Abby's 3rd Hotel Visit

Marcus and Abby came to visit me at my meeting this weekend and she slept in her pod and did much better than the last time we were in a hotel. I am so gald we had it- I was exhausted and would not have been much good to her or my coworkers had she been up all night! My cell phone made more noise than Abby did!Not only did she sleep in her pod, but it was the perfect recliner for her to watch her videos while Daddy got ready, unpacked, prepped food, etc. Praise Baby DVDs save our life!
Thank you again to Tabriah for sharing Keirsten and Kaylinn's pod with us!

Annual Convention

In the random, what does Anna do for a living again.... here are some pictures from my annual convention in Arlington this past week.

On Friday, two of my coworkers and I all wore black pants and animal prints! This is the registration area. This is our largest meeting but smaller than the other groups I have planned for. We had about 400 people in attendance.
This is the welcome area that transitioned from registration to the exhibit hall. We had about 70 companies inside the hall selling vitamins, medical supplies, textbooks, staffing services and more!

This is the main entrance to the registration and exhibits area. This sign went through 7 versions and was approved via my Blackberry on the way to the show on Tuesday!

Finally, here is the cool stage in our general session. I love the simple design and wish I had taken a picture of it with the lighting done. It looked great!

Abby Lu and Blythe

Last Sunday afternoon I spent a few hours at my friend Natalie's house helping her set-up her cross wall in her new beuatiful home. We both have large cross collections and hanging them is an art!

Blythe woke up from her nap to entertain Abby while we worked. Can you tell how much Abby likes Blythe? She was staring at her the whole time and played well with her.

While Momma is Away...

Sorry for the blurry pics (they were taken with Marcus' "business tool" aka his crappy Blackberry. While I am in Arlington for my annual convention, Marcus has been sending me pictures each day to keep me in touch with Abby's day. Seriously, I need to know what she wore, did and how she felt on Wednesday morning :)

This might just be the funniest pic of her to date... what do you think this face means?On Wednesday she gave me her "huh" face when my Dallas Cowboys fan club welcome packet came in the mail. I joined for work to save us money on the centerpieces for our party tomorrow night at the new stadium. I can't wait to frame my Jerry Jones welcome letter- NOT!
Thursday Abby, Daddy and our friend Bill and his daughter Mackenzie went swimming. It is hard work for our baby girl to stay up past 6:30, especially when swimming action is involved. I can just smell her in this picture.Finally, today's pic featured the carpet of our pediatrician's waiting room! Apparently Abby Lu has a bad ear infection which has led to a rash. I didn't know those went together. I don't think she noticed the ear infection at all, so we had no idea. So much to learn! I'll see my baby girl tomorrow and can't wait!

Her First Real Trip to the Nursery at Church

Before church this morning Marcus and Abby played a little WOW on the computer. Just kidding! She does love to bang on the keyboard in Daddy's lap! Abby went to the nursery for the first time in early June when I was home sick. It was for a short time and Marcus was in the kids area juggling. Well this morning it was for real and she didn't last long AT ALL! We dropped her off early to be upstairs in our class to hear an important announcement- congrats Mo and Jessica!

So, one friend came up a few minutes later and commented she was in the buggy. That is often where the crying babies go. It typically makes them happy. Then, a few minutes later I was told she was being held in the hallway. I knew she wasn't doing well. I found her downstairs recovering from a meltdown.
I spent some time playing in the baby room with her and fed her than we took her upstairs for the end of the lesson. She was exhausted and slept the whole way home and has been taking a record nap today (still in her pod!).

Abby has no problems at daycare and hasn't since day one. Next time we drop her off, we will have Marcus do it without me. She did fine in the room last month when I wasn't there and each morning when he drops her off. I hope it will be a simple fix. I want her to love our church as much as we do.

One fun thing to note, the class had 9 babies in it and we are friends with the parents of 7 of those babies. I hope they all grow up together as great friends.

I'm A Carnivore!

Abby is a vegetarian no more! Last night she devoured chicken, her favorite of all foods thus far!

Happy Birthday Mackenzie!

This is our sweet friend Mackenzie who celebrated her 3rd birthday this weekend. She had a super fun party at Kiddie Acres on Wells Branch. What a neat place!

Abby and Marcus rode on her first carousel.

Abby loved riding the train. She had no clue she was on a train, but did love the wind in her face. I'm not sure what serious thoughts she was pondering.

But clearly, those deep thoughts knocked her out (for 30 minutes at least).

30 minutes was just long enough for Marcus and I to enjoy pizza and birthday cake. I elected to remove the green and orange Dora icing. Marcus elected to partake in the colored goodness.

Happy Birthday Miss Mackenzie! We love you and enjoyed being at your party.

The Nesting Pod

My girlfriend Tabriah let us borrow her nesting pod for the next week. I am out of town at a conference and Marcus and Abby Lu are joining on Saturday night. Last time we went out of town Abby didn't sleep so well in the playpen. Tabriah recommended the pod. It is like a giant fluffy bed- the bottom and sides are soft and cushioned.
We let her play in it last night, have her bottle in it this morning and she is currently napping in it. We are hoping she'll get acquainted with it this week and sleep well in it next weekend. I could sleep in it!

Here are details on the pod if you want one for yourself!

Flying to Mexico for Guacamole

Abby loves to fly with Daddy all over the house! He puts her in this position and zooms her all over. She just smiles and kicks. Oh how she kicks! Tonight since we tried avocado we joked she was flying to Mexico for guacamole!

This picture isn't a good representation, but she seemed to like the avocado. I had pureed it with a little water and froze it over the weekend. She ate most of it. Feeding her is really a game. I have to use her favorite sounds and faces in order to get her to smile and then I sneak some food in. Once it is in, she eats it just fine. She isn't given me the traditional open mouth or lean forward clues. We're learning together here!

I am Not A Boy

Can you read Abby's shirt? It says, "I am not a boy". So funny! It was a sweet gift from my cousin Susan. I think even with no hair or huge hair bows Abby has always looked like a girl. Someone once asked me if she was a boy only because she was in blue pants. I thought the man was crazy because they were tuquoise with ruffles and matched her pink onesie! I think he was old school and girls never wore blue when he was parenting. I love Abby in blue!
See the tongue thing? Always in this position! Weirdo!

Adding Applesauce

Since we know Abby has no allergies to sweet potatoes, we added in applesauce this week. I read a great money saving tip, buy regular natural unsweetened applesauce. It is much cheaper than the baby applesauce that they try to sell you. This gigantic jar was under $2.00! The ingredients listed- apples, water. That is just what she needs!I think she likes it, but I don't think she quite understands what it is. She seems to think feeding time is not equal to bottle time. She takes it in and after a few minutes acts like she is bored and ready for a change in scenery and is ready for her bottle! We are working on it. Currently, daycare is feeding her at 10 AM each day and we feed her at 6 PM. We are trying to extend out the time between the morning feeding and her request for a bottle. She'll get there!
Check out our cool Boon spoon. It is awesome. The food goes inside the spoon- the clear part separates from the pink part. You then squeeze the pink part and the food squirts onto the spoon. It is less messy and travels well. She had applesauce in it last night at dinner with Marcus' boss and co-workers. We were invited, but taking a baby to a "business" dinner at a $15/ plate restaurant makes a Momma nervous. Luckily, she did just fine.


In case you are wondering, her bib reads "My Mom is hotter than your Mom". It was a gift from my office and makes me laugh out loud. I have never considered myself hot and am definetely not in any hot competitions. She also had "My Dad is cooler than your Dad." Marcus is pretty cool.

The Short and Long of It

Can you see how long Abby is getting? The first picture was taken at about 6 weeks old and the second one is 6 months old.

Red, White and Boom!

After dinner on Saturday night, we left Abby Lu with her grandmothers and went to our friends, John and Donna's house, for the 4th of July Blowout! To say John loves fireworks is an understatement. He spends thousands to light up the sky. The entire street has parties and all of their chairs face John's house--- hundreds of people! It is unbelievable.

We were amazed by the show last year and this year was a whole new experience. Since we were without Abby and I am not pregnant, John gave us insider tips on where to sit- directly below the fireworks! Bits of the plastic casing were raining on us (note the camping chair cover I used to protect my face- priorities!)! The smell of rubber burning engrossing our nose. It was fireworks like no other! Our friend Birchfield used his sunglasses to protect his eyes!

Some of John's friends are photographers and set up cameras pointing up right where we sat. They captured video and stills for future projects. Fireworks are always so much prettier in person than on camera. But, we captured video to give you an idea of the magnitude of works we are talking about. Simply beautiful!

Here is the last 1/4 or so of the show. It was amazing! One funny note, the Leander fire marshall did send someone out to check on us. He sat in the backyard and enjoyed the show before talking to John. John confirmed we were safe and that he had watered the grass all day and would be watering it all down again today. Luckily, his neighbors enjoy the show and water their yards all day as well.

Abby Lu's First Restaurant Highchair

Grammy was in town this weekend, so my Mom, Aunt Larriane, Marcus, Abby Lu and I went to County Line on the Lake for BBQ. Carol wanted "good ribs" so her and Marcus shared the rib king plate. It is huge!
The place was packed at 4:45 in the afternoon! The sun was shining and the water was.... sparkling green!

The big news of the meal was Abby Lu sitting in a high chair and not her car seat in a sling! Look at how happy she is to see, touch and flirt with everyone!

She did a great job- playing with toys, drinking water, looking around and enjoying five fully grown adults making faces and talking in funny voices. Marcus did walk around outside with her before the meal and I ate one handed while giving her an extra bottle that she just had to have! All in all, a great first attempt at eating out with a hgihchair included.

Geoffrey, the Giraffe

Remember Fifi the poodle?

Along the Fifi and her fuzzy ladybug, Abby Lu likes to sleep with Geoffrey, her giraffe. I put her in bed on her back with him and she almost always ends up on her side with him touching her face. It is darling!

Thank you Heather for providing Abby Lu a sweet little friend to love on while she sleeps!

Happy 4th of July!

Someone is proud to be an American and excited to see what all these fireworks Daddy keeps talking about is all about. We have both Moms visiting today and are planning to eat BBQ and watch the fireworks at our friend John and Donna's house. Let's hope Abby stays awake for them and isn't scared!

Froggy Pool

Since Abby loves the water so much, I jumped at the chance to buy this froggy pool at HEB today. It is perfect for our back patio when we don't want to go to our neighborhood pool. Not only did I get the pool, but 50 balls that go with it. Since Abby was shaded, I let her wear her cute one piece that I think was Kyleigh's 7 years ago. Abby sat in her bumbo in the pool and also in the pool without assistance. She had lots of fun with the pool itself and the balls.

She also discovered Marcus' Sonic cup. We finally gave it to her to see if she knew what it was or what was inside of it, she just wanted to play with it.

Look for us to spend lots of time in the froggy this summer!

Let's Start with Sweet Potatoes

I have been reading Super Baby Food and talked to our pediatrician on Wednesday and we decided to start with sweet potatoes. I took Kelly's advice and bought 2 jars. This will ensure she likes it before I spend time making 27 servings and give us a container for transporting homemade food to school.

She was a little confused at the beginning. This tastes different- it isn't breast milk, formula, rice cereal or a banana. What is this Momma? Oh, sweet potatoes. I think I might like them! Thursday night we didn't have much success. She was sleepy, not real hungry and confused. Tonight, she did so much better. She ate her entire serving and one serving of rice cereal. It was great fun to experience this with her. I have read how important it is to keep meal time enjoyable for them, to make happy faces, talk to them, and to let them discover the food with you.Can you tell we had some fun!

On her head is a sweet potato puff. To ensure she isn't allergic to sweet potatoes, she'll have them for 3-5 days before we add another food. So, this round was jarred sweet potatoes and sweet potato puffs. The puffs are dissolve quickly to avoid choking, but that also allow her to practice picking up small objects and place them in her mouth. She didn't like them too much, but eventually we got them in her mouth!

We'll keep up with sweet potatoes, rice and bananas through the week and then onto avocado next weekend.

Stop Holding Me Back, Momma!

So, the peditrician yesterday said we could start Abby on a training cup with her water. Last night I was reading about the options- handles or no handle, how many holes on top, etc. Marcus looked at our collection of cups and we thought this Texas Tech cup (purchased in Lubbock last year) was a good starter. It doesn't spill easily and doesn't have the extra hole to make the liquid flow out easier. It also has a hole in the middle making it easier to grab.

So this morning, while getting ready, I sat Abby in her bumbo in the bathroom and gave her some water. Seriously, what else can she do that we don't know about? She grabbed the cup, put the spout in her mouth and turned it upside down. I was shocked. I expected her to look at it, put the bottom in her mouth, throw it, etc. That big head is filled with big brains. Look for her to walk next week :)

Six Month Well Check

This morning Marcus and I took Abby Lu to see her doctor for her 6 month well check. Marcus and I love her doctor and seeing her confirm that Abby is healthy and ready for new things is super exciting. We try to "forget" about the shots for as long as we can and focus on the fun!

Wait, what did you just say Momma? I have to get shots again.


We had lots of fun waiting for her doctor. Abby discovered that laying on paper is a blast. We went through 2 table lengths of paper! She was kicking it, grabbing it, eating it and playing peek-a-boo with Daddy!

Dr. Speling told us all good things- she is in the right place developmentally and all of her tricks, like sitting up, are appropriate for her age. She also said not to worry about her little feet.

Here are her stats:

Weight- 16 lbs. 10 ounces (50-75%ile)

Ideally, your child will double their birth weight at 6 months and we are 4 ounces over that! Yea Abby! She is a big girl, but healthy. She has gained 1 pound since last time and 2 pounds since her last well check. We also got permission to start solids and will begin those this weekend. She does think we are giving her more than the average in terms of formula, but since we isn't growing unproportionally, she isn't concerned. We hope with solids the night feeding will go away. And, we get to try a sippy/training cup with water. Fun! Abby is going to love that!

Height- 26.5 inches (75%ile)

We were both shocked by how long she is! No wonder she needs all that formula! She has grown over an inch in two months. She can still wear her 3-6 month pajamas with feet. She is just starting to look a lot longer when you hold her up.

Head- 44.5 cm(90-95%ile)
You may not know this about me because I try so hard to hide it, but I have a HUGE head. If I wear a ballcap of Marcus', I have to adjust it 3 notchs. A big head means big brains, right? I think sweet precious Abby got my giant noggin!

Overall, the visit was great and then came the shots! Wow- it is hard to watch. I feel good that it is best for her and is a valuable lesson in sometimes making good decisions for your children will be hard or painful for them to understand. She screamed, cried and turned bright red. Afterward, I held her tight and she fell fast asleep from the sheer exhaustion of the experience. When I dropped her off at school, she seemed back to normal and was enjoying her bottle.

We thank God every night for our healthy and happy baby.