Hello Abigail! Oh my goodness where has the time gone? You are now 8 months and 1 day old, and I can't believe how many months went by that I didn't write here. I'm terrible... so sorry sweetie. I guess all I can say is that you're keeping me busy, and when I do have some free time I either have been spending it with your daddy, or else getting a little sleep! Or working, which is truly the case most often.
Anyway, you have been so amazing to watch over the last 8 months. I can't even believe that you're now 27 inches long, not sure of your weight but you feel much bigger than you did at 6 months, when you were like 14lbs 9oz. Now that you're eating solids you'll probably pack on some chubb... last time we got a checkup, you were in the 75th percentile in length, and 10th in weight. Doc says that is good, that you'll be a small framed child and you're growing which is all that matters!
Food had been a challenge at first. We found you had "sensitivities" to rice cereal and milk-based formula which I was mixing into your cereal. Double whammy! So, we've had you on oatmeal which you love, with some crazy expensive formula just for the cereal (we're still nursing!! Mommy made it past 6 months, and I figure I'm half way there so I may as well keep letting daddy call me "The Milk Lady" to you, cause we're almost to 1 year when you can switch to a bottle... I'm really proud of this accomplishment with you. It's got to be one of the hardest things because of the lack of sleep and lack of help I get with nursing you. However it is the best thing health-wise for you. So I'm really glad I was able to come through for you on that one. It's a great bonding time, and has gotten to be something we both enjoy.
Now that you're eating solids well, I am having even more fun with food... you started out enjoying peas, sweet potatos, and carrots. Then this sensitivity came around the 6 month point and I had to stop everything... so we're back on track and you're favorite is still without question my roasted sweet potatoes. You can eat a whole small one all by yourself! Aunt Stav made some carrots, beans, and zucchini for you, which you liked all but the green stuff for a while, and you're finally enjoying greens, although you give a funny Yucky face when you first taste it every time! I can't say I blame you, cause I don't like green beans either, your grandma will tell you it is impossible for me to eat one single green bean without complaining. :-) Another neat trick we have is to put carrot juice into your oatmeal, which you will then gobble up your cereal too! It is so cute to watch how excited you get when you eat. I have this song I sing to you, which goes "Abby likes to eat, eat, what a treat! Eat, eat... (enter whatever you're eating) sweet potatoes! with carrots! and peaches! and oatmeal! Wash it down, you're all done now, with your favorite drink - MILK!" -- it is cute. You get so excited when I sing to you. You're by far the only person who ever enjoyed my out of tune voice... I love you for making me feel like I can do no wrong.... it's nice to be so loved.
Anyway, other exciting stuff aside from eating.... You can now fully sit up on your own without assistance. I guess that started when you were about 6.5 months, but you weren't so stable. We'd count the seconds you could sit up. And I think we got to 45 once and were so proud. Now you just never fall over! We still have pillows there just in case. You have been rocking back and forth - getting some rhythm at an early age! You and I are starting music classes in a week. I am hoping you'll meet some babies we can have playdates with, and I can meet some mommys to chit chat with... it'll be fun. Your cousin Maya is also in a music class, so maybe someday the 2 of you will have a band together... or have fun entertaining all of us with your talents.
I'm now trying to figure out what to dress you up for this Halloween... I want to make your costume but we'll see if I find the time. I can't tell if you're a little monkey (seems too popular), a pumpkin (kinda already done), a ladybug (cute but too chilly for exposed legs...).... a sweet pea would be so cute but you're TOO big for that! Sad... you're so small yet getting so big!!
Hey did I tell you back in August you went with us to San Francisco, to Lynn and Sean's wedding? It was so fun. You were a great traveller. You sat on the plane and really didn't fuss the whole time. We got to visit with all mommy's old friends from Boston, even the ones who now live there. You met Jasmine, who is Tanya's baby girl. Jim Davies who is mom's oldest friend next to Michele... and of course we saw Erin and Kendra who were at the wedding too. And Grandmumsie and Grandpa Harold were there, but you didn't see them much. We had a full itiernary of stuff to do. Daddy even got to go to Giants Stadium, which was the ver first ballpark you ever got to visit the inside of. (We only got to the gates at Fenway in July in Boston while Daddy went to a game... meany for leaving us behind!!)
Anyway, it's getting late so I'm going to sign off. I will hopefully sign back on asap to upload a few pics of your year.... I feel so bad I haven't kept up with this, but I will keep trying to as I can! I love you sweetie pie!! xoxoxoxoxoxox... goes on and on! Let's see if you sleep through the night tonight.... it's almost 11pm and you went to bed at 8pm. That's a story for another blog...
Love you always,
Mommy...
Here are a couple pics of Abby... (not sure these will post in the right order...) Well here it is a couple years since I last blogged anything about my family and Abby, and I realize, that my new addition will be here before we know it and I must include her so that she doesn't feel left out many years from now... So hard to sit down and blog, but someday I hope the 2 girls will be able to pull a little from my random posts and enjoy some of what I have to say (though they may have better things to do, which I hope they will...) Anyway, back to the post! So, Kenny and I found out we're having baby #2 back around Christmas time 2009, and would be expecting her around August 21st, 2010. She looks adorable in her sonogram pics, and docs all say she's doing beautifully. Right now, we're in the midst of preparing for her arrival by moving Abby to her "big girl room" and my office has relocated from that room to downstairs, where I hope I'll be able to work AND keep an eye on the little munchkins. I'm in the 2nd trimester with a good amount of energy, so it is perfect timing to be doing all of this. My mom (Grandma!) and I went thru all of Abby's clothes from newborn to 24 months, sorted and put away for Baby #2, and this was probably the biggest accomplishment as Abby has ammassed 4+ bins of clothing over her 2 years of life thus far, and 2 big boxes of shoes! Let alone a huge bag full of coats and sweaters that are all sizes... she's been really blessed with a beautiful wardrobe thanks to all our family and friends, and the hand me downs from Cousin Maya! Abigail has been in school since she was 18 months old, at St. Mark's Bright Beginnings School in Westhampton Beach. She's got a couple weeks before summer vacation. The development of her social side has been wonderful! She's developed a very sweet yet silly personality. I think she gets the sweet from me, and the silly from Daddy. She loves to make funny faces and stick her tongue out at us while making Cousin Courtney's signature funny face (pulling her sides of her mouth out with tongue sticking out as much as possible! She's a character! - and she loves her little cousin!) Abby has made a lot of friends, to name a few there is Gavin Cole, Sienna Meyer, Elisabeth and Aimee Lindhal, and Lauren and Laila Goss (our neighbors.) We just had a great playdate with my friend Laura Smith's kids, Aven, Serene and Skye. The kids all played at the playground so well, then came back to our house for fun in the sandbox and baby pool, as well as running through the sprinkler! Real old-fashion entertainment... I hope she develops long-lasting friendships with all of these kids, and meets a few more to have fun with. We still go to the Quogue Library for music classes and storytimes. Soon the WHB library will be back in action for us. We did Music Together from the time she was 8 months old till about 26 months, but I decided not to renew this session because Abby still loves to be held and carried, and with the baby growing here, it would have been too much on me physically. I'm worn out super easy with carrying just 25-27 pounds of Abby! (She's about 2 yrs and 5 months old now, 34 inches.) Abby had a super cute birthday - we tried to do a luau in the winter with a cupcake party, and a hint of Abby Caddabby from Sesame Street, but I think she was a little overwhelmed with all the kids in her house! Next year we'll do something simple so she can really enjoy it. She looked adorable in her pink tutu... and all the kids loved playing with her toys. Abby I wouldn't say enjoyed having them play with her toys, but kids will be kids, especially at 2. Everything has become "mine" to her... a phase I will gladly replace with a new phase! She also likes to throw her toys across the room. :-) Very funny Abby! Where'd you learn that? You definitely have a good arm, and throw a ball better than mommy. Daddy will be teaching you tee-ball before I know it and a widnow or 2 might end up needing to be replaced... but you really do have a great arm. I can only imagine what you'll want to do when you get bigger. Sometimes I think you'll be a ballerina, then you have a beautiful singing voice (you have been waking up so happy, singing all our names in the morning.) And you run all over... Just this weekend you were able to climb to the top of the Kaler's Pond big kid jungle gym, all by yourself! You do a great swing on the bar above the swirly slide, then slide down the slide all smiles... we were so proud of you doing this on your own!! Abby also has a very cute vocabulary of her own now... to share a few I can recall offhand, there's "ouff" = water, "mi-mi" = friend, "dodgie" = cookie or doggie, "weee" = playground, "Meow-meow" = kitty for Mugs,"Choppie Chop" = Chopper, "mam-awh" = Grandma, "Papa" = Grandpa, "Wah-wah" = Cousin Lila, Poppy and Maya have their own names, "Nana" - Courtney and Peyton. Abby hasn't quite figured out her aunts and uncles names, nor any other adults for that matter. Mommy and Daddy are our names to her. She also says "GO!" = come (Go, mommy, go!) And has started the "What's that?" and "Why?" questions, and will ask to eat via sign language she learned a lot of that on Baby Signing Times videos. There's a lot more she can say, but in her own language and I'm not thinking of it right now... :-) Kenny is still working with the WHB Police Dept, and seems to really enjoy it, even with all the village politics going on. I love that he cares so much for people and keeping everyone safe. He's an amazing father, you girls are really blessed to have him help you to grow up with his sense of humor and his dedication to family, and he has a sense of "respect" that is far and few between with folks these days... I'm forever grateful for him, and feel blessed to be able to spend my life with him. Everything I ever dreamed I could have is all coming true, I wanted to get married, buy a house and raise 2 kids... and that's what I'm getting -- so many people I know can't find their ways in this world, and I am very thankful for all that I now have. It felt like it took forever to get here, but it was well worth the wait. With this, I do need to go and get some stuff done today! I'll try to be better at posting more frequently... My love to you Kenny, Abby, and Baby #2 who really doesn't have a name yet! Soon!! xox Jen / Mommy
