24 Week Ultrasound (It's A ....)

Today we had our 24 week appointment. Yup, we've made it to 6 months! Wahoo! And to top it all off, we got to have another ultrasound. Thankfully this little one decided to cooperate this time. We got all of the needed measurements AND we got to find out if we are having a boy or a girl. YAY! We also found out that this little one is tucked way down deep in my pelvis, still. Baby has his/her little toes/legs wedged in my pelvis and his/her head is on the right side of my stomach, kind of on an angle. This baby has been in this position for a while now...I can feel it, and my stomach is soar from where baby has it's head shoved. Ouch!

Okay, so take a close look...It's A....

GIRL!!

Yup, we are going to be having another little girl :) And we could not be more thrilled. 

Madeline gets to have all of the memories and experiences that my sisters and I have had growing up. I am so happy, and cannot wait to watch them fight grow up together! ha.

And here is my 24 week belly photo. Definitely showing, but not too noticeable in my regular clothes. Though I did have one of Madeline's daycare teachers ask me if I was ever going to start looking pregnant. That's a compliment right? ;/

Fun in the Fountain

After we said goodbye to our Sadie girl, we went back to our friends house to pick up Madeline. Al and Jodi did a great job of keeping her entertained. Their house is great for Madeline, lots of outdoor space, a fountain and rocks. Who could ask for more? Anyway, we stopped back, and brought a bottle of champagne to toast to our Sadie, and while we were enjoying a cocktail, Madeline was playing in the water. Well, at one point, she decided that this would indeed be a great pool!

She took off all of her clothes and hopped in! No hesitation. We all had a good laugh at the sheer enjoyment of a two-year-old with no inhibitions, and pure happiness. Which, at that point we really needed. We capped the evening off with pizza and conversation with good friends, who we could not be more thankful for. Looks like I need to get baking some thank you goodies. :)

So happy to be swimming...

Look at that tush. Ha.

Our Sadie Girl

Yesterday was an incredibly difficult day. Not that today has been any easier, or the last several for that matter, but yesterday was plain awful. We had to say goodbye to our amazing, loyal, sweet, fun, loving, caring, adorable (Okay, I'll stop) Sadie girl. Sadie was 11 years old. Too young for us to let go.

In March Sadie was diagnosed with cancer. After talking with the vet we went ahead with surgery for her, which they said would give her maybe 3-5 months. Well, our Sadie made it to 4. Even though we knew the end was near, we weren't ready, and I don't think that we would ever have been ready to say goodbye. However, the past week Sadie took at turn for the worse. She had several seizures/mini-strokes, but after getting on pain meds, seemed to perk up a bit. Then came Saturday night, no eating, and Sunday, no eating, and then finally a major spill/seizure that let us know Sadie wasn't doing so well and that it was probably time. We dropped Madeline off with some friends and made our way to the emergency clinic. At 4:45ish in the evening we said our final farewell, though not with out many tears and tissues.

It would have been selfish to string her along however long she would have lasted. And now we know she's no longer in any pain. I'm sure she's in doggie heaven chasing all of the rabbits she ever wanted. We'll see her again, but in the mean time we're missing her like crazy. Everything makes me cry. I didn't want to vacuum today b/c I didn't want to get rid of Sadie's hair, which is crazy I know. I cried when I mopped, no more drool marks. I cried when I had to make more chicken and rice, half the size. I cried when I looked outside at the path, Sadie used to lay there. I cried when I went to bed, no Sadie to say goodnight too. I wanted to crawl into a deep dark hole this morning and cry when I saw that Brad had filled up her water and food bowls. And I cry as I write this now. I know it will get easier, with time that is. In the meantime, I'll go on missing our Sadie girl, and know that she is resting easy and that she gave us all some of the best memories of our lives. We'll forever love our Sadie.

Our baby Sadie at the water, her favorite place to be.

Sadie this fall when we were collecting the leaves.

23 Weeks

Okay, so I'm late, again, and technically this is 23 weeks 4 days...sorry. I've been running, running lately in the mornings, and I have been forgetting to snap a photo. I finally got around to it.

Belly: Bump noticeable, and it's getting harder and harder for me to squeeze into my pre-baby swimsuits. :/

Belly Button: Still in :)

Stretch Marks: Nothing yet :)

Weight Gain: Around 7lbs. maybe 8lbs, we'll see.

Boy or Girl: Big appointment (again) is on Tuesday. Hopefully we'll know by then. :)

Feeling: Full again, I'm miserable after I eat b/c of how full I feel. Argh.

Cravings: Nectarines, good ole H2O, Lots of it.

Sleep: Doing better this week, though maybe it's because I actually made it to the gym more than twice. Ha.

Energy: I have my days, but I think *crossing fingers* I might be on an upswing.

Baby: Moving like crazy, though still feeling them very low. I should be able to feel them around or above my belly button by now, but haven't. I have a feeling this baby likes to lay low. Mrrrr. Could make for another difficult ultrasound on Tuesday.

Another Ultrasound for baby

One of my friends is also one of my O.B. doctors, so she graciously snuck us into Labor and Delivery on Friday hoping to help us find out if it's a boy or a girl. Brad had just finished his cases, so he was able to meet Madeline and I upstairs and hold her on his lap, which was a huge help. Madeline got to see the baby for the first time, though I am pretty sure she was worried with what was going on.

Well...after several minutes of trying to find out if it's a boy or a girl, we determined that, well, we still CAN NOT tell! Argh. This kid is going to be stubborn! He/she is still deep down in my pelvis.  Hopefully we'll be able to get a better look at our "official" appointment next week. *Sigh*

Little Red Toenails

On Friday this little girl woke up at 6 a.m. Yes, 6 a.m., and since we had already been up for an hour by 7 a.m., I decided we would give it ago and paint her toenails for the first time; she LOVED it. We'll have to make this a special treat or reward.

These little toes make me happy. Of course we have at least one boo-boo.

So happy with her painted toes.

Yonanas=Perfection

The other week I got my Yonanas "ice-cream" maker in the mail, and I was so excited about it! It takes any kid of fruit you want, with bananas used as the base, and turns it into "ice-cream." Okay it's not ice-cream, but for a girl who prefers sorbet anytime we go for ice-cream or gelato, this is a dream. After Arts Festival that afternoon, Madeline and I decided to make some strawberry-banana fruity delight. So yummy. I highly recommend this machine to anyone who loves fruit or ice-cream.

Silly girl making a silly face while making our treat.

Strawberries and bananas.

Eventually topped with chocolate chips, oh c'mon we can't always be perfectly healthy.

Chocolate mouth.

Kids Day at Arts Festival

This past Wednesday we headed to Kids Day at Arts Festival. A day that is devoted totally to the kids, crafts are made by kids (and so cute), activities and crafts for kids, and educational booths for kids too! It's really great. We went last year for our first time and headed back this year with Ellie and Max. The day was great, 80 degrees and not humid at all! We got some cute crafts, had lunch in the parklet, and picked up some kettle corn before heading out.

Ellie, Max and Madeline with their balloons; the highlight of the day.

Trusty Sneakers

Yes, I am doing a post about my sneakers. These shoes are awesome. No matter what they carry my ever growing butt to the gym for spin class, lifting class, or any other class for that matter. And the other day they carried my pregnant butt on an almost 3 mile run, and it was fabulous. Hoping to get in at least a few more runs before I get too big.

Before and After

Over the past several months, I've been creating a "to do" list. Call it nesting, call it organized, call it what you will, but it's me, pregnant or not. Many of these "to do" items are big projects. Not something tiny. Of course, why would it be that easy? So, over the past two weeks, I decided to dive head first into two of my big projects. First one: re-paint the amazing wooden screen that resided in my grandma's apartment for 30 or more years for use in the baby's room, second project: paint trim, wainscoting in dining room. I know these all sound small, but I assure you they were no small tasks.

Grandma's screen before:

Grandma's screen after:

This screen took at least 4 coats of paint, plus two of primer. The old wood just sucked it in. It was a BIG prjoect, but it will be amazing for use in the baby's room :) It only took me 3 years to finally buck up and do it. And I LOVE how it turned out.

Dining room before:

Note bronze paint on the crown molding, trim, and dark brown below where the wainscoting is. Sorry the only shots I have are from holidays and birthday parties. :)

Dining room after:

Can we say A-mazing? Anyone who knows me knows I hate dark rooms, and this was sooooo dark.  The white instantly brightens it up and the chair covers help too. Now the artwork pops, the tables/chairs don't clash with the walls. I am IN LOVE with this room. And this used to me my least favorite room :) Loooooove.

View from living room.

Looking into living room.

View from kitchen. Did I mention I love this room?

22 Weeks

Sorry for not posting a belly photo last week. It was kind of busy coming off of the holiday weekend and I kind of forgot. Anyway, things here are great. We're on the down ward slope of pregnancy so how could it not be? One more week closer to meeting my baby.

Belly: Definitely a bump. People have finally started commenting that I look pregnant. And yes, as you can tell by today's photo. I have given into Maternity pants. I can still wear my other pants, and even though the maternity pants are a bit big, they are way more comfy :)

Belly Button: Still in :)

Stretch Marks: Nada

Weight Gain: Depending on the day 6-7lbs.

Boy or Girl: Hopefully we will know more in two weeks. Until then, it's kind of fun keeping everyone in suspense. Ha.

Feeling: Full, already running out of room to eat and breathe.

Cravings: Fruit, nectarines still.

Sleep: Meh, up several times a night.

Energy: Pooped, doing better if I don't over do it.

Baby: Moving all around. Daddy finally felt some kicks last night :)

Happy Half Birthday Timothy!

Happy half birthday to my sweet, little nephew! We cannot believe that 6 months have flown by so quickly, and love you to pieces.

Crazy sleeper?

This is how I have found Madeline sleeping the past two days when I went to wake her up. Do I have a crazy sleeper on my hands? I'm just happy she figures it out and continues sleeping on. Lord knows I don't have too many nights left to get continuous hours of sleep.

Do you see a little girl in this bed?

Oh there she is! 

Taggies, night lights, baby blanket (yes she is still in love with this blanket), stuffed animals and all...

Jelly shoes

Because these little feet are too cute to not take a photo of in these shoes, two because she absolutely adores them, and three because I used to be obsessed with jelly shoes when I was little. That's my girl :)

Smores

After our bike ride the other night we decided to roast some marshmallows and make smores! We tried last year and Madeline wasn't into it too much, and I thought for sure that this year she would LOVE them. I mean gram crackers, marshmallow and CHOCOLATE, what's not to love? Sadly Madeline would not even take a bite of the smore. Instead she proceeded to eat almost an entire chocolate bar. *sigh* Maybe next year.

Fireflies

Madeline got to catch her very first fire flies last night. She loved it. I think she could have caught them for hours. So fun and such a great night!

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!