Buenos Aires Birth Day: 2013 Edition

When our daughter was born in February, 2011, I posted an update on the pregnancy and birth experience in Buenos Aires. It's time for the same update, 2.5 years later and a very different experience to tell.

The whole pregnancy and birth were still very good experiences, and the two pregnancies were pretty parallel until the birth itself. The biggest difference in the pregnancies is that this time around we had local insurance, as opposed to last time when all of our appointments were paid in cash and then reimbursed through our US insurance as an out-of-network claim. It's hard to find a good doctor that you connect with and trust, so even though my OB didn't accept our local insurance, we stayed with him - Dr. Juan Carlos Proccacini, who works out of Sanitario de la Trinidad, Cervino 4720, Palermo. To maximize our coverage, we still paid in cash at all of the regular pregnancy appointments (and then submitting them for reimbursement in the US) but all additional appointments; the blood work and other analysis, we had done at the Hospital Aleman since it is the closest hospital to us that accepts our local insurance.  This is a great perk of having local insurance, for the vast majority of routine procedures and appointments, all you have to do is flash your little card and no money needs to change hands.

Appointments:

• The appointment schedule for my pregnancy with Alex was the same as with Gretchen until we hit 33 weeks.  Since Gretchen arrived at 36 weeks my doctor wanted to play it safe and start weekly monitors early. This was an ironic twist since Alex waited until almost 40 weeks exactly before deciding to join us.
• I also started weekly non-stress tests (in Spanish, monitoreo) at 33 weeks. Each week I brought the results to my doctor's appointment, and each week he said "I'll see you next week".  Until 39 weeks...
• I decided against the birth classes this time around, I retained enough information from the first time around that I didn't need to take the full on class. I did, however, go to meet with the midwife because 1) She didn't end up attending my birth with Gretchen, her replacement did, she was on vacation and 2) my Spanish is still at a point where, under stress, I wasn't sure she could understand me.  I wanted to make sure she knew my name, my face and the fact that I am not great at articulating myself in a second language.

The Hospital:

• Through our local health insurance, we obtained a "prescription" for birth at 35 weeks from my OB, submitted it to the insurance company, and then received a pre-approval paper to show at check-in. This allows the hospital to anticipate our arrival, and made check-in a 10 minute process as opposed to the seemingly endless process we went through in 2011.
• With this pre-approval, we had a single room - but not the suite we had last time around. This was just fine for us, plenty of space considering that we didn't have the parade of visitors that the rest of the maternity wing seemed to employ. The biggest differences were that we didn't have a choice of daily menu items, no daily newspaper and no mini-bar.
• The check out process was still really slow, but we realized that it was due to my doctor not signing a check out order until after 2:00pm. I was ready to leave around 10:00am, after 3 nights away from home, I was more than ready to get back to my own bed (even if my doctor preferred me to stay for an additional night).  It was fine once I knew what time to expect to leave, but this was not made clear to me.
• There is a new process to register birth in Argentina, each hospital has a central location where the original documents from the birth are sent (the birth certificate) and you can either call or go online to request an appointment. The location for the appointment is dependent on the hospital where you delivered and needs to be started within 45 days of the birth - I will write more about this new process as we work through it.

The Birth:

• I had been having contractions for a number of weeks (perhaps months...) but on Thursday night they were more regular than before. I started keeping track, and sure enough, the contractions were 5 minutes apart for an hour, then two. I called the midwife, we agreed to wait another hour to see if they kept progressing. After another hour, we decided to head to the hospital (meeting her there at 12:15am, not the most ideal timing...). 
• Our plan was to have our beloved empleada, Candy, stay with Gretchen for the first night after the birth, she was our first responder. I was not convinced that we were going to check in to the hospital, so we woke Gretchen and brought her to the hospital with us.
• We ended up checking in to the hospital, calling Candy to meet us there and bring Gretchen home, and take solace in knowing that by then end of September 20th, we would have a baby boy!
• I will cut past the dramatic part, but after a number of unsuccessful hours of pushing we were not any closer to having a baby, my doctor made the decision to go ahead with a cesarean birth. Despite what I have heard about Argentine doctors, I do not in any way feel that this was a decision made for convenience, I feel that he was making the best decision for me and my baby. I know that the cesarean birth rate is quite high in Argentina, somewhere around 35% (slightly higher than the US, at 30%), but I feel that it was a necessary measure. I think the most important factor is having a trusting relationship with your doctor, this is the only foundation for feeling secure in their decision-making.
• After a c-section, I was offered to stay in the hospital four nights, though we requested going home after the third night.  Jon spent one night in the hospital, but then we wanted to be sure Gretchen didn't feel left out so I spent the other two nights alone with Alex.  This was a good choice for us, but after 3 nights we were ready to reunite as a family.

Though it certainly wasn't what we were expecting as we packed up for the hospital late Thursday night, we are so happy to have a healthy little boy join our family. The biggest lesson for me is that no two births are the same, as no two children are the same, and the most important factor is that we did everything possible to provide for a safe birth. At the end of the day, that is all that matters.  

And look at this little peanut! Such a looker! We're loving getting to know our new little guy.

Look at all of that thick, black hair!

Bienvenidos, Alexander Thomas!

We've had a busy week!  Please help us welcome our newest addition, Alexander Thomas!  

8lbs 4oz, 19.6 inches - just look at that face! 

This little bundle was born at 5:52am on September 20, 2013. 

He entered the world in his own style, not taking any cues from his big sister's birth. Such a handsome little guy, we are thrilled to finally meet him!

Such a happy, proud Daddy!

Big sister Gretchen was great, after being awakened in the middle of the night to come with us to the hospital, she slept well, had a fun day at home with Candy and then came to visit her baby brother. Lucky for her, Alex brought with him presents for her - and to sweeten the deal, they were Dora-themed presents!

A mix of nervous and curiosity, she has been great and is already making a fantastic big sister!

Welcome to the newest porteño, a perfect addition to our little family!  We cannot wait to get you home and begin life as a family of four!

And now we get to start the paperwork process to make you official! (More on that to come...)

Waiting For Baby

Tomorrow marks the completion of 36 weeks of pregnancy.  This is an important milestone in the pregnancy because Gretchen was born in week 36, and I have mentally assumed that this is when the real baby-watch begins. Obviously, it is not an exact science, but boy-o-boy would our baby boy be welcome to come at any point after tomorrow.  Really.  Come on down, you're the next contestant on the Price is Right....

Look, we have your room all ready for you!  Complete with the toys your big sister stuffs into the bassinet attachment to the Pack-and-Play.  And of course, the Planets Mat, best.baby-gift.ever.

We are even ready for that round of golf you will play with Daddy!  These clubs might be a little big, but you'll grow into them...

We have repurposed items from Gretchen's room, made good use of our baby shipment and rearranged the closets so that baby boy has a room all his own.  I like to think that it is serendipitous that the room was already painted blue, a great color that we were happy to match.

We have been prepping Gretchen as best we know how for the long-awaited arrival of "baby brother". At this point, we feel that she genuinely knows that a baby will be joining our family, and she pronounces daily that he "will poop a lot" and "will need a lot of diapers".  We are not as confident that she is ready to share her toys with him, luckily, he won't want them for awhile yet.

It is a strange thing to be going through pregnancy for the second time and having so much left to question. There is still no way of knowing what to expect, and life in on a bit of a countdown clock from now until the little one arrives.  Will it be today? Tomorrow? In three weeks? Quite literally, time will tell.

That's part of the fun, right? The bottom line is that we cannot wait to meet our baby boy, introduce Gretchen to her baby brother and begin life as a family of FOUR!

Pregnant Lady Priority

There are countless things that make living in Argentina more complicated.  The language.  The unpredictability.  The economic unrest.  The multiple stops needed to accomplish the same tasks as one trip to Target. 

One thing that seems (to me) to be easier to be pregnant here in Argentina.  Everyone here loves a pregnant lady, almost as much as they love a baby.  

Everywhere you go, you are given priority.  Start with parking.  Right behind the handicapped spaces, there are reserved expecting mother spots.  Not just at Babies-R-Us style places - malls, grocery stores, virtually everywhere that has a parking lot provides places for expecting moms.  It's fantastic.

Next there are priority lines.

Banks.
Airports.
Money Exchanges.
ATMs.
Grocery stores.

They all have a priority line for those expecting (and at times this includes families with young children).  Not the kind of line where if you use it everyone in the store glares hatefully your way.  It's the kind of line where people go out of their way to usher you to the front and clear the way when you walk through.

People stop me on the street and ask when I'm due.  They stay after class to ask if my doctor is OK with me taking spin. They give me their seat on the bus, hail taxis on my behalf, hold the door for me (with the exception of my doorman) and will mow others down to pick up something that I have dropped on the ground.

I gratefully accept all help, and walk to the front of all lines, knowing that as soon as the baby is born all of these favors go away.

I just wanted to take a moment to thank the lovely people of Argentina for making pregnancy so comfortable, even if everything else is a bit more complex.

40 Weeks Later

40 weeks. It seems like an eternity when the countdown begins and then you blink your eyes and the pregnancy is over. Now I can breathe without readjusting my ribcage. I can sit in one position for over 10 minutes without pain. I can tie my own shoes. Oh yeah, and we have a baby.

It's amazing what can happen in only 40 weeks. Or, in the case of our overachieving baby girl, 36 weeks 5 days.

So, to complete the album, here is one final baby belly photo - taken 6 days shy of Gretchen's due date.

Can you believe she was in there??

In honor of Gretchen completing her third week of life, we met up with our favorite triplet family, the Dooleys, in Puerto Madero.

Greg and Kristina with their adorable threesome are nothing short of local celebrities. People call to them from cafes and restaurants wanting to know about the trillizos. We added another stroller to the mix today causing even more stares from people walking by.

I can only imagine what will happen in the next 40 weeks. It's sure to be an adventure.

Happy weekend everyone!

Buenos Aires Birth Day

As promised, I am going to weigh in on what it was like to have a baby here in Buenos Aires. Let me spoil the ending by saying that it was a very good experience. As with my Pregnancy Abroad post I have to preface everything by saying that everyone's birth is different, and I am only speaking from personal experience, not as a blanket statement about birth in Argentina.

To start with, we go through the private health care system in Buenos Aires (as opposed to the social medicine available to Argentine locals) and we have kept our US health insurance as expats. What this means for us is that we pay for all of our health care related services in full and then send the receipts in to our insurance company for reimbursement. It takes a little extra organization, but the process is pretty straightforward and we have yet to have any big issues with receiving reimbursement.

As far as the "players" involved in Gretchen's birth, my doctor, midwife, an anesthesiologist, a few nurses, a neonatologist and my husband in the room when I gave birth. I had never considered working with a midwife when I thought about my "birth plan" but my doctor routinely works with a midwife and we never really explored the option of going without. In the end, I really liked the way this tag-team approach worked, I called the midwife when my water broke and she took care of me up until it was time to push. This arrangement helps to ease the demand on a doctor in a single practice, there is no way he can be by the side of each patient during labor. Also, considering that they work together for the vast majority of the births they attend, there is no power struggle or conflict of interest between the two, they come as a team.

Aside from that, here are some highlights from my pregnancy:

Appointments:

• During the 1st trimester, I saw my doctor at least once every three weeks. During the 2nd trimester, the visits reduced to once a month and in the 3rd trimester we had appointments every two weeks. At 35 weeks we saw the doctor weekly. Every appointment included a full exam, an ultrasound and a non-rushed conversation with my doctor. He outlined what was going on now, what to look for before the next appointment and answered any questions or concerns Jon or I had.
• Over the course of my pregnancy, I had four full blood work appointments. Each of these appointments were at a location separate from my doctor's office and I needed to return to the blood lab pick up the results. For each of these appointments they did a urine workup, which involved me going to the pharmacy to purchase a sterile cup and then bringing my "sample" in with me to the appointment. (If only the taxi driver knew what was in the bag...)
• I visited a different doctor's office for Doppler ultrasounds four different times during my pregnancy, at 12, 20, 27 and 34 weeks. At three of these ultrasounds they printed out 3D/4D photos for us to keep and at the 27 week appointment we went home with a DVD of the ultrasound.
  
• Starting at 36 weeks, I began going in for weekly "Monitorio Fetal" tests (Fetal non-stress tests). This is basically an EKG for the baby. Each appointment requires a doctor's prescription and took place in a separate location from my doctor's office. (Coincidentally, I only ended up having one of these tests before I went into labor.)
• My doctor strongly recommended that I take birth classes given by the midwife he works with. These classes were 2 hours long, once a week for nine weeks. I found them helpful in that I got to know my midwife ahead of time, she knew who I was (and my level of Spanish) and they sold some great breastfeeding clothes at the class. Other than that, the information was mostly things that I had read in books or heard from my experienced friends, I think the time may have been better spent in one or two private sessions with the midwife.

**These appointments were required by my doctor, even without any risk factors or health concerns for the baby.

The Hospital (Sanitario de la Trinidad, Cervino 4720, Palermo):

• The hospital did not offer any public tours, however we stopped in without an appointment and were given a impromptu tour of both types of maternity rooms.
• The maternity options were all single occupancy rooms, either a "single" room or a "suite". The suite was $300 pesos additional per night and included a couch-bed for a guest to stay the night, a mini-fridge with drinks and light snacks, wi-fi internet, a haircut and ear-piercing for the baby (if requested) and daily newspaper delivery.
• For parents that possess an Argentine marriage license, twice a week the hospital has staff on hand that can process the paperwork for your new baby's national identity document (DNI). (For those that were married outside of Argentina, us included, you need a separate appointment at a government office. More to come on this process as we work through the red tape.)
• Although my midwife also works as a lactation consultant, there are a team of lactation professionals on hand at the hospital that checked in with us daily. They also provide in-home services for after you are out on your own.
• The check-in and check-out process were painfully slow. This is my only complaint about Trinidad, it was a multi-hour process from when we decided that we were ready check out to when we were actually able to leave. Thank goodness my labor wasn't very intense when we were checking in, that took a good hour as well. This could be attributed to the fact that we do not have local insurance, so the hospital had extra steps to take to make sure we could pay our bill. Either way, it was unnecessarily drawn out and a source of frustration.

The Birth

• We corresponded with our midwife to meet at the hospital and get checked in. She arranged for our reservation at the hospital, met us there and guided us as to where to store our things, and stayed with us from the lobby to the pre-labor room to the delivery room.
• Immediately after Gretchen was born she was put on my chest for a few minutes of bonding before anything else. Jon accompanied our baby and the neo-natologist to another room to be bathed, weighed and checked. This particular hospital does not have a nursery, so after that check we were not separated from Gretchen for the remainder of our hospital stay.
• The delivery room had strict regulations, only one person besides the patient (in our case, my husband was the chosen one) and no cameras/pictures.
• We stayed in the hospital for 2 nights/3 days for a natural (non-cesarean) birth. We were given the option to stay for an additional night if we wanted, but we were ready to get home.
• The visiting hours for the maternity wing were a total of 8 hours during the day. Outside of those hours, only one person is allowed in the room. This means that if your husband/partner is with you and the baby, no one else can come in.
• The hospital has a team of neonatologists on hand to examine your baby and monitor their health during your stay. Unless you specifically request it, your pediatrician does not come to the hospital as is customary in the US. If there is a health issue with your baby that persists after leaving the hospital, the neonatologist will contact your pediatrician and work together to transfer care. It is your responsibility to contact your pediatrician to arrange for your baby's first exam appointment or provide the neonatologist with the pediatrician's contact information, be sure to have this information with you when you check into the hospital.

That about sums it up for our birth abroad. We felt comfortable that if there had been an emergency situation, I would have been well cared for and would not hesitate to recommend having a baby in Bs.As. I am no expert, but I am happy to answer questions about my experience should anyone be interested.

And now a look at the result of our birth abroad, our little porteña:

Has a child ever been this precious??

Welcome Gretchen Elizabeth Gill!

We had a late February surprise this year, baby Gretchen decided to join us early! 

Gretchen Elizabeth was born on February 28, 2011 at 2:44pm at Sanitario de la Trinidad in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Que linda!  

Baby girl with Mama, about and hour after her birth

The swaddle blankets are worth their weight in gold!

Check out this natural daddy!

Everyone is healthy and happy and resting comfortably.  We should be home Wednesday or Thursday to introduce her to her new room.

We are in inst-a-love with her and cannot wait to show her off to the world!  

Baby Belly Lotions

As I am reaching the end of my pregnancy, I need to pay homage to two products that I would recommend to anyone adorned with the lovely ginorm-a-belly that pregnancy will give you. Buckle up everyone, my first true product reviews lie ahead.

First up, Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Massage Lotion for Stretch Marks. Don't let the name fool you, you don't need to have stretch marks to start using this lotion.

During our trip to the US back in October, which is subsequently the only time during my pregnancy that we were in the US, my mom had two bottles of this lotion waiting for me and strongly urged me to start using it tout suite. After using 2 pumps a day in the morning after I shower, I am now on my 3rd bottle. It's moisturizing, has a nice consistency and doesn't get thick and or oily. Each bottle is under $8.00 and it can be picked up at any CVS, Target, Walmart, or it's available for order on Amazon, in case you're ordering it for someone to smuggle to another country for you. Sorry Argentina, as far as I know, Palmer's has not made it here yet.

I've read all sorts of literature on stretch marks, and I understand that the major indicator on determining if you will get them is heredity. That being said, even if there is a small chance that moisturizing your skin will help you avoid/reduce the possibility of getting these lovely marks, I'm game to try anything. If nothing else, lotion helps the dry skin itchiness that stretching your belly to the limit will give you.


The second product that I've used is a less mainstream option. I found this adorable little container in my Christmas stocking from my mother-in-law who brought it all the way from central Virginia-based Soothing Herbals. Soothing Herbals makes all natural, preservative-free products and has a nice Mama & Baby line.

Clearly, when you go from mainstream to local business, the price goes up a bit, but I've been using my 4oz jar of belly butter at night before bed since Christmas Day and I bet it will last me to delivery. The consistency of this product is a little thicker and a bit more oily so I opt to use it before bed. This gives it more time to soak in and allows me to wear looser clothing over top (as opposed to the elastic-waisted bottoms I've been wearing for the last 7 months). The belly butter has a pleasant, but not overly flowery or medicinal smell and my skin feels nice and soft in the mornings. If you do not happen to be located in central Virginia, I believe Soothing Herbals does a mail order business and they have plenty more in their line of products versus just momma-related items.

So there you have it. I have had great luck with these two products, and throughout my pregnancy I have been dry skin and stretch mark free (knock on wood, I still have a few weeks to go...). This is an amazing feat considering how large my belly has gotten, I can't even believe it when I look at the Baby Belly pictures posted.

That, and I have got to stop wearing horizontal stripes!

Pregnancy Abroad

Back in my first post about pregnancy (Dawn + Jon = Baby Girl) I mentioned that there would be more posts about medical care and pregnancy abroad. If you are interested in that sort of information, this post is for you!  I will preface the entire post by saying that all of this information is specific to my experience, I don't presume to know anything about healthcare or pregnancy abroad that is outside of my personal experience. 

I am now over 7 months pregnant, and things seem to be progressing quite normally.  I wish it was a bit cooler outside, but aside from that, I really can't complain.  For those of you who are interested in hearing some of the differences in pregnancy care here in Argentina, or those that are in Argentina and need advice on prenatal care, here is my best attempt to capture the differences. 

Doctor
I see Dr. Juan Procaccini who is located in Palermo and I think the world of him.  He speaks fluent English and is extremely patient with our questions/concerns/confusions.  If you would like his contact information, please email me, I am happy to recommend. 

Pros: 

• I have never waited more than a day for an appointment, including my first "new patient" appointment in which he saw me 2 hours after I called.  
• He gave me his cell number the first time I saw him and I am able to call at any time with questions.
• He is the only doctor in the practice, so I know who will be delivering our baby.  

Cons:

• All lab work is done in other locations, so each time I have blood drawn or need an additional test I need to go elsewhere.
• The nurses/other professionals that he works with do not speak English.
• He is the only doctor in the practice, so if he has an emergency to tend to or is running late, the whole office/all appointments are dependent on his schedule.  
• All office visits are paid in cash.  It's a little strange.

Prenatal Care
The prenatal care the I have received is similar to that of many other pregnant mothers that I know, surprisingly, I know quite a few pregnant ladies here.  It is, however, different than that of friends of mine in the US.

Pros: 

• More frequent appointments.  I started with appointments every 2 weeks in my first trimester, graduated to every 4 weeks in my second & went to every 3 weeks starting my third.  At 35 weeks I'll go on a weekly basis until delivery.  
• More frequent ultrasounds. I have have an ultrasound at every appointment, and by the end of my pregnancy I will have had four 3D ultrasounds.  
• Cost.  We are considered "out of network" for all of our medical care so we pay everything in full and then submit it for reimbursement.  Considering that we pay in full, before insurance, the cost of medical care is incredibly low compared to what we are accustomed to in the US.

Cons:

• There is a huge emphasis on low weight gain during pregnancy.  The recommendation is to gain 15 - 20 pounds total versus 25 - 35 pounds recommended in the US. As if I wasn't already feeling fat, I get to go to a zillion appointments that tell me how much weight I've gained.
• Confusion. There are so many recommendations in the US that are not necessarily followed here that I find myself a bit confused at times.  Food and drinks to stay away from, exercise requirements, travel limitations and other recommendations are completely different.  This is why it is extremely important to have a doctor you trust, they can help you sort out all of this conflicting information. 
• The childbirth classes with our midwife are in Spanish.  We are doing pretty well with them, but it still makes life a little more difficult.  

Hospital
I have visited our hospital (Sanitario de la Trinidad) and am very pleased with the facility and the level of care available. If you are delivering in Buenos Aires, contact your hospital about taking a tour, there are not always organized tours available but I have found that they will show you around if you ask.  There are some differences, not necessarily pros/cons, that I thought would be fun to mention. 

• Some of the hospital services include; delivered meals, daily paper and wi-fi (things that I would expect) ear piercing for girls, baby haircuts and baby cologne (things that surprised me).  
• You need a reservation.  Considering I have no idea when baby girl is going to be joining us this might a bit difficult.  
• There are strict visiting hours (for our hospital 8 - 12p & 4 - 8p) where only 1 person will be allowed in the room outside of those hours.  Bummer for close family/grandparents/etc that would like to help out in the other hours of the day.  

There is a whole other world of childcare that we will discover after the baby is born.  Things like car seats (not required here), grocery shopping (no child seats in the front of the carts), breastfeeding (totally acceptable in public, with or without cover) and all sorts of other adventures lie ahead.  I have found resources in BAExpats.org, BAIN and other bloggers in Argentina, but if you are in Buenos Aires and are interested in talking pregnancy shop - let me know!

The Belly Unveiled

It's time. 

I was waiting until I had something to show to put pregnancy belly pictures on the blog, and by now I am most certainly showing.  I've added an album to my Shameless Photo Sharing list for all of those that are interesting in tracking my growing panza (belly).  This belly is sure to grow even larger after our substitute-Thanksgiving next Saturday - remember there is no Thanksgiving down here so no one gets the day off of work.

I would like to mention that this whole empire-waist-style clothing trend is AMAZING for pregnant ladies.  These non-maternity-yet-maternity-possible clothes like double my wardrobe.  And they don't cost a zillion dollars like normal maternity stuff does.  I would kill for a Target these days.  

And for those that are not interested in the belly - I will resume my normal Buenos Aires-themed posts now :)  Enjoy the weekend everyone!

Dawn + Jon = Baby Girl!

So much has happened since I've last wrote!  We had a fun, busy, eventful, fruitful, truly wonderful vacation to the US and Canada.  I decided to take a true break from Argentina-life and not attempt to blog while at home, which was a good choice since we were on the go the entire time.  The repercussion now is that I am insanely behind in logging all of our recent goings-on, as I'm sure you've noticed.  I'll do my best to break down all of our happenings, for they are many.

First and foremost, We Are Having A Baby!  This is clearly the most exciting thing going on in our lives at the moment.  This also explains my recent desire for McDonald's after not eating fast food for most of my life.  I am 19 weeks along and have been feeling really great.  Here is a picture at 18 weeks, fresh off of a 2.5 week vacation packed with eating lots of delicious American food.

Our little babina!

Our doctor here is wonderful and the hospital is clean, close and high quality so we are fully confident in our decision to have the baby here in Argentina.  The best part of overseas health care so far has been the sheer number of appointments and ultrasounds that we've had already, we have enough baby pictures to fill an album.  We had a 12-week Doppler ultrasound where the doctor was able to tell us that she's a GIRL!  He told us at TWELVE weeks!  To all the skeptics out there - this has been confirmed in all of our following appointments, so we're as sure as you can be that we have a little girl coming our way.  For anyone interested in our medical experiences in Argentina, stay tuned, there will certainly be some upcoming post topics covering these things.

Our growing group of east coast friends

As part of our trip home our wonderful friends and family threw us a baby shower.  We coupled it with a party at my parent's house that we had already planned, which worked out perfectly for the guys/people-who-don't-like-watching-gift-openings.  It was also a great way to have our friends bring all of their adorable children over, all of which happen to be girls.  That's right, we had six precious little divas over, some of which we met for the very first time.  I was not great at getting good kiddy pics, but Kelly Hill posted a great summary on her blog Life on Notting Hill.  We received some fantastic news earlier this week when Chip and Kristen Humkey found out that they are having a baby boy!  We're looking into arranged marriage documents now.  In addition to friends, my parents let us take over their house for the weekend while they hosted a ton of our friends during the day and overnight, we had a real grown-up slumber party.  Jon's parents drove all the way up from Lexington to visit us, bringing with them delicious food and a Hokie win.  We have some pretty amazing family.

The following weekend I was lucky enough to have some of my favorite visitors for the weekend, Sarah, Julie, Dan and my main man Caden.  (We missed Sarah's future husband Josh, but he was excused because he was busy saving lives in Indiana)  Look at this adorable little man, who celebrates his first birthday today!  He's such a big boy now, I cannot believe that so much time has gone by.  We got to visit Great Falls, Virginia, a beautiful spot, where our friend Doug took some amazing pictures of the little birthday boy.  I'm pretty proud of this smiley one that I got - he was so much fun to have around!  Aside of fawning over my favorite baby boy, I was also thrilled to spend time with Julie and Sarah.  We get so little time together recently, it was really a treat for them to have flown in to visit - thank you so much for visiting! 

Together at last :)

As if that wasn't enough, while we were home we also attended a wedding in Toronto (more to come on this), watched the Redskins beat the Packers live, hung out with my youngest brother Robbie who visited from Virginia Tech, went shopping with my mom, built fires with my dad, watched Michigan State go undefeated for an incredible EIGHT games in a row and much, much more.  It's no wonder that visiting home is such a bright spot, we always have a great time!  Thank you to everyone that made this trip a success, we miss you all!