Cold, cold, go away!

I've never truly understood the desire to take someone's pain or illness on myself to relieve them of it... until motherhood. Of course I hate it when Matt gets sick. But I so desperately wish I could take this persistent cold of Miss Addison's and live with it myself. We're going on 3 weeks now. And hopefully she'll kick it before we head north to the really cold winter land of Peoria.

We had pictures taken at Bedford Studios last month, and I figured I could share a few. She was 10 weeks old then, and catching a smile on camera is still challenging! I'll bring all the proofs home with me at Christmas, don't worry!

So Thankful

We had a wonderful week of Thanksgiving with my parents and sister in town for a long visit. All of us under one roof... believe it or not, it never got crowded or too full. We loved having everyone. And they loved 24/7 access to Miss Addison. She blessed us with 2 nights of sleeping all the way through (for the most part). So since then, Matt and I have decided she doesn't need that middle of the night feeding. Which she's not too thrilled about. Especially now that she has a big bad cold, and can't really sleep well at all. The bags are returning under my eyes, but I'm clinging to the memory of those glorious nights that she proved she can actually sleep. We're looking forward to seeing lots of family and friends again at Christmas!

November is flying by...

Well, in the last 18 days (yes, I know I'm a deficient blogger - I'm over it), our heater/furnace broke, Addison got her 2 month shots, we had her first round of baby pictures taken, she got a cold, and still doesn't like to nap. Since her shots, Addy has also decided to revert back to only sleeping 3 hours at a time at night. Much to my dismay.

So Matt is managing a fussy baby, a sleep deprived and moody wife, and a depressed dog.

Everybody keeps telling me it will get better. I believe you all - really I do. I'm just ready for that to happen - yesterday.

Thank goodness for these happy times to remind me she really is doing better than she was.

It was pretty windy the day we took these, but we were afraid if we didn't, the leaves would all fall and we'd lose our chance. Addison did not like the wind in her face.

A Weekend for "Dress-Up"

Even though we didn't leave the house for Halloween, Addison dressed up as the cutest caterpillar you've ever seen. Nana and Papa were over for dinner and got to see her in all her glory. The costume was pretty hot though, so Addy didn't spend much time in it.

The next day Matt and I were treated to tickets for the Razorback football game while Addison stayed at Nana and Papa's house. She got to put her Razorback gear on and cheer the Hogs to victory!

Sleep...? Who needs it?!

I know it's been 2 weeks since my last update. Please forgive me. I'm a sleep deprived mother of a 7 week old with acid reflux. Thanks for understanding! I'll post lots of cute pictures as my peace offering.


Addy is starting to have more happy moments and fewer inconsolable moments, I think. But really I have no idea. We started her on a new medicine Sunday night, and since then she has decided not to sleep in her crib at all. Even at night. Which is a big step backward. But we're hoping this too shall pass quickly, and we'll soon have her back on a semi-schedule for her nights.


We've had several visitors over the past 2 weeks; which is always welcome! My parents returned for a shorter visit this time, and Matt's Aunt and Grandmother visited for a few hours as well. I've never been more thankful for the blessing of our family! All 4 of our visitors commented on how beautiful Addy is, how big she is getting, and how much hair she has! We compared her to my baby pictures while Mom was here, and decided she looks quite a bit like me. She definitely has some of her daddy's features too, though.



We're taking one day at a time, and praying through our nights. Looking forward to seeing you all sometime soon!

So Much to Learn

Let me start by saying, that despite its challenges, we love being new parents. And even if it never got easier, we wouldn't trade this journey for anything in the world. However, let me also say, we extremely grateful that it will get easier!!

First, we've learned that not all "fussy babies" are created equally. Addy started out content and somewhat happy; but over the last couple of weeks, she's gotten increasingly unhappy. Screaming at every meal time and the following hours, not sleeping well, and never really smiling or being content unless she was sleeping (which didn't happen routinely). A friend of mine suggested she might have acid reflux, so we called the doctor. We didn't get to see our regular pediatrician, but that was ok. The nice new doctor confirmed our suspicions and prescribed an antacid for our poor little baby girl. Enter: next lesson.

We've learned that not all medicines are created equally. Not that the drug we're using is ineffective - on the contrary. The problem is, this nice doctor gave us a drug that is an orally dissolving tablet - for a 4 week old. He told us to dissolve the caplet in a syringe of water, then squirt it in her mouth. Sounds easy enough I thought. Unfortunately, the pill doesn't completely dissolve, and 4 mL of water is way too much for a baby that's only ever swallowed breast milk. It turns out, there are several other drug options that are in the liquid for already... but we'll probably never try those. After a few days of perseverance and advice from lots of friends, Matt has discovered how to get the medicine in our little girl - without her wearing too much of it. Enter: next lesson.

We've learned that when she's not horribly uncomfortable, Addison really is a pretty happy baby! The medicine is starting to work, and we can already see an improvement. She still has times when she wails and is inconsolable, but they're fewer and last a much shorter time. And Matt and I have a little more patience with those episodes now, knowing the cause and not doubting what we're doing anymore.

Addy and I have had a few lunch dates and are getting a little more comfortable with getting out of the house. Once feeding her becomes more routine - which should be as soon as her reflux is under control - we'll be out and about with the rest of the world. I'm looking forward to going to a park for a long walk in this gorgeous fall weather!

Eating (yawning after she's done) and bath time are finally getting easier... and cuter!

Matt is proving Addison will suck on anything to try to find some food... and we finally remember to have a "family picture" taken. We tried to include Darby, but she was not in the mood to sit still without "playing" with Addy.

Our Little Angel

Wow... I can't believe it's already been almost a month. Our little angel is almost 4 weeks old. And, amidst the sleepless nights, endless questions, and unbelievable responsibilities we're faced with, I haven't gotten back to post more pictures. Thanks to Aunt Krista, I have a few minutes here. So please enjoy! She's gorgeous, and we're so in love with her it's hard to believe.

Here she is with Grandpa Jim and Grandma Lou (we're not sure if she's going to like that abreviated name or not). Addy prefers to be held... which isn't bad when there are 4 of us to pass her around. But we're ready for her to love her crib.

This was our first bath. Matt successfully accomplished most of it on his own. Darby still isn't sure what to do with Addison when she's crying. And you should all be grateful I didn't post the pictures of Matt wearing that "hooded towel."

We're practicing our amature photography skills...

Here's each of us with our baby girl. Daddy likes to rock her and snuggle, Mommy likes to sing to her (and snuggle).

We're so blessed to have wonderful family that loves our little girl.

So, until the next time I have 30 minutes to myself, or until Matt wants to kill some time back here on the computer, I hope these will tide you all over. My goal is a once a week update... but as you all know, we'll see!

Addison Claire Pictures

These pictures are over the past couple of days. Hopefully we will be able to load some additional pictures of Addison coming home.

And just a couple of hours ago, she let loose for a few solid minutes... and so it begins.