It's a .......

Charlie! In case you hadn't heard, we found out earlier this week that Baby #2 is clearly a boy. Based on the ultrasound shot, there will not be any chance of Maddie getting a sister....those who have seen the pictures will agree. : ) I had reschedule my appointment so Steve could attend, and then his trip to Japan was rescheduled and he left that day. So, he got an update over the phone in between flights. I think we are all pretty excited. I'm happy to be getting one of each so we can be done. Steve's already campaigning for #3. You can choose your team, but be warned that I am meaner than Steve...especially when I'm pregnant.

Maddie is busy growing up. She has learned some more animal sounds and a few more words. She says outside, Maddie, colors, gabba and jack (t.v. shows) and I'm pretty sure she said picture the other night. She hasn't figured out what to think about her dad not being here. She says over and over, "daddy bye-bye, bye daddy". Every vehicle, person, and sometimes animal leads to the "daddy?" question. I have a feeling there is a man named Steve that is 14 hours ahead of us having the same feeling about her! She has been having some horrible diapers and tantrums on top of that. I'm not sure what is going on, but possibly she is getting her 2-year molars. I have tried to feel in there, but she always bites me. When I flip her upside down I can see the top ones aren't in, but I can't figure a way to get her to show me the bottom.

This is a little old, but thought the absolute joy in a fresh chocolate chip cookie was too good not to post.

This is Daredevil Mads standing on the picnic table on her first camping trip. Steve got a new tent for his birthday, so we tested it out on a one night trip to Fox Ridge State Park south of Charleston. Luckily, we were close to home. The rain moved in that night and I wasn't in much of a mood for being soggy all day.

I guess this is Werewolf Mads. We met up with my mom, who was keeping Lucy and William, and we went to a pumpkin patch in her neck of the woods. She mostly enjoyed playing on the slide and hasn't even looked at her pumpkin again.

Trying on Dad's shoes. She likes to wear any shoes, whether they fit or not. They are especially fun if they make loud clacking noises on our wood floors.

She was giving her blanket and her Baa the tightest hug in the backseat.

I took this tonight. She wanted 'waada', so I put a little ice in her straw cup. Then I asked if it felt cold. She immediately grabbed it tight and clenched her jaws like it was freezing her hands off.

Steve called tonight and said he and his fellow American co-worker were taking a train to Kyoto for some sight-seeing. The way their trip fell, he will be getting a 3-day weekend in Japan to enjoy some sights and time to himself. It sounds like they are headed to Mt. Fuji on Monday. We can't wait to see him back next Friday!