I miss a lot of shots of my kids...

but I captured Addie walking around with her baby doll...

and a rare moment of playing quietly.

boo boos...

This pic is one of my favorites of my baby girl.  This was taken Sunday, before the big "accident".  

Notice the greenish-yellow bruise on her forehead?  She took the opportunity (while we all turned our backs for 2 1/2 minutes) to climb the staircase to the upstairs.  Needless to say, she fell all the way down landing on the tile floor.  Not the best day at our house...

The good news is that she is o.k.  :)

my day '10

I love Mother's Day.  Mom's day and my birthday are the two days I really feel like I can take the day "off"!  I'm SO lucky and blessed that I get to be called "mommy".

  

Adalyn posing downtown after brunch.  

Hudsen was in awe of the escalators in the Galleria (yes, I still call it that) so we were lagging behind and I came around the corner and saw Kaden and Jeremy helping Adalyn walking.  TOO CUTE!  It melted my heart.  

Kaden wrote this at school.  

 I love this.

Hudsen's letter to me.  

I was really feelin' the love!

Another masterpiece by Kaden.

A few days after this, Addie really took off walking on her own.  Now she is unstoppable!  

Huddy always lends a helping hand to his baby sis!  What a special bond they have!  

We took a hike at Quarry Hill after brunch.   I love this shot. 

What a perfect day!!!  

Tomboy?

OK, for some reason I was thinking that when I would finally get my girl after two rough and tough boys she would be super girlie-girl.  Kind of like this:

 After witnessing my 13-month-old daughter climbing everything she can possibly climb (stairs, lego table, fireplace seat/ledge, etc.), destroying anything she can possibly destroy (think books torn in pieces, cupboards and drawers torn apart and emptied, etc.),

and (this is a major one, pay attention!) putting everything she comes in contact with in her mouth (in this picture she is eating dirt.  She kept going after more).

Adalyn definitely isn't in the running for a girlie-girl award.

The grossest (that's not a word, is it?) two things so far have been a cigarette butt at the park and her own poop in the bathtub.  I know, no mother of the year award for me.  Seriously GROSS.  I am pretty sure, in my recollection, that my two boys didn't do anything like that, ever.  Is it just because this is my third child and I am busy keeping track of the other two?  I am really hoping that is it.  Or maybe it's just typical baby stuff.  I just don't remember going through some of this.  She is SO busy!  Am I complaining?  No, absolutely not.  I think a mother tends to, even though we aren't supposed to, compare our children to each other.  You can't help but to do it.  Jeremy and I have been saying this for the last few months: "I don't remember the boys doing that".  We will stop as soon as she understands us so we don't do lasting damage!  She is, however, still a fabulous sleeper and eater, happy and healthy. They always say that God gives you no more than you can handle and I believe that with all of my heart.  I'm happy to have had a lower maintenance newborn this time around and absolutely cannot wait to see what the future and toddlerhood holds for her.  As for now, I will keep pushing the baby dolls and dressing her in adorable dresses!  

First steps

Adalyn is not walking quite yet, but here are some of her first steps. She took about two steps a few weeks ago, but here is a video that I took of her this morning trying to walk to me. Someone help me keep her a baby for a little bit longer...

Some of Addie's Birthday pictures.

My awesome, super-talented friend Monica came over to our house and took Adalyn's 1st birthday pictures. We transformed our front living room into a mini-studio. The natural light in that room is so awesome and Adalyn actually put up with our tutus, beads, bows and all other things girlie! We were exhausted after the shoot, but it was SO worth it after I saw these shots. I'm so lucky to have these pictures of my little girl to cherish forever!

Some of Addie's birthday shoot photos. 

I'll post pictures and video of her actual birthday celebration soon!

Likes and Dislikes

Addie likes:

Spa treatments (baths, hair being washed)

1st bath @hospital

1st bath at home

The Miracle Blanket (no really, that is what it is called)
Swinging

Hates:
hats (or ANYthing on her head for that matter)

being messed with (a.k.a. getting dressed)

naps in her crib

getting buckled into her carseat

Playing Catch-up

OK, so I am NOT good at blogging. I WANT to be good at it. I wish I had more time. But, that is something that seems to just fly by with a blink of an eye. I hate how fast the last SEVEN weeks have gone. Our sweet Adalyn Mae is already SEVEN weeks old today. She is an amazing little girl in so many ways. The last two nights she has slept 8 straight hours. I know God gave me a baby like this because of the way Hudsen was as a baby! I look back at that time and wonder how I survived it all! All alone with a three year old, a newborn, a husband that worked some really CRAZY hours, no friends and my family 1,000 miles away. If that doesn't qualify someone for PPD, I don't know what does!!!! So I am thanking God everyday for Addie (and not just because of her sleeping habits, but that is a little bit of it!) and also the place that I am in now (physically and emotionally).

Here are just some of my favorite pics of the last month and a half.

Addie's Very Important People

(OK, so I started this post on March 16th and never finished it. So, here I am a month later... ) I AM going to get better at this blogging thing.



Addie has met a lot of new people in her little life (somewhat in this order):


Her mommy (although her and I have gotten to know each other quite well over the last few months)

Her daddy

Her brothers
Her grandmothers

Her grandfathers

Her puppy
Her Uncle Kelly, Aunt Jessica and cousin Griffin Her Uncle Zack

Some Friends



some people just left gifts


Her Aunt Sonja

Her cousin Marissa


And she continues to meet many, many more important people in our lives (I just keep forgetting my camera...)



Addie's first trip to IA is in a few weeks for a family wedding, will have more VIP pics then.