1. Everyone has opinions and once you’re pregnant, they want to share them more than ever. This goes for basically everything related to pregnancy. People all around the world will give you parenting tips, lifestyle tips, etc., so be prepared. Some decisions you just have to suck up and make on your own, though. Were people right that moving to a new country at this point would be hard? Yes. Do I miss my family and friends more than they know? Yes. But I also don’t regret my decision. I did what I thought was best for me and my child, and though it is sometimes hard, I still think it is the best choice I could’ve made.
2. Priorities change. I used to spend most of my money either on travel or my wardrobe. That has changed A LOT. Since being in Italy (the Mecca of the shopping world, mind you), I have not bought any shoes, except house shoes. How disappointing. Instead, I’ve bought baby clothes and things like diapers, a breast pump, and other weird things I would’ve never thought about buying. But it goes deeper than just finances.. now, with every decision I make, I have to think about this other small person in my life. When I consider where to live, I have to think about schools; when I think about a trip I’d like to go on, I have to think about kid friendly activities in said place. Even when selecting a flight back to the US, there are a ridiculous number of things to consider when including baby, like baggage allowance, priority boarding, etc. No more just selecting the cheapest option.
3.The first step to being a good father is to be good to the mother. Since I’ve known Paolo, I’ve seen him grow from a boy into a man. He is far more mature than most of the guys I see here, and I’m so proud of him (he usually doesn’t read my blog, so I can say what I want). After he found out we were having a baby, he sped up his studies and finished his bachelor’s degree a semester early, as well as getting a job. He’s now working on his master’s degree, and making great progress. He’s helped me with everything in the past few months, from getting a permit to stay to going to childbirth classes with me. I think for guys in general, pregnancy is a strange thing, because they can’t really do much besides watch. But what they can do is take care of Mom, and Paolo has done an excellent job of that. I’m so grateful to have him by my side, and can’t wait to see him with little Alessandro.
4. Complete strangers will feel comfortable saying ANYTHING to you while pregnant. Seriously. I don’t know why this is; do I have a sign on my forehead that says, “Go ahead, I can take it”? I mean, you have the usual things, like “How far along are you?”, or “Boy or girl?”, but then you have things like questions about how much you weigh, followed by detailed descriptions of how much they gained while pregnant, as well as any complications that they had. Or my personal favorite, there’s always their “friend” that went into labor in the car, or some other ridiculous story that they probably heard on TV. My response to the last woman who told me her friend had a baby in the car was that I hoped my labor progressed so quickly.
5. Take all advice with a grain of salt. Like I said in number 1, everyone has an opinion, or a way of doing things. My recent favorite is the neighbor who told me that it was dangerous to use a carseat in the first couple weeks of baby’s life, because they were too small. Yeah, for sure I’m taking that advice. I’ve seen the way people drive here; I’m not just holding him in my arms. It’s amazing how lax they are here on carseat laws. Not a risk I’m willing to take.
6. And lastly, you will find love and encouragement in places you weren’t expecting. Friends and family will really step up to take care of you when they know you’re dealing with something difficult or new. I’m so grateful for everyone in my life, even though I haven’t seen or even talked much to some in the past few months. You all really took care of me before I left, and I don’t know what I would’ve done without everyone. But what’s surprised me even more is the random words of encouragement I’ve gotten from people I barely know. I started this blog mainly as a way to update people close to me on what was going on, since I was writing the same messages and emails to people over and over. But the response I’ve gotten from other people is astounding, and it means so much to me that so many people take an interest in my life, and take time out of their day to write sweet notes to me. So to all of you, thank you very much, your words always come right when I need them.
In other news, I’m still just playing the waiting game. I’m almost 38 weeks, and my belly button finally popped out, so I’m really more than ready. I’m waddling like a duck and having contractions periodically, so HOPEFULLY, my next post will be on the other side of motherhood.
Lastly, I’ll start doing a recipe of the week, because, hey, why not? So we’ll start with something I made last week, a sausage and vegetable roast. It was super easy, and pretty delicious if I do say so myself!
Sausage and Vegetable Roast
(2 servings)
About 1/2 lb of sweet sausages
2 potatoes
1 onion
2 carrots
1 apple
1 bell pepper
Olive Oil
Balsamic vinegar
Sea salt
Chop all vegetables. Place them in a roasting pan, and drizzle with oil, sea salt, vinegar, and about 1/2 cup of water. Brown the sausages in a frying pan on all sides, then add to the roasting pan. Roast in the oven at 350 for around 45-60 minutes, depending on the effectiveness of your oven (mine barely functions, it takes forever). Voila, you’re done! Bon appetit!!
Ciao for now,
Kathleen
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