24 week-6 month Pictures of Oak and Momma Carter

This past Tuesday we completed 24 weeks of pregnancy. If you have had a chance to look back over the pictures we have taken each month, you can definitely see that I am getting bigger. I am definitely feeling bigger, but of course the doctor says I am doing just perfectly, and Oak is going to be a big baby. I have gained about 18 pounds so far, and Oak is quite large for his age (all of his measurements put him many weeks beyond his actual gestational time)...but honestly, what else did we expect coming from our gene pools:).
In these pictures you can acutally see Oak's chubby cheeks (we call them "cachetes" here in Colombia:) We know the sonogram pictures are not easy to see- but if you look at the left side of the pics and picture that he is facing to the right, you will see the profile of his face.

Thanks for your prayers and support!

Enjoy!

Oak's Baby Shower

My sweet friends threw me a wonderful baby shower last Saturday. The people that attended are my closest friends that I have made here in Colombia from school and church and MY MOM! It was so great to have her here in Bogota for this shower:) It was such a blessing to me, as they each helped in bringing food for an italian supper and wonderful gifts for Baby Oak. We had a great time playing games that recalled Alan and I as babies...honestly I didn't know any of the answers about myself...good thing my mom was there. And we finished with a delicious homemade cake. Thanks everyone for making Oak, Alan, and I feel so special!

Mom Anders Came to Bogota

My mom came for a visit last weekend and we had a wonderful time. The weather wasn't the best, since we are in the middle of our rainy season (winter), but she was still able to see a lot of Bogota. She went to a doctor's appointment with me, saw her future grandson in a sonogram, met our close friends (our Bogota family), went to my first baby shower with me, ate at lots of good restaurants, came to our church with us, visited the old part of the city and viewed Bogota from the tip of the mountain top...it was a wonderful time to show her our life here.

Thanks for coming, Mom!

1. Mom and I in front of a statue of Simon Bolivar, the Liberator, in Usaquen. We enjoyed shopping the markets and good food there.

2. Alan, mom, and I at Monserrate overlooking the Bogota sabana. The view from the top of the mountain is gorgeous.

3. One of mom's favorite cathedrals in downtown Bogota. We call it the candy cane church.

4. Mom with one of the presidential guards outside the senate building and the presidential palace. Notice his serioud face, because he is not supposed to be taking pictures:)

Semana Santa Pictures 2007

So here we go:

1) The picture of Liz and I in the Valle de Cocora, which is hidden within the coffee country of Colombia.

2) This picture with a lady hanging out of a cabin window is a picture of Jocelyn at our cabin where there were thermal waters.

3)The picture of the road sign is a picture of a road sign. Try following those directions when you are driving 60+ kilometers per hour down a mountain road.

4)The picture of a house with a pool is a picture of our place that we stayed while we were in the coffee country.

5)The picture of a couple with a baby is a JC, Jocelyn, & their eight month old baby, Amelie. Liz says it was good training for us with a baby on the way. I have to say, I think we are ready.

Semana Santa 2007

This year for Holy Week, Spring Break, we went on a trip to the Zona Cafetera, the Coffee Region. This is the region in Colombia that makes about 90% of the coffee that is shipped around the world and is known for being a very tranquil, restful, and beautiful place. We actually posted an article about this region of Colombia written by a New York Times journalist who visited Colombia and raved about the beauty. This part of the country is also know for very warm, hospitable people, they are the descendants of people who settled this area after fleeing Medellin, paisas.

We decided we wanted to drive. We rented a car with another couple. JC and Jocelyn work at CNG with us and they have an eight month old baby Amelie. The original plan was to gather our group and go. However, all backed-out for various reasons except the Hincapie clan. Liz & I thought it would be a good idea to go with them and travel with a baby. It would be good practice.

The trip turned out to be amazing. We had a great time at two different places. One place was right in the middle of the coffee country. We had a house to ourselves for a couple of days until a few more people showed up. We swam in our private pool and drove around the area. We hiked in the Valle de Cocora. It was a wonderful time to spend with Liz and our friends.

The second place we stayed was in Manizales at this thermal water resort. We had our our cabin and thermal jacuzzi. That was the most restful time of the trip where we just enjoyed the water and conversation.

The best part of the entire trip was the driving. I love the road trip. I love the music, the scenes, the people met, and the conversations had. Colombia is beautiful to drive through. It can be wild at times seeing that you may be driving in the mountains on a two lane road. This was our last major trip in Colombia. We are now focused on finishing out the year and coming home for more adventures. Look for pictures to come soon.