Abbie-isms

Doesn't this picture just crack you up?????????

So since I posted last, I realized there are SO many more things Abbie is doing, and that you were probably dying to know about all of them, so here is another list:

- She says "I'm sorry" all the time now. If she hurts herself, or if Brandy steps on her toe or anything like that, she says it. It is very cute.

- She gives you five, then says up high, lifts her hand, then down low, and lowers it. No clue where she learned this!

- She likes to flip the light switches and says up, down when she does it.

- Oh, this one is funny. I think I mentioned before that she talks in the 3rd person a lot. So she was saying "I love you Abbie" there for a while. Well now, she says "I love you Elmo" when she hugs Wes or I. So it's like she is saying it to us, but Elmo is at the end.

- Brace yourselves for this one...She counted to ten this morning! I heard her in her room, and she was reading a book and there she went. She'd probably never do it when I asked her, but I heard her count to 6 yesterday, and this morning it was ten!

- Now when she gets the cell phone, she holds it to her ear, and says Hello, Hey! just like we do when we answer the phone.

I seriously can't believe the things she picks up on. She is like a little sponge!

I am going on a month and a half of being home with her, and I have to say it was a little hard getting adjusted but I think I am getting there! I am enjoying it much more now that I feel like we have a little routine going. Still job hunting. No bites yet, so we will see. I am taking her to Pam's once a week though, which is nice because it gives me a little break and gives her a chance to interact with other kids and not forget Pam!

I swear I take less pictures of her now that I am at home, but seriously, I cannot get her to sit still! I literally have to chase her to get her picture nowadays. Here are a few recent ones- she rode on the lawnmower yesterday w/ Wes and I have not seen her so giddy in a long time. She loved it!

Fifteen

Abbie is 15 months! Here is what she is up to these days:

She is becoming quite the little monkey. She likes to climb on things, countertops, chairs, her changing table, etc. Basically if we are holding her she lunges for whatever is around to climb on. We are going to have our hands full with this, I am afraid. One of her favorite games is for us to chase her. She says "I'll get you" and then starts running. It's something Wes started and she just loves it.

She is so smart, it just amazes us. She identifies everything, and can follow commands and do things we ask her to do. She knows what everything around the house is, and likes to tell us.

She loves water and has learned to flush the toilet, and turn the water in the tub on. She will go in our bathroom and do this and play in it. I know, what a waste of water, but you know, sometimes it's worth it to keep her occupied for a little while! And I cannot keep Brandy's water down, or else she will play in it or try to drink it. Yea, as you have probably noticed by now, I am not really concerned about germs! She is so healthy and I just think a few germs here and there are ok!

She has such a mind of her own, and definitely knows what she wants. If she gets it in her head she wants something, and she can't have it (like the cord from the iron, for example) she will keep going back to it. After a couple days of this, and us telling her no and pulling her away, she finally gets it now, but she can be very stubborn.

She loves her baby, Abby Cadabby, whom she affectionately calls "Abby-Dabby Doo". We aren't sure how she came up with that, but that is her name. She gives her the bottle, rocks her, puts her in the Boppy, and even gives her baths in the toilet sometimes. ( :

Being at home with her for the last month has been great, but my patience has been tested a lot the last few days with her refusal of naps! Thankfully today she is taking one, but she fights it now and I am getting scared that she might just flat out refuse more and more. We'll see.

I found out yesterday that the opportunity w/ Eaton is not going to work out. I could vent, bad mouth, do things like that, but I won't. I don't know what the future holds, and that is certainly difficult to stomach, but God has His hand in this and He will take care of us - that is my belief, because I have no other hope but in Him.

Oh yea, one more thing. In my last post I mentioned CORE4, the weight loss program I started. Well, it's been a week, and already my clothes are looser, no joke! And I have only been to the gym once, and am still eating ice cream and cookies. Amazing! If you clicked on the link last time, do it again, because they have just launched an awesome new website with a lot more information out there, sort of like a facebook. Pretty cool. Here is the direct link.

www.irepcni.com/sledford

And here is Abbie with our neighbor, David, on the John Deere!!

Picture-less Tuesday

I just made that up. You've heard of Wordless Wednesday, all you blog readers? Well, I don't have any pictures of Abbie to share. I did go to the lake with some girlfriends this weekend, and it was fabulous, but I know most of you come here to see Abbie! She had pink eye last week, and then my camera battery died. But I just wanted to update everyone on my job situation. I am still waiting. I really should know something Thursday or Friday, so as soon as I find out what's going on I will post. Good or bad, I promise. Other than that, I can't believe I am going on one month of not working. It has flown by, and I am not even sure what I do every day! Oh, and also you may have noticed the little gadget at the top of my blog about weight loss. Well, check it out if you want. I just started this program. It's called CORE4, and my friend Lynette introduced me to it. Wes is doing it along with me. It's for people who want to lose any amount of weight - 5lbs, 25 lbs, etc. It has 4 parts that work together to get you lean. And the more you exercise and the better you eat the quicker you will see results, but it's not completely necessary that you stick to a really strict diet. After all, diets fail, right?! So anyways, I hope you will check it out, and please let me know if you are interested!! Abbie will be 15 months this week too, so I promise to post later about her. Bye!

Lil' Update

I can't remember if I did a 14-month update for Abbie or not, but either way, we are definitely due for one, and a Wes update too! So I'll start w/ him.

He started a new job with Grainger two weeks ago - actually, the Monday before I got laid off, (which was Wednesday).Ironic, huh? So anyways, we are so excited about this new opportunity and so far, the position is definitely turning out to be everything we hoped it would. He is doing outside sales, and if you know Wes, well, he can sell ice to an eskimo, so there will be no problems there. In fact, his boss has informed him that he has already exceeded his quota in less than a week! He is on a team of about 10 people, and his territory is out of Greenville, but they have given him some accounts up our way so he doesn't have to drive that far all the time. Because of the direction my career has taken me over the last few years, we really wanted to focus on Wes for a while and see where his career leads, so we finally feel like this could be that time. And it's exciting!

As for Abbie, well, she is doing just great. She will be 15 months on August 13th, but at 14 months and some change, here is what she is up to:

RUNNING everywhere. She really doesn't sit still that much. However she has started liking Nogin (fave shows are Blues Clues and WowWow Wubsy!) And she likes to sit with her baby (Abby Cadabby) and give her the bottle. She calls her Abby Dabby Doo, and runs around going "bottle" and then gives it to her. It's very sweet.

She also is beginning to enjoy coloring - but I probably should hold off just a little more because she still likes to eat the crayons.

She has 6 teeth - 4 on bottom, 2 on top. You can see where there are so many more about to pop through.

Is truly talking so well - She likes to talk in the 3rd person - kinda funny - but she says "Bless you Abbie", "Sit down Abbie", "I love you, Abbie", etc. It SO stinkin cute. I guess because she hears us say this, that is how she says it too.

Her newest phrase is "Back in there". Like if she takes something out of where it belongs, she will say "Back in there" and want me to put it back.

She is not a big breakfast eater. But she loves blueberries and strawberries and toast.

I still don't know if she has hit the 20 lb mark - she is probably getting close, but she definitely seems to be getting taller. And her hair is crazy!! It is getting longer and curlier and looks like mine when she wakes up. Yikes.

As for me, I should know some more stuff regarding a new job soon - of course I am really loving all the time I get to be with Abbie, so I don't have any complaints. But I will keep everyone posted on what is happening with that when I know more! Thanks for all your encouragement and support.

Oh, and one last thing - Stellan is doing much better the last few days, thankfully! He has not had as much SVT (the condition that causes his heart to beat rapidly). He doesn't seem to be in as serious condition as he was in my last post. So that is a huge relief. But keep checking his blog - it is constantly being updated.

These last two pics demonstrate Abbie's newest "cheese" grin. Gotta love it!

Hey there

Tonight I am humbled. I spent an hour trying to get Abbie to go to sleep, and was losing my patience with her. Finally she went, but I came out of her room frustrated. Until. I went online. And saw that a former co-worker of mine passed yesterday after a long battle with cancer. And checked Stellan's blog, only to read that he is not doing well again and this courageous baby and his family are not sure what's going to happen to him tonight, tomorrow, a week from now. I feel like I've been kicked in the gut. I thought my problems of not getting Abbie to sleep in a timely manner were bad, hopeless, whatever. Seriously. My problems do not compare to what else is going on in other's lives tonight, the lives of people I know personally and people I know through the blogger world. I pray for all the families out there that are suffering tonight, that have lost loved ones, or who don't know how long their's will be here on earth. Thanks for listening.

A Few Words

It's funny how life is. You are going along, day to day, nothing new, almost thinking things are pretty boring (other than chasing a 14-month old around all the time) and WHAM! things change with a few simple words. In a conference room. It almost feels like a break-up to me. Someone I have been with for nearly 8 years. The door is shut...for now. Of course, as doors shut, others open, because God is good like that. So now it's time to refocus, see where this new direction leads. In the meantime, I have this little girl named Abbie to love on more, and that is just fine with me!!
Stay tuned.

If you aren't on Facebook....

Then you will enjoy seeing these pictures for the first time!
Funny story that happened tonight - Wes and I were in the kitchen, and he was hugging me, and Abbie was in her high chair. I could see her over his shoulder, and she was just staring, and then all of a sudden she yelled out " I love you!!" It had to be the cutest thing ever.