It Doesn't Get More Gorgeous....

....than my baby girl!!!!

There are many more like this, but you get the picture! These pictures are AMAZING and I am so thankful to our photographer. She has done all of our kids' and family photos since Jax came home. I cherish every picture. They are only like this for a moment in time. In case you have forgotten how adorable Jackson's 1 year photos were, check here. Amazing! Well, I guess that is it - we have done all of Addison's 1 year festivities. I am now the mom of 2 one year olds. My heart literally feels like it could burst with love for my life right now. These kids are my world, and what a beautiful world it is.

Addison is One!

"The mother-child relationship is paradoxical and, in a sense, tragic. It requires the most intense love on the mother's side, yet this very love must help the child grow away from the mother and to become fully independent." Erich Fromm

I have been avoiding this post. Maybe if I don't write about it, it won't be so? Ah, I guess that can't happen. My baby girl is 1 year old! What an amazing girl she is! Addison loves to babble and continues to have many sounds and a few words. Her adorable little voice never gets old. Addison loves to cuddle stuffed animals and baby dolls...and her daddy. She is quite the daddy's girl. She loves to snuggle with him and I love to watch their love grow with each cuddle! Addison is not walking yet, but takes a step here and there. It's hard for me to imagine her walking around, but I bet she starts within the month. I love watching her learn and grow up, so I am ready!

Addison is a thoughtful little girl and concentrates hard when she is working on a task - like unwrapping a present. But, if it takes too long, she is on to the next thing. She doesn't have a long attention span and wiggles like crazy. Sitting still is not her favorite activity. Addison constantly points and whines like a puppy to get us to do what she wants. And she's so darn cute, we can't help but oblige. She seriously has the most angelic little face. It's hard to deny her anything!

Addison still is not the greatest eater or sleeper. She does not love eating baby food OR adult food, so she just grazes and snacks on things. She still seems to love blueberries. We started giving her whole milk, too, when she turned 1 but she also just snacks on that. She doesn't drink whole cups of it like her brother does. She still prefers nursing, so that is what we do. She is continues to be up once, sometimes twice, to eat at night. I have to admit, my patience with it is fading. I am so tired after the nights she gets up twice. And I guess I have this expectation that she SHOULD be sleeping through the night. But, alas, I talk to many moms and it seems she is more normal than the books suggest she is.

My princess is the sweetest baby girl there ever was. She has the most beautiful blonde, curly hair and the softest cheeks. Her giggle warms my heart every time. I live to make her (and her brother) happy. That's all I need in life. So, as much as it pains me, I must say Happy First Birthday to my sweet baby girl, Addison Faith...I look forward to many, many more with you!

First Birthday Festivities

My baby girl had her first birthday party last night. She didn't seem to know it was all about her. She did such a good job handling all the chaos. Much better than her mommy, if I'm being honest.

The decorations - GiGi went all out!

The cake - Aunt Leann did a fabulous job!

Happy Birthday To You...!

Yummmmm!

She was so sweet opening presents. She sat quietly and we went through them one by one. Such a princess.

I love this face - she's not that amused with it all:).

The family and GiGi.

Her birthday party outfit - I've had it planned for months:).

That butt is just too much!

I'm pretty sure I have "Post- First Birthday Party Blues." I can't believe it is over. I have been looking ahead to this party for months now. I always was glad it was sometime in the future. I'm not ready for Addison to be 1. I'm not ready to be baby-less. She is not quite a toddler yet, thank goodness. She takes a quick step here and there, but no walking yet. And she still doesn't like table food and she loves to nurse. She is keeping some of the baby characteristics for her momma. I only teared up once yesterday, but I think it's because she isn't 1 yet - we still have a couple of days. But, I felt so sad today when I woke up. Her big party is already over. We can never go back and do it all over again. I'm so happy she is so healthy and I get to spend each and every day with her! But, oh, if I could just go back and do her first year (and Jackson's!) one more time, especially knowing what I know now, I totally would. It went by WAY too fast for me. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the pictures. I'm going to go to bed and hope the Post- First Birthday Party Blues fade away as quickly as they came on!

My Lovey

With Addison's one year birthday festivities quickly approaching, I feel the need to document all the amazing, wonderful and fantastic things my little man is doing. He is such a shining star. He can light up any room with his beautiful smile. My sweet Jackson has learned so much in the past few months. He now does "bump it" with his fists, which I particularly love:). He no longer walks, he RUNS where he wants to go! He absolutely adores being outside and goes to the slider door and asks to go out at least once every day. If we take him on walks, he quietly takes it all in the entire time. He will also sometimes point at things like birds and trucks. Jackson is getting so much better in the car and takes long road trips now like a champ. No more of that screaming for 45 minutes at a time. Such a big boy!

Jackson saw the dentist for the first time this past month. He was NOT a fan, for the record. But he recovered as soon as we got him the heck out of that torture chair! He is about 6 months ahead of the game with his teeth. He has a full mouth of chompers! He can and does eat ANYthing! Jax still doesn't have tons of words. He says hi, bye, belly (although it is hard to understand), daddy, ball, go and "gone" for all gone. Again, would be hard for anyone other than us to know what he is saying most times, but he has the words. He understands pretty much everything. He communicates his needs well, just not with words. I have talked with some early intervention contacts - it seems he would not yet qualify for services, because he is not delayed enough. They gave me some tips, but so far, Jax gets frustrated with me asking him to use language. I guess I made it too easy for him to point and grunt because that is all he wants to do. We will keep working on it. I know he will catch up eventually!

Jackson has the best sense of humor. He knows when he has done something funny (like pass gas or bonk his head) and he will laugh at himself with us. I could be wrong, but it seems really mature of him to like it when we laugh and to do things just to make us laugh. I see a class clown in our future! The other night he was having a tantrum in the bath tub and went to lay his head down like he does when he bangs his head on the floor, but hit water obviously, and blew bubbles unexpectedly because he was screaming into the water. I immediately started laughing at him and he switched from screaming to hysterically laughing. He and I were rolling in laughter for what seemed like a long time. I want those moments to just stick in my heart and in my mind forever. I feel so connected to him in those moments. I am in awe of his overall happiness and his magical laughter. He couldn't be more perfect.

The picture above is an example of something Jackson does a lot lately - he gathers some pieces of his favorite toys and then puts them in some container, then carries them around and sets the down in various places. If anyone tries to touch them, he starts screaming and acting very displeased. Addison knows to throw down whatever toy she just took from him because he will fight for it! I call them his treasures:). My baby boy is just so sweet. At night, after I put him in the crib, he blows me kisses as I am leaving his room. If you ask him to give you or someone else a kiss, he starts smacking his lips making the kiss sound. It is just so freakin' cute! Our Jackson turns 18 months old this month. I found myself thinking about our first days together as I was trying to fall asleep last night. I can literally remember the way my body felt as he and I laid together in bed when he was just a little newborn. It was such a new feeling to me. I had never felt so incredibly happy and excited....and tired! The emotions were so big, they exhausted me. I felt full. He made me full. He still does.