Carolina Grace and Madelyn Leigh

Mady's 3 months and Carolina 3 years!

2011-04-12T17:49:00.001-07:00

Mady, Mady, Mady Leigh!!

2011-01-26T10:15:00.000-08:00

Mady on her 3 week birthday & Nana on her 98th birthday!

Sleepy, peaceful, awesome baby girl!

Your big sister loving every minute of holding you!

You love the baby bjorn! Thank goodness b/c it means we can be hands free and deal, I mean play, with your sister :)

Have you ever seen such a perfect baby?! ha! She loves her crib!

Dear Mady - Seriously, you are the best - you are definitely baby number 2, you are patient, cuddly, and quiet. You eat well, sleep well, and burb well :) We all are so enamored by you! I can't promise as many photos and blog posts as I did with your sister, but I know you will understand! I swear we are taking photos, loving you and squeezing you every chance we get, but it comes with the territory girl (I know, I am a second child myself), if I blog about you once a month I will feel I am doing okay! Love you so much sweetie! Can't believe you are 4 weeks tomorrow! Love, Mommy

YIPPEE!!!!! Madelyn Leigh St. Charles is here!

2010-12-31T17:16:00.000-08:00

Welcomed on December 30th at 6:39am -7 lbs 14 oz.

The waiting game....

2010-12-26T17:42:00.000-08:00

The wait for Ms. Madelyn's arrival continues! We were thinking she would arrive before xmas, but I guess she has her own agenda and we will just have to wait to see how things unfold. We are all anxiously awaiting her arrival! Can't wait to meet you little girl.

Love, Mommy

Our Baby Girl

2010-11-27T09:03:00.000-08:00

Carolina Grace - 2yrs

More images at http://www.chrischeever.com/

Carolina Grace 2 years...going on 15!

2010-11-22T18:03:00.000-08:00

Jason and I were just discussing that we don't keep track of all the silly and amazing things that Carolina comes up with these days and that we really should! Mostly because she is hysterical, but also because she is the smartest 2 year old we have come across (we are completely biased, but we are okay with that!)

So I thought I would do a post with some of the Carolina quotes and happenings of the past week (that I can remember). There are so many that wish I always had my pen handy!

Carolina quotes:

"Mommy, can we buy a set of stairs for the condo? I really want an upstairs. Then we could put my playroom up there"

"Mommy, slow down (while I was driving her to daycare). There is a big truck coming and you need to be careful. Mommy, do you have your seatbelt on? Mommy, Whoa! Slow down, be careful, don't go too fast, we don't want an accident with the firetrucks and policemen"

"Daddy, you need to get your butt back here! We miss you daddy, we miss you crazy daddy"

"Mommy, my katie (babydoll) spit up 3 times today and needs to go to the doctor right away!"

"Memphis, you are making bad choices lately and I am going to put you in timeout in the bathroom"

"Mommy, can I wear my short sleeve pants today?" (i.e. shorts)

"Mommy, you better be careful or the baby is going to fall out of your belly"

There are so many more, these are just some of the ones that I can recall.

Her pretend play is also ever expanding and becoming so complex. She has full on adventures with her dolls and toys throughout the house. She will even take her play cell phone, go into her bedroom, shut the door, and ask for privacy while she calls Greyson from school [what!?! - her conversation are very cute too (i listen in of course) - she asks him what he is playing with and where he lives, haha!]. She carries around her purses all the time and goes grocery shopping with her stuffed animals, and also takes them to the doctors, etc. She is also very much into music (and always has been) and we throw crazy dance parties in the living room most nights! The girl could dance all night long I think if I let her!

We are so proud of her (and she will also tell you that if you ask her) because she is fully potty trained with the exception of bedtime! Thank goodness! Now onto getting her to stop sucking her thumb! Our next battle :) I think Jason should own that one since I solely tackled potty training! ha!

We love you Carolina and love being a part of your world! It is so much fun!

One belly shot for the record....

2010-11-21T10:43:00.000-08:00

33 weeks - Mommy & Madelyn!

I haven't exactly been into belly shots this time around (given I have been without a camera and without Jason to shoot any good ones)- but I thought for Madelyn's sake I would post at least one!

Happy Turkey Week!

A preview of our photo shoot! Enjoy! More pictures to come soon!

2010-11-13T09:31:00.000-08:00

Carolina Grace - 2 years, 7 months! Love that smile - makes me so happy!

The Peanut Posing for Daddy

2010-11-08T07:12:00.001-08:00

The Peanut picked out a Christmas outfit yesterday while shopping - she fell in love with this little dress and wanted to take pictures and send them to Daddy. I only have my camera on my phone so they didn't come out so well - but you can see how excited she was to pose for Daddy in her new Christmas outfit. She is getting so big! Ahhh!

9 more weeks to go!

2010-11-01T13:10:00.000-07:00

Can't wait to meet you Madelyn!

And your big sister is so excited too!

We may decide to induce you on January 1, 2011...hope you don't mind if I pick your birthday for you! This way both you and your sister both have holiday birthday's! How very cool!

However, feel free to come sooner! We would love a December baby!

See you soon! Love, Mom

Halloween Comparisons!

2010-10-26T17:06:00.001-07:00

Halloween 2008

Halloween 2009

Halloween 2010

Our little ladybug with her favorite teacher, Ms. Amy. The costume only lasted about 5 minutes and then got ripped off, otherwise I would have gotten a pictures with me and her! ha! Oh well - maybe on Sunday we will have more luck.

Happy Halloween Everyone!~

Forgot to post this one! - oops!

2010-08-31T09:51:00.000-07:00

Dear Sweet Baby M,

We are all getting so excited to meet you! You have begun to kick and punch and wiggle around inside of me and I absolutely love the feeling! We will be moving back to Indiana in just a few short days and we can not wait to start a nursery for you! We got you a beautiful crib that is a deep brown wood and just gorgeous! I will be painting my old dresser white for you to use and we got you a brand new rocking chair that is chocolate brown to match your crib! I hope to add some purple and pink to make it all girly for you just like your sister's room! Speaking of your sister, she loves to play in your crib! She also loves to pick out stuffed animals for you and to let me know which of her toys she will be sharing with you! She also picked out a cute outfit for us to put you in on your way home from the hospital. We of course already got 'little sister' and 'big sister' shirts for you both! Can't wait for the day you can wear yours!

Love, Mommy, Daddy and Carolina!

We have our name -

2010-08-17T09:54:00.000-07:00

So you can take your thinking caps off :)

We are not sharing, at least not now..but it is pretty popular so you could probably guess what it is if you tried - and no it does not being with an "A".

Excited to meet our girl in 20 weeks or less!

Today's the Day!

2010-08-11T06:40:00.000-07:00

I will keep everyone posted as soon as we know! I can't believe how many people have voted 'boy'! Ha!

UPDATE: Everyone was WRONG!!! It's a GIRL! More pink for the St. Charles'! Carolina is so excited to have a baby sister :)

EIGHT DAYS !!!

2010-08-03T07:35:00.001-07:00

We can't wait! Just 8 days until we find out the sex :) Yippee!!!!

Baby Names

2010-07-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

Picking a baby name has proven to be much more challenging this time around. I will give you all a small hint in that our top name today for both a boy and a girl start with an "A" so most likely this blog will read 'Little Miss C and Little Mr/Miss A' in the next 5-6 months, but I don't REALLY know! We are completely torn when it comes to names. Even our top names are not definite by any means - we are open to having them tossed and new ones brought in, they are just the best we have come up with so far. We are open to being swayed by others this time around so if you have any you would like to suggest, please go right ahead! We would love to hear them! 16 days until we find out the sex, so that ought to help us focus!

Beach

2010-07-19T17:51:00.000-07:00

Being her typical goofy self.... dancing away!

Beautiful scenary

Frightened of the sand

Hanging with baby doll Emma and watching the waves

Finally adjusting to the beach and building a sandcastle with daddy

Showing Daddy her sandcastle building skills!

15 months and busy

2010-07-18T16:48:00.001-07:00

We are still here. I have some cute pics to post from our trip to Boston, but I need Jason to downsize them as they are huge and will not upload. We are busier than ever with Jason taking 3 classes and working most nights too. I don't think either of us have ever worked this hard and it is definitely taking a toll on both of us. It is ultimately all going to take us in the right direction, but certainly challenging us daily. We are looking forward to a long weekend in August and for school to wind down a bit! Carolina and I have had lots of time to bond at the pool this summer and at the park. We found a custard place that we both love so that has become something of a ritual on Sunday's for us too! This city is definitely not one that I would recommend, adding some additional stress to our everyday and therefore we are already talking seriously about our next steps to get out! That's about it for now. Pictures to follow. - And we should know the sex of baby number 2 on August 11th at 1pm, just a few weeks away!

Silly baby, just chillin

2010-06-24T16:33:00.000-07:00

We had a nice, long ultrasound today with 2 u/s technicians as one was being trained. It was GREAT! We got to watch the baby for about 30 minutes and he/she was so active! I think I remember Carolina being very active too during our first big u/s. This baby was so funny, just chillin in the photo above with it's legs crossed and a little smirk on it's face while giving us a little wave. We got another good pic where you can actually count the fingers which was neat. Jason was thrilled that there was 5 :) All in all, good day. HR = 153bpm and everything looked good!

Blah.

2010-06-20T16:17:00.000-07:00

After a round of I.V. Fluids and I.V. Zofran I am feeling like myself again. This pregnancy has officially veered way off track. Weds night the nausea hit bad and I have been out of commission since then so today we decided after a 5lb weight loss I should get some fluids and anti-nausea meds rather than go into another work week having to take time off while still being unable to take care of Carolina. I am really glad I made this decision as I am feeling much better. Hoping this all subsides in a weeks time. I guess with this new symptom everyone is thinking boy, not just me! Hope everyone enjoyed the photos I shared in my previous post.

Summer Photos by Jason. Enjoy!

2010-06-18T06:20:00.000-07:00

Another due date? Seriously?

2010-06-15T11:32:00.001-07:00

Had another appt yesterday (took miss C with me) and we waited an hour and a half to be seen...thankfully I was well prepared with juice box, milk, books, gummies, applesauce, etc...I have learned to expect nothing but the worst in this city especially after waiting close to 2 hours for my ultrasound last week! After the long wait we got to hear the heartbeat again. All is well. Heartbeat 167bpm with the doppler. They decided I am 2 days ahead of where they originally thought? A January 6th due date. Seriously. How many times will they change my due date? Whatever. 1st week of January is about as specific as I am getting at this point as they don't have a clue! Baby healthy, mommy healthy, due date unknown :) Genetic testing up next week with more ultrasound photos!

Photos of Carolina coming too as I haven't update her photos lately and Jason has taken some gorgeous shots of her!

Ultrasound photo

2010-06-12T09:26:00.001-07:00

So my scanner stinks and this was the best photo I could get on here. You really can't tell that it is a baby, but I would feel awful if baby number 2 didn't get the same exposure on here as baby number 1. So here you have it. My ultrasound at 9 weeks. Another ultrasound photo to follow at 12 weeks. Hoping you can at least recognize that it is a baby at that point :)

Healthy Heartbeat

2010-06-05T17:47:00.000-07:00

Ultrasound --- CHECK!

Heartbeat - 169bpm. Baby is doing just fine. Some pictures to follow once I get the energy to scan them. I am not nearly as far as long as expected, only 9 weeks. We will have to wait on genetic testing until June 24th....We have a NEW due date of Jan 8th. Feels so much farther away than December 22 given it is a whole new year! BUT.... no complaining here, just so happy to hear a heartbeat!

Ultrasound :)

2010-06-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

I can not wait! Tomorrow at this time I will be 1.5 hours away from my FIRST ultrasound with peanut number 2. I am sooooooooooooo excited :) Jason and Carolina are taking time away from their busy schedules to come with me! I am so glad they are both able to join me in this awesome experience! Pictures to follow!!!

2010-05-30T18:04:00.000-07:00

Just for the record. My gut is saying boy. I have no girl names. And any that do cross my mind make me nauseous. Therefore, it must be a boy. Boy names don't make me nauseous. I am also having different symptoms. Migraines that hit at 4pm and make me run out of my office early, craving for fruit, any and all fruit, and heartburn which keeps me up at night (I definitely don't remember that until my third trimester with C). Okay, I feel better now that is it on the record. Boy.

No news....

2010-05-21T07:11:00.000-07:00

Is good news?

I suppose?

...to quote my mother.

They are thinking I am 8 weeks, but they don't KNOW. They did not get a heartbeat, but say everything is fine and I should not worry. Here I wait. Originally until June 15th....but just got a call that it will be June 4th at 2:30pm that we will have our "dating ultrasound" so I can finally determine when our little peanut #2 is expected to be born! Oh the anxiety! - I suppose I should just be happy and content that everything seems fine thus far and soon enough I will have my answers!

I wish I knew.....

2010-05-18T05:17:00.000-07:00

How far along I was! The unknown is driving me crazy! I am so anxious/excited/nervous for my appt on Thursday when they will hopefully ultrasound me and let me know where I am and when my due date is. My blood work was all out of wack 2 weeks ago like it was with Carolina (although is looking good right now) so I really want to know where I am at in my first trimester??? Since last Friday, the symptoms have started to kick in. I am even more tired, even more nauseous and even more irritable than I was with Carolina (I think...). I am feeling pretty crappy and hoping that I can get through this long work week. If we were still in Indy my OB would have already given me an ultrasound making this even more frustrating....

Sitting here...Really, really, hoping I will be able to share some ultrasound pictures later this week.

Carolina has turned a corner. She is behaving better and I only hope this continues. She still can throw some major tantrums, but all in all, I think she is better now, than she was in February....ahhh I can see the light at the end of the tantrum tunnel and I hope we keep heading in that direction.

Here we go again~

2010-05-03T12:04:00.000-07:00

Baby St. Charles Number Two.......coming this Christmas!

We are super duper ridiculously excited to meet you! Just as we were with your big sister almost 3 years ago! Yep, that's right, I am about 7 weeks pregnant and already having the exact same symptoms I did with Carolina, well sort of, I am not having any food cravings at all and hardly any nausea, but, I am oh so very sleepy! I am getting myself all psyched for our first ultrasound on May 20th! Can't wait to get a sneak peek at you :)

Big Girl Bed!!

2010-04-23T18:14:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Miss C turned 2 years old......and now she has upgraded, (sort of) to the big girl version of her crib! First night tonight and doing great! Awesome big girl stuff happening....if we could only master potty training....I guess I shouldn't push it!

LOTS OF Birthday Pics!!!

2010-04-04T17:37:00.000-07:00

Carolina Grace & Caroline Rebecca

Me and Caroline

Aunt Bev & Carolina

Yum!

Callie enjoying her cake!

Carolina with her new veterinarian barbie!

Taking a break and watching the kids play in the yard.

Love this shot. She is definitely 2!

Brand new tricycle!

Happy Birthday to you....

2010-04-01T19:06:00.000-07:00

Dear Carolina, WE LOVE YOU!!! You were such a perfect birthday girl today! You definitely KNEW today was your day! The happiness streamed from your face all day until the all the sugar set in and you crashed :) We can't believe you are 2 years old! Love you, Mommy & Daddy

7 days until 2

2010-03-25T09:25:00.000-07:00

An early b-day gift....New crocs! Amazing how many hours of entertainment we have gotten out of purchasing her a pair of shoes she can actually put on her own feet without our help.
St. Patty's Day in the 'burgh :)
Silly late nights with all the great weather!
Peakaboo, We just love our screened in porch. A requirement for all future homes we live in! Just the perfect place to let our toddler play and "feel" like she is outside!

We are heading to Boston on Saturday. Looking forward to celebrating Birthday number 2 with the Gammy and Papa! A long drive ahead with a dog and a toddler. A perfect combination to ensure we all need lots of adult beverages upon arrival!!

Outside Mommy!!! Please!!!!

2010-03-10T17:39:00.000-08:00

Our new neighborhood in Pittsburgh...we can finally see the grass!

Some remnants of the snow on our sidewalks.

Carolina mesmerized by all the kids on their bikes and scooters!

Our playground that we will likely be visiting every day now that the sun has arrived!

Smiles ...no more hats and gloves!

23 Months Old.

2010-03-01T18:00:00.000-08:00

Our baby girl. Is turning TWO. Just a few weeks away. We should likely starting planning the party. Feels like just yesterday we were hanging the decorations for her 1st birthday party. Strange how times goes by. Seems like a perfect way to bring on spring! I remember, the day she was born, so rainy, and gray outside, and then, as soon as we stepped outside, spring was upon us. And last year, on her 1st birthday, 65 degrees, sunny, gorgeous, perfection. We even played in the yard a bit. April 1st. A wonderful day. We are all looking forward to our big girl turning 2 and the sunshine that will coming with that day!

Carolina Grace at 22 Months....

2010-02-20T16:51:00.000-08:00

Blue Eyed Beauty!

Children's Museum/Snowy Days

2010-02-14T15:36:00.000-08:00

Checking out the fish....so mesmerized
Our new home in Pittsburgh!
The park covered in snow.
Taking a stroll through the Children's Museum
Her favorite part of the museum (the doll house). She looks less than thrilled, but really loved it!

The search for quality child care.....

2010-02-09T08:49:00.000-08:00

We have been looking high and low for the perfect daycare for Carolina. We are not partial to either a daycare or a nanny, either would be fine, honestly. We just want a good fit. We have found that city living actually limits one's ability to find a decent daycare and in some cases a good nanny. One must move to the suburbs to find high quality daycare. It has made me want to drop what I am doing and open a daycare in the city of Pittsburgh that caters to people with higher standards than what is currently available.... That competes with the Goddard's, Primrose's, etc. of the suburbs! There must be a market, right? I am amazed by the lack of a personal touch at each of the daycares I have checked out. They are, in fact, watching children, shouldn't there be a personal touch? To my amazement, I have found more geniune people at doggy daycare's than at some of the children's daycare facilities! Anyways, the search continues. I am new here, there may be options I am missing, but for now, my disappointment continues.

The peanut is above, hugging her new favorite bubby, "little lamb bubby". Such a cutie, I just can't settle for anything but the best!

We have arrived in Pittsburgh!

2010-01-26T06:22:00.000-08:00

We have been getting settled in over the past week and think we have found a daycare and some kids in the neighbhorhood for Carolina to play with!

We were happily greeted 2 nights ago by 3 little kids at our front door with a plate of cookies to welcome us to the neighborhood! They then invited us for pizza and a playdate last night. Carolina got to play with Emelio, Maggie and Corina for 2 hours and could not have been happier to see children and socialize!

So far, so good, from Pittsburgh!

Here are some photos of the peanut loving her new potty!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T15:35:00.000-08:00

There has been a lot of one on one time over the last few days! It has been challenging, given the cold weather and inability to play outdoors, but we have made the most of it and all had a lot of fun! We have colored, played with our new chalkboard, played in the snow, and recovered from our sickness. Now it's back to reality! Big changes ahead. We are all so excited for our new adventures to come in 2010. Happy New Year to Everyone! We hope to be able to spend lots of time with family and friends this year!

Merry Christmas!!!!

2009-12-24T13:34:00.000-08:00

Things have been a bit crazy this Christmas, but we are all taking it in stride. ESPECIALLY the Peanut! She has taken things to another level, running half naked is a nightly routine. And pants on her head is just about the funniest thing she has ever come up with!

Hope everyone has a happy, happy holiday!! Much love!

School Photos of Our Peanut at 19 months!

2009-12-17T07:04:00.000-08:00

If they could have only gotten her to smile :)

Twenty Months Old..

2009-12-02T10:49:00.001-08:00

Can you believe it? We are a mere 4 months away Carolina's 2nd birthday! Amazing!

And, in other important news, WELCOME to Henry Cahill born last night; 8lbs 14oz, and 21 inches! Congrats Ben, Megan & Mallory!

Turkey Day 2009!

2009-11-26T17:59:00.001-08:00

Turkey Day 2008

Big Difference from Last Year! The girls had LOTS of fun playing together!

Turkey Day 2009!

School Photos

2009-11-17T08:43:00.000-08:00

Carolina is having school photos done today. Looking forward to see how they come out! I will share with everyone in a few weeks. In the meantime, Miss C is growing, talking, and sprouting an attitude! She is beginning to learn her colors and shapes and is amazing us everyday with her language. These days everything is "cute". Memphis is cute, the cars are cute, and her purses are cute! She is also obsessed with macaroni and cheese, applesauce, and of course, popsicles (the only treat she gets at this point!). She is still a daddy's girl, and likely to always be one! She loves bath time and bubbles with her daddy every night and trying to sing along with him and dance with him after bath time is done. Some nights we wish she would just sit still for 5 minutes, but she really has no interest in watching television, she just wants to run and jump and play. Her only quiet time includes coloring and all she ever wants us to draw are kitties and circles. Most mornings start with a request for her "crayons" or a "pen" and then "kitty please"! She is putting 3 words together and using her please and thank you's which we love to hear.

Paris - a city of beauty, lights, amazing pastries, wine and coffee, and so many adventures!/ Halloween Day with our Ballerina!

2009-11-02T16:43:00.001-08:00

Halloween Photos from daycare

2009-10-21T03:37:00.000-07:00

Playing ghost bowling with daddy

With her best friend Kai

Being cute

October 2009

2009-10-06T17:15:00.000-07:00

September 2009

2009-09-16T11:55:00.000-07:00

Coloring

Telling Mommy to get the camera out of my face.

Sleepy

Eating Pizza

August Part 2

2009-08-26T16:55:00.000-07:00

August Pictures!

2009-08-10T16:56:00.000-07:00

Videos!

2009-08-10T16:19:00.001-07:00

August 10, 2009. Little Miss Carolina (16 months) and Daddy playing after daycare.