Mommy, Look What I Can Do!

Now that Abby has discovered the joys of pulling herself up, she's doing it constantly. She finally figured out how to stand herself up in her crib yesterday. Good times. Hopefully she won't figure out how to climb out of there anytime soon.

To add to the crib fun, twice in the past three mornings she has woken up completely soaked. Apparently she is just a pee-pee machine. The first time we thought it was because we are still trying to squeeze her into size 3 diapers (up to 28 lbs my dupa), so we put her into a size 4 last night. She woke up this morning soaked again. Nothing like having to change crib sheets at 5:30 on a Monday morning. Blah.

Heh...as I was typing all that, I started to hear frogs croaking. Wondering how we could have gotten a sudden infestation of frogs in the attic, I went to investigate. Apparently the cat, who loves to try to sleep in the baby cradle we've been keeping up here, managed to step on the "soothing sounds" button on the side of said cradle and turned on the nature sounds. Silly kitty.

Must He Do That Now?

My darned next-door neighbor is doing some really loud yard work at the moment. Normally, I'm all for his lawn not looking like a jungle, but it's Abby's naptime and her room is on the main level of the house right next to where the neighbor is running his very loud yard equipment. As an added bonus, her window is open (gotta save on that BGE bill where we can). Luckily she hasn't woken up yet, but I'm just waiting for it. I guess it's a good thing we would keep the television on while she was sleeping when she was really young and in our room. She can usually sleep through just about anything, but even she has her limits. Hopefully he'll be done with the loudness soon.

Did anybody see Phelps' race last night? Holy crap, that was exciting! Hopefully his final race tonight won't make me loose another couple of years off of my life since last night's did enough damage. Whether you like him or not, you gotta admit that the man is amazing!

This and That

-I'm so mad that I fell asleep watching the Olympics last night. I totally missed all of the gymnastics. The women's all-around is one of my favorite things to watch too...and we kicked major butt. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...stupid 11:30 pm events.

-Speaking of things that pissed me off today...I found out that Warner Brothers has decided to push back the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to next July! I would boycott it if I didn't want to see it so bad! Stupid Warner Brothers...

-In the category of things that don't piss me off, Abby has officially gotten the hang of pulling herself up. Yay Abby! Now she's working on moving and standing at the same time. If only I could talk her out of trying to eat the couch every time she pulls up on it...

-Abby and I are going to go to Superfresh in the morning. They have some rocking sales this week. I love sales!

-We would also like to visit Aunt Kathy's new house, if she's available for tours tomorrow afternoon. Ed is going to a friend's house for a (stupid) fantasy football draft around 2, so we're free anytime after that. Let me know! Uhhh...I'll e-mail you as well just in case you don't check my blog as obsessively as some other people I know.

-My sister has reached the 30-week milestone in her scary pregnancy. Yay Isaac and Ryan! Keep on swimming!

-Speaking of swimming, I really need to blow up Abby's baby pool. How sad is it that it's the middle of August and I still haven't done it? We don't have a pump to speak of, so I'll just have to do it the old-fashioned way. I'll just do it in shifts. At least after it's too cold to swim in it, we can put balls in there and she can play in it downstairs. Anyone want to claim balls as a birthday present? ;)

-Speaking of Abby's birthday, her party is officially on Saturday, October 11th. Be there or be square! I'll be on vacation all that week, so I'll keep her in daycare Monday through Wednesday, so I can get the house in shape. I want to take her to Weber's Farm on that Thursday, which is her actual birthday. I think she'll get a kick out of that. Then my mom can babysit as usual that Friday so I can cook, cook, cook. Woohoo.

-I'm too tired to think of anything else. I think I'll go watch my DVR'ed Project Runway and chill until Ed gets home from umpiring. Buh bye!

The Olympics are Killing Me!

It's cool that the perfect 12-hour time difference between here and China means that we can watch some of the more exciting events live at night, but they typically don't start until 10 and then last until around 12:30. And me being me, I'm compelled to watch until the end. There's just something about seeing it live rather than find out who won the next morning and watching it already knowing how it turns out. This week is especially bad since it's swimming and gymnastics. Hopefully next week won't be as exciting because I need some sleep!

In baby news, Abby is really starting to pull herself up more. Yay! She still needs some work, but it's definitely getting there. So far, I'm her favorite thing to pull herself up on. Go figure.

Photo Dump

As promised!

We've pretty much got the sippy cup down...she just occasionally needs all four limbs to accomplish the task.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...cookie.

Camera straps are fascinating. Ignore my pasty leg.

Catching a glimpse of the outside world.

And a short video of the clapping genius!

10 Months Old (a couple days late)

Yes, my little Abby-doo turned 10 months old on Saturday. Would have posted sooner, but I never even got on the computer all weekend. We celebrated in grand style by going to Target and visiting Aunt Becky. And, of course, taking her monthday picture. Here it is (in all it's cuteness):

This month was all about exploring. She is getting into everything now. Ed and I have learned to keep the doors to the upstairs bathroom and our bedroom closed when she's playing in the living room. As soon as she hears one of those doors open, she off and crawling to try to get in before it's shut again. She is getting quite fast with the crawling too...and she's getting fearless. She all about climbing over the two of us to try to get to where she wants to go. We're still working on the standing, but she will do it every so often...usually when she's trying to get to something.

As for food, she is now an expert at chewing the tender pieces of the level three foods. We've been giving her little bits of regular food and she loves bananas and cheese the best. That child would eat nothing but cheese every day if I let her. We really need to try to give her a bigger variety of real foods, but we're slackers. For some reason, she doesn't like the Gerber fruit dices at all. I don't get it, she loves the fruit, but just doesn't like it in that form. I guess she just needs to get used to it.

She's clapping and babbling away. Her favorite word now is mamamamama, which just makes me smile every time. Especially when she keeps moving her mouth like she saying it after she's done with the talking. So her mouth makes that funny popping sound. It's very funny when she does it. She had my mom and I rolling on Friday.

That's all for now. Maybe I'll do a photo dump a little later. :)

Just One Word

Heh...skipping the 7-layer thing and doing this one that I stole from my friend Carrie. :) You can only use one word for each.

1. Where is your cell phone? Purse
2. Where is your significant other? Driving
3. Your hair? Brown
4. Your mother? Generous
5. Your father? Heaven
6. Your favorite thing? Abby
7. Your dream last night? Weird
8. Your dream/goal? Security
9. The room you're in? Office
10. Your fear? Loss
11. Where do you want to be in 6 MONTHS? Home
13. What you're not? Rich
14. Muffins? Chocolate
15. One of your wish list items? Money
16. Where you grew up? Baltimore
17. The last thing you did? e-mail
18. What are you wearing? Outfit
19. Your TV? Off
20. Your pet(s)? Cat
21. Your computer? Laptop
22. Your life? Content
23. Your mood? Sleepy
24. Missing someone? Always
25. Your car/truck? Honda
26. Something you're not wearing? Shoes
27. Your summer? Hot
28. Love someone? Yes
29. Your favorite color? Purple
30. When is the last time you laughed? Work
31. Last time you cried? Saturday
32. Who will copy this? Becky

Weekend of Blah

Man, I feel so old! Didn't get home from the midnight release party until 2am, and it's taken me all weekend to catch up. Of course, when I was younger and up that late all the time, I didn't have a baby waking me up at 7 am or so the next morning. At least Ed decided to play the role of the good husband and took care of Abby yesterday morning so I could sleep in. He did bring her into the bedroom to see me before he put her down for her morning nap and she gave the biggest squeal when she saw me. That definitely made my day. Other than that, yesterday was pretty boring. I never even got around to getting on the computer at all. Weird.

Today was a little better. Ed's softball tournament was today, so I started out bored. Then around 3 I couldn't take being in the house anymore, so Abby and I went for a ride. We were hoping to be able to drop by to check out Kathy's new house, but she and her dad were just leaving for Ikea. So I decided to just go to the softball field early (I was planning on getting there around 5). His team wasn't playing for a couple of games, so Abby got to hang out with her daddy for awhile. He had fun showing her off to everyone since just about everyone in the league was there watching the games. As a bonus, she got to swing at the playground, which she seriously loved today. She finally started to get cranky around 5:30, so we went home.

I really don't want to go back to work tomorrow, but I gotta do what I gotta do. We aren't having our usual 7 am Monday Manager's Meeting, but I'll still show at 7 so I don't mess up our daycare schedule. Hopefully Abby will be happy and not-too-sleepy when I pick her up from daycare so we can try to see Kathy then, but I won't hold my breath. The daycare sleeping still just isn't happening. My daughter just doesn't like to sleep when there are others in the room with her. She would much rather play. I hope we can work it out so she never has to share a room, but with our small house she may have to suck it up one day. But that's still pretty far in the future.

For My Fellow Potter Heads

In case anyone missed it, the new Harry Potter trailer is available online. Yay! It's very cool and features the scene where Dumbledore visits Tom Riddle at the orphanage. The kid who plays the child Voldemort is actually Ralph Fiennes' nephew, so he looks a lot like the adult Voldemort. Very cool (at least to me!).

I'm very tired this week. I think my "vacation" just took too much out of me. Spent most of the day at work today getting ready for my release party on Friday. I'm actually happy for the busy work right now. Mindless tasks are best when you are too tired to think.

The Eyes Have It

Sorry...I needed some cheesey eye-related title. I had to take Abby to the ophthalmologist (eye doctor) today. I left work at noon to pick her up from daycare to get her to GBMC, parked and in the office by 1. We made it with five minutes to spare. Our pediatrician recommended I make the appointment for her at her six-month checkup because one eye was looking a little lower than the other. Me being me, put off making the appointment for awhile and then once I called, couldn't get one for a month and a half. So, today it was.

She actually did really well. It's a pediatric ophthalmologist , which are hard to come by around here. The doctor was awesome and Abby really liked her. I was dreading the part when they had to put the drops in her eyes to dilate the pupils, but she even endured that like a pro. I was expecting a huge fit, but she just struggled a little when I had to hold her down so the doctor could put the drops in. We had to wait 30 minutes for them to take full affect, so we went to the lobby and she drank a bottle and snacked on some puffs. No tears and minimal whining. I was so happy!

The result of the exam was that the one eye is slightly off, but it's nothing that concerns the doctor at this point. But because my mom and I both have lazy eyes, she wants me to keep an eye on it and call her if it looks like it's getting worse. We have a follow-up appointment at the end of January just to make sure everything still looks okay. Poor baby was so exhausted afterwards that she fell asleep in the car. Of course, she woke up when we got home, but I put her right down in the crib. She cried a bit, but I'm pretty sure she's asleep again now.

Because I took a half day today, I'm now working a long shift on Friday for my Breaking Dawn party. Not fun, but I didn't want to waste a vacation day. I'm sure I'll find enough to do that day to keep me busy.

And now Mommy's going to go take a nap too. :)

On the Abby Front

With all my whining about my trip yesterday, I forgot to mention about some of Abby's news. Since last week, she has learned how to clap (so cute!) and has finally seen the arrival of the two front teeth! Hooray! She's also been hard at work on figuring out how to pull herself up. She's accomplished it a few times, but definitely needs a bit more practice.

She was quite happy to go back to daycare today, even though mommy wasn't at all happy to go back to work. To make things worse, our WiFi was out all day, so I couldn't get online to check on the 40 or so e-mails I'm sure are awaiting me. Oh well, hopefully it will be back on tomorrow. I had some busy work to keep me occupied in preparation for my book release party on Friday night.

Tonight my mom is coming to pick up me and Abby around 6:30 to go to the funeral pallor. Fun. My great aunt passed away and the viewing is tonight. She went the way I hope to go someday...peacefully in her sleep. Too bad we can't all be so lucky.

There's No Place Like Home...

It's the last day of my vacation and the first day I've actually been able to relax (save for a trip to Target and the grocery store). Hooper's Island was stressful. We left on Thursday afternoon and made it to Easton before Abby started to fuss. We stopped at a McDonald's to feed her, then I sat in the back with her the rest of the way to keep her company. She fell asleep in Cambridge and slept the rest of the way there. When we got there everything was fine, but that night the water stopped working. This also happened the last time we stayed there, but my FIL and BIL fixed it. Apparently, they put some sort of wire too close to the ground and it got covered with water and shorted. It was too late to call a plumber, so we went without water all night. Fun.

To add to the stress of night number one, we had to share our room with Abby because Ed's older niece was sleeping in the other room, his sister was in the living room and his younger niece was in the room with my in-laws. She went down without a problem, but as soon as Ed and I went in to go to sleep, she woke up and started crying. And she cried. And she cried. It wasn't even a normal cry, which I could have ignored. It was an all-out-gasping-for-air kind of cry. So I finally broke down and took her out of the pack-n-play. It took her a good 15 minutes to calm down enough that her breathing went back to normal. She fell asleep on top of me, so I tried to put her back down. And the crying started once again. Around this time, Ed abandoned me and went to sleep in the living room because his allergies were acting up and all the nose blowing wasn't helping the "getting the baby to sleep" situation. She fell asleep on top of me again, so I tried to put her down on the bed next to me. That didn't work either. By this point, she decided she was awake and wanted to play. Yup, it was playtime at 2 am. At one point, I was even so desperate that I tried to sleep on the floor next to the pack-n-play hoping that if I was next to her, she would go down. Uhhhhh...no. Finally, around 3 am, she was exhausted enough that she cried herself to sleep. The moral of the story is that we can't be in the same room as her when she sleeps because if she knows we're there, she wants to be with us. Argh.

Friday was supposed to be our day at the ocean, but that never happened. Pretty much everyone in the house got a crappy night's sleep (except for Ed's nieces). We managed to make it to the Delaware outlets, where we bought a few things on extreme clearance for Abby (including denim shorts in 18-months...yay!), but that was it. Had an early dinner at Pizza Hut and then headed back to the house. Abby was actually very, very good all day considering how little sleep she got the night before. She was a little fussy on and off during the ride back to the house, but it wasn't too bad. Ed's sister and younger niece left for home from Delaware, so his other niece was nice enough to agree to sleep on the couch so Abby could get her own room. The water was back on when we got back and Abby slept through the night, so things were looking up.

Yesterday was pretty good. We just relaxed most of the day. Ed's dad caught about 15 crabs in his crab traps, so I finally got to have some steamed crabs this summer. Yum! We left there around 5. Abby was pretty good on the way home, but started to melt down around the Bay Bridge. We stopped at Annapolis Mall so we could change and feed her. That was fun...apparently none of the regular women's rooms in the mall have baby changing stations. Have you ever seen a public bathroom without a changing station? Weird. We finally found a "Family Restroom" but it was closed. Oy! We tired the ladies room in Macy's where there were two changing stations. Then we fed her in her stroller and headed home. She was still a little fussy because she was just sick of being in her carseat by this point. I don't blame her...I was sick of being in the car, period! We made it home around 8:30 and Abby went down after we let her crawl around for a bit. And I've concluded that trying to go away with a baby is just more trouble then it's worth!

The end.

For Those Waiting With Bated Breath...

I passed! Go me! Oy, I never want to look at any of that stuff again. I was really sweating it while I was taking the test too. About a third of the questions were about things that I had never seen on any of the reviews or practice exams I took. I thought for sure I was going to fail, but apparently I'm an excellent guesser because I only got 8 wrong, which is equal to about a 90%. Thank goodness! Now I can actually enjoy the rest of my vacation week.

After the test, I stopped at the Super Walmart around my in-law's house. I personally have a strong dislike for Walmart in general, but this store was pretty nice. Of course, it's still fairly new, so there hasn't been ample time to crap it up yet. I had to get formula and a couple other things for our trip to Hooper's. Speaking of formula, when (if ever) did any of you switch from regular to "next step" formulas? I know a lot of the "next step" cans say 9 months, but that seems a little soon to me. Plus, my doctor never said anything about switching her. He just said to switch her to whole milk once she has her first birthday. Hrm...

Anyway, after Walmart, I went to Ed's grandmother's house to pick up Abby. She was supposed to be taking a nap there, but was just crying in her pack-n-play instead. It was rather sad. She was glad to see me though and clung to me for awhile until she finally warmed up to the new environment and starting having fun. We were hoping to meet up with Val and Jordan, but it just wasn't meant to be today. Abby's now sleeping (finally) and we hope to crash dinner at Becky's house later so I can not only get a free dinner (heh) but so I can swipe the umbrella stroller my mom has in her car. Our regular stroller is very bulky and since we're going away, I would rather have a lighter, more compact one with me.

And now I'm going to go unwind. Finally. Perhaps watch some dvr'ed episodes of Jon and Kate Plus 8. I just can't get enough of that show. I don't know how that poor woman does it. I get exhausted taking care of just one!

Grumpalumpagus

Boy did I ever pick up a grumpy baby from daycare today. My daycare provider said today was the first time she ever thought about calling me because Abby just wouldn't stop crying. She was better when I picked her up, but turned on me soon after we got home. Part of it was that she's tired, seeing as how she only slept for one hour today. But I'm pretty sure it's those darned top teeth that are bothering her too. You can see that one of them is getting lower, so hopefully it's almost out. I gave her some Tylenol and put her down for a nap. She cried for a little while, but finally fell asleep.

My daycare provider told me about these teething tablets that the other baby who goes there takes. They're homeopathic and supposedly work miracles. She couldn't remember what they're called though. Any ideas? They're tablets, not the drops. I've tried the drops and she did not like those at all. I don't want to just keep her doped up on Tylenol or Motrin. Help!

Gaining Confidence

I finished studying the final two portions of the insurance review and haven taken two full practice exams today. The first one I got a 90% and the second I got a 91%. 70% is passing, so I'm definitely feeling more confident about taking the real thing on Wednesday. I just have to keep doing the reviews and practice exams up until then to make sure I retain as much as possible. Then I never want to look at it again!

I almost had a fit earlier when I went to schedule my exam. Like I said, I need to take it on Wednesday in order for the timing of getting my license to be correct. Thursday we're going away, so that wasn't an option. When I went to register, there were no available testing times for Wednesday at my preferred testing location. So not good. But then I switched locations to Crofton (!) and got in for Wednesday morning. Ed is so driving me! Abby will be coming along for the ride too. It's just as well...we got a notice today that our water will be shut off on Wednesday from 9-4, so being out of the house isn't a bad thing. Ed can take Abby to his parents' house while I'm testing. The actual test shouldn't take me more than 20 minutes or so, but you have to show up 30 minutes before your scheduled time.

And now to get back to the reviewing.

I'm On 'Cation!

Yay me! I'm off until next Monday. Abby is still going to daycare tomorrow and Tuesday so I can finish studying and get a few things done around the house. Hopefully I'll be able to take my exam on Wednesday and then Thursday we're leaving for Hooper's Island. It will be nice to go and relax without the whole insurance-exam thing hanging over my head. We're even planning on going to OC and the Delaware Outlets for a day. Not that we currently have any outlet-spending money, but whatever. It will be fun just to go somewhere. And I don't have to worry about getting totally exhausted this year like my six-month-pregnant self did last year. Now I just have to worry about the baby getting exhausted.

Speaking of Abby, I'm afraid the poor baby has officially inherited her mommy's big butt and thighs. Oy. All her 12-month tops fit...and most of the one-piece outfits fit (just as long as they have elastic around the legs), but the 12-month shorts just aren't fitting. Especially the denim ones. I've been trying to find 18-month jean shorts for her, but I haven't had any luck. I did find a cute, simple denim skirt for her at Target, so she'll be wearing that a lot. She has tons of really cute random tops that just don't go with anything else she has. I'm pretty lucky though that this is my first snafu as far as baby clothes go. Yay for older girl cousins!

Randomnicity

-Hey...that would be a good name for a band...Randomnicity. My other favorite "It Should Be A Band Name" name is Flaccid Bacon. That's the one we came up with at work. Their first album would be called "Limp and Greasy."

-Becky and Scott finally agreed (for the most part) on the names for the twins. Read all about it on her blog. My boy name is still Edward Ronald. Our father will just be honored twice if I ever have a boy. He deserves it.

-I don't get the whole Twilight mania that's going on right now. I guess I now understand how some of you felt during Harry Potter mania (although Harry Potter rules, so that was warranted). For those who aren't "in the know," Twilight is a series of teen books about a high school romance between a human girl and a "vegetarian" vampire. Well, vegetarian in the sense that he doesn't feed on humans. Anyway, there are three books out now and the fourth is coming out on August 2nd and we have to have a midnight party for it. It's not anywhere close to what our Harry Potter release party was, but I'm expecting about 150-200 people there for it. Don't get me wrong...I read the books and enjoyed them. They're just not the end-all-be-all that some people are making them out to be. Whatever.

-Studying is actually going well. I'm starting to understand this whole insurance thing. I'm done with six of the ten parts of the exam I need to know. I'm shooting for Wednesday or Thursday to take my exam. Woohoo.

-I have to work tomorrow. Blah.

-For some reason, my mom has this thing about not liking to give Abby sippy cups. She is starting to take to the Nuby ones that my sister recommended. The top is closer to a bottle nipple, so it's easier to get them to make the switch. I gave my mom the cup with some juice/water in it to give to the baby and she decided to pour it all into a bottle instead. Weird.

-Time to put Abby down for the night. Bye!

Just Another Way to Put Off Studying

Not that I have much to say that's actually interesting, but I really don't feel like studying. It's 9:24 now...I'll give myself until 10 and then I have to start. Ed and I have a goal for me to take my test next Wednesday. We'll see how that one goes. But we really are in a time crunch right now, so I gotta just suck it up and do it. It's a little stressful because if I fail, I have to wait 2 weeks before I can retake it, which will be too late for what we need my license for. Blah.

I have a random summer bookfair tonight, which is why I'm home right now. I just went ahead and dropped Abby off at daycare at her usual time. Why throw off her day if I don't have to? Then I ran to the grocery store and now I'm playing. I also need to get a shower in before 10 so I don't have to go to work looking totally gross. I have no idea how big this bookfair tonight is going to be, but if I had to guess I would say that it's going to be lame. It's just an odd time of year to try to do one, but I'm willing to give it a shot if they are.

The training of the new CRM is going well. She's one of those awesome people who have done everything and been everywhere. She used to work as a lead bookseller at our Annapolis store, so she already knows a lot. She also used to work for Scholastic's bookfair division and for Joe Corby's, so she knows how to get into schools and all that jazz. So really, we've been just chatting up a storm for the past couple of days with a little training thrown in. Good times.

Okay, off to take a shower and then get to the studying. Work is 12:30 today and I have to leave a little early to pick up Abby's 9-month pictures from Sears. Yay!

Mommy Needs a Nap

I don't know why I've been so darned sleepy lately. I know I'm not pregnant, so don't even go there. I think I'm just not getting enough sleep lately. Last night Ed and I were up until 1, then we both woke up with the baby this morning since Ed had to leave for softball at 8. I should finally get a chance to sleep in on Thursday since I'm off and Abby is spending the day with Ed's mom. She wanted her, so I wasn't going to argue!

My mom came by around 9:30 this morning to pick Abby and I up to go see my grandmother. She was thrilled to get to see the baby, so that was nice. It totally threw off what little bit of a schedule Abby has though. I managed to give her breakfast around her normal time, but her morning nap is off. She fell asleep in the car on the way home but woke up when I took her out. I put her right in the crib and she didn't fuss, but now she' playing instead of sleeping. I'm going to keep her in there until she falls back asleep though. She needs her sleep or she'll be rather unhappy later.

Speaking of Abby not being happy, she has been a bit on the fussy side for the past few days. Those darned top teeth have been right at the cusp of breaking through for forever now. The doctor said that they're right there ready to go. And now it looks like one of the bottom teeth next to one of the ones she already has is getting ready to come through too. I wish they'd just break through already so she can get a little relief.

9-Month Checkup

I really hate taking Abby to the pediatrician by myself. Oh well, a mommy's gotta do what a mommy's gotta do. At at least it was only one shot this time, which she got over fairly quickly, so it wasn't too bad.

My little chunkamunk is 22 1/4 lbs and 28 3/4 inches, which is the 90th percentile for both. And that would be why my darned back hurts all the time! Her head has moved up to the 50th percentile, so yay for growing brains!

After the doctor's visit, I dropped her off at grandma's house. Grandma had a surprise for her, which was actually a gift from Becky's MIL. It was a hand-me-down Step 2 "Push Around Buggy" in pink. So cute...and Abby just loved it! My mom took her for a couple of rides in the neighborhood and she had a blast "driving" with one hand. Hehehehehe. Hopefully we'll take her out in it soon so I can get some pictures. Maybe we'll even take it to Hooper's Island with us.

Due to the morning appointment, I had to work late yesterday, which sucked. Oh well...I actually got some stuff done, so that was good. Next week I have to train someone coming into my position at the Power Plant store. That should be interesting, considering I'm one of the least organized people on the planet. I'll just have to show her the right way to do things, not my way. ;) But somehow I have an excellent reputation within the district, so there you go. I guess it helps when you've been doing the job as long as I have.

Now I have to study. Ed's on his "you have to get your insurance license" kick again. And this time there's no putting it off...he has a specific agenda in mind. Blah. I hate studying...that's why I never went for a higher degree. Hopefully I can get it done quickly and take the test in a couple of weeks. I'm on a deadline.

9 Months!

Gah! I have a 9-month old! How did this happen?

Lots of fun things this month. We can now crawl and we're trying our darndest to pull up. She has started to try little bits of regular food and loves Cheerios. She plays really well by herself now and is talking up a storm. We went swimming and swinging for the first time. Fun stuff!

Here's her official picture:

And some outtakes. These show why taking the monthday picture is a two-parent job!

Photo Dump

"Hi Mommy!"

Swimming with Grandma and Claire at Uncle Bob's house.

" I can totally stand...after someone props me up first."

How is this comfortable?

Watching fireworks with Mommy.

She was totally fascinated by them.

"What's with the gate?"

Because I'm Bored...

Abby's (supposed to be) sleeping and Ed's umpiring, so here you go:

2 of 20 survey

1. Two weird things about yourself: I can watch the same movie everyday and never get bored of it (goes for music too), my husband is the only man I've ever dated

2. Two physical attributes you like about yourself: My nose and my eyes

3. Two personal attributes you are thankful for: My patience and empathy

4. Two changes you feel could change the world: Requiring a license to have babies, finding an alternative to oil

5. Two things to be thankful for today: Abby and my family/friends

6. Two of your favorite things (not people): My house and my bed

7. Two things you detest doing: Cleaning and waking up in the morning

8. Two things you know you should do more: Exercising and eating better

9. Two things you want to do before you leave this world: Go to Europe and go on a cruise with all my family and friends

10. Two things about your house you'd like to change: Bigger and cleaner

11. Two favorite celebrities, and why: Judd Apatow and Seth Rogan because they crack me up

12. Two celebrities you don't like, and why: Oprah, way over worshipped and over paid; Brittney/Lindsey/Paris, do you really need a reason?

13. Two favorite books: Harry Potter (all of them) and The Chronicles of Narnia

14. Two cases of odd things that go together nicely: Diet Dr. Pepper/Malibu, pineapple/bread

15. Your two most "famous" scars: The huge scar across my knee from tripping on Christmas Day 2 years ago, my c-section scar

16. Two things you've accomplished today: Going back to work after being off for five days and dealing with a cranky baby

17. Two things you intend to accomplish today: Make dinner and go to sleep

18. Two favorite things about Summer: Swimming and cooking on the grill

19. Two favorite things about Winter: Christmas and snuggling up with Ed under the covers on cold mornings

20. If you had the money and time, what two things would you do in the next year: Stay at home full time and fix up the house

Busy Afternoon

Well, the PH Playgroup was a bit on the small side this time around. It was me, Abby, Meg, Conner and Paige. Tracy was supposed to join us, but apparently she wasn't as lucky as some of us with the crazy storm last night. She and Ethan were napping while we were playing. ;) We had a good time though. Abby and Paige got to swing and we were all treated to some excellent pretend gourmet food, courtesy of Conner. And as promised, we were the only ones at the playground. Good times.

After playing for awhile, Abby and I headed to the mall to get her pictures done. We walked around for about an hour and then headed to Sears. By this time, Abby was a bit on the tired side, so the photo session didn't turn out quite as well as I had hoped, but the beginning shots were cute. By the end though, it wasn't pretty. She wouldn't cooperate with the photographer and kept trying to cover herself up with the backdrop (which was funny, but didn't make for a good picture). If you're morbidly curious, you can view the pictures here. For the one-year shots, I definitely need Ed with me. He's much better at getting her to smile than I am.

For anyone who doesn't read circulars, Target has a good diaper sale this week...on Huggies AND Pampers. Score! I have Target coupons and manufacturer coupons for both, which you can combine. Yay for cheap diapers!

Thunderbolt and Lightening...

very, very frightening. We had the craziest storm last night. The thunder and lightening just seemed to go on forever...even after the rain had stopped. Every time the thunder rumbled, Ed and I would look in the monitor expecting Abby to wake up screaming, but it never happened. She's also been sleeping through a week's worth of fireworks/crackers courtesy of my rude neighbors, so I don't know why I was so worried. I used to be able to sleep through anything too...then I had a baby!

Sadly, today is the last day of my mini-vacation. But don't cry for me just yet...I'm taking a full week in a mere two weeks. :) We're going to Hooper's Island for a few days, so at least we're getting out of the house. Plus, it makes the in-laws happy. We're even going to try to get to Ocean City for a day trip. Woohoo. After that, I'll have one full week plus two loose vacation days to take before the holidays. That's one of the best things about being at my store for so long...I'm up to four weeks of vacation a year. My last full week will be the week of October 6th. That covers my anniversary and Abby's first birthday. Then we'll have her party that weekend, so I'll have the whole week to get the house in order. How perfect does that work out? :)

And She's Off

Oh yeah. We've entered a whole new world of crawling madness. If there's a place we don't want her to go, that's the first place she now heads for. It's pretty funny actually. When she really wants to get going, she puts her head down and motors. She's now trying to pull herself up too, but she can only get as far as her knees right now. I'm just waiting for the day when I look in the monitor and see her standing in her crib. It's all happening so fast! We're even getting her nine-month pictures done tomorrow since I'm off.

The 4th was fun. Had a few friends over. It was a baby-palooza. And all three babies actually watched the fireworks. They were starting to get tired and fussy, but when they saw the crazy lights in the sky, they were fascinated. Too funny. For those who requested the Pineapple Stuffing recipe but may not remember my spouting it off, I posted it on the Naptime Gourmet. Enjoy!

Besides going to the Sears portrait studio tomorrow, we're supposed to have the PH Playgroup part 2 at the park. Should be interesting. :)

One Small (Crawling) Step at a Time.

Yup, Abby finally showed off her crawling skills at home. Not too much, mind you, but enough to prove to me that my daycare provider isn't on crack after all. ;) We were playing downstairs Tuesday night, when she decided she wanted something a little bit in front of her. So, about four "crawls" later, it was in her hand. It took me a second to realize what she did. Then the light bulb went off and I was like, "Whoa! You just crawled!"

Yeah...nothing gets by Mommy! She did it a couple more times, but it was only one or two "crawls" each time. It's getting there though. I guess we're going to have to suck it up and buy baby gates soon. Sigh. We're going to have to get one of the crazy long/expensive ones for downstairs. For those who haven't been to my house, my downstairs is basically divided into two main parts forming kind of an "L" shape. The big, long part is the family room. The smaller part has the bathroom and utility room off of it. It also contains the washer and dryer (they're hidden behind folding doors) and the cat's food and litter box. We want to keep her out of the smaller part, hence the huge gate. At least it will also serve to block her from the independent heater down there (we have two-zone heating), which will be a huge baby hazard come winter.

Today is a good day...I'm on vacation! A short vacation, but it's better than nothing. This morning Abby and I went grocery shopping after her morning bottle. She was good as gold, especially considering I dragged her to three different places. She loves to go shopping because people are always smiling at/talking to her. She eats up the attention. Now I somehow have to find time to clean the house and then the early part of tomorrow will be spent cooking. Fun! The weather better cooperate so that they can have the fireworks!

Sadly, my sister won't be coming over tomorrow. She's officially on "house arrest" because of her short cervix. She really needs to be careful and take it easy or else she's going to wind up on hospital bed rest. That would really be bad. I'll be over there on Saturday to take her some leftovers. I also told her to pick out some casseroles she would like me to make, get Scott to go grocery shopping for the ingredients, and then I would come over to cook/freeze whatever she wants. If there's one thing I can do to help people out, it's cook.

If I don't have time to write tomorrow, have a safe and happy 4th, everyone! :)

My Little Fishie

Abby has definitely inherited both her parents' love of the water. We went to my aunt and uncle's house on Saturday for my cousin's high school graduation party. They have an above ground pool too, so my mom told us to bring Abby's bathing suit and a float. I let it be known that I was not going in, but my mom wanted to take Abby and Claire in herself. So we let her give it a shot.

Becky forgot Claire's inner-tube bathing suit thingie, so my mom had to hold her the whole time. Abby was in her duckie float. You would think she would be annoyed about not getting much attention. Nope, not my child. She was happy as could be kicking herself around the pool (she was seriously booking it a few times), splashing water all over. At one point, her whole face was wet from her splashing herself. Didn't phase her at all. She stayed in there a long time and would have stayed in even longer if we had let her. At least it looks like we don't have to worry about her being afraid of the water. She's my little fishie! :)

Other than that, the weekend was fairly dull. The party was what it was...a family picnic. I made the yummy pineapple stuffing that I had at the picnic I went to last week. It was a hit and I had to give the recipe to a few people who asked for it. I'm making it again for the 4th. :) Sunday was a nothing day and yesterday was back to work. Just have to get through today and tomorrow and then I'm off until next Tuesday. Hooray!

Storyville Fun

Abby and I met Ethan and Tracy at Storyville today. I'd been there with Becky and Claire, but had yet to take Abby...which is really pathetic considering I live five minutes away. I had to take a last-minute vacation day today because Ed found out yesterday that he had some things to do in Virginia this afternoon and wouldn't be able to get home in time for me to get to work for a 1:00 (or even a 2:00) shift. So, I took advantage of the free day with my baby and actually left the house. Amazing, I know!

So Storyville was cool. The baby garden is really nice and has mirrors on the floor and huge "flowers" with rings around the middle so that babies can use them to stand. Lots of books and toys too, of course. Abby and Ethan had a good time playing together, although they tended to want to same toys at the same time. Typical babies. ;)

Here's some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Abby checking herself out in a floor mirror.

Using a flower to stand with no help from Mommy! Well...I got her to the standing, but she held it on her own. ;)

Abby and Ethan wanting the same toy. But, in their defense, it was a really cool toy!

Ethan being a cutie.

I was going to post a video of Abby and Ethan that I took at the library, but Blogger won't cooperate. Plus, I'm pretty sure nobody would find it amusing except for Tracy and me!

After Storyville, we had lunch at the Bateman's Express that's in the same shopping center as the library. My Chicken Chesapeake Sandwich was yummy, but Tracy's Buffalo Chicken Wrap was not so yummy. Oh well. The babies had fun eating Cheerios (Ethan), small pieces of Mommy's bread (Abby) and trying to suck on the rails of the dirty highchairs (both). Fun!

Abby is now passed out in her crib. I think I'll go chill in the family room and watch the random afternoon Orioles game. They're up 7-0 in the 4th. Woohoo!

Photo Dump

As promised, here are some pictures of yesterday's adventures. Enjoy!

Nap Strike!

After the half-naps of Saturday, Abby napped a total of one hour yesterday. Blah. Of all days for her to sleep in, she chooses yesterday to sleep until 8. Normally on a weekend, that would be cause for much jubilation in our house. But yesterday I was taking her to the picnic at 11, so I was hoping she would get a nap in before that. No such luck.

Feaster was quite fun though. Lots and lots of yummy food. The best being the Asian Burgers (made with ground pork and yummy seasonings) and the Pineapple Stuffing. Yum! I must have both recipes. The bourbon hotdogs and baked beans with rum were also favorites of mine. The funniest dish was the two take-out pizzas that someone brought. If you can't cook, you can always win over the masses with pizza! ;)

Abby seemed to have a good time. She good-naturedly let herself be passed around and she got to go on the swings for the first time. She loved them, but got tired of them quickly because they were out in the sun and it was a little hot out. I gave her lunch and then she was looking so tired that I took her for a quick walk in her stroller to get her to fall asleep. She did, but it only lasted for about half-an-hour. Better than nothing, I guess. We left around 2:15...well before the eventual water battle began. Good times.

I tried to get her to go down after we got home, but she wasn't having it. She just played and played and played in her crib until I finally realized that I was fighting a losing battle and got her out of there. We played for awhile and I tried again with limited success. She still played for awhile, but eventually fell asleep...but for just another half-hour. I gave her dinner and then Ed took her out to go swimming for the first time! The pool was finally ready to go, so we took advantage of the heat and let her take her first swim. At first she wasn't too sure about it, but once she got used to the water she loved it! She was kicking away and trying to splash around the little bit of water that was in her float. It was very cute. I got lots of pictures, but I haven't downloaded them yet. I'll do a photo dump later.

When we tried to put her to bed last night, she had a fit. She was overtired at that point, which is always bad news. I let her cry for a little while, but when it turned into that screechy cry that makes her cough, I went in and picked her up to rock her. She was out within 30 seconds and then stayed down when I put her back in the crib. Oy.

We had to wake her up this morning for daycare, so she started off the day sleepy. When I picked her up at 3:45, she had just fallen asleep about 15 minutes prior, so she was groggy and whiny. I tried to put her down when I got home. She was just about asleep when the darned cat decided she needed attention immediately and came into the nursery meowing as loud as can be, waking Abby up the the process. So then she was pissed and cried and cried and cried. I'm pretty sure her teeth are bothering her on top of being tired, so a fun combination that does not make. I finally got her to go down, so she's sleeping now. Hopefully she'll stay down for at least two hours and then go to bed at a decent time. Now Mommy needs a nap!

Bored...

The hubby is out at a bullroast and I'm home alone with the baby, who is now asleep. I'm bored, bored, bored. I was originally going to go to the bullroast with Ed, but his parents both have to work in the morning, so they were unavailable for over-night babysitting. My mom doesn't do overnights (at least not yet...I'm sure once the grandkids are older...and potty-trained...it will be slumber party time at Grandma's!) and I didn't want to ask her to stay here until 1am or so. Ed couldn't skip it since he was running it (it's for his softball league), so here I am alone on a Saturday night. Good times, I tell ya!

Abby and I were hoping (or at least I was hoping) to go to my friend Brooke's summer party around 4, but the baby was being poopy because she refused to take a full nap today. Usually she gets two 2 1/2 - 3 hour naps, but today she only took two 1 1/2 hour naps. So she was not her usual pleasant self. I didn't feel like testing the limits of her mood by taking her out to a party full of people she doesn't know. Plus, I didn't feel like looking for parking around Brooke's house, which is no easy feat...especially since I wouldn't have been able to get out of the house until after 4, which is when Ed left. Oh well, hopefully I'll be able to make the next one!

I will, however, leave the house tomorrow if it kills me! Some work friends are throwing a "Feaster" (a.k.a. a cookout where everyone brings food) at a local park. It starts at 11, so that should actually work out well with Abby's usual schedule. Let's just keep our fingers crossed that she doesn't deviate from it. I made my famous (in my mind) macaroni and cheese and my Jello Poke Cake. Yum! I got most of the cooking done today, so all I have to do tomorrow is put the Cool Whip on the cake and bake the mac and cheese. I hope the weather cooperates, but at least we have the pavilion at the park, so we don't have to worry about getting rained on.

Off to try to amuse myself downstairs. Maybe there's a movie on-demand that I haven't seen yet. I love on-demand. :)

Mamamamamamamama

It's still just babbling, but it's nice to hear. It was just dadadadadadadadada for a couple of months. She's also been sneaking some bababababababa's in there too. :)

She's being a good, patient girl right now. We moved her Exersaucer upstairs to where the computer is. She's playing in there right now while Mommy checks out her blogs. I haven't been online at home since Wednesday! Ed's been hogging the computer doing work stuff and by the time he's done, I'm too caught up in something else (O's game) to bother going upstairs. The baby's patience is quickly coming to an end though.

And there's the whining. Gotta run!

Grumpy Baby

Well, Abby had a low-grade fever most of the weekend (as in I didn't get a reading any higher than 100.2) and was grumpy as all get-out yesterday. It was fun, I tell you. Then this morning, I felt her gums and sure enough, the top middle gums are swollen as can be. I'm pretty sure those teeth will be breaking through within the next couple of days. Then maybe I can have my happy baby back!

Everything else is same old. Work is work, but at least I have some time off coming up. I just have to make it until July 3rd.

Oh..Erin...thanks for the baby food! Meg dropped off my half to me yesterday. That was awesome. :) It's all stuff she likes too...but that's not hard considering the little pigger likes everything (even green beans)! I don't know where she gets it from. Both Ed and I were (and are) picky eaters. I won't question it too much. I'll just be grateful and hope it lasts!

Happy Father's Day

Just in case there are any daddies out there who read my little blog. ;)

Gotta start getting ready to go over the in-laws for dinner. Yeehah!

Orioles Magic

I'm under no false delusions that my Orioles will be going to the post-season this year, but they've still been pretty darned fun to watch. :) They managed to come from behind four times tonight to win it in the ninth. Now that's fun baseball. They finally have a good mix of veterans with good attitudes and exciting young players. Give them a few years and just maybe we could be playing in October again. I'm nothing if not optimistic about my sports teams.

If anyone hasn't seen it yet, check out this video. It's the old "Orioles Magic" song "performed" by Millar along with Guthrie, Jones, Loewen, Sarfate and Sherrill. It's funny stuff...at least if you're a die-hard O's fan.

Had to work today, which wasn't too bad. The store was busy because of Father's Day tomorrow and the signing I had went well. I was apparently out of my mind when I made my June schedule. A huge signing, two smaller signings and an off-site....that's a pretty busy week in my world. I have nothing for the next several weeks though, so that will give me a break. Plus I'm taking an extended 4th of July holiday (Thursday through Monday) and I'm off the third week of July. After that, I still have a week and three days of vacation left to take before November. That's one of the advantages of working in the same place for so long, I'm up to four weeks of vacation a year. Not that we can afford to go anywhere right now, but it's nice to not have to work.

My mini-playdate with Erin and Tracy was fun yesterday. It was almost 6:00 before we knew it. I was supposed to stop at Becky's too, but that didn't happen. Had to get the Abby-doo home for dinner. But it was nice to get out of the house and visit with friends. I don't get to do that enough. Tracy took some pictures, so maybe she'll post them soon. Hint, hint. ;)

I Know You're Tired...Go To Sleep!

I'm watching Abby in the video monitor trying her best to fight taking a nap. Meanwhile, ten minutes ago, she was laying her head on my shoulder with her thumb in her mouth. She's in her crib now, crying away like I'm killing her for trying to get her to nap. Gotta love it. But the best part is that she's crying while on her tummy with her head down and the same thumb in her mouth. She's just stubborn like her mama. ;)

I want her down by 1 so that she gets a good hour and a half or so before we have to get ready to go see Miss Erin and Miss Tracy. Since I missed the PH Playgroup due to a hellish shift at work, we're going to go play for a little while today. How sad is it that Erin has yet to meet Abby since her birth? She was there for part of the labor, but didn't get to see the exciting conclusion. ;)

Abby has learned some new tricks in the past couple of days. She has finally relented her hard stance on feeding herself and will now happily put the puffs in her own mouth. Yay! And Ed went to pick her up from his mom's house yesterday and watched her get herself from a laying down position up to sitting. He made a big deal out of it and his mom said, "Oh, is that something new? She's been doing that all day!" Heh...guess we finally have to finish lowering the crib this weekend. I took a peek at her in the monitor this morning after she woke up and sure enough, there she was sitting in the corner. She'll be crawling by next weekend at the rate she's going all of a sudden! The easy baby days are just about over.

And the baby is sleeping. Yay! Now Mommy can take a shower!

Ahhhhhhhhh...

There finally seems to have been a break in the weather and we've gone from "damn hot" to just hot. It actually felt kind of nice when I walked out of the store to come home...there was a breeze and everything. This weather I can take. :)

I just worked a half day today since I'm now pulling a double tomorrow. Blah. But, I'm off on Friday, so if anyone wants to play, let me know. :)

I think this is my 6th day in a row posting. I can't remember the last time I did that. Enjoy it while it lasts! ;)

As Promised

Here's Abby's "official" 8th Monthday picture:

The most amazing thing about this picture is that she was grumpy due to lack of napping at daycare and we had to take it in a super-hurry because Ed and I had about five minutes at home together before we both had to take off again.

Here are some outtakes:

And we're good for another month. ;) For anyone who was wondering...my event rocked last night. As usual, I drove myself crazy for nothing.

8 Months!

Can you believe my Abby-doo is 8 months old today? It's crazy how quickly this year is flying by. Everyday she seems just a little bit bigger. That's why I make it a point to try to enjoy each stage of her babyhood as much as possible. I know it won't last nearly as long as I would like it to! Picture to come later...

I'm actually working late on a Monday. I have a big event with Lewis Black tonight. At least, I hope it will be big! I always have nightmares when I have "big name authors" scheduled that nobody will show up to see them. How embarrassing that would be!

I dropped Abby off at daycare at 8...mostly so I didn't throw her schedule off too much. I usually take her in around 10 on the days I work late, but when I did that last Wednesday, she was not her usually pleasant self at daycare. I'm thinking that was probably an isolated incident, but why take a chance if I don't have to? I'm still going to pick her up at 3:45, which is her usual Monday time, so we can meet Ed here, take her 8-month picture, and then get her ready to go to Ed's mom's. He has an important work meeting at 5, but his mom gets off at 3, so she said she would watch Abby for us. Since she lives 5 minutes away from his office, it was definitely the most convenient solution for us.

I think I'm going to try to sleep a little more before getting ready for work. May as well take full advantage of my baby-free morning. :)

6am is Early!

And unfortunately, it seems to be Abby's new preferred wake-up time. Blah. Every morning since Wednesday, it's been 6:00 on the dot when we first hear her talking to herself through the monitor. Luckily, she wakes up happy (for the most part...unless she's starving or doesn't feel good), so she'll pretty much just play in the crib until we get her. We usually don't make her wait too long, but some mornings we just can't get out of bed. If she gets really annoyed with waiting, she lets us know...but for the most part she's cool with it. Gotta love my easy-going kid. ;)

I remembered another Abby funny. She has discovered the joy of Puffs. She hasn't met a Puff yet that she hasn't liked. But for some reason, she won't feed them to herself. If I put some on the highchair tray for her, she'll play with them fine. She can get them into her hand and will even raise her hand to mouth level. But she refuses to try to put them in her own mouth. But as soon as you pick up the same Puff she just dropped back onto the tray, she'll open wide so you can put it in her mouth for her. She's so funny...she'll put any toy you give her into her mouth, just not what she's supposed to put in there. Oy.

It's Dang Hot!

I guess summer has officially arrived because it's hot! So much for trying not to overuse the air conditioner this early. I'm afraid to see our next BGE bill! I did manage to take the baby for a walk this morning before it got unbearable out there. I knew she was tired, but she was fighting taking her morning nap, so I decided to just put her in the stroller and go. She was out within five minutes. I just kept walking, so I actually got some exercise in today. I seriously need to start the diet again. I've gained back everything I lost since I had her. That means I'll have to suck it up and start taking lunches to work. Blah.

Abby is working on a couple of new tricks. When I clap my hands together and say "clap, clap, clap" she give me a big grin and brings her hands together. She doesn't quite get the clapping yet, but she's definitely trying. She's working on the crawling too. She actually got up on her knees at my mom's yesterday and started the rocking thing. So cute. :) She's still rolling like crazy...at daycare there's a little boy who was born either the day before or the day after she was (I can't remember which). She loves to steal his pacifier (since she doesn't have any of her own) and then start rolling away with it so he can't take it back. My little thief. ;)

She had fun over her grandma's yesterday. Val brought over Abby's friend Jordan and apparently they had quite the little playdate. Abby is in love with Jordan's hair, but then again who isn't? ;) Hopefully my mom will remember to get me a picture CD when she gets her disposable camera (I know!) developed. I'll post any cute pictures of the two of them.

Have a lovely Saturday all!

Small Photo Dump

Happy baby playing on the floor.

Watching Daddy play softball.

Spike! a.k.a. "Mommy is silly!"

Trying to clap her hands. Gotta love the purple "sneaker socks."

Boo! Hiss!

Yes, I'm flaking out of the PH Playgroup. I'm very sad about it...I was really looking forward to getting together with everyone. But, as the fates would have it, I now have an off-site event to handle at work that day. :( But Tracy and I are going to work on a second date sometime in early July, so hopefully everyone will be able to make that one. Abby and I miss our peeps!

Right now I'm just hanging around the house waiting to go to work. There's a bookfair tonight, so I need to rest up now while I can. I dropped Abby off at daycare around 10 and then went to CVS to finally take advantage of the kick-dupa Pampers sale they're having this week. Jumbos are $7.99 and if you buy $20 worth, you get $5 back in Extra Care Bucks. As a bonus, I had 4 $1.50 off coupons, so I got them for a steal. Yay for saving money!

Ed has a meeting tonight, so I have to use my lunch break today to pick Abby up from daycare and then drop her off at my mom's house. At least my mom has a crib for her there which Abby loves to sleep in. She refused to nap for me this morning, so I had to drop her off at daycare sleepy...which really isn't good considering she rarely sleeps enough while she's there. At least she should go right now once she gets to grandma's. I guess I should call Ed to see if he has any clue what time his meeting will be over so I can let mom know when he's picking her up. I'm going to pack her dinner and pj's just in case. Good times. ;)

Fun Weekend and a Dr.'s Visit

We actually just had a pretty good weekend. Saturday, Ed and I went to a wedding. Well, I went, Ed was best man. I wasn't sure what to expect because it was on a boat, but it was one of the most enjoyable weddings I've been to. It was on a river boat in Havre de Grace called the Lantern Queen. Apparently they do regular dinner cruises too. Maybe one day we can get a group together and go. It's really nice. We were a little afraid of the weather, but it cleared up just in time and it turned out to be a beautiful night.

Anyway, the wedding was about three hours long, then we actually went to a bar with a group of friends afterward. Something else we never do. But it was a lot of fun and I'm glad we went. It was novel to get a night out on the town without the baby. For those wondering, Becky and Scott got to my mom first for babysitting that night since they also had a wedding. Luckily, my in-laws were available and just kept Abby overnight. :)

Sunday we went to pick up the baby and then went to softball. It was much better this time. The weather started out nice and we got a nice shady spot on the ground under a tree. She had just gotten up from a three-hour nap, so Abby was well rested and in a good mood. We watched the first game and about half the second before the rain clouds started coming in. I got her in the car just before the first drops started to fall. For those who care, Ed's team won the first and lost the second game...but it was against a team they had never beaten before, so they were thrilled.

For the past few days, I've noticed some little rash-like spots on Abby's legs and tummy. I assumed it was eczema, but wasn't positive. When I picked her up from daycare today, it was a lot worse, so I called the doctor's office when I got home. Gotta love a large practice...there's always someone available to take you. I called at 4 and she asked if we could be there at 4:30. So, the doctor took one look and said that it was, indeed, eczema. She gave me the names of a few possible products to try and we have to use something three times a day. Fun stuff. But at least it's nothing too serious. It just doesn't look pretty.

That's all for now. Happy Monday. ;)

New Reading

My sister started a blog. :) Check out what it's like to be pregnant with twins (when you REALLY weren't expecting to be).

It's a Nephew...and a Nephew!!!

Uhhhhhhhhhhhh...yeah. When my sister breaks a streak, she REALLY breaks it. Yup...Becky is having twins. The best part is that they only saw one embryo when she had her internal ultrasound at her first doctor's appointment. I guess baby #2 was hiding behind his brother. I'm still trying to wrap my brain around this one...I can only imagine how Becky and Scott are feeling right now. But regardless, I think it's exciting (and I'm sure they will too...eventually). ;) So, congratulations Becky and Scott.

There's No Place Like Home...

As usual, I now need a vacation from my vacation. But I'm very much happy to be home. Not as happy as Abby though. She missed her crib. A lot. I guess the comfort of the Pack-n-Play just can compare to her comfy crib. Tired now...will blog more later. Hope everyone had a lovely holiday weekend. :)

Why is it...

That on the nights when I have a million things to do, Ed's not home and Abby decides to be difficult. As in, "if you even try to put me down I will cry as loudly as possible until you pick me back up!" Argh.

Photo Dump

I know, I've been a blog-slacker again. Actually, I haven't even been online at home for the past few days. Just been too busy with Abby and life to get upstairs to the computer. But, I'm off today and the baby is napping, so I can finally update. :)

Things have been same-old around here. I'm very sad that we're going to miss Jordan's birthday party. :( Back when I thought it was going to be on Saturday, we promised Ed's parents that we would go to their other house for the rest of the weekend. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get out of it, so we'll be sending a gift with Becky. Sorry, Val! :( That also means that I have to go to Hoopers Island this weekend. Which is so not what I feel like doing...especially with a baby in tow. Blah.

Here's some pictures that I finally got around to downloading. Enjoy. :)

Abby at her first softball game. And her last until we get a Sunday that's neither cold nor wet.



How we're usually greeted when we get her after a nap.

Abby in her walker...now that's she's finally big enough for it.

Playing at Aunt Becky's house on Mother's Day.

If you look really, really close (with a magnifying glass perhaps), you can see her two teeth.

Our newly rearranged, pro-baby living room.

Checking out the Ducky Tub. No more tears during bath time. Yay!

Eating her first Biter Biscuit in one of the mesh things. She loved it. :)