Addison Mae - 16 months

Man, I love this kid! She is so funny so smart and so cute. At her 15 month appointment, her doctor asked about  how many words she says and didn't quite believe me when I said in the realm of 50 or 60 (especially because in no way shape or form is she going to speak to him - he pokes and prods her and she doesn't care for it!). But, then he asked if she says two-word phrases, which she does, which apparently validates the breadth of her vocabulary. She's brilliant. She's ecstatic about the Christmas tree being up, and despite my best efforts to give her multiple trees of her own that she can do whatever she wants to, she's obsessed with pulling the ornaments off our big tree. But she also loves to lie under it (preferably with the cat) to look up at all the lights. Be still my heart. She loves her Christmas skaters, Little People nativity scene, Christmas books, Christmas music ... I think she already loves Christmas as much as I do. We had a really fun Thanksgiving at our house, with Addie predictably not so interested in the weird food we were giving her (I think she was saying, "what the heck is all this stuff covered in gravy? Where are my blueberries and squash?") The past month has also been full of Addie feeling pretty yucky. She started the month with an ear infection, which didn't respond well to ear drops or oral antibiotics. We saw her ENT and he gave us lots of good information about other options we'll start pursuing ... right now, we're basically waiting for her to get another ear infection so he can culture it and give his best recommendation. After the ear infection cleared up and starting on Thanksgiving came the fever that wouldn't end ... yesterday was the first day she hasn't had fever. We thought it was just teething, but then discovered she had a viral throat infection. After that came croup and a lower respiratory infection, and low and behold, an ear infection, which can't be cultured because of all the meds she's on for other things. Praise the Lord, she's finally acting like she feels better. I'm all for lots of snuggle time, but my poor girl's whimpers and pitiful little face when she's sick just break my heart. On a positive note, we did see Santa (which was not so positive for Addie) - we went to a really fun event where she got to make several crafts, have storytime with Mrs. Claus and then go meet Santa ... who she did not care for. Although she says a really cute, "ho, ho, ho" when you ask her what Santa says. I am so excited and thankful for the chance to spend Christmas with this precious baby girl. And trying really hard not to buy her every toy and article of clothing in the stores.

Weight: 20 lbs 6 oz
Length: 29 1/2 inches

New things this month:

• Saying "Izzy no" and "Mia no." Seems she has learned who she has a lot of power over in this house.
• Saying no a whole, whole, whole lot - even when we know she doesn't really mean it (because the answer to "do you want cheese" is never no). And occasionally yelling "Yes!!" which she learned from watching her dad watch football. She also nods her head yes and says uh-huh! when she wants something.
• Saying "I love you," which sounds nothing like I love you unless you're her mother :)
• Calling herself Addie Mae
• Have I mentioned that she's slightly OCD? Yeah, I don't know where that comes from ... for example, after school each day, she has to do the following, in the correct order, visit the Jesus statue and touch his head, review the Christmas trees/bows/lights, see the waterfall, push the elevator button and ride up, review the nativity scene.
• Saying her friends names ... Stella, Daisy, Jack and Kate are about as far as we've gotten so far.

Likes:

• Elmo. He is number one. Followed by Bi Bir (Big Bird) and Cook (Cookie Monster)
•  Stickers. She likes to put them everywhere. Everytime I'm out and about, I'm on the hunt for new stickers because there are never enough stickers in the world to satisfy this girl
• Dancing. Girl's got moves.
• Cheese.
• All animals and animal noises.
• Throwing Izzy's ball or toy for her.
• The Christmas tree. And removing any and all ornaments within her reach. And flinging them all about the house or giving them to the cat to play with.
• Speaking of flinging ... the girl loves to cover my entire house in Cheerios. I find them in my bed, in my closet, in the shower. There are too many for even Izzy to clean up.

Dislikes:

• Being away from momma. Especially when she doesn't feel well.
• Taking her medicine, which I can fully understand since she's been on so many lately.
• Chest x-rays or any other sort of medical personnel trying to do pretty much anything to her.

Addison Mae - 15 months

This baby girl has 78 times more energy than I do, on a good day. Wish I could bottle this stuff so I could keep up! She is so busy and the talking is constant. She loves to be outside. She drinks about a gallon of milk a day. She is now obsessed with her paci (we are in trouble). She loves to share her food with anyone in range (even tried with a sweet retail worker recently). She is a total daredevil and would have gone over the back of the couch numerous times if we hadn't been there to stop her. Her dancing is the cutest thing I have ever seen. She yells at the TV during football games (where on earth did she learn that??). She pulls the cat's tail and fur a lot ... and then goes to time out. She looks at us while we tell her "no" about something, keeps doing it and laughs. She stops her whirlwind of movement several times a day for snuggles and kisses. She loves to be read to - says "book" and then starts backing up to get in our laps. Her sweet smile and funny sense of humor are the highlights of my day. Nothing soothes my soul more than her sweet, heavy, sleepy head on my shoulder.

Weight: 19 lbs
Length: 28 1/2 inches

New things this month:

• An official Ipad obsession. She asks (insists in a very loud voice) for EIEIO or "Melmo," which means her apps on the Ipad.
• Along the same lines, an obsession with "Melmo." We were looking at a Target ad and she started obsessing about "Melmo" - we didn't even know she knew who Elmo was. Turns out they have an Elmo toy at school and watch Elmo music DVDs. So she's also brilliant. And Sesame Street is now a daily occurence at our house.
• Constant talking. My favorite words she says are "uh oh" and "turtle." She can literally say everything we say to her. She's also started saying "Addie" a lot more, which usually sounds like "Ahi" :)
•  Drawing/coloring. They have craft time at school fairly regularly, and I can tell that she's figuring out how to hold crayons and make pictures. Although the crayons still usually end up in her mouth for a quick taste.
• Houseshoes. Her obsession with shoes ("bees") continues, and she was completely thrilled when she got houseshoes for Halloween.
• Telling me which book she wants. "Mouse" applies to several that have mice in them, "Izzy" for one that has a button you push to make it bark, "Button" for one about buttons, "Wee wee wee" for nursey rhymes that include "This little piggy," "Mia" for one about cats, "Boo" for one about Halloween ...

Likes:

• Calling roll. She like to have all her people in one room at one time. And then she likes to name them all. (Still not saying Grammie - my mom is also named Mama)
• Regular attacks on the cat. Keeps her in line.
• Her teachers at school, whom she calls "Do" (Storm) and "Izzy" (Leigh)
• Hairbows, which she likes to ask for, talk about and then rip off of her head. And then ask for it to be put in again.
• Playing push-back, a very exciting game in my family which consists of the baby pushing on the adult until they fall over. She asks for "push, push."
• Her new playroom. I finally caved and let Jordan turn our guest room into a playroom. Excellent decision. And it also means there isn't a room in our house that isn't covered with toys.
• Buttons. Loves to push the elevator button at church. Asks to be lifted up to push the microwave buttons. I catch her in the pantry pushing the blender and crock pot buttons (which, don't worry, are not plugged in)
• Cheese. I think this is her favorite food of all time.

Dislikes:

• Sugar. Jordan tried to sneak a little piece of donut onto her tray for dinner, which she spit out and replaced with a piece of squash. Glad she eats better than I do.
• Her car seat. Can't wait until she weighs enough to turn her around. She's also thrown up in her car seat multiple times lately, I think just to remind us how much she hates being in it.
• Being away from mama. Or mama being distracted by anything, which results in her holding/moving my face until I'm paying full attention to her.

Please tell me we're all this crazy

When I became a mom, I also turned crazy. OK, maybe I was a little bit crazy before, but becoming a mom has exacerbated the crazy.

My entire life, people have credited me with being very organized. That used to be somewhat true. Now one look in my closet, car or purse will tell you the truth about that one.

For example, I was at Sam's the other day and was having a very difficult time finding my credit card (you know, when all my items have already been scanned and the people behing me are glaring at me with daggers in their eyes). I offered to pay with the excess of graham crackers in my purse. The checker didn't think I was very funny. (I did find my card and no one tried to knife me or anything). I have been to two doctor's appointments in the past week or so, and at both they, understandably, asked me what medications I'm on. There are three and I couldn't remember the names of any. At either appointment. You'd think the first one would have prepared me to check my meds for the second. I told one that I'd be happy to share every medication my daughter has ever taken, along with dosage, side effects, etc. I still don't know the names of any of my own meds. I tell my coworkers it's often a miracle I get to work with clothes on. I forget to pay bills. My plants are all dead or screaming for water. My refrigerator desperately needs to be cleaned.

How is it that one tiny person can take over your life so completely, so totally that you literally can't get anything else done? Or perhaps this is just me? Please tell me it's not. And I have had this idea all along that as soon as she got to six months, to a year that things would ease up a bit. And things definitely do change, but that hasn't meant I have any more time to myself or to get things done. And how exactly do you tell people ... yeah, sorry I couldn't get to that. See, I have a kid.

I have always been a bit of a perfectionist. And someone who loves to check things off lists. And someone who bases success in life on measurable accomplishments. Changing eight diapers, getting halfway through three loads of laundry and forgetting to feed the dog till 8 at night don't exactly feel like accomplishments.

There are a lot of moments that do feel like huge accomplishments, though. Like getting through a trip to the grocery store without a breakdown. Making a new recipe (unless it's terrible). Hearing my sweet girl say a new word. Watching her "sing" itsy bitsy spider and realizing she learned that from watching me sing it to her. Seeing her share with other babies. Getting her sweet hugs and kisses. Making her belly laugh.

But it can be hard to see those things as accomplishments. Especially because we usually leave the store without everything we need to ward of a breakdown. My making dinner usually involves her crying and pulling on my leg because I'm not paying enough attention to her. My house is never clean enough. We still have episodes of inconsolable crying that take me back to colic days. Naps are never quite long enough. And I'm used to a completely different kind of accomplishment - like ROI, an increase in awareness or a meaningful media story. And I'm used to people constantly telling me I'm doing a great job. While Addie's hugs and kisses and laughter mean a lot, she doesn't exactly every say to me, "hey mom, I know this is a tough gig sometimes, but you're doing a great job."

And speaking of work ... How in the world do you people with kids and full time jobs do it???? I'm never devoting enough time to work. I'm never devoting enough time to her. That push/pull is relentless and agonizing. It's been much tougher on me, emotionally and physically, than I anticipated.

I told my mom the other day that there are times I genuinely feel like I'm the only mom in the world who doesn't have it all together. She asked if it was possible that other people look at me and think I've got it all together. Well I'm here to tell you that I really don't. My house is a wreck. I should pray more. I should talk to my husband more. I can't remember if I brushed my kid's teeth before she went to bed. I should be working on work instead of blogging. I have at least three friends' voicemails I need to return. My stinky dog seriously needs a bath. I seriously need some yoga. And a nap. And I'm crazy.

Addison Mae - 14 months

I swear I get these posts written at her month markers ... and then just forget to post ... or am waiting on a really great picture ... promise I'll repost with some recent pics.

From walking to RUNNING. And climbing. And jumping (which is that cute way babies jump where their little knees are bending and legs are working, but their little feet don't actually leave the ground :)). I only thought this baby of mine was into everything before. And I only thought she was talking up a storm before. The talking is constant. Where on earth did she get that?? New words every day and constantly trying to repeat what we're saying (which means we should get some of our words in check now). She is the life of the party wherever she goes. We are constantly being stopped, at the grocery store, at church, wherever we are for people to tell us how undeniably cute she is, what pretty eyes she has, how much she talks and how friendly she is (the waving is also constant). Which, let me just tell you, never gets old. The moms of kids in her Starbright class and at her Gymboree class say their kids talk at home about their friend Addie. And we got a note from Starbright saying how much the boys already love her - they love to pat her head and play with her. That was not Jordan's favorite day. I love that she loves to share, be inclusive of everyone she plays with and always has a smile and a wave - those are the sweet qualities, that as her mom, I hope to help grow and strengthen in her.

Weight: 18 lbs, 9 oz
Length: 28 1/2 inches

New things this month:

• RUNNING. Everywhere. I look away for 2 seconds and she's across the house.
• Climbing. I put her on the living room floor, and then look back and she's on the couch, leaning waaaaay over the back to pet the cat. Panic attack. She also somehow knows how to climb the ladders at Gymboree.
• Talking. All. The. Time. I have no idea how many words she says, but it's a whole, whole lot. She has successfully learned "Pete" (as in Pistol) and "Rumble" (pronounced more like Bum Bum). She says no, except usually it's "no no" or "no no no" ... guess she hears that a lot. Other new words are all done when she's finished eating, wa-wa for water, play, up/down please, in/out please (usually in relation to the laundry basket ... why do I even buy this kid toys???), teeth, eye, ear, duck, deer, book, blue ...
• Waving her wheat. Be still my heart :)
• The animal sound obsession has continued. We took her to the zoo and it was crazy overload. She moo'd at the hippos, rhinos and bison, meow-ed at anything that looked like a cat, hissed at the snake, made fish-face at the fish, etc. etc.  
• Taking consistently longer naps. We waited what felt like a long time for this, but we're finally there. She takes one afternoon nap that's usually anywhere from one to two hours.

Likes:

• Playing with door handles. Perhaps we should keep our doors locked at all times.
• Climing up onto the hearth, from which she surveys her kingdom and subjects.
• Going to the park. The wagon ride is the best part, but she also likes climbing on the equipment, swinging and sliding.
• Waving. She's like the mini welcoming committee at church. I love watching people's faces light up at the grocery store when they see my little waver smiling at them.
• Mice. Not the real kind, at least I hope not. Have you ever noticed how many children's books have mice in them? We read Goodnight Moon every night, and the mouse is somewhere different on each page. She has several mouse-related books at Grammie and Pawpaw's too.
• Shoes, which she calls "bees" (and I find myself doing, too ... Jordan, have you seen my bees??). She is seriously obsessed with her own shoes, Jordan's, mine, whoever's shoes she can get her hands on. We took her to try on/buy shoes and she squealed and squealed. This could become a problem.
• Bubbles are still a very big deal. When I tell her we're going to Gymboree, she says, "bubble??" And there's no going out to the back yard at our house unless there is also bubble time.
• Pumpkins. The pumpkin patch was like heaven. She screamed "ball!!! ball!!!!" And then proceeded to lick every pumpkin we gave her. We bought a lot of pumpkins.
• Being read to. Especially if the books is about a mouse.
• Sharing her snacks with Izzy, or mom or dad. We have snack time about six times a day at our house.
• Playing with other babies.
• Telling you where your eyes, ears, mouth, nose, teeth and tongue are located. Very helpful. She tries to pin down Izzy and Mia to tell them, too.
• Looking out the cat door, which is in the utility room and goes out to the garage, and calling either for the cat or whichever parent isn't at home. She also sits there to wave and say bye-bye to her dad in the mornings.

Dislikes:

• Most vegetables. Our once awesome eater is going through what I hope is just a picky phase.
• Her Halloween costume, which is an elephant. She really likes to look at it but wearing it is currently a no-go.
• Teeth brushing.
• Anything less than five snacks a day.
• Being away from mama.

Addison Mae - 13 months

Oh yes, the monthly updates will continue. Mostly because I can hardly remember what happened yesterday, so I (as one of the few people who reads this blog!) love to go back and see how my baby girl has changed from month to month. Addie had such a fun birthday with many celebrations and many cakes, which, ironically, she didn't particularly care for. I think she's not so into really sweet things, and I'm all for keeping it that way as long as possible. I'm totally fine with eating her sweets for her. She continues to change dramatically every month, with her most dramatic change being WALKING! I am equal parts thrilled and terrified by everything that means.

Weight: 18 lbs, 6 oz
Length: 28 inches

New things this month:

• WALKING!!!! She took her first steps a few weeks after her birthday and over Labor Day weekend really took off. She's about a 50/50 crawler/walker at this point. She's still much faster on all fours. But she's SO proud of her new skill!
• Saying more words than I can possibly count. If I were to guess, I'd say she says about 30 to 35 words. Her new favorites include snack (pronounced NACK in a very loud, insistent voice), down (when she's done being held or wants to walk), Mimi (the cat and her grandma!), bubble, mouse, book and eat (anytime we come remotely close to her high chair, also in a loud, insistent voice). She just learned no, so I'm guessing that will soon become a favorite.
• Eating all the foods she wasn't supposed to eat before the age of one. Favorites have been peanut butter and strawberries. Totally my child.
• Drinking whole milk. We were nervous about this since my eating dairy while nursing was a big no-no. But she did great and goes through a carton of milk in no time. That also means no more nursing, which was difficult for her for just a few days, and is still a little emotional for me.
• Wearing shoes. I know, kind of makes me seem like a terrible mother ... but she really hated shoes until just recently.
• Playing with her babies. Calling herself baby. And pointing out all babies in photos or real life. Anyone under the age of about 15 is a baby.
• Time outs. Boo. She's started hitting us or the animals in the face occasionally, hence the time outs. The somewhat funny part about this is that her time out location is her crib (the only place she can be contained), so when I warn her that if she hits again she will go to time out, she responds by saying "night night???"
• Making even more animal sounds. She's so smart.
• Going to Gymboree once a week. She LOVES it. She's especially fascinated by all the balls they have there, the other babies, the bubble time (the teacher calls her bubble due to her crazed obsession) and of course Gymbo the clown. She is completely mesmerized by him.
• Starting in the one-year-old classroom at Starbright. No more nursery for this big girl!

Likes:

• Waving. At everyone. My little social butterfly.
• Her new farm toy, courtesy of my aunt, uncle and cousins. She loves that it makes all the animal noises, which she then mimics.
• Her new book about animal tails, courtesy of her Auntie Katie who knows my baby's obsession with animals.
• Eating. As evidenced by two of her new favorite words. I can't decide if she's really that hungry all the time or just likes the power of saying those words and getting what she's asking for.
• Her pink armchair, which she got for her birthday. She loves to sit in it, and for about the first week of trying out her new walking skill, she had to start from that chair. Kind of bounced herself into an upright position.
• Asking for "babies," which means she wants to look on my phone at pictures of herself or go all around the house looking at her pictures. Thank you Kristi Morton for ensuring we have plenty of beautiful pictures all over our house! :)
• Sharing her toys with other babies.
• Chasing Izzy or Cowboy with her push car. And laughing.
• Turning off and on the DVD player, cable box, CD player and receiver.
• Being read to. But at the pace (FAST) she requires and preferably the same one or two books over and over and over and over.
• Throwing a ball for Izzy or Cowboy.

Dislikes:

• Being refused a NACK.
• Time outs.
• Not getting what she wants, when she wants it.
• Being away from mama.

Addison Mae - 12 months

This time last year, we were anxiously awaiting the arrival of the little person who would forever change our lives. We knew we would love her, but we had no idea the breadth and depth of that love. She continues to amaze us and make us believe she's the smartest, most talented baby there ever was. She's a pistol, who wants to do things her way, herself, unless she's feeling sad, unhappy, mad or sick, and then she wants momma. We are sad that the past year, and Addie's true babyhood, is behind us, but we are looking forward to the many years ahead.

Weight: 18 lbs, 6 oz
Length: 28 inches

New things this month:

• Using her push car, or anything that moves really, to facilitate walking
• Standing on her own for longer periods
• Saying baseball, beach ball, beans, milk ... and probably a lot of other things we just can't decipher.
• Giving hugs and loves to accompany those open-mouth kisses. There is nothing better than feeling that sweet baby's head on my shoulder. She loves to hug her stuffed animals, too. And her real ones.
• Making amazing animal sounds, just like her momma. She can successfully tell you what the elephant, monkey, kitty, puppy, fish and chicken say.
• Blowing bubbles in the pool or bathtub
• Her first ER visit. Poor baby has had croup for the past week and was having a lot of trouble breathing on Sunday, hence the ER visit. Thankfully it was brief and uneventful. A new round of steroids from her ped seems to have done the trick.

Likes:

• Her dad's baseball, which she has commandeered from the study. She is constantly asking for the other baseballs on the shelves (which are autographed), and he hasn't given in to her. Yet.
• And, yes, the ball in general is still number one. Along with Izzy and Izzy (actually, Addie is now referring to Mia as "meow" since she can say what the kitty says)
• I can't believe I've never mentioned the "shaky shake" game as one of her top likes. This consititutes shaking anything that makes a noise, accompanied by the "shaky shake" song, coined by her very talented Grammie.
• Playing with fabric samples, which we call "iggy biggy boo," because that's seems to be what Addie says when she plays with them. Grammie has, of course, also made up a song for this game.
• Opening drawers and cabinets and removing EVERYTHING. She has several specially designated drawers and cabinets throughout the house.
• Peekaboo. She loves to initiate games herself, sneak around a piece of furniture or doorway to play or even pull her own shirt over her head to play.
• Waving at anyone and everyone. When we're at the grocery store, I'm constantly hearing giggling behind me because Addie's making eyes and waving at whoever is back there. She loves to make friends wherever she goes.
• Looking at pictures of herself (and saying "baby") and of close family members and identifying them.
• Bringing books to us to read and getting in our laps. She likes to shove a book in my face and say "mama  mama mama mama," which I think means, "hey lady, read this to me right now." She loves to turn the pages in books, usually before we're done reading them.
• Stacking blocks or cups
• Bubbles. Particularly when her dog chases and bites the bubbles.

Dislikes:

• Going shopping. Unless it's for 10 minutes or less and there are a lot of really interesting people to look at and talk to.
• Anyone whose name isn't mama when she's unhappy or sleepy.
• Ear drops.

Addison Mae - 11 months

T-minus one month until baby girl is a whole year old. Where has the time gone?! I know Jordan and I are biased, but we're pretty sure our girl is a genius. She's talking up a storm and getting pretty much anywhere she wants to go. Her teachers at Starbright are amazed at how well she's talking, eating, drinking from a sippy cup, napping, playing, interacting ... and just in general being happy. I love when they tell me how she's progressing because, clearly, I've never done this before and have nothing to compare it to! It seems like every day Jordan and I or my mom and I are saying to each other, "did you know she could do this or say this?" I will admit that this girl of mine wears me slick, but there's nothing I'd rather be doing.

Weight: approx 18 pounds
Length: approx 28 inches

New things this month:

• Crawling up on her knees, as opposed to the army crawl.
• Standing on her own for a few seconds. When this girl starts walking, we're all in trouble.
• Saying pawpaw, baby, night-night and something that sounds a lot like Addie. She loves to repeat, or try to repeat, what we say.
• She also loves to sing "na-na na-na," which developed from Jordan's post-bath song to her ... "Who's that girl? Na na na na na na na na na na na. Addie's that girl. Na na na na na na na na na na na." As soon as the bath water starts draining, she starts singing.
• Grabbing her hair when we ask where her bow goes.
• Showing that she knows where your nose is by trying to pull it off. Also pointing to her teeth and toes when asked.
• Following directions, when she wants to, like sit on your bo-bo (in the bathtub where she prefers to stand), put the ball in the cup, give Izzy a hug, can I have a kiss, put the hat on your head, throw the ball to me. If the directions include the word "no" it's guaranteed she won't listen. It's still amazing how much she understands what we're saying!
• Trying to make elephant and monkey sounds when we ask what they say. I make a mean elephant and monkey so I can see why she'd want to repeat it
• Putting hats on her head. Or someone else's head. Or even better taking hats off someone else's head.
• Getting ear tubes. She acted like it was totally no big deal. Hoping these make a big difference for her and we can leave behind the awful ear infections and antibiotics.

Likes:

• The ball is still number one. Followed closely by Izzy and Izzy (aka Mia)
• Eating. New favorite foods have been blueberries (which she calls balls), taco meat and pinto beans and peas
• Dancing and bouncing to music. And singing as mentioned above
• Swimming. Although she does not want to be in a float or encumbered in any way. She also loves to stick her face in the water.
• Drumming on anything. Maybe she's going to be musical, although I am not sure how she would be considering who her parents are ...
• Her night-night bunny
• Her pillow pal, aka Lambie
• Throwing food off her high chair tray for her dog, or to tell us she's done, or just for fun. She hears no a lot about this one.
• The blinds. Another reason she hears no a lot.
• Throwing toys at other children's heads. We've witnessed this and her Starbright teachers have, too. I think she's trying to teach them to catch.
• Ice cubes
• Drinking from a straw

Dislikes:

• Being interrupted when she's doing something important
• Being constrained in any way
• Sleeping in her own bed between the hours of 4 and 7 a.m.