it's so hard not to compare addison and ellie too much. i know each child is different and they are their own unique person and they develop at their own pace and it doesn't necessarily mean that they are smarter if they do something sooner. but addison was such a fast baby especially with all the developmental milestones. as i was checking my old blog where i took note of all of addison's moves, i noticed that she was sprouting teeth, able to sit herself up from laying down, crawling, and pulling herself up to a standing position at 7 1/2 months! and at 8 months she was walking and maneuvering around with the baby walker... going in reverse, turning corners, getting herself unstuck. and then standing securely and then by 10 1/2 months, she was taking her first steps. she was so quick and mentally so bright. i don't know if it's a first-child thing to be so quick? i remember thinking then, "boy, she is just very textbook... pretty much on the mark and maybe even a bit ahead." and well, ellie is now almost 8 months and she is not really close to where addison was at this point. she cries when she gets stuck on the floor on her tummy. she's not able to fully lift her belly off from the floor. and still no teeth. and she's has more skin irritations/ezcema than addison. i feel like i worry about her a lot more... especially when my gauge is addison. i know i shouldn't worry... and that i'm probably being a bit neurotic. and perhaps i'm forgetting all the worrying i did with addison and only remembering her positives. or maybe i'm babying ellie more than i did with addison... picking her up more, not letting her cry as much... who knows!?! i am sure i am a different mom now than before too.

but one thing is for sure and without a doubt...


my hearts melts over and over again when i look at this precious face...



and her typical scrunched-up faced smile









see here as she is attempting to crawl. you can do it, ellie!!



... and then boink!... lands on her head. :(


"yeah, i'm alright!"



"don't worry, mommy... i'll there get there someday!"

happy feet

did i ever mention that i have a fascination/obsession/addiction to my kids' feet??! i just love them! i'm always touching them, squeezing them, smelling them, kissing them, biting them... even when they are clammy or sweaty! am i weird or what?! i just think they are so cute and little and soft! their little toes...their little heals. and ellie's are so plump and puffy! i just can't get enough! :)



i mean, come on... are these irresistible or what?! :)

we went to st. louis this week to visit my parents. it was ellie's first time in st. louis and her first time flying on an airplane. traveling with two kids, i felt like i was packing for a month.. and that was just for my carry-on bag! actually, addison is a pro at flying now and is old enough now where she can easily entertain herself. and thank goodness for iphones and their videos! :) so she was a breeze. but i wasn't sure how ellie was going to do... though she is not as easily scared as addison was when she was a baby. ellie can fuss quite a bit and is not as easy to soothe. well, it turns out she did pretty well... she cried at the beginning (i was thinking to myself... "uh oh... please tell me she's not one of those crying-like-crazy-on-a-plane babies!") but she ended up sleeping most of the flight. and on the way back, i just tried to keep her busy with food and drinks. st. louis was great fun! addison had a blast as usual. the weather was gorgeous there. we had a playdate with some of my high school friends, played at the park, met up with our relatives including addison's cousins, etc. jimmy was with me this trip. so i didn't have to do it solo. we'll see if i'm brave enough to go by myself next time. eek! ;)


swinging with quinn and cameron at Rainbow Recreation. It's a Rainbow swingset showroom, but they open it up for play from like 10am-3pm. It was a fun place!



even ellie enjoyed it.