Where has the time gone?

Okay, so its only been a month but seriously where has the time gone?!? Addison is 1 month old today and it seems like yesterday that we were in the hospital. I started thinking about sending her off to college and got all teary! Scott said I need to worry about day care first. Addison was given her first Barbie, and I got really excited remembering how much I loved Barbies and Cabbage Patches! I can't wait to play with her with them, although that's a ways off.

The last month has been challenging, rewarding, and wonderfully amazing. Being a parent is nothing like I ever imagined. Everyone said the first several weeks were really hard and exhausting, and I believed them but I never understood what they really meant until now. Addison is starting to focus and grab onto our fingers (and pretty much anything within reach). She will stare at us and turn when we talk to her. It is so cool! I gave her a bottle (with breastmilk) Friday. She did not like it. I tried again with a different bottle and she took it...temporarily. I tried again the next day and she did better. Then Scott tried to give it to her and she wouldn't take it. He tried again and she took it. I guess it just takes time and practice. We plan to continue breastfeeding with occasional bottles - she has to be use to it so that Scott (and others) can feed her. Plus she will be starting day care and/or sitters in a few weeks so we have to be prepared. I enjoy breastfeeding. It was a struggle at first - definitely a skill to practice and learn but luckily Addi is a great eater and took to nursing right from the beginning. Plus, I had a couple of friends tell me to hang in there for 2 weeks before giving up. They were right! At 2.5 weeks things completely changed and became much easier.

Addi is usually wide awake in the mornings and gets fussy in the evenings. She likes to nap during the day and days when she doesn't nap well she doesn't sleep well at night. She has naturally transitioned into eating every three hours during the day so that is pretty much her routine. Addison is sleeping well overall. We usually get a nice 4-5 hour stretch in the night. She is in her crib at night (for a couple of days now) although she doesn't fall asleep in it every time...one step at a time. We are still swaddling her as she startles and wakes up if we don't. She naps in it some and in the pack-n-play bassinet some. She LOVES her vibrating chair - as do Scott and I - such a great invention!

The beginning of our first week...

alone. Well, our first full week alone. We've had a lot of family in town the last couple weeks. It was wonderful having our parents here to help us. Scott will be out of town one night this week as well! Addison is three weeks old today. She is really starting to show her personality and is growing so quickly! Here is a 3-week old picture of her in the Clemson hat that her "aunt" Monica made her and the bootie's Sitti's friend Dicksi made and another picture of her and Daddy relaxing this past Saturday.

2 weeks!

Addison turned two weeks old yesterday and Scott, and I really can't believe it. She is just so amazing, and we really can't remember what life was like without her.

People keep asking me about her harness. She has hip dysplasia. She got fitted for a harness last week. It is moderate therefore we were sent to an ortho peds specialist. He is really awesome! We met with him this past Friday, and he said Addison is already making great progress. We aren't allowed to take off her harness - I talked him into one bath a week. She already got poop on the foot part but we can't take it off to wash it since its hand wash and air dry and he was really strict about it staying on her. We got most of it off... We had an ultrasound and consult in the hospital. Its from the breech position she was in so we are really happy I didn't go into labor with her since it may have dislocated. Her doctor said she will probably wear it for another month or so depending on her progress. He seems confident that she will be completely healed soon though. Basically, her hip ball-socket aren't quite lining up so having her in this frog like position helps the ligaments and tissue around her hips tighten up and get back into place. According to the information he gave us, 4 out of 1000 babies have this and most are girls that were breech. It doesn't hurt her, and we've gotten use to changing the diapers around the harness. He said to treat her as we normally would and that she isn't any more fragile than a normal baby. She makes the funniest faces!


My parents and sister visited the first week we were home. Scott's parents are here all this week. Addison got to meet Aunt Lauren, Uncle Derrick, and Cousin Elise this last weekend. We couldn't get over how much Elise has grown in the last couple of months! I wish we lived closer to them. Elise and Addi had fun striking a pose for the camera!

Addison is 1 week old!

We can't believe Addison is a week old today! She had her 1-week visit with the pediatrician and everything looks great. She is already back to her birth weight plus 1-oz (7lbs 14oz). She also gained an inch and a quarter and is now 20 inches. We think she is going through a growth spurt because she is "starving" today.



Whitney came by and took pictures this morning. She posted some of them on her blog at

http://whitneyfletcherphotography.wordpress.com/2009/07/14/addison-a-k-a-poppy/
They turned out great and I can't wait to see the rest of them.

The Waiting Game

Our estimated due date is less than two weeks away...its just a waiting game. We are getting so excited and can't wait for Poppy to arrive!

We had maternity pictures taken...some of them are posted on our photographer's blog: http://whitneyfletcherphotography.wordpress.com/. She just sent me the proof site so shoot me an email for the info. We had so much fun taking them!!! She is going to shoot Poppy once s/he is born as well.

The nursery is pretty much finished. The pictures don't do it justice..I love it!


The garden is going crazy! Our tomatoes are extremely tasty. Looking forward to cucumbers...there are several small ones. Everything else has blooms but squirrels or birds keep eating the jalapenos. Can't wait to enjoy everything else.

Truckin along...

So its been a while since we last blogged. Scott and I have been busy. We spent some time in SC for Denny & Kelli's wedding and for my baby shower...both of which were awesome! The picture of Denny & Kelli is from the photographer...Dan Folk.


The traveling was not fun, and I am glad to be parked in Tallahassee for a while, but it was worth it seeing family and friends. Hung out with Michelle and Charles down in Charleston...Michelle gave me a facial at Urban Nirvana...seriously amazing! Go see her if you get a chance. Spent time with Ricky and Marie and Mom and Dad as well, since I was home for the week in between - love being able to work from a distance. Spent an entire day with Lindsey and little Dana...so relaxing and nice. Had lots of thai food...they have the best thai in Santee and Elloree...seriously! Plus, Scott and I were able to see friends and family at the wedding, shower, and Donald's 40th birthday party. The shower was so beautiful. The girls did such an awesome job! It was exactly what I had imagined. I have a ton of pictures...email me and I'll send you the link.

My belly is noticeably growing each week...just when I thought it couldn't get any bigger!
I am 35 weeks today...which is nerve-racking and exciting. Went to a breastfeeding class last night and got a ton of great information and Molly (lactation consultant) cleared up a lot of myths that people keep throwing at us. Scott and I both had dreams about Poppy last night...usually we can't tell if Poppy is a boy or girl in our dreams...but last night both of us could tell and of course we both dreamed something different! We got a good laugh out of it this morning. The "ring" test was done for fun my our friend's mom when we were in SC...she has only been wrong twice in 27 years!

Scott's been busy with work and getting house and baby stuff ready...we keep adding to his "honey do" list. I've been busy with work, getting stuff ready for Poppy, doing research and writing, etc...my list keeps growing as well. Trying to get as much done as possible so I don't have to worry about it when Poppy comes. I want to spend as much time with Poppy as possible since I won't have much time. Our garden is looking great...made pesto from the basil and we've enjoyed pasta with pesto and a pesto pizza. Also got the first taste of our cherry tomatoes...nothing like a tomato you grow yourself.

Beach Trip

Scott and I took a long weekend and went to the beach with some friends. This was our 2nd Annual St. George Beach weekend. The weather was amazing and St. George Island was gorgeous as usual. Being in a bathing suit pregnant was not as scary as I thought it would be. Enjoyed waking up each morning and taking walks on the beach, hanging out with our friends, playing board games, and watching Emma build her first sand castle. It was so relaxing. Looking forward to taking Poppy along next year. I am trying to figure out our new camera and all of the settings before Poppy comes along so some of these pictures are my "trial" shots.