Belly pic!

13 days to go! I can do it! It'll fly by!
A little post about my favorite topic :) - I'm 21 weeks + 1 day today! Wohoo! I took some pictures the other day that most definately show a belly (Sandy - I will prove you wrong!), because the shirt I wore in the previous picture just didn't do the belly justice :)

Bump! And that is before breakfast! Imagine what the thing looks like after dinner :) haha!


Silly serious face, I know - but it is hard getting the angles right taking a picture of yourself in the mirror! haha


From babycenter.com:
"Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches (=25+ cm) long — the lenght of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now"

Eventful flight

This morning I flew our last night flight! It feels so nice to have those over with!

We did however have quite some "bumps": Prior to take-off, everything looked good and normal, so we got fueled up, and headed out for a 20 South cross section. About 30 minutes into the flight though, people started noticing that the data recording system wasn't operating properly. Shortly after that, it crashed. Excuse me - "went down". Apparently one of the main boards got water on it, and fried. This means that none (apart from some instruments that have their own recording system in addition) of the data we are working so hard for to collect is actually getting recorded properly (i.e. with exact time stamp and geographical location and altitude). Basically, this also means that we are flying for nothing. The first reaction was to return to the airport, and abort the flight (yay! back to bed?). However, the pilots informed us that a C-130 can't actually land with a belly completely filled up with fuel! This meant that we had to fly around for at least 4 hrs to burn some of it off. Sigh - to think you got out of bed for that.
But, good time for a nap, right?
Anyhow - the computer guy decided to actually make use those 4 hrs ahead, and attempt to recover the system. Everything was taken apart. And with result! - After about 1 hr I was woken up from my nap that the data system was back up and running!! Big party on board, because we didnt have to waste many hours, and many dollars on a useless flight.

Fast forward 3 hrs later - 3 hrs of great data collection later - I look at the computer operating my instrument (one of the three of my instruments), and see that it appears 'stuck'. I trouble shoot some, and trouble shoot some more, but all to no avail. I spent the next 3 hrs trying my hardest to get it working again, but it appears that the electrical circuit operating the temperature of the supersaturation chamber is completely fried. Sigh. Tired.

After the flight, we unbolted the instrument from the aircraft rack (something that the big 'bosses' are never very happy with: changes sample flow etc.) and took it back to the hotel so we can work on it. But, first things first: shower and sleep - gotta take care of that little one!
The rest of the afternoon we played electrician and tested all the circuits in the instrument. Turns out we need a new part that needs to be sent from the US, and we'll have someone from UW overnight it to us. However, since you never know how long a Chilean "overnight" service takes, this might mean that, apart from the other 2 instruments, we are out for a couple of days :(
Big bummer.

Some Arica thoughts and observations - Part I

* I have a sandal tan! And it's November! :)

* At least 4 scientists (that I've seen) that work around me carry mini-calculators in their breast pockets - at all times! yikes, what nerds.

* If I hear "Hola Gringa", "Hola Chica" [in very dirty tone], or any more of those obscene noises (like kissing, or something I will not even try to mimmick) coming from where ever, somewhere around me - I might just make an obscene comment back.

* I love feeling that baby kick!

* The preferred beach wear of some of the local men appears to be a pair of very tight, very small, very neon colored speedos. I will pretend I didn't see that. :)

* The different ways in which I count down the days till I see Ben again. There is the obvious one: the count down on this blog. And then there are the others, for example: how many more flights I will have to go on before leaving (at least 3); how many more times I will get to eat the delicious hotel breakfasts (17-3=14). And then, a fun one: so when I left for Chile, I counted out how many strips of prenatal vitamins I had to take with me (at least 4, as I would have to use up about 3.5). Now, every time I get to grab a new strip (10 vitamins) it feels HUGE! SUCH a big step in getting closer to the return trip. I have 2 strips down, and little over 1.5 to go! :)

* So Obama it is.

The Ron Brown is in town!

As I may have mentioned before, this project that I am part of, involves many people, and many research platforms. From the aircraft point of view there is the C-130 that I am on, then there is a Gulfstream-159 (G-1), a Twin Otter (DHC-6), the British Aerospace BAe-146-301, and the Dornier-228:

The NSF/NCAR C-130 - I showed you this before.

The Twin Otter (owner: Naval Postgraduate School / Center for Interdisciplinary Remotely-Piloted Aircraft Studies (CIRPAS) USA)

The G-1 (owner: Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, OH)

The Dornier (owner: UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC))


The BAE-146 (owner: FACILITY for AIRBORNE ATMOSPHERIC MEASUREMENTS (FAAM) U.K.)

Then there is a land site, located at the at the Universidad Arturo Pratta, in a town a little further South of here called Iquique. From there, several times of day, Research Radiosondes are launched (GPS Advance Upper-Air Sounding system (GAUS)). A balloon-borne rawinsonde system that measures wind, pressure, temperature and humidity:

Then there also are two research ships involved: the R/V José Olaya Balandra, and the R/V Ron H Brown:

The Olaya (Instituto del Mar del Perú (IMARPE). Ministerio de la Producción, Perú)

The Ron Brown (National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration; U.S. Department of Commerce, USA), actually came to port yesterday! The crew and scientists have been on board since the end of September, and apart from a break somewhere in Central America, they were very happy to be spending 7 days on land here the next couple of days! It was fun to see some fresh and excited faces. One of the girls on the ship is a fellow graduate student whom I had met at a Climate Conference in Seattle over two years ago - it was very fun to catch up again!

After its break, the Ron Brown and crew will go back out at sea for about 4 weeks, taking more marine and atmospheric samples. One of our flight missions is actually to "meet up" with the Ron Brown every now and then: we fly over them at an altitude of 100 ft. (not very much!!), and will therefore be able to do some instrument comparisons (they measure some of the same variables as we do aboard the C-130).

And the first sighting of the Ron Brown in Arica!

In the harbor.

Sic-Sac

Dear motion sickness bag,

Thank you for hanging out with me during the first few hours of every flight so far -it is comforting to know that you are there. Though I really appreciate not actually having to use you yet!

Passenger in left front of Rack 1.



"The original Motion Sickness Bag - If an upset stomach is anticipated remove SIC-SAC from this container and keep ready for use. Do not be embarrassed by this precaution as even veteran air travelers are subject to occasional motion sickness."
To use: Roll top of sac over finger tips - Tie knot in top of sac itself or use the attached tie.



This morning I flew Research Flight #8. It was another 3 am take-off flight (still meaning start of a work day at midnight), and we landed 30 minutes after noon. Even though overall it was again a very good flight - I collected some great data - the first few hours were quite rough. First of all, because my computer and data collecting system had some issues: not good! It was actually quite funny, because I learned very quickly that people aboard an airplane very much appreciate it if you refrain from using the statement "my computer crashed". Apparently, you are supposed to say "my computer is down" or anything else but the word "crash" - I guess it makes people flying in an aircraft a little uneasy :)
Mainly though, the flight was rough because like every flight, this one also started out with me being fairly nauseous for the first couple of hours, every now and then bringing out my little sic-sac, and staring at its bottom hoping that something would come out to relieve things. Always nothing. So I go back to my seat and back to work. Miserable.
I have tried various things food and drinks wise to relieve things. Starting from what and how much I eat the day and night before, to what and how much I eat right as I get on board, to drinking lots and drinking little, drinking salty things, sweet things or water - all to no avail. Also, it is so hard to force yourself (as I'm sure many of you morning-sickness-experienced-ladies know!) to eat something while feeling so crappy! But I know it does relieve things - sometimes.
Either way, today I felt extra crappy because turbulence was more intense (also flying extra below and in cloud legs), and I think it might have something to do with the fact that ever since our dinner of mussels and other sea creatures, my intestinal culture has not been the same...if you know what I mean. It also doesn't help that we are flying night missions, so looking out the window to orient myself on the horizon is not an option. So there I sat, in the back of the plane, with my baggy :). One of the pilots came by at some point though, and told me he would come get me as soon as there was some daylight out, so I could come in the cockpit and stare out the windows for a while - that was nice of him :)
But, as with all fairy tales, this story also has a good end. My nausea subsided after about 4 hrs, and happy little scientist I was again. :)


(p.s. I am looking forward to the day missions starting. No more crazy night hours, and a horizon to look at!)

Half way today! Times two!

No, I'm not having twins :) - but today marks the day for two half-way points: I've been in Chile for 3 weeks, and have 3 weeks to go! And, I'm 20 weeks pregnant today! Wohoo!! I might have to find someone to take my belly picture :) I think its fun how people are starting to say - hey, I can see your belly! Of course that's only the people that know. So far, I think little over half of the ~75 people at work here know that I'm pregnant - those that don't know probably still think I'm eating too much :)

(note: I combined posts today, as I found someone to take my picture -)
Here's my 20 week belly pic:

(*note that I really don't like this picture, but I still put it up for you guys :) As you know, I do not have a patient husband around here, who will take the time to take a picture that I am OK with posting :) This shirt also doesn't do my little gut much justice haha - maybe I should have taken the picture after lunch time :)

From babycenter.com:

"Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.) He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion."

I like this part:

"Congratulations! You've hit the halfway mark in your pregnancy. The top of your uterus is about level with your belly button, and you've likely gained around 10 pounds. Expect to gain another pound or so each week from now on."

and especially this part:

"This Week's Activity: Treat yourself to something nice. You've made it to the halfway mark in your pregnancy, so celebrate with a little indulgence."

Last night was fun - a group of French scientists from the University of Toulouse (who's primary investigator (PI) has worked with our Wyoming group for years) invited us over for dinner! They are renting some rooms in a hostel, and therefore have a little kitchen available for use. That PI is a renowned cook, that loves to cook true rural French (or Spanish in this case) meals. In the morning, he had gone to the fish market in town to find the craziest looking sea creatures, and then he spent most of the afternoon cooking our group a huge pot of Paella. It had mussels, clams, squid, calamari, and some others I did not recognise :) - and some chicken. Though it was excellent, and finally a home-cooked meal, I am for sure looking forward to be eating some 'normal' food again one of these days. Sometimes, the thought pops in my head to go to the local McDonalds (yes, there is one, even here) just to get a hamburger, some fries and a coke - and ok, maybe even a milkshake :). I would feel like such a traitor though! Maybe if I look around first, to see that no one can see me go in? hihi

Happy Halloween everyone!

Excursion to the Altiplano - the high valleys

As I mentioned in my previous post, monday was a mandatory, yet unexpected day off. Me and two coworkers (Sam and Jeff F.) took full advantage of this, and decided to go on a road trip, leaving early in the morning for a day trip out to the Altiplano - the high valleys. There is a national park there called "Lauca", and is located in the Andes mountains. (It feels so exotic to finally be in the Andes! - I've always wanted to see this!)

One problem - it is at an altitude of 15,000 ft. (i.e. 4500 m.)! This might not sound like all that much higher for us Wyoming-ites, but trust me, coming directly from sea level (where the hotel is), it is quite a change! We all suffered from altitude sickness for most of the day. Luckily, I never got nauseous, but my head sure felt awful loopy and slow! Needless to say we didn't do very much walking around, because we were all gasping for air with the smallest hill :).



(note: before I went, I did do some online research to see if it is ok for pregnant ladies to experience such rapid changes of altitude, and couldn't find anything that said it is bad, unless you are in an oxygen deprived area for several days/weeks, or are in bad shape to begin with)








Early part of our road trip - a dessert valley with clouds - yet not a green thing to be found




It's me!

Going up a little higher in altitude, all of a sudden, in the middle of nowhere, we started seeing these cactus! Quite a sight!

You can see how spread apart they are, and are growing in the middle of the dessert.

And, going up a little more in altitude, the first shrubs and bushes were growing, and we started to see our first animals - this guy is a guanaco, a member of the camel family, and living wild and freely in these areas! So cool! We saw quite a bunch of them!

An old house, with in the back ground the volcano!

And me :)

Another house

The border with Bolivia! It felt so exotic to take this picture! ....

And then to turn around to take this picture!!

And - BOOM! The sights of the altiplano - the pictures don't even do it justice - it was absolutely stunning!

Pink flamingoes at the lake! Who would have thought these guys live at 15,000 ft (4500 m) ?

Snow capped volcano - some of the volcanoes actually had plumes coming out of them.

We also saw hurds and hurds of alpaca's!

Alpaca's grazing. Since there are so many alpaca's here, things made from their wool is very common here. I've already bought some nice soft scarves, a hat, a banket, and the cutest little baby sweater ever :) (again - I love shopping for baby things!! - cannot wait to meet this little person!)

This one is for Ben - the entrance sign to the national park Lauca. It is our tradition, we take one for every national park we visit in the US as well :)

On the way back, we stopped in this little mountain town called "Putre". We walked around town, and ate some lunch there:

The church

We found this one little restaurant that was open, and it was filled with local people, eating something that smelled pretty tasty, so we thought we'd give the place a try. I really was craving french fries, and was looking forward to scoping out the menu for them, but, instead when we walked in, we were asked if we wanted to eat: "yes" was our answer. But, no menu ever came - I guess they only had one option, the menu of the day - what all the locals were eating. About 5 minutes later, the guy came out with our first course: some pickled beets and lettuce. After that, we got the soup from a bone that you see in the picture - it was made with the most interesting spices, and tasted unlike anything i've ever had before. In it was a potato, and some weird kind of corn, and a chunk of bone with meat on it. Turns out this meat was actually Alpaca!! First time I've ever eaten alpaca before! It was pretty tasty, but it had lots and lots of fat on it :(

After that soup came yet another plate, this one filled with sort of a poor mans' paella (rice dish)- with the weirdest looking sweet water clams and other creatures in it. Again - good thing I am not a picky eater, because this was probably the farthest thing away from my trusty french fries, and I ate it all :) So much fun to eat true local food!

"Our specialty is Alpaca"


Me in the town square