Mommies' Weekend Away


Over the weekend, my supper club girls and I had a little getaway weekend on Lake Greenwood. It was totally wonderful --- the food, the laughs, the sleep, the conversation, the back porch rockers looking out over the lake, the mini baby shower given to our hostess with the mostess, the sunshine, the boat ride, and the relaxation. I kept my camera in my purse most of the weekend and tried to just enjoy the moments, but I did capture some of our fun on film.



Much to Libby's surprise, we went together to get her another car seat, so she'll be prepared for two in five point harness seats. We are so lucky to have our friend, Amy (experienced and down to earth mother of 3), to keep all of us rookie moms in "the know"...she suggested we get something practical like this for Libby. Poor Amy (seated below with the blue dress), we always bombard her with our many questions at each supper club, but we're lucky to have her not only for her wisdom but her friendship.

Libby's parents so kindly allowed us to use their lake house and boat for our Mommy Getaway weekend. Libby (below left) was our fearless driver, and Ellen (below right) kept us all straight on our boating etiquette.

Jenny enjoying the sun, the ride, and a cool beverage.

Aubrey (below right) looks as though she stepped off the Steel Magnolias movie set with her sun hat, big sunglasses, and coordinating red suit and lipstick.

Our home for the weekend...so beautiful and relaxing.

Floating in the lake to stay cool...

I am a lucky girl to have these wonderful ladies in my life. They have provided much needed laughs, conversations, & shoulders to lean on. Although we may only see each other once a month and rarely outside of our designated Wednesday dinners, we always can count on each other to celebrate the happiness or help in a time of need. I definitely count my blessings to be a part of such an amazing group of women.

More Pink!

I went to my 5 month appointment, and we received the news that Madeline is going to have a little SISTER! We were so sure that this baby was a boy, but we couldn't be more thrilled about adding another precious little girl to our family.

The appointment went well. Not only did the ultrasound reveal the gender of this baby, but most importantly, the ultrasound showed that this baby is growing well & properly. Maybe I don't remember from the first time or maybe because I am "high risk" this time, but I feel like I had lots of 'inspections' during this ultrasound. The ultrasound girl looked at lots of things, and everything seemed to be on track with Baby Girl. I know that things are fine because I am doing what I need to be doing, but I always breathe a sigh of relief after the monthly check-ups assure me that things are indeed going well.

The doctor, of course, made some sort of snide remark about my "whopping one pound" (yes, he said those exact words to me!) that I gained from last month to this month until he realized that my last pregnancy was similar, and I delivered a healthy, seven pound baby. Other than that, my blood pressure, blood work, and measurements seemed fine.


Meanwhile, over the next few weeks, I may have to cut back on my fruit intake since I have to take the glucola test at the six month visit. Don't want my sugar screening to be too high and be required to do the three hour glucola test again. Otherwise, I am looking forward to moving this pregnancy right along and meeting Baby Girl Stewart in December.

Twenty Three Months Old


Here we are one month before our sweet girl turns TWO! First, I have to report that Madeline must've known that her Mama was at her wit's end with the behavior issues because I am happy to report that this month has been discipline free for the most part. Just the normal little issues that can be taken care of with a verbal statement or redirection. Thank goodness. This month has been quite the opposite ~ Madeline has been extremely well mannered using her please and thank you without being prompted, using "I'm sorry" if she steps on your foot or bumps something, saying "Excuse me" if she's walking through a tight space, and she's been extremely compliant when it's time to do something. Can you say REFRESHING?! Our next big thing to tackle is the interrupting with the "Mama! Watch me!" or just the "Mommy!!!" We do correct her if she's interrupting a conversation, but I don't think she quite gets it. In a matter of time, we'll be able to work on this fully. I don't know how long this little good behavior phase will last, but I'll take it. I'm not getting too comfortable with all this good behavior, but I'm certainly enjoying the lack of temper tantrums around here lately. Not to mention, this 100 degree weather is way too hot for logging in more front porch hours!

It seems like I say this every month, but Madeline's vocabulary, comprehension, and ability to string together words/short sentences astounds me. She busts out with the most hilarious words such as "posh", "exquisite", "oopsie daisies", and "scowl". I know she doesn't know what all these words mean, but she uses them frequently, sometimes correctly. I can mostly thank Fancy Nancy for this vocabulary boost. Books are still her favorite "toys", and she often goes off to her room or her sofa chair with a stack of books to read by herself. I think books are the perfect "alone time" for Madeline. She does this frequently when she needs a break from all the activity and/or people.

Madeline has really gotten into "playing" this month ~ she plays with her dolls talking to them, them talking back to her, and acting out these little scenarios. While she's coloring or riding in the car, I've noticed that she's started to sing or hum to herself. She talks to herself or her little animals non-stop, and from what I've observed, she seems to have some sort of imaginary scenario being carried out. She has started to play with her beach shovels, buckets, and bowls as if she is cooking. It's so cute, and I can't wait for her to get a kitchen to properly act out all of this cooking she does. Right now, her favorite thing to cook is eggs. I eat lots of pretend eggs out of a beach shovel. She's also gotten into cleaning. Before she would want to play with the broom, run the dust buster, or play with the vacuum, but this month, she needs her own dust rag and can of spray because she wants to do it too just like Mama. While I'm cleaning, she's happy to follow behind me with her rag and spray (lid on so she can't really spray it) and clean. She loves it, and it's pretty cute. She sings or just jibber jabbers away while she cleans ~ sometimes her efforts make my cleaned area a little streaky or not so straighted up, but I'm working on my OCD need to have everything perfect anyways. :)

Madeline is definitely a girly girl as I mentioned in her last post, but it seems to have really manifested itself this month. She never, I mean never, leaves home without a purse filled with all the necessary items that every two year old needs. She's always wanting to have a say in her outfit and shoes. She loves to shop, and when she puts her purse on her shoulder, she always says that she is going to shop. When I ask her where, she almost always replies, "Target!" Most recently, she wants to "fix Mama's hair". It always looks just fabulous. Madeline continues to love to "put on makeup", have lotion rubbed all over her, have spray in her hair, and wear bracelets. Getting out of the house can be a bit trying these days, but who can blame a girl for wanting to look her best?

Madeline continues to be a snacky type eater (3-4 small meals instead of 3 large ones), but I'll take it since she's figuring out that Mama is not a short order cook. She can tell me what she wants most of the time, and if I make that for her, that's what she has to eat. If she changes her mind, well, too bad. We've had some hard learned lessons in that area, but I think these moments are making impressions on Madeline especially since I am able to be consistent with it. Her little mind is starting to wrap around the "house rules". As her comprehension continues to improve, I'm working with her on limiting snacks and letting her know that "treats" are only allowed if lunch and/or dinner were acceptable meals. If she doesn't have room for her meal, then she doesn't have room for a sweet treat is my thought.
Madeline's sleep has gotten back to normal, so the mattress on the floor within the crib has done the trick. I can feel comfortable that she's safe, and she can re-learn her boundaries. She knows if she pitches a fit and throws the loveys out, she's going to do without. It didn't take long for her to realize that once Mama leaves, Mama doesn't return until sleep time is over. I've come into her room only a few times to find the lovey, blanket, and/or paci on the floor outside the crib, and Madeline is "explaining" to me that she threw it out and didn't have it to cuddle with. Upon hearing her explanations, I feel sure that she's figured it out. Those episodes are hopefully a thing of the past, but I'm going to give it another month just to be sure. Her big girl room is just about ready for her to move into permanently, but I want this to be a positive big girl thing, so I'm not rushing it. I want all (most) sleep issues to be resolved, so that we can make a smooth transition into the big girl room/bed.

Madeline has started to point to my little poochy belly and say, "Baby", but I'm pretty sure she doesn't fully understand this concept at all. When we ask her if she wants a brother or sister, she says, "Brother and sister." Yikes, that's a big order! Eric and I think she will be a fantastic big sister, but we have a feeling that there will be some definite growing pains the first few weeks. Sharing toys and items? Yes, Madeline is pretty good at that. Sharing any adult's attention? Nope, not so good at that one. Our little Madeline has quite an opinion on how things should operate in our house, so I'm sure she will have an opinion as to how her new sibling will fit into the family.

Madeline is such a sassy, spunky, fun-loving, and sweet natured little girl. We're so lucky to call her our daughter, and we're looking forward to celebrating the big birthday in a month.

As my friend Jen would say...

"There are no words." to describe this picture of Madeline! She created this ensemble all by herself --- sunglasses, mama's running socks and flip flops, & mismatched bow! She was quite pleased with herself, and all we had handy was a cell phone to take a picture. We certainly didn't want to miss the moment by running off looking for the real camera. She knew she was hilarious because she was really into posing for the camera screaming "Cheeeeese!!!" at the top of her lungs. It's little moments like this that make all the frustrations and bad days escape your mind because when you get right down to it, our Madeline is just a silly, spunky little gal, and we love her dearly!

Good Mama

Madeline and I were sharing a post dinner "treat" on the screened in porch this evening. It was just a Luigi Italian Ice, but Madeline refers to these types of things as a treat since she doesn't get them all the time. I was holding the cup and spoon alternating bites for each of us. One for her, one for me, one for her...you know the drill. Apparently, my words and actions are rubbing off on her because she blurted out with two funnies. After I gave her a bite of the "treat" (it was her turn to have a bite), she rubbed my shoulder so sweetly, and said, "Good Mama! You share." I cracked up.
Not long after she told me I was a good mama for sharing, she looked at me, and said, "You like it Mama?" I replied that yes, I was enjoying the treat. Then I told her she could have the last bite. She smiled, looked at me ever-so-seriously, and exclaimed, "We need more treat! She (meaning I) like it. Mama like it. More treat to share!"
How could I resist that offer to share more treat? So, we splurged & had another one!

Lake Greenwood

We had our annual summer McCarthy gathering at my brother and his wife's lake house. We had such a wonderful time relaxing, enjoying each other's company, swimming, playing outside, and of course, boating! Madeline has become quite the little water bug this summer. She loves jumping, splashing, floating, and playing in the water. And, boy, does this little girl LOVE a boat ride!! Madeline also enjoyed playing with her cousin, Drew, and her grandparents, aunts and uncles. We had a tired little girl on our hands come Sunday night.

Floating with Aunt Kim

My hubby and brother doing two of their favorite lake activities -- cooling off & enjoying a cold beverage.
No pressure to love the university that all 3 McCarthy children attended!

Bomb pops are pretty yummy!

Ladder golf is fun to explore.
Exploring the game of ladder golf a little more closely.

Floating around the cove

Cousin Ryan hot dogging on the jet ski

Enjoying the ride with Daddy & keeping an eye on Ryan.

Madeline loving the boat ride!

Cousin Drew taking his Captain duties quite seriously.

Aunt Angela & Aunt Kim stopping for a picture.

Sitting in the Captain's chair was a favorite past time of Madeline's when the boat was not moving. She loved the horn!

More floating & swimming around with Daddy

To the Dentist We Go

I failed to report our little mishap the Friday of Fourth of July weekend in my most recent post, so now that I have a couple of pictures and the full story, I'm all set. Please bear with me as I give lots of detail to the "set up" of this story.

Since our Fourth of July trip was a little impromptu, I had quite a few errands to run on Friday morning before I went to the gym. Of course, one of them was to my beloved Target. Madeline LOVES Target, I might add, and even more so, she loves riding in the big part of the cart at Target. She considers this a treat since I never seem to need all the space for our items, so she can spread out with a couple of books & maybe even a snack. As we are leaving Target, Madeline was standing up (Bad Mommy, I KNOW!), but she was holding onto the side of the cart, and I had a hold of her as well. Not to mention, we were moving at a snail's pace, so I figured, "What the heck! It will be fine. It's bright and early, we're parked practically in the entrance of the store." Unfortunately, I didn't see the metal strip along the sidewalk which caught the cart and caused Madeline to go forward and knock her mouth onto the side of the cart. Whoops. Bloody busted lip, some crying, some consoling, and some juice ~ all seemed to be well. I continued my marathon morning of errands and the gym. Madeline seemed just fine -- no whining, bleeding stopped, and drinking & snacking didn't seemed to be affected. All continued to be fine through lunch -- still no whining, no blood, lunch was eaten, and nap time had begun.

Meanwhile, I'm sharing the story with my husband who is in the dental industry, and of course, he's asking me many more technical questions that I'm not prepared to answer. No, I didn't see how she hit the cart, no I didn't wiggle the tooth to see if it was loose, and no I didn't see blood around the gumline of the tooth. But, I didn't look that hard because Madeline stopped crying, the bleeding stopped, and she didn't seem to be in pain. She went back to being happy Madeline. I took all of those things at face value. About 45 minutes into nap, Madeline's sore gum set in & the crying started. Oh dear, now, this previously not very worried Mommy has thoughts of a missing front tooth, gum tissue damage, infection, and many trips to the dentist. Eric goes in to get Madeline from her bed and takes a peek at the affected area. Madeline goes ballistic. Obviously, something hurts, and something is wrong. The tooth isn't loose, but it does have blood around the gumline which apparently is a bad sign ~ who knew. Okay, it's now 3:30 PM on a holiday weekend. Aside from the fact that my child is hurt and I'm worried about her, it's now late on a Friday before a holiday weekend, and who are we going to call?

Thank goodness, Eric knows people! He immediately goes to his phone, makes a call to one of the oral surgeons he works with (on the doctor's personal cell, I might add), discusses Madeline's "case" using many dental lingo words like "number 8" & "lingual", and the next thing I know we have an appointment with his wife, Dr. Lisa, who happens to be a pediatric dentist. We were given a few over the phone instructions (no sippy cups, no paci), Tylenol for pain, and a few things to watch for until the appointment. We were fine to go ahead with our Fourth plans.

Yesterday we had our appointment with the very sweet and wonderful Dr. Lisa. Madeline did really well considering the circumstances. She was not a fan of the X-ray nor was she a fan of Dr. Lisa poking around to get a good look at the gum area and tooth. However, peace of mind for me is worth a few minutes of crying and kicking. Madeline did indeed chip her tooth ~hardly noticeable, the gum area is healing nicely, and the X-ray showed no signs of infection, looseness, or permanent damage. WHEW! Dr. Lisa was able to CSI piece together what she thinks happened regarding the cart vs. Madeline's tooth based upon the gum's appearance. Finally, Dr. Lisa told me that she sees this kind of thing all the time, and many moms react the same as I did. No crying or obviously missing teeth = all good. So, she made me feel better too.

Before: "Wait Mom! Let me make sure my purse has all the necessities before we go inside!" And, yes, that purse did go inside with us, toy cell phone and all.

Madeline strutted out of the office with a pinwheel from the treasure box and a smile on her face. What could be a better way to follow up a dental appointment? A haircut, of course! So, off to get pampered by Ms. Jenn in the stylist chair. Of course, the lollipop at the end helps too ~ don't tell Dr. Lisa! :)

After: Pinwheels are super fun!
A great day all in all.

Fourth of July

Over the weekend, we were invited to join our friends at their Black River house near Georgetown for some family fun. We packed up and headed down on Saturday morning to enjoy our friends, the sunshine, some boating, and some relaxing. After a morning of boat riding, tubing, and playing in the river, we set the kids up with some finger painting.

Check out Madeline's booster seat:

Of course the finger painting didn't last too long, but more fun was to be had running around in diapers. Madeline and Emily enjoyed this Jeep ~ we unplugged it for their safety. However, Shay (Emily's mom) and I were lamenting the day that these two little girls really are off in a car doing teenager things.

Madeline was really into the flags that Ms. Shay brought for the kids.

Next up, Drew and Madeline playing in the car.

We had a wonderful time celebrating the fourth with our great friends, John, Shay, Drew, and Emily. (Unfortunately, everytime we went out on the boat, I forgot my camera! Aargh!) We are looking forward to spending a week at Fripp with this wonderful family!

One Step Closer

We are a little more homey in our new home thanks to these beauties now hanging in our den:


I was recently reconnected with a girl that I went to high school with through another friend, and it just so happens that she is handy with a sewing machine, decorator savvy, and has a little side/hobby business. Needless to say, we have become fast friends, and I'm keeping her little business quite full with all my projects. Currently, she's working on the finishing touches to Madeline's big girl room, and I couldn't be more excited to see the final product especially after seeing how wonderful my den looks now!

Of course, Madeline immediately noticed the new "towels" hanging on the wall. :)

16 Week Appointment

Today was my 4 month check-up, and all seems to be going well with the little peanut. My weight was back to where it started since I lost 5 pounds from the initial-yes-you-are-indeed-pregnant appointment to my 12 week appointment. Did I mention how horrible my nausea was? Anyways, the doctors were glad to see that I was back on track with my weight. Even though I haven't really gained significant weight yet, it still freaks me out to see that scale tip 5 lbs. in four and a half weeks. Yikes! My blood pressure was fine as was the baby's heartbeat (143, I think).

I go back at the end of July for my 5 month check-up and ultrasound. I'm so looking forward to seeing if we have a little boy or girl. I have my "gut" feeling regarding the gender of this baby, so I'll share if I was right or not in that pregnancy update.

Now that my nausea seems to have subsided for the most part, I'm feeling good. It's definitely a different kind of being pregnant the second time around since I have an almost two year old running around, and the hubby is traveling a good bit. I'm not sure the grocery store I use will be able to keep enough produce on hand for me ~ I buy lemons and limes by the the ginormous bagful to "spice up" my water. Nothing other than ice cold water with a lemon or lime squeeze tastes good to me although I have yet to give up my morning java. I'm so addicted to caffeine, but I have limited my cup size and the number of cups I drink. :) I crave juicy, cold fruits; fresh, crisp salads; and ice cold protein shakes. I know, I'm weird. I'm not sure if it's the pregnancy or the heat or both, but meat, sugary foods, and hot meals are just not yummy.

My working out has not been affected of course. Those of you that know me well know that it would take an awful lot to affect my gym time. I'm still running a few days per week, and most days I do this crazy stair master machine that I call "the stairs to nowhere". (It's like escalator stairs with different programs to vary the intensity.) I do cardio about an hour each day & lift weights for about an hour. It feels good to get the old bones moving even on those days that I just want to sit on the sofa with a big bowl of ice cold, juicy grapes and watch morning TV.

I'm starting to show although I'm not needing maternity clothes right now. However, I made my big tankini purchase last week after our beach trip. I felt like an official mom buying a practical suit from Lands End, but I feel much more comfortable at the pool. Not to mention, the suits are super cute and much more sturdy than my cheap suits from Target! And, they were 50% off! Now that I have a little bump, Eric will probably want to get out his measuring tape to record how big my belly gets. He thought that was so fun when I was pregnant with Madeline. I loved it, let me tell you. ;)

All in all, things are going well in this pregnancy, and I can't complain. I'm healthy, the peanut seems to be doing well, and I'm looking forward to meeting our newest babe in December.

Rearrangement

I mentioned in Madeline's most recent month day post that she's been fighting her naps and bedtime with fierce temper tantrums. I might also mention here that she's not fighting the crib, but she's fighting the actual sleeping part. What started out as a few temper tantrums over sleep here and there, escalating to a couple of games of "Operation Rescue Bunny Lovey", and finally has turned into a full on battle of wills. Well, we all know when something becomes a battleground with a toddler, something has to change.

So after a hellacious evening of going to bed earlier this week & many rules and routines broken, this Mama turned Handywoman first thing the next morning (like before I took Madeline down for her breakfast first thing in the morning). I somehow managed to find the proper tools among Eric's toolbox, and I took the bottom part out of Madeline's crib in order to put her mattress on the floor within the crib. Can we say NO MORE games of "Operation Rescue Bunny Lovey" even if the lovey gets thrown onto the floor? Can we say no more worrying about Madeline flailing herself out of the crib in anger and breaking a bone or worse?


Then, I had to pull out my big gun --- "What would John Rosemond do?" --- I love his thoughts and many of his strategies although many may disagree with his methods. He is definitely a tough love guy, but the love part is why I like him. His ideas center around the child and what is best for the child. Well, he would not engage in the unwanted behaviors (as I was doing out of fear Madeline would get hurt), re-establish the previous routine that was working so beautifully, & force the temper tantrums to stop by being consistent, patient, and strong. So, we've done just that ---bathtime, read our MANY stories, snuggle, and give our hugs & kisses. Into the bed Madeline goes, lights out, & bedtime is bedtime. Mama walks out. See you in the morning (or post nap), and if the lovey gets thrown out, you will do without and hopefully learn that Mama is no longer playing.

So far so good. Mama's sanity is coming back, and even though sometimes the tantrums make me feel guilty, I am doing this for Madeline's sake. This is best for her in the long run. Her attempts to flail out of the bed have failed, Mama feels secure that her sweet baby is safe even when she's raging mad, & only one episode of bunny outside the bed so far. I haven't claimed a victory yet, but I'm close.

***And, I might add a special thank you to my friends out there in blog-land for writing their own most recent posts on patience and those who've offered words of encouragement (and sympathy) to me.***

Nope, It's Not a Cast...

It's a bottle huggie.

Madeline donned this bottle huggie as a fashion statement today. Seriously. I didn't suggest it when she flipped out looking for her bracelets which she never could locate. I guess she figured out how to solve her jewelry dilemma on her own. This is what happens when you misplace your jewelry & Daddy's out of town, you resort to borrowing his huggie. Hilarious.

*****************

A Madeline verbal "moment" --- Madeline was drinking out of one of those little Deer Park water bottles, and it tipped over. Of course, the water was spilling out rather quickly into her lap. Immediately, Madeline shouts out in the most concerned voice, "MERCY ME!" Where she heard that is beyond me, but it was too funny.