To Addison, on your first birthday

Well, honey, today is your FIRST birthday, June 20th, 2008. I can hardly believe it's already been a year, the time just keeps on flying past us! I wanted to start writing you and Emily letters each year so that you would know...when you get older...what was going on, what you were doing, what you were saying, what we were doing, what you liked, didn't like, you get the picture. I'm sad to say that I had great intentions of starting this when Emily was born, but it just didn't happen! So you are the first one to get a letter at one year old, Emily will get her first one next week when she turns three.

Addison at 1 day old

Let me start out by saying that from the first moment we saw you, and I know I can speak for daddy with this one, we were 100%, totally, completely, head over heels in love! It was hard to believe that we could fall in love with someone we hardly knew so quickly. When you were handed to me in the delivery room and I got to look at you for the first time, WOW...there are just no words to describe the feeling except simply amazing.

1 month old

Emily was SO excited to become a big sister, and has been loving on you from day one. She just adores you and is always around to lend a helping hand. And it is so clear that you adore her also. If you are unhappy, screaming and crying and just generally miserable, all Emily has to do is walk into the room, and the tears stop almost immediately! You love to watch Emily's every move, and right now, one of your favorite things to do is to tackle her when she's lying on the floor. You crawl over to her, lift yourself up on your knees, raise your arms up with this cheesy grin on your face, squeal, and then throw yourself down dramatically over Emily. It's hysterical. I know it won't always be like this...I'm sure you two will have your fair share of hair pulling fights. But right now, it is so precious to see that your foundation as sisters is so special to both of you!

Addison 2 months old



Addison 3 months old

Here are some of the cute things, not so cute things, highlights (and some low lights) of your first year:

Addison 4 months old



Being able to actually LEAVE the hospital with you after you were born!

This was big for us. It was so very hard to have to leave Emily in the NICU when she was born...heartbreaking...so to be able to leave the hospital with you in our arms, and arrive home with you in our arms, was a major highlight!

Addison 5 months old

Your first hospital visit

Addison 6 months old

God has a quirky sense of humor, truly. We were so happy that we escaped you having to stay in the NICU after you were born. Well... 1o days AFTER you were born, you spiked a fever of 102...and in newborn babies, that warrants an immediate visit to the ER. Oh, yeah, AND we got to stay in the hospital with you for three days while they poked you, prodded you, gave you IV fluids, measured your wet diapers, took rectal temperatures, and pumped you full of antibiotics. It turns out you had a virus, boy was it a nasty one! And to top it off, I got it too...while we were in the ER waiting for the doctor to see you. Poor daddy had to stay with you the first night in the hospital by himself, and you had a REALLY rough night that first night. I would have to say that was probably one of the scariest times of our lives. We did a lot of crying and praying for those three days. I think we can easily call this one...a low light of the year.

Addison 7 months old

When daddy comes home

This is a highlight of my day. When daddy comes home, you get SO excited. You crawl over to him as fast as your little body will take you, making your funny squealing noises along the way, and cling to his legs until he picks you up. And then...you don't let him put you down. If that happens, look out! I'm pretty sure they can hear you all the way over in China when you start crying...it's very dramatic.

Addison 8 months old

Your fingers

My dear, you seem to have a "thing" for the 3rd and 4th fingers of your right hand. This started around 4-5 months old. It's so cute. When you're tired, cranky or hungry, or when you have a lovey in your hands (anything soft and fuzzy), these fingers go in your mouth. Your 2nd finger and pinkey finger go up on either side of your nose, making it look like the Texas Longhorn symbol. However...you have recently figured out that you can suck on those 3rd and 4th fingers, while at the same time picking your nose with the 2nd finger...this is called multitasking...you're very talented for such a young age.

Addison 9 months old

Eating habits

Daddy is convinced that you are not really his daughter (despite the fact that you're the spitting image of him). You LOVE eating vegetables. And I don't mean the standard sweet potatoes and carrots that most babies seem to tolerate. You like those...but you LOVE green beans, the mixed vegetables, and the garden vegetables (which I personally think smell like the grass in our backyard). In fact, you prefer eating vegetables over any baby food fruit flavors that I've tried. I think it's great, daddy thinks you're a little strange.

Your mouth

You CANNOT keep anything out of your mouth. Daddy seems to think that Emily was the same way, but I do not have that same memory...or else I've chosen to block it out! I have never seen a baby down carpet fibers the way that you do. But your palette is not just limited to carpet fibers. Oh, no. You are willing to try just about anything. From dog food, dog hair, dog water, bits of food from the kitchen floor, leaves, grass, rocks, dust bunnies, other people's hair...you name it, you've probably tried it! I could vaccuum the floors of our house 3 times a day, and you would still find things on the floor to put in your mouth! It's amazing, really.

Addison 10 months old



Your sweet and contagious smile

Oh, honey, you have the sweetest little smile in all of Texas. One can't help but to get caught up in your happiness and smile right along with you. Of course, I'm never able to catch these grins on camera, you clam up immediately when I pull it out. But I can't tell you how many people comment on your adorable little smile and they say to me, "what a happy baby!". Right now, one of the cute things your doing is smiling so big that your eyes are all squinched up (is that a word?), and breathing rapidly in and out of your nose. Priceless.

Addison 11 months old

Your fussy time

Let's just say that for about a month or so, when you were just 2-3 months old, you were in a really foul mood from about 4pm to 10pm. And "fussy" really doesn't describe the array of sounds that came out of your mouth. I would characterize it more like...high pitched shrieking and screaming that the best earplugs in the world wouldn't help. NOTHING made you happy except someone holding you, facing you outward, and either walking around or bouncing on my exercise ball. We couldn't sit down, we couldn't put you down. Was it colic? Who knows. But just about the time that we were ready to trade you in (by the way, I'm kidding, we would never do that :), you stopped! I must say, though, mommy and daddy's nerves were fringed right to the nub! I guess we should be thankful that you didn't do this in the middle of the night instead!

Happy Birthday!!!

So there it is, a snapshot of your first year! We love you so much, Addison, and thank God for the blessing that you are every day. Love, mommy and daddy