Emotional

That's me tonight. I've been thinking back about this past year and I'm so happy that it's making me cry. So many fun moments. So many happy memories. So much love in my life. I'm a lucky girl.

I just hope these two know how much I love them.


Hope your year was just as happy.

Cookies for Santa

Christmas Eve we made cookies for Santa. Nothing special, just break and bakes. Addison was so funny. Every time she would break one, she would take a bite.

It's a Christmas Miracle!!! Anyone notice the ponytail in her hair? This stayed in for hours. Santa must have known what I wanted for Christmas.

Merry Christmas

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas. Here's a few of my favorites from this morning. More to come.

Baby update

Quick doctor appt on Friday. Everything is still going great. They were able to find the heartbeat this time no problem. And it was loud and clear at 153 bpm. So there goes the theory of low heartbeat is a boy. I weighed in at 118 so my belly is definitely starting to get bigger, but I'm still nowhere close to my weight with Addison. She's starting to move around a lot more which is both fun and calming to my nerves. Next appt in 4 weeks and ultrasound at the end of January to check on my placenta.

The Christmas card

People are starting to get their cards. And based on Allison's comment on the last post, I feel I need to point a few things out. I wish I could have fit all of this on the card, but it's a little wordy. :)
(click on the card to make it larger)
Remember that bad hair cut from this post? It's just now starting to grow out and there's not much I can do with it. The only option is to keep letting it grow.

Addison is not a girly girl. I like to pretend that she is, but in reality, she's not. She wears pants everyday. You rarely find her in a dress. And the hair bows. Oh, the hair bows... She won't let me within three feet of her if she sees me with one in my hand. Combing and brushing her hair is always complicated. I often hear "owie, owie" before I even touch her.

The point of my story...if you look in her right hand in the top picture you will see something green. Yep, that's right. It's the hair bow that I fought to put in her hair and she wasn't having it. So that is why my sweet girl looks like a boy.

20 months

Addison turns 20 months old today. I feel like she is such a big girl. She is using the potty now about four times a day. We're making a lot of progress. I think most of the credit goes to her teacher at school since she is the one who started her on the potty a couple of weeks ago. Since Addison has become more consistent we've carried it over to the weekend and this past weekend was the first she's gone at home. She did great! I couldn't be more proud of her. Hopefully we can be completely done with this by the time the new baby gets here. Next step, the paci. (Wish me luck...)

I think she is starting to understand the baby a little more. She still makes comments that the baby is swimming in my belly. Now she wants to give the baby kisses and hugs all the time. She always wants to lift my shirt up and "touch it". Melts my heart. The cutest thing though has to be her sharing her food with the baby. So far my belly button has been treated to grapes, fruit snacks, marshmallows, and milk. This baby is very well fed.

We had a little photo session this weekend for the Christmas card. The first one is me playing around with the light in the living room. She has that don't mess with me it's too early look on her face that I have in the morning. But she's just so darn cute. The second is one that didn't make the card. Notice how she's standing in the chair. The candy cane was a bribe after taking pictures for an hour with no good ones.


For all of those who get the card, I promise my daughter is a girl. She only looks like a boy that refuses to let me put a bow in her hair. I will be starting early with the hair bows on the new baby girl.

Santa Claus is coming to town

We worked on it for two days.

Me: Addison, do you want to go see Santa?
Addison: Yeah
M: Are you going to sit on his lap?
A: Yeah
M: Are you going to give him a kiss?
A: Yeah. Hug him.
M: Santa will like that.

And this is what we got. Notice the arched back move. She still pulls that out for important moments. At the end we were able to get her to give him a high five for the candy cane.

This was as close as we could get to Santa, even if he wasn't real. The funny thing...they had a guy walking around in a Koala suit and she was all about him. She walked right up to him and gave him a high five, but she's afraid of Santa. So much to learn.

The Santa meet & greet was held at Ace Hardware and sponsored by the Fire Department. They had a truck there that they let the kids climb around in, a bunch of activites and crafts, food and a kid's dance group. This was the highlight of the morning for Addison. She could not take her eyes of those kids. She would clap after every song and then demand more. Maybe we have a future dancer on our hands. It turned out to be a fun Saturday morning.

I took the new camera with me. I stil have no idea how to use it so these were all taken on the auto setting, but it sure was fun. Hopefully I'll have some time to learn a few things over the holidays.

Baby girl #2

Here she is. Our "we have no idea what we're going to name her" baby girl. There's just something about knowing what she is (yeah, that sounds funny). I feel like the bond between me and this baby I've been calling 'it' for the past 18 weeks instantly became stronger. It's so hard to explain. I already love her so much.

I love the little foot pictures. It just makes you want to eat them up. Her hands were all over her face, just like Addison's were. At one point her arm was covering it completely. I think we have that on video. I can't wait to show Addison the video this weekend. We were watching the one from last time and she kept saying that the baby was swimming. She's going to be such a great big sister. I can't wait.

Any suggestions on names? I'd like to hear them.

Anyone wanna guess?

I just went to the scanner to scan the pictures taken this morning of our little one and it's not working. I'll post them as soon as I can.

The baby couldn't be healthier! Super strong heart, perfect bones and the cutest little nose. The baby was a little stubborn and didn't want to show it's face too much, but the tech was able to get a flip and a turn there at the end. It's laying really low right now which made it a little difficult to get some of the measurements they needed, but in the end it worked out well and everything looks fantastic.

Enough with "the baby" talk. I was so convinced I was having a boy and I couldn't have been more wrong. We're having another BABY GIRL!!! We're both so excited and can't wait to share the news with Addison.

The good and the bad...I have what is called Placenta previa. It basically means that my placenta is very close to my cervix. 98% of the time it fixes itself as my uterus grows larger, but it is something they want to monitor. I go back in 7 weeks for another ultrasound. This means we'll get to take another look at our baby girl. Yeah!

Look for the pictures soon.

baby it's cold outside

Yep. It was. But it was so much fun. It was so nice to spend time with my best friend that I haven't seen in 8 months. And the trip turned out exactly how I planned it in my mind. Let's run down the weekend of events.

Friday night we went to see Twilight. The theatre was so cold that I never took off my jacket. There were talkers in front of us and behind us so I wasn't happy about that. Overall, I loved the movie!!! But, I think I will love it more when I see it again minus the distractions. Anyone want to go with me? After the movie we walked down to a little park area that was decorated for Christmas. And then we stopped for a picture of ourselves. The smile on my face is because I got to look at Edward for two hours. :)

Saturday we got up and had breakfast at Brownstone Diner. This was a treat for me because I haven't had a real breakfast since I found out I was pregnant. The food was fantastic - omelets, pancakes, sausage, grits, and toast. We were both a little sluggish when we left. Then we headed over to the city and Bryant Park and shopped the shops. Shannon wound up getting the pink hat in the below pictures and I walked away with nothing.

All of the popular stores in the city have lines to get in. Some may think it's a pain; I think it's super smart. It eliminates the crowds trying to get in and out of the front doors. The lines move quick and everything is so organized. And everyone knows I'm a big fan of organization. This is me waiting in line at the American Girl Place. I was all about getting Addison a doll until I saw the price. $90 is a little steep. If I really thought she would be into it I would have gotten it for her, but the average age of the girls in there was at least five. Maybe the next trip. I did make it to FAO Schwartz for the remote control school bus.

We were so whipped after walking around all day that all we wanted was to sit, eat and drink something. We found the Heartland Brewery near Times Square. We got lucky somehow and didn't have to wait to be seated. I think we skipped a couple of people who were waiting, but that was the fault of the hostess. We caught a couple of glimpses of the Gator game and had a really nice meal. We skipped on dessert so we could go to Magnolia Bakery for cupcakes. This was made famous in the Sex and the City show, but I wouldn't have known since I never watched it. The cupcake was good though.

Our last stop of the night was the tree at Rockefeller Center. It's so crowded, but we fought the crowd and made our way down to the skating rink to check it out. This is our attempt at a picture with the large toy soldier.

Sunday was pretty low key. We went into the city to Macy's and spent hours shopping the Christmas ornaments. We were both in heaven. I got some really cute stuff and Addison loves her ice cream cone and pickle ornaments.

The best story of the trip happened when we went to the souvenir shop. I asked the nice Asian lady checking me out if she could tell me where the nearest subway was. "Down to the light and make a right." So that's what we did, but there was no subway station to be found. Know what we did find?

That's right. She sent us here. Come on now. With all the tourist in the city asking for the subway, who would send you to the restaurant? We had a good laugh.

I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked, but the shopping bags and cold weather played a huge role in that. What I do have is a ton of memories from a fantastic trip.

it makes me smile

A little video of Addison to start off your day. She did this for at least 20 minutes last night. I'm not sure how she walked straight when she was done.

She's been doing so good putting together sentences and is starting to remember words to songs. We catch her singing all the time. Listen closely and you'll catch a little Jingle Bells and Itsy Bitsy in there. And, just like in times past, we caught her pooping on film. She evidently thinks it's funny and then goes on with her song. Click play.

upcoming

I made it back from the trip. Shannon and I had a lot of fun. I'm still sore and tired from the plane delay which made for a long day on Sunday, but it was all worth it. I have pictures and stories to post soon. You can click on Shannon's link to the right to view some of the fun that she's posted.

My big ultrasound is Thursday morning. Most importanly we'll get to see the baby and make sure everything is how it should be. And if all goes well we'll find out if we're having a little boy or girl. I will definitely update as soon as I can so keep checking in.

I was back and forth up until about a week ago, but I am now convinced we're having a boy.

i'm out

Heading to NYC. I'll miss Michael and Addison so much, but I can't wait to have a weekend full of shopping, eating, Twilight, eating, friend, and shopping. Hope you enjoy your weekend just as much.

17 weeks

Really not much change in the belly since the last picture. I don't feel nearly as large as I did with Addison. I do feel that the weight I have gained has gone straight to my butt and thighs. I try not to think about it too much. It is what it is and I'm okay with it. I'm still pumped that I'm not gaining as much or as quickly this time around. My increased appetite has subsided and I don't have the urge to eat 6 times a day anymore. I can make it through the night and even a shower in the morning before heading to the kitchen.

I really want to document the growth of my boobs, but this is a family blog. That has been a happy surprise this time around.

One more note...I feel like I'm carrying lower this time around. Another indication of a boy. Only one more week to wait.

decorations

This is just the main stuff. I haven't had a chance to take pictures of the knick knacks on the TV, the Christmas bears in all corners and the Nativity scene on the bookcase (it didn't last under the tree). Addison has an attachment to baby Jesus and likes to give him kisses because I told her that she can't touch him. This morning I had to ask her to put him back with his mommy and daddy because he was sleeping. The things a mom will say to get their child to listen.

I can't believe I am posting this first picture, but I'm in good spirits at the moment. I'm really a hot mess, bu this is me at 8:30 on a Sunday morning. Now that I think of it, this is me most other times that I'm not dressed for work.

Addison was such a good helper. I don't think she ever actually put an ornament on the tree, but she sure did like going through the motions. We made it through the day with only 3 broken ones.

I stole the wrapping your picture idea from a friend and I love how it turned out. I spent 10 minutes in Target trying to find the perfect paper. Who knew it was such a hard decision. Worth the 10 minutes though.

Stay tuned. More to come. I love this time of year.

butterflies

Small little wings fluttering. Or sometimes popcorn popping. Or this morning a small little something poking out. Michael saw it too. That was a special treat. We didn't notice stuff like that the first time until further along. It's so fun to feel this little person moving around in there. It makes it all the more real.

thanksgiving weekend

We had such a great day on Thursday. We went to my mom's for the day, ate, hung out and then ate some more. Addison was so good. She took right to my mom and Jim like they were best friends. Michael and I were able to get a little rest in front of the TV while Addison played outside. She didn't want to eat much or nap in a strange place, but even without it she was the perfect little angel. She crashed in the car on the way home and was a little cranky getting ready for bed, but was then back down for the night at 7:20. I was then able to hang out with my dad for the rest of the weekend. It's been a real treat having him in town so much over the last couple of months. Addison is really getting to know him and that makes for a lot of fun.

This is the only picture we took on Thanksgiving. It's not great, but Addison was so on the go that she wasn't in the picture taking mood.

I decided to head out for a few minutes on Black Friday. I was going to one store for one thing. I was actually shocked at how not crowded the store was, but it was only Costco. I treated myself to an early Christmas present - a Canon EOS Rebel XSi. I have no idea how to use it and have a lot to learn, but I'm really excited about my new camera. I can already see a difference in the quality of the picture and this is the auto setting. Here's some pictures I took playing around on Friday night. Addison was really enjoying her Oreo.

We spent all day yesterday putting up the Christmas decorations. Everything is up, but the house is still a mess. I'll post pics as soon as everything is organized. I'm heading to New York (well, really NJ) on Friday to visit Shannon and I am SO EXCITED! I'll miss Michael and Addison bunches, but it should be a fun girls weekend. I finished Breaking Dawn this weekend and have yet to see the Twilight movie. Maybe Shannon will go with me...(hint, hint).

I'm thankful for so many things, but these two are really special. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world when I wake up in the morning and see this waiting for me.

cheer-o's

I was eating a bowl of cereal the other morning and Addison was dying for her own. Here she is eating her first bowl of cereal all by herself. Surprisingly, she did pretty good.

doc appt

For some reason I get so nervous the day of my appointments, especially today. My appetite has subsided some and now I really feel not pregnant. I was really looking forward to hearing the heartbeat this morning to settle my nerves. This baby is really stubborn. They had trouble finding the heartbeat again. I'm sure they would have had no trouble finding mine since it was through the roof. But, there it was. 153 bpm. There was no worry on the doc's face so I have to believe that if there was a problem he would have told me. "Position of the baby, must be having a bad day" is what he said. "Everything looks good. Just try to enjoy it". Well, that's all I need to hear. I'm better now.

Everything else was good too - blood pressure, iron levels (I hate finger pricks) and my weight. Which, by the way, is not going up as fast as it did last time. At this time with Addison I had already gained 15 pounds. Only 8 so far, weighing in at 114. I feel quite proud of myself.

My next appt is the ultrasound on December 11th. I really hope that I feel the baby move between now and then to calm my nerves a little. I thought I would be more at ease this time around. Funny how that works.

And just a side note, Addison's heartbeat was always in the 170 range. They say boys are lower. Maybe I have a stubborn, uncooperative boy in there.

shocking news

I've been reading. Not People magazine. Not Parent magazine. Actual BOOKS!!!

It started the beginning of September. I bought Twilight (the first book in the series) for about $5 and figured I wouldn't feel bad if it just sat in the corner and I never read it. I was a little curious to see what all the fuss was about. Was it that good? So I hopped on the bandwagon and started it back when Michael and I went to TN for vacation. I was hooked. I finished the first one in about 5 days. New Moon in a little over a week. Eclipse took a little longer mostly because all of my TV shows started and you know how I am about my TV watching. And now I'm finishing up Breaking Dawn.

Let's do the math here. That's four books in about 3 months. Did I mention that I hate to read? I don't think I've read that much since college and I'm still not sure if school books count.

I love them! I'm 200 pages away from being finished and I can't wait to see how it ends. Who knew vampires would be so interesting. I think I may even get the other book by Stephanie Meyer. I have a trip coming up so it would make a nice companion on the plane.

And I'm super excited about the movie coming out this Friday. I'm such a dork.

never get tired of it

Her sweet face.

This was taken on the playground along our bike ride at the beach.

bad influence

Ever wonder how Addison's face and hair get so messy when she eats? Here's your answer. Michael likes to play peek-a-boo with her at the table. When will he learn?

14 weeks

I'm still having trouble eating breakfast. Shouldn't this have passed by now? This morning I ate a yogurt because I was starving and then spent 30 minutes trying to not throw it up. I finally settled on some mac & cheese before leaving the house. And then a chicken biscuit from Chick-fil-a around 10. This baby is so picky in the morning.

The doc called the other day about the genetic testing I had done with the ultrasound two weeks ago. Everything came back negative which is a good thing. Our baby looks completely healthy.

I'm having a problem with my clothes. My regular clothes are long gone. I'm currently into the "in between clothes" that I bought after I had Addison. Those are working well with the button undone. Most of the maternity pants are too big, but I did find some in the storage container that were on the smaller size. I have to say that I didn't hate wearing them. There's something about the elastic waistband that makes you feel like a whole new girl. I'm hoping to make it a couple more weeks in my regular dresses and shirts.

I'm still tired and this morning I was just as cranky as Addison. Two cranky people in the same room leads to a lot of moodiness. I had to give her extra hugs and kisses this morning when I dropped her off because I felt so bad. Just hope she can forgive me.

birthday fun

I feel so old already and it's only been 3 days. As you can see in the post below we started the day with some dancing and then I cleaned the house a little. Cleaning. Such a great gift to myself. My friend Allison came to visit on Saturday afternoon and we headed to the mall for some shopping and pedicures. It turned out to be a gorgeous day and it was really fun to just hang out with a friend (without our children). That night we headed to dinner at a Japanese Steak house called Daruma's. It was Addison's first time. I was a little nervous, but she loved it. I can't wait to take her back.

I walked out of the house and didn't even bring my purse. So I was without all sources of picture taking material. Luckily Allison came prepared and she started the picture taking in the car.

The waitress and grill man at the restaurant were so nice. They even embarrassed the heck out of me with a loud drum and birthday song. I'm not posting that picture. Addison got her own set of chopsticks and had no idea what to think about them. The fire in the beginning scared her a little, but it was all she could talk about through the entire meal. Every sizzle or pop was "fire". So the nice grill man did the fire for her again at the end. This time it wasn't as scary. She was so mesmerized by the entire process.

Allison made a good point and said you have to have cake and candles on your birthday. Even though I was stuffed and couldn't eat any, it was fun to sing and blow out the candles. Addison enjoyed helping.

Thanks to everyone who sent cards and gifts. It turned out to be a great birthday. A big thanks to Allison for spending the day with us. I had a really good time. And I can't wait for our next trip to Starbucks. :)

And to Michael...thanks for the awesome body pillow and gift card. I love you so much and birthdays wouldn't be the same without you.

13 weeks

This is my last week of the first trimester. I'm still feeling great. A little shocked that I made it through with no real morning sickness. I still have an off day here and there, but nothing really to complain about. I'm hoping some of my energy will return in the coming weeks. I swear I could fall asleep typing this. I'm still having the food aversion problem. The other day I had no interest in the pork chops or chicken that I knew were for dinner so I stopped and got a Whopper Jr. The tomato based products I had for dinner twice this week did not sit well with me and I wound up having an off day on Wednesday. And onions. They're a no go also. Now I'm just waiting to feel the baby move. Should be a couple of weeks. This was taken this morning after eating a bowl of cereal. There's a totally different shape than the first. Now I see the difference between morning and night.

sunglasses

She put these on all by herself. Doesn't she look so proud.