Week 14 & life in Riyadh

Week 14

November 24, 2014

It’s officially the second trimester! Can I get a woot, woot!?!?! I am still not feeling great everyday, but there are many more good days than bad now. Everything I have read says that this is the trimester that is the best. Supposedly I get more energy, nausea continues to retreat and my belly won’t get that big yet. Sounds great to me!

Here is what’s happening this week…My pants don’t fit, nope, not at all. I cannot zip them all the way up. I rely on hair ties and belly bands. Luckily, I do have some work pants that I bought this summer that are bigger, so those fit. I am looking forward to getting some maternity pants and jeans over the Christmas vacation so I can really be comfy and can look a little better.

Some days I definitely have more energy than others. This weekend was busy and I was able to stay up past 10:00! That is a first since September. However, last night I was in bed by 8:15. These last few months have really worn me out. I have never been so exhausted in my life. I know most of it has to do with growing a baby, but I have also not worked this hard in my life! This school year has been a lot more difficult than past years. So, needless to say, I am looking forward to Christmas Vacation!!! Luckily, I don’t have to wait long. Three weeks from Wednesday we will be on a plane headed to snowy Detroit! Hopefully it will be just a little snowy. I don’t want to jinx it like I did last year. 

In other news, our home is starting to feel much more like MY home now! This past weekend Travis and I did some shopping and decorating. We went to IKEA Thursday night, which is always a treat! I will NEVER, absolutely NEVER go there on a Thursday night again. First, it took us an hour and a half to get there! This was because we missed one turn and then it takes FOREVER to be able to turn around and get to where you meant to go, there was a ton of traffic, we missed the exit and had to go to the next one and then there was a grand opening at a store near by so there were cars everywhere. Then, once we got inside it was a zoo! I have never seen more people in one store. You could barely walk. It was so frustrating. When it was all said and done, round trip was a 4-hour adventure. We managed to get a new coffee table, end table and TV stand though. I guess it was worth it. Then Friday night we went to the Clock Tower Market. Another teacher and her husband took us. It was a great trip. It reminded us of markets in Asia, but nicer and more expensive. We bought a dining room table cloth, pillow covers and I got a new Pashmina. It was great! Travis and our neighbor Ian then put together our tables from IKEA that night. The next day we decorated for Christmas. I love being home now. It is so cozy and comfortable. It took a while to get there, but it feels good!

We also had the International Festival at school this weekend. This was similar to the International Food Festival we use to have at SCIS, which was my favorite day of the year! This festival had less food from different countries, but did have some shopping. It also had some great entertainment. It was a lot of fun.

That’s all from over here in Riyadh. I hope all those that celebrate have a great Thanksgiving! I am looking forward to the fun we will have here.

Mama and Baby this week:

·      Mama’s pants no longer fit!

·      Mama still hates eating breakfast and loves eating in the middle of the day the most.

·      Mama still craves fruit and juices a lot!

·      Mama gets heartburn sometimes, headaches often and gets dizzy sometimes.

·      Baby is the size of a lemon or beet (3 ½ inches).

·      Baby has fur-like lanugo covering most of her body to keep her warm.

·      Baby’s weight has doubled since last week!