Abby's First Thanksgiving

Well, here we are, back from our Thanksgiving trip already. Time went MUCH too quickly, but we enjoyed ourselves so much.

Abby arrived in Oklahoma for the 2nd time in her life, and was raring to go! The first person she saw was her Grandpa, and she pointed at him, and wanted him to pick her up. Then her Uncle Jon Mark came over, and she was smiling at him, too. She slept for most of the long drive to Waukomis, and was awake when we got home. She had a host of people waiting to see her, but I think the most excited were her Nana and her Gramy. She met her cousin Blayton, and they played for a while, then it was off to bed. We had ten days to enjoy being together.

While in Oklahoma, Abby's Nana got to feed her her first table food. Abby loved it! So much so that at Thanksgiving dinner, after she ate, we put her in her walker, and she went around the table asking for bites from everyone! Of course, we all obliged, and she was thrilled!

We had Abby's Christmas pictures taken in Oklahoma as well, and they turned out beautifully. Here she is, all smiles!

She had some pictures made with her cousin, Blayton, as well. We gave some to her Great-Grandma Turner. Here they are, being cute as usual...

Abby and Blayton got along very well. We were so happy and excited. They enjoyed each other's company a lot. Can you believe he's over a MONTH younger than she is? He's our big guy!

Now, those cookies are fake, but these two are really trying to get their hands on them so they can get a sample. We fed them Chick-Fil-A right after this, so that they would not be disappointed.

While we were in Oklahoma, we also presented my Grandma Turner a sketch of my Grandpa, and sketches of all of the great-grandchildren. It was great to be able to give her that gift, and it was an emotional moment. She seemed to really love it, and we are all glad to have a reminder of him so well placed in his home.

Abby learned a few new things while in Oklahoma, too. She learned to patty-cake, and throw a REAL GOOD fit. She perfected her pronunciation of Mom and Nana, she learned how to wrap her Grandpa and Uncle around her tiny fingers, and she learned to give kisses to everyone but Nana. She was just teasing, though, because she loves her Nana lots and lots. Abby also started to really concentrate on learning to walk... It's only a matter of time until we are running around like crazy trying to keep her out of all of the bad things she will want... WHEW!

We had such a wonderful time. Spending time with my Grandma Patterson every morning was awesome. We had a cup of coffee and a chat each day. It was wonderful to spend that time with her. Abby got to know her family better, and she enjoyed seeing them every morning, and getting kisses from them every night. Unfortunately, our visit had to end, and we came home to Philadelphia. Now we eagerly await Abby's first birthday (in 9 weeks!!) so that we can see everyone again.

Abby's first Christmas is coming up, and I'm sure there will be some stories to tell. Until then, God Bless, and Merry Christmas.

Abby's First Word

So it has finally happened. Baby's said her first word. It was amazing!

We were at dinner last night, eating at Michael's parents' house, and we were all talking. Abby was in the high chair at the table, playing with some snacks. She was getting restless, and wanted out of the chair. She looked at me, put her hands out to me, and said "Mom". I looked at everyone else at the table, and was like, "Do you think she knows what she said?", and she SAID IT AGAIN, holding her arms out to me.

I admit, I cried a little. It was SO cool! Of course, I got all excited, and was talking to her. It was a truly wonderful moment. One that will NEVER be forgotten by this "Mom".

Baby's First Halloween!

It's Abby's first Halloween, and she has been dressed to the nines all day. First in her Halloween outfit, which her Uncle Billy & Aunt Mary sent to her from Virginia Beach. She spent the day with Nan and Pop, refusing to nap in the afternoon, but eating all of her meals like a good girl. Look at that face; can you see the trouble???

When we got off work, we went to Nan & Pop's house to dress Abby in her Halloween costume. As much as I hate to admit it, we spent the first couple of minutes looking at her and laughing. But she was just so darn CUTE! Yep, she's our little giraffe!

She was quite a ham... She smiled and laughed at all of the neighbors when she went outside. So, we loaded her into the coach, and away we walked. Of course that lack of an afternoon nap cost her! By the second house we stopped at, she was good and asleep... And she stayed that way throughout the rest of the trip around the neighborhood!

We have LIFTOFF!

I know, I know... It's been a long time between posts, but we've been BUSY in Abby's world! Abby's 8 1/2 months old now, and she has become QUITE the mover.

Abby's crawling around quite nicely now. She has gone from a military style crawl to up on all fours. She's also pulling herself up, and has begun to cruise the sofa! Mick, while quite interested in what she's doing, has begun to keep a distance to protect himself! She still loves him, though, and makes every effort to pet and play with him. Currently, she is enamored of his paws, and tries to hold them whenever she can. He enjoys laying beside her when she is playing with her toys, but the minute she makes a move on him, he is OUTTA there.

Her favorite thing to do right now is to pull herself up on whatever she can get close to. She also loves her Jumperoo, and spends lots of time jumping and laughing. She loves what we call her "puppy" as well, spending lots of time making it talk and sing. It's a stuffed dog that tells her all about his feet, hands, tummy, nose, sings songs, counts, and giggles. Sometimes, late at night, it falls over, and we hear an "I love you!" coming from it. Lately, she's not too happy about having her diaper changed, and does everything in her power to get away from us as soon as she is naked. She still hates to go to sleep, because she is so afraid of missing something. She's got trouble written all over her face at times...

We've been using the video camera more and more, so we'll be able to send all of you movies so that you can see her in action. I PROMISE this will be updated more often. Next month, we're off to Oklahoma to see Nana, Grandpa, Uncle Jon Mark, and the rest of the family. We can't WAIT!

As a footnote, our friend Foley is doing WONDERFULLY well! He's 3 months old now, and a very determined little boy. We love spending time with him, and can't wait to be able to post some pictures here for you to see. We're so happy he's home and healthy.

Till next time...

More miracles

Yesterday our friend Katie gave birth to her first child, a boy, named Foley Michael. He was 8 lbs, 5 oz and 21 inches long. A beautiful thing, for sure...

This morning at 3:00, a nurse came to their room and told them that Foley had been moved to the NICU. He has been having trouble with his breathing, and is now on oxygen and medications for a possible lung infection.

This makes me think how very fragile a baby's life is. How we have to care for them and protect them. I know the feeling of joy that comes from welcoming your new child, and the heartache of post partum depression, but I have been so fortunate to have avoided the helpless feeling of knowing that your child is ill and you can't make her better.

I also know that, in God's infinite wisdom, there is a plan for each of us. Perhaps this illness in the beginning of his life will make him stronger later. Katie lost her father as a teenager, and has named her son for him. I know that he is with Foley every step of the way. We pray for so many things, but is anything more important than praying for the health and safety of our children? There can't be, in this mother's heart, a more important prayer to say every day.

So now I pray, not only for my child, but for the children of all of my friends and family, and for the children in this world who do not have the luxuries that we are afforded. Even while I pray for all of these children, tonight I will be saying a special prayer for a precious new boy who hasn't even had a chance to meet all of us who love him, sight unseen.

AH, Growing UP

Well, it's been 5 months since our Abby was born, and I know that's a long time to wait on a post, but there's been lots and lots going on!

Abby has completed the following tasks:

July 1, 2005 - Rolled over, back to front AND front to back
July 14, 2005 - Ate her first meal with a spoon - mmmmm, oatmeal!
July 14, 2005 - Blew her first, second, and 100th raspberry - she likes em!
July 15, 2005 - Rolled over going the other way

And so many more things. Abby is growing day by day. She is currently 15 lbs., and 24 1/4 inches long. She has attended her first birthday party, for her friend Alex's first birthday, and has another next weekend for her friend Liam's first. She is such a party girl!

Abby's Uncle Jon Mark came to visit her over the July 4th holiday. She really enjoyed hanging out with him. She had her first visit to the Philadelphia Museum of Art - and she LOVED looking at those paintings (I guess the colors caught her attention). Uncle Jon carried her through some of the museum, because her coach just wasn't where she wanted to be. Of course, she pooped while we were there, but that's ok!

Abby especially loved it when Uncle Jon made duck noises with his mouth, and he agrees with us that our dog, Mick, is Abby's favorite "person" in the whole world. I bet her first word is Mick!

Abby also had her first trip to the New Jersey Shore, and to Wildwood's boardwalk while her Uncle Jon was here. She really enjoyed it, except for the ride home. Sometimes she gets tired of just sitting around - she's ready to get up and go!

Sadly, Uncle Jon had to return home to Oklahoma, and Abby sure does miss him. She also misses her Nana and Grandpa, but I know they'll be here to visit soon! Abby's going to be spending her first Thanksgiving with her family in Oklahoma. I know she'll love Great-Grandma's mashed potatoes. Should be an interesting sight.

Well, that is my latest update. Hope you enjoyed learning about Abby's recent goings-on.

A Miracle is Born

HMMMM, where to begin. Well, it all started in May of 2004. Although we didn't know it had started until July of 2004... But that's another story. We got pregnant! The months passed, and it was finally time for our baby to be born. Because we love surprises, we opted not to find out the sex before the baby was born.

Labor started on Friday, February 10. It was slow going, and mainly annoying at first. On Saturday, things started to move a little faster, but then slowed down again. Around midnight on Saturday night, I felt a mysterious dampness, and wondered to myself if my water had broken. The next morning I called my doctor.

Needless to say, he sent me to the hospital to check my water. I got there Sunday morning, February 13, 2005 at around 10:00. We sat, they ran tests, we sat, they came in and out, we sat, they did an ultrasound, we sat and talked about eating lunch soon, they came and told me NO FOOD - we're inducing labor! I was hungry, too!

At about 1:00 p.m. that Sunday, the nurse started an IV with a Pitocin drip. This would speed my labor and make the baby come sooner. At around 3:00 my best friend, and the baby's godmother-to-be, came to spell my husband sitting with me. She brought crossword puzzles, and between contractions, we solved them. It passed the time. Soon, though, I could hardly concentrate. The contractions were strong, and 5 minutes apart. This was at about 6:30 or so in the evening. The nurses administered some morphine, and I drifted away, talking and fine between contractions, I continued to try to help with crosswords, but my mind wasn't quite working. At 11:00 my friend left to get some rest. At first I was upset, because it seemed like she had only stayed a very short time. Then I looked at the clock and realized how long it had actually been.

I asked for more morphine, because the pain was becoming intolerable. They gave me more, but it didn't work as well the second time around! At about 2:00 a.m., the nurse came in with a doctor to check my progress. I was FINALLY at the point where an epidural could be administered. I was so happy! However, as with all things, there was a catch. The delivery room had to be cleaned before I could be moved, and I could only receive the epidural IN the delivery room. So I waited... and waited... and waited. Finally, the nurses got tired of waiting for housekeeping, and they cleaned the room themselves. THANK GOODNESS!

The anesthesiologist came in at about 3 a.m. to place my epidural. When he was finished, I admit, I professed my love for the man. What came next was more waiting. I drifted in and out of sleep and my husband wrote a letter to the new baby. At about 6:00 a.m., I started to feel some pressure on my tailbone. I called the nurse, and she assured me that all was fine. At about 6:30, the pressure increased, and they checked to see how I was progressing... 8 cm and 85% effaced - no pushing yet! My husband called my friend, Franny, and she came back to the hospital.

At 6:50, I was incredibly uncomfortable, and the pressure was enormous. My body was beginning to push, whether they told me it was OK or not! My husband got the nurse, and she assured me that I couldn't possibly be "complete", and the doctor would come in. SURPRISE! In that 20 minutes, I had dialated the final 2 centimeters, and was fully effaced. At 7:00 a.m., they told me I could begin to push.

Nine minutes, and three pushes later, I felt my baby being born. My husband was on one side of me, holding my leg, and my friend was on the other. The two of them witnessed our baby being born. My husband looked into my eyes, and said "We have our Abigail Grace!" That's how I knew it was a girl... I looked into Franny's eyes, and with tears streaming down her face, she told me she was proud of me, and that she had never seen anything like that before in her life!



Finally, they brought our baby girl to the bed, and I held her in my arms for the first time. All of the anxiety and exhaustion from the previous days melted away. I was in love! And so was my husband - I lost him to another woman - on Valentine's Day!

What a wonderful thing.