Sleep Update

I am coming to the same conclusion over and over again . . . that Abigail is simply tired and worn out when she does her screaming in the evenings. After she went to bed last night (about 8:15 pm) she slept clear through until 6:00 am! That is almost 10 hours of straight sleep. She was her happy, smiley self this morning, so I guess she felt refreshed. Weird!

Other than concentrating on the baby this weekend, we also enjoyed going to a Red's game on Friday night, and seeing the May Festival on Saturday night. I certainly do miss singing with them but I keep telling myself that I will be able to do it again someday. Right now, I can't imagine adding one more thing to my life! As much fun as we had in Kansas and Chicago, it was nice to just have a quiet, relaxing weekend and get caught up (sort of) on laundry and cleaning.

We are looking forward to this coming weekend. We will be celebrating out 5th wedding anniversary. We keep debating what we should do to celebrate. Since we're new parents, we'll probably just do dinner and a movie and go on a trip another year, when it is easier to get away.

I'm enjoying the bright sunny day!

Change!

Our little girl is changing. The past few days she has been very cranky (very unusual) and has had evening melt downs (It's not just for Aunt Jennie. She did it again tonight)! We suspect that she may be starting to get some teeth but we're just not sure. I HATE not knowing how to comfort my little girl when she is screaming her head off. She did it tonight but actually calmed down enough to eat before bed. She went to sleep easily but then woke 1/2 hour later (which is unusual). Can I say it again? I really hate not knowing what is going on with her. I felt like we really had the hang of knowing what each cry meant. She usually only cried when she was tired, and occasionally fussed when she was bored or hungry. I don't know what these new screams mean. Andrew and I both think that she is just overly tired, or teething. Can you tell I don't like not knowing?!

She has also started crying/fussing when being given to other people. This started when we flew out to Kansas for the wedding. We just thought she was tired, in a new environment, and overwhelmed by so many people . . . but she is still doing it. This also makes me nervous because I hope she is ok when I leave her for work.

This baby thing is definitely harder than I thought. I'm sure in a few years (maybe months) I can look back on it and laugh, like I can now about the newborn stage. I've been doing a lot of adjusting myself lately. I guess it's just taking some time to figure out how to juggle being mom, wife, employee, housekeeper, friend, keeping up with church activities, and anything else I have forgotten.

Hopefully a good nights rest will do everyone in this house some good!

Sleeeeeeeeep!!!!!

For the first time in her life, Abigail slept clear through the night! By comparison to other babies, she has technically slept through the night quite often, meaning from midnight to 5 am. However, if I have to get up at night to feed or care for her, I don't count this as sleeping through the night. It took her a while to fall asleep last night, so she probably drifted off around 10:00 pm. I went to bed at 10:30 pm and did not wake up until my alarm went off!! I wondered why I felt so rested this morning. She was awake in bed when I went into check on her at 6:00 am (when my alarm goes off) and so I fed her then. It was amazing people!! So, for the first time in a long time, I got a huge block of sleep. I didn't even sleep that much before Abigail arrived because I was pregnant and uncomfortable (not to mention the bathroom breaks), so yeah! I'm not getting my hopes up that she will do this every night but at least I know it is possible.

I will be honest: I'm sort of also sad in a weird sort of way. Since going back to work, I have felt like every moment I get to spend with her is precious and important. It didn't matter if it was in the middle of the night or not! Ah well. I will take the sleep while I can get it!

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling

This is a video my mother-in-law, Abigail's Grandma Susie, took of her when she first rolled over (this is actually her second rolling over experience). She will be moving around sooner than we know! :) She looks so happy with herself in this video. Isn't it cute?!

Chicago Trip

We had a great trip to Chicago. I certainly am tired today but I'm so glad that we went to see my sister graduate. We will have to start calling her Dr. Jenny now! :) The trip was, again, way too short for my taste but at least we got to spend some time with my family. Part of the reason I may be extra tired is that Abigail has been waking up more than once at night for the past few nights. She got up twice last night and three times the night before that. I'm not sure why she is doing this. Last night, I went in for the second time at about 4:30 am and she was laying there making noise and kicking at her toy (playing). I moved the toy but she still didn't go back to sleep until she had some food!

Last week was a big week for my little family. Abigail had a new first . . . rolling over. I missed her first rolling over (and yes, I almost cried about that) but since then she has become a rolling maniac and has done it for me many times! She is only going from her stomach to her back. I don't think it will be too terribly long before she is going the other way. Also, my husband got a new job (and a second one may be on the way). I won't go into the details on here yet, mainly because I don't understand what he will be doing! :)

I don't have pictures of the weekend yet. We didn't have time to do anything yesterday, after we arrived home, but unpack, give Abigail a bath, and go to bed. I will hopefully post some soon. However, my main job this week is going to be trying to get our yard mowed! It has been two weeks since we have mowed (because we've been gone) and we've had lot of rain. It's a jungle!

Happy Monday!

Trip to Kansas

We had a wonderful trip to Kansas this past weekend. The only problem was that it was WAY too short! We left Thursday night about 4:00 pm and drove to Indianapolis for our flight. Abigail was an absolute doll on the flights. She fussed slightly a few times but mostly she just laid on her pillow (on our laps) and enjoyed a pacifier. She was a little fussy once we reached Manhattan. I think she was just overwhelmed with all the travel, different schedule, lack of sleep, and lots of new faces wanting to hold her. She always does better when she can sit/lay by herself without being held. She did a great job sleeping in some new beds (Pak n play) and was a joy to travel with on the way home too. We got back about 4:00 pm last night. It was a great weekend!

My cousin's wedding was very beautiful and everything went very smoothly (from what I could tell). We enjoyed wonderful hospitality and it was great to see my family again. It was the first time all of the Walter cousins had been together in such a long time. We got some great pictures.

The Walter Cousins. We haven't been together in a long time. When we used to line up like this, our heights would stair-step down. Not anymore!!

The bridesmaids waiting for the bride and groom to leave the church.

Abigail and Daddy all dressed up for the wedding. Abigail definitely preferred to be held by Andrew (even over me) all weekend long!

Me holding Abigail. She still has a runny nose! You can see it in this picture.

Abigail and Aunt Ronda (who sets a high standard for aunt "greatness"). Abigail really enjoyed hanging out with her Great Aunt Ronda!

This is an adorable picture of a happy Abigail and her Grammy (Gramie)! Abigail is so big as you can see in this picture next to my tiny mom!

Lightner/Haspels Visit

I haven't posted pictures yet from the visit we had from some good friends of ours (from Kansas). Enjoy!

Melanie, Jaime, Abigail, Jodi

Things To Do!

Our lives seem so busy all the time. Many of the things that I used to enjoy (cooking, scrapbooking, reading, organizing our lives, etc) have taken a back seat to my new most-favorite thing. . . spending time with my precious daughter. I have to continue to brag about Andrew. He cooks most nights and is now doing the laundry, except for putting it away (which is my job, since I don't like his folding!!), so that I have time to just hang out with Abigail. The only thing I have been doing lately is mowing, which I enjoy. It gives Abigail a chance to hang out with her dad, which I think is a wonderful thing. She definitely doesn't get enough daddy time (or Pa, as I like to call him).

We are about to embark on a new adventure . . . flying with a baby. We are flying to Kansas for my cousin's wedding. I am very excited about the weekend. It will be so much fun to see all of my family again, to see my cousin get married, and to actually get to spend some quality time together as a family! I love events where families come together. Yeah! Well, my lunch break is almost over, so I'd better get back to work.

We're getting there!

I am all about this: http://thesoftlanding.wordpress.com/. Ever since I learned I was pregnant, I switched to drinking water from glass cups or my new favorite Klean Kanteen (thanks Mom!), which I use every day. I purchased either glass or Born Free bottles for Abigail and use only Medela products when pumping for Abigail (they use only Bisphenal-free plastic). The only exception we have made to this is when it comes to Pacifiers. Abigail has one Pacifier (her favorite) that is made with Latex. We only use it on special occasions (rough nights) and I have been slowly getting her used to sucking on other Pacifiers. They just don't fit her mouth like the latex one does, unfortunately.

I have done a lot of reading lately about the dangers of infants swimming in chlorinated pools. I had heard about this before having a baby but now I'm looking into it more, now that it is almost pool season. I wish we lived closer to a lake or ocean (something natural) for Abigail to play/swim in! I will post some links to this another time. I think occasional swimming would probably be ok but when you think about it, you are really dipping your whole body into chemicals!

She still has a slightly stuffy nose. When she wakes up it is a bit stuffy and then clears up during the day. It seems like she is improving pretty quickly. Poor thing doesn't know what to do when her nose is stuffy when she wakes up. She coughs and sputters around. I am also SO glad that it is the weekend. She has been getting up 2 or 3 times a night all week long and I feel very very tired! I fell asleep feeding her (in the rocking chair) the other night and it was only 8:30 pm!! I think Andrew may use a bottle that I have pumped and take one of the shifts tonight so that I can get a stretch of sleep. We haven't done this yet, in Abigail's short life, so we'll see if it works. I can't wait to play and take care of our babe all weekend!

I felt like I got so much done last weekend and was looking forward to relaxing this weekend. However, I feel like my time has come and I MUST get an Ohio Driver's license soon. Thankfully it has been a while since I have been pulled over but since we are coming up on being Ohio residents for 3 years now, it's time! I might put it off one more weekend!

Photo Shoot with Mama

Poor sweet baby had a stuffy nose this morning and cried all the way through her diaper change. It seemed to clear a little bit after I fed her. I think she's just wiped out and possibly has a touch of the very minor slight cold or allergies that Andrew and I have had this last week. I hope she sleeps well (deeply) when she is here with me today! Here are some pictures of me and my sweet darling.

She was wearing her Sterling College onesie but it doesn't really show in these pictures.

My little flyer!

Please ignore me and focus on how precious my girl is!!!

Ok, I must remember not to stare at pictures of her when I'm not with her!
I sure do miss her!

:(

Less than a week

So, I can't stay away from blogging! It has been less than a week and I don't feel particularly creative yet but we had a fun filled weekend that I want to post about. We have lots of fun pictures to post. First of all we had a lovely visit from a Haspels and a Lightner (good friends from Kansas) on Friday night. It was great fun to see them and have a chance to catch up. Of course, they received the Schechter family welcome of having photos taken with Abigail in our studio, so I will post those. It was so good to see you Melanie and Jodi!! :)

Friday night, Abigail decided to go through a growth spurt (we think) and wake up four times to eat! Whew! Then on Saturday night, 3 times to eat! However exhausting that was, I am thankful to have such a thoughful daughter who only has gone through growth spurts on weekends, because she knows her mama works (gets up at 6am) and needs to sleep! :) She only woke up one time last night.

On Saturday Andrew took some wonderful pictures of Abigail and me in his studio. I didn't get to spend as much time with Abigail this weekend as I wanted, because I had to run around and do tons of errands on Saturday (David's Bridal, Trader Joes, Grace Chapel (our church), Carters, and Target). Andrew took good care of Abigail and gave her a bottle so I would have time to do all of that. Hopefully next weekend we can just hang out and relax together more as a family without all the running around!

Then on Sunday, the usual, church and lunch at Grandma's house. In the evening hours we got together with our Bradley method class friends for a reunion. It was so much fun to see everyone's babies and to compare notes about breastfeeding, sleeping, rolling over, sitting up, etc!! It is so cute how the babies look like their parents! I guess that's what happens. Andrew forgot his camera, so we'll have to get some pictures from others. Abigail was so tired she slept in Andrew's arms for a while. She was revived by a short 15 minute nap and was pleasant the rest of the evening. It was a busy but fun weekend!

Blank!

I have never taken a blogging sabbatical in my three years of blogging but I'm considering it at this point. It is not like I don't have something to blog about (my darling Abigail)! :) I just don't feel creative at the moment (blah) and there are only so many posts about Abigail's sleep (which is still wonderful) that I can write. Maybe some sun and warm weather will help. I'm also finding myself extremely short on time these days. So, at this point, I'm considering taking a break. We'll see. I may not be able to stay away, especially if we take some cute pictures of our little darling. Comments always help to encourage my blogging juices to flow! :)

P.S. I just have to brag about my wonderful amazing husband. I have not cooked a single meal (on a week night) since I went back to work. He is doing such a wonderful job taking care of me and helping me to have as much time to just spend with Abigail in the evenings and weekends as possible. I am sad that I had to give up doing his laundry. I truly do enjoy doing laundry but it is enough to just keep up with my own and Abigail's at the present time! :(

Our Little Piggy!

We have noticed lately that Abigail is getting quite chunky but we hadn't weighed her in a while. Well, she had her 8 week doctor's appointment yesterday and we found out that she is HUGE! She weighed in at 13 pounds, was 25 inches long, and has a big head. She is in the 95th percentile for all three things (weight, height, and head size). Her daddy said last night that perhaps we have a basketball player on our hands! :) We'll let her decide that, but just in case she is, I've had lots of practice keeping stats at basketball games (right Mom and Dad?). Sorry, we haven't taken any new pictures this week since I've been back at work. Perhaps we'll try to do that tonight.

Abigail had another good night last night. She fell asleep about 9:30 pm (I went to bed shortly after) and she only woke up once at 2:30 am. Since that was early in the night, I wasn't sure if she would make it until morning but she didn't wake up until 6:00 am! Ok, that's all for now!

8 weeks!

Dearest Tiny Treasure (Abigail),

What a joy you are to me! I think we have finally gotten past the survival stage and we are now really enjoying your babyness! You are such a funny girl. You love to talk and interact with us now. My heart overflows every time I see you smile! I never thought I could love you more than the day you were born but I do, every single day. My heart is bursting just thinking of you (and my tears are flowing). You are growing up so fast. I am trying to enjoy every single moment yet I am always looking forward to seeing the wonderful person you will become. I have noticed lately that whenever you are near me, I simply can't stop kissing your beautiful baby cheeks. I hope you don't mind! Happy 8 week birthday to you, my daughter. Love, Your Mama.

Easter Photo

Here is our 2008 Easter picture. It's a pretty good picture of all of us, except for Abigail, poor girl, although it kind of looks like she's singing!! :)

7 weeks

Abigail is officially 7 weeks old! I'm not sure if it is due to our scheduling (we really just feed her every 3 hours) or whether she is just a good baby, but for the most part she really sleeps very well! Last night she slept for two 5 hours stretches! That was a first! She actually went to sleep about 9:30 pm last night.

Naps are another matter. She isn't a huge fan of naps unless she is in the car, in her stroller, or in her bouncy seat (and sometimes she fights it then too). I think she is a social baby and doesn't want to miss out on anything!

Yesterday I left Abigail with her daddy while I went to my 6 week midwife appointment. They did great together and Andrew said that Abigail took the bottle very easily. I'm so thankful for that. I'm still not sure how much she is supposed to be eating at every feeding (I just let her go until she stops) so we'll have to experiment with that. I also left the two of them together today while I went grocery shopping. I was so excited to be able to fill my cart full without having to worry about a car seat or Abigail in her sling.

We interviewed a babysitter for Abigail yesterday. I'm very excited about Abigail staying with her for 1 1/2 days a week. I think that being with me or Grandma Susan is best for Abigail, but this lady has had 8 kids of her own and was really wonderful with Abigail. Her kids go to the preschool where I work, which is also handy. We're still working out the details but it looks like it is going to work out. Also she lives about 1 minute from where I work, so I will be able to go over and breastfeed Abigail during the day! :)

Sorry, we don't have any more pictures to put on here. We need to take one today on her 7 week birthday. I'm sure we'll have lots of lovely Easter pictures to share!

I continue to fall more and more in love with my daughter every day. She is such a joy and I can't wait to see the person she becomes!

The Joy of Great-Grandparents

We just enjoyed a visit from my grandparents, Abigail's great-grandparents. It was so much fun to have them visit us. It was a joy for me to see them enjoy Abigail, get to see our new house, and show them around the area. Here are some pictures from their visit.

Grandpa and Grandma Fairchild and Abigail

Abigail laughing at silly Grandpa Fairchild

She's all smiles and giggles these days!

Talking with Grandma

Abigail ushered in her six week birthday with a gift to her parents: sleeping for 7 straight hours! She hasn't done that consistently but really she's a great sleeper most of the time. She is also beginning to be easier to put to bed. We usually get her down about 10:30 pm, which will be great for when I go back to work in just two short weeks. I've really enjoyed these 8 weeks with Abigail and I will be sad to leave her during the day but I know she'll be in good hands. I will be bringing her to work part-time, so that will also be GREAT!

We are looking forward to Easter, remembering the sacrifice that Christ made for us, and celebrating His resurrection. We truly do have so much to be thankful for this year. I am really looking forward to when we can teach our precious daughter what Easter is really all about! We'll start by telling her about it this year! :)

Mock Work Day

I decided last week to have a Mock Work Day, where I could get up at 6:00 am (like I would on a work day), get Abigail ready, fed, etc, and actually leave the house by 7:30 am or so, like I was going to work. Then I would come back here and work in the office just like I would if I were at the church. It all started out when Abigail decided to sleep longer than usual and didn't wake up for her middle of the night feeding until 5:00 am. Well, it took 1/2 hour to feed her so I didn't ever go back to sleep. I "got up" at 6:00 am and took a shower, ate breakfast, got ready, etc. I work up Abigail at 6:45 am for her breakfast. The problem was that I sat down to feed her in the easy chair. We both fell asleep and stayed asleep until 9:30 am! I guess I'm fired! :) Somehow, she needs to wake up earlier in the night so I don't get up for the day at 5:00 am! Anyway, we're still trying to have somewhat of a Mock Work Day by working in the office, just like I would if I had her at work (which I will part-time). So far so good, no screaming. She's currently settling in for a nap in her bouncy seat, which I will take to work with me.

I took some pictures of her early morning smiles a little while ago and wanted to share. I may have gotten a little too close to her face, but they are still cute!

Her famous open mouth smile!

One-eyed smile!

Beautiful Abigail smile!

Oh my heart! :)

Also, I believe she discovered her hands for the first time yesterday. She was sitting in her bouncy seat just staring at her hands. A moment later she was bringing her fist up to her mouth and sucked on it for a while. So cute!

Big Girl!

Abigail is really growing! She feels heavier to me today than she did yesterday. I am curious to see how much she really weighs. Our bathroom scale is so inaccurate anyway that it's hard to tell on there by holding her. This picture is of her wearing one of the cloth diapers my mom made. So cute! She is smiling so much these days. I'm going to try and capture a photo of one tomorrow. She is also starting to coo and "talk" a little more. So precious! Our video camera works about 25% of the time, so I'm going to try and video her cooing but I can't guarantee that it will work.

One Month!

Dear Abigail,

It has been one month (and one day) since you were born. I wasn't sure we were going to survive the first week, when the night felt like day, and the day felt like night. I've never truly pulled an all-nighter before you came along! :) We made it through that first week and each day keeps getting better as we get to know you. I cannot believe how blessed we are to have such a sweet daughter like you. My heart melts when I see your sweet smiles early in the morning. You cannot believe the gift you have given us when you started sleeping for 4, then 5, then 6, and last night 6 1/2 hours stretches. That was without much prompting or "scheduling" on our part! Your daddy and I are so excited to see you grow up and get to know you better every day. We named you Abigail, not because of how it sounded (like is popular today), but because of what it meant; "a father's joy". You are a joy to your earthy father and heavenly Father and I pray everyday that we can raise you to continue to be a joy to your heavenly Father and to take joy in Him as well. I never expected the journey to motherhood would be filled with this much love, awe, and wonder. I wouldn't trade a moment for anything.

Love,
Your Mama