My friend Jaime sent me this map that her boyfriend sent to her showing the route from her house to my house (in yellow) and my house to the hospital (in red). It's only about six blocks away, but there are various una vias, one ways, involved, so you have to zig-zag around. He even posted little landmarks along the way!Reina, our live-in nanny, arrived on Monday 21 July, so we've been able to get to know one another a bit before Sienna's arrival. She works all week, but leaves on Saturdays around noon and returns on Sundays around 6pm - that's the typical weekend for nannies in Guatemala.
We're quite bored waiting around, but she's managed to busy herself by cleaning the apartment every day! Her routine has been to sweep, mop, clean the bathroom, make beds, do laundry, clean dishes and cook. I think of my friend Kathy all the time who asked my sister if there was anything I was going to have to do once the nanny arrived...not much!
Reina's 22 or 23 years old and has a baby boy who will turn 2 on September 18. He lives at her house five hours north, near the Mexican border, with her mom, dad and brothers and sisters. She travels up there to visit about once a month and when she doesn't visit them on the weekend, she spends the night at her aunt's house in Zone 18 in the city. At my apartment, she has a small bedroom with a small bathroom at the back next to the laundry room.
It's going to be extremely nice having her around to help. Being able to totally focus on spending time with Sienna when I get home from work and not having to do any housework is a dream come true! I'm very spoiled and fortunate not to have to deal with rushing to and from day care and being able to stop on my way home from work to pick up groceries or run an errand or two.
Update on Sienna Marie: I'm starting week 39 and patiently awaiting her arrival. I'm still feeling good and am pretty comfortable, but it feels like I'm carrying around a rock-solid bowling ball on my rib cage most of the time. My friend Jaime was surprised by how hard my stomach is and asked if it was normal. I'm having a lot more Braxton Hicks contractions and getting a few of the menstrual-like cramps each day which tell me that my body is getting closer and closer to the big day.
We're quite bored waiting around, but she's managed to busy herself by cleaning the apartment every day! Her routine has been to sweep, mop, clean the bathroom, make beds, do laundry, clean dishes and cook. I think of my friend Kathy all the time who asked my sister if there was anything I was going to have to do once the nanny arrived...not much!
Reina's 22 or 23 years old and has a baby boy who will turn 2 on September 18. He lives at her house five hours north, near the Mexican border, with her mom, dad and brothers and sisters. She travels up there to visit about once a month and when she doesn't visit them on the weekend, she spends the night at her aunt's house in Zone 18 in the city. At my apartment, she has a small bedroom with a small bathroom at the back next to the laundry room.
It's going to be extremely nice having her around to help. Being able to totally focus on spending time with Sienna when I get home from work and not having to do any housework is a dream come true! I'm very spoiled and fortunate not to have to deal with rushing to and from day care and being able to stop on my way home from work to pick up groceries or run an errand or two.
Update on Sienna Marie: I'm starting week 39 and patiently awaiting her arrival. I'm still feeling good and am pretty comfortable, but it feels like I'm carrying around a rock-solid bowling ball on my rib cage most of the time. My friend Jaime was surprised by how hard my stomach is and asked if it was normal. I'm having a lot more Braxton Hicks contractions and getting a few of the menstrual-like cramps each day which tell me that my body is getting closer and closer to the big day.
During my week 37 appointment on July 23, the doctor told me that if Sienna isn't here by August 10, he'll induce me, but he didn't think it would be necessary. Sienna's in the ready position. I think she dropped, as I've noticed a lot less heartburn, but I didn't feel her drop. Sienna's getting crowded in there and he doesn't want to wait too long because the amniotic fluid could get low, making Sienna less able to move around and possibly pinching the umbilical cord, compromising her nutrients. She weighed in at 7 lbs and 20.5 inches long. My doctor laughed because the average length of a Guatemalan baby at birth is 16-19 inches and Sienna was already longer at 37 weeks! The average US baby is 19 inches at 37 weeks.
My parents arrive on August 6. I think Sienna may be waiting for her grammy and papa to arrive before she makes her big appearance. I'll be sure to update you all when she does, though!