Anniversary Brunch & Ultrasound

Yesterday was our fourth wedding anniversary. And amazingly, it was the third one we've celebrated in Grenada! It's hard to believe we've spent 3/4 of our marriage in a foreign country. Unfortunately, the school does not recognize our anniversary as an official holiday, so Ryan had to attend class as usual and spent most of the evening in the library. But that is life, and we still found time to spend together, which is the most important thing.

The highlight of our day was getting to see our daughter on another ultrasound! Living on a medical school campus provides lots of opportunities for free ultrasounds, almost any time we want one. Yesterday, Ryan had arranged with one of the anatomy professors to use an ultrasound machine in the lab. Most students don't get to even see ultrasounds on pregnant patients until their clinical rotations. So the professor and a few friends were excited to see our baby. She was very active, probably because I had my glucose screening test earlier that morning and she was on a sugar high. But Ryan and the others were able to see excellent views of her heart, liver, spine, and other anatomical features that I can't even pronounce.

But the best part was that Ryan actually got to perform the ultrasound! It was his first time ever using an ultrasound machine, and he did great. We watched her little feet kicking and her arms moving all around up by her face. I love seeing how much she has grown in the past few weeks and seeing her personality start to show. We can't wait to meet her in just a couple months!

Instead of going out for dinner this year, we decided to try a new breakfast place this morning. We love going out for breakfast, but our previous favorite spot went out of business in December. We had heard great things about this restaurant, though, and were eager to give it a try. It's located next to a resort, under a pavilion next to a beautiful pool.

We began with glasses of freshly-squeezed passion fruit juice (which, by the way, is my absolute favorite juice here in Grenada). The menu contained so many delicious items that it was hard to narrow down our decision. But eventually we ordered spiced French toast with two flavored syrups, Eggs en Cocotte which came with sauteed potatoes and sausage, and a side of apple ricotta fritters. I also ordered a decaf latte, which was by far the best cup of coffee I have had in Grenada. It is nearly impossible to find a restaurant that serves decaf coffee, so this was a special treat.

The food tasted just as good as it looked. The service was incredible, which is extremely rare in Grenada. We loved being able to relax, talk, and enjoy amazing food. All in all, it was the perfect anniversary celebration. We will definitely be visiting this place again before we leave in May.

Mini Vacation

Last week, Ryan finished his last round of midterm exams. He had tests on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. I'm proud to say that he did quite well on all of them and has an A in each of his classes. Now less than 4 weeks of classes and then on to finals! It's hard to believe that our time in Grenada will be over just 5 weeks from today.

Here in Grenada, Good Friday and Easter Monday are national holidays. So Ryan did not have class those days, and we enjoyed a long four-day weekend together. Since he had just had midterms, he was able to truly enjoy the break guilt-free. We had the absolute best time together. It really did feel like we were on vacation.

On Thursday evening, we had an amazing dinner at the University Club for members of the Honor Society (students with the highest GPA's). The staff puts together an incredible buffet with delicious salads, bread, Beef Wellington, fish, shrimp, scalloped potatoes, vegetables, rice, and more. We will definitely miss not having these dinners each semester!

Friday morning, we slept in, ate breakfast, and packed sandwiches before heading to the pool. We relaxed by the water for about an hour and enjoyed the picturesque views.

That afternoon, we worked out at the gym, and then headed to a friend's house after dinner. We had the best time hanging out with a few people that we've known since Ryan was in the MPH program. We played Monopoly and ate way too many chocolate chip cookies.

Other activities from that weekend included watching a movie together, being able to catch a few Celtics games, and just enjoying not being on a schedule - all things we don't get to do during the school year. One evening we walked along the beach as the sun was setting, took a few pictures, and had delicious milkshakes from our favorite beach-side restaurant.

On Monday, we had lunch at the University Club with Ryan's research fellow and then spent the afternoon with friends at the pool. We also found out this weekend that one of Ryan's papers has been accepted for publication, and a couple more have been submitted (and are awaiting acceptance). He will also have his name on a few publications written by his research fellow. This will definitely benefit Ryan as he applies for residency programs next year. We spent the rest of the afternoon talking with friends by the pool. Later that evening, Ryan played kickball with other team members.

While this past weekend went by too quickly, we are thoroughly enjoyed ever minute we spent together and are thankful for a few days of refreshment before the final weeks of hard work (for Ryan, anyway).

I've started listing items that we have for sale so we aren't left with a lot of extra stuff by the time we get ready to leave. Most things we brought down with us are staying here, as they are duplicates of items we have in storage back home from our apartment. I already have one suitcase packed as well. It contains mostly clothes I can't fit into anymore and a few odds and ends that we are bringing home but don't need to use for the next few weeks. Ryan has gone through previous class notes and cleaned out most of those, so our room is starting to look a little bare (i.e. less cluttered).

I will be 29 weeks along tomorrow, and am still feeling great. I have lots of energy, very few aches or pains, and have not quite reached the "feeling huge" stage yet. I'm trying to get as much done as I can before I'm too big and uncomfortable to move. Our little girl is doing great. I love being able to feel her kick, watching my stomach move, and figuring out her little routine. We will have a lot to do when we get home to prepare for her arrival, but I'm looking forward to having my mom and sisters around for all the fun shopping!