Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Spring Break 2011, Cancun

For Stu's Spring Break we took off for Cancun, Mexico. It was a much needed vacation. We had a great time, Abby thought she was in heaven. Our cute little rental car that had power nothing and no radio.
Abby and Shailey playing in the pool
Abby enjoying eating outside and not having to sit in a highchair
Abby's bed in the hotel
Love those thighs
Enjoying the hot tub
Swimming, Swimming, Swimming

Abby loved the fountains
Nemo Tube
The morning that Abby woke up at 5:30 am and got in bed with us. After an hour we fell asleep and Abby crawled on me and fell asleep. I had a dream that I was carrying a backpack that was so heavy that I couldn't breathe and my arms and hands were falling asleep. This is how I woke up. I realized it wasn't a backpack it was Abby.
Abby was making sure Shailey was nice and clean

Playing at the Beach

So cute!
Shailey let me tell you all about life!
Abby loves Watermelon
Out on the ocean in a paddle boat.

So tired after a day in the hot sun on Isla Mujeres.
Mmmm! Neapolitan Oreos
The Beach on Isla Mujeres

The one and only time Abby almost got in the ocean
Abby's new backpack full of sand toys
Abby dressing Shailey
1-2-3 Jump

Come on mom
Abby enjoying the little Mexican dolls at the flea market
Ooooo!
I had to take this picture. The water bottle is bigger than her.
The swing at the beach bar.

Floatin' away


1-2-3 Jump, again
Aren't they cute!

We started off by catching our flight by the skin of our teeth. We got to the airport over an hour early and the airport was crazy. We waited in line forever to check in because I couldn't check in online because of Abby. By the time we got through that line we had twenty minutes to make it to our plane. We ran to security and thank goodness for the family line we would never have made it with out it. Then ran to the international gate area and looked at our tickets and realized we were in the wrong gate area so we ran to the right one and straight on the plane. The Delta agent at the gate was waving us in. We found our seats at the back of the plane and people clapped for us when we sat down. The flight was scheduled to leave at 9:50 we got on the plane at 9:48. We started pulling out seconds after we sat down. I haven't run that much in a very long time. My shins were sore all week. The flight down was not too bad. Abby did very well she watched a lot of movies, including her favorite, "Memo... Finding Nemo." Stu and I even got to kind of watch movies of our own on our own little personal TVs. Thank you Delta for having free movies... that is about the only thing that is free. We got off the plane went through customs very quickly thanks to the family line and went off to find our rental car. We were not able to contact the rental car company I had originally rented through on Orbitz, so when Stu asked the Hertz guy if he knew how to get a hold of them he said that it was a 20 min. shuttle ride to get to that place and that Hertz would match our $50 for one week deal and they were right in the airport. That made it so much easier. Off to Hertz we went. By the time we got our car Abby was screaming out of control. We got in the car she asked for her binky and blanket and she fell right to sleep. She was exhausted. It is interesting how people drive in Mexico. There are lanes painted on the road but no one really uses them. By the end of the week. Stu was a pro at Mexican driving. We fit right in! Our resort is only half finished but is was still beautiful. Our part was just finished in January, so it was nice and new. We met Dix, Lacey and Shailey and had to get all the info on the place. The whole time the woman was talking Abby just wanted to go to the pool. We got to our rooms, got settled in, and headed off to dinner. We went to the food court at the mall. I hate not being able to speak Spanish. I didn't dare order my dinner, and when I finally did. I didn't get what I asked for, obviously they didn't understand me. Oh-well. It wasn't too bad. Stu and I shared it. After dinner we headed off to the Superama, by Walmart. We got some groceries. We had to get all of our favorite foods we buy in Mexico that they don't have here. Like the better flavors of yogurt, Doritos, and juice. Bed time was much easier than what we had expected. Abby doesn't sleep anywhere but her bed. Trips have always been a challenge. BUT... This hotel had full size Cherry wood cribs. It looked similar to Abby's crib at home so she thought it was hers. She went right to bed, slept through the night and woke up about 8. That was the only day we got to sleep late. Every other day Abby got up between 5:30 and 6:30. She did take 2-4 hour naps everyday, but we would have preferred to sleep in. Oh-Well! The rest of the days were all kind of similar. We got up, watched Baby Einstein for a bit, ate breakfast, sprayed Abby and the rest of us down with sunscreen, got our swimsuits on and headed to the pool and beach for a few hours. Then we would go back to the room have lunch (Abby not in a highchair, she thought that was great!). Then Abby would take a bath in the huge bath in our room... usually with one of us, since we could fit in this tub, then the other would take a shower and when Abby would get out of the bath she would want to go take a shower with the other one of us. All of her favorite things in a day - Pool, Bath, and Shower. Then it was nap time. Most days we would all take a nap with her.
Abby loved the pool. Her favorite thing to do was to jump off the side or the stairs. We got her this little Puddle Jumper life jacket and she loved to wear it. She just floated around and thought she was as big as us. On the beach she liked to play in the sand, but would not get in the Ocean. We tried a couple times to take her in, but she would freak out. There was a bar at the beach and it had swings instead of seats for people to sit on and Abby liked to go sit on the swings. The bar tender asked what I would like and I had to explain we just wanted to swing on the swings.
One of the days we tried to go to a flea market but Abby was awful she just wanted to run off and play with all the little wooden toys and the dolls. She screamed the entire time so we just took her back to the hotel. It wasn't worth it. We did get to go back to the flea market later in the week. Dix stayed at the hotel with sleeping Abby while Shailey and Lacey, Stu and I went to the flea market and enjoyed our little shopping experience. We all got some sun glasses.
Another one of the days we took a ferry over to Isla Mujeres. We realized after we bought our tickets that the newer, faster, tourist ferry was just a little bit farther down the road. We bought tickets for the older, "locals" ferry, that we had to wait an hour for going both directions.
We got a laugh out of it. The beaches on the island were absolutely gorgeous. The water was clear, blue and warm. Too bad Abby hated it but we bought her some sand toys while we were waiting for the ferry so she was happy playing in the sand with her new toys, backpack and eating Neapolitan Oreos. We tried to wander through the flea market on the island but it was SO HOT we were miserable. We needed to get in the ocean. On the way back to the ferry both Abby and Shailey both zonked out.
Another morning we went to the time share meeting at our resort. It was only an hour and a half and we got a free breakfast. They tried to get us to buy with Dix and Lacey and split the weeks, but they didn't realize that both of us are very poor! Abby liked it. They had watermelon at breakfast - her favorite! Then they had a kids play area that had a big picture of Mickey Mouse and friends and a Whale (Shamoo). They also had lots of puzzles.
Those are about the only excursions that we did other than going out to dinner a few times. I really wanted some good Mexican food while I was in Mexico, but Stuart got some good Mexican food and I didn't. I ordered a Pork burrito at one of the places, it was okay but it was just orange pork and a flour tortilla. Stu got some steak thing that was delicious. Another night we went to this cute little restaurant in the bottom of the bull fighting arena and Stu ordered me steak tacos, because I couldn't even read the menu. When I got it there were six little corn tortillas (I don't like corn totillas) and a bunch of steak pieces all over them. Nothing else! Stu got yummy fajitas. On the way home from this restaurant Stu pointed out a McDonald's and Abby started pointing out the window saying Donald's, Donald's. So we decided to stop at McDonald's so I could eat something and Abby too. We ordered some Chicken Nuggets and fries for us and you would have thought that we had been starving Abby all week. She just started stuffing Chicken Nuggets in her mouth whole and stuffing french fries in. She was in heaven. When we got in the car, most of the way home she sat in her car seat, with her hands up in the air saying, DaDonald's Yay, DaDonald's Yay, Chicky Yay! When we got back to the hotel I wanted to take a picture of Abby and I realized that I had left my purse at McDonald's. Stu took off and went back to the McDonald's to see if it was still there. I figured it wouldn't be because we were sitting right by the door and it was a very busy McDonald's and part of town. Thank goodness I didn't have my wallet in it. It was just baby stuff, the camera and a walkie, talkie. We were blessed! The purse and the camera were still there. What a relief!
Abby loved Shailey. She wanted to dress her, feed her, give her toys, take a bath with her and wash her. Shailey liked Abby too. They were pretty cute together. I wish the were a little closer in age. Shailey is 8 months, Abby is 19 months.
We were ready to come home by the end of the week and get Abby back on her schedule. But now I would like to go back. I miss the sun, and Stu! Back to life.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Big Sister...

Abby is going to be a big sister in September! Every time we ask her if she wants a baby to come and live with us she says... Ya! This one is going to be a little different than her baby dolls. Baby is due sometime between September 23-25. We went to see Dr. Grandpa yesterday and all is well, baby had a heart beat of 156. Here we go again!


Monday, February 28, 2011

No Way!

Abby rarely wakes up in the middle of the night but she did the other night. I got her some milk and went in to save her. I walked in her room and she stopped crying and just started jabbering telling me all about it. I asked if she wanted some milk she said ya. So we sat in the rocking chair drank some milk and read some books for a while. When I told her it was time to go to bed she told me NO WAY! She had never said that before, we have no idea where she learned it. I just started laughing. and she just kept saying no way, very sternly. Ever since she says it all the time. Kids pick up on everything. We don't say no way, it must have been on TV or something. Oh-well it made us laugh.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

I forgot the two most said words...

I too=me too - anywhere or anything we are doing we her i too
Cheese - she loves to eat cheese she would eat it for every meal if she could, thank goodness she seems to be growing out of her milk allergy, and loves to say cheese anytime there is a camera around.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Abby's Favorite Words...

NO!!!!

No?

Poop - which she and all of her animals pretend to do on the toilet

twost=toast

turdle=turtle

dah=dog

ya

bye, bye

juice

go, go

bath, bath

peace=please

cheat=treat

Mmmmm

fisssh=fish

seep=sleep and sweep

seeie=swing

outsigh=outside

two, three, six, eigh

at=cat

mama

mom

dada

jump

ello=hello

nana=banana

uh-oh

i=hi

apoh=apple

choo,choo

bb eyestye=Baby Einstein, a new one she started today!

I wish I could type them all, she just never stops talking. We just love to listen to her jabber. I think in the last couple weeks her vocabulary has tripled.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Valentine's Day!


Valentine's Day has always been an over rated holiday in my mind, but it is always fun to have a reason to celebrate something. This year Stu and I didn't get anything for each other because we really don't have the money. We figure down the road a few years we will do gifts and flowers and all that stuff. We did get Abby a little present though, and she was very excited to open it! We had our usual morning, then Stu headed off to school and Abby and I hung around the house. Abby wouldn't take a nap, the little poop, so I really didn't get much done. Stu came home and we headed off to dinner. Once again we are to cheep to go somewhere we have to leave a tip, and we really didn't want to wait for a table so we went to Greek Slovakia. It is one of our favorite places to eat. Abby was so naughty at dinner. Usually she loves eating there, but not last night. She would not sit down, ate a half of chicken nugget, and wanted to play in all of our drinks, then just wanted to get down and stood at the door banging on it while we finished. It was very romantic! Then we came home got her in bed and Stu took the night off from studying so we could watch a movie. I got to choose the movie, so of course it was a chick flick. I choose Life As We Know it. It was a cute movie, but some off the part hit a little too close to home. For example, when the guy in it was watching what he wanted to watch on TV and the one year old wouldn't stop crying until he turned on Wonder Pet or the Wiggles. We just laughed. It wasn't the best movie to watch to get away from life with a one year old. Then about half way through the movie Abby started screaming. She rarely wakes up at night these days, but of course one of the days we want to try and have little bit of a romantic evening together we ended up watching Baby Einstein all together on our bedroom floor. She finally went back to bed forty-five minutes later and we got to finish our movie. Not that Stu and I used to have the most romantic Valentine's Days, but things are definitely more exciting when you add kids.


Happy Valentine's Day!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

I Don't Want to go to Bed!


Abby has never really put up a fight when it was time to go to bed. Usually I wrap her up in her blanket she takes her binky, we read a couple stories maybe sing a song and she points to her bed. I put her in her bed and lately she has been saying love you then waves bye, bye, that's the whole process. But today she screamed and screamed when she had to take and nap and even more when she had to go to bed. She fought me when I tried to put her jammies on, then she kicked and screamed while I brushed her teeth, then she ran from me and hid on the stairs. Stu and I just sat at the bottom at the bottom of the stairs and laughed at little miss pouty. When we finally got her in bed she screamed so hard she started coughing and gaging. We went thought she had thrown up we went back in her room and she quieted down and let me read her stories. Then she just wanted to snuggle with me and rock. As big of a pain as she was tonight I loved that moment just holding her. She never lets me just hold her anymore. She is always on the move. It was so great to just snuggled and rocked while I tickled her face and played with her hair. I love her so much!
Isn't this the best pouty face!

Little Picaso

Abby loves to play with Mr. Potato Head. Here is some of her latest work...



Tuesday, February 1, 2011

18 and 1/2 months

Abby had her 18 month check up today.
  • 33.6 inches (95th percentile) Dr. Cramer said she is the height of a 25 month old. Know wonder none of her cloths fit and I have had to by 2T.
  • 25.9 lbs (70 percentile) She is slimming down!
  • 18.3 inches for her head circ. (35th percentile)

I just love this age. Abby is so happy! Just talking up a storm. She thinks she is as big as everyone else. I can't believe how much she understands. Yesterday I was eating some stew and she wanted me to pick her up so I picked her up and she pointed to my bowl and said Mmmmm soup! I don't think she has ever really had soup. I have no idea where she learned it.

She knows she is not supposed to poop in the tub and the other day she pooped a little nugget in the tub and stood up and said uh-oh. So I grabbed her out of the tub and put her on the toilet. She sat there for a second and wanted to get off so I said if she didn't want to go poop in the toilet she would have to put a diaper on. So she goes running over to the cupboard that usually had some diapers in it and there were all gone to she frantically started looking in all of the cupboards and drawers. I said to her there aren't any diapers up here we have to go down stairs and she went running out the door, when I tried to put her towel on she got mad. SO I picker her up and we ran down stairs we grabbed a diaper and she laid right down and let me put it on. (Usually after baths she fights me and won't let me put a diaper on.) She went off playing by herself and little while later she came and found me and had done her business.

She makes me laugh. Lately when I put her down for a nap or bed she will talk to herself for 30 min to an hour before she falls asleep. The last few days she doesn't want me to sing her songs or to pray before she gets in bed she just wants me to put her in bed and after I put her in bed she looks and me and and waves bye, bye! I just want to know what she is doing after I leave.

What Abby likes at 18 months...

  • DOLLS! She loves dolls she will carry around 1-6 or more dolls at a time. Yesterday I asked if she wanted to go take a bath and she rips the dollys clothes off and runs to the tub. Everything I did to her she did to the dolly. The dolly has to go pee, pee in the toilet many times a day, sit by her when she is eating and get fed... num, num, num. She seems to like the dolls naked. I don't know if that is because that is how she likes to be.
  • PB and J, chicken nuggets, fries, almost any kind of fruit, frozen corn, cinnamon toast, sometimes frozen peas, but that is about the only vegetable we can get her to eat. Some kinds of chicken, Ramen noodles are a favorite, Rumbi's brown rice, and lots of other kinds of rice, fruit snacks, Triscits, Wheat Thins, Lorna doons, the other day she ate spaghetti with marinara sauce- who knows if she will eat it again, nuts- cashews a favorite, any thing sweet, the cheese off pizza and some of the crust if it has some sauce. She loves to dip... she will pretty mush dip anything in anything that seems like a dip. Chicken in applesauce is a common one.
  • She kind of likes to have her teeth brushed.
  • Still loves reading books
  • Still HATES carrots
  • loves to talk on the phone
  • Loves TV, way more than she should, I still think that the Disneyland Sing Along songs is her favorite, she still loves Baby Einstein, Mickey Mouse Club House and a bunch of shows on Nick Jr. She sings along with the Wonder pets and Olivia theme songs. When she wants to watch TV she will just go and climb up in the arm chair in front of the TV sometimes with a snack some times with the red fuzzy blanket and just sit there until we turn it on. Oh ya, she watched Finding Nemo for the first time last week and I can honestly say I am really sick of that movie now.

There is a lot more but that is all I can think of right now! I just love to listen to her try and talk. She counts to ten pretty well, she hits the number 2,3,6, and 8 really well. I just love her to pieces. Every day she makes me laugh and brightens my day. She really is a good little girl!

Love you sweet heart!