Turkey Day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Feliz dia del Pavo!!

We just had Thanksgiving Dinner here in our apartment...Turkey, Ham, Corn Souffle, green bean casserole, baked potato, and baked sweet potato, gravy, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. We haven't even gotten to the desserts yet...and I feel like a stuffed turkey!

Before dinner we all went around and said what we were thankful for...with tears in our eyes and our throats chocking us, we all gave our thanks for family, for eachother, for Anthony being here, and for the beginning of Peter and mine's new HOME and addition that is more than half baked in the oven, our baby boy.

Before the coma strikes, I wanted to write this little blurp...

I'm thankful for everything and everyone in my life. I'm most thankful for being surrounded by people that I love and love me!

Tuesday morning reflection...

Peter's Parent's arrive today...
Austin woke up with a nice cold front coming through to welcome them with the Holiday Spirit!

Walking this morning I could see the sun's rays splitting through the poofy cotton-balls that are up on the clear blue sky this morning. The 55 degrees that the thermometer reads feels like 50 with the nice cool breeze that rumbles through every 3 or 4 minutes. Today would be a beautiful day for a morning run. For now, it's a great day for a morning stroll. I thought about how smoothly this pregnancy has been going. Here I am 6 1/2 weeks from giving birth and I still don't feel too "handicapped" or "restricted".Yes my life has completely changed but for the most part everything has been kinda the same. I'm not running, but i'm walking and exercising. I able to do almost everything normal. Very few are the times that I've felt "sick" and by sick I mean nauseous or uneasy. My night sleep is sometimes interrupted by the freaquent visits to the bathroom, but I fall right to sleep once I get back to bed. My breathing is a little different and I feel my heart racing sometimes for no reason...but other than that, it's been smooth sailing.

It's nice to take time to take time to breathe in the fresh cool air. Life happens so fast. It feels as if a couple weeks ago I was taking hot, humid breaths in the early morning hours on the Panamanian countryside that I thought would be my home for the next two years. Little did I know I would have a lovely switch of plans that would place me in the beautiful city of Austin with Peter and I would get to celebrate Thanksgiving surrounded by family. Thanksgiving would have been spent with other Peace Corps volunteers at the IST (In-Service Training) probably eating rice, beans, and dried then fried steak(I'm sure it would have been great...but it would have been very different).

Life takes some crazy turns sometimes that we could never have even dreamed up. However, I would prefer that a millions times over than living a predictable life, boring life. When things are unplanned, they can be scary and frustrating but what is more scary and frustrating is living a life that you KNOW what will happen next at EVERY MOMENT.

People always wonder what the recipe for happiness is. I don't know for certain, but from the couple years that I've been alive, I've noticed that having things to look forward to (planned or unplanned) make all the difference.

Luckily for Peter and me, we're not much planners...we have short term and long term goals (some different, some the same), but when it comes to figure out exactly one path for us to reach them, we've realized that there is more than 1 option. We know that some of our decisions will make the path towards certain goals a little longer while making other paths shorter. The important thing is to stay attentive on our paths for any signs or inlets that may lead us closer to any of the many goals and dreams we have for our lives.

My Peace Corps agenda had a great quote on it:

"I find that the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving."-Oliver Wendell Holmes

What direction are you moving in?

ABUELITO IS COMING BACK!

Abuelito Luis is coming back to visit for Thanksgiving! A couple weeks ago we thought we were going to be spending Thanksgiving by ourselves here in Austin...However!!! That all changed in the last week.

Peter's parents, his brother, my parents, and snoopy are all going to be here on TURKEY day to celebrate! The celebration would be complete with Tia Manuela, but she will be in El Salvador with Juan celebrating Juan's best-friend's Wedding. They are a busy couple and were booked before we arranged our plans.

That makes 7 adults, 1 unborn baby, and 1 dog staying in our 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom apartment. It is going to be a FULL HOUSE...shower schedules will need to be followed strictly!

This will be our FIRST FAMILY HOLIDAY!

Tio Anthony is BACK!

CPL Anthony Flores
flew back into the states Sunday Morning.
Abuelitos Pedro and Veronica were there to welcome him HOME!

If we are lucky, we will get to see him here in Austin in the next couple days to celebrate Thanksgiving together.

Rodriguez Family News Corner

My cousin, Gabriela Rodriguez, who lives in Barcelona,Spain, and is an interior designer/ restoration architect is 11 weeks PREGNANT! She found out a couple days ago. Her partner is from Portugal! She didn't know she was pregnant and a friend suggested she go to the doctor to get checked. She did and was met with a welcomed surprise! She is going to be a great MOM! Our kids will be able to talk Portuguese together!!!


My other cousin Carolina Rodriguez Ferrero, was in the Miss Colombia Pageant, where she placed 3rd, Primera Princesa. She is the current Miss Cundinamaraca. She will now begin a year of travels around Colombia participating in different events, modeling, and raising money for different causes.
(she's the one in the red dress below)

Dr.'s Appointment from HELL

In movies and in life you hear about women making a big deal about "liking their doctor" and "feeling comfortable with their doctor". I didn't understand why it was such a big deal until this past appointment. Our current ObGyn is Dr. Eng. The other woman in her practice is Dr. Winn. Dr. Eng recomended that we meet Dr. Winn because there is a 50% chance that she might be on Call when I go into labor.

My very first impression was great. She was confident outgoing, and loud. I thought I liked her until she started talking. She measured my stomach, heard the heartbeat of the baby, and asked me if he was moving normally. THAT'S IT!

From there on, the appointment was downhill. She talked about the risks involved in childbirth and how NO ONE is guaranteed a child when they get pregnant. She told me that they only way she could guarantee that I could go home with my live safe baby would be to have a C-Section on week 39 (one week before the due date). She said she would be willing to wait a week after the due date but then she would sit and have a serious TALK with me because the risks at that point would just be increasing and there would be NO benefits accumulating. At one point she even said that even if babies do survive, no one is to say they won't get cancer at the age of 8 and die, or get hit by a car at the age of 10. However true that may be, it is not the place or time to be discussing these possibilities.

Though Peter and I like Dr. Eng, knowing that there is such a high chance that this woman might be there at the time that I go into labor just makes me upset. So upset that Tears were rolling down my face as I walked out of the room. I couldn't believe everything that had just happend. She was very realistic and told me the truth, that there are risks involved in giving birth naturally. But I didn't like how she forced her own opinions on me.

I do hope that this terror of a doctor isn't there when I give birth. The idea of switching doctors, however late in the pregnancy this may be, is sounding more and more RIGHT!!!!
Peter wasn't at this appointment, but I really wish he would have been, so that he could have witnessed the natzi of a doctor who pummeled her way through our appointment with no regard to the emotions that her words were invoking.

Stay tuned to see what happens with the Odyssey of the ObGyn!

St. David's North Austin Medical Center Tour

Tuesday Night we took a Tour of St. David's North Austin Medical Center, which is about 3minutes from our apartment. It isn't the St. David's that our OBGYN delivers at but I went to a class there a couple weeks ago and fell in love with the NEW state of the Art facilities!re

Peter, my mom, snoopy, and I went on the Tour. The nurse was super nice. There were about 4 other pregnant women and their SUPPORT PERSON (that's what the babies daddy's or mother's partners are called in the medical world to not offend anyone.)

We went to the luxury suite where women are checked-in to to give birth. Wood floors, flat screen TVs, lounge chairs and couches for visitors, private bathroom, and an awesome room service food menu. What more could a person going into labor ask for?

We toured the nursury and the postpartum "recovery" rooms as well. The tour was very informative and welcoming. It was a warm, welcoming, and nerve settling environment.

I could see myself coming here to deliver the baby...we will see what the next couple weeks have in store for us...