It's All happening so fast....

Some days I look at Abby and think that time is just going by way too fast. She seems to be reaching these developmental milestone so quickly. The past few days she has been able to go from a lying position on the floor to sitting on her own. She's been trying for a while but was successful yesterday, as witnessed by my dad while I was at work. I hate missing those first times but I did get to see it firsthand this morning. She is still on the verge of crawling as well. She gets up on her hands and knees and rocks back and forth, with a little leg movement every now and then. Soon she'll be all over the place and Heth and I will never be able to sit down. She also continues to babble, now using some different words adding da-da to the mix this week. Wow, has it really been 7 and half months?? I can't even remember what life was like before Abby and wonder what in the world Heth and I did with all of our time. Things are busy now, especially since I am back at work. I have some great students this semester in Anatomy and it really makes teaching enjoyable and fulfilling. It is refreshing to get off to another new start and look forward to the upcoming fall. I think Fall is my favorite time of year, the leaves changing, football, and cooler weather. I love it!

Not just another schoolyear...

Tomorrow starts my tenth year teaching. I know I can't believe I've been doing this for ten years already. And yes, it does make me feel like I'm getting older. As I begin another school year I always start praying for the 160+ students that I will teach. Praying that I can somehow be an example for their lives, and praying that God will help me know how to effectively teach and deal with each student. Becoming a mommy has also really changed my perspective of teaching. I guess you can say that teaching has helped me with motherhood in many ways, and motherhood has helped me grow as a teacher. Now as students enter my classroom I remember that they are somebody's baby and I want to treat them in the same way I would my precious Abby. It has really enlightened me, especially when dealing with more difficult students. I just pray that I am not continually brought down by all of the CMS beauracracy that looms over us and all the additional, what seems to be like busy work, they seem to pile on us every year. Again, having a baby has also brought a lot of this into perspective. I used to bring a lot of work home, now if it is not finished at 3, oh well, it's staying at work and I'm going home to spend time with my little girl. I never want to take any more time away from here than I have to. At the same time I do try to do the best job I can while I'm there and really work to get things finished up. Pray that God will allow me to be an effective teacher, a living example to students (many that are not saved), and to instill in students a passion for learning.

Abby is 7 months old!

Well, she was officially 7 months old on Friday. I took these pictures Sunday afternoon while we were getting her changed after church and ready for her nap. She just looked so cute in her little diaper in the crib.

I love naps!

I am so happy to say that Abby is oficially falling into longer naps and has dropped down to two. This has made my life so much easier. I really started working with her at the beginning of the summer and had her on a regular nap schedule at 9, 12 and 3. However, she was only napping for 45 mins. - one hour max, and sometimes only 30 mins. It was really hard to get anything done or relax during that short time period. I tried laying her down by herself earlier this summer and it didn't go over well, tried the letting her cry it out and she actually threw up one time. I just got the feeling this past weekend that she was ready to lay down and learn to go to sleep by herself. I was thrilled that she only cried the first day for 15 mins and then slept for one and half hours! Her cry time has continued to lessen each time and her naps have all been almost an hour and half each. She now naps at 9 and around 2. It is so nice to lay her down in her crib and she knows it's nap time and goes to sleep now. Crying it out didn't work until this week, so for some babies it works earlier but for Abby it took til she was almost 7 months. She has always been a great little happy baby and continues to prove herself. We also had a playdate today with Miss Audrey who is three and half months older than Abby. We went to the park and had lunch and Abby just loved watching all the other kids play on the playground. You could tell she wanted to get out there so bad. I told her next summer her and Audrey will be running circles around that place. Audrey is only 10 months and already walking! Wow! We headed to Target after our playdate and now she is snoozing away. We had a fun day out, and now just waiting on daddy to get home early since it's friday. I must also add that I have such a sweet husband. I've been a little bummed out about heading back to work next week, so he surprised me with flowers and a quick dinner date last night. He arranged for my dad and mom to keep Abby (without me knowing) so we could grab some dinner. It's so nice for us to just be by ourselves and talk about other things going on. I love him so much, he's such a great daddy and husband.

Laugh until you poop

Last night while I was giving Abby a bath, I was singing and playing with her while she laid in the tub. I kept singing a song I once heard on the Wizard of Oz that goes like this:

Ha-ha-ha, ha-ha-ha
And a couple of tra-la-las,
That's how we laugh the day away,
In the Merry Old Land of Oz


I just kept repeating it over and over again and was getting more and more animated each time I sang it. Abby would laugh and squeal while she kicked her legs every time I did the "ha-ha-ha" part because I would throw my head back and bounce around. Well, after doing this about 20 times, Abby laughed so hard that she pooped in the tub. I guess she thought it was REALLY funny because she was laughing pretty hard at the time. Needless to say, the song ended abruptly and after getting her cleaned up, I began the process of disinfecting the tub. I have heard of people laughing until they pee, but pooping is a whole new level.

A Whole lot to Say...

Opossum has started "talking" to Cindy and I more and more each week. Last week at the beach she started saying "ma-ma-ma-ma-ma" and "bah-bah-bah" a lot. She has also had her first tooth start to come in (bottom right front) and she's been running her tongue in and out of her mouth trying to feel this new object in her mouth. Combine the two new items of talking and tongue flailing and you get this video of Abby at the Beach.

A Great Time at the Beach

Cindy, Abby and I had a great time at North Myrtle Beach, SC this past week. Grandpa and Grandma Fleming joined us for the week at one of Mr. Fleming's coworkers condominiums on the beach. The place was great because it had a beachfront view, three bedrooms and easy access to the main road which connects to all of the shopping and dining in the area. The drive to the beach usually takes us 3 1/2 hours but this time it took just over 6 hours. We continue to learn about the adjustments to life a baby can make. We had to take a few stops for diaper changes, lunch and leg stretches. Once we got to the condo, we unpacked and decided to take a break before loading back upfor dinner. The Atlantic Ocean is soooo much different from the beaches on the Gulf. The sand is more brown and compacted harder, the water is not as clear, but the waves are bigger and the beaches are wider. We let Abby roll around and unwind from the trip and everyone else found their own way to relax. Then it was off to seafood buffet #1.


Fireworks explode on the beach as seen from our second floor balcony. Colorful fireworks were shot just about every evening.




Abby and Grandma take a nap on the bed after an afternoon of playing and laughing. Abby loves her Grandma and Grandpa Fleming.








Strike the pose, there's nothing to it. Vogue. Brock eat your heart out.






Grandpa Fleming takes a walk on the beach one evening after dinner.






The weather was pretty freakin' hot all week so we tried to find ways to get out of the condo and stay out of the heat. One day we took Abby to the aquarium so she could see all of the colorful fish. She really liked watching the different colored and sized fish swim around in the tanks.

Abby and Cindy take a closer look at the fish in one of the bigger tanks at the aquarium.





"Well you see Abby, that's a mackerel. And a Christian fish is called a Holy Mackerel."





Abby was amazed with the tunnel at the aquarium that allowed us to walk under the water and view the fish overhead.





"Yeah, yeah Grandpa. I've heard your stories about how great Clemson is, but my mommy and daddy tell me I have two choices. UNC or Auburn."




Abby was curious about the waves crashing in on the beach.






Heth, Cindy and Abby smile for a photo at the beach.


Heth built this sand castle "igloo" one day at the beach. It stayed up all day until a kid destroyed it in the evening. This kid is now being tracked and hunted by Chuck Norris.



Here fishy, fishy, fishy. Abby wonders if baby food comes in "fish stick" flavors.






The happy Kendrick family. We had a terrific time with Cindy's parents during our week vacation to the beach.





Abby's first trip to the beach was a success. These photos were the only time she actually went to the beach, but she did like the swimming pool.


This is the first time Abby touched the ocean. Or should I say, this is the first time the ocean had the privilege of touching Abby. She was not impressed.




Abby was a great baby the whole week. She slept through the night every evening and was not fussy unless she got sleepy. We're looking forward to more trips in the future!