Saude!

When someone sneezes in the United States, passersby typically offer some quaint sayings: "Bless you!" "Gesundheit!" "ohmygodthat'sdisgustinggetthatoffmyneck!"

In Brazil, they more typically say "Saude!," which means "health."

Isabella has been sneezing a lot, which is the only way she can get stuff out of her lungs that shouldn't be there. It sounds like she has a cold, but all babies do this and there's nothing to be worried about. It's kinda cute, actually. Even better, we got a video of her sneezing. Sounds weird, but that's entertainment.

She got checked out by a nurse yesterday morning (sorry, things have been busy) and she's putting on more weight, which is a great thing. Born at 8 lbs 14 oz, checked out of hospital at 8-6, I think; hit 8-0, or her 10 percent limit on Thursday, and was 8-1.5 on Saturday. She's got another checkup this morning, and we think she'll be fine.

She's also a bit jaundiced still, but we think that's clearing up as well. The extra food and some sunlight help. We'll find out.

mom seems to be managing her pain but is still swollen. dad succeeded in destroying his back trying to shovel some heavy snow, so boydog and girldog aren't coming home today as planned. Aunt Ann was all set to pick them up for us while we ran to the pediatrician, but the back problems cinched it.

Soooo Aunt Kathy and Uncle David, the blackmailer and her son, have kindly offered to watch after our furry four-legged kids for a while longer. This is incredibly kind and wonderful, for at this point we've got several people in the house with potential dog-caring abilities:

mom, who can't walk and can't drive;

dad, who can't walk and can drive;

Grandma Biziza, who can't drive and can't stand the cold; and

Lil' Genghis, who can't crawl but loves being in a car.

Three cheers for Aunt Kathy and Uncle David!

Oh, yeah. The photos and video. Sorry. Sleep deprivation. Video might take a while to be posted.

Disclaimer: That picture with the great lighting? All mom. She's good, ain't she?