Proud parent moments and other news...

Well, a moment I have been anticipating: potty training has started! Tuesday night Addyson went poop on the potty, which was followed by peeing twice yesterday, 4 times today and another poop! She now asks for m & m's after she goes and signs more after the alotted 2, but doesn't get anymore until next time. It is so fun to watch her run up the stairs when I say do you need to go potty? I just hope it continues to go well from here!

Today we had another first which was also a New Year's resolution for me and that was to take Addy to playgroup. I must say I was a little nervous as we hadn't been before and didn't know anyone or what to expect, but we both enjoyed it a lot! There were about 8 other kids under 3 there, and 2 of which were boys. They had a bunch of different toys to play with and Addy spent the first little bit watching everyone and then quickly found things she enjoyed. Some of the things she liked doing were playing with the big drum, coloring, playing with pretend food, vacuuming, and sitting in the Elmo chair after making sure it was okay and not scary. My plan is to make it at least once a week if not both times it is offered. We also had our Parents As Teachers visit for January a couple weeks ago and enjoyed that. I was asked how many words Addy says on a regular basis and I had thought about 20, well the next day I wrote them all down and came up with 30+! I was very surprised. She is putting more 2 word phrases together like "get dressed", "belly button", "tickle tickle belly", and "what's that". She is also following directions more and is an all around good kiddo! We feel so blessed and lucky to be her parents. This age is so fun because they are like a sponge soaking everything up!

Another big event coming up is that Jared is getting his left ear cochlear implant in 3 weeks!! We are both excited and nervous. It has been a long few months to us, but relatively short in the scheme of things. Jared just wishes the dr could predict the outcome, but no individual has the same exact outcome as another so we will have to wait and see! I often find myself thinking how it will be when they first turn the device on after 3 weeks from the date of surgery and can't wait to see his reaction and how things change for him and our family. It takes up to a year for the person to get used to it and he will have many trips to the audiologist to help with the programming. We appreciate all the thoughts and prayers and ask for them to keep on coming!

Here are a couple pictures, I am still having problems with the uploading or else I would do more.

1-28-13

 

 

12-30-12

 

 

Update

Hard to believe 3 months have passed since I last posted here. Life seems to get a bit busy now and then, but I wouldn't change it. In December we had our first visit from a teacher with Parents as Teachers group, and were proud to hear that Addy is above her age level, she did some of her animal sounds, sorted shapes into the right place, and enjoyed playing with a magna-doodle while I was able to talk about our day-to-day routine and get some new ideas and information. One of our neighbors told us about this service the school district offers and I wanted it for more things to work on with Addy and helpful ideas. One of my resolutions is to start taking Addy to a play group at least once a week so she has more interaction with children her age.
We had a very nice holiday season and can't believe it has come and gone already. I worked Thanksgiving and the day after but was off for Christmas and New Years for the first time in several years. We had our "normal" 6 Christmas celebrations with family and it was so fun seeing Addyson's eyes light up and she quickly got the hang of tearing paper, pulling out tissue paper, and dancing around amongst her toys and clothes. We need to add on space just for her stuff! We are beyond blessed with great family and friends as I have said numerous times, but I realize not everyone has that and I am very grateful for them.
I was able to have time off of work and the day I was suppose to go back, I felt sick with the stomach flu, only come to find out I had appendicitis and ended up with a laproscopic appendectomy this weekend. I have been home resting and recuperating and since I'm not able to lift Addy for a couple weeks, we are very fortunate to have great help from our family and my brother staying with us until he goes back to college from winter break. Thank you guys so much!
Today Addyson is 18 months old and she is such a little fire-ball! It is so hard to believe how quickly time seems to pass and it is so much fun to see her mind and body in motion. It is amazing how fast toddlers learn and how quickly they pick up on things. Being a mom is no doubt the best job in the whole wide world I would say, even through those moments when they don't listen and you want to pull your hair out, it is all short-lived. We love our sweet girl so much and I am so lucky to be able to spend most of my time with her. She has her check-up next week but is around 23 pounds and about 30 inches tall. If you tell her to do something she will try her hardest to do it and waits for the clapping or a high five so she knows she did the right thing and if she doesn't quite know what you mean, she will hold her hands and wait for more instructions or help. She knows most of the family and will point to them when you ask "where is so and so", she continues to love bath time and baby dolls. I have been trying to get this to post a couple pictures and for some reason it is givng me problems so I will try again soon and hopefully I can blog a little more this year too!

15 month check up

Addy turned 15 months on Monday the 8th and had her check up today with her fabulous Dr. She weighs 21 lbs 4.7oz and is 29.5 inches tall. We are blessed to have such a happy and healthy baby. She had to get 3 shots and with just a few tears, she was awesome!! She definitely has a mind of her own these days and is expanding her vocabulary; dog, 'pon' for pond which we go by on walks, 'me' for milk, 'nah-nah' for no, what's that, momma and dada are some main words for her and she babbles a lot and seems to know just what she is saying. She knows where her tongue, tummy, toes, socks, and shoes are and also mommy's nose.

 

                                                            Are you calling me momma?

Momm'a Penguin Duck Tape

Love this sweet girl

 

 

Branson Fun

This past weekend we went to Branson and my mom went with us. Our neighbors have condos down there, so we rented one for the weekend and really enjoyed it! We left on Friday and stopped for lunch at McDonald's in Clinton, then got the show on the road and made it to Branson, checked in our condo and let Addy nap while mom and I went to Walmart for some goodies. That night we drove around, ate at a disgusting place (the one with the big Chicken) by Tanger Outlet and then moved on to some shopping. Saturday we had breakfast at the condo, got around and went shopping at the 5 and 10 store and then to Branson Landing. Addy was tired and ready for a nap so we left and she fell asleep within minutes in the SUV, we grabbed lunch and ate in the SUV and then she woke up and we went to another store and then back to the condo to rest a few minutes before it was time to head to the Kirby VanBurch magic show. Addy enjoyed it and towards the end was tired of sitting so her and daddy moved back a few rows so she could walk and be more "independent". We went back to Branson Landing, had some dinner at a really good Mexican restaurant there, and did a little more shopping before heading back to the condo. Sunday we got up and had breakfast, then we had to go back for a couple things at Tanger Outlet and then headed to Bass Pro in Springfield. Addy loved the alligator, fish, and turtles there. Man has it changed since I was little! We had lunch and headed home. We really had a good trip and got some good shopping in and even some Christmas shopping done, but wished the weather was warmer so we could Ride the Ducks and do Bumper Boats, maybe next year! It was nice to get home and Addy was glad to see her toys and play.

                                                        Teething on her Tylenol bottle

                                                     Playing with Grandma

Deer in the Headlights

                                                      She loves all shoes

                                                             Can I get out of this yet?

                                                          Our Driver

 

She loves her toes

 

                                                 Grandma and a very tired Addy

August/September 2012

I can't believe it's been since July since I've updated, we have been busy as usual and enjoying watching Addy grow and explore the world around her. In August, we took Addy and our niece Taylor to the aquarium downtown and enjoyed it, we went to the Johnson County Fair and Bull Blast, our friends Ellen and Bret had their 2nd baby, Cara, and Kelly and Brett had their first, Hannah. It has been fun seeing them and their little ones! Addy and I went to Deanna Rose Farmstead in August with our neighbor Christy and Addy's boyfriend Jordan, and then went again in September with Kelly, Hannah, and Kelly's sister and her boys. Addy fed the goats a bottle of milk and they jumped on her but she enjoyed the animals. We went to Ark City to visit Ellen, Bret, and their 2 girls the end of August, and then they came up here in Sept to attend a wedding and stayed with us one night and we went to the zoo with Ellen's family. We went to the Ottawa tractor show with my mom and Jared's dad. My dad, stepmom, grandpa, and Jason help with it every year and Addy woke up just in time to ride with papa in the parade. We celebrated Jared and my mom's birthdays the end of August and then my brother Jason, Jordan our neighbor's 1st, our nephew Caden, and my birthday the month of September. We went to the Royals game on a Fireworks Friday and they had won, making it more fun. We also went to the Louisburg Cider Mill's Fall Festival and Addy rode a pony for the first time and ate donuts. We went to the PRCA American Royal Rodeo and Addy stayed awake until the last 10 minutes and loved it! We had lots of lunch and dinner dates and shopping with friends and family, and enjoyed walks almost every day and had playdates outside with Jordan in the evenings. Here are some pictures of our fun events:

                                                         Brett and Jared with their girls

                                                               Mom with Cara and Addy

                                                    Jared, Addy, Chloe, and Mom reading

                                                      Family pic before Jordan's party

                                                              Taylor, Jenn, Caden, Kirk

                                                                Uncle J and Addy

                                                    Addy loved the golf cart

                                              Addy and I with Great Grandpa

                                                           Addy with Papa Ted

                                                      Amber's Birthday

                                                       Addy's 1st Pony ride

                                                     Resting after enjoying donuts

                                                                It's Fall!

Addy's 1st Birthday and other Fun updates

Wow has time gotten away! We have been enjoying summer time and trying to stay cool like everyone else. The last weekend of June we were busy busy, we went to my friend Kim's daughter Olivia's 1st birthday party at a park and had a lot of fun, then that afternoon we drove to Ark City, KS for the evening to a surprise baby shower for our friends Ellen and Bret. They are expecting their 2nd little girl soon and we enjoyed seeing them and their adorable daughter Chloe, along with their friends and family. We are so excited to meet their new addition! We came back home that same night because the next day Addy and I had another fun baby shower to go to for Kelly. It will be her and Brett's first baby, and we can not wait to meet Miss Hannah Jane soon too!! Congratulations to both couples, we love you guys!!
July started out busy as well Addy was sick for the first time with a fever, cough, and runny nose. Luckily the fever lasted 24 hours and then was gone, we had Addy's 1 year pictures, Sara's annual slip and slide party, and Addyson's First Birthday Party!! Addy is definitely loved so much and we enjoyed celebrating with our family and close friends. We had about 50 people at our house, it was monkey themed with neon green and pink. We had tape the tail on the monkey, a pinata, and good food. Of course the fun part was watching Addy dig into her cake and she definitely needed a bath after!! Thank you to my mom for all her help that weekend and also to my dad and Penny who watched Addy for awhile the day before so we could get stuff ready. We are so blessed with amazing family and friends!! Thank you guys!!  I can not believe how fast a year has gone and we are amazed every day at our sweet baby girl and so thankful to be her parents.

A few stats on Addy:

-She weighs 18 pounds 2 ounces
-She is almost 28 inches per the dr's tape measure (longer on ours)
-She waves hi and bye-bye a lot, knows how to roll it and throw it in a pan (for Patty Cake), honks the horn   on her pink and purple car when you tell her beep beep or to honk, is testing us by trying to stand up in her chair, throw her food, etc and we are trying to discipline her each time
-She had her last bottle Sunday Morning July 22nd
-she is babbling more and more, says mama, dada, nana, hey, hi, and even said "hi bully" one evening to our neighbor's dog after hearing us
-she can climb stairs and loves to walk around stuff but not walking on her own yet, she does stand and let go for a couple of quick seconds but then sits or grabs ahold of something
-still wakes up once or twice a night but we don't get her, she turns over, may whine a little and goes back to sleep
- had her one year check up, labs, and 4 shots 2 weeks ago :(

We took Addy to Melvern lake for the first time last weekend for 5 days. We rented 2 cabins, my mom, brother, and us 3 were in one and then my grandparents, aunt, and cousin in another. It was fun, we went boat riding, tubing, and I skied, we had biscuits on a stick and other great food, went and visited Uncle Jason at work and had lunch with him. Addy was not a happy camper about the life jacket, but fell asleep once we got moving. I had 3 weeks off work due to vacation time, a class, and Addy being sick so it was hard to go back this past weekend.

Of course I had to go to work last Friday night but early Friday morning Addy was up for 2.5 hours and started running a fever again, it lasted less than 24 hours though and with lots of cuddle time with mommy and daddy she is feeling better again. She did so good going almost a year without being sick and then bam, twice in 2 weeks. Then Sunday she got blister like sores on her feet and one lonely one on her hand so I am guessing it was hand, foot, and mouth disease. The only places we went last week were the grocery store and pool so not sure where she got it from. She is doing a lot better and the sores appear to be crusted over and healing so hopefully she will be done with sickness for a while, fingers crossed!

Our busy body has also mastered the stairs, well going up that is. She is getting so quick!!

Here are a few pictures of Addy playing in her ball pit at home, the lake, and a few from her birthday:

Summer Fun

Thought it was time for another update, as usual things have been busy for us. During the week on my days off Addy and I have been busy with lunch and dinner dates, some shopping, and keeping up with housework when able. Sometimes after Jared gets off work we go up to the Gardner pool, Addy loves it! We also play in the evenings outside and Addy's boyfriend Jordan comes over or we go over there a lot. They are so cute together! They were out of town a few days and last night the kids saw each other and both went in for a few smooches Jared said ( I missed it this time, but they do it a lot!) They have a love-hate relationship already, they are lovey dovey at first and then take each other's toys or Addy pulls his hair. It is definitely entertaining!

The beginning of June we went to the blueberry patch with my sister-in-law and niece and nephew. It was my first time going and we had a great time! After that we took the kids to Deanna Rose Farmstead and then we were all worn out and ready to go. My mom got us tickets to the Royals game and we went to that in the evening so it was a full day!

On June 8th, Addy turned 11 months old. This is so hard to believe, time has gone so quickly and her birthday is fast approaching! I have had fun planning her party and we went birthday shopping for her last Friday night after a dinner date at Ponak's while my mom watched Addy for us. We are so blessed to have an amazing daughter and love being her parents! She started crawling a few weeks ago, (we thought she would skip it altogether!) and is now very quick and pulls up to everything and has started getting brave and letting go at times with one or both hands. It's just a matter of time before she starts walking on her own. She is into everything so we have to watch out and have started using "No" a lot, and have gates up at the stairs. My mom taught her to hold her finger up to tell people she is one, so this is her new thing. Yesterday we were headed into a restaurant and a lady and her daughter were commenting on Addy and she held her finger up for them. She is a fast learner and loves to copy us with "fake coughing" and laughing. We are working on high fives now. She is on solid foods for the most part, and her favorites are: meat sticks, hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, rice, bananas, bread, and hashbrowns. I quit breastfeeding her last Friday, and finished pumping Tuesday night. I am pretty proud of myself for making it to almost a year, yet it is a relief not to have to worry about feedings and pumping. We started her on whole milk but have been mixing it with some breastmilk or formula for now.  She hasn't had a pacifier since January(her doing) and we offer a sippy cup in the day and bottle at night but plan to take the bottle away altogether soon. Her weight at home on June 14th was 17.8 pounds. We see the doctor in July for her 1 year check up. The only negative is Addy still doesn't sleep through the night so we are very tired all the time! She had been sleeping up to 8 hours until March when she really had a hard time teething and it has been rocky since. She usually takes 2-3 naps a day and that is getting better, they have gone from 20-30 minutes to an hour or more now. She has been getting up 3-4 times a night recently but last night she actually slept 7 hours straight, and then went back to sleep another 4 hours after a bottle so that was much better! She sleeps in her own crib until Jared gets up for work and then I'll let her snuggle with me if she wakes up.

We went to Greenfield last Saturday to see Jared's Grandma's and some of his Aunts, Uncles, and cousin Kelbey. We hadn't gone down since Christmas so it was WAY OVERDUE!! We had a great time as always. We had Father's Day lunch at our house this past weekend. I think Jared had a nice first Father's Day. Addy and I got him a card and a Royals Dad shirt. We enjoyed time with family and Addy was the center of attention, imagine that! We are both blessed to have awesome dad's and a fantastic grandpa as well!!

Yesterday Jared's dad came over and helped Jared build a spot of the deck so Addy could use her swing our friend Punkin in Louisiana had made for her and given us a few months ago. She loves to swing and enjoyed getting to use it!