Bathtime Upgrade

Sunday morning we bathed Abby in her new bath setup- her ring! Plus, we moved her to her own bathroom that until now has served as just the guest bath. The ring was a hand-me-down from Johnna and was just perfect. It suctions to the bottom of the tub and keeps Abby from falling over.

Before now, she was in the newborn tub and was beginning to squirm around in it too much. We knew she needed freedom, but wasn't sure what would come next. The ring is perfect. She can't fall over in the water and bump her head or worse, and has more freedom to splash and kick!

With this new set, nobody has to get in the bath with her, so we stay dry! Instead, we get to sit on her Boon Potty Bench. This was recommended from our friends Matt and Tabriah. It will be her potty later on, but for now it saves our knees during bathtime. She also gets used to it long before she uses it and see us sitting on it.

It was also so much easier being on her side of the house for drying and changing her afterward. Plus, Marcus has more under-the-counter space now that we aren't storing her bath supplies in our bathroom.

With the new set-up in her bathroom, we were also able to introduce more of her bathtoys that were housed in her frog. She had fun looking at all of her new things.

To think in just 8 months, we have gone from sponge bath to newborn cradle to newborn recline to sitting up in newborn bath and now the ring. It is so much fun to watch her grow!

Flash!

You can imagine how happy this pictures makes Marcus! There are so many vintage character shirts out right now at Target and Old Navy. I get to dress her in so many things I love that I couldn't let Marcus miss out. I'll just make sure she wears a big bow with this outfit to leave the house :)

Showing Baby Beau

Saturday afternoon I attended the baby shower of my church friend Brandi. Isn't she just beautiful? If you knew her, you'd agree she is even more beautiful on the inside.

Brandi and her husband Shane are expecting baby Beau later this fall and he is set up after the shower on Saturday afternoon. Brandi decorated his sweet little room in sailboats, which I love! What a cool theme!

Marcus and I were recently discussing how boring our social calendar would be without our church. I can't even imagine how different our life would be. Our Bible Life Group has been with us through the most difficult part of our marriage and now the most joyous. We have received so much from them and we are so grateful to have found a wonderful home for our family through them.

Happy 8 Months Sweet Abby

These monthly candle pictures are getting harder and harder- if she is looking at the camera, the candle is nowhere to be found, if she has the candle it is in her mouth and she isn't looking at me! What was I thinking?

Happy 8 Months Old Sweet Abby!

• We continue to be amazed at what a wonderful child you are!
• You go to bed without any complaints. We turn on your lullabies, read you one book while you are lying in bed, and give you a pacifier with a little toothpaste. You focus on getting all of the toothpaste off the pacifier and fall asleep in the process.
• You are sleeping from 7:15 PM - 5:30ish AM. We have trained you to stay in bed and play with a couple of soft toys and board books for about 30 minutes. During the week, Daddy usually picks you up and brings you to us for 20 minutes before he gets ready for work. You are so happy during this time. Sometimes we give you a small bottle during this time and you snuggle with us while drinking it. If not, you are sitting up and checking out the lights of the monitor and alarm clocks.
• You nap twice a day- a short nap in the morning and often a longer nap in the afternoon. Both naps typically total about 2 hours.
• We just moved you to 3 meals per day- fruit in the morning, veggies and rice at lunchtime and meat, veggies and fruit in the evening.
• You still take four 6 oz. bottles per day. You are quick to down the bottles and often hold them one handed. Show off!
• You don't want to be held in the traditional way. You like to turn your body and push out to see. If you don't, we march you straight to bed because we know you must be exhausted! If you had your choice, you would fly in Daddy's arms everywhere.
• You have recently noticed the cat and the camera. You want both of them in your hands.
• You love the blowdryer! Sitting in the bumbo on the bathroom counter and watching it, listening to it, and feeling the cool air on your face make you squal with delight.
• Praise Baby DVDs are still the greatest invention ever! If nothing else makes you happy, we know it always will.
• You play well in the exersaucer and playpen in the living room. Depending on your mood, you will play in the Jenny Jump Up or your bed.
• You wear size 3 diapers and 6 month clothes. You still wear a size 1 shoe.
• You are able to wear small bows attached to a few hairs on top of your head which is good since you have found the headbands and like to make them necklaces!
• You scoot backward and love to practice lying and sitting and lying again. You are not crawling or showing much interest. You just scoot backward using your arms to get where you want to go.

Big changes are coming your way this month! Our baby sign language DVD is on the FedEx truck and baby yogurt is on the grocery list!

Time for Green Beans

The next new food for Abby was green beans. We mixed them with her chicken and brown rice and she didn't seem to mind. We'll slowly move them out of the chicken and serve them as a stand-alone food. I hate green beans unless they are fresh and served with a little oil and spices at a nice restuarant. The smell of these about did me in. I secretly hoped she wouldn't like them so I would have to smell them, but no such luck. I'll be steaming and pureeing green beans soon!

Jenny Jump Up

My cousin once posted on her blog that blurry pictures of young kids are okay- it shows excitement, activity, mobility, and joy! Can you see that in the blur of Abby twirling and jumping in her new Jenny Jump Up?We broke down and bought another toy for her. We, is me, myself and I. I called Marcus afterward to tell him I gave in. We knew she would like the jumper, but were uncertain of it's safety since I had read of injuries and it was a boyish version called Johnny Jump Up. Abby loves to jump/rock when she is sitting and jump in her saucer when she is playing.
We decided the office door frame would be safe since it is 2 doors wide and she won't be able to jump into the door frame. Last night we let her loose in it and she enjoyed it. I think she'll love it even more this weekend when it isn't after dinner or close to bedtime.

I love this girly version with light pink, hot pink and green. I hope Abby and her Jenny have a good couple of months together!

Goin' Bananas!

Look at how happy Abby Lu is! She is smiling, jumping around, and giggling.

What on earth could she see that makes her this happy?

Why bananas of course! Doesn't is look yummy? Don't you want to eat some and smile, jump, and giggle? It smells really good too, I am serious. Just when I think she is full, I can pull out the bananas and suddenly she has more room in her belly! It is magical :)While trying to capture her picture, she turned her head to find where I had put the bananas and I got this shot. You can see how much hair she actually has! It is so blond in photos that she looks bald, but she really does have some hair!

Abby's 7 month Photos, part 2

When we had Abby's 7 month photos done it was hot outside and although I love the pictures, she didn't smile in most of them. Our photographer friend Rachel wanted to do another set with Abby in the early morning to try and get some smiles in the cooler weather. I am so glad she did- just look at these smiles and her two pearly whites!
We did these in a grassy patch in her neighborhood behind the limestone entry wall. It was perfect! We packed my childhood rocking chair that I repainted a few years ago for her to sit in. She was having lots of fun trying to rock!

Thank you Andrea for the lovely dress Abby is wearing. I think it was the first "girl" outfit I was given shortly after we found out what we were having. I just love it and am excited she can wear it now. The melon patent leather shoes are so much fun! They are a hand-me-down from Abby's fashion godmother Johnna. I swear they match every outfit she owns.

This Little Piggy....

... ate three meals today! Yea Abby!

Sweet baby girl has been hungry so Monday we just gave school a new schedule and packed her a breakfast and lunch instead of one brunch meal.

This was her schedule:

7 AM- 6 oz. bottle

9 AM- 2T peaches mixed with 2T applesauce

12 PM- 3T sweet potatoes mixed with 2T rice and 6 oz. bottle

3 PM- 6 oz. bottle and "puffs" snack

6 PM- 2T turkey (a new food!) mixed with 2T carrots and 2T avocado

6:30PM- 6 oz. bottle

With all that food and her comfy new soft mattress, can you guess what happened? Yep, Abby slept until 6:35 this morning when I had to wake her for school! I am so excited and hope this lasts! When she awoke at 5:30 each morning she would down a 4 oz. bottle. Maybe this extra meal will help her last until a normal waking time.

Marcus and I laughed at this picture! I am certain she is trying to say something funny to us, but I just can't decide what- seliling us a fake rolex or used car, singing at a smoky piano bar? What do you think?

Happy Birthday Nana

Happy Birthday Mom!


Happy Birthday Nana! We hope you have a wonderful day and we'll see you on Friday!

Bananas and Crib Changes

Next week Abby will be 8 months old and we will move to 3 meals per day per our pediatrician. Abby is ready! She loves the food we give her and is having a harder time in between bottles. So, today, we gave her a banana in her netting at "lunchtime". She did a great job with it, eating most of a banana. She also had fun making a mess with it. I found banana in all of her 3000 parts!

Yesterday was a busy day and she didn't nap well. I kept having to wake her up to get where we needed to be on time. So, today we kept her up after church with food and then put her down for a nap. She kept showing off her sitting up skills when we would lay her down. We eventually left the room and this is what we found.

She literally fell over sleepy. Her left foot is under her body and was purple from lack of circulation. I repositioned her and she didn't even wake up. She slept for over 3 hours!

After she woke up we lowered her bed and flipped her mattress. The mattress we bought is softer on the Stage 2 side for babies over 20 pounds. The stage 1 side is a little firmer to aid in SIDS prevention. We are past that stage and were able to give her a softer bed. We also lowered her mattress one notch so that when she sits up she isn't so close to the top of the railing. It makes me more comfortable.

2009 Tailgate Party

Saturday night was our church's 3rd annual Tailgate party. We all get together the Saturday before college football kicks off for family fun, punt, pass and kick competition, outdoor food, and team spirit.

Look at how happy Abby Lu is to be supporting her Red Raiders! She is likely happy to be flying, with wind in her face and water, but whatever!
This is sweet Anna who shares her clothes with Abby Lu as she outgrows them. Aren't her pig tails precious! Love her and them! Here is a group of the 60 or so people watching the athletic feats of others.

Me, Johnna and Lori trying to fit in the picture!

We had a wonderful time with everyone and are really ready for some TTU football!

Laughing Laughing Laughing

We caught Abby Lu laughing on Saturday. We are trying out the pack and play with fun things to make our trip to San Antonio and Merkel in September smoother. She was having so much fun with a toy that scared her to death (tears and all) just a few months ago!

Where did my video go?

Looking at this picture can you guess where Abby started?

Her school was closed yesterday, so I worked from home in the morning while Marcus had a conference call and then Marcus took off and he watched her the remainder of the day. While I was working I put on her video and set her up on her blanket with toys. I sat in the formal dining room and started working. I look up and saw this. She was upset that she couldn't see her video!

She isn't crawling yet, but when she gets on her belly she pushes her upper body up and because she doesn't use her legs she ends up using her arms to push herself backward.

We also discovered yesterday that she can go from lying down to sitting up on her own. Marcus put her down in her crib for her nap and when he went to check on her, he found her sitting up and smiling at him.

It is nice to see all those vegetables she is eating are making her strong!

A Night in the Life of The Jenks

We are so blessed to work so close to our home. Marcus and I can get off work at 5 PM and pick up Abby and be home by 5:45. Since she goes to bed at 7:15, we have an hour and a half to do it all! Here are pictures of a typical night.

Abby is normally hungry when she gets home. We ask school not to feed her after 4 PM, she normally takes her last bottle by 3 PM, so she is hungry. We spent a few minutes with her flying around the house, taking off her clothes from school, and setting her up to eat!

Tonight, Marcus fed her while I went through the mail and changed clothes. She ate 2T chicken with brown rice, 2T of homemade carrots, and 3T of roasted pears, another new food!I finished feeding her while Marcus changed clothes and set up her bath. She sits up in her baby tub inside our garden tub. Marcus sits inside the tub to bathe her while I clean her bottles and bowls from the day. She loves bathtime! When she is done, Marcus yells at me and I take her. I then dry her off, put lotion on her, put her in her pajamas and diaper for bedtime. Marcus cleans up bathtime and preps her bottle.
Now, Abby is almost ready for bed. We lay her in the living room floor to take her last bottle. She can down it in about 5 minues these days! We give her some toys to play with- she rolls around, scoots, and plays until 7:00.

Marcus got on the floor with her tonight. She was babbling like crazy, so he babbled with her. She loves to talk- I can't wait for her to put some meaning behind the sounds.

About 7 I typically take her into her room to do her bedtime routine. We lay on the changing table and brush our two teeth. She loves the toothbrush (a finger cover with bristles) and I let her bite on it. She play with her lightswitch and I adjust the light to dim and the cieling fan to low. We turn on her humidifier and her bedtime lullabies CD. I then lay her in bed and read her a book and then we read Goodnight Moon making sure to say goodnight to Kitty, Daddy, Momma and Abby. I typically rub her belly or pat her back for a few minutes whispering to her and then walk away. Lately, she has fallen asleep on her own- she is awake when I leave the room and doesn't make a sound until she puts herself to sleep.

After the craziness of that 90 minutes, Marcus and I eat dinner (if we didn't during her bottle time), prepare for the next day, discuss the current day, and relax.

We so look forward to the weekend when we have more time with her to play! I think we would both stay home all day with her if given the chance. She is just such a joy to be around.

Dinnertime by Daddy

We flipped roles tonight and while I prepped dinner, a yummy and super easy Mexican Chicken dish, Marcus fed Abby. I used to think Abby was a neat eater, but now I think I must be a neat feeder because she had a blast with her food with Daddy.

Here is the "uh-oh-Mommy-caught-us" face. I bet I'll be seeing that in my future!

I don't think a bib would have provided us ample protection had it been deployed.

The orange on her face does show off the blue in her eyes!

Luckily, tonight was bath night and Daddy cleaned her back to normal!

What is Abby Eating?

Did you guess?

Abby Lu is eating blueberries to make her smart!

Dinner with The Page Family

Tonight we had dinner at Kerbey Lane with Marcus' oldest friends- brothers Steve and Bill. Don't they look like they could all be brothers?
Bill and his wife Kay's daughter Mackenzie had fun talking to and playing with Abby. As usual, Abby can't take her eyes off young kids. She stared at Mackenzie very closely.Abby and Steve had not met yet- he works nights- but it didn't take her long to befriend him. Steve was so nice to buy all of our dinner and we wanted Abby to kiss him to say thank you. It was the open mouth kind and Steve wasn't thrilled by the idea!

So he tried to tickle her away....

and make mean faces at her! She found it all very funny!

Our dinner was yummy and the company was even better! It was wonderful to have dinner with friends. We haven't done much of that with a new baby, but with each time we are getting better at packing appropriately and letting Abby adapt to not being in her setting for dinner.

I met my girlfriend Tabriah at this same restaurant when I was on maternity leave for breakfast. Her daughter was about 14 months at the time and used a cool suction cup placemat when she ate. Abby was in her carseat and slept the entire time. I had the same placemat from a baby shower and used it tonight. Amazing to think how much Abby has changed since then!

Size 1 Shoes Finally Fit!

I have mentioned numerous times that Abby's feet are teeny tiny and that she has a lot of shoes just waiting for her! I think she got the memo! At 7.5 months, Abby can wear size 1 shoes. My friend Tabriah's daughter was born with feet that were too big for size 1! While Marcus was reading to her this afternoon I tried on a couple of pair of shoes. I found that she has outgrown most of her newborn shoes that she had worn until this point. I also discovered she has outgrown a cute pair of leopard silk slippers that I never got to put her in.... how did this happen!?!

So, tonight she wore her first pair of Robeez to dinner. I love Robeez, but they are a little more expensive that I can afford. I've always been a quantity over quality girl (except with purses where I am both!)! So, I found these online on eBay. Love the sweet cherries! A whole new world of shoes are open to her now. Daycare is going to think I went on a crazy shopping trip over the weekend!

Smiles

Last night Marcus went to a friend's house and then saw GI Joe with a friend from church. We planned it all late since Abby would be in bed. I could have a nice quiet evening at home. But, somebody did not want to go to bed.

I just couldn't make her when she was so happy and giving me so many smiles!

She had found her tongue and would stick it out and try to "talk". It was hilarious to me and her!

Puffs and Another New Food

I love oilcloth! It is perfect for this stage of eating. After eating I can wipe it completely clean with a baby wipe and it is ready to go for the next time. I couldn't handle how dirty all of the cloth bibs were getting. Cloth bibs are much better for her liquid diet. I tried puffs again tonight and it is amazing how much more control she has! She was able to scoop them up and use her fingers to hold them. She was unable to connect the dots and put the puffs into her mouth. I put a puff in her mouth and she sucked on it until it dissolved. Last time we put them in her mouth she just left her tongue out and fake coughed.

Tonight we also introduced a new food and she liked it fine. She doesn't seem to get too excited with any food, but she does get excited now when we don't feed her at the speed which she would like :) So, what new food did we introduce?
Look very closely and give me your best guess!

I'll post the answer on Monday night!