heidbrink happenings

I Love his little cheesy smile

2011-12-29T19:40:00.001-06:00

It's a bad quality picture but i love connor's little smile and coo's. He's definitely more of a snuggler than Abigail

The 3 months of sickness...and counting

2011-12-24T20:35:00.001-06:00

Things have been crazy in our household since the week before Connor was born. Abigail had a stomach virus that week. I got it the weekend I went into labor. Tommy had it our first night home. Then Abigail got a cold. Connor got hand, foot, mouth disease at 3 weeks old. Then both of them got colds & pink eye and Connor got an ear infection (which he still has)). Abigail started having bladder issues and we thought she may have kidney problems. Luckily she is fine and probably just holds her urine in. Then Connor got bronchiolitis. Then Abigail got some viral condition that made her break out in hives.
So, needless to say, tommy and I are exhausted...and the doctors kids will be getting VERY nice gifts for christmas from all the money he's made from our weekly appointments the last 3 months.
Luckily Abigail seems to be doing fine. Connor still has an ear infection. He's had 2 rounds of amoxicillin, 1 rocephin shot, and is now on another oral antibiotic. He also still seems to have a little wheezing from the bronchiolities , hopefully that will go away soon. I'm ready to have a healthy house!

A few pictures of the little ones

2011-12-23T11:48:00.000-06:00

Getting bigger!

They are both growing up so fast. Abigail seems to be learning something new everyday. And Connor is over 16lbs now. I have so much to be thankful for this Christmas.

Abigail's french

2011-12-11T09:55:00.001-06:00

Check out how she says "c'est Bon"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_Y3oAt51Sk&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Stacey Heidbrink

19 months

2011-11-29T19:39:00.001-06:00

My little Abigail is growing up so quickly. She amazes us everyday with the things she learns.

She says 100s of words and repeat just about anything you say. We're trying to teach her a few French words too. She can string words together in sentences.

She's been singing alot of nursery rhymes lately too. Itzy bitty spider, i'm bringing home a baby bumblebee, Patty cake, rock-a-bye baby.

She can almost count to 10. She usually leaves out the number 4 for some reason.

She's quickly picking up her ABCs. She says most of them but will leave out a few here and there.

She's also really started to pretend play. She plays with her stuffed animals and baby dolls all the time. The other day I caught her teaching one of the dolls patty-cake. It was so precious.

She's VERY independent. I think the terrible 2s have started early. She's quick to tell you "Imma do it". And that she's in charge. She give us a run for our money. But timeouts seem to be working lately. She's gradually beginning to understand that she has to listen to us all the time.

She's growing up into such a big girl now. I look at her and then look at Connor and miss my little baby girl.

Big boy!

2011-11-13T05:15:00.001-06:00

Connor is getting so big. Here he is Saturday with his LSU jersey. According to our scale, he is 14.8 lbs!!! He's going to be bigger than Abigail in no time.

Family pictures 2011

2011-11-13T05:12:00.001-06:00

I have so much to update on this blog but I don't start somewhere I never get this updated.
We took family pictures last week and the photographer sent me a sneak peek. I couldn't be happier with them. They came out great! I can't wait to see the rest of them.

Baking time!

2011-10-22T15:04:00.001-05:00

Or should I say taste testing time.

Double trouble!

2011-10-20T20:54:00.001-05:00

I love these two kiddos so much!

It's a boy!

2011-10-06T07:35:00.001-05:00

Born sept 25 at 8:11 am. 9 lbs, 9 oz!! BIG boy! 21 inches long.

16 months...almost 17

2011-10-02T05:39:00.001-05:00

> This was written a few weeks ago. Alot has occurred since. Stay tuned for a pregnancy update.
>
> I've been horrible at updating the blog lately. But life has been CRAZY lately. I'm very busy at work trying to get everything done before I leave on maternity leave. And being 39 weeks pregnant has slowed me down quite a bit. This pregnancy has been a little different than the first. I'm having lots of back pain, alot more swelling, and just more exhausted than I was with Abigail. I blame that on having to chase after a 16 month old and being able to just come home and lay on the couch.
>
> But anyway, on to the update on the "big girl". She has developed so much over the last few months.
> <image.jpeg>
>
> She's saying most 1 and 2 syllable words. Some come out a little different (like baffle for waffle). But her speech has progressed so much. She's such a parrot lately and tries to say everything we say.
>
> She started feeding herself with a spoon a few weeks ago. She does it every day at daycare but she seems to get aggravated at home when food drops off her spoon and then she gives up. I need to find out what type of spoons they use at daycare.
>
> Her sleeping habits have been HORRIBLE. When Tommy is home she's up at least twice a night and expects to be rocked back to sleep. For some reason when he's working she sleeps fine. I think she knows that daddy will take her out of her crib and rock her. We have to put a stop to that very soon!
>
> She got tubes put in her ears last week. I was hoping to avoid that whole thing but she kept getting ear infections that wouldn't go away.
> <image.jpeg>
>
> She has actually poo'd in the toilet three times. We're not potty training. But we do have a little potty in our bath room that she sits on every morning (with a diaper on) just to get used to the concept. The other day she said she needed to poo poo so Tommy hurried and brought her to the potty and she actually went in the potty. We were so proud of her. It's very early to start potty training so we're just going to let her decide when she wants to go at this point. We'll probably really start trying once she turns 2.
>
> She is such an amazing little girl and I dont know what we ever did without her. She's learning new things every day and we look forward to watching her grow up into an amazing young lady.
>
>

16 months...almost 17

2011-10-02T05:37:00.001-05:00

This was written a few weeks ago. Alot has occurred since. Stay tuned for a pregnancy update.

I've been horrible at updating the blog lately. But life has been CRAZY lately. I'm very busy at work trying to get everything done before I leave on maternity leave. And being 39 weeks pregnant has slowed me down quite a bit. This pregnancy has been a little different than the first. I'm having lots of back pain, alot more swelling, and just more exhausted than I was with Abigail. I blame that on having to chase after a 16 month old and being able to just come home and lay on the couch.

But anyway, on to the update on the "big girl". She has developed so much over the last few months.

Geaux tigers!

2011-09-03T18:18:00.001-05:00

We are so excited that football season is finally here! Abigail is ready to cheer on the tigers (although she'll only be awake for the first 30 minutes of the game).

I love you!

2011-07-24T11:10:00.000-05:00

Abigail has been saying lots of new words lately. This is by far my favorite of them all!

There's a first time for everything!

2011-07-21T19:59:00.001-05:00

This isn't one of the 'firsts' that I wanted Abigail to experience so early on life. But, nonetheless, she broke her wrist while at daycare last Friday. So she'll be in a full cast for another 3 weeks.

They told us to keep the cast dry and clean. Haha...with a 14 month old?!? But she is doing great. She really hadn't seemed bothered by it at all. She had a splint and wrap on until we saw the orthopedic today and she hardly messed with that either. And she doesn't seem to be in any pain. She's certainly tough. I think I've cried more than she has.

We were planning a trip to the beach in august. But it looks like we'll probably have to cancel since she won't be able to do anything in the water. Oh well, at least its her left arm and right handed. And hopefully the cast will be off before the baby comes. We'll be praying for a quick recovery!

Visiting daddy at the fire station

2011-07-02T17:03:00.000-05:00

We went to have lunch with Tommy at the firestation and Abigail had to jump in the truck as soon as she finished eating.

By the smile in her face, I think she was enjoying herself.

Pool time fun!

2011-06-25T13:54:00.000-05:00

Abigail had a blast diving head first into her kiddie pool this afternoon.

The little one

2011-06-23T20:17:00.001-05:00

Now that I've finally caught up on a few posts about Abigail's birthday and our vacation I need to update on the pregnancy and our second baby! This pregnancy has been pretty easy just like my first. Granted, I am way more exhausted at the end of the day but I think running after a toddler has alot to do with it. I'm 27 weeks now and things are going smoothly. As for weight gain, I've gained the exact same amount so far for this pregnancy as I did for Abigail at this point. My symptoms have been the same for the most part. I did have a day or two of vomitting the first trimester but it wasn't too bad. This baby has been a whole lot quieter than Abigail though. I feel some movements throughout the day but not nearly as much as I did for Abigail. And we went for the ultrasound a couple of months ago the baby was curled up like he/she fell in a toilet. It looked pretty painful. He/She had its feet by its head. The ultrasound tech just kept laughing. So, needless to say, we aren't finding out the sex of the baby. Tommy wants to keep it a surprise. I really really want to know but I think it will be fun the day of to surprise everyone.

I remember being so exacted with Abigail that i would deliver before the heat of the summer. Well it came back to bite me. I'm due September 19th so I will HUGE and uncomfortable during the hottest months of the year! And mom planned a family vacation to the beach in august. So I will be a whale laying on the beach by that point. But it will be nice to get away and spend some time with my parents.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

San Antonio

2011-06-20T17:00:00.000-05:00

We took a little family vacation to San Antonio a few weeks ago. We had a great time and enjoyed the get-away. I've been working like crazy lately so it was a much needed vacation for me.
Are we there yet?!?

Abigail did very well on the 6 hour ride there and back. She was a little fussy until we got to the Texas state line but then she napped most of the way there. We stopped at a Buckie's in Luling, TX and we could have just gone there for vactation and she would have been happy. She had so much fun in that convinence store. Its really just a HUGE gas station but they had a gift shop and Tommy was excited about the thousands of drink flavors they had. It really was an experience.

Being silly in the hotel room!
The first night there we just walked around the riverwalk and relaxed. The next morning we headed to SeaWorld! We had a two day pass so we were able to enjoy the park and the waterpark.

Wake up San Antonio! - 6:30 AM

Riding the carousel in the Bay of Play. She had so much on that carousel. She was waving and blowing kisses and clapping! So adorable.

Picture with Cookie Monster. I thought she may be scared but she was fearless. She gave him high five and was actually holding his hand in this picture

Waiting to ride the carousel again. So excited

Yea!!

Giving high fives to Bert and Ernie! Again, she was fearless. She walked right up to them and gave them kisses.

More high fives

Watching a 4D Seseame Street movie. Her glasses didn't last long!

Feeding the ducks!

Waiting for the Shamu show. She wanted to run around and play not sit and wait. But as soon as Shamu came out she calmed down.

I'm not sure what was more interesting...the girls hair or the whale.

In the Sesame Street portion of SeaWorld there was a little water park from toddlers. It was perfect for Abigail. They had little fountains and LOTS of sprinklers. She had a blast!

And lots of valve handles to turn. She had to go to each one and turn it.

"Follow me daddy! I'll show you. "

Running through the sprinklers with daddy! You can tell by the smile on her face that she was having a blast!

Almost nap time

Later that afternoon we went to Hemisfair park near the riverwalk. There was a cool little play ground that Abigail (and daddy) loved exploring.

That night we went to the Rainforest Cafe on the riverwalk. The food was actually better than I expected. We were going more for the experience but their burgers are pretty excellent.

This is probably my favorite picture from the entire trip. She was being a little ham and loving on daddy the whole night. She kept leaning over and giving him kisses. Such a little Daddy's girl!
The next day we went back to SeaWorld and Abigail got to feed the dolphins. She was pretty interested in them and liked THROWING the fish at them rather than in their mouths.
This is the best picture I was able to get. They all came out blurry for some reason. Watching all the fish and sharks swim around.

"Come see Mr. Fishy Fishy"

Riding the carousel with Daddy this time.

Then she had to ride one last time with mommy.
Our last day there we went to the zoo. It was HOT! There was very little breeze so went through the zoo quickly and then went back to the hotel to take a nap.

"Come see Mr. Chicken"

Waving bye-bye to the elephants.

That afternoon we headed to the Alamo and did a little sight seeing then relaxed the rest of the night and walked around the rivercenter mall. We had a great vacation and will definately have to go back once the kids are older so we can visit Schliterbahn!

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T12:26:00.000-05:00

Happy Father's Day to best Daddy in the world!
Love, the luckiest little girl in the world

Eskimo Kisses (link to video)

1st birthday cake eating videos!

2011-06-18T17:08:00.002-05:00

Abigail chowing down on her cake! She wanted to make sure she got every bite!

http://youtu.be/aK4Huym86Qs

She was so proud of herself and her mess!
http://youtu.be/C8smqn1qo_U

1st birthday party!!

2011-06-17T17:17:00.001-05:00

Warning: Picture overload!!

I have so much to update on but first and foremost I need to post about Abigail's first birthday party!!

I decided to go with "You are My Sunshine" as the theme. I love singing this song to Abigail and apparently (according to my mom) my grandma used to sing this to me alot when I was a baby.

So I combined that with the fun and bright colors of pink, green, orange, and yellow to create her party. I go the invites from nelladesign on etsy. They came out perfect! I took forever to get just the right picture of here smiling for the invites. But I finally captured it one day while we were outside playing with Cajun.

I got her outfit from Too Too Cute Tutus (I found them on facebook). I was planning to make the tutu myself but things got crazy at work and, well, life happened so I just buckled down and let them make that along with the shirt. The shirt has a bright orange sun with a lime green "1" and her name is written in hot pink underneath the sun. She was a little unsure of the tutu at first but she managed to keep it on until cake time!

Abigail and her cousin Caleb. I think she's wondering why he's acting so goofy.

Her new wheels from Parrain and Aunt Lacie.

Enjoying the day! I can't beleive its already been a year. It has gone by WAY too fast.

The "sweets" table. You'll see a close up picture of her cake a little farther down. We decided to do cupcakes rather than a large cake for everyone else. It was so much easier. We just iced them in the different colors for the party and I stuck a cupcake topper in them and it was done. I'm disappointed I didn't take a picture of the cupcake toppers that took me weeks to make. They had a sun on both sides and one side said Abigail and the other side said either "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine" or "You make me happy, when skies are grey". They came out really cute.

The birthday banner that I made from scrapbook paper. This was super easy and really quick to make. I saved it so I can use it for future birthdays too.

Daddy's little girl!

Lunch time...hot dogs and cheese puffs! Yummy. We decided to stay simple on the food. We just had hot dogs, chili, and various chips. Again, super easy!

The youngest of the kids at the party. Little Eli slept throught most of the excitement. It sure missed out on alot of fun.

Abigail's great grandparents and grandpa. She's very lucky to have 1 great great grandma, 3 great grandmas, and 1 great grandpa still alive.

Most of the boys. We only have one neice and a few friends with girls so Abigail is surrounded by boys all of the time.

Playing with granny on her new swing set from mom and dad.

Too cute, riding the "tractor" with Austin. Its really just a riding lawn mower but all of the little boys kept calling it a "trak-or".

The cake before she devoured it!

"Yummy, this is really good"

Haha, I love this face. She had a blast eating all of that sugar.

"Oh, yall want a bite"

"Here mommy, it's delicious"

This is my favorite picture. She was really tearing into that thing. She had both hands full of cake and icing.

She even had time to share with Cajun.

She wanted to give Cajun more but he was already full from licking up everything she threw on the ground.

The final masterpiece.

After taking a bath and turning the water orange we decided to open gifts.

She kept escaping so we put her in the wagon to keep her confined.

She loves her Granny and Pawpaw.

Having a serious talk about how she can not grow up too fast. She needs to stay little forever.

My sweet little princess.

1 of her great grandma's (my dad's mom) having a blast.

The ever growing Heidbrink crew.

Abigail and Parrain.

Abigail and Nanny

I think everyone had a blast. All of the kids left exhausted and I'm sure took really good naps once they left. Abigail passed out as soon as we brought her inside. Thanks to everyone that came out and made her day so special!

Sneak peak of our trip to San Antonio

2011-06-17T08:59:00.000-05:00

2011-06-17T08:40:00.001-05:00

Test post. Apparently blogger has a new way to post on blogs through text message. Just trying to see if this works.

Abigail is going to be a big sister!!!

2011-05-11T19:39:00.004-05:00

Tommy's excitement/shock!

My excitement/shock!!

Abigail's big sister shirt!

Abigail's excitement!

We've been knowing for a quite a while. These pictures were taken the afternoon I took the test so Abigail is much younger. I'm actually already 22 weeks. I took a test (ok, 3 tests) in early January and they were all positive. Tommy was working that night so Abigail and I enjoyed the secret for one night. The next morning when Tommy came home I told him Santa left him another present and I handed him a gift bag with the 3 tests in it. He was shocked/happy/surprised/overwhelmed/etc. We decided a few months ago to just let things take their course and see what happened. Well it happened...quicker then we thought it would.

We are so thrilled! My due date is September 19th. I'm excited and scared to have 2 under 2. Abigail will be 16 months old in September. Its going to fun to have them so close in age. Hopefully they will be close friends. Tommy doesn't want to know the gender so we're not going to find out :-/ I really want to know. I love to plan things and if I don't know if its a boy or a girl it will be hard for me to plan the nursery, the clothes, etc. But it will be fun and exciting to find out that day!

Here's to great and healthy 9 months (well only 4 months left!)

I have lots to post on Abigail's big birthday and turning a year old! I have lots of exciting things to share. I really need to start using this blog more often to keep track of our lives so we can look back on all of the great times.

11 months & walking!

2011-04-10T20:22:00.003-05:00

"Oh my gosh...How old am I???"

" humm, are you sure the bear is not that old?" "Yippy...I'm a big girl!"

Yes, she most certainly is a big girl! Ladies and gentleman we have a WALKER! She is all over the house now. She started out with about 4 steps 2 weeks ago and now she walks 90% of the time. Check out the video below.

http://youtu.be/bOgEKS5LL4o

Her 11 month stats are pretty much the same as last month except the walking and a little more talking. She's pronoucing different letters now other than m, b, and d. She also understands directions very well. She's doing very well and we are so pround of her!

10 Months...a little late

2011-03-30T14:20:00.006-05:00

It's so hard to believe my baby girl is already 10 months old (actually almost 11 months). When she was born it felt like her first birthday was an eternity away and now it's only 6 weeks away! She's growing up WAY too fast!

She weights about 21 lbs now according to our home scale. She's wearing size 9 month and 12 month diapers and size 3 diapers. We will be moving her to size 4 after this box is done.

She still only has 2 teeth. But that doesn't stop her from eating whatever she wants. Anything we eat, she wants to eat.

She's "talking" all of the time now. She says dada most of the time. She has said mama a few times. And she says ca-ca (for Cajun), Uh oh, and other gibberish. And she says "Mmmmm" after she takes a bite of something she likes. It's so cute.

She plays patty cake, waves bye bye, and blows kisses. She's learning new things everyday. I hoping she starts picking up on some the sign language we have been trying to teach her.

She loves her dog, Cajun, and being outdoors. I think she would sleep outside with him if we would let her. He always licks her in the face and she just giggles and giggles.

She loves drinking her bath water, which is gross. But it keeps her from standing in the tub so I let her do it.

She loves helping us load the dishwasher and load or unload the dryer. She's such a big helper.

She has been starting to do some not-so-nice things lately too. When she's tired of eating she will slap the spoon out of our hands and it slings food across the floor. And lately she's hasn't been wanting to sleep in her crib. She's sleep there for a few hours and then wake up screaming until we take her out of her bed and put her sleeping with us. We are stopping that SOON. I think we're going to try the cry-it-out method this weekend. Hopefully she catched on quickly.

I could go on and on about her. She is so much fun and brings a smile to everyone's face. We can't go down one aisle at the grocery store without someone stopping to smile at her. She's such a doll and we love her so much!

9 month Dr appt

2011-02-17T20:22:00.002-06:00

Abigail had her 9 month appt last Friday. The doctor said she was growing well and he had no issues! I'm so thankful we have such a healthy little girl. I find that I blame myself alot when she is sick with a little cold but I need to realize that we are very blessed to have such a healthy and happy baby. Anyway here are her stats:
20 lbs 9 oz (75%)
55% in height
55% in head circumference

She's definately a growing girl!

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T06:00:00.001-06:00

Story Time

2011-02-12T18:33:00.000-06:00

Abigail loves to flip the pages of books, magazines, etc. So when we try to read to her she's too busy trying to flip the pages rather than listening to the story or looking at the pictures. The other night I put her in the rocker in her room and let her "play" with a book. It looked like she was a little toddler reading to herself. She's growing up WAY too fast!

GEAUX TIGERS!

2011-02-09T06:22:00.001-06:00

Last month the Tigers won their bowl game! I'm just now getting around to posting the pictures of Abigail in her LSU cheerleading outfit. We are patiently waiting for baseball season to start now (sorry, we're not big basketball fans).

Happy Wednesday y'all!

9 months

2011-02-06T18:25:00.000-06:00

Miss Attitude

She's got her second tooth this month.

She can pull up into a standing position on her own and has begun cruising along the furniture.

She's saying mama, baba, dada, and a few other gibberish. She also likes to say Bob alot...we're not sure who Bob is but she must like him!

She's in size 9 month, and some 12 month clothes and size 4 shoe.

She's still wearing size 3 diapers.

She still LOVES bath time. And she likes to stand in the bath tub and hold onto the faucet. I fuss at her every time and she just laughs and stands up again.

She dances to the Mickey Mouse clubhouse song now.

She's still eating well. She doesn't really care for the Gerber 3rd foods. I don't blame her, they look pretty gross too. So she's still eating the 2nd foods and some of our cooked food. She loves feeding herself.

She's starting to understand direction. If we ask her to throw us a ball. She will pick it up and throw it towards us. She's going to be one smart little girl!

Creating daddy's christmas present

2011-01-16T18:32:00.001-06:00

PIcture Catch-up (6 months-now) - pic with santa, etc.

2011-01-14T12:49:00.012-06:00

I have neglected the blog the last 2 months and have only posted some of the major events but I don't want to forget alot of the little things that happened along the way.

Right after we got back from Seattle we had some professional pictures taken. I wasn't extremely impressed with what we got. But atleast it was something. I plan to have more taken for Abigial's first birthday and I need to start looking for a good photographer now. Here are a few of my favorites from her 6 month/family photo shoot.

A few weeks before christmas we headed out to a local light show to let Abigail see all of the Christmas lights. My parents met us there and we had a great time. We enjoyed hot chocoloate and Abigail even got to take her first picture with Santa. It was really cold outside that day so we bundle her up really well.

Here are few Christmas pictures of her in front of our tree. She moves so fast now and it's hard to get a good shot of her.

That lollipop was yummy

8 months

2011-01-08T07:15:00.007-06:00

Abigail turned 8 months old on Wednesday. She has developed so much in the last month.

She's so much fun and usually always in a good mood.

She's always so curious and wants to see and do everything you do.

She's got her first tooth this month.
She can get into a sitting position on her own.
She started crawling this month.
She can pull up to a standing position.
She's saying mama, baba, dada, and a few other gibberish.
She has started to eat some normal table food (breads, waffles, etc)
She experienced her first Christmas.
She has been hissing alot lately.
She says "huh" after almost EVERYTHING we say to her.
She's in size 6-9, 9 month, and some 12 month clothes
And she's still wearing size 3 diapers.
She had her first round of RSV (and hopefully last!)
She has become so independant and wants to do alot of things on her own.

And my favorite new trick...she can give kisses on command, which Tommy and I love. She's such a sweet girl.

I put a 50 cent punch ballon in her stocking this Christmas and I think thats the toy she plays with the most. She loves watching us punch it and then she tries to grab the rubberband and do it herself.

Pre-Christmas Festivities - Helping wrap presents

2010-12-31T08:20:00.004-06:00

I'm trying to catch up on all of my pictures from before Christmas. Here are a few of Abigail helping me wrap Christmas gifts. I guess this will be the first and last Christmas that I can buy and wrap her gifts with her right in front of me.

She looks like she was caught doing something wrong in this next picture.

Sickness & a tooth!

2010-12-31T08:02:00.003-06:00

Abigail tested positive for RSV on Tuesday. She started coughing and having a runny nose on Christmas Eve. And sometimes when she ate she would gag on the mucus in her throat and throw up. So I figured something was wrong. We gave her breathing treatments but it didn't seem to be getting better. So Tuesday morning we went to doctor and my suspisions were confirmed. She has RSV and an ear infection. She's on steriods, antibiotics, cough medicine, and breathing treatments. She's already doing MUCH better!

And on top of being cranky becasue of the sickness, she's also cutting her first tooth. It hasn't seemed to bother her too much. But at times she searches for everything that she can fit into her mouth to chew on. So these last few days have been interesting. Hopefully this is the first and last time we see RSV in our home!

We won't be doing much to celebrate New Years Eve tonight since Abigail is sick and its supposed to rain ALL night long. Hope everyone has a wonderful New Years.

Christmas

2010-12-27T11:01:00.009-06:00

We had a great christmas and enjoyed speding time with family. Abigail had a great first christmas and she was all smiles and giggles the entire weekend. Thursday we had to bake cookies for "Santa".

She really wanted to eat them!

Christmas Eve we went to my parents house, ate lots of food, and exchanged gifts. I got two Vera Bradley bags!! One of them is the Get carried away tote which is HUGE! Tommy calls it our spare bedroom because it is so huge. So we stuffed our faces there and enjoyed the company.

Nanny & Abigail

She was so excited to open gifts!

Then Christmas morning we exchanged gifts as a family. Of course we had to let Abigail open her gifts first. She was in such a good mood and really enjoyed all of the colorful toys. We bought her a lifetime hunting and fishing license because I couldn't think of much that a 7 month old would really want. So she got that a few little things (books, movies, balls, etc.). This picture tells it all. She was so excited!

Christmas morning in her red dress!

Tommy had to go to work Christmas morning so after he left Abigail and I hung out at home and played with all of her new stuff. Then we headed to my grandparents for LOTs of food and more gifts. My grandparents have 8 kids, plus all of their kids, and grandkids...it was a PACKED house. But its so much fun. The living room is always full of gifts and the dining room is always FULL of food.

The hundreds of gifts!

Tommy was able to come by and visit in the fire truck. And all of my little cousins had a blast looking at the truck. Tommy handed out hats and stickers. I think some of them were more excited about the fire truck then eating or opening presents.

The chaos

We had a great Christmas and have so much to be thankful for in 2010. I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Our first family gingerbread house

2010-12-22T18:04:00.001-06:00

Tommy and I had fun decorating our first gingerbread house while abigail watched and ate some puffs. She really enjoys feeding herself.

She's on the move

2010-12-21T09:48:00.003-06:00

As of last Thursday Abigail has started crawling. It's not very pretty but she's getting around. She keeps one leg straight out and then drags her other leg along. It's so cute.

Here's a video of her first crawl. She has a million toys all around her but she's after my shoe.

Merry Christmas from The Heidbrinks

2010-12-14T17:52:00.000-06:00

7 months

2010-12-05T17:52:00.006-06:00

Agh. i feel like its the same thing every month. "I can't beleive she's already this old. I feel like she was only born yesterday..." yada yada yada. Seriously, where has the last 7 months gone. This once little girl is now moving all over the place and voices her opinion if she's upset that you took something from her. Its amazing how quickly she has grown up. And I've enjoyed watching every second of it.

Stats:

-She's atleast 18lbs now.

-She's wearing mostly 6-9 month and 9 month clothes. And size 3 or 4 shoes (she has LARGE feet)

-Size 3 diapers

-Still no teeth yet. But she can chew through anything with those gums.

-She's not official crawling yet but she is VERY close. She rocks back and forth on her hands a knees but she hasn't coordinated moving the knees and then her hands. It won't be long.

- She has a temper. If you take something away from her, she will let you know that she wants its back.

-She can get into the sitting position on her own.

-She tries really hard to clap.

-She still LOVES bath time.

-She loves Mickey Mouse. I can't get her eyes off the TV if Mickey Mouse clubhouse is on. She grins from ear to ear and is so focused on the TV. If we start signing the "hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog" song, she looks straight at the TV and waits to see it.

-She's eating babyfood 3 times a day and a 6oz bottle every 3.5 hours. She's also recently started to snack on Mums. She loves feeding herself the snacks.

-She's still doing great at night and sleeping from 7:30-5:30 or 6:00. Most weekends she will wake up around 5:30 but go right back to sleep until 7:00.

Abigail has been so easy. She eats well, sleeps well, and is healthy...what more could I ask for. I don't know what we did without her. She's such a great baby, always happy and smiling.

Seattle

2010-12-02T09:46:00.012-06:00

Tommy had a conference for the fire department in Seattle the first week of November so Abigail and I decided to go meet him after the conference was over and stay for 5 days. We had a great time. I was so nervous because it was her first time flying and I was going to be flying alone with her on the way there. But she did great. The first day we were there, we visited the Pacific Science Center which was amazing. It is definately a must see if you visit Seattle with kids. There is so much to see and do and everything is interactive. There is 3 or 4 different buildings. One with body science and interesting facts about your body senses. There is a butterfly museum which Abigail loved. An IMAX theatre. We actually got to watch a 3-D IMAX movie about Boeing while Abigail took a nap.
The butterfly museum. It was so beautiful. There were 1000s of them flying everywhere.

Abigail, about to touch a butterfly that she wasn't supposed to touch.
We also walked along the piers and visited a shopping center on pier 57 with a carousel. So, of course, Abigail had her first carousel ride.

The next day we visited the firefighter memorial and walked the streets. I thought it was going to be freezing cold the whole time but it was actually quite comfortable. It was in the low 50s during the day and the high 40s at night.

We also visited the Aquarium and she got to touch a star fish.

The next day we went to the Children's Museum and i didn't think she would really enjoy it too much because I figured it was more for older kids but we all had a blast.

Funny mirror.

She LOVED the Clifford the Big Red Dog room. She squealed the minute she saw the dog.

Kissing him.

We know who the Boss is now.

Of course we had to pose in the mock fire truck.

Playing drums

Visiting the dog again.

That thing was HUGE.

We also went on a little harbor tour that day and just relaxed on the boat for a while.

The Seattle sky line

The view from our 40th floor room.

We didn't go in the space needle but Tommy was able to go to a banquet the last night of his conference on the top observation deck. He said it was pretty neat (and COLD).

Before she turns 7 months old!

2010-11-15T09:37:00.001-06:00

Abigail is already almost 7 months old and I never posted her 6 month stats. Here is her pictures:

Here are her stats as of 6 months (11/5/10):

She is definitely moving around alot more.

She is sitting up on her own for 20 minutes or more without falling over.

She took her first plane ride on her 6 month birthday. We went to Seattle! She had a blast...that's a whole new post that I still need to write.

She's been eating solid foods twice a day and eating 7 ounces every 3.5 hours. We are moving her to solid foods 3 times a day.

At her doctors appt she was 17 lbs 9 oz (85%). 25 1/4in long (30%) and her head circumference is 17" (75%).

She is such a happy baby. She hardly ever cries unless she's really sleepy or hungry. Other then that she is smiling, and content.

She still doesn't have any teeth but she constantly likes to chew on things.

She wears 3-6 month, 6 month and some 9 month clothing.

We love her so much and couldn't imagine life without her. She brings joy to our life everyday!

Zoo

2010-11-12T12:21:00.000-06:00

Check out Abigail's first trip to the zoo...a few months ago. Click on this link.

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-05T15:00:00.000-05:00

Our little ladybug had a great time trick-r-treating for the first time. She really just rode around in her stroller and watched everyone else trick-r-treat. This year we went to my uncle's (and Tommy's parents) neighborhood. They had hundreds of people in this one neighborhood. It was packed! But we had lots of fun.

Hope you had a great halloween!

A monkey in the zoo

2010-11-04T19:51:00.007-05:00

About a month ago we went to the zoo with my brother-in-law, sister-in-law, niece and nephew. We had a great time and Abigail was able to experience her first zoo trip.

She was sleeping so peacefully when we got there.

just like the tiger

Bu then she was amazed by everything

This giraffe got so close to everyone and was even eating grass out of our hands

All smiles!

She's such a ham for the camera

Loving on her daddy

Pumpkin carving

2010-11-04T17:47:00.003-05:00

We carved our pumpkin last week and Abigail had a blast playing the insides.

I can't wait to bring her to Disney for the first time.

All smiles next to her Mickey

I guess this is her Elvis impression:

Happy Anniversary

2010-10-27T20:41:00.002-05:00

Happy 3rd anniversary to the man of my dreams! It's hard to believe that 3 years ago we were walking down the aisle and giggling at the altar because we were so excited. Tommy, thanks for the last 3 years. You are a wonderful husband and an awesome father. Thanks for being my best friend and always being there when I need. I love you so much and I look forward to many more years together.

Story time

2010-10-26T19:00:00.001-05:00

After the pumpkin patch last weekend we had a quite afternoon at home. So I grabbed a book and started reading to Abigail. She's starting to get more and more interested in books. When I first started reading to her she wasn't really into it. She got bored quickly and would get fussy midway through the book. But I can now make it through the whole book and she's looking for more. Hopefully she enjoys reading more then I do. I hated reading when I was in middle school and high school. But I love reading to her! One of the few times in the day I can sit and just relax with my little girl.

She was more interested in daddy taking pictures at this point but I promise she was paying attention before he started taking pictures.

Pumpkin patch

2010-10-25T17:30:00.001-05:00

Last weekend we went to the pumpkin patch and Abigail had a blast. We had a picnic before and had lunch with my mom and then headed to see the pumpkins.

This is my new favorite picture of her. She's growing up so fast. She looks so much older now then she did a few weeks ago. Its like she woke up one day and was a little girl rather than a baby.

She's such a happy baby too. Always smiling.

And she's looking more and more little Tommy every day.

She was very curious about the pumpkins.

Lazy Sunday

2010-10-18T13:41:00.001-05:00

A few Sundays ago we had a lazy Sunday and just hung around the house all day, watched movies, and took naps.

Just chillin on the couch

Opps

2010-10-18T11:08:00.000-05:00

Abigail's 5 month post was posted late. It was written and the pictures were taken on time but I never got around to uploading to the pictures until this weekend. So be sure and check it out here!

No?

2010-10-14T17:50:00.001-05:00

"What do you mean...No???""You can't tell me No"
"Just look at this face. You can't say no. And if you do, I'll just ask grandma."

"Ha Ha Ha"

Ragin...Cajun's...Go UL!

2010-10-12T18:14:00.001-05:00

She was asleep but she's cheering them on in her dreams.

On another side note, the "A" that is always shown in her bow's is for Abigail. By no means is she at all an Alabama Fan. She is a strong supporter of LSU and will enjoy some ULL Baseball games with Dad when she grows up.

First bites

2010-10-10T17:47:00.003-05:00

I thought these pictures were deleted from my camera. But I somehow found them. This is Abigail's first night eating rice cereal (Sept 5th). Since then we've tried oatmeal (didn't like too much), sweet peas (she was somewhat interested), and carrots (she LOVED). We're trying green beans tonight!

She was very interested in the cereal.And would allow it to go into her mouth.

But then would spit it ALL out.

And make funny faces!

This was her face after the first bites of peas. After that she liked them.

5 months

2010-10-05T14:34:00.004-05:00

This post was written on October 5th and the pictures were taken October 5th but I'm just getting around to downloading the pictures so this is really late (its almost time for the 6th month post).

Her and Cajun get along so well.

This is her face when she sees Cajun.

Blowing bubbles

-still size 2 diapers

- Still wearing 3-6 month outfits, some 6 month, and some 9 month outfits. There are a few 12 month jackets and shirts that she fits in now too.

-Until a week ago she was taking 6 oz every 3-3.5 hours. Now she’s taking about 4 oz every 3-4 hours and she has solids at night. We just started today with a solid at her second feeding. She wasn’t too fond of rice cereal or oatmeal but she seems to be doing well with sweet peas so far. We’ll try a different vegetable in a few days.

-She wakes up at least once during the night for a pacifier (never to eat). I think she’s teething and they are starting to bother her at night.

-She can sit with a boppy pillow for about 15 minutes before falling over. She can sit unsupported for a few minutes until she tries to reach for her toes or toys and then falls over.

-I’m betting she’s close to 16 lbs or more by now. We don’t go back to the doctor until Nov 13th so we’ll get an official weight then.

-She still loves Cajun and loves when he licks her in the face.

-She is definitely going to be an outside girl. She loves the outdoors. If she gets a little fussy all we have to do it walk outside and she starts smiling and laughing.

-she’s been squealing, talking, and singing a lot to herself lately. SO cute

-she’s still a cat napper and only takes 45 minute naps during the day.

Gulf Shores 2010

2010-10-04T14:24:00.018-05:00

We got back from our first family vacation yesterday and it was a blast! It was probably one of the best vacations for me. We had so much fun just hanging out as a family and seeing Abigail's reaction to the beach and the sand for the first time. We will definately be back. She did great the entire trip. She slept most of the way there and back so we didn't have any trouble with her in the car. Here she is on the way there:

The first morning, over looking the beach from the balcony.

First time on the beach. She was a little cautious of the sand but she didn't fuss at all.

She loved laying out in the sand. I didn't get a picture of it but we dug a hole in the sand so she could sit up and she just sat there in the shade and took in the scenery for almost an hour (with lots of sunscreen on!).

The next morning we went out and took family pictures. These are just a few of the shots we got.

We finally got her to look at the camera...and then i'm not looking.

She was such a chatter box this past weekend too. I think she had more fun on vacation then we did.

A sign of things to come...

2010-10-01T17:53:00.002-05:00

Abigail has been in such a good mood lately! We bought her some "cool girl shades" at Baby Gap and she though they were the funniest thing.

You'll have to rotate your head to the side but these videos are still adorable. She loves music. And her Pawpaw is going to love the fact that she likes "Boom Boom".

All items have been deleted.

2010-09-20T17:35:00.001-05:00

That is the message I saw Sunday morning when I tried to delete only a few pictures off of my camera (pictures that I already downloaded). The stupid thing decided to not only delete those few pictures but ALL of the pictures that were left on my camera. So that's why there was no cute post this weekend about Abigail eating her first bowl of cereal. I guess I'll just have to take more pictures of her making a mess tonight and just pretend it was her first time.

Anyway, we tried the cereal for about 2 or 3 nights and then gave up because she was getting aggravated with it and thus mom and dad were getting aggravated. But we tried again on Saturday night and she did great. She now opens her mouth for the spoon and she actually swallows the cereal rather than pushing it out of her mouth with her tongue.We've only tried rice cereal so far. I think after about a week of this we will try oatmeal then move on to vegetables then fruit. We also switched her up and she's now eating every 3.5 hours rather then every 3 hours. I know this doesn't seem like such a big deal but it makes our afternoon/night time so much easier. Before, she was eating at 3:00 then 6:00 then again at 7:30...now she eats at daycare at 4:30 then we feed her at home at 7:30 (cereal and bottle). Having only 1 feeding at night makes life so much easier. Hopefully she approves of this schedule. We've tried it for 2 days now and she's doing great. Well now you know everything about her feeding schedule. Look forward to a post about her bowel movements soon...just kidding :-)

4 month doctor appointment

2010-09-17T17:30:00.002-05:00

Abigail had her 4 month appointment on Wednesday and everything went great! She had no ear infections!!!!! The doctor said she is developing great. He gave us the ok to start her on cereal and then graduallly work our way to vegetables and fruits. We gave her cereal for a few days last week and she didn't seem to like it very much. I'll have to post the pictures. But we'll probably try again this weekend to see how she does. Here is her stats:

15 lbs 9 oz (85%)
24-1/4" long (40%)
Head circumference - 16" (40%)

I have lots of catching up to do on the blog. Expect a huge post sometime this weekend.

Sometimes Daddy needs a nap too.

2010-09-10T18:48:00.001-05:00

I caught Tommy sleeping on Abigail's Boppy pillow the other day. We was playing with her on the floor and I guess he got a little tired. I know he won't be happy that I'm posting these and I'm sure he will pay me back for this but...

Baptism

2010-09-07T05:27:00.001-05:00

Abigail's christening was last weekend. She looked adorable in her little white dress. She did great during the ceremony. She probably thought she was getting a bath. She was a little fussy right before the water was poured on her head. But once she felt the water she was wide eyed and looking around. (Don't miss her 4 month post that was posted last night)

Our family

The crowd, all for Abigail! She's a lucky girl to have so many people that care about her.

My cousin and nephew praying over the holy water.

She wasn't very thrilled about taking pictures afterwards.

Abigail and her Parrian

Abigail and her nanny.

I think she's safe between those 3 big guy!

4 months

2010-09-05T18:17:00.013-05:00

Abigail is 4 months old today! You know what I'm about to say...she's growing up so fast. She has developed so much in this last month. Her coordination is so much stronger. And she's doing new tricks every day. Here is the pictures from her 4 month photo shoot.

Here is her stats:

-still size 2 diapers
- Mostly 3-6 month outfits, some 6 month outfits already
-We’ve started giving her a little bit of formula with her bottles. I have about a month supply of breastmilk in the freezer so I have stopped pumping – ALLELUA!
-so she’s now taking 3 oz of breastmilk and 3oz of formula every 3 hours. We’re trying out rice cereal tonight!
- She was doing great and sleeping through the night until she got sick a few weeks ago. She doesn’t wake up to eat but she’ll just toss and turn until we give her a pacifier. She’s getting back to her normal routine.
-She has already starting teething and she chews on everything, her hands, my hands, burp cloths, her clothes, teething rings, toys, etc.
-she’s developed her coordination with her hands and feet A LOT this month. Last month she was just batting at objects. She now grabs them (and puts them in her mouth). She’s been grabbing her feet a lot lately too and chewing on her toes.
-she talks/growls a lot now. She and I usually have a full conversation on the way to daycare in the morning.
-She starting to laugh out loud more and more.
-she loves being outside. When she was sick she would get pretty fussy in the afternoons and the only thing that would calm her down would be to take her outside and walk around or sit and watch Cajun. She’s definitely going to be an outdoor girl.
-she loves Cajun. She just watches him run around and smiles and laughs at him. I think Cajun loves her too because every time she’s outside and within his reach he kisses her and licks her on the face. It’s so cute. I think they’ll be good friends when she grows up.
-She rolled over from front to back a few hours ago…she’ll be crawling before we know it.

Playing Peek-a-Boo with Daddy

Chilaxin (chiling and relaxing) on her play mat

Caught talking to herself in the mirror.

Cheering on the Tigers to victory!

Pretending to cut grass with daddy.

Giggle box

2010-09-02T12:25:00.002-05:00

Last night Abigail and I were playing and I was kissing her cheeks and she thought it was the funniest thing.

**You may have to turn down the volume because it's kind of loud**

All better now!

2010-08-22T07:05:00.005-05:00

Abigail is feeling much better now. Hopefully she stays that way for a very long time. A sick baby makes for a tired and worried Mommy and Daddy. But she's back to her normal self.
She's grown up so much in the last few weeks. She's really starting to develop her hand skills. She holds things and bring them to her mouth. She pushes stuff away. She about 2 cm from rolling over from her back to her stomach. She's "talking" more and more. And she's no longer wobbley in her Bumbo. She sits and watches Tommy cook dinner for 30-40 minutes in the Bumbo and doesn't get tired. We started trying out her exersaucer a few days ago and she LOVES it!

She's focused on those monkeys.

Such big eyes!

Sleepy head! She only sleeps 1-2 hours all day when she's at daycare so she comes home and sleeps all afternoon and all weekend. She's just so curious and nosey at daycare that she doesn't want to sleep. She's afraid she might miss something.

She found a new friend. She loves this rabbit blankie.

And she loves her fingers.

This is a dress my mom made for her. She's such a ham for the camera.

The ruffle butt

Sick AGAIN!

2010-08-14T21:55:00.003-05:00

Poor Abigail is sick again. This time the doctor thinks it is allergies. So she's on breathing treatments now. A few days before she turned 2 months old she got sick with a cold and an ear infection. Well two ago she got the same thing, a cold and an ear infection. She finally got over the ear infection and now she has a pretty bad cough. So we went to the doctor on Friday and found out it's allergies. I hope this ends soon. The doctor also prescribed a 5 day treatment of steriods. She started the 1st day today and I think it's making her really really cranky. I could barely put her down all afternoon. I know this isn't my fault but I can't help but think of what I could have done differently to keep her from getting sick. I always thought that if I breastfed then she wouldn't be sick as often. WRONG. I'm really ready to start transitioning her to formula but I know this would be a horrible time.

I'm just ready for my little girl to feel better.

3 months and catching up!

2010-08-05T19:45:00.010-05:00

Warning....Picture overload!! I'm trying to catch up on the blog for the last 2 weeks.

Abigail's 3 months picture.

Before we get into the rest of the pictures. Here is her 3 month stats:

-size 2 diapers
-I already miss her being tiny. She’s growing so fast and developing new skills every day.
-She's still taking 5 ounces every 3 hours and sleeping from 8:30-6
-She wears 3 months and some 3-6 month clothes. If it has feet on it it has to be 3-6 month, she’s just so long.
-She is very very nosey. She’s only been sleeping 1.5-2.5 hours at daycare ALL DAY. She just has to watch all of the other kids and she’s afraid she’s going to miss out on something.
-She takes a pacifier to go to sleep for naps during the day. She used to get pissed when she would lose the pacifier but now she just sucks on her fist until we put it back.
-She has started to click her tongue back at us. If she hears one of us doing it she will smile then start clicking back. Its so cute!
-She’s starting to get a little bald spot on the back of her head. When we lay her down to sleep and she’s not fully asleep yet she will shake her head from side to side.
_She LOVES watching TV. If its on and she’s eating she will lock into the TV and sometimes stop eating. We’ve had to turn off the TV a few times just to get her to finish eating.
-She loves sitting in the corner of the recliner. You'll notice that in most of the pictures.
-She's really starting to get interested in her hands and stare at them.
-She has been staring and analyzing her feet. I’m sure they will be making their way into her mouth very soon.
-She's starting to bat her hands at things
-smiling and cooing more and more. She even gets a little loud at times and tries to talk to us.
-she can tolerate tummy time for a few minutes and she’s up on her elbows and picking her head up very high. It won’t be long before she’s rolling over.
-She loves her room. When we bring her in her room she stares around at the walls and she loves her tree painted on her wall.
-She loves the Bumbo.
-loves listening to music. We usually turn up the radio in the morning while we are getting her dressed.

Now for all of the pictures.

I just happen to catch this one. So funny!

When did this kid grow up??? She already acts like she wants to crawl.

We've been doing alot of this the past 2 weeks. First Daddy was sick with a stomach virus then Abigail got sick with ANOTHER cold which led to ANOTHER ear infection which you couldn't tell because she was laughing and smiling all of the time.

Poor thing, she is much better now.

She's doing pretty good at tummy time. She can usually last about 15 minutes before she gets upset.

And she's picking up her head pretty high

We've been playing dress up. Check out those crystal blue eyes. Daddy is going to have to fight the boys off of her in a few years.

We've even played in the jewelry box.

So cute with her little double chin.

And of course we had to try on the LSU outfit.

This makes my day every morning!

Happy Baby

2010-07-24T05:37:00.008-05:00

We had a wonderful week. Abigail has been doing great! She's still sleeping from 8:30-6, which makes mommy and daddy very happy :-) She's such a good baby. She hardly cries unless she's hungry or really tired. We got out of the house on Thursday and hung out with some friends. Abigail loves being outdoors.

Here is a picture of Tori and her beautiful niece, Olivia (sorry it's so blurry)

Tommy and I have both been very busy at work. But being busy has definitely made the transition to work alot easier. I don't have alot of time during the day to sit and think about how much I miss her. But coming home to her and Tommy certainly gives me something to look forward to.

blog awards

2010-07-18T15:59:00.004-05:00

Mama K at Mama's Messages awarded us with two blogger awards, the honest scrap and the suger doll award. You definately need to check out her blog. Her little boy so adorable.

For the awards you have to share 10 things about yourself:

1. I make spreadsheets for everything, including how often Abigail eats and poos. When we went to Disney world last year I had a spreadsheet for each park with each ride, it was insane.

2. Speaking of Disney, I love disney world and I dream of the day when Tommy and I can bring Abigail and watch her enjoy it.

3. I LOVE chocolate...anything chocolate.

4. Deep down have this small urge to be a stay at home mom, but...

5. I love my job and I think that I would lose my sanity if I stayed home all the time. Or I would go broke because I would go shopping everyday.

6. I hate to cook. Thank god Tommy is an excellent cook.

7. I love to travel.

8. I love LSU foot ball and would love it if someone would sell me their season tickets :-)

9. I love to run and I'm looking forward to some cooler weather in the fall so we can bring Abigail to jog with us.

10. I need to pass these awards on to others...that will happen in the near future.

Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Splish Splash

2010-07-17T20:53:00.004-05:00

Abigail LOVES taking a bath!

2 month doctor appointment

2010-07-14T05:06:00.001-05:00

Abigail's 2 month check-up was 2 days ago. Her ear infection is gone and her congestion is getting much better. Her new stats are:

12 lbs 9 ounce (90th percentile)

23 1/4 inches (75th percentile)

I don't think she shrunk 3/4 inches or gained 8 ounces in a week. I just think a different nurse measured her and go slightly different measurements. The doctor said she looks great. She's developing great and growing!

I was worried that she would be cranky after the shots but she did great! She's such a trooper. She received 3 shots in the thigh and 1 oral vaccine. She screamed for 30 seconds then took her pacifier and fell asleep. She slept all afternoon, ate, and then slept all night.

She has been doing awesome at night. She eats around 8 or 8:30. She's usually asleep right after she finishes her bottle and sleeps until we wake her up at 6:00. I know that's not typical for a 2 month old so I'm taking advantage of it now, because it may not last forever.

She's growing up so fast. She started a new trick this week. When we click our tongue at her she will click hers back. It's so cute.

And Abigail would like to give a shout out to her Parrain,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PARRAIN!

Weight check...and the first ear infection :-(

2010-07-07T16:47:00.002-05:00

We took Abigail to the doctor yesterday because her congestion was starting to worry me. Well, we found out she has an upper respiratory infection which has caused an ear infection in one ear. Oh Joy! I'm pretty sure she got it from something in the cabin in Toledo Bend. Tommy and I are both congested too so I'm sure we all got it from there. So she's on antibiotics and seems to be slowly getting better. Poor baby girl. I felt like a horrible mother...but from what I hear this sort of thing happens to babies all the time. I hope she gets better soon. We still have her 2 month check-up next Monday but they did check her weight and length yesterday. She's 12lbs 1 ounce and 24 inches long! She's definately growing!!

We've got a new look!

2010-07-06T19:21:00.001-05:00

Let us know what you think about our new look! And check out Abigail's 2 month post!

2 months

2010-07-05T16:53:00.010-05:00

compare to her 1 month pic here

Little Miss Abigail is 2 months old today! Our little one is getting so big already.

-according to our scale at home she is 12.4 lbs. We go to the doctor next Monday so we'll have an official weight and length then.

-She wears size 2 diapers. The size 1 diapers didn't last long before she started to blow through them after every poo.

-She wears 0-3 month or 3 months clothes now.

-she's eating 5 ounces every 3 hours.

-She's been sleeping through the night for a few weeks now. She takes a bottle at 8:30 and usually doesn't wake up until about 5:30 to eat.

-She's doing great with holding her head up. The ladies at the daycare were very impressed with how strong her neck was.

-She's smiling alot and cooing.

-She loves bath time. I think she would sit in the warm water for hours if we let her.

-She loves riding in the car. She took her first road trip this past weekend to Toledo Bend and she did great. She slept the whole way there and the whole way home.

-she loves taking over the recliner and just sitting the corner and staring around.

-She seems to like when daddy holds her like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder. Sometimes it will calm her down if she's cranky.

Poor baby is fighting some congestion right now. I think the cabin we stayed in this weekend caused all of us to be sick. But other then that she has been doing great!

Hope every had a great 4th of July!

1st day of daycare

2010-07-02T10:38:00.004-05:00

Abigail's first day at daycare was yesterday which means it was my first day back at work. The morning was actually harder than I thought it would be. I've only been away from her for a few hours in the last 8 weeks. Tommy has watched her twice so I can run errands and have some "me" time and then my mom watched her last weekend so we could go to dinner. But I knew this would be different. My days of staying home with her all day and playing and watching her every move were over. I knew that I would no longer be able to spend hours upon hours with her. I'll only get about 3 hours every afternoon before she's in bed and sleeping. So anyway, yesterday was tough. I cried before we left the house as I was putting her in her carseat. I cried on the way to the daycare as I watched her in mirror. I think she was wondering what in the heck she was doing in the car so early in the morning...She had an expression like, "Why am I not still sleeping in my bed?" So I pulled up to daycare and Tommy pulls up beside me (we both went to see her off for the first day). We had a few minutes to wait until they opened so Tommy decided to take her out of her car seat so we could play. As he pulled her out he noticed she poo'd...ALL OVER THE PLACE. She had poo all down her back, from her butt to her shoulders. What a great first day! Luckily we were prepared and had an extra change of clothes in her diaper bag. She we changed her in the back of my car and brought her inside. I was ok for a few minutes and then when we had to say goodbye, I broke down again. It's funny because she doesn't know any different, I'm the one freaking out about it. I guess it's just a mom thing. The lady at the daycare said one mom cried everyday for 3 months...3 months...I hope I'm not like that.

I called twice yesterday to check on her. I don't know what I was expecting to her. I just find out how many times she poo'd and how long she slept, etc. It's not like I can ask if she's being good, or she's playing well with the other kids. She had a great first day. Her sitter was very impressed with her head control and how well took the bottle since she was breastfeed. She's such a great baby.

Last night was rough too. We have to ALOT to accomplish in only a few hours every afternoon. She eats at 6:00 and then again at 8:30 and between that time Tommy and I have to cook and eat, we have to prepare the bottles for next day, prepare our luches for the next day, I have to pump, and hopefully we have time to shower before then. It was hard last night and Tommy was home. I don't know what I'm going to do when he has to work and I have to do it all myself. I have great respect for single parents of infants. It's not easy. But we'll find a routine and it will get better every day.

I did good this morning. I didn't cry at all. I know she's in good hands. And lots of kids go to daycare and they survive, and so will we. Everything will be fine! I know she's going to have so much fun at this place when she gets older and she's going to learn so much just from being around other kids.

And because we can't have another post with a picture...

Check out that wild hair

Great weekend

2010-06-28T16:47:00.002-05:00

Friday night Tommy and I had our first date night since Abigail was born. My mom watched her while we went to Texas de Brazil. It was delicious and very nice to get out of house and have some adult time. We need to do that more often.

Saturday we had a party with all if the people I work with. We were able to show off Abigail to everyone. She was the star of the party. I had a great time hanging out with everyone from work that I hadn't seen in a few months. Tommy is such a great husband and daddy and he watched over Abigail the entire time so I could relax and have a few drinks with everyone.

Sunday we hung out a home a little and went to Tommy's parents house for pizza and ice cream cake for my birthday...the diet has been put on hold.

Speaking of diet, I posted a few weeks ago that I started the 30 day shred...well I did it for about 5 days and then got "busy" with other things and I've only done it a few times since then. So I really need to get my butt in gear. I turn 26 today, so I want to lose 26 pounds. Hopefully going back to work will help. I've been stuffing my face with food since I've been home. And I plan on following the weight watchers plan. I lost about 15 pounds on weight watchers right before we got married and I loved the program. So I'm hoping it works for me again.

Happy Monday!

If you're happy and you know it...just smile!

2010-06-23T16:01:00.003-05:00

I love those baby blue eyes!

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T19:13:00.005-05:00

The blog has mostly been about Abigail the last few weeks so it’s only fair that I write about Tommy on Fathers day. I don’t even know where to begin. This guy is the absolute best husband I could ever ask for and he just seems so natural at being a dad. He got the diaper changing, feeding, burping, etc down pat. It’s like the minute Abigail was born he knew exactly what to do. I couldn’t ask for a better father for my child. He is amazing. And it takes my breath away to watch him rock her in the recliner and stare into her eyes while she stares back. I can’t wait to see the love between them grow.
He has been such a HUGE help the last few weeks. When he’s a work I have to change her, feed her, pump, then wash. When he’s home, he takes over. He does it all (except pump!). Abigail and I are so lucky to have him in our lives.

Happy first Father’s Day Tommy! We love you!

Ok enough sappy stuff...

Update and pics (almost 6 weeks old!)

2010-06-14T12:24:00.015-05:00

Visiting with Nana

Peacefully sleeping in her own bed in her own room.

Tummy Time!! She's never far from that pacifier.

Abigail and paw paw Ronn. For some reason I didn't get a picture of her with my mom (Granny).

Abigail and grandma

Abigail and Paw Paw Larry

GEAUX TIGERS!!! We have many more LSU outfits to come.

All decked out in her UL gear.

I've been enjoying my last few weeks home with Abigail. We seem to be getting out more and more. I haven't quite gotten her on a schedule yet. It's hard to get the schedule consistent when she wakes up at different times each day. Most days she eats around 7-8pm, then around 12:30am, then 3:30, then 6:30 or 7. But each day is a little different. Like last night she ate around 8:30 pm then didn't wake up until 3:30 am to eat, then she slept again until 8:00. So we got some GOOD sleep last night.

I go back to work on July 1st and I'm not ready to leave my little girl. But I'm ready to get some adult interactions and start challenging my brain a little. We visited her daycare the other day and I got to spend some talking to the lady that will be watching her. It definitely helped me feel a little a better. I know she's in good hands.

Abigail has been eating 4-5 ounces (usually 5 ounces) ever 3 - 3.5 hours. I had to stop nursing her about 2 weeks ago because my let down coming too quickly and causing her to choke and spit up. So now I pump and feed her with a bottle. It's more convenient when were out running errands but I'm already getting tired of feeding her, then pumping, then washing bottles and pump gear, then going to bed. But I'm going to try to keep this up until she's 6 months. Hopefully it's easier once i go back to work and i only have to pump and the daycare will feed her.

Here's a few more updates:

-Abigail has started to smile more and more each day, mostly in the morning. She has the cutest little gummy smile.

-She recently broke out with baby acne and a little eczema on her face. We started putting aquaphor and hydrocortisone twice a day and it's already looking much better.
-We started putting her in her crib in her nursery when she was 4 weeks. I cried the first night like a little baby but she did great!
-Tummy time seems to be working and she can hold her head up more and more each day.
-I'm on day 6 of the Jillian Micheal's 30 day shred. I'm trying to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. i have about 12 lbs to go.
-Tommy has been busy working and keeping up with yard work. Last weekend we cleaned up our backyard landscaping and he cleaned out the waterfall/pond. It looks great!

-Tommy and I are going for our first night out without Abigail next weekend. She's staying with my mom and dad. I'm a little nervous but I know she will be fine. I'm sure I'll cry when we leave her, it's just a mother thing I guess. But the night out will certainly be appreciated. I can't wait to relax and drink a few adult beverages!

Happy One Month Birthday Abigail!

2010-06-05T12:39:00.008-05:00

1 month picture

In her cocoon with daddy

With her great-great-grandma.

I honestly can not believe my little girl is already 1 month old. It feels like yesterday I was in the hospital walking the halls to get labor started so we could finally meet her. Tommy and I have loved every minute with her this month. She’s grown up so much in these 4 weeks.

-She weighs 10.6 lbs as of yesterday.
-She’s in size 1 diapers
-She’s starting to grow out of some of her newborn clothes. She mostly wears 0-3 month stuff now.
-She eats 4-5 ounces every 3 hours.
-She’s taking breastmilk exclusively from a bottle now. Apparently nursing her was feeding her too quickly and making her spit up a lot of the milk. So bottle feeding it is.
-We’re starting to get on more of a schedule. I try to feed her around 7 or 8 in the morning as the start of the day and then she eats every 3 hours until 7 or 8 at night. Then its bed time and she does not eat until she wakes up. A few nights ago she went 6 hours between feedings, but she usually goes 4-5 hours at night.
-She is lifting her head very well during tummy time (and chest time with daddy!) and can hold it up for a quite a while.
-We haven’t heard many oohs or aaahs yet but this girl makes A LOT of noise. She grunts ALL the time. I definitely need to get a video of it. It’s hilarious, especially when we’re in the middle if a store and she starts grunting for about 45 seconds. We get lots of looks.

-She had her first trip to the mall yesterday. One of many many trips!!

The last few weeks in pictures...

2010-05-27T12:48:00.010-05:00

Hahaha, I think this was a pooing face!
Mommy's precious girl

Abigail's first lunch at Chili's, where Tommy & I started dating and got engaged.

I don't know who likes this position more, Abigail or Tommy. Look at the smile on his face. She already has him hooked.

Mother's day with Granny

so so cute!

This is what Abigail did before my sister's graduation. With all of the noise and lights she was sound asleep. But once it got started we woke her up to eat...she ate 5.5 ounces and stayed up the entire time!!

And here is my sister (Abigail's nanny) after receiving her diploma.

"Mom, I'm so tired of taking pictures!"

Abigail loves this little monkey. She just stares at it and makes faces.

This is one of the many faces of Miss Priss. I don't know what she's trying to tell us when she makes this face, "I'm pooing" or "I want a kiss" or "Where is my food?"

Abigail's first bottle at 2 weeks old and daddy's first time feeding Abigail. She ate 4 ounces and was still hungry!

I don't know why this picture keeps coming up sideways...but it's still cute!

My beautiful little girl. I can already see the attitude in those eyes.

With daddy before church last Sunday. We decided to go to church last Sunday so we got up and got dressed. I put Abigail in a cute pink smocked dress and before I could get her in the car seat she poo'd through her diaper and on the dress (and on my shirt). We had to re-dress her and me and hurry out the door so we wouldn't be late. I guess she didn't like the pink dress.

2 weeks old!

2010-05-20T14:04:00.001-05:00

Miss Priss is already 2 weeks old. It’s so hard to believe. Time has been flying by and we’ve loved every second with her. Today is actually the first day that mommy and Abigail are on there own. Tommy went to work today so we’re enjoying the day with just us girls. Abigail has been doing great. She’s eating great and has already developed a 3 hour schedule during the day. At night she goes anywhere from 4-5 hours between feedings. Last night Tommy feed her for the first time. The little porker ate 4 ounces and was still hungry so she nursed for a few minutes after. We’re going to gradually give her breast milk by the bottle so she’ll be ready when I have to go back to work. I go back July 1st and I’m already dreading that day. I’m going to cry my eyes out the entire day. I went to my sister’s graduation party last Saturday and Tommy stayed with her for a few hours. I cried just leaving her for 2 hours. But we’ll do fine, I will just be an adjustment for all of us. I’m sure Tommy is having a hard time today being away from her for the first time.

We’ve had so many nick-name for little Abigail in the last 2 weeks. Here are just a few:
Miss Priss, Little Ma’am, Miss Ma’am, Peanut, Monkey, Pumpkin, gourmand (French for greedy), and many many others that I can’t think of right now.

Abigail read her first book this morning. Or should I say I read the first book to Abigail. We read “Are you my Mommy?” I’m trying to teach her how to say Mommy already so I figured the more I say it the better my chances are :-)

All 3 of us have soaked up every second of the last 2 weeks and I look forward to many many more. I love watching our little princess grow up!

Abigail pictures

2010-05-18T10:59:00.002-05:00

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Click here to view photos

1 week old

2010-05-13T16:53:00.005-05:00

Little Miss Abigail was a week old yesterday. We went to her 1st doctor's appt and everything about her was perfect. She weights 7 lbs 13 oz (up 3 oz from birth and 5 oz from when we left the hospital). She's right at the 50th percentile for weight, length (19 3/4"), and head circumference (13 3/4"). The doctor was very impressed that she actually gained some weight. I was just excited because I was worried that I wasn't feeding her enough, but the little chunker is doing just fine. The doctor also said that we can stop waking her up at night to eat. We should just let her sleep and let her wake us up to feed her. But during the day we will stick to every 3 hours. Last night she went about 4 - 4.5 hours. So we've been getting some pretty good sleep. Everything has been going well and we've just been relaxing around the house.

Enjoying our boppy pillow

And our swing...notice that Daddy already has her sporting the Ragin Cajun gear! It's only a matter of time before I layer her in purple and gold.
Long beautiful fingers

And very long toes. She can grab stuff with those things.

And HUGE adorable feet!

And we love every inch of her!!

We got a new camera on Monday. A Nikon D5000 so we will have lots and lots of pictures as soon as we figure out how to use it.

Birth story (LONG)

2010-05-13T15:02:00.002-05:00

Sorry this is so long but I want to try and remember as much as I can.
My water broke in the shower on Monday night 5/3/10 at 9:00pm. Tommy and I spent most of that day walking in hopes that it would get something going. When my water broke I just turned off the water in the shower and told Tommy that I thought my water had broken. We were both so excited that this was actually going to happen soon. We stood around for a while just giggling and staring at each other and wondering what to do next. We took Bradley classes for 12 weeks and I read every pregnancy book I could get my hands on but it seemed like at that moment we didn’t have a clue what to do. I got back in the shower and finished cleaning up. Then Tommy took a quick shower. I had just eaten a big dinner (enchiladas! Yum) so I knew my stomach was full. I wasn’t feeling any contractions so we walked around for a while. We walked down the street from one street light to the next and still no contractions. I did squats in the house and in the driveway. If my neighbors would have been outside they would have thought I was crazy. I still wasn’t having any contractions. We tried to lie down and take a little nap but after about 45 minutes I go up. There was no way I could sleep. So we decided to go to the hospital. I think I may have had a few contractions in the car on the way to the hospital but nothing that really hurt. We arrived at the hospital, they verified that my water had in fact broken and they admitted me at about 2:00 am on 5/4/10 (my due date!). I was maybe 2 cm dilated and -3 station. The baby was still really high!

Once they got me into a room they hooked up the monitors to watch the baby’s heartbeat and to see how often I was having contractions. The heartbeat was fine, and I wasn’t having any hard contractions. I think I had a few very minor ones that were 8-10 minutes apart. They wanted to hook me up to an IV. I requested a heplock and the nurse looked at me like I was crazy and said, “I don’t know we can do that.” I thought that was crazy. So we explained to her that we had a birth plan that was reviewed and signed off by my doctor and he was ok with it. So finally we started walking the halls of the hospital. The nurses and doctors that we passed kind of looked at us like we were crazy. I was shocked by how many women go in, get pitocin, get an epidural, have a c-section, and then leave 3 days later. So we walked and walked and my contractions were still not coming strong or regular. We tried squats, we tried the birth ball. Tommy was helping me every step of the way and suggesting things we learned in class. But nothing was working. I was only 3 cm dilated and still -3 station after being in labor for 17 hours. So around 2pm the nurses finally convinced me and Tommy to try pitocin. At first it wasn’t bad at all. I was noticing the contractions more and more but they were manageable. I was still able to get on the birth ball and rock but I had to be monitored constantly. They checked me again I think around 5 and I was still only 3 cm and -3 station. The baby’s head wasn’t even touching my cervix to make it dilate. So I got extremely upset and questioned the nurses that we tried pitocin and it wasn’t doing anything. The contractions by this point were beginning to become unbearable and they wanted to increase the pitocin because they weren’t seeing any progress. So after and long discussion between me and Tommy we decided to try the epidural and see if it would relax me enough and allow my pelvic bones to relax and make the baby come down. We got the epidural and by 6:00 pm when my doctor came in to check me I was 6 cm (according to the doctor) and 7 cm (according to the nurse) and -2 or -1 station. So the epidural worked to relax me and allow the baby’s head to come down. Around 9:00 I began to notice pressure, the doctor checked me and said I could begin pushing, 10 cm and 0 station. So she was still a little high but we could start trying to push her down. I started pushing at 9:30pm. The nurse helping me push was great and Tommy was amazing! The baby’s head was stuck behind my pelvic bone so it took LOTS of pushing to get it past the bone. They turned off my epidural when I began pushing so I could feel the pressure and contraction and knew when to push. By 11:30 my back was killing me and I had to get the epidural back on. Abigail’s head was sideways so the back labor was extremely painful. At 12:15 am (2 hours and 45 minutes of pushing) I almost gave up. Her head was still behind the pelvic bone and I didn’t think we were making much progress. I told the nurse and Tommy that I couldn’t do it anymore and I wanted a C-section. They convinced me to try to push through one more contraction. That did the trick. Her head passed through the bone and then I was told to stop. Stop??? How are you supposed to stop pushing? We had to wait for the doctor. Well I wasn’t stopping, not after 3 hours of pushing. He hurried in and right when he got in position her head started to come. A few more pushes later and her head was out. One more push for the shoulders and then the rest of her just came out. Tommy was practically skipping around the room in joy. They placed her on my chest and Tommy cut the cord and we had a perfect little girl that was all our own. I was experiencing so many different emotions at that one time. I was so relieved that the labor and pushing was over and that I didn’t have to experience a C-section. I was beyond excited to have a little girl in my arms. I was so in love with my husband. I think I feel in love with him all over again when I saw the excitement on his face as she was coming into the world. Abigail was 7 lbs, 10oz and 20 inches long. She’s a perfectly healthy baby girl and we just can’t stop staring at her and taking in every little feature.

Photos of Abigail

2010-05-09T14:07:00.001-05:00

Here are some photos of Abigail. I have been trying for three days to put a video on the Blog, but it doesnt want to work. More will be coming soon.

The best mother's day gift of all!!

2010-05-09T13:07:00.003-05:00

We are all doing great. Tommy and I are on cloud nine and walk around with smiles on our faces all day. She really is a miracle.

She's eating and sleeping well. We've just been relaxing around the house and enjoying all the visitors. I post more soon with a birth story. With 27 hours of labor and 3 hours of pushing, I have a LONG story to write.

Hope everyone has a great mother's day!

Birthday Party at the Hospital

2010-05-05T11:22:00.002-05:00

Well today is the day. She was born this morning after Mom's water broke Monday night at 9pm. We finally made it to the hospital around 1:30am on Tuesday Morning. She did not want to come out because she was extremely happy inside. But, at 12:36am Wednesday, she took her first breath of fresh air. More info will come soon, but just wanted to share it will ya'll all.

Sunshine award and doctor appt update

2010-04-30T13:21:00.003-05:00

Thanks to Vanessa at Grow old with me, the best is yet to be I have been awarded the Sunshine award. Thanks Vanessa! Vanessa is currently expecting a little girl also and she has the same exact due date. I haven't seen an update since Tuesday but it seems like both our little girls are stubborn and do not want to come early. So we're both waiting patiently :-)

We had a doctors appointment yesterday and we FINALLY had some progress. I'm 1.5 cm dilated. It's not much but at least it's something. The doctor said she is still really high so that's pretty much the only thing we are waiting on is for her to drop down in my pelvis. Hopefully this weekend we can convince her to come out!

39 weeks

2010-04-27T10:29:00.003-05:00

How far along? 39 weeks.
Total weight gain/loss: I stopped counting, it's just too many.
Maternity clothes? I returned my aunts maternity clothes so my selection has drastically reduced. But hopefully I will only need them for a little while longer.
Stretch marks? Ummm, well I just noticed some yesterday. Let's just say I'm NOT happy. 1 week until my due date and I'm finding stretch marks. Me and Miss Abigail need to have a talk.
Sleep: It's really hard to find a comfortable position lately.
Best moment this week: each day we get closer and closer to her being here.
Movement: There isn't much room left for her to move but I can feel her stretching in there. And she likes to punch and push on my bladder.
Food cravings: Sweets
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: Still nothing. I a few braxton hicks each day. But at our doctor's appt on Friday there was no progress. At least she's head down!
Belly Button in or out? Still in.
What I miss? Bending over, standing for long periods of time, sleeping, etc etc
What I am looking forward to: Having this baby!
Weekly Wisdom: I need ALOT more patience
Milestones: each day is a milestone...one day closer.

In my daughter's eyes

2010-04-26T12:51:00.002-05:00

Tommy and I went to wedding Saturday night and the DJ played a song that really hit me. I actually started crying (i guess it's the pregnancy hormones). I've heard this song played a million times and it never really had any effect on me but it's funny how it has a whole different meaning to me now. It's 'In My Daughter's Eyes' by Martina McBride. I can't wait to see Abigail's beautiful eyes...only 8 more days!!

In my daughter's eyes I am a hero
I am strong and wise and I know no fear
But the truth is plain to see
She was sent to rescue me
I see who I wanna be
In my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes everyone is equal
Darkness turns to light and the
world is at peace
This miracle God gave to me
gives me strength when I am weak
I find reason to believe
In my daughter's eyes

And when she wraps her hand
around my finger
It puts a smile in my heart
Everything becomes a little clearer
I realize what life is all about
It's hangin' on when your heart
has had enough
It's giving more when you feel like giving up
I've seen the light
It's in my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes I can see the future
A reflection of who I am and what will be
Though she'll grow and someday leave
Maybe raise a family
When I'm gone I hope you see how happy
she made me
For I'll be there
In my daughter's eyes.

38 weeks - I'm sooooo ready!

2010-04-20T17:01:00.002-05:00

How far along? 38 weeks. The little patience I did have is now completely gone. I'm so ready for this baby to come.
Total weight gain/loss: 33 lbs.
Maternity clothes? I found out last week that my aunt is 3 months pregnant for #7 so all the maternity clothes she let me borrow will need to be sent back very soon! Thank goodness I'm done with them. I have a few things of my own to last me the next few weeks (hopefully just the next few days)
Stretch marks? still none!!!
Sleep: Sleep has been good but I can only sleep for 2 hour stretches.
Best moment this week: Feeling her kick Tommy in the face when he was talking to her.
Movement: Yep she's still a little gymnast and she gets the hiccups about once a day now.
Food cravings: nothing really
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: Our appt last Friday was about the same as the one before. Still no progress, she was still really high. But she has definitely dropped since then so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for better news this Friday.
Belly Button in or out? It's staying in.
What I miss? Waking up really early to drive to work...just kidding I'm loving staying home and working from home.
What I am looking forward to: LABOR! I can't wait.
Weekly Wisdom: It could be another month before she comes...I just need to get more patience.
Milestones: past full term...

Every dog has it's day...dog.

2010-04-20T10:34:00.003-05:00

That Toby Keith song could not have come out at a better time. Poor Cajun had a little surgery last Friday to get neutered, it just wasn't his day. The last few weeks I thought he was calming down and starting to listen a little more so I figured we would be nice and bring him with us to my parents house so he could swim in their pond. Well my little sister has a 6 month old male border collie that Cajun liked a little too much and would not leave him alone. So Tommy and I agreed that it was time to get him fixed. With the baby coming we're hoping that this may calm him down and help him with the transition to having a little baby around...we'll see how that goes. He did great with the surgery. He was a little out of it Friday afternoon and Saturday but Sunday he woke up and was back to normal. He was running all over the yard and jumping into Tommy's truck, etc. I think he's already forgotten what happened to him.

Landscaping Pictures

2010-04-19T08:40:00.005-05:00

Here are a few updated pictures of our backyard landscaping. We've been adding little by little each weekend. We have some landscape lighting to add and then we will be done!!

The two big post are for a hammock that we can't leave up because Cajun will tear it to pieces and eat it.

37 weeks - Full term

2010-04-15T14:02:00.004-05:00

How far along? 37 weeks. Abigail is official full term!
Total weight gain/loss: 33 lbs.
Maternity clothes? I'm so ready to pack them up and store them away.
Stretch marks? still none!!!
Sleep: It's starting to hurt to change positions and switch sides. I wake up probably 3 or 4 times a night to pee or roll over.
Best moment this week: WE ARE COMPLETELY DONE WITH EVERY BIRTH/HOSPITAL CLASS!!!! I really enjoyed taking the Bradley courses and learning some new things at the hospital courses. But I was so tired of rushing home and having to rush off to class. It's nice to go home and relax in the afternoon.
Movement: She's still shaking her butt in there and punching me with those little hands.
Food cravings: Chocolate
Gender: Miss Lil' Bit
Labor Signs: We didn't have any progress at our doctor's appt last friday. He said my cervix was softening a little and I was just slightly dilated, but nothing to get excited about. Hopefully with the Braxton Hicks and the few real contractions I've had lately we will hear more good news tomorrow.
Belly Button in or out? It's staying in.
What I miss? being able to bend over without losing my breath
What I am looking forward to: doctors appt tomorrow morning and today is my last at work. I will work from home until she comes but no more waking up really really early to drive an hour to work!
Weekly Wisdom: I sure hope motherhood teaches me some patience because I definitely need to learn that.
Milestones: FULL TERM!

36 weeks

2010-04-06T13:40:00.004-05:00

How far along? 36 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 32 lbs.
Maternity clothes? There isn't much that fits anymore. The shirts are getting short.
Stretch marks? still none!
Sleep: Still waking up about every 2 hours to change positions or use the bathroom.
Best moment this week: finishing the pond and enjoying our backyard. I think we've sat by the waterfall almost every afternoon in the last week just to relax.
Movement: Yep, she's still active in there.
Food cravings: A coke or Dr. pepper icee.
Gender: Little Bitty Abigail
Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks and I get maybe 1 or 2 real contractions a day.
Belly Button in or out? still in, I don't think it's coming out.
What I miss? being able to do things on my own, like climb a ladder or pick up heavy objects. I think that's the only frustrating thing about being pregnant that I have to get Tommy or someone else to do things for me.
What I am looking forward to: the labor and delivery tour tonight.
Weekly Wisdom: Patience is a virtue, patience is a virtue. We still have 4 more weeks to go.
Milestones: 1 week until she is full term!

Back yard paradise

2010-03-31T10:03:00.006-05:00

You might remember in June of last year we started a HUGE project in our backyard. Well that project is now about 90% complete. Last June we put in a paver patio. You can see pictures of that process here. Then in July we did the landscaping around the patio except in one small area. You can see pictures of that here. We planned on putting a pond and waterfall in dirt hole/mound. Well almost a year later we have completed the pond/waterfall. It actually wasn't has hard as we thought. The paver patio was MUCH MUCH harder. But poor Tommy had to do most of the work himself because a pregnant woman isn't much help. So we started out with this on Friday...

A not very attractive mound in our yard with a huge hole at the bottom.

And then Saturday morning we woke up and got to work putting in the pond liner and laying the rocks inside the pond. By about 12:00 (including a trip to the stone yard to get more rocks) we had this...

We finished placing the stones and pebbles and added water to make sure the pump and all the piping were not leaking.

Ahhh, it worked, it actually flowed!!!

So beautiful!
I was exhausted from carrying small rocks and squatting to pick up rocks so I went take a one hour nap at about 1:30. When I woke up Tommy had mulched around everything and finished up all the little details. He is so great!

This is so relaxing to come home to. I can definitely see us sitting on back patio listening to the waterfall while Abigail runs around the yard and plays with Cajun. I'm so glad we finished this project. I still need to do some landscaping around it and put lighting in the landscaping but all that can be done gradually.

It was worth waiting almost a year for this...

My side of the family is coming over on Friday for a crawfish boil and I can wait to utilize the patio and show everyone Tommy's hard work. Everything looks great!

35 weeks

2010-03-31T09:33:00.002-05:00

I know I skipped the 34 week post but I have been so exhausted and busy with preparing for the baby that I didn't have the 5 minutes to write the 34 week post...so here's 35 weeks/35 days left!!

How far along? 35 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 30...ouch, I didn't want to reach that number and I still have 5 weeks left. I hope I don't gain too much more but it seems like my body has been retaining alot of fluid lately.
Maternity clothes? I'm getting tired of them.
Stretch marks? still none!! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the next 5 weeks that they don't start popping up.
Sleep: Hasn't been too great lately. I can only sleep for about 2 hours at a time then I'm awake for 30-45 minutes. It's all in preparation for those late night feedings.
Best moment this week: we go the car seat installed and finished buying all the little last minute things we will need. I think we're ready! If only I could finish packing my hospital bag. I've been putting that off for weeks now.
Movement: she hasn't been kicking and tumbling as much but I can feel her sliding around and getting comfortable.
Food cravings: Chocolate again...Easter candy, yum. That might explain those 30 pounds too.
Gender: the ultrasounds still say its a girl but we'll know for sure in only 5 short weeks
Labor Signs: I've have a few cramps/contractions in afternoons about 3 or 4 days a week. Other then that, she's still growing in there.
Belly Button in or out? still in
What I miss? being able to bend over to put on my socks and shoes.
What I am looking forward to: the hospital tour next Tuesday. I have lots of questions.
Weekly Wisdom: I'm uncomfortable, tired and very ready to see and hold this baby, but I know she still needs those few weeks to grow and develop so I just need to be patient.
Milestones: 35 weeks down, 35 days to go!

33 weeks

2010-03-22T13:20:00.006-05:00

How far along? 33 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 27

Maternity clothes? can't get away from them. I'm about ready to pack them up and store them away for a while.

Stretch marks? still none!!

Sleep: my bladder is getting smaller and smaller and it's getting harder and harder to get comfortable so sleeping is getting more and more difficult.

Best moment this week: feeling all of her kicks and punches, realizing how close we are to having a baby in our arms.

Movement: yep, she's still rolling around in there.

Food cravings: Lasagna

Gender: pearls, and tutus, and ballet shoes....I'm getting so excited about having a little miss priss.

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks and I think I've had a few real contractions but nothing that has been consisent or uncomfortable.

Belly Button in or out? still in, at this rate I don't know if it will ever poke out.

What I miss? sleeping more than 2 hours at a time...its all in preparation for those late night feedings

What I am looking forward to: our first hospital class tonight on breastfeeding

Weekly Wisdom: I can have a natural child birth. Hundreds (maybe thousands) of woman do it every day so I know I can manage the pain and have a healthy natural pregnancy.

Milestones: only a few more weeks until she is full term!!