Ok - Ok I have conceded to the nickname Addy

This doesn't mean I necessarily "like" the nickname Addy, but I have decided I don't hate it any longer. For those of you who didn't know, I was ADMIT about Addison not being called Addy. However, I have come to terms with the fact that a lot of people call her that (as well as everyone at daycare) and I even find myself calling her Addy-bug or Addy Shea from time to time. We are spelling it Addy - not Addie. Not sure why the "ie" spelling bugs me, but it does. Plus Erik really wants it spelled with a y.

I cannot believe I will be 28 in just a couple days...where did the time go?!!? I feel very blessed to have such a wonderful husband & daughter. I am also happy with my new career and really enjoy what I am doing @ Arrow Electronics. It was definitely a positive move for me and my family. I wish you and your family a wonderful & prosperous 2008!

Once I download the pictures of Addison at Christmas I will post them on here. She made out like a bandit :)

Yahoo for pictures and an update!

Here are some of the new photos of Addison from her 5 month/Christmas photo shoot :) She was pretty snarffy the whole time, so I am impressed with the way they turned out! My neighbor can work wonders :) I just got the proofs today and I really love the way they turned out.

As far as Addison goes - she is sitting up about 80% unassisted at this point. She is laughing and LOVES to play peak-a-boo. She went to the doctor today and weighs a whopping 16lbs 9oz!! Dana (Erik's Mom) flys into Denver today for Christmas and I am really looking forward to some down time with her. I love that Addison will get to spend the Holidays with ALL her grandparents. I need to make this quick b/c she is waking up from a nap - but here are the pictures. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a WONDERFUL 2008!

My pretty princess

Angel Baby

She is going to hate me for posting this picture some day :)

Christmas 2007

I love this smirk on her face :)

Trying to hold an ornament and smile at the same time.

Santa Baby!! HAVE A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS!!

Lots of updates....

Sorry it has been awhile since my last post. Things have been really busy the past few weeks. We had family in town for Thanksgiving and I gave my 2 week notice at Ferguson (last day is tomorrow). I have accepted a Sr. Financial Analyst position with Arrow Electronics - ECS and start on Monday!! I am nervous, but ready to make the change. Please say a prayer that this job will prove to be the right choice for me & my family!!

Ok now on to Addison news - Since I last posted she is now able to roll from her back to tummy, and then she gets so mad - she rolls from her tummy to her back (YAY!!) She is also losing all of her hair!!! My child is now almost bald - except for a patch of dark brown hair in the back. She has this light blond fuzz all over her head. She still looks cute regardless ;)

She is also back to eating cereal. When Erik's sister Carla was in town we decided to try rice cereal this time (it was oatmeal before) and Addison LOVES it! She has been scarfing bowls of rice cereal for a week now. We are going to hold off on veggies for awhile - but I am glad she likes the cereal.

Her new thing the past couple weeks is to grab your face and "yell" at you. Its kinda funny to watch. She has found her voice and wants to make sure you hear her.

We are getting professional pictures done on Saturday - and I cannot wait!! My neighbor is an excellent photographer - and is taking them for us. I plan to send out x-mas cards in the next couple weeks with a few of the pictures.

We hope you had a great Thanksgiving!! Here are some pictures from the last couple weeks - enjoy!

Addison w/ her BFF Reagan (Reagan's outfit was SO cute)

My smiley kid
Addison and her "people"

This was my attempt at taking our own Christmas pictures...

And here is the reason why we are going next door to have them done - Addison did NOT want to wear the hoodie.

Addison & her Aunt Jessica @ the Park

Addison "dancing" with Barrett. She LOVES to watch the dogs.

The newest smile... I think its so funny

Addison playing with her Aunt Carla

Carla feeding the lady - found ROUND 2 of trying cereal

Addison on Thanksgiving!!!

She rolled over!!!

I am happy to announce that last night my sweet baby girl rolled over on her own! I guess she originally did it for the first time at daycare. However. last night I put her on her back and gave her a couple toys so I could go help Jessica w/ dinner and I look over and she rolled from her back to her tummy!!! She did it a couple times for us, and Jessica tried to get a play by play on her camera. I will see if she will send me the pictures so I can post them on here. I think most babies roll from their tummies to their backs first - but not my kid :) I am SO Proud of her!! I guess the days of her being immobile are over :)

Ok - I jinxed myself

So - just a small update. Since I posted that she was doing so well in regards to getting back on track for sleeping - she has now reverted (since Saturday night) back to a horrible sleeper :( She literally gets up every couple hours and in now back to her paci demand mode. UGH! I am not sure what to do about this constant night waking. All I know is Erik and I are back working on minimal sleep - GOOD TIMES!

Its really hard to get frustrated with her-when you go into her room at night and she is all smiles at 3:00am :)

4 months old!!

Addison turned 4 months on Friday - November 9, 2007. We went for her doctors appt -here are the stats:

Weight: 13lbs 4 oz (50%)

Length: 24" (50%)

Head: 39 1/2cm (25%).

The fact that her head seems to be 25% smaller than her body worries me a little bit, but the pediatrician seems to think that it isn't a big deal, and just said they will re-measure at 6 months. She is right on track as far as everything she should be accomplishing at this point. Addison was in a great mood at her doc appt until it was time for her shots. She did really well and only screamed for a minute. Once I gave her a bottle she calmed down.

This past week was a BIG week for our little lady. She tried cereal for the first time. Because of her acid reflux our doctor has said we could have started it a month or so ago. However, I have been hesitant to do so. She was showing interest in what Erik and I were eating -so I thought I would try it out. She has done okay - we have given it to her 4 nights in a row, but I think I am going to hold off for awhile. She doesn't seem to really be ready and basically just spits it back out of her mouth. We will try it again in a month or so.

On Thursday Erik had to go get her from daycare because she had a fever -turns out squirrel has an ear infection. She is on medication, and if it wasn't for the fever we wouldn't have even known that she had the infection at all. She has been in the best mood and didn't show any signs of being uncomfortable. Hopefully she is feeling better!

Once I wrote the post about her no longer being a good sleeper - I am happy to report that since Tuesday night she has only woke up once to eat (sometime between 2-4:30am) and has only fussed for her paci a couple times!! Maybe we are turning a corner here!!

Addison has a lot of family coming into town the next few weeks. Her Aunt Jessica is coming in from Chicago on Wednesday, and her Aunt Carla & Uncle Cletus (yes she has an Uncle Cletus ;) ) are coming for Thanksgiving from Rockford, IL. We also found out that Erik's Mom Dana (who he lovingly refers to as "Grandma Smokey") is also coming in for Christmas! Bring on the Holidays!!!!

Here are some recent photos of our pumpkin squirrel :)

Addison happy about being 4 months old!
Sitting up like a big girl.

Laughing at Mommy

She loves playing in her exersaucer.

Daddy feeding Addison. This was Day 3 and she did pretty well.

She kept grabbing the spoon. She would just rather lick the plastic than eat the cereal, hence why we are going to wait another month.

My sweet girl getting in some "tummy time"

Where has my good sleeper gone?!?!

Well for the past 3-4 weeks I can officially say my daughter is no longer the excellent night sleeper she used to be :( She used to go down around 7pm and usually only need her paci once or twice and wake up at 5-5:30 to eat. Well those days are long gone. Its a struggle to keep her awake until 6:30pm, and she wakes up multiple times (by multiple I mean like 20 times!!) for her paci, as well as demands to eat at 11pm & 3am. So pretty much Erik and I have been working on little to no sleep. She has had a cold since her first week of starting daycare and I don't think that is helping her sleep either. We are going to try to slowly feed her a little less each feeding in the middle of the night and hope that tapers her off a bit. She went from eating about 24-26oz a day to almost 40!!! I think she overheard me talking about how she was under 20% for weight and is now trying to make a come back for her 4 month doc appt on Friday.

Even with her bad sleep habits - I can tell you she is one happy cat! She has been so animated the past few days. She loves watching the dogs and if I give her something to hold she will sit there and hold it with a death grip until I pry it away from her. She is also SUPER close to sitting up and rolling over. She doesn't really try to roll over when she is on her tummy, but when she is on her back, she will fling her body to one side and *almost* roll to her tummy. She is not sure where to put her arms -but she is sure trying! I am happy to report she can hold her head up now for the entire time she is on her tummy - that literally happened overnight!

Last weekend Erik and I had our first "date night" since Addison was born. We went to the Comedy Works downtown to see Matt Kirchen & Debra DiGiovanni. They were hilarious and we really appreciate that Addison's Aunt Erin was able to babysit so we could go out. Here is a picture of my little lady & her Aunt before we left:

Addison did okay for Erin. She got up a couple times for her paci (surprise, surprise) and then woke up at 9:30 demanding to eat. Thanks a million Aunt E for taking care of the squirrel! I will post more this weekend once Addison goes to her 4 month check up. I cannot believe my baby girl is already 4 months!

Addison has a Christmas dress:)

Just bought Addison's first Christmas dress :) I love the the dark pink& purple through out the dress. Gotta love Gymboree :) Yahoo for the holidays!

Addison @ the Stonegate pumpkin patch

I know it has been awhile since I posted. I should have posted a daycare update sooner (sorry about that!). To start off with - Addison will be starting her 4th week of daycare already. It has gotten a little easier to leave her, though I still miss her the second I walk out the door. Her "teachers" are Miss Robin, Miss Becca & Miss Jenn. Robin is the teacher in the morning when I drop her off and Addison seems to have really taken to her. She usually will give Robin a big smile and that makes leaving a little easier. There are 7 other babies in the room and 1 more that only goes part time. Addison has really adjusted well, and I know she has a good time when she is there. Her boyfriend Cade is the only one there with her in the morning until 7:30am - so they get some good time to play with Robin before all the other babies show up.

It took a total of 1 week for Addison to get sick :( She came down with a cough Oct 12. I literally called the doctor almost every other day for over a week. They told me just to treat her symptomatically, but after a week and 4 confirmed cases of croup in her class, I took her into the doctor. Sure enough she had croup and had to have a breathing treatment and a steroid shot. I can say today was the first day she was back to our Addison!! She was really smiley and sweet all day! She still has a little bit of a cough - but she was in a really good mood all day. I am learning colds are just a part of daycare. I am so happy she is feeling better!! On another note - she weighed 12lbs 8 oz at her doctors appt and will be 16 weeks tomorrow!!! My baby girl is getting so big!

We took Addison to the pumpkin patch this weekend. It was sponsored by our neighborhood and just down the street so we dressed her up in her costume and took her on a walk. There were so many cute kids!! We brought a few pumpkins home and carved them on Saturday. Erik carved a Cubs pumpkin and I carved a squirrel pumpkin for Addison (since we call her Squirrel Mayor, Squirrely, Squirrel Momma... you get the idea)

Here is the squirrel sitting in front of a few of the pumpkins we picked out.
Daddy & Addison (10/28/07)

Addison standing up (with a little help from her Mommy)

Ready to go home!

And a bonus picture - this was from today. We took the dogs to be groomed and she was sporting her new squirrel hat from her Aunt Mary & BFF Reagan! THANK YOU!!

Hardest thing I have ever had to do....

Well I just got home from dropping Addison off at her first day of daycare. That is a picture of her right before we left. I got her in her car seat and tried not to cry the whole time while I was gathering up all her things. We got to the daycare and I didn't cry a tear (pretty darn proud of myself). We walked up to the front counter and I lost it :( Tears started streaming down my face and there was nothing I could do to stop them. Luckily the Asst. Director was SO nice and told me that I am not the first mother who has cried while dropping off her child. She gave me a Kleenex and I tried to hold it together to bring Addison in the room. She was sound asleep so I decided to just leave her in her car seat. I gave Robyn all of her things and saw which crib will be hers. She has the "prime" spot in my opinion. She has the crib in the way back - the least amount of noise and distractions. I was so worked up about leaving her that I forgot her formula and had to go back home to get it. So I left her there to go fetch her formula. Once I got into the 4Runner I started bawling :( It was honestly one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I called Erik and pretty much cried all the way home. On the way back to the daycare Erik's Mom called me and had some comforting words... I think this will just take time. I dropped off the formula and there was now another baby in the room with Addison. His name is Julian and he is pretty cute. Addison was still sleeping in her car seat, so I dropped off the formula said thank you to Robyn (who told me that she thought Addison was adorable and to call anytime) and left. Again -I did okay until I got to the truck - then cried the whole way home :( I think this is going to be a long day. Its going to take all my will power not to go get her in an hour.... wish us luck that this gets easier - its got to right?!?!?!

3 months old on Tuesday!!

Well the little lady starts daycare tomorrow :( I am sure she will adjust fine and be well taken care of. Its a great daycare and the ladies there are really nice! Addison also turns 3 months old on Tuesday! I cannot believe she is 3 months already - time has flown by. She is cooing all the time and loves to stand up (assisted of course). She is still smiling all the time and has just started to grab onto things this week. Here is a picture of her holding on to her "pip-squeak".

Here is Addison showing off her orange sweatsuit before her day of shopping with her Mommy & Aunt Erin last Monday. The shopping days will be well missed!!

Addison was in her first wedding this Saturday as a "Flower Baby". Congrats to Annie & Gabe on their wedding! It was a beautiful ceremony and I couldn't be happier for Annie!! Addison was pulled down the aisle in a wagon w/ her BFF Reagan. You can check out Reagan's blog at http://reaganmaureen.blogspot.com/ The girls looked adorable and Addison was honored to be a part of Annie & Gabe's special day!

Here is a picture of Addison & Daddy before the ceremony. They both have the "stop taking pictures of me" face on ;)

Mommy & Addison - I don't think she was overly thrilled about the flowers on her head...but I thought she looked adorable!

And........were back!!

I know, I know its been WAY too long since I last posted. I am SORRY and promise to get better at posting. I will post and update and pictures and get better about staying on top of this!

So -Miss Addison is 12 weeks today!! She is around 11lbs (10lbs 9oz) at her last appt. She was 50% across the board. Her pediatrician said she is perfectly on track and right where she should be at this point(not to mention she is a gorgeous baby ;) ). We have had some major problems with Acid Reflux. She is now on 15mgs of Prevacid as well as special formula to help control the reflux and the major spit up issues we are having. She is supposed to grow out of the spitting up eventually....(I PRAY TO GOD!)

She is starting to smile and laugh and is becoming more and more fun to play with all the time!! I really cannot complain about her sleep habits (though as I write this its 11:15pm and she is stirring around in her room). She usually goes to sleep around 8pm and most nights wakes us up once around 3am b/c she wants her pacifier and then goes back to sleep until 5-5:30am. She is a great morning napper - but I have yet to figure out how to get her down for an afternoon nap in her crib. She doesn't want to nap in the afternoons and therefor is usually a crank-pot until her nighttime feeding.

She loves her leap frog music toy, her Baby Einstein lullaby cd's & a pink Poodle named "Annie". She also has this new stuffed animal she got today that Erin named "PipSqueak" that she was laughing at it all day. Addison loves watching tv w/ her Daddy (usually SportsCenter) and her favorite thing is to be outside!! She loves her walks, and loves to just be outside in the backyard and watch the dogs play. Its amazing how the outdoors can calm a crying baby

She starts daycare a week from today and honestly I am pretty broken up over it. I know she will be fine, and I have to say the daycare is really nice - but I am not ready to give up my days with her. I feel like she is changing so much everyday and I don't want to miss that. I don't want to miss all her milestones. She is honestly the best thing to ever happen to Erik and I. I couldn't imagine loving her anymore that I do now.

Ok - so here are some recent pictures since I know that is what you all want. I am sure most of you have already seen these, but instead of my e-mails -I am just going to post them on here. So check back for updates ;)Addison laughing at her Mommy...

At Lake Dillion w/ Mommy & Daddy

Cheering on the Chicago Bears with her Dad (and the Bears need all the support they can get!)

She is HERE!!

I just remebered my password - so sorry for the delay!

Addison Shea Landgren was born July 9, 2007 at 10:43 pm via C-Section (I will post my birth story later). She was 6lbs, 13 oz and 19 3/4 inches long. She is perfect and Erik and I are totally in love! I will also post pictures when I get a minute!

My little sister & brother

I had to post this pitcute of my cute little brother & sister. Aren't they about the cutest kids ever!?!?!? I cannot believe how grown up they are. Tate just turned 5 and Jack will be 4 in the fall. Hard to believe Tate will be starting Kindergarden in the fall! I feel like it was just yesterday that I got the call she was born! Addison is very lucky to have such great Aunts & Uncles!!

T-minus 2 weeks!

Well in as little as 14 days from today our little lady should be here!! I am so excited and READY!!! I had my 36 week appt last week and it went well. She is measuring 6lbs 1 oz and the NST (non stress test) showed she is doing well. I also had my first "check" and I was 60% effaced, and 1cm dilated. Dr. Vargas said those are pretty favorable conditions at 36 weeks, but I could stay at 1 cm until I deliver. My blood pressure was high, but that is too be expected with the week I had last week in regards to work. Needless to say I am very happy I only have a little over a week left until I go on maternity leave. The stress level around here is at an all time high and this is NOT good for me or Addison.

We bought a humidifier (last item we needed) for her this past weekend, and installed both of the car seat bases in our vehicles. Addison's bag is packed and ready to go, and I have all my toiletries packed and a "snack bag" for Erik ready to go. I haven't packed a gosh darn thing for me other than the toiletries. I plan on doing that sometime this week.

I have a doc appt tomorrow and one on the 3rd and then its showtime!! They are supposed to tell me on the 3rd if I need to come in Sunday night (July 8) for the induction or first thing Monday morning.

My next post just might be a SHE IS HERE post!! :) Keep your fingers crossed for me it goes smoothly and she comes soon! I am R-E-A-D-Y!!!

Baby Shower Extravaganza! (and other updates)

Addison's baby shower was this weekend and it was WONDERFUL! It seemed forever away when the girls started planning it back in April and its amazing that it has already come and gone! It was a wonderful day and I cannot thank Mary, Erin, Annie & Sarah enough for putting on a wonderful baby shower and making me feel really special. Addison got a lot of great things and I can say we are READY for her!! I only took a couple pictures - so I thought I would post the ones I had.



The front of our house with the balloons up. Erik was the photographer for this picture. :)


Here is a look at one of the tables full of food. There was mini pinwheels (one of my favs) fruit kabobs, cookies, pink punch, a chocolate fondue fountain with tons of fruit, marshmallows & pound cake, chips & dip and mini fun fetti cupcakes :) Everything was so good!

Here is a picture of the left side of her closet AFTER the shower. That is most of her 0-6 month wardrobe. I know - its a bit ridiculous, but I cannot wait to dress her up! If I have to change her outfit 3 times a day to get all the outfits in I will do it!

The right side is 6-18 month outfits and some of the toys we have received for her. I tried to organize it the best I could!

I am pretty much over being pregnant at this point. I am huge, my feet no longer resemble actual human feet, rolling over in bed is an interesting experience, and the 4-5 nightly trips to the bathroom are killing me softly. I do however still love feeling her move, and watching my belly move when she stretches her legs out. That never gets old.

I am getting anxious for her arrival - but very excited. Erik and I finished all of our childbirth classes and now we just have to relax and enjoy the last few weekends before she is here.

I found out today that my Mother In Law Dana is officially coming out for her birth! YAY! She is coming in July 7-15 to help with the dogs and be here for the birth of her first grand-daughter! Erik and I are very happy to have her here and glad she gets to meet Addison while she is tiny and new!

And finally - I had my 34 week doc appt a couple days ago. BP was 128/80 (YAHOO). I gained 5 lbs in 2 weeks :( After the exam Dr. Vargas looked at my legs, ankles & feet and said she thinks the big jump is due to the fact I am carrying a lot of extra fluid since my last appt. Bad news is I will be carrying it and walking around on sausage feet for the next few weeks - good news is that weight should go away fairly quickly after the delivery. Addison took awhile to cooperate during the NST, but she did eventually decide she wanted to work with us and everything came back normal. Only 4.5 more weeks until her arrival! YAHOO!

Last day of work has been set!

July 3, 2007 will be my LAST day of work before the baby is here!! That is unless she comes a little early. This will give me a couple days to make sure I have everything ready for her arrival and not feel like I am rushing around the last minute. Plus I will also be able to get the house in order, some meals ready and run last minute errands. So really that is only 4 more full weeks of working! THANK THE DEAR LORD. :)

I had my 33 week appt & NST yesterday. Addison fully cooperated and the NST went well. My BP was 128/82 which is EXCELLENT and Dr. Vargas said she is really happy with the little changes I have made in order to keep my BP in check. She also said that the baby has jumped up 8% in the last week in regards to growth and I have a little chubs on my hands!! I asked her if that meant I was no longer on track to have a 7lb baby, and she said "not so much". I then said "I am not going to have an 11 pounder am I?" and she said "Not an 11 pounder... " (with emphasis on the 11). Then she just laughed~~Good Lord!!! I am thrilled she is healthy and a chunky little peanut... but lets all hope for a healthy baby that is NOT ginormous!! She estimated that Addison is 4lbs 9oz at this time.

Yahoo - the baby shower is this weekend!

Well it seemed like it was forever away - but my baby shower is this weekend. I am SO excited!! I have some friends coming in from out of town and I cannot wait to see them! We also have our childbirth class on Saturday so Erik and I have quite the busy weekend ahead of us. My 33 week appt & NST is today and in less than 6 weeks she will be here!! Only 5 more weekly doc appts after this - YAY!! I am having trouble sleeping and seem to get up 5-6 times a night these days. Maybe this is all in preparation for the little lady's arrival. I am somewhat nervous about going into labor, but at the same time tired of being uncomfortable - so I am ready!

We set up the bassinet and I have pretty much washed everything up through 3 months in her closet. I also packed her diaper bag for the hospital, but will wait to pack mine for a few more weeks yet. To those of you who are wondering - YES I am planning on bringing the MSB (much to Erik's dismay). How on earth am I supposed to sleep in the hospital with out it?

THANKS A MILLION to my friend Gena in WI who sent over the cutest baby package/gift for the shower. She got Addison a Pottery Barn Kids blanket w/ her name embroidered on it, 2 adorable 18 month outfits, 2 button up onesies so I don't have to try to get her head through the top, a thing of wipes, infant q-tips, a cute little jean hat from baby gap and disposable changing pads. It was really unexpected and SO thoughtful. Thanks so much!

Introducing the little lady...in 3D

First here is a picture of me when I was born - sorry its in black & white it is all I could get to work from the scanner here in the office. Here is Addison with her hand over her face. If you look on the right hand side you can see her fingers in her eyes :) She looks to have my nose & lips - at least that is what the "people" are saying.

Here is a picture of her all curled up snuggling into her arm. She loves to have her hands up by her face. She is so stinkin' cute!

The tech caught part of a smile/yawn and Addison started to drop her hand for a second. She was pretty active in there!