Big day for Addison!

Yesterday, Addison asked to get her ears pierced. She had originally asked to have them done for her 5th birthday last year, but she chickened out. Then this year, she kind of waved it off. But yesterday, she came and asked us again and we were like eh, why not? We were going to do it last year anyway. So we headed to...where else? Claire's! The little girl piercing capitol of the world. :) 

She was brave, though we could tell she was a little apprehensive while they got her set up and marked her ears. Thankfully, they did them both at one time, so we wouldn't leave with just one ear done. We could tell she was about to cry but she didn't! Such a big girl now!

First day of school (2nd and Kindergarten)

Another year is underway! Carter is off to second grade and Addison is off to Kindergarten. Both were super excited on the first day of school. Miss Addison was super independent and hardly even looked back as she confidently got on the bus and headed off. Praying you have a great year, my babies! 

First day of Kindergarten!!

I'm a little behind since the first day of Kindergarten was all the way back on August 25! Let me tell you--this was one excited little boy to be going to Kindergarten! His teacher's name is Miss Quirion.

 Breakfast on the first day -- eggs, fruit and juice! He could hardly eat he was so excited!In fact, we were probably ready for the bus a good 25 minutes before we had to leave. We got some photos, watched a short show and we were STILL to the bus 10 minutes early! :)

 I'm loving the backpack that makes him look so tiny.

 ...and the moment I almost lost it. Even just seeing the bus come up the street brought a lump to my throat. It made me feel so much happier to see him so, so excited and not really having a fear in the world. He kissed me goodbye and was off--like such a big boy! He did look out the window and give me a big wave and smile. It took everything in me to not start sobbing when the bus pulled away! They have my baby boy--how could I not be scared/worried/nervous?!?!(As a sidenote now here 1 month into school: he just loves it. He has so much fun, has made so many friends, loves his new after-school program and is having a blast!)

The kids summarized

Miss Addison. My 31-month-old master bedtime staller, "pam-cake" lover, baby doll obsessed, kiss-giving, don't-even-think-of-giving-me-meat, hide in the closet to sneak candy little rascal. 

Mr. Carter. My awfully close to 5-year-old, helpful, affectionate, pick-on-his-sister-constantly, yogurt loving love bug. Who, while being disciplined last night said to me "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" (as shown in the photo above)

I might be the only 30-year-old with gray hair! :) 

Bedtime - A Broadway drama by Addison Elizabeth

Broadway. That's kind of what bedtime is like in our house with Miss Addison Elizabeth. A full-out, award-winning D-R-A-M-A. (I know my parents are laughing because they think I'm dramatic, but NOTHING AT ALL like this child. See what I did there with the dramatic exaggeration?).

Literally, every single night is a production. To enlighten you, I'll give you a brief rundown of a standard night. And little miss follows the script to a T. She doesn't deviate.

Parents: Time for bed, Addison. 
Addison: NOOOOOO.
P: Yes, Addison.
A: Sing ABCs
[We sing]
A: Sing Jesus Loves Me
[We sing]
A: Um...sing Twinkle
[We sing Twinkle, Twinkle, pray and do kisses]
P: Night, night Addison.
A: Mommy?
P: Yes, Addison? 
A: I can't see my nightlight.
[Fix curtains]
P: Ok, night night Addison
A: Mommy? 
P: Yes, Addison?
A: Turn my fan on.
[Turn fan on]
(before it has a chance to start fully) A: It's not going.
[We reach up and give it a good push to get started FASTER]
P: Ok, night night Addison.
A: I need two cubbers (covers).
[Cover her]
A: Sing ABCs
AND REPEAT WITH EVERY STALL TACTIC THERE HAS EVER BEEN (Where are my dolls? Where's Carter? Mommy sleep on my floor? Where's my water? I'm firsty., and so on)

Then Seth has to go in and cover, sing, adjust curtains, make fan go faster, kiss cheeks. 

Lord, have mercy. 

Since we moved her to a big girl bed, this has been the new norm (for us....you know she'd go to my parent's house and go right to bed). She also wakes up pretty much every morning between 5:14 and 5:44 to go to the bathroom. And when we take her and then walk her back to her room...

YEP! You guessed it. She wants us to start that again.

My hair is graying and I'm low on sleep. Surely there is a brilliant idea out there for our lead actress?!?!! :)

Bye, Bye Baby

That's it. It's official. She's not a baby anymore. She's potty trained, she speaks in paragraphs, does everything herself ("my do it!") and now this. 

She has been pitching a FIT at bedtime the last couple weeks. Excuse after excuse and mounting frustration for Seth and I. Then it occurred to us that she might be tired of the crib. An easy removal of a couple screws and sissy is now in a big girl bed. Eventually, we'll switch her over to the white furniture in Carter's room because it's more feminine and we'll move this stuff over to Carter's room and convert this crib into the full bed for him. We just wanted to make sure it worked before we disassembled everything! 

Night one: 4 minutes of blood-curdling screaming, 1 fall out of bed at 1 a.m., and 6:05 a.m. wake-up call. We call that a SUCCESS!

Tonight is night two and there was about 15 seconds of crying and some tossing and turning but she's asleep! 

We pack her for college in the morning.

Dentist appointments x 2

On Tuesday morning, both kids had dentist appointments. I was taking them alone, which always is a little scary. :) Addison has never been to the dentist before, so I was extra nervous. HA! 

On the way to the dentist that morning, I was reminding Carter of what they were going to do, the sounds he'd hear, reminding him to be brave, etc. He cut me off mid-sentence and said "Mommy, please stop talking. I'm trying to calm down back here." I just about lost it while I was driving. This kid is hilarious. And, as a side note, he is NOT nervous at the dentist. He did just fine!! 

Here he is with his shiny teeth after his cleaning! Pretty cute if I do say so myself. 

The Addison part of the dentist story will be pretty quick--she freaked. She eagerly got into the chair but the second the dentist started to recline it she was like NOPE and lost it. Because she is under two, they call this the "happy patient visit" just to get them used to the dentist and if they start to cry, they stop so they do not associate the dentist with being terrified. So...no pictures. Mama was calming a terrified little girl! :) 

Eight.

Well, if I'm being honest, I wish that number was more like twenty. Eight is the number of pounds I've lost since I began my quest to go to the gym regularly and track what I eat. I actually thought I would lose faster, but I have been meeting with a registered dietician/nutritionist through my health insurance and she says that this is just perfect. Slow and steady wins the race!

I am on a calorie-intake plan that should allow me to lose 1-1.5 pounds per week, and so far, it's been just about spot on. I began my healthier lifestyle approximately seven weeks ago. This is not a post to pat myself on the back, but I'm going to be frank with you. I generally HATE working out. I get wickedly jealous of the people who love it. BUT--for the first time in a long time--I can say that I am enjoying it. Joining the gym at my job has been the ticket. One, I do not go out for lunch or shop on my lunch break like I used to (and our credit card bill shows it, too!). I blocked my work calendar every day from noon-1:30 p.m. so that people cannot put meetings on my schedule. Two, and probably most importantly, I do not feel guilty when I sit down and watch TV after the kids go to bed because I've already worked out.

I literally feel an obsessive desire to go to the gym right now--just makes me feel so much better. Plus, I go with a friend so that helps. AND, I almost exclusively take classes. See, here's the thing. When left to my own devices, I don't push myself. I just don't. If my legs are tired, I stop. But the classes are intense, there are mirrored walls so everyone is watching you, and there's someone giving you encouragement/telling you what to do--and that's exactly what I need!
SO--there are nine weeks to the day until Christmas and, by then, I really hope to be reporting a 17 pound weight loss (at least).

Let's do this.

Growin' girl!

Addison is growing like a weed. It's sort of unreal to think that, at this time last year, she was just four months old. It's been awhile since I've done a "monthly" post on baby girl, so I thought I'd do so now. She just turned 16 months old a few days ago.

- She weighs about 27 pounds and is 32 or 33" tall (Bad momma--I forget!).
- She wears size 4 diapers and size 18 month, 24 month, or 2T hand-me-downs. She wears a size 5 shoe.
- Says a few words - mama, dada, baby, uh-oh, dah-doo (exactly the opposite of what Carter said at this age -- doo-dah) for doggy, hi, doctor, bye bye, tayne too (thank you), peas (please), and a few more I'm probably forgetting.
- She has 10 teeth and is getting more molars.
- She goes to bed around 8 p.m. and sleeps until 7:30 a.m. or so on the weekends; on almost every week day, I wake her up at 6:30 to go to school. She naps for 2-2.5 hours every day (once a day). She is a rockstar sleeper, thank God.
- She adores Carter and sweetly says "ay-ay" to him all the time while she hugs him. Brother is slightly rougher on her, but she'll be tough! :)
- She LOOOOVES to swing and play outside. She gets dirty all. the. time. (see photo below for proof)
- She has the most gorgeous blonde, ringlet curls and her hair is getting LONG!
- Addison is a DADDY'S GIRL through and through. She loves him oh so much.

Life Lately.

I wish I had time to blog more, but life has been hectic. I have another entire vacation to blog about, plus who knows what else in between?!

I thought I'd do some "life updates" about what's up with us. I love looking back on these things down the road and remembering what life was like day-to-day and what our kids were doing.

1. Carter is growing up so insanely fast. He literally talks your ear off and goes from sun (son? ha) up to sun down, with a two-hour nap in between (thank you, Jesus!). He is losing so much of that cute baby-talk, which is good and bad at the same time. What was once "lellow" is now yellow, "ket-ku" is now clearly ketchup, and so on. BUT, one thing remains: chocolate chips are STILL "rocklate chips" and popsicles are still "pop-ick-els." The movie "Madagascar" is pronounced "out-of-gas-car" to little man. Precious. Oh, and he still calls anything stringy "ties." (think: hair, melted cheese, pulled pork, ribbons, etc.) He FREAKS if he gets a tie--in any of its definitions--in his mouth.

2. Addison is a teething monster. I mean that in the nicest sense of the word, but she is craaanky between 5 p.m. and generally 7:00 p.m. and has been crying out during the night and waking up freakishly early again. PRAYING those bad-boys come in soon or mommy and daddy might lose their ever-loving minds! (Sidenote: I'm pretty sure God makes babies so stinking cute between 12-18 months because they are terrors. Just sayin') :)

3. Seth is back to school so the insanity of every weekday morning has begun. But, he did quit his part-time job so we have FAMILY TIME AGAIN. It makes me incredibly happy.

4. I am majorly itching to re-do our kitchen and have gone on a full-fledge research mission to find something that is both cost-effective and nicer than what it is now (i.e. not super...sort of 1990s countertops). I will find a solution!!!!

5. It was four years ago this week that we found out we were pregnant with Carter. So crazy!

Addison: ONE YEAR OLD

Addison,

At ONE YEAR OLD, you:

- Weigh about 25 pounds (official appointment on 6/21).
- Are in size 4 daytime diapers and a size 5 nighttime diaper.
- Wear 18 month clothes (and some 24, if it’s a legging or super-tight thing)
- Nap once at daycare (in preparation for your move to the toddler class next week where they nap only after lunch) for about 2 hours, sometimes less.
- Are sleeping like a champ (except the few times a month you wake for no apparent reason)…usually about 11-12 hours a night. You go down around 7:30, or 8 if you are happy (though that’s rare once we pass 7:30…you are like clockwork!).
- Have five teeth!
- Are so daring! You climb up the slide, jump on the hammock, climb on furniture, you name it. You wrestle with Carter, the dog, mommy, and daddy, and will fight for toys like you are three years old. I feel like we might see the ER with you before Carter.
- Have taken up to six steps in a row, but aren’t walking consistently yet. SOON!
- Are about two bottles away from being out of formula, but you love cow’s milk already, which is awesome. We began introducing that a few weeks ago to make the transition easier and you handled it like a champ.
- Still love all food and will sign “more” like crazy to get our attention to keep feeding you! We have officially introduced all the "allergens" to you now, with no reaction. Perfect. :)
- HATE, HATE, HATE getting a bath right now. I have NO idea what happened, but you scream the entire time. Not a little fuss. Bloody murder screaming.
- Love to play outside and splash in the water (and go down the slip n’ slide!). You also love the slide, swing, and Carter’s red and blue cars (the crazy coupes).
- [KNOCK ON WOOD] Have had NO ear issues this month. No drainage, no infections. Let’s keep this up!
- Wave, clap, and do “so big!” on command, and say ma-ma, da-da, ba-by, uh-oh (occasionally), hi (also occasionally), and other babbling noises!
- Love to carry around a Crayola color wonder marker like a little security object. It’s funny. That stinkin’ marker is in your hands more than any other toy!
- Are still so sweet. You love to be held and kissed when you have your separation issues, but don’t want any of that when you want to be on the go with your brother!
- Nicknames this month: pretty girl, peanut girl, peanut, princess, sheebs (From many months ago, Carter pronounced she’s like sheebs, and I still find myself calling her that sometimes. Ha!)

Addison, you made our family complete (hopefully. Ha!) one year ago today, and we love you more and more every single day. You are loved more than you could ever fathom. You have brought more joy, taught more patience, and made us realize how full a heart can get in one year of your little life, and you are hands-down the best birthday present ever. We love you to the moon and back, peanut. Happy birthday. We can't wait to celebrate you at your party on Saturday.

Addison: Eleven Months

(picture to come soon)

Addison,

At eleven months old, you:

- Weigh about 24 pounds.
- Are in size 4 daytime diapers and just switched to a size 5 nighttime diaper.
- Wear mostly 12 month clothes, but some of those super-tight pants/shorts (seriously, kids clothing stores? What is UP with these things?!?) you wear in 18 or even 24 months! You are ready to switch to 18 month PJs so mommy will be on the hunt for some soon. :)
- Nap okay at daycare but nothing to write home about. You switch to your new class in less than a month so you'll be down to one scheduled nap per day. Heaven help your teachers to get that to happen.
- Were sleeping super well at night but then began teeth or having ear issues (shock) so the past few nights have been hellish.
- Have three teeth (bottom two, top middle right) and are working on the top middle left one and it is making you MISERABLE. (as a little sidenote: Carter got his EIGHTH tooth the day before he turned 11 months! Perhaps she's getting MANY!!)
- Are a machine when it comes to crawling and walking along furniture. You will, without a doubt, be walking soon.
- Are SO scrappy. Carter can tackle you or wrestle you and you bounce back up and wrestle him back. You'll be a tough little girl, that's for sure!
- Still continue to have ear issues. I have many calls and messages into your ENT doc, pediatrician, a chiropractor, and another ENT doc for a second opinion. This is just unreal now, and we're going to figure it out soon, baby girl.
- Use a sippy cup really well, and will probably be okay dropping the bottle quicker than your brother was.
- Still love every type of food. Literally, the only thing I can think of that you don't love is mandarin oranges. We tried eggs, strawberries and (accidentally) peanut butter when mommy gave you a bite of her peanut butter cup ice cream, and you were fine with all of them. Woo-hooo!
- Are ALMOST done with formula. You have one can left, and then it's onto real milk!
- Have intense separation anxiety right now. You are totally fine at daycare drop off but freak out around other strangers when mommy walks away.
- LOVE to be outside and play on the swing or in Carter's play cars.
- Have another nasty cough-type sickness. It's pitiful to hear you hacking away with not much we can do for you! You (and Carter) also had a bout with pink eye about two weeks ago.
- Started waving, babbling more consistently ba-ba, ma-ma, da-da and other assorted gibberish. :)
- Began to sign "more" during dinner! YAY! We need to continue to work on it and then begin to work on "please" and "all done" as well.
- Still like baths but spend the majority of your time trying to launch yourself out of the tub, which is slightly stressful.
- Like to be rocked before bed some nights and other nights you push us away. So sad that the rocking stage is almost over!
- Still have lots of nicknames: pretty girl, peanut girl, Addy (to a few people, though we don't call you that yet...still doesn't seem right yet).

You are such a light in our lives, Addison. We can't imagine life before you were even in it. You are sweet and lovable and we can't get enough of you!

Addison: Ten Months

Addison,
At ten months old, you:
- Probably weigh somewhere around 22 pounds...we have your ear follow up on Wednesday so maybe we'll get an 'official' weight then!
- Are in size 3 daytime diapers and size 4 overnight diapers, but about to go to size 4s all around.
- Still wear a mix of 9 and 12 month clothing, though I'd say it's mostly 12. You do wear a few 18 month leggings because otherwise they are so stinkin' tight! Not sure what these girl clothing designers are thinking?!?! You are also still rocking many of your 6 month dresses as tops now!
- Are still napping well at daycare, and take two decent naps or one really good one at home, which we are okay with as long as it is the same time as your brother's nap. :)
- Got your top right middle tooth on March 30.
- Started crawling on March 29...it was at school but ironically enough, mommy and daddy BOTH dropped you off that day and got to see it. YAY!
- Had ear tubes surgery on March 20. Since then, you've been on drops quite a bit. The doctors say the drainage means the tubes are working, so hopefully they are right.
- Are FINALLY back to sleeping through the night consistently. Thank you tubes (and teeth popping through, etc.)
- Are officially broken of the paci! WOO HOOOO!
- Eat exclusively table food and love it. You eat anything we eat except nuts, fish, uncooked strawberries and eggs, though I'm starting eggs soon.
- Do drink more formula than you were a few weeks ago but you still much prefer food over formula.
- Do pretty well with a sippy cup! We're hoping to break the bottle by age 1 since you do so well with it!
- Pull up on EVERYTHING and shimmy along furniture. I think you're crawling stage might be short-lived and we'll be doomed soon. :)
- Started fussing again when we put you in the car seat. Ugh.
- Have enough hair for a little ponytail on the top of your head. I haven't done it yet, but oh, I will.
- Celebrated your first Easter with mommy's family and with daddy's family in NJ.
- Have separation anxiety pretty good. That stage will pass all too soon, if I recall.
- Have the most precious little scrunchy face ever (see previous post).

We love you so much, pretty girl. You are such a little doll baby and I can't believe how fast you are growing up.

Addison: Nine Months

Nine months. Wow. You've been out as long as you were in. Crazy!!

Addison,

At nine months old, you:

- Are, according to all your sick visit weigh-ins, still between 20 and 21 pounds (9 mo appt on 3/15 and will update then)
- Are in size 3 daytime diapers and size 4 overnight diapers
- Wear a mix of 9 and 12 month clothing. Your sleepers are still 9 months (and big?) but most of your daytime clothing is 12 months.
- Started napping SO well at daycare...in the crib!!! YAY! You no longer want to even touch your swing at home, and haven't for a few weeks. I think we'll pack it up this weekend. :(
- Are on your FOURTH ear infection in about 10 weeks. You will get tube surgery on March 20, and I'm praying we'll be done with this mess.
- Are sleeping pretty terribly at night, but it's almost to be expected with ear infection after ear infection, and antibiotics that upset your stomach.
- Use the paci even less than last month. I can't even remember the last time you used it. We're going to just officially break it now so we don't have to have Santa do it in a year.
- Eat pretty much exclusively table food now. We have a few homemade cubes of babyfood left but it's like we're feeding you poison when we try to give that to you. How dare we!?! Your favorite foods are green beans, black beans, peas, corn, noodles, pieces of chicken, peaches, bananas, cheerios, yogurt bites, and many other things. :)
- Hardly drink milk at all. Like some days you drink less than 10 ounces. I know that's probably not good but you want nothing to do with it except maybe one bottle during the morning and the one before bed. I'm thinking it could be that you don't have as much of an appetite from all the nasty antibiotics!
- Still have just the two teeth, but your upper gums are super swollen like there might be others on the way.
- Are soooo close to crawling! You rock on all fours and can get around by pulling yourself on your belly.
- Try so hard to pull yourself up and do really well when we help you a little!
- Have your first "pedicure!" It's just darling.
- Are getting so much more hair, and look precious in bows and headbands.
- Are totally fine in your carseat now, thank God. You are still in your baby seat in the car, but are in the convertible seat in the van.  
- Had an overnight with Oma (at our house) while mommy and daddy went on an overnight date. You didn't sleep, but Oma sure got to cuddle a cutie. :)
- Never, ever cry at daycare drop-off but if mommy leaves you in a room alone at home, it's all over.

Despite your poor ears, you still shock us every day with your gigantic smile and sweet personality. You are such a little doll baby and we love you so much, pretty girl!

Carter goes to the dentist!

Carter went to his "first" dentist appointment around 1 year old (they only counted and brushed), but last week was his real first dentist appointment, complete with scraping, digging, prodding, and cleaning. :) I was slightly nervous but we spent a few days going over the sounds he would hear and what they would do.

 

And he SHOCKED me! He didn't cry even once, and was so brave! He held onto his new matchbox car for dear life but followed directions so well, and left with super shiny teeth. 

 

They did ask if he was a thumb sucker, which he's not, but I told them he did have a paci habit until three or so months ago. The doctor said he had a pretty good overbite which is common in paci and thumb suckers, but that thankfully, he thinks the habit was broken early enough for it to not make a difference and that we stopped just in the knick of time! Phew! Good call on the paci-taking there, Santa. ;)

 

Addison: Eight Months

Addison,

At eight months old, you:

- Are between 20 and 21 pounds
- Are in size 3 daytime diapers and size 4 overnight diapers
- Wear mostly size 9 month clothing, but do wear some 6-9 month stuff yet as well. Some of McKenna's 12 month hand-me-downs which have been washed a lot fit as well.
- Are still a pretty terrible napper at daycare, sleeping only around 45 minutes to an hour each day, so you are DEAD TIRED by 6:30 p.m. We do some serious stalling to keep you awake until 7:15 p.m. for bed. You do much better with naps at home (about 2 hours each--and took your first good ones in your crib rather than your swing this weekend). When you nap in your swing, you are still swaddled though. Thank goodness we're still rocking the swaddle-free at night.
- Pretty much fully sleep through the night again--you do really well at getting back on track after a sickness or something. Of course you have another cold right now, so you fuss sometimes but I guess that's to be expected when you can't breathe out of your nose! One blessing though--you are one easy girl to put down to bed. Some milk and cuddles and we lay you down on your belly. You almost always go right to sleep...and if you do fuss, it's only for a few seconds.
- Hardly use a paci at all. I'm thinking now's the time to break you of it! haha :)
- Had another ear infection this month and were on 10 days of augmentin (not fun). We're a little worried that your current cold could turn into another one!
- Drink about four 6 ounce bottles a day and a 4 ounce one with dinner.
- Still love your food. You eat any stage 2 baby food variety, and love sweet potato pieces, banana pieces, bread pieces, puffs, mum-mums, and just about anything we let you try! You eat a jar of fruit for breakfast, a jar of veggies or meat for lunch, and a jar of meat or veggies and a jar of fruit for dinner. No rice or oatmeal anymore.
- Still have just the two teeth, but I feel like more HAVE to be on the horizon.
- Are starting to get up on all fours, and are attempting to go from sitting down to your belly.
- Started babbling finally!! You say the "g" sound, and squeal a lot. We're waiting for the mama and dada!
- Are doing better in your carseat, thankfully! And, this weekend, you'll do to a rear-facing convertible seat because you are one pound away from your seat's weight limit. Big girl!
- Got a new cousin this month!! Owen was born on January 30th!
- Are starting to experince separation anxiety and do not like when mommy and daddy leave you alone in a room, especially if you are hungry or tired.

You still continue to be such a sweet girl, and are so smiley and happy when people make eye contact with you and talk to you. We can't even imagine what our lives were like without you just 8 short months ago. We love you, Addison!

Addison: Seven Months

Addison, 

At seven months old, you:

- Are roughly 18 pounds
- Finally (as in two days ago) made the switch to size 3 diapers. Man, we had a lot of 2's purchased!
- Wear size 6 month or 9 month clothing.
- Are still a pretty inconsistent napper (just like last month). At daycare, you continue to take mini naps (like 20-25 minutes), but at home you take two okay naps or one really good one. Because of this terribly inconsistent napping, you are beyond ready for bed by 7 p.m. Sometimes, we are majorly stalling you just to make it that long!
- Sleep through the night again, usually from about 7:15 p.m. until sometime in the 6 a.m. hour! Thank you, Jesus! However, you seem to be just like your big brother and started waking up earlier and earlier. Today, sweet love, it was 4:56 a.m. Let's not make that a habit (though you do have a cold, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt). :) On weekends, we definitely give you a bottle at that freakishly early time, swaddle you and put you in your swing.
- Are fully unswaddled now and sleeping on your belly in your crib. In the swing, you're still swaddled because otherwise, you just lift up the tray!
- Are no longer nursing. We nursed our last time on December 18. It was bittersweet for mama. Loved our snuggle time, but it was time for us. I'm so proud we made it 6 months, peanut!
- Love your food! You have eaten pretty much every baby food variety except pasta or meat, and love it all! You also LOVE puffs. Mommy's going to see how you do with super mushy foods this month. You eat solids at breakfast and dinner with bottles every 3-4 hours during the day and none from about 7 p.m. until 6:30 a.m. or so. Lunchtime solids will be added this month, too!
- Are still a pretty happy baby but boy, you let us know when you are tired or hungry. :)
- Love, love, love your jumperoo!
- Sit up like such a big girl, steady as can be and chew on everything you can get your hands on.
- Continue to love bath, especially since you can sit up in there now.
- Take a paci better than you were but thankfully don't care about it during the night.
- Are doing ever so slightly better in your carseat, but I do mean slightly. Still not a huge fan!
- Got TWO teeth this month. Mommy is going to miss that gummy smile!
- Celebrated your first Christmas in NJ with Oma, Opa, aunts, uncles, and cousins (you had fun, but you were one fussy little girl and barely slept at all) and in PA with Gramma, Pa, and more aunts, uncles, and cousins!
- Got to meet mommy's friend from college, Allie! - Nicknames this month: Peanut, peanut girl, pretty girl, beautiful, baby girl.

We love you, sweet girl! 

...and another!

Seriously, another tooth today....already. I saw it and felt it while she was screaming bloody murder for me to shovel her dinner in faster! I fear the gummy smile is on its way out! Oh, how I will miss it. For now, I will sit in a corner and wallow that my precious baby is growing up far too fast (as is her brother, who, just this morning while I was getting ready for work, said to me "Mommy, you look handsome." Sweet boy.)

(p.s. I'd love to upload some pics here but blogger hasn't been letting me upload pics for days. What is up with that?!?! Annoying!)

Let the teething begin!

Addison got her first tooth yesterday and I already know I'm going to miss that precious gummy smile. However, perhaps that explains the sheer misery since mid-December. She's done much better--getting up only once--for the past two nights, so here's to hoping! Picture of said tooth [hopefully, if she'll let me] coming soon! :)

Buh-bye pacis and a sickness.

[Christmas recap backdated to 12/25]

Because I am insane, I decided that Christmas eve was the perfect time to finally break our 2.5-year-old of the paci. Thankfully, he was down to using them only for nap and at bedtime, but still--it was time.

We had talked about it a few times leading up to the big night but sort of left it go. Randomly on Christmas eve, I decided to throw the idea out there to Carter and he went with it. I told him that, instead of cookies, we'll put his pacis under the tree, and in the morning, Santa would bring him a present for every paci he gave up. He willingly placed them all under the tree. Shockingly, there were only a few quick tears at bedtime, but he was so exhausted that he fell right asleep.

Santa kept his word, and there was one very excited little boy on Christmas morning! The novelty had worn off slightly by naptime and there were a few tears then, too, but I just laid beside his bed until he was asleep and he slept for just under three hours. The afternoon of Christmas, he was a handful, but I can't say if that was because of the pacis or overstimulation of toys! toys! toys! on Christmas day.

But that night...NOTHING. Not a single mention of them at bedtime. HUH!?!? Dang. We should have done this earlier.

Five days in, and he has mentioned it only once when he got scolded for something and once when he found one in a bag. Shoot, that silly Santa missed one. After a meltdown of toddler proportions, I bribed him with M&Ms and a show on tv, and that was that. A few minutes later, he reiterated that Santa took his pacis to the North Pole for the babies.

I'm so proud of how things are going. There's no difference in his sleeping except for the better (no more mini wake-ups because his pacis are lost!), and that, at bedtime, he is FULL of stall tactics and excuses now rather than just popping in a paci, rolling over, and going to sleep. Here are a few of his favorites right now:

- "It's too dark/light."
- "I have to pee/poop."
- "I need to play."
- "My pillow fell."
- "My foot is sticking out."
- "My arm is stuck."
- "I need a drink/snack/hug/kiss/song/prayer."
- "I can't see my clock."
- "My door is shut too tight."
- And on...and on...and on.

Here's to hoping we're officially done with the pacis and can get back to quickly falling asleep soon!

Oh, and baby girl was diagnosed with her first ear infection today and is a hot mess. Praying this amoxicillin kicks in incredibly fast, or else this will be the seventh or eighth consecutive night of crappy sleep. Currently, she's in the swing because she screams when I lay her down. Pray hard...momma needs some sleep!