Baby Bloomers!

Since I'm off this whole week I decided to take Abby to Austin Children's Museum today for their Monday morning Baby Bloomers event.  The entire museum is closed to kids age 3 and under only and they have story time, music sing-alongs, games and tons of fun.  Abby played with every single toy/game/activity and she LOVED the sing-along with the guy on the guitar.  She even rocked it out on the bongos with him.

I tried to take her beanie off several times during the morning, but she insisted that she wear it!!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas was so much fun this year!!  Abby brings with her a whole new dynamic to both our families.  Matt and I are both the babies so it's been a really long time since either side have had someone this young around!  Enjoy the pictures!

Helping Daddy test out the lights for our house.

At Nana & Papa's house, formal dining table, feet kicked up, 

eating oyster crackers...what more could a baby want?

Here - let me get that for you.

I know how this works now!

Look at all those gifts - I hope there is something for me!

I'll just keep looking...

There's even stuff in my stocking from Grandma Heign!

Baby laptop = fun!

Um, excuse me, I need to push this Nutcracker around 

in my shopping cart and you are in my way.

Abby & Sydney

Abby finally got to meet her cousin Sydney this past weekend on Christmas Eve.  I really hope these girls can be great friends growing up since they are just a year apart.  Matt reminded us while we were there - what a difference one year makes!  I remember this time last year when Abby was just a little newborn.  Amazing how quickly time flies!

Big girl, big table (well, sort of!)

Abby is officially done with bottles, high chairs and cribs at daycare.  (!!!!)  She's growing into such a little girl and it's so amazing to watch.  I'm in awe of how much she learns every day and was so excited when I got to daycare to find this:

I mean really, is this not some serious cute-ness!!!!  

Bubbles!!

Abby loves bubbles!  I happened to be at her daycare early one day and got to watch what must be the UBER fun-ness of playing with bubbles.  The babies were going nuts and squealing so loud!  Abby loves when they land on her face!

Ball!

I think we have a word.  And I stress the *think*.  

If you didn't know already, we've been trying to encourage Abby to talk as she's at that age where she should have a few words in her vocabulary...but she hasn't started saying much of anything.  I asked her doctor at her 12 month appointment if there is a point when I should start to be concerned.  She wasn't to worried about it right now, but felt that she should be saying at least something by 15 months.

We think she is saying ball!!  She points at balls and says the same cute little "baa" phrase over and over again.  Her teachers tell me she does it at daycare also when they tell her to go get a ball.  So we think she's connecting the dots...let's hope anyway!

Farewell bottles...

My baby is officially a big girl.  Tomorrow we are putting all her bottles in the recycling bin and bidding them farewell.  While I'm not sad to see all the parts that need to be cleaned every day go...I'm a teeny bit sad in that my little bitty is growing up so quickly.

Cruise!

Matt and I finally took a much awaited vacation - our first time away from Abby together!  It was 4 days and 3 nights of fun on the Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas (compliments of my sister...)!  We'd been planning this for months and it seemed so far away when we first talked about it.  But then it was here and we were both a bit hesitant to leave our girl.  But she did fine and Nana and Papa were very generous to come to Austin to stay with her.

The ship was beautiful and HUGE.  The only other ship we'd both been on before was on our honeymoon to Tahiti and that boat held 350 people.  This monster held 3,500!

We spent a day in Nassau playing at the Atlantis Hotel's waterpark.  It's amazing and probably the most fun Matt and I have had in a long while!  Then we spent the next day on Royal Caribbean's private island, Cococay, and got to see Nelly perform.  And he was actually really good!

It was so nice to get away!  But one of the best highlights was getting to experience the "Flowrider" on the cruise ship.  It's a mock surfing game that Matt really got into.  So much so - he even perfected his dismount on his last go round.  I give it a 10.

It's Christmas time!

I decided to get a head start on decorating for Christmas this year since we'll be out of town next week for Thanksgiving.

What a difference a year makes!!  Last year at this time Abby was only a week old and decorating wasn't even anywhere on our 'to-do' list.  Thanksgiving was a bit of a blur, though we do have pictures of us eating what looks like a pretty good meal.  And Christmas was spent with Matt's parents walking up and down the halls with our 6-week old colicky baby.  Again - what a difference a year makes!

We decided to go very basic with our tree this year since we aren't sure how Abby would be with all the ornaments and I don't want to hover over her constantly to ensure she doesn't break/stomp on/eat/throw/lose any of them.  Once we test out the waters this Christmas, we'll decide what to do next year.

She was such a big help during decorating!  I can't wait for Christmas this year!

(Disclaimer: I usually don't wear my jeans rolled up, and Abby usually wears pants.  Well, most of the time.)

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY ABIGAIL!

Dearest Abigail,

At this exact time, one year ago today, you came screaming into this world and changed mine and your Daddy's life forever.  You were beautiful, perfect, healthy and everything we had been dreaming about for the previous 9 months.  We both loved you from the second we laid our eyes on you.  Your Daddy was so gentle in the hospital when the nurse handed you to him.  And he was so watchful as you got your first bath and waited in the nursery for Mommy to recover from surgery.

This has been one of the hardest, best, craziest and maybe the most wildest year we've been through.  We've had our ups and down's and not a whole lot of sleep, but we sure have loved the ride.   You won our hearts and we wouldn't change a thing.  We got a crash course in learning to be parents, and you have taught us well.

Each month you change and grow.  And each phase you are in I sometimes think to myself that I'd wish you would stay just this age because I love it and I couldn't possibly love the next stage any more.  But I do.  Every time.  Every day I love you more and watching you grow up and learn new things every day is absolutely one of the most amazing things to see.

I look forward to many, many more years.  Happy 1st birthday sweet girl.

Love,
Mommy