LoSurdo Family

CuddleBug

2009-11-28T19:00:00.001-08:00

Even at an early age, I am starting to notice some differences between my two cuties. Addison has always been very independent and has never been super affectionate. She gives kisses and hugs, but she won't just sit down and cuddle with you...she is always on the go! However, I am noticing that my little boy is going to be just the opposite. I love the fact that he loves to cuddle up with Joey and I!

Playdate

2009-11-28T18:52:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I got together with a few of my friends and their sweet kiddos. It is so much fun knowing that our kids are so close in age and will grow up together. The only sad thing is that Addison is seriously outnumbered. She is the only girl!! We recently got all the babies together for a "playdate". The kids are all so young that they didn't really play all that much (in fact Joey and Gunnar slept the whole time!), so the "playdate" was really more for us moms! :)

Here are all the cuties...

Milestone

2009-11-22T22:00:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe it, but little Joey rolled over a few days ago for the first time! He's not even two months old yet! I had him on his tummy one morning and we were talking and playing and he just sort of kicked his leg and rolled over onto his back. I was so excited, and I was the only one there!...Daddy was still sleeping :) I made him do it several more times just to see if maybe it was a random fluke, but he was able to do it every time. I am so proud of my little boy! He is getting so big and strong!

Spit-Up

2009-11-22T19:27:00.001-08:00

This is just a typical picture of my little J. He spits up ALL THE TIME and it goes EVERYWHERE. Both of us end up changing outfits multiple times a day and laundry has definitely increased. I tried using bibs but his spit up is so explosive it usually bypasses the bib and ends up on me, the couch, the floor, his pants or whatever happens to be nearby. Addison never spit up...I literally never had to use a burp cloth. However, we don't seem to have enough with Joey. I am just reminded of how different siblings can be, and I'm also getting a little tired of smelling like spit up :) Oh the joys of being a mommy!

RANDOM (What you missed this summer!)

2009-11-21T19:37:00.000-08:00

I was a very bad blogger this summer! Part of that was due to my computer (which was broken) and my camera cord that went missing. However, I will admit that part of it was just laziness! I finally got some pictures from my camera uploaded so I thought I would share of few photos of from my brother's graduation and Addison playing in the waterscape at our park. I know this is totally RANDOM...but I am trying to be better about posting on my blog..and I ran out of material! :)

Here's someone who doesn't get alot of face time on my blog...My "little" brother graduated from Texas A&M in May of this past year. We were SO proud!! I was pregnant at the time and he was literally almost one of the very LAST people to walk the stage. Graduation seemed to last forever! However, we all yelled and screamed when they called his name. He now lives in San Antonio and works for a construction firm. Wow, it seems like just yesterday we were being silly and playing in the backyard. I can't believe my brother is all grown up!

Addison and I spent ALOT of time in the water this summer :) We have a fun waterscape in a park near our house and we went there quite a bit. She LOVED it and it was a great way to beat the heat!

Photoshoot

2009-11-14T19:46:00.000-08:00

My good friend Jill is really talented and takes wonderful pictures. She is so sweet to volunteer to photograph my kids, but for some reason the minute she steps into my house...my kids decide to be extremely uncooperative! Addison becomes a wild woman and will not sit still or follow directions and Joey has tummy issues, spits up everywhere, and cries the whole time...not a pleasant experience for either me or Jill (*sigh*). I have a new found respect for people who photograph kids! It's not easy! Anyway, these were a few cute shots she got of my kids. Thanks Jill for being so patient...maybe some day we will be able to take a decent photo!

Addison hamming it up for the camera

My sweet baby boy...what a silly face!

Addie and Joey...he looks pretty miserable!

My cuties...

2009-11-14T18:47:00.000-08:00

Life has been crazy being a mom of two. In some ways it has been a very easy transition, but at times when both of them are crying or needing me in some way it can seem very stressful! However, every week gets easier as we get into a routine! Addison is a GREAT big sister. Joey and I are amazed at how much she adores and loves her little brother. She hasn't shown any jealousy at all so far. She loves giving him kisses and talking to him and patting his head. She will bring him his "paci" and she even tries to pat his back and burp him at times (this is not always helpful!) Here are some things I have noticed about my two cuties...

Addison:

1. LOVES music. She loves listening to CDs in our playroom and tries to dance when songs come on. Anything musical will entertain her.

2. Sesame Street...she can spot Elmo a mile away in a store...but her favorite is cookie monster. She is obsessed with anything that has sesame street on it, and therefore...they are making alot of money off of us :)

3. Stickers-she loves drawing and coloring, but she also really likes stickers. She can sit there forever decorating her paper (or other inanimate objects such as the coffee table, the chair or even her brother) with stickers.

4. Apples and Juice. Addison asks for juice constantly...we don't give her much juice but when we do she downs the whole cup or juice box in minutes. She also asks for apples all the time...breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Other than french fries and fruit snacks...apples are her favorite food :)

5. Being Outdoors...Addison loves to slide and swing...therefore, we try to go to the park alot and fortunately she has a small slide and swing in the backyard. It has been so nice outside that we have spent lots of afternoons out there.

Joey:

1. LOVES eating...ALL.THE. TIME. He is a growing boy!

2. Smiling...Joey has the cutest smiles!! They just melt me :)

3. Talking...He has also started to "coo" and chat with us a little...we love listening to him make sounds.

4. His sister...Joey loves Addison and often gives her the biggest smiles...She loves him equally as much... She will not leave his side (which is sometimes a problem!) She always wants to know where he is and what he is doing. She reads books to him, and kisses and hugs him. She is the BEST big sister :)

The cutest little firewoman!

Uh...oh. Addison got into my lipstick. I think she needs more practice :)

This is what Joey does most of the day...

Halloween

2009-11-11T20:35:00.000-08:00

This year Addison dressed up as a pink puppy. She loves puppies and when she saw this costume...I knew it would be perfect (even better was that it was half off!) She was so excited to put the costume on and even begged to wear it the next day...I ended up finally having to hide it from her! We dressed Joey up as a monkey. He was so cute, but pretty much slept through all the Halloween festivities! :) We went to my sister and brother in laws and trick or treated/took pictures with their kids and then came back to our own house to pass out candy and take Addison to some houses on our street. I am not sure if Addison totally understood the concept of trick or treating. She certainly liked having people put something in her little bucket...but I'm not sure she understood that you could eat it at first! She was also really cute...at almost every house she tried to walk into their home. We had to hold her back! I guess she figured that perhaps there was more candy inside...or if the people were giving her something it was an open invitation to come on in! Whatever the case, we had to watch her carefully!

This past week I think she has finally figured out that the stuff in her pumpkin bucket is good to eat. Each morning she has opened the pantry and gotten something new out and tried to persuade me to let her have it for breakfast. Everything from atomic fireballs to whoppers. I have to confess she snuck the whoppers by me! (but she left the evidence on her face...chocolate everywhere!) When I discovered she still had one I asked her..."Addison is that a whopper in your hand, to which she promptly replied, "yep"! (At least she's honest!) I had to laugh! All in all...we had a great time at Halloween.

Smiles

2009-11-11T20:31:00.000-08:00

My sweet boy...This is not one of his big huge grins...

but I think it is so cute! He looks like a little old man! :)

Moments Like These...

2009-11-11T20:29:00.000-08:00

These are the moments that make me smile!

NO EXCUSES

2009-11-11T20:05:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time...I updated my blog. Now...not so much! I have been in denial and many times have posted "I'm back!" or "I'll post updates I promise". Let's face it, I am just not a good blogger. Almost daily I take time to "stalk" other people's blog sites to see pictures and read updates about their life, not bothering to pay attention to my own site which hasn't been updated in over two months! No more promises...I will try my best, but life with two kids has been hectic so I'm not sure how much I will be able to post. For now, here are some updates and more photos! Make sure to scroll down there are several new posts and I have 3 more I will post this week when I get more pictures downloaded!

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-26T18:42:00.000-07:00

We went to Sweet Berry Farms in Marble Falls a few weeks ago with my brother and sister-in-law and their kids. We had a great time despite the randomly cold weather. The kids got to paint pumpkins, go on a hayride, look at some animals, pick out pumpkins and of course pose for some pictures (that was NOT the fun part for them!...so I don't have many good ones :) Addison was so cute! We took her last year but she was so little...this time she had more fun. She kept trying to pick up all the pumpkins, even the big huge ones. It was hilarious. Last year she enjoyed the animals, but this year she was a bit more fearful and kept her distance. All in all we had a great time as a family. I love going out there every year!

The best picture we could get of all three of the cousins!

Addison and her cousin Brynn painted a pumpkin

Serious look...

Addison tried to pick up all the pumpkins and gourds off the ground

He's Here!!

2009-10-23T20:25:00.001-07:00

Kids...plural. It's still weird telling Joey "yeah, the kids and I went to the park today"...just sounds funny, but that's what we have now...two kids!

The 5th Joseph Philip LoSurdo has arrived and we are SO in love with him!! He was born September 28th at 9:21 am. He weighed a whopping 9lbs 1 oz and was 19 3/4 inches long. His big sister adores him and is so protective and we are adjusting to life with kids...plural :)

Here is the story for those who are interested!

A week and half before I was due I started to get that miserable "I'm so done being pregnant" feeling. I was having pain in my legs and lower back and my OB was telling me that she thought the baby was going to be big (and she was right!). So we started to discuss the possibility of being induced early. Unlike with Addison this pregnancy hit me harder and I was really ready to meet my little guy. However, unfortunately there were no rooms available at the hospital. Who knew?!? So I was put on a waiting list. Finally, I found out I was scheduled to be induced on Monday, September 28th (only two days before my actual due date...but I'll take it!) It was such a weird feeling having a scheduled time. With Addison, I just went into labor on my own! I was scheduled to be at the hospital at 5am. I barely slept that night and got up around 4am to get ready. We arrived on time and things went very smoothly. Filled in paperwork etc., got my IV, and started pitocin by 6:00. I was actually starting to have some contractions that morning before we got to the hospital and I was already dilated 3cm so they told me things would move pretty quickly. They were right!!! By 7:00 I was having more painful contractions and contemplated going ahead and getting an epidural, but I knew it would slow things down and decided the contractions weren't that bad. About 15 minutes later I changed my mind...they were pretty bad. They called in the anesthesiologist who gave me an epidural but it didn't seem to be working and I was getting no relief. The contractions were BAD. They wanted to wait a little longer to see if perhaps they needed to up the dose of medicine. Meanwhile...I was in PAIN!! Poor Joey, his arm was probably about to fall off I was gripping it so hard! The anesthesiologist came back in and tried the epidural again and several other things that didn't work. She even tried giving me a strong narcotic, but they said I was just progressing too quickly and the medicine couldn't keep up. At this point I felt the strong urge to push. They checked me and sure enough I was dilated all the way. I went from a 5 to a 10 within an hour (At this point I was FREAKED out that I would have to push this baby out without any help for the pain!...which probably would have been fine...tons of people do it and I had made it that far already but I started to get a little panicky). They rushed to call my doctor and the anesthesiologist finally decided to just give me a spinal. This finally kicked in about 10 minutes before the doctor got there. The doctors taking care of me were great but in their willingness to try to ease my pain they tried alot of things and later when it finally all wore off...my anesthesiologist summed it up by saying we basically just gave you a "crap load of drugs" :) The pain was not the only difficulty...by the time I was ready to push my parents still had not gotten to the hospital. My doctor told me we could hold off ("but don't cough or even sneeze!") because they were just pulling into the hospital. I got to give them a quick kiss and hug and then it was "go time". Fortunately baby Joey was ready to meet us...and I only had to push 3 times. He was a BIG baby though...9 pounds 1 oz. He is a cutie and has been a relatively good baby so far. We are so in love!!

Here are some pics from his birthday!...in random order...

Shower Time!!

2009-08-15T18:12:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that I only have 6 1/2 weeks left (and if Joey comes early like Addison...it might only be 5!) CRAZY!! Am I ready for this? I have been much more excited and less anxious this time around. I remember a few weeks before having Addison I seemed to be worried about everything, this time around I feel alot more laid back. Joey and I are just so ready to meet our little boy! By the way, this second one has taken a bigger toll on my body. My back hurts, my legs hurt...everything hurts! I'm sure chasing a rambunctious toddler doesn't help...but I definitely feel worse this time around. Or maybe I just forgot how rough those last few weeks can be!

Anyway, my sweet friends threw me a shower this weekend to celebrate having a boy! It was SO CUTE!!! Since I am doing a sports theme in Joey's room they used that theme for the shower as well. They had "ballpark food", fun music, baseball cookies and more. The house was decorated so fun and my pictures do not do justice! I felt so blessed and had such a great time. Thanks girls!!! I also got some very cute stuff. Lot's of cute Aggie gear (whoop!) and tons of fun boy things. Here are some pics from the shower...

Shower hosts and such sweet friends!

Cute baseball cookies handmade by my sister in law...they were AMAZING!!

and I loved that they had Joey #5 on them! :)

Fun (and yummy) food!

I was blessed with so many fun gifts...but I'm not sure

why I have my eyes closed in almost every picture! :)

Absent...

2009-08-02T17:38:00.000-07:00

Well I have been a little absent from the blogging world lately! I guess you could sort of say I took a vacation from posting! I'm sure no one even reads this anymore...However, if you happen to be reading...I am BACK!! :) Honestly, we have been pretty busy this summer...but when I sit down and think about it we haven't done anything really exciting so I guess I have felt that I haven't had anything "blog worthy" to write about lately...I'm going through the summer "blahs". Not only is it ridiculously hot outside...but I remember when summer used to mean a break from school, homework, sleeping in...doing nothing but hanging out with friends? Well, as a mom now my summer just seems to be more of the same! There really isn't any change. Most of our days still consist of playing, cleaning, running errands, and going to the pool or park (when it's not 100 + degrees outside! ha!) Some days I miss the excitment of what summer used to be, but then I just look at my sweet little girl and I am reminded of how much I love to be at home with her and how precious our time together is. I wouldn't trade it for anything. So...stay tuned for updates this week! I am trying to download some pictures as we speak! :)

Updates...

2009-06-11T19:30:00.000-07:00

What's been going on?

I think I get the "worst mommy of the year" award in terms of keeping up with my child. Addison is over a year old and I have yet to put pictures in her baby book (or even completely fill it in!) I don't have any sort of scrapbook and all the photos we take are in random assortment in a box on my desk. The one thing I try to do somewhat faithfully is write a monthly update of what Addison is doing and learning on this blog-most of it is really for my sake so I can look back and remember all the fun milestones and memories. The only problem is that I haven't done this in over 3 months! (oops). So here goes...

1. Addison is talking! This just started about a week ago. Her first words were "bye" and "baby" and she has been working on those for quite a while now...but that was it. However, in the past week her speaking ability has exploded! She now can say cookie, cracker, ball, up, daddy, puppy, Maddie (our dog), and Caden (her cousin). She is adding new words every day! Of course she still refuses to say "mommy"! We love hearing her talk and each day she seems to add more words to her growing vocabulary! She knows most of her animal sounds too. She can do the sounds for a cow, sheep, puppy, snake, kittycat, and duck.

2. Addison loves trying to put on our shoes and walk. She also loves to watch me put on make-up. She tries to imitate me and it is too cute! She loves trying on my jewelry (necklaces and bracelets) and the other day when I was painting my toe nails she insisted she wanted some too...so I painted a few of her fingernails! However, I quickly took it off afterwards. Having a girl can be so much fun!

3. Addison is OBSESSED with dogs...she calls them all "puppies". Whenever she sees one she starts doing a little high pitched barking noise..."woof woof". She gives Maddie hugs and kisses all day long (she is way more affectionate to her dog than us!) and we got her a stuffed puppy dog that never leaves her side. She is crazy about animals and dogs in particular!

4. Addison is learning how to feed herself. She has done this for quite a while now by just using her hands...but we are adding in silverware which she hasn't been a big fan of up until now. We got her some little forks and spoons and she has suddenly taken an interest. She's really into eating yogurt with her spoon and though most of it ends up everywhere but in her mouth she is making progress! We clap for her when she takes "big girl bites" and actually tries to "stab" her food with her fork. Yea....it doesn't take much to get us excited these days :)

5. The topic of food brings me to another one of Addison's favorite things...EATING. The girl is super skinny but you would never know it by the amount of food she consumes!! She eats everything in sight. Some nights she eats 3 full pieces of pizza and the other day when we were at a hamburger restaurant she ate her burger, fries, some of my mother in law's burger, mushrooms from Joey's burger plus lettuce, bacon and yes my friends...RAW ONIONS off of my plate. Crazy!! She will eat just about ANYTHING we put in front of her...that girl is a bottomless pit!

6. Addison LOVES the water. She has no fear in the pool and I typically get soaked during bath time...Joey calls it the splash zone!! She loves to splash us and laughs when we get wet!

7. Addison's favorite things: swinging, playing "peek a boo" with the curtains, eating french fries, taking the batteries out of the remote (almost EVERY day), eating french fries, trying on mom and dad's shoes, eating french fries, reading books, eating french fries, playing with her "babies", climbing on everything (she is fearless!) and in general just tearing the house apart!! She is into everything! oh, and did I mention she loves french fries??

8. We are learning how to discipline. Addison has recently learned the word "no" and is not afraid to use it...on us! At times when we tell her she can't do something or we take a toy away she says "no, no, no" back to us and sometimes will throw a fit...this is new territory for us so we are learning as we go! :)

Addison's 15 month stats:

34 1/2 inches tall (95th %)

24.2 lbs (25th %)

She's long and lean! ...I'm jealous :)

Trying on Daddy's shoes!

Feeding herself yogurt with a spoon...what a mess!

Hawaiian Girl (her grandparents brought this back from their vacation)

Garden update!

2009-06-11T17:10:00.000-07:00

Joey looks thrilled doesn't he?? :)

So...the garden is growing well. Or perhaps I should say my zucchini squash is doing well. This plant has literally overtaken everything else in my garden. What started off as a small plant only a couple of inches tall has now grown HUGE! Joey says the plant is on crack...I might agree...I pulled this zucchini squash off tonight and it was at least a foot long and 10 inches in diameter. We don't normally measure our vegetables, but Joey thought maybe we had set a record (we were clearly impressed with our gardening skills) Alas, the record is a 65 lb zucchini squash so we have a long way to go! :) ha!

Anyway, everything else is growing well: basil, cilantro, and mint are all doing great and we have also picked off some good looking cucumbers! However, the zucchini plant has kind of overtaken everything else and is threatening to choke out my other plants!

Tonight I cooked the squash. I found a yummy recipe that was simple and quick using ingredients I already had in my refrigerator! I used some of my fresh basil in the recipe as well! I posted a link to the recipe just in case anyone out there wants to try it:

Farmers Market Squash Saute

Blessings...

2009-05-25T19:55:00.000-07:00

I have found myself so thankful the past few weeks. I know I should be thankful every single day, there are so many things that the Lord has blessed us with... but often I get caught up in the busyness of life and forget the little things that matter most. However, the past couple of weeks I think the Lord has helped me to stop and appreciate things more often. One of the biggest blessings is the little smiling face that greets me each morning. Addison is such a huge source of joy and blessing in my life and we are so thrilled to be able to add to that joy by having another child. I am so excited to meet my little baby boy! We had our 21 week sonogram last Friday and they were able to check to make sure he is growing and healthy and my doctor said everything looks perfectly normal. I love to hear those words! and again, so often I take them for granted. I feel incredibly blessed to be having such a great pregnancy so far. The Lord's mercies never cease!

Some recent pics of my little cutie pie!...

Somehow we seem to get spaghetti everywhere but in our mouth!

Daddy's pride and joy (and little yankees fan!)

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-25T19:34:00.000-07:00

This weekend we decided to be adventurous and take a road trip to see friends in Dallas. The last time with drove to San Antonio with Addison it was a nightmare...lots of screaming and crying! So I wasn't sure how 3+ hours in the car would go, but Addison was awesome. She watched videos, played with toys and kept us thoroughly entertained :) She was such a little trooper all weekend! We stayed with our friends Sarah and Nick Carlson in McKinney. We had never seen their new house and it was fun getting to hang out. We spent Saturday in downtown McKinney exploring the shops and eating some great food, then Sunday I got to see two of my old roommates Katrina and Meredith and their families. It was great getting together and catching up (as much as you can with kids running everywhere!) Thanks Sarah and Nick for hosting!

Ready for the Pool!

Playing with Cousin Brynn

On Monday, Joey and I were back in Austin and had a great time as a family. We didn't do anything terribly exciting, but I think sometimes just being together and having quality time is what makes the day special. Late in the afternoon/early evening we went to Joey's sister and brother in law's house. The kids played in the pool in the backyard. It was the first time Addison had busted out the swimsuit and I think they all had a good time in the water...it was HOT! We grilled hamburgers and relaxed. We love having family so close! All in all a great weekend...but I am exhausted!

We're having a BOY!

2009-05-02T17:12:00.000-07:00

We had a sonogram Friday at our 18 week appointment and the sonographer poked and prodded and sure enough...pretty quickly she was able to determine that we are having a boy! Joey and I are thrilled and actually pretty astonished because we both really thought it would be another girl! I am so excited to be able to blessed with both a boy and a girl, and it is fun to be able to call him by name...instead of just praying at night for "it". I know it is going to be so different, but I am really looking forward to it :) Many people have already asked if we have a name and that was actually the easy part. Joey's name is a family name (He is Joseph Philip LoSurdo IV) so it was really important to him to continue that tradition. So we will have a little Joseph Philip LoSurdo V in a few months. The only thing that will be hard is knowing how to differentiate between husband and son. We need to come up with a good nickname for little Joey, let me know if you come up with anything!

The outfit above is the first little boy outift I have gotten. My sweet friend Michelle bought it for me as soon as she found out what we were having and it is so strange to see it hanging in the closet...I am so used to being in an all pink "girl world". It's going to be hard to transition!

One of the cute things that we saw during the sonogram was our little boy had his hand in the perfect "gig 'em" sign. The sonographer caught it and printed the picture for us. Joey was definitely proud! :) Looks like we have another little Aggie!

My (small) garden...

2009-04-30T17:34:00.000-07:00

One thing that I love is being outside and working in the yard. I enjoy planting and taking care of flowers and plants. However, most of the time flowers and plants don't like ME! I typically kill everything in my yard! In fact someone once got me a potted fern that they said was nearly impossible to kill. You guessed it...somehow the fern died. Well, this spring we have a flower bed in our backyard and I decided I would try to grow a few vegetables and herbs. I'm no Martha Stewart, but so far the plants are looking good (nothing has died...yet!) I am such a nerd...I go and check on them almost every day to see if anything has sprouted. I started really small, I planted squash, cucumbers, bell peppers, mint, rosemary, and basil. I also bought a small orange tree that I have in a huge pot on the porch. I'll keep you posted if we get any actual vegetables! If you have any "gardening tips" let me know :)

Food, Fun, Friends...

2009-04-30T17:22:00.001-07:00

Last weekend Joey and I had some people over in our backyard for a crawfish boil. Joey LOVES crawfish and he got a pot and set to boil them for Christmas a few years ago. We've done it a few times and each time it's fun, but we forget how much work it can be too! It turned out to be a beautiful evening and I enjoyed getting to relax and hang out with friends. It's interesting to see how things have changed now that many of us have kids. The evenings now start and end a little earlier and it seems that kids, babies, and pregnancy dominate conversation :)

1 more week!

2009-04-26T18:49:00.001-07:00

I just realized I haven't had any pregnancy posts yet! In fact, I don't think I have made any official blog posts about it! For those that don't know. Joey and I are expecting baby #2 September 30th and we are so excited. However, there are so many things that are different this time around. First of all...time is flying by!! I am already 17 weeks and it feels like we just found out a few weeks ago. I am also feeling great. I didn't feel too bad with Addison. Definitely a little nauseous at times, but I never threw up. This time, I didn't feel sick at all! Other than feeling super tired, I have been doing great. I have all the same cravings....fruit & veggies and healthy stuff (which is not normal for me!) and this time a new craving for CHEESE. I make macaroni and cheese for Addison and I at least twice a week :) When I was pregnant with Addison I lost a little weight at the beginning (of course I made up for lost time later on!) This time has been the same...I have lost a little weight as well. When we heard the heartbeat at our last appointment it was pretty high. Addison's was high as well and our OB told us often girls have higher heart rates. All of these things make me think that maybe we are having another girl. However, we will find out for sure THIS FRIDAY! :) FINALLY! So check back for more updates on Baby LoSurdo later this week!

photoshoot!

2009-04-26T18:37:00.000-07:00

My friend Jill takes GREAT pictures and is just getting started with photography. She offered to take some pictures of Addison for her first birthday...but of course we never got around to it until this past week. Jill did an amazing job and we got some really cute photos. The best part was getting to hang out and catch up while she was over...plus she brought dinner :) Thanks Jill!! We are so thankful for you! Here are some of my favorite photos...

Easter

2009-04-12T18:06:00.000-07:00

We had a very special Easter this year. Joey and I were continually reminded of how blessed we are as we recalled the sacrifice of our savior. Easter is much more to us than candy, baskets, and eggs... However, we we do like to enjoy those things as well!

This was technically Addison's second Easter...but last year she was only a few weeks old, so she didn't have much fun. This year was a different story! We were blessed to have Easter with both of our families. We traveled to San Antonio and then we were able to hang out with family in Austin. Addison thoroughly enjoyed hunting for eggs, opening easter baskets, and of course eating candy! I wasn't sure if she would understand the concept of hunting for eggs, but she picked it up pretty quickly and was excited about finding them. However, once she discovered there was food inside...she quickly became disinterested in finding more...she just wanted to EAT! Her cousins ended up getting the bulk of the eggs as she was much more excited about what was inside! :) Joey and I had a great time with family, however; we both came home feeling STUFFED. Two ham dinners are yummy...but I don't think I am going to be eating anything else for the rest of the week!

Easter basket fun!

Yay for bubbles...

Daddy helps with the egg hunt

Filling the basket

More eggs...

Hanging with Uncle John

Hunting for more eggs at the LoSurdo's

Let's find out what's inside...

cutie!

Cousins

Addison is 1

2009-03-10T20:10:00.000-07:00

Addison officially turned 1 on Monday, I can't believe it. She is such a big girl! We had a party for her this past Sunday. We just invited family and a few close friends. We had a cupcake theme and made everything pink and girly...needless to say I had fun planning the party! :) However, I NEVER want to see another cupcake again!! I literally baked in the kitchen from 11am-5pm on Saturday, and lots of thanks goes to my sweet sister in law for helping! I made two different kinds of cucpcakes, a giant cupcake cake, and cupcake pops...crazy!

Addison had a blast at the party. She was running around with her cousins the whole time! Everything was pretty laid back and I think my favorite part of the whole afternoon was just sitting out in the backyard watching her play, and getting to chat with friends. Addison got quite a few gifts, but her attention span ran out after opening about two of them!...So I ended up doing most of the unwrapping. Also, I wasn't really sure if she would like the cupcakes...she hadn't seemed to be very excited about sweets, but she really got into it and was smashing them in her face and hamming it up for the camera big time! Joey and I feel so blessed to have such a precious sweet girl and wonderful friends to help us celebrate. Here are some pictures from that afternoon...

I made her Birthday banner...It's amazing what a little scissors, glue, and ribbon can do!

Thanks Katie for the inspiration!

The cupcakes!

Addison stuffing her face!

MESSY!

Addison enjoyed opening presents...for about 2 seconds :)

Addison and her cousin Brynn tearing into the gifts!

The loot...She is one spoiled girl!

Addison's big surprise present...A playhouse and slide!

Playing outside

Enjoying the playhouse with grandpa!

Playdate!

2009-03-05T12:54:00.000-08:00

Amazingly we were able to get all the kids on the couch for a picture!

Yesterday was so fun! I packed up Addison in the car and we took a little road trip to one of my favorite places...College Station! :) I got together with a few of my old roommates from A&M and also my sweet friend Amber Roberts. It was great to catch up and see everyone's kids! It was such a beautiful day... and I had such a great time!! Thanks, Katie, for hosting! I hope we can do it again sometime soon!

Jace, Addison, and Cash tried to play with the balls

Addison and Cash playing

Some random pics...

2009-03-05T12:37:00.001-08:00

Here are a few random photos from the past month. Addison is growing so fast!

She loves the camera!

We can FINALLY getting a TINY clip in her hair...yeah! :)

"Do these shorts make my legs look white?"

This smile is absolutely her daddy...EXACTLY the same.

Addison at 11 months...

2009-03-03T07:34:00.000-08:00

Ok...so I am writing this and actually Addison will be a year old in just a few days...so it's a little late, but I needed to update! :) Addison is now walking very well. She took her first steps at around 10 months and by 11 months she had it down! Needless to say, sometimes I miss those days when I would set her down and know she would still be there if I had to turn my back...now I have to watch her like a hawk because she is into everything! However, with all that being said, I love that she is now walking, and it's much easier on my back :) I think every month I say "this is my favorite stage"...because she just keeps getting more fun! Here are some of her favorite things at 11 months...

1. WALKING everywhere!

2. Talking. She is such a chatterbox...she babbles on all the time. Most of the time, you can't understand it, but a few times we think we have heard words. She is getting pretty good at saying "Bye".

3. She is MISS INDEPENDENT! She is great at playing by herself and entertaining herself. When I sit down to read books to her, she grabs them from me and wants to look at the pictures herself. She wants to feed herself and walk by herself. She wants to be on the go all the time and rarely wants to just sit and cuddle!...I miss those days :)

4. She is daddy's girl!! Her daddy is her favorite person in the world and she lights up when he comes home each night. She LOVES daddy time. It is so precious to watch them together and Joey is an amazing dad!

5. Smiling...I LOVE her smile...nothing makes me happier! I can't go into a store without someone commenting on it. She just loves smiling!

Bathing Beauty

2009-03-03T07:26:00.000-08:00

Addison spent the night at her grandparents a few weeks ago and instead of giving her a bath in the tub...they gave her a bath in the sink! She LOVES it! :)...and they took these precious pictures. She is getting so big these days. I can't believe she will be turning 1 next week! I have lots of new video of her walking etc...but haven't been able to get my computer to download it. So hopefully I can post some new things this week!... (I know it's been a while!)

Addison loves her accesories!

2009-01-27T14:52:00.000-08:00

Addison has recently become obsessed with her "beads". Her grandma bought her a jewelry set with a bracelets and necklaces and she LOVES it! She wants to have her necklaces on at all times! It is too cute!

How is this comfortable??

2009-01-26T14:57:00.000-08:00

Addison loves to sleep! (she gets this from her daddy) Quite often she will sleep for 3 hours or more in the afternoon. One afternoon I actually went in there to wake her up and found her in this position...crazy girl!

Week in Review

2009-01-18T11:27:00.000-08:00

Not much has happened this week. Nothing exciting anyway...our days were filled with playing, cleaning, cooking and running errands. One thing that I have noticed about Addison is that even though we buy her fun and interesting toys she seems to find the oddest things around the house to entertain her!! For example, she LOVED playing in a huge wooden trunk at her cousins house and she also played for hours with a set of mixing bowls I have. However, most of her time is dedicated to her favorite activity: walking and climbing. She discovered the stairs in our house and loves to go up and down (only with me right by her side of course!) and she is completely unsatisfied by merely sitting and playing she wants to GO somewhere!! My back often hurts from holding her hands as she happily walks around the house or tries to chase our dog. She has been taking steps on her own but certainly has not mastered walking by herself yet. Part of me can't wait for her to be able to take off, but another part is sad because she is growing up so much and the older she gets the more independent she becomes! I miss our holding her and cuddling with her!

One highlight of our week was getting to meet my in-laws new puppy. They got a teacup yorkie named "Bitsy" and she is adorable!!! So tiny!! Addison wasn't sure what to think of her when they met on Saturday but she slowly warmed up to her little friend. We are looking forward to lots of fun with grandma's new puppy :)

Addison and her Cousins entertained by the giant trunk

Addison and little "Bitsy"

Addison loves her new friend!

I'm Back!!!

2009-01-10T12:20:00.000-08:00

No I didn't go anywhere...but I have not posted in a LONG time. I have completely neglected my blog for the past two months! I'm sure no one even reads this anymore because I haven't posted in so long! I have no excuses...none. I have simply been lazy and caught up in the holiday season. Everytime I would think about blogging, some other more exciting opportunity came along and so my blog has been neglected. I'm sorry, but here are some updates and I have many new pictures posted below!

Trip to Kansas

2009-01-10T07:38:00.000-08:00

On November 19th my sweet grandmother passed away to be with the Lord. She went very peacefully and though we miss her and are sad she is no longer with us, we are very glad that she is in a better place now with no more suffering. My family decided to postpone the memorial service until all the extended family could attend so we celebrated her life on December 28th in Kansas City. My dad delivered the eulogy and he did a wonderful job of honoring her life. It was bittersweet as we remembered what an amazing lady she was and what an incredible legacy she left for us, but missed her all the same. I hope many of the same things can be said of me as were said of her that day. Even though it was a sad time, it was also good to see relatives and family that I hadn't seen in quite a long time. Our last night there we ate at a fun restaurant downtown called the Peachtree and had a great time!

Part of the fun of the trip was the car ride. We spent 20 out of the total 60 hour trip driving. When I say "we"...I really mean Joey. He refused to let me take a turn! So needless to say, I did alot of reading and we had a good time talking together. My brother rode with us part of the way (which was an experience in and of itself) 10 hours in a car with a person who is ADD is interesting! However, we survived :)

Too much time in the car...

Hanging with my brother

Dinner at the Peachtree with my Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin

Addison is 10 months old!

2009-01-09T13:08:00.000-08:00

Month 8 and 9 seemed to fly by! I cannot believe that she is 10 months old. Joey and I are amazed at how quickly she is growing up right before our eyes. I am already starting to think ahead to her first birthday party! Here are some updates on our little Addison...

-Addison is high energy!! She is still laid back in the sense that she doesn't get frustrated or upset easily. However, she has been in constant motion ever since she started crawling and now she is pulling up and trying to walk!

-Addison isn't walking yet, but she is very close! She has even taken a few steps on her own. She no longer wants to be held, she wants DOWN! She dives out of our arms towards the floor and several times we have very nearly dropped her as she catches us off guard! She is very independent and wants to be able to do everything on her own.

-Addison is a FLIRT. Joey is going to have his hands full!! Recently, one of her Sunday School teachers told us laughingly that she is always into the boys! When we went to a Christmas party over the holidays Addison was enamored with a guy who is a family friend. She wanted to walk to him all night and then she would look at him and act shy and hide her face on my shoulder. It was hilarious watching her!

-Eating is a battleground. Addison has recently decided she no longer wants baby food and cereal... she wants real food! A week ago, I finally gave up. She wanted nothing to do with her baby food. She pushes the spoon away or spits it out! The girl has some spunk!! Anyway, I decided not to battle any longer so she is now eating table food. She eats cut up grapes, cheese, bites of chicken, bananas, cheerios, and yogurt (which is her favorite!). She loves exploring new foods and we love watching her. When you first give her something new she sticks out her tongue for a taste and then scrunches up her face in disgust and then if its good she finally opens her mouth. Her favorite foods are: french fries, yogurt, cheese in any form, and ravioli (well of course she is part Italian!). However, I am having a really hard time getting her to eat fruits and vegetables! Needless to say eating is the one area she has a difficult time with so all of you experienced moms give me some advice on how to get her to eat something nutritious!

-Addison has two more teeth. Her top front teeth finally came in. Just in time for Christmas! She looks so much older with top AND bottom teeth and she can certainly chew :)

Silly Maddie...

2009-01-08T13:30:00.001-08:00

Maddie is our 1 1/2 year old golden retriever. We love her so much, however, we have recently come to the conclusion that she has some serious psychological issues. She is bizarrely afraid of everything! She doesn't seem to understand that her job is to protect us...she feels we are there to protect HER. Here is a glimpse into life with Maddie...

Example # 1:

This Christmas we bought her a new water bowl that automatically dispenses water into the bowl. She is constantly thirsty so we thought it might be a good idea to get her this new water bowl so we wouldn't always be refilling it. So the night of Christmas we got it for her, filled it with water and let her try it out. She would not even enter the bathroom (which is where we usually keep her water) She just stared at it...so what did Joey and I do? What every loving dog parent would do. We got down on all fours and pretended we were drinking out of the bowl to show her it was safe. We even sprinkled some of the water on her so she would start drinking. Then, Joey literally picked her up and forced her into the bathroom. She FINALLY crept to the bowl and lapped up a few sips. Then, the water dispenser made a noise as more water flowed into the bowl. This creeped her out and she ran. She would not come near the water bowl after that. We tried and tried but she was deathly afraid. Does anyone need a new water bowl?...We have one for sale!

Example #2

A few days later, I heard Maddie barking in the kitchen wondering what could possibly be agitating her. She never barks. Come to find out our ice cream scoop had fallen off the counter and freaked her out. She was ready to attack the poor defenseless scoop!

Example #3

Maddie spent a few days with Joey's parents as we traveled to Kansas City after Christmas. Joey's dad took her for a walk in the morning and the sun happened to hit at just the right angle to cast a shadow of them as they walked. Maddie was subsequently freaked out by her own shadow and had to be reassured before continuing her walk!

Maddie brings so much happiness and fun to our house. She is a 56 pound lap dog who greets us every day with wagging tail and hugs. We wouldn't have her any other way! Her funny quirks entertain us and just make us love her all the more!

My Funny Girl

2009-01-08T13:30:00.000-08:00

A week ago I was washing dishes and I let Addison play on the kitchen floor beside me. All of a sudden I head a weird noise so I leaned down to see what she was doing. Addison was having a "make-out session"with the dishwasher! She was literally kissing it and licking it. We have a stainless steel model so the cold hard finish was I'm sure what intrigued her. I almost fall on the ground I was laughing so hard. My first reaction probably should have been to stop her, but of course I did what every loving parent would do and grabbed my camera. I know she will thank me for this later!

Holiday Highlights

2009-01-08T12:24:00.000-08:00

Decemeber was a whirlwind for our family. We seemed to have something going on every single weekend! Joey was able to take two and half weeks off of work so we enjoyed lots of good time together. This was our first Christmas with Addison and it was so much fun seeing everything through her eyes. Christmas morning was just the three of us at home. We all cuddled up in bed for a while and then opened presents together. Later we were fortunate to be able to celebrate with both sides of our families and exchange gifts. We had a wonderful Christmas dinner at Joey's parents house and sang "Happy Birthday to Jesus" at the end. Addison got some fun gifts...she is so spoiled!! But honestly, I think the wrapping paper and bows were just as exciting! We are so blessed to have wonderful family and friends who made this holiday season so special!

Junior High Christmas Party at Church

Merry Christmas!

Addison opening presents Christmas Morning

Maddie got presents too!

I like the wrapping paper the best...

Grandma's Girls!

Opening my stocking

Dad had to help opening most of the presents :)

THANKSGIVING

2008-12-01T20:44:00.000-08:00

This year was very special because I hosted Thanksgiving for my family. I have never hosted a holiday event so I was determined to make it an event to remember. I cooked almost all the food myself and Joey fried the turkey! We had a couple pie dough catastrophes, but all in all it was fun cooking together. My menu included homeade citrus cranberry sauce, sausage stuffing, cream corn, green beans and sauteed mushrooms, sweet potatoe casserole, fried turkey, apple and pecan pie and a pumpkin/gingerbread trifle. I felt like I all I did was cook and clean up constantly for 24 hours straight but it was worth it. My family had a great time and the food was yummy!

Frying the turkey takes lots of hard work...

The finished product...yum!

The table

Addison's first Thanksgiving...She doesn't look thrilled

The Zoo

2008-11-25T13:57:00.000-08:00

We took a a trip to San Antonio the Sunday and Monday before Thanksgiving to hang out with my family and to take Addison to the zoo. Sunday night we met up with Joey's parents and family to eat at the Rainforest Cafe. This was especially fun for my nephew who was excited to see all the animals in the restaurant! Meanwhile, Addison and her cousin had a good time dancing on the table and taking trips to check out the fish tank. At one point Addison got so into the music she bopped her head on the table! The kids were hilarious throughout dinner and everyone had a really great time!! The next day was the zoo. Addison was all smiles at the start of the trip. She liked watching the big grizzly bear and she was very interested in all the pink flamingos. However, later she got pecked by a bird in the aviary and then rammed by a goat in the petting zoo area which was not very fun! The girl has no fear...She just wanted to touch all the animals! Hopefully we didn't traumatize her too much!!

Hanging out at the Riverwalk

Wild woman at the Rainforest Cafe!

All Smiles at the Zoo

Admiring the bird (before it bird pecked her!)

Petting the baby goats

8 Months!

2008-11-25T13:26:00.001-08:00

Our little girl is now 8 months old and time is flying by so fast. She has had a cold for the last two weeks and has also been teething so needless to say...I haven't been very good at blogging lately! Here a few updates:

1. Her favorite toy is a my little pony and a baby doll. She loves to play with the pony's hair and she of course tries to chew on it. The my little pony goes everywhere with us. She also loves playing with the baby doll. She hugs it and gives it kisses! It's very sweet. She is definitely all girl!

2. Addison is eating real food now! She can have tiny bites of our table food and chewy things like crackers, cheerios, and bread. She also likes to make noises while she is eating. She is a very loud eater. She also still has some weird eating habits. She loves vegetables and isn't as fond of fruit. This blows my mind. Fruit seems so much tastier!

3. Addison's favorite book is an animal touch and feel book. The duck is her favorite!! Everytime I make the "quack" noise...she lights up and reaches out for it!

4. Addison has become quite efficient at the "army crawl". She can move around pretty well by scooting and using her hands to pull herself. We can no loner leave her without watching her!

5. Addison is getting really good at standing and taking steps. I think she will be walking before we know it! She loves to hang on to furniture and walk around. She bangs on the coffee table and chairs. She can stand by herself for a few seconds at a time and she can walk with a walker or with our help. She has very strong legs!

6. Addison LOVES her dad. She gets so excited when he comes in the door each evening. She often tries to "flirt" with him. It is so cute! She will "act shy" by turning her head and putting her hand in her mouth then turn back around with a big smile! Needless to say, she has him wrapped around her little finger :)

7. Addison loves to pull hair (especially her cousin's!). We have caught her doing this to other kids numerous times in Sunday School and last week she had her cousin, Brynn, in a headlock with her hands wrapped in her hair. I'm not sure what her fascination is, but it could be because she still doesn't have any hair of her own!!

8. Addison ran a fever for the first time last week. It was so pathetic and pitiful. Joey and I have never seen her so clingy and fussy! Yet, even though she was in a bad mood at times she was also very cuddly and wanted to just curl up on our shoulder and sleep. This was the first time I had seen my baby sick and it it made me so sad :(

An old friend...

2008-11-25T13:04:00.000-08:00

So I was cleaning out the garage this week and found an old friend. This picture above should be a flashback for anyone who lived with me in 1610A !! If you are wondering what exactly this is....Here is the story: This old bank deposit box is from the Wells Fargo bank branch off Southwest Parkway in College Station. While depositing a check there my sophmore year I accidently drove off with the deposit cylinder. I will admit that I can be a bit absent minded at times! Anyway, this "stolen" cylinder became a joke in my apartment and although I had good intentions I never ended up returning it. Oddly enough this random piece of college nostalgia has survived 5 moves and is still in my possesion!! As I dug out old boxes and threw away junk I found it in the back of the garage. It brought back some great memories, but I probably should return it :)

Halloween

2008-11-05T04:51:00.000-08:00

These pictures are way overdue!! However, I have had trouble with my internet lately and haven't been able to post them until this morning. We dressed Addison up as a butterfly and she loved her costume...although it was HOT! We really enjoyed being able to just sit outside and hang out with neighbors.

Mommy and Addison

Two Cousins

Butterfly, T-Rex, and Flower

Just me and dad...

Brynn grabbing my chubby cheeks!

When I am concentrating I stick out my tongue like dad!

My Cutie!

Always has a smile...

Handing out Candy!

7 Months!

2008-10-28T19:13:00.001-07:00

Ok...so I know I haven't posted in a while! Sorry! I got into this state of mind where I felt like I had so much to write about that I just didn't have enough time to get it all down, and now I am at a point where I can't even remember what it was I wanted to write. Great! :)

Anyway, I felt like I needed some updates before Addison reaches 8 months so here goes...

-Addison has recently become a pretty picky eater. She did great when I started her on cereal but when we started on fruits and vegetables she suddenly decided to get finicky! I can only get her to eat vegetables!! (specifically green ones) She usually starts out with some cereal and peas for breakfast and then moves to green beans for lunch. Meanwhile I am gagging because it smells (and looks) disgusting. However, I might be to blame because it could all be tied to the large quantities of celery I ate when I was pregnant :)-such a random craving!

-Addison's new favorite toy is a balloon. She is mesmerized by them. We typically get one every week at the grocery store from the check out clerk and it will entertain her for hours. The only problem is that there is usually a sucker attached at one end. Last week she discovered it and somehow peeled back the plastic. I found her sucking on it a few minutes later! Needless to say we now detach the sucker.

-Addison can now sit up really well, but she is still not too interested in trying to crawl. She can get almost anywhere by rolling around so she isn't motivated to try something new. She is so lazy!! She does LOVE standing though and several times has tried to pull herself up. Sometimes I wonder if she will just skip the crawl stage.

-Addison has TWO bottom teeth and I think she may be cutting two more on the bottom. She is going to have a funny smile with a full set of teeth on the bottom and none on the top!

- Addison is a bundle of energy and can be very vocal at times. She was such a quiet baby that at times we wondered if she would ever make noise. Now she has no problems shouting out. One of our friends has affectionately termed it her "falcon call" because it sounds kind of like a bird squawking. We loved it and the name stuck :)

Fall Fun

2008-10-10T19:20:00.000-07:00

When I was teaching I used to really look forward to Fridays. No matter how crazy my week had been if I could just make it to Friday I knew everything would be okay. Fridays were more laid back and I always tried to do something fun with my students. I sometimes miss the anticipation of Fridays now that all my days are spent at home, so I decided that even though I am no longer teaching I am still going try to do something new and fun with Addison each Friday. Today, we went to a pumpkin patch. We got up early this morning and went to a place right outside Marble Falls called Sweet Berry Farms. It was a very cute place with tons of pumpkins, hayrides, mazes and even some animals! It was the perfect fall day (minus the fact that it ended up being nearly 90 degrees!). We planned the trip with my sister in law and her kids which made it even more fun. Addison thoroughly enjoyed herself all day (but it is rare when she isn't all smiles!) She LOVED the animals and showed no fear around them. She let the baby goats lick her hand and she even pet the horses. They were her favorite. She shrieked with delight each time one of them came near. She continues to amaze me with her bold and adventurous personality. It brought joy to my heart to see her excitement whether is was watching her scrutinizing the pumpkins, bouncing up and down on the hay ride, or grabbing fistfuls of straw. She was constantly in motion! Overall, the kids loved petting some of the animals and enjoying the outdoors...however, they were less than thrilled with all the pictures! (and we took lots!) We knew we were pretty much trying to accomplish the impossible getting a 7 month old, 11 month old and 3 year old to all look at the camera at the same time (we figured that actually getting them to smile would just be a bonus!). We made weird noises, handed out cheerios, snapped fingers and clapped our hands...but I'm not sure if we ever ended up with a decent picture of all 3 cousins. Oh well! As we left we each picked out a pumpkin and we tried some of their ice cream (homeade strawberry and pumpkin) which was delicious! On the way home, everyone slept in the car. We were worn out :)

Addison's excited face after touching the horse (love the dimples!)

Addison loved the horses

Addison pets the baby goat

"This is so much fun!"

"Is this the last picture?"

Being silly

Picking out the pumpkin

Checking out the pumpkin

Sweet Cousins

This was the best one we got!!

...All smiles

ALL DONE!

Party Time!

2008-10-06T17:32:00.001-07:00

Well, we had a crazy couple of days this past weekend. We had my nephew's 3rd birthday party and I helped throw a baby shower. We had Addison dedicated at church and on top of all that we managed to squeeze in some ministry training Saturday morning! For some reason, Joey and I felt quite old as we crashed on the couch Sunday evening. Evidently, we don't have the energy we used to! Addison was trooper through all of it. She always displayed a smile and she was definitely ready to join in all the partying (as evidenced by her party hat!)

The best part of the weekend was having her dedicated at church. It was so wonderful to have both of our families join us in giving Addison to the Lord and it was very special that her Uncle Ryan got to pray for her. We chose a life verse for her that we pray over her each night- Philippians 1:9-11 which says,"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God." This verse captured all that we hope for our little girl. We pray that the Lord will bless her with a loving heart full of discernment and that He will keep her pure and use her to His glory. We love you Addison, but we know that more importantly God loves you and has a special plan for your life. We are so thankful for our precious girl!

Addison's dedication-not sure why I look so serious!

Caden's Dino Party!

Baby Shower for Krista

Just too Cute!

First Tooth!

2008-09-24T18:02:00.000-07:00

Well after weeks and really a few months of wondering when we would see her first tooth, it finally pushed through today!! It is on the bottom, right in the middle and it's pretty sharp. It's so funny because she has been drooling and chewing profusely for a while now. People would always ask if she was teething but there really was no way to know. Last week at the pediatricians office the Dr. told us she was very close! I guess she was right! This afternoon she had drooled so much I had to change her clothes twice, so I stuck my finger in there and low and behold there was tooth poking through. Amazingly Addison hasn't even been fussy. I was dreading going through teething, but so far it has been a fairly painless process (for me anyway! ) I will post some pictures soon :)

Great Weekend!

2008-09-21T18:34:00.001-07:00

This past weekend was very fun. Joey and I were able to get away to College Station Friday night (Joey's mom kept Addison). When we got into town, we got to see my brother and his girlfriend. My brother got his aggie ring this weekend so it was special to celebrate with him. After hanging out with my brother, we got to go out for a date to a nice restaurant called The Republic (compliments of my brother who gave us a gift certificate!). Also, I got to see two of my roommates that I haven't seen in a long time!! It was so good to see Mere (who is a week past her due date and set to have her baby Monday) and Katrina who just had a baby a month ago. Canon was so cute! Friday night we stayed up late talking and catching up and I felt so blessed to be able to see each of them. I am so greatful that the Lord gave me such wonderful roommates in college and I am also thankful that we still stay in touch and get to see other regularly! :)

The next day we went out to eat at the Hullabaloo diner out in Wellborn and it was quite possibly some of the best breakfast I have ever had. I highly recommend it if you are ever in College Station! Later we made it to Kyle Field for the A&M/ Miami game and well...it was less than thrilling if you were an aggie fan. This is going to be a LONG season :)

Below I posted a video of Addison in her jumpster. She loves jumping up and down in it. It is hilarious. The more you egg her on saying "go, go go," the more crazy she gets!

6 Months Old!

2008-09-18T17:52:00.000-07:00

Today, Addison had her 6 month check up. She is growing so quickly!! She is still in the 95th percentile for height at 28 1/2 inches and she now weighs almost 18 pounds. No wonder my arms have been getting a work out! The doctor thought she heard a murmur in her heart at her last check up but we were so thankful that she said that she didn't hear any evidence of it this time! Praise the Lord! Here are a few things that Addison has been up to recently...

- Her favorite toys are my measuring cups and spoons. She loves chewing on them and banging with them. I love how we buy her elaborate blinky noisy toys and she is thoroughly entertained by mere plastic!

- Addison is also able to sit up by herself now! She is still a little wobbly, but for the most part she can sit independently. yeah!

- She likes to imitate noises and facial expressions. Today she had this silly snorting thing going on

- She loves playing peek-a-boo with me...she also loves to be surprised. I often go and hide behind something and then jump out. She gets a kick out of it.

- she likes dancing and singing. Many times as I am cleaning I put on some old school jams and we sing around the house and dance together. She loves it and often ends up laughing!

-She has become quiet the daredevil in her swing outside. She now leans forward and tries to kick herself to make it go higher and faster.

-Addison has moved on to eating fruits and veggies. We tried carrots out today...she wasn't such a fan. They ended up everywhere but in her mouth!

Here a few random pictures from the past few weeks...

Addison and her cousin Brynn at the mall on the merry go round ride

Addison and Brynn playing at the pool

Addison trying to figure out how to crawl

Playdate

2008-09-17T12:06:00.000-07:00

Today I had lunch with a friend of mine and her cute little daughter Mollie. Mollie is only two months old and I forget how tiny and little they are at that age!! Addison is only 6 months old, but she seems so huge comparatively. It was so much fun to hang out with Misty and Mollie. I titled this entry "play date" but really the girls didn't play much...it was more Misty and I that ended up talking and hanging out! I can't wait until they get bigger though...I know they will be good friends! :)

Addison loves Maddie!

2008-09-14T18:29:00.000-07:00

Addison absolutely LOVES her dog! Anytime Maddie comes near her she goes crazy and laughs hysterically. She loves touching her and especially loves pulling on her tail and feeling her fur. Here is a video clip of Addison playing with Maddie...

Family Photos

2008-09-14T18:18:00.000-07:00

I recently realized that we really don't have any pictures of all three of us together! I don't think we have taken one since Addison was born. So, last week a good friend of mine came over to take some family pictures of us. She did a great job! Here are few of the best ones...

New Sleeping Position

2008-09-04T07:57:00.000-07:00

Recently Addison has started sleeping more on her tummy and her side. When I walked in the other afternoon I have to admit I got a little scared because I didn't know how she was able to breathe sleeping like that!! It doesn't seem that comfortable to me, but she was definitely in a DEEP sleep (hmm...who does that remind me of??). She didn't wake up at all after I tried to rub her back and talk to her...so instead I took pictures of her :)

A Great Day

2008-08-20T09:10:00.001-07:00

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

2008-08-18T07:16:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-10T17:41:00.001-07:00

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

2008-08-06T19:56:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-06T19:50:00.003-07:00

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!

Dad and Daughter Date

2008-07-31T12:09:00.000-07:00

I had a night out last night. It was a blast! I went out with my mother in law, sister in law, and Joey's aunt and cousin. We had a great time. We had dinner and went to see a movie. Meanwhile, Joey took Addison out for a date. They went to...where else? Burger King. Then they came home, played and went to bed. Exciting evening! Joey was a little nervous since this was the first time I had left him with Addison by himself, but they had a great time and he was so cute with her! Hopefully there will be many more to come!

Addison and her Frog

2008-07-31T12:06:00.000-07:00

This is pretty much what Addison does all day every day. She shoves things in her mouth. Here are a few snapshots of her trying to eat the head off her frog!

She's on the move!

2008-07-28T12:17:00.001-07:00

Well, Addison is a growing girl! A week ago she had her 4 month check up and she is still in the 95th percentile for height at 26 1/2 inches and she is 75th for weight and head size. Not only is Addison growing physically she is also developing in other ways. She can hold and grasp objects pretty well and she likes to chew on almost everything. She can roll both ways and we can no longer just leave her laying on the bed or couch without watching her. She is becoming more active in her movement!

This past week and half I have had to watch her closely because anything she can get her hands on goes into her mouth! She has also become more mobile! Last Friday I was going to make banana bread and I wrote down the recipe from my sister in law. I set the recipe card in Addison's car seat and as I turned back around she had grabbed it and was sucking on it trying to eat it. Needless to say there was fresh ink all over her face and inside her mouth, so I was frantically trying to wipe out her mouth! This afternoon I went to lunch with a friend and in a matter of minutes her hands were in the guacamole, and then they almost knocked over a glass of water. As I'm trying to move the water my sweet friend points out that now my daughter is gnawing on the corner of the table!! I'm sure that's not healthy! Last night as we were eating dinner she almost wiggled her way out of her bouncy seat. She was half on the floor, half in her seat! We caught it just in time. She has so much energy! We are going to have to start watching her closely! :)

Addison and Caden

2008-07-17T18:25:00.000-07:00

Getting some personality!

2008-07-13T18:12:00.000-07:00

Addison is getting so big and developing such a fun personality. I love it. She makes my day and I feel so happy watching her! This weekend we went to San Antonio and Addison got to hang out with her grandma and grandpa Makalous. My mom had her talking and laughing the whole time. It's the most animated she has been (normally she is pretty quiet) and we actually caught some of it on video! I also think she might be cutting her first tooth! We have her four month check up this Tuesday so maybe we will find out :)

sorry the video is sideways!

Laughing

2008-07-06T05:48:00.000-07:00

Right now I think the best word to describe Addison is pure JOY. She is constantly smiling!! She is such a good natured baby, she very rarely gets frustrated or fussy. It is so sweet to see such unadulterated happiness! It is also fun to see how she has started to develop a personality. I think she might end up being quite the daredevil (this definitely doesn't come from me!). Last week, we were just playing and I lifted her high up and then brought her down and buried my head in her tummy and made silly sounds and she laughed for the first time!! It actually sounded much more like a giggle, but it was the most beautiful sound I have ever heard. All day I have been trying to get her to do it again, but she makes you work for it :) Addison has also discovered her feet. She is constantly trying to pull at her toes and even occasionally manages to get her feet to her mouth (gross). She has started chewing everything she can find (including her own toes) and I am starting to wonder if she might be working on a tooth. Joey and I also laugh at our little girl because she LOVES to watch TV. If we have it on she is instantly glued to it. I guess the bright colors and shapes are exciting, but we figure it's probably not healthy to have your 4 month old watching "The Office"! What gets me is that each new week, and each new day there is something new that she learns or discovers. It is so fascinating watching the world through Addison's eyes!

Fun on the Fourth!

2008-07-05T11:21:00.000-07:00

The fourth of July is always so much fun. I have such wonderful memories of watermelons, fireworks, and playing at the pool. However, since I have been married to Joey I have realized that the fourth of July now carries a new tradition: Softball. Every year Joey and his friendsand roommates from A&M play a softball game against some of his friends from UT. It's a friendly rivalry...and I hate to say it, but the Aggies have not been doing so well the past two years! Despite the fact that we have even made posters and t-shirts for the game :) What is more fun than the actual game is the fellowship with friends. It is so much fun to get together with old friends and see everyone's kids and talk to their wives and cheer on our husbands. Afterwards we usually all have a big cookout and hang out some more. I really look forward to it every year, and this year was special because it was Addison's first time to come to the game. She cheered on her daddy and uncle very loudly!

Later in the day, we had a wedding to go to. We went to the Josh and Rosalyn's wedding and it was amazing. I really enjoyed it and the place was decorated so cute! It seemed a great way to end a great day!

with Hayley and Krista after the game

with my cute hubby at the wedding

Bathing Beauty

2008-06-24T15:30:00.000-07:00

Today was the first time Addison went swimming at the pool. Ok, I don't know if you would actually call it "swimming". It was more like sitting in the water and splashing...and the pool was a plastic kiddie pool in a backyard, but still we had fun. Addison wore her new swimsuit for the first time- complete with matching coverup. Also, being a new mom I never realized how time consuming it can be to get a baby ready to "swim". First you have to slather them with sunscreen, then comes the hat and swim diaper and finally when you are all ready to hit the water. She starts crying and is ready for a nap! We eventually got her back in the pool.

Some Highlights...

2008-06-20T17:46:00.000-07:00

Well the week has ended and it is interesting how I don't even really recognize that it's friday anymore. Every day seems to run into the next when you aren't working. Here are a few highlights from our very uneventful week:

1. I'm going to dip into last week a little. Last Friday Joey and I got to celebrate 4 years of marriage! In some ways 4 years seems like such a small amount of time, but in other ways it feels like it has been forever. We went out to Flemings downtown and had an amazing time. I think I gained about 10 lbs after the enormous amount of food we ate! The molten chocolate cake is a MUST if you ever go there. We had a great time though...just getting to talk and reminisce. Interesting side note: The Heart of Texas biker rally and the Gay Pride parade were being held in Austin that same night which made it quite eventful :)

2. On Sunday, Joey celebrated his first father's day and it was very special. Honestly, we didn't do that much but Joey got some fun presents. I made him a scrapbook of pictures (of him and Addison) and added some other fun things. He got to play video games all afternoon which was what he requested!

3. Addison and I met Joey for lunch down at the Counter Cafe (off 6th and Lamar). Their blueberry pancakes are TO DIE FOR!! and BONUS they have mexican coke with real sugar! My favorite meal of the day is breakfast and this restaurant serves it all day, so it's a hit for me. After lunch Addison and I walked around a downtown bookstore...this was quite possibly my favorite event of the week. I am such a nerd...I LOVE books!

4. My mom came into town on Thursday and we got to go shop and hang out. I love just chilling with my mom. We didn't really do anything that exciting but it's good to just sit and talk.

5. I got to hang out with my sister in law and niece and nephew on Tuesday. We went to Chick-Fil-A and watched the kids play. Well, Addison and Brynn didn't really play but they both smiled alot and tried to shove things in their mouths.

6. I finished the last book of the Harry Potter series this week. I know, I am WAY behind everyone else, but I have had alot going on. Anyway, I think it was quite possibly the best book I have ever read and I honestly cried at some parts of the story. I kind of feel lost now that the series is over...I am having withdrawls :) If you have any good book suggestions let me know!

A Discovery

2008-06-11T11:09:00.000-07:00

Summer has commenced and for me that means one thing: cleaning. During the school year I rarely have a chance to do a deep cleaning at home. At least that's what I tell myself. It's probably more like laziness. Anyway, I decided to tackle my closet this morning (Actually it's Joey's closet as well...he says we share it, but about 90% of it is my junk) Anyway, as I was cleaning out and decluttering I found a HUGE stash of all my old purses and this got me to thinking. You see me and my purses have a history. In high school I couldn't keep track of them and left them EVERYWHERE...classes, restaurants you name it. Some would say I still have this bad habit, but I promise I am getting better. Another thing about me and purses is that I try to store every possible belonging I can fit in there. Sometimes I buy small ones so they won't get so stuffed to the brim with junk, but that always backfires and I fill it with reciepts, food, make-up etc etc. until I can't possibly zip it. A purse for me is just another catch all for random things I collect during the day...you name, I probably have it. The other day someone asked if I had a pen they could borrow. I said..."Let me see...pens no, maple syrup yes!" true story...you never know when that will come in handy. The other quirky/ ridiculous thing I do with purses is NEVER EMPTY them. Finding one of my purses is like uncovering an era of my life. When I get a new one I leave the old one completely in tact (junk and everything) and merely stash it in the closet. You just never know when you might need one of those old reciepts! So you can see that as I pulled out purse after purse I had some fun looking through them. Here are some of my more interesting findings:

Purse#1 This purse I just had to have for our trip to New York last Christmas...inside: granola bar (still in the wrapper), Aggie football ticket, pearls, small picture frame, and way down at the bottom: dog food (its a long story)

Purse #2 A Chris Rice CD, a sonicare toothbrush head, mini bean bag football, mini sewing kit, Christmas cards, one sunglass lens-no frames, and crazy glue.

One theme...almost all of them have some form of cold and sinus medication, and almost all of them contain some kind of snack and of course tons of reciepts. What does this say about me?I'm not sure.

I could go on...but I won't futher embarrass myself. For those of you who know my purse flaws and still love me. Thanks.

Every Day is Summer!

2008-06-08T06:08:00.000-07:00

This past Thursday was my last day of school. I have to admit I was a little sentimental as I closed to the door of my classroom for the last time and said goodbye to friends. I am sad that I will be leaving teaching. Normally at this time each year I am excited for the break from school, the time at the pool, warm weather etc. but this year is different because I know I am not going back. At that moment it hit me....every day is going to be like summer. No more grading, lesson planning, or lecturing. I get to hang out at home every day. What a gift! I am so ready for summer and the fun that it brings...here are a few random pictures from the past few weeks, that I thought were too cute!!

best friends!...(goofy smile)

the brain washing has commenced...

Joey and his girls...all sleeping

Mischievous Maddie

2008-06-03T17:39:00.001-07:00

Not much has been going on in the LoSurdo household of late. Life consists of working, coming home to play with Addison, dinner and bed. It is pretty mundane and routine. However last night was a little out of the norm.

Most of you who know Joey and I have met our dog...or let me rephrase that-you have been attacked by her at the door. Maddie is a very friendly, sweet dog who mainly sleeps around the house most of the time (Again, if you have ever come to our house before you find this hard to believe due to Maddie's psychotic greetings). She is Joey's constant companion and literally follows him around the house when he's home, and she sleeps with us every night. A few days ago, Joey and I randomly talked about what we would do without Maddie since she is such a huge part of our lives. Last night, we were scared we might have to find out. Maddie being the well behaved dog she is not, decided she really wanted some of my yummy chocolate cake last night. I thought I had pushed it far enough back on the counter to avoid doggie temptation, but she put her front paws up there and dug in. She ended up eating half of the cake!! Chocolate can be very toxic to dogs so when we called the emergency vet hospital and they heard how much she had ingested they had us rush down there. They promptly induced vomiting and pumped her stomach. The vet said she would be okay, but we had a rough night. We hoped that Maddie would learn her lesson...

However, she got herself in trouble again this morning. As I was running out the door late for work...Maddie slipped by me and ran out the door. For most well trained dogs this is no problem, but Maddie is an obedience school dropout and in the fall when we took her to obedience classes we decided she didn't need them (I blame it on my pregnant hormonal state of mind!) Anyway, once Maddie leaves our house she bolts for freedom and it pretty much takes an act of God to get her back. So here I am running down the street after her... calling her name, trying to lure her to my car or random neighbors houses. Most of them have seen this ritual before and just laugh. I finally caught her and drug her back home (literally)-halfway there she sat down and went limp and decided to thwart my efforts (I call this pulling a "Sydney"... a move perfected by my brother and sister-in-laws dog) I ended up basically dragging her home and being late for my field trip at school. What a day! Incidently tonight we will be deviating from the "norm" to get a shock collar.

Back to Work

2008-05-21T18:23:00.000-07:00

Well, today was my first day back at work. It was rough. I was excited to see my kids and co-workers again. I was also kind of a little excited about a change in routine and getting out of the house. However, I was not excited about leaving Addison all day. However, she is being taken care of by her grandmas for the next few weeks so she is in good hands! :) Below is a picture that her aunt and grandma sent Joey and I at work today.

A Few of My Favorite Things

2008-05-20T07:11:00.001-07:00

I haven't posted in a while and that is partly because I have been busy and partly because I didn't want to bore any of my readers with the absolutely mundane details of my life. I didn't feel like stooping so low as to write about the blow-out diapers I have changed, the twenty five times I have read "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" this week or the many places I have run errands. I know blogs are supposed to be a way to document the things you do...but I didn't want to overshare!

Anyway, as I was playing with Addison this morning I just started to think about all the things she does that make me smile...the little things that I love about her and that just led to a conversation in my head about all my favorite things so I thought I would list some of the most current ones for you. Some are related to Addison and some are just plain silly.

1. Addison recently has started to discover her hands. This is both good and bad. It is cute because she will just stare at them for long periods of time, but also not good because she has realized that they sort of taste good and I think I am going to have a thumb sucker (this is payback...because I sucked my thumb until way past it was appropriate!)

2. I also love it when Addison experiences something new (when she hears a new sound, sees a new face etc)...She gets what we call her "big eyes". She opens her eyes wide and acts like she is completely "shocked" by what you just did. You have to see it it's hilarious.

3. I love the way she is making noises and trying to "talk" to us more. Joey and I have whole conversations with her in the car sometimes. We have no idea what she is saying and I'm sure the same goes for her, but we love to pretend and make up stuff!

4. We are also experiencing more of Addison's personality. For example in the morning it takes her a little while to "wake up" before she will truly open her eyes and look around. She is stubborn about her sleep! Also, when we were at the mall the other day I tried some little shoes on her (she loved it!) and kept smiling as I put each one on. I think I have given her some bad habits :) Also...She is constantly moving. When she gets excited...she kicks her legs and waves her arms.

5. A new thing...Almost every morning we send an email to Joey. I will make a sign and take a picture of Addison holding it and then send a message (from Addison) detailing what we have done that day and making sure dad knows how much we miss him at home. It is fun and cute and Joey loves it! Most of the time he will write an email back to Addison and I read it to her.

6. Last but not least...the other evening I was telling Joey I loved it when she curled into a ball as you pick her up. He commented..."you say that about everything she does!" and perhaps it's true. I love everything about Addison! It's all my favorite.

thumb sucker!!

one of Addison's messages for her daddy

All dressed up for church!

Cousins

2008-05-12T07:56:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, Joey's sister has two kids and they live very close to us. This is a huge blessing to our family. Brynn (6 months old) and Caden (2 years old) have provided many smiles and some very precious memories for Joey and I. We love them to death! However, watching them interact with Addison has been the most fun to date. We love the fact that they can grow up together and play together. Addison absolutely adores them and always manages a smile especially when Brynn shows up. I was not able to live very close to any of my cousins so I have always felt a little disconnected from my relatives and extended family. It brings joy to my heart to know that Addison will have some fun cousins to grow up with, and it will be neat to see each of their personalities develop. Yesterday, we got the girls together for some pictures because they ended up wearing matching outfits.(This happens quite often as Grandma LoSurdo frequently buys them the same thing!-so cute) They were adorable together and I have enclosed a few pictures below so you can see them interact. Brynn is very tactile and loves to touch Addison's face....which ends up being quite hilarious at times! (Addison is on the left and Brynn is on the right)

Recap of the Week

2008-05-09T07:34:00.000-07:00

I thought I would just give you a few numbers to recap our week in the LoSurdo house...

1. The number 4...

I had 4 traffic violations and 4 warnings. First, I was speeding (what a shocker!) and got pulled over. The cop then asked "Where is your front license plate"? Oh, here on the floor board. It got knocked off by a two year old a few weeks ago (another great story) "Hmmm...well I see that your vehicle registration is expired as well" Great...I'm getting a ticket for sure. "So can I see you insurance?" Nope don't have that either. Somehow by the grace of God he let me off with 4 warnings!! For those of you who know my traffic record this never happens to me. My luck must be changing...

2. The number 5...

How many shots Addison got at her 2 month check up (incidently a million would be the number of tears I cried watching this event happen!-completely pitiful)

3. The number 95...

This is the percentile Addison is in for height. She is almost as tall as her 6 month old cousin! We can barely keep her in clothes she is growing so fast.

4. The number 11...

This is the average amount of hours Addison is now sleeping at night. She might even go longer if we let her. She LOVES sleep (just like her dad!), but we are totally okay with it :)

5. The number 9...

The number of days I have left before I have to go back to work-yuck.

Milestone

2008-05-05T08:12:00.000-07:00

This weekend Addison rolled over for the first time! I would have never thought that simply rolling from your stomach to your back could be that thrilling, but it definitely was! Addison HATES time on her tummy so she has been trying for the past week or so to pull herself over to her back. This morning when I set her on the bed to play, she finally did it. Once she rolled over she wasn't sure what she really did she just looked up at us with big wide eyes (probably wondering why the heck her mom and dad were yelling and screaming and so excited!) It was funny because once she did it, we wanted her to do it over and over again. We wanted everyone who came by yesterday to see how she could roll over...I think she got a little tired of us, but we never got tired of watching her do it.

Back to Brown...

2008-05-02T14:59:00.001-07:00

So I dyed my hair yesterday. I originally wanted it to just go back to my root color (I am not even sure I know what that is anymore!). However, it seemed to end up much darker and red. How did that happen?! I am so trusting with my hair and I am always wanting a change. When will I learn my lesson. I also for some reason decided I wanted bangs even though I probably haven't had them since the third grade! Do you ever pick out the celebrity hair cut and think the face comes with it? I make that mistake all the time...Anyway, I of course blabbed to the hair lady about how much I loved it even though I wanted to cry inside. Later I vented to Joey that I hated my hair and that eventually led to my break down about my appearance in general and it was a mess...Can anyone identify with me here? Don't you just love being a woman? Anyway, my freak out is over...I am recovering and perhaps I will enjoy this new brown!

Happy Birthday Maddie!

2008-05-02T14:38:00.000-07:00

Our golden retriever, Maddie, turned one year old! Yeah! We love her to death. In fact before I had Addison, I was worried I might love my dog more than my own child (but that quickly changed!). The other night we decided to have a birthday party for her to celebrate. She has been a little neglected since Addison arrived and we wanted to make her feel special. Yes, we are those corny dog owners that go way overboard for their pets.We had party hats, cake and presents. She loved it. She got a few rawhides, a new stuffed duck and a stuffed cat. She also got a squeeky foot. She is obsessed with shoes and feet in general. I know it's gross...

I thought I would add a few things that we love about Maddie:

1. She loves to cuddle. We started out not allowing her on the bed with us, but that changed quickly! She now loves to curl up in the mornings...often she will try to squeeze right in between us or she will sprawl out and inevitably one of us will get nearly shoved off the edge (usually me). When Joey leaves in the morning and I am still in bed she will curl up in his spot and lay her head on my pillow!

2. She has an obsession with shoes. She always curls up next to a good smelly shoe! Recently every night she has taken the inserts out of Joey's shoes and slept on them. We know it's weird, but also cute in a way...

3. She loves to eat ice! Anytime we hit the icemaker on our refrigerator she comes running.

4. Her best friend is her stuffed duck. She takes it with her almost everywhere!

5. She is freakishly scared of the vacuum cleaner. She normally hides upstairs behind the couch when it comes on. We even used the vacuum to defend our christmas tree this year, we placed it in front of the tree and not a single ornament was touched!

6. We love the way she thinks anything is a treat even medicine...you should see the way she begs for benadryl (for her allergies). We said she was cute....we didn't say she was smart :)

We love you Maddie and we are so glad you are part of our family!

It's been a While...

2008-05-02T08:23:00.000-07:00

Ok..so it has been a while since I last wrote anything...sorry! We have been pretty busy. Addison is growing so fast and it is amazing how time flies! Her two month check-up is next week. We are settling into a routine and (drum roll please!) she is SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT! She just started this two weeks ago and it has made life so much better :) She usually sleeps from about 10:00 pm until 6 or 7:00 am. This is a huge blessing for us!

She is also smiling so much more now and she is making all kinds of new sounds. She can also recognize sounds and she knows my voice. Nothing melts my heart more than when she turns to look and smile as I am talking to her. Her new thing is the ceiling fan. She absolutely LOVES it. We turn it on and she is mesmerized. Joey taught her that she can control it by wiggling her legs. When the fan stops she wiggles and then he will turn it back on. Then it stops and she wiggles some more...it is hilarious. She moves so much! Her legs are constantly in motion, kicking and wiggling. In fact, a few days in a row she has wiggled right out of her nightgown. I came in to find her in the morning smiling happily in nothing but her diaper. Crazy girl! Another thing she loves is going for car rides. For the first few weeks this was how Joey and I kept our sanity! She falls asleep immediately once we get her in the car. Now when we put her in her car seat she has huge smiles, in fact, we don't have to even go anywhere and she will fall asleep! In some ways the past 8 weeks seem to have flown by and in many ways it seems it has taken years. However, each new day is exciting watching her grow.

Addison's First Bath

More bath time fun!

Such a cutie! 7 Weeks

Wiggling out of her nightgown

...And Baby Makes 3!

2008-04-03T11:19:00.000-07:00

I have never ever had a blog before but with the addition of our sweet baby girl and some inspiration from many of my friends, I have decided to give it a try. I am not sure how often I will be able to post. Right now I am pretty sleep deprived and consumed with living life as a new mom, but hopefully I will have a chance to post pictures and keep you updated on all the LoSurdo news! For now I will fill you in Addison's birth and a little of what life has been like as new parents (what an adventure!)

Addison Grace LoSurdo was born Sunday, March 9th at 1:58 pm. I actually went to the hospital that Friday before because I thought that my water had broke and they wanted to check things out. I quickly rushed out of school and headed to the hospital only to find out it was false labor. so I went home to rest up and wait some more...I didn't have long to wait! Joey and I woke up Saturday morning and had an amazing day together we ran errands, went out to lunch, and watched a movie. I am so thankful for that precious time together! That day I started to feel some contractions but I dismissed them because they were coming pretty erratically. However, by about midnight Saturday they started to come more regularly and they were more intense. (Needless to say, I didn't sleep at all that night!) At about 5 am I woke up Joey and told him we needed to get to the hospital (what a surreal experience)...the contractions were coming at about every 4- 5 min. We got to the hospital and were quickly admitted that morning. My Dr. called a few hours later and told me I could go ahead and get an epidural and I did. (I am SO THANKFUL for drugs! :) ...From that point on I didn't feel a thing and everything went very smoothly. We talked with our families and I tried to sleep despite having horrible shaking and nausea caused by the epidural. By around 1:30 I was ready to actually start pushing. I only had to push for 12 minutes! Apparently Addison was ready to meet us. When the Dr. gave her to us I started to cry...Joey however was nervous about her slightly cone shaped head :) She was just precious! Our time in the hospital was great. Everyone took good care of us and we had such wonderful friends and family to support us.

The first week at home was rough trying to figure out how to feed her and not getting a whole lot of sleep! She lost almost 10% of her birth weight which was a little stressful, but now she is doing great. She is sleeping more at night and has settled into a good feeding routine. She loves to smile and has recently started to "talk" and coo when she plays with some of her favorite toys. During play time we look at her mirror...she is a little vain! and she loves to read books and she also likes to play with her piano toy (I am convinced she will be musical!). At her two week check-up the Dr. said she is in the 95th percentile for height, she is already outgrowing some of her infant clothes. Who knew we could have such a tall child! She definitely takes after her dad. She also LOOKS just like her dad. I haven't seen too much of myself in her, but she seems to take after the LoSurdo side quite a bit.

Being parents is such a huge life change, but we have been blessed to have such great friends and family who have stepped in to help, and we have an amazing God who constantly gives us the strength and energy we need. We are learning more every day and we are blessed to have such a wonderful little girl. We are constantly reminded of James 1:17. "Every good and perfect gift is from above"... What an amazing gift we have!