Addy

The Summer in a Nutshell

2009-08-26T08:19:00.000-07:00

I have obviously been neglecting the blog...It's almost moot point to try to continue but oh well.. I'll do it anyway.

I came to the realization yesterday that Addy will be officially 19 months, one week from today. I can't believe how fast she is growing up. We have taken notice lately at how grown up she really is. In the last couple months she has really mastered a lot of skills. Rather than walking she now runs a lot. She loves to chase the dogs around, or just take a seat next to them and hang out. She has also taken up the chore of feeding the dogs every day. She opens the food container (sometimes) and scoops the food out, into their bowl. She's really quite good at it, rarely spilling any of it. She loves her doggies.

She has also taken wonderfully to the pool & swimming. We had a couple little lessons with my cousin, Rachael, who taught us some really great things to practice, including how to "wall crawl" along the poolside. If she ever were to fall in and get back to the wall safely, she would be able to crawl back to the step and get out. She even learned how to climb out of the pool, although that's a bit of a stretch for her current strength. I think she was able to complete it a time or two without much of any assistance. She loves to jump in off the side and to leap off of the beach step and swim toward us. She's surely a water baby. I begged for an underwater camera and got one as an anniversary gift so I've been getting lots of pool pictures and we even have some video of Addy swimming underwater. She's been doing really great, though I'm sure we will have to start all over next summer.

The house has officially been taken over by toys..if they can even be classified as such. Addy has her own little playhouse and a climber/slide (I plan to move outside when the weather is better), in our front room. She's very much a girl. She plays in her house, cooks in her kitchen, cleans up little messes with wet wipes, pushes her baby in the stroller (finally! She use to throw the baby out and just push the stroller, but now she enjoys pushing her baby and gets upset if she falls out-- as she should!)and she is usually toting a small purse and sporting some bracelets. It's a complete picture.. girly-girl to the max. Oh-- and did I mention that she loves shoes?? (She doesn't get that from me!)

She does however, LOVE little cars. She will spend a good chunk of time "driving" cars around the house and occasionally on Mommy & Daddy,the dog, or whatever else is in her path. She loves wearing Daddy's hat around the house and she likes "banging" things which resulted in one damaged coffee table this week. Good thing the dogs already chewed that one up, unfortunately the only undamaged surface (the top) is now damaged!

She is starting to talk a lot more.."Uh oh" is definitely her favorite saying. She recognizes and says a few animal names.

Loves Elmo, usually pronounced as "melmo" but sometimes it comes out right.

Loves to read (look) at her books.

Likes her pet fish - "pishy".

Loves to color!

Eats with a spoon, all by herself! And loves pizza! (Who doesn't??)

...That's about all I can come up with for now..but there is sure to be more by next month! Hopefully I can keep up with this a little better-- but don't hold your breath! ;)

Catching Up

2009-04-13T09:09:00.000-07:00

It's been difficult to keep up. We were on the road for 6 days, Monday through Saturday of last week. We took every possible mode of transportation to get to Paris. Car, train, bus, plane, and subway. That was a long & interesting day. Our first full day in Paris we did a "hop-on, hop-off" walking/bus tour. It was nice to be able to do it our way. We traveled through the city, shopped, ate, a took plenty of pictures. The people in France were not as unfriendly as I had suspected, although people in Europe seem to be fairly rude in general. Strange, I did not think that Americans would ever look so polite. I'll be glad to get away from that. I could likely blow a gasket soon!

From the bottom of the Eiffel Tower

Protesters

Lunch at Hard Rock

On the tour bus

After two nights in Paris we moved onto Venice. I was very excited to get to Venice, little did I know I would practically wear the rubber sole right off my shoes with all the walking. I have been recovering since we got back. Every muscle and joint in my body was sore from all the hiking through the city. It takes about 10 seconds to get thoroughly lost in Venice. Maps are nearly useless. I'm not even sure I can explain how awful that part is, but for the first two days I endured it by enjoying all the scenery. I was pretty disappointed with the food in Venice. Maybe my expectations were too high, although nothing could excuse the reheated TV dinner I received for dinner on our second night. We ordered at a local cafe type of place that we had been getting alcohol from, to take back to the hotel with us. When I got back and took my spaghetti out of the white paper bag it was wrapped up in, i found a plastic container with a peel-away lid and the most inexcusably disgusting spaghetti I have ever seen. IN ITALY! I couldn't have been more disappointed. I have ALWAYS wanted to go to Italy and eat authentic Italian food, like the things my Grandma would make when I was a kid. I got nothing even close.

I still enjoyed Venice.. There was a lot of great shopping and of course the city was beautiful. By the time we left I was more than ready to go, since I was completely BEAT from all the walking. Rob thinks we must have walked nearly 20 miles on our last day there. We walked the entire "island" from morning to night. Part of it was shopping and walking aimlessly and part of it was getting lost, trying to find our way back. It's not hard to do, as I said before.

More to come..

Saturday morning we started our journey home, to Czech Republic. We had to walk to the water bus station and take the boat to the bus station, then we took the bus to the airport approx 40 minutes away, then flew to Prague, took another bus to a metro station and took that to a train station. We took a high speed train back to Olomounc, which is the closest city to where Rob's parents live. Everyone was there to greet us so I ran like hell to grab my Addy and smother her in kisses! The drive back to the house is about an hour and once we finally arrived it was nice!

The next day was Easter! I woke up and gave Addy her easter basket, that I brought from home and later we did a little easter egg hunt in the back yard. It was fun, Addy liked finding the eggs and putting them in her basket. She started doing it right away without any guidance! She likes to collect things lately. We went back into the city that day to go to the local malls. There were still some things I wanted to shop for.

Today some more of the family came over to visit. Robs Aunt & Uncle haven't seen him since he was about Addy's age. His cousin who is about a year younger than he is had never met him. His cousin spoke English, as most of the younger people here do, but his Aunt & Uncle don't, so of course I did not understand most of the conversation.

We haven't yet loaded the pictures from our journey so, those I will have to post later. Tomorrow morning we leave to go back to Prague, where Rob's sister is meeting us all and we will stay there for two nights before we fly home. I'm trying NOT to think about that, just yet!

That's all for now. Soon, we'll be home!!

The Weekend

2009-04-05T09:09:00.000-07:00

Robert's aunt, uncle, and cousin came over on Saturday for a visit. His cousin is just a bit older than he is I think and she has two small children. She teaches English here, so it was nice to be able to talk with her, in English! Her husband also speaks English and her kids were doing very well learning it as well. It wasn't nearly as painful as I thought it might be, not having a clue what was being said all say.

Addy being silly

Today we drove to the Bouzov Castle in a village near Olomouc. We took a tour through it, though I could not understand what was being said of it. It was very neat, nonetheless. We got some pictures but not enough to really capture the beauty of it. They are actually strict about what you take pictures of, so it was forbidden to take many pictures inside the castle. It was still furnished with old wooden furniture and many large paintings. It was very cold inside. Spiral staircases made of cement were scattered throughout the big building. It was originally built around 1220. It's hard to believe they could build such an intricate dwelling back then.

Pictures of the castle will have to wait! I've got to go get packed up for Paris!

Exploring Europe!

2009-04-03T09:08:00.000-07:00

Although the travel was a bit difficult for me, as I was unknowingly suffering from an awful lung infection, things have been going well since we arrived. Since I was lucky enough to get some antibiotics, I am nearly 100% recovered and feel much, much better. Addy has been doing pretty good, though she is suffering through the arrival of some new teeth. She's been getting plenty of rest and has been working grandpa over for anything in sight that appeals to her. Of course she gets plenty of attention from both of her grandparents.

I have basically declared myself entirely on vacation and have been buried in my treasured Twilight series novels that I saved for the trip. It sure made being sick a lot less depressing, having a great book to read to keep occupied. I did not however, expect to finish my first book so soon. I am now half way through the second book and I did not think to bring any more. I am struggling to find a bookstore here that carries English books so I can retrieve the rest of the collection. I will need them for our excursion next week.

We leave Monday on our trip, beginning in Paris. We drive to a near-by city to catch a train back to Prague, where we catch a flight to Paris. After two nights in Paris, we fly to Venice, which I am particularly excited about. Not that I am not excited to see Paris. It will be real tough to leave Addy for 6 straight days, the only down-side to our private getaway.

Yesterday we drove into the city (Rob's parents reside in a very small "village" outside of town) and did some sight seeing and a little shopping (for Addy..of course!!) We visited some very OLD churches and saw plenty of very old buildings and architecture. I guess I hadn't thought about the timelessness of Czech Republic & Europe in general. We climbed an ancient spiral staircase in St. Michael's Church to a lookout of the city of Olomouc & I realized that I have grown afraid of heights! We took plenty of pictures there. It's amazing to see things of such age.

This is a picture of Rob's parents house, from the backside standing near the edge of their property in the back yard.

This is a picture from a top a hill at the back of their house, looking down over part of the town.

No description necessary....she SO damn cute!

St. Michael's Church.

The view from the top of St. Michael's Church.

Today we visited a popular nearby Cave (Mladečské jeskyně)...Try to say THAT! Addy spent some quality time with Grandpa while the rest of us took the tour through the cold, wet cave. We got some cute pictures while she waited for us, when we returned from a short boat ride exiting the cave.

A picture from inside the cave..it was difficult to capture in the darkness

Addy waiting for our return.

I will be posting all of the pictures on the gallery sometime after we return home, for now, enjoy the sneak peek at our trip right here!

We have plenty of things planned for the upcoming weekend and then we are off to Paris. Check back later for more on our European Vacation! :)

Too long..

2009-03-23T22:00:00.000-07:00

It's been way too long. Time has gotten away from me. My little girl has grown up so much. I'm happy, sad, and everything in between.

We had such a wonderful day together today. It was like some special mother daughter day- but yet- it was just another day.

We met my mother in Casa Grande this morning for a long over due visit. We started out with a little shopping. Addy had a blast walking around the Vicoria's Secret PiNK store, where they had a life sized PiNK dog that Addy would have loved to bring home. Then we ate lunch at Olive Garden (yummm!). Since nap time was long over due as well, she became a bit unruly, although I am much willing to forgive that ONE single unruly moment of the day. On our drive across the parking lot to Old Navy Addy fell asleep and we carried her snuggly limp body around the store while we shopped (mostly for her) until she woke up, happily.

On our way home I enjoyed Addy's new-found ability to "tbptbptbp" in various ways. She was delightfully entertaining, in her NOW forward facing car seat, for the entire ride home- well..not quite home.. on our way home, we..I.. received a text from "Dad" that he was not having a good day at work. So, we took a detour to Daddy's work, to surprise him (since he is working late tonight- in order to catch up on things before we take our trip to Europe). We surprised him and then let him get back to work, heading to a friend of mine's home. We played there for a couple hours, which entailed of Addy walking up and down the sidewalk outside, playing in the grass, fetching a new bouncy ball, and meeting the neighbor's two dogs.

Then we headed to yet another store, where I let Addy walk freely, exploring all there is to explore 2 feet off the ground and grabbed some taco bell for dinner on our way HOME (finally! It was now already 7pm- Addy's bed time).

We got home. Ate. (Addy enjoyed her rolled quesadilla). Then we bathed and crawled into bed and watched some baby TV. I was hoping I could get her to sleep in bed with me, while Rob was working late, but the mystery of it all has yet to pass. Addy is in explore mode on our bed, as if there is SO much to see at bed level in our room. By 8:15 I gave up and took her to her crib, where she quickly fell asleep.

This day.. not far from the norm.. was such a GREAT day! I enjoyed every minute of it, and it is a true reminder of how I am so lucky to be able to spend every day with my growing baby girl. I LOVE all of her new abilities. Just watching her WALK is an amazing thing for me (even an entire month into it). SHE is amazing! Every night when she goes to sleep..(I may be relieved initially, but..) I MISS her! WE miss her.

It's almost time that we plan on adding to the family. I KNOW I want another child. I also know, I am not alone in how I feel about it. It's almost impossible not to feel like your betraying your first born. Like you would be taking away some of the love you have for them. I know that's not how it will be, but I just cherish her so much, it's almost inconceivable to imagine how it will be with a second. The "irony" of it, is that above all things, I want it to benefit HER! We know what it's like to be (like) an only child. We grew up with much older siblings who we could not (& still do not) relate to. We have always wanted our children to be close in age and only hope that they will be "close" as well. I know all will work out and likely be even better than we could hope for. Afterall, we DID get the BEST kid on the planet! ;)

That's the most wonderful thing about being a parent. The proud-ness of it all. I never knew how much it would change my perspective of the world. I ALWAYS knew I wanted to be a mother. I WOULD be a mother....and a damn good one! I just never knew HOW much it would improve my life. I knew it would improve it, without a doubt. It's just that the extent to which it improved it, could not have been imagined.

Today was a fabulous day..... Thank you Addy...I love you!!

Priceless..

2008-09-18T22:22:00.000-07:00

Who's Who??

2008-08-26T22:10:00.000-07:00

Can you tell who is who?

Baby #1:

Baby #2:

One of the above pictures is baby Addy.. the other is...you guessed it! ME!

Besides the fact that one of us is a bit DRAMATIC with our smile...

It's INSANE how much this kiddo resembles my baby pictures! She keeps looking more and more like them every day. After taking this pic of her in the tub tonight I got a flashback of one of my baby photos. So I got it out and scanned it!

Wow! It's incredible. My little mini-me....

Wow-eeee!

2008-08-26T21:31:00.000-07:00

I have been horrible about updating the blog! We have had so much going on! Obviously Rob and I got married nearly a month ago.. and I cannot believe an entire month (or almost) has gone by already!

Addy had a huge stepping stone yesterday - or two! I couldn't believe my eyes!

First off - Addy has been working on sitting up for a couple weeks but she would topple over after a minute or two each time. Until yesterday! I sat her up in front of me and started chattin' with a friend and.... she stayed! She now sits! ALL by herself.

As if that wasn't enough for one day.. later in the afternoon she propped herself up on all fours and took her FIRST (crawling) steps! My goodness, kiddo! SLOOOWWW DOOWWWNN! I'm in trouble.. & so are grandma and grandpa because they are babysitting Saturday night! I have a feeling I'm going to need a few EXTRA drinks by then! Geesh!!!

Addy's favorite things these days are.. eating, watching and playing with her puppies, eating, sitting, eating, crawling, and........oh yeah, mommy and daddy of course! She loves her food! She really enjoys the Gerber toast sticks too! It's her new favorite treat and it gives me a minute to relax while I just sit and watch her make a mess with it.

She took her first bath in the big tub tonight.. that was exciting! I'll be making a separate post for that!

I think that's all for now. It's so hard to keep up! I'm already starting to think about her birthday party! How sad is that?? And Christmas is RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER!! Hehehe.. I'm so excited!!

I'll try to post another update before Addy goes off to college! ;)

1 MORE DAY!

2008-08-06T15:25:00.000-07:00

Wow.. Time has gone fast. I am getting married in 1 DAY! Or.. one and a half.. anyway, who's counting? I've been keeping so busy! I've been doing some part time work from home, managing the boutique which is doing better than I had expected, and of course just trying to keep up with little Addy.

Let's see.. Addy now scoots, WATCH OUT! She rolls, of course. She eats like a champ! She loves her food! She had her first finger food/cookie and LOVED it! She got a new monstrosity for our living room - a Baby Einstein Jumper! She's having fun with that.

Ever since she became mobile or somewhat anyway), the dogs decided she is fair game. Sadie plays with her as if she is a puppy. It's actually quite cute and Sadie is very gentle with her. Simon insists upon bring her his toys and waits for her to throw them.. He's going to be waiting a while. (He's getting a little senile in his old age!)

That's all for now.. I will have lots of pictures when we return from VEGAS!!! Wooohoo!! =)

The Big Question!

2008-07-06T17:32:00.000-07:00

Well... He didn't exactly ASK me.. but it's official! We are actually getting married!! I am ENGAGED! Wow.. I wasn't sure I would ever be saying that! =) We got our rings today and the big day is going to be 08-08-08, in Vegas baby!! We are running away to get married - no big wedding for us, but a big PARTY (aka reception) is to follow. Yay! I am so excited!

Too Funny!

2008-06-19T19:49:00.000-07:00

I captured my baby's SUPER adorable laugh on camera. Tonight she laughed, a REAL laugh, for the first time. She has giggled before - but tonight she went on and on laughing at the dogs as they played. The camera work is horrible because I was throwing the ball for the dogs, but its still so CUTE! :) Of course the best part was BEFORE I ran and got the camera. Oh well.. Watch it anyway!!

Update From Addy

2008-06-09T20:39:00.000-07:00

I found my feet! They are so strange. I spend a lot of time examining them. They are my favorite new toys. I grab onto the little pieces in the front and sometimes I taste them.

I am enjoying my Bumbo seat now. I like to sit up and watch what is going on. I especially like TV but Mom says I cannot watch too much. The baby channel is my favorite next to my Baby Einstein DVD's.

I also love to swim. I love watching my doggie Simon do tricks and jump in the pool. I giggle at him.

It's past my bedtime now, so I've got to go. Let's plan a play date soon!! I love to visit my friends.

..Goodnight!

4 months!!

2008-06-02T23:08:00.000-07:00

I do not know where the time goes. It has been FOUR months since Addy was born. It's incredible. She is so much fun now with all her smiles and giggles. She's had her first experience with the pool and she seemed to like it. We will be doing a lot more of it!!

On another note- We have just added a ton of new products to the boutique, so check it out!!

Gotta run for now!

Check us out!!

2008-05-28T07:59:00.000-07:00

Our baby boutique is open for business!!! We still have some finishing touches to make but we are inviting you to come and see what we have anyway!! There are many more items to come and will be added as time permits. We are offering 15% OFF of everything in the store for our Grand Opening. This offer is good until June 4th! Check back often!!

www.prettyinpinkbabyboutique.com

Coming soon!!! Very soon!

2008-05-25T09:17:00.000-07:00

We've been so busy! The online boutique is up! I just need to finish adding products and make some finishing touches and we will have our big grand opening!! Very exciting!

I haven't had time to update the blog - we have been running at full speed lately. Little Addy gets bigger every day. She has recently discovered her toes and her voice. (Which she's using right now!!)

I'll post more later and I'll disclose the details of the site within a few days!

Catching up..

2008-05-08T22:32:00.000-07:00

It's been so long since I've posted. Time just flies! Addy is 3 months old now and things are getting very exciting around here. She's full of smiles and has just started to giggle, although she only does it for Simon (our border collie). She likes to watch Simon play fetch and jump in the air to catch the ball - occasionally doing sort of a back flip in the process. She is almost 100% with holding her head up and very excited to be using her Bumbo seat soon. She loves to watch Baby Einstein movies - and just about anything else on tv. She enjoys her toys a lot more these days and has started to pick them up and stick them in her mouth. It's been a lot of fun watching her discover new things, I look forward to many years of it!

So... about the boutique - I started a blog for it to provide updates, but also to announce new thing or introduce new items once the store is open. I may post about promotions, sales, or any other exciting thing that involves the boutique. Check it out at http://prettyinpinkbabyboutique.blogspot.com/ if you wish. I intend to have the site up by the middle of next weekk!! I have a bunch of exciting items for the grand opening of the store, but I also intend on adding new items quite often! I have tons of ideas - just not a whole lot of time. I really hope everyone likes the items as much as I do. Got any June birthdays or baby showers?? Come take a look!! I would love to help you find the perfect gift. Better yet - let's customize it! =)

Bling!

2008-04-14T00:15:00.001-07:00

Little Addy got her ears pierced yesterday! I was so nervous and felt so guilty but it really wasn't as bad as I thought. You were right Shelley! ;) She looks beautiful with her little "bling". She's my precious little princess!

Tag.. I'm it!

2008-04-13T23:36:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged... I will now attempt to name the top 10 reasons I love my life.

10. Health - (I'm stealing this one from Shelley..but it's so true!) I'm very thankful that myself and my family are very healthy. I couldn't be more happy that my pregnancy went smoothly and my baby girl was born happy and healthy. None of us have any real health problems and that is a huge relief - especially with the glorious health care system in America!

9. Freedom - Okay even I think this is cheesy, but I think we all take it for granted. I love that we are all free to do what we want, say what we want & believe what we want. Rob was born in a communist country so it's a huge reminder of how lucky we are to be where we are today and have the freedom we do. (Even if we do have a shitty President...teehee)

8. Hobbies - Although there is never enough time in the day to get everything done that I wish to, I enjoy the times I do get to spend on my hobbies. These days they include: scrapbooking, crafting and starting a small home business.

which brings me to..

7. Dreams - I have several dreams of what I want to do in life or what I want to be when "grow up". It's nice to have these things and always work on achieving my goals. One of my smaller more recent "dreams" has been to open my online baby boutique. I've been working hard to get it started and I'm anxious to get it up and running! Eventually I hope to accomplish other dreams - like completing a degree in accounting and working from home as an accountant.

6. Luxuries - Mostly thanks to Rob, I am able to enjoy a lot of luxuries in my life. Most importantly, I get to stay home with my baby girl. I can't imagine it any other way. My beautiful truck, our lovely home, and all the gifts he spoils me with make life just a little more enjoyable!

5. My Puppies - I have always been a huge animal lover, and especially a dog lover. My dogs mean a lot to me. I look forward to them greeting me every morning and every time I get home. I miss our little Oreo and I think of him every day. I'm just glad he was able to find a great new home and new companions. Simon and Sadie complete our family.

4. Friends - I don't have a lot of them, but the one's I have are GREAT! Shelley, Shoko, Kenzie, Kari, Tanya, Sara, Patti - I love you guys! Thanks for always being there & listening. Not sure what I'd do without you.

3. Extended family - My family has never been very "tight knit" but I have to say that it's none-the-less very important to me. Since Rob's family is small and very far away, my family is close to all we've got. I enjoy the time spent with my family and even more I enjoy the relationship Addy is building with my family. I hope she has a very full & family oriented life!

2. My "Significant Other" - Even though he hasn't "popped the question" Rob is nothing short of a husband to me.. He is turning into a great dad and spoils us with lots of luxuries. Without him, I wouldn't have my precious little girl & nor would I be able to spend every day, all day, with her.

1. My Baby Girl - Addy means the world to me! It's truly an amazing thing to be a mother. It's the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. I look forward to every day, knowing I will spend it with my beautiful daughter! I LOVE YOU ADDY!

I did it!! ..Wasn't sure I had it in me. Thanks SHELLEY! I hope you enjoy! =P

Two Months!

2008-04-02T16:53:00.000-07:00

Little Addy is two months old today. I can't believe it. She had her two month check up today - she weighs 10lbs and is 24 inches long. She gets more and more beautiful with every passing day. She smiles at us now, which is really awesome. She continues to hold her head up for more time each day and almost has those little arms and hands under control. A new habit of hers is sucking her fist. Not her thumb. Not her fingers. Definitely not her pacifier. Her fist! ...Silly girl...

To nap.. or not to nap

2008-03-28T14:49:00.000-07:00

I was going to take a nap along-side Addy when I came into my room at least 30 minutes ago. And then I opened my laptop..

Rob and I are going out on a "date" tonight.. sort of a double/triple date or something. Since Rob's parents are still here, we are taking advantage of the babysitting since we won't have that luxury when they are gone. We have left Addy for a few hours at a time to do some shopping or something. But, somehow going OUT tonight is making me feel a bit guilty. It is probably the last time (making this the only time) we will be able to go OUT for a long time, since his parents will be gone in just a few weeks. I probably just need to GET OVER IT.

So.. what I just wasted the last 30 minutes of my nap time doing is this - www.twitter.com. I became aware of the site through another blog I read. I'm not sure that my twitter account (/myaddy) will be getting much attention, but some others are interesting and entertaining. Supposedly it becomes addictive. Check it out!

Addy has awakened - so I must get going.

Baby Expo

2008-03-20T22:39:00.000-07:00

The baby expo last weekend was awesome. We left with tons of goodies. Thank goodness for grandmas, because I would have been broke had I bought it all myself. There were several boutique owners there with booths selling their totally adorable items for a buttload of money! What I realized while we were admiring all of the nice things, was that many of them were fairly easy to make. The boutique owners had items that they made themselves and sold in their stores, in addition to other products..

I left there that day with lots of ambition and crazy ideas! Since then I dove into the idea of starting an online baby boutique, selling "handcrafted" items. I am putting my creativity to the test. I've started working on some items and I am building the website in my spare time (with Rob's help). I realize this sounds cheesey and maybe a little bit silly, but there's only one way to find out if it will work. The nice part about it is that I can take all the time I need to get things up and running. My expectations are low, I just like the idea of "working from home" while I am here with Addy. It gives me something to focus on (aside from her) and it's a possibility that I could make some extra money. I can only hope that the items get attention. All I know is that the items at the show were all hits and I'm taking those ideas and running with them.

I'm anxious to show off some of the things I have created already, but I am going to save it all for the "grand opening" of the site. I'm not sure how long it's going to take to build the site. We have made some good progress on it in the past few days, but it requires a lot more time then we have available to us right now. Of course making the items also requires time. So stay tuned for updates on that because (I'm hoping) you will love what's in store. The boutique is going to be primarily for baby girls although there will be certain items for older little girls as well. Let's just say we have sort of a princess theme going on. =) If you don't have a little girl of your own, you may just find some great gifts for someone else you know, or a baby shower you are attending.

Some of our favorite items from the show were:

Car Seat Covers by Pocket Full of Posies - (www.babyposies.com)

LifeCast statues by Little Treasures and More.. (www.littletreasuresofarizona.com)

Grocery Cart Cover by Cuter than a Ducks Butt

A SUPER soft & adorable baby blanket (boutique unknown)

Among many others..

Getting Stronger

2008-03-14T16:31:00.000-07:00

Addy is practicing a lot and has gotten much better at holding her head up the past couple weeks. I was able to snap some pictures today while she was putting her strength to the test. She melts my heart! I can't get enough of her pretty little face.

I am super excited, because this weekend I am going to the baby expo at West World. It's probably the last thing I should be doing, since I am going to want to buy one of everything! But I saw it on TV and I just had to buy tickets! Besides.. those were cheap.. AND it's right down the street! How convenient! It doesn't take much to excite me these days anyway. Any little adventure outside the home is enough to thrill me!

Smile!

2008-03-06T14:34:00.000-08:00

Addy's first BIG smile caught on camera. I love this picture. She is so sweet. She is starting to smile more and more, although it is still very random. I can't tell if she is smiling on purpose or not.

Addy and I are participating in Southern Arizona's 10th Annual Race for the Cure, in Tucson on April 6th. Of course Addy will most likely sleep in her stroller the entire time, letting me do all the work! Either way, I'll enjoy her company. I am currently trying to raise some money for the cause. Anyone interested in donating (even just a small amount, like $10) can do so here.

July 1st of this year will be 4 years since my grandmother passed away. Breast cancer (& the negligence of doctors) took her life. She is not the only person in my family who has suffered from breast cancer, but she is the first that didn't survive. I miss her every day and I wish she was here to meet her great-granddaughter. She would love her. It hurts to know that Addison will never have known my grandmother. She was such a wonderful and extremely caring person. I will always remember her..

Two other members of my family have suffered and survived breast cancer. It's such a serious reality in my family. This is much of the reason I try to support the cause as much as possible. Please help if you can! Any little bit helps.

One Month!

2008-02-29T15:01:00.000-08:00

Addy is now one month old! I can't believe how fast the month went by. She is currently around 8 lbs, probably a little more. She is already starting to surprise us with new discoveries. She is half way to holding her head up on her own. She lifts it up to look at us when we hold her to our chest and she can hold it for about 30 seconds before she gets wobbly and lays it down. She is gaining much more control of her arms and her hands. She grabs onto my hand during feedings and she takes a hold of my shirt when I hold her to my chest. She has an occasional attitude problem already. When she is hungry and we dare try to hold her over with a pacifier, she will fling it out of her mouth with vengeance and scream. She is also requiring a lot more "attention" lately. She has developed a liking to be held - A LOT! Lucky for her I like to cuddle with her. I just don't want her getting TOO spoiled with it, but who can resist the little bundle of love?

Here are some of Addy's first portraits ..

Sleeping Addy

2008-02-29T14:57:00.000-08:00

I recorded a little video of Addy sleeping in her swing. She makes funny noises when she sleeps sometimes. It sounds like some sort of bird mating call to me, just thought it was funny enough to share!

Baby's First Portraits

2008-02-26T11:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I took Addy to get her very first portraits. They came out great. I have to wait almost two weeks to get them which is driving me nuts! I will surely post them when I have them though. She did really well. I was so worried that she would cry the whole time or sleep through them, but she was awake and happy and even looked at the camera! It was a success, I am so excited to get them!

The trip to JC Penney for portraits was also our very first "solo" outing together. Just Addy and I. It was nice.

That's all the big news I have for now. We are mostly staying home and doing a lot of nothing! It's amazing how much time flies just sitting around the house now. It seems like she feeds non-stop all day. As if she wants to start eating as soon as she finishes eating. Sometimes it's actually the case. This girl is eating a TON! She seems to be gaining weight just as she is suppose to though, so I guess she's just a growing baby with an appetite.

Nights are hit and miss. Most nights she will sleep 3-4 hours at a time, waking only 2-3 times to eat. Although she may turn into the she-devil at any which one of those awakenings. Sometimes at the beginning of the night, either before we have actually gone to sleep or right after we have fallen asleep, she will wake up and decide now it is time to play and if we don't want to, well too bad cause we sure as hell aren't going to get any sleep. Or sometimes (seems quite often lately..) it will be around 5:30am. This seems to be her favorite time to wake up and stay up. She also expects live entertainment. She needs to learn that mommy is not a morning person and it's in her best interest to sleep until 7 or so.. I will continue cutting her some slack for the time being, but this will definitely be addressed in the near future!

I've never been a believer of the "colic". At least - I believe if a baby is crying (non-stop, or not) it is for some reason. I have never believed that a baby will cry for NO reason. Addison is trying to make a believer out of me. She thinks it sounds like a fun venture. "The night of terror" was the only time Addy actually cried for 4 hours STRAIGHT with no "reason". At least not one I could figure out. I like to believe it was gas..But ever since that night she's been overall more fussy! When she is awake it seems that there is little time that she is content. This was why I was so concerned about pictures, but she seemed to enjoy it. Maybe it was the new environment. It has made things much more stressful for me though. Not only is it just flat out annoying that she insists on crying after she has been fed, changed, cuddled with, etc.. but it's also almost insulting to me. I feel like I am doing something wrong. I hate that I cannot make her happy. I have been 100% devoted to her and her every need since 5:07pm on Feb 2! The moment she popped out my priorities became - Addison! And still, no matter how much I do, sometimes she just isn't satisfied. So.. now I am on a NO dairy and NO chocolate diet, in order to determine if the cows milk in my diet, through my breast milk, is effecting her. We think (due to some research) that she may just be gassy and/or in pain a lot due to something in my diet that she is unable to digest properly. I never knew how much breastfeeding could rule my life!

Anyway, we hope to curb this problem soon so we can all be much happier around here. It was difficult when our happy two week old baby woke up one morning and decided she would no longer be happy! This is what frustrates me.

Night of Terror

2008-02-19T17:23:00.000-08:00

Since Addison has come home, the nights have been pretty tolerable - even good! There have been a few nights that were difficult, but more that were pretty easy. She generally wakes about three times a night, every three hours or so. She eats and will usually go back to sleep.

Last night was different. I didn't know if we would make it out alive! Our little princess turned into some ferocious she-devil! She woke up at midnight and SCREAMED until 4am! We tried everything! Of course we fed her, changed her, and cuddled her - but it just wouldn't stop. She has not been a big screamer in her entire 16 day life, but last night she broke those lungs in good!

Before last night, Addison had never even been awake for a 4 hour stretch and somehow she managed to not only stay awake, but scream at the top of her tiny little lungs for four long hours. It was horrible. The worst part is not being able to fix her. It makes me feel like I'm not doing something right. I felt horrible. I kept trying to sooth her, hold her, rub her back. Anything and everything I could think of - and nothing worked. I was worried that something was really wrong, but her temperature was normal.

Poor daddy.. Yesterday was his first day back to work and she decides it's NOW time to keep mommy and daddy up ALL night. I would have taken her out of the room to allow him to sleep, but it was him or his parents who were going to lose sleep - I chose him!

She seems to be in a better mood today, although she is a little worn out. She has spent all day thus far sleeping. Every time she wakes up, I feed her and change her and she falls back to sleep. I hope to keep her up when she wakes from this nap for as long as possible in hopes to get some sleep tonight and keep the beast at bay!

Who knew such a cute little 7 pounder could cause so much grief? It's a good thing she's such a cutie. I still love her! I just hate to see her so unhappy!

Here are some pictures of my little valentine on valentines day..

Welcome Addison

2008-02-11T16:49:00.000-08:00

Addison Rylee was born on February 2, 2008 at 5:07pm. She was 6 lbs. 15 oz. and 21.5 in. long.

Motherhood is an amazing thing. It's still almost unreal. I can't believe this beautiful little girl is mine! I can't believe we made her! She is such an amazing little person. I am so honored to be her mother.

Labor was not as bad as I expected. In fact, it wasn't bad at all - thanks to the epidural of course. Everything went very smooth. It was incredible to see her face after 9 months of anticipation. She is perfect. I couldn't imagine anything more precious!

So far things have been pretty good. I am recovering well and Addison is letting us get some sleep...most nights.

Here's some pictures of our little princess:

Mother-to-be...No More

2008-01-31T07:51:00.000-08:00

This is officially my last post as a "mother-to-be". Baby Addison should be here by this weekend. My appointment yesterday went very well, as I was given the news I was dying to hear! I am ready to be induced! Although I am only 5 days from my actual due date, knowing that I am going to have her sometime in the next day or so is very comforting as opposed to just waiting for it to happen - since I'm a HUGE fan of WAITING and everything. So now I sit and wait for the phone call, which is sure to drive me insane anyway. I am going to receive a call from the hospital as soon as a room opens up. Now I am going to rant...

The only reason I am not in labor as we speak is because so many damn people go out of their way to have babies at the ONE hospital I happen to live NEXT DOOR to! Scottsdale Healthcare - Shea Campus is said to be "the nicest hospital in the state". However, I don't exactly agree. With all the babies coming into the world lately I've seen my fair share of hospitals and maternity wards and although SHC Shea is very nice.. so are many others. And for crying out loud people - your having a baby! Is that not enough? You need to go to a hospital that has a Spa?? AS IF you are going to use it!! So in short here, I am angry with people who drive way out of there way so that they can say they had their baby at "the nicest hospital in the state" and leave me - an actual RESIDENT to that hospital - sitting on a damn waiting list! I'm a tid bit frustrated. So if you ever plan to have your baby at SHC Shea and don't live within a reasonable radius of the hospital - don't tell me! I wont have nice things to say.

That being said - I sit here and wait.. When there is an opening that isn't filled by some person from Avondale going into labor - I will get a call and drive ACROSS THE STREET to the hospital and have my precious baby girl! :)

I am so excited and overwhelmed with the reality of the situation. I cannot wait to see her face. I just keep imagining the first time I will see her and hold her. I have a feeling I am going to hold her hostage and not let anyone else get near her! I just want to hold her and stare at her forever.. Or at least that's what I think, prior to the actual "labor" part! Everything is ready to go - as it has been for ages. The car seat is in my truck all ready to bring her home. I am thrilled beyond belief. It is going to be a wonderful day! (Aside from the wanting to pull my hair out while I wait for the call.)

I cannot wait to meet you Addison Rylee..

Passing Time

2008-01-25T16:05:00.000-08:00

Being cooped up at home with nothing to do doesn't leave me with much to talk about. I've already done everything I could think of to prepare for Addison coming home. All the clothes are washed and my bags are packed. I even started a scrapbook to pass the time - but I quickly ran out of things to put in it since there's no baby yet! I had a lot of fun starting the book though. I put the ultrasound pictures and photos of the baby room, along with a couple of the prenatal photos we had done in Hawaii. I want her to have plenty of pictures from her childhood, since Rob and I don't have as many as we would like from our own.

Since I finished that project I have had nothing constructive to do with my time. I've been cut off from spending money - especially on baby clothes. So, I stay home in order to stay out of trouble. I signed up for Netflix yesterday so I can watch endless movies now and after the baby arrives, since I will be further constricted to the house to provide nourishment to the little one and keep her safe from RSV and other germs I am continuously reminded of. Still - I cannot wait for her to arrive.

In the ultrasound on Tuesday we could see her face and my-oh-my, this little girl has some seriously CHUBBY cheeks! They must account for all the extra weight on her right now. They have got to be the chubbiest little cheeks I have ever seen. I cannot wait to see her chunky little face. I have been going crazy wondering who she is going to look like. There's only one way to find out...

I hope to know soon!

The Appointment

2008-01-22T15:09:00.000-08:00

I have just returned from the long awaited appointment. I am 38 weeks today. I received an ultrasound to determine the size of the baby. She is basically average. She measures in the 49th percentile, at approx 7 lbs. To my dismay I have not progressed any further toward labor. I am still 1cm dilated, 50% effaced, and dropped to a -2. (I'm not entirely sure what they call the "-2".)

I am happy to know that our little girl is healthy and her heart is pumping along perfectly. We are very lucky for that. I just can't help but feel extremely frustrated while I sit and wait in anticipation of her arrival. I've never been a patient person, so this comes as no surprise to me. I just feel overwhelmed with anxiety and I get more uncomfortable by the second. There are more things to be happy about right now than there are to be upset about but I feel like an emotional wreck. It's not because I'm nervous, or scared or I feel like I can't handle what is about to happen. It's because I'm extremely excited and anxious to meet this wonderful little person. I am also frustrated with the discomfort of being 38 weeks and counting - the restless nights, the constant "heartburn", peeing every 10 minutes, never ending back pain, etc.. Although I know it will have been worth every moment of it when I see her face for the first time.

So, I have no other choice but to wait. Either she will make a surprise entrance or I will be having another check up in 7 days to see where we stand. Wish me luck!

A New Begining..

2008-01-18T10:43:00.000-08:00

I have been inspired to create a new blog on behalf of my soon to be daughter Addison Rylee and myself! I hope to share the wonders of becoming a new mom with friends, family and whoever else stops by.

As of now, I am just weeks away from welcoming our little girl. I am anxious beyond belief. The past 37 weeks have been difficult, but thankfully the pregnancy has gone wonderfully. Of course I am more than ready to have my body back! More than that though, I just cannot wait to look into the eyes of our baby girl for the first time. To study her face and her little fingers and toes. I can't even begin to imagine how that moment is going to feel. I am sure it will be the most wonderful moment of my life, with many more to follow as she grows and surprises us each and every day.

As for me - I am currently working on getting a BA in Accounting. I have been attending Scottsdale Community College part-time. I have taken this semester off in order to care for the baby, but I plan to enroll again in the Fall semester. Other than attending school part-time I am fortunate enough to stay home with Addison. I am more than thankful to have that opportunity! It's something I will cherish forever - knowing that I was there for all of the milestones in my baby's first years of life. I look forward to spending time with her each and every day as she discovers new things and we learn together how to grow as a family. I also hope to meet other moms and get involved in some groups where Addison and I can each make new friends and socialize. I hope to avoid getting lonely as an at-home mom and I also wish for Addison to have social interaction with more than just her mom. I think activities will keep us both feeling good! I have already investigated a group of moms in my area on meetup.com that seems to be a great group of people. Once Addison arrives I hope to meet them and build some new relationships.

Until then, I am impatiently awaiting her arrival. Since school is on hold and I am not working, the last few weeks of anticipation have been torturous. With (hopefully) less than 3 weeks to go, the wait is almost over! Although 3 weeks of boredom and anticipation can move quite slowly. I am trying to relax and enjoy the ride - as much as possible.

I had a weekly check-up yesterday. I went in hoping for good news - such as "oh my goodness you're 3cm dilated and should begin labor any time now!" Okay - so I knew that wouldn't happen.. but to my surprise the doc measures my belly and gets a strange look on her face.. makes a "Hmmm.." and asks me if I felt like I grew much recently. Apparently I measured quite large.. I'm not yet sure how to feel about this. She scheduled an ultrasound for my 38 week check-up (next Tuesday) to see if Addison is as big as she seems to be. I am glad that she may be a big healthy baby - however, I will be disappointed if it means I will have to deliver by c-section. That has been a worry of mine since day one - being that I am a small woman. Either way, she s worth whatever it takes.. but I am quite nervous about the whole thing. The funny thing is - when the doc asked me that, I thought - No.. not really.. But when I got home I decided to measure my waist as I have been doing from the beginning just to see for myself how much I am growing.. Turns out I'm 1.5in. wider than the last time I measured which couldn't have been more than a few days ago.. and my belly button is completely flush with my stomach and my skin is noticeably tighter than even the day before! I guess I overlooked it, but she must have grown overnight! I hope for good news this Tuesday. Maybe she is big enough and ready to come out!! Maybe not... We'll see!

Here are some pictures of our journey the past few months!