Welcome Margaret Rose!

She's finally here! We're thrilled to announce the arrival of Margaret Rose Sustar, born this morning at 2:31am, weighing 7 lbs 13 oz and measuring 20 inches long. She's just perfect and mother and baby are doing well. After taking so long to arrive (11 days past her due date!), we had a delivery for the record books, delivering literally 5 minutes after arriving at the hospital.  Wow!  We are overwhelmed by our many blessings.  I'll be posting more photos and birth story soon...

Still Waiting...

41+ week belly

I'd hoped this post would contain a birth announcement, but no such luck!  I'm nearly a week past my due date now and still no baby...  I've packed and re-packed my hospital bag at least 4 times now for false alarms, and soon there will be no closets left to organize in the house.  If anyone has any other suggestions as to how to pass this time, please let me know!  I've past the "any minute now!" mentality and have entered the "it's never going to happen and I'm just going to be pregnant forever" mentality, even though rationally I know that we WILL have a baby one way or another within a week!  I have my next (and final) doctor's appointment on Monday, and if we still haven't had a baby we'll be talking about scheduling an induction.  As I'm a big fan of natural birth this is obviously NOT a path I'd like to take, but as I approach 42 weeks I'll start to run out of options.  Keep your fingers crossed that this little one decides to arrive on her own, and soon!!  

Hot, Hot, Hot

It would figure that during my final weeks of pregnancy most of the country would be suffering from the worst hot spell since the Dust Bowl.  I'm not kidding -- St. Louis is now in its ninth straight day of 100+ temperatures, which is a record second only to one set in 1936 with thirteen straight days of comparable heat.  While we probably won't make thirteen straight days, we'll make at least ten, with a high of 107 predicted for tomorrow...  Crazy!  We're trying our best here to stay cool, visiting water parks, pools, and just having good old-fashioned fun with the hose and sprinkler here at home.  Even with all of these remedies (plus air conditioning, of course!), I'm one hot mama!  Thankfully the heat should be letting up soon, with some high temps next week predicted to be in the 80s.  Phew!

Elizabeth Jane, Age Two

Time for an update on our little Libby Lou!  Two years old now...  It's hard to believe.  She's definitely well past the baby stage and has really become her own little person, which has been such fun to watch.  Libby is at that amazing time when her speaking skills grow by leaps and bounds each day, and she now speaks in 3-5 word sentences consistently.  She's our little sunshine each morning and will greet me with an enthusiastic "Hi Mama!" as soon as I open her door (which is quickly followed by an equally enthusiastic "Hi Baby Doo-doo!" at my belly).  She's able to communicate practically all of her needs verbally at this point, and if I'm having trouble understanding her, Siena is a wonderful interpreter. :)  

Libby is our tough, stoic one and often seems very silent and focused, especially when she's away from home.  She is very independent and will happily go off and do her own thing without worrying about the grown-ups.  Libby still loves to snuggle and gives hugs and kisses happily.  She's a great singer.  She continues to be our "easy" eater and sleeper.  She is quite meticulous with things like puzzles, arranging and putting away toys, and drawing or coloring (she even holds the crayon/marker perfectly in her little hand... I predict she'll be a color-in-between-the-lines sort of kid).  At home she's definitely become something of a ham and loves to make her big sister laugh, cracking herself up in the process.  The sound of the two of them laughing together can't be beat!  Libby truly loves Siena and the two of them are playing so well together these days, whether it's dressing up in Mommy's clothes, playing restaurant in their toy kitchen, building a fort out of umbrellas, or making Santa beards out of the bubbles in the bathtub.  I'm really appreciating the blessings of a sibling more and more as I watch them grow together.  

Of course, life isn't always rosy and Libby has been known to play a bit rough (watch out for those teeth!).  Siena is ALWAYS the one getting tackled when they wrestle and will often be crying uncle after a few seconds of rough play with her little sister.  Libby has quickly learned how to push Siena's buttons, which isn't difficult when you have an older sister who gets frustrated with any little bit of teasing!  From a parent's point of view, it can be pretty hilarious when Libby is shouting "Hello?  Hello?  Hello?" over and over into her toy phone while Siena screams "STOP, Libby, STOP!"  We have lots of fun times ahead in that department, I'm sure!  Libby is also dealing with all of the challenges that come with being two and isn't always a happy camper when she doesn't get her way.  Thankfully these instances are few and far between, and overall she's just a special little kiddo whom we're so blessed to have in our lives.  We can't wait to see what the years ahead have in store!  We love you, Elizabeth Jane!

Waiting for Baby

With less than two weeks away from our new baby's arrival, the countdown has begun!  I've been having a LOT of contractions this time around and have come close to leaving for the hospital more than once, so it's hard to imagine waiting two more weeks (or more!)...  We're just so anxious to meet our precious little one.  The girls continue to be SO excited about the baby and still play with my belly constantly.  I think Libby especially is getting a bit tired of the wait -- the other day she said in exasperation, "Hold baby!  Out baby, out!!  Out out!  Hold baby!"  I suppose 9 months is a long time to wait for a 2-year-old, especially one that is as obsessed with babies as Libby.  I'm convinced that we won't have the need for any toys once the baby arrives, as she'll provide all of the entertainment the girls could ask for.  Just this morning we had a playgroup at our house and Libby spent nearly the entire morning tending to one of the babies that was visiting.  We have so much fun in store...  I can't wait.  We love you, Baby Steudle!  We'll be seeing you soon!

Stay tuned for updates...  I'll try to post the baby's birth announcement on the blog as soon as I can.  Until then, keep us in your prayers for a smooth, easy, and FAST birth!

Family Photos

We had some beautiful family photos taken recently by God's Image Photography.  The last time we were all dressed up for family photos was after Siena had just turned two, and I was hoping to get one more session in to capture my growing belly!  Hopefully we'll have some more to share once Baby #3 arrives. :)  Here are some of my favorites: