital on Friday for two treatments of prostin gel, which helps soften the cervix.

On Friday, March 20, I was called in to the hospital at 5pm and at 11pm to get the prostin gel thing done. By the time I got home from the second treatment it was almost 2am on Saturday and I was hungry but couldn't eat because it was past midnight.
Here I am waiting for the first gel thing. It burned!! The nurse said that proves it was working...
So Saturday March 21 comes. I wake up, shower and we get to the hospital before 8am. They hook me up to the monitors and check me. My cervix is 80% effaced and I am dilated to a 2. Yay! That is great news, I guess the gel really worked!
Here I am at the hospital on Saturday morning:My doctor comes in to check on me and to say he'll be around the entire day and will come by frequently. I LOVE my doctor! He is so sweet! And it made me feel so safe to know that he would be around and would come by often to check things out.

Well, time goes by and at 9:30am my doctor comes in and tells me he's going to break my water to speed things up. That really hurt! They saw that Olivia had had a bowel movement and were going to notify the respiratory team when she was born to make sure she had no infections and stuff. They also decided to give me the epidural then because they were going to up the pitocin to speed things up.

I get the epidural and life is good. At 11am I am still dilated to a 2 but since the epidural is working they decide to put internal monitors to get a more accurate read of my contractions and Olivia's heartbeat. I was happy then cuz the nurse said that Olivia's head was full of hair - she was having difficulty getting the monitor to stick. I tell my mom and Helga to go get some lunch or go to the mall cuz it seems like this will take a while...

Around 12:30pm they check me and I am dilated to a 4 and still 80% effaced. They up the pitocin to its max, 20 units.
Around 1pm I am still a 4 but now 90% effaced.
Around 2:30pm they check me and I am a 5. I call my mom to tell her I am dilating kinda fast.
Around 2:50pm they check me and I am a 8! I call my mom again and tell her to HURRY BACK!
It's 3pm and I am a 9. And I am freaking out! My mom and Helga arrive back in the room.
It's now 3:25pm, I am dilated to a 10, 100% effaced and start to push.
Here is my "push" face. I wasn't pushing, but that's what Helga said I looked like when I was.

A little after I start pushing the nurse tells me to rest for half hour while she calls the doctor to access me. It seems like the concern was to know in what station Olivia was. My doctor comes in at 3:40pm and checks me and Olivia, she is on station +1. So she is engaged but we need to get her to crown... Well it seems that my half hour rest was cut short because right after he checks me he tells me we're gonna start pushing again. My contractions were coming every 2 minutes since 3:30pm and by the monitor, they were strong. I see him and the nurse bring all the stuff they'll need to clean Olivia up when she's born and I get really excited! My nurse tells me her shift ends at 6pm and I'll probably have the baby by then. Yay! Also, all I could think about was FOOD, I was starving! So maybe they'd let me eat something other than ice after she was born. Cmon Olivia, help mommy out here!

Well, I pushed. And pushed. And pushed some more. Every 2 minutes. And she wouldn't go past the first station. The nurse kept telling me "We just need that ONE big push to get her to station 3 and then she'll be closer to come out." I was trying so hard to give that one big push! My doctor came in and out several times, he even checked me way in there to see if Olivia was sunny side up, but she wasn't. At 6pm he tells me "Okay sweetie, here is the deal. Lets try for another hour and if nothing progresses we might need a c-section." He said Olivia's heart beat was starting to slow down and he didn't want to cause her a risk. I started to cry. I was scared of having a c-section for several reasons and I knew I would feel like a failure if I didn't push this baby out! Dang, these wide Brazilian hips gotta be good for something!!

That last hour I really pushed till I had no strength left. After every contration and push I felt like I was going to faint. I was nauseated and needed to breath in that blue bag several times. They also put me on oxygen because Olivia was already getting weak, it seemed. Even when the nurses went outside the room, Trevor and Helga, holding my legs, would keep coaching me and counting while I pushed. By then they had learned how to read the monitors and know when to have me start pushing. Trevor would tell me "Cmon baby, you can do this, you can do this, just keep pushing, she's almost out." And I would cry and tell him "I don't think I can" and he would again tell me "Yes you can, cmon, just one more push" and would start counting. Even my mom learned to count from 1 to 10 in English on that day! They were a great help!

Also, I think the epidural started to wear out by the end of that hour because I started feeling like my body was tearing inside. How do women do that without pain medication? It amazes me. I only felt the real contractions for the last 20 minutes and I seriously wanted to die. I don't remember much of what I would do during the pain, I think they thought I was psycho cuz I might have screamed and stuff... The nurse told me that if I pushed it would feel better, so that's what I kept doing.

Anyway, my doctor comes in around 7pm with another doctor who would help him with the c-section and is also skilled with the forceps. They access me while I push and Olivia is still on station +1, too high for the forceps and her heart beat is down. They then tell me they'll notify the operating room, get all kinds of papers for me and Trevor to sign, alien clothes for him to wear and tell me to rest while the anesthesiologyst comes to prep me. That's when I felt the most pain I have EVER felt in my life! I had to wait for the pitocin to wear out and the anesthesy to kick in, and it took maybe 10 minutes of surviving strong contractions till I realized I wasn't going to die of pain.
Here is Trevor in his alien suit ready to go with me to the c-section room.
And my mom and Trevor after Trevor gave me a blessing. I wasn't too happy about the c-section as you can see, but my mom was happy it was going to be over soon.

At 7:23pm we enter the operating room.
At 7:47pm Olivia was born. My doctor had to go in with his hand and grab her head out of the birth canal and bring it back up. She had major cone head, he he he
Here she is right after they ripped her out of mommy's belly, with eyes wide open to discover the world:
The anesthesiologyst stayed behind me the whole time explaining to me what was going on and what I should be feeling. At one point he said he saw her hand but they had to put it back in till the got her out entirely. Because of the epidural and who knows what else, i was shaking uncontrolably. Icould barely talk, my mouth was shaking so much, but I remember asking the guy behind me for some more blankets, asking if the baby was really a girl, and asking my doctor if I would still be able to wear a bikini with that cut. He said laughing "yes sweetie, you will still wear your bikini." I love my doctor's laugh! Then I think I told him I loved him cuz I remember him saying he loved me too. And then when he was closing me up or whatever it is they do after they get the baby out, I started feeling some pulling and I think I could feel the staples and I told him I didn't love him anymore. He said "Is that because I am hurting you?", I said yes and he said "Sorry sweetie, it's almost over."

Well by then Trevor is long gone with Olivia and the nurse to the place where they clean her up. He showed her to me before they left and she was SO CUTE, all wrapped like a burrito!! :)
Here is Trevor watching his baby girl get all ready.
After the doctors were gone the nurses told me I had to roll over my belly to get to the other bed. I tried but the pain was just too much. I told them to find another way to get me to the other bed and I guess they did. They took me back to the labor room and nobody is there. It felt really lonely. I guess it was the first time I realized the attention was now on Olivia and not on me anymore ;) It was about 8pm. Until 9:30pm a nurse came in every half hour to apply preasure on my cut, I guess to get excess blood and gas out. All I know is it hurt like h... She tells me that usually they have a nurse do that every hour for a few hours after the c-section but my body was reacting so good that they wouldn't do it anymore. THANK YOU!!

They take me to my room before 10pm and I am reunited with my mom. Trevor and Helga are with Olivia. I was so tired, and still kinda high from all the medication, feeling swollen, STARVING, sore from all the shaking my body was doing earlier and I couldn't control.

My mother/father/sister-in-law came in to visit once Olivia came in the room. She was so peaceful asleep. What a cutie! Trevor then told us that the respiratory team started taking her to the NICU because her breathing was really erratic but on their way up there her breathing started getting normal and it stayed normal for long enough that they brought her back to mother-baby. Those doctors said they could not explain what happened, it was like a miracle. I *know* it was the blessing that Trevor gave me and Olivia which promised that she would be a healthy baby and we were going to be ok after the c-section :)

Here is daddy changing Olivia's first disgusting poopy diaper. It was that stuff that looks like a black looggie, and there was a LOT of it! How can all that come out of such a tiny little girl? Ew!

So there you go! I will post more about the hospital later. I haven't been posting more just out of lazyness, I am resting tons and enjoying my mom's presence and help. It'll be so hard when she leaves... :( So I have to enjoy every minute of her being here!

In the end, I am glad Olivia and I made it safely. I have to thank my doctor too, James Woodmansee, I simply L-O-V-E the guy! He's been amazing and I fully trust my life in his hands!

PS-- thank you all for the comments and visits, I will do my best to visit each one of your blogs soon :)

Isn't It Fun?

2009-03-31T14:04:00.003-06:00

I know I owe you all the gory labor details, and I will deliver. But yesterday I took this picture of Olivia and Trevor and I just HAVE to share!

Isn't she fun? :)

Olivia is born!

2009-03-24T22:18:00.005-06:00

She was born on Saturday, March 21, at 7:47pm, 6.10 lbs and 20 inches.

We needed a c-section, I'll explain why on the next post.

Me is a little tired but here are some pictures of my baby girl.

Right after birth getting all cleaned up
Trevor making sure the nurses know how to treat our princess

My mom's first time holding her granddaughter
On Sunday, ready to face the day!
On Monday ready to go on a walk around MotherBaby with mommy, daddy and grandma
Aw, I love those reflex smiles! and Yes, I KNOW those pants are huge!
Getting ready to go home today.
Oh I LOVE HER!
And I noticed we still didn't have a picture of the three of us!

We love our little girl! It's overwhelming love!

Thank you my friends for the prayers throughout all this pregnancy, for the tips, for the ideas, for the encouragement. I love my friends and family! We love Olivia!

Welcome to the world, baby girl!

Done Nesting Yet??

2009-03-20T11:29:00.004-06:00

You girls are too nice! Thank you all for the well wishes, what would be made of me without my girlfriends????
I think it was quite timely that I sprained my ankle this week, that way the epidural will make me feel no pain there for a few hours. Hee hee! But it is much much better. I don't think I need crutches anymore...

So I had heard about the phenomenon of nesting, the insane need to get everything clean and ready for baby. I must admit I went through that, for the past months! Trevor and I went through a lot of stuff to decided what would go to DI and what would go to the dumpster. That helped us have a LOT more space in our one bedroom apartment to fit the crib we bought and the changing table that my friend Renatha gave us.

But there is another kind of nesting, the kind that grandmas go through!

Since yesterday my mom has been on this cleaning frenzy where she even washed ziploc bags. I AM NOT KIDDING!!! Here is a picture to prove it:Isn't she funny? :)

Now, here is what Olivia will come home to:

My aunt from Brazil sent these cute frames.

And this is my hospital bag. I am selfish so I am only taking stuff for me: my red pjs, clothes to come back home, socks, toiletries, my camera and Olivia's outfit. I told Trevor and mainha that they can pack their own backpack of stuff they want to bring. I know Trevor has snacks he wants to bring (dry fruit and nuts mix) and we got some snacks for mainha too. Then we'll bring the laptop. And I think that's it!

I still don't know how I feel about hospital visits, but text me and I will let you know. A couple of things is that I would like adults only to visit me, or adults with children that can be restrained on a carseat. The idea of kids running around or being noisy makes me very nervous, all the time, and I bet I'll be more sensitive to that in the next couple of weeks. And no flowers or balloons, I think they're a waste of money especially when allergy season is starting.

Am I being rude? I hope not! I just want Olivia to come to a clean and peaceful environment so she will be a very calm baby, unlike her mommy. Hee hee hee :)

Today we're gonna take mainha out to lunch, she's been cooking (and cleaning!!) for two weeks, she needs a break, don't you think? We're taking her to Zuppas, I LOVE that place!

This is mainha's 3rd trip to UT but of course there's still things to see and do.
Any suggestions on places to eat and/or see with mainha while she's here?

It Is Just My Luck...

2009-03-19T15:47:00.003-06:00

... to sprain my ankle a few days before Olivia is born!

Yesterday I went out with mainha to get some final things for Olivia (car mirror, shade, etc). At night I wanted to hang out with Trevor a little so we went on a walk. Well, we TRIED to go on a walk, because as soon as I step on the 1st floor hallway (I live on the 3rd), both Trevor and I heard a POP! It wasn't my water breaking... it was my ankle!!! I don't think it's broken but I completely twisted it inwards and... it hurt like h... yes, like THAT!

Trevor helped up the stairs and I really tried not to cry but it was hurting so bad :(. We did the RICE (rest ice compression elevation, right Sis?) and I slept with two pillows under my ankle and a brace that Trevor bought.

Today it hurts to put weight on it (and I have 20lbs extra anyway), and we have crutches here at home so I used those to go to the doctor. I had an Olivia check up but he saw my ankle, still swollen but much less thanks to RICE, told me to ice it some more today, use the crutches till Sat and rest. So my life has been pretty tough today... all day on the couch watching tv and elevating/icing my ankle while mainha pampers me. ;)

ON TO BABY NEWS:

I am dilated, somewhat. He didn't give me numbers but I am happy to know SOMETHING is going on! He also said Olivia dropped "quite a bit". Yay!!

Tomorrow I will get a call to go in and get some prostaglandin gel thing, then I come home. Hopefully that will get the contractions going and we'll have the most beautiful yummie biteable and awaited baby in the UNIVERSEwith us this weekend!!!

Will you pray for me? :)

The Sooner You Come, Olivia,

2009-03-17T13:59:00.003-06:00

The sooner mommy will fit in those hot hot hot cropped pants:

So when shall we pencil you in??

Thanks!
Mommy :)

Lets Have Some Fun While We Wait, Shall We?

2009-03-16T14:18:00.007-06:00

Here's what we've been up to while we wait for Olivia to come:

Friday we went to Noni and mainha met my friend Mafile'O.
I look like a dufus in this picture!

Mainha loves the mountains,
especially with the snow on them!

After that we went to the mall with Helga and played around.

From there we met with some friends at Brasil Brasil
on State St in Orem to have some Brazilian food.

That night we went to Suellen's house for more Brazilian food and a movie.

Saturday morning I HAD TO introduce mainha to
Costco's yummie $1 churro. Don't you love it???
(we all look weird in this pic, ha ha)

Saturday afternoon mainha went on a hike with Trevor and his family.

They went up Provo Canyon. I stayed at home resting my big belly.

Saturday afternoon we went to a St Patrick's party.

It was at Jordan & Lindsey's house with fun friends
with authentic Irish and delicious green food.
We brought avocado mousse and it was the bomb!

Sunday we went to Wilson's baby's blessing.
Wilson and Trevor have been friends for years and years
and his baby girl is a doll!

Mainha is proving that one needs a LOT of
concentration to eat tamales!
She loved them!

And Sunday evening we had dinner at my
mission President's house in SLC.
It was delicous, fun, and I simply LOVE them!!
Thank you for having us over!!

We passed by Emma's house on the way back and that was also awesome!

So, Olivia, as you can see, mommy is fine out here while you are fine in there. Just take your time, baby girl, and, when you do come, we'll be here all ready for you!
Hugs,
Mommy!

Teaching Me Patience

2009-03-14T10:37:00.005-06:00

Yes, she is due today.
No, she hasn't showed up yet.

We await patiently the arrival of Olivia. She knows the world is not ready for her yet, for her beauty and sweetness.

I will keep you posted.

In the meanwhile, I'm gonna go hang out with my mommy and friends :)

My First Niece!

2009-03-13T11:48:00.003-06:00

She was born yesterday, a couple of weeks early but healthy and cute as can be!

Baby Maya! It means love in Nepali, if I am not mistaken.

Here is the proud and beautiful family: Trevor's sister Kat, hubby and happy dad Mickey and baby.

She is simply A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!! So quiet and happy! I wanted to bite her cheeks, but I don't think Mickey would have like that :)

Trevor and I love you, little little! Welcome to this world! Your cousin Olivia is having too much fun in my belly but will come to join you eventually :)

She Is Here!!

2009-03-10T21:23:00.003-06:00

And isn't she the cutest???

All, meet my mom, Nely!

ps--- thank you all for sharing about pumps. Medela it is! But there are many Medelas. I am looking for one on ebay... there's the in style, the free style, the this and the that... I am confused but I will find one :)

I Have A Testimony Of...

2009-03-07T00:03:00.008-07:00

Tylenol for sore hips and some other stuff

Toilet Paper, two words for you: pregnant bladder!

My blanket, yes I have one and can't sleep without it!

Baby Bethoven CD, it helps me relax,
I hope it relaxes Olivia too.

The Creamery on 9th. I have never wanted icecream
so bad, all the time, in.my.LIFE!

I want to have a testimony of

A Pump!

Which one do you recommend??

And the current list of available MK products.

Hurry, ladies, they're going fast!
...........................................Sale Price
Eye Make-Up Remover...$14........$8
Eye Primer.................$12........$7
Eye Revitalizer...........$35........$22
Firming Eye Cream.......$30........$18
Age-Fighting Eye Cream...$26........$15
Black-Noir Mascara............$15........$9
Black-Noir Eyeliner............$10........$5
MicroDermabrasion Set.....$55........$35
Time Wise Day/Night Set..$60........$35

Amazing! And Some Updates...

2009-03-04T23:39:00.006-07:00

I just really want to thank you for all the advice on the hospital bag/suitcase issue! I am reading and re-reading everyone's posts and writing my own list. Since we live very close to the hospital I will be delivering at, I think I'll just be selfish, take stuff for ME and then have Trevor and mainha go home whenever they need anything. hee hee hee

By the way, mainha (my mom) arrives on Monday night, cuz, you know, the full moon is Tuesday... :)

So today I went out searching for pjs or a zip down sweater, slippers (I've been wanting new ones since xmas anyway), and some other little things to take with me. I am just too picky - and cheap! I did get some snacks for Trevor and mainha and I already have toiletries and shower stuff in my gym bag so I don't have to buy any of that. Cool! I just need comfy clothes to wear there that I feel are picture and BLOG WORTHY! ha ha ha

I went to the Dr on Monday and baby hasn't started her "journey" down yet, so I believe I have more time to prepare :)

********************************************

On another note...

I had started a Mary Kay adventure a few months ago, which was going great and I was having a lot of fun with! But, lets face it, I won't have the time or desire to be doing anything like that in the next few months... and what I will have is BILLS! So I've decided to sell everything MK that I have at pretty much half price!
Here is my list of items, not much, but if you're interested in purchasing any of these, let me know by email (kikaandtrevor@gmail.com). I can ship them to you if you live out of Utah.

Product........................ Retail Price....Sale Price
Shy Blush Mineral Cheek Color....$10............. $5.50
Desert Sun Bronzing Powder........$12.............. $6.50
Eye Make-Up Remover................$14.............. $8
Eye Primer..............................$12................ $7
Satin Lips Set..........................$18............... $10
Eye Revitalizer.......................$35.............. $22
Firming Eye Cream.....................$30............... $18
Age-Fighting Eye Cream............$26.............. $15
Black-Noir Mascara....................$15............... $9
Black-Brown Mascara.................$15.............. $9
Black-Noir Eyeliner.....................$10.............. $5
Deep Brown Eyeliner..................$10.............. $5
MicroDermabrasion Set.............$55.............. $35
Time Wise Day/Night Set..........$60............ $35

Thanks, girlies! :)

My Unforgetable Brazilian Baby Shower!

2009-03-01T23:42:00.006-07:00

I am just too blessed... and SPOILED!!

Saturday was my Brazilian Baby Shower, fully prepared by my friend Claudia! She handmade the invitations and all the food, most the decoration and also prepared the games and the favors. Amazing! You can not even imagine how HAPPY I am! How BLESSED I feel! How much LOVE I feel for all the people who came and how I missed the ones who couldn't be there! How much more PREPARED I feel for Olivia's arrival because most the gifts were from my registries and were the things that I also needed! My oh my... I just have no words to THANK everyone!

Here are some pictures from yesterday:

On my way to the baby shower.

Helga and Emma pampered me and made me look all pretty!

Some of the decoration.
Who doesn't know I love red?!

Claudia made these posters explaining my history with Trevor

since we met in 2001. I will keep it forever!

Fun Brazilian friends eating Claudia's yummie food!

One of the games we played was Baby Bingo and I had no idea

that girls can go CRAZY when playing BINGO!!!

It was fun! I mainly ate the M&Ms, he he he he

This was the cake and it was AMAZING!

The whole theme of the baby shower was

"Trevor and Kika Productions Announce the Birth of Olivia",

cuz she knows I LOVE theatre.

And the cake was decorated like a stage with the curtains

and it wasBEAUTIFUL and DELISH!

Here are some of my gifts around me,

My friends are so thoughtful and generous!!

The party lasted hours and most the girls had left

by the time we started taking group pictures.

Here I am with some of my beautiful Brazilian girlfriends.

We're pretty even when we make faces! heheheeh

Just having fun :)

And this was all HER fault!

This is Claudia!

I will spend a long time figuring out how to

fully thank her for a wonderful

unforgetably fun afternoon!

Bottom line is, I LOVED all my babyshowers!

They were all full of love and friends, what else could I ask for?

Meninas, eu AMO vocês!

I love you, girls!

* If you moms don't mind, I kinda need some help with my hospital bag. Can you read my next post and give me some insight? Hugs!

Do I really Need All That?!?!?!?!?

2009-03-01T23:14:00.005-07:00

I think I need to prepare my "hospital bag" since the ticker up there says I am about 11 days away from my due date. Freaky!

I was looking at some lists of what it's suggested that I take to the hospital. Here is a compilation of two lists from the Pampers Village package I got at Utah Valley Hospital and my book Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy:

For Trevor

Insurance information (I am planning on pre-registering too)

Snacks

Swimsuit (what the heck?!)

Change of clothes

Toiletries

Camera or video recorder

For Me!!

Watch to time contractions

2 bed pillows

Lotion/oil for massages

Warm socks

Lip Balm

Hard candy to suck on

Reading material

Paper fan

Picture for a focal point

Back Massager

Heating pack (thought they had it there...)

Nightgown that opens in front (but those are ugly!!)

Robe and slippers

Underwear

Nursing pads

Nursing bras

Toiletries

Hair care and cosmetics

Comfy clothes to wear home

Something relaxing, music or scent

For Baby

Sleeper or undershirt

Receiving blankek and clothes to wear home

Sweater, cap, extra blanket if cold weather

Car seat correctly installed!

Baby wipes

Baby diapers

So, which of these items did you have in your hospital bag? And which items are not on this list but you highly recommend that I take with me?

An Empty Drawer for Baby?

2009-02-25T23:39:00.003-07:00

Have you seen The Curious Case of Benjamin Button? I loved it. But one of the most interesting things to me was how his adoptive parents put him to sleep in a drawer when he was a baby. I thought that was hillarious but I've had friends tell me that that was not a 'movie thing,' some people really had to use drawers or other creative sleeping arrangements for their babies.

After much debating if we'd go for the drawer or the shoe box, we actually decided to get a crib! And here is the one we chose, not only because the price was great but because I have friends who have it and really like it:

To see this and other cribs at one of my favorite places, Ikea, click here.

So now we need a mattress, right?

Which one do you recommend?

Someone Unplug Me!

2009-02-24T22:59:00.003-07:00

No, lady friends, I am not talking about the pregnancy-related plug...

I am talking about my EARS: I woke up today feeling like I was in an airplane. Ears plugged up, that continuous bbbbbzzzzzzzzzz sound and the sensation I am going deaf! And it still hasn't gone away! What the heck?!

I have chewed gum, yawned and tried other known remedies. No change. So annoying!

I am all ears to some advice!

Baby Shirley

2009-02-23T21:45:00.003-07:00

She is so small, so warm, such an angel!
Baby Brighton Shirley is the daughter or my American sister, Annie Pinegar Shirley. I posted a few weeks ago some pictures from Annie's baby shower.

Brighton was born about 3 weeks ago and is the yummiest baby! Trevor and I went over for a quick visit two weeks ago and I couldn't get enough of her. What is it about newborns that just makes you melt? Their smell, their funny faces while they sleep, their tiny little noses... so lovely!

Congratulations, Annie! I love you so much, and I love your little angel! :)

The Preggo Pics - 37 Weeks

2009-02-22T20:43:00.004-07:00

My Friend Rebecca is taking a photography class and I asked her if she would like to practice on ME! She said yes!

Here are some of my favorite (and rated G) pictures from yesterday:

Update on baby: She has spent almost the ENTIRE day today towards my right side. I push and push her so she will move around and when she does, she comes back. What is it about my right side that she likes so much? Or maybe she is just starting to show me that she IS as sttuborn as her mother!

Is My Mom A Witch?

2009-02-18T23:58:00.002-07:00

As you know my baby is due on March 14.

My mom was supposed to fly in around the 10th or 12th to try and be here for the delivery.

BUT...

She called me last week to say she has to fly in around the 7th of March because on the 10th of March the moon is changing, it will become full and that means that... baby will be born then!!

So, ladies and gentlemen, I present you my new due date: March 10th. Changed officially by the moon calendar.
Thank you!

When was the last time you thought your mother was very wrong when she was indeed very right?

My Job Makes Me Laugh

2009-02-17T22:30:00.002-07:00

Since they closed my department at TNI (the noni juice company), I was moved back to the call center, which is where I started anyway. Because it has been over one year since I was last at the call center, they put me on the "basic" order line, which is relaxed and nice. And even though we try to be professional at all time, sometimes you just have to laugh at the crazy questions you get...

First... Is my name that hard to understand and say???? When I started there I wanted to be more official, and my first name is hard to pronounce, so I went with my middle name - Cyntia (pronounced Cynthia, why not?!). Most people eventually learn to call me Kika though, but here is how I answer the phones there:

Me: Thank you for calling Tahitian Noni International, my name is CYNTIA, how can I help you today?
Caller: Michelle?
Me: Cyntia!
Caller: Oh ok, Michelle?
Me: No, CYNTIA as in C--Y--N--T--I--A!!
Caller: Alright, MICHELLE, I want to place an order...
At which point I give up and pretend to be Michelle. Place the order. Call closes like this:
Me: Well Thank you for calling TNI, have a great day.
Caller: Thanks, Michelle!

OR

Me: Thank you for calling Tahitian Noni International, my name is CYNTIA, how can I help you today?
Caller: Seen-djyah?
Me: CYNTIA!
Caller: Sin-tcha?
Me: No, CYNTIA, as in C--Y--N--T--I--A!
Caller: Ah ok, Tintee-a?
Me: Yes, sure, Tinteea... how can I help you today?

Or we can have fun with random questions:

Me: Thank you for calling Tahitian Noni International, my name is CYNTIA, how can I help you today?
Caller: I want to buy the diapers!
Me: Excuse me??
Caller: DIAPERS! I need to buy them diapers!!
Me: Mam, we are the noni juice company, we sell health products but no diapers.
Caller: Oh really? Ok... (clic)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Me: Thank you for calling Tahitian Noni International, my name is CYNTIA, how can I help you today?
Caller: I have a question about noni tea... will it make my wife's uterus grow back?
Me: Your wife's what???
Caller: My wife... she had surgery and removed her uterus, but she wants to have babies now, I heard noni tea is good for that.
Me: Sir, your wife should definitelly consult a physician about this, it's a medical issue, she's better off talking with a doctor...
Caller: But will the noni tea help?
Me: I am afraid not, sir, I don't know ANY tea that makes a body organ "grow back".
Caller: well that SUCKS!
Me: I'm sorry.
(clic)

Calls like these make me think it's really one of the founders, just bored on the third floor, having some fun teasing us, poor call center agents. I mean... uterus grow back... really? Can't be real! Or can it??

When was the last time YOUR j.o.b. made you laugh?

The P Count

2009-02-16T23:57:00.002-07:00

Because the most inconvenient thing during this pregnancy (and I hear all pregnancies) is to have to P all the time, I have decided to write down how many times in one day I had to go P.
This count started on Sunday at midnight:

12:37 am
1:20 am
3:15 am
5:28 am
8:31 am
9:49 am
11:10 am
1:56 pm
3:05 pm
4:18 pm
5:42 pm
7:15 pm
9:02 pm
11:57 pm

Isn't that all you needed to make your Tuesdat wonderful?! ;)

Me is curious, what was the most inconvenient aspect of your pregnancy?

My Valentine

2009-02-15T21:32:00.004-07:00

was awesome and here is why:

*trying* to sleep in (because since my bladder is the size of a raisin, there is no sleeping anymore), being awaken by a rose and my favorite chocolate bar (butterfinger, yummie), going to romantic lunch at one of my favorite places (Olive Garden) and having one of my favorite desserts (the black tie chocolate mousse cake, heavenly!), then spending the rest of the day with him. He even took me to the mall for some shopping but, with my 41" waist line, there is nothing I wanna buy now ;)

Here are some pictures of the day...

Black Tie Chocolate Mousse Cake after the first bite...

And after there were no more bites left...

Friend Justin proposed to girlfriend Jiyon on a very romantic and chocolate fondue filled afternoon. Look at their matching shirts!! It was cute!

At night we had dinner at Jordan and Lindsey's house and then sat and talked about all sorts of things. Check out this funny pic I took of Jordan and Miley, their dog:

So yes, we can say my valentine's day was awesome!
Next valentine's day baby will be almost ONE YEAR OLD! She will be walking around and she will have TEETH!! Freaky thing...

How was your Valentine's Day, cuties?

Obssessed With a Stroller

2009-02-12T22:44:00.004-07:00

My brother's baby in Portugal has a Quinny stroller and Maxi-Cozi carseat. It is black and gray. And compact. And easy to push. And easy to set up and put away. And lightweight. And I absolutely fell in LOVE with it!

But WHY does it have to be so expensive? And WHY can't I find any other one that get close to liking?

*sigh*

Doesn't this stroller and carseat SPELL my name, though? I totally see myself with one of those and baby in them... It just says PERFECTION in my opinion!

Any stroller / carseat suggestions and advices are welcome!

Ain't I Late?

2009-02-10T21:59:00.004-07:00

My gosh, I didn't think I would ever be such a bad blogger! Sorry, girlies!

I have so much to blog about that I created a list on the left with "upcoming posts", because I KNOW that you ALL check my blog every MINUTE to see if there's something new ;)

Anyway...

Today I will blog about my baby showers so far!

My sister-in-law Kat really wanted to throw me a baby shower, which was intimate and fun! Thank you Kat, mom, sis-in-law Rachel, Jen, Josie, bffs Rachel and Kristin for coming! You girls are great and I am grateful to have your friendship! I LOVE the gifts!! Here are some pics:

can't go wrong with them diapers..

cute dress!

yummie cupcakes that I couldn't eat, but they looked great!

the clan! it was so fun! :)

This Saturday, my American family, the Pinegars, threw my "English" shower! I decided to separate the American and the Brazilian crowd because it's such a different culture, it'd be hard to explain to my American friends some of the shower games that happen in a Brazilian shower. Nothing bad, it just gets too crazy... too much estrogen I guess :)

My shower with the Pinegar girls was so sweet too! Thank you to the Pinegar girls: Grandma, Kristine, Nikki, Sandy and Bear! And thank you to Desiree, Rachel, Bonny, Emi, Emily, Lindsey, Sister Paulsen, Sarah, and all the beautiful bffs who came! I love you all!

That shower was so fun that I forgot to get my camera out but here is a picture with the Pinegar clan:

And something that I learned in this baby shower is that my belly measures exactly 41 inches around. Is that good?

Well, there you go! This shall do for tonight!
Hope you're all having a great week already and that NO ONE will catch a cold right after having the stomach flu cuz that SUCKS!

Do You Know What Hunger Tastes Like?

2009-02-03T20:50:00.003-07:00

If not, get the stomach flu for about 2 days, don't recover for another week, and have your doctor put you on a clear liquids only diet (yah, water, sprite, 7up, gatorade, that's all) for 48hours. And remember you're 34 weeks preggo.

I am STARVING! But it will be better soon.

Tonight I was finally allowed to eat toast and crackers. Heavenly! Tomorrow afternoon I can add rice, jello and bananas. LOVE bananas!!! Yum!! :) Will NEVER take those foods for granted again!

I think that's why I haven't posted in a while, besides the fact that I wanted to keep my bragging post up for a while. hee hee :) Ain't my hubby amazing? Yes sir!
Besides feeling kinda sicky, been busy at work and trying to get the house ready for baby. Am I nesting? Think so!

Here is a picture of me on Sunday, at 34 weeks and some days and 4lbs lighter thanks to the flu thing.
Why do I always look high on something on those preggo pics? And where are my boots? Bleah!

Anyway, what have YOU ladies been up to???

Why I Like Fighting

2009-01-24T22:21:00.011-07:00

Not street or cat fighting. I am talking about the REAL DEAL: trained skilled athletes that express their "art" in a cage or ring and afterwards, even with broken noses and bloody eyes, hug each other in the name of the sport.

Trevor introduced me to the world of "fighting" and Mixed Martial Arts when we started dating. How couldn't he, being a fighter himself? It's in his personality, it's such a huge part of who he is. Let me (brag and) share with you why I feel SO protected just by knowing my hubby:

K-1 Fighting

Karate, Tae-Kwon-Do and Kick Boxing -> Full Contact Matches

6 wins, 0 losses

2 wins by tecnical knockout, 4 by decision

Boxing

4 wins, 2 losses

1 win by decision, 3 others by knockout

both losses by decision only, which means he fought all rounds without being knocked out and the loss was based on points

Grappling

Submission Wrestling, Jiu Jitsu
2 silver medals, 1 bronze medal

Tournament wins are by submission only, meaning no points counted, you win by making oponent tap out, or say "uncle"

MMA

Mixed Martial Arts, aka Ultimate Fighting

3 wins, 0 losses

1 by tecnical knockout, 2 by submission

Capoeira

Brazilian Martial Art

There are no official competitions in Capoeira, but Trevor has been a practitioner for about 6 years and attributes his success to a lot of the skills acquired in Capoeira - flexibility, balance, agility, etc.

And because bragging is best when there is PROOF, here are some cool pictures of Trevor in action.

PS- as for me, to defend myself when he's not around, why did you think I got a concealed firearms permit?! Hah!

My Little Sis

2009-01-22T22:49:00.003-07:00

Annie, is also pregnant and due in about three weeks! I can't wait to see her baby, it's also a girl and it's going to be SO gorgeous!!

I LOVE YOU, Annie!! Thank you for inviting me to your baby shower, it was so fun! You are so beautiful!!

Here are some pics :)

When I got to the USA and lived in Annie's parents house, this little girl, Holland, was about 6 months old! I have babysat her later from the time she was 3 till she was about 5 and now she is 7. I do feel old, BUT, I am SO GRATEFUL for the Pinegars! They have been my family here since the very beginning and have helped me in ways I can not describe or retribute. Love love LOVE them!! Sooooooooo much!!!

PS- had my breastfeeding class today. These sore boobs better work their magic when baby comes! ;)

Pedrinho's Wedding

2009-01-19T20:53:00.004-07:00

It was such a fun day!

Sealing in the morning, yummie luncheon at Tucanos in SLC, fun reception in Heber. Yes, lots of travelling, but it was sooooooooo worth it!

Here are some pics:The happy couple, Pedro & Sarah Granja

Brazilian crowd and spouses

It was HIS idea!!

This one too... :)

My beautiful besterest friend, Helga!

We like them funky shoes.

Dancing at the reception

Yummie and beautiful cake!

The man on the right is Pedro's dad,
my former stake president in Brazil,
and him and Trevor got along GREAT :)

Last picture before heading home to Provo.
And wishing bride and groom all the happiness in the universe!

When you go to a wedding reception, does it make you want to get married (to your spouse, of course), all over again? Ah, so much fun!!! :)

This Is For My People

2009-01-16T21:44:00.003-07:00

Sarah's father baptized Pedro's mother on his mission in Recife, Brazil, years ago.

Pedro was my Sunday School student in Brazil when he was about 14, before my mission and before I moved to the US.

His father was our stake president and was the one who was there to send me on a mission and to pick me up at the airport along with my ward. Awesome and caring family.

Tomorrow Pedrinho and Sarah are getting married!! Yes, he'll marry the daughter of the man who baptized his mother years and years ago. How cool is that?!

Trevor and I went over to Sarah's parents' house today to say hi and chat a little, since tomorrow will be such a busy day for everybody. It was so much fun! Last time I saw Pedro's parents was in 2003, my last visit to Brazil.

Here we are after a lot of updating, laughs, good memories and strengthened friendships:

Bride and groom will be married for time and eternity tomorrow in the Bountiful Temple, we wouldn't miss it for the world :)

ps1 -- Doesn't the wall decor look like it's part of my hairdo???

ps2-- I feel awful about being such a bad blog visitor! It's been busy couple of weeks but I will catch up on visiting you girlies on Sunday, promise! ;)

About to Explode!

2009-01-14T23:00:00.003-07:00

If you poke my belly with a needle, it WILL explode! Oh my gosh! It's growing so big! She moves so much too, it's so fun! And freaky :) I wish I could hook up a tv in there to watch what in the heck she is doing most the time! I mean, what can be so interesting that makes her move around so much? It's amazing...

Here I am at pretty much 32 weeks. Only 8 more to go. SCARY! I am not ready... will I ever be?

By the way, I have a Babies R Us Registry and a Target Registry.

Am I missing anything very very important???

Thanks gals, you're all the best!

I Just Bought $80 Shoes!

2009-01-13T21:17:00.003-07:00

And only paid $9.61 for them!!!

That's right, girls, get off the computer and go to JCPenny right NOW! They're having an extra 40% off sale (that's up to 80% savings!).

And no, I don't like to match my socks ;)

PS- thank you for your fun stories and good advices on pregnancy folklores, so good to have smart mommies to share these thingies with!

Pregnancy Folklore, or not?

2009-01-11T20:03:00.002-07:00

I was thinking about all the "dos" and "don'ts" I hear from all sorts of people about pregnancy.
Here are some funny and funky advices... or are they folklore??

- Why are you wearing high heals? Pregnant women should only wear flats.
- Don't cross your legs, it will cut AIR supply to the baby.
- Don't cross your legs, it will give you spider webs/veins.
- Don't go up the stairs, you're pregnant!
- Are you running? But you're pregnant!
- Stay put and don't lift anything, you're pregnant.
- If you scratch your belly, you'll get strech marks.
- I can tell you're pregnant by your nose and forehead. (wtf??)

So... aren't these great?
What have people told YOU when you were pregnant that made you go "huh"?

Bellylicious

2009-01-06T22:50:00.003-07:00

Please disregard my swollen face!

Here I am today at the gardens at work. I love that it's all white all around!
I am starting to feel big. Nevermind the peeing seven times a night, ladies, now my wedding ring feels tight and THAT sucks!

Any advice on what kept you from swelling during your pregnancies? And how are you all liking all this snow?

Don't Mess With Me :)

2009-01-04T22:18:00.005-07:00

So yesterday was my turn to take a class to get a Utah Concealed Firearm Permit. We took the class at my apartment, our friend Jason taught the class and five other people attended. I even made mini muffins and hot chocolate - what a good host! ha ha :)

To get information on how to sign up for Jason's future classes, go to this page. The class was VERY throrough, and I HIGHLY recommend it. The pricing is also great (there is a discount if couples take it together and all)! Trevor has his permit already but he told me later that the class he took wasn't close to being as informative as Jason's.

Here is me practicing my gun holding and shooting stances. The pic on the right is me auditioning to join the Law and Order crew... fancy posing!

And lets try not to notice that I should have been wearing a black bra, alright?