The things they say!

Last night Kris was putting Abi in the car and had her sippy cup in his hands. She looked at him and said, "Mine!" ..."Not yours!" ..."Don't touch!" ...and no I'm not making it up - I kid you not. OH MY! What are we in for? :)

Please don't do that again...

I wasn't aware of Abi ever trying to climb out of bed before... but she got an idea in her head and it was done - not with any great finesse - just done. She was tired Wednesday night; Corey and Patrick had been playing with her and it was an hour passed her bedtime. I put her in bed and somehow thought that she was asleep. Kris and I were talking, and I was on my hands and knees cleaning up the mud in the entryway... ...I've never heard a more heart stopping crash. Nor have I ever made it up 6 steps and down a hall faster - Kris right on my heals. She cried for a couple minutes and then was fine - couldn't even find a bump or bruise - and she was ready to "play toys!!" None the worse for wear - she was ready to go. After 20 minutes of hugging, smothering her with kisses, telling her never to do that again (what do you mean she doesn't understand that?) and letting my heart rate slow to a speed not indicative of serious cardiac issues, we put her back to bed. As she lay down she said, "Fall!" "Fall!!" "I fall!!" ....Yes you did, baby girl, please don't do that again!

... and so I leave you with a couple pictures of a genius 1-year-old and other "ideas" she has recently come up with!

Happier day :)

This is my little babe with her table and chairs - the ones she can't stay away from all day long... the ones she loves to play tea-party at... the ones at which she will sit and beg us to "sit, sit, sit" with her all day long :) I love this little babe!

OK, so I went to the Dr. today. I had to wait in the waiting room for 45 min (at 9:30 in the morning - pretty far behind for being that early!) but the good news is - he didn't think it was my disc issues but more of a repeated sprain. He gave me a script for some muscle relaxers so hopefully that will help! I'm tired of back pain, and I'm sure my poor husband is tired of me having back pain!

I'm late getting home from work this evening... Late for a reason that I don't mind at all. Someone stopped me on my way out the door to ask me about my church. I have no idea how she new what church I go to. I don't always talk a lot about such things at work because I don't want people to feel that I cram things down their throats. I find it a hard balance.... but tonight I was sooooo happy! That someone would ask meant they felt comfortable talking to me about my faith. I say all this to say that it also brought up questions in my mind... questions on a lot of things, but one thing I can't get off my mind. How would I deal with it if a couple living an "alternative lifestyle" asked to join our smallgroup? I have so many questions and not so many answers. We love sinners, just not the sin - and thank God for that because we all have plenty of sin in our lives! Hmmm.... I don't think I can even put my thoughts into words right now - my head is tired, but I want to think about this a bit... I think I need to do some studying and contemplating...

A few things...

The new year is hear and so must be the diet... I can't believe how much weight I've put on since this summer! Its time to stop feeling sorry for myself about not being able to get pregnant and using that as an excuse to eat like a stinking pig!! I have 25 lbs to loose - I'm starting now... I do hope my back gets better quickly so that I can go to the gym!

I'm so frustrated today - I've called 2 Dr's in the last 2 days and I can't get even one to care enough to talk to me on the phone! Yesterday, I called my Primary Care Dr. about my back - its a little better now, but on New Years Day I could hardly walk. He waited all day to call me back only to have his nurse call me and tell me I need to come in. I don't need to talk to a nurse - I am a nurse - I had a couple questions for my Dr! What happened to the days when there was common courtesy and Dr's cared? Ugh.... OK - so Kris talked me down off that ledge... I'm going to see the Dr. tomorrow - but not my Dr. of course because he's now off for the rest of the week! So then today I called my OB/GYN - I'm frustrated about not being pregnant and just wanted to chat for 5 sec to make myself feel better. The receptionist asked what it was about - when I told her what it was about she immediately said, "Oh, your going to have to come in - they won't want to talk to you over the phone." I asked, "Can't I even talk to someone to ask a couple questions??!" She took my number and said the midwife would call me back.... Two minutes later I get another call from the receptionist who informs me, "She said you really have to come in." I was so angry... "Can't anyone even give me 5 seconds of their time to tell me how long to keep trying before I completely loose heart???" She put me on hold for a second and then came back, "A year" was all she said. "Well, I'm not there yet" and I hung up. Seriously? I can't even talk to a Dr. to try to get some encouragement? It hasn't been a year yet, so they won't see me in the office, but they also won't talk to me over the phone... Great! So basically not a single Dr. that I see cares enough to give me the time of day??! I'm so angry - thanks for the encouragement Dr's - you all make me feel soooooo much better!!

p.s. I don't really think anyone reads this much - if you do, I'm sorry you read my ranting... If your a Dr. don't take it personally - I'm only referring to my current Dr.s...

Christmas

This was our picture to send out with Christmas cards this year... Its not perfect but I LOVE it. I didn't realize till a couple months ago how impossible it is to get a good picture of such an active toddler! She was actually jumping up to go look at the screen when this was taken :) I'm so happy to have a nice family picture again!!

So - I decided to make Christmas stockings this year. I had made two for Kris and I a couple years ago, but Abi didn't have one. I made a forth in hopes that there will be a 4th Milo next year - we shall see... They were pretty easy to do. The hardest part was hand sewing the piping (see the second pic) - even that was easy but time consuming. Of course I had planned to start much sooner than I did... I actually started prep for Christmas before Thanksgiving this year - something I've never done before! I was so proud of myself, but then Abi got sick and I got sooooooo far behind. I started these stockings the Friday before Christmas - but had them finished by Monday.

Poor little babe has been sick again... Hopefully we've reached then end of it! She just had a cold, but it was a bad one! We finally took her to the Dr. on Christmas Eve because she had had such a cough and it wouldn't go away! They weren't sure what was wrong - maybe an ear infection or sinusitis - but said that since it had been more than 2 weeks they were going to treat it with abx. So now - 3 weeks later and a couple days on some amoxycillin - she FINALLY seems to be sleeping better and I've only heard her cough once in the last 24 hours!! Yay!

...OK... so I started this post over a week ago and then life got so busy again that I haven't had time to finish it!

This was definitely my favorite Christmas!! Having Abi old enough to somewhat understand and then to be able to express her appreciation was heart melting!! We got her a little set of table and 2 chairs that are just her size and SHE LOVES THEM!!! Kris and Ty got them ready Christmas Eve night after Abi went to bed and left them set up in the living room. Christmas morning Abi woke up crazy early and I had her play with Kris in our room for a little while so I could finish getting things ready... On her way out to the living room she decided to make a pit stop in the bathroom to get her "pieces" (her shampoo etc....) So I said, "Abi, come here - I want to show you something!" She started to come out of the bathroom throwing a fit cause she wanted to do her own thing, but stopped short in the doorway when she saw the table and chairs. She stood like a statue for about a second and then a huge smile slowly grew on her face. She ran to the table, climbed up in a chair, put her hands over the table and leaned over and gave it a hug. Then she jumped up and ran back to me and gave me a huge hug.... ran back to the table.... ran back to hug me.... ran back to the table.... My hear melted. If that was the only thing she was excited about it would have been worth it, but it wasn't. She loved every since toy and enjoyed unwrapping immensely! (Though I must say - what is with the pulling off a tiny piece and handing it to me "tay-tchoo!", pulling off another piece and handing it to me "tay-tchoo!" she may be a little OCD like me!)

I think we just had the best Christmas that I can ever remember! I can't believe how having a child who is so excited about everything can make it all so much more magical! :)

Christmas is coming!

So much to say... ...and so very little time! But here is a pic of our little babe with her very first Christmas present - a pillow pet sent by Uncle Aaron and Auntie Melissa!! She LOVES it - gosh that thing is soft! :)
-Abi has just been sick for almost 2 weeks - hopefully she is now on the mend...
-We had the chance to go to Atlanta to see Aaron, Melissa and Mercy for Thanksgiving -it was such a wonderful time! I'm so happy we finally got to see a bit of their lives. And Abi did well and stayed healthy this time!
-I finally got to go to M.O.M.S. group a couple weeks ago. I've been wanting to go for a year and it just didn't fit with Abi's schedule. It really was a blessing
-Ty and Beth are coming for Christmas!
-Mercy is coming for New Years!
-I'm making Christmas stockings. I wish I had more time, but I'm excited and they're coming out well!
-Time flies and I don't like it! I've been watching old videos of Abi and it makes me sad that she's growing up too fast!
-We've been trying to get pregnant ever since Abi turned one and are trying VERY hard not to get completely discouraged...
-We had the most lovely warm fall - making the coming of winter less hard.

...Thanks to Christa - I stole this from you :)

Before I was a Mom I made and ate hot meals.
I had unstained clothing.
I had quiet conversations on the phone.

Before I was a Mom,
I slept as late as I wanted
And never worried about how late I got into bed.
I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was Mom I cleaned my house each day.
I never tripped over toys or forgot words of lullabies.

Before I was a Mom I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom I had never been puked on
Pooped on
Spit on
Chewed on
Peed on
Or pinched by tiny fingers

Before I was a Mom I had complete control of:
My thoughts
My body
And my mind.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom I never held down a screaming child
So that doctors could do tests or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.

I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a Mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important.

Before I was a Mom I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
Every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay
I had never known the warmth
The joy
The love
The heartache
The wonder
Or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

Cuteness :)

Sorry - I can't blog without adding a picture of my little babe! :) And no, she's not eating an apple (though she LOVES them and can gobble them up.) Its a POTATO!!

Blogging? What's that???

Pretty sure that this officially marks the longest that I've ever gone without blogging since starting this blog over 3 1/2 years ago! Who knew that a 1 year old would take up all my "extra" time, whatever that is?!! :) The last couple months have been a whirl-wind... ...spinning by faster than the eye can see! Last moths - What am I saying? I still can't figure out what's happened to the whole last 2 years!!! Time has never gone so quickly and I fear it won't slow back down! :)

I think one of the things that made it all go by so quickly was that Abi was sick a lot in the last couple months. First a cold, then a virus, then a croupy cough... poor little babe! I HATE when she's sick! I feel so bad for and I can't fix it!

One of the more exciting things that happened is Sept was a fire on the hospital floor I was working on... All the staff worked well together - evacuated all the patients and kept everything running smoothly. It wasn't good excitement, but afterwards it was cool that I got to help with such a thing. Made me feel like a bit of a hero for a day or 2! :)

Abi has a couple new toys. She has a lovely swing hanging from the back deck which she could sit in for hours at a time. She loves it, and usually ends up screaming when we finally have to take her out! She also has a new wagon. Actually - I suppose that's more our toy to play with her. Its great for going on walks etc...

We discovered Liberty Ridge Farm this year, and have decided that it is "THE" fall place to go! They have a huge corn maze, a wood fort maze, a little pumpkin maze for little people, little animals, awesome food, games, giant human hamster wheels.... on and on! We've been a couple times now and had sooooo much fun! I love being able to go to places like that and have Abi enjoy it to!

Ty and Beth were just here for a bit and it was awesome! We were so blessed to have them here - they're so special to us. They left on Sunday and Abi is still running around the house saying, "guys??" "Guys!!?" She misses them badly :)

I'm amazed every day by how much Abi is growing, learning and changing. She surprises me every day with new words that I'm shocked she knows... How does she learn all this??? I know that most people wouldn't understand what she's saying yet, but that fact that she and Kris and I do is crazy! There have to be at least 50 words, but I've totally lost count and I'm quite sure there are more! She loves pushing her "baby" around in her stroller, playing with all the tupper-ware in the kitchen, getting into everything she isn't supposed to etc.... She watches me put my make-up on in the morning and comes running in saying, "cheeks! cheeks!!" so that I'll put her blush on. (Don't worry - I don't really put any on, but she likes the brush) :) Man - I'm so afraid that I won't be able to remember all these moments! I try to take soooo many pictures and videos, but I know there are things I'll forget and it makes me sad... Kris and I just love to watch her - its amazing what it does to your hear to watch your little babe. There simply are no words!!

There have been some things lately that we have struggled not to be discouraged about. It is sometimes so hard to trust in God's timing. Sometimes you get frustrated with people, sometimes you get frustrated with yourselves, and sometimes you get frustrated with circumstances. Its all been such a great reminder to me of the fact that I need to continuously seek after God and make Him the center of my life. And so... I seek... for His answers and His blessing. The latter of the two I've already received in so many ways.... One of the greatest being my husband! I love him so :)

Hmmm...

So I gave up on the just one nap-a-day thing... After 4 days she was so completely exhausted she couldn't stand it and we couldn't either!! I say I gave up, BUT she gave up on 2 naps - so no matter what I do she will NOT take a second nap. The biggest problem is that she will only take a 1 1/2 hour nap even though she's only taking one nap a day! Its like clock work - I could seriously use her as a timer!! Its just not enough sleep... Don't know how to get her to sleep longer. I did decide (after talking to every mother I could think of) to still put her in her crib for quiet time in the mornings... ...she doesn't sleep, but she's happy to be in there and it helps us to get through the long mornings. I hope that with time she'll start to take a longer nap since its really only once a day - she needs more sleep. As it is right now she reaches complete melt-down mode by 5pm... Ugh...

I've been LOVING having a pool this summer! I've gotten to use it more than the last 2 years combined. :) I'm determined to be in it for at least a little while every day I can - especially on the hot days we've had this past week. I love this weather and I'm so happy that we're finally having some summer weather! Kris isn't much for the pool, so I get it to myself. (Anyone want to come swim with me?) Abi loves the water, but she doesn't like to be held and after about 5 minutes wants "up!" She loves to run around on the deck while I stay in the pool on the edge watching. She runs around like a crazy girl picking up the leaves and throwing them on the ground saying, "yucky!" Then she'll run over and give me a kiss and go right back to playing.

Abi discovered spinning in circles today. She only makes it about 360 before falling on the ground - and then looks up at me as if to say, "what just happened?" She looks very perplexed at the idea of being dizzy and doesn't understand it at all. That doesn't stop her though!

I'm constantly baffled at all the things she understands already. For a couple weeks now I can ask her if she "needs her dippee-doo changed" and she'll run right down the hall to her bedroom and stand by the changing table waiting for me! :) I can ask her if she's hungry and sometimes she'll run right to her highchair and say, "up?" She's learning so much communication already! And if she doesn't know how to tell you what she wants she runs to wherever you are and grabs you finger and pulls you to wherever she needs to show you what she wants! While very cute it can also be frustrating because if we don't immediately go where she wants us to, she throws herself on the ground and throws a fit! :)

A short (and probably incomplete) list of her vocab: Daddy, Mama, yes, no, more, thank-you, cheese, hot, water, uh-oh, yucky, oh-gosh, up, eyes, ears, cheek, teeth, hat, hair, hi, pinch, hugs, kisses, dog, woof, kitty, woah, go, this, that, watch...

The other day Abi fell and gave herself a bloody lip. Poor little babe seems to be a little accident prone! She fell into the futon frame and tore the frenulum of her upper lip. Thankful after the screaming subsided she dealt with it very well! She wouldn't let us look in her mouth or get near it, but it didn't slow her down on her eating or drinking! Oh, and speaking of eating... I was starting to think that she's becoming an extremely fussy eater, but in reality I think its just that she doesn't want ME to feed her AT ALL! As long as its something she can feed herself, she'll eat. If its something that I have to feed her, she won't tough it! Silly girl!