Abby's New Year -- 2012

We are in a new year...2011 is gone and 2012 is here!  2011 was a GREAT year because my little girl was born which brought so much joy to my life.  I am super excited about 2012 because Abby will be experiencing so many 'new' and 'first' things.  She will sit up, crawl, walk, talk, and turn 1 in 2012.  That is just CRAZY but so cool to think about too!  She will drink bottles and no longer drink bottles in 2012. She will stare/grab at toys to really play with toys in 2012.  We are hoping for a WONDERFUL year that will be filled with love, happiness, and so many memories.

Abby wanted to start the new year off with a bang so what better way then to EAT for the VERY FIRST TIME!!  She tried rice cereal for the first time tonight.  It's not just bottles anymore people we are slowly moving up to food.  She stares at people eating and really focuses on how you eat.  So we decided to let her start getting the hang of the whole food thing herself.  She still needs a little practice but she started learning to eat today.

It was so cute.  Her little tongue would move around and she would make a face like "what is this?" and "what am I suppose to do with this?".  I think she ended up spitting most of the cereal out but she did manage to eat a little bit of it.  She did pretty good all in all and I think she liked it.  So, she is 4 1/2 months old and it was the first day of 2012 so she accomplished a new 'first.'

I'm going to start giving her a little rice cereal every (or most) evenings for a week or two to let her get the hang of 'eating' and then we will start other baby foods, like fruits and vegetables.  For right now, we are feeding her food just in the evenings and slowly working her way up to eating baby food a few times a day.  I say this alot but it is so true...my precious little girl is getting so big and growing up so very fast!  Can we pause life just for a second so I can have a little extra time with my baby before she becomes a little girl?

Abby is Moving On Up in Clothes

Abby is moving from 3-6 month clothes to 6-9 month clothes.  Before I started back at work I went ahead and cleaned out the 3-6 month clothing and organized all the 6-9 month clothes in her dresser and closet.  She is set!  She is a little longer than average for her age (in 80th percentile for height) so the 3-6 month clothing still fits but is getting more and more snug.  I think she will be more comfortable in the 6-9 month outfits.  We did save a few of Mommy's favorites to wear one last time so we have about five 3-6 month clothes Abby is going to squeeze into one last time since they are just too darn cute!

Abby is getting so big, so alert, and is growing like a weed.  She is so playful and just so much fun!  I love spending all my time with my little girl...she's the best big girl ever!  Every day she is learning something new and GROWING, GROWING, GROWING!!

Abby's First New Year's Eve

Well I can't say Abby's first New Year's Eve was exciting.  We didn't do much; really nothing at all.  The morning of New Year's Eve we went with Daddy to do cow stuff and get a breakfast taco.  Then we came home and cleaned, cleaned, cleaned!  We did tons of laundry and almost got the house clean (we just have a little more to do).  Abby was a really big help!  Since she wants Mommy to hold her non-stop, I put on the backpack type carrier and put Abby in it.  She was facing forward so could see everything and LOVED it!  I bet she helped me clean house for a good hour and a half.  She was happy cause Mommy was holding her still (with a little help from the carrier) and Mommy had her hands free so was able to clean our dirty house.  We took a break from cleaning and went into Bastrop to buy some thing and then came home and cleaned some more.  After that we just relaxed and hung out as a family.
The BEST part of our very low-key New Year's Eve day was Abby laughed and laughed numerous times today when Mommy was playing 'peak-a-boo' with her.  She giggled and her baby laugh is just ADORABLE!  Daddy was able to capture a little of it on video.  She laughed at me even when I made no noise at all but just made a face at her.  She is so much fun these days!

New Year's Eve was just an ordinary day this year but it was still wonderful because I got to spend the day with Miss Abbygale.  Being around my baby makes everything just great!  We enjoyed a low key day and evening as a family because I am sure in future years Abby will be wanting to do stuff not so low key.

Abby's First Mini Getaway

Abby took her first weekend type trip and it was to see Mawmaw and Pawpaw in Kerrville, Texas.  We went after Christmas on Wednesday, December 28, 2011 and stayed until Friday the 30th.  Daddy and Pawpaw went to the deer lease to go hunting so we could have another year's supply of deer meat.  Mawmaw, Mommy, and Abby shopped and shopped and shopped some more!  The saying "shop until you drop" was exactly what we did.  We went to every store Kerrville had to offer from the chains like Pier 1, Wal Mart, and Big Lots to the boutiques and antique stores.  We had lots of fun.  Abby was the main attraction in the Kerrville Mall where I think every older person came up to talk to Miss Abbygale.  They loved her BIG pink bow!  We got some clothes, Abby some dishes, Christmas stuff for next year, and of course a hair accessory.
While we were doing some shopping, Gracie Girl (Grace) decided she was hungry so tore into Abby's dishes.  She ripped the box to shreds and managed to get out the plate, bowl, cup, and fork and spoon.  She must have been hungry and thought if she had the dishes food would magically appear.  Abby has some Grace 'love marks' on her fork to remind her of this little trip.

We had a great time visiting Mawmaw since we miss her so much when she isn't around.  Abby loves her to pieces!!  We can't wait until our next trip to see Mawmaw and Pawpaw.  Who knows where we will have to go next to find them!

I can't believe I only took one picture of Abby while on our first mini getaway and it was of Abby sleeping.  Mommy gets a F for documenting this trip in pictures!

Christmas Day 2011

Abbygale must have been REALLY REALLY good for her very first Christmas because Santa Claus treated her very well.  She even received a call from Mr. Santa and was so very excited to listen to him.  Christmas morning we woke up to see what Santa brought Abby and boy did he bring her some good stuff.  She already has TONS and TONS of toys so didn't really need too much more but she got even more!  She got a really cute bag with her name on it for car toys, a lunch tote with her name on it, a cinch bag with her initials on it, bibs, clothes (6-9 months and 12 months and 18 months), socks, Playskool Poppin Park, and a piano exercauser toy.

We hung out and played with all the new toys and then got dressed to go to Grandma and Grandpa's (Bryan's parents).  We had dinner with the family (Eva, Mackey, Clayton, Kristen, Colton, Mommy, Daddy, and Abby).  After our ham feast Abby got to open even more presents.  She got a Dino Ball Bouncy, her name in pink glittery letters, Alphabet Caterpillar, a baby doll, diapers, and more!  Our child has way more toys than she can probably even play with!

 Daddy making faces!

Aunt Kristen and Colton

 Our Little Angel...So Cute!

Christmas Eve at Granny's with the Ingram's

On Christmas Eve we went to Granny's to celebrate with the family.  Abby's first Christmas Eve celebration with the Ingram group was a success!  We enjoyed the visit, fajitas, 'as seen on tv' gift exchange, and a little bit of football!  Papa was missed greatly throughout the celebration (and each and every day) but we changed it up a bit and managed to have a good time.  But, boy was he missed!

Abby was loved greatly and received too many things.  She got a baby doll that coos and talks to her, name tags for her bottles and sippy cups, an outfit, a super cute picnic basket shape sorter toy, a savings bond, and some plates and snack cups.  And there was more too!

 Granny and Abbygale

 Love this one of her talking!

 Aunt Brenda and Abby

 Abby and Daddy

Abbygale and Her Exercauser

About one week before Abby turned 4 month's old she really started enjoying her exercauser!  She plays in it daily now and will entertain herself for roughly 10-15 minutes!  She has two different ones (a musical piano one and Baby Einstein one).  The piano one isn't set up yet but I think she will like it just as much as her Baby Einstein one.  Her legs don't touch the ground so we usually have a pillow under her so her feet can touch the pillow.  My baby girl is growing so fast!