Tag: Doctor Updates

One Week… Time is Flying!

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Time is flying by so quickly… its unbelievable. Ellie is 1 week old today and she is growing and changing so fast. Its not fair that they don’t stay this little just a tad bit longer. Its ok, I have loved watching every stage of Abby’s growth, so I know I will feel the same way about Ellie too. On that note, let me catch you up to speed…

We have been home from the hospital 3 whole days and resting comfortably. As a parent, you always wish and hope that your baby will sleep through the night the minute you bring them home, but alas, that was not the case! Ellie would have the typical 2 hour spurts of sleep and then would wake up to nurse. Her days and nights are still pretty mixed up but as I tell myself… this too shall pass, just enjoy all the wonderful moments and remember that you will look back on the difficult ones with fondness one day.

We also took Ellie in for her first official check-up! I have to say its nice having a newborn at the doctors office. We didn’t have to wait in the waiting room with other screaming children and sick ones at that. The minute I signed us in and updated our file we were taken right to an exam room. Ellie was a great little patient and survived all of her exams. The doctor said she looked perfect, which of course was music to our ears!

One Week Stats
Weight: 7 Pounds 14 Ounces
Length: Not Measured at this appointment
(When we left the hospital Ellie was 7 Pounds 5 ounces, she lost 10% of her birth weight)

Got Milk?

Gotta love the milk mouth while in her milk coma!

Abby checking up in her little sister. Its such a precious moment to capture, a blurry one but a precious one.

Abby got into the bottom drawer where all of her disposable cups and bibs are. She got caught and like many kids shows them off and gives mommy a cute face. How can I get mad at that point? 🙂

Sleepy little Ellie… she does that a lot, except at night when mommy and daddy want to sleep!

Only 5 days old and so alert! Love that adorable face.

Abby seems to be adjusting well to sisterhood. She still doesn’t quite understand everything that is going on and that this baby is here to stay but she will learn as she grows. For now she calls her “baby sissy”. We shall see if we can get her to say Ellie soon, not going to push it though. 🙂

Now on for another week and more adventures. Here’s hoping we can get some decent sleep. HA HA! Now I just have to hold it together when my parents leave and I will be ok!

Happy Half Birthday Abby! 18 Months Today!

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Abby turned 18 Months old today… Happy Half Birthday to our little Punkin! My goodness time has flown! Didn’t we just celebrate her 1st Birthday? She has grown and changed so much over the last 6 months, it makes me just a little teary eyed.

She has grown so much, both physically and mentally. She chatters all of the time and with each passing day Shaun and I can understand more and more. Her vocabulary has quite a few words in it! She currently says, but is not limited to, the following words:

Mommy, Dada, Nana, Papa, Moon, Star, Cat, Kitty, Dog, Puppy, Fishy, Bird, Jack, Bubble, Butterfly, Tree, Apple, Kite, Keys, Car, Water (she calls it WaWa), Cheese, Baby, Abby, Caillou (thats the main characters name on her favorite show), Yes, Please and Thank You (we’re still working on using these at the right time), Purple, Shoes, Hi, Bye, Sit (although sometimes this one sounds like a certain 4 letter word, I swear she is saying sit though).

Oh the list continues I am sure and each day something new pops out of her mouth. She is getting very good at mimicking things she hears mommy and daddy say as well as what she hears on Sprout or Nick Jr. Shaun and I are now very aware of what we say around her.

Abby is walking like a pro now and now loves to run as fast as she can, that is until she falls. Falling isnt so much of a traumatic experience as it used to be. There have been many times where Abby has taken a spill that I thought for sure would induce tears, but I got giggles instead. She is also starting to try and walk up stairs instead of crawling up them and she is now learning that she has to walk down them carefully, holding onto the rails or mommy or daddy’s hand. We had a few near accidents, but thank goodness we were right there to catch her.

Abby also had her 18 month check up today! She did great and Dr. Calig says she looks very very healthy. Music to the ears of her mommy and daddy. Her measurements this time around were as follows: 32.5 inches and 27 pounds 7 ounces. That means in 2 months she has grown nearly 2.5 inches! She only put on 2 pounds but that is excellent. Dr. Calig said that weight gain generally slows down at this age. Abby has been eating like crazy but I think that is because she is growing in height not weight. She can still fit into 12 month clothing as long as the shirts were cut a little long and pants can be made to look cute as capris. Some 18 month items are a little big still, but she is growing fast. I am sure that will change very soon!

Abby’s doctors appointment must have been very grueling for her, because as soon as we got home she went down easily for a nap. I checked on her about 15 minutes after I put her down and this is what I found…



She was literally cuddled up with her stuffed friends, especially her new Minnie Mouse. It was too cute to pass up. I had to risk waking her up to get a picture. Luckily she was passed out cold and I was even able to cover her up before I left her room. Boy how I love this little girl!

Happy Half Birthday Little Punkin!

9 months… and counting!

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On July 1st Abby turned 9 months… can you believe it? She is only a few shorts months away from her 1st birthday! I cant believe how fast time has gone. I know I say this all of the time, but I cant help it! I think as time goes on, life moves faster. If that’s possible. Abby is crawling like crazy and standing whenever she can. She can “cruise” around her play yard and at times has taken a chance and let go. She only stands for a few fleeting seconds, but its a step closer! I cant believe the changes that happen overnight! Even bigger news, Abby holds her own bottle! I am sure all you moms understand the joy I feel… freedom! I can actually feed her and do other things at the same time. Yay! She is also babbling a lot and I have a feeling she will be saying her first words soon. Based on what goes on in the house it will probably be Dog, Jack or Jack NO! Hehehe we shall see!

Because of timing and a scheduling faux pas on my part, our check up with the pediatrician was later then normal. We werent able to go until yesterday. We went in to see Dr. Suze this time, as Dr Calig wasn’t available. Dr Suze was great and so loving and gentle with Abby. Once again Abby was dubbed “absolutely perfect”. She has grown in length to 27.5 inches and she now weighs 22 pounds and 12 ounces. She is getting to be a big girl! I cant believe it! This time I decided to take a few pictures during the appointment. They were on my cell phone so they aren’t as clear as my usual pictures.

Too cute if you ask me! Hitting Abby’s 9 month mark makes me want to look back. This time last year I was 6 months pregnant and trying to survive the summer heat. At the time we were living in Simi Valley at the Archstone apartments. Lucky for me there was air conditioning, but the stairs up to our apartment were killer. I still had my little Nissan Sentra that took 20 minutes of driving at 50 miles an hour to get the AC going and the drive out to Thousand Oaks for work was miserable. Abby was moving around in my tummy like crazy and I loved every moment of it. Tommie was putting together a fantastic baby shower for me and it was only a month away! I was almost to the point of making weekly trips to the doctors office. I was only months away from becoming a mother and I was so happy. I cant believe how the time has gone by.

Growing Older, Wonderful Memories and New Beginnings!

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Ok so I am back! There has been so much going on that it was nearly impossible to keep up with it all. But I will catch up with everything as best I can!

Abby at 5 months… look at those big baby blues!

On April 2nd, 2009 Abby went in for her 6 month check up. We are always blessed to hear the words… “she looks perfect” and that was exactly what Dr. Calig said again! Abby was 26 inches long and weighed 18 pounds 15 ounces at the time. I am sure she has grown more since. Abby is changing so fast and is doing a lot in regards to development. She has just finished eating her first round of veggies and is now on to fruits. Luckily, she is not a picky eater and peas were her only issue. While she makes faces of distaste for them, she still eats them. Abby is rolling all over the place and I am sure will be crawling soon. If she had it her way, she would be walking instead of crawling but Shaun and I dont want her to miss that important step in development. We shall see what happens in the next little bit!

Abby at 6 months… Smiling away like the little cutie she is!


Since my last post and I happy to say that we have found a house! Yes, we finally found a home that we absolutely love! We put an offer in and now we have a wonderful home in the San Fernando Valley. We closed escrow close to the end of March and moved in not too long after. We have done some work on the house which has slowed our ability to unpack boxes, but we are finally settled and hope to stop living out of boxes soon! Once the work is finished I will post some before and after pictures for everyone to look at. It is a beautiful home and I am so happy to live here!

One drawback to the house was that the kitchen hadnt been touched since the house was built back in the 40’s. So Shaun decided that it was the first thing that needed to be fixed and right away. Work began completely gutting the kitchen before we moved in. I think we hoped that a bulk of the work would be done before time came to move, but alas it wasnt meant to be. The kitchen renovation has taken care longer then expected and still has not been completed. Shaun knew it was driving me batty as it meant that we couldnt really even unpack everything from the move, so I spent spring break with my parents and sister up in Montana. Abby came with me, but unfortunatly Shaun had to stay and work. I already had the time off. I had a wonderul trip and it was great to get away. Even though my parents still had to work because of the late notice, I still had lots of time to visit and relax. Abby and I had the chance to see where Aunt Jillian works ( both Bath and Body works and Tanya’s Dance Company), meet one of my dad’s coworkers, meet my moms coworkers and we had the chance to visit Yellowstone National Park. It was Abby’s first trip! We also had the chance to see Jillian dance at the Montana State Games in Billings. All in all it was a wonderful trip and as a plus I came home to a kitchen that was almost done, minus a few important details.

Its early in the morning but Abby smiles for mommy just before hitting the road for Montana.

Abby and Auntie Jillian had the chance to hang out quite a bit and Abby took everything Jillian had to say very serious…. I love this picture!

Abby seems to think she is Grace Kelly! She is sporting her glasses on her first morning out to Yellowstone…

Lamar Valley, Yellowstone National Park. This area of the park is home to several of Yellowstones largest wolf packs, the Druid Pack and the Slough Creek Pack.

Mommy and Abby in Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park. Can you see Abby’s adorable bunny slippers? They were a gift from Great Grandma Prueter, Aunt Diane and Uncle Barry and they looked absolutly adorable on her tiny little feet!

Other then that, we have been settling in and trying to get everything unpacked. Abby’s room is still the area were we have our boxes stored, but Shaun emptied a lot while we were away! Hopefully we will have it cleared and can set up Abby’s own room soon. It will be nice once Abby can have an official nursery of her her own!

4 Month Check Up

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On Friday February 6th, Abigail went in for her 4 month check up and from what the doctor says… “She’s Perfect” (music to a mother and father’s ears). Its so wonderful to see that she is healthy and so very happy. Her current measurements put her weight at 15 pounds and 10 ounces and her length at 25 inches! She is getting big! She had her vaccinations as well and let me tell you… it was hard as a mom not to reach out and smack the nurse who made her cry. But that’s not rational or appropriate! She screamed for both shots, but once she was dressed again and back in her stroller with her blanky and binky… life was good. Shes been a bit crabby and feverish, but thats normal.

Abby is really starting to develop a personality. She knows what gets our attention and how to keep it. She is definitely starting to sit up on her own, although she still needs our help most of the time. She is grabbing everything now and most things end up in her mouth. She seems to be teething a little, although its not too bad thus far. She talks like crazy and I think she has figured out the right octave that can shatter glass! She giggles and smiles a lot, especially when she sees mommy and daddy but most importantly when she sees her bottle! She is such a little angel and I am so blessed that she was given to us. I cant wait to watch as she grows and I cherish each day that passes.

Abby enjoys her binky and supports the Kings during the Ottawa game. She must have been a good luck charm because they won! (The Kings that is).

Abby looks like she is up to no good!

Mommy and Abby just hanging out, based on the look on her face… Abby is close to bedtime!

Mommy tries to get in some kisses, but Abby isnt having it! Its time for bed!

Growing Even Faster!!!

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So on Friday January 9th, Abigail went in for her 3 month check up. Once again Dr. Calig gave her a clean bill of health and said she looked wonderful. That is always music to a mother’s ears (and daddy too). Abigail now weighs 13 pounds 9 ounces and is 23 1/2 inches long. She gained nearly two and a half pounds since the last visit and grew about an inch and a half in length. I swear I am not feeding her miracle grow.

Abigail is doing very well. She is babbling, cooing and laughing like crazy. She sits in her little chair very steady and seems to enjoy watching the world around her. Its to the point now where she doesn’t like laying down unless its time to sleep. She is trying very hard to sit up on her own. If she is in the right position she can do it, but she is generally already close to sitting upright at that moment anyways. She uses her legs a lot and will stand steady on them as long as you are holding her. She isn’t too fond of tummy time, but we still do it anyway. I don’t want her to skip the crawling process. It is very important! She pushes her head and chest up when she is on her tummy and while she doesn’t go anywhere, she is kicking her feet too. She also rolled over from her tummy to her back for the first time. Unfortunately I was at work when this happened, so I missed it. Shaun had the chance to see her do it though, so I cant complain! We will keep working on it so that I can see it too!

Abigail appears to have started some teething as well. We cant seem to catch up with all of the drool and her hands are constantly in her mouth. She chews on them a lot and seems to prefer them over her binky. Her little cheeks get red as well and shes had a stuffy nose. Thus far the teething isn’t bad, but then again… its just the beginning! We will see what the next few months bring.

Jack is doing well too! Certainly cant leave him out of anything. He’s our big baby and definitely shows affection towards Abigail, but does get jealous when he is not being attended to. He has had an ongoing problem with his ear on one side, but after spending a bit on him… his ear looks great and he seems to be on the mend. He is still the affectionate, smart yet goofy dog that we fell in love with that day at the shelter back in October of 2006!

Abigail is enjoying her “Bumbo seat”. She likes to sit on the bed with mom and read books, talk and watch t.v.

Abigail sitting in her bassinet watching football, yes you read it right, football! Im sure its all the little men dressed in brightly colored uniforms running around all over the field that gets her attention. 🙂 She loves hockey even more!

Gotta love that adorable face! January 18th, 2009

The big baby of the family… That’s Jack! Gotta love that adorable face too!

She’s Growing Too Fast!

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Well here were are… Abby is now 1 Month, 1 Week and 2 Days Old! I cant believe how quickly time flies! Was it really only 6 weeks ago that I was pregnant with her? She grows and changes each day and I am so glad that I get to see it. Her sounds, even her cries are starting to sound like a person. She looks more and more like an individual every day. She is absolutely beautiful and precious.

On Monday November 3rd, Abby went in for her 1 month check up. Once again Dr. Calig said she was perfect and mommy and daddy certainly agree. At her check up, Abigail weighed in at 8 pounds, 4 ounces and 20 and 1/4 inches. This means she has grown nearly a pound since birth! She is doing great and we couldn’t be happier!

I also had my postpartum check with Dr. Freedman and I am now back to my old self. I have been cleared for all activities again which means that I can drive, go to the gym, walk, the essentials in life. I am feeling great and happy that I can get back to normal life and back to work as well.

On another topic… I can drive again and its great to do now that we have a brand new car!! (Funny, as I was typing that, in my head it sounded like something they would announce on the Price is Right). Last weekend Shaun and I bought a new 2008 Honda CR-V and boy is it pretty! I love driving it and now we officially have the family car. Luckily it doesn’t look like the family car! One more thing down! Next on the agenda… a HOUSE! We will let you know when that actually happens! Once that happens, we promise not to move for a long time!

A Big Day of First Time Experiences

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What a big day for little miss Abigail! Today was her first official doctors appointment and the news was great. She cried only because she hates to be stripped down to nothing, but got her revenge on the nurse by peeing on the scale! That’s our little girl! 🙂 Abigail is growing and developing right on target and looks to be physically perfect, just as Shaun and I thought she was! Abby is now 20 inches long, which is an inch of growth over the last 2 weeks since she was born. She now weighs 7 lbs 9 ounces which means she regained all the weight that a baby will lose after birth plus a few extra ounces! Dr. Calig says she looks great, her heart sounds wonderful, her eyes look healthy and she is right on track. We go in 2 weeks from now for her 1 month check up and I am sure she will have grown considerably between now and then. Once again I cant believe how fast time moves!

Now that her umbilical cord has fallen off, Shaun and I were able to give Abigail her first official bath this evening. She protested, as I would have expected considering she hates being naked and exposed, but did an excellent job and is all clean! Once again she did get her revenge by leaving a wonderful gift down the front of mommy’s shirt before placing her in the tub and then again in her towel after she was all fresh and clean. Let’s just say that she earned a new and endearing pet name of “stinky”! I am sure she will appreciate me sharing that information when she is much older. Oh well, that’s the fun of being a parent!

I am sure that there will be more to post so stay tuned! Have a wonderful day!