Artwork & More

Addi's teachers sent her home with more artwork. It is all from October and November because it was displayed at the daycare but I wanted to share. I have them proudly displayed in our office. Now when she comes home with dirty fingernails, I don't wonder why. Maybe this summer we will get some finger paints but until then she can paint at school :)


It turns out that Addi is a much better eater at daycare than at home. She really only eats a few bites of everything at home and she won't touch the peas. But at daycare she eats everything. They do lace the peas with applesauce but at this point I don't want everything she eats to be sweet. Maybe this is why she doesn't eat well? Her teachers think its because she wants to nurse at home rather than eat. Right now I'm not going to worry about it. She is just learning.

She had her first "shy - I need mommy" moment the other day. We went to our neighbor's house to watch the playoff game and Lydia wanted to hold Addison. Of course she goes to everyone so I passed her along. After about 30seconds she was fussy and reaching for me. She wouldn't let me out of her sight and I had to sit on the floor near her so she would hang out and play. Eventually she warmed up to the environment and to everyone and of course Scott or I were always right there.

Baby signs are going well. We missed last week's class because of school stuff but we can go this week. Its a 6 week class and is a lot of fun. Addison is the youngest baby but she really seems to like it. It will be a while before she learns to sign, but she is starting to recognize signs. She gets really excited when I sign (and say) milk.

School is going well. I am slowly getting my prospectus outlined. I am meeting with my chair this week to talk about it. Once I rope it all in and figure out exactly what I need to include, I can really start to write. The class that I am TAing for is so interesting! I am really enjoying the "teaching" part of it although I don't teach in the traditional manner. It made me realize that I miss being in front of a class.

Scott starts his traveling next week. It will be an adjustment for us all but hopefully it won't be for too long. At this point we are hoping he is only gone a few nights a week. Please pray for us during this change. I know it is really hard on Scott to be away from us, and I am hopeful that something great and grand is going to come out of it for Scott.

Scott and I can't wait for the weekend!!!! WoooHooo New Orleans!

New Orleans here we come!

Scott and I just booked a weekend for New Orleans in a couple of weeks. Its about a 6.5 hour drive and neither of us have been so we are really excited. Its a short trip but should be a fun way to celebrate our anniversary. We are staying at the The Inn on Bourbon. I love reward points! Mrs. Marie and Mr. Ricky are coming to town to hang out with Addison and Dylan.

Dylan has more pep in her step so I think the thyroid medicine is starting to work. She is much more energetic and looks like she is slimming down. We won't know for sure how well its working until we go back in February but for now its looking good.

Addison still isn't digging the peas although its looking better. She likes it when I thin it out with breast milk. We try avocado this weekend. Its pretty easy - just mash and maybe add some breast milk or water to thin it out. No cooking involved. We will see...

pass the peas please

Or not. So far Addi is not digging the peas. Not sure if its the texture or the taste but we are going to continue to try all week. After she first tried them she refused to eat the squash but that passed later today. She was in a cranky mood today - the teeth are hurting her I think - so maybe that is why the peas got the shaft. We will soon find out.

I believe her new teeth are related to the slowskies. For some reason (and I am not alone on this, Scott thought the same thing), I thought they would just pop out once they broke the skin. Not the case (although each morning we check to see if they are there). They are just hanging out. One has broken free the other is still in restraints. Her gums are red and swollen, and I'm just giving her extra mommy love and my fingers (her choice not mine although she also loves ice in the mesh foodie bag, teethers, links, frozen anything, etc) to chew on in the meantime.

We also discovered recently that she LOVES the remote. I mean loves it and will do whatever she can to get to it. Another way she is like Scott :) Perhaps we will use the remote to get her to crawl. Right now she just rolls until she gets to it. Its pretty funny seeing her roll all over the place.

mmmm...butternut squash

If Addison could talk, I do believe she would say, "mmmm...butternut squash!"

She really likes butternut squash. I found out after a few days at daycare that she LOVES cereal there. They then proceeded to tell me they add a small amount of unsweetened applesauce to it. No wonder she loves it so. Nothing I can do about it now. I told them that we were only introducing one food at a time and they seemed to get that it wasn't an all you can eat baby food buffet yet. We add a bit of the "sauce" to her cereal and she eats it like a champ now. Onto the peas tomorrow.

We have a couple of new friends...two bottom teeth. They finally made an appearance and are slowly breaking through. Addison didn't sleep well last night and I think it was due to that but who knows.

Addi Eats Rice Cereal

Last Friday Addison ate her first meal containing "solid foods." She wasn't that enthusiastic about it at first, but likes it now. We will be trying butternut squash later this week. I have been making baby food this week and freezing it. So far I've made squash and peas. The BabyCook (a Christmas present from Addison's Granddad and Grandmamma) has made it super easy. Thanks Mrs. Marie and Mr. Ricky!

Here is a clip of her first meal. I am feeding her in the first part of the video, and Scott is feeding her in the second part of the video. He has much more patience than I do. I keep forgetting that she has to learn how to eat :-)

Bon Appetite!

Holiday Pictures

Hanging out at the farm.

Go tigers!

Christmas






Hanging out with the big kids :)


Riding the scooter with my Great Great Aunt Sr. Michel

Happy 6 month birthday!

Addison turned 6 months yesterday! She weighed 15.1lbs and was 25.5 inches long. She is a bit on the small side but her doctor said she looks great. We are starting solids this weekend.

On another note, Dylan has hypothyroidism. I know - a dog with thyroid problems. This is what she is losing hair on her tail, has been shedding more, and has been gaining weight. She has to go on medicine and then we will retest. Crazy - huh!?! Its an easy fix and fairly common according to her doctor.

Here are some pictures of Addison on her birthday.

Sitting up and playing with her lovey horse.


It was very cold!


This tea set is one of her favorite Christmas presents. Thanks Aunt Liz, Uncle D, and girls.

Addison cracks up every time she sees Dylan. If she is cranky, all Dylan has to do is come over and say hello. In this case, Dylan was trying to give her kisses. :)


This is the face she makes before she says something. Her newest is "ba-ba"

Holiday

We had a wonderful holiday. Addison and I spent two weeks in SC and visited with many friends and family. We were able to go to Belmont with my mom and visit with Sr. Michel and Aunt Libby and of course all of our friends at the convent. I love staying at the convent and miss being so close to them. It is so peaceful. They adored Addison and we hope to make it back up there in early March, perhaps over spring break. My mom had a blast reminiscing (she went to school at Sacred Heart and was always in some sort of mischief and they always bring it up) and of course we always enjoy our time there because they are such amazing people - if you ever want to see a large group of people with big hearts and open arms -this is the place to go!

We also enjoyed meeting a lot of friends and new baby friends that we've only seen pictures of and spending time with friends and family Addison met the last time we were in town. Addison just watched in awe as all the babies around her walked, ran, crawled, etc. She is always the youngest baby so she is always watching all the other babies do things she can't quite do. She is getting around though via scooting and rolling. We have to be careful because as soon as we take our eyes off of her she is off somewhere. She won everyone's hearts with her giggles and smiles and of course her big blue eyes. While in SC she learned how to sit by herself. She hasn't learned to pull herself up to sitting position although I think that is coming soon. She has been reaching for our cups for some time now so since Santa gave her a sippy cup we filled it with water and watch her try. She loves trying to drink out of it but hasn't really mastered how to get anything out of it. She still tries to steal our cups though. We are going to start rice cereal this coming weekend. She turns 6 months this Wednesday!

Scott and I had a great time too. We both spent the night away from Addison at the same time, which hasn't happened yet. It was hard but she was just down the road at Grandma and Grandpa's house. We really enjoyed sleeping in though but were missing her like crazy when we got back the next morning. I also got some leisurely reading in although I'm in the middle of the series so there is no going back now. Her first Christmas was so much fun! I video taped her "opening" presents. She tried to grab the paper but in the end she just wanted to eat it. Then she feel asleep and slept through most of the morning. She awoke to more presents and kisses from everyone. It looks like she is getting two teeth on the bottom but not sure when they will actually make an entrance.

It was a wonderful trip. By the time we left SC everyone was sad. We will be video conferencing soon so they can see Addison. I took a ton of pictures and will post them soon. Until then - happy reading.