5 months...

Length: 23.75 inches (as of his 4 month appointment... I can't ever measure correctly)

Weight: 15 lbs. 4 oz.

Feeding Schedule: We are still holding steady at 6 ounces every three-ish hours... At least one thing hasn't changed... ;)
Sleeping Schedule: It's pretty much down by 9pm no matter how we try to keep him up and up at 4:45 for his first bottle. Then he goes back down for a few hours... if we're lucky.
Milestones: He started rolling over (from his tummy to his back) and is super close to going from his back to his tummy, he just gets stuck on one arm.
Best Moment This Month: Watching him roll over and seeing him start to show his personality. 
Loves: Snuggling, naps, smiling, playing on his jungle mat, grabbing at anything hanging around his face, snacking on his fingers {and sometimes entire fist}, anything his sister does, pulling Mama's hair, sucking on wet wash clothes...
Hates: Car seats, pooping, being tired, tummy time...
What We're Looking Forward To: The next few months as his personality really starts to show. It's fun to see him change and grow EVERY day. It never ceases to amaze me!!

3 Year WWC

Height: 3 feet 1 inch (15th percentile)

Weight: 30 lbs. (50th percentile)

Doctor's Notes: (1) Since we are still having issues with potty training as a result of constipation. After talking with her doctor we made the decision to put her on Miralax for a while to get her back on a normal schedule. Apparently after being constipated for so long, her intestines aren't working properly. So, that means we are back in diapers for the time being (frustrating as hell) but we have to keep upping the dose until she's going whether she wants to or not. Once we get her on schedule we can start working on potty training again. (2) She has one ear tube left in at this point. This winter will tell if she has gets ear infections we may be looking at tubes again. (3) He mentioned the acronym ADHD. I can't say I'm hugely surprised but it still stung a bit to hear. I don't want my kid to be labeled and I'm certainly not at a point where I would even consider testing her or trying medication. Is my child super active? Yes. Does she talk a million miles an hour all day every day without a breath in between? Yup. Can she sit still? Nope. So, yes, I understand the medical concern. However, until her activity level interferes with her ability to learn or participate in group activities - I'm going to leave her to mature and grow without interfering with meds. 
Milestones: Wow... this gets a lot harder as she gets older because she is doing SO much stuff! She's doing preschool stuff with her baby sitter so she's naming colors and shapes, counting, etc. She started gymnastics a few weeks ago and my hope is for her to take actual swimming lessons this winter as well. She has a HUGE vocabulary that she is not afraid to use. She's very much an almost-preschooler... I wouldn't put her in preschool yet because of potty training and maturity issues but she's super smart (I think all parents say that =] ) She also has ALL her baby teeth in now :)
 Best Moment This Year: Seeing her become a big sister. I'm amazed by how much she adores Cohen... it melts my heart every single day...
Loves: Cohen, showers, swimming, rocks, animals, cowgirl boots, pancakes, gymnastics, pizza, dancing, pony tails, Taco Bell cheese roll-ups,     
Hates: Pooping on the potty, naps, water (to drink), having her hair combed, getting her hands dirty, hearing the word 'NO', being in her carseat,
What We're Looking Forward To: Preschool, team sports, family vacation (next summer)... 

Addison's 3rd Birthday Party

We got to celebrate Addison's birthday twice... on Friday my mom made her an apple crisp and we all sang happy birthday and had her blow out candles...

And then, the next day we did it... we pulled off a Wild Child party filled with wild children (our specialty), jumping, candy, cake, and crazy present opening. Addison had so much fun playing with her cousins and friends and we got so see some of our favorite friends and family.

 

3 years...

Addison,

I'm sitting here thinking about what to write to you for your birthday but I'm so distracted by the fact that you are ALREADY THREE. I know someday you'll have kids of your own and you'll understand the time warp that is parenting, but it seems like just yesterday I was holding you for the first time. This year, like the previous two, has been amazing [and sometimes a little crazy].

In the last twelve months we have watched you blossom from a toddler to a full-fledged preschooler. Your vocabulary never ceases to amaze us - you use worlds like 'terrific' and 'amazing' all the time. When Daddy dropped you at daycare the other day and told you to be a good girl, you looked at him and said, "Don't worry Daddy, I got this." You talk [all the time :)] in sentences and you are quick to repeat everything we say [good or bad...]. 

You are still working on the whole 'coordination' bit of life - we joke that you're accident prone like your mama. I think you are just so busy taking in the world that sometimes walls [and door frames, and counters...] get in your way. You LOVE to run and climb and [a recent development] somersault. You are constantly in motion - you have the best dance moves ever and, even though someday you'll hate me for sharing this on the Internet, you do the silliest 'naked butt' dance after your bath every night. You are starting gymnastics and I love to watch you learn to tumble and climb... You also proved this summer that your a fish just like your daddy and completely fearless about water. Grandma Marcia and I took you swimming and you didn't even blink, you just jumped in and thankfully she was there to pull you up. This winter you'll be starting swim lessons with the 3-5 year old class and I can tell already that you're going to be a great little swimmer.

The biggest milestone this year has been watching you become a big sister. I wondered how you would handle having someone steal a bit of your thunder but I can honestly say you are the sweetest, most loving big sister Cohen could have ever hoped for. You are always concerned about where he is and what he's doing, you LOVE bringing me whatever baby paraphernalia I need [binks, wipes, diapers, toys, bottles...], and nothing makes you smile more than making Cohen smile. Watching the two of  you interact makes my heart melt. He adores you and I hope you always love him as much as you do now - even though someday I'm sure he'll break your favorite toy or follow you around when you're with your friends. I wanted nothing more as a mother than to know that my daughter had a sibling - a forever friend and partner in crime.

I know that in another blink of an eye, I will be writing to you just before you start school, when you turn 16, before you graduate, and as you go off to college... So please just know this baby girl - I have said it from the moment I laid eyes on you and I will say it until my last breath - you are my favorite little girl in the whole wide world and I love you more than life. Every day you take my breath away - whether it's because you wrapped me up in a big, tight hug just when I needed it most, when you blow me kisses and tell me you love me, and when I look at those big blue eyes and beautiful curls and realize that you are one of the best things I have ever been a part of. You make me want to be a better person so I can set a good example for you, you teach me patience (every day), and remind me that you are looking at this world for the first time - and sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's scary, and sometimes it doesn't make sense. Being a part of that journey with you means the world to me. I adore you Addison... there aren't words to tell you how proud I am to be your Mama or to tell you how much I love you.

Happy birthday baby girl... may every year be better than the last for you.

My birthday wish...

Every year when I blow out my candles (which are increasing in number at an alarming rate) I have a million wishes in my mind - diamonds, exotic travels, someone losing my student loan information 'accidently' forgiving the tens of thousands I owe for my education, a new wardrobe... the list goes on and on...

But for the last eleven years I have had one wish that I would take over all those things above. To know that something else like 9/11 won't happen again during my lifetime or my childrens' lifetimes. I know it's naive to wish for that becase it will happen - but that day left a scar in my memory and on my bithday. It forced me to realize that living in this country does not mean we are free of threats and that on a beautiful, clear Tuesday the whole world can change. And I don't want that kind of scar on my children. Ever.

  

Love this...