Friday is Bath Time

Yesterday afternoon I came home and was welcomed with the a baby girl that had spent most of the day spitting up on herself. Jill had already begun prepping the bathtub in determination to have a clean Abigail before nighttime. So we went upstairs got all of the things ready so we could give Abby her first real "bath" bath. Of course, Abby was still showing those big gummy smiles (see previous post below), so I grabbed my camera and snapped off the following shot.



After Abby and her daddy had some mirror fun smiling back and forth, we met back up with mom and let the fun begin. And Jill made sure that all that fun was not just Abby's by jumping in with her clothes on. I made sure to snap plenty of photos, which of course we will now share in the following slideshow. Enjoy!

Gummy Smiles

Morning time is so much fun with Abigail. She's wide awake and alert from a long night's sleep, and when she wakes she eats, so her belly is full...then it's time to play. She coos and will stick her tongue out (which is her way of playing with us). Recently she's been opening her mouth so wide, all you get is one big gummy smile! I love it! I had captured a cute smile on my camera phone and sent it to Matt, my mom and Matt's dad. When I sent pics to my mom, she'll usually call. I put the phone on speaker so Abigail could hear her Nina talk, and she kept cooing and smiling. Now the two of us are off to walk the mall since it's still too cold to walk the neighborhood. :) Have a great day everyone!

Naptime with Daddy

Matt got home early today (4:30pm!) and Abigail was just dozing off. He had picked up the mail on the way in and we traded, he got Abigail and I got the mail. We finally received a ton of mail from our insurance company with the explanation of benefits, none of my medical bills from November had been processed until recently. There were two claims being denied so I went into the dining room to make my phone call. Finally finished with the numerous calls necessary, I went into the living room to find both daddy and daughter napping. The photo op was too cute for me to pass up, just had to share!

Eight Pounds

While we have not seen the latest Will Smith flick, I was able to weigh Abigail today!

Toby had an appointment for his annual shots at the vet and their was a kitty scale in the room. When they took Toby to the back for blood and fecal samples, I took it upon myself to weigh my FULLY CLOTHED daughter on the kitty scale! I emphasized FULLY CLOTHED because she was wearing a hat, long sleeve onsie & socks while I put her on the scale so no one can lecture me on the germs. She weighed a whopping 8lbs 2.5oz...part of that being the clothes, so she's probably right under 8lbs at 5wks. This is is up from 6lbs 1oz at her last appointment, when she was 9 days old. When I confessed to the vet that I used the scale, she laughed and explained it was actually a baby scale they use for kitties.

I did find a new nap time position for Abigail today. She was fighting sleep, which she normally doesn't do until it's bedtime. I gave her a little nap time snack and she fell asleep on the boppy. I was able to move the boppy off my lap and placed it next to me on the couch. It was amazing, she napped for almost 3 hours!

Yesterday, we spent the afternoon in La Grange - Abigail's first visit to her daddy's hometown. She had fun seeing her great grandparents, her grandparents (Nana & Papa), and her Aunt Val & Uncle J. Oh, and Matt's cousin Wendy and her husband Mike also stopped by briefly to spend some time with Abby.

All in the Details

One of my favorite tiny details is Abigail's eyelashes. When she was born, there was barely any at all. Over the weeks her eyelashes have continued to grow and slightly darken. Her eyebrows are starting to get a slight color to them as well. She also still has cute little peach fuzz along the edges of her ears.

I love Abigail's hands and feet. Her fingernails grow fairly quickly, I've been giving her baby manicures. She has started to grasp onto our fingers. When Abigail is eating, if she finds my hand, she will hold onto a finger. Meanwhile, still eating, she's gently rubbing her little feet against my arm and elbow. It's as if she's trying to tell me 'Mom this boobie is so tasty.' Sometimes I rub her feet while she's eating, she likes that too. Then there are her toes (her daddy's monkey toes); it's so adorable when she flexes and bends and stretches them.

Abigail wont be weighed again until the end of February for her 8wk check-up. I tried weighing myself, then weighing both of us but it wasn't accurate. Her cheeks are fuller (as I'm sure you can tell by pictures). What you do not see, are the cute little rolls she now has at the top of her thighs. She's still an itty bitty thing, but those thighs are too cute! We tried measuring her today and we estimate she's measuring at least 20in long.


Little noises are more than just crying now. Abigail is cooing a little bit and we have even heard a giggle or two. She was smiling and cooing at me this morning when I was telling her she had a stinky in her diaper. I think the funniest noise is this partial cry, she starts to whine and then stops as quickly as it started.

As the days and weeks continue to pass, Abigail is only going to get more active and her personality will continue to shine through. I'll try my best to keep everyone updated on Abigail as she continues to grow both inside and out. :)

Mom, Not Now I'm Trying to Sleep

Happy One Month Birthday, Abigail

Today was a special day for our country as most of us watched President Obama be sworn into office in Washington, but there's another reason Jill and I are super excited about January 20th...Abigail Jaclyn Barnes is now a full one month old. Woohoo! I think it's really amazing to think that only a month ago we were awaiting her pre-Christmas arrival at the hospital. To say that she has turned our world upside down and inside out since that day would be a minor understatement, but there are no words to describe what she's brought to our lives and how great it is to be her parents.

We shot this video last night after watching her take a few steps...with my help of course. :-)


Abby Walks from Jill Barnes on Vimeo.

Abigail - One Month in Photos

Nina & Nano Go to Washington

Just got a photo from Anita as she and Wayne await the beginning of Barack Obama's Inauguration as the 44th President of the United States. Nice seats, eh!

Well, I'm heading to the breakroom here at the office for our Inauguration Hot Dog Potluck luncheon. I don't know about you, but there's an overwhelming sense of enthusiasm and hope with me today. Yes, I've been a Republican voter in the past, but this is beyond partisan politics people. We as Americans need some tangible hope to grab a hold of, and this event I hope will be unifying for all of us. Happy Inauguration Day, everyone!

The Little Cowgirl

We received the hat & boots from my parents the same weekend we announced we were expecting a little girl. They thought the entire cowgirl ensemble was too cute to resist for their future grand daughter, and they even bought it full price from Gymboree! Remember, we were living in Nashville at the time, so the cowgirl thing made more sense if we were still there.

While the cowgirl dress wont fit our petite peanut just yet, I decided to have her try on the hat and boots since they matched her outfit quite nicely today. The hat is still HUGE, but the boots are close to fitting (she has her daddy's feet!).

Abby Jack Turns 4 Weeks Old

This past Saturday we reached a big milestone as our little Miss Abigail officially turned 4 weeks old. Considering how much of a heart-warming and life-changing blur the last month has ultimately been, we can't begin to explain how great it is to have our baby girl around to hug, kiss and hold. There are no words to describe the feeling of being a parent, especially when those cute little eyes stare right back at you and smile. As the days go by, she's beginning to make the transition away from her newborn status and it shows with more faces, more smiles and more sounds that welcome us each and every day. And I just can't wait to see how she continues to mature in the coming weeks and so on. I know I've been told a hundred times by so many that time will absolutely fly by as I watch her grow up, so I will continue to take countless photos of her as often as I can so that we can all look back with the fondest of memories.

Thanks for everyone's continued thoughts and comments, and for checking in on us constantly to see what new things are going on with us. Having all of you connected via this blog really makes us feel so much closer than we really are. Much love to you all. Thanks again. Have a great week, everyone!