Cinnamon Roll Update

Angie's little nose is visible! :)

This picture is a little "spooky," but an even better "nose" picture! WOW!

Angie and Baby Cinnamon went in for a measurement check-up yesterday - and so we brought home a few pictures. Up to this point, the only recent pictures we had of Baby Cinnamon was of his little privates - so it was a relief to see that his face and other body parts were also developing normally! :) From personal experience (just being honest) I know that these pictures only mean something to parents and family. To everyone else, they are just a flashback to those silly Rorschach inkblot tests you read about in introductory psychology. But I have to point out that Baby Cinnamon's nose looks JUST like Angie's! Which is frankly a big relief to me. My nose is (again, just being honest) on the LARGE side. It's beautiful (I like my nose and the extra ventilation is a plus, especially with my allergies) but it is LARGE. And so I'm happy that Cinnamon will likely have Angie's perfect little nose. That provides me with some comfort.

Showered with Love

We have a clothes dryer at home - really, we do!

The shower cake before Greg arrived

All of the lovely hostesses!

My sweetheart and her beautiful smile

Aunt Betty, Angie and Mom

Teresa, Angie & Jenitta

Tanya stayed at "Casa Rodriguez" for the weekend!

Angie's friends hosted a lovely shower for her this past Sunday. Tanya, a dear college friend of Angie's came in town to help host the event - along with other family and friends. What a blessing it is to have such wonderful friends - thank you so much! We had a great time together. I came for the very end of the event and everyone gatherered around and prayed for Angie and Baby Cinnamon. They even prayed for the daddy! :) It was a very special moment. The "Rodriguez Family Shower" is coming up this weekend! So more pictures to come.

32 Weeks and Counting!

Greg, Angie & Baby Cinnamon!

Greg & Hollie, my Frito-Lay friend!

We completed the second session of our Baby Cinnamon birthing class today. Today included a hospital tour, and we got to check everything out. It was really cool to see the nursery. There was a 2-hour old baby boy there - and it was exciting to think about our baby being in that very room in a matter of weeks! Wow!! Yesterday, my friend from Frito-Lay, Hollie came over for a visit. We had a picture party - and these are a couple of them. We're watching the Dallas Cowboy game at the moment. We'll see if they can beat da Bears!

Cinnamon Roll in the Oven for 29 weeks!!

I love this picture!

Wow - so we're 29 weeks along now. Cinnamon is learning how to DANCE. His movements are becoming much more pronounced - and it is SO AMAZING to feel and see his gyrations. With each passing week, Cinnamon's impending arrival is becoming more real. While Cinnamon's room isn't quite ready for him, we know that we are. We are ready to love this baby and to share this little life with you - our family and friends whom we love so much. More to come.

NaNaw & Uncle D's Birthday Celebration!

The Mills Family - a very happy moment!

Our wonderful nephews & nieces!

Proud Mr. & Mrs. Mills (Mom & Dad!)

What a special time had by all last night at Casa Rodriguez! Cinnamon helped celebrate NaNaw and Uncle D's birthday with his six awesome cousins running around and having FUN! The most hilarious moment of the night had to be when in the midst of all of the happy noise, Uncle D exclaimed, "Quiet down - y'all sound like a bunch of birds chirping!" Well, that did it! The kids were ROLLING on the carpet - laughing uncontrollably at Uncle D's funny remark. Wow. The joy of children is a wonderful reminder of how we all used to be - and how we can still sometimes be if we allow life's funny moments to entertain our heart of hearts. Laughter is sweet music.

Cinnamon goes to the Beach!!!!!!

"Vanilla" taking in some sun

"Chocolate" avoiding the sun

The Tiki lives!

They say that babies become familiar with sounds while in the womb. Though he could only hear the seagulls and the ocean waves, Cinnamon got his first exposure to the beach. It's exciting to know that he's not too far away from testing his courage where the water meets the shore, or being mesmorized while playing in the sand. It was a relaxing couple of days. We didn't stay at "The Tiki," but we drove by for good measure. That's the hotel we stayed at when Grandma and Grandpa took all six of us cousins to the beach - many times and many years ago. It was amazing to me, but not a whole lot has changed about South Padre Island.

Cinnamon visits Grandma & Grandpa!

Angie & Grandma Rodriguez

Greg Sr. (my awesome Grandpa) & Greg III

Cinnamon got to visit Grandma and Grandpa while 25 weeks in the oven. It was such a special weekend to visit with them. Being in Harlingen brings back so many memories - and it was neat to get to share those memories with my wife. It was her second visit to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Highlights were: 1) Eating at the Oyster Bar - a long-standing tradition! 2) Having Aunt Olivia over for a steak dinner at Grandma's - yummy! :) and 3) Stocking up on Mexican sweetbread at the corner bakery. We also just had a wonderful time visiting with Grandma - talking about her childhood and our family history. We love you Grandma & Grandpa! - Love, Greg, Angie and Cinnamon half-baked.