26 weeks pregnant...and Blast Off

I had my doctor's appointment today. I am 26 weeks along and have gained 16 pounds all together (5 in the last month). Not much to report, I will have another ultrasound done in 2 weeks to check my low lying placenta. The baby's heartbeat was higher than it has been but of course I had my glucose testing today so she was probably having a sugar rush.
Hopefully more to talk about in 2 weeks after the ultrasound.

Also last night we had "Blast Off" at Madalyn's school. We got to meet her 1st grade teacher, get her desk set up, and filled out lots of paperwork. Her teacher is super nice but poor Madalyn couldn't pronounce her name. I tried to take a picture of Madalyn and her but the camera didn't want to cooperate. So we will try again Tuesday morning on the first day of school.

How is Sophie going to get out of Mommy's tummy?

This is a picture of Mark and Madalyn when she was 2 days old while we were still in the hospital.

This is the question that Madalyn, our six and a half year old asked me tonight. She is really curious about why I go to the doctor every month, what the doctor does, and when he is going to get Sophie out.

So I was putting her to bed tonight and she said she had figured it out! She said that the doctor was going to cut me open and get Sophie out. So I figured this was a good time to have a talk... I told her that cutting me open was ONE way to get the baby out. So we talked some more and she just looked at me the rest of the conversation. She didn't ask anymore questions and I didn't offer anymore answers. I am sure her little mind will start wondering and more questions will be coming...

Last trip before 1st grade!

A few pictures of the girls at the Alamo.

First we have decided that it is really hard to take 2 kids to the Alamo and river walk. Second the reason we went was because Madalyn has been asking for quite a while to see the Alamo. I think we may stick to the beach for the next few family vacations especially with the baby coming!

We had a great time---despite the rain on Thursday from Hurricane Erin!

Friday we did Fiesta Texas, the river walk, and the Alamo. We had plans to watch High School Musical 2 in the hotel that night but our hotel had every channel but the Disney channel.

Saturday (today) we headed home, stopped in San Marcos at the outlet mall, and Cabela's.

AND WE ARE HOME NOW!!!

Now it is time to start getting to bed early, finish up a little school shopping, and making sure everything is ready for 1st grade!

A special gift...giving and receiving

Paul gave Madalyn this rainbow/sunshine craft he made at church probably around the age of 3 1/2. It has a bible verse on it that says: I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. Gen. 9:13

For Christmas this last year, Madalyn decided she wanted to make a Build A Bear wearing Jeff Gordon clothes for Paul. Mark and I took her there up to Dallas to Build A Bear, we made a very special wish on the heart that you put in the bear, and then she gave it to Paul for Christmas.

Well today Madalyn received a very special gift. Leigh and Terrell, Paul's parents, decided that they wanted to give this bear back to Madalyn so she could have something to remember him by, something to love on when she is missing Paul, and something to always remember the friendship they shared. For being so young, they had one of the best friendships I have ever witnessed.

I am glad that when I was 18 my parents moved across the street from Leigh and Terrell, I am glad that we got to know them when sweet tiny baby Jack was born, I am glad that when Terrell told my mom and I that they were going to be having Paul that I got to tell them that I was going to be having Madalyn, and I am glad that my mom and Leigh started mini play dates with Madalyn and Paul, and I am glad that Madalyn and Paul had such a wonderful bond between them that grew and grew. They would always tell Mark and I that they were going to get married one day; and let me tell you as the father of a little girl that was not easy for Mark to hear! I would have loved for that day to have come!

What a wonderful 4 1/2 years they got to spend together on this earth...

Missing Normal Life...

Well as of Saturday evening, Madalyn spent the night with my parents, Sunday night Loraly decided she wanted to spend the night with them. And tonight they are both spending the night with my sister. I miss them and am ready to get back to a regular scheduled life where my girls are here with me all the time. I know they are having a great time, especially with my sister's new kittens (6 of them) but I miss their sweet laughter, their hugs, kisses, and wanting to sleep in my bed and telling Daddy he has to sleep on the couch or their bed.
This morning when Madalyn and I woke up together she started the missing theme----she loves to makes friends and family pictures. So she decided to draw a picture for my niece. She drew a huge beautiful, shiny star in the middle of the page. She says "this is God's star". She then drew a smaller star on the side and said that one was Paul's star. ----See in her sweet little mind, when someone passes away and goes to heaven, they become a star in the sky so that we can wish upon them at nighttime and so they can watch over us day and night.----So more of the picture, she drew a picture of her next to the star with a space helmet on. And then planets around everything. This is her interpretation of what Paul is seeing as he looks down upon her from heaven.


She gave this drawing to my niece because she said she didn't want Kaitlyn to forget Paul...

10 Things Madalyn Misses about Paul

10. Eating Hershey's chocolate bars with each other

9. Seeing him in the hallways at school

8. Watching movies with him

7. Playing together at his house

6. Sending him letters and drawings

5. Getting his letters and drawings in the mail

4. Going trick or treating with him every Halloween

3. Going bowling and playing Putt Putt with him

2. Having him come to my dance class and watch my practice ballet

1. Having the bestest friend in the world!

We have a name---first and middle!

Ok so long story to her name: One night before we even knew what we were having Loraly (our 3 year old) started calling the baby (or my stomach) baby Sophie. She would not have it any other way! So thank goodness Mark and I liked the name also because she insisted. We told Madalyn when she came back home and she agreed.

So then it was on to middle names (after we found out it was a girl).

Mark and I are way too picky when it comes to our children's names. With the girls, we choose names that began with M and L because of Mark and Lindsay. Madalyn received the middle name Anna partly because I have always liked the name but partly because my maternal grandmother, and my mom both have Ann as a middle name.

So then came Loraly, whose nickname is LuluBelle. I wanted a name for her that started with a L and also had to end with a Y just like Lindsay, and I wanted her to have my middle name--Mica, because it was after my dad--Michael.

So Sophie is getting her name because her sister choose it for her. We couldn't come up with a middle name that fit the pattern of the other 2 girls----4 letters that both ended in A (Madalyn Anna and Loraly Mica).

So we put the 2 names Anna and Belle together. Belle comes from the nickname Loraly picked up along the way--LuluBelle. So all in all Sophie is named after both of her sisters.

I TOLD YOU WE WERE COMPLICATED!