Reality...

So reality hit this past week...I went back to work :(

I thought it would probably be a good idea to go back for just a few days to get organized and to get a feel for what it would be like to be a working mom...before I went back for REAL. I really did miss my school, coworkers, students, and the fast paced world of an arts school. But I had no idea how much I would miss my girl. 

We do have a fabulous sitter, David's little cousin, Litsa is watching her. She loves Addi and is very good at keeping me in the loop by sending me pictures and texting me during the day. This was the picture I got on my first day back at work...

After seeing this, I realized that Addi is SO happy...I'm the one that is sad to not be with her everyday. But I had a great first week back and my coworkers were so welcoming and encouraging. 

Reality must be contagious...on the second day I returned to work, reality hit David.  We BOTH were away from Addi and working and I received this text from him that read..."Here we go to the next stage of our lives. I'm not liking this." I honestly think he has had a harder time with me going back to work than I did :) But again, Litsa sent me this adorable collage of our baby girl on day two...

 Clearly Addi Kate has absolutely NO personality :)

Because our work hours are never the same each week, Jilly, Pops, and D-ma have helped us with watching Addi. Pops had his first extended solo babysitting job this past Friday and I took this picture from our web cam...

It was pretty clear that Pops was a pro with our baby girl. And I just have to share the sweetest text I received from Pops after D-ma relieved him...

 My heart melted when I read this :)

I know that it would be a dream come true for most people to be able to stay home with their children until they were old enough to go to school, and if we could afford it, I might would do the same. But I can't even begin to express the  joy I feel when I come home from a long and busy day at work to this sweet face...

My sister and I were lucky enough to have our mom stay home with us while our dad worked. And I can vividly remember how excited I felt at 5:15 p.m. as we waited by the door for dad to come home. I hope and pray that Addi has those same feelings when she's old enough to understand what Mommy and Daddy are doing all day when we aren't at home with her. 

So we are getting used to our new reality and loving every single second of this miracle baby.

Bumbo Time...

We tried out the Bumbo last night and Addi LOVED it!!!!

Mommy and Daddy liked it too...we couldn't stop laughing at our girl.  

Addison's Nursery...

I know that I've shared bits and pieces of Addison Kate's nursery, but I've had several requests to share the entire room with details on where we purchased or received some of her items.

I had Addi's crib picked out long before we found out we were pregnant. I fell in love with the simple lines of the headboard and knew that it would be perfect for a girl or a boy.

Restoration Hardware Baby & Child

I had bedding fabric picked out YEARS ago!!! I seriously think I posted my boy and girl fabric choices about 3 years ago on my Growing Our Own Garden blog. I have to be honest and say that ordering Addi Kate's bedding was probably the hardest thing for me to do. I looked over the options about a hundred times before finally deciding on this combination...and I LOVE IT!!!

Polka Tot Designs

One of the main focal points in the nursery is the personalized canvas...it matches her crib bedding perfectly. I literally cried when it arrived in the mail because it was just what I had dreamed of...

 Small Words

Addison's bookshelf was a gift from her great grandmother and great aunt and holds all her knickknacks and books...

Pottery Barn Kids

I made myself a promise to always have fresh flowers in the nursery and for the past 9 weeks, I've done just that! 

The picture frames are the ones we used at the Gender Reveal Party...one said Boy and the other said Girl. I took out those prints and had these ABC's and 123's made to match Addi's nursery colors...

Slightly Sprightly

Addison's changing table matches her crib and I have THOROUGHLY enjoyed filling all the baskets underneath with bows, hats, bibs, burp cloths, and blankets :)

Restoration Hardware Baby & Kids

Another one of the focal points in the nursery is this sweet frame I had made in her nursery colors. And of COURSE I love to see the sweet little angel in the frame!!!!

2 Dogs Wood Working

 My favorite spot is in this chair...I've spent many hours feeding Addi, reading to her, and thanking God for allowing me to be her Mommy...

Target

Above the chair, on the shelf, is a shadow box that we used at the Gender Reveal Party to display our invitation. I found this BEAUTIFUL phrase on Pinterest and knew that I wanted it in our baby's nursery one day...

Jack and Jilly Designs

We have a matching shelf on the opposite side of the window. NOTE: I haven't picked out curtains yet, but they are on my to-do list :) The two vases were a gift from my grandmother...they belonged to my great grandmother, Addi's great great grandmother.

This frame is sitting on the shelf with this sweet print given to me by a childhood friend...

It's hard to see in this picture, but the cross is a reflection of Addison's name..Addison is left and right, Kate is at the top of the cross, and Knight is at the bottom of the cross. The James 1:17 verse is written at the bottom...SO TRUE!

And last but not least, this Addison hanger was given to me by two of my closest childhood friends. I have Addi's towels and a few of her bows displayed on this hanger.

So there you have it. The perfect nursery for the perfect little girl!

Addi Meets More Family...

Addi's great grandmother and great aunt met her for the first time this weekend. It was a short visit, but we did the best we could to fit in as much family time as we could. AND we had a great time. 

 Here is Addi and her great grandmother, Mother...

They arrived late on Thursday night, but we were able to visit for a few hours and show off our little girl. 

The next day, we got all dressed up (well Addi got all dressed up) and headed to Ponderville for dinner...

It was pretty chilly that afternoon, so Addi enjoyed her first camp fire at Ponderville...

Dinner was great (shrimp gumbo, my favorite) and we ended up not getting home till late that night. 

Saturday morning we got up bright and early for a trip to St. Augustine. We definitely have ourselves a little morning person on our hands...

Addi Kate's smile is the BEST thing about waking up early...she's always smiling in the morning! I could eat her up!!!

After a quick morning nap...

...we took off for St. Augustine and had lunch at the Conch House.  Here are all the ladies before lunch...

(Mother, Aunt Angela, Addi, Jilly, and I)

After lunch, we were able to get a group shot with the boys...

It was a pretty windy day, but we made the most of it and went shopping in downtown St. Augustine. 

Overall we had a fabulous visit with family...it's SO fun to share our little miracle girl with everyone. 

Newborn PhotoShoot...

We took Addi Kate for her newborn photoshoot when she was just nine days old. We were in love with every single picture our photographer captured, so we ended up ordering all the pictures!

We plan to send out birth announcements soon, but wanted to share a few of the pictures...

Can you see why we had to have them all???

 We love our sweet girl :)

Addi Kate's First Easter...

This past Easter Sunday was extremely special for us...Addi Kate's first Easter.

We woke up early and took a few family photos before we headed to church...

LOVE our family of three!!!

Mommy and Addi...

Daddy and Addi...

Our precious little girl...

And of course Mommy had to take a picture with her bow :)

Addison slept through the entire church service and I was SURE the music would wake her...but I think she was used to it from hearing it when she was in my belly.

We came home and did a few preparations for our Easter get-together. We had close to 30 people at our home and we enjoyed the fellowship with friends and family.

We put on our Easter Egg Hunt attire...

Took another family picture...

And then set out to look for Easter eggs...

Addi slept the entire time, but Mommy found a few eggs for her basket :)

Here is Addi's 1st Easter Basket...

It is even CUTER in person :) Perfect for our sweet girl. 

The Easter Bunny filled her basket with new pacifers, paci wipes, a hot pink ruffled onesie, and a few HAIRBOWS!!

Dma, Jilly and Pops, and the Milonas family brought Addi some sweet little Easter goodies...

I'd say she had a pretty fantastic 1st Easter!!!

At the end of the day, while Addi napped on the floor in her nursery, I sat and thought about the true meaning of this holiday. Easter is a time to celebrate new life and fresh beginnings. Jesus rose from the dead so that we would have everlasting life. We are SO thankful for His undying love and sacrifice and for giving us the most precious new life and the family we've always dreamed of.

Happy First Easter to our sweet Addision Kate! 

2 Month Birthday Hat...

We had a mini birthday/Easter celebration yesterday morning. We got Addi Kate all dressed up in her Easter outfit and had a little photo shoot in her 2 month birthday hat.

Sweet angel! 

We get tickled every time we put her in this chair because she KNOWS it's picture time and gives us a big grin :)

Addi also had her 2 month Well Visit today and here are her stats:

Weight:  12 pounds 10 ounces (Birth weight: 8 pounds 1 ounce, 1 month: 10 pounds 6 ounces )
Height:  23 inches (Birth height: 20 inches, 1 month:  21 3/4 inches)

She is in the 75th percentile for both...our girl LIKES to eat :)

Again, Happy 2 Month Birthday sweetheart...Mommy and Daddy love you more than the world!