Bike Ride

Saturday night after dinner Madeline wanted to go on a bike ride. It was a gorgeous evening, and though we only made it about half a block away from our house, she had a blast. We got to see several doggies, a tractor and show off our pretty new dress to everyone we passed. No really.

Finally able to touch the peddles, and doing really well!

Taking a break to check out the tractor at the end of the street. She loved it.

And the big weeping willow tree!

How the walk home ended...Daddy carrying the bike.

Had to stop and smell the daisy's.

Pool Time!

We finally got to make it to the new Welch pool on Saturday! The pool just underwent a major revamp and it's truly amazing. Slides for the little kids and the big kids, lots of fountains and sprinklers for the little guys, and a diving well! Madeline had a blast swimming with all of her friends in the summer sun!

So many photos to choose from, so instead a collage :)

Me not looking too pregnant from the front, hello side view! 21 Weeks!

Getting Ready for the Fourth!

Last night I decided to pull out Madeline's dress for her to wear today. It's a dress that my mom bought for her last year. It's completely adorable, and apparently Madeline thinks so too! When she saw it, she walked over to it and hugged it and said "I like it!" :)

Watching the garbage men in the morning.

I love my dress!

Crib is ordered!

I decided that I wasn't going to be doing much until I hit 5 months. That's the way we did it with Madeline and it worked out pretty well. However, since we have been pushed back a month in the gender category, and maybe permanently, I figured I had better get a start on things. When we were on vacation I was showing my mother-in-law the crib we wanted and noticed it was sold out on several sites! So last night, I decided I had better do a search and order it!

I love the style of this crib. It's classic nursery, and it'll fit great into the third bedroom upstairs with enough room to keep the full-size bed put together as well. We should have it in the next week or so. After that it's onto paint, a changing table of some sort and bedding, which I think I've nailed down on ETSY. :) Once these few things get done I think we'll be set, boy or girl, July or November. Ha.

20 Weeks

Here we are at 20 Weeks - HALF WAY! Wahooo! Sorry for not posting a 19 Week photo, but a morning on the beach trumped that. :) Anyway, definitely noticable bump now huh? Still moving along as usual, trying to make it to the gym several days a week and keep my energy up. But I am so exhausted it's ridiculous. Hoping one of these days my energy returns to me. The gym must be doing some good, my blood pressure was 80/50! I guess that explains why I am so light headed some of the time. Oh well, better than being too high!

Belly: Definitely a bump. Still in my regular clothes, only had to use the bella band that one time.

Belly Button: Still in :)

Stretch Marks: None, yet. Crossing fingers and toes.

Weight Gain: 5lbs, I think I gained 2 on vacation! ha.

Boy or Girl: We should have found out yesterday, but little guy/gal decided to firmly cross his or her legs and dig deep into my pelvis. We'll try again July 26.

Feeling: Bloated. Not quite pregnant, just full. Still sick, in fact threw up 2 times in the last week. More than in the beginning. :(

Cravings: Still on the fruit and iced tea kick.

Sleep: Meh, up several times a night.

Energy: Pooped.

Baby: Moving all around. Measuring right on time, and at 12 oz.

More Beach Photos

Did I mention that while we were away Madeline got incredibly spoiled? Not just by all of the attention and lovin' she was getting, but with toys and sweets too! This evening she was treated to a marshmallow lollipop covered in chocolate and sprinkles. So delicious!

She also really liked the BIG black bear outside of the candy store!

Another photo of Madeline and the boats, she loved them.

Another evening we headed to a restaurant on top of the pier for dinner and fire works. It was incredibly windy, but it was a great view for when the action started.

Once the fireworks started she hung on to daddy for dear life!

And this is how she watched the rest of the fireworks. Not sure if we'll be making the trip to see the big ones down town this year.

Attempt at a family photo. Apparently our Mermaid was more important to see than Madeline's face.

Our last night we went miniature golfing. Madeline had a blast, and even hit the ball a few times. But mostly she just ran all over the place and picked her ball up and placed it in the hole. Not bad for a 2.5 year old!

The Shovel...

Was by far our best purchase while at the beach. It provided hours of entertainment...

20 Week Ultrasound/Genderscan

Today we had our 20 week ultrasound! Everything looks great so far, unfortunately baby did not want to cooperate for anything. He/she had their little legs wrapped up around his/her head! I even went back for a second try after my doctor's appointment, and this little guy/gal had wedged him/herself even deeper! Shesh! So we still don't know if we are buying pink or blue. We also couldn't get any good measurements of baby's heart, feet or toes. We head back July 26th for a second try. Hopefully we will get some better luck! If not, we might be team green!

Since we couldn't get this little baby to cooperate, we could really only get one decent photo. 

Difficult already...I am in trouble!

30 Month Well Baby Visit

Madeline had her 30 month well baby visit yesterday. Dr. Collison gave her a clean bill of health and said she looked like she was growing perfectly. :) Her speech is really starting to come along great, the potty training on the other hand is another story. I have a feeling we are going to be closer to 3 years old when she is finally potty trained. *Sigh* As for her stats she is 26 lbs. (still), which is now 22 percentile, yay! I cannot for the life of me remember her height, but I know it was 37 percentile. Looks like she is going to be mommy's height. I knew it would catch up!

We head back for her 3 year check up in October. WOW!

Boardwalk at the Beach

A few nights ago we headed to Boardwalk at the Beach. Not really the boardwalk you are thinking, but a place built on water, with decks and piers, shops and rides. Madeline had a blast, so Brad and I headed back again with her last night to get back on a few morerides.

Carousel was of course the highlight. This time she chose the giraffe. The next time when mommy road with her it was the horsey.

Waving "hi" to mommy!

Boats were up next, which she adored, followed by the whales. Good thing Grandma Ayres got us a good price on tickets to Delgrossos Amusement Park for when we get home! I have a feeling this little girl will want to go a lot! :)

Myrtle Beach

We started out our Beach week a few days ago and headed to Myrtle Beach this past Friday. We arrived in Richmond that evening and got to spend some time with my sister Sarah, Mark, and Timothy. Sarah even treated me to a pedicure at the Red Door Spa for my Birthday Saturday before we left! It was soooo nice, they are definitely one of my most favorite spas to go to.

Saturday we packed up and headed the rest of the way to Myrtle Beach. We arrived around dinner time, got checked in, and settled in to enjoy our week at the beach with Mamaw, Papaw and Uncle Justin. So far it's been great! Madeline has been getting spoiled with all of the attention as well as lots of fun late nights. Her average bed time has been 10 p.m. Yikes! We are in trouble when we get back. She is turning in to quite a fish. Doing amazingly well learning to kick her legs and use her arms, and is sooo proud of herself when she swims from one end of the pool to the other, floaty is of course used for assistance.  Madeline has also started a new obsession. We've learned many new words since being here along with "Mermaid," and she is totally over the moon for them. We went out last night and had to purchase  a pack of tiny dolls last night, and we have yet to let them out of our site!

Anyway, here are a few photos. More to come later.

We found the waves, loved them, and then decided to run from them :)

Madeline LOVES the beach and the ocean, more this year than last, and enjoys digging with all of her new beach toys.

Some of the shells are sharp, so we decided to walk like a crab.

Madeline even got in some swing time with Mamaw and Papaw down by the water.

Our hotel has an amazing pool for kids, and Madeline is loving it. Though she is having a hard time deciding between the pool or the beach. Usually its a game of back and forth.

Soccer fun!

Last night we went with daddy to kick around a soccer ball. While daddy was practicing, Madeline dribbled the ball, and even made a goal or two. It really does amaze me at the skills that she has with a soccer ball at her age. When she turns three we can sign her up for Soccer Shots and put those skills, and whether she likes the sport or not, to the test!

Running toward the ball...

... and a kick!

Kicking to daddy.

Pretending to fall down. We like to do this a lot. It's a good attention getter.

Annnnd getting distracted by a pretty flower, dandelion, in the field.

Got it! Now let's go to the park. Which is what we did while daddy practiced. Swings, slides and more flower picking.

Bubble Pool?

The other night we planned on taking Madeline to the pool. Unfortunately, we ended up running out of time doing lots of yard work. So we decided to fill up her little pool. We did half hose water, the other half warm faucet water, and then I decided to add some bubbles to make it even more fun! This girl almost didn't need a bath after this dip in the pool...almost. She had a blast, and I think we'll have to do it again!

Bubbles in the pool! Really?

Awesome.

Dining Al Fresco

Why wouldn't you when you look this cute and happy?

18 Weeks

Technically this photo is 18 Weeks 1 day, but who's really counting? Okay, I am! Lot's of fun stuff going on this week, but most importantly, is that last week I finally started to feel some kicks! Baby has finally started to let me know that he or she is really here, as if the constant peeing wasn't enough to let me know. Ha. It's a great feeling, and really reassuring way to let me know that he or she is alright ;)

Stats are as follows:

Belly: Definitely a tiny bump, had to pull out the Bella band yesterday for a pair of jeans. Though I could have handled it for a while longer, why would I?

Belly Button: Still in :)

Stretch Marks: None, I thought i had one the other week, but it must have been a scratch. Whew!

Weight Gain: Back to fighting weight and then some! Ha.

Boy or Girl: Everyone still seems to say boy. We find out in two weeks!

Feeling: Feeling like I finally "popped."  Still sick sometimes in the evenings, which I am hoping comes to a complete stop sometime soon.

Cravings: Fruit, I've been eating at least 3 nectarines a day. Honest teas :) Caffeine free, organic and just plain great.

Sleep: Still sleeping very well!

Energy: Still making it to the gym, though I am more physically exhausted in this trimester than with the first. What gives? Maybe it's this little girl named Madeline? Ha.

Baby: Moving around and making his or her presence known!