tutu much

Maggie will not take off her "princess dress" — not to eat, sleep or daydream. 

It has begun.

catch 'em if you can

I came out from putting Lydia down for a nap to find this:

In case you can't tell, it's Adam sliding goldfish crackers down measuring tape into a swaddled-Maggie's mouth. 


You know ... typical Thursday. 

So happy. 

Taking a breather.

It's coming ... focus, focus.

Goal!

hot stuff

How does Maggie feel about the 79-degree weather?


Meh.

love letters

My daughter is a nerd.


She is obsessed with her ABCs. Like, seriously obsessed. 


She sings them. She recognizes them. (There are one gajillion "Xs" on the freeway, I'll have you know.) She giggles at them. She uses funny voices to recite them. She longs to watch YouTube videos about them. 


And yes, I think she loves them so much she wants to marry them. 


She even loves letters when she thinks no one is listening, as evidenced by this sneaky audio recording we took of Mags when she was supposed to be falling asleep. (We're stealth like that.) Her room was pitch black, but nothing could keep her from basking in the light of letter love. 

moms say the darndest things

THINGS I APPARENTLY SAY TO MY DAUGHTER:
(Because, you know, she totally now says them to me.)


"It's not a toy!"


"Just a minute."


"Sure!"


"You hungry?" 
(This is, naturally, how she states that SHE is hungry. I love it too much to correct her.)


"Bye you hungry."
(I don't say this one, but Maggie does when I tell her it's not time for lunch yet. I won't be correcting this one, either.)


"Hey look at this."


"Or ... " 
(Usually after I've offered a suggestion for lunch.)


"How 'bout this one?"


"Don't bite it!"


"I'm coming, Lydi!" or "It's OK, Lydi!" 
(Said to Lydi when she cries. And don't worry — Maggie likes to cry while she's saying it. Sister solidarity? Try, "That's so super annoying, Lydi.")


"Oh so pretty!"


"No splashing!"


"What did you do?!"


"Crying's not gonna help you." 
(Typically said whilst she's sobbing, of course. But my favorite moment? When she told a tearful Lydia that crying wasn't going to help her, either. It's hard out there for a toddler.) 

take five

Oh, hello.

Five things I've learned from being a mother of two (so far) ...


1. You will call each child by the other child's name. A lot. 


2. If you AND your two girls are all crying at the same time, your husband will laugh good naturedly whilst simultaneously praying your third child will be a boy. (Not that this has ever happened to me.)


3. Sometimes I pray (like, literally pray) no one will ever knock on my door for fear that they'll see my house between designated "pick up after Maggie" times. Or, you know, for fear that they'll catch me in my pajamas. At 11 a.m. 


4. Matching sister PJs are ah-dorable. But if both children are indeed babies — and you attempt to take a picture of them whilst being alone (rookie alert!) — it's so not gonna happen. 

See ya, sister.

5. My heart almost can't handle all this love. It's kind of totally insane. 

listing lydia

Have you met my Lydi? You should. 


She's little, she's lovely, and she's, oh, so listable. (And we all know how I feel about lists.)


1. Lydia is a cuddler. She'll sleep anywhere, but she prefers your chest or shoulder, thank you very much. 


2. Oh, and sleeping? She LOVES it. This 4-week-old is already giving me six-hour stretches at night. (Do you think this has anything to do with us threatening her in the womb?)


3. She reminds me so much of newborn Maggie. She even pulls some of the exact same faces Maggie did at this age. It makes my heart burst. 


4. Lydi's obsessed with being tightly swaddled — just like Maggie was. Have you seen these swaddle blankets? I'm almost positive they're the reason my girls love to sleep.


5. She is greeted every morning to Maggie sprinting into her room screaming, "Good morning, Lydia!" It's very soothing, I'm sure. 


6. She loves to stick her legs out crazy straight and up in the air. She actually did it moments after being born, which the nurses thought was hilarious.


7. Lydi's labor and delivery was as sweet as she is. Makes me want to give birth 100 times. 


8. She forgave me for sobbing at random the week after she was born, since I get weepy for circa six days after I have babies. (Makes me want to re-think the 100 births. Oh, hormones.)


9. Lydia's middle name is Carol — after Adam's mom. Both my girls are named after their grandmas (Mags is Margaret Diane), and it makes me so, so happy. I can't wait for them to realize the incredible women they're connected to.  


10. She's already being a good sport about me taking hundreds of pictures of her for Lydia by the Week. (Yep! I'm doing it again.) If you're not careful, the cuteness will make you week in the knees. 


Here are some outtakes from Week 4 (with fake captions by Lydia, obviously).

"Let's do this, yo."

"What pose should I do next?"

"Pensive — always a winner."

"What the what?"

 "Oh, you wanted a smile, didn't you? Typical."

angel of mine

In the middle of being a mother of two (ack!), I remembered that when I was a mother of one, my first born was downright angelic on Christmas Eve.


You may want to turn up the volume — Mags chose to whisper a couple of her lines. You know, dramatic license and all that ...

lydia carol stewart

December 28, 2011 brought us our beautiful, beautiful baby girl.


She's perfect.


Labor was fun (again).


Adam is my favorite (again).


And I'm in love (again).  


Happy New Year, indeed. 

THE STATS

Weight 6 pounds 7 ounces

Length 18 inches

Hair Blonde

now maggie ...

Just a few 17-month-old Maggie tidbits I don't want to forget ... 


Warning: This mother of a post is mostly for my memory (and for grandparents). Feel free to skim or skip if it's not your cup of blog. :)


1. Margaret is never not talking. She parrots everything we say — including our tones. Why say "hi" when you can say, "hiiiiiiiii!" in varying pitch?


2. This girl has got dance moves beating out of her bones. And her preferred style? Raised eyebrows (my fav), a bopping head and a dramatic bounce from foot to foot. 


3. She calls her Aunti Kara "Waka." It's adorable, but also odd, considering this is the girl who perfectly pronounces words like "patience" and "broccoli." (Does my sly broccoli reference make me sound like a super healthy mom? Ha!)


4. Speaking of patience, she hasn't quite grasped the concept yet. She says "patience" when she knows she needs to wait for things, but it's usually followed by an annoyed "arghh!"


5. In addition to the "Backyardigans," Mags is obsessed with the cartoon "Super Why!" She regularly hands me the remote and says, "Remote! Why! Please!" 

6. Anytime I open the fridge, she sprints to it, opens the drawer and says, "Orange! Peel it! Orange! Peel it!"


7. She kisses my belly regularly and says "Hi, sis." She also regularly kisses her dad's belly to say hello to her sister. We're working on this.


8. We got her a "Leaptop," and every time she picks it up she says, "e-mail, e-mail!" 


9. She loves to push around the cute baby stroller her Grandma Stewart got her. However, she typically likes to take out her baby doll, throw her on the ground, and then stroll sans baby. (We're working on this, too, little sis.)


10. Margaret goes up to things she KNOWS she's not supposed to touch and says, "Don't touch. Mommy's!" She of course does this with a smirk WHILST touching it. Stinker.

11. Maggie still loves sleep. When we put her to bed, she tells us, "Bye! Night night! Love you!" She has essentially ruined us for our other children. Our expectations for sleeping babies are pretty much ridiculous. 


12. She FINALLY goes to nursery in two weeks. Our angelic child can be a downright terror at church, and nursery will be the glorious answer to all of our prayers (including Maggie's).


13. In what may be Adam's proudest moment as a father, Maggie lays down, fake snores and then spontaneously pops up and says, "Wake up!"


14. Maggie learned how to go down the stairs solo a couple months ago, and when she was learning we gave her words of encouragement. As a result, she now goes down the stairs telling herself, "Turn around. Good job. Good Girl. Focus. Great!"


15. We spell out her name, at the end of which she throws up her hands and squeals "Maggie!" She also helps us spell it (we alternate letters), although much of the time she gets lazy and goes straight to, "I ... E ... Maggie!" (And then proceeds to clap for herself, obviously.)


16. Maggie's obsessed with iPhones and iPads. Her favorite activities? Scrolling through the home screen, watching "Backyardigans" on the Netflix app, roll calling the picture album, and constantly viewing one of Kelly Clarkson's music videos (girl's got taste). 


17. My baby is a full-fledged kid now. What the what?

ladies first

Did I mention we're having another girl? 


Because we're so totally having another girl.

This is Maggie practicing being a big sis with her doll. 

Rest assured — we're working on the "never shake a keiki" part. 

obsess much

Sister Erin knit this delicious (apparently literally) dress 
for Mags before she was born.

Things I'm currently obsessed with — in a very particular order.


1. THE BABY BUMP. It has grown. Overnight. I'm 21 weeks, and I look like I did at almost 30 weeks with Mags. Just like riding a bike? Try just like having a baby.


2. THE MARGARET. Currently ... the way she says her name ("Mah-GEE!"), how she says "love you" to me when I say it to her (or when she thinks it'll get her food), how she giggles with delight when we put her to bed at night, and how she walks into a room and casually says, "Hi guys."


3. THE FOOD NETWORK. Specifically, "Food Network Star," "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" and "Giada at Home." (Even though it drives me batty that Giada is the queen of talking normally and then saying Italian words with a jarringly intense accent. Crazy annoying, Giada.) But I know what you're all wondering. Does this make me cook more? No, silly!


4. THE MATERNITY JEANS. My first pregnancy, I felt like it was a badge of honor that I didn't wear maternity jeans until 20 weeks. This time, I started wearing them at 13 weeks. Oh, that blessed elastic waist band. It's like wearing pajama pants — all the delightful day long. 


5. THE BACKYARDIGANS. Have you seen this cuter-than-life cartoon? Maggie loves it, but I think I might love it even more than she does. And thanks to these colorful creatures, Maggie knows what a pirate says. I will always love you for that, Backyardigans.

january 2012

In six months time, baby No. 2 is coming to an Adam and Bri near you. 


And we couldn't be more thrilled. Or tired. :)


How's Mags feeling about it?

"Ummm, baby what now? This concerns me."

"I guess it makes sense. I am 'SO big.'"

"Wait, does this mean your camera time will be split between the two of us and I'll no longer have to escape Dad's grasp as he tries to pose me by the flowers? 

Big sister it is!"

num, num, num

1. Maggie turned 1. (I know. You so already knew that.)


2. She devoured cake. Twice. (Once on her birthday, once at her family party yesterday.)


3. She likes to make "num, num, num" noises when she eats something she loves. Triple cute.


4. As you'll see in the video below, Maggie parroted me — all while keeping her eyes on the crumbs at hand. Four the love.


5. I've watched this video way more than five times. 





Want more pics of the party and its girl? Oh, OK. If you insist.


My only regret is that we didn't get pictures of all the party-goers! Lame and a half. How to the ever ... we love you all. (Why, yes, I did just say how to the ever.)

This is the cake sister-in-law, Amy, and I made together. Cute, right?

Also, I pretty much can't say enough amazing things about Amy. But I'll try anyway ...

I love her. She's whip smart in the kitchen. I love her. She makes me smile. I love her. She's generous (with time and talents). Oh, and I love her.

We made a big cake for the adults, a baby cake for my baby, and little meringue sandwiches to snack on.

When your new soccer ball looks like a ladybug, it gets kisses.

(Also, this picture is proof Mags had clothes on for at least part of the party.)

Tissue = Maggie's favorite present.

Hands just slow you down.

"What have I done?"

"Saved some for later, that's what."

our 1 and only

Happy Birthday to the little girl who changed our lives and charmed our hearts. 

We love you, Margaret Diane — it's almost ridiculous how much. 

P.S. Remember how Mags went from this ...

... to this? Sob!

If you look closely, you'll see that my daughter is now capable of a ponytail (of the itty bitty variety). Happy birthday to me!

along for the ride

Last weekend we went biking with my sister, Kara. 


Yes, this is the same Kara that learned how to ride a bike three years ago. Adam taught her how to ride in our church parking lot. He held on to the back of her seat and ran with her as she wobbled along. He's cute.


And more than a thousand days later, Kara owns three gorgeous bikes, regularly frequents the bike blog land (yes, there is such a thing), and dreams about spokes, baskets, bells and whistles. 


We Hallstroms may be late bloomers to certain hobbies, but we promise to obsess appropriately once we've found our stride. (See also: TV shows on DVD.)


Here's a glimpse into our fun ride with my fun sister. It was Maggie's first time two-wheeling it, and I'm glad it was with her cray-cray cute Auntie Kara.


Love you, Kara-Lara! Until we bike again ...

Utah is pretty.

Picture-perfect Kara.

Bottle + bike ride = Maggie bliss.

Kara peeking out of the golden weeds? Super, super cute. 

Doesn't Adam look hard core? (Answer: Why yes, yes he does.)

Margaret is nothing if not helpful.

Yes, Maggie wears a collared shirt, cardi and glitter shoes to go bike riding. 

That's just how she rolls.