Addi-Belle

I can't believe that this time last year Addison wasn't here. It's just unreal that 11 months ago I didn't have this sweet girl to love on.
It's amazing how much she is learning on what seems like an hourly basis. She studies every move Sean & I make and it is like she's trying to memorize them. What is crazy is how fast she gets things. She has picked up patty-cake, rollen 'em-rollen 'em, and strums her fingers across her lips as she makes an adorable sound. Addison is also becoming quite helpful. She knows when I'm closing the cupboard doors and she shows right up to close the doors that I haven't gotten to.


One of the greatest developments has been that she's started napping in her crib. Addison has been sleeping during the nights in her crib for a long time (ever since she moved out of the bassinet) but I used to let her take her naps in my lap. Finally I've moved her naps to the crib and it has been so great. It is a hard transition for many reasons, mainly because she can take two long naps in my lap and in the crib she takes two short ones. I know that she has to be getting better sleep in her crib and after awhile she'll learn to take longer naps there. Meanwhile, we may have a few rough days as she's a bit tired from her missed sleep.


The scariest development is that she has started walking. She's been taking two or three steps for quite awhile; but now she's REALLY walking. Addison can walk the distance of our family room all the way to the other side of the kitchen. And when she falls, she rarely starts crawling. She'll stand herself back up and finish walking. It is so wonderful to see how determined she is.


Addison still has just her two bottom teeth. Her top ones are making 'the move' but I don't expect them to show up until after her Birthday. Her hair is beginning to grow faster. For fun I managed to get two really tiny pigtails in her hair. I just loved it but she was not too happy with the process.


Addison is just the most amazing person I've ever met. I can't wait to see what the next month will bring!

On the Go

Stuck

Addison attempted to go over one rung of the stool and under the next . . .


even though she got stuck with her feet in the air for quite sometime she never fussed . . .


and she made it through all on her own.


But I don't think she was interested in trying it again.

Back in The Boot

After two days of cancelled flights Sean was finally able to get to Anchorage Wednesday night. He went to his doctor appointment on Thursday morning and had almost all of his stitches removed. The stitches at the end of the toes remain; but that was to be expected, as they help keep the pins in place. The doctor said that Sean was healing well and took Sean's cast and replaced it with the boot. Sean is extremely pleased to be free of the cast and in comparison the boot feels comfortable.


Having Sean home has been great. Sean still is not able to put any weight on his foot so we keep our days low-key and Sean gets plenty of entertainment watching Addison play from the couch. Eli is also quite happy about having someone to relax with.

Sean's next visit is in about two and a half weeks. He'll get his pins out and he'll be onto the next stage . . .

We Heart Elmo

Several months ago Sesame Street came on and golf was the main subject of the show. Even though Addison was too young to watch it I recorded the show in hopes that someday she can watch the show and begin to love golf. While the show was recording Addison & I were upstairs.



We came downstairs about 5 minutes before the show ended and Elmo was on. She heard his voice and instantly her eyes were glued to the tv. She squealed and talked back to Elmo - it was so cute. When Elmo began to sing The Weather Song he won her heart. She LOVED it. I couldn't wait for Sean to get home that night to show him how much she liked her new little red friend.



Since then we show her those few minutes of the show whenever we need a good laugh. She smiles SO big for Elmo and breaks out her best dance moves just for The Weather Song. I think we love Elmo even more than Addison, just because we get to watch the way she reacts to him!



4.18.08 Update: I came to the blog to post Sean's latest and while pulling up the site Addison caught a glimpse of the picture of her and Elmo and went wild. She pointed, smiled and talked to her buddy on the computer screen - just as she does when he's on tv. Apparently, just the mere sight of the red guy is enough to make her happy!

Visiting Nana & Grandpapadopolis

The best part of Sean needing his surgery done in Anchorage is that we got to spend a week and a half with Nana & Grandpapadopolis.We had such a great time staying with them.


And can't you tell tht Addison loved being the center of their attention??


Playing with Aunt Katie




Uncle Clint was able to come over and play with Addison and Colin



Colin cuddling with Nana


Grandpapadopolis getting a real workout


Little ones playing together in their jammies - does it get any sweeter than that??!!


Gravity: Friend or Foe?


Addison and her new favorite toy.


Playing with Cousin Colin.


Me and two of my all-time-favorite little ones.


You can't really tell in this picture, but Uncle Phil's eyeballs are ready to fall out.


Cousin Conall came by for a visit. Don't you wonder what he is thinking in this picture??


Fire Fighter Colin reporting for duty. Such a handsome boy!!


Addison & Colin played very well together. One time there was a toy on the activity table that they both wanted and after warning Colin, several times to let her play with it Addison picked up Colin's hand and moved it out of her way. It was surprising to see her be so assertive with another little one. Colin didn't put up a fight and graciously gave in and went onto the next toy.

It Just Keeps Getting Better

Our sweet girl is now 10 months old. The 9th month was a lot of fun. She perfected her wave hello, clapping and learned to take a few steps on her own. Real walking is still a little ways off - but she can get in one or two steps before she changes her mind and falls to the floor in order to crawl to her desired location.



She still has only two teeth but she is beginning to tolerate real food. She's developed quite a taste for Cheerios. I'm hoping that means she is just holding out until she gets more teeth so she can eat solid foods that are actually solid



At the beginning of March I was reminding myself that March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb. Even though that saying is supposed to be for the weather it was a good way to describe Addison's sleeping pattern. Just when I thought that we had it together (she was sleeping through the night) she reminded me that she is still in charge of our nights. The first week of the month was tough. The last two weeks of March were perfect. She slept through the night (usually down at 8:30 ish and up around 7:00 ish) every night with the exception of about three nights where she woke up for a bit.



Addison is really getting into music. She likes to cuddle with me while we listen to music before her naps. She even likes to be sung to. She loves the Little Bunny Foo-Foo song - it usually gets a good laugh out of her (she's probably really laughing at my singing voice). She also likes the Itsy Bitsy Spider, Baby Bumble Bee, Head Shoulders Knees and Toes - oh! and Brand New Girlfriend. Yeah that last one is not a kids song, but when she hears that song she knows that I'm breaking out my impressive dance moves (I don't know, that song just seems to move me - I can't fight it) and that is definitely something worth laughing about!



Every month just gets better and better. Just when I tell myself, '4 months is the best stage' here comes 5 months and it's somehow even better. Then comes 6 months - well, you get the picture. So many people told us that would happen, but I had no idea . . . It is pretty great when you're sure your life is as good as it'll ever be and it just keeps getting better..

The Left Was All That Was Left

In 2006 Sean had his right foot reconstructed and last week he had his left one operated on. Going into this surgery was a lot more stressful than the previous, as Sean knew what kind of recovery to expect. He went through with the surgery (even though it would have been so easy to back out) and all went well. He has three pins in the toes that had a joint removed and bones fused. He also has screws in the top part of the foot where they did the main part of the reconstruction.

Prior to the surgery we found out that they were going to give him a pain pump this go-around. I'm not going to lie, at first I was worried. I googled 'pain pump' and of course, all that came up were pending lawsuits and a ton of negative information. Turns out you can google most any medical procedure or medication and you're going to find enough information to completely freak you out. The doctors reassured us that the process with the pain pump was safe and it would help limit Sean's pain. Fortunately they were right. The pain pump numbed Sean from the knee down (they inserted the catheter behind his knee) and he felt very little for the first three days until they took the pump out.

Since then Sean has had both good and bad days as his foot starts to heal. He's been keeping his foot elevated which has helped with the swelling; but we haven't been so good with the Cryo Cuff this time as it seems to hurt more than help. And of course, they've got him on some good-old-fashioned-drugs.

In 1 to 2 weeks Sean needs to go back to Anchorage to have the stitches removed and gets moved from the cast to The Boot. In 6 weeks Sean may get the Doctor's blessing to start putting a small amount of weight on his foot. But the crutches will be around for about 8 weeks.

The most amazing part of this last surgery is how well Sean is dealing with the recovery. He never complains; even though I hit him in the foot with a cereal box and later, the baby bag! MAN! I'm a terrible nurse!! When strangers in the airport, on our way home Thursday, asked how he hurt his foot, Sean casually says, "oh, I had a little bit of work on it." It is almost like he is embarrassed to tell them what was done to his foot. I tell you what, if it was me I wouldn't wait for anyone to ask. I'd just walk up to people and say, "Hey, guess what I just survived!!" Whether they wanted to hear it or not.

Well, that brings you up on the latest with Sean. With everything that has gone on the past two weeks, I've gotten so behind in my emails. To those of you who've emailed, I promise I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Playing both Mommy & Nurse doesn't leave much time for the computer!