Busy weekend...

Playing with puzzles at the library

More puzzles

Luke found the jewelry basket!

I love how Izzy is looking at Luke in this pic

Izzy would slide first, turn around and great Luke on his way down

Luke LOVES swinging...

Izzy does not

Timid at the Children's Museum's carousel

Iz and mommy

Jaime & Luke in the tree house

Izzy kept on peering out of the oversized playhouse, her fave

Luke wasn't a fan of the playhouse

This weekend boasted beautiful weather and lots of fun activities for us. Friday night we had friends over for a long walk and dinner. Saturday was 77 degrees...so while Mike was out on a long run, Izzy and I walked to the library for reading/song hour. My mom had taken her last week and said it was quite an event, so we had to check it out. Izzy loved being read to and singing/dancing with lots of other kids. Super fun, and I can see us there a ton in the Fall when I'm home with a new little babe.

When we got back home, Izzy went down for a nap and Luke came over for a few hours while Jaime went to a wedding. It was so fun to watch a little boy play...he threw balls and played more quietly than Izzy does (she's a rambler/mumbler). As SOON as Izzy woke up, I grabbed Luke and we went up the the nursery...Izzy was ear-to-ear grinning and Luke ran to the crib and tried to push his head through the bars of the crib to get to Iz. I swear they are best friends, it's too cute. Izzy was so excited to see him that she couldn't even sit in her high chair for a snack. So we immediately loaded the two kiddos up in joggers and took them to the park. Having Luke there with her made her a bit more ambitious: girl went down the slide and ran all over the park b/c that's what her best bud was doing. During a drink/snack break, Luke even kissed Izzy...I cried. Watching these two grow up together is just priceless.

Sunday was rainy so we headed downtown with the Fellers to hit up the Children's Museum. Mike had just been there with Izzy (and my mom) so he knew what she liked and didn't. The carousel wasn't among her favorites. But we tried it anyway...and she was timid, but tolerated it better than last time. She, of course, found every play house in the building and was hard to tear away from the faux food. Nonetheless, it was a fun visit and we'll be headed back there soon...both the Fellers and us have memberships now! Fun!!!

Izzy's 18 month check-up

Isabelle turned 18 months old a few weeks ago and we celebrated with a trip to the pediatrician. Was fun, as my mom was able to go with us and witness the fun of bringing Izzy to the doc. She truly is a ham and loves any attention from new faces. Quite the show-off, she is. Her 18 month stats are:

-Weight 23 lbs 11 oz (50% percentile)

-Height 30 3/4 inches (20% percentile)

-Head 47 cm (75% percentile)

She continues to grow and maintain a steady pattern on her growth charts. Darn if that head won't stop growing, though!!!

Tea for two...

My mom was here for almost a week, and in that week she and Izzy were able to do a lot of quality bonding together. Mom picked up on a lot of her new fascinations, which include lots of reading & pretend play. They took trips to the Children's Museum and also the library, where they were able to explore both of these traits. Mom fed into Izzy's new found interests by reading to her before bedtime for upwards of an hour (this was hard to break Izzy of once mom left!) and buying Izzy a new tea set and pretend food/kitchen accessories. Needless to say, Izzy loves the new toys. She walks around with the little teacups and wants to "cheers" you and pretend she is pouring and sipping. She also pretends to cut the food and eat the faux food. Super cute. We had a great visit with mom and it was hard to say goodbye to her...especially Izzy :(

Izzy's going to have a SISTER!!!

Her profile
The "money shot"

3D pic...top right corner is her head and face (closed eyes, nose, lips) and her big belly

Another 3D pic...profile of her face and her hands are near her chin


This morning my mom, Mike, Isabelle and I ventured out to the OBGYN for our 20 week ultrasound. We learned that baby Mac #2 is a GIRL and is perfectly healthy and growing EXACTLY on target with my due date. All body parts are present and perfect: 4 chambers of the heart, all lobes of the brain, kidneys...you name it. We also discovered I have an anterior placenta (placenta is closest to the front of my belly, in between the baby and my belly). This means the kicks I feel are going to be less impactful, as there is a large cushion separating the baby and my tummy wall. Very interesting, as I had never heard of this and now I have 2 friends that also have an anterior placenta. Regardless, doctor isn't worried and says this is perfectly normal. Bottom line, we have a healthy, thriving baby and we are so lucky to be going through all of this again! Izzy's going to have a sister!!!

Happy Easter

We dyed some Easter eggs last night...Mike made a delicious ham dinner
Sitting down for dinnerIzzy enjoyed it...

A long, brisk walk

Cousin Taylor pushed Izzy

Aunt Kimmy snuggling

Reading with Grand Roo

This weekend was a beautiful one in Indy...not ONE single cloud in the sky and absolutely sunny! My mom flew in from Lake Tahoe and my sister and her kids drove down from Chicago for the holiday (mom is staying all week). We did the normal Keel things: ate, napped, went on long walks, played dominoes, dyed Easter eggs and played with Izzy. Was a good time. Now, back to the normal workweek. Sort of a big week, as we have our 20 week ultrasound on Tuesday to determine if baby Mac is growing and developing well and also to find out the gender. Stay tuned for the big news!!!

Such a girl..

Izzy loves her jewelry...taking it on and off all day long. Such a girl!

Always wants to be read to...

And is now starting to read to herself...

This weekend was another one spent at home without any major plans. Same old walks outside, playing in the backyard, napping, shopping and eating out. 'Tis our favorite way to spend the weekend.

Isabelle has always loved books (since she was teeny weeny)...but recently she's taken to reading them herself. Pointing to the pictures and "talking" like mommy does. In fact, Izzy will cry all the way through her nighttime diaper change and the second we sit down to read, she gets absolutely still and very in tune with the books for the 10-15 minutes that we read. Also, a new talent and skill Izzy loves is putting puzzles together and taking them apart. We have a bunch and she gets so excited when she completes one. Super cute.

My dad and step mom just sent me a note saying they hadn't seen any pictures of me on the blog lately. Um, there is reason for that...I'm rapidly getting larger and therefore try to stear clear of the pics. I am 19 weeks today, almost 1/2 way through. I feel the exact same as I did when I was pregnant with Iz; however, I'm obviously bigger sooner and have been feeling baby kick for about 3 weeks now (I felt Izzy at 19 weeks). Amazing...look how much smaller I was at 20 weeks with Isabelle:

I want a tan and long hair. ASAP. Wishful thinking...

Where did Spring go?

Katie and Izzy looking out the window at the SNOW!!
Since it was back in the 40's this weekend, we had to bring some outdoor activities indoors (hence the lawn mower above). Seriously, where did the Spring weather in the 60's and 70's go that we had just one short week ago? I'm just sayin'...

I miss running...

It's Mini Marathon training season. There are runners EVERYWHERE. My co-workers run at lunch. My husband runs all week. Given I'm pregnant, I walk. But boy, do I miss the training, the camaraderie, the runner's high. More importantly, I miss the long runs on Saturday morning with my bestie, Jaime. She is training for a marathon in California at the end of May. I miss running so much I just had to bundle up and walk (briskly) to watch Jaime finish a 1/2 marathon this weekend near our house. It was COLD but Izzy and I were excited to be there to cheer her on. When I saw Jaime come up the hill to the final stretch, I got choked up and so did she. Watching my best friend finish a great race made me so proud of her. I wanted to be running it with her so badly...so I ran the last few yards with her with Izzy in tow. Congrats, Jaim, and keep up the strong running!

The gal who took this picture asked if I ran the race with Izzy...um, I can barely run to the end of the block!

It's finally Spring!!!

Playing (on her tip toes) at the library
Izzy loved the tubes at the playground

Giving daddy a smooch through a peek hole

PEEK! Check out that static hair!

Who's there!?

Sweet...

Izzy was determined to climb UP the slides. To no avail. She wasn't happy that she couldn't reach the top. But did she ever try!

This weekend we spent a LOT of time outside...as it's officially Spring!!! Friday night Mike hung out with his buddies watching March Madness...while I hung out at home with one of my oldest and dearest friends from home, Erin. She was in town for business and we only had a few short hours together. After we put Izzy down we were able to spend several hours catching up. Priceless.

Saturday we walked to the library (we only live a mile away) for Izzy (and Mike's) first trip there. I spend a lot of time there, so it was special to share the inaugural visit with the two of them. We discovered books, toys, activity centers, other kids and simply had a great time. It was fun to watch Izzy play...she would get so excited that she'd shake her booty and get on her tip toes and yell, "Oh, yeah!" This has become her favorite excitable words. Lots of parents looked on and laughed...guess Izzy doesn't know library etiquette yet!

Sunday we walked to the park (we only live a mile away from this, too!) to enjoy the weather. Izzy was not a fan of the swing. Or the slides. Rather, she loved sitting in the large tubes watching all the kids and laughing/screaming at those around her. Towards the end of our hour visit, she started to warm up to the slides. But we'll have to keep going back to get her used to the equipment.

We are SO ready for more weekends like this!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Harp anyone?
Sporting her new jewelry

Hiding in the wagon

Peek! Izzy thought this was so funny!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!! Today was beautiful in Indy...in the high 60's! Izzy celebrated with green socks and some new green jewelry (thanks Lori!). Mike celebrated with a Black & Tan. And I celebrated by basking in the sun while Izzy played in the front yard.

For several months, Izzy has loved giving everyone "Cheers" when she is drinking. Why not Cheers daddy today? Here's to another beautiful day tomorrow...Cheers!

Mike's birthday week...

Mike's mom came down on Tuesday to spend time with Mike and Izzy for his birthday. I was at work while they played, so I only have these pics to share. Note in these pictures that Izzy is wearing a hat and carrying jewelry. This is her gig these days. She always wants a hat on and has to either be wearing her jewelry or holding her jewelry. Such a diva.

I have been traveling most of the week out East for business, when I returned I wanted nothing more than to lounge in my jammies. Which I did all day Saturday. Sunday welcomed beautiful 65 degree weather. Izzy and I went on a very long walk while Mike went downtown to meet some Wisconsin family members at the Big Ten Tourney. Then Iz and I went out shopping and returned home to go on another walk, this time with daddy. She enjoyed the red wagon coming out of retirement. So did Katie.

**We had our 16 week prenatal appointment last week and baby Mac is doing well. Growing and beating its little heart just perfectly! Next appointment is an ultrasound in 4 weeks, when my mom will be in town (!) to determine the sex and overall health of the baby. Super excited!!!