Shockingly I managed to pack 2 midsized and 3 small boxes yesterday. Today Addie and I are going to bring some of our breakables over to the house along with some supplies. Andy and I decided that we would have a sleepover tonight, so that when stink goes to bed we can get some work done. The house is in great condition, but there are a few things we want to do before moving in and we're quickly realizing that we are running short on time.


Addison and I are also hoping to go with Uncle Rick and his big ass truck (I like to refer to him as Puryear's Delivery Service) to pick up our patio furniture. No, we don't have enough furniture for the house, but by god, we'll be furnishing the back yard ASAP.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Over the past few mornings Addison and the cat decided to forge a fragile friendship. Addie doesn't understand why Michelob usually runs when she comes crawling. We've been working on being gentle, but what Addison thinks is gentle is not necessarily what Michelob thinks is gentle. Give it another year or two and I bet they'll be inseparable.

Double Agent

Papaya prune covered baby by day,

Bond Girl in training by night.

The best form of packing procrastination? Blogging.

I managed to pack one box before Addison woke up from her glorious 2.5 hour nap. This nap was MUCH needed, as Andy and I had her out until almost 10 p.m. last night - 2.5 hours past her bedtime. I went to bed last night preparing myself for a potentially rough day.

Instead, Stinker woke up in fantastic mood, scarfed down half a banana and a whole kiwi and was ready to play. However, instead of playing she was her helpful self and decided to help me thin out the early mentioned pile of magazines. So very, very helpful.

Now she's looking at me as if to say, "What else do you want me to do around here? Mop, sweep, the laundry?". Of course my answer is "Um, yes.".

Packing

I really did not enjoy packing up my condo in Chicago. It was time consuming. It was sad. It was amazing how much "stuff" Andy and I had hung on that had absolutely no value.

Well now I get to pack up our apartment. I know I am not going to like it. It will be time consuming. It will be annoying. And, yet again I will be amazed at how much "stuff" we have accumulated in the past two months (I write this as I eye the stack of Entertainment Weekly, People, Cooking Light and Real Simple magazines piled next to the couch). All of that aside, packing up this apartment will be no easy task ~ I have a very mobile, very busy, very curious, very helpful almost 11 month old.

So who wants to come help? You have your pick of jobs:

A) Bubble wrap our dishes, glasses, wine goblets. Pack our photos. Cram our clothes into boxes. Throw away our magazines. Essentially, organize and box all of our belongs.

OR

B) Play for hours with our Stinkerpotomus.

Seriously, your choice.

Owning a home and losing my cool

102 signatures and 44 initials later and we are are the official owners of 5808 Ravens Ridge. Our closing went smoothly. Sadly, the pool table was not left behind, as Andy was hoping. We headed to lunch and then to check out our new digs. Needless to say we were pretty darn happy, and maybe a bit nauseous.

After wandering around our home in a stupor we headed to Kroger to get the get some supplies and rent the Rug Doctor. We picked Addison up from GG's and headed off to clean and prepare our house for move in.

While Andy attacked the carpeting, I started on removing the border in Addison's room. Foolishly I turned my back for one split second too long and then next thing I know the half gallon bucket of sudsy water was all over the carpet and all over a certain 10.5 month old. To say I lost my cool is an understatement.

I. Screamed. At. My. Darling. Daughter.

And then I felt HORRIBLE. Andy scooped her away giving me a chance to regain my composure. By the time he and she walked back into her room 4 minutes later all was forgiven and she flashed me one of her fabulous, heart melting smiles. I didn't deserve such quick and easy forgiveness, but I was glad to take it.

She got all the suds washed off in our kitchen sink and then snuggled down for a much needed nap.

After another hour or two of cleaning and sweating we headed home. And then took a quick detour to the Rusty Bucket for some grub and a well deserved beer.

It's 8:49 p.m. and I think I am going to crawl into my unmade bed.

Memorial Day Lessons

We didn't find a car but we did find out:

1. Car shopping when dealerships are closed is way more fun than dealing with salespeople.


2. The Taste of Cincinnati is worth the trip downtown.


3. We both prefer Carolina style BBQ sauce.


4. Two shots of bourbon mixed with strawberry daiquiri mix and fresh strawberries is an AWESOME summer beverage. Bourbon Slush, yum.


5. Addison does not quite know how to sit like a lady when she is wearing a dress. You cross your ankles and place them to one side (according to The Princess Diaries). Looks like we've got a ways to go on that lesson.

Indiana can ruin a weekend

On my way home from South Haven I learned that the difference between 60 and 72 is not 12. Nope, the difference is $126.00, at least that's what Officer #4585 of the Indiana State police taught me. Now not only I am no longer cavity free and proud to be, but I am no longer speeding ticket free and proud to be. Damn, my whole identity is crashing down around me.

While it would have been better sans speeding ticket, overall the weekend was still wonderful.

Friday I drove through tons of rain and tons of small Indiana towns, but finally arrived at the cottage around 7 p.m. Sean and Ali had a glass of white wine waiting on the table for me. Copious amounts of wine flowed and dinner was served at 11:30 p.m. in typical cottage style. After a dip in the hot tub, and more wine we headed to bed....which is where I stayed until almost 10 a.m.

Ali's shower had perfect weather and was at the outdoor garden of Fenn Valley Winery. Ali was showered with gorgeous gifts and seemed to enjoy the special guest of the vineyard kitty, Pinot Meow.

We feasted on some amazing food, I won't even go into how much goat cheese I consumed, and sipped several wines. I was in charge of driving the ladies home, so did not enjoy the wine quite to extent that Sue, Michelle, Kellogg and Mary did. We drove back to the cottage with the top down, nothing like a bunch of tipsy, windswept ladies to keep the party going. We spent the rest of the day soaking up the Michigan sun, soaking up the remaining wine from the shower and frolicking with the boys.

The cottage is still one of my very favorite places in the world, but my how times have changed. By 11:30 Saturday night all of us were safely tucked into our beds...Michelle, unfortunately, was tucked in with a severely sprained ankle after a graceful fall down the A-frame loft steps. At least she ran the Soldier Field 10 Mile Saturday morning and now has an excuse to rest her running shoes.

I arrived back in Cincinnati to a very happy baby hanging out with Aunts Nikki and Kimmie. After resting for a bit we headed over to the golf outing. Last time I was there I teed off on the back nine and drove my cute little pink golf ball directly into another golfer's cheek. No such injuries occurred this time around. Addison played on her blanket, tried to put mud, dead leaves and a few bugs in her mouth and generally charmed the pants off everyone she encountered. The three of us headed home around 9 p.m.; Addison was asleep before we got out of the parking lot.

We're going to head out car shopping today and try to enjoy a few more hours of nice weather before the storms head back in.
Tomorrow we become home owners....instead of going out for a celebratory dinner I think we'll send the state of Indiana a nice check. Damn.

Another weekend away

Well, I am off to South Haven, MI for Ali's wedding shower. Being that we are going to be at the cottage I am sure that this will be anything but a tame wedding shower. Addison is staying home with Daddy once again...we just didn't think she was emotionally prepared for the debauchery of a cottage weekend.
I'll be driving back home on Sunday. Andy is playing in the annual George Wechsler Memorial Golf Outing Sunday. Essentially, he is celebrating George's memory by golfing 18 holes, drinking a lot of beer and enjoying the Cincinnati weather. I thought it might be in Addie's best interest if I were to come home and not make her negotiate an inebriated dad. Andy's had a hell of week at work and he deserves a little misbehaving time.

Happy Memorial Day weekend to everyone...I can't believe that May is already ending and we are headed full force into summer. By this time next week Andy & I will be home owners, finally we will get to feel settled in.

The music is hokey, but here's a great recap of our May... Life is so hard in the 'Nati.

All smiles

The good vibes must have worked! She's rested, she's happy and she's ready to roll. We're heading out to run errands....

God, I love the morning nap. Welcome Back morning nap, welcome back.

SSSSSHHHHHHH

She's napping. One minor meltdown, two stories and her baby doll to snuggle, later and Addison is taking her morning nap...we're 44 minutes in and feeling confident!

So, please, SSSSSHHHHHHH.

* Don't worry, this an old picture. I'd have to be some kind of stupid fool to take her picture after finally winning the hard fought nap battle. Yes, sometimes I am a stupid fool, but I am not even that foolish or stupid.

Today was a day.
Addison is still not going down for naps for me. Even tonight, at bedtime, she put up quite the fuss.
While I was sitting on my couch today fighting tears, after afternoon nap attempt number 3 failed, Kate suggested over IM that perhaps Addie holds a grudge like a cat does when it's owner leaves town. I guess I should be thankful that she hasn't peed on my bed. I am terrified of what revenge she'll exact after I return from South Haven on Sunday.

Tomorrow Andy has Bob's car to head to work. I am going to experiment and see if maybe having an uninterrupted morning helps set the tone for the day (as I typed this I remembered that we are out of coffee, and if I want the morning to stay uninterrupted I can't run out to Starbucks or UDF. Damn, damn, damn! That sets a pretty bad tone for me.).

I could use some good mommy, good nap, good baby vibes sent my way....Please.
Pretty, pretty, please.

As you can see I am totally not above groveling.

I don't know what I am doing wrong

Apparently I am much more fun than Daddy, because when I am home Addison is no longer interested in her nap. At all. Not even a tiny little bit.


This morning when I put her down for her nap, she played quietly in her crib for a bit. Then she started moaning. Then complaining. Then yelling. Finally, it was this:

Yep, she's standing up trying to plot her escape. Oh dear lord.

I took her out of her crib and off we headed to Kohl's. Of course within six minutes of being in the car little Miss sleepypants was asleep and drooling. Thanks kiddo!

While our day started off a little rough (see above for a refresher) overall it has been lovely. We drove by our new house and saw that the new roof is finally being put on. We shopped at Kohl's with a 30 percent off coupon and we got to have lunch with Aunt Kimmie and Baby Rylan.

Addison is back down for another nap now...although it kind of sounds like it is going to morph into something similar to the morning nap. Boo.

I am going to go get dinner prepped, take my shower (I know it's 3:30. I know I am a hopeless slob), and throw in another load of laundry.

The excitement in my life never quite ends, does it?

**Update, 1 hour later.

Addison, again, deteriorated into a full out meltdown in her crib.

Once again, I opened her door and she was standing up, hanging on to her rail, rocking back and forth and crying. This time, I got her up and fed her some delish chopped spinach and yogurt. Half way through eating she started rubbing her eyes, so I gave a few more spoonfuls of the good stuff and then put her back to bed. She is now asleep.

I have prepped our Chicken Florentine dinner and it is in the crock pot. I'm not going to lie to you, it looks inedible. There is an 85 percent chance we'll be ordering pizza for dinner.

One of these days I am going to excel at being a housewife...probably just in time to head back to work.

Yoga master

I meant to post this before heading out of town but then forgot.

One of my first posts on this silly little blog was about Addison being a zen baby. It, of course, was entirely sarcastic. But look at her now, she has total command of downward facing dog. Perhaps her inner zen child is starting to emerge.

On a not at all related note, I took Addison to meet her new pediatrician today (who was wonderful). Just a quick update: Stinkerpots now weighs 21 lbs, 7 ounces and is 30 1/4 inches tall. That's right, she is basically 2.5 feet tall.

I am 5 ft 1/4 inch (that quarter inch means the world to me, so don't knock it!), so essentially Addison is just about half my size.
At 10 months old.

At this rate she is going to be taller than me by 3rd grade. My mommy always told me that "good things come in small packages".

Any suggestions for what line of crap I can feed my daughter when comes to her height?

Chicago Recap

I am back from Chicago. I am exhausted and quite happy to have slept in my own bed last night - without the Blue Line barreling over my head. I had a fabulous weekend in Chi-town. Highlights include:

• Watching Keelin open about a gazillion gifts (It made me want to get married all over again just for the registry. Yes, I would choose Andy to marry again. No, I would not use an expletive when asking my mom to get on the trolley.)
• Seeing Denise graduate from NIU. Denise was one of my first "girls" at Girls Hope. She drove me crazy, entertained me, and impressed me with her determination. Now, 9 years after we met, she is a college graduate. To say I am proud is an understatement.
• Being able to sit with my girlfriends and giggle. Okay, so maybe a lot of the giggling was wine fueled, but it was still giggling. A special thanks to Sue for playing until past her bedtime and for making a silly remark about a pen that had me practically gasping for air.
• Being stuck in a car, in construction with McFadden. Nothing is more entertaining to me than watching him lose his patience.
• Eating potato soup, from Corner Bakery, on Karen's couch. I love me some potato soup and, believe it or not, I heart Karen too.

The drive home wasn't too bad, except for the fact that about 2 hours in I started obsessively thinking about Chik-fil-a. On Saturday Michelle and I discussed our deep love for Chik-fil-a and she informed me that there was one right of I-65 in Lafayette. I hadn't even hit Merrillville and I decided Chik-fil-a was my lunch, YUM!

So I got off I-65 and headed in search of the good stuff. I missed the driveway and had to make a u-turn, but at long last I was going to have my sandwich. The restaurant looked empty and awfully dark. After circling the parking lot I spied the large sign on the marquee that said CLOSED SUNDAY. To say I was crestfallen, heartbroken, dismayed is a huge understatement. I damn near cried.

I ended up having 2 junior roast beefs from Arby's and a diet coke, but it just didn't hit the spot. Damn Chik-fil-a and their commitment to the spiritual well being of their employees. What about me, Chik-fil-a, what about me??

I arrived home to a sleeping baby and a sleeping husband. Eventually they both woke up and seemed at least mildly happy to see me. I was only gone for a little over 48 hours, but I swear Addie looks different. Her hair seemed longer, her eyes darker. She was very well rested, Andy reported that she took two naps each day for at least an hour and a half each...after her little display on Friday I could kill her for taking it so easy on her daddy!

Dear God or Whomever is in Charge of Happy Babies,
Please help my daughter take her naps when she needs them. The past 2.5 hours of screaming and hissy fitting has been a little ridiculous. I really want my baby to be happy, but also want her to be well rested for her big weekend. Please also let my baby know that while I always find her particularly adorable, it's not so much true when she is turning herself purple, throwing her toys and slamming her legs onto her mattress repeatedly.
Love,
Jessica

===================================================

Dear GG,
I hope this is out of her system. If not please accept my sincerest apologies and deepest gratitude.
Love,
Jessica

Chicagoward Bound

At noonish today I am dropping little Miss Addie E. off at Great Grandma's (GG) house and hitting the road for Chicago. The last time I spent two nights away from my little darling was Jill and Brian's wedding. I had a great time, but I definitely had forgotten that I was mommy and not a rock star. After a handful of mishaps, I feel like that lesson has been learned.

Translation: I don't enjoy vomiting and I can not bounce back from a martini bender like I could in the old days.

Anyway, Addie and GG are going to hang out for the day until Andy picks up his babe after work. It's just the two of them this weekend. Addison is excited for Daddy time and can't wait to go meat shopping in Findlay Market and grilling at Grandma and Grandpa's. We had a little talk and she promised to do her best to try to take it easy on Daddy. She said:

She'll try not to spit too much food at him.

She'll try not to throw any major temper tantrums.

She'll attempt to go down for naps without too big of a fuss.

She'll try not to make a huge mess with her toys.

She'll attempt to sleep in until at least 6:45 a.m.

This is a whole lot for a baby to try to do in two and half days...so I think it'll be a successful weekend if she achieves even one of these goals.
I'm writing this as she is in her room throwing a tempertantrum about taking her morning nap...When I say tempertantrum I mean earth shattering, heart breaking screaming. Turn off the monitor and turn on the shower screaming. Non-stop, asserting myself, I will be heard damn it, screaming! Hopefully she'll have this out of her system for her day with GG!!

So have a fabulous weekend with your Daddy baby girl...I will miss you, but mommy is ready for a weekend in Chicago playing with her friends and having lunch with her Daddy.

The Helper

When I was in middle school my best friend Katie's mom, Jo, owned a really cool shop called Pottery Plus. To this day I wear earrings that I got there (or at some point stole off Katie's dresser) and most mornings have coffee out of a mug from that shop.
I remember sitting on Katie's kitchen counter eating Twizzlers and drinking tea laughing hysterically as Jo and Katie told story after story about The Helpers at the shop.
The Helpers were Katie's twin boy cousins, who were probably as old as Addie is now. I never fully understood why Jo called them The Helpers, but I think I am beginning to catch on.

I am learning that once babies become mobile very little else gets done. Addison is on the move and therefore:

• There are dishes in my sink from this morning.


• I've been doing our laundry for almost three days.


• I did get showered today...but I'd be lying if I told you I was able to every day.


• My bed is still unmade.


• The folded laundry is sitting in piles.


• The floors are d-i-r-t-y.

I am not claiming that I was ever the Queen of Clean, but I was never an outright slob. Okay, maybe I was a slob in middle school. (At least by claiming middle school slovenliness I can justify the bowl of sugar Aunt Ruthie found under my bed in sixth grade, but I digress.)


The point is, I can not seem to see one single project through to the very end these days.

On the rare occasions that the bed is made and the laundry is done and dishes aren't in the sink and the floors are vacuumed, I sit down and wonder what "How did I get this all done?".

Sadly the answer is usually something like...

• I didn't take time to brush my teeth.


• I haven't gone to the bathroom since last night.


• All of my meals have consisted of coffee, splenda and half & half.

But once in a while the answer is:

• Addison took both of her naps.

Today was not a nap day. Today Addison was being my little helper.

We could use some fairy dust around here

Dear Tooth Fairy,
I remember when I was little? I'd lose a tooth, put it under my pillow and you would give me 25 cents while I was sleeping. (By the way, what's the deal with that? Kids these days get between $2 and $5. That is a little ridiculous!). I really loved waking up and getting those quarters. I knew then that you were a magical creature.

I know it's been awhile, but would you mind doing me a favor?

Could you come sprinkle some of your magical dust on my daughter? You don't need to give her any money or anything. Instead, could you make her teeth come in without all the drooling? Perhaps with a little less ear-piercing screaming? Maybe you could steady her mood swings a bit?

If you could help in anyway I would really appreciate it. I might even feel compelled to drink a little less wine at night.
Really, you'd be helping both of us out quite a bit.

Sincerely,
Addison's Mom

The Sweet Potato Continues to Rule

My baby has one heck of an appetite! Yesterday at Grandma & Grandpa Neyer's she ate half a smashed sweet potato for lunch. About 3 hours later she drank a six ounce bottle and then inhaled 2 ounces of acorn squashed mixed with the other half of the sweet potato. My god...that's a lot. Isn't it? Have I been inadvertently starving my darling babe? Really, all evidence is to the contrary. Her wrists look like stuffed sausages and her ankles have rolls. She could store berries and nuts in her cheeks if necessary. Nonetheless, I am going to start giving her some more food and see how it goes.

As I have been typing this she has devoured another half a sweet potato and still seems hungry. Now it's on to some yogurt....maybe for dinner tonight we'll grill her up an 8 ounce filet mignon.

Oooh, steak for dinner. I think that might be a good idea.

Mother's Day

One year, not so awfully long ago, my brother, Jeafen, and I both forgot Mother's Day. We didn't send any gifts. No cards were mailed. There might have been a 9 p.m. phone call, but in all honesty I don't think there was. Mother's Day came and went, and we never acknowledged it.

Needless to say we had one very hurt, very upset, very angry mother...it was probably best that we both lived out of state, because I am pretty sure that if Mom could have gotten her hands on us we would not have lived to tell it.

I can promise you this, however, after that royal screw up neither of us have ever missed Mother's Day again. We call and remind each other. It's highlighted in my calendar. It is the second Sunday of May. Packages and cards are sent out by the Tuesday before. There are sticky notes in my house and an alarm on my phone to make sure that my memory does not fail me.

I don't think I understood the emotional importance of Mother's Day until Addison entered my life. She changed who I am. She redefined my priorities. She made my world a better and a scarier place.

Ninety-nine percent of my waking hours are consumed with Addison ~ changing diapers, reading, playing, having bottles, introducing new food, learning how to crawl, stand and move around. We go for walks. We stop and smell flowers. We touch tree bark and pick grass. We play at parks. She is learning what NO means. She recognizes her name. She can clap. She giggles.
Everyday she is growing, and learning, and amazing me more.
And, because of her, I now don't only get to honor my mom, and all the other amazing women who have influenced my life on Mother's Day, but I get to join their club.

I wouldn't dare say their ranks, because they have truly earned their stripes. As someday so will I.

I know one day I, too, will survive the first day of kindergarten, the first sleep over, the first broken bone, the first trip to the emergency room.
I will survive middle school, puberty, first dates and being told "I hate you!".
I will survive her driving a car, swearing, being hurt by a friend and having her heart broken.
I will survive when she goes away to college, even though I tell everyone I know that she'll never "go that far away" from me.

I will survive one day when she falls in love, gets married and starts a family of her own. I will survive when my opinion isn't always sought out or when she disagrees with what I have to say.

I will survive when, one May, she forgets Mother's Day...but she better live far away, or she won't live to tell about it.

Until I cross all those bridges, I am going to remember to savor the little things. I am going to put down the crossword puzzle and play on the floor. I am going to get off the computer and help her explore her world. I am going to remember that I will never have the pure innocent trust, love and wonder that I have with her now.
I will ask her to stop growing so damn fast.

I am going to remember that I am not doing this alone. I have a kind, generous and amazing husband. I have a strong, selfless and loving mother. I have a supportive and giving stepmother. I have a mother-in-law is who patient and silly. I have aunts and friends and a family that are compassionate and wonderful.

I have Addison Evelyn.

So Happy Mother's to all the wonderful mothers, caretakers, mentors and amazing women who love, nurture and raise children everyday.
Happy Mother's Day to the Grandmothers and Great Grandmothers who get to watch the magic unfold, but don't have to wake up for the 6 a.m. bottles.


And Happy Mother's Day to me....I am so lucky to be a part of this club.

Thank you, Addison, for sponsoring my membership.

Saturday=Wonderful

This morning I woke up to Andy getting up with Addie and giving her a bottle.
I got out of bed to the smell of coffee brewing, bacon sizzling and eggs scrambling.

I didn't even have to do the breakfast dishes, instead I got to stack up and knock over blocks with Addison on the living room floor.
What a great start to a great day.

After Addie's nap we headed downtown to Findlay Market. The three of us mixed in with the throngs and browsed the stalls. There were fresh veggies, cheeses, handmade pottery, candles, soaps, specialty meats, baked goods. There were rows of flower vendors. One store boasted 29 varieties of olives. There were coffee stands and people playing the guitar. There was a wine shop - hosting a tasting. I have found part of my Cincinnati heaven.

Andy & I bought ribs, sausages, flank steak, potatoes and mushrooms for dinner. We sipped wine, and a bought a bottle or two. We enjoyed the sunshine.

After a quick stop by Grandma & Grandpa's we are home. Andy is cutting the grass. Addison is playing with her toys. The smell of baking ribs is drifting down the hall. There's a bottle of Rose in the fridge. I am planning on heading to UDF for a pre-dinner milk shake.

Today is a good day.

Did I mention my Mother's Day gifts came a bit early? Addison signed me up for three months of Flower of the Month and three months of red wine of the month. How freaking special and loved am I??

To top it all off, the Cubs game is being televised. I get to watch my Cubbies in 70 degree sunshiny weather...and watch the fans in Chicago all bundled up. I love today.

Rice and Lollipops

Kate Cheeseman is in town to shower her mommy in Mother's Day love...which works out well for me, because I got a lunch date. Addie and I met Kate and Ann at Nest for some window shopping and then headed off to the Green Papaya for some great, fresh, yummilicious Thai food. Kate got a limeade drink that made every gland in my mouth pucker after one sip and our curry and pad thai were perfection. Addison got her first taste of rice and seems to love it ~ even if she doesn't, it did keep her busy for a good 30 minutes, which is very needed these days when she is at a restaurant. By the time she was done with her rice it was in her hair, her ears, up a nostril and all over the table and floor. At least I was able to have nice lunch with grown up conversation. Thank you, rice.

Kate also introduced Addie to lollipops...one suck and she desperately wanted more. Too bad that doesn't promote good oral health and she'll be lollipop free for a year or two to come.

After hopping her up on carbs and sugar we headed over the Cheeseman's to visit and hang out a bit more. After a few laughs with Cheeseman's we headed home, and Addie passed out about 45 seconds into our car ride.

It was a big day for such a little girl!

Little Librarian

Addison has so many toys, and she really loves them all. However, I am proud to report that while she loves her toys, she adores her books. Makes a mommy proud!

Nothing Special

It's been raining since the 5th inning of yesterday's game. I thought it was always sunny in Cinci...what a wake up call.:(
Addison was in a bit of a better mood today...although she woke up pretty pissy and at 5:45 a.m.! I thought I was dreaming when I heard her whining on the monitor, but no, she was ready for her Thursday.
I pulled her in bed with me and gave her a bottle. After eating we turned on the news and she played in bed with Sock Monkey, Baby Piggy, Giraffe and Bunny FuFu. I may have shut my eyes, but I kept a hand on her leg...I wouldn't want to pull a Corey and have her crawl out of bed, which believe me, she tries to do!
After about an hour she nestled into my pile of pillows and dozed until 8:45 a.m., thankfully, because I was not really wanting to be awake. After we woke from dozing time Addison had some yummy bananas & apples mixed with yogurt. Fortified by such good food she tore into play time...pulling out all the books in our living room, dancing to the animal train, playing her "piano" and making her chime garden sing...and promptly passed out at noon.
After another yummy meal of carrots & broccoli we headed out to get some fresh air. Well, fresh air inside stores, because it was still pouring out. We found some unnecessary but super nice furniture at Big Lots and picked about 4 lbs of paint swatches a Lowe's. We then headed off to Kenwood Mall to window shop and walk...which resulted in a little bit of shopping and a little bit of enjoying chicken and iced tea at Chik-fil-a. Deelish. Seriously the honey bbq sauce they have was fabulous.
The rest of our night consisted of scarfing down a bowl of peaches & pears, playing with every toy in Addie's playbin, throwing a total shitfit when I tried to trim her nails (after she accidentally clawed my face from hairline to chin), taking a bath with duckies, chugging down a bottle and going to bed with out a fight.

Speaking of bed, it's about past my bed time (it's 10:15 p.m. for heaven's sake!)...Tomorrow we have a big day of playing with Kate Cheeseman and waiting for Daddy to get home.

**Today she only spit once or twice while eating. What a treat to not be coated in food.

Can't be angelic all day every day

She woke up from her post-Cubbie nap in a foul mood. Nasty. Grouchy.

She threw her toys. She chucked giraffe. She winged her pacifier. She screeched at the cat.

She growled at me.

Simply put she was one unhappy baby. I would like to blame on the Cubs, but I think it's that one of her top teeth is trying to make an appearance. Mean new tooth.

Or maybe it's that her Daddy left for Lowell until Friday night. Yep, that's probably it!

**By the way, I wasn't neglecting her while she put on this performance. I was making her a bottle to eat. Previously to this lovely video she was "eating" carrots and broccoli. By eating, I mean screaming and spitting just about every mouthful back out. Lovely. Come to think of it, after the last 3 1/2 hours of Miss Unhappy Pants I think I will go "make" myself a bottle too...of Shiraz.

***Please note that there are no tears on those chubby cheeks. No tears at all....

Oh Cubbies...

Addison has experienced Cubbie heartbreak before, but not live. Today she went to her 1st Cubs game (and her 1st baseball game) at Great American Ball Park. Andy and I went to the first two games in series, and decided to finish it up with a lunch date today.
It was one of our cheapest dates in awhile ~ my ticket (which included a $10 lunch voucher) was $15 and Andy got in for free. We got to enjoy two brats (after all this time swearing I don't like them, turns out I do!) and a large diet Pepsi all for the bargain price of $20.

We decided to switch from our initial seats because as we sat cheering all the rows and seats around us started to fill up quickly ~ turns out there were 300 elementary school kids there on a field trip, ugh. I'm glad that these days the only kid I have to worry about chaperoning is my own!

Sadly for Addie, this what not the best game to see. As soon as we sat down the Reds hit 3 homers, after being in the park for just a few minutes the score was 5-0, Reds. Boo! At the start of the fifth inning it started to rain and we took off for home. A quick check of ESPN.com confirms that it still is looking tough for the Cubbies...now the Reds lead 9-0.

It may not have been the Cubs victory that we wanted Addison to experience, but nonetheless she loved everything about the game, the noise, the smells, the cheers, the people.

All that cheering sure did wear her out though.

Pigs Fly

We got up nice and early this morning and strolled over to Oakley to yell at strangers.

We yelled and clapped and cheered and encouraged the 20,000 lunatics (I mean amazing people) who ran the Flying Pig Marathon this morning. Addison let out a few giggles, shrieks and clapped as the runners raced past her. She is quite the cheering section.
I saw standing on the sidelines cheering for total strangers as my little of way of paying it forward...after all, in October 2006 a whole bunch friends, family and strangers braved the Chicago weather to cheer me across the finish line at the Chicago Marathon. And cheer Karen across...and, in reality, cheer Addie across. Unbeknownst to me she was doing the race with us!

Exhausted

Gramma's gone....we drove to Columbus today to drop her off (so she could fly to Cincinnati to catch her flight to Hartford, ridiculous, I know). On our way to the airport we stopped to visit my cousin Colin, his wife Liz and their son Jackson.

This was the first time we all got together since our babes were born...it felt much more grown up then we used to get together and play drinking games until one of us puked (of course "one of us" usually meant Colin). Addie loved Jackson's toys, his bouncer and his dog...
Jackson was a little unsure of Addie, perhaps because she let a little baby banshee loose while we were there.

Now we're home. She's bathed, fed and snoring. My vegy pizza is on it's way and a glass of wine has been poured. Without a doubt I will be in bed within two hours.

Grammas are exhausting (and, of course, wonderful).

Thanks for a great visit Gramma...we love being with you.