Saturday, June 30, 2012

June Self Portrait

June marks a month that Mike and I had a big trip to Vegas....alone!  Well, not alone, but without Addy, so it was a different kind of trip for us.  No hauling along a pack-and-play, stoller, high chair, etc.  No packing diapers or extra outfits in case of accidents.  No bringing along endless snacks, books, toys, and other distractractions to keep the child quiet on the plane.  You never realize how easy it is to travel alone until you are used to traveling with children.  Now, I did still have to pack all of that stuff, because we took Addy to my moms while we were gone, but once she was there, we were home free!  We flew to Vegas in peace and quiet, and enjoyed a nice relaxing trip amongst adults only.  Ahhhh :)

Here I am after the wedding that brought us out there in the first place.  My step-sister, Erin got married in Vegas (because she lives there), and I was so glad that my mom was able to watch Addy for a few days so that Mike and I could go.  It was a great wedding and a really fun trip!


Don't mind my wild hair in this picture.  It was sooooo windy in that spot where I was standing.  Tina took two pics and the second one is closer up, but my hair really looks out of control in that one, so I spared all of you the close-up.

A few people made comments like, "Vegas when you are pregnant?  That can't be too fun."  Well, those people inevitably didn't have children, because if they did, they would know that anywhere, anytime you can take a trip without your children you jump on it.  I truly didn't mind the non-alcoholic view of Vegas at all.  I could get up when I wanted to, do what I wanted to do without worrying about how naps were going to factor in.  I could enjoy time away from it all with my husband, which I think is so important to do every once in while.  I could go out to eat at a nice leisurely pace at whatever time of the night or day I felt like going.  I could sit at the pool and relax with a good book for hours.  Not fun?  I beg to differ.

Happy June!

Thursday, June 28, 2012

17 Months!

Dear Lin Bug,

It's been a fun filled month for you, with lots of traveling to PA to visit family.  Both times without your mama!  You are becoming such a big girl!

At the beginning of the month we took you to PA to stay with Grandma D while Daddy and I headed out to Vegas for Aunt Erin's wedding. 

Love this pic that Grandma sent me while we were gone!  You look like you are enjoying your time with her :)

Grandma also took a few videos while Mommy and Daddy were away so that we could see what you were up to.  I loved it!




Daddy and I were worried to leave you for this trip since you had just been sick, but you bounced right back and adjusted just fine to being at Grandma's house for a few days.  I think it helped that you had your Daisy Dog with you for some familiarity.


You have been really into playing with balls lately, so Mommy bought you a beach ball....

.....but this is not exactly what I had in mind when I bought it.  Ha ha!  But, you are a resourceful little one.  Your chair was not readily available, so you made your own.  And that red thing in your hand is a dish towel, which is another thing that you are really into these days.  I feel like I am constantly washing dish towels, because before I know it, you have grabbed ours and drug it around the house collecting all of the Daisy hair as you go.


Father's Day was this month, so you and I made Daddy a cake!


And we bought him a fun little present for his bike!



It's going to take you awhile to get used to that hemet.  I took a lot of pics and I think you have your hands on the hemet in every single picture!


Even in this picture, where you are pointing to something interesting...you still have your other hand on that helmet!


But you love the orange flag on the back of your cart!


 Then, you and I decided to have a special dinner for Daddy...
This is your version of helping.


 And this is Mommy's version of having a special Father's Day dinner for Daddy...
...having him make it himself!  Ha ha!  At least he has you standing by to help :)

(I wasn't thinking, and when I planned a meal that I thought he'd love, I realized that all of it would be made on the grill, and I have no idea how to use the grill.  Ha ha!  Oops!  But Daddy didn't mind.  He just rolled with it :) )


After dinner we had some play time with Daisy...



And some play time with Daddy :)



All in all, I think Daddy had a great Father's Day!  He loves you so, so much!

Daddy took you up to PA to hang out with Pap and Grandma Hetrick this past weekend, and I know you had a blast there too!  Daddy is not as into picture taking as Mommy is, so I don't have any pictures to post from that trip.  But I have no doubt that you had a great time :)  And it was Mommy's first time alone in the house overnight since before you were born!  For some reason I decided to work most of the time, but it's probably good that I did, because I missed you guys like crazy!  The house is almost too quiet when you are gone!

You are starting to say a lot more words lately, and your favorites are: more, two (we are trying to teach you some numbers), ball, kick, car, shoe, cookie (which is more like "cook"), cracker ("crack"), and toot (ha ha). 

You also are shaking your head yes and no in response to questions and starting to get it right.  Last month you pretty much shook your head no to everything, whether the answer was yes or no.  It's nice that you are starting to be able to communicate what you want more and more.  I'm sure it's hard for you because you are so smart and you know so much, but you can't quite communicate it yet.  But we're getting there!

On the day you actually turned 17 months old, you and I headed to the Millbrook Splash pad with some friends in the morning.  I only got a few pics on my (new!) I Phone, but let me just say that you are as wimpy as ever, ha ha!  The baby pool was too cold for you and you got frog legs and cried every time I tried to put you in it.  The splash pad was more your speed, since you didn't have to actually get in the water, just run through it.

In the afternoon you and I headed to the park since it was such a gorgeous (and not too hot) day.

Getting you to smile for a picture is next to impossible.  This is what I usually get.


...Or this fake smile ;)


Loving Mommy's water bottle


Playing in the tunnel



Peek-a-boo!  I see you!!



You found some random kid's toy and took off with it.  Luckily he didn't mind :)

 When we got home we had some dinner then headed outside to play on the deck before bed.

Time for a tea party!


Dancing with spoons :)


Watching the airplanes (spoons in hand, of course)



I had to get a recent hair shot.  Nope, we haven't cut it yet, and it's getting wilder every day!


Finding some treasures in your bin of food?



Here you are telling me, "Bye Bye.  Time to turn the camera off, Mommy."

It has been a great month with you, as always!  I couldn't believe how much you had changed in the few short days I was away from you.  Whenever we are away from each other, it is always so fun to reunite.  Yesterday when you woke up and hadn't seen me for 5 days, you were so excited.... and so was I!!!  Mommy and Daddy were both here with you yesterday morning and you were like a little ball of excited energy.  Daddy and I couldn't stop laughing at you.  We were all smiling and happy and laughing, because we were all together again.... and nothing in the world is better than that. 

Mommy and Daddy love you so much, little lady!

Love,

Mommy





Thursday, June 21, 2012

Drinkin' From the Downspout

A few weeks ago Mike and I headed to Vegas for my step sister's wedding and Addy Marie stayed in Allentown with my mom.  We were all so excited.... until Addy got sick.  Yup, a few short days before our big trip Addy got some type of stomach bug that resulted in her having vomiting/diarrhea for 5 days!  Needless to say, we were worried to leave her.  Especially Mike.  He even threatened to not go to Vegas if she wasn't better by that morning.  It wasn't the fact that she had a stomach bug that worried us.  It was that it was lasting for a lot longer than the predicted 24-48 hours.

She started her sickness on Saturday (I worked Saturday and Sunday, so Mike was with her those days).  It wasn't that bad; just diarrhea, no vomiting.  But she wasn't eating very well.  Then on Monday morning she woke up covered in vomit and diarrhea.  I quickly bathed and changed her, but she was looking a little dusky to me and was acting very subdued.  Plus she had a pretty nasty rash on her back too.  So at that point I was nervous and called the doctor.  We made an appointment for that morning, where I was reassured that it was a viral bug causing both her GI symptoms and her rash.  The doc said we had to let it run its course and it would be gone in a day or two. 

I got her some hydrocortisone cream for her back because I could tell it was itching her like crazy.  She would rub her back against the couch and try to scratch it with her spoon.  Poor baby.  Nothing like feeling sick and being sooooo itchy in a spot you can't reach!  The hydrocotisone cream helped a lot and the rash was almost gone by Wednesday. 

But that pesky diarrhea hung on for a total of 5 days!  And Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday she woke up covered in both vomit and diarrhea.  Mike and I gave more baths and washed more sheets/clothes that week than I care to count.  The thing that made me feel better about the whole situation was that for the most part Addy was acting like her normal self.  Running, playing, laughing, even eating.  I would have been a whole lot more worried if she was having these symptoms and laying around like she did when she had that fever a month or so ago.  But she was our same playful, smiley little nugget.  And mornings were her worst time.  After the morning scrub down we'd have some breakfast and she would promptly vomit that too.  But then the vomiting would be done for the day.  The diarrhea hung on all day, but just a few times a day (maybe 4-5, and usually mostly early in the day).  We gave her Pedialyte (which she did drink, thank goodness), and every evening I swore she was getting better.  And then the next morning we'd start all over again.

This continued right up through the morning we left for PA.  Woke up to the same mess, Mike bathed and changed Addy, while I did her laundry.  Then she threw up one more time right as we were about to hit the road.  Needless to say, we were a little off schedule that morning, and left at 9:30 instead of 8.  Which led to hitting rush hour traffic in DC/Baltimore.  Which led to our trip to Philly taking 9 hours instead of 6.5-7.  Fun times with a baby and a dog.

I had these fears of vomiting and diarrhea in the car the whole way north, but guess what?  None of the above happened!  She got it all out of her system at home and we were free of bodily fluids for the whole trip.  And Addy was relatively content too; watching her DVD's, playing at the rest stops, and rocking out to some salsa music in Arby's.  Yup, she was dancing in her high chair.  I love that little girl!

We got to Philly, put Addy to bed, and Mike confirmed that she seemed to be on the upswing, so he felt better about flying cross country and leaving her with my mom.  And my mom woke up to a nice, clean Addy on Thursday morning!  Yay!!  We felt so much better being away, knowing that she wasn't so sick anymore.  There is nothing like the worry of flying across the country while your child is sick.  But, we called my mom as soon as we arrived in Vegas, and she confirmed that the vomiting and diarrhea were over, her rash was gone, and Addy was having the time of her life. 

Mike and I breathed a sigh of relief and headed poolside to meet my sister, Jay, Sam, and Chris.  We pondered what might have caused her GI bug in the first place.  And then a thought came to us.  We had a good friend watch Addy on our anniversary so that we could go out for dinner.  It was raining, but she was losing her mind when Mike and I left, so our buddy took her outside to play in the rain.  She immediately became happy as a clam, dancing in the rain and splashing in puddles.  Then our friend looked over, and Addy was drinking out of the downspout.  Hmmmmm..........

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

16 Months!

Dear Adi-Linny,

We are constantly saying that we can't believe how fast you are growing right before our eyes!  You are getting so big!  You are starting to try to go up and down little steps without sitting down, and you are trying to climb whatever you can get up on.  You still can't quite get up on our couch by yourself, but you'll be there soon I'm sure.  You try every day!

Here you are at 16 months:


This past month has been a fun one, and we've tried several new activities.  You had your swimming classes this month and you were a little champ.  We dunked you under the water at least once in every class and you never cried.  You splashed your hands, kicked your feet, and tried to blow bubbles in the water.  We put you on your belly, which you were OK with, but you never really liked being on your back in the water.  You stood on the edge of the pool and jumped in to us, which was so much fun!  And, of course, we sang plenty of songs!

A little unsure at the beginning of class


But you took it like a champ


Just got dunked!


Your favorite part of class; playing with the balls :)


As much as you enjoyed swim class, you are a little bit picky (wimpy) when it comes to water temp.  The nice, warm pool at the YMCA, you are OK with.  A cold baby pool filled from the hose, not so much.

"I'm good just playing with these balls, thanks."


Carley said, "Come on in, Addy."  You said, "No thanks, I will eat my Popsicle out here."


"See Mom, it's fun in the grass."  You cried (more like screamed) every single time I put you in that little pool.


I took you to music classes at our church this past month too.  Another really fun activity!  You were the youngest one there, so you kind of did your on thing, but you loved it!  Banging on drums, playing the xylophone, shaking maracas, clapping your hands, and singing songs.  You loved it all!  And everyone in class got a kick out of you, of course!

Pictures taken by your Great-Grandpa Dougherty:
Hard to see, but you and I are in the back of that circle.  You are standing up and I am wearing a black shirt.



You new dance move: hands behind your back.


Playing in the circle


Another day at music class, playing with scarves.

This past month I took you to the zoo for the first time!  You had fun, but mainly because there were so many kids running around for you to look at.  A lot of the animals were too far away for you to see.  Next year I think you'll be more ready for the zoo.

You and Carley.  Zoo buddies :)


You and me :)


Me, you, Regina, and Carley

You are saying more and more words, including the word "more".  You know to say "more" if you want more food.  And you've started saying "Ooops", which is hilarious.  Mainly because you say it at the wrong times.  Like, you'll throw your food on the floor for Daisy, and then look at me and say "Ooops."  Ha ha!  I'm onto your games, little girl ;)

You also can mimic a lot of words that we say.  And it never ceases to amaze me how many things you know.  For example, Pap and Grandma Hetrick just got you a bunch of play food, and after having it for one day, you knew each piece of food by name.  You are one smart little cookie.  That much I know for sure!

Learning all about your new food


Banana and ketchup anyone?

Other big news from your sixteenth month is that you have your own little pink potty and you have gone in it several times!  Daddy and I were shocked (and so were you, ha ha!), but you have peed and pooped in your potty!  Now, there is no consistency to it yet, but you know when you have to go (or when you've already gone) and you hold your pants.  So we decided to buy you a potty, and take it slowly.  The fact that you've gone on it at all is really amazing!  But, like I said, you are a smart cookie, Addy :)

You have been getting molars, and although it has been really rough for you, you are quite a trooper.  I know these teeth are bothering you much more than your first teeth, but you are still our happy, pleasant, smiley little lady.

 
                                               


You still have your rat tail, because Daddy is reluctant to cut it.  He thinks your little curl is cute (which it is!), so we're gonna roll with it a little bit longer.



You love all of your push toys, and you feel like a big girl pushing your baby in her stroller.



This month you've also started really playing tea party with the "Say Please" tea set that Mommy and Daddy got you for your birthday.  And speaking of which, we've started to teach you to say "please" when you would like something, so that we can raise a polite little lady :)


Speaking of manners, you are really very good at putting things back where they belong when we ask you to.  We always have you help us clean up your toys, and when you pick something up that doesn't belong to you, we ask you to put it back where it belongs.  And most of the time, you do.  We are so proud of you on a daily basis :)

Daisy is still your bestest bud, and although you are getting a little less tolerant of her constant licking, you love your dog to pieces.





Books are one of your favorite things and we try to read to you as often as possible.  We read a book (or two) every night before bed and multiple other times throughout the day.  You even like to read by yourself!  I hope your love of reading stays with you for the rest of your life :)



Strawberry picking has been a favorite past time for you and I this month.  Messy as it was (which makes Mommy cringe), we had a blast!


You and I have been spending a lot of our evenings cheering Daddy on in his softball games.  You love going there, because there is a park to play in, and plenty of other kids running around.

 
Wearing team colors :)

Our little drama queen ;)


Peak-a-boo!  I see you!

Running the bases with Daddy.  The team calls you their good luck charm :)

Love this picture!!


Mornings are still my favorite time of day with you.  You are so pleasant when you wake up and I love that when we pick you up out of your crib, you kick your legs with delight!  You are a precious angel all of the time, but mornings with you are extra special.  This month, I captured one morning on video.  And in this one you slept until almost 9AM!!  Normally you wake up between 7:30 and 8:30.


Your sixteenth month has been action packed Addy!  Although we haven't done any traveling, we have been on the go with different activities all of the time.  This past month has probably been my favorite one with you yet.  You got to experience so many new things and you are such a joy to be with.  You capture the hearts of everyone that meets you..... but only Daddy and I are lucky enough to call you ours :)  We love you to the moon and back little lady!

Love,

Mommy