The Ansleys: 2007

Hello all! So far Matthew has been doing all of our posting on this blog, so I thought I would join in.

Life with Miss Addison has been amazing. As any first time parents know, nothing can adequately prepare you for brining home a newborn baby. The first month was certainly a challenge. But as everyone told us, things got progressively easier and "better". At about 3 months, she started really reacting to us, smiling and cooing. It was just so sweet to see. I returned to work on October 29th. I went back full time and it was very hard at first. We had Addison in a daycare center for the first 2 weeks... then we left. It just was NOT for me! We found a wonderful stay-at-home mom (Nicole) within a mile from our house. Addison is the only child she watches. Nicole is our age and has a daughter who is 2 weeks younger than Addison, so everyday is a play-date. I know Addison gets lots of love and attention, and that has made being a full-time working mom a little easier - less stress and guilt for me.

Matthew's parents and brothers came to stay with us for Labor Day, when Addison was only 1-month old. They came back (minus one brother) for Thanksgiving. We had a nice quiet holiday, and Addison was spoiled with attention. We are spending Christmas in Wisconsin this year. I've taken the entire week off of work and can't wait to have some good one-on-one time with my little chubber!

Here are Addison's 4-month stats:
Weight: 14-lbs. 12-ozs.

Height: 25.5 inches

Appearance: She’s still rather bald. A little fuzz is coming in on the top of her head but the horseshoe of hair is still around her neck (okay - it's a baby mullet, but I love it!). Her eyes have stayed very blue, and are absolutely beautiful, if I may say so. She wrinkles her nose when she smiles. It’s the highlight of my day!

Physique: Good and CHUBBY! Lots of rolls and chub to smooch. Chubby legs, chubby cheeks, 2 chins, chubby arms and hands - so unbelievably CUTE!

Eating: Addison loves to eat (once we got the hang of nursing) and we are ready to start incorporating solid foods

Bath Time: She has just started to enjoy the bath. She smiles and puts her hands and feet under the faucet to feel the water. Nothing cuter than a baby getting a bath! Matt usually gives her a bath. It melts my heart to watch them together. He is so sweet and gentile with her. Just precious.

Sleeping: Pretty good. She was great for the first month I went back to work. Then about 2 weeks ago she started acting crazy every time we put her in her crib. So, she's spent many a night in the past few weeks sleeping in her bouncy-chair. I feel bad about her sleeping in her chair, but at least there is some quiet and sleep happening at the Ansley house. She's usually up once a night to eat, but goes back to sleep pretty easily.

Behavior: Addison loves looking around. She is very alert and interested in her surroundings. She is extremely happy and vocal and loves to hear herself yell and talk. She enjoys playing in her "gym", loves toys with lights and sounds. She recently received the Jumperoo from her Ansley grandparents, and she really likes it! She looks very cute (and little) in the jumper. Her neck and legs seem very strong. She does not love tummy-time, but is trying to roll over. She is usually up with me when I am getting ready for work in the morning. She hangs out in her swing in our bathroom and she talks to me and plays a little with her toys or looks at herself in the mirror. She loves looking at her reflection.

All in all, parenthood has been very gratifying. We love her more than we ever could have imagined. She is a very good baby and rewards us all the time with the cutest smiles and laughs. We just marvel at her every day and thank God for giving us this amazing gift. We are truly blessed.

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!