Addison Rae - The First Year

I cannot believe that Addison is almost 18 months old!!! Where does the time go? It's been such a whirlwind and I couldn't ask for a better baby girl than her! She is the sweetest, most snuggliest child I have ever met! But before I get into her current personality, let us recap on the first year of her life (As much as memory allows.....seriously mom brain is #reallife!)

Month One

The first month was a re-learning experience. From being in the hospital, remembering what a total lack of sleep feels like, and re-adjusting to a nursing infant. This month was the HARDEST month, as it usually is. Daddy was home for the first two weeks and then went back to work to his 2pm-2am shifts. Well that wasn't so hard, but getting accustomed to a toddler wanting my attention and Addison actually needing my attention, there was a lot of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on in the first months. Bahaha


Addison had issues nursing in the hospital and even though I nursed Emma up until the night before Addison's arrival, I apparently wasn't producing milk. So my body had to do the reset thing and I had to wait for the milk to come in. While this was happening Addison was not really latching and her jaundice was becoming progressively worse and she just wouldn't stay latched. We eventually had to supplement formula just so she would eat and we could go home. She had formula from early Wednesday morning until my milk came in on Saturday. After that we had to visit the doctor several times to make sure her "bump" was settling down and the jaundice was getting better.

She slept with us since about week three because I was just a paranoid mommy. We spent a lot of time snuggled up in bed reading and watching movies. But daddy made sure to put up all the Christmas decorations and help Emma experience lots of lights on the house. She had her first bath and while we were attending to Addison and making sure she was all squeaky clean, Emma was leaning way over the edge to "help" and fell face first into the bathtub. Poor thing. She also lost her umbilical cord around 7 days old!

Month Two

In Addison's second month of life we did all the family things as it was the holiday season. We celebrated her first Christmas and NYE. We visited friends and family and just enjoyed life as a family. She experienced her first major rainstorm that turned into a great amount of snow on Christmas Eve. Such the beauty and quiet the first blanket of snow and especially poetic on such a holiday. We rang in 2017 in style with loads of snuggles and fires. (It was a pretty cold winter so we hung out inside a LOT!)


Addison helped Mommy and Daddy celebrate their marriage blessing in the Catholic church on 1/09/17, which was 10 years after their initial marriage! Grandma Jean threw a "Welcome Baby Addison" sprinkle and she got lots of cute toys and clothes from family and friends alike. And then finally helped mommy with her Catholic confirmation.


She started babbling and "talking" and trying to smile. She also had some tummy issues, like her sister did, so we tried cutting out dairy and hoping to combat any reflux issues upfront. Sleepy smiles were a plenty and walks around the neighborhood with daddy. She also discovered her hands and feet and started putting them in her mouth.....teething had inevitably started.

2 month shots and well visit stats: 8lbs 14oz.

Month 3

Month three is my favorite month. It's when the personality starts and she started to be awake and alert more often, and the start of full belly giggles when daddy blew raspberries on her tummy! We had more visits with family, both at our house and elsewhere. We celebrated Super Bowl, which of course the Patriots won, mostly because she was wearing her Patriots gear! And her first Valentine's Day. She and Emma made valentines for daddy and Papa.

Lots of dress up time and snuggles with big sister (the cold weather continued) and this was the month we asked the Godparents to be involved with Addison's upbringing. We took a trip to Hermosa Beach to celebrate Auntie Haley's 18th birthday and watch the glorious ocean sunsets. We had lots of time with daddy this month too!

Month Four

Month Four was the month when mommy had to go back to work, so we made the most of the time we had all together. We took a trip into Fresno to visit my cousins and for Darin to take a test. We enjoyed time with 5 little girls all under one roof. Addison thoroughly enjoyed watching her cousin's and her sister play with the toys and scream and carry on. Her cousin's all wanted to snuggle her also. Such a cute and fun time. Teething started to get into full force and the drool monster came out in DROVES! We celebrated Grandma Jean's birthday at a local Mexican restaurant and then had a photoshoot with handmade teeshirts for St. Patrick's day also.


On the 15th of April we finally saw that first tooth come in!

Month Five

Month Five was the beginning of the glorious kicking and blowing of raspberries. This is a favorite pastime of Addison because she found it hilarious! She also started to roll over and become really interested in mommy singing and kicked a lot (dance) when any music came on. She's turning into our little dancer.


We went to the desert this month to take photo's in the beautiful poppy fields, and also decorated Easter eggs for the Easter bunny who brought loads of glorious things like cereal and utensils for starting solids! It was a truly fun month of exploring and finding new things.

We also took our very first trip as a family of four to Disneyland! We took two full days and stayed on property. We got Addison her first build-a-bear and set of Mickey ears. We watched shows and went on all the great fun rides....including Mr. Toad's! It was exhausting and so much fun to experience such a wonderful place as a family. We enjoyed it so much. This was Addison's first hotel stay too! We also did character dining and met Chip, Dale, and Pluto. We toured Mickey's house and met him and Donald as well!!

Month Six

Six months was a HUGE month. Addison began to crawl! OMG she was mobile! I had TWO mobile children. Cue PANIC! Haha......pick everything up off the floor! Teething and crawling meant everything went in the mouth. 6 months also means the beginning of eating solids. We started her out with baby oatmeal as a first food, just like big sister, and she LOVED it. This child LOVES food! She also got to have her first dip in the pool with daddy.


She loves to put on skirts with sister and jump in her Baby Einstein jumper. We also participated in the SCV Relay for Life and celebrated the life of Grandpa Bobby. We went to daddies first company picnic and watched Emma ride a pony and daddy do a sack race and climb the rock wall.

Month Seven

This month was another month of big celebrations as big sister turned 3 and Addison began sitting up all by herself! She also began pulling herself up onto things like the ottoman on sister's chair and the coffee table. Everything in arms reach she had to grab it.....including hair! A favorite (still to this day) to grab and PULL! It hurts so much! We also started BLW and that included peas and green beans. She loved veggies way more than fruit. When I gave her peaches she looked at me like I was trying to poison her. Bahaha.


She celebrated the 4th of July and watched her first fireworks from our backyard. So relaxing to be able to do that!

Month Eight

Anything and everything in the mouth. We had cut well over 6 teeth and they were not slowing down. A constant puddle of drool was ever present on her front! LOL. Lots and lots of new foods to try. Still loving on my veggies but also LOVE my baby mum mums. This was also when getting dressed or getting a diaper change turned into an utter $%!&Show! I mean, crawling away, screaming, rolling over. The child HATES when the status quo changes. Fine dressed, fine undressed.....but ugh! Don't try to undress or dress her. Silly pants. She discovered the playroom and the vast opportunities of toys in there! And LOVES to torture her sister by grabbing the one thing she was playing with.....but Emma will just grab them right back. The squealing began here too. Crying to get her way and miss smarty pants learned QUICK, that if you cry Emma gets scolded to share.


Lots of first adventures this month. A first ride on a lake boat for BOTH girls at Lake Isabella. Mommy was highly paranoid about daddy driving and mommy wrangling two kiddos. But we made it work. Addison utterly HATED the life jacket. Considering it went up halfway up her face I guess its understandable...and the hat.....torture! Addison also went and put her toes in the sand at Ventura Beach. Sand eating was a big part of the day! SMH!

Month Nine

Addison just keeps growing and getting more personality. Loves to snuggle and hug. She has discovered the dogs and loves to watch out the window at Shelby and at Grandma and Papa's she will laugh and giggle when Gracie licks her face. At her well visit, the doctor was concerned with her iron levels and we were asked to step up on the protein intake. No problem there. She still is obsessed with all things savory. Veggies, pasta and meats. Her favorites! She is also walking along things. The couch, the coffee table, the sliding window and standing up on her own. She loves trying to reach what is on the island.

Month Ten

I know I know......she's wearing the same outfit in the 9 month photo too.....#mombrain!


We started off the month with a bang early because Addison and Emma's newest cousin, Logan, was born. While we were waiting for him to make his appearance we took the girls to play miniature golf for the first time with their Aunt, Uncle and oldest cousin Antonio. Addison became very antsy and wanted to participate and "practice" her walking, but it makes sense because she also began to walk on her own. We went to the pumpkin patch and had loads of fun on the grass slide and in the corn pit. Yes she tried to eat the corn.....and nearly lost her shoe as well! Haha. We also discovered the JOY of bubbles! Watching them fall and popping them! We also had our first photoshoot as a family of four!


Addison loves bathtime with her big sister and will splash and play and eat all the toys she can. The bond they share is unlike any other!

Month Eleven

In month 11 we perfected walking! We started out with the old man wobble and then we got really good at it QUICK! We celebrated our first Halloween and Grandma Jean made Emma and Addison pumpkins! Addison made out on the candy front and mom and dad got to reap those rewards.....(the joys of parenting!) She mastered the art of independent play in the playroom and started her LOVE of dolls. She adopted all of Emma's baby dolls and hugs and kisses them. The sweetest thing in the world. She our little mommy. We also had her first birthday two days shy of her actual birthday. A pink and gold Cinderella theme complete with streamers, hand made pumpkin crafts and snacks. Mommy went overboard, per usual!

And then she was a year! What a whirlwind it was and I can't believe it went so fast! She is my big girl and my snuggle bunny. I love that she snuggles and hugs and gives kisses. We are blessed!

Oh Hai!

Murray Farms Corn Maze

Well then. It seems like I have fallen off the face of the earth hasn't it? Well I haven't. Life has just completely got in the way and sitting at the slowest computer on the planet doesn't sound like something I am interested in doing these days.

Things have just been a whirlwind these days. The first month of living in our home we were commuting and hour and a half and two hours respectively. Once we started our new jobs things settled down, but our new schedules are a little hectic with both of us working Saturdays, and split days off seem to be having us running a little harried. We try to spend lots of time with Emma on the days we have with her. We have taken her to the Pumpkin patch, she's experienced her first snowfall and are just settling into our home with all the holiday decor up. We are loving life in our new home and just trying to find the balance finding time for everything. It's hard, but we are making it work.

The house is coming together. If you follow me on Instagram (lil_birdie_emma0701) then you will get a weekly, sometimes daily update of what life looks like around these parts. I am going to try and get a weekly post up over here. That way your all not missing out on things over here, but still can get a taste into our lives. Lil miss is transitioning into a one nap lady, and it tends to be pretty short so getting in a post while she sleeps will be hard. Lol.

Were slowly decorating and fixing little issues around the house, It's a good thing I work in a home improvement store.....and get a discount. My goodness there's lots of things you need when you own a home! We bought an island and a credenza for our kitchen, some shelving and a new rug. We still need to figure out how to make the office/guest room function as an office/guest room before my step mom makes the trip in March. I have ideas so I hope they work out and I hope to do a post when its finished.

New credenza and shelving for the dining room

Were hosting Christmas eve with my parents this year so I am off to research new and easy recipes to make for that. The hubby requested turkey.....so I guess I will me making my first ever Turkey. Wish me luck! Well I think that's all I can think of for this ramble post. Here's a couple of photos!

My beauty watching the bubbles!

His happy place.

Our first snowfall!

Am I Going Overboard?

As your recall from Monday's post I am overdue for an update on our starting a family saga, or now known as Operation Let's Have a Baby. Well it's not a saga per say, but it's been an ongoing event in our household. After three months we were both starting to get a little frustrated. Then at 4 and 5 months we were over the top frustrated. Now at 7 months I have accepted the fact that maybe we are focusing on it a little too much and maybe we should just relax.

A lot of what my life looks like right now!!! Note: not my charts!

Let me back up. In early December of last year we got the clear from the doc to try again after my ectopic pregnancy. Optimistic me thought that it would be super quick. I mean I had gotten pregnant once, I 'should' be clear of any blockages because I had a D & C and a Methotrexate shot and we were ready to go. Well by the end of January, after too much Dr. Internet (don't do this to yourself ladies) I decided to start tracking my temperature to confirm that I was ovulating. I Bought the bbt thermometer and downloaded an app to plug in my numbers. The hard part was remembering to take my temp first thing and then imputing it into the chart. 

Fast forward to April, two months of temping and it was confirmed, at least to me that ovulating wasn't the issue. So I bought and pack of ovulation predictor strips so we knew the exact window of time was right. I also downloaded the Fertility Friend App and took the free course that they offer. I know know more about things like biphasic charts and cervical mucous then I thought I would want to know. All the while I had been scouring Dr. Internet, reading people's forums trying to figure out if any symptom that I was experiencing could have been pregnancy related. All this did was get my hopes up and in turn result in disappointment. 

In May I decided that both the hubby and myself needed to get healthier. We have both made a conscious effort to cut soda out of the picture! I'm on day 3!!!! Woot! We both started to take vitamins as well to make sure that we have the proper baby making nutrients in our bodies. Here's the schedules:

Hubby takes 1200mg of fish oil, a daily multi, 50mg zinc, and a 50mg D3 supplement. 

My schedule is a little different. I read that taking Evening Primrose oil helps thicken the wall of the uterus to help prepare for implantation, but only to take it before ovulation because it can cause miscarriage, so this is my supplement regime. Day 1 to ovulation day I take 1000 mg of EPO twice a day. Ovulation day to end of cycle I take a 1200 mg fish oil. Everyday I take a pre-natal with the B's and a min of 800 mg folic acid, 3600mcg biotin, 50mg D3, and 3600mg cranberry supplements (to help prevent uti's, I get them A LOT)

It may seem like a lot, but I feel better and actually feel like I have more energy. I am also seriously looking into our eating habits and cutting out packaged foods as much as I can and label reading to cut out as much chemicals as possible! We started a low glycemic index high protein/fiber shake recently in hopes to help get the hubby's blood sugar levels in the perfect range (he's Type 1 diabetic) as well, will update you on that when we get into it for a few weeks! Up next. Starting a workout regime to remove and excess fats as well.  I mean this is just getting us into tip top shape!

So, with all this being said I have decided that we just need to relax about it. I have learned that life doesn't care what my plan is, that it will continue on with its own plan. We can prepare all we want, but it will only happen when it's supposed to....and honestly, it's really hard to wrap my planning and scheduling brain around that! We can't get frustrated and we just need to relax and enjoy the process! :-)

So there it is an update for you all! I will continue to update you all periodically on things regarding this topic. In the meantime if you could send baby dust our way that would be fantastic! Happy Wednesday!

Headboards, Catalina, Weddings and a Pigskin Party

Ok so it's been mostly crafty posts around here lately. Honestly because so much has been going on at work and in my personal life that the time to write an actual blog post seemed to get put on the back burner. I have been out of the office at least 4 days out of the week for the last 3 weeks and it's not slowing down. I usually write my posts either on my lunch break or on the weekends. So here's whats gone on the last two weeks.

I finished the chalkboard and posted a couple of recipes to boot! All of which has gotten great interest on Pinterest which makes me so happy! I need to figure out some more things to keep the content of this blog and momentum going! I do have a couple of other baby crafts to post, but one needs to be finished before I post. Maybe this weekend, while doing laundry and getting ready to go to CATALINA! Whoop! We are so excited to get away for a couple of days and have an adventure.

Last week I got a hit with a double whammy. A bout of food poisoning with a UTI to boot. I was not a happy camper at all. While waiting two hours in urgent care and getting my meds, all I wanted to do is lie in bed and sleep. Instead of actually sleeping, I just watched Grey's Anatomy on Netflix and read blogs on my phone. I got to one of my favorites, Sawdust and Embryos as she was announcing the winner of the contest she was holding for a DIY headboard. I just entered cause I LOVED the fabrics, but never thought that I would win. Well wouldn't you know, I did! I had a great little email conversation with Beth and she told me that all my supplies shipped this weekend! EEK! Stay tuned for that to be featured in the future and pop over to her blog to read about her crafty life with her hubby and two adorable girls! They do awesome furniture redo's! Trust me you wont regret visiting!

We went to a comedy show last weekend, to root on a friend who's trying to get into the business and got to see Andy Dick in person! He was funny, but mostly just sang funny songs instead of doing actual stand-up, so that was a bummer. Also I met up with a dear friends sister, the future Mrs. G to discuss helping her as a day of coordinator for her wedding in August. Her details look perfect and I can't wait to help her out with the biggest day of her life! Gotta get the timeline together and make a site visit to Santa Paula to get an idea of how everything can be set up. She's got all the decor details figured out, just gotta work out some of the kinks with regards to the ceremony and set up and just be there to help with everything she needs on the big day! I'm really excited to do this for her!

You might have been aware of the game that happened this past weekend. I dunno, it's some big thing here in the states that most people get all riled up over, the Super Bowl. I am not a big fan of football, but like to make it interesting by making little wagers with D. Not only did I predict that the Raven's were gonna win, but I won our little side bet! HaHA! Too bad I didn't come up with my own wager beforehand, but it's more interesting for me to have something to look forward too. We went to a friends house to watch the game, with 3 other couples. 2 of them had the most adorable little boys, and Dylan (pictured above) loved our friends little bridge that he has in his yard. We tend to always make fun of it, but it was the perfect size for a toddler. He loved walking back and forth on that thing! He was so cute! For the most part the "Super Bowl" party turned into a sit outside and eat yummy food while playing baggo party. It was so fun and relaxing. Poor D was the only one who wanted to watch the game. We did end up watching most of the second half, as it was far more entertaining. Super Bowl at Casa P's will forever be known as Non-Super Bowl party.

Since there were babies a foot, the topic came up over the course of the day with many questions with regards to our luck. So, here's a little update on that. December marked our official go-time to try again. Unfortunately we haven't had luck yet, but are having fun with the process....because honestly it's not supposed to be a chore. We are still very positive and are waiting patiently for our time. Seriously though, there is WAY too much cute stuff out there! I am looking forward to visiting our god-daughter and niece at the end of the month to get more of a baby fix as well.

So that's what has gone on in our neck of the woods! Can't wait to share our island vacation with you all as well! Maybe I will bring up the courage to zip-line! o.O 

Lake Trip!

Just an update for you all. D and I will be heading out with our good friend Mr. P to the lake for the Labor Day holiday. Things will be dark around here for a few days because I will have no internet service! We will be lounging in the water, water-sporting, playing games and just having an all around good time! Be jealous! Hehe....just kidding. We will also be celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary as well! So that's exciting news!

If you need a little D&D Kimball Road while I am gone why don't you check out my new tabs up on top. ^^^ I have made a new bucket list tab (titled "Lifetime of Memories") that will accumulate all the past years checks including their blog posts. It's just an easy way to find everything! I will still have a separate list for each year that way everything just keeps moving on up and easier to find. I have also included a new tab. The Soundtrack to my Life (STML) tab is an area where I keep a list of all the songs that have had great meaning in my world. Songs that bring back a specific memory or that have great significance in my life. A way to keep track of all these great pieces of artistry!

That's what's new over at 2DKR!

Personal Update

Its really hard to describe sometimes what I am feeling. The elusive "how are you" question usually arises and most of the time people don't really care how you feel. It's just a polite thing to say. So really, how am I? Well that's a matter of a day to day basis. Most days I go on with daily life just living as most people do. But it's those small things that get you, like the truncated domes or a song on the radio. It's been four months. Most people think that four months is a long time, but to me its ONLY been four months.

I had a really hard moment of weakness. My sister-in-law got married last month, and while I was so happy for her, there was that sadness. All I could think about was my wedding day, and how I danced with him and all the things we did. I tried very hard to contain it, but I did have my moments. They were unavoidable. I tried to not make it about me. I tried to be brave, thought that I could listen to his CD one day on my way home, but it wouldn't play in my car. My friend said that he didn't want me to cry while driving. She's probably right. I can't watch movies with father/daughter goodbye's....they make me really sad. I mean I watched The Little Mermaid the other night and at the end when she gets married and says goodbye to her dad I just started crying. I know that this is all normal and part of the healing process, but its hard to swallow. I swear that book "The Last Song" was written about my life....minus the Miley Cyrus and thievery part. If you haven't seen the movie, go watch it....it's good. I just can't ever watch it again without bawling my eyes out. (not like I didn't do that the first time I saw it)

Then there is the guilt. It's not like I don't have my step dad who has been in my life since I was 2! He walked me down the aisle and has always been there for me. I don't want him to feel like I care about him less, because that's not true. I am just having a strong emotional reaction, which is different for everyone. My mom says that he doesn't understand because he didn't have a strong connection with his family. I guess I just need to find the balance for my grief and showing him that I still love him.

I have been throwing myself into projects. Party planning, and such. Just to keep my mind occupied. Luckily I have enough going on between bridal showers, court of honors, bachelorette parties and weddings to go around. But what happens when its all over in October and I don't have a task to focus on? Then right around the corner is my first Thanksgiving without him? Then Christmas? Then the anniversary? Am I getting to far ahead of myself? Probably. Reel yourself back in and take one day at a time. I know that things will be slow to heal and I will have my ups and downs.