Christmas 2014

Christmas this year was very unique. We weren't able to do a ton of decorating and we had Addison health and well as the impending move hanging over our heads. We found out about the Grand Canyon's Polar Express in November and decided it would be a great experience for our family. We left on the morning of Christmas Eve. We drove North and watched the temperature drop. The hotel was straight out of a post card. The train depot was in the back of the property behind the hotel. The girls loved running around looking at the trains and holiday decorations. We all wore our matching pajamas and boarded the train at 515pm.

The train ride started with hot coco and cookies. We were able to see the town of William's Christmas lights and the mountains in the distance. The story, Polar Express was being told in the background. The girls had a great time. Once we got to the North Pole we saw Santa and the reindeer. Santa then boarded the train we sang Christmas carols on the way back. Alexa LOVED the singing. Once we got back we got a better picture with Santa before calling it an early night.

The next morning was Christmas. Santa visited us in the hotel and the girls were excited to see the gifts he left. After breakfast at the most adorable train restaurant we drove home. We saw snow for the first & probably last time of the winter. It only last a minute but we are counting it. 

Once we got home the girls opened up their presents from their Grandparents and other family members. We ended the day as a family and then had to pack up all the Christmas stuff to prepare for the movers. Overall it was a great Holiday and one we wont soon forget. 

Addison's Medical Scare

The sweet little girl that makes us constantly want to give her kisses and "squeeze" her sure likes to give us some medical scares. I am hoping it's not a precursor for whats ahead. The neurosurgeon that we saw about two weeks ago sent us for a CT scan. The scan was scheduled for two days before Christmas. Our family was at a stand still until after everything came back (clear in our minds). Looking back I feel bad about not being able to enjoy more of the holiday festivities because of the impending test.

On the morning of the 23rd we dropped Alexa off at her friend Elyssa's house. Alexa was sooo excited and didn't even have a chance to say bye to me at drop off. I knew she was going to have a fun day. Once Addison and I arrived at the hospital the nerves kicked in. Addison was greeted by a group of teenagers handing out stuffed animals to the children. Addison LOVES her purple bunny that she was given. She carried it around all morning & it still sleeps with her a month later. We did the usual registration before being sent to imaging. We had to wait over an hour from the time we got to the hospital before we were finally called back. The man who greeted us was very nice and took us on the dreaded walk to the CT scan.

Once we were in there Addison was put on the table and first swaddled (or wrangled) and then strapped down. During the test I had to hold Addison chin still. She was sooo upset that she kept breaking the head strap off. The test took about 10 minutes total. Eventually Addison got worn out and fell asleep. It was very strange for her to fall asleep in that sort of environment.

We had a two hour break from the end of the CT until our follow up with the surgeon.

Once we met with the surgeon they went over all the scans imaging. There was no sign of fluid and no masses in the brain. The skull bones also closed as they should. All is good news. The surgeon said to just make sure no rapid growths happen in the future. He also informed us that we could have surgery to fix her forehead but it would be strictly cosmetic. Needless to say, there will be no cosmetic surgery in this girls future.

The start of Christmas 2014

This Christmas is going to be our second Christmas at home with just the four of us. Unlike last year we are not traveling East at all this winter. It feels strange but OK. The first few years I lived away, Cincinnati always felt like home. Over the last 5-6 years that has really changed. Justin and I have become our own family and Cincinnati is more of a vacation place. Now that we are in the process of moving to California I can foresee us traveling less and less back to the East. Hopefully we can do at least one trip a year because I do miss my parents & siblings.

Our church in Arizona does a live nativity. We were asked to play Mary, Joseph, Jesus & an Angel for one of the three nights. I was very excited to participate and honored to play a main role. I was super nervous but once I was told I wouldn't have a speaking role I was sold. Alexa LOVED her costume and made a wonderful angel. She danced around and played with her friend Evie. Between the 2nd and 3rd show she fell asleep in the head angels arms. We laid her on a hay bale and she slept until it was all over. Addison enjoyed the scenery but didn't want to be held for hours on end. The first showing she drank milk peacefully in my arms. During the second show she resisted a bit. The third and fourth shows were tough. By the fifth she was exhausted and fell asleep. She stayed asleep through the last one and it was a peaceful. The nativity was put together by over 150 people a night. There was a brass band, carolers, puppet show (teen ministry), kids crafts, and full tours through the town of Bethlehem including live animals. There were 8-10 scenes showing different events of the story. At the end was the birth of Jesus with live music and the story telling. It was an amazing experience and I am so grateful we were able to participate.

Our first Christmas was with Grammie. I always love when my Mom comes in town. She is such an awesome help and they just adore her. Alexa kept Grammie very busy. Grammie took the girls shopping for a few new toys. Alexa picked out Skye from Paw Patrol and a karaoke machine from My Little Pony. Addison picked out a lap piano and a Mickey Mouse train. After the toy store we went to Lowe's for the kid event. Alexa's train was a bit more than she was able to do on her own. Grammie and I somehow put the train together & Alexa was satisfied with putting on the stickers. She was really excited for her new vest & getting her first patch. Saturday afternoon we did a traditional Christmas celebration. The girls both enjoyed their gifts from Grammie & loved to give her the ornaments they made and the small gifts they picked out. Saturday night Grammie even babysat the girls so Justin and I could go out on our first date since last February. It was wonderful!

Sunday morning we all went to church for the Christmas program. Addison did awesome in the nursery (not always a guarantee) and Alexa sat with us during the program. Sunday after Justin had us hot wings & then had to head back to California. Sunday night we took Grammie through the live nativity. On Monday, Grammie and I read a story to Alexa's class. The kids were great and Alexa enjoyed showing Grammie her classroom. Unfortunately her visit was short and we had to take her back to the airport. Alexa was very sad to see her leave and wants her to come back very soon.

ENT & Neurosurgeon

It took about a week to get appointments made for Addison's referrals. The ENT was relatively easy to get in to. Once we arrived we did the usual new patient paperwork and answered questions about Addison's ear history. Her pediatrician was concerned with excess wax build up in her ear. The ENT doctor didn't notice an excess amount of wax. He did however remind me that she is suppose to get looked at every 6 months until her tubes are out (rather they fall out or have to be surgically removed.) We were only a month behind so I didn't feel too bad. I just need to remember to get her looked at again in June. The ENT said her tubes are in place and looking good.  He said they should stay in for about 2 years before they need to be removed. Such a relief to have one appointment off our list.

The second appointment was to the pediatrics neuro surgery office. Her pediatrician was concerned with the size and shape of Addison's head. She has been in the 99.99% since 9 months old. Her head also pushes forward. The neurosurgeon was much harder to get into. We ended up getting squeezed in 2 weeks after the initial request. Addison weighed in at 21 lbs 8 oz at 16 months. I am thinking their scale may be a little off. I cant imagine her growing 1 pound 7 oz in just 3 weeks. The doctor is concerned that Addison may have 1 or 2 conditions going on. The first is craniosynostosis which is premature closing of the skull bones. Since her head is large in the front she checked the back to see if anything felt closed. She couldn't say for certain either way. If one did close then surgery would be involved to correct. The second condition is hydocephalus which is water on the brain. This could be inside or outside the skull. If it's outside the skull then we wont need to do anything. If it's inside the skull there would be surgery involved to correct. Addison had some softness on her forehead but otherwise it's hard to visually see. The doctor ordered a CT scan. The scan will show very clearly if Addison has either condition. We are still waiting for the office to call and schedule the appointment. We should have our answers and plan of action by Christmas.

Overall Addison is a healthy girl. She is hitting all her milestones and seems happy. We are hopefully that once all the testing is done it will show she just had a big head (smart girl.)

November

Opps where did you go November????

The first weekend in November the girls and I did our weekend drive to San Diego. Alexa gets sooo excited when we go to visit Justin. We did some house hunting and general driving around to learn different areas. Alexa and Justin took a Daddy/Daughter date to "Nickles." Alexa came back super excited and even brought a gift for Addison. Since this date she has requested to go back several times. I don't think she has grasp the concept of location. Hopefully we can take her back to the arcade once we move to San Diego. On our way back to Arizona we came across a major accident. Unfortunately this was on a road that has no exits for 39 miles. I made the decision to turn around. It added an hour and a half to our trip. Alexa was sooo worried she would miss Cubbies. She ended up being 45 minutes late but I am glad she was able to go for a little bit. She is really determined to get her perfect attendance this quarter.

During November Alexa started showing signs of missing Justin. Her teacher noticed she was not wanting to participate as much. At home she started testing her limits and blaming all her behaviors on "missing Daddy." We are all doing our best to make sure this transition is the easiest it can be on Alexa. Unfortunately it is a big change and she is going to experience some heart ache.

Addison had her 15 month well visit. She is hitting all her milestones and growing quickly. She is even moving up in the percentiles. Her doctor was unable to locate the tubes in her ears. We are going to the ENT early next month to get them checked. We are praying that they are both in place. The doctor is also concerned about her head. It is quite large and showing some frontal lobe irregularities. Her neuro surgery appointment isn't until the middle of December. I am going nuts thinking about the wait.

Thanksgiving weekend was a great 4 day weekend for our family. Addison learned to play Hungry, Hungry Hippos for the first time. Alexa helped me with some baking. We did a little shopping for our new Christmas PJ's. Justin wanted matching family ones for our trip to the Grand Canyon.

Alexa finished up her swim lessons in Arizona. She has been swimming twice a week since July. She now swims above and below the water with decent form. She is comfortable entering and exciting the pool of any depth. She loves to do flips and dive for rings. We will be putting her back into lessons in a few months. She really loves to be in the water & I want to make sure she has that opportunity.

Alexa still has 2 more weeks of gymnastics. She has bounced between a few different classes at the same gym. Since August she has learned to do a proper front roll, a beginner back roll & several new techniques. I think her favorite things are the trampoline, bars & floor toys. She prefers the open gym sessions over structured classes. We try to do both each week when the schedule allows us to. She is currently in the last preschool level of gymnastics. She will move into level 1 shortly.

December is a busy month for us (and probably everyone). We are looking forward to lots of family time & then moving in just a few weeks.

Christmas Card!

Addison Alena 15 Months Old

Addison starting walking half way through the month. She has been taking a few steps here or there for about 2 months. Last month she started taking 6-8 steps at a time. Now she walks everywhere she goes. I don't think I have seen her crawl in over 2 weeks. It's so cute to watch her figure out her footing. Sometimes she tries to run and stumbles onto her booty. So stinkin cute! It's nice that she can walk into the house by herself or get around without dirtying everything she is wearing. The negative is that she walks away from us any chance she gets. She doesn't necessarily try to be defiant as much as she just likes to explore.

I always had the goal of nursing to a year and long if she wanted to. I knew I wouldn't nurse when she was 2 but I was hoping we would make it to 15 months. We went down to nursing once a day around 14 months. In the last week she has been nursing once every other day. We are now on day 3 of not nursing. I think this is the end of that stage. It definitely makes me sad since I didn't get to nurse Alexa long this was really my first experience with it. I wont miss the occasional biting but I will miss her sweet face and the bonding time.

Addison started sleeping through the night the last week of September. It was like an on and off switch that just changed one day. We have had a few nights where she has woken up once for a minute but nothing crazy. I am sooo grateful for this change. It's been way to long since we all had full nights rest. Addison takes one nap a day and has for quite some time. She typically naps from 9-11am and then from 630pm-6am. It's a great schedule for us.

Addison main form of communication is her arms. She signs a few things (mostly food related), she points to what she wants & she flaps her arms to say hi or bye. So far it's working for her. We are working on words but it's coming along slowly. Addison still babbles a lot. She even acts like she is having full conversations with people. It's super adorable but has no true meaning yet. She does say "cheese" whenever she sees a cell phone (pretending to take a picture).

Addison still has 8 teeth with no signs of more coming in yet. Her hair is growing very quickly. She has 5-6 inches on top and 3-4 inches on the sides. I love it!

Addison likes to make loud noises, eat, chase the vacuum & the cats. She does NOT like the word no or sand (or anything with weird texture).

Halloween

Alexa decided in September she wanted to be Sheriff Callie for Halloween. Grandpa Bill got her the costume for her birthday. She has been playing with it off and on since. She wanted her sister to be Deputy Peck but no such costume exists yet. I did find her a cactus costume that we are calling Toby (from Sheriff Callie). Addison was so sure about the head piece but loves to wear the entire costume. It's a little big, but super adorable.

Alexa's school is only Monday through Thursday. Her school party was the last day before Halloween. All the kids wore their super cute costumes .Alexa even toughed out in her cowgirl boots that were a little small on her. They went trick or treating between the different classrooms in the morning. The last hour of the day was her class party. Most of the parents came and helped organize games & food. Alexa made a skeleton hand out of tooth picks and chalk. She played Halloween Bingo & won a really cool prize. Next her teach read the class a Halloween book. Addison sat with the class for story time. Lastly was snack time. They had cookies, candy, fruit & veggies. The kids all had a great time. I was so glad Addison and I were able to go.

Friday morning Alexa woke up super excited. I asked her if she knew what day it was. Her response was, "Friday, It's Easter." So close baby girl! After breakfast Alexa was ready to go. Unfortunately we had to wait for the evening. Once Justin arrived we ate a quick dinner & then head to downtown for the Chandler Halloween Festival. Alexa painted a pumpkin, we all played lots of games. Alexa won a cupcake in a musical chairs type game (but standing). During the costume contest Addison walked across the stage a flapped her arms. Alexa walked with a bashful smile. They looked so cute. Addison even one first place in the 0-4 age category. There was over 30 kids in their division. Addison won a super cute medal and lots of little prizes. Once the festival ended we went trick or treating. Alexa was shy at first. Justin taught her how to say, "Trick or Treat" with confidence. By the end she was comfortable with the entire thing and had a great time. Both girls fell asleep on the car ride home.

Saturday, November 1st we carved our family pumpkin. Since we have been traveling back and forth between San Diego & Chandler we didn't have time before Halloween. I really wanted to put Addison in the pumpkin. Justin made her leg holes and we put her in it. She was not thrilled. I think she was mostly upset with the textures. She didn't want to touch the inside of the pumpkin, even with her hands. We got a few cute pictures and then took her out. Alexa drew two pictures of what she wanted the pumpkin the look like. Justin was a good sport and made them both for her. It was another great day.

Alexa's well visit

Alexa's 4 year old well visit was this week. She wanted to know what the doctor was going to do. She has recently become super interested in knowing every details of well everything. So I explained that she will check her ears and eyes. Alexa then asked if she will get shots (she has seen Addison get several). I told her that she will have to get a few shots to help her from getting sick. She seemed ok but nervous about them. Once we got to the doctors office things changed. She no longer wanted to go back. Luckly she is an easy going kid and went without any struggle. Our tiny little four year old is 29.3lbs & 38.5 inches. She passed her vision & hear tests with flying colors. The doctor said she is doing great. We were given a few suggestions on her eating but it's not something they were overly worried about. Apparently picky eaters, even with sensory issues is pretty normal. We are hopefully she will want to stay trying more foods soon.

Addie Lu is 14 Months Old

Addison Alena is 14 months old. Addison wears mostly 18 months clothes and size 3 shoes. Honestly she rarely wears shoes or bows. She is a get down and dirty type of girl with a HUGE personality. Addison is generally a good eater. I am starting to notice her preferences and it scares me. I want to make sure I expose her to lots of different foods so she doesn't become a picky eater. Addison will drink anything out of any cup. This is such a huge accomplishment. Only 4 months ago Addison wouldn't take anything but her Momma. Now she will drink out of soft or hard tops as well as open tops. Life is so much easier when she doesn't need me when she is thirsty. We are still nursing a few times a day. I think we will be done nursing before Christmas. I am not pushing it or excited to see it ending. Whatever works for Addison I am OK with at this point.

Addison has recently started taking 6-8 steps at a time. She still prefers to to crawl when she can. I would guess she will be walking full time in the next month. Her big sister will be in trouble then. Addison likes to climb up things (slides, stairs etc). Addison gets super excited when we go out the front door because she knows we will be going on a wagon ride. It's really the most excitement she shows. She loves to swim and go to baby ballet class.

Addison went from being a not so great sleeper to sleeping 12 hours a night this week. I am hoping this is a permanent change but it may to too early to tell. Although I tend to lean more toward the "crunchy parent" over the "independent parent" there are some things I feel are beneficially from different parenting approaches. I have not allowed either of my girls to "cry it out" mostly because I would rather comfort them then risk hurting our emotional bond. Well now that Addison is 14 months old I felt she may need some assistance in learn how to regulate her sleep. Alexa was always a good sleeper so this is all new to me. I have set a small schedule for Addison at bed time. It used to always include us nursing which I felt was a great bonding moment at the end of each day. Well I decided to try not nursing her to sleep anymore and so far she has slept 12 hours each night.

Addison says a few words but mostly just points and screams when she wants something. I have started whispering to her when she screams at it has helped quieted her down a little bit. She may just be our loud child. Addison likes to give high fives and laughs at everything (especially her big sister). She really is a sweet kid. I cant wait to see her personality show through more and more as she gets older.

Farewell September

September came and went in a blink of an eye. After Alexa's birthday the excitement seemed to calm down for a few days. Alexa was able to rejoin swim lessons after her chin healed up. She also participated in National Gymnastics day. I think she really enjoyed watching the older girls do their tricks. Justin stayed home with Addison that day. I was happy I could spend the afternoon focusing on just Alexa. We had a great time.

The last week of September was Alexa's last week before fall break. She had picture day and finished up her sight words. At the end of the week Alexa wanted to play with the boys. Their Moms usually let them run around outside after school to run of some energy. Alexa asked to play and they included her with no fuss. Some of the boys in her class are 6-8 inches taller than her. It's really cute to watch them all play.

The last weekend of the month was spent in Wichita, Kansas for Justin's cousin Ryan's wedding. We got to the airport early (as usual). The girls did great through security and getting ready to board the plane. On the plane Alexa colored, played on her Kindle and entertained her little sister. Addison on the other hand was he usual loud self. She enjoyed lifting and throwing down the arm rest. She liked throwing toys and making high pitch squeals. Once we arrived in Kansas we drove to our hotel and say Nana, Pepere, Jayson & Leah. The girls were both really glad to be able to run around for awhile.

The next morning we walked around the mall and went out for lunch. After lunch it was time to get ready for the wedding. Alexa was really sad once she saw her dress. She didn't realize that she wasn't going to be the flower girl. After a little convincing she got dressed and looked adorable. Addison was well rested so we thought she would be cooperative for the wedding. Once she realized she echoed in the church I knew we had to sit in the back. Alexa sat with Donna and David. Justin, Addison and I sat in the last row and took turns taking Addison out. She was not prepared to be in there for an hour. During the reception the girls enjoyed meeting and playing with their cousins and Grandparents. Grandma Schoolcraft gave Alexa her gross for Bethlehem. Alexa was super excited (so was Mommy).

After the reception we changed the girls and took them to the hotel where most of the family was staying. Alexa mostly played on her kindle but also enjoyed hanging out with Carter and the bigger cousins. She was so excited that Daddy also has a cousin Caitlin (Katelyn).  Addison was in a really good mood and decided to walk 8 steps to Grandpa Schoolcraft. This was a new distance record for her. She continued to do 6-8 steps all evening. We are still waiting for her to walk full time but I am sure she will get there soon.

Sunday morning we had our last meal with Nana, Pepere, Jayson and Leah before they had to drive to the airport. The rest of the day we spent with Justin's cousins. We swam with Kristen, Peter & Carter and walked to a sports bar for dinner. It was a great weekend! On Monday Justin had to work and do an interview from the hotel. I took the girls to the Wichita Zoo. We had so much fun at the petting zoo and watching the Giraffe's eat. On our flight home Alexa slept from take off until we got off the plane. Addison slept for most of the flight but had trouble because the flight attend kept the lights dim. We were all glad to be home. I am hoping to not fly with the kids for awhile. It's a lot of work and tough on us all. We are glad we went to Kansas, but there is no place like home. ;)

Alexa June is 4 Years Old

Alexa's birthday party was last month in Ohio. Of course we still wanted to celebrate her birthday on her birthday as well. Since Justin started working on Portland he was going to be gone on her actual day. Alexa decided on Chuck 'E Cheese for her celebration. We went their the Saturday before. We brought cupcakes and party supplies. Alexa had lots of fun. She danced with ChuckE and got lots of great prizes.

On her actual birthday we brought vegan donuts due to the allergies in her class. The kids ate them as though they were Krispy Kreme's. Alexa LOVED having her friends sing to her and she was so excited they liked the donuts. Alexa of course only at the chocolate icing. After school we had a little celebration at home. Our pastor from a new church we have been attending came over for a home visit. It was completly unexpected but a nice visit. As the pastor was leaving, Justin walked in. He surprised Alexa on her birthday. Truthfully he completely surprised me. That has not happened much in our marriage since I like to know every detail of our lives. Alexa stayed up late and played with her Dad.

Alexa at four is a quite the girl to see. She has a heart of gold. She shows no ill will towards others. She is truly a people pleaser (her sister excluded). Alexa LOVES school and to learn. She has quickly learned many sight words, phonograms and saxon math. She is always coming home with new songs, games and art work. We were told she is academically strong & in the top of her class for reading. We are so proud of her.

Alexa loves to swim and give her teachers a tough time at swim lessons. She likes to swim for her diving sticks in a certain order. Alexa's favorite activity is gymnastics. So far she can kick her feet to the bar and flip through. She is still working on the strength side of things. Her front rolls are definitely perfected and she is working on her back roll. Her cartwheels are at the beginner stage. I wish our schedule allowed her to go more than once a week, but for now the one hour is enough. When swimming ends for the season we may up gymnastics to twice a week.

On Sunday's Alexa goes to cubbies (AWANA). She learns and recites her bible verses every week. I love listening to her remember verses from weeks prior. When she is in trouble she will say she didn't obey. That usually leads to a conversation about obeying and God.

I really feel like this is Alexa's best year. I cant wait to see the girl she grows into.

Stitches and DisneyLand

On Labor day we decided to head to the local waterpark. The warm weather is slowly coming to an end and we figured this would be one of our last chances to enjoy the slides and wave pool. The day started out like any other. We floated around the lazy river, jumped in the wave pool & even did two rounds of "big kid" slides. Alexa had sooo much fun on the big slides. When she was with Mom she cheered and said "woo hoo." When she went down with Dad they had a surprise around the first turn. A young boy flipped out of his tube and road down the slide in front of Justin and Alexa's tube. All was well. After the slides Alexa wanted to do her kid slides. We went over to the pool & I insisted Alexa needed to take off her life vest. It was required to be worn in the bigger area but not in the kid slides. Alexa went down the slides on her own a few times. During that time Justin and Addison were playing on the side of the pool. Addison does a humpty dumpty game and fall in the pool. Alexa wanted to jump in with her sister. The girls jumped in to us several times. One of the last few times Alexa started jumping in and the spinning in the water before getting to me. I suggested she spin in the air as she jumped in. She was excited about this idea. The very first time she attempted it she spun as planned but only made it half way around. She then hit her chin on the edge of the pool. I instantly knew it was bad and rushed to her. Once I pulled her out of the water she was crying and bleeding. We looked in her mouth and then realized the blood was coming from under neither her chin. It was bleeding A LOT very quickly. I took her to the lifeguard who then called the supervisor. We met her on her way over and she took us to the first aid area. She quickly realized she needed the EMT to step in. Once he got there he took her to the medical office. He informed us she was going to need stitches. After about 5 minutes from the initial accident we were heading to the car.

The car ride over was very scary. We didn't know how bad her chin was or how she would handle whatever the medical course of action was. We took Alexa to an urgent care half way between the water park and our house. After what felt like forever we were taken back to a treatment room. They first clean out her chin and then the doctor maneuver the skin until it looked like a chin again. They then spent the next hour stitching her up. One nurse held her head, another had her legs and Justin had her arms. It was devastating for all of us. I really hope it's something Alexa will forget.

The first night and the following day were tough on Alexa. She was afraid to move her chin and didn't eat much. She still went to school and became her teachers "helper." By Wednesday she seemed to be feeling better. Luckily it was just in time for our last minute trip to California. Since Justin will be starting a new job & a VERY challenging quarter of school we will be stuck at home for awhile. We figured it was a perfect time to get some quality family time before things get crazy.

We arrived in Palm Springs just before dinner. The town was nestled in the mountains with palm trees, tourist like buildings yet still felt small town. We had dinner and then walked to get yogurt as a family. Alexa's toppings included M&M's, choc pieces and cookies. Of course there was no ice cream in her cup.

The next morning we woke up early and drove to DisneyLand. Alexa still didn't know where we were going. We waited until we were walking into the park to tell her. She was super excited! We rode a ton of rides. Alexa loved the flying elephants (Dumbo) and the roller coaster. Addison loved everything that made noise and went in the air. The parade was a huge hit for both girls. Aladdin told Alexa happy birthday & many of the princesses said hi to her. Addison liked the music and dancing.

Friday we spent the day at California Adventures. Everyone enjoyed the giant Ferris wheel.  After dinner we went back into DisneyLand to ride a few rides and then watch the firework show. Addison slept until the show started and then woke up to watch. Alexa got bored very quickly and asked to sleep in her stroller. It was another long but fun day.

Our last day in California was Saturday. Uncle Wheel & his friend Jessica joined us. While wait for the Alice in Wonderland ride Addison wanted a snack. She ate puffs out of Justin's hands. There was a little boy behind us who really wanted one. We asked his parent if it was ok and then shared on. Addison though it was a great idea. The next time she grabbed a puff she offered it to the little boy and then at the last minute changed her mind and put it in her mouth. It was super adorable. Addison also threw her sippy cup over the railing at It's a Small World. Luckily it was still on the ledge next to the water & they were able to retrieve it. We had another great day. Alexa did several rides with Uncle Wheel. At dinner time we headed home.

Sunday was Church & Awana. Alexa's chin to be healing as planned. She was getting red marks around the band aids but nothing too concerning. She knew Monday meant her stiches were coming out. Monday came and we had a huge flood in Arizona. 6 inches in just a few hours. It's was record setting. The doctor's office was closed. :( Alexa was upset she wasn't about to get her stitches out. We had to wait another day.

On Tuesday we went to the doctor. Alexa was nervous but doing ok. Once the doctor started taking the stitches out she started crying. It took the doctor about 10 minutes from start to finish. Once she was done she was given a Mickey Mouse sucker. For about the next week we will put on neosporin and hydrocortisone on the rash.

Farewell August

I took a blink and another two weeks have flown by. Alexa's new routine is going at full force. Her new school is a true blessing. Her teacher is everything I would want in a teacher for my girls. She runs on a very consistent schedule and is very nurturing. Two things Alexa thrives on. Her teacher told us Alexa is academically strong and fitting in great. It was a huge relief for me to hear this. Alexa was one of only a few to get all her sight words correctly & will be with a small group that are ready for a reading group. I hope she always keep such a passion in learning.

Alexa started AWANA this month too. AWANA is a Sunday night church program to help learn scripture and bible stories. She looks so cute in her little vest. The first week she thought it was silly that she was wearing "play clothes" to church. Alexa has 8 more weeks of swim lessons before her winter break & then gymnastics once a week. She still has lots of down time at home. I think she has a good balance and seems to be a happy kid.

We are enjoying her last month as a 3 year old, or as Alexa would say 3 and a half.

Oh Nuts!

Addison's blood work came back with a positive result for a peanut allergy. I really felt Addison had an allergy of some sort. I was however quite shocked that it ended up being peanuts. Since she is only 1 year old she has not had much direct contact with peanuts. I guess it's a blessing that it was found before she had a bad reaction to them. The allergist appointment was very informative for me. Here are some things I found out:

• Addison has ~20% chance of out growing her allergy
• Addison has ~20% chance of having more allergies
• Addison should avoid high allergy foods (eggs, nuts, fish etc.)
• Addison will have allergy tests done once a year
• At 2 years old the allergy test will include all environmental factors (pets and outdoor)
• We will carry an EPIPEN JR. with us at all times
• If Addison has a reaction requiring the Epipen then we call 911 immediately following the administer of the medicine
• If Addison has a reaction to of any sort between now and next year we will visit the allergist early

Outside of the above information nothing will really change with Addison. We will watch out for signs of reaction and make sure people around her are aware of the allergy. She was weighed in at 19lbs 8oz. Not sure if their scale was accurate or not. If it is then she gained a lot of weight 19 days.

First day of school!

Our last week of summer came and went in a blink of an eye. We went to the water park, zoo, swim lessons & got Alexa's backpack all ready for school. At the water park, Alexa rode the big tube slide with both myself and Justin. Normally she only does it once before she decides it's too scary to try twice. This weekend she enjoyed it twice. :) Justin and I both enjoy the bigger slides so we are always happy when Alexa agrees to ride with us. Addison enjoys floating in the lazy river and scooting around the baby pool.

On Sunday we returned to our church. Both girls enjoyed the morning Sunday school time. Justin had school work to do so I took the girls alone to the evening service. Addison once again did great in the nursery. Alexa had a good time in her last day of Vacation Bible School. Unfortunately when it ended she didn't want to leave. I am still working on figuring out what triggers her rare meltdowns and what is the best way to get us both through them.

Monday was our last official day of summer. We started out early heading to the zoo. It was fun getting there while it was still only 90*. We mostly played in the splash pads. We saw our favorite animals and had a snack before it was time to head out to swim lessons. Alexa is finishing up her private lessons this week. When she started  swimming she was at a beginner preschool level. Her instructor (the director of aquatics) suggested she join the starfish class next month. This is the third level of preschool swimming. I was really excited to hear she was ready for it. I think she will enjoy swimming more with other kids her age instead of just the one on one she does with me or her instructor.

Monday night we went to Alexa's new school to meet her teacher (again). She was very excited and didn't want to leave. The school gave us a lot of information to help with her first day. Alexa didn't ask a lot of questions but she looked around and tried out all the new toys.

Tuesday morning was Alexa's big day. She woke up early and ran into our room saying, "it's school day." She then fell back to sleep between us. We forced her to take the traditional first day of school photos before Addison and I dropped her off. She went into school with no fear and had a great first day.

I am very proud of Alexa and cant wait to see how much she learns and matures this year. Even though I miss her for all three hours she is gone. Addison and I are going to enjoy lots of bonding time this fall before even more changes happen next year.

Ohio Vacation

We arrived in Ohio or should I say Indiana after a long 3 hour flight. I have been dreading the flight alone with both girls since we booked it. I am glad we were able to have the extra time but it was a daunting task to get there. Both girls did surprisingly well on the flight. They both ate, played a little bit, went potty & then slept. We arrived in Indiana safely. We then had a three and a half hour drive to Grammie's house. This proved to be the bigger challenge. Again, the girls eat and slept. Once we arrived the girls had a great time with Grammie, Aunt Heather and Jackson. Alexa and Jackson jumped on the trampoline and played on the swing set. Addison did a little bit of playing outside but mostly enjoyed the indoor toys. Once we arrived at Aunt Megan's house the girls were WIDE AWAKE! The time change was the hardest part of traveling for them. The first night they were up until 1130. This gradually got easier as the week went on.

The next day we attend church with Megan, Matthew and Katelyn. Alexa had lots of fun and Addison survived the entire hour in the nursery (this wasn't the case last year). In the afternoon we met up with PaPa & Ms. Barb as well as Meg, Brandon  & Sebastian. The kids played in a giant indoor play yard for a few hours. They never tired... unlike the adults.

On Monday we went out to eat with Tom & Mary and the Falconieri Family. Alexa did great not sitting next to me. This is one of the first times she sat away from both Justin and I at a nice restaurant. I am glad to see she can be trusted. Addison enjoyed listening to herself echo and dropping food on the floor. I let her try a straw with water for the first time. She was able to suck it up and swallow without losing the water in the straw. It was crazy to see! She has turned into a great eater and drinker. :)

On Tuesday I woke up feeling sick. I ended up with mastitis. Steve took me to the urgent care to get antibiotics. The illness really ruined the day but I am glad it only lasted 1 day. Megan was a HUGE help to me. I don't know what I would have done if I had to take care of the girls while being so sick.

Wednesday we were able to have our scheduled day with GB. It started out with homemade french toast at GB's house. I am always nervous on what Alexa will eat or not eat when we are out. She surprised us all and ate a ton of french toast. She asked for it for many days after that. We then went to the Reds/Diamondbacks game downtown. We parked in Kentucky and walked over the bridge. It was a beautiful day for the hike. The girls did great but did get bored with the game. We made it through the 6th inning just after the Diamondbacks scored a 2 run home run. They went on to win! After the game we drove to see GB's new house. The girls slept the entire time but I really enjoyed being able to walk into a 3D blueprint. It was really neat to see the wall going up literally around us. That night GB made us and Aunt Maggie dinner. It was a great day!

Thursday started the adventures of the wedding. Alexa, Megan and I all got our nails done together. Alexa was so surprised that the person doing her nails was a boy. She enjoyed every bit of it & then went off to play with her cousins. Luckily the girls got to bed a little bit earlier this night so we could be a little rested before the busy weekend began.

On Friday, Addison and I drove to the nail place to meet up with Maggie, GB and the bridesmaids. Addison was a little loud but overall a good baby for a nail salon. She played in the pedicure tube as I was getting my toes painted. Yes, it's as gross as it sounds. Megan and Alexa showed up shortly after and we were heading back to get ready for the rehearsal. Alexa was super pumped up at this point. She did great following instructions and practicing for the wedding. Even at dinner she was a very well behaved 3 1/2 year old. Addison on the other hand was not ready to be cooperative. She gave Steve a run for her money. Once the rehearsal was over Justin arrived. I was re-leaved that reinforcements have arrived. What I wasn't prepared for was Addison's desire to be held by only be. She made it one tough dinner, but then she fell asleep. We were able to enjoy the last 30 minutes or so before we left exhausted.

Saturday was sooo much fun but almost a blur. We drove downtown early enough to make our 11am hair appointments. Of course we had some delays getting the car unloaded and the kids inside so we were a little late. Justin had the task of getting to the room with all the stuff and taking care of Addison while I took Alexa with me. Alexa and I had a great time getting pampered. Looking back I should have put our hair up instead of the mostly down hair we went with. We had some stressed as it fell out throughout the day. Alexa did not enjoy having to be careful with her hair but once she started getting compliments I think she was ok. After hair it was make up and then getting dressed. From there it was pictures and time to go. Addison had a rough time being out of her element. She spent the day with Justin and then Mary. She attended a little bit of the reception and then headed to bed. Alexa did amazing through the ceremony. She sprinkled her flowers and then did a "Let it go" throw at the end. I loved it! Her evening got even better once the dance floor opened up. She danced until she fell asleep on the reception chairs at 1030pm. The next day she asked me if she could stay up all night again.

Sunday morning we had breakfast at the hotel and then headed back to Megan's house. Alexa went to church while Justin and I set up for the girls party. Alexa picked a unicorn themed birthday party for her and Alexa.  Great- Grandma & and Grandpa, Grammie, Papa & Ms. Barb, Paw Paw & Maw Maw and Caleb, Tom and Mary and of course the Falconieri's were all there. Alexa and Matt did a version on Pin the Horn on the Unicorn as well as a pinata. I think it went well. Alexa LOVED being song to and enjoyed her cupcake. Addison did not eat her cake. Oh well!

Monday was spent with Great- Grandpa & Great- Grandma. The girls enjoyed a quiet lunch and then we went to a splash pad. Addison crawled around a little bit and then played in the shade. Alexa enjoyed the water sprayers and then go pushed on a swing by Ms. Barb. That night we met up with the Falconieri Family for dinner. The kids were really rowdy. I think we all decided we are done with eating out for awhile. It was too exhausting.

On Tuesday we spend another afternoon/evening at GB's house. GB and Aunt Maggie threw the girls a Sheriff Callie birthday party. GB did a great job on the cake. Alexa was very pleased with it. Addison enjoyed playing with her cousins new puppy. I think she was just after the food. GB and Aunt Maggie both took some great pictures of the girls. It was a fun ending to a busy few weeks.

Wednesday was the day we were heading home. I was ready to get home to some quieter times but sad to be leaving all of our family. The flight home was much harder than the one coming. However I have learned to not care as much on what people think and just try to keep the kids as calm as I can. Once we landed and felt the warm Arizona air, life was good. We are not sure when we will be back to Ohio but we made lots of memories on this trip.

1 Year Old

My baby is no longer a baby! Addison Alena is officially 1 year old.

Addison weights 18lbs 7oz and is 29 inches tall. I always refer to her as my "little baby." This is the first well visit check that Addison out weighed her tiny older sister. She is now 2 oz and 2 inches bigger than Alexa was at 1 year old. Addie's head has always measured larger (99 percentile) so there has never been any competition there. I am anxious to see if she continues to be "bigger" or if it's just a small growth spurt. We even got a comment a few days ago that she was a big baby. I think it must just be me holding her that makes her look so big. She is still a tiny thing.

Addison is still nursing a few times during the day and before bed. She takes whole milk willingly and has 1-2 bottles of toddler milk a day. I will probably stop nursing closer to Christmas if she was not before then. Until then we are just going to go with the flow. Addison eats 3 full meals a day and 2 snacks. She prefers adult type food over the kid stuff (chicken/ fish sticks). She also love her fruit. She started out eating veggies like a champ. Recently she has discovered that there are better tasting foods and she has refused veggies. I will not have 2 picky eaters so we offer lots of veggies. I think her favorite food is still cat food. We keep it on the counter as much as possible. She does however get some leftover crumbs and gets really excited to hide it from us. Silly girl!

 Addison is a huge babbler. When you talk to her she responds in her own way. Something things will come out of her mouth that sound just like real words. We can get her to repeat some words. Addison has also enjoyed making her vouch echo. She tries out her voice in new areas to see if she can get an echo. If she can, then she keeps going. Usually it's in the most inappropriate places that she tends to get the best echo (church, public buildings, elevators). It's hard to not giggle at her but I really do get embarrassed with her loud noises.

Addison crawls around like a champ. She has gotten really fast & even crawls faster than my normal walking pace. At this exact moment she is crawling over her sisters stomach. She can take steps around furniture but does not walk with our hands or by herself. Since she was a late crawler I am not really surprised she isn't walking yet. Her Daddy didn't walk until he was 15 months old! Addison likes to play with the ball popper the best. She also enjoys her musical toys and anything her sister is playing with.

Sleeping is still Addison's least favorite activity. She naps one time a day for 1-2 hours total. She goes to bed between 7 and 730 and wakes up around 6-630. She still wakes up about one time a night. Occasionally she will sleep through the night and even less frequently she will wake up 2-3 times. This is one area where I am reminded no matter how much my parenting stays the same, the girls different personalities come shinning though.

Addison has become the happiest and sweetest girl. She has the most precious giggle and I hope she never outgrows it.

End of Summer Vacation

Nana arrived in town the same day Alexa's new school had their open house. The new school, KinderBugs has been very successful in the neighboring town. They are opening their doors to a Chandler location this fall. Alexa is enrolled in a 4 year old, PreK class room. I am super nervous and excited for her at the same time. The school is very kid friendly and the teacher show true passion for their jobs. Alexa instantly connected with her teacher. She was able to explore the different areas of the room and met a few of her classmates. She starts school in 1 month. She has class Monday through Thursday for 3 hours a day. I know Addison and I will miss her a ton.

During Nana's visit we went to the zoo where Alexa and I rode a camel together. We went to the Water-park a few times and of course swim lessons. We spent a few evenings in the pool and even went to a Diamonback's Game. When we arrived downtown for the baseball game, Alexa was asked to be the "Play Ball Kid." Of course we accepted and then spent the next 2 hours practicing for her moment of fame. She had so much fun doing the interview and talking to the Diamonback's Entertainers (Cheerleaders?).

Alexa's swim lessons have been a huge success. She went from being a very beginner swimmer to going half way across the pool on her own. She is comfortable diving for rings, jumping in by herself and swimming 10-15 yards. We are very proud of her. I think we will move her into group class come the fall so she can focus on a new sport too.

The last week before we left for Ohio was super busy. Alexa continued swimming, we had to pack up clothes/wedding items for 12 days and had family photos. I really wanted photos that showed Arizona's unique scenery. Of course when the day came it was the hottest day we have experienced (116*) and a dust storm was moving in. The pictures turned out OK and we managed to avoid the storm. The rest of the summer will be spent in Ohio and then preparing for school to start. The last 2 months have flown by.

Hello July!

The summer is going by way to quickly. I cannot believe it's been almost 2 month since we left Kansas. I haven't been apart from either girl in 8 weeks and we haven't seen a single rain drop in about that long. Life is good.

Alexa has really flourished at her summer camp. She is making friends and learning to get down and dirty. I am always amazed at how dirty her clothes are when she comes home. I am starting to think they just lay in the mud and roll around for 3 hours. Alexa's teacher, Ms. Chelsea always has great reports for me. Today she shared a story of Alexa's leadership skills. She assigned each friend a different animal they played farm. Ms. Chelsea was very impressed at how well Alexa recognizes her letters and even new words. It makes me feel like I made a good decision for her summer education. We will attend Alexa's Pre-K school opening house this Saturday. I cannot wait!

Addison and I have been continuing our music class for the last several weeks. The first week Addison enjoyed it but didn't really respond to the activities. Now after a full month I can really see the benefit of music at such a young age. Addison loves to tap her sticks, play drums, bang the triangle on the ground (lovely right?) and tries to repeat beats to the teacher. The social interaction has been great for both of us as well. We have been lucky enough to have Alexa join our class a few times as well. We will certainly continue the class in the fall.

On the weekends we enjoy visiting the water park, zoo and Chuck E Cheese. Justin keeps us very busy. Alexa has learned about soccer and recognizes the US flag wherever we go. I love listening to her chant "U.S.A." at the grocery store. We have watched lots of World Cup soccer. At the water park we always ride around the lazy river. Alexa usually does the "kid" slides a dozen times or so. She really has no fear when it comes to the water. We also try to convince her to do an adult tube slide with one of us. Alexa's favorite part of our water park visits is the wave pool. She loves that she can play in the shallow or be carried out to the deep end. Typically it's Justin who carries her during the wave time. Addison and I find a nice shallow place where we can let the waves bump against us slowly.

The Phoenix Zoo has been a new family favorite. It is a beautiful zoo with lots of water play areas for the kids. The zoo is very hilly which creates an unplanned work out for Justin and I. The great thing about our zoo now is how close it is. I am so glad we will be able to visit the zoo comfortably all year.

Alexa has been attending Vacation Bible School since we moved here. The group meets during Sunday night church for about an hour. Alexa is really starting to learn bible stories and the true blessings of Jesus Christ. I feel like although we have attended church most of her life this is one area were we have been lacking as parents. I hope between her new Sunday School, VBS and our intentional approach we can improve her spiritual side.

The first weekend in July we traveled to San Diego. Justin and I both have a huge love for the state of California and the Ocean. We spent July 4th with "Uncle Wheel" along the San Diego coast. We had several delicious meals, round the carousel (same one we did 15 months ago on a previous trip), did lots of jump toys, got our face (or arm) painted and then watched the fireworks on the back of a boat. It was a great day!

The next day, my 27th birthday we spent the day at Sea World. We watched EVERY show they had. It was hot and sunny. Addison was very upset being in the heat all day. We did our best to keep her in the shade but Sea World is not known for covered seating. Addison enjoyed the animals but really preferred the kids rides and bounce area. During the Shamu show Justin found us seats about 8 rows up. We got SOAKED! I had Addison covered by a blanket, under me and behind a larger man and she still was drenched. It was a bit dramatic as we were running out of there but makes for a silly memory for sure. Saturday night we cleaned up and went out to get ice cream and do some sight seeing. Will took us to sunset clifts and we took some pictures.

On Sunday we visited a national park on the coast line about 400 feet above the sea level. It was full of amazing history and beautiful scenery. It ended up being one of the best weekend getaways we have taken. On the way home we hit 2 dust storms. The first one was long and eerie. The second one came quick and scary. It was terrifying to have our vision completely blocked for a few seconds. I guess these are things we will get used to in Arizona.

Summer Break in Arizona

This is going to be the best summer ever. This is the first "summer break" I have had as a Mommy. We started out the month touring schools and activities for Alexa. I felt so far behind since most schools started enrolling 5-6 months ago. My favorite school that I researched prior to arriving Arizona has a HUGE wait list. Alexa is 8th on the list in a class of 10 kids. So we knew that was not a realistic option. We ended up picking the 8th school we toured. It's called KinderBugs. They are owned by a lady and her sister in-law. Their school is beautiful, the teachers have degrees and the students were so polite. I felt like the staff and environment was the perfect example of what I want Alexa to grow into. Alexa will be in a prek class. I really hope it's a good fit for her. The school has a kindergarten as well. So next year we have the option of keeping her there or putting her into one of the charter schools. She starts school in 2 months. Slow down summer!

Alexa has started at one of the preschools I toured in their summer program. This school has great education standards but they lean a little more Montessori then we are looking for. Their summer program allows the kids to get down and get dirty but also have the flexibility to just be kids. Alexa comes home covered in dirty and exhausted each day. She goes 2 days a week for 3 hours. So far it's been great.

The girls and I have been swimming almost everyday. Addison seems to enjoy her float. I think she will be happier when she can play in the water on her own two legs more. When we moved here almost 4 weeks ago, Alexa swan very passively with her puddle jumper on. She decided really quickly she was too big (even though she is still smaller than the minimum weight) for her puddle jumper. She then started jumping in on her own. Now she takes running starts (only a few feet) and jumps as far as she can. She likes to swim to the bottom of the pool for dive sticks and she tries to keep up with the big kids. I am really proud at how far she has come. I am still very torn on swim lessons at this time. She is progressing so fast with watching her friends that I don't know how much benefit swim lessons will be. I think we will hold off until the pool closes in October/November to do swim lessons indoors.

Some moments I want to remember..

• Alexa woke up as I was taking Addison out of her crib. Alexa was upset because I did not say good morning to her. I quickly went over and said good morning. Alexa asked me where all her cookies where at. Knowing Alexa does not eat cookies I told her I was going to let the cows out. She said OK and rolled over back to sleep.
• Addison now says Hi and waves to people. Such a happy girl!
• Addison will drop her knees when Justin is holding her so he is forced to make her dance.
• Alexa refers to herself as medium. She said she is not little like babies & the big kids say she is not big yet, so she is medium.

We have 8 weeks left of summer. We already have a trip scheduled to San Diego, Nana is coming in town for a week & we are heading to Ohio for almost 2 weeks. We are hoping to visit the Grand Canyon and spend lots of time at the Zoo, local farms and water park.

10 Months Old

Addison Alena is officially 10 months old. She has 3 teeth. The two on bottom that she got over the last few months and one on top. It's not the top center but instead one to the left (when you are looking at her). She seems to be getting her teeth really slowly. She likes to bite legs, arms and really anything she can reach. I am trying to teach her that biting hurts but so far all I get is giggles out of her. Oh well! Alexa still tells her that we bite food, not people.

Addison just started crawling. She crawls with her left leg facing forward sort of like a sitting position and the right leg in a normal crawling position. Somehow she makes it work for her. She looks even more like a grizzly bear these days. I love her like growl type cry and crawl together. Addison is much happier now that she can move around. She gets suck under tables and around corners. Alexa has learned to put things away or Addison will get to them. There are definitely positives to a crawling baby. She can pull to stand but she doesn't take any steps around furniture or while someone holds her hands.

Addison is a great eater. She is eating 3 solid meals with 2 snacks mixed in there. I still give her about 6 oz of baby food a day. Just to make sure she is full after each meal. She is starting to use sippy cups but still mostly nurses. I wish I could get her to take more from a sippy but she doesn't like them. Once she hits a year I will start working on weaning. Until them we are just going to enjoy our extra time together. Nursing my baby to sleep is one of the sweetest things I have ever done. :) Way better than pumping!!!

Talking! Addison likes to babble all day long. She is constantly making sounds. She still only says Momma, Dadda & Hi. She is starting to repeat things but it's a rare thing.

Addison has been sleeping in the "Girls Room" for a few weeks now. It's weird to not have a baby in my room with me. I admit I do sleep better but I miss her being near me. She usually wakes up once a night to nurse. On the nights she doesn't wake up I usually wake up and check on her. Nothing like watching your babies sleep. Now that Addison is teething she seems to be waking up in pain. Fortunately once the new tooth comes in she goes back to only waking up once or on the rare occasion she sleeps through the night. Hopefully that will improve of the next few months as well.

Addison and I will be starting a music class. It will be our first one on one activity. I cant wait to get that extra time to focus my attention on just her.

Addison is a very sweet girl. She smiles every time someone makes eye contact with her. She does get very sad when she is by herself on the floor or having to wait to be picked up. She likes to have constant attention and love.

Crazy May!

Addison's ears did not heal as we would have hoped. We ended up back at the ENT to find out she has had an infection. We had the ears cleaned out and then had to pray they would not get worse while we traveled and moved to Arizona. While we traveled Addison was her normal irritable self. Once we got to Arizona I had our insurance changed and made an appointment with her new pediatrician. Fortunately her ears were clear. This is the first time since March 15th that both ears were clear & grey (without infection). Arizona's dry air might be just what Addison needs.... let me take a step back.

The last week in Kansas was very bittersweet. My last day of work was harder than I thought it was going to be. The 3 1/2 years I worked there were the largest time of growth in my life. It was my first real career and I will miss so many people. Some of my friends I knew the entire time I have been in Kansas. I spent up to 40 hours a week with these friends so it felt like leaving a part of my family behind.

The girls last day of daycare/preschool was really tough. Of course Addison had no idea what was happening so it made no difference to her. A few of her teachers were Alexa's teachers 3 years ago so they were sad. I am even Facebook friends with a few of them. Alexa knew we were moving but did not know what that meant. Two of her teachers she really adores. They both ended up crying when we left. I didn't expect it to be so hard. I thought I was OK until her teacher gave me her bag with her stuff. I lost it and the next thing I remember is three grown adult crying and Alexa looking at us like we were crazy. Her teachers mailed her a package that included her year book and notes from her class. Again I cried... Alexa wrote one back and talks about seeing them again. I guess it's good that she doesn't fully grasp the situation.

We left Kansas for the last time on May 15th. The girls and I flew from KC to Ohio for the weekend. It was my first time flying with both girls by myself. I have to admit I was pretty proud of myself. The girls did great & we made it just about an hour later than expected. The flight was an hour long. We went potty before we boarded and of course the 3 year old bladder required an on flight potty break. Fortunately the lady sitting in our third seat offered to hold Addison while we went. I am not sure if the three of us would have fit in the bathroom so I really appreciated her help. Once we landed I had an airport bellman take our luggage to the rental car. Again another hickup. Our rental car reservation was made for the next day. Luckily we were still able to get a car. We drove to Megan's house and had a great weekend.

The girls spent lots of time with their cousins, grandparents and & Aunts and Uncles. Both girls attended Aunt Maggie's wedding shower. Alexa was able to see her flower girl dress for the first time. It fit her perfectly. We just need to get her shoes, a hair bow and a slip. Things are coming together nicely for Maggie's wedding. The girls and I were able to see Aunt Maggie do her first dress fitting. Alexa told Maggie she was beautiful & looked like Cinderella. This is quite the compliment from her. Maggie, Alexa and I were all able to try our dresses on together and take a picture. I am glad that even though we are literally on the other side of the country we are able to be apart of her wedding events. While we were in town we attended Maggie's first wedding shower. Alexa enjoyed all the big girl stuff & Addison played next to her cousin Katelyn.

We were so fortunate to be able to stay at Aunt Megan's house while we are in town. I love having the extra time and the kids really enjoy having the cousins around. Hopefully we don't overstay our welcome when we come for a week. :)

The Sunday we had to leave was a big day. We drove 2 1/2 hours to the Indianapolis airport where we met up with Grammie. Alexa was super excited to be flying with a grandparent. We made it on the flight with no issues. The one hour flight was very uneventful and Alexa enjoyed being able to play on the phone throughout take off and landing. Once we arrived in Kansas City (for the last scheduled time) we had to take a shuttle to long term parking. I knew this was going to be the most stressful part of the trip. We had 2 suitcases, 2 carry on bags, 1 shoe box (did not fit in our suitcases), 2 car seats, 1 stroller and 2 kids. Somehow we made it. Once we got in the car we started our 7 hour drive to Liberal, Kansas. The girls really did great the first day. Once we arrived at the hotel we were all hungry. We got a stack from the hotel lobby and went to bed. I ended up with both girls in my bed (no complaints here). The next morning we got up and had breakfast and hit the road. We had 615 miles to Holbrook, Arizona. We had a 2 hour time change in our favor. Of course we still had a long day but arriving at the hotel at 3pm was nice. Holbrook ended up being a very cute town off of Route 66. It looked just like the movie Cars. We found a super cute restaurant and then called it a night. We had to be up at 430am the next morning to make sure we made it in time to meet the moving truck.

Once we arrived in Chandler the truck was already there and trying to turn into our tight complex. I saw the apartment for the first time as the movers were unloading. Justin did a great job picking the best apartment available. It is still a shocker to realize how much stuff, mostly kids toys that we acquired over the last few years. This move was more than twice our last one. I guess it makes senses since our family size essentially doubled. We unpacked pretty quickly and we were really able to enjoy our days with Grammie. We of course went swimming every day, visited a local farm to pick Peaches and went out for a few dinners.

We were all very sad to see Grammie go. The extra set of hands was a HUGE blessing. The girls both really enjoyed all the cuddles. We hope she will come back soon.

Our first week in Arizona I have started researching churches, schools, doctors, dentists, extra curricular activities and even grocery stores. There is so much to do when you move but with kids it's overwhelming. We have our new doctors and dentists set up. So far we have visited 2 schools and we have 2 more coming up next week. Once we decide on a school I can figure out what we have time for after that. We visited a church that I found online mostly for their preschool. The church is more conservative then we are used to. They have daycare and preschool through college level education available. Everyone has been SUPER welcoming and invited us to several events. We have been to two BBQ's and the girls and I are starting a Mommy & Me music class. We are really hopefully that this will be our new church home.

So far Arizona has been great. The weather is hot but something we can work with. I think we will leave this place with some good tans.

Addison Alena 9 Months Old!

Addie has been on the "outside" longer than she was in my belly. I cannot believe how fast her first year is going.

This month Addison had her first tooth make its appearance. She also has a second tooth beginning to pop through. She has quickly learned what her new weapon can do. She enjoys bitting fingers, toes and really any body part exposed. She does not realize she is causing us pain but she still enjoys our surprised response when she takes a bite. I am hoping this wonderful habit will disappear quickly.

Addison had her started her fifth round of antibiotics last week. At that appointment we demanded a referral to the ENT. I was able to get her in (with some motivation) the next day. The ENT believed she would benefit from ear tubes. We explained our short timeline for leaving Kansas and we got her scheduled for Friday, April 25th (2 days later). The morning of her surgery we woke Addison up early and kept her in PJ's. We had to drop Alexa off at daycare very early and then start the 40 minute drive downtown. Addison was fussy but not upset. Once we arrived at the surgery center she was hungry. I felt really bad holding her but denying her milk. When Alexa had her surgery it was easier to just hide the bottles. With Addison because I breastfed it's a different challange. We were taken to pre-op at 715 and were in there for over 45 minutes. During that time they took some vitals and kept checking on us. Addison got extremely fussy and Justin was able to put her to sleep. When the nurse came to took her back she was still sleeping. He carried her back wraped up in her blanket. We were sent to sit in the waiting room filled with other cranky toddlers waiting their turn to be called.

After 10 minutes the surgeon came out to get us. He explained that Addison had lots of fluid (as expected) and some scar tissue from the damage. Once we finished with the surgeon we were taken to Addison who was just waking up. She was MAD!!! I tried everything from nursing her to rocking her and she was not happy. Her ears still had blood coming out from them. After about 20 minutes they told us we could take her home. I was really dreading the drive home but knew she would fall asleep once we hit the interstate.

Once we made it home she was a little happier but still fussy. The entire weekend was spent trying to make sure her ears were clean. Her recovery was much harder and longer than Alexa's but we made it through. We are hoping this is the end of our ear infections. Fingers crossed!

Alexa June 3 and a half years old

Alexa has been growing up on me rapidly the last few months. She still loves animals and princesses and strongly dislikes to eat. We have worked on getting her to eat new foods but she straight refuses. She wont even put something in her hands if it's not something she has had previously. It's the craziest thing, but I feel like I was a bit that way as a child as well. Her weight is low, but still on course for a girl that is just short. Hopefully we will continue to improve in this area as the years go.

Alexa has a very sweet and caring heart. She is generally very considerate with how others are feeling and willing to help where she can. I was not feeling well for a few days. One day I was sitting on the stairs and Alexa came over to check on me. I told her I was having a hard time getting up because I did not feel well. She put my hand into hers and told me to be brave and to not give up. I hope I can always remember how sincere her face was in that moment.  

Alexa has become a bit sassy. She keeps testing different boundaries to see what she can get away with. One week she refused to leave school with me. When I would take her hand she would yell and say I was hurting her. After a week of that she decided that I would not budge and decided just to cooperate. We have not had any issues with pickup since. As hard as the week was I feel good knowing that if I am consistence we can get through her tough seasons.

Alexa as a big sister is such a sweet thing to witness. She imitates almost all of my behaviors towards Addison. It was a real eye opener when I heard her say, "Sissy, you are driving me crazy." I love watching Alexa go in when Addison wakes up. She climbs up on the side of the crib and in her sweetest voice she says, "Good Morning Addison. Did you get good sleep, boogie?" It makes me realize that my extra effort at our good mornings is worth it. I love those two girls so much.

We have recently started sharing how much we love each other through out the day. Alexa spreads her arms as far apart as she can and says, this much. If it's something she doesn't like much she will hold her hands really close and squeak when saying "this much." We are at the point where she says, "to the moon and back." I am not sure where she got that from or even if she understands what it means, but I love hearing it.

Alexa is very excited about our move to Arizona. She knows it will be hot & there will be a "big swimming pool." I have already looked at preschools and different activities for her. I am hoping to help her as much as I can with the transition.

8 Months Old

Addison turned 8 months old on April 2nd. This exciting milestone was over shadowed by her never ending ear infections. After we thought she was feeling better we realized her fevers returned. Addison had another round of cefdinir and still had now a double ear infection. After a week of the 3rd antibiotics the pediatrian started shot antibiotics. The medicine was the strongest available in a doctor's office. She got 2 shots for 2 days straight. So far it seems to have helped. I am keeping my fingers crossed that my baby girl can get some relief and stop all the appointments.

Addison is a very tiny 15lbs 10oz after losing so much weight last month. She is 26.25inches and her head is still large. She still is not an expert sitter. I think it has something to do with her ear infections through off her balance. She is showing very beginner crawling skills. Hopefully she will crawl in a few months. If not, we may go straight to walking. She loves to play and watch her big sister play. Eating is probably her favorite activity. I haven't found anything Addison does not like. She LOVES things she can feed herself like banana cookies, mum mums, graham crackers, etc. She is out growing her baby food but isn't quiet ready to be fully on table food.

Addison is a HUGE Momma's girl. She keeps an eye on me when I move around the house and she wimpers when I leave the room. It is quite flattering at this point. Hopefully it does not turn into separation anxiety in the future. Of course she loves her Daddy and sister just as much. Overall she is a happy girl and has been the perfect addition to our family.

The Moment My World Froze

This post is not intended to upset anyone. If you are sensitive to children's illness or prefer to not read about raw emotions, please stop here. Although I try to keep my blog as upbeat as possible I more importantly want it to reflect our real lives. My goal is for the girls to have stories to help them remember their childhood. This weekend was the hardest one in the last 7 1/2 months and hopefully the worst (medically) we ever have to deal with.

Addison developed a fever on Saturday, the 15th of March. We treated it with Tylenol and lots of TLC. By Monday morning it was evident there was more going on. She went to the doctor and was diagnosed with a left ear infection. She was tested for RSV and the flu, both of which came back negative. She was given albuterol to be administered on the nebulizer as needed for her chest congestion. Over the next few days Addison was barely eating and sleeping, however her fever and respiratory symptoms seemed to be gone, or at least improving.

When Friday the 21st rolled around I noticed Addison's symptoms seeming to flare up. She did not sleep well at all that night. On Saturday Addison's health began deteriorating.  She refused all food including nursing. During the afternoon she was lethargic so I made the call it was time to get her looked at. Locally our only option on a Saturday is the ER. When Addison was looked at in the Leavenworth ER her fever was 103.7 (on Tylenol, Motrin and antibiotics). Addison was put in a room away from the regular ER patients. I assume its because of her symptoms or age. The doctor said her lungs sounded OK, but requested blood to be taken and a RSV test done. The RSV came back negative but the doctor wanted a chest x-ray to check for pneumonia. The blood draw was traumatizing for all of us. The plebotomist tried her best to find a vain, but unfortunately it only ended with Addison have a big bruise and lots of pain. It took everything out of me to not yell at her to stop as I am watching my hubby hold down my precious baby as she repeatedly used the needle to search for a vain.  She ended up using the finger prick on her foot and squeezed out enough blood for the test. Justin then took Addison back for the chest x-ray. She did not have to use the awful contraption that they usually use on infants. Instead Justin was able to hold her on the table.

An hour after we entered the ER we had no answers. Addison's fever dropped down to 101.2 but she was miserable. She was crying out of hunger, exhaustion and I believe pain. The doctor finally came in after 90 minutes of waiting not so patiently. He told us the chest x-ray did show some pneumonia but more importantly the blood test was not good. Her infectious white cell count was over 38,000 and showed abnormal cells. He went on to explain a typical infection would be around 18,000. However Addison has been on antibiotics for over 5 days. He diagnosed her with leukocytosis (a white blood cell count (the leukocyte count) above the normal range in the blood). He then told us Addison was going to be transported to Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. The hospital is the best in the city and the only place we would want her to be. Unfortunately, the hospital is over an hour from our house.

Once we arrived in the hospital we were taken the the fourth floor. There were 3 nurses waiting for us. They rushed us into room 2, between a baby in an isolated room and another baby who was alone in her room. Addison was changed out of her clothes, and a full work up was done on her. We were asked dozens of questions regarding her illness, overall health and developmental milestones. Addison was taken to the procedure room to get more blood drawn and an IV put in. While she was gone a nurse went over some basic room orientation and hospital information. Most of which I could not focus on as every child I would hear cry made my heart heavier and heavier. Finally I heard my baby screaming. A different nurse was bringing her back to me after a failed IV attempt. They were able to get the blood they needed for their lab work.

Once the lab work came back the doctor on call came in. He explained her white cell counts were above 37,000. The Children's hospital had a pathologist present who was able to read the test results. This gave the on call doctor many more answers then what we were given at our local hospital. He explained that although there are unusual cells present, they are not cancerous. He said her atypical cells were the result of stress from fighting a bad infection. He did express concern that her antibiotics were not fighting the infection so we needed to take a stronger approach. He ordered a strong antibiotics to be given to her in her leg. I cannot remember the name of it at this time. After she got the shot, she was miserable and made sure we were all aware of it. It was after 2am so the reaction was expected. Her fever kept spiking all night.She did get a solid 2 hours of sleep before a nurse came in the check vitals.

On Sunday morning the new on call doctor ordered a viral test to be able to diagnose what caused the infection(s). She also suggested another round of antibiotics to be administered in her other leg. The viral test came back positive for Adenovirus. This is a very common virus that can range in severity from mild cold to serious pneumonia. Addison's reaction was somewhere in the middle of what it could have been. The doctor believes she had two infections. One that started last weekend (around the 15th) and one that started last Friday the 21st. This means our 10-14 day of healing really should start on the 21st. Addison will go back to her doctor early next week. We are hoping she has recovered and can return to normal baby stuff. :)

7 Months Old

My littlest love is 7 months old. When she was born I was not sure how I would have enough love in my heart for two children. It was very scary to me that I could be taking something from Alexa or not able to get enough to Addison. I quickly learned that a mothers love just multiplies. Although my love for Addison is different then Alexa. I cannot explain it but they are my everything (and their Daddy of course.) Addison and I have a special connection that I constantly crave more of. Since she has started saying Momma our bond has grown. Over the last few days she has started saying it when I am not in the room and will continue to say it until I return. It is making it very difficult to catch on camera but I have at least a quick recording of her saying it.

Addison roles around and ends up all over the playroom in rather quick time. She has NO motivation to start crawling. I don't see her even getting close to it in the next month or two. She has finally mastered sitting up without being supported. Although she tends to lay down (or fall down) so she can roll to a different part of the room. Such a ham! She is starting to understand how to push toys to make noise and claps on rare occasion.

Addison still wont take a bottle. We have switched to just trying sippy cups at this point. Today is her last day at Ms. Darlene's house. She will attempt the sippy one final time and then she will start daycare. I am hopefully that her teachers will give it a good shot. If not, I will continue to visit her through out the day to feed her. I enjoy my extra time with her anyways. Addison does like food. She eats up to 4oz of baby food at each meal. Typically breakfast is oatmeal and a fruit. Lunch is usually 2oz of two different veggies and dinner is 2oz of a veggie and 2oz of a fruit. She has also started on crackers and mushed up bananas for eating playtime. Hopefully she will be my good eater.

Addison just starting sleeping better again. She is back to sleeping through the night and I could not be happier. When she wakes up she is the happiest little girl. Not only is she smiling but she is also giggling and bouncing her back off of the crib. It makes the early mornings much more enjoyable. Addison loves her big sister so much. She does not mind being on the floor by herself if her big sister is in the room. She will just watch her play and dance around. Alexa likes to put on shows for Addison. Alexa is SUPER excited to share a room with her sister when we move to Arizona. She asks me all the time when her sister will be able to play dress up and ride bikes together. I hope the excitement continues as they get older.

We have 10 weeks left in Kansas. Once we leave her I will be a full time Mommy to my girls. I cannot wait for our summer together.

The Cox Girls

So many changes have happened in the last month. Hopefully I can do some justice in high lighting the big ones. Both of my girls are happy and healthy, what else can we ask for as a mother? Well how about sleeping through the night, being well mannered and being best friends? We will get there... (I hope)

Alexa has grown up so much this year. I think a lot of has to do as her new role as a big sister as well as her first year in preschool. Sometimes she will be mature beyond her years and other times as she is rolling on the floor in the middle of the commissary I am reminded she is only 3. Alexa is very empathetic towards others. She does not like when others are crying. She will immediately try to find out what is wrong and more importantly, how to fix it. If I am sad she will ask what happened. I generally try to tell her but on a 3 year old level & she will tell me only the witch makes us sad.

Alexa responds to any answer with the question, Why? She get you on your own crazy cycle if you are not careful. I love her curiosity but sometimes things just have one answer and I cant keep answering as to why things are the way they are. I have even been caught telling her to ask her Daddy. :) Alexa's best friend is named Gabby and they do everything together at school. Recently she has started to play with the boys again after a good 6 months of only playing with the girls. I don't think her Daddy is going to be thrilled with her requests to have Gavin and Ethan over.

Alexa has become very schedule oriented. She likes to know what day of the week it is and what we have going on in the upcoming days. She knows Sunday is Church, Monday is dance class & so on. Alexa still has many eating restrictions. I never would have imagined she still would have such a limited diet at 3 1/2 years old. Once the decision is made on where and more importantly when we are moving I will put her back into therapy to see if it can help her discover new foods.

Last thing on Alexa, she now likes to go by her middle name, June. I am sure it's just a phase and I think it's special. I am happy she wants to go by a name I chose for her instead of something off the wall.

On to our little Cox girl. Addison is doing the normal 6 month old baby stuff including learning how to crawl, discovering her voice and trying new foods. She does not care to jump in the jumperoo at all. She does not mind being in there but she just plays with the toys instead of trying to work off some energy. She is so tiny she does not need to burn any calories. I hope her legs are getting strong without the exercise. The biggest change with Addison is she is starting school (daycare) in 2 weeks. I am so nervous and excited for her. She LOVED playing with the kids in her new room last week so I know she will have fun. She will be in the same Butterfly room Alexa started in when she was 7 months old. Two of the teachers are the same too. Addison has a few things she needs to accomplish before she starts. She needs to sleep unswaddled, get on a schedule and take a bottle. So I got her to sleep unswaddled in just two days of trying. I went cold turkey and it worked. The first night she was up 3 times and woke up early for the day. I felt it was a huge success that she made it. The second night she only woke up twice. I am hopeful she will be back to being our good little sleeper within a week. Addison also got on a really nice schedule, she wakes up at 615 and nurses, Breakfast at 745, Nurse and nap at 10, Lunch at 1130, nurse and nap at 2, dinner at 445, nurse and bed at 645. Of course this is earlier than most would want, but our days have to start out early with my work schedule. I am not sure I will get her to take a bottle in the next week but if she is on a schedule I will at least know when I need to be at "school" to feed her.

Addison has always been a big babbler. In the last month the big change is it appears her sounds are starting to have meaning. She has always sounded like she is saying Mama when is was crying but now she says it when she is happy as well. I just LOVE hearing it. She has very recently starting saying sounds with "D's" in them. It is not quite Dada yet, but I am sure in the next few weeks it will be.

Addison still loves to be carried around constantly and does not like being left alone. She has recently started to sit unassistanted for long enough periods to where I can let her play that way on her own. I think it has helped with her overall happiness but I believe once she starts crawling her day will get a lot better.

This month Addison was dedicated at our church. She wore a beautiful dress bought by Grammie with a matching bow and shoes. She did great through the entire ceremony and even sitting through the service. Raising our daughters in faith is very important to Justin and I. I am glad we were able to  make the commitment to God, our church and our children. Alexa loves going to church and she even sings her church songs more than her favorite Disney songs. :)

6 Months Old & Lots of others...

Our tiny peanut is 6 months old. As I say every month, it's hard to believe. Addison weighed in at 14 lbs. 12 oz., 25.5 inches long & her head circumference is 47 centimeters. Her weight is still the 23 percentile, height was somewhere in the 30's (went up) and her head is HUGE! I guess I never noticed how big her head was. Babies proportions are so different then adults and I am not around many babies, so it just seemed normal to me. The doctor was first concerned with how her forehead protruded. She looked at Alexa and said it was the same way.. then moved my hair to the side and said it must be hereditary. Nothing like a kick from the doctor. Haha! Addison has hit all of her milestones and got her 3rd round of vaccinations. This was the first well visit that Alexa went to with me. She was upset because she was not getting a shot (she is OBSESSED with band aids). After she saw Addison crying she was good with not getting one. Addison blew raspberries at the nurses during the oral vaccine. It was sort of her way of protesting the situation. She did really well after the shots. That first night was rough but she never got a fever or any real symptoms. She goes back for a well visit at 9 months & her fourth round of shots at 1 year.

Addison also had her eye visit follow up. The doctor said her tear duct is not closed (YES!). He did notice there is some redness and dry skin on the eye lid. He gave us a steroid cream to put on to hopefully clear it up. Assuming it does, she does not need to go back. I just realized I did not write about Alexa's eye exam. Our insurance covers an exam every other year starting at the age of 3. I figured I would take her in just to make sure she was seeing the best she could. She sat in the big chair all by herself. The nurse had Alexa tell her the shapes (house, airplane, horse). Alexa did great. Once she realized the pictures were larger behind her, she kept cheating. We would catch her turning around to look at them. Alexa passed the regular eye exam. The doctor felt she may have some small astigmatism so she wanted to dilate her eyes. She was just like her Mommy. Once her eyes were dilated she had a small prescription. The doctor said they do not give reading glasses to 3 year olds unless they really bad. She said when Alexa get her eyes checked at 5 they will give her reading glasses if her eyes are equal or worse than what they are now. I have to admit watching her walk around with dilated eyes was adorable. She freaked out when she realized she could not read things up close. When she went outside she held the sunglasses very tight against her face. She did very well and I am proud of her.

Addison has spent the last month enjoying all of her new foods. So far she LOVES her veggies and tolerates her fruits. Her favorite food seems to be green veggies (peas, green beans, garden veggie's). So far I have not found anything that she actually refuses all together. She enjoys eating puffs. We usually put a puff with her fruit and she eats her breakfast quicker and happier. She likes the challenge of MumMums. I am looking forward to watching her discover new foods. So far she enjoys watching us eat and she even opens her mouth for us to give her some. I am trying not to expose her to anything with seasons or processed foods in it. Hopefully she will be my good eater. Addison is still refusing bottles. Ms. Darlene has had a few successes here or there, but nothing consistent. I guess we are just going to skip them all together. Hopefully she will take a sippy cup sometime this spring.

Bath time is my girls favorite time of the day. Addison is still laying in her baby bath. I put in the big bath while Alexa is in there and they can sort of play together. Addison prefers to kick the water as hard as she can. Sometimes it looks like she is trying to empty her baby bath out. Other times she watches Alexa and laughs at the show her big sister puts on for her. Alexa has become obsessed with her color changing tablets. She has learned how to make green, orange & purple and what happens when you mix the wrong colors together. It's been a great learning experience. She will even ask us if we know how a certain color is made, just to make sure we know. She also enjoys playing with her bath markers, lots of floating toys & her submarine from GB.

Alexa has continued to enjoy dance class. I am actually impressed on how much the teacher is able to teach 6 3-4 year olds in an hour. She will continue day through March and then we will reevaluate. If we are still living in Kansas in April then she will start swim lessons. I am really excited for her to learn how to swim. After watching my nephew Matthew's videos it is evident that three year olds can do much more than I gave them credit for. I hope Alexa loves the water as much as Matthew does. We have talked about getting Addison in a parent/ baby class but have decided against it for now. When Alexa took swim lessons it seemed as though she got an ear infection within 3 days every time. I really want to avoid another set of tubes if I can.