Addy's Birthday Palooza!

January was a big birthday month for Addy...she turned TWO!!

And boy did we celebrate!  We had a party for her with all of her little friends from the mom group.  The next week we had a party for her with our family and a few other friends.  And the next week she had a party at her school.  Not to mention that none of the above events occurred on her actual birthday, so of course, we celebrated on that day as well :)

A Birthday Palooza it was!  It got to the point where Addy thought we should be singing Happy Birthday to her every morning, and multiple other times throughout the day.  And now whenever we talk about someone else's birthday she looks confused and says, "Happy Birthday to Addy!"

So we started off the festivities with a bang.  18 children ranging from 7 weeks to 5 years, and 10 mothers came to our house for party number one.  That's right, 28 people, including 18 children.... in our house... at one time.  It was a zoo to say the least!  And of course the night before the party we had freezing rain/snow and our power went out for over an hour when I was literally right in the middle of baking cupcakes for the party.  And it was 10PM the night before the party.  (With me being the procrastinator that I am, would you expect anything different??).  So that batch of cupcakes was ruined, and Mike and I were left scrambling around trying to hang decorations and get food together by candlelight! 

By the next morning the roads were fine, but everything was melting and it was still cold, so my sliver of hope that the kids could play outside was dashed. 

All of them were inside, downstairs.  And I have never been so thankful for hardwood floors in my life.  There was icing streaked down the hallway, crushed grapes, raisins, and goldfish crackers everywhere, and random spots of spilled juice wherever I turned.  But as chaotic as it was, we all had a lot of fun!  Addy may have been slightly overwhelmed (as she was VERY clingy to me), but she really enjoyed herself too.  And she did very well with sharing her toys, which I was nervous about.

Here are some pics from the day!

Before:

The Birthday Girl!!!

All ready to party!

Let the festivities begin!

Actually these pictures don't really do the party justice.  It was A LOT more chaotic than it appears!

We had Addy bawling during the Happy Birthday song...

...until she got her cupcake.  Then she was fine....

...until she realized that I had my camera.  I was promptly told to "turn it off Mama!"

We had kids climbing on the counter to get the last cupcakes...

And of course afterwards, we had a mixture of toys and food all over the place...

All in all the party was a complete success!  We even had a plate of cupcakes left over :)

Two things I wish I had from this party: a group picture and a video.  But in the chaos, neither of those things ever even crossed my mind.

The Birthday Girl signing out.  It's nap time folks :)

Party Number Two for Addy occurred the day before her birthday, and it was definitely a lot more low key... thanks to the fact that a large majority of the guests were adults.  

Bring out the birthday outfit and we're ready for Round Two!...

Waiting for her guests to arrive...

Addy and Carley

Store bought cupcakes this time

No crying for the Happy Birthday Song this time...perhaps because Daddy was the one bringing her the cupcake ;)

Addy with Carley's baby bro, Chris

A few of Addy's favorite gifts...

A new hat!  

(Daddy ended up opening the birthday gifts because Addy was much more interested in watching the pictures of herself scroll through on the TV.)

Rockin' Mickey

The Aqua Doodle (coolest toddler toy ever!!)

Tub Tunes (which included these xylophones, a drum, and three flutes)

And last, but not least, a camo tent, tunnel, and sleeping bag!  

And a week later, out came the birthday outfit for the third and final time for Addy's school celebration!  Mike and Emma went to the party, and he even took a few pictures for me so that I could see what I was missing :)

No tutu this time.  She has to be ready to play!

Cupcakes with friends :)

And that folks, was Addy's Birthday Palooza!  I think our family has had more cupcakes in the past month than we have had in our whole lives!  There were literally cupcakes at our house for weeks... and it wasn't because we weren't eating them!  But it was a really fun month, and we all know that our little sweet tooth was loving life!

Happy Birthday Addy Marie!!!  We love you so very, very much!

Emma: 4 Months!

Dear Emmy Lou Sue,

You are 4 months old already!  Where does the time go????

You are getting more and more interactive every day, and it's so fun to watch you grow!  You love your activity mat as much as ever and enjoy holding onto and batting the little toys around.  You also love to gnaw on your little hands.  I feel like they are continuously in your mouth...which has led to lots and lots of drooling.  We are in full drool factory mode.

You are a thumb sucker, and it's so nice that you are able to soothe yourself.  Not that you need much soothing.  You continue to be one of the most content babies I've ever seen.  You are so happy and pleasant, and it's many a morning that I come into your room to find you wide awake, just looking around sucking your thumb.  And then you get the biggest smile when you see me!  No crankiness, despite the fact that you just slept all night and are probably starving.  Yup, you sleep all night!!  It's been several weeks now that you haven't woken up at all until morning!  I'm talking 8-8:30 PM until 7-8AM!!  It has been amazing and I hope you keep it up!

You continue to be a great sleeper and we often times have to wake you up from your naps to keep you from sleeping the day away.  Sometimes I even wake you up in the morning!

You are getting so big and already growing out of your 3-6 month clothes!  I have to put away all of your 3 month stuff because you are starting to bust at the seams!

Weight: 14 lbs 3oz (50th percentile)
Length: 25 inches (75th percentile)
HC: 42cm (85th percentile)

You were a little rock star at your 4 month checkup, but you did not react well to your vaccines.  The next day you had a fever of 101.5, you were slightly cranky (which is very unusual for you), and you wouldn't take a bottle at all or nurse very well.  It was a rough day for you little lady :(

You are still exclusively breastfed and although I know we could start solids this month we'll probably hold off until the six month mark like we did with Addy.  You seem completely content with nursing every 4 hours or so, and you sleep all night, so why rush it?  Sometimes when we're out and about I'll give you a bottle of pumped milk, and you have decided that you are old enough to hold it yourself!

You like sitting in the bumbo seat and in the Step and Play Piano for a new view of life.  Still not a huge fan of tummy time, so you still don't roll over. But that's OK. I am 100% fine with you being immobile for now ;)

I would say that your favorite activity is watching your sister, followed closely by talking to Daddy.  Nobody gets smiles out of you like Addy does, and nobody hears you talk more than your Daddy.  I have a feeling I may have 2 Daddy's girls on my hands (which I love!).

Your beautiful eyes are still blue and you still have that long dark hair, although you are losing some of it.  We do a comb over in the areas that are getting sparse, ha ha!

Emmy, you are such a little angel and we all completely adore you!  One of Addy's favorite things to do is "make Emmy smile!".  It's not hard; you are a happy, joyful little baby.  Each day with you has been an absolute blessing and I truly love this precious stage.  I could smooch your little cheeks all day long!  I'm so excited to watch you grow, and I thank God everyday for giving me the honor of being your Mommy.  I love you to pieces little lady!

Love,

Mommy