Thursday, January 29, 2009
Two Years Ago...
Tomorrow we will celebrate our second anniversary as a family of three. It's hard to believe that it's been two years since Addison was first placed in our arms. What a ride this has been! Addison is quite the toddler. She's full of life, curiosity, intelligence, excitement, love, and yes -- tantrums. She has had her share of "Time Outs" and yes indeed my typically calm parenting style has been challenged. In many ways Addison acts older than her age. Her independence, awareness, and verbal expressions used in the right context surprises us quite often. My sister is convinced that she's been on this earth before. However, in other ways she's such a typical young toddler struggling to find that balance and comfort level between autonomy and wanting/needing to be babied. Over the past year, Addison reluctantly gave her pacifier to Santa (only to beg us to get it back from him), decided that she needs privacy in the bathroom, became better at sharing (most days), has formed opinions about clothes, hair styles, the music she listens to, what books are read to her, and of course which DVD she wants to watch. This year became even more special because in late December Addison began to occasionally say, "I love you Mommy" and "I love you Daddy" without prompting. It doesn't matter that these verbal expressions of love may occur 30 minutes after a temper tantrum. They occur and it's music to our ears. Happy Family Anniversary Addison. WE LOVE YOU BACK!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Happy New Year!
Is mid January too late for a Happy New Year post? Well, better late than never! I hope everyone's year is off to a great start. Just within the last three weeks, Miss Addison has been to three great birthday parties for neighborhood buddies and a fun celebration with her Ethiopian born friends. My girl's social schedule keeps her parents super busy. Something tells me this is just the beginning of many good times to come in 2009.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Merry Christmas!
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I wanted to take a moment to give you an update on my almost 29 months old (going on 6 years old) daughter. Miss Addison has always been super independent for her age but she reached a new level a few days ago. After announcing that she needed to go to the potty, I began to follow her to the bathroom. My little girl turned around, looked at me, and with authority said, "NO MOMMY, BY MYSELF. "I'll BE RIGHT BACK. YOU STAY RIGHT HERE, O.K! She even had her hand out motioning me to stop! Stunned, I responded "O.K." Making sure I stayed a couple of steps behind, I continued to follow her. When she discovered my failure to follow her orders, she repeated them in a firm and clear voice, "NO MOMMY, GO BACK! I WANT TO DO IT BY MYSELF!!!" After a few moments, I tip-toed to the bathroom door and hopefully whispered, Do you need any help honey? She initially responded, NO! However, after about two minutes she called out, "Mommy, I need help washing my hands." So over the last 72 hours, Addison has reduced my role in assisting with her pottying ritual to that of the hand washing helper. If her step stool had been in that particular bathroom, she wouldn't have needed me at all. Of course Aaron and I are thrilled that she has done so well in the potty training area, but I must admit that we are a little sad that she is growing up so fast and is already telling us to get lost. This parenting thing never ceases to amaze me!
Of course you want a few pictures, so I try not to disappoint. Why lose my HUGE blog reader base?:-) The first picture is one of my favorites taken around Thanksgiving. The second one is her school picture. The last two pictures were attempts to get a cute Christmas card picture. That didn't work out so I'm now shooting for New Years cards! I improved my posting frequency a little bit in 2008, so I'll try to do even better in 2009. Laura (one of my dedicated and patient readers), please teach me how to blog more often!
Of course you want a few pictures, so I try not to disappoint. Why lose my HUGE blog reader base?:-) The first picture is one of my favorites taken around Thanksgiving. The second one is her school picture. The last two pictures were attempts to get a cute Christmas card picture. That didn't work out so I'm now shooting for New Years cards! I improved my posting frequency a little bit in 2008, so I'll try to do even better in 2009. Laura (one of my dedicated and patient readers), please teach me how to blog more often!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Halloween 2008
OUR LITTLE LADYBUG!
I'm not that into Halloween. I dressed up as a child and went trick-or-teating, but I never understood why so many adults go nuts over Halloween. One very grown up neighbor told me it was his favorite holiday. Well OK! I must admit that last year I was slack in participating in the neighborhood Halloween hoopla. All the neigborhood kids were dressed in adorable costumes, and all I had for Addison was some cute pumpkin pajamas. One sweet neighbor gently scolded me for "robbing Addison of her 1st halloween. This year, I decided that I needed to at least get Addison a cute costume so she could participate in her school and neighborhood Halloween activities. I'm so glad I did because Addison (and her mom and dad) had a blast at several Fall/Halloween parties and she looked so stinkin' cute dressed up as a ladybug. Once during the festivities I made the mistake of calling her a bumblebee. I couldn't believe how she quickly corrected me with attitude, "Mommy, I'm a ladybug!" So there you go. Addison has fully been introduced to Halloween. Her parents have been reintroduced to costume hunting and having an excuse to have tons of candy in the house. I guess it's true that having a child allows one to relive some of the fun times experienced during childhood.
Here's Miss Addison. Just don't call her a bumblebee.
I'm not that into Halloween. I dressed up as a child and went trick-or-teating, but I never understood why so many adults go nuts over Halloween. One very grown up neighbor told me it was his favorite holiday. Well OK! I must admit that last year I was slack in participating in the neighborhood Halloween hoopla. All the neigborhood kids were dressed in adorable costumes, and all I had for Addison was some cute pumpkin pajamas. One sweet neighbor gently scolded me for "robbing Addison of her 1st halloween. This year, I decided that I needed to at least get Addison a cute costume so she could participate in her school and neighborhood Halloween activities. I'm so glad I did because Addison (and her mom and dad) had a blast at several Fall/Halloween parties and she looked so stinkin' cute dressed up as a ladybug. Once during the festivities I made the mistake of calling her a bumblebee. I couldn't believe how she quickly corrected me with attitude, "Mommy, I'm a ladybug!" So there you go. Addison has fully been introduced to Halloween. Her parents have been reintroduced to costume hunting and having an excuse to have tons of candy in the house. I guess it's true that having a child allows one to relive some of the fun times experienced during childhood.
Here's Miss Addison. Just don't call her a bumblebee.
Friday, October 17, 2008
I've Been Tagged!
Wow! I’ve been tagged by Laura (who’s doubtful that I still blog) Gracie’s mom - Send me your Blog address so I can answer your tag questions.
1. What time did you get up this morning? 6:30
2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Sex and the City: The Movie
4. What is your favorite TV show? Grey’s Anatomy
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Coffee and toast or English Muffin
6. What is your middle name? Once married, I changed it from Anne to my maiden name.
7. What food do you dislike? A three-way tie between Beets, Liver, and Chitterlings
8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Gee, I’m having a middle- age- moment. It’s really good but I can’t think of the singer’s name or name of the CD! She’s one of those Alicia Key’s/Nora Jones type singers. I think she was raised in England and performed on Oprah last season. Cherita, (one of my four blog readers) please let me know who I’m talking about!!!
9. What kind of car do you drive? A mid sized SUV that prefers premium fuel.I’m looking forward to trading it in for a car with a less sophisticated palate for gas.
10. Favorite sandwich? Chick-fil-A
11. What characteristic do you despise? Condescending and/or arrogant remarks
12. Favorite of clothing? A-line dresses and skirts (I totally agree with Laura…so comfy and forgiving)
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? I would love to visit Ethiopia again as well as other African countries. Traveling throughout the UK and seeing more of Europe would be great.
14. Favorite brand of clothing? Banana Republic is my reality but I crave clothing by Tory Burch and Theory.
15. Where would you retire to? Maybe Charleston or a Caribbean island. But hanging around the ATL with the freedom to travel anywhere at anytime ain’t a bad deal either.
16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? Two years ago because I got my travel call to head to Ethiopia!
17. Favorite sport to watch? Not a big sports fan, but I will watch post regular season baseball if the Braves or Yankies are playing.
18. When is your birthday? January
19. Are you a morning person or a night person? I’m an AFTERNOON person!
20. What is your shoe size? 9
21. Pets? Nope, but thanks to Addison’s fascination with animals, we visit the dogs and cats in the neighborhood quite frequently.
22. Any new and exciting news you’d like to share with us? We’re adopting from Ethiopia again!
23. What did you want to be when you were little? Can’t remember what I wanted to be in grade school, but I've known since high school that I would be a psychologist. Weird, I know.
24. How are you today? Delighted. We’re just one document (CIS clearance) shy of a completed dossier!
25. What is your favorite candy(lollie/chocolate)? Lindt Milk and Dark Chocolates.
26. What is your favorite flower? Bright Pink Tulips
27. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? Two dates: November
4th (VOTE VOTE VOTE) and November 10th (TINA TURNER concert)
28. What is your full name? I'm too sick of writing it. After working on that dossier requiring me to write my FULL name over and over, I'm thinking I need a name change!
29. What are you listening to right now? My brain telling me to return back to work instead or working on this list!
30. What was the last thing you ate? An Egg McMuffin.
31. Do you wish on stars? Are you kidding??? But I do like the old R&B classic, I’m Wishing on a Star” by Rose Royce. (Cherita, I couldn’t think of the group that performed this, but instead of relying on you, I goggled it!)
32. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Fuschia
33. How is the weather right now? Rainy and cool.
34. The first person you spoke to on the phone today? My office assistant.
35. Favorite soft drink? Coke…not diet, the sugary stuff
36. Favorite restaurant? Most Thai and Ethiopian restaurants
37. Real hair colour? Dark Brown
38. What was your favorite toy as a child? Light Bright (until I stepped on one of those pegs), Easy Bake Oven
39. Summer or winter? Niether! FALL, FALL, FALL
40. Hugs or kisses? Hugs Rule!
41. Chocolate or Vanilla? Can I have a little of both? If not, Vanilla.
42. Coffee or tea? Coffee in the morning, Green Tea at night
43. When was the last time you cried? Before I answer, let me tell you that I am a cry baby. I cry a lot but it’s usually when I’m overcome with joy. (I’ve been hanging around Laura too much). I cry during great campaign speeches or rallies. It doesn’t even have to be the actual candidate making the speech. It could be the candidate’s wife, husband, former baby sitter, or milkman. Heck, it could be Joe the Plummer---well maybe that’s taking it a little too far! It doesn’t matter. If I think the message is sincere and I can relate…I cry. But back to the question: The last time I cried was a few nights ago when Addison was suffering with a bad cold and I couldn’t do enough to make her feel better. The next day I cried (just a few tears of joy) when I looked in the rear view mirror and saw her happily munching on her crackers and dancing in her car seat while singing some cute new song she had learned at school.
44. What is under your bed? One of Aaron’s neat boxes of things.
45. What did you do last night? Organized adoption documents and surfed the internet for that gas friendly car.
46. What are you afraid of? I’m very afraid of Addison or Aaron being injured in some way. I admit that I probably say “Be Careful” more than the average mom or wife.
47. Salty or sweet? It’s perfect when you have a little bit of both.
48. How many keys on your key ring? Six
49. How many years at your current job? Let's just say I've been here long enough for my God daughter to get her driving permit.
50. Favorite day of the week? Friday
51. How many places have you lived in? One state, 12 residences
I tagg anyone who has a blog and would love to play this game.
Here's a little Fall cuteness:
1. What time did you get up this morning? 6:30
2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Sex and the City: The Movie
4. What is your favorite TV show? Grey’s Anatomy
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Coffee and toast or English Muffin
6. What is your middle name? Once married, I changed it from Anne to my maiden name.
7. What food do you dislike? A three-way tie between Beets, Liver, and Chitterlings
8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Gee, I’m having a middle- age- moment. It’s really good but I can’t think of the singer’s name or name of the CD! She’s one of those Alicia Key’s/Nora Jones type singers. I think she was raised in England and performed on Oprah last season. Cherita, (one of my four blog readers) please let me know who I’m talking about!!!
9. What kind of car do you drive? A mid sized SUV that prefers premium fuel.I’m looking forward to trading it in for a car with a less sophisticated palate for gas.
10. Favorite sandwich? Chick-fil-A
11. What characteristic do you despise? Condescending and/or arrogant remarks
12. Favorite of clothing? A-line dresses and skirts (I totally agree with Laura…so comfy and forgiving)
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? I would love to visit Ethiopia again as well as other African countries. Traveling throughout the UK and seeing more of Europe would be great.
14. Favorite brand of clothing? Banana Republic is my reality but I crave clothing by Tory Burch and Theory.
15. Where would you retire to? Maybe Charleston or a Caribbean island. But hanging around the ATL with the freedom to travel anywhere at anytime ain’t a bad deal either.
16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? Two years ago because I got my travel call to head to Ethiopia!
17. Favorite sport to watch? Not a big sports fan, but I will watch post regular season baseball if the Braves or Yankies are playing.
18. When is your birthday? January
19. Are you a morning person or a night person? I’m an AFTERNOON person!
20. What is your shoe size? 9
21. Pets? Nope, but thanks to Addison’s fascination with animals, we visit the dogs and cats in the neighborhood quite frequently.
22. Any new and exciting news you’d like to share with us? We’re adopting from Ethiopia again!
23. What did you want to be when you were little? Can’t remember what I wanted to be in grade school, but I've known since high school that I would be a psychologist. Weird, I know.
24. How are you today? Delighted. We’re just one document (CIS clearance) shy of a completed dossier!
25. What is your favorite candy(lollie/chocolate)? Lindt Milk and Dark Chocolates.
26. What is your favorite flower? Bright Pink Tulips
27. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? Two dates: November
4th (VOTE VOTE VOTE) and November 10th (TINA TURNER concert)
28. What is your full name? I'm too sick of writing it. After working on that dossier requiring me to write my FULL name over and over, I'm thinking I need a name change!
29. What are you listening to right now? My brain telling me to return back to work instead or working on this list!
30. What was the last thing you ate? An Egg McMuffin.
31. Do you wish on stars? Are you kidding??? But I do like the old R&B classic, I’m Wishing on a Star” by Rose Royce. (Cherita, I couldn’t think of the group that performed this, but instead of relying on you, I goggled it!)
32. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Fuschia
33. How is the weather right now? Rainy and cool.
34. The first person you spoke to on the phone today? My office assistant.
35. Favorite soft drink? Coke…not diet, the sugary stuff
36. Favorite restaurant? Most Thai and Ethiopian restaurants
37. Real hair colour? Dark Brown
38. What was your favorite toy as a child? Light Bright (until I stepped on one of those pegs), Easy Bake Oven
39. Summer or winter? Niether! FALL, FALL, FALL
40. Hugs or kisses? Hugs Rule!
41. Chocolate or Vanilla? Can I have a little of both? If not, Vanilla.
42. Coffee or tea? Coffee in the morning, Green Tea at night
43. When was the last time you cried? Before I answer, let me tell you that I am a cry baby. I cry a lot but it’s usually when I’m overcome with joy. (I’ve been hanging around Laura too much). I cry during great campaign speeches or rallies. It doesn’t even have to be the actual candidate making the speech. It could be the candidate’s wife, husband, former baby sitter, or milkman. Heck, it could be Joe the Plummer---well maybe that’s taking it a little too far! It doesn’t matter. If I think the message is sincere and I can relate…I cry. But back to the question: The last time I cried was a few nights ago when Addison was suffering with a bad cold and I couldn’t do enough to make her feel better. The next day I cried (just a few tears of joy) when I looked in the rear view mirror and saw her happily munching on her crackers and dancing in her car seat while singing some cute new song she had learned at school.
44. What is under your bed? One of Aaron’s neat boxes of things.
45. What did you do last night? Organized adoption documents and surfed the internet for that gas friendly car.
46. What are you afraid of? I’m very afraid of Addison or Aaron being injured in some way. I admit that I probably say “Be Careful” more than the average mom or wife.
47. Salty or sweet? It’s perfect when you have a little bit of both.
48. How many keys on your key ring? Six
49. How many years at your current job? Let's just say I've been here long enough for my God daughter to get her driving permit.
50. Favorite day of the week? Friday
51. How many places have you lived in? One state, 12 residences
I tagg anyone who has a blog and would love to play this game.
Here's a little Fall cuteness:
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