Addison Laughing - Great Video

Here is a video of Addison laughing at my parents house on Thanksgiving. We finally got a good video of it! I wish I could make my daughter laugh like this... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0ke84cq3Uo

Addison's First Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving we had so much to be thankful for and it was a true blessing to get to see almost my whole entire family on Thanksgiving day.

To celebrate Thanksgiving, we went over to my parents house to eat lunch with my parents, John, Stephanie, Rachel, Shane, Aunt Susan, Uncle Pat, Sean and Amanda. It was so much fun hanging out with everyone and Addison really enjoyed playing with Amanda. We ate a delicious traditional Thanksgiving meal with Turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, cranberry relish and much much more. After lunch, me, Brian, Addison and my parents went out to Bastrop to visit the rest of the family. It was such a wonderful "1st Thanksgiving" for Addison. The only thing that would have made it more perfect was if Brian's family was with us. Fortunately we saw them all the week before in Hereford, so we consider Addison's First Thanksgiving to be extended between these two weeks.

Addison - 4 Months

This has be the best month yet! Addison has been so much fun and it is nice to watch her play with toys, "talk" with different sounds, smile, laugh, roll and respond to voices and sounds. In a lot of ways she is so much easier, but there are still some areas that are challenging (like no longer sleeping through the night). Someone told me that once you figure something out, they change.... that is so true! We love our little angel so much!

The Pediatrician Visit:

Brian and I took Addison to her 4 month well check on the 18th and we are happy to say she is still PERFECT! We were able to spend some time talking about our questions and it was a good visit.

Weight: 13.3 Pounds - 50th Percentile Height: 25 Inches - 75th Percentile Head Circumference: 40.5cm - 45th Percentile

Overall, she is long and lean and doing fabulous!

Fun Facts from the 4th Month:

• Stopped sleeping though the night at 3 months and have become a habitual night feeder (not such a fun fact)
• She started grabbing, shaking and playing with toys
• Obsessed with putting things in her mouth and gets frustrated that both fists will not fit.
• Loves the exersaucer
• Praise baby dvd’s are still a lifesaver
• Loves to stand up and face out so she can see the world
• Rolls over, mostly from tummy to back.
• Introduced her to the sassy bouncer, she sways more than bounces
• First airplane ride and overnight visit to Hereford, she did great!
• Laughing and smiling a lot more
• Making a lot more sounds
• Loves playing airplane & flying
• Loves her weekly playdates with her future husband Judah (he was born the day before Addison)
• Enjoys going on long walks
• A lot more independent and can play by herself

While I know month 5 will be full of fun new things, it will be a bit challenging in some areas. We are working on sleep training Addison to break her habitual night feeding habit. I am also working on putting her on a more structured feeding schedule.

4 Month Photos

Here is a link to Addison's 4 Month Photos, Enjoy! http://www5.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=2578143007/a=34652780_34652780/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

Trip to Hereford

On November 13-15th, we were blessed with a trip to Hereford to visit Addison's Grandparents and Great Grandparents. It was such a wonderful time and Addison really enjoyed the farm!

She got to play with new toys...

Loved to "swing" in her new doorway jumper...

Sweet picture with Pops and Grandmommy...

Addison got to meet her Great Grandparents Clarence and Mildred...Addison loves her Great-Grandmommy Peggy...

I adore this picture...

First trip out to the farm and her first 4-wheeler ride... She loved it!

First Airplane Ride

In November, we took Addison on her first airplane trip to visit her Grandparents and Great Grandparents in Hereford. I was a bit anxious about flying with Addison knowing her unpredictable mood. Addison did so good on the plane and slept pretty much the entire time. I know flying with a child become more difficult as they get older. Luckily it is only a 2 1/2 hour travel time.

Laughing

Addison has started doing more of the "belly" laughs. You never know when she is going to do it, but it is hilarious! The problem with our dear child is when she sees a camera, she stops whatever she is doing and just stares. I got a few seconds of a belly laugh and her "dinosaur" sound. Hopefully someday I will be able capture the whole thing on video.

One Year Ago Today...

One year ago today I found out I was pregnant... that was the day that changed my life, my marriage, my faith, my everything... FOREVER... for the good of course! Being pregnant and having a life form inside of me was the most amazing experience ever and God willing I look forward to experiencing it again within the year. It is so much fun reliving that day! I could not believe it when I found out I was pregnant and now I am holding our precious baby in my arms. Below are the blog posts from that magical day! Couple of things I did not mention in the blog:

• On our way to dinner we had a long conversation in the car. He said, "we better stop talking or else we wont have anything to talk about a dinner." Boy was he wrong!
• I was leaving for Germany the next day and totally dropped an emotional bomb on Brian before I left. It was pretty much... hey baby I am pregnant... holy cow... see you in a week! haha. There is no way I could have gone a week without telling him. Looking back it would have been nice to process things together... not with me across the pond.

Psalm 139:14-16 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. 1 Samuel 1:27 For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition that I made to him. Blog Post from November 7, 2008 http://thebetzens.blogspot.com/2008/11/315am-on-november-7th.html "I have been feeling very tired and nauseous all week, so I decided today I would take a pregnancy test. I woke up at 3:15 (why I still do not know) and decided to go take the test. I figured the test would tell me I am not pregnant and then I would go back to sleep... boy was I wrong. The test said I was pregnant. I cried and laughed and keep thinking "no way". I was in total shock, but it was a good kind of shock. I called my doctor and set up an appointment for Friday, December 5th at 8:10 (I did this when Brian was in the shower, sneaky me). I went to the grocery store to get Brian some food items for next week while I am in Germany and decided to get another test to confirm. As soon as I got home, I took the test (before putting up the groceries) and it was positive as well." Telling Brian: http://thebetzens.blogspot.com/2008/11/holy-cow.html "I decided a long time ago how I would tell Brian I was pregnant when the time came. We already had plans to go to dinner downtown tonight to celebrate Brian's birthday, so I put my plan in motion. Before dinner I took him to the place he proposed to me (a dock on Town Lake, near Shoreline Grill). He figured out where we were going, but had no idea why I would take him there. I told him this is where we started the first chapter of our lives together, so I thought it would be a good place to tell him about the second chapter and then told him I was pregnant. He was totally shocked! He said "Holy Cow" about 100 times that night. We cracked open a bottle of sparkling cider and toasted each other with the glasses we used on our wedding night. Then we went to dinner and had a wonderful night of celebration. The night was perfect. When we got home I showed him a book I got him called the Baby Owners Manual and the positive pregnancy test results. Holy Cow."

Holding on Tight!

Addison does some things that crack me up... her latest thing is when I am changing her, she holds onto the changing table with a tight grip. She is even doing it in the swing, car seat and stroller... Silly girl!

Addison Meets Dedaddy

On Tuesday Dad, Vicki, Addison and I went to visit Dedaddy (my Grandfather). This visit was extra special because it was the first time he meet Addison. The visit went really well and it was great seeing my Grandfather, he was awake and alert the whole time!I love this picture because there is a picture of my Memother who passed away in August on 2003 in the background, I so wish she was here to see Addison. I know she is watching over us from Heaven.

The bottle...

I was reading though older posts and realized I have not updated on Addison taking the bottle. Shortly after the "dreaded bottle" post Addison started taking a bottle...yeah! Over the Labor Day weekend Addison's Granmommy came into town determined to get Addison to take the bottle. We pulled out my extensive collection of bottles and nipples and found the nipple that resembled her pacifier. The winner was one of the bottles that GG bought for her... the only one we did not try!

We have been giving Addison one bottle a day for over two months.... she will even take the bottle from me! She still sometimes resists the bottle, which means we have to bounce on the ball or walk around for her to take it. It has been so nice being able to leave Addison without worrying about having to get home to feed.

3 Month Photos by Vagabond Photography

A few weeks ago my friend Amanda from Vagabond Photography came over to shoot Addison's 3 month photos. They turned out so good and I had to share! Amanda is an amazing photographer and has an artistic style that I love! She was also so good with Addison. For more information on Vagabond Photography visit www.vagabondstyle.com/photography or call 949-335-2285 (she is local). Amanda has a lot of experience photographing babies, children and families. She can come to your house or to a remote location. I plan on using her again to take our Christmas photos!

Drool Baby

Addison LOVES sucking on her hands and fingers, which leads to a lot of slobbery drool. She also drools a lot during tummy time. Her clothing get soaked, which means several wardrobe changes a day... darn! Good thing we have a closet and dresser full of fun clothes! I much prefer changing her clothes due to excessive drool than a blowout... We love her cute little drool drenched hands and kissing her precious drool drenched face!

Family Fun Day at the Galleria

On Saturday Brian, Addison and I ventured out to the Hill Country Galleria to have lunch at Mandola's with our Sunday school class. God really blessed us with a beautiful day and fun fellowship. Mandola's is one of my favorite Italian restaurants and I was excited to eat at their new location. After lunch and gelato (yummo), we went outside to enjoy the beautiful weather. Addison was really good, she fell asleep in Daddy's arms at the restaurant.

After Mandola's we strolled around the Galleria while Addison slept in her stroller. It was such a fun family day!

Lunch with Daddy

On Friday, Addison and I went to have lunch with Daddy! It was such a beautiful day! We put Addison on a blanket and she just smiled and talked the whole time. This is her latest "smile" it involves smiling and sticking her tongue out at the same time. Unfortunately our happy lunch turned into sadness when we were about to leave and cried for 45 minutes. I guess she does not want to be apart from her Daddy!

My parents came over when I got home and Addison was happy again... then when they left, she threw another fit... I know it was due to exhaustion, but I am starting to take it personally, haha.