“Santa is a nice man”

Well, we went to meet Santa and this was the result.  Maddie was a nervous wreck.  Poor thing.  She never cried, but got mighty close.  After we paid $10 for the picture, Maddie said “Santa is a nice man”.  Well if he was that nice, then maybe you could have smiled?  I love the picture, though.  Captured both kids perfectly!

Photo Card

Stitched Memories Christmas

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Our little boy has arrived!

Our little guy made his grand entrance into the world on October 20th at 9:29 a.m.  To make a crazy birth story short, I was scheduled for an induction at 6 a.m. that morning, but started having contractions at home at 4:30.  They were about 12 minutes apart while headed to the hospital, but once I was in the bed getting hooked up to the monitors they quickly became about 5 minutes apart and they didn’t feel good!  I was officially in labor all on my own!  By 8:30 they were starting the epidural process.  At 9 a.m. the epidural was being placed, but at the same time my contractions got super intense and were about 2 minutes apart.  By 9:10 I was screaming at anyone that would listen “somebody please help me!!”  The doctors kept telling me to give the epidural a little more time to work.  All the while, I was never checked to see how far dilated I was until I was screaming so loud that my nurse finally checked me.  At 9:15 I was 9 cm and she was calling the doctor.  The doctor came in and said “ok you are going to have this baby in 2 pushes” and by 9:29 I delivered a healthy 7 lb 10 oz baby boy without a working epidural! 
It was a whirlwind to say the least.  The epidural finally kicked in and I could not feel my legs for the next two hours.  So glad that $2,600 Anesthesiology bill was worth it (NOT!)
So Mr. William Steven is absolutely perfect.  He was born with a perfect little round head and not a blemish on him.  He was so incredibly tiny compared to Maddie.  The same little clothes that fit her in the hospital swallowed him whole.  I kept wanting to call him “Maddie” or “her” at first because he reminds me so much of Maddie!!   
It has been three weeks now since William arrived and I can honestly say that he is a really good baby.  He doesn’t really fuss and seems pretty laid back.  He is going to have to be with his silly big sister around.  Maddie loves him so much and wants to help out, although she hates to hear him cry.  She has knocked him in the head with a sippy cup and tried to pull him out of his crib, but I guess it will make him a stronger kid.
At two weeks he weighed 8 lbs 6 oz.  Our little chunky monkey gained a pound in one week!  William is already changing so much and getting so big.  He eats 3-4 ounces about every three hours and sleeps three and four hour stretches at night.  It is exhausting mostly because I have to care for a toddler during the day as well.  It is still hard to believe that we are the parents of two children. 
We have tons of pictures so far, but here is just a recap of the past three weeks…

Our family of FOUR!

Going home…

{one week old-first bath at home}

Halloween-11 days old!

William is already trying to yell at Maddie!!

Three weeks old-already a big boy in the bath!

Happy Fall Y’all!

It is officially fall around here.  The pumpkins are on the front porch, freshly picked apples in the fridge, and pants and long sleeves are slowly making their appearance.
We went to Sky Top Orchard a few weeks ago.  We have started a new tradition of apple pickin’ and I love it!  Maddie was so excited and had a great time.  It is hard to believe that it had already been a year since we last made the trip.  Last year I was changing her diaper in the backseat of the car and this year, I was hauling my very big two year old to the porta-potty because she refused to pee in her pull-up (although I tried to get her to).  It was an experience of a lifetime…that was only to be repeated just a few short weeks later at the pumpkin patch! 
We came home with a good variety of apples and lots of great family memories!


Last weekend we hit our other yearly tradition and headed to Stewart Farms for pumpkin picking!  Maddie wore pretty much the exact thing she wore last year.  The shirt and boots still fit surprisingly!!  So all our pictures look very much the same, but she just looks a lot more grown-up! 
We brought home a few pumpkins and they are set ready to be carved (although I HATE pumpkin carving…my husband absolutely lives for it!)  Maddie had a great time running through the patch with her cousin, looking at the animals, and riding the tractor wagon this year!  Oh, and I forgot to mention, that once again I had to take her into the porta-potty to use the bathroom.  We did our best to get her to pee beside the car into the grass like a dog, but she refused.  She thinks it is fun to use the “outside potty!”

Looks like she has grown about six inches since last year! 

Whose is bigger?  37 week belly or the pumpkin???

Now it is waiting time.  38 weeks pregnant and this momma is ready to meet this baby!  It is a hard waiting game.  I guess he is pretty comfy in there

34 weeks, but who’s counting??

Only six weeks (or less) to go until we meet our newest addition.  Time is starting to drag by just a bit, but that is ok.  I need more time to think about what in the world it’s going to be like with two kids!

I am feeling really good.  Actually losing weight being on this low carb diet of mine.  Thank you gestational diabetes.  I already told Gabe that the first thing I want after I deliver this baby is a REAL COKE, but I am also thinking about maybe two double cheeseburgers and a large fry to go along with it!  I also said if they try and feed me salad as my first meal in the hospital, I might lose it.  So hopefully he will remember this and get my requests taken care of!

My sister, mom, and a dear friend of mine threw us a “sprinkle” shower a couple of weeks ago.  We are truly blessed!  I think we have enough diapers to last for a least the first six months!  Baby William received so many nice gifts.  Can’t wait to see his closet full of clothes on him! 

The nursery is almost complete.  We have it painted, airplanes and other décor hung on the wall, and furniture together.  Just a few more finishing touches. I will post pictures when it is done.

{34 Weeks}

Our big girl started Preschool!

Maddie started preschool almost three weeks ago at a Methodist church right down the street.  She goes Tues/Thurs from 9-12 and let me tell you, she LOVES it.  Never a tear from her as she hops out of the car and walks in with her teacher.  She is already learning so many new things and it is fun to hear her tell us what she does at school.  It seems like a perfect fit for her and I’m excited that she loves it as much as she does.  She seems so much older now and I’m sure when the baby comes, she will seem even bigger.

                          First day of school! 8/30/12

29 weeks and counting…and everything else that is going on…

The countdown is officially on!  About 2 1/2 months until we get to meet this little guy!  I have so many emotions about it all.  I’m nervous, anxious, and excited.  Life seems pretty easy right now with just one child.  Maddie is little miss independent and loves to help, so I know she is going to be a great big sister!

         {23 weeks}                            {25 weeks}

          {27 weeks}                          {29 weeks}

We have yet to paint the nursery, because Gabe literally works six days a week right now.  Once we get it painted it is just setting the crib up and hanging everything on the wall.  The closet is starting to get stocked with cute little boy clothes and all the essentials.  Once the room is done, I will feel so much better.

Baby William is sure moving around a lot and the little kicks and jabs are getting stronger by the day.  I have gained about 25 lbs so far (eek!!  I only gained 24 lbs total with Maddie).  I am feeling it and the waddling has started.  Unfortunately last week, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes.  It really was devastating news, but I’m dealing with it the best I can.    

I can’t believe we are in August.  Maddie is now 2 1/2 years old.  Craziness.  She is so funny and keeps us laughing all the time.  She has a mind of her own and can be very stubborn at times.  The girl knows what she wants, I guess.  She remembers everything and doesn’t miss a beat.  We really have to watch what we say, because we are in the stage of repeating whatever is heard.  We try and stay busy by lots of play time outside.  She loves to swing and slide and play in the sprinkler!

Maddie spent a few days in Georgetown with my grandparents and my mom.  I caught up on sleep and that is about it while she was gone!  I had a doctor’s appointment, so I just went down a little bit later with my sister and nephew.  We had so much fun spending time with our family.  We were able to celebrate Pop-Pop’s birthday and got a lot of pool time in. 

Maddie has now been in a big girl bed for a week now.  I bought the quilt and many of the accessories from Target over a year ago, because I just couldn’t resist the cuteness.  We put together her bed while she was at my grandparent’s house for a few days and surprised her when she got home.  The room turned out great and Maddie just loves it.  She has slept really well in her bed so far.  I was so nervous about the transition, but I keep forgetting that she is not a baby anymore!

Target’s Love n’ Nature collection.  I just love it so much!