Sweet Child of Mine

I have a lot to write about, but I am cold (it's freezing in this house for some reason) and tired, so I am just going to say that I am SO in love with my sweet baby girl. It's the kind of love that just makes your heart overflow. If you have ever been in love (the only other time I have felt this is with Wes) then you know what I am talking about. You just feel like you could explode inside. She is 11 weeks old today, and getting more and more precious by the minute. She is growing like a weed, changing before our eyes, cooing, smiling, trying to laugh, oh, and she looks like she has been in a cat fight, according to Wes. Yes, she has managed to scratch her face several times over the last couple days. Wes cut her fingernails tonight. Here are a few pictures of our little Abbie Grace.

Another camping trip, 9 and 10 weeks, etc...

So I tried posting a video for you guys last Friday before we left for our camping trip, but it did not upload, so I am not ready to try that again just yet...

Abbie will be 10 weeks tomorrow. I can't believe my time at home has come to an end. So much is happening in our lives right now (more to come on that in a later post) but things are good. Abbie is becoming a much more laid back baby than just a few weeks ago. She still has her moments, but mostly it's just when she's tired or hungry, and hey, don't we all get cranky when we are either of those things? She cries the very most though when she is in her car in her car seat - she hates it people. She cries so hard I think she might choke, but what can you do when you are driving down the road? I try to sit back there with her when Wes is driving, but it still doesn't help. Paci doesn't help, talking, singing, nada. Now when she is at a store in it she is usually ok, but in the car she cries and cries until she falls asleep. Today I bought her a mirror with some toys on it in hopes she might like it. We'll see. In the meantime, does anyone have any suggestions for making her happy in the car?? On a happier note, she is sleeping SO much better - thank GOD - and she absolutely loves our camping trips!! I took her hiking while her Daddy went fishing on Saturday, and she fell asleep in the carrier. (See above pic) So sweet. The JEEP carrier we got is still a little big for her, but a friend of mine lent me the Baby Bjorn and it's perfect for her right now, so we got a LOT of use out of it this weekend.

Here is our sweet little girl - could she be any cuter???

Abbie's New Chair!

Abbie got her very own chair this week, and it's personalized!! She LOVES it! Thanks Rach!!

And she can kind of sit up in her Boppy now, which is nice for me. Anything that can hold her and give me a little relief I can appreciate!!

So happy that's over!!

Abbie went to the doctor yesterday for her two month check up. I know you mothers know what that means - shots!! She got three in her legs, and one orally. She didn't cry that much, but definitely more than I have ever seen her. The worst part was when we got home though. She was so upset all afternoon and just slept and cried. Thankfully she slept well last night - I wasn't planning on much sleep but she did well.

The good news is that she is growing right on target. She weighs 10 lbs. 8 0z and is 23" long. So that puts her in the 50% range for her weight and 75% for her height.

In other news, my Dad and step-mom are here until Monday. They are our last round of visitors for the summer and Abbie is enjoying getting to know them! I go back to work in two weeks. Boo hoo. Literally, boohoo. All I can do is cry when I think about it. Will she know who I am? I am only going to get to feed her two or three times a day, and the hours I am with her will be SO short, it seems. I so wish there was a way I could do part time, but I just don't think right now it's going to work. But I have a great lady from church to take care of her, which I am so grateful for! If I didn't have Debbie, I would probably sell drugs to stay home with her - KIDDING! But seriously, I think going back will be one of the greatest challenges of my life. It does give me hope though when I see Abbie react to Wes when he gets home. She knows him, she loves him, so I think ok, if he is working and she knows who he is, then surely she won't forget me! Anyways, sorry to get off on that tangent. I am not looking for pity - just a sounding board!! I will post some pictures of Abbie with her grandparents later this week!

Abbie's First Vacation!!

This weekend we went camping with the Opie family. Not tent camping like we usually do, but camper camping, which is MUCH better, especially with a baby! We left Thursday afternoon and just got back today. We had a great time and Abbie did wonderful! It was her first time sleeping away from home, and the second night she actually went 7 hours in between feedings! She also went on the boat for the first time - I know, it was a little scary, and I really hadn't planned on it, but we literally putted around and stayed close to the shoreline, just in case. She loved it and I think she loved camping too because she likes to be outside so much. The weather was nice and cooler than the 100 degree temps we have been having here in the valley. We are all absolutely exhausted today, and Abbie hasn't had much of a nap yet, so I am praying for good sleep tonight!

This was Friday on the boat - she slept for the first part....

This little jumpsuit she has on here is like the ones Chrissy from Three's Company used to wear! It was SO cute!

Happy 4th of July everyone!!

2nd day on the boat - the hat was fine but it kept getting in her eyes - but at least I didn't have to worry about her head getting burnt.

Gentry being silly with Wes's sunglasses....

Everyone is pooped from the weekend, including Brandy!!

Happy to be home!!

7 Weeks Old!!

SO confused!!!

So here is the deal...I have two books that tell me how to raise my child - The Baby Book by Dr. William Sears, and the infamous On Becoming Baby Wise, by Dr. Ezzo. These were both given to me before Abbie was born, and I have read through them both and so far combined things I like from both. But these two books could not be more different. Dr. Sears talks about co-sleeping, wearing your baby, baby directed feedings, not letting them cry, you get the picture. And Baby Wise is parent directed feeding, letting them cry it out, not rocking or nursing your baby to sleep, etc. I like Baby Wise because I believe putting your baby on a schedule is important, and the eat-wake-sleep things seems like a good way to do it, but we all know there are times when you have to go by what baby wants and not by the schedule - i.e if they are hungry before the 2 1/2 hour window, etc. Sometimes it just happens. But the thing I can't get past is the crying it out part, and putting your baby to bed awake! I just can't imagine putting Abbie in her crib awake and letting her go to sleep on her own, or letting her cry for up to 15 minutes. I enjoy rocking her to sleep, and really at night she goes pretty quickly once I feed her and she is happy. I realize I have some work to do with laying her down during the day for naps, because she has become used to us holding her while she sleeps, and it won't be like that when she goes to her caretaker and I go back to work. And then when I read Dr. Sears, I almost feel guilty for putting Abbie in her crib and not bringing her in the bed with us. So I realize that by writing this blog entry I am opening up the door to advice, and I am fine with that. Some of you have already given me different pieces of advice. I just want Abbie to be a happy and healthy child, and I think she is already. But I want to be a healthy and happy mother too, and if that means waiting a few more weeks or months for her to sleep longer that is fine. I guess part of me just worries that I am developing bad habits for her right now. Dr. Sears doesn't think so, but Dr. Ezzo does! So who is right? I don't think there is a right or wrong way to raise a child, and no book is going to be the end all be all answer. But I just wish maybe I could find a middle of the road book that talks about caring and nurturing your baby but also getting them to sleep for longer periods of time. Any suggestions? Is Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child the same philosophy as Baby Wise? Are there any other books you recommend? I am open and willing to listen to your opinions. Again, I know that maybe what works for your child may not work for mine, but isn't that one of the perks of blogging? That we get feedback from others? Looking forward to hearing your comments!!