The news is officially out.....

Macie is going to be a big sister!!!!

March 1st, 2010 is the estimated due date for now.

We couldn't be more thrilled, and are looking forward to our new addition!

This is kind of hard to see, but her dress says "Big Sister in Training. Macie"

Some of the reactions we got to the dress (didn't quite go as planned):

"Oh, that's cute.....who bought that for her?"

"So cute, Big Sister in Training" (then just walks away)

"I don't get it, are you trying".

I realized we should have just gotten a shirt that said "I'm going to be a big sister". Guess since Macie is only 10 months old, it kinda threw people off that we are pregnant again so soon. Understandable!

They will be 18 months apart. I am a little scared, but I think it is a good "gap".

There's not much to see here, it was very early. Our last appointment was Tuesday and the little bean was at least 2x larger and moving around like crazy!!! Heart rate was 180 bpm.

We couldn't keep this a secret much longer as my belly is growing at an amazingly fast rate. Right now I look like I did with Macie at about 16ish weeks. It's crazy!!! All is well so far, BP is good, no weight gain. Not much to report so far.

10 Months

My Sweet Baby Macie,

Today you are 10 months old. Double digits??? How did that happen? This past month has been so exciting, and a very busy one for you. You are now crawling like a pro and nothing gets in your way.

Things you have learned: Independence, removing your diaper yourself, crawling at warp speeds to get into things that you know you shouldn't be getting into, clapping (and you are so proud of yourself), saying "uh oh", saying "hey dada, mama, papa", the mid-diapering "sneak away" maneuver, and standing (We have yet to witness this, but you did it at Grandma and Papa's house the other day).

I'm not sure that we were prepared for any of the above, but you sure are keeping us on our toes. I still watch you in amazement every single day. You are just such a little sponge and you try to imitate everything that we do, it's so adorable.

Now, about the whole bottle/sippy cup thing. Can you PLEASE just feed yourself? I know you can do it, I have seen it. Don't get me wrong, I cherish the times in the morning when you first get up and I give you your bottle. You are so cuddly and sleepy, it melts my heart when we lock eyes and I talk softly to you, and you get that little sparkle in your eyes. It's the times in between the first and last feedings that I just wish you would grab a hold of the bottle yourself. I know I am asking a lot- I don't want you to be so independent so fast, yet I am asking you to feed yourself- it's confusing I am sure. You do feed yourself solid foods and you want NOTHING to do with any of us feeding it to you. You love cheese, fruit, bread, yogurt, and your tried Dippin' Dots the other day at the zoo (that was a time I truly regret not having my camera on hand).

It's just been the most amazing 10 months of our lives. You have such a great disposition, you're funny, adorable, smart and the best thing that has ever happened to us.

I love you dearly!

Mommy

9 Month Pictures

Here are Macie's 9 month pictures. Kim does such an amazing job! It was a little more challenging this time since Macie is constantly on the move, it's near impossible to get her to sit still. Even the ones of her in motion turned out so good. Thanks again Kim, we love the pictures.

I'm not sure what I am doing wrong, but these pictures don't look as great as they do off the CD that Kim gave us. Errrr. They are incredible pictures and I am ruining them!!!
Ok, I figured out that if you just click on the pictures you can view them and they look much better.

First time in a big pool

We went to Wisconsin this past weekend to visit Kim, Mike, David and Dean. They have a pool at their house so I went out and bought an inflatable boat/raft for Macie. Of course I also had to get her a new swimsuit and hat too. She LOVED the big pool and didn't want to get out!

Kim was also kind enough to do Macie's 9 month pictures while we were there- thanks Auntie Kim! I will put those in the next post.

Macie's First 4th of July

I am playing catch up with the posts. Summers are so busy and there just isn't time to sit inside and blog.

Macie had her first 4th of July this year, and despite the weather she really had a great time.

My parents have a BBQ every year for the 4th since it's also my brother's b-day (the big 4-0 this year). We started out by going to our Hometown parade which is just blocks from their house. I grew up going to this parade every year so it was really cool to be able to bring Macie this year and experience some of my childhood memories. Macie sat so good through the entire parade and just watched everything go by. After the parade we walked back to my P's and hung out and ate. I didn't get many pictures, but here are a few from the day.

Happy 40th Birthday Uncle Mark!

Dear Uncle Mark-

Happy Birthday- you're old!!!! Hope you have a great Birthday!!!

Macie's 9 Month Appointment

Weight- 21 lbs. (90% percentile)- My little chunky monkey. I of course asked if we should be concerned about her weight and he said "not at all, she's perfect"....tell me something I don't know Doc!!!

Height- 28 1/4 inches (68th percentile)

Head- 18 3/8 inches (95th percentile) She's staying even in head measurement so no need for concern anymore.

Dr. says she's right on track with speech, motor skills, development.

Poor baby had a hemoglobin check (anemia) and they had to stick her finger- she was NOT happy about that. She finally calmed down from that and then the nurse came in and stuck her again for her Hepatitis shot. She's not anemic and she lived to tell about the shots!!!

Happy Third Anniversary!

Phil-

Happy Third Anniversary. You have made the last three years of my life wonderful. You are an amazing husband and father.

I Love You,

Michelle