someday mama

addie turns 2!

2011-02-27T18:59:00.000-08:00

it was a fun day, decking the house in sesame street-only to find she wanted to wear her 'fancy nancy tutu dress'

family and friends arrived and miss addie fell in love with her new 'baby alive' and her big bin of 'snap and style' dolls, her little people wheelies and cupcakes to color...

and ended the night in her mermaid costume watching "the little mermaid" with mama and aunt stacy.

i would say she was a very happy and lucky birthday girl.

addie and the fishies

2011-02-20T05:31:00.000-08:00

so miss addie jane has a growing obsession with fish-and we her parents are glad to oblige...
for her birthday we decided to take her to the best viewing place for fish of all kinds in the city-NEWPORT AQUARIUM...
we made it in time to see the penguin parade, and then she just ran from "bubbles" to "bubbles" and was so excited at every new window we took to...her eyes were HUGE the whole time and she even had the guts to touch the ones they let you.
it is so much fun watching her discover anything new these days...

and our adventure lasted all the way until lunchtime so of course daddy had to share his enormous shake with the very well-behaved birthday girl.

my best girl.

2011-02-18T18:20:00.001-08:00

you fell asleep on my shoulder tonight..and i have been a mom long enough to know that i should get you into bed as soon as possible. but i couldn't help sitting there holding onto you as long as possible. you have gone so fast from baby to little woman. and this week you turn a whole 2 years old.
I went walking with you tonight around the neighborhood...you just kept talking about all that you saw, and all that we were doing "addie is walking, mama is walking, addie and mama are walking together" "that tree is green" "i have flowers on my coat" "my pants have stripes" "mama do you see the airplane"
"mama i wub you".

somebody pinch me please. what did i do to deserve you?

dear socks

2010-09-05T19:14:00.001-07:00

dear socks,
thank you for letting squeeze you while i sleep...it can't be very comfortable, but you never complain.
thank you for always making me smile...no matter my mood.
you are my bestie.
night-night buddy,
love addie

love this lady...

2010-09-05T19:04:00.000-07:00

does it get any better than this...

flat-footed-parade-queen

2010-08-25T13:39:00.000-07:00

so our sweet little addie has turned 18 months old. i feel like this is a big milestone for some reason although i can't figure out why..

is it such a big deal to have another round of vaccines?
or to learn how to SCREAM in public to shame mama into giving you the box of raisins NOW
or is it special cause you now are big enough to eat grapes without having them cut up?
is it such a big thing cause you have your own t.v. shows where you recognize characters and theme songs?
is it a big deal cause you sleep on a cot at school..and have not gotten up once...
does being 18 months old mean you get to pick out the shoes you want to wear and get frustrated with the ones mama MAKES you wear...
is it awesome cause now you tell mama when you have pooed by tapping your bottom and saying in the most hysterically cute voice - "mama , addie poo"
is it special cause you hate your stroller now and INSIST on WALKING where you want, when you want in any size crowd...
is being this old so cool cause you can put your words into sentences like when you told mama she was pretty the other day...ummm yes, that is it...this is why 18 months is the BEST.

oh, and what we found out from the ortho visit is that you have sweet little fat flat feet. and your daddy says you pulled out your parade queen wave in the hospital and made all the staff melt. you soak this stuff up-full on wave as we stroll you past just about anyone (i.e. mall, grocery, sidewalks).
only thing you are missing is a sash and tiara. dear lord. maybe for your 19-month birthday...

where has the time gone?

2010-08-08T18:55:00.000-07:00

apologizing isn't going to blog-back the last few crazy months. i will tell you all the same thing i tell miss addie when she throws a fit - put your big-girl pants on and deal with it! i have been wearing my big girl pants since Easter Sunday, when our whole lives changed.

In one week (which happened to be my spring break) we decided to buy a new house and get ours ready for sale. can i go back to when i said ONE WEEK. yes. we packed up, fixed up, moved out, all in one week. here is a shout out to those who supported, helped, and did any lifting at all..."SHOUT OUT".

and now, we hear crickets, see stars, and ride bikes. its a dream come true to be living in a house where your growing toddler can run figure eights all day long and that's just inside! the potential of this house makes me smile and the stair-less-ness of it all puts my mind at ease.

so, easter + buy + move + sell + duck, NC + secret remodel + paint + ride + run 8's + dream = happy lynch's

there are a few things i would like to subtract, poor miss addie had a very scary seizure towards the middle of the summer which has since sent me swirling down the anxiety tunnel - and i really am not sure when i will find my way out...bear with me everyone.

one of my favorites from Duck, NC...addie hated the ocean until i called
it "bubbles" like her bath, and the pool. now all water is "bubbles"
a diva and her mighty-mini
one of the last pictures taken in the old house.
how did she get to be such a big girl?
thank you pod. your held our house well.

i will attempt better communication...but i have to say, its been pretty nice to have so much going on that there is so little time to reflect. plus, it would probably have up'd my anxiety level knowing how much was actually changing..

what? below 90th percentile?

2010-05-25T17:26:00.000-07:00

so the 15 month well-visit was interesting...
your head - 19 3/8 in ....>97th percentile
your weight - 26 lbs. 7 oz. .....92nd percentile
your height - 31 inches .....65th PERCENTILE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i don't know what to say, except, WHAT?

so much has changed...

2010-05-23T11:19:00.000-07:00

so today you are fifteen months old.
you are still the most awesome person i have ever met.
and yes, we still do not have a camera since mommy's broke.
and yes, it kills me that i am missing thousands of pictures of you on a daily basis.
but none of that seems to matter...as long as you are happy and by my side.

not only did you turn one since i last wrote, but you have MOVED! mama and daddy were so lucky to have just about every dream come true in a span of two months. we used to sit in our old house with you and talk about how all we wanted for you was more space to play...and we would get sad thinking about how far away it felt that we would be able to give that to you. and mama wished for a very important thing, a circle of open doorways, that you could run around and around like she had when she was young. and now we have TWO! so, every time you make your figure eight, mama gets so happy she's been known to tear up a bit.

you love it here, you have a big carpet that you roll around with daddy on, you wait by the windows for caroline the dog to appear so you can shout "HI PUP" and then pretend to bark like her, you like to watch grandpa in the yard and when you hear his motorcycle you say "pop pop", you love to be in the kitchen with mama when she is making ANYTHING-which must be new and exciting because you weren't allowed in the old house, you like to sit on your picnic table in the t.v. room and have snacks after school, and you love to sit in your recliner and pretend to drink coffee with daddy in the morning, you love to go for walks around the cul-de-sac, and when we turn the corner to come home from school you say "HI" to the new house which melts me every time cause a little bit of me is saying "hi" too...

there are so many plans ahead. one of which is to get a camera. i can't wait to share it all with you, crazy face. you and your paintbrush pigtails and silly laugh.

my one year old

2010-03-06T11:08:00.000-08:00

so, this blog is to apologize to miss addie. february was very hectic, full of goodbyes, showers, parties, appts., broken cameras and of course, changes.
in all of that you turned one. one whole year that you have been in our lives. one whole year of happy...its kinda weird - but looking back i almost have to have someone remind of when it was frustrating or difficult, cause all i can remember is you smiling.

things you do now that you are a big girl...which the doctor defines by = 25.8 lbs, still a large head, still tall...still haven't dropped below 90th percentile in anything.
1. point at your nose when prompted with "where is your nose"
2. drink only from sippy cups - after extensive research to find a good one (yeah nuby)
3. go to sleep earlier and earlier - as you play so hard that it tuckers you out.
4. sit through sesame street in your baby recliner with sippy in one hand and goldfish in the other
5. read books. i know i know..but you do go page by page and babble with emphasis and arms raised. and you don't eat the pages anymore which is a relief.
6. sit face forward in your carseat and laugh and kick to funny noises and music.
7. sign "more", "bye", "milk"
8. shake your head "no" when mommy asks if you want more
9. stand up in the bath - which causes mommy to freak out.
10. you eat almost every veggie (cauliflower, snow peas, green beans, carrots, peppers, sweet potato)
11. you LOVE grapes, strawberries, bananas, apples, blueberries...but not oranges. definitely not oranges.
12. you like to fall asleep watching Einstein - which at first mommy thought was not a great idea, but really, the music seems to be what lulls you into dream land.
13. you cry a little when we put you down for a nap...but give you a few minutes and you are out like a light and you sleep like a rock.
14. you have awesome bed head. awesome.
15. you LOVE blocks. your friend greta got you a little people block set and you love knocking over the castle after mommy builds it. you laugh very hard every time.
16. you like scrambled eggs - but only with cheese...anything with cheese is your favorite.
17. you whine when things don't go your way. we have to believe this is a product of your one-year molars coming in...as it is quite annoying and we try to see past it.
18. and my most favorite that you showed us this morning 'YOU WALK!' or at the very least you took a few steps. and of course mommy and daddy starting crying - cause all wanted was for you to do it first for us..and not at daycare. what a wonderful gift. thank you.

you are the best ads. picking you up from school is still the best part of my day. and now when i do you start flapping your arms and waving and laughing and you stay laughing all the way out to the car. like you know how much fun we are going to have when we get home. and we do one castle at a time. love you laides. you are my favorite.

now everyday is a someday come true...

2010-02-22T21:08:00.000-08:00

23 hours after 5 am Sunday morning...i met my daughter for the first time.

her name...miss adelaide jane

her weight...9 lbs. 2.4 oz.

her length...22 inches

her arrival...4:04 am

but that cannot explain miss addie jane. if you want, you can read below...otherwise, just admire the beauty that is my little girl. i can't believe i get to have her call me mommy.

at 5am sunday morning i woke up in bed thinking something didn't feel right, i thought i was just uncomfortable so i went to sleep on the couch, only the same feeling happened twice more. i woke up greg - who immediately jumped up, got dressed, got his iphone and turned his lap making app on and...well, waited.

i took a long shower and drank like a gallon of water...but the weird feelings kept returning. so, i called my mom, and my midwife. we were timing them and thought they were 20 min. apart, so my midwife said - go out, walk around a mall, a grocery store - anything. so -even though greg was embarrassed at the thought of me stopping mid-walk to groan loudly through a contraction, he took me to meijer and to sam's.

i had a contraction in the dvd section of meijer. it was bad.

then we got some food, and i laid on the couch for awhile. it was about 4:00 before i said, IT IS TIME TO GO.

i had two more contractions before we made it to good sam's triage/admission desk. and when they checked me - the nurse laughed, saying i had dilated to 4 and was almost completely effaced...and of course the awesome - "did you know you were 1-3 minutes apart?"

so, moral of the story. i don't have a clue when contractions begin and end, because for a few hours mine were right on top of each other so much so that i thought 4 or 5 of them were one big one.

i was admitted obviously, and checked a few hours later only to find out that i was 6 cm. by 6 or 7 pm - it was time for my epidural. a moment that i both feared and anticipated for months. and i was right to fear it. i can't explain what happened...it was mostly of blur of misery and absolute panic. the "bee sting" theory is bull$#!!...and the warm relief that follows is bull$#!! too. the dude had to stick my three different times, all i could yell was "LEFT SIDE" "LEFT SIDE" because literally - my left side was on fire and my right side felt NOTHING. i knew it wasn't right.

so, moral of the story. it takes longer than the 3 minutes promised and its not a bee sting. epidurals suck...and mine took the cake.

a few hours later - i had made it to 8 cm. and shortly after that i was a full 10 cm. but was at -2 station. meaning she was all up in my ribcage and not where she should be. so they pushed pitocin into my IV to move things along. By 2:30 am I was absolutely exhausted and REALLY NEEDING TO PUSH. only the nurse wouldn't let me...until greg took her gently outside and must have said something - and then, she let me.

oh yeah, did i mention i had to be redosed four times, and then when i couldn't stand the pain and had to push ( and because they would wear off way too fast) i got a "PUSHING DOSE". which by the way, is a cop-out for "we don't know what else to do except re-stick you".

now, i had been told that with an epidural all you feel is pressure. and that someone has to tell you when you are having a contraction so you know when to push. i knew without any help, and i told the nurses when i was going to push because i felt every last inch of pain + pressure and i knew the only relief was to push.

so i pushed for an hour or so, 4 at a time, screaming, being dramatic, and telling the nurse "STOP TELLING ME TO RELAX...YOU RELAX...I CANT..." and a few choice f-bombs later and wham, there she was, shiny, perfect, and mine.

4:04 am. everything changed. i am in love.

i will write more later.

i have to go squeeze her.

oops, how did you get so big?

2010-01-30T12:37:00.000-08:00

so, here i am, apologizing again. i blinked and my daughter turned 11 months old weeks ago.

now part of me is glad that i was somewhere having fun with her and didn't have the time to fill everyone else in on her growth and changes. so i am taking the time while i have it, to tell anyone who cares that this lady is awesome.

Things addie can do :

1. SLEEP : how did i get so very lucky? she sleeps so well that shes even been known to add a pre-dinner nap to her own schedule when needed. addie goes to bed depending on that self-ordered nap at around 7:30-8:30 pm and not get up completely until 7:30. She may wake up and talk or cry a bit, but she is a fantastic self-soother and we have found that going in after her only brings on the drama.

2. EAT : She is almost down to four bottles - that fifth one at night just seems to be the bedtime clincher and i think we are holding onto it too... She has tried a lot of foods, and even had her first meal off of a kid menu! So far anything that has to do with cheese - is her ultimate favorite. Strawberries, raspberries, spaghetti, peaches, real bananas, daddy's oatmeal, pancakes, pizza, macaroni, grilled cheese, strawberry applesauce from MOTTs (which mommy and daddy sneak too), yogurt, etc...the worst part is she fake gags on anything until you notice and then she smiles at you.

3. WALK : Every time you take her hands to help her walk somewhere, you get the feeling that lift off is about to occur...she is so close to walking on her own, and now has braved for the past few weeks to only hold one hand and go! She has a hard time keeping shoes on, since her feet are so fat on the top and short in length...she takes them off and immediately she tries to eat them..no matter what...i wonder who modeled this behavior?

4. TALK : She has so many words in her vocab, and they take on a creepy reality to the situation you are in...like she was frustrated with not being able to reach some toy (i.e. remote) and after several tries said "JESUS" She also still repeatedly says "HI" and it is truly at the appropriate time-like when greg comes home from work..she waits, watches the door, he walks in "HI" she says. She also says an inappropriate word-that she may have heard from mommy while watching the batchelor - but how was i to know she pick that one? She says "THANK YOU" & "LOVE you" which you only ever hear the first part of...

5. SIGNS : She knows 'more' and 'bye bye'...i just hope she doesn't learn the sign for milk-it makes me uncomfortable.

6. CUDDLES : She has several friends at school, ruby, jenna, elle, and tommy...her teachers say that she shares well, and takes turns..the other day she took turns hugging a doll with one of her friends...and when greg dropped her off the other day-he said another little girl went right over to her and put her head in addie's lap. So apparently she is very comforting to others. awwww. She has also fallen in love with a stuffed dog that greg bought for her-we affectionately call him socks - named by addie. She squeezes him so tight i think the stuffing might come out.

but the best thing addie does lately, is hugs. they are the best, but added to her laughter its a dangerous melt-your-heart moment. i just love the hell out of her...

rub-a-dub-dub

2010-01-19T20:24:00.001-08:00

a little ladybug in the tub...

more snowday fun

2010-01-09T05:47:00.000-08:00

i can't put my arms down...

2010-01-08T19:43:00.000-08:00

seriously...i have no idea where her posture and balance come from since neither one of us has that at all. i guess this means i will be in the lodge sipping hot cocoa while these two hit the slopes. she loved her first snow...stacy and i tried to get her to make snowangels - but we couldn't get her to move. she took a few more laps after this ended and then we called it quits.

can't wait until next year when she can run and play in it herself!

SNOWWWW

2010-01-08T19:06:00.000-08:00

so this week both our school's had unexpected snowdays, and we made the most of them together...

1. seeking the remote no matter what for addie, trying to hide it constantly for mama

2. sesame street for addie, while mama kept up with the kardashians

3. yogurt snacks for addie, a bag of pecans for mama

4. naptime for addie, an old black and white film for mama

5. laundry for mama, a basket to empty and fill and empty and fill for addie

6. laughing with her cousins for addie, window shopping at the mall for mama

7. a perfect snow suit marked 60% off for addie, awesome moment for mama.

8. bananas for addie, peanut butter for mama to celebrate the Kings 75th!

i couldn't capture everything...but i have to say besides the snow adventure outside, teaching her to make monkey noises has been my favorite moment over the past two days. i swear this little girl is so much fun to be around...

funny girl 101

2009-12-25T09:57:00.000-08:00

im so funny. i like to hide behind things and pop out laughing. i like to say "dad" "dad" "dad" like twenty times just to hear my dad say "yes adelaide" in between. i like to fake cough until someone looks at me-then i smile at them. i like to say 'ho ho ho' but only at my house so when mommy asks me to say it to anyone else i pretend i can't. i like to bite things...anything...toes, couches, shoes, tables, tags, all my little people's heads... i like to say 'ah geeeez' like my grandpa-he's funny too. my mom thinks its funny but mostly creepy when sometimes i say things and they sound exactly like they should - like when my dad left for the store and i looked at my mom and said clear as day "where daddy?"

i am having so much fun being 10 months old.

my big baby

2009-12-19T14:20:00.000-08:00

so, i guess it took almost a month to finally get a 9 month appointment.

all is well in addieland. her weight - 24 lbs. 14 ozs. - 90th percentile, her head - ginormous and causing us to have to put her in bigger clothes cause her size do not fit over her noggin - her height - 29 in.+ - 97th percentile...

question

1. why are her hands and feet purple all the time?

answer

2. she is fine, it is normal for a lot of babies, she has fair sensitive skin which is going to make it appear worse, if she is not bothered by it-it is not an issue.

so please stop freaking everybody out addie with your muppet-like extremities...you are fine.

also, i love you, and i am sorry for the 3 shots. you don't have to go back until you are a year old! which our schedule will mean a year and a month!

BB and G list

2009-12-19T14:14:00.001-08:00

addie's going for the BB and G list,

you know,

the bad boys and girls list.

somehow i think she's gonna get presents anyway...

pizza with santa

2009-12-19T14:04:00.000-08:00

somebody needs to tell santa that pizza's better than cookies anyday!

so its a family tradition that when santa comes to the pizza parlor - we join him for lunch...

it was sweet, all-you-can-eat pizza served by santa's elves, a quick hello from mrs. claus right at our table, and the finale is a picture with the big guy himself. it was addie's first time seeing santa and i had heard horror stories from people about how babies can react - but somehow i knew she would love him.

and of course, she did..in fact she couldn't take her eyes off of him even with all of us shouting her name for the family picture. oh well, i guess i got what i asked for : a little extrovert like me.

hopefully sometime this week addie will see the REAL santa..you know the macy's kind. stay tuned for her second introduction.

the daddy mac

2009-12-19T13:57:00.000-08:00

addie loves to play on her daddy's mac...

future tech geeks look out, she types about 10 words a second...

well, no, of course they aren't actual words - its not like she's the scary kids on the commercials for Your Baby Can Read.. but she can put her fingers on the home keys.

a few of my favorite things...

2009-12-09T18:33:00.000-08:00

addie loves falling asleep anywhere...

and she loves loves little people - mostly cause they fit in her mouth...

and she loves loves loves her new highchair - mostly cause it means mom will let her play with a spoon....

but what she really loves to do - is move - fast.

9 months in, 9 months out

2009-11-23T19:54:00.000-08:00

sweet adelaide,

there is nothing better than being your mom.

people ask me all the time, "how's addie?" and my truthful initial response is...

"she is the best, she is so much fun, i am so lucky".

in 9 months you have added so much to my life that i am still discovering something new everyday to be thankful for...and tonight i am going to list what makes me happy in honor of my friend meg who published her spectacular book based on the 'happy books' we all used to keep in college.

#1. the pile of bins downstairs - filled with what i can already call "your baby clothes"..

#2. when you sleep and your butt is high in the air

#3. when you snore, loud, just like daddy

#4. when you scrunch your face up at me - after you realize i am looking at you

#5. your one week of inch-worm crawling that is now a full blown crawl

#6. when you crawl over to me, pull yourself up, and stand in front of me, smiling

#7. your giggle from the backseat when i sing your favorite songs really fast

#8. when you have conversations with daddy

#9. all your new words..'uh oh' 'hey' 'ah-dee'

#10. your ability to copy sounds or movements...you are so smart!

#11. 9 months old in 18 month old shirts - just to get them over your head

#12. when you are crabby - all it takes is one of your songs to calm you down

#13. playing peek-a-boo with you and your endless supply of laughter with every lift of the blanket..its still the best laugh ever.

thanks laides, for making me sappy again.

love mom

where did the time go?

2009-11-12T14:42:00.000-08:00

every once in a while i step back and look at my little lady and realize she is becoming such a big girl. i know she can't talk yet, or walk...but when she army-scrunches her way over to my legs and pulls herself up and smiles with 8 teeth showing - i can't help but think of how big she has become. i was once again going through clothes that don't fit her, and i found the hat we brought her home from the hospital in - i put it on her and it fit more like a jewish yarmulke...

she is so fun - i just can't stand it sometimes!

lucky ladybug

2009-10-31T05:18:00.001-07:00

Fall-in-love

2009-10-25T15:31:00.000-07:00

addie and her mama and her ladybug pumpkin...

Fall-0-weeeeen!!

2009-10-25T15:24:00.001-07:00

addie wanted her pumpkin to match her costume - perhaps a new tradition?

so a ladybug it became...she did so well while mommy and daddy carved away until she started getting sleepy and almost fell asleep sitting up in her bumbo. we made sure to finish hers fast so she could approve of the final product. she loved touching the bottom of her pumpkin lid...

then she took almost a 3 hour nap so mommy and daddy could rake leaves and cut firewood and clean up pumpkin guts that had gotten everywhere!

she is itching to get into her costume! don't worry, there will be pictures...

to my growing lady

2009-10-23T20:09:00.001-07:00

dear adelaide,

in 8 short months you have managed to turn my world around...i heard an interview with a new mom recently and when asked if she loved being a mom - she said "it's like my whole body just wakes up to love her". and i thought, i'm pretty good with words sometimes but that is the best way to describe how much i love you and love having you in my life. i remember every time i look at you how i thought i might not ever get to have someone as special as you in my life - and how i am filled with gratitude even in moments where loving you exhausts me.

and today, when it felt like a forever kind of day at school and it was only 10 am or so...i looked at a picture of you and everything got a little lighter. you do this for lots of people, grandma, nana, daddy, the ladies at your school, even strangers when we are out and about - you just seem to make the day shine a little bit brighter with your scrunched up sweet toothy smile and i love you for it!

you are getting so big, wearing 12-18 month clothing and of course the new winter hat we bought you was a 2T (no surprise). you don't love your veggies like you used to...but man, you would down a gallon of bananas or applesauce if i let you. you sleep with your bottom in the air which is freaking adorable and you still sleep anywhere...even sitting straight up. you are obsessed with buttons on anything - or tags - you stare at them intently and then dive in for the kill (sucking on them so hard i worry they will come off!). your 'fangs' are coming in causing you to twist the top of your mouth against the bottom making an awful sound...which obviously makes some of the pain go away. you are still hysterically funny and daddy and i just love listening to you tell us very loud stories. we think ourselves pretty darn lucky to hang out with you babe - you are 8 months of awesome.

things i can do that i now that i am a big 8 month old:

1. stand sometimes without holding on - this really freaks mommy out.

2. grind my top and bottom teeth together!

3. laugh to make others laugh along...

4. squirm and arch my back to show mommy its time to let me go and play...

miss emily said today at school that you are just itching to move - that you are watching your friends crawl around you and you are studying their moves to perfect your first one.

scrunchy smile

2009-10-23T10:19:00.001-07:00

addie's new scrunchy smile...

god this little girl is fun

fall family traditions

2009-10-18T11:19:00.000-07:00

once again...weird being the mom and not the aunt. it's fall, and fall means atleast one trip to shaw farms for a very special personal pumpkin picking moment...not to be completed without a trip up the road to rouster's apple farm where the "little apples for little people" are worth a half hour drive.

it's addie's first fall (obviously) and i just can't help but get excited for next year when all the things i love about fall will be things she can love too...hayrides, cornmazes, pumpkin carving, caramel apples, cider, costumes, etc.

until then, we have lots of other firsts to enjoy - like today when addie saw her first gigantic santa at the hardware store and couldn't take her eyes off of him.

riding for a cause...

2009-10-11T18:27:00.000-07:00

it was chilly...but addie "walked" off the cold for Children's Hospital...and was very proud to show off her first medal!

way to ride addie! and all for a good cause - and without making a peep!

addie meets mr. b

2009-10-11T18:19:00.001-07:00

today was a very special day - adelaide met brendan.

it meant a lot to me that while he was in town he made time to meet up and introduce himself to addie...

i drove away from lunch thinking to myself how many stories i could tell her someday about the fun mr. b and i have had through the years...and then it made me think of all the things i wouldn't want her to know about...perhaps that conversation can wait until she is at least 21 before I go giving her ideas on how to cause trouble.

fun at the park

2009-10-04T13:36:00.001-07:00

years ago, we would have met at a bar...or even perhaps a fun restaurant...but now that most of my college friends have children, we met at the park.

i don't have pictures of their adorable children because addie isn't able to keep up with them...so she just hung out in a swing...and liked it only when she could lean all the way forward like she was flying. oddly enough she already has the "leg-pump" down...weird.

here's to chasing after her next year, and spotting her on monkey bars...anytime with addie is fun-time though...

all better now

2009-10-01T14:41:00.000-07:00

i'm all better now, no more laryngitis, no more ear infection, no more shots, no more medicine...

i'm a healthy 22.4 lb 7 month old and happy as can be.

dear addie, thank you for being the most amazing 7 month old. i have expected a lot out of you this past week - running you all over town. you have not only been an angel, but you have also entertained everyone in our path. now i always knew how amazing you were, but this week, even when i had you out late at several student's homes for dinner - you were the hit of the meal...and everyone just couldn't believe how behaved you were. you even let one dad hold you while you ate your bottle.

i love a lot about you babe-but i love your social skills the best.

even today when i picked you up from school, miss jen said you had been flirting all afternoon with two of the boys-making them laugh. you crack me up laides, can't wait for what you'll do next.

things i can do:

1. pull myself up to stand.

2. drink 8 ozs. in less than a minute.

3. soak through waterproof bibs.

4. turn any objects into drumsticks - i prefer harder objects to increase the sound level.

what to do when mom isn't looking list

2009-09-28T18:58:00.000-07:00

#1 learn to pull myself up in my crib so that when mom comes back into my room i can scare her to death cause the crib railing is at my waist.

when mommy calms down from her fright there will be pictures of my new skill - and yes, daddy moved the crib bed down, so now it's a little more safe to do my new trick.

(wow...is this early? 7 months and pulls herself up to a standing position? i swear she is going to crawl for two weeks then walk before she is one. AHHHHH! )

i turned 7 months....

2009-09-23T15:09:00.000-07:00

and all i got was laryngitis and an ear infection.

more to follow later. i'm too grumpy to post.

happy birthday to my daddy

2009-09-16T17:46:00.000-07:00

dear daddy,

on your birthday i wanted to share

how i think we make the perfect comfy pair.

we both love sleeping, eating, and just hanging out,

and neither of us understands what mom is talking about.

you always seem to be there in the morning when i wake

and i love when you kiss me twice but do it just for "my sake".

sorry, i interrupt your shows with my loud voice when i talk,

thank you for your strong hands to hold mine when i walk.

you always get my milk for me, even though i don't say please,

and every time you greet me it's with a hello and a squeeze.

i am growing up to be so big and so very very strong

but from your side, daddy, i promise not to stay for very long.

i hope you have a very special birthday!

i love yooo...

love your ads

mrs.pozniak-to-be

2009-09-13T12:31:00.001-07:00

every little girl dreams of her big day. her wedding day of course. and i doubt addie will be any different - especially with me as her mom. so, i had to bring her along to a lunch where i knew weddings would be the entire conversation - just to show her that its okay to go crazy over something so fun! my friend and former college roommate was just engaged to a hottie and so that meant we had to get together and chat for hours about every detail. and when emily whipped out her binder - addie and i knew it was going to be a great afternoon!

addie loved the dresses, the possible locations, the jewelry and hair discussion, the color selection, and of course the beautiful ring brad picked out, etc. etc. etc. addie has very good taste, so does emily, so does brad...this is going to be so much fun to be a part of - thanks emily!

adelaide meets mr. barker

2009-09-13T12:17:00.001-07:00

for labor day, several college friends got together to catch up at my friend erin's beautiful home. it was so great to see everyone..to laugh about old times, to catch up on new stuff, to find out big news - YEAH! - to meet their little ones, and to introduce my own.

every once in a while i am totally awestruck by my luck. lucky to have gone to college where i went, to have magically met the people i met, and to still be sharing these big special things in our lives...i.e. kids. and since i lost most of my sappiness when i graduated from xu, this feels weird to say...but i think there is more than xu that brought these characters into my life, and i have to just thank some higher power for keeping them as characters in my life.

and i got to finally meet my friend barker's son, William, who scored major cool points with everyone. and barker finally got to meet miss adelaide, who immediately took to drooling all over him - like i did until i found out he wasn't into me the first night i met him in 1996.

no photos please.

2009-09-05T18:09:00.000-07:00

sorry for the lack of photos and posts to anyone who is caring. being a mom and a teacher is not leaving me with a ton of down time to photograph her while she is at her peak of happiness. i get the snotty, soaking wet with drool, sticky hair, rubbing eyes addie now.

and while i think these things are still so sweet to be with...it doesn't take as sweet a picture. so i will do my best as we settle into some sort of "routine" - to actually get her happy, dry, clean and awake for a photo shoot soon.

until then, im good just spending my evenings covered in all her goo, snuggled up and chatting about our days in school.

me and my hannah...

2009-09-05T18:02:00.001-07:00

addie LOVES her cousins. which is a good thing. cause they LOVE her. especially hannah, who is so nice and sweet to her whenever we are together...she is always so helpful and willing to just sit and watch her play. i hope this is a special friendship that gets stronger and stronger. i remember looking up to my older cousins and thinking they were so cool, so fun, and i was so lucky if one of them paid attention to me...lucky addie.

been a long time gone

2009-09-05T17:50:00.000-07:00

hey. im still alive. im still awesome. i have only a few new tricks. check me out.

yeah..thats me. thats my bottle. swweeeet.

poor little big girl

2009-08-24T20:07:00.000-07:00

miss adelaide jane

six months

height 27 inches 90th percentile

weight 20 lbs. 14 ozs. 97th percentile

head 18 1/4 inches 97th percentile

little addie had a bad day at school...and to top it off, she had to go straight to the doctor's office to get her last round of shots. these are the bad ones, the 2 month, 4 month and 6 month rotation. awful. the last time we did this, she puked immediately and wasn't herself for days. did i mention that i am an awful mom because i added on a flu shot (which means she will have to go back in a month for the second dose!) she immediately fell asleep in the car, and then stayed asleep from 5 to 7:45...woke up had a bottle, some tylenol, and is now currently zonked out yet again!

it's getting harder now that she is a little person. i can tell now that she is crying for more reasons other than 'i am wet change me' 'i am hungry feed me' 'i am tired need sleepy' ...

now for sure its cries of - 'i hate you for taking me here, and letting these nurses shoot both my legs with needles' 'i can't believe you made them give me another shot' 'you are crazy lady if think i am coming back here for more' 'quit trying to tickle me, its not funny' 'i will get you back for this, just wait'

sweet sweet laides...i love you, and i hope you feel better tomorrow. but its still okay to rub your snot on my shirt anyway. im getting used to it.

whoaa we're halfway there...

2009-08-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

yes, the 'addie-tude' is still there...

our little ladybug is now half a year old. six. six months. it's really hard to believe that six short months ago she was this 'sort of' tiny thing...and now she has a personality that melts even strangers - i know this because no matter where we are, they stop me just to tell me how beautiful she is... now i know she is, but its nice to hear from people who could care less.

what has she accomplished in these six months, too much to mention..but these are my favorites lately...

our little ladybug sits up, she loves squash, she has 4 bottom teeth, she still absolutely LOVES music and anyone willing to sing to her, and she is still a fantastic sleeper. her routine is slowly building as the school year starts up. bed at 9, wake at 5:30-6 am, bottle and dressed by mom OR dad, off to daycare by 8:30-9 am, bottle, nap, PLAY, bottle, nap, PLAY, then mommy comes to pick her up at 3:30-4 pm., bottle, mini-nap, PLAY W/ MOM, eat big girl food, bath, PLAY W/DAD, bedtime! what a life!

what the heck did i used to do six months ago?

will lean for food

2009-08-15T18:13:00.000-07:00

the lady leans for yogurt.

and this is where the yogurt goes cause she leans to fast.

chi-nnati

2009-08-14T16:35:00.000-07:00

i am always up for anything that has to do with mixing chicago and cincinnati - especially when it comes to food.

tonight we tried that new'er' restaurant Chi-nnati's and we hit right during happy hour which helped us try some apps too.

it wasn't bad...wasn't anything special either. i guess i just wasn't hungry enough to be there.

maybe next time when i am craving six layers of something. we'll see.

addie however enjoyed her first restaurant highchair experience...just another check off the ol' new-things list for this week.

here addie is looking for our waitress so mommy can get more coke.

more ch...ch...ch...changes

2009-08-14T16:29:00.001-07:00

so only five days into daycare and she sits on her own.

i had to see for myself today when we got home.

she's naked because she was soaking wet due to an increased amount of drool FOR THE TWO NEW TEETH that suddenly joined the once lonely tooth.

i can't take anymore changes. this is nuts.

if she says ma-ma next week i may just have a nervous breakdown.

ch..ch..changes

2009-08-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

so...my little lady isn't so little anymore.

this week has been all about letting her grow, the six month mark is around the corner and after two bins full of clothes that don't even fit her anymore...i decided to accept the change, enjoy the change, celebrate it even.

she is no longer a pumpkin-seat babe. onto bigger and better views in her new big girl chair.

this was definitely an easy adjustment for her...and an even easier one on my arms. in six more months she will actually get to turn around for an awesome view of the back of my head..but for now, she likes to talk and sing and fall fast asleep.

and our little lady has moved from meals in her bumbo to a big girl 'high' chair.

this is my favorite part of the day...because when addie eats it's as if every bite may be her last-so she leans toward the spoon (and me) a little closer everytime until she practically has her head on the tray. it is extremely entertaining but extremely difficult to get food in a mouth i can't see.

so far - addie loves squash and by loves i mean her head makes it to the tray much faster than with anything else.

and she HATES pears and by hates i mean she actually leans back.

but the biggest one of all is that today, on the fourth day of daycare, i show up to find her sitting up, unsupported, and having a blast. WHAT? the only place i have ever seen her sitting up is on my lap - where she eventually falls from balance. and when i looked surprised and said "look at you!" they said, "she's been sitting up all morning". i have to admit i was part beaming proud and part dying inside that i hadn't seen it first...that i hadn't let go of her at home long enough to let her try...but...

that doesn't matter. she is learning. she is growing. she is definitely changing.

and how could i be jealous...she is mine. i'm the one that gets the first smile in the morning and that is all that counts. cause damn its a good one.

big girls DO cry.

2009-08-11T12:34:00.000-07:00

(day one - she knows something is wrong. mommy is crying as she takes this picture.)

day two - ( she slept through most of the day they said while mom sat worried about not being forgiven for deserting her again.)

i have to admit. when people told me how crushing it would be to drop her off for the first time at daycare...i thought they were crazy. i thought how happy i'd be to be getting back into my old routine of work, and students...you know - adult-stuff. but instead i...

didn't sleep at all Sunday night just like i used to before the first day of school when i was a kid.

cried the ENTIRE morning getting her and myself dressed.

had to have greg take her in, while i busily unloaded all of her things into her cubby and the fridge. i was afraid that i wouldn't hand her over if i was in charge of that part.

could barely walk out of the room - thank god greg just kept saying 'let's go' 'babe let's go' 'c'mon let's go'

cried after greg left for work.

cried through half of my hair appointment.

drove around aimlessly. crying.

and then picked her up at 12.

and what was she doing?

laughing and playing.

lesson learned. mommy is crazy. baby is happy. daycare is a good thing. for both of us.

(by the way, i didn't shed one tear day two. shouldn't i get a sucker for that?)

watering can

2009-08-09T15:48:00.000-07:00

i figured i'd put all this slobbering to good use.

now addie is in charge of watering my flowers...

(look closely for the string of drool that hangs so gracefully from her lower lip.)

jurassic afternoon

2009-08-09T15:19:00.000-07:00

there are sound effects to these pictures.

if you listen really closely you can hear them.

best part were all the times that noah claimed large pieces of bones were dinasaur poops.

very loudly by the way, very loudly.

hanging out with the boys

2009-08-07T12:29:00.001-07:00

so i had a fun afternoon with my three nephews...and made something very clear to me..this house is in NO WAY ready for addie to make any moves on her own. geeeeeeeez!

everytime i see these two together i laugh thinking about all the trouble they are going to get into with each other...hopefully i will be able to bribe them into giving up the truth with these pictures...

ADDIE's BACK!

2009-08-01T19:27:00.000-07:00

so for the past two days my little lady has been miraculously returned to me. she is back to her laughing fits, her grabbing things out of my hand, her eating, her pooping, her talking, her screeching, her rolling, her sleeping, her happy face for strangers...

i couldn't be more excited to have her back.

so tonight we celebrated together by snuggling up and watching a movie on the floor in her bedroom. i hope that someday she has memories of watching movies with me..sprawled out..late night snacking...and laughing in the dark (or crying depending on the movie). i can still smell my old house, and see the gigantic t.v., and picture my mom lying on the floor in front of the t.v. and how she always put a towel down so we didn't get food on the carpet...and movies playing as we sprawled out all over the floor next to her.

i hope there are a at least a few more nights like tonight...if not i will remind her of this one. especially when she is screaming "i hate you" which she is certain to do at some point.

sweet and snotty

2009-07-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

so as if things weren't already lousy for her..addie had to go and somehow develop her first cold. what a miserable week..and im just so helpless.

the best thing i can say about this cold is that it is making her so tired that she is actually sleeping - unlike the up-all-night teething hell that started this week off.

the sneezing and the coughing and the runny nose - somehow, they are all so much sweeter on her than they are on me. no really, they are all on me..all over my shirt and my face. lovely.

get better little girl. i love you but im not too fond of all this mucus.

brave no more

2009-07-26T19:05:00.001-07:00

poor little lady...she has been such a trooper throughout most of this tooth ordeal...up until the last two days, the only signs she has shown were a love of all things small enough to fit in her mouth, an adorable amount of ear tugging, and a constant faucet of drool. now it is hitting her full force - her head is hot, and now its snot, tears, and vomit to go along with the drool.

i have to be honest, this was her face for most of the past few days, and somehow (without jinxing myself) she has managed to be back to her smiley happy self these past few hours. i know once i publish this post-she will start screaming again and i will only get two or three hours of sleep like last night...but it was worth writing, if only for me to remember this time tomorrow when she is screaming again.

its okay little girl. mommy hates pain even more than you do. you don't have to be brave, just get tired...dear god in heaven...get tired.

apparently..she wanted the real neil

2009-07-25T12:55:00.000-07:00

so i wanted to have a family outing before greg left for NOLA...

things never work out the way i want them to..ever. greg was late, addie was cranky, i couldn't find the folding chairs, i couldn't find the carry-cooler, greg wasn't up for a picnic dinner, i wasn't up for arguing about something silly, we drove out of the driveway with addie's car door wide open, we got there and just set up "camp" right at the entrance, addie was cute for about a minute and then slept OR cried for the rest of the time....did i mention the bugs that i kept swatting off of her...

i can say that the best thing about the evening was the band. FOREVER DIAMOND is one of the greatest neil diamond tribute bands out there...and even though he was wearing a scary shirt, the singer sounded exactly like neil...and anything that remotely comes close to neil diamond is kick ass in my book. yes i said it. i love him. i love dancing to cherry cherry..i love fake dueting to you don't bring me flowers...i love that as i was singing along, old ladies were singing too. neil diamond makes everyone happy. even the lady who was strapped to her oxygen tank behind me had a blast...

so go ahead, knock him..just try to not tap your foot to a little cracklin' rosie. just try.

yes doctor...a tooth...is that bad?

2009-07-24T14:01:00.000-07:00

adelaide 'toothy' jane

five months

height 26 1/2 inches 9oth percentile

weight 18 lbs 14.5 oz. 97th percentile

head 17 3/4 inches 97th percentile

you were brave today my little chickadee..tears for a bit after the shots and then a perfect angel...once again, more brave than mommy.

cinco meses! oh dios mio!

2009-07-23T12:56:00.000-07:00

so today my little lady marks five months of perfection..well, maybe just existence...no, if i am really honest with myself...its five months of more than perfection. its another reality, another layer of life..she is five months of everything that IS. (do i sound crazy yet?)

here are five new things about you little ladybug..

1. you can suck your toes - and you get frustrated when you are strapped in your seat and can't reach them!

2. you just laugh with mommy...mommy doesn't even need to be tickling you or squeezing you and it is a good deep laugh...

3. you sleep from 10 at night til almost 6 or 7 in the morning...please don't change that just because you become 6 months old.

4. you are really turning now...in fact, if there is nothing stopping you'd just roll all day long which scares the heck out of mommy.

5. you have tooth buds..which are truly bothering you-and whatever you can get your mouth on, you start knawing away on just to ease the pain-poor little lady.

no wonder i started crying when i talked to the daycare director on the phone...you change so much and i don't want to miss anything.

you are so much fun..and i still love you even though you cried and screamed at the top of your lungs for twenty straight minutes today in the car...

feliz cinco meses...happy five months...now, whaddya think the doctor will say tomorrow?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!

2009-07-19T19:54:00.000-07:00

We LOVE YOU!

We have surprises for you later!

friends again

2009-07-14T10:29:00.003-07:00

we made up.

all is well.

BFFs again.

until next time that is...

mama said knock you out...

2009-07-14T10:06:00.000-07:00

more like addie said it.

here are the new rules addie laid down last night.

1. when i don't want to cuddle...then i don't want to cuddle.

2. if you still want to cuddle...do so at your own risk.

3. by risk i mean-- i will take you out by any means necessary.

4. cut my nails more often if you don't like the consequences.

and most importantly, 5. don't blame me, blame yourself, im just a kid.

1 + 1 = 1

2009-07-11T18:21:00.000-07:00

no, this is not the math that i am teaching my students...

but it is the math i was thinking about all week while my husband was away for work. it occurred to me that addie is a perfect mixture of greg and i...she even changes her look to sometimes be me, and then sometimes be spot-on greg. these two pictures were taken the same day...(of course by the time the second one took place it appears that addie has been in a baby gang fight with her scratched eye)

so i started a little list in my head...and i wonder how long any of it will last...

addie looking just like me...

like mommy

1. social butterfly

2. let's be honest here, looks good in red but doesn't wear it a lot

3. blue eyes, blonde hair (mommy's was natural once)

4. loves car-rides - or any kind of fast motion...

5. obsessed with milk

6. loves laughing until its almost time to puke

7. great shopper

8. talks all the time

9. great dancer

10. cried when Michael Jackson died

addie doing her best dad impression...

like daddy :

1. sleeps anywhere in any position

2. doesn't hear anything after falling asleep

3. cranky right before bedtime

4. totally chill unless mommy intervenes

5. loves making fun of mommy

6. loves the computer

7. LOVES to be tall

8. sometimes likes it to just be very quiet

9. great eater

10. is patient with mommy...

lil' miss independent

2009-07-08T11:24:00.000-07:00

our little miss independent just loved her first fourth.

actually, she slept through every firework show we drove by on i-71 on our way home from a wedding. but next year hopefully she will be into all the pretty colors in the sky. i always loved fireworks and spent some quality time as an young pyro - and soon grew out of it.

our fourth was really celebrated on the fifth at my mom's pool complete with raft races for the boys and burgers with actual bacon cooked inside! you know, we try to keep it as close to the historical celebration as possible.

enjoy it now kid, cause i can just hear myself in the future, annoyingly repeating the story of the revolutionary day when (most of) our forefathers told off a bully and got a country out of it. if that's not a lesson in standing up for yourself, what is?

thanks for the country. and for the one day where wearing the flag as a tank top isn't tacky..just plain old cute.

e.i.e.i.ooooooo

2009-06-30T17:23:00.000-07:00

so, she fits in my mom's exersaucer and thanks to my wonderful coworkers, we have an incredible one at home. it of course, stays in place, only this one bounces.

i put it together today just to see what she would do. i have to admit i didn't put the batteries in it because i want to prolong any noise making toys for as LONG as possible. which i guess would have added to the whole effect for her...sorry ads.

but i think the picture tells the whole story.

she just sat there. no bounce. no touch. just a glazed look the spinning ducks (that i had to spin). she was more excited about the numbers and letters on the seat cushion as she spent quite a while trying to scratch them off to put into her mouth.

she may be too young for this...but in all fairness she can't be in it past 25 lbs. and she is already 18 - so her bouncing time is limited.

maybe tomorrow we can put the batteries in it. happy staring for now. in peace and quiet.

sum..sum..summertime

2009-06-30T17:12:00.000-07:00

so i don't know if anyone has noticed..but the last few days have been incredible summer days for cincinnati. so addie and i have made the most of it, with some of the people we love the most...

pool time with emily's boys and addie's cousins, hanging with my mom, dad and addie's aunt stacy out on the porch for hours...

and of course, addie couldn't get enough of crazy noah... "why she looking at me? hey baby addie why are you looking at me?!"

i have to admit, she likes a good show, and noah always puts on a good one. the next picture in my roll is his butt - cause he wanted a picture of it.

sure you don't want a sister boys?

2009-06-29T07:20:00.000-07:00

my friend emily is in town, so my friend stacy and i joined her and her wonder-twins for a little brunch. addie tagged along...which of course meant a photo op.

you can see that cash was clearly into it (or atleast wanted a dollar-store treat for smiling) while hayden could care less about addie, a smile, or a treat.

i don't blame you hayden. she's no roman candle.

millions of peaches...peaches for free

2009-06-29T07:16:00.000-07:00

well, we tried. peaches first...then applesauce. i think her face says it all. and while we do have video to someday torture her with, i think this photo says it all.

maybe if we'd started with donuts or a mcdonalds coke - i guess for now she will just continue to drool as we eat.

addie's new bff

2009-06-29T06:56:00.000-07:00

so addie is great at making friends...and peyton hall just loved cuddling up next to her. i think these ladies will have lots of fun in the future - if peyton has anything to say about it...

that's my big girl!

2009-06-25T13:42:00.000-07:00

adelaide jane

4 months

height 25 1/2 inches (90th percentile)

weight 17 lbs 8 ozs. (97th percentile)

head 17 1/2 inches (97th percentile)

and 100 percent amazing...

four at 4:

2009-06-23T06:02:00.000-07:00

so at four a.m. our little adelaide turned four months. it is so hard to believe that in these short four months so much has happened. if i think back to other four month periods in my life - like waiting for school to end, or to leave on a trip, for my wedding, or even christmas...nothing compares to these four months.

addie in four short months you have managed to:

1. grow several inches (dr. ng will tell us tomorrow exactly how many)

2. almost double your birth weight

3. grow out of your newborn, 3 month, and 6 month clothes

4. grow out of #1 and #2 diapers

5. go from waking every two hours...to three hours...to five hours during the night

6. drink 2 ozs...to 4 ozs...to 6 ozs...to the random willingness to let mom give you rice cereal

7. sleep in a boppy right next to us, then sleep in your pack'n'play, and now in your crib!!!

8. ride in your carseat stroller, and now the big-girl stroller!

9. go from silence, to cooing, to singing all the time

10. move from little poops, to major blow-outs that you wait until we are in public to have

11. go from needing mom to hold you while you dance, to dancing on your own

12. to barely holding your huge head up for minutes at a time, to always wanting to sit up even when you are strapped in to your seat

13. go from not knowing you had feet, to grabbing them whenever possible

14. go from not being able to squeeze our fingers, to not wanting to let go even to fall asleep

15. move from a towel bath - that you hate. to a big girl bath - that you love

16. switch from just crying for everything, to actually showing signs like rubbing your eyes

17. go from squirming as i type with you on my lap, to sitting patiently watching the screen.

18. go from stopping strangers with how cute you are...oh wait, they still stop...

19. travel a total of 28 hours in the car to disney

20. go from smiling to laughing out loud with the greatest laugh EVER

21. swim in a big people pool and love to splat your hands in the water

22. start to turn on your side, causing minor heart attacks to your mommy

23. change my life forever for the better.

you are such a big girl..i can't wait to see what you are capable of with 5 months under your belt...ads, you are a drool-covered mountain of squishiness just waiting to be squeezed and i just love you...and i love that you just fell asleep against my arm.

happy napping...you've done a lot and need your rest.

an addie-daddy kind of day

2009-06-21T05:46:00.000-07:00

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!!

dear daddy,

thank you for always making me smile. i love to hear your voice! i miss you when you are on trips...my favorite part is when you come home. i like to laugh with you in the morning. i like when you make me tall. you are so comfy to take naps on. i can't wait til i am tall enough to go on trips with you. it is funny when you make fun of mommy with me. you work very hard. i am so proud of you for your award. i am glad you are my daddy.

love, your most favorite daughter,

ads

M.I.C.K.E.Y.M.O.U.S.E.

2009-06-14T11:42:00.000-07:00

just had to share my favorite photo from disney...our little mouseketeer was such a trouper in tremendous heat she kept a smile, on crazy bus trips she entertained all the passengers, at restaurants she waited patiently for her turn, at the pool she smiled at other little mousketeers, she slept through the big scary characters touching her, she smiled at the princesses, she slept through every night, and cried a total of three times in the car down and back.

its official - she is the most amazing baby in the whole wide 'small' world. and i love her.

"thank you to grandma and grandpa for my first vacation. thank you to aunt kate for figuring out where the heck we were going. thank you to my daddy for lugging my stroller on and off the buses. and thank you to my mommy for holding me even though it was so hot outside"

-love addie

she's a pisces for sure...

2009-05-30T13:34:00.001-07:00

while it was only for a little bit...she loved it...oh how i long for the days when being chubby in a bathing suit was considered a cute thing...

i secretly whispered to her, "enjoy this while you can little girl" "you will soon have a complex that even i am not responsible for"

and i, for the first time, am realizing the interesting color that mommies get - when they hold babies with 50 sunblock...grrrrreat.

ahhh, summer.

(and no, she is not sitting up at 3 mons. - i cropped out my hand holding onto her for dear life)

um, no, she hasn't skipped a meal...

2009-05-26T16:40:00.000-07:00

thank you doctor...

adelaide jane

three months

HT: 25 in (95th percentile)

WT: 15 lbs. 11 ozs. (97th percentile)

HEAD: 17 in (97th percentile)

and you are perfect in every way lady jane.

so you just keep on eating...

the only limbo this little girl is gonna do

2009-05-26T16:35:00.000-07:00

is under a big stick...

thanks to melanie and joe for being addie's godparents...lord knows this kid is gonna need some guidance with the two of us as parents...

shout out to chi-town

2009-05-25T18:08:00.001-07:00

my cousin maura just loved to
chat with me..

and my cousin ben had
lots to say too..
but my favorite were
the songs that merritt
sang to me...

i had so much fun guys...wish i could see you all the time...
i will be up to visit as soon as i can!

i may be holy, but i still rock

2009-05-25T17:58:00.000-07:00

don't be fooled by my precious appearance,
its just that now when i dance, i like to dance for jesus.

bring it. oh lord. bring it.

you're once, twice, THREE times a lady

2009-05-23T20:59:00.000-07:00

so addie jane turned three months today...

things i love about my three month old

1. her unending amount of drool

2. her laugh and how many forms it comes in

3. her curls right after a bath

4. her dancing skills

5. her ability to sleep through the night

6. her big eyes

7. her love of cuddling

8. her constant attempt to get her entire hand in her mouth

9. her voice and how she sighs

10. her.

happy three months baby. can't imagine life before you. can't imagine life without you.

last day with my lady

2009-05-19T18:26:00.000-07:00

i can't believe its over.

i can't believe its time for me to go back to work.

people told me in the beginning that i would not want to go back. that it would be hard. that i would miss her too much. people said that i would get into a routine with her, get to know her quirks, her cries, and get used to it being the two of us..daily.

and i honestly thought.."you are crazy" "i want my old routine back" "i want adult interaction" "i want to not live in three hour increments of time" "i will want to go back-believe me"

and now i have one more morning, one more day of her all to myself. its so stupid..but i am totally crying thinking about saying goodbye to her in the morning and then not seeing her for 8 hours. and its not like she won't be in totally capable hands..thank god for greg, and for our moms. its that i am used to knowing her whole day, and not having to ask someone else how it went.

and this is only for a super tiny bit - i mean, i am working for 9 nine days. and then i will be with her for two more months of mornings.

i think its just got me thinking about august. when she goes to spend the day with strangers...who won't be photographing all her smiles for me. i guess what i am trying to say is,

this sucks.

and i know i am not the only one who thinks that. addie told me she thinks it sucks too, she likes our morning chats, my singing and our dancing...but secretly, i know she can't wait to be spoiled with love from her daddy, her grandma and her nana too. and i am okay with that.

i just hope she tells me all about it when i get home from work.

quite good company

2009-05-15T06:17:00.000-07:00

so i started to feel sick monday night, horrible sore throat, and a nasty cough...which pretty much describes my tuesday and my wednesday...(sooooo sorry erin)

and while i was just sitting there feeling miserable and waiting for the next dose of medicine to relieve whatever symptoms it could..i had the greatest company.

my daughter has a very sympathetic gene in her, she slept so i could sleep, she laughed so i could smile, and she wasn't fussy for a second - so i could be the fussy one instead. she even told me stories so i could fall asleep faster...

i mean, what DO moms do when they get sick? i couldn't get a sub, and leave plans on my desk for them to completely ignore anyway...i had to do what most teachers do...work sick...its just easier that way.

so here's to all the moms who have been as sick as a dog..and here's to all the kids who played nice for the crazy medicine-head mommies...i promise, we will get out today addie, you deserve a little sunshine, love you!

can we watch it again?

2009-05-12T12:34:00.001-07:00

"please mommy please, can we can we?" addie says as i push play again on her butterflies and music dvd...

my wonderful aunt claire gave me a dvd with real butterflies flying around hopping from flower to flower all set to really beautiful lullabies..and to my surprise, addie is mesmerized by it...and i have to admit, so am i.

its better than that scary duck on the einstein videos - which she is also mesmerized by

and..huh, i wonder where she gets her love of the t.v. - couldn't be a trait her parents passed on could it?

and i guess until its a rotten cartoon that messes with her self-image and puts violence in her head - i will let her watch this as many times as she wants.

and secretly, i love that its butterflies. i bet her g.g. would have loved to watch this with her...i can see them now, cuddled up in bed together...just chatting and picking out their favorite ones...missed you again this mother's day grandma...love you.

love my little lady

2009-05-09T13:37:00.000-07:00

first of all i have to give a shout out to addie's new friend OTTO BAILEY HANSBAUER! you are such a cute little guy, it was so fun to hold you today and remember how it wasn't that long ago that my little lady was swaddled up in a hospital blanket...awwww

but now my little lady is big enough to be a big help around the house...so addie and i made a paula deen strawberry cake today for her nana's birthday...

well actually, addie just danced to springsteen while mommy worked the handmixer, but i will give her creativity credit cause the strawberries around the top were her idea.

i can't believe tomorrow is mother's day. how lucky am i to get to have such a happy healthy little girl to smile back at me tomorrow! i can't wait!

pictured is my little lady and myself, and the 'fruits' of our labor!

who's a big girl?

2009-05-04T13:32:00.000-07:00

so my little adelaide is now sleeping in her pack 'n' play...

this may not seem like a big deal to you all, but that is one step away from her crib..which means she is that much closer to sleeping in a room without one of us.

i am stunned how much she is like her daddy when it comes to sleep. she is crabby when she is tired, and if you put her down and leave her alone, she grumbles a bit and then WHAM - out like a light - and the best part is - she sleeps as hard as her daddy too. (just the other day she slept through daddy's saw, the ice-cream truck, and mama's loud t.v.)

i have pictures of her in her pack and play, but these were just so much cuter...i just had to share them with you...cause the only thing better than addie when she is sleeping is addie when she just wakes up in the morning and is so happy.

these pics show how addie greeted me this morning...

is she teething already too?

2009-04-28T13:53:00.000-07:00

so, the verdict is in. addie is really a 5 month old trapped in a 2 month old body.

at her doctor's appointment today, she came in a whopping 13lbs. 3 1/2 ozs. putting her in the 95th percentile for weight. then she measured 23 3/4 inches which puts her in the 90th percentile for height. then of course, the one that always concerns me the most, her gigantor head - measured 16 3/8 inches around. this means her head is actually bigger than 95 percent of the babies out there.

good lord. and thats not all.

the doctor then asked how much she eats, and i was honest, and his eyes got really big.

"okay, well, its obvious she doesn't skip any meals - why don't you try adding rice cereal to her diet"

WHAT?!

i was almost afraid to ask, but she does drool quite a bit, so i just said it as a side note to the doctor and his eyes got big again!

look, my two month old does not have teeth coming in yet, so she drools, so she is a little advanced for her age,

so was her mama - and i don't think she is all that bad? poor little girl. now i am going to have start worrying about her bra size...ugh.

my little adelaide, big enough to be spoon fed. goodness.

bye bye bunnies

2009-04-27T12:41:00.000-07:00

i can't believe you are big enough to not need your bunnies...

this is the last picture you have with your bunnies...you loved them so much!

HI EVERYBODEEEEE!!!

2009-04-27T12:17:00.001-07:00

lazy sunny mornin'

2009-04-27T11:42:00.000-07:00

so my 9 week old loves...

being held, burrowing into your armpit, laughing, smiling, chatting, eating, dancing,

and of course movement of any kind. she is truly loving wearing all the latest summer fashions and enjoying the weather...

but lately my favorite thing to do in the morning is to have a chat with addie by the light of the windows. she just loves to watch the sun move around the room, and is most definitely in love with our curtains. she talks to them more than she talks to me...

she has increased her vocab times ten lately, so much so that she now coos in her sleep...which is hysterical and adorable and hard to sleep next to, to be honest. thats another video for another time - yea, we taped it for future ridicule.

but her smile, its indescribable..and easy to get from her now, well sometimes it is...so here is the result of our latest conversation...

she went on to be very happy..i promise. what a performer...

three days of sunshine...

2009-04-24T06:25:00.001-07:00

.....and mommy got burnt.

can't get enough of this little lady...

2009-04-20T06:38:00.000-07:00

two months already?

2009-04-20T06:05:00.000-07:00

happy birthday to my little girl...

things are changing so fast with you lately. you are already onto the big bottles, and the next level of flow, and you changed from soy to milk with only a few minor blow-ups. you are a great sleeper at night, but during the day you still like to keep mommy on her toes. you get hungry every two and half to three hours...and no matter what mommy does you get the milk all down your face, neck, and magically in your armpits! you are a fashion plate, going through two or more outfits a day and you absolutely HATE getting new clothes on...which mommy is hoping is not a sign of your future hatred of shopping.

ahhhh...next thing you know you will be walking, wearing lipstick, dating.

well, maybe not the lipstick...i mean i never wear any.

you have changed too..you look a whole lot more like your daddy. which isn't a bad thing, i mean i fell in love with him - he can't be all that bad...hee hee.

and seriously ads, you are one big conundrum...cause since we gave you milk, you sleep a bit more, and you are a lot less fussy...which is why we put you on the soy to begin with...very strange.

addie's firsts so far :

1. milk

2. time alone with nana

3. the zoo with her cousins

4. meeting her uncle nick

5. easter egg hunting

6. family portrait for my husband's side- christmas photo

happy morning, happy addie

2009-04-08T08:28:00.000-07:00

this is when i say to myself, woman, you are the luckiest

person you know on earth...addie's smile is contagious

and so far its my favorite thing to have with breakfast...

i see no lady here...

2009-04-06T17:08:00.000-07:00

so, my little lady has turned 6 weeks today. 6 weeks is supposed to be some miracle week...where everything comes together and finally makes sense.

well, i would like to put it out there officially that this week sucks.

she gave me nothing but several days in a row of absolute torturous screaming and crying so loud that my head actually still hurts.

and i tried EVERYTHING...except money...to get her to be quiet.

what surprised me, as i was sweating through her middle-of-the-mall meltdown, was that people still stopped to say, "how adorable" "how sweet"...

and in between wiping the sweat from my face, i actually said to a woman "you can hold her for awhile if you think she is so sweet"

now, on a scale of 1-10 i'd say this makes me a 5 between normal new mom exhaustion and really bad mothering. offering babies to strangers isn't really in the books, but at that point, with everyone staring at me, i would have given anything to not be the one holding her.

but we survived...and i think we are both stronger for it.

now don't get me started on how gross it is to change your baby on a public-changing-station. ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

the diva goes to the doctor

2009-04-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

she looks all innocent - but then when you look away she gives mommy attitude...which i am now calling "addie-tude"

well, on Monday miss addie went to the doctor for her one month (and a week) checkup. she is still 22 inches, she only weighs 10.6ozs - and both of those numbers put her into the 75th percentile.

her head measurement however puts her into the 90th percentile.

people say a big head means big brains, and while i would like to believe that seeing as my head is also grandiose in size...i would just like to offer my apologies to my daughter now. a big head just means bigger hats, and bigger earrings, and often times - a healthier political career... (haven't you noticed powerful politicians have large heads)

so little miss addie-tude will either look great in my jewelry someday - or great on capital hill. she is going to D.C. in a few months, we shall see...

see....this is the face she will give you. soooo sweet ... soooo innocent.... HA!

happy birthday addie

2009-03-23T17:23:00.000-07:00

today you turned a month old.

i can't believe a month ago my life completely changed.

my favorite moments with you addie jane are when its the middle of the night - and its so quiet - except for your heavy breathing as you guzzle your bottle down. i also love you right after a bath - you smell so sweet - and your hair is so fuzzy and curly. i love when i hold your face close to mine and sing to you - your lips form an O as if you are trying to sing with me, and you make your cute little ooooh sound. i love taking pictures of you - you are a such a little ham. i love dancing to stevie wonder with you...now that we have the sling...i can really explore the room. you are such a motion-junkie - the faster the better, which is the coolest thing about you.

you have started doing more than smiling. you follow faces and voices, and love the crinkling of your toy butterfly. you really are a smart little girl, i can tell in your eyes. i can't wait to teach you things about life, about history, about places i have been.

i remember back to when i thought i wasn't going to get to have you. when i thought i couldn't have you. and it seems like so far away. and it seems crazy to have ever thought that. and it may be silly, but i think your G.G. sent you to me. which makes you more than just my little girl. it makes you the greatest gift i have ever been given.

happy birthday ladybug. now please, sleep in for mommy.

my little drama girl...

2009-03-19T19:33:00.000-07:00

addie is definitely in charge around the house. her lungs are outstanding. i think there is a broadway star under all that fuss - so i sing to her now and make up songs because she responds (well - as in - stops screaming) when i sing and dance with her. i have started holding her really close to my face and exaggerating my lips as i sing. the picture above shows exactly what she does right back to me.

she makes this "oooh" sound when she does it, and it makes all the screaming worth it - she is probably however - saying "oh, man, my mom really cannot sing, but i will pretend to like it"

oh thanks, but she is only 3 weeks old...

2009-03-18T11:50:00.000-07:00

sorry there is not a new picture to post...

its weird...now that she is here - its like i spend most of my days trying to get to know her.

she is a very interesting dramatic little girl..so i am occupied constantly by trying to gain this knowledge about life with my daughter.

so far what i have learned...

1. there is little time to update my blog.

2. i can do just about anything one handed, except get dressed - that is very tricky.

3. she is a motion junkie...when in doubt MOVE with her.

4. my daughter loves the car...hates red lights and wants to make sure that i am reminded at each one.

5. you can't run into ANYWHERE anymore. i don't even say "i have to run to..." anymore - which i think was in my daily vocab.

6. hiccups hurt me more than they hurt her.

7. my daughter can burp louder than i can.

8. at 3 weeks, she looks 6 weeks - or atleast that is what strangers think.

9. i can somehow function on almost NO sleep...outstanding!

10. slings are the greatest things since pre-pregnancy sleep.

11. formula poops smell really bad.... really really bad.

12. her favorite place to be is right up on my shoulder - ALL DAY and ALL NIGHT long.

and of course, i have learned not to take any moment for granted. and that i love her more than i can say. and that everytime she smiles (even if its just gas) i laugh too thinking of how much fun we are going to have together.

here she is boys...

2009-03-12T11:41:00.000-07:00

so we are slowly introducing addie to all her cousins...

not that we are afraid they will smother her...but our doctor told us over and over to watch how many children we get her around seeing as its cold and flu season - and winter keeps germs in the house rather than out...

he was pretty clear about the wash hands - and no kid-hold policy...so we are sticking to it.

On Sunday she met her three boy cousins A.J., Bennett, and Ethan...and then Wednesday she briefly met another cousin threesome, Zach, Noah, and Josh.

The boys wanted very little to do with her...she isn't very exciting right now, oh but wait boys, just wait a few years.

(that is my sister's littlest boy Josh in the picture...he is soon to be 6 months old...and addie totally has him beat in the hair dept.)

addie's day out

2009-03-07T16:29:00.000-08:00

so, it was in the 70's today...so greg and i took addie on a mile long trail and stopped every now and then so addie could catch her breath. then we all went to skyline to re-energize and refuel.

can i just say that no matter where i take her, she is a hit. people "awwwww"'d all along the trail, and then they "awwwwwww" 'd us all over skyline.

sometimes all i can do is just "awwwwww" at her too. she is too darn cute.

(and yes, those are 6-9 month pants she has on...next week she is walking the trail - no more stroller stuff for this chick)

yea...me too addie, me too

2009-03-07T06:24:00.001-08:00

its funny to me that the first three months of pregnancy you are so tired all you do is sleep...then the second three months you are running around like a chicken with your head cut off...then the third three months you are so tired and you can't sleep...and then wham. baby.

and you are soo tired, you run around like a chicken with your head cut off, and you can't sleep.

is this some kind of cruel joke. is god still getting us back for that whole apple thing cause seriously...get over it already.

addie and i now yawn simultaneously. if only i could just lay there, smack my lips, and have greg fetch me a mountain dew from the fridge - and if he doesn't do it fast enough i could start screaming. im just saying. maybe that could be paybacks for taking the freaking apple in the first place.

shout out to my baby daddy

2009-03-04T05:44:00.000-08:00

you never know when you fall in love that you have found a package deal.

i have to admit, like most women, i was nervous about what kind of mother i would make. and well to be honest... i also have to admit that i was nervous about what kind of father my husband would be...would he be hands on?
would he be ...loving?...patient?...helpful?...interested?

and somehow in a weeks time, my husband has shown me that he is all those things and more. i knew he was an emotional softy...but this little girl of ours has him wrapped around her finger, and i for one am so proud of her. he can't wait to hold her, talks to her like they have been old pals for years and years, he soothes her when she is screaming in his ear, he changed his first diaper...and MANY MANY more after that, he cleans bottles, does laundry, checks in on her while he is away, he brings home flowers for her, and has even thanked me for having her.

and i think addie knows it too...when he is near her, she calms down, she moves her face to find him, and made her first kissing noises at him. now, a hormonal mess of a new mom would be jealous, but i hope the bond between them just gets bigger and better - because a girl that looks up to her dad has a strong backbone and a solid heart...

i know from experience.

so thank you babe...addie is the best gift you could have given me...except for all that sleep you let me have last night...that was pretty awesome too.