Tuesday, August 31, 2010

48 Weeks...

Addie and I had quite a day yesterday.  Dan had to have his oil changed, and our routine has always been that we take both vehicles, Dan drops his off, we go for lunch, and then go pick his up.  And that is exactly what we did.  When we picked up Dan's vehicle, he said that he was also going to run through the car wash and wouldn't be far behind us, so Addie and I headed for home.  Coming out of town there is two lanes, I was headed South in the right lane coming up on a truck that was also headed South, but he was in the left lane, slowing down to take a left turn. The lady we hit was heading North and also was going to take a left turn, but she didn't see us behind this truck so she turned.  Addie and I had absolutely no time to stop the vehicle and hit her truck near the back end.  She tried to step on the gas to avoid the accident, but the unfortunate happened.  The speed limit there had just turned 55, so I was cruising pretty fast.  Thank goodness that when Dan and I found out we were expecting we went out right away and bought a vehicle with high safety ratings for things like this.  Addie and I barely felt anything upon impact, but that lady said that she was very sore.  It mangled up the front end of my vehicle, but other than that everyone was okay.  I thank God that no one was hurt, especially our Addie.  Because it was that lady's fault I am waiting to hear back from her insurance company on my vehicle.  I will also be checking on the use of the car seat.  The airbags in my car did not go off, so I am wondering if I should get a new one or not.  I will talk to their insurance company, but for now just use Dan's.  So, kind of a drama filled day!

Later that evening we needed some R&R.  I picked up Max after school so he could come out and play with Addie.  We ended up having a picnic outside and playing until the sun was about to go down!  And of course I took a LOT of pictures.  We had so much fun.  Just goes to show how precious life is and not to take any day for granted.

 Our picnic outside.  This is the picnic table I found at a garage sale for $10.  Love when I can find this stuff.  Addie sat so well on the picnic table and when she was all done she got off all by herself!

I was surprised how well Addison ate for all the distractions she had around her.

And good ol' Emma was there to pick up all the dropped pieces.  Except the carrots of course!

She had a blast with eating outside.  She loves going outside so much that there are times when she already throws fits if we don't take her out!

After we were done eating we played on Addie's little climber.  This is actually a climber I had when I was little!  It is very sturdy.  I don't think they make things like that anymore!  Max and Addie had a blast.  I of course had to put an old blanket under it so that Addie didn't touch the grass.  Such a girlie-girl.  Makes me laugh!
 She went down the slide...
and climbed up the slide!

We had so much fun outside last night!  It reminded me of just how fast Addison is growing up.  She is learning so much and keeps the surprises coming!
 We even played peek-a-boo.  These are my favorite pictures!  Max and Addie are quite the pair.  She is always thrilled to see her uncle Max and thinks he is just the coolest thing!  She is such a goofball when he is around!  But, Max is also quite the goofball, so she much get that from him!

Mouths open!

PEEK!  

Happy Tuesday!

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Happy 11 Months!

Addison turned 11 months today!!  I am feeling that the countdown really begins today.  Addie turns a year old in exactly one month.  Completely hard to wrap my mind around!  Addie has grown so much over these past 11 months, it is so hard to believe how much one little soul can change your life so completely.  Dan and I continue to look at her each and every day in awe that she is OUR little girl, and she is so precious to us!  We can not wait to celebrate that big day with her!

You may ask what we did to celebrate 11 months... 

We took clothes basket rides of course!
Addie loves doing this.  When I go to do laundry she expects a clothes basket ride back if one is sitting out!

We played with Emma outside.  She then decided she needed to come in the house with us.  We let Emma in the house every now and then.  She is house trained, so it is no big deal!  Thank goodness we have a very calm dog, because Addie loves to pick on Emma.  We have noticed that Emma really tries to keep her distance...lol!  She must not like Addie tugging on her ears.  I know this isn't a very good picture, but you try to put a dog and 11 month old in one picture!

And then we got so tired that we fell asleep during her snack!  This seems to be a frequent occurrence these days!

The day ended having supper with Grandpa and Grandma.  Addie was very tuckered out at the end of the day and went right to bed! 

LIFE IS GOOD!!

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Busy Little Ladybugs...

Tomorrow it is exactly ONE month until Addie turns the big O-N-E!  Can you believe it?  I can't!  Today was spent with cousin Maddie making Addison's birthday invites.  Good think we decided to start early, because these things are time consuming!  I should have known.  I always think things look much easier than they really turn out to be!

So, to make these.  I took a circle and traced the same size circle for the wings (red) and the inside (white).  You then would have to cut out the top part of the circle for the ladybug's head.  The head I had to freehand and once I had it perfected I just traced that one to make and cut out the rest.  You glue the head to the back piece (white circle) and then pin the wings on with brads.  I used card stock and it was super hard to get the brad through three sheet of card stock, so before I put it together I have to line everything up and punch holes. (this is what is taking so much time!!)  So when you open the wings it shows you the party info!  The eyes are just little circles that I traced and cut out and used a paper punch to make the black of the eye.  Last but not least the ladybug spots are little flower-like spots that I used a punch to make.  That is the pink thing in the picture below.  Put all of this together and you have yourself ONE CUTE LADYBUG!!

And for the finished product.......

Open the wings and there it is.  Addie's very first birthday party!  Oh, and I also used a ladybug stamp to accessorize the inside!  I did them lightly so you could still see the print, so you have to look close!
I have thirty of these to make and only have ten done!  Wish me luck!  Tomorrow we will be celebrating 11 whole months for our little Addie bug!  And the count down really begins!!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

First Boo-boo...

We repaired Addie's first boo-boo tonight.  We have hardwood floors in our house and crawling on them makes Addie's little toenails very brittle and easy to break.  One of her nails broke off pretty short and looked very sore.  So mommy decided to put a band-aid on it, along with some MelaGel to make it feel better!  We put a Dora the Explorer band-aid on, but do you think she could leave the darn thing alone?

Answer: NO
She did go to bed with it on, so we will see if it is still there in the morning!

**UPDATE:  Band-aid was still on this morning!  Although she was playing with it again!**

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

47 Weeks...

Rub-a-dub-dub - Addie in the tub!!  Bath time really seems to be one of Addison's favorite things.  She stays in the tub as long as we let her, and has learned some new tricks in the tub.  Like standing up and sitting down as hard as she can to make a BIG splash, and she does it over and over!  She loves to plays peek-a-boo and jumps up like this...
Now if we could only work on enjoying the time we get out of the bath.  She throws a fit that she has to get out and dried off!  I have learned that she does a little better if I let her stand and watch the water drain as I am drying her off, which is a huge pain, but we get the job done!

Getting things done around the house becomes harder and harder each week.  I feel that as I get one thing accomplished I turn around and have more to pick up after Addie!  She loves to dig the measuring cups out of the microwave stand and scatter them all over the floor, among many other destructive things.  Although there are times when she does like to help out mommy.  Like unloading the dishwasher!

Addie is a very active little girl.  She loves to play all day long!  She has several toys she enjoys playing with, and she really gets out and plays with the same toys most days.  She crawls over to her toy box and digs out what she wants.  She has fallen in a few times trying to reach for things in the back...LOL!  Addie really loves to dance with mommy and daddy or just sit on the floor and do her dances.  She pulls out her little radio about every day to listen to the music and dance!  She will even click her tongue to the music and make her own beat!  So fun to watch her!!

We have also found a new love for watching Sesame Street.  I let her watch for short amount of times.  About 15 minutes or so.  She sings and dances with them and just loves it!  I just don't want her to be addicted to the t.v.  On Sunday I had dishes to do so I stuck her in her rocker and she sat there and watched Sesame Street while I did dishes.  Thank goodness for DVR, so we can tape a few episodes!

She also loves to pull our noses and make us HONK!  She actually pulls a little too hard, but as you can see she gets a big kick out of it!

Playing with daddy, which often includes pulling his glasses off!

Yep, you see that correctly.  Talking on her cell phone and drinking her bottle.  Taking after mommy and multitasking!!

Some other pictures from the week...

Other new things with Addie this week...

She has really began to learn the words grandpa and grandma this past week and use them while her grandparents are around.  Grandma is said "amma" and Grandpa is "apaa."  All grandparents are pretty thrilled by this!  She is also understanding more and more of what you say.  For example today our conversation went like this...
Addie: giggling (and playing with her bottle splattering milk everywhere)
Mommy:  "Addie, if you don't stop playing with your baba that way we are going to say bye-bye to your baba."
Addie: "Bye-bye, baba."
Mommy: "Yep, bye-bye, baba!!"
Addie: "baba" (throws bottle down and waves bye-bye to it)
Maybe she doesn't care if we get rid of it, but I think around nap time and bed time she may think a little differently!!

Speaking of milk and baba.  We plan on transitioning her from formula to milk in the next week!  YAY, no more formula.  One thing I learned from Addie is that I WILL breastfeed until they can transition to cow milk (if I am able).  I absolutely hate formula!  We plan on mixing half formula and half milk for about a week and then going to full milk!!  Addie's doctor said that it was fine for her to switch at 11 months.  I am nervous to see how she will take it, especially when it is cold.  I was advised from a friend not to start warming it up because that is how they will always want it.  She said she will get used to drinking it cold along with drinking a new type of milk.  We will see how it goes!

Addie is able to take ONE step towards us when we let her go.  She then either sits down or is close enough to fall into us.  She is standing more and more on her own, but is still apprehensive about it.  Most of the time she does it when she is not paying attention, like playing with a toy, and when she realizes she is standing she immediately sits down.  We have yet to capture this on camera.  Every time we catch her one of us run to get the camera and Addie notices we are making a big deal about something and sits down.

Addie has really began to identify people in pictures too.  She has been able to identify herself for some time now, but now she will point out mommy and daddy too.  And Emma of course!  Every time she sees a picture of herself she yells "Addah," which is how she says her name!

We are hoping to have a quiet week and work on Addie's birthday invites!  This weekend we are meeting up with some friends for some much needed playtime for the kiddos!  Have a great week!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

46 Weeks...

What a way to ring in our 46th week with HFMD.  Although it really has not slowed this little girl down at all.  We had the one bad night, and other than that she has been going through all of this like a little trooper!  We are so happy the she isn't hurting because that is every parents worst fear!

In case you are curious to what this looks like I took a picture of Addie's feet.  This is where she has it the worst. The poor girl has several of them in between her toes.  She has them on her feet, legs, butt, and a few on her hands.  To our knowledge she does not have any in her mouth, since we have not seen any and she is eating just fine.  I didn't find any new spots this morning so I am hoping that they are done developing, but I have no idea.  The blisters have gotten worse since yesterday, a little bigger in size and looking sore.  It has been a mad house here trying to keep things disinfected so that she does not get the virus again.  Toys are a pain the rear to clean all the time, so I have been trying to limit the ones she plays with to reduce the work a little!  I put socks on her feet so that she does not spread it all over the floor, and thank goodness it has been cool out these past few days!


Other than being sick, Addie has been doing great!  We are enjoying this beautiful weather.  The windows are open in the house and it is so nice to let in some fresh air!  Addie and I have been enjoying time outside on the big swing and the swing set.

She also enjoys spending time with Emma, who looks so thrilled because Addie has not learned how to pet.  She just pulls hair and hits at her  Good thing we have a very tolerant dog!

Addie has not seemed to lose her appetite as we thought she might.  She eats like a champ!  Last night daddy made us some strawberry malts and Addie thinks she needs to be a big girl and drink out of daddy's cup!  She had it all over her mouth!

Making sure she has the cup completely empty...

YUMMY!!!

Strawberries and pancakes for breakfast.  Pancakes are Addie's favorite!

Walking with mommy down the hall.  She is getting better with this.  She has been refusing to walk with us at all this past week.  We would try to walk with her and she would lift her legs off the ground.  As soon as you would let go she would get down and crawl on the floor.  I am so happy that she has gone back to walking with us!  She has also been able to stand alone longer and longer.  I have not got a picture yet, kind of hard to catch her doing it! 

There really isn't too much more to report this week.  Addie continues to keep us on her toes each and every week!  Through the good times and bad, it is SO much fun being parents.  Addison brightens our every moment and we thank God each and every day for her!!
Happy week!!

Monday, August 16, 2010

HFMD

We had a terrible night last night.  At about 12:45 Dan and I awoke to Addison screaming in her crib.  After over an hour of her crying, Dan and I trying absolutely EVERYTHING to comfort her, we finally got her calmed down.  After that she slept okay through the rest of the night and woke up happy this morning.  I have never been so scared to have Addison so upset and not knowing why she was hurting so badly.  I was ready to take her to the ER!!

This morning when I got her out of bed I noticed a small blister on her hand and as I changed her diaper I noticed a bunch more on her feet.  I decided to call the doctor because whatever this was, I knew this is what was keeping her up all night.

Sure enough, one look at Addie and the doctor said that she had Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease.  It is a virus that is spread with direct contact.  Whether that be on a surface or directly with the child.  It is highly contagious so Addie has to stay out of daycare for at least one week.  Addie has not developed sores in her mouth yet (that we could see), but the doctor said she probably will.  Which will make her not want to eat, so we will have to make sure and push the fluids!

I am not looking forward the what tonight brings or the sores that will develop in her mouth.  Right now she is acting like her normal self, so I am hoping that it doesn't bother her all that much!  She will have to miss out on her day at daycare this week too, but I am almost certain that she did not get it there since she goes on Tuesdays and it has almost been a week since she has been there.  That is the crazy thing about all of this.  We have NO idea where it came from or what or who she may have come in contact with to contract the virus.  The virus can also be spread by adults who do not show any symptoms at all and are just a carrier of the virus! Lets hope that it passes quickly and we get some sleep tonight!!

For more info on the virus you can check out the CDC's website:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/enterovirus/hfhf.htm

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Wedding Weekend!!

This weekend was our big wedding weekend! The day was so nice, a great day for a wedding, and everything went very smoothly.  I was privileged to be a part of Megan and Matt's big day and am very happy that I was able to spend the special day with them.

Here is four out of five of the girls in the wedding at the rehearsal dinner.

Here are some pictures from the wedding!  The bride and I....

Here is a pic of Tyler and I!  We actually graduated high school together.  It was fun to catch up with her and spend some time with old friends that I don't see very often this weekend!

Mommy and Addie!  Isn't her flower adorable!?  We had several complements on it and it really topped off her dress!!!  Dan thought it was too big, but I think it is pretty adorable!

My friend Chelsea, Addie, and I during the dance.

Addie was pretty tired and fell asleep on her daddy.  Addison stayed for some of the dance, but went home with my parents and stayed there for the night.  She is not a big one for staying up late.  It makes her pretty grumpy the next day!

Dancing with the groom.  Addie really just liked watching the lights!

My beautiful family!

We learned that Addie LOVES to dance!  We would sit her on the floor and away she would boogie!  The floor wasn't the cleanest, so we didn't let her down too often, but she took every opportunity she could to dance to the music!

When she had the opportunity she would also try to crawl out the dance floor and here is our friend Adam going right along with her!  She loved it!

My friends Brandi and Kayln, also high school friends!!

Another one with the bride!!

And another with my beautiful family before Addison went home for the night.  Surprisingly she still had her flower in her hair!  The first thing Grandpa did when he picked her up was take the "thing" (as Grandpa called it) out of her hair!

I want to congratulate Megan and Matt!  May you two have many years of happiness ahead of you.  You make such a perfect couple and I am privileged to call the two of you my friends!  Thank you for making me part of your day!  
  
A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.    -Mignon McLaughlin
  ~Sarah