Murphy's Law

"Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong." Normally this is not a saying I would really believe in but it definitely applies to the last 24 hours. We were supposed to be flying to Iowa today for Brian's brother's wedding but things didn't go exactly as planned. Addy hasn't been herself for a couple weeks now but her symptoms were changing enough that we thought she would be fine in time for this trip. Yesterday she definitely got worse. Normally at daycare she takes two 30-45 minute naps, but yesterday she slept for a total of almost 4 hours. She looked tired and was very lethargic and sad. She didn't want to move around or play at all. We checked her temperature and she had a fever of 102. All she wanted was to be held and curl up in your arms. We put her to bed early and hoped that her fever and cough would improve by the morning. We called the nurse who suggested we bring her in today to make sure she was ok to fly.
This morning we called first thing and our doctor was nice enough to squeeze her in right away. So I took her in while Brian finished packing and getting ready for the trip. After checking her out the Dr. confirmed that Addy not only had this lingering cold but had an ear infection in both ears. She gave me a prescription for some antibiotics and tips for how to deal with her likely pain during the flights. By the time I got back home we had about an hour before it was time to head to the airport for our flight. While Addy had her bottle, Brian and I were talking through how best to prepare for the flight when all of the sudden Addy threw up all over the kitchen floor. It was the second time she threw up that morning (the first time was in our bed which meant we had to strip our bed and wash everything) It was as if it was her way of reminding us just how sick she was. In an instant Brian and I agreed that it just didn't make sense to take her on this trip. We were so focused on what had to be done to make the trip happen we were ignoring all of the signs of why it shouldn't. We decided I would stay home with her and Brian would go by himself. It was both an incredibly difficult decision and an easy one at the same time. Flying with a healthy baby is a lot of work, I couldn't imagine doing two flights with a sick child with double ear infections. I am extremely sad to be missing the big day but now getting Addy better is my main goal over the next few days. I'm hoping her and I can both get ourselves healthy again and that nothing else that could go wrong does.

11 months

Today is Addy's 11 month birthday. I honestly cannot believe that she will be 1 year old in one month! She is such a big girl now I can't believe it. She loves to walk around (while holding your hands), will pull herself up on just about anything, stands up in the crib (way too early in the morning), tries to eat by herself with a spoon (not very successfully) and knows how to respond to "how big is Addy?" (well sort of. Half of the time instead of raising her arms up in the air she puts them behind her head as if she's reclining in a chair, its pretty hilarious.)
Here are some pics of her from today.

Standing in her crib saying "get me out of here"


Checking out the strength of the baby gate


Trying to open up the file cabinets


Making out with herself in the window.


Playing in the kitchen.

Flash Forward

The other day Brian and I were both in the kitchen when we noticed that Adelyn had gotten a hold of Brian's wallet and was pulling all of the cards out. You would have thought it was Christmas she was so excited about it. I could instantly see flashes of her years from now trying to sneak money out of Brian's wallet. Unfortunately for her that will never work. Brian would notice if his credit cards were out of order and would definitely notice if any money was missing.
I especially love the first picture of her where her face says "um, can I help you? I'm really busy here taking Dad's credit card."

Finally some baby proofing!

So it was about 6 weeks ago that Addy started to really crawl and we declared it was time to do some baby-proofing. And then we proceeded to do nothing. Well finally some progress has been made. We now have a baby gate by the stairs, locks for some drawers, latches for a cabinet and covers for the outlets. There is still a lot to be done but at least we've started it. We haven't done anything about the stereo or electronics and are naively hoping that saying "no no" each time she approaches them will be enough. It is pretty cute to see her try and test us already. She will crawl towards the stereo, turn back to see if we are watching, and then shake her head back and forth as if she knows she shouldn't touch it. Half of the time she doesn't touch it and about half of the time she does.
Adelyn is a master at pulling herself up now, she can do it by holding onto just about anything. The other morning I even caught her standing up in her crib for the first time. She doesn't walk on her own but can cruise pretty quickly while holding your hands. I'm sure she will have no trouble pointing out to us all of the other things we still need to baby proof.

Recovering

This was a tough week for us. Addy had been fighting a cold for several days and finally had to go to the Dr. to get some eye drops for an eye infection. She recovered pretty quickly but then I got a cold that just won't go away. This morning I woke up feeling as sick as ever and now it seems that Addy has another new cold as well. I guess it is the season for runny noses.
Addy also got a bruise on her face this week when a toy at daycare fell on her. The teachers said she really liked it when they iced it. Again she recovered quickly and it is already almost gone.
Here's to hoping that this week is easier on all of us than last!

Timbuktu

The big event that we were back in Minnesota for was the wedding of my Dad and Kathy. I was waiting to write about it until I had the photos to include and now they are ready! The wedding ceremony took place in an area right outside of St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin called Timbuktu. Timbuktu has been in my Grandma's sister's family for as long as I can remember and is a beautiful rustic cabin in the woods. I love going there and can see why my Dad and Kathy chose to get married there. Unfortunately the weather didn't quite cooperate and the cabin wasn't big enough for everyone so we braved the rain with our umbrellas for the outdoor ceremony. The ceremony was very sweet and intimate and the sun broke through right at the end which made for a beautiful finish. Here are some of my favorite pics of the day. You'll notice all of the cousins are in matching clothes, I have my sister to thank for that. For years she has been coordinating matching outfits at family events for the kids. Now I know that for years to come Addy will have a matching outfit waiting for her whenever she comes to visit for a big family event.

Snooze

While we were in Minnesota, Addy did a really good job of staying on her schedule and sleeping through the night. There was only one night that she didn't sleep very well and she woke up really early. Since I wasn't ready for her to be up for the day already, I brought her into bed with Brian and I. Normally, this would never work. She usually wants to crawl around and play and talk, but she was clearly still tired because she actually cuddled with me and then fell asleep. It was the cutest thing ever so I couldn't resist grabbing a few photos of her and Brian sleeping in.

Uncle Leo

I have known Lennard since I was about 12 years old and he is definitely like a brother to me. That's why I was so excited to find out that he was flying to MN from Germany for my Dad's wedding. Finally Addy was going to meet her Uncle Leo. Lennard has always been good with kids so it was no surprise to me that I was instantly able to hand Addy off to him and he handled it. But handing him the diaper bag to remember? Not as successful. But Addy definitely had a great time bonding with her Uncle Leo. How can you not have fun with him?

G&G E

As I mentioned Addy and I took a road trip to visit Brian's parents. It was great to see them and Addy's great grandparents came up from Iowa. She was great and had lots of fun playing in their new house. She showed off her crawling skills and of course made time to read Pat the Bunny.

High School Mamas

While back in MN, Addy and I took a roadtrip down to Holmen, WI which is where Brian's parents just moved to. Lucky for me that also happens to be the same town where my friend Megan from high school lives. She hosted a little get together at her place with our friends Kristi & Kelli. Kelli drove all the way from Milwaukee so she didn't bring her 2 kids, but I did get to meet Kristi and Erik's new little boy, Kade who was only a few weeks old. It was so fun to get together with everyone and see these ladies who I've known for over 25 years as mamas! Here is Addy and Ellie catching up, Addy interrupting Owen's game of memory, the mamas and the little ones, and Addy showing Ellie who's boss.

Cousins!

One of the best things about our trip was that Addy was able to spend so much time with her cousins. It was especially cute to see her play with her cousin Isabelle (aka Tatorbelle, TB or Sugarbaby). There were times when they were really excited to see each other and they actually almost played together, but most of the time they seemed completely uninterested in each other. It was also fun to watch Sydney and Jack as the "big cousins" take care of the little ones.

The Great Minnesota Get Together

We just got back from 9 days in Minnesota, and although we didn't make it to the State Fair I think calling our trip the "Great Minnesota Get Together" is the best way to describe it. It was a whirlwind of catching up with family and friends, dinners, dancing and more dinners. It was loud and crazy and chaotic, just like my family, and I loved every minute of it. It was great to have so much time to spend with my family and Addy was such a good girl. She did great on the flights and definitely impressed my brother by being such a "chill" baby. She loved having all new toys to play with and that there was always a room full of people watching her every move. I'm sure now that it's just back to Brian and I she is going to be bored with us. Here is a picture of my Dad & Kathy, Addy and Izzy, Brian and Tad with the girls and Addy with Aunt Keri.