A Blog

Did anyone out there have a Kid Sister doll? I did not, but always dreamed of the fun that Kid Sister and I would have riding my Big Wheel bike together. Yes, I do have a kid sister in real life, but the doll seemed so much more compliant. She even had freckles just like me. Well, I am extremely behind in posting that Addie will have her very own kid sister in June! If Addie could understand what is about to happen in her life, I’m sure she would be very excited.

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As mentioned in my previous post, we will soon be moving to a bigger house down the street and our current smurf house will be available for short term rentals. I really do love our house and am sad to leave a house oozing with character to move to a cookie cutter house that would make Elle Decor revoke my subscription. But let’s be honest, cookie cutter wins and I am sooo excited to have more room for our growing family.  I have a feeling the smurf house is breathing a sigh of relief to see us go…

Check out the website! Pass it on to anyone who might be interested. www.stayincville.com

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• Addie’s appointment with the urologist went really well. The reflux is gone in one kidney and the severity has decreased in the other. This means we will reevaluate in a year (and no surgery this year)!
• We are moving! In just a few weeks we will pack up and head down the street to a larger house with multiple closets and bathrooms. While we do have a guest room (yay!), it is currently a bring-your-own-bed situation. Furniture is scarce, but I am all about living clutter-free.
• The smurf house is transforming into a  short-term rental guest house. Think bed and breakfast minus the breakfast. More info to come…

Now on to daily life…

• Addie is going through a major negativity phase right now and answers everything with a “NO!” I attribute some of this Addie-tude to a low grade fever we’ve been keeping an eye on for over a week now. Her many recent doctor visits are clearly taking a toll and Addie’s poor baby doll was the recipient of a rectal temperature check last night. Daniel and I cracked up when we saw the exam taking place. I am nervous to see how Addie plays out her trauma on the innocent baby doll when the real baby arrives!
• Tyrone, who usually goes to the office with Daniel, has been banned from Cloudbrain because of his increasingly horrific gas problem. With 8+ inches of snow still in our backyard, the dog is spending most of his time indoors which means the air quality in our home is at an all time low. I wouldn’t be surprised if Daniel comes home to Addie and I passed out on the living room floor.
• My personal low of the week: While grocery shopping last night, the cashier asked me if it was Tuesday or Wednesday. I didn’t know. I am convinced she was playing an evil game of “confuse the weary looking customer.”  I commend her for keeping herself entertained at work.
• Ending on a high note: Sesame Street’s Maria will be in Cville for the Virginia Festival of the Book in March. Maria taught me how to count to ten in Spanish and I have been mourning her passing ever since Daniel told me she died a few weeks ago. Apparently, she is back from the grave to lead a Sesame Street parade on the Downtown Mall that ends with story time at the Paramount Theater. Daniel’s misinformation concerning Maria’s death solidifies my claim that you can only believe 20% of what he says.

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She’s a big fine woman in her snowsuit. I love this profile shot.

Is anyone else concerned about the vicious 150lb dog leaping in the background?

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Addie’s cousin Sophia recently quit pacifiers cold turkey. Last night, we found Addie quietly reading her books and sucking on two pacifiers at the same time. I’m assuming Addie can sense her cousin’s significant loss and is just picking up the slack…

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Little Addie had to go to UVa last Thursday for a VCUG to evaluate her kidney reflux. She had her first VCUG a year ago, so I wasn’t worried about the actual procedure as much as the fact that she’d have to be sedated this time around. Turns out she responded to the medication with delirious giggles and even pretended to be a monkey for the nurse. In true form, she tried to assert her independence by  walking down the hall (in her little hospital gown) without assistance. Poor thing just couldn’t understand why her legs wouldn’t work. Besides a little throw up on the way home, she did incredibly well AND there has been some improvement in her reflux. We meet with her urologist on Monday to find out exactly what all of this means. Thank you for all of your prayers for Addie throughout the past year!

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My sleek MacBook has been replaced by an old clunker of a laptop from Daniel’s office. Just when I think I have a grasp of what Daniel actually does at work, something like this shows up:

I also realize that my holiday blogging hiatus turned out to be very loooong. I’ve neglected to share adventures of a blizzard, Christmas, a trip to Florida, and other exciting things that happen in our daily lives (not really).

Here’s a quick peek until I can get the pictures off of Daniel’s computer.

Snow! (photo courtesy of Sarah):

The airport!

The beach!

Leaving the beach…

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I wish I could say my lack of blog posts is due to the fact that I am busy spreading holiday cheer by baking cookies, decorating the house and buying incredible Christmas gifts for everyone, but it’s quite the contrary. The only decoration in our home is a plastic Little People nativity set and I haven’t made dinner in weeks, let alone any fabulous Christmas sweets. You can find me laying on the couch watching Sesame Street for the billionth time or puking in the toilet while Addie imitates me by leaning over the bathtub and gagging. But the lack of holiday magic in our home is for a good reason. Meet Baby Strickland (or, as we have affectionately been calling her/him, Vegas):

We found out about Vegas the day we returned from Las Vegas, thus the name (yes, we realize Vegas probably wasn’t actually conceived in Vegas, but it makes a good title for the post). I went in for the 7th week of my acupuncture study (read more about it here) and was shocked to find out I was pregnant! While we are slightly overwhelmed at the thought of adding another human to our smurf house, we are also very thankful that I don’t have to take fertility drugs again. Addie is very confused when we talk about the baby in Mommy’s tummy, but I am sure she will be very mature and willing to share the spotlight when Vegas arrives at the end of June. (other mothers of toddlers and infants -let me live in my fantasy world for the next 6 months!)

I know I have a lot of friends that are hearing about this for the first time just now. I know it is super lame to hear the news on a blog and I am ashamed. As soon as I feel better I will call you to apologize!

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