Preschool Carnival

Madeline's preschool has an end of the year carnival for all the students & their siblings each year, and we had such a good time. Madeline and her little buddy, Aubrey, posed with their teachers for me.
Madeline and Aubrey were inseparable for most of the carnival.

Lots of little games were enjoyed by all.

A pink ladybug stamp! Woo hoo!
Chasing bubbles was an impromptu game thanks to some of the parents.

Simple, fun toys...

All in all, we had a wonderful last hoo-rah visiting with friends before we part ways for summer vacation!

Love

A Week Later

One week of rice cereal for three meals a day & a week on the prescription medicine =

Less reflux = Less pain = Happy-go-lucky Amelia = Overjoyed Mama

Ta-Da!

Guess who has successfully completed her first year of preschool! Madeline was so proud this morning, but she was also very sad that she would not see Ms. Lisa nor Ms. Kellie anymore. I can't even begin to say enough fabulous things about Madeline's first year of preschool, her wonderful teachers, and the oh-so-dedicated director. Luckily for me, Amelia will have the privilege to have Ms. Lisa and Ms. Kellie in a couple of years. I am going to miss preschool for various reasons, but I really loved how much Madeline enjoyed going to see her teachers and friends.
Madeline wanted to pose with Stella (Madeline's bitty baby). Stella rode with us every morning, and "Mommy has to take care of Stella while I'm in school." We had quite a routine on school mornings ~ Madeline wore all of her beads/bracelets/jewels and brought Stella in the car. Upon turning into the carpool line, Madeline would promptly remove her various jewels and hand over Stella. Very rarely did Madeline break her routine, and I was glad that she understood none of those things were needed at school. We listened to music on the way to school...

And, on the way home from school, Madeline could watch a show on her DVD while eating her snack & drink. Let lightening strike if that routine was broken! Occasionally, I would pick up something yummy for lunch with spicy drink (Sprite), and Madeline would eat that on the way home while watching her shows. Only once Madeline wasn't allowed to watch her DVD, and that was because she went to timeout during school.

I love summer and the flexibility that summer brings, and I am looking forward to what's in store for us this summer!

Mommy & Madeline Movie Night

Eric has been traveling a lot lately, so I have been holding down the fort which means I am constantly juggling Amelia's needs & Madeline's needs. For the most part, I do a pretty good job of it, but with Amelia's recent reflux issues, I have had to give Amelia a lot of extra TLC. Unfortunately, that leaves Madeline to play on her own more frequently, fend for herself a tiny bit, and not to mention, this Mama's nerves are more frazzled than normal. It makes me feel terrible that I am snappier with Madeline or not giving her the attention I feel like she needs. I like to be able to split my time as equally as possible.

So having said all that, I decided last Monday to have a special evening with my sweet girl. Madeline took her bath right after dinner, got into her jammas, and came back downstairs for popcorn and movie with Mommy! I had a Blues Clues hour long episode on the DVR, and since Madeline has never watched a full movie before, this seemed like a movie to her. Not to mention, I didn't want her up until 10 PM on a random Monday night. Madeline thought she was something else, and I was glad to be able to spend some one-on-one time with her. She really loved her popcorn snack in the red bowl she picked out from the Tupperware cabinet!

Eating the popcorn while waiting for more to pop in the microwave ~ she ate her weight in popcorn that night!

Eyes glued to the screen and intense popcorn eating!
A self portrait post popcorn & movie before we went upstairs to read bedtime stories (please excuse how awful I look)! It was a really fun night, and I look forward to carving out little snippets of special time with each of my girls.

Even Sidewalk Chalk People Need Jewels!

Madeline asked me to draw her a "gurwl" while playing with patio chalk, so I obliged. But, Madeline wasn't satisfied with her until she was wearing a necklace and a bracelet. Naturally, I thought she would just draw the jewels on our stick lady, but as you can see, she thought the chalk pieces made the best jewels!

Amelia --- 5 Months

OH, sweet Amelia is five months old already! Amelia is growing like a weed, and in fact I introduced cereal to her earlier than planned. She has been so hungry that she will guzzle 8+ ounces at multiple feedings throughout the day, and when that happens, her tummy gets all sorts of gassy, reflux-y, and upset from too much milk (& air from all that guzzling). We've had a few rough weeks due to upset tummy issues, and I suspect that some of her belly issues are a result of all that milk rumbling around. I am just giving her a little cereal at dinnertime to help fill her hungry belly. It's not ideal since she's yet to master the spoon feeding, but I hope to help ease her reflux. We're frequenting the doctor due to all of these tummy issues because I just can't take the crying and screaming ~ there is obviously something wrong. I'm sure Amelia's episodes are nothing compared to colic, but oh my, it's awful, and I'd be lying if there weren't days that I ended up in tears too. It's so pitiful because there's not a whole lot I can do when she's having 'an episode'. I can tell she's in pain, and I try every position in the book to calm her. We've done the Mylicon drops, Gripe Water, & Colic Calm remedies, so now we've moved onto a prescription reflux medication. Poor thing...I pray that this does the trick.

We're working out Amelia's daytime sleep. Her afternoon naps have improved over the last month, and she's going down much better to get some much needed rest in the afternoon. I've settled into a nice routine with her that doesn't interrupt Madeline's nap routine, so I am sure that helps also. Her mornings are still "cat-nappy" since we are at the gym, running errands, and on the go with Madeline, so I am glad that she's able to get a nice, quiet rest in the afternoon. She's much happier in the late afternoons as a result. However, she is like clockwork come five o'clock -- she's ready for "dinner" /cereal & bottle, a bath, and bed by 6:30 PM. She sleeps all night now with very few cry outs. Somedays I have to wake her, but normally she wakes up around 6 AM. If she wakes before 6 AM, she can normally settle herself back down to give us all a little extra sleep.

Amelia has been rolling over to her belly, and she doesn't seem to mind being in that position especially if she has something to entertain her. She's also been spending some time in her exersaucer, and she's loving it! She's "discovered" her feet, and I love how she grabs at them just as if they are newfound toys. So cute! The bouncer seat has been a lifesaver since we spend a great deal of time outside at the swingset. Amelia seems to enjoy her outdoor bouncer seat time just as much as Madeline enjoys her swingset time. Amelia's little smiles, laughs, and noises are just too sweet, and we are so blessed to have this happy little girl in our family!

I Finally Did It

I registered for the 2012 Disney Marathon, and I AM EXCITED! I've been talking about the Disney marathon since I ran my last marathon in Atlanta with my awesome runner-sister-in-law, Angela. Then neck surgery & babies came, so my running goals were put on the back burner. BUT, I am officially registered now, and there's no turning back. Eric and I will make a fun weekend of it, and although my "official" training won't start until the fall, I am excited to get my running legs back!

Photo borrowed from:

http://espnwwos.disney.go.com/events/rundisney/wdw-marathon/index?page=walt-disney-world-marathon

Now that's Progress!

Madeline's teacher is really good about sending artwork home regularly, and I, of course, being the corny mom that I am, I frequently "update" the fridge with the latest preschool masterpieces. However, this snowman from December just has to stay on display because it cracks me up everytime I look at it. It's one of my absolute favorites.

Clearly, Madeline created this snowman all by herself with the placement of the body, hat, eyes, etc. I love it even more because many of the features are placed in very interesting spots! :)

So, when Ms. Lisa sent home the April masterpieces, I took notice of exactly how far along Madeline has come in just a few short months. Check out her chick:

Most of the features are in the general area of where they "should" be. Sigh, my girl is growing up!

Muffins for Mom

I had the pleasure of going to my first Muffins for Mom on Friday, and I loved it. I'm so thankful that I can stay home so that I am able to attend these types of events with Madeline without juggling other responsibilities.

We had a lovely feast of muffins, fruit, juice, and water. Madeline was proud to show me her favorite centers, and she was sure to point out the little potholder in the kitchen center that she wears as a bracelet almost everyday. (Snicker, snicker...)

Madeline was proud to show "her baby" to her friends. A few of them were getting a little too close for her liking, so she exclaimed with her arms spread out as if she were preaching from the pulpit, "Friends! Not so close! Touch her feet not her face!" (More snickers...)

Madeline worked very hard to create a little flower for me to wear, and her class created stationary with their fingerprints. So cute. Madeline was sure to point out that she chose pink as my folder and fingerprint ink especially for me.

We will save our stationary for later when Madeline writes thank you notes, and of course, one set will go in the memory book.

Such a sweet little event with my sweet girl!

Cereal

Guess who enjoyed her first taste of rice cereal at lunch today? Amelia seemed to enjoy it, and Madeline was fascinated that she wasn't keeping it all in her mouth.
I left her in the carseat for today's first dabble into the world of solids, but hopefully she'll get the hang of it soon. Then she can sit up in the bumbo like a big girl!

Backyard Makeover Part II

Our backyard project continues! The playset has been set up, and needless to say, Madeline LOVES it! It's perfect for her now, and there are certainly features on it that she will enjoy as she gets older. The wooded area is coming along nicely. We still have lots of work to do, but in the end, it will be exactly what we've envisioned!
Two men put this up for us in a matter of a few hours! We are so glad we had someone assemble it for us!

Madeline's favorite part --- the swings!

Daddy is creating a sandbox for the area too. Madeline probably enjoys playing in the sand just as much as she does swinging!

Guess What?!

This banana-phone-talking-bead-loving-toenail-polish-addicted-&-silly-band-wearing-little-girl, who is NOT so little anymore, has given up her PACI!!! WHOOP! WHOOP!

Eric and I banned the paci to the bed since she was 12 months old, but we've been putting the paci-going-away-thing off since then. We always had an excuse --- the rental house, the move, the arrival of Amelia, the big girl bed, and the list goes on and on. Of course, the longer we waited, the more attached she became, and the more we fretted about the paci going away. We talked about numerous "tactics" as to how to banish the paci for good, but they all seemed "hokey" for our parenting style. So, in true Stewart fashion, the paci just went away one night at story time. Madeline kept asking about it, and we kept telling her what a BIG GIRL she was, and that was that. No crying, no big deal, no discussion, nobody "taking" it, no one exchanging it for a prized gift, no nothing, and best of all, no paci. We've gone almost one week sans paci at nap time and bedtime, and as the days go on, the less questions we are getting about the beloved paci. Eric did have to experience the most pitiful statement ever one night when he was putting Madeline to bed, "Daddy, I miss my paci." in probably the saddest voice EVER like she lost her best friend. Daddy didn't dwell & just told her that it would be okay. The End.

Our big girl really is becoming a big girl, and we are so proud of her!

(We mean no offense to anyone who chooses the ideas out there for getting rid of the paci, but it's not us.)

Easter 2011

We had a wonderful Easter! We've had a lot going on lately, so it was a very low key family of four celebration. Sometimes it is just nice to relax and enjoy each other.

We hunted our eggs --- Madeline caught on very quickly and loved it!

Madeline enjoyed her Fancy Nancy Elegant Easter book that the Easter bunny brought her.

Amelia was impressed with her diapers, wipes, bum cream, and new clothes that the Easter bunny brought for her!

Madeline's basket was filled with goodies --- sidewalk chalk, bubbles, two new books, a new dress, and Raisinets.

Amelia's goodies --- Madeline thought it was hilarious that the Easter bunny brought Amelia bum cream!

Of course it wouldn't be Easter if we didn't dye eggs. We only dyed one dozen, but I am pretty sure that Madeline would've dyed 10 dozen eggs. She LOVED it!

Amelia watched us dye eggs from her swing.

Daddy was impressing Madeline with his mad egg dying skills as well.

Such concentration...

What a beautiful day!