Well, if is official, I have one constantly talking baby girl. :-) And I do mean constant. She has a lot to say (like her mother). Not all of it do I understand, but there are many words now that I know exactly what she is saying. For example, "Bamby" is how she calls "Barney". Yes, we do love the big purple guy in our house. Other Abby words include mommy, mama (depends on what she wants/needs as to which one she says), G.G. (her grandma), dog, uh oh, thank you (sounds like "tank tu"), Pete (our next door neighbor), ball, purple (the only color she will repeat), and Will (a little boy in her class - only she says it "Wiiiiiiiiiiill"). She truly has the cutest little southern accent ever. I have discovered she likes to repeat everything. This means mommy has quickly needed to learn to say different words when cut off in traffic.
Today Abby had her first official public fit. For those of you in the North who may not use the word "fit", this means she had her first public tantrum. "Fit" seems to better describe it though. We had a play date with Avery and her mommy Kris. They came to our house and the girls played around each other in Abby's playroom. It was very cute. Then we went to lunch. Abby actually did well until the check came. You would have thought I asked her to pay it for us. Actually the screaming was relatively quick. In reality it was about 20 seconds. But I have created a different way of looking at it in a new concept I call The Toddler Index. Much like the heat index used by weather forecasters ("today will be 90 degrees but with the heat index it will feel like 110"), The Toddler Index translates how it feels to the parent of said publicly screaming toddler. Abby was only about a 2 today (on a scale of 1 to 10). I have no disillusions though as to know today was only the beginning. Poor kid was so tired. She literally fell asleep before we left the parking lot. The good news is the baby who woke from her two hour nap was my sweet happy-go-lucky Abby.
We had to run a few errands after Abby's nap and she was so good that we stopped by our neighborhood park. The story I am about to relay is true. I don't believe I could have made this up even if I wanted to. A dad was pushing his daughter (2.5 years old I later found out) in the swing. I put Abby in the other swing and proceeded to also push her. The little girl next to us then announced (loudly I might add), "I am swinging high. I have a vagina." I paused a moment to see if she had said what I thought she did. Realizing she did not get any kind of reaction from me, the little girl said (much louder this time) "I SAID I have a vagina". Her father at this moment had officially turned every shade of red to be found in the Crayola 128 pack of crayons. I replied in the only way I knew how by saying "um, ok".
Abby is officially off the bottle now. It was actually a non-event according to Abby. One night I just did not give her a bottle but gave her milk in a sippy cup. And that was all there was to it. She was already on a sippy cup during the day so the only bottle she has been getting was the bed time bottle. So, now for bed time routine, we do bath, pajamas, brush teeth (all 8 of them), then we read several books in her rocking chair, and bed!
Abby is just the sweetest, happiest, most loving baby in the world. She is incredibly cuddly (with me or other people she knows very well). In public, she is a little ham and loves to smile and wave at strangers, especially in stores like Target. She also loves to wave at people in the cars next to us when we are stopped at a redlight. I just get a lump in my throat when I think that a few months ago she had never even been in a car. This kid is so incredible and I am the luckiest mommy in the whole world. Every night before I put her in her bed I tell her "of all the beautiful babies in the whole world, how did I get the best one?". And I mean that with all my heart.
Until next time.
Saturday, June 26, 2004
Sunday, June 20, 2004
As I write this, my precious baby girl is asleep in her crib in the next room. She was so tired tonight. It has been a busy week. Heck, it has been a busy 2 months. :-) I'm just so amazed at how Abby just kind of rolls with whatever it is we happen to be doing though.
Alright, let me go back a bit and see if I can capture some of what we have been up to. Last week Abby and I went on our first real vacation. Oh it was wonderful!!! We went with my friends Julia and Dawn. I met them for the first time last summer. Both are now also single moms of precious children born in Kazakhstan. When we first met, Dawn had just that day received her travel dates to go to Uralsk (yes, the same city, and in fact the same baby house where Abby was!) to bring home her adorable son, Alec. Julia and I have truly gone through our adoptions together. It was like being pregnant with a good friend. She was even in Kazakhstan (though a different city) at the same time I was there. Her beautiful daughter Katy is just 2 months younger than Abby.
So we all decided to head to St. Simons Island for 5 days. Julia and Katy live in Ohio so they flew down the night before we were to leave and spent the night with us. The next morning we picked up Dawn and Alec (they live about 45 minutes from us) and we packed up the van and headed out. I must admit that though I was incredibly excited about the trip, I was fully prepared for a lot of crying and fits. I mean, we were after all traveling with one almost 3 year old, one 15 month old, and one 13 month old. But I needn't have worried. The kids were amazing. I mean we had minor stuff but nothing lasted long and the vacation proved to be wonderful!! The only downside the whole trip was when poor Katy got sick one day. Fortunately, she recovered fairly quickly.
Abby's first day at the beach was priceless for me. She was actually pretty hesitant at first and did not want me to put her down. Katy, on the other hand, was ready to dive right in. :-) It didn't take Abby or Alec long though and we were all out in the water with our kids. Suffice it to say Abby had a blast. She spent most of our time at the beach covered (and I do mean covered) in sand. She got pretty brave running towards the water too! Her mommy had to quickly put down the camera and chase after her. :-)
We pretty much ate dinner out and ate breakfast and lunch in our condo. The kids did great. For our dinner at the Crab Trap, Abby was pretty much dinner entertainment for the people sitting beside us. Lots of clapping, waving, and blowing kisses. I guess if she was a 45 year old woman doing those things, people would have been nervous, but as a pretty adorable 15 month old, Abby got away with it. :-) After dinner that night we went to the pier and walked around, ending the night with ice cream. It just doesn't get much better than that.
Dinner the next night was, shall we say, comical. We had decided to eat at Barbara Jean's Restaurant by the pier. It was early but apparently not early enough as we had to wait awhile in a tiny hallway by the bathroom. This meant that every time someone had to go to the bathroom they had to do a dance to get by the strollers, kids, sippy cups, and Aldo the Alligator (Alec's new acquisition that night - a 2 foot plastic alligator that I helped him find at the toy store). Going by the number of people frequenting the bathroom, I do believe they kept the sweet tea refills coming.
By the time we finally sat down, we were all pretty happy to do so. Another family had taken up all but one of the high chairs they had, so Abby sat on my lap. Imagine everything on the table (ketchup, silverware, napkins, glasses, sugar packets, etc.) and how fun that looks to a baby. Poor Dawn was sitting across the table from us and had EVERYTHING on her side of the table. It was really fun though. I personally love seeing how fast my little Stretch Armstrong (Abby) can reach for something. Probably my favorite part of that dinner though, was when the waiter asked us if the kids were adopted, or were we all married to Asian American men. I guess we did attract attention. :-)
It was really great seeing the kids play and interact with each other. They are all the cutest kids ever. We have decided to make this a yearly thing so next year it will be fun to see how much the kids have grown and changed.
The rest of the last couple of months has been a blur of baptisms, birthday parties, a graduation party, and just, well, wonderful normal stuff. Being in Kazakhstan for a month truly made me appreciate the normal regular stuff. In the middle of that though, we did get to meet another precious baby from Kazakhstan. My friend Kris returned home from Almaty in May and we already had a play date with them. Avery is the same age Abby was when we returned home. She is such a cutie!
Abby is doing so incredibly well. She is talking up a storm now and pretty much repeats whatever I say to her. She still loves music and dancing, being read to, playing with her toys, the pool, and cuddling with mommy. She is doing so well at her daycare. Her teacher is fantastic and Abby adores her. They do fun stuff like Splash Day. Ms. Kim reports that Abby talks all day long (ha!), rarely cries, and loves to repeat Ms. Kim when she says the kids' names. She can drag out Will into about 15 syllables too. She also did this with Katy's name. Thank goodness both Dawn and Julia heard her say it or no one ever would have believed me. My little girl already has a southern accent. :-)
Friday Abby had her 15 month check up. Aside from 5 yucky shots, it went well. Abby now weighs 24 pounds and is 32 inches long. If you are into such stats, this puts her in the 75% for weight and 95% for height. My tall little girl.
So, we are doing great. Abby is all I ever dreamed of and so much more. Till next time.
Alright, let me go back a bit and see if I can capture some of what we have been up to. Last week Abby and I went on our first real vacation. Oh it was wonderful!!! We went with my friends Julia and Dawn. I met them for the first time last summer. Both are now also single moms of precious children born in Kazakhstan. When we first met, Dawn had just that day received her travel dates to go to Uralsk (yes, the same city, and in fact the same baby house where Abby was!) to bring home her adorable son, Alec. Julia and I have truly gone through our adoptions together. It was like being pregnant with a good friend. She was even in Kazakhstan (though a different city) at the same time I was there. Her beautiful daughter Katy is just 2 months younger than Abby.
So we all decided to head to St. Simons Island for 5 days. Julia and Katy live in Ohio so they flew down the night before we were to leave and spent the night with us. The next morning we picked up Dawn and Alec (they live about 45 minutes from us) and we packed up the van and headed out. I must admit that though I was incredibly excited about the trip, I was fully prepared for a lot of crying and fits. I mean, we were after all traveling with one almost 3 year old, one 15 month old, and one 13 month old. But I needn't have worried. The kids were amazing. I mean we had minor stuff but nothing lasted long and the vacation proved to be wonderful!! The only downside the whole trip was when poor Katy got sick one day. Fortunately, she recovered fairly quickly.
Abby's first day at the beach was priceless for me. She was actually pretty hesitant at first and did not want me to put her down. Katy, on the other hand, was ready to dive right in. :-) It didn't take Abby or Alec long though and we were all out in the water with our kids. Suffice it to say Abby had a blast. She spent most of our time at the beach covered (and I do mean covered) in sand. She got pretty brave running towards the water too! Her mommy had to quickly put down the camera and chase after her. :-)
We pretty much ate dinner out and ate breakfast and lunch in our condo. The kids did great. For our dinner at the Crab Trap, Abby was pretty much dinner entertainment for the people sitting beside us. Lots of clapping, waving, and blowing kisses. I guess if she was a 45 year old woman doing those things, people would have been nervous, but as a pretty adorable 15 month old, Abby got away with it. :-) After dinner that night we went to the pier and walked around, ending the night with ice cream. It just doesn't get much better than that.
Dinner the next night was, shall we say, comical. We had decided to eat at Barbara Jean's Restaurant by the pier. It was early but apparently not early enough as we had to wait awhile in a tiny hallway by the bathroom. This meant that every time someone had to go to the bathroom they had to do a dance to get by the strollers, kids, sippy cups, and Aldo the Alligator (Alec's new acquisition that night - a 2 foot plastic alligator that I helped him find at the toy store). Going by the number of people frequenting the bathroom, I do believe they kept the sweet tea refills coming.
By the time we finally sat down, we were all pretty happy to do so. Another family had taken up all but one of the high chairs they had, so Abby sat on my lap. Imagine everything on the table (ketchup, silverware, napkins, glasses, sugar packets, etc.) and how fun that looks to a baby. Poor Dawn was sitting across the table from us and had EVERYTHING on her side of the table. It was really fun though. I personally love seeing how fast my little Stretch Armstrong (Abby) can reach for something. Probably my favorite part of that dinner though, was when the waiter asked us if the kids were adopted, or were we all married to Asian American men. I guess we did attract attention. :-)
It was really great seeing the kids play and interact with each other. They are all the cutest kids ever. We have decided to make this a yearly thing so next year it will be fun to see how much the kids have grown and changed.
The rest of the last couple of months has been a blur of baptisms, birthday parties, a graduation party, and just, well, wonderful normal stuff. Being in Kazakhstan for a month truly made me appreciate the normal regular stuff. In the middle of that though, we did get to meet another precious baby from Kazakhstan. My friend Kris returned home from Almaty in May and we already had a play date with them. Avery is the same age Abby was when we returned home. She is such a cutie!
Abby is doing so incredibly well. She is talking up a storm now and pretty much repeats whatever I say to her. She still loves music and dancing, being read to, playing with her toys, the pool, and cuddling with mommy. She is doing so well at her daycare. Her teacher is fantastic and Abby adores her. They do fun stuff like Splash Day. Ms. Kim reports that Abby talks all day long (ha!), rarely cries, and loves to repeat Ms. Kim when she says the kids' names. She can drag out Will into about 15 syllables too. She also did this with Katy's name. Thank goodness both Dawn and Julia heard her say it or no one ever would have believed me. My little girl already has a southern accent. :-)
Friday Abby had her 15 month check up. Aside from 5 yucky shots, it went well. Abby now weighs 24 pounds and is 32 inches long. If you are into such stats, this puts her in the 75% for weight and 95% for height. My tall little girl.
So, we are doing great. Abby is all I ever dreamed of and so much more. Till next time.
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
Well, it is the Tuesday after Memorial Day. For those of you who do not have children, let me say that weekends and holidays are like any other day. Sleeping late is a thing of the past for me. Not that I was ever one to sleep late anyway. But I now get up at 5:45 whether it is a work day or holiday. Somehow Abby came with her own built in alarm clock.
Many of you know that Memorial Day is not a holiday I like at all. Nine years ago, my father died on Memorial Day. It was the most difficult day and time of my life. And to this day, Memorial Day is still a day that I would rather just go on by. This year was really no exception for me in that regard. But I did cherish having a whole day to just play with my daughter. I spent the day thinking how very much my dad would have adored Abby. She is so much like him in so many ways. She loves to "read", loves to go on walks, loves dogs, loves to laugh, loves to "dance". These are all things my dad loved too. To me, Abby is the very symbol of loving and living life. So was my dad.
I don't mean this to be a sad post. Time does make the pain and sadness of losing someone close more bearable. After awhile, we tend to remember the happy and fun times rather than just the end of one's life. I can still hear my dad's very contagious laugh. I still remember him trying to convince me to jitter bug with him when he came home from work. I can still picture him with a book in his hand even if he only had a few minutes to read. I still remember my dad at each and every school event. I still remember taking long walks with my dad around the Berry College campus as he listened to my young philosophy about life. I still remember how incredibly excited he got about Christmas.
Abby will never know her grandfather except in stories but I do hope I can teach her many of the things my father taught me. He taught me to take the time to listen to both sides of a story. He taught me to always try to help others. He taught me that if you can laugh at yourself, life really becomes more fun. He taught me to always follow through when you make a promise to do something. He taught me to avoid rocks when mowing the grass. He taught me that driving an old car you bought with your own money is far better than driving a new car someone gave you. He taught me that you can always find a place to read a book.
For anyone reading this journal, I promise I will return to the usual stories of Abby next time. And I do have lots of good Abby stories. She is one funny kid. But for now, I sign off thinking about my dad. I do know Abby has one incredibly special guardian angel in the form of Larry Green watching out for her.
Many of you know that Memorial Day is not a holiday I like at all. Nine years ago, my father died on Memorial Day. It was the most difficult day and time of my life. And to this day, Memorial Day is still a day that I would rather just go on by. This year was really no exception for me in that regard. But I did cherish having a whole day to just play with my daughter. I spent the day thinking how very much my dad would have adored Abby. She is so much like him in so many ways. She loves to "read", loves to go on walks, loves dogs, loves to laugh, loves to "dance". These are all things my dad loved too. To me, Abby is the very symbol of loving and living life. So was my dad.
I don't mean this to be a sad post. Time does make the pain and sadness of losing someone close more bearable. After awhile, we tend to remember the happy and fun times rather than just the end of one's life. I can still hear my dad's very contagious laugh. I still remember him trying to convince me to jitter bug with him when he came home from work. I can still picture him with a book in his hand even if he only had a few minutes to read. I still remember my dad at each and every school event. I still remember taking long walks with my dad around the Berry College campus as he listened to my young philosophy about life. I still remember how incredibly excited he got about Christmas.
Abby will never know her grandfather except in stories but I do hope I can teach her many of the things my father taught me. He taught me to take the time to listen to both sides of a story. He taught me to always try to help others. He taught me that if you can laugh at yourself, life really becomes more fun. He taught me to always follow through when you make a promise to do something. He taught me to avoid rocks when mowing the grass. He taught me that driving an old car you bought with your own money is far better than driving a new car someone gave you. He taught me that you can always find a place to read a book.
For anyone reading this journal, I promise I will return to the usual stories of Abby next time. And I do have lots of good Abby stories. She is one funny kid. But for now, I sign off thinking about my dad. I do know Abby has one incredibly special guardian angel in the form of Larry Green watching out for her.