Family Living: Abbott Style

Yup...its happened. I'm one of "those" moms whose facebook and blog is plastered with pictures of their kid. Oh well. Today was very low key after such a busy weekend. I woke up early and was able to workout and sneak in my chores before she was up for the day. My aunt and cousin came for a visit which was great! We always love visitors. Keeping my fingers crossed for another easy night. Two nights in a row? Could I be so lucky?....... Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.9

The bassinet is a solid three inches further away from the bed than last night....AND I did not hold her, rock her, cuddle her to sleep. I laid her in bed semi-awake after feeding her and allowed her to drift off to sleep on her own. Progress.....the truth is, I think it is harder for Mom than baby. Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.9

Oh what a weekend. Haley had her first adventure to the lake. The only thing we forgot was her hair brush and my camera. Not too shabby for our first try. It was pretty laid back and we got some good time with the family. Now we are capping off our weekend with a visit to our good friends, the Heffleys, now Missouri folk. I couldn't be more thrilled for them in purchasing their first home. Its crazy that they will no longer be a quick 10 minutes away! (Thank goodness for cell phones and blogs) On a side note, as I am blogging on my cell I notice a car full of chicks riding along side us...a giggleing husband tipped me off that something was going down. I look over, and a very attractive girl is hanging out the window holding a sign that say "HI HOW OLD?" I look over to my husband to see his response...he holds up his hand and points to his wedding band........what a good man. The second time this weekend that he has been approached by a group of girls...mu...

While Haley decided to suck on my index finger, I felt around on her gums and noticed something hard. I thought there was no way it was what it felt like so I had her open her mouth to take a closer look. Sure enough, a small white tooth is peaking through her newborn gums! I did some research, and while it is rare it happens. Reality began to sink in that my little newborn won't be a newborn for long. She already is looking different to me....oh how parenthood is bittersweet. Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.9

Oh little Miss Haley Michelle...you amaze me. From the last week I have gathered that she is an eating...pooping...crying machine. Today she spent a good two hours awake...looking around...learning. It was so amazing to watch her respond to her enviroment. I'm so excited to see her snile and laugh soon. We have been laying low all day today. This is the first day in a week where we haven't got out of the house at all and honestly its been really really nice. I got some more decent sleep last night...got up and did a little work out. The worst of recovery is finally over and I've been feeling really really good. We are looking forward to a trip to the lake this weekend. I am hoping she sleeps well while we are there...i know I plan on catching some major zzzzs Hope everyone has a fantastic holiday weekend. Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.9

In celebration of my first decent night of sleep, I think I will take my new found energy and do a little blogging.  Since Haley was born, she has had her nights and days confused.  Not that I was real surprised by this, as it was always a party in my uterus after 9 p.m.  After taking a big girl bath last night, I fed her and put her in her bassinet around 9 and she didn't wake up to feed again until 2 a.m. and then again at 6 a.m.  Some victories in parenthood.  I am hoping this new schedule will stick. So we have been home from the hospital for a week now.  This last week has gone by in a complete blur.  Recovery was brutal.  People tend to leave out that small detail.  The day of my delivery, I thought, oh what a breeze that was.   With help from the epidural, I had a comfortable labor and delivery.  I only had to push for 12 minutes before she made her grand entrance into the world.  She did have the c...

So Miss Haley has arrived. I'm eager to share all the details but our home internet is down and updating via phone is just more effort than I can produce at the moment....so stay tuned, and I will provide many pictures of our new addition, the ups and downs on labor, and recovery at its finest....and anything else interesting along our journey.....Hang tight...I promise I have not forgotten. Xoxo - Bre Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

8 P.M. Sunday Night--Came in.  Dilated to a 1 on my own.  Glad my body decided to catch on just in time.  They hooked me up to the monitors.  Heart rate looked good, already having painless contractions on my own. Insert Cervidil...contractions become slightly stronger and more frequent.  Still painless.  No Labor yet. 11 P.M. Finally allowed to pee, eat, and drink.  Sent Ian to McDonald's for some yogurt and three grilled chicken wraps.  Very tasty.  Attempted to fall asleep.  No such luck.... 11 P.M.- 2 A.M. Tossing and turning.  I screwed up the monitors and it stopped reading the baby's heart rate.  I tried to fix it on my own so the nurse wouldn't have to.  No such luck.  When she came in, she offered me some sleeping aids.  I happily obliged. 2:30 A.M,- I begin to wonder if she gave me caffeine.   Feeling wide away. 2:31 A.M.- ZZZZzzzz......Finally 6:00 A.M.- Rise and shine.  T...

Here we are.  From the very moment I peed on that stick, and two lines appeared, I wondered what today would feel like. Today is the day.  In just a few hours, we will be one our way to the hospital.  I had hoped that I would go into labor on my own.  I tried everything I could to encourage my body to go naturally, but for some reason my body and Haley have both been stubborn. This is probably what I am most nervous about.  From what I have read and what I've heard, most women who go in for inductions are at least dilated   Not me.  She hasn't even dropped yet.  I'm anxious that this maybe a long process, but I am hopeful that I am wrong.  12 hours of labor or 24 hours of labor--I don't care, as long as we are all healthy in the end. I have enjoyed the quiet moments Ian and I have had the last few days.  I'm glad we put aside time to spend together, just the two of us.  When I am with him, it is like all of my anx...

Next week at this time, I should be home from the hospital with a newborn baby   my  newborn baby..... Somethings are not easily articulated.  This is one of them.  I couldn't even begin to share my current thoughts and emotions.   I'm thankful for my husband.  He seems to know what I need, when I need it.... Since our doctor's appointment, I've started to feel exhausted and ready to rest.  I think Ian is nesting.  He hasn't sat down since we got home.  He even ate his PB&J over the kitchen sink.  Now he is trying to install a car seat in his truck.  I didn't have the heart to tell him not to worry about the truck's car seat.  We have one in the SUV and I can't really imagine a time where we would need to take his truck anywhere. I guess it's better to be prepared......there is a million things I can be doing.  But I'm simply too overwhelmed.  I need time to process.   I'm glad we have a somewhat busy sch...

Tomorrow is Ian's 25th birthday!!  We have some lunch plans to go eat some pizza and then I also wanted to make him something special for his birthday.  Instead of making or buying him a cake, this year I decided to make him my mother's famous Peanut-Buster Parfait.  I had to share, as summer is on the horizon and it is definitely a wonderful summertime treat.   Bottom Layer: Oreo Cookie Crust   To get started you will need:   9 x 13 pan 1 package of Oreo cookies 1/3 cup of melted butter Crush the cookies into crumbs.  I used my food processor to speed up the process.  Once the cookies are finely crushed, add 1/3 cup of melted butter.  Take the cookie mixture and press into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan.  Pop pan into the freezer to firm up the crust Middle Layer: Ice Cream and Peanuts You will need: 9 x 13 pan with firmed Oreo cookie crust 1/2 Gallon of vanilla ice cream (works best if it is the cheap ice cream...

Today I find myself reflecting on my own mother as I prepare to make the transition into a mother myself.  When I ponder about what type of mother I will be and what type of mother I would like to strive to be, I find myself blessed with such an amazing example.  A mother-daughter relationship is rarely a simple one, but it could possibly be one of the most important ones in our society.  A mother teachers her daughter how to be a friend, wife, and mother.  For me, my mother is a constant source of guidance.  As I reflect on our relationship, I wondered to myself, what is the MOST important thing I have learned from my mother.  I could go on for days discussing the valuable life lessons my mother has taught me, but today I realized the most important thing she has ever taught me….to love God. My mother’s faith has always inspired me.  She has not only taught me how to love God by teaching me about God, but she shows me each and every day that she lo...

Sometimes, when I look back--I wonder how Ian puts up with me.... Ian and I finished our house just a few months before we got married.  It was quite the nightmare "adventure" for a 20 and 23 year-old.  For those of you who don't know, we bought our house as a foreclosure.  The builder got most of the way building the house when his company crashed and was forced to hand the half-finished house over to the bank.  The outside was mostly finished, minus guttering, but the inside was sheetrock and sub-floors.  We honestly couldn't have done it without the help of family and friends who spent hours helping us paint the entire inside.  (Our helpers have since sworn off painting ever since). After the house was finished, Ian found a really good deal on an Anderson storm door for the front of the house.  By really good deal, I mean AMAZING deal.  The company had donated a bunch of screen doors to a church for an outreach program. ...

I'm going to try to keep this short and sweet.  Today, I woke up next to my best friend and husband of 2 years.  While I watched him sleep, I felt at peace as I thought how lucky I am that I get to call him my husband until the end of time.  Through the ups and downs of marriage--here we are today.  Only 2 years later.  I look forward to the adventures we are to face in the years ahead of us, and I am learning to embrace the adversities we have overcome in the past.  While it is important to reflect and learn from the past, especially on the mini-milestone of a 2 year anniversary, today I want to focus on our future together.  My goal is for us is to continue to strive for a biblical marriage as God designed.  Each day, I try to pray for His guidance in our marriage and that we can follow His design.  I love him with all my heart and I am so blessed to have Ian as my husband.