Good Morning Everyone! After months of absence I have finally returned. These past few months have been full of changes. Between my return to work, events to attend, and Addie's many reached milestones there certainly has not been a dull moment.
So what exactly have we been up to these past few months? Well, at the end of May I returned to work. This was definitely not an easy transition for me. I will say though, leaving Addie was made a little easier because I was able to leave her with my mother and father-in-law. I am so grateful that Addie has been lucky enough to spend her days with her Mema and Poppy. It makes me very happy to see Addie's face light up when she sees the wreath that hangs on my in-laws door. To make it even better, Matt has been spending the Summer working with his father, so Matt has also been with her all Summer. Returning to work is probably one of the toughest decisions I have made but I have been truly blessed that I did not have to leave Addie with someone I didn't really know. We will probably be making the transition to a daycare soon (my in-laws deserve to relax during their retirement ;-) ), which still stresses me out but for the time being she is happily spending her days with two of her favorite people.
Watching all of the joy that Addie has brought,not just to Matt and my life, but to our friends and family has been amazing. Matt's uncles and aunts, and his cousins have fallen in love with our little girl. They have all been extremely generous and love coming for visits. Addie has not disappointed, showering everyone with smiles and giggles. The two people who have really enjoyed Addie have been Sue and Erwin. To Addie they are Mema and Poppy. As soon as she see's them she greets them with a huge smile and babbles. Mema showers her with hugs, kisses and love. Poppy wears cool shirts, runs to her when she fusses (because he can't stand to hear Addie upset), and helps her develop her new skills. Watching Addie and Erwin interact has been amazing because with Addie Erwin becomes a big mush. Addie has definitely got Erwin wrapped around her fingers and he is loving it.
Watching Matt's family with Addie makes me excited for Addie to get to spend more time with my family. It makes me sad that she is unable to spend as much time with my family, or Aly, because they are in Iowa. But Matt and I do all we can to make sure Addie knows these people as well. We show her pictures and when we talk on the phone we turn the speaker on so Addie can hear their voices. When my mom and dad ( Nana and Grandpa to Addie) came for a visit in March, my mom got Addie a flower ornament. This has become Addie's favorite object in her room. Each morning, after she gets changed, I have to take her over to the ornament so she can play with it. The way the light makes it sparkle amuses her. I love watching how excited she gets when she sees it.
Over the past few months we have attended many events, including the event we held, Addie's Baptism. We were so happy to share this special moment with family and friends. Matt and I thank God all the time for the blessing he has given us by bringing Addie into our lives and we want Addie to know the same love and blessings. We had a wonderful day celebrating with family and friends. We were also lucky enough to share in this same special day with our friends, John and Colleen, when they're little man, Mason was baptized. We also enjoyed introducing Addie to Erwin's side of the family for Matt's cousin, Liz's wedding. Addie did so good with the large crowd and made everyone smile at her constant babbling and smiling.
We were also lucky to have Addie's great grandmother, Hermine join us for a couple of weeks. While Addie was with Mema and Poppy during the day she also got to hang out with her Grandma Hermine. Hermine loved seeing her every morning and Addie always greeted her with a big smile, which delighted her.
Addie has also grown by leaps and bounds in the past few months. She can sit up and is working on getting up on her hands and knees. Becoming mobile is her number one priority it seems. She has Luke, Kit and Reeses to chase after all, much to their annoyance. lol Addie has also cut her first tooth and with almost no indication, other than some drooling, chewing and the obvious sharp white edge of her tooth. That was a pleasant surprise, along with the fact that our little angel has slept through the night for the past couple of months. That is a very welcome development for me. :-) Addie has us completely spoiled. Addie has also started on solid foods. Her favorites right now are bananas and sweet potatoes. She turns into a sticky mess whenever she has a meal but it is so much fun to watch how excited she gets about each new food.
Now that I have gone on and on about Addie, I suppose I should talk a little bit about what else has been going on in our lives. For me, work has been a bit hectic. The month before I had Addie, our credit union was liquidated and once I returned the process to completely convert over to the new credit union had begun. That has meant many hectic hours at work. To add to it I have also been covering a co-workers maternity leave. Needless to say, I have been quite busy at work. But, everyone welcomed me back with open arms and the members have been wonderful. Though it was not easy to return everyone has made it as easy as possible. Accompanied with my return to work has been my choice to continue exclusively breastfeed Addie. Pumping at work has been an adjustment but the benefits for Addie far out-weigh the annoyances. Plus, it provides wonderful bonding time for Addie and I, which I love since I do have to spend so much time away from her now.
Matt has been keeping busy this Summer working with his dad to help him get their house remodeled. He has also been helping his friend occassionally. Matt has even had the opportunity to stay home with Addie a few times. The first time he got that opportunity was for a week, and Addie was still rather young. He did great though and he and Addie got some wonderful bonding time.
Well, I think that about catches things up! Matt and I are going to take Addie to her first Little World's Fair today. That is a local fair that is put on every year in Matt's hometown. Addie will get to see lots of wonderful sites and Matt and I will get to eat some wonderfully bad for you fair food. It's no Iowa State Fair ;-) but it is an ok substitute. After the fair visit we are going to Matt's 10 year high school reunion. It is going to be a busy busy day. I hope you're all enjoying the last few weekends of the Summer. Can you believe it's almost time for Fall to arrive?!
