Tuesday, June 28, 2005

We're having some (hopefully minor) technical difficulties with the computer, so I'm taking it in to get fixed. I don't know how long we'll be without a computer, so here are a bunch of pictures to tide the grandmas over until we're back online.

Too big for the swing!
























Monday, June 27, 2005

Sitting Up

ABBY JUST SAT UP BY HERSELF!!!!

I laid her on her back on the blanket in the basement while I updated her sleep/food spreadshhet on the computer in the next room. I went back to check on her a couple minutes later, and she was almost doing the splits while sitting up. I'd forgotten that I'd put her on her back, so I just assumed she had gotten in that position while trying to reach for a toy. It took me a minute to realize that she'd done it by herself. I put her back on her back and ran upstairs to get my phone to call Damon, and she'd done it again by the time I got back! The second time, I thought to get my camera after calling Damon. I was too excited, so this was the only picture that was actually in focus.



UPDATE: Abby also cut her first tooth today! I was feeling her bottom gum for teeth, and was shocked to actually feel one. I check her constantly, because I'm obsessive like that, so I know it wasn't there yesterday. She won't let me look in there. Everytime I try, she sticks her tongue out to lick me. I did manage to get a little glimpse of the tooth. There is just a teeny bit sticking out right now, and it is sharp! This is just too much excitement for one day! Gee, I wonder why she only took a 45 minute nap this morning.

Friday, June 24, 2005

Big Girl

Look how much Abby's grown!

1/7/05. First bath. She was about 3 weeks old. I can't believe she was ever really that tiny.


2/14/05. Just a few days shy of 2 months old.


6/21/05. 6 months and 3 days old.


Look at those legs!



So Close

Abby is now doing a "commando crawl" when there's a toy just out of reach. She can scoot on her belly until she gets where she wants to go.











Thursday, June 23, 2005

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Crawling

Abby is so close to crawling now. She can scoot herself toward a toy that catches her eye. I was jingling plastic keys in front of her here.

















Saturday, June 18, 2005

6 Months

Abby is 6 months old today. It has gone by so fast that I have to stop and think about how old she is some days. I keep thinking she’s only about 4 months old. The funny thing is, though, that I already can’t remember her being teeny. While we were waiting at her doctor’s office, there was another baby there for his 2-week checkup. I kept thinking, “Was Abby really that small once?!” It’s hard to believe since she’s so big now! She has grown so much this month too.

• She has become a great sleeper. She has slept from 8-6ish 6 out of the last 10 nights, although last night doesn’t really count because Damon didn’t get home until 2:30am, so her schedule got out of whack. He was supposed to be home a little after 10, but they ended up having to reschedule his flight due to mechanical problems with the plane. Poor guy. His luggage got lost on the way to CO, then this happened on the way home. Anyway, back to Abby.
• She’s become a great napper too. She had a week stretch where she would take a 3-hour nap in the morning, then a 2-hour nap in the afternoon. Growth spurt maybe? She didn’t eat any more than usual during this time. I thought she was beginning to transition from 3 naps to 2 longer ones, but I found that what she really needed was a short nap in the late afternoon and an 8pm bedtime. Before, we’d put her down any time between 6:30-8, depending on when she woke up from her last nap. Now, I let her take one more nap, but she’s not allowed to sleep past 5:30pm, then put her down at 8. This is what’s helped get her to sleep through the night.
• She loves to eat solids. Bananas are her absolute favorite so far, but she’s like everything I’ve given her. She loves chewing on the spoon. She’s up to 2 oz. of solids twice a day.
• Peas constipate her. Peas were the vegetable of the week last week, and she never pooped once. Do you have any idea how much fiber was sitting in that little belly of hers waiting to come out in one huge explosion! All she’d pass was a little nickel-sized hard pellet every couple of days. It’s been roughly 10ish days since she pooped, so we bought some liquid suppositories today and those did the trick. When people dream of becoming parents, they never think about times like this! That’s true love there.
• She tried diluted apple juice for the first time today. She wasn't impressed. The pharmacist suggested feeding her lots of liquids, especially apple juice to help with the constipation as well.
• It’s impossible to leave the room anymore while she’s on the floor. Abby rolls away so quickly that within minutes she’s across the room. She can also roll to us on purpose now.
• She moves around so much while she sleeps that I never know where in her crib I’m going to find her. She easily wiggles and turns completely around on her belly.
• She can sit up really well now. She loves the different perspective that sitting up offers her. She still can’t bring herself to a sitting position, but it doesn’t take an hour to sit her just right anymore. I just plop her down, and she stays for several minutes at a time.
• Crawling is definitely in her near future. She can get up on all fours and push herself back.
• She can imitate us. Earlier today, Damon was blowing raspberries with her. He’d stop, she’d laugh, then do it too. They went back and forth like that for quite a while.
• She makes a lot of noise, but no real consonants yet. Sometimes, she does say “hi,” but she doesn’t know what she’s saying. I say “hi” to her all the time, so she’s imitating me.
• What a great laugh Abby has! She is such a happy baby these days. She’s hilarious. She loves to make weird noises to make me laugh.
• She’s feisty too. She is perfectly happy to play by herself for awhile, but once she gets bored, watch out! She will let you know right away when she’s dissatisfied with the toys in front of her, and wants you to pay attention to her.
• She is quickly outgrowing all of her toys. The Exersaucer? We’ve raised it as high as it will go. The swing? I can’t fit the tray dealy on her lap anymore because her legs are in the way. The bouncy chair? Her feet hang over.
• Some of her 6-9 month footed pajama-sleeper things don’t fit already. Why are those always the first to go?
• She loves to hold her own bottle while she eats. Unfortunately, she tends to grab it from the top, so she pulls down on it and can’t angle it to get milk yet. She can pull it out and put it back in her mouth, though. She loves to pull it out and squeeze the nipple.


First self-feed. Teething biscuit. Taken 6/6/05.









Thursday, June 16, 2005

Umbrella Stroller

Trying it out. Thanks Mom!









Also, it's starting! Abby is now getting herself up on all fours for a few seconds at a time! She started doing it a few days ago, but she'd only get up onto her elbows, and it happened so fast that I wasn't sure if I saw what I saw. She's now up all the way, but not for very long. She can also get herself up then push herself backwards. Once Damon gets back from Colorado with the camera (I took all of these pictures last week)tomorrow, I will post some photographic evidence. It's definitely time to Abby-proof the house!

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

6-Month Checkup

Abby had her well-baby checkup today. She is now 17lbs. 13 oz. and 28.25 inches long. She's in the 77th percentile for weight and 99th for height!

Her doctor was impressed at how well she's developing too. At every visit, they give me a questionnaire to answer with "yes" or "no." I'm supposed to stop answering questions once I've answered 3 of them with a "no." This questionnaire is for 0-9 month-olds. Abby only had 1 no out of the whole thing: she is still not the least bit interested in her toys once she drops them. She doesn't follow them or look for them yet.

One question I knew was going to be on there was whether or not she can pick up an object the size of a raisin by "raking" her fingers over it. I've been testing her with Cheerios the last couple of weeks, but she had no interest in them whatsoever. This morning, the only other thing I could find that small were M&Ms. She scooped them right up! That's my kid. She could care less about the healthy stuff, but give her candy and she's all over it. I did NOT let her eat the M&Ms, and I watched her like a hawk the whole time to make sure she didn't try. She even tried to use just her thumb and index finger ("pincer grip"), and was successful a couple of times!

When Abby's doctor was checking her mouth, she thought she saw the beginnings of a tooth, but she couldn't feel it, so who knows. She did give me a flouride prescription to get her started on since she'll have teeth before we know it. Also, her doctor was very impressed at how well she stood while being supported. She is very steady, and stands with her feet flat.























Sunday, June 12, 2005

Stacked

Since Abby has become adept at sitting, I decided to see how she liked this stackable toy she had. She loved it.






Her favorite thing to do? Chew on the top.




She's very smart. She figured out that it's easier to tip it over than to pull each one off.




However, she can pull it off the cone as well.




Once she's through with the cone, it gets tossed aside.




She arranged them like this by herself using her hands and feet. So many choices. Which one to eat first?




The one that makes noise of course!




Abby loves her Daddy.