Daily Report

The day care sends home a report every day of what Abigail did that day, and today she reached a new milestone! She learned how to stack blocks! I love reading what they have to say about how she spends her day: "Took off sock and tried to put it back on," "Really likes playing with Chris," "Painted with the color orange," "Loves reading, especially about animals." Even though it makes me sad to be away from her for so long, I'm happy to know that she's happy and busy throughout the day.

Creative Genius?

On Sunday mornings, Abby and I wake up and play while Daddy gets another hour or two of sleep.

Abby is playing with a shape sorter toy; rather than try to fit the shapes in the top (the blue lid), she takes the lid off and puts them directly in the bucket. She does this every time. Is she being lazy, or just smart? Work smarter, not harder, I always say. :)

Princess Abigail

Today was all about Abigail - our little princess!

Robby and I took Abigail on a hunt for Halloween costumes today, but we didn't find anything that we just loved. We did, however, have fun trying on different wigs and hats to see what they'd look like. Abigail was NOT amused.

She hated the Ariel the mermaid wig the most.

She wasn't too fond of becoming a pirate for a day, either.

Afterwards, we went to the mall and decided to take Abigail on her first carousel ride. She was so excited!

She loved her horse!

They have a Build-a-Bear Workshop in the mall, so we stopped by to see what they have. Last time Abigail and I went in there, she was so excited - she truly LOVES stuffed animals - so we made one for her this time. It was quite a debate choosing which one we'd "bring to life," so we eventually held them up to Abby and let her choose. Then, she got to step on the stuffing pedal to fill her new baby.

Afterwards, she got to give her bear its first bath.

Then, we got to dress her! Ah, now you see why Robby was willing to partake in this experience! As you all know, OU v. Texas weekend will soon be upon us! Abby and her new bear will have matching outfits!

Abby, Robby and new Sooner fan, Ada.

A Visit with the Family

When we go to Nani and Papa's, Abby and Nani like to spend their mornings together (while Mommy and Daddy get to sleep in! - Thanks, Nani!) outside on the deck, reading the newspaper.

Down the driveway getting the newspaper.


Good morning! Hanging out on the deck.

This time when we went for a visit, Uncle Michael, Aunt Lindsey and soon-to-be cousin Nicholas were there, too! They're currently serving in the Air Force and stationed in Arizona, so they don't get to come home but a few times a year. Since they are expecting Nicholas in November (only three days after Abigail's "due" date!!), I hosted a shower for all of their Texas friends and family. Unfortunately, my camera was MIA most of the weekend and all the good pictures are on my mom's camera. Boo.

The door wreath I made for Lindsey/Nicholas for the hospital.

Lindsey - 30 weeks

It was a fun weekend; Abigail hadn't seen Uncle Michael since she was 4 months old and she hadn't seen Aunt Lindsey since she was 6 weeks old, so I'm glad they got to spend a little more time with her while she was still a "baby." I cannot wait until we go out to Arizona this Christmas to meet that little Nicholas!

Abigail is 10 months old!

Wow, it is weird to think that she's in double digits now. Ha. My baby is growing up! I left my camera in Tyler (I think), so no 10 month old picture yet.

Abigail weighs 20 pounds, 11.5 ounces (courtesy of the doctor appointment last week) and is in size 3 diapers. We bought a pack of extra-absorbant size 4 diapers, though, for nighttime in hopes that she'll sleep longer. So far, it works! On Sunday night, she slept for 10 straight hours! For some reason, she always sleeps better at Nani & Papa's. I don't know if it is because the room is colder (I love that fan!) or if it is because she is worn out from all the attention, but Robby & I love going down there because we can sleep really well. She has 3 teeth, if you can count that new sprout as a "tooth", and is working on 2 more. They're right underneath the gums.

She is EXTREMELY mobile now; Robby and I joke that she should enter speed crawling races, and we'd put our money on her. She is fast! It was really interesting to see how her crawling progressed: backwards on her back/head at (late) 7 months; going everywhere backwards on her tummy, and sometimes in circles at 8 months; "inch-worm" crawling forward at late 8 months; slow, awkward crawling at 9 months; and incredibly fast speed crawling (like the diaper commercial) at late 9 months. Wow! I think she got so fast because she likes to chase Chance. Abby loves him!

She's an expert at sitting up from lying down, and can even go in circles to turn around while she's sitting. She's pretty good at pulling up on every and any thing, and she can walk well when holding on to someone's fingers. She's working on standing up on her own, without pulling up. It's really funny to see, because she can stick her bottom in the air (it looks like she's bending over touching her toes) and then she gets stuck. She doesn't know what to do after that. I feel bad for laughing, but it is so funny!

She likes to eat, but not nearly as much as before. I guess her ravenous eating has slowed down for now, which is okay with us. The daycare teacher calls all the time because she is concerned about it, but if she gained more than one pound in a month, I'd say she's doing okay! It almost seems as if she is bored with baby food and only wants table food. She likes to feed herself and she loves real food. The only thing holding her back is my fear of her choking, so I need to work on that. How else will she learn? I'm working on it and trying to introduce her to new foods. Good thing her daddy will share ANYthing he is eating!

Oh, one important milestone: she has learned how to share! She gives Mommy and Daddy whatever she is holding. She'll pick something up and hand it to us. We're very proud about that! She also loves to play peek-a-boo and loves to dance. She loves music - and reading. She is captivated by story time, and some days we will read 2 or 3 books to her...sometimes more! It's amazing to us how she loves books. She actually crawls over pillows (which, by the way she grunts and acts, looks like the equivalent of hiking up a mountain) to get to books!

As far as language development goes, she says Mama, Dada and dog on a regular basis, Hi pretty frequently and has said multiple times Papa. Words she has said once: Baba (when looking at a bottle!), Jojo, Nana (which will have to be turned into Nani). I love to see her grow!

New Tooth!

Abigail has a new tooth that popped out today! It's her upper front right tooth. We're wondering if this is part of the reason she's been cranky/extra feverish lately. I know that she had a fever because of the strep (she's feeling better, but not "normal" yet), and my doctor says that babies do not get fevers with teeth (although she did when the other two popped out, too...so I'm not sure if I entirely believe that), but it's awfully coincidental.

I'm glad to see her new tooth! It's been months (since June) since the last one arrived. The more teeth she gets the less worry I'll have about giving her table food!

Somebody, Call a Doctor!

It's the second week of school and I have been out all week, save Monday. Monday afternoon, my throat was hurting badly, but I went about my day and even went to an after-hour staff development. When I got home, though, I had chills (and yes, a fever), so I took a hot bath and hit the hay. Come Tuesday morning, I could barely speak and was very uncomfortable. It felt like my tonsils were the size and consistency of golf balls, only wrapped with gauze to make it even more miserable. You know where I am going with this: strep throat. It's awful! I literally thought that cutting my throat out (if it were possible to live after such an surgery) would feel better than I felt then. I went to the doctor and he gave me a shot and some meds, and I felt much better Wednesday, back to normal on Thursday.

Why then am I out all week? This is the worst part - my precious pumpkin (Abby) has it, too! She went to the doctor and Wednesday to get it confirmed, and I think I will take her back today because she still has a fever. Last night it was still 102, and that worries me. She's so sweet when she's sick, because all she wants to do is cuddle, but I can tell she is so miserable. Plus the fact that I know firsthand the way she feels makes it ten times worse for me. Poor baby! This is only the second time she's been sick, but I really don't like it.

I just hope Robby doesn't get it, too!