Family Living: Abbott Style

On the plus side of spending hours recovering photos, I did find this one.  I had forgotten all about it.  This was taken the summer of 2006, the summer before my senior year....   To an outsider looking in....it is just a picture.  To me it is so much more... It's butterflies. It's falling even deeper in love. It's slow dancing to a love song. It's looking into his deep blue-green eyes and seeing my future. 5 years later, I sit cross-legged on the floor, looking into those same blue eyes of my baby girl and it hits me--the future is here.  The future is now.

Guess what I have been doing for hours today.... Besides feeding my monster every two hours (she usually eats every 3 hours and no more than 5 or 6 times in a 24 hour period).....Today she has already eaten 7 times and following the pattern, I have a feeling we have a few more feedings due before she sleeps tonight...IF she sleeps tonight.  Without a doubt, she is in the middle of a growth spurt. Besides the feeding marathon that has been going on in the Abbott household (I shamefully participated in a cookie eating marathon myself...) I spent hours trying to recover photos that I thought were long lost.   It all started Friday night.  I was planning on blogging, but I wanted to dig up an old photo from my external hard drive.  What I found was that a large number of my important photos were gone.  Vanished.  No more... I realized that I had a few of my photos plastered on Facebook, however they were on an account I had shut down last year......

I usually don't kiss and tell, but truth be told- I had a hot date last night. A family friend I've known for a few years has been asking to watch Haley since before she was born and I finally gave in.  Luckily I had a fabulous date to take my mind off the fact that my baby girl was not with us.   Let me start out by telling you about  http://www.restaurant.com/ http://www.restaurant.com/  is a lot like Groupon but better.  Sometimes they run a deal in which you buy a $25 gift card for the low low price of $3.00.  They have tons of restaurants in the area, many of which we discovered through the website and are now our favorites.  Saints Pub, Tailgators,  Freseros Mexican...just to name a couple.  Well last night, thanks to the website, we tried The Pick located at Johnson drive and 7 hwy.  It is a BBQ joint, and it was pretty good!  We started with the wings and a margarita.  Both were fabulous.  Hands down the best ...

Before... After...I don't have all the curtains and wall pretties up yet.... Overall, I am very happy with the outcome.  In person you can tell a much bigger difference.  It is much brighter.  Long story short, when we first panted the house it was a nightmare and when we would go back to touch up the paint, the paint did not match, so throughout the house everything was blotchy and now we are about to finish repainting everything, so no more blotches. Plus this is a less shiny sheen, which I like a lot more as well... Anyways..happy painting..

I just heard of a new fad...I had to share. See video below for details.

Well another Friday is upon us! Yesterday, a huge portion of our day was spent painting.  Once I finish the final touches and clean up the mess I'll post some before and after pictures of the new paint color (that will be a little later today, so stay tuned..) Last night we watched the Adjustment Buereu--and I was thinking how this was in my top five dramas I had ever seen.  Then I got thinking about movies and those that I enjoy.  I am not a huge movie buff by any means, but I do have a handful that I have thoroughly enjoyed...So instead of boring you all with the daily details of my life.  Let's take a break from that and I'll share my top movies of all time. Top Comedy Movies of All Time  10. My Best Friends Girl  9.Billy Madison 8.The Wedding Crashers 7.The Break Up  6.Good Luck Chuck 5.Billy Madison 4.Big Daddy  3.Happy Gilmore 2. Anchorman  1.The Hangover (Vince Vaughn, Dane Cook, Adam Sandler, and Zach Galifianaskis are pretty...

Oh where to begin. I love bedtime.  Haley just does an amazing time going to bed.  I think she enjoys her sleep, but more importantly.... her bed.  I'm starting to realize she is a little fussy about where she sleeps, she wants her  bed.  The moment I lay her in her  bed she looks so at peace.  Today was the first day I saw Haley laugh hard.  I've seen a few giggles here and there, mostly in her sleep. But tonight, she was belly laughing.  I was at my parents enjoying some dinner and cake.  While sitting at the kitchen table, I started playing with their vitamin bottles.  Shaking them and making all types of noises.  She loved it.  She would get to chuckling so hard.  It was so stinking cute! Having a child is such an amazing experience.  It is beyond anything I ever imagined.  It literally changes everything.... I really need to start back at the gym.  I was great about going at...

Prepare yourselves, I am going to be all over the place today, with a lack of well written transitions... First I want to share pictures of my kidlet...you can tell by the progression of the pictures that she eventually got very sleepy. I got in trouble last night..  I posted these photos on Facebook while Ian was at work last night.  He was sitting with some co-workers at Ihop and one of them started talking about how cute Ian's baby was, and then showed another co-worker the photos I had just posted on the internet...photos Ian hadn't even seen yet.  It is just crazy how technology and social networking works these days--but anyways, I will be sure to picture message them to Ian for from  now on so he can see them before the world does.  I am always challenging myself to be a better mom and a more efficient stay-at-home wifey.  I've found that I can really help simplify my day if I shower at night.  Duh.  Why didn't ...

As many of you are beginning your weekends, the Abbott's weekend is coming to an end.  The past few days we have been enjoying a mini vacation to the lovely Branson Missouri. I won't beat you down with every detail, but I will give a brief overview and say that we had an amazing time.  It couldn't have come at a better time.  I definitely needed a break.  We did take Haley with us.  I was a little nervous, but she truly did a beautiful job.  She stuck to her schedule, slept through the night, and pooed one amazingly, well-timed pooed (if you have been following my blog, you know--poo has been a bit of an issue lately) On the drive down, Ian and I shared lots of laughs to pass the time.  I really wish I would have written down some of the things that came from my husband's brain because he is truly a remarkably funny person.  We took a break from driving and stopped at the Osceola Cheese store.  Yay cheese. ...

I will never forget my first date. I felt so....grown up. A date. A real date. Just like I had seen on 7th Heaven and Boy Meets World. I was nervous for sure. Getting ready at my friend's house, being one of the "girls"... I even remember what I wore. It was a triple date. Applebees and a movie: Freddie vs. Jason. Now when I look back on that day...my heart feels heavy. Not nostalgia for the past, my youth..or for my exboyfriend. But because two of those six teens on that date are no longer with us. Mike passed away a few years ago in an accident on the highway. And then today, Mallory died in a car accident. At the time..they were the "it" couple. She was a volleyball teammate. Gorgous. Intimidating. Talented. Outgoing. He was athletic. Funny. Kind. It's times like this that you step back from your life and see the bigger picture. How life can change in an instant. My heart goes out to their families and friends. That news...

Here is your warning...I am about to whine, complain, and sound really ridiculous  My least favorite part of my day is from the time Haley and I get up (7 a.m.) to the time she gets up from her first nap (10 a.m.). The first part is that I am not a morning person. Not that I wake up as a total hag, but I just don't enjoy waking up with a lack of sleep.  Luckily, I am generally pleasant despite this. So it starts...wake-up and feed Haley.  Part of this is my own fault.  I have been both breastfeeding and bottle feeding expressed breast milk.  Bottle feeding is a pain because I am pumping all the time, then you have to wash bottles.  Breastfeeding is a pain because she usually wants to eat again sooner and seems less satisfied after feedings.  So it is me constantly trying to find the less of the two evils. Side note: Here is a fun fact.  Studies have found that it is better to breastfeed even if you are a heavy smoker, than f...

9 weeks...I've been a mom for 9 weeks now....why does it feel like I've been a mom.... forever?  Wait, can I say that out loud without looking like a terrible mother? I'm only partially kidding.  I think it is because, tonight, I am exhausted.   I wish I could give a legitimate reason for being exhausted.  I think it all is finally catching up to me. I am very under motivated this evening.  My to-do task of the evening was to go grocery shopping, which I conquered--10 packages of chicken breast later.  We now have over 20 packages of chicken breast crammed in our freezer.  Thank you Price Chopper. Tomorrow I planned on cleaning the house ( didn't I just do that, there is only 2.5 people living here, why do I feel like it's so dirty... ) but I am thinking, if I get it all done tonight, perhaps Haley and I could go do something fun tomorrow.  But if I am going to push myself that hard today--I may have to vacuum with a...

Well today started with a tear filled morning. Let me rewind... Friday July 1st Ian and I were walking around Wal-Mart and Haley has a diaper blow-out.  Baby poopies galore.  So I went to the bathroom, and changed her diaper, and on with life we went.   The next day I noticed she had not had a bm (that's short for "bowl movement", that's what us 'sophisticated' parents use when talking about poop).  She continued to be without poo the next day, and the next day, and the next day, and the next day........ By July 7th I had called the doctor and discussed with the RN my concerns.  After all, I've never had a child before so what do I know.  All I knew is my baby is pooping like it was going out of style then all of a sudden she wasn't.  They advised me to begin pumping and adding Kero syrup and begin stimulating her rectum to help her push out the poo...and even use a glycerin suppository is she still had not gone. Like a good mommy I followed dire...

Haley has been cooing for a few weeks now, but only every once in awhile.  When it slips out, she always has this look on her face of such focus, like she really has to try to make that sound.  This afternoon, I think she really figured out how to make sounds.  She was getting some tummy time on the floor next to me.  To be perfectly honest, I wasn't really paying attention to her.  I was setting up my computer, turning on Grey's Anatomy reruns, and preparing to pump.  Pretty exciting I know. Then I started hearing her coo.  Nothing out of the normal.  After a few minutes I noticed she was cooing a lot....like she had figured it out....like she found her voice.  Then they got louder and louder.  And then..  her tone changed. When I looked down at her, she was staring at me with this glare on her face.  And then I asked her "Are you mad mommas not paying attention to you?"   Her glare quickly turned to a huge smile and pl...

Watching MTV's Teen Mom actually makes me feel like a superior mother... P.S.  Haley is napping right now.  So far, our new schedule is a total success!  She slept from 7 to 7 and only got up once at 10 p.m. to eat.  Actually, I had to wake her up to eat at 10.  That girl got a diaper change and ate without opening her eyes once.  Life is rough.  

I should be folding laundry, but instead.... I have 223 posts on my blog.  I have only published 92 to the public. I was wasting time re-reading some of my old unpublished posts.  Re-reading stuff like that is like looking in the mirror while your drunk.  You feel kinda silly and all you can do is chuckle. I discovered a few things: *My blogs are very boring. *Blogging is seriously self-centered.  Why do I think anyone actually cares to read about every detail of my life (or the details I actually share)? Who really sits around and thinks about themselves and writes about themselves everyday.  Well me, obviously.  But...eww.  I'm not sure I like the way that sounds. *Some of my stuff really makes no sense. *The most interesting and personal things I write, I don't actually post. *I clean house...a lot.  And blog about it....a lot. *I have conversations with people who may or may not be reading.... (Does that make me schizophrenic or n...

Update: Haley just went down for her SECOND nap today....on "time".  I was lucky to get her to take one nap before.  I feel horrible that it took me two months before I figured out how to be a parent.  I know everyday won't be this easy, but seriously.  I really wish I would have listened to my mom and also read this book earlier (and used a little more common sense).  Sheesh.... Welcome back. And thanks for being nice. We will call today day one. After two months of yo-yoing my parent approach, I've made a decision and I am sticking to it. At first, our classes taught us...nurse baby and nurse baby often. She whimpers...I feed. We'll that is great and all if all you want to do it sit around and nurse literally all day. I tried to do a schedule but I was blindly and half heartedly following it. Yesterday I got Baby Wise....and a big duh! Pretty much it is everything my mom has been telling me from day one...but who listens to their mom anyway. ...

If you know me at all, you know that I am a Dr. Laura fan.  I'm pretty sure I was the only female 20-something that was rocking out to AM radio listening to talk radio.  I remember listening to her and coach-K in the afternoons when I had night classes.  Anyways, that is not my point.  My point is, the other day I was listening to her (on podcast because she's no longer on AM radio) and heard about a great deal I wanted to pass along to all the other new mommies out there. I think many of us know the wonderful power of the Moby wrap.  That thing is my secret weapon.  When I put it one, I kinda feel like super woman.  Anytime I am trying to get things done around the house, and I have a fussy girl on my hands, I just throw her in that and in minutes she is snoozed.  She likes it when I vacuum with her in the wrap. Seven Slings is a lot like the Moby but it doesn't have a bajillion yards of fabric and doesn't require you to know origam...

There is so much I could say about this weekend so far, but I simply do not have the time.  But I HAD to share this picture!  Haley met a new friend at our Bible study group.  The group is expecting two more newborns this year.  One in October (a girl) and one in December (a surprise)!  Hopefully this is the beginning of a long and wonderful friendship/ fellowship.  

Why am I still up?  Because my child has horrible gas. So what does this momma do about it, blog about it.  Us Abbott girls are real classy-like. Anyways, back to my child's gas.  Apparently, pooping is somewhat of a big deal.  A few weeks ago, my child decided not to poo because girls don't poop.  After a few days, she finally went.  No harm, no foul. Well here we are again, with the non-pooping.  It has been 5 days since my little one has produced a poo.  Not good.  SOO instead of breastfeeding, I have to pump my milk and add Karo syrup to it to encourage her to poo.  So here I am, blogging and pumping...blogging and pumping. As a result of her non-pooping, she has developed gas like you wouldn't believe.  They sound like man farts. No joke.  Like, if we are taking a stroll around Wal-Mart, and she let's one go--people wouldn't believe it came from a baby and not some crude mom.  I mean, these things are loud. ...

I had this big long blog typed..but it was all pointless ranting and raving. I decided I would keep todays short. I'm craving a big ol watermelon. Oh and Shave Shack. Too bad they are closed...or I would be heading to Price Chopper... That's all. Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.1

Todays tasks: clean house top to bottom, laundry, paint bathroom. Thanks to Haley taking a long nap...house is clean. She woke up for some lunch and then was chilling with me while we watch old episodes of Greys and folded laundry. She looked right in my eyes and smiled. She continued to smile and gave me a few coos in response to my excited chatter. Maybe she doesn't hate me so much after all. I have the best job in the world. Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.1

Since I'm a bright side kinda girl...and I enjoy happy endings.  I would just like to say--it's pretty hot to have a husband that can change the tire of his huge Powerstroke.  Whose a lucky woman?  This one, right here. P.S.  I was planning on painting my bathroom. Went to Lowe's and returned with 6 gallons of paint instead of just 1.  Looks like I have a huge painting project on my hands.  Bathroom, hallway, kitchen, and living room.  Should be a good time.  Who wants to babysit? The Abbotts and two pans of brownies are off to enjoy time with the family.  Happy Independence Day!

We thought we would be productive today, but on the way to Lowes we got a flat tire in Ians truck. Come to find out...the truck is missing the tool set required to change a tire. Yippie. Luckily a neighbor came and got us so we weren't stranded. Hopefully today ends better then it started. Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.1

Well well, welcome back. I hope everyone had a fantastic 4th of July weekend.  I know we did. The weekend started with us getting our sliding glass door replaced.  That thing has leaked terribly since we bought the house, so it was about time we got it fixed.  The hottest day of the year, and we had a huge hole in the side of the house....brilliant!  Oh well, it turned out fabulous.  We replaced the door with a french door where both sides open.  I think it's beautiful and I can't want til the fall when we can open it all up and feel the cool breeze. New door only means one thing: SHOPPING!  We gladly ditched the vertical blinds and went shopping for window coverings.  I had been wanting new curtains for that door ever since I saw my girlfriend Erin's new house.  They had this adorable set-up on their back door and I wanted to do something similar.  So I dragged Ian and Haley around town to pick out the perfect curtains.  It t...

Where did my day go?  Wow. So while waiting for Haley to fall back asleep (I've been working on not rocking her completely back to sleep at night, so it's been a very up and down few hours for me tonight...), I've been working on my mixed CD. Here is what I've come up with so far... 1. Two Weeks by Grizzly Bear 2. Cooler Than Me by Mike Posner 3. Secrets by One Republic 4. Dirt Road Anthem by Jason Aldean 5. If It's Love by Train 6. A little Bit Stronger by Sara Evans 7. Dog Days are Over by Florence and The Machines 8. Honey Bee by Blake Shelton 9. Doin' That by Clyde Carson 10. The Lazy Song by Bruno ( per Ian's request, it's his favorite) 11. Rolling in the Deep by Adele 12. Good Life by One Republic 13. Days Like These By Jason Aldean 14. Half of My Heart by John Mayer 15. White Flag by Dido 16. Are you Gunna Kiss Me or What by Thompson Square 17. Run Run Run By Phoenix 18. Teenage Dream by Katy Perry 19. Whatever it Takes by L...