Witchy Wreath

Witchy Yarn Wreath (iPhone pic, sorry!)

I found an amazing blog a few weeks ago, Eighteen25 (thanks Ally and Kari!) and came across a spooky bat yarn wreath. I was ready to make it when I realized there was no way I was going to cut out a dozen tiny bats since I don't have a Cricut (yet!). I decided I needed to come up with an alternate wreath so last minute I saw some plastic, glittery witch hats and hot glued them on to my yarn wrapped wreath.

I like shortcuts.

It was recommended that the white craft styrofoam wreath be painted the color of your yarn, but I didn't have gray paint first of all, and it was 9:30 PM when I decided to make this project. So, I just wrapped, and wrapped (and wrapped some more) until the wreath was completely covered in gray yarn. It probably took up half of that new court show with that really good actress. You know which one I'm talking about? Kathy Bates? I don't know. I digress.

After I wrapped the yarn up, I secured the two loose ends with a dot of glue from my glue gun. Then I arranged the little witch hats and stuck them on with glue. I took about a 24 inch long piece of glittery purple ribbon and tied it around the wreath so it could hang from the hook on my front door.

If I had patience, I would have found cuter accessories, but I was so anxious to do this project, that I just went with what I had. I would love to do a wreath with spiders and ghosts, but this worked! Also, I love that it's not the traditional orange and black, but purple and gray instead.

Hope you like it!

Nine Months Holy Cow!

 Our sweet baby girl is not much of a baby any more. She's three quarters of the way to being a toddler! Have I mentioned how fast time flies? Every day Addie is more and more fun to be around. We go to swim lessons every Monday morning where Coach Eric has taught Addie how to swim underwater for seven whole seconds! On Tuesdays or Wednesdays we go to storytime at the public library where we sing songs, read books, and play with other babies. We even ran into our former AP, Cassie there one week! Addie loves her LeapFrog Learn & Groove Musical Table because it does so many different things and she gets to feel like a big girl as she stands around it. She's not yet crawling (not that I mind!) but she still gets where she wants to go by scooting on her bottom or pseudo-crawling backward or rolling. It's fun going into her room every morning to see what crazy position she wound up in during the night. She's like her mama and prefers sleeping on her stomach whenever she gets the chance. I still put her to sleep on her back but she flips back and forth through the night. She's eating everything in sight and I'm so glad we did Baby Led Solids (or Baby Led Weaning). I'm not the typical parent; Addie has actually never had a jar of babyfood and has only eaten two pureed foods. She prefers to feed herself (stubborn like her mom) so we give her appropriate sized cooked foods that she can pick up. Her current favorite food is ground beef or roast... THAT she gets from her daddy. She also just learned how to drink from a straw so of course I ran out to Target the next day to get her a straw sippy. We'll be celebrating her birthday before we know it!

"No thanks Mom, I'd rather read." She grabbed this book off the nightstand.

Smile!

Such a happy munchkin!

::smack:: "So, are we almost done here?"

Daddy came in the room.

"I love my bunny SOOO much!!"

"And this is what I think of my bow." She started ripping her bows off at exactly nine months. Oh well, at least I got eight easy months of accessorizing her!

"No more pictures!"

Nursery Wall Letters

I'm the queen of procrastination. No wait, I prefer alliteration, so I'm the princess of procrastination. I found out I was pregnant in Feb 2009. I decided then and there I wanted my baby to have his/her name spelled out in wooden wall letters that matched the decor of the nursery. I hemmed and hawed and even considered spending almost $100 just so somebody could do it for me. On Dec 1, 2010 (a full month after Addison was born...) Zac and I went to Hobby Lobby and bought all seven letters, stencils and acrylic paint so I could begin my masterpiece!


A few months later, I decided I had no intention of painting, so what else could I do? Oooh, how about gluing scrapbook paper onto the letters!? I was brilliant! Surely, nobody else in the world has ever had my idea, right?! Then, I learned there's a technique for my lightbulb moment and it's called decoupage or modge podge. Oooh... ::cue deflated ego here::


My poor daughter has had to look at a naked wall above her crib for almost two months now (she co-slept for her first seven months). I also had a looming deadline of summer coming to an end in two weeks, which is another post entirely. Sigh. It was time I did something.


Materials needed: Alphabet wall letters (mine were wooden), foam brush, modge podge, pencil, scissors/exact-o knife, newspaper, glue gun, staple gun, ribbon

Choose scrapbook paper in coordinating colors. Addie's nursery is green and pink, but since the walls are green I chose pink for the letters.

Turn the scrapbook paper upside down and trace the wooden letters. Don't do what I did and trace them backwards. I guess I should add a giant pink eraser in my list of materials...

Have your letters ready to go!

My materials ready to go. See that blue and yellow thing? I thought that was a straight edge only to find out it's just a fancy pencil. Oops.

Once again, pay attention and don't modge podge the BACK of the wall letter. Jill and Ramona were really getting into it on TV and I got slightly distracted.

After modge podging your letter, put a layer of MP on the back of your scrapbook paper. Line them up and put another layer of MP on top of the scrapbook paper.

Let dry. Notice a letter that's missing? Yep, D. It's lost. I have no idea what happened to it but I had to run to Hobby Lobby the next day and get a replacement D. I guess that's what happens when you sit on a project for nearly a year.

I measured "five planks" for the ribbons that will be attached to the back of the letters.

There are various ways to attach the ribbons to hang the letters. I chose to already make the bows and then attach the ends of the bows onto the letters using a glue gun and then adding a staple from the staple gun for added measure.

I wanted the letters spaced out over the crib so what better place to lay them out than IN the crib?

I pulled the crib out from the wall, and nailed the "I" in the center. I stepped back to make sure I liked the placement and then added letters on either side of the "I" until I was finished.

Dining Room Chair Reupholster

I've wanted to reupholster my dining room chairs since we got them. Zac's parents graciously gave us their beautiful dining room furniture for our new house and gave us their blessing to reupholster the chairs if we wanted to. I didn't mind the fabric, but I was up for a project! It just took over a year to actually make that happen. Last summer my partner in crime, Morgan and I went fabric browsing only to come away with nothing. Nada. Zilch.

Today I kidnapped my mom and took her to Hancock Fabrics, where they happened to be having a half off sale on almost everything! Score! I intended to buy a floral or paisley print in a muted blue, or gray but look what I ended up with: yellow and white chevron print. I fell in love with the fabric instantly and knew it would be perfect. When asked, "But what about your curtains?" I responded with, "I don't love the curtains and they were cheap. I LOVE this fabric and can replace curtains easily." Easy peasy.

So, here's my simple directions on my very first reupholstering project ever.

Turn your chair over and remove screws from each corner

Close up of screw

My only materials: 1.875 yards of fabric @$9.98/yd, staple gun, scissors, flat head to remove old staples, philips to remove screws

The reason I reupholstered: stains, cat hair, outdated fabric from 1986.

Before

Goose loved jumping through the seatless chairs!

I laid out each seat on the uncut fabric so I could ensure I had enough. It was also a way to make sure the chevron pattern was aligned how I wanted to the seat.

I cut squares for each seat and just pulled one seat over to me at a time to staple. Leave approximately 3 inches on each side of the seat.

Start by pulling the fabric taut and stapling in the middle. Then staple the opposite side. Continue stapling in the middle, making sure to pull fabric taut each time. The corners are a little trickier, but there are a few variations depending on if you want creases, pleats, or a seamless finish. I attempted a seamless finish but ended up with creases, so clearly, I'm no expert.

For the most part, the fabric is lined up the way I wanted it. Whew!

After

Two out of the six chairs

So, what do you think!?

Living Room

View from the entry hall. I like how the rug is still the focal point in the room. The couches are from Zac's bachelor days and still serve their function, but we hope to get a sectional at some point. It's hard to want to buy a brand new couch with a baby, a dog who submissively pees, and two cats that have more hair than a wooly mammoth.

The two paintings that you can't see because of the glare (oops) are the inspiration for every color choice I make in the room. We got them off from a guy that was selling them on Congress a few weeks before we closed on our house. It was fun watching him make our art from spray paint!

These windows are so naked. Now that the walls are painted, I think I want white, flowy curtains from IKEA. Before I painted, I wanted "fake" stationary curtains set on each side of the windows.

The TV is in a hugely awkward nook above the fireplace. That being said, it serves a purpose by being completely out of reach for kids and animals. The fireplace is a strange, porous stone. That's all I know!

Here's the view from the kitchen (please ignore the mess from breakfast!).

In this light, the paint looks very silver. In actuality, it's bluer than I had wanted, but I love that it photographs so gray. I fell in love with Restoration Hardware's Silver Sage and had it matched at Sherwin Williams.

That HUGE, empty wall will soon have a table or dresser of some kind in the middle. On the dresser might be a lamp and a few accessories and the rest of the wall will be covered in photos.

We have a lot more to do in the living room, but having a painted room is such a great feeling of accomplishment. I love sitting in here and looking around at all of the hard work I did! I'm so fortunate to have such wonderful people in my life -- Morgan, a fellow teacher who I met while subbing over two years ago, motivated me into getting paint and taught me everything. She gave me confidence to conquer those pesky projects that I keep stored in the back of my mind. Next on my list to do is reupholster the dining room chairs, put up curtains, hang my photos, and buy/refinish a dresser.

We have paint!

I finally picked paint! Let's backtrack a bit... when we moved into our house in, er, 2009 I had large aspirations in decorating. For serious. Go look at the posts back in 2009. You'll see. Anyway, almost two years later and there's only one finished room, the nursery. And to be quite honest, I still haven't hung two owl hooks or Addie's wooden letters yet so technically I guess that room isn't finished either. Crap. But back to now.

After perusing countless blogs and forums and knowing my current obsession with gray (grey, greigh?) I picked a paint color. Restoration Hardware's Silver Sage (yes, I jumped on that bandwagon. What, you didn't know there was a bandwagon? Well there is. I'm on it.) Refusing to pay RH price, I went with my lovely friend Liz to Sherwin Williams where they matched it in their Cashmere line, in flat. I hate sheen. It's ugly. It looks outdated. Don't get shiny walls. Just, don't.

Not uncommon for me, I went about painting backwards. I chose the color first before deciding which room to paint. I really wanted to paint the master bedroom gray but ultimately chose the living room since I spend most of my time in here and this is the room people see upon entering our house. Also, it's the one room I'm trying so hard to decorate.

My marvelous Martha Stewertesque friend Morgan is coming over on Thursday for a painting party! I'll try to take pictures whilst painting so we can see before/during/after shots. Squeee!!

Wait, eight months was TODAY!?

Our little girl is eight months old today! We celebrated this milestone by playing in our own personal splashpark, aka the backyard. Goose splashed around in the whale pool, and Addie and I played in the Splish Splash Pool. She had helped me cook oatmeal this morning and decided her new favorite toys were the plastic measuring cup and metal measuring cups so they got to go swimming with us, too. Unfortunately, the Aveeno baby sunblock I used for Addie made her break out into a rash all over her chest, stomach, back, and neck. Way to go mommy! Because of this and also her being under the weather, we'll be doing her eight month pictures tomorrow!

Summa Summatime!!!

I pink puffy heart love summer time!! Our family is having a great time relaxing while enjoying every single day of summer. We have a great little schedule while Zac is working. Addie is in swim lessons every Monday morning, we jog with Liz in the mornings, storytime at Barnes & Noble is Wednesday mornings, and storytime at the public library is on Thursdays. We try to get out once a day, even if it's just a walk. Addie and I are very social; we can't stay cooped up for too long! A mom at swim invited us to mommy and baby yoga, but it conflicts with another storytime. What's a mom to do?


I can't help but feel sad that summer is almost halfway over. I was a wreck having to go back to work after having an entire week off for spring break. I have no idea how I'll go back after essentially having a second maternity leave. I desperately try not to dwell on it, but it still kills me. So, to everybody who told me it would get easier? It didn't.

Eats on Feets

I began pumping when Addie was one week old. I thought I should start early so I could start building up a stash of frozen breastmilk for when I went back to work after three months. Addie began sleeping through the night almost immediately it seems, but was consistently sttn around six weeks. I was so scared I wouldn't have enough stored milk so I would set an alarm for 3 AM every night to pump. By the time I went back to work when Addie was three months, I was pumping once in the mornings when I would wake up, around 7 AM.

When the time came, I was so scared I would quickly run out of frozen milk before realizing I was still pumping three times a day while I was away from Addie. Therefore, my freezer input was still more than the output that Addie was getting at my moms. Eventually (see now) the time came when I knew I would run out of room in my freezers. Yes, freezers. Plural. Something had to be done, and quickly!

The milk was close to expiring (it's only good in a freezer for six months unless it's a deep freezer) and it was taking over the space where my much-needed icecream used to go. I thought about donating it, but then found out the Milk Bank only takes screened milk. Crap. I had five months of pre-screened donor milk. Now what?

I came across Eats on Feets on Facebook, a place where moms can meet up with other moms to donate or accept breastmilk. I decided to post the other night and by the next afternoon, a mom in Kyle (45 minutes away) was asking if I would be willing to donate to her premie. Her beautiful daughter was born six weeks early and on the day she responded to my post, it was her due date. I was so touched and agreed to meet her the next day. I put as much milk as I could in our little icechest (so, about 400 oz, or around 80 bags) and drove to meet her. She shook Zac's hand but I felt like we had so much more of a connection and we immediately embraced. I feel so honored, and so humbled to be able to provide this milk to her baby. She shared with me that her daughter is thriving and has zero health problems, to which she contributes solely to the breast milk her daughter has received from various donors. I am so blessed to be able to share this gift with her.

As we were departing, I told her I was sorry I couldn't fit any more (I had about 600 more oz at home still) in the icechest but that I would add her on fb so we could become friends. She was so grateful and insisted I take a box of Lansinoh breastmilk storage bags she had in her car. I am so thankful to her! I didn't stop to think about how expensive even pumping is, but $10 a box for these bags does add up over time. So, thank you again Kathy and I can't wait to give your daughter more milk!

Half a Year!!

Six months ago  at this time I was sitting in a hospital room with my new family of three. I was a proud mama of seven hours and was in complete bliss. Fast forward to today, and I am still in a state of bliss. I love being a mom to Addison! She's such an easy baby and every day I thank God that He gave me such a perfect tiny human to take care of.

She laughs, sits up completely on her own, babbles dadadada and HIIIIIIII, grabs and shakes her toys, sits at her high chair during meals, "drinks" water from her sippy cups, sleeps in her Rock'n Play from 8 PM-7:30 AM, laughs when she sees Goose, pets the cats and grabs their tails (gently!), and continues to put everything in her mouth.

I have to AW  myself for second: I've made it to my goal of exclusively breastfeeding for six months!! I never thought I'd be here at six months and at first thought this goal was unobtainable. I'm so proud of myself for accomplishing this goal, but I owe it to Addie for being so good at it. I hope to breastfeed for a year or until she weans herself.

She's a GIRL!!

Addie has been sick so I took her to the doctor today. While we were in the waiting room a lady came in with two of her children, a fourth grade son and a two year old daughter. The daughter immediately comes up to Addie and gently touches her foot and smiles. Her mom sees her and admonishes her about touching my baby, but seeing as she wasn't the sick one (the son was) I didn't have a problem with it at all, thus opening ourselves up to conversation. The mom says to her daughter, "Ask her what his name is," and the little girl says, "What's her name?" The mom goes, 'No, sweetie, it's a he," to which I respond with, "Actually, she's a girl." Addie was wearing a brown and tan Zodiac romber from Old Navy, so it wasn't clear that she was a girl. Since she's sick I wasn't going to dress her cute and in bows, so I knew she might get mistaken. The poor mother felt so bad and kept apologizing and every time she saw a girl-themed baby item we had she would say, "Agh, I should have seen ______, I'm so sorry!"


I thought it was funny and didn't care at all. I know Addie is a beautiful baby girl, but honestly, I don't see why people get all upset when their child gets mistaken for the opposite sex. Just a funny story I felt like sharing.

Migraines

Back story: I've been getting severe migraines for years now and have been off/on Rx meds since early 2007. When deciding to get pregnant I had weaned myself (with my neurologist's consent) from all medicines except vitamins and was feeling great. As soon as I gave birth, my migraines came back to once a week or so. I have Fioricet to take with the onset of a migraine, but even that isn't helping lately. I've obviously used NSAIDS such as tylenol, naproxen and Excedrin but I seriously think these are a placebo for me so I feel like I've at least tried to cure it. I've tried triptans... Imitrex, Maxalt, Relpex, Axert, all with no luck. I used to take 100 mg of Topamax and it basically cured my migraines. However the side effects were intense: anorexia (not by choice, I just didn't eat because I was never hungry so it wasn't psychological), loss of motor skills, poor memory, speech problems, fatigue, and it adversely affected relationships with everybody around me.

So then I tried the non-medical route. Chiropractor, acupuncture, acupressure, massage, aromatherapy, ice/heat, relaxation breathing techniques, biofeedback, and psychotherapy.

Now that I've had Addie, they're back full circle. I can't take Topamax because I'm still breastfeeding, and there's no point in taking the triptan drugs. None of the alternative therapies have made a lasting effect, so I'm just done. I'm done. I want to feel better. I want to take care of my daughter. I want to be a good teacher. I don't want to be a zombie any more.

I'm pleading to anybody out there who has migraines. What do you do? What has worked/hasn't worked for you?

Addie is 5 Months!

How is my baby already five months old!? Time slow the frack down. Please! Addie has started sitting! She hates tummy time still so I thought she's be behind on her milestones but she surprised us this past weekend during our bluebonnet photo session. Addie is a babbler and a pterodactyl (I spelled that right the first time, woot!) and when she laughs it makes my day.

Her legwarmers are Agoo Leggings and I got them from one of those daily deal websites a few months ago. I don't remember which one, but it was 1 Fuzzibunz OS and 2 pairs of Agoo leggings for $25. I bought two sets. Love them!

Sleep Success

As I'm blogging, Addie is next to me in her Rock 'n Play putting herself to sleep. Our day was way off schedule, so I knew bedtime would be an adventure. We slept in today until 11:00 AM before heading out to brunch at Z'tejas around 11:30. She took a nap from about 2-3 PM and then again from about 6-7:15 PM. My little giraffe usually naps twice a day if we're lucky for about 30 min - 1 hour tops. After her last nursing she was still wide awake so I put her in the RnP next to me as I blogged in the dark. It took about 25 minutes, but I'm about 98% certain she's asleep. She talked to herself for most of the time, but slowly drifted off, needing her paci only once.

I must say, I missed her falling asleep while nursing. I am glad that we've transitioned her from sleeping in the swing (since day 5) to now sleeping in the RnP. It's safer and I don't have to get out of bed on the rare occasion that she should awake. If you don't have one, get one. Trust me.

Working + Mommyhood ≠ Blogger of the Year

I'm slowly figuring how to do be a mommy who works. Slowly. Begrudgingly. But I'm figuring it out.

But, be a mommy who works AND blogs? Nope, it's not happening. I had such high hopes for blogging this year and I already feel like a failure!

Spring break began two weeks ago and I had a taste of what it would be like to be a stay at home mom. It was like maternity leave all over again and I loved it. That made going back to work a bajillion times harder when Monday came around. Once again, it's Sunday night and I'm fighting back tears knowing I have to leave my teeny giraffe once again. Speaking of giraffe, I learned this weekend that the plural of giraffe is in fact, giraffe. Strange? I think so. Also, do YOU know what sound a giraffe makes? Does giraffe make a sound? Why yes, yes they do but only as a scared newborn. After that, they have no reason or need to make noise so they choose not to.

Random pointless entry tonight, but at least I wrote something!

H2O Whoa!!

Addie took her first sip of water from a real cup tonight. She's growing up too fast. Video to follow!

Yael Naim

I've been obsessed with Yael Naim since the first MacBook Air commercial debuted in late 2007/early 2008. You know the song...

"I'm a new soul
I came to this strange world
Hoping I could learn a bit bout how to give and take.
But since I came here,
Felt the joy and the fear
Finding myself making every possible mistake"

I was in a rough spot during early 2008 and I would listen to her entire album, but particularly this song alone in my room screaming out the lyrics into my pillow. It's very therapeutic and comes highly recommended by me. Seriously though, even if you don't know who she is, go to Pandora and get the Yael Naim station. You will be forever in a good mood. Scouts honor.

Shot Success

Addie had her four month round of vaccines yesterday. She was such a trooper, just smiling and shrieking for our pediatrician. When it came time for the two shots in her thigh, her face turned bright red and she started screaming. Fortunately, it only lasted a minute this time. By the time I sat her down to nurse her, she had already stopped crying! I fed her for maybe five minutes and she was all smiles. All afternoon and into the night I kept waiting for her to go ballistic but she was so happy! Then... 8:20 at night came. Her Tylenol had just about worn off, but it wasn't time for an additional dose and she went crazy. She was screaming so hard; I had never heard screams like this. I have no idea how mamas are able to watch and listen to their baby scream like Addie did, but every day. My heart goes out to all of you. It's heartbreaking seeing your child in pain and knowing you can't make it go away.

On the topic of vaccines... of all of the research I did before Addie was born, vaccines were just something I felt were right and so I did zero, zip, zilch research on them. Looking back, I feel like that was so ignorant, and I wished I would have read up on at least SOMETHING regarding them. If you chose to not vaccinate your children, or chose to do a delayed schedule, may I ask why?

I am definitely an attachment parent type, and this has been bugging me for the past few days. I am feeling so much guilt about Addie's shots because I feel like I'm the one that caused her to go through that pain. I knew it was going to happen, I'm the one who took her to the doctor and held her down as the shot pierced her thigh. If normally, I'm so protective and try so hard to make sure she's safe and pain-free, why would I allow myself to let her experience pain? OR... am I just WAY over thinking it?

Rump•a•rooz® Doll Diapers

Rump•a•rooz® Doll Diapers
These are THE cutest thing I've ever seen. I hope Addie plays with dolls as much as I did when I was a young girl. My mom would buy me premie sposies to put on my dolls and I remember how much I loved diaper changes. I want to get Addie some doll diapers so bad, even though I know she is a long way from playing with them. I won't go overboard I promise. Maybe just one or two. They're just $4!!

Babywearing

I just found Austin's babywearing group on Yahoo Groups! I love wearing Addie in the Ergo and as of yesterday, our Zolowear ring sling. We bought the ring sling in November from Baby Earth and Addie HATED it. Every time I would give it another chance, she would cry until I took her out. So I gave it one more try on Saturday and imagine my surprise when she was all smiles the whole time! I tried to do the kangaroo hold so she could see out, but I think it needs a little more work before I master it. I messed with it a few times at home before going out. It's so easy to pop her in the sling and much lighter and more convenient than bringing her carseat in. We took her to Schlotzsky's and Bed, Bath, and Beyond and she didn't fuss once. The gift-wrapper at BB&B thought Addie was so precious she was practically begging me to leave Addie up front while we shopped. Um, I appreciate the thought, but no thanks? Silly people.

(Please excuse the crappy iPhone picture... also, this pic was my first attempt at just having her IN the sling, so I hadn't yet fixed it to wear her correctly. I honestly didn't think she'd last more than a few seconds so I made Zac snap the pic asap!!)

La Leche League Round Two!

On Thursday night I attended my second ever LLL meeting. I walked in with two questions, but left with so much more knowledge than I thought I could get. I've only been doing the "mom thing" for four months now, but I've researched and experienced so much with breastfeeding than I ignorantly thought I knew everything there was to know.

Uh... no. This week's meeting was about how your birth experiences could affect breastfeeding. It seemed like it would be a waste of my time, but I'm so glad I was there. For my next baby, I'll do even MORE research regarding vaccinations, the newborn screener, the eye drops, the bath, suctioning... I mean, there's so much I just assumed EVERYBODY did, but I learned that it's okay, and might actually be BETTER for you to not bathe your newborn immediately. When I thought about it and looked back on my birth experience, I can honestly say Addie wasn't that bloody or dirty having just popped out of me. I could totally see how she would have been fine without bathing. As it was, I missed out on the first two hours of her life.

I love these meetings so much, and I really want to be an advocate for breastfeeding because I truly believe it is the best choice for your baby. So many moms don't have the support system to begin or continue breastfeeding and they struggle so much before ultimately throwing in the towel. I want to be the cheerleader telling them they CAN do it (bearing no medical reasons why they shouldn't or the fact that they just don't want to. Hey, it IS their choice...) and help them every step of the way. After my first LLL meeting in January, I left with such a great feeling thinking I could really help people. I'd love to become a lactation consultant, so I started looking into the certification tonight. It's much more intensive than I thought it was, and I don't know if I have the time or means to obtain it. However, I do want to become more active in LLL, so next month (first Thursday in April) I'll ask the leaders for some suggestions as to how I can become more involved.

Can't wait!!

Addie is 4 Months!!

Smile!!
Silly Face Time!

Achoo!!

Happy 4 Months my precious munchkin!! I love you to pieces more and more every day. I didn't know this much love for somebody was possible, but you have shown me just how much love I am capable of giving. Thank you for that!

In the past month you have started "daycare" with Grandma Jones and I know you are both having so much fun together. I get pictures and videos as evidence! You smile when you see people you know and even people you don't know. For the first time, I saw you get scared while in somebody else's arms and you looked for me for comfort. You giggle and laugh when Daddy and I make silly faces and squeal with delight when we say "HI!!" over and over at you. You learned how to pet Goose, and smile when he licks your hand.

Tummytime isn't quite the fail that it used to be. You let us put you on your tummy a few times a day as long as we're showing you a toy that you like. When you see Sophie or Tiggy you grin so wide and reach for them. They go with you everywhere and ride in the carseat with you every day. At Grandma's you have an owl toy that you adore. You can talk to the owl for 15 minutes straight! At home you like your lion pull toy and the bee that hangs over your tummy time mat because they both play nature sounds and music.

I am so amazed and thankful for your wonderful sleep habits. You still sleep through the night, but on the rare occasion you do wake up, I smile because you always wake up so happy.

You love when I grab your hands so you can pull yourself up to a sitting position. Slow down Addie!! You're only a baby for such a short time... stop growing up so fast! When you're lying down you lift your head and neck up so much trying to sit up like a big girl.

I'm so proud to be your mommy. I love you so much Addie!