2 Years Old

Addie-
Today you are two, and we can hardly believe how fast the time has gone by. It really does seem like just yesterday that we were in the hospital enduring a loooong labor waiting for you to come into the world, and now you are this little person brimming with personality and such a zest for life. These past two years have been filled with love and happiness, and we couldn't love you more.

Recently we have been seeing a lot of the "terrible twos", and have even been doing time out, not so sure if it works though, because if we ask you if you need to go to time out, you excitedly shake your head and say "uh huh!" Nice. You are such a wonderful sister to Taylor, and have been surprisingly helpful lately. You also might be a little mommy in the making....you have been really good at putting dirty laundry in the hamper, and whenever there is stuff out of place in the house, you run around screaming "mess" until someone cleans it up:)

You are talking so much, and my newest favorite saying is "here Momma" which you say with such a high pitched tone and sweet face.

We can't wait to see what this year has in store for you, hopefully some potty training and sleeping in happen, but mostly we hope for you to continue being the happy girl you are:)
Love, Mommy and Daddy

23 Months...

Dear Addie,
Today you are 23 Months old, can you believe it?! This last month has been quite life changing for us all, and you have handled it so well. You are loving being a big sister to "your" baby Tay as you like to call her. You like to give love and hugs, and sometimes try to smother her with kisses (literally)! Most of the time you could really care less about her though, and just want to have your normal life and routine.

This month has been a very loud month. Between you learning a new word everyday, and throwing those super fun terrible two tantrums, our ears have been ringing! Even with the tantrums, you continue to be a loving, sweet little person. We are so proud of your accomplishments and are loving hearing your little words and watching you explore the world. The cutest words you say lately begin with the letter "c", which you pronounce as a "t", words like "touch = couch" and "tat = cat". You have also found a love for all things Disney princess, so cute and fun!

It's amazing that next birthday post will be your 2 year old birthday! You make our life better each and every day, and we love you more than words can say :)
Love,
Mommy and Daddy

22 Months

Dear Addie,
In just two short months we will end the "monthly" birthdays, and just have yearly, or biyearly birthday posts, seems so strange that you will be two years old soon! This past month has been full of ups and downs, mostly ups though, which we appreciate :) You continue to grow and explore your surroundings, you are quite the curious one, and are constantly into everything. You are figuring out more and more how things work, and are constantly trying to do things all by yourself.

A HUGE thing that happened this month was you peeing on the potty! You are not quite potty trained, but enjoy the attention you get when you try!

You are such a lovey little person, always having a hug or blowing a kiss to most people, and animals too. You are going to have quite a change in your routine as you become a big sister in the next few days, and you keep telling us that the new baby's name should be "NoNo"....we're working on that :)


Here are some things that you like, and don't like right now...

Likes

• Disney movies-Toy Story, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Bolt, Little Mermaid
• Climbing. Climbing on bookshelves, tables, chairs, stairs, your crib. You think that you are a monkey, and when we catch you doing it, you make a monkey noise and laugh :)
• Cuddling on the couch before bed.
• Baths with bubbles being blown at you, it was the only way we could get you in the tub for the past week.
• Dora.....still.
• Choosing your own clothes.
• Taking off your diapers.
• Going pee in the potty, and wasting rolls of toilet paper in the process.
• Pretending to fall by putting your arms out and saying "whoa whoa" and falling down, and then cracking up at yourself.

Dislikes

• Going to bed. It's been a battle for the last week or so.
• Sleeping past 6:30....working on that one.
• Chicken Nuggets. What kid doesn't like chicken nuggets?!
• When a movie is over. You would think the world was over!
• Longer car rides. Can't quite make it to Arcata without tears.
• When Macey tries to take anything that's yours.
• When anyone tries to take anything that's yours!

Here are some fun pics from the past month!
Being Dorothy on Halloween


Carving Pumpkins


Hanging out with Daddy


Literally

21 Months

Dear Addie,
You are 21 months old today, and doing so many fun exciting things! You have become quite the Momma's girl during the past month with me home with you day in and day out. Lately this has been quite overwhelming for me, but we are learning to work on not climbing up my leg like a ladder :) You are practicing being a big sister, and love to take care of your baby. I have no doubt that you will be a fantastic big sister, because you have such an awesome ability to love.

You can say so many things I'm not even going to begin to list them, but the newest words are diaper, snack, flower, and blue. Blue is a universal word for many different things, so it is always a mystery as to what you actually want when you say "bu". You have also turned into quite the little climber. You love to climb on just about anything, especially bookshelves, dining room chairs, and your changing table. Just the other day it was eerily quiet in the house and I found you laying on your changing table enjoying a snack of Desitin....yuck! Another thing you are trying to do is jump. You have the right idea, but actually getting your feet off the ground, now that's another story. We love to watch you try, it is so cute, and so funny!

We can't wait to see what this next month has in store for you. It's going to be one filled with many, many changes, and you might possibly be a big sister by your next monthly birthday!
Love You,
Mommy and Daddy

20 Months

Addie,
It amazes me that as I write this you are 20 months old. That means that there are only 4 more "monthly" birthdays, and then you will be 2, and then we just celebrate the yearly ones. You are becoming such a kid, each day you are less and less a baby, which is fun, but a little bit sad at the same time. Your personality is in full bloom lately. You LOVE the word "no", and you don't just say it nicely, you say it with attitude and force, really it's kind of annoying, but we're working on you saying "thank you" after the word "no" to make it seem more polite:) We are preparing you to become a big sister. You love touching my belly, saying "baby" and then giving it a kiss. You also love your dolls at daycare and at grandmas, hopefully you are going to be a natural nurturer.

Lately your hair is out of control! Usually you look like Justin Bieber, with it all growing forward and ending up in your eyes. I refuse to cut it, so we have been trying out various hairstyles so we can see your cute face:)

You are such a busy body, always doing something to keep yourself busy, and to keep us on our toes. You love to color, play with puzzles, climb on the kitchen table, scale the cupboards, play in the dogfood...all the fun stuff:) Your favorite color is blue, and if you are asked, everything is "bu", we are working on expanding your color knowledge:) You know the sounds almost all animals in your books make, the funniest one is the monkey, you put a lot of energy into your monkey sounds! We are so proud of you each and everyday, and so excited to watch you grow and become more "kidlike".
Love,
Mommy

18 Months, One and a Half Years

Dear Addie,
One and a half?! Just saying those words makes you seem so old, like you are more of a kid than a baby. Time could just slow down now, please and thank you.

You continue to be such an amazing little person, who fills our lives with joy and happiness. You have quite the mind of your own, and have shown more of your stubborness this past month (you must get that from your daddy). You have learned to fake cry, and I have a feeling you are going to be using that to your advantage for years to come. You have also learned to love looking at yourself in the mirror (another thing you must've learned from dad:))You love looking at yourself wearing things on your head, with things hanging out of your mouth, or when you are doing your fake cry, you've learned what we have known all along, that you're funny! You are loving all the time we have been spending together this summer, and have been constantly wanting "mama" and not dad, which means that it only took 18 months for me to be the favorite, although I know in a month when I go back to work and daddy is home with you, it will go back to how it has always been. You love saying "boom" everytime you take a big step, or drop something, or throw something, basically any chance you get. You are also saying "boo" a lot, even at 5:30 in the morning, when you are trying to scare us out of bed. You were the flower girl in Natalie's and Dani's weddings this past month, and you were the cutest little flower girl ever, even if you weren't the best behaved. The thing we love the most that you have learned to do this month is give kisses. Real kisses. Kisses given not just when we ask, but when you want to. I love that. We can't wait to see what this next month has to offer us, looking forward to each and every moment of it.
Love, Mommy

17 Months

Dear Addie,
I cannot believe you are 17 months old, when I was typing the title to this post I put 16 months, and it came up as already written, time is going by way too fast, next month you will be a year and a half old! You are quite the little character. You are so silly and funny, and you know it and use it to your full advantage. You are quite the little chatterbox, and seem to learn more words each and every day. Some of your most favorite words lately are "Dora" "Beer" (that one gets a laugh every time)"Mama" "Birdie" "water" "waffle" "byebye" and the newest "NO" (not very excited about that one!) You have also become a little climber, we have had to move all of the dining room tables away from the table so you don't get on top of it, and you love to climb on the couch to look out the window at the birdies that sit on the wires. You love to dance, and to sing your made up songs. You still love Macey and Daddy the most of all, but are getting better at being excited about other people too. You are so curious about how things work, and are always examining things to figure them out. You also have discovered puzzles this month, and are loving the farm animal one. Your hair is getting so long too, I can finally put it into pigtails, which you don't like, but after I'm done, you run to the mirror to check yourself out:) You bring joy and happiness to our lives each and everyday, and I am so happy to have more time to spend with you these next few months:)
Love,
Mommy

16 Months

Dear Addie,
You are 16 months old today. Still amazing to believe that you are so grown. This past month has been very very busy, but you have been quite a trooper through it all. You are such an amazing little person, with such a huge heart. You have learned to give kisses this month, real kisses, with puckered lips and everything:) You also are still giving "love", but mostly to Macey, who we all know is your best friend. You love climbing on her, riding on her like a pony, pulling on her lips, eyes, and if she had a tail, you would be pulling that too!

You have learned a few new words this month, your favoite being "water" or "wawa" as you say it. Everynight after you have dinner, you say "wawa" and run for the bathroom door, you love love love bathtime in the wawa. You have also had much better sleeping habits this last month, 10 hours at a time. Another word you have learned is "night night". You say this when its time to go to bed, and you run into your bedroom and stand by your crib. You are so smart:)

You still love being outside, and if the weather would cooperate more, we could spend more time outside. You love our walks to see the "baabaas" by the church, and your face lights up when we turn the corner and start walking to them.

Another one of your favorite things is wearing your pink bucket on your head, it fits perfectly now, so you just wear it, like its a totally normal thing to do. You also love putting it on Macey's head, although she doesn't think it makes that great of a fashion statement.

You also learned this month that you are going to be a big sister! And Grandma says you have been practicing with the dolly at her house, you will make a fantastic big sister:)

You are a fun loving little person, we cherish every moment with you, and can't wait for this next month!
Love,
Mommy

15 Months

Dear Addie,
You are 15 months old today, still hard to believe how fast time is going by. Part of me is so excited for you to get bigger and learn new things, but a big part of me just wants to stop time, even for a day, in order to cherish you at this age a little longer. You are such a sweet little lady. You love Macey, you give her at least 50 neck hugs a day, and you squeal with delight each and every time. You even will give us big neck hugs occasionally, my favorite. The other day we were sitting on the deck and you just walked right up to me threw your hands around my neck and hugged me for a second, then just walked away, like it was no big deal. That was the best part of my whole day:)

Another thing you have learned to love this month is Dora. You can't get enough of that show. You wake up in the morning and say "Dowa" and run to the living room to see if somehow she is already on tv. You still love your daddy more than anything. You walk around the house when he is not here looking at his pictures, pointing at them and saying "dada", not that I'm jealous or anything but "mama" would be great to hear too:) You have been saying many other words this month too, "pul" for apple, "ball", and "hot". Another trick you have learned is to wag your finger at the dog when she is doing something naughty, very cute!

We love you so much and can't wait to see what this next month of life has in store for us!
Love, Mommy

I know this photo is severely out of focus, but when I saw it, it felt like a reflection of time, and how quickly it passes. Our memories become blurrred, and the details lost. It just looked like reality, and serves as a reminder to slow down and to soak in the details of life, so that all memories are not blurred.

14 Months

Dear Addie,
It's hard to believe that you're already 14 months old. You are learning new things each and every day, and we are so proud of the things you are accomplishing. You are a silly, inquisitive little lady, who likes the world to know that you are around! This last month has been a little bit more challenging for you (and us). You have started daycare a few days a week, and although you love playing with the other kids and Leanna, you just want all of her attention to yourself...we're working on that. You also have been pretty fussy, and a difficult eater. Mom usually ends up with more food on her, than you end up with food in your tummmy. Macey doesn't mind this though, because I'm pretty sure she has gained a good 5 pounds this month. You love exploring the great outdoors. Anytime that back door is open you zoom outside to go up and down the stairs, and run in the grass! You love to "smell" the flowers, and then eat them too. You are very curious, and when you want to know what something is you make this funny "eeeeh" noise, it is very cute:) You are getting better with your words, you still love the word "more", "ball" is also a favorite, and just the other day you said "baba" to your bottle, this was the first time it wasn't just "ba", very exciting for this English teaching mama. You are still madly in love with your daddy and with your Mr Bear, you also love cows, and whenever you see them will say moo! The other day you brought me a little toy lamb, held it up, and said "baabaa", very cool. We are so lucky to have you in our lives, you make them better just by being you, and we can't wait to see what this next month has in store for you!
Love,
Mommy

13 Months

Dear Addison,
Today is your 13 month old birthday, and boy the time has flown by! You are turning into such a wonderful little person, with personality for days. You love your dada the most and would go to him over anyone else. You love giving love and wet kisses that sometimes are bites. You have the sweetest disposition and are just plain ol' happy. You make us happy with your silly ways, you toothy grin, and your giggles that brighten up our lives. You started running this month, and its usually after you have taken something from us that you're not supposed to have. You are also such a chatter box, always talking your own little language. Your favorite real words to say are "dada or daddy" and "more". You went on your first big vacation this month to Mexico, and were such a good girl the whole time. We love you so much and can't wait to see what this next month with hold.
Love,
Mommy

Addie's Birthday Recap

Addie's birthday yesterday was really great! I got to stay home with work and play with my sweet 1 year old and cute hubby. We played, went to the doctor, had cake, played some more, took a great nap, and went to dinner, where the whole restaruant sang to Miss A! It was so much fun, and we are excited for the parties this weekend!

1 Year

One year ago....that is what we have been saying all day, and actually for the past few days. One year ago, we couldn't have imagined what was in store for us. The wonder, the love, the greatness that is Addie. She is more than we could have ever hoped for. She is truly amazing, the light of our lives, the piece that has made our family whole. She is an amazing person, and we are so lucky to have her in our lives. She can make a bad day better, and make a good day great. She is love in its purest form. She makes us better people, and she has taught us so much.

This past year has been beyond our wildest dreams. There is no way we could have prepared for what was in store for us. It hasn't always been pretty, and sometimes it's harder than you thought it could be. But, it's worth it. Every minute of it.

In this 12th month of Miss A's life, she has learned so much.

• She is no longer just "walking", she is walking with a purpose, and sometimes running!
• She knows so much. She knows book, Macey, Mom, Dad, "hola", horse, Harriet, Mr.Bear, bye bye, bottle, and many more things too!
• She can say a few words, her favorites being "dada" "ball" "more" and "mmmmmum" which means "food",not mom!
• She is sleeping so well. 10-12 hours at a time. It took a little work, but it was worth it in the end. It has been a long time since we have slept more than 4 hours at a time.
• She is eating a ton of solid food, and only having a few bottles a day.
• She weighs 18 pounds 14 ounces, not quite big enough for a front facing car seat, but we're getting closer.
• She can "give love" my absolute favorite of all. She gives loves by throwing her arms around something, and snuggling up to it. Thank you to her daddy for teaching her this!

Here is our 1 year old eating her birthday cake!

It's the New Thing

Addie loves going through the oven drawer and pulling out all of our pots and pans, she really could do this all day! Now, if only I could teach her to put them back!

11 Months...(Humboldt County Children's Photographer)

I say it on the 20th of every month...how is she growing so fast?! I really can't believe that in 1 month from today she will be a year old, it is too soon! This past month has been full of fun, and full of milestones! We have a walker, actually a runner, now, and an almost talker haha:) Addie loves staying at home with Dad and he loves it too! Here's some of the new things that Addie can do at 11 months...

• Walk! She learned to walk on November 28th while I was off on Thanksgiving break. Once she started she hasn't stopped!


• She knows many word meanings, like dada, mama, Macey, bottle, book, NO, Santa, juice, more, and ducky.


• Kiss. She gives these huge open mouth kisses that are so sweet.


• She also kisses her doll at my mom's house :)


• She loves to be chased by her dad. I think it's the highlight of her day when he says "I'm gonna get you!" She squeals for joy and runs as fast as she can away from him, laughing the whole time.


• Point. At the end of last month she was pointing, but now she is pointing at things and looking at us for an explanation of what that thing is. Very cool.


• Entertain herself. She is getting much better at this. She is finding ways to play and using her toys in the way they were intended, not just as chew things. She loves going through her basket of toys and examining them and playing with them.


• She has discovered the pots and pans below the oven. I think this is something every child does, and it is so dang funny....but loud!


• She also thinks it's funny to head butt people. It's not, she needs to stop :)


• It is so cute how she can stand up on her own now. Before she needed to pull herself up on something to be able to stand and walk, now she puts her head on the ground, sticks her butt in the air, and squats until she has enough strength to lift herself up, it's so funny to watch!


• Equally as funny and as cute to watch is her picking something up off of the floor. It takes great effort and she reminds me of an 85 year old bending down to pick something up!

We love the little person Addie is becoming and couldn't be happier with our lives with her in it. She brings joy to each and every moment, and we can not wait to see what this month has in store for us!

The Other Mr P {Humboldt County, Eureka, Ferndale, Fortuna, Arcata, McKinleyville Children's, Baby, Newborn, Infant, Family, Photography}

This might be my most favorite picture I have ever taken :)

9 Months

9 months is how long she grew inside of me. 9 months is how long we anxiously waited. 9 months is how long we planned, cleaned, painted, and prepared. 9 months is how long we hoped and prayed for this perfect child. 9 months is how long I felt her heart next to mine. Nine months seemed to be an eternity. How could she be 9 months old? As I grapple with this concept, I feel more full of love for this child than I ever thought I could. For nine months our lives have been better. For nine months we have experienced real joy. For nine months our hearts have been full. For nine months our laughter has been genuine. For nine months, we have been tired, but never complained. For nine months, I have been amazed by my husband. For nine months, we couldn't imagine what life was like before.

Here's some of Miss A's newest accomplishments

• She is a copycat. She loves to mimic people and then wait for their reaction. She especially loves copying coughing, patting her hands on something, and laughing.
• She is a bulldozer. This girl is a toughie! She rarely goes around something, she just goes over things, with her head down, and she doesn't stop until she has reached her destination.
• She loves books. There have been many times that she has been playing in her room, and it has gotten too quiet, so I go in to check on her to see what trouble she has gotten into, and she is just innocently looking at a book :)
• Wave. Its her princess wave, and if the shoe fits....
• She has been making this gasping sound a lot! At first it kind of freaked me out, because it sounds like there's something in her throat, but this is her way of squealing with excitement I guess!
• She has 5 teeth! And those puppies are sharp!
• She has been crinkling her nose all the time, and its just about the cutest thing ever.

We go to the doctor tomorrow for her 9 month checkup, so we'll see how much this dainty girl weighs :)

8 Months

Holy Cow! 8 months? That must be wrong, someone must have switched my calendar around! As you can tell, time is going by soooo quickly for us, and Miss Addie is growing and changing everyday. Here are some things she can do now.

• Crawl. Not just a slow crawl, but a "I'm on a mission to get somewhere, and I'm going to do it in record time" crawl. She is definitely exploring the entire house, and is making us aware of what it really means to "baby proof"
• Ba. That is her sound of choice lately. She will just repeat the sounds "ba ba ba ba" all day long! We're trying to teach her to say a m or d instead of a b, but so far, ba is her favorite word.
• Sleeping in her crib. This is still a work in progress, but for the past two nights she has slept there for most of the night. Today we let her "cry it out" without her pacifier, the first time, it took forever for her to fall asleep, but she eventually did. The second time we did it, it only took 10 minutes. We'll see how the night goes.
• Laugh. And giggle, and coo, and squeel with delight. So fun!
• Crinkle her nose. She has been doing this a ton! So super cute!

Here she is in all of her 8 month glory!

7 Months, 4 days later

I'm four days late for this post, but who can blame me? I've been busy! So, Miss A is now 7 months old! I'm still in denial about her being closer to being 1 than a newborn! She is so hilarious, right now, she is on the floor of the office, laying on her back, kicking the exercise ball back and forth against the wall while eating a baby cookie! What a multi-tasker :) Here's some other things she can do....

• Crawl. It's still not very coordinated, but she can get from point a to point b, and we have to watch her every move, so that's all that matters!



• Roll over in her cradle. She has been able to roll over for a while now, but she never has done it in her cradle, so we have kept her sleeping in it, instead of the crib. Well, the other morning I woke up and she was on all fours, staring at me! I think she's ready for the crib, but I'm not sure I'm ready for her to be in it!



• Eat. And eat and eat and eat! She loves her peaches and applesauce! And she is getting more fond of sweet potatoes too! And my mom has been feeding her baby biscuits, and she says she likes them too! All of this fruit has sure helped her her pooping problem!



• Talk. Not real talk, but lots and lots of baby talk, usually followed by a big strawberry noise!



• Jump. In her jumper, that is. She could jump for days in that thing!



• Laugh. The best sound, ever.



• Teeth. She has two tiny white teeth that just poked through last week. I am a little sad that the gummy baby smile is gone, but the little teeth are so cute, that I'm feeling ok about it.

Here she is, only 2 weeks old, she doesn't even look like the same baby!

6 Months

It's hard to believe that the teeny tiny little baby who came into the world 6 months ago today, has grown into this chunky little person! We had the big 6 month check up last week, and Miss A is weighing in at 15 pounds 6 ounces, and 23 1/2 inches, more than double her birth weight! She is definetly a good eater! Some other things she can do now besides eat are:

• Roll over. Both from back to front and front to back.
• Move around the room (see above bullet)
• Laugh, giggle, squeel, and coo
• No more spit up! Well, almost no more :)
• She has eaten rice cereal for a few weeks now, and she just got some applesauce last week, next up, bananas!

We can't wait to see what the next 6 months have in store for us, and for our girl!