Ho! Ho! Ho!

From the looks of things around here, Santa must have thought Addison was a really good girl this year. We had a busy, busy morning opening all of her gifts. It sure is fun to experience the joy of Christmas through the eyes of a child again. We hope you have a wonderful Christmas filled with many blessings!

Love, Nancy, Craig and Addison

One Year Ago Today...

December 13, 2007
One year ago today, we were packed and on our way to the

hospital to meet our new baby girl! I was 4 days overdue,

and Addison was in no hurry to get here...

She sure is always in a hurry to get places these days!

Uh-oh

Addison's new word is "uh-oh". She is so stinking cute when she says it, too. She says, "uh - oooooo." Mommy gets a big "uh-oh" for her blogging skills lately. I'm trying, but I just can't seem to find the time these days.

I know I am so incredibly behind, but here a few pictures from Addison's first Thanksgiving. We had a busy, busy Thanksgiving. We spent time with family in Cherokee and Gaffney. Addison got her very first shopping cart, and I must say, I think she is already a pro.

If you look closely, you'll see that Addison is pressing her face against the window. She is such a little ham. (A ham with LOTS of teeth -- 8 to be exact)!

Still here!

Yes, we are still here. The hard drive on my laptop crashed so the posts have been few and far between. My brother has promised to try to have my computer up and running before the end of the weekend so I hope to be back to posting in no time at all. I know I have tons of catching up to do.

At eleven months old, Addison is one funny little girl. I could post for hours, but I will save the details for later posts. I will tell you that she has a few new "tricks" these days.

1. She has learned how to shake her head no when she doesn't like something. Usually, she does this when she is finished eating. It's pretty funny.

2. She has learned how to blow kisses. It is the sweetest thing EVER!

3. She has figured out how to get her legs underneath her, weasel her way out of the straps and try to STAND UP while riding in the grocery cart. She has also figured out how to do this in restaurant high chairs. Not a good thing. We will be working on this one.

4. She has learned how to climb the entire flight of stairs at our house. We were standing around at the bottom of the steps talking to some friends of ours that were in town for the weekend, and we weren't really paying that much attention to her. All of the sudden, we realized that Addison was cruising right up the steps behind our friend's daughter, Anslie (who is 3 1/2). I followed her up to the top, brought her down and watched her go up again. And again. And again. She was having a blast. Looks like the baby gates will be moving to the top of our priority list this weekend.

5. She isn't walking just yet, but she is so close. In the past few days, I have noticed her standing on her own for longer periods of time. She is still a little hesitant to let go of what she is holding on to, but I think she will be walking in no time at all.

6. Her new favorite "word" is something that resembles "hey." She says it over and over and seems to crack herself by saying it. Sometimes the "hey" follows a wave, but other times, she seems to say it for no reason at all (other than to hear herself talk).

We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Safe travels to all of you!

Did Someone say CANDY?

Happy Halloween from our home to yours! Addison was so excited about going trick or treating tonight that she woke up early to celebrate. Very early! 3:15 a.m. -- and she wasn't interested in going back to sleep until about 6:30 a.m. I couldn't get her back to sleep in her crib so I eventually brought her downstairs to sleep in the big bed with me and Craig. Only problem was, she wanted to play, not sleep. As soon as we were lying down, she looked over at me and smiled the most devilish little smile I've seen her smile yet. I think we are going to be in BIG trouble with this one. She is only 10 months, and she is already so sneaky. Then, she stood up, grabbed onto the bars of the headboard and started jumping up and down. Up and down. Up and down. This went on for a good 20 minutes. She was having her own little party at 3:30 a.m.

Don't Leggo of that Eggo!

Addison tried her very first Eggo waffle this morning, and I think the pictures say it all. She LOVED it. Unfortunately, she learned what happens in our house when she lets go of her Eggo... The dog eats it! Addison's favorite game is to throw things on the floor while she is sitting in her high chair. I'm thinking the first time might be the last time she throws her Eggo on the floor!

Fall Fun

Fall is officially here, and the oyster roasts have begun. Fall is my favorite time of year, and I love it when it actually feels like Fall in the Lowcountry. Addison attended her very first oyster roast last night. Although she is too young to sample the oysters, she had a great time playing with Lauren while the grown ups ate lots of yummy oysters. There was a little chill in the air, and it was a perfect evening for an oyster roast.

A Sleepy Kind of Day

After one look at Addison's chart and another look in her ears, the ENT decided that she was definitely a candidate to have tubes put in her ears. Luckily, we were able to schedule her surgery for today. It has been a long day, but the little pumpkin has been quite the trooper.

Before Surgery

After Surgery

She woke herself up right on time at 6:00 this morning. I changed her diaper, grabbed a bottle and loaded her in the car. We arrived at the surgery center at 6:30, and after a short wait, we took her back to pre-op. She was all smiles with all of the doctors, nurses and basically, anyone else who looked her way. Around 7:25, a nurse scooped her up and took her back for her surgery. She was given 5 or 6 breaths of the "happy gas," and she was off to lala land. Before Craig could read the front page of the paper, the doctor was back out in the waiting room telling us that the surgery had gone great and the tubes were in place. The doctor and nurses warned us that she would be angry and out of sorts when she woke up, and they were right. As she was waking up, she laughed the funniest little laugh. She sounded like she was part baby, part monster. After the laughing, the crying started. Then came the screaming. And the flopping of the body. Back arched, head wobbling kind of flopping. I managed to feed her 1/3 of her bottle, but that was really all she wanted. After 5 minutes or so, we were discharged, and luckily, the car worked it's magic and put her to sleep after a few minutes.


By the time we pulled in the driveway, she was snoring (yes, she is her father's daughter)! I tried not to wake her, but as usual, she woke up and wanted to play. So, play we did for about 45 minutes. I fed her a little breakfast, and we played some more. She finally fell asleep about 10:45 and slept for almost 2 hours. After her nap, I fed her a bottle and some lunch, and she fell asleep again (this time in her high chair). I moved her to her crib, where she slept for about 20 minutes, and then she woke again. I had to run a few errands, and while we were out and about, she fell asleep in the car. Twice. When we got home, I fed her, gave her a quick bath and got her ready for bed. After her bedtime bottle, she went right to sleep. Let's hope that it is a sleepy kind of night for her, too!


You would never know that she had surgery this morning. I know it was minor surgery, but it was still surgery. She is one tough little girl -- she hardly fussed at all today. I am so thankful that everything went well this morning, and hopefully, the ear infections will be a thing of the past now!


To sum it all up, her day went something like this. Wake up. Have Surgery. Eat a little. Sleep. Play a little. Eat a little more. Sleep. Play a little. Sleep. Run a few errands. Sleep. Sleep. Eat a little dinner. Take a bath. Have a bottle. Sleep again. Sweet dreams, little pumpkin! We love you, and we think you are so brave!

Sippy Cup Trials

The sippy cup is... a great toy to play with! Addison could care less about drinking out of a sippy cup. I think I have tried 3 or 4 different cups, and the outcome has been the same with each one. She looks at it, chews on the top, turns it upside down and bangs on her high chair tray with it. Why am I not surprised? After all, this is the child who REFUSED to take a bottle until she was 6 months old or so. I guess we'll keep trying.

Some days, Addison likes to eat her Yobaby yogurt. Other days, she likes to paint her face with it. Silly girl. Never a dull moment around here!

Wild Dunes

While we were in Charleston last weekend, we made a quick stop at Wild Dunes. This was Addison's 2nd trip to Wild Dunes but her first trip out to the boardwalk at Wild Dunes. It's so hard to believe that the last time I walked the beach at Wild Dunes, I was pregnant with Addison. Wild Dunes was my home away from home for the two years that I worked at the Village at Wild Dunes. My, oh my, how things have changed! I can't wait until Addison is old enough to walk the beach with me.

Catch Up!

OK, I admit it. I've been neglecting the blog lately. In fact, I think I have been neglecting several things lately. For the first time since August 18th, I feel like I can breathe again. Really breathe. August 18th was the day I went back to school as a kindergarten teacher (for the first time since 2001), and it has been non stop ever since. From the moment I wake up to the moment I fall asleep, I have not one minute to myself. I am not complaining - I am having a great time, but I would be lying if I said that it's easy. I'm not the kind of person who can leave work at work. Most evenings I come home, feed the baby, eat dinner, bathe the baby, put the baby to bed and then do things for school for the next 2-3 hours.


I can breathe a little easier tonight because we have fall break next week. Monday is parent teacher conference day, but the rest of the week is mine -- all mine. And this weekend is going to be mine, too. No Sunday planning meetings. No pumpkin patch planning. No internet searches for lesson plans. No projects. NOTHING related to kindergarten! And I am SO looking forward to it.


In other news, Addison has had a really tough week. We went to Charleston last weekend for a shower for my friend Amy. (Those of you who know Amy -- yes, she is REALLY going to tie the knot. Unbelievable, I know, but so true). By the time I got home with Addison on Sunday, she was burning up. Addison and I met Barbara for dinner on Sunday night, and Addison was so lethargic. She even slept for a little while on the seat next to me. I gave her Motrin, and her fever came down. Monday morning, she seemed to be feeling better. By the time I got home from work on Monday, she was burning up again. I took her temperature. 103.6! I called the pediatrician's office and spoke to the nurse. She said not to worry too much as long as the fever would come down after taking Motrin and/or Tylenol. I went ahead and made an appt. for Tuesday morning. I gave Addison Motrin, fed her as much (not much) of her bottle as she would take and put her to bed. I went to check on her about midnight, and she was burning up again. Took her temp again. 104.7 this time! I'm usually really calm about things, but 104.7 kind of rattled me a little bit. I brought her downstairs and put her in the bed with me and Craig. Her little heart was racing, and she was panting like a dog. I gave her more Motrin, and waited... and waited... and waited. She finally cooled off and stopped panting so I decided she would probably be okay until Tuesday morning.

Craig took her in at 7:30 Tuesday a.m. because I was taking all 25 of my little darlings (students) on a field trip to the pumpkin patch. Once again, the ears were the culprit. Double ear infection. Again. The doc said that on an infection scale of 1 -10, one ear was a 9 this time and one ear was a 10! He prescribed Augmentin, which she has taken before and sent Craig on his way. Tuesday night was not too bad. Got the meds in, fever was down and she slept like a baby. Wednesday morning, Addison woke up with a slight rash. I didn't think too much of it because she has eczema, but when I picked her up Wednesday afternoon, she looked like a little leopard. My baby had spots. All over. So, back to the doc we went. This time, the doc prescribed an antibiotic shot, which is actually 2 shots, one in each leg. And we had to wait for 20 minutes to make she didn't have a reaction. This round of shots actually broke my heart. When the nurse came in with the syringes, it's like Addison knew what was about to happen. She put her head on my shoulder and snuggled into my neck. She's NEVER done that before when she's gotten her vaccinations. I guess she's old enough to know what is going on now. The rash seemed to be a little better on Thursday, but we had to go back for another check of her ears. The right ear looked a little better, but the left ear was still really nasty. Guess what that meant -- another round of antibiotic shots. This time, Addison started crying as soon as the doctor said, "shot." And she didn't stop. For like 30 minutes. And her cries turned into screams after the shots. And the screams got louder and louder. (Once again, we had to wait to make sure she would not have a reaction). Not a good visit. At all.

Luckily, Addison rallied after we left the doctor's office, and we met Michelle and Lauren downtown for the girls' very first trick or treating experience. Most of the businesses on Bay Street were handing out candy to the trick or treaters. Addison and Lauren were so cute. And they didn't seem to mind being dressed up at all. Addison was a chick, and Lauren was a monkey. I might be biased, but I am fairly certain they were the CUTEST trick or treaters in town! After trick or treating, we met Craig and Joey for a yummy dinner at Bricks on Boundary. A great end to a tough day!

Addison has an appointment with an ENT doctor on Tuesday. Although I hate the thought of her going through surgery of any kind right now, I think I see tubes in our very near future. She has had 8 ear infections since April. From what the pediatricians say, I don't think we can avoid the tubes much longer. We'll see. If she does need tubes, I hope we can schedule her surgery for one day next week since I will be home all week to give her a little extra TLC. I can think of a million other ways I would like to spend my break, but I will do whatever it takes to help the little one feel better. Wish us luck on Tuesday!

Happy 10 Months!

Happy 10 months Addison Kate!
(For Addison's 10 month birthday, the tooth fairy brought her tooth #7)!

New Favorite Toy!

Addison has a new favorite toy -- her Leap Frog activity table. She loves to cruise around and around the table. She also loves to bang on the table, push all of the buttons and make as much noise as she can possibly make.

Pumpkin Patch

Who doesn't love a trip to the pumpkin patch? We took Addison on her first trip to the pumpkin patch this afternoon. We think she had a great time! Of course, she was the best looking pumpkin in the whole patch!

Pancakes, Anyone?

Addison had her first pancake a few weeks ago. I'm not sure if she had more fun eating the pancake or playing with it, but she definitely enjoyed her first pancake breakfast. Typically, she is such a great eater. She is a pro at eating stage 2 baby foods, and she is starting to experiment with stage 3 baby foods and more and more table food. Her current favorite is Gerber macaroni and cheese. She also loves several of the Gerber Graduates "snacks" (puffs, toast, biter biscuits, wagon wheels and yogurt puffs, etc). She might be a little shrimp, but she is a big eater! I can't believe she is old enough to eat "grown up food."

The Better to Eat You With!

Look at all of those teeth! She has six of them now -- 4 on top and 2 on bottom! Such a big girl!

Ribbit, Ribbit, Ribbit