Diamond in the rough...or so

Last fall we cut down three of the big Evergreens in our back yard. One was leaning at about a 45 degree angle towards our master bedroom, one was "diseased" with blister rot (or so we were told by two arborists) and one was too close to our property line and the neighbor was complaining about pine needles falling onto their RV shed, so we cut it down too.

Where they cut the tree next to our property line there was a pile of wood chips, sawdust etc.

Well low and behold last week when we were out in the back yard planning our our garden we looked down and saw these beauties!



Beautiful Morel mushrooms. Morels are like finding a four leaf clover sometimes and I was a giddy fool when we had this treasure right in our back yard!

We researched and made absolute 100% sure that they were true morels so that we didn't risk death by eating false morels.

To share what I have learned. A true morels cap is connected from the top to the bottom and cannot be twisted off. It also has a hollow stem with NO white cottony fibers.

See the picture below. It looks gross, but it has the most delicious, intense mushroom flavor.




See what I mean. Gross looking. We made a cilantro lime cod with broccoli, and morel topped brown rice. Yumbo city!

Today Gabe ran bloomsday and Abigail and I took the opportunity to go up to dad's property with dad and Sarah to look for more. We found one but the rest eluded us.

It was still fun to get out in nature and explore the woods. Abigail loves doing that too!

We got home just when Gabe did and we all took a family nap then drove back out to deer park to go to the nursery by dad's house only to arrive just after they closed. Oh well.

We headed back to town, to Costco and picked up some geraniums for the baskets and had some greek food to top off the day. We are both exhausted and ready for bed.

A new week awaits - - along with my first mother's day. It is SO exciting.

Again soon - make it a great week.

6 months and counting

Wow, can you believe how fast the time has passed! Abigail turned 6 months old on the 4th of Feb. She is getting so big and every day when I get home from work it seems that she has something new to show me. There is nothing better than coming home from a day at work and having my little nugget beaming from ear to ear to see her momma!

She is sleeping and napping like a dream child, sitting up all by herself, rolling all over the place, eating solid foods, and she even has her first tooth coming in!

Of course she is the highlight of our days. We love watching her play and bounce in her bouncy chair. She bounces and dances to the rhythym of songs and will even sing, well, hum along with you. Great Grandma and Abigail have quite the time singing together. I sure hope she can carry a tune better than GG though, hee hee.

She really loves to rock out to heavy metal. Thanks to daddy introducing her to Metallica and Megadeth. The girl has rhythm. I need to have her listen to more jazz and horns. Balance is always good.



I think that Abigail just loves to hear herself make noise. Gabe likes to refer to one of her sounds as "calling her dolphin friends". We will be recording these to digital files because they are too precious. I love her "bra bra bra brah" talk. But she is talking in what sounds like complete sentences full of all kinds of p, t, b, m, d, e, i, sounds.

She is making duh duh duh sounds, and it would be quite fitting if she says dadda first. Gabe is not only working from home, but he is a full time daddy and helps out tremendously around the house.

I am beyond blessed to have such a wonderful, supportive, dedicated, hard working husband and daddy to Abigail. We really lucked out!

Below is a purple heart that I felted for her for her first Valentine's Day.



A couple nights ago we were eating Asparagus and out of nowhere Abigail all but yanked a piece out of Gabe's mouth! She watches intently as we eat and wants to start feeding herself, although, I think it might be a little early for that. She has liked everything she has had so far - sweet potatoes, squash, avacado, bananas, apples, pears, mangoes, rice cereal, peaches….. We even have introduced the sippy cup.

She wasn't sure about avacados at first, but we mixed it with pear, applesauce and a little rice and she will gobble it right down. Gabe swears that she will eat anything if it is mixed with applesauce! I am looking forward to the next month as we start to introduce more complex grains into her diet. Getting a blank slate for healthy eating has been fun for us too. It is more work, but eating fresh whole foods is so satisfying. And baby food could not be easier to make! I love being able to put any combination of foods together on a whim for her.

Thankfully with the introduction of solid food we have been able to take her off the acid reflux medicines she has been on since she was 3 weeks old. She is still using AR formula, which I think we could probably start weaning her off of as well, but will need to check with the doctor and see what he thinks. As long as she continues to grow and gain weight I would think it would be ok.

Abigail weighs 19lbs and is 26.5 inches long already! She has been 95% for height and weight since birth so that isn't really too much of a surprise. She is healthy and happy and that is what is most important.



Last night I looked at her feet and I am pretty sure they grew a 1/2inch overnight. Her baby feet are officially gone and have been replaced by little kid feet!

Abigail loves anything with a tag and snuggle time. We think it is a fun challenge to see what games we can play with her to get her to laugh, and she usually laughs when we least expect her to! A baby's laughter sure is music to our ears. We are blessed to have a happy, laid back, healthy little girl that enjoys being in the moment as much as we do!

Well that is it in a nutshell. The love of our lives all wrapped up in a few paragraphs.

Much love,
Kelly, Gabe and Abigail

Santa (well sort of)

Last Thursday we met up with Chris, Misty and Reece to see the local fire department "Santa". It was very cold out, probably around 10 degrees. We bundled up our little munchkins and headed out for pictures.

Abigail looks scared, but she was taking it all in. Lots of commotion and lights to distract her. This was the best one we could get of Reece. I think his stranger danger radar kicked in with dear old Santa.



Happy mamas = happy babies. I love how Reece is looking at Abigail, "What the heck is going on here?". Abigail says "I have NO idea!"



This picture has been a long time coming. I look forward to the many memories, and family pictures we will be taking in the coming years.

Homemade Goodness

My coworker Danita knitted Abigail a hat and a hooded sweater. They are now my favorite two things she wears. There is something special about homemade knitted goodies from friends.

Bebe Pod

Abigail's neck is finally strong enough for her to use her exerciser and Bebe pod. God bless the Bebe Pod.

First Food

Last night was Abigail's first experience with solid (pureed) food. I pureed sweet potatoes with a little added water. Simple and delicious.

It was hilarious. Not because of any funny faces, but because she thought it was the greatest thing! Once she got a taste she was hooked. Every time I brought the spoon closer she started to giggle. She didn't spit it out and actually chewed and swallowed. Towards the end she was going for the spoon.

You can't tell she is our daughter or anything. She is such a blessing!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2Ovo8tbU5Y

Here is a link to youtube to watch the video.

Mouth

It amazes me that babies discover with their mouths. I am curious about it. Everything now days makes it to Abigail's mouth.

She will sit in her exerciser bouncy activity chair thing and open her mouth and use mind power to will an object to her mouth. Well not exactly but she thinks she is doing that. It is hilarious.

We introduced her to her first toys. Ones that make that great crinkle sound. This was her first toy and she had sheer delight written all over that adorable little face.



Here she is with her beloved monkey. Well maybe he needed a bath.


She is even holding her own bottle. Silly girl!



Here is the link to the youtube video of her demonstrating her fascination with her tongue. Excuse the laughter, I couldn't help it. Enjoy - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71qmHrNaFVs

Happy Thanksgiving!

I know this is late...but better late than never right?

We celebrated her first Thanksgiving. We went to Caleb and Ashley's new apartment and had the most amazing Thanksgiving dinner to date! We had a deliciously moist turkey, skillet fresh green beans with mushrooms and prosciutto ham, crazy delicious dressing with carrots and prosciutto (loving dressing was a first for me), twice baked potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes with cinnamon and other yummy spices, cream biscuits, ambrosia salad and Grandma Hanson's rolls (my contribution). It was a great dinner with family.



Beckett was fascinated with Abigail. It was quite adorable. Here they are comparing finger and toe sizes.



Then we went up to Grandma's house to introduce Abigail to my cousins Rebecca and her beau Scott and KK and Rowan. Uncle Dick, Aunt Susan, Aunt Julie and Kelvin were all there too. We stayed for a few hours so that everyone had a chance to spent time with Abigail.

Grandma bought her the cutest dresses for Christmas and a faux fur coat. She looks like a mini pimp in it. My favorite was a cranberry red dress with a ruffle duster shawl. It barely fit so Grandma was going to see if she could exchange for a bigger size. I am crossing my fingers. Second place is a red corduroy with little Scotties on it.



Someday we will be able to teach her about all the things we have to be thankful for. There are so many things in our life that we are grateful and thankful for this year particularly, but the one that stands out the most is Abigail. Life got a whole lot sweeter when she came along.

The big 4

Abigail is a hair over four months old already, well 17 weeks.

Our little baby is growing up so fast!

She had her 4 month check up today, with shots. She weighs 15 lbs 11oz (four lbs more exactly since her 2 month check up) which puts her in the 95th percentile for weight. That surprises me that she is high on the percentile for weight because she doesn't look like she should be. She is long and evenly healthy but I don't think she is big per say. She is now 25 inches long (she grew 2 inches in two months) which puts her in the 80th percentile for height. Sheesh!

We were complimented on her nicely shaped head again today. I think that is a funny thing to compliment you on. Makes me wonder what they are used to looking at!

I am glad that she is healthy and happy. She is still on her medications for Acid Reflux and she had some constipation this month. But all and all she is doing great. Thank heavens for that. We are blessed.

I made it through my first week back at work. Other than being really tired when I got home and getting to bed too late, I think it was ok.

I was really busy which helped keep my mind occupied. Gabe and I skyped a few times so I could see Abigail at lunch.

Going back to work actually is helping with my breast pumping too. It keeps me on a schedule and we have top of the line symphony pumps.

The weekend is almost over and it has gone by MUCH too fast, as always.

Giggle Proof

I told you she giggled and here is a little proof. We got a snippet of one on video.

VCUG Scan

Today Abigail had her voiding cystourethrography or VCUG scan to see if she has Vesicoureteral Reflux or VUR. To do the scan they put in a catheter and then fill it with a liquid that shows on xray. They fill her bladder and wait until she empties it to see where the liquid goes. The point of the scan was to see if she was refluxing urine back up into her kidneys which could be the source of her UTI a few weeks ago.

I did not see any reflux happening, but I am not a doctor. The RN that did the scan said that if she was refluxing we would see a dark line go up to her kidneys and make a flower pattern. No dark lines went anywhere but out her catheter.

The only thing that I think might be a problem is that when she does urinate she doesn't empty her bladder. She goes and stops, goes and stops. But maybe that might be caused from the catheter.

She was such a trooper. Little punkin was smiling and talking to the nurse while she was getting the catheter. The nurse said that almost never happens and thanked Abigail for being such a sweetie.

In order to get a good scan they had to strap her with her arms up above her head and her legs down. She did not enjoy that part one bit, but once she was done being strapped she was fine. Of course I was right there and she was holding onto my fingers. At least she had lots of stickers to look at while they scanned her.

After the scan was done, they pulled out her catheter. She wanted nothing to do with the RN after that and wanted out of the hospital ASAP. It must have hurt coming out. She was fussy for awhile after that.

This is a picture of what she looked like strapped to the board.



I noticed that it looked like she had a smiley face on the scanned image. It was her spine and intestines of course! The RN got a kick out of that.

The conclusion might be - she received a UTI from bacteria in her stool. At least I hope that is all it was.

Three months and counting

Abigail turned three months old yesterday. I can't believe how fast the time has gone by!


Abigail continues to become more active and engaged in our every day activities. She is talking to us all the time and we treasure those moments where she is giving all her attention.

I go back to work on Monday and dread the time that I will be away from her. I am hoping that the pictures and videos can help me feel connected while I am gone.

We are getting ready to leave for her VCUG scan now. More to come later.

KB

Sweet music to my ears

Abigail giggled for the first time today, not once, not twice but three times. It was the cutest thing I have ever heard!

I was in changing her, which she always likes, and I was getting her into her jammies when she giggled at me. I screamed with delight as I ran into the living room (no worries about her rolling off the changing table yet)to get Gabe. He came back into her room and she giggled again! That made me cry because I knew I didn't imagine it. And then she did it again, just to show off.

It was awesome. She is growing up so fast!

I love this face

It makes me happy to see her smiling again. I love her smile.

Immunization time

Abigail had her 2 month immunizations this morning...although two weeks behind schedule.

She is my hero. One tough little cookie. She was all smiles right before the 3 pokes. One big cry and lots of pouty lip was all there was to it.

Such was such a trooper.

A bump in the road

Last Wednesday Betty and I took Abigail to the doctor because her urine was smelled really strong, like ammonia. Doctor said that she was probably dehydrated and for us to give her Pedialite. We also switched her formula to one specific for Acid Reflux (it is thickened with rice starch to help it stay down). He said there was a possibility of a urinary tract infection or UTI. But it is hard to diagnose because if she cries or is fussy we check her diaper...so if there is pee we assume that that is the cause for the crying.

I took Betty to the airport on Saturday and came home, exhausted, so Abigail and I took a nap. When we awoke from the nap she was BURNING hot. I took a rectal temp and she was at 104.5!! WHAT? I fed her and took her rectal temp again, 102.5! Oh no! At her age anything above 100.4 is considered a fever and justifies a trip to the ER.

I packed an overnight bag because I had the feeling that she was going to end up getting admitted.

Well I was right unfortunately. If you have to look on the positive side, at least it happened on a weekend when it was less busy, and that Gabe was able to stay with us too. It would have been more difficult had he not been able to do that.

She did have a UTI and we ended up having to stay until Monday afternoon. She had to have the IV put in through a vein on her head. The ER nurse couldn't find a good vein in her hands or feet and I just couldn't bear the thought of them poking at her over and over to find a vein, so I said "she has two good veins on her head if you want to use one of those."

The nurse later thanked me for being so calm (I guess she figured that because I didn't cry and freak out?) and for offering a head IV. She said it made it much easier for them to get the IV going. Apparently that is the last resort for them most of the time because parents are usually really upset by seeing an IV in their child's head. I figured, you gotta do what you gotta do, and it was better than her getting poked multiple times. Poor baby.

They gave her IV antibiotics and fluid to hydrate her and to get her temp to come down. She had an ultrasound done of her kidneys and bladder to check for any anomalies, which there were none found. She still needs to have a VSUG test done, which does a reflux scan of her kidneys to make sure that no urine is going back up into her kidneys, causing infection.

I don't think they will find anything. My gut feeling on this is that she got an infection from the three blow outs she had that went out the front, completely covering her little vagina with poo. There just wasn't any way that I thought that would end up being a good thing.

We are thankful to be back home again. I celebrated by baking an apple pie. I am also thankful that I work at the Children's Hospital, so we both knew our way around and we felt 1000% confident in the care that she was receiving. The team of nurses on the pediatric unit are GREAT!

Poor little baby. She is ten weeks old today, and missed her two month vaccination because she was hospitalized. We are going back to the doctor tomorrow morning for a follow up and to hopefully get those vaccines.

Thanks for all the prayers and support.

Meeting Nicole

A few weeks back, Abigail met Nicole for the first time. She came into town for a surprise visit the weekend before Labor Day. She has been in Dominica and in Miami for medical school. She is going to save babies lives!

Oh boy did Abigail LOVE Nicole. Big eyes, her best attempts at a smile, and all kinds of expression in her face.



We were even able to have time for Nicole to feed Abigail. Although breast feeding is the ideal, let me say, that pumping and having the flexibility of a bottle is very nice. It allows others to feed and bond with her too!


Nicole brought her boyfriend and fellow medical student, Farley along this time. I stupidly did not get a good picture of Farley, that's him in the background petting the attention hog Harley. He is very nice and I think that we would have quite the time with those two next time we have the opportunity and can go out.


Someday, after she gets done with medical school and has a moment to catch her breath, she might decide the time is right for her to have a baby, until then, she can enjoy mine anytime she is here and has the notion. She definitely has a way with the wee ones. I think it is because she is so kind, gentle and easy on the eyes. See what I mean?

All at once

Well it was bound to happen, as it does with all parents. That one day, that one time that everything happens all at once. Let me explain just what I mean.

Gabe offered to help feed Abigail by bottle so I could get lunch made. I put a pot of water on the stove and started getting everything ready for a pasta salad.

After a few minutes I went into the living to see how things were going with the feeding. Abigail was faced away from Gabe and he hadn't noticed that she had slipped down and was scrunched up (TV has a way of distracting him).

I start to say "that position isn't good for feeding because....",

Well, Abigail felt it was better to show him why, by projectile vomiting out her mouth and through her nose.

Of course she started to choke on all the milk that had just come out of every hole in her face so I grabbed her and rushed to the kitchen sink with her face down, as she chokes up all the milk that is left in her airway and I basically washed her down clothes and all. By the time I got her washed off and peeled down, Gabe had come into the kitchen with a towel for me to dry her off.

The water at this point is boiling on the stove, splashing over onto the burner, she is screaming her face off because she is now very mad at what just happened, and she is cold, wet and naked. Then it happens, she pees on me. It goes all the way down my pants and all over the floor.

Of course, this left us with vomit in the living room, and pee in the kitchen. Gabe was SOAKED, I was SOAKED. It was a little like a Chines fire drill with us both running around trying to "fix" things, and if it was caught on tape, The Entertainer would be the appropriate choice for the soundtrack.

It was quite the ordeal. Needless to say, lunch was finished, the house didn't burn down and we all made it through. Phew.

Great Grandparents

Although her great grandparents will not always be alive - she will always know how special they are and how their love and generosity impacted the lives of those around them.



This is her first time meeting GG Joe and GG Charlie. GG Charlie may not remember that he met her, but I will always have this picture and the memory of this time that he was able to see her for the first time.

After this picture was taken we all headed back to dads for lunch. I stole a moment alone with GG Charlie. He talked lovingly to her, rubbed her tummy and she smirked when he kissed her hands. He most certainly loves his great grand daughter.



GG Joan lights up when she sees Abigail. She says "you have such beautiful long legs", "what a sweet sweet little girl" and "you are just darling!" You practically have to pry Abigail from her arms, and all the while this smile never leaves her face.

It is a very special thing to see so much love for my child, but that is what you get when you have special Great Grandparents!