A friend of mine gave me a certificate for a free sitting and free sheet of pictures at Babies 'R' Us, so I took Addie last Thursday to get pictures taken. She is such a model :) To view these pictures, follow the instructions below...

Go to www.kiddiekandids.com
At the top right, click on "Shop online at Mystudio"
Find where it says "Sitting Number" and type in - 591003330
Then where it says "Sitting Code" type in- W323W32

I think there are seven shots... Enjoy!

Someone once told me that being a parent is the hardest and best job in the whole world. I never understood how it could be both, but it is so true. This week has been both good and hard. Our little one likes to vocalize lately. She has a nice loud cry/scream. It's hard to know what to do for her sometimes. It's hard doing this parenting thing. I'm ready for a different stage, yet I don't want to wish this stage away...

Arkansas went great! Addie did very well in the car. She slept most of the way. Got a little fussy toward the end of each trip... but I don't blame her! I wanted out of the car too :) She saw her first fireworks show on the 4th, which was a lot of fun. She was passed around a ton by family members eager to hold her. Brandt and I actually got a few games of Rook in while we were there! She is a little over 5 weeks now... she changes all the time. Brandt caught a smile on camera finally! We love her :)

We decided to head to Arkansas for the week with my family for a family reunion. Call us crazy... or just pray for our long road trip! I'll update when we get home.

Yesterday was a tough day. Addie hasn't been feeling the greatest. Lots of screaming and lots of really messy diapers. I took her in and they suggested I cut milk out of my diet. It seems to be not settling well with her. Although I LOVE milk, I'd give up just about anything to not have what we had yesterday :) She was awake most of the day, crying and screaming, so I figured she'd sleep really well last night... WRONG! She was awake until 3 AM, when Dad finally took her and got her to sleep until 5. She just doesn't like to be laying alone in her cradle. She will be fine the minute someone picks her up and holds her, but that doesn't help us get any sleep. She would eat, burp, fall asleep, and then the minute I lay her down, she'd cry, scream, and become wide awake again. AAHHH!!! Needless to say, Brandt and I got very little sleep as well. Hopefully I can keep her awake a bit today, so maybe she'll sleep tonight. I would appreciate prayers today :)
On a side note... she weighs 9 pounds, 2 ounces as of yesterday!

It was a fun weekend for Addie. On Friday, she got to hang out with her friend Nora. They were like two little peas in a pod. Then on Saturday it was Addie's first trip to the beach. She didn't go on the boat, but she loved being outside in the arms of family. Her hat may be a little large yet...

JUST THE TWO OF US...
We survived our first week together, with Brandt being back at work. We had a lot of fun! Let's see... we slept in, took walks, watched tv, took naps... I think that's about it :-) Yesterday we actually ventured out of the house and went with a friend to the outlet mall. It was nice to get out of the house and see that there's life outside our little world at home. We had a great time. Well, Addie slept the whole time, but I had fun! Tomorrow morning Daddy's going to let me sleep in and he and Addie are going to enjoy some Sat. morning cartoons together. Yeah!

My Addison is 2 weeks old today. We had a doctor's appointment today. It went very well. She weighs 8 pounds 2 1/2 ounces... more than her birth weight, which is good. She measured 20 3/4 inches in length. I have two more days with Brandt at home. He goes back to work Monday. Pray for me next week :-)

Addie had her first bath and first walk today! It was a very exciting day :) I think she is going to be Daddy's little girl.
-Steph

Well... we are finally home! It was one too many days in the hospital, but they let us go today. Thank you everyone for your thoughts, prayers, gifts, visits, and comments on the blog! We'll continue to keep you updated with pictures and thoughts as the days go on. Here's a little something from me...
I NEVER EXPECTED...
...I could love someone I just met so much
...I would just want to sit and stare at her for hours and hours
...I could love the way she smells so much :)
...that 2 hours of sleep could feel like 12!
...to fall in love with Brandt even more as we became parents
...this journey to be such a rollercoaster of emotions - lots of ups and downs
...feeding to be so tough (but we're getting the hang of it)
...to say I'd be willing to do another c-section any day!
...being a mom could feel so fabulous

That's about it! Enjoy those pics :-)
-Steph

SHE'S HERE!!! Addison Noelle was born on Friday, June 1 at 8:39 am. She was 8 lbs 1 oz (not bad for 2 weeks early!), 20 inches long, and she had a head circumference of 14 3/4 inches. She's is the most beautiful thing you will ever see. Mom is doing great, Addie is doing great, and Dad is loving every moment of it. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers!!! Enjoy some of these pics!

Brandt = 7 lbs 4 oz... 21 inches
Steph = 7 lbs 1 oz... 20.75 inches

We have a little advantage because we just found out we're going a little early. 8 AM on Friday, 6/1 is the c-section. Brandt will post as soon as he can. To be continued...

-BSA

Alright everyone... the time is near. Nothing has changed for mom and baby, so let's have a little fun. We are exactly 11 days away from the birth of Little Sorbs. Now we already know she's a she and she's human (sheesh), but what are those dimensions going to come in at? Now remember, she will be born at exactly 39 weeks so she won't be the 12 pound bombshell everyone wanted Steph to deal with. Give us your guesses at weight & length. There will be a special prize for the closest (Price is Right style in memory of the great Bob Barker who beat the snot out of Happy Gilmore). Mom & dad will give their estimates in a few days. Happy bidding (fyi... a bid of $1 will not work in this case)!!!

-B

16 days away....
Baby is doing fine. I'm definitely in the "uncomfortable stage" - sleeping, sitting, walking... But I know the end is near. No flipping yet, but I'm ok with that. I am prepared for this c-section. I know the recovery is harder, but the outcome is just the same! We are both excited, nervous, anxious... Looking forward to the day we get to meet her :-)

Hey all! I scheduled my c-section for Wednesday, June 6th at 11:00 AM. That's 26 days away! Just wanted everyone to know :)

Daddy's been training hard for the big day. All signs point to my little baby girl being here in less than a month!!! Holy Cow! Wait, she probably won't like that I called her a cow in like 15 years, so... Holy Beautiful Little Precious Sweet Adorable Cute Amazing Gorgeous Looks-nothing-like-her-father Baby Girl!!!

-BS

Baby is 5 pounds as of last Friday! She is still breech... what can ya do. The nurse also said she has a big head. I told her that was from the baby's father. She informed me that I should've checked that out before I started dating him ;) Anyway... things are good!

I know it's been a while... I had another appointment today. To my disbelief, Little Sorbs is still breech! She's been breech for the last 4 ultrasounds, but I could've bet my life on the fact that she had flipped around this week and wasn't breech. I guess I was wrong. Her head is at my upper left side, her butt is down, and her feet are at my upper right side- so she's in a 'V' position. I guess that makes sense since I have been feeling her kick up by my right rib. Anyway, pray that she flips. I'm almost 33 weeks, and at 36 weeks they said if she's still breech we'll have to talk about scheduling a c-section. Since I'm on a blood thinner, they will want me to deliver before 39 weeks- so very beginning of June, it's sounding like- and they want it scheduled, so it is more controlled. If she flips, they will let me go full term. I know it's not a big deal, and I know a lot of women have c-sections, but it just makes me more nervous. So that's the baby news. Brandt and I are both doing well :-) I have a shower tomorrow that I'm really looking forward to! Until next time...

Our Spring Break is over :( It wasn't exactly relaxing, but we got a lot accomplished. Here are some pictures of the wood floors upstairs and the rooms downstairs. Enjoy!

We had another ultrasound today. I am 30 weeks now- 10 more to go! Little Sorbs is doing well. The last two appointments she's received an 8/8 on whatever they check during our biophysical profiling tests. So she's healthy and constantly moving! My leg is doing much better than a week ago. It swells a bit still, but hasn't turned colors or felt numb all week! So nice to know those shots are doing something productive :-) Brandt has the week off and it's my Spring Break, so we are working very hard to finish the basement. We've been putting wood floors upstairs yesterday and today- it's looking very nice. The taper finishes tomorrow. Painting is Thursday, and carpet is installed on Friday. The end is near! Thanks for your continued support and prayers.