Margaret Louise Waddill

Baby Margaret was born on Tuesday October 16, 2012 at 11:56am. She weighed 7 lbs 10 oz and is 20.75 inches long. We are slowly getting adjusted to life as a bigger family! Maggie is a good baby but as expected she keeps us on our toes and not sleeping a whole lot!

Claire absolutely LOVES her baby sister. She runs out of her room every morning to look for her and says "Good Morning Baby Maggie!" She is also a big helper telling us when it's time to change the baby's diaper. We have been really lucky so far at how Claire acts around her. It is a really heartwarming thing to watch.

Our only small issue so far is that Claire has been a little ornery with her momma and daddy. We are in the middle of the big "NO" phase and are looking forward to getting out of this one!

Luckily Clay gets paternity leave with the Navy so he is home for 2 weeks. He heads back to work next Tuesday. It has been so helpful having him here with us as we adjust to our new life.

So, finally, here our some pictures of Maggie! I went ahead and attached a whole album, I think that will be easier to get through the photos. If you click the photo below it should take you to the website.

We can't wait for everyone to meet her!

Margaret Louise Waddill

Walk to End Alzheimer's

This year our family is doing the Walk to End Alzheimer's for the second year in a row. I wish this disease didn't affect our family, but unfortunately one in eight older Americans have Alzheimer's so the chances are you know someone affected as well.

My grandpa was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2009, and passed away from pneumonia a short time after. I found out I was pregnant with Claire at the time he was in the hospital. To this day I am saddened to think he never got to meet his great-granddaughter and that I didn't get to tell him I was pregnant. Especially since he was dropping hints about Clay & I having kids since the day we were married! I know he is looking over Claire and all of us.

Last year, actually a year ago this past Sunday we lost my father-in-law to kidney failure. He had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in late 2010, and later with frontal-lobe dementia in 2011. Standing by helpless as my husband and mother-in-law tried to take care of him is something I will never forget. It is such a horrible disease to go through for everyone involved. How do you comprehend your father not knowing who you are anymore?

The awareness we now have of this disease has led us to the involvement with the Walk to End Alzheimer's. It is an inspiring event and although it is a small way to get involved, it helps to know we make some kind of difference!

If you'd like to donate to our team for the walk this year, please click on the link below. Every little bit counts and my family appreciates it!


http://act.alz.org/goto/amywaddill


P.S. Pictures of Maggie coming soon, I'm downloading them as I type!

Patiently Waiting

So no news yet!  Maggie must be quite comfortable.  In the meantime, we've been keeping busy.  Claire is doing really well at school and absolutely loves going.  We are so glad she has adjusted so well.
Last week Claire and I went to a Horse Stable with the mom's club we are in.  Thankfully Cindy came with us to help because I'm definitely not moving around quite as good these days with my huge belly getting in the way!  It was a little hot, but we still had a blast.  We went on a hayride and they had a little playground for the kids.  The best part was Claire riding on the horse!  For the first hour she kept saying "NO ride the horsey" and watching all her friends do it.  Finally Cindy took her over there when there wasn't a line and she got right on!  And rode all by herself!  I was so proud of her.  She was smiling and she loved it.  When she got off she yelled out "Yay!  I did it!"  It was so cute.
Today Clay was off work for Columbus day so we went to Mellow Mushroom and Claire got to make her own pizza.  She had a blast.  She actually did a really good job!  She loves to pretend cook so it was perfect to do it for real.  It was the first time she had pepperoni on her pizza and she ate it up.  We had fun.
Hoping Maggie will make her appearance soon - the big due date is Friday!  If anyone wants to guess her birthday visit our pool:
  http://bebepool.com/amywaddill

Nursery Complete!

We finally finished Maggie's room!  It took awhile because we decided to put a daybed in there for our family guests.  We ordered it from Rooms To Go over a month ago and finally got it delivered this week!

Needless to say it is a little tight in there, but we made it work!  I think it turned out great, we hope Maggie will love it!

Dinner Conversation

Just for a little laugh...
This would be one of our typical dinner conversations. I'll take bets that someone will be an actress one day.

VIDEO: Dinner Conversation

Full Term Friday!

Hard to believe it, but I will be 37 weeks - full term - tomorrow! We are ready whenever Maggie is. I am still feeling pretty good overall, but definitely getting uncomfortable and having trouble sleeping. Luckily I can take a little rest during the day while Claire naps! We are very excited and can't wait to meet Baby Maggie.

Claire is doing great! She is absolutely loving school now, we've gone 2 weeks with no tears. She gets so excited when she wakes up on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and I tell her she has school. She has started bringing home artwork too! I don't know how I will ever be able to get rid of anything she makes at school.
Claire is also doing better at dance, too. For the first 3 weeks she cried and didn't want to go into the class, but as soon as the class started she would stop crying. I get to sit in the lobby and watch her on video during the class, so it was a relief to see her stop crying so quickly. The last 2 classes she hasn't cried at all though! This week she even wore her ballet shoes, something she has refused to do until now. Now we just have to get her interested in the actual class! Most of the time she lays on the floor, looks at herself in the mirror, or runs around. I think that will come in time as she gets used to the idea of the class.
We are so proud of how well she is adjusting to all of these changes. I know it will be another big transition when Maggie comes but we have full confidence in her and know she will be a great big sister!

Baby Shower for Maggie

Last weekend we celebrated Baby Maggie! Ce-Ce threw a beautiful shower and everyone had a wonderful time. We got lots of cute and useful stuff, and as I hit 36 weeks we are thankful we don't have but a few more things to get for baby's arrival!
As you can see from the pictures, Claire had fun as well. A few people brought her presents so she had a great time!

School Time!

Claire is now officially a school girl! She started at Beaches United Methodist Early Learning Center two days a week, Tuesday and Thursday. The first day went great! She walked right in and starting playing. The second day was the kicker, since she knew exactly what was going on.
Thursday was a rough drop-off. She started crying as soon as she saw her lunchbox and backpack out at home! She walked in the classroom crying and I just had to turn around and leave. The hardest part was that she tried to follow me out. It was so sad, and I cried and cried after I got in the car!
The good news was when I went back to pick her up, she was very happy and actually didn't want to leave! The teacher said she had stopped crying soon after I left and was fine the rest of the day.
As expected, with a whole weekend in between today's drop-off was bad, maybe a little worse. She didn't even want to walk in the door. I keep telling myself it will take some time, and that she does like it once she is there. It is tough being 2!

Dentist and Dancing

Busy week for Claire! Monday was her first ever dentist appointment. Let's just say it went as well as you'd expect your first ever dentist appointment to go. She freaked out! She loved the waiting area - it is a pediatric dentist with a big play area and huge fish tank. But as soon we crossed over to the "other side" and she saw the chairs and tools she knew she did not want to be there!
Luckily the staff and dentist were super nice, and knew just how to handle it. I'm guessing that's something they see pretty often! Her teeth look great and we will try again in 6 months!
This year we decided to sign Claire up for dance, so her first class was Wednesday! She cried when everyone went into the classroom and DID NOT want to go. I finally coaxed her into the room (which means I carried her!). When I snuck out she was still crying but not too long after that she stopped. They have a little video monitor the parents can watch to see what they are doing in class. One little snag we will have to work on is that she did the whole class barefoot! She refused to put her shoes on. When they switched to tap shoes I thought she'd want to do that, but the teacher chased her around the room a couple times and gave up. So I'm sure we will work our way up to that!
So next is school! Monday we go meet her teacher for an orientation and then Tuesday is her first day. She will be going from 9-1 on Tuesday and Thursday. I'm pretty nervous but I know she will love it - even if it takes a little while to warm up to it!
And finally, an update on Maggie! Today was my 32 week ultrasound and appointment. She is measuring right on track. They are estimating her to be in the 7 lb range when she is born. Not too bad! But a little bigger than Claire was! My blood pressure is good and I'm feeling fairly well. Definitely getting tired easier, but managing! We are finally painting the nursery this weekend so I'll post pictures soon!
I'll leave you with a few recent pictures. Enjoy :)

Jack & the Beanstalk

I think everyone knows how much Claire likes to read her books.
Recently we received a hand-me-down from her 2nd cousin Olivia. It is a collection of nursery rhymes and Claire is hooked!
Her favorites so far are Little Red Riding Hood, Chicken Licken, and Jack & the Beanstalk. Here she is reading Jack!

First Haircut!

Today I took Claire for her first ever haircut! I drove out pretty far to a place that is just for kids called Doodle Doo's. SO worth the drive! She got to pick out a DVD to watch while they cut her hair. We picked a Disney Princess storybook movie that she has at home. She loved telling her hair stylist all about Ariel, Sebastian and Flounder. It was great that they kept her occupied! She even got to sit in a boat with her babydoll in the back.
She was a little timid at first, especially when they tried to paint her fingernails. She was not into that AT ALL. So they just wiped it off and went on to the hair cut. She was fine with it! The hair stylist gave her some bubbles to blow and she held on to them for dear life. Luckily I was able to get them back from her when she was all done.
My biggest fear with the haircut was that her curls would be gone - but they aren't at all! Her hair is actually even curlier now that it is cleaned up. It looks great and mama is hoping that means an easier time combing through it in the morning.

We have so many firsts coming up this month, can't wait to share them all. Next week Claire has her first ever dentist appointment! Then on Wednesday she has her first ever dance class. I am so excited that I signed her up! She is going to take an hour long class that is half ballet and half tap. She LOVES her tap shoes. Somehow she already knows a tap song. As soon as she put them on she started singing "tap, tap, tap your feet 1-and-2-and-3..." who knows where that came from! But she is all set with her leotards, tights, ballet shoes, and tap shoes. I am sure I will have LOTS of pictures to document all of it!

Introducing Baby Maggie (almost)

This week we had our 2nd attempt at a 3D ultrasound for Maggie. The first one she was breach and all curled up. She had her feet and umbilical cord all in front of her face and was not going to budge for anything. So we went back this week and not a whole lot had changed! She is no longer breach (yay!) but still had her feet and the umbilical cord in her face. Luckily we got a few good shots! They look a little funky in her mouth/cheek area because you are actually seeing the umbilical cord instead of her.

Yep, that's a foot in her eye! The funny thing is I kept saying the whole appointment that she looks exactly like Claire. Clay and Ce-Ce did not believe me, but I have Claire's 3D ultrasound pic to prove it! Take a look and see what you think.

We can't wait to meet her in person!

Re-launch!

So I totally slacked off on the blog thing. I don't know why, I just couldn't keep up with it. But now that we have our new addition joining us in October I'm going to start again! I've decided to make Thursday my blog day. So the goal is for me to post something every Thursday - even if it is just a quick Claire story or whatever.
We've been very busy lately! I am now 31 weeks pregnant (tomorrow). This pregnancy has absolutely flown by. We are expecting baby Maggie October 12. There have been some small bumps in the pregnancy, but thankfully nothing too serious. I just have to remember to rest when I can. Hard to do with a rambunctious 2 year old!
Claire is growing everyday. She starts school August 28! I enrolled her in a 2-year old class twice a week. It is at a Methodist Church at the beach. I am so nervous about taking her, but I know she will love it! She will go Tuesday & Thursday from 9-1. I even have to pack her a lunch! Hard to believe my little girl will be in school.
Clay is keeping busy. He made O-4 (Lieutenant Commander) in March. He then found out last month that he will be a Department Head in HAWAII. That was quite a shock. Luckily the way the timing works we won't have to be there until January 2014. I think I need that long to wrap my head around NOT living in Jacksonville. We have been so fortunate to be near family for so long. Now it is time for a new chapter in the Waddill family!
Last week Clay and I celebrated our 6-year anniversary. It is hard to believe it has been 6 years since we got married, but then I think about all the stuff we have done in those 6 years and it amazes me! To celebrate we took Claire on a little family vacation before the baby comes and things get hectic for awhile. We went to a family beach resort at Palm Coast. Claire had an absolute blast swimming the whole time. It was nice for us to get away!

Girl's Day at MOSH

This weekend was a girl's weekend for Claire and I! Clay went camping at a state park outside of Orlando for the weekend with some friends from college. Quite a cold weekend for camping but he had fun catching up with old friends. Claire and I had some fun too!

Saturday morning we headed out to MOSH (Museum of Science & History) with my friend Amy & her daughter Addy. Addy is just a few months younger than Claire. We walked around the museum and even caught a Sesame Street planetarium show. The girls did really well during the show, and it was pretty loud and dark. There were a couple times that Claire said "I go bye-bye!" and "all done!" but she mostly enjoyed it.

Waiting for the show to start

Afterwards we had some lunch and said bye-bye Addy! Then Claire took an extremely long nap after all that fun.

Ladies who Lunch

Unfortunately the rest of the weekend was spent staying inside as we both got hit hard with horrible colds. We had fun relaxing and watching lots of movies... Baby Einstein of course.

The Cookie Song

So, Claire is most definitely our little cookie monster. She is obsessed with them, and yes I mostly blame her Ce-Ce for giving them to her.

Anyway, she now asks for a cookie after every meal, even breakfast. She even associates Publix with a free cookie. Every time I tell her we are going to Publix her immediate reaction is "I go in car!" and "I have cookie!". (car refers to the lovely cart in the form of a car that is the hardest thing in the world to steer).

The other day she was watching one of her favorite shows, Barney, when they started singing a cookie song! She now sings it ALL the time and I just can't help but laugh. The words are actually "Lookie, Lookie, it's a Cookie Cookie, A Cookie that I'm going to eat."

Claire's version is much better... Wookie! Wookie! It's a Cookie! Cookie!

So now after every meal, and even at random spots throughout the day our conversation is something like this:
Claire: Cookie please!
Me: No Cookies Claire
Claire: No Cookies?? Cookies please!
Me: No response
Claire: WOOKIE! WOOKIE! It's a COOKIE! COOKIE!
Me: No Cookies Claire, it's (insert: breakfast time, 11:00, 2:00, bedtime, etc.)
And trying not to laugh of course!


So does anyone know of any healthy cookie recipes????

The Zoo!

Ellll...aphant!

Today we spent a beautiful Sunday morning at the Zoo! Clay had been wanting to go for quite sometime, and today's weather was just perfect for it.

Feeding the giraffe!

Claire loved it as much as we knew she would! We walked through and said "HI!" to all of the animals, and then when we walked away from each of the exhibits she had to say "BYE-BYE!" to each of them. She was especially excited to see the elephants and the giraffe! She was mesmerized watching all of the animals and we had so much fun.

Look! Lions!

Big Hug!

So Claire is most definitely a hugger. There are some nights she just goes back and forth between Clay and I saying "give mama hug!" and "give dada hug!" over and over. We, of course, love every second of it!

After a busy morning we had just gotten home. It was close to nap time and I walked in on Claire in the guest room giving hugs to a picture frame! It just so happened to be a picture from a very long time ago of us, the Moreno's, and Clay's mom and dad at a local restaurant. I ran and grabbed the video camera and got lucky... lately she stops whatever she is doing as soon as she sees the camera.

Enjoy!



p.s. please ignore christmas wrapping paper that has not been put up yet. thanks.

Whirlwind Christmas!

We had such a wonderful Christmas this year! It was so much fun watching Claire enjoy everything this year. She loved spending time with family and was such a good girl. We have SO many pictures it was hard to narrow everything down... but this is basically our Christmas in a quick photo slideshow!