Happy Birthday, G-dad!!!

This weekend we celebrated G-dad and Colin's birthdays. Today is G-dad's actual birthday....Happy Birthday, G-dad! We had so much fun spending time as a family. It was so nice to see and to celebrate two wonderful men in our lives. G-dad-you are an incredible father and grandfather. We love you so very much. We hope you have a wonderful birthday! Happy Birthday, G-dad!!!

Birthday boys..and of course an adorable baby:) Love the way G-dad is holding Abigail's hand:)

Still holding her hand:)

All 7 incredibly cute grandkids!

How cute are they?!?

G-dad is giving Abigail his watch. Now you know that's love:)

"Don't mind me...just reading here."

Playing with her cousins

Colin, Abigail and Joshua chatting:)

The 3 youngest boys:)

Abigail wants to help Daddy open his gifts:)

Our adorable nieces. My how they have grown up! SO beautiful inside and out! We just got Bailey that bow. She loved it! Do you see why Abigail and Bailey have so much in common:)

Special Visitor

Uncle Jay stopped by on Sunday for a visit before he had to head back to school. Yay! It was so great to see him! Abigail was so excited to see one of her favorite uncles when she got up from her nap. She loves her Uncle Jay:) Colin and I enjoyed chatting and catching up with him. It had been too long:) Thanks for coming to see us, Uncle Jay!!! We can't wait to see you again real soon:)

"Look, Uncle Jay...I found your phone!"

Happy 10 Months, Little Love!!!

Happy 10 Months, Abigail!!! Wow! Almost to that 1 year mark, which is still just crazy talk. Mommy is a little sad that her baby is growing up, but it's also so fun to watch her grow into this adorable little girl. She knows and understands so much already and it's fun to watch her learn and explore different things every day.

Cutie Pie:)

Normally this is the point where we say "At 10 months, Abigail weighs ____"...not so much this time. We decided to give back the scale. Our cardiologist gave us the go ahead, so we figured we'd give it back. (At $60 per month, we were happy to! After 10 months, I think we could have purchased our own scale!) So...we don't know Abigail's exact weight or height, but we're guessing she's still about 15lbs and she's growing taller by the day. Some of her pants and pjs are starting to be too short for her. Right now, Abigail is still in 6 month clothes and size 1 diapers. She pretty much had about two things in her fall wardrobe...yikes! I went out to get her a few things expecting her to be in 9 month clothes, but it turns out she's still a 6 month gal. She was swimming in the 9 month stuff. Our petite little girl:)

Abigail has the BIGGEST personality. No wall flower here. She definitely makes her presence known where ever she goes. Her new thing is this screaming thing. She basically smiles and does this loud scream. No, she's not unhappy. We think she's just figured out that she can make that sound, so why wouldn't she?!? We were in Whole Foods the other week and she proceeded to do that over and over again. I bet you can guess we got a couple of looks from other costumers:) She LOVES to make us laugh. She will get this goofy grin on her face and then do something funny that she knows has and will make us laugh. Quite a smart girl, that Abigail:)

Silly girl:)

Abigail is SOOOO close to crawling. It really seems like any day. She is able to get up on all fours and now she can even move her back legs, but she hasn't figured out the arms yet. Abigail's legs will eventually just slide out and she'll just push herself backwards. One time she was going after her ball and she just kept pushing herself back and back, until her bottom half was completely under the couch and that poor ball was way far out of reach:(

"Why hello there!"

"Do you need help with that camera, Mommy?"

"Don't worry...here I am, Mommy!"

 Abigail pulls herself up on EVERYTHING! We had to move her crib mattress down a notch and take out the bassinet in the Pack n' Play because she constantly pulls herself up and we couldn't leave her alone any more. Abigail LOVES standing! She'll sit for a few seconds and then turn around and pull herself up on you or whatever is near by. Even if she's playing with her toys, she'll have one hand holding onto her toy and the other onto you or whatever she's using to stand up on. This morning Colin said "Abigail is like an airplane. Her butt is always up in the air. She comes down to refuel and then she's back up!" Haha I love it! So true!

Abigail is eating like crazy, like we said in the previous post. It's so nice to be able to stick her in the high chair and give her cheerios and puffs and allow her to feed herself. She's loving graham crackers right now too. We also recently gave her grilled cheese, which she enjoyed for the most part. Not quite as much as her cheerios and graham crackers. Finger foods definitely gives us a few minutes here and there to get stuff done. It's especially helpful during dinner so that Colin and I can actually eat, which is crazy talk in our house!

What good posture!

Cute girl:)

Such a big girl!

When we were at Occoquan, a woman said "The bigger the bow, the better the mom!" There you have it folks...I must be doing something right:-)

 Abigail loves to play with her toys. She definitely has her favorites still. We'd say the Baby Einstein music book is still number one, but she has a lot of other close seconds. She LOVES her Hello Kitty book, her Mini Mouse music book, her musical doggy, and probably her most favorite thing in the whole world right now are watches. Yep...Abigail is already into jewelry. Good girl:) If you come over wearing a watch (or any jewelry for that matter) be prepared to part with it because Abigail will steal it the moment you walk in the door. It's hilarious! She can literally spot a watch a mile away and she'll bother you until you finally give in to her. Silly girl:)

Abigail loves pretty much anything music related. She loves to sing. Her favorite song right now is The Itsy Bitsy Spider. She gets a gigantic smile on her face as soon as you start singing it. She especially loves the hand motions and sometimes she'll even try and do them herself:)

Abigail is sleeping like a big girl in her crib every night. She still awakes several times through out the night, but we're making progress. We've taken her pacifier away from her during the day and now she just uses it at night and for naps. Yay!

Abigail loves getting out of the house, whether it's on an errand or for a walk around the neighborhood. She loves the Britax carrier. She's basically standing and seeing everything going on...what more could she want?!?

Happy 10 months, sweet baby girl! We love you soooo much! You make us so happy! We are definitely the luckiest parents in the world:) xoxo

Abigail Eating

Abigail is known as a picky eater. We're talking bananas, pears, greek yogurt, avocados (used to...not so much any more) and prunes. The end. While we wouldn't go as far as to say she is an adventurous eater now, we have definitely made lots of progress.

 Abigail is LOVING the puffs. If you are unfamiliar with puffs, they are basically like cereal that melt in your mouth. Her favorite is the banana flavored one. Go figure:) Abigail is getting so good at using her fingers to eat. She is getting closer to the pincer grasp, but is still pretty much an open palm type girl right now. She'll pick up several at a time and try to cram her whole hand in her mouth at once.Abigail will also try and fit as many puffs as possible in that little mouth of hers so you have to be careful in dishing them out to her.

We gave her some cheerios for the first time the other day. She LOVED them! I mean..who wouldn't:) Yummy! Abigail also tried those little squeeze pouches of baby food. They basically look like those Capri Sun pouches we all used to drink (which by the way were IMPOSSIBLE to open!), but instead of juice they have fruits and veggies inside. She like the squash and pears combo. First veggie she'll actually tolerate...yay! I think it had way more to do with the fact that she loved the pouch it came in rather than the veggie itself. Whatever works, right?!?

Abigail also tried and liked Mommy and Daddy's peanut butter smoothie, which has frozen bananas, peanut butter, almond milk and spinach. Delicious! You have to basically hide yours if you want to drink it...otherwise Abigail will drink the whole thing! Abigail also ate some of Mommy's sweet potato. She doesn't like it plain, but if you put butter, cinnamon and sugar on it she will. That's my girl! She's also a big fan of cantaloupe. Yum! Abigail also tried spaghetti with a beef sauce and she liked it. It's like she's changed overnight and has become a more flexible eater. It's been great! She wants almost everything you are eating so you have to be willing to share:) Don't worry....Abigail is very generous and loves to "share" her food with you too. So sweet:)

She still only has her two bottom teeth, but they are getting big and she loves to over exaggerate the chewing motion. It's hilarious!

It's Starting to Feel Like Fall

So sad:( You can definitely tell summer is almost over with the chill in the air. Colin loves it, while I have taken to pulling out my winter clothes:) Saturday was a little chilly, but a perfect day to go walk around downtown Occoquan.  If you haven't been, it's a cute little town with adorable shops and restaurants right on the water. It was super fun to walk around and see the area. Abigail is always in the mood for a good walk:)

Abigail waving:)

The rest of the weekend was spent going to church, playing, going for walks and watching some good ole football. Abigail is not quite ready for football season. She started crying when Mommy cheered loudly in excitement:-( Hopefully she'll get used to it. Otherwise, Mommy and Daddy might have to limit the amount of football they watch. Yikes!

Cutey pie in her Sunday's best:)

Another great weekend here. Hope you all had a nice weekend too:-)

My Day with Abigail (and an Ode to her Mom)

Last Sunday, Stephanie went out to lunch with one of her best friends, so I got to spend some quality time with our lovely daughter (someone at work told me never to call it "babysitting" when you are watching your own kid, or the wife may get mad). I don't spend a lot of time alone with Abigail. It is not that I don't want to, it is just that our favorite thing in the world is for the three of us spend time together as a whole family. But, with Stephanie out of the house for some kids-free time, I got to put my stay-at-home dad skills to the test.

Does she look nervous to you?

I was very excited, and had most of our day planned. Before she left, Stephanie quizzed me on when Abigail is supposed to sleep and when she is supposed to eat. I had a cheat-sheet Stephanie made when my parents were watching Abigail the previous day, so I passed with flying colors. Stephanie asked me to take lots of pictures so she could see what she missed, but I think she really just wanted to make sure we were behaving.

My first order of business was to put Abigail down for her morning nap. She went right to sleep and had a great nap. If she was a little surprised not to see her Mom when she woke up, she did not show it. In fact, she was a sweet girl the whole day.

 Where is Mom?

First, we tried to work on her crawling. She is so close. She will get on all fours, and rock back and forth, but she hasn't quite put it all together yet.

Should I go after my toy or the cat?

Neither if Dad is taking pictures

Next, it was lunch time. One of us had tacos and the other had milk. It seemed like she finished her milk in 2 minutes. I have never inhaled tacos that fast. I know why Stephanie says she just wants to eat an un-rushed meal when we have babysitters for Abigail.

Okay Dad, I am ready to play

After lunch, we played for a little while and then took a walk. This was one of my favorite parts of the day. She was so well behaved. She just sat in her carrier and took it all in while we cruised around the neighborhood for almost an hour.

Again with the nervous look

After our walk, it was time for some more milk and then a bath.

So cute, but I am a little biased

I think I wore her out. The feeling was mutual.

Gotta get cleaned up before Mommy gets home

After the bath, we played for a little while longer. Then she had some food and it was time for her afternoon nap.

We are working on her jumping in hopes of a b-ball scholarship

Such a sweet, happy baby!

Then, I put her down for her afternoon nap. She went right down and stayed down the entire time. All day, she was sweet, happy, and generally a joy to be around. It could not have gone any better.

I know from first-hand experience that every day is not always like that. Like any baby, Abigail can be fussy, moody, and not want to sleep. Stephanie takes care of Abigail every day; good moods and bad moods. She is incredibly patient with Abigail (and me) and is always a wonderful mother. Stephanie does a lot to take the best possible care of our daughter and help her grow and learn. All though my day with Abigail did not really give me a taste of how difficult it can be, I do know what Stephanie has to go through and I sincerely appreciate it. I had a wonderful day with Abigail, but my favorite time is still, and will always be, the time the three of us can all spend together as a whole family.

Fun Weekend

We had some special visitors this weekend!!! Meme, Granddad and Uncle Jay came to visit! Yay! They were so nice to come babysit Abigail so Mommy and Daddy could have some much needed alone time:) While we missed Abigail like crazy, but we know she had a lovely time with her wonderful grandparents and uncle. Luckily Mommy and Daddy got to spend some quality time with them and as well. Sadly we missed Jay, but hopefully we can convince him to come visit again real soon. We know Abigail would love that too:) Thank you all SO much for coming to visit! We loved having you! Can't wait to see you all again very soon:)

Aren't they the cutest?!? Abigail LOVES her Uncle Jay!!! Did you notice that Abigail confiscated his phone rather quickly:)

No body got ANY pictures of the whole weekend except for this adorable picture of Jay and Abigail so here are some older pictures of Meme and Granddad just so you can see their lovely faces:)

Doctor's Appointments

Poor little Abigail had 2 doctors appointments this week: pediatrician and cardiologist. First up was her 9 month wellness check with her pediatrician. Here are Abigail's stats: weight: 15lbs (5-10th percentile), 27.5" (41st percentile), head (91st percentile...ALL brains:-)). So obviously she's still little as far as weight goes, but she's getting so tall! Tall and skinny....wonder where she got that from??? Hmmmm....her daddy and mommy perhaps??? The pediatrician said she looks GREAT! Yay! Abigail still only has 2 bottom teeth, but he said a bunch on the top are getting ready to poke through.

Someone's a messy eater. Notice the spoon in Abigail's hand. She was "helping" Mommy feed her:)

Doctor's appointment #2...cardiologist. This time we had to do another echocardiogram, which Colin and I always dread. Abigail has to lay there and be STILL for a LONG time (at least 30 min). Have you EVER seen Abigail still for that long??? It was a challenge, but we made it. The doctor said that he did not see any change, which is GREAT..exactly what we want to hear. Surgery is tentatively scheduled for next May/June. We got a few more surgery details (length, duration of hospital stay, etc) but we'll share definites after we meet with the surgeon closer to her surgery.

Who me?

I'm a big girl! Little in the mouth, lot on self:)

Abigail is doing really well. Her weight plateaued for a LONG time and we were concerned. But recently it is going up at a very steady pace. She is eating very well. She is so interested in what we are eating. Sometimes if we try and give her something, she won't even take a bite until we do. Mmmmmm...baby food:) She is especially interested in cantaloupe, apples (whole), and of course ice cream. She recognizes it a mile away and don't even THINK of eating any of those without sharing with her:) Abigail is starting to eat more chunky foods. She does this funny chewing thing (it's pretty much an exaggerated chewing motion) whether the food needs it or not. It is hilarious and just the cutest little thing:) We keep trying to video tape it, but she pretty much just stares at the camera.

Got to chew your food:)

That's the scoop on our end. Happy Friday, everyone! We hope you all have a wonderful weekend:)