Adalyn- ONE Year Old

I can't believe you are already one year old. This past year has flown by very quickly. Here's what you've been up to this past month:

- You love to dance and sway to music no matter where we are: the car, living room, and random stores.
- You point to everything these days and "talk" about what you are referring to.
- Your personality is really blossoming and you can be so silly. You even make yourself laugh all the time.
- You blow kisses.
- You are really talking a lot, but the only word that is audible is "da-da."
- You communicate with Ella in your own special way.
- You are a sympathy crier, so whenever you hear or see another baby (or Ella) cry you cry right along with them.
- You are "thin-skinned" and get your feelings hurt very easily. You cry when we say "no" to you.
- You can stand up on your own. You start in a squat-like position and then raise your legs up. Then you start to squeal in delight.
- You have taken one step on your own, so I'm sure you are very close to walking.
- You are a very good eater. You will eat pretty much anything we put in front of you.
- We started you on whole milk and you don't like it. I only give you one bottle of formula at bedtime. Throughout the day you drink from a sippy cup. Normally all you will drink is watered down juice.

12 Month Stats:
Head Circumference: 18.25 inches (90%)
Length: 30 inches (75%)
Weight: 20 pounds 14 ounces (50%)

Adalyn- 11 Months

Here's what you've been up to this past month:

- You can now blow kisses when saying good-bye.
- You are trying to walk, but you still have to hold on to something to get from place to place.
- You can stand up on your own for a few seconds!
- You can SCREAM! And it's loud. And it's a loooooong scream.
- You are a bit scared of Dingo. If he barks or sneezes, you immediately go into a panic cry.
- You are very curious, but in a different way. Ella would go all out with something new by grabbing at it, talking to it, etc. You are more cautious. You will observe and look at the new object, but are more apprehensive to touch it (or talk to it).
- You want to follow Ella around everywhere and you try to mimic what she's doing.
- You are fascinated with you shoes.
- You say dada, Ella, but not mama. And you try to say Dingo.
- Your personality is really blossoming. You are a sweetie and happy most of the time.
- You are eating normal table food these days. You don't want anything to do with baby food. You've done great trying all types of new foods.
- You've started the sippy cup and are doing wonderful. I don't think it will be difficult to transition you off the bottle.
- You take 2 naps, but sometimes only 1 nap.

Adalyn- 10 Months

Here's what you've been up to this past month:

- You started clapping and are very proud of your accomplishment.
- You have such a wide, big grin. You don't stick out your tongue when you smile (as much) so we are able to see your sweet smile.
- Most of the time when you smile, you scrunch your nose up too.
- You are a FAST crawler.
- You are pulling up on everything and doing so well standing up while holding on the something. You have taken a couple steps from side to side while holding on to the couch or table.
- You started waving and it is so cute.
- You love being outdoors.
- You absolutely LOVE, LOVE your big sister.
- You are beginning to eat some table food. At school, they are giving you the school's lunch, so you are trying all sorts of new foods.
- You are very aware of your surroundings and are curious about what is around you.
- You definitely have separation anxiety around new people...even if I'm standing right next to the person who is holding you.
- You don't have any problems with me leaving you at daycare though. You are familiar with those ladies so you are fine being dropped off there.
- LOVES mommy...more than any other person.
- You are wearing mostly 12 month clothes.
- You still take two naps.
- You still drink around 6-7 ounces per feeding.
- Your bedtime is 7:00 p.m.

Adalyn- 9 Months

Here's what you've been up to this past month:

- You had minor surgery to insert tubes into your ear drums. You did magnificent and came back smiling and saying, "da-da." Since then, you have felt much better and had one ear infection. Your ear drained nicely with no pain. Mommy loves these tubes!
- You started crawling and pulling up on things.
- Now that you are crawling, you are getting into all sorts of things. Mostly, you just want to get into Ella's toys.
- You LOVE your sister. You want to follow her and play with her all the time.
- You really enjoy bath time too.
- You are still doing great eating baby food and you have also started eating puffs.
- You have such a sweet personality and you love your momma. You are a little nervous around new people and shy away from them. In new surroundings you only want mommy and daddy.
- You cut FOUR teeth this month. They were four across the top.
- You wear 9-12 month clothing.
- You take one morning nap and one afternoon nap.
- You take 6-7 ounces per feeding.
- Your bedtime is 7:00.

9 Month Stats
Length- 28.25 inches (75%)
Weight- 19.2 pounds (50%)
Head Circumference- 17.5 inches (60%)

Adalyn- 8 Months

Here is what you've been up to the past month.

- Anytime someone smiles at you, you will smile right back at them.
- You make the cutest face when you smile really big by scrunching up your nose and smiling really big and wide to show off your two bottom teeth.
- You are playing very well with Ella. The two of you will play with toys nicely.
- Now that you are sitting up on your own, the two of you take baths together, which you both enjoy.
- You are close to crawling and will get on all fours.
- You recognize Dingo. Sometimes you just stare at him and other times you smile at him. You are not into touching him...you just look.
- You are VERY good in public.
- Your teachers at school remark at how much of an easy baby you are.
- You still like your bouncy seat, but are getting close to not using it since you're almost completely mobile.
- You have a strong grip!
- You chew on everything...even on other people's fingers (if they let you).
- You enjoy observing your little hands. You find them fascinating!

- You respond when someone says your name.

- You get mad when a toy (or anything) is taken from you.

- You mimic facial expressions and sounds we make.

- You make a clicking sound with your tongue and you think it's so funny.

- You dislike having your diaper changed or putting clothes on or off. You used to LOVE the changing table.
- You discovered your shadow and are very interested with it.
- Your favorite toys are: stacking rings, empty water bottles, your plastic puzzle, toys that make music or noise, and your sister's toys.
- People always remark about your long, dark hair.
- This has been the month of ear infections. You have had them nonstop and have been on 5 different antibiotics. The medicines don't seem to be helping, so we went to a pediatric ENT. We have surgery scheduled to have tubes put in your ears on March 11th.
- Even in the midst of all this sickness, you are so content. We know you are in pain, but you are handling it so well. You are just one happy baby!
- Since we went to so many doctor appointments we know your weight now...18.6 pounds, which is the same as Ella at this age.
- You are wearing 9-12 month size clothes.
- You take 2 (sometimes 3 ) naps each day.
- You eat about 6-7 ounces per feeding.

Adalyn- 7 Months

Here are some highlights from this past month:

- You are beginning to talk and say "da-da."
- You have a loud scream/yell that you do and it makes your face turn red. Then you smile and laugh when you are done with the scream/yell.
- You are very ticklish and have the cutest laugh.
- You cut another tooth, so you now have your two bottom teeth.
- You also got your first ear infection at the beginning of the month and then another one at the end of the month, but that time it was in BOTH ears.
- You were also diagnosed with croup and had to get a steroid shot.
- When you were sick you didn't want to eat solids and would only take your bottles.
- You are a mover. It seems you are VERY close to crawling because you can scoot and roll to where you want to go.
- You are reaching and grabbing at EVERYTHING!
- You rarely let us hold you on our lap because you are constantly squirmy and trying to grab at anything and everything.
- We started you on the generic Walmart brand of formula and you are adjusting wonderfully. It has saved us a lot of $$$.
- At the end of the month you were able to sit up all by yourself! This has been a GREAT milestone because now Ella can play with you more. The two of you have been playing together nicely. Sometimes you play with your sister's toys, but mostly she "helps" you play  with your own toys.
- You are still taking three naps most of the time. Your bedtime is around 6:45. You were not sleeping through the night this month, except for one night. It was mainly due to all your sickness and cutting your second tooth. Hoping to break you from this habit next month...

Adalyn- 6 Months

Here is what you have been up to this past month:

- You are SOOOO smiley! It is very easy to make you smile and laugh.
- Every time you smile you show your tongue. It is quite comical.
- You have really been intrigued with Dingo this month. You aren't too sure what to think of him. If he sneezes, barks, or moves too quickly, you will cry. It is obvious that you are scared of him at that moment and want some comfort.
- You seem to be more sensitive and gravitate to mommy in new surroundings. It seems you might be more of a "mama's girl." At this age Ella was more of a "daddy's girl."
- You love toys and are trying to get to your sister's toys. Sometimes she lets you play with them and other times she does NOT want you touching her stuff. Oh boy!
- At the end of the month you starting cutting your first tooth. We can see part of it peeking through. This has caused you some pain. We weren't expecting your first tooth so soon since your sister didn't get her first tooth until 8 months old.
- You began eating solids this month. We started with fruits and then moved to the veggies. You like pretty much all of it except the green veggies.
- You sometimes sleep through the night, but the following things have interrupted it this month: moving into an awkward position (like getting a limb stuck in the railings or your head hitting the railing), cough/cold, teething.
- You are still doing very good at daycare and the teachers are always raving about your happy personality and your "crazy tongue smile."
- You take three naps per day and take about 5 bottles a day.

6 Month Stats:
Length- 27 1/2 inches (97%)
Weight- 16.13 pounds (75%)
Head Circumference- 17 1/4 inches (80%)

Adalyn- 5 Months

Here are the highlights from this past month:

- You are playing with toys! YAY! You are good at grabbing toys. Most of the time you try putting them in your mouth. Your favorite toys are rattles and your star that has different textures on each of it's points.
- You love your musical jumper. The teachers at your school say that is your favorite thing to do there. You will sit and jump for a really long time.
- You are rolling over now. You can roll from back to front and front to back.
- You still enjoy your play mat.
- Since you are playing with toys now, your sister interacts with you even more.
- You smile all the time and have the cutest laugh.
- You sleep through the night about 10 hours. It took about 3 nights of you crying in the middle of the night for us to break the middle of the night feeding. You would cry for about 15 minutes and then fall back asleep.
- You have about 5 feedings a day and drink about 7 ounces per feeding.
- You take about 3 naps each day. At school, they are short naps, but on the weekends you will take longer ones.

Adalyn- 4 Months

Here are some highlights from the past month:

- You love sticking out your tongue. It's so funny and people are always commenting about it. Your sister did the same thing, so it must run in the family.
- You are now laughing if we tickle you. And you still smile so much!
- You love Ella. She can make you smile and you are always following her voice. If she is in the room, you are quick to turn your head to watch her.
- You are beginning to get chubbier. You wear 3-6 month clothing now. 
- Not much has changed this month. You are an easy baby and are lots of fun.
- Overall, you are one happy, happy baby.
- You drink about 6 ounces per feeding and have about 5-6 feedings a day.
- You take 3-4 naps per day. Most of them are short naps, except for one really long one.
- You go to sleep around 7:00 and sleep about 8 hours. You wake up for a quick bottle and then go back to sleep.

4 Month stats:
Length- 26 inches (90%)
Weight- 14.12 pounds (50%)
Head Circumference- 16.75 inches (20%)

Ella is THREE!

I can't believe you are THREE! You are no longer a baby, but a little girl. Your little hands aren't so chubby anymore. Your voice isn't so babyish. Oh, how the baby stage flew by. Now it's time to embrace the years you are a child, instead of a baby. I'm reminded of the poem below:

"Cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow.
for babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow.
so quiet down, cobwebs.
dust, go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby, and babies don't keep."

It's sad, BUT exciting at the same time. There are so many wonderful joys to having you as our little girl.

Your favorite Movies/TV shows are:
- Tangled

- Little Bear

- Franklin

- Beauty and the Beast
- Up
- Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
- The Incredibles

You love to sing songs! Here are your favorites:

- Head and Shoulders Knees and Toes
- If You're Happy and You Know It
- Rock-a-bye-baby
- Wheels on the Bus

You LOVE school. Everyone seems to know you there, even the teachers in other rooms, because you are known as "Miss Social." You have lots of friends. You only talk about the girls because this is what you ALWAYS say, "I play with girls. Not boys."

You are a girly girl. You love everything pink, sparkly, frilly, and poofy! You want to wear dresses and skirts everyday and you have to have a bow in your hair. You hate wearing sneakers and say, "Those are boy shoes. Girls wear pink and sparkly shoes."

You love princesses and have many princess dresses: Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel, and Belle. Your two favorites are Rapunzel and Belle.

You started dance class and you have a BLAST! The dance studio comes to your school each Friday morning, so it's incorporated into your school day. It's very convenient!

You are potty trained! YAY! You still have accidents in your pants with going #2, but it's not all the time. Eventually you will get it...

Naptime and bedtime have been much better. You go to bed on your own. Sometimes you will cry, but you fall asleep without mommy in the room. You sleep in the craziest positions, like the one below. Good thing there are guard rails!

You have surprised us on being a risk taker. You are bold in trying new things. You will slide down BIG slides all by yourself and LOVE it. These two pictures CRACK US UP and truly capture your personality!

The question you ask all the time is, "Who bought this?" We have no idea why you want to know who bought EVERYTHING, but for some reason it is interesting to you.

Drama. Drama. Drama. You have so much of it. Whew! We are having to squash this on a daily basis. We have also asked your teachers with help on this. Sometimes you will act sad or pout on purpose just to get attention. We ignore this behavior as much as possible.

Happy Birthday to our incredible THREE year old. You are loving, fiesty, caring, independent, hilarious, and oh so cute!

3 Year Stats:
Height: 36.5 inches (45%)
Weight: 31 pounds (45%)

Adalyn- 3 Months

Here are some highlights from the past month:

- You are aware of your surroundings and love to look around and follow noises and voices.
- You have officially found the TV. Sometimes you can be mesmerized by it.
- Sometimes you will get distracted when taking the bottle.
- You are so smiley!
- You are laughing some.
- So far, you seem to be a pretty laid back baby.
- You definitely aren't a paci baby, which is fine with us. You stopped using it right after turning 2 months old.
- You began daycare this month (3 days before turning 3 months old) and have handled it wonderfully. You quickly adapted to the new change in routine. You eat and sleep pretty well while you are there, but come home EXHAUSTED.
-  You LOVE, LOVE, LOVE tummy time. (Ella didn't at all.) Your teachers at school say that it is your favorite thing.
- Your new bedtime is 6:30 and you crash quickly. You will sleep for about 8-10 hours, wake up for a bottle, and then go back to bed again.
- You eat about 6 ounces per feeding.
- We stopped giving you Zantac because we felt like you were past the reflux. We are still keeping you on the thicker formula and hopefully will transition to a generic formula once you are a little older.

Adalyn- 2 Months

Here are the highlights from this past month:

- You rolled from front to back at 5 weeks and then again at 8 weeks. I think it was more of an accident since you aren't consistently doing this yet.
- You sure smile a lot....big smiles!
- You are beginning to "talk" to us by cooing.
- You follow voices by turning your head.
- Your hair is beginning to lay flat, your hair is getting lighter, and your eyes are turning a lighter shade of blue.
- You enjoy watching your big sister. You like when she lies next to you.
- You seem to enjoy social interaction. If no one is around you, you will cry for someone to come near you. Then you will smile really big. You just want people around.
- You stopped your inconsolable crying around 7 weeks...thank goodness!!
- You are doing much better in the car seat.
- You are still taking Zantac twice a day for your reflux.
- The doctor changed your formula again. Now you are drinking Similac "For Spit-Up." We are using the ready to feed version, not powder. It is much smoother, so you don't struggle as much. Plus, it has a little rice cereal added to the formula.
- You drink about 4 ounces per feeding and wake up one time at night. You have a total of 7 feedings per day.

Here are your 7 week stats:
Length- 23 inches (90%)
Weight- 10.3 pounds (70%)
Head Circumference- 15 1/4 inches (70%)

Adalyn - 1 Month

Here are some highlights from your first month:

- Your hair sticks straight up and you sure have lots of it. People are always commenting on how long and dark your hair is.
- By the end of the month you were already smiling at us!
- You have the cutest, little dimple on your cheek.
- Your umbilical cord fell off when you were 10 days old...much sooner than Ella's did.
- Your blood type is A+ just like your dad and sister.
- At the end of the month you were drinking 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 ounces every 3 hours and waking up for 2 feelings during the night. (Total of 8 feelings per day.)
- You prefer to sleep on your tummy and sleep MUCH better and longer that way. I decided to go against what pediatricians and researchers are saying and doing what works best for you. Now days they say to lay babies on their back, but I'm sure by the time you have babies they will change it again!
- When you were 2 weeks old you were diagnosed with reflux. The doctor put you on Zantac and switched your formula to Gerber Goodstart Soothe. It seems to be helping, but not completely.
- You hate the car seat and will scream, so we don't go out much! People have told us that babies with reflux don't do well in the car seat position because it is uncomfortable on your tummy.
- You have colic like symptoms and will cry, cry, cry, cry for awhile in the evenings. We feel it is more than just the usual newborn fussiness. Hoping this will pass soon!

Your 2 week stats were:
Weight - 7.1 pounds (90%)
Length - 21 1/4 inches (70%)
Head Circumfrence - 14 1/4 inches (70%)

Second Trimester with Baby #2

Well, the second trimester came and went quickly and with no problems. It was a very easy trimester, which I am VERY thankful for. I had more energy than expected!

There were no major food cravings. I still desired sweets most days, along with spicy food, but nothing unusual or strange.

Bathroom breaks throughout the nights kept me awake some, but I was always able to fall asleep pretty quick.

I felt like I was "smaller" than when I was pregnant with Ella. Many people have commented that it seems I have not gained as much weight this time around. Hopefully this means I will be able to bounce back quickly to pre-pregnancy weight!

Ella talks about how baby sister is inside mommy's tummy and will tell people all the time. I think she's starting to understand a little better.

I began to feel movement in my stomach on January 13th, which was around week 16.

Ella is TWO and a HALF!

Your favorite Movies/TV shows are:
- The Bee Movie- Tinkerbell

- Cars

- Toy Story

- America's Funniest Home Videos

- Little Bear

You love to sing songs! Here are your favorites that you sing over and over:

- Wheels on the Bus

- If You're Happy and You Know It

- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

- The Baby Bumblebee Song

- ABC's

You don't know a stranger. Recently your daddy has been coaching middle school baseball and you will climb the bleachers or walk around talking to random people. Your first "opening" line to a conversation is, "Look at my fingernails." You will show people your pink nails and then start talking. If the person has food you will ask to have some. So, you are definitely not shy!!!

Looking back, we remember how picky you were about trying new foods. Now, you love to venture out of the ordinary and try new things. You are becoming more adventurous by trying something at least once before determining if you like it or not.

You love going to church, especially getting a donut before going to your class.

Potty training isn't going that well, but you are trying every day. Most days you just sit on the potty, but every once in awhile you will actually go. We aren't pushing it too much yet, but we will once summer gets here.

You have officially moved into a "big girl" bed and are doing GREAT! You are so happy about your new bed and get excited about sleeping in it (normally).

First Trimester with Baby #2

I am trying my best to journal about this pregnancy like I did with Ella. It is much more difficult finding time to jot things down while running after a 2 year old. This pregnancy is definitely flying by quicker than when I was carrying Ella. I am super busy and can't even keep track of what week I'm on. Right now, I am almost 15 weeks along and have passed the first trimester. YIPPEE! Here are some interesting facts about this pregnancy so far (compared to being pregnant with Ella). This may be boring for some of you, but I'm behind in scrapbooking so this is my way of keeping track of everything so far! :)

I was WAY hungry the first 10-12 weeks and was stuffing my face with food every 2 hours. If I didn't eat consistently then I would become cranky (right Vinny and Nadine?!) and would get dizzy and light-headed. I was NOT this hungry with Ella.

Fortunately I have not experienced any morning sickness! With Ella, tums and saltine crackers were some of my best friends (even though my morning sickness back then was still nothing compared to other women).

I do not crave sweets like I did with Ella.

I was not as tired this time around. I'm not sure if it's because I didn't have time to be really tired or I didn't notice it as much. I know that I am less tired the past few weeks than I was before, so I guess I was a little more fatigued the first trimester.

People have said that you begin to "show" sooner your 2nd pregnancy. Well, that's the truth. I have had to wear maternity clothes sooner this time around.

In just a little under 5 weeks we will find out if Ella will have a baby brother or sister!

What'll Ya Have!

We couldn't pass up the opportunity to hit The Varsity while in Atlanta. For those of you who don't know about The Varsity you can check out more info at www.thevarsity.com.

Here's a little blurb about the place: "The World's Largest Drive-in Restaurant. We have been serving customers here in Atlanta since 1928. People from all over the world come to experience The Varsity because there is nothing like it anywhere!"

This was Ella's first experience and we think she liked it. Her favorite thing to eat was the chili cheese dog and fries.

Christmas #3

Our last stop in the Christmas celebration was to Grandma and Gramps house. Your favorite things to do while visiting them were playing in the backyard and "messing" with the pond, stealing people's seats when they got up, and playing with all the interactive Christmas decorations (dancing and talking Santas and Rudolph).

You got lots of toys and new clothes. Your favorite toys from here are your play kitchen and Snap N Style doll.

Just after stealing Grandma's seat.

Looking at the big gift that she's about to open.

Ripping off the wrapping paper to the kitchen set.

Reading one of her new books.

Playing outside by the fish pond.

Christmas #2

Our next Christmas celebration was with Papa, Nana, David, and Mimi. You loved playing outside, telling Dingo what to do, visiting Mimi's house over and over, and helping Nana cook.

You got more new toys, but your favorite present from Christmas #2 is the Aquadoodle.

Helping Nana cook.

About to pick one of Nana's flowers!

Posing for a picture in one of her Christmas outfits.

Christmas #1

We had a great Christmas this year! Fortunately we were able to see all three sets of grandparents and Ella had a blast celebrating this holiday three times.

First, we celebrated with Grandpa and Nonni. You had a lot of fun opening your stocking (and everyone else's). You got a lot of fun toys. The "big item" was your very own basketball goal. You love to slam dunk the ball.

You love wearing the dress from Aruba that Aunt Barbara sent you.

Helping Grandpa open his stocking.

The anticipation of what's inside!