Luis & Diego's New Pet

After the hit that Chester was, it may be a little surprising that Luis's new pet lives in a fish tank, not in wood chips. Yesterday evening, Diego and Luis went out for a late afternoon adventure, and came back with all the makings for a fish tank (minus the fish).

To say that Luis was over the moon would be an understatement. He was so excited he could barely get the words out. Diego and Luis spent close to an hour getting the tank ready. First, they washed the gravel off.

Next they carefully added it to the fish tank (spilling only a very small amount - I was impressed!).

Next, they "planted" the plastic plants in the gravel and added the properly treated water. I really liked how Diego allowed Luis to help with every step (not always easy in fish tank set up!) and explained to him why each step was necessary. Luis LOVED being able to help his Daddy to this important job.

The (nearly) final product. The tank is all set up with gravel, plants, treated water, filter and light. In a couple of days, we'll get the fish to go with it. Luis is so excited with what he has now, it almost seems like the fish themselves are superfluous! Added bonus, the fish tank is the new night light in Luis's room.

Chester Spends Spring Break with Us

Over Christmas, Chester, the neighbor's guinea pig, spent a week with us. The Cuy, as he was called by all of the spanish speakers over the holidays. Luis really enjoyed having him here, taking care of him, feeding him carrots and playing with him. But I think Diego enjoyed it even more. For spring break, the Gee's went skiing and Chester came over here. Though I really only have this one picture of Chester's visit, this is not representative of how much time both Diego and Luis spent with Chester (LOTS!). This is representative of how Chester and Diego spent many a night watching TV together, and of how many kisses Luis bestowed on him. It was a happy week.

Taste Testing

Luis and I made cookies today. He was helpful in many ways (cracking eggs, measuring the flower, mixing it all together). But he most enjoyed sampling the batter. Hey, it's a tough job but someone's got to do it!

Luis Feeds the Ducks

We took Luis to a park close to our house to feed the ducks. After sampling the potato bread (that I found in the freezer), Luis decided he'd rather feed himself. He still calls potato bread duck bread. Unfortunately, we've used it all up (and it isn't something I typically buy).

Silly Faces

Getting Dressed

Luis has taken a real interest in dressing himself lately. The building block of any good outfit is his "tall pants" - regardless of the temperature. I will admit that Luis has a pretty good sense of what looks good together (no fancy & fancy), but he's still working on clothing "orientation" - most often wearing his pants backwards, and occasionally getting his shirt inside out.

Yesterday after his nap, Luis came down in this outfit - not the clothes he was wearing when he went down for his nap:

(Can you see that the pants are on backwards and the shirt is inside out?)

About 15 minutes after donning the above outfit to help our neighbors Kyle & Tim with some yard work, Luis decided that he'd like to run in the sprinkler. He went into the house by himself, and came out in this outfit.

And once Luis decided it was too cold to play in the sprinkler, he resorted to this outfit.

How Do You Like YOUR Blanket? Nicely chilled, thank you.

I am not really sure why, but for the last couple of days, Luis has asked to have his blanket cooled off before bedtime. He stashes it in the fridge next to his favorite thing in the fridge - the chocolate milk, and his second favorite thing - "white sauce" (ranch sauce).

Seattle

Diego, Luis and I headed out to Seattle for our first real family vacation since early 2008 (when we were still in India)! We all needed the time away and the time together. We flew out to Seattle and stayed with our friends the Stader-Tull's, much like we did in November. We planned to spend a couple of days skiing (and introducing Luis to snow sports) and a couple of days visiting. Turned out that we had amazing weather in Seattle - blue skies and warm temps which allowed Diego and David to golf Friday and Sunday afternoons, and cold-enough weather that allowed skiing/boarding on Saturday and Monday mornings.

I was a little nervous about the four hour flight there, but Luis did great. And truthfully, Diego did even better. I had been up very late the night before working and was exhausted on the plane. I took the window seat, and with Diego's help (entertaining Luis), slept for almost 2 hours of the flight. It was GREAT!

After a short rest at Erika's house, Luis, Erika and I picked up Skylar from school and headed out to collect ski rental equipment for the kiddos. It required two stops to get it all, but in the process, Luis scored free goggles from a patron at one of the stores. Luis and Skylar were happy to play together, which made the errand running much easier.

Skylar, Luis and the new (free) goggles

Saturday morning, we got up early, loaded the tired kids into the cars and set off for Steven's Pass, a mountain resort about 2 hours east of Seattle. Luis was not convinced about the idea of ski lessons, and required some extra sales pitches on the way up. Erika and I found a great deal at Steven's Pass where Skylar and Luis could have a private lesson together - 90 minutes of instruction for just the two of them. It took the kids a bit to warm up to Coach Dan, but by the end of the lesson, they were enjoying themselves (though they had not increased their skiing knowledge much).

Diego and David on the slopes

Luis catches some rays after his ski lesson, sporting his new snow clothes.

On the way up the mountain. Something about this picture with Luis in his hat and mittens is very cute (funny) to me.

Luis slept all the way home from the mountain - a nap he very much needed. That night, Diego and I went to an engagement party for Ashley Schweickart (my cousin's daughter) and her fiance, Kyle. I was a little nervous when 85% of the attendees were 25 or younger. But to be fair, it was one of the funniest nights I've had in a long time. Marielle, Ashley's sister, hosted a version of the Newlywed game with Kyle & Ashley, two other engaged couples (and friends of Ashley's) and Randy & Michelle (my cousin, Ashley's parents). It was hilarious. The couples were great sports about the ribbings they took and offered some painfully honest and funny stories. It was a great night. Luis stayed with Erika, David & Skylar, and also had a fun night.

Luis's post-ski routine was a POWER nap in the car.

On Sunday, the boys took the kids to the park in the morning, but it turned out to be a little cold for park play. So Skylar and Luis ran around the house playing (and generally entertaining themselves). It was great for Erika and me, who were happy to have a chance to chat and catch up. Kitty Mac also provided much entertainment for the kids.

Skylar put these magnetic squares together, and then on Kitty Mac's head. Kitty Mac was a very popular playmate all weekend - and a very patient and tolerant playmate.

Diego and David headed out for an afternoon round of golf. After lunch, Luis took a monster 4 1/2 hour nap - much to Skylar's chagrin. She kept saying to me, "Miss Mary, you need to wake Luis up - he's sleeping tooooooooooo long!" Still fighting jetlag and exhausted from a day on the slopes, I felt that Luis was sleeping just the right amount of time. Once he finally woke up, we took the kiddos out to Whale Park - one of Erika & Skylar's favorites. Luis loved it too, as it had a very nice "fireman's pole".

Luis sliding down the "fireman's pole" at Whale Park. It was a beautiful day for a park run!

Monday, we headed back up to Stephen's Pass for another morning of boarding for the adults and ski lessons for the kids (and coffee sipping for the pregnant lady). This time, the ski lesson was a BIG hit for both Luis and Skylar. Coach Dan took the kids up the ski lift a couple of times and then directed them back down the mountain. Skylar did awesome, skiing down the green slope on her own, actually choosing her path and stopping on her own. Luis also would ski down himself, but with a little less discipline. Luis was particularly disappointed when the lesson was over and begged me to ski some with him. While I would have liked nothing better, I declined. Erika graciously trekked with him up the bunny slope and gave him a push down to me, so he could have a few more runs. I'm not sure if Luis will remember any skiing technique next season, but I think we have definitely cemented the idea that skiing is fun in his little head. Success!!

After a lunch break, David and Diego headed back out for a bit more boarding and Erika & I gathered the kids up to go home. Skylar had a bit of a meltdown, mostly due to being tired (I think). She ended up sitting on Erika's lap crying for quite a bit. Luis was very concerned about his friend - walked over to her, patted her back and told her, "I'm sorry you're feeling sad, Skylar". It was so sweet I almost cried. Then he stood there for several minutes, not talking, just standing near her, patting her back. We had come a long way since our last trip (when, at the airport to fly home, Luis said his favorite thing about Seattle was 'being mean to Skylar').

Luis and Skylar playing in the snow at Steven's Pass

Not actually getting up on the slopes, I didn't really take any pictures of the slopes. This was the closest I got.

Monday night, Erika and David arranged for a babysitter to come over and we went out for grown up dinner in Redmond. We started with cocktails and appetizers at the top of a tower, with a great view of the bay, before heading to a delicious seafood restaurant. It was a beautiful night, we were with great friends, eating fresh, yummy seafood - hard to ask for a better night.

Tuesday morning, David had to go back to work, but the rest of us trekked into Seattle, met up with my cousin Vicki, and had a great visit to the Seattle Aquarium. Unfortunately, there are no pictures of this part of the trip. After 5 great days of warm, sunny skies, the cool, rainy weather of Seattle crept back in, and we had to dash home in the rain. And I mean DASH. We hadn't actually packed our suitcases, but arrived back at Erika's house with approximately 20 minutes to pack and head back out to the airport. Both kids fell asleep in the car on the way home and slept through the frenzied packing (Diego packing ski/board gear, me packing clothes, and Erika packing us a bountiful feast of food to enjoy on the long trip home). But we made it in time, and without problem.

We were all sad to leave - having each spent time with one of our closest friends, and having had a fantastic vacation. Since returning, Luis continues to refer to Skylar as "his sister", and talks regularly about Coach Dan. We definitely hope to plan a similar trip for next year...

Travelling with Luis AND Diego allowed me to actually read a book on the plane; a real treat!

SNOW!

I arrived back from South Carolina after part two of my big case, late, late, late on Wednesday night. I had vague recollections of hearing about the potential for snow, but didn't really make much of it. Until we woke up Thursday morning to snow everywhere! Big, beautiful, puffy snow that had already covered everything in a light dusting. Luis was so surprised to see that I had mysteriously shown up in bed in the morning (having arrived late in the night), that he didn't notice the snow at first.

I was both thrilled by the snow (I love love love snow) and heartbroken that school might be cancelled. I had just worked 50+ hours in four days on a very tense and nerve-wracking trial. I was e-x-h-a-u-s-t-e-d, and really needed Luis to be entertained/watched by other people for 6 hours. After breakfast, Luis put his Froggy Boots and Big Jacket on over his PJ's and went outside with Diego to help D clean off his car for work. Luis LOVED the snow.

This was the scene at about 9:3oa

Luis traipsing around the backyard.

After Diego left, I went out with Luis into the backyard for a bit of a play. He stomped around for about an hour - "cleaning" the snow off all the patio furniture, sweeping the walk between the house and guest house, making snow angels and such. He tried to use his little plastic lawn mower, but the snow turned out to be too thick for that.

Luis loved picking up big chunks of snow (and wearing my gloves)

Luis "lawn-mowering" in the snow

Cleaning off the outdoor furniture

Much to my surprise (and delight), school was open when we got there about 10a (an hour late). Luis's teacher had gotten special permission to take the kids out to one of the grassy areas on the church grounds to play in the snow. They spent about an hour outside playing, and even built a snowman.

The snowman they built at school, several hours after they had finished. A snowman only a parent could love!

The snow continued in a pretty, leisurely way all day. In the end, I think we got between 8-10". After school, I changed Luis into another outfit (without anything that was either water proof or water resistant, we went through a lot of clothes that day) and we went back out to play. Our neighbors and dogs were out, so we played in the snow with them. Luis would get really, really wet - but never complained about the coldness OR the wetness. I finally made him go back inside just about the time that Diego made it home from work. Diego was up for more snow play, so we changed Luis's clothes one more time and sent him back out. They took Ashley with them and traipsed around the neighborhood soon. (Diego's got some great Flip video, which I hope to one day post!)

Loving the snow!

Ashley loved the snow too - it was as if she felt like a puppy again (though she certainly was sore after the snow playing!)

Happy Valentines Day!

Luis and I made pink, heart-shaped cupcakes for Valentines Day this year.

Based on the reading selection, which of the following can be inferred?

I have found, in my life, that the only things that I am SURE to do are the things that I vow I will NEVER do. In high school, when asked what I wanted to major in in college, my response was Not Science. One Physics degree later, turns out I was wrong. As part of the high-school-aged right of passage of spending summers with Thomas, I was required to get a Blood Sweat and Tears job one summer. When Thomas suggested I work construction (like my brothers before me), I refused. When Luis was born, I had a decade of construction experience under my belt. Over the years, Thomas has often encouraged me to take the LSAT's, "in case I ever need them." But since I was prone to disagreeing with my dad (mostly on general principle), and because I was sure I'd never need them, I never took them. Until Saturday. Wrong again.

Unfortunately (for me), I decided very late in the game to take them, and only had about 3 1/2 weeks between when I signed up and when I sat for the test. Then, it took me about a week to get my act together and start reading the Princeton Review book. It became very clear, very quickly that I would really benefit from more than 2 1/2 weeks to study. Regardless, I put in as many hours as I could in that time, did LOTS of practice problems, and set out to put my best foot forward on the test.

Honestly, my biggest concern going in to the test was not anything to do with test performance, but rather whether my already small bladder, squished by pregnancy, would be able to hold until the first break. You can use the restroom during the test, but you don't get the time back - and I knew from the practice tests I'd done that I couldn't afford to lose any time! (In the end, my bladder held, but barely.)

I got to the testing center and waited in a big hallway with about 100 other people - most of whom were nervously fidgeting with their number two pencils, nervously pacing up and down the hallway, nervously chatting with the person next to them (sometimes stranger, sometimes friend) or nervously trying not to look nervous. There were also some people nervously sucking down cigarettes outside. Oddly enough, I was not nervous.

When I opened the test booklet, I had a frightening flashback to college. My last exam my senior year was in a class - I've honestly blocked out the name of the course and the name of the professor, though I still remember the room and the seat I sat in - that I did not understand. At all. I failed every test. Spent countless hours in the prof's office getting help with problem sets. Had to redo all of the homework assignments because they were all wrong. It was TERRIBLE. I spent several days studying for the final (which was several days minus a few hours more than I'd spent ever studying for a final) and felt pretty good going in to the test. Until I opened the book. I didn't know how to do one single problem. In fact, I gave a quick look around, feeling sure that the professor had handed out the wrong exam. But he hadn't; the rest of my classmates were furiously writing in their blue books. Panic set in. What was I to do? I re-read the questions, just to make sure, but I still didn't have a clue as to how to start the problems, much less solve them. In the end, I filled the blue book with every fact, equation, variable, and example I could remember from class. To be thorough in my demonstration that, although I had not learned how to actually solve anything during the course of the semester, I had shown up to every class and paid close attention, I also included in my blue book all of the anecdotes and personal stories that the professor had told as well. Turns out that all of this took only about 45 minutes. I had some real panic that I was going to fail that class. That upper level, required for graduation, class. That I wasn't going to graduate. That my four parents, two brothers and grandfather were not going to be particularly understanding of the need to cancel their trip to Boston at the last minute. (I was particularly worried about the opinions of the people who had generously financed my time at BC.) In the end, the professor gave me D+. It was an extraordinarily generous gift, and I gave serious consideration to writing a thank you note (but didn't).

A large digression, but important to set the stage. I opened my LSAT exam and realized that I had NO IDEA how to solve the first logic problem. I couldn't even figure out a diagram. Ouch. Not a good way to start. Instead of panicking, I muddled my way through the rest of the problems in that section. A few sections later, when I came opened up another logic section, I was relieved: Clearly that first section was the experimental section and wouldn't count toward my score. My relief lasted about 15 minutes until I realized that the second logic section was just as hard as the first - and also provided a very similar scenario (and SIX questions) that I had no idea how to solve. Sigh.

When the test was done, I packed my essential belongings back into my Ziploc bag (it was the only bag I could bring into the testing center - with my number 2 pencils, mechanical sharpener, eraser, tissue, keys, and personal identification), and got in my car. It didn't really go like I wanted it go, but I wasn't that surprised either. I knew going in to it, that 2 1/2 weeks wasn't enough time to study. I was sure that, given more time, I could do better (I could figure out how to draw that damned logic problem diagram that stumped me in both sections). So I resolved to take it again (in June, when I'd be about 36 weeks pregnant and have a much smaller, more squished bladder).

Driving home, I felt at peace - an odd feeling for me. I was thinking about what it had been like that morning. Luis had woken up at 5:30a, and woken me up too. We watched some TV, ate some breakfast and I left about 7a. I hadn't gotten as much sleep as I wanted or as much coffee as I'd wanted (too afraid I'd have to pee!). I hadn't prepared as much as I'd wanted to. When I started the car to head out, tears came to my eyes. Lots of them. And I cried. But they were the most amazing tears - tears of confidence and contentment and peace. Despite the setup being far from what I had hoped for, I KNEW that I was in exactly the right spot in the universe. The little voice that sent me out to Arizona (and then eventually brought me back) was talking to me again. It told me that no matter how today went, I was doing the right thing, that I was on the right path. I'm not sure how all this will work out - if I'll every actually need the LSATs, but I know that I need to take them again, to listen to this voice and to stay on this road.

Comfy on the Couch

These pictures were taken while I was in SC for business - so I'm not really sure the story behind them. But I think they're super cute!

It's PUZZLE Time!

For Christmas, Liz gave Luis this big, cool, road-construction-themed floor puzzle. It's been a little over a month since he got it, and Luis has probably put it together 30 times. Usually, he likes to do it back to back before putting it away.

Luis is pretty good at solving the puzzle. Though to be honest, his technique drives me a bit batty. In each puzzle that we own, there is a particular part of the scene that is his "favorite". So when solving a puzzle, he finds all the pieces that go with his favorite part and put those together. Then he picks another section of the puzzle and puts those pieces together. This continues until he has the puzzle mostly solved, but in several big chunks. Then he puts it all together. No matter how much I encourage, he refuses to adopt the "edge pieces first to establish the frame of the puzzle" technique. Sigh. Wonder where he gets that stubbornness from??

Here is Luis sitting on top of the completed puzzle - quite proud of himself.

Luis: Still likes to "hide" on the library shelves

See here for a similar pose in October.

Baby (Boy) Rincon #2

Today, we had our "20-week" ultrasound (though I am only at 18 weeks right now).
Because I'll be over 35 at the time of delivery, this is considered a "high risk" pregnancy. They sent me to the high risk ultrasound people, who took an amazing amount of measurements of the baby. In the last 3 years, ultrasound technology has really improved and Diego and I were mesmerized watching the baby on the monitor. I had not felt a whole lot of movement yet, so was relieved to see the baby squirming and flipping all over the screen. Everything looks good with the baby, and the measurements confirmed an ~ July 1st due date.

We decided to find out the sex of the baby at this ultrasound. The tech did all of the measurements first. When she began trying to determine gender, she kept getting a shot of what looked like the baby sitting on an invisible chair with the photo taken from below. And the legs CLAMPED shut. Both Diego and I laughed. The ultrasound tech bumped and nudged the baby a bit to try to get a better view. The next clear view we got was almost the same, except this time around, the baby seemed to be pushing down on the "invisible chair" with both fists, as if adamant not to reveal the gender.

After a few more bumps and prods, baby spread it's legs wide open. And clearly, it's a boy.

(For those interested in a comparison view, here are two of the ultrasound pictures of Luis)

Pollo a la Brasa

We've been in Dallas for just over a year now, and have really settled in to our new home. We've found just about everything we need here, except Peruvian Chicken. Diego has done a lot of looking and internet searches. We've been on a few wild goose chases looking for restaurants that don't actually exist. We found one place about 30 minutes north of here - but the day we went, their rotisserie was broken. But finally, we have found a place - El Gran Machu Pichu.

For those of you from Northern Virginia, it's no Super Chicken. But it's yummy. And they have yucca - a must for me. They have lots of Peruvian Delights that Diego loves, but I don't (like anticuchos)- which is a must for him. And they have chicken, one of the six foods Luis will actually eat, so it's really a win-win-win situation. The down side is that it's about 25 minutes east of here, in the direction of traffic. So far, we've only been out there on Sunday evenings, but really, that is not all bad...

Rainy Day

What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than splashing in puddles?

Luis Visits the Fire Station

Very often, when we are at Walmart, Luis and I see firemen shopping. Luis ALWAYS wants to say hello to them, and they are very accommodating to Luis, chatting with him, answering his questions. Luis, of late, has been refusing to wear socks with his Froggy/Fireman Boots. He claims that "fireman don't wear socks with their fire boots". So when we saw a fireman in the parking lot this morning, I decided to try to get to the bottom of this debate.

Luckily for me, the fireman confirmed that they do, in fact, wear socks with their boots, to keep their feet safe from the fire. Additionally, he invited Luis to come to the fire house for a visit anytime. So later that day, after nap, we took him up on the offer.

Fireman Jesse graciously agreed to give us a tour of the fire house. We started with the Engine truck, seeing the different gear and equipment they kept on the truck, what it was used for, etc. After approximately four minutes, Luis asked me, very politely, if we could go home. I was pretty embarrassed. We stuck around for the whole tour and saw lots of interesting things. Luis got to try on some boots, hold the axe, climb into the truck, play with the flash lights, and see where they ate and slept. And about every four minutes, he asked again, very politely, if we could go home. Sigh. Luis was able to impress Fireman Jesse with all of the knowledge he'd gleaned from Fireman Sam and this Fireman DVD.

Big shoes to fill

Fireman Jesse shows lets Luis have a turn with the axe

This was as high as he could lift the axe - it had about 20lbs on Luis

(It was a complete coincidence that Luis was wearing his "Hero in Training" fireman shirt the day we visited the fire station.)

Fireman Luis!

One of the presents Luis got for Christmas was a set of four DVD's from Bibi Croom that includes a fire & rescue video. Luis has watched it at least once a day since Christmas, and several times a day on certain days. He still loves his Fireman Sam, too. In general, his fascination with fireman/fire truck things continues to grow.

Diego helped Luis with some of his "turnout gear". He took his old camel back pack, put an oatmeal (cylinder) container in the back and found a hose to provide Luis an air tank to give him fresh air to breath while he puts fires out. They found Luis's goggles (to protect his eyes). The Froggy Boots officially became "fireman boots". And Luis's big red winter jacket became his fireman's jacket.

There is a scene in the fireman movie where the alarm sounds during the night, signalling a fire. At that point in the movie, Luis JUMPS off the couch, runs around the house putting on all of his turnout gear and then re-appears in front of the TV, ready to help fight the fire. It's pretty hilarious to watch.

Even in the bathtub, Luis likes to play Fireman. Here, he's got his goggles on to protect his eyes and is using another toy to act as his "breath thing" (the regulator for his air tank).

There is a very fuzzy line between Luis pretending to be a fireman in the tub and Luis pretending to be a SCUBA diver. I'm not really sure which one he is supposed to be here.

While Mary was Away...

Diego really stepped up to take care of things at home while I was gone. He stayed home with Luis on Monday and went in late on Tuesday so he could take Luis to school. Luis spent Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday with Leah.

The best story that came from while I was gone was from Leah. On Wednesday morning, Leah was going to take Luis to the Science Museum. It was time to put shoes on. Luis only wanted to wear his Froggy Boots. Leah told him that he had to wear his sneakers. A power struggle ensued. Leah stepped into the restroom. When she came out, Luis had his Froggy Boots on, and his sneakers were no where to be found. Leah looked and looked - they were gone. When she questioned Luis about them, he held his hands up under his chin and said, "I don't know where they are."

Turns out that he had hidden his sneakers. And all of his other shoes. In different places. Leah was shocked. After finding them all, she asked Luis if he had hidden them. Luis totally tried to pin it on Ashley!!

Leah called to tell me about this and I laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed. And, was glad that I was on the other end of the phone, not in the same room with Luis. After a little "quiet time" in his room, Luis came down, donned his sneakers and they had a good time at the museum.

Mary Takes A Business Trip

On Saturday, I flew to South Carolina for a business trip. A custody case I've been working on since May is finally going to trial. (It was scheduled for trial in October, but postponed when the adverse attorney came down with H1N1 right before the trial.) It was a complicated, intense case where we represent a mother who was both defending outrageous abuse allegations made by the father and seeking custody of their small child. I was heavily vested in the case from probably hundreds of hours worked over eight months. But it was more than that. I believed in our client and I really felt that the current situation was not in the best interest of the young girl.

Thomas, Erin (the other attorney in his practice), and I spent about 14 hours on Sunday preparing for the three-day trial that started on Monday morning. All of us camped out in Thomas's office, each with our laptop, scanning through reports, depositions, affidavits, emails and other documents - it was like being in the War Room. While the work that we were doing was very different, it was not unlike my days at HITT Contracting, the night before a big budget was due, poring over excel spreadsheets, double-checking formulas and reviewing drawings. I LOVED IT.

Court on Monday was fascinating to me. I really enjoy court-room dramas on TV, so it was exciting to actually be in court, sitting at the attorney's table with Thomas, Erin and our client. It was also really exciting to me to see questions I had posed, details I had unearthed in the documents and tactics I suggested be used in court. I'm finding it really difficult to find the words to describe what it was like for me. On a different level, court was intense because some of the most mundane, slow-pitch questions Thomas asked of the adverse party's witnesses produced shocking answers and opened doors we didn't know existed. This also gave us LOTS of work to do Monday night in preparation for Tuesday...

Tuesday morning, the court called the attorney's in to the courtroom (I got to sit in on this - exciting to be part of "the attorneys" group!) to announce that his mother in law was dying of cancer and he expected a call at any time to notify him of her passing. When that call came, he would recess court and reconvene some time in the future. We got about 2 hours of testimony in before the call came. The judge literally interrupted the father's testimony, mid-syllable. He notified us that he would reconvene court in early February to continue the case.

While we all understood his situation, it was hard to process that we were being put on hold for another month. I likened it to spending weeks studying for a final exam only to be told half way through to come back in a month to finish it. The up side was that we now had another month to investigate some of the (shocking) new information that had come out in testimony. But it also meant another trip back to SC for the final stage of the trial, and it meant yet another postponement for our client, and for her daughter.

Another upside to the postponement was that I got ELEVEN hours of uninterrupted sleep Tuesday night. It was amazing. Amazing. I spent Wednesday in the office working on other cases before heading back to Dallas Wednesday night.

Just before heading to South Carolina for this trip, I signed up to take the LSAT's in February. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them yet. But taking them seems to be the right thing to do.

Luis's 3-year Check Up

Luis had his 3-year check up today. Generally speaking, Luis got a clean bill of health from his good friend Dr. Curry. Luis's weight was 34lbs and his height was 39". The nurse deemed him to be in the 90th percentile for both height and weight. (I'm pretty sure she was incorrect, as he is still wearing all 2T clothes, and is smaller than most of his friends.)

Luis (Still) Loves to Clean

It is a pretty common request from Luis to ask if we can vacuum. I am not exaggerating. And when, as a special treat, we pull out the vacuum for him, he'll spend 30-45 minutes meticulously vacuuming the base boards, under the furniture and in the corners. It's great. Mopping is something that is typically reserved for work in the garage with Diego, but on Sunday, Diego let Luis take a turn at mopping the front entryway. Luis loved it. So did Diego.