Busy bee!

I feel like I have been slacking on my blogging. It really isn't my fault at all, we have been so busy lately. Well first we went to NY for my mom's birthday a few weekends ago and got to spend some quality time. It had been about a month since we had seen my parents so it was nice for all of us to be together and for Adrianna to give lots of hugs and kisses and show off all of her new skills she has learned. That same weekend we headed to the Bronx to celebrate Joe's grandfather's 81st birthday! A  bunch of his family got together at a local restaurant and we were able to see some we hardly ever get to see. It is so fun to show Adrianna off to loved ones :) Joe's brother and his wife also flew in from FL for the birthday party and they had some pretty exciting news....they are expecting their first baby in April! We are so excited for them, they will make fabulous parents and that precious little baby is going to be so darn cute! Adrianna loves other children so it is very exciting that she will soon have someone to play with at family functions, they will be just about 2 years apart. Plus I get to be an aunt, which is a very fun realization for me. I can't wait to buy cute baby things.....they are going to wait to find out the sex of the baby and there is nothing I love more than surprises!
I would normally have tons of pictures of that very fun-filled weekend but oddly enough, I was suffering with pretty severe back pains. I am not sure how I injured my back but it was so painful that I ended up in the ER. Two back injections and some muscle relaxers later I am now about 85% better than I was about 2 weeks ago. I start physical therapy tomorrow for a possible herniated disc/pinched nerve injury. I really hope this helps me feel better because I really don't want to have an MRI or any other medical procedures. Back problems are not easy to cure and the thought of having back surgery scares the living s*%^ outta me! Here's hoping everything turns out ok. Somewhere in between all of that activity, we thought it would be a brilliant idea to move into a different house on base because it offered a different layout and fenced in backyard for our dogs. We couldn't have picked worse timing, with my back being out I was pretty useless in any of the moving which made everything a little more stressful and a little less organized. we did it though, thanks to Joe's wonderful parents. They really seem to get us out of some pretty sticky situations sometimes and we are just so grateful for them. Now that I am feeling better I get to redecorate and have fun with all of the unpacking....which I hate doing ha! At least we were able to get rid of a lot of junk we had piling up around our house so hopefully when we HAVE to move next it wont be as cluttered, which I doubt.
Adrianna turned 15 months as well a few weeks ago and it really is just heart warming to see all of the new things she is learning. She can point to and name several things around the house, her favorite is grabbing anything; remotes, teddy bears, and sometimes and actual ball and throwing it while screaming "BALL" at the top of her lungs. She is such an amazing little person. She says "night night" and lays down on the floor and then pops her head up and starts laughing because I pretend to get scared....she loves it. by far the funniest and cutest thing she does now is talk on the phone in her own baby babble. It is so cute! So now whenever the phone rings she is trying to pry it away from my ear so she can talk too. Hubby mentioned yesterday that he almost started crying because while he was playing with her in the backyard it hit him that he can actually PLAY with her in the backyard.....she runs after him and the dogs and just loves to crunch leaves beneath her feet. Such a fun age. She is going to be a bumble bee for Halloween, and so am I! I can't wait to take her trick'er treating, we have been practicing buzzing like a bee...."bee" ready for some cute pics and videos! :)

She loves watching the squirrels 

"No No" screaming to the squirrels 

She kept saying "bye bye" because she wanted to go outside

Is it too early for winter PJs?

Taking a phone call

In the mean time, check her out talking to her uncle Kev and enjoy a few recent pics.

My favorite time of year

It is finally fall in New England! I love this time of year, the pumpkin and apple picking, crisp fall nights, hoodie whether, leaves changing and MY BIRTHDAY! I'm hoping to make it a good one this year, since next year there may possibly be an addition to our growing family.....and no I am not pregnant yet. I plan on having a few drinks with some good friends and just enjoying the beginning of my 26th year. I have plenty to be thankful for. Sometimes I can hardly believe that this time last year I was cuddling with a 3 month old baby wondering if I would ever GET how to be a mom, at least a good one. I had so many questions, so many anxieties, and I was very self conscious of my mothering style. I can say now that, although I still have lots to learn, that I am so comfortable where I am as far as mothering my wonderful baby girl stands. I feel like I have her nap schedule down, her eating finally figured out, and I understand her moods; good and bad. She goes to the doctor next week for her 15 MONTH CHECKUP! 15 months....still sounds very strange to say that. I have been following other blogs where they will post a list of the new things and changes their babies have gone through every month like their height, weight, favorite food, nap schedule, favorite book, favorite song etc so I will post something similar next week.
Adrianna started up her Little Gym classes again in the beginning of September and she is so independent! She loves to sing the welcome and goodbye song with the bells and loves the bubbles. Apparently she does really well on the high bar and low beams....she has very good balance and upper body strength. She hangs on the high bar like a monkey! Which is funny because that is her signature "animal." She has monkeys in her nursery decorations, clothing (carters has the cutest monkey line) and even hair clips. It suits her, although I have gotten rude remarks about why I call her a monkey (some people just need to relax with their opinions)! Little Gym is really teaching her how to play with other children well and how to feel comfortable playing away from me, away from her comfort zone. She goes off and explores all of the equipment and doesn't even look back to see if I am behind her. She has even learned sign language! I have been working with her on using sign language to be able to communicate what she wants instead of getting frustrated. She can sign gym, all done, more, please, thank you, and milk. All very important in her life right now :) I am just so proud of how much she is learning and how quickly she can pick things up. Today she was watching Little Einsteins and was copying all of the movements like patting her knees when they do and saying blast off (well she just screams but I'm sure she thinks she is saying it) and it is so cute. Her newest love, Fresh Beat Band. She dances to their songs and tries to sing. It is so cute! Maybe she will be a gymnast and/or singer when she grows up :) No rush!
 Here are some recent pics of Adrianna:

Her princess wand

Doing what she does best, PLAY

Opening and closing the gate door