Abigail is 4 months old!

4 months and 6 days, because this post is late! It was another great month for our sweetheart.

I'd say the biggest change has been Tummy TIme. She can hold her head up and steady for good amounts of time. She's rolled from tummy to back only a couple of times. She rolls from her back to her side all the time. She is super alert and loves her big sister. She always wants to watch Audrey. She seems to recognize her own name and turns towards new sounds. She continues to smile, laugh and "talk." She's been reaching for toys and grasps them for short periods of time. She loves to reach for her feet and chew on her hands. She gets super excited when she sees her bottle (eyes wide, heavy breathing, grabby!)

She had her 4 month appointment on Thursday. She weighs 15 lbs, 10 oz (90% percentile!!) and she's a little over 24 inches long (I can't remember if it's 1/4 or 3/4 of an inch.) She looks perfect from head to toe and is hitting all developmental milestones. She was cleared for starting baby food, but I'm still planning on waiting until 6 months. She got a shot in each leg (they combined a bunch of vaccines together, phew!) plus an oral vaccine. She goes back at 6 months and will be getting the flu shot (along with Audrey.)

Before we left for her appointment I told Audrey that Abigail was going to see the doctor and get shots. "She will probably cry because they do hurt for a little bit." Audrey ran over to Abby (who was in the bouncer) and patted her leg. "Don't cry, Abby, be HAPPY!!!" She's becoming a wonderful big sister.

I've stopped pumping completely, which has left me a little sore in some places. Overall it hasn't been too bad. I still have a big freezer stash, but it's dwindling fast! She's eating about 5-6 ounces every 3-4 hours (25-30 ounces.) She has a morning bottle, two while at Grandma's, one in the late afternoon at home and then her bedtime bottle. I started mixing 1 oz of formula and so far she's been ok.

She is such a darling girl. I can't kiss her enough!









Sick of taking pictures!

Back to work!

My first week back at school was so busy! Luckily the mornings went very smoothly; Abigail wakes up (or gets woken up) at 6:00 to eat and get changed. Then I get Audrey up and we're off to Grandma's by 6:30. My classroom looks great but I still have so much organizing to do!





I took these right after Open House...my room will never look this clean again!


GATORS!

On Wednesday we went to Scott's JV football game. Audrey loved it! When the players ran out she said, "Look at those Hokies!" HAHA...she really liked the cheerleaders the best though!


I think we have a future cheerleader on our hands!


Yeah #63!!! He sacked the QB :)







Abigail and Aunt Kelly






On Thursday Abigail had her 4 month appointment. I'll save the details for her official 4 month post!





She noticed the decals on the wall right away!

At Open House I got to meet 24 out of my 26 students (yeah, 26!) I am so nervous about having such a large class, including a non-English student from Poland. It will be an interesting year, that's for sure! After a full week of 18 hour days I'm so happy the 3 day weekend is here!

Farewell, Sweet Summer!

I feel so sad! I feel so excited!! I'm such a mess of emotions, lol.

It was a pretty nice week, aside from the earthquake and hurricane Irene. I will say that I am exhausted. Abigail wakes up between 5-6 and takes FOREVER to fall back asleep. So I'm pretty much up for the day. I just know that going back to work is going to be even more exhausting..ugh.


Speaking of exhausted :) They totally fell asleep like this for a good 30 minutes!

I was looking forward to spending my last weekend at home, all cozy as the hurricane rolled through. Unfortunately we lost power at 1:30 on Saturday. I had just come home from signing Audrey up for dance class (yay!) when it went out. Chris and I played Rummy and then I fed Abigail and laid her down for a nap. We decided to go to Grandma's house since we just *knew* our power would be out for all night. I packed up the girls and Chris packed up all of my frozen milk. We stayed the night (fun!) and returned late this morning...still no power! It did come back on at about 1:00, thank goodness!

Today Abigail is 4 months old...I wanted to take her usual monthly pictures but she has a huge red scratch on her face (self-inflicted.) We'll save those for next weekend! I did get a video and some some tummy time pics:








I wanted to hold the girls extra longer as I put them to bed tonight. The summer has just been so wonderful that I can't help but be a little sad. I'm already looking forward to our first break...in November...(sigh)...

What a difference a year makes!

Exactly one year ago we found out we were pregnant with Baby Burns #2. My memory is just awful (which is why I keep this blog) but I will never forget the days I found out I was pregnant with both girls. Audrey and I had been to the mall, then Target. I picked up a test, not quite sure if I was even late. I figured I'd use a test that afternoon and then I'd have another on hand for the future. Chris saw the test when he was unloading the groceries and rushed me to take it once Audrey had gone down for her nap. He was getting in the shower to leave for a bachelor party later that night. I saw 2 lines right away...I really wanted to lie and tell him it was negative but I couldn't hide my SHOCK. I kept saying, "Oh my God, oh my GOD." Chris was great...totally excited and surprised as well. We were so bummed that he had to leave so soon after we found out, but in a way it was kind of nice to be alone and digest the news.

With Audrey I was 90% excited and 10% nervous/scared. With Abigail it was very different! I was 50/50. Very happy but very, very anxious! How would I handle two kids? The long nights, feeding every 2 hours, the crying...ugh! And how would it be possible to love another child as much as I loved my first?

Now here we are a year later. Abigail is just a few days shy of 4 months. I was anxious for nothing! This has been such a great experience. There have definitely been frustrating times but they are so miniscule compared to everything else. We were blessed with a true angel baby. It's as if she were always meant to be here with us. I love her with every bit of my heart. Audrey had no problems adjusting, which was my biggest fear, one of my very first thoughts after seeing those two lines.

I know a lot of you ladies are pregnant with #2 right now and are having the exact same thoughts and feelings that I did a year ago. I wanted to let you know that everything will be GREAT!

It's been a whirlwind year and I'm thankful for every moment.

Earthquake!

If you live on the east coast, you know what I'm talking about! I had been at school with Abigail in the morning, then met my mom and Scott for lunch. Afterwards I put Abigail in the stroller and we went to Target. As I was looking at the sleep sacks, I heard a loud rumbling and felt the ground shake. Everything was moving! I knew right away it was an earthquake and my first instinct was to get in a doorway...but of course there were none! So I stood beside the stroller, covering Abigail with my arms as I ran towards the front exit (looking up as I did so!) As I was running I saw things falling off the shelves and people running for the exit as well. It seemed to last for such a loooong time! Once we were out (and far away from the building) I tried calling my in-laws (who had Audrey) and Christopher and my parents but my phone wouldn't work. I was pretty shaky but luckily Abigail was happy as usual. All I could think about was the possibility of aftershocks...with an earthquake that big I knew they were inevitable and there was no way I was going back into that building! Turns out we had a few later that night- the one at 8:00 was a 4.2, just as the girls were falling asleep. Didn't bother them at all. Our house is pretty close to Mineral (the epicenter) but we came home to find everything perfectly in tact.

Audrey had been outside playing. She was actually walking towards the house to go inside when it hit. I wish I could've seen her reaction! It seems like there was no major damage and everyone is safe. It was a pretty helpless feeling...I need to read up on what our earthquake procedure is at school. We have tornado drills and fire drills but not earthquake drills!


Bahahaha

I'd love to hear your stories! I especially love this article about how the animals at the National Zoo reacted before the quake hit. Incredible!

"Do it again!"

This is what I say to Audrey anytime she does something that makes Abigail laugh.

I was making lunch when I heard Audrey jumping in the living room (she's been really into jumping lately.) Then I heard Abigail laugh...which was weird because usually she just makes a lot of noise. I walked to the doorway and saw Abigail looking at Audrey and actually laughing at her when she jumped.

Poor Audrey, lol. I must have made her jump about 40 times.

Snow White

On Saturday I took Audrey to see Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It was her first theater experience and she loved it! She got all dressed up and wore a tiara. I was just excited to do something special with just the two of us!



We sat up on the 3rd balcony which was perfect. She loved playing with our tickets while we waited to get our lunch. We had chicken nuggets, a juice box, fruit cup, Teddy Grahams, and chips. *Note to self- eat before we go!




The show started and she was mesmerized. But about half way through she started with, "I want to go hoooome." She's recently started saying this when we're out and about. But she made it through the whole show and even got her picture taken with Snow White!



Afterwards we did our grocery shopping at Target where we got her Halloween costume...but it's more like an everyday outfit because she wants to wear it all.the.time.



Once Audrey had her costume on, she wanted Abigail to try on hers...OMG, to die for cuteness all around! I'm actually worried that Abby's won't fit in 2 more months, lol.

One more week

Yikes! I'm so mixed over the end of summer. I have enjoyed it so much. We've done absolutely nothing and I've really loved it. I've been able to bond with and get to know Abigail. I've been able to spend a ton of time with my Audrey and do whatever it is that she wants to do...read books, have tea parties, picnics, have dance parties and tickle fights. When I can do those things with her on a Wednesday morning at 10:00 am, it's a great thing.

I love that there is no difference between Sunday and Monday and that I've only worn flip flops for the past 2 months. It doesn't matter that I don't have my coffee until 11:00 or that I didn't put on makeup (I don't even look in the mirror until Audrey takes her nap, lol.) I enjoy the fact that play dates, car inspections/oil changes, and other appointments can be made in the middle of the day during the week. I can stay up late after the girls go to bed because I don't have to drag myself out of bed at 5 am...and if I do get up at 5 it's because a sweet little angel baby needs to be fed, cuddled, kissed, and put back to sleep...and I get to go back to sleep too!! I really, really dig the SAHM gig during the summer.

That being said...oh my GOODNESS I cannot wait to put on make up, real clothes, real shoes and leave the house every day! I can't wait to meet the 20+ new kids that will become my new school family. I am dying to see my old kiddos and how much they've grown over the summer. I want to plan new and exciting lessons and try new things. I'm excited to get into a routine. I've always loved the beginning of the school year...it's my favorite- right after the end of the school year!


Tea party with the girls? Yes, please!


Love those crazy morning curls!

This time next year I'll have a 3 1/2 year old and a 16 month old. It will be so different! I'm glad it was such a relaxed summer...probably the most relaxed one I'll have for years to come :)

New blog!

I decided to start a photo blog. I was inspired by a couple I saw on the news who took a picture of their baby every day for the first year of his life. Since then, I've seen a lot of blogs dedicated to the 365 Project. I think it's a very cool way to document a whole year of your life. While this blog is dedicated to my family, the photo blog will be more varied. Oh, who am I kidding?! It will probably end up being 90% pictures of the girls :)

I probably won't blog every day, but I will take a picture everyday and then update the blog when time permits. Today was my first blog post...I hope you'll check it out and follow the next 365 days!

Photo 366

Sweet girls!

Abigail has totally found her voice lately. She makes these loud, "AHHHHH!!! WAAAAAH!!" sounds that crack us up. It really is adorable, but she's so loud that she echoes through the house (not so good when Audrey is trying to sleep!) I love this video because a) it's a perfect sample of how she sounds b) she laughs and grins a lot and c) she chews on her fingers (she loves her fingers!):



I'm trying to include Abigail in whatever Audrey is doing. One way I do that is when Audrey sits down to eat. Abby watches her and smiles. This time, Audrey was actually trying to make Abby smile:




Abby's first time in the exersaucer


Audrey wanted to spin her around


Abby didn't like it


Tummy time...Audrey thinks it's funny that I make such a big deal about Abby lifting her head, lol.

It's so fun to see them interact. Their relationship is slowly but surely coming along!

Polite as a Princess

I never wanted to refer to any of my girls as a princess. It has always had a bad connotation for me. I would envision a stuck up, bratty little kid who'd yell "NO!" all the time and cry if she didn't get her way. I didn't want any princess dolls, clothes with the word "princess"...I just wanted to avoid that word all together.

Then of course Audrey got older and started to like princesses...she'd see a princess on tv or we'd read about a princess in a book and she just loved them! Audrey got a book called, "Polite as a Princess," which featured the different princesses and how they are all polite. Of course we had to read it 1,000 times per day and Audrey would start to repeat things from the book, to which I'd reply, "Wow! You are as polite as a princess!" And she'd smile and look so proud of herself. That's when I started to realize that I could totally change the perception of a princess. I would HAVE to change MY perception. Because if my little girl liked princesses, then something would have to change!

I started thinking, what's so bad about princesses? I thought specifically about the Disney princesses...they are all great role models (I hadn't considered them before in my original anti-princess rants.) They are polite and kind and good and always happy. Except for the unrealistically perfect hair, they are pretty great!

I think the princess thing is working for us because a few mornings ago Audrey told me "no." I looked her in the eyes and said, "You don't tell Mom no." She said, "Ok, Momma." I said, "Very good! You're as polite as a princess!" And that was it. A few hours later she was telling everyone at Target, "I don't tell my Mom no!" LOL. In the car instead of whining about a song she doesn't like, she says, "No, thank you!" Because that's what a freaking princess would do.

I never thought I'd be pushing the princess thing but so far it's working. Fingers crossed!

Baby Led Weaning

As we get closer and closer to the 4 month mark, I've been reading more and more about the benefits of BLW. Basically this means skipping the cereal and purees and, when baby is 6 months and ready, go straight for solid foods. From what I've researched, this is a better way to introduce food because it gives baby more control over what they eat. This leads to better appetite control, a taste for nutritious food, and a reduced tendency towards pickiness. The last part alone is enough for me to consider trying BLW with Abigail. I love Audrey to pieces & think she's perfect in every way... EXCEPT her stupid eating habits. She is awful when it comes to trying new things; her newest tactic is to "cough" when offered new foods...or she'll just say, "No thanks, it makes me cough." UGH!

Now, I know that every child is different, but I can't help think that something I did (or didn't do) contributed to the way Audrey is with food. Maybe if we had waited and allowed her to experiment with "real" food she'd have a healthier relationship with food. As much as I was looking forward to starting solid food with Abby in a couple of weeks, I'm going to try and hold off. She'll continue to get all of her nutritional needs through breast milk only until she's 6 months (I'm praying that pumping + freezer stash will get us that far!) Then at about 6 months we'll let her go at it! I found a great blog while I was researching. It's great to see BLW in action!

It's a little scary to try it this way; I don't like going against the normal or usual way of doing things. I really like having control of the food Abby will be getting and when. But in reality BLW seems to be much a much more natural way to introduce foods. Audrey did amazing with cereal and she loved every single fruit and veggie puree (even the mixes and dinners!) But where did that get us?! Nowhere. Nowhere except Food Hell. I think I'll pass this time! I feel like Audrey will be struggling with food for a long time to come and I'm really hoping to avoid that with Abigail.

I'd love to hear your experiences with BLW. I still plan on doing lots of research and of course talking to the pedi. Any other insight is appreciated!