Maddie is 2 today!

2010

2011

2012

Happy birthday, big girl!

25 Week Update

Size of baby:  Baby Boy weighs a pound and a half and is 13.5 inches long, about the length of a recorder.  Remember those?  Too bad they didn't have cool ones like these when I was in school.

Total weight gain/loss:  +17 pounds.  I'm not thrilled with it, but my doctor said he's happy.

Maternity clothes:  Definitely when it comes to pants.  Regular shirts work as long as they are long enough.  Anyone else not really a fan of maternity shirts?

Gender:  Boy!

Movement:  Yes!  I feel him rolling around a lot, which is something Maddie didn't do.

Sleep:  Not bad.

What I miss:  Two things, being able to lay on my stomach and being able to hold Maddie comfortably.

Cravings:  I've been eating a lot of ice cream lately, but maybe that's because it's summer.

How I'm feeling:  Slightly uncomfortable.  Dr. F said each pregnancy tends to be a little more uncomfortable than the one before, which is why most people only have 2 or 3 kids.  I mentioned the Duggars and his explanation for her many pregnancies is that she must be crazy.  I'm beginning to think he might be right.

Highlight of the week:  Looking obviously pregnant and not just pudgy.  The first time a stranger asked me when I was due, I was so caught off guard that I didn't answer right away.

25 weeks

Do you know what the official name is for those tar lines you see on the road?

Maddie does.

According to her they are monkey arms.  She gave them that title at the zoo last week and has since seen them in our neighborhood and called them the same thing.  She cracks me up.  :)

Tonight is Maddie's first night in her "big girl" bed.  She was so super excited when she walked into her room and saw it.  She immediately gathered her doll, glowworm and blanket and lay down.  Hopefully she'll stay there until morning!

P.S.  Ignore the upside down flowers.  When we get the bed moved where we want it, the rail will be on the other side and the flowers will be right side up.  Thanks to Emily for altering our crib bumper into a toddler bed bumper!

Our FIVE year anniversary was pretty laid back, but here are some pretty pink roses (that have opened so beautifully since then) and a delicious Oreo Layer Dessert that helped us celebrate the big day.

In the last five years we have explored Costa Rica, started our first "real" jobs, moved three times, adopted a dog, had fun in NYC, been skydiving, swam with a sea lion, bought a house, visited Washington, DC, faced Eric's major surgery, welcomed Maddie into our family, and we have begun planning for Baby Boy's arrival.  Whew!  Can't wait to see what the next five years hold!

Well Operation Get Rid of Passer was a failure.  When I first snipped the tip of the pacifier it was rendered unsuckable.  Maddie had a difficult time going to bed that night.  The next morning when she woke us up at the lovely time of 5:30, she showed me her pacifier and told me, "Daddy cut it." I'm glad he took the blame for that.  :)  Since she could still chew on the pacifier, she was not willing to let it go.

A couple of days later I cut off even more, meaning if Maddie wanted the pacifier in her mouth she had to hold it there with her hand.  This did not make her very happy.  She still had a hard time going to bed and woke up SUPER early in a terrible mood.

Yesterday morning Maddie decided to give her pacifier to Baby Brother.  Awww. . . . Later that morning we went to the library and one of the books we checked out was Pacifiers are not Forever.  She had Eric read it to her three times before bed last night!  Maybe we were making progress?  When Eric put Maddie in bed he reminded her that she had given her pacifier away.  She fussed some, like we expected, but around 2 in the morning she had a total meltdown.

Earlier in the evening Eric and I had discussed the fact that her waking up ridiculously early (and in a bad mood) was taking a toll on  us.  Maddie is also anxious to move into her toddler bed since she saw us putting it together in the garage the other day.  We thought that if we put her in her toddler bed without a pacifier she would be out of it constantly and fussing at our bedside.  In addition to all of this, Eric is going to be leaving for a two week training soon and he didn't like the idea of me handling all of this craziness by myself.  So at about 2:30 this morning we caved and gave her an uncut pacifier.  She didn't get out of her crib until 7 this morning and she was absolutely, positively cheerful when I picked her up.

Does giving her pacifier back to her mean that it's going to be harder on all of us the next time we try to take it away?  I'm afraid so.  Eric is optimistic and thinks that when she's ready to give it up it won't be so hard.  I guess we'll have to wait and see.

23 Week Update

Size of baby: Baby Boy is 11.5 inches long and weighs over a pound, about the length and weight of a Harry Potter book.

Total weight gain/loss: +16 pounds, yikes!  I've started walking 2 miles with Lucy in the mornings.  Hopefully I can keep that up and it will help keep off some of the weight.

Maternity clothes:  For pants and shorts, yes.  Just like with my pregnancy with Maddie, I am able to get away with my regular tops, although I may be stretching them out a bit.

Gender:  Boy!

Movement:  A lot!  I don't remember Maddie moving around quite this much.

Sleep:  Pretty good.  I just need to go to bed earlier.

What I miss:  Not much.  I didn't do many of the pregnancy "no-no's" prior to being pregnant, so there's not a lot to miss.

Cravings:   Nothing other than the usual sweets.

How I'm feeling:  Not too bad, just a little tired.

Highlight of the week:  Settling on a first name for the little man.  :)

23 weeks, 2 days

So I'm just a little behind.  Here's what's been going on the last TWO weeks:

• We participated in VBS at our church.  Eric helped with recreation, I did registration, and Maddie went to the nursery.  Eric and I took her to the opening program each night thinking the music and videos would be exciting, but Maddie preferred to play with the offering envelopes and Bibles.  With the exception of one rough night, each time I picked her up from the nursery she was talking away and having the best time.  Next year she'll actually be old enough to be in a VBS class!

• Eric and I have been working to get everything ready for Maddie's Minnie Mouse birthday party.

• We went to the Fourth of July parade where we saw lots of horses and important people (or people who think they're important) riding in cars.

• Eric and I went on a mini vacation this past weekend.  This also happened to be the first time we have both been away from Maddie overnight at the same time.  On Friday evening we went to a murder mystery dinner.  It turned out to be a lot of fun.  Yes, the acting was cheesy, but the mystery required thinking to solve.  Saturday morning we attempted to sleep in; we made it until 7 AM.  That afternoon we toured Cowboys Stadium.  We attended a Rangers game with Chuck and Sarah that evening and thanks to the cool weather, it was probably one of the best baseball games I've ever attended.  Sunday morning we attempted to sleep in again, and this time we both managed to sleep a little longer.  I think we were both anxious to get home and see Maddie, so after brunch we headed back.

• Tonight is Maddie's first night without her pacifier, or "passer" as she calls it.  She only uses it for naps and bedtime, but with her second birthday coming up we decided it was time to get rid of it.  I read about several ways to encourage a child to give it up and in the end I chose to cut off the tip.  It did not go well.  She cried and cried and cried.  Those people online who said their child just said that the pacifier was broken and gave it up without a problem must be lying.  Over an hour after putting her to bed, she is finally asleep.  I can only hope that tomorrow's nap won't be so hard.