Moments I Never Want to Forget

this face says it all

• When I'm in another room and calling "Joe!" (loud enough so he can hear me), Abby imitates me by raising her voice and shouting "DA!"
• This morning I was ironing a pair of pants and Abby crawled out of the room. I thought she was going into her bedroom like she often does, but then I heard the creak of a door opening. I followed after her to find her little butt wiggling into the bathroom where her Daddy was taking a shower. She crawled in saying Da Da Da Da! She was going to find him!
  
• When Joe and I kiss, Abby squeals and/or crawls to us as fast as she can to be picked up and right in the middle of it.
  
• blowing raspberries. It might just be her favorite game right now. If I have short sleeves on she goes for my arm. If the small of my back is showing when I bend down, she crawls around to go for my back. Then, she has the biggest smile on her face and expects us to do it back to her. Ohhh it's the little things! My heart is so full.
• When I tell her to talk on the phone (either the real phone or her fake cell phones), she puts them up to her mouth and then puts it to her ear while tilting her head.
  
• Her bracelet. On her birthday, she got a Fisher Price purse and it was filled with all kinds of girlie things like pretend lipstick, a dollar, car keys, a mirror AND a bracelet. Today, Abby handed it to me and stuck her wrist out for me to put it on. Then, she admired it for a few seconds and took it off...only to do it again herself. {melting}
• the way the inside of her palm is ticklish and when she wants to laugh she puts it up to my mouth for kisses.
  

Guest Post: Daddy-Daughter Date

Today, I (Joe) have the privilege of writing on this blog. I wanted to share a couple of stories from yesterday that touched this dad's heart and are memories I never want to forget.

Abby and I had time together, while Jen went out to the store. We were sitting on the living room floor and Abby was sharing her puff snacks with me. She would eat one, then give one to me. This continued until they were all gone. She ate the last one, then put her hand in the container to get one out for me. She realized they were all gone and got upset that I didn't get another one. So, she took that last one out of her mouth and gave it to me. Such a sweet giver!

Later on in the day, the three of us went to the mall. Jen had to run a few errands (preparing for my birthday in a few days). So, Abby and I took a stroll to Auntie Anne's (our favorite pretzel place). Along the way, she was talking to everyone we passed (quite an extrovert). We stood in line and ordered pretzel sticks for her, a pretzel for me and a lemonade. Then, we parked it on a bench for some quality Daddy-Abby time. We ate our pretzels as we had conversations about the ceiling (she has a real fascination with it!) and the activities of the day. She showed interest in having some lemonade, so I thought I'd give her a treat and we shared the rest of the drink. She would drink through the straw. As soon as the lemonade hit her mouth, she would react to the sour taste and spit it out. Then, she would ask for more. We had a great time! Jen joined us after she finished her errands and took some pictures...




I love my little girl and love spending time with her!

Almost walking

My little bookworm

When I turned around Abby wasn't playing on the floor behind me anymore, so I went to find her. She went to her room to read her books. Melt my heart! She just sits there alone, examines the pictures and enjoys every page. She didn't even notice me in the doorway trying to catch some of it on video. This girl loves her books...just like her mommy!

smile

Disclamer: Abby got lots of hugs and kisses after her little tumble! It wasn't as bad as it looks.

Play us a song!

Birthday Celebrations

The day before Abby's birthday, we celebrated with a family party! We had lots of fun. It sounds kind of funny, I have dreamed of the day I could throw my child a birthday party for a LONG time. I love birthdays and I love making birthdays special (not to mention making fun cakes and decorating!). I thought a lot about a party theme and kept coming back to Abby's favorite: Elmo! He was a big part of her first year. I even figured out how to make an Elmo birthday party girlie, which might not sound like a big deal to you, but it bothered me that all things Elmo are red and blue. If I couldn't incorporate girlie colors into my little girl's first birthday, it was going to be a pink cupcake party instead. So, I set to work...

the cupcakes! These were lots of fun to make. My friend Kelly and I had fun creating mini-Elmos the night before the party. I'm so thankful I had her help (and company) to get it all done after a week of being sick.

the centerpiece.
pink, red, orange and yellow! It worked.

happy birthday banner

don't miss the life size Elmo balloon in the corner. He is still alive in our dining room and Abby loves seeing him everyday!

The celebrations begin and our family starts to arrive:

Papa and Uncle Cory "hugging"

just waking up from her nap and trying to get into party mode

"Hey guys, check out my tutu! Isn't it pretty?"

"Are you here to celebrate me?"

crawling everywhere

hanging out with Aunt Kelly

Hi Grammy!

Uncle Cory trying to teach Abby how to ride a quad

"Are all these for me?"

Uncle Cory loaded up the ribbons

playing with Cory's blackberry

Nana sent Abby a baby doll. After Abby examined the baby's face and we took the baby out of the package, Abby hugged her just like a little mommy.

checking out her first purse from Uncle Tommy and Tori

"Look at my baby!"

blow out the candles

Make a wish baby girl!

"Yum! CAKE! Who's been holding out on me?"

mommy and daddy with their birthday girl

Grammy modeling Abby's birthday hat

It was hard to follow up the great party with birthday celebrations on Abby's actual birthday the next day, but we did! Grammy stayed for a couple days, so she was here with us. We started the morning with a birthday breakfast of blueberry pancakes and a couple more gifts.



Then, after Abby had lots of quality time with her Grammy, we went out for a birthday lunch (for Abby and Grammy whose birthday was three days earlier) at Peaches Cafe. Abby even got to ride in her new big girl car seat and face forward for the first time.


Looking forward to many more years of birthday parties and celebrations!

1 Year Old

My baby girl is 1! When I look at her, it's hard to believe she's only been in the world for a year, but at the same time I can't figure out where the time has gone. She brings so much joy to our lives everyday!

I've reminisced A LOT this week. I remember (like it was yesterday)this time last year:

• the days of waiting leading up to Abby's birth. I couldn't wait to meet her and get through labor and delivery. I was convinced if I could do that, I could do anything! It was amazing. Truly a good experience all around. AND it is true what they say...one year has passed and I'm having trouble remembering the pain and hard parts. All I know now is how the end result is better than anything I ever had to go through. I'd do it all again!
  
• the first moments holding her in my arms. Her eyes were so big and beautiful as she starred up at me.
  
• the sweet times shared with Joe watching our little girl while sitting on my hospital bed
  
• learning how to nurse
  
• bundling Abby up and bringing her home for the first time...right where she belongs!
• spending hours holding her and watching her sleep. Pure joy!
  
• putting the monitor beside my bed on the highest setting possible the first night home because I was convinced I might sleep through Abby's cries in the night. That didn't last long...I soon realized I couldn't sleep through the cries if I tried! :)
  

Now, Abby is a few steps from walking on her own! She is a ball of energy and her personality lights up any room. She is smiley and expressive. With her limited vocabulary, she talks up a storm. Da-DEEEEEE! Dssss(This). Ya-ya-ya. Yisssss (Yes). Bababa. She has yet to say Ma-ma, but when asked where the ceiling is, she points up and says See-ing. Seriously little one, did the ceiling nurse you in the middle of the night for the entire beginning of your life? Let's talk about this! :)

She has been identifying lots of objects lately. Right now, we're working on the face. Abby loves to point out nose, ears and teeth. She has a Disney princess bathmat in the tub (to prevent slipping), when we ask her where the princess is she points to each one. It is amazing to see her "get it", to see her respond to questions and communicate! I love it.

When Abby turned one, we transferred her to a big girl car seat that faces forward. It's like we unlocked a whole new world to her. Every time we get in the car, she has a huge smile on her face. She also tries to get her daddy's attention in the rear view mirror and when she does the smile she flashes is enough to create a driving hazard for all involved. It's lots of fun. When we get in the car, I ask her if she wants me to put on music. She nods enthusiastically every time.

Abby's sweet spirit is contagious! I can't think of a better way to spend my days. So, as we celebrate our daughter's first birthday, I'm overwhelmed with praise for our loving God who gave me the privilege to be her momma. Celebrating our precious gift!

Happy 1st Birthday, Abigail Emery!

Sick days = lots of cuddles

Last week was a rough one in our home. Abby and I were both sick with a not-so-fun virus. Abby got sick on Sunday and it took about two days before I was down and out with her. We had 4-day long fevers and awful coughs to go with it. Can I just tell you how thankful I am for a husband who not only didn't get sick, but took care of us the whole week? He made us lunch and cooked our dinners. He brought us lots of fluids so that we stayed hydrated AND he made sure to take our temperatures every few hours when he was home. He even made sure I was in bed to nap as soon as Abby went down for her nap in the afternoon. What a guy!

But, as helpful as Joe was, my rest was minimal because Abby only wanted to be with her mommy. Sweet girl just wanted to be held and cuddled back to health. Normally, Abby loves hugs, but is so active that she doesn't stay put for long. I knew she was sick when she crawled up onto my chest and just stayed there for 40 minutes. Needless to say, we watched way too much TV, read lots of books and spent our days cuddled up together praying that God would heal us in time for Abby's birthday!

enjoying every minute with my baby

precious moments. Thank you Lord!

Not taking our return to health for granted! It feels good to be functioning well again.