Mom Wins the First Battle

I'm not a big fan of bikini's, but we received an itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny, pink polka-dot bikini from a co-worker....to cute to pass up.




On a related note, this will be the last bikini our daughter ever owns.










She got to swim in for the first time today, but seemed more interested in the grass around our rather grand pool. Giving everybody two tickets to the gun show....

Dad, It's Pronounced "Luh-ville"...

On our great nation's birthday, we were offered an opportunity to take Abigail to visit Great-Grandma Joan. Grandma, Grandpa, Mom, Dad, and Baby loaded up in Grandpa's SUV and made a road trip.

During the 90 minute drive, 45 minutes Abby did her best Ethel Merman - just a bit off key. The next 45 minutes she slept peacefully. She offered her approval of Louisville with a nice, stinky diaper upon arrival (with her, that's a good thing).

Abby got to meet Great-Grandma Joan for the first time. The two hit it off..

It was Abby's first exposure to a more pronounced Kentucky accent, and Abby showed off her ability to forcefully plow her head into the carpet, yet (impressively) have no rug-burn.

We stayed a short while...had dinner, played some more, then came back home. It was a very nice trip.

Joke I'll give to Abby when she's a bit older:

Question: "How do you pronounce the capital of Kentucky: Louie-ville, or Louis-ville?"
Answer: "Frankfort"

Hey-oh!!! Get it? Louisville isn't the capital! Hah!! Hello? This thing on?

I'm here all week!!! Tip your waitresses...

The End of An Era

Two significant developments have occurred over the past few weeks. First, Abby has become mobile. She has two forms of transportation: rolling and an Army crawl. Rolling captured here:




Each day, she seems to get closer and closer to crawling. Abby can get on all fours and rock a bit. Recently she started moving her legs in this position...she just needs to figure out her arms. As of today, the best way to describe it is an Abby plow. We don't know how she doesn't have rug burns all over her face. A side benefit, she can get into various yoga positions; downward facing dog is her favorite.

The second development - and perhaps most significant to date - Abby has begun her transition to food. On June 10, we gave Abigail her first cereal feeding.


Any good parent knows that this step is crucial to weening the child off breastfeeding. Over time, as various foods are introduced, your child learns to receive nourishment in forms other than its mother. Gradually, your child will become more independent.

But most of all, it makes her poop and farts stink.

We knew this day would come. And it is with mixed feelings that we travel down this path of stinky diapers. Sure, we want the best for Abby. But, oh my goodness, this kid can stink a diaper. Haven't had the gag reflex triggered just yet - but I am quite certain that day will arrive soon. We just finished carrots and are moving on to sweet potatoes. Beans are just around the corner. I expect my first gag to be around July 15th.

Abby Quotes Aristotle

In our nightly readings, we've reviewed many of the works of great philosophers with our precious Abigail. She has grown particularly fond of Aristotle. A handful of quotes she's fond of: "...in all things of nature there is something marvelous...", "...a friend is a second self..."

But her favorite quote is the one she chose as her first words, shown in this June 22 video...




Unfortunately, there are additional "words" Abby is sharing with us that we have not captured on video...some 'da' and other babbling that, when streamed together as she often does, is starting to sound like talk. Well, at least she knows what she's saying. While "dadada" is said, I'm quite sure Abby does not actually mean "Dad". We're working on the 'mamamama' sounds...

Back Home, A Catastrophe!

I don't know how it happened, but Abby caught a glimpse of the back of her head in a mirror. She was horrified to learn of her bald spot. It took hours of discussion to convince her she did not get her Dad's hair genes.








To help cheer her up, we gave her a bath and a fresh round of milk. One important thing to note for the kids out there. Abby is not "throwing a sign" as they say in the urban vernacular. She is merely expressing her joy with the number "3". Sometimes when she's feeling blue, I'll sing a little song about three bumble bees and she perks right up.

Think about it...three is a fantastic number. Three blind mice. Three little pigs. Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Once, Twice, Three Times a Lady.

Her fascination with the Bath Tub "3" marked the end of the Bath Tub "G" era (not shown). I had many more jokes I could use with G: "Gee, this water feels warm", "Gee, my toes sure were dirty", "Gee, my Dad is losing his hair". Gee, it doesn't get old.

With "3", all I got so far is, "3...that's how many toes Dad lost".

Anyhoot, she seems to be a pretty happy baby. She's kinda snotty this week. Looks like the fun times are starting (illnesses passing through Day Care).

May's Been An Exciting Month

In early May, Mom and Dad spent their first night away from Abby for a wedding. Obviously, Abby was very sad to see us go...
Abby had good baby-sitters and was a model child (we expect nothing less from her)...





Later in May Abby also got the opportunity to visit with her aunts, uncle, and cousins in Fort Wayne. On Saturday, all the ladies plus Joe went to the Fort Wayne Zoo while Uncle Rob and Daddy went boating with Patrick and Jorge.

Unfortunately, the trip was cut short when Li'l Joe came down with a double ear infection, strep throat, and a strong desire to take part in Abby's exercise regimen (his thighs are bigger).










Notice something missing from this picture with the kangaroos? That's right, Little Abigail is nowhere in sight.

We've seen Abby jumping in the Jumparoo...we've seen kangaroos jumping at the zoo...but we've never seen both Abby and the kangaroos at the same time. What does that mean?