Fun at the zoo!

This past weekend, we took a trip to the Nashville Zoo with one of Addie's friends, Olivia, and her parents, our friends Amy and Randy! Olivia is 4 months older than Addie and is an absolute DOLL! We had such a good time, even though the weather was a little iffy. It rained while we were driving up there, but was dry (although VERY humid!) the whole time we were there! And thankfully, it was cool enough for the animals to want to get out and play, so we didn't have to worry about trying to point them out to Addie. It was great! We ate a quick lunch there, decided it was time to go home (Addie & Olivia were getting sleepy), and it started raining on us as we were leaving! We couldn't have timed it much better than that :)

Here are some pictures!

"Daddy, look!"
(She was probably saying, "Sthat?")

Addie and Olivia checking out the meerkat!

Cougar cubs - check out the size of those paws! Yikes!

Addie wanted to walk, so she held Daddy's hand! Then she held both of our hands at the same time and was SO happy! :)

The merry-go-round - Addie was NOT impressed! But look at Olivia's big smile! CUTE!


And. She's. Spent...

My 100 things...

My friend Amber had this on her blog and I decided I'd participate, too! It was a struggle to come up with 100 things, but once I hit 100, I bet I could've listed 10 more. Funny how that works :)

So here it is - 100 things about me (some of them are just random thoughts that popped into my head at the time I made the list). Enjoy!

1. I knew I would love being a mom, but I had no clue just how much!
2. I secretly would love to be involved in politics, but I don’t think anyone would vote for me because my political beliefs are so moderate.
3. Oh yeah, that, and that I’d NEVER put my family through that lifestyle!
4. There are days when I am very thankful I work outside the home.
5. There are other days when I cry having to leave Addie at daycare.
6. I am amazed at everything Addie learns at her “school,” and wonder if I’d do as good of a job if I were the only one teaching her! (I know, I know…)
7. I am a truly messy person. I try, try, TRY to keep the house clean, but I just get overwhelmed. But the mess does bother me.
8. I married an equally messy person. The problem is, messes don’t bother him!
9. I am ready to find a church that we truly love, but feel overwhelmed by the task.
10. I was baptized alongside my brother, when I was 13, and cherish that moment every day.
11. I wish my brother and I were as close as we used to be, and I miss the fun times we used to have!
12. Before I was pregnant, I wanted a boy SO badly! But about a month before my ultrasound, I just started thinking we were having a girl, and I think I would’ve been disappointed otherwise.
13. I still cried a tiny bit out of jealousy when my best friend called to tell me she was having a boy, even though I was THRILLED with the thought of having a girl!
14. John Michael and I had Addie’s name picked out for months, but could never agree on a boy name (we were leaning towards Jackson, though, and calling him Jack, after JM’s grandfather).
15. John Michael really wants to still have a boy, but I think it would be fun to have another girl so that Addie could show a little sister all the fun girly things that sisters get to share.
16. I would be just as thrilled to have a boy, and I actually change my mind each day as to which I would prefer. :)
17. I LOVED being pregnant, even though I had morning sickness for five weeks.
18. I agree with Amber – childbirth wasn’t so bad! I told my friend that same day, “Yeah, I’d do it again!”
19. That was before I realized it would hurt for me to sit down for about a month! Ha ha ha. Sorry, TMI…
20. I’d still do it again, and look forward to having another child soon.
21. I breastfed Addison for nearly 10 months. My “goal” was 6 weeks. I’m very proud of that accomplishment, because I am a working mom and that entailed me having to pump 3 times a day in the locker room of my company. I did at least get to lock the door and everything.
22. I found myself being a total breastmilk snob and didn’t let Addie have any formula until my body just couldn’t keep up with her.
23. I have to admit that I enjoyed how easy formula is when it was time for us to use it for Addison!!
24. I am a Tennessee Volunteer and wear orange every Friday before a football game (and of course, on every game day)!!!
25. I followed John Michael to college. I can freely and proudly admit that now, although I never would’ve admitted that in college :)
26. John Michael and I have been married for over 5 years, but started dating almost 11 years ago, after we met my sophomore year and his senior year of high school.
27. I cannot have my feet covered up when I sleep. Because of this, I never tuck the top sheet under the mattress when putting new sheets on a bed. I also have to untuck the sheets whenever I sleep in a hotel bed.
28. I also like to have a fan blowing on my legs and feet when I sleep! This also serves to drown out JM’s snoring – ha ha ha.
29. If you’ve told me your birthday once, it’s very likely I still remember it. I have a crazy memory for numbers.
30. I buy birthday/anniversary/thank you cards, but rarely get them sent out!
31. Although I have written most of them, I still haven’t sent Addie’s thank you cards for her birthday out! The shame!!! :(
32. I truly enjoy giving more than receiving – although I’d be lying if I said I don’t enjoy receiving thoughtful gifts, too.
33. I consider my birthday a HUGE holiday (it actually is a national holiday – United Nations Day!).
34. Not only do I love my birthday, but I love others’ birthdays too! I get so excited!
35. I’ve been counting down to my birthday for over a month already, and I still have a month and a half to go. I hope I never grow out of this.
36. I floss at least once a day!
37. I still get cavities because I love to eat sweets.
38. I made it 6 months into my pregnancy without caffeine before I decided we’d all be better off if I just had one small cup of coffee each morning. It was also my way to try to begin teaching Addie the difference between night and day, since her favorite time to “play” in my tummy was when I wanted to sleep!
39. It worked! She was a good sleeper from the time we brought her home, and slept through the night consistently before she was two months old!
40. I suffered from the “baby blues” pretty badly after Addie was born, but thankfully, never had to seek medical advice (just lots and lots of family support and prayers!).
41. I am in my fourth year of law school, and hope to graduate next year!
42. After I graduate, I would like to start a small firm and work part time to have more time with my child(ren).
43. I gained almost 20 pounds from the time of my engagement til when John Michael and I moved back to Nashville, a year after we got married.
44. Because I knew we’d be thinking about starting a family within the next few years, I did Weight Watchers to get to an acceptable weight (in my own mind) that would be a healthy “starting point” for a pregnancy. I lost all 20 pounds.
45. I gained 29 pounds during my pregnancy and was back to my pre-pregnancy weight within 3 months. I think this was due to breastfeeding a little monster :)
    
46. My parents always call me Krissy or Krissy Leigh. A few of my close friends do, too! I almost decided to go by Krissy at school one year, but decided against it at the last minute.
47. I bake a few cookies for John Michael and myself almost every night – gotta love the break ‘n bake! It’s become one of our little “things.”
48. I’ve discovered that the Kroger brand snickerdoodles are the BEST break ‘n bakes.
49. I am not a huge fan of driving. Okay, I admit – I hate to drive! I always have. I even put off getting my driver’s license for like 3 months after I turned 16!
50. I get my eyebrows done on a regular basis (probably not regularly enough!). I thank my sweet mother-in-law for her gift cards to my favorite day spa to have this done!
51. I am blessed to have been raised by the most loving, wonderful parents in the world!
52. I am equally blessed to have wonderful in-laws. I absolutely adore my mother- and father-in-law and think they did a fantastic job raising their sons.
53. John Michael and I both look to our parents quite often for guidance and feel so fortunate that we have such AWESOME mentors!
54. I have so enjoyed watching our parents in their roles as grandparents. They are all so giving and selfless in helping us raise our daughter.
55. I am a spelling geek. I actually won second place in the Williamson County spelling bee in sixth grade, and went on to the state bee. I lost in the first round on the word “dumbbell.” I left one of the Bs out. What a dumbbell…
56. I just started a new job and am not enjoying being the “new kid.”
57. I am a perfectionist and am so hard on myself when I make mistakes (hence why I am NOT enjoying being the new kid).
58. I love flowers, but don’t like the scent of most of them.
59. I have a black thumb. John Michael does our landscaping.
60. I am a compulsive e-mail checker. If you want to get information to me quickly, send me an e-mail! But, I only write back when I have time to send a thoughtful response :)
    
61. I love to cook but find myself making the same things over and over again.
62. I don’t exercise enough, but just joined a gym for FREE with my new job!
63. I enjoy red wine.
64. Ever since I had Addie, I can only drink about half a glass of wine before I’m tipsy! So annoying. I guess it could be considered good sometimes though – hehe.
65. When I get home from school on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, I go up to Addie’s room, pick her up, and hold her for little while. She never wakes up!
66. I hope she is always as sound of a sleeper as she is now! :)
67. My favorite feature about myself would have to be my hands.
68. I desperately need a manicure, but I do NOT enjoy them!
69. I also don’t enjoy massages. I know, I’m weird! I think I just haven’t had a “good” one.
70. I do enjoy pedicures!
71. I broke a bone in my foot once when I stubbed my pinky toe.
72. I am a Delta Gamma and would be thrilled if Addie wants to join a sorority (especially if it were DG – ha ha) when she is in college.
73. I enjoy a show on the SciFi channel called “Eureka.”
74. I’m not a sci-fi geek, honest!
75. I enjoy ridiculous movies. If most people think it’s a waste of film, it’s probably on my top ten list.
76. I played the piano for 8 years and was pretty darn good!
77. I also played the flute for 5 years. I was never any good…
78. My husband wants 5 children.
79. I want 2 children, and we AGREED on 2 before we got married. John Michael!!!!! :)
80. I don’t do well with change.
81. I just told JM I was running out of things to say and he told me to say that I’m a wonderful mother. So I’m putting it, because I think he knows what he’s talkin’ ‘bout ;)
82. My favorite part of every day is when Addie walks over to me to sit in my lap and read a book.
83. My second favorite part of every day is bedtime, because I’m usually exhausted by that time!
84. I’ve never had a credit card because I don’t think I’d be responsible with one!
85. I worked at TJ Maxx for 3 years and do not like shopping there. I hate having to hunt for things!
86. I once backed into a parked tractor trailer.
87. I ran over a dog a couple of years ago and cried hysterically off and on for three days about it! I couldn’t even pull over to see if he was okay! (I’m pretty sure that was a negative – he was a little yap-yap dog and I drive a small SUV :( ).
88. I got hit by a deer a few years ago. It ran right out and hit my drivers’ side window with its hoof, knocked off the mirror, then bounced down the side of the car! THEN it got up and ran away!!!!
89. I nickname my cars. The car that the deer hit was from then on out known as the “Deer-mobile.” I have also had the “Check Engine-mobile” and the “Katie-mobile.”
90. I have an amazing husband, and he is also an amazing father!
91. I was dreading having a last name that was a vegetable, but now I love it and collect corn stuff! I swear, I thought I’d be dead before I’d do that! :)
92. I read all seven Harry Potter books in a little over one month.
93. I like to eat cereal for dinner sometimes (when JM is out of town).
    
94. I don’t really believe in horoscopes, but if you look up the “definition” of someone born on the cusp of libra and scorpio, you’ll find a pretty accurate description of me!
95. I have never really figured out how to do my hair right, although I think the Chi is the best invention in beauty products since mascara.
96. I was almost 9 before I learned to ride a bike!
97. I have bad luck keeping hair stylists – they always seem to move!
98. I use exclamation points WAY TOO MUCH!!!
99. I am overall a very happy person, although I am becoming cynical in my “old age.” :)
100. Last, but certainly not least, I am amazed every day by the miracle of my daughter’s birth. What an amazing gift God has given me, and what a wonderful and blessed life I lead!

It's FOOTBALL time in TENNESSEE!

Yippee! I can't believe it's already here! We started yesterday morning out by getting Addie in her Vols cheerleader outfit first thing! We woke Daddy up by singing "Rocky Top" - it doesn't get much better than that :) We did end up having to change to a different dress though, because the cheerleader outfit looked scratchy to me (it comes with a turtleneck, but it's obviously too hot for that right now)!

Anyway, the game didn't go quite as planned, but we still had a blast! We went to Lynn and Kris' and watched the game with them, and also with my old roomie Elizabeth, and Lynn's sister Lee came over, too. We had so much fun and taught Addie and Holland to say "Touchdown!" We're working on "Go Vols!" still. We even thought we'd compromise with "Go Ball!" I'll keep you posted :)

Tonight we had a great time, too - we had Lynn, Kris and Holland, and Leslie and Skye over for dinner! It was so nice outside, so we got to eat out there. You'll notice in the pictures the beeeautiful fence. I have to brag and say that John Michael did it all by himself (with a little help from his dad). He is still going to be doing a top lattice-work part, but at the very least right now we have a FENCED-IN YARD!! Yippeeee! That means no worrying about Hops being outside, and no worrying about Addie and Holland running out in the street! I'm so proud of my husband. I think I'll keep him... ;)

Anyway, Addie is doing great. She is really comprehending SO much lately! She can follow directions very well, knows almost all animals by sight and can point to them when asked, and her vocabulary is expanding daily! She can also make animal sounds, too (I'm totally stretching the truth on this one - I'll have to post a video as to her interpretation of how animals "go" :)). It is just amazing to watch her learn and grow. It's as if everything just "clicks" with her lately. She's such a smart, smart girl! I'm so proud of her!

Picture time!

Addie and Holland on their "couch" (and Addie not looking at the camera...)


Addie and Holland cheering on the Vols!

"TOUCHDOWN!!!"



My little DG legacy :)

Holland sitting on the Cornhole game and eating the bags!


Holland & Addie, ready for game time!

Fun weekend and ch-ch-ch-changes!

This post is actually about last weekend, but I'm just now getting around to posting it!

We had a very fun weekend! We started off Friday with dinner at Lynn & Kris' house with all of us, and also with Leslie & Skye! We had a great time celebrating MY NEW JOB! (I'll get to that later). It was so much fun, and Addie went down in Holland's pack 'n play at her normal bedtime, so we didn't even have to leave early! We actually stayed until midnight (yikes!).

Saturday, Addie and I met my mom, grandma, my cousin Stephanie and her mom, and my cousin's sister-in-law (Jackie) and her baby (Anya - so my second cousin!). It was so much fun! Anya is almost 8 months old and is getting so close to crawling. She is such a beautiful, happy baby. She looks so much like my cousins! Addie had fun with her but wasn't too sure about playing with her. She just liked smiling at her. Too cute! She also liked running through Stephanie's house, trying to get me to follow her (which I did, because I wasn't sure how babyproofed Steph's house was - okay, really I just didn't think she'd be crazy about a toddler running loose in her home!). So Addison thought it was hilarious that I followed her everywhere. Addie - 1, Mommy - 0. :)

Saturday night was fun, too! John Michael and I went with his parents (and their co-worker, Mandy) to the Alison Krauss concert. It was awesome. She has such a beautiful voice - we kept saying she sounds like an angel, and I'm sure that is probably true! :) We had such a good time, and Addie spent the evening with her Mimi & PawPaw and had a blast. The only bad thing was when we picked her up! I went up to my old room (now my parents' guest room/Addie's room) to get her from her crib there, and I could smell that something wasn't right. The poor baby had gotten sick in the crib! My mom and I gave her an emergency midnight bath - that went over like a lead balloon. Anyway, we think that was a fluke, because she didn't get sick at any point after that, and she hadn't gotten sick before that! She seemed to be feeling pretty good and was playing great! We are thinking she coughed (she and JM have had a cold) and kind of gagged herself. Poor punkin'!!

So I guess the last piece of news is my new job! I just started a new job as the legal secretary for the City of Franklin. I am very excited about it, because it will allow me to spend a lot more time with Addie, and is going to allow me to use my legal education. Please be thinking and praying about me as I make this huge change :)

Now, since I've been getting picture demands...

With her markers!

Addie loves trying on Mommy's shoes!

Addie using her spoon like a big girl!
(Disregard the ravioli ALL OVER HER BODY...)

We had lunch in the living room because Daddy was mopping the kitchen!
(We needed to mop in the living room after lunch, too!)

15-month checkup!

Today was Addie's 15-month checkup with the pediatrician! First, I have to say that I can't believe that she is 15 months old! Where does the time go?! It flies by too quickly...

Anyway, the visit went great! Dr. Hood said she is "perfect" (which we already knew :)). She is still a little peanut, measuring 29 1/2 inches long and weighing 20 pounds, 9 ounces. I am pretty sure she lost a little weight this past week, though, because she had an ear infection (clogged tube, bummer!) and she also got two new teeth (to bring her total to 10!), which really seemed to affect her appetite - and at her ER visit a few weeks ago, she was 20 pounds, 6 ounces. So, both measurements put her in the 25th percentile. Dr. Hood said that is perfectly fine!

Addie made sure to show off all of her new skills (talking, running, and just being her normal cute self) and made Dr. Hood laugh a lot. She was such a good girl until the very end, when it was about lunch time (and getting very close to nap time...). We had scheduled the appointment for 9:30, but they were running a bit slow today, so she started to get fussy. Then came the shots. She was NOT pleased about those. It was definitely the worst reaction she's had so far (just crying, but I swear, she acted like the nurse was trying to kill her!). But overall, a wonderful visit to the doctor! 3 more months til the next one, God willing...


And...I just realized I haven't uploaded any new pics, and I'm at school right now...I'll do that tomorrow evening, and post them right afterwards!

Hope everyone is staying relatively cool!

Update!

Well, a little over one week later, Addie has no symptoms of wheezing or her cold! Yay! That day was so scary - we ended up having our first (hopefully last!) visit to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. As soon as I finished my last blog entry, I woke Addie up from a nap (she had missed her normal naptime with our trip to the pediatrician). I noticed that she was already wheezing again, and it had only been an hour since her last treatment (which was supposed to last 4 hours). I called the nurse and we counted her respirations. Addie was starting to panic a little again, so I knew she was working harder than normal. Anyway, she had 50 breaths in one minute and they like to see 40, so the nurse told me to take her on up to the emergency room. Reminder again that John Michael was out of town for all of this. I called my parents, freaking out (of course!) and asked them to meet me. I held Addie down and gave her her inhaler to try to calm her breathing (this was faster than the 15-minute nebulizer treatment, although she HATES the inhaler). I also called Cindy, John Michael's mom, and she met us up there as well. I have to say that I was VERY impressed by Vanderbilt. They had Addie back within 10 minutes and had the respiratory team in there checking her out. They gave her another treatment and monitored her. It turned out that the steroid that the pediatrician had given her that afternoon had just not quite kicked in, so the albuterol wasn't making it all the way to where it needed to be in her lungs. Phew! We finally got home a little after midnight. What a long day!

Anyway, last Friday, we saw Dr. Hood for the follow-up and she decided to put Addie on a twice daily preventive medication (Pulmocort). We give it to her through the nebulizer in the morning and again at night. There is a medicine that we can give her through the inhaler (which would be much faster and probably less annoying for Addie, who cannot stand to be still for any amount of time :)), however, she is currently freaked out by the sight of the inhaler. We are hoping to get her re-accustomed to it over the next few weeks (you can imagine we'll be giving her stuffed animals breathing treatments :)).

So before I post some pictures, I just wanted to thank everyone SO much for your prayers and good thoughts. We truly appreciate it and thank God for friends like all of you!

Addie and her "pony!"
(Look at that hair!!!!!)

Addie's princess chair!

The princess chair again! Addie is very possessive of this chair and doesn't even like for John Michael or me to be in it (we're trying to teach her the concept of sharing, honest!). Ha ha ha...


A flying princess chair!
(Can you tell we just finished reading Harry Potter? Think Hagrid's flying motorbike... :))

Sometimes I like to give her messy foods just 'cause it's cute :)
Check out the ravioli unibrow - ha!
(Aunt Elizabeth made this bib for Addie at one of my baby showers!)



After playing with her magnetic alphabet, Addie couldn't figure out why this pen cap wouldn't stick to the refrigerator! Too cute!

Scary day

So today was probably the scariest day I've ever had since being a mom. First, I'll go ahead and say that Addie is fine and was never in any true life-or-death danger. But...

Addie and I both came down with a cold this weekend. My throat was a little scratchy on Friday, but I just wrote it off as allergies. Unfortunately, Addie started sneezing, coughing, and having a runny nose yesterday, so I knew that we either are allergic to the same thing, or both had a cold. Anyway, last night, she coughed a lot, and had a hard time falling/staying asleep at first, but ended up sleeping through the night without a problem (Thank God!). This morning when she woke up, she seemed okay, but a little congested.

Around 10 a.m., I noticed she was wheezing a little bit. I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned it here before, but last November, she had her first episode of wheezing, and the doctors gave her an albuterol inhaler. She has had to take it three times since then; each time it has worked almost immediately and she has gone back to playing like nothing was ever wrong.

Not so much today. I gave her the inhaler around noon (after she took a nap without a problem), and when she was still wheezing after 30 minutes, I decided to call the pediatrician's office. Oh, of course, this is all happening as JM just left to go out of town for the night - argh. ANYWAY, the nurse told me she'd like to play it safe, and for me to go on and bring her in, and that she'd work it out with the receptionist. That made me a little panicked, because in the past, they've just said, "Keep an eye on her, count her respirations, etc."

SO - on we went to the doctor's office. She was fine in the waiting room (a little fussy, but only because I wouldn't let her explore due to the other sick kids in the room). By the time we got back to be seen, she was obviously having more trouble breathing. The nurse took her O2 levels, and they were fine (98), but the look on the nurse's face told me everything wasn't okay. She stepped out and the doctor rushed in. By this time, Addie's chest was heaving like crazy, her nostrils were flaring, and she was freaking out. The doctor had the nurse immediately start her on the breathing treatment nebulizer, and THANK GOD, her breathing calmed down almost at once.

Oddly enough, her O2 levels were lower (95) after the treatment, which makes me think they must have gotten pretty low in the short time between the first reading and the treatment.

Okay, so the doctor told us that it was the time for the official diagnosis of asthma. This isn't a huge shock, since John Michael and his mom both have it, but still an understandable disappointment. He said I'll need to give her the nebulizer treatment every four hours for the next 24 hours, and then twice daily for the rest of the week. Then we'll have a follow-up with our regular pediatrician on Friday (we saw the on-call doctor today - which leads me to have to do a brief sales pitch (or whatever) for our pediatrician's office - Pediatric Associates of Franklin. We LOVE them - every single one of them). He said that she will probably put Addie on a prophylactic treatment to try to prevent another attack.

Geez.

I know asthma is very common. I know millions of people live healthy, active lives with it. But still, it scared the poo out of me to see my baby unable to breathe! I just thank God that we were in the doctor's office when the whole thing happened.

Phew.

Next post - only adorable pictures of the baby, I promise :)

Okay, I have a confession...

The real reason that I've been so absent from blogging lately is that I have a new addiction: Harry Potter!!! I put off reading the books for years, because they didn't seem like "my type." But for Addie's birthday, Lynn, Kris, and Holland sent her (us :)) the complete set (books 1-6). John Michael started reading them, and when he was on the 3rd book by the end of the week that he started them, I knew there had to be something good about them. So I picked up the third book, and it was all downhill from there :)

I finished all six books in a little over a month. So that's what I've been doing after Addie goes to bed, or when she's napping on the weekends.

With that being said, John Michael and I are waiting patiently for our pre-ordered copy of Deathly Hallows to arrive. I feel like it's Christmas Day!!!!! :)

Cute little booger...

One of the times my parents watched Addie for us while we were on vacation, she discovered the box to her booster seat. It became her favorite toy of the week. We all watched her play in it one morning after breakfast - that was our favorite pasttime of the week!

Vacation wrap-up!

I haven't blogged in forever, but it's only because we've been so busy! We went to the beach (St. Augustine) the week of 6/23 to 6/30. We had SO much fun! We rented a condo next to the one my parents rented and it was a wonderful week! And Addie had her first flights! She did so great. We were very proud of her. On the way down, she was a perfect angel. We didn't buy her a seat (next time we will - I just think she would have been more comfortable in her car seat) but she sat in my lap without too much wiggling :) The way back was a little different, but she still only fussed for about two or three minutes total - and it turned out that she was getting sick, which we found out when we got home. It also may have been because it was so early - our flight left at 6:40 a.m. Eastern time, so we had gotten up at 4:00. We almost missed the flight, too, due to the security backup at the Jacksonville airport! What an adventure...

Anyway, the week was perfect - we spent about an hour at the beach each morning (not quite enough for my liking :)), then would go in for Addie's nap time. The afternoons consisted of either more beach time, pool time, park time, or Mimi & PawPaw time :) John Michael and I really enjoyed spending so much time together, too, and went on three whole dates while we had "built-in" babysitters (thanks Mom & Dad!!!! We love you!!!).

Addie had a blast at the beach and ate plenty of sand! That's why you'll notice her paci in her mouth for most of the pictures - it was the only way to keep shells out of there. She had so much fun knocking down sandcastles as her Daddy built them, and she also really enjoyed the water! She was just too cute, and we had tons of strangers coming up to tell us how cute she is (duh! ;))

We also had a good time visiting my family - my dad lived in St. Augustine til he met my mom, and I still have aunts and uncles there (he's the youngest of nine). It was so great to see everyone, and Addie had a good time with her cousin Ben, who is 11. He kept sitting in her little travel booster seat (while it was on the floor, after dinner). She was NOT ready to share, and kept trying to push him out from behind, or pull him out by his collar. TOO cute! Everyone was laughing hysterically at her, and all she wanted was her little seat! The sharing thing will be fun to tackle soon :)

It was a perfect vacation - we really can't wait til the next one!!

So now, it's picture time!

Addie climbing to her favorite place, the end of the beach chair!

Some of Addie's new favorite toys, "shats" (shoes)!



Hunting shells!



"I could swear there were some Teddy Grahams in here somewhere!"



"Take that, sand castle!"
(er, sand blob...)


She stepped into this and thought it was hilarious!



"Woohoo! I'm ready to dig!"


In the condo on our last day there
(shameless picture to show her cute curly hair, I admit :))

A weekend away

This past weekend was different, to say the least! John Michael's best friend from high school and college, Nick, got married, and he was the best man in his wedding! He got married in Atlanta, and when they announced the date a little over a year ago, we decided it would be a good weekend away, just the two of us. So we did it! I almost chickened out at the last minute and wanted to take Addie, but we ended up going alone and had a great time. We definitely missed her like CRAZY, but it was a nice adult weekend. And the funny thing was that most of the bridal party was away from their kids for the first time, so we kept each other occupied very well!

It was so much fun to see our friends and to catch up! I had a few teary moments, but nothing a phone call to my parents to check on Addie couldn't take care of! The hotel where we stayed (and where the reception was) was very nice - the Evergreen Resort in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Our room had a balcony overlooking the lake - it was beautiful! We would definitely go back again. And of course, Nick and Christie's wedding was beautiful too! We really enjoyed seeing them and spending time with them, and also John Michael's other roommate, Alan, and his wife Cindy. Cindy and I enjoyed our Saturday (while the boys were doing wedding stuff) by getting pedicures at the hotel spa! See? I told you we stayed busy to keep our minds off missing the babies (their son Jacob is 17 months old)!!

Early Sunday morning, we met my college best friend, Kendall, and her boyfriend Brayden, for breakfast. It was so great to see her - it has been over 2 years since we last saw each other, and we are trying to get better at staying in touch!

Addie had a blast with her grandparents (she stayed with my parents Friday night and John Michael's parents on Saturday night). She was definitely well on her way to being spoiled and made sure we knew it by testing her limits with us Sunday evening at home :) She was thrilled to see us though, and was not happy about me leaving the room even for a second that evening! It was amazing to see how much better she had gotten with her walking, even in two days!

It will definitely be a long while before I'm ready for a weekend away again. But we're excited, because we're all going to Florida at the end of this month with my parents! YAY! You'll see in the pictures from this weekend that the sun will be good for me... :)

Yeah, yeah, I know I'm pale...

And I just realized that's the only really good picture I took this weekend! I'll get more from Cindy and post them later...

Silly me!

I forgot to post the most exciting news from the past couple of weeks - Addie is officially walking. She had been taking a few steps here and there for a little over a month, but she's now walking almost all the time (as opposed to crawling). She is absolutely ADORABLE when she walks, and it is amazing to watch her determination - if she falls, she gets up without a second thought and just keeps on going.

I took this little movie with our camera. She has her paci because it's almost bedtime :)

Welcome, Maddie!

Today, I had an exciting day! I got to spend time with two of my good friends from work, Ashley and Beth. Ashley and I went to Murfreesboro to visit with Beth, who just had her first baby, Madelyn Elizabeth, on May 21! Maddie is an absolute doll - she is beautiful and has the sweetest disposition! I am so happy for the whole family! Congrats Beth & Derrick!

What a little peanut! Maddie was 6 pounds, 1 ounce when she was born!

Ashley, Madelyn, and Beth




Just us girls!

A busy few weeks!

We have been so busy the past few weeks, but have had so much fun! I finished school for the semester on May 15! It was such a relief to be done for a little while. Then, on May 18, John Michael and I had our fifth anniversary! Where has the time gone?!? We went out to dinner to celebrate and had such a good time! We laughed, because when we were on our honeymoon, we decided our "plan" would to return to the British Virgin Islands in five years to begin trying to begin our family! HA HA HA...Obviously, we decided we were ready sooner than that, and now we have our sweet Addie. Anyways, I am so lucky to have John Michael. He is a wonderful husband and father and Addie and I both love him to pieces!

THEN, this weekend, we had Addie and Holland's joint birthday party. It was SO much fun! We had an awesome crowd there and I think everyone had a blast! Both kiddos were absolutely adorable and they both got lots of wonderful gifts. Thank you so much to everyone who was able to be there!

Lynn and I had fun planning and putting everything together (including the cakes, which turned out AWESOME - yes, I'm tooting our own horns - I'll post pics of them as soon as someone sends me some)! She never ceases to amaze me with how great she is at things like this! I think I learned a lot from her this week, and also from our friend Leslie. Thanks, and love you both! And an extra special thank you to the Drs. D'Amico, for letting us have the party at their home!
We love you guys!

Now...for the pictures!

"Hmm...this could be good - don't you think, Holland?"



"Yup! It's not too shabby!"




"But enough of being dainty - I'm going in!"




"Now that's more like it!"




"Seriously? This is child's play!"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ADDISON!

Well, Addie is officially ONE YEAR OLD! Where did the time go?! It seems just like yesterday that she was born. The year has flown and has been absolutely awesome. She has changed so much and is doing so many fun things. She never ceases to amaze us! She is almost walking (she takes steps but seems more content to crawl for the time being), has six teeth, has about five verbal words (although lately, everything is a "hyat!"), and can sign "more," "all done," and "outside." Each day is more fun than the one before it, and we have a hard time believing our friends who tell us that it just keeps getting better!

Addie had her one-year checkup on Friday, and Dr. Hood was very happy with her development! She is still a petite little princess - 25th percentile for both height and weight (28 1/2" long and 19 lbs., 8 oz.). We are supposed to move fully to whole milk now - that has been fun so far! She also eats pretty much everything we eat now, and lets us know whether or not she likes something by dropping it to the floor :)

Today we had such a fun time. We had a little party for Addie - my parents (Mimi and PawPaw), John Michael's parents (Gramma and Granpa), my grandmother (Gigi), and John Michael's grandparents (Gran and Pop) came over to celebrate Addison's birthday! Everything went so great and Addie put on quite a show! We pretty much just all sat around and watched her the whole time. What could be better?! :)

Here are some pictures from the past few days.

On Thursday, Addie's birthday!


We were playing the game "Clap your hands if it's your first birthday today!"
We got it on video, too - I'll post it if I can ever figure out how :)



From today's party, with Gigi. We learned our lesson and had her wearing only a diaper this time!


Gramma, Mimi, Gran, Granpa, Pop, PawPaw, and Gigi - all watching Addie Leigh!
(Pop used to be the chief photographer for The Tennessean, Nashville's newspaper, which is why his camera is all fancy schmancy ;))


The cake! I got it from Publix. It's supposed to be a "1" but looks kinda funny to me :) No big deal - it was YUMMY! The little cake to the right was the one Addie was smooshing. Publix gives you the baby's cake for free when you buy a big cake! Woohoo!



Addie's new crocodile toy. It has these cute blocks that stick in the top. She's obsessed...



Four generations!
We also got one of my mom, grandma, Addie and me - but not on our camera. I'll post that one as soon as I get a copy!

Finals time and a preview

So sorry I've been away from blogging for so long! It's finals time at school. I actually only have one exam this year, but it's in Bankruptcy Law and it's even more complicated (and boring) than I expected. But it'll be done in less than a week, and hopefully I'll be back in the swing of things!

Addie's birthday is tomorrow! I can't believe it. One year ago today was my due date. We had gone in on May 8th and set an induction appointment, so I knew (pretty much, at least) that she'd be born on the 10th. We were so excited! I didn't sleep at all that night, knowing that sometime the next day, Addie would be born! What a wonderful day it was. But I'll save that story for the birthday post and instead post some pictures from the past few weeks.

We had chocolate chip waffles - mmm! But I'm a little embarrassed about the mess on my face...




Yay! Open, close, open, close!

(John Michael and I got this outfit for Addie before she was born - we had gotten so many 0-6 months clothes at our baby showers that we decided to exchange a few duplicate outfits for some "big girl" clothes)


Pre-birthday celebration with Aunt Lynn, Uncle Kris, and Holland. I made cupcakes for us instead of a big cake - that will come Saturday!



And *this* is how you eat a cupcake!



Yummy! Cake is my new favorite food, Mom!

We had to take the kiddos for a bath immediately after cake - I guess we'll have a few more rounds of this between now and Holland's official birthday, June 2!


My new laptop from Aunt Lynn, Uncle Kris, and Holland! Holland and I will be blogging in no time!