We've been spoiled having Brandt home this week. We will miss you this week, Daddy! See you soon :)
Addie's had a bad cold all weekend. Can barely breathe out of her nose :( Hopefully we're at the end of it, though.

Addie rolls over from back to front now! I get so excited and so proud when she does it on her own :) Such excitement in our lives... hehe!
Thanks for all your ideas on feeding, sleeping, etc. It's nice to have a blog to hear others' feedback. Thanks for encouraging us as we travel down this difficult (but wonderful!) road of parenting.

Help...
We are struggling with Addison sleeping at night. She's got her naps down, falling asleep with minimal to no crying, but the nights have been rough lately. When she slept in her cradle in our room, she was sleeping 8, 9, or 10 hours before waking up. But these last 3 weeks she's been downstairs in her "big crib" and only sleeps 5 or 6 hours at a time at most. Two nights ago it was every 3 hours she was waking up, wanting to eat. I know she can't be hungry after 3 or 4 hours and she's proven to us she can do 9 or 10, but we struggle with how to handle it. Last night we said if she woke up before 3:30AM, we'd let her cry and calm herself back to sleep. Otherwise, I'd wake her up at 3:30, feed her, and hopefully she'd sleep the rest of the night. That's what the books say, to wean them off night feedings, wake them up yourself for a few nights and only feed a few minutes. But last night, 1:00AM came and she was crying. She cried until 1:55, when I finally gave in and fed her. Neither of us knew what to do, or what the right answer was... part of me feels like because I gave in to her, she had won, and know we have to start over. But at the same time, it's hard to listen to her so upset for so long. So... long story short- any suggestions for getting them to sleep through the night??

Happy Halloween! Got this at a garage sale... I think it's a cat. The red collar part wouldn't button because of her lovely chunky cheeks and lack of a neck :) But she did pretty well in it!

Amber watched Addie the other night when Brandt and I went out. Here's a pic of Addie and Liam... they are too cute :)

Happy Monday! We had a fabulous weekend together... We did laundry :) , tried Addie out in new toys, listened to her scream as she fell asleep for naps :( , and just enjoyed having Daddy home! Brandt and I had a date Sunday night. We went downtown and saw "So You Think You Can Dance" on tour. It was a blast! Nice to have a night out and fun to see such a great show- even though Brandt was surrounded by screaming girls all evening - we felt like we were at a Backstreet Boys concert- seriously! Because of our date, he didn't fly out until this morning, so we only have 3 nights apart this week. And next week Brandt has been called for jury duty! Yipee!! He'll be staying here for the week :) Like my sis Kylee, said, "Never knew jury duty could be such a blessing!" That's all for now, folks!

Well... we're finally trying the "lay her down and let her cry" for naptime. My mom started it yesterday. She cried 18 minutes and slept about 35. This morning she cried 4 and slept 45 for my mom. This afternoon for me... cried 50 minutes, is sleeping now :( So hard!!! I just went upstairs, checked on her every once in a while, and wrote in my journal. I've been told by many that it only takes a few times and she'll figure it out. I know to start this whole ordeal earlier with the next child. Addie's been spoiled for too long :)

Not much to report... We had a wonderful weekend with family and friends. Friday we laid low, Saturday a good friend of mine got married, and Sunday we had small group after church. Brandt just left again. Another week- here we go...
A question for all you mothers out there. When did you start solid foods? Did you mix the rice cereal with baby food or give it separately? Did it cause stomach aches for the little one? What time of day did you introduce solids? How many times a day?
I guess that was more than a question. We tried Addie on solids for one week but then stopped. She was pretty irritated that week- not sure if that was the cause or not. We still put rice cereal in her bottle at night. She won't take that by spoon. She just spits it out. Just wondering if I should mix it with baby food. Just looking for some advice!

We are finally home :) It was a wonderful weekend in Salt Lake City. Addie was great on the plane ride there last Thursday, and she was a trooper all weekend. Here are some of the highlights... trip to Saratoga Springs (Brandt wanted to visit there because he remembered it being a stop on OREGON TRAIL...anyone remember that?), mini-golf- twice because we loved it so much, visit to Olympic Park in Park City, shopping, ROOK (when Addie went to bed), eating lots, and just being together! The plane ride home was rough, but we survived :) Could I do it again? Probably... but it is a lot of work for a weekend away. It was nice to see Brandt, hard to leave him, and sad to come home alone again. Here are a few photos from the weekend. Thanks to those of you that prayed for our flights.

Salt Lake City... here we come! Addie and I are flying to Salt Lake City to visit Brandt for the weekend. We leave Thursday evening and return Sunday evening. Pray for the flight. I'm very nervous. I've heard this is the age to do it, though. It's a late flight there, so hopefully she'll be sleeping. I'm looking forward to being there- just not the flying part. We'd appreciate prayers! I'll have pictures on Monday.

We started Addison on some solids this weekend. She loved applesauce last night, but hated the sweet peas tonight. I don't blame her. They tasted gross! B left again. We had a wonderful weekend together as a family :-) Tomorrow night Addie and I are going to sleep at my parents' house... should be fun!

We've moved on to a bigger chair! Addie outgrew her other one :) Thanks, Balvins! Brandt comes home tomorrow. We made it! One week down...

4 months old... 16 pounds, 4 1/2 ounces... 25 inches long. She (and I) survived her shots today. We're doing well. Had a nice meal at a friend's house tonight. We've been well-taken care of this week! Brandt home in 2 days!

I call this "Fun with Food #2" :) Yes, it's a giant pancake... No, she did not eat it... Things are going ok. Addie is 4 months old today! Tomorrow is her doc appointment and shots. I'll report the stats tomorrow.

We call this picture, "Fun with food!" Brandt enjoys feeding Addie various types of fruit. She just sucks the juice, but it's super cute. Things are going well. Brandt just headed out to Salt Lake City. He is there Sunday through Thursday for the next 3 weeks. Not ideal, but we will survive. He's been really blessed so far with the amount of travel he's had to do (or not had to do, I mean), so we knew it was coming some time. At least he's home for the weekends. On a brighter note, I'll be updating the blog more frequently over the next three weeks - to remind Brandt what he's missing ;) hehe.

Phil and Kylee surprised my mom and dad and came home this weekend. We spent Friday night hanging out with the entire fam! Addie was a riot! They got her laughing hard- it was so fun!

I'll try again with the pics. Only one worked last time...
Things are going really well. Addie sleeps 7 or 8 hours the first stretch and then usually 4 the second stretch each night. She smiles and laughs all the time! Such fun :) She is truly a delight.

Here are a few recent pics for your viewing pleasure...

Last weekend we let our first "baby" go. Brandt took Bella to the Humane Society :( She's been a great cat, but it was getting difficult lately. I feel good about our decision. I'm not nervous about the cat being in Addie's room or crib anymore, we can leave doors open now, and I don't have to clean up puke every other day! It was hard to let her go, but hopefully some nice family will take her home.

We introduced Addison to a little thing called rice cereal this weekend. It is a miracle! I know, I know... you're not supposed to give them cereal until 4 months, but we put a tablespoon of it in her bottle before bed and she sleeps 8 hours at night now! It's amazing!! That was the highlight of our weekend :)