Meet Carolina's new friends

Here's an introduction to Carolina's(/my) new friends- or what I like to call a very crazy past 2 weeks! Before C was born, I met up with 2 groups of girls- 1, American chicas who just had or were getting ready to have babies and the 2nd group I found on meetup.com for Int'l moms/babies. What a lifesaver! It has been so much fun to venture out for lunches, coffee, playdates (though we just watch) and Christmas parties. I know this will come in super handy when Carolina starts to play around a bit as well.  

Brande and Phillip (from Mississippi) and expecting another in March



The meet-up group out for coffee- Sarah from Australia, Kristin from Chicago, Pip from the UK, Simone from Germany and Katie from Australia

with Jessica and Isabella (from PA) at Starbucks

Secret Santa at Simone's with Katie, Simone, Lorena and Carissa

  

The International ladies and their babies- Silvia and Lorena from Spain, Maria from the UK and Karyn from Chicago. We had a Cookie Exchange party and tried our best for a group photo. Love the action shot!



1st Roadtrip

Last weekend was our 1st trip out of Madrid with Carolina. We headed to Bilbao, packed for 3 months away (though we were only there for 3 nights) and enjoyed a weekend with the de Abiega´s, all our Bilbao friends and the grand finale of cheering on Ricardo in the San Sebastian Marathon. While C had a bit of trouble adjusting to her new surroundings and ultra large crib, Ricardo rocked the marathon! Goal of 3hr 45 min- yet finished in 3hr 29 min! We were sooo proud of Ricardo and well C will eventually adjust to her traveling lifestyle I´m sure :-)

posing at Aunt Maria´s

a stroll along the water 

Smiles and all

at the finish line

 





Getting Ready for the Holidays

Lovin´ this lil ornament! Tree is up and Christmas is near.

1 month

Yes, indeed time is flying by. Carolina is 1 month old today! She is such a joy to have around and is growing like a weed. At our last dr visit, she was back to her weight when she left the hospital, 3.7 kilos (8.159lbs),  and almost 52.5cm (21 inches) tall. She loves going out for walks and car rides (as does her mommy), falling asleep in her daddy´s arms, the kitchen fan (a lifesaver for us!) and is starting to focus more and more every day. I soooo love watching her sleep- with her crazy faces, sweet smiles and arms that stick straight up in the air. What a blessing to spend the day with this little girl.

1 month old

1 week old

at the Hospital.....

Oh how I would love to have shared this special day with everyone so much. Luckily our friends from Madrid stopped by and kept us company. It was so nice to show off our little princess and we can´t wait to get home in December to spend the holidays in Tennessee!!

Cheers to Carolina! (Gracias Almu for the Champagne!)

w/ Javi, Ani, Natalia and Marga

and then there were 3

We survived our 1st week home alone! We were beyond blessed with help the past few weeks. Grammie came to visit a few days before Carolina was born and was here to help for a few weeks after. Boy oh boy do we miss her! We were also lucky enough to have Ricardo´s mom (Abuela) in town for the first few days, followed by Tio Alberto, Tia Maria Pilar and Padre Jose from Mexico, Tia Maria and Asier. Though it felt like Grand Central around here at times- It was so nice to have everyone be part of Carolina´s first days.

w/ Grammie on our way home!

the de Abiega´s

Maria and Asier come to visit

Firsts

What a busy day! October 31st- we were off to the Embassy to register Carolina as a US citizen and get this girl a passport! Unlike our experience with other documentation and registration in Spain, this was a cake walk. Afterwards we went with Grammie for a stroll on Serrano and a nice brunch at Le Pain Quiotden. And then back just in time for dress-up and trick or treaters! (it´s still quite new here in Spain, but I was prepared with candy Mom brought from the US- I was by far the more excited than the trick or treaters when they came to the door. All 3 of them!! =)

The Riches on the go

With Rick, Mom and Carolina at le Pain

My daytime Halloween attire "Daddy´s under my spell" (thanks for the outfit Mrs Peggy)

Our little pumpkin (this was actually from when Addie was a baby, so cute to see Carolina in it now- I can´t imagine her as grown up as Addie is now)

and the reality of what actually went on =))

de Abiega, party of 3

Meet our Family.

On October 22nd at 2:05 pm, Carolina Lola de Abiega Richards was born weighing 8.8 lbs and measuring 21 in. We are in love. Carolina arrived at Clinica Nuestra Señora del Rosario in Madrid, Spain. After holding the doctors off a few weeks to let her arrive on her own, she wasn´t dropping and finally reached a weight limit that a cesarean was scheduled for the Monday after her due date. Nervous as can be, mom and dad anxiously awaited the time she would arrive. Within 45min we were all reunited.

our 1st family photo

meet Carolina

The de Abiega´s

40 weeks of Carolina

Tomorrow is the deadline and boy are we ready for our new arrival!! Mom arrived on Wednesday and we've all been busy with last minute preparations. Fingers are crossed for an on-time arrival and in the case not, she'll be here Monday, October 22nd at 2pm (this little one is growing like a weed, so we've been lucky to wait it out for the past few weeks, but doctors tell us it's now showtime!)

It's been such a good pregnancy. With the exception of early 2nd trimester sickness, mom & baby have been doing great. I've been so lucky to have the energy these past weeks to get around town. Lots of afternoons walking around Madrid, meeting friends for lunch and shopping. What I'll miss most: the acrobat in my stomach! She is such a mover and it has been so much fun to feel her growing and moving around. Started around week 16 lightly and she is going strong to this day- 11pm is her favorite time- a night owl for sure! What I'll miss least: Dr visits that only talk about weight (mine, not the baby). They are obsessed here and I cannot wait to load up on the pasta, french fries, chocoloate and croquettes next week!!

ooohhh weeee, we're so excited!!

Belly Shots of Carolina Lola

Baby Shower: Spanish Style

I spot a new trend! The Spainards, not accustomed to baby showers and the such, ate this up! After hosting an American style baby shower for Javi and Ani in January, they more than reciprocated by throwing a fiesta for Baby Carolina. With the help of our dear friends, Natalia and Marga (and I hear Paco and Tigre pitched in a hand), we had such a good time celebrating "spanish" style. Ani was decked out in a Flamenco dress, they decorated with red and white polka dots, cupcakes, Spanish tapas and Sangria. We played musical bottle, celebrity baby matching, guess the belly measurement (ohh they were so off! =) and a bottle chugging race between Ricardo and I. So much fun!

For those planning upcoming showers, let me tell you, the homeade photo booth was a Huge hit!

      

Tapas and Decor

With Almudena and Teresa

Welcome home sign and matching "baby's first" calendar from Natalia and Marga, along with so many cute outfits and gifts for Carolina

I won! =)

the difference between US and Spanish baby showers...... here w/ the after hours crew at 1am.

Bodas y Bodas

Wedding Season in Spain!

First to Bilbao to celebrate with Zaloa (a friend of Ricardo´s from his 1st trip to the US back in 1994)

The best cocktail hour by far! It took place in the gardens of an old estate near the sea, complete with live Jazz band

In all Spanish weddings the bride and groom take pictures with each set of guests

Candy stations have made a hit in Spain

Cute photo booth idea

Next to Madrid for the Wedding of Oscar and Esther, our 2 dear friends now living in Paris. Though the pictures are quite obscure, it was a beautiful cathedral in the center of Madrid.

They had the photo booth here as well, which everyone ended up with the props for the rest of the night! (p.s. Ani´s hat isn´t a prop- just the red clown noses that come with it =)

BBQ

Final BBQ of the Summer- and soooo enjoying the terrace......  (w/ Jose Luis, Miguel, Bea and Nerea, Artemio and Mayra, Tigre, Javi and Ani)

European Vacation

Vacation time! In August all of Spain shuts down. Quite literally everyone takes off for vacation season and in the case of Ricardo´s family living in Bilbao, the offices literally close for 3 weeks where you are forced to take your vacation days at that time. So every year you can find the de Abiega´s on a trip to somewhere. We joined them this year for a week around Italy, Slovenia and Croatia. I was a bit hesitant since this was my last week allowed to fly, however I survived. The tough part was the driving. Nearly 4-5 hours everyday! When we travel..... we travel hard! 

 

This one is for mom- Italian Gelato, her favorite!

first stop Sirmione- a beautiful little village on the lakes (and it was hot!!!)

Next on to Riva di Garda- on lake Garda, this village is set in the middle of mountains and is breathtaking! I could have spent 3 days just here alone.

The Dolomites- Pozza di Fassa. While I didn´t make the hike, the views were out of this world from every spot! (This is only 30 minutes from where I went skiing when I lived in Italy. So beautiful in the summer)

Ricardo and I at the overlook in Ortisei

Cortina D´Ampezzo- loved this town. Ricardo and his brother spent the morning biking the route of the Giro de Italia! We spent the day enjoying a nice breakfast, shopping, walking thru the streets and a nice big Italian lunch!

The view from our hotel balcony

Picking out Carolina´s new stroller!

Liubljana- Our quick day trip to Slovenia, which was a nice suprise. I´d been to the mountains in Slovenia before, but this was a charming little city with cute bars and restaurants on the riverfront.

On to Croatia- 1st stop Plitvice National Park

Beautiful hiking trails, waterfalls, lakes and scenery. 5 hour hike around the park! I was so proud!! and by the end- Ricardo was literally pushing me up the hills!

Detour to Krk Island- instead of following the rest of the fam a bit further south, we took a shortcut to the coast and spent the next 2 days on a lovely island, at a lovely hotel and enjoying a bit of a break from the running around.

and back where we started- Venice!

Delicious meal at a restaurant near our hotel in Cannaregio- the Jewish Quarters- highly recommended area- with quiet streets, great food and easy to get to the airport and all the main sites in Venice

Scenes from Venice