John Mayer

Did I mention that Michael gave me a Blackberry for mother's day? It's so incredibly cool. On my new toy there is one video - a sample I guess - a small snippett of John Mayer singing "Waiting on the world to change." That snippett has served me well on many occassions now. It usually comes into play when we're past feeding time or badly in need of a nap....and we're in the car. Who knew Addison would cease and desist all crying fits at the sight of a 1.5"x1.5" image of Mayer crooning on a dimly lit stage. I say..WHATEVER WORKS!

Rocking chair moments

There's a time that Addison and I share. It happens right before sleep. She lays across my body with her head in the crook of my right arm. She is so still, and yet awake as we rock. Her little eyes are the only things that move. They study the room, they study me. There is no smile, no expression, but there is an extreme sense of comfort. These moments seem to last longer than they do and for that time, we are the only people in the universe and she is transformed into the essence of innocence. Slowly her eyelids get heavy and they bounce up and down for several minutes before giving in to their sheer weight. I love this moment. I love the feeling of my child's body next to mine...her chest gently rising with each deepening breathe. She drifts off to sleep - a beautiful sleep....the most beautiful sleep I've ever seen. My "baby" has grown so quickly that I fear these nights will soon be over. At 7 months old, my little girl is 21 lbs and often mistaken for a 10 or 11 month old. I understand even better what the author of a children's book meant when he wrote, "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, As long as I'm living...my baby you'll be."

Teeth

I never knew the intensity of growing a set of teeth. I guess there's a good reason we do it so early....so we don't remember the trauma. I think I've attributed Addison's 101.6 fever to her new set of chops. Along with a runny nose. Along with the drooling. Ooh the drooling. It is also the cause of her general malady and fussiness. At one time, I thought that she had learned to shake her head "no." Come to find out, it is the motion she uses to rub her gums across absolutely anything she can get her hands on. It still amuses us greatly as she coincidentally shakes her head no at us during random questions or situations.

There is no end to our fascination with our baby these days.

A good weekend

Addison and I spent the weekend at Hilton Head with my mom. We had a good time. The best part was spending 24 hours a day with my little girl. She's such an angel. I can't convey that properly in this blog...but she is so much fun. Here's some pics of mom and Addison wrestling over the phone while talking to Papa.

And of course we had to have some "dress up" time. What else do you do with a little girl?

Also wanted to congratulate our friends Tony and Jenn on their new addition, little 6lb, 4oz. Ethan.

overwhelmed

I am overwhelmed today by the actuality of time "flying." I cried through cleaning out Addison's closet the other day. One by one, I took down those sweet little outfits that I know she'll never fit into again. Tiny little examples of cuteness all piled up...but also examples of how quickly this year is going by. It doesn't help that the child is an Olympic grower. Her 6 1/2 month-old self is filling out her 9 month clothes quite well these days. Today I even met a 14 month -old the exact same size as my baby. Enough said.
On to another thing that overwhelms me...my tooth. I had my very first root canal Monday. What a fun experience. I recommend it for all your favorite enemies. My tooth is still useless and it's Friday. The throbbing and shear sensitivity of that part of my mouth is eating away at my sanity. I will give it one more week. Then I'm sure I will have to take out a small loan and go get my jaw replaced or something. Just lovely.