Adley and the Past Year

Thought I'd do a quick blog of Miss Adley and her monthly pictures.  It was definitely a challenge, but I'm so glad we captured these photos of her each month.  And I have to give a shout-out to Chris, as he was always in the background trying to make her smile.  

As any parent would attest, you rapidly forget how tiny your baby is and how quickly they grow up in such a short time period.  All I can say is WOW on how fast the year has passed.  Our princess was dubbed "Perfect Adley" after just 2 weeks of being born.  At 3 months she was sitting up in the Bumbo seat.  She was rolling over by 4 months and started eating solid food at 5 months.  By 6 months, she was finally sleeping 8-10 hours straight through the night.  She could sit up on her own at 7 months and her favorite "trick" at 9 months was clapping.  We had a walker on our hands at 10 months.  By 11 months, she established that her best bud was Hudson.  Now we have a Miss Independent little lady that wants to feed herself and put herself to sleep...cuddling is for the babies.  She sleeps 12+ hours and even though she only has two teeth, she will eat anything in sight.  She is captivated by all books and loves to walk around holding a baby doll.  She knows what she wants and she refuses to wait for it.  She takes no prisoners and endlessly reminds Hudson who is in charge.  I fear for her teenage years!  But we could not be more excited to cheer her on and watch her dreams come true as she grows up.

Rolling over like a boss at 4 months!

At 6 months, she finally hit the 50th percentile for weight.  But she was still a pipsqueak at 25th percentile in height.

Walking at 10 months, so sitting did NOT make her happy!

She's now 50th percentile height and weight (28.5 inches and 21 lbs 5 oz) and undoubtedly our favorite daughter.  We can't wait to see what the next year has in store!  And she had professional photos done last week so stayed tuned to see the bright obnoxious pink tutu I put her in.  Shout-out to Aunt Sam for buying it for her...it was perfect!!

Adley is ONE!

Our baby girl is officially a toddler!!  Where did the time go?!  Adley is walking everywhere, eating everything and babbling/mimicking all that we say.  She is working on her sign language and her favorite sign is "food."  Her naps are short, but she continues to sleep 12-13 hours straight though the night so I won't complain.  After a few days of a fever last week, she was able to rally and party hard for her birthday party.  It was a day full of outfit changes...we started with pink PJs and tested out over a dozen new headbands.  She hated them all!  Almost as much as she hates shoes...I am sure this is just a phase.  What girl doesn't love shoes and accessories?!  But I was able to catch a cute belly-laugh in between her flinging the headband across the room...

Family pic before the party arrived...notice that the headband was nowhere in sight.

The cousins arrived, along with a couple of my girlfriends and their kiddos and hubbies.  We had to get the traditional cousin picture of the little ones in front of the presents.  They seem to be getting better with every holiday or birthday photo...slightly better.  No one was crying this time!

Miss Adley got to smash her cake before dinner even started.  Mainly because I knew she would start to fall asleep by 630.  Unlike Hudson at his first birthday, she had minimal interest in the scrumptious decadent cake in front of her.   A couple licks and finger pokes and she was done.  It was cute because each big kid (mainly Hudson or Claire) would run up to her cake and steal a glop of icing.  It was both gross and adorable at the same time.  Adley didn't seem to mind so I let it continue for a bit.

Can you guess who the main cake-stealer was?

Cupcakes for everyone soon followed.

Adley with her future besties.  Those girls got to stick together!

Claire, Charlotte, Adley and Avery

After another outfit change, it was present time.  She is definitely one spoiled little lady.  Everything was pink and sparkly and princess-themed.  Which was perfect!  The poor girl has been playing with dump trucks, light sabers and ninja turtles, so some glitter was definitely needed.

Books are still a favorite...which makes us proud parents!

It was a fun-filled birthday full of excitement and joy.  We celebrated surviving the first year!  You can't ask for much more.  We have been blessed with a laid back, good eater and rock-star sleeper.  It has been a privilege to watch her grow and learn.  The day after the party, we had a kid-swap with the fam.  Cousin Claire hung out with Adley all day while Hud and Anderson played at the Bockelman's.  Claire graciously demonstrated how a little lady should play with princesses and castles and everything that sparkles.  It was a sweet, relaxing (and quiet) afternoon.

The 4-foot princess castle won't fit in the playroom, so toys are exploding all over the house.  A good problem to have when you're a birthday girl with an influx of presents!

Hope everyone has a great weekend in store!  Hudson is officially in preschool now so we're in "school mode" with activities and lessons.  These kids grow up way too fast.

Louisville Visit

Angela here!  We had a quick trip to Louisville this past weekend and it was jam-packed with friends, family and the Kentucky Science Center.  Our first stop was at Abby's, a college bestie, for a pool party and mini reunion.  They recently bought a new house and were gracious enough to open their home to some UK girlfriends, our hubbies and a combined seven little tikes.  It was a perfect afternoon to soak up some sun and catch up.  Between new homes, new babies and new jobs, some girl-time was just what we needed!

Hudson was reunited with his girlfriend Stella...and I think the feeling is finally mutual!  Before we even arrived, Stella was inquiring about what he was wearing and what they were going to do.  She's two months old than Hud and clearly has good taste in men :)

 The kids were near-perfect on the car ride down.  Adley slept most of the way and then babbled/giggled for the remaining 20 minutes.  Hudson was content with the iPad and even took an hour nap.  His only meltdown was when he woke up; he was upset to still be in the car.  But as soon as he was near "Stella's house," he perked backed up.

Adley thinks she's a big girl now.  She was following the girls around and walking all over the place.  Only a few close encounters with the pool edge, but no casualties so I deem that another win.  She even had her first taste of Doritos (on accident).  And she rallied through the day and partied hard with Charlotte and Stella.  

The entire crew of kiddos!

Keller, Henry, Adley, Hudson, Stella, Charlotte, Marshal = aka TROUBLE!

On Sunday, we stopped by Mimi and Pop Wilson's house.  Hudson got to play with the dogs and exert some energy in the back yard.  At one point, he tripped and scratched up his knee, thus resulting in a life-threatening "booboo."  No band-aids were near, so handy-man Pop Wilson made one out of a paper towel and tape.  Everything was then copacetic and the world was back in order.

Next up, we went to the Kentucky Science Center to expend more energy before we headed back home.  I haven't visited the center since I was young and I definitely forgot how cool it was!  There were stations, toys and experiments for kids of all ages.  The water table is always a hit with Hud...

Creating bubbles and walking through mirror-mazes.  Adley wasn't too sure about the dangling noodles...

 We ended the evening back home and in our own beds.  Mimi and Pop Wilson gave Hudson a stuffed dog, Fred, and he immediately wanted to sleep with him.  He now has over a dozen stuffed animals that must be with them every night.  They read books together, look out the window together and "wait for the green light" to turn on before they can get out of bed in the mornings (ie. a color-changing alarm clock).  If he gets anymore "friends," I may have to upgrade him to a queen-size bed...

Hope everyone has a great rest of the week.  Adley is on the mend from a rough couple days of a virus.  But I think she can rally for the weekend and celebrate her birthday in style.  Two more days before she becomes a toddler!!