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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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!

---

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.

---

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.

---

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!!

---

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!

---

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.

---

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. :)

---

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!

---

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!!

---

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!!

---

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.

---

17 March 2005

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

---

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. :)

---

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.

---

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.

---

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...

---

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.

---

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. :)

---

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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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!

---

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". :)

---

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.

---

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".

---

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.

---

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!

---

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!! :)

---

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.

---

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.

---

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. :)

---

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.

---

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.

---

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. :)

---

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!!!

---

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...

---

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.

---

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!

---

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!!

---

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!!

---

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.