I know that posting is scarce on this blog, and it's with good reason:
Abby is awesome!
I can not tell you how happy we are to have her in our life.
So, what's new with Abby?
She can squat and stand, and go between the two, without holding onto something!
Her vocabulary is not yet into words, but she sure is loud and emphatic. Over the weekend it was really fun to have her growling at customers at Target.
She is more gentle on the dog than on her parents sometimes. Okay, a lot of times.
She has learned lots of signs, and can be helpful in telling us what she wants. Our favorite right now is "Bath" because she gets super-excited. "Please" is downright adorable.
We have taken pictures, and I hope to get them off of the camera today or tomorrow.
Cute story from this weekend:
On Sunday we went to church in the morning, and she fell asleep in Anny's arms. By the time she woke up, she ended up sleeping for two full hours. Not the norm for her morning nap. She did not show any signs of being tired as we went shopping for plants to put in the garden we're working on. (pictures of that soon, too)
Turns out that she fell asleep between the garden center and Potbelly's, a total of maybe two miles. We picked her up, assuming that she would bounce right up like normal. We were wrong. Anny went to the counter to order, while I sat Abby on my lap while she woke up a little more. But she didn't! She folded over in half, face on feet, completely asleep. A-dorable.
(A couple of minutes later she popped right up, bright eyed and ready for her black beans and Cheerios's dinner. She did go to bed a little early that evening.....)
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Surprising Great Gramps for his Birthday!
Last Friday we made an overnight trip to surprise my grandfather for his 76th birthday! (I thought it was 75, but was corrected over the weekend.)
Things did start on a sour note Friday when I got a call from Abby's daycare that she had a fever and was just not being herself. I was at work, but hopped in the car and headed off immediately. When I got her home I gave her Tylenol and a cold bottle (of milk, not beer!) and took some of her clothes off. She cooled down within a few minutes and played happily for the next hour and a half until Anny got home.
We decided that Abby would be fine, especially if she took a nap. A two and a half hour car ride should do the trick - and it did!
Since this was a surprise visit, I decided to skip our normal "halfway there" call. When we did arrive, I just let our dog in through the front door. The thought behind this was that if his dog went crazy with barking, she would do it at Rusty (our dog) not at Abby, which could have presented a problem. It worked perfectly.
We arrived early enough to take Gramps and Grammy (HIS mother!) out for a proper birthday dinner. He had planned on soup from a can, which is not acceptable in my book! Two of my aunts arrived later in the evening, after we had gone to bed.
Saturday we went to one of Gramps' breakfast hang outsThe Kannery. Amazing breakfast sandwich! Abby was still not at 100%, but we decided that since we were so close to the shops, we would take a look at the sidewalk sales going on. Good idea! Abby fell asleep pretty quickly, so we got a walk, she got sleep and everyone was happy.
We were also too close to the beach to pass it up, so we took Abby down to the water. She was not really awake yet, but we did grab some pictures. I wish that she would have been feeling better so we could have gone back. The water was still freezing, so we'll have to go back for a day this summer and do the beach trip right.
From May 2008
We had a good time and Gramps was truly flattered. He was so giddy that he called on Sunday to thank us for our surprise trip.
This weekend will be different. Lots of hanging around the house and cleaning. Probably another test run with the Cupcake Cake. More on that next week, hopefully with pictures!
Things did start on a sour note Friday when I got a call from Abby's daycare that she had a fever and was just not being herself. I was at work, but hopped in the car and headed off immediately. When I got her home I gave her Tylenol and a cold bottle (of milk, not beer!) and took some of her clothes off. She cooled down within a few minutes and played happily for the next hour and a half until Anny got home.
We decided that Abby would be fine, especially if she took a nap. A two and a half hour car ride should do the trick - and it did!
Since this was a surprise visit, I decided to skip our normal "halfway there" call. When we did arrive, I just let our dog in through the front door. The thought behind this was that if his dog went crazy with barking, she would do it at Rusty (our dog) not at Abby, which could have presented a problem. It worked perfectly.
We arrived early enough to take Gramps and Grammy (HIS mother!) out for a proper birthday dinner. He had planned on soup from a can, which is not acceptable in my book! Two of my aunts arrived later in the evening, after we had gone to bed.
Saturday we went to one of Gramps' breakfast hang outsThe Kannery. Amazing breakfast sandwich! Abby was still not at 100%, but we decided that since we were so close to the shops, we would take a look at the sidewalk sales going on. Good idea! Abby fell asleep pretty quickly, so we got a walk, she got sleep and everyone was happy.
We were also too close to the beach to pass it up, so we took Abby down to the water. She was not really awake yet, but we did grab some pictures. I wish that she would have been feeling better so we could have gone back. The water was still freezing, so we'll have to go back for a day this summer and do the beach trip right.
We had a good time and Gramps was truly flattered. He was so giddy that he called on Sunday to thank us for our surprise trip.
This weekend will be different. Lots of hanging around the house and cleaning. Probably another test run with the Cupcake Cake. More on that next week, hopefully with pictures!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Abby Monroe: Omnivore!
Remember when we thought it was great news that Abby had begun to eat rice cereal? Wow, we were young and stupid, and it was just a few months ago!
We neatly introduced fruits and vegetables in puree form after rice cereal. Some of them went over well (apples), some took some time (peaches), and some caused such a gag reflex that we have not tried them again (asparagus). I waited too long, but did end up making some of our own purees for Abby. Incredibly easy, and TONS cheaper than buying the packaged stuff.
We were really excited when Abby picked up on black beans from Chipotle! A year earlier I had given sideways looks to our friend April and Eric when their son was eating the same thing, but it's a wonderful addition to the food selection!
She also turned up her nose and tried to squirm away from pureed chicken. I probably would have too, it looked and smelled gross, but our "schedule" had us introducing chicken at nine months. We tried on occasion to get her to eat meat again for about two weeks, and then just gave up.
Last week, though, something clicked. Abby is a HUGE fan of small chunks of meat. She had some of Anny's chicken tenders when we were out to dinner one night (no fried parts, just meat) and we got a bit excited. Could it be..... progress in our family eating routine? Yep!
On Monday night we had a dream meal: cook one dish and share it between the three of us! We had chicken "stir fried" with zucchini and were able to just put food straight from our plate onto her tray! Wednesday she was cautious with roast beef, but quickly decided that she liked it.
Hooray for progress and hooray for being able to share a meal together, without Cheerio's!!
We neatly introduced fruits and vegetables in puree form after rice cereal. Some of them went over well (apples), some took some time (peaches), and some caused such a gag reflex that we have not tried them again (asparagus). I waited too long, but did end up making some of our own purees for Abby. Incredibly easy, and TONS cheaper than buying the packaged stuff.
We were really excited when Abby picked up on black beans from Chipotle! A year earlier I had given sideways looks to our friend April and Eric when their son was eating the same thing, but it's a wonderful addition to the food selection!
She also turned up her nose and tried to squirm away from pureed chicken. I probably would have too, it looked and smelled gross, but our "schedule" had us introducing chicken at nine months. We tried on occasion to get her to eat meat again for about two weeks, and then just gave up.
Last week, though, something clicked. Abby is a HUGE fan of small chunks of meat. She had some of Anny's chicken tenders when we were out to dinner one night (no fried parts, just meat) and we got a bit excited. Could it be..... progress in our family eating routine? Yep!
On Monday night we had a dream meal: cook one dish and share it between the three of us! We had chicken "stir fried" with zucchini and were able to just put food straight from our plate onto her tray! Wednesday she was cautious with roast beef, but quickly decided that she liked it.
Hooray for progress and hooray for being able to share a meal together, without Cheerio's!!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Trip to the Zoo!
We took a trip to the National Zoo on Saturday! We were supposed to meet up with other parents from our church, but it just did not work out right. Luckily our church intern, Erin, rode the metro with us, so we had that connection early on. We had misty rain in the morning, but after lunch the sun broke through and it became a wonderful day.
Abby was excited as soon as we walked in to Amazonia, the zoo's indoor rainforest. When you walk in you are greeted immediately with a pond of rays and other fish. We let her stand and look at them while we waited for others to join us, and she just stared in amazement. Then we moved over to the massive tanks, with all sorts of large fish and turtles. Upstairs you can see into the tanks from a different perspective, which is cool. They also have animals like monkeys and birds that roam free. It was early in the day and we did not see any monkeys and only a few birds.
She was okay with that, since she reall just wanted to see more of the fish. Here she is looking down on the ray-pond:
So, when she finally woke up we were all the way back up to the top of the zoo. If you've never been to the National Zoo you don't know of the slope. It's tedious. We managed, mostly by stopping to stare at animals just a little longer than we probably would have.
She was awake to see the Sloth Bear. She was amazed to see it go back and forth, right in front of her! She was standing, hands and face on the glass, for the longest time. Very cute.
I tried to get her to look at the bear through the blue binoculars (?). She liked playing with them, but did not understand to look through them.
Abby was excited as soon as we walked in to Amazonia, the zoo's indoor rainforest. When you walk in you are greeted immediately with a pond of rays and other fish. We let her stand and look at them while we waited for others to join us, and she just stared in amazement. Then we moved over to the massive tanks, with all sorts of large fish and turtles. Upstairs you can see into the tanks from a different perspective, which is cool. They also have animals like monkeys and birds that roam free. It was early in the day and we did not see any monkeys and only a few birds.
She was okay with that, since she reall just wanted to see more of the fish. Here she is looking down on the ray-pond:
So, when she finally woke up we were all the way back up to the top of the zoo. If you've never been to the National Zoo you don't know of the slope. It's tedious. We managed, mostly by stopping to stare at animals just a little longer than we probably would have.
She was awake to see the Sloth Bear. She was amazed to see it go back and forth, right in front of her! She was standing, hands and face on the glass, for the longest time. Very cute.
I tried to get her to look at the bear through the blue binoculars (?). She liked playing with them, but did not understand to look through them.
From May 2008
It was a great day, and I wish that I had not messed things up as far as coordination. We'll be going to the Baltimore Zoo sometime, and hopefully back to DC this summer.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
First *Real* Blood Draw
**This story can not be told without being graphic. Don't read if you don't want to hear about blood and how to get it. Remember, you're reading it - I was there.**
On Saturday we had to have Abby's 9 month bloodwork done. Yes, she will be 11 months old on Monday, so you can figure out that we have been putting this off for a while. For her 9 month visit they wanted to have her tested for Iron and have a CBC done. To test for these things you need a blood sample.
When Abby was younger and had to have blood drawn the pediatrician just did it in his office with a dab or two of blood from her heel. She cried, but not too badly. I don't know if it was the tests being done or the fact that she's older now, but the easy method is over.
We arrived right on time for our 7:20 am apointment at our neighborhood facility and were taken quickly to do the standard paperwork and were led back to the cutest room in the joint. Definately the one to have your blood drawn in if you're easily distracted by Mickey and Friends posters on the walls.
All of that went smoothly. Then the smooth stopped.
The Quest technician showed me how she wanted Abby to be held, and so I did just as instructed. First she tied Abby's left arm to look for a good vein, then her right. Neither looked fruitful, but she decided to try the left arm anyway.
What I can not describe well enough is the squirminess that I was trying to stifle in my arms. Abby loves to be held, but she could tell something was going to happen that she was not going to like. She was screaming from the time that the Tech touched her until we were up and walking out the door.
Back to the blood. The Tech cleaned abbys pudgy little arm and went for blood. I swear to you, she could not find it. I watched and she really tried, but Abby's little veins counted each drop of blood as valuable. At this point Abby is screaming, I'm agitated and the Tech is annoyed. She called in and older (more experienced?) woman to look for better veins. No such luck.
(begins getting more graphic HERE! You've been warned.)
She then prepped Abby's little finger for a finger stick. This is where they prick the tip of someone's finger (this can be done on the young, old and in between) and manually squeeze blood from the finger. She had three tiny vials to collect the forced blood into.
Abby was screaming above and beyond anything in her normal range. I wish it was easier to explain to her, but it's not. There is no way to prep a ten month old for something like that. It was not the best experience, and I really expected her to fall asleep on the way home, but she fussed a little and tried to eat the bandaid on her finger, but was actually okay with things by the time we got to the farmers market.
I know that we will have to do this again and again as the gets older, but I think we will be more diligent in finding someone that is better at dealing with babies and children next time, rather than going with the local one.
On Saturday we had to have Abby's 9 month bloodwork done. Yes, she will be 11 months old on Monday, so you can figure out that we have been putting this off for a while. For her 9 month visit they wanted to have her tested for Iron and have a CBC done. To test for these things you need a blood sample.
When Abby was younger and had to have blood drawn the pediatrician just did it in his office with a dab or two of blood from her heel. She cried, but not too badly. I don't know if it was the tests being done or the fact that she's older now, but the easy method is over.
We arrived right on time for our 7:20 am apointment at our neighborhood facility and were taken quickly to do the standard paperwork and were led back to the cutest room in the joint. Definately the one to have your blood drawn in if you're easily distracted by Mickey and Friends posters on the walls.
All of that went smoothly. Then the smooth stopped.
The Quest technician showed me how she wanted Abby to be held, and so I did just as instructed. First she tied Abby's left arm to look for a good vein, then her right. Neither looked fruitful, but she decided to try the left arm anyway.
What I can not describe well enough is the squirminess that I was trying to stifle in my arms. Abby loves to be held, but she could tell something was going to happen that she was not going to like. She was screaming from the time that the Tech touched her until we were up and walking out the door.
Back to the blood. The Tech cleaned abbys pudgy little arm and went for blood. I swear to you, she could not find it. I watched and she really tried, but Abby's little veins counted each drop of blood as valuable. At this point Abby is screaming, I'm agitated and the Tech is annoyed. She called in and older (more experienced?) woman to look for better veins. No such luck.
(begins getting more graphic HERE! You've been warned.)
She then prepped Abby's little finger for a finger stick. This is where they prick the tip of someone's finger (this can be done on the young, old and in between) and manually squeeze blood from the finger. She had three tiny vials to collect the forced blood into.
Abby was screaming above and beyond anything in her normal range. I wish it was easier to explain to her, but it's not. There is no way to prep a ten month old for something like that. It was not the best experience, and I really expected her to fall asleep on the way home, but she fussed a little and tried to eat the bandaid on her finger, but was actually okay with things by the time we got to the farmers market.
I know that we will have to do this again and again as the gets older, but I think we will be more diligent in finding someone that is better at dealing with babies and children next time, rather than going with the local one.
Sunday, May 04, 2008
If Only There Were Instructions
We learned an important rule when out to dinner on Friday. Now, I really should have learned this rule in August of 2004 when the exact same lesson was learned by Paul, and in the same manner.
The Rule Is: Taste an item of food before giving it to your infant, especially in a restaurant.
Setting the scene:
Chili's on a Friday night. We've read that steamed broccoli is good for the digestive system, especially in a baby that is, let's say, having issues with that. I saw steamed broccoli on the menu, and ordered some just to give to Abby. Win-win scenario is that it gets steamed for her eating, and I don't have to do the steaming!
The Issue:
It would appear that "steamed" means "steamed in garlic and butter" at Chili's.
The Rule Being Broken:
I received my broccoli and promptly cut small pieces to give to Abby. After cutting enough to keep her occupied for a while, I licked the "extra water" off of my fingers from the cutting. I noticed then that there was a heavy taste of the garlic and butter. Too much for me, but I will tell you, Abby sure loved it.
It could have been worse, and she really did tear through that stuff. We think that any effects of shocking Abby's system with so much goodness has passed, and that's good.
Bottom Line:
Don't feed your child something in a restaurant without having tasted it yourself.
Guess I've got a lot to learn.
The Rule Is: Taste an item of food before giving it to your infant, especially in a restaurant.
Setting the scene:
Chili's on a Friday night. We've read that steamed broccoli is good for the digestive system, especially in a baby that is, let's say, having issues with that. I saw steamed broccoli on the menu, and ordered some just to give to Abby. Win-win scenario is that it gets steamed for her eating, and I don't have to do the steaming!
The Issue:
It would appear that "steamed" means "steamed in garlic and butter" at Chili's.
The Rule Being Broken:
I received my broccoli and promptly cut small pieces to give to Abby. After cutting enough to keep her occupied for a while, I licked the "extra water" off of my fingers from the cutting. I noticed then that there was a heavy taste of the garlic and butter. Too much for me, but I will tell you, Abby sure loved it.
It could have been worse, and she really did tear through that stuff. We think that any effects of shocking Abby's system with so much goodness has passed, and that's good.
Bottom Line:
Don't feed your child something in a restaurant without having tasted it yourself.
Guess I've got a lot to learn.
Friday, May 02, 2008
Daddy Daughter Time
Anny went to a ceremony for one of her teacher friends so Abby and I got to hang out for the evening. It was pretty cool. I have to say, I really like this kid!
Aside from the normal afternoon/evening stuff (food, bath, bottle, bed) I decided to take Abby to Greenbelt Lake. We had her on the swings there once and she loved it, so I figured I could get some great photo's out of it. I was right!
Since we haven't done one recently, I'll open this up as a caption contest! What do you think Abby would have been saying, if she could talk?
Aside from the normal afternoon/evening stuff (food, bath, bottle, bed) I decided to take Abby to Greenbelt Lake. We had her on the swings there once and she loved it, so I figured I could get some great photo's out of it. I was right!
 |
| From May 2008 |
Since we haven't done one recently, I'll open this up as a caption contest! What do you think Abby would have been saying, if she could talk?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
