Some Random Abby-ness

Here are a few random things Abby has done to make us laugh in the last few days...

1. Abby has made the switch from always saying "uh-huh" when she wants to say yes. Now instead she says "yeah." It is simply adorable. Except when she is being naughty or having a fit.

2. Last night I really wanted to soak in the bathtub, since Baby O. was not being a nice girl. I didn't say the words bath, bathroom, tub, water, or anything resembling those. I told Steve I was going to go soak for a while. Faster than lightning, Abby said "Abby take bubble bath, yeah!" and she was up the stairs within about 1 minute. So much for a nice soak...

3. Abby no longer wants to sleep in our bed, at all, ever. Hooray!!! Last night Steve was tired from work and shoveling out our driveway, so he accidentally fell asleep in Abby's bed while they were playing in Abby's room. So, Abby came into our room where I was putting away clothes. I put her in bed with me when we were done with our chore. She lasted about two minutes before she asked to go lay down in Abby's bed. I've been waiting and waiting for this moment :-)

4. Abby is over the mom holding another baby jealousy - at least for the most part. This morning Abby and I went over to her friend A.J.'s house to lend a helping hand, since they received a tiny little infant foster child yesterday. They already had 2 girls 2 and under, so we figured that some extra hands would be helpful, especially since A.J.'s dad was going to be at work all day. Abby was very good about touching the little boy gently and letting me hold and feed him so A.J.'s mom could do some laundry, shower, and get ready for the meetings she has to go to this afternoon.

Doing Chores

Abby has been mastering her two chores around this house - feeding Maize and picking up toys. She is getting pretty good with the toys, but sometimes the dog food doesn't quite end up in the bowl...We've had a rather uneventful day today, which was a welcome change from the running around and busyness we've been experiencing lately. Abby and I even took the opportunity to re-arrange our family room so that we can enjoy our gas fireplace, which until yesterday was not working. We did a lot of sweeping, picking up, and rotating of furniture so that we can see both the t.v. and the fireplace from the couch. And Abby found lots of great things under the couch that we had "lost."

Abby is really mastering language at a great pace lately. She is talking almost exclusively in sentences now and it is becoming harder and harder to pretend like we can't understand what she is asking for. She gets pretty adamant about things too... Like yesterday, we bought a second toddler car seat for Steve's car. K-Mart had them on sale and we really wanted the ability to take which ever car was parked in back (since we have a one lane driveway and parking on the streets during snow season is not a great idea). So Abby and I went and picked out a new, pink car seat. Then she had a little fit because I wouldn't buckle it in right away and let her ride home in it. She didn't quite understand that we were on a schedule and changing out car seats in the freezing cold wasn't on mommy's agenda. She did enjoy playing with the car seat once we got home. She even wanted to be buckled into it and left alone.

Translation Please

We need someone to tell us what in the world Abby is saying to us. We are pretty sure she isn't meaning to say "dollar-six" even though that is all we can make of it. And there is no context for her phrase - it is used throughout the day and when doing many, many different activities.

Bubble Bath Time

Steve took Abby upstairs to "put on her pajamas" last night and after 30 minutes they had still not emerged, so I went to see how they were coming on the change from play clothes to pajamas. Somehow Abby accidentally fell into the bathtub, which evidently filled itself with water and bubbles in the process. And Abby and her dad were having a great time making bubble beards, bubble shirts, and doing bubble high fives. Abby even made a bubble beard for Steve. It was pretty funny! I am glad that I don't have to worry about my girl when her daddy is around.

Abby has been practicing her reading skills a lot lately. She can tell what the title of the book is and will often say the title to us when she brings the book over to be read. She can also read quite a few pages from "Hop on Pop," especially the "All Tall" page. We obviously are a little biased, but we are pretty sure she is way smarter than most kids her age. She even has been practicing her good manners lately and has been using the phrase "excuse me" after she has a little burping or tooting going on. And because she has been using her manners she also now knows that "me" refers to her, so last night when we were playing ball and I asked her who I should throw the ball to, she said "me" instead of Abby. Again... this girl is way to smart.

Abby Obreiter

Abby learned how to say her last name today. It is hilarious and quite a mouthful for such a small lady. She also learned some awesome dance moves from our friend Craig today while Steve was hosting the guys for football Sunday (we also did football Saturday, so we are basically hosted and footballed out).

Tomorrow Abby is going to her first real, non-family birthday party. And it's at her favorite place, McDonald's play land. We are very excited to go celebrate her new friend Jordan's birthday. We met Jordan at Abby's swim class this summer and now we go to the same playgroup, so they have lots of fun playtime together. We'll have to see how Abby does when someone else gets to open presents and is the center of attention. I'm hoping a happy meal toy will keep her occupied enough.

Abby Rides A Zebra

Abby is getting ready for her visit downstate, complete with a visit to the Toledo Zoo, by riding her toy zebra. She especially likes riding it at night with the lights off so that the flashing lights on the handle show up better. She rode last night until just before she passed out. She was so tired we ended up putting her to sleep in her clothes.
We have been keeping busy and trying to stay warm and dry this weekend. It hasn't been above 60 degrees yet this weekend - not exactly what you'd expect for the last weekend in August. So we had to break out Abby's fall clothing collection a bit early. She has been feeling like a princess all weekend in her new gear. We are almost rested up from all of the activities Steve and I have been working on this weekend. First, we helped friends Jon, Michelle, and Mackenzie get their uhaul loaded for their big move back to Kalamazoo. We will sure miss them! After doing that late into Friday night (Abby was enjoying a huge play date with all her normal buddies), we had to be up really early for Angel Food on Saturday morning. We got that all under control and then napped for most of Saturday afternoon. Finally we are about back on our regular schedule.

Today Steve is teaching Abby the important skill of installing a vanity. I can't wait to have our bathroom back together for the first time since we moved in. What a relief now that I am making many, many trips to the bathroom.

Abby has started stringing multiple words together and will parrot just about anything she hears - this means we are being extra careful what she watches on t.v. and hears on the radio. Not that we weren't careful before, but even more so now. Sometimes though you just can't prevent the occasional naughty word from popping out of her mouth. Like yesterday when she was trying to say "fox". Abby's version of "fox" is basically a four letter word right now, so we've put away the book with the foxes in it so that she doesn't keep saying that new word, because try as hard as we can, we can't help but giggle when she says it. Bad parenting... I know.

Oh... and in less than 48 hours we will know the answer to the big mystery. One crib or two.... that is the question :)

Hot, Hot, Hot!

Here's one last picture from our camping trip. We sure had fun. It's too bad it was cool last week because the week we just survived was HOT! Today was 88 with about 90% humidity (okay... maybe not 90%, but it was high).

We got part of our bathroom project done, but then we ran into a little unexpected dilemma that we need to figure out. We didn't consider the huge, beautiful mop board when we picked a sink, so we need to get a trim board to attach to fill the gap between the wall and the cabinet and also figure out how to fill the gap between the sink basin and the wall. Overall though we made good progress for such a hot, muggy day. And we have a working toilet downstairs, so that is nice. So that we'd have potty stuff for Abby in each room we picked out a potty seat that fits onto the big toilet. True to her current obsession, we had to get the Dora the Explorer potty seat.

Now we have another hot night to get through and then we will see what adventures this week has in store for us. I'm sure it will be something exciting - it hardly seems we can go two days without something. And probably we will have lots of new words presented by Abby - yesterday's word was doctor and today's was taco.

Berry Blue

Abby helped us pick blueberries by sitting in a bunch of bushes and eating them as fast as she could pick them. She was very helpful!

Abby has been enjoying the fruits of Grandpa Scott's labor in a very literal way. She has been eating tons and tons of fresh Up North blueberries every day. She loves blueberries now, which is another thing she learned while camping. She would never eat them before, but now I think she could live off them.

Today is supposed to be a really wonderful day, so Abby and I are going to head out to the beach after her nap time. I'm hoping she continues to like the water and sand as much as she did while camping. If not, at least there is a nice playground at the park with the beach. I'm betting she'll have fun!

Abby learned two phrases in the last week that she has been saying a lot - "no way" and "go away". We've been working on teaching her when it is okay to say these new things. So far she knows that it is okay to say "go away" to the dog and "no way" when she doesn't want something. Other than that we don't want her using the new words too often. She also rediscovered nose picking - gross!!!

Shopper's Shoulder

Abby loves wearing her new tu-tu from Grandma Mary and Aunt Hannah. She even knows how to do spins now. She would wear the tu-tu over anything if we let her.
This is Abby's necklace that she picked out at Super Wal-Mart. She is showing me how to wear a bracelet, but using the necklace instead. She really loves jewelery - we are in trouble when she gets big enough to walk around the store by herself.

Abby and I went and picked up groceries along with some camping supplies today. Abby picked out her very first fishing pole. There was a Disney princess one and a Dora the Explorer one. Abby is usually a princess kind of girl, but she picked Dora. Then she rode in the cart saying "Dora, Dora, Dora" just like the theme song. She was very proud of her purchase - that is until I put the goldfish crackers into the cart. Then all she could think of was the goldfish crackers and how badly she wanted to eat them.

Abby said Grammy and Grandpa one time last night, but then wouldn't say them again. She has lots of words like that, I know she has them stored up in her head and just isn't using them because they don't go with anything she is thinking of that day. Even without those words that she doesn't use every day we still have a lot of jabbering going on around here.

Summertime Sniffles

Thanks to Auntie Em, Abby has a case of the summertime sniffles. It isn't too bad when she's up and moving, but she is having a hard, hard time sleeping. It's pretty difficult to suck your thumb when you have to breathe through your mouth. She had to sleep with momma for part of the night so that I could prop her up enough to help her sleep. Not sleeping well creates a little grouchiness during the day for both of us.
Yesterday was a lovely day to play outside and we enjoyed it as much as possible. Abby is getting to be very, very tan. Even with spf 50 sunscreen she is already looking a lot like a native. I think she is up to about 40 words now. Today she learned piggy and horse.

Shoe Shopping

Here's the progress on the bathroom so far. We still have to finish up the floor, but we have the walls done and just need to repaint the white trim and radiators. Not too bad for amateurs.
Abby's learned how to kiss with her mouth closed (finally!) and loves giving out kisses, especially to mommy. Yesterday she learned the word elbow. I was trying to teach her where her elbow was and instead of mimicking me by showing me her elbow, she just said the word. She is too smart for her own good I would say!

Today Abby got to pick out 3 new pairs of shoes, since she'd outgrown all but one pair at our house. She was so funny - she has very particular taste in clothing and in shoes as well. She basically won't get dressed unless she gets to pick her own shirt out and she was the same way with her shoes. She was so proud of her new purchases - she very carefully carried one of the boxes all the way up to the cash register all by herself. We also checked out the brand new Wal-Mart Supercenter today, where Abby got to pick out her very own potty chair (all by herself of course). She also got a free shirt and magnet since it was the grand opening. It was so busy that we had to park way, way out in the lot and walk quite a way through the rain. I'll be avoiding that place for a week or two while all the gawking continues.

Best Buddies

Maize hides in the bathtub when she gets scared by loud noises. Abby decided to join her the other night. Poor Maize was freaking out, while Abby was trying to feed her with bath toys.
But even when Abby tries to feed Maize dirty bath water, they are still best friends. Abby's been practicing her dog mastering skills by telling Maize to "sit." I'm still not sure Maize understands what Abby says to her, but Abby is really certain that she is going to be the newest dog whisperer.

Abby has two new words that she learned yesterday. I'm not sure where she learned them, because we hadn't been practicing them. Her first new word is "more" and her second word is "girl." She also has been practicing "eye" a lot - complete with the poking of anyone's eye who is fortunate enough to be within arms length.

Demolition Girl

We finished tearing the tile up in the half bath yesterday. Steve and I have never been so sore. That tile was really stuck down good. Abby loved watching the destruction happen (from a safe distance of course). We are really making some progress on the bathroom now. I've got the mirror frame and toilet paper holder sprayed to match the new faucet and the walls all painted. Now we've just got to get the new floor laid down.

Abby learned quite a few new words this weekend including her current favorite "sit." She's been telling Maize to sit all weekend, although Abby's version of sit sometimes comes out a little like a word she shouldn't be using. She had a lot of fun playing with her dad this weekend and has become a professional laundry chute user. We've got pictures to share, but I have to wait until Abby's napping to get the camera out, so you'll have to wait until tonight or tomorrow.

Abbeeeeee

Here are some photo highlights of Abby's weekend. We had a very fun time visiting with Grandma Von and Grandpa Roy and Great Grandma Joyce. Abby showed them around our neck of the woods including Tahquamenon Falls and Lake Superior. Luckily it was a nice hot day to be outdoors enjoying God's handiwork!
Grandpa Roy, Grandma Von, Abby, and Great Grandma Joyce.
Abby found the mini-rocking chairs at the visitor's center in the Tahquamenon Falls State Park. She loves little furniture!
Abby's grandparents brought her up a vanity play set. She was nuts about it. She is going to be a true girlie girl. She wanted to sit on her vanity stool and stare at herself in the mirror, talk on the play phone, and put on her necklaces for about an hour straight. It was a lot of fun watching her play.

Last night Abby perfected saying her own name. She'd been working on it for a while, but now it really sounds like Abby (emphasis on the "ee"). We left our digital video camera at Grandma and Grandpa Hodges house so they could make a dvd of Courtnie and Nate's wedding, so we couldn't get video footage of the hilarity that goes on around here. Here new favorite words are Abby and Daddy - she just walks around randomly saying them.

It was ridiculously hot here yesterday. We moved to the Upper Peninsula and were very excited to be leaving the major heat. Neither of us particularly enjoys seeing 90 degree weather, but that is what we've had the last few days. It is supposed to reach 87 today, so Abby and I made play date plans for the beach. We spent a lot of time yesterday in her wading pool. And we had a hard night going to sleep since it was so hot and humid! Hope you can all stay cool today - we will sure be trying any way possible.

New Words

New words of the day:

Door (pronounced dooy) and Tree (pronounce twee)

She even pointed to them when she said the new words. What a smarty pants!

Daddy's Day Off

Well, we were hoping the great weather would continue so we could enjoy Steve's day off outdoors somewhere, but it was windy and cool, so we didn't spend too much time outside. We did go out into our backyard for a little while - long enough for Abby to fall and get a goose egg on her head. She had a great time playing, especially fetch with Maize. She Steve taught her how to put a ball into a basket, but instead of taking it out and doing it again she carried the basket all around the yard.

There is really nothing too exciting to report. We started packing up our things again today. I boxed up Abby's clothes that are too small and we picked up our living room so we'd have more space to play. We also have been doing lots of thinking about what color we'd like to paint certain rooms (especially that blue office) and what projects need to be tackled first. You'll all have to come visit (but not all at once) late this summer, once we've had time to get all the projects and painting done.

Abby is saying more words now - she is pretty consistently using "this" and "that". She also says "dog" and "kitty". And we also have "yeah," "no," "ball," "duck," "dad," "mom" or "mama" and "Maize." She is putting more and more words together each day. It is exciting to watch. She also consistently does signs for things, especially hi or bye. She will wave when we read books that have hi or bye in them and today waved to anyone who would look in Walmart. She is quite a character.

9 Months Old!

Here's another good picture from Abby's sled ride the other day. It has been too cold to do more than dash outside into a pre-heated car the last couple days.

I was trying hard today to decide which was harder - the first nine months of Abby's life, carrying her around inside and depriving myself of sugar and caffeine and cold medicine, or the second nine months. They both have been new and exciting times with lots to remember. But I think in the end the rewards from Abby after birth outweigh any of the things that have made it challenging at times.

Two nights ago Abby and I were looking at a book with pictures of our family in it. I asked her to point to Mommy and she did. She also found Daddy and Maize. She is still working on learning the rest of the family. Right now Uncle Dan is her favorite one to find in the pictures - maybe because he is so much taller than all the rest of us! She is getting to be the smartest kid on the block. She sometimes uses words to get the message across, like today when she said "up" after she was finished eating her breakfast (she wanted me to pick her up out of her high chair) and last night when she told Steve "hug" so she could have a hug from her daddy. Slowly we are working on new words, but sweet, shy Abigail won't preform her words in front of other people yet. She also wouldn't climb the stairs yesterday when I was watching her. I figured it would be better for her to learn to do it with some supervision, since we are going to have stairs and she is going to have to use them if she wants a bath. We will have to keep working on that one.

Stay warm! We are enjoying lovely sun with our sub-zero arctic temperatures, so at least it looks beautiful outdoors. But we do have a lake effect snow advisory for 5 to 8 inches by tomorrow morning - YIKES!!!

Breakthrough

We have had the first definite use of a word in reference to something! Lucky for Steve it was him. Today when he came home from lunch and looked around the corner into the living room he got a shout of "dada" and some excited arm waving. It was really, really cute. Too bad I wasn't taping it... Abby is going to be a daddy's girl for sure.

We also had a first yesterday - Abby's first freak out moment over something she saw on t.v. We were watching Pinky Dinky Doo (if you haven't seen it, avoid it), which is one of the few shows Abby will concentrate on, when a dinosaur came on the screen. Now you would think a girl who loves to roar and growl would appreciate a dinosaur, but not this girl. She went into hysterics and we had to shut the t.v. off, even though the dinosaur wasn't on anymore. Poor kid... I guess we won't be watching Jurassic Park with Abby anytime soon.

Our high was supposed to be 10 degrees farenheight today, so you downstate friends and family "suffering" with 20+ degree weather can just remember that you are at least 2 times warmer than we are here...

That's What She Said

After weeks of dada's and gog's (dog), Abby finally said her first mama today! Yeah!!! She also learned nana (for Hannah) and some other fun mumblings that sound wordish, but probably aren't. We have lots of unpacking and cleaning up to do after being gone for Thanksgiving, but we had a great time, so it was well worth it. Unfortunately we had so much fun that I didn't even take one picture with my camera. Bad mom... I know.

Anyway, back to working, we'll break down the weekend's events later!