Cooking with Mommy

One of my friends, Lisa, gave Addison and I handmade Christmas aprons this year...and they were awesome!!! Addison was so excited about hers, so I decided to let her help me make some Christmas goodies for our neighbors.

She had so much fun helping me with the Creme de Menthe brownies (a family favorite) and she kept picking up the recipe card and saying..."hmmm...what's next? Right here...this!" I love how much she is talking now, and she honestly tries to carry on a conversation with you, and she thinks that she is SUCH a big girl! I guess she's right!

The Pacifier is GONE!!!!!

Well, thanks to everyone for the advice I received on trying to get rid of Addison's pacifier!

We decided to basically quit the Paci cold turkey (it sounds like cigarettes or something!) Our neighbor had some success with a story she told her daughter...saying that "Penelope the Pacifier Fairy" collects all of the big kids pacifiers, and gives them to little newborn babies as they are born (and re-inforcing this by saying that only babies have pacifiers.

So, on December 17th...Addison woke up with TERRIBLY chapped and raw lips, so I took that as a sign that it was time. We headed off to Target to get a padded envelope, stickers, markers, and tons of other little doo-dads to decorate the envelope with. I kept making this huge deal out of the fact that only babies had pacifiers. We also picked out a brand new stuffed animal, "brown bear" for her to sleep with instead. We came home and decorated our envelope, and went around the house and gathered all of her pacifiers...I found 6 of them!!! We took the envelope out to the mailbox and mailed it to Penelope.

That afternoon for nap she cried for her paci, and then whe we went to sleep that night it was hellacious. It was absolutely terrible. I was so sad for her. It absolutely broke my heart! She kept crying "no brown bear, no brown bear." But after about two days, she is doing great! She no longer cries for her paci...she does ask for it every once in a while...but it is no longer a crying fit, just a simple question.

The funniest and sweetest part is when she woke up the next day, she told me that her pacifiers were with baby Quenton, and baby Jesus. Is that not the SWEETEST thing ever?

Oh, and p.s...we went to a live nativity while at my parents...and baby Jesus had a paci!!!! I was so excited!!!!

Below is a picture of her poor little lips that day, and pictures of her decorating her envelope for Penelope.

What are the Holidays without a Gingerbread House?

Addison picked out a gingerbread house kit from Wal-Mart right before Thanksgiving...and she was finally able to build her own house about a week and half before Christmas! She was SOOOO excited, and really didn't want any help from us, even though she definitely needed it! She allowed me to put the actual house together, but wanted to do the gingerbread men, the tree, and all the decorating ALL by herself! She was SO proud of herself! I would ask her where she was going to put a piece of candy, and she'd say..."hmmm...let's see". She is absolutely hilarious!

Finally...on Santa's lap!

Addison and I have tried to visit Santa about 6 times, all of which we did not get pictures...I just wanted her to warm up to him. Each time, she has been very excited about going to see him, but once she is near him, she wants nothing to do with him. So, today...3 days before he comes to visit her, she has decided that it was important to let him know what he needed to bring her! She stood next to him and told him she would like a "da-house" (doll house) and a "pincess" (princess). Then I asked her if she wanted to sit in his lap, and she said "uh-huh".

After her picture was taken, he asked her for a hug, and suprisingly, she gave him one. They printed her picture, and when she looked at it, she went running back over to Santa to show him...she was SO proud! I guess our fear of Santa is history?

I just wish I had known we'd see Santa today, then she could have been in a Christmas-y outfit...oh well. I guess you don't always get everything you want, huh?

While we are comparing...

Here is my big ole belly with Addison at 30 weeks...I think I was bigger with her. How is that possible, because I'm pretty gi-normous right now, and I'll be 30 weeks in two days...

And then here is around 28-29 weeks with Quenton...

With Addison...I couldn't wear my rings past like 6 months...and this go round, still got my rings! So far, at least! We'll see how I do.

Oh well...

Do they look alike?

Okay...so here goes. You decide for yourself...I think they look nothing alike. We'll see in 10 weeks! Addison is the top picture, at 31 weeks. Quenton is the bottom at 29 weeks.

His 1st video

Sweet baby boy...

Okay, we went to have our 4-D Ultrasound today, at 29 1/2 weeks. This was about a week earlier than I went with Addison, but I think Jae had a lot of fun because he wasn't here to experience Addison's. He is doing wonderful, heartrate of 160, and moving like a maniac. He was more cooperative than Addison, but we still had a hard time keeping him still long enough to get a few good pictures of his little face. I, personally, don't think he looks like Addison, but we'll see. I'll try to get a copy of her 4-D on here soon, so you can judge for yourself. As his due date is growing closer, we are getting more and more excited and more anxious, too! We had the technician check to make sure that the last ultrasound was right...and he is DEFINITELY a boy. No hiding that! I'm sorry that there are so many pictures...I had 61 to choose from...so it was kind of hard! There is one showing his "stuff", a bunch of his face, yawning, and his hand holding onto his foot.

Another bit of belly...

Alright, here is the 28 week shot...only 12 more to go!!! (This was taken right before Thanksgiving...so I'm a little behind.) Sorry it's kind of cropped funny...I didn't want you all to see the rest...you'll have to wait for Christmas cards!

Addie and her first star...

Addison has not understood Christmas up until this point...and, now that she can, she LOVES every single thing about it! (She gets that from me, I think...Jae isn't really big into Christmas music...crazy man!)

This year...she was big enough to put the star on top of the tree...

Please excuse the bare bum...she had just gone potty and stripped her PJ's off...and then it was time for the star...

Our first day of gymnastics!

Well, Jae and I decided to enroll Addison in a gymnastics class. She just has SOOOO much energy, and not enough outlets to exert it all! So, this ended up being the perfect place! She is part of a Whiz Kids class for 2-3 year olds at a really great gym in town. It's like a giant cushioned play area. The class is once a week, for 45 minutes, and they keep them moving for every second of the time!

Addison was so excited to go, she wore her new purple leotard that she picked out each of the three nights leading up to her class! She was absolutely cracking us up! After a little bit of hesitation, Addison made her way into class. She wouldn't try doing her forward roll...but the teachers said to give it a week and she'll act like she owns the place. Dont' doubt that for one minute! So, here's the little wild child in action...

Oh, Mr. Bubble!

Okay, this stuff has been out since I was a kid...like 25 years ago. This has got to be the most popular bubble bath known to man! But, it does make for a good bath time...and an extended one, at that!

Addison has figured out that it is way more fun to take a bath in Mommy and Daddy's bath...we pour in a little bit of the magic pink bottle, and turn on the jets, and she goes CRAZY! She loves it. Absolutely loves it! Of course, after about 5 minutes of jets, the bath tub is overflowing with bubbles...and Addison is screaming "more bubbles...bubbles...bubbles!!!" It reminds me of the fish in the fishtank on Finding Nemo!

Beep-beep...Addie's got the keys to the Jeep!

Well, Gamma and Boss got Addison a pink and purple motorized Jeep for her birthday. Unfortunately for Addie, Mommy and Daddy decided to keep it in the box until we got to Alabama. So, after many promises...we put the Jeep together this past Sunday, and Addison had a HAY-DAY!!! I swear...she went crazy over this thing. That is, until we put the battery in it. Now, she's scared to do anything but sit in it. The second you mention pushing the (gas) "button", she hops out. We're hoping the neighbors will bring their 3 year old daugther, Ava, over...and she can help with a little convincing! We'll see...

For all you belly watchers (TEAL!!!!! This is for you!)

Alright...it's very true, they say you take WAY less pictures the second time around...and they're right. I've already started slacking compared to my pregnancy with Addison, but I'm trying to blame it on the move. I'm sure I'll be much better at taking pictures when I have the sweet little boy to take them of...my belly isn't too cute! But, I have this crazy friend from Texas that keeps insisting on a "belly picture" so here goes, Teal. (By the way, I'm just picking on her!)

This is from week 25 (last week)

Sorry, it's not the greatest picture, but that's what happens when you set it on the table and set the timer!

Sweet little lady...

She can be deceptive!!! Addison has been quite the personality these days. We think she's trying to express herself, but whoo-hoo, sometimes...thats a challenge. But, the majority of the day, she is sweet little Addison. She talks NON-STOP now. Literally. You think I'm kidding...I'm' not. She only stops long enough to take a deep breath, and start again. She also tells me that "mommy belly hurts" all the time...I guess that's her way of explaining my expanding stomach! But, the good thing is...she's still excited to be a big sister...

I'm back on track now!

I'm sorry it has taken me so long to get all of these pictures posted. It was really complicated to post them from my parents house in GA, and then with the move, we just got internet less than a week ago...so here it goes...

There are a lot of pictures, so I apologize. I just didn't want to leave anything out. We are happy to finally be settling into our own house, but it is a LOT of work!!! We have our next appointment with OB on friday, so I will update you soon on the baby. We found out in the middle of October that we are having a baby BOY...so Jae is busting at the seams! His name will be Quenton...for the 5th - Jae wants to name him James Oliver Barclay V. He is healthy, and measuring a smidge big, so we'll check again this friday. I'll keep you posted.

Enjoy all the pictures, and I promise to be on time from now on!!!

Happy Halloween!!!

Addison was SOOOOO excited for Halloween this year. I had been psyching her up for about a week before hand...teaching her how to say trick-or-treat, so when it finally came time for the real thing...she was busting at the seams. As soon as she woke up from her nap, she was asking for her "jaffe costume". I could hardly get her dinner down her. Then when we walked outside to see if anyone was trick-or-treating yet...she took off running to the next door neighbors screaming "knock-knock...knock-knock!" She just couldn't wait. Then, she started taking candy out of our basket, and putting it into her bucket. She rarely gets candy, actually only when she potties, so that night she was bouncing off the walls. Needless to say, we were very tired when we got home.