She's found her toes!

Abby has finally found her toes! Now they pretty much go in her mouth every waking moment. It makes us laugh every time. She just looks so proud of herself...

Swim lessons

We started Abby in swim lessons at the YMCA today! She sure enjoyed her swimming in Cayman and since Rian and I love the water too, we decided it would be fun to turn her into a good swimmer. Here we are getting ready for her first lesson:



Right now, she's a "Shrimp/Kipper" (that's the 0-2 year old class)...how cute!

Abby's 1st Halloween

I couldn't decide what costume to choose so Abby got 2 for her 1st Halloween. I never knew it could be so much fun dressing her up in costumes! Rian had an away game and unfortunately didn't get home until after she was in bed so had to settle for pictures...

A Tootsie Roll (to represent her mother's candy addiction)


And, Princess Leia (to represent both her mother and father's love of Star Wars)


We think she is just the cutest little kiddo ever!

Big milestone day in Cayman

Yesterday was a BIG day...Abby got her first tooth! I knew it was coming since there has been a hard little ridge on her gumline for the past 2 weeks and she has really been chewing hard on everything in sight (even grunting as she chewed). I checked her gums in the morning and low and behold, there it was! It really surprised me when I felt that little tooth. I thought "great, she hasn't even been very bothered by it." Well, that changed very quickly. We had a very unsettled afternoon. She was so unhappy and wouldn't take a nap (literally screaming every time I tried to lay her down) but she was so tired. I finally got her to fall asleep about 3:30 but she only slept for 30 min. Grammie took her for a walk on the beach and she managed to make it through the rest of the day just fine. Went to bed about 6:30 and slept all night. So, she definitely wasn't feeling great once that tooth came through but seems to be just fine today. In the grand scheme of things, it could've been much worse so I can't complain. It was so sad to see since she has NEVER been that unhappy in her whole 6 months of life. Poor little sweetie.

It's funny because I was so excited about that tooth and then when I went to bed, I couldn't help but feel a little sad too. Gone is the helpless little baby that I would snuggle in my arms. She's growing and gaining her independence every day. This is exactly what I've heard from all of my friends who are mothers but you just can't understand until it's your child you are watching change right before your eyes. I will enjoy seeing her meet each and every milestone!

She's a swimming fool!

This morning, there was a local instructor teaching a water aerobics class in our pool. My mom did the class while Abby and I hung out and watched. The instructor also teaches swim lessons and after the class, wanted to get us in the water so she could show me a few things to do with Abby. Since we already know Abby likes the water, I was all for it. She had her kick her little legs, "fall" into my arms off the side of the pool and float on her tummy and back. AND, she went under water for the first time! Her eyes couldn't have been wider when she came up but she didn't cough at all so must have kept her mouth closed. Good! She didn't even cry! Later in the afternoon, I took her back in to work on those things and she went under 2 more times. Almost cried but we were able to sidetrack her with our "Yay Abby's" and laughs. I'm so glad she is enjoying the water so much. She starts swim lessons at the Y next week...

Yet another beautiful Cayman day...

Blue skies and sunshine today and since Rian had a game at noon, we hit the beach early. Abby got dressed up in her cute little ballerina swimsuit and off we went!


The water was nice and calm so we took Abby out to float. We spent about a half hour out there! Abby loves it! She didn't even seem to mind the taste of the saltwater as those little hands went in and out of her mouth...



We spent the afternoon inside watching Rian's game (thank goodness our CBS here is the Buffalo feed). What a game! Rian hit a 50 yd field goal with 4 seconds left to send it to overtime! But, we ended up losing...man, that was a tough one to get over...

After the game, we went back down to the beach and Grammie and Abby took a walk while I got to enjoy some "me" time reading my Kindle...ahhhhhh

Grammie arrives!

Abby and I picked Grammie up at the airport about noon today. She flew in on the red-eye through Atlanta so was a bit tired! We hung out in the condo while Abby and Grammie took a little nap and then hit the beach. Here is Abby enjoying her first dip in the warm Caribbean Sea...



Since there were a few waves starting to roll in, we decided to try out Abby's fancy new floatie in the pool...



She pretty much just hung out, quiet as a mouse, sucking on those little hands. As of now, this girl doesn't have too much to say!

We swam for about 30 minutes and decided it was time to get out. Here's my little boo all warm and snuggly with Grammie...

New adventures for Abby

It was a beautiful day today so after her morning nap, I put Abby in her little swimsuit, lubed her up with SPF 50 and we headed down to the beach. She seemed to really enjoy lounging in the sand!


I always love to take a picture of my feet in the sand when I go on vacation so I decided to take one of us together...what adorable little toes!



Next up...swimming! Abby's first time in the pool!



Her little lip started to poke out when I first dipped her in but once she got used to it, she didn't mind it at all. And, even seemed to really enjoy it! I carried her around and then floated her on her tummy and back. She kicked her little legs just a bit but mostly let them float behind her. I sure hope she's a little water baby, like her Mom!

I rented a baby jogger and it was delivered this afternoon so once the clouds started to come in in the late afternoon, we took a walk on the beach. Abby loves her walks at home and this was no different. She didn't make a peep and it was so cute watching her just take it all in.

Abby's 1st trip to Cayman

Abby and I arrived in Cayman this afternoon for 9 days of fun! We took off from Buffalo about 8:30am and she did very well on that flight. Flight #2, however, had a rough start. She didn't get a very long nap on the first flight so was overtired when we left Charlotte. She had a crying/screaming fit as we were pulling away from the gate that felt like it lasted an hour (really only about 10 minutes). She had her eyes closed the entire time so I just held and rocked her hoping she would give in to her exhaustion before the other passengers started rioting. Thankfully, she did once we took off and I was able to place her in her car seat. I just about ordered a glass of wine when the beverage cart came around! ha ha She woke up about an hour in, looked around for a few minutes and then fell back to sleep for the remaining hour. Poor little tired sweetie!

We landed about 1:30 Cayman time (CST right now) and made it quickly through customs. Our good friends were waiting to pick us up...what service! Abby had a bottle and a nice afternoon nap. We went down to the beach about 4:00 and I dipped her little toes into the Caribbean. She spent a good hour quiet as a mouse and taking it all in while I visited with friends. I can tell she already loves it here!

She got a bath and enjoyed her first Cayman sunset in her pjs:



Grammie arrives on Saturday and we can't wait!

Fall's here

Yesterday we took Abby to Yates Park to get some fresh air. It was a beautiful day and the Fall colors were out in full effect. She had on her Halloween shirt so we took a few photos of her in the leaves...

Magic helmet time!

Since her birth, we had noticed Abby preferred to look to the right but didn't think too much about it. We finally asked the doctor at her 4 month appt and found out she has torticollis. That's a shortening of the neck muscle on the left side, which pulls her ear to her left shoulder and causes her head to tilt. The doctor feels her positioning in utero prevented that muscle from developing correctly. So, the end of August we started physical therapy to stretch it out. After 6 wks, we have noticed a big difference! She still has a slight tilt but therapy will eventually correct that and she'll be good to go.

Because of this (and also my positioning of her in her crib), she slept almost exclusively on the right side of her head. And, developed a flat spot. So, we decided to start helmet therapy to round it out. We took her to Rochester last Tuesday and picked up her "magic helmet".


Here is her "before" picture:


Over 4 days we slowly increased her wear time and now she will wear it 23 hrs/day for the next 13 wks. She doesn't seem to mind it much but it does break my heart a little to see her in it. I know it's for the best and is just a small inconvenience in the grand scheme of things. We'll get her fixed right up in no time!

My little morning sunshine

Anyone who really knows me knows that I'm not much of a morning person. I like some time in the morning where I can wander around and find my "happy face." Well, I don't have to look to far anymore to find it! I usually awaken to Abby "talking" to herself in her crib somewhere between 7 and 7:30am. When I go in to get her, this is what I'm greeted with when I come into her nursery...


Abby LOVES mornings! It immediately puts a big smile on my face and starts the day off right.

Little leopard

Here's my sweet little Abby looking adorable in her leopard outfit...

Favorite pics of Sept

Here are just a few of my favorite pics from September. No special occasions or anything, just some I took here and there while hanging out at home...Love this little sweetie!

1st haircut...

Abby got her 1st haircut yesterday! I took her to my stylist, Lauren, for the big event. She was fresh off a nap and bottle and really enjoyed herself. Here is the "before" picture with her long bangs clipped to the side:


She had her little hands in her mouth pretty much the entire time. But, it did help her sit still!




We all laughed at how cute she looked. It was a fun day and I made sure to keep some hair in a little baggy for her baby book. Here's the "after". What a sweetie!

Uh oh, she's getting mobile!

This morning I set Abby down on her back and went into the kitchen to make tea. She got awful quiet and when I looked over at her, this is what I saw...

Before


After


After my initial shock, it really made me laugh. She really worked hard and fast to get so far in just a minute. I guess I'd better not take my eyes off her anymore!

Baptism Day!

Grammie and Papa arrived last week for their annual visit and we decided to have Abby baptized while they were here. Pastor Nate is really wonderful and agreed to do it on a Monday night (since Sundays are currently tied up with football games). Abby wore the same dress that my cousin wore in 1968 and my sister wore in 1973. My niece also wore it in 2001. I was baptized when I was 8 years old so didn't quite fit! Abby looked so adorable on her special day:



Our good friends were there to support us and share in the celebration. It was a small but very meaningful ceremony...so glad we did it!

My little bundle!

Grammie found this little snowsuit and thought it would be perfect for our winter walks. Oh my gosh, she looks too adorable in it!! Wonder if she will actually tolerate this once the weather gets cold...

Abby's favorite toys

Abby loves her play gym. I first bought this when we were in WA. We figured it was worth the $25 since she'd get to enjoy it for a whole month. Grandma Karla noticed right away that if you angled Abby's legs towards the supports, she would purposely kick one foot over the other to make the rattle toys shake and move. It was so cute! She'd sit in there and stare in the little mirror and do that for a good 30-45minutes. I did not pack it home to Buffalo and within a couple days I realized I just didn't have a toy that she enjoyed as much as that. So, I went and bought it again...(sucker Mom!) She still loves to play in it but now enjoys it while on her tummy:



Next up, the jumper! We still have to pack blankets around her since she's not quite strong enough to sit upright without falling side to side. She is really enjoying this! She loves to spin the little frog and her eyes light up when the music plays. It's also a great place to sit and watch "Baby Einstein." She really enjoys those videos and it gives mom about 20 minutes to either make dinner or get dishes done.


It's been so fun to watch her grow and develop her interests. I wonder what toys/activities will be next!

Big milestones!

Abby had her 4 month appt on August 30th and that was a big day! First, she rolled over from her back to her tummy!!! I, of course, missed it as I was in the closet getting dressed. When I came back into the bathroom, something seemed "off." Then, I realized, "Hey, I didn't leave her on her tummy!" It was very exciting! At her appt, she weighed in at 14lbs 3oz and measured 25 3/4" long. She's 93% in height so we may have a tall girl on our hands...

Later that day, Abby got her first taste of "real" food. We got her all set up on the counter in her bumbo chair and got the camcorder ready. It was so cute. She wasn't too sure what to think and pretty much just pushed it all out of her mouth with her tongue.



She only had rice cereal the first week and then we slowly have started adding in new things. Bananas was next and then pears. We'll continue trying new foods every few days. I'm following the guidelines to be sure if she has any reactions, we know what is causing it. She is learning quickly how to eat but really loves shoving her little hands in her mouth more than anything.


These milestones really felt big to me. Now that she is starting to eat food, it feels like she's getting to be a big girl! It seems like it was so long ago when she was born. Like everyone says, it does go by fast...

Little buddies

We took Abby over to visit Cooper today. It's so cute watching them interact. They just aren't quite sure what to think about each other. Usually Abby starts squealing and that makes Cooper cry. It's going to be so fun watching them grow up together!