Abigail's First Day at Resurrection!

Monday was Abigail's first time going to Resurrection Lutheran School (Mother's Morning Out). I am so thankful that GOD provided for her to be able to go two mornings a week. This means mommy will have two mornings off...wow.

One of Abigail's favorite phrases is "I can't want to." She did not say it on Monday, she was so excited to go to school, and of course picked out her outfit. I love her SO MUCH! God has richly blessed us with eternal blessings!

Movie Monday: Late Night Talk with Abigail

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Movie Monday: "Shy" Abigail Saying her Colors

Abigail is not shy at home and talks all day long. BUT get her in front of a camera or a small amount of people looking at her, she becomes very shy. I was excited to get her to say this much in front of the camera!

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Abigail's 2 Year Old Stats

Weight: 27.8 pounds 50%
Height: Did not write it down but she is in the 50-75%

She went for her 2 year check up back in December, and the doctor said she looked great. She is above-average with her language and lots of other categories, and I do not take it for granted for one second! It is so nice having babies in the 50 percentile because they actually wear their age (2t). Jackson weighed 27 pounds at his 2 year check up, (here) and the strange thing is that they are always 10 pounds apart. Jackson weighs 38 pounds now...crazy!

She has the sweetest voice, and to me she gets prettier and prettier every day. Her favorite new phrase is "not again" (too cute). Today she wore panties for the first time and if it was summer time, I would have her potty trained! Every day, I am thankful for my precious Abigail. I love our one-on-one times where we snuggle in the bed. It is so nice that she will sit still for 30 minutes or so. Lastly, she is a great singer, but gets VERY shy when she is in front of people or I break out the video camera (unlike Jackson). One thing though I am praying for her is that she will learn how to not be so dramatic. Her cry is the same if she has hurt herself or if Jackson took a toy away from her (this is of course hard on mommy and daddy).

I am overwhelming thankful for my babies who are growing up so fast.

Pictures from Celebrating Cousin Jake's Birthday!

We had a great time celebrating Jake's birthday Saturday at Monkey Joe's in Columbia. Jackson's favorite place on earth is probably Monkey Joe's, so I started telling him about this party last Monday. Jackson woke up early Saturday morning, and was VERY excited about getting to go celebrate Jake's birthday there. Abigail and Jake's birthdays are only two weeks apart so she got to open up her presents from them then. Jackson and Abigail are so blessed to have cousins so close in age (Zach and Abigail are only two months apart in age)!

Happy 2nd Birthday to my Sweet Baby Girl!

Dear Abigail,

I cannot believe you are already 2 years old. Time has really flown by with you! You are so sweet and loving. You hug me, pat me, and tell me it is going to be ok all the time. You love babies and love taking care of them. God has gifted you to be so smart. You talk in sentences now, and know your colors, and remember lots of people's name from the church. You are also very content little person, and whenever it is just me and you at the house, you are able to entertain yourself. You are a joy to be around. Things have come pretty easy for you, just like the day you were born. Delivering you was one of the best days of my life. I was not in labor for a long time, and only pushed two or three time and you were born, instant relief. I was a little concerned that you did not cry, and it really looked like to me and everyone else that you came out smiling. We are so blessed to have you as a daughter. Every day I thank God for you. Children really are the most precious gifts God could ever give to a person! I cannot wait to see you grow in the fear and wisdom of the Lord. You love your Bible and carry it around with you a lot. You are going to be such a great wife and mom, and I pray for your spouse every chance I get. I love you with Christ's love that cannot be measured.

Love,
Mommy

Updated Pictures: Fun Facts about Abigail 10 months old

They love each other so much!

Sunday after church (outfit from cousins Christopher and Becky...we are very thankful!)

I get this cute Polo outfit at the Tot Trade. The Tot Trade is wonderful!

Standing at Mimi's and Pop Pop's . She is so close to taking her first step.

Doing her favorite activity watching the Wiggle with Jackson. I got this very old Wiggle dvd from the Tot trade and they love it!

She has gotten a lot more hair recently!

Feeding Millie Boo

Abigail at Chick Fil A

Sick Abigail chewing on her saline spray.

Fun Facts About Abigail: 10 months old

Teeth: She now has six teeth that have broken through (four at the top, two on the bottom). Two more might be on the way. The pain of teething has not seemed as bad as it was with Jackson. She is not quite as dramatic as Jackson yet. She seems to roll with illnesses and pain a lot better than Jackson did at this age.

Favorite Show: Wiggles, Cedarmont Kids dvd, Yo Gabba Gabba

Words she can say: "mama, daddy, hey, she can say Pop Pop, and she is starting to say the beginning sounds of a word. I will say, "can you say cup, "ku ku" and she will repeat the ku ku ku part. It is really a blessing I have had all this speech therapy training! She sings along with songs by humming. I do think she has meaning when she says "mama" because she usually wants me when she does it. I know it would be great for her to have 10 to 15 words she can at least say by 1 years old, but development can come at any point. From 18 months to 2 years old is the huge jump in words usually.

Favorite Toy: Stuffed balls, her baby doll (she does really like all Jackson's toys...)

Favorite Thing to do that she is not suppose to do: EAT PAPER! She really loves to eat paper. She will crawl into a bathroom so quick and start eating the toilet paper before I can even blink. It is so crazy. Jackson never would actually eat things, but then again he has never been a big eater.

One of the best things About Abigail: She is really easy to take places and does so great in the church nursery. She does not fuss when I leave her, and every where we go (even at soccer games and practices) we always get the comments on what an easy great baby she is.

Jackson did not cry when I would drop him off in nursery situations either until he started walking and I took his formula away and gave him nothing but milk which caused him to be constipated and very unhappy in general. I will not make that mistake again. I will not be giving Abigail whole milk in a bottle, I will still give her bottles with formula in them and just try to get rid of the middle of the day bottle for one week, then the lunch bottle the next week and the last two bottles I will get rid of will be the morning bottle and the night bottle. I will give her milk in a cup, but will not be giving her 27 ozs of whole milk a day through a bottle like a did with Jackson which really turned out to cause him some major gastric problems.

*Added later: Another trick to getting rid of the bottle is to always offer food before the bottle. I can do this all day with Abigail accept first thing in the morning. Do you have any more suggestions on how to get rid of the bottle?

Jackson's Favorites

• Books: Peek A Zoo, Baby's First Bible, Good Night Moon, Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do you See, Dora's Egg Hunt, Read-Aloud Bible Stories Volume 1 (my favorite book)
• DVD's: He LOVES dvd's. He likes Dora, Mickey, Little Einsteins, Wonder Pets, Oso, etc., he likes most educational dvd as well like Brainy Baby and Brainy Baby ABC's which help him talk. He really enjoys all Cedarmont Kids dvd and I like them too. They have kids singing songs (mainly Christian songs) and he likes to sing with them (he really likes to do the hand motions...I wish they did more hand motions in these dvds). He still likes Signing Time and still likes to sign some (but he always says the words that he is signing).
  
• Toys: He likes cars, trains, Doctor Elmo, The Farmer Says See N' Say, balls, balls and more balls (we can't wait for tee ball!)
  
• Favortie thing to do: JUMP (especially on the couch, bed, etc), play with balls, or he just loves to be outside!
• Favortie thing to talk about: Abigail! Baby crawl, baby sleep, baby goes night night, baby's bottle. If Abigail was not here, I do not know what he would say all day. He loves her so much!
• Major Praise is that he is saying little sentences all day long. I cannot believe how much progress he has made in the last month. He is so proud that he can talk and that he can successfully go potty. He is almost 100 percent trained! He daily sings his ABC's and counted to 20 today by himself! He knows all his letter when you put a random letter in front of him. His therapist cannot believe all the progress he has made in this last month. God gets all the glory! He has graciously answered our prayers. I am so appreciative of every time Jackson says something over and over again until I say it. It does not bother me it all. I will sing ABC's all day long and love every minute of it. Looking back at the beginning of the year, it seemed like he would never ever be able to talk. His short frenulum did not grown with him from 15 months old to 2 and half years old. Now that his is not tongue tied anymore, we are just making up for that critical year that was lost but fortuntaly Jackson will be 3 years old the entire year that he is in a 2 year old class. God is so good!

What is your little one (2-4 year old) favorite book, toy, or dvd. I always love to hear what other little ones like especially since Jackson has a birthday coming up soon!

Recent Pictures

Us eating at Rush's. Yes we normally get two high chairs when we go out to eat which is crazy.

Jackson playing at the playground at Sesquicentennial Park. It was hot! I love summer time. So many fun things to do!

Charlie meet us for lunch at the zoo and they got to ride the train there. Jackson really loves trains right now.

Jackson being funny at the playground at the zoo. Have a mentioned how much we love the zoo?

Jackson and his Grand. When they stopped by Jackson tried to get in their car and did not want to get in our car at all. He cried the entire way to the restuarant saying "Grand, Grand," over and over again. I think them keeping Jackson once a weekend a month has really made him attached. I am very thankful! They are like the same person.

Jackson Has Hand Foot and Mouth Disease

again. Sad, he had it last summer as well.

This time he had a fever last Thursday night and got sick to his stomach and ended up vomiting two times on Thursday night as well. Last year he had no vomiting, so I was getting worried that it was the stomach flu, but he only got sick a little bit and the blisters came on his tongue Saturday so I knew that was what he had.

The good news is that adults really cannot get it and babies under the age of 6 months usually do not get it either, so we are praying Abigail does not get it.

We are not taking him to the doctor because we did last year and they said there was nothing they could do and the test confirming the disease takes 2 weeks to come back and by that time your child is better. It is just a bad virus that has to run its course for 7-10 days. There is really no medicine that can help. Some children get it and it is not that bad for them.

He was the most contagious before he had any of the symptoms. It is very contagious but some children are not that susceptible to it. Symptoms include fever, loss of appetite, blisters on throat, mouth, or tongue, vomiting, etc.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/enterovirus/hfhf.htm

Any advice on how to help him get better quick, I would love to hear from you! Has your little one ever gotten this? I think Jackson is very susceptible to it. He is feeling so much better and Saturday and today he is has been back to his bouncing self. It is going to be hard to keep him in this week, but as long as he had the blisters we really need to stay away from other children.

What a Week!

Well first, the greatest news of this week is that three of my girls in my group accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior! Helping lead girls to Christ was definitely one of the highlights of my year so far. I had chills when talking to one child and the circumstance she is in. They were all so remorseful and sorry for their sins. God is so good!

VBS is going great this year and I think we have had 340 workers and kids which is up 50 or so people. I love the group format!

Also, last Friday we pulled out the potty I bought at the mom sale last year. Within 10 minutes he used the bathroom on the potty. We were in shock. If I had not been told by a doctor that I had to wait, we would have probably tried really hard about 6 months ago. Anyway, he did really well for the next few days and even went #2 on his potty on Saturday. Then, on Wednesday he woke up dry and did not have one accident all day. He went to the bathroom at church and even at a Mexican restaurant. He gets a cookie every time he goes to the bathroom but on Wednesday he was so successful I did not give him one 2 or 3 times (especially in the morning...yuck).

I really think the key with Jackson is that he was so ready and I did not try to early for him. Also I just keep a pull up on all day and have his potty out so he can go whenever he wants to go. He did so well on Wednesday he even pulled down his pull up while I was changing Abigail's diaper in the other room, and went all on his own. He was also able to tell me that he had to go potty as well. He is becoming such a big boy, and one night I forgot to say our prayers (I have had bronchitis as well this week) he said "pray" and then folded his little hands and closed his eyes as I prayed...oh there were tears from mommy. He then said, "cry?" and I said no happy cry. Ha! I am just so proud of all the words he is using. God is so good for answering our prayers.

My only dilemma now is how I am going to help him use the restroom in a public bathroom with a baby who wants to crawl. Umbrella stroller? Love to hear any suggestions on potty training and taking your toddler into public restrooms.

Update on Jackson: Prayers are being Answered!

Speech Therapy:

• He is saying new words everyday which is the biggest blessing ever! This morning he said "my bunny" to Abigail and tears came flowing from my eyes (I get real emotional when I do not get good sleep and Abigail is still waking us up all throughout the night). Today, so far, he has said: "flag wave, tree, moon, baby, daddy, mommy, dog, bears, girl, clock, up, role, wipe, paci, me, water, pig, skate, cheers, Pete, push, his version of surprise, fruit, play, five, stop, many numbers, and many letters. He will say two words when I ask him to like, "Hi Manning." I am writing all his words down today to see exactly how many words he has. We are working for 100 words by the age of three (that is one speech therapy goal). Added latter: He uses about 70 words a day! We are so excited.
  
• He knows his numbers, letters, and shapes. When you put up a random number or letter he correctly says that number, letter, or shape.
  
• At my parents the other day he said to my dad, "I want my mommy!"
• He does not always say the words right and sometimes leaves off the end sound of a word. If you child has trouble saying a word, say the beginning sound of the word over and over and ask him to to repeat just the beginning sound of the word.
  
• Please keep praying for Jackson and that he will clearly say words (and always say the end sounds of words) and start saying two words together throughout the day.
• He is the happiest I have seen him since he was a baby, and was so proud to show how he could say all his colors to his Sunday School teacher. Jesus has loosened his tongue and healed his stomach. The therapist explained to us that after the surgery they have to babble again, and then basically learn how to talk all over again. He loves eating ice cream cones now, which he could not do before surgery.
  
• He will still need speech therapy when he turns 3 years old, so he will be evaluated in August on his speech to see if he qualifies for a speech therapist and/or a classroom at Oak Grove Elementary School. We are zoned for White Knoll, but they do not offer this program. He can attend this school the day he turns 3, which will be September 12.
• These video have helped him in so many ways (especially with his speech)
  
• He loved being in the Liberty pageant and waved his flag on stage so proudly. He loves to be the center of attention. He is so much happier than he was this time last year.
• He is constanly making jokes with his actions, and he is so funny!
  

Gastro Doctor:

• Jackson has been trying all kind of new foods since he is cleaned out after taking an adult dosage of Miralax for a week (hamburgers, bacon, spaghetti).
  
• The doctor explained to us that he believe Jackson had a painful bathroom experience and has decided that because of that he is not going to be able to have a "normal" bowl movement till he is probably 5 years old or so.
  
• He has to be on Miralax for another 6 months to a year
• The doctor said we will not need to try potty training for another 2 months.
• We have to go back again to him in 4 months.
• The x-ray showed lot of stool, and all the blood work came back good except one category under celiac disease that is non specified. He said that he does not have a glutten allergy or celiac disease.
  

• God is so good, and it is so wonderful to see prayers answered daily for my sweet funny boy!
  

Fun Friday: Abigail is Ready to be a Big Girl

It is so different having baby #2. I was dying for Jackson to do everything early, and he did everything right when the book said he should. Abigail, maybe it is because she is a girl, seems to be doing everything early and I have no desire for her to grow up! She sits up now for hours at a time, and wants to do whatever Jackson is doing. She even does speech therapy with him. She is constantly entertained by him, which is great!

We had a great time in Spartanburg and of course she never woke up. We did keep her up till 11 pm one night. The level 2 nipples have made a huge difference. She drinks her milk in 30 minutes now like she should. I feel like a new women with 3 straight nights of GREAT sleep. I forgot my camera when we went to Spartanburg, but will remember it next week. Jackson was crazy at the pool and tried to swim. He was jumping off the side to my dad with this "I can learn to swim suit" that was Jake's. He has no fear! We are giving him a swim lesson at Gold's Gym the end of the month for $20. Yay!

Movie Monday: "She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain"

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