Our Visit To The Relaxing Vibrant Surf Town Of Montanita, Ecuador

It was a quick 1.5 hour bus ride from Puerto Cayo. It cost us $6. And we're in the surf town of Montanita, Ecuador. We've only booked a one night stay here as we were told this is a big party town and one night is enough but we're not sure...immediately after stepping off the bus, we're in love.
Locals and gringos pepper the streets. Restaurants and shops abound. Mexican, Italian, Mediterranean, oh my! Friendly smiles and others speaking English...bakeries, fro-yo, tattoo parlors and surf shops a plenty. Hotels and hostels, each one unique to the next. Colorful and clean. We are loving the vibe in this seaside town. It took us all of two minutes to see the sign for our hotel off the main street near the bus stop. The hotel owner, Robby, meets us with smiles and English. He's from California and has built one incredible hotel here (Montanita Estates). He immediately takes to Reese and tells us he has a son close to her age. Right then he also asks his staff if the 3 bedroom villa is available as it has a full kitchen and we're welcome to it! (Ummmm that room goes for $225 a night...which is really about $800+ US equivalent and he was just going to give it to us) We graciously and politely told him the room we booked would be perfect because it had a king bed while the others have a queen. But whoa, how nice is this guy already?!
We check out our room which is spectacular and very luxurious before walking back over to the center of it all.
Earlier I saw someone eating pizza which just sounded amazing so we set out to find it. And we did and it was fan-freaking-tastic. We got the pizza, salad & lasagna combo for $12. It was one of the best meals we've had in a while. I love seafood but we've been eating it everyday and I was happy to have this Italian comfort food. Along the way we've already talked with a few people, both locals and foreigners that are super duper nice. Of course Dean already made plans to take surfing lessons with one guy.
And I'm getting a massage tomorrow AND a mani/pedi! Y'all, this is huge right now! I couldn't tell you the last time I saw these places! I seriously might not sleep tonight!
We strolled along the beach soaking up the sun, digging our toes in the sand and watching the surfers ride the waves. We wandered the little streets taking in the enormous amount of restaurants and local artisan shops. Everything is unique. No chain stores or fast food joints here.
Lots of guys have long hair, dreadlocks and/or tattoos and are carrying a surf board. We kind of blend in. I love it! And there's so many families with kids!
We walked back to our hotel for a dip in the hot tub before retiring to our room to put baby girl to bed. We're already talking about staying here longer than first planned...I REALLY hope we do...

Ecuador Days 6 & 7

October 6 & 7, 2014

Well we've been on the farm a few nights now and WOW were we unprepared for the COLD temps at night! The daytime temps are in the 70's but the nights get into the 40's and there is NO HEATER!!!!!

Mom fail. Wife fail. Self fail. Total epic failure. Minor detail I forgot to inquire about with our host family first. You know that feeling when you are so cold that your teeth chatter and your body starts to shiver in an attempt to warm itself? Thank goodness for lots of blankets and fleece pajamas that we borrowed from our hosts for Reese! Dean and I wore layers of clothes and hoodies to bed! Needless to say this is very new territory for us as we came from south Florida where we sleep half naked with fans on! Poor Reese bear didn't know what to do. She's never slept with blankets before. Body heat is amazing when you feel like your close to having frost bite. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating. I wish I were folks. But I'm not.

We're surviving, just adjusting. Finally after a few somewhat sleepless nights (I never sleep well in a new place and I was freezing) we're getting acclimated and things aren't so bad. We actually got good sleep last night! During the day Reese and I are mostly with Lindsay and Gus (their 11 month old adorable son) while Dean works on the farm with Shawn. We rotate cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner and washing the dishes after each meal (dishwashers are common here). I've also done some light housework like sweeping, wiping, organizing, etc. while little one allows me. Lindsay and I enjoy conversations about motherhood, Ecuador living, babies and other wonderful fluffy stuff.

Today Lindsay taught me how to make corn tortillas! I was surprised that I liked them so much! Reese and I also wandered the farm to find daddy to see what he was doing. Today he worked on the pig enclosure. The new baby piglets were small enough to escape the wide gaps in the existing fencing so Dean attached chicken wire to it. He's enjoying his manual labor! And I enjoyed watching him sweat and get a little dirty. :)

Nap time was a bit of a struggle today. But I can't blame her. We've been on the move for several days now AND we all caught colds (was it the airports or the climate change - I'll never know!) which makes things even more challenging when she tries to sleep. You know what though? There's no reason to stress or worry about it. I just want baby girl to be comfortable and I do what I need to do around her.

So here at the farm they raise pigs for butchering. They process the meat from start to finish. They warned us in advance that we needed to be okay with the entire process (including killing). Wahhhh poor piggy! Gimme bacon. Lol. This evening the guys cut and packaged some previously butchered meats. It's really an interesting process to watch. They cut, trim, weigh, package and seal the meats in order to sell them. Talk about home grown!

Tonight we had a delicious Mexican dinner of stuffed peppers compliments of Lindsay and Shawn.

Ecuador Day 3

October 3, 2014

- today we leave Quito and head to the farm about 3 hours away
- We went to get breakfast and had the same as yesterday along with the friendly service
- also met a gentlemen that items a lodge on an island of Ecuador in the Amazon (whaaat)
- enjoyed conversations with him about Ecuador and the world and his activists pursuits
- after breakfast we walked around the corner to the super maxi (grocery store basically) to grab a few things like wipes, shampoo and conditioner, 2 wash cloths to have on the farm
- We walked back and packed up our things as we arranged a pickup at 11am
- at 11am no one arrived
- at 11:45 we called Shawn at the farm to find out if there was an issue
- turns out traffic was pretty bad but Washington arrived at 12pm
- We picked our things into his brand new Kia van and loaded Reese into her car seat
- I ride shot gun bc I get car sick and a 3 hr ride is no joke!

Alas we arrive to the farm! We're greeted with their 7 dogs and these adorable smiles :)

And this my friends was our humble abode for 10 days

Ecuador Day 2

October 2, 2014

I didn't get the best nights sleep in our cramped bed but we all awoke about 7:30 am ready to start the day. The hotel provides breakfast from 7-10 am and that's exactly where we headed first. It's actually a full restaurant too! This hotel is just very unique and cute and I love it. It has curved walls, beautiful teal doors and windows, stained glass, ivey growing beautifully up the outside walls, a quaint courtyard with flowers and stone pathways and it's completely fenced which is perfect for our Reese bear!

Breakfast was made to order and we had scrambled eggs, sunny side up eggs, yogurt, granola, banana, watermelon and coffee. It was perfect and delicious. The dishware is beautiful clay. Our server is so so nice and accommodating to our Spanish level. And she loves Reese (I mean who doesn't, but still) she helped us order our meal in Spanish and kept telling Dean how good his Spanish is. We're really trying to immerse ourselves in the language to learn better. He knows way more than I do but I'm excited to learn! After our delicious, complimentary, meal we played inside and out while setting up wifi calling on my phone to reach out to our families. It was great to be able to reach them so easily and they loved hearing from us. Back to the room for a tissue and snack and Reese is actually ready for a nap. While she snoozes I write this and Dean is planning our next step. Bus tour? Walking tour? Wandering? Who knows! Our day in Quito wasn't planned in advance (which is typical for us) so we're figuring it out now.

The weather is beautiful. Blue sky with a few small clouds. Lows are in the 40's and highs in the 70's. The cooler temps actually feel great! Not even cold just fresh and brisk. Today we're wearing jeans with sneakers and zip up hoodies. It's perfect.
Baby girl had a great nap and when she woke up we ventured out on foot to find lunch and look into the double decker bus tour. There are plenty of places to eat here that's for sure! We decided a small cafe with indoor and outdoor seating looked good. It had cute little wooden tables with paper placemats and chalk to draw/color with. Perfect for Reese! We first sat inside then realized outside was the best. Great view of the mountains and the street! Why not?! I had the sopa to start. It was the best I've ever had! Potatoe with avocado and cheese. We all loved it, Reese included. My meal was grilled chicken with rice, vegetables and small salad. Overall it was tasty and hit the spot but the chicken was dry. Bummer! Dean also had a similar dish but called chicken salad. His was also a bit dry. I had cappuccino too which was amazing. Reese enjoyed climbing the furniture, writing with the chalk, and roaming close by with us between bites of food. Our server here was also extremely nice and helpful.

The remainder of the day was filled with sightseeing, eating, walking and lots of bus rides. Oh and did I mention eating?! We're pretty good at that sport. It went a little something like this: 
- found park to sit, relax and look at the map at to find the double decker bus stops
- found a wonderful pastry shop for a delicious sweet treat
- got on bus tour which was 3 hour tour around the city showcasing the most beautiful and historical places
- Reese did fantastic in the ergo! Even napped a while on the tour
- the city of Quito is huge and gorgeous
- We stopped and got off at the virgin statue that had a 360 degree view of the city and surrounding mountains and volcanoes

- We paid about 20 cents per person to walk up into the statue and get the highest view possible
- bus tour was $12 pp (Reese was free)
- the tour ended at the largest park in the city
- We asked a local police officer the best way to get back to our hotel and she said to take the bus
- the bus ride was also about 20 cents per person
- We got on the wrong bus first but people were helpful and told us how to get on the correct one (thank gosh for dean's Spanish!)
- 15 min bus ride and we got off
- it was dark outside by now and I wasn't sure where to go from here so I started getting nervous because it was also getting cold for Reese
- We stopped in McDonald's to sit and look at our map & hotel was across the road!

Pheeew! Home sweet home (away from home) at last! Today was long and busy but very worth it. 

Ecuador Bound!

October 1, 2014

Yesterday we made the journey from Florida to Quito. If I could sum it up in one word it would be flawless. We couldn't have asked for it to go any better! We left the house at about noon and went to Miami airport. Everything went smooth and we grabbed a bite to eat before we boarded. We let Reese roam and run and burn some energy in the uncrowded gate we were waiting in. The flight into Atlanta was quick and easy. She slept a little bit of the way and when she didn't we snacked, played on the phone, and looked out the window. We arrived in Atlanta right on time and had precisely one hour until our next flight departed. (Which isn't very long for an international flight!) We had to change terminals (from domestic to international) and thankfully the Atlanta airport makes this quick and easy with the fast train and lots of good signage. We had a restroom break and grabbed a snack for the fight and BOOM it was already time to board. I was a little nervous because this would be the longest flight with Reese at 5 hours. And that's after a 2 hour flight already. When we boarded we asked if the fight was full and were told it was actually OVER sold. Ugh. Bad news. Momma started to get a little nervous!

But low and behold, several people didn't board and we were able to move to the first row with lots of extra space! What what! Thank you God! This made a world of difference while traveling with an 18 month old. After takeoff, that space became Reese's play area. For 3 hours she enjoyed playing with her dolls, rolling a ball, blowing bubbles, reading books, chatting with friendly passengers and climbing in and out of the seats. Then we stretched out across the row of three seats and baby girl slept the final 2 hours. I watched an episode of shark tank and another mindless sitcom. I couldn't believe how easy it was! And the sunset from above the clouds is beyond mind blowing. Pinks, oranges and purples for as far as the eye could see. Before we knew it we were landing in Quito!

The Quito airport is beautiful and easy to navigate. And customs was quick and easy. (After we spent about a half hour filling out the customs forms) We grabbed a taxi to bring us to the hotel which is about a 40 min ride away. Baby girl was awake and a bit crabby but still a champ. We arrived at the hotel about midnight Ecuador time which is 1 am home time. We'd been traveling about 12+ hours total so we were tired but mostly excited that we're really here! The hotel is adorable. Our room is very cozy (okay, it's a bit tight) but still perfect and has more than what we need. We opted to stay at a more unique place rather than the typical American style hotel. Finally by 1:30 am we crawled into the full size (we thought it was a queen) bed and drifted off. Good night Quito! We can't wait to see you in the daylight tomorrow. :)

Pregnancy: 40 Weeks - Reese's Birth Day!

My story begins with my 39-week check up on 3/13 with my midwife. Assuming this visit would be like all the other visits and very ordinary, I was thrown for a curve ball when my midwife recommended an induction. WHAT?! I was in complete shock and had a zillion questions. Throughout the later weeks of pregnancy I was measuring small by both belly measurements and ultrasound measurements. Over the last several weeks the ultrasound was putting my little one in the 18^th, 22^nd, and 11^th percentile for size. And my ultrasound in week 38 put her in the less than 3 percentile. This dramatic drop was the reason for the concern. This led my midwives to study my file and decide their recommendation. With my baby having a chance of IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction) they felt she was better off being delivered soon and getting breast milk instead of being in utero where her growth seemed to be restricted.

After several conversations with my husband and support team, we decided to move forward and err on the side of caution as our midwives rarely make this recommendation. But we truly felt everything was OK and our baby would be just fine either way. But I could never live with myself had I declined and something actually gone wrong and I trust my midwives.

We arrived at the hospital at 5pm on 3/15 (my due date) to begin the induction. That night I started Cytotec suppositories to ‘ripen’ my cervix as I was only 1-2 cm dilated on my own. I had 3 suppositories. The next morning on 3/16 I was 3 cm with contractions 4-6 minutes apart. There was a chance I may not need Pitocin. After waiting a while to see what would happen, and not much did, we started low dose Pitocin to increase contractions. My midwives only use low dose Pitocin to increase the chances of a vaginal delivery with an induction, which I appreciated but it also means a longer labor. I continued to progress VERY slowly. About 10:30pm we called my doula because contractions were intensifying. We also had an apprentice doula that we invited to get more experience. So its me, hubby, my mom and two doulas in my L&D room. At this point I still had hope for a water birth. With Pitocin, a water birth is still possible when I get to 7-8 cm and the Pitocin can be turned off.

I labored all night and contractions continued to increase. My pain level was very intense but with all my support I was able to make it through them. Despite the Pitocin in an IV I was still able to move around pretty well. We were using every tool in the book to manage the pain and get through the contractions (counter pressure, massage, rice sock, guided relaxation, multiple positions, music etc). At one point during the night we turned all the lights on, cranked up some 90’s jams and I danced for a while! It was a great change of pace. And I finally learned that I was having back labor. During each contraction my very low back felt like it was on fire and the only thing that helped was strong counter pressure on that area during the contraction. I was also using a heated rice sock on my back. I didn't feel any pain on my front. I would have sworn my baby was coming out of my back! Early Sunday morning the contractions were consistently 2-3 minutes apart and very strong. I was vocalizing through them and started to get the urge to push. My doula’s told me that I was progressing through the holistic stages of labor and it looked like I was about to need to push so they called the nurse in. The nurse was going to check my cervix before calling the midwife….and this is where the game changes.

We’re all expecting her to say I'm 9 to 10 cm….and she says 5 to 6 cm. WHAT THE HELL???? I was completely in shock and quite frankly devastated. Obviously it wasn’t time to push. Everyone was in shock too because I showed the classic progression signs. By now I’ve been in labor 30 something hours, I hadn’t slept, I was completely exhausted, emotionally drained, and didn’t see how I could continue doing this much longer. I reached my breaking point. My doula talked with me about my options – break my water to progress faster (but this would also greatly intensify the pain level), get Fentanyl to relieve pain and try to rest, get Epidural and break water. At this point I was upset and crying and my doula suggested everyone leave the room but Dean and we had a heart to heart. I told him I was done and I can’t do it any longer. I was tired. I was in pain. I told him I wanted my doctor to go in and get her out, do whatever was the fastest. He was able to calm me down and get it together again. He reassured me and read our affirmation cards to me - You are beautiful and you can do this. Your body was made for this. I can do anything for 6 minutes an hour. Every contraction brings me closer to meeting my baby... (a MUST during L&D!!). He was my rock and together we decided to get the epi. So at 7 am on 3/17 I got the epidural.

Sweet relief!!!!!! Oh my word, what a difference. I felt great. The epidural was perfect. I didn’t feel pain but I could still move and feel pressure. The nurse used a catheter to empty my bladder one time so it didn’t stay in. My midwife broke my water. In choosing an epidural I knew I could no longer have a water birth and could not move around at all (these are some of the reasons why getting and epi wasn't part of my plan). Fine. I accepted that now. The next several hours went by very slowly but much more peacefully. I could feel the contractions but not pain. My nurse told me to let her know when I felt pressure that made me want to poop. So about 1:30 I had that feeling and told the nurse.  My midwife came in and checked me. 10 cm! Thank you Jesus!

A crew came in to prep the room for delivery (is this really about to happen?!) and at 1:45 I began pushing! It felt so good to push and I really gave it my all. My midwife put up the squat bar that I planted my feet on which was amazing. I pushed through 6-7 contractions. I reached down and felt her head as she was coming out. What a head of hair. My midwife was coaching me through the pushes to help avoid tearing if possible. Her head came out…and with the next push her body came out. I did tear because her hand was up and came out with her shoulders – 2^nd degree. At 2:12 pm my little precious rainbow was born. She was put on my chest immediately. Oh my God. There just aren’t words. All 40 something hours were absolutely worth it. She is perfect. My life has forever changed. I’m a mom. We're a family.

Reese Monroe Friedland

Born 3/17/13 @ 2:12pm

6lb 4oz, 19 inches