It's official and she couldn't be happier! She told us this morning that her baby bed needed to go the garage and away it went. yay! She's been sleeping exclusively in her big girl bed for a couple days anyway, so it's all good. Here are a few pics...
I have "put it together" a little more now and it looks adorable! So open and roomy. Love it!
So two Sundays in a row now we have had hot air balloons land in the field right behind our house! YAY! Allie spotted them both mornings and once she did, we threw on warm clothes and ran outside to see. The top of the jungle gym is a GREAT vantage point. But yesterday was too cold, so we ran in the house, up to my room and each girl stood on a night stand in front of a window and got to watch all the action. It was really still yesterday so they kept raising up and landing and raising up. It was awesome. Addison was upset we couldn't go ride in one. 
This is just a funny pic I loved. We had just had tubbies and needed snacks, so off they went in their skivies. Happy as clams. Look at Allie, she's looking at Addison so cute. 
Here is a picture of Allie walking right when she first learned. I think this was day two of "walking Allie". She is SOOO happy to be walking around. "walking Allie" is a happy Allie. =) 
Here is a couple quick pics of Rob's new car. Its a Lotus Elise. These were taken on our way back from Elk Grove, (he found the car in Stockton). It was a quick trip up to get it and see Amber and Spencer and then run home. Good times. 
My first thought when they held Addison up to me when she was born was "Oh, she's SUCH a little Robbie" and thus far, that has stayed consistent. Anyone can pick Adds as Robbie's daughter. My first thought when I had Allie was that she looked like us, okay, I actually thought, "She looks JUST like Amber"! and that could not be more true. We pulled baby pics of Am and compared and it's a little spooky. Skin tone, everything. She is very much a Leavitt/Smythe baby.
Anywho, I have liked this and noticed it more and more through time.
But I can now say that the resemblances are more than skin deep!
Addison is easy going, mellow, easily pleased and has no guile in her. I can leave candy, cookies, whatever around and she doesn't sneak stuff or anything like that. She's super physical, loves to tackle, loves to be social, etc. She's also a tech girl. She can use my ipod totally by herself switching between apps, getting out of apps she doesn't like, etc. and I definitely didn't teach her to use it. She just gets it. She's a mini-Rob.
Now Allie is drama. I am also learning she is a teaser. Yesterday Addison and I were laying on my bed and Allie walked over, checked to see if Addi was watching and then swiped Addison's purse off the bed. She kept walking away faster and faster and checking to see if she was getting caught. She was so sneaky it totally cracked me up. She's only 13 months! I already know exactly what I have in store, because I was soooo that teaser child. what goes around, comes around! lol!
OH and even down to food. I loved it yesterday when I shared my Campbell's vegetable soup with Allie because I don't think I know a single person that likes that stuff besides myself. Robbie and Addison will not touch it. and it sealed the deal today when we were having snack and Allie was a little bird to steal my dill pickles! What 13 month old likes dill pickles? Allie! For breakfast Addison likes pancakes with peanut butter and eggs. totally Rob. Allie would prefer fruit and cereal. totally me.
The lines will blur as they grow and change, but at this stage right now its cracking me up how similar they are to each of us and how different they are from each other. I am lucky they compliment each other as Rob and I do. They play together awesome and Addison is a total helper to Allie which warms my heart.
You girls are awesome, and no matter how similar or different you grow to be, you will always have the capacity to be each other's best friend. My sisters are people I could not live without and we could not be more different. We are strong because we are different as you will be. Sisterhood is always a soft place to land and a warm place to come home to.
I love you both very much.
What a WONDERFUL DAY! It started with the hot air balloons landing RIGHT behind our house as they do every year. Beautiful! Then we ate breakfast, lunch and now dinner outside. The girls got to play out back all morning and out front all afternoon with their "boys" as Addison calls them. She shared her otter pops and then our wonderful neighbor boys Nick and Brandon brought over a "picnic" and we all sat and ate in the front yard while the parents washed cars and visited. What a great day!!!
Allie had a check up today with our regular pediatrician Dr. Edralin. She is doing awesome!!
Here are her stats:
Height is in the 80th percentile
Weight is 40th percentile
PERFECT!!
She is 30 inches tall and 20.5 pounds.
Tall and slim just like Addison.
Okay, so I just opened a brand new HUGE bag of raisins. Bright red bag, bright red.
Then promptly put them SOMEWHERE, and now they are NOWHERE to be found. and both girls want more. um. ya. forgetful. seriously, this bag is huge. where can it be? I even checked the freezer. ugh. sorry babes.
I promise you don't do this often. I just always snap a pic when you do.
Beautiful sleeeeeepy girl.
So we are having snack right now:
pickles (for me only)
baby carrots
pretzels
slices of cheese
What did Addison want MORE MORE MORE of? CARROTS! yaya! she is truly my daughter. My mom said when I was little she would offer me a carrot or a cookie and I would ALWAYS choose the carrot. YAY Addison! (I wish that fun fact about me was still true).
And now you are eating a whole bowl of oatmeal. seriously child. Piggie!
Allie totally took off two nights ago, now she just wants to be on her feet ALL the time. I LOVE it. Happy Baby!!!
Also, I just got notification that our blog book, The Vandecar Anthology Vol. 2, has shipped and should be arriving shortly. YAY!!! I can't wait. =) Addison loves it when we get out the first book and look at pictures. She is kind of starting to realize that yes, she was once a baby. First she would say all the baby pictures were Allie, but now I think she kind of gets it. It's adorable.
Funny Addison sayings right now:
"Goose", which she will call you any time you are teasing her or trying to tell her no.
"Meeeeeeeg", she uses this when I have already told her no and she is trying to make me feel silly for it. sneaky beast. lol
"Lucky Girl", she definitely got this from spending time with my Mom. Any time anything pretty big happens, a cookie for instance, she will say thank you and then "lucky girrrrl", referring to herself. love that one.
Bedtime has been pretty funny lately. Tonight we got home from Shane and Tovah's and immediately the girls got in the tub and then to bed. They were so tired. Well Allie does this wonderful thing when she is totally beat and I am putting her down. She kisses. Like A LOT. and she is still in that open mouth attack kiss mode. I secretly love it. She will be like ASLEEP, but then claw her way to my face and just plaster me. Her eyes are closed, she is asleep, but she just has to kiss me one more time. I love that.
Then there is Addison....she has started having dreams. and sometimes those dreams are not happy.
This morning at 5:30 I went in because she was yelling louder than normal. I walk in and she is the wrong way in her bed, laying on her back. I ask her, Addi what's wrong. She's asleep still but just starts yelling "You ate my MM's Mommy, NO HAPPY!" and she is pointing her finger in the air and she repeats it like three times. YELLING, LOUD! Shocking. So I told her we would have more MM's tomorrow and that did the trick. i don't think she was ever awake. Yikes babe! and no I did not swipe your MM's, if anyone, that was Daddy! lol.
As I think back on our experience with Allie's surgery, something keeps coming back to me.
When we were in the hospital the morning of Allie's surgery, it was early, we were tense, we hadn't slept much and we were scared. Not only of the surgery but of the anesthesia and of everything else.
First we had a VERY young anesthesiologist come and give us the critical info. She was soo young and that scared me. but ok. I didn't panic.
Then things just started to feel different.
Dr. Krieger came in and was his normal amazing self. He said all the right things assuring me he hadn't gone out the night before etc. Then he just looked at me in the eye and said "things will definitely go well". and I challenged it, I looked at him and said "definitely?". and he didn't waver. He just said "definitely" with absolute confidence. Surgeons NEVER say definitely. I have learned that much. But he did. and I knew he didn't say it lightly. ok. good.
Then he said he was going to introduce us to our anesthesiologist whom we thought we had met. Then this older guy comes sauntering, yes sauntering over carrying his morning coffee with a big ol' smile. Dr. Krieger introduces us and we learn that he is our guy and that he is the chief of anesthesiology for the hospital. ummm. ya. Wow.
I recognized that we now had the two best on our case. The two out of ALL that I would choose. I also realized that this was solely an answer to our prayers. Allie's case did not warrant the best of the best. It was never life threatening, she was going to survive. But my Heavenly Father knew that although Allie didn't need those two men, I did. And it was a special feeling to realize in the moment what was going on. I am thankful I did.
So after that, they introduced us to her two nurses. He main nurse looked like me. It was weird. and as Allie sat on my lap, the nurse got down and talked to her and cooed to her and had her smiling and then she tried to leave. Allie cried and then reached her arms out to go to this nurse! This is unheard of. Allie is the biggest momma's girl EVER. I was shocked and I loved it. We had the perfect team. They probably spent only a few more minutes with Allie before she fell asleep, she didn't know they were perfect, she didn't need to know or feel that way. But I did.
As we sat out in the lobby and in the surgical waiting room I just kept saying over and over both aloud to Rob and to myself. "He said 'definitely', he said definitely". I probably sounded a little nuts, but it was comforting.
Girls,
It's a powerful thing to realize blessings real time. Just like a Monday morning quarterback, it's easier to see things after the fact. Hindsight is always 20-20. But I promise you that as you experience life, looking for the good will affirm your testimony of your Heavenly Father. Look for the answers to your prayers and realize that sometimes they will be the answers you wanted and sometimes they will not be what you had hoped for but will also turn out okay. The key is to look. Because if you don't look, you will never see those wonderful moments where you can purely feel your Heavenly Father's love.
I love you. I am thankful for you both. You are joy in my life.
love, Mom.
