Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Backyard: Before and After

Ever since we moved into our house 2 and 1/2 years ago we had been talking about redoing our backyard.  When we moved in it was a mess of huge trees, ivy galore, and dirt.  So, slowly we have been revamping it and we are thrilled with the finished product.  What a transformation!!

Before: (Last year)
Daisy made an appearance in several of the pics :)


It wasn't until we had some of the trees taken down that we realized how many trees there were back there!  We had 19 large trees in our backyard, which prevented much sunlight from hitting our yard and left our deck with a constant stream of pine needles.  Sooooo glad we got rid of a bunch of those trees.  And we still have 11 left!

Immediately after we had 8 trees taken down: 



Now that there is more space and more sunlight back there, this year we decided to take the leap and get sod placed!  We chose Bermuda grass because it would be the hardiest (which is what we need with a crazy dog tearing around all the time!)

Immediately before the sod:  (A beautiful dirt pit.... Wow I forgot how bad it really was!)




We had some mulch put in the back where we still don't get much sun and had some azalea bushes planted back there as well. 

Right before the sod was laid:


Immediately after the sod was laid:




And now that the grass isn't dormant anymore....drum roll please......the finished product!!!:



Yay!  We love love love our new and improved yard!  Now we just pray that Daisy doesn't destroy it! 

(Random sidenote: Notice the cloth diapers hanging in the last yard picture?  How cute are they?)

It's like a rainbow in my yard :)

Heading back to PA tonight to visit my fam!  Wish us luck!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Happy Easter! (And 12 Week Pics)

We will start off with Addy's 12 week pictures, since they were taken last week.







And 12 weeks marked the end... of my maternity leave that is.  I officially went back to work this past weekend, and although I was nervous, it felt great to be back.  I felt like I was myself again.  Not just a mom, but Jess again.  It's hard to explain, but it was a great feeling.  And I have to say that I wasn't nervous at all about leaving Addy for 2 days in a row.  Mike was with her, so I knew she was in great hands.  The only downside was that I missed her first Easter :(  Tina and I bought her an Easter dress before she was even born, so I made Mike promise to take her to church and take plenty of pictures.  And he didn't disappoint.  Our little girl looked gorgeous in her Easter attire!

How cute is her Easter basket?


Can't forget the bib


Outfit change! (Yes, she has two Easter outfits.)


Love that hat!  Thanks Grandma H!

Mike even took a few videos for me so I could feel like I was a part of her day!  I love him!







I thought it was so funny, because when I asked him why the last one was so short, he replied that he only took it to prove that he took her to church.  Haha!

Despite the fact that I missed Addy's first Easter, I was so glad to get back to work.  I am only working one day a week, which I feel like is perfect for our family right now.  It's just enough to keep me into it and get me out of the house, but not so much that I feel like I 'm missing out on time with Addy. 

I also think it's good for Mike to stay with her by himself on those days that I work.  It gives him an appreciation for what a typical day is like for me ;)  When I got home from work on Saturday he said to me "Man, this is no joke.  She is draining!"  I laughed and said  "I know, I know!"

Mike is such a great daddy and I am so lucky to be sharing my life with him.  So many girls at work told me how they were nervous to leave their babies with their husbands while they came back to work, but I truly never felt that.  He is so wonderful with Addy, and we might not do everything exactly the same way, but we both care for her with the same amount of love.  I love to watch Mike's interactions with her and see how much he adores his daughter.  It melts my heart.  Getting back to work, and Mike having a "Daddy and Addy" weekend was good for all of us I think.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!  This Easter I am thankful for my amazing husband.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Videos from Hollidaysburg

Here are a few of the videos that I took of the babies on our visit.  Enjoy!





I also caught a few of Addy's first laughs on video!  Of course by the time I found my video camera she was about laughed out, but I caught a few at the end of the video.  So adorable!  Grandma Hetrick was actually the first one to hear her laugh the day before this video was made, but this was the first time Mike and I heard her!





Poor Addy has diaper rash for the first time.  She has been so miserable today and that is the culprit.  We're trying to give her as much "free" time without a diaper as we can to dry it out.  We can't use any creams with the cloth diapers, so we're just being vigilant about changing her diapers frequently and keeping her clean and dry.  Then tonight we put some A+D ointment on and put her in a disposable diaper since we won't be changing her as often at night.  Hopefully it'll clear up soon.  It's pitiful to see her so miserable.  It rips my heart out and I just want to fix it for her.  Ah, motherhood.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

11 Weeks and Our First Road Trip

Mike, Addy, and I headed up to PA on Addy's 11 Week birthday.  It was a whole different ball game in comparison to the car trips that we're used to.  The days of stopping only once for gas, 5 minute bathroom break, and a fly-by through the drive-thru are looooooong gone.  Instead of the usual 6.5-7 hours that it takes us, it took a good 9 hours this time.  9 hours with a sick dog and an infant that blew out not one, but two outfits on the trip.  And she wasn't very interested in eating on the road either, so it took twice as long to feed her than it normally does.  Oh yeah, and we got a speeding ticket too.  Not. a. fun. ride.

And my little Civic that I've been so loyal to, and claimed that I wouldn't get rid of....gone.  One long car trip with a husband, baby, and dog in that little car was one too many.  We had to have my seat pushed way up to get her car seat in behind me and there was not nearly enough trunk space.  So, bye-bye Honda Civic; hello Honda Accord.   Ahhhh, soooo much better.
 
The trip back down to NC was so much smoother, but still long.  9 hours again.  I shudder to think of how long it's going to take us to get to Allentown, when it normally takes us 8-9 hours to get there.  We shall see.

We had such a great visit with Mike's family and his parents had a get together on Friday evening for the whole family to meet Addy.  There were about 20 family members there, and everyone adored her (of course ;) ).  She is one lucky little lady to have so many people that love her.

And another exciting part of the trip was that we got to meet our nephew Luca!  Addy is only 12 days older than Luca, so they will grow up together, which is awesome.  They played under the activity mat together, slept side by side while we ate at a restaurant, and even slept in the same crib!  It's amazing to watch them together and see how two babies that are essentially the same age can be so different.  Addy is so wide awake.... all. day. long.  Luca, on the other hand is quite the little sleeper.  He can eat through anything, Addy hates distractions.  Both sleep pretty well at night.  Addy usually gets up once, Luca twice.  So it was definitely amazing to meet him and we can't wait to watch him and Addy grow up together.

Onto the pictures!

Luca and Addy meeting for the first time!





Addy and Grandma


Remember when I talked about who was a good napper and who wasn't?  Prime example.


Activity Mat Time!  Addy is pumped!


Snoozin at Dave's Dream.  Don't worry, true to form Addy didn't snooze for long.


Look at how intent she is on that book.  Our little girl doesn't miss a beat!


Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma Hetrick with Addy

Tummy time for the little ones while Owen shows them the ropes of how to roll over

All three babies: Owen, Luca, and Addy

Cousins!


Grandma and Pap with Addy


Addy met all kinds of friends on this trip!  Addy and Ben


Addy and her puppy


Mike attempting to feed Addy at a rest stop; hoping that getting away from the distractions would help her eat better.  Haha, no such luck.

Gotta love this little face!

All in all, our road trip was a success.  So much so that we're doing it all again in a week and a half!  This time, heading to my hometown.  Wish us luck!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Activity Mat Then and Now

Here are the last of my videos for now.  We are finally caught up!  They are a few of Addy and her favorite past time: hanging out under the activity mat.  Amazing how much she has changed!









Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Florida Videos

Addy and I had such a great time in Florida..... so much so that she wanted to tell you all about it!


While we were in Florida, we all really started noticing how much Addy started "talking".  Mike commented on it when we got back as well.  She is a little chatterbox sometimes; we only wish we spoke her language!

We took Addy to the beach two times in Florida, and the second time we decided that she had to dip her feet in the ocean.  Let's just say, she disagreed ;)



It was so much fun going to Florida with Addy, and I'm glad that I let my family talk me into it!  Addy loved it and she was so happy there!  (It may have had something to do with the fact that all of the attention was on her at all times :))

Second Month Videos

Here are a few of the videos that were taken of Addy during her second month of life.  We love to see how much she has changed in such a short time!  (Again, excuse my annoying baby voice.)



Next up, videos from our trip to Florida!

Sunday, April 10, 2011

More First Month Videos!

At the request of her adoring fans, here are more videos of our precious baby girl during her first month of life.  Enjoy!




Saturday, April 9, 2011

Addy's First Videos

I made a few videos of Addy during her first month in this world and I'm trying to remember how to post them.  Here we go!  (Sorry about my annoying voice.  Ever notice how awkward it is to listen to yourself on video?)









Wow, loading these videos on here takes a loooonnnng time!  I need to be better about loading them as soon as I take them so I don't have to do so many on one post.  There are a few more from her first month, but we'll end this post with the three week video. 

More videos tomorrow.  It's so fun for us to watch them in succession to see how different she is already from her first video!



Thursday, April 7, 2011

10 weeks

Addy is 10 weeks old today, so we took the obligatory pics and she was quite a trooper.  Didn't spit up or anything ;)  She and I headed to the mall to meet a friend from work this afternoon and it was great hanging out with another mom.  She had her second baby about a month after I had Addy.   Sometimes it is so therapeutic to talk to someone who is going through the same things that you are.  So, onto the pictures!

Addy and Rylee today at the mall



Chatting it up



Happy Thursday!