Thursday, March 31, 2011

9 Weeks

Addy is 9 weeks old today!  We went and met with the pastor regarding her baptism and then hung out at home for the rest of the day.  She actually took 2 decent naps today too (which is why I have time to blog!).


Yay!  Captured a smile :)


Always talking!

Happy Thursday everyone!

2 Months!

Dear Addy Marie,
     Wow, you are two months old already!  Your 2 month birthday was this past Sunday, the 27th of March.  Time sure does fly when you are having fun!  You have been such a joy and a blessing to your daddy and me over the past two months.  Life pre-baby seems like a million years ago!

You have made such amazing strides since last month and it is so fun to watch all of the new things that you are learning about the world every day.
    
Your newest discovery is your own hands.  It's so funny to watch you, because you hold them out in front of your face with your little hands in a fist and you are so intent and focused.  Then you will slowly bring your hands closer to your face and occasionally bop yourself in the face.  You then proceed to look totally startled, like "Who just hit me in the face????"  But you are definitely learning and that's a joy to watch.
    
You are also getting more and more alert and in tune with your surroundings every day.  You flash us that big toothless grin whenever we smile at you and it melts our hearts every time.  You are such a happy little girl as long as you have someone to play with.
    
On that note, you do NOT like to be alone.  Just like daddy.  You are happy as a clam as long as all of the attention is on you.  But you have a hard time entertaining yourself for very long.  Daddy and I might get a few minutes here and there, but usually when you are awake you demand attention.  But that's OK.  We love to shower you with hugs and kisses and cuddles.
    
Your favorite time of the day is the morning.  You are just a joy when you wake up.  We change your diaper, feed you, and then you sit under your mobile in your crib until mommy gets herself ready for the day.  You stare at your mobile with a huge smile on your face (which may or may not be because you are pooping under there!).  So by the time mommy is ready, you have usually decided that you are done being alone and we do another diaper change and start the day.
    
You are a girl on the go and you love to be in motion.  Whether it's a stroller ride, a car ride, or being carried around the house...as long as you are in motion, you are a happy girl.  Whenever you get cranky a little stroll around the house with a little bit of bouncing is usually what it takes to calm you down. 
    
Playing under your activity mat is another of your favorite past times.  We can usually get a good half hour of fun and smiles under there before you start getting bored. 

You are always so alert and you don't want to miss a thing.  Because of that, you are not a fan of daytime napping.  Daddy and I try so many different things, but you fight us tooth and nail.  Sometimes you will only sleep in 15-30 minute increments during the day, but you make up for it at night.

You are a great night time sleeper!  We have a night time routine and you usually are asleep within minutes of being put down in your crib.  Daddy usually gives you your bath, and you love bath time.  Even if you were super cranky prior to your bath (as you often are in the evening), you calm right down and relax when we put you in your tub.  That's where the smiles come back out!  After your bath I feed you and then Daddy and I read you a story together and then put you to bed.  You are usually in bed around 10PM and then you wake up once between 3:30-5:30 to eat.  Then you go right back to sleep until around 7:30-8:30AM.  I can't complain about that at all!

We started using cloth diapers for you during this past month.  During your first month you were still too small for them and that pesky cord was still attached.  Once your cord finally fell off, we converted to your cute cloth diapers, and daddy and I both love them.  We started out with 12, but I just got 6 more for you so that I only have to wash them every other day (instead of daily).  They are so cute and come in so many colors.  I try to coordinate your diapers with your outfits, although no one sees them but us.  We still know they are matching, don't we?  Haha. 

Most people still agree that you look more like daddy, but everyone says that you are a good combination of both of us.  You have daddy's nose and eyes, and my lips.  You have beautiful, long eyelashes which you definitely didn't get from me.  We wonder what color your eyes will end up being.  They are still slate gray right now.  We also wonder what your hair will be like.  It is still light brown and baby fine right now.  You don't have much hair yet.

You definitely know your daddy and me and we love that!  If there are several other people in the room, you look at us and follow us around with your eyes. 

We also discovered early in your second month that you really watch the TV.  Not sure if that is a good thing or not, but you are mesmerized by the TV ;)  Could be anything on....even MMA, haha!


You have started making lots of little noises in the past month.  You love to hear yourself  "talk" and we love to hear it too!  Daddy's gonna be in for it.  Two chatterbox girls in the house!  Hearing all of your little coos and gurgles is so precious.  What will be your first word??  I am really trying for "mama", but I'm sure you'll say "dada" first.  Mommy's gonna keep drilling in "mama" and we'll see what happens. :)

You are such a big girl and you have been from minute one.  You were 8 lbs 10 oz at birth and you are now up to 11lbs 9.6 oz.  You were 21.75 inches long at birth and you are now 23.5 inches long.  At your first appt, your head circumference was 36 cm and now your head circumference is 40.3cm.  90th percentile for length and head circumference and 75th percentile for weight!

Here are some of your 2 month pictures:




There's that intent, cross-eyed, staring at your fist thing that you do!





Big girl!


You are a daddy's girl for sure!  He can always get you to smile!


Happy family!


Adilyn, you have made your daddy and I happier than you can ever imagine and we love you all the way to the moon and back!  You are our little princess girl, our addy-marinky-doodle, our spit-up head, our milk mouth....  Our list of nicknames for you goes on and on, but you are Adilyn Marie Hetrick, and you are the sunshine of our lives!  Happy 2 Month Birthday!  Love you baby girl!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

8 Weeks!

It's a little late, but here are Addy's Eight Week Photos!

The camera never fails to bring out my wild eyes!


Put 'em up; put 'em up


An off the shoulder onesie.... don't mind if I do.


Addy was eight weeks old this past Thursday and she turned 2 months old on Sunday!  I can't believe it!  We were in Florida for the first half of her eighth week and then we hung out at home for the second half. 

Two of my very best friends came to visit this past weekend and we had a fantastic visit!  It was so great to see them, and especially to see them at the same time!  One came from Colorado and one from PA.  On Saturday night we got together with my other close friend (who lives down here) and the four of us had "girls night".  Out to dinner and then wine in the hot tub!  My idea of a perfect evening.  All three of these girls were bridesmaids in my wedding, and it was awesome to hang out with all of them together!  I was so sad to see my friends go, and being with them this past weekend reminded me of how great they are and how much I miss them.  Good friends are really hard to come by, and all three of these girls are the definition of good friends.  Love you girls!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

We Made It!

Air travel with an infant; check.  We made it.  Unscathed.  I am beyond relieved!  What everyone said about it being fairly easy with a small baby in comparison to a toddler is totally true.  I bundled her in the Moby wrap and she slept the whole way there and back.  If she started to stir I just patted her back, and back to sleep she went.  It was really that easy.  The hardest part was getting everything ready and trying to anticipate every possible circumstance.  That and maneuvering through security with an infant and my carry on luggage.

I ended up feeding her in the Raleigh airport using my nursing cover before we boarded the plane and it worked out great.  She then slept through the take off, flight, and landing.  (I had a bottle and pacifier ready in case, but she didn't need them on the way down.)  On the way home I didn't have time to feed her in the airport before we left so I gave her a bottle during takeoff when she started to stir and she slept until we got to the car in Raleigh!  I was so proud of her!  What an expert traveler.

We had a great time in Florida with my grandparents, my mom, and my sister.  Everyone adored Addy and I joked (kind of) that I wanted to take them all home with me because they were such a huge help.  We took Addy to the beach, to a restaurant, to Ron Jon Surf Shop, and on a photo shoot.  She was great for all of it! 

And she really seemed to take a liking to beach living.  She slept great and was so content just laying on the floor by the screen door listening to the ocean in the background.  She would chat away on the floor to whoever (or whatever) would listen. 

Mike and I were talking about how we can't believe how much she has changed in the past week alone.  We flew down to Florida on St. Patrick's Day, which also happened to be the day that Addy turned 7 weeks old.  She is so much more interactive and if there are several people in the room she will follow me with her eyes, which I love :)  She has also been making a lot more noises, and it looks as though she is trying to talk.  It's so cute!

Here are some of her most recent pictures:

We took Addy to church again.  How adorable is her church attire?? (And she knows it!)


Like my new hat?


We made it to Florida.... But are they changing my diaper in the trunk of the car??  Yes, I believe they are.


Happy St. Patrick's Day!  Admit it, you wish you had my sunglasses.


Aunt Tina I've missed you so much!  I am going to hold on tight and bring you back to NC with me!


Wild eyed girl in full effect


Giving Aunt Tina my prettiest smile


Lying in my favorite spot of the trip... on the floor by the sliding glass door.  As close as I can get to the beach without being on the beach.


Addy's first time on the beach.  Yup, Moby's aren't only for mommies.


And Grandmas can wear them too.


Mommy and Addy in our St. Patrick's Day gear


Great-grandma and Addy


Great-grandpa and Addy


Heading to the beach!


This is the life :)


I'm a beach girl just like mommy.


Whew, that salt air wipes me out.


Getting ready for my Florida photo shoot


So that was Addy's seventh week of life.  Pretty eventful one for a baby!  A plane trip and everything.  We had a blast in Florida and we miss everyone already.  But we'll see you all soon.... and you can always see Addy on here :)

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Week 6 With Addy

Addy baby is six weeks old today and I can't believe how much she is changing right before our eyes!  Big news for the week..... her cord finally fell off!  It fell off on Friday, when Aunt Tina was visiting.  Fairly gross when I opened her onesie to find that little black stump perched nicely on her diaper, not attached to anything.  After a slight freak out, I cleaned her new belly button (though that still looked kinda gross too) and promptly threw that black stump away.  I'm told that some people save them.....are you kidding me????  I am a sentimental person, but that is disgusting.

Anyway, other news for the week is that Addy started initiating smiles!  Sometimes she'll just look at you and grin and it absolutely melts the hearts of anyone who gets the privilege of receiving one.  Namely Uncle Jay.  Yup, Uncle Jay is Addy's new favorite person.  She would gaze up at him and just smile and smile and smile.  Like "Where have you been all my life?"  Tina and Jay visited this past weekend and I swear that Jay was the recipient of more smiles in his less than 48 hours with her than I have been in my 6 weeks with her!  But it was so sweet to see.  She loves him already.  Tina and I were reading that babies are attracted to friendly faces, and I can't think of a friendlier person than her uncle Jeremy.

So Addy got to visit with Aunt Tina (And don't worry Tina; just because we don't get as many smiles as Jay, doesn't mean she doesn't love us just as much!) and Uncle Jay, and she also got to meet her Great Uncle Dave and Great Aunt Linda.  They came on Sunday with my two cousins to visit and meet the little princess, and it was really nice to have them come.

And as usual, Addy has been all over creation this week.  Let's see.  We went to the Sawmill Taproom for lunch, I took her out for breakfast and to Barnes and Noble to meet friends, we went out for Chinese food with friends, over to a friends house....Yes, she has lots of friends already ;)  Haha!

Every day we try to figure out who Addy looks like and it's still hard to tell, but I see more and more of her daddy in her every week.  Not even so much in looks, although that is definitely there.  I'm starting to think she has his eyes, and definitely has his nose (which we've commented on in the 4D ultrasound in utero).

She also hates to be alone, just like her daddy.  Where as I love to be by myself sometimes, they both hate it.  Addy will be completely content in her bouncy seat, swing, pack and play....as long as you are right next to her.  God forbid if you step away.  The cries start softly and they are so pitiful (which I'm sure she does on purpose to reel us back in).  But they get louder and louder until you are standing right next to her and talking.  Instantly, she stops and just watches you.  It's really sweet and heartwarming in a way.  But then reality strikes and I realize there are some things that I need to get done throughout the day that aren't easily accomplished while standing over a pack and play talking to an infant.  I now totally understand what people are talking about when they say that when you have a baby your house is a mess and nothing gets accomplished.  Somehow my days fly by and I feel like I've been busy all day....doing what?  There are days when I can't think of anything that I've gotten accomplished ....besides providing 100% of the care for another human being that is.  :)  I digress...

We were talking about ways that Addy is just like Mike.  Well, she has discovered that her hands are a good time to suck on and I think she's really trying to get to that thumb, although she hasn't found it yet.  And yes, Mike was a thumb sucker and I was not.

I also say that she has his belly issues since she is a spit-up queen and quite the burper and farter.  She often seems to be in pain after she eats too (classic Mike); arching her back and crying.  And when she poops...the whole house can hear it.  I'll leave it at that.  TMI?  Sorry.

Addy still has some of that baby acne going on and Mike says that he hopes she doesn't end up with skin like his.  I think her issues are just a baby thing though.

As for what Addy takes after mommy?  She sleeps with her mouth hanging wide open.  Yup, that's all I've found so far.  We both become narcoleptic in the car and sleep with our mouths hanging open.  Attractive right?  Sigh.  Sorry about that one Addy.  ;)

Ooooh, I thought of another first for the week.  With the loss of that pesky cord came....the first real bath!  On Saturday night we got out the baby tub and Mike and I bathed her while Tina took pics and a video.  She absolutely loves bath time!  Addy can be the crankiest crankpot all day, but as soon as you put her in that tub you can tell that she totally relaxes.  It's become a really nice nightly ritual and bonding time for us as a family.  Bath, then feed, then book.  In that order.  We used to reverse the last two, but we've found that after bath time is over she is usually so starving that she'd cry throughout the whole book until I fed her.  Kinda defeated the purpose.  She couldn't even hear our voices above her wailing.  But I think we've found the ticket now.  Hey, it's a learning process for everyone involved.

So there is my commentary about Addy's sixth week, and here are the pictures:

We're matching!  (But we actually took this picture to document the first time that Addy was definitely watching the TV.  What was she watching, you ask?  MMA...that's right; bloody, disgusting fighting was the very first TV that caught her attention.  I can't even watch MMA, but she was enthralled.  Hmmmm...)


Holly Heinnickel says "I'm a baby too...I need a bib."  So she stole, er, borrowed one of Addy's.


Oooh, another first!  My first time in the hot tub in over a year!  Also went on my first run in 10 months this week.  Big week!


As she gazes adoringly into her Uncle Jay's eyes


Ok, she looks kinda terrified here, but I promise she loves bath time.

Put me back in the tub!


Hangin with Aunt Tina.... and my full coverage bib.

Ah, how could I forget!  Other big news this week....first use of the cloth diapers!!!  She is finally big enough for them!  We love them so far!


In honor of the first week of cloth diapers we took our weekly photo in just a diaper and a shirt.


Daisy just had to get in on the action.  It was all I could do to keep her out of the pictures!


One of my favorite past times is looking in the mirror.  Boy am I beautiful!



Look at me!  Sittin' tall with Dad!
Ok, that was another ridiculously long post, but when it comes to our little girl, I have so much to say!  Happy Six Week Birthday Adilyn!  Your daddy and I know how very blessed we are to have you!

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Addy's First Video

Wow, I was totally planning on adding more than one video to this post, but it took me about 3 hours to get this one on here, so we'll have to make do with one for now.  Her very first video appearance was over a month ago in the hospital.  More to come when my exasperation has fizzled.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Ice Princess

Addy made an appearance at the Penguins/Hurricanes hockey game during her fifth week of life!

She was a little rock star at the game despite the insane amount of noise at that place.  I forgot how loud it gets in there!  Ahhh, the things that you don't even think about until you bring a newborn.  She slept for about half of the game and when she woke up we fed her a bottle and I hoped she'd go back to sleep.  No such luck.  She got wide eyed at all of the commotion and tolerated it for about another period.  By the middle of the third period she was over it and we decided to leave.  But all in all it was a great time and another fun event for Addy to experience.....Or maybe it was just more of an experience for mom and dad.

Some things that we noticed this past week with Addy are:

-She started producing drool and tears.  Now when she cries and we kiss her face, we taste her poor little tears.

-That darn cord was still attached throughout the whole week!

-She is able to find her hand on her own and she started putting her fist in her mouth and sucking on it.

-She has started smiling responsively when we smile or laugh.  We love it!!!!

-She is still so alert, and she is a girl on the move.  Constantly kicking her legs and moving her arms around when she is sitting in her bouncer or on the activity mat.  We say that she is doing P90X with daddy :)

-When we lay her on her belly for tummy time those legs are still going and it looks like she's trying to crawl.

-She rolled from her back to her side when we put her on the activity mat earlier in the week.

-She is still so strong and that head control is getting better and better!

Those are Addy's week 5 milestones that we've noticed.  Here are some pics from the week. 


I love my activity mat!  (Must have the burp cloth at all times....she is still our spit up queen!)

Grandma and Pap visited this week!




It's been an awesome 5 weeks!  We love you Addy Marie!