It's a BOY!

Michael and Lindsey went to the doc today and found out that the bun in their oven is a BOY! We're thrilled beyond belief and so are they - it is what they "wanted" and it is always nice to get what you want. It's in their destiny to have a son; after all, they "just look like they would have a boy" (quote from Lindsey's ob/gyn). I know he'll be riding donkeys and four wheelers in no time! It's also a good thing that they're having a boy because now everyone in my family can breathe a sigh of relief since the Scritchfield name will carry on. Whew. Michael was the last Scritchfield from my grandfather's line of blood, so it's really cool to see the name carry on at least one more generation.

It was really fun to talk to Michael and Lindsey today after their appointment, because they both sounded so delighted and happy. Since the baby is due at the end of November (Lindsey is about 18.5 weeks or so), today is the first time they got to see the baby on the sonogram. They said that he was sucking his thumb, pushing, kicking and even yawning (awww). It made my heart happy and light to hear how happy they are. :) He is 10 cm long and weighs 9 oz. Everything looks good!

Another interesting thing about them having a boy is that it puts Abigail in the same family place as me. On my dad's side of the family I have a boy cousin 4 months older than me, and on my mom's side I have a boy cousin almost a year younger than me. When Nicholas is born, Abby will have a boy cousin on her dad's side 5 months older than her and a boy cousin on my side about a year younger than her. Weird how that worked out. But totally cool, too. I always loved hanging out with my cousins, and I hope that she can have a great relationship with both of them (and whoever else may pop up in the future).

Congratulations, Doodlebug and Raisin! (Ha.) We love you both and we love Nicholas already, too! We can't wait until Christmas when we can come out and see him!

Splish Splash

Both Randi and I were husband-less for the day, so we decided to get together and go to the pool with our babies. It was 104-106 degrees outside depending on which thermometer you read, so it was perfect for chilling in the water. For all of those worry-worts out there (Mom), yes, we applied sunscreen - SPF 50 - several times, and Abigail even got two doses before we even went out in the sun - once before we left the house to go to Randi's, and once 30 minutes prior to going to the pool to let it "set" and become water proof. I also reapplied right when we got to the pool and once throughout our pool visit. She wore a UPF 50 sun hat, we sat in the shady end of the kiddie pool and she had a sippy cup of ice cold water at her disposal. Let's just say that my mom and last month's Parenting magazine had an effect on my sun-safety. Heh. I was NOT going to let my 7 month old baby get a sunburn or become dehydrated! We had a fun day letting the cousins play.

First, Abby and I had to drop off more ice to Robby & Poppy while they umped in this heat wave. We got there in between games - perfect timing!

Getting ready for the pool: Abby's sunscreen hair-do. We did this once at the lake when she was 4 months old and Mason was 9 months old. They both have considerably more hair now - especially Mason!

He's ready to swim!

A little snack before hitting the pool. (Letting the sunscreen set.)

They jumped in the car and let us know it was time to head to the water.

After swimming, sans swimsuit and sun hat, she relaxed under a make-shift canopy while we gathered up things to go.

Post swim ba-bas (bottles).

They had to take a bath to get all of that sunscreen out of their hair!

The four of us met up with Robby and Mimi at Cliff's in Grapevine for a much needed dinner. We were famished!

Abby got to ride her first horse!

She loved it!

Happy family. :)

Hometown Visit

My cousin Amber and her family came down from Wisconsin to visit friends and family all over East Texas; since Robby and I were so busy on Father's Day and hardly got to see them, Abby and I went back down Thursday to spend the night and see them again. Her husband had to go back a few days ago, but Amber and her daughters were able to stay an extra few days and I am happy they did! This week is the first time Abby has gotten to meet them! She loved them all and took to them almost instantly, but she really liked Sammie, who is 6 and played with her all afternoon.

Amber with Kay (12) and Sammie (6)

Sammie fed Abigail her dinner. She did such a good job!

Sammie and Abby

Kayla and Sammie petting the donkeys.

Abby got to see Papa, of course! They love sitting on the front porch together.

Kayla

Sammie and Amber

Kay


Abby got to try some REAL bananas! Diced up for finger food, of course!

She did a good job getting it into her mouth! She's growing so fast!


Bath time at Nani's after swimming. She loves any kind of water!

2 Down, 80 To Go

Today is our 2 year anniversary! It seems like just yesterday that I was hanging out in Tonya's room at the DZ house contemplating calling him. That's when it all (re)started. That day was the first day we'd spoken in about 4 years, and I remember one of the first things I said to him. Me: "Do you remember me?" Robby: "I told you I'd never forget you." Sounds cheesy now, but the last time we spoke I told him not to forget me and he promised he wouldn't.

That was in 2005. We got engaged December 23, 2006 (on a horse-drawn carriage while looking at Christmas lights), and married June 23, 2007. We found out we were pregnant in February 2008 and introduced Abigail Reese to our family November 8, 2008. We've been busy!

When Robby and I were engaged, I told him that when he marries me he is committing to at least 82 years of being married to the same woman. I said, "Give me 82 years, and then you can do what you want." That'll put him at 107, and by that time, I thought if he wanted to have a mid-life (end of life?) crisis, then by all means, go ahead. :) His response? "I don't think 82 years will be long enough." Dang, he was smooth. ;)

So far, these two years have been amazing and I am looking forward to the rest! I enjoy my time with him and I am so amazed by my husband. We have such a great life! Here are some pictures to recap that blissful day two years ago!

We were married in the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens.

Briana, Me, Tonya

Headed to Jamaica!

Father's Day Festivities

Happy Father's Day! This is Robby's first father's day; the first day that we get to honor all that he has done in the past 7 months (16 months if you include pregnancy). From the moment I found out I was pregnant until now, I can honestly say that I could not have made it without him! I hope that he knows just how appreciated he is. As far as Abigail is concerned, she thinks he hung the moon! She is such a Daddy's girl - and I know he loves it! I love it, too, since I was a big fan of my dad when I was little and I like seeing my little girl take such a fondness to her daddy. I hope they can always be close.

On Saturday Robby and I went to Shreveport to have a mini-anniversary celebration (it's on Tuesday the 23rd! 2 years!). It was our first night away from Abigail; she stayed with my parents. They really enjoyed having her and, from what they say, Abby turned into a Papa's girl, too, this weekend. (She kind of already was. He was the first person to make her laugh and laugh and laugh at 4 months old.) It was kind of fitting that they got to spend so much time together on this weekend.

We woke up Sunday morning and drove back to Tyler to have lunch with my dad and my grandfather. My cousins were down from Wisconsin, so all of my grandfather's great-grand children were there (except for the one on the way in Arizona, of course!). After that, we headed back home and met up with Robby's family to have a dinner celebration with his dad. Over all, it was a very nice weekend!

Robby decided to give Abby a small nibble of cake.

She LOVED it!

Big Papa with his great-grandchildren. Abby (7 mo.), Sammie (6) and Kayla (12)

I took three pictures and none of them had them all looking at the camera!

Robby and his dad.

Da-Da

Abigail is turning into quite the sleeper! She did not wake up until past 8am again today! And, when she awoke, she kept saying, "Da-da" and looking around as if she was looking for him. It was so precious! This isn't the first time she has said it, but it was so clear and she kept repeating it that I decided to post (in case I forget to tell Robby later when he gets home). So far, she has said mama, dada, hi, and ba-ba (bottle). Does she know what they mean? Probably not, but there are times when she uses them in correct context - it blows our minds! Here are some pics of her in her cute jammies.

The Weekend Wrap-up

After I posted about her first boo-boo on Friday, Abby had her second accident/injury. What a day! I was sitting at the table looking up the weather (we were under another tornado watch - the third that week!), and Abigail was happily bouncing in my lap when she started crying. I looked down and somehow she cut her finger! I still have no idea how it happened! It didn't seem to bother her too badly, but it started slightly bleeding. To avoid infection, I put neosporin on it and a band-aid. Naturally, since something foreign was on her hand, all she wanted to do was eat it, so I had to put a sock to cover it!

This picture is for Robby!

Saturday was eventful. It was Mason's first birthday party! It was fun for all three of us. (Patron shots, anyone? -- Don't get too crazy. I only had one shot. After all, it was a baby's birthday party!) I think first birthday parties are the only ones where you have to entertain parents and children - after that, you only have to worry about the kids. Either way, it was good.

Getting ready for the party in her party dress! She had a matching bow and sippy cup, too!

Dinosaur theme

All the babies/children had personalized party favors! Abigail's was full of Abby Cadabby stuff (toothbrush, tooth paste, cup, bowl, little Abby Cadabby "friend"), a beach ball, bubbles and a maraca. What a great idea! We may have to do this for Abby's birthday party!

The birthday boy not so thrilled about his birthday cake!

Happy Mason

Riding his new four wheeler.

Abby wanted a try since it matched her outfit.

Lucky Mason! Most people have to wait until they are 16 to get a car for their birthdays.

After the party, we took Mason and Abigail swimming for the first time. Both children loved the water! Abby was totally crazy, splashing and kicking in her little float. After a little bit, Robby took her out of the float, held her on her stomach and let her kick and splash. Swim lesson 101. When I was holding her, she actually did a nose-dive (just flat out bent over) into the water and got her entire head wet. She came up rubbing her eyes, but no tears and no crying! She's a natural! We're REALLY going to have to watch her around the pool.

As far as everything else goes, I am progressing quite nicely on my summer goals. I have decided that I hate Skinny Bitch because the sass that I mentioned before has turned into crass. I can't believe how much foul language is in there! It's really tacky. Plus, there are a few chapters I had to skip because they were ticking me off. All it does is "hate" on the USDA, beef/chicken and all things dairy. Maybe it would be good inspiration if I was looking to go vegan, but I'm not, so I'm not that interested in reading it. But, even though I have skipped a few chapters, I am looking to finish out the book. It has a few good pointers in there. I only worked out 4 days last week for a total of 1950 calories burned - I'm really looking to get back into the gym today!