Christmas with the Stewart Family, 2009

We spent our Christmas with Eric's mom and dad this year. Our long weekend was filled with lots of catching up and visiting, reading stories with Papa, eating good food, and playing with Madeline.

I snuck in some snuggle time with my sweet girl.

Madeline was a pretty good traveler to Clemmons (around Winston Salem for those of you not familiar with the NC area), but toward the end of the trip, our little native became restless, so bunny lovey & paci were a necessity.

Again, just a smattering of pictures of our lovely weekend, but we were lucky to have special Nana and Papa time.

Madeline's Two Favorite Gifts so far this season...

Her pink fuzzy slippers from my one of my best friends, Stephanie --

And, her vacuum/dust buster combo from her Grandma McCarthy --

McCarthy Family Christmas, 2009

Since we all spent Thanksgiving together this year, my family celebrated our Christmas together on December 20, 2009 so that we could spend Christmas with our respective spouses' families. It was a wonderful gathering as usual with lots of yummy food & beverages, great conversation, and just loving being around each other.

My oldest brother, Pat, with his family, Kim & Ryan.
Cousins --- Ryan (13) and Drew (6)

My middle brother, Greg, with his family, Angela & Drew.

Greg and Angela were shocked that we all went in together to get them a second refrigerator for their lake house. They were totally surprised which is just so fun!

Kim was equally surprised when she realized that we all went in together to get her a greenhouse for her backyard. She loves to grow any and everything!

Just a sprinkling of pictures to show how much fun we had celebrating Christmas with the McCarthy family. Eric and I are blessed to be part of such a wonderful, loving family!

Madeline is 16 Months Old!

Well, Miss Madeline, you are sixteen months old, and you are a sweet, adorable stinker! You are a happy, lovey-dovey little lady, but you certainly have given us a real showing of your nasty side. I think we are heading into the terrible twos, and you've shown your independence with a pouty lip, furrowed eyebrows, and all. Luckily for us, your nasty side really only comes out when you are overly tired and/or hungry, but there have been a few times that you let me know loud and clear that you didn't get what you wanted. Unfortunately, you don't always get your way or what you want. Patience is not something you have learned yet, but we are working very hard on it.

Posing for pictures has been a little bit of a nightmare for us because you are on the move constantly. Sitting still for a picture is just not on your agenda...hence the reason we have no recent family portraits YET. Our last session gave us nothing worth buying, so we'll make another go of it in January. You love your vacuum, fuzzy slippers, purses, books, and baby stroller the most out of all your toys. However, Tupperware, wooden spoons, mommy and daddy's shoes, mommy's broom, mommy's hair brush, and your toothbrush are among the many other things that you love! You LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your books, and when the mood strikes you, you will sit and be read to for several books. Some of your favorite books are Clara Wraps Up Warm, The Belly Button Book, and The Great Fuzz Frenzy.

You love to chit-chat, and your vocabulary has blossomed 200% over the last month. There are lots of things that you say -- in fact, so many words that I can't even begin to list them here. You also repeat as much as you can muster out of that little mouth of yours. You love your toy phone and pretend to chat on it as you roam around the house with a purse on your arm. Unfortunately, please and thank you haven't made it into your vocabulary quite yet, but we are really working on those two words at every given teachable moment.

You are still loving your same favorite foods --- hot dogs, ham, cheese, any type of snack/chip, milk, green beans, cheerios, ravioli/spaghetti type foods, nutri-grain bars, oatmeal bars, and yogurt. At some point, you started to boycott applesauce and mandarin oranges (two of your previous favorites)...I guess you ate too much of it and grew tired of it.

You have started to enjoy trying to climb into chairs and make your way into little tight spots to sit and play. It's rather funny to peak in a tight spot and find you sitting there pleased as punch with yourself playing with your toys or reading your books. You love to rough house, but you love your "girly" things too...I think that's the perfect balance for your spunky little personality.

Madeline, you are a sweetheart, and your Daddy and I love your zest for life. We are blessed to be your parents (no matter how much you may try our patience on certain days)! We look forward to starting 2010 with you in our new home.

Ready to Go!

We snapped some photos of Miss Madeline this past Sunday before we headed out to church. She loves to carry her bag on her arm like this:

She then says, "Bye bye." while heading to the door. I guess she's seen me carrying my purse like this, and when I'm carrying my purse, we're usually going 'bye-bye'!

She also loves watches, and she can clearly point out and exclaim, "Watch!" Notice she's wearing her daddy's stinky gym watch.

Cutie patootie!

This would be a cuter shot of this Mama and her sweet girl IF this Mama would've brushed her hair out of her face, and this little munchkin didn't have shiny snot under her nose.

34...

I'm 34 today, so I present to you 34 random memories from my childhood in no particular order.

1. I met my very best friend in the whole world in the fifth grade. She and I still marvel that we've been friends for "over 20 years". We always made fun of our moms for saying that. Now we are that old.

2. I worshipped my first grade teacher. I thought she was the prettiest, smartest, & nicest woman in the whole world, AND she lived in my neighborhood. She invited me to eat lunch with her at her house on a Saturday afternoon. I was delighted to spend my Saturday lunch eating a PB & J with her. I wrote (and mailed) her letters all through the summer after first grade.

3. For as long as I can remember, my dream job was to be a wife and stay-at-home mom. I never had those lofty career goals of being a doctor, nurse, or lawyer, and today, I'm blessed to have my dream job.

4. I failed my first test in the second grade. It was a math test on fractions. I was devastated.

5. I was chosen to say the Pledge of Allegiance over the loudspeaker morning announcements during American Education Week, and I was on cloud nine.

6. I played Barbies for hours and hours all by myself all the time, and I was perfectly content to spend my days doing just that.

7. My oldest brother, Pat, was a freshman in college when I was in the fifth grade, and I thought that I was so cool because of it.

8. I got glasses in the third grade because my teacher, Mrs. Rozier, had to call my mom to tell her that I couldn't read the board. I knew I couldn't read the board, but I thought I would get in trouble with my parents. I didn't realize that it wasn't my fault that I couldn't see far away.

9. I was a total rule follower, and my worst nightmare was getting in trouble with anyone.

10. My dad had to poke all my insects into the Styrofoam for my seventh grade bug collection, and I was just disgusted by the whole project. That's the only time my parents ever did anything on a school project for me instead of me doing it all by myself. My brothers were furious and said it wasn't fair that I got special help "because I was a girl."

11. Before we moved to South Carolina, we lived close to my relatives in Pennsylvania. We spent a lot of time there, and my cousin, Karla, and I played Barbies all the time in her room. We dropped our Barbie dolls out of the second story window one time, and I thought I was being such a rebel.

12. I got my braces off on my birthday when I was in the eighth grade. It was the BEST birthday present EVER!

13. Every year for Christmas I received one of those Lifesaver books in my stocking, and my "big" present was a new pair of roller skates (until I got my pink 10 speed).

14. I loved to read, and I read all of V.C. Andrews Flowers in the Attic series. The Sweet Valley High books were my favorite "young adult" books that I read entirely too young.

15. Pat had to come home from college one weekend to babysit me while my parents took my other brother, Greg, to a wrestling tournament. Pat took me on a "date" to Annabelle's Restaurant in Columbia Mall. I ate a French dip sandwich for the first time. Then he took me to Sandy's for ice cream. I'm pretty sure he was using me to get girls...

16. I never received a spanking from my parents. All my mom had to do was raise her voice or raise her spanking spoon at me, and I started to cry. If my dad even looked at me cross, I would straighten right up.

17. My mom, two brothers, and I went to my Grandma and Grandpa Folz's (my mom's parents) house in Evansville, Indiana every year for spring break. I hated it because they were the "boring" grandparents, and now I realize how many fond memories I have of those trips...we drove the 10 hours to Evansville, and my mom always let us roll all the windows down on the highway. (My dad never let us roll the windows down on long car trips for some reason.)

18. Only at Grandma Folz's was I allowed to eat fluffy cheesecake with cherry topping for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She was a brilliant cook!

19. I was Red Cross certified in babysitting, and I was "the babysitter" in the neighborhood to use. I loved it, and I charged $2 an hour. My New Year's Eve & Carolina football game jobs were always booked at least one year in advance. My babysitting schedule required me to have my own calendar to organize my jobs and time.

20. I stayed with my Grandma and Grandpa McCarthy for a whole week while my parents went to Iowa with my brother Greg for the Nationals wrestling tournament. While I was there, my Grandma took me to see Batman in the movie theater, and my Grandpa let me in on his "secret" Snicker bar stash.

21. I spent a lot, I mean A LOT, of time in a gym watching my brothers in their wrestling matches and tournaments. And, in return, I would torture them by eating cookies and other goodies in front of them knowing they were dieting to make weight.

22. I got the chicken pox in the fifth grade, and I missed our class Book-It Pizza Hut pizza party. My world had pretty much come crashing down on me. I had perfect attendance all through elementary school up until that point. Just kick me while I was down already!

23. I received the Woodmen of the World award for being the best Social Studies student in the seventh grade. The funny part about this award --- while the teacher was giving the background on what this award was all about, I was totally making fun of it to my parents saying things like, "What a nerdy award! Who would get that?" The next thing I know, she was calling my name. My parents still joke about me receiving that award.

24. Only when my dad would go out of town, we would have scrambled eggs with buttered egg noodles for dinner. Loved that.

25. My family took a summer vacation every summer to a different state. One summer we went to New Orleans, and I was completely fascinated with the homeless people eating out of the trash cans. My parents were annoyed that was the one memory I took from the whole New Orleans experience.

26. I got a perm every October. (Yikes!)

27. I had 8 baby teeth pulled at one dental visit, and I only had Novocaine. My mom wouldn't let me be put under at such a young age. Dr. Watson was the most patient, kind dentist during that procedure.

28. I got my pink 10 speed bicycle for Christmas, and I was so beside myself. You would've thought I had won the lottery.

29. I wanted a telephone in my room, but my parents wouldn't pay to have a phone jack installed. I saved my babysitting money to have the jack installed, and I got my pink Conair phone for my birthday. Total preteen bliss.

30. I always wanted one of those Barbie dream houses, and I never got one. So, my brother, Greg, built me all of my Barbie's furniture and a garage for my Corvette out of scrap wood. He then helped me rearrange the entire playroom, so I could use the built in bookshelves as my Barbie dream home. It was actually way better than the dream house.

31. My artwork was entered into the SC State Fair art show. I didn't win, but I didn't really care because I thought it was pretty special to have something entered into the fair.

33. My dad always tried to get me to play sports more for the character building than the actual playing part. He and I were going to practice softball one day in the yard. He threw me the first pitch, and I caught the ball with my hand that was not wearing the glove. I broke my pinkie finger, and that was that. He moved onto another sport after that, and eventually gave up on the sports thing. My parents decided I was going to have to build those skills in a different fashion (and I did).

34. I always wanted to invent windshield wipers for my glasses' lenses because I hated getting raindrops on them at the bus stop.

So, there you have it, 34 random childhood memories on my 34th birthday. I wonder what Madeline will remember about her childhood?

ACC Championship Game

Eric and I decided to make a last minute fun weekend trip to Tampa to cheer my Tigers to victory. My parents were able to keep Madeline for us (we were shocked they were actually free!), and Eric was going to be in West Palm for business the week prior to the game. So, it just all worked out for us...well, except for the fact that the Tigers couldn't pull off a win. Oh well...it was super fun anyways!

Me in front of the pirate ship
The Tigers in their huddle

A sea of orange ~ I felt like there were a lot more Tiger fans than Tech fans

It was so cold in the game, but at least it was not raining. Those two people to the left of me are Eric's co-workers. They really were having fun despite the looks on their faces.

Go Tigers!

A little pregame festivity picture ~ watching the Florida vs. Alabama game at a martini bar of all places. Tampa has lots of fun places to hang out.

Even though the game was not to our liking, the little weekend getaway was perfect. My parents took lots of pictures of little miss while we were away, so be on the lookout for a post full of Madeline pictures soon.

Madeline's New Favorite Pastimes...

"Brroooooommm!!!"

Maybe that's a good sign that a.) she sees me sweeping up often because she does actually have the concept of what to do with it &

b.) she'd like to use the broom for real someday

Sofa sliding provides lots of entertainment until the day she falls off the sofa and bangs her head, but for now it's a hoot!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Eric, Madeline, and I spent turkey day with my family. We had such a wonderful time visiting, talking, eating, watching football, and relaxing. It was a wonderful family day, and we are so lucky to have each and every member of this family.

We took the opportunity to get some family photos.

My parents with their 3 children

The McCarthy kids with their spouses and children

My awesome parents and their 3 adorable grandchildren

All of us

"I love my Grandma's mashed potatoes, gravy, and stuffing!" Madeline gorged herself at dinner! She couldn't get it into her mouth fast enough!

Madeline had a wonderful time playing with her cousins, Ryan & Drew. Even though they are quite a bit older than her, they were so sweet to play with her.

Thanksgiving Day, 2009 was perfect!

And, of course, the day wouldn't be complete without someone experiencing food coma after dinner. My brother, Pat, found Madeline's stuffed gorilla to be quite cozy!

PS --- Madeline is totally back to her normal self complete with four molars that are all the way through the gum! She's 100% healthy again! (see previous post)

Things that make me say HMMM

The last week has been a bit of a roller coaster for us. Madeline's 15 month well visit was perfect & no signs that she was ill. However, any signs of illness all pointed to the four molars that are currently working their way through her gums --- three have poked through while the last one has just a tiny bit more to go. So last week, when her appetite decreased, her crankiness increased, and her temperature rose a little bit, it was no big deal. In my mind, it all boiled down to those darn teeth.

By Friday, she was good to go --- no temp, normal Madeline temperament, better appetite --- or so we thought. We had a Friday evening out thanks to a wonderful college student named Kristen, and all was well.

Then the weekend! Madeline had zero appetite like she was fasting zero appetite, no fever, no desire to drink milk or juice (which was of great concern to us since we've dubbed Madeline the thirstiest child on the planet), the desire to sleep ALL.DAY.LONG (seriously, she slept 7 hours on Saturday after sleeping 13 hours the night before!), so-so temperament, and her coloring was ghost white. We decided to wait through the weekend, lay low, and keep an eye on her. Surely, she will have the desire to at least drink something soon. Nope, not so much. I give it Monday to see if things worsen or get better. Neither extreme, no worse, no better. Hmmm, do I risk the rashy, oozy, germ infested ped office, or do I just wait it out? Meanwhile, my wild hypochondriac brain was going a mile a minute, and at last, I discovered Popsicles for my oh-so-dehydrated babe.

My wild imagination couldn't take it anymore, so off to the doctor we go with a handful of symptoms that aren't really symptoms, and here we are on Tuesday post-doctor visit with a clean bill of health (strep test was negative, no flu symptoms really, very little congestion, no ear infections, etc.).

Dr. K did say emphatically during his very thorough exam (he knows I'm a little bit anxious at our visits), "Wow! She sure is teething!" So, I guessed we were back to those darn teeth. C'mon molars, just come in already! But, then at the last minute he did mention "mono" in passing. What?! Mono?! Apparently, if things don't get better within the next week or things go dramatically downhill, we are to return to the doctor for a blood drawing.

Surely, it's those darn teeth!

Swingin

We took Madeline to the little neighborhood park over the weekend, and she really enjoyed the swing. Just a fun way to enjoy the beautiful weather...

Fifteen Months Old




At 15 months old, Madeline is delighting us everyday with her little budding personality and vocabulary. Madeline is starting to repeat a lot of what we say, and she will walk up to something (like a pair of shoes or her baby doll) and exclaim proudly, "Shoes!" or "Baabby!" She does this randomly and all day long. It is super cute to see her actually use words and use them correctly. Unfortunately, for us, "no" is also popping out of her mouth every now and again.

Speaking of vocabulary, sitting still or being strapped in is not part of her vocabulary. Therefore, the carseat, stroller, and shopping carts are Madeline's least favorite places, and she lets me know it. Unfortunately, she's learning that the carseat and shopping carts are not up for discussion. Sitting still for pictures is also not a easy task to accomplish, but we manage to make it work for our monthly posts. Madeline loves to be right there under my feet when we are at home...not because she's missing me, but because she's curious as to what I am doing. If I'm sweeping, she's sweeping too. If I'm picking up toys, she is too. She's very much a copycat and underfoot, and I don't mind one bit.

Madeline LOVES books, and I cannot even express how much books delight her. The first thing she does in the morning is go straight to her ever expanding book basket and fish out one of her books. We read books ALL.DAY.LONG, and the teacher in me just glows about it. I hope my sweet girl continues to love books and reading. She will actually sit in our laps and read several books in one sitting without losing interest. Many times I will find her "reading" books to herself when she is playing independently. This is the ONLY time that Madeline will sit in one place for more than a minute. I never leave home without a few favorite books in my purse. Speaking of things Madeline loves, she LOVES shoes both hers, mine, and her daddy's. She likes to walk around the house in any shoes that she can manage to get on her feet, and she's not particular about whether she has one or two shoes on her feet. (You'll notice her several shoe selections in this morning's photo shoot.)

Madeline continues to love going to the gym to see her "friends", love other children, and greet all strangers with a smile and a "Hi". We continue to get lots of comments regarding her happy disposition and willingness to talk to strangers. In Madeline's eyes, everyone is her friend. Luckily for us, Madeline has only shown her not-so-happy side here at the house, and these little tantrums always are a result of being tired combined with having to do something she's not interested in doing. We find ourselves biting our cheeks at the dramatics of it all, but nonetheless, Madeline does have her rare moments of tantrum-like behavior. Thank goodness it's not the norm. Someday she'll figure out that these little episodes get her nowhere, and she still has to do whatever it is that she's not interested in doing. As my husband always says to her, "We are going to do XYZ, so if you choose the hard way, you're just prolonging the process."
End of photo shoot as she dives off the chair!

Madeline received a clean bill of health at her 15 month well check...her height continues to be in the upper 90's percentile while her weight hangs around the mid-60's percentile. Her iron levels are finally up, and I'm sure it's because she's been less picky lately at her meals. She will eat what she is served on most days especially when she's hungry. She still has her picky moments, but she's getting the idea that Mama doesn't scurry around to make something special just for her. Overall, she's a pretty good eater, and as of late, she's been an excellent sleeper.
Our sweet Madeline makes our household such a happier place, and we love her to pieces.

Navigating the stairs is also a favorite pastime!