Happy Birthday Katie!

We hope you have the best birthday ever!  Love ya!

Updated Blog Finally!

I spent some time updating the blog this morning because I have been slacking off a little lately.  I posted 3 new entries.  Look for more at the end of the week!

First Days of Spring Break

Daddy and his girl before church


This week is my spring break and Derek took off the week also, so we could spend some quality time together.  We have had a great start to the week.  On Sunday, we went to church, stimulated the economy (as Derek would say) by doing a little shopping, and then spent the afternoon at the park.  Addison had her first ride in her stroller without the carrier...and LOVED it!  She is such an active little girl and liked having the freedom of moving around more and sitting up to look at what is going on around her.  

I will post another Spring Break 2009 update at the end of the week.  

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Lovin' Rice Cereal!

                                   Night 2

                          

   "Loading the Canon" 



Last week I went to pick Addison up from her day care and her teacher asked me if we had started Addie on cereal.  We had been waiting until she could finish 32 - 36 ounces of her bottles each day, and she hadn't gotten there yet, but she was getting close.  Her teacher told me that she thought she was ready, so after talking to Daddy about it, we decided to start our spring break off with Addison first taste of rice cereal.

She could not get enough of it!  As soon as we would take the spoon out of her mouth, she would dive with her whole head toward the spoon because the cereal wasn't coming fast enough.  When the spoon finally made it back into her mouth, she had to make sure the food was there to stay by inserting her 3 middle fingers into her mouth and pushing it back as far as it would go.  Derek now calls this "loading her canon."  Addison then decided that diving toward the spoon wasn't enough and began pounding both of her fists on the tray of the high chair demanding more.  The whole debacle was very entertaining.  Needless to say, Addison and the high chair were completely covered in cereal.  Both of them received a bath immediately following the meal.  Night 2 was just as entertaining!

5 Months Old

Okay, so I realize we are already over half way through the month and in just a couple of weeks our turtle will be 6 months old...but for right now, she is still 5 months old and I figured better late than never, right?  The picture is actually of her AT 5 months.  

Addison has already changed so much  from the quiet, calm baby we brought home five months ago.   She is on the move - scooting across the room, rolling from one end of the crib to the other and back again, and making some very conscious  efforts in the crawling department.  She is not quite there yet, but has come breathtakingly close to putting the knee and arm action together and taking right off.  YIKES!  She sleeps recklessly now, never sleeping in one position for too long and always awakening on the other side of the crib.  

The 5 month marker brought on her first little tantrum....yes, already...and all over an olive jar!  As I was making dinner several nights ago, Derek was holding "the turtle" in his lap on one of the stools in the kitchen.  I had emptied the olives into the strainer and put the jar on the counter in front of them.  Addison could not get enough of the big, heavy, shiny glass jar and Derek played along for a few minutes holding it in front of her and letting her touch and grab at it.  When play time was over, Derek put the jar back down on the counter, out of her reach....and her first tantrum began.  She started crying and banging her hands on the counter because she could not have the jar any more.  I never knew that an olive jar would have such a big impact on a 5 month old!

But the most fun has been watching her sweet little personality grow - hearty giggles and smiles and curious expressions.  Taking her places and seeing her smile brightly for strangers that say hello.  Hearing that addictive and endlessly entertaining giggle.  Holding her in the evenings, as she snuggles in closer with contentment on her sleepy face.  Knowing that the girl we put to bed won't be the same girl who wakes up - each day she rises with some unfamiliar noise, some developing skill, and a little something new to keep us on our toes.