Undeniably Awesome

Okay I am going to go on record as saying... Addie Grace is freakin' awesome. We are so blessed to have such a happy, mild mannered yet totally spunky little kid. These are the Top Five Things I love about my 10-month-old.
1. When she eats food she really likes she "umm yummm yummm" (a la When Harry Met Sally) the entire time. It does not matter if we are in a restaurant or at home, she always let's us know she's enjoying her food. And the best part, her favorites are usually veggies.
2. She kisses anything with fur... but refuses to kiss Daddy. (It is a silly game and usually she will eventually kiss him, but he is so scruffy she tries to resist. Shia and Snoopy on the other hand continuously run from her kisses)
3. Her happiness is contagious. It is a rare occurrence when someone will walk past and not comment on, or at least smile at, this little HAM! She stares people down, shouts and waves, it has even come to her arching her back and hissing at some poor old man all so they lean down and say hello to her. Aye.
4. Even when it's past her bedtime, past her meal time, or just an all around cranky day she will still suck it up and be cheery (to an extent). I am not saying she doesn't throw an occasional fit here or there, but she would NEVER be one of these babies constantly fussing.... and I only have the Lord to thank for that.
5. She has started to enjoy story time. She has to turn the pages, and we may skip 5 or 6 pages, but she will still sit and listen. I can only pray that the love of books and stories continues.

There are so many more things that I love about this little girl. But these are just my monthly favorites. Tomorrow she and I are running the Turkey Trot 8k with Daddy/Alex cheering us on from the sidelines. Along with her literary appreciation we are also hoping to keep an active lifestyle with her. With Alex leaving soon, it will be up to me to keep her busy for the next nine months!

Proud Mama?

Addie totally stuck up for herself today. [Background: There is a boy in her class that has recently moved into the biting phase. Yes, sadly, Addison has already been victim to him gummed assault. When I picked her up that day and saw her chunky little wrist red and swollen with an OBVIOUS mouth mark burned into her skin it was all I could do not to go over and punt this little red-headed twerp across the room. Still when I see him I give him a mean face. Yes, my attitude and response to the situation would have me fitting in well with the two-year-old class, but I don't care! my baby was attacked.]
Anyway, this was weeks ago now, and since the initial attack I have been wondering how my little miss has been responding his advances. Well today I, and every other person in the room, saw her react in FULL FORCE. First she was innocently sitting on the play mat inspecting a plastic phone. The villain in the story (I'll from now on refer to him as Cash the Stupid Red-head or CSR) crawled over and snatched the phone away from her. She sat, miffed for a moment, then reached right back and grabbed it from him. "Yes!" I silently cheered, "Now kick him in the shins".
Then CSR reached for Milo (the pink dog blanket that has been a constant accessory since she was 3-months old... it is rare when she will let Alex or I even touch it). And all h*ll broke loose. Her blood curdling scream caused every adult in the room to snap to attention. The next thing you saw was Addison literally lunging at this little boy spitting and grabbing, ripping her dog out of his hands, all the while still screaming like a banshee. The teacher rushed over and had to pick Addie up to get her to stop hollering, even though she already had her dog back. Cash didn't know what to do and even afterward was too stunned to move. I still think he got off easy.
Hmm... I am thinking we may skip ballerina classes entirely and move to karate? MMA?