Sitting Tall

This post is a few days overdue, but none the less, here it is.

Michael and I put Abby's highchair together after taking the Christmas tree down and I have just been waiting for some free time to put Abby in it for the first time. After much waiting, I figured life would have to wait and I MADE time for this joyous moment. Last Wednesday, 1/27/10, Abby I put her in her highchair for the first time! She fits in it just right and had fun because she has sitting completely under control. I gave her some toys to play with then moved to the sippy cup! This was her first time for a sippy with liquid--H2O of course--and all in all she did pretty well. Here are some pics:

We sure did have fun! We will putting the highchair to good use in the next few weeks as we start to introduce solids to Abby's diet. This should be lots of fun...keep you posted :)

Post Christmas Fun

And the festivities continue!! The day after Christmas it was time for my family's Christmas gathering at Gramps and Grandma D's house :) Again, lots of good food, snacks and gifts...I'm beginning to see a pattern here, no wonder my pants are getting a little tight at this point ;)

We got lots of wonderful gifts this year from friends and family--too many to mention one by one--but I think one of my favorites was for Abby from Gramps...

Abby is excited to get things started

It is Abby's very own Gramps-handmade toy box and set of Sing-a-ma-jigs!

But wait, there is more...

Abby, "What?"

It doubles as a bench and puppet theater, complete with curtain and pop out panel!!

Thanks Gramps!! It is just PERFECT!!!

Abby testing out the new toy box

There is a bit of a back story on the toy box: My dad had made one for my sister and I years ago and we played and played and played with that toy box. It not only stored our toys, it sometimes stored us, gave us a place to sit as long as the pegboard lid would hold us and I'm sure it served as a ship or plane a time or two too. A few months ago, we were sitting at Gramps and we got to talking about all of Abby's toys. With out thinking, I ask Gramps if his toy box factory was still in business. Looking back I might have put him on the spot but I have to say that I LOVE what came of that conversation! This is truly the best toy box a little girl (and her mommy) could ask for! It is super sturdy (whew, mommys worry you know), 100% sliver proof, big enough but not too big, multifunctional and best of all made with love from someone we love so very much! This is a toy box that will bring hours of fun and entertainment, a lifetime of memories and even a tear to my eye! Thanks Dad, you are so thoughtful!!!! (I might be a little bit more excited about the toy box than Abby at the moment, but I know that this is something that she will grow to LOVE, just as Wendy and I did years ago.)

The next day we headed to Aunt Wendy's side of town for a little Aunt Wendy birthday fun! Abby got to experience the bowling ally for the very first time. She loved all the sounds, people and bowling balls too!

I love you Uncle Tom

Happy Birthday Aunt Wizzy!

Silly Gramps!

Grandma, this iPhone is great...see what it can do?

Uncle Tom decided to take her to the lane:

and bowl!

She LOVED it and wanted to go back time and time again. I think we might have a future bowler on our hands!

Do not take my picture, I'm not ready!

Love the little finger on this one!!

Well that was it for Christmas festivities (until January, we still have Christmas with Auntie Jeannie to do) and I must say it ended with a bang---Abby picked up the stomach bug (at the bowling alley we think) and the next few days sure were a different sort of "fun"! Uuugggghhhh!

Nursing Bras for Women Like Me

Ok, to start I have had a hard, no--almost impossible-- time finding nursing bras in my size, let a lone finding one that does not look like a "grandma" bra. Being a 34G sucks! I did find a place on line back in November that carried some options. I ordered on 11/8 and got about half of my order and was told the others would ship in 3-4 days. Well 12/30 rolled around and still my order was not complete. I had to call and see what was up. Stephanie helped me out by letting me know that the bra was on back order and would be so for the next 2 or so weeks. I canceled that item and ordered 2 more in 34H and would be sending the rest back due to "muffin top". So I sent all the bras back in the box that I received it in. I also ordered two of the bras in a 34I to see if they fit any better than the 34H. Apparently upon packing my return, I made the FATAL mistake of placing another bra on top of the "molded cup" bra. Here is the e-mail I received regarding my return:

SCANNING DOCUMENT, WILL POST TOMORROW

So, because I placed another bra on top of this oh-so-special-molded-cup-bra I have damaged it beyond saleable condition??? Really?? What is best about this is that I got this e-mail on 1/12 and still have received the bra back nor have I received the two 34I bras that I ordered. Again, I had to call to see where they are and guess what....one is on back order (the other does not come in that size)! So, company that prides itself on customer service, where is the notice that I would yet again have to wait to receive my order???



At this point, I have canceled all orders, will be returning the 2 bras that I have (guess I will be eating the cost of a 34G that does not fit) and ordering from another company that appreciates its large chested, nursing customers.



In the end, I DO NOT SUGGEST ORDERING FROM Linda the Bra Lady!!!

Products I Can't Live Without

So, I've been thinking about doing this kind of a post for awhile now but keep hesitating because I know how annoying it was to hear all the advice that came flying my way while pregnant.

But, after much consideration, I have decided to give it the go ahead anyway. From time to time, I will post on a product that has made a difference in my family's life, one that I have come to love and couldn't live with out. Remember, this is just my opinion--which usually isn't worth much ;)

First on my list......drum roll please.............

The Miracle Blanket

This truly has been a life saver for Michael and I! My friend Emily use TMB for her twins and swore up and down about the quality of sleep that her girls got while using the blanket. She graciously loaned me her three blankets (you can never have too many--one to use, one in the wash, one to leave at Gramps, the sitters, friend's house for a test run of their own), which helped me go green in another aspect of mommy-hood.

Like most of you, MJ and I swaddled Abby with the techniques that we learned in the hospital, though I never really got it right...you guessed it, she always managed to get her arms out by the end of the nap. Night after night, Abby would just cry and cry and cry and cry. It got to the point where I would take her downstairs and put her in the swing because it was the only thing I could do to get her to sleep for more than 30 minutes at a time. After about two weeks of little, wait no sleep, we busted out "The Happiest Baby on the Block" since everyone told us how great the techniques are. Now, I won't lie, the "five S-es" were great but the receiving blanket swaddling just wasn't cutting it. So MJ an I decided to bust out TMB for bedtime sleep. What a difference that made! I think that first sleep after putting her in TMB (A.K.A. Burrito-ing the baby (because she gets wrapped up tight like--you guessed it--a burrito)) she slept for two hours without so much as a peep!

At first we only use TMB for night sleep because I was afraid of her associating it with night sleep and then mixing up her days and nights. So, needless to say, she was sleeping well at night but only taking 20-40 minute naps during the day unless I was holding her. Now, we know how great it is to cuddle with your newborn, but honestly...Mommy needed sleep too. So, after much hesitation I started to use TMB for naps as well as for night sleep. Hallelujah--Abby took a 2 hour nap!!! Looking back, I was absolutely CRAZY for not using burrito-ing her sooner! Looking ahead--our next baby will be burrito-ed from day one--for night time, nap time and any other time Baby needs it!

So how do I know that TMB really works and that Abby enjoys this product?
#1: Not until this last week has Abby been able to break free of TMB (and I only think this is because she is sleeping in a bouncer due to nasal drainage with her feet out of the pouch)
#2: Once Abby has both arms tucked under by the arm flaps, she turns her head to the side and closes her eyes while sucking on her paci.
#3: To this day Abby will only nap for 20-40 minutes without being burrito-ed and 9 out of 10 times she will take a 2+ hour nap while being burrito-ed.

Truly, we don't leave home without our Miracle Blanket! Thank you makers of The Miracle Blanket, I LOVE you!!!!!

Five Months Old

Abby turned 5 months today and I can't believe how fast her little life is flying by! In less than one month, she will be 1/2 of a year old....how is this so? I guess I will deal with that when the time comes.

Here is Abby and Peanut on her 5 month birthday:

That's right--Abby learned to sit up this past month as well as finding the letter "B". Here is a little video of her new skills:

Other accomplishments of this past month that I did not get a chance to blog about:

*Laughing out loud--I came home for work and Abby and Gramps greeted me at the door. Abby gave me a big smile along with a verbalized laugh!! Usually she would just give a "huh" and a smile, but this time it was a full laugh!

*Her second cold/case of the Snarphs--Christmas Eve came with the gift of a cold, the snarphs, and cough. The cough has managed to hang around and now we think it is part of the teething process

*Digression--her great sleep habits have gone by the wayside due to the cough as has her ability to roll over...so sad!!! She is back to her newborn schedule of feeding every 2/12 to 3 1/2 hours because her cough wakes her up and then she realizes that she is hungry and won't go back to sleep w/o feeding (and sometimes coughing til she pukes). During all of this, we laid off of tummy time due to the drainage and she has since forgot how to roll over. Oh well, it will come back sooner than later.

Kzoo

Abby and I headed out to K-zoo for a little visit with the Agnello family. It was great to see Emily, Steve and the girls. It is amazing just how fast they grow up! Here is a few shots of the girls together for the first time:

It was so cute to see just how excited the girls were to meet Abby for the first time. Emerson couldn't believe that she was really there...she kept saying over and over "Mommy, its Abigail!" "Mommy, Abigail's here!" for about the first half hour.

It was a pretty low-key weekend--lots of talking, a little shopping, a few naps (for mommy too) and lots of good memories. I think Emily got a few more pics. I will update this when I get them.

Thanks Emily, for another great visit to Kalamazoo!

Little Jumper

We first put Abby in her jumper in late November and not much happened. Actually, she was still so wobbly in the seat that we had to pad her with little blankets so that she wouldn't flop around too much. Needless to say, she didn't jump at that point. Partially because her little legs were too short and uncoordinated, but mostly because she still had to learn what to do. Really, it was just for a change of scenery at that point.

It is amazing how fast babies learn! We found the prefect box to put under her feet so she didn't just dangle there and slowly she caught on to the fun that could be had. The last two weeks have been filled with jumping and talking. Here is a little video from January 2nd, one of her first times of really jumping:

For Christmas Grandma D got Abby a walker that looks like a car--a pink convertable actually--and doubles as a jumper as well. She loves to sit in that and honk the horn. I'm sure it won't be long before she is crusing around the house in that!

No Tears

Well, at least from me--sadly I can't say the same for Abby.

Today we went for her 4 month check up and once again it was shot fest. I have to remind myself and Abby that all these shots are for her own good and not just to cause her pain. I know she doesn't understand, but it makes me feel better to tell her. I must say that we are lucky to get a good nurse to administer the shots...she is quick, accurate, sympathetic and knows where the shot goes (I speak from experience, she gave me my flu shot a few months ago and I will always ask for her--I vote to put her on our new friends list...guess I need to get her name!).

Our time with Dr. Moscovic went well--like always he took is time with us, asking about our holiday and how Abby has been doing. He took the time to pull up Abby's visit to urgent care and went over that with us, then let us ask as many questions as we wanted and replied in paragraphs rather than brief, snippy answers. He gave us options on how to treat a few issues and reasons behind his answers. Each time we visit him I am more and more pleased with our decision. Thanks Dr. Moscovic!!

So here is the 4 month doctor's report: She is up to 13 pounds 6.5 ounces (50%) 24.5 inches (50%) and head measures 41 cm (50%). Her height and weight have leveled out to average since her last visit and now she is your average girl. We don't mind that at this point!

To end this post, I give you some of her 3 month photos with Peanut on 12.20.09:

Happy 2010!!!

Happy New Year everyone! Here's to a year full of good time, good friends and good health!