Nova Rae

Welcome baby Nova Rae Conway!

Nova was born at 7:54 pm on Saturday, January 26, 2013.  She weighed 7 lbs, 14.4 oz and was 19.5 inches long.  I got to hold her right away and she didn't even have to leave my room until over 24 hours later (and even that was just for routine newborn testing :-)

Birth Story:

I was induced on January 26th due to history of pregnancy-induced-hypertension.  At 32 weeks gestation, my blood pressure went from normal to in the 160/90 region, so the doctor ran some blood work and we started weekly non-stress tests.  Nova and I passed all of our tests...some by better margins than others....  I had a high level of protein in my urine, which is consistent with pre-eclampsia, but the level wasn't quite high enough to earn me that label, so the doctors just continued to watch me closely for the high blood pressure and signs of developing pre-eclampsia.  At 35 weeks, my blood pressure dropped back down to the "acceptable" range, and at some appointments was even normal.  This gave the doctor the confidence to wait until at least 39 weeks to induce me.

So, at 39 weeks, 2 days gestation (according to the doctor...I still think it was 38 weeks, 2 days) Jake and I went to the hospital for a scheduled induction.  I was already having contractions about 3 minutes apart and had been for the last 4 days, so as soon as they broke my water (8:30am), I was in active labor.  The first couple of hours I just paced around my hospital room, so when they checked me for dilation I hadn't made enough progress (only 0.5cm in 3ish hours, I think).  The doctor wanted to start me on pitocen, but the nurse, having heard me talk about my fears of pitocen, talked the doctor into giving me just a couple more hours to progress faster.  The doctor reluctantly agreed and I started walking the halls.  Two hours of that and I progressed 1 more cm!  No pitocen needed :-)  I made it to about 6cm before I decided that an epidural would be a good idea.  I was by no means in unbearable pain, but the pain was bad enough that I decided I didn't want to go into "transition" (7-10cm) without the medication.  Once they started the epidural I, of course, had to stay in bed, and my contractions slowed down to one every 5 minutes.  At that point, they started me on pitocen.  I didn't mind as much at that point, since my two primary concerns were the pain it causes and the fact that I would have had to stay in bed if they gave me it.  I was already numb and bed-ridden, though, so it didn't really matter.

One odd thing I remember about the epidural...I got SO cold!   My blood pressure also dropped lower than I had ever seen it before and I got really tired at one point.  Once my blood pressure stabilized  though, I just remember being cold - like, shivering uncontrollably.  I think it was a combination of the epidural, the IV fluids, and the Popsicle I had just eaten, but I didn't stop shivering for at least 20 minutes - and I only did then because they brought me a heated blanket.  

At around 7pm the epidural started wearing off and I was having to breath through the contractions again.  At 7:15 they checked me for dilation - at which point I was 8.5cm and 100% effaced.  Shortly after that I started feeling the urge to push, but the nurse told me I wasn't ready yet.  A new nurse came in at that point (shift change), and she told me that she wanted to wait until 8pm to check me again.  Well...Nova had other plans.  The contractions got stronger and stronger and more and more painful, and the urge to push was getting harder and harder to ignore.  At around 7:45 the nurse noticed how much pain I was in and agreed to check me.  Of course, I was 10 cm and ready to push!  They told me as soon as I got into position that they could already see Nova's head :-)  They called up to the doctor who started on her way down and told the nurses to have me do a "practice" push.  One-half of a practice push later, the nurses started looking VERY nervous!  They told me to stop pushing and one looked like she was getting into position to catch!  One nurse called the doctor again and told her to hurry up while the other looked very much like she was holding the baby in.  Despite me not pushing, Nova was making her way a little farther out with every contraction.  Finally the doctor got there.  While she was putting on her gown and gloves she told me to push whenever I needed.  I thought:  "really?  I don't think so!"  By that point they had dropped the end of the bed, so if Nova came out without anybody there to catch her, she would fall on the floor.  I waited through another half of a contraction and when the doctor was by me ready to catch, I gave one maybe 10-second push and Nova was out!  I still remember the doctor's reaction:  as soon as Nova's head came out she said "oh, it looks like we have a nuchal"  (which, I think means the cord being wrapped around the baby...because the cord was wrapped around Nova 3 times) then, I think she expected me to stop pushing so she could unwrap her neck, but again...Nova had other plans.  She just came all the way out and the doctor said "oh!  well, it looks like you're just going to be born, then!"

Nova was beautiful.  She was covered in vernix and pale from head to toe, but she was mine and I loved her instantly.  Earlier in the day I requested that the doctor delay clamping the umbilical cord for a minute or two.  After Nova came out and was unwrapped from the cord, the doctor wasn't putting her on my chest.  It was only maybe 5 seconds before she saw the look on my face...that momma-bear look.  That you-have-my-baby-and-why-aren't-you-giving-her-to-me look.  She explained that she had to hold her below the table if she was going to delay clamping the cord.  Ah!  that made sense.  But despite the health benefits I've read about...despite the fact that it would be good for her in the long run, I just couldn't take it.  There she was, crying and cold and purple and just having gone through the most intense experience of her existence.  And the doctor was holding her so impersonally - with just one hand behind her neck and one hand supporting her weight on her butt.  She was all alone and I simply couldn't take it.  I had to have her.  Health benefits aside - she needed me and I needed her.  Without pausing to even think about it, I told the doctor through my tears of joy "never mind...I need her"

They put her on my chest and wiped her down.  At first, she was too high up on my chest to see her face, so after a couple of minutes of cuddling, I shifted her down so we could see each-others' faces.  She looked just like Addelyn!  I talked to her - I told her I loved her and when I told her she was beautiful, she gave me her first smile.  Not a social smile, of course, but a smile of contentment.  She heard mommy's voice and she felt safe and happy.

About 15 or 20 minutes after she was born, she started rooting around, so I nursed her for the first time.  She didn't latch on right away - it took us a good 5 or 10 minutes to get a good latch, but once she did, she nursed for an hour on and off.  After the first 15 or 20 minutes of nursing, I was finally willing to let someone else hold her :-)  the nurses took her and weighed, measured, and diapered her, then returned her to me for more nursing.  Then after another 15 or 20 minutes, Daddy finally got to hold her.  With the experience of one child already under his belt, he was a natural.

The rest of our hospital stay was pretty uneventful.  Nova went a while between feedings that first night which is normal, then we got onto a pretty good 3-hour schedule by the time we got home.  Since then, Nova has moved to more of a 2-hour schedule with the occasional 3-hour stretch.  Now, 3.5 weeks later, she is gaining weight well, is no longer jaundiced, and I'm hoping that someday she'll let me sleep!

Nova's personality at 3.5 weeks is pretty similar to Addelyn's.  She likes to be held, and cries if she's awake and alone for too long (i.e. for more than a few seconds).  When she is awake, she tends to be very alert - looking around, making eye-contact, and making all kinds of cute baby faces.  When Nova is falling asleep, she often smiles.  My favorite is when both of her eyes go in opposite directions (sort-of like un-crossing them) and they roll back in her head a little and she gives a cute little half-smile.  I also love it when she giggles in her sleep :-)  She goes to sleep much better than Addelyn did.  I can put Nova down awake and if she's tired, she'll just fall asleep by herself.  She is currently eating 2-3 ounces every 2-3 hours.  Much to my dismay, though, the 3-hour stretches seem to be during the day more often than the night.  We're working on nursing, still.  We get better every time, but aren't quite to nursing full-time yet as I have an over-supply issue.  Until we get that all worked out, Nova is taking pumped milk from a bottle most of the time, and nursing 2-3 times per day.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Missed a few months...

So we've missed a few months...here's what we've been up to!

You may want to grab a cup of coffee or a snack, this is going to be a long one :-)

PHOTO SHOOT

Addelyn's Aunt Becki offered to take some family pictures of the three of us, since we haven't really had any taken since she was 3 months old.  We went to a park near Becki's house and played for a bit, then took some cute pictures :-)

I love this one...especially since we don't do it anymore (Addelyn dislocated her elbow over Thanksgiving in Grand Rapids.  A trip to the children's hospital and 30 seconds with a doctor (and $997...thankfully only $100 after insurance) fixed it like new, but we're a little more cautious with her joints now.

"Baby sister in there!"

The center of our world, and the keeper of our hearts.

Like father, like daughter!  I'm not sure who's cuter in this one...

FUN WITH WINNIE-THE-POOH

Nova's nursery is a Winnie-the-Pooh theme, so we got a cute blanket that looks as if it could be a Pooh bear rug for it several months ago.  Daddy and I decided to have a little fun with it:

These are Pooh and Piglet stuffed animals that my sister and I got as children.  Addelyn is having a tea party with them.

Pooh hiding in the trees and Addelyn with a slingshot.  Perhaps an argument broke out over tea?

Addelyn must be a pretty good shot :-)

Hopefully Addelyn doesn't get too scarred by our sick sense of humor...


HALLOWEEN 2012

Addelyn had a blast this Halloween.  Complete with pumpkin carving, trick-or-treating, and LOTS of candy.

I just barely got her to put her hand in there...she wasn't a fan of the gooey insides

Cutting the face.  Addelyn liked getting to use the knife.

Some finishing touches all by herself

The finished product!

Addelyn's first time trick-or-treating!  It was a little chilly, but after the first house or two she picked up really quickly that  knocking on doors meant candy!  She said thank you at every house and even said trick-or-treat once or twice.

Addelyn in her adorable puppy costume.  This was after she had already been around the neighborhood, so  getting her to stand still and not dig into the candy was quite the accomplishment!

First victim of Halloween 2012:  M&M's

The Halloween candy Addelyn got lasted a LONG time!  We were almost to Christmas by the time I just threw the rest out.  After pretty much every meal, Addelyn would see her pumpkin and say "Halloween Candy"  In fact, for a while after that, all candy was just automatically "Halloween candy"...when I asked her what she wanted for Christmas in December her first response was "Halloween candy"

THANKSGIVING 2012

We were lucky enough to get two Thanksgivings this year.  First, we went to Thanksgiving at my parents' house (where I didn't get any pictures, unfortunately).  We went home for the night, then woke up the next morning and headed for Grand Rapids at naptime.  Addelyn did great in the car, considering she only slept for the first 90 minutes.  The rest of the trip she was wide awake, and by the time we got to GR, she was READY to be done!

Addelyn always loves spending time with grandma and grandpa!

CHRISTMAS 2012

I think Christmas might be Addelyn's favorite holiday.  We get to see all of our family, she gets presents, and she gets to learn about baby Jesus!  I wanted to make sure Addelyn understood the true meaning of Christmas, so we spent the month of December learning about the story of Christ's birth.  We had several art projects and activities throughout the month to walk through the story, and by the end of the month, Addelyn could tell me all about it.  I took a video of her telling me the first half of the story while looking through a picture book about Christmas half-way through the month, but now I can't find it :-(  but by the end of the month, it went a little something like this:

Picture of Gaberiel, and Addelyn said:  "Angel Gaberiel.  Fear not!  Baby in your belly, Mary"

Picture of Joseph looking at a calendar and Addelyn said:  "Jofus...oh no!  long trip!  to Bethlehem!"

Picture of the inkeeper in Bethlehem and Addelyn said:  "No room!  Sleep in a manger"

Picture of baby Jesus and Addelyn said:  "Baby Jesus born!"

Picture of the wise men and Addelyn said:  "Balthazar...Frankensense!  presents for baby Jesus"

One of our crafts in December.  We made angel Gaberiel and talked about how he came to Mary and told her that she would have baby Jesus in her belly.

Our first Christmas party of the season was for Mom's Club - a group of stay-at-home mothers in Cedar Rapids who frequently get together to have the kids play together, and allow some "adult time" for us mommies.  There were SO many kids there!  We had dinner, did some crafts, played some games, and then Santa came and read " 'Twas a Night Before Christmas" to the kids.  Then, he gave them each a book (provided by the parents) for Christmas.  Addelyn loved it so much, she asked me twice to go with her to tell Santa thank you.  The second time she even gave him a high-five (still a little cautious about giving strangers hugs...I'm alright with that)

Addelyn reading the book she got from Santa

 Speaking of Santa, we took Addelyn to the mall to meet Santa again a couple of weeks later.  She had absolutely no problem sitting on his lap and we even got a good picture!  After the picture, Santa gave her some candy canes and ANOTHER book!  She was pretty excited about the book.

Addelyn with Santa

In early December we put out all the Christmas decorations...Addelyn loved helping set up the tree!

Addelyn liked to "fluff" the branches

"fluffing" with daddy

This seemed obligatory.  Daddy lifting Addelyn so she could put the star on top of the tree

Hanging ornaments!  She did sooo well leaving the tree alone all month.  In fact, if she saw an ornament on the floor, she would hang it back up on the tree without needing to be asked.

After a long couple of traveling days during Thanksgiving, we decided to host Christmas at our house this year.  My parents, sister, and her family came.  Again...I've lost track of most of the pictures from that day :-(  but here are a couple that I was able to find.  Addelyn was quite jealous of her cousin Madison's presents.  Madison is only a year older than Addelyn, so they have very similar interests.  In fact, I got them pretty much the exact same thing - a backpack with travel-size dolls and accessories in it.  Madison opened hers first and Addelyn had quite a hard time seeing Madi get something so fun.  She kept saying "Ada's turn...Ada play with it!"  So we had to quickly open hers, too :-)

Another present of Madi's that Addelyn really wanted.  Lucky for Addelyn, they forgot it at our house, and we've gotten to read it as much as she wants.  Addelyn sure will be sad when we have to give it back, but every time we read it, she tells me that it's Madi's and we discuss that we're just borrowing it.  Hopefully there won't be too many tears.

Cousins sitting at the table eating Christmas breakfast.  MMMMMMMM monkey bread!

 On December 24, the day after Christmas with my family, we headed to Grand Rapids to spend Christmas with Jake's family.

Addelyn making some cinnamon rolls with Grandma Janine.  She loved standing on a stool in the corner.  She was there quite often that week helping grandma cook.

...quite often.

Opening presents on Christmas day!

Addelyn sort-of floated around laps.  She had a LOT of presents, so it took a bit of coaxing to get her to open them toward the end. Especially once she started opening the books.  I think she made Grandpa Eric read her almost every one.

Opening presents with daddy

AUNT BECKI'S WEDDING

On December 29, 2012 Aunt Becki and Uncle Scot got married!!!!  Addelyn got to be the flower girl, and did an AMAZING job of walking down the aisle.  She didn't take any extra coaxing to start walking down, walked slowly like we practiced, and didn't stop or pause.  She even remembered to throw some pedals...once.  She picked up a handful out of the basket at the very beginning and carried them in her hands until the very end, where she dropped them just before she got to me.  It was pretty adorable :-) 

Addelyn with Aunt Becki at the reception 

I love this picture of Addelyn and daddy.  This may have been one of the few smiles we got out of her all day...she spent much of the previous night throwing up from a stomach virus, but recovered in time for her big roll :-)  Though she was pretty tired for much of the day.

GETTING READY FOR NOVA

Baby Nova Rae Conway will be here soon!  Induction is tentatively scheduled for this Saturday, January 26.  

Addelyn is sooo excited to be a big sister!  She talks about baby Nova all the time.  Whenever she notices my belly, she rubs it gently and talks softly to her baby sister.  We're already preparing her to share some things, so quite often, she'll be playing with a toy and say "Ada's turn now, not Nova's"  She does seem receptive to the fact that it will, at some point, be Nova's turn, though.  

Addelyn has gone to quite a few of my appointments, and her favorite part is when they take my blood pressure.  One particularly memorable appointment was the first time it was high (around 31 or 32 weeks).  The nurse had me lay down on the table after it was a bit high, and Addelyn thought that was quite something.  Now, she often takes the blood pressure of anything that has an arm, then informs it either "It's low!  Good!" or "Too high...lay down!  change it"

Addelyn's new favorite thing is to talk about baby Ike.  A friend of mine just had a baby a couple of weeks ago and Addelyn got to meet him when he was only a week old.  She didn't even seem vexed that mommy was holding him :-)  She came and sat in my lap and just looked at him.  Now, she talks about baby Ike all the time.  We talk about how Nova is going to be little like baby Ike.  One of her favorite passtimes while she's on the toilet is to pretend her foot is baby Ike...she'll grab her foot and pull it into her lap saying (in a growley voice) "come here, baby Ike", then in her high-pitched, soft, talking-to-a-baby voice, she'll say  "He's so little!  rockey, rockey, baby!"  And sometime's she'll pat herself on the chest and say "Ada's the mommy"  It's adorable.

When we talk about baby Nova, she seems to understand what's going to happen.  When I ask Addelyn what she will do with Nova, she'll tell me she's going to hold Nova and rock her and keep her cozy.  She also says that she'll feed Nova bottles and play with her.  I can't wait to see if she's as good of a big sister as she says she'll be!  

Addelyn helping mommy paint her new dresser!  (She had to give her old one to Nova)

Here's some pictures of the finished products!  I've spent a lot of time the last several months updating Addelyn's room and getting Nova's room set up.  I love how they've both turned out!

If you can't read the caption, it says "If ever there is a tomorrow when we're not together there is something you must always remember.  You are braver than you believe, stronger than you feel, and smarter than you think.  But the most important thing is even  if we're apart, I'll always be with you.  That is exactly how I feel about my girls. 

changing table and crib.  I'm excited about the calendar.  I'm going to write down all of her firsts in it :-)

Dresser and the curtains I made to match the bedding set.

Hanging over the door is the inspiration for the room.

Since Addelyn lost all of her furniture to Nova, she's gotten a whole new room herself!  We started phasing in  the new stuff and taking out the old when she was about 16 months old...starting with the big-girl toddler bed :-)  The latest additions are the tall book shelf...

...and the dresser that Addelyn helped paint!  We also had some left-over pooh stickers from Nova's room.  Addelyn really wanted them in her room, so I made a little scene above the dresser and Addelyn put some up under the window.

Nova's room is big-sister-approved!

BIG GIRL ADDELYN

Now, for some developmental updates!  Addelyn's vocabulary has increased so much in the past few months!  She's officially speaking full sentences - she conjugates verbs, uses words like "the" and "a" and "it" etc...correctly, and always has something to say!  Whatever she needs, she can now tell me using words.  It amazes me every day how much she says, and I don't even know where she learns it all!!  She's such a sponge!  Addelyn even remembers things from several months ago.  Every once in a while she'll tell me a story from when we were in France, or reference something from when we were in Grand Rapids before that.  It really makes it hit home how much they understand before they have a very large vocabulary.  She tells me about things that she experienced when she could only say 100 or so words.

Another HUGE step:  Addelyn poops in the potty almost every time.  

She has a lot of fun on the potty.  I usually have to tell her to get off.  We read books, magazines, play pretend games, and talk a lot while she's on the potty.

She started telling me consistently around Thanksgiving.  She's had a couple of accidents where she's playing and she doesn't realize she's pooping in time to stop and tell me she needs to go, but even then, she'll tell me half-way through so she can finish on the potty.  We're still working on pee.  I don't think she has quite the incentive to tell me when she has to pee, since it's not as uncomfortable in her diaper as poop.  Plus, that's still something that just sort-of happens, and she doesn't consciously do it.  I've put her in panties a couple of times and she gets the concept, but it's usually a novelty, so she'll end up telling me every 5-10 minutes that she has to pee.  While she does pee every time she tells me, it's still a bit of a hassle :-)  I'll probably start working with her a little harder on it once she turns 2, but for now, I'll take what I can get!

Here's a video of Addelyn during her crazy, after-dinner-before-bed time of the day.  She gets really energetic and excitable in the late evening and it's so fun to watch!  At the end of the video, she suddenly realizes that she has to go potty - this is a pretty typical way for her to tell me.  It's play, play, play...then EMERGENCY!  and we run to the potty where she usually just barely makes it.

Yet another video cut off by a potty break...here, Addelyn is singing "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep".  She sings a lot these days and she knows so many songs!  She just always clams up when I take out the camera.  One of these days...I'm going to catch her on camera.  It's just too cute!

Addelyn is almost an expert at recognizing colors, numbers, letters, and shapes now.  I've heard her count to 10 and she can sing her ABC's to G perfectly (even with pretty good pitch), and I've even heard her get past LMNO once.  Here she is doing her alphabet puzzle and telling me the letters:

One other cute thing Addelyn has been doing is pretend play.  She likes to pretend she's another person - for instance, she'll say "I'm Candice" (a character from one of her favorite TV shows), and have me be Candice's mom.  Then she'll walk around and do things she sees Candice do on TV, and refer to herself as Candice, and correct me if I call her Addelyn on accident.  It's adorable!  She also informs me:  "I'm the mommy" while tapping herself on the chest when she's playing with her dollies.  She is so nurturing, I just know she's going to be a great big sister!

Stats:

Age: 21 months

Weight: 28 lbs

Length: 33.25 inches

Drinks: about 2 6-ounce sippys of milk per day (all of which is regular whole-milk) with meals and a couple of drinks of milk before bed every night

Eats: whatever I can get her to eat for breakfast - lately it's been sandwiches and we've recently discovered the oatmeal packets; leftovers for lunch (spagetti, sandwiches etc...); and noodles or other leftovers or, if she finds it acceptable, whatever we're having for dinner.  I try really hard to get a fruit, a veggie, a grain, and a protein in her every day, but it's hard lately since she's refusing so many things.

Sleeps: 9:30pm-8am.  Most nights she wakes up at least once - sometimes 2 or 3 times from nightmares.  Usually all it takes is a binkie, a drink of water, and a cuddle and a song from mama and she's ready to go back to sleep, though. 

Naps: 2-3 hours per day her nap is 4 or 5 hours after she wakes up for the day 

Awake for:4-7 hours at a time during the day.

Clothes size:  24 month pants and 3T shirts

Motor skills: going down stairs well, running, 'jumping', and climbing EVERYTHING (she can get onto the top bunk of our bunk bed by herself.

other skills:pretend plays very well - loves to 'cook' in her kitchen and take care of her dollies, as well as pretend to be other people and play with imaginary toys.  Recognizes letters, numbers, shapes and colors very well.  
words: Hundreds...if not thousands.  She speaks in full sentences now and can say anything she needs to.  

signs:  over 100 - now that she's started talking we've learned less new signs, but since she discovered one of her favorite of my books is a book that teaches you signs, she's started using them again.  Good thing, because once Nova comes, we'll have to start again :-)

New Words, New Toys, New Friends, and New Skills!

I can't get over how pleasent Addelyn is to be around these days.  She's just such a joy all of the time, and I can never get enough of her!  I'm so in love with her personality, and I wake up every morning just SO excited to see her and talk with her and spend time with her.  I thank God every day for the pleasent, funny, smart, well-behaved little girl He gave me.  I can't believe how lucky I am that I get to spend all day, every day with her!

I love watching Addelyn grow, and she's been doing a lot of that in the last couple of months - both physically and developmentally!  Here's what we've been up to:

New Words!

At 17 months, Addelyn is now saying well over 200 words by my estimation.  She has even started saying 3 and 4-word combinations to get complex ideas across.  Although she hasn't used too many full sentences yet, I have no doubt that that will be coming within the next month or two.  It's amazing how much she can develope in such a short amount of time!  Here's just a small list of some of the more surprising words/phrases that Addelyn is saying:

"Opposite" - and she can name a LOT of opposits...big/little/tiny, hot/cold, light/dark, on/off, open/closed, up/down, sad/happy etc...
"Accident" - She came up with this one a few days ago, and she even used it correctly
"choo choo.  Hiding.  See."  (she says 'see' while shaking her head no) - meaning, I can hear the choo-choo, but I can't see it, so it must be hiding.
"fix it" - when she wants me to fix something :-)
"Self" or "Hold" - this is Addelyn's way of saying 'back off, mom, I want to do this!'
"Dishes" - and she can name a lot of dishes - plate, bowl, fork, knife, spoon...
"Laundry" - Addelyn LOVES to help me do laundry
"Helper" - she says it whenever she 'helps' me do something
"Hungry, eat lunch"
"Oh no! baby crying!" - she's so cute when she says this - because she always has such a concerned look on her face :-)  Addelyn takes VERY good care of her dollys!
"Play outside!" - Addelyn's favorite thing to do!

She can also name a LOT of animals and say what sound they make, count to 10 (sometimes...she gets stuck between 4 and 6), name some colors (yellow, blue, green, purple, pink), name some shapes (star, diamond, circle, oval), and she can identify most all colors, shapes, and letters.

I just adore that she can talk now.  Now, instead of making her laugh by the things that I do, I can make her laugh with the things that I say.  We have inside jokes and tell each other stories.  She follows instructions VERY well, and can explain to me what's wrong when she's frustrated.

New Toys!

Addelyn has had an exciting couple of months!  She's gotten SO many new toys, and is enjoying her old ones in new ways.  Grandma and Grandpa Conway came over to our house a few weeks ago and got her a new jungle gym for the back yard and a cozy cruiser.  She absolutely LOVES them.  Whenever we're outside she has to play in the car, and whenever we're in the back yard she gets endless entertainment from the slide and ladder.  She's even started going down the slide on her bottom (something she hasn't willingly done since she had an accident on her slide in France...)

Addelyn "peeking" from the top of her new jungle gym

Here's Addelyn in her new car - she had daddy pushing her around the yard until he dropped!

Of course the swing is always a favorite.

  

Here is Addelyn giving her dolly a bath.  She likes to pretend play with her dolly - it's what she does most of the day!  Dolly gets fed with a bottle, burped, plays with baby toys, sits in the bumbo seat, gets fed with a spoon, swings in the baby swing, gets put to bed, gets her clothes and diaper changed (mommy helps with that part), and of course everywhere we go, a dolly has to come with us!  Dolly comes on walks with us, swings with us in the front yard, and even goes to daddy's soccer games!  Addelyn is going to be a GREAT big sister!

New Friends!

We have been watching my friend's baby, Carter, during the day these past couple of months.  All in all, Addelyn does wonderfully with him!  She has no problems sharing her toys with him, and loves to feed him and hold him.  Most of the time she's still pretty self-centered (as all 1-year-olds are) and doesn't pay too much attention to him, but she'll help me play with him when asked, and likes to tell me where he should be or what toy he wants to play with. 

We've also joined a group of stay-at-home moms and their kids in the area called Mom's Club.  We go to events at least 2 or 3 times per week.  Addelyn and I both enjoy getting out of the house - for her, it's a new place to explore with new toys (she doesn't pay much attention to the other kids yet) and for me it's actual adult conversations!  It's a win-win!

New Skills!

Addelyn has learned a few new skills!  (sometimes less than desirable ones...).  Though she's still closer to 1 year old than 2, she's trying out a few traits from that wonderful period called the terrible two's!  Her fits aren't bad at all - they're usually very short-lived and she's easily distracted from them.  She doesn't lash out at me or get physical, the worst I've seen her do is fall to the floor and cry angrily for a moment until I find a way to distract her.  Here's a funny example of one of her "fits"

I actually thought it was quite cute and funny...maybe it's because I'm mommy.

Another, more desireable skill is her artistic ability!  She's gone from randomly scribbling to picking something to color on then coloring it.  The first time she did it I was SO surprised.  Of course, she's still not coloring inside the lines, but she is definitely selectively coloring parts of a picture.  She can also scribble, draw polka-dots, and draw circles when asked to.

Stats:

Age: 17 months

Weight: 25.5 lbs

Length:  ____ inches

Drinks: about 2-3 6-ounce sippys of milk per day (all of which is regular whole-milk) with meals and a couple of drinks of milk before bed every night

Eats: whatever I can get her to eat for breakfast - lately it's been sandwiches and cheese :-); leftovers for lunch (spagetti, sandwiches etc...); and a fruit pouch, and whatever we're having for dinner.  I try really hard to get a fruit, a veggie, a grain, and a protein in her every day, but it's hard lately since she's refusing so many things.

Sleeps: 9:30pm-8am on nights where we have Carter the next day, and on weekends she sleeps in until 9 at least.  Most nights she wakes up at least once - sometimes 2 or 3 times from nightmares.  It's so sad to hear her just start crying out all of a sudden at 3 am because I just know she's scared.  Usually all it takes is a binkie, a drink of water, and a cuddle and a song from mama and she's ready to go back to sleep, though. 

Naps: 2-3 hours per day on days we have Carter and 1-2 hours on weekends- her nap is 4 or 5 hours after she wakes up for the day 

Awake for:4-7 hours at a time during the day.

Clothes size:  24 month

Motor skills: going down stairs well, running, 'jumping', and climbing EVERYTHING (she can get onto the top bunk of our bunk bed by herself.

other skills:pretend plays very well - loves to 'cook' in her kitchen and take care of her dollys.  She has started counting (to 10) and can recognize some shapes (circle, star, diamond, and sometimes oval) and some colors (purple, yellow, and sometimes blue)
words: I'd estimate she says 200 words or more.  She learns them very quickly and I can understand her when she talks about 95% of the time.  She uses nouns, verbs, and adjectives and has started putting together 2 and 3 word concepts, but does not speak in full sentences yet other than sentences I use a lot like 'got it'  Soon, though...very soon she'll be speaking in full sentences - I wouldn't be surprised if it happens by halloween!

signs:  over 100 - now that she's started talking we've learned less new signs.  And she makes up signs for words she doesn't know.