Daddy Day

There is something so special about a father's love and I cannot wait to watch the love grow between Josh and Addison.  Addison loves her Daddy so much already ... she knows his voice and lights up when he talks to her.  A first Father's Day is just one of the many great memories to come for these two.

Just got home from our first church service as a family of three.   Addison loved it.

J - thanks for being the amazing father you are to our sweet little girl.  We both love you very much.

Checkup with Dr. G

1-Month Checkup:

10 lbs 13 oz

22 1/4 inches long

95th percentile

{I left home without a blanket so we made do with a burp cloth.}

Josh and I took Addison for her 1 month checkup today and got a wonderful report card.  Such a big girl! Addison got her second Hep B shot... poor girl didn't like it one bit.

Don't you just want to pinch that sweet little leg!?  Poor thing.

On a side note ... last night Addison enjoyed some time in her bumbo after her bath.

Then it was time for bed... 

Love her!

Addison: 1 Month Old

Miss Addison Leigh,

 I cannot believe it has been one month since we heard your precious cry and held you for the very first time.  We have kissed, cuddled, and rocked you more times than we can count and have loved every minute of it.   Your sleeping smiles melt my heart and I cannot get enough of your adorable, chubby cheeks.  You are such a sweet baby even when you may not want to go right back to sleep after your mid-night feeding.  We think you may look more like your Daddy with all your dark hair. I think you're beautiful.  You are so strong and so active... even in your sleep.  We have made so many wonderful memories this first month with you and are looking forward to all the adventures to come.

At 1 month you ...

• are eating every 3 -3.5 hours during the day and just this week starting going longer at night.  We had a 6-hour stretch last night (10:30 pm - 4:30 am).  I gave you extra kisses today.
• enjoy tummy time, 10 minutes at a time
• can roll over from your tummy to your back
• love your bouncy "bunny" seat
• follow our voices when we talk to you
• have discovered your blanket, pacifier, and some of your toys
• love your pacifier as you are falling asleep but spit it out once you get to your "happy place"
• sleep in your nursery all by yourself
• are swaddled when you are in your crib
• sleep on your back
• enjoy car rides and going on walks
• are already wearing size 1 diapers!
• have outgrown your newborn clothes
• weighed 8 lbs 10 oz at your 2 week checkup. 
• love your bath until we rinse out your hair then we cannot get you out soon enough
• are absolutely precious!

 I am enjoying every minute of everyday with you sweet girl.  You are already growing up too fast.  We love you to the moon and back and thank God for you everyday.

Addison's Birthday cont'd

It wasn't but a few minutes after they brought Josh into the OR, we hear "Look at that hair!" from one of the nurses followed by the sweetest, strongest cry. Addison Leigh was here and we couldn't wait to love on her. They raised her above the curtain so we could see her and asked us what her name was as we hadn't even shared that with our OB.   We were both in tears and words can truly not describe that moment but we feel beyond blessed to have been given the experience.  Josh was right by Addison's side while they were cleaning her up.  I will never forget Josh's face as he was telling me all about her since I couldn't see her from how I was laying.  It was the sweetest thing.  When she was ready, they gave her to Josh so he could bring her to me and one of the sweet nurses snapped this picture for us.

While the L&D team was getting me ready for recovery, Josh went with Addison to the nursery to get weighed and was able to introduce Addison to our family.  I cannot tell you how much it meant to both of us to have our family there to celebrate this special day.

 

 Addison's fan club - My dad (Grandpa), Ash, Mom (Nana), Landon, Logan, Brandon, Josh's Mom and Dad (Mimi and Papa).  Aiden isn't in the picture but he was there too!

 They brought Addison back to recovery after checking her out in the nursery and I got to hold her for the first time.  AMAZING!
Side note - I wasn't sure what the "rules" were and how long I had to keep that silly cap on. Addison will look at these pictures one day and ask who the "lunch lady" is.  Just go with it.

 

 The next few hours were full of smiles and happy tears.  Josh got to help with Addison's first bath.  They had to wash her hair in the sink since she has so much :)   

 

 Addison got to be loved on by all her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

 

 

 

 

 It was close to midnight before we were all settled in our postpartum room, still beaming from ear to ear.  We couldn't have asked for a better day and cannot wait to share Addison's special story with her one day. 

 More fun and pictures to come from Addison's first few days.

Addison's Birth-day

I have said this before but it seems like just yesterday we were sharing our wonderful news with our family and friends. This pregnancy sure went by fast and I really enjoyed each and every minute of it. Josh and I both slept pretty well the night before Addison's birthday, as well as you can sleep knowing you are hours away from meeting this amazing miracle. We left our house with the biggest smiles on our faces for a 5:30 am check-in at the hospital. My doctor decided to induce me after seeing Addison's growth the last few weeks of my pregnancy. Addison was ready to meet all of us and we were sure ready to meet her! We could not believe that the next time we pulled into our driveway would be with our little girl, bringing her home to start the rest of her life.

 

We were all checked in and meds started by 6:15 if not earlier and the waiting began... We had our sweet family there throughout the day which was a great distraction from looking at the monitors and waiting for the next check-up by the nurses. Throughout the morning, we saw very little progression but my contractions were getting pretty intense. I requested my epidural around noon so I could relax and enjoy the rest of labor. For some reason I wasn't nervous about the epidural and I am glad I didn't worry (or wait longer) because my anesthesiologist was fantastic. It was a quick and painless 10 minute procedure.

Around 5:30 pm my OB, Dr. Banks, came by for another visit. After reviewing my chart and the "lack of progression" she felt this was Addison's way of telling us she wasn't coming the traditional way. We knew from my very first prenatal visit that this was a possibility due to how my pelvis was shaped so we were somewhat prepared. I looked at Josh and together we said, "Let's do it". My L&D team immediately started prepping me for surgery and Dr. Banks told us we would meet our little girl in 20 minutes! I then looked back at Josh and took a deep breathe.  In that moment, I realized what was about to happen and of course, started crying. Josh looked at me and said, "Want me to get your Mom?". He knows me too well, yes - I needed my Mom. Not that Josh couldn't comfort me but I just needed a Mom hug... there are times when a Mom hug makes everything better. Not that anything was wrong but I hadn't ever been in a hospital before much less surgery and just didn't know what to expect.  I pray our little girl needs a lot of "mom hugs" in the future.
Our lives were about to change forever and we were both full of so many emotions.

 They wheeled me into the OR to get everything ready and made Josh wait in the recovery room until it was time. There was music playing as soon as we got in the room and I mean they were jammin'.  They even asked me if the music was an okay selection.  I might have preferred something other than Kesha on any other day but I didn't mind. They were having a birthday party for our sweet girl! I was loving every minute!

Belly Pictures - 40 weeks

The day before Addison's birthday, Josh and I took off work and spent some time together before we became a family of three. After tiding up the house, we finished packing our bags and loaded the car. We then headed out for a nice dinner on the patio at Mi Cocina and made a pit stop on our way to capture some last belly pictures before we met our sweet girl. My husband has some photography skills if I do say so myself. Here we are at 39 weeks and 6 days.

 

Meet Addison Leigh

We are so in love and in awe of God's miraculous gift.Addison Leigh Carson
May 5, 2011
6:52 pm
8 lbs 9 oz
19 inches

We have so many more pictures and stories to share of our sweet girl's birthday and the past couple of weeks. One thing we know for sure, our lives have been changed in the most amazing way. We love you so much Addison Leigh.