Time flies when you're having fun.

The past couple months have been a whirlwind.  We made it through our first holiday season with baby in tow.  It was exhausting, and it was fun.  It tooks Ads a week to recover.  2013 will undoubtedly bring a new set of challenges and triumphs for us to speed through. 

Addy and I have a resolution, which is to eat less sugar.  Notice my crafty, vague phrasing.  Less sugar than whom?  Seriously though, we're going to make a conscious effort.  If you are familiar with the loving relationship I have with candy, you can surely agree that it's a necessary step...if for no other reason than Addy NOT having a junkfood complex like her mother.

Tim recently returned from California, where he had a whopping 10 job interviews in just two days at the Econ job market conference.  He's feeling good about how they went...so now, we wait.  Wait for 2nd interviews, flyouts, job offers.  We'll go where the wind takes us, but we are really hoping it doesn't blow us too far.  Grand Rapids has a nice ring to it (come on, GVSU!).

Addy is now 4 months and 4 days old.  She has 2 teeth, can roll over from her stomach to her back, and enjoys speaking in her self-created language (composed primarily of the word "gggguh", which means Mom).

Two Months, Maternity Leave, and Back to Work

Wow.  That is all I can say...wow.  Wowowow.

My nine weeks on maternity leave flew by - I can't believe I am on my third day back to work already.

Our two month photo shoot went well. She finally fits in this sleeper! At last we can expand her wardrobe to include all her adorable 0-3 months outfits. Addy is going to be one stylish little girl soon!

Being a 'stay-at-home-mom' for nine weeks was one of the most difficult, lonely, boring, fun, happy, and rewarding chapters in my life.  This kid is WORK...much moreso than I anticipated.

I thought that I would feel one of two ways once my maternity leave ended: so excited to go back to work OR so sad that I had to leave her at daycare (maybe even so sad that I would quit my job).  I never thought that I would feel both simultaneously, and yet here I am...talking to vendors and working on complicated projects, all while wistfully counting the hours until I get to see her little face again.

I realized yesterday that I'll maybe get two good hours a day with her during the workweek.  This, to be honest, sucks big time.  An hour of smiles and giving her a bottle when she wakes up, and then another hour of quality time when we get home before she starts getting tired and cranky.
Two hours?!  What the heck?!  Isn't this MY kid?  Oy.

But that's what we do I guess...we let other people raise our kids so that we can better provide for them.  The day Addy calls one of the daycare workers 'Mom' I am going to flip my lid.

Awwww

Check out these photos!  Doesn't she look exactly like her dad?

Addy at one month - Tim at birth

Addy at one month - Tim at four months

One Month

First of all, let me just say that the 'One Month Photo Shoot' was a little rough.  She is a lot more squirmy than she was three weeks ago!  After over 20 shots, this is the best we've got.

This past month has been a whirlwind.  Among other things, Addy has gone to her first sporting event (an LCS soccer game), her first restaurant (City Limits), has had the pleasure of meeting some of her great-grandparents, and last night got to visit to her best friend, Sydney.

There have been more, less fun firsts as well: her first blowout, her first two-hour screaming session, etc.  It's a good thing the adorable, fun times are so much more memorable.

Leaving you with the best picture we've caught of Addy so far - smiling in her sleep.

Many Faces

The Cute:

The Cry:

The Crazy:

Due to low camera battery and the unruly behavior of the model, the rest of the shoot had to be postponed.

*Not pictured: The Pooping, The Confused, and The "Mom, is MY hair going to be that out of control?!"

From Dad: Lessons on Poop

Before becoming a parent, I noticed a common trend among new parents – they love to talk about poop! After hearing conversation after conversation about poop, I was beginning to question their sanity. I mean, what mid-to-upper twenty year old spends most of their time talking about poop?!

These doubts I had about the sanity of a new parent were present until a week ago – the exact time I had of child of my own. After only one week of observing and caring for my child, I realized that poop is your main topic of conversation because you have little else to think about when you change up to 22 diapers a day (sometimes 3 diapers in 15 minutes)!

To continue the proud tradition of new parents, I want to talk for a few minutes about poop. Well, the lessons I have learned concerning this lovely topic.

Lesson #1: If your child doesn’t poop in 24 hours, don’t worry about the health of your child. 

He/she is fine. What you need to spend your time worrying about is the floodgate that is going to open when that period is over. I promise you, it will come. I made this mistake while we were still in the hospital. I was worried. I even began asking nurses if this was normal. Then it happened...my first encounter with the blowout! There was poop everywhere! The sheets. My hands. Her clothes. My clothes. Even my glasses somehow managed to get poop smeared on them! Rather than freak out about your child not soiling his/her diaper, enjoy the calm before the storm or take the time to mentally prepare yourself for what is about to happen.

Lesson #2: Don’t get too close while changing a diaper. 

Even if you think you have the routine figured out, don’t risk it.  I learned this lesson the other night. I started changing the diaper with “the routine”: open diaper, close diaper, listen for bathroom noises. I thought that my status was quickly bumped to pro as I accomplished this task to perfection! Then I was reminded that even pros are thrown curveballs.  I opened the diaper and then...BAM! A stream that would put Old Faithful to shame flowed forth from my precious, little child. Luckily my cat-like reflexes are still intact at 2 AM (a fact that I neither knew nor tested before this). Thankfully Drea was already awake to help me clean up the mess – I would have been overwhelmed otherwise.

Lesson #3: Just because you have a girl doesn’t mean geyser pee isn’t possible. 

Referring to Lesson 2, I have a little girl and that is what happened.

Lesson #4: You probably won’t understand this post, or may be grossed out by it, unless you have a child of your own. 

I know I was. Luckily, the love you have for your child quickly outweighs any disgusting circumstance you are thrown into. Love, and the fact that you will get to repay your child someday when they have to change your diaper!

I love you Addy and I will always be there to change your diaper, no matter how messy it gets.

-Dad

Wow.

I cannot believe we've had this little cutie in our care for over a week now.

We've learned a lot:

1. We have the most amazing friends and family in the world.
I knew they were great people...but I was still blown away by the kindness and generosity shown to us.  We became responsible for feeding ourselves again (meaning, out of the hospital) starting on Friday, 9/15.  Since then, we have not had to actually make one single meal ourselves.  With the exception of cereal for breakfast, everything we've eaten (even snacks) has been prepped and/or delivered by someone awesome.  PLUS a couple gift cards we've received to go towards a quick shopping trip or take-out meal.
Thank you all - it has meant so much to us!
Really.
I love to cook.  But, if I had to cook during this last week and a half, I would have gotten so much less sleep...and I'm positive I would have eventually burned the place down, due to forgetting to turn the stove off.  There is no way I would be feeling as good and semi-rested as I do right now without all of your help.  You rock.  :)

2. This kid is good, quality entertainment.
She squeaks, she grunts, she belches like a sailor, and she makes faces that have us cracking up constantly.
She is just so cute.  I could watch her for hours.

3. This kid is a pain.
If she gets even the slightest bit cold, she melts down.  Check her diaper...the second the air hits she cries.  I'm talking, scream-bloody-murder when a wipe barely grazes her skin.  We have to work on that.
She went through 22 diapers yesterday.  I wish I were exaggerating.

4. This kid is the love of my life.
I was not prepared for this.  I knew I would love my daughter, no matter what...it's what parents do, right?  But, I was not ready for how wholly I would love her.  How every time she cried, I would feel so sorry for not being able to figure out how to make everything better.

5. Before she was born, we had more free time than we realized.
We were very busy people: working full-time jobs, visiting friends and family, playing trivia at City Limits with friends once or twice a week, watching 30 Rock while leisurely enjoying the latest dinner I'd concocted...very busy indeed.
Ha.
I barely have time to shut the box of Honey Nut Cheerios before I toss it back in the cupboard.
The main thought on my mind at all times is: when did she eat last?  I am living my life in 3 hour increments.
My 'free time' (i.e. when Addy's sleeping) goes to either doing the dishes, prepping bottles, straightening up my bed/living room for visitors, or trying to catch a precious hour of sleep myself.

Yes, we've learned a lot already...and we've only just begun!

One Week Old