Updates!

Well, it has been a little while since I updated on the "potty-training"! It has gone great (or at least I think so) - Addison has officially been in "big-girl" panties all day for the last two weeks. She has only had one day when she had an accident at school and she has had a couple of accidents at home, but one I am blaming on Dad! He was watching the State football game and I was in the kitchen - I heard her say "Daddy" then silence then "Potty - Daddy" and by the time I ran in there it was too late - and all Lee had to say was "What? Huh? Oh, I'm sorry!" and this was our first full day in panties! Since then, Lee has been a big help in getting her to the potty so hopefully we will continue on the road to success. It would be great to get one out of diapers right before we welcome another little one set for diapers for the next couple of years! Below is a picture of Addison enjoying her "prize" for going all day for the first time without an accident - which just so happened to be right before the accident referred to above!

Next, an update on baby Maggie! I went to the doctor on Monday and everything is still right on schedule - we will welcome her shortly after 7 A.M. on October 8th (which is less than 2 weeks!) - I can't believe it! We are so excited about finally getting to meet her and introducing her to Addison! I am starting to get really, really tight in my stomach and she is a very active little girl so it definitely makes for some uncomfortable moments! I am having trouble sleeping at night because I have been soooo hot! Addison is really excited, but I don't think that she will completely understand until she gets here. She talks and sings to her all the time (through my belly button, nonetheless!!!). It is too funny and the other day, she put her hand over my belly button and said "Maggie's hiding" and then she tried to give her a pacifier! She has such a funny personality and is definitely a big talker - I can't imagine where she gets that from!

Not a very attractive picture, but definitely a good example of how I have felt lately! TIRED!!! This little 2 year-old is extremely hyper and bounces off the walls so when she crashes SO DO I! Good thing I don't have 2 months to go!

Emily & Mason's Baby Shower!

This past weekend, we had a baby shower to welcome Mason! Since Emily had to go into the hospital so early in her pregnancy and then was on "house arrest" we weren't able to have her shower ahead of time so we tried to make up for it this weekend! It was so much fun visiting with everyone and she got lots of great "boy things" - he is definitely going to be a well-dressed kid. We are so excited to share in this special time with To-To and Auntie Em - they are especially deserving of God's greatest blessings.

Cute (and especially tasty) cake to match the invitations!
Addison and Brooke (Emily's 11-month old niece) are good playmates
Mason gets his first Christmas outfit
Welcome Mason and Congrats Em!
Hostesses - Candace, Kristel, Lauren & Me (I don't think I need to remind anyone that I am due in 2 weeks! - not the most fun time to be in pictures!)

Everyone enjoyed passing Mason around, but I am not sure that anyone was quite as "giddy" as this little girl to finally get her chance to hold Baby Mason - we have been making her "just look" and touch his feet since he was born! I am not so sure that Mason felt the same excitement!
Addison, Mason, & Brooke (isn't that the cutest expression!)

A Baby Shower given by my Wonderful Friends at Work!

On Tuesday, all of the wonderful people that I work with at Cellular South gave me a baby shower! They are such a great group and always very thoughtful no matter the occassion - we love to celebrate (and eat!). And, I am always amazed at their presentation, it is always top-notch from the invitation to the cake to the party decorations (they even had pink punch!). It was so much fun and I received lots of great, very useful things. It is definitely easier the second time around because I kind of know of a few things that I didn't have with Addison that would have come in handy and there are quite a few things that are new since having my first baby, believe it or not!

The Invitation

The cutest cake ever!

My friends - Brook, Shara, Lea Ann, Jamie, Charlsey, Telise, and Nancy

My lunch buddies - Meagan (she designed the invitation!) and Charlsey

Lea Ann, Me, Jamie, and Nancy

Opening one of my many gifts!

Nancy and Marian look on - they are both proud grandmothers!

Addison made it just in time to eat a piece of cake...or at least a little icing!

All of my many wonderful things - including a couple of gift certificates, a bouncy seat that is on the way, and a special birth record and name design from Whimsey Names to be done after she arrives!

Addison and I had so much fun playing in all of the baby stuff!!! She is really excited...or at least we think so! Thanks to everyone!

We have finally picked out a name for our precious little girl...and she now has her first monogrammed outfit!

We will name her...Maggie Elisabeth!

Thanks Emily and Brenda!

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey present The Greatest Show on Earth!

We took Addison to the circus on Saturday night and had a blast! We figured that this would be a good pre-baby outing that was all about her!!! They had a great pre-show that took place in the hour before the performance time - it was set up on the ground level and you could swing on the trapeze, walk the tight rope, try on circus outfits, hula-hoop, jump rope, and watch a few animal tricks. This was really neat for children a little older than Addison, but she enjoyed trying to hula-hoop and my knees were aching from trying to help her! We headed to our seats after stopping to get some cotton candy and peanuts (how can you resist at the circus!) - she loved cotton candy and we were a sticky mess!!! She really enjoyed the show especially the elephants. She asked about seeing the elephants on Saturday morning when she woke up as well as Saturday afternoon after her nap so needless to say we were glad that she wasn't disappointed. The circus lasted a little over 2 hours and included many acrobatics that were a sight to see! Hope you enjoy the pics - click to enlarge the collage if you would like!

On another note, I went to the doctor today and our little girl is doing great! We have a scheduled date and will welcome her into this world a little after 7 AM on October 8th as long as she doesn't decide to try to come on her own before then! So, that is exactly one month from today and I can't believe it. Keep us in your prayers~

Labor Day Weekend!

Da'be and Nana both came to visit during the Labor Day weekend and we had so much fun just hanging out! Although we did "rest" a little, we used our labor day holiday to be somewhat productive. We spent a lot of time getting things ready for the nursery. Baby sister will be here in one month and time is flying by! We are so excited!

Addison sported her MSU cheerleader uniform all day Saturday while we were out shopping and did her best to cheer on the Bulldogs! Better luck next time.Once we had watched all the football that we could, we headed outside to paint a couple of things for the nursery so that Daddy could watch in peace and quiet. It sure didn't take Miss Independent long to get her hands in the paint!
Popsicle break - to cool off of course!
Helping Mama fold all of the baby clothes - they are sooo tiny; hard to believe that my big girl used to fit in these!
Sunday, we headed to the pool for some sunshine before the hurricane weather moved in! Addison was so excited - as soon as we got the floaties on she jumped right in!

Superwoman!!!!

I'm really tired now - can we go home?

We hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday weekend!

Addison's Room Makeover!

We made over our guest room a couple of months ago into a "princess" room for Addison and I am just now getting it posted!!! She has been sleeping in her "big girl" bed now for about a month and a half. It was an easy transition; in fact, she has never been much of a fan of getting up in the mornings and now that she is snuggled up in a bed that is way more comfortable than the "hard as a brick" crib mattress, it is definitely not any easier. I was somewhat dreading moving her because she was so easy about going to sleep in her crib; literally, since she was 9 months old, we laid her in the crib wide awake and said "night, night - I love you" and she rolled over and went to sleep (here's to hoping baby #2 will do the same)! I was scared that she might not continue this tradition, but I was wrong, now we read a story, turn out the lights, get "my hug and my kisses", nose kisses, a "good night - I love you" and she is out until we wake her in the morning! Now, don't get me wrong, we have had a couple of nights in which she struggles to go to sleep and after about 10 minutes of trying she calls out for either Lee or I to come "lay down with me" and of course we are happy to accomodate.

Before...our guest bedroom! Lots of random furniture from both of our college days, a couple of wedding gifts, and some random stuff we just didn't know where else to put it!

A slide show of the makeover process!

We did the majority of the work over one weekend; I was really proud of Lee because I was determined! We had big plans for July and I wanted to be able to enjoy the rest of the summer as well as the fact that I was feeling pretty good and pregnancy is so unpredictable that I didn't know what my future might hold. Friday night, after work, we picked out paint and picked up supplies then headed home. I wanted to get the room cleaned out so that I could tape it off while Lee was at work on Saturday and it would be ready for the first coat when he got home. Well, he outdid my expectations, and we cleaned out the room, taped it off, and he painted around the sockets, baseboard, windows, and ceiling before we went to bed on Friday night! So, we got the first full coat on on Saturday night and even had time to run out for supper while it dried and he put the first stain on the toy box (we have had this unfinished toy box since Christmas!). Sunday morning and afternoon, he finished it up and we moved the bed in before calling it a weekend! The bed that she is sleeping in is an antique sleigh bed that was Lee's as a child and it is absolutely gorgeous! I was a little nervous at first because it is definitely not a toddler bed and stands way above the ground with the mattress and box springs on it, but she hasn't fallen out yet (although I still haven't made it one night without checking on her)! The bedside table was in Lee's room as well. During the last months, we have been putting together the finishing touches. Since we are leaving the dresser/changing table in the baby's room, we were in search of a piece of furniture to hold shorts, shirts, shoes, etc. We found the perfect cubicle organizer at Target that fits great in her closet and it is cute! The bedding came from Target as well, it was a birthday present from Da'be and Nana and we love it! We picked up a cheap bookcase at Lowe's so that if it doesn't survive the crayon marks, bangs, and scratches that I am sure are to come, it won't be that big of a deal. Da'be made some gorgeous curtains and even had Uncle Gary cut out a crown for a topper, as well as found a "Princess" applique to go above the closet. There are a couple of items in Addison's room from my childhood as well, the picture above the bed used to be in my room and we just found a new frame for it and also the table and chair in the corner was mine and CC's growing up! We are extremely pleased with how everything turned out and appreciate everyone's help! Lee still can't believe that he now has two pink rooms in his house and at first, was refusing to paint another room pink, but I convinced him that you can't have a princess room that's not pink!!!

After...a room fit for a "princess"

The toy box...so nice to get all of the toys out of a wicker basket in the living room!

The beautiful curtains handmade with love...from Da'be