Disneyland

We went to Disneyland for my birthday. I absolutely LOVE Disneyland! I seriously could go there every time we went on vacation if my husband let me. I have been going there as a kid and there is something so magical about that place. But let me tell you...it is quite different with a baby. I was really excited to bring Addison there. Part of me knew she wouldn't remember anything, but who cares. I knew she would still have a great time. Visually, (for her anyway) there is so much going on with the people, characters, colors, sounds, etc. I knew I immediately wanted to get a picture with a character. The first one we came to was Goofy. And here is her reaction....

No crying...she just kept staring at him in Awww kinda like "What the heck is that..." I was afraid she would cry especially since our encounter with Santa didn't go so well. Actually...she hates Santa. But as far as Goofy, no problem.

Next, we had to get her a set of ears. Of course, every child who goes to Disney for the first time needs a set of ears personalized with her name. I got the infant ones...but they sure didn't fit her.

After the ears, we headed to the first ride. Now in choosing her first ride, I wanted something mellow, musically and visually entertaining and something she could sit on my lap. So we chose It's A Small World. Now I can't tell you the last time I rode this. It probably has been quite awhile as this wasn't a usual ride me and my husband went on. I quickly realized there are alot of rides I have never ridden at Disneyland. These are rides that are mainly for kids and geared towards the Disney movies. Ummm...I'm sure we will get to ride them all by the time she is three, no doubt.

She loved the ride. Her eyes were wide open taking in all the moving and colorful objects. She was squealing in delight during the majority of the ride. I was so stoked. I wanted her to like it so much and I was thrilled to see what I had hoped for. The rest of the day was spent riding rides, eating, and shopping. We did go back to the hotel around 2 for a nap (something I have never had to do at Disney before). Usually, we spend literally all day there. It was weird to have to stop in the middle for nap time. When we returned, we were surprised to see how unbelievably busy it was! It wasn't bad in the morning, but returning around 5 PM was awful! The crowds were enormous and I am not exaggerating. We had such a hard time pushing the stroller through the people.

And....a little side note to myself...make dinner reservations inside Disney. Who would have thought you had to do that...but you do. Every restaurant (sit down style) was booked for like 5 days solid. It was not a good idea to try and go back there for dinner. We should have gotten something outside the park, but I insisted on trying to get the most out of our time. We managed, and as soon as we got food, our fun began again. We were there until 11:30! The baby actually didn't go to be until midnight which is so very late for her. Through it all, she was a trooper. I can't wait to take her back and this time when my whole family can go to.

Over already?

Geez...time flys. I can't believe Christmas is over already? We had a great day! Addison did wonderfully opening up her presents. She kept tearing little pieces of wrapping paper off and then handing it to me. It was really cute. We didn't splurge too much on her. We got her 4 presents. Trust me...her grandparents did their share of splurging. But I have to say, we did get her the favorite gift. I have been wanting to get her this stroller/walker toy for months now. And I finally did for Christmas. My husband put it together on Christmas morning, and she was instantly walking all over the house. She cruises on the couch and coffee table, but it was so weird to see her in the middle of the living room walking! She is so dang cute.

Well, it was another successful year. I am really looking forward to next Christmas. Maybe next year she will sit on Santa's lap. This year, she wanted nothing to do with him. She even cried if you showed her a stuffed Santa! Oh well, I guess I'll have to start preparing her way in advance next year. Weird because we took her to Disney (I'll write about that later) and did was in awww of Mickey. Maybe its the whole beard thing or the fact that she hates men (dad and grandpa excluded). I wouldn't mind this whole hating men thing to continue...until she is 18 or so. Just sayin...

The Past Week...

Well, we finally got our tree up. I was really unsure what the baby was going to think or do. She was very curious yet cautious at the same time. Now, she sits in front of it, stares at it and then laughs. It is really cute. She will reach up and touch one of the branches, then sit back down, laughing each time. We left the bottom six inches bare, afraid that she would pull every ornament off. As soon as we set-up the tree, Donnie snapped this picture of her. Her hat says "Baby's First Christmas." Again...biased...but she is so adorable!We have had one very cranky baby the past two days. I think (actually I hope) we are finally getting the first tooth. It is about time. She is already 9.5 months with no sign of a tooth. She has to be close to one breaking through the skin. She is SO fussy, cranky, running a slight fever, cries for no reason. Something has to be up. All she wants to do is suck her thumb with her blankie. You give her her blankie and this is what you get....

Notice her little butt is up in the air. She tucks her legs under her stomach. She looks so sad! I hope this passes real soon...I want my happy baby back!

Bath time

Bath time is her favorite time. She seriously could stay in there for an hour if I let her. After about 15-20 minutes though she turns into a prune! Her hands and feet are so wrinkly. I had to share this video...it is her new thing. I just showed her one day with me doing it to myself, then I did it to her and this has been the result. She is so stinkin' cute!

What a Weekend

Boy did it feel like a long weekend...but now that I am back to work it felt like it went by so quickly. Last week, Addison wasn't feeling good. She was up and down...feeling fine one second and then throwing up the next. Now with her gastric problems, throwing up doesn't necessarily mean she is sick. Come Friday night, she couldn't keep anything down. I woke up first thing on Saturday and scheduled her a doctor appointment. As soon as I woke her up, I knew she was really sick. She was very lethargic and looked helpless. Every other morning she hops up and gives you the biggest smile even is she is woken up.

There is nothing more frustrating than when a doctor sees your kid and pretty much tells you they have no idea what is wrong with her. Really...really? I could have stayed home and got the same response. The only thing he did say was that she was dehydrated and needed fluids. I didn't need a medical degree to determine that. He wanted to send her to the Pediatric ER for IV fluids. But we came to the conclusion that we would try small amounts of Pedialite over the next two hours. If she kept it down then we were okay. She did very good with the fluids. However, for me, I didn't know what I was in for.

For the next 14 hours or so, I literally held her up the entire time. After 8 hours, it started really hurting. My neck, back, shoulders, arms were all aching. Every few hours, I would wake her up to give her more fluids. I felt so bad because she really seemed to be hungry. But the doctor insisted she should only get fluids until dinner time. At dinner which is around 4:30 for her, I fed her some baby food. The poor kid was so lethargic, but hungry, that she ate the whole time with her eyes closed. It was really sad to see!

I also had her sleep with me on Saturday night. I wanted her to be close in case anything was to happen. Now, I do not usually let her sleep in our bed but I thought tonight (and all sick nights) can be an exception. We were up about every hour to an hour and a half. I was awake from 3-4:45 AM. Boy, I was so tired come Sunday morning especially since she got up at 6:44 AM! When she did wake, she seemed a little better and did perk up more and more as the day wore on. Hopefully, the sickness (whatever it is) stays away and she gets back to normal again. I can only hope.

I'm Back

It's been a long couple of weeks. First, work has been crazy...getting crazier since I have missed so many days recently. I already had plans to go to Miami for a wedding but we suddenly got a call that my Grandpa passed away. Yes, it was unexpected and I completely lost it at work when I got the call. I was even embarrassed by my actions even though at the time I truly couldn't help it. So with the death came the funeral and we went to Texas. Actually...we drove to Texas. The 14 hour drive there wasn't bad....I think mainly because of the anticipation to get there and get it over with. The drive home was terrible, exhausting and draining.

We also spent the baby's first Halloween in TX. Of course I forgot to bring her costume so she didn't get to wear it. I did get her pictures taken professionally so at least she got to wear the darn thing. Isn't she so cute?

Now we are back and back to life once again. The baby was an angel on the trip. I really couldn't believe how well she did in the car. And now that we are back, she has fallen right back into her schedule. Yay!

Here is another picture of her.......during her 14 hour drive, she had a messy hair day with being in the car, sleeping, and for some reason she always gets a sweaty head when she sleeps in the car. Even with her messy hair, she is so cute! She also got a haircut last week...I'll have to share photos next time.

Small, Medium, Large - Not Anymore

I have a cousin had a little boy named Jackson about 6 weeks before Addison. Then, I have another cousin who's wife had a baby 4.5 weeks after Addison. The first time we got together, we of course had to get pictures. After the first round, everyone referred to the photo as "Small, Medium, Large." (Addison is in the middle)A few weeks ago, we got the kids back together again and had to retake the pictures. We haven't taken another picture for about 6.5 months. We set them up the exact same way...however, it really can't be called "Small, Medium, Large" anymore.

Caylynn, who is the youngest, is the same (maybe more) size as the oldest, Jackson. Addison is the littlest now. The pictures are great to capture; however, there should have been someone filming the adults. I swear, we were saying the stupidest things and making the weirdest noises to get everyone to look at the camera. I think (between three cameras), we took about 40 pictures to get the best one.