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: