4 month checkup

Addison had her 4 month checkup today. She weighs 12.8 lbs (25%), is 24 inches long (41%), and her head circumference is 15 1/2 inches (11%). She also had to get three shots today. She was a real trooper about it. She cried really hard for a minute or two and then was just fussy and cranky for awhile. Around 7:00 she was getting really tired and I think the soreness from the shots set in, so I went ahead and put her to bed a little earlier than usual. I'm just hoping she's not too sore from the shots tomorrow.
I, as usual, had a list of about 10 questions for Dr. Simmons. The surprising one was when I checked with him to make sure it was okay to put Addison in the exersaucer. I really thought he would be fine with it, but he told me to wait a month or two until she can sit up better on her own. He also said that he thinks the jumperoo's are a really cool idea, but he thinks they are too dangerous. He said that if any of the springs break or come loose that they could slingshot straight at your baby. So, even though Steve and I got the exersaucer last week and were pretty excited about putting her in it I think we will go ahead and wait another month or two like the doctor suggests.

On a Mission!

Steve and I went back to Mercy hospital yesterday on a mission. Addison loves HER pacificier- the one she was given at the hospital. No other pacifier (even the same brand, same size, everything) will do. So, we took her back to see her nurses (Kyla, Casey, Genie the lactation consultant). They loved seeing baby Addison and they remembered mommy and the baby with all that hair! They were nice enough to give us a few pacifiers so we have less trouble finding one at the house!

Addison's wig

Addison, as lots of you know, has LOTS of hair! Everyone is always commenting on it wherever we go. One day our friend Camilla was talking to a lady and was talking about the Dodsons. The lady said, "oh is that the family that has the baby with a wig?" Yup, that's our baby. And then in Target yesterday, the cashier said "who slapped the toupee on that baby?"

The Accident

These pics are about 2 weeks after the accident when I was finally in the mood to take pics of it. They said this burn is either from the seatbelt or the air bag, but I think it was the seatbelt.

I think I banged my knee into the dashboard

My ankle is what hurt the most at first. I'm not sure how it got bruised all over, but I thought I had broken my ankle right after the accident. I was suppose to be on crutches for two weeks, but I only ended up needing them for about a week or so. I'm glad I got off the crutches much quicker because it's really hard taking care of a baby on crutches!

Here are some pics of my jeep that Steve took when he went to the salvage yard. The jeep was totaled, which really stinks because I really loved that car. Thankfully, my parents are letting us drive my dad's old jeep.

The airbag deployed when I hit the guard rail. The guard rail stopped the jeep after the accident.

So, a lot of you know that Addison and I were in a really bad car accident on Sunday, August 2. It was a really scary incident, but we really appreciate the concern that everyone has had for us. It was a four vehicle accident that probably should have caused a lot more injuries than it did. I feel that the Lord was watching out for everyone that day because injuries were very minor and Addison was perfectly fine with no injuries whatsoever. I did get injured a little bit, but am doing fine. I sprained my right ankle really bad, banged my left knee (just really badly bruised), and have some damage from the seat belt. I can see the seat belt line in bruise form on my waist and I've got a bad burn on my left shoulder/chest from the seat belt. We did ride in an ambulance that day- I was very unsure at the time what my injuries were because of being in horrible shock and just feeling pain everywhere I suspected that I was injured more than I ended up being. I almost fainted after the accident and that's when the people there decided to call the ambulance to come and get me, so I didn't really think about choosing whether or not to go in the ambulance. It was a really bad car wreck though, so I really didn't argue about it.
I really appreciate the help we've received after the crash. I'm thankful to all of our family that showed up at the hospital so quickly to be of any help they could. I'm thankful that everyone tried to contact Steve at church when I couldn't get hold of him (he had a meeting before church, so he was already there). (It's crazy how Steve finally found out what was going on- Ty and Jen were leaving to come to the hospital they told Tim and Catie on their way out to try and get a hold of Steve, so Tim and Catie text Tyler Prescott who went and got Steve and told him what had happened - thanks guys!) I'm thankful to those who have even just asked if they could be of any help. I really appreciate my mom for taking care of me on Monday and then taking Addison and I to the grocery store and to parenting class since I can't drive. I'm really thankful for Camilla Joern for bringing us dinner Monday night and then sitting with me all day on Tuesday since I've been on crutches and can't walk around and hold Addison.
So, thank you everyone for your thoughts, prayers, and support. Addison is doing great, which makes me cry just thinking about it because I was so scared right after the accident on what had happened to her. I am getting much better and am just glad I wasn't more injured because looking at the wreck it could have been so much more worse.

Lightbulb!

They say that around 3 months it is like a lightbulb goes off and suddenly your baby is more interactive and can do more things. I didn't think it would be a sudden as a lightbulb, but it really did happen like that.
One day I put her in her car seat and it was like she realized for the first time that there was a toy there to play with. Since then, she's been playing with it every time I put her in the car seat! Now, when I lay her down on her playmat with toys hanging above her, she is actually playing with them. She can pick up her rattle by herself and play. It's amazing. I can see on her face when she is trying to figure things out. It's an amazing time in her life and I'm so glad to be here to see it.
We've started a new bedtime routine with Addison. We've had trouble getting her to bed at a decent time, so we started a really regular bedtime routine to get Addison to bed sooner. I can't believe how quickly it changed what time we were getting to bed! Right now, we're getting her to bed by about 10 p.m. when before we were lucky to get her in bed by 11 and sometimes 12! My favorite part of it is that it's Steve and I spending real quality time with Addison. We go change her diaper and give her a massage with night time lotion. Then, we put on her pajamas and take her in the living room and read her a few stories together. Steve then reads the scriptures to our family while I hold Addison and rock her to sleep. Finally, we put our sleeping baby in the bassinet in our room.