Two Months Old

Addison hit another milestone! She is now 2 months old. Okay technically she turned two months old LAST Thursday but since her Mommy is a bit delayed w/the camera and the doctor couldn't get her appt in until today, we thought we'd finally get the post up with all of her stats...

Here she is beaming at Mommy in the semi-professional photo shoot. She was very cooperative but unfortunately the camera wasn't. Every time she smiled I'd hit the stinkin camera button only to have that delayed photo and by then the smile was gone. She is very generous with her smiles and is such a happy baby. Mommy just needs to try a different camera next time.

So, today was the dreaded doctor's appointment where she got a total of 4 vaccines. One by mouth which she scarfed down so I was thrilled. However, the other three weren't so pleasant. I was dreading this day for awhile. We had a few moments with just her and I in the room before the nurse came in. Addison spent that time just smiling so big and laughing. She was in such a good mood it made it so much harder for me to bear. Poor thing had no idea what pain was coming shortly. I took time to explain to her how it would only hurt a little bit and it would save us lots of pain in the future. Plus I asked her to forgive Mommy for letting it happen to her. Luckily the nurse was quick and the screaming only lasted a few seconds. It broke my heart to see her face when she was in pain. I just held her hands and put my head next to hers. I didn't even want to see the needles go in her tiny little legs. However, it seems like she is quite the trooper. We cuddled a few minutes afterwards and she was sleeping peacefully by the time we left. I've made sure to keep her doped up on her Tylenol so she only has a few painful cries here and there. And yes, I ALMOST started tearing up during the process but luckily I held it together.

As for the general check-up she is doing just great from what her Doctor says. Below are the stats from today's appointment. Along, with her stats from her first appointment at 2 weeks old (which I forgot to post before). Our little baby girl is growing and putting on the pounds - just not too many of them. Hopefully we can fatten her up before she's back for her next round of shots at 4 months. I'm sure it helps to have chunky little thighs for those needles to go into after all. Our little girl is definitely holding true to the "Hufford" name. As you can see below she has a huge noggin!

2 Week Old Stats:

Weight: 8 lbs 7.5 oz (57%)

Height: 20.5" (61%)

Head: 37.5 cm (84%)

2 Months Old Stats:

Weight: 10 lbs 6 oz (38%)

Height: 22" (36%)

Head: 40 cm (78%)

Things she has been learning & doing...

Miss Addibell can now hold her head up for quite a while before it starts bobbing around. She smiles pretty much all the time, especially when you smile at her. She is the happiest after a full belly of course so this is when the smiles come non-stop. She has also started talking. Mostly coo's and gaa's but it's amazing to see how she studies us when we speak to her and then within a few seconds she is moving her mouth and talking to us. I think she is just as amazed at the sounds that come out as we are. I also think she has started figuring out her arms and legs. Everytime she gets excited she flails them and laughs and sighs. Plus she is quite talented at pulling her binky out of her mouth with her chubby little fingers. Mommy will love the day when she learns how to put it IN her mouth. That way we won't have to deal with as many tears when we drive in the car and she spits it out. She is growing up sooo much and it's so fun to see things through her eyes. I find myself just mesmerized by her and soaking it all in before she grows up too fast.

I'm Lovin' It!

And no, I don't mean McDonald's. What I do mean is that I LOVE hanging out with Addison everyday. I'll admit there were a few snags in the beginning that made this "first-time" mom thing a bit difficult. Most of them were self-induced ;-) But the more I spend time with her and the more I see her adorable personality I just LOVE that I get to stay home and play with her all day. I think my biggest lesson I've learned is that there is no such thing as a perfect baby (even though Addison is VERY close to being perfect). We did go through a week long fussy cycle and I was wondering where my perfect little angel disappeared to. But luckily it didn't last long and she's back to her mellow laid-back self. Every once in awhile we still struggle with a daytime nap here or there but as the doctor said today....that would be a great problem to have considering she sleeps ALL night long. She went 7 hours straight last night without food. I managed to not worry as much this time and I only checked on her once to make sure she was okay. But before long my chest was achin' it was so full of milk. I was so tempted to wake her just to get some relief but I held off and pushed through the pain. She really is such a great baby and I feel so lucky to be her Mom. Especially now that she is recognizing me and the way she looks into my eyes and seems to have complete trust in me. We have so much fun during the day. She actually does better on the days we go out on the town than if we stay at home so now I'm going to make a point to get her out of the house. This way we will both keep our sanity and realize that there is life outside our front door.

Last week was a blast for both of us. The first part of the week we were visited by Aunt Cassie and her little girl Alexa. She is only 7 months older than Addison so I'm sure they will be great friends. Alexa was very intrigued with her little cousin and couldn't stop looking at her all the time. We spent our first day together just laying around (what we do best!) and then our second day together we headed out and ran some errands and walked around the mall for a bit. Poor Alexa was teething pretty bad so they ended up cutting their trip short. We enjoyed the little time we did get to play with them and look forward to our next visit together. Thanks Cass & Alexa for coming to visit us!!

Aunt Cassie & Cousin Alexa

Then right after they went home we got another visit from "Aunt Jenny", a good family friend that came up from Texas to visit us here in Arky. We enjoyed our lunch dates with her and even threw in a barbecue and illegal fireworks for good measure. Addison loved meeting Aunt Jenny. Hopefully on her next visit she'll be able to play a bit more. Thanks for coming to visit us Jenny! Glad we could steal you away for a few mintues from your actual family that you came to visit. :D

She likes her new "Aunt Jenny"

Our Daily Routine

Addison & I are lucky enough to get to hang out with each other every day. Now that she's getting a bit older, and Mommy's getting a bit wiser, we've somewhat managed to establish a routine. Usually we follow the E.A.S.Y. schedule. We Eat (ok she eats and mommy manages to whenever she gets a free minute), then we enjoy the Activity time (which happens to be our favorite), then we move onto Nap time (probably only Mommy's favorite right now since we are still struggling with this one), and of course the "Y" is Mommy time (and yes this rarely happens since day naps are still hard for us). Overall, we have great days and share some fun moments. Now that she's getting older she is more generous with her smiles. And once she smiles at me it makes all the hard work worth it. She can definitely melt my heart with that smile. I still need to capture some more on camera and share with everyone but below are a few shots we've taken so far.

For the most part, Addibell is an Angel! Ever since birth she has known when it's night time vs. when it's day time. Just last night she slept for a straight 7 hours! And I'm guessing just from the mothers I've talked to, that is a rarity for a 6 week old baby. Unfortunately, I didn't get much sleep since I was waking every few hours just to check on her and see if she was still alive. So, obviously we have NO complaints with our little Addibell. She sleeps at night wonderfully, she nurses great, she's even a calm and relaxed baby and gives us LOTS of smiles while she's awake. But I'm still amazed at how such a small child could know the difference between night and day. She sleeps perfectly at night, but manages to confuse me completely during the day because she rarely ever goes down smoothly for a nap. We are still trying a few things out so she and I are both learning. Regardless, I feel lucky to only have this one struggle at 6 weeks old. Once we figure this out we are golden!

Here are a few pics of Addison and I hanging out. This is what we do during the day...aren't you all jealous I get to hang out with such a cutie?

Here she is playing with a toy mat her cousin Preston so generously loaned to her. She loves looking at all the animals - especially the monkey! Thanks Preston & Aunt Michelle!

Fun in the Tub!

A few weeks ago we finally got to give Addison her first "real bath" since her umbilical cord had fallen off. We were probably more excited about this adventure than she was. It was a learning experience for all of us and luckily she had a little patience with her Daddy & I as we figured it all out. One of us had to hold her up since she was still a little too big for the baby tub, while the other one soaped her down. Overall, she definitely enjoyed the real bath vs. the sponge baths she'd had up to that point. Less chilly air to be exposed to. You could tell by the look on her face that this warm water thing was a bit new but definitely relaxing. Of course we spent the majority of the time taking her pictures and documenting the big event instead of actually bathing her. She kindly (ok not so kindly) started reminding us what we were actually there to do and we got right down to business. Here are some pics of little Addibell enjoying her "spa experience" from her Mom & Dad. Yes, these pictures were all taken just prior to the tears. Since then we've streamlined the process, and learned to make the baths short & sweet and everything flows MUCH smoother.

Kickin' back and relaxin'

Reminding Daddy it's a bath and not a photo shoot.

Blessing Day

Let it be said. I am a slacker Mom. My only defense is that I'm still new in this role so I'm learning. Not only am I blogging about Addison's blessing, over a WEEK late, I also forgot to take pictures of her in her blessing dress. We DID get pictures mind you, of some family and her, before she was changed. But I didn't get any of just her. :( So, I did what any slacker mom would do - I stole them from Natalie (my sis-in-law). Apparently she's not a slacker aunt. Anyway, let's begin...

The weekend of Addison's blessing was lots of fun and we got to spend it with lots of family on both sides. Almost everyone was able to make it. It also worked out well that it was the same weekend as July 4th. Since my family came the furthest, they got to spend the whole weekend hanging out with us. I didn't have any plans for the 4th, but luckily Sarah came through and saved us. We all got to mooch off of her family and their annual July 4th BBQ and fireworks show. We all had a great time and my family felt very appreciative for Tom & Sarah's hospitality. Not only do they throw the best parties but they make everyone feel so comfortable and included. By the end of the night we were all facebook and blog friends! ;-) We even got to finally meet my best cousin friend Jared & his wife, Ann's little boy Carson. He is only about 3 1/2 weeks older than Addison and from what we could tell they really hit it off. By the end of the weekend they were already holding hands. Too bad they are 2nd cousins!

Anyway, back to the BBQ, the burgers were delish. The fireworks were wonderful (from what I heard). I spent the majority of my time in the house with the scaredy cats and small babies. Lucky me! A night of screaming children - what is better than that? And the smores were scrumptious - for the small few who got to enjoy them before the bbq grill melted into the plastic table. ;-) Parties are the best when there are little snafu's along the way. We even managed to convince my cousin Jared that he broke Sarah's dog Gunther. Jared was reaching down to pick up a baby and accidentally stepped on Gunther's paw. Poor Gunther let out a big yelp and Jared quickly apologized. Only to sit down and watch Gunther limp off around the room. Little did Jared know the paw was gimpy LONG before this incident. However, we all managed to convince Jared it was his fault and he should feel horrible about it! I think we carried it on for a good five minutes. Nothing like giving a little unnecessary grief!

Sunday was the big blessing day. And it was really such a special day. Anyone who knows me knows that I tend to stress over little things and since family was in town, I had plenty of things to occupy my mind. However, I made it a point to clear my head Saturday night and make Sunday a stress-free day and simply enjoy Addison's blessing. Everything else was secondary. We were so grateful for both of our families coming to share in this special day. The blessing circle was so big they could hardly fit. Addison looked just beautiful in her dress and did so well during the blessing. I did my best to hand off a happy and full baby to John so we could avoid any potentially embarrassing moments. Her stomach was full, she had a clean diaper, and her pacifier was in her mouth. We didn't manage to get her sleeping before hand however but it didn't matter. Apparently John said she was just looking around and happily content during the blessing. The words her Heavenly Father sent to her through her Daddy were just beautiful. He blessed her that she would have a strong body and would be able to carry out her spiritual and temporal needs in this life. And that she'll have a thirst for knowledge that will bring her closer to her Savior. He acknowledged that she has a calm soul (this is very true) and that it is a talent of hers and a gift from her Father in Heaven. And of course that she will find someone that will lead her to a temple marriage when the time is right. As beautiful as that marriage part is - I don't want to even think about that yet. I can't imagine how we are going to deal with her dating!

After the blessing and church, we all headed back to our place for sandwiches. It was very informal but we just wanted to visit with our family and let everyone know how grateful we were that they came to share this day with us. Addison is truly a blessing in our lives, not only in our little immediately family of John and I and her, but also in her Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, lives etc. She is already so very popular. It was so nice that everyone came to support us. We are definitely loved....especially Addison. Here are a few pics from the big day...

Addison in her blessing dress (Thanks to Aunt Natalie)

Me, John, Addison, Uncle "Tin Tin" and Aunt Natalie

John, Me, Addison, and Grandma Bell

Grandpa Bell and Grandma Marchelle and Addison

Carson & Addison hanging out

Carson & Addison holding hands

**Sadly I didn't get a chance to get pictures with John's parents or family w/Addison before she was changed and down for a nap. I'm debating on re-dressing her up in her dress and having another photo shoot. :D