First Half of Wedding Trip

SO...we finally made it back from Austin on Monday and we are still recovering!  Jet lag killed us on the way back, especially after such an intense week.  After we woke up today, neither of us were feeling good (Cody was having pregnancy sympathy pains and throwing up :) so we went back to bed for several hours.  Not a good idea for trying to get back on a schedule but, oh well!  Here's my 'rents.  It was really fun to hang out with them and Jason and Sarah for a few days before the rest of the fam and friends arrived.  

I can't believe the portion sizes at restaurants in America.  Here we are at a BBQ place and the plates were so full of meat and side items, I don't see how anybody could finish this stuff!  At least Cody was finally able to get full.  With my new healthy pregnancy diet the poor man is withering away to nothing.  Happily, Cody gained several pounds on our trip!  

We spent A LOT of time at malls.  We had to get shoes, dresses, and last minute things for the wedding.  Plus, I need some maternity pants.  I was down to only two pairs of fitting jeans. Here is Cody and Lauren waiting for us to get out of the stores.  He loves to shop as you can probably guess.  


Here is the rehearsal day.  The weather, although hot and humid, was perfectly sunny and clear.  
Cody is having a serious, engaging conversation about life, love , and the pursuit of happiness.  Or something along those lines.


YEAH, old friends!  I have known Danette since middle school so it was great to see them.  Her husband Justin helped officiate the wedding.  

The bride and groom "rehearsing" their wedding vows.  Sarah was such a nice bride and I had so much fun hanging out with her this week.  

Here's my new bridesmaid's friends.  They were super cool and fun.  Spent a lot of time standing around with these girls!  I tried to be really good during the wedding and not be fidgety but someone still commented on how I was moving.  Sure, a bee flew into my hair and I had to swat it away...but cut a girl some slack!

Awww...how sweet!  Jan and Ali and Lauren were super helpful with running errands and helping decorate.  They are super sweet and I am so glad they got to come down!  They are way excited Aunties.  In fact, Lauren will be graduating from ENMU in May and she already bought BG a little ENMU onsie to wear to the graduation.  It's so cute and I can't wait to see our little baby wearing that...I can't believe I am going to have something with clothes that small!

Me and Gramps, making a typical "carrie" face.  He DROVE from Florida alone, (with one minor accident :) and my Grandma and Aunt and Uncle flew (the smart way :)

My sista's!  We were all wearing brown and white dresses and didn't even plan it.  This at the ladies' brunch on the morning of the wedding.  

My Mom, Aunt Betty (her sis) and me at the brunch.  We aren't sweating...we are glowing. Stayed tuned for some pics from the wedding (wait till you see Cody in his new suit...SO handsome). 

BG Update:

First of all I can't believe I am 18 weeks already!  It seems like time is flying by but at the same time dragging on...know what I mean?  I definitely had a growth spurt between week 16 and 18. Even by the end of the week people were telling me I already looked bigger.  Strangely enough, I only gained 1.5 pounds in 10 days, even eating all that American food.  Now, in this pic I am sticking my belly out but it's definitely there.  I already have people feeling BG in there.  Only two more weeks until my next ultrasound to see if we can try to determine the sex again.  

-Still can't say for sure if I have felt BG in there but any day now I should start.  I am excited for the day when Cody can feel BG moving around.

-BG is now 5 inches long!  And finally starting to develop some fat on him/her.  BG is busy yawing, stretching, making facial expressions, sleeping, and playing.  

-BG now weighs more than the placenta (fun fact or just plain weird?)

Wedding time and Uncooperative Baby!

Tomorrow we are headed to Austin for my bro's wedding. Here is the happy couple Jason and Sarah.

Here is the place in which the festivities will be held, the Allan House Mansion.

This is the bridesmaids dress I will be wearing. I sure hope it fits! We will be returning on May 26th so I won't be able to publish comments or update until then.

BabyG Update:
BG was very uncooperative at my 16 week ultrasound. He/She would not turn around and when BG finally did turn around we couldn't see the important bits! I was SO looking forward to knowing if we have a baby boy or girl!


Here is the little stinker with his/her back to us. Don't act like you're all shy!
Here is the body shot in the regular ultrasound. We got lots of good pics of BG's femur, spine and dangling arms and legs.

This is my favorite pic so far! See how the hand is resting on the head with five tiny fingers...amazing! So I will have to wait four more weeks for my next ultrasound. The good thing is, it's not like I am buying stuff now for the baby so there isn't a rush to find out. I just want to know so we can start deciding on names and calling it a he or she.
Starting this next week BG can hear outside voices and music. So that means he/she can start hearing Daddy's voice soon! When we get our computer back next week Cody is going to make a playlist for BG of his favorite songs.
Anyway, we are just thankful for healthy baby. My weight gain is normal and everything is measuring great.


Here is the three of us today. Have a great week and we'll post pics from our trip soon!

Fantasia, Open House, and Mother's Day

Yesterday we went to see a Fantasia show. They do these during traditional cultural festivals. The actual traditional name is "game of gunpowder." So basically, all the riders line up and charge down the field for about 200 yards trying to stop and fire their old guns at the same time. The closer they get to the tent without hitting it the more cheering there is! It's also important to fire at the same time. The performance is inspired by wartime attacks of Berber and desert knights. (Check out the two videos below)

We were the only foreigners. Check out the big frizzy beard of the guy in the black djellaba. (Click to enlarge :)

You animal lovers or PETA fans would not have appreciated this show. I won't go into detail...

Here they are charging down the field.

At first we were in the back where all the riders were hanging out. Everybody was passing around cigarettes and stuff.

Here is the view from inside the tent where the riders must stop right at the edge. We saw many riders fall off and even some hit the ropes!

Some men enjoying the show.

This weekend I also got invited by a friend to go to her school where they were having a party. Basically, it was like an "open house" where kids show off their school projects and perform for the parents.

I was telling one of the teachers that we have such events at our schools in America. Well upon closer inspection you can notice the subtle difference. Check out these projects:
Top Left: We saw lots of mosque recreations
Top Right: Diorama of a North African Salon or living room. Bench like couches that surround the room with a large table in the middle (every house has these including ours)
Bottom Left: The Islamic testament made from popsicle sticks.
Bottom Right: A taste of home with a classic volcano!


BG Update:
-Well we will know if we have a little girl or a little guy this week! My ultrasound is on Thursday and I really hope BG is cooperative. I have been dying to know!
-This week he/she has developed the fine hair called lanugo (or linguini, like the pasta as I always call it in my mind) which protects the skin
-Even thought BG 's eyes are still closed he/she can sense light and this week will be able to hear what's going on in there, including my heartbeat, stomach and voice.
-I am feeling great, just sleeping a lot with an occasional headache. This week I am suppose to stop laying on my back and this is a super hard habit to break!

Here is BG and I on our first Mother's Day! :) Our Mom's are totally awesome and supportive and I am excited to see both of them become first time Grandma's! I am proud to be joining the ranks of motherhood and this time next year BG will be six months old (and have a name hopefully). Happy Mother's Day to All!



This is the view from the field as they are charging down.


And here is the view from the tent. Every time the guns went off I jumped. This one they got close to the tent and fired pretty close together, hence all the cheering.

More Parties and the Great Outdoors

This weekend I went to another friend's party. This time I had a belt made that was more conducive for my burgeoning belly. This was at my friends house before we left for the party at 10 p.m. This is the same couple that I went to their wedding last summer. They got pregnant a couple of months after and here I am at their baby party! These parties take place exactly 7 days after the birth of the baby. Poor Mothers!!!

The party took place at a banquet hall type place (same as the wedding). This was the first main dish. A grilled lamb. Boy was it good and did I fill up!

Well next they brought another meat dish of chicken tagine! All of us were already so full so I just tried to eat a few bites.

Here are some girls dancing the night away. This family isn't conservative so the men and women were mixed at the party. A few weeks I was at another baby party where the men didn't even enter the house until all the women had left. This poor Mom had a c-section and was hobbling around trying to dance while leaving occasionally to feed the baby.

They had two bands and several singers. The belly dancers are on the end. See the bottom of the post for a cool belly dancing video. They grabbed me and I joined in and danced with them.

Here are some long awaited pics of Cody. This weekend we were outside the whole time and it was so relaxing. Here we are at a picnic with friends at nearby lake (the ocean is just over the hill).


The first day at the beach I put on tons of sunscreen and didn't even get pink. Unfortunately the second I was a fool and didn't put any on, thinking I would stay under the umbrella. (I didn't want to get all greasy b/c I had somewhere to be right after that). Well I learned my lesson...I will always wear sunscreen! My legs are bright red and killing me! Cody got his back and neck burnt too. Fools I tell ya!
These two little boys came and joined us. The beach was empty where we were but they chose to sat about two feet from us. Just staring longingly at our football. Well, we finally gave it to them and Cody went to teach them how to throw it. Well they got bored after awhile, returned the ball, and continued their afternoon of staring at the crazy white people.


The second day at the beach where we got so burned. (you would too if you were as pasty white as us!)



Here are the belly dancers.

Some women enjoying dancing together.



This is one of their favorite dances to do. We took turns dancing on the metal thing. The music starts out slow and then gradually gets faster. Don't worry, I took my turn on it. :)