Two years old

Today is officially Abby's birthday - my baby is TWO YEARS OLD!!!! If I hadn't had Christine here with me this weekend, I might have spent the day balled up in a corner, crying. We were doing wedding things for most of the day, but tomorrow will be just me and Abby, so we're going to play with all of her new toys and just hang out. I'm so excited to have a WHOLE day with her when we don't have anything we HAVE to do unless we want to. Doesn't happen very often for us working-outside-the-home moms. So I'm pretty pumped about trying out her new tricycle and her other fun toys.

I am sitting here thinking about what my life was like exactly two years ago. I was doped up in a hospital bed while Zac and my Dad followed an ambulance that was taking our precious newborn baby all the way across town to the bigger Baptist Hospital. What was the most wonderful day of our lives also turned out to be one of the worst. Watching someone wheel your baby away in a stretcher/incubator is one of the worst feelings I’ve ever felt.

For those of you who don’t know Abby’s story, we spent the next week going back and forth between our house and the hospital in Little Rock. I know we were so fortunate compared to a lot of the NICU babies, but that doesn’t make you feel better when your baby is sick. I’m so grateful that my wonderful anesthesiologist let me wheel down the nursery to hold Abby after she was born – I didn’t get to hold her again until she was 5 days old. What a blessing her little life has been to Zac and me.

It amazes me how much she’s grown since that day. She says so many words and does so many things that amaze me.

*She’s good about manners. She almost always says “Tank you” and is getting much better about “Pease!” So cute.

*She says her “S” sound a little funny and it’s so cute. Of course, I hope she grows out of it, but it’s so sweet.

*Favorite things to eat: "ticken", “gapes”, “cackers”, "foo nacks”, and “dot dogs”. Still no milk/cheese because of the food allergies, but that seems to be getting better. I think they’ll test her again at her two-year checkup, so we’ll see how much better it’s gotten according to the doctor.

*She looooves her baby dolls. She loves to carry her babies around, give them their bottles and love on them.

*She’s also a huge music fan – go figure! If we’re in the car and she gets tired of the radio, she says “Song!” which means that she wants to listen to her Backyardigans CD. She knows a couple of parts in the songs and will sing those to me. She also likes the action songs on her Primary CD. We are especially fond of Popcorn Popping, The Wise Man & the Foolish Man and Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes. She’s also getting to be a pretty good dancer…hahaha.

*I love the forgiveness of children. Even if Abby has gotten in trouble, she still wants me to hold her while she cries about it. Amazing unconditional love.

*She's a pretty amazing belly dancer. Not sure if that's something to brag about, but it makes for great entertainment.

*She loves the water. Whether it's the bathtub, Wild River Country, the Buffalo River or her little plastic pool, she loves to be in the water.

*As much as I hate going to work and leaving her, I love seeing her run to me and yell, “Mommy!” when I pick her up. She is so in love with Mommy and Daddy and it melts our hearts.

The Lord blessed us with such an amazing gift when He allowed us to raise this precious child. I know that when we have another baby, our love will grow, but I think my heart might burst, too. I thought my love was complete when I met my wonderful husband, but I’m amazed at how it keeps growing. How grateful I am for the opportunity that I have to keep my wonderful family with me forever.

Our first Christmas season together.


What a babe!


In her fish towel from Grams.


Abby & Mommy on her 2nd birthday!


She zonks out just like Mommy & Daddy.