Munch, Munch, Munch

Forgot to tell this story (which happened about two weeks ago).
Sunday morning I was fixing Addie and I some breakfast. I had a really nice spread: eggs, toast, some chicken sausage and fruit. I was placing it little by little on her tray as I was preparing everything, so that it would keep her occupied while I was still cooking. The way our kitchen in designed, my back is facing her high chair while I am at the stove. (necessary visual image) When she had moved on to the fruit portion of her meal she started making some very audible noises. This is not uncommon when she truly enjoys the food she is eating.
As I turned to deliver her next course I stopped dead in my tracks. Sprinkled throughout the cantaloupe that I had placed on her tray were bits of kibble... dog kibble. See, Snoopy is the teenager of the house and refuses to wake up and eat with the rest of the dogs in the morning. He prefers brunch to breakfast. I usually set his food bowl on the kitchen table to that the rest of the dogs don't eat two meals at once. Well it was a little too close to the high chair apparently because Miss Sticky Fingers Goldberg snatched his bowl, dumped it on her tray, and BY THE HANDFUL was shoving dog food into her mouth. To make matters worse, we mix our dog's dry food with wet canned dog food. So she had smeared wet dog food all over her face. And was licking it off her fingers.
I rushed over and did the first thing I could think of (besides suppress my gag reflex) and squeeze her cheeks to have her spit out the Iams. At least 6 pieces of dry food came flying out of her mouth like a cannon. She screamed at the audacity that I would remove such a delicacy from her mouth and shoved more in. I took my finger and scooped the new bits out of her mouth, along with a huge chunk of wet food. She shouted and shook her head, then tried to cover the remaining chunks of food on her tray; to prevent me from confiscating them I suppose.
After a slight skirmish in which I had to wrangle the tray away from her, clean out the inside of her mouth with a wet paper towel and then replace her canine cuisine with her regular human fare, I paused to reflect. Alex would have LOVED this. He would have been no help whatsoever, but he would have been on the floor laughing hysterically.
The best part, after I gave her all new food and cleaned her up, she continued to point to Snoopy's bowl and turn away from her real breakfast. I finally had to tell her, "No more dog food, eat Addie's food." Words I never thought I'd have to say to my daughter.

When it rains...

I am starting to really feel a personal connection to that saying, "When it rains; it pours." It seems that one thing after another has happened in the past few days and I really feel like I have lived a lifetime in less than a week.
Of course the first issue is one I don't even need to bring up. (Let's just say I am proud of my husband and love him every day, no matter where he is or what he is doing.)
But, needless to say, I have been a bit gloomy. It doesn't help that random small issues (losing my debit card, stress at work, PMS, a defiant daughter and a mile long list of "Accomplish This Before September" items) have all contributed to a lot of pent up frustration. This all leads up to this evening when I pulled into my driveway after a very long day, so happy to finally be home. I grab the 18 bags that for some reason I can never consolidate plus Addison and juggle my way up to the front porch. But what's this? Where are the house keys?
Oh, that's right. I left them in my office door at work... SO I WOULD NOT FORGET THEM. Because surely if they are the last thing I see as I leave the office I will grab them. Going back to the office would have been a possibility if the alarm was not already set and the security code was not safely stored in my dead-battery of a cell phone. I tried to enter my house through the garage, but to no avail. See, I had been smart and safe the night before and locked the door that goes from my laundry room into the garage. Because I thought it would be unsafe if someone broke into my car then they could use the garage door opener to get into my house. Well when that someone is ME it sounds like a freaking PERFECT PLAN. Ironic how I was the one to foil my last glimmer of hope.
So with no one to call, and no where to go and a child who is reaching her limit because it's dinner time I did what any over-tired, over-worked and over-ambitious mother would do. I set Addison in her stroller, grabbed a hammer and beat the crap out of the doorknob. (Don't worry, not the front door, the garage door.) After about 10 good whacks and the use of that other random side with the prongs, what's that for anyway?, I managed to severely mangle the doorknob. But it was still locked. So I gathered up all the force I could muster and heaved myself against the door until the lock finally made a glorious "ping" and the whole doorknob fell right out.
Now I just need to figure out how the heck to replace a door and doorknob. I guess I have a project this weekend after all.

Birthdays & Goodbyes

Although Addison's birthday is not until the 18th we decided to celebrate a bit early because of some extenuating circumstances. Overall the party was a success. Would I change some things? Of course. (Like not having the party at my house!) But it was wonderful to be surrounded by friends and family. We were especially glad that my family and Alex's best friend and his wife made the trip from Chicago. The gesture was overwhelming, especially since they were here such a short time, and they all have such busy schedules.
Addie Grace was a bit perplexed as to why 30+ people were in our house and touching her. There were a few times she and I had to take a break in her bedroom, calm down and then go back out in the crowd. But for a little girl who was dealing with only a 2-hour nap the entire day, she was perfect.
Now the next few weeks will be all about getting into a new routine. But it is something I am looking forward to. A challenge is always an exciting part of life and although there are some challenges you don't necessarily look forward to, they are a part of life. This too shall pass. And with strong faith and constant prayers I know that our family will overcoming any obstacle.
Hopefully I will be more inclined to update on our lives mores, especially since I have gained at least one new reader (wink wink my better half!)

New Year - New Look

A few updates for 2010 and a resolution suited just for this blog.
This entire endeavor started because of Addison and our desire to keep people updated on the pregnancy and her subsequent birth. However I feel like there is so much more worth talking about that - dare I say it?! - does not revolve around our daughter. While the vast majority of information will more than likely relate to her life experiences in some way (let's face it our lives do revolve around her for the moment) there is still much more conversation to be had. And as all parents can attest to, sometimes it's nice to do something that does not involve your children.
With that said, I have to tell ya'll a really cute story about Addie!
There is a certain girl in our household who is soon turning one. She does not really grasp this fact yet and it may not be of any importance to her because every day is like her freaking birthday. Take for example the recent trip to ToysRus. The purpose of our visit was to pick out a gift for said birthday. We wanted a wagon, strangely enough the entire store did not posses such a contraption. What toy store doesn't sell a wagon? SO we moved on to a toy car idea. Similar to a Lil Tykes Cozy Coupe (of which they were ALSO sold out) we found a little Step Two series convertible car that comes with a long handle enabling us to stand up and push her so I don't have to also purchase future visits to the chiropractor along with the car.
Because we are first time parents and just can't wait to give our spoiled only child anything, we opened the box as soon as we got in the door. Since the moment the final wheel was screwed into place, Addie has not wanted to leave the driver's seat.
All of the baby websites and toddler experts report that a toddler's attention span lasts between two and five minutes at this age. Let me just say this, Addison woke up at 10:00pm last night for the sole purpose of wanting to ride the scooter. She crawled out of her bedroom, down the hallway and sat right next to the car and lifted her hands in the air as if to say "Okay chauffeur lift me up and let's get rolling". If she could figure out a way to get it in the bathtub, I am sure she would. At least we got her a present she likes.
The New Year will hopefully bring all of the same God given blessings we received in 2009. A loving family, wonderful friendships, good health, and strong faith. While it may be a challenging year, we will no doubt prevail and come out stronger as a family, as a couple, and God willing by 2011 we will still be in charge of the house and Addison will still be in a subserviant role as child.