Matthew and Julie Stewart

Cade is One!!!

2011-10-10T13:57:00.000-07:00

Okay, so Cade has actually been one for over 2 weeks now, but in true Julie fashion, I'm late with the post ;) So much has happened in the last year and I really can't believe our little boy is already one. He has brought so much joy to our lives and has really made the transition to parenthood very easy. He is always so happy and is constantly makming me laugh. I love watching him learn and do new things every day. He has grown up so fast and I am so proud of the little man that he is.

Big Milestones for your first year:

Holding head up: 3-4 weeks old
Smiling for real: 4 weeks old
First plane trip: 6 weeks old (27 Oct 10)
Rolling over: 2.5 months old
First real laugh: 11 weeks old (06 Dec 10)
First two teeth (on the bottom): 4 months old
Next two teeth (top fangs): 5 months old
Officially crawling: 7 months old (13 Apr 11)
Clapping: 8.5 months old (03 Jun 11)
Standing by yourself: 9 months old (15 Jun 11)
First few steps: 9.5 months old (30 Jun 11)
First stitches :(: 9.5 months old (01 Jul 11)
Waving: 10 months old (14 Jul 11)
Officially walking: 10 months old

Weigh-Ins:

Birth: 8lbs 7 oz, 21.5 inches
2 months: 13 lbs 5 oz, 25 inches
4 months: 15 lbs 12 oz, ? inches
6 months: 17 lbs 4 oz, ? inches
10 months: 20 lbs 4 oz, 29.5 inches
12 months: 22 lbs, 30 inches

By the time you were one, you...

Have 15 teeth....FIVETEEN! And as of today, number 16 just started popping through
Have been to 5 different states, and even put your feet across the Mexico border ;)
Used to eat pretty much everything, but now you are in that horrible toddler phase where you are kinda picky and like to throw your food on the floor
Can pretty much say Mama, Dada, and baba.
Can sign "all done," "more," and "please." We are currently working on "thank you."
Lived in two different houses (one in Abilene and the other in Del Rio).
Had 7 double ear infections and your first set of tubes.

At this snapshot in time, you...

Like to dance and clap your hands, especially to the Fresh Beat Band.
Don't love watching tv, but when you do, your favorite shows seem to be Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Fresh Beat Band, Sesame Street, and especially Thomas the Train.
Just learned how to walk backwards and twirl in circles....and it is so funny to watch you do both.
Like to play peek-a-boo and are still really ticklish. By the way, you have the best laugh in the entire world....it melts my hear every time!
Are obsessed with the doggie door, which is a "no touch" and have even worked your way through it once
Do this really funny "cheese" face and smile all the time.
Finally finished breast-feeding and drinking formula, and are now on to drinking just whole milk....YAY!
Are still drinking milk from a bottle and water from a sippy cup, but in the next 2 weeks there will be no more bottles!
Sleep about 10-11 hours at night and are still taking 2 naps during the day for about 1-2 hours each.
Love being outside and playing in the dirt. You also love to take rides in your wagon.
Are very active and love to climb things....you even made it onto the tope of the coffee table a couple of times (which is impressive, but not allowed)
Really, really like chicken strips/nuggets. You can eat them for every meal!
Also have a big sweet tooth. I'm sure that has nothing to do with what you ate when you were in the womb :)
Wear a size 4 diaper, size 4 shoe, and mainly 12 month clothes.

Cade Matthew, you are such a sweet, happy boy. You are so filled with joy and laughter. You have forever changed our lives for the better, and we thank God for you every day. Thank you for making us so happy! We can't wait to see the man you become and we are so proud of you, sweet boy. Happy 1st year!

September 15th....just born

September (11 days old)
September (2 weeks old)

November (2 months old)

Christmas (3 months old)

January (4 months old)

March (6 months old)

May (8 months old)

September (12 months old)

Cade's 1st PTC 4th of July

2011-07-09T21:25:00.001-07:00

Once again I have proven that I am horribly bad and inconsistent at blogging. But before I try to catch up on the past 6 months, I decided to do a quick blog about our trip home to Georgia for not only Cade's first 4th of July, but his first Peachtree City 4th of July. It's pretty hard to explain the full extent of a PTC 4th of July, but let me just say that it is ridiculously awesome. It's definitely one of my favorite things to go back home for because they are really special. It's truly a spectacle to see thousands upon thousands of golf carts decked out in their finest 4th of July decorations and to see all the awesome floats in the PTC parade. I love riding the golf cart all around the city to see all the festivities. People start staking out there spots for the parade days in advance. There are thousands of golf carts out around the city, trying to find their perfect place to watch the fireworks. Although our trip was a little tainted by Cade's trip to the ER for 7 stitches in his top lip (I'll explain further in a separate post) I'm so glad we were able to go home for the 4th, visit with family and friends, and meet sweet little Patrick Arnold. We missed Matt and the Matthews family, but hopefully we can all be there for the next PTC 4th of July! Here are a few pics from our trip.

These are in backwards order, but I didn't feel like re-doing them...

This is how Cade watched the fireworks

Watching the fireworks on the golf cart with Opa and Ebbi

Me and my little man

Someone was very excited about the 4th of July :)

Going for a ride on the golf cart...he LOVED riding on the golf cart!

Sweet little Patrick (Patch)...I love him!!!!

Patch passed out while waiting for the fireworks

The girls blowing bubbles with Ebbi

Cade at the golf course getting ready for the fireworks

Niki and Patrick on our decked out golf cart...good job with the decorations Mom!

Cade loves his cousin Lainey

Cousins getting ready to go to the PTC parade

Bath time w/ the Arnold girls. My little Casper definitely takes after his daddy :)

3 Month Stats

2011-01-02T18:32:00.001-08:00

Well, once again I have found myself behind on the whole blogging thing. I'll try to get some Holiday stuff up later, but for now, here are some 3 month stats for Cade.

Cade, at 3 Months...

- You have already been to 3 states (Pennsylvania, Florida, and of course Texas) and on 4 plane rides.

- You do amazing in the car. We've done the trip from Abilene to Fort Worth numerous times and you have slept almost every time.

- You like the Child Development Center on base and flirt with all your providers.

- You don't like to sleep at the CDC, so you are really tired when I pick you up and sometimes don't even make it out the door before you are asleep :)

- You take a bottle really well, but still prefer to nurse. You would probably eat all day long if I let you.

- Right now you eat 4 oz bottles and still eat every 2.5-3 hours.

- You love to smile. You have the best smile in the whole world and can light up our day with that smile.

- You started laughing at the beginning of December and it is the best noise ever. You laugh the most when we tickle your stomach and neck.

- You seem to be quite the water baby and love taking a shower with mommy every night.

- You still don't like being on your tummy and tummy time usually only lasts 5-10 minutes at a time.

- You can roll from tummy to back and back to tummy, but you usually just hang out on your back. You don't seem to be in a rush to go anywhere.

- You do love to stand up and try to sit forward to grab your feet.

- You still sleep swaddled. You were doing so well sleeping in your crib at night and would go anywhere from 5-8 hours at a time. But recently you have been having a rough time and don't want to sleep in your crib.

- You love taking naps with mommy during the day...or maybe mommy loves taking naps with you during the day :)

- You just started teething and your hands are in your mouth ALL the time. You are quite the drooler and love to chomp on our fingers.

- You love to watch TV, especially football with daddy!

- You really like to talk now and make all kinds of funny noises.

- You also enjoy looking at yourself in the mirror. You like to laugh, raise your eyebrows, and flex for yourself.

Right now, you are...

- Wearing a size 2 diaper (we can kinda still squeeze you into some left over 1-2 Pampers)

- Wearing mostly 6 month clothes because you are too long for 3 months.

- At your 2 month check-up you weighed 13 lbs 5 oz and were 25 inches long (95th% for both height and weight)

Cade, you have developed so much personality and we are so blessed by you each and every day! It has been so much fun to watch you grow and to get to know you. You really are such a good baby and have made parenting seem easy (with just a few challenging times). Thank you for being such a joy to our lives!

Cade Laughing

2011-01-02T17:16:00.000-08:00

Please ignore my annoying sounds, but here's a video of Cade laughing at 3 months old.

This was crazy!

2010-11-12T08:02:00.001-08:00

I'm working on a new post with updates on Cade and pictures from our trip to Pennsylvania and Florida, but in the meantime I decided to do a quick post about some pictures I just came across. This is me at 41 weeks pregnant the day we checked in to the hospital to start the induction. I knew I was big, but I did not realize I had gotten THIS big...crazy! No wonder I was starting to get uncomfortable!

Cade Matthew Stewart

2010-10-10T13:05:00.001-07:00

I know this is once again a little overdue, but I wanted to post about our birth story and the arrival of Cade Matthew Stewart. So for those interested, here it is...

On the morning of Tuesday, September 14th, we went to the hospital for a final ultrasound. Because we were already a week overdue, our doctor wanted to get a good look at the baby to see what size he was and to check the fluids. Depending on the results of the ultrasound we would decide if we wanted to induce, wait, or do an elective c-section. Well, everything on the ultrasound looked great except for the fact that Cade was measuring in at 9lbs 4oz (plus or minus 20%). I realize that 20% is actually a really big difference, but we were a little scared that he could actually weigh more than that. After meeting with the doctor in the afternoon, we all decided that it was definitely time to get the baby out. Because I really wanted to avoid a c-section, but wasn't dilated at all, we opted to start induction that night.

Matt and I went home to tell our moms the good news and finish packing all of our stuff. An hour and a half later we were on our way back to the hospital. We decided to stop at Subway to grab a sandwich since we weren't sure if they were going to let me eat at the hospital. The nice thing about being induced is you can just take your time and be very prepared before you go to the hospital. I guess we were a little too relaxed about the whole thing because when we showed up to the hospital with like 20 bags they acted like we were so late. They immediately got us checked in. After Matt and I finally had to ask them how to put on the hospital gown they hooked me up to the IVs. Because I wasn't dilated at all, they gave me Cervadil to leave in overnight in the hopes I would soften up and start to dilate. I couldn't feel them but by the time they hooked me up to the monitors, I was already having some contractions. I guess I had been having them for a while, but I just didn't know they were contractions. Finally, they gave me some Ambien to sleep.

The next morning, the our night nurse, Nancy, came in at about 5:45 to remove the Cervadil and start me on the Pitocin...at that point I was still only dilated to not even 2cm. I started having some pretty serious back pains so she gave me some pain medicine, which was nice but it made me a little loopy. At about 7:00, the doctor came in and broke my water, which was definitely one of the most painful parts of the whole process. The nurses said that because this was my first child and an induction, the labor could last 12-24 hours from when he broke my water. At 9:45 I was still only a 3cm, but the contractions were really strong and I was experiencing quite a bit of pain. I decided to go ahead and order the epidural, which was the best decision of my life. I definitely feel like I experienced the pains of childbirth, but I think we timed it just right where I got the epidural at the point where it was starting to get very uncomfortable but yet I can say I still really enjoyed my labor. By 10:20 I was feeling the epidural and I felt awesome! I decided to take a little nap and in the meantime Matt decided to finally grab something to eat. Let me just say that it was one of the best naps of my life! Our day nurse, Amanda, came in at about 12:00 to check me and said that I had already progressed to about an 8-9 and that we were going to need to start pushing soon. I called Matt and told him that he needed to hurry up and get back up to the room if he wanted to be there for the delivery.

They had put me on oxygen because the baby's heartbeat had been dropping a little bit. Matt made it back to the room and was watching the monitors when he noticed that the baby's heartbeat was dropping really low. He went and told the nurses and that's when things started getting a little hectic. The nurses came back in and said that we were going to have to start pushing even though the doctor wasn't there yet. There were a lot of nurses because they were afraid that the baby was going to be too big and they were going to have to go in and get him out. Finally the doctor came in and we really started pushing. Apparently, the cord was wrapped around the baby's neck and every time I had a contraction it would tighten and his heart rate would drop...thank goodness Matt had vigilantly been watching the monitors. After about 15 minutes of pushing, Cade Matthew Stewart arrived at 1:04pm, weighing 8 lbs 7oz and perfectly healthy. Other than having a small episiotomy, everything went wonderfully and we really did have a great labor experience! Twenty-four hours later we were discharged from the hospital and on our way home to begin our journey as parents!

Here are a few pictures of our experience:

All packed up and about to leave for the hospital

Checked in for the night and about to get some sleep

Matt's all ready to go :)

I've got my epidural and my oxygen, so I'm feeling good!

Yay...he's finally here!

Getting to hold my sweet boy!

So in love with our new little man!

Welcome Cade Matthew!

My two loves!

Matt, Cade, and Nana

Cade with his Ebbi

Proud daddy overseeing things in the nursery

Enjoying our incredible sushi meal at the hospital...it was amazing!

Cute little baby feet

On the way home...he did great (for the whole 5 minute drive home :)

We're home!

Meeting big sister Kona and Gracie

OVERDUE!!!!

2010-09-09T20:46:00.001-07:00

It is past September 8th, so we are officially OVERDUE!!! I have to admit it was a little depressing to look at my "What to Expect" app today on my phone and see "You are past your due date." We had our doctor's appointment on Tuesday and there was officially no progress. And I know everyone has their own personal advice for how to induce labor, but trust me we have tried everything. We looked up on the internet and found "25 ways to induce labor." I've eaten spicy food, we've tried all the pressure points on the foot, I've had pedicures, we've walked almost every night, I've sat on the yoga ball, I've eaten almost an entire eggplant, and tons of other things. Matt and I even biked 10 miles and walked 2 miles on Monday, but we just have one stubborn little boy who is nice and comfy in there. Fortunately, the doctor did a quick ultrasound on Tuesday so we were able to see that he is healthy and safe in there. Because everything looked good and he had plenty of fluid in there, the doctor said we could go another week. We are scheduled to have a big hospital ultrasound next Tuesday where we will be able to get a very accurate weight and see if everything is still healthy. From there we will decide if we want to schedule an induction or try to wait to 42 weeks to see if Cade will come on his own. We are just so anxious to see our little boy and to finally meet him!

In the meantime, while we all wait anxiously, I decided to post a few more pictures of the nursery and stuff. We will definitely keep everyone posted if anything changes!

Mom pregnant with Niki...I think we look a lot a like.

Me at 38 weeks

The beginning of the nursery

Kona was very helpful :)

Isn't she so cute...I think she is starting to get a little overwhelmed with all the baby stuff.

Matt working on the curtains

Almost completed crib...

Nursery w/ almost everything hung

His little crib is ready for him :)

It's Baby Time!!!

2010-08-23T11:33:00.000-07:00

So obviously I've done a horrible job maintaining our blog. But, as everyone is probably well aware, we are expecting our first baby in about two weeks. So, I've decided to put a renewed effort into the Stewart family blog and can hopefully chronicle the journey of our growing family.

I'll try to give a fast forward version of the last 9 months. On December 31st, Matt and I found out that we were pregnant. Matt couldn't quite believe the news and made me take 2 pregnancy tests and then go to base and get a blood test...which, definitely came back positive! We were so excited when we found out that we were going to have a baby...now we just wondered if we would be carrying on the Van't Wout tradition of having a girl. Unfortunately, Matt deployed again in February for 4.5 months and wasn't able to be here when we found out. On April 10th, Mom and Trisha went with me to my ultrasound and we found out we were having a BOY. It was so amazing because Matt was able to call during the ultrasound and I was able to tell him the news and he got to hear the heartbeat for the first time! Cade Matthew and I took his first trip to Italy at the end of April with Ebbi, which was amazing! Matt returned home on June 23rd and got to feel Cade kick for the first time! It was definitely hard having Matt gone for 4.5 months of the pregnancy, but we feel so blessed that he gets to be here for the most important part. So far this pregnancy has been very easy and Cade seems to be very healthy and happy. Since Matt has been home we have been busy with baby showers, nursery decorating, and just plain baby preparation. Now we are down to the last 2 weeks (my due date is September 8th) and we are beyond excited to meet our sweet little boy!

Here's just a few pictures to sum up the last 9 months...I'll try to post more later!

This is when we told Opa and Ebbi they were gonna have another grandchild.

Trish, Mia, and I when we found out Cade was a BOY!

This is when I started to really show.

Me, Mom, and Cade on our wonderful Italy vacation

Cade's hand and profile shot during the 3D/4D ultrasound

Matt and I at one of our many wonderful showers...we are so blessed with such amazing friends and family!

Aunt Mo-mo, Aunt Fifi, Me and Cade

35 week belly shot...

Matt and I at 38 weeks

I feel like I've caught up a little bit. I'll try to post some more pictures of the nursery and the baby showers. And hopefully pretty soon we'll be able to post about Cade's arrival!

Okay, I'm really gonna blog this time....

2009-06-23T15:35:00.000-07:00

As many of you already know, Matt just recently left for his first deployment and will be gone for the next 4 months. We were so thoroughly enjoying the first few months we got to live together as husband and wife and doing the stuff normal married couples do that the time just flew by before he had to leave...but we know these are the joys of military life. I am so proud of Matt and all his hard work and training. He is probably one of the most patriotic people I have ever met and I know that he truly is proud to serve his country. I ask that you continue to keep him in your prayers that he will be safe and be able to endure that ridiculously hot, 120 degree weather. Here are a few pictures we took the day Matt left:

The Stewart family (complete with Kona)

Matt and his mom, Sherilyn

I know these next few months will suck, but I am determined to try to keep myself as busy as possible and to successfully maintain our house. I have already come up with a huge list of house projects to accomplish while Matt is gone and plan on chronicling these through this blog. Just in case you were curious here is my list of goals for this summer (so far):

1) Be master of the yard, which includes the following:

-Mow our ridiculously large yard regularly (even though I just broke our lawnmower :)

-Edge the lawn with the new edger Matt bought me as a present before he left (I love it)

-Try not to kill our new landscaping

-Plant some more flowers and maybe some vegetables

2) Finally get around to decorating the house (I have yet to hang a single picture)

3) Transform our crazy messy extra room into an actual office

4) Stain our fence

5) Knock out a few more Master's classes

6) And lose some weight and get fit (this one might be a bit optimistic)

Anyways, I'll let you know how these goals are progressing from time to time, as well as any updates from Matt. I would absolutely love to have some visitors this summer (I have plenty of room since it is just me and Kona) and would love to get together with whoever is interested.

Thanks again for your prayers!

-Julie

Happy Birthday Nocona!

2009-01-28T13:52:00.001-08:00

Well, our sweet baby girl, Kona, turned 1 on January 20th. I can't believe she is already a year old. So, I thought it would be a good reason to update the blog. She is currently staying with Matt's dad in Fort Worth and getting very spoiled. He is so amazing with her and even installed a doggie door just for her to stay with him. And as much as we would love to take credit for training her, he has pretty much done all of it. He taught her to shake, sit up on her butt, crawl, roll over, and play dead. His newest trick is for Kona to go outside and fetch the newspaper. I hate to brag, but she really is an awesome dog. I miss her so much and can't wait to get her back when we move to Abilene. Here are a few pictures from her first year....

The first day I brought her home

Giving kisses

Snuggling with Aunt Trisha

Sleeping in the bed...not an unusual occurrence

Cuddling up with her cousin, Major

That's the face that melts my heart :)

I always put clothes on her for fun

Sleeping in the car

Her and daddy

Playing dress up w/ her Uncle Marc (Stewart)

Updates (finally)

2009-01-11T13:38:00.000-08:00

So, I guess it is about time to update our blog since our wedding was over 3 months ago. The wedding turned out wonderfully and it was so nice to have our friends and family in Fort Worth to celebrate with us.

Here are a few pictures from the big day...

Matt and me in the historic stockyards

Outside the chapel at TCU

The love of my life

The sisters and Grandma

Well, I guess the biggest update in our lives is that after almost 3 years of long distance and 1 year of being married, Matt and I are finally getting stationed in the same place and will be living together as a married couple...YAY!!! We will be stationed at Dyess AFB in Abilene, Texas...which is only 2.5 hours from the DFW area and family. Matt will be finishing up with the last of his training in the next couple of weeks and I will be moving in the middle of February. In an answer to prayer, we found a house in Abilene and will be closing on January 23rd. It seems like we have been waiting forever for this day to come and now we are so excited for it to actually be here. We welcome any visitors to our soon-to-be new home in Abilene :)

October 4th, 2008- The Big Day

2008-08-05T19:40:00.000-07:00

We are going to attempt to use this blog as place to post all the useful information about our big day. Matt and I were engaged on September 7th, 2007 and as many of you probably know, were officially married in Peachtree City, GA on December 27th, 2007. We had a very small wedding with only our parents present in order to start the process of getting stationed together. Matt and I want to share our special day with all of our close friends and family and so we are very excited to be having "another" wedding this October. We are getting married on the TCU Campus where we first met and fell in love. The reception will be held in the Historic Stockyards. We can't wait to see everyone on October 4th, 2008 in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Ceremony:

6:00 pm

TCU Robert Carr Chapel

2855 University Drive

Fort Worth, TX

The Reception:

7:30

Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame

128 E. Exchange Avenue

Fort Worth, TX

---Hotel Information---

We have blocked rooms at the La Quinta Fort Worth North (817-222-2888) under vantwout/stewart wedding group rate (link #206). The wedding rate is a double room for $103 plus tax and you must reserve the room by Sept. 3rd.

The Hyatt Place at the Stockyards Station (817-378-1702) is located next door to the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, but they do not offer a discounted group rate.

---Registries---

Bed, Bath, and Beyond

Macy's

Williams-Sonoma

Note: When searching the registries you may need to look under "Julie Vant Wout" without an apostrophe, or it may be even easier to search under "Matthew Stewart." Once again, this would be another reason why I am very happy to now have Stewart as my last name :)