Halloween

We had a great Halloween this year. Last year Macie was only just over a month old and slept the whole time!!! This year she went as the cutest little cuddly bunny, and was able to trick or treat with her cousins.
Phil's parents came over to our house and then we headed over to my parents house. We all went out around their neighborhood and went trick or treating. I grew up trick or treating every single year in this neighborhood and it was so nice to have Macie experience this too! My "oldest" friend Katie and I used to go out for hours and gather as much candy as possible. Her parents still live a few houses from my parents so that's always one of our stops on Halloween. Brings back so many great memories!!!
After trick or treating we headed back to my parents house for some pizza and to hang out some more. It was like Christmas for Macie. She got a Little People Bus from Grandma and Papa Scimeca, it plays music and she loves it. Grandma and Papa Wilson got her a basket of goodies which included a new favorite toy that she can take star shaped rings off and on and it plays music. Uncle Mark, Auntie Gayle, Katie and Ryan also got her a basket of goodies with a cute cuddly bear dressed as a ghost...so cute!
Katie, Colin and Ashton stopped by for a visit. Macie got to know her future boyfriend a little better. They were so cute sitting on the couch together and then Macie had enough and started a meltdown.
Macie was beat after the long day, but she had such a good time. Can't say she was too thrilled about the head part to the costume, but it was so cute on her. Have quite a few pictures where it's not even on. She would get mad and pull it off.
Thanks for a great Halloween Mom and Dad!!!

Your job here is done.....

Dear Uterus;

Although you have been a warm and cozy home for my two babies, I am going to have to have you close up shop sometime around the end of February. I appreciate all your hard work and dedication, but it has come time for you to retire. Yes, this is a forced retirement, but believe me- it is for the best. If I am to remain sane, you are to remain baby free for the rest of my life. This may require a semi unpleasant experience at some point, but if everything goes as planned- you will remain "intact" after the birth of our second and last child. Phil will have to have some modifications if I am able to deliver naturally again. I feel that is only fair after housing two babies for a year and 1/2 of my life. I am very fortunate to be able to experience being pregnant and having two of my own children, but pregnancy and me do not get along very well. So again, I thank you for doing such a wonderful job in housing and caring for my babies while they grew.

Sincerely,

Michelle

Macie-13 Months and Mommy- 21 Weeks

Happy 13 months Macie. Mommy is a slacker and is going to be doing your letters/updates every 3 months now. You are growing fast, but there is just not as much to report every month.
We did find out that you are going to have a little sister. We couldn't be more excited, you two will be so close (I hope). We have already had visions of you two fighting over bathroom time and our bathrooms are just WAY too small. We need to move!!!

I had a Dr. appt. today, all is well. Heartbeat was 146, my BP was 124/70 (woo hoo), and I am only up 5 pounds total so far (I swear it's all in the girls- 2.5lbs gained in each-hate it). What a difference from my pregnancy with Macie. I know.....just wait!!!

Here is another headless belly pic of 21 weeks.

Sidenote: I have no idea what is going on with this blog. I am no longer able to move pictures around so they all end up on top. Very frustrating. If anyone knows how to fix it....please tell me. When I download the pictures, they come up in text format until I actually publish the post. Also the menu bar at the top is different....hmmmmm.

1 Year Pictures

Here are some of Macie's 1 year pictures.
As usual, Kim did an awesome job with a tough subject!!!

We are making progress

More self feeding options:

Funny of the day!!!

Phil came home from work today and told me that he had a funny incident at the gym. He left the house in a hurry this morning and grabbed a pair of work out pants out of the dryer and stuffed them in his bag. He got to the gym, got dressed, and headed out of the locker room when a rather large burly man tapped him on the shoulder and said "you dropped something out of your pants when you were putting them on", and he hands him a pink and white bib that says "I love my mommy".
Don't know why, but I can not stop laughing about it.
I was sick to my stomach while he was telling me since I figured it was a pair of my most unattractive underwear the man handed him!!!

I am amazed

at the things people say.....
I am not referring to anyone who reads this blog. The person that said this to me does not know that I "blog".
My conversation with this person (I will call them "X")Keep in mind that "X" has two boys....I thought of so many things to say AFTER this conversation! Dang it!

X- How are you feeling? How far along are you?
Me- I feel great and I am 5 months along.
X- Oh, do you know what you are having?
Me- Yes, we just found out we are having another girl.
X- Oh, sorry about that.
Me- Why are you sorry?
X- I'm sure you were hoping for a boy.
Me- No, actually we kinda wanted another girl since they will be so close in age.
X- Oh, well I'm sure Phil is really bummed.
Me- Nope, he's not at all. Have a great day!!! Jack ASS!!!

This is one of those people that does not have that mechanism in their pea brain to filter out the moronic things that you just shouldn't say out loud.

I just feel the need to say something about it since it really kind of bugged me. Phil and I have said since the moment we found out we were having another baby that it would be really cool if Macie had a sister. They will be 17-18 months apart and hopefully be great friends/playmates. Don't get me wrong, it's great having a brother, but it's not the same as having a sister. I guess maybe we don't fall into the "norm" in desperately wanting a boy AND a girl. I am not insulting anyone by saying that...promise.

The first thing that crossed our minds when we got the positive pregnancy test was...wow, another baby....what a miracle. We are so blessed to be able to have one child, let alone TWO. I know way too many people who never got that chance, some that never even got one! We never thought "oh wow, hope it's a boy".

So all in all, we are more than excited to be having a healthy baby girl, that Macie is getting a little sister, and not at all "bummed" that we aren't having a boy. We have 4 nephews....it's about time for more girls, right???!!!

FINALLY!!!!

Macie is almost 13 months old and she REFUSES to hold her own bottle. I have tried letting it dangle from her mouth, just sitting it in front of her (she just turns it upside down and chews on the bottom), laying her down (she just wants to get up and play) and begging....nothing has worked. Tonight Phil gave her a bath and was getting her in her jammies and I walked in with her bottle and she was clearly wanting the bottle bad so.....I handed it to her, and she popped it right into her mouth and drank the WHOLE thing with no assistance!!!!! I guess we shouldn't get too excited since she was on her changing table, or she was just extremely tired from her Dr's visit. It may never happen again, but I got a picture to prove that she really can hold her own bottle. Next stop.....sippy cup (having same issues with those)!!!

It's a.......................

GIRL!!!!!!!!
We went for our Level II Ultrasound today and got the "money shot" right away! She's definitely not a shy one.
Everything is great, she's very healthy and right on track. They estimated her weight to be about 14 ounces right now. They check everything; the umbilical cord, the brain, the four chambers of the heart, measure the head, bones, etc. Everything measured around 20 weeks.
We are over the top with excitement that Macie is going to have a little sister. Many of us (including myself) were sure it was a boy since this pregnancy is so different.
Here are some new pics of our little girl (at the top obviously....blogger is giving me some trouble tonight).

Pumpkin Farm/Petting Zoo Visit

Despite the not so great weather today, we went to a Pumpkin Farm/Petting Zoo near our house. We missed out on the annual apple picking/pumpkin patch trip this year so we wanted to take Macie to pick out a pumpkin. They have a huge petting zoo at this place, it was really cute. The weather wasn't that great, but we still had fun. The goats apparently don't get fed enough since they were head butting Kate and Ryan, not so fun!!!

03.jpg">Macie picking the perfect pumpkin

Papa brought over a chick for Macie to pet, she LOVED it.

Grandma took a silly picture of us! CHEESE!

A ride on the train.

Oh....just a few more things

12 more days until we find out PINK or BLUE!!!!
Get your predictions in now!!!
We will be so excited if it's a girl since Macie will only be about 18 months old when #2 is born, but will also be excited for a boy and having one of each. I just feel like we can't plan anything until we know. I will be having my Level II Ultrasound on the 13th and just praying for healthy baby news!!!
During Macie's tough week, she got her first molar too! Poor thing. She now has 7 teeth. We think she is pretty close to walking too. She has been sliding her feet from one item to another instead of sitting and then crawling to the next destination. She is also standing alone for quite a while....think it surprises her too every time she does it!

What a week!

The song "Burning Ring of Fire" has been playing in my head all week and it's dedicated to Macie's buttocks........

After days of antibiotics and the poops, we had to take Macie back to the Dr. because she had a horrible rash. It looked like she was put in scalding hot water, like 1st degree burns- ouchie! They prescribed her something that has the feel of sand mixed in Vaseline. I felt like I was rubbing sandpaper on her raw skin, but it's working. This lovely rash appeared the same day she fell and must have bit her lip. I picked her up and there was blood coming from her little mouth. She had a little bruise/red mark on the outside of her mouth from the incident and also had a small bruise on her forehead from a minor bump a few days prior. When we took her to the Dr. she had leaked poop through her PJ's and we left the house in such a hurry that I didn't pack an extra change of clothes (of course). The Mother of the Year was in the waiting room with her two very well behaved children, and she felt the need to inform me that her diaper leaked. I was already worked up since Macie was in so much pain and she was still screaming from the pain, I just looked at the lady and said "that's why we're here, thank you" and proceeded to take Macie to change her and try to clean her up. I was sure DCFS was going to be knocking on our door that night!!!

Anyway, it seems her rough week is coming to an end (I hope) and we're all going to make it. It was just tough since this was her first REAL illness and I just felt helpless through it!!

Here are a few pictures I took of our little trooper!

Very odd looking picture (bad angle) but she was yelling at me while I took it so I had to post it!

Is this scary?

Pattycake, Pattycake Baker's Man
Bake me a cake, as fast as you can.
Roll it, pat it, mark it with a B,
put it in the oven for Baby and Me.

Every time Macie is clapping, I have tried to sing this to her, and she bursts into tears when I get to the "roll it" part.

Guess maybe you have to hear my singing voice to determine just HOW scary it is!!!

She only cries when I do that part, and do the rolling motion with my hands.

So strange!!! It's not an isolated case either, I have tried three times! Mean Mommy.

After a yucky week

Most of you know that Macie has been sick most of the week. She ended up with an infection in her ears, nose, lungs, etc. She had a fever for 4 days that just wouldn't break....until yesterday. Might be why she took a 5 hour nap!!!! Yes, 5 hours- and then went to bed at 6:30 last night! Poor thing was "sleeping it off" I guess. Today she was so much better. Still a little congested, tired and cranky but almost back to herself! We even got brave and took her out for a walk and some play time outside. We missed out on quite a few things this weekend due to her illness, we were pretty bummed about it, but felt it was best to stay home with her.

Here are some pictures from today, she was so happy to be out in the fresh air.

And now watching the Bears game with Daddy!!! Go Bears!!!

12 Month Check-up

Macie had her 1 year appointment yesterday. No shots since she is running a fever, has an ear infection, and her lungs are a bit "raspy". Poor thing has been sick since Monday!!! I feel so bad for her, she's just not herself.
Here are her "stats" at one year:

Length 29 3/4" (75th percentile)
Weight 24.1lbs (90th percentile)
Head 19" (99th percentile) I measured my head while we were waiting for the Dr. and mine is only 20 3/4"......we were bored and trying to entertain ourselves!!! I can't believe my head is not much bigger than Macie's. She has a big brain, or I have a really small one!!!

Dr. said besides the illness, everything is looking great with her.

We will have to go back in two weeks to get her shots and do a follow up for the infection.

12 Months- Happy First Birthday Macie!

My Dearest Macie,

1 year ago today, you came into this world. September 20th, 2008 was the most important, wonderful, life changing day of my life. You have brought more happiness, laughter and fulfillment to my life than I ever thought possible. It took a lot to get you into this world, and it's all such a distant memory now that I have had a whole year to wake up to your smile, listen to your cute belly laugh, watch you learn and discover new things, watch you grow right before my eyes, listen to you try and say words, and become a little girl. You will always be my baby girl....even when you are grown.

You are growing up so fast. You say or do something new every single day. Your newest words/phrases are: "good girl", "bye bye" (with a wave), and "all done". You are so fast when you crawl that I am not sure you will ever walk. I think you realize that you can get around much faster if you just keep crawling, forget learning to walk! You pull yourself up on everything in your path and "surf" around the furniture. After you pull yourself up, you let go, stand for a few seconds and then fall on your butt and crawl to your next destination. You are really getting into your toys now and it is so much fun to watch you play and discover new things. You do have a destructive side to you. Your Daddy and I build towers with your blocks and you will spot one and come flying from across the room to knock it down. You get such satisfaction when you do this and then follow up with an "uh oh", or an "oh boy".

You had your first birthday party yesterday, and what an event that was. So many friends and family were there to celebrate YOU!!! The weather could not have been more perfect and it was just such a great day all around. You had such a good time playing with the kids, eating your cake, opening all the great gifts that everyone got you. You are going to be very busy with all your new toys and you will be VERY well dressed while doing it! You are loved by so many!!! I hope everyone had a great time at your party, I know you sure did! You have spent most of today sleeping.

I wish I could just stop the time from going so fast. Everyone kept telling me to "enjoy this time, it goes by way too fast".....that is an understatement!!! I blinked and you were one. I know that there are so many more things to enjoy as you grow and I do look forward to that!!! I must have done something really amazing in a past life to deserve you! Your daddy and I are so lucky to have you, and to have the opportunity to love you and watch you go through life! You have brought so much to our lives already and we could not be happier.

Happy First Birthday! I love you!

Mommy

Congrats to the Raimondi's!!!

Congrats to Nicole, Johnny, Olivia and Sophia. They welcomed Giovanni Anthony yesterday. He weighed in at 9lbs. 4oz. and 21 inches.
We can't wait to meet him!!!

Happy Belated 5th Birthday Kate!

I'm sorry I did not post this on your actual birthday. Bad Auntie!!!!
Hope you had a wonderful birthday!
XOXOXO

15 Weeks, a clean mirror and some landscaping!

Here is a 15 week belly shot with a clean mirror.

We spent some time today trying to make the space between our house and the neighbors look a little better. Keep in mind that our neighbors (ex-neighbors) own a landscaping business and their lawn/landscaping takes 1st prize for the worst looking in the neighborhood. I should have taken a "before" shot. It was part dirt, part overgrown weeds/grass, a bucket covering their sewer pipe and a random flat of flowers laying there. Too bad I didn't get a shot of their shattered front window!!! This is "after"....

Very random things post

I haven't posted for a while so thought I would do a random post. It's been an interesting week. Macie had another trip to the Dr. this week due to a rash on her chest and back. We weren't sure if it was a reaction from the meds., or something like a heat rash. The Doc wanted to see her just in case and did determine that it was just a heat rash. He looked her over and said she is doing good and her ears look great. That was good news all around. Forgot to mention the last time she was there they weighed her and she is 23.7 lbs!!!! WOW! Seems like a lot, but I can tell she has gotten taller recently. They didn't measure her since it was just a check-up for the ears/cold thing.

I am 14 weeks (and a few days) now and not much has changed with me (except the size of my belly). I have some good days, but feel "hungover" most days. Was hoping this would go away by now. No significant movement yet, but I think I feel some "fluttering" once in a while. Wish the little bugger would give me some reassurance jabs! The appointments seem so far away right now and it always leave me wondering if all is well in there. I will be posting a picture of my enormous belly. Every belly picture I take is from the neck down since I do them myself. Anyone who knows me knows I HATE having pictures taken. I am the MOST un-photogenic person in the world, and it sucks. Anyway....that's all that's going on with me. Oh, did I mention that I am not a fan of being pregnant? I know it's a wonderful thing and I LOVE the end result, but don't like the transformation that I have no control over.

Time to clean the mirror! And the lens on the camera- geez!

We are a tad annoyed lately with our neighbors....can't really call them that anymore. They have abandoned their house (going to foreclose) and it looks so bad. Considering they are attached to us, it makes our house look terrible. Their front window is cracked, they have crap all over their lawn (long story, but we can't really remove any of this stuff), curtains falling down in the windows, stained roof (we replaced ours recently so theirs looks 100X worse). It's just really frustrating and embarrassing. We dread having people over right now because it looks so bad. That's all my venting for now.

Hope everyone has (had) a great holiday weekend!