redirect

as of now, i am combining this blog with baba ghannouj's blog into a brand-spanking-new one. the new blog can be found at:

www.the-rogersfamily.blogspot.com

i'm starting the process of copying and pasting all posts from these old blogs into the new one, but it will take some time.

photos

snapfish album links have been updated.

new photos added to flickr, too.

do you remember yet?

urgh. if too much time goes by without my updating this, it gets to be very overwhelming and then i can't think of what i want to write about.

so tonight on our way back home from dinner, abby was in her carseat drinking the rest of her milk out of her sippy cup. she was doing her regular stream-of-consciousness talking to herself, and suddenly goes "mom! what i drinking that comes from a cow?" i laughed and said that she should tell me, and she goes "milk! milk come from a cow!" then about 5 seconds later she goes "what i drinking that comes from a cow? do you remember?" so, we went back and forth with me guessing completely ridiculous things and her fake-sighing and going "nooooo, mom...MILK come from a cow!" it just cracked us up, her asking us if we remembered.

she's been a hyper hyper child lately, and difficult to be around. she doesn't stop talking, she doesn't stop moving, she doesn't listen all that well, and it's just constant. we've even tried to play the "let's not talk until the timer goes off" game, but that doesn't really work. so, being 33 and a half weeks pregnant and dealing with the hyper hypo has been slightly frustrating. i certainly hope it's just a phase.

that's a sure thing, grandpa!

wow. didn't think it had been almost 2 weeks since i updated this. me bad mommyblogger.

so, brian's been gone at training since the 4th, but he gets back tomorrow. woohoo!! abby and i have done pretty well with him being gone, but we're both STOKED that he's finally coming back. i'm ready to not be the only caregiver for a while. :)

yeah. after 2 weeks of not updating, that's about all i have. oh, she finally learned to poop in the potty, too. yeah.

black anaconda

so today was our last adventure to noah's ark of the summer. we had originally planned on going this past monday, but thunderstorms and 65-degree temps made it seem like not such a good idea. so, we went today instead. we had an awesome time...probably better than the last time we went because we knew more about what we wanted to do. it was only about 75 or so, and the water was pretty chilly, but it was still tons of fun.

highlights: going around the lazy river 3 times and having abby say, "let's go again!", being able to somewhat lay on my stomach in the tube on the lazy river, abby dancing in the wave pool and singing, "dancing in the poo-ool, once or twice, around around around around around and STOP and splash.", abby telling me that she wasn't going to take a nap in the car on the way home and less than a minute later passing out in her car seat. fun times for all.

so we have a super-busy couple of weeks coming up...

saturday: edgerton steam show with grandma and grandpa schultz where abby gets to ride a train for the first time.
sunday: taste of madison
monday: brian's birthday! dinner at fuddrucker's and cold stone ice cream afterwards.
tuesday: brian starts cafe training in crystal lake, abby and i go down there with him.
wednesday: family day in the chicago burbs, trip to dekalb. brian goes to brewers game at night, abby and i come home.
thursday: church choir rehearsals start.
friday: doctor's appointment, then up to appleton.
saturday: in appleton, then brian back at night.

there's more after that, but it's making me tired thinking about it.

silly or serious?

yesterday i was sitting at the computer and abby was playing, and she came up to me holding her sippy cup sideways. she then brought the cup to her mouth sideways like that and said, "look mommy! milk on the cob!" cue hysterical laughter from both of us. :)

and tonight? for supper? she wanted "banana peels and milk on the cob."

abby's mispronunciations

piano=pananno
regular=regulee
guitar=ahtar
problem=plahlem
pull-up=pull-ut
pedals=puddles
animals=ehmos (elmos)


i'm sure there are more, but that's all that's occurring to me right now.

we're headed back to noah's ark on monday since we still have 2 tickets left. looks like we'll actually have nice weather, too. other than that, we have nothing planned for the weekend. should be kind of nice.

part 89 in the continuing saga of how i injure myself in new and interesting ways

so, yeah. this isn't about abby. just a funny story about me.

how did i manage to injure myself today, you ask? i injured myself playing the piano. more specifically, i injured my hand playing a glissando. i got an insta-bruise just below my knuckle on my right hand. to make this even more hilarious, this is not my first glissando injury. when i was in college, i had to play a glissando on a piano that had some chipped keys, and managed to lay open my thumb during the performance. had to clean those keys pretty well afterwards...all the blood, you know.

so, here is my "funny injury" list:

1986: made hole in wall with my head. hole is still there. parents plan on selling house with hole.

many and various falling-down-stairs injuries.

sprained ankle falling down stairs at junior high because i wasn't looking where i was going.

sprained ankle playing tennis in college jumping for a ball that i didn't have a prayer of actually reaching.

sprained ankle falling down stairs in garage.

sliced open pinky finger with ikea butter knife trying to separate frozen brats. finger is still not right, doesn't bend anymore.



and many more that i can't think of right now. i may add to the list as i remember, though.

in non-injury news, abby and i spent a couple of days up at my parents' going through the mountains and mountains of CRAP of mine from their attic. among the fun finds: a nerdy letter from 11-year-old kim, the $600 bill for new tires and new motor mounts for the green sable that we paid the DAY we moved which was also coincidentally the day the car died. permanently. also found the "requiem for jenny's fingernail" that i started during a particularly boring convocation at wesleyan. fun stuff.

ice cream cone on your shirt!

so, things have been busy! abby had her first wedding experience this past weekend, and the verdict was overwhelmingly positive.

we left saturday morning for st. paul, stopping at starbucks for mommy and other little piddly things that needed to be done before leaving town. we made it up there in good time, with only 3 potty stops. we had put abby in a pull-up just in case, but she stayed dry the whole way. and was even an above-average traveler. we got to the hotel without incident and got checked in with my parents. we had a little time, so we didn't need to rush to get ready, which was good. brian and i showered while abby ran in between the adjoining rooms. finally we got ready and headed off to the wedding. it was HOT and it was HUMID and the ceremony was outside, but it was short. abby mostly behaved. then we had a great time at the reception, and abby got to bust a move out on the dance floor. she even danced all by herself to the jackson 5 "ABC", and everyone thought she was just the cutest. :) she headed back to the hotel with grandparents around 9 or so, and brian and i stayed till almost midnight.

sunday morning we all woke up and snuggled in the big hotel bed and watched thomas the tank engine before heading down to breakfast. after breakfast we just hung out in the rooms for a while, and then my parents left. eventually we left the hotel too and headed for the mall of america to kill some time before meeting brian's friend. little did we know that immediately adjacent to the mall of america? IKEA. the mothership calling me home. so, we went there instead of the mall, and had a great time. we even ate lunch there. our only purchase was a new litterbox for kishi for $5. can't beat those swedes for their deals on litterboxes. after IKEA, we drove back in to st. paul to meet brian's friend arvind at their house. hung out there with them for a little while, and then settled in for the long drive home.

overall, it was a great weekend, and even somewhat relaxing. i know i'm in a better mood since we got back, and that's helped a LOT.

how smart is abby? this exchange should give you an idea...
me: "abby, would you like tortellini or pizza for supper tonight?"
abby: (pause) "tortellini!"
me: "ok, tortellini it is."
abby: "...AND pizza!"

dancing in panties

so we went to the state fair yesterday. abby had a BLAST. we saw lots of animals, including the racing pigs, and a good time was had by all. i had some pregnancy- and heat-related issues, but overall, it was a great day.

next up in the summer o' traveling: heading to st. paul this weekend for a wedding. this will be abby's first wedding experience, as well as her first hotel experience. it'll either go really well or be a nightmare. care to place a bet? :)

funny moment from the past week: the 3 of us were taking a walk around the neighborhood after supper, and brian and abby were both wearing their hats. abby said "mommy, you don't have a hat", and i said "no, mommy doesn't really like hats...she has trouble finding hats that fit her." slight pause, and then abby said, "maybe you need a helmet." how true, how true.

and now...we paint!

so we had a fairly relaxing weekend. yesterday we basically just hung around the house all day, and then after supper, abby and i painted! this is something we NEVER do because of the mess factor and the factor of she would never want to stop. so, she ended up with blue hair last night, which was cool in a punk sort of way, but we still had to take a bath to clean up.

then today, abby and i went to church, as usual. after rest time, we went to a used book sale at "the largest parish festival in wisconsin", and it was a complete bust. then we went to a farm stand to pick up sweet corn, tomatoes, and an onion for me to make sweet corn salsa. unfortunately, they didn't have any jalapenos, so we ended up getting those elsewhere. then we headed over to the west side to the huge grand opening of the new children's hospital at the UW. it was crazy busy, but pretty cool. the place is really nice, and the festivities were great. lots of free healthy food too, like strawberry-infused water (which i drank a LOT of), a popcorn/nut mix with chili powder and paprika, fruit, all-fruit popsicles, and veggies and dip. all great stuff. and abby got a little beanie bucky badger, who is apparently her new best friend.

fremont!

so we went to the annual fremont campout with brian's family this past weekend. everyone had a great time, abby had TONS of fun. we did a lot of swimming and a lot of playing and a lot of eating, so everyone was happy. :) abby discovered the joys of going all the way under the water, which managed to freak me out sufficiently for 2 days. abby really enjoyed spending time with her relatives that she doesn't see very often, and especially enjoyed meeting penny, bonnie and bruce's new pomeranian dog. even now, a few days later, she claims she dreams about penny and penny giving her kisses. :)

so now we have a couple of weeks where we don't have anything going on. it'll be nice to have some relaxation time, because august is going to be pretty busy. we're going to the state fair with my parents on the 6th (cream puff time!), and then a wedding in minneapolis that weekend. abby's got her dress and shoes all ready, now i just have to figure out what to do with her hair.

how long?

abby's favorite songs:

reach for the sun--polyphonic spree
fading like a flower (techno mix)
galileo--indigo girls
baba o'riley--the who
hips don't lie--shakira
black horse and the cherry tree--kt tunstall
the bells are ringing--they might be giants

this list doesn't include the farm songs she loves so much like old macdonald, farmer in the dell, et cetera. or bedtime faves like twinkle twinkle little star, personal penguin, or yesterday.

huh? hmmm?

abby's going on vacation! tomorrow she's being picked up by grandma and grandpa schultz and staying with them and grandma and grandpa rogers until sunday. brian and i are celebrating our 5th anniversary tomorrow, so, we're getting some time to ourselves. so, tomorrow night we're going to see ratatouille (probably), and then going for BIG PIECES OF BEEF at prime quarter afterwards. let's hear it for BIG PIECES OF BEEF!

we went to the dream park, or as abby calls it, the "dreamy park" tonight after supper and then had to have an unscheduled bath. girl was FILTHY. :) we put her in the tub and you could see the dirt floating off of her. it was pretty disgusting, but she had a blast, of course.

is it....a pickle??

so, today was the big day. we got up, ate breakfast, dropped some library books off, stopped a shopko to get brian a new swimming suit, and then headed up the interstate toward the dells. through some pretty darn heavy rain, too. we got up to noah's ark without much incident, though. abby had a BLAST, although there were many things that she wasn't sure about. she certainly did not like getting splashed, or at least she didn't like getting splashed by other kids. she was busy busy busy the whole day and was super-tired by the time we left around 4. we did the wave pool, most of the kiddie areas, a tube slide, and the 2 lazy rivers. one of the lazy rivers was actually more of an "adventure river", which didn't go over so well with her. she didn't like the fountains of water that would hit us, and i would have to agree with her. the water pressure was insanely hard, so it couldn't have felt good for her. brian and i were laying on the tube, and she laid on my stomach and buried her face in my neck the whole time we were getting sprayed. meanwhile, i got lots of water up my nose. a typical day at noah's ark for me. you know what else was typical? despite sunscreen, both brian and i got moderate sunburns. don't EVER buy the continuous spray type of sunscreen. way too easy to miss spots, apparently. so, all in all, a successful day. we still have 2 more tickets, so we'll be headed back up there at the end of august, probably.

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeBONK

so, not much new to report today. we're hoping to have a low-key week, because the rest of the summer's going to be crazy busy. brian won 4 tickets to noah's ark, so we're going there next monday, the 9th. we got 4 tickets, and abby's free, so we'll get to go twice this summer! pretty exciting stuff...i haven't been for years and years, so i'm really looking forward to it. plus, i get to get some wear out of the maternity swimsuit i had to buy. :)

i have an idea!

so we had a good vacation up in appleton. we're certainly glad to be home, but we had a good time up there. friday we went to bay beach and abby had a BLAST. she rode the race cars, the boats, the airplanes, the ladybugs, the ferris wheel, the train, the carousel, and probably some other stuff that i'm forgetting. the rest of the time we were up there we pretty much just hung out. abby played in her little pool and had a lot of fun.

so, this is abby's new thing. she says, "i have an idea!" then you ask, "what's your idea?" "a game!" "what game?" "the high chair game!" it used to end there, but now if you ask her, "how do you play the high chair game?" she says "you learn your ABCs!" we have no idea where she got this or what it means, but it's pretty funny.

ultrasound!

we had the big ultrasound of baba ghannouj today. abby had a pretty good time and kept saying "i excited see the baby!" it was pretty funny. so we now know whether abby's having a baby sister or a baby brother, but you? you'll find out in another 20 weeks or so when he/she makes his/her appearance. :)

in other abby news, when asked what she wanted for lunch the other day, she said "cookies and cake!" sigh. i have worked so hard on her eating habits, but the lure of cookies and cake is just too strong. needless to say, she didn't get cookies and cake for lunch, but still. it's the principle of the thing.

other things she has said in the past few days:
--when she and brian were driving to church yesterday for the picnic, "don't worry dad, you'll find a parking space." ?????? not usually a problem at church, but he was glad for the reassurance.
--"don't fall down the stairs, mommy." ok, i'll try not to.

she has also started having her little people talk to each other, which makes for some hilarious eavesdropping. one of the mommies took the baby to the grocery store, apparently, and the following conversation took place:
mommy "i'm going to get some grapes for you. would you like some grapes?"
baby (in a different voice) "yes, i would like some grapes."

and then something about being tasty and juicy, but i'm not sure who said that.

fellow shoppers...

this is abby. she is 2 and a half. she will tell you this many many times until you acknowledge her, so just get it done with and acknowledge already! manners apply toward small children too.

thank you for your time.

haircut

yeah, super-cute, i know. :)

so, we've made a decision on the whole preschool thing. i haven't loved the places that we've visited, and the money thing is an issue, so we've decided to hold off sending her till next fall. plus, if she goes this fall, that's 3 years of preschool before she goes to kindergarten, unless we can get her in to kindergarten when she's 4. so, we're pretty comfortable with this decision, although i will miss the 3 mornings a week that i would have had of alone time with the baby. we're still going to try to find things for her to do with other kids, too.

well, duh.

abby: "bye!"
me: "where are you going?"
a: "to the meatball store!"
m: (pause) "oh, okay. what are you going to buy at the meatball store?"
a: (pause) "books!"

let's do...surprise face!

let's see...what's new? abby has learned to put on her sandals all by herself! sometimes she needs a little bit of help, but for the most part she's doing it all on her own. on the flip side, we've had a slight backslide with potty training in the last week. but, we'll get through it somehow.

we had a pretty low-key weekend. yesterday we went to the farmer's market and to "cows on the concourse." we met up with brian's friend monica and her family, so that was nice. the weather was pretty gross and rainy, but we had fun anyway. abby petted some cows and thought they were pretty cool.

then we had church this morning as usual, and then did some errands after her nap. so yeah, pretty boring weekend. and a pretty low-key week ahead, too. good stuff. :)

mine...all mine.

official world record mustard

we've had an eventful past couple of days! let's break it down, shall we?

friday: we picked brian up from work around 3 and headed up to appleton. got up there, changed clothes, dropped abby off in menasha, and headed out right away to meet my parents for dinner. we had an AWESOME dinner at koreana...i ate more than i ever have there before and felt very comfortably full. i had vegetable tempura and a california roll, as well as the yummy fish cake side dish and a little bit of kim chee. soooooooooooooooo good that i want to eat it all again right now. :) after dinner, we went to my parents' house to take a quick pre-emptive bathroom break, and then drove downtown to the PAC for the lion king. the show was fantastic...made brian, my mom, and me all teary-eyed at the beginning with its awesomeness. some voices weren't great, but for the most part everyone was good. afterwards, we went back to menasha and went to bed.

saturday: got up and roy made waffles and sausage...yummy stuff. we hung out there for a while, and then around 10 went over to my parents' because they hadn't seen abby yet. we played outside there for most of the rest of the morning, and abby potted a couple of flowers with my mom...she likes the part where you put the dirt in the pot. not so interested in the flowers, just the dirt. :) had lunch, and then got on the road back home so brian could get to work on time at 3. the rest of the day was not interesting. :)

sunday: abby and i got up and went to church this morning. we had the service outdoors today and all went pretty well...the only problem was that it was pretty windy, so i had some issues keeping the music on the piano. :) after church, we came home to change clothes, and then got right back in the car to meet jenny and adam and mason and lily at brat fest! we had a good time at brat fest...it was super-crowded because it was such a nice day, but we found a table just fine. after that, we came home for "nap time" and then went back out to borders to return some books. so, just miscellaneous errands. now we're home and in for the night. abby was SO tired that she had no control over herself after we got home from borders, and now she's up there, not sleeping, singing 5 little monkeys jumping on the bed. sigh. maybe she'll sleep late tomorrow.

so, overall a great weekend! we're headed back to brat fest tomorrow, and then it'll be back to the grind on tuesday.

funny things abby said in the car: after she finished a book, "the end thank you for reading me!" as we passed a train, she started naming the train cars, "hopper cars! box cars! tanker cars!" we were mystified but then asked my dad whether he taught her that, and it turns out he had. he also taught her about pulp cars. after she named the cars, she said, "oh, and a little baby one!" don't know what she meant by that.

a collection of random abby-ness

(right now up in her room by herself, supposed to be napping) "green bay packers, mommy! green bay packers!"

songs that abby likes to sing:
baa baa black sheep
elmo's world theme song
bob the builder theme song
farmer in the dell
old macdonald
bingo
good morning to you
itsy bitsy spider
abc's
wheels on the bus
head, shoulders, knees and toes
5 little monkeys jumping on the bed


informative, yes?

preschool

well, things are finally moving along on the preschool front. we had been putting it off because we weren't sure where we were going to be living in the fall, (and we're still not), but we're moving things along. abby and i are going to visit a place on wednesday and i'm pretty excited. i'm sure she will be too when she finds out. i really think she needs preschool for several reasons, not the least of which is that she's super-smart, and she needs to be around other kids more often than just once a week. so, we'll see how it goes.

on the super-smart front, she spelled her name this morning with those little magnetic letters. correctly. and then said, "that spell abby!" kid's a genius.

BLEH

i had a whole post written out but not ready to publish the other day...forgot about it, went to save it as a draft and it didn't work. apparently. ugh.

anyway, i'm certainly not going to type it all out again, but the highlight was a small compendium of funny things abby has said in the past couple of weeks.

1. "i go to hospital!" as she gets on her little trike and waves goodbye.
2. "mommy's whining again." and she was right.
3. in the bathtub, laughing herself silly until she SNORTS (there's a forner girl for you), then says, "oh! i make a sound like a pig!"


there were more but this is all i can think of right now. she has also named one of her dolls "rika" after a little girl she met at the park in appleton. she also sometimes thinks that this is her name, too.

news!

so i started a new job yesterday. some of you may remember my short-lived stint at the captioning place where i lasted a whopping 2 days of training. well, i now work for the wisconsin relay, relaying calls between deaf and hearing customers. i started training yesterday and it's been going well so far. the training is during the day, which means abby has been sent to appleton with grandma and pa schultz. she's been there since tuesday and comes back tomorrow late afternoon, then goes back up on monday and comes back thursday. it's been pretty rough being away from her, especially since this is the first time she's verbalized missing us when we're not there, according to grandma. so, we're super-excited about seeing her tomorrow.

that's pretty nice, mommy

since today was so beautiful, we spent part of our afternoon at the arboretum. we walked in the prairie part, the wetlands part, and the forest part. abby saw 5 turkeys, a duck, a turtle, and a baby snake. after we walked, we got out the blanket we brought and ate our snack and then just relaxed before we came home. we had a great time and it was nice to spend so much time outdoors.

the big-girl bed transition has gone well so far. she's fallen out a few times, and i went up last night hearing her cry, and found her hanging upside-down out of the bed on her head. she wasn't too happy about that.

in other news, i got a new part-time job working for the wisconsin tty relay. i start my training this week on wednesday, and it's during the day, so abby will be spending 3 days this week and 4 days next week in appleton with grandma and grandpa schultz. it's going to be pretty rough being away from her for that long, but we know she'll have tons of fun.

milestone

so, since abby's been using her crib as a trampoline for a while, i've started to worry that she'll just fly right out of there since she jumps so high. so.......yesterday, grandpa schultz brought down the twin mattress that's been saved for just such an occasion. abby slept in her new big-girl bed last night! she was so excited about it, and for the most part it went really well. she did fall out once, around 10:00, but we got her right back in bed and she fell back to sleep quickly. so, it'll be an adjustment for everyone for a while, but hopefully it'll keep being smooth.

she's also getting a lot better with her complete sentences...they almost always have both a subject and a verb now. :)

oh, and a-1? still spells whooping crane.

photos

new photos have been uploaded to flickr.

easter

so we're headed up to menasha tomorrow after church for easter dinner. abby's very excited about this, especially because she gets to see her cousins, james and hayden. lots of food will be eaten, primarily by me. ah, the pregnancy hunger. :)

happy bunny day, everyone!

a1

so there's this furniture store on stoughton road right before the turn onto our street called a-1 furniture and bedding. abby loves this place because she can yell "A! 1!" every time we pass it. yesterday we were coming back from our errands, and passed the store, and abby said "A! 1! spells...whooping crane!" cue mommy laughing the rest of the way home.

she has a book called "panda bear panda bear what do you see?" and there's a whooping crane in it...just in case you were wondering why she's talking about whooping cranes. :)

still laughing

ok, so abby built a tower of those little square duplo/lego things and it got to that point where it was too long and kept falling apart. so, she brings it to me 89 times to put it back together and i finally asked her, rhetorically, "what happens to your tower that it keeps breaking??"

and then i dropped it on the floor and it broke into many pieces.

congrats to the bahrs!

abby's auntie jenny had her baby this morning! mason has a baby sister now, lillian carol. lily weighed 8 pounds 4 ounces and was 19 inches long.

squee me!

so, i know it's been a while since i've updated. i've written a couple of posts in the past 11 days and they were so stupid that i couldn't bring myself to actually post them. you may wonder what makes that different than all the posts on here, but whatever. :)

hopefully most of you have taken a look at the blog belonging to the newest member of our family. he/she is currently known as pee-wee, although that may change with time. abby's super-excited about becoming a big sister and several times a day will announce that she's having either a baby brother or a baby sister. she told someone at church so convincingly that she was having a baby brother that they believed her and asked me how we had found out so early.

in other news, in the past couple of weeks, abby has become almost completely potty-trained! we still have the occasional accident, but really? who doesn't? :) she still wears diapers at night and during nap, but the nap diaper may be phased out soon since she's been staying dry then too. so, that's very exciting, and she's happy to have evidence that she is in fact a big girl.

la la la

so abby has finally learned how to sing. her repertoire includes the elmo's world song, itsy-bitsy spider, and the wheels on the bus. she's surprisingly very good and even stays on pitch.

in other news, i've gotten a part-time job that i'll be doing on sundays and mondays when brian can stay home with abby. i'll be doing captioning for phone calls between hearing-impaired and non-hearing-impaired people. not the world's most exciting job, but it's a good way to earn some extra money with a minimum of effort. :)

another change

i've reopened this blog to all without needing to register, for various reasons. so, you can share that info with those you think would like to read.

potty-training has been slowly improving day by day, so i now have hope again. stickers and elmo undies are very valuable, apparently.

potty potty potty

so, we are in the throes of potty-training week. a week in which abby wears underwear except for naptime and overnight. it's not going great. i'm not sure if she's just not ready yet, or if she's just being stubborn. she doesn't tell me when she has to go, so it ends up with me taking her every half-hour or so. but, even if she's just gone, she'll still have an accident. she had 3 this morning within like an hour. i don't understand. i'm tempted to give up for this week and try again in a month or so, but i've already invested a lot of time in this and i don't want to "let her off the hook." decisions, decisions.

name sparky!

so abby has decided that her name is now sparky. brian called her that as a joke this morning, and now she's insisting that it's her name. sigh.

on wednesday, abby did a study at the waisman center at UW. she's done several studies there in her life, and the last time we went, they said that she was now too old and wouldn't be called anymore. well, that wasn't true. this study was way longer than others she's done, and she was so very DONE with the whole thing by the end. but, she did a great job and they were suitably impressed with her skills and language. she got a borders gift card, got to pick out a book, and got a new t-shirt to replace the one she grew out of.

aaaaaaaaaaand...we're back!

so, i'm back from st. louis, and abby's back from time with grandparents. i got to eat all sorts of awesome food...2 different kinds of sushi (spicy tuna roll and salmon skin roll), pan-latin food (enchiladas, awesome salsa, and super-awesome margarita), persian food (falafel), and chinese (chicken with garlic sauce). it was a great weekend, and i'm sad it's over, but glad to be home.

abby had a great time with grandparents, and kept them very busy. :)

part 3

25 February 2005

We have had a pretty cranky week here at chez Rogers. Abby has been having difficulty napping during the day, so it makes for loud times, as she is overtired and very unhappy. So, big step tomorrow, we will be embarking on a nap schedule. This will hopefully take care of this problem that is making Mommy and Daddy's days not so enjoyable. :)

Today we went on our first real play-date over to Auntie Jenny's house to "play" with her son Mason, and Kaela and Eva, the other two children she takes care of during the day. It was fun for Abby to see the other kids, and for Mommy to get out of the house and have an adult conversation. This will be every Friday that we have the play-dates, so definitely something to look forward to in the week.

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22 February 2005

Yesterday we had a big day! We took a trip down to Chicago to the Shedd Aquarium so Abby could see the fishies. She enjoyed it very much, especially the brightly-colored fish. After the aquarium, we drove to Dekalb to introduce Abby to former co-workers at Borders and the Growing Place and to have dinner with friends before heading home. It was an eventful day, and we were all exhausted and glad to be home.

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19 February 2005

Well, it's been a busy couple of days. Yesterday Abby and Mommy went to Appleton to see Grandma and Grandpa Schultz for a quick visit, and so Grandma Schultz could try her hand at giving Abby a bottle. The bottle has been a long-term issue here at the Rogers house so we have been battling for quite a while and trying many many many different tactics. Someday... :)

Then today we all went for a walk at the mall, Abby chose to spend that time sleeping. The other exciting thing today was that Abby rolled over for the second time! So, we now know that the first time (February 10) was not a fluke. :) She went from her tummy to her back, and was very confused afterwards.

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17 February 2005

Today Abby went to the doctor for another follow-up on her RSV. The doctor said that everything looks and sounds great and that we can stop doing the nebulizer treatments!

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16 February 2005

The big event of February so far is Abby's hospitalization for RSV (respiratory syncytial virus). RSV is very common, especially in the winter months, and 90% of children have had it by the age of 3. However, the younger the child when they get it, the more worrisome it is. I took Abby to the doctor the morning of the 11th as she was wheezing and coughing a lot, and her doctor suggested admitting her to St. Mary's Hospital as a precautionary measure so she could be monitored more closely. At the hospital, she was given albuterol nebulizer treatments to open up her airways more. She was an excellent patient (except for when they looked in her ears) and was discharged late afternoon of the 12th. She is steadily improving day by day.

part 2

31 May 2005

Abby turned 6 months old yesterday!!! We celebrated by going to the Brat Fest since it was such a beautiful day. Abby also had squash for the first time...the first solid food besides cereal that she's had. She loved it!! This morning Abby had her 6-month checkup at the doctor's office too. She weighs 18 pounds 2 ounces (87th percentile), is 25.75 inches long (51st percentile), and is in the 94th percentile for her head circumference. :) She was very brave for her shots and doesn't have to get any more until her 12-month appointment.

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17 May 2005

We had a busy weekend! On Saturday, Mommy and Abby went to some garage sales with Auntie Jenny and Mason. It was very windy, so we didn't walk around too much, but Abby got a new outfit, and Mommy found exactly the kind of child gate she wanted, and it was only $5! It was a very successful day. Then on Sunday, we all went out to brunch with Grandma and Grandpa Rogers, then all drove up to Appleton. We stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Schultz Sunday night, and then Monday was Mommy's birthday! We went to Target and to lunch at Koreana, and then had strawberry shortcake back at their house. We headed home around 4 or so. Abby has gotten very proficient at sitting up, and can stay up by herself for a long time. Those darn teeth still haven't poked through, but progress is being made. She is learning to enjoy the rice cereal, slowly but surely.

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11 May 2005

The last week has been full of milestones! Abby has learned to sit up by herself for short periods of time before toppling over. She can also play with toys while sitting up. And on Monday the 9th, she started rice cereal! Daddy got the highchair put together and now every day at suppertime she gets a little bit of cereal. She was pretty unsure at first and couldn't stop her tongue from pushing it out, but she's getting the hang of it. It's hard to believe that in a couple of weeks she will be 6 months old!!

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2 May 2005

Well, we survived the great Bloomington trip of 2005. Barely. Abby's teeth have really been bothering her, and it looks like BOTH the front bottom ones are coming in at the same time. So, she's been having a rough time, and traveling did not make it any better. She was up probably 4 times in the night on Friday at the hotel being very upset, so we most likely won't be going anywhere for a while now. :) We did go swimming for the first time at the hotel, though, which Abby decided was a pretty cool thing to do. So, it's nice to know that she likes it and we can make plans to hit the Sun Prairie pool this summer. Hopefully these teeth will pop through soon and we can have our happy baby back!

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26 April 2005

We've had a rough few days here, as Abby has started the process of sprouting her first tooth! We can't see anything yet in there, but something's definitely going on. So, there is much pathetic crying going on. Sorry that I have not updated the photo links lately...we don't have too many pics from April. Updates forthcoming.

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22 April 2005

We've had a pretty uneventful couple of weeks. We all went up to Menasha this past weekend to visit Grandma and Grandpa Rogers and stay the night. Abby got to go to bingo for the first time, but she didn't win anything. She met lots of Grandma Rogers' friends, too. Next week Friday and Saturday Abby and Mommy are going with Auntie Jenny and Mason on an overnight trip to Bloomington...should be interesting. :)

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11 April 2005

We had an interesting day yesterday. Mommy had a big scare when she fell down the two steps from the house into the garage and twisted her ankle, feeling a big snap as she fell. The scariest thing, though, was that she was carrying Abby in her carseat, but Abby was not hurt at all, Mommy just set her down on the floor while she fell. Luckily, Daddy was in the garage and could help out. We all went to the Urgent Care where they did x-rays and it turned out to just be a bad sprain. Now Mommy has to wear an air-cast and was on crutches yesterday. She is doing much better today because she can walk without the crutches. The excitement never stops here at casa Rogers!

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4 April 2005

Today Abby had her 4-month checkup. She now weighs 16 pounds 3 ounces (92nd percentile), and is 24 inches long (36th percentile)! Her height is way down from her 2 month checkup where she was in the 88th percentile. She is very healthy, but got two prescriptions, one for her cradle cap, and one for a minor skin irritation in some of her fat rolls. :) She also got 3 shots that she wasn't too happy about, but calmed down pretty quickly afterwards.

We have been enjoying the beautiful weather lately by going outside for walks in the stroller. Yesterday we went to the park near our house, and Abby got to swing with Daddy, since she's not quite ready for the baby swings there. And this morning, Mommy and Abby took a walk on State Street and around the Capitol while Daddy was giving plasma. Hope the weather keeps up!!

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31 March 2005

I can't believe it's been 10 days since I've updated this. Well, Abby had a great Easter! She got to travel to see Grandma Rogers, and Grandma and Grandpa Schultz over Easter weekend. We had dinner with Daddy's family on Sunday and Abby saw her cousins James and Hayden, Uncle Cory and Cortlee, and Uncle Alan. Then we stayed the night with Grandma and Grandpa Schultz, and Abby slept almost 10 hours! She had a great time visiting with everybody. Last night our friend Dennis came over and stayed the night and Abby did not take kindly to being moved into Mommy and Daddy's room. She went to bed at 8:30, woke up at 9:30, 11, 12, and 1:30, at which time she refused to go back to sleep, so Mommy fed her (the first night feeding in a long time), and she finally went back down and slept till 6:15. Not the most impressive night of sleeping. Abby's new skills include moving toys to her mouth more frequently, and switching toys from one hand to the other!!

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21 March 2005

Abby has been doing lots of new things in the last few days! She has started being more agreeable to holding various toys, and has started bringing them to her mouth to chew in them and get them all drooly. We also started working on using a sippy cup in the hopes that it will be more successful than the bottle. The good news is she doesn't hate it...the bad news is that she does not seem to have any more drive to drink from it than the bottle. We will persevere, though. We'd also like to give a belated birthday shout-out to Auntie Jenny, whose birthday was yesterday.

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17 March 2005

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

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14 March 2005

Abby's been busy busy busy! Yesterday we drove up to Appleton to try to see some of Daddy's family, but that didn't work out. So we went to Daddy's old work (Media Play) to show Abby off to former co-workers, and then went to Grandma Rogers' house for dinner and visiting. She slept the whole trip up and the whole trip back and still slept great last night. On Sunday Abby went to church with Mommy, which is now a regular occurrence. Everyone there loves her and thinks she's just the cutest, which of course she is. :)

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10 March 2005

It's been a pretty uneventful couple of days here at casa Rogers. We all went to Borders last night so Daddy could hear an author speak, and Abby and Mommy just walked around the store. Yesterday we hit a little bump in the nap routine, but seem to be back to normal today, which is good. It's amazing what a difference good napping makes to Abby's mood. Tomorrow is our weekly play date at Aunt Jenny's, where we will try the great sippy-cup experiment and see whether Abby is more amenable to that than the bottle, since we have had no success with the bottle since last week's play date. Also, Mommy and Daddy are getting itchy to go out for a date. :) In developmental news, she has started reaching out for certain objects, primarily the star on her baby gym. Still has the closed fist when she reaches, but we are making progress.

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7 March 2005

Sorry that this hasn't been updated since Friday...there's no excuse for it. :) The weekend was semi-busy...Grandma and Grandpa Rogers came to visit on Sunday after Abby and Mommy got back from church. We all went to brunch, then came back to the house. Grandma Rogers tried the bottle challenge and was brutally denied. So far the score is Abby:4, Grownups:1. The upshot is that Auntie Jenny needs to come live with us. :) The napping issue has improved considerably...we are pretty well settled into a routine now and there is much less crankiness in the household.

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4 March 2005

Today Abby and Mommy had our weekly play-date at Aunt Jenny's house, and we had a great time! Abby was very entertained by the ceiling fan in the living room and laughed a lot at it. The best thing, though, was that Aunt Jenny got Abby to take a half-ounce from a bottle! Mommy was so happy that she almost cried. :) A light at the end of the tunnel...

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2 March 2005

Today was a pretty good day! Abby had 3 good naps, including a two-and-a-half hour one in the middle of the day. She was a happy girl, which let her and Mommy have some good playing and tummy time.

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1 March 2005

Today was a pretty blah day. We went shopping at Sam's Club and Abby got scared when the PA system came on, but that was the most exciting thing that happened. :)

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28 February 2005

Abby's first Oscars were last night, and she was up way past her bedtime. Crankiness was pretty much the rule from about 9:30 till we left at 10:45. But, we had a good time regardless. Today Abby and Mommy just hung out at home. Abby took a couple of good naps, so maybe we're done with this "not sleeping during the day" phase. We shall see.

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27 February 2005

Today is a big day already...Abby came to church with Mommy this morning and saw all of her church friends. She likes the woman who runs the nursery a lot and doesn't cry during the service, which makes Mommy very happy. Abby's first Oscars are tonight, which we are spending with Auntie Jenny and Uncle Adam and "cousin" Mason at their house.

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26 February 2005

Today was a special day because Grandma and Grandpa Schultz came to get their Abby fix before they head off to Florida. It was also the first day of the new nap schedule, which did not get off to a good start. However, we will persevere in search of a non-cranky baby! Grandma Schultz tried to give Abby a bottle with no more success than we have had. However, we will persevere in search of a bottle-drinking baby! On a good note, we discovered that Abby's new favorite song is "That's Amore", for some unexplained reason. It caused lots of smiles and giggles when Grandma and Mommy sang it at differing points in the day. Mommy needs to learn more of the words, though. :)

a look back, part 1

i've gotten abby's old baby site restored, and i'm in the process of copying and pasting the journal entries into this blog, so you can get all your abby info in one place. here's the first bunch:

22 April 2006

The biggest development in Abby's life this month has definitely been her vocabulary! Words she says now: dada, mama (sometimes), shoe, shirt, kitty, sing, read, ball, orange, more, up ("ah-dah"), down, step, door, open, and close. She comprehends so much more than that, though. She also knows quite a few body parts and can point them out: head, nose, mouth, ear, hands, tummy, feet, and toes.

We had a great Easter visiting all the grandparents. Abby enjoyed playing with cousins Hayden and James, and she also had a great time finding Easter eggs at Grandma and Grandpa Schultz's house. As an extra-special treat, she got a wheelbarrow ride from Grandpa Schultz.

With the beautiful spring weather, we have been able to play outside a few times a week. Abby doesn't really like walking on grass, and Mommy gets nervous when Abby walks on the cement (based on the head-bonking incident), so our times outside are sometimes pretty short. We have gone to the park a couple of times, though, and Abby has discovered the joys of climbing up on the big structure and going down the slide. Steps are one of her favorite things these days...she only wants to do them on her feet and holding someone's hands. She is also enjoying computer time when she gets to look at pictures of kitties and doggies.

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15 March 2006

Yeah, yeah, I know. Things have been a little busy around here. Abby's doing very well. She had her 15-month checkup at the beginning of this month, and she weighs 24 pounds 4 ounces, and is 29 inches long. Pretty average on both. Still has the big head though, but that's a genetic legacy that she'll have to live with. :)

Mommy went to visit Auntie Kim in St. Louis at the beginning of the month. They had a great time, and Abby did too. Abby got to spend the weekend with grandmas and grandpas, and just had a super time overall.

Abby is practically running now, and has the bruises to prove it. She fell down in the driveway the other day and now has a big bruise on her forehead. Oh well. She is still being Miss Pick when it comes to certain foods, especially veggies, so Mommy has had to find sneaky ways of making sure she eats the veggies. For example, when we had spaghetti, Mommy pureed some peas and mixed it in with Abby's sauce. She ate a TON, and never knew. She really likes pastas, breads, most fruits...basically, carbs. Protein is a little iffier, but we're making do. She still loves her blankie, and now has a new friend in her crib. She discovered a stuffed kitty in her toybox that she'd never been interested in before, and now the kitty sleeps with her too. We're not sure who the kitty was a gift from, so if it's you, THANK YOU! The kitty is orange and white striped, and very soft.

Big drooly Abby-kisses to all!

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21 February 2006

OK, so I forgot about the site again. :) Abby has been doing great! She is walking so well now, and is definitely not a baby anymore. She's really starting to assert her independence, and we've had some tantrums here. She now has 5 and a half teeth, and is possibly working on 2 more. She loves her socks and shoes, and will say the words all day long. In her world, all articles of clothing fall into those two categories. Another manifestation of her toddlerhood is her newfound pickiness at mealtimes. The girl who used to eat everything in sight (and a lot of it) has turned into Miss Pick. She still loves all music and will stop what she's doing to dance if she hears a song she really likes.

The sad news from the Rogers household is that we have had to say goodbye to Opus. For those of you who don't know, Opus has had some serious problems adjusting to Abby, and due to the stress has had litterbox issues. So, after much agonizing, we decided the best thing to do was to take him to the Humane Society to surrender him in the hopes that he would be able to find a less stressful home. We will miss him very very much.

In happier news, Mommy is looking forward to spending the first weekend of March with Auntie Kim in St. Louis for the annual Oscar extravaganza. Mommy doesn't know how she'll do being away from Abby for 2 and a half days, but she's definitely looking forward to having some "time off". :)

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8 January 2006

Abby met some new friends this week! Mommy joined the Y, and when she goes to exercise, Abby gets to stay in the nursery with lots of other kids, and LOTS of toys. She's been there twice now and had a blast both times. Mommy enjoys the time to herself, too. :) Abby is developing quite the goofy sense of humor. For example, two nights ago, Mommy was cooking dinner and Abby was playing in the kitchen, opening up her cabinet door and squealing (like there was something in there), slamming it shut and "running" away laughing like crazy. This lasted about 20 minutes. We're at a new milestone, too...Abby is going down to taking only 1 nap a day. Mommy's not very happy about this, but it's clear that this is what needs to happen. The walking is going well...she still doesn't do it all the time, but she does it more and more every day. Abby will be spending some time in the basement in her Pack&Play this week while Mommy starts clearing out the boxes so that Grandpa can get started on the basement.

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29 December 2005

All right, all right. So...I kind of forgot about this site for a little while. :) Here's all the updates: Abby turned 1 on November 30th!! We had a small party for her on December 3, where she got lots of great presents, and got to eat sloppy joe and cake. A wonderful time was had by all. She has been accomplishing so much in the last month, it's hard to keep track of! She had her 12-month checkup at the beginning of the month: she weighed 22 lbs 14 oz (80th percentile), was 28 3/4 inches tall (45th percentile), and is in the 95th percentile for her head circumference. She's definitely a Schultz. :)

She's developing more sounds in her babbling, and Daddy and I are convinced she's said "Hi kitty" at least once. She also uses 2 signs on a regular basis--"more" and "all done". Not always necessarily meaning them, but she uses them.

Abby had a great Christmas, and got to see lots of family members. The most recent news is that as of today...Abby is walking! She's been taking little steps here and there for a week or so, but today she walked halfway across the living room. She thought it was no big deal, but Mommy thought it was awesome. :)

She loves her kitties, loves being in the nursery at church, and loves her weekly playdates at Auntie Jenny's with Mason and Eva. She has also learned to climb the stairs, and does it every chance she gets. She's a very happy little girl. A happy little girl who still won't say "mama".

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24 November 2005

Happy Turkey Day to all!! Abby's first Thanksgiving was very busy. On Wednesday, we traveled to Appleton and Abby got to stay with Grandma and Grandpa Schultz all by herself, while Mommy and Daddy enjoyed redeeming a free night certificate at the Woodfield Suites. Abby did come swimming with us, and it was not a success. She had a death grip on us at all times and cried if she wasn't being held against someone's body. So, we'll try again some other time. She did GREAT with Grandma and Grandpa. So, today we had a noonish meal with Mommy's family, and supper with Daddy's family. Abby ate a lot of turkey, and tried dressing, mashed potatoes, salad, and cranberry sauce for the first time. She also got birthday and early Christmas presents from several people.

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17 November 2005

Well, it's been a germ-filled week here at the Rogers household. Mommy has had an evil cold for over a week now, and Abby has roseola. She had high fevers from Saturday until Tuesday, and then Wednesday morning she woke up with a rash all over herself. There has been much crankiness. Much. But, we have Thanksgiving next week to look forward to, and Abby's birthday is in 13 days!

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12 November 2005

T-minus 18 days until our little girl turns one year old!! Every day she is seeming more and more grown-up. She is doing a lot of babbling now, and everything around here seems to be classified as "da da da da da" (repeated over and over). However, she has pointed at Daddy and said "dada", so we're not sure whether she really meant it or not. :) Today both Mommy and Abby are not feeling too well. Mommy has had a cold for a few days, and Abby has a high fever but no other symptoms. It is likely she has roseola, which is a harmless virus. We are busy making preparations here for Abby's birthday party, which will be very small. Abby gets to have cake for the first time!! :)

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2 November 2005

Abby turned 11 months the other day and we're in a state of shock and denial that in less than one month she will turn 1!! She is crawling around like crazy and exploring everything. She has also started pointing at everything and making different sounds. When she reads a book to herself she points at the pictures and talks to herself like she's telling the story, and maybe she is...it's hard to tell. :) This past weekend Daddy went to the Dells with his friends, and Mommy and Abby went up to Appleton to visit the grandparents. We stayed the night at Grandma and Grandpa Schultz's house, and Abby got to try LOTS of new foods including tortellini, shrimp and prosciutto. She also tried whole milk for the first time to start the weaning process. She likes it okay, but not as much as Mommy's milk. Abby handled the time change like a champ, although she is starting to get up earlier in the morning now that it's lighter out at that time. Abby didn't dress up for Halloween this year because we had nowhere to take her, but we'll make up for it next year.

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17 October 2005

Wow! Abby has been a busy busy girl lately. The big news is that she is finally officially crawling! She doesn't go very far or very fast, but she goes, and is so happy about it. Other milestones reached in the past couple of weeks: sitting up from a laying-down position, and pulling up to a stand. She also regularly waves hi and bye-bye. We just can't believe how fast all of these things happened, and we're wondering where our non-mobile, non-waving baby went. :) She's also developed quite a sense of humor...she loves to play peekaboo very fast. She loves giving kisses too, and sends big drooly ones to all of you.

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1 October 2005

It's been a busy couple of weeks! First and most importantly, Abby turned 10 months old yesterday! Only two months to go until her first birthday...it's hard to believe! Abby is doing quite well. One of her favorite new skills is cruising...standing up in front of the couch and walking along it holding on. She can't pull up to a stand by herself yet, but we're working on it. Crawling is still a struggle for her, but we think she might be walking by the time she figures out the crawling. She still LOVES to feed herself, and sometimes gets upset when she has to be fed with a spoon. She seems to love all foods equally, which is a very good thing. For breakfast she gets either baby cereal with fruit mixed in, or a whole-wheat waffle torn up and a separate fruit. For lunch, she gets either cheese, yogurt, or scrambled egg, and then a fruit and a veggie. Then for supper, cheese or meat and veggie. We have also won the sippy cup battle...the winner is the Nuby cup from Walmart for $1.47! It's a good thing...we bought 4. :) In other news, Mommy had to get 2 stitches in her little finger last Sunday due to a freak bratwurst incident. Mommy was very lucky...it could have been a lot worse. Take this as a lesson...Ikea butter knives can be very dangerous. :)

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11 September 2005

Something new today...I am posting a poll to name Abby's teddy bear. You may choose from the options below, or, write-in votes are also accepted. However, please try to envision Abby having to say it. :)

Winston

Aloysius (I know it's hard to say, but it's cool)

Clay (in honor of her deep and somewhat disturbing love for Clay Aiken)

Leo (pronouced LAY-o, like Galileo)

Patito (I know it means little duck, but it's funny)

Barry

Please submit your votes via email to altopower@gmail.com , or put them in the guestbook on this site that no one ever signs anymore. :) Thanks to all!!! Abby thanks you too, with big open-mouthed drooly kisses.

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7 September 2005

Abby has developed an important new skill...she can now feed herself finger foods such as Cheerios, Gerber puffs, pieces of cheese, and pieces of graham cracker! Mommy and Daddy are so excited. :) She LOVES her new skill and will happily show it off as long as the food supply holds out. She also now understands the word "clap" and will actually clap if you say the word...same for "kiss". No crawling yet, but she is getting around in her own little way, a combination of scootching, rolling, and just plain lunging. It is an interesting thing to watch.

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31 August 2005

Abigail turned 9 months old yesterday! She had her 9-month checkup today and everything went great. She weighs 19 pounds 14.5 ounces (70th percentile), is 28 inches long (also 70th percentile), and is the 100th percentile for head circumference. The doctor said that Abby is just perfect, and we tend to agree. :) So, she doesn't have to go back until she turns 1. This weekend we're going to the Taste of Madison with friends, and it's Daddy's birthday on Saturday! We're having a birthday party for him on Friday night, but Abby's not invited because it'll be past her bedtime. :)

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20 August 2005

Abby's had a busy month so far in August! A week ago we went to the Wisconsin State Fair with Auntie Kim and her friend Matt. We also met Auntie Katie there. Abby had a great time meeting the chickens and the bunnies, and she also got her first balloon! And even though she didn't sleep more than 10 minutes the whole day, she still had a good time. It was great fun for all involved. Then this past week, Abby and Mommy traveled with Grandma and Grandpa Schultz down to Springfield to visit with some of Mommy's family down there. Abby got to meet cousin Reed and cousin Tim for the first time, and see Great-Aunt Judith, Great-Uncle Paul and cousin Emily again. The car rides down and back were a little stressful, but Abby's still learning how to be a good traveler. :) Still no major developments on the crawling front, but progress is being made day by day. One of her favorite activities while sitting on the floor is to talk to Kishi and try to entice her closer. Of course, Kishi has no intention of doing this because Abby's way of enticing is to squeal as loud as possible and hold out her arms. It'll be a rude awakening for both the cats when Abby gets the hang of crawling...they'll never come in the living room again. :) Tomorrow we are going to the Sun Prairie Cornfest with Auntie Jenny, Uncle Adam, and Mason in the afternoon, and then going back in the early evening with Daddy's friend Scott. Too bad Abby can't actually have corn yet. Oh, and a big birthday shout-out to Auntie Katie whose birthday is tomorrow!!!

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10 August 2005

Wow, long time since last update!! It's definitely been a busy few weeks. Abby is developing so quickly now, it's hard to believe. She has finally mastered the art of rolling onto her tummy, and now sleeps solely on her tummy. She can also roll across the floor, which has made Mommy and Daddy realize the need for immediate childproofing. :) Crawling is not far off at all...she can almost get into the position, but it's still a little ways off. She has discovered more sounds and loves to babble...the current favorite is MMMMMMMMM. :) Abby has also started moving to music, rocking back and forth with the beat...hopefully she will be musical like Mommy and Daddy. She is still an excellent eater and is up to 3 meals of solids a day, plus 5-6 nursing sessions. New foods she's had lately include zucchini, yogurt, and apricots. Next up are broccoli and blueberries. She loves virtually all food, just like her mommy. :) Auntie Kim and Matt are coming up to visit this weekend and we're all going to the State Fair on Saturday! Mmmmm, cream puffs. Many photos to come...

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13 July 2005

Today is Mommy and Daddy's anniversary! They have been married for 3 years today. Abby is doing very well...crawling is seeming like something that might be happening sooner rather than later. She likes to sit on the floor, lean forward to brace her hands on the floor and bounce up and down. She also tries to move sometimes when she's on her tummy in an "Army crawl" type of thing. If she's not too upset about being on her tummy, that is. :) Last weekend we went to the pool with Aunt Jenny and Mason...a great time was had by all. Mason loved to splash, while Abby preferred to be held out in the water and kick. We hope to get a baby pool for her soon so she can spend more time in the water in a more convenient fashion. Upcoming events include a campout this weekend in Fremont with Grandma Rogers' family...Abby gets to meet Great-Grandma Beers for the first time! Great-Grandma had come to visit the day before Mommy went into labor with Abby, but had to go back home before Abby was born.

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5 July 2005

Abby is now 7 months old! It's amazing to go back and look at pictures of her at a month or two old and see how different she looks now. She's got a lot of blond hair coming in and it likes to stick straight up from the top of her head. She's learning how to pull herself up to standing using a grownup's fingers, and can do it mostly by herself. She's also discovering books and loves to explore how different books taste different. :) She especially loves books with pictures of other babies in them. She's still a champion eater, and loves almost all foods that we give her. Some new foods on the horizon for this month include apricots, yogurt, and at the very end of the month we might be starting some meats. Abby sends big open-mouthed drooly kisses to all and hopes you all had a great Fourth of July!

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21 June 2005

We celebrated summer's arrival by finally going to the Sun Prairie pool yesterday! Abby had a great time, even though the water was cooler than she is used to. We hope to go more often as the summer progresses, now that we know the drill (ALWAYS put the swimsuit on the baby before you even leave the house, lest you have to change her on a bench that is no wider than she is!!). New foods have been added on a regular basis, including applesauce and prunes (the reason for the prunes should be fairly self-explanatory). She loves all the foods, except for avocado, which prompted an overwhelmingly negative response involving spitting and crying. We'll wait a bit before trying that one again. We had visits from both sets of grandparents in the last week, which was fun. Busy times here!!

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14 June 2005

Things have been trucking along splendidly here at casa Rogers. Abby has been trying some new foods and now eats rice cereal, oatmeal, sweet potato, squash, banana, and pears. New foods coming up include avocado, peas, green beans, and applesauce. Mommy's been having lots of fun making the baby food, and has it (somewhat) down to a science. Still no teeth, but as we've been saying for over 2 months now...any day, they should poke through! It's been frustrating for all, but she's definitely getting better. And, according to Mommy's baby book, she didn't get her first tooth till she was over 7 months old, but then a bunch came all pretty much at the same time. So, we'll see what the next month brings. Abby has a new friend in the church nursery...Eric, who was born just over a month ago. She also met her new friend Ethan (born May 4) at Auntie Jenny's on Friday. She didn't really seem to notice, but Mommy enjoyed some tiny-baby-time. :) We are gearing up for a summer of fun at the Sun Prairie pool...Abby has her first swimsuit and everything. We've been eager to go for a week or so, but the weather hasn't really cooperated. Hopefully soon you'll be able to see pictures of our bathing beauty in all her glory. :) And as a last thing, congrats go out to Becky, Dave, and Evan on the birth of their new baby, Levi, on May 30!!

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later gator!

so this is my last post before my trip this weekend. the car is washed, the oil is changed, the coolant is flushed, the tires are pumped up, the wiper blades are replaced, the car is cleaned out. it's like having a new car. :)

we've had a pretty low-key day here. the packing must commence now.

abby's mardi gras

so we went to IHOP last night for the free short stack pancakes. abby ate her entire short stack, which is 3 full-sized pancakes, plus applesauce. her tummy was so full that it was hard to the touch. :)

the castle in the sky

yesterday we had playdate with mason and eva and aunt jenny. it was a good time, although of course, abby didn't want to nap. and based on how loud she is when she's in her crib not napping, i just got her back up again so as not to disturb the other kids. so, after we left, we went to borders to pick up brian to go jeans shopping, and she fell asleep in the car on the way. so, we decided to let her sleep and drive to the outlet mall in johnson creek to buy jeans there. brian got 2 new pairs of jeans, abby got a new shirt, and i got 3 new shirts and a pair of jeans...old navy was having a KILLER sale. a very successful trip to the outlet mall.

today's been very low-key...i slept in, and we all just hung out, and now brian's gone to work. ah, the weekend.

wrap the present, mr. noodle

abby had a contrary day yesterday. she tried to run away in the library parking lot, and also the parking lot of fazoli's after lunch. this is a HUGE no-no, obviously, but of course she doesn't understand that. then later on in the day she decided to hit me. when i got in her face and told her that we don't hit, she looked at me and said, "mommy angry." just in a matter-of-fact sort of way that kind of implied "yeah, you're angry, but whatever." so, yeah. she's 2. sigh.

so, my plan is after i get back from st. louis, we're going to spend a week in the house and not go anywhere and just get the potty-training done with. she's ready, it's just been laziness on my part that hasn't gotten it done yet. it'll be an interesting week, definitely. :)

*****Non Sequitur Alert*****

A List of Abby's Favorite Foods:

macaroni and cheese
tortellini
cheese
peanut butter and jelly sandwich
banana
salad
grapes
apple
yogurt
applesauce
anything she's not supposed to have (cookies, etc)

policy change

so, i've decided to limit who has access to view this blog. i downloaded a counter that tracks the visitors and so on and so forth, and there has been some activity that i'm not comfortable with, especially due to the fact that you can access pictures. so, i have sent email invitations, and those of you who accept it can view the blog. you can share the site with others by letting me know their emails and i can send them an invitation.

thanks for being flexible with this change!

snow wonderful snow

selections from abby's recent conversations:

"i see white clouds."
"football went in washing machine."
"drop toys on the floor, mommy pick them up please."
"take backpack off now mommy."


so, as you can see, the language is nonstop around here. she NEVER stops talking. ever. when she's supposed to be napping? talking. when she's eating? talking with her mouth full. when we're in the car? talking. when i'm talking? talking.

go on truck please mase!

yesterday abby and i went to the indoor park at the west towne mall with jenny, mason, and ethan. a fantastic time was had by all, and it makes me really wish that it was more conveniently located so we could go more often. but, again, abby had a great time and is still talking about it today. then today we went for playdate over at jenny's house, so it's been a very social past few days. it's so awesome to see the kids actually beginning to interact with each other and play together...chasing each other and whatnot.

abby's new favorite food? pickles.

it's a rock, zoe

so, it's cold here. very very very cold. the wee little weather widget on my computer here says that at 10:10am, the temperature is -5 degrees. oh, and it's snowing like crazy. abby hasn't left the house since thursday or possibly friday and hasn't worn anything but pajamas in that time too. :) so, despite the cold and the snow, i think we're going to try and go out to sam's club with brian when he's done with work. hopefully it'll be above zero by then...hooray for fresh air!

wheel! of! fortune!

haha, that title has nothing to do with anything other than it's on TV right now. see what i do when i'm strapped for creativity?

i hate to jinx this by writing about it, but i'm way excited: abby has now napped 2 out of the last 3 days! that's a pretty good average, and they were awesomely long naps too. she has a new thing she likes to do as part of the routine that might be helping. she likes to flip onto her tummy after i lay her in the crib, and then she asks me to cover her with her "bee." then i rub her back and sing twinkle twinkle two times through. then she says "see you morning" and i say ok and "i love you" and then i leave. not a peep after that! i like this addition to the routine, and i especially like that she's requesting things like that now. cognitively she's through the roof lately.

so, 3 weeks from today i take my annual trip down to st. louis to visit kim and be geeks together for the weekend! i look forward to this SOOO much every year, and i can't believe it's coming up so soon. last year, we started planning for this year as soon as i got back home. :) we have plans for much eating of awesome ethnic foods that i can't have normally (sushi, fusion mexican, persian and chinese), and we'll be making pomegranate martinis and drinking whatever interesting bottle of wine i take down there. we're seeing a movie (don't know what yet), shopping, going to the art museum, and of course, the purpose of the whole weekend...watching THE OSCARS! can you tell i'm slightly excited about the whole thing?

back from mini-vacation

so the past couple of days we've spent up in appleton/menasha, since brian had 3 vacation days to burn by the end of january. abby had a great time...she got to play with grandmas and "pa's", as well as james and hayden.

brian has been sick for a few weeks now, and his cough finally got bad enough that he went to the doctor. after a chest x-ray, turns out he has walking pneumonia in one lung. so, he's on antibiotics, cough syrup, and an albuterol inhaler. he seems to be feeling better already, but the doctor said it could take up to 4 weeks for the infection to clear out.

some seriously cold weather is coming our way...this weekend we're supposed to have a high temperature of 5 or so, with windchills around -25 or so. so, abby's not coming to church with me on sunday morning...it'll just be way too cold. she'll get to spend a nice relaxing morning with dad.

haircut photos

...are up at flickr.

see you morning!

so, the move went as well as can be expected. closing was quick and uncomplicated, and we are extremely relieved to be done with the whole thing. now, the boxes. honestly, there are not as many boxes as there seem to be, and things are going well in getting them unpacked. so, really nothing to complain about there. abby has adapted well, and no longer says "new house" when we return here from somewhere. now, it's just "house".

we had a big milestone yesterday...abby got her first haircut! i'd trimmed her bangs a couple of times, but this was her first full-on haircut. her hair had become unmanageable, and she was unwilling to let me do anything with it. that's the nice way of saying that she threw a fit every time i tried. her hair is now shoulder-length, and her bangs were trimmed as well. we have pictures which i will post as soon as i can find the usb cable to get the pictures onto the computer. she ran around all day yesterday yelling "haircut!", so i think she likes it. :)

change with pictures

i've decided to forsake snapfish, at least partially. all photos from november 2006 onward can now be viewed on flickr here.

i find flickr to be somewhat more user-friendly, but it's still a learning process for me, so be patient. it's current right now, so go check it out and enjoy!

meanwhile, the unpacking continues. more of the same in that arena.

new house!!

so, yeah. we're in the homestretch of the big move. we've been living at the apartment since wednesday and working our tushes off every day. today we took all the stuff to the storage unit, and 99% of everything that needs to be here at the apartment is here. so, we have the cleaning left to do, and a few little odds and ends to figure out what to do with. abby loves her new house, and yells "new house!" all the time. we've been sleeping okay for the most part. everything is still a maze of boxes, but once we are out of the condo we can devote all our time to the unpacking. it's been a hellish past week or so, but we close on tuesday morning, so it's almost done. and then there will be much drinking of champagne and figuring out where to put all of these boxes. boxes boxes boxes. bleh.

oh, and for your viewing pleasure...



abby loves this video, but probably not quite as much as brian and i do. awesome video, awesome song.

abbytube

this is one of abby's favorite videos on youtube. just try not to hum this song after you're done watching it. :)

have i mentioned how much i hate moving?

i haven't? oh, well, then...i hate it lots and lots. in fact, i think i hate it more than anything else in the world. probably not, but you get the idea. we've been taking stuff over to the new place every day since we got the keys and things are getting done, but it just seems like a really slow process.

abby has been great with the moving...she loves to yell "new house!" as we drive over there, and really enjoys exploring everything while we're there. her fave thing to do is for her and i to sit in her closet. that's it, just sit in the closet.

by the way, we're hiring abby to drive the moving truck based on expertise shown in the above picture. plus, she works cheap.

happy new year!

hope everyone had a nice new year's...we spent last night watching football, then watching a movie, and drinking champagne. it was very relaxing. it was also the 7-year anniversary of the night we met. hard to believe it's that long! today we've been spending very lazily...eating banana bread, cinnamon rolls, watching sesame street, etc. abby is on her 3rd cup of milk, and just for fun i mixed in a little eggnog to this cup. she started chugging it and her eyes got really big and she became very fixated on what was in her mouth...she kept drinking, but slowed way down to savor. :) we're also all still in our pajamas. not for long, though, because at 3:00 we're going to our new apartment which is officially ours today and picking up the keys, paying the rent, and doing the walk-through. we're also taking some boxes over. it has begun.