Shutterfly!

Hey ALL! So I am writing this blog to remind you (because I know you all already know) how great shutterfly is. It is a great place to store your pictures all in one place and not have to worry about your computer crashing. And once your pictures are there you can create all kinds of great things for gifts and your holiday cards!

Our first Christmas Card we sent was a shutterfly creation and we loved it! We were extremely happy with the way it turned out. Click on the link below to find out more about Shutterfly holiday cards:


http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards

Our First Christmas Card Together:

Shutterfly not only has great Cards but they have wonderful gift ideas including their photo books and calendars. I can't think of a better way to watch the days go by then looking at the greatest moments from years past. Check out the calendars here:

http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars/desk-calendars

Like I mentioned above I also think the photo books are a great gift for others and a treat for yourself. I created our wedding scrap book at the photo book link on shutterfly and love it!

Make sure you check out Shutterfly for all your holiday needs!

9 MONTHS! Halloween and Random thoughts:

Ok so here I am again late as usual. Addie turned 9 months old on Friday November 5th. She is still a light in our lives. She has the most precious personality and is so laid back. She is sitting up now which is awesome bc I wasn't sure this day would ever come. She will stand up if I put her hands on the coffee table but I am sure to stay right with her because she isn't too solid on her own yet. She has had 3 ear infections since June and the doctors say we are well on our way to the required 6 before she can get tubs put in. In a perfect world she wouldn't get another one EVER! She hasn't been to her 9 month check up yet so I will try to remember to update you on her stats. However Michael took her to the doctor a couple days ago for the ear infection and she weighed a little over 15 lbs with all her clothes on. She is still a wee little one, we are finally in 6-9 month clothes!

Things that I am uncertain about at this point:

• When should I start feeding her table food (obviously in bit size little pieces)? It makes me nervous she is going to choke.
• When should I introduce the sippy cup? I read online that you should try to start rotating a sippy cup in at about 6 months. Should I just put a little water in the cup and let her try that first?
• Is there something I can do to help promote crawling besides giving her tummy time and putting toys at little out of reaching distance?

For Halloween Addie was a baby chick and simply put was the cutest chick in the entire world. I actually bought the costume on whim at a consignment sale. It was too precious to pass up for $15! Most costumes I had seen (even at Old Navy) were atleast $30. It ended up being a GREAT purchase. I love my little chick.

Michael and I dressed up as Emma Pillsbury and Sue Sylvester from Glee (yes Michael dressed up like a girl)...We dressed up with two of our great friends from Bible Study Drew (Artie) and Shannon (Quin, pre-pregnancy). It was a lot of fun!

At this Halloween party I discovered a new love "Just Dance" on the Wii. I have not been sold on the Dance revolution and the Wii fit because one looks like a workout (no fun) and other more like just stomping around (no fun). So when I first was told about this game my expectations were not very high but then I saw it.... I wanted to play immediately and I must admit I was a little sad we had so many people there because it meant I only got to dance to THREE songs! But it was super fun because we had a dance off and it got pretty intense towards the end. Check out the pics below:

Lindsay was the ultimate winner but it was a tough challenge to take down her opponent (the male winner) Brett.

Michael has been busy lately (this is his busy time with work) and so it had been busy at our house. I am ready for things to slow down a little but I can't overlook the amazing season that is about to begin (the holidays). I really want to make an effort this year to not get too carried away in all the Christmas festivities to forget what this season is all about. I want to really remember how our savior was born and how incredible it is that he wasn't just placed on this earth as a grown king already (which he could have been) but that he was born a baby. He walked through life the same way we do. He had struggles like we do. The only difference is he overcame those struggles not just the big ones but every single little one that he encountered. I want to make sure that I remember Him during this time and who he was and is!

Lastly I have been a little down lately (no it isn't just because Alabama is not going to win the National Championship but, it doesn't help). I think it is because of the business of life. I hate when life gets so busy that we don't get to see our friends and family as much as we would like. I really want to focus on getting together with friends and spending quality time with my family. Right now I have a love/hate relationship with Fall. It has so many wonderful things like football, holidays etc. but it also fills up my calendar with those things and I can't see the end until January! I feel an overwhelming push to really start clearing my calendar for greater things. Here's to breaking out of my "box".

Oh and my brain is already racing with 1st birthday ideas!

BLESSED

Ok so Michael will probably think this post is uncalled for but I feel the need to BRAG ON MY HUSBAND. Michael truly is a wonderful husband and father. I am not going to lie I knew he would be which is one of the reasons I married him. Anyways I have been reminded a lot lately of how amazing he is and how blessed I am. Michael has Addie duty in the mornings. I had to change my work schedule to be at work at 7:30 each morning and Addie’s daycare doesn’t open until 8 putting Michael in charge of Addie’s mornings. He wakes her, dresses her and takes her to school each morning. I know he loves this time in the mornings with her because he tells me every day! The ladies at daycare have called him “A VERY INVOLVED DAD” and seem so impressed with his presence. Michael of course thinks it is sad that they are so impressed with an involved dad. Also the ladies at my office constantly tell me “Do you know how lucky you are?” And I think YES I DO. Michael called last Friday because he got off work a little early and said do you want me to pick up Addie so you can run some errands this afternoon? He volunteered to take over afternoon duty so I could get some things done. In our lives this is pretty normal volunteering to help each other out and we love doing it for each other and spending the extra time with Addie. Anyways Michael really does have such a big role in raising Addie and he still finds time to be a great friend and husband. The greatest part about when he helps out is he does it because he WANTS to and because he is Addie’s Dad and feels the responsibility to do it. He doesn’t see it as him doing me a favor (as some men do) but this is OUR child and OUR life and we are living it TOGETHER! I really do feel so blessed that he is my husband and my partner walking through life with me.

7 months (almost 8 months)

ROLL TIDE!

I am not the greatest blogger, but I don’t know what will be interesting to people. I guess I should do what other people do and use this as my own scrapbook to keep up with even the smallest things that I care about. List of things about Addie right now:

• She is rolling over (she rolled over for the first time on August 7). She is funny though because most babies that finally roll over start to do it ALL THE TIME. Babies will use it as a way to get from one place to another, Addie does not. She doesn’t seem to desire to roll over. She only does it when she really wants to which MIGHT be once a day. She loves being on her back playing with toys (it is much more relaxing).


• She is laughing. Michael and I have so much fun making her laugh. We have taken some videos of her laughing and I need to upload them for ya’ll to see (however it would probably be more amusing for you to watch a video of us trying to make her laugh).


• She can finally sit in her jumper/exersaucer. For the longest time she was TOO small to really enjoy this toy but now she can sit in it and play for about 15 – 20 mins. It still doesn’t keep her occupied for as long as the bouncy seat or activity mat but she likes it more. She is not to the point where she pushes off her feet and bounces herself yet. Once she does that I am sure this will keep her occupied for longer.


• She has really dry skin – (Moms out there let me know if you have any advice). Lately her skin has been breaking out in what looks like rashes. Sometimes I think it is heat rash but other times maybe just dry skin? She might be having a reaction to our laundry detergent and so I am switching (I moved away from dye free kind and maybe shouldn’t have). Anyways the doctor said he thought it was just dry skin to put lotion on her but I feel like it is getting worse. Maybe a thicker lotion more often is the answer???


• She might have acid reflux – Another one for the moms out there. I think Addie throws up probably once a week or once every two weeks. She will eat something and immediately throw up. At first I thought it was certain foods making her gag (I still think green peas do that) but she has done it with several foods and it doesn’t seem to have a pattern. Plus she still has gas through the night that wakes her up and she has a hard time settling back down. And she seems to have hard time with her bowel movements (and I feed her pears, prunes, peaches, oatmeal – all the things they tell you to). She just has a weak stomach.


• Addie does not sleep through the night. It has taken me a while to fully admit this. Addie slept through the night for a couple months and then we moved and things changed and we never settled back in to a good routine. Addie got an ear infection pretty soon after we moved and ever since then has not slept through the night. She SEEMS to be waking up because of tummy aches since every time she wakes up she is passing gas but once she starts she can’t go back to sleep without us feeding her. She usually wakes up anywhere between 3:00 – 6:00. The great thing is she always goes right back to sleep…Even if it is 6 she will go back to sleep and sleep until 9 or until we wake her up. She is capable of putting herself back to sleep through the night I have seen her wake and put her paci back in but when she wakes up at the 3-6 time passing gas she won’t put herself back down. We have tried letting her cry it out but she will cry so hard that she can’t catch her breath and starts gagging (maybe I am a softie but I can’t watch her do that). During the day I let her cry sometimes to nap but she doesn’t cry the same way during the night. Anyways that is where we are at. She is a great napper though and noises don’t seem to wake her up at all. She has slept through us drilling, nailing up pictures, laughing, playing rock band, playing games with friends, pretty much everything!


• Babbling – she is talking like crazy! The ladies at daycare have even mentioned how fun it is to listen to her talk. (They also constantly mention how laid back she is). Her babble is starting to sound more like words. She makes noises that sound like “dadadada” which of course Michael swears he is saying dada. She technically is saying dada but does that count as her first word when I am not sure she knows what she is saying. Also she says babababab which is what we call her bottle her “baba.” Of course I think I have heard something that sounds like mama but she doesn’t do this consistently.


• She is so happy! She really is such a happy baby. She smiles ALL the time and loves to be loved on. She is simply a joy to be around.


• The next thing on my list is to fully start making her food. I have done it a couple times and then we started retiling our kitchen and now that I have my kitchen back I need to get back in routine of making her food. Any good suggestions? I don’t eat fruit and veggies much so sometimes I have a hard time thinking of things.


• Oh one little thing is she loves taking my glasses off…As soon as I put my glasses on she wants to take them off of my face. She will contort body to be able to reach my face from whatever position she is in to remove my glasses…when she finally does she smiles really big as if she accomplished something great. Then they immediately get put in her mouth.


• SPEAKING OF MOUTHS…she is getting her first tooth (maybe another reason for the waking up in the middle of the night). You can see her little tooth pushing through and you can feel it. I am so excited to see her first tooth. She is not drinking much of her bottles during the day (2 -3 ounces at each sitting) and the doctor says it is bc her gums are probably sore and it hurts to suck that long. I am ready for the tooth to push through. Other than the waking up that once though she hasn’t been moody or anything which is such a blessing!
  
  Michael and I just love her to pieces!!!

HHS Reunion

GO BUCS!!! That seems like the appropriate way to start this blog. We had our 10 YEAR High School Reunion a couple weekends ago, seems crazy that it has been that long. If you don't know me very well then you may not know that I LOVED High School! Most people probably think I am a little crazy for how much I loved not just High School but HOOVER High School. I am so extreme that I refuse to live in Vestavia (not that we could afford it anyways) but I refuse to ever live there because as I tell Michael "What if we plan to live there just a couple years and then we LOVE it and have to stay...I can't possible bring myself to say "Go Rebels" I know I know it is a little extreme and if a steal of a house came or for some reason our house got re-zoned for Vestavia I think I would make do (heck our property value would go up like crazy). All that being said I truly was SO excited about my high school reunion and it was BETTER than I imagined. I hate that it went by so quickly and I hardly had time to talk to everyone but it was great. I loved seeing everyone and loved dancing the night away. I still loved being around all those Hoover Bucs as much as when we left.

I must give a shout out to Brandon Triola. Brandon was always very good at public speaking and anything to do with putting on a show. Brandon was asked to do a "roast" at our reunion and he nailed it. Yes it was a tad inappropriate and definitely crossed some lines but isn't that what a roast is all about. It made me smile but it honestly felt like we were back in high school reminiscing on the people and the fun times. Thanks Brandon!

In all my excitement I didn't get to take many pics (I didn't even take one of Michael & me) but here are the few I managed to capture:

Me and My Best Friend SINCE 3rd GRADE, Whitney:


Michael & Aldger:

Me & Another Bestie, Leslie:

Brandon & April (Facebook King & Queen):

Kristen & Me getting the dancing started:

Pictures from the Roast:

Sexy Catty:

Can't wait for the next reunion...I agree with Jay Hines "Can we have an 11 year reunion?"

To answer him "YES I BELIEVE WE CAN!!!"

Beach Trip 2010

We are so fortunate to have great friends that invited us to stay with them at the beach! The last week in July our "little family" got to take a week long trip to the beach with our good friends Ben, Claire and Lucy. It was so fun and RELAXING. Beach trips with babies are quite different than beach trips pre-baby. I must admit I have NEVER been a beach bunny. Growing up I was always the one rolling out of bed at 11 and joining the crew on the beach going in for lunch around 12 and staying in until about 2 then going back out to the beach until I came in early to "get ready" for dinner. But with a baby I even got less time on the beach. Addie hated the beach....she has really light/sensitive eyes and couldn't open them when we went outside. We even rented an umbrella to help shade us but the sun reflected off the sand. Also she would get sooo hot very quickly (seriously feel bad for her that she got that from her mama). Needless to say she liked playing inside better. But it was so nice to be able to have a week off to relax in such a wonderful place. It was nice going to the beach with another couple with a baby about Addie's age (Lucy) bc they got to play together and we could rotate watching the babies! We had such a great trip and really want to thank Ben and Claire for allowing us to go with them.

Addie getting ready for the beach:

Addie relaxing in the beach chair (well maybe not relaxing):
Addie and Lucy playing:

Eady Family Picture: (This is probably the best one we got....as you can see it was too bright for Addie)

Beaumont Family Picture:

Date Night: (This was the night Michael and I got to go on a baby free date)

Addie showing off her shades: (Thanks Ben & Claire)

Daddy's and their daughters:

Pool Time:

After Pool Time:
Addie's bloomers:

My two favorite people:

6 MONTHS!

I meant to post this last Thursday so I am late but atleast I finally posted something!

HAPPY HALF BIRTHDAY TO ADDIE GRACE!!! Addie is 6 months old today. I know everyone says it but it really does go by so quickly. I look back at pictures of Addie when she was born and it is hard to remember her being that small. Addie has brought so much Joy to our lives. She is the most precious gift that God has ever given myself or Michael. Addie is completely full of JOY! She smiles constantly, it is usually one of the first things people notice - how much she smiles. The lady at our daycare said she smiles all day long! Addie does so many little things that make us smile:

• She clasps her hands constantly as if she were praying. She does this most often when she is eating her bottle or sleeping.
• She is a blabber mouth, she is constantly babbling. I think she will talk early.
• She does this cute smacking thing with her mouth...makes Michael and me melt.
• She loves to do "Super Addie" and will always crack up
• She loves putting EVERYTHING in her mouth - her toes are among her favorites.
• When she sees her bottle she will hold her arms out making groaning noises while kicking her legs
• She has started holding her own bottle - when she drops it she can't place it back in her mouth but she can hold it to her mouth for a while
• She loves this one position that her daddy holds her in (right at his side), often times when I can't settle her down this position will work.
• She just started eating peas a couple of days ago (her first solids) - she doesn't like them but she is a good sport and will eat them
• She did not like the beach, she couldn't open her eyes because it was so bright and she got very hot (she is going to be like her Mama)
• She loves to sleep! She is a great napper she usually takes three naps a day one right after her feeding at 6:30am (this is great for Mommy and Daddy on the weekends) for about hour or hour and 1/2. And then two others one usually lasting about 2 hours the other closer to one. She goes to bed around 8 and USUALLY sleeps through the night (if she wakes up bf 6 I usually don't count that as sleeping through the night). She had a spurt where she would wake up at 5 (ugh we had to nip that in the bud quickly).
• She has a weak tummy and wakes some great hmmm..... noises!
• Often times when I am feeding her she will look into my eyes and rub my arm...it is such a priceless moment.
• She is absolutely GORGEOUS! Michael and I don't know how we got so lucky but she must be the perfect mix of us. She has the most beautiful features.
• She loves The Backyardigans (a cartoon on disney). If she is crying you can put it on and keeps her busy for about 20 - 30 minutes.
• Her fussy time right now is about 6:30pm -7:30pm but is slowly decreasing in time and I hope starting to fade away. During her fussy time Mommy and Daddy don't get to sit down while holding her, she prefers to stand!
• She loves riding in the car and majority of the time will fall asleep.
• She is a content little baby. By six months most babies are rolling over, sitting up or at the very least pushing on their legs when you hold them up Addie however, is not! She has no desire to roll, sit up on her own or push off her legs she would much rather lay down or sit in her bouncy seat. We have been working with her on rolling over and she gets really close but then just smiles and rolls back to her original position. Plus her head is heavy for a tiny little body. She weighs in the 10% and her head is in the 50%. SHE STILL LOOKS PRECIOUS but it must be hard to hold her head up.
• She has had a "cold" pretty much since the day she was born (the doctor says it is normal for a child in daycare) so she SNORES! It is so precious but she really does snore.

Sometimes I wonder if she can understand how much I love her. Obviously she doesn't fully grasp it but I think she knows that she is a well loved baby. I can't imagine my life without her and I don't want to.

Your Mom and Dad love you very very much Addie!

Smiling

Well we haven't posted a blog in forever so here are a few pictures of my precious girl smiling! She has started smiling a lot lately...especially in the morning after she has eaten. Girlfriend loves getting her 10 hours of sleep and having a full stomach, what's not to smile about? She has brought so much Joy to our little world, what a true blessing from God. We love her more each day that passes. Michael loves making up songs to sing to her and is convinced she loves him more, mainly bc Addie/Daddy rhymes. Anyways here are some pics to enjoy:

Two Weeks!!

Today Addie Grace had her first Doctor's apt. She weighs 7 lbs 2 ounces now and has gained 7 ounces since we brought her home from the hospital. She is doing great!!!

Addie waiting for the doctor to come and see her.....don't you just want to kiss her sweet face!
Ok here are the pictures of Addie Grace in her nursery chair... she is so tiny!

Already found her thumb! She is going to be like her mama!
Addie Grace with her eyes open.
I just love her so much!
Things have been going really well since we have been home. The first couple days were harder because Addie had a tummy ache and was up a lot the first two nights. Since then her tummy has gotten better and she is sleeping for 2 to 3 hours at a time and Mommy and Daddy are getting 7 -8 hours of sleep (in 2 hour increments)which we consider really good with a newborn. Addie Grace's day schedule is getting really good and she is eating, waking and napping great! She is such a sweet baby and really doesn't cry much (hopefully she will stay content). Michael and I are simply in love with our little angel and love every single minute with her!

Addison Grace is here...Teaser.

This will just be a real short post with a few pictures. We had a C-Section late last night and Addie Grace was here around 10:45pm on February 5th. She and her momma are resting up. She was born 6lbs 15oz and measured right at 19 inches. We are so blessed! Enjoy these few pictures and check back later for a more elaborate post. Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers!

Addison Grace is almost here...

The time is near for Addison Grace's arrival. SB and I have been working tirelessly to get ourselves prepared for this life changing event. During the last several months we have been doing everything from birthing class, showers, preparing the nursery, etc. I want to take a few minutes to share some photos of the nursery since I am awful proud of the transformation. Obviously, all the creative design and look of the nursery came from Sarah Beth. It was strictly my role to implement what she wanted to be done.

First things first....one of my favorite parts of the nursery. The old rusty door that SB purchased several months ago. We have hung it on the wall as a decorative piece to hang pictures on. You can see a rough look at it below. It still has some work to be done on it but you can get the idea.

Second...the Crib. The crib is pretty simple. Just your standard white baby crib. It was not all that bad to put together and it was one of those things that I just enjoy looking at knowing that it will soon serve as the resting place for my little girl. Thanks again to the wonderful baby shower hostess' for the crib. Thanks to both of our wonderful families for the super cute bedding.

Third...the bookshelf. The bookshelf was a gift from Janice (JoJo) and is a nice edition to the room. You will also notice the wonderful block letters that were handmade by our dear friend, Mia Neff Abrams. The wall above the bookshelf is bare now but another wonderful friend, Laura Jeff McFee, is preparing a special piece for that wall.

Fourth, the Glider/Recliner from Storkland. This was the piece of the nursery where we most invested. The size and comfortableness of this wonderful chair, make it well worth the investment.

Finally...the letters. The letters above the dresser are one of the final touches to the nursery and probably my favorite part of the nursery. There was a small discussion on how to place the letters but in the end, we both settled on the staggered look.

I hope you guys enjoy the look of our Nursery. The final piece is yet to be placed...but it could be any day now!

As you can imagine, the most common question we are continually answering is, "Are you ready?". How does one answer this question? I am sure most people expect you to say, "Yes, we are ready." While SB and I seem to have done every physical part of the planning, there is no true way to ever be prepared for such a life changing event as child birth. While we are human, we must rely solely on the spiritual guidance of our Lord and Savior, the perfect example of a parent.