Happy 2nd Birthday, Abby! months that is....

Abby is two months old today!!

She had her two month appointment yesterday afternoon and did a bang up job with her shots. She didn't know what the heck happended on shot one, gave us the silent scream on the second, and on the third let us know she didn't care for it too much. By 4pm she was smiley and good to go, by 6pm it was clear she was in a bit of pain. We gave her a dose of tylenol, and she was asleep by 7:30. We decided not to wake her and based on her weight gain, we figured she would wake up when she was hungry. She was out until midnight! We finally got her into her PJ's and she was fast asleep and didn't get up until 5am. woo hoo!

Tim made me hold her arms down during the shots - he gets that job next time. So not cool....Watching your child turn purple is not fun. She was a champ and I couldn't help but chuckle (and then cuddle and kiss to pieces) a bit during the silent scream. Poor thing....

Here are her stats for month two:

Height: 22 1/2 inch (no change) 50-75th %ile
Weight: 10 pounds 5 ounces (gained 1 lb, 1oz)= 50%ile
Head Circumference: 39cm (grew 1 cm)75-90%ile

One pound in two weeks! Go Abster!

And now for the obligatory picture:

Sorry she's not so smiley....it was right before nap time. Who can blame her? Nap or Photo shoot? I'd take nap time, too....

Here she is yesterday!

Reusable Bags Part Deux

My cousin asked me to make several of these bags for a fundraiser and someone else asked for directions. For you crafty ones, have fun and good luck making them!

Description:
The exterior is 100% cotton while the inside is made with water repellent nylon and the top Velcro closes. This sandwich bag is approximately 7" x 7" in size and is perfect for sandwiches or snacks. Bring it to work, school, the beach, the car, playgroups, airplane, etc. Use for packaging small gifts or gift cards.  When dirty simply wipe clean with a damp cloth or put in the washer and dryer.

Materials:

• 100% Cotton fabric
• Ripstop Nylon - this material comes in different weights and has "windowpanes" on it. Think tent or kite material. It's waterproof for your snacks. (other materials like PUL or Vinyl are not food safe)
• Thread
  
• Velcro (hook and loop)
  
• Cutting mat and cutting tool
• scissors
• seam ripper - just in case!
  

Steps:

1. Cut your fabric into 8.5"x8.5" square pieces. I've saved time by folding the material and cutting several layers at a time.  Cut the Nylon into 9" x 9" squares.  In my trials and tribulations of creating these, cutting the nylon saves a lot of time later on when sewing the squares together. 


2. Cut your Velcro into 6" strip


3. Pair up a square of the cotton and a square of the nylon. Pin to keep in place or not. ( I started with pinning, but found I saved time by not pinning and holding in place)

4. Fold over one side 1/4" and straight stitch twice to make a closed hem. This creates a hem on the top of each bag.
5. Place a strip of velcro in the middle of the hemmed side and straight stitch in place. (sorry no picture!) With each bag you need two sides, so be sure to use the hook on one side and the loop on the other. :-)

6. Straight stitch two squares (fabric sides touching).


7. Trim sides to 1/4" or less and then flip inside out.


Other tips:

• I found some great fabric on clearance, sale, or my mom's fabric stash. Use your coupons on the ripstop nylon - that's the most expensive part.
  
• I also found the velcro for $.99 for a yard - which makes 6 bags!
• These can be washed in cold water and hung to dry or thrown in the dryer.
• I do find matching the thread to the fabric color is a bit neater, but plain 'ole white works, too!
• The nylon comes in a variety of colors to match the fabric.
• Cut the nylon into 9" squares to prevent the struggle of sewing the slippery fabric to the cotton. 

Notes:

• Because of the nature of the breathable fabric, these bags are not airt tight.  Pack your lunches/snacks in the morning to keep fresh for lunch.

If you try these at home, feel free to pass along any feedback for a better bag!

Live. Laugh. Love

Three simple words. When Abby's baby book asked, "This is what I wish for you in life:" those three words were my answer. It seems so cliche because you see them plastered everywhere, but when you sit and think about their meaning it's quite powerful. During the decorating phase of Abby's nursery, I had purchased three plaques from the Christmas Tree Shop - each one has one of the words with quotes around them. I gaze at them during her late night feedings and get a little teary-eyed, kind of like I'm doing now :-) Here's what they say...


Live - Take life by the hand - celebrate your life, if you can imagine it, you can achieve it - If you can dream it, you can become it - anyone who have never made a mistake has never tried anything new - In every single moment there is significance - wonder is sprinkled all around us - Embrace - live your poem - imagine the possibilities - take life by the hand and dance

Laugh - Laugh out Loud - good friends are like stars, you don't always see them, but you know they're always there - in friendship dance, sing, share, laugh, shout for joy - a friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words

Love - Embrace - follow your heart no matter what- love is patient, love is kind, love does not insist on its own ways, love bears all things believes all things, hopes all things endures all things, love never fails - a friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart - happiness often sneaks in a door you did not think was open

The answer to the baby book's question is perfect for me and all I wish for our daughter - for her to live fully, laugh and love. Three simple words with so much meaning.

Laundry Day!

Many people ask how much laundry we're doing because of using cloth diapers. We have enough diapers to wash every third day so we only do 2-3 loads more per week. I don't mind doing laundry so it's not a big chore - Abby doesn't mind either. Here's her helping carrying the

laundry basket upstairs.




The basket was leaning against the futon in an upright position- hence the "toilet position". She seems to make the most noise "down there" when in this position. :-)

The Proctors are Florida Bound!

Tim has a conference at the end of the month and Abby and I are tagging along. We're flying to sunny, warm Miami at the end of the month. It will be a nice way to wrap up my maternity leave and break up the cold winter of the North East. Abby will experience her first plane ride and we hope it's smooth sailing from take off to landing.

The question is what the heck do we wear? I don't fit into any of my summer non-maternity clothes and Abby has a slew of summer outfits but they'll be huge on her? We'll figure it out, in fact, I might be able to dig out a couple of maternity capris that don't look too maternity-ish and my friend MaryBeth and SIL Kelly are kind enough to send a few outfits our way that should do the trick for Abby! Woo Hoo!

Now, if Miami is experiencing a cold streak, Momma won't be a happy camper!

2787...

....is how many work emails I have waiting for me as of today at 10:15am. oh boy... The question of the week has been, when are you going back to work? So, here it is:

• I’ll be going through emails (at home) the week of the 1/25.
• ’ll be back in the office on Wed, 2/3 and will work between 10-15 hours the latter part of the week.
• The week of the 2/8 I’ll be working 20 hours 8:30 ish to 12:30ish M-F
• And then back full time 2/15.

Technically, 2/15 is 12 weeks postpartum, so I'm back a wee bit early, but just a few hours and we'll be transitioning slowly.

Here's what Abby thinks of Momma going back to work.


Countdown - 15 days....

The Sleep Fairy Has Arrived

I thought it may have been a fluke, or she was just super tired, BUT she has slept through the night (STTN) FOUR nights in a row. Yes, I said 4!! Well, not the entire night like you normal sleepers might think, but here's how it goes down. After she eats, she's down for the count between 9-10pm. She wakes to eat between 3-4am, but then doesn't get up until 7 or 8 am! Now I realize there is one wake up call, but if Tim takes it then I STTN and if I take it Tim STTN. 'Cause let's face it, we don't care if Abby STTN, only if one of us does!

So, with her growth, her belly is growing, too. Enough so she gets enough grub to sustain her for 4-5 hours. Hence the sleeping longer at nighttime. She still sleeps in 1-2 hour stints during they day so we know she understands the difference between day and night. Yeee-hawww!

Abby waking up from one of her first naps in her crib! Her blanket was nice and tight when she went down, but obviously she's a mover! We'll have to keep an eye on that! She doesn't like being swaddled as much.

This was her after she kicked off all her covers during her nap. Don't be fooled by her open eyes, she was really asleep!


Asleep and adorable :-)

I was cleared!

I had my 6 week Postpartum (PP) visit on Thursday and was cleared for a couple of things...sex (don't read that Mom!) and the gym. Well, technically I forgot to ask about the gym/exercising thing because we spent so much time talking about Abby, but since I was cleared for the other, I figured I was good to go.

So, today was it...the first day back. I had been contemplating going this weekend, waiting another week, waiting for my favorite class, but then I looked into my closet. I went to the gym.

Earlier this week I packed up all my maternity clothes and sent them to the garage. I am 20 pounds up from pre-pregnancy weight and I really need to get it off....soon. Three reasons - my health, I'm too cheap to buy new clothes, and having more energy. I guess there are more reasons, (I like it, me time, setting a good example...) but these are the top three. Now, as I live in yoga pants, nursing tanks, and the occasional sweater, I'll attempt working out 0-7 days a week. The choices we have are simple do it and feel great, or don't and pay the consequences. I choose to "just do it".

BTW, I had my midwife write a "prescription" for No Sex for 6 More Weeks. Tim didn't think it was very funny. Well, he did chuckle. I should have had her write it for 6 more months :-)

1 month check up

Abby had her 1 month check up yesterday (yes she's almost 7 weeks) and she is a healthy little girl! She weighed in at 9 1/2 pounds (50-75%), her head circumference was 38 cm (90-95%), and she was 22 1/4 inches long (90-95%). She has her dad's head and we don't know where she got her height from...the milkman? She was smiley the whole time until we had to change her diaper or put her clothes on. Oh well...can't win them all.

And since Abby is on a marathon nap, I have time for a top ten list!

Lesson's I've Learned in almost 7 weeks.

1. The first few weeks suck, the third and fourth week are okay, but the fifth and sixth week are pretty good.
2. If an infant's eyes roll back in their head, it's normal...freaky, but normal.
3. Everything just takes longer.....running errands, getting ready for the day, taking a shower. In reality most of the time it's because you have another person to think of, but the shower thing is to give yourself 2 more minutes of "you" time and sanity.
4. The "snissing" doesn't stop. If you don't know what snissing is, email me :-)
5. There should be drive throughs for everything. Coffee, prescriptions, and junk food are a good start, but what about groceries? Can I have a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread please?
6. To follow up on 3 and 5 - bribe someone to go with you on errands, even if you have to pay for them. Being able to run in and out is worth the $.
7. There is no black or white with parenting. It's all gray....I've asked the same question to 10 people (okay 3) and got all different answers. I've learned to go with my gut and the answer that I like best.
8. You may not love your child from Day 1, but that love grows exponentially each day.
9. The love you have for your child is unique and can be overwhelming. The love of the child's MiMi, Grampy, PaPa, Uncle, Aunt, cousin, etc is also different and unique and special in its own way. It's amazing to watch each family or friend meet and grow to love your child.
10. Parenthood still hasn't really sunk in - I'm not sure when it will, but hopefully I won't ever forget her anywhere :-)



Really she is the cutest thing in the world...

Happy New Year!

As we enter into 2010, the Proctor family wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year! We decided to get into our matching penguin PJ's to celebrate the snowiest day in Vermont in a very long time. Twenty five inches and still falling.... Right after this picture was taken the tree came down, decorations packed up, and the relaxing started. We spent Abby's nap time organizing papers from 2009, a little cleaning, and some cooking. Let's hope 2010 is a great year for all!!