1 month

Riley giving Addie kisses
Look at that smile Addie is giving Riley!
Addie and Gramps
Addison and Gramps
at grammie and gramps house
Grammie and Addie
Aunt Laur with Addis0n. another smile on camera
in her car seat
with her Great-Great Uncle Joe
look at those long legs!! she is 1 month
playing in her activity center

sleeping in her swing
smiling at Grandma!
holding Grandpa's hand
Harrison and Addie... I wonder what that conversation was about....


Grandma with Addie
me with Harrison, my nephew
Adam with his boy, Harrison
Aunt Elizabeth with Addie.
Jeremy with his nephew, Harrison
Harrison sleeping away on Grandpa
Addie with her Uncle Adam and godfather.
holding Grandma's necklace
looking at grandma
with Great Aunt Lisa
With her Great Aunt Julie

May 18th- This week we started off with daddy on vacation!!! Needless to say I didn't realize that meant daddy was doing housework and chores which did help out alot! We started today off by receiving a visit from Aunt Julie, Aunt Lisa and Grandma. We remembered grandma Swartz today.

we then went over to Grandma and Grandpa's house... her 1st real outing! We had pizza and just enjoyed. Addison and Harrison were in the pack and play that they have at Grandma's house and they were so cute together. Harrison is probably 2-3 pounds bigger than Addie and you can tell from the pics. They are so cute together because they touch each others hands and just are kicking their legs!!!

may 19th- Tuesday- Since daddy is on vacation I took advantage of that and went shopping with my mom and did dinner with her too. I spent 3 hours away from my Little one. I did check in three times to see how she was doing and the third time Jeremy was like you might want to come home now and I was on my way.

May 20th- Wednesday-today our little one turned 1 month!!! I can't believe it. time flies by so fast. I took some pictures of her sitting in our living room chair..her legs look so long in the pics!
Some things that I have noticed about Addison...

she loves naked time (takes after me on this)
she doesn't like a pacifier. I didn't either as a baby

she loves to kick her right leg and million times.
she spreads her toes like I do
she wrinkles her forehead like I do (she is going to have some expression lines when she gets older....not wrinkles)
she stretches just like daddy does
she makes noises in her sleep and when she is eating like my dad
she has a double chin now (thanks to breastfeeding) - she is taking after gramps on this one!
she knows the dogs and they don't phase her one bit when they check her out
when addie wants her food she wants it now... she has my patience level.... none!
she puckers her lips just like daddy.
she sleeps just like daddy

her sleeping schedule is good I think for being 1 month old. I don't wake her at night time for a feeding..she will wake me with no problem. So we usually go to bed around 10-10:30 and she sleeps to about 1:30-2:30ish... and then up at 4 and then up around 6/7am.

May 21st- Thursday- we went to visit Aunt Joan and Uncle Joe today. They were so excited to see her! it was her first trip to Michigan today and she did great in the car... it was a 45 minute drive and she did awesome! Kojak decided to give her lots of kisses and liked licking her feet alot. Addison didn't mind at all.... thanks to her 3 doggies at home!

May 22nd- Friday- Today was a busy day for us. We went to Crowe as I was receiving lots of requests to bring her in. She was asleep so we just left her in her car seat. We stopped work for about a good 30 minutes... it was a good break for everyone! We then went to Babies R US for more shopping... however daddy did the shopping as I fed her in the car. My first experience in "public". We also felt like hillbillies as we changed her in the back of the Jeep (twice). We then did lunch in the car... since it was around lunch time and we were by Grandma's work we decided to go visit her and bring Addison in as a surprise! She was so happy!! Jeremy then wanted to see if he could get the lawnmower serviced so we went over by his parents house. Along the way we stopped in to see Elizabeth and Harrison. We went to the lawnmower place and then Jeremy had to do a return at Meijer.... Addison was hungry again so I fed her for the second time in the car that day and changed her too! I called my mom since she was done with school but still at work and we took Addison in for her to meet her Riley aunts. We were there for about 2 hours and she was all over Riley high school meeting everyone! I even had to feed her in my moms room since she was hungry again. She did great as we were gone for about 6.5 hours.

May 23rd- Saturday- Aunt Laur came over today and it was such a good visit. She got Addie her first handmade Notre Dame & Saint Mary's blanket. it is perfect for her and I just hope that she goes to one of those schools!

We took a trip to Grammie and Gramps' house and daddy and Gramps went and got Redamac's for us. I have missed Redamac's so mama was happy. I can't wait to take Addison there. I grew up with it and so will she! Jeremy mentioned that we can take her to the beach next time we go up there as it will be warmer for her.

3 weeks old

look how tiny she is compared to me!
looking at mama
Gramps with Addie
we were doing tummy time, but she wanted to be on her back
looking at grammie
my foot compared to hers
Matty, Lorissa and Addie
Debbie with Addie

I've been behind on the blog due to Bob/Russeau spilling Apple Juice on it and then I picked my computer up by the screen and have a nice thumb print on it... so these few weeks will be short!

we had both grandma's visit on Tuesday this week. They had to get their Addison fix!

I was busy getting the birth announcements and baptism announcements out this week. I was on a mission to get them done with a sleeping baby. It was good because Addison and I got out of the house to go meet daddy at work and then we ran to the post office so I could get them out!

We also stopped by western vet on the way home because we received phone calls and also a card from them. They are so sweet considering that they take care of my other 3 babies every 6 to 8 weeks for their grooming.

Thursday May 14th-

We started out the morning with a visit from Debbie. It was so great to see her and for her to meet Addison!

we had our baptism class for Addison and my mom watched Addison. This is the first time that we left Addison without either one of us. I was better than I thought I would be. I didn't call. We were only gone for 1.5 hours and it seemed like it was days, but I knew she was in good hands with Grammie. Grammie just held her the whole time.

she slept good except for Friday night- out of the routine... she was up every hour from 11-2 and then finally slept 2-5:50 and then up at 7:15.

We got her the bob stroller... mama had a fun shopping day last week and it was great... the UPS guy knows us from the maternity days and now 4 days in a row that I have received stuff in the mail.

Addison is finally starting to show more facial expressions... still no "smile' yet. I can't wait for that to happen.

Week 2-

Monday- Addie got visits from Annette, Logan and Margie. She was a busy little girl that day. Thank goodness I gave her a bath for her visitors! Addison also slept from 11-1:45 and then was up every hour yesterday. She slept good at night time though.. just rough from 2:00 in the morning till about 6 at night... no nap for mama at all until daddy got home. I am thinking the 2 week growth spurt.

I have to say that Addison loves the bathroom. We have our routine in the morning for when she gets a bath. I give her a sponge bath in the bath tub with her. It's easier on me to sit in the bath tub with her and bathe her on my lap. After she is done with her bath, I lay her on the bathroom floor and she has naked time while I take my shower. We have a heated bathroom so its nice and warm for her in the there. As she lays on the floor, she just looks all around and kicks and moves her arms. She just loves this and is wide awake!

So we also got a phone call from Dr. Molly. Addison is very popular and she has her own aunt that is a doctor... thank goodness because mama asked her a few questions already since Dr. Molly is going into peds!

My mom sent me an email and I just got tears in my eyes... My first Mother's day is coming up.

Happy Mother's Day to you!
The child asked God, "They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow,but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?" Our angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you." The child further inquired, "But tell me, here in heaven I don't have to do anything but sing and smile to be happy." God said, "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you. And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy." Again the child asked, "And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me if I don't know the language?" God said, "Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak." "And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?" God said, "Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray." "Who will protect me?" God said, "Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life." "But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore." God said, "Your angel will always talk to you about me and will teach you the way to come back to me, even though I will always be next to you." At that moment there was much peace in heaven, but voices from Earth could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, "God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel's name." You will simply call her "Mom."

May 5th-

This morning I wanted to give all three dogs a bath today, but only succeeded with Russeau and Bob. Addie did great with me getting a shower and the dogs get a bath that she again had naked time in the bathroom.

grammie stopped over with Chinese today, which is a huge help for me and Jeremy. We don't have to worry about dinner and its so nice. It lets us have more time with Addie. Grandpa and grandma came over tonight and she was asleep and I decided to be a "mean" mom and wake her and knew that she would wake up if I put her in her pack and play on her back... she woke up and decided to scream, but in the process she started to roll over on her right side. Her arm stops her though. (see the pic) She is so strong and we get comments that she is holding her head up for a few seconds. We are just so proud of her! I can't believe this already.

May 6th- Wednesday- we didn't' fall asleep until 12:30 and then she didn't want to be put on her back so mama stayed up until 1:30 and the she slept until 5 in the morning, Addie was then up at 7:30 and then we had naked time while mama gave Riley a bath and she took a shower.

We also had a busy day scheduling her baptism today! Father Russeau is going to be able to preform her Baptism... we can't wait!!

Addison had a big day today as we visited daddy for lunch and then mama did some shopping.We first picked up daddy at work (Notre Dame) and then mama went shopping at Macy's, babies R Us, picked up the photos at Traditions and then got lunch all while daddy was riding in the backseat with Addie. We left home at 11:30 and didn't get back until 2:30 and someone was hungry by the time we got home. Addison slept the whole time... she did wake up for a few minutes, but then went back to sleep. When we got home, Riley, Russeau and Bob were anxious to check her our since she was missing for so long. They wanted to see their baby immediately.

This afternoon, I took Addie over to Margie's and we visited outside since it was nice out, but I still had a blanket on her. My mom then stopped over and visited with Addie for awhile.

May 7th- slept from 10:30-1:00 and then fed... and got up at 4:45 and then up at 6:00- daddy took her at 6:00 and kept her until 7:15 so I could get some sleep because the night before I only got 5 hours for the entire day.. I was tired. So he gave me her at 7:15 in the morning and she was fed and changed and I just held her. She was up so mama took a shower.

Mary came over and brought us groceries and frozen dinners! Her items included graham crackers, oatmeal cookies, apple juice, bananas, apples, peanut butter sandwiches and then she and mostacolli (which I loved this when we lived in the apartment together) and a chicken casserole. How awesome and how sweet! She also brought over some books for us to read and borrow that was helpful to her in the first few months of when her little one, Bobby, was born... hard to believe that he is going to be a year old in June. Time just flies by so fast!

We also had a visit from grandma today and she changed your diaper for the first time today!

Mama was busy with phone calls today and getting the baptism date set as I had to coordinate with Father Russeau's schedule and also the Basilica's schedule. We are getting her baptized at the Basilica as this is where Jeremy and I began our journey together and what better way to share that with our daughter and have her Baptized there. We also still stay in touch with Father Russeau and he is able to preform the baptism. We are so lucky!!!

So during the day, I find it hard for me to put her down. I keep trying though. Today I put her in her swing 3 times and also on her bobby lounger. All in all it probably lasted a total of an hour and a half, but it was something. I did find time to take about a 40 minute nap today! Not because she is screaming, it's just I want to hold her all the time!

So I was talking to Aunt Joan the other day and was telling her that Addie smiles, but knows that its from farts and she told me the old saying that "babies see angels when they are smiling". I have never heard of it before and I told Jeremy's mom when she was over visiting and she said her mom used to say that all the time. So now I am a believer, Addie is seeing her angels from heaven who watched over her while she was in mama's belly and also still watching over her. She has 3 grandma's in heaven and know that they are looking after her, along with others!

So when daddy got home and was rested alittle, he gave Addie her 3rd bottle. She sucked down 1.5oz's like it was her job! She was still hungry so I fed her, but Jeremy is getting better and more comfortable with the bottle. He thinks she is choking and just have to tell him to pull the bottle out and let her swallow. The bottle nipple comes out faster for her and she is still learning, but does great!

So I weighed myself this morning and I have lost 20 pounds!! I am within 9 pounds of pre-pregnancy weight!!! I really want to lose about 19-24 more pounds though. I don't want to get down to what I weighed when we got married (112 pounds) Jeremy said I was way too skinny and looked anexoric. I would love to get down to 125 in total. We will see how much I weigh when I go back to work.

So Addie has figured out what feeding time means. when she is ready... she wants it now!

May 8th- Friday-
Mama has done alot of shopping on the Internet that daddy's credit card had a hold on it because I was going to sites that we never use. I ordered her Baptism invitations and also more birth announcements, bought her stroller online along with a few other things! Can you believe that we are sending out 175 announcements... Jeremy thinks I am crazy but we have huge families so that takes up alot of it!

So mama gave Addie a bath today and Bob decided to join us and watch over her. He is getting more and more used to her and getting closer to her now. He comes into the nursery and watches her. Addie loves naked time in the bathroom. she just kicks away and stretches!

After we were ready, we took another trip to visit daddy at work and then do lunch. Mama had to run to Target to get cards for mother's day and also get some presents to pick up for our moms and then have lunch with daddy. Addie stayed in the car with daddy again. I am just a little too worried about taking her out in public, especially with the swine flu going around. I don't want to take any chances with her. I need to protect her and if that is being too cautious, then so be it!

So when daddy got home, mama made dinner from grammie's grocery shopping that she did for us. I made cheese perogi's!! After dinner, daddy held Addie while mama caught up on some sleep.

May 9th-

So we started the night by going to bed at 1:00 in the morning and then Addie slept until 5:00 in the morning! Bob in the meantime slept in the guest room with me and then Russeau guarded her door, while Riley slept in bed with daddy. This is the first night that Bob has changed it up. Russeau has been consistent with being around her at nighttime and Riley switches from being with Jeremy and being with me.

When we woke up at 8:00 in the morning, we nursed and then had naked time in the bathroom again. She just loves this. she is just wide awake and just kicks away.

Daddy cleaned the house today since we are hosting Mother's Day at our house tomorrow. We are having my parents, Jeremy's parents, Adam and Elizabeth and Elizabeth's mom over. As daddy cleaned, Jeremy's mom came over and held Addie for about 1.5 hours which was so nice. Mama started to do some laundry and finished putting the birth announcements together.

So Addie loves to sleep on mama's chest during the day with her arms folded up under her chin (she loves to sleep on her belly, just like me and also with an arm under her chin, again just like me). She is starting to change a little bit, but still looks alot like daddy.

Sunday- May 10th- Mother's Day- Addie slept so good for mama. She slept from 10:30-2:00 and then was up at 5:30 and then daddy got her at 7:15 and mama woke up at 8:00. she just knew that it was Mother's day. She is just so perfect!! So all we had to do today was set up the table since we were having Adam, Elizabeth, my parents, Jeremy's parents and Elizabeth's mom.

Adam and Elizabeth came over with Harrison first and we got pictures of the little ones together with the mama's holding them. Once everyone showed up we got tons more pictures. The highlight of the day was putting Addie and Harrison in the crib together and they rolled to each other! They were touching and Harrison threw in a punch in on Addie.. it was pretty funny. They touched each others hands and face. It was just so priceless. They are going to grow up being so close and that is what Jeremy and I want!

Oh we officially asked Adam to be the godfather of Addison and he accepted!

First doctors appt

Gramps and Grammie with Addie on Sunday May 3rd.

Aunt Meg with Addison on Sunday May 3rd

Addison in her boppy newborn lounger... Riley checking her out.

Bob and Addison -- finally a pic of the two of them!

Mama talking to Addie.

Grammie holding Addie. I think she looks a little like me in this photo.

Myrna our next door neighbor. She will be called memaw.

Neil our next door neighbor. He will be called papaw.

Grandma with Addie... Riley and Russeau are protective as usual. They want to make sure their baby is safe.

Daddy with Addie on our 5 year anniversary

Aunt Kellie with Addie (riley close by) on Saturday May 2nd.

Jeremy giving Addie some kisses on our anniversary.

Mama with Addison all curled up sleeping and Russeau on our lap too. Gotta give love to our other babies too.

An adorable picture of Addison on our 5 year anniversary.

Another pic of Addie.

Me, Tommy, Addison and Margie. Tommy will be protecting her in the neighborhood.

Grammie in the nursery with Addie. We had our doctor's appointment so I was able to get some laundry done since my mom took the day off to be with us.

me holding Addie... asleep again!

Gramps with Addison. She can probably get whatever she wants from Gramps right now! She has officially taken over the number 1 spot in his life!

me, my mom and Addison.

Look at Addie all stretched out and her hands around Gramps. Look at those little legs compared to my dads hands.

Another view of Addie and Gramps.

me, Grammie and Addie.

Grammie and Addie.

Addie with her eyes open!

Tuesday- April 28th- Addison had a rough night last night where she didn't want to be on her back at all. I was up with her until 4:00 in the morning and then Jeremy had to take her. I had to wake him up and he just had to stay awake for an hour or so because I just needed some sleep. He stayed up with her and I rested. He had to go to work too so I tried not to take advantage of it, but I really needed it. She finally went to sleep for a few, but I was only able to get a total of about 2.5 hours.

So Addison lost her umbilical cord at 11:37 at night when I was feeding her.... I noticed that she lost it. She was only 8 days old!

We had visitors today from Grandma and Grandpa and Grammie. Grammie bought us food, which was great as I needed an energy booster!

So I had pumped earlier in the week and I had Jeremy give her a bottle and she took it, but didn't drink all of it. She has a habit of going to sleep in the middle of a feeding. Keeping her awake is very hard to do. She took 1 oz of the bottle so I felt we did good.

I weighed myself today and I am down to within 10.5 pounds of my pre-pregnancy weight!! I have lost 18.5 pounds already!!! I hope the rest of the 10 pounds comes off easy as the first 18 did!

Wednesday, April 29th- Addison She let mama get some sleep... she went to bed around 1:30 am and slept until 4:30ish, (an improvement from the previous night) and then changed her and fed her. We went back to sleep, but first mama has a little routine with her that once she is done with changing and feeding that I play spider solitaire on the computer as she gets good and nestled on my chest and once I think she is in a good sleep then I lay her in her crib and she has done good so far.... we shall see how long this will last.

So today was her first doctor's appointment. My mom took the day off to take us to the doctor and for me to catch up on some sleep too. So my mom drove my Jeep and she had to get used to my car. We got to the doctor's appointment and daddy met us there as he had his big meeting to prepare for in the morning. We were waiting for my mom to unlock the doors and she rolled down the windows... it was pretty funny. She managed to roll down all 4 windows before unlocking the car doors!

When we got there, the girls came out to the waiting room and held her. She was a celebrity at the doctors office. I have known the girls in the office since I was little so they were excited! One of the other doctors there even came out to hold her. How special was that!

We got called back and I realized that I forgot to bring the camera. We had to answer questions and then get her undressed and in a clean diaper. She had a wet one when we got to the doctors office. We got her weighed and measured. She weighed 6 pounds 10 ounces and was still 20 inches! She had gained 9 ounces since we left the hospital. We then waited for the doc and she fell asleep on my chest naked in a diaper with a blanket over her.

The nurse went through her measurements on the computer with us and showed us a graph and Addison was in the normal range (right in the middle) for her head circumference, length, and weight. Now it was just waiting for the doctor to come in.

Dr. Hall came in and he listened to her heart and lungs while she was still sleeping on mama. He then flipped her over and put her on my legs and checked all of her joints. She checked out great. We found out her blood type, O+. Just like mama. We don't know what Jeremy's blood type is and need to find out from his parents. It's funny because I didn't pay attention to my blood type until I got pregnant. Dr. Hall told us that for her 2 month appointment would be a tough one. He suggested giving her some Tylenol before we go to the doctor next as this would be the day that she would have her vaccinations. I told Jeremy that he has to take the rest of the day off to be with me and her because I know I am going to be a wreck for this appointment.

Addison fed for 135 minutes and she had 13 diaper changes (5 wet, 8 poopie). She is a pooping machine!

Thursday- April 30th- Addison slept from 10:30-2:15 in the morning and then 3:30-5:00 and then 7:00-9:00 in the morning. Daddy had an important meeting and got up around 5:30 in the morning for a 7:00 meeting. Since we were up at 5:30, we woke daddy up before his alarm went off so he could spend time with her for a few minutes before he got ready. Addison slept so good for us as I think she knew daddy needed his rest. Mama was only to wake daddy if she really needed him since it was an important day!

Grammie came over with food for us today, which is greatly appreciated. This helps out tremendously.

Addison fed for 160 minutes and she had 17 diaper changes (7 wet, 10 poopie).

Friday- May 1, 2009-

I wonder if we are getting into a little routine because she slept from 10:30-2:30 in the morning and then from 4:00-6:15 and then 7:00-9:30 today. She must know that mommy and daddy are celebrating our 5 year anniversary. Daddy gave me the best present ever, Addison!

So daddy left work early today and got home around 3 today to spend time with me and Addison for our anniversary. It was good as he was able to let me get a good nap in for an hour while he spent some time with her, just the two of them.

Daddy ran out to get us dinner and I decided on Hacienda as I get chicken there and chips would be bland enough. I am trying to be cautious of introducing spicy/flavorful foods to her.

So we put a thermostat in her room because we had some warm days over the weekend and the house got to 80 degrees, which was a little warm for her. I hesitated to turn on the air, but buckled as it was so hot and turned the AC on. She did fine. We have found that if we keep her room at 69-71 she sleeps better when she is all bundled up. When we didn't have the air/heat on that the room stayed at that temperature, she didn't sleep as well.

I do predict that Addison is going to be right handed. She favors the right side. She lays her head more to the right and also wants to fed on her right side more.

Addison had 14 diaper changes today (5 poopie and 9 wet). She nursed for 155 minutes today.

Saturday- May 2, 2009-

Today we started the day off by visits from Grandma and Aunt Kellie. It was great to spend time with them. Grandma brought over People magazine for mama so she could catch up on the celebrity gossip. Daddy was outside getting ready to mow the yard and Neil (our next door neighbor) was outside so they started talking and Myrna and Neil came over. They will be known as memaw and papaw as that is what the neighborhood kids call them! They have a grandson that is so well behaved and they know the secrets of what to do! They also let me in on a secret to diaper rash. They said to take flour and put over a low-medium pan on the stove and get it to be a golden brown. Apparently this will cure diaper rash and is an old polish remedy.

During the day, when Grammie was over Addison watched her first Kentucky Derby. I am hoping with Hayden and Hannah that they will teach her about horses and will let her ride with them one of these days when she is old enough. I remember riding with my cousin when I was younger and it was fun, however I don't think I have been on a horse since I was like 12.

Grammie also did some grocery shopping for us and brought over some steaks for dinner and also some perogi's. They were yummy!!

Today daddy cleaned the house and mowed the yard. There are still some gifts in the living room, but that will be put away in time.

So I have noticed Addison touching her hands to her mouth and she even holds my boob when she is feeding. I can't believe that she isn't even 2 weeks and is doing this already! She also gave me the peace sign and also the middle finger too. It was pretty funny.

Addison had 14 diaper changes today (6 poopie and 8 wet). She nursed for 176 minutes today.

Sunday- May 3rd-

Today we were suppose to go visit Uncle Joe for his birthday celebration, but with her being so young yet we diceided to stay home and also because of this stupid Swine Flu that is going around. We just don't want to take our chances.

As we were waking up this morning, Bob was in bed with us and he has been getting closer and closer to Addison each day, but still a little scared of her. He was curled up and I managed to put her up against him and daddy got a picture. Addison slept very good again last night. She is in a routine (at least I am wanting to believe that) sleeping till about 2 in the morning and then waking up at 4 and 6 in the morning for a feeding.

Aunt Meg stopped over today and held her and looked very natural.