The Picture Says it ALL!
Yep, that's right, Madeline is going to be a big sister later this year! I am about 12 weeks along, and things seem to be going well with the little peanut. I saw him/her on an ultrasound just bouncing around, wiggling, and heartbeat-a-thumping. It was a relief to see for myself that everything was so far, so good even though I've been more run down and nauseated with this pregnancy. But, no time for Mama pity parties when you have an almost two year old, a traveling hubby, screened porch & patio construction, and day-to-day life to handle.

My due date is December 10, 2010, one day after my 35th birthday. As a result of that, my doctor has labeled me "borderline high risk" which just cracks me up. Really, he says I'm not "high risk" as far as my health, weight, habits, etc., but it's just the number "they" use to determine high risk category. I guess it boils down to my eggs being a little older which puts me at more of a risk for chromosomal issues. All that doctor speak and those extra tests just make me nervous. I like to leave things up to the Big Man Upstairs...He knows what we can handle. I've decided that if Madeline and this little peanut can handle my during pregnancy work-outs, then I think all is well. Yep, I'm THAT pregnant girl in the gym about to pop still doing squats, lunges, crunches, running, & stair stepping all in the name of "bouncing back" once the baby is born.

Eric and I are beyond excited to expand our little family, and we look forward to these upcoming months of pregnancy, changes, transitions, and enjoying our last months as a family of three. From the looks of these pictures, Madeline looks pretty excited too.

Twenty One Months Old

Miss Fancy Pants is 21 ONE MONTHS! Another exciting month has whizzed by, and it has been a fun-filled month!

At 21 months, Madeline loves:

• people, especially other children, and even more especially, little girls older than her!
• talking, non-stop. Seriously, she's never quiet. I really wonder how she doesn't run out of things to say.
• to shop.
• chocolate, peanut butter sandwiches, toast with cream cheese, Golden Grahams, milk, yogurt, peas, hot dogs, bacon, Goldfish, chips, ice cream, Popsicles, & lollipops.
• anything having to do with Daddy.
• books, books, books!
• coloring.
• "talking" on the phone.
• wearing my shoes.
• Blues Clues.
• other people's dogs.
• being outside.
• shopping, running errands, & going to the gym kids' care.
• getting her hair cut and having her hair blown dry.
• the potty.
• using a spoon, fork, and napkin all by herself at mealtime.
• being tickled.
• her bunny lovey.
• sitting at the table "like a big girl" (translation: not in her booster seat).
• drinking out of a regular cup.
• to say "No."
• reading her books all by herself (as many of these pictures depict her expressions during this activity)

At 21 months, Madeline loathes:

• taking a nap, going to bed, diaper changes, & taking a bath especially when it's not her decision. (Life's tough sometimes, sweet baby.)
• being scolded.
• coming inside.
• having her food cut up for her.
• being fed by an adult. (Mealtime requires much patience and resisting the urge to help her.)
• people getting in her personal space. She gets quite irritated when she's been messed with, fussed over, and overstimulated.

Madeline is just blossoming into this little, independent person right before our very eyes. She's a sweet doll baby, 90% of the time. I see those "defiant, testing house rules eyes" every so often, but it's just that, she's testing to see if we're going to follow through. Fortunately, for her, we do follow through even though her bottom lip drags the floor and those giant tears flow or worse yet a tantrum ensues. Luckily for us, these moments are just that, moments in a day that pass as quickly as they happen. We are so lucky that Madeline's disposition is sweet natured, fun-loving, and spunky. We have a busy month ahead of us, and I know Madeline will just take it all in just as she has every other month in her little life.

Whew, Where has the time gone?

I know I say this all the time, but now I understand what my parents always meant about time flying faster and faster as we get older. So, seriously, where has the time gone? I've not updated the blog in a month!! Bad Mommy. We've been busy around here, but we haven't done anything "blog-worthy", I guess? I have to admit that I've been T.E.R.R.I.B.L.E. about having my camera handy to capture some Stewart fun!

However, I'll make an attempt to re-cap the last month, and certainly Madeline has been a trooper. In fact, she probably knows every furniture store's layout by now, and she could probably navigate the fabric stores pretty well too. When we are not working on the house, we're just taking advantage of Eric being home and doing "normal" family stuff since June and July are going to be filled with many weeks of Mama and Madeline alone time. So what have we been doing?

We've been working on making our house more homey and filling some spaces with some much needed new furniture and accessories --- ceiling fans, light fixtures, a couple of new chairs and tables in the den, a new kitchen table & chairs, and new dining room chairs to match the dining room furniture being passed onto me from my mom's side of the family. I finally have a game plan for some panels to capture the warmth I'm looking for in the den. Speaking of our new house, we've become acquainted with a couple of our neighbors, so we are looking forward to fostering those new friendships.

Kitchen

Den chairs

Dining room chairs

Our screened in porch construction is complete! Woo hoo! The loud noise was really disturbing to Madeline's nap which made for some LONG afternoons! Next up is to find some furniture to make it complete. Right now, we are making do with our outdoor patio furniture until we find just the right dining set & conversation set. However, the evenings are just perfect on our new porch!

Mother's Day was pretty fantastic although we did nothing terribly special. It was just nice to spend the day with my husband and Madeline. We went to church, had lunch out with another family, napped, went on a walk, and enjoyed our family time. It was simple, sweet, and perfect. I'm a lucky Mama and wife! Oh, and PS, Madeline has fantastic taste in accessories...this Mama was quite surprised to find this sitting on the kitchen table on Mother's Day morning.

Finally, Eric and I had a little business mixed with pleasure getaway to Hilton Head while sweet Madeline spent the weekend with Ms. Shannon and her daughter, Kara. Madeline loved having a "big sister" for the weekend, and of course, Ms. Shannon is a constant in Madeline's life since she works at the gym nursery. Madeline received a wonderful report even though there was some "sisterly" rivalry between Kara and Madeline. As much as these two girls love each other, I suspect they managed to push each other's buttons over the weekend. It was wonderful to get away from Mama duties for a weekend, and Eric was able to enjoy himself quite a bit even though he was "on business".

A month-in-a-post-catch-up on us...as I mentioned, not terribly "blog-worthy", but nevertheless, it's just us doing our day-to-day thing.