Addison Joy

Easter 2010

2010-04-01T09:35:00.000-07:00

Birthday Girl

2010-02-26T09:05:00.000-08:00

Opening presents

2010-01-01T20:37:00.000-08:00

Christmas

2009-12-25T21:18:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas this year, other than everyone being sick with colds! We headed over to Grandma Patty's for Christmas brunch & presents, then over to Grandma & Grandpa's for more presents and dinner. Addison played all day with her new toys, she wasn't really interested in opening all of her presents though, so we opened a few every day after Christmas too! It was our German exchange student, Julia's first Canadian Christmas too. She's been staying with us since August and will go home at the end of January.

Helping mommy blow out birthday candles on Christmas Eve. Colouring with Julia

Hiding under the table with her new friendGrandma & Grandpa's Christmas treeMmmm! Cookies!Addison thinks she is small enough to fit in her dolly's crib...we had to take it away for awhile after this.

Reading a Christmas book with Julia

Snow!

2009-12-15T22:50:00.000-08:00

Addison was so thrilled with the snow this year, since last year she wasn't even walking or old enough to be interested in it. She didn't want to come back inside!

Christmas Card Picture!

2009-12-15T16:51:00.000-08:00

Here is our official Christmas card picture! (courtesy of my sister, once again!). Addison was pretty grouchy this day, but we did manage to get a good one. Hope you are all having a great December!

Halloween

2009-11-12T08:14:00.000-08:00

We had a very busy Halloween this year. Addison helped carve pumpkins for the first time...she wasn't so sure about touching the insides at first though! Our German exchange student, Julia, had her first Canadian Halloween. It's not anything the same in Germany, so she was quite excited.

We made quite the trek that night though - first to the mall for some trick-or-treating...Addison's first time doing that too. She figured it out pretty quick that if she lifted up her pumpkin basket, that she would get a treat put into it.

Then it was off to Grandma Patty's, and trick-or-treating at the clubhouse at her complex. Then off to Grandma & Grandpa's for some more treats and fireworks.

Fall 2009

2009-10-27T22:18:00.000-07:00

I must apologize to anyone following that I am not a very good blogger. As soon as I am back to work, many things just seem to get put at the bottom of the list! I am teaching a wonderful grade 7 class this year in White Rock 4 days a week, but free time for me just does not happen anymore!

Anyways, here are a few pictures taken by my photographer sister. They really bring out Addison's personality. Addison has been changing so much lately - she RUNS as fast as she possibly can, and if she wants something, will take one of us by the hand and lead us there. She is very strong willed! Taking away the bottles is going to be tough for all of us, I have been seeing this for the past few months! So far she's down to 3 a day. Wish us luck!

Last week she had a fever of 103.5 degrees, so we took her to the doctor right away, and got her on the Tamiflu medication. The next day she was pretty much back to normal, but we STILL haven't gotten her test results back, 8 days later.

On the luggage rack at the hotel in Whistler

She's a comedian!

Bathtime is her favourite time of day!

Do you see this? Hair!! Hair that was not there 6 months ago!

Mischevious as usual...

Seattle - August 7-9th

2009-08-10T22:13:00.000-07:00

We had been looking forward to being able to take Addison to the Woodland Park Zoo there for a long time - I HIGHLY recommend it. It's much better than our zoo in Vancouver, and my season's pass for our zoo gets me in free down there too. Their zoo has actually been there for over 100 years, so it's quite the sight. We're hoping to go back again before the summer is over.

Addison loved the African village they had. We're hoping Grandpa can build her a little thatched hut like this one!

First ride on a carousel - she didn't like the horse that went up and down, so we had to switch to a stationary one.

Pike Place market - BUSY on a Sunday!!

Mmmmm, fresh raspberries!

Addison loved the Dixie band. She was dancing along....

A day at Stanley Park

2009-07-30T21:48:00.000-07:00

We decided to go to Stanley Park on one of the first days of the heat wave. It was busy! We went to the Aquarium but the line up was huge, so we decided to cool off at the water park for a bit first and come back later. Luckily the line up did get shorter, and we went for a few hours. Addison LOVED all the fish, especially the floor-to-ceiling fish tanks. And the beluga wales ("Baby Beluga" is her favourite song...just like mommy's was 27 years ago!).

I think I forgot to mention in the last post, but Addison started walking June 29th. She is pretty quick now, and getting into EVERYTHING. As soon as I clean up one mess, she is making another. I took her to the pediatritian she's seen since she was born, and he's extremely happy with her progress, and doesn't need to see her anymore. She is above the 75th percentile for all her measurements and her weight (this is for her corrected age of 15 months).

She seems to understand a lot of what we are talking about. Her first word, of course, was "woof". She sometimes sits up in her sleep, says "woof", and lays back down. It's quite hilarious. She also knows signs for "baby" and "more". She knows names for body parts, noises animals make, and different toys. It's amazing how far she's come in the past few months!

Vancouver Island

2009-06-30T10:29:00.000-07:00

We went to Vancouver Island for the last weekend of June. My mom entered us all in a draw to win a gift certificate to the Long Beach Lodge in Tofino, and both her and Greg won. So we stayed at Tigh-Na-Mara in Parksville on the Friday night, and in Tofino on Saturday night. On the way home we stopped in Port Alberni to visit my family's old dog, Bentley, who was adopted by a family there.

On the ferry to the Island

In Parksville

Reading a book to herself

In Port Alberni - petroglyphs on Sproat lake

The Mars Water bombers have been kept there since the 1960's.This is our old dog, Bentley. We couldn't have asked for a better life for him! He LOVES the water!Captain Addison

Cute movies of Addison

2009-06-13T22:29:00.000-07:00

I can just imagine how funny this one looked from the street!

Fort Langley on a Sunny Evening

2009-05-30T22:07:00.000-07:00

Daddy had a poker tournament so Auntie Lisa, Addison and I went for a nice walk in Fort Langley. As you can see, she's learning to walk! When she's not paying attention, she will take quite a few steps on her own, but as soon as she realizes it, she loses her balance and topples over.

Auntie Lisa

Kisses for mommy

Fun at Grandma & Grandpa's

2009-05-17T21:29:00.000-07:00

We are very fortunate that Addison has a huge 1-acre yard to play in at my parent's house. She is there 3-4 days a week while mommy & daddy are at work, and always has tons of fun. Her favourite thing lately is riding on Grandpa's lawnmower!

Lots of birthdays!

2009-04-05T21:17:00.000-07:00

Ellysa

Richa

My silly rosy-cheeked girl in her party dress!

Addison's Birthday Party

2009-03-17T20:23:00.000-07:00

It's so hard to believe Addison is 1 year already! We just had a small-ish birthday party at our house for her. She LOVED seeing all the kids and being the center of attention!

These are the cakes I made...took about 12 hours!

And the aftermath...

Maui

2009-03-07T21:14:00.000-08:00

We were in Maui February 18th-28th. It was wonderful! I can definitely see why people keep coming back to this island. There are so many options for what to do! And it is still not very developed, unlike Oahu, where Greg and I went 3 years ago. While we were there, we drove down south past Wailea to the lava fields, up north to the Blowholes, to the East, and drove part of the Hana Highway. We stopped at many beaches and saw lots of whales (one waiter we had commented that "they're like rats here!"). Greg and my parents went snorkelling with the turtles while Addison and I played on the beach. It was an amazing trip!

Yep...eating sand.

This was at a nice little beach at the side of the road, it was great cause you could pull the car right up to it, and there were trees everywhere for shade.

Lava flow beach in South Maui

She crawls!

2009-01-29T20:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Addison finally started crawling! She's been rolling around lots and has been able to sit up on her own for a few weeks now, but now she's doing the G.I. Joe crawl!

Yes there is a dog in behind her! We dog-sat for some friends...it's so different having a big dog around that can eat Addison's cheerios off the exersaucer! She seemed to think it was pretty funny though! (And this is the only picture I have where you can see her teeth! We're up to 7 now!)

She wouldn't let me put her clothes back on...

Do you think she knows how cute she is?

Our house

2009-01-11T12:13:00.001-08:00

Some of you have been asking to see pictures of our new house...so here they are!

Shoes!

2009-01-07T10:17:00.000-08:00

My sister actually took these pictures in November, but I had forgotten about them. Addison LOVES her shoes, just like mommy!

Feeding Mia!

2009-01-05T09:23:00.000-08:00

I don't think even half of the Cheerios get into her own mouth!

Babysitters?

2009-01-02T10:44:00.000-08:00

Apparently this is what "playing with the baby" means...

Addison's First Christmas!

2008-12-29T19:02:00.000-08:00

Christmas was very fun this year, especially since it was Addison's first. It was also her 10 month birthday! Of course she was MAJORLY spoiled and got tons of toys...I think next year we will have to put a limit on the toys...not from us but from the grandma's!

This is a really cute and funny video of Addison with her Grandma Joy and Mia - don't know why she thought this was so hilarious, but we thought it was pretty funny just watching her reaction!

I just had to add this video too...poor dog!

2008-12-20T10:37:00.000-08:00

Addison loves her baths! It's been getting increasingly difficult to get her out of the tub lately. But it's the one thing I know I can do to entertain her...and keep her mind off of her painful gums! She has had 3 teeth come in since December 2nd - 2 on the bottom and one on the top.

Our Christmas Tree!

LIGHT PARADE IN LYNDEN, WASHINGTON

December 2008

2008-12-15T09:08:00.000-08:00

Addison went to visit Santa a few weeks back...and I have never heard her scream so loud! She was not impressed with the big man. This picture was taken in between screams. See the tears in her eyes?

Thanksgiving

2008-10-13T22:50:00.000-07:00

Addison is 7 1/2 months old now! So hard to believe. Auntie Lisa took some amazing Thanksgiving pictures, so I had to put them up. This adorable hat was made by a friend of ours.

Lately Addison has been getting stronger and stronger. She especially likes to go in her jumperoo and exersaucer. Still not really a fan of being on her tummy though. And she's been less fussy because we've finally found a formula that doesn't make her throw up. Yay! No more outfit changes 5 times a day! And less laundry for mom :)

Some more news: we have bought our first house! We are all very excited. It is in Aldergrove, about 15 minutes from where we currently live. It has been all updated, so I am thrilled that we won't have to do renovations. And finally that I can let Mia out without having to put her on a leash!

Camping in Penticton

2008-09-10T18:40:00.000-07:00

Every year, we go camping in Penticton on Skaha Lake, where some friends of my parents have their trailer parked all year, right on the water. We had really looked forward to this all summer, thinking that it would be nice hot weather, like it usually is every year. Not the case! We had one day of warm weather out of 4 days. And the nights were so cold! We stayed in a tent, but I had Addison completely bundled up. She was very warm and slept better than the rest of us! We had a few crying sessions, and Greg and I had to drive up and down the hills there to calm her down...which mostly worked. This is the problem with camping in a tent with a baby...nowhere to go. Overall it was a good trip though!

A thrilled Uncle Craig

Auntie Lisa

Having a bath in the toy bin!

Addison is 6 months!

2008-08-25T18:06:00.000-07:00

Lately Addison seems hungry even more than usual, so I decided to try feeding her some solid food. I had been planning on waiting a bit longer since her corrected age is really only 4 months, but I figured it can't hurt, so she had her first taste of rice cereal. She seemed to know what to do, and swallowed some. Hopefully this will keep her full for longer!

Now this is the kind of outfit children will hate their parents for putting on them...might as well take advantage while we can, right?

Here is a cute video of Addison laughing! (please ignore my voice though)

BOAT TRIPS!

We have been on a few boat trips this summer with my parents, and of course, Mia. We even have a little life jacket for Addison. The problem with taking Mia though, is that sometimes we can't find an empty beach to anchor at, so she can't go potty! My dad got the idea of trying to get her to swim to shore, but we didn't want to lose her, so he tied a long rope to her life jacket (yes, life jacket! Courtesy of my mom) Mia didn't quite get what she was supposed to do though, and just swam in a circle and came back.

4 Months Old

2008-06-25T11:33:00.000-07:00

Cutie

2008-05-20T13:42:00.000-07:00

Some cute pictures of our chubby baby:

Baby Showers

2008-04-29T09:21:00.000-07:00

I have been fortunate enough to have had 3 baby showers! One was the day before Addison was born (no one believed me she was coming SOON!), hosted by my mother in law, Patty.

Who is REALLY pregnant here?

Can you guess?

And 2 in April, hosted by my mom and sister, and one by my friend Kristal.

Addison & Great Grandma Sadler

Great Grandma Haveman (my grandma), my mom and me

6 weeks old

2008-04-12T22:56:00.000-07:00

My sister Lisa took a LOT of pictures of Addison to commemorate her 6 week birthday...and while she is still so small! Although you can see she's really starting to get some rolls! I think these pictures are just amazing.

Home for Easter!!

2008-03-24T16:38:00.000-07:00

We definitely did not expect Addison to be home from the hospital in time for Easter! But she has only proven to us how tough she is, and came home after only 3 weeks of being in the NICU. (They had initially told us not to expect her to come home until around her due date - April 22nd)

Coming home

2008-03-18T22:39:00.000-07:00

I finally got to bring Addison home after 3 weeks in the hospital. We had to stay the night before I guess so they can make sure everything goes okay. Greg and I both got an awful sleep there! Addison has been gaining weight steadily even though they have removed the feeding tube, so because of that, she doesn't need to stay in anymore, and her jaundice has gone down.

Grandma Joy was there to bring her home with us, but everyone else was working. It was a really sunny day, as you can see! When we got home, Mia was very curious about this little human we were bringing into HER place. She was very good though and just sniffed Addison. Addison doesn't do much at this point except sleep a LOT! Which makes sense since she's not even supposed to be here yet! We have to feed her on a strict 3 hour schedule. I have to set my alarm at night in case she doesn't wake up, because she really needs to eat and grow!

Addison Joy Weitzel - born February 25, 2008

2008-02-25T17:46:00.000-08:00

Addison Joy Weitzel was born in Kelowna, BC at 11:58 am on February 25th, 2008 weighing 5 lbs 2 oz. We were flown to Kelowna after my water broke at 2am on the 25th, and we went to Langley Hospital only to learn that there was nowhere any closer that could take us because of a shortage of beds and/or incubators. We landed in Kelowna airport around 9:30 am, had a 45 minute ride in the ambulance to the hospital, and Addison was born 1 1/2 hours after arriving at the hospital. Unfortunately I didn't even get to see her right away, since they had to quickly get her up to the NICU to do everything they could to make sure she would be okay, since she was born at 32 weeks gestation (2 months early). Initially, she was put under an oxygen mask and a feeding tube, and hooked up to heart and oxygen monitors.

After getting up and showering (easier said than done!), I was finally able to see Addison about 2 hours after she was born. As Greg wheeled me in to the nursery, I didn't even know where to look. Finally I saw her and she was so tiny! I couldn't believe she was ours, and what a beautiful little person we had created. It was so hard because we couldn't touch her, since it felt like sandpaper on her very sensitive premature skin, and she would get upset when she was touched. I was able to touch her hand though, which I was quite thankful for. What a strong little baby she was though! She stayed in Kelowna hospital for 10 days, then we were flown to Langley, where she stayed for 10 more days.