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.

Twenty Months Old

Madeline doing her "usual" --- reading a book on something just her size to use as a chair.

Our little tot is so close to TWO years old?! Wow, how can this be?! The last month has been quite an adventure with Madeline. The highlight of the past month for me was my spontaneous, out of the blue, during breakfast, "I wuv you, Mama!" Yea, it doesn't get much better than that. Eric may get all the hugs/attention/crazy big smiles & laughs, but I got the verbal love, unprovoked nonetheless. A precious moment that I'm sure I'll never forget! My favorite recent Madeline action is the fact that she loves, almost to the point of OCD loves, to use a napkin during her meals. After every bite, she requests her napkin to wipe her hands and her mouth. It's not always effective, but it's super cute to see her practice such lovely table manners, again all on her own. Maybe our family meals & modeling good table manners is actually working?!

Below, Madeline is doing her own rendition of a fish face!

Her vocabulary continues to explode, and she belts out the funniest things when you least expect it. The other day, she yelled out, "OH goodness gracious!" from the backseat of the car. For what reason, I have no idea, but it just makes me laugh. And, who knew that she knew what a breeze was? The wind blew through her hair, and she exclaimed, "I feel breeze!" Her vocabulary and ability to string together several words just continues to grow and expand exponentially. It's so wonderful to be able to communicate with her not to mention hilarious. Unfortunately, Madeline's sweet vocabulary has been tainted by both her Mama and her Daddy (Oh Sh-t!). Whoops, but it was bound to happen since her Mama and Daddy forget and use potty mouth within earshot without even thinking about it. At least she uses them correctly in context, and this lovely saying only pops out every once in a blue moon. :0) We hope if we ignore it long enough, she'll forget. (Really, we don't condone her repeating our potty mouth, so we are most definitely practicing what we preach in terms of our language now that we've already tainted her vocabulary!) "NO!" is Madeline's favorite word, and she even says it when she means "yes!" It really drives me nuts, but we are working on using the affirmative when appropriate. I've at least gotten her to nod her head yes when she means yes. It's a start.

Madeline is just a busy little bee --- playing, talking, roaming around, reading her books, being Mama's "helper", and coloring. Over this last month she has really started to imaginary play with her Little People, stuffed animals, baby dolls, etc. --- making the characters interact with each other & interact with her, and while I don't understand everything she says, there is obviously some sort of scenario taking place. Occasionally, she'll say some words I recognize, and I find it really interesting who or what makes it into her imaginary play. Ms. Shannon, a wonderful lady from the gym kids' care, makes it into Madeline's play a lot. Books are still her favorite "toy", but her Little People set is definitely another favorite. I don't think much will ever trump her books, and I hope that books continue to be a top love for her. Madeline loves to be outside --- going on walks, swinging, sliding, & just exploring. Recently after a nap, she requested, "I shop." Anytime, I mention the word "shop", she gets very excited and heads for the door. The girl LOVES to shop, and as long as she's shopping, she doesn't care where we are. Clomping around the house in my shoes is also a highlight of Madeline's day...she's becoming quite proficient in getting the shoes on her feet & walking around without falling. There have even been brief dancing episodes in my shoes that have not ended as badly as I would've thought.

Madeline has "her days" and "her moments" like any other toddler, but we are all learning to handle those times appropriately. Luckily for us, the consistency in consequences has made an impression on Madeline, so we are able to move past the incidents rather smoothly for the most part. Overall, Madeline just continues to be the happiest little girl which makes us happy. Eric and I find ourselves just enjoying these precious moments with her as we are quickly learning that time presses on much too quickly.

Please Indulge Me to Brag...Just for a Second?!

Life has been busy but pretty uneventful around here for the most part. Madeline has been battling some sort of nasty sinus/cough/fever thing for the last week and a half, but I think we've just about gotten through it...almost.

As for this post, there's no special reason I took all these pictures except that I happen to think my Madeline is a pretty cute subject for photographs. May I brag on her cuteness just for a few minutes? :) She was having a good time in Mama's "office" surrounded by books, stuffed doggies, and Mama's shoes to clomp around the room.

Perfect day --- books, stuffed dog, Mama's heels, and a computer mouse

Whoa!! Slightly off balance getting off the box which Madeline thinks is her personal chair

Resting for maybe a quick second with her beloved stuffed lab and the computer mouse

Seriously, I love her hair --- people pay big money for products to produce that kind of volume that comes naturally in her hair

Even the tousled Madeline is super cute, if I say so myself.

Happy Easter

Clearly, the Easter Bunny was good to Madeline this year...a new Dr. Seuss book, a ball, sidewalk chalk, and a new reading chair!! All of which Madeline has loved using already. My parents filled my super old Easter basket with little bags of chips, a lollipop, and a few chocolates -- three of Madeline's favorites that she doesn't get very often.
Madeline was sure to test out the security of the arms.

She absolutely loves her "sofa chair".

She was quick to point out "my name".

"Weeeeeee!" (direct quote from Madeline)

Unfortunately, we failed to take our camera with us to church and capture that perfect Easter family photo all snazzed up, but there's always next year, right?!

SPRING!!!

We have really been enjoying our outdoor time, Daddy being home, and the beautiful weather. Madeline just loves to play outside, so we are happy to oblige her request to be "outside."

Having a post nap snack with Daddy

Rolling around being silly

Playing with Daddy's socks