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THE SUMMER SLIPPED BY
I HAD LOTS OF ADVENTURES
I WATCHED TIME FLY
GROWING UP BIGGER
LOVING MOM AND DAD
PLAYING WITH FAMILY
MORE FUN IS TO BE HAD!
...you know, life. And yes, I realize a lot of pictures I have of Abby are of her eating... but if you could see how MUCH she enjoys eating... well, here you go. Abby and daddy eating frozen blueberries. And my fantastic videotaking abilities. :)
(hopefully this works)
http://s228.photobucket.com/albums/ee149/k
It's a good thing I don't have many crises or issues to blog about that often. I am blessed with a healthy almost 2 year old (gulp!) that I get to have adventures with. She is so smart and funny and I am so proud to be her mama.
So maybe I'll blog again soon, and it might be another month or two. But I hope you're having fun, too. Thanks for checking in on us.
Love,
Kim and Abby
If I had my child to raise over again,
I'd finger paint more, and point the finger less.
I'd do less correcting, and more connecting.
I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.
I would care to know less, and know to care more.
I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.
I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.
I'd run through more fields, and gaze at more stars.
I'd do more hugging, and less tugging.
I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.
I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later.
I'd teach less about the love of power,
And more about the power of love.
From 100 Ways to Build Self-Esteem & Teach Values by Diana Loomans
We have some big news, too... Abby is in a big girl bed now. She toppled out of her crib and landed on her forehead, and after that we decided to try changing it. We were given a crib when she was born that has one side that can be removed, so she is now sleeping in a three sided bed. She's fallen out once, but we put cushions on the floor so she wasn't injured, or even really awoken (is that a word??). Twice she's been on the floor - once trying to get under the area rug as a blanket, and once just curled up on the cushions. It's a wonderful event when she wakes up. She used to immediately scream bloody murder when she woke up, but now she hops out of bed and comes wandering into our bedroom with her blankie. We put the baby gate at the end of the hall, so the only place she can wander is in her room or into ours. She's been sleeping thru the night all night, and although I am a little melancholy she's growing up so fast, I love who she's turning into and the milestones she's hitting.
Another piece of news - we have more teeth!!! Abby started drooling around 3 months old, and has had a perpetually wet shirt ever since. She popped four front teeth eventually, and her four molars. Then everything stopped. For months. She has the appetite of a toddler with all of her teeth, and get frustrated when she can't take big bites like she wants to or can't eat what she wants to. So we were excited to see that the drooling increased, and teeth are coming through. So far it's just two more front teeth, one on top and bottom, which means she'll have three front teeth each on top and bottom. Rather lopsided, but her gums are swollen and she's chewing on her hands like crazy, so I think they rest will come thru shortly.
We have stopped nursing almost entirely. We struggled so much in the early days with supply and pain and it was tempting to give up. I am so proud that we made it for as long as we did. I think we have a strong bond due to it.
I am fascinated by who Abby is developing into. She is a fun loving, kind, energetic little girl. She loves her daddy so much, and they have a special nighttime routine (Goodnight Moon and cuddling on the couch) that is heartwarming. She is gregarious and interested in everything. She is still learning coping skills, and I have seen a couple of awe-inspiring tantrums (luckily, none in public). She's had time outs in the corner, and they are pretty effective as she does not like sitting by herself and not being able to talk or play. Overall, however, she is obedient and is learning her chores (picking up after herself, putting away toys, etc.).
I'm hoping to update a little more frequently so that there are more event specific blogs, rather than just an overall glance, but it's hard to find the time to sit and blog. Maybe in the mornings when Abby is watching Seasame St or Curious George (yep, we're a tv family, along with Abby's videos of Pooh and Elmo).
And a quick catch up since the beginning of the year...
You're leaving me New Years Eve??
More to come soon. Off to a playdate. Why is this underlined? :)
-We are working on getting completely out of consumer debt this year. This has been a long road, as Logan and I did not see eye-to-eye when we got married regarding debt. He HATES it and I had the idea that debt would always be with me, and I wasn't willing to "let it ruin my life". I wanted to play and travel and buy things, and pay the minimum on the debt, since I would always be saddled by it. Basically, having the debt kept me from doing the things I want to do, and prevented me from having a closer relationship with my husband. Long story short, I can now see the wisdom of the man God blessed me with, and we have the same goals. I have been shouldering the same $$ around for years... it is a burden and unwelcome. We are in a good place, as my small business is growing (against the odds of a poor economy... being able to accept insurance helps!) and Logan's job is secure. I am working on a monthly budget. Beans and rice and TVP isn't romantic, but being out of debt is, so it's a small (temporary) price to pay.
We are big fans of Dave Ramsey too, and he has a lot of helpful hints from a Christ-centered perspective on living debt free.
Part of the plan is a budget. Often money gets frittered away on a new outfit for Abby, or an extra large coffee (or two), or 'gee-gaws and hickafrazz' (Logan's terms for candles and cutesy little home things). Sometimes I look back at the end of the month, and I have 100's of dollars unaccounted for. Sometimes I give in to the euphoria of buying something new, sometimes I get something without price shopping first, sometimes I feel down or overwhlemed or tired and a little pick me up at the store is exactly what I "need". I think there is room for all of this, but it has to be accounted for. There's no problem with hitting Starbucks every day, as long as there is money for that treat. (well, except my drink of choice probably has a lot of calories and fat in it. so that's a bit of a problem, but I digress...). Logan and I have talked extensively before about how much we want for mad money, how much for household, etc. I'm looking forward to learning to live within the budget. Being frugal can be fun. I enjoy price shopping and seeing how I can make a meal for cheap. Abby has more than enough clothes (more than Logan and I put together!), new shoes, and tons of toys that I am rotating, so she always has new ones to play with. I sent Logan to Costco and he bought a huge bag of coffee beans, and I bought flavored creamer on sale and froze it (it actually unfreezes great!). I play the Grocery Game using coupons and look forward to seeing how much I can save every month. When I was doing it seriously before Abby was born, one month I spent $150 and saved over $400 using coupons. Logan loves a stocked pantry and I like the savings. :)
Anyway, I think we are set. I need to be vigilant about not going out and spending money just because I am bored or we need out of the house. I live 1/2 mile away from an awesome library and a super kids play area; we can walk there and Abby can play.
I was thinking about this tonight, and I think one of the main reasons my mindset has changed regarding debt is that I really want to be a role model in every area of my life for Abby. If she grows up in a family that is debt free and uses money as a tool, instead of being used by money, I think she will be well ahead of the game when she gets older and goes to college/starts her own family. Plus, the idea of not having to have "The Talk" about money anymore with Logan makes me giddy.
-I am getting fit again. I (mostly) ran a 1/2 marathon last April, and was walking 10 miles 3x a week. I haven't walked much since the weather turned yucky. I just feel better when I have exercised. Abby loves getting out too. I got my ends cut off my hair, so it's more manageable and pretty. I am 90% sure I am a sugar addict. I am working on figuring out how to live 2009 in a way that glorifies God and takes care of my body.
-Working on our garage. We have an awesome garage (900 sf!) and I am excited about organizing it. Putting up shelves and hanging hooks for the bikes and buckets for clothes Ab has outgrown. There is a lot to get done, but there is even more potential. It will be like having an addition to our house. I'm looking forward to it.
There's always more to talk about, but it's hard to put it out in internetland. For now, I think I'll leave you with a few pics of the cutest girl in the world.
With her mama on Christmas day wearing our new hats from Daddy!
Happy New Year!!
Love,
Kim and Abby
p.s. if you have new year resolutions or goals/dreams/plans, I'd love to hear 'em!
We have about inches, with a forecast of 3-4 more tonight. Flights are canceled and my family isn't done Christmas shopping yet. I made a few prezzies, but will have to wait until after Christmas to post pics.
Since we are house bound, we played out in the snow a little bit. Logan took care of her today for me, so I could focus on getting gifts done. He found the secret to Abby sleeping 2 hours at every nap and all night long - stuffing her full of food. Seriously, she eats almost as much as I do. Cheese and banana and crackers and a baby sized thing of vegetable beef (ew) and some of my lasagna and grapes and a cookie... geesh!
Out in the snow today. Abby stood there most of the time, squealing if she started to tip over. She does not like her hands in the snow. Guess I don't blame her!
(yes, I realize there is dog rear in the pic)
Yesterday in the sun
More pics to come tomorrow, I'm sure. :)
Love,
Kim and Abigail
This has been a busy time with Abby. She has popped her two top molars and one bottom molar, so now she is up to 7 teeth. She had a runny nose and a cough, but other than that has been healthy for some time.
We have snow! Abby enjoys watching it from a distance, or in our arms, but isn't too fond of it when she falls over. :)
Catching the first flakes with daddy
All bundled up...
Has her mamas sweet tooth - enjoying what is left of vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce! Check out her hair and forehead!
At the Santa Parade with daddy
Trying to get her tights off- she doesn't realize they go all the way up. :)
My mama dresses me funny!
Helping mama in the kitchen
Reading with daddy - almost as long as he is!
Loving on the dollie that Grandma Vi made for her
Bathtime!
One of my favs!
Have a great Christmas! Stay warm!!
xo Kim and Abigail
Items of interest that have happened in the past three weeks:
-Abby popped a molar! So now she has two top and two bottom teeth, and one random on on the side. Which actually is really cute, because when she eats she shoves everything back to that one tooth to chew.
-We went to the dr for a well baby check up. Abby is 24 lbs and almost off the charts for height still. Dr said to keep feeding her fattening foods, since she is getting more active and can lose weight (her baby cheeks are already gone). I don't know how I can feed her more food - the girl eats as much as her daddy does! :)
We celebrated halloween by going to grandma's and daddy's work. Abby was a reluctant butterfly.
With a mouthful of crackers
But she discovered that she really likes mounds bars, like Grandpa John. :)
We cleaned out a pumpkin and then Logan and I ate all of the cooked seeds in about 10 minutes. Mmmm!
Abby was really interested. (insert rolling eyes here)
It was good weather and we were able to go play on the swings.
another of Abby's costumes for halloween (thanks Andy!!)
More to come, but that's a good sampling.
:) Kim and Abby
I went to school at Seattle Midwifery to become a doula (labor assistant). I've attended one birth (a boy weighing in at 9 lb 14 oz - mama did a great job!) and am on call for another birth.
I am considering/planning on changing my office space to a location that would provide more clients, and that is taking a lot of energy (mental and physical) to get it done.
Abby is almost running, which in and of itself makes life more fun and yet more hard. She routinely walks into walls because she's not looking where she going, and has bruises up and down her shins from where she's fallen. She's trouper, tho. Still no more teeth than the original four (well, three really - the two bottom ones and the two top ones that are 1/2 in. :D)
Our adventures lately -
not sure about Ronald
ok, maybe he's not that bad. :)
Abby camoflauged on her new rug (unintentional, I promise!)
Cheese!!
Not too excited about being stuck in a high chair (love the pouty lips!)
Learning to eat with a spoon is messy!
The best pic I could get this morning - the girl doesn't like to sit still anymore for photos! (Ignore the strewn toys in the background).
Today we are going to Jamba Juice and then the mall. I'll take my camera and one of these days I'll get another pic of Abby smiling. I promise it still happens! :0)
Love,
Kim and Abby
Tomorrow, I am out $5 and some odd change for an expensive coffee. Probably a really big one, with lots of flavors and milk and multiple shots of espresso.
Tonight, however, I am
I have a story, but I have to tell a little backstory to get to it.
My baby girl turns 15 months old tomorrow. How time goes by. We have been doing modified cosleeping, meaning I have been sleeping in her room, popping her paci back in and tucking her in the few times a night she wakes up in her crib. It's actually worked quite well, and I got almost 4 hours of straight glorious sleep. Then, a couple of Wednesdays ago, she woke up with a bit of a runny nose. By midmorning it was drizzling, and by afternoon she was sneezing and snotting all over. My daughter does nothing halfway, and when she gets a cold, she goes gangbusters. Which usually means I catch it as well, then give it back to her when she is on the brink of getting better, and then she gives it back to me. It's quite a lovely, drawn out process. I think I've had more sneezes and blown my nose more since Abby was born then the rest of my entire life combined. No kidding.
So. we are doing the modified cosleeping, Abby is only waking up 2-3 times a night for just a few minutes, life is good. Then she gets this cold. But seriously, it was the worst cold she's had yet. Poor girl had bright green nose juice. She had no appetite. She wasn't happy being held or put down. The few bites she tried to eat she gagged on, and her little body was so hot a couple of evenings. Of course, since she couldn't breathe thru her nose, she couldn't use her paci, so she couldn't fall asleep properly. She could *kind of* breathe when I held her upright, so we spent the majority of three nights in a semi-reclining position (that was oh so comfy). I finally took her in to the dr, cause I thought she might have an ear infection or strep. Nope (whew), but doc said she had a lot of blisters and a very red throat. Poor sweetie. The past two days she is becoming herself again, and I really really really hope this is the last of the colds for awhile. I got the tailend of this cold, and I can't breathe and my throat hurt for a day, and I just feel so bad for her.
The last two nights she's been in her crib again. I've been sleeping in the "big girl bed" (mmmmmmmm!) and coming into her room when she awakens. I guess most babies lay in their crib and cry. Not my Abby. She immediately stands up and throws her paci and starts hollering. If we ignore her, it just goes up in pitch and rythym. So when I first hear her cry, I race to her bed, in hopes of getting there before she stands up. She's much easier to put back to sleep when she hasn't wound herself up. I'm amazing myself how I can go from a dead sleep to flying thru the room in a split second.
So, all this info for the story. It was 3 am, and Abby started crying. I went in to soothe her, and she kept trying to stand up and talk to me. She has an adorable way of asking for kisses, but it's much cuter in daylight. So, I tried to not interact with her very much (I was cold and wanted to get back into my own bed ASAP). I laid her down and tucked her in and gave her her paci, just like always. She popped right back up, grinning. I laid her down, tucked her in... she popped up again.
I was less than amused. My mattress was in there, so I decided to ignore her and pray she'd lay down by herself. Right. As soon as I lay down, her banshee wail started. I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep, and with amazing accuracy, was pegged on my forehead by a sticky, wet, warm paci. I ignored that (although I laughed about it later). Next came her water bottle. Onto the floor, not my head, luckily, but thrown with quite a bit of effort. Then, came the blankets. Our house is cold, as we haven't turned on the heat yet, and she has several blankets in there with her. One, two, three they landed on my legs and feet. No way - I won't put up with that.
I got up and she immediately started asking for kisses. Her little crocodile tears shimmered on her cheeks in the glow of the nightlight. What I failed to notice, failed to check for, was any of this leftover sludge/nose drainage from her cold. Let's just say that it was one of the wettest, coldest kisses I've ever experienced in my life (and I have two dogs). After the fact, she smiled at me. Sure, wipe it on mama. I wiped off what was still on her, retrieved her water bottle and gave her a drink, lay her down and she closed her eyes. fell asleep, and became my little princess again.
Sometimes being a mama is so challenging. And sometimes it just takes sticky kisses and a drink of water.
*******************
We got dressed today for a walk in the wind, and so I was bundling Abby up. She just looked so cute in her babylegs and onesie (and winter hat - thanks Chad!) that I had to take a pic of her.
Once at the playground
Waiting for Daddy to get home
I looked up to see her stuck like this. Where are your legs Abby?
At the fair with daddy
VERY pleased with the mess she made with spaghetti
Have a great night!
More to come soon (after I swallow my pride and buy a large coffee with all the trimmings!)
Kim (and Abby too!)
p.s. somehow the pics tonight can be clicked on and made bigger, but some of the print is in another color...? whatever. maybe livejournal is so dazzled with her amazing blue eyes that it's having a meltdown.
RIDING THE FERRY
IN CHINATOWN
NARROWEST ALLEY IN VICTORIA
CLOSE UP!
SLEEPY GIRL - LOVES TO SLEEP LIKE THIS!
MMMM - CHOCOLATE GELATO
we are leaving in the morning to go visit logan's mom, and we will be back on sunday night. so there won't be any blogs until then, but i thought i'd leave you with some pics.
Playing in the lake with daddy
Not so sure about the spraying water
Superstar!
You can see her top teeth in this pic
All tuckered out (note the bubble? hee)
Playing with grandma and grandpa
Also, I realize these pics can't be expanded. I am going to upload to a server from now on so they can be made bigger. :)
Have a great weekend!
Kim and Abby
Tracie and Logan and I sat out on the back porch last night (we missed you, Andy! and you too Becca!!!) and drank beer and had a fire. We talked a lot about God and our previous church experiences. It was so warm, even at 11 at night. Abby woke up around that time, as she had fallen asleep and missed dinner. I fed her noodles and chicken, and she sat and smiled on my lap and pointed at the fire. She eventually fell back asleep on Logan's chest. It was a very comfy, wonderful night.
The weather the past couple of days has been waaay too hot - 94 yesterday, and they say it may hit 100 today. I wilt really bad in weather over 80, and get too cold under 65. I know, I'm a princess. Anyway, we are going to go to the ocean today. We invited my folks to come along but I haven't heard back from them yet. We are gonna take the dogs and the daughter. It's supposed to be up to 30 degress cooler there. Pics coming tonight!
I had a post I was working on and I got the scary blue screen of death. My computer turned off. I tried to restart it. More blue screen. Then a message - Acer is not able to restart your computer. Then it turned off again.
I was freaked out. I have 14 months of Abby pictures on this little computer. Some are uploaded for sharing, but a lot are just on here.
I was finally able to cajole it into running some sort of scan and it's working good now. Whew. But you can bet I'm going to save all my pics on cd's and upload all of them too. Just to be safe.
What is it about time-saving technology that always makes us work more?
************
Watching the Olympics last night, I thought about one of my favorite all time ideas - taking people that excel in one arena, and putting them in another. Like, jockeys playing football. And basketball players curling. And wrestlers doing the long jump. And soccer players playing badmitton or table tennis. That kind of thing.
But seriously, Michael Phelps? That guy is incredible. I read online that he eats 12,000 calories a day (!!!!!!!!!!!!). I bet he would be good at any sport... including competitive knitting (altho that's probably not a real game, but should be).
*************
Abby has a blueberry addiction. She will eat as many as I put in front of her. The problem with blueberries, I soon discovered, is that they tend to come out looking quite similar to how they went in. She's limited to a smaller amount now.
And I have to hide the blueberries from Logan. He'll eat them all too. She is so his daughter.
*************
Speaking of Logan, today is his 36th BIRTHDAY! Happy birthday honey!!! I went and picked about three lbs of blueberries yesterday for him to consume at his leisure. (Be careful, Logan. Remember what happens to Abby when she eats too many??). Tonight my mom is coming over to watch babygirl and I am going to take Logan out for dinner after his volleyball game. Should be a lot of fun.
**************
Will post more in a little bit... I have two days to make up for missing. You know, I've been thinking about why I don't blog more often. I have lots of (inane) stuff to say. I think I was afraid if I blogged too much someone would miss a post or it would become boring.
Of course, I don't know who "someone" is. My mom and dad read this, as does my husband. Beyond that? Dunno.
but glad to be back blogging more frequently. :)
And, the required, ubiquitous pic of Abby
tomorrow is a long post catching up. for tonight, here are a few pics of our weekend:
I realize I have really been remiss because I haven't posted any pics yet of our first camping trip with Abby. We went car camping for our 7 year anniversary (go us!!) I was a little (ok, a lot) nervous about taking her into the dark and cold overnight. And she gets so dirty just playing in my living room - could I cope with how dirty she was going to get camping?
Ok, I admit I made Logan drag the bathtub along. We were going to stay in a campground with a shower available, and I thought if Abby got filthy then it'd be nice to have something to scrub her off in. We brought her pack and play, her stroller. Already cooked chicken for her to nosh on. Logan's little blow up camp mattress, and our uber deluxe full sized blow up mattress (which Abby and I slept on - thank you Logan for sacrificing your comfort!). We brought our full sized camp stove and a camp kitchen and about half of our worldly possessions. There was barely room for the three of us in the Jeep once it was packed. And unpacking took the better part of an hour. But once all was set up, it was actually a really nice time. We went over to Sequim in the Olympics, a weekend before the Lavender Festival. Logan found an amazing deal where for $20, I could go to 7 wineries and have tastings at each. He also found a hike he'd never been on that he wanted to do. So it was a win-win for the both of us.
An awesome breakfast made by Logan!
This is what she wanted to do the whole time we were camping - push her stroller around.
Good morning!
Chillin with daddy in the hammock
At my favorite Winery
Toes in the cold water!
Crawling on mama...
I'm going to post a lot of pics tomorrow, including a run down of the hike we did today.
Good night!
Kim and Abby
Abby is walking. My baby is a full blown toddler. And she is wearing.me.out. She is going full steam. Still working on the balance part. But now she can go from sitting down to standing up without pulling herself up on the couch.
She's popping her two top teeth. They're looking more like Chicklets and less like way-too-big-foreign-white-things in her mouth.
She eats more than I do. No kidding. The girl can put it away.
And I really need to get some sleep.
But I have to blog first. Because last week I was challenged to write in this blog. Everyday. For a month. I thought about it (for no more than a second) and took up the challenge. My other friends? Look askance at me when I tell them I'm going to blog. I know I've been less than punctual about updating on here. I was putting off this post, because this starts the month-long blogging.
So check in daily. Leave a comment. Abby and I love your comments.
Things I'm going to talk about:
honesty in this blog
what i love the most about Abby (and what has challenged me the most)
my future plans - regarding babies and my career
how my marriage has changed, and been enriched, by becoming parents
some of my fav blogs - people you need to meet that will change your life
If you have something you'd like to know, lemme know. I have 30 days stretching ahead of me, and that's a lot of words.
Good night!
Here is what has been going on that is taking up all of my time.
My baby is turning into a toddler.
It is a bittersweet, wonderful event. She is talking, singing, using her imagination. She gogogo's until she is drop dead tired, at which point she needs! mama! immmediately! Abby is able to walk while pushing on toys, and can stand by herself for up to 30 seconds before she realizes she's unsupported and plops down onto her bottom. Her two top teeth are pushing through too. She has entered the clingy stage, where she prefers me more than daddy or auntie or grandma (and makes it known through ear piercing shrieks and crocodile tears). It's flattering, but really wears me out too. So worth it in the long run, though, and I know I am so blessed to be at home with her.
Her bday party was a success. I was surprised at how much energy it took to organize it. I think her next party I plan will be her 16th. :) There were a total of about 40 people that showed up, and around 15 kids, 6 of whom were her baby friends. I really enjoyed myself. It was neat, too, because it affirmed me as a mama that all these people showed up to celebrate my kid's birthday, simply because they like us. I got a little choked up singing happy birthday to Abby, and was pleased to see that she shares her mama's sweet tooth. (actually, I should be a little worried about that. Hee). Here are a few pics of her party and the cake...
So I bought decoration at the dollar store. Originally, when I opened up the sign, it read "HAHPY BIRTHDAY". We ripped off the extra "H" so instead it read:
Eating the cake. I sprinkled blueberries on top, which was a mistake, cause she had to eat each one first before diving into the frosting. But when she did, she loved it!
The cake for the rest of us
She got too tired before the end of the party to open her presents. I asked for favorite books from childhood, and was tickled with the gifts!
One thing that really impresses me about Abigail is her appetite. Whenever I go someplace new with Logan, I try in advance to feed him, or give a head's up to the host that he likes to eat. Apparently, Abby has acquired this love of food also. She eats anything I put in front of her. It makes feeding her a lot easier, and it helps me eat more healthily, too, since she is eating off of my plate.
One day we had lasagna.
I introduced Abby to the joys of ice cream early. MMM!
Shepherds Pie and Peas. MMM?
We've been fishing with Grandpa (my dad) three times. Although Abby isn't crazy about the life jacket, she enjoys the quiet and all the snacks I give her. The waving motion of the boat invariably makes her fall asleep. The first two times we went out we got skunked, but the last time we went Grandpa caught two fish and I caught one. Abby wasn't sure what to make of her first fish introduction.
More post later on... we are on our way out to the door to the Zoo!
Love you!
Kim and Abigail
Hard to believe that a year ago she looked like this...
I love you babygirl!!!
