Firsts

Wow, what a month! Time sure does fly by when you're having fun. Abby is almost six weeks old now and our first month with her was filled with many different experiences and emotions. We went from sleeping well, to not at all, and now she sleeps in her swing because its the only thing that makes us all happy. Jim and I have learned to enjoy late night TV programing and the feel of a couch. We have run the gamut of emotions from nervous and confused to content and elated. These days, as Abby gets older she tends to change on a daily basis. Her face changes, her schedule changes and her habits change. Abby had a very hard time gaining her birth weight back - in fact the last visit to the doctor, at one month, was the first time she actually reached her birth weight. In fact, she exceeded it - she weighed 7lbs. and 14oz. and measured at 21" long. Below you will see a progression of some of our first experiences.

This was the first time Abby sat in her swing. The seat is removable and this is what she spends most of her time in. She joins us at dinner in her seat, sleeps in her seat, and generally enjoys most of her day in this seat. It rocks and vibrates so she has plenty of stimulation to keep her busy.

Abby really enjoyed her first ride in the stroller. We had a very nice afternoon just a few days after coming home from the hospital. I needed a little fresh air, so we trekked around the driveway. If I could put her in this and walk her around at night, we might solve the sleeping woes. She got a little sun on her face, but slept almost the entire stroll around the driveway.

This was Abby's first bath. Sponge bathing is definitely tricky for mom as well as for baby. She did very well, but we have decided that she does not like water. We did the sponge bathing for about three weeks, until her umbilical cord fell off. At that point we progressed to the infant bath tub. She still doesn't like being wet but each bath gets better. Of course, sleeping is a major part of our day. This was our first nap with Grammy. They were both so comfortable and cute together. Abigail loves to sleep on her tummy, which is of course against modern day parenting rules. When all else fails, sleep occurs like this on somebody's warm body. Hey, whatever works is my philosophy at this point! We had a stretch of about five days that were very cold and Abby got to dress appropriately for winter. Kristina Putnam (Kiki) provided us with this cute little winter suit. And, with perfect timing it arrived just the day before our doctors appointment in this cold, cold weather. As you can see, its still a little large, but we are growing into it nicely now. All we need is the winter weather back and it will be perfect! This is Abby's first time at home with her Daddy. She couldn't wait for him to come and cuddle. I have a feeling I will be taking a lot of these shots in the future. They are two peas in a pod, and spend lots of time together. Jim is a great Dad - he loves to change her diaper and cuddle and play. He is very supportive and caring. Kind of hard to tell here, but this was our first time sucking our thumb. We have been trying to stay away from binkis and thumb sucking, but sometimes it's inevitable. One night, she just decided to put her thumb in her mouth and enjoy. It hasn't really happened since, but I have a feeling there is more of this on the way. You can't enjoy the month of October without a Halloween celebration and of course, this was Abigail's first. Her costume was a black cat, complete with ears and tail. Like the rest of her wardrobe this was again, a bit too big. Too bad it won't be appropriate next year. We had a great celebration with Aunt Rita and cousin Jeri, and the McClennen family (all cousins). Lisa, my sister, joined us as well. To top it off we watched the Phillies play game three of the world series. Too bad that didn't turn out better, maybe next year. We had dinner in a Pumpkin, a fall stew. It was very seasonal and something different for on the table! We enjoyed some other firsts as well, we had our first diaper explosion (yes this happens to girls too), our first tears, our first smile (too short for the camera), and our first laugh (while sleeping, which I understand is very normal). Other than that, we have all been getting used to having a baby. It's been almost thirty years since my parents had a baby in the house and it seems like a totally new experience to them at times. They love being able to see Abby every day and it is great for Jim and I to have some extra hands to help. We have hired a photographer to do a baby photo package for us. This will include five sessions throughout Abigail's first year. Her name is Angela Pursell and is located in the Doylestown area. I have added a link to her website at the bottom of our blog. She also writes a blog with some outstanding photos. Golf continues as well. Jim has just left for Florida to play in the second stage of PGA Tour Q-School. For those who don't know, this is about the only way to qualify for either the Nationwide or PGA Tour. Jim will have very good status on the Nationwide Tour due to his finish at 65th on the money list (honey, I am very proud of you!), but there is always room to improve your position or to make it to the big show! I have added a link to the Q-School home page. Here you will find articles about the tournaments and you can select the second stage locations on the left-hand side of the home page to follow the scores. Jim is playing at the hombre course in Panama City Beach, FL. There are other sites with other familiar names, so enjoy. The tournament is a four day, no cut, tournament where they usually take the top 20 players with ties to move on to the final stage in December. There is no live scoring, but scores will be posted as players finish. Enjoy following along. Back to baby duty for now!!!!!