10-Month Update

Since I only have a few more days until Addie turns 11 months old, I thought I better write a quick 10-month update.  We just can't believe how fast this year has flown by and how fast Addie changes.  It seems she is learning something new everyday. She spends most weekdays with her nanny, Kelcey, and also some afternoons with either grandma, Jay, or me.  She likes being home much better than being at the daycare :)

She is still on the small side for her age, but is definitely on her way to catching up!  She has to weigh almost 20 pounds now and it's not so easy to carry her around everywhere anymore.  Her hair is getting thicker, longer, and lighter.  It was almost black when she was born, and now it's a light brown.  Her eyes are beautiful - brown, just like mommy and daddy.  She now has two teeth, the two in the bottom center.

She still loves to wave hi and bye.  She also claps her hands (learned this from watching The Wiggles) and plays patty-cake.  She "gives kisses" when you ask and turn your cheek towards her face. She opens her mouth a little and touches her lips to your cheek. So cute!

She said her first word last week: ba-ba.  Her second word was "hi" and she says it all the time now.  She still hasn't said mama or dada other than her random babbling, which she does all the time!

She is crawling all over the place and pulling up on everything.  Not too interested in walking yet though...she'd just prefer to drop down and crawl because that way she can get to where she is going much faster.

She and Dakota have their own little way of playing. She is always dropping food off her highchair tray (on purpose) and sometimes will even "share" her crackers by feeding him right out of her hand.  When she takes her bath, she throws a small ball out of the tub to Dakota and he brings it back to her. It's so precious. She also pets his head and nose, and of course, he licks her like crazy.

She has the funniest facial expressions sometimes.  For instance, if you give her a toy that she is not interested in, she will give you the snottyist face like, "What? You think I want to play with that?"  Then turns up her nose and looks away.  She also giggles and laughs all the time.

She is starting to eat more solids. She loves strawberries, loquats off grandma's tree, crackers, anything salty, beans, chickpeas, soups, meat, and her Buddy Fruits (blended fruit in a to-go pack).  She still likes her ba-ba too, especially before naps and before bed.

Our favorite nicknames for her right now are chickpea, little miss, addie girl, sprout, little sprout, babygirl, and sweetpea.

She is still not sleeping through the night...I think because she misses her mama and just wants to spend more time with me :)  She is great at taking her naps.

She is the most amazing little girl and we love her so much!

Aunite Jennie and Erica Came to Visit

Tia Tia Jennie and her friend Erica came to visit for a long weekend in early March. The girls got some sunshine and also got to spend a lot of time with baby Addie.  One day while Laura was at work, Jennie and Erica watched Addie for the day. They went out for lunch on St. Armand's Circle and then laid out in the driveway while Addie took a nap in her carseat.  What else do you do when the baby falls asleep in the car?  We bet neighbor Jerry across the street loved it. Addelyn sure loves her Tia Tia!

Grandpa Pat Came to Visit

Grandpa Pat came to visit for a long weekend at the end of February.  Although he was hoping for some warm Florida sunshine, the weather was not the best.  But that didn't matter - he just wanted to spend time with his granddaughter anyways!  Grandpa and Addie had so much fun swinging, laying in the hammock, crawling around, and reading books. Grandpa even taught Addie to "walk" behind a cardboard box while pushing it. Such a big girl!  Grandpa had his video camera on almost the entire time. Although we are planning to visit him at his lake cabin in July, he just couldn't stand being away from Addie for that long - so he booked another ticket to visit for Addie's birthday in May. Grandpa is addicted!  Here are Addie and Grandpa at Olive Garden.

Staying Warm in February

It has been an unusually cold winter in Florida this year. Addie still loves to go on her strolls, so on the days when it is not too chilly we take her and Dakota for a walk. She loves to wave bye-bye or hello and greets everyone we meet on the street.

9-Month Skills

Addie is growing so fast and learning new things everyday.  She is very good at pulling herself to a stand. She gave Mommy and Daddy a surprise the other night.  About five minutes after we put her to bed, we heard squealing and laughing in her room.  We went in and she was kneeling in her crib with her hands on the top rail.  We started smiling at her, and then we just pulled herself right up to a stand. Such a big girl!  Now, she stands up in her crib all the time.

She is also getting very good at crawling. We have to tempt her with cell phones, remote controls, or our ipods - she'll scoot right across the room for anything electronic. She still isn't totally confident, but she will crawl a few feet, stop, sit, and then start crawling again. I'm sure it is only a matter of days before she is crawling all over the place!

Grandma Julie's Birthday

Addelyn helped Grandma Julie celebrate her birthday on February 11.  We all went to Olive Garden, still one of Addie's favorites. Addie had a great time showing off her new skills - she can now drink out of a straw like a champ!  She also still loves the tomato, pasta, hamburger, and bean soup. We can hardly get her to eat any solid foods at home, but at a restaurant she will eat just about anything.  Guess she just likes to be out and about! Addie got Grandma a gardening book so she can start planning her yard and garden at her new house.

9-Month Checkup

Addie had her 9-month checkup today.  Her stats are:

16.4 lb (11th percentile)
28 in (65th percentile)
17.3 in head circ (50th percentile)

Dr. Sevilla said Addie is growing wonderfully and that she is a healthy little girl.  We did find out about a couple of potential health issues. She has a slight heart murmur. The pediatrician said this is somewhat common among infants and that it's more than likely something she will grow out of.  He will just continue to monitor it for now. Also, Addie has two clogged tear ducts that make her eyes very watery. This is also somewhat common and usually resolves itself. We put a hot washcloth on Addie's eyes twice a day and massage the inner corner of her eyes to try and unclog the tear ducts. If it doesn't resolve itself by the time she is one year old, an opthamologist may need to do an operation to surgically open them.

Other than those two issues, Addie is a healthy baby!