Family Living: Abbott Style

Thanksgiving may possibly be one of my favorite Holidays. You would think it would be Christmas. I mean, in theory, Christmas is my favorite because it is celebrating the birth of Christ--but that whole significance aside.Thanksgiving is the official kickoff to Christmas. When I see and hear Christmas songs and decor, I no longer get annoyed like I do the day after Halloween. I am full of Christmas joy, and all the Fa-la-la-la-la.  I am ready to put of the tree and wrap presents. I am ready to watch Christmas movies, It's a Wonderful Life-- cuddle on the sofa with nowhere better to go. And then when Christmas comes, it feels so bittersweet. Of course, it is CHRISTMAS.  So there is that, but then it is all over. Gone....just as quickly as it came. And all that is left if months of bitter cold ahead.  But that is neither here nor there. Thanksgiving has come and gone, and in true tradition--I think it is good to think about, and reflect on what I am Thankful for. I wis...

Here we go, week three of momma of two.  Already, I can't remember what life was like without Owen.  He has turned our world upside down.  It is a constant readjustment--but in a good way.   Ian is so incredibly helpful.  He has had a few days away from the house for various reasons--and we manage without him, but it is just a change.  Things don't get done as quickly--yet life feels like I hit the fast-forward button.  Very little down time when you are taking care of two.  I lean on technology much more than I would like (to entertain Haley while I am feeding Owen or trying to get things accomplished ) but I am slowly learning better ways to balance.  Thinking ahead and trying to be two steps ahead of everyone's needs is super helpful.  Owen is still an incredible baby.  Nursing is going well.  He gained almost a pound in a week! He sleeps well, but is starting to stay awake more and more throughout the day. ...

Today reaffirmed all my reasons for blogging. I couldn't remember the details of Haley's first few weeks at home.  How breastfeeding was going.  How sleeping was going.  When I put her in her own room.  All those types of things.  Back then, I blogged several times a week.  Often, the emotions were raw and the excitement and frustrations were uncensored.  I spent some good time looking back at those few weeks.  Somewhat cringing, but I have to remember--I was doing the best I could at that time.  Period. But re-reading what I wrote helped me remember all my mistakes and wins during those weeks.  So now I can better take on the weeks ahead. Owen is now 10 days old.  We are honeymooning it up right now.  He is eating and sleeping like a champ.  I honestly have zero complaints and couldn't have asked for a better behaved baby.  In fact, it is unsettling almost.  Too good to be true almost.  Like, I am sit...

We are home and settled in.  We hit the ground running.  For one thing, having two kids is a whole new ball game.  I am not sure how someone who doesn't plan well could survive.  I find most of my day is plotting out the next hour and trying to stay proactive.  It is all about anticipating both your kids' needs while remembering to nourish yourself.  Oh ya, and don't forget to be a good wife too. I can't tell you how lucky I am to have Ian at home with me.  That makes all the difference in the world as well.  I have a long way to go in this balancing act before I am efficient without him.  But I am getting there. Oh yes and sleep.  The lack of sleep hasn't caught up with me yet.  I took a solid nap yesterday which helped.  Owen nurses a handful of times over night but generally goes back to sleep.  I have discovered that wet diapers bother him over night but not during the day which I find interesting.  I change h...

11/8/ 2013: Sitting in a quiet hospital room, I am high on endorphins and oxytocin.  It seems somewhat surreal. I want to get it down in writing while it is all fresh.  So here it is: Owen's Birth Story: Last evening, we dropped Haley off at my mom's, an only child for the last time.  I had a rush of emotions that I couldn't comprehend.  From there, Ian and I headed home to pack our things and head to the induction.  An induction I was not entirely happy for.  I wanted to know what it was like to go into labor on my own, a reality I may never be able to experience. We got to the hospital and took care of business.  Cervidil was inserted, and I spent the night tossing and turning.  Sleep completely evaded me and I experienced complete relief when the nurse arrived at 6 a.m. to say it was time to get rolling. After getting around, we started Pitocin around 7 ish,  I had contractions but couldn't feel any pain (just the way I like). ...

Today is Owen's due date.  Clearly, I am still pregnant.  I was not one of the lucky 50 percent of the population that has their babies by 40 weeks.  I had high hopes of going into labor on my own.  I am disappointed (I can't see myself going into labor in the next 48 hours), but in the end all I care about is a healthy baby Owen.  And since I was looking at a schedule C-section early in pregnancy, I am happy with the outcome.   At this point, it still feels so surreal .  I spent sometime looking at photos and videos of the past 2 and a half years with Haley.   Laughing at how clueless I was about parenting (and frankly still am).  She still turned out alright so far, if I may say so myself.  She has a personality all her own.  Strong willed. Happy.  Energetic.  It makes me curious what Owen will be like.  It is certainly going to be different this time around.  Going from one kid to two.  I anticipa...

There was once a time in our lives when "date night" was a homemade dinner from my mom, and a movie on my parents sofa.  Staying up way too late, and pushing "curfew"  to the limits.  As he drove home at night, we immediately called one another, because the evening was simply not enough.  Neither one of us would settle for less than the rest of our lives.   Official date nights are now far and few between. So it is the sweet moments (like pictured above) I hold dear to my heart.  This was not planned.  It just happened.  After putting Haley down for a nap, we both sought refuge from the hustle of life on our sofa.  Within minutes, we were both asleep.  I stirred awake before him--aware that time was of the essence;  in so many ways, other than the obvious. The most pressing of issues being that he needed to get ready for work, I needed to mop the floors.  And such is life.  But for a few minutes, I just took it all ...

Hmmmm......was that a contractions?  Maybe.  Na..... That was most definitely a contraction.....I think. Pshhhhttttt Babe.....BABE WAKEUP.  I think I am in labor.  Feel my belly, do you think that is a contraction?  I have a feeling that I am so clueless that I would be one of the women who end up giving birth in a car because I had no idea if I was in labor or not.   Even when I was induced, I don't remember 'noticing' contractions until after they broke my water.  Then I wanted to die. I have been begging and pleading to go into labor on my own before the eviction date.  And I thought for certain I would go into labor over night.  I walked for an hour yesterday, came home and cleaned the house--while dancing around like a Zumbaing maniac.  Why?  Because I had so much energy I couldn't contain myself (total sign of possible labor soon).  I insisted on walking through the baby section at Wal-Mart ONE MORE TIME, because ...