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!