Family Living: Abbott Style

"Can I sit on your lap...." Yes... The answer is yes . And will always be  yes. Shortly following the newborn stage, my darling daughter would express a distaste for being held. She was my busy and independent girl from the littlest of ages.  I felt robbed.  She wouldn't even allow me to rock her to sleep.  Some of the best advice I ever got in parenting is "parent the child you have, not the child you want them to be."  Now, I know how that sounds.  I love and have loved my Haley, as is.  But I had a certain expectation of how I envisioned parenthood, and there was a real let down for me when I had a daughter who simply rejected the simple affectionate gesture of being held.   Haley is now quickly approaching 4 and a new stage has approached us.  Cuddling with Haley.  Finally she is asking for affection.  Finally she is asking to be held.  Finally she is asking for cuddles.  And my heart couldn't be happie...

It has been awhile since I have been raw and candid.  Or even written on a regular basis.  But when I reflect, I get so much joy of looking back and re-reading the different stages we have gone through.  So here is a snap-shot of where we are.   It's January.  Another new year. Cabin fever has set in, and today has felt like a total failure.  It is out of Owen's nature to be extremely temperamental.  It is not, however, out of his nature to be clingy. Today, I experienced both. All. Day. Long.  Which, with two children now, is tough.  I can't take the crying and fussiness, so I can't really blame Haley when she acts out---acts out in frustration, acts out wanting attention, acts out because of sensory overload. By the end of the night I was drained.  I was vacuuming the floor--feeling very woe is me.  I reflected on the moments where I snapped at my kids--shamefully in front of YMCA employees.  Shamefully in front of strangers...

   Owen at 1 Year Couldn't have asked for a more mild mannered kid.  Such a lover. Eating three meals a day.  Loves cheese, fruit, and meat.  Also made it an entire year breastfeeding, meeting my goal for us!  Loves to play with sister and vice versa.  He is a pretty good sport about his typical high strung toddler of a sister.  (He takes her abuse well) He gives the best open mouth kisses. Loves to play peek-a-boo Says a handful of words. A decent sleeper. Stands unassisted for a couple seconds and has attempted a few steps.  Walking is somewhere on the horizon.  Smiles A LOT Loves playing with daddy.  They want to rough house and I am a typical mom about it. 

Owen's 11th Month Owen is now on to some finger foods, some table foods, and breast milk.  My goal was to nurse at least a year so we are closing in on that milestone.  He nurses between 3-5 times a day and is still a chunky monkey. He mimics a lot of sounds.  I find myself asking, "Did he just say _____?" a lot.  I am pretty sure he tries to say Drake and Haley.  He says hi, hello, mama, mom, dada, clearly.   He pulls himself up on everything and holds on with one hand.  He is not standing alone yet but he seems to slowly be getting closer to mastering the basics he will need for walking.  He is certainly getting more stability and control. He is SO sweet.  Gives open mouth kisses on the face.   He loves his sister and even rough houses a bit. He out grew his baby carrier and is now in a rear facing big kid car seat.  He is a decent sleeper but doesn't like sleeping anywhere other than his crib.  He...

Owen's 10th Month Owen gained another 2 lbs in 2 months and grew 2 inches.  We are still nursing and he is also eating a little bit of everything.  I need to really start working with a sippy cup. (23 lbs 4 oz) He says ma-ma and da-da He pulls himself up on everything and holds on with one hand.   He is very laid back and all smiles.  He loves the dog, his sister, and his sister's dollhouse. He is still in 18 months clothing He sleeps well. He is becoming more animated and aware of the world around him.  Doing a lot of mimicking. How the rest of us are doing I can't believe it has been 10 months already.   Haley is doing better with little brother now that she is earning stickers and rewards for being a good big sister.  It has been a hard transition. Other than that, it has been same-o really.  We are all just ready for the fall!

Owen's 8th Month We are getting close to our 1 year goal of nursing!  He still nurses 4-6  times a day and also eats purees and some finger foods.  (He really likes pancakes)  He never really took to a bottle, but I need to start working on water in a sippy cup the next few months. Still 6 teeth, no more teeth appeared this month. Still army crawling, but can now pull himself up to his knees and sometimes stands He sits unassisted He can say 'da-da' and sometimes 'maaa-ma' (I get maaa-ma when he is hungry) He is a good little sleeper but usually only takes on nap per day now. He LOVE Drake.  He thinks he is funny and tries to crawl after him all the time.  He also likes watching him out the window. He took his first LOONG care ride to North Carolina.  Road trips are over-rated.   How the rest of us are doing This has been an incredibly challenging month.  On July 24th my dad died of, what we assume, was a cardiac i...

Owen's 8th Month We are still breastfeeding!  Yay!  He eats some oatmeal, veggie and fruit purees, and yum yums as well.  He has 6 teeth.  4 on top, 2 on bottom  He is army crawling alllll over, so close to a traditional crawl He can sit up on his own for a few minutes now before face planting. He can say "da-da" now. He will grab faces and pull them in to give "kisses" He will inevitably crawl for the dog bowls, every.single.time. We survived herpangia.  Well, he is all better, but now Haley has it--and I have a suspicion that I am next.  He notices when I walk in and out of the room and I think he is noticing strangers. How the rest of us are doing Like I said above, Haley currently has Herpangia.  Poor girl.  Otherwise, she is finally adjusting better to the whole sibling thing.  She has her 'toddler' moments about it.  But 3 is shaping up to be a lot better than 2. Haley is growing more and more indep...