Baby's First Lamaze Class (and Chick fil-A)

On Saturday morning I picked Becky up (8.5 months pregnant) to go to a Lamaze class with her. Her husband Byron was in D.C. for a family emergency and I was happy to help! I learned a lot and can't wait for Andrew and I to take our own class. I even signed up at our hospital for a tour! I did, however, watch a video called "Hello Baby" and lets just say it scared me a little. It definitely made me think twice about my natural birth plan!

After the class we headed over to the mall for a little Chick fil-A and a movie. I had never even heard of the fast food joint but it sounded amazing! A fried spicy chicken sandwich with waffle fries.....yes please. It was absolutely delicious and the baby loved it.

Baby Bump - 24 Weeks

On Thursday I was 24 weeks, which makes me 6 months pregnant. It is hard to believe I only have 4 more months to go! I'm still waiting for my belly button to pop - but it seems like it might be another month or so away. I've gained a total of about 10/11 lbs and am still feeling great!

This week the baby is the size of an eggplant - 9 inches long and weighing about 1.7 lbs. They say that my uterus is now the size of a soccer ball. It is a little hard to believe since I still feel so small!

Back in LA!

On Thursday morning I flew into lovely Los Angeles. I have to say - it was good to be back. It was even better seeing my husband.

Ahhhh...United Business Class

On Wednesday morning at 4am we woke up to get to the Lisbon airport. After landing in Frankfurt we were pleasantly surprised to find out that we were on the upper deck of United's new 747 to San Francisco. Andrew continued to tell me how amazing the upstairs was, and I have to admit I didn't believe him. Boy was I wrong - it was absolutely fantastic! We had seats that could lay completely flat if you wanted to sleep. They even had massagers in them! The TV screens were 15" and we were able to watch any movie we wanted at any time. Warm nuts, 4 course meal, and the most attentive flight attendants. I don't think I can ever fly coach again.

Gala Dinner

On Tuesday night we had the Tomato Congress gala dinner at the Palacio de Queluz. Here we are on our way there. We had to get all dressed up, which was nice for a change.

The Palacio de Queluz was first built in the 17th century as a manor house for King Pedro II, but was later expanded and transformed into a gorgeous palace.


Here we are before the big dinner. The place was absolutely gorgeous and the food was amazing. Unfortunately it was extremely windy and by the time the last course was served it was already 11pm and we were freezing. Because we had to get up at 4am the next day to make our flight I was ready to go back to the hotel. The worse part: they had a famous fado singer expected to perform in one of the rooms of the palace. Although I wanted to stay to see her, I'm glad I didn't. She didn't start singing until after 11:30pm and Chris didn't get back to the hotel until 2:30am!! Thank goodness I opted for my beauty sleep.

Tour of Caiscais

On Tueday we had a tour of Caiscais. It was a former fishing village that became popular with the royal family in the 19th century. Surprisingly we opted out of shopping for a few hours and went back to the hotel to relax before the big Gala dinner for the World Tomato Congress.

Baby's First Pampering

Every day my mom and I would go over to the Bunyan Spa while we were at the Palacio in Estoril. They had the most amazing pool I've ever seen! There were massaging jets for your back in one area and a foot massager in another. There was even an area you could lay down and jets massaged your entire body! And that was just the pool! The actual massages there were aaaamazing as well! I opted for the "Gentle Touch" pregnancy massage and was not disappointed. I think the baby liked it too.... at least that is what I'm telling Andrew. I plan on getting a few more when I'm back in LA.

The Easy Life in Estoril

After leaving Sintra on Friday afternoon, we headed to the coastal town of Estoril. The World Tomota Congress was taking place at our hotel: The Palacio Estoril. We decided to relax for the day and ended up getting massages and ordering room service. It was perfect since we had been sight seeing nonstop for the last 6 days.

On Saturday Chris joined us and we explored the city a bit. There really wasn't a ton to see since it is such a sleepy town. I was happy because that meant that I could relax and take life easy for the next few days!

Happy Fathers Day!

Happy Fathers Day to all my dads out there! I feel like a very lucky girl with 3.

To my dad dad - I looooove you!

To Chris - Thanks for the awesome trip to Portugal!

To Dan - Wish I could be there with you guys today!

And to my Papa - I miss you!

Sintra Day 2

Thursday morning we decided to explore more of Sintra since it was our last full day. First stop was Pena Palace. A local bus took us up the winding hills where the Palace lies. It was truly beautiful.

After our audio tour, we walked to the Moorish Castle. The views from atop the towers were spectacular.

Returning into town we decided to stop off at a little restaurant for a chocolate crepe. I was dying for one since the baby loves sweets!

Baby Bump - 23 Weeks

I'm 23 weeks today with only 17 more to go! The baby is getting bigger and bigger as you can see from the size of the baby bump! I finally feel like I am looking pregnant. People are no longer saying, "YOU'RE pregnant?!"

Here is a close up of the bump! This week the baby is the size of an ear of corn measuring about 8.5 inches and weighing 1.5 lbs. I can definitely feel that she is getting bigger and stronger with her constant kicks and jabs. I can't wait to get back to LA so Andrew can start feeling her too!

Sintra Day 1

After leaving Lisbon we got on a train taking us to the small town of Sintra. Lord Byron called it "glorious eden" and I can see why! The town is set on a hillside with lush vegetation everywhere. It is simply beautiful.

We arrived at our hotel, Palacio de Seteais - built by a Dutch Gildemeester in the late 18th century. Our room was absolutely lovely and we didn't want to leave!

We did venture out for lunch and ended up stopping to explore the Quinta de Regalia. It was built at the turn of the 20th century in the middle of a dense forest. The owner, Antonio Augusto Carvalho Monteiro hired scenographer-archetict Luigi Manini to help him build this magical place.

Here we are in one of the towers. I have to admit I was a little scared to climb up. The steps were so tiny!

Then we went down 9 stories into a dark, wet well.

After going VERY slowly down the stairs we followed a path until we could see the light from outside. Then we walked across the water on stone rocks. Thankfully all this was done with a very experienced guide!

My Little Ninja

We arrived home from the Fado club around midnight. After getting ready for bed, the baby started kicking like crazy. I was looking at my tummy and it literally JUMPED! I tried to capture it on video - see if you can see what I see.

Baby's First Concert

After another long day of walking around the city, we had dinner reservations at the fado club, O Faia. Fado is a Portuguese type of a music that is characterized by sad tunes and lyrics. Even though I was exhausted, I was looking forward to the experience!

There was no filming allowed, so I had to videotape the fado singers on the down low. Here is a little part of the first singer. I could only get about 30 seconds before the owner of the club looked my way. Oops. Thankfully he didn't catch me and we didn't get thrown out!

Lisbon - Day 2

We started our second day in Lisbon early on Monday morning. We planned on taking a walking tour of the entire city but couldn't find the guide. Instead we opted for the hop on/hop off double decker bus.

After lunch we made it up to the Santa Justa Elevator for a beautiful view of the city. Near the elevator is the major jewelry area of Lisbon on Rua Aurea. I tried to find the baby a necklace but was unsuccessful.

At last, I finally look pregnant! This was taken in the Chiado area on the steps of an old church. Granted I was sticking my tummy out as far as it would go - but at least it worked! Look at that baby bump!

Towards the end of our busy day we ventured up to St. Georges Castle. We took the tram (similar to a trolley in SF) and ended up getting off on the wrong stop! We walked around the Alfama district for about an hour before finally finding our way.

Here I am on the back steps of the castle with the city behind me. Unfortunately that isn't the baby bump you see - it was super windy!

After a long 9 hours, we finally hopped back on the tram that took us back to our hotel. As you can see, my mom was pretty excited to be getting back.

To Nana, With Love

I'm dedicating this post to my nana, Emily Oliveira. She was from the Azore Islands in Portugal so it seems appropriate to talk about her today. Hearing all the Portuguese here reminds me of her. She was the best grandmother in the world and I miss her so much. I wish she were still around so she could meet her great-grandaughter in 4 months.

Baby's First Flight

Saturday morning I had to get up at 3am in order to make our 8am flight to Portugal. It wasn't easy, but at least we traveled in style. We flew business class on United and my little baby was VERY happy. Not only did they have massagers in the seats, but there was a delicious 4 course meal with warm nuts. Hopefully she doesn't get used to living the high life.

After 18 hours of traveling we finally made it to Lisbon! Our hotel, Pestana Palace, is amazing. It occupies a villa that was originally built in 1907 by a Portuguese mogul. Unfortunately our big day of sight seeing was cut short because my mom and I were so exhausted. We were able to motivate and wander out for a little food, but by 7pm we were in our PJ's and ready for bed. I'm hoping tomorrow we wake up rested and ready to explore.

Practice Makes Perfect

For the last couple of days I've been in Sacramento with my family before we fly out to Portugal. Thankfully I was able to see my two nieces, Alison and Emma, while I was there. They are seriously the cutest things in the world. I can't wait for them to meet our baby. Being around these two gives me some much needed practice for when our little one arrives.

Baby Bump - 22 Weeks

Time is flying by -I'm 22 weeks today and going to Sacramento! I leave for Portugal on Saturday morning so at least I will have a few days with my adorable nieces.

Here is a close up of the baby bump and my new pregnancy jeans! I bought a few pairs on ebay for a fraction of the cost and I love them! This week the baby is the size of a spaghetti squash - a little over 8 inches (crown to rump) and weighs over a pound! In the next 4 weeks her weight will double!

3 Years - Oh My!

It is hard to believe that 3 years ago today Andrew and I were married in Jamaica. It definitely was the best day of my life! We celebrated with a nice dinner at Craft tonight. Spinach salad with bacon, steak, broccoli, mushrooms, and potatoes. And for dessert - blueberry pie, fresh fruit, and a chocolate cake. Yuuuuuuummy. But the best part? After chowing down on the bacon salad - the baby started kicking like crazy. I reached over for Andrews hand and she socked him a good one! That makes it twice in one day.

Baby's First Outfit

I'm leaving for Portugal in a few days and needed to go to the mall to get some last minute items for the trip. Of course one of those places wasn't Baby Gap - but how could I resist? 15 minutes later and $20 poorer, I left the store with the cutest little dress and silver ballet flats. Who knew that baby clothes were so cheap?! I think I've found a new obsession.

karate kid

today is a very important day in cahn/oliveira history. it is, of course, our anniversary. we started the day off with a bang, literally. i haven't really been able to feel the little one kick yet, which is normal. this morning i felt a really hard kick, no mistaking it for gas or anything else.

happy anniversary to us!

Our First Baby Gift

Our friend Ayslinn stayed with us this weekend and we spent all day Sunday by the pool. To thank us she got the baby the EXACT bathing suit that I bought yesterday! Needless to say - I took the bathing suit I got back to Target and hung the one from her in the closet. The baby is totally going to love it - thank you Ayslinn!

The above picture is Ayslinn, Crissy, and I dorking out in the pool. Ayslinn is in the yellow bikini.

Baby's First Bathing Suit

After spending all weekend in the pool (and in the process suffering from a sunburn), I couldn't resist buying this cute little bathing suit at Target. Andrew and I went on Saturday to buy more noodles (see picture below) for the pool and this little yellow suit caught my eye. Of course Andrew was the reasonable one and said, "Kim, the baby doesn't need a bathing suit yet." So I resisted. Until, of course, he went to work today. I found a reason to go to Target and how could I possibly resist a second time? Every baby girl needs a cute yellow bathing suit, right?

Here is a picture of me enjoying our new noodles. I am literally obsessed with them! They come in every color and you can sit or lie on them in the water and you float. Amaaaaazing! Now I just need to remember to use more sunscreen next time.