Finding The Silver Lining...

Wow! Two posts in one month, wooo hooo!

Well here is a picture of Addison and I with my brother while he was home over the holidays. This picture was taken one night when we out to dinner before he had to go back to Texas. We just found out that he should be getting out of the Army in August, which is a few months sooner than we thought! We are excited about that and can't wait until he is home for good!
Addison went sledding this month for the first time! She was all bundled up and resembled Randy from a Christmas Story (Ralphie's little brother). She had fun and we can't wait to go again!



Well the last few years have started off with some big BANGS.. and so why should this year be any different? I finally talked Jason into going to the doctor for a rash on his arm that he has had for longer than we can remember (we were thinking it is some type of heat related eczema). For anyone that really knows Jason, you know he doesn't 'do doctors'. The last time he was at the doctors was 2003 because he and I were passing colds back and forth for a few months, and he came home diagnosed with sleep apnea! Prior to that, he was probably 7 years old when he had had a traumatic experience getting lab work done and he has written off going to any type of doctors since. So needless to say it was like pulling teeth to get him to finally go to the doctor's to figure out this rash deal. His doctor decided it would be a good idea to have some lab work done, and an overall physical, because it has been so long since he's been seen. The lab work comes back the same day with a phone call: 'You need to come back to the office tomorrow'. This time, we come home with a diagnosis of Diabetes Mellitus: Type 2. What? We came in for a rash and now we're leaving with a glucometer?! This was approximately two weeks ago. The first few days were filled with a lot of emotions for the both of us. We came to terms with it pretty quickly and have been working to get Jason's sugars down into a 'normal range'. When he had his lab work done, his blood sugar level was 348. The 'normal range' is 80-140. It's been almost two weeks since the diagnosis and already his levels are in the normal range. He has cut out drinking regular sodas and switched to diet sodas, diet iced teas and water. He is also eating regularly and watching what he is eating. We met today with a diabetic nutritionist and a diabetic nurse who gave us a lot of information about the disease, how to control it, how to live with it, what he can eat and how much. It's been a lot of information in a short amount of time, but we're getting there. Both Jason's doctors and I are so proud of him at how well he has done with bringing his numbers down so rapidly. He is taking this diagnosis very seriously (as he should be) and it shows. We now are also working on some exercise routines and bringing down his cholesterol. It's a lot to tackle but we are getting there.
I am taking this shocking diagnosis as a blessing in disguise, and trying to find the silver lining in it all. We are very thankful that the diagnosis was caught before something tragic or irreversible happened to Jason's health. Let's face it, we could both stand to lose a few pounds and eat healthy and exercise. Now we don't have a choice, this is going to be our new way of life. Because we will be eating healthier and exercising, Addison will grow up not knowing any other way. She won't have poor diet and exercise habits. Hopefully we can help prevent her from developing this disease.
So other than a lot of doctor's appointments this month, there hasn't been a whole lot going on otherwise. Addison goes to the doctors mid-February for her 15 month check-up so that is something to look forward to. I love seeing how much she has grown between check-ups!

Happy New Year!

Okay so maybe I'm a few days late with the 'Happy New Year', but better late than never, right?
So of course it's been months again! Between updating the blog, her scrapbook, baby book, my diary to her, etc...I just can't keep up!
Addison's 1st birthday was a huge success! She sure had a blast digging into her Elmo cake that I made for her. By the time that was all over, she was in desperate need of a 'tubby' and her highchair took 3 grown men to hose down and clean up! Oh, and she also decorated the walls with some red icing! She had a blast, and that is all that matters!
Of course she was spoiled rotten and got a lot of clothes and toys. She couldn't ask for better family and friends, she is a very loved little girl and that just warms my heart so much.
Addi had her 1 year appointment and the doctor was very pleased with her growth. She was walking like a 15 month old should be at only 12 months, you go girl!

Later in November I finally had my gallbladder removed! Only 7 months after the original surgery date. I started having flair-ups again, and they were getting to be pretty chronic. The surgery was outpatient, which to me seemed like it should be easy-breezy, right? I mean I had a c-section, this should be nothing? Wrong! Although I didn't have to stay overnight in the hospital, the healing time and pain I had after was pretty comparable and at some times worse than the c-section was! The good news is that the gallbladder is out and I won't ever have those pains again! Thankfully we had some help from Nanny, Pappy and the Knerr's to help take care of Addi while Mommy recuperated.
December came and went so fast. It tends to creep on you and then it's gone before you know it. This holiday season was even more special this year because Uncle Bubby got to spend it with us! He hasn't been home for the holidays since he has joined the Army. He was last home in July, when Addi was just really starting to crawl, and now here she is her own little person walking and running around and talking in her own little baby babble. Christmas was wonderful, and again Addison was spoiled rotten by Santa and friends and family. So much so that the day after Christmas Mommy had to go shopping for toy boxes and storage organizers so we had somewhere to put it all!

Addison is really great at walking, bending over, running, climbing up the stairs and walking up the stairs if you hold her hands. She will walk down the stair if you hold her hands also. She still loves tubby time. She really comprehends what you say to her and is starting to mimic actions and really picking up on her vocabulary. She can say: Momma, Dada, NO, Duck, Baba (bottle), Book, Hi, Pap Pap, Down and Uh-OH. She waves 'Hi' and 'Bye'. She says 'Quack Quack' if you ask her how a Duck goes, and when you ask her how a Piggy goes she says "Weeeeee!" (Got that one from a Geico commercial), LOL!!! She loves to play Peek-A-Boo and Ring Around the Rosy. I am just amazed by all of the things she can say and do. She is one smart little girl. We are so blessed to have her in our lives!

Where has the time gone...?

I am really slacking on this blog thing! I forget most of the time that we have it, and therefore it is not updated nearly as much as it should be!
So much has happened over the last few months, it is unbelievable! Forget crawling, we are walking on our own now, crawling up the stairs (with supervision and assistance of course!) and have 5 teeth! Can you believe it?
In just a few short weeks, Addison is going to be turning one year old! It saddens me so much to think of that, because I am realizing long gone are her 'infant' days and we can never get them back! It sure didn't last long, and everyone tells you that, it's just so hard to comprehend until you have one of your own. To watch her grow more with each day, and learn or discover something new is one of the greatest joys of my life.
The summer flew by way too fast. Addison got to go swimming at Nanny and Pappy's pool, and she sure did love it! She is quite the water baby! This also made 'tubby time' a lot more interesting once she realized she really loved splashing around in water!
We did some day activities: Knoebel's Grove, Lake Tobias, Hershey Park, more picnics/cookouts. We didn't take any 'vacations' this year, but next summer when Addi is a little bit bigger we would like to take her to the beach.
After an emergency cesarean section, due to severe complications, our friends Jen and Dave welcomed their son Lincoln Pierce Mowery on July 3 2010. Lincoln had to stay in the NICU at the hospital for a few weeks, but was released to come home and is now 3 1/2 months old and getting bigger and bigger by the day! You wouldn't know he was born 5 weeks early! He's a very healthy boy!
Addison got her 1st tooth at the end of August, and within 1 month she had a total of 4 teeth! Her 5th just poked through earlier this week! She has handled them all fairly well. From what I hear some babies are downright miserable when they are teething, and she has only been slightly fussier than normal, sometimes, during her teething.
Pretty much as soon as Addi started to crawl, she also began to pull herself up to a standing position on the furniture. She did that for several weeks and of course she progressed to whipping around the furniture and walls until she finally started to take 1-2 steps on her own. She did that for about 2 or 3 weeks and then she was able to start taking multiple steps on her own and now she is a walker! Occasionally she will fall on her bum, and she hasn't quite mastered the art of bending over to pick something up that she wants so she will go back down to a crawling position, but she is definitely on the go! She has discovered the stairs and she likes to go up them! We haven't even attempted to come back down them, I'm not quite ready for that yet!
Addison has been to two Halloween parades, Middletown and Penbrook. Next week we will probably take her trick-or-treating with some friends of ours.
Addi's 1st birthday is approaching, and fast! We have been slowly planning for a few weeks. I wanted to do something big for her, but she really won't be old enough to understand or enjoy it so we are just going to keep it low-key at our house, with immediate family and some close friends. I am very much looking forward to watching her make a mess of herself with cake!
Hopefully it won't be so long until our next post!

Sorry it's been a while!...

I know it's been a while..so here are some pictures from the last few months:

I'm just starting to roll over here, mid April (by now I'm a pro)

Mini photo session with Mommy & Daddy

Mother's Day

1st time in a Helicopter @ Armed Forces Day

Love to play with my feet, and put them in my mouth!

Sick with my 1st ear infection and fever ;-(

Addi has perfected the art of rolling over. She first started being able to roll from her back to her belly, but after a few weeks she learned to roll back onto her back. She is now rolling and wiggling her way all over the place. She will be crawling in no time!
She recently had her 1st ear infection. It started as a runny nose and a fever, and because it was our 1st Mommy & Daddy didn't know quite what to do. We called the pediatrician and gave her some tylenol. After a few days Mommy took her to the pediatrician and found out it was an ear infection! So the doctor gave us some antibiotics and within 2 days she was well on her way back to her happy little self!
Addi's babbling and cooing is increasing all of the time! She is becoming quite the chatterbox! She has started to say 'dadadadada' and 'mum mum mum', although she doesn't quite mean 'Dad' and 'Mom'. She loves to grab everything within her reach, and inevitably it ends up in her mouth!
We are excited for the summer and to take her swimming. We have been on a few picnics to Pinchot Park, and at one of them she got to experiment with dipping her feet in the lake. She loved it!
We're still trying to balance out our schedules now that Mommy is back to working in the office. We don't get to do as many family outings and activities on the weekend, but we're managing!
Addi likes having play dates with her friend Bella, who is only 6 weeks younger than she is. She will be having another friend to play with soon, in August. Mommy's friend Jen will be having a baby boy!
My brother will be coming home on leave from the Army in the beginning of July, for two weeks. So we are excited to see him! We last saw him when Addi was 3 months old.

Cereal, Oh My!

We had Addison's 4 month check up last week. She weighs 15lbs, 7oz and is 25" long. She is growing and getting stronger every day! The doctor was very pleased with her growth, and overall health. We have introduced her to cereal in the last month, and when she is 5 months we can start to introduce fruits, vegetables and juice! Can't wait to see what kind of mess we can make with that!
Addison is very verbal, shrieking and 'growling'..and if you're lucky, and you work very hard at it, you can make her giggle. She hasn't rolled over yet, but she does try to sit up from a laying down position. It looks like she is doing baby crunches! Addi is getting to be a little nosey thing! She loves to check out her surroundings, especially if we are somewhere 'new' to her. She loves to watch t.v., especially cartoons. Her favorites are Handy Manny and The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. We know this because Mommy & Daddy know the words to the opening songs!
We found out about 3 weeks ago that my job is transitioning my department, and 2 others to Houston. Which basically means 146 people are out of a job. My lasts day is scheduled to be July 2. I have already interviewed for a position to basically keep the job I have now. I would still work from home, and do all of the same things that I currently do, but my supervisors and the rest of my department would be in Houston TX. There are 18 positions available for this job, and quite a few people have applied for it. I actually should be hearing something today about that. And in the meantime I have another interview tomorrow for a different department with my same company. If neither of those work out, it looks like I'll be riding the unemployment train for a while until we figure out our next move. Not looking forward to losing my health insurance right now, especially with Addi having visits about every 2-3 months, and vaccinations on top of that..But we will do whatever is necessary. So keep your fingers crossed that something works out!
Here are some recent pictures:

Enjoying her new activity center

Little Miss Hollywood enjoying herself at her 1st picnic!

Addi & Daddy

3 1/2 Months, really?!

I know it's been a while since our last post, sorry!
Addi is 3 1/2 months old now, I cannot believe it! The time really does fly by! She is getting bigger and more beautiful every day! We go back to the doctors in about 2 weeks for our 4 month appointment, and more shots! Not looking forward to that part, but I am anxious to see how much she has grown! I weighed her in the middle of February and she was 14 pounds then.
Addison has really been finding her voice in the last month or more..She loves to shriek for no apparent reason, her smile is contagious! I just love it! She has been getting better and better with her hand and eye coordination, and she will hold on to things like rattles when placed in her hand. We are still struggling with tummy time, but she is slowly getting better with it.
Addison got to meet her Uncle Michael (my brother) for the first time, when he came home from Iraq in the beginning of February. We have been spending as much time with him as possible while he is home. Unfortunately, he is leaving tomorrow to go back to his home base in Ft. Hood, Texas.
Our friend Cash William just turned 1 on February 20th! I can remember going to the hospital when he was born and I cannot believe it has been a year already!
We are getting Spring Fever, Jason can't wait to get out there and go fishing! I am looking forward to taking walks outside with Addi in her stroller.
Here are some recent photos:

Fresh from the tub!

My little Snow Angel, making snow angels with Daddy!

Proud Army Niece, anxiously waiting for Uncle Michael at the airport!

My Valentine

2 months and growing!

WOW! Okay so it has been a whole month since our last post! The time is sure flying by!
The holidays were great! Unfortunately they were pretty boring for Miss Addison, she pretty much slept right through everything! I'm sure next year will be a bit more exciting for her!
We spent Christmas Eve at my Grandmother's house, and then we went to a family friend's later in the evening. We went to Nanny & Pappy's for dinner on Christmas day (my parents), and then went to Maw Maw & Pop Pop's that afternoon ( Jason's parents).

Addi & Santa

The best present, ever!


After a long night of partying Christmas Eve...
Baby's 1st Christmas!

Christmas Eve was even more special than normal because friends of ours, the Love's, welcomed their first child into the world, Bella Grace Love. Hopefully she and Addison will be great friends since they are only 6 weeks apart!

Bella Grace Love

We received some great news this holiday season as well, my best friend of many many years is expecting her first child! Congrats to Jen & Dave! They are due in August! I am so excited for them, and also hope that their little bundle and Addi will be great friends!


New Years wasn't all that exciting. Addison and I spent the evening at home, and Daddy made it home from work about 20 minutes prior to the 'new year'. Addison was sleeping of course!

She has been sleeping through the night for a few weeks now, averaging 7 or 8 hours straight through the night before waking up and wanting some breakfast!

We had our 2 month check up this week, and Addi is weighing in at 11lbs 9oz, measuring 23 inches long! She is above average for both height and weight! She also received her 1st round of vaccinations and was not too happy about that! We go back to the doctors for a 4 month check up in March.

Glamorous!

My brother is on his way home from Iraq, thankfully! He should be home (in the country) within the next few days, and he will be home to PA by the first week of February! We are so excited to see him, and especially for him to meet his niece!