Sort of an update, but mostly just ramblings...

Well... I have fallen into the blog slacker mode yet again. Seriously, I don't know why I haven't posted anything in so long - especially since SO much has been going on. At least 3 times a day I think, "I really should put an update on the blog," but the thought is fleeting, and alas, I do not post. So, I hope you are settled in and comfy because I have a feeling this might take a while...

First thing's first... the house.

We LOVE our new house. It has felt like "home" from the first day we arrived. Moving was fairly easy (says the girl who mostly just helped move boxes, and stood at the front door pointing to where I wanted furniture placed). We had several great helpers, and we really appreciate it more than they know. It took only 3 days to have all the boxes unpacked, stuff put away, pictures hung, and things organized. I am a freak when it comes to things being "undone", and couldn't stand to have our stuff just sitting around, so it got done pretty quickly - again, with the help of some awesome family and friends. Now, the other stuff (hanging blinds, putting up curtains, etc.) still hasn't been completed yet - and I know that's ultimately why I haven't taken and posted pictures yet - because I want everything to be done before I show it to anyone. I know that's ridiculous, and there will always be something to be done, so I just need to get over it and take and post some pictures. I know. And I will. Soon. I just have to get a few more things done. :)

Addison has done great in the new place. I guess kids are pretty resilient that way. It's crazy for me to think about the fact that she will never remember the old house. Weird. Anyway - she loves it here, and she definitely loves seeing her Daddy every night again. She just lights up when he walks in the door, and it totally melts my heart. She is a Daddy's girl through-and-through.

Some fun updates on Addison:

~She is now 10 1/2 months old (seriously, where does the time go?!)
~ I guess the biggest thing is that she is WALKING! She was 2 days shy of 10 months when she took her first meaningful (21) steps. She started taking 2 and 3 steps at a time about 3 weeks prior to that, but when she set her mind to it, she just took off... and hasn't looked back. She is now everywhere. It is fun, but exhausting, chasing her around now. She is just so darn cute toddling around all off-balance. I'll post a video of it soon.
~ She kicked the bottle about 3 weeks ago - cold turkey- and now drinks everything from sippy cups. I had always given her water in a sippy (from about 6 months old), so she didn't even blink when I started putting her milk in one, too. Pretty cool - no more bottles to wash!
~ She has 5 teeth - the bottom middle two came in at 8 1/2 months and 9 months, and the top middle two and the next one on the left all came in last week (yes, at the same time - that was SO much fun!).
~ She is eating all table food now, and feeds herself with her hands like a pro. We're working on the spoon. If I load it up, she'll take it from me, put it in her mouth, take the food, then hand the spoon back to me. She also loads the spoon herself by picking the food up with her fingers and putting it on the spoon. :)
~ I just started this week cutting her formula with whole milk. She is still nursing twice a day (first thing in the morning, and right before bedtime at night), and gets two 8 oz sippies during the day. So, I've started mixing 2 oz of whole milk in with 6 oz of formula, and she's doing great. I'm going to increase the milk (and decrease the formula) by 2 oz every week until she is getting all whole milk. I know they aren't supposed to get whole milk until a year old, but I think she is close enough, and she has never had any digestive or allergy issues, so we're going for it - slowly.
~ She just started clapping her hands this weekend. This is a big thing for us because it was truly the only thing she has not done "on time". We've been working on it for a while now, and last night she just decided that she would play along. And when she saw the reaction it got out of us, she did it the rest of the night. And every time she would clap her hands, she would get this HUGE smile on her face and look at us like, "I'm doing it - see?! I can clap! Aren't you proud of me?!"
~ She has a few words... Mama and Dada are said all the time. When she is upset, or tired, it is always "MaaaaaaaaaaaaMaaaaaaaaaaaaaa"... "Ba" is ball... And she will point to my coffee cup every morning and say "OT!" (HOT!) - I'm not sure she knows what "hot" means, but that's what she associates with my coffee cup. Those are the ones she says by herself, but she will pretty much mimic whatever we tell her to say. I cannot wait to hear her little voice when she starts really talking!
~ She loves to give kisses (she puts her open mouth against your cheek), and will grab your face with both of her chubby little hands and pull you close to her just to give you a big, wet, sloppy kiss. Be still my heart.
~ I've joined the MOMS Club (Dahlonega Chapter), and I am so excited about meeting other moms in the area and getting to do fun things. We are going to an Apple Farm in Ellijay this Friday (provided it stops raining - for those of you out of the ATL area, it has rained non-stop for 7 days and there is major flooding issues everywhere), and touring the Dahlonega fire station next week. They also have a play date at someone's house every week, bikes-n-trikes at the park a couple times a week, reading time at the library on Tuesdays, and stroller walks at the park on Thursdays.

Everything else is going great. Kevin is really enjoying his new job as the Adapted PE teacher for the county, and of course is loving football. They are 3 games in and are 2-1 so far. We love Friday nights. It is very much like the stereotypical small town high school football scenario - everyone in town heads to the stadium on Friday nights to cheer on the Indians, and when you win, everyone in town congratulates you the rest of the week - seriously, the guy in the Wendy's drive-through window told me congratulations the other day after a win when he saw my LC Football tshirt. So much fun.

Alright... I guess that's all I've got in me for now... House pictures and walking video to come soon... I promise. Gotta go get the little one up from her nap... I can hear her over the monitor playing sweetly in her crib!