Kendrick Family

It is finished!!

2010-03-27T14:36:00.004-04:00

Today has been an exciting yet suprisingly emotional day, for several reasons. First, the excitement comes from the completion of my national board teaching portfolio. Fifty-five typed pages of technical writing about the what, how, and why I do things when I teach. Student work samples, documentation of my accomplishments over the past five years, and the greatest professional development I've ever embarked upon. It truly has been a journey. Although not quite finished, still an assessment to take, I had a sense of accomplishment when I mailed it off today. Of course I think I checked that box five times and had two other people make sure that everything was there. A years worth of hard work. I remember looking at the 200+ page manual when I decided to begin this crazy journey and thinking to myself... what have you gotten yourself into now. The devil was at work hard in my life trying to tell me that i would fail, there is no use trying to finish this, that it was just going to be too much work for me to handle on top of a full time job and having a two year old. The fall began at church with every verse, and sermon surrounding how if we trust in God there is not fear in His love, and no fear in our life. I will admit there were times during this year when I was close to God and many times when I let the busyness of life get in between my relationship with Him. As I was thinking today, I got emotional and began to realize how there have been so many times in my life when my relationship and proximity to God has not been as close as it needed to be, but He was still working in my life without me realizing it at the time. One thing that came to mind today was the first Sunday School lesson my husband ever taught to our singles class before we were married. The title of the lesson was "God is in the Details." Although he was nervous and this was a very short lesson I still remember some of the things he taught that day. This lesson related to my life over the past year. God truly was in the details of every single aspect of my life, from the colleagues I went through this process with, to the pieces of documentation I needed that magically appeared as I was searching for something, to the students that God placed into my classroom this year. I went into school a little frustrated having to three preps this year, Biology, Earth science, and Anatomy to prepare for. I asked God one day, "How am I going to handle this and complete this national board process?" That's when I realized I can't do this, only God could. The greatest lesson I've learned throughout this is that God is constantly at work in my life, even when I can't feel Him or don't understand, or realize what HE is doing. He really is working through all of those day to day details, as mundane as they may be for my good and to accomplish His purpose. You just do your part, pray, and let God take care of the rest. Regardless of the outcome, I know that God was working in my life and for that I am grateful. Praise be to Him for giving me the strength to persevere through this year. I CAN do ALL things through CHRIST whom GIVES ME STRENGTH!!!

The Greatest Act of Love

2010-03-13T21:19:00.005-05:00

My heart is jumping with excitement about the new addition to our extended family. Sean Joseph Fleming was adopted recently by my brother and his wife. For two days things were in limbo as they awaited the birth mothers final decision. As I prayed, I couldn't help but to think how hard this decision was for the birth mother. As a mother now, I know that the memory of seeing that sweet baby for the first time is forever etched in your memory and will always be in your heart. I can't imagine having to make that decision. The young mother first made the right decision, and chose life. Second, she sacrificed her feelings for the well-being and future of someone so precious to her. Then, I think about my brother and Helen. To go through everything they did, the waiting, the financial burden adoption is today, the life change, to love someone like they are your own, and this is why I believe adoption is one of the greatest acts of love.

The Giver of Life..

2009-12-23T15:16:00.004-05:00

Over 2000 years ago the Giver of Life.. God gave us the most amazing gift ever given. He came to Earth and was born in a manger to live a flawless human life and then die to give us eternal life. I remember vividly standing in Bethlehem at the site where Jesus was believed to have been born. A 96 year old woman from our tour group began weeping and praising God. It was not until then that I truly understood the importance of the birth of Christ. We have heard the story so many times but that day it was felt in the depths of my heart and soul. I got it. It's funny how we can hear the same story all of our life and think that the words have been carefully thought through until we have an experience... a meeting with Jesus that we really start to begin to understand who He really is. All too often we allow our fallible human thoughts to frame our idea of Jesus into the narrow conceptions of our minds. Throughout the years I hope that as my relationship with the Almighty grows I will begin to really comprehend who He is... but the ultimate promise and gift is the salvation He brought, and gave to ALL who are willing to believe in Him. I pray this Christmas season you have found the Christ I am talking about. I pray that we can grow to know Him more through our lives. I pray that I can honor him and serve Him more as I grow older. Thank you God for giving us the true gift of Christmas..... The gift of eternal life!!

A season of life...

2009-10-03T21:47:00.006-04:00

As I have returned to work this year has begun to bring many challenges and professional endeavors. I am pursuing my national board teaching certification this year. This certification in the state of North Carolina translates into a 12% pay raise and the certificate to hang on your classroom wall stating that you have officially jumped through their hoops in hopes to prove yourself sufficient according to the National Board teaching standards. Needless to say it is an intense year long process to produce a portfolio including videos, written commentaries, student work samples, accomplishments, and a final 6 essay written assessment to prove your breadth of science knowledge. That last part really scares me but I don't even have time to start thinking about studying for that part yet. But it seems in midst of this process God had begun to do a wonderful work in my life. I prayed really hard this summer about starting this process because I was worried about the time commitment and with a 20 month old I knew this would be even harder. I began to feel a peace and God speaking to me telling me that now is the time to do this. To be quite honest, I really haven't pursued this certification in the past because of my fear of failing. There is a large percentage of people that do not pass on the first go round and I didn't like the sound of that. I really don't deal well with failure. In fact, I guess you could say I used to have a fear of failing, and in the back of my mind never quite feeling like I was good enough at many things in my life. In the midst of beginning my work I joined a women's Bible study at church, mainly because a friend of mine wanted to start the study. This study has been a catalyst for change in my life and my relationship with God. In the midst of all of the work and pursuit of a professional goal God has spoken to me very loud. Not only has the Bible study provided a means for this change but the 11 AM sermons that Will has delivered have ironically contained many of the same passages that our women's Bible study has been focusing on. It is amazing to see God weaving together the details of life to speak in such a way that is so loud and clear. Our Sunday School lessons that Heth has prepared have only further been a piece of the woven fabric that God has been speaking to my soul. God has spoken so loud to me to get rid of my fears and be complete in His love. When we are complete in Him there is no room for fear. I have read this verse before but never before has it spoken to me like it has in the past few weeks. As I have been praying that God will relinquish my fears and set me free I have felt the greatest sense of peace and calm in the midst of this busy season of my life. If nothing else but to draw me closer to Him, this process has been more than worthwhile. I have watched God weave people, circumstances, and situations together like never before. I am just thankful that I have been able to sense His presence and praise Him with for all that HE is doing. I know that my words are inadequate to articulate my feelings, but I have been praising and thanking Him for speaking to me. Oh how this could have the potential to change my life. To serve Him with passion and no fear of failure. To live everyday dancing in His arms, to live each moment knowing that His love completes me and is without fear. I pray that this continues to transform my life and I can live this everyday.

A Typical Saturday with Abby

2009-07-27T20:43:00.003-04:00

Abby is learning so quickly and is such a fun little girl. This video shows how much she loves to talk on the phone to her mama, da-dee, mi-mi and paw-paw. She is definitely our little buddy and a joy to have in our house.

Potty Training?? Already??

2009-07-24T21:30:00.003-04:00

Abby is now 18 months old and I never imagined she would be doing and saying all that she is. She continues to amaze me everyday! She has been telling me lately when she peepee's and poopoo's so that I can change her diaper. So, i thought I would buy a potty and maybe introduce the idea to her and see what happens. I bought the potty about a week ago and she has loved playing with it, sitting on it, looking at her books while she sits, opening and closing the lid. Well, on Wednesday she looked at me and said, "pee pee mommy", so we dashed off to the potty, I removed her diaper and helped her get seated on the toilet. She sat for a minute looking at her book and then I heard the music start playing ( her potty plays a celebration song as soon as she goes). I couldn't believe it! At 18 months she used her potty, and believe me we had a celebration party! She was also proud of herself and starting clapping and then wanted to see the pee pee in the potty herself and put her hand in it (we'll have to work on that). That was two days ago and she has not gone again but continues to let me know when she has used the bathroom so I can change my diaper. I know this is just a start, and my fear is she will get bored with the potty and forget about it. We shall see.... in the meantime I am not going to push this too hard, i mean she is still my baby girl right? Although, no more trips to Costco for huge boxes of diapers would not hurt my feelings or budget!
Besides potty training these days she is loving to read books, saying lots of words- especially thank you and bless you, loves to say amen at the end of a prayer, and tries to repeat most words you say to her. Each day it seems her language continues to blossom and it is so much fun to watch her learn and grow. Her 18 month check up was this week as well and everything was great. She did not cry until she had to get her last immunization.. but i would too seeing the size of that needle go into her tiny leg. She was average for weight, head size, and above average in height. I was a little worried about her weight being too low but he said everything was great. She loves to eat peas, peanut butter, cheese, yogurt, veggie sticks, green beans, tomatoes from the garden, blueberries, strawberries, garlic hummus ( i know right?), loves pancakes, eggs, any bread or cracker product, cereal bars, and waffles. I could go on but those seem to be her favorites. And of course just like mom and dad she loves ice cream. Well, i guess thats about it these days. I am just trying to soak up all the time I can before I go back to work in August. Be praying for me on the 18th because it will be a tough day for me. Leaving behind another special summer with my little girl. Trying to be in the moment each day and soak it all in. It is so hard being a working mom and shifting gears from teaching all day to mommy mode and taking care of everything at home. I know many of us do it but it still isn't easy. When Abby goes to school and our schedules are similar I think it will be a little easier for me.

First Pig Tails

2009-06-19T13:41:00.003-04:00

Abby's first pig tails! They look a little messy because holding down a 17 month old and trying to fix their hair is near impossible. I remember when I was growing up this was my favorite way to wear my hair. In fact, I'm surprised I don't have a permanent part from wearing pig tails every single day until I was too old and it didn't look cute anymore! She was so funny looking in the mirror and checking out her new do. You can see by the smirk on her face in the Blog title photo that she was loving this new hair style!

Memorial Day visit to Alabama

2009-06-10T08:20:00.005-04:00

Abby walking up and down the stairs with Paw Paw.

Our Buddy.

Waliking in the driveway at Paw Paw and Grammy's house.

Cookie face

Abby and Paw Paw take a look at the garden.

Miss Bryleigh, Abby's cousin.

(L to R) Brody, Tommy, Erica, Bryleigh, Jeffrey, Teresa, Cindy, Abby and Heth

Nana and Pop got to spend some good times with the grandkids.

Abby had a great time playing with her cousins Bryleigh and Brody.

For some reason, Abby really like to roll around on the doormat just inside the door on mom's deck. She would just walk over to it, lay down, and then commence to rolling around.

Nana and her grandkids would site on the deck and look at the neighbors cats, the gold fish, watch it rain, or anything else that passed by. We had a great time with our family.

Abby and Bryleigh shared a wagon ride at the local elementary schools Spring Day.

Brody and his friend were acting goofy. I think they had a little too much Kool-aid.

Nana holds her two granddaughters.

Brody's team had just won the tug-of-war challenge. They were a little excited (as you can tell from the kid on the right).

Brody has been eating a green sucker. Needless to say his teeth were just a slight shade of green.

Abby makes "the face"

Bryleigh loves her Nana and rests on her shoulder at the Spring Day event.

The second most beautiful girl in the world. Her momma is the first.

The Blogging shall soon return....

2009-06-05T16:04:00.002-04:00

So I have one more official day with my students taking exams and one more full week of work and I will be off for the summer. I love being a teacher!! Don't ask me the week before spring break how much I love it!
I have become such a lazy blogger, not really lazy, just busy with a soon to be 17 month old and working full time can be pretty consuming at times. I cant wait to be at home with Abby all summer so I can soak up all of my mommy time with her. I also hope to be blogging more frequentlytand posting some new videos. Blogging will also be a great distraction from my summer cleaning/organizing to-do list.

Easter Sunday

2009-04-12T16:27:00.003-04:00

Here is my favorite picture from Easter Sunday. I have many more but love this one!

Many milestones...

2009-04-11T16:04:00.003-04:00

These past few weeks have been filled with milestones in our little Abby's life. She started walking, or should I say taking her first steps completely by herself on March 29th. This just happened to be the weekend that PawPaw and Grammy Kendrick were in town visiting and were also able to witness these first steps. How special! You'll also notice her singing a little in the video, saying her favorite word "bead-a-bye" (we have no idea what this means but are convinced this is the universal Abby word), making a scrunchy face at me (which i taught her one day being funny and it amazingly has stuck with us) and taking those first steps. Enjoy one of my favorite videos of Abby!

First Birthday Party Pictures

2009-02-04T19:45:00.023-05:00

Here are some pictures from Abby's First Birthday party. She had a blast celebrating with family and friends. She was so funny with her "cupcake" smash cake. She didn't want to stick her in the cake and eat it, but loved picking all of the polka dots of icing off the cake and eating them. Too funny!

Happy First Birthday Abby!!

2009-01-16T20:22:00.003-05:00

Our sweet little baby girl is one year old today! My how times flies by! One year ago today at 3:24 PM we saw our Abby for the first time. I'll never forget that day and first time I saw her. I waited for her for so long and I was finally able to see that precious little girl, a memory forever with me. Now she's trying to walk, loves to laugh, sing "la,la, la", squeal and trying to say new words everyday. She is such a sweet and happy little girl. We are so blessed and thank God for this wonderful gift he has given us. Happy Birthday Abby, we love you so much!! Tomorrow we're having her birthday party and we'll post lots of pictures.

First Christmas!

2009-01-03T21:43:00.014-05:00

I can't believe that Christmas has come and gone again. Wow, does a year go by fast when you're having so much fun! This was Abby's first Christmas which made it pretty fun for us and her. She definitely loved the Christmas tree and all the lights and knew what Santa looked like but I think that was about it. When it came time to open presents she was more interested in the paper and bows rather than her presents. After she opened her presents she loved climbing on top of the boxes. I never knew that girls could be such climbers and explorers. In fact, Abby would rather climb, walk with mom or dad, and maneuver around the coffee table more than anything else. She did love her new car we can ride her around in the neighborhood. We had to pry her out of it one day after going about two miles and she still wanted to keep going. She also loved her Zebra and dancing to the music. She is going to be quite an active energetic girl. When she starts walking by herself you'll know because Heth and I will start shedding some pounds! Most of all it has been amazing to have the past two weeks to spend at home with her playing, shopping, eating out, and just having a good time. Since Heth has been home he keeps her going nonstop playing, laughing, and walking her around the house, up and down the stairs and doing whatever she wants to do. She is a daddy's girl! One day she wouldn't let me hold her, she would just hug me (she leans her head in and opens her mouth to try to kiss you) but would want to stay with her daddy. Heth is probably the most amazing, and fun dad there is. No seriously, I will never be able to entertain and make Abby laugh the way her daddy does. We spent Christmas day at my parents and Heth's dad and Jane came to visit on New Year's Eve. We had fun playing the Wii, and games of Roulette (my favorite!). We also did lots of shopping and just had a great time visiting and Abby spent most of her time showing them all of her new tricks. All in all we had a wonderful Holiday Season soaking up every minute with family and just enjoying spending time with our sweet Abby. In just two weeks we'll be celebrating her first birthday and wondering where the last year went but remembering how much our sweet girl has grown and brought us so much joy. I never knew my heart could possibly love the way it does now. Her life has taught me so many things over this year and made me more thankful for each day. I pray that we can be the kind of parents God would have us be and teach her to love Him and follow Him. As parents I think you can never pray enough for your little ones! I can't wait to see what 2009 has in store for us!

Help us Shaquille O'neal

2008-12-20T13:26:00.002-05:00

Several months ago you may remember a blog I wrote about a bird pecking on our window early in the morning and late in the afternoon. Fortunately this stopped around October and we haven't heard from the bird... until today. This morning around 8:00 I was playing with Abby and I heard an indistinguishable sound of "peck, peck, peck" coming from the foyer. After looking up I saw the same dumb robin flapping its wings and flying into the window pane. I opened the door a few times and scared it away but it would return very shortly and start to peck at the window again. I have tried placing a fake snake on the window sill, throwing tennis balls at the window, and considered purchasing an air rifle to permanently get rid of the problem (which Cindy veto's every time). Today I had the revelation of placing a scarecrow on the window sill.

The window above the front door is the bird's window of choice. We had it tinted and a reflective treatment added to it our first year in the house to cut down on the afternoon heat coming through the window. If you look closely at the bottom left of the window you will see my "scarecrow." That's right. The scarecrow is none other than LSU's center from 1991 Shaquille O'neal.

"Why Shaquille O'neal" you may ask? He was sitting in my garage and looked like a good solution. For the bird's sake, I hope this works. So far the bird has not returned in the past 6 hours since Shaq has kept watch over the window, but only time will tell. If you have any recommendations, I'm all ears.

11 months old...

2008-12-16T18:11:00.003-05:00

I can't believe my baby girl is 11 months old today! So exciting that she's happy, healthy and growing like crazy but I still look at her and see that tiny little
6 lb. 8oz baby girl. It's even harder for me to believe that in one month we'll be celebrating her first birthday. This year has flown and been one of the most challenging but fun years of my life. Wow, how your life can change so fast. Abby is now feeding herself and loves her snack foods more than anything else. In fact she went from eating lots of fruit and veggies to wanting only snack foods. I tried to tell her tonight a girl can't live on puffs and graham crackers:) I am trying new foods with her and she'll let you know she doesn't like it by throwing it right up. I have a kiddopotamus bib that's great because when she starts throwing up I can catch it in the little pocket and scoop it over to the sink and wash out the bib. She's also cruising around as long as she has something to hang on to and I won't be surprised if she's not walking real soon. Our baby girl is soon to be a toddler. She's into everything now, loves to dance, read her flap books, try to sing, laugh at her daddy's antics and gaze at the Christmas tree. I can't wait to see what she's going to think about Christmas!

How time flies!

2008-12-04T19:56:00.017-05:00

For Thanksgiving this year, our family traveled to Gatlinburg, TN for a four day stay at the Hemlock Hills Resort. Cindy and I had stayed here last year with our church group and it is a great place for a large group. The cabin was a five bedroom/five bath and we had 14 adults and three kids with us. It was a bit crowded when everone was in the same room, but it was a great time. We visited the Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg, hiked in the Great Smokey Mountains, shopped in Pigeon Forge and had a great time playing at the cabin. Here are some photos from our trip and few photos from other visits with family.

This year, our family came together in Gatinburg for four days of fun and relaxation. Heth's family drove from Alabama and Cindy's family drove from Charlotte and Greenville, SC. In this photo from left to right are great Paw Paw Fleming, Grandma, and Grandpa.

Heth's family included from left to right Pop and Nana Gibson, Brody and Bryleigh Wood, Aunt Erica, Abby, and Heth. Cindy took the photo and Uncle Tommy was trying to get Bryleigh's attention for the photo.

Nana, Bryleigh, Abby, and Uncle Tommy enjoyed playing together and reading books all week. Bryleigh was 18 months old and Abby was 10 months during our trip to the mountains.

At the aquarium, Abby's cousin, Bryleigh, stands along the ledge of one of the tanks and tries to get Erica's attention to show her the fish inside the tank.

Brody, Abby's oldest cousin, is excited to go inside the aquarium in Gatlinburg. Brody had a great time exploring the aquarium and got a toy shark from the gift shop.

Outside of the aquarium there were fall decorations set up. Abby loved the pumpkis and scarecrows while Brody liked climbing on the hay bales.

Cindy has bought Abby a Leap Frog learning table that she loves. She likes to stand along side it and push all of the buttons. She also sways back and forth like she's "dancing" to the alhpabet song.

On Thanksgiving Day, some of our family took a walk in the Great Smokey Mountains Nation Park to a waterfall. It was a 1 1/2 mile trail that is completely paved with asphalt the entire way. I would recommend this walk to anoyone visiting the park and looking for a stroller friendly trail.

On the way to the waterfall, Brody climbed several rock outcroppings that are beside the trail. In this photo, Pop and Brody show us how high they can climb.

Abby really liked her Aunt Erica and everone else in the cabin. Abby loves being around new people, as long as mom and dad are nearby.

Wii madness swept the cabin. We brought our Wii from home and enjoyed playing bowling, tennis and baseball with each other. Brody loved to bowl, box and race cows. He mentioned Santa may bring him a Wii for Christmas this year.

"D" is for Dishwasher

2008-11-11T21:05:00.004-05:00

Last night as I was loading the dishwasher and Cindy was feeding Abby dinner, I started pretending the dishwasher was Cookie Monster. I was singing "D is for Dishwasher, that's good enough for me... Yum, Yum, Yum, Yum!" As you can see, Abby thought this was hilarious as she keeps looking at Cindy for reassurance. Needless to say, her little personality is showing more and more every day.

A Halloween to remember

2008-11-01T20:57:00.007-04:00

Last night was Abby's first Halloween and it will not be forgotten any time soon. Around 6:00pm we headed to the Fall Festival at the Hickory Grove Baptist Church - North Campus. Abby was dressed as a lamb and looked very cute. Even though the evening was cool, we had a great time for an hour or so as we walked around and looked at all of the events and kids in their costumes. Abby loves watching other kids and being out of the house.

After returning home about 8:00pm, we put Abby to bed and then went to bed around 9:30pm ourselves. Our home, which we purchased three years ago, is equipped with a home alarm system. Last night at 10:00 I accidentally armed the system and set off the home security alarm. HOLY COW WAS IT LOUD!!! It has never gone off before and I think Cindy and I took about five years off our life as we began to freak out and scramble in turning it off. It went off for about two minutes before I figured out how to disarm it. In the meantime, Cindy was in Abby's room. We thought she was going to wake up and be hysterical because of the noise. Amazingly she slept through the whole thing! As Cindy and I went to bed, our adrenaline was pumping so much we both laid in bed for a few hours unable to sleep. Needless to say we didn't sleep well last night.

This morning when we woke up, we noticed a teenage boy decided to draw a phallic image on the back of my car window with shoe polish. If you don't know what a phallic image is, it is a man's "twig and berries" or "meat and two veg." I know it was a teenager because a child wouldn't know what that image was and an adult would be so stupid. I know it was a boy because I don't think a girl would want to replicate that portion of the male anatomy. So I think it was one of Cindy's students. Little does he know the wrath that is coming his was...in the form of one Mr. Chuck Norris.

As you can see, this Halloween was an eventful one. In all we had a great time and I think Abby liked the Fall Festival. I'm looking forward to Halloween next year when we can really go trick-or-treat with Abby and enjoy this time with her.

A Beautiful Wedding

2008-10-21T20:53:00.003-04:00

This past weekend, Cindy and I were invited to our friend, Ginny Conner's, wedding. We left early Saturday morning after dropping Abby off at Grandma and Grandpa's house. This was the first evening Cindy and I have spent without Abby since she was born. After leaving Charlotte, we drove most of the day and made only a few stops to eat and shop along the way. The wedding began at 5:00 and we barely made it to the chapel before the wedding started. It was a beautiful wedding and it was so nice seeing some of my friend from college I have not seen in almost a decade. After the wedding, a few of us visited a local Mexican restaurant and kicked back for a fun evening. Cindy and I slept in on Sunday (til almost 8:30 in the morning) and had a "delicious" breakfast at the Holiday Inn. All in all it was a wonderful weekend.

Heth and Jeff Graham see one another at the wedding after having not seen one another in two years.

Heth and Ginny Smith. Ginny looked beautiful in her wedding dress and her wedding was wonderful.

Ginny and Daniel leaving the wedding chapel to begin their honeymoon. I actually didn't get a chance to meet Daniel but he seemed like a nice guy.

Ashley Fuller and Jeff's daughter, Hannah, had a great time at the Mexican restaurant. Hannah placed flowers in Ashley's hair and styled it for her.

Abby is now STANDING!

2008-10-20T20:59:00.007-04:00

At the age of 9 months and 2 days old, Abby has learned to stand up on her own. She will crawl over to something, usually a coffee table, sofa or window sill, place a hand on the object and then pull herself up. Once she's up she will grab and touch everything within reach. She'll stand for a minute or so and then have a seat, crawl around a bit more and then stand up again. She's getting so big and growing up fast, but she'll always be a little girl to us.

Here she is getting ready to pull herself up at the coffee table. She is still working on her balance and getting her feet under her, but she can at least get to a standing position easily now.

No matter how big she gets, Abby will never be too big for a ride around the house in the laundry basket with "da-da." Here she is with me flying around our bedroom and taking a break for a photo from Cindy.

Paw Paw and Grammy's visit

2008-10-19T20:51:00.010-04:00

Two weekends ago, Paw Paw and Grammy Kendrick visited from Alabama to spend some time with Abby. They last saw her in July and she had quite a few new tricks to show them while they were in town. Although we try to Skype at least every two weeks, it was nice having them at our house so they could get some "Abby time." While they were here, Abby took Paw Paw and Grammy on several wagon rides and stroller rides through the neighborhood and even took a trip to Costco (and tried ice cream for the first time and loved it). She really likes to be out of the house and takes in everything and everyone she sees.

Abby loves her Paw Paw. When they arrived at our house she had no hesitation in going right to Paw Paw and Grammy. She had a great time with them while they were in town.

BOOK TIME! Abby likes to "read" books with us. We try and read at least 20 minutes everyday with her and she loves turning the pages. Only a couple of books have been destroyed, but that's a small price to pay if she learns to appreciate reading.

During these cool Fall evenings, Abby loves to take wagon and stroller rides with us around the neighborhood. Along our trip we meet neighbors, trees, bugs, dogs, cars and a whole host of other things that keep her entertained. While in town, Paw Paw and Grammy took Abby out several times to get some fresh air. She had a great time while they were here and we look forward to the next time we can see them.

She's almost 9 months old..

2008-10-08T20:02:00.003-04:00

I know, I know, it's been way too long since a blog. We have been so busy lately and to be honest the world of Facebook is too tempting to stay away from at times :) It has also been difficult going back to work and balancing everything without feeling exhuasted. So here is a picture memoir of Abby at 8 months old. She loves playing with all of her toys- many thanks to Goodwill purchases at $1 a piece, she loves wagon rides in the afternoons since it is cooler now, and she loves saying mama, dada, baba, la la, and even says some other jumbled up baby talk. Abby is the joy of my life and watching her grow up is such a blessing. And if you haven't noticed she keeps getting cuter and cuter, and yes she still looks a lot like her daddy :)

Kisses and Crawling

2008-09-25T20:45:00.007-04:00

Everyday Abby is growing more and more and learning so much. Below are a couple of videos that we took this week of Abby's new expertise of crawling around. She now crawls all over the floor to get to anything she can. It's so amazing and it makes me laugh every time I see her on the move. Her other trick (that she has taught herself) is that she likes to make "kissy" sounds. She will make this sound over and over and likes to mimic you when you make the sound as well.

Abby is Crawling!

2008-09-20T20:31:00.002-04:00

Today Abby officially crawled across our king size bed to get the remote control she wanted so badly. She has been working on the motions by rocking back and forth for a while but finally put it all together and moved across the bed. She seems to be more successful on our bed than on the floor though. I can't believe she is on the move now. I guess we'll not get to sit down or plop her down and be able to walk away from her, so I guess I have mixed feelings :) She really loves to stand and jump now too which means her little legs are getting prepared for walking. My little baby is growing up too fast. She is such a sweet girl and so much fun now, loving her wagon rides in the afternoon and laughing at silly things we do.

Abby's first blog

2008-09-14T10:06:00.003-04:00

While I was posting my blog this morning, Abby was in my lap playing with her teething ring. I could tell she wanted to touch the screen and keyboard so I let her post her first blog"

" hhhhhhhhh nb bhjnb ` b bhbnb b mnhnbhyu nc `mnhnkiujh nb 6gtfb6gtftf5fgvcxxnb nhgn bbnb hrv jyyjjnhy6htuyyhg7hgnhgnngv mvkjyhv xxxxxxxxxvyhtt4ytrd, ` c``bcv gfyhg"

Sunday blues

2008-09-14T09:10:00.005-04:00

Abby woke up this morning with a 101 temperature. Cindy and I think it's because she is cutting teeth, but just to be sure I kept her home from church today. Here are few pictures we have taken of Abby in the past few days.

Abby has been working on her posture for the day she becomes a supermodel. Here she is balancing one of her stacking rings on her head. She can sit still for about a minute with the ring on her head.

I like playing and trying to get Abby to laugh. She has a really good personality and can play with the best of them.

Abby can sit up on her own but she still likes to sit on the couch or recliner. When she gets tired or feels bad she wants to sit in your laps and just hang out. She's a great baby.

Like Manna from Heaven

2008-09-14T08:50:00.007-04:00

A few weeks ago, before the first Auburn football game, I placed an order online to a store in Auburn (who shall remain nameless) for a new Auburn shirt and hat. I try to get a new piece of clothing each year before the start of the season. This way, if things go well for the team I can contribute all of their success to the hat/shirt. But, if things go poorly, I can treat the clothing as a voodoo item and destroy it in hopes of helping the team.

After placing my order, I received my package in the mail within 5 days. I think it was a Thursday. To my amazement, I received a second package from the same store in Auburn when i came home on Friday. Inside this package was a long sleeve orange t-shirt, an Under Armor golf shirt, a women's t-shirt and a women's Hilfiger embroidered shirt. All of the clothes were in the correct sizes for me and Cindy to wear. At first I thought it was a gift from a family member because the shipping envelope was made out to me. After looking at the invoice inside the package, it was supposed to have been shipped to a gentleman in Mississippi.

As much as I wanted to keep the clothing, I wanted to make sure the guy in Mississippi got his stuff he ordered (the total amount for the order was over $180). So on the following Monday, I called the store in Auburn and informed them of their mistake. They told me they would send the guy in Miss. a new package and send me an envelope to return the clothing I received. Well...

Here it is 3 weeks later and I have not received a return package. I'm not sure what the statute of limitations is for this kind of thing, but I think this is similar to the Biblical story of Manna from Heaven. The Lord has provided for me and my family and, come to find out, He is an Auburn fan after all! So for the remained of this football season, my family will end all of our prayers with "Amen" and "War Eagle."

Hangin' in her crib.....

2008-09-11T18:58:00.003-04:00

We woke up yesterday morning to our sweet baby girl sitting up in her crib and trying to pull herself up by holding onto the crib rails. It quickly reminded us that we needed to move the mattress down to the lowest level. I thought, wait a minute, we just moved it a few weeks ago and here we go again. Our little baby girl is now in a toddler bed?? Well not really but in my mind it seems too soon. I know she's going to grow up but why so fast?? In four months she'll be a year old, did I just say that, and seriously where did these last eight months go? Each new stage has been such a blessing to watch. She's babbling now, laughing at silly things we do, really close to crawling, and jumps around like crazy if you hold her in a standing position. She is just a bundle of joy! I can't wait to see what the months and years ahead have in store for us!

Singin' and Dancin' and Movin' to the Groovin'

2008-09-06T19:39:00.012-04:00

Recently, Abby has begin to show more and more her little personality. She has the cutest laugh and smile for a baby I have ever seen (I may be a bit biased). Below are a few recent videos which show Abby playing at home with Cindy and I.

JUMPEROO MADNESS!

It has been a while since we let Abby play in her Jumperoo. Part of this was because of the number of other toys we have for her to play with. But Cindy's mom has been telling us how much she likes to jump in the jumperoo at her house. I think you can tell from this video she really likes to jump.

ABBY IS A DANCING MACHINE

Since Cindy started back to school, Abby has been staying with her Grandma during the day. Mrs. Fleming sings, plays and has shown Abby how to "dance." In this video, Abby shows off her mad skills while eating Peas, Pears and Peaches. I think you know YOU JUST GOT SERVED SUCKA!

LITTLE ROLY-POLY

This last video demonstrates Abby's mad skills of rolling while holding a purple block at the same time. That, my friend, is talent rarely seen in babies. Only the bravest of babies would even think of such a feat. I think you can also see that Abby has learned to say "Da-da," which brings a smile to my face every time I hear it.

Wouldn't that be somethin'

2008-09-05T14:44:00.013-04:00

Occasionally with my job, I have the opportunity to attend a community/public meeting where I get to talk to members of the public regarding a project I may be working on. These meetings are usually fun for me as it seems as though every wack-o comes out of the woods to tell me how stupid I am or some crazy idea they have had for the past 50 years about how to improve their city. I had the opportunity to attend one such meeting this week in Fayetteville, NC.

For those of you not familiar with Fayetteville (including me until my visit) it is the home of Fort Bragg, one of the Airborne and Special Forces bases. I was asked to help with the redesign of a 6 1/2 mile stretch of road on the north side of town. During the community interaction process, members from the public can stop by and let you know what they think of the design, what they know about the history of the area, etc. Usually these meetings are pretty standard but there is the occasional "character" that may stop by. This week, I had the opportunity of meeting "Mr. Burns."

Mr. Burns is a retired Army paratrooper, lives at the far end of the street I was redesigning and is 84 years old. His wife (who I never met) is 64 years old, so essentially he is a cradle robber. Mr. Burns came to every community open house (there were five) and would stick around until we shut the lights off. He was a nice man and he wasn't shy in sharing some of this thoughts on some key topics. Below is a except on some of Mr. Burns' favorite topics.

GLOBAL WARMING:
The best way to explain my Conversation with Mr. Burns is with a narrative.

Mr Burns: You know, I heard one of them icebergs in Iceland broke loose last month and is floating in the ocean.

Heth: Oh really.

Mr Burns: Yeah, it's just floating around out there in the ocean. I heard it's about 26 square miles. That's bigger than Anson County. Wouldn't it be somethin' if that thing floated towards New York City and crashed into it?

Heth: That would be something.

Mr Burns: I think they oughtta do something about them icebergs. That's the reason the Titanic sunk, you know. I think they oughtta go and melt all that ice and keep them icebergs from floatin' around in the ocean.

Heth: Well, we kind of need those icebergs.

Mr Burns: Wouldn't it be somethin' if we could get an 18-wheeler full of gasoline on that iceberg to spread gasoline all over it? Then we could light it on fire and melt the whole thing. Wouldn't that be somethin'?

Heth: Huh?

Mr Burns: Yeah, a truck full of gasoline would take care of that iceberg real fast. You know what would work better?

Heth: What's that?

Mr Burns: One of those atomic bombs we dropped on the Japs. Now that would finish off those icebergs for good. No sir, no more icebergs in the oceans. Wouldn't that be somethin' if we could drop a lot of atomic bombs on all of that ice?

Heth: That would be somethin'.

HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAGE:
This conversation was between Mr. Burns, David (my client) and I. I have to be very careful when it comes to subjects like this because you never know the "orientation" of the people, or clients, you may be working with.

Mr Burns: You know what I don't understand? How can a man in his right mind be attracted to other men with so many good looking women out there?

Heth: I don't know the answer to that Mr. Burns.

Mr Burns: Well I do. He just ain't right in the head. There's somethin' wrong with a man who wants to kiss another man.

David(client): Well, Mr. Burns, some people are just born that way.

Mr Burns: No, that's not true. There's just something wrong in their head.

TRANSPORTATION
Fayetteville is in the process of constructing a Interstate 295 to loop around the city. Currently the interstate is about half built but construction is scheduled to begin once again in the near future. Within the first 10 minutes of his arrival, Mr. Burns asked "When do you think they will continue work on Interstate 295?" I was told the state was just a few weeks from beginning agin so I told Mr. Burns this. The only problem is that he asked this question SIX MORE TIMES... Each time I would tell him the same thing but I would get the same exact question within the next 30 minutes. I don't know if he was forgetting due to his age or if he liked to feel like he was in on some information that the public may not know (he always asked the question when someone new entered the room).

Overall, the meeting was a sucess and there was no screaming or yelling. I have been to meetings and been refered to as "that moron," "that idoit from Charlotte" and "A-hole." But I have to say the folks in Fayetteville were very cordial and polite to us the entore week.

It's All happening so fast....

2008-08-30T10:34:00.002-04:00

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...

2008-08-24T21:37:00.002-04:00

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!

2008-08-18T16:19:00.006-04:00

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!

2008-08-15T14:07:00.004-04:00

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

2008-08-14T07:49:00.003-04:00

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...

2008-08-10T14:37:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-09T19:24:00.031-04:00

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!

Son of a son of a sailor

2008-07-31T21:26:00.001-04:00

Finally, for the first time in three years, Cindy and I will be taking a week long vacation together starting this weekend. The Kendrick family will be packing up our game and heading toward the east, Myrtle Beach that is (hence the beach music being played). Grandpa and Grandma are heading to the beach with us for some fun filled days of swimming in the pool, shopping at the outlets and introducing Abby to the exciting sport of go-kart driving. The condo we are staying at is just a mile from lots of dining and evening entertainment so hopefully we won't have to fight traffic. While there, we plan to kill several sea creatures for dinner (shrimp, flounder, squid, crabs, etc.). While we are away we have scheduled Stacey Heiler and her pack of 17 dogs to stay at our house to keep things safe. Have a great week at work suckers!

No Craniocap!

2008-07-29T11:40:00.005-04:00

Praise the Lord! Abby went for her six month check up today and we found out she was not going to have to wear one of those dreaded baby helmets. The doctor thought her head looked much better and very symmetrical. She also received another round of immunizations- yuck! She weighed in at
17 lbs 2oz, a little over 26 inches long and stayed in the 75% for everything. She is a healthy, happy baby and we praise God for her health!

Abby's Trip to the Promised Land..

2008-07-28T17:03:00.018-04:00

If you know Heth well enough you know where the promised land is-- Alabama of course. It was Abby's first trip to Grammy, Paw Paw's, Nana and Pop's house. We were a little nervous about the six hour drive but Abby did great. On the way back yesterday she did get a little fussy the last hour and half, but can you blame her. I told Heth if fussing and crying out were the only way I could communicate that I was tired of being in the car I'd be doing the same thing. Overall she did really well. We stayed at Grammy and Paw Paw Kendrick's house Thursday and Friday night. We enjoyed visiting and eating all of the fresh vegetables from PawPaw's garden. We were also able to be there for Brody's 5th birthday party on Saturday. Every year we get the invitation we talk about going and surprising Aunt Erica and this year actually did. Brody was so excited to see his Uncle Heth - who he absolutely adores. The party was at an indoor pool where all the kiddies could swim and the adults like myself could relax in the hot tub. This was Abby's second time in the pool and she loved it even more this time. She swam with her daddy and Pop, and floated around in her little turtle float. Miss Bryleigh is now 14 months old and is the cutest little girl with her short curly hair. Her and Abby are going to be running around and playing together before we know it. We also visited with Heth's grandmother at her house for several hours on Friday. She was so excited to get to see all of her great grandchildren. Later on Friday we stopped to see Aunt Judy and Heth's cousin Darren at the restaurant they own. It was also their first time meeting Abby. We spent Saturday and Sunday at Nana and Pop's house eating homemade ice cream that pop made and eating fresh blueberries and tomatoes. Nana and pop played and read books to Abby trying to soak up the little bit of time we had. It was so great to see everyone and for Abby to get to meet some of Heth's family for the first time. We also stopped in Georgia to see Brad, Brooke and Brock. Brock is such a cutie! He loved watching Abby and trying to touch her hand and face. It was also great to get to visit with Brad and Brooke. Overall, it was a quick trip but we had a great time. I hate that we live six hours from Heth's family, but had he never followed God's call with his career we would have never met. I know it is all Gods plan but I do wish we were closer. But, everyone is always welcome to visit us anytime they'd like and we will surely be making some more road trips to Alabama. It should get easier as Abby will then be able to watch some DVD's while we ride. I just want Abby to be able to see all of her family as much as she can. Abby says she loves everyone and misses you already!

Dinner with Grandpa

2008-07-19T13:05:00.004-04:00

While Grandma was away in Greenville,SC we invited Grandpa over last night and grilled some hamburgers. Here are some pictures that I took yesterday. Abby is getting bigger as you can see by the pictures of her in the highchair. She just turned 6 months old this past Weds. Wow is time flying by! She goes for her check up a week from Tuesday. Dr.Craig will be assessing her flat spot and will be able to tell us if she needs a craniocap. Her head looks a lot better but there is one place that has always been a little flat to me, so please pray that she won't have to wear one of those "baby helmets".

Lots of Firsts Today

2008-07-12T20:18:00.004-04:00

Abby had lots of "firsts" today. We decided to take her to the pool and see if she liked it. We had a really cute turtle float with a sunshade, because I am terrified of her fair skin getting burned. So, at first she wasn't too crazy about the water being cooler than the bath water she is used to. But, after a while she warmed up to it and seemed to enjoy it. Later in the day we decided to go eat dinner at Red Robin and take her along since she had taken 3 really good naps today. I've found the better naps during the day, the better she does when we take her out later in the afternoon. As we walked into Red Robin she was amazed at all the balloons and so I grabbed a pink one for her to watch and play with while we ate. We decided not to lug in the crazy heavy car seat that I am so tired of carrying into places and try a high chair. She of course has her high chair at home that she uses but the restaurant ones require a little more independent sitting. We strapped her in and were so happy to see that she was able to sit by herself and did great. She loved looking around at Red Robin. It is so colorful with Neon signs on the wall, lots of ceiling fans for her to look at, colorful light fixtures and lots of kids. She was loving it to say the least. Smiling at people, squealing and just being happy. Soon she'll be able to ride in the buggies when we go to target or costco and that too will make me very happy. That carseat was about to break my back. Who needs to workout when you're lugging that thing around. Finally, Abby also got to spend some one on one time with daddy while I went to visit Eleni, Laura and Erin this afternoon. She loves spending time with her daddy!

Aunt Beth, do you recognize her cute Baby Banz hat? Thanks!

I know she's my baby, but she is pretty cute!

Just in case she ever wonders...

2008-07-11T22:43:00.006-04:00

Just in case my Abby ever wonders how much her mom loves her I wanted her to get a glimpse into my heart. If you're reading this and think its a little sappy, well it may be. But, be reminded that I waited for my baby girl for 3 years, so just let me enjoy this mommy moment and document it for Abby to read one day.

My dearest Abby,
This time last year I was dreaming about your every detail. What color your hair would be, what your name would be, what your little baby hands and feet would look like. Now it's been almost six months since you stepped into our world and changed our lives for the better. With every day you bring me more and more joy. Your smiles, your laugh, the way you hold your arms straight back when I hold you, all the sounds you make, the way you try and smile at me and take your bottle at the same time, and I could just go on and on. As I held you tonight I looked at your light golden brown hair, long eyelashes, big blue eyes, little fingers wrapped around my index finger, little baby arms, sweet round nose, heart shaped lips, and thought about how God was able to form this perfect baby girl- what a miracle in itself. In the midst of my joy I was overwhelmed by the love I felt for you. I just sat tonight and held you so tight and close to me that I know you felt my heart beating. You made noises as if you were humming a song to me. I was trying to soak up every emotion I felt over the past six months and praise God for giving you to us. As I waited for you to enter into this world for 3 years I only imagined how much I could love you and by far underestimated the depth of my love for you. I simply cannot take my feelings and find the words to write, it can't do my feelings justice. In this moment, I was also reminded of how our heavenly Father feels an even greater love for us and yet we can go days without looking up to glimpse at His glory. How He must feel when those that He loves never spend time with Him, yet He is always there waiting for us. I hope that we can teach you all of these things one day, and I thank God for your life and what a blessing it has been for me. So, just in case you ever wondered how much I love you, it is the deepest greatest love that my heart can't put into words.

Officially a Goodwill addict....

2008-07-10T21:13:00.003-04:00

Okay, so I officially have an addiction to shopping at our local Goowdill store. And I refuse to release the location of the gold mine I have found near our house. My mom and I have been frequently, I won't say everyday but at least every other day, shopping and finding some incredible treasures. Here's just a sampling of what we've found recently: a great pack-n-play for my mom to have at her house, a Little Tykes picnic table with umbrella for an unreal price (it was brand new by the way), I found some Juicy couture pants, Tommy Hilfiger Jeans, Gymboree clothes for Abby, a radioflyer bike, baby dolls,etc. We have seriously found some great toys for Abby for crazy cheap prices. And, to top that off on Tuesdays senior citizens get a 25% discount and with my mom there we take advantage of that as well. Should I feel bad for getting a discount at the Goodwill?? I'm really not that cheap, just thrifty sometimes :) and amazed at what great things we can find. If I had the time I could shop all the stores and start selling my booty on Ebay. But for now I can just be proud of all the treasures we're finding and soon enough the garage that we won't be able to park a car inside!

More Pictures from Sunday's Dedication

2008-07-10T21:04:00.005-04:00

Abby on the big screen at church. Here are some more pictures my dad took of the baby dedication on Sunday. Notice how she was staring intently at Mr.Kessler as he was praying as if she was going to chime in with an Amen at any second.

Abby's Baby Dedication

2008-07-06T14:55:00.010-04:00

Abby did great today for her baby dedication at church. She was starting to get a little sleepy before the service started but was busy looking at the rose and all the lights during her dedication. Grandma,Grandpa, Uncle Michael and Aunt Helen were at church to watch and take pictures. Nana and Pop were able to watch via live streaming on the internet, Aunt Erica and Grammy and Pawpaw had trouble getting their internet to work so we'll have to send them a copy of the service on DVD. As we were waiting for the service to begin Heth mentioned to me that the last time we were on the stage at church was when we were getting married 5 1/2 years ago. Now we were standing there with our sweet baby girl vowing to pray for her and teach her about God. It was such a special time to also reflect back on all of the prayers that I prayed for a baby while sitting in those pews over the few years before Abby was born. Today we were able to stand there with our baby girl and promise to do our best to raise her in a christian home. Now my prayer for Abby is that she is healthy, happy, and grows up to love and serve the Lord.

Happy 4th of July!!

2008-07-04T15:52:00.004-04:00

Today Heth and I had a short celebration of the 4th up at Birkdale village in Huntersville. We loaded up around 9:30 this morning and drove to Birkdale with Miss Abby. She enjoyed looking at the big interactive water fountain, shopping in a few stores, watching the parade of kids in wagons and others that decorated their bicycles, and eating some lunch out. Grandma and Grandpa met us as we were eating some lunch and about that time Heth started getting a migraine headache. I could tell he wasn't feeling well so we decided to head home so he could lay down. I feel so bad for him when he gets them because there is nothing I can do except leave him alone and try to make as little noise as possible. Of course on the drive home Abby decides that she's going to talk and squeal like a happy little baby would, oblivious to the fact that she is making her daddy's head pound with her squeals of joy. After getting back home Heth has been resting upstairs and even got sick a few times. This is probably one of the worst migraines he has had in a while. I suggested (again) that he go to the doctor and see if there is some medicine(s) that he can try once he feels the onset of a migraine coming. I had a migraine one time when I was pregnant and I thought I was having a stroke, had blurred vision and then after it was over felt like I had been hit by a truck. So, even though out 4th wasn't as eventful as we had planned we did have a fun brief visit to Birkdale. Tomorrow we get to celebrate Heth's 31st birthday. I bought him a new flat screen TV for the family room. He has been wanting one for a few years now and decided to surprise him last night. Well, Abby should be waking up from her nap soon, but here's a few pictures of her in her patriotic outfit today. Hope everyone had a great 4th!

Abby's First Overnight Trip

2008-07-01T21:18:00.006-04:00

Well I survived my first trip away with Abby:) She did much better than I did! She slept well in her Packnplay and did great in the car. I'm not sure how she would do traveling much more than 3 hours right now. I on the other hand got food poisoning on Thursday night. I kept telling my mom I thought i was having some heartburn and feeling a little nauseated, and then right after I went to bed it all started up. I was up and down every hour throughout the night. Finally things slowed down by the morning but I felt awful. Then, I had to pack up all of our things and thank goodness my mom was with me to take care of Abby and drive us home. Right when I thought it was all over Friday afternoon it started up again. Needless to say I have not been that sick in a while. Then Sunday I felt nauseated all day long. Since having Abby in January I have felt that something with my digestive system is not quite right. I have had some abdominal pain and just feeling sick after eating certain types of food. I went to the Doctor yesterday thinking that it is my gallbladder. He ordered some blood work, and ultrasound, but is treating me right now for acid reflux. I should find out tomorrow if it is my gallbladder causing the problems. Today I continued to feel nauseus and had to be careful what I ate. (and NO I am not pregnant again!) I am hoping that tomorrow the doctor will be able to tell me what is going on once he gets the results to the tests. Please pray that all of this will pass and that it is just reflux. I really don't want to have my gallbladder taken out.
I did take some pictures while we were at my grandfather's house. Abby seemed to enjoy the trip seeing and meeting a lot of her family for the first time. We were able to eat lunch with Elaine, Naomie, Kimberly, Elloree, and cousin Stephanie on Weds. for lunch. I really hate that I didn't get any pictures. We also saw Diane, aunt Beth, and uncle Mack Weds. night. Then on Thursday saw Abby's cousins Helen and Gloria. Helen is 96 years old! They are my grandfather's brothers children on my mother's side. When we went to their house Abby just cried almost the whole time. There was something about them that she just wasn't sure of. In fact I've noticed that if she looks at someone and decides she doesn't like them she will definetely let you know. Overall we did have a great trip. Here are some pictures:

Abby in her new swing that daddy worked on while we were gone.

Abby's baby dedication

2008-06-28T18:08:00.002-04:00

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

2008-06-27T15:06:00.002-04:00

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

2008-06-24T09:54:00.002-04:00

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

2008-06-22T19:21:00.005-04:00

(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!

2008-06-22T12:51:00.004-04:00

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

2008-06-15T19:28:00.007-04:00

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

2008-06-14T22:29:00.002-04:00

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?

2008-06-08T21:31:00.004-04:00

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

2008-06-08T14:31:00.002-04:00

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

2008-06-07T18:55:00.004-04:00

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

2008-06-07T17:22:00.003-04:00

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

2008-06-05T20:45:00.004-04:00

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

2008-06-02T17:06:00.004-04:00

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

2008-06-01T14:02:00.003-04:00

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

2008-06-01T13:26:00.004-04:00

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

2008-06-01T12:57:00.004-04:00

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.

Current Gasoline Prices

2008-05-25T19:18:00.002-04:00

For those of you who are trying to find the cheapest gasoline in your town, www.gasbuddy.com is a website where you can search by your area of town and find the current gasoline price at each of the local service stations. I have found it helpful to check before I leave for work to see where I can get the best deal on gas.

ACE Mentor Program

2008-05-21T19:52:00.007-04:00

Student model of West Charlotte High School "Swann Station"

Students from West Charlotte explain their project to members of the design and construction industry prior to their formal presentation.

Brian Bennett, a LandDesign mentor, takes a moment to have his photo take with one of the students from Olympic High School.

The West Charlotte drum line perform prior to the awards banquet. Needless to say it was LOUD.

This semester, I have had the opportunity to volunteer every two weeks at a local Charlotte high school as part of the ACE Mentor Program. I had been looking for an opportunity to mentor high school students about the profession of Landscape Architecture and I heard about the ACE Mentor Program last October at a landscape architecture conference in San Francisco. The Ace Mentor Program was established in 1994 as a way of educating high school students about the construction and design professions. This includes landscape architecture, civil engineering, community planning, architecture, electrical engineering, and so on. After talking to several people at my office, I found that most of my colleagues more or less stumbled into our profession rather than starting off as landscape architects or civil engineers our freshman year of college. I, for example, learned about landscape architecture at the end of my sophomore year at Jacksonville State University after participating in a career aptitude test. It was only at the beginning of my junior year did I begin to take classes at Auburn for landscape architecture.

The ACE Mentor Program has allowed myself and 13 of my colleagues to mentor students from West Charlotte and Olympic High Schools. A total of 12 students participated this year and most had an interest in the design or construction field, although none said they were considering landscape architecture. Throughout the year, we took the students on several field trips to constructions sites, the UNCC College of Architecture, visits to sustainable buildings, and other parts of Charlotte most have never visited. After the Christmas break, the students were assigned a project of their own. They were directed to design a light rail station for their high school campus with the exception they would present the project at the end of the year.

The students worked very hard this semester and presented their project last Thursday evening to approximately 150 local members of the design and construction industry. A total of 9 students from West Charlotte did a PowerPoint presentation which showcased their project. At the conclusion of the presentation, three of the students who were seniors received scholarships in the amounts of $1,000 and $2,500. All three students had their families with them and it was great seeing their hard work from the school year pay off. Our company offered a summer internship to one of the students who was interested in civil engineering. Even though he is a junior in high school, we wanted to give him a chance to explore this profession to see if he enjoys it before he heads off to college.

All 14 mentors from LandDesign enjoyed the ACE Mentor Program this school year. Next year, we have been informed we will be heading up a new high school as the program expands into the school system. Below are some photos from the awards banquet last Thursday. If you know someone in the design or construction industry, I would ask you to encourage them to seek out a local ACE Mentor Program and get involved.

Four Month Check-up

2008-05-17T19:03:00.002-04:00

Yesterday afternoon was Abby's four month check up with the pediatrician. Abby did great, until they gave her all of her shots. She now weighs 14lbs 14oz and is 25 inches long. She is in the 75th percentile for height, weight and head size, thus she is a very proportionally sized baby. The doctor said she was a pretty baby and everything looked great with her health. She has a touch of allergies which causes her nose to run sometimes and the doctor said her head was a little bit flat on the back of her head. This is because she sleeps on her back and most of the day lays with her head laying back against something. He recommended we have Abby sit up as much as possible and only let her lay back when she sleeps. Otherwise, we may have to use a CranioCap for a few months to help shape the back of her head. Then came Abby's shots. She got three shots, two in her left leg and one in her right. The proportion of the needles to Abby's body is ridiculous. It would be like you or I getting a shot in the leg with a 4-inch needle. This was the first time I have seen Abby bleed and the nurse has no idea how close she came to meeting Jesus. Abby screamed for about 3 minutes while Cindy sang "This little Light of mine" and I danced around the room. By the time we left the doctor's office, Abby was smiling and laughing.

Last night Abby woke up about 2:30am with a fever and a pitiful cry. Cindy woke up with her and settled her down for a while. She woke up again at 4:00am with the same pitiful cry. I got up with her and held her in the recliner until 5:30am. I put her down in her crib, only to have her wake up again at 7:00am. Cindy got up with her while i slept until 9:00am. Cindy went back to bed at 9 and slept until 11:00am. Abby ate at 7:30 and puked up her apple sauce then took 5 ounces of formula from me at 9:30. She didn't eat again until 3:30pm and took 6 ounces. About 5:00 she started gagging and then puked all over Cindy, herself, the recliner and the throw pillows. She went back to sleep and started sweating, which Cindy recognized as her fever breaking. Tonight Abby is going to bed a bit later than her usual 6:30pm. Hopefully she will feel better by tomorrow morning, if not we may miss church to stay home with her.

First Food..

2008-05-14T19:53:00.002-04:00

Yesterday we gave Abby her first taste of rice cereal. She has more than doubled her weight since birth, holding her head up, and staring at us intently when we are eating as if she was wanting some real food. I was going to wait until i took her to the doctor this Friday just to make sure but my instincts took over and I made the decision. Of course I was a little scared to give her too much and made sure to dilute it into a soupy cereal just to make sure she would not have trouble swallowing. Her first spoonful was really funny. She made this face and looked at me like she was saying, mama, what in the world is this stuff. The second bite she looked as if her face turned upside down. It was like she wasn't sure about the taste of it. The third bite was a gag- and if you read one of my previous posts this is classic Abby behavior. After that she seemed to decide that it was okay. She couldn't quite get the hang of it too well at first, she just wanted that spoon to rub her gums, which by the way I think she is already teething. We bought her a teething ring and she loves putting it in her mouth or letting you rub her gums with it. If you put your knuckle in her mouth she just bites down hard. I know it can take months for those little teeth to emerge but she is on her way. So the cereal went okay last night. I gave her just a little bit tonight and she was just too tired to even try and enjoy. She is going to bed so early now. Some nights it 6, tonight she made it to 6:30 and its like she was about to fall asleep in the high chair. Monday night she fell asleep at 5:30 and was out for the night. I read a book on healthy sleep habits and naps and have tried to be consistent about her sleep schedule and it seems to hold true that she is a happy baby when she gets her rest. We're going to work on the napping this summer when I'm at home again to get her schedule a little more regular. I can't wait to be home with her soon. Only 4 more weeks of work left. I was holding her this afternoon while she napped and just thought about how thankful I am for her and all the joy she brings to our life now. Her latest thing is loving when her daddy plays - near and far with her. Remember Grover from Sesame Street playing this- Heth has come up with his version and Abby thinks it is funny. She smiles and laughs. She loves her daddy!

Mondays are always hard..

2008-05-05T17:27:00.006-04:00

Lately Mondays are the hardest days for me. I long for more rest, even after the weekend, and also just want to be home with Abby. This past weekend I gave a baby shower for my friend Laura at our house. Laura and I have been friends since Jr. high school as well as suite mates and roommates when i was at Carolina and after I moved back to Charlotte. So, I am so excited for her and really wanted to give her a great baby shower. I worked so hard this weekend trying to prepare and make sure the house was just the way I wanted it. I have noticed that whenever I have showers or invite people over to our house I have a strong desire to decorate and do things I have been procrastinating. Saturday was just busy, I picked up around the house, went to Costco to pick up the various food items for the shower, went to Lowe's for flowers and plants for the yard, made my chicken salad croissants, made tea, went back to Lowe's and bought curtains and mirror, went to Target to pick up some things, back to Home depot to pick up the curtain rods that Lowe's didn't have, picked up Abby at my mom's, then took care of Abby and got her ready for bed, asked Heth to hang the curtains and mirror :) (it was already around 9:45 by this time) and then finally went to bed around 11. Needless to say, it was a busy day. On Sunday I got up and continued the rush to finish everything and start decorating my table and had Heth move all of the baby stuff out of the family room to the upstairs. The shower started at 2 and my friends Stacey and Erin arrived around 1:00 to help set up the food. The shower was great. We had great food, and my friend Stacey even made a watermelon baby carriage that was incredible. I will post pictures of this as soon as I get them downloaded onto my computer. So, in doing all of this on the weekend I woke up Monday morning exhausted. The last week at work was already starting to catch up with me as well as all of the nights of interrupted sleep for the past 16 weeks of my life. Don't get me wrong, I can't complain, Abby is a great sleeper. Last night she slept through the night and has been doing this off and on for the past week. But, the adjustment with working, since school starts for me at 7:15 and I usually get there by 6:40, has been really hard. Some days I just wish I could sleep all day. Those of yous who are moms out there know exactly how I feel. Furthermore, as I woke up yesterday I was so tired that I seriously did not think i was going to be able to make it through the day. I found myself almost on my knees asking the Lord to give me strength. I was yearning for the word of God to fill up my spirit and give me the energy I needed. I turned to an old devotional book that my mother bought me before I went to college. I can't tell you how many times I have gone through this book and every time I open the pages it seems to apply to the current situation in my life and God speaks to me. The verse for Monday was Psalm 3:4. "I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah". I learned that Selah is the Hebrew musical word for "rest", a "pause", "a lifting up". This reminded me that in times when i need rest I can pause, lift my prayers up to God and He will refresh, renew and help me to rest in Him. I was amazed that even when I get busy and don't always put God first in my life, He still seeks me out and wants me to find peace and rest in His presence. This was a refreshing thought that helped me get through my hard Monday. I am so thankful for the loving, giving, merciful, caring God that loves me unconditionally even when I am so far from being my best for Him. God continues to use Abby's life and my new realities to teach me more about His love for me and draw me closer to Him everyday.

Abby's First "Real" Pictures

2008-04-27T21:12:00.008-04:00

Doesn't she look adorable! Many of these were cropped and look amazing! We went to portrait innovations and got a ton of pictures for a very reasonable price. We'll definetely go back.

Our little noise maker

2008-04-26T17:43:00.003-04:00

Abby is really making some noises now. A few weeks ago she was making a few sounds and last week she started blowing "rasberries" and making spit bubbles. She can even mimic you when you blow rasberries with her. As you can see from the video, she had a good laugh one day after I walked in from work and started blowing raspberries at her. This week she has again started "talking" to us about everything. She really likes Cindy's high pitched voice and will try to talk to her whenever Cindy talks to her. She has the sweetest voice and we love to hear her jabber with us.

Today we took her to get her first portraits made. She did very good but got a bit tired of constantly changing clothes by the end of the session. Many of you will be receiving a copy of her pictures soon but you can purchase your's early for only $20 down : ) She espically asked us to send one to Brock Slocumb and write "Eat your heart out Big Boy" on the back. She's a heartbreaker aleady.

Abby's Nana has been visiting with us this weekend from Alabama. Nana is such a great help when she comes to visit. Abby gave her a big smile to her Nana when she came in the door which immediately melted her heart. She stayed at home Friday with Nana while we were at work and had a great time. Grandma came and visited her and Nana and they all had a great visit. Tonight Nana is cooking hamburgers and Grandma and Grandpa are picking out their favorite pictures. Let's just hope there are some left when they leave : )

Are our babies full of bisphenol-A?

2008-04-19T22:09:00.004-04:00

Today researchers released studies suggesting that plastic products containing bisphenol-A can leach into our food or drink. This especially became a concern to me as we use plastic baby bottles which contain the harmful toxin. I recently began paying attention to the studies and became even more concerned today when announcements were made that Canada is considering banning the chemical all together. I know you can't worry about everything since our lives seem to be surrounded with plastic products we use everyday but at least I can try to make a few changes. We have been using the Dr. Brown's bottles, which are not cheap to begin with, and they were on the list of bottles that contain the BPA. So, I decided to get online and buy some glass bottles. I was actually surprised to find some evenflo bottles that were very cheap and ordered them. It will just make me feel better knowing that harmful chemicals are not leaching into our little Abby's body everytime she eats. Will I ever know if it made a difference? probably not. Will I sleep better at night knowing that I tried to do everything in my power to be a good mom? the answer is yes.

More about Oprah

2008-04-17T20:19:00.003-04:00

It's funny that I just rambled yesterday about Oprah being New Age. Check out this story on Fox news today that gives some staggering background information about Eckhart Tolle.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351545,00.html

Just some thoughts.....

2008-04-16T20:52:00.004-04:00

I haven't blogged since the weekend and just wanted to share some thoughts. First of all miss Abby is growing so much these days. She is definitely in the 3-6 month clothes now and I seriously doubt she'll make it much longer in that size. She has gotten so long over the last few weeks and amazes me with all of the new things she is doing everyday. I have really been torn these last few days with thoughts of not wanting to work. I really struggled Monday going back to work after being home with her all last week while I was on spring break. Heth and I are prayerfully considering what God will have me do about work in the next few years. I do love teaching but right now I desperately long to be with my sweet girl everyday. The older she gets, the stronger my desire is to stay home with her. Please pray that God will guide us in making a decision over the next year and will open up opportunities for part-time or other flexible job opportunities. Also be praying for Heth as he is going to try and get his architecture licensure exams completed this year. That means another raise which would help a lot!
On another note, I want to talk about Oprah. Yes, Oprah. I have always enjoyed watching the Oprah show but have found myself more and more annoyed with the latest book club book and conversations about its contents. The current book is Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth, Awakening to your Life's Purpose. I honestly have not read the book because I believe it is or could be characterized as a self-help book or tends to have a new age slant. What bothered me most was a comment a "expert" made on her show the other day. She defined spirituality as mans longing or desire for something greater than yourself. Then Oprah added that religion was different, and that people look to religion to fulfill their spirituality. I guess what annoys me the most is that they leave this religion thing open to various venues instead of pointing people to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the only truth that can awaken people to their life purpose. From what I understand, the book also refers to the "ego" a lot. This being translated by the Bible is the sinful heart of man. Again, I think what annoys me the most is that this book takes and uses some biblical principles and things that naturally do make people "better" so to speak and then fails to lead them to the truth. How can you fulfill spirituality without truth? Oprah also brings ministers onto her show and interviews them asking them to explain how this book has changed their lives. Why can't we go to the Bible and make this the next book club book? A few months ago Oprah had "the secret". Another new age self-help philosophy. Next month I'm sure it will be something else. She has so much power to influence so many people and yet I think without really knowing it leads them down a dead end path that will only fulfill them for a short period of time. I know that was a lot of rambling but I just get more annoyed as I watch each week. I guess I should stop watching....

Guitar Hero Anyone??

2008-04-12T22:25:00.003-04:00

Here is Heth jamming out to Guitar Hero. The ninetendo Wii has been a lot of fun for us. It did keep us up too late last night!

Abby Talk

2008-04-09T22:01:00.003-04:00

2008-04-08T15:19:00.002-04:00

Things I love..

2008-04-08T14:37:00.004-04:00

There are so many little things that I love about our little Abby now. Things that I notice she does and how her personality seems to be evolving more and more everyday. I also wanted to document these so that I never forget them and can cherish them while they last. So, here are the just a few of the things I love about Abby:

1. I love that she has a full head of hair. Babies with hair are just cute.

2. I love how she sleeps with both arms straight out to the side- this is only her nighttime sleep position. She doesn't usually do this during her daytime naps.

3. I love how she stretches. This girl loves to stretch. She throws her head and arms back, pulls her legs in and pushes her butt out. She also scrunches up her face and raises her eyebrows.

4. I love that she loves to get her diaper off and kick her legs.

5. I love how she puts her left hand on the top of the bottle and holds your arm or finger with her right hand.

6. I love that she has found her hands and likes to lick them. I just hope she doesn't start sucking her thumb- she is trying really hard to figure that one out.

7. I love her coos and new sounds that she is making every day now. I seriously think she is going to be a talker. Sometimes it sounds like she's saying "Hey".

8. I love that she smiles at me now when I walk into the room or go to pick her up in the morning.

9. I love that she gags. This is the weirdest thing but she has a super sensitive gag reflex. You can put something on her mouth and she'll just gag. I really do think this is some kind of behavioral pattern she has developed and think she does it on purpose sometimes.

10. I love how she smiles and laughs at her pink monkey.

11. Most importantly I love being Abby's mommy. I never imagined how much I would love being a mother. I have never been a person to love babies in the past but I just love knowing that she needs me and this has to be the most fulfilling thing I've ever done in my life. She is learning new things from me everyday and depends on Heth and I to meet her basic needs. It really is a special feeling that I can't really put into words.

I could go on but I'm sure that was enough to make you want to gag. I hope I've been spelling that word right, it just doesn't look right. Anyhow, Heth called with some exciting news today. He got us a Ninetendo Wii. I know that is probably not exciting news to some of you but we have been wanting a Wii for quite some time now. I was going to buy him one for Christmas but waited too late and of course everyone was seeking them out and were impossible to find. He bought it from a lady that works with him and got a great deal. After he called me I went to Costco, I had to pick up some pictures anyways, and saw Guitar Hero for the Wii. How could I pass that up. I have had so many people tell me how much fun it is and I can't wait to play. I know you're probably wondering when we will have time to enjoy our Wii, but remember little Abby goes to bed around 7:30 now, so mom and dad will bust out the Wii after she goes to bed. If only she knew what went down after she goes to bed. Just ask Heth about learning the Soulja boy dance one night. Good times, good times...

Sleeping with a runny nose...

2008-04-07T16:02:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I noticed that Abby was starting to sound a little congested and her nose was running. As a new mom I was of course worried and really didn't know what to do. I knew that you can't really give babies anything for a cold so I called my friend Amie. I now call her my resident doctor on call. She has three children and has been through just about everything. Her daughter Audrey and Abby are only three months apart in age. Amie always makes me feel better and gives me helpful things to do and usually saves me a trip to the doctors office. So after talking with my "doctor" I started using saline drops and pulled the humidifier out of the closet. I was just worried that Abby was not going to sleep well. She was cooing and playing all day as if nothing bothered her, but I know how I feel when I lay down with a stuffy nose. You wake up and can't breathe and just feel yucky. So, she fell asleep around 7:30 last night. After she went to sleep Heth and I watched "Bee Movie", which was okay. When we went to bed we checked on her and she seemed to be doing fine. She then slept through the night for the first time- she woke up at 6 AM. I couldn't believe it. She has always been a good sleeper but I was not expecting her to sleep like this before she hit three months (which she'll be on Weds.) She was a little stuffy when she woke up today but has been doing great all day. She has taken several long naps today and I am continuing to use the saline drops and clear her nose if it starts to sound stuffed up. It may not actually be a cold, it could be the pollen and weather. I honestly wish it would decide to stay warm or cold. Lately it will be 70 degrees one day then 40 the next. That is usually enough to get my sinuses out of whack. I sure hope she doesn't have allergies. Hopefully this will pass so that her and I can get out later this week when the weather is supposed to warm up.

Ladies Night Out

2008-04-05T15:56:00.004-04:00

Last night I was able to go to dinner with some ladies from my sunday school class. We headed to uptown to a great restaurant called Cajun Queen. It is always crowded and has a live band upstairs. One of those places that you have to talk really loud to hear each other and then you feel old because you realize you can't hear what anyone is saying. We had a great dinner and conversation. Many of us are new moms and its always fun to exchange baby stories but more importantly have adult conversations about other things as well. We were having such a great time we were oblivious to all of the tornado threats. As we were leaving it started raining and we were planning on going to the Starbuck's across the street to extend our time out until we realized the weather was so bad. The funniest part of the night is when we piled in the back of Bethany's Honda Minivan, I mean in the very back, since the other seats were occupied with car seats. Denise and Brandy are piled in with the strollers sitting on the floor of the van. We all laughed about heading to downtown Charlotte and going "clubbing", wouldn't we be a hoot, a bunch of mommies unloading from the floorboard of a minivan. Of course we don't go clubbing and the thought of all of that going down gave us all a good laugh. Needless to say we all had a great time getting away for a little while. It reminded me how important it is to get away, it seems to make me appreciate my time with Heth and Abby even more.

Tornado Warnings and Watches

2008-04-04T21:13:00.002-04:00

I hate tornadoes... Well, I guess to that effect I don't know anyone who would say "I love tornadoes." The weather tonight is pretty sketchy for North and South Carolina. I've been watching the local weather station for the past two hours and so far our county has been under a tornado warning three times. Add that up with all of the adjacent counties and it's been non-stop warnings for several hours. The weatherman keeps telling people "move to the central part of your house, bring in your pets, get in your basement, etc." I can imagine people all over the Charlotte area lying in ditches or sitting in their closets with cats and dogs as each warning is announced.

I've often wondered about getting into a ditch as a safety measure. I've always thought about the option of getting into a ditch as a pretty asinine idea during a storm. If there's a storm, wouldn't a ditch be the first thing to fill with water? It seems like jumping into a ditch would only heighten your chances of drowning in addition to getting hit by debris from a tornado. But I digress...

I've always been a heavy sleeper and can usually sleep through the worst a storm can offer. I remember my dad and sister telling me of a time we were under a tornado warning in Alabama and the storm had gotten so bad they were preparing to take cover in a hall closet. My dad stood at my bedroom doorway and was ready to grab me if things went horribly wrong. Things eventually settled down and I never woke up. I'm not sure if it's a good thing to sleep so soundly since I could miss the emergency weather siren. Cindy, on the other hand, will wake up before I will.

They've just issued a tornado warning for a neighborhood where several of my co-workers live. My ears have been popping for about 45 minutes, telling me the barometric pressure is dropping. I married a science teacher, I would know. Growing up in the south, we all know what a "hook echo" and a "bow echo" are. The weatherman said we should expect penny to nickle size hail within the next 20 minutes. I guess I should put my car in the garage. Cindy is at a dinner with some of the ladies from our Sunday School and I've asked her to either come home or stay put. She said they had no idea things were getting so bad. She's on her way home now and should be here in about 30minutes.

Abby is snoozing and has been for the past 1 1/2 hour. If things look like they are getting bad I'll get her and bring her downstairs with me. We have a interior closet that we will get in if things decline. We will not get in a ditch. A country boy can survive. On the plus side, maybe this storm will get rid if the bird that comes every morning. Or maybe it will get struck by lightning.

2 Months and 3 Weeks Old

2008-04-04T18:04:00.001-04:00

Laugh Out Loud

2008-03-29T21:11:00.002-04:00

I know Heth already posted today but I had to write about Abby's first laugh tonight. We were putting her in her car seat to take her to grandma and grandpas for a few hours and as we were talking with her she started smiling and then came the sweetest little laugh. She was smiling from ear to ear and letting out these sweet little baby laughs. Heth and I were so excited and it was so special that we both were able to share in the moment together. We were like two giddy little children watching her and laughing with her. Our sweet little Abby, she brings us so much joy as we watch her grow and learn new things everyday. I hope all of her days will be filled with laughter and happiness.

Abby is the greatest baby ever

2008-03-29T14:03:00.005-04:00

Cindy and I have the greatest baby ever. In the past 10 weeks I have seen her grow and change so much. I love to see her little smile and the way she likes to try and eat her hands. She has started to slobber and drool a bit but I think it is the best mess I've ever seen. Her poots and poops are starting to stink a bit more but changing diapers isn't so bad when it's Abby. She and I like to spend some time on Saturday mornings together while Cindy sleeps and talk about what's going on in Abby's world. She likes to have her diaper off and kick her legs wildly when I talk to her. Her hair is usually a mess and sticks up everywhere, espically when she wakes up. Cindy laughs at us on Saturday mornings since our hair looks similar in style. She has to take medicine for acid reflux but she really loves to take it since she gets and ounce of apple juice with it. I've found my back doesn't hurt or get as tight as it once did when I hold her. Now I feel like I can hold here and play for hours. She's still little, but it's funny when the clothes she wore a few weeks ago do not fit anymore. I still like for her to fall asleep on my chest or in my arms. There's something comforting about knowing she feels comfortable enough to fall asleep with me. I love that she still gets the hiccups, but it's not as fun at 3am when she can't go back to sleep. I love that she still likes to grab one of my fingers when she takes a bottle. I love the smell of her after a bath when Cindy puts her apricot lotion on her. I still call her Possum, Turkey and Tater but I'll stop when she knows what they are. I still hate the bird at the window. But most of all, I still love being married to Cindy and having a great family to come home to everyday!

More Easter Pictures

2008-03-24T18:13:00.004-04:00

Here is Abby playing with her cousin Stephanie on Easter Sunday.

First Roadtrip for Abby

2008-03-23T21:33:00.002-04:00

Today was Abby's first road trip as we visited my grandfather for Easter. Doesn't she look adorable in her purple Easter dress? She even wore her little pearl bracelet today! She did look adorable. We left this morning around 7:30 and stopped at grandma and grandpas to eat breakfast and then hit the road. She did great sleeping almost the entire trip in her car seat. When we stopped to feed her and change her into her Easter clothes she seemed as happy as can be. Then.... we left to head to the church and she started screaming. She went into her ugly cry, the one that where she gets so mad that she holds her breath and I have to blow in her face. And yes, it scares me when she does this. I yelled for Heth to pullover and made her another bottle, she took another ounce and went right back to sleep. This girl knows what she wants, and if she's hungry you'd better feed this baby. She then slept through church and made it to my grandfather's house where she ate again, played and smiled at everyone for most of the afternoon. We left around 5 and she slept the entire trip home, only waking up when we were almost to grandma and grandpas house. I was so glad that she handled the day so well. In fact when we got home she let me rock and went right to sleep. She seems to be doing great since she started taking her medicine for acid reflux. I really think it has settled her tummy and she is not spitting up as much and less fussy after she eats. She really has been a great baby. More importantly she was able to spend time with her family; great grandpa, uncle Paul, cousins Matthew, Andrew, Steven, and Stephanie, Uncle Squat(Mack), Aunt Beth, and got to meet Naomi and Elaine this afternoon. It turned out to be a great first road trip for her. Next year this time we'll be dying eggs and going on Easter egg hunts. I can't wait!! There are so many things I look forward to doing with Abby and just being there to watch her have fun and see the excitement on her face. I already ordered her a monogrammed stocking for her first Christmas. I know its early but I can't wait to watch her open presents for the first time. Well its getting late and I am pretty tired myself.

Back to Work :(

2008-03-18T18:46:00.004-04:00

Who would want to leave this sweet little face to go back to work?? Yesterday morning it was so hard for me to leave little Abby. I did shed a few tears when I woke up and thought about how much I was going to miss her after spending so much time with her over the past nine weeks. I love her so much and can't begin to describe the joy she has brought me since she arrived that sweet January day. I am however so glad to know that grandma is looking after her and I don't have to worry at all about her during the day. My first day back went well. I have some great Anatomy students this semester and I honestly think they were glad to have me back after hearing all of the stories about the sub that was filling in for me. In a few weeks they may change their mind and wish the other guy was back ;) Today I was a little more tired than yesterday as I am trying to get used to getting up and working all day and then coming home and making sure Abby is taken care of and getting everything ready for the next day. My house is definitely not as neat and clean as it used to be. My mom has actually done most of the cleaning that has gotten done since Abby was born. She now takes priority over everything else.
Heth has been trying to fight off sickness over the weekend and finally today came home from work early to go to the doctor. I was convinced he was getting the flu but the doctor thinks it is just a bad sinus infection. He has had a fever and been very congested for several days now. The doc gave him some antibiotics and other meds so hopefully he'll be back to normal soon. Luckily the doc doesn't think it is anything contagious that Abby could get.

2-Month Check-up

2008-03-13T16:45:00.002-04:00

Abby had her two month doctor visit today. She did great considering she was given 3 immunizations and one oral. It was so pitiful to watch her scream when the shots were given but she quickly seemed to settle down and so far has done great today. She is weighing in at 11 lbs and 12 oz. now and was 22 and 1/2 inches long. This put her in the 75% for both height and weight. So, with that being said she is a happy and healthy baby and I am so thankful. She also continues to sleep well at night with last night setting her record for consecutive hours of sleep to an all time high- 8 hours! I hope she continues as I go back to work next week :)

A Smooth Spring Forward for Abby

2008-03-10T09:08:00.005-04:00

I was worried about springing forward this weekend and Abby's little Biological rhythm being thrown off but she actually did great. She went to sleep last night around 7:45 and slept until 3 AM! That's right- a full seven hours of consecutive sleep. And last night she didn't have one of her major fussing spells as she knew she approached sleeping hour. I can't believe that she will be 8 weeks old on Weds., time is just going by so fast. As I was taking pictures of her this morning I was thinking about how hard it will be for me to return to work next week. I started worrying about all of the little things I would miss during the day. The new sounds she'll make and all the firsts that I might not be there for. It really made me sad. Then after she went to sleep for her morning nap I started praying about it and God sent me to a verse He has shown me for a second time since Abby was born,
Matthew 6:30-34. It reads, " O you of little faith, So do not worry saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
After reading these verses again it made me realize that He will take care of everything when I go back to work. I'm sure that first day will be hard but I need to learn to live for today and not worry about all of the tomorrows. I also remind myself that I want to be a living example for Abby. I never want her to worry about things but trust in God and live for each day. More importantly, I have learned so much about how selfish I really am by having this sweet little girl now. God has spoken to me and shown me so many of my own flaws through giving me this perfect innocent little girl. Its amazing how His hand is always working and weaving the threads of our lives. I try and remember to thank Him everyday for Abby as I waited and prayed for her for so long. Now I will pray that I can live for everyday and not the worries of tomorrow.

Six Hour Sleepy Slumber

2008-03-03T13:54:00.002-05:00

Last night Abby set a record time sleeping! Six consecutive hours of sleep! Even though she slept that long I kept waking up and looking at the monitor to make sure she was okay. Hopefully she will continue this trend tonight. Sleep is soooo gooood!!

Abby in her Peanut Shell

2008-03-01T11:33:00.007-05:00

Okay, she doesn't look too happy initially in her little baby carrier, but I got her settled in it and she loved it! She went to sleep and slept for over four hours! She looked so comfy and cozy all bundled up in it. It's great for me because it makes it so much easier to carry her around and have my hands free. I love it so far.

The picture on the left was taken on Thursday. I took this for her Aunt Beth to see that she was right about purple being one of Abby's best colors. She also has a beautiful purple blanket that Kimberly sent us (Thanks Elaine and Kimberly for the package!). Anyhow, last weekend her aunt Beth, Cousins Stephanie and Steven, and Mrs. Wilson all came to visit her. Abby already loves her family. She let out the biggest smile when Stephanie was holding her. I am glad that they were able to visit with her even if it was a quick trip.

Furthermore, there were several "firsts" for Abby this week. She made her first trip to church last Sunday and did great. I was not ready to drop her off in the nursery with all of the flu and colds going around, so we took her into Sunday School and Service with us. She slept right through Sunday School but woke up in service because it was time for her to eat. Luckily our church has TV's set up with seating so that I could feed her and still watch the service. Hopefully she'll do great again this Sunday. The other first for Abby was yesterday when Grandma and I took her to Southpark mall. We were not out too long but she slept in her stroller and then loved looking at all the lights on the ceiling in the store. She has done great on the days I have taken her out, and once she gets settled in her car seat almost always snoozes away while we're riding. I'm sure I'll have many more first time moments over the next few years and I can't wait!

BIRD is a four letter word

2008-03-01T07:44:00.002-05:00

So a few weeks later and still this stupid bird pecks at our window each morning and each afternoon. It figured out the snake was not real and threw it off the window sill a few times before we gave up on that solution. The next option will be moth balls. I have also thought of putting a fake owl up there to see if that works. Needless to say, our patience is growing thin and its time in this world is getting shorter each day that goes by...

No more pumping!!

2008-02-28T19:27:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I decided to start weaning Abby. I have not really enjoyed the breastfeeding experience and had planned to wean her before I head back to work in March. Since I have enough breast milk frozen to last another week or so I went ahead and stopped yesterday after talking with my doctor at my six week postpartum check up. Dr. DeHoff made me feel a little less guilty by reassuring me that she has already benfited tremendously from the breast milk that she received these first few months. Furthermore, I just could not see myself at work pumping and staying on the same schedule. Little did I know it would be so extremely painful for me to stop the feeding and pumping. I was up most of the night agonizing and taking ibuprofen for the pain. In fact I looked at Heth at one point and said I'd rather birth a child right now. It felt like someone was cutting into me and poking me with pins and needles. Thank heavens the pain was finally bearable this morning and has continued to subside. I can't tell you the freedom I already feel not having to breastfeed or pump. More power to those that can keep it up, it just was not for me. If we end up having another child he or she will probably be lucky if I breastfeed for the first few weeks. It's amazing how obsessed I was with the feeding and pumping and now I feel totally liberated.
Last night Abby had one of her fussy nights. Its as though nothing was going to make her happy for about an hour and half. Heth stayed up with her and she finally went to sleep after 11 or so. She is such a happy baby during the day and sometimes at night she turns into what we call the wildwoman. Crying and screaming regardless of what you do. Everything I've read says that their nighttime fussiness peaks at around six weeks, so hopefully she will be over this phase soon. She continues to smile and make new sounds everyday now. She is especially alert in the early morning when she seems to smile the most. Every day I look at her and she is just growing so fast I can't believe it. She has this little adorable round face now with little pudgy baby legs and belly. I need to take some pictures tomorrow to add to the blog so you can see how much she is growing. I have only two weeks left with her until I return to work. However I am so excited that my mom decided to quit work and keep her for us full time this year and next year. I can't imagine leaving my sweet girl in the hands of a stranger and so thankful that my mom will be able to care for her. Abby loves her grandma already!

One Month Check-up

2008-02-20T20:22:00.003-05:00

Yesterday Abby had her one month check-up with Dr. Craig. She weighed in at 10lbs. and was 22 inches long. I can't believe how much she's grown already. She was in the 80th percentile for both height and weight- at least she's growing porpotionally :) I was also surprised that she didn't cry at all for Dr. Craig. He checked her out and he even commented on how alert she was for a 5 week old baby. Now her problem is not wanting to take naps in the afternoon. She really wants to stay awake and make sure she doesn't miss anything. Then she gets so exhausted by late afternoon that she starts sleeping longer stretches of time. I told Heth tonight that this is hopefully moving her into more nighttime sleep which translates into more sleep for us. I can't wait til the day that she is sleeping through the night. Most days I'm not too tired but it's just not the same if your sleep is interupted every three hours or so. Last night Heth let me sleep a little longer because I was so tired. He said I woke up at one point and heard her crying and said, "No, no, that's a good baby, shhh, shhh", and then went instantly back to sleep. I don't recall even hearing her or waking up. We both laughed because Heth did something similar several weeks ago. Now we have decided when you're talking crazy in your sleep like that you need some rest and we'll let the other person sleep.
Today my mom kept Abby for a few hours while I made an unsuccessful attempt at shopping for some clothes. I have next to nothing that will fit me right now. Yesterday I finally came to grips with the fact that it will take me longer than I thought to lose the pregnancy pounds. Those were nine glorious months of french fries, Chick-Fil-A sandwiches, cheerwine slushies, and milkshakes. Who says being pregnant is that bad? Now its back to Lean Cuisines, grilled chicken, veggies, salads, and a workout routine. Hopefully by the summer I'll be close to my prepregnancy weight. I have lost about 25 pounds and have at least 17-20 to go. So, with that being said, I need to buy a few things to hold me over until I shrink some more.

Play and Smile

2008-02-18T18:32:00.004-05:00

I was finally able to catch Abby smiling while she was playing today. She has become more aware of her surroundings over the past week or so and likes to play and watch herself in the mirror on her play mat. She also loves to move her arms and legs around- I think she is going to be a very active little girl. Tomorrow she goes for her visit with Dr. Craig. Hopefully she doesn't have to get too many shots. We'll keep you updated on her visit.

The bird and the snake

2008-02-16T14:27:00.002-05:00

Every day this week after I have left for work, Cindy has been awaken to the sound of pecking and scratching at the window. The first day it startled her since she knew I had left for work and no one else was, or should be, in the house. She quickly discovered the reason for the noise.

We had our front windows on the house treated a few years ago to help reduce the the amount of heat the was coming in from the afternoon sun. As a result, the windows now have a reflective quality, just like sunglasses have mirrored lenses. Apparently a robin has deceided that there is another bird who looks just like him or her and it does not like it. I finally got to see the bird in action this morning and let me tell you, it is quite annoying. At 7am this morning I was standing in my front yard in my pajamas, no shoes and my cowboy hat. I was waiting to throw the hat at the bird if it returned but after five minutes of freezing I headed inside. As soon as I was inside I heard "peck" and I looked up to see the bird once again at the window. The next solution was to throw tennis balls at the window in an attempt to scare the bird away. It worked for a while but the bird still returns.

Cindy and I had the idea to try and get rid of the bird for good. We went to Target today and bought a plastic snake. It's bright yellow and about two feet long. I used my golf ball retreiver to place it on the window sill in hopes of using the birds natural instincts to keep it away from the window. For his sake, we hope this works. The next step may be a more permanent solution, in the form of a pellet rifle.

"Opossum"

2008-02-14T12:28:00.003-05:00

Abby is my little "Opossum." This is the nickname I have developed for her over the past few weeks. I know opossum are not very lovely creatures, but looks are not what gives her this nickname. She gets the nickname because she plays "opossum" with me quite frequently. Sometimes when Cindy or I feed her, she will drink one or two ounces of formula and then "go to sleep," only to wake up in a few minutes screaming at us for not continuing to feed her. Sometimes she likes to get in her swing or lay on our chest and play like she's asleep. I have found this usually this happens between midnight and 4am. Just about the time you think she is asleep and you try to place her in her crib, Miss Abby decides "It's not quite time to sleep." Other nicknames have come and gone over the past few weeks, including pumpkin, Driver 8 (when she is feeding and needs to burp I tell her to "Take a break Driver 8. I have no idea why) and angel but none have stuck like "Opossum." So, until she figures out what a opossum is and begins to resent me for calling her one, she will be our little "Opossum."

Abby's 4 Week Old 4AM Smiles

2008-02-13T18:55:00.003-05:00

Last night I went into get Miss Abby as she was waking up around 4AM to find a happy little baby girl. She was wide awake and ready for her bottle. As I was getting ready to feed her I was talking and playing with her and she smiled at me 3 times!! I couldn't believe it. I was thinking it would take her a few more weeks before we would see her beautiful little face light up. I was so excited I went in and woke Heth up to let him know. The last few days I noticed she would give me half smiles but this was the real thing. It made that 4 AM feeding all the more worthwhile. I know there will be many more smiles to come in the days ahead.

Abby's Weekend With Aunt Erica, PawPaw and Cousins Brody and Bryleigh

2008-02-12T18:38:00.000-05:00

This past weekend Abby got to meet her aunt and cousins! Erica, Brody, Bryleigh and PawPaw Kendrick all came to see her on Friday and stayed until Monday morning. We all hung around the house, Brody and Heth did a lot of playing on the golf course, Bryleigh strolled around in her little walker all weekend, and Abby did her usual, eat, sleep, poop. We were glad that she got to meet her family. I can't wait until Bryleigh and Abby are a little older so they can play and hang out together. Some of the best times I've had were with my cousin Stephanie and I hope she will also be close to her cousins even though they live in Alabama.

I got out Abbys Baby Einstein play set and tried it out this weekend. She seems to really like looking around at all the objects hanging and the bright colors. Yesterday I am almost convinced that she made a little smile and tried to laugh. She is definitely making a lot more of her baby noises now. I tried to weigh her today and I think she is at least 9 and 1/2 pounds already. I can't believe how fast she is growing. Today I put on a little outfit that I brought her home from the hospital in and it looks like she's got on capri pants. It was a happy and sad moment for me. I want her to grow but I still want to think of her as my little baby girl. Heth and I were talking tonight about how these last four weeks of our life have been so different but now we can't ever imagine life without our Abby. After praying and waiting for so long God created a little girl that is perfect in every way for us.