must have been

This weekend Jake's cousin Dustin, Karen and Luke Weston spent a few hours at our house. It had been almost a year since we had seen them so it was really great to get together. It was also the first time the kids got to play with each other.

Abigail is only 2 days older than Luke.

Abigail is also only 4 days older than her BFF. (Love their matching bows)

Abigail is also only about 1 week older than another 3rd cousin, Siri.

I would say that there must have been a terrible snowstorm 9 months earlier but 3 out of the 4 babies born within a week of each other were in Arizona, and we all know that snowstorms just don't happen here.

love her

Most days we just hang out. Abigail and I. It's great. We might jump in the pool, take a walk, visit a friend or stay at home. It's fun watching Abigail grow and try new things. One thing we have noticed is her understanding the word "no touch" or "no,no." When I say it, she will stop and look at me. Sometimes she will actually stop what she is doing, other times she will attempt again. It's cute and she is learning.

Here is a look after I told Abigail not to touch a few cords she is right next too. She stopped, smiled and attempted again!

Giving me the "Why Mom" look right before I took the remote from her. (She has a different one we let her play with. However, she knows the difference.)

And this is just a great smiley photo. I love it and I love her!

fatherhood

Happy Father's Day!

It was a good day to celebrate our fathers. Especially for Jake who was able to hold and snuggle with his daughter on this day. Thanks Jake for being a wonderful Daddy and for taking such good care of us. Loving you very much.


I thought I would make a hand plaster of Abigail to give to Jake. 3 plaster kits later this was the final outcome. Every time I put Abigail's hand into the plaster she would squeeze it tight. So I kept redoing and redoing it until the plaster set. I finally thought, I would do her foot...which she then squeezed her toes. But it worked and at the last minute I added her hand. This was the best cast. Jake loved it.

"The living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy." 1 Tim.6:17

Waiting, please

waiting.....please


waiting....please

waiting....please

Lately Abigail will climb into this walker and then will wait for me to come and push her in it. We have a lot of fun running circles in our house.

No, not me

I know I don't have to share with you my most embarrassing moment but I will.

No, it wasn't me that while getting ready this morning hear a knock on the door. I knew Jake was expecting a delivery from Fed-Ex. While putting on my mascara I thought, I should really get dressed. I mean, I turned off the vent and tv so that I could hear if someone was at the door. But still my shower routine consists of makeup first then clothes and so I continued until panic struck as the knock on the door came. And so, no, it wasn't me that ran to the door with my very pink robe on.

To make the story even better, after Abigail's nap we went to the mall. No, it wasn't me that kept wondering, something is wrong when I looked in the mirror. And after studying I remembered that when the Fed-Ex guy came I was only half done with putting on my mascara. In fact, out of the 4 lashes only one had makeup on it.
No. Not Me.

I had...

...such a great weekend. Jake was home all week. After being gone for a month is was like a vacation at home. (Which are the best sometimes...well other than Maui) This weekend was no different. We swam, had lunch outside, went to church with friends and played with Abigail's growing toy bin.
I just felt poured on at church with praising our Lord and hearing Tom speak again. One of the best parts was seeing and hearing about the summer camp our teenagers just got back from. I experienced summer camp similar to what they did and I know how powerful and fun it is. I am thinking about those kids today and I pray that God continue to works in their lives. I pray that one day Abigail will go to summer camp and have the "best week of her life" learning about Jesus.

I'm chillin'

My AhHa moment

When I was pregnant with Abigail and I started shopping the baby aisles I thought to myself, "What?" "Where do I begin?" Now that Abigail older I thought I would put together a list of things that I loved using when she was a newborn and things that I still use now. I am sure that this list will continue to change as she grows so if there is something I missed or a product that you loved be sure to put it in the comments. I would love to hear about them.

Birth to 10 months in no particular order:

1. The Miracle blanket. The ultimate swaddle and a must have. You may even need to buy 2.

2. The bouncy chair. Abigail loved hers and slept in it many times. It was also nice to put her down in a safe place to make dinner or take a shower.

3. Video Monitor. Seriously the best 150 bucks we spent. We love watching her fall asleep and wake up. Love It!!!!

4. Baby Bjorn. Another Love It product. I used it all the time when she was a little bitty, in fact I still use it. We walk to get the mail, around the house doing chores and it makes airports easier to navigate. She loves it too. Some people get back aches but I have not which makes it a favorite and well worth the money.

5. Baby leggins. These are just plain fun. Super cute and a great way to dress on those cool morning or evenings. They even come in boy styles. You can find them at Target or online
here.

6. Bows. Every girl needs a bow or headband. You can go here for the best ones!

7. My Brest Friend. You guessed it, a nursing pillow for those early days and months of nursing. You know, the days when it seems like that is all that you do. It wraps around your waist and snaps in place

8. The pacifier. Abigail took to the Nuk brand and now sleeps with a few in her crib. (We are talking about when to get rid of it...any ideas?)

9. Carter's. I haven't tried all the brands of clothing out there but we have many Carter's clothes and I really like them. Comfortable, affordable and the sizing goes well with Abigail.

10. Bumkins* Bibs. Adjustable neck, washable and waterproof plastic making feeding a messy babe easier.

That's it for now. Again, let me know if there was something that you just couldn't live without!

Curiosity and playing

We have noticed that Abigail is very good at playing by herself. I guess that comes with being an only child. She is also curious about everything and is attracted to even the smallest of crumbs or fuzz. I sit on the floor and play with Abigail but a lot of time I like to watch her. She makes noise, tastes things, and presses buttons... I think it's fun to see her mind work and it keeps her busy.

"Ahh, the fan. That is so neat"

Look at me

You know your Dad is going to be a dentist when he does this to you.....

Look at those cute little teeth. 6 total now.

And after the fact she is still happy.

It is like Christmas, as Abigail is playing with her old toys that she hasn't seen in a month. They kept her very busy today.

And were off

Jake left this morning for the 24 hour trek back home. Abigail and I leave tomorrow taking the much easier and faster route via air. We are wearing sweatshirts and pants today and I can only picture us on Sunday in shorts, tank tops, oneies and our swim suits.

It was really great being here with our family. It was a blessing to have Abigail with her Grandparents every day. She has really connected with them both. I am sure that on Sunday she will wake up in her own crib and look around wondering where did everyone go?

Jake's rotation went wonderful. From day one he was able to get right to work without anyone looking over him. Some of his highlights would be extracting 18 teeth from one mouth, working on 2 convicts, being asked to come back and helping many patients every day.

With that said we are both excited to get back home, sleep in our own bed, see our friends, go to our church, make a Costco run and Rubios. (of course the last 2 places have to be on our list)

As we like to say in North Dakota,
Happy Trails

Oh the Lord is good to me.....

Last weekend the entire Wayne Heringer family were together under one roof. I posted earlier about it but I wanted to post a few of the group pictures we took. When you have 4 kids together it's a bit of a challenge to get them all looking and smiling but they did a great job and we have wonderful photos that captured the time together.

Happy Grandparents

Auntie Tanya looks awesome as she is the only one looking and smiling. But the kids really do adore her. After this we decided our photo shoot was over!

I am so thankful for the great family we have.

oh what fun

Lot's and lot's of family. Our stay in North Dakota is coming to an end this week but not without seeing so many of our family members. This weekend my parents made the drive from Wisconsin. They totally just ate Abigail up. But then again, what Grandparent wouldn't? Abigail was even blessed to have not one but two sets of Grandparents loving up on her!

Grandpa Ted is feeling Abigail's pain of being tired...

Oh what fun!