Andria's for Fish & Chips

Aunti Kimi & Addie had to be introduced to the greatest fish & chips in Southern California- Andria's in Ventura. Yum yum!









Addie is wearing her new and fabulous sweat suit from Niki's Uncle Stew & Aunt Wendy (soooo cute!).
A little diaper change in the car and off we go to the beach! 

Simply Fabulous Dahling!

Wearing Auntie Kimi's Coach sunglasses I look just fabulous- don't you think?! 

A Big Relief

We got in to see the Pediatric Cardiologist today (a lot earlier than we expected due to a cancellation). He was a very good doctor and put us at ease. He listened to Addie's heart, said he did hear a faint murmur, but not one that alarmed him. Then Addie got a little baby EKG, which was fascinating to watch. The nurse stuck little stickers all over her body, then attached sensors to the stickers and the machine read the information. The doctor said that based on the sound of the murmur and the results of the EKG (which looked great), he feels there is nothing to worry about. She has what is called an "innocent" murmur. What a BIG relief! If she hasn't outgrown the murmer in 6 months, he'll take another look just to be extra careful. We sure appreciated his calming manner and kindness!

As for the screaming and lack of sleep, Addie has really improved over the last few days. She is a happier kid than we've ever seen her. She still protests each nap, but we've come to expect that from her. At least now she goes to sleep eventually, instead of screaming for over an hour. Anyway, thanks for all your concern! Boy are we glad to report such good news!

Easter Sunday

Here is Addie in her TWO Easter outfits.


The yellow dress, which was for Sunday morning at church (thank you Mamaw for making sure I looked sooooo good)....












and the cute floral onesie and pink pants for the afternoon meal. Of utmost importance for the occassion- Addie is wearing her bunny slippers (of course!).

When was the last time you had this much fun?

Grant Kropf- what a cutie!
 

The Gang's All Here

Easter fun at the Kropf's apartment- we had lots of friends from church there! Some of those pictured:

Niki with Kathy Armstrong & Shannon McHenry (whom Addie adores). In the foreground is Erin Kaneversky.




Amy Haddock plays Connect Four with Colter Kaneversky.

McKenna Kaneversky hams for the camera with Grant Kropf.









Niki is her animated self while enjoying a chat with Archie Fukishima.











Archie and Jim Davis also chat it up.

Baby/ Parent Dedication

An exciting Sunday morning for us! Today was the Baby/ Parent Dedication ceremony at church (aka: show off your baby Sunday).

Here are some shots of us with Addie. Next to us in some of the shots are Chris & Brooke Kropf with their son Grant.

Some Health Updates

Well there has been a lot happening here since the last post- so a quick upsate seems to be needed!
Addie had her 4 mo. check up this week. Mom got to ask a lot of questions and Addie got her shots. Yuck! She was in true Addie form- screamin' and hollerin' the whole way through. Though LOUD, it was helpful for the doctor to see why I was concerned about how much crying our little girl does. Doctor agreed that on the greater spectrum, Addie is more towards the "problem child" side of things (her words, not mine) than the average kiddo. Sounds bad, I know, but encouraged me- at least I don't have to wonder if she screams so much because I am just doing something wrong.
The doctor also thinks Addie may have some reflux issues going on, a good start in an explanation for why she can scream and scream, and perscribed Zantac for her. So Wed. we started her into the world of Zantac, which has a nice minty flavor that Addie thinks DOES NOT suit her.
We also found out at the doctor's office that Addie has cut her first tooth. Why didn't we know this before? Because it was a molar! Those teeth aren't suppossed to appear for a loooooong time still. It was hiding out way in the back! This also explains some of the screaming and yelling.
Unfortunately, starting Wednesday, Addie's behavior became quite strange and she began screaming even louder, then being a zombie, waking at odd times, acting hysterical. We had some very unhappy overnight times and by Friday she basically went 7 hours without taking a nap. We were suspiscious of the Zantac, but the doctors were thinking probably the reflux was to blame.
Finally we got to take her back to the doctor on Saturday morning. (we are getting to know everyone there very well now). The doctor asked a lot of questions and really put on his thinking cap. He ruled out a lot of easy explanations (virus, flu, ear infection, etc.) and basically still thinks it's the reflux, with a possible reaction to the Zantac of a headache, but we're just still not sure. So we're watching our girlie closely while we keep giving her the medication. Saturday night and Sunday morning seem to have shown some improvement, we just need more time to tell.
The big revelation that came from our Saturday visit and seemed to distract us from the reflux issue was that the doctor found that Addie has a heart murmur. Since this hasn't been found previously, since Addie's behavior lately is pretty strange, and especially since Niki's sister had a serious heart defect that required open-heart surgery during childhood, the doctor wants us to take Addie to a Pediatric Cardiologist. We know that most heart murmurs are not serious and are outgrown, so we are trying to hold back from worrying until we see the cardiologist and know a little more. We will call the office Monday and make an appointment and of course keep you all posted when we know more!

Love is in the Air

Here is me and Addie. This is her new favorite way to be held and she will almost rest her head on my shoulder. I love it! 

The Swaddling Saga

Alas, our stubborn little daughter just won't go to sleep if her arms aren't swaddled. BUT she now wants to put her fingers in her mouth also. So she cries if swaddled, cries if not swaddled. In desparation, we are trying to train her out of needing to be swaddled to go to sleep. Our present state is to swaddle her half-way (shown) and let her cry herself to sleep. ***sigh*** This battle is exhausting for Mommy & Daddy! 

Outside in the Sunshine

A nice warm day gave us the chance to get outside in the fresh air a little bit. Here we are in the courtyard of our apartment building with Grant Kropf- who was prooving his masculinity by eating dirt! 

I'm standing!

With a little help from Daddy, here is Addie getting her legs under her.

Every time I see it I hear a phrase from a movie in my head-- "Sure I'm sure, I'm STANDING aren't I?" Just for Auntie Kim who watched this movie with me a lot- can you name that movie????
 

Highchair Time!!!

In preparation for solids- coming soon we think- we have gotten Addie a highchair and started spending time in it. We think this chair is the coolest because it attaches to our existing chairs! (We don't have a lot of room for some behemoth highchair in our kitchen).

Caught in the Act

It seems we have a hussy on our hands!

On Sunday at church Addie was sitting on the floor next to our friends' baby, Dylan. We looked over to see the two reaching for each other and grabbing hands. Well, Brooke and Grant were over the next day and while I was relating this funny story to Brooke, we looked down to see Addie and Grant doing the same! (this picture is our attempt at recreation of the event, the toy was not there before).

I'd like to blame these forward young men, but it seems the common denominator is our little girl. 

Timmy Knows How To Get What He Wants

When Timmy wants to be petted, he'll try anything. These are some shots of him trying to get Addie to pet him! If she so much as sticks out her hand, he'll be there rubbing under it! 

Nothing Says Funny Like Pants on your Head

Since Greg can't swing his hair in Addie's face like I can, he improvised. 

Finally Some Pictures!

Here's a picture of Addie when she had her cold. Happy, but kind of pathetic looking. :) 

Dizzy Dame

Whew! What an exciting time it is at our house! Greg got to take the day of unexpectedly yesterday to stay home and take care of Addie. I was deemed medically unsafe it seems. :)

What happened was that Addie woke me up at 5:30 am on Tuesday to be fed, and when I sat up in bed all of a sudden the room was moving. I woke Greg up and when he tried to help me out of the room and into the hallway, all I could do was fall to the left- no matter how hard I tried to walk straight! I felt as if I'd spun around in circles for a long time, then tried to walk straight (like when you're a kid and you think it's funny- only it wasn't funny this time). After running into the dresser, the chair, another dresser, the door frame, and the shower door, I finally got safely into the chair in Addie's room. Due to the dizziness, I felt REALLY sick and so I nursed Addie with the trash can between my legs so I could throw-up if needed. Greg got me back to bed and took care of Addie, quickly tried to rearrange his work day, and get a doctor appointment ASAP.

I saw an Ear Nose & Throat doctor yesterday and he said good news! It wasn't a stroke or a brain tumor (WHAT?! I said). Just some inner ear problem, most likely stirred up by my recent cold. The problem was that it would probably be sticking around for a few days or even a few weeks. There isn't really any treatment, it will eventually die down and go away on it's own. (it my occur again at some point in the future). Because this had happened before (about 2 years ago), he recommended eventually getting an MRI done of my head (does crazy show up on an MRI?).

He also said I would need help taking care of Addie. Imagine- it isn't safe to hold a baby when you can't walk straight! Greg took the whole day off to take care of us both. The dizziness died down as the day went on and this morning I feel really good. A little tiny bit woozy, but I feel safe taking care of Addie. Thank goodness for good neighbors too- Brooke Kropf, who lives across the walkway, is on call in case I start getting dizzy again or need anything. I'm hoping this is the end of this little episode- it sure isn't my idea of fun!

So we'll try to post some more pictures again soon, but right now I can't aim the camera!

My First Virus

The next big thing to hit the market in the world of infants- watch for it this Christmas- it's "My First Virus"!!!! Not only can you get your very own virus (there are thousands available), but all the coordinating accessories... the infant Tylenol, the humidifier, the nasal aspirator, and most important, the rectal thermometer! You can do fun things with "My First Virus" too- cry, scream, sleep badly, throw-up, scare your mommy, and go to the doctor. Where to get "My First Virus" you ask? Well, if you are like Addie, you can get it from your mommy, and then together you can give it to your daddy.

Addy saw the doctor yesterday and today. They were a little concerned about a possible ear infection and wanted us to come in this morning to double-check that everything was OK. Well, it is, and we are all finding we will live though this! Her fever is gone and though still a little cranky, none the worse for wear I guess. Even mommy thinks she will survive!