Most recent belly picture

I am 22 weeks now- official start of 6th month. I know I still have a long way to grow but right now the size is perfect...people know I am pregnant but moving around is not cumbersome yet. Occasionally I find myself contorting my body in some weird way to reach something and having to stop myself because things have changed and my balance is not what it used to be but I am enjoying every second of this new experience. I have almost forgotten about how sick I was in the beginning...not quite but almost. I just love taking a break every so often and lying down and feeling him kick. I had to have a random pedicure lady take this picture yesterday since Chris was working late and I felt cute in my new dress.

I am off to work right now- first day back in a couple of weeks because my boss was in Beirut covering the conflict. Big news to end with: I will land in Boston on the 27th- arrival time TBA asap to the people that I hope will pick me up (or will you make me take the bus?)

The office/library that may become the baby's room. We haven't decided which room to modify and will wait a while to decide. We already have a moses basket as they call them here for him (yes we are having a boy!!!) and know that he will be in with us for a little while before he moves into his very own room.

We had our ultrasound last week and found out that we are clearly having a boy...I sort of miss the suspense but it is amazing to start thinking about the parenting role in terms of gender. And I keep picturing just a very small version of Chris , I can tell already that he has his father's kicking ability...I have a hard time falling asleep at night with all the action in there! To answer a very common question I keep getting these days- we haven't picked a name yet and y'all will just have to wait until he is born, we have to to keep something a secret to keep you interested!

This is our room for guests- it is always ready so all are welcome to make use of it anytime!

Finally...after pictres

I realized recently that I posted a lot of pictures of the empty apartment, the apartment filled with unpacked boxes and neglected to show anyone who hasn't been here the finished product. We still need lamps and rugs but I have never been able to make any decisions on those details so I will wait until Pattie comes to visit again. I wanted to do it when my mom was here but 6 days just flew by!

A little bit of our wedding everyday

More interior decorations and cushion covers...I finally found a use for the scraps of tablecloth that I had leftover from the Toledo reception. I loved the pattern so much and am so happy I get to look at it everyday. It motivates me to keep clothes off the benches in the bedroom which is a bit of an issue for me. I usually find all furniture in bedrooms to just be great clothes racks.

DIY

This pictures is really for the moms. Pattie, I finally bought cloth to cover all the cushions when my mom was here. I also bought good sewing scissors and a staple gun and figured I could do it no problem. Well, I could if they made a decent staple gun here, if I wasn't a total weakling and if I had about four hands. So I enlisted Chris's help one Saturday and he did a fantastic job but considering it took close to an hour to do one coupled with the fact the material really needed to be hemmed we decided that wasn't a good use of his time. He also said I couldn't pay him enough. Since we had 9 more cushions to go I figured they would be done by the time the baby came anyway so I carted them down to Satwa (a fun, cheaper part of town) and paid my favorite tailor to cover them. I forgot to ask how much it would cost and was super nervous when I went back to pick them up. Well, I didn't need to be, he charged me about 5 dollars a cushion and now they are all done!

The baby gets political

I am not much for "bump" humor or using your children to express yourself but I really couldn't resist this t-shirt. I am such a dork though because I had to order it in the US and have my mom bring it over. It is a fun attention getting shirt and gets a lot of support from people here. The whole world is certainly watching with a lot of interest to see what is going to happen with this big election and those crazy super delegates.
Other baby updates:
Our big ultrasound is next week, it was meant to be this week but because of someone's crazy work schedule it had to be changed (not mine of course)
The baby moves around a lot, in fact I find myself worrying that it isn't getting enough sleep (mothers worry a lot huh?) and often I can feel it on the outside now. Chris got to feel it for the first time two nights ago and it was really cool. Most of the movement happens after dinner and now that is my favorite time of day when I just sit and relax and picture all the acrobatics it is up to.
Well, I think that brings things up to date around here. It is 5pm on a Thursday. Chris is still at work and I am about to do a little bit of work and then head out to my yoga class. I love going on Thursday nights, it is a nice relaxing way to start the weekend. It is fun to look around and realize there are actually 2 people for each person stretching and moving, the room is filled with so much Zen energy and life, it is really a nice experience. Yoga has been part of my life for so long now and it is really cool to develop my practice in a different way now. It is soothing that way because yoga is really a life practice that you can do until you are very old so it remains a constant.
Oh, the other big news is the doctor approved me flying back to Dubai at 31-32 weeks after Lauren's wedding so as long as nothing changes I am good to go. I plan on heading to MA the last weekend in June before Chris and I am really excited because it is not far away at all!

Last weekend

I had some problems with the blog throughout the week so am forced to backtrack a bit...here it is the weekend already. I think I should go by way of Conison and use this wordpress blog site that all the cool kids seem to be using. Well, last weekend was our first really social one in quite some time. Life is really great right now- I don't ever feel sick anymore and I seem to have a lot of energy. I feel the need to fill each day as much as possible and enjoy this relaxing and miraculous time (and my last few months of complete freedom for some time)! My work has been slow lately so I have been filling my time with coffee mornings with other pregnant women, attending prenatal yoga classes, writing, walking and today I even had a personal training session at my gym with a woman certified in prenatal workouts that started at 8am. Chris was thrilled that I got out of bed before him. The other activity I have been enjoying a lot more is eating out. I didn't want to set foot in a restaurant for almost 3 months so it has been fun to actually enjoy regular food again. I hope I never have to have chicken noodle soup or saltines again. Last weekend we went out with our friend Christos and his girlfriend, Nicky, whom he wanted us to meet. They originally met when they were 16 in Greece and were reunited recently through facebook...modern matchmaking at its best. We went to the One and Only Royal Mirage which is my favorite hotel in Dubai because it has a lot of grass covered grounds and smells like flowers. It also has a really classy, soothing atmosphere that isn't gilded or tacky. I feel like I am in Bali when I go there. We ate at the Arabic court and enjoyed what are the last remaining nights one will be able to sit outside and enjoy the air. Afterwards we went to the rooftop bar and met up with a lot of other people Chris works with. I enjoyed some mocktails and we didn't get home until about 2- a record for me since New Years I think. The next night we enjoyed a very small world experience. An old friend of my Uncle Bobby's has a daughter that recently moved to Dubai with her husband and since Tamme, the mother was visiting he gave them our email and we all met up. It was so nice to meet people from North Brookfield that happen to live here in Dubai. They chose a small, independent Mexican restaurant that makes its own tortillas. Everyone who has been to Dubai knows that all of those things don't make sense here and it is an anomaly. It will probably be torn down soon! Now, I know the Deckers are probably mad that we didn't take them there so in my defense I have to say-it's not as good as our old Chicago Mexican favorites AND the biggie...they don't serve alcohol. Not a problem for me of course... So on top of all that eating and socializing last weekend we also managed to get some swims and walks on the beach in because the days for that are also very numbered. During the day it is about 100-102 degrees now so it's getting close to unbearable. You might be thinking that it can't be too hot to go swimming but really without any shade or wind it really is.

Relaxing weekend

Just a little update on daily life around here...Chris and I were super lazy yesterday, we ventured out onto the hot and breezy beach in the morning for a long swim in the big yet gentle and rolling waves. Then we walked to the Sheraton wharf end of the beach and swam in the waveless cove. We spent the rest of the day napping, reading and relaxing. In the evening we walked (YES WALKED) across an unopened bridge to the other side of the Marina for a big pool party hosted by our latin friends in honor of Andres's birthday and May day. It was nice to catch up with our friends, meet some new ones and enjoy what is left of the perfectly warm nights. There was a jacuzzi full of lukewarm water which is perfect for a pregnant person so we enjoyed that as well.

I had an exciting week at work last week. I got to go and cover the Christie's auction here in Dubai and see many famous pieces of artwork up close. There were some Warhols and the big LOVE sculpture by Robert Indiana. Most of the works up for auction were modern middle eastern pieces and they were amazing. Several Iranian pieces broke world records (go figure -so Dubai) and it was quite something to see a piece of art work being argued over and finally sell for almost 3 million dollars! Other than work I have been busy cultivating a new social life with other pregnant women and new mamas. Every tuesday I go to Starbucks and meet up with some other ladies, all much bigger bumped than me! I also met a wonderful new friend, Kate and her 8 week old son, Cameron at the new Starbucks in our building. She lives in our complex and was super excited to meet a new friend as well. She came over for lunch this week and I tried to help out by holding Cameron so she could enjoy a meal with two hands. Cameron loved our chaise lounge or as my mom likes to call it, the faining couch. It seems to be a hit with everyone and I was happy to learn that the little ones like it too. I have also started a prenatal yoga routine at a great yoga studio not far from here. The instructor is a warm and lovely woman from the Czech Republic. She is 37 weeks pregnant so our class is quite a sight! I felt like an imposter the first week I went with no bump in sight but I feel more at home now that my belly is proudly poking its way into the world. So this morning Chris and I are both settled in the study on our respective computers trying to get some work done. We are meeting friends for lunch at a great Lebanese place that opened up in JBR (our complex). I am introducing two friends that I hope hit it off. So far I have never made any matches made in heaven but I try.

Dubai sounds

I tried to post a video of a typical Dubai afternoon but it is not working so I included a link at the end! My mom and I were enjoying lunch in Jumeriah, a residential part of Dubai during the afternoon call to prayer and she wanted to capture the sound so I took a video of it. In Jumeriah there are lots of mosques sot you can hear it more than in our part of town. I have in fact heard some rumours that they are building a mosque near our apartment building since there don't seem to be any on this side of town. There should always be a mosque withing walking distance for Muslims. The call to prayer by a muezzin can be heard over a loudspeaker 5 times a day and it is one of my favorite things to hear, it reminds me that I live somewhere unique.

If you want a better recording check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAvlimEYEpQ

A rare Chris sighting

Always happy to have my husband for a day, just never able to get my eyes open in a photo!

Fujairah

On my mom's last day we drove out to Fujairah (our favorite emirate) for a day on the beach. We found an old, rundown (by Dubai standards) hotel that lets you pay to use their beach for the day for only 20 dollars. They are located right in front of Snoopy Island, a great snorkeling site. We had a great lunch on the beach, I had my first seafood since pregnancy...a local fish and chips made from hammour. Hammour is a local and popular fish that is similar to grouper, another one of my favorites! After lunch we swam out to the big rock that you see in the picture and enjoyed seeing all kinds of pretty fish. I wish I was a better icthiologist! Chris enjoyed stalking a few sand sharks that he spotted. He saw about 5 ranging from 1ft in length to 5ft or so. My mom and I let him follow the sharks on his own, I am sure they are harmless but hey I have a baby to think about! It was a great day but we were all sad since my mom had to leave when we got back to Dubai. The week went by too fast and of course we all had to go back to work...We need more visitors!

Bab Al Shams in the desert

I took my mom out to Bab Al Shams (yet another 5 star hotel)http://www.jumeirahbabalshams.com/ in the desert for an early mother's day present- a late afternoon massage. I also had a pregnancy massage which was nice but a bit different since I can no longer lay on my stomach. After our massages we went up to the rooftop bar which looked out for ages on uninterrupted desert. I had never been out there and had not seen so much desert until this trip. Unfortunately they are building this crazy Disney world like park on the road that leads out here. It is going to be huge. Check out this website to learn more:

http://www.dubailand.ae/

Hotel living

Sun setting at Madinat Jumeriah. My mom enjoyed the swanky hotels a bit more that I thought she would. They are seductive with their beautiful interiors, cozy and free valet parking (for sure on my top 10 list of favorite things in Dubai), fresh flowers and great views. We enjoyed a couple of a cocktails (mocktails for me) on the deck overlooking the ocean with a great view of the Burj al Arab to the right (sail looking hotel).

Abra ride

One day we ventured to Bur Dubai with my friend Becky to enjoy a taste of "older" Dubai. We explored the gold and spice souks before paying our one dirham fare on the local commuter abra (wooden boat) that whisked us across the creek to the textile souk for more shopping. It is a fun late afternoon activity despite the fact that the souks are a little too touristy. You can still get some good bargains- I got a couple dresses for about 8 dollars that will probably only fit me another two weeks but are comfy!

A sneak peek at the Dubai Antique Museum

I didn't discover this place until late winter but it is a real treasure. It consists of at least three buildings full, I mean jam packed like this pictures of everything under the sun. I mean it- African drums, Moroccan mosaics, fabrics, teapots, furniture, place mats, cell phone holders...I could go on forever. Some of the stuff is local tourism stuff and others just need to be seen to be believed. My favorite thing about it is that it can't be seen from the outside, it is behind a tiny mosque in a building that looks like a warehouse. You reach the store by going through a set of tiny hidden double doors- it is very Narnia like. You are not allowed to take pictures but I risked this one- for the sake of the blog! My mom loved it and she really stocked up on presents. I know Pattie will make lots of friends here the next time she is in town.