One Year Later

Well, friends, it seems that being a working mommy of 2 with a new job has proven to be busier than before, as my last post is from early February!!!

Since then, I have become fully immersed in my new job. In April, I traveled to Houston for the NCAA Final Four (which was a huge blast and a lot of work) for 6 nights. It was a long time to be away from the family, but Jason held down the fort with some help from our nanny and his parents. My boss is currently on maternity leave, so I've had some good opportunities to interact with senior management on several projects and get visibility to things I normally wouldn't have. I still have a lot to learn, but I'm coming along nicely, or so I think I am!

In March, Jason and I took Abby skiing for the first time with friends of ours (and hers). She definitely didn't love it at first, but she got adjusted and seemd to enjoy it. She requested a ride on the chair lift, which we promised her on our next ski trip (next winter). Abby's also been going through a major "dress" phase - she wants to wear a dress EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. and cries if she doesn't! Every morning, the first words out of her mouth are: "Mommy, can I wear a dress today?" My almost 4-yr-old little girl is growing up fast, because she also requests a necklace and "party shoes" to go with it!

My little pumpkin Zach turns one tomorrow. I have NO idea where the past year went - it seemed to just fly by! The one thing that hasn't changed is he is still the happiest baby I have ever seen. The kid doesn't cry (unless you take something away from him that he wants, like the remote or a brush)! He is a good eater for things that he likes but he refuses any/all meats (i.e. chicken, turkey, steak, fish) as well as beans. He does LOVE cheese, cottage cheese, veggies, pasta, sweet potatoes, yogurt, fruit and bread, so pizza and grilled cheese are generally his favorite foods. At his 1-yr appointment on Monday, I plan to ask our doctor what I can do to get him to eat our "staple" foods (i.e. chicken and turkey) more so that he doesn't live on cheese and pasta!

Developmentally, he is doing ok. His fine motor skills (talking, pincer grasp, waving, clapping, etc.) are good but he is still delayed in his gross motor skills. We had him re-evaluated for Early Intervention this week and the reco will be to give him PT services, with a focus on sensory PT - he doesn't understand the space around his body, so when he leans forward or to the side, he doesn't yet put his hands out in front of him, which makes learning to walk or crawl quite difficult. He is not crawling or walking yet, so we still have a long way to go, but he is quite squirmy and rolls around everywhere so I know we'll have our hands full soon enough.

I just can't believe that a year ago today, Abby was still an only child and Zach hadn't come into our lives yet. He is such a joy and I can't wait to see what this next year brings for him (and us) - I know it will be so much fun to see him walk for the first time, start talking (though he does say "hi daddy" as clear as day) and of course, become more independent. In the meantime, we'll celebrate with pizza (his fave) and he'll have his first taste of cake tomorrow.

Happy first Birthday, little Zachary Jacob!!! Mommy, Daddy, Abby and Sadie love you!

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!

The Talk of the Town

It is simply amazing to me that in the past 6 months, Abby's vocabulary and talking has skyrocketed. She went from saying "mama, dada, Sadie, hi, bye-bye" 6 months ago to saying her very first official sentence at 19 months old! Almost two weeks ago, Abby woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't find one of her pacis so she was whining and I went into her room. I asked, "Abby, what happened to your paci?" And her response, in the middle of the night, blew me away: "I threw it out." And low and behold, there was her paci, in the middle of the floor!

Of course I woke up Jason to tell him the news that our daughter had just spoken her first sentence and I am pretty sure he grunted and rolled over. But I was so proud of her! And just last night, the same scenario played itself out and when I asked the question "where is your paci?" her response was the same: "I threw it." Turns out it was just hidden under a stuffed animal, but I was still glowing with pride nonetheless. Was it as adorable of a first sentence as my "no up, puppy"? Not really. But I certainly was proud to announce that my big girl is talking up a storm. I am sure we will be able to share many more cute (and not-so-cute) phrases and sentences in the coming months and years...but for now, I'll gladly take "I threw it out."

Just let go

As Abby nears the 15-month mark, it is becoming quite clear to me that she is an early "talker," not an early "walker." Every day it seems she says new words - lately, aside from my favorite word (MAMA - which is now said in a wonderful way, not in a 'help me' sort of way), she's saying all sorts of things, like cheese, Nicole (our nanny - "cole"), blueberry and tree, among them.

But she still won't let go and walk by herself! She can walk holding on to anything (our bar stools, mommy's hand, the wall, her baby doll stroller, etc.) but the minute she lets go, she plops down and crawls. Is it laziness or is she just scared? I have no idea but I'm ready for her to walk already. A park is much more fun when you can walk! So is a zoo, museum and a mall! We know she'll get there at some point - but WHEN?!?! It's painful to watch all of Abby's younger friends start walking and she's still hanging out on her knees on the floor.

Any suggestions for helping her to let go already are welcome!