Happy Valentine's Day

I hope the video clip below is viewable - not sure what's going on with the uploading process lately, but it's been taking longer and they don't always get posted completely. Maybe I have overloaded this blog with video clips! Nothing too exciting to report, just in awe of Addison growing and changing every day, turning into quite a funny character. She's now singing her "ABC's" and saying "OKAY!" a LOT! We had a baby shower for Natalie on Saturday - a few pictures are posted below.

Getting bigger...25 weeks

A few pictures from Natalie's shower

The cake matched the invitations

My co-host Mara

1,2,3......

Addison's been practicing her counting and can get to 10 by herself! She's really difficult to capture on video these days, as she always wants to grab the camera. I have a weak attempt posted below...you can hear a few numbers, but it isn't the most indicative snapshot of her talents. :)

Baby Barat #2 is doing well, moving alot. This is me at about 24 weeks below. Only about 3 more months to go, and so much to do still!

Clowning around in Daddy's reading glasses - scary picture!

Fruit fiend

Go Vikings!

It's been an exciting Sunday in Minnesota. The Vikings are trying to make it into the Superbowl, and even I'm giddy! What a game against the Saints - poor Brett Favre is taking a beating, but we still have a chance. I'm posting this as the very nerve-wracking 4th quarter comes to an end. Although Addison is long asleep now, she was in the sprit for the first 1/2 of the game and even learned to say "Go Vikings"!

Her newest passion is for necklaces - any and all kinds. She walks around putting them on, taking them off, putting them on and taking them off. Her walking skills are improving daily and she rarely chooses to crawl anymore. She's also really enjoying swimming at the YMCA. She's got the hang of kicking her feet and semi-blowing bubbles. I've gotta get some pictures of that. She's saying "please" and "thank you" very well these days too - so cute!

Today we did what every true Minnesota family on a cold and icy day does - we went to the indoor playground! Very odd, but good for little kiddies to burn off energy. We topped off the afternoon with a thai food lunch, which Addison enjoyed very much. She chowed down on calamari, potstickers and chicken satay with plum sauce. This girl can eat! She starts 3 classes this month - Library storytime on Tuesdays, Music Class on Wednesdays and an Early Childhood Family Education class on Fridays. It's going to be a busy spring for Addison!

Helping with the dishes


First chop sticks

Morning happy face
Here's me at 21 weeks

Go Vikings!

Little Addison has had a rough couple of weeks. She had what we thought was a cold for some time and we kept wondering why it was hanging on for so long - the cough, runny nose, everything was getting worse by the week. Well, we finally took her in to the pediatrician, and lo and behold she had a double ear infection. A few doses of amoxocillan later she was feeling SO much better. We were to give her the amoxocillan for 10 days, but by day 7 she broke out in the worst rash either of us had ever seen, all over her body. Big red welts were covering her from face to foot! So....back to the doctor we went and it turns out she's allergic to the amoxocillan. Good to know! Regardless of that, the ear infections are gone and now that she's been off the medicine for several days, so is the horrible rash.

Despite all of this, Addison has been in relatively good spirits. Her newest favorite word is "princess" and all that is associated with that. She also loves her stickers and coloring books, and a cardboard house DJ made her from a box left over from Christmas. She also loves bath time even more these days thanks to a fun toy from the Grandpas! Tonight she is going over to the neighbors house to hang out for dinner and to play with Abbey, Alice and Anna.

Addison Land

Koo-Koo Face

Addison's new big girl table in the kitchen

Bath time is fun!

A White Christmas

What a Christmas! We've had more snow in the past 3 days than we've ever had at this time of year, and it's beautiful - big, fat, fluffy flakes of snow covering everything and putting you right into the holiday spirit. Gramma Pam is in town for the week and has experienced her first white Christmas ever...and she survived. :)

Addison had a wonderful time today. The morning started with her coming into the living room to see her Pottery Barn retro pink kitchen set and opening gifts that went along with that (play dishes, play food, a tea kettle and toaster) and opening her stocking. She went down for a nap before DJ's parents (Ba and Nana) arrived, but woke up just in time to eat a delicious brunch of roasted vegtable quiche with gruyere cheese, homemade Belgian waffles with fresh whipped cream and berries, fresh squeezed OJ and crispy bacon...well, she didn't have any bacon, but everything else she loved. Then it was time for more gifts and play. It was a long day of fun, and now it's time for a little dinner, a bath and bedtime.

Thanks, everyone, for the wonderful gifts and Merry Christmas to all!

Sledding on Christmas Eve Day

Christmas Eve at Ba and Nana's

First things first on a snowy Christmas morning! Luckily our neighbot came over and bailed DJ out with the snow blower.

Presents!

The table is set for brunch!

She's Walking!!

Addison is a quick study. Within two weeks of her first real attempt at truly walking (see last post), our little peanut has gained the confidence she needed in order to take some long-awaited steps on her own. She's so proud of herself, and we are even more proud. She's getting better every day. Go Addison!

Our budding photographer

She loves, loves, LOVES Elmo

Chicken Little Takes a Step

Well, our little chicken is still a chicken, but she had a mini-breakthrough on the walking front on Saturday night at our neighbor's Christmas party. The moment we walk into one of the neighborhood functions Addison is immediately swept away from us by either a.) an overzealous mother who misses those baby years b.) a bigger kid who wants to prove she can be a babysitter c.) a younger kid who wants to prove she's not lowest on the totem pole by showing she can be a big sister or d.) a dad of a bigger kid now and again, but that never lasts too long! So although Addison will rarely walk for us, the kids got her going and she actually stood in the middle of the floor for a good 60 seconds, on her own, and upon realizing how excited everyone around her was, started clapping for herself, then proceeded to take a couple of steps before crumbling to the ground. We were all going wild, because everyone knows she isn't walking yet. It was a tiny victory, but progress nonetheless. Baby steps...no pun intended. We caught one of the less exciting attempts on our camera.

Oh, and by the way, I'm not sending out holiday cards this year. I know, boo on me, what a horrible mother, blah, blah blah, but I just can't muster the time, energy or money that it would take to create the cards I would really like to send, and then address them all and send them out. I'll start saving for next year, promise! Give me a break, I'm pregnant! Only one more month until we find out what little Barat #2 is!

Addison's first picture! She really snapped this herself - Delaney was teaching her to use the camera

The camera face