Oregon

Last Thursday Addie and I boarded an airplane headed to Portland, Oregon. My mom and step dad live full time in their RV and they were in Oregon. They flew Addie and I out there to spend about 5 days with them.

I was nervous about the plane rides since Addison had been really fussy the week before but she did great! Almost no crying either time. I nursed her or gave her the pacifier on take off and landing and she slept most of the flight. Even though we flew into Portland we were actually staying about 3 hours away on the coast near a town called Newport. I had never been to the west coast other than San Diego. It was amazing - an ocean with huge rock cliffs right next to a dense rain forest. It was pretty cold so we didn't spend a lot of time on the beach but we did take several walks. The last few days we were there the winds were really strong and the ocean was had giant waves and was almost totally white.

We were able to visit several small towns along the Oregon coast. In one of the places we spent some time on the bay front that had lots of great shops. We ate clam chowder at a little whole in the wall restaurant that was amazing. We saw sea lions lounging on the docks and watched fishing boats bring in baskets of freshly caught crab. We toured a winery and I bought two bottles of local wine that are amazing!

Addie was a trooper and was carried in her sling most of the places we went. She loved all the cuddles and attention from Mom, Larry and even their dog Sandy. I loved time with my mom - she made me some of my favorite meals, we played cards and she helped me sew a skirt.

We also celebrated our Christmas while there. One of the things we gave Mom and Larry a web cam so they can get on Skype and see Addie. Grammy made Addie a beautiful warm sweater and she is working on a red knitted jumpsuit that wasn't quite done yet. I got some beautiful jade jewelry that Mom bought in Canada this summer at Jade City - 80% of the world's jade comes from here. I didn't get to open Josh's presents so we brought them home to him.

It was a great trip but it makes me sad that Addison won't remember any of it. It is neat that my parents are so flexible and live in so many cool places that I can go visit to see them. One another side note, my brother has an interview at a school near Portland after Thanksgiving. If he gets the job it would definitely be a place I would love to keep visiting.

Enjoy the pictures.


The airport before we left - Josh was able to walk us to the gate and hang out for a few minutes.


Ships in the bay in Newport


Devil's Punch Bowl - the water was swirling so fast!




This is drift wood in a creek at the camp ground. It used to be on the beach and the week before we were there a storm moved it all the way up to this bridge.


sea lion in Newport


Mom, Addie and I in front of crab pots that fisherman use


We made a sign for Addie to hold and texted Josh a picture. He reallllly missed Addie (he missed me too). It was hard for us to talk to Josh regularly because of bad cell coverage.


Sandy, mom's dog, loved Addie. She would bark at us if we didn't get up right away when she was crying.


saying goodbye at the airport in Portland

Addie's first retreat, fussiness, books and other news

Addie went on her first youth group retreat this past weekend. She did pretty well - I was surprised. Everyone loved her (duh) and she was never lacking in attention. It was kinda funny that when I asked some of the kids if they wanted to hold her they were reluctant and really nervous.

The theme was Glory and we talked about living in God's glory, living for God's glory and reflecting God's glory. It was a little different that the retreats Josh usually plans. God worked powerfully during the weekend. Going on retreats with Josh also always make me think about my own youth group retreats growing up. I love those memories and pray that these kids will be blessed through retreat times like I was.

Once we got home however, Addie has turned into a little bit of a devil child. She started the few days before we left being very fussy. It pretty much stopped over the weekend and now it's worse than ever. I took her to the doctor because I honestly didn't know what else to do. Her cry sounded like a hurt cry, she was not sleeping longer than an hour at time and she wasn't eating as well. The doctor (not our regular one) made Josh and I feel pretty dumb and just said it is normal fussiness. I know all babies get fussy but these seemed different for Addie. Anyway, I guess it is the regular stuff that can set in about 6-8 weeks. Ironically I got a book that I ordered in the mail yesterday - Your Fussy Baby and Healthy Sleep Habits;Happy Child both by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. I started reading the Fussy Baby book today and the first page says this "If you have already delivered your baby and are exhausted, worried or both turn immediately to chapter 7 for a quick background summary and plan of action". I love that. How realistic of Dr. Weissbluth. I don't have time to sit and read two whole books - I don't even have time to take a shower some days. Anyway, I read chapter 7 and while I have realized I am not a fan of parenting books (they stress me out), I love this book already. It is concise, gives options and is not a "my way or the highway" book. It also is encouraging to us as parents, advocates for fathers being involved etc. I'll let you know more as I try to go back and read the rest of the book at some point. I haven't started on the Healthy Sleep Habits yet but it to has a Crash Course chapter.

Addie and I leave Thursday morning to fly to Portland, Oregon for a few days to see her Grammy and Grampy. They are actually staying near Newport Oregon on the coast so once we get to Portland we have about a two hour drive. I'm nervous about how Addie will do but I'm also excited for the trip. I get to go shopping for my upcoming birthday, see the coast (never been to the Northwestern coast), maybe see whales, eat yummy food and spend time with family. So, as long as we don't get kicked off the plane for a crying baby things will be fine. Josh is sad that we are leaving (I'm sad to be leaving him). But, I am a little jealous that he will get 5 nights of uninterrupted sleep.

I am sure I will have lots of pictures and stories when we get back. Pray for patience for me, calmness and peace for Addison and a safe trip.

If I had time to blog...

*I would write about how even a rash on my little girl and a small fever make me so sad that I can't make her feel better.

*I would write about how now that Halloween is over I am ready for Christmas! I love Christmas time. I love buying present for people, wrapping presents, ornaments etc.

*I would write about how I still struggle to take a shower regularly since Addie has been born. I will have to change that when I start working again.

*I would write about being excited for the youth group retreat this weekend but also a little worried about how Addie will do.

*I would write about how frustrating it is that my maternity clothes are to big but most of my regular pants are still to small.

*I would write about my mixed feelings about going back to work in a few weeks.

*I would write about going to visit my friend Melanie in Wyoming a few weeks ago.

*I would write about how I will never again take sleep for granted.

If only I had time....

(Hopefully some of these may actually get written over the next few weeks. We'll see)

Snow Storm and IHOP Adventure

Tuesday night it started snowing and didn't stop for about 48 hours. We ended up with almost 2 feet of snow! This is apparently the biggest October snow storm in about ten years. Josh had to go to work just for an hour or so on Wednesday. We were supposed to have the fall festival that night at church but he decided to reschedule for Saturday. Once he got home we were in the house, ready to bundle up and wait out the storm. Addie and I made peanut butter cookies for her dad and I made muffins. I love baking, especially when it's cold out. We had homemade french dip sandwiches for dinner and enjoyed the time hanging out together.

Yesterday we decided to venture out to run a few short errands. Addie was bundled up warm so we decided to take a picture of her in the snow - she slept through the whole thing.

Now on to todays adventure. I have written before about how Josh and I have weekly breakfast dates. We are trying to keep this tradition up even with the new addition to the family. So, this morning after we were up and Addie ate breakfast we got ready to go. I figured that we had about 2 hours to eat and get home before she would need to eat again. I was wrong. This happened to be a morning when she decided she was going to be hungry every 2 hours instead of the usual three. And, since I am such a prepared mother, I forgot the extra bottle at home. So, we are at IHOP and I have just ordered pumpkin pancakes that I am super excited about eating and Ms. Addison wakes us and decides to cry. After about 15 minutes of off and on crying I decided I have to try to nurse her. This is really the first time that I have had to do this in a public place other than in my car on the way home from Wyoming.

Luckily I have a blanket and we are sitting in a corner booth. The hardest part of this for me is not being able to see her. That can lead to problems that frustrate us both including making a huge mess. It was relatively successful but I stressed out more than I would like to admit. I guess this is good practice since in two weeks I will be traveling with her by mself to fly to Oregon to see my mom. I'm not super modest and don't have a problem nursing in public as long as I am somewhat covered but I still don't have the coordination down.

Ok, well, Addie is awake and hungry again so I will just leave you with a few pictures.

Happy 1 Month Birthday Addie!

I can't believe that you are already a month old Addison Hope! Sometimes it seems like she has been here a lot longer and sometimes it seems like it has flown by. She is awake more, likes looking around, and starting to sleep better at night. I love any time I get to snuggle her and I tell her regularly that I could kiss her all day long. Josh and I are no longer "Josh and Shiloh". We are now also "Mommy and Daddy" and even though everything has changed - I couldn't be happier. It has been an exhausting, emotional, confusing, and absolutely wonderful month. I'm so excited about all the months to come!

Pop and Memaw

My dad and stepmom drove in from Lubbock this weekend to meet Addison. They have been so excited about her arrival and were thrilled to finally hold her. One of things they have done that I thought was special was that while I was pregnant they started writing letters to her and I put them all in a binder for her.

Addie is sleeping a little better now which makes me happier. Josh and I have been trying to get into our own routine and schedule. I get us and feed her at night and then Josh takes her downstairs about 6am so I can get a few uninterrupted hours of sleep. I love that time - not just because I am resting but also because Josh is getting some special one on one time with Addie. He calls it Addie/Daddy time. He posted about it this morning on his blog, too. http://theblogofjoshjones.blogspot.com/

Here's a few pictures from our weekend:

How a baby changes things...

Instead of thinking about date nights, work, how many times I can go to yoga each week, craft time, actually taking a shower, shopping, playing on the computer, having a semi clean house etc these are the things that consme my day:
-poop
-laundry
-the numerous reasons babies cry
-spit up
-baby talk
-feeling like a cow
-wanting to sleep so bad it hurts
-sore boobs (sorry for the TMI)

But I wouldn't give it up because I also get all of these things:
-cuddles
-kissing my baby all over
-seeing Josh give her google eyes that say he is totally in love
-bath time
-sweet faces and funny faces
-going on walks with Josh and Addie

Life is forever changed.

3 Weeks and Counting

Addison was three weeks old on Wednesday! I can't believe it's been that long. We went to the doctor for a follow up appointment on Thursday. She is now 7 lbs 6 oz - so well past her birth weight and gaining faster than the doctors guessed. They said that will slow down but for now it's great.

She also slept in her cradle on her own for two night in a row. Last night was a little rougher but I didn't expect that we wouldn't still have some trouble. She is staying awake more and I'm excited for her to start being more alert and interactive.

Josh has been able to have a somewhat flexible schedule this week so he is home a little more. On Wednesday after we woke up and got ready I took Addie shopping to run some errands and then we went for a long walk in a park. I was pleasantly surprised and how well the day went. It was my first time out with Addie by myself. She did so good and it made me excited to have lots more mother/daughter days as she grows up.

That's about all that' going on here. Josh and I weren't able to make it to Homecoming this year for several reasons. I would reall have liked to go since it was my 5th year reunion - we will just have to make it a priority next year. I'm also pretty sure that next year we won't have a thre week old baby at Homecoming either.

Gramps and Gigi

My mom and stepdad left the morning of the 2nd. Josh's mom, dad and grandmother got her that afternoon. Gramps and Addie's Great-Grandmother stayed through the weekend and left on Monday morning. Josh's mom was able to stay with us all of last week. Grandmother and Gigi loved to just sit and hold and look at Addie. Gramps had a little more fun with her and decided to see if she could fit in his size 14 shoe - she could. Grandmother also makes a "famous" chocolate pie. We convinced her to make one while she was here. Gramps also thought that Addie needed to have her first taste of his mom's pie. We were able to take several 4 generation pictures. not many people are able to do that and it is really special that we will have that. Josh also gave Addison a bath by himself while I was at the gym and he even did her hair!

It was wonderful having Sue, Josh's mom, stay for the week. We didn't do a whole lot but enjoyed just hanging out together. Addison got some one on one snuggle time with her Gigi every morning while her mom and dad got a few hours of sleep. We also went to her first doctor's appointment for the 2 week check up. She was up to 6 lbs and 13 ozs - only 2oz short of birth weight. She was also about an inch longer. We are still having to wake her up every three hours and offer her a bottle of extra milk. Hopefully we will be able to stop at least one of those things this week after another check up.

Josh and I are now officially on our own - at least for 5 days until my dad and Pam get here for a weekend. I'm nervous (Josh is too) but I also know that we can learn and that God can give us what we need to be able to be good parents for Addie. I read in a book something like we are the only parents she will ever have and we are the perfect parents for our baby. That makes me feel good - God gave us this little girl and while we aren't perfect, we love her and each other.

Enjoy the pictures. The picture of the brooms is Josh's excitement for the week - he read that there is a weird gravitational thing going on right now and he had fun making the brooms stand up on their own.

I Love...

In the 12 days that I have had Addison there are so many things that I have already come to love.

- her sweet smell. I could smell her all day long.
- her beautiful dark hair. She has so much of it and I am excited to see if it will curl like mine or not.
- the way her hands are always up on her face. She will cover her whole face with her hands. Josh frequently has to move them so she will eat.
- the silly faces she makes, there are a ton.
- the way her tiny, soft hands will lay on my chest while I nurse her.
- the way Josh is so in love with her already.
- her beautiful eyes. I'm excited to see what color they will end up.
- the quiet little sighs that she makes while she sleeps.
- the way she likes to tuck her feet into my armpit while I nurse her.
- her cute little nose that my mom says looks just like mine.


I really love everything about her and I know that there are so many more things that I will discover that I love.

More pictures soon!