Adeline celebrates Christmas! =) ...then gets sick :(

Addie celebrated her first Christmas with the Silvestro family in New Jersey. I had downloaded most of the photos to the blog and was just ready to put the captions in, but put it off until we got back to DC. Well...we got back to DC and took Addie to the hospital half an hour later because she had a fever of 103. We went to the ER and she went through a bunch of invasive tests. Because she's so young, they had to do a spinal tap to rule out meningitis and we're here in the hospital for 48 hours until the cultures come back. She's doing a LOT better and the fever is gone, but she has some gastro-intestinal stuff in the form of not-so-normal diapers :) She's going to be fine, and we'll keep you all updated.

Addie was psyched to make the trip up to Jersey to see the fam. She slept for most of the car ride, and she was rarin' to go once we got there!

So were Grams & Poppy, who'd been counting down the hours until Addie's arrival.

Poppy making sure it's the same baby he saw 5 weeks ago.

Meanwhile, Aunt Alli & Uncle Douggo patiently waited for their turn to hold her....

.....and waited......

......and waited....

....and waited (cute, huh?).....

.....but they finally got their turn! ;)

Of course, by then, they had forgotten what they were waiting for and were surprised to see a baby!

Addie had a blast getting ready for Christmas--she hung her own "first Christmas" ornament on the tree, and even had her own stocking by the fireplace.




She loved it so much, we even found her hiding inside of her stocking.... But we had to pull her out, because on Christmas Eve she got to meet Aunt Anna Marie, Aunt Franny, Cousin Jen, and Great-Grandmom for the very first time!

Here with her proud Great-Grandmom!

Meeting her cousin Jen, who will undoubtedly give Addie some fashion tips as she gets older!

Four generations of Silvestros!

Addie's pre-Christmas present from the Grams & Pops was a bouncy chair, which she loved. It even plays music and vibrates, just like those chairs at Brookstone in the mall!

From her bouncy seat, Addie called for a meeting. She quickly took control of "The Family" and announced her plans to take over the world. We nodded in agreement.

The face of world domination.

Addie got more loot on Christmas Day than the rest of us combined! Funnily enough, she slept through the whole thing, which meant that we got to open her presents for her. Woo-hoo!

"Wow! A granddaughter--just what I wanted!"

Coolest Grand-daddio ever!

Addie gave her mom a very special Christmas present--a necklace with both of their birthstones.

Addie got a workout with the G-Pops. He worked day-in and day-out to build up her grip and get her head up during tummy time. Next visit: bench press!

Post-workout snuggle time with mommy!

The girls show some holiday spirit. Monica's already started swapping wardrobes with her daughter.

We hope you all have a wonderful new year filled with love, happiness & fun! We'll be sure to keep it filled with more pictures of Addie! =)

Addie's first road trip!

Steve and I packed Addie up and headed north to visit Grandma and Grampy Silvestro in New Jersey for the Christmas festivities.

On the way, we stopped in Pennsylvania to introduce Addie to her friend Shannon, who just turned 5 months old. Shannon's parents Jodi and Chris, our good friend Brette, and Spike and Sadie--resident bulldogs--also enjoyed the visit.


This is Addie at the beginning of her first road trip. She promptly fell asleep for the next 2 hours. Thankfully!

Addie, meet Shannon. Shannon, meet Addie. With 3.5 months between your ages, you seem vastly different in age and development now, but in 20 years you'll be "the same age" and, hopefully, BFF's--not that we're forcing anything ;)

Jodi and I were mistaken for "gemelas" (twins) when we studied abroad together in Spain. There were a couple of times that the girls looked confused when looking at the one of us who was not her mom! "You look like my mom...but....."

Playing together on the cool playmat! The chimes were a big hit.

Brette cuddling with a sleeping Ms. Adeline.

Shannon found her feet!

After a rousing game of footsie, Shannon went upstairs for a diaper change and decided to change into her reindeer outfit. Altogether now...awwww..... :)

Group portrait. Pictured: Shannon the Reindeer, Penguin Man, Addie trying to be part of the cool crowd in her striped outfit.

Hugs and friends...what a great way to celebrate the holiday season. Thanks for having us, McGee family!

Hope everyone had, is having, or has a safe and happy holiday, whatever you celebrate!

Stay tuned for pics of the Jersey visit!