Surprising occurrences during my pregnancy thus far...

I've read the blogs, the books, the daily tips from my apps and heard the stories from friends who have already walked the path. However; nothing prepared me for some of the random happenings that I have experienced thus far:

My Palmer's allergic reaction!

1.  The ability to smell someone's morning breath from 12 feet away.
2. My inability to properly shave the outside of just my left calf once I hit 26 weeks.
3. Going pee and then two minutes later sneezing and somehow managing to pee my pants!
4. Having an allergic reaction from Palmer's stretch mark prevention cream and thinking the itching was my belly stretching so slathering the said itching belly with more cream.
5. Artichoke dip tastes horrible the second time around, however bananas- they manage to taste the same coming up or going down.



Oh delicious German mustard!

6. Once the nausea subsided after four solid months, never wanting to taste another cracker again.
7. That even bread will leave you with furious bouts of heartburn.
8. That after brushing my teeth I would have heartburn from the toothpaste (I swear I don't eat the stuff!!!) 
9. Snapping the seam on my favorite Victoria Secret "Seamless" underwear... I guess my booty is expanding more than I realized! 
10. Finally having a booty for the first time in my life!
11. The now engrained obsession with having a plastic bag on me at all times for cases of PDV (aka Public Displays of Vomiting.)
12. My pocket which always contained my favorite tube of MAC lip glass now shares the space with a tube of extra spicy German mustard, that stuff is good on everything!

I am a rookie at this whole thing and let's face it, I am only 28 weeks in! I guess the moral of the story is that like my belly this list will continue to grow...

Language Blunder...

Learning a new language is always difficult, frustrating, tear jerking, heart wrenching, brain draining and let's face it- during the learning process we have all wished for a magical button in the middle of your forehead that you could just push and...Ta Da!!! Know it all!

But then when standing in the grocery store and a sweet old lady with fading eye sight walks up to you asking you to compare ingredients on the back of two packages of cheese and let her also know the serving sizes of each- well by george! I think things are starting to click! Ha! You knew what she just said!!! But then refraining from the happy dance you politely use the third person and a thick accent and butcher your way through the questions she asked, I think just leaving her a little more confused in the process- but hey you gave this lady her laugh for the day! Just another day of language learning!

In Spain for less than 24 hours and eating a Thanksgiving dinner.

When my hunny and I first arrived in Spain we were in state of knowing what I refer to as negative zero Spanish... We had spent the last three years of our life cramming in the Modern Greek language and suddenly we were transported to another land where we understood nothing and upon opening our mouth only Greek would come out. However, we were not without kind colleagues who graciously extended an invitation to a belated Thanksgiving dinner with some of their Spanish friends. So there we were surrounded by about 35 sweet Spaniards, us not having been in the country more than 24 hours yet, my brain fried, my tummy all confused when suddenly we were put on the spot. "Summer would you like to share anything you are thankful for?" I stood up in front of the crowd and rattled off a few items finishing with "and I am so grateful to have a super hot husband!" Then I heard the translating go on and finish with "y Greg es un hombre magnifico" what???? So I stood back up and said "no 'magnifico' Muuuuuuy Caliente!" the crowd roared with laughter, my back was being pounded on by a very entertained table mate and I looked toward my hunny with confusion in my eyes... My very amused, English speaking table mate looked at me and after thanking me for livening up the party, asked if I knew what  I had said. Nope! Well long story short- I told a whole crowd of people that I was thankful for a veeeery horny husband!

A perfect moment, complete with cider...

Occasionally everything clicks together and my eyes are opened in a new way to the magical world we live in... a few weeks ago my hunny and I found ourselves in the Spanish coastal city of Gijon for a weekend of surfing and sweet time with friends. Since my growing belly has kept me out of the waves for the last couple of months, I took to another seemingly dangerous activity- shopping! And that sweet man of mine sacrificed a pretty decent surf session one day to keep me company...

While exploring this breathtaking city my bloodhound like nose led us to an open air artisan market. Each booth was run by a local who had come into town to display their finest products for the holiday season- Heather honey, herbal soaps, pressed wild flower jewelry, hand crafted leather bags and so much more! Being California natives and having missed apple season in Oak Glen, we were thrilled to find fresh pressed cider...Yum! 

We eagerly stood watching as the man running the booth smashed his farm fresh apples laughing at our awe. We then watched the liquid gold run from the wooden spout and into a clay pot- ready to pour into a couple of to-go cups. We paid the man and continued our blissful, late afternoon walk by the ocean sipping on our fresh cider and breathing in the crisp salt air...These, yes these are the moments that linger in my mind. The positively simple, yet perfect moments when you realize just how magical this life really is!

Ice Cream Anyone?

Oh Heartburn! How is it possible to get that horrible burning sensation from the depths of your stomach up to the top of your throat from a slice of toast?! I blame my ever expanding uterus! Because there is no way that my perfect baby boy is responsible! 

I have tried a little of everything, yogurt, milk, tums, not eating anything acidic- and frankly the one thing that can bring a little relief is ICE CREAM! Yummmmm! But yet another complication of living in another country is finding that perfect flavor that matches the expectations you have in your head. All I have wanted for the past three weeks has been a bowl of strawberry ice cream- the good stuff! Not the kind that tastes fake or overly sugary- just good stuff with chunks of berries... So after searching store after store and coming up empty hand or unwilling to pay the nine bucks for a tiny container, I gave up! 

But after yet another bout of heartburn this afternoon I took to my fridge and pinterest to see what I could come up with... Scrounging up the leftover strawberries from breakfast this morning and splash of cream left from fondue night last week, I mashed it all up with a bit of vanilla, some milk and a couple spoonfuls of sugar. I poured the beautiful liquid into a doubled up ziplock bag, threw it into a giant ziplock bag filled with ice and salt and shook it until I couldn't take it anymore! I then tossed the ziplock bag filled with that now firm wonderful mixture into the freezer to firm up a bit more. 45 minutes later I had this:

 

Heck yeah! Strawberry ice cream get in my belly!!!

The moral of today's story is this: When heartburn strikes eat some ice cream! 

A Very Merry Hormonal Christmas...

We are fortunate to have a Californian couple with whom we are friends that are currently stationed in Italy with the Navy. The wife had been homesick and is also pregnant so we all decided to spend Christmas together here in Santander Spain... 

That's right folks...TWO hormonal, homesick chicas under the same roof during the holidays! Surprisingly there were no tears! Just lots of laughter and a few odd food combinations (ie eggnog and homemade tortillas, apple fritters and egg rolls etc.)

During our time together we explored the craggy coast of this gorgeous country... Stopping at the quaint little coffee shop next to the light house for some delicious fried calamari and cafe con leche (I told you there were some weird food combos in there!) 

 And to think at first I was pretty bummed out to be missing another Christmas season with my family in California, but in the end I was reminded to seize the adventure that is my life!

Can you understand me yet?

So I know I haven't really introduced myself to all of you but I figure you'll get to know me pretty quickly- I typically struggle with filtering, as in I really don't have one! So stick around and you'll probably learn a bit more than you wanted about me...

I am in my 28th week of pregnancy right now with my first baby and like any other crazy, hormonal, big bellied mama-to-be I have had my share of uncomfortable symptoms and unfulfilled cravings. What makes my situation "unique" is that I am an American currently living and working in Northern Spain, making some of the daily pregnancy encounters a bit of an "adventure." By the word "adventure" I mean at times frustrating, hysterical, ridiculous, tear-inducing or just down right confusing.

My sweet little guy!

For example, communicating with the doctor- sounds simple enough, right? Well when you have six months of Spanish lessons under your belt, zero medical vocabulary and a billion questions about all of the crazy changes that are taking place in your body... Welllll, lets just say it makes things...interesting. I like to stop and reflect after a particularly difficult appointment what our interactions must sound like to an observer. I think it would go something like this:
Doctor: "Ok Summer, everything is looking just fine, do you have any questions."
Me: "Yes, I not sleep. I no comfortable. Me belt hurt me in night."
Doctor: "Belt?"
Me (While pointing to my hips): "Here, it hurt here."
Doctor: "Yes, that's normal. Don't worry about that, any other questions?"
Me: "There are breast classes, classes to learn me to eat my baby?"
Doctor: "Yes- let me give you information about breast feeding classes..."

And on and on we go- How this man manages not to pull out his hair or die laughing is beyond me!

Third time is the charm...right?

I'll admit it... This is my third- yes third attempt at beginning a blog!!! Sheesh! I've heard the definition of insanity and I think my actions are dangerously close to it! Well here is to hoping for a different outcome...

A little about my motivation for this third time around- I really don't lead a life where I am at liberty to give out advice, tell captivating stories or even provide recipes that will leave you in awe. However; here I am before an audience of whoever will listen- ready to just be transparent! I am looking to just record some of these random thoughts floating about in my head, to jot down my day's frustrations or triumphs and the yes I just might post the occasional recipe (because what blog is complete without one?) If just one other person out there has a moment of connection with my transparency then I will consider this attempt a success. If my words, feelings on subjects or occasional recipes offend you- then get over it and don't allow me to waste your time... After all, time is precious!