Addy's big blue eyes have loved discovering the world around her this month. She went as far west as Iowa and as east as Detroit. She headed over the Mississippi River to Iowa for Cousin Micah Dodd's wedding. She was able to meet her Great Grandma Dodd for the first time and many other aunts, uncles, and cousins. She traveled great and had fun spending the weekend with Grandma and Grandpa Dodd. One big first on the trip was her first time swimming. The hotel had a pool and we had a blast taking her in. She seemed so confused as to why we were all in the 'bath tub' with her and why her clothes and diaper were on. It was so fun! What a blessing and lots of memories made.
One big developmental change was Addy learning how to pick things up and put them in her mouth. Now everything goes in there! She also loves her hands and fingers, and they are almost always close to her mouth. She has practiced rolling over more and is getting so strong during tummy time. She also has learned to laugh and giggle. It is the best sound we have ever heard!!
Addy joined us on our anniversary date and had a great time at the beach of Lake Michigan. She also saw her first fireworks later that weekend and didn't blink for the whole show because she was so amazed. We had a fun visit to Detroit the next weekend and spent lots of time with family and friends. Addy shared lots of smiles with everyone that she met.
Addy has been doing great with our sitter, Ashley, as Kate is now back to work full time. She has transitioned really well and has so much fun with her. Also, Kate was offered a full time nursing job this month in the Emergency Department at Spectrum Health Butterworth hospital. We are so excited for this opportunity for Kate to provide compassionate nursing care to all she will come in contact with. She will be starting her 5-6 month orientation in August. Praising the Lord for providing this job opportunity!
Looking forward to Addy's four month doctor visit next week to see how she is growing. We are so blessed to have such a sweet, smilie, happy little baby!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Our 4th anniversary
We celebrated 1461 married days yesterday! And each one has been amazing! It has been a BIG year for the Dodd Family. Kate graduated from nursing school, we went to Florida on vacation, we moved into a new home, Andrew got a new job at the Mission, and best of all Addison Joy was born! God has blessed us tremendously!
We started celebrating the day, 8 days early with a date. We left Addy in the capable hands of Grandpa and Grandma Dodd, and they sent us to the Hello Tonight concert. It was so fun to see Chris Tomlin and TobyMac in concert together!! What an amazing night of worship. Thank you for this fun anniversary gift!
To celebrate the actual day, Kate made Andrew a fun picture card that recapped the last four years. Andrew gave Kate one rose for each of the years :) so beautiful! Andrew had planned a surprise outing for our family. We went to Paint a Pot, a little store in Holland where you can paint pottery. We decorated a plate, we look forward to picking it up in a week and using it for special occasions. Kate is already scheming about return visits to the store.
Then we drove over to Tunnel Park for an afternoon at Lake Michigan. It was super busy, since it was Friday afternoon on 4th of July weekend, but we had fun. It was a beautiful, hot day without a cloud in the sky. We took Addy in the lake for the first time, and she did not seem to mind it, probably because she was so hot from the sun.
After beach fun, we went to a new to us restaurant called Boatwerks in Holland, right on the water. The food was great (BBQ chicken pizza chicken and stuffed garlic cheese pepperoni bread). It was a beautiful setting, and even more beautiful family. Great day of celebration! Praising the Lord for 4 amazing years!
We started celebrating the day, 8 days early with a date. We left Addy in the capable hands of Grandpa and Grandma Dodd, and they sent us to the Hello Tonight concert. It was so fun to see Chris Tomlin and TobyMac in concert together!! What an amazing night of worship. Thank you for this fun anniversary gift!
To celebrate the actual day, Kate made Andrew a fun picture card that recapped the last four years. Andrew gave Kate one rose for each of the years :) so beautiful! Andrew had planned a surprise outing for our family. We went to Paint a Pot, a little store in Holland where you can paint pottery. We decorated a plate, we look forward to picking it up in a week and using it for special occasions. Kate is already scheming about return visits to the store.
Then we drove over to Tunnel Park for an afternoon at Lake Michigan. It was super busy, since it was Friday afternoon on 4th of July weekend, but we had fun. It was a beautiful, hot day without a cloud in the sky. We took Addy in the lake for the first time, and she did not seem to mind it, probably because she was so hot from the sun.
After beach fun, we went to a new to us restaurant called Boatwerks in Holland, right on the water. The food was great (BBQ chicken pizza chicken and stuffed garlic cheese pepperoni bread). It was a beautiful setting, and even more beautiful family. Great day of celebration! Praising the Lord for 4 amazing years!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Addison's Third Month (a week late)
Another month has flown by! Addy has grown a lot bigger and is keeping us busy with lots of diapers and feeding. The big firsts for Addy have been learning to laugh (the best sound in the world) and lots more 'talking'. She learned that she loves to suck on her hands (if she could get her hand down her throat she would). She also rolled over for the first time, from her tummy to her back. She has grown much stronger and holds her head up great now. She loves to look at books (hopefully she'll love to read like Mommy) and will even turn the pages. She also has developed her hand eye coordination alot in the last month, Daddy has high hope for a future sports all star. She has been loving the summer weather, and loves to be outside (she has gone to every one of Dad's softball games).
Addy went to the beach for the first time, it was a pretty windy day so she wasn't too thrilled about the outing. Hopefully she will like it more next time. She celebrated her first Father's Day and made him a frame for his desk at work with lots of fun Addy pictures. Also this month, Addy became a big cousin TWICE! Reece Elliot Dodd was born on June 1 to Phil and Jenn. Gideon Daniel Schneider was born on June 16 to Kevin and Angela. Looking forward to having Addy meet all of her cousins someday soon.
Mommy finally finished studying for her nursing test, and she passed her NCLEX!! Now Mommy is a nurse!!! PRAISE the LORD!! So proud of her! Mommy also went back to work at the hospital. It was a hard day for her, but Addy had fun at the babysitter's house and is doing well with this adjustment.
Addison is a sweet, happy little girl. She loves to smile and is such a joy to her mommy and daddy. We are loving every moment with our Addy Girl.
Addy went to the beach for the first time, it was a pretty windy day so she wasn't too thrilled about the outing. Hopefully she will like it more next time. She celebrated her first Father's Day and made him a frame for his desk at work with lots of fun Addy pictures. Also this month, Addy became a big cousin TWICE! Reece Elliot Dodd was born on June 1 to Phil and Jenn. Gideon Daniel Schneider was born on June 16 to Kevin and Angela. Looking forward to having Addy meet all of her cousins someday soon.
Mommy finally finished studying for her nursing test, and she passed her NCLEX!! Now Mommy is a nurse!!! PRAISE the LORD!! So proud of her! Mommy also went back to work at the hospital. It was a hard day for her, but Addy had fun at the babysitter's house and is doing well with this adjustment.
Addison is a sweet, happy little girl. She loves to smile and is such a joy to her mommy and daddy. We are loving every moment with our Addy Girl.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Addison Joy: Two month update
It's hard to believe that Addy has been with us for 61 days (that's two months for everyone else). She has gotten so much stronger and taller in this past month. She has continued to sleep well, even sleeping through the night twice now. This past Saturday night she slept uninterrupted for almost ten hours. Her neck muscles are getting pretty powerful too. She's fairly close to being able to hold her head up on her own, I'm sure we will be able to bust out the Bumbo and exerciser saucer soon. Mommy weighed her this afternoon and came in at eleven pounds. The official weigh in will be at the doctor's on Thursday. Pray for Addy, Daddy and Mommy as she gets her first round of shots. She is super smiley now, especially in the morning. She smiles when we smile at her, she loves to imitate Mom and Dad. Addy has been so much more alert and becoming more and more aware of her surroundings. She is making all sorts of coos, gurgles and good sounds. She can hold up her head much longer when she has her tummy time and will be sure to be rolling over on to her back soon.
Addy went on her first trip this month, she went up north to surprise Grandpa and Grandma Dodd. Addy traveled so well, we had such a good time with them, the Goods and visiting camp. What a fun weekend visit.
On Mother's Day Addison and Kate participated in the Mother's Day Parade at church. Chapel Pointe always make a BIG deal, and well they should, about Mom's and new babies to the Chapel Pointe family.
Later that day Addy and Kate went and visited her family on the other side of the state. Since I had to go on a work trip with the men in the Life Skills Program. It was a great opportunity for them to get over and see more family, on Mother's Day. That week Addy was able to meet her Great Grandma M and many of Kate's friends. She also went to her first Tiger's baseball game, of course the Tiger's beat the dreaded Yankee's. It was so fun to spend a few days with our family.
Since coming home she has begun sleeping in her crib and had her first bottle.
It has been a super memorable month of firsts, smiles and blessings. What an amazing little girl sent from God she has been and continues to be :)
Addy went on her first trip this month, she went up north to surprise Grandpa and Grandma Dodd. Addy traveled so well, we had such a good time with them, the Goods and visiting camp. What a fun weekend visit.
On Mother's Day Addison and Kate participated in the Mother's Day Parade at church. Chapel Pointe always make a BIG deal, and well they should, about Mom's and new babies to the Chapel Pointe family.
Later that day Addy and Kate went and visited her family on the other side of the state. Since I had to go on a work trip with the men in the Life Skills Program. It was a great opportunity for them to get over and see more family, on Mother's Day. That week Addy was able to meet her Great Grandma M and many of Kate's friends. She also went to her first Tiger's baseball game, of course the Tiger's beat the dreaded Yankee's. It was so fun to spend a few days with our family.
Since coming home she has begun sleeping in her crib and had her first bottle.
It has been a super memorable month of firsts, smiles and blessings. What an amazing little girl sent from God she has been and continues to be :)
Kate's 24th Birthday
Yesterday was my 24th birthday, on the 24th of May :) the Golden Year! It was a very special day. Addy and I spent the day together playing and trying to stay cool in the 90 degree heat. Addy got me some beautiful purple daisies to plant in our garden. When Andrew got home from work, Addy went to her first baby-sitting adventure at the Sterken's home. She did great! Slept for a lot of the time, but sounds like she had a fun time playing with Rolland. Meanwhile, Andrew and I went on a date and saw the movie Robin Hood. It was pretty good. Then we went out to dinner at Red Robin's, it was great, really enjoyed my guacamole burger, getting sung to at dinner, and an ice cream sundae. Then we picked up Addy, because we missed our little girl, and headed to the park for a walk. We got some great pictures and swung on the swings.
After that we headed home and fed Addison and put her to bed. Then, Andrew made a fire in our firepit and we enjoyed spending time sitting around the campfire, looking at the stars. We came inside and had birthday ice cream cake, opened cards from family, and opened Andrew's gift for me.
He surprised me with a sewing machine!! I am so excited to be able to make things now!! It was a wonderful day celebrating God's many blessings of this past year. :)
After that we headed home and fed Addison and put her to bed. Then, Andrew made a fire in our firepit and we enjoyed spending time sitting around the campfire, looking at the stars. We came inside and had birthday ice cream cake, opened cards from family, and opened Andrew's gift for me.
He surprised me with a sewing machine!! I am so excited to be able to make things now!! It was a wonderful day celebrating God's many blessings of this past year. :)
Sunday, April 25, 2010
One Month Old!
In many ways it is hard to believe that Addison arrived a month ago today. We are thanking and praising the Lord for His many blessings in our life, specifically a healthy and growing baby girl. Obviously it has been a month of firsts this is just a small list: smiles, cries, hick-ups, Bible stories, sleepless nights (Daddy and Mommy but not too many), bath, doctor check up, tulips in Holland, walks (almost daily), many visits from family and friends. Today Addison went to church for the very first time and was introduced to our church family, she got a rosebud for all her work ;)She is getting stronger and growing bigger each and every day. She enjoys laying on her tummy, just like Daddy. Her neck muscles are getting strong, and really seems to enjoy being outside. We here in West Michigan have been blessed with many sunny days this month. Addison is sleeping really well at night as well, last night she went seven hours before needing to get Mommy up. She is a very content baby and rarely cries. It has been wonderful getting to know our little girl this first month.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Addison Joy’s Birth Story
Addison’s Birth Story
On March 24, 2010, we went to Babies R Us before heading off to the doctor’s office for our 39-week check-up. Since our OBGYN was out of town in Hawaii, we saw a new doctor that morning. The check-up went great, the baby’s heart rate was good, and the doctor said Kate was dilated to 4 and 70% effaced. He said, “I’d say see you next week, but I think you are going to have this baby before then.” We were thrilled with the news and excited that our baby was coming soon!
Kate had been having regular contractions the last two days about 10 minutes apart. That afternoon, after Andrew went to work, her contractions became much more regular and over the course of 3 hours were just five minutes apart. After calling the doctor’s office and a quick call to the mission, Andrew was headed home from work early. We drove to the hospital and arrived there at 5:30 in the afternoon. Many of Kate’s coworkers cheered her on as they wheeled her upstairs to OB triage. Before admitting Kate, OB triage wanted to see some progress to see if we were actually going into labor. So we walked the halls, waited for a check, walked the halls again, waited for another check, spent an hour in the spa, and got checked again. We discussed our options with the doctor, one of which was going home and waiting it out, we decided to have Kate’s water broke as contractions were now just 3-4 minutes apart and she was dilated to 6.
At 11 pm, we moved up to the Labor and Delivery floor and met our nurse for the night, Kris. A nurse midwife broke Kate’s water and contractions really picked up. Kate was so tense and could not relax the way she needed to. We opted for an epidural to help relax her body, stop the uncontrollable shaking and shivering, and decrease the pain. When they were preparing to put the epidural in Kate’s back, she threw up all the apple juice she just had and was quoted as saying “I’ll never drink apple juice again”. The medicine did exactly what it was supposed to and what we had hoped for. She advanced about a centimeter an hour after she finally relaxed. Unfortunately, one side effect of the medicine was that it dropped Kate’s already low blood pressure even lower. Andrew saw one blood pressure of 44/22 and she was pale as her sheets. The nurses rushed in and gave her oxygen and got her bp back up. Her color returned almost as fast as her blood pressure went back up.
At 6 am, Kate was fully dilated and completely effaced, ready to start pushing. Our nurse, Kris, had warned that first time moms normally push for 1-3 hours but insisted that we have the baby on her shift, which ended at 7 am. On her first push, Andrew could see the baby’s head full of dark hair and thought, “Oh my, I am going to be a daddy!” Kate was able to watch her progress with a mirror as she pushed. 20 minutes later, on the final push Dr. Tabor asked if Kate wanted to help deliver the baby and pull the baby up to her chest. At 6:22 am, Kate gave a final push and out came our baby. Dr. Tabor said, “It’s a girl! Do you have a name for her?” The proud daddy exclaimed, “Addison Joy!” Andrew cut her cord as she snuggled on Kate’s chest. Addison weighed 6 lbs 10.5 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. We are so blessed to have this gift from God!
On March 24, 2010, we went to Babies R Us before heading off to the doctor’s office for our 39-week check-up. Since our OBGYN was out of town in Hawaii, we saw a new doctor that morning. The check-up went great, the baby’s heart rate was good, and the doctor said Kate was dilated to 4 and 70% effaced. He said, “I’d say see you next week, but I think you are going to have this baby before then.” We were thrilled with the news and excited that our baby was coming soon!
Kate had been having regular contractions the last two days about 10 minutes apart. That afternoon, after Andrew went to work, her contractions became much more regular and over the course of 3 hours were just five minutes apart. After calling the doctor’s office and a quick call to the mission, Andrew was headed home from work early. We drove to the hospital and arrived there at 5:30 in the afternoon. Many of Kate’s coworkers cheered her on as they wheeled her upstairs to OB triage. Before admitting Kate, OB triage wanted to see some progress to see if we were actually going into labor. So we walked the halls, waited for a check, walked the halls again, waited for another check, spent an hour in the spa, and got checked again. We discussed our options with the doctor, one of which was going home and waiting it out, we decided to have Kate’s water broke as contractions were now just 3-4 minutes apart and she was dilated to 6.
At 11 pm, we moved up to the Labor and Delivery floor and met our nurse for the night, Kris. A nurse midwife broke Kate’s water and contractions really picked up. Kate was so tense and could not relax the way she needed to. We opted for an epidural to help relax her body, stop the uncontrollable shaking and shivering, and decrease the pain. When they were preparing to put the epidural in Kate’s back, she threw up all the apple juice she just had and was quoted as saying “I’ll never drink apple juice again”. The medicine did exactly what it was supposed to and what we had hoped for. She advanced about a centimeter an hour after she finally relaxed. Unfortunately, one side effect of the medicine was that it dropped Kate’s already low blood pressure even lower. Andrew saw one blood pressure of 44/22 and she was pale as her sheets. The nurses rushed in and gave her oxygen and got her bp back up. Her color returned almost as fast as her blood pressure went back up.
At 6 am, Kate was fully dilated and completely effaced, ready to start pushing. Our nurse, Kris, had warned that first time moms normally push for 1-3 hours but insisted that we have the baby on her shift, which ended at 7 am. On her first push, Andrew could see the baby’s head full of dark hair and thought, “Oh my, I am going to be a daddy!” Kate was able to watch her progress with a mirror as she pushed. 20 minutes later, on the final push Dr. Tabor asked if Kate wanted to help deliver the baby and pull the baby up to her chest. At 6:22 am, Kate gave a final push and out came our baby. Dr. Tabor said, “It’s a girl! Do you have a name for her?” The proud daddy exclaimed, “Addison Joy!” Andrew cut her cord as she snuggled on Kate’s chest. Addison weighed 6 lbs 10.5 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. We are so blessed to have this gift from God!
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