Butterfly Kisses (a work in progess)

Addison is 20 months old today. In 4 short months my baby will be two. People say you will never believe how fast they grow up. They weren't kidding. It is hard to believe Addison is a walking, talking, attitude flaunting kid. It literally seems like yesterday I was watching her sleep in the bassinet.

I wanted to take some time to reflect on the baby she was, the kid she is now and the wonderful person she is becoming. I know, I am her adoring mother, but I will try to be objective and unbiased! Yah, right!!!!

I remember vividly labor and Addison's birth. It was the most peaceful, beautiful time of my life. I remember the doctor saying, as Addi's head was making her appearance, "My gosh, this is a big baby for you!" Like I wasn't already aware of it. With Dylan, Sara and Cori by my side, Addison was brought into the world. Once it is over and Addison was in my arms, so much emotion rushed to the surface. When I actually held her for the first time the love that was growing with each passing week of pregnancy exploded into an emotion I didn't know was possible. It felt so right, so meant to be. Within minutes of her birth the labor room was filled with family and close friends anxious to meet little Addison.It was a truly special moment I will cherish forever.

A day later we took our Addison home. I will always remember...We walked in our door after letting the dogs sniff her up and down, Dylan put the car seat with Addi in it on our kitchen table, we both stood there looking at her, and we both took a deep breath, and I said, "Ok, now what??!!" We had our baby, this tiny bundle of scariness!

Deaette said it perfectly, "You two settled into parenthood so naturally." I felt that way too. Sure it was scary and unlike anything you can imagine, but she was our Addison and every minute was a valuable gift.

The first few weeks of her life were filled with visitors and friends bringing great food and gifts. It was a great time. She grew fast. Her days of sleeping and eating and sleeping some more turned to morning play time (work out time as Dylan called it), giggles, smiles and learning to sit all by herself. When she started violently lunging forward at the food we were eating we decided it was time to start feeding her food other than breast milk! Dylan joked, "Well, she is a Powell alright!!" Addison was always a happy baby, so easy. She ate and slept so well, we often joke we got the perfect model the first try, no reason to try again!!

Dylan and I remained active with Addison. We took her hiking when she was only five days old. She went snowshoeing for the first time at the Lochsa Lodge when she was 8 weeks old. She camped and floated the river her first summer. She has been such a joy. Everything we do, whether visiting the animals at the zoo, going grocery shopping or celebrating holidays is so much more fun with Addison. Not always easier, but definitely much more exciting!

Addison was five months old when we packed up and moved to Salt Lake City. We all adjusted fairly quickly. I was so excited to stay home with her. I didn't have to miss one single second of her. With her changing almost every day I was happy to be able to witness it all. She amazed us everyday with what she understood and how she could communicate with us. I about fell over when I asked her where the wolf was (we have a large wolf painting that hangs in our living room) and she very deliberately looked at the wolf and smiled. Dylan didn't believe she could do it until he saw her. At only six months old she was not only learning but she was communicating what she knew. She began crawling at 9 months, signing "all done" at 10 months, and was walking at 11 months. Talk about constantly changing. We would barely get use to one stage and she was diving into the next.