The Tiles, The World Cup, a Baby Shower and more...

Yep, a lot has been going on this week. I know I say we are busy, but we really were busy. The last week involved (finally) getting our kitchen tiles fixed. The World Cup has started, which has made things a little crazier than normal around Panama. Last but not least, friends of ours were kind enough to host a baby shower for us. Be ware, long post ahead.

Remember when I wrote about our last major trip? One of the things that "happened" was our tile popping up in our kitchen. This isn't uncommon around here. There are a few reasons for this happening, one being that the tiles expand and contract throughout the day due to the temperature changes.

Much better

It took a time to get fixed, but we were finally able to get our tiles replaced and fixed. The process itself took about 4 days, although we extended the process out to 5 days. Last Saturday was our last day of English class until further notice. We asked the repairman to come Sunday rather than Saturday so we could both attend class and say our goodbyes.

Robert and I taught the class for 3 years and had gotten to know some of the students quite well. These students are hoping to learn English for their own benefit. Many of them do not make a lot of money and are unlikely to ever venture outside of Panama.

Aww the World Cup. Panama's team made history by qualifying for the first time when they won against Costa Rica. The following day was declared a national holiday by the president—and for good reason. Everyone was celebrating after the game. Panama was off to Russia! 

It seems like you can go anywhere and see World Cup garb. My doctor's office is decorated in it. Doctors where I get my lab work done were singing the national anthem  An outdoor fonda (sort of like a fast food place) had people crowding around their tv as the game began. You can even see the muñeca (doll) of Ramón Torres who scored the winning goal against Costa Rica. Bars were open at 7am for people to watch the games.

Monday was Panama's first game. They lost 0-3 against Belgium Monday and lost against England today. However, Panama pride showed through in England's game. Panama lost 7-1 but scored a goal. Evidently that exceeded people's expectations. Ha! Robert and I have been keeping up a little bit. I hope Panama wins their next and potentially last game of the World Cup. It would be awesome to see the reactions of true, non-bandwagon fans.

Last but not least, friends of ours hosted a baby shower for us. It was a couples shower which made it a little untraditional, but lots of fun. We played charades, which included Robert acting out changing a baby's poopy diaper. I got to to sit back and enjoy the amusement as other scenes included waiting in line at a public restroom, and feeding a baby peas.

It's a whale of a cake!

Playing more games

Making bets on the kiddo's arrival!

This week flew by for all good reasons. We'll be working on adding some finishing touches to what we need regarding the baby. Let the nesting begin! Sorry Robert. It is safe to say that the baby will be a significant focus of our time. We also have work, summer movies (Jurassic World 2), and a few other things will also balance out the focus of the baby. This next month will be going by faster than a New York Minute. 

A few more pregnancy FAQs (some may be repeats)

How are you feeling?

Still good. We are both getting excited in a very surreal way. We know we'll be holding our little one soon, but it's still very surreal.

My back hurts on occasion. It is to be expected at this point. Baby's head is down and hormones (relaxin) is causing my hips to be a little loosey goosey in preparation for labor. I had decreased my 40 minute workouts to 20 minute workouts. Now I am sticking to yoga 3 times per week as per my doctor's orders. Oh, and sleeping with the air conditioning on is almost always a requirement.

What's the birth plan?

Ideally I'd like to go with as few interventions as possible. There is a part of me that also is accepting of the fact that things may not go according to plan. So is life. 

Do you have any names picked?

We're still working on that. We are narrowing it down though. Not sure if that is really saying much though...

Are you taking birthing classes?

Lamazze/birthing classes do exist here. They are in Panama City, over an hour away, in the evenings and not ideal for us to attend. I've been doing research and it seems like a lot of the methodologies of Lamaze, and Hypnobirthing are similar to yoga. It's a lot about the breath! Some women do not always have access to this and they still manage to give birth. If they can do it, so can I!

Did I miss any burning questions you have? I know this post is long so I tried to keep the questions to a minimum.