All My Children - Abby

It has been so long since I have written about the big kids individually.  They are truly like sponges and just learn more everyday.  So much so that Chris and I have to be more careful what we say because they are always listening!

Here's what's going on with Abby:

I am so proud of my big girl.  She knows all her letters, numbers, and can write her name and our entire family's name.  This girl is eager to learn new things!  She still loves doing puzzles, but I think coloring and drawing is her top activity.  Of course, she is drawing princesses now!  She recently started doing more of the activities in the coloring book like mazes, matching, etc.

As far as eating habits, I think we can cross even more foods off the list.  She used to eat hot dogs and chicken nuggets, now it is like pulling teeth for her to eat one bite.  Sometimes she won't even eat mashed potatoes!  Her favorite meal of the day is breakfast.  Here she can put away multiple pancakes and second helpings of waffles.

Abby still lets me choose her clothing everyday and loves to wear dresses and skirts.  Yeah!  Doing her hair is another story!  She doesn't want it cut and it tends to always get in they way.  She doesn't mind though.

One of our biggest challenges is to open up more at school and other public venues.  I am really trying to get her to go up to girls and start talking.  Some days she will only play with the boys at preschool.  Other days it is just one girl.  She is enrolled in ballet/jazz and there is a girl from her preschool in the class.  I think she is making progress with talking to this girl.

Abs is also in ice-skating every Saturday.  It depends on her mood, but she can skate by herself now.  Though she is petrified of falling!  I think she prefers dance class to skating.

Abby is such an independent girl.  She doesn't mind playing in her room with her dolls, or sitting and coloring.  She has such a silly side to her and I love when she laughs.  She may not always be the one to come over and give a hug or kiss, but when I go to her, she always loves cuddling.  She truly loves her little sister and is always entertaining her.  She continues to amaze me every singe day!

Letter to My 10 Month Old Daughter

Dear Brooklyn,

This was a very busy month for us all.  It was the first time that all the kids were sick at the same time.  And unfortunately, you had your first ear infection.  Hey, you took it like a champ though.  You even loved the medicine!  The worst part is that your appetite decreased and you were a little fussy.  So different from your usual temperament.

We also had the unfortunate passing of our dog, Bailey.  You loved to watch him and whenever I said his name, you always looked for him.  I know you won't remember him, but your brothers and sister will.

Your tooth count is still at 8, but I am expecting some more to come in shortly.  I was looking back at posts from when your siblings were younger, and you blew them out of the water on that whole teething thing!  The one thing you have not done yet is crawl.  But, you are definitely trying and it does not stop you from getting around.  You scoot on your belly or roll to whatever it is you want.  I also think you are just so much squirmier than they were.  You love to explore and get whatever they have.  I keep telling them that when you are mobile, they will have to hide their belongings!

I cannot even express what a joy you are to be around.  You are just constantly happy and it is really fun to interact with you.  I get such a kick out of watching your expressions and seeing what you are seeing.  You love to clap and are waving hello and goodbye with both hands.  You give kisses too, which by the way is the sweetest thing ever!  You are constantly chatting and say "dada" and "mama".

As far as eating goes, we are trying new foods and you are loving it!  Hopefully it stays that way ;)

We are looking forward to when you start crawling.  I know you sometimes get frustrated that you cannot get to something quick enough.  I really can't believe that in 2 short months you will be 1!

We love you with all our hearts!

Love,
Mommy