Juice and cookies...

After talking with the pediatrician, we got the go ahead for Addie to get to "eat" a teething biscuit, otherwise known as a "biter biscuit" (i honestly thought it said "bitter" for the longest time and couldnt figure out why they were "bitter" :)

When I told my mom Addie had "eaten" her 1st teething biscuit, she said she had pictures of me doing the same (many, many years ago!). So...I certainly couldn't publish this post until I dug up those "old" pictures!

A few observations:

• My daughter looks absolutely nothing like me (except her eyes (not their distance apart...just shape)) and maybe nose?
• We do/did both enjoy teething biscuits!
• Teething biscuits are much better "worn" than eaten!

Mommy....and Addie

Addie...and Mommy

Abbey LOVES it when Addie eats in her highchair. Addie decided to "hold" onto her teething biscuit but let Abbey lick her hands :/ We're working on that one! We'll have to get some pictures of Daddy so we can show you how much she looks like him! :)

Have you found any "old" pictures of you doing something your child has recently done?

Blogsted...

*Update*
Paul (finally, I might add) published another blog post! So check it out here. Happy reading! :)

"Not me!" Monday

Well...it's that time again. "Not me!" Monday, hosted by MckMama. I definitely got a laugh out of your comment posts from last week! Can you tell I LOVE comments?!?!? And isn't it great therapy?

So here are a few things we DIDN'T do this week...
We did not consider having our house bombed (with bug chemicals), moving in with my mom, or blaming the hole in Addie's wall where the pipe was fixed to be the culprit of our fly infestation. We certainly didn't attempt to catch or kill each individual fly in our house for almost a week (using honey, bug spray, dish soap, fly paper, anything) only to discover a hidden trash bag in the dining room buried under scrap booking paper that contained grapes to be their temporary lodging. That would be repulsive and disgusting! Nope...not us!

*disclaimer* we do not (and that's the truth) have trash bags lying around our house! this one was buried in a rubbermaid container that i was NEATLY using to discard any scrap booking scraps in.

My husband did not take great pleasure in taking the bag outside, ripping it open, and spraying each and every fly (in whatever stage of development they were in) and watching them die. Nope...not him!

I did not go buy fresh fruit and vegetables at the local farmer's market only to discover not a single item was grown by the seller or even grown anywhere in the vicinity! And i certainly did not buy plums that had a California sticker on them! Nope...not me!

we did not forget to buy dog food yesterday and realize it at 8:30pm. and then we certainly didn't break up giant milk bones and give them to our dogs for dinner last night. nope...not us!

hope you had a fabulous monday! don't forget to visit MckMama's blog! baby Stellan will be here in only a month, and we're all praying for the healthiest baby ever!

Sitting Up...for Real!

Addie has been trying really hard to sit up on her own (see previous post here); but until a few days ago, she's more than likely ended up toppling over fairly quickly. We ventured out to the front yard the other day. It was BEAUTIFUL weather, and I thought I'd attempt to get some pictures of her outside. My original intent was to get pictures for the "cloth diaper" post (to come), thus explaining why she's bottomless. But then she ended up sitting up so much...I couldn't resist posting some of my favorites!

I had no idea she'd actually sit up long enough for me to take so many! So I guess you can say this marks her milestone of being able to sit up...on her own!

She laughed and talked and loved sitting in the yard.

...until she'd had enough!

So...we came in and took a nap! :)

We've got one "big" "healthy" kid...

Before Addie was born, our seasoned doctor told us she'd be, max, 7lbs. When she came out at 8lbs 4 oz, we were ALL very surprised. She's maintained a consistent 75th-95th%ile range in height, weight, and head circumference for each of her first 3 checkups. All of the statistics say baby's typically double their weight in the first 4 months and triple it by age 1. We all thought she was "slowing" down a little...maybe? Not so...

Addie weighed in at 19.8 lbs (from 16lbs at 4 months) and measured 27.25 inches (from around 26 inches at 4 months). Both measurements are off the charts for her age!

Now...if she was in the 25th%ile for height and 95th%ile for weight, I might just be worried we were overfeeding her. But after discussing it with our pediatrician, she can actually be eating a little bit more than she is now...and can start meats!

Well, then there's the head...45cm. Our pediatrician came back behind the nurse and remeasured because she thought it was rather "big"...but it was right on! An average 12 month old has a head her size...again off the charts for her age! Her question: does your husband have a big head? (that must mean I don't ;) And since that's the case, and she's meeting her developmental milestones at an appropriate rate, we're in the clear! :) The great thing is...it doesn't look disproportional with her "big" body, and it must just be to hold her "big" brilliant brain! (No I'm not one of those mother who thinks their child is a genius...but she is, right?!? ;)

So being a new mother...a few observations I've had recently: when a sweet southern woman says: "bless your heart" as your baby screams her head off...she isn't exactly blessing you! In fact, she's more likely than not thinking you're an incompetent mother!

Whether well meaning or not, I think it goes right along with the comment I heard when I was 5 months pregnant: "you look like you're going to have a "big" baby." Huh? Hmmmm...so I'm "huge looking"? I did have a big baby, but that doesn't mean I looked like it; and if I did, the only person who should have told me that was my OB (and he didn't...and he's a stickler for weight gain!). But whatever motivations a person might have, all a pregnant woman needs to hear is: "you look fabulous!" "you make a beautiful pregnant woman!" etc, etc...

Why people feel it necessary to comment on their observations, I'll never know. I'm sure I'm guilty of it though! What I am quickly realizing is that when someone tells me I have a "healthy" looking baby, they don't exactly mean that either. My sweet best friend Di and her husband Tim always look at Addie and say, "She's so beautiful!" Now, of course they're biased, but it's exactly what every mother needs to hear!

My grandmother used to say two things (and of course, now my mother says them): 1) If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all! and 2) Consider the source. So I will!

Just some random thoughts...

The Last Few Toofless Smiles!

Well...after several months of me proclaiming that "it must be her teeth...", they are here! We can both see and feel the 1st one coming in. They do apparently hurt...given that she was up at 11:30pm, 1:30am, and 4am (refusing paci, food, and screaming for 45 minutes) the other night. So...I though I'd post a few (not that we don't have pleeeenty, of course) pictures of her last few toothless smiles!

Thanks to Julie and Savannah for the too cute outfit! It was finally cool enough here today (at least when we dropped Daddy off at 7am) to wear long sleeves!

Highchair Fun

We have just recently started feeding Addie in her highchair. She absolutely loves it! I'll make sure to post more pictures soon of all the fun new things she loves to do in her highchair!

"Not Me" Monday!

Alrighty...as you know, I'm a big fan of MckMama's blog. I've never considered myself a random blog reader...but I guess I fall into that category now. I did find her blog through a friend of a friend's blog though...so it's not totally random, now is it?!? She IS a sweet blog friend now who's helped me maneuver the wavy waters of cloth diapers and making homemade baby food. But most importantly, she's an incredible encouragement to my daily walk with Christ.

So...what on the earth is this? It's "Not Me!" Monday!!!

So...here's my "Not Me" Monday post. It will be NOTHING compared to what I've read on other blogs, but none the less, it is great "therapy."

I did not spend 15 minutes trying to get out the door this afternoon! I did not drop my entire diaper bag and partial contents on the floor. I did not forget the "going green" bags and have to come back inside. I did not just keep going the 2nd time my child spit up all over me without bothering to clean it up. I did not spend 5 minutes looking for my phone in all the wrong places and finally come back inside again only to find it in my purse. And I did NOT place my daughter in the push back chair to "sit" while I searched for my phone and allow her to fall over (not off!!!) onto the monitor before I picked her back up. I certainly didn't have to turn the alarm on/off twice before finally leaving. I definitely did not get everything OUT to the car, IN the car, and go to put my CHILD in her car seat only to realize I'd left her car seat inside. I'm not that unorganized and scatter brained and mildly ADD...nope, NOT ME!

I did not recently Google "breast cancer ribbon" frantically searching for a picture of an example to smock on my daughters dress. I could not be so naive as to wonder why I had to cover the screen in still attempting the "decent" search then accidentally download a trojan virus to my mom's computer! NOT ME!

My daughter is certainly not still sleeping in the pack in play in our room almost 2 weeks after the pipe on the other side of her wall was repaired because I cancelled the repair man last week and haven't been able to reschedule him. And I am not using one end of Addie's bed to dump clean laundry in and the other end to change her diapers in because the cat has decided to take up permenant residence on her changing table! Nope, NOT ME!

I did not sleep for almost 3 hours on Sunday because I had stayed up past 2am the nights before. NOT ME!

I did not just spend almost 2 hours helping my husband clean out his car so we could sell it for a mere $500. I did not find half empty mountain dew bottles, moldy lunch containers that would put any science experiment to shame, McDonald's cups, enough paper to create a well stocked notebook, a dog leash that'd been chewed in half...but only the top half of it, 2 thermoses, an oriental rug and a Homer Simpson Chia Pet. NOT ME!

I did not find a shoe I've been looking for for probably 3 years now in said car. But I most certainly had not held onto the single shoe for 3 years hoping the other one would turn up through a move and selling two cars because it was one of my all time favorites. NOT ME!

Now, leave a comment here about what you "did not" do in the past week or so! And click the link below and go on over to MckMama's blog and get a good laugh out of some of the things we've probably all done but never been willing to admit!

Happy Birthday...

Well...Happy "Half" Birthday! No, we promise we didn't forget that Addie turned 6 months old yesterday. I'm just frantically trying to finish two bishop dresses for a class on putting them together this Thursday and didn't have much time to blog.

Not to worry though...we celebrated none the less; and took some fun pictures in the process! :)

Addie and Daddy

Well, as you know, Addie has once again experienced several (many) firsts over this past month. Here are a few:

• flown on a plane
• traveled to another state (besides GA & TN): Kentucky and Michigan (a layover in the Detroit airport!)
• had so much fun on the park swings
  
• gone to Augusta
• experienced stranger anxiety
• watched a football game (on tv)
• met some sweet new friends: Rosie, Shirley, Linda, and Helen
  
• been sick :(
  
• gotten new shoes
• sat up (almost on her own!)
  
• had a hole knocked in her bedroom wall
• eaten homemade baby food (her new favorites: peaches, butternut squash, and oatmeal)
• worn cloth diapers (more about that later!)
• transitioned to one family car...so we take Daddy to work every morning
• stayed in the nursery at church (several times)
  
• is spitting up significantly less
• sat in a highchair (more to come about that later too)
  
• said "mama" and "dada" (more to come about that too!)
• LOVES to interact with our animals (notice her reactions in the videos below when the dogs and a cat are walking around as well as when the dogs play fight in the background)
  
• "talks" up a storm (see video)
  
• still NO TEETH!
  
• rediscovered her tongue (see video1 and video2)
• and smiles oh so much!!!

Happy 6 Month Birthday Little Bit!

Breast Cancer Awareness Dinner

As many of you know, my mom will be walking in the Komen 3-Day the end of October. She will walk 60 miles over the course of 3 days. You can learn more about it here.

The Faulkner University (where she works) Volleyball team has committed their year to "Playing for the Cure" (click on the link to learn more). Their benefit dinner and silent auction were September 16th. They raised over $3,000 from ticket sales and the silent auction, and a portion of that will go to my moms walk! We're so excited!

We'll of course it was a family affair and here are some pictures from the night:

my mom who's been a breast cancer SURVIVOR for 2 years now!

Doug Amos (MC and a dear friend),
Kim Hendrix (a local news anchor for WSFA),
Rie Rie, and Addie

Paul/Daddy, Rie Rie/Marie, Addie, and Anna/Mommy

she finds the metal on the chair quite interesting: "cold, kinda shiny, good texture...maybe it should go in my mouth!"

what a mess! :)

the dress we made for the silent auction

new friends: Carrie and Tina

Addie's favorite buddy: T

(you can also go here to see a few more pictures)

So very close...

Addie is 3 days shy of being 6 months old. And so very close to sitting up on her own!

Just chillin on Mommy & Daddy's bed...

Sitting up...

all by myself!

A little lean...

...

Oops!

there I go...

...so very graceful though!
(at least it's on a "soft" spot!)


sitting up takes great concentration and work!

***I was a little behind. There are 4 posts here...so keep scrolling!***

Pitiful Puppy

No, I'm not referring to the dogs. Yes, it's Addie. She woke up a little congested sounding this morning and by the time we got home from church (all dazed and confused), she had a fever. We're praying it's teeth, but the pediatrician said they typically don't run a fever this high with teeth. Still hoping.

We're all hunkered down in the push back chair with an extra large lovey (because mommy stupidly, I mean accidentally, threw BOTH loveys in the wash at once) ...taking a snooze.

My problem here: thermometers. We have a pacifier thermometer, underarm (traditional) thermometer, and the good ol' rectal thermometer. The ranges of temperatures we got (all have been converted to "mouth" temperature readings...+0.9 the arm and -0.9 the rectal temp): 99.4, 100.1, 100.5, 100.9, 101.1, 101.4. And I'm talking about in a matter of minutes. Now you tell me how on the earth I am supposed to figure out what my child's temperature is?

So, instead of sending an email to my friends (like I did about car seats and wagons and baby items one just can't live without), I'm doing (what Jen calls) my "friend survey" here! Why reinvent the wheel when I have such a wealth of knowledge and experience at my finger tips! So all you moms out there, what do you use in this day and age to accurately determine if your child has a temperature?

*Update: After one round of Tylenol not touching it, baby Motrin has done wonders! She's now screeching at us from her exersaucer, the fever is down, and we're praying for a good nights sleep for everyone!

**Update Monday Morning: She now has a really gunky nose and sooooo conjested. Another "friend survey" question: what do you do for your child/children when they have a cold!?!?!

Water

I've always heard one of the worst problems you can have in a house is...water! It can cause untold damage, and you don't even know it's happening! Well, when your house was built in 1928, and you know the pipes are really, really old...a leak is bound to happen sooner than later.

Our American Home Shield insurance is certainly paying off now. It got us a water heater in the other house. Now it's saved us some serious money with our newest problem. Addie's bedroom backs up to our kitchen sink. And here's...

the evidence that something was awry
(the spot was behind her bed!)

and here's what was behind it all:
a hole in the pipe the size of a dime
wet wood and plaster &
mold...
(yes, Addie is sleeping in our room for the time being)

what we need now:
our handyman Ron (who knows old houses) to re-plaster the wall
& a fresh coat of paint!
(it could have been much worse!!!)

Fun Times!

Last weekend, we met Diane, Tyler, and Ellie at the park for a little while. Addie had fun swinging while Ty and Ellie played on the playground! Here are some pictures:

Di and Ellie

swinging!
--------------------------------------------

And this Friday we drove to Birmingham with my mom for her doctors appointment. But we stayed with Allison, Abigail, Jack and Izzy for the afternoon while my mom went to the doctor. Abigail and Jack were SO sweet to Addie! Izzy and Addie are so much closer in size now...it's amazing! We were so excited to get to spend the afternoon with them!

Abigail is such a big girl & sweet helper!

Jack, who will be 2 in 2 weeks, is a GREAT big brother and was so gentle with Addie!