Happy 90th to my Grandpa!!

We were in Dayton over the weekend celebrating my Grandpa's 90th birthday. My Grandpa is the biggest character I've ever known. For 30 years, he's made me laugh to the point of almost peeing my pants and I'm certain the 60 before that were no different!

Grandpa is such a good, hardworking man. He raised 9 children and has played an integral part in the upbringing of 34 grandchildren (me included) and soon-to-be 19 great grandchildren. There are very few days that I can remember not seeing my Grandpa during my childhood. It seems we were always over at Grandma and Grandpa's house. I didn't realize until later in my life how fortunate I was to be so close to my Grandparents. And things never change, it seems. I think it's a rare day when there isn't a grandchild or great-grandchild over at my Grandparents. He even has a grandchild as young as 1 year old. Now, that will keep a guy young!

No one can deny that Grandpa is getting older. But, the man has the heart of a 20 year old and we love him for that.

There is no better thing than to celebrate another year in a great mans life. And with over 75 people (mostly family - we have lots of family!) in attendance, that's what we did over the weekend! We love you Grandpa!!!!

All of the kids really had a great time playing outside on a beautiful fall afternoon.


I love this picture of Addison and her Daddy.


Addison swinging from a bar. Who would have thought?

The wonderful man we were celebrating with his wonderful wife of over 60 years. Boy do I admire them!

And here are 8 of the goofballs they raised.

Trying to get my aunts and uncles to cooperate was worse than working with a bunch of toddlers!

Aunt Bec regulating. Shape up, guys!

Almost. Leave it to Uncle Tom to keep acting up!

Ahhh, finally a nice picture of my Mom, Aunts, Uncles and Grandparents.

And another

This one is priceless. Grandpa was giving Grandma a hard time when she asked for a kiss, but he finally gave in. I love how their kids are looking at them.

And introducing the grandchildren and great-grandchildren. We are missing about 10 here. Pretty darn good!

Addison and her Great-Grandparents.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa. We look forward to celebrating with you again next year!

Feel Better, Addison M.!!!!!!

My good friend, Addison, is really sick. She has what I had a few weeks ago and I know how horrible I felt, so it doesn't make me happy that my friend has to feel that way for a little bit. Feel better, Addison M. Especially for your big birthday this Saturday! We are disappointed we won't see you this weekend but Mommy says we are planning a trip to California to visit you soon!!!!!

Congratulations, Beth and Josh!!!

WOOOHOOO, I just received news that our dear friends, Beth and Josh, gave birth to their son, Andrew Josef, this afternoon. Andrew weighs 7lbs, 10oz and is 19.5in.

Beth and Josh have asked Dustin and I to be Andrew's Godparents and we couldn't be more honored! We can't wait to see the little guy.

Congratulations, Beth, Josh and big brother, Robbie!!!

19 weeks

Not much has been changing week to week, so there's really not a lot to talk about this week. I feel good, the baby seems to be doing great (if the constant subtle jabs are any indication!), and all is well.

I received the results from my Quad Screen Marker and everything appears normal. In short, a Quad Marker Screen tests the levels of 4 different substances normally found in the baby's blood, brain, spinal fluid and amniotic fluid. Abnormal levels could indicate fetal defects. Though I am not at high risk for any such defects or genetic disorders, Dustin and I were happy to hear the news. It's just one less thing to worry about.
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How your baby's growing:

Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.
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I thought you'd like to see what, according to babycenter.com, the baby looks like this week. Comfy, no? I tend to sit in that position often throughout the day.



And my 19 week belly picture. You might not be able to tell, but there is definitely a difference from week 18. More so in the evenings, though this picture was taken this morning.

Oh the things they say...

Kids really do say the darndest things! Every day Addison says something that either makes me laugh or stare in wonderment. Or both.

The other day, she was in my china hutch. I would like to note that I don't think she knew this even existed until this week. For some reason, she never bothered it and I was very grateful. Well, she finally found my dishes, namely the salt and pepper shakers. I heard something clanking around and ran into the dining room. As soon as she saw me, she put them back and shut the door. I got down on her level and said something like "Addison, those are very breakable and we don't play with them." She said "I sorry, Mommy" and gave me a hug. She then walked over to the crucifix hanging on the wall with hands in prayer position and said "I pray to Jesus". OMG, I was crying it was so sweet. I don't know where she even got the idea to pray to Jesus after doing something wrong. This is not something we've ever taught her. It just amazes me the things little ones come up with!

Another funny thing she did was when we were out on errands a couple of days ago. She saw a man with tattoos all over his arms and said "Stamps, Mommy. Stamps!" Addison gets stamps twice a week after gym and music class and often refers to them throughout the week. She really loves stamps. I'm hoping she didn't get any ideas from this guy.....

A laugh a day keeps the doctor away. Oh, is this child keeping me healthy!

Chicago Day 1

Well, we decided to make another trip to Chicago, after our failed attempt in June. We had a lot of people to visit and were determined to get there!

Addison talked about riding on an airplane the whole way to the airport. I was hoping we wouldn't be disappointed. Fortunately, despite another stormy day, our flight was on time. I attribute this to the fact that we were flying into Midway this time, rather than O'hare. I avoid O'hare at all costs!

(Note to people flying with children 2 and under and not buying them their own seat: Though I've had several friends tell me that I wouldn't need proof of age for Addison and didn't need it on American when we tried to travel in June, Southwest demanded proof of age for her on this trip. I didn't think I had anything, but luckily I carry her little book that the pediatrician writes in at each visit and they accepted this because each visit was dated and stated her age. So, it all worked out. Otherwise, they were going to call our pediatrician for proof of age. What if it would have been after hours or on the weekend? Glad we were okay. After almost 2 failed attempts, I was beginning to think we were not meant to fly to Chicago.)

She watched in anticipation as our plane deplaned so we could hop aboard!


She did so well on her first flight. We were lucky enough to all 3 get our own seats (even though we didn't buy one for Addison).


At take off and landing, she gripped onto the arm rests until her knuckles turned white. She was a little scared but we distracted her and she was fine. Other than that, she really enjoyed her time in the friendly skies.


She even got her first set of wings. Look at her dress, just below the button.


VIDEO

Addison didn't realize that after the plane, we were going to be riding on a train. She loves planes and trains so very much! We hopped on the el towards downtown to meet "Aunt" Emily for lunch and then onto our hotel for check-in.


Don't worry, her hand was majorly sanitized after touching the bar. :)


Addison took this picture of Daddy (with just a little help from Mommy).


We checked into a beautiful 2 room suite at the Fairmont. (Email me if anyone wants info on a friends and family code that could save you gobs of moola, good at any Fairmont hotel through the end of the year.)

We were on the 35th floor and had a wonderful view of Lake Michigan and Navy Pier.

Addison went down for a nap and we woke up and headed across the street to visit with a wonderful friend since college, Meganne, and her 6 week old baby girl, Meredith.

Addison was at first intrigued with the baby, but quickly became bored. I love how Meredith is smiling at me. :)

I figured I needed to practice feeding an infant again.

This picture would have been cute if Daddy the photographer had used the flash. Kidding, Daddy.

After I had my baby fix, we headed to Rain Forest Cafe with a couple of my best girlfriends, Em and Jennie.

It appears Em and Addison were having a color-off.

Then Em took her around the place to look at all the animals and fish. Addison loved the animals, especially the elephants and gorillas. I was concerned she might be a little frightened when they "came to life", but she was all about it.

Emily, Addison and Jennie.

We put Addison to bed and had some adult time back at our hotel. It happened to be the first night of fireworks for the season at Navy Pier and we had a perfect view. Unfortunately, my camera didn't take very good pictures of them.

Thus concludes Day 1 in Chicago....onto Day 2.

Chicago Day 2

Day 2 of Chicago began with another trip on the el. Destination: Lincoln Park. My old stomping ground. I spent a good few years in Lincoln Park and a part of my heart will always be there.

I call this Addison's modeling picture. Haaaa.

We arrived and the sun starting coming out. Good thing because it POURED on us all afternoon and evening.

We hit up a few shops. I found some boots, which made me happy because I've been on the prowl for weeks now with no luck.

Emily and I were in a children's store looking for boy bedding inspiration. Meanwhile, Dustin and Addison were out walking around and came back to tell us that there was a puppy store right next door. This store did not exist when I lived there. It was only a couple blocks from my apartment so God knows I would have been there daily! Even more, all they carried at this store were "designer breeds", including the malte-poo. Wrigley is a malte-poo so of course I think they are the best dog ever.

Addison loved the puppy kisses!

And I just LOVED the puppy. He looked just like Wrigley did as a pup. I could hardly resist not taking him with me!

From there, we headed to Old Town for brunch with an old friend, Matt and his girlfriend, Jenn. Matt and I used to work and play together back in the day. It had been a few years, so it was extra special to see him and meet Jenn. I didn't get any pictures, darnit! But the food was yummy and the company even better.

After Addison napped, she and Dustin met out with Em, Jennie and I as we were tearing up the Magnificent Mile. No, not really...I only saved so much room in my luggage. Addison was bored at Bloomingdale's so we headed across the street to American Girl, where she was no longer bored. At all. She loved playing with the Bitty Babies. It was tempting to get her one, but I decided to hold off for a special occassion.

Look, she even found a Bitty Baby that was dressed like her!

"Baby, you stay in the stroller while I hold my look-alike baby."

Dinner was at The Cheesecake Factory and she was in bed by 7. I wasn't too far behind. It was a busy day!

Chicago Day 3

Boo, our last day in Chicago. We checked out of the hotel, but not before a few pictures.

And headed to brunch with some more friends.

Dustin used to work with these gals. They are super sweet and Addison quickly learned both of their names, Corey and Lisa! She has been reciting "Lisa" ever since.

After brunch, we headed to Meganne and Trent's for some more visiting and so Addison could take a nap before we headed to the airport. They were a few minutes behind us, so in the meantime, she and Emily spent a little "ahhhh time" on the stairs.

Meganne took us to the airport and off we went. The flight was a little delayed, but went smoothly. Addison was a very good girl. She didn't get white knuckles at all and wanted to watch out the window the whole time. Something her Mommy can't do anymore. I've found I get motion sickness in my old age. Now I understand why my mother never wanted to ride the roller coasters at the amusement park!

18 weeks

Happy 18 weeks, baby boy!

Everything is going great. Dustin and I have digested the fact that we are adding a boy to our family and are more excited than we ever imagined! Addison and I went out yesterday and bought a few outfits for the little guy. I had more fun shopping for boy attire than I thought I would. They really make some cute things these days and I can't resist the sales. I was able to get some nice designer outfits for a fraction of the original cost, all in 0-3 month and 3-6 month sizes. Everything seems so little...and then I look back at Addison's preemie clothes and can't believe I had a baby that small. But you should see these little shoes I got him. OMIGOSH they are just so sweet. Anyway...I need to stay away from the mall!
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How your baby's growing:
Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.
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I am feeling little jabs a lot now, which is undeniably one of the best feelings ever. I am looking forward to the day that other people can feel them. I think Addison will get a kick out of it. (No pun intended.) She is very into looking up my shirt and telling me "Mommy baby belly" and then proceeding to lift her own shirt up and say "Adsin baby belly". The other day in the car she kept telling Dustin and I that she had a baby in her belly and I told her if that was the case, she could make us millions!

Here are some 18 week belly shots.

I went to look back at my 18 week belly pictures with Addison. It's funny how similar the belly looks with both pregnancies. All those people who told me, "Oh, you'll pop right away with your second" were so wrong, wouldn't you agree?

As a matter of fact, I feel like I was even a little more popped out with Addison. Please excuse the protruding collar bones and skeletal arms. Holy moly, my body was soooooo unhealthy! Yuck!

Dustin and I are celebrating 18 weeks tonight with our good friends at dinner and the live tour of "So You Think You Can Dance" (a favorite of ours)!