Addison Joy is ONE!

This was the BEST one believe it or not. She is too interested in standing and playing with that Teddy bear!

Happy Birthday to our Blessing Addison!

Here is the official 12 month post and from here out....I won't be posting monthly like this *I THINK*, perhaps every couple of months.

The Stats

• Weight: 21.4 lbs (54%); she has gained about 12 pounds since she was born
• Height: 30.25 inches (85%); she has grown over 8 inches since she was born
• Head: 18.5 inches (93%, giant head, wowzers!)
• Diaper Size: 4
• Clothing Size: 18 Month mostly due to length
• Conclusion: Long and lean just like Daddy. The doctor shared that once solids are the primary food source and thus breastfeeding decreases, genetics related to weight finally kick in. This is why Addison has alway been in the HIGH percentiles in weight until the last few months when we started winding down breastfeeding. Breastfed babies just tend to be chunky :) Now we see that she takes after Daddy even more than we though!

The Milestones

• Talking: She can say---baby, meme (mom), ball, out, up, down, bottle, daddy, dog, hat, piper, bye, duck, Addison. Maybe that's it...but I am not sure I cannot keep up.
• Sign Language: EXPLOSION here! She seems to pick up a new sign after only showing it to her a few times. We have been wokring on more abstract things like---Thank you, please, again and potty.
• Mobility: I still maintain she is far from walking but she is getting a little more gutsy now. She will purposfully stand unassisted but as soon as she has the slightest wobble, she gives up. She will sometimes do a half step dive into you...that is as close as she is to walking. Although, she does cruise along anything and everything as well as crawl FAST---who needs to walk when you can do that??? :)
• Breastfeeding: WHEW!!!! We are DONE!!! I am down to pumping once or twice a day and that is wrapping up to a CLOSE soon. If you had not read from a post titled "Little Manna", we are expecting baby 2 in October so I think the milk machine needs a break. Plus, I cannot keep up with the calories I need to feed me, Addison and Lil Mana--I have been losing weight! Addison still takes a bottle of expressed milk before bed and I believe as soon as that is frozen milk, she will want to drop it. So we are on milk in a cup all day and then she gets water in the evening if she wants it.
• Eating: I am THANKFUL she is SUCH a great eater!!!!! She eats almost anything we offer her and eats TONS. I am not sure where it all goes because she is thinning out.
• Overall Personality: She is so sweet and tries very hard to be obedient. We are currently working on sharing and giving up objects without huge objections. She seems to pick one toy to take around with her everywhere during her wake time and then is reluctant to give it up when it is nap time. I say "let's put XYZ back" she smiles, complies and then realizes the object is gone. She lets out one little cry and is usually over it within 1-2 minutes at most. She LOVES to get people's attention when we go places, wave bye at them and give them a cheese ball smile. She is a JOY. Period. But I know I am partial.
• Routine: Nothing has changed here. I STILL LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Teething: Still waiting on the molars. You can see where there are some bumps back there, but nothing has cut yet.
• Independent Play: We are up to 25-30 minutes each morning and hopefully we will get back into the groove of some IP in the afternoon soon. We have been busy and sick this month!
• Pacifier: I thought I would comment on this here. Ever since we started to wean from breastfeeding, Addison has taken a liking to the pacifier. I think now that she has a cup, her sucking need is not satisfied as it was previously. I am not against the pacifier at all, but we try to be careful when we use it. If she had the choice I think she would have it a lot, but we reserve it for bedtime, the car when it is a long drive and emergencies when her loud crying/fussing is inappropriate and disruptive to others (i.e. church or restaurant).
• ONE: So cute...when you ask how old she is she holds up a ONE with her finger :)

She really is such a sweetie and we are blessed to have this little Joy! Addison is just a generally happy little (dare I say it) toddler. We have our bad days like anyone else, but those are the rarity. We are so thankful for her and so thankful for everyone else in her life that expresses love to her!

See long and lean....check out those skinny legs!

Matching Spongebob PJS :)

She loves sticking her tounge out!

Little Manna

"From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another."

John 1:16

(New Living Translation)

We are thrilled to share that the Grant Gang will get a little bigger around October 20, 2011 with the addition of our Little Manna.

Since we decided not find out gender again with this baby, we wanted to select a nickname for the baby during pregnancy. As many of you may remember, we referred to Addison as "Blessing" the entire time we were pregnant. After sifting through several choices (Agape, Love, Monkey, Little One, etc.), we settled on Little Manna for this baby.

God blessed the Israelites with Manna (or bread of heaven) when they were sojourning in dessert on their way to Canaan. God showed his grace and mercy to his people by blessing and providing them food to sustain their life. For us to refer to the new baby as "Little Manna" reminds us that God has given us this second blessing from heaven and that He will provide for us the means, ability, discernment, knowledge and patience required. We prayed that God would give us a second child in HIS timing, not ours. Which reminds me of a passage in Psalms referring to the Israelites.

"They asked, and he brought quail,

and gave them bread from heaven in abundance."

Psalm 105:40

(English Standard Version)

Please pray for a safe and healthy pregnancy. Also, please pray for the transitions Addison will face adding a second child to the family. Lastly (but not least) please pray for God to continue to prepare Matthew and I for a second baby. I really believe God prepares us in a "Just In Time" fashion (all you Business and Accounting people know what I talking about). We may not feel ready, but when the occasion arises HE never fails us.

We have a BOUNCER on our hands! Lil Manna did NOT stop bouncing during this ultrasound! I KNEW I felt something the other day, now I know why!!

Grant Prison (Not Really)

Addison can climb the stairs (and loves to) so....the Grant Prison has been instated....

Happy First Birthday Addison Joy

One year ago today at 9:16 PM and after 36 hour of labor our "Blessing" Addison Joy Grant was born weighing in at a whopping 9 pounds 7 ounces and 22 inches long (read here about Addison's somewhat dramatic arrival story). I cannot believe it has been one year, during the year it seemed like it would never end, but now that it is here it has flown by!!!

I am not writing her one year post today, just want to wish our precious daughter a happy birthday!

Addison: Happy first birthday! You live up to your middle name so perfectly and we are so thankful for you everyday. You brighten our lives everyday with your smiles, giggles, silliness and crazy little animal faces. We are so proud of you already and love you very much!

3 Days Old

11 Months

11 Months

Illness Strikes The Grant Gang

Oh man....have we had a bad run of luck with illnesses lately but honestly I am thankful that they were really all very minor!

It all started on Wednesday March 16 when I came down with the WORST stomach virus EVER. I wont give details, but it was so bad that after all night of being sick I wound up in the ER with TWO bags of IV. Sheesh. I guess nursing and being sick like that will dehydrate you.

The next day I was still feeling blah, but started getting a headache and a bit of a cough. I did not think much of it until Addison ALSO started coughing just a tiny bit. Over the next few days Addison and I both started getting some congestion. By Tuesday March 22, Addison was wheezing so we had to take her to the doctor....Wednesday the doctor confirmed she was wheezing and needed to be on breathing treatments every 4 hours. AND he said she should NOT be in childcare for a week or so. Well normally that is not a big deal for us since I stay at home with her. During church she is in the nursery but missing one week is not terrible BUT...this was consignment week. What is consignment week you ask? Well it is a children's/baby consignment sale at my church benefiting a local pregnancy center and I am on the leadership team. That means, Addison is supposed to be in childcare for two days solid...and I found out the NIGHT BEFORE. Oh man I was stressed. Luckily everyone was able to step in and help me out at the sale and Matthew got home an hour early both days. I felt terrible being away from her when she was so sick :(

She took her treatments PERFECTLY...I am not exaggerating, she did not even move, it was so sweet.

All the while, I was neglecting my ailments which proved to be a bad idea. By Thursday I was so stopped up I could not breath...but of course I was too busy to call the doctor, until MONDAY. And by Monday MATTHEW was sick too!!! AHHHHH...so we all piled in the car Tuesday to head to the doctor. Matthew and I both had bad sinus infections. My doctor said I should never wait two weeks before coming in next time.

I am pleased to report, Addison is 95% back to normal, just a bit of a cough still.

Matthew is MUCH MUCH better now that he is on medicine and feeling better too!

Me? Ehh...I am allergic to amoxocillin so....there arent many antibiotics I can take to help with a sinus infection. Needless to say, I am still under the weather but honestly...I am THANKFUL I do not have a stomach virus anymore! WHEW...I hate those things!!!!!

Here's hoping we are all healed by Addison's First Birthday Party Sunday!!!! YAY!!!