Family Time

Addison met her Aunt Trebbi & Uncle Wade for the first time last night. Craig's sister and brother in law, who are expecting their first baby in April, came to visit last night. Although it was a quick trip, we all enjoyed spending time with them. They had the opportunity to practice their parenting skills, and they did a great job. We can't wait to see them again. We wish them luck with their pregnancy, but more importantly, we wish them lots of sleep in the coming months!

Double Trouble

On Friday, Michelle and I loaded the girls up in the car and headed to Target and Carter's in Bluffton. (Lauren is 11 days younger than Addison). It was our first "joint outing," and it was quite the adventure. Who knew that it would take so much stuff to get 2 little girls ready for a day of shopping! We had car seats, strollers, diaper bags, bottles, pumps and other various contraptions to wrangle around. When we left the house, we weren't sure what the day had in store for us, but it turns out that we had a great day. These two little girls must have inherited our love of shopping. Look out! Here are a few shots from the day. Basically, the girls slept the ENTIRE time we were gone. I see many shopping days ahead for the 4 of us!

4 Weeks Old

I am a little late on Addison's 4 week update, but we have been on the go, go, go! To celebrate Addison turning 4 weeks old, Michelle and I took her on her very first major shopping spree. Michelle's mom was in town, and she kept Lauren while Michelle, Addison and I loaded up the car and headed for North Charleston. We visited Babies R Us, Target and Belk's before returning to Beaufort. For the most part, Addison was a trooper. Like most babies do, she slept like an angel in the car on the ride to and fro. She was a little fussy from time to time while shopping but nothing too earth shattering. We even had our first experience changing a stinky diaper in the back seat of the car (what fun). Craig had to go out of town for business on Monday, and little miss Addison and I hit the road again. This time, Addison went on her very first major ROAD TRIP. My mom and I took her on a six hour trek to meet her great grandmother (my grandmother), who lives in Cherokee, NC. We made a quick stop in Spartanburg on Monday to have lunch with my aunt Carol. Then, it was up the mountain to the chilly, chilly air. We spent Monday night snuggled up in Cherokee with my grandmother and mom. My grandmother declared that Addison might be a little spoiled because she preferred to sleep in my grandmother's lap to sleeping in the bed. Who can blame her? On Tuesday, we headed back to Beaufort. Once again, we stopped in Spartanburg for lunch -- this time meeting up with Craig's parents for lunch. It was a quick visit, but we look forward to seeing them again soon. I think we have a happy little traveler on our hands, which is super exciting to me, since I can't seem to sit still. Hopefully, Addison will continue to love to travel as much as I do. I see many fun adventures in our future -- especially when she gets just a little older.

Once home, we decided to see how Addison would do sleeping in her crib. Since I wasn't able to climb the steps for a while after the c-section, Addison has been sleeping in the pack and play in our bedroom downstairs. Initially, she fussed for a while but finally gave up the battle with the sleepy monster and slept soundly for a good four hours. Although it is hard not having her in the room with us at night, Craig and I know she gets a much better night of sleep in her cozy crib. As of today, she has spent 3 nights in her room now, and I think we have all been sleeping a little better. Keep your fingers crossed that we will continue to have a smooth transition to the crib.

What a wonderful (and busy) month it has been. Addison has grown so much in the past 4 weeks. Her little cheeks get chubbier by the hour I think, and she is so cute that Craig & I can hardly stand it. She continues to nurse well and does not mind a pumped bottle every now and then. She kicks her little legs and waves her little arms when she is excited and when she is mad. She is quite the grunter, and she makes the cutest little faces when she sleeps. She continues to love watching her mobiles, and she is growing quite fond of her swing as well. Bath time is by far her favorite time of the day, and I look forward to the time when we start bathing her every day as opposed to every other day. She is a great sleeper during the day, and she is getting better about sleeping at night. Occasionally, she will sleep 5 hours without waking, but that definitely is not the norm quite yet.

My favorite thing of all is that she makes this little "coo" sound that absolutely melts my heart every time I hear it. I wish I could bottle it up and save it forever. I'm not sure Craig and I knew it was possible to love something as much as we love our little pumpkin. To say that she is the love of our lives is an understatement. We love you little girl, and we promise to be the best parents we can be to you. Happy 1 month!

Lunch Date

My friend Emily & I took Addison on a lunch date today. The weather has been so beautiful, and I have been itching to get out of this house. We went downtown to Panini's and sat outside on the patio. Addison was an angel. She fell asleep as soon as we pulled out of the driveway and did not wake up until we returned home. After lunch, we took a quick stroll down the waterfront. Sometimes I forget how beautiful Beaufort is!

When we got home, Michelle and I took the girls on their first golf course walk together. Of course, they slept the whole time, which probably means they will be up all night. Wish us sweet dreams!

Three Weeks Old

Where oh where has the time gone? Another week has FLOWN by, and we are enjoying our little girl more and more each day. We stopped by the doctor today for a weight check, and our little piggy is definitely getting enough to eat. She now weighs 8 lbs, 4 ounces, which means she has gained 9 ounces in the past week! Her weight gain definitely puts my mind at ease a little. It's so hard to know how much a breastfed baby is actually eating. Obviously, she is eating plenty!

During the past week, Addison spent a little time with her new neighbor Lauren. Of course, they are completely oblivious to each other's existence right now, but it is really cute to see them side by side. I can't wait for the day they start playing together. They are 2 lucky little girls.

Craig gave Addison her first pumped bottle today, and she sucked it down like a little fish. I was kind of worried that she wouldn't be interested in the bottle, but thankfully, I was wrong. Now I am kind of worried about how quickly she sucked it down. I might be attached to the pump all day trying to keep up with her appetite.
Addison has been awake so much more this week. There is nothing I love to see more than her beautiful eyes. Those eyes just light up the room. But, I do see trouble in the future with those eyes. How in the world will Craig and I tell her no when she flashes those eyes at us?
Her new favorite toys are mobiles this week. She loves the mobile on her swing, but her favorite is the mobile on her crib. When she's awake, she'll just hang out in her crib and stare at the mobile. It is the sweetest thing to watch.

It's been unseasonably cold for the past few days, and as much as I love the cold weather, I am anxious for it to warm up a little so we can get back outside for our afternoon walks. Who knows, when Craig goes back to work next week, Addison and I might even venture out for a lunch date or afternoon outing.

As you can see, Craig, Addison and I have had another wonderful week together. Of course, we've had our moments (usually in the middle of the night), but we take those moments in stride. In the blink of an eye, our little girl is going to be so grown up, and as crazy as it sounds, we know we'll be wishing for the sleepless nights with our 3 week old.

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Happy New Year!

We would like to wish you a Happy New Year!

This is what happens when you have more fun than you can handle on New Year's Eve! Actually, this is what happens when you keep mommy and daddy up all night! At 2 am, we all felt like this. We definitely had a New Year's Eve like we've never had before. After 2 nights of somewhat uninterrupted sleep, little Miss Addison reminded us that she is still a newborn (and that she has a great set of lungs)! We wouldn't trade the sleepless nights for anything in this world, though! We hope 2008 brings you everything you wish for!

Two Weeks Old

The past 2 weeks have just flown by, and Craig and I are more in love with our little girl each and every day. Addison had her 2 week well check up today, and she appears to be a very healthy little girl. She weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces and was 20 1/4 inches long today. She is almost back to her birth weight which means that she is getting plenty to eat. Unless we feel like she is not gaining adequate weight in the next few weeks, she does not have to go back to the doctor until she is 8 weeks old.

We are working on her days and nights. Each night, she seems to sleep a little longer. We still have a long way to go, but we welcome any progress in this department! Our pediatrician gave us the go ahead to let her sleep a little longer between night feedings. We've been waking her to feed every 3 hours, and I think we are going to stretch that to 4 or so to see what happens. Wish us luck!

Craig and I took Addison on her first walk in her stroller yesterday. She was out like a light as soon as we set off on our journey. We walked on the golf course, which is a little bumpy in spots, but she didn't seem to mind one little bit.

We gave her bath #2 in her little tub today. She didn't seem to enjoy herself as much as she did the other day, but she might have been a little cold. We'll see how the next bath goes.

Molly dog is adjusting nicely to her new little sister. I think she is a little bothered by the crying in the middle of the night, but other than that, she has really mellowed out around the baby. She loves to try to lick the baby, but of course, we don't let her if we can help it.

The past 2 weeks have been filled with the most amazing experiences of our lives. We've celebrated our first Christmas together, welcomed baby Grice and gotten to know one another a little better each day. What an incredible journey this has been so far, and the ride has just begun! We can't wait to see what the future has in store for us!