The magic of spandex (34 weeks)

I put on this shirt - assuming that it wouldn't fit. And while I don't plan to wear it out of the house, it does, actually still span my belly. I'm at the end of week 34 now, and am a little astounded at how Baby Rincon seems to grow a little each day. Then, I think that there is 5 weeks +/- of more growth ahead of me, and that is a little scary.

I am starting to slow down a little as D-Day gets closer. I am heeding the advice of every new parent I know and am trying to get lots of sleep now while I can. Even with an extra hour or two most nights, my energy level is definitely decreasing and if I'm not careful, I'm prone to a little swelling. But generally speaking, I still feel good!

Diego leaves today for Rome for a week (he's speaking at an international conference!!) and next week my McDow family - my dad, brothers and their respective families - are coming in to town for Thanksgiving here. It will be great to see everyone, and to be able to see them without traveling! :)

Halloween (a little late)

Halloween is our neighbor, Diane's favorite holiday. She starts decorating her yard with graveyards and alien scenes and caskets and flying ghouls early in October. On Halloween night, several houses gather in Diane's driveway to passout candy (we're stream-lining the process). This year we had a great turnout of kids. Note that Diane has made tombstones for both Diego and I. Mine was made the year I had my appendectomy (in mid-October).

It's fun to think that next year, Diego will be taking Baby Rincon trick-0r-treating...

Snuggling

Baby Rincon won't be the only one around here getting snuggled...

Kids Games?

Diego, insistent that this is a game Ashley enjoys, tied a helium balloon to her collar - which she then tried to catch. I definitely believe that Diego likes this game more than Ashley.

The Evolution Continues

Once Diego finished the crib, I couldn't get my hands on a mattress fast enough. I ordered one from Amazon (so much easier than going to a store) and it was delivered 3 days later. That very day I got the mattress in, as well as all of the linens on. I LOVE the way it all looks together. Diego found the matching rug, so we've rolled that out as well. It's hard to tell but on the book shelf is Jorge el Curioso (in Spanish), Le Noel de Madeline (in French) and Uncle Remus Stories(in Southern). We're going for multi-cultural children! I think that the picture with Ashley in front of the crib is a site I will see very often.

And the basement/office is also progressing nicely. I've gotten a bit more organized and Diego has moved a bunch of furniture for me. The next thing to get is a futon, and I'm hoping to do that in a couple of weeks. In general, I'm very pleased with how all of the household projects are coming.

Speaking of projects, just this morning Diego was perusing the plans to make a glider. I love the idea that so much of the nursery furniture was hand-made by Diego.

31 Weeks

With these latest photos, I think it's pretty obvious that Baby Rincon is growing and growing. I wouldn't normally point this out, but if you look carefully, you can see how the shirt is starting to actually pull over my belly. I think this is the last picture in this shirt.

At 31 weeks, I'm still feeling good. Some things are getting harder to do - tie my shoes or roll over in bed. But I still have a pretty good energy level. Today I raked the back yard and I'm still working out a couple of days a week. My only real complaint with pregnancy has been heart burn and I'm learning that it will get worse before it gets better. So when I'm taking Tums at 8:30 in the morning, I think - only 9 more weeks...

Baby Rinc0n is a very active baby. S/he started out moving every evening between 9p & 11p, but sleeping the rest of the time. Now, the baby is regularly active twice in the morning, twice in the afternoon and from 7p to 11p. While the movements don't always feel good (I think his foot is permanently positioned right next to my liver), it's always exciting. I've been caught often zoning out of a meeting or conversation to gaze down and watch my stomach and the baby move. At a recent work meeting, two friends were watching from across the table!

The (new) Office

While the office is technically up and running in the basement, we still have some settling in to do. Diego got all of the furniture moved around - about 4 heavy pieces of furniture all had to be moved to a different floor - and the computer & internet set up and running. I, however, am lagging a little in my organizational duties. The long term plan includes a futon down in the basement for those house guests who may prefer a room that is not across the hall from the baby, or for tired parents who need a quiet place to nap. Slowly, slowly we are getting there.

It's Officially the Nursery now!!

While I was in Atlanta visiting family, Diego was hard at work in the garage finishing up the crib. Then this weekend, he patched some drywall, touched up some paint, and steam-cleaned the carpet of the office. Last night, we assembled the crib - which now officially makes that room the Nursery! It was a very tender and exciting moment for us both. I have ordered a mattress, but it will be about a week before I can post pictures of the crib all dressed up.

Diego's next project is to build a glider chair for the nursery. Then, he's going to strip & re-paint an old dresser that we will be using as a changing table. Those last two things will finish up the nursery furniture. We have about 10 more weeks until Baby Rincon arrives and we are right on schedule for baby prep.

Muffles

I sometimes worry that Muffles gets a bit of a bad reputation as a cold-blooded rodent/ small mammal/ frog killer. While it's true, she is all of those things, there is a very sweet side to her as well. I sometimes have a little trouble getting comfortable these days. Muffles, however, has no problems finding a cozy napping spot - whether it's on the cat bed or on me!

29 Weeks (a week ago)

I'm not sure if from this picture, one can appreciate the growth of the belly (and baby, I hope) over the last two weeks. Believe you me, it's been a lot of growth! It's a good thing the weather is cooling off because I don't think I'll be able to wear this shirt much longer - my belly just won't fit. I'll try to get another photo up next week, showing the two-week growth.

A Siblings Trip to Atlanta (10/7-10/9/06)

Two weekends ago, I met up with Dodie, Mom and Uncle Randolph in Atlanta. (Randolph, Lauren, Aunt Clare and Grandfather live there.) It was fun to hang out with my siblings - as well as to see Mom with HER siblings. Grandfather, at 98 1/2 is doing fantastic! It's always a treat to see him. [Correction: GF is 97 1/2 - but no less fantastic!]
Randolph and Lauren have a "black lab/chow" mix-breed dog, Shadow. He was recently shaved and now looks adorable. (You all know I'm a sucker for a cute dog.)

Site Under Construction

I have several photos to post from the last week or so, but the home computer is currently dismantled and sitting in the basement. This makes it particularly difficult to download pictures, log on to the internet, etc. The good news is that this is the next big step in converting the office to the nursery!

Hopefully, we'll be back up and running at home by the weekend - so stay tuned for updated belly pictures, nursery-under-construction pictures, crib pictures, and some photos from my trip to Atlanta this past weekend.

The Reigning Baby

With all of this talk about Baby Rincón, I realized that Ashley is already drifting out of the lime light. So I thought I'd post a few pics of her - cute as ever!

A Belly Picture

I admit that I'm a bit shy about my growing belly, and have turned down Diego's offer to take pictures of my progress. Last night, I agreed. This is really the first photo - at 27 weeks. In the last 4-5 days, the baby (or at least the belly) has had a growth spurt!! I know I have a ways to go, but I definitely feel like I've "popped" a bit. I will try to be better about posting pictures of me, as we both continue to grow.

Handknit by Liz

We received a package from Liz, Diego's sister today. She knitted the baby a gorgeous sweater and matching hat. And with Baby Rincón's due date, I think they'll be perfect. These photos came out a bit blurry (sorry Liz) - the camera had a hard time focusing on the pattern. Please take my word on how lovely they both are. She also sent two Spanish stories (Cinderella & Peter Pan) to help Mom and baby learn Spanish!

Diego Hard at Work

This is a standard sight around here: Diego working in the garage on the crib. He's been in there much of the afternoon today working on the finish coat. In the top photo, you can see the piano hinge and locking hardware have been installed so that the side can fold down (allowing easier access to baby). At this point, he has the drawers to install, the mattress framing to install and to finish the shilac coat. Diego has done an amazing job on the crib! It won't be long before we'll be posting complete crib pictures or pictures with the baby IN the crib.

Changing of the Guard

This week, Diego and I purchased a 2005 Toyota Prius! We wanted a newer, safer car for me and baby. And I wanted a car that could match the Saturn in fuel economy. It's still getting more than 30 mph at the ripe age of almost 7 years old. At 50 +/- mpg, I think the Prius will do just that. It's going to be a bit hard giving up the Saturn. I bought it in early 2000 and it has taken me (and Ashley) down a lot of very interesting roads. But the power windows/locks go along way towards assuaging my sadness. What can I say, I'm a simple girl. I had hoped to post a picture of my Prius and Diego's Land Cruiser side by side. It's quite a sight of opposites. I gave the new car a test run down to Richmond on Friday and it did great on the highway. I am definitely very pleased with the purhcase.

Family Resemblance

At about 20 weeks, we had the ultrasound. Everything looked good with the baby. As you can see by the first picture, the baby has Diego's strength - check out the bulging biceps alread.

And as you can tell by the second picture, the baby has my head - but for everyone's sake, hopefully not my stubbornness. (The image may be a bit hard to discern. The baby is laying on it's back with it's head to the right-hand side of the photo. On the left side, you can see the abdomen. )

Merce Bday

Mom Bday

Mercedes Birthday

Happy Birthday ! Feliz Cumple....que la pases muy bien con Juanfe y RC con nosotros en espiritu y pensamiento.....Besos y abrazos de Mary, Diego, Nietecito/a, Ashley,Muffles