Abby's baby dedication

Next Sunday morning, July 6th, Abby will be having her baby dedication during the 9:15 morning service at Hickory Grove Baptist Church. While we understand that all of you cannot make it, Hickory Grove now shows the 9:15EST and 10:45EST services live on the Internet. If you want to watch Abby's dedication, all you have to do is visit www.hgbc.org and scroll down to the "Click Here to watch a Live service" bar. Clicking this bar will open your Windows Media Player and you can watch our services. The dedication is the first thing on the services agenda so you may want to visit the site a couple of minutes early.

"Home" is a lonely word

For the past three days, Cindy and Abby have been in Greenville, SC visiting friends and family. I've had to work late each of those nights so it worked out that Cindy and her mom could go together and take Abby on the 2 1/2 hour drive. For the past 5 months I have had someone to come home to everyday, but these last two nights have been miserable. You would think "I can get some stuff done" and you would have some free time, but I found myself going to bed early and trying to stay busy at work as long as I could just so I wouldn't have to come home to an empty house. I really miss Cindy and Abby when they are away from me. I like hearing Abby squeal and Cindy sing songs and read to her. I even found myself looking forward to the NBA draft last night. Needless to say I was ready for them to come home today.

Unfortunately, Cindy got food poisoning at dinner last night and stayed up all night vomiting. So right now both Cindy and Abby are taking naps, leaving me along in the house again. But, at least I know they are home safe with me and I get to play with them in a few hours when they wake up.

Kendrick Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Free genealogy - Free family tree maker

So, finally the debate is settled. For everyone who thinks that Abby is a clone of her daddy, the look-alike meter says otherwise:) I thought this would be fun to do and nice to know that Abby does resemble me a little too! She really does look a lot like her daddy though.

Abby and Eleni

(Stacey, Justin and Baby Eleni)



Today we went to visit Eleni Louisa Wormick. She is so tiny and precious! We spent the afternoon with Eleni, Laura, Lance, Stacey and Justin. It was great to see everyone and watch little Eleni snooze away. I can remember all the conversations that Laura and I had when we both thought we were never going to be able to have a baby. It was great to have each other to walk through some difficult times together but even more special now that we both have babies and they are only 5 months apart. When i went to visit Eleni and Laura in the hospital the day after she was born I started to tear up when we were both sitting in the same room holding these precious baby girls and thinking about all of those phone conversations, and now God had blessed us both in His perfect timing. I am so happy for Laura and Lance and know they are going to be great parents. Stacey and Justin- you guys are next;)

The Opossum can roll!

In the past several weeks, Abby has learned to roll over more and more quickly each time we put her on her back. This is a great reminder that our little girl is getting bigger everyday. Last night she thought it would be fun to roll over in her crib during the middle of the night. She hasn't yet mastered how to from her tummy to her back, even though we have seen her do it a couple of times. This means that when she rolls over to her tummy, Cindy or I have to get up and go roll her back over. Last night she would immediately start to roll over once we laid her back down. Cindy said she didn't sleep for a couple of hours out of fear she would get trapped face down in her crib, a cause of SID's. We are beginning to think Abby knows when she rolls over mommy or daddy will be coming to get her within a matter of seconds. She is definitely getting bigger and smarter as well.

A Living Example... My dad, my grandfather, my husband, my father in-law

As we all reflect on Father's day I am so blessed to have such amazing men in my life. All of these men are living examples of Godly men and a model of wonderful dads for others to look up to. My dad is so dear to my heart. He has always been a provider, a discplined man of God, hard-working, loving, and so much more. I thank God that I was blessed with such a wonderful father to guide me through life's journeys. Daddy I love you so much! He only set the standard for the husband that I picked out, my sweet Heth. Wow, has he amazed me as a daddy to our little Abby. From the moment he laid eyes on Abby he fell in love and only continues to love her more each day. He sings to her, makes her laugh, reads books to her, holds her for naps on the weekends (just because he loves cuddling with her), goes into her room EVERY night and kisses her good night and tells her that he loves her. He also protects her, and always wants to make sure Abby is comfortable. Heth has always been an amazing husband and even though he loves his Abby he always makes sure that our relationship comes first, and that means the world to me. If you ever meet Heth's father, you'll understand why Heth is who he is. My father in-law is also a wonderful example of a Godly man and parent. Heth really looks up to his dad and if you met him you would understand. His dad is such a caring, kind, selfless man that loves his family dearly. Furthermore, the common thread among all of these wonderful men is their desire to follow God in all aspects of their lives. So, here's to all those wonderful men in our lives who have blessed us in ways that they can't imagine, I love you all and wish you blessings and a Happy Father's Day!

Father's Day Eve

Tomorrow is Father's Day and I'm pretty excited to celebrate this year with Cindy and Abby. We're heading over to Uncle Michael's and Aunt Helen's house for a barbecue after church but unfortunately I have to go to work at 4:00. This afternoon Cindy had to attend the Butler High School graduation ceremonies in Charlotte. Abby took a nap from 2:00 until 4:00 and then she woke up screaming for a bottle. She ate 7 ounces and then was ready to play with daddy! We "explored" the house for about 45 minutes and looked at all of the things on the bookshelves, end tables and out the windows. Then we played for about 30 minutes on her play mat and she showed me how good she is at rolling over. She's such a smart girl. About 5:30 I gave her a bath and I got soaked with her constant splashing. She really gets wound up in the tub and likes to kick her legs and make miniature waves that splash her. In the meantime Cindy and I get splashed in the face and all over our arms. I thought she would be ready to eat around 6:00 so I tried to give her a bottle before bed. Abby had other plans. She would not take her bottle or eat any of her sweet potatoes or pears. I gave up after 15 minutes of gagging her and having her cry with big tears come down her face. She is so pitiful sometimes. We finally explored a bit more until she acted tired. I rocked her for about 5 minutes and she was asleep by 6:45. I'm surprised she hasn't woken up ready for another bottle, but so far she has been snoozing. I guess exploring the house with her daddy is an exhausting task.













Cindy and Abby heading out for an early morning stroll on Saturday.

















Abby reaching for the camera.

How long will you breastfeed?

For all of you mother's out there who breastfeed your childern, this video is for you.

glumbert - Mother still breastfeeds her 5 and 7-year-old

Sunday Dress from Cousin Stephanie

Thanks to my cousin Stephanie for the adorable little dress. I wanted you to see how cute she looked in it since you couldn't be here to see her. By the way, Abby says she hopes your ankle is feeling better :) We love you cousin Stephanie!

More Abby Pictures

Here are a few more recent pictures. I thought she looked adorable in her little lady bug dress last Sunday for church.

Tales from Opossum's World

Today was one HOT mutha of a Saturday. Cindy and I woke up and went to breakfast at Jimmy's Restaurant in Mint Hill with Grandma and Grandpa. We used to eat breakfast at Jimmy's at least every Saturday before Abby was born. It was nice to be able to get part of our old routine back and letting Abby be a part of another thing we both enjoy. After breakfast, we came home and I cut the grass and put out a round of organic lawn treatment. Even at 10:00am it was already 89 degrees. By the time I finished (with several small breaks) the temperature had risen to 95 degrees. So at 12:00pm I headed in for a shower and some lunch. Abby's grandparents in Alabama now both have webcameras which allow them to see Abby and talk to Cindy and I. But let's be honest, the main reason is so they can see Abby. We talked to Nana and Pop last night and Grammy and Paw Paw after lunch today. While the video is a bit jumpy at times, it's clear enough that they can see Abby smiling, playing in her jumperoo and making her little squealing sounds. Our family uses http://www.skype.com/ to keep in contact with each other via webcam for free. It's a great way to feel like you can "visit" with one another even if we are separated by several states.

After Cindy left for a shopping visit, Abby and I sat down and she curled up with me for a nap. I like to think of myself as her "daddy water bed" since I am warm and squishy. She slept from 3:00 until 5:30, a great nap for Abby. Right now we are getting ready for a bath (which she loves) and one final bottle before bedtime.










Abby snoozes on daddy one hot Saturday afternoon.













Please pray for my daddy, he is crazy.

Nap Training Summer Boot Camp

I decided today that Abby is going into nap training boot camp while I am home for the summer. She is such an awesome night sleeper but does not want to nap some days. I think she is driving my mom crazy trying to figure out everything she can do to stay awake, and did I mention she's not even 5 months old yet! Its like she is already trying to figure out how to get her way. I would just like to get her to the point I can lay her down once she is drowsy and she will take a nap without all the fussing. Not a cat nap like she does throughout the day. A real nap. I guess I just want her to know that it is expected and she does need the rest during the day. It just pains me to lay her down and hear her cry for more than 5 or 10 minutes. I used to think I would never say that but when its your sweet little girl laying there you start to wonder, is she hurting, is something really wrong? Sometimes she'll cry for a few minutes and then go to sleep. Today she did her "fake" cry for a while and just decided she would not sleep. Of course then she was so tired she was almost falling asleep in the bath, then once she was fed went into squirmy hyper Abby, then was out around 6:30. That's the other thing, I would really like to move her bedtime to at least 7, but this will only be possible if she starts napping better during the day. If anyone has any suggestions please feel free to comment.

Summer with Abby

We are starting to wind down at school now with only three more days with the students and then a week of workdays left. I cannot wait to be off for the summer hanging out with my little Abby everday. She is learning new tricks and starting to really show her own little personality. This past weekend she really started rolling over from her back to her stomach. At about 4 months she rolled from her stomach to her back, but she is now a "squirmy little wormy" as I call her. Its like a wrestling match to change her diaper sometimes. She surely gets all of this energy from her daddy:) I just wish she had my ability to take long naps- especially on Sunday afternoons. I remember the days before she was born when I would come from church and go to bed and sleep for three hours sometimes. Memorial day weekend when Grammy and Pawpaw were here was the first time that had happened since Jan.16. I can't complain about her sleeping at night though- people think we're kidding when we tell them she goes to bed so early. I read up a lot about healthy sleeping habits and learning how to help them establish those early on and i think it helped some. Babies are all different and they will naturally develop their own little schedule with some help from us. I am hoping to get her taking some more regular naps this summer while I'm at home with her. We're also going to do a lot of playing, reading books, eating lunch with daddy on Weds., and having play dates with her baby friends, celebrating the arrival of new babies (baby Wormick, and baby Lewis), and trying to soak up every moment of our time together. I feel like time just keeps moving on too fast. I love those moments when I'm rocking her and she just stares into my eyes as if she's looking into my soul. It has to be one of the best feelings I've ever felt. Well, I need to wake her up from her nap so that she can eat dinner, take a bath and get ready for bed soon.

Paw Paw and Grammy visit

Abby's Paw Paw and Grammy came to visit her last weekend. The drove up from Alabama on Friday and were able to enjoy Memorial day weekend with us before leaving on Monday. Abby was fascinated with Paw Paw's beard and liked to stroke it with her fingers when he talked. She's definitely gotten a lot bigger (and heavier) in the past few months and she continues to amaze me every day.

Rain barrel

Last weekend my dad and I installed a rain barrel on one of my downspouts in my back yard. For those of you who do not know what a rain barrel is, it's a device (usually an old barrel or large bucket) that you can use to capture and store rain water. I asked my dad if he had an old barrel at his office and he did. That saved me $25 it would have cost to buy one in Charlotte. He also brought me a hose bib connection and a can of rubber gasket so we could install a hose bib at the base of the barrel. This lets me connect a hose or place a bucket under the barrel to get some water. The water can be used to water plants, wash cars or, in storm conditions, used for drinking water. We took off one of my downspouts and attached a 6-inch corrugated pipe from the downspout to the barrel. On Wednesday, we received one inch of rain while I was at work. When I got home, I looked out the window and water was gushing over the top of the barrel because it had more than 55-gallons of water in it! Cindy and I are using the water to keep our flowers and blueberry bushes alive during periods of little to no rain. I have even thought of installing a drip irrigation line around my shrubs and using the pressure in the rain barrel to keep them alive as well. If you would like more information about rain barrel's you can visit this site to learn more.

The corrugated pipe attaches from the downspout the top of the rain barrel.

We attached a hose bib at the base and raised the barrel so I could place a bucket under the barrel.

The barrel was full after one rain.
My massive blueberry bush.

Finally, some real food

Abby has started eating more and more solid food each day that goes by. She started eating a few bites of rice cereal for breakfast and dinner, moved up to rice cereal mixed with apple juice, and has now mastered eating Level 1 baby food. So far she likes sweet potatoes, butternut squash, peaches, apples and bananas. Next up she will be trying pears and peas. I remember a few months ago when I was visiting Brad and Brooke Slocumb, Brad said he always tried Brock's food or medicine before he gave it to his son. That way he would be able to tell if it tasted bad. Cindy is our taste-tester and she swears she would eat some of the food for a snack since some of it tastes so good. I think she said the butternut squash is the worst of the three, but Abby loves it.