April 2013

Hannah is learning to recognize more and more words.  I think she knows at least 10 now.  And she loves finding them in books, or signs, or really anywhere.  One day she was looking at a book that she has memorized and kept pointing to words and telling me what they were.  She is putting her knowledge of beginning letter sounds to work.  I predict she will be reading "for real" soon.

Abigail is still trying to keep up with big sister.  She follows her everywhere.  She wanted to name her Easter bunny the same name as Hannah's (we convinced her otherwise) and wanted the same color toe nail polish.  Thankfully most of the time it doesn't bother Hannah.  She's a great big sister.

Even more beautiful weather this month, so we're still enjoying time outside.  Grammy has even taken her camera out the last few weeks.  Check out the cuteness!





 






We didn't do the whole Easter basket thing, but the girls each got a stuffed rabbit from G-Pa.  We colored Easter eggs with Grammy, and she got them matching dresses.  Our church had many places around the building set up to take photographs Easter morning.  We took full advantage of an opportunity to get a family photo.  =-)

Nineteen Months

Little Missy is getting so big and acting like a big girl too.  I'm sure trying to keep up with big sister has nothing to do with it.  =)  I also starting pulling up the top of Abigail's hair into one (and sometimes two) pig tails.  The back of her hair is still to short to pull up, but the front is messy if I don't fix it.  I swear that makes her look older too.  What do you think?

Abigail continues to talk and try to repeat everything we say.  Hannah has recently started playing a "game" where she'll ask Abigail "Can you say ..."  She will congratulate Abigail on every words she says correctly.  It's pretty cute and it's fun to watch them begin to play together.  Abigail has also started trying to sing songs.  The Cheeseburger Song is still a favorite, but she likes Itsy Bitsy Spider, Happy and You Know It, and Hokey Pokey too.

Swimming photo as promised in last month's post.  Abigail still seems to prefer playing on the step, but is getting better at going out in the water with Mommy or Grammy.
 
Hannah loves to color but it's usually an activity we do while Abigail is napping.  My parents recently babysat the girls and let them both color.  Abigail had a GREAT time!  Love this photo collage my mom made, notice how many crayons Abigail is holding.  This child wants ALL THE THINGS and has since she was little.

One last photo...so sweet.  Even if Miss Abigail is a total MOMMY'S GIRL!
 

Sixteen Months

My mom and I took the girls to the Dallas Arboretum at the beginning of April for picnic (more pics and stories in Hannah's post next week).  They had cute matching outfits and everything...it was lots of fun.  Abigail  LOVES to ride in the stroller.  Sometimes she sits up very straight and looks around and other times she sits like this.   
 

Abigail continues to say more and more words.  Here's some new things she can say:  ear, Bob (from Veggie Tales), bear, toe, Pooh, nummy (yummy), yucky, Mickey as in the mouse, two, okay, go, sock, chair, zipper, mic (music), book, nose, twee twee (bird), feet, and hippo.  She still babbles, but has become more intentional about her speech.  She will come up to me and babble the same "words" multiple times while I try and guess what she is saying.  Thankfully she doesn't get too frustrated. 

It always amazes me how much little ones understand, even if they can't communicate yet.  Abigail can bring the toy you ask for, or put something away...if she's in the right mood of course.  If she sees me pick up my purse she immediate starts saying "bye bye" and walking towards the back door.  She will also point to the stereo remote and say her word for music.  And she points to her hair and says bow if she wants me to get one for her. Hannah is a girly girl and loves clothes and bows.  Abigail has never really seemed to care, but she may surprise me.  =)

I think I've posted before about how Abigail insists on carrying a toy or object in each hand almost all the time. And she has a fascination with leaves.  My mom and I laugh because any picture taken outside she has a leaf (or two) in her hands.  Thankfully she's doesn't immediately put them in her mouth anymore.
 
 

Abigail loves Hannah, follows her around the house, wants whatever she's playing with, and wants to be just like her.  Hannah loves to jump across the room or spin and dance to music.  Abigail stands right up and says yump (jump) and bounces up and down.  She sticks her arms out and twists her body trying to spin.  See mom I can do it too!  Cutie pie!

Sweet girl FINALLY has more teeth.  Both front top teeth broke through this month.  They actually came in one right after the other not 2 months apart like the bottom ones.  Still too small to see in photos yet though.  Hopefully the rest of her teeth won't take as long as these first few did!

2/12/13

Hannah is definitely a three year old.  Most of the time she's very sweet and cooperative, but she most assuredly trying to test her boundaries.  =)  She really is a sweetie and is usually a very good helper.  She likes order and actually enjoys cleaning up her (and Abigail's) messes.  Hannah has also enjoyed helping my mom with her last few photography challenges.  Don't you just love this!

Sadly, her sleep issues haven't really gotten much better.  She will occasionally sleep all through the night, but more often than not she's up once to go potty.  Of course the nights she sleeps Abigail is up crying or the phone will ring at 2am (really annoying!)

I know I've said it before, but Hannah is such a great big sister.  Abigail ADORES her and follows her everywhere.  And in typical one year old fashion she wants to play with the toy Hannah has.  For the most part Hannah is REALLY REALLY good about sharing and will usually give the toy to Abigail and go find something else.  (And Abigail will then want that toy too!)  Hannah loves to give Abigail kisses and now that Abigail is trying to walk Hannah likes to hold her hand.  Is this not the sweetest thing!



Hannah still loves to learn and has recently started spelling out letters on things.  Of course she doesn't know she's spelling, she just says the letters, and then asks what the word says.  I think there are only 2 or 3 lower case letters she doesn't know and she known her capital letters for a LONG time. 

Hannah is also fascinated by Bible verses (can you hear me shouting HURRAY)!  She is constantly asking us to tell her what things say and read them to her.  If she finds out the words are a Bible verse she will ask us to read more than normal.  And her ability to remember things AMAZES me!  Our church recently launched a big program to get everyone reading scripture daily and not just on Sundays.  They've developed an app and everything.  Each reading plan is 40 days long and we're doing 8 plans throughout the year.  Each plan will also have a theme verse that the church staff is encouraging everyone to memorize.  They have business cards with the verse on them to assist you.  I put my card by my computer so I would see it everyday.  We are working on Colossians 3:16 and my plan was to memorize a phrase a day.  Hannah noticed the card (she notices everything) and asked what it was.  I told her it was a Bible verse and then read it to her.  Well she asked me to read it 5 or 6 times a day for the next week.  Needless to say that DEFINITELY helped me learn it quicker.  And by the end of the week she could hold up the card and "read" it to me.  I think this makes verse number 8 that she has memorized.  I could go on and on about how much this excites me, but I'll stop (for this post anyway).  =)  Nathan video taped Hannah saying this verse so click you want to watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whWebX7yeZo

Thirteen Months

Sweet Abigail is doing new things all the time, trying to imitate Hannah.  =)  If you give her a hair brush she will hold it up to her head and try to "help."  She also holds a pretend phone up to her head, near her ear
(and backwards).  If you say "hello,"  she will give you a big grin.

She's not walking yet, but I I'd call her a stander.  She pulls up and lets go, looks proud and then sits back down.  She usually pushes off of something or someone, but only with one hand.  Every once in a while she'll stand up without holding on to anything, but it's not her preferred method yet.  =)  She's tried a few new foods, but not many since she still only has one tooth.  We've had blueberries, sandwich (torn in very small pieces), Kix cereal, and peas that are not pureed.

 

Abigail is much more interested in talking than in signing.  She "talks" while she plays and looks at books.  Most of what she says is Abigail speak, but I will catch real words occasionally. She has started signing "milk" and will put her hands on her chest if you say "please."  Her new real words are kitty and bye bye (along with a wave).  She will also sometimes say "aaaa bi g" like she's trying to say her name.  She also knows that monkey says ah ah and cow says moo, but won't always perform if you hold one up.  =) Nathan has always given both girls bubble beards in the bathtub.  Hannah now tries to give herself or her toy beards after we finish washing her.  Abigail has now started patting her cheeks and saying "bu bu."  Super cute!

She still loves music and dances right along.  She LOVES patty cake and wants to play over and over and over.  She also likes 'If You're Happy and You Know It' and will clap, throw her hands in the air for hurray and put her hands on her face.  Really cute to watch!  And sweet Abigail ADORES her big sister.  She follows Hannah everywhere and wants to play with and do whatever Hannah does.  Love this sweet moment my mom caught!



We did finally get some sunny weather to do smash cake pictures with Abigail.  I really thought she would enjoy this because she LOVES to eat and wants to get into and touch everything.  My mom and I spent a LONG time setting up the background, got Abigail looking cute in a big bow and bloomers and set her down in front of the cake.  She eyed it suspiciously, crawled up, and grabbed a fist full of frosting.  She shook her hand and was very upset when the frosting wouldn't come off.  She tried to crawl towards me and then started crying.  I kept picking her up and putting her next to cake, but she would have nothing to do with it.  After about 15 minutes of mostly crying we gave up, threw her in the bathtub and gave her a big hug.  Got some cute pictures, though not at all what I was expecting.  And happy to report that she still plays happily and isn't afraid of my mom, the camera, or food.  Don't think we traumatized her. =0

 

Nine Months

Abigail is still having fun crawling all over the house.  Mostly chasing after Hannah and trying to get in to things she isn't supposed to.  =)  She has also figured out how to pull up onto her knees.  She especially enjoys pulling up on the couch if Hannah is sitting there.  Abigail will smile at Hannah, then Hannah bends down to look at Abigail, and Abigail giggles.  So so sweet!  She LOVES her big sister!

We stopped swaddling Abigail for her naps several months ago.  She still sleeps with her legs wrapped in a blanket at night though.  Mostly because they get cold. We'll take the blanket away once it gets cooler and she starts sleeping in footie pajamas. Anyway, I get out the swaddle blanket and lay it on the floor in the living room when it's time to put Abigail to sleep at night.  She hears the Velcro and gets all excited and crawls to the blanket.  Super cute to watch!

Abigail is starting to learn to give kisses.  If you say "Can I have a kiss?"  She will open her mouth, stick out her tongue, and lean towards your face.  This results is a very slobbery lick.  =-)  She is also "dancing" to music.  Hannah didn't start doing this until 10 months, but in all fairness we didn't listen to music that often.  We started listening to Pandora (internet radio) about a year and a half ago.  Hannah loves their children's station and asks to listen all the time.  So not only is music on in the house now for Abigail to dance to, but she heard it while she was in my tummy too. 

We went to the Dallas Arboretum this morning to take pictures with the pumpkins, so no monkey photo yet.  Abigail goes to the doctor next week for her 9 month check up too.  I'll do another post next week with a doctor's report and the monkey photo.  For now enjoy these sweet pictures!

Thirty Three Months

Hannah is looking and acting more and more like a big girl.  She is definitely growing up!  She has recently started helping with a few chores.  She likes to hand me pillows when I make the bed and when we empty the dishwasher she stacks the plastic bowls and puts them in the cabinet.  Nathan brought her bathroom stool over to the silverware drawer the other day and she put away all the forks and spoons too.  She thinks it's very fun!



We also converted her crib to a toddler bed a few weeks ago.  For those that don't know what a toddler bed is...it's basically a day bed with a short rail that goes across half of the front.  Leaving an opening on the other front half so the child can climb in and out independently.  Hannah is very good about staying in her room when she is supposed to be sleeping, but we have had a few talks about not getting out of bed to play with our toys.  I don't think she realizes that we can hear her making noise even though the door is closed.  LOL!  Our biggest motivation in converting her bed was so Hannah could come out and tell us if she needed to go potty.  She will often wake up in the morning or after a nap before I go get her....usually because I am nursing Abigail.  She's so good about telling us if she needs to go potty while she's awake, but obviously couldn't come get us when she was stuck in her crib.  Even though we tell her every day she can open her door and come get us if she needs to go, she has yet to actually do it.  She will occasionally knock on her door...but that may just be part of her playing.  I'm sure she'll figure it out soon.  And I'm thankful she is good about staying in her room even if she's not sleeping so mommy still have quite time while Abigail is napping!

Since Abigail has started crawling she has become even more interested in what Hannah is doing and playing with.  For the most part Hannah is very good about sharing her toys, however she will try to give Abigail some other toy so she can play with the one she wants.  =0  Hannah is also learning to put certain toys away or put them up high where Abigail can't reach them.  She really is a sweet big sister though.  She was playing on her swing in the backyard last night and made sure we gave Abigail a turn.

Thirty Two Months

Hannah is such a sweet big sister.  She has always given hugs, kisses, and brought Abigail toys to play with. She has recently started reading her books to Abigail.  Hannah has most of her books memorized so she knows all the words.  Love that she loves books.  =)



I've started telling people that Hannah talks in paragraphs and not sentences.  Unless she is sleeping then she is talking.  Hmm.. like mother like daughter my mom would say.  =)  She has entire conversations with herself and her toys.  Her pretend play is so fun to watch.  She puts on my shoes, gets her purse and takes her toys to Target, the grocery store, and the park.  She pushes them in a pretend stroller, rocks them in the rocking chair, wraps them in blankets, and feeds them.

Nathan and I think she may have an imaginary friend.  His description is constantly changing so we're not sure. But she talks about bunny all the time.  She tells me about things that she and bunny do together.  Bunny just recently starting riding in the car with us and Hannah insists on buckling him in his imaginary car seat.  It will be interesting to watch this "relationship" develop.  She definitely has an imagination which is good.

It's fun to watch Hannah get more independent.  As long as we are close by and she can come talk to us or ask for help ,she will play alone for quite a while.  Nice for mommy!  In the past she wasn't always happy about picking up certain foods or would get frustrated when feeding herself with a spoon.  She now eats almost all of her food completely by herself.  Although if she's picking up food, she must have a napkin to wipe her fingers.  Still doesn't like to be dirty.  =)

Potty training is going well.  We still have occasional accidents and haven't totally mastered pooping in the potty yet.  We wear big girl panties at home and have just recently started leaving the house without wearing pull ups.  We have also transitioned from her little potty to the potty seat that sits on the regular toilet.  I'm very proud of the progress she has made.

I know I have posted before about the CD's we listen to that are Bible verses.  Hannah is singing along with more and more of the words.  And she has 2 verses completely memorized:  Psalm 136:1 and Matthew 12:34.  She can say them to you without the music.  It makes me SO happy that she is hiding the Word in her little heart!!!

Thirty One Months

We started potty training this month.  It's been a long process, but I think we're starting to make progress.  She's finally telling us on a consistent basis that she needs to go potty.  We are still using pull ups, but will switch to big girl panties in the next week.  I'm very proud of her!

I know all children are little parrots and repeat everything they hear.  As a parent, it makes you aware of what you say.  In Hannah's conversation she says actually, apparently, definitely, and exactly.  Hannah also hears me ask Nathan how his day at work was when he gets home, so her new favorite phrase is "How's your work?"  And she will ask you many times in a row!

Hannah enjoys playing what she calls the "hiding game".  We will hide one of her stuffed animals and she will have to go find it.  Of course her toys "hide" in places like on top of the bed, or in front of the TV.  She just recently started hiding her toy for us to find.  I think she likes this even more.  She will follow us around while we are looking and giggle as we get close to the hiding place.  And if we don't find the toy fast enough then she will go find it for you.  She had found some creative hiding places for her toys and we've had to talk about not hiding inside drawers and trashcans.  =)  I love that such a simple game is so much fun!

We've gone swimming twice this summer.  This is Hannah's first year to use floaties, so between that and Hannah's cautious personality we are still getting used to the water.  She is starting to play more independently.  And she actually put her head in the water twice.

Hannah is such a good big sister.  She is starting to ask more often to hold Abigail.  Now that Abigail is almost sitting up, we tried for some sister photos.  The first one is just plain funny!  Hannah was actually being very sweet, but didn't realize her hand was right under Abigail's neck. And  it didn't help that Abigail was tired.
 


 

Three Months

Has it really been three months since my sweet girl was born? Oh how time flies!


Abigail is sleeping much much better than she was a month ago. We still have occasional not so great naps, but a HUGE improvement. She is also doing great at night. Once I stopped setting an alarm, it took about 2 weeks for her to stop waking up at night. She will now sleep for about 10 hours. That makes a happy and well rested mommy! =) She is still sleeping swaddled in blankets, but we hope to gradually transition out of them in the next month or so. Of course Hannah slept fully swaddled until 6 months and then from the waist down for another 2 months. =-) We'll see.

Abigail has always been a better and more efficient eater than Hannah was. She had no problem alternating between nursing and bottles when we were supplementing. Once her jaundice was gone we stopped using a bottle except on Sunday morning at church. Each week it became harder and harder to get her to drink her bottle. I think we've bought four different kinds and have thrown away lots of pumped milk. =( I think we found a bottle she seems to like (Playtex Nurser) and we are doing lots of practice to get her to drink it. Most of the time she doesn't cry, but isn't really interested in eating either. She seems content to chew on the nipple. Silly girl! She will eventually drink some, but it takes FOREVER. Thankfully the ladies in the nursery at church are patient with her. Practice makes perfect right?

We are still doing "tummy time" even though Abigail doesn't really seem to enjoy it. She CAN lift her head up, but only when she wants to. Check out the pictures my mom took and put together. These shots were taken seconds apart.

Abigail is continuing to engage with us more and more. Lots of smiles, especially to mommy. =) Grammy did make her laugh for the first time last week. Nathan and I think that Abigail "talks" more than Hannah did at this age. Hmm...maybe she's trying to compete with big sister who never stops talking! =)

Twenty Six Months

Hannah is really enjoying being a big sister. She LOVES to bring me things like the pacifier or burp cloth. If Abigail is crying she will gently pat her and say it's OK. She helps me burp her and requests to hold her from time to time. In the photo above she put her hand on Abigail's head all on her own. So sweet! She is still ever the mimic and it's fun to watch her pretend play. She rocks her toys, wraps them in blankets, puts them to sleep, burps them, tells them it's OK, and changes their diapers.

Hannah is fascinated with words right now. She knows they say things and will point and repeat "that say" over and over until you tell her what it says. We've decided to take advantage and begin teaching her letters. She now knows A,B,C,H,O, and X. We've shown her D once or twice, but she doesn't quite remember it yet. Ever the observer she finds these letters in books, on toys, our clothing, and many other places.

Hannah is finally getting some more teeth. The two canine teeth on the bottom have poked through the gums. Thankfully they weren't too painful and only bothered her a little. You can't see them in this picture, but it's still cute!

LOVE watching Hannah and Nathan play together. She LOVES her daddy. They play all sorts of silly games. She gets excited when he comes home from work and comes running around the corner to give him hugs.

Twenty Five Months

Hard to believe another month has gone by. December went very quickly with the holidays and preparing for a new baby. Hannah continues to amaze us with her language development. She strings more and more words together everyday. She is constantly repeating everything we say and having conversations with herself. She will ask herself a question and then answer it too. Funny girl!

She can identify 3 letters: A, H, and X. We are still working on counting, she likes to skip 4 and 8. If you hold up your fingers she can tell you numbers 1 - 4. She can also identify 1 and 2 written down. Such a smart girl!

She seems to be adjusting well to being a big sister. She gives sweet gentle hugs and kissed to Abigail and talks about her constantly. She wants to tell her hi and show Abigail her toys and clothes. If Abigail cries she says "Baby Abigail crying, she's sad." We haven't heard "all done baby Abigail" yet, but I'm sure we will at some point. =) Here's some sweet photos of the two girls together.

Abigail Lee McCartney

Sweet Abigail was born January 5, 2012 at 7:21 am. She was 8 pounds 9 oz and 21 inches long. We are already in love and she's only 5 days old! She seems to be a happy content baby so far, much like big sister. My c-section went well and I am recovering slowly. I feel much better than after having Hannah.


Sadly we are also having jaundice issues just like with Hannah. Abigail is a great at nursing, but her bilirubin levels keep going up. Starting this afternoon we are feeding formula only (which means pumping for me) and going for another check tomorrow. If her levels go up again then we have to start some sort of photo therapy. Sadly we've had nothing but rain since we were released from the hospital so we can't let her sunbathe in the window. Please pray that her numbers start to go down.

We are so thankful for my parents who kept Hannah the entire time we were in the hospital. It was nice not to worry about her. They brought her up to visit every day. So far Hannah is adjusting well to being a big sister. It's almost time for her next update so I'll post more details soon. Nathan and I are SO blessed with our sweet girls!


Yes, we plan to take monthly photos with monkey this time too. All the photos in the post were taken by my mom. So thankful she captured these memories!

Sisters

I had another sonogram today and it looks like Hannah is going to have a little sister! We would have been happy with either, but it will be nice not to have to buy clothes. =) I hope Hannah and "little one" will be as close as my sister and me. =) Baby seems to be healthy with normal measurements. We couldn't be happier!! Enjoy this picture and stay tuned for an update on Hannah in the next few days!

Nineteen Months

Can't believe another month has gone by! Hannah continues to learn new things. Her new words: hi, bye bye, up, harp, bue (blue), nu (sun), ca co (rooster), qua qua (duck), da chi (chicken), moo (cow). She likes to help brush her teeth and hair, she will hold her bib under her chin, help rub your legs when putting on sunscreen, and many other things. She is even getting pretty good at putting her toys back in her basket when we're done playing. =)

We've started trying to prepare Hannah for the baby. She will point to my tummy and sign "baby" and give my tummy kisses. So sweet! She will also do the same thing to Nathan as well so she doesn't quite get it. =) We bought her a book called I'm a Big Sister. She will sign that babies cry because they need their diaper changed. She LOVES books and can tell or sign one thing from almost every book. She amazes me! Nathan and I both love to read so we are very glad that Hannah also seems to enjoy books.

It's been SUPER hot here so we've spent lots of time in Grammy's pool. Hannah seems to really enjoy swimming. She will splash and play with her toys on the step and float in her "boat." We're trying to teach her to kick her legs too. We've dunked her twice and she has cried both times. Thankfully she calms down quickly, so we'll keep working on it.