1 Year Anniversary

This past Monday, Bryan and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary.  The past year has blown by! I came home from work to a dozen tulips, bottle of chilled champagne, and a massage bed waiting to be used.  Some dear friends watched Addie for the night and we headed out to dinner in St Paul. The restaurant Forepaughs was recommended to us and it was excellent!

Welcoming a baby girl into the family it impossible to top, but there have been a lot of other incredible things that happened in the last 12 months. We have been intentional at connecting with other couples around the cities, it has been so fun to explore what the metro has to offer and to meet so many people along the way.  Purchasing our first home added some excitement (and maybe a little stress) into year 1.  To top it off, both of our careers have undergone changes since April 9 of 2011. Who knows what Year 2 will hold?!

I feel so blessed to be able to live each day with my best friend.  We hope and pray that this anniversary is the first of many to come!

Back at work...

Today marks my 2 week "back at work" anniversary.  This transition has been a lot more difficult than I anticipated. It is amazing the things you can convince yourself of when you are away from your baby.  Over the last 13 work days I have had a lot of time to weigh the negatives and positives of being a working mom, here is what I've come up with:

- A professional mentor once encouraged me to always keep my foot in the workforce.  If something were to happen to Bryan and I would need to be the sole provider for our family, I would have a lot more opportunities if I had never fully left the workforce.  Pretty wise, don't you think?

- I love to learn. I love to be challenged. I spent a lot of money getting a degree and by golly, I'm going to use it. Most of the time, I love what I do. I like being a part of  workforce and making a difference in the lives of my clients.

- There are 50 hours a week that I miss my baby girl. I have TONS of pictures on the computer, my phone, and posted up in my workspace; but still, my heart hurts a little bit every. single. minute. of those 50 hours.

- With Bryan and I's opposite work schedules, Addie and Daddy get some good chunks for one-on-one time.  What little girl doesn't want the full attention of her daddy? And what father wouldn't love some alone time with his daughter?

 -Addie is at daycare anywhere from 5 to 25 hours each week, averaging 15 hours.  Here she will learn to listen to other adults, interact with other kids, and will be in a very education and structured environment. Hopefully this will grow her social skills and avoid separation anxiety for those times when she isn't with Bryan or myself. So far we love the daycare she is at, they are super personable and sweet. Most often than not, when I go to pick her up she is being held and surrounded by people.

- I'm probably going to miss a first.  Maybe even miss a couple of firsts.  They could be as significant as her first steps or as minor as her all-time biggest blow-out.  It doesn't matter to me, I want to be there for all of them.

- The extra income is super helpful.  About 3 months ago when we had no mortgage, having a job wasn't all that big of a deal - now it may be hard to make ends meet without a second income. The leftovers are allowing us to put money away for Addie's college and our retirements.  We have the funds to host people, providing them with beds and food. When the Jetta dies (one of these days!) we will be able to replace it without having to sell a kidney. It is enjoyable to have the funds to be able to bless people and support things that we want to be involved in.


So there you go, the things my mind lulls over on my 6:00AM commute. Some days I arrive at work in tears and I'm always ready to race out the door at 3:30, but the positives are good reminders of why I'm there. The thought of the way it benefits our family always makes me smile

What are your thoughts on staying at home vs working as a mom?

Addie at 2 months

Our baby girl turned 2 months this past weekend, we can't believe has fast it has gone!  It has been so much fun seeing her personality develop.  She interacts more and more each day, here are some highlights/developments of the 2nd month:

 Weighing in at 11lbs and 2 oz and her height has increased to 22 inches.

- First of all, Adelyn Grace melts both of our hearts every day. That little smile gets me tearing up at least once a week. The powerful little smirk can turn the worst morning into the best moment of the week. She greets her mommy and daddy with smiles daily, it is the absolute best thing.

- Addie is mastering her eyes. She follows things as they move now and will even watch her mom and dad across the room!  She loves laying on her back and looking up at her jungle gym, that thing can keep her mesmerized for hours. We are both relieved to see the amount of time she spends cross-eyed decreasing.

- This girl's rolls are multiplying. She is one healthy little chump. Moving out of her newborn clothing she is now able to sport the 3 month size.

- March 29th marked Addie's first day of daycare. I was such a wreck but she did so well! The 29th will go down as my all-time fasted drive home from work.

- The weather has been great for walks. Adelyn prefers the pouch to the jogging stroller at this point, so mom is using it as an excuse to walk instead of run. Yes, we take the 4-legged furry "sister" with us most of the time.

- Sunday was Addie's first Easter. She got a bunch of books from the Easter bunny, and some gifts/cards from her grandparents. I captured a smile in one of the 100 pictures I took!

...the other 99 looked like this.

- Bryan is already wrapped about those chubby little fingers. Whether we are visiting relatives or at home, whenever he enters a room his eyes first scan for his baby girl. No matter who has her, he walks by to look her in the eyes and rub her back a bit.

- The little stinker is terrible at sleeping in her crib...or in her bassinet...or anywhere besides the big bed and her bouncy chair. We were hoping that daycare would be the ones to retrain her of this, but last time I went to pick her up she was sleeping soundly in their bouncy chair. Nuts. Speaking of sleeping, Addie conks out for 5 to 7 hours over the night - whoo hoo!  She is never too keen on going back to bed after or 4 or 5AM feeding but she doesn't mind laying there talking to herself while we try and snag a couple extra Z's.

That being said, Mia loves the bassinet. 

- Lastly, our baby girl has got some legs on her!  She has been able to hold her own weight for a few weeks now. She even likes to fool people into thinking she can walk.  I credit the pregnancy running :)


Things change every day, we will be back soon with more Addie updates!

- Melissa, on behalf of The Pearson clan.