Tuesday, November 27

new layout

I was getting tired of the old, skinny, dark layout. Thus a newer, plumper, and brighter layout! Hurrah!

Sunday, November 25

Playing catch-up

Well, we're baaa-ack! We had a great, fun, and exhausting week. Here is my brieft synopsis:

After our 12 hour car ride on Saturday (Addie actually did quite well in her car seat) we made it home, had some soup, and went to bed. On Sunday we went to church with my family. Everyone has grown up so much in our old ward! It was so strange to see the little babies I used to babysit as teenagers! It was fun to attend church with my mom and our Sunday School lesson was great. If you haven't read James in a while, I encourage you to brush up on it. The whole book is only 4 pages or so. We discussed James' definition of "true religion" in James 1:28 and it made for a very interesting and enlightening discussion.

Sunday night we had dinner with my brother and sister-in-law. Harvey, their new little one month old, is ADORABLE. His facial features are so small, and I forgot how tiny newborns are. Even though he's only one month old, he's still only 2 pounds lighter than our petite Adelyn. It was great to hold him and chat with the fam.

On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we played games with the family (mostly Battleship, Boggle and PayDay), caught up with old friends I hadn't seen in a long time (and delighted in hearing them ooh and aah over Addie), and just relaxed. Jason did some studying, I went to Bronners (supposedly the BIGGEST CHRISTMAS STORE IN AMERICA!) and we had delicious Mexican food in Detroit.

Thanksgiving Thursday was, of course, delicious and relaxing...for the most part. Jason played football in the snow, Green Bay and the Cowboys won, the turkey and pie was scrumptious, and I (dum dum dum) had another gall bladder attack! I couldn't fall asleep because of intense pain, and finally around 5 a.m. my dad took me to the emergency room. They found out, after an ultrasound of nearly my entire body, that I have gall stones. I'd had horrible pain twice before, but I had always been able to sleep and it would be gone by morning. Not so this time. It stinks because now I have to find a doctor, have surgery, figure out how to pay for it, and in the meantime, eat the most horribly bland diet. It stinks all around. On the flip side, maybe it will help me lose some weight. But, other than that, Thanksgiving was great! Yay!

But really, it was wonderful being home. We always enjoy spending time with my parents, brothers and sisters, and our hilarious neices and nephews. I'm glad that we live close enough to drive every once in awhile!

Friday, November 16

Yes Michigan!

Bright and early tomorrow morning Jason, Addie and I are heading out to Michigan! I am so excited to spend nearly the entire week of Thanksgiving with my family. We were lucky to be able to visit in May so it hasn't been that long since I've been home, but we've had two major additions to our family since then--Adelyn and my 3 week old nephew Harvey. It will be so fun to have everyone together! Unfortunately my little sister and her husband won't be there, but maybe we'll put huge cardboard cutouts of them at the table.

It's going to be a long drive, about 12 hours, but it will be worth it. I just hope Addie will cooperate in the car. I still have to finish packing, but I needed a short distraction.

We hope that all of you, our wonderful friends, will have a great Thanksgiving as well. Jason and I have much to be thankful for- our family, our faith, and all of our friends! Make sure to eat an extra piece of pie!

Monday, November 12

about the picture

Ok, so you're confused by the Thanksgiving Monster. Don't worry, we understand, but really, it's just a random picture created together by Jana and Jason-- Jana drew a normal turkey, and Jason drew the monster.


Hey, it's funny. See? It made Adelyn smile.

Thursday, November 8

OUR SUCCESS!

Since we've moved to Tennessee Adelyn has been sleeping in our bed with us. I realize this is quite controversial, I've heard it all, but our experience with co-sleeping was very positive. I would recommend it to any mom who needs more sleep and any dad who is looking to better bond with his infant. (By the way, there is plentiful research to support co-sleeping--I've read it--and the research has not shown any ill effects toward social or cognitive development. It's quite wonderful!)

Anyhow... Jason and I, after much discussion, decided several weeks ago to move Addie into her crib. The biggest reason? We needed more alone time together. Ever since we decided to make the big bed/crib move, I've been SO WORRIED about it. I've read everything I can on how to make the transition easier, I've asked everyone I know about how they put their babies to bed, I've prayed and prayed and prayed! I don't quite know why this one simple thing caused me so much stress, but I was NOT looking forward to doing it.

Let's start at the end. On Monday we started putting her in her crib at night and it's been GREAT! She doesn't even cry when we put her down and she only wakes up once to eat. The whole thing has not been nearly as traumatic as I thought it would be. If you're interested on how we did it, read on.

1. SWADDLE. We had stopped swaddling a couple weeks after she was born because she didn't seem to like it, but after hearing my friend Shauna's success with swaddling, I gave it another go. Now when she's swaddled she takes the hint that it is time to sleep. Here's a shout-out to Shauna--you're a genius!
2. NAPTIME. About 3 weeks ago I started diligently putting Addie in her crib for her daily naps. I no longer just let her fall asleep wherever, she sleeps in her crib at naptime--the idea was to get her used to it. This wasn't my idea, someone suggested it on an online parenting website, and it seems to have worked!
3. ROUTINE. I read and heard over and over again that bedtime routines are critical. We never had one before, we just layed her down next to us when we were ready to sleep and she got snuggly and cozy and slept. Well, now I feed her, give her a little baby massage with some of that lavendar relaxing lotion (she LOVES it, she just smiles and coos the whole time), and then I put on her PJs, wrap her up, and rock her for awhile. When I see her eyelids start to get droopy I put her in her crib.
4. PATIENCE. I always put her in her crib when she's tired, but not asleep. This is to help her learn to put herself to sleep. But, unfortunately, this doesn't mean she falls asleep right away. After much reading and pondering and discussion, Jason and I decided we really aren't parents that can handle the "cry it out" approach. It just isn't for us. After I put her down, I sit there and read a book next to her bed, and if she gets a little fussy, I pat her and calm her down, but I don't pick her up. She hasn't ever full-on cried and the longest I've sat there is 20 minutes. Not bad!

Well, I'm proud of myself, as you can tell. I was so sure that the bed to crib transition would be horrific. It's only been 4 days, and I'm sure there will be some rocky nights ahead, but I'm happy with our results. The success that we've had reaffirmed something I already knew--by taking a little time to research and educate myself, presumably difficult tasks can be accomplished, and sometimes very easily! Who says learning ends when we stop attending school? I'm constantly learning new things about myself as I mother Addie every day!

Monday, November 5

I am 4 months old!

Hi, my name is Addie and I just turned 4 months old on November 3rd. Wow, time has flown by. I can now roll over when I feel like it (which isn't as often as my parents would like), grab my toes, drool on all my toys, take my binky out and ususally get it back in my mouth, make cute baby noises, and laugh on occasion (again, not as often as my parents would like).



I have inherited big pupils from my mom. See? We both seem to always have red eyes in pictures because of it.

I have learned to LOVE watching football on Sunday with my dad. This picture is what ends up happening at about halftime every Sunday.



These are my new friends. We went trick-or-treating together on Halloween. For me it mostly turned out to be a trick because I didn't get to have any candy. But they are fun and are always asking my mom what I'm saying when I make noises. I have to say, my mom usually is wrong.

This is me. My parents thought they had to have a picture to celebrate me turning 4 months. I was thinking, "Come on, you get a picture of me almost every other day, too!" Parents can be so lame.

Anyhow, I'm 4 months old and I guess it's a big deal. I wonder what I'll figure out to do this month!