Showing posts with label watchaddisongrow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label watchaddisongrow. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 2, 2018

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!

Monday, March 20, 2017

Welcome Addison Rae - Birth Story

Wow! I can't believe that it's been almost four months since Addison came into our lives. It's been a whirlwind so far and I feel horribly that I haven't had a chance to update you all on how she made her way into the world!

When in my last post you read about her arrival, but no details. Well here I am to fill you in! I had elevated blood pressure from 33 weeks and up and was just waiting for the inevitable. Luckily my doctor gave me the go ahead to start my leave and to fully prep for her arrival. He wanted to deliver her at 36w7d and I just wasn't prepared. I went through my last week of pregnancy preparing for her arrival. Washing and putting away clothes. Installing the car seat, cleaning the house, and most importantly spending time with Emma and relishing our last days as a family of three.

Sunday night came and I packed three bags. One for Emma as she would be staying with my in-laws, because I knew my mom would be with me, one for Addison and one for myself. I made sure to have my nursing pillow and just tried to stay calm. I knew in my mind that I was going to be induced the next day.

The next morning I awoke and took a shower to prep myself for the inevitable. I had hopes that having a week off of work would drop my blood pressure and we could keep her cooking a little longer, but I wanted to be prepared just in case. #shavealltheparts. My mom and I loaded everything into the car, plus Emma and off we went.

When I arrived at the doctors office, we did the standard pee, weight and blood pressure. Of course the bp was still elevated. Not as high, but still higher than he wanted. I got into the room and the non-stress test machine was in the room and I knew. I was having an induction that day. The doctor came in and said "are we ready to have a baby today?" I responded with "are we going to do that today?" He told me yes and that we would be and it's important to make sure everyone is healthy. He told me that I would receive the same medications as I had with Emma because I responded to them so well last time. Checked me, I was 3-4 cm dilated and 80% effaced already. So my body was preparing for a delivery already. He told me to head over to the hospital, but that I could have lunch first. We left the office, I called the hubby and my M.I.L. to let them know what was happening and so that Darin could be ready to come. He had already packed a bag and just needed to shower and he would be on his way.

My mom, Emma and I headed to get brunch and it was SWAMPED. I guess that's what happens when you give birth the week of Thanksgiving. We ate our fill and I snuggled with my big girl before we took her to my in-laws to meet Darin. I relished my big girl, snuggled her and gave her loads of kisses. Once we were finally on our way to the hospital I got nervous. Even if you have done it once or a dozen times, you still get nervous. I get right into my room, set up our insurance and get put on Pitocin. I was surprised by this and the nurse told me that because I was already past 3cm dilated that Cytotec wasn't an option for me and that we would just use the drip. Once settled into the bed it was 2pm and the meds were flowing. We chatted and joked with the nurses. Talked about music and funny things and about 4pm my contractions were getting strong and regular. My nurse told me that she wasn't going to give me any more doses because I was already contracting good enough to warrant it. At 4:45 my doctor showed up to check on me because he was scheduled for a C-section at 5. He said he would return at 6 to break my water because of how fast I was progressing and said his goodbyes. 5:30 rolls around and during mid conversation my water breaks naturally......and the contractions get STRONG!

They are close together and really intense. I look at Darin and ask "how long do I torture myself before I ask for the epidural?" A couple minutes later the nurse comes in and I state my potential epidural desires. She tells me that the anesthesiologist is on the floor so it would be really fast. I look at her and say "then lets get him in here!" She puts a bag of fluids up and pages him to my room. Once there he preps my back and Darin prepares to watch the insertion of the needle. I get the numbing shot and all of a sudden feel sick. The nurse grabs a bag and out comes what's left of my lunch. Once the epidural is in and I start to feel better, my father-in-law comes in. He's checking on us and then takes Darin to get dinner. Things are progressing well. I roll to my side and try to rest with my mom by my side. I rest for a bit and then my husbands siblings arrive to check on me. They had brought their son in as well so I had a distraction. While they were in, I started to feel pain in my right side so the next time the nurse came in I told her that I was uncomfortable, and she had noticed the alarms on my babies monitor going off and the baby was behaving strange. She asked family to leave to check me. Apparently it was go time. I was fully dilated at 8pm. An hour and a half post epidural. CRAZY.

Darin finally made it back from getting dinner and was shocked that I was ready. The room was a buzz and the doctor was being called in. During this my mother-in-law brought over Emma so we could give her smooches and told her she would be a big sissy soon! At 8:30 it was time to push. I spent about 15 minutes pushing and the room was silent. I mean just the heart rate monitor was making noise......well and me. Lol. I looked at Darin and asked him to put on music because it was far too quiet in there. He put on the country station and I hummed in between pushes. I kept pushing hard and they were telling me that I was making progress but that she wasn't moving down. "A Pretty Little Girl" came on the radio and I had tears streaming down my face. I just wanted her to be here. Once the song was over, because it would have been so poetic if she would have been born during that song, I looked at the nurse and said "she's face up isn't she?" Nobody would answer my question. I knew full well that she was face up and pushed and pushed for 30 minutes before she finally adjusted, tearing me in the process, and I was able to push her into the world. She came out pretty purple with a huge side cone, but she was here. Darin cut the cord and they took her to the warmer for weight. She was born at 9:31pm on November 21st. 6lbs 1oz and 19.25" long. Pure perfection.

 
Once she cleared her tests they placed her on my chest and Darin sent the texts out announcing her arrival. Shortly after the family made it's way in to meet our newest member. First in came my mother in law with Emma. She jumped into the bed with me and looked at Addison! "It's a baby!" she exclaimed. Then Addison began crying and Emma started singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" to her. Addison immediately stopped crying and relaxed with her sister by her side. It was by far the most special moment of my life! We are blessed with our family of four and our newest member. Addison Rae.