8 months old - Chase

Dear Chaser Boy,

You are now 8 months old...I can't believe it!

(I wasn't even going to try to put this 6-9 month onesie on you!)

You are still my little baby and have a lot of the baby characteristics, but you are growing up so quickly and gaining maturity with each passing minute.

Here's the latest:

You are over 22 pounds, according to our scale at home, and wear mostly sized 12-18 month or 18 month clothes. You can still wear some 12 months. You wear size 3 diapers but we only have a few left, so it's only a matter of a couple days and you will be in size 4. You do wear size 4 overnight diapers.

Because you outgrew your infant seat at 7 months old, you now sit in a big boy car seat (convertible). It's the same as your sissy's, but rear facing. You think it's soooo cool that you can look over and see her now! You ADORE your sissy. You laugh so hard at her and inhale when doing so, as if you are trying to catch your breath.

You sleep 12-13 hours at night (you go down at 6pm, just like Addison did when she was your age) and take 3-4 hours worth of naps each day. You sleep on your tummy 99.9% of the time. Of course, I follow the rules and lay you down on your back, but you immediately roll over to sleep. And speaking of rolling, you are finally an expert at rolling. It's your main mode of transportation now and boy can you get going. I'll look away for a minute and you'll be clear across the room! You've done a teeny bit of scooting, so I think crawling is just around the corner.

You are still a wonderful eater, eating 3 meals a day and taking about 20 oz. of formula. We weened you this month and you are taking all formula now. It was a little hard on me to stop breastfeeding, but I had to in preparation for an upcoming surgery. You didn't seem to mind the change. My easy babe. :)

This month, you tried a few new foods - black beans, green beans, chick peas, and cantaloupe. You also got your first two teeth (the two middle bottom ones) and your first cold. Addison brought some germs home from school and kindly shared them with you. Get used to it!

I think your eyes have officially changed color. I would say they're green, though every once in a while they look gray or hazel.

You are starting to reach up to be held and are starting to wave. You open and close your fist at your side. Sometimes you'll do it with your hand in front of you.

You're still the happiest guy ever and have made having a second child as easy as it could be for me!

Your sissy wanted one more picture with you!

Two Toofers

Mom has been trying to get a picture of my pearly whites, but I'm always being quite the little monkey and won't open my mouth wide enough.

So, she finally pried it open and got a good shot. See?!?

Field Trip

Addison had her first school field trip today. We went to Lynd's Fruit Farm to do some apple picking. She had a great time!

One of her best playmates, Abby.

You may have noticed that Addison is quite the social butterfly. Man, she loves her friends...I can't even tell you! I think it's a great character trait that I hope continues throughout her life.

Walking hand in hand with Shelby.

The 3 musketeers.

Aren't they ADORABLE?!?

Yes, Addison is the shorty. Poor thing...smallest in her class. We're waiting on a growth spurt!

Abby and Shelby have been two of Addison's closest friends for a while now. Abby and Addison met at 18 months old through my mom's Club and she and Shelby were in gymnastics together and have since become even better friends since Kim (Shelby's mom) joined the mom's club. Liz (Abby's mom), Kim, and I thought it would be nice for the girls to be in the same class so once we all agreed on a school, we made sure they would be together! I think it made the transition to school easier for Addison. The 3 of them are just sooooo sweet.

After we filled our bags with Golden Delicious apples, we headed inside the barn for a demonstration on how Apples were grown - from the little sapling, to the leaves, to the blossoms and finally, the fruit. Our guide asked for volunteers to hang the leaves on the tree and Addison was the first to jump up and run to the front of the room. (This did not surprise me one bit!)

Placing her 3rd leaf.

Placing the blossom.

Reaching out for an apple to put on the tree. The guide deliberately handed out 3 apples before getting to my little angel. Way to discourage an eager child. I could have punched him!

The beautiful apple tree.

5 Little Monkeys

Addison loves, absolutely LOVES an audience. These days, there is no better person to perform to than Chase. He thinks the world of her. THE WORLD. He is attentive. He stays in one place. He laughs at her. You couldn't ask for a better audience.

Pay attention to the end of the second video. The instant it appears that Chase's attention has been diverted, Addison takes control!

P.S. Don't know why the video is loading like this, but it's frustrating!

This guy is happy All.The.Time!

Race for the Cure 2010

Team "Kickin' it with Kristi" represented for the 4th consecutive year (wow, 4 years!) today. Our team was smaller this year than in past years, mostly due to the fact that I wasn't sure I would even be able to attend until 2 weeks out and therefore didn't round up people like I usually do. No matter, we had a great time and the Race was another success. Thanks to everyone who came out to support me this year!

Ice Cream with Poppy

Providing entertainment for my children by way of hiccups

Chase's first cold

Chase had his first cold last week. It was very mild, thankfully...just some congestion which resulted in a lot of snorting while he was trying to eat. Other than that, he showed no signs of being sick. Maybe it was the ragweed (it's bad this year)? Teething? Nah, I won't blame it on these modern day excuses. It was probably just an old fashioned cold. I'm sure Addison is bringing home all sorts of yummy germs from preschool!

Chase's first tooth

Chase's first tooth broke through this week. It is the right lower central incisor. The first sign of this happening was on Monday when he refused the bottle (that's a first!) before his morning nap. I felt a little bump starting and noticed some swelling. By Wednesday, you could see the white slit and this morning I noticed the whole top of the tooth is through the gums. It doesn't seem to be bothering him much, though I have given him a couple of doses of teething tablets to give him some relief, as I think he is about to sprout the one next to it and possibly another. I'll try to get a picture soon!

Letter from Addison's teachers

I received a letter today from Addison's teachers about this week in school and definitely want to include it here for keepsake purposes:

This week went very well. We are all getting into our new routines nicely. It is awesome how well your children are adapting to our classroom. They are all such special individuals.

This week we spent time talking about how we are all unique but all special. The things we all have in common and what we don't. We made puzzle pieces with our hand prints and talked about what is alike and different about them. They were all measured and we will see how they grow throughout the year. On Thursday (our science day) we made flubber which was a big hit. Did they all show you the flubber they got to bring home? They love music and we are learning lots of fun new songs. Some of them really have some great dance
moves :)

The next couple of weeks we will be talking about apples leading up to the apple farm trip. If your child cannot eat apples, cinnamon or brown sugar please let us know as we are planning to taste a variety of apples and decide which we like best. We will be graphing these results and learning about graphs. We are also planning to make applesauce next Thursday.

If you are planning to make a scholastic book order those are due September 24th.

Have a great weekend and thank you for letting us enjoy being a part of your child's lives.

Second week of school

Addison had another good week at school. Tuesday was a little iffy as she told me she "didn't do nothin' " while there for 3 hours (though I finally got from her that they finger painted) and as soon as we got home, had a very uncharacteristic meltdown. When, I dropped her off, she ran right in and started putting together a puzzle with her teacher, but by pick up time, I don't think she was feeling the best. She barely ate lunch and went down for her nap an hour earlier than usual.

Today was much better. As her teacher put her in the car (pick-up is curbside), she started with the details of her day:

A: Mommy, I made blue Fluvver.

M: You made a blue flower?!?!

A: No, blue fluvver.

M: Blue fluffer?

A: NO! Blue FLUUUUUVVVVVERRRRRRR!

M: Oh! Blue flubber?

A: Yes, Mommy!

Indeed, she did make blue flubber. We came home, had lunch, and then she wanted to play with it. She made a turtle and then, a cat. She told me that's what they were and they actually looked like it. I swear I didn't touch the stuff. I am not sure how she created these herself, but I personally think it's pretty amazing. Coincidental? Maybe. But, still, amazing.

The making of the turtle.....

The making of the cat....

Yes, I know the cat doesn't have legs and at second glance, it kind of looks like a mouse. But, I still think she's awesome! Later this afternoon, she was on the phone with my mom (Gammy) and the. same. exact. conversation ensued. I then tried to get her to say "Flubber" and she demanded "My teacher said FLUVVER!!!!!" I know she can say it the correct way, and think it is really cute that she was pronouncing it the way she interpreted it and was getting frustrated with us for saying it "the wrong way"!

I asked her what book she read, knowing from the September calendar that I was given, that they were reading Little Miss Spider At Sunny Patch School.

A: It was about a bug.

M: Was it about a Spider?

A: Yes!

M: Neat! Did you sit on your mat for circle time?

A: I couldn't see.

M: Why couldn't you see?

A: "Sit on the carpet and you will be able to see better..." (quoting her teacher, I assume)

M: Where were you sitting?

A: At the table.

M: Why didn't you sit on the carpet?

A: Because I wanted to sit at the table so I could take my friend's toys.

Oh, how I wish I could be a fly on the wall!

And one more...

A: Mommy, I got hit in the face. Matthew hit me in the face.

M: Oh, sweetie. Was it an accident?

A: Yes.

M: Did he say he was sorry.

A: Yes.

M: Did you cry?

A: Yes, I cried because I....he....you aren't there.

M: Well, I am sure the teachers made you feel better.

A: No. I cried because you aren't with me.

M: Yes, baby, but Mommy can't be with you at school. School is a special place for you and your friends.

A: Where are your friends, Mommy?

M: My friends are at their homes.

A: You don't have any friends, Mommy.

M: Yes I do! (picking my self esteem off the floor...he he) Emily is my friend. (my best friend, Emily, is currently in town but not present during this conversation)

A: No you don't. Emily is not outside. I have friends and I will give you one. (proceeds to name pretty much every single kid in our neighborhood)

Lynd's Fruit Farm

We made our first trip of the season to Lynd's Fruit Farm. Our first stop was the barrel train ride. I was excited to see it up and running because Addison enjoyed it so much last year. The ride this year was another hit, except at the end when she came around the corner shouting, "I'm done, Mommy. I'm done. I'M DOOOOOOONE!" So, maybe it was only a half hit.

Chase will be able to ride next year!

Waving hi to Daddy and Chase.

After the barrel train, we were joined by good friends, Kate and Anthony. After doing some shopping for fresh fruit, veggies, bread and the best apple butter you will ever taste (if you're lucky enough!), we went on a wagon ride to pick some apples.

Today, we picked McIntosh apples.

Addison dug right in!

Anthony helped Chase pick his first apple, too!

Chase was interested in the leaves a little more than the apples.

Until he got his gums on one!

Yum yum for the baby.