She's a She

Thanks, Aunt Tam for always turning us on to cool stuff that works. Check out her first hair clips. First of all, she never once reached for it. It's as if it wasn't even there. Love! Second, the chick? Are you kidding me? So cute! And, lastly....(and I guess any clip would do in this case), maybe I won't get so many "How old is HE"s anymore. Then again, she's always slathered in pink when I get that question, so maybe there is no deterring those people. Hurrah for enough hair to wear the hair clip!

And for warm weather so I can wear my "track suit"!

Oh, Snap!

Abby has been getting a bit tired of her toys... shes's had the same ones her whole life! So, off with a coupon I went, to bridge the gap until her birthday...

She was interested in these snaps for about 5 minutes-- until she eyed the camera case. And the fun was over. Next time, I'll give her some tupperware and a spoon to make a drum, right?


She got another tooth yesterday. There were no theatrics this time in the middle of the night, no fussiness, no ... anything! I looked down during one of her open-mouth, gum-filled grins and there it was, poking through next to the other one on the bottom. The better to chomp with....

Home Alone

This weekend was big for Abby (and for me!). She stayed home alone with only Daddy, overnight, for the first time. She did great and only missed me, according to Daddy for 2 full minutes when she realized I wasn't there to nurse her when she woke up. She did okay drinking from her sippy cup since she still doesn't take a bottle. When I saw her, she gave me a big smile and then was off - pointing at the flowers, other people.... It makes me happy knowing we both did it and can handle our trip at the end of the month. Grant was amazing, of course. I came home to a happy baby, a clean house and lots of stories about going to the flea market, picking up pizza and Abby being rocked to sleep. She's definitely a daddy's girl. She feels safe, undoubtedly, as her little feet attest in this picture, being held by daddy.

Now that she's 11 months, she's blowing bubbles, making crazy noises with her tongue, can flip her tongue over in both directions (I certainly can't do that), still only has one tooth, says "mamamamama" and zillions of other syllables and loves to yank off earrings. I swear she looked bigger to me today after being gone 24 hours. Weird.

Near....Far

Remember from Sesame Street -- the little guys who run up to the screen and say "NEAR!" and then scurry to the back of the screen and scream "FAR!"? (if not, I'm sorry you had a deprived childhood.) Here is Abby doing her version. She still needs some work with the turning around for the "far" part.

More Fun With Daddy

Eating camera lens caps and sucking on an empty beer bottle while watching American Pickers (thanks alot Uncle Ryan). Need I say more?

Nap Training

Yep. Nap training. No fun for anyone. Since Grant and I are taking the plunge and leaving the little monkey for the first time soon, I figured she needed to learn to fall asleep without nursing. It was a rough few days, but she's totally getting it now and naps are a much happier (and a bit longer) experience than they were before. I can even get a few things done.

Like laundry....




And getting us ready for our walk with Red once she wakes up...



Except for today, when she cried for most of her afternoon nap. When I went in to check on her, she'd yanked the little aquarium off the side of the crib and was just sitting there, staring at it, crying. She was freaked out and beside herself about what to do. But she did know she didn't want to sleep after that disaster. So, I did what most women do with a tired child. We went to Target.


And when we got home, all she wanted to do was practice the bend/stand that she's now perfected.

My Adidas

Well, actually, they're Pumas, but I wanted Run DMC to be proud of this post.

Now that Abby weighs over 16 pounds and is 11 months (YIKES!) old, she's curious and curiouser every day. Pointing, pulling, screeching, yanking and crawling, crawling, crawling. She does the downward facing dog many times a day, still loves to jump and doesn't give her mom and dad anytime to sit and read our magazines any more. The nerve! She's understanding much more than I give her credit for and is learning to "share" and "give" daddy her toys one at a time.




She's very into stuffed animals right now, namely her "pink bear" (as opposed to "brown bear" which stays in her crib). The ears of her "sleeping bunny" are pretty disgusting because they are always in her mouth and she's eating like a truly big, growing girl.

Germophobia Still!

Yes, even though we aren't as nervous as we used to be about Abby getting sick, we still act like it. We recently met our neighbors down the street for dinner at The Counter, where they have a rockin' special every Thursday night. Abby and Conner sat next to each other. You can see our high chair cover and plastic square on the table (where she grabs her food from) verses his situation. No fear! That boy isn't afraid of germs and we're sure he's the better for it. Abby will be there soon. I mean, she has been known to eat grass and dirt so perhaps she's closer than we think. Oh, and Red is slathering her face with kisses recently (which she tries to return with an open mouth and tongue extended). So, for those of you who wonder if we're still a little neurotic, the answer is yes!

Girls Weekend

I used to go on an annual girls weekend every year with out fail. The past two years have been riddled with births and craziness for us all but we all committed to making this one happen. Abby loved having so many "aunties" around to help out with her. She was on the verge of crawling so it was a little easier than it would be say, one week later! She got to play in the pool, stare at kooky 60's artwork while trying (and failing!) to take her afternoon nap and got to laugh at her pal, Lily, who's hair she is obviously very envious of.





She won't be going on another girls weekend until she can pay for it herself...so I hope it was fun! Here is Abby, post swimming, in the middle of the action during our margaritas, chips and salsa by the pool...

The girls reminded me of something Abby does that is funny... she closes her eyes like an "I Dream Of Jeanie" blink when she's having fun. Maybe it's her own version of peekaboo? Anyway, it's silly and really cute.

Action Stripe Alert

First of all, can a girl wear too many stripes? The answer, of course, is YES! And here is the perfect example. Striped sweater, striped pants and striped leg warmers. Flashdance would be so proud.

I can't stand these in between days. It's 80 on Monday and by Wednesday, it's in the low 60's. I put the girl in a cashmere sweater (that i bought for $5 at a garage sale, and that is, honestly, nicer than any sweater I've ever owned) in the morning, realize her legs will be cold on our walk -- and, so, the leg warmers....and by 3 o'clock she's sweating. Grrrrr.

But, the reason I posted these pics is because with her new crawling gig going on, she's fast, she's nonstop and I couldn't get a still photo of her. Off we go!

No!

And, overnight, she grew up. Here's what happens when I say "no"....

And then I try not to laugh.

6 Months Post-Op...and Crawling!

For those of you who missed it, 6 months ago today, Abby looked like this...

And, today, she is doing this...

And I'm officially in need of baby-proofing help. Our girl is on the move!

Easter

Easter is a wonderful time for our family, celebrating our Risen Lord all together -- although, since Abby was born, it hasn't involved church! We figure waiting just a bit longer to put her in with the swarm of germs in sunday school is a good idea. I tell ya, we're very spoiled having a child that has never been sick. I'll do just about anything to keep her that way! We spent Easter weekend in Palm Desert with Grandma and Pop Pop, Grant's brothers, their wives, the kids and all of our dogs! It was insanity and we all stayed under one roof. We aren't used to sleeping in the same room with Abby anymore (and thank goodness, after the little bit of sleep we got that weekend) and she tossed, turned, cried and even talked in her sleep. We spent our days playing with cousins, eating, sleeping and in the pool.

Last year, Stacey and I looked like this:




and this year, we look like this (with Abram and Abby, exactly two months apart).




The finer points of desert grass picking...


Abby had fun, after being slathered in sunscreen and wearing her rash guard to cover her scar, hanging in the pool and splashing around. I think we've got a water baby on our hands.

Fun with daddy....




Aunt Karen and Liv and Gab...


Hanging with Uncle Bill




Easter Sunday was a beautiful day and Abby got her first bonnet from Grandma as well as a gorgeous Easter basket.

Finding Her Voice

This is from a few weeks ago but I thought I'd share it while I try to find the camera to upload the insanity from Easter. Abby's finding her "voice" these days... and she's awfully pleased with herself about it.

When she isn't doing this, she's busy feeing herself lots of blueberries, peas, zucchini and scrambled egg yolk. Forget that baby food, mom.... I want real food! I'm happy to oblige as our little monkey is gaining some great weight (although still in a small percentile for her age.)

Bevy of Visitors

Lots of fun gals have been stopping by this week! Auntie Emi and cousin Katy (with Aunt Christi, who always makes Abby smile) came by to share the love. Abby is getting more social all the time and loves these impromptu visits!

Other things she's doing nowadays...

-- she is scooting backwards happily
-- she can go from sitting to all fours and back again
-- if she is holding a toy while we're getting her dressed, she'll switch hands without us prompting her when it's time to put her arm through the sleeve
-- she eats readily with both hands (and likes beets!)
-- she wants either jarred baby food or real food (that she can feed herself) but not the pureed food that i've got an entire freezer full of, awaiting her.
--shes down to nursing just 4 times a day