Baby Showers Galore

I was spoiled by two showers: one thrown primarily by one of my sisters-in-law and the other thrown by one of my sisters. They were incredible. It's amazing to witness so much creativity and talent. And in two separate families! 

My sister-in-law is a master at cake pops. Like, really. Don't challenge her. She's also highly competitive. ;) And they're as delicious as they are adorable.

Both showers were owl-themed because that's the theme for Diego's room. So cute, right? 

My mother-in-law (Spanish vocab lesson: mi suegra) and my mum.

Did I mention that owls are adorable? (My sister made her own cookie cutters. Seriously.) 

Ignore the cows; those are my mother's. The cake is the most delicious carrot cake (with lime mascarpone icing!) I've ever had.

I am so grateful to these women for putting these together. And I am so grateful to everyone who attended for even just being there to celebrate with me. But, like my sister-in-law and sister, they went above and beyond as well. I was overwhelmed by everyone's generosity. 

Now I have the exciting task of organizing it all! (That's not sarcastic. I really am excited!)

Where to Start

I've been thinking about this blog for quite some time. A blog is intimidating because it's a responsibility and it's public. But I love following my friends through their blogs (Hello Shelley, Katie, Sharyn...) and, while everyone is sure that their daily lives are boring, seeing as I love knowing even the little details about their lives, maybe I shouldn't be so quick to judge my own. So, here it is. The beginning.

Well, not exactly the beginning. I'm 34 weeks pregnant as of yesterday, so we're actually nearing the end of pregnancy. And quite a bit has happened (as it must) since the beginning of that stage. But let's just skip to the most important part. Let me introduce you to my fetus:

1) He's a boy. That's very exciting for us seeing as Rudy (my husband/partner/crazy-man-who-also-lives-here - I have no idea who would possibly read this that doesn't already know this information.) has had only girls, my amazing stepdaughters, Rebecca and Emma (who both inherited their father's crazy gene). That means it's something new for him (yes, yes, every baby is new and different, but still!) and, more importantly, it means Rebecca and Emma aren't getting another sister, something they were very clear in requesting. They wanted a brother, damn it! No sisters! So... phew! (By the way, I wonder how or if an awareness of trans issues will change how we discuss pregnancy and infancy. I would never think to declare the sexuality of a baby, but I call him a boy based on genitalia? Is there another option? Just an idle thought. I'd love to hear some thoughts on this, though.)

2) His name is Diego Sirius. He's half Mexican, so I ideally wanted a name that reflected that ancestry. The name Diego isn't Mexican, but it is Hispanic, and it's also something non-Spanish speaking folks can say without accidentally butchering. It also has a bonus in that Rudy and I met in San Diego. Sirius came from my refusal of the name Starchild (referencing Paul Stanley of Kiss, of course). Instead, he'll be named after a star - the brightest star in Earth's sky. It's my version of a compromise. It also has a bonus in that it alludes to Harry Potter - who doesn't love Sirius Black?

3) He's very wiggly. I love it, but I'm hanging my hat on all the experts who say fetal movement doesn't reflect a baby's behavior. Wiggly is wonderful now but I'm betting a baby that sleeps when he's supposed to is better. We'll see how that goes!

And that's good for starters.