In the blink of an eye

Everybody warns about how fast they grow up and life changes. Today was one of those days. Abi played shy at daycare when I dropped her off but never fussed. When Daddy picked her up, she had only had a half hr afternoon nap and didn't nap the rest of the afternoon. At dinner, she attempted to blow a raspberry w/a mouth full of food, but when she got a stern look from both Steven and I and I told her "Abi stop. We do not do that," she stopped(!). In the bathtub, she figured out that she could maneuver to the drain if she rolled to her tummy and open in up (?!) and then maneuver back into a seated position. Wow, where did all of those behaviors come from?!... It's been a busy last week for us all and is just the start of a rat race we will call June. Thankfully, Steven is done w/doubles for awhile, we enjoyed conversation over dinner and are very much looking forward to a few chances to get away together in the next 3 weeks!

Walking buddies (pseudo commercial)

SDAO is going to have a Portland to Coast relay team again this August! Since I WON'T be 9 months pregnant, I'm excited to be on the team! But in getting assigned my legs of the relay, I realize I'm not quite in shape to do each of my 5.5mi+ legs (one of which is all up hill) at a very brisk pace. So each night if the weather is cooperating and there isn't a ton on the "to do" list, Abi and I hit the pavement (Buster in tow most of the time too). I had no idea that when my Mom insisted that we get a Bob stroller, that I would completely agree that it is the ONLY way to go for a stroller!! We're excited to be going to San Diego as a family in a few weeks and I was absolutely ecstatic to read that the airline we're flying will allow us to check in both a carseat AND our favorite stroller (gate check) w/out any charges. We've gotten rather spoiled so the thought of renting something other than a Bob for San Diego Zoo and Balboa Park wasn't exactly appealing. Here's a pic of Abi chillin' in her Bob this Sunday evening: She's quite the ham and smiled for the picture on cue, but was snoozing within 100 yards.

Very Special Mother's Day

Not only was it my first Mother's Day with a child, but we had the joyous event of Abigail being dedicated at Mountain View Community Church (our church home). Although much of our family live far distances from us, today was another reminder of how God has filled our life with love regardless. Grannie and Papa Guchi and Auntie Stephie joined us as well as a plethora of great friends. One of those wonderful friends is Karen Lais who is a musician. Here is the video of Abi's dedication (smiled on cue for Pastor John of course!) and a snip of the song that Karen sang for Ms. Abi.

Family recipe

Grandma Schmidt made great German potato salad. And Grandma Betty's been able to write down the recipe...

Inspired by my parents' dinner group, we've gotten a small group of friends together and we'll be having our second evening of food and themed drinks. Our first night in February was cheese and wine. Tomorrow night, we'll have sausages and beer (German). In keeping with that theme, Grandma Betty sent me Grandma Schmidt's recipe. Not sure if I copied it wrong or how I ended up so off, but I had to triple the liquids. Oh well... With a few adjustments it tastes good! Thanks Gram! The real test will be tomorrow night when everybody gets to try it.

Fun stuff!

We've had a calendar full of fun stuff! We got to spend an entire week at Eagle Crest visiting with friends. It was a great week of hot tub time, fellowship, and some over due time with some of our best friends. Since coming home, its back to the grind. We enjoyed an evening of fellowship with our new worship pastor Matt and his wife Krista. And yesterday, we were also able to get the backpack carrier for Abi. Talk about a realization of what it would be like to gain 24 lb and go for a walk!! The basic 2.5 mi walk turned into a much longer walk... but Abi seemed to enjoy it and it was a great workout. With Steven home yesterday, we had the time to shoot some updates of Abi. And... with Steven on duty today, I met up with his captain's wife and their kids and headed to the Tulip Festival.

In Rare (chunky) Form

My sister-in-law is a wonderful photographer so we were laughing about my "Easter dress" photo shoot with Abi. Her Easter picture was 1 of only 2 good shots after trying to take pictures while Daddy was on shift. For your entertainment, here are a couple of the "other".

We had Abi's 6 month well baby checkup today. The little diva weighed in at 17 lb 14 oz. Height and weight wise she is in the 75-80% for her age. And man was she in rare form! She was babbling, talking, and playing with Dr. G the entire time; pulling on this; grabbing for that; up, down, all over the place. She did cry when she got her 4 shots, but as soon as she was picked up, she was over it.

Steven and I are doing well of course! He's back on the rescue this month so likely will be getting worse sleep on duty than nights at home. Work isn't slowing down for me but the program is making good progress. We're looking forward to a week as a family starting next Monday as Steven and Abi will be able to travel with me while I work in central Oregon. Steven and I enjoyed an awesome night in downtown Portland w/our friends Kerri and Scott when we attended the Michael Buble concert last Friday. Great entertainer!!!!

Happy Easter!

May you experience our risen Lord in a very real and moving way this Easter season!