Monday, September 28, 2009

You weren't kidding!

      Before Abby was born, everyone warned me just how fast babies grow but I had no clue it would be THIS fast.  At Abby's one month check-up last week, she weighed 8 pounds 6 ounces.  The doctor said it was a healthy weight gain and she is average, right in the middle of the growth charts.  I just couldn't believe it... that's a long ways away from the little peanut of 5 pounds 10 ounces that we brought home from the hospital.  
      Tomorrow Abby will be 6 weeks old.  Unbelievable!  We are making progress with sleeping at night and getting up just twice.  Unlike before, she now realizes that it is nighttime and is able to go back to sleep, usually within a reasonable amount of time.  Abby is getting more on a "schedule" where she wakes up to play, eat and take a morning nap.  Then eats, plays, and takes a late afternoon nap before bath and bedtime.  This doesn't always happen, but it is happening more often than not.  It's great to have her awake longer and looking at everything... she is taking it all in!  
      Last week, I was a bit concerned that Abby was crying a lot when she was awake.  She would wake up from a nap and just scream... no play time, just wanted to EAT!  I talked to Dr. Nold and he thinks it could be reflux, so we are trying a new formula, maybe going to try Prevacid.... just to see if we notice any changes.  It seems that Mylicon drops worked best, so maybe Abby is just a gassy baby.  Who knows.... but for now we are taking it one day at a time to try to figure out what is causing her discomfort.  Today was a great day, not much crying at all and a lot more playtime! :)  
Abigail - 5 weeks old... getting so big!

      Here are a few new videos to show you what Abby has been up to lately.  
Now Featuring.....

      
"Playtime with Cousin Emily"


"Horse Noises"


"Playtime with Mommy"

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Guess who?

      As soon as a baby is born, one of the first questions asked is always "who does she look like?"  When asked this question you are left thinking, does she have her Mom's lips or ears, Dad's eyes, and so on.  When Abby was first born, it was obvious that Abby had her Daddy's big feet and long fingers and a few people said she had my lips.  I'm not sure who she looks like more... me or Jim?  Certain days I see me and other days I can see Jim.  I do know one thing for sure... I see my Mom.  My sister Heather mentioned this a few weeks back and so the other night my Mom and I went through her old photo album.  Sure enough, Abby looks just like her Gramma, with all that dark hair, the same eyes, nose and lips.   So now when people ask "who does she look like?" I can easily respond .... "her Gramma!"

What do you think??

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Say cheese!

      As I posted before, I have been anxiously waiting to see Abigail smile a "real" smile.  The smiles we usually get are when she is asleep, either from dreams or gas..... 
Typical.... smiling yet asleep...

      Gramma was the first one to steal a smile a few weeks back.  Gramma is always talking to Abby and showing her all the pretty colors around the house, and that's how she got the first real smile!  I didn't get to see that one, but it made her baby book as a first anyway.  
      Today, as if Abigail knew she had an audience, Grandad and I witnessed the real deal.  She was in her carseat sitting on the kitchen table waiting to go to Uncle Donnie and Aunt Kay's for a playdate with her cousins (yes, she napped through it all while the other kids played).  Grandad was talking to Abby and she was intently staring back into his eyes... and then all of a sudden, there it was... a big smile!  Not from a dream, not from gas... a true smile! :)  
      So now instead of anxiously waiting for a real smile... I'm waiting for a real smile at her Mommy! :)

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Happy One Month Birthday Abigail!


      I simply cannot believe that our little girl is one month old already.  It is the strangest feeling because I feel like she has been a part of us forever, yet it seems to have passed so quickly.  Abby is doing great... still taking long naps during the day and wanting to be wide-eyed at night, but is getting better each day.  She is really starting to smile and laugh in her dreams which makes me so anxious for her to actually smile and laugh at us!!  When I talk or sing to her, I can see that it isn't too far off... she's getting so close! :)  
      I thank God everyday for this sweet blessing... I still just stare at her and say to myself over and over... "she really belongs to us!"  Happy One Month Birthday Abigail! 

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Abby lovin' a bath from Daddy!

      Abby is starting to really enjoy her bath time with Daddy.  It's become a routine to give her a bath around 11am, right before her afternoon bottle and nap.  It wakes her up a bit (usually) and gives her some more "awake" time during the day.  Take a look at Daddy and his little girl....

Thursday, September 10, 2009

What is Abby up to?

      With each day that passes (and they are passing quickly) Abby likes to try new things.  She started out not really liking her play mat and now she will spend up to 15 minutes on it at a time.  Doesn't sound like much time, but I've come to learn that 15 minutes for a baby is quite a chunk of time!

  

      I've also been putting Abby on her tummy for "tummy time" each day.  She is trying to hold that head up.  I should have probably started to video her at the beginning when she was actually doing better, but grabbed the camera halfway through.  Needless to say, what you will see is Abby getting tired! :)


      Abby also spends a lot of her time watching the people that hold her.  She loves to be talked to and enjoys listening to singing.  She spends a lot of time watching her Mommy.  Take a look!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Playing catch up....

      I have finally finished designing a new blog site to journal the joys of parenthood and to keep everyone updated on Abigail.  Of course it took me a few days since I was doing it in between feedings, naps, play time, and bath time.        
      Abigail has been doing great and is finally starting to stay awake for longer periods of time throughout the day.  She still naps A LOT, but at least we have some time to stimulate her with singing, toys, and her play mat.  Nights are getting better ... still losing sleep, but we are getting there.  Abby usually wakes up two to three times a night and it's getting easier to get her back to sleep once she is wide awake and ready to party!  Hopefully this trend continues and we can establish a routine at some point.        
      Daddy is in Boston and New York until Sunday, so we are enjoying our time with Gramma and Grandad once again.  Gramma is such a lifesaver and has been extremely helpful!  I owe her big time!  Gramma and I witnessed one of Abby's "firsts" today while playing with her on the Baby Einstein play mat.  I put Abby on her stomach for a little "tummy time" so she can work on strengthening her neck muscles.  After holding her head up and looking all around, she suddenly started to roll over..... it didn't take long and she was on her back.  I know it's harder for babies to roll over from back to stomach, but it's still considered one of Abby's "firsts" to me!        
      Here are some latest pictures of our sweet baby.  Tomorrow I will add some videos that I have taken of her!
I love that her hair already holds tiny bows!

First "real" bath with Daddy after cord came off.  Abby LOVED it!

The swaddle gown ... it's a must for bedtime!  

      Enjoying her swing...

Sunday, September 6, 2009

First Outing as a Family!

       Other than a few walks to Whole Foods or the AT&T store, the Johnson Family had our first big outing together on Sunday, August 30th.  I first took Abigail to her first Orioles game, where I had time to catch up with some other baseball moms and share stories, while Abigail got to take in her Daddy's seventh save of the season.  Go Daddy!     
       After the game, the Orioles hosted a Family Day for players and their families.  There was tons of food, goodies for the kids, and jerseys for everyone to wear.  They even had a onesie made for Abigail that has Johnson #43 on the back.  It was way too big, but she will grow into it for next season!  It was a fun time to just hang out, talk, and spend time together on a beautiful Sunday afternoon with such great friends.  Jim and I are truly blessed to be part of such a family oriented baseball team.
Jim was so proud to show off his little girl. 

Abigail didn't do much other than sleep ... maybe she'll enjoy Family Day a little more next year! :)

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Sweet Baby ....

      Here are some latest pictures.... I promise to get better with blogging.  With more sleep, I'm having more time to do it!  

Abigail is such a small bundle of joy!  
This is how she spent her time inside .... all curled up :)

Peaceful sleeper ...

Goodnight!

Abby likes to have her hands crossed and legs all tangled up!

She does wake up!!! And suck her thumb :)


Abigail's Birth Story

     It all started on Monday, August 17th.  I woke up early that morning not feeling well and finding it hard to stand up straight.  I was having contractions, but not that close together and had a lot of back pain.  I also hadn't felt Abby move since the evening before, which really made me nervous since I knew her movement patterns so well at this point in the pregnancy.  After talking to Jim, I decided to call the doctor for advice.  Dr. Penn said to go ahead to the hospital, that he would meet me there to see what's going on.   Jim had to head into the ballpark, so I drove to the hospital where I met my Mom.  
      Right away, the nurse was able to find Abigail's heartbeat and she was monitored for 20 minutes.  Everything looked and sounded great!  Dr. Penn then came in and I was STILL only 1 cm dilated and about 85% effaced.  He said to go ahead back home and come in when the contractions or the uncomfortableness got worse.  I was glad everything was okay, but shocked that this was a false alarm.
      Later that afternoon, I started to feel a little better so I decided to go to the baseball game, thinking it would probably be my last game for a while.  My Dad, Heather, Justin and Emily came along and were the first ones to witness my labor pains!  Throughout the whole game, I felt contractions and more pain.  I was sure at this point that something was going on, but kept fighting through it... wanting to be able to say bye to Jim after the game, since he was off to Tampa to start a long, 9 day road trip.  
      After waiting to say my goodbye, I headed back to my parents house so I could get some sleep and hopefully feel better.  At about midnight, I woke my parents up and said "It's time to go!"  My Mom and Jen drove me to the hospital, where I was admitted.... I was in labor!  So the second trip to the hospital in the same day.... wasn't a false alarm!  Dr. Penn had me walk around and drink water for an hour straight and this just made the pain intensify.  Sure enough, it put me right into active labor.
     I called Jim around 1:30am, just as he arrived in Tampa to tell him he needed to get a flight back that we were having a baby!!  He got a flight out at 5:30 am.  While waiting for things to progress, I was given some sleeping medication that made me pretty silly.  I just remember my Mom laughing as I was falling asleep.  Who knows what I was saying to her or the nurse, but THANK YOU.... I couldn't feel the pain and I got some rest before it all began.
      I woke up that morning on August 18th and things started to progress on their own.  However, not at a fast pace.  Dr. Penn had to leave and Dr. Keith was taking over his shift.  I had never met this doctor so it was awkward at first, but she was wonderful!  My water was then broken and I was put on petocin to speed things along.  I received the epidural early on ... thanks to my low pain tolerance! Jim arrived at the hospital around noon, in plenty of time!  
     Over the next several hours, Jim stayed by my side and helped me get through the pain.  He did a wonderful job. At 4:15 pm Dr. Keith said it was time to start pushing and that Abigail was right there.  She didn't think it would take as long as it did... but almost 3 hours later, at 6:43 pm, little Abigail Grace was born!  What a special moment to share with Jim.  We both shed some tears and were amazed that we could bring this sweet little baby into this world.  I was very thankful to have the nurse that I did.  She sweat just as much as I did (the air conditioner shut off halfway through), pushed everytime I pushed, and she actually said it best herself... When my family came in to see us, she said "We all had a baby in here tonight!"
      Abigail was then taken to the NICU to check on some things.  She was very pale and lethargic when she was first born.  The doctors just wanted to make sure things were okay.  Two hours later, she was brought back to us with news that everything was fine!