Thinkin' Pink

Well it's official - Baby #3 is Girl #3! We had an inconclusive ultrasound on the 4th, but after a rescan on the 5th she was able to make herself known. Yesterday was a day of adjustment for me. My motherly instinct, along with all of my friends, told me this was for sure a boy. Some instinct huh! At first I really didn't care what the baby was I was just happy to be pregnant, but as the pregnancy went on I started to lean towards wanting a boy. I wanted the chance to do something different, buy little polo shirts and have that mother/son bond. I know I love little girls and will adore this little girl as well. So after a day of major rethinking I can see the joy in having 3 little princesses around the house. Such sweet giggles and joyful music already fill our house, I'm sure this one will join right in. I certainly don't want to think about the teenage years, but they are a long way off. For now, I'm going to focus on the blessing of a healthy little girl who is well on her way to having a very special name picked just for her.

I told Erin I was sorry that we couldn't give her a brother and she said, "That's okay mommy, God knows what's best for us." What an awesome role model she already is for her little sisters. So princess #3 will arrive in December, a true Christmas present. Until then we'll have fun preparing for her by moving her big sisters into the same room and probably transforming the playroom into a princess castle! We are definitely Thinkin' Pink around here!

Happy 2nd Birthday Anna

I can't believe our baby is 2! She is such a joy and adds so much life and love to our family. Anna has a very sweet personality mixed with a little spunk. She is very determined to do anything she sets her mind to, which is usually something big sister is doing. I love watching her walk around the house and silently get into everything.
The first 2 years of her life haven't been easy. Somedays I feel like she should already be 6 years old with all she's had to go through. But she teaches us something new everyday. She's taught me to be thankful for everything she can do, not regretful about the things she can't. We try to find joy in every little milestone she makes even if it is just a small step. She is so quick to catch onto sign language and right now that's her primary method of communication. She is making advances in her speech and I know with time and practice, it will come.
If I could remember one thing about Anna right now it would be how much she loves and shows loves. Since she can't verbally tell us she loves us, she shows us. Anna is our snuggle bug. She loves to be held and cuddled. She gives hugs and kisses all the time. Her sweet smile lets us know that she understands how much we love her. So here's to a year of tremendous growth in so many ways for our Anna Banana as she becomes a big sister and an even more beautiful little girl.

Our sweet little angel!

A Preacher, a Bobble and an Elmo Cake Maker.

There he is ELMO!

Singing to Anna!

Couldn't wait to dig in.

Oh yeah, this is good.

Anna's 1st real baby doll - it goes potty!

A purse just for Anna.

Anna's own princess dress.

A new dollhouse.

An upgraded kitchen.

Peach Pickin' and Ferry Ridin'

Cody and Erin - fruity friends

Picking the just right ones

Ahhh....got my hands on one

We tried to teach Anna how to pick

We decided to try something we've never done before, but always wanted to this last Saturday. We took the drive down to Knott's Island to go Peach Picking. It's only about 45 minutes away and it was a very peaceful drive. Peach picking was great and very easy. The only thing was that we filled our bag so fast because the peaches are so big. Erin really enjoys picking any kind of fruit and I enjoy cobbler, so it works out! Anna had a fun time, but she desperately wanted to sink her teeth into a peach. The Jackson's came along for the excursion since Cody and Erin are fruit pickin' friends. After we were done we headed over to the ferry and took the ferry ride over to Currituck. Anna loved being on the boat, and of course Erin and Cody had fun having a picnic on the boat. It was a nice, relaxing morning and it felt like we had been on a mini-vacation!

Updates and Ramblings

Just wanted to give a quick update, mostly on Anna. We have scheduled an ENT appointment for August 25th. I wasn't thrilled at how far away that was since I see my child as a priority! I tried to explain that to the nurse, but she said this is just how it is. That appt. will just be an initial consultation and then he'll set up a visit with the VP specialist. I've done a little research on the internet, but don't know quite the severity of her issue so I'll just be patient and wait for the Doctor's recommendations.

In the meantime Anna caught strep throat from who knows where. So she's been a cranky little pistol this week. I really thought the doctor would say it was just teething or her being 2, but at least there's an antibiotic for this. The doctor is also going to try and get me a sooner ENT appointmen since I was able to talk to her about my concerns.

I've been searching the internet like crazy for Madagascar 2 birthday supplies. Erin wants that theme for her family birthday and lucky me, they don't carry it in any stores. I can order from Birthday Direct, but then I have to pay shipping. So birthday season is about to be in full bloom here at the Maggiores, and between Elmo, Madagascar and Princess stuff we've got every spectrum covered! It's a very exciting time of year for us and throw in an ultrasound, it doesn't get any better.

I felt the baby move for the first time on Tuesday (the 14th) and have felt "it" every day since. Joe even felt it last night which I thought was very odd for only being 17 weeks. Looks like we've got a kicker in there!

Lots of posts to follow as the birthdays begin. Hope everyone is doing well, I'm trying to keep up with all of your happenings and busy summers!

Blueberry Pickin'

We went blueberry pickin' today with our buds the Jacksons. Cody and Erin have quite a fun time picking together. Anna enjoyed eating the berries as we picked them. It was a little humid, but overcast and not too hot so it made for a perfect morning. We even snagged a few blackberries while there, and Anna liked those too! Now it's pie time!

One Great 4th of July

It was a fantastic, firework filled 4th of July with a party on Friday night at the park and then all day Saturday. We had a lunch cook out at the Nieter's pool and then after naps hit the beach with friends for the fireworks. It was a perfect day with lots of food, family, friends, and fireworks!

Anna wanted to keep Canon company
The crazy 4 singing the National Anthem

Erin wasn't so sure about the fireworks

Maw Maw and Bobble with the girls.

Erin got some good swim practice in.

Anna was quite the diva in the pool

Erin and her bud Harrison

Anna just about fell asleep before the fireworks

All the kiddos at the beach ready for the fireworks.

MawMaw's Original 6

Before Baby Eva and my next baby were born MawMaw wanted to have a portrait of the original 6 made. After many attempts in the studio room and one final attempt to get everyone looking and somewhat smiling - we are very pleased with the outcome. I was happy also to get a cute shot of the girls together. I wish I knew how to make them bigger for you, but I was lucky I figured this out! Caleb - 8, Noah - 6, Erin - 4, Samara - 4, Anna - 23 mos., Blake - 15 mos.