SOOOOOO BIG!

Today Addison weighed in at 8 lbs 8 oz!!! We were amazed and relieved! Addison is a very healthy girl, gaining over an ounce a day, which is fantastic. The doctor also told us that we can chill out with our strict feeding plan and I can stop pumping every three hours. This was like a ton of bricks lifted from us! So we're going to be taking our cues from Addison, no more watching the clock and logging the feedings, poops, pees, pumping...

We're excited to see if we can get a stretch of 4 hours of sleep tonight...

Here are some cute pictures of Addison with Ashlee, Becca and Daddy. Can you see how she's growing?

Papa Jim has the touch!

Addison loves her papa...he rubbed her back last night (very specific pressure points he told us!) and it knocked her out! We need him to come over at 3 am when we're having a melt down!

Andrea, Chris and Tessa Giles also came over yesterday, Tessa and Addison are going to be great friends! Tessa is 4 months (born Dec. 30) and she was very interested in Addison! Addison didn't have a clue what was going on, but soon enough she will!

Oink Oink

Whew! Our little piggy weighed in at 7 lbs. 13 oz today...continuing her upward trend! We're still on the "every 3 hours" plan, but we can go 4 hours between feedings at night which we are so excited about! Aside from constantly nursing, Addison also LOVES to be tightly swaddled like an enchilada. This puts her into a trance, along with her newest favorite track on our white noise CD, "the rainforest." Chris is rocking her to the rainforest noise in this picture.

Let's play guess Addison's weight!

Our appt. is tomorrow (Friday) at 9:30, so let's hear what your guess is for Addison's weight! Last Friday she was 7 lbs 3 oz, and now with this week's feeding marathon, who knows what tomorrow will bring! We do know, however, that Addison has been very content, not as fussy and starting to fill out. We are hoping that we might be able to give mom's boobs a break from the constant nursing and pumping...

On Tuesday we had Kim and Elena Kuzak visit...Elena is 7 months, and will soon be showing Addison the ropes!

Fattening Up!

We're reaping the benefits of our feeding frenzy...Addison is starting to fill out and she even has chubby cheeks! We're hoping that we will be told that she can go 4 hours between feedings now, so mom and dad can have a bit of reprise! We have an appt. on Friday for a weigh-in, so let's hope she's 8 lbs! Addison is sleeping well, and our nights are getting easier because of the white noise CD we've been using to get her to sleep....her favorite track is the "hair dryer" which is annoying to us, but it sure does the trick!

Chris has been helping his mom pack up her house for her big move (it closes on Thursday) so Anna has had some practice trying to do everything alone, which has been a challenge, but Grandma Sharron came to the rescue so Anna could shower and eat...2 things that haven't been happening unless there is an extra set of hands around. Thanks, Grandma!

We did it!!!!!

We had another Lactation Consulation today and we found that Addison has surpassed her birth weight of 7lbs 3oz's by .8 oz's. That's right 7lbs 3.8 oz's. We were so happy because the four days of the strict feeding plan paid off. We are still on the strict feeding plan but that is all right because we are getting the hang of it.

Diane Vasey met us when we came home with a great lunch from the Pasta Co. It was a great lunch and we are having some more for dinner. She also did a little baby sitting while Anna and I took a little nap.

Is Darigold hiring?

Well, we thought little miss Addison was gaining weight and fattening up, but after our lactation appt. on Monday, we found out that she's actually losing weight, and she's down to 6 11. (her birth weight is 7 lbs 3 oz)
This was quite a blow for us because it seemed that all I was doing was nursing! So we're on a strict feeding plan now, which entails feeding every 3 hours, so I nurse first, then Chris bottle feeds with breast milk, and then I pump! We repeat this every 3 hours! Even though we are dead tired (I know you parents out there know what we're going through!) we are trying to find the humor in all of this, and the funniest part is definitely the BELCHES that Addison lets out after each feeding! Plus she is just so darn cute, even at 3 in the morning we melt over her! We have another lactation appt. on Friday, so cross your fingers that she's gaining weight!

This is a picture of Addison wearing another one of her Bunnies by the Bay outfits,
http://www.bunniesbythebay.com/index.cfm and the bunny slippers are from Mike and Selena Burgess...thanks guys! The slippers are bigger than Addison!

Addison's first Easter

Addison has her first Easter yesterday and she really enjoyed it. All of the Family was able to see Addison. She saw her Great Grandma Carolyn, Great Aunt Sandi and Aunt Barbie and Kaka, and all of her cousins. She even wore her chick outfit that Linda Hart and Susan Fowler gave her. We had a great time at Dinner. Addison was so tired she slept until midnight when her dad woke her up to feed. We think that she would of slept all night if we had let her. Hopefully next year she will be able to look for her hidden Easter Eggs.

With the good, comes the bad....

Well if I said that it was getting easier I would be a liar. The past few nights have been a little rough. Little Addison has been fussy but has always been cured by feeding from her mommy. Feeding is good, but that means we do not get our beauty sleep. Oh well, that's parenting.

We have had some guests the past few days. Our friend Karen Herd and her daughter Ashley stopped by on Thursday. Sandy Perry also stopped by yesterday. Sandy played the role of baby sitter for a while. She watched Addison while Anna took a shower and dad caught a nap. Thanks Sandy.

This is Addison's first Easter. Mommy is so excited to dress little Addison up in her first Easter outfit and let her play with the bunny that Marilyn Campbell gave to Addison. We are going to Easter dinner at Grandma and Papa Whitesel's tonight to see all of the family. Hopefully when we get home we can grab some sleep. Doubtful!

I think that we are getting the hang of it?

Well Addison is 11 days old now and what a journey it has been. One thing that we have learned is that we live our life in 3 hour blocks. Addison has somewhat fallen into a routine but that is subject to change at any moment. She loves to sleep after each feeding. We have also found that she loves being bathed. She takes after her mother on this subject. After being bathed she is so relaxed. Sometimes too relaxed (she did a number 2 in the bath last night, this gave mom and dad a good laugh). She is easily rocked to sleep after her baths. Too bad we can't give her a bath every night. (eventually we will!)

Addison's Uncle Sam came over last night with his girlfriend Angie. They brought a great dinner and both of them got to hold Addison. Uncle Sam was a little nervous but he got the hang of it after a few minutes. She started to get a little fussy after a while and was immediately given to her dad.

Addison is sleeping in her swing as we speak. That swing is amazing.

Thanks again for all the help and support.

I just can't get enough of it.......FOOD!!!!!!

Addison is growing as we speak. We had our first Pediatric appointment with Dr. Chattra of Pediatric Associates. https://www.mypediatricassociates.com/ He said that Addison is doing great. She weighed in at 6 lbs 14 and 1/2 oz's. We were happy to hear that. We are hoping that she will be back to her birth weight by this week. Dr. Chattra also stated that it is very unusual to see a one week old child smile, which Addison is doing a lot of. He said that smiles are usually associated with children who around one month old. Dr. Chattra also called Addison, "Brilliant". Her proud parents could not agree with him more.

Addison is a very hungry girl. She is wearing her poor mom out. When she is not sleeping she is feeding. This is making day and night unnoticeable for her parents. But that is OK, she is worth it.

We have also found the value in an electric swing. This has proved it's weight in gold. All we need to do is get Addison in a somewhat sleepy state and put her into the swing and Bleezzaaaam, she is asleep for hours! Mom catches up on sleep while dad tries to get a few things done around the house.

Thanks again for all of everyone's help. Uncle Mikey came over yesterday and helped bring Addison's changing table into her room. This has been a long awaited piece of furniture. Our backs are thanking Uncle Mikey as we speak. Also thanks to everyone that has brought food. All of the meals have been fantastic.

Growing

Addison had her second appointment today and we found that she has gained another 2 oz's!!!! Mom and Dad were very happy and feeding her has become easier for mom. Grandma Jaross stayed the night last night again and held Addison into the night so we could catch up on some sleep. ZZZZZzzzzzzzz............ Although we did not get much sleep all the little naps do help. Thank you to everyone who has brought food. This has been a blessing. Cooking is the last thing on our mind right now but food is always necessary.