Happy Birthday, Abigail!

Our precious baby girl turned 1 on Tuesday, Sept 13.    Abby's birth was an answer to years of prayers.  The last 12 months has been an interesting journey for us as we learned just how true it is that the 2nd child is totally different from the first.

Of course you wouldn't know that just by looking at them:

Maggie: 1 year

Abby: 1 year

But in many other ways the addage holds true.

Maggie was a smaller child, Abby is our little chunk.

Maggie fought the weaning to milk for two valient weeks.  Abby peacefully transitioned in two days.

Maggie loves to read books.  Abby loves to close them as I try to read to her.  Then she goes and yanks them all off the shelf.

Maggie is talkative.  So far Abby is content to let Maggie do all the talking.

Maggie is quiet.  Abby is loud (not so much in the talking but in the crying).

Maggie is order.  Abby is chaos.

Thankfully there are some similarities too . . . both children have been quick to learn bedtime routines and are good sleepers. (Praise God!)

Both had/have the absolute cutest toes

Both can melt daddy's heart with a smile and a wave.

Neither are particularly cuddly except when tired or sick.  At least that gives me something to appreciate when they are tired and sick.  (I have a theory on this, I try to explain later)

A dear friend gave me a plaque when Abby was born.  It has a beautiful sculpture of a baby's head resting in it's mother's hand.  It reads "For this child I prayed".  I cried when I received it.   Oh! How had we prayed for Abby!  The sculpture sits in her room and was a constant reminder to me during the first couple of months, before she got the sleep thing down, before we switched to formula when she would scream at night for hours:

For THIS child I prayed.  Not just for the happy cute adorable child.  But for the screaming one too. :-)

Thankfully as she's grown this year the screaming thing happens a whole lot less frequently, and the happy-cute-adorable happens more.  And I am reminded to KEEP praying for her.

So happy birthday to our "source of joy", our beautiful mess, our wonderful little chaos!  We love you!

My whirlwind Florida trip

Last weekend Abby and I took to the road for a visit with friends and family.  The reason for the trip was a family reunion in St. Augustine to honor a family member who is sick.  We made a couple of stops along the way.

First Stop: TALLAHASSEE

We broke our trip by spending the night with our good friends, the Whithaus'.  It was great seeing them all again although their son was QUITE disappointed that Maggie didn't make the trip with me.

Isn't she cute!

Wow - isn't Abby a little carrot lover?
 


Next stop: St. AUGUSTINE - CASTILLO de SAN MARCO


I met my sister Kathy and her family there - we had a great time touring the fort!

We especially enjoyed the firing demonstration.








FUEGO!


Here I am after the canon demonstration with a nice "spanish soldier" holding, um, something that is, um, used to aim the canon.


Give me a break, I was standing all the way on the other side of the fort during the demonstration so Abby's ears wouldn't bust when they fired the thing.  :-) 

Me and my niece, Mina.


Mina was also disappointed that Maggie did not come on the trip.  Sigh.


Next Stop: JACKSONVILLE

I took a quick detour back north a little bit to have dinner with my good friend, Ildi.  Ildi and I are old buddies from my days in Seattle and it's always great to catch up with her!

Next Stop: St. AUGUSTINE - Family Reunion!



I spent all day Saturday hanging with my parents, my mom's siblings, various cousins and other relatives I haven't seen in 10-20 years, if ever. It was great.  Uncle Perry is a videographer and he was making a DVD of the event, so he asked me to help him film as I was able (between taking care of Abby).  It was great - I got to float from room to room filming conversations and listening in on all kinds of stories.  Can't wait to see the finished product!

Because of the filming I didn't get to take many family shots, but here is one of "Queen Mary" - the honoree of the shindig (on the left).

 Everyone was "plum wore out" by Saturday night.

While in Florida my mom gave Abby the little "tutu" swim suit below, so she could dress up like a ballerina with Maggie.  Of course Maggie insisted on them both trying theirs on - getting Abby to sit still for a picture was another matter altogether....

It was a really great trip and now I'm glad to be home!  Tomorrow we celebrate Abby's 1st birthday!  But that's another post for another day.

 THE END!