Thankful

-Mornings when Addy sleeps past 7:00 am.
-Naps that are longer than an hour.
-Walking to daycare and NOT having to carry her.
-Cuddling with a book.
-No complaints when the meal is all done.
-Helping me put the groceries in the cart.
-Dancing to music.
-An unprotested diaper change.
-Smiles that melt my heart.
-Pride in showing off her belly.
-Our bedtime routine.
-Watching her sweep and dust.
-Her curiosity about things.
-The bond between father and daughter.

Just a few of the things I am thankful for.

All the Single Ladies

A few weeks ago I got together with a bunch of my girlfriends and their kids. At one point the girls decided they wanted to watch some Sesame Street. So, they all piled on the couch and even asked for a blanket! It was too cute, and I'm thinking this will be a scene we'll be seeing a lot more of in the future.

God Bless

Every night before bed, our routine with Adelyn is pretty much the same. Change into PJ's, brush her teeth, read stories and say our prayers. Some nights we name all of the people we want to bless (Mama, Daddy, Addy, Gramma, Grandpa, Papa, Kathy....) and other nights we just say "all of our friends and family." One night though Addy said "Grandma Barb" and I could hardly believe it. I've tried to tell Addy about my mom but you never really know if she can understand a concept like that. I tell her a lot how much Grandma Barb loves her and how proud of her she is.
Today is the 9 year anniversary of my mom passing and every year it effects me in a different way. The last couple have definitely made me feel even more appreciative of the life I have and all of the blessings I've received. My mom is still a part of Addy's life and I know "Grandma Barb" is proud of what she sees.

No More Nook...For Real

After Addy's 2 year appointment we decided it was the perfect time to get rid of Addy's nook at night. We talked about it a lot with her and how she is a big girl now and that nook's are for babies. She picked up on it pretty quickly and hardly made a big deal out of it. She protests going to bed a little bit more than she used to but never cries for more than a few minutes. It's been over a week now and we even made it through daylight savings time so I would say it's official! Another milestone successfully passed, I'm so proud of her (and us!)

Best Day Ever

I have been thinking for awhile that we needed some new pictures of Addy around the house because a majority of the ones I have framed are from when she was 8 months old. I also love this time of year more than any other so I was hoping to get some pictures outside and asked my friend Ginny if she would take some. Let me tell you, I hit the jackpot like no other.
Last weekend was a perfect fall weekend, clear blue sky and just beautiful fall colors in the trees. Ginny scoped out the best spots to take the photos at a park and it couldn't have gone any better. Addy was a little shy at first but quickly opened up and then acted like she knew she was in a photoshoot. Smiling and laughing and actually looking at the camera. AMAZING! We all had such a great time.
I get goosebumps every time I look at these photos because I can't believe how perfectly she captured my little girl. Her charm, sweetness and silliness. And I can't believe my little baby is now such a beautiful little girl (who is slowly but surely getting more hair). Thank you Ginny! Best photos ever!

The 2 year stats

Addy had her 2 year check-up last week and she continues to grow at the top of the charts. Her height is just over 35 inches (85%), she weighs 31.5 pounds (92%) and her head is 49 cm (89%). At one point the Dr. said, "I think you are most cooperative 2 year old I've ever seen" and then just seconds later Addy melted down into one of the worst crying spells she's ever had. Ever since Addy had the tubes put in her ears, there has been one ear that no one has been able to see into. At her ear check-up a couple weeks ago that Dr. said that he thought there was some wax buildup and to use some drops to take care of it. Apparently, that didn't do anything so this Dr. tried to remove the buildup. She poked and poked and couldn't get anything out and the more she tried the more Addy melted down. I'm not exaggerating when I say that from start to finish Addy cried for more than 45 minutes (Brian and I literally wrestled her back into her clothes and she cried the whole way home). It was awful. The worst part is that she has to go back again for the ear Dr. to get it out because this Dr. didn't want to mess up the tubes. So we get to do it all again next week!
Other than that, Addy is extremely healthy and is progressing on track, on track to be taller than her mom by kindergarten!

Happy Halloween!

We bought Addy her Halloween costume almost a month ago and purposely left it out in the living room hoping she would be inspired to put it on. She showed very little interest in it and I don't think we ever really got all parts of the costume on her at one time, so we were nervous about how it would go on Halloween. I brought the costume to daycare and she would only let me put on the skirt, but according to her teachers they got the rest of it on her, of course I have no proof.
I picked her up early so we could go trick-or-treating in the downtown area of our neighborhood. All of the stores and restaurants hand out candy and it's really cute. So of course I had to put her costume on her. I only got as far as the skirt and the wings and she cried the whole time. We made it about 3 blocks and for the most part she was hating every minute. Then Brian showed up and things got progressively better. She started to understand that she was getting treats from each new place and she was less scared about the whole thing. At the end she was actually smiling so we decided to try and put on the rest of the costume. She wanted nothing to do with the headband, but we discovered that once she had a hat on she couldn't feel the headband.
The best part of the whole thing was once we got home she of course wanted a treat. We let her pick one out, she picked a lime-flavored tootsie roll. She put it in her mouth, chewed it a few times and then said "yucky" and gave it back to me. She did the same thing with the 2nd treat and then was done! She declared the treats yucky! Brian could not have been prouder. I think if she had chosen a chocolate one instead the situation would have been different but we were very happy, except now we are eating all of her candy.