Happy Halloween

When I was a child, we didn't have any idea what Halloween was all about. It wasn't part of our culture.

Nowadays, things are getting different.

On Saturday, we had Trick or Treat at our subdivision. We had about 30 trick or treaters and they were all in cute costumes. I even put my Halloween decoration out. It was fun and we ended up with plenty of left over candy (not good).

Anyways, I hope you are all having a great Halloween.

Pasta and ragu sauce

Today, I wanted to eat some confort food, because the skies are gray and we have a crispy air. ( Which is great news after the canicule yesterday).

I was browsing my freezer and I found some Tuscan Sausage and I remembered I saw this crock pot recipe a few days ago.

Since, I don't have a crock pot, simply because, we don't have them in Brazil. I decided to come up with my version of this delicious sauce.

Ingredients:

6 Tuscan Sausage links (out of their cases)

1 medium onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 jar of good quality tomato sauce

1/2 cup of heavy cream

Extra virgen Olive Oil

1/4 cup of Port Wine

Pasta, enough for 04 people and freshly greated parmesan chesse.

Heat an iron pan with just a splash of EVOO, brown the sausage. When it is done, take it out and reserve.

Add the wine to deglase the pan.

Add another table spoon of EVOO, add the onion and garlic. When onion is translucent, add the sausage and the tomato sauce.

Bring it up to a boil, turn the heat low and simmer for 25 minutes.

When the sauce is done, cook your pasta according with the package directions.

Add the cream to the sauce and heat it up again.

When pasta is cooked, mix the pasta and the sauce. Add some freshly greated parmesan chesse and you have a great lunch / dinner in your hands.

I served a green salad as well.

The good part, I have enough left over to take to lunch tomorrow and the bad part after a great lunch, you still have to clean your kitchen : )

I hope y'all are having a great weekend.

PS.: Canicule is the french term used to describe a really hot period of time

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 22 weeks and 02 days

Size of baby: 10.9 inches long and around 1lb 1 ounce

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I have lost 7 punds in the first thrimester and I have gained 2 pounds back until my last doctor appointment. I will know for sure next week.

Maternity Clothes: I am wearing a mixture of normal clothes and maternity clothes. The dress, on this picture, is a maternity dress and I look REALLY pregnant on it.

Gender: A GIRL!!! Heloisa

Movement: I feel her, when I am wide awake in the middle of the nitght. But I'm starting to feel it more.

Sleep: Poor. That is all I'm saying

Symptoms: Despite the growin belly, nothing else ; )

Cravings: I am starting to feel a little hungrier, but it has been so hot that icy things are my favorites.

Best Moment this week: Seeing her last Tuesday on my appointment wtih the Neonatologist. He said he would call my OB and he will take me out of the High Risk List. He also said, the OB won't take me out of the list, but on his side of the pond, all looks good. It was great news.

What I am looking forward to: One week at a time and see all the improvements we are doing on cleaning up Heloisa's future nursery ; )

A day in the life

Last Friday, it took me 90 minutes to drive 10 miles, from work to home during the rush hour at 6pm.

I, then, decided I would write a post to record how our schedule goes these days.

One day, down the road, I will look back and I will miss it or I will think “What were we thinking?”.

So, this is how it goes:

5:15 am => the alarm clock goes off

5:20 am=> Hubby gets up and start coffee, while I stay behind and make our bed.

5:30 am (given or taken) => I go down stairs and get breakfast ready, while Hubby gets ready.

6:00 am (given or taken) => we have breakfast together and we spend some (little) quality time together.

6:30 am => Hubby finish getting ready and go to work. I stay behind, clean up the kitchen, and start some laundry and / or some dinner.

7:00 am=> I go upstairs to get ready.

7:30 am => I drive to work.

8:30 am ((given or taken) => I get to the office.

8:30 am to 11:50 am => I work (work per say, attend meetings and conference calls).

11:50 am to 12:50 pm => One hour (mandatory break by law) for lunch.

12:50 pm to 6:00 pm => I work (work per say, attend meetings and conference calls).

6:00 pm => I leave the office and I will get home, anywhere between 7:00 to 8:00 pm. I will depend how bad traffic is.

After I get home, it is dinner time, maybe some blogging, maybe some TV. But lately, I’m trying to focus on my HUGE to do list before Heloisa’s arrival. I usually go to bed between 10 and 11 pm.

I hope you have a wonderful week.

21 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 21 weeks

Baby Weighs: 13 ounces

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I have lost 7 punds in the first thrimester and I have gained 2 pounds back.

Maternity Clothes: Only maternity jeans

Sleep: Sleeping is going okay. It could go better, but I will take what it is necessary.

Best Moment this week: Starting the cleaning process of Heloisa's soon to be nursery

Gender: It's A Girl! Heloisa

Movement: Yes I have experienced the first movement. It was amazing and I love the feeling.

Food Craving: Nothing especial. But I feel I am getting a little hungrier than before.

What I miss: Running, coffee and diet coke.

What I am looking forward to: Planning and Preparing the Nursery and Shopping!

Symptoms: None

Heloisa's first gift

Heloisa got her first gift when we went to Buenos Aires, back in May.

Of course, I wasn't pregnant yet, but.... this is what happened.

As we strolled around Galerias Pacifico, on our last day there, I saw this beautiful ornament in one of the stores.

It had two angels looking over a baby. As I saw that, I just had this impulse to buy it.

But, I was so afraid to buy it and "what if I would never used?!?!?".

So, I made a bargain with God.... I told him, if I see 05 babies before we leave the mall, I will go back and buy it.

I walked less than 100 meters and I saw no less than 07 baby girls.

I told Paulo about my bargain and we went back to the store to buy it.

If..... I had followed my intuition, I would have bought it pink, but I was a little skeptical and I bought it blue.

Anyway, it is really pretty and I will cherish it forever as a sign that God really does answer our prayers.

20 weeks and three days!!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 20 weeks and three days - A little over HALF WAY!!

Size of baby: 10 inches long and 10.6 ounces

Weight gain: 3/4 of a pound

Maternity Clothes: I am wearing maternity jeans and that is all for now!

Gender: A GIRL!!! Heloisa

Movement: I am pretty sure I felt her move last night.

Sleep: I sleep well from 10 pm to 2:30 am. After that, I wake up EVERY HOUR until the alarm goes off : (

Symptoms: Nothing at ALL!

What I miss: Running, coffee and diet coke. But.... if it is for Heloisa's sake, I will take it ; )

Cravings: Nothing at all

Best Moment this week: Seeing Heloisa last Tuesday!

What I am looking forward to: Getting rid of all the junk in her future nursery ; )

PS1: I didn't post on Thursday, only because I was way too tired after I got home.

PS2: Carissa, I have short hair now, even tough I am having a hair cut every three weeks, because it grows way too fast.

19 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 19 weeks

Size of baby: 6 inches long and 8.5 ounces

Weight gain: 3/4 of a pound

Maternity Clothes: I am wearing maternity jeans and the rest are my normal clothes!

Gender: A GIRL!!! Heloisa

Movement: Not yet : (

Sleep: I've been waking up every hour due to the major flu I caught.

Symptoms: I've been feeling pretty good!

What I miss: Coffee and running

Cravings: None!

Best Moment this week: Making a plan to get everything done before Heloisa arrives!

What I am looking forward to: Seeing our girl at our 20 week ultrasound next week!!

Sunday Randoms

This post has a list of bullet point of what is on my mind and what I did during this weekend.

1. I got a massage and a mani/pedi yesterday.
2. Paulo travelled to see his kids.
3. I had a good weekend so far.
4. I am tackling a lot of small projetcts around the house that don't involve weight lifting, since I am completly forbidden to lift anything over 5lbs.
5. I am cooking so pork roast based on Jennas's mom recipe.
6. I did some dessert in a jello mold.
7. I never know how it will turn out, because....
8. When I turn a jello mold over, some time is fine and some times is a Capital D, Disaster.
9. I have a question for the other mom's out there: why it is taking so long for me to feel Heloisa move?
10. Paulo says she will be ready when she is ready and I shouldn't bother her ; )
11. As soon as I finish this post, I will tackled my linnen closet and I will get rid of a lot of old linnens.

I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend.