Week 20!!

I'm halfway, can you believe it? I cannot! Little Max is growing so fast. At my ultrasound appt last week he "weighed in" at 11 oz! In my Babycenter email update today it said that my baby should weigh about 10.5 oz, so I wonder if he will be a big guy. Sorry for the somewhat awkward photo this week. I could not get the blouse to cooperate with the camera.

The husband and I had such a wonderful Thanksgiving vacation/holiday. We are ridiculously blessed and tell eachother so on a somewhat regular basis these days. With a half day on the Wednesday before, and the following two days off, it was a nice long relaxing weekend. Obviously it started off with a bang with the ultrasound. Thursday brought cooking and a fun evening with the Garcia family. We made the announcement of little boy Max, and there was much to give God thanks for... Luz (my mil) broke out the Martinelli's and we toasted all around to another Garcia boy to carry on the family name! (haha :), as if carrying on the family name was a concern)...

And then Friday was all about Christmas! We just love Christmas and decorating. Its gets us all giddy and excited like little children. We found our gorgeous tree at Home Depot (such the romantic tree hunting location), and quickly nic-named it "Fatty" because it is quite rotund. Fatty got all gussied up and lit with colorful lights, and my beloved Willow Tree nativity scene found a home. We literally decked the halls while listening to classic Christmas music. **happy sigh** It will be all too soon before we have to pack it up and put it away again.

On Friday we also braved Baby'sRUs for the first time together, to begin our "product research." As we entered its doors, Joaquin's eyes glossed over a bit. Within a few short minutes he announced that he was not sure how much more time in that store he could handle. I agreed. We pulled out every stroller and pushed them around, feeling foolish and clumsy as we tried to fold them up, and remove and replace the infant seats. What a chore! I know some women adore that store, but frankly, I find it a tad on the overwhelming side of things. Too much to choose from, sensory overload, very little customer service, and seriously, do babies need ALL that stuff? I happily left as soon as Joaquin had met his limit. Perhaps it will grow on me, but for now, I am content to hear what other people say about what they like and recommend, and stay out of the stores.

Saturday brought a much anticipated meeting of baby Matthew Ortner! I am kicking myself for not remembering to take pictures! He was such a cutie, and I had a lot of fun holding him as he fell asleep. Ahhh so sweet. Amber and I caught up on life and it is obvious that motherhood suits her very well. She blessed me with even more wonderful maternity clothes. Oye vey, am I appreciative.

Sunday was church and afterward prepping for a dinner/game night at our place. After popping the homemade lasagna in the oven (thanks to PW Cooks), I went through five boxes of handed-down baby boy clothes from my sis-in-law. Five stuffed-to-the-brim boxes! We are so blessed. There are already benefits to having older boy cousins!

This Sunday game night was long over-due, so I went all out and tried to invite as many people as I thought may be available. Fifteen showed! I'm not sure our place could have handled too many more, but it was an uproariously good time. Lots of laughter as we played Catch Phrase, Mad Gab, Apples to Apples, and our recent fav-- Carcasonne. Good times. I'm sure our neighbors wondered what we were up to, as we are normally a peaceful bunch. Joaquin and I are so thankful for our friends and for the home that God has blessed us with (albeit a temporary home). He is so Good.