Sunday, August 7, 2011

Addy Facts

When we had our baby shower in April both Brian and I thought Addis would be there.  Due to the visa taking longer than expected, unfortunately, Addis wasn't there.  It was a difficult time for me and I told my parents I didn't want people asking me well meaning questions about where he was, and when he would come home, etc.  My dad took it upon himself to take a photo of Addis and blow it up bigger than life and put a blurb at the bottom about how hard we all tried to get Addis home and that he would be home as soon as possible.  He also posted star shaped construction paper around the front entrance with "Addy Facts".  Each star was titled Addy Facts and contained info about Addis.  His height, his weight, where he was from, his birthdate, our court date, etc.  It was great to see that info that day.  Although Addis couldn't be with us, he was still the centre of attention.

Anyway, the reason I told that story is that I figured it was time to share some Addy Facts so that other people could get to know the amazing boy that I do.

Likes:
Monkey blanket - this makes him smile EVERY single time he sees it.  He cuddles it in his crib and drags it around the house.  Monkey is an endless source of comfort for Addis.  Addis loves to give the monkey kisses and likes when you give monkey kisses too.  Monkey is definitely his security blanket.

Bananas - this is his favourite food so far.

Scout - this is his favourite toy.  It was given to him by his Auntie Dina and Uncle Brian.  It is a Leapfrog toy and you can plug it into you computer and put in the child's name and their favourite things and it sings and teaches them stuff.  Addis loves Scout.  He plays with him all the time.  He's figured out each paw does something when you press it.  When Addis is in his playpen for his nap he presses the paw that plays lullabies.  He sings along and dances to the music.

The Dogs - Addis loves Jax and Oz.  The more they bark or chase their toys, the funnier Addis thinks they are.  He is particularly fond of what we like to call "psycho Jax".  This is when Jax gets that crazy look in his eye and starts tearing around the house like a puppy doing laps at high speed.  Addis laughs so hard and claps his hands which only encourages Jax.  He also really likes when Oz "sings".  Oz's favourite tune is the theme song from CSI and he belts it out each time he hears it.  Again, Addis claps his hands and encourages Oz.  He loves their sloppy kisses and he cudldes them.  He hasn't quite mastered the art of being gentle but thankfully the dogs are very patient and don't seem to mind too much when Addis is crawling all over them. 

Water - Addis really likes the water.  It doesn't matter if it's the tub, a lake, a pool, his kiddie pool, the splash pad at the park or even the dogs water dish.  He likes to play in water.  He is most definitely a water baby.

Music - Addis really has music in his soul.  The stronger the beat, the more he likes it.  He dances (read: he bounces and moves his bum) and waves his hands in the air the way he sees on music videos.  He likes it when someone dances with him.

Toys - he prefers toys that have music


Dislikes:
No - this is the thing Addis dislikes the most.  He hates not being allowed to do what he wants and throws a king sized tantrum when he hears the word "No".  He throws his arms into the air and starts screaming.  He makes his angry noises and starts to hit whatever is in striking distance.

Grass - Addis does not like grass at all.  He screws his face up like he might cry and lifts his leg like a flamingo.  He then puts it down and lifts the other leg.  He tries to climb up you to get off the grass.

Sand - Oh boy, he hates this more then grass.  Sand does make him cry.  This made our trip to the beach very interesting.  He loves the water so that part was great but he freaked out if any sand touched his skin.  He was fine as long as he could sit in his stroller on play on the blanket but what a scene if he got sand on his hands!

Shoes - Addis doesn't care much for shoes.  He kicks them off.  Can't say that I blame him.  I prefer to be barefoot too.

Oiling - Addis doesn't much care to be oiled up at night.  We need to put oil on his skin and in his hair to keep them from drying out.  He always fusses when Daddy tries to oil him up, but ususally he's ok when Mommy does it.


Accomplishments:
Stairs - Addis just learned to climb stairs.  He climbed up 1 step a few weeks ago but then gave up.  He just tried it again and made it halfway up the stairs before I realized what he was doing.  Time for baby proofing!

Talking - Addis has a few words.  Mama, Dada, Hi, Baba (bottle), Bye.  He babbles non-stop.  He really has a lot he wants to say but unfortunately so far, we don't understand what he's trying to say.  I think he's close to saying dog as well.

Teething - Addis has his 2 bottom teeth, front and centre.  It looks like another one is starting to come in on the top.  He doesn't much fuss with teething.  At least he didn't for the first two.  I guess we'll see how the rest go.

Walking - Soooo close.  He walks really well when he is holding your hands.  You should see him motor around the coffee table.  He's like lighting!  He does walk fairly well if he's only holding one hand.  So far he's only taken 1 step on his own.

Standing - He is starting to stand on his own a little more.  It's only a few seconds but the time is getting longer and he's definitely getting steadier on his feet.

Kissing - Addis now gives big sloppy open mouth kisses.  These are the best kisses in the world.  He ususally saves his kisses for first thing in the morning or just before bedtime.  During the day he's too busy for cuddles and kisses.  The other day I was looking the other way and didn't realize he wanted to give mommy a kiss so he grabbed my ears and turned my head and planted one right on me.  It sure does make my heart melt to get one of these kisses.

Personality Quirks:
Sense of Humour - He has a very swarped sense of humour.  He laughs this deep belly laugh when people fall down, slip, drop something, etc.  He also laughs when he sees other kids crying.  Addis can also be very funny.  He does things that make Brian and I laugh all the time.

Sounds - Addis makes some really great sounds.  Sometimes when he gets really excited he sounds like a veloceraptor.  He also makes wookie sounds when he is excited.  If he's curious about something he makes a "hoo hoo" sound like an owl.  When he sees his bottle he laughs like Beavis and Butthead.

Facial Expressions - Addis makes a face to go along with the owl sound.  It's like he's surprised.  One of our update photos while we were waiting for the visa had him making this face and at that time I wondered what he was thinking.  Now I have a good idea about what was happening.  He was probably curious about the camera.  When he is trying to make you laugh he makes fish faces.  When Addis is so happy he makes this one face and although it's hard to describe it's probably one of my favourites.  It's like the joy is just bursting out of him.  He scrunches up his face and all you can see are his gums.  Picture a little old man with no teeth laughing hysterically.  Addis is a big flirt so when he sees a lady that's to his liking, he gives her a sideways look and gives her a knowing wink and nod.  It's like he's saying "hey baby, you know I'm cute, how you doing?".  He just cracks me up with all his facial expressions.

I have really enjoyed getting to know this wonderful little boy over the past few months.  I can't wait to learn more about him and watch him develop.

Ewedehalo Addis.

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