Turkey Week!!!

Yesterday we returned from North Carolina after a wonderful 9 day visit!

Addison was absolutely perfect with the traveling..what a trooper! She didn't let out a peep from the time we left our condo Saturday morning until we arrived in the airport in Raleigh.....and same for the return trip in reverse! Thank you to everyone who encouraged me to nurse on take-off....it worked beautifully and she passed out immediately! The people around us couldn't believe how well she traveled!

North Carolina had beautiful weather....the peak of Fall and temperatures in the 60s mostly! Some of the highlights of the trip included a trip to UNC for the day (showing Addison our campus and buying her a new UNC sunhat!), Addison getting to meet her Uncle Adam and cousin Victoria (Victoria was such a helper-wanting to help change diapers, play with and hold the baby), a trip to the mall with the entire family, a visit from our friends Morgan and Richard and their twins, a trek to Lake Hyco to visit Noah's best friends James and Drew and our friends Ana, Chris and Ben from Minneapolis, the Thanksgiving Day turkey trot 8K (my first race since before pregnancy), a delicious Thanksgiving dinner cooked by Trish, a family photo session, and dinner and drinks out with our friends Ryan and Sanghmi to celebrate their upcoming weekend. Addison got to spend some quality time with Nana and Papa, and the entire family....such wonderful memories in the making!

We are now back in Minneapolis enjoying my last few days of maternity leave before returning to work this Thursday.

Smiles and snuggles

Another busy week comes to a close.......I can't believe how quickly these 12 weeks are passing us by! My little one is so big now.....almost double her birth weight. I hopped on the scale with her the other day and she is close to 11 pounds!!!




Last Saturday we hosted our 30th birthday party.....so much fun to have some people over for a relaxing night. The first big snow kept some away, but still great times!!! and lots of beer and food to share! We had leftover beers for happy hour all week long...Noah loved it! Addison did well being passed around and snuggled all night!! She wore jeans to the party....her first time ever in blue jeans.....wow, what an amazing thought! (hahaha!) Daddy and I ofcourse snapped tons of photos of this monumentous moment...adding to her firsts!




The week was filled with visits and playdates.....Monday afternoon our new nanny, Annie, came over to play for a few hours and learned more about Addie in preparation for the debut in a couple weeks. Addison smiled at her and seems to enjoy her! Wednesday, Kat came over for a visit in the evening and also had a great time snuggling and playing with Addison! Thursday, we treked to Burnsville and spent the afternoon playing with Courtney and her three kids.....Addison loved watching the two older children run around and her new friend Molly and her were exchanging baby smiles....so cute! Mommy had a nice time hanging with these girlfriends as well!!




Friday the day was spent packing and getting ready for a trip to North Carolina....we are leaving today!!! So much to prepare and think about when traveling with an infant... I can't say I'm not nervous...but I'm looking forward to tackling this challenge in preparation for years to come of air travel. Addison will do great I'm sure!




I just learned that I got Christmas Eve off of work, so I'm planning to head to Indy for a full week or so....Noah will come for as long as he is able to also! I can't wait for this trip too!




I am so thrilled that Addison will get such quality time with both sides of her family this year!!!

Such a big girl!!!

This was a busy week.......

Addison is sleeping so well now....we are so proud of her! She has slept through several full nights and other nights generally only awakens once for feeding! We are so pleased with her progress! The challenge will be transitioning her from her napper chair where she currently sleeps (due to reflux) to her crib....she still hates lying flat and usually gets upset in this position. We are considering elevating the mattress a bit while we take this step!

We had our two month appointment this week...and Addison received her first shots! ouch!! She definitely went hysterical and then had a fever that night...a little fussy and wanting to nurse more often than normal....but by the next morning she was back to her healthy, smiling self! Such a big girl! She is up to 9 pounds 15 ounces as of her appointment on 11/10 (Wednesday). The pediatrician is very pleased with her weight gain, and she is at the 15th percentile for breastfed babies at this age.....up from 1st percentile at birth! :-)

Addison had a fun playdate with her friend Benjamin on Thursday....he is 11 months old. She was so interested in watching him stand and even take a few steps now, and he was intrigued by looking at the baby. We can't wait until they can really interact together!!

As for Noah and I....we are doing well. He is busy with research, but also getting plenty of time to hang out with the family. We have enjoyed many family outings this week including probably the last of our walks while the weather lasts and a dinner out last night. We are looking forward to our 30th birthday party tonight.....we are having people over for chili, a pony keg and football to celebrate...shall be fun!

I was cleared by the surgeon after my appointment yesterday morning..... Things are healing well and I am now back to running...yeah!!! I ran the last two days, and although a little sore afterwards (as he told me to expect), it feels good to be working on getting in shape again! Noah and I are still planning on the 8K turkey trot race in North Carolina on Thanksgiving!

Noah gave me the best gift ever this week...it arrived in the mail yesterday! My combination 30th birthday present and a gift in honor of our new daughter...a beautiful sapphire ring! I absolutely love it!! It means the world to me...and I will think of my wonderful family each time I see it during the day.

We are leaving for NC one week from today....looking forward to it! This week will be busy packing up and figuring out what we need to take with us.... Addie will be flying for the first time next Saturday! I am dreading the return to work in just 2 1/2 weeks.....ugh.....but at the same time I know I'll get through it, and Addie will do great with our new nanny, Annie!

Enjoy the pics from the week (including one of our new November hat from Opa!!!) I am still trying to capture that beautiful smile!!!! :-) I generally enjoy it so much that I don't even think to run for the camera!

2 months old!!!

Addison showed us what a big girl she is becoming by sleeping almost 7 hours straight last night......so proud of her! Today we celebrate her 2 month birthday!

She is currently all snuggled up on the boppy pillow on the couch... Wally hopped up on the couch earlier this morning and rested his nose next to her for a long nap as well. Luckily I was able to grab my camera and capture the moment!

This week has been quite the break through in sleeping and smiling.......we have only had to awaken a maximum of one time a night to feed her and we are receiving numerous smiles! She is really learning to relax and enjoy the daytime!

My recovery from surgery has been going well......still taking pain mediations intermittently when I'm sore, but I have been able to wean quite a bit and I'm moving around much better! My belly remains quite swollen, but this will probably take a while. I've been on a couple mile long walks outside the last couple days and with less pain meds, I'm needing less naps during the days! It's so nice to have this surgery behind me and know that it is all getting better from here! Noah has continued to be a great help to me, and my friend Anne was here on Thursday and helped me in the afternoon. It was so nice to visit with her and have her company!

Last night we had some neighbors over for dinner....they are expecting a little girl a week from today! They enjoyed seeing Addison and it was really fun to share her stories with a couple who will soon be going through the same exciting times that have consumed our last two months! :-)

Enjoy our most recent pictures from the past week! :-)...Addison as pumpking hiking with mommy and daddy on Halloween, playing with Anne, tummy time and snuggling with Wally!

Road to Recovery!

So, yesterday was my 30th birthday and my bilateral inguinal hernia repair surgery......what a day!

Noah and I left around 9 in the morning to drop Addison off at my friend Courtney's house.....she hung out with Courtney and her three children all day and had a very fun playdate! Luckily Courtney said she was very well behaved! Good girl Addie! Courtney is such a wonderful friend, and she sure eased my worries about leaving her...thank you Courtney!

We arrived at the hospital at 11am as instructed and I finally went in to surgery around 1:30pm....lots of pre-op procedures, instructions, waiting......my anxiety was definitely rising, but Noah kept me calm and the staff were all excellent in making me feel as reassured as possible that things would go well.

The procedure was a couple hours long and then it took me a few hours in the recovery room to awaken......but things went well. They were able to repair me endoscopically which means that I have three small incisions below my belly button vs. one large incision. My pain was pretty bad in the recovery room, so they kept administering more and more IV pain meds.....once it was down to a 3 or 4/10 on the pain scale I was taken to a smaller recovery room where I got to see Noah again and continue to awaken. I was so happy to see him! I remained pretty groggy, but was able to take a short walk to the bathroom in order to get released. I remember every bump in the road on the way home last night, that is for sure...ouch! My friend Courtney was so kind to bring Addison to us when we got home around 9:30pm, so that we didn't have to trek far.

I was extremely sore last night and stuck to the pain meds every four hours......I slept fairly well considering my tough day!

Today I am resting a ton and trying to wean a little with the pain meds; however, I remain in a pretty significant amount of pain. Moving around is still very uncomfortable and I am still so tired! I've been forcing myself to walk to the bathroom and kitchen a couple times, but even this wears me out. I know this is all a normal part of recovery though, and that I will get through it. I have been able to hold Addison a little today and took a nap with her......she is full of smiles and being such a sweetheart...as if she knows that mommy doesn't feel well. Noah has been a saint! He was up last night whenever the baby needed something and waiting on me with whatever I needed.....I am so fortunate to have the best husband ever! He is here with me today and plans to be around tomorrow as well.

I received a surprise, really nice phone call this morning from my surgeon to check on me....wow, what a great man! He just wanted to make sure that I was feeling better and see if I needed anything or had any questions.....

I am on light duty-cannot lift > 10 pounds for the next 2 weeks....luckily Addison weighs 9 lbs. ounces right now, so I think we are going to be able to make it after a couple more days of taking it really easy! So glad I have a petite baby!

I am definitely on the road to recovery.....and feel confident that I will be back to my old self in just a few days.......more updates to come! Thank you all for your love and support! I will never forget my 30th birthday!

Here is a picture of me and my baby girl cuddling this morning!