23 Months

Another month has flown by!  Addy has become more of a parrot and we have to be super careful on what we say around her!  She is trying to become more & more independent in everything she does.  Her 2nd birthday is creeping up on us and I really have to get my party planning act in gear!  This month we also had a couple of firsts…getting our toenails & fingernails painted by Grandma and swinging on the big kid swings!  At the end of August we were lucky to have Nonna in town for a week and Uncle Adam for a few days.  It’s always fun having family in town and even better for Addison because she has more people to boss around!

Size Stats:  I swear Addy has had a growth spurt!  She feels a lot heavier and looks taller!  I weighed her at my parent’s house the other day and she was 27.0 lbs on the nose!  She is still wearing mostly 2T clothes, size 5 shoes and size 5 diapers.  
Development:    I don’t even know where to start!  Addison likes to walk up & down the stairs and will try to do so without holding someone’s hand…not gonna happen!  She will hold the railing and one of our hands to go downstairs and you can tell she is pretty pumped with herself.  She is able to name some shapes and colors (although green seems like a favorite because she almost always starts with that one).  She has learned to open & close the bedroom doors.  She is trying to open the sliding glass door, but thankfully it is too heavy for her!  She continues to expand her vocabulary and the amount of words she can say in one sentence.  Daycare has mentioned on several occasions that she is more “advanced” then most of the kids in her class when it comes to talking.  Right now her favorite phrase seems to be “No do that” aka don’t do that.  While she says it she wags her little finger back and forth.  It is really hard to not laugh at her!  She is just so serious about it!  Plus, to top things off, I think she can finally say “Cheese”!  She is doing a really good job pronouncing her S’s lately.
Personality:  I think she has her daddy’s mischievous side and my OCD side.  She is feisty but has the sweetest heart…if that makes sense! She’s a girl on a mission and doesn’t like someone trying to veer her in a different direction.  Addy is very particular about having a “clean” table when eating and will ask for a nap-in (napkin) in order to clean her space.  She is constantly wiping/cleaning things up but on the other hand isn’t afraid to get down and dirty outside.  She also has to put her baby perfectly in her little stroller before she can take a walk with it.  She will move baby around several times before she is just right.  She’s big into asking for help lately.  If she can’t figure something out or get what she is after, she says help, help!  In fact, now when she is in her crib she frequently yells out “Help Mommy, Help Mommy!”…I’m not sure whether I should laugh or cry.  On the one hand, I know she doesn’t technically “need” me, but then I start to think well wait, maybe she does!  I am pretty sure it is just another way for her to manipulate me!
Sleeping:  Sleep has been pretty good.  She has an 8 o’clock bedtime and will rise anywhere from 5 – 7…you can tell she is still tired when she wakes up around 5, but she just can’t seem to get herself to go back to sleep.  We have been told by daycare that she was falling asleep before naptime in random spots on her early rising days.  She’s a work in progress, but is doing so much better.  It’s amazing how much happier she is when she gets a good nights sleep!
Likes: She is so in love with Sofia that I’ve decided to throw a Sofia themed 2nd birthday party because of this obsession.  Her favorite foods are still Pizza and Mac & Cheese.  She asks for Mac constantly!  She has had a newfound love for puppy and Brinkley.  I think finally after 22 months Brinkley has really decided to like Addison!  She’s always been really good with her, but now they are definite buddies.  Two peas in a pod!  Addison very frequently stops what she is doing and goes over to ask for a kiss from Brinkley or to pet her.  Addy loves to run around naked right now!  After bath time, she jets out of the bathroom before I can even say “time to put a diaper on”.  So far we haven’t had any accidents, knock on wood, but I know I am playing with fire!  
Dislikes:   She gets so ticked off when it’s diaper changing time.  I think potty training will be a big priority as soon as she hits the 2 year old mark.  I thought about trying earlier, but daycare said they aren't equipped to help that process in the 1 year old room.  They have the little sinks and toilets starting in the 2 year old room.  
Pictures:  Here are some of my favorite pictures from this month...

22 Months

This past month we have fallen into a pretty fun nighttime routine.  We will give Addison a bath, then lay with her on our bed while she has her nighttime milk and watch a little TV.  After that, we turn the TV off for some singing and hanging out.  This is honestly my favorite time of the day.  She has us in hysterics most nights.  It’s just really fun to be all cuddly in bed before she goes down for the night.  We have been doing “family hugs” lately and she loves this…she even requests them!  We both then take her into her bedroom, get good night hugs & kisses and she is asleep sometimes before we even get downstairs. 

We had extra fun this month because we went up to NY on a whirlwind trip!  Our drive up to NY wasn’t the greatest.  We ended up stopping around 10:30 pm somewhere in Pennsylvania about 2 hours away from Endicott because Addy got sick all over the place.  It was a yucky mess, so we did some laundry, took baths and regrouped till the following day.  We had a lovely King Size bed for the 3 of us, but Addison is like glue and stuck to my side and crowded me!  It was great once we finally got to NY, but it was crazy.  Friday we had the rehearsal dinner for Justin’s cousin Nicole, Saturday was her wedding, Sunday I went to Katie’s McD’s baby shower and Monday we got on the road to head back to NC!  Addy was great on the car ride back.  We basically let her watch Mickey Mouse & Dora episodes all the way home (around 12 hours!?!).  It kept her happy and I think it keeps her focused so she doesn't get car sick!!

Size Stats:  Addison is about 26lbs, wearing mostly 2T clothes, size 5 shoes and size 5 diapers.  I think she has gotten a little taller because her hands just about reach the sink when standing on her stool in the downstairs bathroom. 

Development:  Addison is definitely putting sentences together.  Pretty sure I am going to count July 17th as the first day Addison said her first sentence.  It was, “Daddy come here, lay down”!  It all just flowed together perfectly!  When we were in NY for a wedding, she was yelling at the wildlife…”Deer, Come Here! I’m talking”!  She is pretty bossy actually!  She is able to look at me and say “I Love You, Mommy” or look at Justin and say “I Love You, Daddy”.  Her favorite song to request lately seems to be ABCD.  She’ll say ABCD which basically means she wants to sing the A,B,C’s.  She is pretty good at it!  She still enjoys Twinkle Twinkle, Happy Birthday, You Are My Sunshine and Baby Beluga.  She is getting better at jumping and loves to twirl in circles.

Personality:  Bossy, Sassy & Determined basically sum Addison up.  There are many times when she is sensitive, sweet & cuddly too.  She definitely has a sensitive side to her which I think I forget about because her other traits are so obvious.  She is so sweet to her babies & stuffed animals and gets genuinely concerned when something goes wrong when watching her shows.

Sleeping:  Sleep has still been going well, KNOCK ON WOOD!  She had some issues when we went to NY, but I think she just has a hard time sleeping anywhere but her crib.  She ended up in our bed every night when we were in NY, but whatever she needs more sleep than Justin & I.  If she is unhappy then we are all probably unhappy by association!

Likes: Sofia the First on Disney, she calls it Fia.  Now if only Disney would make a few more episodes!  Justin & I have seen the same 5 episodes one too many times! I swear if I have to hear the song, “I’m a Blue Ribbon Bunny” one more time, I may break the TV!  Pizzzaaa is a definite favorite food at the moment.  She loves to unload & reload her 2 bottom drawers in her room…which are shorts & pants.  It makes for quite the mess and I have decided I am no longer folding these items because she usually just destroys my beautiful work.  She likes to be alone in her room as well.  She’ll close the door and when you open it, she’ll yell “No Mommy, Out”!  Wonderful, her teenage years are already creeping in!

Dislikes:  Lately she dislikes unfamiliar men.  She’ll say No Guy when someone is near her that she doesn't approve of.  This isn't a horrible thing from her, so we usually just go with it and try to reassure her if it is someone who is OK.  She gets super funny about drool.  Like I said before, we lay in bed before her bedtime and often times she will drool on our sheets when rolling around.  She seems mortified of the drool and will ask for a napkin to wipe it up.  She has been blaming the drool on Daddy lately, but we know it’s really her!

Pictures:  Here are some of my favorite pictures from this month...

21 Months

This month has had its ups & downs.  When Addison is being sweet, she is soo soo sweet!  On the flip side, when she is miserable, she is really really miserable!  It makes for fun days that’s for sure!  In the end, Justin & I continue to feel so blessed to have a healthy and mostly happy child!


Size Stats:  Addison has leveled out right around the 25 lb mark.  She is still wearing size 5 diapers, but we jumped to a size 5 shoe!  Many of her 18 month clothing is getting too small, so it’s mostly 2T stuff going forward.

Development:  Addison has started to string together sentences!  It’s amazing to watch her try and put words together.  Sometimes they make sense, sometimes they don’t!  Just recently she has been singing Twinkle, Twinkle with us.  I literally started to cry one night because she sang so many words and her voice just sounds so pretty to me!  Her favorite word continues to be “NO”, but we have also added “ouch” to the equation.  If you try to hug her, give her a kiss, change her diaper, change her clothes or look at her the wrong way, she’ll yell OUCH!  It usually never really applies to what is going on, but she seems to think it does.  Addison has also went from BP to Brink-ka-lay…it is way too cute to hear her call out her name.  Lately she has been telling her I la-lou Brink-KA-lay (I love you Brinkley) and it melts my heart.  She really gets into her I Love You’s…full facial expression and emphasis on her words.

Personality:  Once again she is a hard-headed, determined child.  She definitely needs a firm “hand” and will test boundaries endlessly!  She is a child of a million expressions and each one of them cracks us up.  She is Justin’s mini-me when it comes to personality for sure. 

Sleeping:  Dear lord, where do I start?  We basically got to a point where Addison was in our bed every night.  She would rouse at some ridiculous hour and for sake of ease, I’d bring her in with us and let her watch TV or go back to sleep with us…BIG MISTAKE.  She got very use to this and one night when Justin went in to tell her it was bedtime and to go back to sleep, she was already standing with her blanket & puppy in hand ready to go.  We finally decided it was time to make her cry it out.  The first night Justin had to listen to her scream & cry for 1 ½ hours from 10:30pm to midnight!  I am so happy I was asleep, with my door closed, the TV on and the fan going because I heard none of it.  I don’t know how he did it, but I was very impressed and happy that he did.  He said it was super hard to listen to, but since he knew she was in no immediate danger it made it slightly easier.  The second night she decided to wake up at 3:45am…Justin is a heavy sleeper, so I am not sure how much he actually heard, but I heard it all.  I kept telling myself not to ruin what Justin started!  Addy finally decided to lie down and go back to sleep at 4:25, not bad!  I felt like I accomplished something even if it felt like torture.  The third night was better as well!  She only cried for about 20 minutes tops.  The nights after that she has made a few peeps, but nothing horrible!  Hallalejah!!  The poor thing just came down with a summer cold though, so I'm sure this will all change again!

Likes: She loves her Cozy Coupe Car that is at my parent’s house.  Whenever she starts to figure out that we are headed to my parents she starts saying car, car, my car. She gets in and out over and over again.  She’ll get a baby and put it in the backseat and drive it around as well.  She has fallen madly back in love with the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  Although, she never calls it Mickey, she always calls it Minnie.  She likes episodes where Minnie plays a big part.  If Minnie disappears, she keeps asking “where did she go”?

Dislikes:  There isn’t much to report here.  She has been hit or miss with diaper changes but seems to be getting better at it or at least more tolerant of it.

Pictures:  Here are some of my favorite pictures from this month...

20 Months

This month I had to admit to Justin that I was wrong...yup, imagine me being wrong!?  I had bought Addison a sandbox a month or so before and he warned me sand would be everywhere.  I didn't think it would be that bad and Addison would just LOVE it!  Well, the sand did get that bad and Addison sort of "liked" it...needless to say, I made the decision to empty it out and call it a day.  I then found a water table on CraigsList which is so much easier to deal with and Addison seems to find joy in any body of water!  I guess sometimes I should listen to my husband!

Moving on...
Size Stats:  Addy has hit her 25 lb mark.  She is pretty heavy to carry around!  She is wearing size 5 diapers, size 4 shoes (such tiny feet) and mostly 2T clothing.  She can still fit into a lot of 18 months clothes though!

Development:  Addison has become a pro at carefully getting of the bed and couch.  She knows to go onto her tummy and shimmy off.  This child continues to love to talk.  She is soo chatty!  This month, her favorite words seem to be, “Airplane, wa-lah (water), birthday and I did it”.  She could hear a loud car and she’ll look into the sky for an airplane, it’s so cute!  Her vocabulary just keeps getting bigger & bigger.  This month we switched her carseat from rear facing to forward facing.  Her legs were cramped facing backwards and the constant struggle of getting her to “behave” was enough to make me want to crash the car!  Her forward facing days have been much more enjoyable! 
Lately Addy has been calling Grandpa, Guppy.  I have no idea how it went from Pa-Pa or Bampa to Guppy, but that's where she is at!  It is sometimes frustrating when trying to decipher what she is saying, but man, she tries so hard!  In fact, lately she has been saying "Bobby" a lot!  At least that is what I think she is saying...we know no one named Bobby and we don't watch any shows with a Bobby as a character, so I am kind of freaked out!  I feel like she is seeing spirits or something!  I'm hoping that I am just misinterpreting something!

Personality:  We have a hard headed, determined child on our hands.  Addison doesn't even cower when we raise our voices!!  There was one day when she wouldn't stop trying to touch a night light and after several attempts of yelling I decided to slap her little hand…I did not get the reaction I had hoped for…she LAUGHED at me!!!  Justin and I looked at each other like what the heck!?!  She likes to stand on her Minnie Mouse chair and will only basically sit down when we go over to make her sit down.  Sometimes on a rare occasion, she will sit down when we ask her to.  My favorite new thing is when she sings.  She will scrunch her face up and shake her head from side to side and “sing”.  It cracks me up!!  She looks like she is putting her heart & sole into it!

Sleeping:  Ask me in 5 years...between teething, strep throat and a cold, our nighttime sleeping patterns have been all over the board!

Likes: This month we found out that she loves the sprinkler.  She also loves the baby pool at my parent’s house.  It stays out back on the deck and she has a ball.  She currently loves our neighbor’s water table.  Does anyone see a theme forming?  I just don’t get why water is so exciting, but it continues to be!  We also just got her a little car "coupe".  My mom let me bring it into her house and Addison played with it for awhile getting in & out and putting baby & polar (bear) into it.  

Addison has gotten a few new pairs of shoes and she loves them!  I’ll put them on her little feet and she immediately begins to walk towards the hard wood floors to test them out and see how they sound.  On our way to and from school, we listen to kids songs which she loves and I loathe!!  Some of them are soo horrible!!  They make me want to pull my hair out, but it keeps her happy & relatively quiet!
She is also on a pizza kick...she loooves pizza!  

Dislikes:  Still dislikes getting her diaper changed…Booo!

Pictures:  Here are some of my favorite pictures from this month...

Strep Throat

Can this poor kid catch a break!?  Addison's canines have been trying to come in for weeks now, which have been bothering her to know end!  Just this past Sunday (May 19th) Addy started acting more clingy then usual.  We had errands in our plans, so we dropped Addy off at my parents house and went on our merry way.  Once we got back to my parents, she was in full-blown mommy mode.  She definitely felt warm, but I thought maybe, just maybe those teeth were going to pop through!  
She went to bed well, but was soon awake around midnight.  She was burning up and was not a happy camper.  I could just tell she wanted to throw up and after hanging out downstairs for a little bit, she got sick to her stomach.  Thankfully it was the only time, but both her & I needed a bath after. I felt so bad for her!  We were still awake around 2:30 am, so I knew she wouldn't be going to daycare on Monday.  I sent a quick email to the director and we finally cuddled up and fell asleep in our bed with daddy & Brinkley.  By the time we woke up on Monday, I had an email back saying another toddler was out due to Strep throat...YUCK.  I decided to make Addy an appointment to get her checked out, just in case.  We really cuddled all day long on Monday until her appointment and well into the evening.  She just wanted to be rocked or held.  I finally gathered her up for her appointment & sure enough, her strep test came back positive.  We got a prescription for Amoxicillin and started in on the dosage.  She was to be on her meds for 24 hours before she should go back to school, so more of the same on Tuesday. By Tuesday afternoon she was looking & feeling a lot better.  She wasn't 100% but she was on her way to recovery.  My poor baby!  I hate it when she is sick!

Monday morning bath to bring that fever down!

Medicine + Chocolate milk = FAIL!

Hanging with Baby

Finally getting a little of her appetite back

Back to her old tricks...trying to stand on her chair!

19 Months

This month we've really started to notice how grown-up Addison seems.  She seems like such a little girl!  It is a sad/happy thing for me because while I love watching her grow, I still miss the days of having a little baby.  She is into EVERYTHING and loves all things outside. 

Size Stats:  Addy is right around that 25lb mark and I believe it!  There are days where she wants to be held more and my arms sure feel it.  On these days, I try to pass her off to her daddy who is much better at carrying her around.  When we went to Texas, my arms were so sore from carrying her around the airport.  

Development:  We have started to see Addy trying to climb onto the couch…I am very certain she will master this skill soon.  We have to be very careful about getting off the couch/bed/seats.  She just likes to fling her body with utter abandonment and hope she lands smoothly.  Addison is very busy and will rarely sit still for 5 minutes. We had a recheck awhile back with the ENT and her right ear was still giving her a slight problem.  It was still draining, but the doctor assured me this is normal.  10 more days of drops should do the trick, which it did!  Her ears as of Friday May 10th looked beautiful!

Personality:  We are still testing boundaries and ignoring us when we are reprimanding her.  I know she understands me when I say things.  For example, when she is in the bath tub, I’ll ask her to stand up so I can wash her legs & butt.  She’ll gladly stand up; I’ll wash her and then tell her she can sit back down.  BUT when I say OK  please stand up so you can get out of the bath tub, she acts as if I don’t even exist!  She’s very smart this one!  She’s at a point where she wants daddy smothering her with love & affection or him sitting back and not even looking at her.  It’s so weird, she’ll go from daddy, daddy, daddy to no, no, no in the matter of 2 minutes.  Someone please explain the logic here!  Her favorite words have been momma and NO!

Sleeping:  Once again, we were starting in on a good pattern.  I was hoping these 8pm to 6:30am nights lasted for a long time, but they didn't! When we were in Texas visiting my grandmother and aunt, she was all over the board.  She pretty much slept with me in bed, but still was very restless.  I think her teeth are playing a big part in no sleep.  She continues to wake up once a night and freak out.  

Likes: She likes to take our phones and take “selfies”.  She’ll hold the camera up and say cheese! I really think half the stuff she does is to see how everyone around her will react.  She recently discovered the drawer underneath my parent’s washing machine.  Thankfully my parents only have rags stored here because Addison really likes to unload this drawer and drag the rags around.  She does the same thing with my jewelry drawer, my t-shirt drawer and my shorts drawer!  Why can’t she mess with daddy’s drawers…he could care less if his things are in order or not!  Addison & our neighbor Charlotte (or as Addy calls her, Toe-Tie) love playing together.  They are so excited to see one another and play really well together.  Charlotte is about 4 months older then Addison so it’s fun to see what Addy will be “up to” next. We like to play with chalk out front of the house or head to different playgrounds.  Addison loves the slides, but we are trying to teach her to be more careful.  I am hoping that will come with time!  She’ll climb up the jungle gym then walk to the slide and keep trying to walk down it!  She doesn't completely get that she has to sit down and this terrifies me!  Addy loves the sandbox at school and on the different playgrounds we visit, much to her daddy’s dismay!  She loves to get messy and I honestly don’t care because she is usually having fun and I know a bath will fix everything.

Dislikes:  Addison still isn't pumped about getting her diaper changed…some days it’s a hit and some days it’s a miss!  I think she just doesn't like to sit still!  I can’t think of many more dislikes…she pretty much finds enjoyment out of anything!

Pictures:  Here are some of my favorite pictures from this month...

Our smiley girl!

Heading to church with Grandma & Grandpa

Pool time!

This is such a Rosplock face!

Enjoying the nice weather

Picture Day at School

Picture Day at School

Texas Trip

Right at the beginning of May, my mom, sister Michelle, Addison & I went to visit my Grandma, Aunt Diane & Uncle Wes in Austin, Texas.  We had made a similar trip a year ago that included my dad & sister Amanda, but we couldn't get all our schedules to match up this year. 

I was worried that Addison might have trouble flying this time around because a) she now had tubes in her ears & b) she can't sit still!  Much to my SURPRISE she was an A++ traveler!  She really was such a great baby on both flights to Texas and both flights home.  On the last leg of our trip, she literally fell asleep on me right before take off and slept until 10 minutes before we landed (2+hour nap).  I was hugely uncomfortable, but she was as cozy as could be.  Several people commented on how great she was on the flight and I was like yeah...she was sleeping people!  

The Texas weather turned cold pretty much the day after we got there, but it was a great trip regardless!  Shelly and Addison were able to enjoy the pool the day we got there, but not at all after!

My aunt found many things that her boys use to play with and brought them out for Addy to use.  She loved the little reclining chair and made it her own very quickly.  She also enjoyed bowls, spoons & Tupperware of all sorts!

We went to dinner one night which was easy to get to because it was right around the corner from the nursing home and in walking distance.  Addison was very well behaved thankfully!

It was so nice being able to visit and see my Grandma...my Grandma watched Addison's every move and found her very amusing.  We tried getting several group photos, but that proved to be incredibly difficult!  

Thankfully everything went really well and Addison was a superstar.  She even got use to airport pizza quickly and downed several slices on the way there and home!

TIME FLIES!!!

2013 Plane Flight

2012 Plane Flight 

2013 Hanging

2012 Hanging

2013 Car Ride

2012 Bumbo Time