Hmmm…..

Baby C turns six weeks tomorrow (already!), and I have to say that it’s been a combination of mesmerizing, tiring and the steepest learning curve ever.  She has grown from the little peanut she was at birth to this full fledged baby. Each night after being with her approximately 12 hours per day by myself (Husband J works long hours), I often don’t have energy to even keep my eyes open much less whip out my laptop. Being a parent to a newborn can be a little rough. Someone asked me how I was doing, and I said that my life has been taken over by an 8 pound person with no teeth and a strong set of lungs.

I’m getting to the point where I need to start doing fun little things for myself, and blogging is definitely one of those things. I think I realized today that I am going to have to take charge of my time a little more (well, to the extent you can with a young baby). Let’s hope that I can do that.

I’ve also been feeling guilty that I haven’t traveled anywhere new yet that I can feature on this blog. Do you guys mind that I still have tons to write about India, haven’t even scratched the surface of Iceland and barely talked about food in Argentina? I have so much to share, but I guess I feel a tad inadequate because I have nowhere new and exciting to share with you.

I will say that Husband J and I are thinking about our first trip with Baby C for later this year. I’m toying with how ambitious we’ll be with a baby, but that’s for another post.

This was just to say hi and to say that I am thinking of all of you.

How are YOU doing?

Hey, all! I’m taking a break from newborn duties to introduce you to a special friend and to ask for your help. For the past few years, I have been a mentor to a lovely young woman named Jazmyn. She is a sophomore currently at the high school I attended. Jazmyn is beyond super cool. She is smart, focused, hardworking, insightful and inquisitive. In other words, she makes me not fear having a teen daughter some day ’cause I swear some of these kids these days…yikes!! But seriously, Jazmyn is lovely, and I hope that I can take the next step in being her mentor by singing her praises and asking for your help.

Jazmyn has been chosen to travel to Brazil this summer as part of a program called the International Youth Leadership Institute. She’ll be spending time in Rio de Janeiro, Salvador da Bahia, and both Maceio and Palmares in the northern part of the country. Can I say that I am jealous? I’d love to go back to Brazil! (Check out my posts about my trip to Brazil here). As part of the program, each student must raise money that will go towards their travel costs. Jazmyn is combining her artistic talents and her love of animals by selling sketches of South American wildlife. Samples and more information about the sketches are below. You can also just donate, and there are links below to do just that.

Under normal circumstances, I would not solicit money for me or anyone else on this blog, but I have to say that Jazmyn is a special young woman, and I can’t think of a better reason to hit you guys up for money than to help her reach her goal of learning more about Brazil, its language, history, culture and environment this summer. To me, this blog is just not about telling my story but about inspiring others to create their own stories by exploring the world. Please help Jazmyn create her own lifelong memories.

Here’s Jazmyn in her own words to explain more about the program and her fundraising efforts.

PLEASE SEND ME TO BRAZIL!

“If anybody tells you your dreams are too big, tell them that the world they are living in is too small.” –Brown, 23

THROUGH A PROGRAM CALLED IYLI (The International Leadership Institute), I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY ABROAD IN BRAZIL FOR A MONTH THIS SUMMER. EVERY TRIP IS SUSTAINED THROUGH SCHOLARSHIP, BUT THE STUDENT MUST FIRST DEMONSTRATE THE LEADERSHIP SKILLS THAT IYLI PROMOTES BY RAISING A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MONEY. THE OPTIMAL GOAL IS $1,000 TOTAL, BUT ANY AND ALL MONEY MADE IS APPRECIATED AND WILL GO DIRECTLY TO SUPPORTING THE STUDENT IN INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL THROUGH IYLI.

IN BRAZIL, STUDENTS WILL GET A HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE IN THE CULTURE OF SOUTH AMERICA, VISITING LANDMARKS AND MAJOR CITIES AS WELL AS BEACHES, FORESTS, AND RURAL AREAS. THE TRIP IS BASED ON COMMUNITY SERVICE, SO ANY MONEY DONATED WILL NOT GO TO WASTE! STUDENTS WILL BE TAUGHT ENVIROMENTAL SKILLS AND WILL DOING COMMUNITY SERVICE WORK THROUGHOUT DIFFERENT AREAS OF BRAZIL.

I BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE PLAY A GREATER ROLE IN THE WORLD THAN WE LIKE TO TAKE CREDIT FOR. WE LIKE TO PRETEND AS IF WE HAVE ALREADY DISCOVERED WHATEVER IS OUT THERE. I WOULD LIKE TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO RESPONSIBLE FOR THE WORLD THEY LIVE IN AND TAKE CHARGE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. THIS MEANS UNDERSTANDING THE ENVIRONMENT AND RESPECTING WHAT IT HAS TO OFFER. WHAT BETTER WAY TO EXPERIENCE THE WORLD THAN TO TRAVEL AND SEE IT ALL UP CLOSE?

YOUR DONATION WILL GO TOWARDS DEVELOPING A MORE VERSATILE STUDENT WHO WILL BETTER UNDERSTAND THE WORLD AROUND HER AND PROMOTE OTHERS TO DO THE SAME. YOUR MONEY WILL AID IN HELPING A STUDENT WHO WANTS TO LEARN PORTUGESE, WHO WANTS TO STUDY THE ENVIRONMENT, AND WHO WANTS TO GAIN A NEW APPRECIATION FOR WHAT GOES ON OUTSIDE OF NEW YORK CITY.

PLEASE SUPPORT BY PURCHASING A HAND-MADE SKETCH OF A UNIQUE SOUTH AMERICAN ANIMAL. THE PHOTO THE ART IS CREATED FROM IS CREDITED. HERE ARE SAMPLES OF MY WORK:

Based on a photo via Flickr River

Based on a photo via Violet Darkling

Based on a photo via Flickr

ALL DONATIONS ARE APPRECIATED!

Please visit IYLI’s website for more information about the organization: www.iyli.org

To donate via PayPal online, go to:

Iyli.org, and click on the “Donate” button. Please put “JazmynBrazil 2013″ when making the donation. 

Thank you for your contribution!

If you would like to purchase a sketch or have any questions about IYLI, please feel free to contact me at: travelabroad.iyli@gmail.com

I will be taking requests in April for any other South American animals you would like to see on the webpage that are not already there. I will also be taking special requests if you have a friend, family member, or pet you would like drawn in return for an additional donation. Just send a photo of him/her to the email above.

Thanks again for your support!

JAZMYN

Hi, all!

It’s a girl! Please welcome Baby TAO aka Baby C! She joined us last Wednesday, March 27, 2013 at 3:55pm. One of the things I’ve learned about my daughter so far is that she is definitely on her own time and likes to do her own thing. She flip flopped in the womb like there was no tomorrow and is super active already! I also notice that she’s hungry ALL THE TIME. What can I say? She takes after her mother.

Here are a few pics we’ve taken of her so far.

I’ll hopefully have some nicer pictures to share soon. Yes, I know that she looks nothing like me.

Also going forward, I probably won’t post about Baby C much. If anything, I may give updates from time to time, but Husband J and I prefer that she not be front and center here. If there is a topic related to travel with babies, kids, and family travel, she’ll of course be very much a part of that post. While I love blogging, I’m still a pretty private person. I hope you guys understand.

Thanks again!

Terri & the TAO Family (whoa….)

Another turn of the sun, and it’s another year with Husband J. Today is our third anniversary .

I joke with people that it feels like we’ve been married much longer than that. That’s a good thing, I think.

Husband J really is my biggest support at this stage in my life, and I am sometimes amazed. I’m am the Queen of Independence, and yet I can’t picture life without him. Some moments when I don’t want to blog (they happen) or do certain things, Husband J is always there cheering me on and pushing me forward.

Husband J was the one that pushed me about planning my trip to India. “Have you booked your flight? Have you booked the tour?” became common questions in the TAO household. I’m glad to say that he supports my craziness. Granted, he was a little shocked that I was going to be away for so long when the trip was all planned.

I remember going to the airport the evening I left for Delhi and walking through the security line. Three weeks in India was the longest we’d be apart since we’ve been a couple, and while it’s not as much as military and other families who live apart, I couldn’t believe how freaked out I got. The possibility of us not seeing other again deeply affected me, but the ability that we had to let each other go knowing we’d be back together soon calmed me down.

Here’s hoping to 100 times 3 years more of life together.

Hiking Esja in Iceland