Well folks, in case you didn't get a phone call, email or Facebook notification, it is with much excitement that I share Abby's big announcement: she is going to be a BIG SISTER! Yes, we have decided to populate the earth with yet another little Strongin running around and we couldn't be happier about it. The estimated due date is May 1, 2010, so Abby will be turning 3 just a few weeks later.
While we know we are in for a lot of craziness and a wild ride with two kids, Jason and I are looking forward to giving Abby a sibling and someone else she can push around (figuratively and literally). After all, lately she has been Miss Bossy, telling us to "sit down, Mommy" or "stop it, Daddy" or "I want more" - all things which we are sure she will love telling her younger sibling.
As an only child myself, I am very curious and can't wait to see how the sibling relationship will play out. I hope Abby loves having a sibling as much as I wanted one when I was younger. The only person who may not be thrilled with another little person in the house is Sadie, who probably could live many more years happily without another baby chasing after and taunting her!
I'll be happy to keep everyone updated on the exciting milestones, including the gender announcement in a few weeks!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Halloween Debate
'Tis the season for apple picking, pumpkin carving and trick-or-treating. So aside from looking forward to all the extra sugar and calories we'll be consuming, a dilemna bigger than should-I-eat-the-Twix-or-Milky Way-first, is do I let Abby choose her costume this year or do I get to have one last year to choose for her?? No doubt by next Halloween, she'll have quite an opinion about what she wants to be.
Abby only really knows Sesame Street characters at this point (Elmo being her favorite) and Clifford the big red dog. Going as a red monster or a red dog doesn't seem very girly but she could probably care less if she went as a princess or Dora or a cupcake. If I take her to a store to pick something out, all hell could break loose when she wants everything. If I choose for her, am I causing her years of therapy when she looks back on pictures and isn't happy with my choice??
Ahhhh...dilemnas....if only things could be as easy as Twix vs. Milky Way!
EDITED ON 10/9/09 TO ADD:
OK, the decision has been made. My little Abby will be Abby Cadabby (the Sesame Street character, for those of you who don't know) for the big day. Her friends Maddy and Jordan will be Elmo, her friend Sammi will also be Abby and I'm hoping to convince Sammi & Jordan's daddy and Abby's daddy to go as Bert & Ernie :)
The good news is that the costume comes with a headpiece, complete with fake pigtails since it will be a long, long time before my child will have enough hair for pigtails!!!
Abby only really knows Sesame Street characters at this point (Elmo being her favorite) and Clifford the big red dog. Going as a red monster or a red dog doesn't seem very girly but she could probably care less if she went as a princess or Dora or a cupcake. If I take her to a store to pick something out, all hell could break loose when she wants everything. If I choose for her, am I causing her years of therapy when she looks back on pictures and isn't happy with my choice??
Ahhhh...dilemnas....if only things could be as easy as Twix vs. Milky Way!
EDITED ON 10/9/09 TO ADD:
OK, the decision has been made. My little Abby will be Abby Cadabby (the Sesame Street character, for those of you who don't know) for the big day. Her friends Maddy and Jordan will be Elmo, her friend Sammi will also be Abby and I'm hoping to convince Sammi & Jordan's daddy and Abby's daddy to go as Bert & Ernie :)
The good news is that the costume comes with a headpiece, complete with fake pigtails since it will be a long, long time before my child will have enough hair for pigtails!!!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Are You Smarter Than a 2-year-old?
It has recently come to my attention that my 2-year old is smarter than I am! I realized this fact this morning when I saw a pair of blue and white striped socks sitting on Abby's changing table. Aside from being 5 sizes too small for her, I knew she didn't own any socks like that. I asked my nanny if she knew where they came from and she said she didn't know, but they were upstairs so she washed them with Abby's laundry.
So I took a chance and asked Abby "whose socks are these?" And she replied: "Monkey's." I realized then that she was referring to her dress-up monkey (who lives in her playroom) with "real" clothes that come off - of course!!! And Abby looked at me like "of course, Mommy, duh!" Silly mommy.
She also has recently become much more aware of her surroundings - last night, for example, she claimed "I see Justin right there" and pointing to every SUV that resembled her friend Justin's car. She tells us to go "that way" when we pull out of the driveway to get to Justin's house or her cousin Matthew's house.
I just wonder at what point her homework will be over my head?!?!?
So I took a chance and asked Abby "whose socks are these?" And she replied: "Monkey's." I realized then that she was referring to her dress-up monkey (who lives in her playroom) with "real" clothes that come off - of course!!! And Abby looked at me like "of course, Mommy, duh!" Silly mommy.
She also has recently become much more aware of her surroundings - last night, for example, she claimed "I see Justin right there" and pointing to every SUV that resembled her friend Justin's car. She tells us to go "that way" when we pull out of the driveway to get to Justin's house or her cousin Matthew's house.
I just wonder at what point her homework will be over my head?!?!?
Monday, September 21, 2009
School Girl
My little girl had a big milestone today: her very first day of school for the rest of her life! Yes, it's only pre-school 3 mornings a week, but it brought more significant meaning: Abby separated beautifully and played nicely with the other kids. Today was a shortened day as the kids transition but all in all, it seemed to go really well and I could not be more proud. I was definitely more sad than she was!
Now that the official school year has started for her (and me), I am looking forward to many changes and developments for my little munchkin. I am hoping she'll become a better sharer and listener and will hopefully pick up some potty training tips from the other kids as well.
On another note, Abby's verbal development has really taken off the past several weeks, as she is using many more sentences and phrases and fewer words. We still push her to say "please" and "thank you" more, but every day she surprises us with a sentence or phrase we never heard her say before. She also now knows her last name, which is pretty cute to hear her say "Abby Strongin" and be very proud of herself!
I am so excited to see what the year brings for all of us!
Now that the official school year has started for her (and me), I am looking forward to many changes and developments for my little munchkin. I am hoping she'll become a better sharer and listener and will hopefully pick up some potty training tips from the other kids as well.
On another note, Abby's verbal development has really taken off the past several weeks, as she is using many more sentences and phrases and fewer words. We still push her to say "please" and "thank you" more, but every day she surprises us with a sentence or phrase we never heard her say before. She also now knows her last name, which is pretty cute to hear her say "Abby Strongin" and be very proud of herself!
I am so excited to see what the year brings for all of us!
Monday, August 31, 2009
The Dental Report
This past Saturday marked a first for Abby - her first visit to the dentist! I was quite skeptical about the whole process since she barely lets me brush her teeth, let alone having a stranger pry inside her mouth! But I was pleasantly surprised with the whole experience. The office was totally themed like an airport/airplane, with the hallway as a runway and the walls as cockpits. The receptionist asked if there was a particular movie Abby would want to watch during her cleaning. The assistant and dentist were both extremely patient and even sang to Abby to distract her as they counted all 20 teeth, cleaned and polished them. She even got to pick out a toy afterwards!
The upshot? No cavities (yay!) but we were told Abby's little (major) pacifier habit had to end, as her front teeth were being pushed out from it (boo). While I hate that she loves the paci, it's a great way to bribe her to do something ("if you don't come here now, you won't get your paci tonight") and of course, it's a huge comfort to her at naps and bedtime.
So for her nap on Saturday, we tried just giving her one paci (usually she sucks on one and holds one) and it wasn't too much of a fight, though we had to keep telling her the choice was either one paci or no pacis, so obviously she chose one. She's been sleeping ok so far with just one but the big issue will come when we get rid of them totally. The dentist suggested that we have her "give" them to a baby who needs them (i.e. our niece) or bribe her with a toy she wants. I know none of these options are going to go over well and I am not sure if it's best to try to get it over with sooner - this weekend - or later - closer to when she is 2.5 years, at the end of the year. Whenever it is, we know it will be difficult on all of us!!
The upshot? No cavities (yay!) but we were told Abby's little (major) pacifier habit had to end, as her front teeth were being pushed out from it (boo). While I hate that she loves the paci, it's a great way to bribe her to do something ("if you don't come here now, you won't get your paci tonight") and of course, it's a huge comfort to her at naps and bedtime.
So for her nap on Saturday, we tried just giving her one paci (usually she sucks on one and holds one) and it wasn't too much of a fight, though we had to keep telling her the choice was either one paci or no pacis, so obviously she chose one. She's been sleeping ok so far with just one but the big issue will come when we get rid of them totally. The dentist suggested that we have her "give" them to a baby who needs them (i.e. our niece) or bribe her with a toy she wants. I know none of these options are going to go over well and I am not sure if it's best to try to get it over with sooner - this weekend - or later - closer to when she is 2.5 years, at the end of the year. Whenever it is, we know it will be difficult on all of us!!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Overtired
Having a toddler is tiring. Really, really tiring. It's tiring having to repeat yourself numerous times to get your 2-year-old to listen to you. It's tiring chasing after your 2-year-old when she won't listen to you unless you bribe her with ice cream or pizza. It's tiring hearing your own voice say "no" or "come here" or "stop it" over and over again.
Being a toddler must be tiring as well, especially when you spend half the day crying, whining, running around and NOT listening to your parents. It's also probably tiring when you decide to wake up before 7 am for 2 straight weeks and don't feel like going to bed until much later than normal.
Thankfully, there is light at the end of the very tiring tunnel. Today, my little 2-year-old made up for 2 weeks of early wake-ups with a miraculous 9 am wake-up. Presumably after sleeping for 13.5 hours, she will be in a better mood today and more apt to listen to her mother. I can only hope that the next few nights, Abby's overtiredness will not extend to me since Jason is going away for a few days and will leave me to take care of Abby, Sadie and myself all alone. I will try to hang in there but I will be rather happy when I have another set of hands back at the end of the week and I can get some much-needed sleep!!
Being a toddler must be tiring as well, especially when you spend half the day crying, whining, running around and NOT listening to your parents. It's also probably tiring when you decide to wake up before 7 am for 2 straight weeks and don't feel like going to bed until much later than normal.
Thankfully, there is light at the end of the very tiring tunnel. Today, my little 2-year-old made up for 2 weeks of early wake-ups with a miraculous 9 am wake-up. Presumably after sleeping for 13.5 hours, she will be in a better mood today and more apt to listen to her mother. I can only hope that the next few nights, Abby's overtiredness will not extend to me since Jason is going away for a few days and will leave me to take care of Abby, Sadie and myself all alone. I will try to hang in there but I will be rather happy when I have another set of hands back at the end of the week and I can get some much-needed sleep!!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Terrible Twos or Teething?
Whoops, it's been close to a month since I last had any good Abby updates or stories! Bad mommy! So I'll give you the download on this past weekend's events which caused me to wonder: is Abby going through the Terrible Two's or Teething (or both)??
Friday afternoon, we went to Abby's cousin Matthew's 3rd birthday party and then to a BBQ at his house. That evening, Abby was in a good mood but we came home and discovered she was running a low fever - around 99/100. We gave her some Motrin and sent her to bed, only to be woken at 1:30 am as she was throwing up in her crib. We dreaded a stomach virus - the last one was not exactly pleasant and getting her to eat or drink anything was a challenge. The next morning, she woke up with a fever but insisted on drinking her milk, which is a big no-no for an upset stomach. We took our chances and she gulped down 6 ozs and it stayed down - whew. The rest of the day was pretty low-key - she napped for 4 hours, had a fever on and off and was pretty tired and cranky.
The next day, Sunday, she woke up without a fever and ate and drank normally. I couldn't believe that this "virus" was so short-lived. After an unusual early morning nap, Abby woke up and was beyond cranky. She whined or cried at the drop of a hat, and was only happy the few minutes she was on the swing at the park, eating ice cream or in the pool that day. I figured she was just being a good ol' "terrible toddler" and chalked it up to a bad day and I went to bed early.
Monday rolled around and she felt and acted much better, though was still cranky. It finally crossed my mind that perhaps the fever/throwing up/crankiness (and a slightly runny nose, by the way) were all a result of teething, since a virus usually lasts much longer. She still had her top two molars which had not come through yet, so perhaps they were the culprits of her behavior over the weekend. Low and behold, Tuesday night as I was brushing her teeth, I saw one of her top molars poking through.
While Abby is generally a very easy-going child, I realize it is normal at her age to have tantrums and breakdowns, but I am relieved to know that this one, at least, had a good reason and now she only has ONE more tooth to pop through until she has all 20 baby teeth!
Friday afternoon, we went to Abby's cousin Matthew's 3rd birthday party and then to a BBQ at his house. That evening, Abby was in a good mood but we came home and discovered she was running a low fever - around 99/100. We gave her some Motrin and sent her to bed, only to be woken at 1:30 am as she was throwing up in her crib. We dreaded a stomach virus - the last one was not exactly pleasant and getting her to eat or drink anything was a challenge. The next morning, she woke up with a fever but insisted on drinking her milk, which is a big no-no for an upset stomach. We took our chances and she gulped down 6 ozs and it stayed down - whew. The rest of the day was pretty low-key - she napped for 4 hours, had a fever on and off and was pretty tired and cranky.
The next day, Sunday, she woke up without a fever and ate and drank normally. I couldn't believe that this "virus" was so short-lived. After an unusual early morning nap, Abby woke up and was beyond cranky. She whined or cried at the drop of a hat, and was only happy the few minutes she was on the swing at the park, eating ice cream or in the pool that day. I figured she was just being a good ol' "terrible toddler" and chalked it up to a bad day and I went to bed early.
Monday rolled around and she felt and acted much better, though was still cranky. It finally crossed my mind that perhaps the fever/throwing up/crankiness (and a slightly runny nose, by the way) were all a result of teething, since a virus usually lasts much longer. She still had her top two molars which had not come through yet, so perhaps they were the culprits of her behavior over the weekend. Low and behold, Tuesday night as I was brushing her teeth, I saw one of her top molars poking through.
While Abby is generally a very easy-going child, I realize it is normal at her age to have tantrums and breakdowns, but I am relieved to know that this one, at least, had a good reason and now she only has ONE more tooth to pop through until she has all 20 baby teeth!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
