Week Two: Success!

Abby, Leif, and I have successfully made it through our second week of daycare.  Abby was lucky to spend her Wednesday with Grandma too! :)  The teachers at daycare absolutely love Abby.  They were telling me this week how easy she is and how she only cries when she's hungry.  They said that she is unusually easy to care for- and I couldn't agree more! :)  Abby is happy when we drop her off at daycare every morning and sleepy by the time we pick her up- her day is full of baby watching, playing, and lots of rolling. :)

Abby will hopefully be baptized on Sept 11- I'm just waiting for confirmation from our new reverend.  Abby will be baptized in the same church where I was baptized.  My grandparents are founding members of the Lexington United Methodist Church and we've acquired so many wonderful friends through the church.  We had been waiting for our new minister to arrive before making baptismal plans.  She is now here and she's absolutely wonderful!  :)

We are hoping to bring Abby to the Marshfield fair today.  Scattered showers are predicted for the day but the fair hasn't been canceled so we're taking that as a sign. :)  We're hoping to introduce Abby to cows, lamas, goats, ponies, and sheep today! :)  If we're able to make it, we'll definitely post pictures later.  :)

We're also preparing for Abby's first crazy storm!  Hurricane Irene is on her way but should be downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it hits us.  We'll be bringing all of my precious plants in tonight (we have a dozen or so nearly ripe tomatoes that I don't want to lose!)  Leif and I have loaded the freezer with bags of water in hopes that we can produce enough ice to keep the freezer cold if we lose electricity.  We don't want to lose our freezer stash of milk!  We're excited to weather the storm together but hope that everyone is safe and sound!

Sending love to all!! :)

Here is a little eye candy for you all.  A little while back Leif and I took Abby to the Butterfly Garden in Westford, MA.  Here is our little butterfly in the garden! :)

Abby and her kitties

For the past week or so, Abby has become unbelievably fascinated with her kitty, Orion, and with my mom and dad's kitties, Mimi and Moo.  She watches them so intently and pats Orion often.  If Orion is anywhere in the room, Abby will find him and zero in on him.  Orion is such a sweetie too- he often jumps up on my lap as I'm feeding Abby and rubs his head on her hands and feet.  The two of them are so darn cute together.  :)

Here is a video of little Miss Abby in her sleeper.  She is able to sit straight up in it now (and you can also hear how much she likes to talk)  ;) :)  She is such a strong baby.  She amazes us daily.  :)

Abby in her Sleeper

Stander visit

Today Abby and I headed over to my cousin Jen's for a visit with Jen, Joe, their beautiful boy Paul, and my uncle Paul, and Aunt Cathy.  Poor Leif had to work today and couldn't make the gathering.  Just as I had expected, Abby absolutely loved Paul.  He is wonderful, beautiful, sweet, and entertaining.  Abby really soaked in all of her family today and seemed very interested in the multiple Papas in one room (my uncle Paul looks and sounds just like my dad.)  Abby was on her game today- no fussing, lots of smiling, and a good portion of raspberries as well. ;)  We decided that Abby has a long back like all of the Standers do.

Abby and I visited with my friend Amy, A-mom, yesterday too.  Abby absolutely loved A-mom and was completely spoiled by her first purse, a fascination station, and a ducky that A-mom got for her.  Abby and I stopped by the pet store at the mall too- she was particularly taken with a kitty who looked like Mandy's cat, Rocco.  She is definitely a kitty kid right now. ;)  She also really loved looking at the parakeets and fish.

We had a wonderful and social weekend and are looking forward to Abby's first trip to Tanglewood with Grandma and her friend Carol next weekend!! :)

Oh!  Abby also met the class bunny in daycare on Friday and was very interested in it.  'Atta girl, Abby!  Your mom loves bunnies!!! ;)

Here is some new eye candy:

Abby and Paul

Abby and Aunt Cathy

Nostalgia

Amos Lee's song, "Windows Are Rolled Down" is playing right now.  This song gets me every time because I can remember driving with Leif on a warm April day, 3 days past due, with our windows down as this tune played.  We went to Great Meadows that day and walked around the trails.  It was a beautiful day and a storm came through- we barely escaped the raindrops- made it back to our car just in time.  We stopped for ice cream at Bedford Farms, my favorite ice cream stand.  I remember the excitement in the air- we both had just started our leaves and we couldn't wait for Abby to make her appearance.  It is so wild to think back to that day.  So much has changed and our lives have become oh so full.  Well, there's a bit of cheesy nostalgia for you this Friday. :)

Abby is the happiest baby in daycare.  She really seems to enjoy the center.  She is getting really good at rolling over too- put on a full display for us last night. :)

Happy Friday, all. :)  <3

Leif at Great Meadows

Smiles and chatter

I dropped Miss Abby off at daycare this morning and heard about her day yesterday.  Her teachers said that each and every teacher at the center absolutely loves Abby because she smiles at everyone constantly.  :)  Her teacher said that Abby was full of chatter yesterday and spent a good portion of the day talking to herself.  This is very Abby.  She was also very interested in her new baby friends.  Though she had a toy of her own to play with, she spent much of her playtime watching the other babies and smiling. :)  She napped like a pro (which is a relief since yesterday was her first day napping in a crib!) and transitioned wonderfully in to her new classroom.

This morning as I handed off a sleeping Abby to her teacher and headed for my car, I thought about how fortunate I am to have found this center.  I feel comfortable with the teachers and I know that Abby is happy and loved within its walls.  The center emphasizes the need for a family feel in daycare.  I left Abby rocking in the arms of her sweet teacher.  :)

Leif and I are handling the change pretty well.  I'm finding that sleep is dwindling more and more as prepping Abby for her day early in the morning takes a lot of time but I truly enjoy the challenge of it.  Abby is such a wonderfully happy and laid back baby to boot.  We are feeling oh so blessed (and tired).  ;)

Oh and PS- Abby was still wearing her socks when she came home from daycare yesterday.  ;)

The girl takes after her mother....

This morning marks Abby's first day of daycare.  Our center asks that all children come with shoes on.  Abby has a pair of adorable pink elephant shoes that we proudly placed on her feet this morning.  They lasted about 30 seconds before she kicked them both off.  I can sympathize with Abby on this one- I hate to wear shoes (I'll settle for flip flops but would rather be barefoot).  Her cute little socks were still on her feet as Leif dropped her off at daycare this morning.  We'll see if she's still in them when she's picked up.  ;)

We packed Abby's stuff for daycare up last night and labeled everything as asked.  Her mobile made the trip in to daycare as well.  The center asked that I pack my pj shirt from last night to help Abby with the transition- I thought this was a nice touch.  We're not sure if Abby will really need help with the transition.  Leif reported that Abby was happy (is anyone surprised by this?) when she was dropped off this morning.  The girl does so well with new situations and people- and we'd like to take a moment to pat ourselves on the back for that!  ;)

Well, we made it to this day and I think we'll make it through it.  :)  The socialization will be so good for Abby and we can't wait to hug her at the end of our work days. :)

Daycare

Little Miss Abby begins Daycare tomorrow.  Leif and I are feeling a bit sad about having to put Abby in daycare but we know that the social interaction will be good for Abby and we really like the center.  Abby has shown a great interest in other babies (and her baby dolls as well) so hanging with the other babies will be fun for the little social butterfly.  Abby is the only girl in her center so she has her pick of the litter. ;)  I worked in daycare while going to school at UNH and had such a wonderful experience with the center.  Abby's daycare center very much reminds me of the CSDC on UNH's campus.  She'll be learning sign language and spanish as well!

We've started teaching Abby sign language at home- only two signs so far- "eat" and "milk".  Abby seems to recognize the signs.  She smiles as we sign them to her (eating is definitely one of her favorite things to do right now) ;)  As soon as we feel that she truly understands what we're signing, we'll introduce more words to her vocabulary, like "more" and "hurt".

We are about to go through quite a lifestyle change- we've been so fortunate to have both grandmas watching Abby while we work.  I'm sure we'll adjust to this new schedule and routine just fine.  Abby is such an easy-going baby who can be passed from person to person without fuss.  :)

Here is a pic in Abby's new purple tutu.  I never thought that I'd be the type of person to buy my daughter a tutu but alas, I surprise myself. ;)

Sending oodles of love to all!

Rolling!!!

Leif and I celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary last night and Abby gave us the best present of all- a roll from her back to her front!  :)  She was able to roll from her back to her belly a couple of times in a row and was so proud of herself.  :)

And as always, here's a little eye candy.  :)

Abby's Resume

Having spent sometime updating Leif's resume, we decided that it was about time that Abby had her own resume.  Sending love to all!!!


SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS

· Four months of wordly experience;

· Creative hand gesturing;

· Organize and delegate daily feeding schedule fluidly;

· Aptitude at smiling;

· Utilize Tongue-Sticking-Out Method to engage audience;

· Sleeps through the night consistently;

· Good-looking.



PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE



The Dugan Residence Woburn, MA April 7, 2011-present

· Compassionate pooper;

· Train mom and dad to accommodate my needs;

· Discovery of left ear;

· Proven swimming ability;

· Experience in lobster boating;

· Participates in analysis of mom’s garden growing;

· Expert bunny patter;

· Avid mobile enthusiast;

· Can almost sit up;

· Rarely spits up;

· Calm and happy during baths;

· Improved home life through sheer presence;

· Have won over the hearts of grandma, grammy, papa, auntie, and all friends and family;

· Consistently 85% or above in weight and height chart.



EDUCATION



Mozart and Bach music played in swing

Pat the Bunny

The Belly Button Book

Sail Away, Little Boat

The Day You Were Born

4 month check up

Little Miss Abby had her 4-month check up this morning.  It's hard to believe that she'll be 4 months old on Sunday.  Abby is doing phenomenally.  She's weighing in at 16 lbs and is 26.5 inches long- she's in the 85th percentile for both weight and height.  The doctor commented that smiling comes very easily to Abby.  :)  The doctor also said that her eye focus is great and she's very strong and sturdy.  She even showed off a bit of her tummy time for him.  She has excellent head control.  In Dr Andonian's own words, "I give both momma and baby an A+" (mama got an A+ for being able to stick to strictly breast milk even though she's been back to work for a month- it has been tough so that was nice to hear)  :)

Leif and I have been given the green light to start solids once Abby is showing us that the milk isn't cutting it.  He's hoping that we'll be able to wait until 5 or 6 months and right now that seems very possible.  When little Miss Abby does start on solids, she'll be trying out rice cereal and orange veggies (carrots, squash and sweet potato).  Leif and I can't wait to start feeding her new foods and documenting the reactions! :)

Here is a pic of Abby from last night- napping on her mama :)

Mini Vacation

Leif, Abby, and I took a mini vacation this past weekend and headed up north to Lake Winnipesaukee!  It was a wonderful getaway- and much needed!  The adjustment of going back to work has been difficult for me and Leif and this past weekend was a great escape.  We stayed in Alton Bay, right on the water.  Leif and I took Abby swimming and she loved it yet again.  She loved it so much, in fact, that she fell asleep in her float at one point!  As soon as I upload the videos from this weekend, I'll share Abby's aquatic slumber with all- it was a priceless moment. :)  We arrived Friday night in the thick of rain and Abby didn't even whine as we carried her as quickly as possible to our hotel room!  Saturday morning we woke up and put our bathing suits on and spent a good deal of the day in the water.  We went in to town for a nice dinner on a deck on the water.  Abby was so good through the entire meal.  We returned to the hotel and spent the evening on the dock, watching the sun set and listening to the waves crash on the rocks.  Abby didn't mind the change of scenery one bit.  On Sunday we headed back home and were able to meet up with my cousin Jeff for a family BBQ dinner. :) Jeff lives in Georgia with his wife, Val.  He is in the military and was granted this time off at the last minute so we felt very fortunate to have seen him!  My aunt Robin, uncle Dick, and cousin Jared, Mandy, and Matt all joined us and Abby just loved my aunt Robin.  Tomorrow I'm bringing Abby to my favorite Sushi restaurant to meet my dear friend Sophie.  I suspect that it will be love at first sight for Abby and Sophie. :)

Being back to work full time has been such an adjustment for me and Leif.  We miss being able to spend our days with our daughter but it has made our free time with Abby so priceless.

In more Abby news, the girl is definitely teething a bit.  She is so good natured though and is still so pleasant to be around :)  She has some new teethers including her giraffe named Sophie.  She just loves to chew on the legs. :)  Abby has recently learned how to scream loudly too and has been testing out those lungs of hers.  It's an excited scream rather than a fussy scream though.  She's smiling and laughing and talking up a storm!  The other day she sat straight up in her sleeper.  I can't tell if the sleeper was on a bit of an incline that made it more easy for her to sit up but regardless, she's getting strong!  She can also nearly roll over and holds her head so high during tummy time.  She's grasping with her adorable little fingers and is becoming more and more coordinated.

We are just in love love love with our little girl. :)

Here is a pic of Abby and her new tugboat toy that my coworker Tony got for her :)

Abby on the dock :)

Sunset on the lake :)

Abby and Sophie :)