Word count...

Addie is getting bigger by the second!  No, I'm not kidding: I watched her on the video baby monitor today (while she was supposed to be napping; joke's on me) and she was significatly taller, when compared to the side of the crib, than just a few days ago!  I feel like I've blinked and missed the entire spring... now it'll be June, then July, and I will have a one year old.  Where has the time gone?  This must be what it feels like for the rest of parenthood: a strange mix of excitement at watching your child grow and do and learn, and nostalgia for her to come snuggle up in your lap for a few more minutes. 
Word count: 7.  That's right, SHE CAN SAY 7 WORDS!  Now, please do not come ask her to say them; she absolutely refuses to do anything on command any more (she's like Brad).  But these are the words we've heard her say: mama, dah dah, bye-bye, bop (for Pop, Brad's dad), yit (for light), baba (for baby, her doll), duh (for duck), and today she pointed at Rosco and said "rah."  I think that counts.

I tried to get some shots of this couple together; it's hard.  She's always trying to kiss him (which involves putting his gross hair in her mouth), and he's trying to make sure she doesn't grab his whiskers or tail.  He's so good and gentle with her around; I turned around the other day to find her hand in his mouth (yikes!), but he just stepped backwards.  She gets so excited to see him, no matter what.  I'm kind of surprised "Rosco" wasn't her first word. 

a "best" friend

I have a sweet, sweet friend Denise who is possibly the best friend I've ever had.  Not like "my best friend" - that girlish thing we tend to do where we put friends into levels of importance, to describe a person who I tell everything to and is my closest friend.  She is simply, legitimately a good friend.  We met at church in Dothan, and in the two short years we lived there we became very close.  Since then we talk regularly and visit about once a year.  Yes, she's someone I share a lot with, who I ask to pray for me when I need it.  She knows me well, and - maybe just as important - she knows my husband well and understands our relationship.  Denise is so good at being a friend and showing love.  She reads people well - what they need and whatnot - so well, in fact, that as a women's ministry in our old church, she and a few other women have assigned groups of women to each other for mentoring.  When Brad and I sold our house in Dothan and we had to move out ourselves, Denise showed up at my house with boxes and tape.  My mom was helping me pack - Brad had to work - and Denise arranged dinner for us and stayed for an entire two days while we worked furiously to get it done!  At the time she had a 1 year old, so I know she had to scramble to find someone to watch her baby.  She is selfless like that.  I pray that I have a chance to be as good a friend to her one day.
Denise brought her two girls into town earlier this week, and we had a great time!  Mary Selwyn is almost 4 and Adeline is 2.  We played at the park, the girls "performed" on my fireplace "stage," and we went to the beach.  What a great start to the week!

Addison was enthralled by the big girls, as she always is by other kiddos.  I'm not sure she'd call them her "best friends" though... today that title seems to go to her daddy's foot - gross!

It's tough being the center of attention...

Not me; Addison.  Not to brag, but I often think that my kid is the coolest thing ever.  (Although at this moment she's fake-crying in her bed because she doesn't want to take a nap.  This part is not cool.)  Apparently other people agree.  It seems like everywhere we go people are so considerate and nice and loving towards Addison... even on an airplane where she bugged the woman next to us and fussed for the entire 40 minute flight, our neighbors were very accommodating.  Folks in restaurants comment or smile at us; while walking through a grocery store, people stop to wave back at Addie - she can be very persistent. 

Last weekend Brad, Addison, and I flew to Charleston to meet my family and celebrate my brother's graduation from college.  Between the commissioning ceremony (Drew is now a 2nd Lt. in the US Army - that's crazy!), a parade during a rain storm, a long fancy dinner, graduation, and lots of time in the car, Addie sat threw a lot of not-fun stuff for her!  She was so good.  She was not actually the center of attention - after all the weekend was about Andrew.  She did get a lot of love and attention.  Well, I guess everyone did. 

With the exception of a very stuffy waiter Saturday evening - who obviously was not used to kiddos and looked nervous the second we asked for a high chair - people everywhere were accommodating.  I really expected to get dirty looks and to be one of a few babies around all this college graduation stuff, but there were a lot of babies.  Addie was pretty great.  She didn't sleep a lot, and it caught up with us on the way home on Sunday.  Happy Mother's Day to me.  :)  It was a yuck way to end a fun, short weekend.  Too short to enjoy my parents and grandparents, and to watch my goofy brother-in-law torture my pregnant sister, and to ship my brother off to his life in the Army.  Sigh. 

We worked on Addison's immune system for a few hours Sunday, as she crawled and walked all around the Atlanta airport.  Speaking of the airport: I had a hard time finding a TV that was showing the news.  I thought that was weird; they usually have tons of TVs with CNN or something on throughout the terminal.  When I got home and realized that there had been 3 planes diverted due to suspected terror alerts, I was first thankful that it wasn't one of the planes I had been on, then amused that the ATL folks apparently were nervous about what we passengers would do if we heard about terror threats.  I guess they thought we'd revolt or something.  Funny, but in an ironic way.