Where's Daddy?

Yum!

A few friends have asked me to continue sharing recipes that Abby really enjoys. You don't have to ask me twice. I love sharing recipes and I especially love sharing ideas that will help other little ones try and enjoy delicious foods.

Last night's dinner was a hit: Midwinter Minestrone soup. It was the perfect night for a big bowl of soup paired with italian bread and butter. Abby loved every drop of it and it was filled with so many "good for you" ingredients: sun dried tomatoes, kale, chick peas, mushrooms, carrots and celery. It was delicious! We had leftovers for lunch too.

Give it a try. You won't be disappointed!

Midwinter Minestrone

14 months old

My baby is 14 months old!

Some fun highlights from the last month have been:

• When we sing Old MacDonald, Abby sings Ay-yo-Ay-yo-ooo
• Two more molars have broken the surface
• Abby is breaking in her first real pair of sneakers and enjoying being outside.
• When she wants to go outside, she brings me her sneakers, walks over to the door and waits.
• She reminds us when it is time to brush her teeth after breakfast and before bed. She walks into the bathroom and shouts for us until we come and help her brush her teeth!
  
• When I tell Abby it's time to blow-dry, she goes into the bathroom, opens the cabinet and points to my hairdryer. She has her very own Little Tykes hairdryer, so she dries with me. (Check her out in the above picture blowdrying her hair!)
  
• Abby loves keys! She carried the keys over to the door and reaches up to the knob trying to "unlock" it.

love.

Abby's First Trip to the Museum

While my mom and brother were here visiting last weekend, we took a trip to the New York State Museum. We had a lot of fun together and as always took lots of pictures. Abby had a great time. I wasn't sure how long she would last, but from the Sesame Street exhibit to her very first ride on the Merry-go-round, she didn't have a chance to be bored. She loved roaming around all by herself. There was so much room to wander and she took full advantage of it. My first trip to the NYS Museum was in the 2nd grade. Every time I visit I remember how much I've always loved NYS history! I think it's a place worth checking out if you haven't been.

Abby and Uncle Cory

Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?

Hey Big Bird!

Excuse me...do you know where Elmo is? I know he lives on Sesame Street, but I can't find him.

checking out the old fire engines

my mom & I

good old train ride?

"Where are we headed, Uncle C?"

longhouse

exploring

"Are those the Iroquois? C'mon guys!"

loving her first ride on the Merry-go-round.

taking in all the sights

"Thanks for taking me on the best ride ever, Mommy!"

The guys are wiped. Joe had just gotten home from work and Cory had just gotten back from the museum.

cooking with Grandma. Abby hung out and "cooked" on her little kitchen while my Mom made dinner.

Spring is in the air!

Yesterday, we went for a walk to enjoy the beautiful weather. We didn't take the stroller this time. Abby wanted to try out her new sneaks. She loves walking and loves her new found freedom outside in the spring air.

Hey Soul Sister

This is by far Abby's favorite new video. Whenever this comes on, she starts dancing and clapping with a big smile on her face. My little soul sister. I'm not gonna lie...it's mine and Joe's favorite Sesame Street clip of the moment too.

Just Dance

When my brother comes to visit, we all play the Wii a lot. A family favorite is Just Dance. We got Cory going this time and though he promised to never talk to me again if I took a video and posted it to any social networking site, he actually encouraged me to take this one. If you look closely you will see Abby dancing with him! PRECIOUS!

Staying Healthy

This healthy girl loves taking her vitamins. She even reminds us in the morning when we forget by walking over to the counter and pointing after breakfast.

Delish!

Recently, Abby has been getting a little pickier with the things she wants to eat. She has always been a good eater, but as her tastes continue to develop she has definitely made more decisions about preferences. Tonight was a favorite! She couldn't get it in her mouth fast enough and she kept wanting more. All that to say, I thought the recipe was worth sharing because Joe and I enjoyed it too.

Pork, Apple and Cheddar Meatballs with Egg Noodles

Uncle C.

Uncle Cory came to visit and read books with Abby. I tried to get my brother to love reading as much as I did when he was younger. I always asked him to read with me. I never knew all I had to do was have a baby! :)

"Now read me this one please!"

Pearly Whites

Abby brushed her teeth for the first time today! I did get it on video, but I think it's too long and won't upload to the blog.

She brushed her teeth with Daddy. She pretty much sucked all the toothpaste off the brush (thankful for fluoride-free!) and then tried to escape the bathroom with her new toy. When we sat her back down, I said, "Brush your teeth, Abby". She only heard the first part of that sentence because she quickly started brushing her hair with her toothbrush. Adorable! She was excited to brush again tonight before bed. Hello good dental hygiene starting early! :)

Can I just tell you how adorable it is to walk into the bathroom and see two adult toothbrushes and now a little one in the holder? Oh, I love it.


In other tooth related news, this past weekend Abby painfully struggled through her second molar coming in. She ran a really high fever for 2 days on and off and was pretty miserable, which meant Mommy and Daddy got lots of snuggle time with her. We don't take those moments for granted. Once the tooth broke her gum though, she was back to her fun self! Still have two more waiting to make their debut. Thankful that the teething doesn't happen all at once.

Go Syracuse!

In typical March fashion, our family is ready for lots of basketball! March Madness is just around the corner and Abby is ready to cheer our team on to many wins!

Let's go Orange!

Nursery Revolution

I heard from a friend that last Sunday at church Abby started her own little revolution in the nursery. About 10 minutes before the service ended, Abby decided she didn't want to be there anymore and was ready to go. She walked over to the coat rack tried to get her coat down. Then she started pointing at the door and yelling. When she realized they weren't going to let her break loose until Mommy or Daddy there, she started crying and sent the rest of the kids into meltdown mode. Apparently everyone started crying and wanted to leave. Good thing parents arrived shortly after that. Sorry nursery workers!

Quite the little leader. Not only a trendsetter, but a revolutionist too.

Accessories

AND in case you didn't believe me in my previous post about how much Abby loves her accessories, I thought I would some more pictures of my girlie-girl in action and highlight some of her faves.

Purse
Yes that's a Vera Bradley purse. One of our sweet students gave it to Abby as a gift last year and she loves it. Emily said she thought Abby should have a little Vera Bradley bag, just like her Mommy. :) Abby likes to fill it with her fake lipstick, keys, bracelet and little teddy bear.

Hat
The adorable hat to her right is from my friend Ellen. She crocheted it for Abby. Aren't the colors beautiful? I think Ellen should start her own Etsy shop. She has quite the talent. Abby walks around the house with her hat and tries to put it on herself. Of course, the one time I tried to put it on her for the picture, she took it off, but she wears it all the time.

Mommy's headbands
When Abby comes into my room while I'm getting ready, she wants two things: my hairbrushes and headbands. She brushes her hair with the brushes and then tries to get the headbands on her head. Since she can't get them on, she wears them around the house like bracelets.

Abby's headbands and bows
As soon as Abby could reach the things I put in her hair, she started ripping them out. Last week was a turning point. Abby started pointing at her bucket of hair things and motioning for me to put bows in her hair. I put one in to start and was really excited that she didn't rip it out. (I've been waiting for this day to come again!) Then, she wanted another and another and another. She was getting a kick out of herself in the mirror.

I love my little girl!

February Fun

The end of February was filled with lots of fun visitors and constant movement. Abby is unstoppable. You'll see from the pictures that it is actually very challenging to get a picture of her these days because she doesn't sit in one spot for very long! :) Here are some highlights from the last 2 weeks:

Abby has always been a snuggle bug, but lately she has loved snuggling with all her pillows and stuffed animals. She always wants us to put her up on the couch or our bed for that reason.

Abby is her Daddy's shadow in the morning.When Joe goes into the bathroom to start getting ready, Abby gets up from what she is doing to follow him right in. They sit on the floor together while Joe brushes his teeth and then Abby opens the cabinet for him to get the mouthwash out. She sits right at his feet watching him shave. Definitely her Daddy's girl.

"Hi Daddy! Are you ready for me to come in yet?"

all dressed up for church

morning shadow

helping her Daddy fix the chair

Abby loves to wear her bracelet around the house. She puts it on by herself, then she models it for everyone who walks into the room.

When Grammy came to visit two weeks ago, Abby discovered her love for a new accessory: the scarf! Grammy let Abby wear hers all around the house.

Abby posing with Grammy in her new vest and with her new doll

Why use your hands when you have a mouth?

More photos of Abby with Joe in the morning:

Abby's new fascination with scarves has evolved into a love for all things draped around her neck....boa constrictor style. The other day she went into my room and when she walked back out she had my belt around her shoulders like this:

Do you think she knows how cute she is? :)

I'm not really a fan of McD's, but Abby did have her first Happy Meal. Of course, she enjoyed it and is probably going to be addicted to fast food for the rest of her life now. NO! I'm just kidding! But, she did enjoy her burger and fries. Not to mention, the little doll she got. She carried it all around the house with her.
Some more shots of Abby rocking a scarf and looking like an Indian princess:

Oh wait, here she's rocking the belt and the scarf. A true fashionista in the making. She might be creating a new style and we don't even know it yet.


Our good friends from Syracuse came to visit with their little girl, Claire. We met her for the first time this past weekend. What an adorable girl. It's been fun to see the way Abby interacts with little kids now. When we let Abby out of her high chair after lunch, she just walked right over to Claire and sat down to play with her.


Then, she decided to give Claire a hug and tackled her to the ground.

'Whoops...sorry friend!"

Just the next night, Abby's friend Maddie came over to dinner with her family. After dinner, Abby and Maddie sat and started to watch a video while the adults finished eating. Five minutes later, I decided to get up and check on them. When I looked in the living room, they were gone. I quietly peeked into Abby's room and they were both sitting on the floor playing with toys together. Seriously? Abby followed her little friend into the room to play. When did my baby become such a big girl?


February was packed with fun! Hello March! We are ready for spring.