Abigail is FIVE!

So I totally intended to post this about 2 weeks ago.....and completely forgot.  OOPS!!!

My baby is five...can we please stop time!  I found this adorable outfit at a consignment store and knew it had to make an appearance in birthday pictures.  Love the bright colors and the adorable owl.  Both girls have worn similar colors in past photos so we were able to reuse the banner.

When we started our tradition of taking pictures with Monkey we decided that birthday number 5 would be his last appearance.  I'm a little sad that is has officially retired.  In fairness his fur is falling out and he's seen better days.  But he has been well loved.....and we aren't giving him away, just no more photo sessions.  =P

Since Abigail's outfit has an owl and looked on Pinterest and got some ideas to pass along to my sister's cake decorating friend.  Julie did a great job.  The cake and cupcakes were both adorable and Abigail loved them!

Abigail is THREE!!

This little monkey has grown up so much this year.  She tries so hard to keep up with Hannah, that Nathan and I constantly have to remind ourselves that she is two years younger. She is full of energy, has STRONG opinions, and is always singing a song.  Love how her birthday photos turned out!!

Abigail had her 3 year check up on Monday, super fun way to celebrate.  LOL!  The doctor said she's perfect, long and lean.  Almost 75th percentile for height and almost 50th percentile for weight: 28.6 pounds and 34 1/2 inches tall. No shots this time either. =)


We had a small family celebration on Friday.  Abigail loves Frozen as well and when Hannah was picking her birthday cake Abigail said she wanted Marshmallow on her cake.  Really funny because both girls are actually kind of scared of Marshmallow.  We wanted to do something different, so my mom and I went looking for other ideas.  Abigail likes cats too so we showed her some pictures of kitty cakes and she got all excited.    Yes, I shamelessly influenced her to change her mind.  =)

Happy Fifth Birthday Hannah

I can't believe Hannah is 5 already!  She acts grown up, but it still seems like she shouldn't be that big yet.  She had her check up on Monday and everything looks great. 50th percentile for both height and weight:
38.6 pounds
43 inches tall

This is Hannah's last monkey photo.  We decided once she starts school it will be too hard to take them.  So he's officially graduated.  A little sad, but it will be one less thing to try and plan each year.

We had a small family birthday celebration for Hannah and my mom (since her b-day is 4 days later). My sister's friend made the cake/cupcakes again this year.  We went with a Frozen theme, since it's both girls favorite movie.  Lots of fun!

Two Years Old

I just cannot believe it's been two years.  Of course Nathan and I have had to remind ourselves for the last several months that Abigail wasn't two yet.  She acts so grown up trying to copy Hannah and talks really well too.  Still I swear I brought her home from the hospital yesterday.  =}

Abigail doesn't totally understand the concept of birthdays yet.  But if you ask how old she is, she says "I two! and Hannah be 4."  We haven't actually celebrated yet.  That's coming on Saturday.  We're going with a Minnie Mouse theme, just like Hannah.  Hannah got a cake, but we're doing cupcakes for Miss A.  She saw me looking at pictures on-line and excitedly yelled "Minnie!"  Think she'll love them!

Went to the doctor this morning.  She looks great.  She is 25.6 pounds and 34 1/2 inches tall.  Long and lean just like big sister.  She was very good sitting still while being examined and didn't need any shots.    She surprised me by actually talking.  We were looking at pictures in a magazine and I think she forgot she was supposed to be shy.   =)  Glad she could show off her verbal skills.

Abigail has learned yet another letter, M.  She finds them everywhere and loves to point them out.  She can recognize a few numbers as well, but right now I can't remember which one.

Must include the photo with monkey.  Abigail was actually pretty cooperative, much better than last year.  She enjoyed feeding cake to monkey.

My little girl is growing up!!

Four Years Old

I still can't quite believe that my sweet little girl is four.  She has grown up so much in the last year.  She is much better about following directions and can do LOTS of things on her own.  She's also gotten taller and lost some baby fat so she looks like a big girl too.

Hannah is really good about playing independently.  She has such an active imagination it's fun to listen in.  She cooks in her kitchen, puts on her purse to go to Chick-fil-a, the store, the park, etc.  She takes good care of her babies and stuffed animals.  They get feed, wrapped in blankets, rocked, and read to.  Sometimes she takes them to the doctor for a check up or to get shots too.  Sweet girl!

Most of the time Hannah is sweet and cooperative, but she certainly has her defiant moments.  She still takes a nap most days, but is good to play quietly in her room if she doesn't sleep.  Very thankful she's good about staying in her room so mommy still gets a break.  =)  She is SUPER grumpy if she doesn't nap so I'm not quite ready to take it away from her yet. On days she does nap she is up later at night.  She still goes to bed at the same time, just talks to herself for a while before actually going to sleep.  I will probably stop making her sleep sometime this summer if she hasn't already given up the nap on her own.  She will still have quiet time in her room to look at books.  That time will be good for her and for me!

Hannah had her 4 year check up this morning.  She is 36.4 pounds and 42 1/2 inches tall.  The doctor said everything looks great and they were impressed with all the things she knows.  Hannah got 2 shots and didn't cry at all.  She will get the other two in a few weeks when we go back in for Abigail's check up.


In addition to taking a photo with monkey we also took some other photos to commemorate her birthday.  FUN!



We are celebrating with my family on Saturday so stay tuned for cake photos.  =)

Twelve Months

Where oh where did the time go?  My sweet baby girl is one!  She is still my long and lean girl.   She is 17 lbs 4 oz and 30 1/2 inches long.  At Hannah's appointment last month, my doctor said I could let Abigail have a little bit of whole milk even though she wasn't quite one yet.  She likes it and is enjoying drinking more now that she is officially one.  Speaking of drinking, Abigail really likes her sippy cup.  She can hold it and put it in her mouth, but she needs help tipping back to actually get anything to drink.  She seemed to catch on faster than Hannah did though. 

Abigail FINALLY has a tooth.  It's on the bottom left side, but the other side is still swollen.  Hopefully it won't take as long to break through as the first one did.  Now that Abigail is doing better at chewing food (teeth help), I've let her try a few more things off my plate.  She's tried chicken, turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, bbq pork, cornbread, and ice cream.

 Abigail is pulling up on anything and everything.  She will also cruise, although we don't have much furniture that allows for that.  And if you hold her hands she will take several steps across the room.  Thankfully she is still happy to crawl on her own to get around.  I predict she will be walking earlier than Hannah who waited until 18 months.


Our house is never quiet unless the girls are sleeping.  Hannah is constantly talking either to us or her toys.  Abigail babbles all the time too.  Her newest word is "uh oh" and she loves to drop things so she can say it.  The other day Abigail was playing and babbling to herself.  I heard mostly her own language and then "qua qua."  Abigail must have been talking about the duck Hannah was playing with.  =) Abigail understands a lot too.  If she's feeling cooperative she will go get a toy you ask her for.  She loves sing with me and play Pat-a-Cake.  She will clap her hands and try to roll them, all with a big smile on her face.

This final monkey photo was QUITE the challenge.  We've had lots of cold, cloudy weather so the light was not ideal for taking pictures.  And then Abigail did not want to sit still and give us any sweet smiles.  We tried 2 different times and took TONS of shots.  My mom decided to make a composite of several shots so you can see her personality.  These make me laugh!!


Last weekend was busy so we will celebrate Abigail's (and my) birthday this Saturday.  Just a small family affair.  We are planning to do a smash cake soon as well.  We never did one with Hannah because she only touched things with one finger and didn't want to be dirty.  Abigail is in to everything so hopefully we'll get some cute photos.  Stay tuned!

Three Years Old

Can't believe it's been 3 years since Hannah was born.  My little tiny baby has turned into a big girl.

Hannah's latest pretend play activity is taking pictures.  My mom bought herself a necklace with a camera charm.  She showed it to Hannah and let her wear it for a few minutes.  Hannah immediately put it up to her eye and said "Smile, say cheese puff."  My mom gave her a little toy plastic camera to take home with her and she has had the greatest time.  You can tell she pays attention when we take her picture because she would bring me her camera and tell me to look at her focused one, she moved the toys to better light and went to change her lens.  Too cute to watch!

Speaking of taking photos.  Hannah is getting better about following directions and looking, standing, or doing what we ask her.  Of course as with any three year old, she must be in a cooperative mood!  And she doesn't last long before she says she is all done.  But we have actually gotten some really cute photos with natural smiles.  This is one of my recent favorites and I love Miss Abigail in the background.


Hannah was very exited to 'wake up' the Christmas tree after Thanksgiving.  We told her last January when we put up the tree that it was going to take a VERY long nap.  =)  I decorated the big tree during the girls nap.  Nathan and I both had small trees that we used in our apartments before we got married.  They have been sitting in the attic since we bought our house.  We decided to bring one small tree out this year to put up in Hannah's room. She couldn't quite hang the ornaments independently. So, I laid them out, she picked one, and told me which branch to hang it on.  We placed the decorated tree on top of her dresser (out of Abigail's reach) and turn the lights on whenever Hannah is awake.  Abigail has done surprisingly well with our big tree.  She has only pulled off one or two ornaments and hasn't tried to pull up on it.

I think I would officially call Hannah potty trained!!!! We hardly ever have accidents and we recently started napping in panties.  She still sleeps in a pull-up at night, but Hannah almost always wakes up dry.   Such a big girl!

 Monkey has been busy this year taking his monthly picture with Abigail.  Hannah was excited to take her picture this time and asked for balloons.  She had SO much fun with them!  Hannah's favorite place to go eat is Chick-fil-a, so we are taking her there for dinner tonight.  Then we're doing our family celebration Friday night so Aunt Kara and G-Pa can join us.  Hannah is at such a fun age, this should be a fun birthday!

Ten Months

As Abigail is getting bigger, it's fun to watch how her personality differs from Hannah.  When Hannah was little she had to be in the same room as us.  Abigail likes to be close to a certain extent as well.  But, lately she has started crawling in the playroom and playing by herself.  She will play for quite a while before she starts to complain.  Of course I can see into the playroom from the living room, but that's something Hannah never would have done.  Hannah was also terrified of the vacuum cleaner and Abigail thinks it a toy.  She follows me around from room to room like a puppy dog.  =)  And she babbles to herself while she plays.  Wish I understood her language!

Abigail has started signing "more" and "all done."  She still LOVES to eat and starts asking for "more" before she chews the food in her mouth.  Silly girl!  She can also lift her arms up if you say "SO BIG!"  I've shown her the signs for a few other things, but she hasn't signed any of them yet.  Hannah was just over a year before she started picking up lots of new signs.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this photo my mom took.  She's wanted to put Abigail in her vintage coke box for a while and we finally had time to do it.  Abigail loves to play with plastic bottles, but she usually just gets and empty one.  We gave her a full bottle of coke and it was too heavy for her to pick up and chew on.  You can't see it, but she's rolling it around in the box.  LOL!

We took both girls to 2 fall festival/trunk or treat events over the last few weeks.  One at our church and another at a local church not far from our house.  Abigail looked SUPER cute in her costume, but wasn't sure what to make of the event itself.  She happily rode in the stroller and looked at all the people.  And she danced to the music too!  My parents and sister got to join us at one festival which was fun.  Abigail liked the buttons on Aunt Kara's coat.  =)


 

 Abigail is really enjoying getting to eat finger foods.  She loves cheerios, rice puffs, and bread.  She also eats small pieces of cheese, but they are harder to pick up.  She seems to enjoy yogurt as well.  I think that's all the new foods we've tried lately.

This month's monkey photo actually wasn't impossible to take.  LOVE this hat.  You may remember it from Abigail's newborn photo session.  We actually have it in two sizes because it's so cute!

9 Month Doctor Visit

Abigail went to the doctor this morning.  She has slowed down a little in her growth, just like Hannah did at her age.  She weighs 15 lbs 15 oz and is 29 inches long.  The doctor wasn't overly concerned since Hannah did the same thing and her weight was back up to the 75th percentile by age two. Abigail also got 2 shots...one if which was the flu shot.  Thankfully she calmed down quickly as soon as I picked her up.

Last week we let Abigail chase some cheerios around her tray.  She seems to like them and if I only give her one at a time they almost all end up in her mouth.  =)  She still doesn't have any teeth, but sadly her nose is runny and her gums are swollen again.  I wish those teeth would just break through.

We took Abigail's monkey photo today.  She was not interested in sitting still.....crawling was much more fun!

Seven Months

Abigail desperately wants to go somewhere, but just hasn't figured it out yet.  She can lift up all the way on her toes, but is still working on getting up onto her knees.  She scoots around in a circle on her tummy very quickly.  I predict she will crawl before Hannah did (who was 9 months).  Abigail is doing really well on her sitting though.  She can sit for at least 20 minutes before she topples over.

It's really interesting to watch the differences in the girls' personalities.  Hannah LOVES food now, but when she was little, she wasn't excited even though she did eat.  Abigail on the other hand has ALWAYS loved her food.  She makes "mmm" "umm" "num" and other enjoyment noises while nursing and eating solid food.  =)  She is still enjoying cereal, but really likes her veggies.  We've tried sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, and peas.  In case you were wondering I have decided to make my own baby food again like I did with Hannah.  Most foods are not that hard and it saves SO much money.  There are a few things like pears that are more difficult to make really smooth, so I will probably buy those.



Now that she is eating more solid food we adjusted her schedule slightly.  She is now awake for 2 hours and then naps for 2 hours.  That means nursing every 4 hours instead of every 3 and two long naps.  She will also go down for a shot nap during the dinner hour as long as we are home.  And she still sleeps about 10 hours at night.  =)  No teeth yet, but she's had a slight runny nose and her bottom gums seem swollen.  We still get lots of smiles and giggles from Abigail.  And here's one of her new favorite faces.



Abigail may also be more active than Hannah.  When playing on her tummy she kicks her legs when she gets excited and if she's sitting up she flaps her arms.  Hannah loves to jump and run now but she was very laid back when she was younger.  Abigail's newest trick is growling.  She puts a toy in her mouth, chews on it, and makes growling noises.  Not sure why she's making that noise, but it's funny to watch.  She still "talks" all the time too.  Her favorite happy playing sound is "da da da" and then when she gets frustrated she starts saying "ma ma ma."  Wonder if it's her way of trying to get my attention.

Last but not least...a monkey photo!  =)

Six Month Photo

Just realized I never posted Abigail's monkey photo from last month.  We only took it a week late and bad mommy forgot to post.  OOOPPS!  New photos and post coming in the next few days.

Since Abigail was officially 6 months on July 5, we decided to go with a patriotic theme.  =)  Enjoy some funny outtakes too.

Five Months

I know this is a few days late, but we just took the monthly monkey photo this morning.  =)  My sweet girl just keeps growing.  Abigail loves to smile and giggle although you never can predict what she will find funny. =)  She also enjoys watching Hannah.  She figured out how to roll over from her back to her tummy.  She turns over almost immediately when you lay her down.

 It looks like she's sitting up in this photo, but she's not.  I just propped her really well and then we'd snap a few shots before she toppled over.  She does like sitting in her Bumbo chair so I'm sure she'll be sitting soon.

I know all babies have an oral fixation, but I think Abigail's is stronger that Hannah's ever was.  Abigail is CONSTANTLY sucking, chewing or licking something.  She will even stick her tongue WAY out of her mouth to lick her clothes, or your clothes, or your arm....you get the idea.  One day when taking photos Abigail was starting to get fussy.  So we had Hannah lean in close and sing to her.  Abigail looked at Hannah and then started licking.  My mom happened to catch a photo.  The look on Hannah's face is priceless!


We have been blessed with several friends who have given us hand-me-down clothes.  Then I am able to supplement their wardrobes with consignment store finds. =) One friend, who is also a Baylor grad, finally got a girl (after 3 boys).  That means Abigail getsBaylor clothes that Hannah never wore.  Here's my cutie showing her Baylor pride.  Sic 'Em Bears!!

Four Months

Can't believe my sweet little girl is already four months old!  We went to the doctor this morning and she is growing like a weed!  =)

Weight:  13 pounds 2 ounces

Height:  26 1/2 inches

At SIX months Hannah was an inch shorter and only 10 ounces heavier.  Think she may out grow big sister!  Glad Abigail is doing so well though.  She got two shots today and will get the other two next month.  Thankful my doctor lets me break them up.

Abigail continues to be more and more interactive. She gives LOTS of smiles and is starting to laugh (if we can amuse her).  She has been sleeping 10 hours at night for the last 6 weeks.  She will take 3 good naps during the day and usually a short nap around our dinner time. 



Her newest trick is rolling from her tummy to her back. She is a pretty happy baby, but definitely LOVES to snuggle and be held.  She enjoys watching Hannah play and is starting to reach for objects.  Abigail has also discovered her feet.  She can't get them in her mouth yet, but she enjoys watching them.  =)
 
 This month's photo was much harder to get.  Abigail kept falling over, or eating her fingers, or eating her dress.  We weren't intending to get Hannah in the photo too, but she climbed up, sat still, and said "Take my picture with monkey and Abigail."  She is not usually that cooperative...guess it has to be HER idea.  =)

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! =)

Two Months

This post is a few days late, but Abigail had her doctor's appointment this morning. She is GROWING. The latest stats are: 11 pounds 5 oz and 24 1/2 inches long. She's already wearing size one diapers and has officially outgrown newborn size clothes. They just don't stay tiny for long!!

She is not the greatest napper. She will sleep, but not for more than 45 mins or an hour. When she wakes up I usually try to keep her quiet so she can at least rest. She just gets grumpy if she stays awake for too long. She is doing well at night though. For the last 2 or 3 weeks she has only been waking up once at night between 2:00 and 2:30. Then she goes back to sleep until 6:30 or 7:00. I've had an alarm set for 2:30, but have only needed to use it the last few days. The doctor said today that since she is over 10 pounds she may be ready to sleep all night. So I will be turning that alarm off!

Abigail is smiling and cooing much to our delight! She is also tracking objects and responding to sounds. We do small amounts of tummy time throughout the day. A lot of the time she is content to just lay on her tummy and rest. But eventually she gets mad and lifts her head up. =)

She got 3 of her 5 shots today. We decided to break them up so she'll get the other 2 next month. Poor baby is having a rough afternoon. I can tell she doesn't feel good. I've given her Tylenol and I'm letting her sleep on me. Once we started sleep training, she's been doing much better about sleeping in her bed, but I don't mind bending the "rules" when she doesn't feel good.

I'll leave you with a few photos.
7 weeks old in this shot.


The outtake: I think Hannah is pouting because she wanted to get down. =)

One Month

Can't believe it's already been a month. We finally finished Abigail's newborn photo session. It was hard! I think we got some cute photos though. Many many thanks to my mom for taking and editing them! Here's a few of my favorites:
Love the hair sticking up!

We started sleep training last week because Miss Abigail would only sleep if one of us was holding her. LOVE snuggling with her, but she needs to learn sleep in her own bed. I am pleased to say training is going well. We still have some rough moments, but for the most part she is going to sleep quicker and staying asleep longer than she was before.

One more photo before I go. Hannah decided she wanted to join the monkey photo this month. Love my sweet girls!