The Last Few Weeks

Here's my best attempt of a recap of the last few weeks. We haven't done a great job with photos so use your imagination. =) Matt still needs to work on Barnes Christmas pictures and we'll be uploading the rest of the bath time pics to Snapfish soon.

3rd: We returned home from our two week Christmas trip to Tampa. We enjoyed our time away, as we always do, but had to get back to the normal routine at home. Home is even different as Abigail has become more and more of a pro at walking. Matt and I even discussed how much Abigail had seemed to 'grow up' while we were in Tampa.

5th: I took Abigail to her first Storytime at Barnes & Noble. The Story Teller read Here Comes Jack Frost and was very animated. Abigail sat on my lap and snacked on a cheese stick and crackers (to keep her quite).

6th: We dined with friends, The Cooks, at Scalini's for my free birthday dinner. It was a low key day, just the way I wanted it.

7th: I sliced Abs a banana for a snack and could not believe she almost ate the entire thing! She would come over when she wanted a piece, then go play, then return for another piece. She also started pushing up on her tip toes and saying UP.
8th: Matt ended up staying home from work because of the cold weather conditions. It had snowed a bit on the 7th and more during the night, basically, the city was in shut down mode. There were a ton of accidents and problems since the city and counties don't deal with snow often and weren't prepared. It was nice to have Matt home, he was able to get some daddy-daughter time while I used that opportunity to be productive around the house.
9th-12th: I worked four lloonngg days at America's Mart. While the pay was good, I missed Abigail lots and lots. Another reminder of how much I enjoy being a stay at home mom, and what a blessing it is to be 'at home' with her. My Mom & Abuela drove up to help with Abigail during these days and brought all the extra Christmas goodies that didn't fit in the Jetta on our return trip.

13th: Abigail and I met some friends at a local indoor playground. It got everyone out of the house since the cold weather had kept us in for almost a week! Moms chatted while the kiddos played. Abigail continues to surprise me with what she can actually do (i.e. what she can climb on!). That evening Abs and I went to visit Matt at work. While he hasn't been working late nights this month (YEA!), I did get him in pizza taste testing that paid $100! After work, Matt was to spend an hour Wednesday and Thursday eating some pizza so Abs was able to get some daddy time in, and daddy was able to show off his daughter to his co-workers.

14th: Abigail's 12mo Pediatrician Appointment. Weight 15lbs 15oz and Measured 28.5in. The Pedi was concerned with her size at her 9mo appt so I took my baby book to this appointment. Abigail has been following my growth so close at each appt, Dr Clements plotted my growth and realized Abigail is following MY curve (at 12mo I was 15lbs 12oz and 28.5in). This child eats and eats, but it looks like genetics will win out. Abigail is just going to be petite like her Mommy and Nina.

15th: We tried to attend a Chuck E Cheese playdate with our MOPS group. Not paying attention, I went to the wrong location! We stayed for almost 45mins and Abigail enjoyed soaking everything in....lots of bright colors and noises. She did enjoy climbing (with some help) on and off some of the toddler rides but did not like it when they moved! At night, while prepping for Saturday's brunch, I tried showing Abigail she could feed herself by helping her guide the spoon into her mouth. What a BAD idea this was! It probably took her an hour to eat the chicken, peas, carrots and pasta from the chicken noodle soup because she insisted on feeding herself with her spoon! (Luckily, this didn't seem to carry over to following days.)

16th: After hosting our first Brunch Potluck with some friends we ventured down to LaGrange to finally exchange Christmas gifts with Nana, Papa, Aunt Val, Uncle J and cousin Gavin. With Matt's grandfather in the hospital then Gavin & Justin getting sick, our Christmas was postponed. Christmas with Abigail and Gavin was lots of fun!

18th: Spied a seventh tooth starting to come through, this one to the left of Abigail's bottom teeth. I guess the teeth are going to be popping through more and more. Her top incisors had started down on December 22nd, her gummy smile is slowly filling in.
19th: Attended our second Storytime at Barnes and Noble. A few more friends joined us this time, there was a good crowd. Some of the kids weren't staying seated, so I had a more difficult time keeping Abigail seated. I hope she'll enjoy these outings as we attend more in the future.

20th: Was not fabulous... Abigail woke a lot throughout the night because of a runny nose turning more congested. Then as Matt tried to leave for work he spotted a pond in our front yard! Long story short, there is a busted pipe with the sprinkler system and a plumber helped Matt locate the shut off valve so while the house has water, the sprinkler system does not. This resolution took all day so when Matt wasn't out in the yard playing in mud, he was attempting to help me with our pitiful daughter. She had fever on and off throughout the day and got so sad when she had a little coughing fit (Matt's had this same coughing fit for days).

January Randoms...
-Abs played with my cell one day and took a ton of pictures with the camera phone. I forgot all about it until I was prompted by my phone that I was running out of space; she had taken 8 pictures of nothing.
-The sign language continues. It's super cute when Abigail signs 'please' because I know she still doesn't understand what it means. She'll also use 'cookie' but not consistently.
-Cheese, Shoes, Hot and Up are words Abigail says...I know there are more but I cannot think of them at this moment. She can also point out your nose, eye and belly button. It's funny to watch
-Abs can pick out her rubber duck out of the basket of bath toys when I ask her "Where's your duck?".
-While I know Abs eats lots of yogurt and cheese, she's not interested in milk (even if I water it down). She drank water easily from sippy cups but wants nothing to do with milk. Occasionally, I can get her to drink from my cup, but not often. We're still working on this.
-Not really sure how it started, but if Abigail gets food on her fingers or hand she will extend it to me so I can wipe it off.