Christmas, 9 months...and some football!

What a month December was!  We planned to celebrate the majority of the holiday weekends at home in Austin - we wanted to enjoy our home, our baby, and we were hosting my family here for actual Christmas.

And THEN, those Cedar Hill Longhorns kept on winning!  Scott had planned to be hunting a few weekends, so Addison and I went to several of the playoff games in support of Uncle Brady!  It was a BLAST, and she loves football - she's definitely got some Mills in her!  She routinely took a nap during the first half, then woke up and joined in the cheering during the second half!  I love it - starting her out right!

As a side note, I'm so proud of my brother and the leader that he is for the kids he works with.  I love watching him, and if I'm this proud of his accomplishments, I can't imagine how I'll feel when Addison begins to accomplish "real" things.

So, Scott, Addison and I travelled to Dallas to cheer on the Longhorns in the state championship the weekend before Christmas.  They lost, but they gave Katy a run for their money - which, if you were at CH when I was, the fact that they were playing on Dec 22, in Jerry-world, holding their own against Katy....well, that's pretty much a victory.  They had a great run.
 
 Then, we all drove BACK to Austin to prepare for Christmas.  We went to church Christmas Eve, where Addison came into "big church" for the first time.  She LOVED it - she singled out each person that walked by, or was sitting anywhere in our vicinity, and made eye contact/waved/squealed until she got their attention.  She loves making new friends, and it is so sweet.  Per our family tradition, Scott, read The Night Before Christmas to Addison for the first time (my dad read it to us every year).  My dad went to bed about 10pm, while the rest of us stayed up until 2am....wrapping, making final preparations, cooking (I made Grandma Struby's coffee cake for Christmas morning - I tell you, those Strubys have some good recipes!) and generally enjoying each other's company.  Dad said he was taking advantage of not being the "adult supervision" anymore.

Speaking of that, I love watching my parents transition into the grandparent role.  My dad especially is just a big, mushy pile of love when she's around.  He hovers around waiting for "permission" to get her out of bed and volunteers to change diapers.  Most importantly, he - in true Clint Bond fashion - is always teaching her.  They play and play and play, but he is always explaining, showing her something new, or even just introducing her to new games.  I love it.  Sometimes we get so caught up in normal life - just taking care of her, playing with the same toys, telling her the same things, etc.  That's what grandparents are for - to mix it up and have fun!!!  I truly believe that the role of "grandparent" brings out the absolute best in people.  

Addison has been a very good girl this year, so of course, Santa came to visit!  (But I'm having new mom guilt about not getting a pic of Addison in Santa's lap for her first Christmas.  I know she won't remember, but I do!)  Opening gifts was an all-day event, since every piece of wrapping and tissue paper was interesting before we even got to the excitement of an actual present.  We had to break for naps, feeding, etc. which gave us time to really relax and enjoy the day!  Her favorite gifts this year were a remote control, a baby doll from her great great Aunt Doris (she constantly kisses her!), and a musical set of shakers, tambourines, etc from her cousins.  We also gave her a baby-sized chair that she is still learning to navigate.

After the tree came down, Addison decided the world was her playground...she is EVERYWHERE, and she is FAST!  It's a good thing Christmas happened when it did - she was a little easier to corral until just about a week ago.  She is pulling up on everything and gaining some confidence and balance. It won't be too long before she's walking!  She still adores Deacon....and he still tolerates her.  Everything is still "dadadada" (which Scott encourages), though there is an occasional "ba" or, when crying, "mamama".  She is still a full-fledged Daddy's Girl, and he wouldn't have it any other way.  Neither would I.

I hope your Christmas was wonderful, too!

8 months and Thanksgiving

 I am beyond thankful for everything I have been blessed with in this life.  I love how this time of year always reminds me of all we have to be thankful for.  I could make an enormous list, but I will just say that the majority of it centers around these two:

We hosted our first Thanksgiving this year!  The Strubys came in from Nebraska for the week and Mark joined us from the ranch.  We had a great time - Addison stayed home with Grandma all week, I (somewhat) successfully attempted my Aunt Gwen's dressing, and just enjoyed each other's company!  Kathy did most of the cooking...since she gives Martha Stewart a run for her money and my cooking skills are, well, "still developing", it was the obvious choice.  It was fun to learn about some of the traditional Struby recipes, mix in my family recipes and try new things too!

I LOVE the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, especially the Rockettes, and football on Thanksgiving.  I think Addison enjoyed her first parade too.  

 Scott carved his first turkey.

 The rolls below are a recipe of Grandma Jones (Kathy's mother) and they are like a little bite of heaven.  My new favorite.  Also my attempt at Aunt Gwen's dressing.  Of course it wasn't as good as when she makes it, but I feel like I decently represented our family. :)

She knew something was going on....she boycotted naptime in favor of joining us at the table for her first Thanksgiving!

We decided that, since we aren't going to see the Strubys at Christmas, that we should just make the most of their trip here.  So we enjoyed Thanksgiving, then Friday we decorated for Christmas, participated in a bit of the crazy shopping, and generally pretended that it was Christmas Eve.  Then, we woke up on Saturday and had "Christmas morning" complete with presents and french toast!

Saturday night, Addison popped up on all fours and took off "officially" crawling!  She is fascinated by the tree and loves our new sectional since she can pull up and "walk" around the perimeter (which she also started doing during their visit).  So big and SO independent these days!  

Oh, and Baylor beat Tech.  Sic 'em.

7 months!

(Actually written 11/2, then forgotten about for a few weeks.)

So, I think it's safe to say, we no longer have a newborn!  This girl is getting big, both in size and personality!  We went to the doctor this week and she weighed in at 20lbs, 7oz.

We've had a busy week around here!  Scott went on a big hunting trip in Illinois and has been gone a full week.  I must say, hats off to all you moms who hold down the fort for extended periods of time alone.  This is HARD WORK!  My parents will be here in the morning, and Scott will be home Sunday morning, so we've just about made it through.  

We've dealt with the stomach bug that is going around, doctor's appointment, flu shot, some possible teeth coming through (?), two nights not sleeping through the night (which she NEVER does!), not to mention Halloween, changing daycares, work for me as usual, and the worst of all...a scorpion!  BUT, just in the past week, she has started holding her bottle alone, waving, crawling/scooting efficiently and pulling up.  I feel like Scott is coming home to a whole new baby!  

It was so hard to leave our original daycare.  They all grew to love Addison so much, and (especially without Scott here to keep us level-headed) we all got pretty emotional the last few drop-offs and pick-ups.  The new daycare is great though, and in the long run, I think it is much better for Addison.  There are several other babies right at her age/mobility level in her class, and they already look like buddies, just sitting in the floor playing together, listening to story time, etc.  They send me pics all day long, which is a nice bright spot in the day.  

On Halloween, we sat outside on a blanket to watch the trick-or-treaters and hand out candy.  Addison was a ballerina and SO wanted to be a big kid.  She would start squealing (very loudly!) at the kids as they came down the street, and even waved a few times, which was the first I had seen her do that.  She wanted to hold my hands and stand up, and as kids came and went, she wouldn't take her eyes off of them and would continue to squeal as they walked away.  It was so cute, and she seemed sad she couldn't go along with them.  Next year, sweet girl, next year!

There are so many ways since Addison was born that our lives have changed for the better, and so many ways our relationship has changed as we have become parents.  I knew before this week what a great dad Scott was, how much we worked as a team to get things done, etc.  But this week of trying to handle our life alone has really made me feel like I'm missing my other half.  Yes, we made it.  No, it wasn't the end of the world.  But I know that my stress levels were higher and I just didn't feel like I was "on my game" at home or at work or anywhere in between. It's only been a week and we are so ready to have him back, and again, I so admire my friends who handle parenting alone with so much strength and grace.  

To Make A Long Story Short(er): Addison's first 6 months in a nutshell

As promised.  Catch-up blog #2.  It's a doozie.

Why did I think every little memory would stay so clear in my head?  Why did I think that I would somehow remember when these little miracles of smiles, laughs, babbles, and wiggles first occurred; that I would somehow have the ability to keep straight what happened at 2 months vs. 3 months?  I mean, I'm not sure that's possible for any mother....and we all know me WAY better than that.  That is why I MUST keep up with (at least) a monthly journal.  (My friend Jaime gave me a calendar that I can put stickers on/write down special events, so I'm consulting that, along with what little I have done in her baby book, to compile this blog entry.)

One Month:
Pure joy.  I remember thinking, as I was getting out of the shower about the fourth day, with my whole body hurting, "I have never been this miserably exhausted in my whole life."  My next thought was, "I have never been this blissfully happy in my whole life."  It was such a wonderful feeling.

My mother was here the first week.  My hormones were a mess, we tried to figure out everything together (after all, it had been a while for her, too!) - a girl just needs her mom in times like this.  She set her alarm every night and woke up with me at every single feeding.  It was so wonderful...until she had to leave.  I was a mess.  To be very honest, I didn't really believe I could do it without her.  I wanted to keep her here forever.  I was pretty weepy all weekend; Scott was so very supportive, but I could tell he thought I was a bit nutty!  Thank goodness though, the Strubys had arrived: Kathy picked right up where mom left off, and stayed for three whole weeks!  I learned so much from her.  Four kids, six grandkids, and a lifetime of (mostly) full-time household management was a whole new ballgame.  She really whipped us into shape!  

When we left the hospital, Addison was already on a perfect 3 hour eating schedule.  She would eat at 6am, 9am, noon, 3pm, 6pm, 10pm, and then 2am.  She never woke up at night other than to eat!! One night the first week, I missed my 2am alarm and woke up in a PANIC that I had starved my child.  I called my mother on her cell (she was in the front guest room) and frantically told her to meet me in the nursery, picked up Addison out of her bassinet in our room (NOT an easy task a few days post c-section with a 10lb baby) and walked as quickly as I could.  Mom tried to assure me that if she was hungry, she would have cried, but I was a little beside myself in that moment.  Anyway, at Addison's two week appointment, she had regained her birthweight, so the pedi told us that we did not have to wake her to feed at night!  She woke up still for a few nights around 2-3am, but then a few days later, she started sleeping through the night...and has ever since.  We are so spoiled.  

Brian, Meagan Jake, Avery and Chloe arrived at the end of the month for the annual Down Home Ranch Gala, which was on Addison's one-month birthday.  We all went to the gala; Addison slept through the live music and live auction.  We got a little creative and fed/burped/changed her in Scott's truck.  They all left at the end of the weekend.  I cried a a lot when Kathy left, too.  Scott said, "you know that's my mom leaving, not yours, right?"  But we had gotten close over those three weeks, and again, to be honest, I didn't really believe I could do it without her.  I said to him through my tears, "I know, but now there are no more moms here!"  To which he replied, "yes there are: you're a mom!"  I cried some more, so scared and said, "yeah, but I don't know what I'm doing!!!"  

To date, one of my favs - the Monday after we got home, Scott leaving for work.

Grandma's lap is so comfy!

New and improved Struby family!  1st Easter.

 One month old! 

 Down Home Ranch Gala

Two months:

As it turns out, I could do it!  Be a mom, that is!  I was still on maternity leave, Scott took a week off work after his family left to give me some extra help; we began to get into the swing of things.  We ventured out a little bit, I tried to keep the house running...now that our clean laundry and delicious meals didn't just "magically appear"!  We went to my family reunion in New Braunfels - our first overnight trip.  We packed THE. ENTIRE. HOUSE.  She did so well - a million (or 30ish) family members were constantly holding her and fussing over her.  It was then that Scott and I realized we could pretty much toss her up in the middle of a room, disappear, and never be missed!  She is definitely loved by many!

My first Mother's Day

Sweet angel

The packing list for the reunion! 

Three months:
So bittersweet.  Just as I was starting to feel capable as a wife and mother, maternity leave was over.  Back to work.  I spent several weeks before (literally) wondering how I was going to fit everything into each day.  It seemed so impossible.  I could NOT wrap my brain around it.  But, we did it.  I've learned that things that really need to get done will get done, and everything else...well, it will get done when it needs to get done!!  Addison started daycare at a little church school, Dripping Springs Presbyterian Academy.  I did alright my first day back, but when it came time to put her down that night, I couldn't believe how little I had seen her.  That's when it hit me.  And the second day.  But, overall, me working is what's best for all of us right now.  I admire all of you that stay home - I think it is the hardest job of all.  Sometimes I feel like I'm taking the easy route by continuing to work.  But I actively miss her every single day, still.  It is the craziest thing.  We made our first trip to Dallas (prior to my return to work), and mom and dad had a "meet our granddaughter" party.  It was fun!  Addison became fascinated by a tall, black iron stand lamp that is next to the rocker in the nursery.  She would smile and make faces at it before she acknowledged us!

 Scott's first Father's day

Addison's new friend, Micah.

Four months:

What a personality!  Smiles, squeals, and "talking", especially when daddy is around!  Scott and Addison constantly "blow raspberries" at each other.  Everything immediately goes into her mouth, and the drool faucet has been turned on!  My best friend, Ashley got married in Fort Worth, so we left Addison with mom and dad for the weekend!  Everyone kept asking me if I was "doing ok" the whole weekend - to be honest, it wasn't that bad.  I can see how it would be SO hard to leave them if you were used to being at home all day, but it wasn't too terribly different than a workday.  Meg and Brady were scheduled to babysit her while mom and dad attended the wedding, but Meg was scheduled to work last minute.  After some worry (on my mom's part) and some stubborn insistence (from Brady), it was decided that Brady would babysit Addison alone.  His words: "She is my niece!  I can do this!  What's the worst that can happen, she cries until she falls asleep??"  Pretty good point.  He did a great job.  

Five months:

This is where the months start to run together, unfortunately.  We always swore we wouldn't fly with a baby; it just looked like such a hassle.  But Addison and I took a last minute flight to Dallas over Labor Day weekend to see cousins Kelly and Iain.  We had a blast and she was perfect - she slept from takeoff to touchdown both ways!  She started rolling over onto her tummy and sleeping that way, mostly.  One day, I set her down on her blanket and walked into the other room for a second.  When I came back, she had steamrolled her way across the blanket to where Deacon was laying and had his paw in her mouth.  My two thoughts were, "YUCK" and "good boy, Deacon"!  He has been more patient and gentle with her than I expected him to be.  We started feeding her real food.  Something about sitting in a highchair makes her look so much like a kid and not a baby!  Sigh.  

 Yes, her first feeding was from a salsa bowl.  We hadn't bought baby bowls yet.  That kind of thing sneaks up on you!

Six months:
On the move!!!  Steamrolling, army crawling and inching her way where ever she wants to go!  The hardwood floors are interesting: she can't get great traction to truly crawl, but she can slip and slide her way across the room in no time!  She is so interactive with us - it is great.  There's no better feeling than walking into the daycare or home from a long day at work, calling her name, seeing her look around, and then scrunch her nose, snort, and rock back and forth in excitement when she finds us.  Scott and I are in a decent routine and I feel like we make a pretty good team.  Addison loves having "conversation" and everything she tries to say comes out "dadadadadada".  It lights up Scott's life.  Anytime I try to get her to practice a different syllable, she just changes her tone of voice.  She has a very high-pitched squeal, and a very low growl, which Scott calls her "scary voice" or her "halloween voice".  Things are getting so fun.

(I'll have to add some more recent phone pics later!)