and then there were three

I'm Alive!

2010-02-18T19:59:00.020-06:00

And tired of posting in third person.

I see it's been 3, almost 4, months since I posted anything. Why? Sadly for no reason. The holidays flew past and now it's somehow almost Abby's second birthday. So a catch up on us, some photos, and many promises to do better...

We hosted Thanksgiving at our house, which was great. It was just six of us, the hubby's parents and youngest brother, and the three of us, so nothing extraordinary was on my dinner table.

We spent over two hours in line at Honey Baked Ham waiting for our ham and turkey combo. I also ruined a fudge pie, which no one was going to tell me until I tasted myself (after everyone else had already forced it down) and had to spit it out because it tasted like mud. Well, chocolate mud anyway.

Not to worry, I redeemed myself at Christmas and made a fabulous fudge pie which was devoured immediately. We spent Christmas with my parents in Wichita Falls. Any of you who were out and about Christmas Eve will recall the ice/snow. Well so did we, and we thought, "How fun!" and decided to wait until noon to start our 120-mile journey. We had some food for Abby, a Chick-Fil-A Oreo shake, and some Christmas cookies that were to be decorated by Abby and Robin for Santa that night.

About eighty miles into our trip, we (and by "we" I mean the hubby) started having to pull over every 20 minutes and scrape the windshield. Except we didn't have a scraper. First we used one of the pieces of Abby's Fisher Price Nativiy set (forgive us) then we found my broken phone cover and he used that instead.

Soon the scraping became unnecessary, though, because we stopped moving altogether. Along with probably 2,000 other people, we were stuck on US Hwy 287, 40 miles outside Wichita Falls, for 7 hours. If you're paying attention to the time we left, how far we'd come, and how long we waited, you'll deduce that it was now 8:45 PM. We saw no emergency vehicles--just idiots gunning it and ending up in the ditch. I finally called 911 to find out what was happening. They said 35 miles ahead of us there was an overturned tractor-trailer at the base of an icy bridge.

I won't bore you with more details about the waiting, but suffice it to say I was never happier that Abby still wore diapers or that we had a gigantic Chick-Fil-A cup in the car. We fed Abby her dinner and tried to sleep awhile because the 911 operator told us to plan on spending the night in the car. 27 degrees. Yikes.

We started moving about 1:00 AM. We were moving 15 mph and I swear it felt like we were hauling. We made it to the Jolly Truckstop, 10 miles outside Wichita Falls. There was no parking because there were hundreds of people there, hoping to drink coffee until morning. We slid around and finally made it to an empty parking lot and called my parents to pick us up in their 4WD Tahoe. We arrived at their house at 3:47 AM Christmas morning. If you are worried about what happened to the blasted tractor-trailer that caused all that mess, two days later they removed it with a tank from the Air Force base. Seriously. We retrieved our car the same day.

After that nightmare, Christmas was short but sweet. Santa came at approximately 10:30 AM while Abby ate red and green Christmas pancakes. We had a great time, complete with sledding. Here are the highlights:

Abby at our house before we left

Maddie and Poppa's backyard Winter Wonderland

Abby checking out her Santa loot

Tada! Santa brought Elmo slippers

Climbing up the "hill" to sled

So when we got back we had Robin and Allyson over to celebrate with them (they were smart enough not to force the trip Christmas Eve), and also to celebrate Robin's 4th birthday. We opened presents, ate fried chicken and mashed potatoes and had icing-less (Robin's favorite) sprinkle cupcakes and ice cream.

Proposed matching Christmas Eve dresses

Giggle-fest during dessert

"Matching" galoshes

So, all in all you're caught up. Life has been full of preschool and work and cooking and cleaning since then. I will do my best not to let so much time pass before the next post. Time off has made me feel like writing again so caveat lector.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words - Abby's Fall Preschool Party

2009-11-01T19:57:00.013-06:00

Okay, okay. It might be worth a thousand words but this party was too cute not to at least attempt to explain the photos.

Abby's class is mostly 19-20 month-olds and her precious teachers actually somehow manage, every Tuesday and Thursday from 9 to 2, to get these munchkins to do things en masse, like sit around the big orange table without crying or getting out of their seats.

Our craft was to decorate scarecrow masks. Here's Abby pretending she cares.

Here's Abby trying to get the sticker off her finger that Mom put there in an attempt to get Abby to participate.

She ditched the mask and colored the table instead...

... but Mom still managed to get her to take a picture.

On to food. Eyeing her first gluten-free cupcake,

which she clearly enjoyed.

And finally, a feeble effort by moms to get any kids who would sit still to pose for a photo:

Abby saw the camera and immediately screamed "Abby pictures!"

And then it was over.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words - East Texas Campout

2009-10-31T22:16:00.009-05:00

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words - A&M v Arkansas Tailgate

2009-10-31T22:05:00.005-05:00

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words - Big Orange Pumpkin Farm

2009-10-31T21:44:00.016-05:00

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words - Colorado

2009-10-31T20:56:00.020-05:00

Quick Catch Up

2009-09-24T15:53:00.006-05:00

Mom promised pictures from our Colorado trip, but alas, they are mostly on Dad's work computer so hopefully someday soon we can get that worked out.

In the meantime, a quick update.

Abby started preschool this month, and after three weeks (she goes twice a week for 5 hours), she loves it. This pic is before we left the house the first morning.

The first day was rough for Abby and Mom. This was mostly because as soon as Mom handed Abby over the door to Mrs. Jacquie (Abby's precious teacher), Abby lunged for the door and Mom could hear her screaming "Mooooooommmyyyyy!" all the way out the door and into the parking lot. Dad knew this, and because he is so wonderful, he came home from work bearing gifts for all - flowers for Mom and a new tea set for Abby.

Nothing much else has been happening here. We had a nice, quiet couple of days last weekend. We went to the Plano Balloon Festival to see the lighting of the balloons. Abby thought it was great.

This pretty much concludes our update. Keep your fingers crossed we see those vacation pics before 2010.

And when you reach the scene of crime --

2009-09-24T15:03:00.006-05:00

-- Miss Abigail's been there.

2009-08-20T21:50:00.007-05:00

So it's been a long time. Mom has been busy, and didn't want to bore her reading public any longer with unoriginal ideas.

Here's what's been happening with us...

Abby learned how to "smile" for the camera:

Abby made her first trip to the lake, complete with swimming out in the open with Mommy and Daddy:

And finally, our play group finally wised up and let the kids play in the water since it's 100 degrees outside:

You can clearly see how hard Mom has been working lately and why there's just no time for a decent post. We leave for Crested Butte tomorrow night, so hopefully there will be an excellent post coming in a few weeks to make up for the silence.

Hopefully.

Don't hold your breath.

Mom might get busy again when we get back, between all the playing and the napping, and of course the playing & napping.

Multitude Monday

2009-07-27T20:15:00.006-05:00

Mom is lame lately about coming up with ideas for the blog. Abby will say something funny or do something annoying and Mom will want to blog it but just can't find the time, and then the moment passes. All that to say Mom has been stealing others' ideas because they are better than her own. Today Mom starts Multitude Monday.

1. a precious baby girl who is healthy, happy and (dare we say) smart
2. a wonderful husband who loves Mom and is committed to Mom for life
3. a loving family who deeply cares for each other
4. a Savior who overlooks my continual faults
5. a home that's cool in the summer and warm in the winter
6. thunderstorms

And the list will continue.

Please pray for MckMama (the Not Me Mondays starter). Her precious baby boy is awaiting probable open-heart procedures following a transfer from a Minneapolis hospital to a facility in Boston. Pray for her, and count your own blessings. You'll be grateful.

2009-07-13T21:01:00.007-05:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to MyCharmingKids to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Oh how Mom loves this idea. Mom had no idea who MckMama was, but she's linked on one of Mom's friends' pages (The Happy Medium, left), and this is genius. Mom spent over an hour on her page reading her story. You should head there immediately. Well after you finish reading this anyway.

Mom has not been leaving Abby in her room all night, even though Abby screams about every three hours like her arm is being broken or she is being chased by a horror film character. She does not hear Abby in her room, begging for Mom, and think, 'If only the air conditioner would turn on, Abby's cries would be drowned out.'

Mom is not considering a dip in the pool on Sunday a shower good enough to last until Tuesday morning.

Mom did not cry at an episode of Bernie Mac this afternoon while eating lunch alone in front of the television.

Oh, the truth does set you free, and Mom is free indeed !

Let Freedom Ring (in your ears)

2009-07-09T09:45:00.005-05:00

This year we spent the Fourth with Mom's parents at their house in Wichita Falls. A great time was had by all - swimming, homemade Butterfinger ice cream, hotdogs, and firecrackers in the back yard.

Which brings Mom to the funniest part of our holiday weekend.

It's a Hard Job...

2009-06-04T13:54:00.008-05:00

...but somebody's got to do it.

Rehab that is. For shoulder surgery, not the kind involving 12-step plans.

Mom had a wreck in college which apparently resulted in a hole in her left rotator cuff. Fast forward 10 years, one 23-pound baby and a trainer later, and Mom could add two tears in her labrum, and one in her bicep. Time to get it fixed.

The surgery was about two and a half weeks ago, and Mom is feeling fine, besides the annoying sling she's required to wear for 6 weeks, and the general uselessness this promotes. Mom's mom (Maddie) is here, taking care of Abby until Mom can do it herself, which by all estimations will be the beginning of August.

Mom and Abby spent the first two weeks or so at Mom's parents' house in Wichita Falls, where Mom's dad (Poppa) treated her. We are back home now and in the care of a PT at Baylor Plano and things are rolling along just as they should be.

Mom thought she would share some photos of the grueling first two weeks of rehab in Wichita Falls.

Hopefully Mom won't be too scarred by all this hard work and such.

A Woman Should be Two Things...

2009-05-13T16:40:00.006-05:00

... classy and fabulous.

- Coco Chanel

Check and check.

Onward and Upward

2009-04-12T21:45:00.022-05:00

This was Abby's second Easter. Last Easter she slept peacefully in her carrier while the family ate a lovely meal at Nicola's. Nothing wrong with that. But this year was so much better. We went to an Easter egg hunt on Saturday morning with Gimi and Grandpa. We, of course, were late, so Abby only got two eggs. Alas.

You'll note the lovely black bruise on her left cheek. Abby has apparently taken up the tradition of her friend, Millie, and has decided that every Easter she needs some sort of visible injury. This year it happened the Wednesday before. Abby took a nosedive and hit her face on the bed frame in Mom's room.

And on to Easter Sunday. Church followed by a delicious meal at Gimi's. Abby got her first Easter basket.

She was super excited because she thought she got a Lexus.

Realizing she wasn't getting a car...

... she settled for an egg filled with Goldfish.

Gimi made her a sweet new baby, and Abby promptly baptized her with snacks.

Not as quiet as last year, and no wait staff to bring us our every desire at lunch, but much improved, if you ask Mom.

Our little lady just turned one...

2009-03-09T15:38:00.023-05:00

...and you - well, you weren't invited to join the fun. But you can view the fun. It's almost as good.

Mom went overboard and decorated the porch...

...and the Birthday Girl!

Abby entertained her guests with a party trick

Here's the table, pre-lunch...

...and Abby's throne.

Then came lunch. These are the most important ladies in Abby's life - her only cousin, one of her aunts, both grandmothers, and her great grandmother. This is possibly the worst picture of Mom in existence, but Mom wanted to put this up because there are four generations at the table. There's Abby, then to the right there's Mom, then two over is Mom's Mom (Abby calls her Maddie) and then to Mom's immediate right there's Mimi, Mom's Mom's Mom (Abby's great grandmother). Pretty amazing.

Abby's Pawpaw, her great grandfather, helped her eat her first hot dog

Abby's loot...

... and Robin, posing in front of it.

Abby did a great job opening presents

And then, yes then, it was time for Abby's first taste of cake and icing. Mom made a ladybug cake and cupcakes. On a side note, Mom has a great friend who makes cupcakes, which are adorable (see the Cupcake House in the list of favorite things). She told Mom she sticks to cupcakes because cakes are so miserably hard to decorate. She was right. The cupcakes turned out adorable, and the cake turned out creepy. However, they tasted like heaven because Mom used GiMi's chocolate cake recipe that has an extra half a cup of "love"...

The birthday girl thoroughly enjoyed her sugar fest

And Dad and Poppa thoroughly enjoyed filming the whole thing

Post-cake bath

And that's where we end. Sorry you weren't invited - maybe next year.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T12:26:00.002-06:00

Turn Your Back for One Minute And...

2009-02-12T18:17:00.003-06:00

Comments from Aisle 8

2009-02-10T10:24:00.005-06:00

Mom has a confession: when she was working full time, she read celeb gossip websites everyday, religiously.

Mom is glad to say she has moved past that vice. In fact, here's how far she's moved past it.

In the grocery yesterday, Mom was perusing the toddler food aisle and Abby was sitting in the cart, just looking around. A woman and her daughter walked past us. The woman turned around and said, "I'm sure you get this all the time, but she (Abby) looks exactly like Shiloh."

Mom immediately started wracking her brain to think who this Shiloh person is. Is this a children's program that Mom knows nothing about? A teen icon that Mom is ignorant of? A new kid's movie that Mom has missed?

Then the lady says, "Yep. She's the spitting image of Brad and Angelina."

Oh, oh my. Oh, my, my, my.

If you have ever read this blog before you'll know how many people talk to us in the grocery. However, we've never received this type of comment.

Judge for yourself, but Mom is rather certain this lady downed a bottle of gin in the car before she came in:

Here's sweet little Abby with her brown eyes and tiny lips

And here's Shiloh Jolie-Pitt

Call Mom crazy but she's not getting it.

Wheels-Off Parenting

2009-01-30T18:04:00.005-06:00

Abby made her first secret mess. You know, the kind where you leave-your-child-alone-for-five-minutes-and-come-back-and-they've-flushed-an-entire-roll-of-toilet-paper-down-the-toilet-which-is-now-overflowing kind of a thing.

The mess part wasn't that bad. You can see in the picture she threw her sippy cup so hard that the filter came off so when she turned it upside down it was just pouring watery apple juice on the hardwood floors.

However the worst part of this is not visible on film. She's sitting right next to her splat mat (the mat under her booster seat that she uses for Food Target Practice during meals. Actually in her defense it does have circles that resemble targets on it. Anyway.) You see where this is going. When Mom bent down to take the cup and wipe up the mess, Abby had a mouthful of one or all of the following day-old, dried foods:

a. mashed potatoes
b. turkey
c. carrots
d. green beans
e. bananas

That's a well-rounded snack if you ask Mom.

Our First Vacation, Sans Abby

2009-01-28T10:05:00.004-06:00

Dad and Mom just got back from a last-minute ski trip. Dad's trial settled at the last minute, and rather than wait to see how much work would amass because of this new-found freedom, we left the state.

We drove (that's right) to Beaver Creek and skied three days, then drove home. We understand most of you would have flown, but we're weird and we kinda like road trips. More on that later.

The drive up was without incident, and skiing was also without incident. The weather was cloudy, but very warm - never dipped below 30 degrees. It was extremely foggy, though, and hard to see more than a foot in front of us at times. Mom is a wimp, and found that very frightening. She therefore regressed from a very middle of the road skier to, at best, an advanced beginner, mastering the wedge all over again.

Shot from the hotel room balcony

Here's Mom and Dad just before taking off for the day

And this is a shot from the lift. Very foggy.

The most interesting things that happened to us were not on the slopes. The first was at dinner on our third night. We ate at a local burger joint and ended up sitting next to a couple and their two small boys. And when Mom says "next to," basically she means we were almost sharing a table with this family.

Here we are right before dinner in front of the skating rink.

We didn't pay that much attention to them until the waiter brought out their drinks. The parents ordered the biggest margaritas we had ever seen, and if you've ever eaten at Cristina's Mexican restaurant, you'll know we've seen some large margaritas. These, however, were bigger.

So big, in fact, that most of the restaurant turned to watch the waiter set them on the table. Which is why everyone in the restaurant saw the five-year-old boy sitting next to Mom lean over and take a swig from his dad's drink. This is how we met our new friends, whose names we never asked.

After warming his belly with some tequila the little boy got very friendly and started talking to Mom. Mom learned that they were from Pittsburgh, and that they were going to the Super Bowl this weekend. Mom learned she was talking to Shane Patrick, who apparently mixes margaritas for his parents when at home in Pittsburgh, and does not care for Guinness beer. Mom learned that this was Shane's second time skiing. All interesting information.

Our food came out. Shane and his mom were splitting fajitas. Dad and Mom had burgers, which came with two little flags in them. Shane leaned over and started a new conversation.

Shane: "What did you get?"
Mom: "A burger. What did you get?"
Shane: "They're called fajitas. They're really good. How come you didn't get them?"
Mom: "I'm from Texas and we eat fajitas a lot, so I thought I'd get something else."
Shane: "Oh. Well, listen. These things are called fajitas. If you ever come back here, you should really get them because they are SO good."
Mom: "I think I'll do that."
Shane: "This was my second time in ski school."
Mom: "Oh, I bet you're a much better skier than you were last time!"
Shane: "I am. I'm so good I get to go to the top of the big mountain tomorrow."
Mom: "That's awesome!"
Shane: "Yeah. Today all the kids in ski school thought the mashed potatoes were throw up, but they weren't. They were just mashed potatoes."
Mom: "Well that's good. No one wants to eat throw up."
Shane's little brother across the table: "Last year I throwed up."
Shane's mom across the table: "STOP TALKING ABOUT THROW UP AND LEAVE THESE PEOPLE ALONE!"
Shane, leaning over and seeing the flags in Mom's burger: "We have flags in school."
Mom: "You do? Would you like these flags from my burger?"
Shane: "Yep."
Mom: "Okay but you have to give one to your brother."
Shane: "Okay."

At this point Mom gets up to use the ladies' room, and apparently Shane's dad notices the flags and asks where they came from. Shane tells his dad they are from "that lady," and turns to point to Mom. But Mom's gone, and Shane asks his dad where Mom went. Shane's dad replies that Mom is from Texas, and is therefore a cowgirl, and has gone to the cowgirls' room. Oh my.

Mom came back, we paid the check, and left, but not before Shane's little brother invited Mom to come back with his family to their hotel and make s'mores. So sweet.

The second interesting thing that happened was that it took us over 16 hours to get home because of the blizzard that blew through the morning we left, and because of a little incident in New Mexico. Remember how Mom said we like road trips? Not 16-hour ones. And that is with no more than 30 minutes of non-driving time then entire day.

The blizzard was not our fault. New Mexico is another story. Dad drove the worst leg of the trip, starting around 5:30 AM, through the blizzard on Vail Pass and Loveland Pass, both of which were covered in ice and sit at around 9,500 feet. Mom was so nervous she just went to sleep, leaving Dad to fend for himself.

2.5 hours (but only 90 miles) later we were past Denver, and Mom offered to drive. Dad said thanks, switched seats with Mom, and nodded off. When he woke up he asked if we were in New Mexico, and Mom proudly said, yes, that we were already through Raton, thinking Dad would be thankful that Mom maintained such good speed. However, Dad looked out the window and noticed we were in the middle of nowhere, checked our location on his Blackberry, and informed Mom she missed the turn for Highway 87. Hm.

This is where our tour of southern New Mexico began. We had to take state highways all the way to Amarillo, and the scenery was literally nothing but hay fields for over three hours. No cars, no houses, no wildlife, no telephone poles - just hay. If we hadn't had Dad's Blackberry we would have been in serious trouble. Every time we got to the top of a little ridge Mom would expect a town or a house or some sign of life, but every time she was disappointed. A conservative estimate is that this added about an hour to our drive. Dad was kind, though, and we now refer to it as our "adventure."

Clearly we made it home safely, and we owe a huge thank you to Dad's parents, who kept Abby five days and nights so we could get away. Abby had such a great time that she wasn't all that interested in us when we arrived to pick her up, but by bed time it was hard to put her down because she had become so clingy. She is also requiring Mom to sleep with her during the hours of 6-7:30 AM, but it is well-worth the extra work to have had a little R&R with Dad.

Next trip to Colorado is this summer, and Abby is invited to join us. And yes, we're driving, and yes, we're kinda crazy.

Christmas 2008

2009-01-19T11:05:00.000-06:00

This post is late. Why? Because Mom and Dad got all the way to Mom's parents' house for Christmas with a camera holding a full memory card, and no computer to transfer the pictures to. Thankfully Mom's parents have a great camera and came to visit this weekend for Robin's birthday party, and we retrieved Abby's first Christmas memories. Mom will just narrate the pictures instead of boring you with a long description of our festivities...

This was a couple weeks before Christmas. It's sadly the only picture of the three of us that turned out. We're at Dad's parents' house.

These are a few shots of our neighborhood during the holiday season. All the trees down both major streets have lights, and at the end of the shopping center right in front of the pond there is a huge Christmas tree. This is Abby and Dad standing in front of it taking a look.

Zooming in...

These are a couple sad attempts to get a shot of the tree-lined street that leads to the big tree...

Now to Christmas Eve...Mom is proud to say that Abby behaved very well in the nursery during the service, which was a Christmas Miracle. Here's Abby's in front of the tree that night.

Lilly doesn't like all this attention getting taken away from her and diverted to Abby...

"Away with you, annoying Mommy!"

Here's Abby opening a present that doesn't belong to her. Lovely.

Christmas pajamas on, time for bed. And none too soon.

Christmas morning Papa entertained Abby with his Whoville Santa hat.

Then it was time for the Henslee traditional red and green pancake breakfast. Abby enjoyed this very much.

And now, presents. You would think from this shot that Abby ripped into her presents but this was not the case. This is the only moment in time that she paid attention to them at all. Mom unwrapped all Abby's gifts while Abby ate wrapping paper.

Here's Abby checking out the awesome wall hook that Mom swears Abby begged for, to hang in her bathroom for her towels. Such a mature request from a nine-month old!

Checking out our new toys...

And now time for food! Here's Pawpaw holding Abby, Mim plating the turkey, and Papa carving it.

A Broadway tradition - the littlest kiddo gets to break the wishbone. Abby told Mom she wished for world peace.

This is how we began Christmas dinner...

And this is how we ended it. About thirty minutes into things Abby was eating green beans out of her belly button, which thoroughly disgusted Uncle Brian.

Group shot

And last but not least, every year right after Christmas, Dad's cousin, Justin, comes to visit. Here's Justin letting Abby examine his glasses.

Abby grooming Dad like a good little monkey

And finally, here's Abby playing with her favorite new toy, and, not surprisingly, smiling at herself in the mirror, her favorite part of the favorite toy.

Life is good.

Awww...

2009-01-13T15:20:00.004-06:00

Nothing to report, here. Just a little bragging.

Christmas pictures are forthcoming, hopefully...

Move Over, Jessica Simpson...

2008-12-23T13:48:00.003-06:00

...'cause Abby Kate is here!

We recently found out Abby has a Mariah Carey-like range:

Note: The gasping is her favorite sound, not an asthma attack. Please don't email Mom and tell her she should get that checked out.

White Elephant Ornament Exchange IV

2008-12-18T12:51:00.005-06:00

This year at Mom's Bible study Christmas party there were two new additions. One was Abby, and the other was Noah Wilson, precious son of Ricky and Jocelyn (see Wilson Happenings in the blogs list).

Nothing very exciting to report, just wanted to show what happens when you try to take a group picture with two babies.

Here's Abby leaning over backward to look at Noah, who is poking Abby in the eyeball.

And here's Noah pulling Abby's ear.

What there are no pictures of is Noah reaching gently out to touch Abby's face like the sweet boy that he is, and Abby intercepting his fingers with her tongue, then returning the eyeball poke. They're good friends so this abuse is deemed acceptable. In fact, next time you see one of your friends, when they reach out to shake your hand, just "do the Abby" and lick their fingers instead.

You Can Live in Happiness, Too

2008-12-03T09:48:00.006-06:00

This picture may not look like much to the average reader, but it marks a big day in Abby's life. Yesterday she learned, by accident, the very important Life Skill of spitting out food she doesn't like. Mom decided Abby needed to slowly transition to eating small portions of solid food (and by this Mom means actual solid food) so someday the entire family could eat a meal together that does not involve a baby food jar. Abby's got Cheerios down so how hard could this task be?

Mom found a great recipe in "What to Expect in the First Year" for something called Baby's First Casserole. It's beans, carrots, potatoes, lentils and onions. Very edible. So Mom made the casserole and put some of it on Abby's tray so she could eat. She ate a couple bites on her own but it was tricky (read: slippery and small), and Abby was only averaging one pea-sized lentil every three minutes. Deciding that sitting at the table until the weekend was not a viable option, Mom started in with the spoon. This was a big mistake.

Abby's granddad, Poppa, is always asking her if she's storing up nuts for the winter in her cheeks. We now know that this is a valid question. Abby sneezed and all sorts of food flew out of her mouth in the gale-force wind. A lot of food. A lot. Which was strange, because Mom wasn't feeding Abby so fast that she didn't have time to chew and swallow. In fact, being a wary New Mom, Mom mad sure she saw Abby gum up everything she put in her mouth. And swallow...hm...maybe... Nope.

The child was holding about half a pound of food in her cheeks. After Abby sneezed Mom wiped her face off (luckily no food went from mouth to mouth) and said, "Abby, open." Abby laughed and let Mom look in her mouth, wherein Mom found the treasure. At this point Abby realized that she had ejected foreign objects from her mouth, and that this was the right decision. Mom could see on Abby's face that her internal monologue was something like this:

"I am finished with this casserole, lady, and don't you even try to put any more of it in my mouth or you will pay. I have learned a new defense mechanism and I intend to use it."

Adhering to the "Don't Give Up If Your Child Seems Not To Like A Food The First Time She Tastes It" rule, Mom tried to persevere. But every time Mom put food in Abby's mouth she promptly spit it out. Mom resorted to food in a jar but resolved to try again tomorrow because, well, the battle must continue. Incidentally, Abby got her fingers in the pureed mush and wiped it all over her face. And it was orange. And she literally looked like a little Oompa Loompa. Mom went to bed humming "You can live in happiness too, like the Oompa Loompa doom-pa-dee-do." Abby gives this episode two thumbs up.

Can I Get Cheese on That?

2008-11-19T10:13:00.004-06:00

Abby will apparently never be asking this question at a drive-thru. Which is probably better for her overall health, but seems unfortunate because there is great joy to be had when tasting a slice of sharp cheddar on your burger.

When buying food for Abby's dinner on Monday, Mom perused the baby food aisle, surveyed all the available options, and came home with a variety of what Gerber calls "solid food." This food mostly consists of pureed meats and vegetables with some type of grain. Abby devours all of it, no matter what it is.

Until yesterday.

Mom got her some macaroni and cheese. This seemed like a good idea for two reasons. One, it didn't contain pureed meat. Two, who doesn't love cheese? We eat it at this house as if it were calorie-free.

Abby ate the first few bites with a weird look on her face, which she always does when trying new foods. But then:

Now it may seem cruel to keep feeding her a food she gags on, but Mom couldn't miss the opportunity to get this on film, especially since Dad misses so many of these little gems while he's at work.

So sad - Abby may never know the joy of squirt cheese, nacho cheese, or Cheetos.

Splish Splash I Was Takin' A Bath

2008-11-19T09:50:00.009-06:00

We have come a long way from the trauma that was Abby's first bath. Mom did not post the story, but suffice it to say there was some poop and much wailing involved. Good times.

But now Abby loves her bath...phew! As soon as Mom gets Abby's diaper off and heads toward the bathtub Abby starts giggling and squealing with delight, which is way fun. Dad captured said fun last week:

But Abby's favorite part of the bath routine is after she's out of the bath. She gets all bundled up, and then we dance to whatever song is on the radio at that moment. Her favorites are "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and "More Today Than Yesterday" by Spiral Staircase.

As Mom always says, you can't underestimate the power of being clean.

Is It Just Me, Or...

2008-11-18T09:30:00.003-06:00

...do they have the same hairdo?

Alas...

2008-11-08T15:40:00.007-06:00

...if we'd only known, we could have saved a fortune. Abby's favorite toy is the mirror, and her best friend is, well, herself.

Stealing Others' Ideas...Again

2008-11-04T10:46:00.003-06:00

Mom stole this from Kellee's blog:

Two different tags...

1) BOOK
Grab the nearest book.
Open the book to page 56.
Find the fifth sentence.
Post the text of the next two to five sentences in your blog along with these instructions.

Don’t dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.

Atlas Shrugged
"She had a job to do. She did not have time to feel pain; not often. "

Clearly this is not Mom's book. Dad's on page 831, which is about 800 pages past where Mom would have quit. Only 238 more pages to go...

2) PICTURE
Post the 6th picture in the 6th file on your computer.

Surprise, surprise, it's a picture of Abby and Robin!

That's all for now.

And the Winner Is...

2008-10-30T21:58:00.011-05:00

Pumpkin!

After much deliberation about the Halloween costume, pumpkin won out. It was just too cute.

We hit the arboretum several weeks ago with our friends Erin and Ryann Cate Lamb, and Leslie and Millie Collier for a mini photo shoot with Christi Cosper of Candid Chic Photography. She was really great with the girls and got some fabulous shots of all three of them:

Mom thinks our first Halloween is going to be highly successful.

The Princess and the Cheerio

2008-10-22T10:00:00.003-05:00

So, Abby is eating Cheerios. And she's pretty good at it. Mom would say she's close to getting 50% of them into her mouth. She gums them up then swallows and smiles really big at you because she's proud. So cute. Last night in the spirit of family togetherness, the three of us sat at our dinner table while Mom and Dad ate dinner, and Abby ate Cheerios. All went well. This morning Mom went into Abby's room when she woke up and found this:

It's hard to see, but that's a Cheerio in her pajamas. It somehow traveled from the tray on her booster seat, inside her pajamas, down her back, and landed snugly between her diaper and the pajama bottom.

It reminds Mom of "The Princess and the Pea." You know, the fairy tale where the girl gets to marry the prince if she feels a pea through about 100 mattresses? Apparently Abby would fail that sleep test.

Oh well. Guess she'll have to find her own Prince Charming one day. When she's 35.

Ignorance is Bliss

2008-10-15T10:27:00.008-05:00

Abby is well into eating what we adults refer to as "solids" but are nevertheless pureed mush. She LOVES it. She has eaten everything Mom put in her mouth so far, including peas, carrots, green beans, corn, bananas, applesauce, and turkey. Yes, turkey. You can buy a lovely turkey dinner in a jar at your local grocery store. Mom opened the jar and it just looked like strained carrots, so she took a sniff just to see what we were up against, and, sure enough, turkey. Ugh. It turns out that when you don't know the difference you don't really care...check out the happy eater.

Mom's Frozen Bobble Head

2008-09-18T22:14:00.010-05:00

All good thinking now occurs in the shower at our house, as it is the only time and place Mom is ever alone anymore. And Mom realized that the blog used to be filled with stories of our mishaps. Astute readers will note we seem to be mishap-free lately. Mom supposes this is mostly true, but just to give you some insight, here's a rundown of our latest incident.

If you have ever tried to take a baby to Kroger, and that baby can't sit up and must remain in her carrier, then you know that Kroger's shopping carts are too small to set the carrier in the top section facing you. You have to actually put the baby down inside the cart and just hope your groceries will squeeze around the carrier like a lovely Wreath of Food.

Mom tried this once, and realized that it was not a good idea. Therefore, Abby gets carted around in the sling every Monday at Kroger. You can imagine that the staff began to recognize us. Mom is referred to as "Mom" at Kroger by everyone in a red polo shirt. Mom likes this.

You can also imagine that as Abby gets older and heavier, this becomes less and less enjoyable. So a week ago Mom decided to try and put her in the cart sitting up. Our friend Katie gave us a cart cover when Abby was born, and Abby is sitting up pretty well, although she is slightly wobbly.

Well the wobbliness turned out to be more than slight that day, and Mom had to prop Abby's left side up with her handbag (shout out Aimee!), and hold Abby's right side with her hand. Mom also had a grocery list in her hand. While turned around and reaching for an item (probably something very healthy like organic green beans of course) Abby apparently started licking the grocery list. Mom was oblivious to this and took her time selecting the food.

By the time Mom turned around, Abby had blue drool running down her mouth and staining her shirt. Did Mom bring Abby's bag in, you ask? Nope. We had no wetwipe to aid us in our time of need. No stainstick to blot out the stain before it was too late. Argh.

Mom smeared it around on Abby's face as well as can be expected when one is smearing something on a subject that can't sit up under pressure. Abby's lips remained blue. So blue, in fact, that when we got to the checkout line, the cashier asked me if she was cold. She started referring to Abby as "Mom's Frozen Bobble Head" because not only were her lips blue, it was painfully obvious that she was not steady enough to sit up in the cart. The lady in line behind us was surely dialing CPS on her cell phone.

Although five or six months ago, this would have zapped all life out of Mom, Mom now thinks these episodes are funny. And you know why? Because Abby decided the day she turned six months old to start sleeping all night, consistently. With this decision also came a good two-hour nap in the afternoon, and no more screaming every time she gets buckled into the carseat.

Mom regrets that there are no pictures of this incident, but because this blog is mostly for grandparents, here are some pictures anyway. There's also a short video of Robin and Abby.

Life's Big Decisions

2008-09-08T21:15:00.008-05:00

Mom knows it's only September. This is not a secret. And while she despises the fact that, in August, Hobby Lobby puts out Christmas paraphernalia, Mom is already getting excited for Halloween, which is still 53 days away.

You see, now we have a little doll to dress up. And this little doll is quite an adorable little doll.

This presents Mom with a problem. A child's first Halloween costume must be perfect. It must be the greatest, most photo-op worthy costume of all time. And Mom is the absolute worst decision maker on record, in all of history, worldwide, universally, etc. You see where this is going.

It's times like these that Mom finds Google especially useful. If you search for "baby Halloween costume," you will get 3.21 million results. Here's a quick run-down of Mom's research.

First she saw this and really, really wanted it:

That's right, it's Eight Pound, Six Ounce Baby Ricky Bobby, complete with Precociousness and Wonderment. But Dad vetoed it. Rightly so, looking back. After all, Abby is a girl.

So we moved on to this:

However, this brings back memories of Robin's first Halloween, when we kept trying to get her to keep her costume on her head (note the absence of happiness):

Moving on.

This was also among Mom's favorites, but Dad said it reminds him of, well, something less pleasant than candy:

Mom also loves this one, but Abby's feet would be stuck inside the costume, and one of her favorite activities right now is putting her big toe in her mouth:

And so the search continues. And because we value your feedback here at And Then There Were Three, please leave your constructive comments.

Updates to follow.

Back and Tanner than Ever

2008-08-12T11:17:00.030-05:00

Well, Mom is sad to report we have returned from paradise (i.e. Hawaii). And here's how it went down.

Day 1: Mom was a little frantic upon waking up because she had some last-minute packing to do. Abby was very helpful.

We got to the airport around 10:15, and Abby, right on schedule, pooped through her diaper and ruined her outfit before we ever left. No big deal, just an extra trip to the bathroom, we can recover from this. Our flight was at 11:30 or so, and we were supposed to get to Honolulu around 1:30 local time. However, due to the consistent incompetency of American Airlines, we sat on the runway for half an hour, seat belts buckled and no one smoking. The "first" delay that was only supposed to hold us up "about 5 minutes" was that the luggage was still being loaded onto the plane. The second "5 minute delay" was because there was no one to push the airplane back from the gate. Now. Mom is not a genius, but wouldn't you think if the baggage isn't loaded and there's no one to push you back from the gate, it might be a good idea to delay boarding for "5 minutes"?

To lighten the mood, while waiting on the tarmac the flight attendant came over the loud speaker and announced we'd be in the air for seven hours, 38 minutes, and that there would be no meal served. However, there would be chicken sandwiches for sale for TEN DOLLARS. They tried to make us feel good about this price by telling us it was Boar's Head meat, but that was followed up with, "We apologize in advance because there are not enough for everyone." Not that anyone in this family would dare pay $10 for a chicken sandwich, Boar's Head meat or not.

We landed in Honolulu without major incident. Abby was an angel; she only got upset a couple times and was easily quieted, and we (read: Mom) only had to change three dirty diapers. Our flight from Honolulu to Kona was very pleasant, and unlike our previous carrier, we were offered not one, but TWO cups of delicious Hawaiian juice on just a 40 minute flight. We touched down in the middle of some nasty vog, which we learned is basically volcano-fog because, that's right, the volcano is erupting right now.

We arrived at hotel number one around 7 amidst Abby's first real meltdown. Who can blame her? We'd been traveling for 17 hours, which was more than she could bear. Mom and Dad were beat too, so we all went to sleep around 8. About midnight we realized our room was so close to the elevator we could hear the gears turning all night long. So you could say this was not our best day, and we were a little concerned about the rest of the week.

Day 2: Praise Jesus the sun is out! Well not when we woke up. It was 4:50 AM when Abby decided she'd had enough sleep. Since we went to bed so early we went ahead and got up, fed her, and went to Starbucks. After breakfast we wanted to hit the beach. While we were changing and lathering on the sunscreen, Mom realized she got half-way around the world, to the beach, mind you, with only half her bathing suit. Argh.

$115 later Mom was sporting the nicest bathing suit she's ever owned. Abby will have to get a scholarship to college now because of Mom's mistake, but it sure was a cute suit.

We all got burned that morning, besides Abby, and ended up napping in the afternoon, eating early, and going to bed at 8:30 again, falling asleep to the gentle rumble of the elevator. Aaah.

Day 3: 4:50 AM wakeup call from Abby. Starbucks. Then Mom, Dad, Uncle Jackson and Uncle Jordan went ocean kayaking, leaving Abby with GDad and Great Uncle Garry, who happen to be identical twins.
Kayaking was way fun, although Mom is a total Nervous Nelly and didn't relax until well into an hour of paddling. We went into a seacave and the boys went cliff jumping. Pics to follow. Dinner that night split up boys and girls, and Mom and Dad finally got to see the bride and groom, respectively.

Day 4: 6:15 AM wakeup. Yay! Starbucks. Beach.

Moved from the Marriott to the Mauna Lani hotel, which was a large improvement. This view was MUCH improved from our last hotel room window.

Wedding rehearsal, followed by a fabulous rehearsal dinner at the Fairmont next door. Abby slept through all of it and no one got to see her sweet little Hawaiian dress. Oh well, there's always Sunday school.

Day 5: Wedding Day! Mom got a mani/pedi at the Mauna Lani salon in the morning, followed by a lazy day at the beach. The wedding was at sundown, and Mom has literally never seen a more beautiful setting or a more beautiful bride. We were on this beautiful little grassy area overlooking the beach - so romantic.

The wedding was followed by another fabulous dinner at the Mauna Lani outside, complete with a Hawaiian singer/guitar player and a Hula dancer, who gave the ladies a little lesson. Dad said Mom almost got it, which means in real life that Mom was terrible, but she appreciates his encouragement.

Day 6: Last full day at the beach, and that's exactly what it was.

We spent all day outside, then Dad and Mom ate an early lunch and wandered around the shops. Nothing bought for us, but Robin ended up with a hula outfit and a T-shirt, and Abby got a book. Mom heard other moms say that once you have kids (and in this case, nieces also) you end up spending money on them instead of yourself. Mom did not believe this would ever happen...but it did. Money well spent. We made it back to the resort just in time to catch the sun go down.

Day 7: So sad. Time to go home. Spent the morning on the beach and the afternoon at the airport, followed by the entire night on the plane back to Texas. Abby was an angel again, and slept the entire flight home. Mom and Dad were not so lucky. Oh well, who cares? It's worth missing a night of sleep for a week in paradise.

Great Mohawks in History

2008-07-30T15:44:00.004-05:00

A Good Question

2008-07-30T15:10:00.005-05:00

Many of you faithful readers (right...) have asked us what we do all day. So here's a little glimpse.

Up no later than 7:30 AM these days, Mom makes coffee and waters the plants, then Abby and Mom both get breakfast. Sometimes Abby takes in a light read:

Next Abby takes a little snooze:

Then Mom gets ready, Abby gets Second Breakfast, and we run errands. When we get home, Mom eats while Abby watches a little Elmo:

Then Abby gets Lunch and goes down for her long nap, which usually ends up like this:

When she (read: we) wakes up, Abby gets an Afternoon Snack, then we play some more. Abby really likes her play mat these days. She's made good friends with the little monkey that hangs from one of the bars:

About 6:15 Abby gets rice cereal, which she loves. She now lunges at the spoon with her face, hence the cereal in between the eyes and hidden in/behind the ears:

Then a bath, one last meal from Mom, and off to bed around 7:45. Then we do the exact same thing the next day. Who knew life could be so exciting?

Growing Up

2008-07-08T08:38:00.013-05:00

Abby is four months old today. Mom has a hard time believing that it's actually been that long, until she sees pictures like this:

That's the day we brought our little Sunshine home from the hospital, and it seems like another lifetime.

In this lifetime, we are starting rice cereal, which is a monumental occasion for us. Since Abby still wakes up two time per night, at minimum, Mom is hoping a little solid food will push her to sleep longer (however Mom has a hard time referring to something with the consistency of Cream of Wheat as "solid food"). Anyway.

Mom read that it's a good idea to let the little one sit in her chair to get used to it before starting to feed her, so that's what we did over the weekend. Here's Abby preparing for her big day:

So, yesterday was the first attempt. It didn't go too badly. First Mom let Abby examine the cereal on her own, but she wasn't that into it:

So mom dipped Abby's fingers in it, which was a big success.

Mom then attempted to feed Abby with a spoon. It actually didn't go all that terribly; we started with about a teaspoon of cereal and I think she probably got half of it in her belly.

Afterward Abby thoroughly examined both bowl and spoon...

...then had a meltdown.

Attempt number 2 will be today. Wish us luck!

Abby Album No. 5

2008-07-02T12:38:00.010-05:00

In case you were wondering how we got pictures from the Fourth of July on July 2, Mom started to do this post a few days ago but is just now getting around to finishing it, so the dates are off. Nothing exciting to report, just some new pics of the "bay-bay," as Millie would say.

First, here's Abby helping Daddy write a patent. Fun job.

The rest of the pics are from the Fourth. Abby's been swimming several times but we always forget our camera. Not this time! GiMi bought this little float for Abby's cousin, Robin, a couple summers ago. It's still too big for Abby but if we turn it upside down it makes the seat straps shorter and she can lounge in it. Harlee (GiMi's dog) was watching over Mom's shoulder, wishing someone would pay attention to her.

And here's Abby's Fourth of July outfit. Mom finds it critical to dress Abby in Holiday Attire at this stage in her life. She's not too happy in this first shot, but Mom wanted to get the whole outfit in one picture.

And this Abby doing "Deer in Headlights."

She brightened up for the camera as soon as Mom started making ridiculous noises. Funny how second nature that becomes when you have an infant...

Does this not melt your heart? Spoken like a true first-time parent.

Move It or Lose It, Sister

2008-06-28T09:35:00.003-05:00

It was a mere three days ago I posted about Abby's scooching sans rolling. My how quickly things can change.

Yay!

Mysteries Solved

2008-06-25T11:43:00.006-05:00

Abby is mobile. Well, semi-mobile. Mom has come into her room more than once to find Abby's head at the opposite end of the crib from which it was so gently placed at bedtime. The strange thing about this is that Abby cannot roll over. She has once gone from her belly to her back, by complete accident, but that's all. (On a sidenote, Mom still noted this momentous occasion in the First Time I Rolled Over section of Abby's baby book). How does she move, do you ask, if she cannot roll? She plants her feet, arches her back and scooches until she's exhausted. Observe.

You will also recall that on more than one occasion Mom has found Abby either half-dressed or all the way down to her diaper. Mom caught the events leading up to this on camera also (they're blurry because she's moving so quickly):

She kicks her legs straight up in the air, hooks her nightgown, then straightens them out and stretches out the neck until she's free.

Our Little Houdini.

The Many Faces of Abby

2008-06-21T11:31:00.028-05:00

It's been a while since Mom has really had much to post about. How many times, and in how many different ways, can she post about Abby's refusal to sleep? (In case you were wondering, due to sickness, visitors, a trip, a night at Gimi's, and more sickness, Mom is now reduced to feeding Abby around 2:00 AM, 3:30 AM, 5:00 AM, 6:45 AM, then up at 8:00 AM or so. And the feedings from 3:30 AM forward have resulted in Mom and Abby just sleeping together in the big bed in Abby's room. Alas).

So now it's on to bigger and better things.

Mom and Gimi (Dad's mom) have discussed often how Abby's eyebrows are so expressive. It's like they're telling a story, or warning you of great unhappiness that is shortly to unleash it's power. So Mom thought she'd browse some of Abby's pictures to see what could be deciphered.

First let's look at Abby's Thoughtful Eyebrows. Do they not say, "Oh Mom, I am so intrigued by the obviously interesting and pertinent knowledge you are passing along to me at this moment."??

Next let's take a look at Back Off/Get Me Out of Here Eyebrows. You'll notice they want to form a Unibrow.

Here we have Abby's 'Sup My Homefries Eyebrows. It could be that this look is only made possible by the position of her hoodie, but until further research can be conducted, we'll just have to assume it's purely the Eyebrows.

And now Confused Eyebrows. The Left Eyebrow is clearly raised as if to say, "Eh?"

Sort of related to Confused Eyebrows are Suspicious Eyebrows. Abby turns her head just slightly to one side to show off this look.

And for the combo - Confused And Suspicious Eyebrows

Next - Attitude Eyebrows. These Eyebrows say, "You have got to be kidding me," or "You are an idiot," or "Not now." Note she has had them since she was in the womb:

And last but certainly not least, Happy Eyebrows, which are always accompanied by an open mouth:

Mom admits this next photo is just shameless bragging about her cute baby.

Lucky #13

2008-06-09T08:49:00.007-05:00

Week 13 (i.e. month three) has passed us by. Last week Mom was just sitting with Abby and looking at her - and she realized Abby is starting to become less of a baby and more of a little lady. Her face is getting longer and her features are becoming more defined. Understandably if you are not her parent or grandparent you may not notice these subtle changes, but trust us, they are there.

A few updates:

Last week we purchased a rocking chair for downstairs. Here's a little quiz - If there is any way you hope to get Abby to take a nap, you must: a) hold her b) move around c) hold her pacifier in her mouth so she doesn't spit it out onto the floor d) all of the above

If you guessed d) you are a genius. After 12 weeks of pacing with Abby, Mom looked over at Dad sitting on the couch, bouncing Abby desperately, and capitalized on the desperation.

Dad: We really need to get a rocking chair.
Mom: Let's go right now.

So we did. No luck that day, but the next afternoon Uncle Jackson drove Mom to - that's right - Cracker Barrel, where a perfect rocking chair was purchased, right off the front porch. Abby loves it. This weekend she and Dad took in some golf:

In case there was any doubt which parent Abby favors, now you know for sure.

Last week was also a big week in the way of naps. Until last week, Abby would go 40 minutes at a time, wake up, and demand to be held for about an hour until she was ready to eat again. Last week she started sleeping for about 2.5 hours in the afternoon. However, her night time sleep is getting to be kinda brutal on Mom. Last Sunday she slept until 5:19 AM, which Mom considers a miracle (note that this was such a big deal we know the precise minute she woke up). After that, she woke up at 2:00 AM every night, and last night she only made it to 12:45 AM. It seems to Mom that it should be a rule that you should at least make it to the next morning before you wake up. Oh well. Mom is back to sleeping in Abby's room because she has decided we are dropping all feedings until at least 4:00 AM, and quieting Abby back to sleep without picking her up/feeding her requires too much effort if Mom's not already in the room. The schedule is something like this:

10:00 PM - everyone in bed
2:00 AM - Abby cries, Mom plugs her up with the pacifier and bounces the crib mattress until Abby falls asleep
2:20 AM - repeat above
2:40 AM - repeat above
3:00 AM - repeat above
4:30 AM - Abby gets a snack and sleeps 'til almost 8:00 AM
*sigh*

Lastly, we're trying to remember to take a picture of Abby in the same place, wearing only a diaper, on her month "birthdays" so we can see the progression (we stole this idea from Kristyn - see Holleman House in Our Friends). We missed the first two months, but we got month three, so here she is, in all her half-dressed glory:

"All those who think they have it made take one step forward - not so fast George Banks!" -Steve Martin in Father of the Bride II

2008-05-29T14:13:00.010-05:00

So as most of you know we're trying to drop the 2 AM feeding. We started last Thursday night just trying to comfort Abby back to sleep when she woke up. Dad and Mom have different approaches to this. Mom hears a gurgle, rushes in and stuffs the pacifier back in Abby's mouth before she can really wake up. Dad waits until there's a full-blown cry, goes to the bathroom, puts on a shirt, and then goes to check on Abby. Apparently it doesn't matter which way we do it, because we did this for three nights, and on the fourth night, BAM - she didn't make a peep until 4 AM, which was our goal. Success!

Well, sort of. Now all three of us have a cold. Dad's pretty much over it. Yesterday was killer for both Mom and Abby, but both of us are doing better today. How has this affected the sleep, you ask? How about down at 8:45, up at 12:40, 1:40, 4:40, then up for the day at 6:14? Good times. We now use our days to catch up on sleep:

Life as Usual

2008-05-26T10:13:00.021-05:00

So, Abby has re-entered her Fussy Period. If she were an artist this could possibly be helpful, but seeing as she is 11 weeks old and hasn't mastered the world of opposable thumbs, the Fussy Period is of No. Use. To. Anyone. Oh well.

Not a whole lot has been going on with us. We've had some fun times with friends and family so Mom thought she'd post those pics.

Last week play group was at our house and Millie and Ryann Kate came over with their moms, Leslie and Erin. Barrett was there too, with his Mom, Angie, just not playing with us yet - but he should be out and about any day now and we can't wait! Abby spent the entire time - you guessed it - either crying or sleeping. Mostly crying. Mom got some good shots of a race up the stairs between the little girls.

And they're off! It's Ryann in the lead in green...But wait! Millie is not going to go down easy...
A quick check behind to make sure of her victory...And now Millie decides to go not only for the win but for Ryann's hair bow...
Soooo close......but Ryann does some quick maneuvering and manages to keep her accessory..Back to the race...Victory!

Now, you astute readers will note that Ryann never left that stair she's standing on. She actually came down one, proving that she did not care about the race at all, which makes one ask, was it really a race? Hm.

We also took our niece, Robin, to a summer event with Dad's law firm on Saturday at Pump It Up, which is an indoor playground of huge blow up bouncers and slides. She is such a doll. On the ride over she looked over from her car seat to Abby's car seat and noticed Abby looked kinda sad. She promptly gave Abby her Baby Bradley (a little baby dressed in blue that she named after a boy in her daycare). Then she announced, "Baby Abby is spittin'." (Pronounced spit-tin).

When we got there Mom made the mistake of taking Robin down the slide first thing, which was really steep and fast. She did NOT enjoy it, as evidenced by the size of her eyeballs when we got to the bottom, and spent the next 45 minutes wanting to be held by Mom and Dad. However, she finally loosened up and went into a bouncy house and made a sweet little friend:

Bouncing was followed by a healthy lunch of pizza and cupcakes (Baby Bradley's legs are on the right):

When we left she wanted to be a helper so she carried Mom's bag around her neck, her own backpack on her back, and Baby Bradley. She could hardly move her legs forward more than a couple inches because of Mom's bag. It was a great morning.

Life's good.

Stealing Others' Ideas

2008-05-12T18:40:00.007-05:00

Abby is on a sleep strike. Mom has stolen this term from Erin (see Little Lamb in our friends). Our little angel was happily sleeping six or so hours a night without interruption starting right around 9 PM and all of a sudden Mom is lucky to get two hours in a row. This does not make for a happy mom, or a happy baby.

To make matters worse, today was Abby's two-month checkup and she got four shots plus an oral vaccine. Mom has to hand it to the nurse who gave the shots, however, as all four were administered in about 10 seconds. Abby made the trip without dirtying her diaper on the way, which was also a nice change from recent outings just the two of us girls have taken. She handled the shots like a champ and is now chock-full of Tyelnol. Hopefully this results in better sleep!

Something else Mom has stolen from Erin is this:

"I"

i am: blogging to forget how exhausted i am, hoping Dad makes it home by 8 PM to help with bedtime ritual
i think: Abby is going to turn out to be quite a happy little baby!
i know: i am loved
i want: my body to go back to pre-baby (pre-married would be even better!)
i have: the greatest family i know, Latimers, Henslees and all their offspring included
i wish: i would be more committed to giving my time to others
i hate: when people don't like me
i miss: my great grandmother, Memaw, and her stories
i fear: disappointing people
i feel: like melting when i look down at Abby sleeping in her sling
i hear: a sweet baby babbling in her bouncer underneath my barstool
i smell: dying flowers i am too lazy to throw away
i crave: a vacation with Dad sans child, preferably on a beach somewhere with someone bringing me a continuous flow of margaritas
i search: for the perfect jeans
i wonder: what Abby will look like when she's not a baby anymore
i regret: not having more Scripture memorized
i love: Dad and the life he's given us
i ache: for parents who have lost children
i care: that Abby knows that Dad and i will always come for her, and that she can always come home
i always: sing really loud in the car if i'm alone or if it's just me and Abby
i am not: GOOD AT CHOOSING A RESTAURANT
i believe: that God is in control, even when terrible things happen, because the alternative is that the terrible things are out of His control, which is the scariest thing i can conjure up in my mind
i dance: to Garth Brooks' "Callin' Baton Rouge" while i'm holding Abby, and sing to her until i run out of breath
i sing: "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" to Abby at least 10 times a day and she loves it
i don’t always: get up when i hear the baby cry because i'm secretly hoping Dad will do it!
i fight: allowing other people to "make" me feel a certain way
i write: blog posts that are way too chatty!
i win: any and all contests having to do with little dorky puzzles, words, or music when i play against Dad
i lose: arguments with almost everyone because i stop caring halfway through
i never: eat as healthy as i set out to at the beginning of each day

i confuse: Dad when i talk in my sleep
i listen: for a baby to cry as soon as i relax or sit down to eat a meal
i can usually be found: at home either feeding Abby or babbling to her in the floor
i am scared: of losing loved ones
i need: a nap
i am happy about: Abby's sweet little personality coming out

Someone else should pick this up and repost...

Love it, love it, love it!

2008-05-11T16:16:00.018-05:00

So, in the past week we've celebrated Dad's 28th birthday and Mother's Day. Both have been fabulous. Neither resulted in a family photo.

However, today we did receive a CD of photos we had taken a couple weeks ago by our friend, Kara Price. They are excellent, and Mom wanted to post a few here and give her a plug! She is great at what she does - she'll come to you with lights/backdrop/etc., and for a very small sitting fee, especially for the amount of time she spends with you. She'll take a couple hundred (that's right, hundred) photos then edit out all your baby rashes and spit up stains, or whatever your particular issues may be. She's very laid back (didn't mind our fussy baby and a few breaks to feed her) and takes excellent posed shots as well as candids so you'll get a good mix of both. If you're interested, leave Mom a comment and she'll get you Kara's contact information. On a scale of one to five we give her six stars.

Little Ballerina

Little Family

Little Baby

Week 9

2008-05-09T10:40:00.006-05:00

So, yesterday Abby turned two months old. The ninth week of her life has come and gone!

This week we went to our play group, which is great for Mom and Abby. Mom gets to chat with her friends and Abby gets to learn about socializing. This week the only kiddos there besides Abby were Millie and Ryann, who are both just over a year old, so Abby was mostly an observer. Mom spent some time catching the kids on camera. It's hard to get toddlers to stand still so the pics are a little blurry...

The only shot of the girls together:

Here's Millie and her mom, Leslie, waiving bye-bye:

And here's Ryann crawling out from under the coffee table:

And on an unrelated note, we've been coming into Abby's room in the morning to find her either half-dressed or completely undressed, down to her diaper. She works her way out of the swaddle, and up out of her pajamas. Here's the strapless look:

We didn't have the camera upstairs the morning we found her on top of both her blanket and her pajamas in just her diaper, but we'll be keeping it upstairs at night now so in case she pulls a Houdini again we get it on camera!

She - She Will Survive

2008-05-01T12:59:00.005-05:00

Alright. I know every parent believes their child is destined for greatness. You have this new little life that you truly believe will be the first woman president, will cure cancer, save the rain forest...whatever the great social/economic/scientific cause is during your child's lifetime. Well, Mom promises you that Abby is destined for greatness. And you know why she knows this? Because Abby is only 7.5 weeks old and here is a list of things she has gone through, even before she was born, and come out unscathed:

- Mom falling out of her kayak and floating (underwater at times) down the Taylor River in Colorado when she was 10 weeks pregnant
- Mom peaking a 14,000-foot mountain when she was 10 weeks pregnant
- A car accident where Mom was hit on the drivers' side door when she was 13 weeks pregnant

Then there was today. It started out great - Abby slept until 3:30 AM and then, after eating a small snack, until 7:30. However, Mom was still pretty tired, so after eating, Abby took a nap and so did Mom. The nap didn't help the tiredness, but Mom decided they needed to go for a jog anyway because it had been three days. So, we packed up the car and headed to the nature preserve.

Upon arrival, Mom was somehow feeling more tired than when they got in the car, but decided she needed to power through because she needed some exercise. In protest Abby once again filled her diaper and leaked through onto her clothes while in the car seat. Mom thought, "That's it, we're going home." But then she changed her mind again when she remembered the impending beach vacation in August. So, in-car diaper change, and into the jogger.

This is a good time to say that Mom has used the jogger several times and she loves it. Abby loves it, too, because she can face out and see what's around her. We've never had an issue.

So off we went. We passed several people around the first corner who Mom thought were looking at Abby in the stroller as they went by. Turns out they weren't - they were looking at the crooked front wheel on the jogger. Of course, no one said anything to Mom. Why would they? Maybe the front toggle wheel is supposed to lay sideways when moving. Hm.

So, the first bump, the faulty wheel FALLS OFF and the stroller stops rolling and flies forward. Mom managed to hold on to it so it didn't fall hard, but she fell, too, and the stroller tumbled over. If not for the tight straps, Abby would have done a face plant on the concrete.

Three good Samaritans came and helped Mom up and put the wheel back on. Abby was screaming but she was only scared - not a scratch on her. Mom was not so lucky. Check out the bruise forming on the knee:

Mom decided it really was time to go home now. She thought she'd be clever and took a shortcut back to the parking lot which was off-road. This shortcut turned out to be unbelievably uneven and uphill the whole way, not to mention it ended in a flight of stairs. Stupid - except Abby loved it! She laughed out loud for the first time while Mom tried really hard not to let her tumble over for the second time in ten minutes.

If anyone needs us we'll be at home the rest of the day icing our injuries and nursing our pride.

Abby Album No. 4

2008-04-27T13:17:00.007-05:00

We have several groups of photos that Mom never got around to posting so here are the best ones...

A happy moment at home

Sleeping in Papa's lap

With Mom's grandparents, Pawpaw and Mimi

Abby's great taste in movies

Free at Last

2008-04-25T10:26:00.008-05:00

Okay, Mom knows that there are two schools of thought on raising a newborn. There are those of you who are super parents who somehow got your seven week-old to sleep through the night, eat every three hours during the day, and even take naps. Then there are those of you who, no matter what you do, your child won't eat when it's time, cries if you put her down for too long, wakes himself up from naps after about 15 minutes, and will either sleep for five hours at a time during the night or for 45 minutes.

Obviously we belong in the latter category. That's not to say that Abby is not absolutely adorable. She is. Albeit we are completely biased, we still believe she's the cutest, smartest, most beautiful baby in the world. Go figure.

All that being said, after a conversation with a precious friend this morning Mom is going to finally heed the instruction of other moms before her: FORGET THE SCHEDULE. Mom's friend very astutely realized after about ten seconds that Mom had read a very specific book that promises if you keep your little one on a somewhat strict schedule during the day that she will sleep through the night between seven and nine weeks, and she will be a lovely baby whom all people enjoy being around and will never be considered "fussy." Her words of wisdom - "Walk over to the fireplace and burn that book."

And you know what? Mom feels better.

Now is the time Mom must apologize to all you wonderful friends (and especially Mom's mom and Dad's mom) who told me this about 100 times before this morning. You see, Mom just wasn't sleep-deprived enough to listen to you.

But today is a new day, the beginning of a new era in our house. Mom now promises to do the following:

1. Never wake a sleeping baby. Not at night, not during the day. Not to eat, not for her bath. Never. Well, maybe not never - if the house were on fire Mom would wake her up, or if Tony Romo knocked on our door. Those are the kinds of situations it would be worth waking up for.
2. Relax about eating schedules. Sometimes Mom forgets that Abby weighs "slightly more" than a normal seven week-old. She clearly will not die if she skips a meal. Good grief, isn't that what we're working for anyway? Skipping a couple meals at 1:00 and 4:00 AM?
3. Carry her in her sling if she's fussy and refuses to go down. This has been troubling Mom because the evil book says if you carry your baby around, your baby will most certainly be inconsolable when not in her carrier. This book was obviously written by a man. This man may have had children, but Mom can promise you he never stayed at home all day, every day, with said children, nor was he the responsible party feeding them in the middle of the night.
4. Enjoy this little cuddly stage because, even though Mom doesn't believe it sometimes, it will end one day and that day will actually be sad.

For those of you keeping track, the score is now Parents: 2, Abby: 1002, because we both win with this one. And look how happy and relaxed she is with our new attitude!

True Colors

2008-04-24T08:34:00.007-05:00

Mom will now show her real nerdiness. Kellee tagged me!

Seven Random Things About Mom
1. I can wiggle my ears. Cool party trick, right?
2. I have perfect pitch - i.e. if you play a note on an instrument I can tell you what it is, or if a door creaks or the bed squeaks when you sit on it, etc., I can name that, too. It's rather freakish.
3. It grosses me out to see a piece of meat that was cooked with a meat thermometer in it. The hole the thermometer leaves gags me. Which is unacceptable seeing as how I have to use a meat thermometer to make anything but chicken.
4. I like for my house to be neat, but if you were to open any drawers or cabinets you would see that the desire for neatness stops behind closed doors (or drawers). Dad would also say this is true about the refrigerator - I just don't care where things go as long as they disappear from the counter.
5. I love to sing, though I don't really do it much besides at the periodic wedding. The random thing is that I am actually best at singing operatic-style. I can safely say no one has heard that since high school. I honestly miss it sometimes.
6. Once in high school over the summer Kyle and I went to the farm and he made me wade through a creek to extract the skull of a longhorn (I think it was a longhorn). He then made us drive about 40 miles an hour all the way home so it didn't break.
7. Dad and I have this conversation about once a month: "Okay if you could pick three companies to sponsor your life, who would they be?" We have had it enough times now that we actually instated rules, the latest of which is that you cannot choose a department store as one of your sponsors. This is because I chose Neiman's (shout out Heather K.!). Two days after the conversation Dad decided this was unfair since they sell more than their own brand of merchandise.

Now we're going to find out who really reads to the end of Mom's posts - I tag Heather T., Sara, and Angie.

And because I can't very well post without a picture of the little one...here is what we have resorted to at night because she has decided she will not be sleeping during the hours of 2:45 and 7:00 AM, at least not in her own bed:

This is not my most flattering moment!

"A Smile is a Curve that Sets Everything Straight." - Phyllis Diller

2008-04-21T19:17:00.007-05:00

Okay this melts Mom's heart, even after two nights in a row of less than 4 hours sleep.

On a totally unrelated note, we made our first trip back to Sunday school this weekend. What should have been fairly uneventful, was not. Mom had Abby in the sweetest little blue dress, complete with bloomers and headband (see above picture) and Abby was all smiles. That is, until we got into the parking lot at church, at which point she started wailing. Dad carried her into class, our sweet friend Rachel asked to hold her, and upon taking her out of the carrier Mom and Dad realized she had pooped all the way through diaper, bloomers, and dress. So Dad wrapped Abby up in a burp cloth to avoid getting poop on Mom's white sweater and pants, and Mom lugged Abby from the portable building where Sunday school is held into the main building and into the bathroom, diaper bag in tow. Five minutes later, down to our LAST WET WIPE, Abby's bottom is clean, the dress is being removed so clean clothes can be put on, and Mom discovers Abby has also spit up one of her enormous mouthfuls of partially digested milk and it is in her right ear and has soaked the right side of her head. Mom sops up the mess as best as possible, then goes to the diaper bag for some clean clothes - except Mom didn't check the diaper bag before we left the house. We are very lucky our daughter had a lone onesie in the bottom of the bag, otherwise Mom would have had to carry naked Abby back through the hall at church, back into Sunday school, where she would have had to make Dad get up from his seat at the very front and take us all home. However, we made it back to class and Dad only had to take Abby outside once. He did end up standing during parts of the lesson so he could bounce her to keep her from crying, though. Nevertheless, I consider this a great victory. We left the house, dressed in nice clothes, overcame adversity, and stayed through the end. We are now gaining on her - Parents: 1, Abby: 1,000.

Wowza!

2008-04-09T11:54:00.008-05:00

As mentioned previously we went for our one-month check up yesterday. As everyone knows, Abby was a large baby when she was born (8-14). However, we continue to shock strangers. Here's how it went down:

Nurse: Okay, undress her and put her on the scale.
(Mom complies)
Nurse: Wow...okay...ten and a half pounds. What are you feeding her?
Mom: Just breastmilk...
Nurse: (smiling) Okay. Bring her back to the exam room.
(Mom complies)
Nurse: Let me measure her head while you're holding her.
(Nurse measures Abby's head circumference)
Nurse: Wait, this can't be right. Let me see.
(Nurse examines the placement of the measuring tape and sees that it is in place correctly)
Nurse: Okay, fifteen and a half inches. Wow.
Mom: Is that big or small?
Nurse: Big!
Mom: It's her huge brain.

And later...

Nurse: Okay, she's in the 75th percentile for height and weight - very proportional - and the 95th percentile in head measurement.

So on that note, we give a shout out to our friend, Ivy Jones! Here's to our large-brained daughters!!

I have noticed most of our pictures thus far are of Abby sleeping; this is because she is not that interested in being happy while awake. Still...how can you not love this face?

One Month Old

2008-04-08T08:22:00.010-05:00

Somehow it was a month ago that Abigail Kate came into our lives! We are so thankful for her! We have our one-month check up today and Mom is afraid to tell her that shots are in order. We'll be stopping by Target on the way there to purchase some children's Tylenol. God has been good to us!

Abby Album No. 3

2008-04-02T15:15:00.013-05:00

Things are progressing here little by little. We've pretty much established a three-hour feeding schedule and are doing better with naps, but night time is still a little sticky. Abby likes to stay awake for a couple hours after at least one feeding in the middle of the night, which takes a toll. Sweet Hubby's Mom comes to stay every few days for the night so Mom can get some rest, which is the greatest gift she can give us right now! Mom's mom is coming back tomorrow for a couple nights, too, so Mom can keep her sanity... And yet, the sweetness continues:

She is slowly but surely learning to sleep on her back...

...but really still prefers her tummy.

We had several visitors last weekend, including cousin Elizabeth,

cousin Emily,

and cousin Robin, who just loves "Baby Abby."

She's really becoming aware of her surroundings and really shows a preference for Daddy's face!

UPDATE: She slept from 10 to 2:45 last night, then right back to sleep after eating until 6, then again until 9! MOM WILL NOW DO THE DANCE OF JOY!

Reality Sets In

2008-03-24T11:41:00.007-05:00

OH MY GOSH WE HAVE A BABY...the honeymoon period is over! Abby has discovered her lungs and how to use them in full force, as well as her ability to make us ask, "How high?" when she cries for us to jump. We have just ended (cross your fingers) about a 36 hour period of fussiness. She had been the happiest, most docile little thing until about 4:00 PM this past Saturday. She's halfway napping right now, so let's hope we've turned a corner! That being said, she's still the sweetest little thing I've ever seen...

Abby Album No. 2

2008-03-18T19:41:00.006-05:00

Abby is growing so fast; I can hardly believe it. She weighed 8 lbs, 14 oz. when she was born, then was down to 8 - 5, and is now back up to 8 -14. We had our second pediatrician's appointment today and she did great. Mom and Dad are pretty tired. Mom did some laundry today and realized after a few minutes she was staring blankly at the filling washer and not loading any laundry. Hopefully more sound sleep is on the way soon!

Eskimo Kiss!

"If anyone was worried about my weight..."

A rare picture of Mom:

Abby Album No. 1

2008-03-15T12:03:00.011-05:00

Okay, it's the first of what I'm sure will be more pictures than anyone is interested in seeing of our most prized possession:

This is right before we left the hospital - thank you Heather for the outfit!

Her hat said "Happy Girl," which was a little ironic at that particular moment in time.

Here's Dad again with his new best friend:

All the men in Dad's family are pretty taken.

Here we are after our first bath:

And this is Abby's only cousin, Robin, giving her a little lovin'...

Thanks to everyone for your meals, gifts, and calls. We appreciate you celebrating with us!

Introducing Abigail Kate

2008-03-12T11:56:00.013-05:00

This is Abby and Mom about an hour after her arrival. Abby was very content in Mom's arms.

And Mom was very excited.

This is one-day-old Abby checking out her visitors. She was calm and alert most of the day...

...when she wasn't asleep.

Daddy is hopelessly smitten.

So are Mom's parents...

And Dad's parents...

Here's Abby at three days old, unbridled cuteness on display.

More to come.

El Done - O

2008-02-21T18:50:00.008-06:00

That's what hubby's dad would say. The nursery is El Done O! And now because of the nagging of loving friends and family, here are the pics. They're not very good but this future mom is tired!

So here's the view from the door...

I think this is a duplicate...

I finally got a rocking chair; not the dream chair but a very reasonable, responsible, adult-like substitute. The bulletin board already has a welcome card from my sweet Bible study...

Finished curtains, refinished furniture, and the bunny that looks like a creepy alien when the lights are out...

And a place for her to lay her little head...

And proof that I am already a bad mother because her closet is completely overflowing and she doesn't even breathe oxygen yet...

So there we have it! It looks a lot sweeter in the daylight but it's dark and rainy outside today. We are counting down the days now - three weeks if we make it that long!

Late, as Usual

2008-02-13T17:14:00.000-06:00

Okay, I'm late, as usual, in posting pics. Shortly after Christmas (which seems like a year ago!) we headed to the land in east Texas with the fam for the day. Here we are - Jackson, Joanne, Steve, Jordan, me, hubby, Lauren, Brent, and Justin above us in the truck. Awh.

Shower pics and final nursery pics coming soon!!!.

Christmas Revisited

2008-01-10T19:03:00.000-06:00

I have also just realized we didn't post our Christmas pictures - there aren't many but here they are. This is our tree - a great improvement in the space from the skinny one we had last year!

And here's the mantle with, appropriately, three stockings:

Here is our Christmas card picture, taken at the hubby's parents' house:

And my ever-growing belly...

And last but not least, the cutest part of our Christmas, our precious niece:

Progress!

2008-01-10T18:46:00.000-06:00

My most wonderful husband finished painting the ceiling in the nursery last weekend. I love it. We moved the bed to another wall and put the crib together.

Incidentally the euroshams on the bed are lovingly handmade by my mom (who did 90% of the work) and me.

Curtains, lovingly made my mother-in-law (another 90% of the work) and myself are coming soon... Until then here's as good a view as our camera will give:

Time to Get Motivated

2007-12-28T10:12:00.000-06:00

Well, Christmas has come and gone. It was really great - we got to see both our families which we really like. But now the pressure is on. We have 11 weeks to go and our poor baby girl doesn't have a place to lay her head if she comes early! I'm getting serious about the nursery now so I will post periodic pictures of the progress. Right now it's pretty shameful!

Meet Abby

2007-12-17T13:10:00.000-06:00

Today I went for a 3D sonogram. I have to say, it was unbelievable. I got to see Abby's face and hands - and she's not even going to be born for another 3 months or so. She has all her fingers and toes, which was a relief! Here she is, making her debut appearance...

As you can see, she's a little camera shy...

She looks very much like her only cousin when she was born. I'm guessing this is pretty close to what we'll have on our hands in a couple years:

Can't complain about that!

Finally!

2007-12-11T18:34:00.000-06:00

We finally got our pictures back from our Crested Butte trip this summer...and here they are:

I've Succumbed to Peer Pressure

2007-11-07T09:55:00.001-06:00

Okay. All of our friends with kids or with kids on the way have started blogging to keep friends and family updated. I have finally decided there is actually something to this, so here we are! I'm hoping to have things posted pretty frequently for now, probably a little less frequently in March when the baby arrives. Wish me luck!