Moose: the rocking dog

This post goes out to Kiki! Addie loves her rocking dog; it was a Christmas gift from Kiki and Po. The other day we were sitting in the rocking chair and she suddenly sat upright and reached her arms out in the direction of the big fluffy rocking German Shepherd (strike that-Moose is a Bernese Mountain Dog. Thank you Terry). She would not relent until she was allowed to play with "Moose" (Justin and I named the dog Moose: it just fits). When I plop her down on Moose's back she digs her little fists into the fur and holds on tight while rubbing her face on the back of the dog's head in delight. She starts moving her hips back and forth swinging her legs trying to rock herself. The moment I start rocking the dog she just beams and babbles with excitement. She is so funny. Last night Addie had another enjoyable ride on Moose, it was so darn cute Justin had to run and get the camera. This girls is a dog lover.

best weekend

I guess I've been holding out on blogging because I'm in denial that this past weekend is over. It was the best I've had in a long time. We did so much that amounted to very little and it was glorious! We tried out z pizza which was awesome. I am in LOVE with pizza lately and this place was totally cool. I ordered the Gorgonzola, walnut, and pear salad along with my pizza-perfection! I highly recommend it.

We watched movies and some DVR'd TV, cleaned out our closets and started the daunting process of getting packed for our move. We took an amazing 6 bags to Goodwill just from our bedroom. I love getting rid of stuff, it's so freeing. I had a gazillion sweaters from 2003 that Justin insisted I junk. I admit he's right sometimes. Addie played while we cleaned, she seemed happy to be with her parents for three whole days. We had so much fun together. We also took a bunch of baby stuff to storage. We packed up her swing, the play gym, and two Boppies. Amazing that she's out grown those things! It definitely made space in our living room for all Addie's new toys.

We read a lot this weekend; to Addie and for our own enjoyment. We are devouring all our Powell's finds. I love the Marian Keyes I picked up. Laugh out loud funny. Megan- you are going to want to borrow these. I took a delicious nap on Monday morning; 1.5 hours of dream filled bliss while my baby napped, my dog snuggled at my feet and my husband read in bed beside me. Pure bliss. Justin and I indulged in some cozy evenings with movies and hot cocoa after Addie went to bed, then read late into the night before we turned the lights out. The whole weekend was fabulous.

Therefore, Tuesday was harder than usual! Justin had a hard time dropping Addie at daycare this morning and all day I missed my little sugar pie. We really had a sweet weekend just the three of us. Addie was teething again so it wasn't until Sunday night that she started to sleep more soundly, hence I slept more soundly as well. She definitely wants her Mom when she's not feeling quite well. The third tooth hasn't shown itself yet. I can't believe we have to go through this for every tooth!

I experienced a wonderful moment as a Mommy on Monday night. Addie was fussing in bed having a tough time getting herself to sleep so I went up to rock her a bit. She finally found a spot in my arms that allowed her to gaze up at me while I sang to her. She just stared into my eyes and then put her little hand on my cheek while I sang, her eyelids fluttering as she tried to keep them open. She twirled her fingers in my hair and smiled as she watched me. It is a wonderful moment when you feel loved by your child.

Alas, the work week came even though I wished it away last night.

snow/sick/mental health day

Today was a much needed day at home. Addie had a fever last night which we have a hunch it is associated with another tooth coming. The entire family didn't get much sleep last night. Addie and I stayed home today. She wasn't feeling well but my arterial motive was to get some extra time with my daughter since this week has been rushed. The snow started falling mid morning and then turned into freezing rain and then back into snow. Our day at home turned into a cold wet snowy day. It made our time in our cozy warm house even more conducive for snuggling. We played and read stories. I rocked and sang to her extra long before her naps peering at her sweet sleeping face in my arms and breathing in her warm clean baby smell. Being Mommy all day was just what the doctor ordered. I haven't felt this rested or fulfilled in a few weeks.

You can tell by the mess we made that we had fun!

when you're 16, please say you'll still love me?

Everyone knows that Mothers and their daughters have times in their lives when they don't see eye to eye. Usually because they are more similar than they realize and just butt heads. Now that I have my own daughter I would love to avoid having Addie's teen years be full of tension and loathing. So my goal is to create a strong foundation of a relationship with my daughter that will keep us close through all life's good and bad times. I hope to hold on to my memories as a child and adolescent so when the time comes she and I can still have common ground to work with. When she's 16, I may not get so many adoring looks but I hope Addie always knows that her Mother loves her and would do anything for her happiness in life.

It's hard to put words to the feelings that radiate so strongly when I hold her in my arms. What a treasure Motherhood is. I just never knew life had something this amazing in store for me. Lucky me.

Saturday in review

We had a lovely day visiting our friends Joe and Elyse and their two sons Ben and Eli today as well as Grandpa, Kathy and Tyler. Addie slept in a bit later than usual which started the day off right for Justin and I. We played a bit at home then headed to Maryland where we enjoyed an amazing meal of takeout Chinese with our favorite family of four! The boys are so adorable. Eli is getting so big and strong. His cheeks begged for kisses, I had to resist. Addie hammed it up in her diaper for everyone. We all talked a little about our move to Manila and I admit I felt the first pang of sadness thinking about how hard it will be to say goodbye to our friends and family for two years. Sigh. Probably the first of many pangs I'll get in the next few months. We traipsed over to Grandpa's house and had so much fun playing over there. Addie loves seeing everyone. She is such a sweetheart. I love our weekends together so much. Why oh why are they so brief?

Saturday in Pictures

More puppy love

Look at those cheeks!!! Precious!

Ben the broccoli lover. Such a cool little boy!

Addie clowning around with her Dad. Love those rolls!

Addie with her Grandpa. What a sweet moment.

love for lucy

As Addie has grown so has her fascination and love for our dog Lucy. Every time she sees Lucy a giant smile spreads across her face. Lucy likes to play with us on the floor (check out that gorgeous quilt Addie's Great Aunt Mary made for her). Addie loves to grab Lucy's fur and tries to get her ball. Lucy is such a sweet gentle dog. She isn't bothered by the tugs and little fists pounding her, she just rolls over and accepts it. When Addie is old enought to throw the ball Lucy will have a new favorite person! For now Lucy sneaks in a few licks of Addie's face after mealtime and seems satisfied with the arrangement. There are a few negative side effects to Addie loving the dog so much. Tonight Justin caught Addie on the floor, having positioned herself just right to reach, Lucy's bone. Right as he caught her the bone went in her mouth, along with a huge smile. I guess she sees Lucy chewing on it so you can't blame her for being curious. I have to chuckle at those things. In a few years Addie is going to have her first best friend in Lucy. Such a sweet relationship is budding before our eyes.

3.7 gallons

I was feeling really good about donating all my frozen breastmilk to a milk bank where milk is collected for premature infants or infants with medical problems. I love the idea of giving the milk to someone who can use it and at the same time I was getting the second half of my freezer back. My plan busted during the screening questions when the kind lady over the phone said "I'm so sorry, we can't accept your milk." What?! If you're husband's traveled to Africa since 1977 you can't donate. My eyes welled up. I felt so rejected! The sad part is that I know my family and I are healthy and it's the tiny newborns who could have received the milk are the ones loosing out.

What a bummer...

So all the milk...all 475 ounces of it, that's 3.7 gallons, was thrown out tonight. I regretted it almost immediately. I guess all that milk I painstakingly pumped was my back-up plan in case I wasn't here for Addie. I know she won't drink the milk much longer. It's silly to be regretful. All those late night pumping and Medela freezer bags, I put a lot of love in all that milk. If I feel this sad about throwing out the freezer stock, I can't imagine how I'm going to feel when I wean her and stop pumping completely. One step at a time Sara...one step at a time.