Here Comes Another Little Nipper!

We are so excited to announce that we have another baby on the way! Abby is going to be a big sister and she is already loving on the baby bump.

Our baby is due around April 19th. We will hopefully find out in November what we are having. I think it's a boy, but then I dreamed that it was a girl the other night. Someone told me that if you dream the child is a certain gender they are always the opposite of what you dream about. Therefore, maybe it is a boy!

We would be so thrilled either way. I would love for Abby to have a little sister so close in age (they'll be about 2 years and 4 months apart), but at the same time we would love a boy because it would be such a new experience. Whatever we have, we just pray for health and happiness for our children.

Here is a picture of me at 13 weeks pregnant (just a little over 3 months). I was getting ready to go to an 80's Thriller Night with some girls from Church. I am showing much more with this one and much sooner than I was with Abby!

Ashamed

I'm ashamed . . . it has been too long since I've blogged. I missed the whole month of June and pretty much all of July. I started on Facebook again and the rest is history. It is so addictive to me. I have to give myself time restraints on there. I love being able to stay in touch with friends and see what everyone's up to, but I have sadly neglected my blog in the process. I must find a better balance.

Here is an Abby update:

Abby is taking off with her speaking. She is 18 months old and her most favorite word is "NO!".

"Abby, can mommy have a kiss?"

"NO!" as she runs away.

"Abby, we need to change your diaper."

"NO!" going as fast as her little, chubby legs will take her in the opposite direction from me.

"Abby, you need to eat something other then goldfish. Please eat your peas."

"NOOOOO!" as she closes her lips as tightly as she can and turns her face away from me.

She has become such a picky eater. I feel like such a failure when she doesn't get enough veggies or eat anything I feel is substantial for her. I know it's a phase, but she keeps on taking things out of her diet. I know I need to try and hide veggies in her food. That will be my next project.

Abby is starting to repeat things that she hears. Now, I don't normally curse, but when I get scared or drop something unexpectedly, a word may fly out before I can stop it. This, of course, worries me. I would be shamed to no end if Abby repeated a word like that, but I would deny that she ever heard it from me and just blame it on her dad!

Abby's first sentence was, "Donde esta Papa?" (Translation: "Where is Papa?"). My mom taught her that one and she applies it at the appropriate times. When I leave a room or her Daddy leaves she will say it. One of my favorite things that she says now is "Pease" (please). She also has figured out the right time to say it and it just melts my heart every time I hear it!

Abby has started nursery at Church. I honestly thought she would be upset to see us leave, but she could not be happier in nursery. She doesn't notice if we're there or not! I'm so glad that she feels comfortable. Abby genuinely likes the company of other children and loves babies.

She's up to no good!

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.

What I believe . . .

I had originally started this post off very differently. I wanted to give everyone an idea of what I believe in but then I decided that if you are reading my blog, it's most likely because you know me. And, if you know me, you know that I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and that my faith plays a big part in my life. If you are interested in finding out more about my beliefs, you can go to www.lds.org.

What I really want to do is share an experience I had a couple of weeks ago. I believe that when I pray, Heavenly Father hears and answers my prayers. I also believe that the scriptures are there for us to search and ponder and that by doing so, we can find enlightenment that can apply to whatever situation in life we are in.

First, I need to preface this by saying that Ian and I decided that when Abby was born I would not return to work. I was an Elementary School teacher and although I loved my job, it could be very stressful at times (but what job isn't?). I was so grateful because I have always wanted to be able to stay at home with my children and I know that there are many women out there who would have taken this opportunity, but had to work for financial reasons.

What I didn't realize is that staying at home is no easy feat. It takes time management (which is a skill I am severely lacking in), self-motivation (if you were to look at my house right now you would think that I have none), and creativity (I have my moments). One thing that I have found is that it can be somewhat socially isolating (for both mother and child) if you don't make the effort to reach out through playgroups and family members. I have been very blessed in regards to both and I feel it has really helped Abby's social skills to grow.

Still, there are those who can sometimes wonder how you can choose to stay at home rather than go out and work. I have been asked, "What do you do at home during the day?"

I do laundry, the dishes, sweep the floors at least 3 times a day (Abby feels that she can eat all by herself now so half the food ends up in her high chair and on the floor), I change lots of diapers, play with Abby outside (she loves the cats around the neighborhood) and keep an eye on her as she walks inside the house and plays with her toys while I make dinner. (To be honest, I also laugh a lot during the day thanks to the adorable little girl that I have keeping me company). Depending on the day of the week, I go grocery shopping, to playgroup, to my sister's, my mom's, or out with my sister-in-law.

I was feeling particularly down one time about this; feeling like maybe the daily things I do aren't really that important. I wouldn't change being able to stay at home and raise my daughter for the world! I know how blessed and lucky I am to have this opportunity but sometimes I feel like I would like to change the way others view this choice.

I was reading the scriptures when I came across this scripture a while back. I remember it clearly because I had the impression that I should make note of it. I thought that was strange because it isn't one that I felt was applicable to me until I looked at it again. I started drawing comparisons, but I never wrote anything down.

During this particular time I recalled the impression I felt when I had read this scripture before and found it again.

It is Mosiah 26:37 (it's a scripture in The Book of Mormon which we believe is another testament of Jesus Christ. We also believe The Holy Bible to be the word of God). It reads: "And it came to pass that Alma did regulate all the affairs of the Church; and they began again to have peace and to prosper exceedingly in the affairs of the Church, walking circumspectly before God . . ."

I felt like if I replaced Alma's name (who was a prophet of God in The Book of Mormon) with my own and the word "Church" with "home" I could completely relate this scripture to staying at home and taking care of my children and my home. Being a stay-at-home mom is hard work. There are lots of "affairs" to get in order. How I take care of my home and those in it will determine the amount of peace we have in our home.

The true peace away from the world comes from " . . . walking circumspectly before God . . .". I believe that this can come through Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ being the focal point of our homes through family prayer and scripture study and staying focused on being an eternal family.

I am so grateful for the scriptures and for how they can be related to our lives. Heavenly Father knew I needed this scripture at that particular moment. That's why I felt prompted to make note of it a while back and prompted to recall it at the time I needed it.

I am so grateful to a loving Father in Heaven that reminded me that raising children and keeping a home is sacred business and one of the most important jobs I will ever do.

Woof!

First off, I just want to say that I know it's been a very long time since I've blogged and that I know most of you think this will be my one blog for the year. I know the only way to convince you this is not the case is by blogging a whole lot more!

I want to thank my dear friend Happy for setting up my blog design! Happy knows me better than I know myself. I was looking for designs I might like and I couldn't find one I was totally in love with and didn't know how to get it on my blog anyways. Happy found this one and put it on for me and it is the perfect one, so thank you so much Happy! She is motivating me to do this blog and I'm thankful to her for that (and I will continue to need your inspiring words Happy ~ you know just what to say!).

My other motivator is my best friend, Adriana. She is an amazing blogger! In fact, she has two blogs which are awesome. She has always told me that I needed to blog so here I am (again) and I'm going to do this! Here it goes!:

My adorable daughter Abby is now 15 months old. I cannot believe how fast the time has flown by! People always told me that it would fly by, but I sometimes did not believe them (especially the first couple of months of being a new mom!). This has been the most challenging and rewarding job and everyday that goes by, I feel like I get just a little bit better at it.

Abby is now walking and talking (well, babbling is more like it). But, she has her own vocabulary for certain things she holds dear. She is saying Dadda (which she has said for a long time now ~ she is in LOVE with her Daddy), Mama (I never get tired of hearing her say it in that sweet little voice of hers), Pp (for her grandpa, Papa who she adores), yaya (water), and finally woof. Woof is for any animal. It can be a dog (which is obviously the right sound), a cat, a pig, a horse, or a bird. I never tell her that she is wrong, but I do try to sometimes tell her the name of the animal and the right sound. Sometimes, I just go along with it because I think it is so precious.

I am truly grateful for this stage in my life that I am in, especially when I get sweet hugs from my little daughter and she pats me on the back.

Abby and I are visiting Kristen's horse,

Reno. "Woof, woof!"

Back in Business!

I cannot believe that it has been almost a year since I have posted a blog. Adriana told me that I would not keep up with it and she was right! But, I am going to ride this new wave of motivation and inspiration that I am feeling for as far as it will take me! What motivated me was my friend, Happy, who told me that I can have my blogs printed in a bound book each year to keep as a journal. I loved that idea, especially now that I have a beautiful baby girl named Abigail (Abby). A picture says a 1,000 words, therefore, I would like to catch everybody up with some pictures of this past year.

Ian's celebrated his 30th Birthday on June 7, 2009! We spent the weekend in Naples, FL.

Some pregnancy pictures. I think I was about 7 months pregnant here. I truly loved being pregnant! I was blessed with a very easy pregnancy.

Getting ready for Abigail!

About 9 months pregnant. Notice the whale in the background in the picture on the right. That's what I began to feel like.

I'd like to dedicate my next blog to the little girl who is the center of our lives now.