A whole year has flown by since Addie entered into the world. Here’s a snapshot of what she is up to right now:

Words

• Dog (w/ a southern accent, “daw”)
• Mama
• Dada
• Buh-bye
• Da (“What’s that”)
• Doh (pointing things out)
• Uh-oh
• Baaa (“What’s a lamb say?”)
• All done
• Meeeeow
• Hi (hhhhhi)
• Wooooo (with arm waving in the air)

Nicknames

• Boo boo
• Addie muffin
• Nuggie/Nugget/Nugs
• Munchie, little munch munch (munchkin)
• Baby girl
• Addster/Adz

Favorite Foods

• Avocado
• Pasta w/ red sauce and parm.
• Raspberries
• Bananas
• Cottage cheese
• Peas
• Blueberries
• Grapes (mostly red)
• Oatmeal w/ cinnamon

Games & Toys

• Peek-a-boo
• So big
• Music table
• Maracas
• Pushing laundry basket around
• Taking things in/out of containers
• Stacking cups
• Climbing rocking chair
• Attempting to scale the gate
• Running away to climb the stairs
• Putting fuzz in her mouth from the rug (for real and pretending) and crawling away
• Chase w/ Mom & Dad and stopping to let us catch her and then growling
• Hanging upside down
• Taking Mom & Dad’s glasses off
• Singing and rocking to music
• Looking in the mirror and licking her reflection

Books

Addie is really into reading board books by herself. She reads in her crib before and after waking up as well as in her carseat.

• Baby Woof Woof
• Good Morning, Good Night
• Sesame Street books
• I Love You Little One
• Baby Colors
• Baby’s First 100 Words
• Gingerbread Girl
• Ripping flaps off of lift-the-flap books

Currently Wearing

•  12-24 months (mostly 18 months)
• Size 3 disposables and her rise is unsnapped on her cloth diapers
• Sunglasses (for 1-2 minutes)
• Hat (wears it longer without tugging it off)
• Most days she wears a dress or shirt/shorts
• Doesn’t wear shoes yet
• Pulls her bib off sometimes
• Loves putting her arms through her shirts/PJs

Routine

• Wakes up at 6:30 almost on the dot every day
• Nurses, plays and swings out front before breakfast
• Takes a nap around 9am
• Heads to music class or goes to a friend’s house mid-morning on many days
• Eats lunch around 12:30
• Naps from 1:30-2:30 or 3
• Goes with Mom for errands after snack-time
• Has dinner around 5:30
• Takes a bath every other night
• Nurses, reads a book (or two) and sings a song before bed
• Goes to bed with blankie, singing seahorse, and books at 6:30, falls asleep by 7

Travel Summary

• Northeast for fall visit Oct 2010 (10 weeks)
• Northeast for Christmas 2010 (4.5 mo.)
• CT visit traveling with Mom only in January 2011 (5.5 mo.)
• PA/Outer Banks trip in April 2011 (8 mo.)
• Northeast visit with Mom only in July 2011 (11 mo.)

And here are a few photos from the quick photo shoot we did in the front yard on the morning of her birthday. The wagon was her dad’s (grandpa re-painted it for her).

Hey everybody! Addie here. I threw a big bash for myself over the weekend and had the Austin gang over. A few of my fanbase also Skyped in to join the fun. As you can see, I was really all about the wrapping paper and cake.  Seeing the family was ok too. But cake, cake is my new hobby. Daddy sneaks me some during the day.

Thanks to everyone for the gifts and stopping by, even if you did keep partying after I went to take a nap (I heard you, I made a mental note. I’ll be up at 3am…).

Quick post tonight. As referenced earlier in the week, Addie has a growing fondness for her toys experiencing the miracle of flight. Today photographic evidence was produced. Here is her singing seahorse caught in flight. Notice the concentration and strength of the thrower in the background.

Clearly a fun game that continued at bedtime, of course.

Oh, and just a couple more photos for fun (big surprise faces today, for some reason):

Addie has been really focused on entertaining herself in her crib these past few weeks. She sings, reads books, throws things overboard (her new favorite) and generally just carries on while she is waiting for Mom or Dad to come retrieve her. The loud thuds of board books and her musical seahorse are enough to give her parents pause and wonder if she took a flying leap herself. She doesn’t seem confused by everything magically reappearing in her crib in the morning after we’ve picked up the debris while she’s asleep. Here’s a few post-nap photos that she endured before getting lifted out for fun in the playroom.

It’s been a week and a half since I’ve seen my girls. They’ve been up north visiting all of the grandparents and great-grandparents. It’s been really lonely here despite Ben and Rogan’s best attempts to cheer me up with their incessant begging for walks and playing fetch and forceful leaning. Fortunately, I head to the airport in seven short hours to pick them up. I’m hoping Addie will be up and at ’em when she lands. Here’s a few photos sent from up north that have helped me get through the past week:

Addie is settling in to her new rocking chair that her grandpa brought down last week. The chair was given to her dad by his grandparents for his first Christmas. That happened to be right around when he was 11 months old too!

We took the chair to a local park for her 11 month photo shoot. Addie was pretty into it until she face planted into the ground while studying something below her. No major harm besides a tuckered out little girl who slept most of the way home.

Now that school is out in the northeast, Addie had her Aunt Beth come visit for a week. She got to play lots of fun games with her, go swimming, have dinner at restaurants (a special treat) and a bunch of other things that spoiled her. Addie’s Grandpa Connor showed up with a car full of fun new toys like a wagon and a rocking chair. Some are for Addie’s birthday though, so she’ll have to wait to see what else might be new to play with. Everyone enjoyed some BBQ, a trip to Cabela’s and more time at the pool.

Addie perfected her “so big” pose (hands up in the air; check the photos below). She also learned a new skill from her Grandpa — opening her mouth to show she finished her food and is ready for more. We’ll need to get a video of that… Here’s a few photos of the visit.

Addie’s mom planned a big day for Addie’s dad this past weekend. In addition to the video posted earlier, there was a scavenger hunt around the house (with Addie in tow), a trip to Taylor for BBQ and a stop in Pfluegerville for a family photo shoot. Here’s some of our favorite photos from the day out:

Addie loves her daddy. And I’d say the adoration is mutual. I can’t wait to see the adventures they’ll have and the trouble they’ll get into as Addie grows up. Happy Father’s Day, Steve!

Father’s Day 2011 from Ellen Strong on Vimeo.

It’s hard to believe that Miss Adelaide is ten months old. It seems like every day she is funnier, smarter, and more active. In fact, reflecting on her growth so far easily brings me to tears. I can only imagine how I’ll handle the changes that are to come. Sniff. I’ll leave it to Addie’s daddy to post the wonderful photos he’s taken of her, but here are some of the more notable milestones and moments of the past month.

A few weeks ago, food really “clicked” for Addie. She never was a big fan of cereal and purees, and she could usually give or take solid food, except for her beloved MumMums and HappyBaby puffs (green only, please!). She’s still nursing 4-5 times a day, so we didn’t push it. We offered a lot of finger foods and she’d eat some one day, then refuse it the next. But this month, Addie became a carbaholic: tortillas, pancakes, waffles, and pita all became favorites. I even resorted to putting yogurt or fruit purees on her toast so she’d get a little variety. I shouldn’t have worried, because she soon began eating blueberries, peas, grapes, and sweet potato fries. Those are pretty reliable favorites. She also likes oatmeal and sharing bananas with her dad. She’s pictured below enjoying some garlic and cheese grits at Threadgill’s and offering some waffles to Grammy Strong. She also enjoyed sharing some lasagna with Grandma Connor when she came to visit. She loves to share her food with us!

The past month has also brought big changes in Addie’s mouth – four new teeth! They are all poking through, although the eyeteeth (her fangs) are farthest out so far. We are wiping her teeth at night with Tooth Tissues, which she loves. Addie has gotten very attached to her blankie and seahorse. Sometimes I’ll hear the seahorse music come on in the middle of the night, followed by some babbling from Addie. Overall, she is sleeping through the night very well. After a while with a 7:30 bedtime, we’re back at 6:30 p.m. for the night. She usually takes two naps, from around 9-10:30 and 1-2:30, although she sometimes wakes up around 5:30 a.m. and is ready for a nap by 8 (and so am I!). We just go with it because we are all a lot happier when she goes down before she’s overtired.

Overall, Addie is just so much fun! She loves playing peekaboo and putting silly objects on our heads. She is constantly on the move, crawling and pulling up and climbing whenever she can. She loves putting things in containers and dumping them out, and claps for herself on just about any occasion: finishing a book, a meal, a nursing session, or after giving someone a high five. Now that Steve is working from home, it’s tough to keep them apart. After helping me with the laundry, Addie crawls down the hallway to his office door, stands up, and bangs on it. A new assistant, perhaps?

Of course, Addie’s in heaven now that she has her own playroom. Her favorite toy is her maracas. She makes a beeline for them as soon as she wakes up, and loves to shake them and bang them together. She’s even starting to dance when music comes on! When she needs a little downtime, she crawls into the corner of her playroom and brings a few toys to keep her company. She also has had lots of fun with some new buddies. We’ve been very busy with music class, the library, and playgroups. Here Addie is at Barnes & Noble storytime working on her “craft.” Don’t worry, it’s hanging on the fridge. We can’t wait to see what next month will bring.