Mixed Blessings

This past weekend was full of mixed blessings. Quite literally and figuratively. There were a lot of plans and quite a lot more happened that was unplanned. Needless, to say it was a filled weekend of family, food, fun, and not-so-fun happenings.

First off, the kick-off started with my birthday. It was a great day but was also a bit condensed since we were planning on driving across Missouri for half of it. But that was the other fun part. We got to FINALLY meet our newest nephew/cousin!! This cute little guy:

This is Brady Bell. My brother Quentin and his wife Natalie's newest (and first) bundle of joy! It's a shame he had a full month to grow before we could meet him in person! Luckily he was still such a tiny, small, and long and skinny little guy that was still rockin' his newborn clothes - so cute! He's adorable and was so fun to hold and put to sleep when I first got there. I even got to gift him with my newest sewing project. A blanket just for him. Yep, I'm a "sewer" now...um I mean "seamstress" that sounds MUCH better eh? Addison loved saying and seeing "Bady" or maybe she was saying "Baby"?? I guess either one is still applicable. She really loves babies lately - that's a good thing since we'll be introducing a new one to her in late August right?

After visiting w/Brady and taking a good long nap at our hotel, we were awake and ready for the rest of the festivities. We planned on uniting all of Brady's family and loved ones in our hotel breakfast nook to eat dinner, visit, and celebrate. There was lots to celebrate after all. Brady's birth, 5 other birthdays that had passed, and Quentin (the new daddy) getting accepted into his program at school. Unfortunately, just prior to the cake festivities, my weekend took a turn for the worse. I noticed Addison taking a poop squat in the corner which was regular routine and thought nothing of it. After I changed her all make-shift style in the hotel bathroom she promptly stood up to puke up everything she'd eaten, three times, once in each sink and one on me. Luckily a short call later Daddy and Aunt "Tassie" came to save us and we had it all cleaned up and joined the party. Just to have her throw up yet again. We banished ourselves to our hotel room for what was to be a LONG night. After six hours of her puking every 15 minutes and keeping nothing down, we headed of to the ER to get her re-hydrated. I was nervous for her but she seemed so tired and miserable to care. It's hard to tell if/when your baby is lethargic when it's midnight but after suffering through the IV process, and getting re-hydrated, she was jabbering away to everyone who passed by her and was back to her happy self. So glad to see after all we had gone through at that point. We headed back to the hotel and crashed for three hours before we were up and packing and moving on to the next big event.

Brady Bell's blessing! He looked sooo adorable in his tiny little outfit. It was so nice to have all of our cousins, aunts/uncles, grandma's/grandpa's on both of Brady's side of family there at church to support their cute little family. John and Addison quarantined themselves to the foyer just in case she was still contagious. Quentin did a great job blessing his little boy and it was an enjoyable time. We had a few quick pictures snapped soon afterwards and headed home quickly with our still sick (possibly?) baby and her Grandma which we were dropping off in Springfield at her home. Everyone else continued in the festivities. What awaited us on our drive home was not so pleasant.

Typically it's a fairly long drive. 5 hours but add on top a sick baby and it seems like 5 days. It started out well and she seemed still happy from her ER fluids. However, after 5+ hours in the car, one pull-over by a small city jerk cop, a quick lunch, a total of three throw-ups later, clothes and car that reeked, and back-tracking for a Grandma that forgot to unload half of her possessions, we were just ready to be home. It's not fun seeing your baby throwing up while in her 5 strap harness seat and miserable. I can't imagine she enjoyed living it anymore than I enjoyed watching it. A few tears later we rolled into our home just happy to be out of the stinky car. But the fun didn't stop there.

Once our baby was medicated (w/a suppository - lovely) and sleeping peacefully, Daddy got hit with the bug - full force mind you. He was miserable and achy and violently sick. At one in the morning we were saved by a friend and a Grandpa who dressed in their Sunday best to rush over and give him a blessing. It was a rough night for Daddy but he survived and now almost two days later I'm thinking we are all on the path to returning to our happy and healthy lives. So far Mommy hasn't been hit with the bug which is a good thing since one of us had to stay on our feet and be the errand runner/nurse/care-giver. 10 loads of laundry later our lives may just be getting back to normal. And honestly at this point, "normal" is definitely a welcome sight!

**Sidenote: Unfortunately I wasn't able to capture any pictures of the event since my hands were preoccupied with holding other yucky things. Mostly Addison's meals as they returned, and the towels used to capture it all, and the dirty diapers. I'll have to steal some pictures off of my sister-in-law's blog when they post. Stay tuned!**

Dalmuti Date

Recently, we were able to celebrate our good friend, Brad's birthday. He didn't ask for much, just some good ole-fashioned card playing. We decided to play one of our favorites: The Great Dalmuti. It was his mother that converted John and I over to Dalmuti lovers a few years back. Unfortunately, I'm the only one that has yet to progress in my skills and strategy since I still lose almost every.single.time. :( And no worries, John isn't the type of husband to "let me win" anyway. I have many who can vouch for me who witnessed the Dalmuti disaster of 2010. It was nearing the end of the game and I was about to win by playing my LAST card and for once be promoted to the Great Dalmuti, only to be trumped by my husband who played his card and took it away at the very last moment. Apparently it was even more sad to witness in person since my sheer excitement was switched to despair within only a few seconds time. Thanks my lovely husband!

Anyway, in the game of Dalmuti, everyone has a rank: The Great Dalmuti (the King), the Lesser Dalmuti, Merchants, and then Peons. This time around Dana decided to throw together a special dinner based on those rankings. Each round was one course and depending on what your rank was determined what you ate/drank for the night. It was hilarious to watch as everyone reveled in their stature and as the peons served them dinner all night long. They ate the best while the peons drank water, ate carrot sticks, and had a dessert of tic-tacs. Here are a few pics of our fun group date:

It didn't take John long to acheive Dalmuti status....and to bask in his glory as he sipped on his sparkling cider.

Tommy finally achieving Dalmuti status. And thank you Burger King for contributing our precious crown for our King.

Poor Brad enjoying his Peon dessert of Tic Tac's while everyone else dined on HIS birthday cake and ice cream! Don't feel too sorry for him, he enjoyed ice cream later and he also served as King a few times throughout the night as well.

Proof that my fellow peon, April finally made it to king-dom glory. I was quite proud and we all decided to go one more round just so she could serve out her term.

However, what isn't shown is how I served everyone (in my Peon status) all.night.long. and also took pictures all night (which is why I'm not in any of them). April and I spent most of the night as Peons sipping our water while our husbands gloated in their glory and stature. As much as I tried to pull some pity toward us for being pregnant, sitting on the floor, AND drinking our water and eating our carrots, only Dana seemed concerned. Darn those hubbies!

All in all, it was a great night (even as a Peon) and we can't wait to play again. Until then, I will be practicing my skills and strategies so I can hopefully conquer the Dalmuti spot.

Spring Training

Technically we got back from our wonderful vacay last week but of course it took me a week to catch up on the housework, laundry, other blog happenings, and plain just being lazy. I seem to have a "recovery period" after long trips. When I get home, I hit a vegetative state for days and just do the bare minimum to keep us alive. It's kind of nice actually but of course it's always nice to return to a normal functioning human being as well.

Anyway, we were lucky enough to head out to Spring Training in AZ this year! For those unaware, this is the time of year that all the major league teams head that way and practice and recruit their newbies and play each other. It's a great way to see some major baseball teams in a very intimate setting and for MUCH cheaper than during the real season. I had no clue this even existed before I met/married John. Luckily, thanks to marriage, I've been clued in and also been converted to a Cubbies fan! It didn't take me long to hone in on my favorite player.....Carlos Marmol, the Cubs closing pitcher. Yep, I've learned lots since becoming married huh?

We got to spend a week in sunny Arizona and even Grandma & Grandpa Fields got to enjoy it all with us! Their hotel was within walking distance from ours so we saw a LOT of each other. Addison had a great time bonding even more with them. She even learned to say "Gampa" and "Gamma" while there. And yes, she was a BIG fan of "Gampa". So much so that when she was hugging Gamma goodbye she started wrestling out of my arms to try and find Gampa and give him his hug. Plus while they watched her she even cried when Grandpa dropped her and Grandma off while he went and picked up their lunch. She's a big fan Grandpa!

Our first three games were fun to watch but not too exciting and the Cubs weren't winning anything so we were pretty bummed. But I did get to see my favorite pitcher swing a few pitches in the first game so I was a happy camper. The last game we saw the Cubbies finally won!! It was a close game and had us on the edge of our seats. I kept reassuring John that I felt really good about that game and I knew the Cubbies would give us a win before we went home. Sure enough they did! They won by one point in the ninth inning!

Overall, we had a great vacation and even got to enjoy a temple visit in the middle of it. The weather was gorgeous and we enjoyed sporting the shorts and flip-flops while we were there. It was sad to have to pack them away once we got back to Arky though. I wish I could have packed the sunshine home with me. Maybe next time! In the meantime, check out the photos from our vacay!

Here is my boyfriend: Carlos Marmol. He pitched great! He has a cool lookin' head bob when he leans into a pitch.

Posin' for a family picture after our third game.

Addison loved these baseballs outside the stadium.

Grandma was a BIG help in keeping Addison occupied during the games. Here they are coloring together. Most of the time they spent taking crayons out of the box and putting them back in. Exciting eh?

Addison and Daddy got to run the bases after our third baseball game. She loved it and kept stopping to stare at the big Alligator mascot waiting for them at the end. She made sure to hug and wave to every mascot we passed. I was just amazed she wasn't afraid of them!

Here they are after they finished running the bases. She even scored her own toy baseball afterwards!

Here are Daddy & Addison watching the last game of our trip...the game the Cubbies actually won!! She was such a good trooper through all the cramped seats and long hours of holding still. She had only a few meltdowns.

And last but not least, we got to spend our last day at the park chasing around the ducks. In case you are wondering, no they do not like chocolate Teddy Grahams. Oh well, it was worth a try!

Proof Is In The Pudding

Or at least in the black olives I guess.

So most people who meet Addison go on and on (and on) about how she is a spitting image of her father. So much so, that sometimes I feel like a surrogate! And I sometimes call her "John-essa." But, I must admit she does bear a striking resemblance to him. However, I now have proof that my genetic code is in there somewhere! Your honor, I present Exhibit A:

The question remains: Nature vs. Nurture?

Yup, those are black olives on those little chubby fingers. And this was about her 3rd serving I might add. Any of my family who are reading this are nodding their head in agreement. At least in this regard she is just like her Momma!

Sidenote: I grew up LOVING black olives. So much so that Santa would put them in my Christmas stocking every single year. I also got them as birthday presents, Easter, etc, etc. Usually, once I found them in my Christmas stocking I'd run into the kitchen, open the can, and eat them (while drinking the Dr. Pepper that was also in my stocking) and enjoy the present unwrapping festivities. Olives never lasted on the shelf too long in my home and they still don't. Luckily I didn't have much competition as most of my siblings didn't like them. Even now, John doesn't intervene on my dining delicacy. He can't stand the smell of them. So now I just have to share with Addison. And for a girl that only weighs 26 lbs she can sure put them away! Now I need to start buying two cans at a time...one for me and one for her.

Secretly, I don't mind sharing w/her though. Not only is it because she's so darn cute but I'm silently celebrating in the fact that she is definitely my daughter!

Communication is Key

Especially when that communication is in the English language.

I never knew how wondrous life would be once Addison learned how to communicate with me. WONDROUS! Don't get me wrong, she's used words before but somewhere along the way she picked up a bajillion more. Which is creepy because she's using words I've never taught her, or words I may have only used around her once. I'm almost convinced someone is stealing my baby when I'm not looking and giving her vocabulary tutorials!

For example: She points things out in books....and it's RIGHT! That still blows me away. But what blew me away even more is that she is speaking in sentences! Whoa! They just started coming out of nowhere! While on vacation she would wander around the hotel and say "I see Daddy", or "I see (blank)" We've always encouraged her to "use her words" when she tries to whine or cry...but most of the time we help tell her what words to use in that specific situation. John was wrestling w/her on vacation and she told him "Daddy peas top" all on her own. I've given her that phrase once or twice before but didn't have to coach her this time to think of it. So of course, John had to happily oblige since she was using her big girl words so well. It was adorable and shocking all at the same time.

Where is my little baby? She's such a grown little girl now. Part of me is sad that she won't ever be a baby but a bigger part of me is soooo excited we can communicate with each other and very excited for this next phase. It's soooo helpful and fun at the same time. I'm sure I'll be eating my words when she decides to ramble non-stop day in and day out but as of right now I'm living it up. I won't even mention in this post how she is showing great signs of being potty trained or at least interested in it....uhhhh she's not even TWO until May!! Bring it on!