Blog Books and Updates

One of the very best reasons for me to blog is to document things going on with Addy, or us as a family. I started this blog after we moved to help our family and friends back home keep up with the building of our house. After the house was done, and we moved in, I took about a 5 month hiatus. I really wish I wouldn't have done that now, because I was pregnant and would've liked to have kept regular notes. I picked it up again a couple weeks before she was born.

But, back to the very best part of blogging...I can print this blog into books! I've been meaning to do this for a long time, and I finally did it! I used the website www.blog2print.com. My 3 blog books came in the mail yesterday!


I did one book about the building of our house, one book of Addy from just before her birth to her first birthday, and one book from right after her first birthday through her 2nd birthday. I LOVE them! They turned out great. Ironically, both of Addy's books came out to 171 pages each! It's been fun flipping through them, Addy enjoys it, too.

*Quick update on Addy's sleeping situation: She did great! She fell asleep fast last night and woke up just after 8:00 this morning! She even slept through a thunderstorm. Steven and I didn't get that luxury, however, because Maggie was scared! I heard Maggie first, so I did what any good wife would do, I woke my husband up and said, "YOUR dog is scared, I think you should go comfort her". And he did. He's such a nice guy! In fact, he spent like an hour with her before finally putting her in the storm shelter!

Tonight I removed the pillows from the floor by Addy's bed. She hasn't fallen out yet. And if she does, she's only about a foot off the ground. We're so proud of our big girl!

*Oh, and an update on my stolen debit card and FSA card: Our bank has refunded us the money already, a total of $341.00. I'd like to dispel the rumors that credit cards have more protection than debit cards. I've heard so many people say that using a credit card is safer (i.e. when traveling, making online purchases, etc.), and it's just simply not true. Credit cards and debit cards have EXACTLY the same protection. Mine was a Visa debit card. I guess you could say a Visa is a Visa is a Visa. We also know that someone tried to use my FSA card again tonight. The transaction was declined, this time because I reported the card stolen and they inactivated it. Who knows what they were trying to buy this time!

Another Milestone

We started to transition Addy into a big girl bed last night! There was no particular reason we chose last night, it was actually a last minute idea. Addy did well going potty on the big potty over the weekend, and I mentioned to Steven as we were getting her ready for bed that I bet she'd be ready to start transitioning out of her crib pretty soon. His reply was, "Like now? Should I go get my tools"? Sure! Why not?!




You'll notice I put pillows on the floor for her just in case! She did so well. I was expecting her to wake up in the middle of the night, but she didn't. It took her a little longer to fall asleep, but once she did, she stayed asleep all night. She woke up early, like at 6:50 this morning, but I think that's just because of the newness of her "new" bed. She took a great nap today, and went to bed very easily tonight falling asleep right away. Here's hoping she gets back to her normal wake up time of 8:00!

Sesame Steet Live!

We've had a great weekend, with one exception, but I'll get to that later. Saturday started out like normal with My Gym, lunch, nap. Then we went to Sesame Street Live on Saturday evening! We had a great time! Addy loved it. It kept her attention the whole time, she danced (or jumped) along with them during some parts, and sat like a big girl in her own seat for a while, too.

We went with our friends, Ben, Jessica, and Rex. And we ALL dressed the part. The dads were the only ones with store-bought shirts. Jessica and I made our's and the kids' shirts!







Addy showing me her glow in the dark bracelets (while still watching the show!):


One last picture with Elmo and the flag we bought her. She's been having parades daily all week at Ms. Wendy's house and at our house, but she doesn't have a flag at our house, so we thought this would get a lot of use!


Such a great night. It was really fun for us to watch Addy's excitement over seeing all the characters.

Now for the not so good part...I didn't realize it until I was on my way to church this morning, but while we were at Sesame Steet Live, my car was broken into and my debit card, FSA (flexible spending acct.) card, a blank check, and my cash was stolen out of my wallet.

There was absolutely no evidence of a break in, and nothing else was taken. In fact, they put my wallet back in my purse. I put my purse in the back of my vehicle and pulled the sun shade across it, so it wasn't visible at all. Someone had to have watched me do it, but neither Steven nor I recall seeing anyone else in the parking garage when we parked. And we both know the car was locked when we walked away from it and when we came back to it.

Like I said, I was on the way to church when I realized it, so I called Steven at work and told him about it, and he got on it right away. I will say that it does make me chuckle just a little that they took my FSA card thinking it was a credit card!!! They tried to use it 3 times with no luck! We got email notifications each time they tried to use it. They used my debit card 5 times (hope they enjoyed the alcohol and gas), and we don't know about the blank check yet. Yeah for no credit cards!!!

So, after church I ended up going to my work to call the police dept. because I had to file the report in the county in which the theft occurred. And I needed access to a computer. So, I called it in at 11:30 a.m. and they finally got back to me over the phone (so frustrating) at 3:15 p.m. Yes, that is correct. Addy and I waited at my work for almost 4 hours for a 3 minute phone call.

Lunch. Right, with no money and no debit card, um, we got creative. I keep snacks in my drawer at work, so Addy ate 3 cookies and fruit snacks. Hey, I never said they were healthy snacks! Then by 1:30 she kept saying, "Addy hungry". I'd reply, "me too, honey". And she repeat herself, "No, Adeline hungry". So, I went into the fridge in our breakroom and found left over pizza from last Tuesday. And we ate it. Definitely not "fresh", but it worked. We were thankful!

Actually, even though this is a pain to deal with, we're thankful. Thankful there was no damage done to the car, thankful my whole wallet wasn't stolen, or my purse. I have a few pictures in there I would've really hated to lose. And I'm so thankful for our sweet daughter who was happy as a clam while we waited. She didn't get to nap like normal, but she played (no toys, just a calculator she used as a phone and a wash cloth rolled up as a "white horse") and didn't complain one bit. We played hide and seek, she spun me in a chair, then I'd spin her in a chair. Just a sweet angel the whole time. So thankful for our sweet girl.

Goggles

Addy got goggles, courtesy of Grandma L., last weekend, but hasn't been willing to try them on...until last night. I convinced her to try them on for her bath. She actually agreed, and LOVED them! She especially liked it when I poured water over her head to wash her hair and she didn't get water in her eyes!


Hopefully she'll get to use them in the pool soon. Our weather hasn't been very, well, accommodating.

Yesterday, Addy had her last swimming lesson. It started out well, she was having a good time, talking about wanting to jump in. Then it was actually time to jump in. And she cried. Every time she had to go under water, she'd say, "All done. Addy all done". Once again, she did very well, but she cried and screamed a lot too.

She did the back float by herself for about 3 seconds before she realized it and then got scared and started to sink. And then she cried really loudly. It reminded me of when she was a brand new baby and would go into a full rage when we changed her diapers. The teacher helped us parents to realize when our kids are afraid or are just mad. It's all in their heartbeat. Duh. But it made so much sense when he said that. It just helped to rule out that she had a real fear of what we were having her do. She was just mad and didn't want to do it! We're so proud of her though, because although she may not like it, she did learn a lot.

Happy (Belated) Father's Day!

Last week we managed to stay busy with things around the house. Steven's work schedule changed, for the better, so we adjusted to that as well. Here's a cute picture of our little diva:


I laughed when she came around the corner wearing my shoes because I remember doing the same thing when I was little. I don't know if I was Addy's age when I started trying on my mom's shoes, but I do remember doing that all the time!

On Thursday Addy and I went to swimming lessons with out Daddy, so no pictures. Addy did well, still crying when she had to go under water, but otherwise enjoyed it. This time we added to our skills and worked on swimming to the wall. I just sort of let go of her in the water and she had to find her way to the surface. Again, she did great, but didn't like it very well.

I'm excited to see how this week's lesson goes. It's our last one for this session, and Addy's been role playing with her Elmo doll at home. She's been teaching Elmo what she's learned at swimming lessons. She'll hang Elmo on the side of a chair, table, anything she can and count to 5 just like she does. She did that all on her own, but we've certainly been encouraging it! We basically go through her whole lesson and she teaches Elmo all of it! I must say, I'm really impressed!

Friday, Grandma and Grandpa L. came down to visit for the weekend.



Grandpa even taught Addy how to clean mirrors! You see, my dad always cleans the mirror in Addy's bathroom when he comes down because he can't stand all her finger prints on it. Then, the very next time she brushes her teeth, she puts new finger prints on the mirror!


On Saturday, Grandma and Grandpa took Addy to My Gym, and then Grandma bought Addy her own broom and baby swing. Addy loved them equally! She really likes playing with them.



We met up with Chris, Jen, and the girls for some ice cream after dinner. Yes, that is a whole wall of toppings to choose from in the background!


After we ate ice cream, Steven and I went to a movie with Jen and Chris while my parents took the kiddos home to play!

Sunday we celebrated Father's Day and Grandma's birthday! We went to church, except for Steven, he had to work, but we did meet up with him for lunch afterwards. He turned the blue lights on for a picture with Addy!


For dinner, we went downtown to eat at Spaghetti Factory. Addy was being silly, giving me some pretty funny faces.



After dinner we walked around downtown for a while.





Addy enjoyed a cupcake when we got home, then it was bath time and off to bed!


Grandma and Grandpa left on Monday morning. We didn't have to say goodbye for very long, we'll be seeing them again in a couple weeks at a family wedding!

Week O' Fun

We had a great week with Grandma last week. We didn't do anything very exciting, we just enjoyed having her here! Addy helped Grandma make a couple different couple kinds of cookies (Raisin Bran cookies and banana cookies), which were really good. They also made banana bread! Addy loved all of it.

Grandma spent a lot of time sitting in Addy's play house, too. Addy loves to play in her play house and she always wants us to sit IN her play house. And it's a tight squeeze, to say the least! Grandma was a good sport and sat in there pretty much every day!

When Thursday rolled around, we were in for a full day! We started with swimming lessons in the morning. I got in the pool with Addy this time, and we did pretty good together! She cried a little less than last week. She still didn't like having to go under water, but that was the only time she cried!





In this last picture we're looking at the colorful flags hanging above the pool and calling out the colors we see...you know, to keep from crying! :) It was fun that Grandma got to see Addy swim, too.

Then Thursday night Steven and I got to go to the CMA Music Festival downtown! We got tickets through my work. We met up with some friends for dinner first.


We got to see Zac Brown Band, Sarah Evans, Jason Aldean, and Brad Paisley and a few others. My favorite was Brad Paisley for two reasons, 1) we got to go down and see him from Ben and Jessica's seats which were in row 18 just to the left of the stage and 2) the (retired) band Alabama joined him! It was fantastic!!!







Friday night we packed in as much fun as we could. We started with dinner out. Then we took Addy to a park to play!








After a quick trip to Target, we went out for some Italian Ice!


Once we got home it was time for Addy to get ready for bed. She entertained us with a little hula dance while she brushed he teeth! FYI: Addy's toothbrush lights up. It blinks for 1 minute, indicating how long she's supposed to brush her teeth. That's what Grandma is referring to in the video.



Saturday we went to My Gym in the morning. After lunch we took Grandma to the airport. We were sad to see her go, but we're also excited that we'll get to see her again next month. Steven's brother is getting married, so we'll get to see all of the family then!

Sunday was a lazy day for us. We went to church, had lunch, took a nap. Then, when Addy woke up, we did this:


I couldn't think of a better way to end the weekend!

No Amputation Required

This is the text message I got from Steven at 11:45 a.m. this morning: "After a trip to the swings and slide, Addy is walking again. It's a miracle! I thought we would have to amputate."

Seriously. The girl woke up this morning NOT willing to stand on her own again. I was glad just to hear that after 22 hours her leg was functioning again! And I didn't hear her complain about it even once tonight!

Here's a couple pictures of her injured leg!