It's all Fun and Games for Now

The countdown is on for when the little will arrive. Workouts and yoga have temporarily stopped. Finishing last minute projects have been a focus. It seems like now is just a waiting game–pun intended. The last week has literally been about chilling out, relaxing, and playing games.

Robert and I went to Panama City last week and watched Sicario 2. We both enjoyed the first one and were hoping that the second movie would be released here. While not quite as good as the original (the first was really good), the second movie was still enjoyable and worth the drive to the city. Benicio del Toro brings his usual command and charisma to the screen. Put both of these movies on your "to watch" list if you have not seen either of these movies. You'll thank me later. This applies even if you are like me and find these movies a bit out of your typical movie genre preferences.

We had a game and dinner night with friends. We played Hand and Foot. The girls lost, but it was still fun. I also snuck in some Mah Jong. I am not very good at the game. Luckily the people I play with play to win but aren't super competitive about it either.

Has anyone been keeping up with the World Cup? I thought I would jump off the bandwagon once Panama was out of it. Wrong! Upset after upset keeps happening. Teams that were expected to be in the quarter-finals aren't, including Germany and Brazil. I wonder how many people who made brackets and placed bets actually made money this go-around?

Wednesday involved a ladder ball tournament with people who live in our building. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the game, you have a ladder with three bars. You can play either play with two or four people at a time, creating teams of two if playing with four people (which is the most fun by the way) Each bar has a point value of 1-3. You are then given balls that are attached with a rope and the object is to "hook" the balls onto the ladder. The first to a certain point value wins the game. It is like a hybrid of shuffleboard and horseshoes.

Lastly, this week involved me reading two books.  Every Man in this Village is a Liar: an Education on War, by Megan Stack, was the first. The book is about a journalist's accounts while she reported throughout the Middle East during the early 2000s. The second book, The Heart of Abshire House, by Tai Sith, is a sequel to The Incredible Secrets of Hadley Hill. One book made me think about views on foreign policy. The other was a mix of adventure, mystery, and romance. Both are good reads, depending on the kind of book genres you're into (read "Hadley Hill" before you read "Abshire House").

 

All of this meant I took a bit of a Facebook/technology hiatus. I posted something last week about how I was planning on staying off Facebook. Social media is great in a lot of ways, after all, I get paid to be on it and I enjoy staying up to date with family and friends. There comes a point where you just need a break. I got several messages asking about whether I was in labor. Nope, just taking a break.

Rumors seem to be going around that I am ready to not be pregnant anymore. FALSE...well sort of! I am ready to meet our kiddo on his terms. We are also about as ready as we can be regarding baby items. We are ready for her. I will admit, sleeping on my back again is going to be awesome. We are both in good spirits, and I kind of am enjoying the fact that taking care of the kiddo at this point is easy. I think other people are getting more impatient than we are.

Life is good though and we are officially on for Panamanian Baby Watch '18. As you might understand, a blog post every 2 weeks for a bit may not be possible for a while. The topic shift is likely change a bit too, as our Panamanian adventures shift into an introduction of parenthood in Panama.

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. 

Happy Fathers Day

Father's Day is upon on us. Mothers are awesome, but dads are too. Maybe it's just me, but it seems like most dads treat their kids different compared to moms. They're the ones that say a little dirt won't hurt, or push you harder even when you want to tell them you can't (thinking of more than one occasion here Dad, if you're reading this). But that's what dads do.

Like moms, they come in different forms. Some have lost their children, others choose to give back to the community in other ways or choose to have act as "dads" in other ways. I see you and acknowledge you all!

Panama and the US celebrate this day on the same day. The day is important, and kind of a big deal. While I cannot speak to exactly how it's celebrated, I have read that schools (public school goes from March-December here) usually have a special concert just for the celebration of dads. Some may even get out traditional clothing, called polleras, to do folklore dancing. Cool, right?

Polleras. Source 

Time to get personal. My dad isn't perfect. He's made mistakes and has taught me that it is okay to go your own path. His example is what made it a little less scary to get to where I am today. Not saying it has been easy, but he has been a major influence in my outlook in life. Thanks Dad!

There is also my father in law. I never expected to be treated like a daughter by an in-law. And yet, I feel like I am. His witty one liners can really catch you off guard if you're not expecting them. His passion for things he full heartedly believes in is a force to be reckoned with.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!

A Tale of Having to Conserve Water While Nesting

If there is one thing I have realized about living in Panama it's that clean water is a beautiful, and rare thing that many take for granted—including myself. I thought I had an appreciation of it before, but this week helped me appreciate it a little more than usual.

What was going on? We had a heavy rain storm last weekend which resulted in the local water treatment plant to need repairs. This meant that we had to conserve water. Neither of these events are that uncommon, and it is likely that heavy rains will cause additional repairs this season.

We were originally told that the repairs would take a day. The repairs were to occur Monday and that we could expect water to return Tuesday. That did not happen. We continued on with our week conserving water as much as possible. A two or three day repair is nothing unusual. The water company usually supplies water via water trucks. However, for unknown reasons to me, this did not happen this time around. We were on full water conservation mode.

Other surrounding towns were also on short supply of water. It seemed like everyone was unsure of what exactly was going on with the water situation, other than there was none coming in.

Here is where I come in! The last week or so I have been starting to nest. Am I crazy for wanting to dust off the hooks where we hang our hats? Of course not! Now get to dusting the hooks! 

Friday night came and still no water. A pregnancy meltdown may or may not have happened. What if we never get water again? How are we going to wash dirty diapers and the dirty clothes? I was getting annoyed by the ever growing pile of laundry and the lack of clean clothes. Water conservation mode or not, I was going to do laundry.

As it turned out, the repairs were done and water conservation mode was over on Saturday. I could feel a little less guilty for dipping into any water reserves our building had and do a happy dance in the process. This whole week has given me a whole new appreciation for the value of water and just how much I take it for granted. After all, it is a precious and rare thing.

A Hike in the City

Robert and I have been itching to go on a hike. Or, maybe it was just me and I convinced myself the hike was both our ideas? Both of us have been busy with work. A change of pace from the daily monotonies of daily life was needed and welcomed.

We found a hike in Panama City, at Parque Natural Metropolitano, Natural Metropolitan Park. It is the second highest point in Panama City, second to Ancon Hill, which we have been to on a few occasions.

The total hike was around 3.5km (2 mi) on trails that are well maintained. I have been able to stay active throughout my pregnancy, so this hike seemed doable. If nothing else, we could always slow down and/or turn around, right? To be honest, the thing I was worried most about was whether we would get hit with rain. The rain stayed away; no complaints!

This hike was just what the doctor ordered. The first part of our hike was flat and super easy. The second part of the hike was almost all up hill, which lasted around half a mile (1km). We got to the top of the hill and got to see some pretty cool sights. There were views of the city we haven't seen before. There was also this impressive line of leaf cutter ants. Pictures didn't do the line of ants justice.

Leaf cutter ants

One of the views we saw of Panama City

We took another trail down, which lead to the flat part of the hike. We then got breakfast and did a little exploring at a local mall. The initial plan was to go see a movie as well. The show time unexpectedly got pushed back an extra hour, which we did not want to wait around for. Maybe next time. 

The day turned out to be the perfect day. We got to spend some time together in nature, enjoyed a new adventure, and avoided rain! Woohoo!

A Mother's Day Post

Just wanted to send a quick Happy Mother's Day note to all the moms out there. Moms come in so many forms and you all deserve to be recognized. You all make a difference in this world!

The day is rumored to have started off as a day for grieving mothers. I know several moms that have experienced the death of a child. For that, I honor you. I know several moms who struggle with infertility. For that, I honor you.

I know others of you that are okay having four legged friends. For that, I honor you. Others of you have adopted communities and dedicated your life to service. You are honored. Of course, we cannot forget the moms who have children and get to spend time with them on a regular basis. You are honored!

To me, the day is about blessings. People have been wishing me a happy Mother's Day. It is an honor to hear that, although it is also very surreal. It's incredible to know that we'll be meeting our Thumper in about 10 weeks, but it's also kind of unreal too. The fun thing? Panama celebrates Mothers Day in December, on the Day of the Immaculate Conception. Perhaps then, the day will feel a little more real and a little less surreal. Haha.

I also want to send a shout out to our moms. I have an amazing mother in law. She is kind, loving, and generous. She helped raise her son into the man that is my best friend. Thanks for all you do!

Then there is my mom. She's strong and fierce. We might drive each other crazy at times, but she's the best mom I could ask for.

One of my favorites, 2011

May you find peace, happiness, and blessings on Mothers Day!

A Pregnancy Rant and and Update of the Past Two Weeks: Part 2

I decided that the posts needed to be broken up into parts. There was no way to keep two, relatively different topics cohesive in one blog post. That being said, can ya'll believe that July is just a few months away?

Robert and I have been busy wrapping our head around this. The last two weeks have been spent touring hospitals in Panama City. There are four private hospitals we were considering and wanted to see in person. We took a tour of three of the four, as the normal tour guide for one was not available.

Although the day was informative, it was also exhausting. There are certain things that we were curious about. Neither of us have much to compare with. I know plenty of friends back in the US that I could ask questions to that have given birth in US hospitals. Most new moms are supplied with peri bottles, the fashionable mesh underwear, and are given a stash of other freebies in the US. Are hospitals in Panama ran the same way? The answer is that it depends on the hospital. While the stash of freebies wasn't a make or break deal, it is still important and useful on what to bring when baby decides to arrive.

Source 

Source 

I had a list of questions on my phone, but both of us were also asking questions neither of us had thought of until we got to the hospitals. One tour was in English while the other two were in Spanish. Talk about learning a whole new vocabulary! I cannot speak for Robert, but my brain was pretty fried by the third hospital. Luckily the guides were kind and understanding. We were all laughing when hand and body gestures were being used. Who says you can't have fun while making a fairly big decision?

Nothing is decided yet on which hospital the baby will be born. We started this process assuming it might take some time to make a decision. Fortunately enough we are in a position where we can not only pick the OBGYN, but we can also decide which hospital the baby is born. Having that kind of flexibility is nice since I know that isn't always the case back in the US.

Next on our list is finding a pediatrician. This whole introduction to parenthood is pretty intense with a lot of decisions that need to be made. While it is just the start of a whole new us, the journey so far has been amazing. Undoubtedly the next three months are going to fly by and we'll be holding our son or daughter in our arms. Did I really just say that?!