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...