park time

37 weeks

I made it!! We weren't sure if I was going to make it to 37 weeks, but the little guy listened to mommy and is staying put for the moment. At my appointment Thursday I was dilated to a 4, and 80% effaced so we're just waiting for him to make his move. Who knows, it could still be a couple of weeks! Which I am hoping for :). Joe has graduation coming up, as well as performing in our stake's musical, so I'm hoping I make it until after these things.   I am feeling a little tight, and sleep is not coming easy. More and more people are commenting on my belly - including some random guy in the toy store who pointed it out to his daughter. That was a little awkward! I am very excited to meet our little guy, and finally have him out! 

spring!

Sorry I haven't posted in a little while - we were having modem/router issues but it's all fixed now!  We really have been enjoying the nice weather, although the afternoon is getting a little too warm for my comfort. Luckily that's when she naps!  Saturday night we enjoyed dutch oven cooking with our neighbors, and playing Life (the electronic version). I love that the outdoors brings neighbors together.

One of Abigail's favorite new things as of late - putting lids on bottles. Her hair is getting so long, and fits pretty well into pigtails. She seems so much older to me lately, and it makes me a little sad.

I had a bad mommy moment on Thursday. I was putting her snowsuit into storage in the hallway, when I heard a crash come from her room. She had pulled the lamp down from her desktop, and I got a little frustrated and said her full name intending to scold. I startled her, and she fell forward and hit her chin on the glider. It gave her a pretty good scrape on her chin, and she bled a little bit. I felt horrible. I held her for a few minutes, and she was fine. Every time I look at her face I feel a little guilty.

Happy Easter!!

We decided to stick around Cache Valley for the holiday weekend, and we got a lot done!  Joe painted our room and we LOVE it. It is amazing what a difference color can make. Once it is all put back together, I'll post a picture. Joe's parents came up for dinner and a visit with Abigail on Saturday, who was very happy to see them and play with them. She really enjoyed their Easter gift, and the hot dog song Grandma sings.

Abigail's Easter dress this year was one my niece wore at my brother's wedding. It is a little bit big, but oh so cute!  We couldn't really get her to hold still for a picture, she just wanted to keep going up and down the hill.

We had dinner with friends, and it was a lot of fun. We each cooked something for the meal, and it all went together really well. Abigail even enjoyed the ham - she ate an entire piece!! This mommy is proud!

 After dinner we let the kids run around outside and they enjoyed playing with bubbles, throwing balls around, and rolling in the grass.

18 months

It really is hard to believe that my little girl is 18 months old!! She seems more like a little girl every day, making me miss when she was little. But we are having TONS of fun. She is slowly picking up talking, although she understands things really well. Sometimes she only says the first letter or so of the word, like mouth and hair, but she points to them! She can say ball, go, no, tickle, and mama on occasion. She loves to read and point out the animals, but the only animal sound she makes is that of a monkey. She's got 10 teeth with more poking through, and is slowly learning to like the food we eat. Texture gets to her, I think, and she just shakes her head at most things we try to put in front of her. She loves string cheese, but that's the only thing she'll eat consistently. Getting her to eat is the thing we struggle with the most - what sorts of things do your kids like? I'm always looking for new ideas!

One of her favorite things to do lately is poke my belly, and watch as it indents and pops back out. I am pretty sure she doesn't really understand that there is a baby in there, but we keep trying. It may be a big surprise to her when we add baby brother next month!  I love my little girl, and am so grateful I get to spend every day with her.

one piano, six hands

We had our neighbors over for dinner the other night, and all the kids ended up playing the piano. It was fun to watch how differently they played - Abigail often pokes one key at a time, and the little boy was pounding pretty good!  We have really started to enjoy the neighborhood we live in - so many people close in age that we are getting to know, and the kids are all fun to be around and play with. We initially thought we'd be moving a few years after we bought are townhouse (right about now), but I think we've decided to stay for a little while. It really feels like home.

outside

Abigail LOVES being outdoors, and is constantly bringing me her shoes or trying to open the door to go outside. She loves going to the park down the street, and going down the twisty slide. She loves playing with her soccer ball, especially when the older kids are also playing in the same area. She used to be relatively shy of other kids, but they've taken a liking to her and she loves it. Most of the time. They love to touch her, and think she needs help when she doesn't, but other than that they are sweet to her! She also loves riding the scooter we got from my sister. She has no idea how to push herself, but loves it when we push her around. It gets a little tiring.