Christer & Cat

Today we took Addison to Petco to see the animals and see how she would react to them. I knew that she LOVES cats and dogs. We also watch the birds out our window most mornings. She really liked watching the mice run in their exercise wheels. They looked really cute… but I can’t bring myself to have pet mice. Then I saw a rat- yes, pet rat and that just grossed me out (mostly the tail and claws- ewww). We walked around to the birds and she really liked the little one that flew all over the place. The fish were fun too- except that she kept trying to pet them and take them out of their tanks.

Christer anad I realized that we hadn’t fallen in love with anything so we were just going to leave. On our way out we saw two dogs that were playing with each other. They just crossed paths and the owners thought it was so cute that they just let them play. The dogs were small and very cute. I had Addison sit with me and pet them. The smallest one was the cutest- so friendly, energetic (but not wild). I asked the owner about her and apparently she is a Yorkie Shitzu mix- which is a really fun mix. Great with kids, even small ones, they stay small. They are social yet mellow when they need to be. I have to be honest- the thing was so cute I wouldn’t mind picking up the poop! Someday I’ll get one…. someday

I heard from a co-worker this morning that their newborn baby has been diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis.  I thought I would pass on his message for anyone that is interested and able to give support.

On March 25th, 2009, our son Adrian Abraham Barrett was diagnosed with
cystic fibrosis. While we know the news is sour, we also know that this
will make us treasure each day we have together and hope that we are
together not just months, and not just years, but we hope to be together
for decades. This bit of sour will make the sweet even sweeter. You can
read more about Adrian by visiting his website: Baby Barrett

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs
and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United
States (70,000 worldwide). A defective gene and its protein product
cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that clogs the
lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections, and also obstructs
the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down
and absorb food. In the 1950s, few children with cystic fibrosis lived
to attend elementary school. Today, advances in research and medical
treatments have further enhanced and extended life for children and
adults with cystic fibrosis. The median survival age is now 37, with
more than 40% surviving past the age of 18.

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is making a huge difference in extending
the quality of life for those with CF. However, we continue to lose
precious lives to CF every day. That’s why your help is needed now more
than ever to ensure that a cure is found sooner – rather than later. To
learn more about CF and the CF Foundation, visit
www.cff.org.

I’m walking in the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s GREAT STRIDES walk at
the Tooele City Park walk on June 6th, 2009. Please help me meet my
fund-raising goal of $3,000.00 by sponsoring me. Your
generous gift will be used efficiently and effectively, as nearly 90
cents of every dollar of revenue raised is available for investment in
vital CF programs to support research, care and education.

Thank you for supporting the mission of the CF Foundation, and
ultimately Adrian!

Its sad to hear such news, but I’m sure progress can be made by giving your support.  Even if you’re not able to sponsor Jonathan in the fundraiser, by sharing this link and message with others they may have the opportunity to help where you cannot.

Shaun, Janelle and Preston spent some time here over the weekend and Janelle was busy taking pictures of everyone.  Now that she’s gone home she posted a few teasers on her blog–one of them may be my new  favorite.  I’ve updated my computer wallpaper to use it and want to thank Janelle for taking some time for pictures.

…and here it is.

Addison and Daddy

So I’ve been looking at lists and lists of baby names for what seems like forever. With Addison it only took us a couple days and we knew instantly what her name would be. Right now I think we’ve come to the same conclusion with our lil’ sis coming. What do you think about the name Elizabeth- Liz for short? It has a funny story that goes along with it… ok it may only be funny to me. I have no idea why, but when Christer would tease me and pretend that I was in “trouble” he would call me “Catherine Elizabeth” – as if he was saying my full name. Thing is…. that’s not my name, not even close. So it just made me giggle everytime he did it. We still don’t have a middle name yet. I’ve been thinking about Lee, Ann (after my grandma), and a few others.

By the way, Addison is pretty much walking- when she thinks you’re not looking LOL! She is being really funny about it. She’ll stand on her own now, which she’s been doing for a while, but now she actually wants you to see her do it and praise her. Today she has taken a few (as in 3) steps toward something from her own starting place. No hanging onto mom or dad and no coaching required. Of course if you let her know that you are watching, she’ll drop to the floor in an instant. It’s pretty funny and exciting since she did it a couple times just today

I hope I’m not stealing anyone’s thunder by posting a picture, but Kerstin sent me this from her iPhone this morning..

Update: The little one is here!

I’m usually the last to hear anything in our family, but I *think* Amy is in labor as of late last nite. All I have to go on is an instant message from Kerstin saying:

11:12:42 [kerstin] in case you hadn’t heard….amy’s water broke and they are at the hospital…

I don’t know any more details beyond that, but I’m guessing we’ve got a little addition to the family at this point. Still waiting to hear more…

We went with our friends Keri and Jackie to the Treehouse in Ogden. We got there a little late and just got to really sample everything before it closed. It was a ton of fun and Addison loved the toys and musical instruments. Here are some photos- We enjoyed it so much that we’ll be going back next Monday!

Jackie and Addison

Future President of the United States

Today we went to the doctor and he did the big ultrasound to check the heart, mouth, organs etc. The baby is perfect and growing at a perfect rate! She (yes I said she..) is really positioned cute- but not very conveniently Her legs are together and feet are crossed. She is already very different from her sister. I have a feeling she’s going to be a girly-girl. I’m really excited to have have another girl join us! We don’t have a name yet and we are welcoming any suggestions.

Last week was a whole week of Birthday celebrations for Addison. On Tuesday I made her some birthday waffles for breakfast. We played all day and took some birthday pictures. We went to grandma’s for her birthday dinner and had chicken rolls. We also had some yummy cake! Grandma and Grandpa had some great gifts for the birthday girl. She got a baby doll, some books, and a cute blue jacket. She absolutely LOVES the doll and calls her “baby” – of course she says it more like “bay-yeey.”

On Saturday we had a party with all of her cousins and friends. It was a whole lot of fun! (Thank you grandma and Mari for showing up early and helping me!) We played with bubbles, had pizza and cake and even a pinata! Adan broke it and Jake was the first to get to the candy- it was a lot of fun! Of course the best part was when Addison got to open her presents. She LOVES Tinkerbell and her aunts got her just that. It’s funny to watch her now when we ask her where Tinkerbell is. Before, she just had the one that was on her chair- but now she has that one, plus a doll and a pillow with Tinkerbell.

I love my little Monkey and I’m so grateful to have her in my life. Compare these photos- one month vs. one year

Yesterday a friend of mine told me about a Free Sub promotion at Quiznos. Their “Million Sub Giveaway” is running at participating locations. Basically you go to a website, print off a coupon, and get a free sub. Guess what I had for lunch today

If you’re interested in getting a free sub (it is a recession, afterall), visit Million Subs and fill out the quick form.

note: the small print does mention your email will be given to the marketing-types at Quiznos, so use a disposable email if you don’t want the spam. Ten Minute Email