Addison Mae - 28 months

I kinda like this every-other-month thing. We have had a wonderful last two months as a family of three. Addie absolutely loved everything about Halloween, including picking out pumpkins, Howloweenie at Pawpaw's work, visiting Pumpkinville at the Myriad Gardens, going to Storybook Forest at Lake Arcadia (thank goodness that was a hit since we waited for over an hour to get in!), the Fall Festival at our church and, of course, trick-or-treating Halloween night. She was the cutest little kitty you ever have seen (complete with a black and pink glittery tutu ... remind me never to make a glittery tutu again). Her favorite part was having her nose and whiskers drawn on her face each time. She didn't so much care about eating any of the candy (unless it was a lollipop), just collecting a lot of it. Which was fine with her pregnant momma.

While this girl of ours has gone to a few OSU tailgates in her little life, she's never been inside the stadium. Until this fall. She LOVED the game, especially watching and cheering for Bullet. She's still quite suspicious of Pete (I no like him. He has a big head. He scares me a little bit.) And she did not love sitting right next to the cannon. But she cried and cried when we left at halftime. Love that she's totally already a Cowgirl! And she even loves watching her Pokes on TV, although it's seriously a bummer that they never show Bullet during home games (thankfully Grammie remedies that by sending videos from the stadium.)

We finished up her gymnastics class in October, where she seriously made some awesome progress. I can't wait to enroll her again when our lives calm down a little bit.

She loved all the prep for Thanksgiving, but didn't so much care for any of the food. We did make some super cute turkey cupcakes that she quite enjoyed.

And she is ecstatic about Christmas. She loves all the  lights and decorations.We had a fabulous time on my birthday going to eat pizza and taking her to see the Chesapeake lights and an awesome house with lights set to music. She was awestruck when Santa sent her her very own elf (who she immediately named Coco) and has been doing a great job teaching him about Jesus and being kind to others (our take on the elf, rather than the naughty/nice list).

The funniest and most exasperating part about the last two months have been Addie's turning into The Negotiator. Which really doesn't mean she is negotiating - it means she tells us exactly what's going to happen, rather than using her "listening ears." She also like to tell me, "Mommy, use your nice voice." To which I typically respond, "If you'd use those listening ears, I would be better able to use my nice voice."

Tomorrow she officially becomes a big sister. We are anxious and excited, and of course very concerned about how our sweet girl is going to react once this baby boy gets here. We covet prayers that the transition goes (mostly) smoothly! We can't wait to share this Christmas with TWO sweet babies!

Weight: 26 pounds
Length: ~32  inches

New things:

• LOTS of using the potty. Which in no way shape or form means she's potty-trained. She does go several times a day, be typically we have to initiate it. She has been having more dry diapers, which is encouraging. She has also used the potty at school, which is awesome. But she also likes to stand right next to me and declare that she's peeing or pooping in her diaper. So we're not really there yet.
• Doing a great job sleeping in her big girl bed and big girl room. No more rolling out of the bed in the middle of the night. But occasional requests to sleep in mommy's bed if she does wake in the night.
• Special phrases coined by The Negotiator. "I just do this for a little bit first" in response to being told it's time for nap/bed/leaving. "I do this a lot a lot a lot of times" when being told to do something one more time before nap/bed/leaving. This one comes with a waving hand motion right in the face of whoever she's talking to.
• Calling her daddy "my sweet Daddy"
• Saying "You my favorite/I love you best in the whole live world."
• An imaginary friend named Coco. And calling just about everyone and everything Coco. Including her new elf from Santa.
• Continuing to use her amazing imagination and play by herself even more.
• Recognizing letters of the alphabet, especially A is for Addie, D is for Daddy and M is for Mommy. Quite impressive.

Likes:

• Going to Hobby Lobby to see the Christmas trees.
• Playing train. Her Daddy recently got his old Brio train set out of the attic and she has literally playing with it every day since.
• Playing with her Little People nativity. And adding her nativity characters to my nativity.
• Helping with the advent candles. My favorite is that when we light the candles, she immediately wants to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and then blow it out.
• Blowing out candles in general. And singing Happy Birthday.
• Checking out the moon at night if it's not too cold. Or looking for it in the morning.
• Christmas lights viewing. Even if it's just the lights on our own house.
• Watching Christmas movies.
• Watching the snow. Playing in the snow.
• Playing chase. Playing hide and seek.
• Going to the library.
• Helping me cook or bake. Or even better, helping Grammie cook or bake.
• Helping Grammie garden.
• Watching her Cowboys or her "Thunders" on TV.
• Coloring. Painting.

Dislikes:

• Being told what to do.
• Not being in control.

Addison Mae - 26 months

Well, it finally happened. I missed a month. And by "missed," I mean I have been feeling super guilty, knowing I hadn't taken the time to blog about my sweet girl since August. But, you know, we've had just a few things going on around here so I'm going to move on and write an extra long one about the last two months. Who know - maybe this every-other-month will become the new thing. Addie is, in a word, hilarious. And exasperating. She is definitely two, going on 13. In the same day, she will make me so proud that I cry, laugh so hard I cry or frustrate me so much I cry. It's kinda a crapshoot. She is so brilliant, and she loves making us laugh. She's also completely into being independent and not listening. We've had several hour to two hour tantrums over the past few months, which all resulted from being told no. And her tantrums typically include kicking, screaming and vomiting. It's super. We've also had multiple half an hour to an hour stand-offs at the table over not wanting to finish a meal (or even a particular bite of food). This is totally Jordan's fault as he used to do this as a kid, too. The funny thing (well, it's not really funny) is that it's been over food she actually LIKES, not random stuff we're forcing down her throat. The heart of the matter is she likes to be in control. And we're not going to say who she gets that from.

Our big girl just moved into her big girl room, complete with awesome stripes her daddy painted on one wall, after he and her Grammie painted the whole room and ceiling. She seems excited about her brother's arrival, but I'm anxious to see how that all pans out in the real world. I know she will be a fabulous big sister. She loves to lie on my tummy and talk to or kiss him. And tell him, "We don't kick Mommy, brother. You go time out for that." As well as tell him all the other reasons he'll be put in time out when he gets here. She means business. And she will LOVE having someone (else) to boss.

We had a fabulous time on our last vacation as a family of three, when we surprised her really early one morning to take her to Eureka Springs/Table Rock Lake. Aside from the countless times she vomited in her car seat to and from said destinations, we had an awesome time. And she sweetly kept telling us "I won't vomit anymore in my seat." We rode the train in Eureka Springs, where she also got to put pennies on the tracks for the train to run over. She maniacally screamed through her first boat ride with her Uncle Ray. She LOVED our day-and-a-half at Silver Dollar City, where she rode another train, petted goats, rode several rides, including her first carousel, and built a bear. I should note that the two kiddie rides she was tall enough for required her non-pregnant father to accompany her ... and he was almost too large for the seats. It was hysterical. We ate copious amounts of food, including the best donuts ever, chocolate pancakes as big as Addie, her first corn dog and lots of ketchup. And we visited the War Eagle Mill. Whew.

Weight: 24.5 pounds
Length: ~32  inches

New things this month (or two):

• Turning into a little gymnast. This girl loves 'nastics class and jumping. She can "jump on my two feet" (instead of the awkward, one-legged toddler jump) and somersault. She seriously is pretty impressive, and I have been extra impressed with how well she (usually) listens. I mean, she is two after all.
• Obsessing about birthdays and blowing out candles. I guess this started with her own birthday, and since she's had several friends, a cousin, a daddy, an aunt, an uncle and a dog with birthdays to celebrate.
• Being extra loving to her mommy and daddy. Unless she's throwing a temper tantrum.
• The temper tantrums as described above.
• Using her imagination. She's playing more by herself than ever before, and she sings to her babies, makes up games and creates entire little worlds. It's pretty amazing.
• Talking about the days of the week, which she can name, though not exactly in order.
• Continuing to try to put on her own clothes. And get really mad when I try to help.
• Using big girl toothpaste, which isn't all that exciting in and of itself. Except for the part where she says, "Mommy, I want to do the spitting." She's pretty thrilled that she gets to incorporate one of her favorite activities into teeth hygiene.
• Riding her first amusement park rides. Riding her first trains. And riding on her first boat.

Likes:

• Going to Hobby Lobby. And playing pretend at home that she's going to Hobby Lobby.
• A continued obsession with all babies.
• Cheez-its. Fruit snacks. Goldfish.
• Stickers and any crafts that go with them.
• Her Stella doll and all Stella's accessories.
• Our nightly frog-moon-stars ritual. About 10 minutes before bed, we go outside to count how many frogs are in our driveway (and if you don't already know it, Jordan is TERRIFIED of frogs, so be sure to picture that part), check out the moon and look up at the stars. Our highest frog count has been 23.
• Jumping.
• Birthday parties.
• Opening the trashcan.
• Going to the library and checking out approximately 28 books every time.
• Helping me cook or bake.
• Singing.
• Choo choo trains.

Dislikes:

• Anyone suggesting she use the potty rather than her diaper. Though she had a good week or so where she used the potty every day, it's now an off-limits topic. She literally yells NO at us when we suggest it, even with the offered bribe of her favorite lollipops. She tells me, "I no go poo-poo in potty, Mommy. I go in my diaper. You clean it up." So, then, we'll just wait till she's ready ...

Addison Mae - 2 years

Y'all, I officially have a 2-year-old. I have been a mom for a whole two years. I can hardly believe I have any sanity left (actually, that's questionable). My high-energy girl and I have had a whirlwind of fun and butting heads over the last month. I think that will likely be the combination for the rest of our lives. Swim lessons were a little rocky at first (complete with her kicking and screaming at her teacher the first lesson ... oh my) but she did a great job and learned and perfected more than I ever imagined she would. And found the bright new world of lollipops (her teacher's reward at the end of each lesson). We have crafted, painted and Play-Doughed ourselves out. We have worked puzzles, played kitchen, taken care of numerous baby dolls (all named Julia or Stella) and made lots of cookies. My parents, Addie and I went to Fort Worth to cousin Lila's birthday party, and Addie was out of her mind for days beforehand she was so anxious to go. It was a quick trip, but she had the time of her life with her sweet cousins, played her heart out at the waterpark party, loved on their two new kitties and ate her weight in sugar. She was also beside herself for her "sister party," when we told her and our families that she's getting a BROTHER! She didn't care about that part so much, but just wanted to eat the pizza and cupcakes she'd been promised and was not-so-patiently waiting for.

We have celebrated and celebrated and celebrated this sweet girl's birthday, starting off on her last day of school when she insisted she wear her full birthday outfit, rather than just the shirt ("I need tutu, Mommy"), and took muffins for her classmates. On her actual birthday, Jordan and I took her to lunch and to Pinkitzel for cupcakes and then celebrated that evening with our families with a hot dog cookout and cookie cake. On Friday, Jeff, Rebecca, Julia and Lila arrived for more celebration, and we had her Aloha! party on Saturday at my parents'  house with her sweet friends and more family. I'm exhausted. And so very, very blessed to be this girl's momma!

Weight: 24 pounds
Length: ~32  inches

New things this month:

• Swimming like a fish. She can kick her little legs, (sort of) use her arms, hold her breath, blow bubbles, jump in like a champ, pull herself out of the water along the side, monkey-crawl her way to the steps and occasionally float (when she allows herself to be relaxed). Now, her "swimming" still resembles drowning most of the time, but she's totally got all the foundational skills, which is awesome. And I think her extreme confidence means momma's got to keep an even closer eye on her than before!
• The talking. Unbelievable. She uses the word catawampus. She also says she's exhausted. Those are my two new favorites. She can use time and directional words correctly, most of the time (yesterday, tomorrow, not yet, next to, under, over, etc.) and likes to say the days of the week (not in order and really, she just likes Sunday and Wednesday). She talks about bigger and smaller, open and closed, in and out ... I'm gonna go ahead and say she's a genius. And that it's likely her sweet brother won't speak a word till he's 7.  Some of my favorite recent phrases: "That not yours, Mommy. That Addie's;" when waking up on a Saturday morning: "Daddy no go work today! Daddy go Farmer's Market with Addie!"; when I hurt myself and yelled Mother Pooper!! (better than many other options, right??), she said, "Mommy, your pooper hurt?"; when I told her the oven was stinky: "Mommy, Izzy poop in there?"; when she was going down for her nap after her party, "Mommy, I so happy Daisy came my party" ... I know I am forgetting so many ...
• This part's not so fun, but she's started saying "I no love you," "I no like you," "I no want you, Mommy" when she's uber cranky or mad at me. Breaks my heart just a little.
• An even greater need to be in control and do things herself, like wipe/wash her own hands, "try" to put on her clothes, open and close all doors 
• Willingly going to time out when we tell her to. And then crying as if her heart would break.
• Chewing her fingernails obsessively. She is my little worrier. (PS Any ideas of how to help her break this would be greatly appreciated.)
• Sleeping all night in her big girl bed, by her own request. I worried most of the first night, but thanks to a very cool foam "railing," she didn't fall out. And I don't think she's figured out that she could get out by herself if she really wanted to.
• Making actual deposits in the potty. She has been sitting on it for a month or more, but she actually made both pee-pee and poo-poo. She was ecstatic. So was Mommy. We've decided not to push potty training but just let her lead the charge (she is rather independent and likes things to be her own idea, if you haven't already noticed). For now, the plan is to sit her on the potty once or twice a day and see what happens ... we'll go from there!
• Meeting Pistol Pete at the Cowboy Caravan. She was really excited to meet him, until she actually saw him. This is her description of the meeting: "I no like Pete, Mommy. I see him, I say AAHHHH! He nice man, he just scare me little bit."
• Finding out she's going to have a brother! She loves to talk about how he's growing in my tummy. When I tell her she's kicking me she either kicks me, too (helpful) or tells my tummy, "We no kick Mommy." When we ask what his name will be, her answers vary: brother baby, sister, boy, green, fountain. The correct answer is Hutch.

Likes:

• Playing hide-and-seek. Although she often forgets to find whoever is hiding. And usually comes out of hiding herself before giving the seeker a chance to find her.
• Playing chase, especially with her daddy. And chasing us, saying, "I going to get you!!!"
• Playing with her baby dolls. She got lots of new accessories for her dolls for her birthday, which has made doll playing even more exciting.
• Playing tea party with her new tea set.
• Play Dough.
• Playing with her shopping cart. "I go grocery store, Mommy. I be back soon."
• Her new outdoor playset. "It has ladder, Mommy!!" And a slide, which she prefers to go down backward on her tummy.
• Trying to or requesting to hold babies. Whether we know them or not. And getting really mad when told she can't hold a baby.
• Stickers. And Bandaids.
• Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la Elmo's World.
• Making up songs on her xylophone or drum.
• Dancing.
• Painting, coloring, finger painting ... any type of art project. One of her teachers at school had some type of art planned nearly every day, so Addie was in heaven. She enjoys painting/coloring the paper and her entire body. So at home, we typically have naked baby art projects.
• Speaking of naked, being naked. "I be naked girl baby, Mommy."
• "Funflowers." Sometimes she actually says sunflowers, but I like the first version better. She loves to look for them as we drive around town. And was beside herself when we bought her some at the Farmer's Market.
• Also the Farmer's Market. She loves helping pick out fruit and veggies and just taking in the sights. She also loves our friend's crepe truck.
• Cupcakes.
• The color green.

Dislikes:

• Eating. This has become a three-times-a-day battle of wills at our house. Even with the addition of ketchup. I know she's just asserting herself and trying to have "control" over something in her little life, but mealtimes are exhausting around here.
• Pants.

And baby makes four

9 weeks

 11 weeks

 



13 weeks

15 weeks (note Addie's tiny hand on my belly)

 

17 weeks (this time the tiny hand is in the bottom left corner)

Take my picture, mommy!!!

 

For comparison's sake, here is my Facebook album of Addie baby bump pics.

17 weeks is as good a time as any to blog about this tiny baby, right? So my sincere first thought about this was that we really had lost our minds. Though it happened a little faster than expected, we felt fully prepared to have another baby. Until we found out we actually were going to have one. I took a pregnancy test as a precautionary measure and was actually really surprised when it said positive. So surprised that I completely lost my cool and called Jordan in the middle of his work day to say, "Do you have a minute? I'm pregnant." We just expected that it would be like before and take about six months to a year to get pregnant. Apparently my body remembered exactly how to do this whole baby thing pretty well.

While I know in my head that every pregnancy is different, it's so hard not to compare the two. There is a huge emotional difference in crying, begging, praying for a baby for a long time versus BAM! finding out you're pregnant without hardly trying. If I have learned nothing else in my life, it's that God's favorite lesson to teach me is that I'm not in control. And this time around, obviously there is the emotional consideration of our sweet toddler who has no idea how much this new baby is going to rock her little world. She loves to talk about the tiny baby and look in my belly button to see if she can see it. She calls it "my tiny baby" or "EmmieHutch" (a combo of our boy/girl names). But I'm afraid just talking about it and it actually taking over her world are going to be two totally different things. I know she'll be a wonderful sister ... eventually. I am praying fervently that we can find the right words and actions to help her adjust well and quickly.

And speaking of different ... with Addie, I worked full time, worked out nearly every day, cooked dinner every night and, aside from some first trimester morning sickness, felt pretty great. So I just expected I'd have no problem with my new full-time job of keeping up with a 2-year-old, staying on my running schedule and cooking super healthy meals for all of us. Riiiiiight. In a word, I have felt awful since about six weeks. Exhausted. Nauseous. Unable to get out of bed some days. Which has resulted in far too much TV, hot dogs and fruit snacks for my sweet girl. She's not complaining. But talk about mom guilt! My whole job now is to be a mom, and yet I feel unable to properly take care of either of my babies. While I think the sickness is turning a bit of a corner (or maybe I'm just getting used to dealing with it), I still have some pretty rough days. And I'm learning to be OK with it. As with almost all things about parenting, it's just temporary. Even if six more months of temporary feels like an eternity.

So couple my unstable emotional state of mind with my physical inability to do much of anything ... and I've been a bit of a hot mess. And feeling guilty about that, too.

But the good news is, while it's taken a little longer to get used to the idea of this baby than our first and while it's already managing to drive me a bit crazy, I can honestly say I am beyond thrilled about this sweet little one growing in my tummy. I am anxious to hear that little heart beat at every appointment. I was elated to feel this baby start swimming around between 11 and 12 weeks, and to feel his/her kicks for the first time just last night. I am thrilled that we get to have a newborn again, that I get to nurse again, that we get to watch this already stubborn little one learn to eat, roll, crawl, walk ... and I am ecstatic that my sweet girl gets to have a sibling who's going to love and look up to her like no one else in this world. I feel incredibly blessed that we've been given another opportunity to be parents. Other than Addie adjusting, I think our biggest fear has been whether we could possibly love this new baby like we love its sister. And I've begun to feel an incredible sense of peace and calm about that, too. With a lot of prayer and help from family, we have managed to create a household full of love and warmth for this one baby of ours ... so how could that not overflow to this new little baby we get to welcome into our home and our lives?

Yes I'm crazy. Yes I'm nauseous. And YES I can't wait to be a mommy of two!

Addison Mae - 23 months

She didn't want to be left out of the baby bump pics!

In one month, I will have a 2-year-old. And that almost 2-year-old will tell you when asked, "I one. My birthday I be two." When we ask her what she wants for her birthday, she says, "Cake." Clearly my kid. She also likes to talk about her party and who all she wants to be there. My little daredevil started jumping off the diving board at my parents' pool recently. After seeing my friend Sarah dive in, she immediately said, "I do that, too." We're trying to cater to her high-energy needs by starting swim lessons tomorrow and then gymnastics in August. Though Addie has had a very fun month, it's also been a rough one around here. She has had an ongoing UTI (which meant urine samples via catheter twice ... mark that down as the most awful experience in my life ... twice) and then got strep, complete with lots of vomiting and high fever. We also lost my precious Mawmaw in late June and traveled to Houston for her memorial service. Addie loved seeing all of her family, and they loved seeing her. I was really worried about explaining to her that Mawmaw is now in heaven with Jesus, but she accepted it readily and likes to talk about how Mawmaw is with Jesus and Mawmaw is not sick anymore. She really loved being around Mawmaw's sisters, as did I, as they reminded her of her Mawmaw. I am eternally grateful that Addie and Mawmaw got to spend as much time together as they did, and that I was able to tell Mawmaw about her third great-grandbaby the last time we visited.

Weight: 23.6 pounds
Length: ~31  inches

New things this month:

• Though it's not really new, I haven't mentioned in detail about my sweet girl saying her prayers. At dinnertime, she loves to hold our hands (and make sure Jordan and I are holding each other's, too) and say, "Thank you, Jesus. Amen." At bedtime, I always ask her what she wants to thank Jesus for that day. She always says mommy and daddy ... and sometimes things like noses, outside, swimming. We have spent a lot of time together praying for Mawmaw, thanking Jesus for Mawmaw and talking about heaven this month. It brings tears to my eyes to witness Addie's childlike faith ... and I pray that I can continue to help her grow in that faith as she gets older.
• As mentioned above, jumping off the diving board. She loves to jump off the side or steps, too, and roll around to float on her back. I hope this means swimming lessons will be a success!
• Her first parade. We went to the Quail Creek 4th parade, and she was ecstatic about going, even though she had no idea what a parade is. She loved it. Waved to all the puppies and kids. We were officially the last people watching the parade at our spot because she had to make sure she saw every last person, dog and baby. She kept saying, "More coming!" At the end, she waved and said, "Bye parade. I love you parade."
• Showing concern about Jordan and me especially by saying/doing things we have said/done to her, "You OK Mommy?" "You sleepy Daddy?" "You OK back there Mommy?" (this is in the car ... even though I've tried to tell her Mommy is up there and she is back there ...) "You feel OK Daddy?" "You have owie Mommy?" She really doesn't like it when one of us is hurt or genuinely sad. My little bleeding heart.
• Saying more and more out of the blue, rather than just repeating when we say it, "I love you Mommy/Daddy." If this isn't the best part about being a parent, I don't know what is.
• This is really about Izzy rather than Addie, but I think Izzy has finally (FINALLY!) come to terms with the fact that Addie is here to stay. She's always been really good with her, but she has started to really enjoy Addie's company and enjoy playing with her more and more. Perhaps this is because it's Addie's job to feed her, let her in/out and give treats.

Likes:

• Dancing. Especially with her daddy, but mommy will do in a pinch, too. She really loved dancing to all the Fourth of July music on TV with her crazy Grammie and mommy.
• Watermelon. Had her first taste last weekend and I think it's her favorite food ever.
• Her new swimming pool (to replace the one her idiot parents left outside in a crazy rain/wind storm), complete with an elephant slide.
• The big swimming pools at Grammie and Pawpaw's and Mimi and G-Daddy's.
• Snacks. I think she likes swimming because she knows that a snack immediately follows. She often says, "I done swimming pool. I need snack." And if she happens to be with her Pawpaw, she knows she will get any and all snacks she asks for.
• The library is still one of her favorite places. My girl for sure.
• Talking about the tiny baby in mommy's tummy and calling it "EmmieHutch" (combo of our girl/boy names ... she's going to be really confused when it's just one or the other!)
• Tortillas. Especially when filled with cheese.
• Mommy putting her hair in pigtails.
• Babies are still pretty special to her. Unless we know the baby, I always have to tell her not to touch, which she usually responds to by saying, "I just touch one finger, mommy?"
• Using silly voices to make us laugh. I love how her little sense of humor is developing.
• Stickers.
• Band-aids. Stickers will do in a pinch.
• Her new potty seat installed in her bathroom (thank you Jordan for having access to all things toilet). She likes to sit on it but hasn't yet successfully deposited anything in the toilet.

Dislikes:

• Going to the doctor. I don't want to go back to your doctor either, sister.
• Being told what to do.
• Anyone getting an owie. She can hardly stand to watch America's Funniest Home Videos because she worries so much about the people who hurt themselves.

Addison Mae - 22 months

This sweet girl of mine is so big and so smart. She is speaking in sentences ... make that paragraphs. She can literally say everything (including repeating that something "sucked" after hearing her dad say it ... oops!) Though she is shy and sometimes clingy in new situations, she is such a social butterfly. She loves to say hello to people and especially to say thank you. If I teach her nothing else in this life, I hope it is to be grateful. She has officially developed a fear of thunder, thanks to the insane weather we've had. And officially is a little fish who would live in the water if we'd let her. Our recent trip to the beach was likely the highlight of her life. Upon opening her eyes every morning or after naptime, she immediately said, "I go swimming." Our precious girl is in for a big change come December, when she'll be a big sister. She loves to talk about the baby, but does not love that her mommy has been sick, tired and unable to carry her as much as usual. We're already praying that she adjusts to this new person well and quickly!

Weight: ~22 lbs
Length: ~30 inches

New things this month:

• Getting ready to be a big sister. I know she'll be wonderful, and we have lots of time still to prepare, but literally our first thought when we found out I was pregnant is, "What will Addie do???" She doesn't love to share, especially her two favorite people. But she does love babies. Here's hoping those two will balance out! She already loves to talk to and hug my tummy - she calls the baby "my tiny baby" and tells me often that the baby is growing in there. Where does she get this stuff???
• Going to the beach for the first time. Addie's expression when she first stepped onto the sand and saw the ocean was one I will never forget. Pure joy. She chased the birds and ran right up to the water's edge to yell, "Hi, water!!!" She loved collecting shells, swimming in the ocean and playing in the splash pad at our resort.
• Worrying. So this isn't new, and she comes by it naturally, but she sure does a lot of it. When she saw Jordan swim underwater for the first time, when anyone has an "owie," when she hears thunder, when she sees a bug, when anyone else touches her toys .... and on and on and on.
• Talking even more about emotions - especially happy and sad.
• Girl's got a pretty accurate throw with a ball ... and pretty hard, too! Future pitcher?
• I don't even know that I can accurately describe the talking ... she recently told the pharmacist in the drive-thru, "Don't pick your nose lady," at the airport, she saw a guy with long hair and said to me, "That nice man. Or maybe lady?", "I go swimming - put on swimsuit and jacket," "Not time go yet - tomorrow," "I look so pretty."
• Calling us by our first names when she needs something - especially if Jordan or I call for each other to do something. "Jordan, change my diaper," "Erin, bring daddy soap."

Likes:

• Being funny and silly. She loves to make us laugh by dancing like a crazy person, using her sense of humor or teasing us.
• Her baby dolls. Especially baby Julia, who is a Dollar General or Target special that has since lost all her clothes and is named after our friends Sarah and Brian's baby girl. All babies are now named baby Julia.
• Playing outside. All the time. Especially if there is water.
• Playing kitchen remains near and dear to her heart. Especially if Play-Dough is involved.
• Getting dressed up for church and running to show her daddy how pretty she looks.
• Playing anything and everything with her daddy. She clearly knows he's where the fun is. The two of them together makes my heart happy.
• Getting back to her favorite milk product - cheese. And all cheese products.
• Taking a bath in mommy's big bathtub.  
• Going to Target or Sam's or the grocery store. I don't understand it either.
• Talking about airplanes and going to the airport. She cried when we left the airport to come home because she wanted to stay there.
• Going to the library and checking out books. Then reading them constantly until I can't stand it anymore and have to take them back to get new ones. She loves the book drop, too.
• Going back to Starbright for the summer (I'm pretty happy about this one, too!)
• Her bubble lawn mower. And anything else that makes bubbles.

Dislikes:

• Green beans. 
• Listening when being told to do or not do something she doesn't agree with.

Addison Mae - 21 months

Addie is officially almost 2 years old, which she likes to make sure we know by saying "no" a lot, throwing temper tantrums and insisting on her way. Thankfully her sweet kisses, funny sense of humor and constant singing and dancing totally make up for it. We say a lot ... "thank goodness she's cute." Addie wrapped up her last day in the one-year-old room at school and will move up this summer. Her teachers still can't believe how much she is talking. And say they're glad not everyone talks as much as she does (I know ... it's exhausting!) I'm going to miss her wonderful teachers but I'm excited that she's grown and learned (and clearly talked) enough to move up. We visited my Mawmaw in Houson in April, which Addie loved. She also loves that the weather has been nice enough that we can play outside almost every evening. When Jordan comes home she often says, "Daddy home! Outside!" I know I say this a lot, but this beautiful girl of mine is brilliant. Even in the midst of her orneriness and stubborness, I'm proud of her independent streak and her need to figure things out for herself. And, let's be honest, she does get those traits somewhere ...

Weight: ~22 lbs
Length: ~30 inches

New things this month:

• No more paci! Hallelujah! Now let me be clear that I was perfectly prepared for her to keep that thing till she was 21 if it made sleeping (for all of us) easier. But she rejected it for a few days at school so we tried taking it away at home, too. We had a couple nights where she asked for it at bedtime ... and one middle-of-the-night multiple hour screaming episode, but we all lived through it. And she's sleeping so much better than she ever has before. Putting herself to sleep easily and sleeping all night long. It's a miracle, people.
• Using her favorite phrases over and over: No, Addie do it, I do it self, No Mommy, No touch Daddy, No do it Mommy, Addie turn, No, no, no, no, no ... you get the idea.
• Saying approximately 1,000 word phrases. OK, not really ... but she can literally say anything she wants to, including: Oklahoma, Mommy fall down hurt knee, I see birdie right there, I hit Izzy go time out, I did play friends, I go party, I know Daddy is (which means don't know), Daddy are you come here!, Mommy go Addie, Daddy work (this makes her poor Daddy sad), Mommy pick up Addie school (this makes Mommy very happy) ...
• Getting in and out of her carseat by herself. And getting really, really mad if we try to help.

• "Helping" more around the house. She has started feeding Izzy and is an excellent helper in telling us when Izzy is low on food or water. She also likes to help unload the dishwasher.
• Time out in the corner rather than her crib. This is sort of working ... except for the part where sometimes she puts herself in time out. Sometimes it's for a valid reason (and Jordan likes to remind me that although she gets lots of her orneriness from him, he would have never voluntarily put himself in time out) and sometimes she just likes to sit in the corner. I'm pretending like this is her learning how to remove herself from situations.
• "Reading" her books to me. She knows most of her books by name and likes to turn the pages herself and "read" to me. Some are so short, and she's heard them so many times, that she can actually do a pretty good job.

Likes:

• Singing. Constantly. This just warms my heart. It she hears a song a few times, she can sing it. Or sometimes she just makes up words or nonsense to the tune. Reminds me a little of myself. She usually asks for Jesus Loves Me at bedtime (which she sings with me) but the other night requested Oklahoma.
• Playing outside. I think her head almost exploded when we went over to a neighbors' house this weekend - they have a huge swingset/slide and a trampoline. Addie's version of heaven.
• Getting really, really, really close to the swimming pool in Grammie and Pawpaw's back yard. Grammie and Mommy may have heart attacks by the end of the summer.
• Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, which she can request by name. We have at least 537 episodes on our DVR. I have seen all of them.
• I haven't mentioned favorite foods in a while, except for breakfast crack, which she asks for almost every day. Other favorites are pancakes (especially if they include "topit tips" - chocolate chips), beans, turkey, pretty much any kind of fruit, tortillas, hummus and peas. She'll take a bite or two of sweets, but she's not usually very interested.
• Babies. Unless her Mommy is touching them.
• Counting to ten and sort of to twenty ... eleven, twelve, firteen, eleventeen, twenty. I love her.
• Talking about her people. When we're going anywhere, she wants to know who is coming with her and who's going to be there. If someone's not going to be there (like Daddy or Pawpaw) she needs to know why and where they're going to be instead.
• Pushing buttons. She especially loves to push the handicap button at church to open the main doors. When I tell her we're going to school/church, her immediate response is always, "I push the button, Mommy." As if I may have forgotten she needs to do that every time.

Dislikes:

• Not getting her way.
• Time out. Unless she puts herself there.
• Night night time.