The traveling baby...

We had a fun and busy month June/July! It was Abby's first trip "home" to WA. What a trooper she was during the 14 hr trip. She did great on the flights and we were so relieved once we got there. We started out visiting Rian's family in Vancouver, WA. Here is Abby with Grandma and rocking her 4th of July romper:



As I post this, I am realizing I don't have a single photo of Abby with Grandpa Dennis or any others from the Vancouver trip...oops! I always thought I took too many pictures. I guess now that Abby's here, I'd better step it up! She hit a big milestone while visiting Grandma Karla...she rolled over from her tummy to her back!! And, I was able to get it on film.

Next up on the trip, we drove to Ephrata, WA to visit my family. It was a 5 hr drive and we weren't sure how Abby would do. So, we set off at noon, not knowing how long it would take us. As we pulled into my parent's driveway at 5pm, Abby made her first peep. Yep, she slept the ENTIRE trip! It was like a mini-vacation for Mom and Dad...ha ha Here's Abby with Papa (whom she had just finally met!):



We spent the week at the lake and Abby got lots of snuggles from Grammie, Aunt Jennifer and cousin McCall...and, of course, Mommy and Daddy!



While in Ephrata, we went to Basin Summer Sounds, which is a really fun music festival. We spent all day downtown Saturday and Abby enjoyed lounging with Daddy in the grass and listening to the music.



Next up, Seattle. We decided to take Abby to Seattle to see our friends, who now live in Alaska, who were in town. I love this city! The weather was absolutely perfect and we enjoyed 3 days of walking around and enjoying this beautiful city. Abby got to see Pike Place Market:



Take her first trip (of many!) to the Seattle Aquarium:



And, Gasworks Park:



We had a wonderful side trip and it was great to see our friends. Abby and Kaden aren't quite sure what to think of each other just yet...



We dropped Rian off at the airport and went back to Ephrata for one more week. Here are a couple more of my favorite pictures from our time in WA:




Grammie came back to Buffalo with us for a week since Rian was at training camp. Once again, Abby did great on our LONG trip home!




It was so fun to see everyone but a VERY busy month! Looking forward to the day we get to move back to the beautiful Pacific NW...

Time is really flying by!

Abby is now 3 1/2 months old! Wow! The past 3 1/2 months is pretty much a blur. Not quite as much of a blur as the first month or so (where I was getting VERY little sleep and pretty much existing on what little reserves I had). She is bringing so much joy to our lives! We've been blessed with a very happy and healthy little angel. She's a great sleeper and has been since birth. At one month, she was only getting up once during the night (around 3-3:30a). By 2 months, she'd sleep 9:30p-5:30a, get up and eat and then go back to sleep until 9-9:30a. Now, she goes to bed about 8:00p and wakes up anywhere from 6:30-8:00a. I am actually starting to feel like a well rested human being again. I don't think I've gotten this much sleep since before I got pregnant!

Here are some cute pics from the past 3 1/2 months:

Abby hates her socks as much as I do. Her little feet are always clammy and it makes me laugh because I have always had "hot" feet (and would prefer to wear flip flops all year if I could). I had her bundled up in her car seat while I was showering and she fell asleep. I went into my closet to get dressed and when I got back, this is what I found:



Her little socks were nicely laid out in front of her car seat and she was still fast asleep! The blanket was still perfectly in place. Not sure how she snuck those off!

Abby loved snuggling and playing with her cousin McCall when they came to visit in June. McCall kept her very entertained with puppet shows and storytime. Abby's eyes would just light up when McCall was around!




Here is Abby's first trip to Niagara Falls...she wasn't very impressed!



She started smiling about 7wks and here was the first big one I caught on camera...



Rian's first Father's Day was extra special this year because our good friends also had their first baby just 2 weeks before Abby. Rian and Brian got together with the kids and showed off their "colors"



I bought this hat for Rian for Father's Day because of an SNL skit we love with Will Ferrell. Rian is now "#1 Dad"...



Am I the only mom out there that loves to look at their little one in the video monitor? It cracks me up when she hasn't quite put herself to sleep yet at night and just stares into the monitor. I wonder how long it will be before she knows I'm at the other end?



Here's one of my favorite pics of Abby during a bath. On our trip to WA last month, she got used to just lying in the actual tub so she no longer uses the chair. She loves kicking her her feet and splashing around...looks like she will be a water baby just like her mommy!



Abby is up from her nap so I guess my blog updating is over. I will return when I can to post some pics from our trip to WA to visit friends and family last month!

Maternity pics are here!

My maternity pics are finally ready! I can't believe how big my belly is! And, how much more comfortable I am now that Abby is here... :-)

These were taken at 37 wks, 8 days before Abby decided to make her arrival. I love how they turned out and am so glad I have beautiful artwork to remember that very special time...

Memories to cherish forever...

I'd better backtrack a little and post some of my favorite photos from the past 3 weeks. Grammie and Grandma flew in the morning after she was born and Grandma Karla stayed 5 days and Grammie stayed 2 weeks. It was really great having them both here! I wasn't too sure about having all the company at the same time but I wouldn't change it for the world. Every day, we spent several hours in the nursery visiting and staring at Abby. I'm not sure if I will ever get that much quality time with either of them again now that we'll have a little distraction from here on out...ha ha

Here are some pics from our time in the hospital...

Abby meets Grammie for the first time!


Abby meets Grandma for the first time!


Daddy's first diaper change:


Daddy loves his little girl!


When we brought Abby home, the dogs were VERY curious! Moses really wanted to get in there and give her a good sniff. Samson gave her a quick sniff but that was about it. Moses still loves to see what she's up to when he's around but Samson will just lie quietly nearby. Charlie the cat has been a dream and he pretty much just minds his own business. I was worried about him as he's very territorial but he loves to hang out with us whenever we are upstairs in the nursery. Thankfully, he's not tried once to jump in the crib.

Going home!


Moses meets Abby:


Samson meets Abby:



On Friday, April 30, Abby got to meet her future boyfriend, Cooper. She was happy with her full tummy and didn't even open her eyes. I guess they'll have to hang out again when she's actually awake!



We gave Abby her first bath on May 1st. She loved getting her hair washed (just like her Mommy & Daddy!)




Abby had her first visit to the Pediatrician on Mon, May 3rd. She weighed 6lbs 2oz (left the hospital at 6lbs 3oz). The doctor felt she probably dipped down into the high 5's after going home and was now on her way up since my milk was finally in and she was eating well. We brought her in on Fri, May 7th and she weighed 6lb 8oz so was finally growing!




My first Mother's Day was a special day! My mom made a nice breakfast and we even had a bottle of champagne in the fridge (from I don't know when! ha ha) so we each had a mimosa...yum!





We've made a lot of great memories to cherish forever and are looking forward to many more!

Where has the time gone??

Wow! My little angel is 3 wks old already! Where did the time go? The past 3 wks have flown by but have been so wonderful. Abby is growing so fast. She's a really good baby and sleeps 4-5 hrs at night (and has been since she was about a week old). I do cheat though because I breastfeed her during the day and at night she gets a bottle of pumped milk at about 10pm and then another one about 2-2:30a. She sleeps so well with a full tummy! Rian has been doing the 10pm bottle so I can get to sleep earlier and that has been such a big help. We really make a good team!

We've had all sorts of adventures over the past 3 weeks. Abby is a really good "errand buddy" as long as we do our errands after a feeding. I so enjoy having a little companion. She had her first trip to the salon last week when I got my haircut. Haven't been to the nail salon with Mommy yet but that will probably be soon as the mani/pedi I got the day she was born is starting to look a little ragged!

Last Friday, she had her newborn photos. She had a bottle as soon as we got there and then she was awake and happy the entire shoot! So, I didn't get the "sleeping newborn" photos I had hoped for but the ones I got were even better. There are almost too many to choose from! Here are some of my favorites:
















As you can see, I have quite a few that I like! And, I have to choose if I want color or black and white...decisions, decisions! The one of her and Rian is my absolute favorite so that will definitely be making the cut. There's just something extra special about a Daddy and his daughter...makes my heart melt to see them together. Rian has really embraced his role and Daddy and she loves her Daddy time. He was alone with her two different days while my mom and I ran errands for a couple of hours. She wasn't alone with me until she was 2 wks old! Like I said, we make a really good team and this little girl will have a wonderful life...

Welcome to the world!

Our little miracle is here! Abigail Rebecca Lindell was born Tues, April 27th at 10:38pm. She weighed 6lbs 9oz and was 19" long.





The day I went into labor, I must have had my real "nesting" going on. Went and got a mani/pedi and then stopped by the hair salon to pick up a little travel hairspray for my hospital bag. I had a guy coming at 2pm to put up the chandelier I had bought for the nursery. He finished at 3:15 and I still had things to do! I learned how to size the carseat, work my breast pump and baby monitor and then I re-packed my hospital bag. About 4:30, I decided to lie down and watch "Nurse Jackie." Went downstairs first to grab a snack and when I bent down to pick up a sleeve of saltines that I had dropped, Pop! My water broke! I was excited and nervous all at once! I opened the door to the basement to yell at Rian (he was downstairs playing Fifa soccer with his friends online on the XBox.

"Uh, Rian?" "Yeah?" "My water just broke." "You're kidding!" is how the conversation went. "Nope, you'd probably better come upstairs so we can get ready to go." Contractions hadn't really started yet so I went upstairs to get the few last minute items packed. I called the doctor's answering service as well as my doula. Rian came upstairs and his eyes were so big it looked like he'd seen a ghost! He threw some stuff in the bag and was ready to go. I took my time because I didn't want to forget anything. We called our mom's so they could try to get on flights right away to come visit. My mom was scheduled on a flight out on May 1st but Abby decided to come 2 weeks early! As we were driving down our street, I remembered that the next morning the sprinkler people were coming to start up our system and I needed to turn on the water so he could do it without us being home. So, I made Rian turn around and go back. He looked at me like I was crazy but since my contractions weren't very strong just yet, we turned around. ha ha I'm a detail person!

Once we got to the hospital, the contractions were more regular but still just felt like strong menstrual cramps. They were about 5 minutes apart. In the lobby of the hospital, there were a bunch of people waiting for the elevator. I was laughing in my mind thinking, "I'm getting on the next elevator even if I have to push people down!" ha ha We got settled in our room and the doctor came to check me. I was 3cm and 90% effaced. This was about 6pm. Contractions were regular but still just felt like strong menstrual cramps. The doctor said I could have the epidural anytime but he'd like to check me in an hr to be sure I'm progressing. I decided to hang out on the birth ball and see how things went. My doula wasn't there yet as she had a childbirth class from 6:30-7:30 that she wanted to teach so said she'd be at the hospital about 8:00pm. I sat on the birthing ball for an hr and Rian and I just visited and watched tv. We enjoyed the fact that it was a Tuesday so TBS had hours of Seinfeld and "The Office." Two of our favorite shows!

The doctor came and checked me again at 7:30. I was 5 cm. He said the labor would probably start to pick up so be sure to let them know when I was ready for my epidural. About 2 minutes after he walked out the door, my contractions started to get really painful. They were coming every 3 minutes and lasting 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. They were one on top of another! I told the nurse I was ready and she called the anesthesiologist. I was in quite a bit of pain now. It took about 45 minutes for him to get set up and get the epidural in. My doula showed up when I was sitting on the bed waiting. It was perfect timing to have her there because now I needed the support. They asked Rian to leave the room so my doula and the labor nurse were there with me. I was in so much pain and every contraction caused me to shake violently. My nurse said I was probably at 7 cm by now because I was having what's called "transition shakes." I could hardly answer the doctor's questions and was thinking "just put the dumb thing in!" ha ha At this point, I couldn't care less about the risks! It was 8:30 when the epidural was in and had started working. That was the best relief I've ever felt! I was physically exhausted by this point and felt like I could just fall asleep.

The nurse checked me at 9:30 and I was complete! Wow! Honestly, I was a little disappointed because I wanted to get some sleep...ha ha But, hearing those words got me very excited. We were so close! The doctor came in and checked me as well. Said the baby was still high and since I was so numb (I didn't feel any urge to push), that I could just hang out for 30-45 minutes and she would come down further with each contraction on her own. That way, I wouldn't have to push for so long. At 10:20, he came back and we started pushing. Got the bed all set up and brought a mirror in so I could watch. I really wanted to watch her come out. I only had to push for 20 minutes. That was hard work! I loved watching her come out and it was helpful too because I was so numb that I still didn't have the urge to push. Rian was a trooper holding one of my legs but did need to sit down at one point. Afterwards, he told me "I got a little too curious." ha ha But, he was back up and ready to cut the cord when she came out. He did get to see her come out but it was from a chair next to me. Whatever keeps him from passing out on the floor! Once she was laid on my belly, I sobbed. It was such a relief that she was finally here and healthy.

After 7 years of hoping and praying for a baby, we finally have our little miracle. She's perfect and I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful labor experience...Welcome to the world little Abigail, we have so much to show you!