Looking backward. And forward.

It's New Year's eve and I realized that I never added photos to, or published the post from Thanksgiving. Fail. So I published the post but you get it without photos (check them out on Facebook if you want to see them). I'm writing this from my iPod, with a sleeping baby in my arms. Not a bad way to spend New Years Eve, if I do say so myself. December flew by and I didn't manage to update this as much as I planned/hoped/wanted. So here are the Cliff's notes:

A few highlights from December:
- cousin Henry's baptism
- a bit of a cold that resulted in a drs visit (Adi is now 11 lb, 12 oz!)
- Christmas, which included a trip to PA, visiting all of the family, opening all kinds of wonderful presents and eating way too much food
- random other outings (shopping, etc) since daycare is closed and Adi's been hanging with us all day

Fun things:
- Adi is learning that she has a voice! Usually this ends up as yelling, but more and more "talking" is going on, while she looks right at us. (video soon)
- She's also trying to roll over. She's gotten up onto her side but hasn't managed to get the rest of the way yet.
- Smiles galore! Mostly at mom and dad's silly faces. :)

Thoughts on 2011:
- wow. Just wow. This year, our family has been through some of the best and worst times we've seen. But the good has far outweighed the bad and we're looking forward to 2012 with excitement and anticipation. This year has made our family stronger, closer and more appreciative of each other, and for that I am thankful.

Thoughts on 2012:
- As a friend said, no resolutions this year, just decisions. And better ones, learning from the past.
- I'm excited to watch Adi grow, to reach her new things and watch as she begins to really explore her world. :)

More pictures soon - I've been taking them, just haven't had time to edit/resize! And hopefully I'll be better at keeping this updated.

Catching up...

It's amazing how quickly time flies lately! We've had a whirlwind two weeks -- Thanksgiving, daycare, and all sorts of fun things on the weekends. Adi's first big trip to Pennsylvania went great. She did pretty well in the car on the way there and was a champ on the way home. And while it takes a little longer and we're both getting used to changing and nursing a baby in public (which is both weirder and not as weird as I expected), I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it went. On top of that, Lauren rode down and back with us, so we got bonus cousin time! Adi got to meet a lot of her extended family including some of her great grandparents. And we posed for the traditional five generation photo with my Dad, my Gram, and my great-grandmother, Mam (in which Adi was happy for maybe one photo...). Adi also met her cousins, Kirra and Mason for the first time. Kirra has been obsessed with Adi's picture at my parent's house for quite some time now, and was a little confused by Adi actually being there. We also got to spend time with her Aunt Chicken and cousin Ceci (who wasn't really at all interested in the munchkin, LOL). And of course, we hung out with Jon, Sarah, Emma and Henry (who we really do see every week now!).

We came back from PA on Saturday and went to church and had brunch with Dale and Amy (friends of ours from Florida who now live in and were visiting (respectively) CT). Then on Monday, Adi started daycare (we call it school). As expected, it was much tougher for me than it was for Adi! Everyone was very excited to see her, since she is the littlest one there. I've been going over to feed her once a day when I can, which helps me feel much better about everything. That has also let me get to know her teachers, who are *awesome.*

We survived our first week of school/work and this past weekend we spent a morning with Dale, shopping in West Hartford. Then on Sunday we went to the LEGO KidsFest in Hartford with the CT cousins (I told you we see them every week!). This week, we're back to work and school!

Two months old!

Dear Adi,

This week, your Grammie came to stay with us! It was a busy week. On Tuesday, we met with your daycare teachers, Ellen and Tracy. They were so excited to meet you! Everyone there is excited for you to come spend your days with them. The great thing is that Daddy and I can come visit you anytime, since you'll be right on campus with me. I can even come over and feed you whenever you're hungry! We met some of your new classmates and everyone was very nice. After we met with everyone at daycare, we went and did a little shopping to get you a snowsuit so you can go outside - it's very cute, you'll look like a little brown bear when you wear it. :)

On Thursday, you had your first shots. You were very brave and only cried for a few minutes. Dr. W looked at you and said you are perfect! We think so, too. You weigh 10 lb 14 oz and are 22.5 inches long. No wonder everything was getting too short for you!

You've also been sleeping so much better through the night. One night, you even slept for a whole six hours! You're getting so strong, holding your head up and looking around at the bright lights, and towards Daddy's and my voice.

You  have a little bit of a cold this week; it's your first one. Nothing too bad, just a goopy eye and you seem to be a little cranky.

Here's your 8 week photo:

Week seven, a little late...

Running a little late getting this up, but here it is!

PS -- Two guesses who picked out this week's fabric...

Smiles!

Dear Adi,

This week was a tough week for Mommy. I started back to work on Monday and it was hard to leave you for so long! Luckily, Grandma came to stay this week to keep you and I could come home to feed you around lunch time, which made me feel a little better about going back to work. But I still missed you every day. I have your pictures on my computer at work so I can see you even when I'm not at home with you! This week, you really started to smile, which is so fun to see! Daddy and I haven't been able to catch a really big smile on camera yet, but we will... :) You've also started to grab ahold of things and you are strong!! You love to lay on your back and kick your legs during your diaper changes. Being naked is so much fun! You're getting better at holding your head up too. Even though some evenings you are pretty fussy, you are sleeping well at night. In fact, you slept in your Pack and Play for a WHOLE night this week! Mommy thought that was pretty awesome, since she got more sleep that way, too. :)  You've officially outgrown your newborn clothes. You're getting much too long for them, even if you aren't too wide for them yet. Grandma took them out of your drawer for you and we put all of the bigger ones in. We went shopping and got you some long sleeved onesies, too, in your size. It's getting cold here in Connecticut!

Lots of pictures today:

You've found your tongue and like to stick it out!

Grandpa's baby poser is handy for getting you to sleep some nights...

An outtake from last week's photo... Belladog wanted to know what was going on!

A video...

in which Adi doesn't care about the snow...

(Note: This was the first snow we got, not the big snow storm!!!)

Hiccups!

The hiccups make Adi mad....

Snow!

Dear Adi,

This week was an exciting week, full of new things. We got almost 8 inches of snow at our house on Saturday and Sunday! Since it snowed so much and we lost power, we all went to Uncle Jon and Aunt Sarah's house to stay warm. Aunt Wendy went too, since she was staying with us. It was fun staying with your cousins! Emma had school every day, but Aunt Sarah didn't have to work, so she and Henry were able to hang out with us. On Monday, we took Aunt Wendy to show her around Yale and then back to the airport so she could fly home to Florida. After that, we went Trick or Treating with Emma and Henry! You didn't have a costume, so Daddy thought up a good one -- we dressed you up like a ghost! You stayed warm and toasty in your carseat and Daddy carried you around as Emma went Trick or Treating.

First Halloween Shirt from Gigi

Trick or Treating with Daddy

Adi-Ghost

Tuesday and Wednesday, we all ran some errands:

And then on Thursday, Mommy had a doctors appointment and we got the call from our neighbors that our power was back on! So home we came, to check on things before going back down to Aunt Sarah and Uncle Jon's for dinner. Grandma is coming this weekend to stay next week, since Mommy goes back to work on Monday and you won't start day care until after Thanksgiving. Hopefully you'll smile for her the way you've been smiling for Daddy and I!

Love,

Mommy

PS -- Here's your 6 week photo -- you're getting so big!

Finally...

Adi's 5 week photo! Taken at Uncle Jon and Aunt Sarah's, so we made due with what we had! :)

More on our trip to West Haven to come! :)

Week Five!

This has been an exciting week! We had a quick trip to the doctor's this week - Adi weighed 10 lbs, 3 oz!

On Thursday, we took our first big trip in the car, going to Boston for Jared's doctor's appointment. Adi did great! She slept like a champ the whole way there and back and was good during Daddy's appointment. And of course, everyone thought she was so cute!

Aunt Wendy came to visit for the weekend. She flew in on Friday, right before Adi's first snow storm. We had a dusting of snow on Thursday (pictures and video to come) but on Saturday and Sunday, Wendy and Adi both experienced their first snow storm! About six inches (maybe eight?) of snow fell at our house and unfortunately, we lost power early on Sunday morning. We stayed at the house until the middle of the afternoon, but when it was pretty apparent the power wasn't coming back on, we all loaded up in the car and went to Uncle Jon and Aunt Sarah's house where there was power, heat and water. :)

We're still working on our 5 week picture -- it may be more of a 5 1/2 week photo, but we're working on it!

Four Weeks!

Bonus out take shot (i.e. Adi's Dr. Evil impression):

One Month!

It's hard to believe, but Adi is one month old already! This week, Adi had her first bottle (courtesy of Daddy). It was a bit messy, but seemed to be successful. We've started reading books and have had a lot of play and tummy time. Lots of dancing and singing too! Grandma Barb came for the weekend and Aunt Sarah, Henry and Emma came to visit on Saturday. Today was also our first trip to church, where Adi slept through the entire thing and was much fussed over by everyone.

Adi, Week by Week

So I'm completely stealing this idea from John and Sherry over at Young House Love (whose blog is awesome, so if you haven't been reading it, check it out. It's a mix of DIY, life, and craziness that's just wonderful).  Anyways, the idea is this: weekly pictures of Adi, to show how much she's changing from week to week. Hopefully, it'll be fun and a great way to remember all those silly faces and general goofiness.  Sounds like a no-brainer, right? Here's to hoping I can keep up with it for a whole year...

I actually debated skipping our week one photo. Let's just say between a very tired mommy photographer and an Adi baby that was not at all thrilled about ever being on her back that this didn't go nearly as planned. But in the spirit of remembering what that first week was like, I'm including it. Afterall, she was only a week old and I've never been a mommy before... So here's week one:

Week two went a little better (ah, yes, you can just hear me saying "SO big" in my best mommy voice, can't you?)

And here's week three! Hopefully I'll get a little better about getting these up more quickly, and it won't be sporadic posts of "Oh hey, here's what she has looked like the past few weeks." :)

Week Three ~ Adi

This week, we had lunch with Dale! She just moved up to Hartford from Gainesville and came to visit us before she starts work. We also had our first outing to do a little shopping, which was successful! The weather has gotten a lot cooler and the leaves are changing. Grammy and Gigi were here last weekend to visit and Aunt Sarah and Henry came up on Friday for lunch. Adi is starting to be awake much more during the day. It's fun to see her looking around, trying to take in the world. She likes tummy time, and we've been having some sort of playtime every day. We took a walk down the road with Grammy and Gigi, which was okay as long as she was held and not in her car seat! We went to the ECHN mom's group again this week, which is good for mom and baby. :)

Week Two ~ Adi

It's week two! Adi had her second doctors appointment and was 8 lbs, 11 oz (up a pound from when she was born!) and 22 inches long. Dr. W said she looks great (and we tend to agree!). She's starting to sleep better, too, though Jared and I are still pretty tired. Adi and I had our first "alone" time this week, when Jared went to archery, which everyone survived. :)

Adi's first week

This week:

• We came home on Tuesday.
• Adi had her first doctors appointment!
• We didn't sleep much... Miss Adi thinks that sleeping in someone's arms is the only way to sleep...

<3

Introducing...

Adilyn Sophia Reed! Adi was born Sept 25th at 9:23am at Manchester Memorial Hospital in Manchester, CT. She was born without any complications and after a short time in the warmer was able to be with Jared and I. We had a great experience, which wouldn't have been possible without the incredible nurses at MMH and our amazing doula, Shannon. Without further ado, here is Miss Adi!

With Shannon, our amazing doula! We all <3 her! :)

A Nursery Update

Blogger is telling me that my last post was August 10th... In some ways, I'm not at all sure how that can be true, and it others, I can't believe it's only been that long since I've posted.  Meatball is still cooking (haha, bad pun, I know) but should be arriving sometime in the next week. She is, afterall, due on Sunday (the 25th).  I honestly don't know how much I'll be posting after she's born, since I have no doubt that my life and schedule are going to be turned completely upside-down. But I thought I'd give you all a peek at her nursery before she arrives. If you're friends with me on Facebook, you've probably already seen these pictures. If not, enjoy! And I've put down where we purchased things, too, in case anyone is interested.

First, remember where we started:

Then we painted:

Then, we put together the crib and changing table (and are still married, haha!) and, during the three days we were without power due to Hurricane Irene, we put up this wonderful tree we got on Etsy:

Don't mind the red things sticking out from under the crib. It's a jumper seat that Meatball won't be using for awhile, and under the crib seemed like a good storage place for now!

We put up chinese lanterns over the naked light bulbs (one is purple, the one near her crib is white). We also added insulated, light blocking brown curtains to the windows, and cute brown baskets to the changing table (one of which was part of a baby shower gift and matched perfectly!).  The rocking horse, small cradle and it's accompanying toys were all gifts. :)

We're so happy with the way everything has come together. It's not quite finished yet (you're not seeing the other wall because of that... maybe soon!), but it's looking much more like a nursery now!

Where we got things:

Crib: Graco Lauren in white, from Target

Changing table: South Shore, from Walmart

Hamper, mobile, crib sheet, crib skirt: Tiddliwinks Batik Butterfly collection, from Target

Baskets: Target

Flowering Tree: SurfaceInspired, Etsy

  

Nursery Update

Remember that "to-do" list I had for the nursery?  It went something like this:

1. Paint
2. Crib and changing table
3. Wall art
4. Lighting
5. Rug
6. Organize clothes/toys

Number one has (mostly) been crossed off of the list, as of last night. Here's what we started with:

The original color of the nursery was a mustardy yellow that looked perpetually dirty. Not only is yellow really not my thing, but this particular shade was just too much for me. Not to mention that at certain times of the day it looks like it has green undertones. No, thank you! Oh, and the light you see there? That's natural, from the windows on the other side of the room.

Here's another "before" shot. I do love this little built-in bookshelf on the wall.  It took two coats of primer to cover up the yellow paint:

We didn't tape off the windowsills or baseboard, because I plan on painting that as well. The finish on it is not great and is peeling in some places. In others, it just has a bad paint job! A coat of primer and a coat of glossy white paint will freshen it up. 

We had three options when it came to what color to paint the walls. We knew we wanted a light blue, so I picked three colors, each a little different, and got samplers. (Side note: how awesome is it that you can get little samples of the colors you want to try? So much better than taping up a little piece of paper on the wall). Here are the options:

We went with the color on the far left (Cloud Nine, from Olympic). We stuck with the Olympic Premium paint because it (and their primer) is zero VOC -- better for me and Meatball! I was very impressed with both - they both went on well and there was ZERO odor from painting. Anyways, back to the colors. The middle color (Blue Booties) was a little to bright for what we wanted (after all, we're not deluding ourselves that Meatball is a boy here) and the one on the right (Elegant something, can't remember!) was a little too grey.

So then we painted... in the wonderful heat that has sprung up here in CT. And it looks wonderful! We left the trim around the ceiling white (we had to prime it -- it had been yellow as well) and of course the windowsills and remainder of the trim will be repainted.

View into the back corner.

The little bookshelf and our temporary storage area!

You can see now where all the light on the back wall comes from! The room has seven (!) windows total. I'm not sure what I'm going to use for curtains yet -- I was thinking maybe something purple, or brown to block out the sun for nap time. 

The next project? Lighting... We actually already have a bit of a start on that and plans to finish it this weekend while Dad is here to help Jared with the wiring, etc. Why do we want new lights? Well, this is what was in the nursery:

Yes, it's rather retro. But Jared was hitting his head on it all the time, not to mention hitting his head on the other one which hung even lower. So they'll be replaced, hopefully this weekend! More pictures soon!