I feel like I’ve been smiling for 48 hours straight since our doctor finally revealed the baby’s sex, a GIRL. I’m sure he had never had a couple ask to Skype an ultrasound before but luckily, he was happy to oblige us and even performed the entire check in English so we could all find out at the exact same time. Being able to share that moment not only with my ever-patient husband (holding the iPhone up to my belly) but also with my family in the States was incredible. I only wish I could have shared the champagne with them after we all heard the news!

Really, the past few weeks have been awesome.

We had some good friends over to celebrate Thanksgiving with us a couple of weeks ago. It was the first time we cooked Thanksgiving ourselves and it surprisingly went off without a hitch. To make up for 3 years of not doing Thanksgiving at our place we really went for it; 5 kilo turkey, my mother in law’s stuffing, mashed potatoes, veggies and salads and our friends brought other goodies including the best pumpkin pie from scratch I’ve ever had. This year our anniversary in Chile coincided exactly with Thanksgiving day too, which gave us another reason to celebrate. One more year under our belts.

We always try to take time to think about the past year when our anniversary rolls around. Even when the months seem to pass slowly it’s fairly amazing to think back on where we were a year ago and see the advances we’ve made. It’s reassuring and important for us to remember, in the midst of stresses and normal life stuff, just how far we’ve come since the start of this project four years ago. I’m thankful that I finally feel content and comfortable in this foreign place and that our daughter (omg!) will be lucky enough to call two countries home.

For now, I’m finally finishing up this semester and trying to focus on relaxing at home, eating well and helping out my husband with the usual garden projects.

I hope you all are enjoying the holiday season and keep the emails from readers coming! I love hearing from you.

xo