Addison - the 2yr. old - Fall edition

My oh my! I have fallen a bit behind on updating Addison's blog. Bad Mommy! Our busy summer has continued on into a busy Fall so I've been playing catch-up on everything from cleaning to updating photos. So, at long last, here's an update on how Addison has been spending the Fall months!


Nappy Nap
Addison's naps have been somewhat inconsistent in recent weeks. However, instead of depending on them, we have started to move forward with whatever plans we had for the day and she'll nap when she decides to nap! If she happens to nap in the morning, so be it, but more often her naps have been in late afternoon.
It has also worked to our advantage because our weekend plans have all been very fun-filled activities for Addison. So even when we can tell she is tiring and ready for a nap, she is still in good spirits until we leave and then typically naps in the car!
This fall, on the weekends at home, she has also napped more in our bed or on her floor than in her own bed! She has long loved to sleep in our bed at night and cuddle there to watch TV in the morning while I'm getting ready for work. But this fall, when we would be trying to get her to nap, we would ask if she wanted to go "nigh-nigh here" (her name for our bed) and watch a movie. That worked many times where half hour or hour into the movie, we'd go in to check on her and she'd be passed out in our bed.
The sleeping on the floor is new this Fall. It started at bedtime, when she asked to lay on the floor with me. She pulls everything off of her bed and sets up on the floor. At first she would stay there and make me stay with her for a good 20min. But we were able to dial that back to now it's just a few minutes. Which is good because as Baby Punkin belly gets bigger, I'm not going to be able to lay on the floor very well!
Because we've been so busy and out & about this fall, many of her naps have also had to occur in the car - with drives home from Milwaukee, etc. 


Go Packers/Go Bears
The football season is in full swing, and once again the O'Neill household is divided. Mommy's a bit more influential in nudging Addison towards the Packers, but she easily recognizes either team when they are on. She is also quickly learning that Sundays are football days, so that means Mommy or Daddy are glued to the couch watching  a game, so she doesn't get to watch her cartoons or a movie. That's how I grew up, so I'm keeping the tradition alive!
 
Pumpkins and Animals
We have been taking full advantage of Fall and have enjoyed several Fall events/attractions. One weekend when Tim was on a fishing trip, I took Addison to a Pumpkin Festival down the road. It was at a little church, but the perfect sized event to take Addison to - not too crowded and most things were free! We spent a ton of time in the fenced in petting zoo area - I think we went in there 4 separate times. She loved getting the cup of feed and feeding all the little goats and sheep. After we had been in there awhile, she started to assign "mommy" goats to the baby goats. It was adorable to watch her run between all the little goats saying "this is her mommy!"
In the beginning of October I went on a business trip to Las Vegas, so Grandma Simon was in town to babysit. One of the days, Grandma took Addie to Goebbert's Farm pumpkin patch in Hoffman Estates. Addie got to ride a pony and had a ton of fun in the Animal Land barn - feeding the animals again and getting to see giraffes and camels, etc. She even went on a pony ride - and did it all by herself!
The very next weekend, we were up in Milwaukee for a family wedding. On our way back to Chicago the next day, we went to Apple Holler with our friends Chelsea, Nick and their little 4-mos old Afton! It was unseasonably hot, but again a great outing with Addison. She ran all around the play area, including two mazes and slides. She was even the sole passenger on the train!
After all that running around, we took a hayride out to the orchard for some apple picking. Addie had a ton of fun running through the trees and eating little apples right off the trees. Once we were done with all that, it was time for Afton's photo op time with a pumpkin, but Addie wanted a piece of that action, so we got several pictures of her up doing "pudgy bunny" to Afton and giving him kisses, etc. I love watching her interact with him, it's just a little preview for when her baby brother or sister arrives. By then, she'll be even better and more excited about little babies!

The following weekend, I took Addison out to Sonny Acres farm pumpkin patch with Grandma G and the gang. Addie had a great time as always and got to go on her very first roller coaster by herself (that little dragon one that's at most festivals). She looked a tad concerned most of the ride, but had a smile on her face too. When it was over, she was jumping up and down wanting to go on again! After a few other rides and another pony ride, we tried going into a little haunted house (appropriate for toddlers). But Addie got in about 5 steps and wanted to turn around. It was a dark hallway with a lot of glow-in-the-dark decorations. Nothing too scary, but a little too much for Addison. Maybe we'll try again next year!
There were more little goats to feed, so of course Addison was all over that. Towards the end, she was overdue for a nap, but we managed to pick out a few pumpkins on our way out. Addison chose a white pumpkin! How unique!
Then, just this past weekend, I took Addison up to Green Meadows farm in Waterford, WI for cousin Madalyn's 2nd birthday. Again, Addison got to pet and feed many animals which she really loved. She also got to go on her 3rd pony ride this month - she'll be a jockey before we know it :) As the party ended, we got to go out into the field and pick our own pumpkins! The big ones were quite a ways in, but we passed many little ones - perfect size for Addie, but she didn't want any of those. Then she saw a green "birdhouse" gourd that she was very excited about - even carried it herself most of the walk back! Now, the past two mornings when we leave, she excitedly points out her green pumpkin proudly displayed on our porch!
If the weather is decent this weekend, we may try and hit up a pumpkin patch one last time as Addison has really been enjoying these little outings.


Tot Explosion
We enrolled Addison in another class this fall. Last Fall she did the "Toddler Time" on Saturday mornings through the Schaumburg Park District. This year, we go on Wednesday nights 6:45-8pm, again through the Schaumburg Park District. The class is called "Tot Explosion" which just makes me laugh. Toddler Time was for tots up to 24 mos, but this one is for 2yrs-4yrs so has a pre-school set up to it. 
The class is about 8 kids and parents attend too. It starts with all of us sitting on the circle rug in the middle of the room and the teacher, "Miss Dana", takes attendance. This is the cutest part of the class - when she calls off each kid's name, they get to stand up and go to the center of the rug while we all sing & clap "Addison, Addison - jump up and down! jump up and down, jump up and down!...And sit - back - down!" The first week a lot of the kids were very timid, but now they all get SO excited when it's their turn. The next morning, Addison always sings it to herself and jumps up and down. It KILLS me!!!!
After attendance, there's always a theme to the class, so Miss Dana talks about whatever topic - sometimes she has a book or sometimes props. Then shortly after it's free time with different stations set up. There's always an art project table with something different every week - one time was painting a cut out pumpkin, last week was painting a spider web with yarn/string. There's also some play-doh, puzzles and a kitchen area. Addison always makes her rounds and has always played very well with the other kids. She's not totally interacting a lot yet, more just side-by-side play or doing her own thing, but when prompted the kids do interact pretty well.
I've loved watching Addison learn and get into the routine of the class. She knows when attendance is going to happen, there's also a "Hello" song that Addie was singing by herself all weekend and at the end Miss Dana does a "goodnight" song where the kids pretend they are sleeping and then wake up and act like whatever animal Miss Dana says. Addie loves that one!
I love taking her to these classes. I learn some tips from the teacher and it's good to see Addison compared to other kids. Some things she's better than others, some things she could improve. It's also nice to get some tips from other parents and to hear of them going through some of the same day-to-day things that we do with Addison.  


"Ma-Moo"
Sometimes Addison is just hilarious. Actually, most of the time. She's always been talkative, but as her vocabulary and ability to express herself in full sentences, the things she says cracks us up.
In the past few weeks she's started to have nicknames for things. At first for a couple weeks, she started calling me "MOP-MOP!" and always in a yelling way. But I couldn't say "you're a Mop-mop" back to her cuz she'd get mad and say "No, you're MOP MOP!" I don't really know what that was all about, but it was funny.
From there, she started calling me "Ma-Moo." And shortly thereafter Dada/Daddy became Dad-Doo. Auntie Lorie has long given Addison the nickname of Addie Lou - so now Addison has come up with a nickname for Auntie Lorie! She is now Auntie Lo-Lo or Auntie Ro-Ro (depending on how well she wants to pronounce her L's!).
Just this week, she's been calling her milk cup "Milky" and when we kick a ball or play catch, it's now Kicky Ball or Throwy Ball.
On top of that she is learning to express herself, even if not entirely the correct way. Sometimes if there's something on TV she doesn't want to watch, or food she doesn't want to eat she'll say, "I don't want that. It hurts my feelings." Or - "That makes me sad!"
She has also shown flashes of teenage-dom by saying, "Mommy leave me alone, i'm watching TV" when cuddled in our bed on weekends. Or, I've asked her many times what she wants to be for Halloween, just to make sure I'm getting a consistent answer and she'll say, "Mommy why do you keep asking me that?" or "Stop asking me that!"
She is learning her manners well, and has learned to at least say "excuse me" when she interrupts Tim and I. She says please most of the time when she is supposed to - and has even started to call us out on saying "Please"' or "Bless You" when we should!
It's really difficult to sum up all of Addison's speaking abilities since it's so much more than just the words she can say now. It's all personality. She has an attitude, a sense of humor, imagination and sweet manner of speaking. Every week is different from the last. This is really such a fun time to be getting to know our little girl! 


Way Up High In the Sky

The Fall began with a big life lesson for Addison. Tim's Grandma O'Neill, who helped raise him, passed away. She had been sick for awhile, and in the hospital for 6 weeks before she passed. During her time in the hospital, Tim would go visit her once a week, usually right when I got home from work at night. Since Grandma was in the ICU, we weren't able to bring her, so I would stay home with her. When Tim would leave, she'd ask where he was going and he'd say he was going to see Nana in the hospital because she's sick and the hospital will make her feel better. She began to understand it enough to repeat it and she would talk about it on her own too.
So when the time came to go to Grandma's wake and funeral, we at least had a reference point to start from. The night she passed away, at bedtime I told Addison that Nana went up to Heaven. I explained that Heaven is way up high in the sky and that she was with God. She asked why and I explained that Nana was sick and in the hospital, but now God came to get her and keep her safe so she feels better now. We went over it several times in those few days and for weeks afterward too. I don't think she completely understands it, but if we have this explanation down pat for her, she will grow to understand it. She already retained enough of the explanation that if we ask her where Heaven or Grandpa Simon or Nana are, she says "way up high in the sky!"
I also used this opportunity to tell her that Heaven is where Grandpa Simon is too! There have been many nights since then that I've laid on the floor with her and told her about Grandpa Simon and Nana going up to Heaven. Having these conversations have been comforting for us too. For Tim, instead of having to just make up some sort of response, being able to explain Grandma's passing in these simple, sweet terms helps him cope and brings peace as well. And for me, to explain the deaths in my family that happened so long ago, it's comforting to introduce these relatives to Addison. Through these conversations, my dad, grandmas and grandpas are still present in our lives, even though she never met them.
Death is not an easy thing for anyone to understand. We are hoping to build the basics for her - as well as the basics for religion in general so it feels natural to believe. I know it will be years before she truly understands, and I pray that she does not have to deal with any death anytime soon, but the next time she does, I hope there's a little less confusion, more understanding and peace.


I will hope to be much better and more timely with updating this blog. I know I fell off the radar in the last couple months. And I will also be updating Baby Punkin's blog shortly! Stay tuned and thank you for reading this lengthy post!