Another Monday

It's Monday and . . . I miss my girl (and husband, of course).

I did, somehow, manage to pass my cold along to her. She woke up with dried snot (sorry!) all over her sweet face. Thankfully, my cold seems to have been pretty mild and I'm already feeling much better. I could have been all that stinkin vitamin C that I took, though. She slept through the night, so we'll see what this week holds. Andrew seems to be fine, except his back, of course, which is still painful. He did manage to mow this weekend, since I was out of commission!

Dewey has recovered, thankfully. If it's not one of us, it's another. Seriously! He was gobbling up his food last night, racing around the house, and managed to jump on our bed. I guess his pain went away or his passed whatever was ailing him. I'm glad I don't have to worry about more vet visits with him!

And to set your Monday off on a good foot, here is an adorable (in my opinion) video of my Question and Answer session with Abigail last Thursday on the way to the babysitters on what she did that morning with her Grandma and Grandpa. I have played the video several times for her and she always repeats the answers along with her video self and they are always the same. So cute!

Caught up with me!

I've been saying I'm tired on here for weeks - months now. It finally caught up with me. I have a small summer cold now. Yuck! Sore throat for a few days and now I have lots of congestion. I'm trying my hardest not to spread it around to the other family members, so we'll see. I guess I should learn my lesson and slow down a little when I get so tired.

I took Dewey to the vet yesterday and they couldn't find anything wrong with him. He still can't/won't jump onto things and couldn't even make it into the car to go to the vet. I got some pain pills but so far, he won't take those. He is still not very interested in eating. They want to do x-rays and blood work at the vet, so we'll see what the future holds.

Images of June

At the butterfly show. She wouldn't stand still!

A butterfly!

My pepper plant with little peppers. I picked 7 (yes 7) hot peppers last night. Anybody want any?! The garden is much bigger now! We'll have tomatoes and cucumbers soon!

Airplane with daddy (before the back injury, of course). She loves it!


We are going to the vet today. Dewey did eat some (not all of his food) but he still acts bad. The appointment is at 1:45 pm. I'm off to get ready for my day now!

My first baby! *Updated*

Dewey about 12 weeks old.

There is something terribly wrong with my first baby. I'm not talking about Abigail, I'm talking about our doggy, Dewey.

Last night, after letting him stay inside in the cool while we ate supper with family, we brought him inside. Andrew was upstairs in our bedroom on the computer (new monitor!) and Dewey was just laying on the bottom step of the stairs looking pitiful.

I said, "You can go upstairs, Dewey" and continued to proceed up the steps with him. He had a hard time making it up, however. Then he just curled up at Andrew's feet and laid there. So sad! We thought a night of rest might help.

Well, this morning when I was packing up the car to leave, he was sitting outside shivering! It is hot outside, folks! I gave him a bone from a steak that I cut up last night and went over to pet him (big mistake). Either he is rabid (don't think so - ha!), he was being protective of his bone (most likely), or his is in real distress but he lunged at me an snarled. He clipped my hand a little with his teeth but didn't break the skin. I'm glad Abigail was already in the car.

Usually my doggy is the sweetest and most energetic boy ever, that is why I'm so concerned. I guess if he is not better by tomorrow I'll be heading to the vet (with a sick dog and a toddler - oh my!). I have forgotten to mention that he hasn't eaten in a few days. If he doesn't eat his dog food tonight, I may tempt him with a little steak (in his bowl) from our beef stroganoff dinner. (Oh- that makes me hungry).

Poor boy!

*He ate a little bit of his food tonight, ate a little beef stroganoff and spent most of the evening laying at our feet. There's definitely something off but I don't think he's dying today! He did yelp in pain when Andrew touched his haunches so we think there is something wrong with his backside. He couldn't jump on the couch, chair, or bed. Does this warrant a vet visit?**

Sadness for this Mama!

Abigail is only nursing 2x a day now (morning and night). That means I have no legitimate reason to see her at lunch on Tuesday and Wednesday. I am going today just to see if she wants to nurse but it will be doubtful.

I'm not sure that I can go all day without seeing my precious girl.

Work and Pregnancy emotions are getting the best of me this morning!

I'm not joking. I can hardly stop myself from crying! Who knew that watching your kid grow up would be this hard!

Allergies!

Well, I got a report from the doctor yesterday and Abigail does have some fairly significant food allergies. I actually talked to the receptionist so I am going to try to talk to the doctor today about some questions I have.

Basically, Abigail has a high allergy to peanuts (which I already knew), and a moderate allergy to egg whites, soy, wheat, and milk. Yikes! Thankfully she doesn't consume much milk or soy but if the doctor thinks that I need to eliminate all of these from her diet, it will be a challenge.

Breakfast seems to be the hardest meal to do. The other meals just need to focus on fruits, veggies, and meat (which are great things to focus on anyway), but besides oatmeal and fruit, we're a little at a loss for what to feed the girl for breakfast. We'll get it figured out, though.

I'll leave you with a beautiful picture of my sun-bathing beauty!

Wild Weekend

Wow, we had such a busy and crazy weekend. I know that for my current state and condition, I packed way too much in. I have to learn to slow down a bit. Here is what we did.

On Friday, I spent the morning at home because we had an AC repair guy out . . . again. I think he found the problem this time and refilled our coolant so our house was nice and cold all weekend.

I had to go into work on Friday afternoon and brought Abigail with me. It was a little crazy with a toddler getting into everything but we got it done. She had a blast running around the big church.

On Friday evening we went out to dinner with a group of our friends and had a blast. Yummy food, great company, and lovely babies to look at (2 weeks old). It can't get much better.

On Friday night, Abigail woke twice during the night. I think she was hungry. So on Saturday morning, we both took a long nap. When we woke we headed down to the Butterfly Show in Cincinnati. The show was very neat but the greenhouse was HOT HOT HOT and it was so crowded we could hardly move in there. By the time we left to go home, Abigail was so hot & tired that she just sat down in the middle of the room and wouldn't get up. Poor girl! Andrew got some great photos though. They are already up on our wall.

We raced home and Abigail and I got on our swimming suits. We joined Andrew's aunt and uncle at their swimming pool for a while. It was fun! Abigail really enjoyed swimming and I wish we could have stayed longer but a nap was calling us.

When we got home, I plopped Abigail down for a nap (she went to sleep instantly!) and I headed over, with my father-in-law, to get a desk for my new "office" in our bedroom. The desk was huge and heavy but it was a great deal. I am so thankful that my father-in-law went with me. I'm not sure we could have figured out how to take it apart without him. I definitely couldn't have moved it without his help!

We raced home, unloaded the desk, and drove over to my in-laws for a bon-fire. I was wiped out by this point. Wow! We had lots of good food and fun but I decided to head home a little early (8:30 pm!) with Abigail to give her a bath and then bedtime.

Sunday was a bit slower. I made biscuits and gravy for Andrew for Father's Day, we went to church, Abigail had a nap, we went to lunch at Grandma's. After that we went swimming again. Abigail still enjoyed it but not quite as much as she did the day before. The reason may be that her daddy was there and he insisted that he dunk her under the water to "teach" her to swim. She didn't scream or act scared but she certainly wasn't as interested in swimming after that.

We had a nice dinner together before heading home for bed.

Needless to say, the story is the same. My house is a wreck, the garden needs weeded, and the yard needs mowed but we had some fun times this weekend. Perhaps staying home next weekend to catch up and rest a bit would be a good choice!

Just for the record . . .

Sorry for the lack of pictures lately. In a few months, I do believe I will be getting my own computer at home and will have access to videos and pictures and such that I can post. In the mean time, you'll just have my ramblings.

Just for the record:

1) I LOVE my midwives office. I love them for many reasons that are probably too numerous to write out here but my #1 reason is that they have yet to mention the words "weight", "gain", "vegetables", "fruit", or "salad". And, yes, I do eat those things so why I am I still gaining? I don't think I'll hit the same number that I did with Abigail. That's the goal anyway.

2) I do believe we are headed towards the finish line with nursing. Abigail is just losing interest. If I don't offer, she doesn't ask very often. If she does ask, she doesn't nurse for more than 30 seconds to a minute before she is interested in doing something else. Who knew that this big change would be harder on me than on her (I have got to quit crying!)? We could probably be done this week if I pushed just a little (never offered it) but is it really time yet?

3) I love my husband! Having him laid up for a week with pain was no walk in the park but it had a few bright spots. 1) I got to see him (he works a lot and even though he makes time for us, it's just not the same as having him to myself for days). 2) I got to really listen to him and figure out a few more ways that I can show my love and help him out!

4) There were some cute things in the ultrasound that I didn't mention yesterday. Our girl was breech (which isn't a problem at this point) and was really sitting up in my tummy (bottom down, not feet). She was reclined back with her hands behind her head and her ankles crossed. What a proper little lady! I also hope that this is an indication of a very relaxed and easy going personality! :)

Sisters!

I still cannot believe that we're having a girl. I just seriously thought that with all the differences in the pregnancy, that this would be a boy. The "telling shot" of her was very clear because she was head-up and the technician got a picture of her "sitting" on the little wand they use. I could see the girly parts before the lady said anything (of course, I wasn't sure).

I am also very thankful that she said everything else looked wonderful! She couldn't get a full-profile shot because of how the baby was laying, or technically, sitting in my tummy but she did get a full-face shot, foot, and the girly parts picture.

I went through about 5 minutes of shock over how Abigail wasn't going to be my little baby girl anymore (I could have still pretended if we were having a boy) but then I just felt very happy. I love having a sister and I loved being relatively close to her in age, so I am happy for my girls!

I did have the wild and crazy thought that we need to keep working hard on our finances because we're going to have at least two weddings to pay for now (of course, that is if they choose to get married. They don't have to).

I guess that's all the thoughts I want to record on that today.

Andrew continues to make very small improvements each day. It is amazing to see how big a difference the chair he is in makes. We waited about 1 hr and 15 min for the ultrasound and those chairs were rock hard. I could tell he was in some pain by the end of that wait and he was pretty slow moving going back to the ultrasound room. Once we got back there, he has a much nicer chair and during my midwife appointment, he had a recliner! :)

He is able to do more things for himself around the house now (wash his hair, get in and out of the shower by himself, tie his shoes, etc) and he even took the dog out this morning so I feel a bit more caught up on things. Last night I actually completed my to-do list for the day. Here is what I did:

Kitchen Clean (I set the timer for 10 minutes, after Abigail is in bed, and I usually can unload and reload the dishwasher, wipe the counters, clean the highchair and table, and occasionally sweep the floor in that time).

Laundry

Bathroom Clean (Again, a 10 minute timer. I got the toilet, sink, countertop, and mirror cleaned in the downstairs bathroom).

Trash (I took the trash to the curb by myself. I had to drag the wagon down there 3x but I got it done).

Mowing (I didn't finish the yard but got to where I can finish in about 30 minutes tonight).

I was so tired after supper but I just made myself get up and do one thing and by the time I finished the kitchen, I had a second wind.

We are having a . . .

GIRL!

Wednesday Edition

Quick Updates:

1) Andrew is doing better. He can still get pretty sore but he was moving better this morning. He said the hardest part of yesterday was sitting on a hard chair or standing while teaching his class from 6 pm to 10 pm last night. He gets to go with me today. Yeah!

2) I am getting to the stage where it is no longer comfortable to squeeze into non-maternity pants. I only have 3 pair of summer maternity capri's and they're all dirty so I had to wear pants today. I only have two maternity pregnancy summer shirts so it looks like more money will be spent on that soon. I'm also wondering when I won't feel so tired all the time! (years away probably)

3) Abigail is doing great. She is such a little talker. Last night, for the first time, she verbally told me "no" when I asked her if she wanted to eat something. Yeah for communication!!!

For my own memory, I'm going to try to record all the words she says, although I'll probably forget a few:

No, Baby, Mama, Dada, Nana, Papa, Shoes, More, Go, Dewey, Doggy, Dolly, Up, Two, Banana (Molly witnessed this one with me, she said it clear as day when I was holding a banana), Hot, Brr (cold ourside), Cheese. (I may be forgetting some).

She signs: All Done, More (now she says this when signs it), drink, tired.

Nonsense words that she repeats over and over again:

"Bickle, Bickle, Bickle, Bickle Ba, Da Da" (Seriously - hundreds of times a day)
"Dyshee" or "Dysee"

I think she attempts to say many other words but they just aren't clear yet. It sounded like she was saying "bird" yesterday and occasionally she'll try to say food names, such as "milk" and "Cheerios".

Who knew that watching a kid learn to talk would be this much fun?! It is just amazing to see her grow and change every single day. She seems to learn a new word every day. The amazing thing is, she usually doesn't speak a word until it is very very clear. You know exactly what she is saying.

And, oh my, is she ever growing. I have an 18 month outfit that I bought a month ago for her. She wore it yesterday and it was so short! I think we'll definitely be supplementing her summer wardrobe with 24 month stuff by the end of the summer.

Ok, that's all. Most of that was for my own memories sake. I know I'll be forgetting all of this soon and I want it recorded! I'll post after we get back today!

Uncreative *Edited*

I can't think of a title today.

Andrew is back at work, although he said it's quite painful to sit so he may not last long. Poor guy.

He is also going to try to go to Dayton to teach his class today. Long day!

I was able to get some things done at home yesterday. Dishes, laundry, tilled the garden (more on this later), and mowed a little bit.

Thank you to my mother-in-law who kept Abigail, unloaded our dishwasher, and started supper while we were at the Chiropractor. Thank you to my father-in-law who brought me the little tiller, helped me start it, and got two rows done for me. The tiller was slightly hard to handle but I got the garden done. I need to wear gloves next time because I have some pretty neat blisters today.

Also, when I was mowing, I was trying to keep from getting the same horrible allergic reaction that I usually get so I had a towel held up to my nose to breathe through. My neighbor from across the street saw me and brought me a mask. He said he was concerned that I (as a pregnant lady) wasn't supposed to be breathing fumes. I said that it was just allergies! :) It was a very sweet gesture and I'll use the masks again!

We're in the process of looking for a mini van and selling our car. I was wanting to have the windshield replaced and car all cleaned out last weekend, but obviously that didn't happen with the back injury. Hopefully this weekend!

. . . And, yes, I'm tired. Must go to bed earlier!

*Talked to Andrew at lunch and he was still at work. He said he felt pretty good if he just didn't move around too much. This is a good thing! Now, I just hope he can remain relatively comfortable during his class tonight.

Also, can you believe we find out the gender tomorrow? I can hardly believe it!! Of course, there will be a post!*

It wasn't like this before . . .

I wrote this post right before Andrew messed up his back. Oh my goodness, this is so much more true now, so I thought I'd post it and then I'll give an update. Enjoy my ramblings:

------------------------

I have been SO emotional during this pregnancy. It feels so foreign to me not to be able to hold my tears in until I get to a private place and to feel like crying over the silliest things. So if you're around me and I'm crying, just ignore me. Please. Touching or talking can only make it worse!

Could it be a boy that is making his mama all emotional? We are going to find out next Wednesday.

I decided to find out the gender. I don't think I can wait!

-----------------------

Ok, I'm back. It's so true. I am so much more emotional this time around. I was even crying at High School Musical 3, which we watched yesterday afternoon. I mean . . . give me a break! Since last Wednesday, I have also been feeling so sad for my husband and his pain. Add to that the fact that Andrew really doesn't enjoy being taken care of. Seriously, he likes to do for himself.

Andrew is still pretty bad and was unable to go to work today. I hope he gets enough to eat without me around today! I managed to, sort of, hold things together throughout the weekend. I still have laundry today (although I got the sheets changed), need to mow the front yard, have a stack of dishes that can't go much higher, and my bathrooms need serious attention! I hate when my house is like this.

I'm working on logistics for Wednesday. I have to leave work around lunch. What do I do with my daughter? Take her? Leave her in daycare? Find someone else to watch her? What do I do with my husband? Take him? Leave him? He can stay by himself, I think. Can he go? Does he need to work? Can he work by then?

I feel frazzled and overwhelmed. I'm being helped out a bit today by the soothing sounds of John Rutter (Te Deum - for those of you who know). I feel so much better than I did 30 minutes ago.

Back Update

Well, Andrew has made a very slight improvement. He was able to sit yesterday for some time instead of just laying down. Abigail and I went to church this morning and got home just in time to eat lunch, get Andrew lunch, and head for a nap (Abigail) and now Andrew is sleeping. This means that I haven't had much time to see how Andrew is today. He made it from bed to the couch so I guess that's good. Please keep praying for him as this is an extremely painful condition and he has had it since Wednesday. I know he hopes to go to work tomorrow but we'll have to see.

This has definitely made me appreciate those people who are single parents or who are constant care-givers to someone in need. It is an amazingly time consuming and difficult task. So my hat is off to all of you. We are just getting a taste of what some people live like everyday!

Andrew is going to attempt to make it to his aunt and uncle's house for supper tonight so we'll see how that goes. Well, I need to do laundry and dishes now.

Oh, thank you to Andrew's cousin, Michael, who weed-eated (is that how you say it?) our ditch last night. It looks so much better! Thank you!

We're inching towards being out! *Updated

Well, my poor husband is certainly not improving. The day he messed his back up he went to Lowe's and the chiropractor by himself. Yesterday he had to call his Grandma to drive him to the chiropractor and this morning it takes almost an act of God to turn himself over in bed.

My heart is hurting so much seeing him in so much pain! He was so upbeat and laughing about this the first day but he is getting pretty down at this point. He wouldn't succumb to me feeding him breakfast, so he hasn't eaten yet.

Seeing Abigail seems to cheer him up so we've been doing a lot of gentle visiting! She's used to roughhousing with her daddy so we're being very careful!

I think I have a system worked out that I can do some outside work today. I'll have my phone and Andrew will have his. He will also have the baby monitor so during the naps today, I can be outside and Andrew can let me know when/if I need to come in. I think it will work!

Ok, I'd better go check on the poor guy!

*Updated: Well, the day certainly wasn't easy but it is about over. After the painful trip to the chiropractor, Andrew spent most of the day in the easy chair or couch. The chiropractor has put him on 3 days of bedrest so he is exactly where he should be.

Thanks to some wonderful help from family members, I was able to mow the back yard. Andrew's aunt and cousin watched Abigail for me for a while this afternoon/evening and it was so helpful!

Thanks for your concern and prayers for him. This is not much fun but hopefully some good will come of it.

Down but not out!

If you have read my blog for a while, or know me in real life, you may remember (or not) that last summer we had a little extra adventure while we were in Hawaii. Two days before we were set to leave Maui and go to Oahu for a few days, Andrew threw his back out. Well, he has done it again.

Yesterday he threw it out by sneezing! Yes, he does sneeze violently, but still, that is very weird.

This husband of mine has only missed 1/2 day of work due to illness since I've known him yet he had to stay home from work today because of his back. So it's bad!

Also, Abigail mysteriously was running a slight fever (again) at daycare yesterday. I am beyond frustrated with her health. She just got over a cold. I cannot imagine what I am doing wrong that she is sick all the time. She's still breastfeeding, she eats only organic and/or whole foods (nothing processed much really), I give her Vitamin C, Vitamin D and other supplements every day, she gets plenty of rest (most days), she eats and drinks her weight in probiotics every week (yogurt and kefir). I have no idea what else to do to keep her healthy! Glass bubble? Crack down on people (her daddy!) who do things to constantly share germs? Okay, so that rant is over.

So our family is not in the best shape right now. Fortunately, I'm still up and running. Unfortunately, the yard needs mowed, the garden needs weeded, the car needs several repairs so we can sell it (to buy a van), the house is a dump, the laundry is piled high, and I'm way behind on birthday cards/gifts/etc! Oh well, tomorrow is my day off so hopefully I can tackle some of this then!

It's raining, it's pouring . . .

I love this weather! I wouldn't love it everyday but for a nice midweek rain for my garden, it's perfect!

Andrew taught his first class last night. He said it "went well" and that the class was "fun". He did tell me that all but one or two of his students are older than he is but he seemed to enjoy himself. I KNOW for a fact that he is a very good teacher but I thought being in-front of people for 4 hours in one night might wear him out. The man is an introvert . . . likes to be alone (very much unlike his wife). . . but he seemed fine.

He is working from home again today. It's nice. :)

OH, I switched Abigail to overnight diapers (during the night, of course) in one size up and they seem to be doing the trick! She hasn't wet out of them yet. They are VERY full in the mornings, though. She slept until 7 am this morning when I had to wake her up to leave. I think this just proves that the reason she wakes up on other mornings so early is because she hears her dad stomping around, taking a shower, and blowing his nose! I do those things too, I just do them more quietly!

More than I can stand!

I'm not sure that my foggy brain can stand to spew anything today that isn't related to sinuses, allergies, or headaches!

Oh my goodness! I have been talking about allergies on here for two months now and I still haven't gotten a reprieve.

I mowed last night and went to bed fine but woke up to a very bad pounding headache. Not a good way to start the day. It is simply my sinuses that are pounding. I have no idea how to treat them or where to go from here.

This is a list of what I have tried/ am trying:

Claritin - recommended by my midwife
Sinus Block - recommended by a friend
homeopathic nasal spray
Sinus cleanses (all the time!)
Tylenol - this is the only thing that helps somewhat
Washing my hair before bed
Changing my sheets/pillow cases often
Staying indoors

I know it is worse when I mow but what am I to do? I have to mow. Andrew's jobs don't allow him much time for that at the present.

I know pregnancy makes the sinus pressure and swelling worse, so I'm just trying to tough it out. The only thing that has really worked in the past is an inhaled steroid spray (like Nasanex) but I don't think I can take that during pregnancy.

Yuck!

Weekend Post and Baby Update

We had a great weekend. On Sunday, Abigail took her first dip outside in the little baby pool. She liked it but the water was a little cold. I need to let it warm up before I put her in it! I think she'll like swimming this summer.

We had some friends over in the evening hours for a photo session! :) One of my friends is a fabulous photographer (her link is to the right: eternal legacy photos) and another couple just had a baby a week ago, so they came over to use Andrew's photo studio for pictures. We had a blast! Precious little Peyton was so good for the camera and she has some fabulous photos. It is amazing how funny baby poop and pee can be. Anyway, we had a blast, so thanks, everyone, for coming over!

------------------------

I haven't written much about baby #2 on here, so I thought I'd give an update.

I am feeling pretty good. Still occasionally queasy when I think about certain foods but the feeling is gradually going away. I did end up vomiting once but that is WAY WAY better than my pregnancy with Abigail, so I will take it.

I am feeling very very tired. Most of this problem has been because we moved a TV into our bedroom. Big mistake! We don't have cable TV and it isn't hooked up to an antennae but we have been watching bits and pieces of movies and staying up too late. Afternoon naps mess me up. I took a 45 minute nap yesterday afternoon because I could not stay awake and I didn't fall asleep until midnight last night! That is very late for me, since I get up around 6:15 am.

I moved my ultrasound, again, and hopefully it will stick this time! We find out the gender, I think, next Wednesday, the 17th. I am toying with the idea of not finding out this time. I guess I have over a week to decide! :) Makes me feel like I'm living on the edge.

I am going to keep this sensitive issue vague for my own sake but I have been spending lots of time praying that I can avoid some or all of the emotional issues and adjustment issues that I had after Abigail was born. I love my daughter (obviously) and would do it all again for her but I'm hoping this experience will be a little easier on me.

If we end up finding out the gender, I will obviously announce it on here. I can't keep that a secret! :) We will be keeping a tight lid on the name this time around. I don't even want to hint at it. So far we're calling it "Baby X" and that is probably what it will be known as for a while!

Have a great Monday!!

Wet Dilemma

This past week Abigail has been majorly wetting out of her diapers each night. I finally figured out this morning that her wetness is what is causing her to wake up a bit earlier than usual each day. It was 6:30 am this morning and we even put her to bed later last night (she didn't fall asleep until after 9 pm). She wears Pampers Cruisers. Has anyone ever used an overnight diaper? Is there another brand that holds more? I think I did hear once of a lady to duct taped a maxi pad into the front of her kids diaper to keep it from leaking. That seems extreme but I want Abigail to be comfortable and I want a bit more sleep.

Any ideas?

She is soaked clear through her PJ top when she wakes up. Yuck!

The Impossible

Well folks. I have done it! I have accomplished a seemingly impossible task.

I purchased:

a maternity bathing suit,

that fits me wonderfully,

without trying it on,

found and ordered in about 2 minutes online (without hours of searching),

for $20!!!!!!

I seriously could not do this again, in my life, if I tried. It usually takes me hours and days to find an "acceptable" swiming suit that is usually way too expensive. I was thinking that I might not be able to go swimming with Abigail this summer because I didn't want to spend tons of money on a swimming suit to only (probably) wear for one summer. I am so glad I found this one!

Of course, I still don't look good (at all!) in a bathing suit, but that's not the suits fault! :)

Riding with Abigail *Updated*

Here is a little video of what it is like to ride home with Abigail in the car from the sitters house. She was talking to herself the whole way. And yes, I am driving. However, I turned on my camera phone while we were at a stop sign and just aimed it in the back seat. I was watching the road, I promise. I love hearing her talk!

Enjoy!

We're having a great day today. Abigail let me sleep in until 7 am (she's been getting up around 6:15 or earlier most mornings), and we had a lovely time playing, breakfast, playing and cleaning out the toy box, and then we vacuumed and cleaned her room. I couldn't believe how full her toy box was of toys that are way too babyish for her now. She has also never showed an interest in stuffed animals (except the babydoll and monkey) so I put all the others away for another time or another child to play with.

There is a new 3 1/2 month old at Abigail's sitters house this week. Abigail has been so obsessed with him. Patting him and trying to share her toys. Today she has been constantly playing with her babydoll and even wanted the dolly to sit with her at breakfast. I hope this is all a good sign for the future!

After Abigail's nap we will go to Children's hospital to have her tested for food allergies. I have had mixed feelings about this. I'm pretty sure she is allergic to peanuts but I don't want to be testing her unnecessarily, since they have to draw blood (poor girl, I'm already feeling teary about this). However, after talking to Andrew last night, we feel that it's probably better to find out about the allergies, even if she has to have her blood drawn. She is young and resilient and hopefully won't even remember that this has happened after a few minutes. I hope I'm strong enough to do this alone. I don't do well with medical or blood related things anyway! Oh well. I'm sure we'll make it through.

********updated***********

The blood draw wasn't bad. Yes, they took it out of her arm. She cried a little bit but mainly because it was a male nurse drawing the blood and he was touching her. I think the arm band hurt her a little bit because she quit crying when he took it off. She was smiling and waving by the time we had even left the lab area. I am glad that it's over. Now we wait for results.

Working, Working, Working!

That seems like all we do these days! I keep waiting for summer to arrive and then I realized . . . it is here! It sure feels different now than it did when I was a kid. We don't really have a "school year" in our household to mark the change. I still have to work the same hours, etc. Of course, I do enjoy all things summer related: swimming, watermelon, popsicles, just being outside, travel, etc.

Andrew's business is going quite well. In addition to working for his former company (which I guess is not really his former company), he also works for two others doing computer/web type stuff. Also, as of next Tuesday, he will officially be a college "instructor" although I find it more amusing to go around and call him "professor". He is quick to correct me, however. Anyway, I am helping him with several business related items, as well as trying to keep the house, garden, and child in line so none of that responsibility has to fall on his busy shoulders.

I have been making a cleaning "to-do" list that only schedules for me to work an hour each evening on cleaning the house and gardening. So far, I have been able to keep up with that. An hour seems manageable.

---------------------------

I was in bed reading last night and suddenly felt overwhelmed but all of the things that I want to teach my daughter. Lately I have felt so sick of our consumerism, mine and just our nation in general! I want to teach her to be happy with what she has, to be grateful, not to constantly have to clamor after meaningless and pointless "stuff" in life. I want to teach her and guide her to know that following God's will for her life, even though it may not be the most comfortable or enjoyable thing is the BEST and most JOYFUL place to be.

I want to teach her that taking care of herself is a good thing, yet being obsessed with it to the point of it consuming her life is not what this life is supposed to be about. I want to teach her that happiness is good, that she probably won't always feel happy, that choosing to be joyful is the best way. I know that parenting is just a daily, hourly, moment-by-moment process but I still feel the weight of the uphill battle in-front of us. Leading by example is the hardest part!

16 months

Today is Abigail's 16-month birthday.

She is such a sweet, ornery, independent, whining, precious, lovable little girl. And, yes, I guess now I know that you can be all those things at the same time.

Her personality definitely blossomed on our trip to Kansas. Andrew and I both realized that Abigail may be a bit more like me that either one of us want to admit! :) She can be so sweet and cuddly at times but can be quite determined at times.

Yesterday, I was again in awe of the joy and wonder that I find in being her momma. Let me try to explain. There are so many people who love Abigail, who clamor and are determined to be near her, who desire to babysit and think she is the sweetest thing ever. I do mean lots of people. Yet, in the midst of it all . . . I am her mom. It is just an overwhelming feeling of blessing that I have that I get to be the momma to this sweet girl of whom most everyone desires her presence so strongly. Amazing!

----------------------

A few things for the record, so I don't forget. Abigail has another cold. It's not bad. No fever (as of yet) and she is sleeping well. My blog has come in so handy in remembering Abigail's ailments over the last few months, so I need to continue keeping track.

I think I'm going to take her for allergy testing this Friday, as long as something else doesn't come up.

---------------------

Today is Andrew's first day to work from home at his own business. He is quite excited. He is only working from home one day a week and the other days he is back at his regular job. He is planning to be home on Wednesdays but this week is difference since he has a "business" golf outing this afternoon.

--------------------

My garden is not turning out too shabby! Things are actually growing and I'm excited. I have spent time each evening hoeing the rows and pulling weeds. Once I get caught up from being gone for over a week, it should be a little easier to manage. I also can't help myself but I water more frequently than I probably need to. It is the Kansan in me. Of course I won't water if it rains but if I'm just not quite sure if it is going to rain, I water anyway. I am really enjoying myself. The only visible produce so far are little tiny peppers. They are so cute. I think I'll take a picture. I still need a few cages for tomatoes and something for my sugar snap peas to grow up on.

I think we may actually grow some food this year. Of course, now the trick is knowing the right time to pick stuff. I have plenty of experts in the family to ask.

Abigail enjoys being with me in the garden. This weekend I think I'm going to try to find her a plastic gardening set for kids and some good shoes to wear. I don't want her walking in the garden in her nice white (expensive!) shoes.

Our little Scholar!

We spent lots of time "resting" and "doing" yesterday and I'm tired. I spent quite a bit of time pulling weeds from my garden and I only got two rows done. Almost everything I planted is up, so that is good. I did spent quite a bit of that time with Abigail "helping". I need to get her a little plastic gardening set. She kept trying to "pick" my marigolds. So, thank you to whoever it was that was teaching her to "pick" flowers! :)

I also spent time mowing the grass. That activity is growing very uncomfortable for me. My "baby" felt sore after I got done, so I need to slow it down next time, or see if busy-bee Andrew can do it.

Here is a cute picture of Abigail studying a map of the United States on the way home from Kansas. This photo is not staged. She looked through our new atlas for quite a while on the way home.


She also LOVED the book, "Go! Dogs, go!" She would wiggle her little body around and say "go!" in several appropriate places. I think I read that book 10+ times on the way home.

I had a frustrating time this morning trying to get my midwife and ultrasound appointment changed so Andrew could go with me. He is now going to be working from home on Wednesdays, so he wanted me to change the appointment to Wednesday. It's amazing how difficult it can be just to push things back a day. I guess the tricky part is that the midwives office doesn't do the ultrasound so that all has to be coordinated. Thankfully it is at the same location. I will be so thankful to get this done and can hopefully put aside some of my worries. I don't want to go into much detail here but let's just say I thought I'd feel more movement by this point. I think I have felt something but I just can't be sure.

There is definitely a baby in there. We've seen it!

I need to take a picture of our brand new sidewalk! I think our project for this next weekend will be to do some landscaping and mulching of the front bed!

I've been trying to keep busy so I don't think too much about "home". :(