Two Months

Adelyn turned two months old yesterday & today she had her 2 month doctor appointment which unfortunately meant immunization shots. She did great though, she only cried hard for a few seconds and then was over it. The nurse was very impressed, as was I. Our little girl is definitely growing. She is 11 pounds 4 ounces, 23 inches long and her head is 40 cm. All of which put her exactly at the 75th percentile for each. The doctor said we had a happy & healthy baby on our hands & I completely agree. I can't believe how big she's gotten already and how much she's changed. She's already sporting some of her 6 month clothes. Here she is showing off her fashionable threads from Kerry Ann. Thanks KA!

Merry Little Christmas

I was a little worried Christmas would feel lonely this year since we wouldn't be with our families, but it wasn't at all. Brian and I made sure to do some of the same traditions we grew up with and it ended up being a wonderful Christmas. On Christmas Eve we went to a candlelight service at church and we drove around looking at Christmas lights (Brian's tradition). We opened stockings & made steak fondue (my family's tradition). We also observed our annual tradition of watching the movies "Elf" and "Love Actually", went to see the Christmas lights at a Botanical Garden & video chatted with both of our families. All in all it was a wonderful Christmas holiday and believe it or not I think I am finally sick of listening to Christmas music. Apparently 55 straight days is my limit.

No Excuse

I would like to pretend there was a reason for taking these pictures, but honestly I have no excuse or justification. They just make me smile every time I look at them. Brian says I will owe Adelyn an apology someday for dressing her up in ridiculous outfits & taking pictures. I say add it to the list of things I will probably have to apologize for someday, until then I can do what I want & don't need an excuse.

Santa Baby

'Tis the season for holiday parties! In the past week Adelyn has gone to four different holiday parties and was a hit at each one of them. Brian and I were a little worried at how she would do with so many people around, but we should have known she would be a social butterfly. She was a real trooper & actually even slept through most of a couple of the parties. It was fun to show off our little Santa Baby.

Big Foot

For such a small baby Adelyn has really big hands and feet. My fingers are short and stubby and hers are long and thin. Her feet are also pretty big for a baby. I know she didn't get big feet from me, but I think I have an idea of where she gets it from.

Welcome Isabelle!

Although Adelyn is only 7 weeks old, she is already an older cousin. This morning Tad & Robin welcomed their little girl Isabelle Anne into the world. At only 5 pounds 15 ounces, she is a little peanut so Addy is the older and bigger cousin. We are so excited to meet Isabelle & I can't wait to see my brother as father to a newborn. Never in my wildest dreams did I think Tad and I would become parents within a couple of months of each other, but I'm so happy Addy will have cousin so close in age. The Swanson grandchildren doubled in size this year which should make for an exciting Christmas. Congrats Tad & Robin!

Addy's Daddy

As I mentioned in the previous post, on Saturday Brian took Adelyn by himself to a holiday party. Well yesterday I received 3 emails from people at the party saying what a great job he did, how cute he was with Addy and what a natural Dad he is. It makes me so happy to read those emails. Not only am I lucky to have a helpful husband, but Addy is very lucky to have a Dad who is so involved. Often times I overhear Brian having the funniest conversations with her, he is always talking to her and pretends that she is talking back to him and it cracks me up every time. My favorite thing though, is even if she has just spit up directly down the inside of his shirt (which happens nearly every day), he still manages to see the humor in it. And on the occasions when he's just starting to lose his cool, Addy gives him a huge smile & he instantly melts and is back to calm again. They have a very special relationship & we are both lucky girls.

Too Much of a Good Thing

I guess it's true that you can have too much of a good thing. As a result of the other night when Adelyn slept for 5 hours, I have come down with mastitis because I went too long without nursing. I came down with a fever, was achy & sore and would go from sweating to shivering in seconds. Now I need to make sure I don't go more than 3 hours without nursing, so even if Adelyn is sleeping longer that means her mom cannot. It's amazing how quickly 3 hours can pass.
Yesterday Brian took Adelyn to a Hanukkah party at our friend's house & I stayed home to rest. It was Brian's first time on an outing by himself with Adelyn. I guess she was pretty good but Brian had to work for it a bit. We both are amazed by single parents, how in the world do they do it? Here are some pictures from the party. Addy was a big hit with the older kids.

What Child is This?

Yes I am posting at 6:00 am, not because I've been up all night or because Adelyn is keeping me awake right now, but because I just got 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep. FIVE HOURS! That has not happened in months! Not only did Adelyn sleep for that long but so did her mom! I don't even know what to do with myself right now, I haven't felt this good in a long time. I'm not sure what changed but last night she finally slept for more than 3 hours at a time which has been her pattern the last few weeks. Not only that, but when we gave her a bath last night she didn't even cry. That also has never happened. I'm not sure what has gotten into this child but I am certainly not complaining!

Mind, Body & Spirit

Today I took Adelyn to a yoga class for parents with babies. I was a little nervous because I wasn't sure how she would do and I haven't done yoga in about two years, but it was great! There were 4 other moms and babies there and the babies were all surprisingly good. There was one other little girl there who was born just one day before Adelyn. I definitely worked some muscles that have not been used in quite some time, but it felt awesome! At the end of the class we all sat in a circle and sang songs with the babies. It was a great class and a really nice break to the day. I am looking forward to doing it again.

P.S. My dad is recovering very well. The surgery went great and we are all relieved that it's over. No doubt he will be running circles around the rest of us in no time.

Papa Swanson

Tomorrow morning my Dad is having heart surgery to replace a valve. Apparently it's a fairly common procedure as far as heart surgeries go, but it's still major surgery and I'm very sad I can't be there for him and to help him during the recovery. I've had a lot of good practice of taking care of someone lately and my nurturing skills have really come a long way so I feel like I could have done a good job. Luckily, I know he has lots of people who will take very good care of him and we will be seeing him soon enough. Until then, Adelyn would like to offer the following advice to her Papa.
-Let other people do things for you, it makes them feel good.
-Slow down and take it easy, this is one time in your life that you don't have to get anything done.
-The only things on your to-do list should be sleep, rest, sleep, relax and sleep.
-Measure your progress one baby step at a time.
We love you Papa!

Party of Three

Last night was the first time that we have gone out to eat just the three of us. It was also the first time I have had sushi since getting pregnant. We walked to the new sushi restaurant in our neighborhood and it was wonderful. Adelyn was perfect the whole time and we really enjoyed ourselves. We've decided we need to go out to eat more while she is still in this stage. I'm sure before we know it going out to eat will be more work than it's worth so we are going to enjoy it while we can. Good thing we have so many great restaurants right in our own neighborhood. Bon appetit!

Little Piglet

Brian and I have a lot of nicknames for Adelyn but probably our favorite is Piglet. We don't call her that because she's chubby or she looks like a pig, but because of the noises she makes. She groans, squeals and snorts just like a little pig. She does this when she wakes up, when she feeds, and when she falls asleep. It is absolutely hilarious and still makes us laugh every time. Here is a clip of our little piglet at her best.

Can you hear me now?

Over the last several days, Adelyn has become a little bit more fussy than normal. Her cries have become more intense and sometimes she cries so hard it sounds like she is being tortured (I swear she is not!). Needless to say, it is extremely hard to hear her cry like that & it just breaks my heart. Luckily she is able to be calmed fairly quickly & doesn't cry for more than just a couple minutes like that. Last night I went to bed & Adelyn was still up with Brian. Usually I am able to fall asleep very quickly, but this time all I could hear was her crying. The screams seemed to be getting louder and louder and after several minutes I just had to check in to make sure she was ok. There was no way I could fall asleep with her crying like that. I walked into her room and Brian was standing over her in the crib. I asked if everything was ok and if he needed my help to make her stop crying. He looked at me like I was crazy and said, "she's not crying, she's almost asleep."
I said, "but she has been crying right?"
"No, she hasn't been crying at all."
"So those screams I heard were all in my head?"
Brian very calmly and sweetly smiled and said, "go to bed Megan, you need to sleep."

This is normal right, or should I be worried?

Video Clip

Hey Everyone! Addy's Daddy here. I'm just doing a little test of putting a video clip on the blog. This clip is from a video taken on November 15th and features Adelyn getting in her "tummy time." She's showing off her skills of lifting her head and turning it. Enjoy!

To-do list

Much to Brian's amusement, I start almost everyday with a to-do list. I like to keep track of what needs to get done. Yesterday was an amazingly productive day, I got the laundry done, folded & put away, I vacuumed, unloaded the dishwasher, Adelyn & I ran some errands & went for a walk & there was dinner to eat by 6:00. Today has been about the opposite, I started the day with big plans & was maybe even going to go to a movie at our little theatre across the street that does cry-baby movies for Mom's on Tuesdays. Well I didn't even get my shower in until almost 1:00 and then Addy & I fell asleep for almost two hours! It's almost 5:00 & I haven't done one thing on my list yet. Oh well, guess I already have tomorrow's list ready to go.

Onesies

I am lucky enough to still be friends with girls that I have known since kindergarten. This summer I had a shower with some of those girls and we decorated onesies. It was so much fun and now almost every single day Adelyn wears one of those onesies under her outfit. It makes me so happy to put these on her because I think of my girls and hope that one day Addy will have a group of girlfriends that are just as incredible as mine.
As requested, here is Addy in her special unicorn onesie & believe it or not I do even put her in the one that says I love cats, even though she will never be allowed to love cats.

Perfect Day!

Today has been such a perfect day. It started with a great night in which Adelyn slept for almost 5 hours! (must have been all that turkey) That meant mom and dad caught up on some much needed sleep and were feeling great today. After a relaxing morning, Brian stayed home with Adelyn & I braved the crowds and did a little shopping downtown. I quickly remembered why I usually avoid shopping on Black Friday, but it was nice to get a little break and do some shopping that didn't involve going to the maternity section!
Then this afternoon the three of us went for a walk in Seward Park. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon. Now I am listening to Christmas music and am going to put up our little tiny tree & Christmas decorations. I don't know how a day could be any better.

Thankful

Fall has always been my favorite time of year & is a special time for Brian and I. We met in the fall, got engaged & got married in the fall so I think it is very appropriate that Adelyn was born in the fall. It is also the start of the holiday season which brings families together and makes you appreciate all of life's blessings. This year I am thankful for so many things, but mostly the simple things in life. Family, friends and health. Even though Brian and I don't have family in Seattle, we certainly have been blessed with incredible families and we know they are thinking of us today. We are grateful that we have been "adopted" by a wonderful family to spend Thanksgiving with that has become our holiday tradition, (thank you Bennetts). We are also surrounded by incredible friends who have been so wonderful to us, especially this past month. And of course we were blessed with a happy and healthy baby girl who has already brought so much joy to our lives. It really is the little things in life that matter the most. Happy Thanksgiving!

4 weeks

I know I'm probably starting to sound like a broken record, but I can't believe it's already been four weeks since Adelyn was born. So much has changed already & I keep learning new things every day. In the past four weeks these are just some of the things that have changed for me.

I used to need a good 8 hours of sleep a night, now if I can get 2-3 straight hours of sleep at a time I think of that as a success.
I can now eat anything with just one hand & if you thought I was a fast eater before you should see me now.
Laundry went from a once a week chore to a once a day chore.
I find myself rocking and swaying back and forth, even when I'm not holding Adelyn.
I cry at any story about children, whether it's sad or not.
I feel a connection with all other parents.
I've learned there is no such thing as too many burp cloths.
I used to wonder what I would do being home all day, but now I've learned that a cycle of feed, change, sleep & repeat can easily take up your entire day.

And just when I think I can't do something or that I'm too tired for this, Adelyn will give me a look or a smile that makes me realize there is nothing I can't do.

Dress up

This weekend Adelyn received a gift from my friend Kelli. I know she meant for it to be used for Adelyn to play dress up when she's older, but I just couldn't resist showing it off now. Unfortunately, the pictures just don't do it justice, but you get the idea. I swear the whole time I was taking these pictures Addy was looking at me with this look of "what are you making me do now?" and "are we done yet?"
So maybe mom likes the outfit better for now but soon enough she'll be showing off her dance moves in the tutu, I just know it. Thanks Kel, it is priceless!

Diaper Duty

Since he is at work during the day, Brian is very good at doing his share of the diaper duty when he is home. Last night he was upstairs changing Addy's diaper when I heard him in a slightly panicked voice call for me to come help him. I walked into the room and couldn't help but laughing at the scene I was witnessing. Brian was holding Addy's legs which were covered in poop, as were his hands, the changing pad and the wall. Yes, there was poop running down the wall. I stepped in to help & Brian wiped everything down. Just as he picked up Addy to lay her back down on the just cleaned pad, she peed all over him. I couldn't help but run down to get my camera. Here was the aftermath of that particular diaper change. I laughed and laughed and thought it was hilarious, until the same thing happened to me this morning at 2 am. Suddenly I didn't see the same humor in it.
Adelyn definitely has a knack for knowing right when to let it go. We have a cloth diaper service & have run out of diapers every week so far. I've now increased it to 90 diapers a week, we'll see if that's enough to keep up with this girl & her diaper duties.

Grandma Barb

It was seven years ago today that my mom passed away from cancer. I find myself thinking about my mom even more during this time of the year, especially with the holidays. I would say this year I am thinking of her more than ever, but with a new appreciation of who she was. Now that I am a mom, I appreciate all mothers even more & I realize what a truly exceptional woman my mother was. I am very sad that Adelyn will never meet her Grandma Barb, but I know that she will always know what an incredible woman she was. There will never be any question about how much Grandma Barb loves her. I feel lucky that both Adelyn and I have an angel looking down on us & I know that is why my life has been filled with so many wonderful blessings.

When my niece Sydney was born, my mom wrote her a letter & so when Adelyn was born my Dad wrote her a letter. Here is just a piece of that letter.
"Another story I have to tell you is about your grandmother, Barbara. You won't ever meet her but you'll get to know her just the same. Oh, the stories we tell about her! Some are sad, some are funny, but all are loving. She would have loved you very much, so I guess I'll just have to love you twice as much to make up for her not being here."

I think Addy will miss out on some things by not having her Grandma Barb around but I know that love will never be one of them.

Ridiculous

It is ridiculous to me that Adelyn is already 3 weeks old. I honestly don't know where the time has gone. I never imagined my days would go by this quickly. Now I know why "old people" (I am now included in this group) always say to cherish the moments because they go by so quickly. She is changing so much every day & has the funniest facial expressions, I am just loving it.
Here are some of my favorite pics that my friend Ginny took. I can hardly stand how cute they are. It's really just ridiculous.

The Big Weigh In

Last week at Adelyn's 2 week appointment she had only gained 2 ounces and was still 4 ounces below her birth weight. The Dr. was not impressed so she assigned me to project "Baby Feed" and I was to follow every feeding with a bottle to make sure she was getting enough to eat. Since our feedings were already taking 45 minutes to an hour this meant I would be spending a good ten hours a day feeding. Who knew feeding a baby would be so much work! Well we just got back from the Dr. and I'm happy to report the effort paid off and Addy gained just over 6 ounces in a week and is now over her birth weight weighing in at 8 pounds 8 ounces.
Here she is showing off her hard-earned belly.

No Prob with the Bob

Yesterday we took Adelyn on her first walk in her new stroller. We walked down to Lake Washington and enjoyed the last of the fall weather without rain. We think she liked the stroller, but she slept the whole time so it was hard to tell. I do know however, that her father loves the stroller. I've never seen anyone act so macho about a stroller. He showed us several times how the front wheel can either lock or swivel depending on the terrain. He commented multiple times about how going over the curb or tree roots was no problem with this stroller & someday we could take it on hikes with no issues. He showed off the shocks of the stroller & how it turns on a dime. I think I even saw a little smirk on his face as we passed other strollers & he compared them as if there was no chance any other stroller could compete.
So Addy, hopefully you do like your stroller, but if you don't I'm sure when you are old enough your father will explain to you all of the reasons why you should.

Hey Little Bucky!

It is still up for discussion as to who Addy should be rooting for on football Sunday, but there is no question who she cheers for on college game day. She has no choice but to be a Badger fan & lucky for us she has a closet full of Badger apparel. It won't be long before she is joining her mama in singing "if you want to be a Badger then come along with me". And I can already see her swaying side to side singing "Varsity, Varsity, U-rah-rah Wisconsin." She will definitely be a Badger through and through, but there is no way she will ever be a cheesehead.

Already Two Weeks

Adelyn is already two weeks old! We can't believe how quickly it has gone by. In the last 2 weeks she has had lots of visitors, including her Papa Swanson, Aunt Keri and Cousin Sydney from Minnesota and her Grandma and Grandpa Evert from Wisconsin and of course her Chef'n family. Here are a few pictures of Addy and her visitors. Notice she is sleeping in almost every photo, she is such a good baby.