More than you probably wanted to know . . .

Being a mom means losing all privacy that you once had. I am a private person when it comes to personal things going on in my life, but not so much in other ways. For instance, my college roommates can attest tothe fact that I could hang out in just my towel after a shower or get dressed in front of them without a problem. I still go to the bathroom in front of my mom, much to her disdain.

This is a good thing though because Abby gets very upset if I try and close the door when I am using the bathroom. She wants to know what's going on. It's actually really cute because I tell her that I am going "pee, pee" and she grabs her diaper. I am trying to lay the foundation for potty training when we come to that bridge.

Well, today we had a new addition with us in the bathroom that I was unaware of until it was too late. I had walked into the bathroom and of course Abby came running over as soon as she heard the door. I was in the process of getting ready to sit on the toilet when I realized that she had kind of snuck behind me some how. I looked down into the toilet to see her little, white, stuffed dog looking back up at me. Needless to say, that was that dog's last day in Abby's toy bin.

I did take a picture of it (I had not actually used the bathroom yet so no worries) because I just feel that this so perfectly demonstrates the age she is at (unfortunately, I have one of those old-school disposable cameras because digital one broke so it will be a while before the picture comes). She is so endlessly curious about her toys and tirelessly finds places for them to hide and for me to find later. I love watching her play. She likes to put her little blocks in her bucket and walk around the house till she finds a better place to deposit them.

I am having so much fun with her. I feel like I understand her needs better now that she can somewhat express them. Abby is thirsty when she says "yaya" and hungry when she says "meme". When she gets cranky and starts crying at everything that means she wants her nap. Her personality is presenting itself more and more on a daily basis. Abby is loving and kind. She is playful and has a wonderful sense of humor. She laughs easily and is resilient. She is very observant and aware of others' feelings. She loves giving hugs and kisses and the occasional whack in the face or bite on the shoulder to keep you in line. She is very strong-willed and makes sure you know, in no uncertain terms, what it is she wants. Simply put, I am in love with her.

Here are a few pictures:

Abby loves remote controls.

Abby and Mama.

Abby walking with her toy.

Abby Update - 16 months old

One of my main reasons for blogging is to keep a kind of "scrapbook" for Abby to be able to look back on. In light of this, I thought that I would start the first of a series of blogs called "Abby Updates". The idea is that every couple of months, I will do an update on how Abby is growing and changing and the cute things she's doing and include pictures. I know this will be much more exciting for me than for most of you, but I hope you'll enjoy it all the same!

Abby is now 16 months old. She loves walking! As soon as we come in the house she pushes off of me to let me know that she wants to be put down so that she can walk and play with all of her toys. We keep two baskets of toys for her in the family room. One of her favorite things to do with these toys is to put them in piles in different places all over the house. Abby's really great about playing while I'm in the kitchen or folding clothes so sometimes I don't notice where her piles are until the end of the day when I find a little pink pan from her Minnie Mouse kitchen, a cow that vibrates, and a block on a dining room chair. I'm very careful about not leaving my keys or cell phone anywhere that she can get it because I'm afraid I'll never be able to find them again!

I have found that when Abby is playing and she is very quiet for too long, that usually spells trouble. I was at the computer this past week and Abby was in the family room playing. The computer is just on the other side of the couch that's in the family room so I am literally a few feet from her.

I should preface this story by saying that we had just brought Abby's Minnie Mouse kitchen in from the garage for her to play with. Ian had commented that he was worried that she was going to pull it down on top of herself. I have to be honest. I am usually the one to look at a situation and see every possible thing that can go wrong in regards to Abby's safety so I was surprised when Ian said this (Not that he's not aware or concerned about her safety. He's just more realistic about what could actually happen. I'm just too neurotic for my own good). I thought, "What a good opportunity this will be for me to show him how calm, cool, and collected I can be." I simply waved my hand at his concern and said, "Don't worry about it. I'm sure she'll be fine." Back to my story . . .

So, I'm typing on the computer and it gets very quiet where Abby is supposed to be playing. I turn around to see the Minnie Mouse kitchen on the ground. I drop the papers in my hand and run over to see that Ian was right. There is Abby, looking up at me, with surprise in her eyes and the kitchen on top of her. I, of course, freaked out. Mostly, because she wasn't crying. I thought, "She must have hit her head so hard that she can't even cry!" Of course, that was not the case. She was just surprised and now when I look back at it, I can't help but laugh and realize that only time and experience will cure my neuroticism.

I also can't help but think how much Abby will teach me on my journey of motherhood and how grateful I am to have such an adorable little teacher.

I'd like to end with some stats: Abby weighs 23 pounds and is 32 inches long. She is at average for her weight (she was a little below average before) and she is a little above average for her height.

Abby at 14 months old, just learning to walk.