Another week in Raleigh

Sunday was a big day for Addison! We have been in Raleigh for the past week and Sunday was the St. Paddy’s Day 8k sponsored, in part, by her Uncle Pete’s pub. I decided it would be a nice time to get out and do my first real outdoor run in six months. The five miles was brutal but with A LOT of walking I finished. Addison and I met all the family at the pub for Sunday brunch and stayed downtown for the race. She was out on the town from noon until about 6:00pm! She decided to celebrate with everyone else by wearing he St. Paddy’s Day outfit from her pub Auntie Annie. I must admit, she looks good in green! Grandpa and Barbara were very helpful and babysat Addison while I ran the race. I worried the whole time that she might get upset since that was the longest time she has gone without one of her parents around, but she was really good and slept most of the time.

Addison loves being outside. Every time we go out, she gets a very curious look on her face and stares out in wonder. We had some really warm days earlier in the week so Addison and I sat out in the shade of the umbrella and enjoyed the southern temps. I was excited because it was the first time she could sit around with just her onesie on and no pants. I don’t get to appreciate her chubby little thighs very often since she usually gets upset when she is unclothed… not to mention it has been so cold I usually try to get her dressed as fast as I can. We have also gone on a few walks and it is so nice not spending all the time making sure she is bundled up and warm. Of course, now I spend the walk making sure she is not too hot!



Luke got to town Tuesday night and Addison was so happy to see her daddy! On Wednesday, we went to Falls Lake and enjoyed the hot weather while Luke got out and paddled a little on his paddleboard. It won’t be long until Addison is out there on the board with him! They have both been playing so much this week that they were completely wiped out and decided on a nice long nap.

Everyone has really loved spending time with Addison while we have been here. Elizabeth “Auntie Bella” insisted she drive up and pick us up while Luke was out of town. So for the second time in a month, we packed up and headed south. This time, Friar and Lulu joined us. What a handful! Friar and Lulu rode in the back of the car now that we have the dog gate up. They hated it and cried for about two hours straight. Even though I was about to pull my hair out Addison slept through it. I was very thankful she got used to it in utero!

Addison has been a lot more responsive lately. She is such a morning person! When I hear her moving around, I turn on the light and start talking to her and she immediately gets a huge smile and starts to kick her legs and wave her arms. Addison also prefers to lay on the bed/sofa and look around rather than being held. She loves to look at the lights and is now batting at her dragonfly toy.




Addison visited Elizabeth and Rick at their office, the Chiropractic Cafe. She will now be the poster baby for their website!


Uncle Rick gives Addison an adjustment! Yikes!




Addison loves her new clothes and loves hanging out with Aunt Kitty Kat.



We have been trying to divide our time among everyone's homes while we are here... dinner at Aunt Liz's, at Grandpa's, lunch and brunch at the pub...



Addison loves her hat from Grandma Hopkins!



Grandma Pagano and Addison spending time outside.



Addison and Daddy are very tired after a busy week!

This week has been a pretty easy week. Addison had her longest stretch of sleep to date. Tuesday, after her play date, she decided not to sleep at all the rest of the day. By 8pm, she was out cold and didn’t wake up until 3am to eat. It was great! However, since I was used to waking up every few hours, I started to worry something not might be right. On top of that, there are other discomforts I have to deal with by waiting for her to eat for that long. Enough said about that.

We are trying to slowly ease her up into the crib during nap time. When I feel like she is starting to get sleepy I will put her in the crib and start the music and lights from the mobile. Sometimes she will remain awake and watch the mobile the whole time, other times I get about 20 minutes out of it. When the music stops she usually decides she does not like being there any longer and will let me know to come and get her.



Another first for Addison this week is the introduction of the pacifier. I have three different styles and we went through all three to find out which one she would like. I wish I had kept the packaging because I am not sure that all the pacifiers are for her age. Some of them look pretty huge and even as I was offering it to her, I was afraid she would gag on it. She has decided she likes the Nuk brand best for now. It is really cute when she spits it out because she has the outline of the pacifier around her face from sucking it in so hard against her cheeks. This morning she started to grab hold of it with her hand. That means one step closer to grabbing toys! I tried to see if she would reach for it if I held it out in front of her, but nothing yet.


Addison has really started to enjoy bath time now too. I think initially she was too cold since she was sitting in the tub and not completely immersed in the water. Now I hold her so she is sitting up and her whole lower body is submerged and I swirl her around the tub. She holds her position and stares at me the whole time like she is in a trance. We have to be quick with the hand off from tub to towel to keep her calm. Considering how much she hated it before, I feel like it is a huge success!