Life with Abbey

Mommy, I know it's winter, and I know it's cold. However, I like it so much better when I can stretch my legs and wiggle my toes!

I see it as a diaper change; Abbey sees it as a chance to roll over, pull off her socks, and make a break for it!

Abbey attended the annual Day After Thanksgiving Party at the Sochas'. She was quite the trooper while the adults hung out, laughed, and played Outburst. Here, Uncle Joe is entertaining her with Aunt Amanda's fascinating necklace.

After a lot of visiting and entertaining, a girl needs some quality time with her favorite stuffed puppy.

Abbey's First Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving in Brighton, and we all really enjoyed ourselves. Abbey tried some mashed potatoes and enjoyed them, but in general she was most content when eating her old favorites - green beans and cheerios. Since she has started eating more finger food, she gets a little frustrated with being fed, but she also gets frustrated when she can't find her mouth quickly enough!

Ryan and I got engaged the day before Thanksgiving (5 years ago!), so the holiday holds a special place in my heart. Also, it starts the holiday season, which is my favorite time of the year. I feel so incredibly blessed this year, and it truly seems fitting to have a day to give thanks. Sometimes I get bogged down in the little things that make life stressful and frustrating, but those things pale in comparison to all of the positive things...Life is very, very good.

See Abbey, I told you that argyle is a hot pattern this fall!

Grandma, it's time for me to go see Daddy.

Grandpa, let's go explore!!

Grandpa is reading Put Me in the Zoo, one of Abbey's favorite books.

Grandpa's glasses are fascinating!

Happy Thanksgiving from the Ammans!

(If you are reading this, know that we are thankful for YOU.)

xoxo, Angie, Ryan, & Abbey

Oh the Places You'll Go

Abbey is becoming more and more mobile and loves getting into interesting places. It is so exciting to see all of the changes that are happening, but it is definitely keeping us on our toes. It's much harder to even just run into the other room to grab something now.

She noticed her pacifier in the laundry basket the other day, and she decided that she needed to have it. (We are working on just using it for naps and bedtime.) Resourceful child that she is, she decided she would get it herself. After climbing into the laundry, she forgot all about the pacifier (well, maybe I helped a little by taking it out of her sight) and ended up having fun playing in the clean laundry.

Who needs toys when you can play with Mommy's countless bags? Abbey is enthralled by my purses and work totes, and she is always managing to find things in them. Yesterday I swear she was trying to open a pen and then "write" on the floor...so cute! Another new favorite is our stairs. (She's sitting on the landing between our family room and the back of the house in this picture.) She is becoming quite speedy at getting up the full flight of stairs. We are trying to teach her to go down them on her tush, but she hasn't mastered that yet.

Fall in Michigan

Fall in Michigan brings a lot of great things, including beautiful displays of leaves changing color. Eventually, however, the weather gets chillier, the days get shorter, and all of those beautiful leaves end up on the ground. Abbey likes watching them fall (ha, ha) from the trees, and GMa took her outside one afternoon to play in a pile of them. She is so inquisitive about everything and the leaves were definitely not an exception! I am shocked that she didn't eat any of them. Maybe my mom just didn't take pictures of that part of the adventure.

The fresh air must've made her sleepy. She barely made it through dinner!

Wonderful Wednesday

So, I didn't work last Wednesday, and Abbey & I visited Stacy and Madison for the afternoon. We had such a good time hanging out. It's too bad that maternity leave doesn't last for years (paid, of course!) Madison sleeping peacefully after her bath.
Checking things out! She looks so much like Connor :o)

Stacy was too sweet to Abbey. She lent us a Leap Frog Learning table and a toy that can be a walker or a little car. The walker is a little too fast for her on our wood floors for now, but she likes being pushed around on the little car. She really gets a kick out of the music part of the learning table, and we are just happy that she has something steady to pull herself up on that isn't one of Daddy's speakers!

A Puppy for Abbey

Aunt Carolyn and Kimberly were recently visiting, and we had a girls' trip to Ikea. Abbey enjoyed playing in the children's furniture section, and she really liked the stuffed animals. There were lots of cute ones, and she liked most of them (except the beaver and the rat - I guess Swedish children like stuffed rats??) she was absolutely in love with the giant dog. Grandma tried to see if the smaller version would work the same magic...alas, Abbey had made her choice, and Grandma happily obliged!

She likes laying on him...Talking to him...Reading to him...

And laughing at him...
His name is Sparty, in honor of State's (lucky) comeback win over Wisconsin the Saturday we brought him home.

Rubber Ducky, You're the One

Abbey used to really dislike bath time. However, since her swimming lessons, she loves her bath. I couldn't resist taking a picture of her, in her duck pjs, playing with her rubber ducky.

Happy Halloween!

We spent some time at GMa Sharon & GPa Don's on Halloween. Aunt Carolyn & Kim are in town for the weekend, so Abbey (as always) enjoyed entertaining some new people. We had an unseasonably warm Halloween, so Abbey even got a spin around the neighborhood. It was a good attempt by GMa to get her to take a little nap, but she was much too interested in all of the excitement to sleep!Our little giraffe on the move.

Abbey loves crawling under the tables and checking out the books and magazines under there.

Now, we have been to the zoo a ton since we joined in the spring. You would think Abbey would know the difference between a giraffe and a kangaroo. Unfortunately for GMa, Abbey hasn't quite learned all of her animals yet and thinks that she is supposed to be jumping like crazy instead of leisurely strolling around.

Chilling out...

Abbey & Mommy with Aunt Jessica and her canine cousin, Honey Bear the Bee. Abbey wasn't sure if she should love Honey Bear or be scared. Honey Bear was super cute and just wanted to lick Abbey. The little cat in the picture is Abbey's Halloween gift from Uncle Donnie & Aunt Jessica, a black cat named Scaredy. Honey Bear needs a break from all of the excitement. A baby, a costume, trick or treaters...that's a lot for one little dog to handle in one night.

Later on, Abbey ate some puffs with GPa Don. She is getting a lot better with her hand-eye coordination, although that one got a little closer to her nose than her mouth!

Ok, GMa, I know that Mommy made it out of this high chair just fine, but I am pretty sure I can undo this velcro myself. Keep an eye on me, I like to try to climb out of things!!

Battle of the Puffs

Abbey and I spent another fun afternoon with Colleen and Brendan. Who knew, though, that a container of puffs could cause so much controversy?

Look, we can share!Only one of us can chew on the container at a time, though. Abbey's face is so funny in this picture.My turn!

Brendan gave up and decided to sit on Abbey's lap.

Here they are making up on their walk. It is so sweet to watch them grow up together. When we would first have "play dates" with them, they hardly noticed each other. Then it seemed like one of them would be interested in the other, but never at the same time. Now they are beginning to really be aware of each other and interact. So fun!

Boo Zoo

Ryan, Abbey, and I went to the Zoo Boo with Stacy, Eric, & Connor this year. Baby Madison stayed with Grandma, since the weather was a little chilly and almost rainy. Abbey was a little unsure about why we were putting a furry outfit with a head on her, but in the end, I think she made the most adorable giraffe in the world!

We all had a lot of fun walking around, looking at the fantastic zoo decorations, and seeing all of the kids. Connor loved seeing the treats pile up in his little pumpkin bag. The weather might have actually worked in our favor, because it wasn't too crowded. I think the Zoo Boo will be an annual even for us!

Abbey and Daddy hanging out. For a big part of the night, Abbey preferred being carried to being in her stroller. That's becoming a bit of a trend lately (our poor backs!) I think she likes to be up at our level, where all of the action is happening!

Connor had the best time in his wagon and was the cutest, I mean scariest, monster I have ever seen.

Abbey was exhausted by the end of the night. Between staying up late and all of the fresh air, she was practically sleeping when we put her in the car and definitely sleeping by the time we left the parking garage.