Abigail won't stand for it!

Abigail decided today she would like to try to stand up on her own. One minute she was sitting in the corner of the couch smiling and reading a book, but the next moment she was pretending to be an acrobat and hanging from the couch arm! Talk about giving mommy a heartattack!

Adventure with a side of romance, please.

I'm sick of Chick-lit novels that are full of meaningless drivel and predictability. I'm sick of murder-mysteries that involve male-female detectives who pretend to hate each other, but secretly are falling in love. I'm sick of vampire novels that make me wonder if the writer really passed 8th grade language arts class. There has been a good-book drought in my house for far too long. BUT...

I stayed up late last night (oh my goodness - past midnight! It's been over a year since I've done that!) to finish a book that I just couldn't put down. Darn you, Jamie Fraser! I just finished the second of the Outlander books - a mix of history, time travel, adventure, and romance. The basic premise is that Claire Randall, a nurse in WWII, gets transported back to 18th century Scotland during the ill-fated uprising of Bonnie Prince Charlie Stuart. As she learns to live in her new surroundings, she meets and falls in love with dashing Scotsman Jamie Fraser and together they try to spare Scotland from one of the worst national defeats in all of history. The banter between them is hilarious and the historical setting is so well-researched. It's really hard to find a well-written series with just the right amount of intrigue so that I don't get bored, history so that I feel I'm learning something new, adventure so that I'm constantly breathless as I'm turning the pages, and romance that make me sigh so loud that Matt has threatened taking the book away. The books are huge (we're talking 800 pages, here!) and take me nearly a month to finish, but I'm just devouring them.

I'm now contemplating a completely unnecessary run into town today to pick up the third at the library. I MUST know what happens next, but feel the need to justify my use of gas by doing something important while I'm out. Hmmm...I think today's the day to load up the car with the clothes that need to go to Goodwill. And maybe stop by Taco Bell - that would make it a worthwhile trip all in and of itself.

Trying to figure out how to convert a media file so you can view today's cuteness. Stay tuned.

A Different Perspective

WHY GOD MADE MOMS

Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring..
3. God made my mom just the same like he made me.. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's mom like me.

What kind of a little girl was your mom?
1. My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What' s the difference between moms and dads?
1. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
2. Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friends.
3. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already close to perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

Do YOU know the Muffin Man?

Abby has decided that she would like to view the world from an upright position! No, she did not hurt herself in the last 2 seconds - in fact, she didn't even cry! Mommy, on the other hand, did.

The Sleep Revolt, Part 2

The Sleep Revolt, Part 1

Abigail had such an exciting day at the Tech game that she did NOT want to go to sleep. After about 3 hours of random shrieking (not crying - she actually didn't cry the whole time! She's my Happy Little Shrieker), she finally nodded off in her crib for the night.

Take Me out to the Ball Game

On Saturday we met up with my brother Mark and his children at Ga Tech to attend the Tech vs Clemson baseball game. It was a HOT day, but we had a great time. Matt got blisters on his earlobes from the sun, but we were able to keep Abby shaded and cool for the most part. I wish I'd have thought to bring my camera! Abby really enjoyed sitting in her umbrella stroller and listening to her cousin Becca (5 years old in 1 week!) sing to her. We got to see Ramblin' Wreck drive up and the big kids got to go out on the field to help with the National Anthem. AND Tech won, which made it a pretty perfect day.

This was Abby's first college campus visit and she took it all in. Maybe we have a little yellow jacket in the making?

Can't wait until she's big enough to wear THIS:

Quick Feel-Good-Project Update

As I am rounding out my 2nd month of my Feel Good Naked Project, I'm feeling pretty good! Official weigh-in yesterday said I lost 9.5 lbs this month!! This brings my total to 17 lbs since February 22nd. While I'm .5 away from Goal #2, I'm still going to declare Goal 2 ACHIEVED and move on to Goal #3!

Goal #1: Get down to post-delivery weight (-7lbs from original weight)- MET!
Goal #2: -10lbs from goal #2(Total of 17lbs lost) - MET!
Goal #3: - 8 lbs from Goal #2 (Total of 25lbs lost) - IN PROGRESS!

I didn't really change anything up this month. I'm remaining aware of what I eat and making sure to snack on low-calorie foods throughout the day. We bought some 100 calorie snack packs at BJ's and I have one whenever I'm hungry between meals, or as a dessert. They are great tasting and range from cheese nips to soft chocolate chip cookies to animal crackers. It's nice to have them in 100 calorie portions so I know exactly how much I'm eating.

I (sadly) stopped the 30 Day Shred for a bit so that I can concentrate on my calorie counting. Doing an intense workout everyday was making me crave carbs and pasta and I was having a hard time knowing how many extra calories to add due to the workout. I hope to pick the workout back up after I reach Goal #3.

I have continued walking/jogging this month nearly every day. If I can't get the 3 miles in, I go for a quick 30 minute jog around the neighborhood right after I put Abby down for the night.

Matt's been so supportive - until he bought a tub of ice cream last week. We had a talk :/

My clothes are fitting better, although not the same as before pregnancy. I refuse to spend money on buying new clothes, though, so I will just keep chugging along! I am back into my regular jeans and out of my maternity pants! I still wear maternity tops sometimes because they just fit better on the chest.

And my biggest news?

I have reached pre-pregnancy weight!!

But enough about me, lets get back to what Abigail has been doing this month. This is the Gummybear blog, afterall...

What I've been up to...

Posted by Abigail

I turned 7 months old last week and weigh 14.5 lbs! Mommy says I'm still her little baby, but I keep trying to tell her I'm a big girl now. Here are all the things I've been up to this month:

I have been learning to stand! I still need mommy's help, but I'm getting better at it every day!

I got my very own new high chair! Don't I look like a big girl??

Mommy let me play in my food! She said when I get older I shouldn't do that, but it's okay for now.


I got to hang out with my cousins. Here I am with Graham at dinner! I wanted a taco, but mommy said I have to wait.
I am sitting up on my own!

Hmmm...this position makes it MUCH easier to play with my toys.

I made friends with our kitty cat, Lucy! I think she likes me! Mommy doesn't like having to wash all of the cat hair off my slobbery fingers really quickly before I put them back in my mouth. Daddy says cat hair is protein! What is protein?

Look! I can stand and sing at the same time! Here I am jamming to the Beatles.

I'm getting really good at holding up my head! I'm even trying to crawl a little. Mommy needs to start babyproofing STAT!

Baby Giraffe

Abigail has been having a rough time lately with her torticollis physical therapy. She was holding her head up very well for a few weeks, but now that she is going through a growth spurt and teething, her head stays at an almost constant tilt. We've been working on stretching out her neck muscles, but Gina (the therapist) decided last week that she needs to wear a special collar during the day to force her to hold it up. Abby isn't exactly thrilled about this latest development, but she only has to wear it a few hours a day and hopefully will not have to wear it for more than a few weeks.

Being her father's daughter, however, Abby has already figured out ways to move her head in the collar so that she can still tilt her head. I have a feeling I'm going to have to watch this child extra closely throughout her life- Lord help us get through the teenage years! She's already a Houdini.

Out and About

The weather has been so beautiful this week that Abby and I have been spending the afternoons outside in our back yard under the trees. We call these our "picnics", even though we're not eating. Now that it's warming up, Abby has become so much more aware of her surroundings outside. We go around the yard and talk about everything she sees for a bit, then we end up on the blanket to watch the sky. It's a hard life we lead, I know :)

Relaxing on the blanket:

Baby feet!

"Oh, hi mommy!"

Nomming on her current favorite toy:

Making new friends:

Calling Daddy at work to see what he's up to:

Getting ready to go to the park!

Ready, set, Goooooooo!

On the playground swing!

We took Abby to the park this week to see how she likes the playground swings. Here she is in her debut as a big girl! I think she really enjoyed herself! The best part was seeing her watch all of the other kids running around the playground. You could see her eyes light up as they would walk by - she can't wait to be mobile and play with everyone!