Selflessness

This story is too good to not share...  What a selfless act in the midst of despair!

http://www.drmomma.org/2011/09/from-despair-to-donation-mother-loses.html

While dropping Abby off this morning, I had an opportunity to talk with her new teacher for a bit.  Maria, Abby's new teacher, was talking about Abby's undying energy.  Evidently she jumps in any type of a toy that they put her in now and I get such a kick out of that- I watch her do the same thing at home.  Maria said that Abby also is the only baby who truly enjoys tummy time at daycare- she loves to roll all over the place.  :)

Abby is laughing a lot these days- sometimes she'll just look at me and start laughing.  Her laughter is absolutely the best sound in the entire world.  :)  This morning she grabbed hold of her bottle as I was feeding her and was pulling it back forth (she does this with her feet a lot).  I couldn't stop laughing- and she just loved that she had made me laugh.  We had such a sweet and tender morning together. :)

Abby has a stuffed giraffe in her crib that she loves to hug and cuddle.  My friend Sophie gave it to her and I just have to share the pic that I took of the two of them last night.  Could she get any cuter?  ;) :)

Life Balance

Well another Monday has arrived.  I cry each and every Monday when I leave for work because I hate to leave little Miss Abby.  This morning Abby was alert and lying on her daddy's tummy, looking up at me with a smile as I left for work.  No offense, Harvard, but you're not nearly as cute or lovable as my daughter. :)

Leif and I are finding our groove as working parents- somehow we finish our chores weekly and still spend plenty of time cuddling and playing with Abby. :)  What is most precious is our weekends.  We have so many wonderful adventures planned for the next string of weekends- it helps us get through the week to anticipate our free time. :)

Yesterday we took Abby out for a walk to the grocery store down the street.  She just loves being outside- she sat so calmly in her stroller taking in the sights and didn't fall asleep until the very end of our walk.  She liked the grocery store a lot too- all of the different colors and people to look at- and Leif loved the attention that he received while pushing around an adorable baby.  We also learned how wonderful it is to have a stroller with some storage room to stash all of the groceries! :)

This weekend we're taking Abby back to the lake.  It's been a couple of months now since we've been to the lake and we miss it dearly.  The breeze off of the lake whips right through the cabin and puts everyone at ease.  Abby just loves it there- she loves sitting out on the deck and staring up at the leaves of the trees blowing in the wind.  She loves walking down to the beach and staring at the rippled water.  Leif bought fireworks for the weekend too and she really really enjoys staring up at the sky and watching each one burst- she doesn't even mind the noise that they make. :)

This weekend we're also venturing out to the Big E fair in West Springfield.  This is the mother of all fairs- with a daily Mardi Gras parade that storms through the grounds, celebrity musical acts, and a huge display of farm life.  Abby hasn't seen any large animals yet- just her beloved kitties and puppies- so it should be interesting to see her reaction to these larger creatures. :)

This is our favorite time of year- the time for apple picking, pumpkin carving, outdoor fires, mulled cider, leaf peeping, and long evening strolls in the cooler temperatures.  When we feel tired, overwhelmed, or bitter with work, we try to remember the fun that is just around the corner. :)

New eye candy:

 Abby and Auntie

 Abby playing :)

Abby napping :)

No naps = extra outdoor time ;)

Miss Abby is a notoriously bad napper.  According to her teachers at daycare, she quite often is the only baby awake in the room.  This ability to avoid napping has granted her access to the "cool kids club" aka- the older infant room.  She is often hanging out with these older babies and is always taken along on their walks which is a bonus for Miss Abby since she so loves being outdoors.  :)  These older babies are more interactive as well and I'm sure Abby is enjoying their company.

We just received Abby's portraits- imagine that!  Her first school pictures at 5.5 months of age! :)  They came out really nice too- she definitely knows how to work a camera. :)  Will scan them soon and get them up on this site! :)

Abby is signing the word "eat" more and more- it occurs daily now and we're so tickled by it! :)  She is an absolute bundle of energy and a joy to be around.  She's laughing more and more and reaches her adorable hands out at everything these days.  Orion is taking well to having his fur pulled out daily.  He is such a mild mannered and loving pet.  Abby just adores him as well.

In 2 weeks or so we're planning on starting solids!  We've been holding off until 6 months because babies are less likely to develop food allergies if on a completely breast milk (or formula for that matter) diet for the first 6 months of their life.  Abby shows an immense amount of interest in the foods that we eat around her so we're anticipating a smooth transition when solids are introduced.  The pediatrician has asked us to start with orange veggies and rice cereal.  She'll be trying one veggie at a time and will eat it for 5 days before trying another- that way we'll know if any foods give her troubles.

She is growing up so quickly.  It's hard to believe.  We are so in love with our little Abby. :)

Here is Abby in her pumpkin coat that her Auntie Mandy got for her :) :)

Baby Sign Language

When I worked for the Child Study and Development Center on UNH's campus, we started teaching sign language to the children before they could speak.  From the infant room and on up, the children were taught sign language to express their needs and it had amazing results.  Leif and I have introduced a couple of signs to Abby- the signs "eat" and "milk".  This morning Abby signed "eat" to me as I was changing her.  At first I thought that it couldn't be what she was doing, she was using both hands instead of one so perhaps it was just a coincidence, but she kept doing the sign over and over again and just to drive home the point, she started smacking her lips together to show me that she was hungry.  I was even able to get it on video (which made me late for work...  woops!) so I'll add it to this blog entry tonight when I get home. :)  Now that Abby has shown us a sign, we can introduce a few more words to her vocabulary- I think "kitty" might need to be next. ;)  Abby continues to astound us daily. :)  She is also sleeping in her crib at night with no problem.  She sleeps through the night and it is amazing.  I even have to wake her up in the morning to get her ready for daycare! :)

While dropping Abby off at daycare this morning, I talked with one of Abby's teachers.  She is amazed by the amount of energy housed in little Abby.  When they put her on the ground for tummy time- she is all over the place!  They also said that she's not much of a napper (which we've definitely noticed) she generally only naps when she is exhausted.  She loves to play with and watch the other babies and only cries when she is hungry.

Miss Independent

In other Abby news, She is declaring her independence!  For the past 5 months Abby has slept in a sleeper in our bedroom next to me and I'll admit to absolutely loving it.  :)  Last week Abby decided to declare her independence, however.  It took a couple of sleepless nights for me to realize that Abby doesn't like sleeping in her sleeper any more.  We tried putting her in her crib for a nap on Saturday and she slept through the night!  Again last night we put her in her crib and she slept through the night. :)  We had been dreading switching Abby to a crib, anticipating a lot of crying, but alas, I'm the only one who is having difficulty with the change! :)  She loves sleeping on her side and tummy and can do it safely now that she knows how to roll over. :)

Abby's Baptism- the pictures! :)

Hi all,
Here are some pictures and the video from Abby's baptism yesterday.  She was baptized by Leigh Dry, the new minister at our church.  Her baptism occurred after the children's moment so all of the children of the church were seated around her as she was baptized.  The ceremony was precious, Abby didn't cry when the Holy water was applied to her little forehead, and the congregation sang, “Abby, Abby, God claims you, God helps you, protects you and loves you too”
 

After the baptism, we all met at Horn Pond in Woburn for a family picnic.  We had a cake for Nanie and enjoyed the beautiful weather, wonderful company, relaxing scenery, and even some yard sports!  :)  Side note- my dad lost each and every game of Bocce Ball and swears that the entire family cheats at the game. ;)

You can watch the video of her baptism at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq5T4rdjRGE

Here are some pictures from the ceremony and picnic :) 

Revered Dry, Leif, Me, Abby & Abby's Godmother Mandy (my sister)

Abby being handed to the Minister. :)

The minister walking Abby around the front of the church as the congregation sings to her

My mom and Abby

Nanie and Abby

And the family picnic!

Abby and cousin Mikey

Auntie E and Abby

 The boys- my dad, Uncle Dave & Leif

 Dad and Abby

 Leif's mom and Abby :)

Abby's Baptism!

Abby will be baptized this Sunday in church.  This is an especially special baptism because my grandparents are founding members of the church and both my mom and I were baptized at the Lexington United Methodist Church- 4 generations within the same church- and all 4 generations will be present at church on Sunday- it's my Nanie's birthday and she's excited to have a special occasion like this on her special day ! :)  I just spoke with our minister, Leigh Dry, and she is so excited to have Abby as her first baptism at the LUMC.  We will post pictures soon!!! :) :)  My mom and I are shopping for Abby's baptism gown on Friday.  Such an exciting day for little Abby! :)

I have to add this in!  Leif just picked up Abby from daycare.  Today was picture day and evidently Abby was the best kid in the whole place for picture day today- she smiled brightly and even stuck her tongue out.  We may be a bit bias, but is Abby a superstar or what?  ;)

Red Sox Game!

Abby attended her first Red Sox game on Sunday 9/4.  The Sox played against the Texas Rangers (who are red hot and first in their division) and Lackey pitched for the Red Sox.  Leif, Abby, and I sat up in the State Street Pavilion Box seats- they have a wonderful view of the field and much less of a line to the bathrooms and hot dogs.  ;)  Abby was really excited when we first made it to our seats- she enjoyed looking at all of the people around her and staring at the beautiful park.  The Red Sox did not have a good day though, and fans were quite vocal about this (as they always are at Fenway Park).  Abby became a little bit overwhelmed by the fans around her for a spell and we retreated to the refreshment area to give her a bottle.  Eating always makes everything alright in Abby's world. ;)  While I wish we could say that the Red Sox won, they ended up losing 11-4.  Abby received her first lesson in Red Sox fandom early in her life- sometimes, they'll break your heart.  ;)

We did get to see Wally the Green Monster run by (though he was too busy to stop for a picture- tisk tisk, Wally!)

Abby even took a nap around the 5th inning or so and slept up until we left the game a little early to beat the crowd out of the park.  We imagine that she looked at the scoreboard, realized that we weren't going to win the game, and decided that a nap would be ok.  ;)  She received a lot of oooo's and ahhhhh's as we walked around the park and looked darn cute in her Red Sox hat.  She had been wearing a cute Red Sox princess pink onesie that our friend and fellow baseball enthusiast Bill Chapman had given to her before she was even born but unfortunately the onesie was soiled before we made it through the gates.  :)

Here is a picture of Miss Abby and I at the game:

Here is our video footage :)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8tIx0WFZ_E

Tomorrow is picture day at Abby's daycare center.  I picked out her outfit for her school pictures this morning and we can't wait to see how they come out!  :)  Things like school picture day really remind us that we are indeed parents. :) ;)

Abby is smiling up a storm, can basically sit up by herself now (she can do it perfectly in her sleeper, that's for sure!) and is showing off her vocals like crazy.  She is still madly in love with her kitty and was also in a long fit of laughter last night that just warmed us to the core.  :)  We are so in love. :)