Baby #2 is a GIRL!

We couldn't be happier by the news that Maddie's going to have a little sister by Fall. Since I have sisters myself, I know how great it is to have a sister. And I just know that Maddie will be a GREAT big sister.

Eric and I look forward to all those special sister moments to come.

Maddie and Cousin Mason Meet

My brother Mark, his wife Whitney and their sweet boy Mason visited us this past weekend. We had a wonderful time meeting Mason and Maddie really liked him - especially his toes! (ha!) Maddie kept touching Mason's feet the entire weekend.

We were supposed to meet Mason last month but Maddie got sick so we had to cancel our trip, so it was so nice to finally get the two cousins together. Mason has started to chuckle and smiles a lot. It was so fun to have a little baby in our house again.

Here's Maddie and Mason indulging us in a "photo shoot":

Playdate!

Last Wednesday (I'm a bit behind on my posts), Michelle and Erica hosted a wonderful playdate. The babies had lots of fun playing with Erica's toys and Erica was very good at sharing. The Mommies had lots of fun too and nibbled on fresh baked cookies, donut holes and lots of fruit. Mmmmm. Don't worry, we gave the babies some fruit and other snacks with a bit less sugar. :-)

As always, I enjoy playdates so much because I get to watch the babies play together and catch up with the Mommies at the same time. Maddie and I are lucky to have great friends to spend our weekdays with.

Father's Day 2010

Today we celebrated Maddie's Daddy. We started off the morning with breakfast tacos in the company of Uncle Mark, Aunt Whitney and sweet cousin Mason. Then, Daddy took Maddie to the park for some one-on-one time with her.

We had a nice afternoon at home and then took Daddy out to dinner to celebrate.

Maddie adores her Daddy for many reasons, but here are just a few: He reads her lots of books, gives the best horsie rides, and isn't afraid to be silly to make her laugh.

Maddie and I love you very much, Eric. Thank you for being such a wonderful Daddy.

Peacock Park

On Monday morning, Maddie and I met Michelle and Erica at Mayfield Park. It's a beautiful preserve which features over 20 peacocks roaming around and sitting in the trees. There are also pretty fish ponds and lots of plants to see.

Maddie and Erica enjoyed seeing the peacocks so close up.

Showing off his beautiful feathers:

Erica and Maddie check out the peacock:

BFF's in the Making:

Water and Sand Table

Eric and I bought Maddie a cute water & sand table to play with outside. I was a bit nervous about getting a full sandbox so a sand table was the perfect compromise. And we love that Maddie can have water play on days she doesn't swim. Maddie seemed to really enjoy her new toy.

Maddie's Going to Be a Big Sister

Yep, it's true! We're expecting baby #2 in November. I'm 16-weeks along and things have been good so far. Thankfully, my nausea has lessened quite a bit and I have more energy now.

Eric and I are excited about having a little sister or brother for Maddie to grow up with. It's so amazing to think that we'll be a family of four by the end of this year.

Something tells me Maddie is going to LOVE being a big sister. :-)

Memorial Day Swim

Eric and I took Maddie to our neighborhood pool this morning in an attempt to stay cool. Although Summer hasn't officially started, the hot Texas Summer heat arrived about 2-3 weeks ago. Hello 90s. Goodbye 70s.

Maddie loves to swim. Now that she's older, she tries to kick and paddle a bit and splashes a lot. I have a feeling we'll be spending a lot of time at pool this Summer.

Maddie Milestones We Want to Remember

Maddie seems to do new things all the time. I want to remember as much as I can, so I thought I'd write a few down.

• Knows how to wipe her mouth with a napkin.
• Can go up and down the stairs at our house by herself and without supervision.
• Gets a t-shirt out of my dresser drawer and brings it over to me when she sees me getting ready in the morning.
• Squeezes her fists together and shakes her body when she's being silly. It looks like she's have a fit of anger but she's laughing.
• Loves Taylor Swift with all her heart. We listen to her music all the time.
• Has just enough hair to wear a small hair clip.
• Is most certainly right-handed like her Daddy.
• Likes to pretend to talk on the phone.

Maddie Beats Pneumonia

Last week was pretty tough on Maddie, Eric and me because Maddie had pneumonia. Poor girl battled a high fever, cough, congestion, terrible sore throat and many sleepless nights.

It broke my heart to see Maddie so sick and sad. She wasn't the happy, energetic baby I know and she even lost her appetite. We had planned to meet my family in the Hill Country this weekend for a camping trip but had to cancel so Maddie had plenty of time to recover.

Thankfully, Maddie is feeling much better and is pretty much back to her happy self. Since I had kept Maddie at home for over a week, Eric and I decided to take her to a park this morning to let her get some fresh air and play.

It's so wonderful to see her healthy and smiling again.

Park Pictures: