Addison: 9 months

Addison is nine months old! Since I haven't blogged anything about her since her blessing day I think I have some catching up to do! Here are some of the things we have noticed as she grows:

1. She loves to blow raspberries! It is the cutest thing, and quite hilarious during quiet moments at church, though decidedly not reverent-making.

2. She has become quite adept at putting her binky back in her mouth, though it was a learning process.

3. She is very good at sitting up and I am now confident to leave her that way. But she also loves to roll around and covers some pretty good distance.


4. Jaden and Carter absolutely adore her and Jaden is very helpful towards her. He always fetches her toys and still likes to put pillows behind her just in case.

5. She has the cutest little voice and we love to hear her making small squeaky sounds! She is starting to laugh more and more and is quite ticklish.

6. She already has he Daddy wrapped around her little finger and gets really excited when she sees him. He gets a much more enthusiastic greeting in the morning even though I'm the one who wakes up to get her up and feed her. Her whole body tenses up, her little legs start kicking and she gets the biggest smile and even sometimes laughs. It is the cutest thing.

7. She LOVES LOVES LOVES the swing. You can't see it in this picture but her faces just lights up when you give her a little push. She also loves to be thrown up and caught in the air. And often now when I'm holding her she tries to throw herself back. You can see the anticipation on her face as she leans her head back farther and farther, waiting for that fall.

8. It took quite awhile for her to warm up to solids, not at all like my boys who were ready right off the bat at four months. She would refuse to open her mouth or only open enough to stick out her tongue. It took many attempts between 4 and 6 months before she finally decided it was okay. Actually the turning point was when my mom gave her a taste of ice cream. At first she rejected it like anything else offered on a spoon but you could watch the emotion change on her face as she actually tasted it. It was hilarious the way she aggressively grabbed the spoon and tried to get it back in her mouth. After that she was much more willing to taste solids. Unfortunately, because she's eating more solid food now she's not nursing as much and her growth has dropped off the charts. We're trying different ways to get more fat in her diet, but after my experience with Carter who has the same problem I'm not as concerned. My mother had the same problem gaining weight as a child as did I (boy has that ever changed!) so I feel confident that she will progress at her own rate. To us she's perfect!

Seven Years=Breakfast and Lunch

Jeff and I have been married for 7 years now! It was our anniversary yesterday. Jeff let me sleep in for a bit then he and Jaden brought me breakfast in bed. Oatmeal just the way I like it, some fruit and a glass of milk. I was stuffed, I couldn't even finish it all. What a great Hubby I've been blessed with!

We usually go out to a nice restaurant to celebrate, but our finances being such as they are we were afraid to plan anything. Last minute we decided to go out for a late inexpensive lunch. We took Addison and Carter and had lunch at Thai Basil, Jeff's favorite Thai restaurant. We had Pad Thai, Sesame Scallops, and Chicken Curry, yum! We were so full that later, dinner was a small affair.

I am so grateful to be able to spend my life with such a wonderful companion. Jeff brings so much humor and fun energy into the home. He's always there for me when I need him, and supports me through the rough patches. Its so cute to see the boys growing up to be just like him. Who knew seven years would go by so fast!

We first met at the singles ward in California. One of the first things he said to me was "So, did you just graduate High School?" I had just finished my Bachelors degree, and still have not let him live that one down. Perhaps he was initially looking for someone younger, but I've got a year and a half on him. He had returned from his mission not too long ago and was working at In n' Out and applying for LAPD. I had just returned from a year of teaching English in Taiwan and traveling throughout South East Asia. Right after I met him I left to visit my sister Juli who was living in France and he was left wondering why I wasn't calling him back. Even while on vacation I thought of him and looked forward to my return to the states so that we could go on a date. Dating went smoothly and we were engaged three months later, and married five months after that.

Growing up I was a little afraid of getting married. While in my teens I often heard the phrase "if you think life is hard now just wait until you get married!" Considering that my teens were a very difficult time in my life marriage didn't sound too good. Even when I was engaged I expected married life to be hard. I guess the first year did take some adjustment, but everything since then has been amazingly easy and full of joy. Marrying Jeff has been the best thing I've done in my life, the thing that has brought me the most happiness. Here's to the next 7 years!!