Who needs toys....

Who needs toys to play with when you have..... (these pictures were all taken with my phone, so the quality of them isn't the best)

a suit case (I was trying to pack and she was taking everything out),


shoes,

laundry basket, clean/folded laundry,

mommy and daddy's jackets and shirts,

and bras.

Oh the joys of having a mobile baby! We definitely can't keep our eyes off her for too long :)

Holiday and 10 months (can't believe it) post to come!

9 months old

Addison turned 9 months old on Wednesday, December 2nd. We are completely in love with this little 'pumpkin'! We recently got a card in the mail from Stephen's oldest sister about 'Things you'll soon discover with your new baby girl,' and we both loved the words because they were so true. Here is what the card said:

"That raising your own princess beats any fairy tale. That a lot of great big people can be wrapped around one tiny finger. That a toothless smile can light up the world like instant sunshine. That watching her sleep is (sometimes) more satisfying than finding sleep yourself. And most of all...that there's no greater joy than having a little girl to love."

We went to the doctor today for her 9 month checkup, and here are her stats: weight- 16 lb. 15oz. (25%), height - 26.8 inches (25-50%), and head - 18.3 inches (>97%). She had not gained much weight in the past 3 months, so I was a little concerned since from birth to 6 months she hasn't had any trouble packing on the pounds. My doctor was not at all concerned. He said that her height and weight were average to above average up until now, but now her genetics have kicked in....meaning that she comes from small parents, so she's not going to be a big girl. He said her weight is just right for her size, so that eased my worries! You just worry so much about them gaining weight in the first 6 months, so now you have to get in the mind set that if they are healthy and developing normal then it's okay that they're not gaining a ton of weight. anyways, here are somethings i want to remember that she's doing at 9 months:

• crawling
• getting into everything. she loves shoes and will crawl to wherever she can spot a pair!
• continues to love books and being read to
• waves alot and will sometimes approximate 'bye-bye' when we say it
• claps
• starting to really mimic mom and dad when we babble with her. the other day at a restaurant, there was a kid throwing a fit across the room. everytime she'd hear him squeal, she'd squeal back...it was cute!
• babbling various consonant-vowel combinations
• still loves to be sung to
• getting feisty when things don't go the way she would like (don't know where she gets this from). this is usually worse when she's tired
• just got her first tooth
• loves layla! will frequently crawl to wherever she is to get a grab of her tail, ears, foot, and/or fur, and layla let's her do it for a brief time before she scurries off.
• we're starting to introduce some more finger foods, so this should be interesting!
  

Rocking on a little rocking chair outside of Cracker Barrel.


Addison with her cousins Maddie (left) and Karlie (right) on our Thanksgiving trip in Gulf Shores, AL. These girls gave Addison a lot of lovin' during the trip. Maddie had just given Addison her Hannah Montana blanket to 'play with'....so cute!

Here is a video of Addison on her 9 month birthday doing some of her new tricks:


Happy 9 months, Addison! We love you more than words can express!

Busy Couple of Weeks...

Well, Miss Addison has been busy this last couple of weeks. She has hit some motor milestones in a matter of weeks. On the 6th of this month, she started being able to go from being on her belly or on all fours and into a sitting position. Then a week later, on the 13th, she started crawling. This week she has become a more efficient crawler. Right now, she's just crawling to get things she wants, but I think it's only a matter of time before she's crawling to explore every inch of the house :) Our little girl is growing up so fast!

Here is a video of her on the day she started sitting herself up:

Here is a video of her crawling to get her book this afternoon. She loves books!

Eight months old!

Well, our little Addison is 8 months old today! I can't believe her first birthday is around the corner....it just doesn't seem possible! She is our gift from above, and we feel so blessed to be given her to raise. Her personality is coming through more and more everyday, and it's neat to see it happen :) Some things I want to remember that she's doing right now are:

• She will vocally play back and forth with us. If I squeal, she'll squeal back.
• I have heard her babble using the consonants /b, m, w/. She says 'mama' quite a bit. Even though I know it's not intentional when she does it, I still love it :) When she says it, I typically will say 'Do you want mama?' I can't help myself :)
• She is getting up on all fours, but I don't think crawling is going to happen any day now. She isn't getting up on all fours all the time, but I noticed her doing it more today than I even saw her do it on Sunday.
• She loves her dolly, and this has occured just within this past month.
• Loves to be read books. When I open the book and start reading, she'll start 'talking' and her little legs go crazy.
• Loves to be sung to, especially 'Twinkle, twinkle little star.'
• Continues to love mouthing on toys and especially non toy items :)
• Will drink a little from a sippy cup, but she really loves to chew on the spout.

These first two pictures were taken today:

Up on all fours and rocking back and forth.


Look at that face! Our sitter put her hair up like this today. I think I like it :)


Playing with her friends Cooper (left) and Ranger (middle).

I loved this picture because it showed just how blue her eyes can be sometimes. This picture is of her giving her daddy love before bed time.

Halloween

Addison dressed up as a pretty pink butterfly for Halloween. She didn't mind being in her costume at all even with the hat part on. We didn't go trick or treating, but we did go to a friend's halloween party for an hour or so. This first picture is of her at the party laying on her side eating one of her antennas. That's about all the excitement that happened around here for Halloween :)

Saturday at home..

We traveled last weekend, but this weekend we are at home. We got some things done around the house (emphasis on SOME), played with Addison, ran some errands, and watched football. It has been a good day! Here are some pictures I snapped throughout the day, because I've realized I haven't been taking enough this month :)


This is what I saw when I came into the living room. My two loves!


Giving me big smiles!



Layla enjoying some rest in the sunlight, which she loves.

I gave Addison her first meal with meat yesterday, and she finished it off today. She really enjoyed it! I have taken a taste of her veggies and fruit, but I couldn't bring myself to taste this...do you blame me!

Layla snuck in as I was getting this shot :)

I thought this was a silly picture.

My little toy hoarder. I counted five different toys she had snatched from all around her, which were now all in her lap :) She couldn't decide which one she wanted to play with more, so she just went from toy to toy every minute!

Hope you all are having a great weekend!

7 months old

Addison turned 7 months old on October 2nd. Time just seems to be flying by! We are IN LOVE with this baby girl! Addison is loving eating her vegetables and fruit...as you can see she is a good eater :) She is great at sitting up, and has started going from the sitting position onto her belly in one quick movement. Can't tell if she's going to crawl anytime soon, but I know she will do it in her own time. She can roll both ways but doesn't roll all over the place by any means. She will work to get toys that are out of reach as best she can, since she can't crawl. She has the sweetest smiles that melt Stephen and I's hearts. Addison will grab for and try to put ANYTHING in her mouth....which makes me a little nervous when she does start crawling! As you can tell, we are just a little smitten with her. We had her 6 month pictures made towards the end of September, and were really pleased with how they turned out. I posted some of our favorites.


Addison on her 7 month birthday :)

These are some of the highlights from her 6 month photo session:

Happy 1/2 Birthday, Addison!

Addison turned six months old about a week ago. We can't believe she's already 6 months! She is doing more things day by day. We are totally smitten with this baby girl! I took her to the doctor on Friday for her 6 month check up, and here are her stats:

Weight: 15 lbs. 11 oz. (50%)

Height: 25 1/2 inches (50-75%)

Head: 97 %

Here she is at her check-up waiting for the doctor to come see her.

Some things I want to remember that she's doing right now:

• Eating vegetables. So far, she's tried peas, green beans, carrots, butternut squash, and sweet potatoes. Green beans are her least favorite right now, but she will eat them. I recently started fruit with her. She's only had applesauce, and seems to like it.
• Sitting up. She can sit up for several minutes straight without support. This is really nice, because we can put her in a high chair when we go eat, and she likes to be able to sit and not be crammed in her car seat. This skill has also come in handy when I take her to the store, because she can sit in the front of the cart and look all around or play with toys while I shop :)
• Becoming more and more aware of her enviroment. I went into her room the other day with her on my hip to get something, and she started crying a little because she thought I was going to put her down for bed (she had just gotten up from a nap not long before this). As soon as I left the room, she was fine :) I did this twice to see if that was what had made her upset, and she did the same thing both times.
• Giggling and laughing more everyday. For the longest time, you had to be hysterical to get good belly laughs out of her, but now she's letting loose with the good laughs more often.
• Continues to squeal, yell, fake cough more and more.
• Continues to put whatever she can get her hands on in her mouth, and she will wiggle or move to get that little something to put in her mouth.
• Does not like having something taken from her that she is enjoying in her mouth, and will tell you about it...not that I blame her :)
• Loves to be sung to, and really likes the songs that have motor movements to go with them.

Okay, that's enough. I just keep on thinking of different things she does now, but I don't need to go overboard :)

This is what happens when you cough with a spoonful of carrots in front of your mouth.

This was taken by Stephen. They were playing peek a boo together with the burp cloth. She loves her daddy!

Trying out her swing in the backyard. Some friends of ours were getting rid of their swing set, and were giving it away free of charge...we were happy to take it off their hands.

In her hippo towel after bath time. She still loves her bath time!

This picture was taken on her actual 6 month birthday, so I had to include it. Just sitting up on our bed playing with toys.

Happy 1/2 Birthday, Addison! You have blessed our lives beyond belief these past 6 months!

40th anniversary bash!

Last weekend, we flew to Memphis to throw a suprise 40th anniversary party for my parents. My four siblings and I decided months ago that we wanted to do this for our parents, because we knew they would love it! Stephen, Addison, and I flew in Friday and stayed with one of my sisters, and the party was Saturday night. We were in town all day Saturday, and my parents had no idea. The party Saturday night was AWESOME! My parents were completely shocked!! They thought they were going to a dinner to honor a friend of theirs in the construction business, so we had them completely fooled. When they found out that this was a party to celebrate their 40 years of marriage, my parents went back and forth from laughing and shedding some tears. It was one of those moments that I will always remember and cherish, because they felt so honored by us and the family and friends that were there. We even had a slideshow of old and new pictures taken over the last 40 years....one of my sisters went over to there house one weekend when they were out of town and got the stash of pictures :) Here are a few pictures from the weekend:

Stephen and Addison at the airport on Friday before we flew out.


Carter, my nephew, loves holding Addison.


Stephen playing poker with Sam, another one of my nephews.





A guys picture from the party: (from the left) Stephen, Will, Tommy, Jason, and Jeff




The happy couple. My mom had several pictures from the night where she was waving at the camera :)



Ashlee and I. Ashlee is the 3rd girl in the family and I'm the 4th.

Here's a family picture we took at the end of an evening of dancing: (from the left) Tiffany, Ashlee, Wes, Dad, Mom, Lesle, and I.

Happy 40th Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

this and that...

Well, next week is the start of a new school year, and I will be back to work. I'm working four days a week, and have many different feelings about going back to work. I'm nervous, excited, sad....it's all bittersweet because I will miss Addison but I do enjoy my job! She's staying with an in home sitter that's 2 minutes from my school, so I can stop in and see her on my lunch break if it doesn't upset her when I have to leave again. So, keep Addison and I in your prayers during this transition time.

This last week, I had inservice. So, my mom and grandmother came to town to watch Addison for me this first week. I got spoiled with having them cook a couple of dinners, clean my house, and love on my baby girl!! I think having them watch her this first week definitely helped me prepare for next week. Here are a few pictures from the past week or two.


Four generations of women in the family.


Addison is teething, so she will put anything in her mouth and chomp down. Here is Addison chewing on the top of a baby Tylenol bottle that has the little chewy "bulb" on top. My mom gave her that to chew on in the car when she was getting a little fussy and she liked it. She doesn't need a toy to put in her mouth, she'll grab for watches, bracelets, necklaces, hair, her outfits, fingers, etc.

This is now how Addison likes to sit in her bumbo chair most of the time. This position allows her to get anything within her reach. The other morning she tried to grab 3 items within a minute, so I was trying to get to those items before her to keep her from getting them or knocking them down :) She's growing up so fast!

Below, is a short video of her sitting up by herself on our bed with a special guest appearance by Layla. Lately she likes sitting in a chair with a few of her toys. She'll go from toy to toy and put them in her mouth while she's sitting up in the chair. The back and the sides of the chair give her support if she needs it. Like I said, she is growing up so fast! It's amazing at the changes that occur in a matter of days!

I hope everyone has a great week!

New experiences...

Lately, Addison has done or experienced some different things. Such as:


I mentioned in the last blog post that she has started rolling over. Since this has started, nap time may consist of me going into her room usually more than once and seeing this sweet, innocent face, and having to roll her back over. Doesn't she look so proud of herself??


Today, I caught her staring at herself in the mirror on her activity jumper. She did this for over a minute. I guess she's taking after her aunt Ashlee and I, because we are both known to look at ourselves in any surface with a reflection :)



We went to Target the other day, and I decided to see how Addison would do sitting up in the shopping cart. Someone made her this cute shopping cart cover as a gift, so I was eager to try it out even though I knew she wasn't 100% ready to do this without my support. She did need my support several times during the trip to keep her upright. She enjoyed it for the most part, but she did cry a couple of times. When she cried, I would get her out and carry her for a few minutes, then I would put her back in the shopping cart and she would be fine again. I'm always up for trying out new things :)

Addison loves to "pet" Layla when Layla is close to her. Layla is really a great dog, and will let Addison do anything to her. I guess it helps that Layla likes any kind of attention she can get :)

Today, I decided to put together Addison's space saver high chair. I put it together in her room, and then put Addison in it so she could watch me clean the guest bathroom. Who knows, I may even use it when I feed her!


* Sorry if the pictures aren't the best quality. I've been in the habit of using the camera on my phone more than using our real camera, because it's more accessible at that time.

5 months old!

Addison Darby turned five months old yesterday! The time has flown by! I've got to be home with her for five months before going back to work, and have so enjoyed getting to watch her grow and do more new things every day. This little girl has become such a huge part of our lives these last several months, and has filled our hearts with so much joy and love. Sometimes when I lay her down for nap or bedtime I sing the song "I love you with the love of the Lord, I love you with the love of the Lord. I see in you the glory of my King, and I love you with the love of the Lord." It brings tears to my eyes every time, because those words sum it all up for me! We love you baby girl!

Okay, here are some things I want to remember that Addison is doing right now:

• playing with toys when she has her tummy time
• doing more things with her little voice: screaming, squealing, fake coughing, cooing
• laughing more often
• watching, touching, trying to suck on our dog, layla. yes, she has attempted to try to put layla in her mouth like one of her toys.
• plays or puts in her mouth a variety of toys. she will also suck or bite down on our fingers or arms...think she might be teething!
• is doing well with eating oatmeal. she likes the oatmeal better than the rice cereal.
• can really make herself bounce in her activity bouncer
• can hold her body up on her legs when we hold her up, and has even started to make herself bounce up and down when we do this.
• rolled over for the first time today! she has been close to this for a while, but finally did it this morning during tummy time! i've been waiting for this to happen, but she was going to do it when and only when SHE was ready :)
• has days that she's fine in her carseat and days that she is horrible in the carseat :)
• still loves to sit up, so we are working on doing this with as little assistance as possible
• loves grabbing her right foot and hanging on, and has only gone for the left foot a couple of times.

I know there are some other things I'm leaving out, but I think that's the majority of them. I am not good about keeping up with the baby book, so this blog is my way of recording milestones that she's doing month to month :)

Playing with her toys while she's on her tummy.

This was this morning a few minutes before she rolled over for the first time :)

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This was her in one of her precious outfits after church last Sunday.

Look at that body!

This is the face I usually get when she sees the camera on her.

I helped with VBS a couple of days last week, and we carpooled with the Fitzgerald's those days. I saw this when we opened the door to get them out, and thought it was too cute not to get a picture of. I think this was one of the few trips that Cooper didn't have to listen to Addison fuss the whole time :)

Here's a little video I took the other day when Addison woke up from her nap. Getting her from nap time or in the morning is one of Stephen and I's favorite times, because she's always so happy to see us.