Finally, after toying around with the thought for a few weeks, she’s finally decided that walking might be fun! Daddy had her practicing all weekend. I think the most she’s taken is 12 steps and she still isn’t confident enough to stand up on her own, but put her in position, and she’s off…
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New pictures are posted here from Kendall. These were taken on Addie’s first birthday! She’s the cutest baby ever!!
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The past couple of weeks have been a huge whirl-wind of excitement! Jimmy and I were pretty good about getting all the shopping taken care of in advance, but wrapping was a completely different story. We were scrambling right up until Christmas morning – thank goodness Jimmy is a good present-wrapper (I even “tricked” him into wrapping his own – though I put bows on everything, so it was a joint effort!).
We spent Christmas Eve at my parents house for our steak and lobster tradition. Addie had a little of both, but was more interested in playing with the snowmen and Auntie Lyssa’s phone.
We woke up Christmas morning and opened presents with my parents, Alyssa and Papa. Addie’s favorite gifts were two new baby dolls and a wooden ark handmade by Gramps. She also loved the Marlie pug ornament for a moment, but it didn’t turn out to be very entertaining. I’m sure next year when we’re hanging it on the tree she’ll appreciate it again!
Next, we were off to El Dorado Hills. We started at Richard and Sharon’s house where we had a delicious meal and entertainment (as always) from RJ. Addie loved freaking him out by flipping around on the chair over and over again. He’s decided that she’s simply “too much responsibility”. Probably a good thing for an almost 20-year-old to discover!!
Then we headed to the Smith’s Christmas where Addie had another full plate of food. Larry played the piano and Lisa, Carol, and Lindsey sang. Addie absolutely loved it! She danced and clapped for hours, then “walked” around the kitchen with her “twin” Lindsey. I’ll have to get pictures of Lindsey to post here. Addie looks just like her baby pictures. And Addie absolutely adores her!
It was a busy week, but we had such a good Christmas with our families! I’m so ready for another 3-day weekend to relax and clean my house. I hope everyone had as much fun as we did.
Have a safe and happy new year!
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Last Saturday, Addie had the most one-derful first birthday celebration! The house was decorated with an Addie in One-derland theme…wood signs in the yard, lanterns in the trees and strung over the tables, flowers in tea pots, eat me and drink me tags everywhere, and a Very Merry Unbirthday playing in the courtyard as guests arrived. Addie even dressed the part in a blue tutu, white tights, mary janes and a black headband – very Alice-chic! She was a little overwhelmed by all the people and chaos that comes with 35 bodies packed into her usually calm house. She wasn’t a huge fan of the cake, as you can tell by her expression in the pictures. And it wasn’t until everyone left and she had an afternoon nap that she warmed up to the idea of a birthday at all. Just before the sun set, we tied a one-year wish to her balloons and set them free. Then, Jimmy and I opened presents with her, and in true Addie fashion, her favorites were a gift receipt and a $5 bill. It wasn’t until the following day that she realized there was more to play with!
Yesterday, we had her 1-year doctor’s appointment. She’s usually a champ when she gets shots, but the toe prick to measure her iron levels did her in. She was screaming for the rest of the appointment. That will teach us to interrupt her nap time! She’s 31 inches tall (please note that per her daddy’s baby book, he was only 29 inches at a year) putting her in the 95th percentile for height and holding steady at 20 pounds. This drops her into the 25th for weight, but we’re told that it’s normal for this age when they are becoming more active. Doctor’s orders are to feed her as much as she will eat, as often as she wants. Simple enough, right?!
So, that wraps up her first year. Can you believe it? Neither can we.
Bring on toddlerhood!
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Such a simple word, right? A bit ho hum. But when it comes out of the mouth of your 11-month-old, it’s like birds singing! It’s been a couple weeks now since our “official” first word. When I picked Addie up from her sitter’s on Nov. 14, she told me her daughter walked in to the room and Addie turned around and said “hi”, just like she’d been saying it forever, no big deal. Then it was non-stop, hi to the pets, to random people in stores, inanimate objects, pretty much any thing and everything got a friendly greeting. She has been babbling mama and dada for a while, but doesn’t use them in context yet, so we’re giving her official first word to “hi”. We have a video, but it’s stuck on my phone. Once we figure out how to get it on here, we’ll be sure to share!
In other exciting news, we had a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner with my mom, Vic, Alyssa, and Krista’s crew. If you’re looking for new, delicious recipes, try these out. They won’t disappoint:
Turkey - http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/apple-cider-brined-turkey-with-savory-herb-gravy-10000000780346/
Gravy - http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/savory-herb-gravy-10000001563853/
Mashed potatoes – use your favorite recipe
Grom’s stuffing – it’s amazing, email me if you want the recipe
Brussel sprouts - http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/brussels-sprouts-with-apples-10000000364642/
Sweet potato and apple gratin - http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/sweet-potato-apple-gratin-10000000357649/
rolls - http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2352
cranberries - http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2355
pumpkin apple pie - http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/896
pumpkin chocolate cake - http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2635
Addie had her first Thanksgiving meal off a real porcelain plate, filled with all the traditional fixings. She immediately fisted a hunk of turkey, but I think the cranberries and stuffing turned out to be her favorite. She ate both for days to follow!
So now, with one more milestone behind us, we’re gearing up for the big first birthday celebration! I can’t believe we’ll have a 1-year-old by the end of the week! Yikes!! Such an exciting year with this little one!
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If these jobs of ours don’t work out, I imagine Jimmy & I could become professional movers. Not really, we’re actually quite bad about it, but considering the number of times we’ve moved, I think that could stand alone on a job application for a moving company. Let me take a minute to count…since we graduated, we’ve moved 9 times! We’ve been “officially” dating 10 years this week, so that averages about one move a year. It’s pretty ridiculous when you consider we’ve also owned two houses that we stayed in for about 3 years each.
Anyway, the good thing about this move is that it means my mom & Vic are moving to Reno! Yay! More Gram & Gramps time for Addie (and a babysitter!!), and we get to live a in pretty sweet house with great views of the city for a little while.
And, while all I mentioned already is pretty fantastic in itself, I think the most exciting thing about a move is…
I’m thrilled to have new furniture! It’s amazing and I’m loving that “new furniture” smell. I couldn’t be more thrilled with our purchase! Our old couch made 4 of the above mentioned moves with us, so it was time to part ways. Craigslist and young couples have been my new best friends this week! We sold our red leather couch and chair (which will soon make an appearance at a new bar in downtown Reno – exciting, huh??), our coffee/end table set, two random glass end tables, and our tan sofa and loveseat. And, made a profit of a couple hundred dollars after buying my new loves. Pretty sweet, wouldn’t you agree? Now, just the desk and we’ll be done!
I think Addie’s a fan of the new couch too…
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Addie’s first Halloween was filled with two jam-packed weekends of adventure.
We started with the Ferrari Farms pumpkin patch with her friend Priya. Addie picked out a tiny little pumpkin that she didn’t put down for days. We bought two nice ones to carve, though they only were lit once and promptly thrown in the trash within two days. However, we did get a super-cute picture of Addie with her owl.
Our amazing sitter, Linda, had all the kids dress up Thursday – so stinking adorable!! Did I mention that there is a new baby Adelyn at the sitter’s? A random side though, but something I should share 
.
We picked Addie up after her party and headed to El Dorado Hills to visit Nana & Poppy and Addie got to meet her aunts Heidi & Laura, finally! We had a wonderful dinner with Larry & G-ma Lori, and Sharon, Richard, & Dorothy as well. We spent Friday at Apple Hill, eating delicious apple donuts and playing outside in the amazing weather.
Saturday, we woke up bright and early and headed to San Francisco to visit with Krista, Nick & the kids. Addie had a great time until the lack of naps caught up to her around 6:00. Once she went down, she was out for the night and slept most of the way home Sunday.
We got one last burst of Halloween fun in Monday when we took Addie trick or treating with some friends from college. Addie wasn’t too interested in any of it. She was happiest when we gave her a cookie to munch on, but we were pleased with our photo ops and called it an early night. Next year, I’m sure she’ll enjoy it more than we do, but at least we have these precious pics to remember her first Halloween!
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Our amazing photographer, Kendall Price, posted some of Addie’s pics to her blog here. Isn’t she the cutest 10-month old ever?
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We spent Monday evening with the amazingly talented Kendall Price for Adelyn’s third photo session. For those who don’t know, when Addie was born, we bought a “Baby Steps” package which gives us 4 sessions during her first year. Great idea for procrastinating parents like us who have yet to start filling the gorgeous photo album we received as a baptism gift. We’re committed to newborn, 4 month, 8 month and 1-year pictures, so when we finally get around to it, at least we’ll have 4 pages filled!
This was Addie’s first time in Tahoe, first time in sand too. She was a bit reluctant to start, the pictures in the orange below are early shots, but she loosened up once the “ducks” came to hang out (they’re really geese, and it drives Jimmy crazy that I call them ducks!!). She tasted a piece of wood she found buried in the sand, did a little digging, and of course, licked her hand clean. I can’t decide if she just wanted to taste it or if she was annoyed that her hand was covered, so licking it off was the best line of defense.
Either way, we’re anxiously awaiting the beautiful pictures we’re sure Kendall was able to take. Until then, here are a few of my very unprofessional shots of our fun evening at the lake.
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Who’s the cutest little 9-month-old baby? That would be Miss Adelyn! And at 9 months, she sure knows how to have a good time!
Krista, Nick, Ewan and Oscar came in for the weekend for the Great Reno Balloon Race – my favorite kick off to Fall. Pair that with a pumpkin spice latte and the leaves might as well be turning already. And, I love how Reno knows that hot air balloons mean the weather has to change. Last week, we were still in the 90 degree range and now, we’re waking up to cool, rain-scented mornings! Love it!!
OK, back to the star of the show…
I had a little anxiety about waking Addie up at 4 am, but she was smiling and ready to go. We headed of, car packed with 3 kids, 4 adults and as many Starbucks lattes as we could carry to pick up Auntie Alyssa and meet our favorite friends at Dawn Patrol.
We had a delicious breakfast with friends at Peg’s, took a much needed afternoon nap and headed out to Aunt Krista’s favorite, Bertha Miranda’s. Adelyn loves being out and about, she never fussed the whole day and was such a joy! My goodness, I love this kid!!
Sunday, we grabbed breakfast at Walden’s with Krista and fam, then sent them back to the bay. Not wanting to waste the beautiful Sunday, Jimmy, Addie and I ran a few errands, drove around a few of our favorite neighborhoods and ended up at a quaint little park where we could lounge in the grass and read some books. We noticed there were kiddie swings in the playground, so thought Addie should try them out. I wasn’t sure she’d enjoy this little experiment, but I’d have to say, it was a huge success. Just look at this face…
We took Addie to her 9 month appointment yesterday – 29 1/2 inches, 19 pounds, 5 ounces. That’s 97th percentile for height, in case anyone was curious! Looks like dad’s tall and skinny genes are holding strong!
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