Abby crawling around during the games
Abby's Easter bonnet
Abby Enjoying the Grass Today
Joel's Birthday Party
Our dear darling daughter is already trying to give me heart attacks by crawling up the stairs on her own. No, we did not teach her that, she figured it out by herself. And yes, tomorrow I'm off to the store to buy baby gates. That's another thing that gave me a heart attack. I had no idea how expensive those suckers are. She's pushing up to stand on her legs though she can't quite figure out what to do when she's up there. Everyone tells me she will not only be walking before her 1st birthday, but soon. Sigh. I'm really not ready for that. (Abby found a new use for the Exersaucer, above left.)
Food is our new pastime. She really L-O-V-E-S Cheerios. She would eat them all day long if I would let here. (she fell asleep eating them once, right) However, we found out that too many Cheerios causes some serious gas, which is is not a good thing in our already gas-y baby. She rather feed herself, and loves strawberries, cantaloupe, peas, pasta, chicken and hamburger. This girl can chow down.
Thank you to everyone who has already signed up with FeedBlitz so that the blog automatically goes into their in-box. (If you haven't, please do so at FeedBlitz) Also, you might want to check your "spam" area - I noticed there were several folks who are "in process" still (it doesn't let me see who), and I wouldn't want you to miss anything because the confirmation email when into your spam folder!
February flew by. Abby and I spent the first part of it sick as dogs. I finally know what real projectile baby puke looks like. Let's just say it's not pleasant. Some flu-like virus made its way around the embassy, and Abby and I were among the first to get it. I also threw my back out trying to hold her sitting up while she and I were sleeping, so I spent a couple days on some very nice anti-inflamatory muscle relaxers. Thankfully, she's doing fine now - she is in the 50th percentile on the growth chart, according to the regional doctor that came through. We will be going in again next week for another weigh-in and check up. She's eating very well, up to two or three servings of food a day. She likes mangoes, papayas, apricots, and just about everything we've tried so far. She's not a big fan of peas, but she will eat them. Next week we start on meat.
I'm back at writing the newsletter; which is going well. I met with the management at the embassy and we've worked it out to be much less stressful than it was before - yeay - and I've been given freedom to try some new things. So that's all good. I'm still plugging away at the Spanish classes. It's kindof frying my brain right now, but my teacher tells me I'm making progress. I'm still scrapbooking away, and am almost finished with the wedding album!
Abby's big news: SHE IS MOBILE. This month she is crawling EVERYWHERE. She's very good, too. Once she picks up speed I am going to be in such trouble. We've already had to rearrange our living room furniture and pile pillows around the TV so she will stop eating the power cords. (Right now she is trying to fit a monkey into her mouth all at once.) She will follow Puzza all around the house if I let her. I have to be very careful, because just this week Puzza has lost patience with her grabbing him and pulling out handfulls of fur. He swatted her one good time. Okay, she deserved it, but if he hadn't laid down right beside her she wouldn't have been tempted. So I'm constantly trying to keep them apart now, which is hard because she LOVES Puzza.
I know how he feels, she also loves to pull my hair. Ever heard the phrase, "being snatched bald?" Let me tell ya, it hurts.
Abby spent alot of time this month sticking her tongue out at everyone and everything. And when she gets tired she gets very lovey, like an affectionate drunk or something. She has to open-mouth slobber (I mean kiss) me, and then goes to Joel, and back to me, and back to Joel, and so on. It's fun, even if you end up covered in slime.
Okay, for all those who are sick of all the babytalk: we also went to Aviano this month and stocked up on everything (Abby loves grocery shopping, above left), and we've spent two Saturdays walking around downtown Zagreb and enjoying the nice weather. You guys in the US apparently stole all of our snow. We haven't had anymore at all. It's even supposed to get up to 68 degrees (F) next week. How crazy is that. It's almost already Spring, and we never even got any winter! Oh, and Joel and I had a baby-free day by ourselves too: we left Abby with the babysitter and went to a thermal spa (heated pool) and a nice lunch literally on top of this mountain. It was cool.
The other big thing this month was Fasnik. This is like Carnival or Mardi Gras for Croatians. They trick-or-treat at Fasnik, not Halloween, and they have to sing this Fasnik song before you are supposed to give them any candy. It was cute; the kids had mostly homemade costumes, with the occasional princess or freaky wig. Abby was absolutely fascinated.
Coming up in March: Joel's birthday, for which we are throwing a HUGE shindig at our house, more crawling and snuggling with Abby, learning more Spanish, that sort of thing.
Love,
Julie, Joel, and Abigail
PS. No teeth yet. No "mama" either.
Happy New Year!
Abigail with Granny Andrews
January has all been about recovering from jet lag. Let me just tell you, baby jetlag stinks. We had no problems going to the US, but coming back was pure killer. And of course, because Abby’s schedule was all off, it meant mine was too. The first week Abby was up from 11pm-4am. By the second week, we got that down from 11pm-2am. Finally she started sleeping through the night in the third week, and that was not a moment too soon. I was just about to pull out my hair.
So, did you guys make your New Year’s Resolutions? We did. One of mine (besides getting up to date on all of my scrapbooking) is to lose the rest of the baby weight. Joel and I have been doing pretty well with our diet so far I think. And to mix it up a bit, this month I signed up for a belly-dancing class. Yep, you read that right. The International Women’s Club here is hosting a 4 week class that is a pretty good deal, so I figured, hey why not. Man, there is nothing like looking at yourself in a dance room mirror for an hour to confirm that you need to lose weight! Hahaha
Some ladies from my Bible study have decided to get together once a month and scrapbook at my house. Last Sunday afternoon was a first time, and I have to say that I am so excited that we are doing this. I’ve missed scrapbooking with other people. (Abby helped Daddy watch sports during the scrapbook workshop. It was a very difficult job.)
This month, our friends (who are also Dominican) hosted the embassy’s Latin-themed wine and cheese party. I helped cook several of Joel’s favorites of his mom’s dishes. Everyone seemed to like them, though I’m not sure I did them justice.
The weather here has finally turned cold, and that means staying indoors. The main mode of entertainment seems to be hanging out at people’s homes. Game nights and dinners seem pretty popular.
Abby is doing well; she weighs 16 pounds and is growing like a weed. She is going to be very tall I think, she has very long legs. She is really into grabbing things and playing with toys, and sits up pretty well on her own. She’s not crawling yet, but she thinks she can. She scoots in a circle on her belly, and if you put her on hardwood floors, she can go backwards. Slowly but surely, her hair is growing in. She has just enough hair now to look like a little boy, so I’m constantly putting bows on her head. Abby’s progressed to eating baby food – she’s made her way through avocado, bananas, squash, and sweet potatoes. As soon as she’s over this cold she picked up this weekend, we’ll be trying out peas.
Abby in her new high chair
Abby in her new duck bathtub, eating a duck.
Abby talks incessantly and the little bugger’s favorite word is “Dada.” That’s gratitude for ya. You should see how she just flirts with her Daddy. Who of course is the biggest sucker for all of it. But she does give the best open mouth kisses.
Abby and Joel at the park in ZagrebNext month, I finish up the vacation I’m taking from writing the embassy newsletter, and get moving with my online Spanish. Joel will be taking a maintenance Spanish course as well. We are taking a trip to stock up in Aviano, and might even get out of the house for a date on Valentine’s Day, if we get a sitter. Abby’s hoping it will snow again, so I can make her a snowman.
Talk to you all soon!
Love,
Julie, Joel, and Abigail
Abby in the Snow
Oooh, mommy, that white stuff is cold!
Okay, so maybe making baby snow angels was not such a good idea.
Looking down our street.
Sadly, it's already melting away this afternoon, but this morning our neighborhood looked so pretty with all the snow all over everything.
Okay, that's enough for now.
Love, Julie and Abigail
At Kate's Birthday Party
Picture with mall Santa
Christmas Eve
In Alabama- Aunt Nancy finally gets to buy girl toys
With Zac and William
As you can see, we've had a great time, and Abby has been royally spoiled. Mission accomplished! (And no, Abby did not get her two front teeth for Christmas, unfortunately.)
We fly back to Croatia this week, and get back to the daily grind. We have nothing big planned, other than recovering from jet lag and getting Abigail back to her normal sleeping schedule. Shoveling snow will probably be on the schedule sometime this month, too!
Talk to you all soon!
Love,
Joel, Julie and Abigail
Sleeping Baby- a Rare Sight in Our Household
This month we had several holidays, plus a weekend trip to Aviano, so Abby has gotten some serious Daddy-bonding time. I'm sorry to report that Abby is a sports fan. She is fascinated by Sports Center (ESPN show) and loves watching sports on TV with Joel.
Joel and I had our first baby-less "date" in Zagreb this month! The American International School of Zagreb's high school did a production of The Crucible and I talked Joel in taking me to see it. That is an extremely difficult and challenging play, and you could see how hard they worked and how enthusiastic the students were.
We also went to the Marine Ball this month. It doesn't count as a date though, because a) it was boring, and b) it felt like we were "working" the entire time. I'm also happy to say that my dress arrived and it fit, and I didn't look like the fat cow I was worried I'd be. The best part of the Marine Ball was the masseuse that came to our house beforehand, and gave me a great massage.
Thanksgiving was a huge feast - my only gripe is that we had way to much food left over. Even after inviting some friends over that weekend for an "Leftovers Party," we are still stuck with a chunk of food that's going to have to get tossed. Oh well. Everyone liked it at least.
Abby has hit some major milestones this month. As I mentioned before, she's teething. Nope, nothing has actually broken through yet, but they are very close. I just got her weighed today, and she was 13 pounds, 12 ounces! That is a HUGE jump from her last appointment where she had hardly gained anything at all. Abby's also jumped up to eating 7 ounces of formula at a time. She's really talking and babbling now, and laughs and squeals like a little girl. She absolutely loves Elmo. We found out that Sesame Street comes on here every morning at 8am, so she watches it every day, while I attempt to eat breakfast. She got a new Bumbo chair, which helps her to sit up and she is so cute in it. She recognizes certain toys and I think already has a few favorites. Her eyes are still light, but we can't decide if they're going to stay blue or turn green. Her hair is finally growing in - she's got a nice thin layer of dark (brown or black, depending on the light) fuzziness all over. It's mostly straight, but I think she's going to end up with my frizz. Poor girl.
Abby in the Bumbo With Her Baby Doll
And she's eating cereal now! She's such a hoot. It's taken us all month, but she's suddenly figured out what a spoon is for. Next month if I get brave, I might start her on baby food.
Gotta Have the Messy Face Picture!
Did I mention how slimy baby drool is? Just checking.
In December, we come home! Next week I frantically pack, Friday we fly out, and then we'll be in Miami most of the month. I am dreading the 15+ hours in a plane. Right after Christmas we head to Alabama to spend a week. Our families are ecstatic. We'll be doing
a little "baby-dedication" ceremony at Joel's parent's home, as well as attending cousin Kate's 3 year-old birthday party. (It's a movie star theme and I'm the family expert, so I've been drafted to help. It should be fun.) Beyond that, Joel and I plan to let the family spoil Abby rotten, which won't be hard, and hopefully not kill our diets with all the food we plan to eat. And maybe Santa will come visit us, too!
Love to all of you!
Julie, Joel, and Abigail
PS. Certain members of the family who shall remain nameless have suggested that I could be spoiling Abby. Let me ask you, could you say no to this face? I mean, really.
Hello All! Abby is taking a nap (finally, after two hours of cranky-pants syndrome) and Joel just got home and now has baby duty, so I have a few minutes to update you all on October. (Abby on her 3 month birthday at left.)
Joel and Abby at Jerun Lake
Julie and Abby on the Wine Tour
Last weekend, we had the embassy Halloween party. Abby and I handed out candy to the trick-or-treaters. For the costume contest, Abigail was a "Tootsie Roll" and won the popular vote, though she lost the election. She had a good time too, she refused to sleep the entire time (it went past her normal bedtime) and just stared at everyone and everything. (That's her on the right. She's still a little confused why her mama made her wear such a weird outfit.)
We're checking out more of Zagreb now. One Sunday we went to "Jarun Lake" that has these great walking paths, etc. We've also hung out a little bit downtown. I think we've "found" our church here - it's a Baptist Church that does its service in Croatian, but translates it via an earpiece into English (kindof like going to the UN for church). We went for the first time last week and really enjoyed it. The music was good even if we didn't understand it, and they have a really nice little room set up as a nursery. That will come in handy on the days that Abby decides not to cooperate and behave in church. She loved the music last week, but wanted to talk back to the preacher, so I had to take her for a walk during the sermon. (But the earpiece worked in the hallways so I could still listen, which was cool.)
Family Picture at Kezele Farm (yes, I've been a little camera-happy lately.)
Abby's 4-month dr. appt is next week, and we should find her new weight, etc then. At her last appt she was 11 pounds, 6 ounces. This month she's drooling like a fiend, and teething. We can actually see the teeth coming down in her gums. Oh, the joys of parenting. She chews on her fingers like she is going to gnaw her fingers off. She's practicing rolling over on her own and is getting pretty good at it. She babbles and laughs all the time now, but unfortunately; laughing triggers her spit-up reflex. I'm hoping that goes away soon.
After writing all this, now I understand why I've been sleeping so well!
Coming up for November, we have the Marine Ball this weekend, another trip to Aviano next weekend, and Thanksgiving. Then in December, we are really looking forward to coming back to the States for a few weeks.
Oh, and it's now COLD. This Saturday the low is supposed to be negative (-)1 degree Celsius. Yep. That's COLD.
That's it from us for now! Talk to you all soon! (And have you ever seen such a beautiful baby?)
Love, Julie and Joel
(Abby and Puzza checking out the baby in the mirror.)
The Marines had a Texas BBQ this month, and it was GOOD (see Abby dressed up "country" at left). Plus we made another trip to Aviano - they were having a case lot sale (buying in bulk like at Sams or Costco) - and we needed to stock up on formula. We've been able to find Pampers here in Croatia, but not American brands of formula. So, we filled the car to the brim with food and other fun things. I joined the International Women's Club this month. They are very active with events, trips, museum tours, and a baby group. Abby and I went to her first museum yesterday, which amused the other ladies on the tour. They teased me about exposing Abby to culture so early. (Actually, I had an ulterior motive - now I can use my visit to write an article for the newsletter next week.) Almost forgot to mention that I signed up with a casting agency here in Zagreb to do extra work! Richard Gere is shooting a movie here in November, so hopefully I will get called. Wouldn't it be funny if I came all the way to Croatia and got discovered?
This past Saturday Joel and I decided to play hooky from cleaning and unpacking. We hit the Dolac market again, went to their version of Home Depot looking for barbeque grill, found a "ToysRUs" type store, and went to the park and the zoo. Yep, it was a busy day now that I think about it, but anything to get out of the house! We found a swing at the baby store - what a gift from God! Abby loves it, AND she took two, count 'em, TWO, two-hour-long naps in it on Sunday. Amazing! While at the park, we found the zoo, and it was crazy. You could get right up to the lion and tiger cages. I was six inches from a huge tiger! It was cool. Next time I will remember to take the camera.
We've discovered that Joel had an unknown gift from God. It's called the "Gift of the Shoulder." Put a baby on his shoulder, and said baby will fall asleep. It's an absolute miracle.
