Change is coming

I cannot believe it is already the end of June! We have enjoyed so many exciting change in the past several weeks and we are getting ready for another huge move.

We closed on out house in STL last week and we are getting ready for the big move back to the Mid-west. We move in less than a month and things are starting to get real. Max has made so many great friends over the past year. I never expected that either of us would grow so attached to Baltimore or the wonderful people we have met during our time here.

Over the next month, we plan to spend time with our dear friends. Max will miss Iya, Coo Coo, Co Co, Ashuck, Jsa Jsa and of course, Tessa. He loves is friends so much!

Zoey is getting so BIG! She gained 3 pounds during her first month and is spending more and more time awake with each passing day. She sleeps really well at night and is such a little joy to be around. Max is such a great big brother. He loves giving her kisses and especially likes helping to give her a bath. They are going to be great friends!

Welcome to the world Zoey Margaret Nadaud

What a big surprise the Nadaud family had in May. Just like Maxwell, our second baby decided to make a surprise arrival a month early. Zoey Margaret Nadaud arrived on May 10, 2010. As I hit the 35 week and 5 day mark, my water broke while relaxing at home. This is the exact same scenario as when Maxwell was born.

Fortunately, our good friend Dara came to the rescue and stayed with Maxwell while Josh and I went to the hospital. Zoey was born about 16 hours later at Greater Baltimore Medical Center. The labor was pretty easy. Just one push an baby Zoey came into the world, changing our lives forever.

Zoey was 6 lbs. and 14.5 ozs. She is such a dream baby. Zoey sleeps well and eats like a Nadaud. Maxwell has been such a great big brother. He loves to help burp his sister and often rushes to the rescue with Zoey's pacifier.

So far, we have taken Zoey on a few walks and have gone on many outings around Baltimore. Mimi and Papa came to visit followed by Auntie Em. Grandpa and Grammy M. were next. YiaYia will be here next week and in June, Auntie Jen will meet her new niece.

St. Louis trip

On our recent house hunting trip to St. Louis, we had a fun but brief visit with some good friends. Josh got to meet baby Mila for the first time. As we prepared to return to Baltimore after finding our new home, we made a quick trip to the park for all of the SLU kids to play. It was a beautiful day! We can't wait to spend many more days just like this one when we move back in a few months.

Our new home

Josh celebrated a birthday in April. We had a great dinner out at Fogo De Chow while Maxwell had a night in with his Yiayia.

We had a big trip to St. Louis in April. We took Maxwell to the city of our future home to find our dream house. After months of endless researching, Josh and I narrowed down our list to about 20 houses. After long day of looking, we were in total agreement on our perfect home. It was also a big weekend for Emily as she got engaged to her boyfriend, Ben. It was so exciting to have two big events coincide on the same weekend when we were all together. Maxwell had a big day with Mimi and Papa. They took him to the park and pretty much chased him around for hours on end.

Spring has sprung

I cannot believe how quickly this year has flown by. We are just weeks away from celebrating Maxwell's second birthday.

April was a big month for the Nadaud family. We had a wonderful Easter here in Baltimore. Maxwell really got into the Easter egg hunt that Josh planned for him. He became obsessed with eggs and the Easter Bunny in general. He was a pro at scouting out the eggs and piling them in his basket. Maxwell's Yiayia came for a visit and we had a wonderful meal together.

Heading into spring!

Today is the first day of spring and the snow has final all disappeared! We have been really lucky with amazing weather this week. We have ben taking family walks in the evening. Maxwell loves collecting sticks and and pointing out various observations on our walks. He especially likes imitating the birds he hears calling out.

The past few weeks have ben a huge turning point for Max. His vocabulary is exploding! He loves trying to repeat anything we say. Some of his amusing words include: Salsa, telescope, seesaw, Auggie, please, and apple.

Mimi and Papa Freddie came for a visit last weekend. They brought Max a castle to play in and he loves hiding things in there. Max is still asking for 'Bopa' now that they have left. Yia Yia will be making a trip out to visit over Easter. Max is working on saying her name, too.

One of Max's most amusing behaviors is his passion for giving kisses. He loves kissing people, dogs, stuffed animals, even blankets. He asks for numerous kisses throughout the day. He will make his little kissing sound until you give him what he wants. He is relentless.

Another funny thing that he is doing is saying 'oh no!' He says it constantly!!!!!

Nadaud News for February

Other than the crazy snow here in Baltimore, we have a lot going on here in Baltimore. Maxwell is becoming more and more curious with each passing day. He is extremely athletic and coordinated. He runs, jumps, throw over-hand, kicks, and climbs. He is definitely into dancing and music. Maxwell has been taking music classes in a program called 'Music Together'. Mommy and Daddy have both been able to enjoy this experience with him.

One of Maxwell's most impressive tricks is his ability to climb both into and out of his crib. It came as quiet a shock one day when he was refusing to take his afternoon nap.

We are getting closer and closer to welcoming the new addition to our family. This week marks 23 weeks. The baby is kicking up a storm! I have a feeling this child is going to share Maxwell's active nature.

We took a fun trip to Washington D.C. a few weeks ago to visit Maxwell's Nouno and Nouna. They took us to the American History Museum. Maxwell LOVED all of the big animals.

Josh finished up his busiest two months of fellowship at the end of January. After many long nights at work, sometimes going until 2:00 am or later, he has finally moved on to a lighter service.

Other big news is that we have solved our home owning predicament, Finally!!!! We are going to be renting our house in Toledo to family friends for the next two years. Hopefully the market will be much better by then. In the meantime, we have been busy looking on line at house to buy in St. Louis. We move in less than 6 months!!!!!

Winter Fun and the Blizzard of 2010

This has been a busy winter for the Nadaud family in Baltimore. After the excitement of Christmas died down, we got very bush with several snow storms. We had one in January with 20 inches, a second storm in February with 30 inches, and are in the middle of a third right now! It has been a crazy time here for us. Lots of days stuck inside and a little bit of cabin fever.

Christmas 2009

Whew! What a whirlwind of activity this Christmas season was for the Nadaud family! We had a great stretch of celebrating with family over the past two weeks. On Christmas Eve, we welcomed Yiayia, Uncle Bill, Great Yiayia, and Aunt Mary. Santa made a stop at our house to bring Maxwell one of his gifts in person! He was a little nervous, but overall, he seemed to enjoy the visit.

We woke up and had a big breakfast followed by lots of gift giving. Maxwell was showered with gifts: a new bike, a basketball hoop, his Handy Manny Tool set, a rock star stage and microphone, lots of clothing, books, and fuzzy, stuffed friends. He has been very busy trying out all of his toys.

We had a nice Christmas dinner together and relaxed in the evening.