5 Months Old

Once again, this post is a little delayed since Addison will be celebrating 6 months this coming week. But I wanted to make sure that her 5 month pictures and updates are posted since we are working hard on posting each month. Mommy and Addison had an impromptu photo shoot in the living room again. While they turned out fairly decent, I wasn't able to get a lot of smiles since I was also working as the photographer and by the time I peered around the camera, got the smile, then went to push the button, smile was gone. :( So just know Addison is a very very happy baby and always smiling regardless of what these pictures show.

Addison's fifth month was a roller coaster of emotions. The poor little thing has spent most of her life so far (since 3 months to now) with a nasty cough, congestion, and ear ache. We went to the doctor about five different times trying any/everything to get rid of it. She was such a trooper through it all, she never once acted sick or achy or in pain. Just stayed her usual happy self despite all the nasties she was dealing with. She endured about 4 different antibiotics, numerous saline nasal drops, countless booger sucker sessions. At one doctor's appointment, when I heard that the ear infection had not gone away, but worsened, I lost it. I hate seeing my little girl sick and strugging to breathe, sleeping elevated at night, waking up to cough for sooo long. I had heard various speculations over what it may be but luckily my sister-in-law came to the rescue and suggested a formula allergy. I was elated to think we found the source of the yuckies but also frustrated that our doctor or nurses never suggested that as a possible option. So two weeks later after more antibiotics and switching to soy formula I think we've finally kicked the yuckies. I have a healthy baby again and she never seemed to miss a beat - always smiling and enduring along the way. She is such a trooper!!

At five months old: Addison loves taking baths and splashing in the water. She smiles and laughs all the time, especially at night when she's super tired and a little slap happy. This is one of my favorite times of the day. But of course, she'll only give you a limited number of laughs and then you must try something else for more laughs. She loved halloween and watching Daddy carve her pumpkin for her. She especially loved her wagon ride at the pumpkin patch. She is still learning to rollover. She did it a couple of times with a lot of encouragement but hasn't mastered it yet. She loves staring at her hands and especially loves looking at her Mommy's hands when they wave in front of her. She still doesn't like to lay down like a baby since she is grown up now she prefers to sit up and look around at everything. She has learned to sit up by herself for quite awhile before she starts leaning. We are learning to adjust to lots of people/faces since for awhile there she just seemed to recognize only a few faces. I must say now after all of our outings that she now loves to watch little kids play and is fascinated with everything they do. She loves to sit in her bumbo and look in the mirror while Mommy gets ready for the day. She especially loves when she gets her hair brushed after Mommy's done fixing hers. I must say she may definitely be a girly girl at this rate! Addison and Mommy also finally mastered eating solid food this month. It took lots of patience as we both learned but now she is quite the professional eater. When she's really hungry she opens wide, swallows one mouthful, then immediately opens her mouth and waits for the spoon of food to come back. It's so cute! :D

Under Appreciated Toe

This post is devoted to the most under appreciated toe of all ten toes. Yes, that's right...the poor little baby toe. Does anyone know the huge role it plays in just about everything that every day life encounters? I mean it's not there just to look cute. It literally gets used a million times a day just keeping your balance.

Recently, I was unlucky enough to learn first-hand how under appreciated and ever-involved this toe is. Like most people, I spent the majority of my life completely oblivious. Don't get me wrong, I have a toe fetish, but that mostly consisted of just making sure they were manicured and clean and painted and cute - especially that cute little pudgy baby toe. However, a couple of months ago my eyes were finally opened to reality. They weren't put there just to look cute.

John, Addison, and I went to Walmart for a late night venture. I had made it through almost the whole visit when "it happened". Yep, that's right in one split second I experienced some painstaking ..... well pain. I swung my foot smack dab into the wheel of the grocery cart. Honestly, I couldn't have aimed any better if I had tried. Luckily John was there to take care of the runaway cart, and Addison, while I ran to the nearest aisle and tried my hardest to hold back my dinner from visiting me again. This was PAIN people!! Throbbing, pulsating pain!! Don't get me wrong....I'm notorious for bumping my toes into things all the time...whether the lights are on or not. My toes have had a pretty rough road in life. After all, Grace is not my middle name. And while I'm sure you may agree that it's never "fun" to jam a toe on anything.....I must say this was NOTHING compared to what I have experienced before.

Within seconds, I was convinced I had broke it. My brain went wild....what do they do for broken toes? I've never seen one in a cast after all...especially the teeny tiny baby one. Immediately I started thinking of treatment and how I could finagle a toothpick and a little tape into some type of "toe-splint". I managed to keep my brain occupied on the various therapies I would put myself on in the coming days while I hobbled around Walmart, still in excruciating pain. Luckily we had an extended family weekend that following day and I got the opportunity to have my bro-in-law doc examine it to find out the extent of the injuries. Despite that it now had an ugly bruise growing across half of my foot - he assured me that it wasn't broken in a "serious" area. So I spent the next two months hobbling, crying, having people step on it, and walking in flip flops, and have just now gotten to the point that I can wear normal shoes and not wince in pain with each step.

So, in case you weren't aware, your little teeny tiny baby toe is a HUGE participant in just about everything you do! I must declare a "Baby Toe" day so we can all start giving them more appreciation for everything they do. So, this being the week of Thanksgiving, I urge you to lean down, give your toe a kiss and a great big THANK YOU! I know I will. I'm glad to have you back baby toe! Woot! I'll never take you for granted again.

1st Halloween

Better late than never right? Now that it's well into November I decided I better get posting about our final Halloween adventures. The actual holiday itself turned into a sort of "mini-Hanukkah" since we started celebrating the Thursday before. I figured since it was Addison's first halloween we would go all out and have it encompass three days. Well that fact and also the fact that I had a little bit of "Mommy Guilt" since I was taking her on a trip to STL to see my beloved Rob Thomas on Halloween night. (See previous posts)

Anyway, we headed out of town on Friday and swung by and picked up Grandma on our way to Aunt Cassie's house. Addison and Grandma Bell are good buddies and always manage to have fun with each other. Mommy loves this too because Grandma Bell makes a great assistant. Actually it seems that I'm the part-time assistant while Grandma takes all the reins. It makes for a nice break for us both. Grandma changes the poopy diapers, bathes her, and feeds her, while I swing in for the fun stuff here and there. I'm sure Addison appreciates the change in scenery as well since she seems to have so much fun when Grandma's around.

Once we got to Aunt Cassie & Uncle Kyle's house we headed straight out for a little pre-halloween adventure at the outlet mall. Alexa came dressed as a cute squeezy teddy bear while little Addibell was an equally squeezy little monkey.

Sidenote: All through my growing up years I was obsessed with monkeys. I dreamt of the day I would actually own a baby monkey. Even my daydreams seemed to exclude the reality of such curious messy creatures. Instead of envisioning lots of poop and messes, I could only see us having fun playing and putting diapers on him and feeding him bananas. I even mentally assigned my mom as the monkey babysitter on the days I would have to be at school. I don't think she ever knew her role in my monkey dreams. Sadly my dream never became a reality. I actually got even more distraught once I grew up and saw an ad in a paper for a pet monkey. I didn't know people actually kept them as pets after all!!! :(

So, it was only fitting that my little Addibell dress up as a cute little monkey for Halloween. Well for that fact and also the fact that the little outfit was on sale at TJ Maxx of course. Two things Mommy loves: Monkeys and a good bargain! Honestly Addison would have been adorable in anything we put her in but it was nice Mommy got to live out a childhood fantasy - even if for only a weekend.

I didn't quite know what Addison would think of the trick-or-treating since Mommy would be consuming all of her bounty but she did actually love it. The pictures below will prove just how much fun she had. Since her little chubby hands couldn't hold the trick-or-treating basket, I improvised and put it around her monkey foot. Every store we went in we would do the "Trick-or-Treat" and a little tilt of the stroller so they'd drop the candy in her basket. There were soooo many stores so toward the end we got a little more selective and only went after the good candy. I must also mention that Grandma did a great job as our personal photographer. I got a little glimpse of what it must feel like to be famous since she was waiting in the bushes to take our picture as we exited each store. I'll save you the time and not post ALL of the pictures she took - just know she got some good ones.

So thank you to Aunt Cassie & Uncle Kyle & Cousin Alexa for hosting us and making our halloween so memorable (Rob Thomas Concert included).

The beginning of our trick-or-treating adventure.

A close-up of my cute little monkey girl.

Hangin' out with Cousin Alexa.

Pumpkin Carving

We had a modified halloween this year. For those who read the previous post you are already aware that I spent the holiday with Rob Thomas instead of my little family. I managed to pour enough guilt on that I decided to hold our own Halloween a couple days before the rest of the world just to make it up to my family. This way Addison and I could spend it with John before we headed out on our road trip to STL. We picked out our perfect pumpkins a few weeks earlier and decided to buckle down and carve them the Thursday night before halloween. For obvious reasons. One being the actual holiday was just a few days away and we wanted to display them in their grandeur. And two being I was using them, uncarved, as decorations in our house and they apparently started rotting. Anyone know what the shelf life is on pumpkins anyway?

So needless to say, we had a great time carving despite the pungent smell of rotted pumpkin guts. They don't smell good either way anyway. Addison was lucky enough to be an observer while John and I de-gutted and hacked away at our little creations. Once again Addison had a blast watching us. She was fascinated at the whole process and the ooey gooey mess it left behind. Next year she'll get to de-gut her own pumpkin!

Below are the pictures of our process. John wins the award for creepiest pumpkin face carving and I win the award for quickest de-gut-erer in the west. Addibell wins for being the cutest spectator/audience we could ever have.

Waiting for all the fun to begin

Looks like she approves of the Daddy's work in carving her baby pumpkin

Mommy & Addison taking a break

Closely inspecting the pumpkin for any flaws.

Cutest spectator award goes to......Addison!

The finished product (L to R) Mommy's, Addison's, and Daddy's)

Here's Daddy and his little monkey.

My Other Man

Yes, it's true. John is not the only man in my life. Of course he knowingly accepted this fact once he learned of the "other man" that came before him. Granted the "other man" is happily married and of course I am too but he still exists....he just doesn't know it yet. That's right, my other obsession is none other than Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20. I've been a fan dating back to his early days when no one else even knew him. I admittedly had a shrine of print-outs of him taped to the ceiling in my bedroom in college. Yes, it is sad I realize but these are the requirements of being a devoted fan.

This past Saturday was the fifth time I've seen him in concert. Every single one of them did not disappoint. He puts on a great concert. However, this one worked its way up the ranks as the best one yet. Mostly because we enjoyed free tickets (thanks to bro-in-law Kyle) and sat on the "Fox Club" level in a box seat and enjoyed food while we belted out every tune right along w/Rob. Granted I've eaten chicken strips before. And I've seen Rob Thomas in concert before. But I've never done BOTH at the same time!! Could life get any better? I won't dwell on the fact that it involved spending Addison's first Halloween on the road, in STL, without the daddy. Yes, John was given the option of coming with but I guess the jealousy was too strong to endure. That or it could be the fact that it was a LONG drive for someone he didn't share the same interest in as I did. Regardless it was still a fun time and I made sure to celebrate Addison's Halloween before, during, and after...just to make it up to her.

Thanks Kyle, Cassie, and Jill for sharing this special night with me. Since it was Halloween night the whole band dressed up in different costumes. Rob Thomas came out as Michael Jackson and sang Thriller as his opener. It was classic and memorable. All in all it was worth the long hours spent in the car. Addison was such a trooper and did so well in the car seat the whole way there and back. She's so accommodating in supporting her Mom's crazed obsession.