A Great Day

As school is getting ready to start I am constantly reminded that I am not there. I think about the hustle and bustle of setting up the classroom, new bulletin boards, the anticipation of class lists, and the first day. Then, I glance back in the car and realize that I don't actually miss it that much. Life moves at a much slower pace and I have learned to appreciate new things and experiences and I have a beautiful daughter to share it all with. Yesterday as I was getting ready for bed I realized just how blessed I am to be able to stay at home with my baby. There are good days and bad days, but yesterday we had a pretty near perfect day!

Many people ask what I do now that I stay at home. Here is a little peak inside what our day looked like. I got up around 7:30 fed Addison and played with her then she took a nice long 2 hour nap!! yay! Good naps = a very happy mommy! I got to spend time with the Lord, and clean my house. I was feeling pretty productive! After lunch we ran a few errands and shopped. I love being out and about, and so does Addison. On our way home I got sweet tea from Sonic which I am ridiculously addicted to, then we came home and Addison took another nap. While she slept, I got to bake! I love baking and trying new recipes (but it's not good for the post pregnancy weight loss)! :) When Addison got up we played some more. We listened to the rain outside, and she cuddled up with me on the bed and we read books. Then, Joey came home early and we had dinner. Addison went to bed at 7 and we watched the olympics on TV, read (yes, we are very nerdy and like to read!), and talked. All in all a pretty near perfect day! I love my family!!

First Taste of Food

Addison got her first taste of cereal this morning. Now it wasn't the yummy goodness of frosted flakes or cheerios. In fact, to me, it just looked like mush...but she loved it and she did so good eating. True, she got half of it on her face, and she spilled the bowl at one point by reaching for it with her hand, but all in all a great start! I have heard that the first feeding can be hard and that babies often don't know what to do when you stick a spoon in their mouth, but Addison did a great job. I posted a short video clip below. This was tricky because I was trying to video tape and feed at the same time and at the end Addison is also trying to grab the bowl...so we are literally in a tug of war! Warning: This is not thrilling footage and If you aren't a grandparent, aunt, or uncle the video may seem incredibly BORING :)

A Visit to see Great Grandma Makalous

Well, we took our first out of state trip with Addison this weekend. We flew up to Kansas City to visit my grandmother. It was very special because it was the first time Addison had met her great grandmother and we all got to help her celebrate her 88th birthday which just happened to fall on 8-8-08! It was Addison's first plane trip and she was really a champ during the whole trip, despite delayed planes and missed naps! I was a little nervous being on a cramped plane. I wasn't sure how she would handle it, but we kept her entertained with plenty of toys and a sippy cup (which she loves). My aunt and uncle were gracious hosts and we enjoyed hanging out with them and watching lots of olympics! It was also wonderful spending time with my sweet grandma. She just adored Addison and wanted to hold her the whole time. We are so blessed to have such a great family, and I am so thankful that my daughter got to meet my grandmother who is one of the most caring, generous, and selfless people I know! We had a great visit, but I think everyone is really happy to be back in their own bed tonight :)

Addison and I at the airport

Joey entertaining Addison on the plane

Addison saying "hi"

Me and My grandma with the birthday cake!

Addison and her Great Grandma

Addison's Favorites

At five months...Here are a few of Addison's favorite things about life:

1. Rolling over back and forth all the time

2. Making the "Mmm" sound. I swear I heard "mama" the other day :)

3. Drinking water out of a cup or water bottle. She goes nuts for it!

4. FOOD-She tried to grab a hamburger the other day!

5. Putting things in her mouth-preferably cold things or her feet

6. Touching faces (and hair-ouch!) and grabbing at your mouth when you talk

7. Smiling-ALL THE TIME!

8. Holding hands with her daddy when he feeds her at night

9. She LOVES Maddie! When she sees her she starts to laugh. She also likes to touch her and recently pulled a chunk of her tail out. I don't think Maddie was quite as excited about that.

10. Swinging outside and splashing with my feet in the pool

My Little Movie Star

Addison is so funny! I can already tell she is going to be a little fashion queen, and I'm sure it will be my fault too!! I love to dress her up :) This week my mom came into town and we went shopping. My mom tried these cute little sunglasses on Addison and she just loved them (so of course my mom had to buy them!). She was smiling all afternoon, and did not want us to take them off of her. In fact, when we went to the pool later she started to fuss a little until we put them back on her and then it was all smiles!