Christmas video

K has started using her voice more and has started laughing which is really cute. But this is her latest laugh which is kind of scary! Cousin L thought it was quite scary and didn't want to sit next to K for photos when she made this cackling noise!

Abbey Family Christmas

Christmas Eve in my pretty red velvet dress getting ready to go to church.



Attempting to get a cousin picture!



Sisters all dressed up

Aunt T helping me stand up.

Family photo

Opening presents Christmas Day with cousin L.

Opening my present from the Dougans - thanks so much I love taggies!

I love my new chair - thanks Uncle J, Aunt T and L!

Christmas with the WI Grandparents

Grandpa and Nana came down for an early Christmas. We had a nice time and even a little snow mixed with sleet too but we did have a bit of a White Christmas!

K showed off her cute puppy jammies as we got ready for bed.


Nana gave K a cute snowman - one of her favorites! She thought it was fun especially chewing on the carrot nose.

Grandpa got as many smooches and hugs as he could.

December brought a busy little girl

K is already an independent one who has figured out how to hold her own bottle - sometimes!



She is sitting up on her own to play like a big girl!



And loves being held to stand up.


We moved her out of the infant carrier in the stroller to be forward facing and she loves seeing the world from this perspective.


She also got to see her first Christmas tree and seemed intrigued as to why a tree was in the living room!

Eating machine

K eats all sorts of food now, but she does like to have a bit of fun with us in the process. Sometimes she thinks it is funny to blow bubbles when eating. Such a sweet little girl!

She also got her two (bottom) front teeth for Christmas but we're still trying to get a picture of them.

Evolution of a Parent

This blog is mainly photos of K documenting her development but I began to look through them from the beginning and thought about how D and I have really evolved as parents. As K fell asleep peacefully in my arms last night, I rocked her an extra while longer inhaling the dreamy scent of her baby lotion after bath time and almost cried as I recalled how quickly the past 7 months have gone. To think that a mere 7 months ago she arrived at Prentice and now here we are! I wanted to jot down some revelations I've had since becoming a parent.

1. No one can tell you how challenging being a parent will be but no one can even put into words how rewarding it is either. We just melt when K smiles as we enter the room or chuckles when dad does something funny.

2. I used to cry at sad movies, but now the crying during movies, TV shows, commercials and especially news stories where a child was harmed in any way is brutal. I had no idea my motherly instincts would come out so strongly with children who aren't even my own.

3. Motherhood is competitive. Even if a mother had a baby 30 years ago, some will still compare themselves to you. If you want to brag about your kids, brag to your parents (because they still have a genetic stake) or to your friends without kids.

4. Mainting a friendship with a friend who doesn't have kids is challenging. I never wanted to be that mom who always talks about "junior ate carrots for dinner tonight and loved them!" but I get so gosh darn proud when K eats peas and likes them that I just have to share!

5. It takes HUGE effort to make time for myself. I never understood why some moms look so disheveled and don't take care of themselves, keep up with highlights, manicure, going to the gym. But holy cow is there a major tug at the heartstrings when I leave on Saturday morning for a one hour pilates class! But do I feel great after! And I'm very much looking forward to my day of beauty this weekend for a cut, color, pedi and brow wax. :)

6. You really don’t know anything about being a parent until you are one. If someone had told me this, I wouldn’t have believed them. Things that I said, “I will never…” to, I am now doing.

7. Having kids is fun. I don’t know if anyone told me this. I thought it sounded like fun, but I mostly hear people complain about kids. I absolutely love having my baby and spending time with her.

If anyone reads this and has inspiring thoughts, I'd love to hear any additions!

Prof photos

We had some professional pics taken for K's 6 month as well as for the holidays. Here's some highlights - stay tuned to your mailboxes for the image we decided to use in the holiday cards!

Seven months old!

Big seven month old girl!


I know the drill on these monthly photos so I'm going to take this darn sticker off my shirt and eat it!



Who needs toys when you have this fun sticker?

Such a big girl!

The past few weeks K has been changing so quickly. She has started on solid foods and is doing quite well other than the messes! She likes applesauce, green beans, carrots, sweet potatoes and pears. Not a big fan of bananas though.

Here's a pic of her new favorite... prunes!



She isn't mobile yet and doesn't seem too interested in crawling but loves standing up. Here she is showing off her cute holiday jammies - thanks Dougans!

First sign of Christmas

We went to the Lincoln Park Zoo Lights last weekend which was the last time of really nice, not too cold weather! K had so much fun she fell asleep.

Making new friends

On the way back to Chicago, we stopped by Sandra and Jason's house to meet Jake. Sandra and I went to Dayton together and lived together for a year after college. Jake was born in September and K was fascinated by seeing a baby younger than her. Of course she wanted to touch him like she does everything these days!

Thanksgiving!

We went over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house for K's first turkey day. She had a nice time with family. No turkey this year except for sporting her cute turkey bib. She did have her own sweet potatoes and really liked them!



K took a bath at Grandpa and Nana's house and used the porcelain bathtub that both Nana and mom used when we were little! So it was a historic and memorable moment.