A Little Love & Luck

The Little Blessed One Whom God Has Loved

2010-06-04T15:45:00.003-04:00

I've wanted to get on this blog numerous times over the last few weeks to write about all that has happened. I've formed the words in my head a million times but never could get them from my head to my fingertips to type. I've wanted so badly to pour out all that was in my head into words on a page.

I've been afraid of what would happen if I saw it all it print, afraid to let out all the words and feelings that have been safely tucked in my heart, afraid of how raw it would feel.

But I want to write it down, to have it in print, so that even when the rawness subsides, I will still remember.

So, let's begin at the beginning...

It all started on March 20.

This was the day the pregnancy test turned positive.

That Saturday morning, we were getting ready for our day and Billy said to me, "I think you should take a pregnancy test."

I know I must have looked at him like he had gone a bit insane.

I told him that even if I was pregnant, there was no way it would show positive because it was too early, but he continued to insist that I should, so eventually, I gave in.

Now my last experience with a positive pregnancy test was with Abby and when I took that test, the positive showed up immediately.

So, needless to say, that was exactly what I expected with this test.

I took the test.

Negative.

I yelled out of the bathroom to Billy and said "See? I told you it would be negative."

Yep. Definitely negative.

Wait a minute...

Is that...

Is that another line!?!?

It only took about 15 more seconds for me to change my response from, "See? I told you it would be negative" to "Hey Billy, maybe you should come in here..."

I learned an important lesson that day:

Pregnancy tests don't always show positive immediately!

The test was indeed positive! And if that wasn't enough proof for us...so were the other 4 that I took over the next 2 days.

We were having a baby!

The next few weeks were pretty much what you would expect. The morning sickness begin pretty soon after finding out and it was SO BAD this time. I was sick with Abby but nothing compared to what it was like this time. There were days when it would take me half an hour to take a shower because I spent the first 25 minutes laying on the bathroom floor praying for the nausea to pass so that I wouldn't throw up once I got in. (nice mental image, I know)

We weren't really planning on telling anyone until we got closer to the end of the first trimester, but I started showing REALLY early. I mean, I looked like I was four months along by the time I hit the 6 week mark. It was crazy! I had always heard that you showed earlier with subsequent pregnancies but this was ridiculous!

In hindsight, I believe God was at work, even in my rapidly growing belly.

Since we wanted to share our good news before my belly did, we decided it would be best to start talking sooner than later... so on Easter weekend, that's what we did. First we told Abby, then our families, and then we starting sharing with our friends.

The news was out!!

And I could finally stop holding my breath to keep the button on my pants from popping off. Woohoo!! Bring on the elastic waistband pants!!

Everything continued to go along as expected.

I continued to be sick, my belly continued to grow.

I did have an episode of cramping that bought me a trip to the doctor and an ultrasound. They found a very small subchrionic hemmorhage, but we were told that most of time these just reabsorb back into the body and cause no problem. Other than that, everything appeared fine.

Now, I won't tell you that I wasn't worried about the hemmorhage...every parent worries when they hear anything is potentially wrong with regards to their child, no matter how big or small, but (with Billy's help) I tried to keep it all in prespective and assume that things would continue on just as they were supposed to.

On April 19, we went in for our routine first trimester ultrasound.

I got on the table, the ultrasound tech turned down the lights and got the machine ready and then, just as expected, there was our baby - right there on the screen.

It was a great moment.

But a moment was all it lasted.

The ultrasound tech said she needed me to lay very still because she was having a hard time getting the heartrate to register...so I did. Then she pointed to the screen, and although I don't remember her exact words, they went something like this:

"There it is. See that really small movement right there? That's the heartbeat."

Then she told us the heart rate...

55 beat per minute.

I felt like someone laid a brick on my chest.

We were taken into the exam room to wait for the doctor. Billy & I were both in a bit of shock I think. First you worry that your baby might not survive, then you worry that your baby will survive but something will be horribly wrong with them. Then you go back to worrying that they won't survive...and so on and so on.

When the doctor came in, he told us that based on the heartbeat, the subchrionic hemmorhage and the slowed development rate (something else that was found on the ultrasound), things didn't look good.

There was about a 70% chance that this would end in a miscarriage.

I remember very little about what happened after that. I think I just went numb. I just kept hearing his words over and over in my head...

55 beats per minute...slowed development...70% chance...

miscarriage.

We were scheduled for a followup ultrasound in one week.

We started making phone calls, sending emails, everything we could think of asking people to pray. We knew that our God could perform a miracle and we asked everyone we knew to ask everyone they knew to pray for exactly that.

We needed that miracle.

On Friday, April 23, four days later, the cramping started.

It was so intense...reminiscent of labor pains. We went back to the doctor and had another ultrasound to confirm what we already feared.

Our baby had died.

My doctor, my nurse, even the ultrasound tech all said the same things to us:

Usually when this happens early in a pregnancy, something went wrong at the very beginning. There may have been problems that would have only allowed your child to live for a short time after birth or have been incompatible with life altogether. Sometimes things just go wrong and this is the way that you are protected from that.

At the time these were just words, they meant absolutely nothing to me.

Nothing.

But, once again, looking back, I can see how God was working.

I was scheduled for a D & C the following morning and was sent home with some pain medicine.

There isn't a lot to say about that Friday night. I was so full of pain medicine that my senses were a bit dulled and other than a half hour of sobbing over the events that would be happening the next morning, I was just numb. I just sat and stared until I finally fell asleep.

I had the D & C the next morning.

It's heartwrenching to come home from the hospital knowing that your baby is no longer growing within you and yet you have no baby to hold in your arms.

There were NO words to describe it.

I didn't talk to anyone except Billy for nearly three weeks. I just couldn't. I was experiencing a crushing grief that I just couldn't put into words. I found it best to just keep to myself and be quiet.

I begged God to give me my baby back.

I pleaded with Him.

"You are God! Just put my baby back. Just give him back to me. Please, please just give him back."

Nothing.

I became angry that God chose to take my baby, that He created this life inside me only to take it away.

My conversations with God went from begging Him to give our baby back to angry outbursts.

"Why?? Why would You do this?? Why would You give me this child to love and never let me hold him, kiss him, cradle him?? WHY??"

I was always met with the same response.

"I did it to protect you."

And I always had the same reply.

"I DON'T CARE."

I was angry...and, at that point, I really didn't care. All I wanted was my baby back, growing safely within me. I wanted to be the happy, glowing pregnant mom making plans for the nursery and picking out names...imagining what color our baby's hair would be & whether or not he would look like his sister.

I wanted all that back and until God could give that to me,

I DID NOT CARE.

This conversation with God was repeated many times during the course of the following weeks. I questioned God, He faithfully replied and I responded in anger...

Over and over and over again.

Two weeks after we lost our baby was Mother's Day. I asked Billy if we could just go away that weekend. I didn't want to be a part of all the hoopla. I told Billy that I didn't want to focus on Mother's Day this year, I just wanted to focus on our little family...so that's what we did.

That weekend, Billy, Abby and I packed up and headed to the beach. We went to ocean, the pool, out to eat, to play putt-putt - we just enjoyed being together.

It was exaclty what we needed.

The last day we were there, I was alone getting ready and, once again, I found myself asking God the same question that I had repeated so many times before.

"Why?? Why did You let this happen?"

And as faithfully as always,

"I did it to protect you."

As I said earlier, I must have had this same conversation with God a thousand times over the last few weeks. I had screamed it at Him, sobbed, yelled...and everytime, every single time, He answered me with the same response.

That Monday morning was the first time I actually heard His answer.

"I DID IT TO PROTECT YOU."

And for the first time in over 2 weeks, I didn't yell back at God that I didn't care.

This time my response was different.

"It doesn't change the fact that my heart is broken into a million pieces, God...but Thank You."

My grief didn't just magically disappear at that point...there is part of me that still grieves today. But that day, that moment will forever be etched in my mind. That was the moment I finally heard the words that my Father had been faithfully speaking to me for the past few weeks.

In my mind's eye, I could see myself finally placing my perfect, precious baby into the hands of God. No matter how much I wanted it to be different, I realized at that moment my baby was no longer mine to hold onto to.

The hands that would forever hold my baby were the same hands that had been holding me.

He had been protecting me from the beginning...

I believe that God made my belly grow quickly so that we would have no other choice but to share the news of this pregnancy with the people in our lives sooner than we planned. Because we told, our baby had the chance to be loved on this earth by more than just Billy & myself. From the moment they knew this child existed, our family & friends loved him. God also knew that we would need those same people to surround us and pray for us during our time of loss.

Yes, God was working through my growing belly.

I realize that we will never really know here on earth if there were problems with our baby, but if what the doctors and nurses said was accurate and God took our baby because there was something horribly wrong that would have taken him from us shortly after birth or caused him to live a life of pain, then what better place for our child to rest than in the arms of God, where no pain can touch him.

Yes, God was working through the words that were spoken to me by my doctor & nurse.

God hands had been working, He had been holding and protecting me right from the start.

It was too early for us to find out the gender of our baby, so even though I referred to our baby as "he" throughout this entire post, we don't know for sure what the gender was.

Billy & I both had this feeling we were probably having a boy.

It was important to us to give our child a name, because even though he was only here on earth for a short time, he was here.

He was a life that existed and mattered.

We named our baby Bennett Elidad Johnson.

It means "little blessed one whom God has loved", hence the title of this post.

Billy and I firmly believe that we are now the parents of 2 children, one who lives here on earth and one who lives with our Father in heaven.

We know that, one day, we will see our sweet Bennett in heaven.

There were so many moments, both good and bad, that I want to remember since the day that test came back positive. I wish that I had been able to write them down as they happened, because even now, it's hard to remember some of the details.

I couldn't write about it all before. I didn't want to see the thoughts in my head in words on a page. It would have been too real, too painful.

And even now, almost 6 weeks later, it's still painful. In some ways, writing it is like reliving it.

But I want it written down.

We don't have albums full of pictures or hundreds of stories about Bennett's life, we just have a handful of memories...

the positive pregnancy tests, the joy of sharing our news with friends & family, the ultrasounds, the moment we realized he was gone.

Our baby mattered to us.

He existed even though there is nothing on this earth (with the exception of an ultrasound picture) to show it. All that's left is what we will remember. The proof of his life only exists in the memories we share.

So, I want it written down...

In remembrance.

Getting Ready For The Weekend

2010-03-12T08:30:00.002-05:00

We have a busy weekend ahead, so today we are headed out to do all the errands that we won't have time for this weekend.

And, as you know, nothing spells S-U-C-C-E-S-S like trying to cram two days worth of chores and errands into one morning...with a 3 year old in tow.

(I shuttered a little as I typed that.)

Anyway...

Assuming I survive today, here's what we have going on this weekend:

Tonight, Abby has her first meeting with a tennis pro at a local raquet club to see if she is ready to get enrolled in tennis classes. She's excited about it but her daddy is...well, let's just say he's already talking about the strawberries at Wimbledon.

Tomorrow morning we are off to see Curious George Live. We bought these tickets a few months back when Abby was watching Curious George just about every day. A few weeks ago, when I asked if she wanted to watch a Curious George show, Abby informed me that she "didn't like to watch Curious George anymore". Here's hoping she rekindles her love for George before tomorrow.

And Sunday, Billy is going a be a judge in our neighborhood's 1st chili cook-off.
(which reminds me I need to pick up antacid while I'm out...)

We have lots to get ready for, so we're off to start our day.

Have a Great Weekend!!

(Images above from: Wimbledon, PBS Kids & McCormick)

Wordless Wednesday (on Thursday)

2010-03-11T11:40:00.004-05:00

Bringing Back the 80s

2010-03-09T11:02:00.004-05:00

We went a little retro today and decided to break out the hand-me-down Jordache denim jacket. Abby LOVED it! I think I may have unintentionally created a love for 80s fashion.

Maybe this afternoon we'll go out in search of a hair crimper, blue eyeshadow and leg warmers to complete the outfit.

Monday, Monday

2010-03-08T14:47:00.009-05:00

It always seems that no matter how together my house is on Friday night, by Monday morning it looks as though a tornado has run through it. Clutter has a way of making me a little crazy, so Mondays are usually spent reclaiming the house that lives somewhere under the chaos.

As I spend today moving from room to room picking up stray toys, putting away shoes and folding yet another load of laundry, I am daydreaming of a house that looks like this, even on a Monday morning.

Image from Good Housekeeping

Have a great Monday!

Everybody Needs A Little Time Away

2010-03-07T22:25:00.010-05:00

So we took ours...and now we're back!

In that time, we've gone from here (March 2009)

to here (February 2010)

Although, I could fill pages with all that has happened over the past year, I'm going to try to sum it up in a few words:

Happy,

Healthy,

Ready to take on the next adventure!

It's A Rainy Day Here...

2009-03-25T13:05:00.006-04:00

but as you can see, Abby doesn't mind!

We headed out to a local mall for a fun morning of playing, walking & riding the carousel.

We even splurged and had a special lunch of chicken nuggets & french fries while we were out.

Now that we're home, I'm hoping walking + playing + yummy fried food + rainy day = VERY LONG NAP!!

Let's Try This Again

2009-03-24T20:58:00.012-04:00

Yes, I know...I have been a VERY BAD BLOGGER. I don't even know if I can truly call myself a "blogger" anymore given how long it's been since I have posted.

I am going to give it another go and try to keep this blog current AND I want the 2 of you who actually read this to hold me accountable. :)

Alright, let's get started, shall we?

In November, we decided that, given the current economy, we should stay put in our house, so we took it off the market. Since then, we have been doing a lot of redecorating/reorganizing to make the space we have more functional. It's been slow going, but things are starting to come together. I will post pictures once they do...though it may be awhile. :)

We did quite a bit of traveling over the holidays. We spent Thanksgiving in Asheville, NC. Abby had lots of fun playing with her cousins.

Don't you wonder what they're talking about?

For Christmas, we drove to Lady Lake, FL. As you can see from the pictures, Abby took advantage of the warmer temperatures and played some golf...

To break up the trip home from Florida, we spent a night in Hilton Head, SC. It was Abby's first time to the ocean and she LOVED it! She still talks about it to this day! I believe we have a beach baby on our hands (which would explain her distaste for shoes during the first 13 months of her life...she was meant to feel the sand between her toes!)

January & February were pretty quiet months which was good -- we needed rest from all the traveling in November & December. :)

In March, Abby got to see SNOW for the first time (we had a little bit in February, but I don't really count that since there was barely enough to play in AND Abby was too sick to play anyway). We got quite a bit and had a ball playing outside in it!

And last but certainly not least, Abby became a GUITAR HERO!

Whew, I think that about sums it up!

I will leave you with my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE picture of Abby from the last 5 months.

Be back soon...

Happy 2nd Birthday!!

2008-10-28T20:41:00.009-04:00

Today we celebrated Abby's 2nd birthday! Can you believe she's already two? Oh, how the time flies!

Lately, all we hear about around here is Dora (the Explorer) and Elbow (or Elmo, as most people know him), so we thought it most fitting that Abby have a Dora AND Elmo balloon to greet her when she came down for breakfast.

It case you couldn't tell...she was THRILLED!!

After a fun morning of Mother's Morning Out (where she got to have cookies in celebration of her birthday) and an afternoon nap, it was time for presents!

Again...THRILLED!

Well, sort of thrilled.

She was super excited when she saw the presents on the table and when she got to sit next to them to have her picture taken. She loved pointing to the pictures on the wrapping paper and naming what she saw.

She was on cloud nine...

Until we actually attempted to get her to OPEN them.

In true "Type A" form, she wanted nothing to do with any of these items being moved from where they had originally been placed. The actual touching and (gasp!) moving of the gifts was just about more than she could stand.

We tried repeatedly to coax her into opening the packages...even to the point of giving away what was inside, for example, "Abby, let's tear the paper off...I bet there is a Dora/Elmo inside!" (cue Mommy & Daddy doing muffled Dora/Elmo impressions ~ you know, to make the idea of Dora/Elmo being inside more believable).

She wasn't buying it.

Eventually, it came to tears.

Abby was crying because she couldn't understand why we were harassing her with this nonsense about "moving" and "opening" her perfectly arranged packages...

and Billy and I were crying because when you laugh so hard that you can't catch your breath, you cry...and needless to say, we were laughing THAT hard!

It had to be the first time in children's birthday party history that there were tears because the birthday girl DID NOT want to open her gifts.

(It was at this point that Billy and I both agreed it was probably a good thing we didn't have a big party with lots of attendees. There would have be a lot of sitting around watching Abby watch her presents...)

Eventually, we did talk her into opening her gifts. The tears subsided and once again, Abby was thrilled with all the Dora and Elmo goodies that surrounded her!

Whew...birthday salvaged! :)

Happy 2nd Birthday Abby!! We love you!!

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Dear Abby,

It is hard to believe that just 2 short years ago, we first held you in our arms and fell head over heels in love with you. We thought our hearts couldn't hold any more love, yet with each passing day, we fall more and more in love with who you are. When we look at you we see God's amazing handiwork...and it takes our breath away!

October 2006

October 2007

October 2008

My, how you have grown!

We can hardly wait to see what the next year holds!!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Sweet Girl! We love you so very much!

Mommy and Daddy

What Do You Think?

2008-09-10T22:15:00.005-04:00

Abby started back to Mother's Morning Out last week and we, of course, took a couple of pictures of her just before we went into her class on the first day.

Here are a few of them...

Okay, now is it just me or does it look like Abby is "laying hands" on our car? (and, yes, that is a bible in her right hand). Too bad I don't have any audio of her saying "Be healed!" to play in the background.

What a way to remember her first day of school...

The Wiggles ~ August 24

2008-09-10T21:20:00.006-04:00

A few weeks back, Billy, Abby & I went to see THE WIGGLES live in concert...and yes, I was as thrilled as my daughter (if not more so).

For those of you not familiar (is that possible?), here are a couple pictures of The Wiggles from their concert:

And here is Abby with her date for the evening, Lucas:

They had an absolute blast ~ dancing and singing ~ it was so much fun to watch them as they watched the show!

This is Abby on the way home from the concert sporting her Captain Feathersword pirate hat & sword (made, appropriately, of feathers).

No girly souvenirs for this one, she went straight for the pirate gear...made her daddy proud!

Fun In The Sun

2008-08-22T22:04:00.011-04:00

Although it is definitely still summer here, the past few days haven't been unbearably hot, so we have taken full advantage and spent lots of time outside.

For the first time this summer, we pulled out Abby's little swimming pool so she could enjoy the water. She decided that she enjoyed using the hose to fill it up much more than actually getting in and playing.

It was only after Daddy got in and she realized she could aim the hose directly at him that actually getting in the pool was fun!

We have also enjoy lots of nieghborhood walks the past few days. Here is a picture Billy took from his office window as we were walking by.

As soon as I told Abby that Daddy was taking her picture she leaned over, put her arm around my neck and smiled for the picture...made my heart melt!

Time To Catch Up

2008-08-20T13:22:00.014-04:00

Whew! It has been a VERY BUSY couple of weeks! So much has happened since my last post!

At the beginning of August, we traveled down to Florida to visit with Abby's Great Grandma & Granddad (my grandparents). We had not been down to Florida since last summer, so Abby had changed a lot since her Great Grandparents had seen her last!

Here is Abby with her Great Grandparents...

Abby's Grammy & Grandpa (my stepmom and dad) also came down to visit. We had such a good time on our trip...it was so nice to have to whole family together!!

Here are a couple more of our favorites from the trip...

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Two days after we returned home, we met with our realtor to get our house on the market. Needless to say, it has been a whirlwind of cleaning, packing & staging to get the house ready to sell.

Our house is now officially on the market, so if you know of anyone looking, feel free to send them our way! :)

Bad Blogger

2008-07-28T12:47:00.004-04:00

That's me! I accept the title without any argument! I can't believe it's been 3 WEEKS since I last posted...what a slacker! :)

My excuse is that we have been super busy house hunting. We recently decided that we are outgrowing our little house and we need more space, so the seach for a new home has begun. It has been both exciting and exhausting, but above all, VERY TIME CONSUMING.

I promise to post more pictures soon. Until then, I will leave you all with this smiling face...

Happy 4th of July!!

2008-07-04T12:06:00.003-04:00

We tried to get some really good pictures of Abby in her cute 4th of July dress, but she was too busy to stop & pose!!

We did manage to snag a couple of quick shots though!!

Have a wonderful 4th of July!!

They Say Everyone Has A Twin...

2008-06-30T20:14:00.008-04:00

And today, Abby ran into hers at the doctor's office.

We had to wait for almost an hour before we saw the doctor today, but between this mirror, a portable dvd player & a supply of "The Wiggles" dvds, Abby was in great spirits the entire time.

Water Play

2008-06-29T22:13:00.009-04:00

This afternoon, we headed out to the Village Park Splash Pad in Kannapolis for some fun!

Abby had a great time running through the fountains...

And having water fights with her Daddy...

But this was, by far, her favorite part of the Splash Pad...

She would stand underneath the buckets shouting "Go, Go".

And GO they did!!

We had a great time playing in the water!!

Auntie Tashaa' Comes To Visit

2008-06-28T21:49:00.012-04:00

Today, Auntie Tashaa' (my very best girlfriend from college) came for a visit. It has been a little while since Abby has been able to hang out with her Auntie, but as you can see from the picture, she warmed right up!

We had such a great time visiting & catching up...we ALWAYS have fun when Auntie Tashaa' is around!!

Can't you tell by the smiles...

We love you Tashaa' & hope to get to visit with you again very soon!!

Just Another Day At The Office...

2008-06-26T21:50:00.010-04:00

Hard At Work!

Abby has become facinated by our computer. Whenever she sees me on it, she comes running! She loves to sit in the chair, move the mouse & watch the cursor go all over the screen.

It's funny now, but it's going to be sad when I'm going to her for computer help! :)

Asheville, NC & Washington, DC

2008-06-24T21:07:00.025-04:00

On Father's Day weekend, we headed to Asheville, NC for Billy's Great Aunt's 90th birthday celebration. We had a great time visting with family that we don't get to see often enough!

On Friday afternoon, Abby got to spend some time with Grandmother & Papaw before everyone arrived.

By Friday night, all of the family was there. Abby has a cousin, Conner, who lives in Oklahoma and is just 3 weeks younger than she is. They met for the first time during this weekend.

Needless to say, they hit is off from the start! Too cute!!

After the birthday celebration on Saturday, we all spent the rest of the day at the family cabin playing, visiting & of course, eating.

Here is a picture of Abby with her Uncle Donny...

And one of Abby with her Aunt Donna, Uncle Ralph & Papaw...

Abby went out & found each person in this picture, took their hand and led them to these steps. She then patted where she wanted them to sit. Once she had "gathered" all her people, she sat down and waited for the picture to be taken. Only a year & a half and already taking charge! :)

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On Sunday (Father's Day), we packed up the car and headed for Washington, DC to visit with Granddad & Grammy. We spent the week visiting & doing some sightseeing.

Abby has recently become facinated with airplanes (just like her Daddy) so we took her into the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum to show her all the planes.

Here is Abby listening to one of the tour guides...

And then riding the Carousel on the Washington Mall...

On our way back home to North Carolina, we took a little detour and visited the Natural Bridge. It was pretty incredible to see!

We were completely exhausted by the time we returned home to Concord this past Sunday, but the exhaustion was totally worth it. Our little family had a GREAT time (and made some pretty cool memories) while we were away!

Out Visiting

2008-06-10T14:26:00.010-04:00

This past Sunday, we headed out to spend some time with Aunt Faye, Uncle Jim & Cousins Jenny and Danny in Clemmons, NC.

We had a delicious lunch (Thanks Jenny!!) and then spent the rest of the afternoon visiting, catching up & eating homemade ice cream...YUM!!

Abby made quick friends with Jenny & Danny's "pet dog" ~ Higgins.

Jenny had an exercise ball that Abby had a blast playing with. She rolled it ALL OVER the house. She also enjoyed sitting on top of it and being bounced...

The end of our visit came too quickly and it was time to head for home. Here's Abby getting ready to leave...

OOPS! I think we have the wrong shoes!!

Thanks so much, Jenny & Danny, for having us! We had a GREAT time!!

Rainy Day Activities

2008-05-30T21:57:00.017-04:00

We had rain this week ~ GOOD because we are in desperate need of it here, but BAD because it means staying mostly indoors.

We spent some time watching the rain...

Did a little Horse Back Riding...

And, of course, our most favorite indoor activity...Eating.

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On Thursday night, we went to see Brandon (Abby's cousin) perform in his spring band concert.

Abby had a great time! She got so excited when she saw her cousin up on stage...she would wave and clap to get his attention.

After the concert, we all went out to eat and Abby took full advantage of Brandon's french fries being within arms reach.

Abby had so much fun getting to hang out with her cousin. She definitely LOVES her Brandon!

Memorial Day Weekend ~ Part 2

2008-05-27T11:18:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day here so we headed out to a popular nearby lake to enjoy the day.

First, we stopped for lunch at a restaurant on the water. Billy ordered buffalo wings which Abby was very interested in trying...

She decided she wasn't a big fan so she started feeding them to Daddy...

After lunch, we decided to walk around and look at all the boats. There were lots of people out on the water.

After walking around for a while (and enjoying a treat of ice cream), we went to a nearby outdoor shopping area that has a fountain in the center where children can play.

Although a little skiddish at first, Abby ended up having a BLAST!!

She made friends with this cute little girl that was about the same age. They would take turns throwing the ball into the center of the fountain and then point to tell the other one to go get it.

Memorial Day Weekend

2008-05-25T23:24:00.001-04:00

Here are some pictures from our fun day at a local park.

As far as Abby is concerned, swings are always top priority.

She would swing all day long if given the option.

And, NO, she is not even remotely afraid of going too high.

Check out that hair!!

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We did eventually manage to talk Abby into getting out of the swings and going down the slide a few times. Unfortunately, we have no pictures to back that up ~ you'll just have to take our word for it.

Our Journey Begins

2008-05-24T21:00:00.002-04:00

Due to repeated requests from our friends and family to keep them more well informed about the comings and goings of our sweet Abby, we are going to try out this blogging thing!

Hopefully, (assuming I stay on top of things) this will serve to keep those of you we aren't able to see or talk to on a regular basis updated on the life of our little girl as she grows!!

And, yes, I know that the picture at the top of the page is a little old (like a year and a half) but it is one of my all-time favorite pictures that Billy took of Abby just after she was born. It felt like the perfect picture to start off with.

That being said, for those of you who haven't seen Abby lately and would like to see how much she has changed since that first picture was taken, here you go...

Our sweet little girl ~ 18 months old ~ walking (actually running would be a better description), talking & staying busy EVERY SECOND OF EVERY DAY!!

And so, our journey into blogland (and toddlerhood) has officially begun...

We hope you enjoy!