Off to Disney...

Today could have turned out to be the worst day of my life...luckily everyone is safe and healthy. 

We went to visit my best friend, Jennifer, and her family for a long weekend. Her daughter is 2 months older than Abby and they are best friends when they are together. They get along great and keep each other entertained the entire time. The only complaints are because they play long into the night and are then exhausted the next day. And, her older brother feels left out. Jennifer and her family are going to Disney in two weeks for a family vacation. Immediately upon arrival Abby and Lily started planning their very own Disney trip. It was very cute and fun. Then, we noticed after nap time that the girls had broken colored pencils into small pieces. When we asked why it was 'to give us splinters so we would be busy and they could go to Disney without us seeing them leave.' At this point we tell the girls that it's a bit out of hand and they need to back off a but. The next day the girls played outside for the entire afternoon, planted flowers, and again laid down for rest time together...this time in front of the adults. 

Fast forward to this morning. As I was sleeping on the fold out couch and Jennifer & Darin were slowly waking up for the day in their bedroom the girls were packing a suitcase and snacks for their trip to Disney! I woke up to Dillon telling me Abby went outside by herself. In my half awake state I was upset, but thankful they were just in the backyard. Then I was informed that, no, they were down the street about to cross a street. And that Hannah was with them! The girls were still in pajamas with slipper and their suitcase, baby stroller, and gummy snacks. It was raining. They were entirely too far away from the house and too close to the highway. 

Both sets of parents keep saying it doesn't matter whose idea it was, but neither of the girls would come up with this independently. Abby had just complained of shadows bothering her the night before!! Basically, the two girls are way too mischievous when together! 

They were gone less than 10 minutes but the what ifs keep racing through my mind. From what the girls said, they decided to come back home, but were having trouble corralling Hannah back. Those girls are my life. Lily is like an extension of my family. I can't imagine how I would hold myself together if something bad had happened to them. I'm so very grateful they are safe. 

A part of me wants to confine Abby to the house for the rest of her life. Another part thinks 'wow! She's creative, and brave, and loyal' Yet another part thinks she's a kid and needs to make mistakes. Just not dangerous mistakes that could potentially be life changing.

This mommy job is insanely hard. I still haven't figured out a punishment I feel suitable yet. I'm not sure how I can sleep tonight!! But mostly, I'm happy I'm able to tuck these kiddos in another night. Thank you, God!

Hannah turns 2!!!

Wow! Hannah is turning 2 tomorrow! She is such a busy body and always on the go. Hannah loves Mickey Mouse and is having a Minnie party tomorrow. 

I've noticed Hannah is very particular about things. She pushes buttons, closes doors, and has to have everything in it's place. It's fun to watch her try to sit her dolls up just right. 

 Hannah has shown us she's very smart even if she doesn't talk much. When we drive past her daddy's work she yells out 'Daddy!' And she knows most of the food she eats (even though most fruits are called apples). I think my favorite thing is when she says, 'hold you' when she really means 'hold me'. I can never deny a little snuggle time with her! 

Hannah absolutely adores Abby, but I think Hannah gets her way most of the time! They both get jealous of the other one very easily. Abby tells me at least once a day that Hannah pushed her, took something from her, or yelled at her. It's usually comical for us to watch. 

Hannah's favorite toys right now are electronics...the iPad, iPhone, leap pad, and mobigo are her favorites. She loves watching Mickey Mouse on Netflix and knows to bring us the remote. She wants to wear dresses every day and follows what Abby does often. She loves saying 'hi!' and 'bye!' to her friends at the sitter's house. I'm not sure what her favorite food is....because she never eats her own food, but rather takes everyone else's food! 

It's been an amazing two years and I'm so very happy God lent her to us. I love you, Hannah!!

Abby is turning five!!

I remember what I was doing five years ago today. I had been on bed rest for a week with a doctor appointment the following day so I decided to make a trip to Walmart, just in case we might meet our baby the following day. I remember feeling huge, but so proud of my big belly! I remember trying to enjoy my time with Jeremy before a newborn would upset our normalcy. I remember anticipating my baby and how she would smell, look, feel, smile, and cuddle. I was scared of labor and delivery. I wanted to hold my baby!

My baby is turning 5 tomorrow. At 6:32 pm. She's growing more independent every day. She's smart, loves Legos and Barbies, thinks she's older than she really is, and doesn't listen well at all. She loves her baby sister, gets afraid at night and crawls in our bed, and tries to negotiate most things in her favor. I've watched her when she doesn't know I'm watching. She sings with all her might, talks to herself, uses manners around other people, dances around the house, and thinks she is hiding from us all the time. 

She is gorgeous. I watch her while she sleeps and notice she has a few freckles on her nose now. Her nose is still a cute little kid nose, her eyelashes are perfect, and she has the prettiest strawberry blonde, curly hair that gets complimented every where she goes. 

This past year has been full of changes. She started the year by going to a babysitter full time and now she is in a five day PreK program at St. Joseph catholic school. She loves school, even though she complains every day. She has made a few friends, but she's surprised me with how sensitive she is. She can be very assertive at home, but at school she seems to watch things going on more. We went to holiday world over the summer, to visit our friends and family in Indiana several times, had our first hotel stay over New Years, and had our first sleepover with Libby. 

I'm amazed by what I've learned since becoming a mommy. First, the relationships with other moms has been the most awesome!!! I've made friends from her sitters, school, and from when she took swim lessons in March. Abby has also helped me to see the world from a kids point of view. I've watched her figure out how to put puzzles together, decide which colors to use when drawing, get upset because her fort fell down, run super fast, learn to hop, and get scared during movies. She's made me aware of how kids interpret things. I definitely think more before I say things now. And, we constantly argue during clean-up time. 

I never could have imagined how much I could love someone. How much I want her to find her independence, but keep her sheltered at the same time. How much attention it would take to help her become smart, loving, caring, thoughtful, and generous. How much I want time to stand still when I'm with her. 

So tonight I let my four year old fall asleep in my arms. 

Because tomorrow she will be five!! 

My wish is that she grows into a thoughtful, caring, and well-rounded woman. I hope she never has to worry about how much she is loved. That she is healthy and happy. And I hope she knows how much I appreciate being her mommy. I love you with all my heart, Abigail Leigh! 

Birthday Date!

Papaw Haas gave Abby some money to get ice cream for her birthday. Somehow we ended up at Rainforest Cafe in the Opry Mills Mall. The girls were taken aback when we first arrived and the elephants started moving. 

I'm not sure they blinked for several minutes. 

This was the best I could do with both of them. 

We ordered dirt pudding and an ice cream sandwich. Abby shared both with her little sister. 

Hannah LOVED the fish!

She almost ran out of the store at one point because Jeremy and I were taking turns running after her. By the time I sat down and Jeremy stood up she was almost out the door! (Lesson learned- hold onto her better!)

The girls loved walking around and then listening to it 'rain' in the restaurant. 

After Rainforest Cafe we went to the Disney Store and the Lego Store. It was an awesome family date night. 

Abby's Fifth Birthday!!

How did my baby get so big?!!! We have both fallen in love with the newest Disney movie, Frozen. We had her birthday at a movie theater and invited some of her friends to watch the movie with us. Abby sat between her new friend, Mallory, and her oldest friend, Libby. Jacob & Rose from her former babysitter joined us as well as another newer friend, Tyler. 

Mallory, Abby, & Libby 

Libby & Rose

Jacob

Tyler

And, Hannah!! 

One of the parents said they heard one of the kids say, "This is the best party ever!" in the middle of the movie! That's what it's all about, folks. We are blessed to have so many people in our lives that will help us celebrate our daughter's birthday! 

Tyler's Birthday Party

Our good friend, Tyler, turned four today and we joined his family and friends at Chuck-e-Cheese for his party! I accidentally picked out a third birthday card for him, but he didn't mind I crossed through it!! ;) 

We gave him an IOU for a play date at the zoo once the weather is warmer. We can't wait, Tyler!! 

Hannah was a mess at the party!! She saw the cupcakes on the table immediately and wouldn't sit down until she had one. She skipped pizza and went straight for the icing. She ended up eating the frosting off 3 cupcakes! :-O It took her forever to settle down and take a nap after the party!!!

Again, we are blessed to have such wonderful friends in our lives. We met the Graham Family almost a year ago at the YMCA. Tyler and Abby had swim lessons together. Jaime and I found out we have a lot in common and over time we've found out Mike and Jeremy have several similarities as well...including Harleys!!! 

Thank you for inviting us to your party! We hope you have a wonderful year ahead and we can spend lots of time with your family!!!

Hannah's not too sure of Barney!

How did we get Tristan, Tyler, and Abby in the same picture?! (Those kids were all over the place!!)

Wheeee!!!

I'm pretty sure they weren't supposed to be on there together, but they never told us to stop!! 

'I'm ready to get out, Mom!'

Cheese!!

"Look, Mom!!!"

Boys will be boys!!!

Abby's First Sleepover

Abby had her first (successful) sleepover last night with one of her best friends, Libby. These two went to the same babysitter from birth so they have been good friends for almost 5 years now. I have to say it is a blessing to know the Jerrell family and for our kids to grow up together. 

Abby and Libby played together great! They had fun sending stuffed animals down the slide, watching a movie while sitting on the same small chair, and even wearing similar pajamas! 

I loved listening to the girls talk. Abby was telling Libby that she left a stuffed animal at her Papaw's house over Christmas. Then I heard Libby say, 'Just retrace your steps and I'm sure you will find it.' Abby tried explaining to her that it was in Indiana and she couldn't just retrace her steps! This conversation went on for at least 5 minutes before they moved on to another topic! 

The girls stayed up until about 11 pm but then crashed pretty fast. This morning we made donuts for breakfast and they got to play for a little while before Libby got picked up. 

Thanks for the great memories, Libby! Let's do it again soon! 

New Years 2014!!

We spent New Year's Eve in Bowling Green, KY with our good friends: Mark Knust and the Fischer Family-Doug, Andrea, Alex, and Drew. We went out to eat, swimming, and ate lots of snacks! We couldn't have asked for a better holiday!

Abby got Legos from Uncle Mark!!

Hannah loves her doodle writer from Uncle Mark! 

The kids agree Uncle Mark is pretty awesome!!!

Abby and Hannah enjoyed the hotel (Mommy let them eat a donut in bed!! Bad idea!!)

Abby loves Alex....maybe a little too much already!!!

Hannah's Birthday

February 1, 2012

Jeremy and I arrived at the hospital at 6 am for the induction at 7 am. I was getting a little irritated when 7:15 rolled around we still weren't in a room, but once we got in a room things went pretty quickly. By 7:30 I was in my bed, hooked up to pitocin, and Dr. Barrett broke my water. I was 5 cm dilated and 60% effaced when we showed up at the hospital. I decided to labor without an epidural for a little while. 

Ready to meet our baby!

Around 10 am I hadn't made any progress. After using the restroom I felt like Baby had dropped a little, but the nurse didn't notice any difference. I started feeling a little discouraged thinking this might take all day, so I requested my epidural. The anesthesiologist showed up around 10:45 and was really busy. She tried calling 3 other doctors to give me the epidural but they were all busy also. The anesthesiologist had a planned c-section at 11 but thankfully finished my epidural first.

At noon the nurse checked and I still wasn't making any progress. She said my baby either had a very bald head or my water needed broken again. What?!?! The nurse had to quickly catch my doctor before another patient's c-section at 12:30. Around 12:15 Dr. Barrett broke my water again. Apparently Baby had dropped and covered the hole so the fluid built back up again. Dr. Barrett said she would check on me again between 1:30 and 2 after her surgery. The nurse and Dr. Barrett were a little concerned of my lack of progress and started talking about other options (a catheter to stimulate contractions). I decided to rest since this was turning into a longer day than anticipated.

Around 2 pm I asked for a cup of ice. A different nurse came in and I asked if my nurse could come in and check me for progress. The hospital was very busy that day and ended up having over 30 deliveries. My doctor had been called back to the office and wasn't able to check back in with me. My nurse came to check on me around 2:20. She started getting the catheter ready while explaining how busy they were. When she checked me she asked if I was having any pain. The epidural was a little strong (I had already asked them to lower it twice) and I was only able to wiggle my toes. I hadn't felt anything and was resting until she came in. Once she checked me she was shocked! She got up a little quickly and said "That baby is 'right there'! Don't cough or sneeze - I need to call your doctor quickly!"

To be honest, I wasn't quite sure what that meant. I knew it meant Baby was on its way, but didn't know if that meant a few minutes or another hour or two. Then the nurses showed up and starting getting everything ready. Dr. Barrett came back around 12:40, checked me, and said "Don't laugh, cough, or sneeze!" They were concerned I wasn't going to be able to push with the epidural up so high so they turned it off and asked me to do a practice push. I reassured them I could push and they had me stop so they could get all the nurses in the room.

I started pushing at 12:51 and Hannah was born at 12:55. I couldn't believe how quickly it went. I wonder how quickly it would have went if my water had broken correctly the first time.

Hannah was 9 pounds 7 ounces and 20 inches long. She had a lot of hair on the back of her head, but not much on top. She was not very happy to be out in the world and had a pouty face most of the night. She looks very similar to Abby. And she stole our hearts immediately! 

Hannah and Mommy

Hannah, Mommy, Daddy, and Dr. Barrett

After Hannah's first bath

Hannah's first bath

Abby meets Hannah for the first time!

She's in love with her little sister. 

Mommy with her two girls. I am so blessed to

be a mommy to two daughters.

Baby Day!

Today is Baby Day! I am so excited to meet this little person. We've been washing laundry, cleaning, and packing for weeks now. We've also been trying to prepare Abby for a new sibling. She has said all along that she wants a little sister named Sasha. But, if it's a boy we will name it Pablo. I had no clue where she got those names from until Jeremy reminded me that those are two characters from the Backyardigans show. We explained to her that we don't pick if it's a girl or a boy - that God decides for us. Then, she decided if it's a boy we will name it Baby Jesus. She's a handful sometimes!

Before her life gets turned upside down I wanted to share a few things about Abby. She either wakes up in a wonderful mood or is cranky as can be. Most mornings she climbs in bed with us and snuggles for a few minutes. She loves going to her babysitter, Georgia's, house and playing with her friends. Her favorite TV shows are Dora and Diego. Her favorite food changes, but usually it's either chicken nuggets or pizza. She comes up with the funniest stuff. She likes to pretend she's the mommy and I'm the kid. When I ask her she says she's married to the kid's daddy, which makes Jeremy beam from ear to ear! She likes to negotiate everything: what's for dinner, how long until bedtime, even who will help her get ready for bed. It's really cute when she says "We can all do this together. Let's work together." to help her put on her shoes or clean up her room. She's a smart little girl, and very loving. If you ask, she'll give you a great big hug or kiss. She gets her feelings hurt easily, and sometimes pretends her feelings are hurt to get attention. She definitely has her moments when she's difficult to deal with, but for the most part she is a true joy to be around every day.

I'm hoping she loves this new little brother or sister as much as we do. I know there will be some difficult days with two little ones, but I think she's going to be a great big sister. She's been practicing changing diapers on Molly, her Baby Alive doll. We are excited to meet him or her.

The Sun is Out....Time to Wake Up!!!

Abby was waking up at all times of the night so we told her that she can't get out of bed before the sun comes out. Now almost every morning I hear "The sun is out....it's time to wake up, Mommy!" Even though I want to sleep a little longer, it's so sweet to hear those words in the morning.

So much has been going on the past few months. I had every intention of using this blog to keep track of our family and I ended up neglecting it for months at a time.

We found out on May 31st that we are pregnant with our second child. The baby is due February 8, 2012. Morning sickness took over my summer months and made it difficult to think about much else. We found out in July that Bryan's (Jeremy's older brother) Leukemia had returned and the outlook wasn't very good. We had family pictures taken later that month with Jeremy's family.

School started in August and I have to say I have a pretty good class this year. There are a lot of challenges this year due to a new evaluation process and a few difficult families, but overall I'm expecting a productive year.

Bryan ended up passing away on Monday, September 19th. It was a little sudden, but luckily he didn't suffer much. We spent a week in Indiana for his funeral. Our halfway ultrasound was also that Monday. Baby is growing well and we didn't find out what we are expecting.

In October we spent a day at the zoo and had a really great time. Abby really enjoyed the flamingos and kept trying to stand on one leg like them. There were turtles fighting and she got very concerned with them, also.

We are busy preparing for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Arrival in a few months.

I Want to Eat Worms!

This afternoon we stumbled across some worms while outside. Abby started out saying "We don't eat worms, Mommy!" but by the time I got my camera she had changed her mind. The video is almost 3 minutes long, but she's too darn cute to cut any of it out. Enjoy!

PS - Happy Birthday to my mom today! I'm pretty sure she's celebrating her 29th birthday! ;)

Baby Jesus's Flashlight

Storms have been moving through the area all day. I thought they were over, but right at bedtime another round of lightning and thunder rolled through. As Abby crawled into bed she said, "Mommy! Turn it off!" The lightning was lighting up her entire room. Jeremy was thinking quickly and told her it was only Baby Jesus's flashlight that was lighting up the room. Luckily, she bought into that story and wasn't as scared anymore. I've included some videos from our conversation while watching the lightning.

This video is her explaining it's Baby Jesus's flashlight outside.

Abby was pointing out the window telling us about Baby Jesus outside.

Phillip's Birthday

Today is Phillip's 23rd birthday. I think about him everyday and still can't believe he's not with us sometimes. I am reminded of him when I hear certain songs on the radio, such as "Who You'd Be Today" and "When I Get Where I'm Going". Sometimes I will see someone with his eyes or hair and I stop to look at them a little longer. Phillip had a beautiful smile but an even bigger heart. He never met a stranger and would share whatever he had. He seemed to always be in a good mood and was always joking around. I am so very happy I was able to have so many happy memories with him. I remember swimming at Patoka Lake, building forts in the house, moving around furniture when Dad didn't have a clue what was going on, and some of my favorite memories come from our trip to Mexico in the summer of 2001. He made me laugh nonstop when he quoted "The Rain Man" over and over again, he pretended to get eaten by sharks in the ocean, and of course when he ordered french toast and it turned out to be toasted french bread!

Our lives have changed so much in the five years he has been gone. I'm thankful he knew Jeremy before he passed away, but will always wonder what kind of an uncle he would have been to Abby. My dad took early retirement following Phillip's accident. My mom has switched jobs. My older brother has graduated college and has a job he really likes now. In the past five years we should have watched Phillip graduate high school and go on to college, work, or the military. I know he would have done great things if he were still here. In a way, he is still doing great things. My parents have set up and given away several scholarships in Phillip's name. There is a large clock in front of the high school with Phillip's name and picture on it. Most importantly, we donated some of Phillip's organs. I know he lives on in other people. And, like I said earlier, he would share whatever he had, even if it meant he was making a sacrifice. I hate it that Phillip had to leave us, but I know there is a reason. So many good things have happened since he left us, even though he is terribly missed.

There are many things that happen that make me feel like Phillip still has a hand in things. Immediately following his passing a stray cat showed up at our house. The day of his funeral, January 18th, I called the number on the tag. When the cat's owners called us back they informed us the cat had been missing since June! It felt so good to reunite that cat with it's owners when we were hurting so much. Abby says her "boy" teaches her how to make faces! I actually look forward to what will happen next, even though it used to scare me.

I want to wish Phillip a Happy Birthday in Heaven. I can picture him with all kinds of junk food and a big cake! We miss him, but know he will always be in our hearts. Love you, Phillip!

Abby Loves Liviya!

We adopted Liviya shortly after moving to Tennessee, in October 2004. She has been a very sweet and loving cat to me. She hasn't quite warmed up to Jeremy as much. And she really doesn't like having a toddler in the house, either! Unfortunately for her Abby loves having a pet cat! She calls her Kitty or Libya (when she's attempting to call her Liviya).

Before we go any further, please disregard her Halloween shirt! She found it in her closet and insisted on not only wearing it for her "photoshoot" but for bedtime, too!

You can tell in the videos how much she wants to play with Liviya. You can also see that Liviya has figured out Abby can't go behind the chair and it's safe back there. It was almost time for Liviya's dinner (she has an electronic feeder) so she wasn't going to move too far from the hallway. In one video Abby wants to play with Liviya. In the other video Abby and I are discussing the similarities and differences between her and the cat!

Grace

I'm going to admit it......we don't usually say Grace before meals. Tonight the three of us sat down to a rare meal together. Before we started eating I asked Abby if she wanted to say Grace. She quickly replies, "Grace!" and digs in to her ravioli!

She loves to help with dishes. Following dinner Mommy was washing while Abby and Daddy were drying. She pulls up a chair and usually does a pretty good job. Tonight she was enjoying the water a little more than usual and kept putting the dried cups back under the water. By the time we finished Abby was more than a little wet (as well as the chair and floor!).
At one time she picked up a plastic up and started talking into it. She loves hearing herself and sometimes yells out in Wal-Mart just to hear her voice echo! She was having a blast with the plastic cups. I've included a video clip of her trying to figure out who is in the cup!

Abby's Angels

Monday morning I got a text message from Jeremy that said, "Abby says Papaw Reckelhoff gives her hugs and kisses."

A comment like this would have freaked me out a few months ago, but I've gotten used to her talking about Papaw R and her "boy". A week before Christmas Abby woke up early and we went in the bathroom; I was half asleep. She will sit on her potty and play for a while before I give up and put her diaper back on her. Abby was reading her Abby Cadabby book and out of nowhere she says, "There's my boy!" and pointed towards the sink in the bathroom. I asked her who she was talking about because we didn't have any boy babydolls and she had never mentioned her "boy" before. She says again, "There's my boy!" and again I question her who she's talking about. She clarifies, "The boy that fell out of the car." I was stunned and shocked and definitely wide awake at that point. My younger brother had passed away in a car accident in January of 2006. She had never met him and had only seen pictures of Phillip. I knew she had to be talking about him and I was in disbelief. I tried to get more information out of her and said, "What boy fell out of a car?" Abby decided to change the subject. She said, "Papaw visit me.", jumped off the potty, and ran out of the bathroom. She had to have been talking about Jeremy's dad, Tom, who had passed away in August 2008 when I was pregnant with her.

Over the past few months Abby will talk about Papaw R or her "boy" several more times. One day she said Papaw was in the window and he waved to her. She says her boy plays games with her and teaches her to make faces. I always knew the people we miss that are in heaven are watching over all of us. I hoped they were close by. Now I have proof they are with us always.

I started this blog to remember the special times we have with Abby and our family & friends. These memories definitely need to be treasured because I am not sure when she will stop talking about Papaw Reckelhoff or her "boy".

Papaw Reckelhoff

July 2006

Phillip and Kristen

August 2004

Princess Abby

Tonight at bedtime I told Abby a bedtime story about Princess Abby. Every so often I would ask her questions about what she thought Princess Abby would do or say. Here are some of her answers:
What is Princess Abby's favorite color? "Pink"
What is Queen's favorite color? "Green"
What is King's favorite color? "Purple"
What does Queen wear? "A dress"
What does King wear? "Pants"
What does Princess Abby wear? "Trash!"
What does Princess Abby do outside? "Look for squirrels."

When I would try to stop the story she would ask me to "Read more, Mommy!"

I am having more and more fun with her everyday! Today we went outside to pick up some sticks and every once in a while I would say, "Good job, Abby! Keep up the good work!" and then a few minutes later I hear, "Good job, Mommy!" It completely melted my heart!
During both lunch and dinner she pulled a chair up to the stove to "help" fix dinner.

She has started getting a bit of an attitude! If she doesn't like what you say to her she will tell you not to say that! For example, if I say "No, Abby, you can't have more candy." She will say, "NO SAY THAT! NO SAY NO!!!" I had to videotape it tonight so I can always remember it.

Abby Loves Grandpa!

My cousin, Anna, was visiting from New York City while we were both on spring break. We were able to have a short visit to Jasper, IN to visit our grandparents, Abby's great-grandparents. We had a lot of fun and got to see some of our cousins, aunts, and uncles. It was a pretty full couple of days in Indiana and totally worth it.

Abby colored in her Abby Cadabby coloring book with Great Grandpa

Abby fell asleep on Great Grandpa!

Abby ended up taking a two hour nap with her Great Grandpa!

After her nap she fed the birds!

Papaw brushed her hair each morning!

She's a Grampa's Girl!

Grampa gave her M&Ms and smarties each morning for breakfast! 

This picture pretty much sums up our trip to Indiana! Isn't she a doll?!!!

Next Post

The next post (Abby's Timeline) is a long post - so read on with caution! It also may be too much information for some of you. I wrote it mainly as a rememberence for Abby. But some of you may be interested in the beginnings of her, too.