New Gown

Abby, as always, is adamant about not getting her picture taken.

So I had to go in while she was sleeping to get this one.

For weeks/months, I have been wanting to get Abby a gown to sleep in. All the ones that I found had a trademark character on them. You may not know this, but I am really not a fan of "characters".

I finally found this one today at Gymboree. It has kitties all over it. She looked too cute for words!

Maybe I can get another picture in the morning before church.

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We had a fantastic day of shopping and lunching with friends. It is about 80 degrees!

We went for a walk about 5 today and went by the apartment pool. There were about 40 people at the pool! And about 5-10 kids IN the pool. Good thing I bought Abby a tankini today - might be needing it soon!

My Secret Weapon: Ali

Abby refuses to get her picture taken. "No Camera Momma" is all that I hear.

The only way I can get a picture of her is to ask her to take a picture with Ali.

Telling Ali that it is time to "Sit Down". "Are you ready Ali?" Ali was born ready.

"Ok, here we go!"

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There was a moment tonight that I looked at Abby and almost fell out of my chair. For some reason, I just had a complete deja vu moment of a picture of Stu as a child. Don't get me wrong, she is a gorgeous young GIRL. But there was a look or facial expression or something that just made me think of Stu in pictures that I have seen.

I will have to see if I can find baby/kiddo pictures and let you be the judge!

Busy, Busy

I have been slacking on the blogging.

Just a few reasons:

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  Stuck in traffic for over 2 hours

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  Teen Mom 2 Reunion

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  Wedding Dress Shopping (Not for me, of course!)

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  Going to bed early and getting a great night of sleep (more than once)

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  Extreme Couponing on TLC. I am in shock.

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  Trying to build a Blog Book. I am really regretting all my wordy posts. That is why this post is separate from the pictures ;)

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  A talkative 2 year old that has decided that 7:30 is waaaay to early to call it a night.

But we do have some fun stuff planned over the next few weeks/months so hopefully the blogging will get better!

Weekend Wrap Up

What a beautiful weekend!

The weekend started out wonderful with a drive home.

Abby was feeling the shades.

Happy as can be! ************ On Saturday, we went to Callie's 2nd birthday party. It was outside at their house. All the kiddos played outside and then we went inside for presents and cake. Callie got this giant ball gym for a present. The kids pretty much would not leave it alone.

Abby hoarding balls.

Everyone else went on to cake and ice cream. Abby would not stop playing the balls and missed out on that fun.

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Missing the cake might have been a good thing. I have been sick the rest of the weekend. Not sure if it was due to the sugar or something else, but I have been unable to eat anything. I finally managed a bowl of soup for lunch today. I hate being sick!

Late Last Night

Yesterday was an exhausting day. No real reason, I was just tired.

So, I decided to go to bed early. Also, not having cable is really quite boring.

(Although, I did get to watch the Teen Mom Finale on the computer....love it!!)

About 11:45, I woke up to the sound of Abby coughing in the bed. She just kept "coughing" and didn't stop. I heard Stu go in there and say "Oh Abby Honey".

Of course, I jumped right up out of bed and ran in there.

Poor baby was vomiting EVERYWHERE.

All over herself, the bed, her Pillow Pal, even outside of the bed.

We sat her up in the bed and I just held onto her while she continued to throw up in a towel.

Seeing that sweet, tiny body heaving is an image that will haunt me. She just had the most pitiful look on her face. Like she was so sorry that she was throwing up.

When she finally stopped, I took her in the bathroom to give her a bath. That lower lip just started trembling. I ended up just wiping her off with a washcloth.

Stu changed all the sheets and I changed her pajamas.

Our child that never stops talking just stared at us in shock. Big brown eyes wide open with an extremely sad look on her face.

As I have said before, I am so grateful for a healthy baby. I really can't begin to imagine a child that is sick frequently. I thank God every day for her.

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She woke up fine today and played as normal. I guess it was just a quick stomach bug.

Hoping that she doesn't have a repeat tonight!

First Cleaning

Abby had her first teeth cleaning this morning. It was traumatizing for all of us.

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  The dentist only let one person in the back. So, of course I volunteered.


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  We get to the back and the lady asks Abby to hop up on the chair. I laughed and hopped up on the chair with her.


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  She did try to engage with her and let her touch the tools first. Abby was having none of it.


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  Eventually, I just told her to get on with it.


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  Abby screamed. And screamed. And didn't stop screaming.


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  I think the cleaning took less than 5 minutes. Then it was time for the dentist.


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  During the time that we waited, Abby just sobbed and shook. There was nothing that I could do to calm her down.


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  The dentist (who is super nice) again tried to win over Abby. Again didn't happen.


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  She poked around in her mouth looking for cavities. Meanwhile, the receptionist came back there to try and help hold Abby. It took three of us to control that wild child.


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  When it was over, Abby wouldn't even take a prize. She was too tired and distraught.


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  When we walked back to the front, I thought people were going to stand and clap. The entire office (and possibly the office next door) just had to see who this set of lungs belonged to. That's my gal.


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  Abby didn't have any cavities. We did find out that she will need to have a small surgery in a few years. Her lip and her gums in the front are connected. The dentist said that it is quick surgery with just gas. They will snip it when she is about 4 or 5.


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  Unfortunately, I googled this. It is called frenectomy. Don't google it.


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  I am not worried about it now as we have a few years to think about it. Since she won't let me near her mouth (especially after today), I will have to look at it closer before I make a decision.

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We went to my parents for dinner tonight. I had some errands to run, so I left Abby with my parents. Last weekend, my dad sent her home with all of the clothes that she had there. My mom still has some dresses that my Mimi made me. Since she gave her a bath, she put her in one of the dresses.

I didn't have my camera at their house, but I tried to get some pictures when we got home. And yes, she had on her socks and shoes.

Ali wanted in on the action of running from Mommy.

Here is at least the back of the dress with the bloomers - so sweet!

Ramblings!

Abby is still not even close to potty training! She will sit on the potty and wipe, but nothing comes out. I am not sure if she is over the novelty of it or what. But we are not even close.

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Paci wars are full on. I have tried telling her "All Gone" or "Paci's are for babies" but neither of these are working. She got "spanked" tonight for screaming and immediately asked for her paci. We have been really good about only giving it to her at nap or bed time. That doesn't mean that she doesn't ask for it all time, but we are holding our ground. I really never thought I would let her have it this long, but I have learned to never say never.

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Our cable has been out for FOUR days! It really doesn't bother me that much most of the time, but I do like the background noise at night when I am reading or on the computer. Plus, I am pretty pissed that I am missing my shows. They are supposed to come on Friday to look at it - hoping that I last that long.....

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Reading stories about babies is so heartbreaking for me. I am so blessed to have a healthy baby. There is nothing more heartbreaking than hearing about mommy's losing their babies. Actually just today, there was a story on my company's site about a sick baby and how my company was able to help the family with their medical bills.

With that said, I encourage you to donate here. My future sis-in-law is doing a walk for the March of Babies. She has a friend that has not one, but two angel babies.

They raised $7,000 last year and are hoping to raise $10,000 this year to get a grant to help another family.

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I used to enter Giveaways all the time on blogs. Since I never win :( I have pretty much stopped. But there are such good ones out there!

Check this one out.

I love this gal's blog and the shop that she is giving away a gift card to has some adorable stuff! I have TONS of baby showers coming up, so I am really on the lookout for unique stuff.

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Only a week or two until my first preggar friend finds out the sex. Then the next a few days later. Then my bestie a few weeks after that. I am so excited!!!!

Science Museum

Saturday, our zoo plans were ruined by the freezing weather and threat of rain.

Instead, we decided to head to the Adventure Science Museum. We weren't really sure if it was age appropriate for Abby, but figured we would give it a try.

$32 later, we realized it was a little too old for her.

But here are a few things that she enjoyed:

A slide in the Body Parts section. When you got to the bottom, it made a farting noise. Nice.

She loved looking at the balls that were scooped up by a giant crane.

She really liked driving the crane as well!

As always, a car lover.

We did find this sort shaping box. Abby pretty much could have stayed there all day and night. She was so excited that she could name the colors and get the shapes.

Her second favorite part was walking down the long ramp that went down two stories.

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Flashback:

May 2009 at the Aquarium with Mike and Julie. Abby loved touching the alligator.

Trying to take a similar picture beside a dinosaur. Abby was so not having it.

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Anybody been to Mule Day? I am thinking about heading that way this Sunday (b-day party on Saturday).

My Little Monkey

Abby loves to read "Five Little Monkeys" every night. She is very adamant nowadays about not getting her picture taken. I actually had to set this camera on the table and try to secretly take pictures. She caught me every time.

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Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

One Fell Off and Hit His Head

Momma Called the Doctor and the Doctor Said,

No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed!

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Some other things that Abby is doing now.


Colors: She knows purple, red, pink, blue, green, white, black, and of course her favorite, yellow (pronounced lellow).

We still talk to Baby Jesus every night. She puts her hands in a prayer and says all the names that she knows. I used to do it and she would repeat it, but now she does it on her own.

A few nights ago, she woke up about an hour after she went down. She wanted me to rock her and as soon as I sat down, she cupped my hands and said, Baby Jesus. She is just too sweet for words.


I cleaned my car out last weekend. Apparently I didn't put the car seat back in right. I forgot to attach the top part to the back of the SUV. Due to erratic drivers in Smyrna, I had to make a hard right into my apartment complex.

I hear a terrified "Mommy?" from the backseat. Her poor car seat had fallen over! Luckily, we were in our neighborhood, so I just jumped out and righted the seat (and fixed the hook).

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Rain ruined our zoo plans for tomorrow, but we are working on another plan!

Miscellany Monday

I thought I would join up with this blog as I sometimes have miscellany posts!

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I have been trying to walk every night. Normally, we walk around the complex in circles. Tonight, I ventured out of the apartment complex. I did not realize until I was halfway through the walk just how tough the hill was. Pushing a 40 pound stroller up a hill is NOT fun. My calves are killing me.

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My inspiration today was the scale this morning. I don't weigh every day, but did this morning. Saw a number I haven't seen in a looooong time. But a good one!! 2 pounds down, 10 more to go ;)

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Abby was an angel on the walk. She is all about colors right now. She told me the color of every car we passed.

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After we got home, I started dinner and it was on.

This was her reaction to getting a pink cup instead of a yellow one. Devastation.

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I just finished this book.

I don't read the Pioneer Woman's blog, but this book was so good! She has a great sense of humor and it is such a sweet love story. I highly recommend it.

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I need new books. I ordered a few on the Nook, but they aren't released yet!