GOOD NEWS!

Ralph would want me to keep this on the down low BUT I just can't! I have an interview at Western Oregon University on Jan. 5th at 11AM! It is for the admission's receptionist position. I am SO nervous about it. My mom's boss has been kindly helping me prepare so I am truly grateful for that.

Also, yesterday I had an impromptu phone interview with Washington Federal (a bank here in the Northwest). I was very nervous but Ralph said I did a wonderful job...what a nice husband! I just have to wait for the main boss to review my resume to see if she wants to interview me for the position.

I just want to put it out there that we could use ANY AND ALL prayers that we can get on our behalf. We are fasting on Sunday for me to do the best I can at my interview and to hopefully get a job. Anyone and everyone is welcome to join us in that fast as well.

On a lighter note, I am hoping to get my Christmas post done tomorrow...sorry for the delay!

Happy New Year to you all! :)

Advice Please

I have been wanting to switch Addison from her bottle to a sippy cup ever since she started feeding herself. I have tried two kinds of cups. First is a hard plastic cup with handles and is not spill proof. The second is a silicone top which is like her bottle. She refuses to stick either of them in her mouth. I have tried putting her formula in both and she just won't take a sippy cup. It is borderline irritating to me. Any advice on how to make the transition or what brands/cups to try?? If you can post links to the product it would be wonderful as well. Thanks for the help! :)

Santa Clause and Excitment

Today Addison had the opportunity of meeting Santa Clause!! He is actually a man from our ward at church (the Relief Society President's husband) but don't tell Addison that because we don't want to spoil the secret. Haha...Anyways, I was feeling kind of nervous as to how she would react to him. A lot of babies REALLY dislike meeting Santa and she has been going through a shy phase so I thought it would end in tears. This was not the case though! She didn't really smile at him but she didn't cry either. She just looked stunned. Towards the end of her visit, I think she was more interested in Santa's dog and cat than Santa himself. Here are a couple of pictures from her visit:

Addison with Santa. She is wearing the Christmas dress that my Mom and I made. It isn't what we had originally planned on making but my mom got sick the weekend we planned to make her dress so we went to the alternative. I think it turned out nicely. Also, notice how she has a death grip on that beard. Hair holding is how she calms herself.


Santa even had a gift for Addison!

There was a bunny inside! She loves bunnies so this gift was perfect.

Addison and Santa finally beginning to bond.

On another note, we had planned to meet up with my sister and brother-in-law after this to go see the Chronicles of Narnia in Albany. We did meet up but it seemed that nothing was going as planned. The movie ended up being in only 3-D format which would have cost us $12 per person and instead of being at the time we thought it had started an hour earlier. So we went to my sister's place, got some Panda Express and settled in to play Mario Kart with my bro-in-law's father and brother. Technology is a wonderful thing because they were in Iowa (my bro-in-law's father and brother) and we were able to connect up with them over the internet and race each other. The whole time they were on speaker phone so we were able to smack talk (which is a VERY important thing when racing). It was a wonderful time full of friendly competitiveness. After that, we read the Christmas story and started driving home.

On the way home, we turned one of the tight curves on Suver road (for all of you who know that road you know what I am talking about...when I say tight I mean they are more like taking a turn than a curve) and happened upon a fresh accident. A younger man, probably around Ralph's age was standing on the side of the road next to his car that had gone into the ditch and hit a utility pole. He was ok physically which we were grateful for but mentally he was shaken up. Let me just say that if you are an LDS Church member and you have daughters, MAKE THEM GO TO GIRL'S CAMP! This is a true testament to the usefulness of attending it. I could tell that he was going in to shock and all I could think of was A) Make him put his coat on to keep him warm and B) Make him talk about anything...just make him keep talking. This knowledge all came flooding back to me from girl's camp.

The young man was flustered and unsure of what to do. All he knew was he needed to call his wife of only 6 months. He got her coming on her way from Sweethome and a tow truck as well. He didn't really know if he should call the police or not because no one was hurt but I told him that because he had hit a utility pole he had to because there was no way of telling if the pole was ok. I dialed 911, spoke to the operator who patched me through to the sheriff's office who responded to the scene. The whole time the young man is telling us that he is ok and that we could go home but i was adamant about staying and making sure he was taken care of first.

Finally, after about 30 minutes, the sheriff came. He assessed the situation. Then, he did something that caught me completely off guard. He asked Ralph and me to step away with him for a moment. I thought he was going to ask about the situation or something. NOT EVEN CLOSE! He asked us if we had been drinking!! I was so surprised by the question that for a moment I couldn't respond. It was so far from what I was thinking he was going to ask. I assured him that I had not and Ralph did the same and then it was time to go. I will probably never know what happened to the young man but all I know is that I helped someone in need. I am grateful that I got to serve the Lord on this Christmas Eve. I am grateful that I had some knowledge of what needed to happen when I needed it. I am grateful for my family and for us making it home safely.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Miracles

Christmas is a time for miracles to happen. All the time you read stories from people who have had Christmas miracles happen or have facilitated Christmas miracles. I have never needed a Christmas miracle and I'm fairly certain that I only helped someone have a Christmas miracle once in my life.

This year, however, I have been humbled more than words can say. We have been out of work for a year (not that I haven't been looking and if you hear of anything you can always let me know) so I wasn't expecting much from this Christmas. I faithfully put the tree up and decorated the house. I attended the annual Christmas Devotional from the first presidency. I went to a live nativity, I went to Christmas parties, and the list goes on. The whole time, nothing made me feel like I was in the Christmas spirit. I felt like I was unable to give much and I certainly didn't feel like I was receiving much.

However, a Christmas miracle has happened! Slowly but surely the space below the Christmas tree has filled to overflowing with presents from family and friends. I have had time to spend with my friends and family doing fun things like Christmas parties and going to the live nativity. I was able to make a beautiful Christmas dress for Addison using the pillowcase dress pattern and left over red fabric my mom had lying around. It is SUPER cute and looks so elegant on her. I even received a generous check in the mail from my Grandma which humbled me the most and renewed my faith that Heavenly Father does answer prayers. I had been praying and praying for a way to take away some of the financial struggle from my mom and now I can do that.

This past year has been so very hard. It has tried my patience, my faith, my family, and my marriage. But, I have learned SO many skills. I have learned budgeting, I have expanded my cooking skills, I have learned how to keep house while having a baby, I have learned how to be a mom, I have learned how to be a better wife. For these things I am truly grateful.

Maybe my Christmas miracle wasn't the presents or the fun times but realizing the lessons I have been able to learn and realizing that somewhere along the way the baby of the family has grown up to have her own baby and family.

May you have a very blessed Christmas full of family, friends, love, and happiness!

Merry Christmas from the Kaman Family! :)

What is small, adorable, and is army crawling?

Addison of course! She started her first scoots forward today. Yesterday during church I thought she would do it and I almost beat my mother to death during relief society trying to get her attention to see it (I was REALLY excited). But alas, it was not so. TODAY however, she really began to take off. Ralph has been working on it with her daily for quite some time and now she is finally moving! Here is a video for you:




It is not the best video of it because she was pretty tired by the time I found the camera but you at least get an idea. Yikes! I better baby proof this place...and quick!

Being Silly

Addison has developed a new "talent" as of late. Take a look!

Day 4

Yesterday I just seemed to not have enough hours in the day. I barely went on my computer which is quite unusual for me. Anyways, I am going to write a couple extra today to make up for it.

1) Fall Leaves
2) Church
3) Good Friends
4) Smiles from my baby
5) A roof over my head and my family's head
6) food to eat
7) Electricity
8) Bath time with Addison
9) Rocking my baby to sleep
10) Watching the peaceful sleep of my baby

6 Months!

Today our adorable baby is 6 months old. It seems like only yesterday I was finding out I was pregnant and now she is rolling around on the floor. Addison has grown in leaps and bounds. She loves to smile and laugh! Addison loves to be mobile too! She rolls all over the place and is constantly getting into things she is not supposed to. Addison also got 2 teeth last week! Her new favorite thing to do is consciously blow raspberries. She loves it and thinks it is hilarious when people laugh at her.

Addison has brought so much joy and laughter into our lives. Her personality is so strong. I love my dear sweet baby and can not wait to see what the coming years bring. Here is a recap of where we have been:
Addison at 5 days old. Hard believe that she was ever that small!
Addison at 1 month old. She was so alert even at a young age.


Addison at 2 months old. This is when she started filling out all over.


Addison at 3 months old on her plane trip to and from Iowa
4 months old. Dressed and ready to go to her 4 month Dr. appt.

Addison at 5 months old. Rolling, laughing, and smiling!Addison NOW. She is quite the character! Doesn't like to get caught doing things she knows she is not supposed to (like rolling underneath the rocking chair)... :)

Day 3

1) The Library being close enough to walk to (it's only a block away!)
2) Date nights
3) The fact that my husband forgives me for poor movie choices on date night
4) Late nights doing laundry (because it reminded me that the day was almost over and I hadn't done this yet!)
5) Priesthood blessings

Day 2

1) Life
2) Sunshine
3) Walks with my husband and baby
4) cameras that capture the moments of life
5) tears that can relieve the pain, sorrow, heartache, stress, happiness, and emotions in life

Thankfulness

I have been needing a big boost of thankfulness in my life. So this month I have decided to do a thankfulness journal. I hope to post most everyday. 5 things I am thankful for today:

1) My daughter
2) My husband
3) My mother
4) My sister
5) My brother-in-law

I'm starting with the obvious ones first and later I'll move on to the less obvious...

Happy Halloween!

Happy it is as Addison was feeling much better by the time we began our Halloween fun. It began on Friday afternoon when we went to my mom's work to do some trick or treating. Everyone always enjoys a visit from Addison and there were plenty of squeals of delight at Addison's costume. She was a flower. A special shout out to my good friend and former roommate Kari for giving us the costume. It worked great! Thanks again!

To continue, Addison and I then went down to Albany where my sister lives (about 30 minutes away) to do some trick or treating there on Saturday. Each year Albany has trick or treating at the local downtown businesses. It was CRAZY! There were turtles, ninjas, princesses, monsters, etc everywhere you looked. When we arrived it was starting to drizzle but I decided that Addison was so bundled up in her costume that she would be alright for awhile. We set out and she was literally screeching with delight. She loves to be adored and there was no shortage of adoration for her. After about an hour the screeching turned to screaming as Addison promptly told us she was done and ready for her nap. We returned to my sister's place to show off the cute flower to her uncle. Then, after a quick feeding and a diaper change we popped Addison back into her costume for a quick photo shoot. My sister got some great pictures and surprised us that evening with a copy of this photo:

We had planned to go to trunk or treat Saturday night at the church too but Addison was done and ready to go to bed by 6:30. She didn't really get any naps so she was quite tired. In fact, she slept for 13 1/2 hours straight!

Today Addison and I stayed home from church to give Addison a proper rest. We will be going out tonight to a couple of houses to just stop by and show off Addison in her costume. She needs to be well rested and happy for that. Then, it is back to bed with her...

Blah...

I am putting up a quick post while I have the time. As you can see, we are feeling a bit blah in our house. Addison and I have had colds for about a week. Addison has also been teething during this time. Surprisingly, she has stayed quite happy.

Yesterday afternoon though, it all began to peak. I had run over to Wal-mart to see if they had a waterless vaporizer thing that I had seen online (they are really cool and work really well! To see what I mean, go here: http://www.walmart.com/ip/VICKS-MINI-VAP/10316298). When I returned, I heard Addison screaming. I was still in the driveway so you know it was loud. I go in to find her being rocked by her dad who said she had been crying for sometime. Well, I quickly set up the vicks thing that I had gotten and take my baby girl and begin to rock and comfort her.

Usually when she is like this, a bath is the only way to calm her. So I run a bath and get her undressed and stick her in. BAD IDEA. She starts screaming even worse. I didn't even know it was possible to scream and cry like that. So I ask Ralph to get her out and get her dressed. I go in the other room and call the pediatrician. The nurse that I spoke to had me check a few things and then she promptly scheduled Addison for an after hours appointment. I love that about her pediatrician. They usually will have an after hours clinic until about 8 or 9 at night.

Well, we get in the car, get to the pediatrician's office and wait. She gets weighed (18.95 lbs now) and then we wait for the pediatrician. The dr finally comes in and Addison starts crying because it's not her normal dr but the on-call dr (we knew we wouldn't see her dr). Addison really likes her dr and is always super excited to see him. Trust me. She knows who her dr is. We have spent a great deal of time there since she was born. Anyways, he checks her lungs and they are fine. He looks at her throat and he says that it is irritated. Then I remember to tell him that she has been pulling at her ear. He cleans out a HUGE ball of wax and voila! We hit the jackpot. She has a HUGE inflamed ear drum that is just pussing all over the place. He looks in her other ear and says that it is starting to get infected as well. He immediately says that she will need amoxicillin (sp?) and that we needed to get it ASAP. So we rush home to get to the pharmacy before they close. I get her prescription and we have been giving her that every 12 hours along with tylenol and ibuprofen (switching between the 2 every three hours).

It has been an looooong two days and I will be SO grateful for my baby girl to get better.

Oh! She also has a tooth that has broken through so soon she will have a tooth! :)

School and Sweaters

So if you haven't heard the news yet let me be the first to tell you that Ralph got in to Oregon State University! We were so excited when we got the news. It is such a relief. It is also a headache as we are trying to figure out financial aid, class schedules, and transportation for him to get to school. Luckily there are a few people who go to Corvallis (about 30 minutes away and NO BUS to get there) on a daily basis so hopefully we can work out carpooling. Just keep your fingers crossed and your prayers coming as we try to figure this all out.

On another note, Ralph, Addison, and I traveled to Hillsboro, OR last night to go to a BYU-Hawaii Alumni FHE. Ordinarily we wouldn't attend such events because of the combination of time and gas that it takes but our bishop from our old ward was going to be the speaker so we just had to go. When we showed up, our old bishop was shocked to see us. Of course there was a lot of hugging and ooing and awwing over Addison and our reunion. I was able to get the latest on all of our friends and Hawaii Ohana. We also met some AMAZING people who went to BYUH and their spouses and families. Addison even made a friend with a 4 year old named Ava. Those two were like two peas in a pod as Ava giddily made Addison laugh and laugh and laugh.

This is us with Bishop Buckingham.

Also, about a week ago we came home to a package waiting for Addison. I was confused as to why she was getting a package (other than the fact that everyone loves to shop for her) when there was really no occasion to receive one. The box was from my Grandma Whitmore. I openend the box to find several wrapped packages. After opening the first one, I discovered a BEAUTIFUL, white, hand-knitted sweater for Addison. The next package revealed another hand-knitted sweater in yellow with orange, brown, purple, and pink zig-zags around the hem and the hood. I was so happy to receive them as I picked out the patterns when I was in Iowa visiting my family and I wasn't expecting them until Christmas. The sweaters were made by my Aunt Linda. Also inside was a Baby Einstein book that plays music and flashes lights when buttons are pushed and a lift the flap book that were from my Grandma. Here are pictures I took of Addison in her sweaters and reading her book:

Ready for church in her new sweater! Good thing I took this BEFORE church because she already broke this sweater in by spitting-up on it.

Trying on her sweater for the first time!

The first time I got her smiling on camera AND the first time wearing her sweater! :)

Looking at her new book. Her Jumperoo is he reading station because it can hold up the books for her.

Roly Poly!

So Addison has been trying for a bout a month to turn over. I never knew that it was such a hard thing to do until I started observing her. It is funny the things we take for granted. I never thought about the fact that so many things were so hard to do! Walking, swallowing, turning over, grabbing things, crawling, etc. The list could go on forever. Anyways, on Saturday Addison finally achieved her goal. She rolled over! I took a video of it (with my phone since it was the closest thing to grab). Take a look and share in our joy!


Now, I just need to get her to stop trying to roll over in the bathtub (and when I'm changing her diaper or her clothes). Next, crawling or flipping from tummy to back.

Reading Is Fundamental!

R.I.F was a HUGE thing back in Iowa. I don't know if that is a country wide program but each year they would have a R.I.F. Day where you would get to choose a free book. Anyways, That really has nothing to do with this post except for me describing the title. Really random.

So, today I took a trip to my local library. I talked to the children's librarian about some pointers on reading with infants because I really want to instill a love of reading in Addison. So many people just sit their children in front of electronic entertainment. That's fine and good but in moderation.

Well, after my talk with the librarian I set to work on picking out some books. Let me tell you, it's not easy. Here is what she advised:

• Babies like pictures of other babies so pick books with pictures of babies
• Get a story book without words and just point out things on the page like trees, sky, dog, baby, etc
• Get a book with just a few words on each page to keep the baby engaged
• Make sure the book has BRIGHT BOLD colors to attract the baby's attention.

Well, I guess she knew what she was talking about because Addison LOVES the books I picked out. I got a lot of board books that had pictures of babies from around the world in them (unfortunately there were no pictures of babies from Papua New Guinea). Here is her reaction to them:



For some reason I think this picture is SO cute...idk.

Food Please!

A month ago Addison started becoming really interested in our food. I was hesitant to start her on solids because she just seemed so young to me. That hesitation lasted until we were in Washington for my cousin's wedding. I gave her a tiny bit of cake and she LOVED it. I tried her on rice cereal and it just wasn't working for her. Then, yesterday, I decided to have another go at it. Well, as it turns out, a few weeks can make a HUGE difference in a baby's development because she took to rice cereal like a fish to water. She LOVES it. I started her off with rice cereal mixed with gerber 1st starts apple sauce and a little bit of warm water to thin it out and warm it up. Our first attempt was a complete mess but a lot of fun. Of course, afterward a bath was in order as she had it EVERYWHERE. Here are a few pictures and a video from our experience:

I guess we'll have to teach her how to eat with her mouth closed...

"This is really great stuff Mom!"
Addison likes to eat it with her hands in her mouth...we tried to have her NOT do that today as it made a HUGE mess.



After our first experience, we learned to take Addison's clothes off and have her just eat in her diaper as it is really hard to get her in the bath when everything and everybody is covered in rice cereal.

By the way, I KNOW that you will all be skeptical of me until I get a video of this but Addison has said her first word! She says Hi. She said it to me the other day and my mom and Ralph can be witnesses to it. I thought it was a fluke or one time thing BUT today, at church, a person came up to her and said, "Hi Addison!" and Addison promptly said "Hi" back. That was the only noise she made at the time and the person was like, "Did she just say hi to me?!" So, that has been really exciting. It is still really sporadic but she has said it!

4 Month Update

On Monday, September 6, 2010 Addison turned 4 months old. It was a good day that was spent with family. My Grandma (my mom's mom) was visiting which made it even better. I took a 4 generation picture which she will love to have one day. Also, I made sure to get a picture of Addison and her Great-Grandma Ingersoll. Unfortunately, she was so fascinated with her toes that she wouldn't look up so the picture is of her with her great grandma and the top of her head. Oh well...that's life.
This is the four generation shot.Addison and her Great-Grandma Ingersoll.


Today she went in for her 4 month appointment. Here are her stats:

Height: 26 1/4" (95%)
Weight 16lbs 4 oz (95%)
Head: 42.2 Cm (80%)

Addison is growing like a weed and that is wonderful! I hope she is nice and tall. Here is a picture I took yesterday of her:
She is so big and I can HARDLY believe it! I love it!

On another note, the dentist has been a very popular place for us to frequent lately. Ralph has had to have 4 extractions, a teeth cleaning, and 4 cavities filled. Growing up in Papua New Guinea teeth care was not that important. So the trips to the dentist have been needed. Here he is with his brand new smile:
We were SO fortunate that my Grandma Whitmore funded this whole project. He was in desperate need for it. On a horrible note, I got my teeth cleaned and found out that I have TWO cavities. Not good. I am having them filled next week. I'm SUPER nervous because these are only my 2nd and 3rd cavities EVER. Apparently there is an old wives tale that says have a baby and loose a tooth (well now it is have a baby and get a cavity). The dentist said that I'm lucky that I only had 2 cavities with the amount of throwing up I had.

Oh...one more thing that I don't think I've mentioned on here yet...RALPH GOT HIS GREEN CARD!! No more worries as he is basically a citizen (without the right to vote and he can be deported if they have just cause). Anyways, that is the update for our family!

Yay for me!

Donning a graduation cap and gown I am not but graduating tomorrow (for real this time) I am! I am so very excited about this. They kept telling me that they had to check things out but that I probably wouldn't be graduating but then I figured out what was wrong and it is all cleared up now. I can not wait to receive my actual degree and put it in my red BYU Hawaii degree holder. This is truly a blessing and a GIANT leap forward in our lives.

Trip to Great Grandma's.

Addison and I were able to have the opportunity to fly to Iowa this past weekend so Addison could meet one of her great grandma's. My mom felt it was extremely important for us to do before Grandma passes away. Grandma isn't an invalid yet but she isn't exactly healthy. With asthma and heart troubles something could go wrong quickly.

I was extremely happy for the opportunity to go to my hometown of Muscatine and to see everyone again. I really miss my grandmas. This is my dad's mom by the way. Anyways,
the trip started with an overnight flight to Moline, IL. I was petrified that Addison wouldn't sleep on the plane and would be screaming the whole time but, I kid you not, as soon as I stepped foot on the plane her eyes closed and stayed that way until we started our descent. When she woke up, I quickly threw a bottle in her mouth and she was a happy camper the whole way down. We got off the plane in Minneapolis for a 3 hour layover. It was wonderful to stretch my legs and to give my arms a break. On our flight from Minneapolis to Moline there were a TON of extra seats so Addison was able to get her own seat.

We finally landed in Illinois and made the 40 minute drive home. It was so wonderful to see my grandma and aunt. We talked and then they went to get their hair done so Addison and I took it easy.

The next day was Saturday and Addison and I had some visiting to do. We went to the store my uncle owns where I used to work and caught up with everyone there. Then, I stopped by my brother-in-law's parents' house and chatted with his mom for awhile. Addison was tired and cranky after that so we headed home so Addison could get a nap in.
On Sunday, I went to church and caught up with a lot of people there. Addison was great until the last 15 minutes so we just left early. We went home and prepared for my other aunt and uncle to come over. My Aunt Julie brought her dog (a really cute labradoodle named Emily) and the dog was terrified of Addison. After a few sniffs though, Emily decided that Addison was alright and laid close to her. We caught up and then Addison took a nap and Grandma and I chatted for awhile. After Addison's nap, Grandma, Aunt Linda, Addison and I went to the mausoleum where my grandpa is. He passed away in 2007. It was SO hot in there though. We only had time for a picture and a moment to reflect before we had to leave. I was sad because I really wanted to spend some time there.
On Monday, we hung out and went shopping. My grandma had decided that my hair looked like a mop and she made me get it cut. She picked out the cut and it is really cute but it is SHORT. I haven't had my hair this short in a long while. It's cute though. Addison came away with quite the haul of clothes and grandma even bought Ralph and me a few things. It was nice to just shop.

We left on Tuesday and came home. Addison had her own seat both flights so that was nice. I am grateful for that.

I am so grateful that Addison has the chance to meet both of her great grandmas this month. My mom's mom is coming at the end of the month to my cousin's wedding and then she will spend a couple of days with us. It is so nice to spend time with family! Here are a few pictures:

Addison in her car seat on the plane. She was such a trooper throughout the whole time.

"Meeting" her Great Grandpa Whitmore.Getting fed a bottle by her Great Grandma.
Getting extra loves from her Great Aunt LindaAddison with her Great Grandma and Great Aunt Linda.

Catch Up Time!

Addison and her friend Michael.
At the zoo. She looks so interested...lol.
Addison "swimming" in her cute swimsuit.

Ralph with Ellie and Lexie, Kari's daughters.

I am too lazy to move the pictures down so they are first. Lol.

Oh dear. I am SO far behind on this blog. It seems that there is never enough time in the day. I just don't seem to have that much time for blogging anymore. I do still like to blog though. Anyways, here is a quick recap:

• Addison went "swimming for the first time and wore her swimsuit that Tiffani Stanger gave her.
• Addison went to the zoo for the first time. She enjoyed her sleep more than the animals. I guess 2 1/2 months was a bit too soon to take her. She did enjoy the fish though and she made a new friend named Michael. Thanks for the fun trip Kymberly!
  
• We went for our interview for Ralph's green card/ permanent residency. There was a mistake on his medical form that we had to get corrected and we are just waiting for their decision.
• I finished my online class and passed it! It is done and over with and now I can breathe. I just have to transfer the credits over to BYUH and then I am DONE with my college career for now.
• Ralph, Addison and I went to visit my good friend Kari Markham in Federal Way, WA. It was so wonderful to see her and to meet her adorable little girls. Ralph had a blast playing with them and I had fun catching up with Kari. We were roommates during my second semester at BYUI in 2004.
• Addison and I just got back from a trip to Iowa. More about that though in another post.

So now you are all caught up with us!

2 month check up

Today Addison had her 2 month checkup! She is getting to be quite the child. She is healthy and normal. Her stats are as follows:

Height: 23 1/4 inches 85%
Weight: 12 pounds 1 ounce 80%
Head circumference: 39.5 cm 75%

She got 3 shots and 1 oral vaccine. She sucked the oral vaccine right down. The nurse was quite surprised at how well she took it and wished every baby was that good at taking medicine. Addison is quite cranky now but also quite tired so that means I will get quite a lot done today... :)

Play Time!

Addison is a complete and utter Daddy's girl. When he is in the room with her there might as well be nobody else. She doesn't even want to be held by anyone else. It is quite cute. One of their favorite things to do is play. Here is a video of what they do:



As you can see, it takes intense concentration for Addison to make noise but she is getting way better at it. Ralph calls it "talking" as he makes noise and then she makes noise and they do it together. Anyways, I think it's cute...

Newborn Shots.

So, 2 days after we came home from the hospital with Addison my sister came and got us and took us to her house for a newborn photo session. That was her gift to us at the baby shower. I thought I would share a few of the shots with you all. I am surprised that we got so many good ones because Addison was in a mood that day and would start crying as soon as my sister started shooting. It's alright though because the pictures came out great!

In Hawai'i...

In Hawai'i there is an AMAZING photographer named LeeYen. She just launched her new website so I thought I would share it with you: http://www.lobleephotography.com. Also, I am sharing it with you so I can win a 16X20 canvas of one of our engagement pics. Anyways, LeeYen and I first met when she took our engagement photos and then we went to church together when Ralph and I got married. Here are some examples of her work:Just the two of us...
You might remember this picture from our announcements...

This is the picture I'm going to use when I win the contest...lol.

1 Year Down

Ralph at the top of Multnomah Falls.
Sign that talks about the landslide that happened at Multnomah
View from the top
Ralph and Addison on the bridge at Multnomah. They are in the middle of the bridge. Ralph is wearing the dark shirt.
How Addison got around.

Happy 1st Anniversary to us! It is true. We have been married for 1 year now. CRAZY! It seems like just yesterday we even started dating. Time does fly when you are having fun. As is normal for us, nothing went as planned for our anniversary. We planned to go to Multnomah Falls just outside of Portland and we did, but as I usually do I ruined the day for us. We got there, got out of the car, and I was like, "Wow. I'm not feeling too well." However, we continued on for awhile. When we went up to Multnomah Falls, I was like, wow, I don't think I want to hike up anymore because I am REALLY not feeling well. I didn't want to ruin the day so I sent Ralph and Addison up to the bridge between the falls. When they got there, Ralph really wanted to hike the whole way up but I was feeling even worse by then so I flagged him to come down. We went back to the car and he really, really wanted to go to the top so the plan was to let me rest in the car with Addison while he climbed up. Well, that plan backfired because I began feeling even worse. I started getting horrible chills and we are sitting in the car and it is getting hotter and hotter and I have a sweatshirt on and I'm getting colder and colder. I was not dumb though. I knew that no matter how cold I was I needed to look our for Addison's well being and make sure that she stayed cool enough. So, we waited it out for 1 1/2 hours while Ralph did his hiking and then when he finally returned he saw me crying, and worried because he doesn't have his permit or license yet so I was the only driver. I thought of a lot of solutions to our problem but the only real solution was to pray and get in the car and drive home. So that is what we did. When we finally got to Monmouth, I just stumbled out of the car and walked inside, grabbed the thermometer and saw that my temp was a whopping 101.6! So, I took some medicine, put on my pjs and climbed into bed. After waking up I was sweating so badly. We then decided at that point that a blessing was in order so we called around until we could find someone else to assist Ralph in that. I got a blessing and then went back to bed. Around midnight, I woke up and was shivering again so badly that I couldn't even get up to get medicine. So, like a good husband, Ralph rolled out of bed and grabbed it with some water. Also, around that time, Addison woke up crying because she was hungry. Well I was shivering so hard that even the tiniest bit of air on my skin made my shivers worse so my mom thankfully took Addison and gave her a bottle. I am so grateful that she took it. She was a champ through all of it. So, that is how we have been spending our anniversary. In sickness and in health, in good times and bad, we will be together!