Us and the Kiddos: 2018

Friday, December 28, 2018

Switzerland Date Night

We've had a slew of nordic countries recently and Switzerland was just as good as the rest. Most of us are familiar with Swiss food in the form of fondue and our date night was no exception. We did have traditional Swiss fondue, but we also delved into a few other tasty little treats.

Cool Facts about Switzerland:

The average salary of a teacher in Switzerland in 2010 was $112000 per year.
In Switzerland, it is illegal to deny that the holocaust happened.
Switzerland is unique for having enough nuclear fallout shelters to accommodate its entire human population.
In Switzerland, it is illegal to keep just one guinea pig. You got to have them in pairs
Men in Switzerland are required to keep the firearms they are issued during their military service at home even after they leave the military to prevent any home break ins and to have the countries men ready to mobilize in the event of a threat.
There is a 500-year-old statue of a man eating a sack of babies in Bern, Switzerland, and nobody is sure why.
A Swiss Jeweler made a $68 million ring that was made entirely out of diamond.
One of Switzerland’s main defense strategies is to demolish every main access into the country via roads, bridges, and railways. There are at least 3,000 locations currently prepared to blow at a moment’s notice in case of an attack.
In Switzerland, a group of citizens may challenge a law passed by Parliament, if they are able to gather 50,000 signatures against the law within 100 days. A national vote is scheduled where voters decide by a simple majority whether to accept or reject the law.
Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland. It is also legal in Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, and three American states (Oregon, Washington, and Montana).
The German township of Büsingen am Hochrhein is entirely surrounded by Switzerland.
There has been an ongoing research in Switzerland about using LSD to alleviate end of life anxiety for terminally ill cancer patients coping with their impending deaths. The preliminary results from the study are being deemed “promising”.
About 56% of Electricity generated in Switzerland is from hydroelectricity and another 39% from nuclear power, resulting in a nearly CO2-free electricity-generating network.
There is a political party in Switzerland, called the “Anti Powerpoint Party”. It works towards decreasing the use of Powerpoint in professional presentations
A lawyer in Switzerland represents animals in court. He has even prosecuted a fisherman for taking too long to catch a Pike.
The Swiss version of Santa Claus is normally accompanied by a very strange-looking individual with a blacked out face, whose job is to beat naughty children with sticks. The guy’s name is “Schmutzli”, which roughly translates to “Dirty”

traditional Swiss fondue

swiss alpine mac n cheese, gherkins and stewed apples

Swiss apple tarte- it was delicious

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

20 weeks

Baby Tatum and I have made it to half way mark and now have started the downward slope towards the end! Last Thursday was 20 weeks. On Tuesday, we had our 20 week ultrasound. It was a blast to get to see him. He is turned backwards right now- long story short his head is up kinda by my right rib cage, his back is against my stomach and his arm and legs are facing my back. So at this point he is still breech, and if he decides to stay this way, they won't even try a VBAC- they will just automatically do another c-section. This position also means I don't get to feel as many of his little movements at this point, since most of his little kicks and arm jabs are aimed towards the back and he isn't big enough to feel them yet.
His weight was only about 10 oz, which put him in the 31st percentile. The doctor isn't worried- as long as he stays above the 10th percentile we're in good shape. My weight gain has been better. I've gained 12 pounds so far. She wants me to gain about 35-40, so as long as I stay on track and gain about a pound a week I'm golden.
I do need another ultrasound at my next visit. It used be in the 'olden days', as in 10-13 years ago when I had Bella and Zoe, all they needed was a view of the babies 4 chamber heart. If they got that view they considered it sufficient. Nowadays- they want to see a four chamber heart, plus several different views of heart vessels. So we're gonna go back and see if he will behave for those. The pictures should be fun with him being a bit bigger.
Other than that, all is well in there. We're getting excited to meet him and can't wait for May!

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Sweden

Sweden was an interesting country. I honestly didn't know much about it.

Sweden

Country in Europe

Description

Capital: Stockholm

Population: 9.995 million (2017) Eurostat

Currency: Swedish krona

Cool facts about Sweden:

Sweden is so good at recycling that it has run out of rubbish and imports 80,000 tons a year from Norway.
After Norway banned Life of Brian for blasphemy, it was marketed in Sweden as “The film that is so funny that it was banned in Norway!”
Stockholm, Sweden tested a “Speed Camera Lottery” where speed-limit-abiding drivers were automatically entered into a drawing to win a prize pool funded out of fines paid by speeders.
North Korea owes Sweden €300m for around 1,000 Stolen Volvos and every 6 months Sweden sends them reminders.
Homosexuality was still classified as an illness in Sweden in 1979. Swedes protested by calling in sick to work, claiming they “felt gay”.
The people of Sweden love Donald Duck so much, they had to make voting for him illegal.
In a remote valley in Sweden, people still speak an ancient dialect of Old Norse, the language of the Vikings. It’s called Elfdalian and they still used runes up until the 1900s.
Sweden has instituted a country-wide program where citizens can enroll to receive an SMS when there is a heart attack victim nearby, allowing them to reach them faster than an ambulance and provide CPR. In 40% of the cases, SMS life savers arrived before ambulances and started providing CPR
Blood donors in Sweden are sent a text message every time their blood is used to save a life.
Researchers in Sweden developed a blood test that accurately detects cancer 96 percent of the time and classifies the type of cancer correctly 71 percent of the time.
There is a residential area in Stockholm, Sweden just north of the Stockholm University that has a tradition whereby at 10 PM every Tuesday the residents open their windows and scream for several minutes to relieve stress caused by university exams.
In Sweden, you may pitch your tent for a night or two in the countryside as long as you don’t disturb the landowner or cause damage to nature.
Sweden pays high school students $187 per month to attend school.
Sweden stopped classing BDSM as a mental disorder in 2008.
Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, is built on 14 islands, and the city center is “virtually situated on the water
Sweden’s tourist association has created a “Call a Swede” phone number which is assigned to random de facto ‘ambassadors’ with no training or expectations. The goal is to provide an unfiltered view of Swedish life.
“Fika” is a concept in Swedish culture that means “to have coffee, cake, and a chit-chat”. It’s a big part of the culture and most companies have two daily fika breaks at 9 am and at 3 pm.
Sweden and Finland are the only countries in the world that have earned a medal at every Olympic game since 1908.
The official Twitter account of Sweden is given to a random citizen every week to manage.
Ore trains in Sweden traveling down to the coast generate five times the amount of electricity they use, powering nearby towns and the return trip for other trains.
After French soldier Jean Bernadotte showed kindness to a few Swedish soldiers, he became so popular in Sweden that the Swedes decided to make him their King when a vacancy came up, despite him never having set foot in Sweden before. The House of Bernadotte rules Sweden to this day.
The only stuffed blue whale in the world is at the Natural History Museum in Sweden. The public was allowed to enter it up until a couple was found having sex inside it; now its jaws are opened only for special occasions like Swedish election days.
In 2011, a man was arrested in Sweden for splitting an atom in his kitchen.
Swedish Navy detected underwater sounds suspected to be hostile Russian submarines in the 80s. The suspicion escalated to a diplomatic conflict between Sweden and Russia. It turned out later that these sounds came from fish farts, a discovery which led to the Ig Nobel Prize.
There is a “moose test” in Sweden, which requires all cars to be able to evade a moose without flipping, should one suddenly appear on the road.
Sweden created “condom ambulances” to deliver condoms to people in “promising situations” to combat rising rates of Chlamydia.
In 1967 Sweden switched from left-hand driving to right-hand driving. All vehicles had to come to a complete stop at 04:50, then carefully change to the right-hand side of the road and stop again before being allowed to proceed at 05:00.
Sweden offers 480 days of paid maternity (and paternity) leave.
Sweden warrantlessly wiretaps all telephone and internet traffic that cross its border.

For dinner we had Swedish meatballs with lignon berry sauce, pressed cucumbers and a delicious chocolate torte thing. Good stuff.

Brazil

Country in South America

Description

President: Michel Temer Trending

Capital: Brasília

Population: 209.3 million (2017) World Bank

Currency: Brazilian real

Cool facts about Brazil:

There is Ronaldo da Silva prison in Santa Rita Do Sapucai, Brazil allows inmates to pedal stationary bicycles that power street lights in a nearby city in exchange for reduced sentences.
In another program, prisons is Brazil offer their prisoners reduced sentence of 4 days (up to 48 days/year) for every Book they read and write a report on.
Brazil has twice authorized illegal, local production of patented HIV/AIDS drugs in order to save the lives of its people
Only 388,000 slaves were brought to the U.S. One million went to Jamaica and nearly five million went to Brazil.
Due to high import taxes, a PS4 in Brazil costs roughly $1850.
In 2003, Brazil became the first country in the world to totally ban indoor tanning for anyone of any age.
In preparation for the world cup, prostitutes in Brazil were enrolling in free English classes so that they can provide better service for tourists during the World Cup.
Apple lost its rights to use the iPhone trademark in Brazil because a local company, Gradiente Eletronicas, had registered it back in 2000.
Tiririca, a Brazilian Clown, used slogans including “What does a federal congressman do? I really don’t know – but if you vote for me, I’ll tell ya” and “It can’t get any worse, vote Tiririca”. He became the second-most-voted congressman in Brazil’s history, with 1,348,295 votes.
Norway is the only national football team in the world that has never lost to Brazil. (2 wins and 2 draws).
There is a single Cashew tree in Natal, Brazil that has a mutation which allowed it to cover an area of 7500 square meters.
In Laguna, Brazil, bottlenose dolphins actively herd fish towards local fishermen and then signal with tail slaps for the fishermen to throw their nets. This collaboration between man and dolphins has been occurring since at least 1847.
A prison in the northwestern Brazil started using geese as an extra layer of security in 2011.
Amethyst was considered one of the most valuable gemstones alongside diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires as. However, an extensive supply was found in Brazil in the 18th century and the price subsequently crashed.
Escaped slaves in colonial Brazil in the 1600s founded a settlement with a population of at least 11,000 that survived and fought off the Brazilian government for almost 100 years.
Brazil couldn’t afford to send its athletes to Los Angeles for the 1932 Olympics, so loaded them onto a ship full of coffee and made them sell it on the way.
Brazil has the biggest Japanese community outside of Japan.
There is an island off the coast of Brazil that is so greatly infested with venomous snakes (1-5 snakes per square meter) that the Brazilian navy has quarantined it. It is called ‘Snake Island’.
The eternal flame at Arc de Triomphe in Paris has only been extinguished once and it was by drunken Mexican football fans who urinated in it after the final of 1998 World Cup, when France defeated Brazil.
Brazil tops the list of countries which exports guns to USA. In 2010, USA imported more than half a million handguns from Brazil.
A tribe in Brazil uses a hand glove filled with hundreds of bullet ants (most painful stinging ants in the world) as an initiation rite for young men. The boy has to withstand it for up to 10 minutes and must do it 20 times before he is declared a man.
There are more people of Lebanese descent in Brazil than there are in Lebanon itself.
Brazil’s public health system provides free sex-change operations because it is recognized as a constitutional right.
The Bite from the Brazilian wandering spider can cause an erection that lasts for hours and can lead to impotence.
The myth that piranhas can quickly devour a human alive stems from Theodore Roosevelt’s visit to Brazil, when local fishermen deliberately starved piranhas to show off for the US President.

these are the only pictures I have the whole evening. We had Brazilian beans and rice, fries and Brazilian bbq'd meat. It was all quite good. We were going to watch slum dog millionaire but my energy was not up to it so we saved it for another day.
*PS* this is from at least 6-8 weeks ago. We've had 2 more date nights since this one. :)

Sunday, December 16, 2018

Christmas 2018, I

Here are some of the photos of the first Christmas around HoP. It's quite exciting to know that this time next year we will have a little guy running around! Little kids always make the holidays more fun. :) For some reason when I upload pictures off my phone, they always come in a random order- so sorry! :)

a glimpse of all the Christmas goodies my sister and I made!

We decided to stick with all red and white outside lights this year. It's a small start and we will continue to build every year, but I was super happy with it!