Abigail update typed way back in October 2020

Having a baby is weird because I can't believe she's already EIGHT MONTHS old, but at the same time it seems like she's been a part of our family for forever. I guess in a way, maybe she has been in our family for a lot longer than eight months, I just don't remember it because of the veil. She makes us laugh, cry, smile, dance, and collapse in exhaustion pretty much every day, and we are so grateful and humbled to be her parents. We sure do love her. 

Since I haven't posted about the Abster in a million years, here's a quick recap of things in no particular order:

    -She started solids at around 4 1/2 months, and she absolutely loves them. She likes everything except green beans.

    -She started crawling a long time ago, maybe around 6 1/2 months?

    -She started standing up in her crib when she was 6 1/2 months old, and she's so cute when we go in after her naps and she stands up and smiles

    -Now she crawls FAST, pulls up on literally everything, and for the last few weeks has started pulling up and then letting go of whatever she's holding on to and just standing there on her own. Her balance is really improving!

    -She has finally started going to sleep without 30 minutes of screaming beforehand. Usually we put her in her bed, give her sucker, read her Brown Bear Brown Bear, and then she's asleep within 10-15 minutes. It is SO nice.

    -We gave her her baby blessing in June. Shauna made her dress. Mason's family and Mom, Dad, and Shauna were all able to be there.

    -She laughs all the time. 

    -She hates diaper changes and getting dressed. Usually we have to put her clothes on while she's running around in the living room because she will not hold still!

    -She usually wakes up 1-2 times a night, and we give her 5 oz of formula when she does. Then she goes right back to sleep.

    -She went on her first cross country trip! We went to McCall, ID for Mason's family reunion. It was so fun and Mason's family helped us out SO MUCH. Everybody loved her. Makayla (Mason's cousin) has a son named Braysen who is 2, and when he saw Abby he got so excited he walked up to her and gave her a kiss right on the lips!

    -She absolutely LOVES to be outside. She gets so excited when I open the door!

    -She also loves music. She loves to jam to the dance beats on the keyboard, and she even dances. (We haven't been able to get a video yet).

Now, for the main event: a TON of pictures from May-October 2020

MAY

  

All dressed up for church at home!

Ah she used to cry so much. Mason would hold her for HOURS sitting on the couch watching Seinfeld because it was the only way she would ever sleep there in the beginning. 

She's always loved to be outside

I have to include this picture because I spent upwards of 500 years making these pom poms and figuring out how to hang them up from the ceiling. One by one they all fell off over and over again despite my hours of finagling and different methods for adhesion. It just wasn't meant to be. Although, she did enjoy them while they lasted, so that was nice.

I feel like this picture is motherhood in a nutshell, sort of. 

My first mothers day with my very own fruit of my loins. She loves me, can't you tell?

She spent the first several months trying to get accustomed to the idea that we were in fact, the people she was stuck with.

Visiting Grammie's house

Four generations. Also, Abby sporting a headband made by Gigi.

She used to flare her nostrils as a way of communication.

Helping Daddy with physics.

Making cookie dough together!

These peeps made a surprise visit on their way home from the beach!

JUNE

She looked so tiny in her little bumbo.

I feel like this picture needs to win an award or something. Most Awkward Photo of the Decade.

Watching the trash truck, probably.

Motherhood in a nutshell, again. Haha nice to know one of us got ready for the day!

A visit from the Parkeses!

Playing with Mimi and Grandpa

Mimi and grandpa babysat so Mason and I could go play tennis! 

She had quite the supportive audience the first time she tried rice cereal!

Her favorite blankie of all time: a swaddle from Aunt Megan

At the epic Mingledorff Family Reunion in Tennessee. Zonked!

Leah liked to say, "She's gumming on [insert object here]." It was delightful!

Chillin with Gemma

We are ALL looking in different directions!

Sportin her Mingledorff Swag

Again, zonked!

We interrupt this Abby slideshow to say that Mason is very handsome.

There are how many people at this reunion?!

"I'll have what she's having."

Family Photo, July 2020

JULY

This girl LOVES to read!

First time at the airport!

Touched down in SLC to visit the Waites!

From there we made the long drive up to McCall, ID to visit Mason's side of the fam. Here is Braysen just after giving Abby a big, excited kiss on the lips!

Meeting Great Grandma and Grandpa Brown!

Hanging out with Uncle Gus

Mimi helped us out SO MUCH during this trip! 

A dreamy ride alone with Mason. We drove several miles to pick Lane up from a big bike ride he did.

Play time with Lily and her cousin, Jocelyn while Uncle Mike supervises from the couch.

Playing with Lily, Braysen, and Makayla

Mimi rocked Abby to sleep more times than I can count. Again, she was SUCH a big help!

The blowout of the century.

Practicing sitting up

Our prints on the family flag

Plum wore out

Made the long drive back to Layton

And finally got to meet Aunt Maddie!

Core strength

Not Abby but still cute

This sweet little bonnet was a hand me down from Emmie.

These jammies were my favorite!

AUGUST

Mason set  up all sorts of elaborate tents like this so he could watch the Tour de France without Abby seeing the TV.

Girl talk with Juliann

Nell loved Abby's dome of happiness

Munching frozen blueberries

Downward dog

Mason let me sleep in this day

So many choices!

Seems like all of a sudden she looks like a big girl

The arm rolls!

She has always loved her tub time

SEPTEMBER

STANDING UP AFTER NAP TIME?!

OCTOBER

Helping daddy open up his bday presents

The birthday boy

So tall!

Coaching mama through her stretches

A visit from Mimi

Trunk or treat!

Helping Grandpa tie his shoes

Abby waited in line with us so we could vote in the 2020 presidential election!

If you made it this far, congratulations! I am impressed.

And the final montage:

And a sneak peek of the 4 months ahead:

Hello again!

 It's been so long since I blogged! I won't even begin to attempt to cover everything that has happened. Currently we are doing good! Mason has officially finished year 2 of school at Auburn, and we will hoping by the end of the summer we will have some sort of rough idea of how much longer we will be here. We're excited for that light at the end of the tunnel, although we also like living here. 

A couple weekends ago we went on a hike in West Point, GA. It was about a 30 minute drive and it was so fun. We got up right next to the Chattahoochee at one point! We didn't see anyone else on the trail the whole time we were there! (Although we did see a powerline that was down and across the trail... it was scary! We gave it a wide berth and Mason made sure to tell us not to touch it several times.)

We brought 2 carriers for Abby as you can see. I think she preferred the one that's like a backpack, although that might just be because by the time she got up in the shoulder one we had been hiking for a long time.

All told, we hiked just shy of 3.5 miles. It was fun, but probably too long for Abby's first hike. Thank heavens for the snacks we brought. I stuck a banana into our bag at the last second, and it saved us. Abby thought it was cool that she got to eat it like a big girl, without having it cut up for her.

Recent thoughts about my body

 My whole life, but especially after having Abby, I have struggled with some body image issues. I've never been diagnosed with body dysmorphia or anything like that, but there have been very few times I've looked in the mirror and been happy with the body I saw reflected back at me. Either my tummy was too big, or my shoulders too broad, or my cellulite on the backs of my thighs is too disgusting... you get the picture. 

I was working out the other day in my living room. I was wearing short shorts because it was laundry day and my leggings were dirty. I decided to skip the shirt because I hate folding clothes, and I was the only one home (except Abby, but she was asleep.) I turned on my workout and started the warm up, and it felt so good. I love workouts that get my heart pumping fast, and make it hard not to smile! It makes me feel so alive. I was also loving the coolness of the fan blowing on me. I was rocking it. 

Then we got to a part where we had to do some jumping jacks. We did 4, then turned to the left. Then 4 more, and turned to the left again, until we had made a full circle. I was smiling my head off, doing the jumping jacks like a champ, and then I turned around and saw myself in the giant mirror we have hanging on our wall. 

Immediately my eyes went to all the jiggly spots. There were many. I stopped jumping and just looked at myself. In that instant, I went from feeling happy and on top of the world, to feeling completely ashamed of my body.

I stood there for a minute, and then a thought hit me like a ton of bricks: "So what?" So what if I'm jiggly? So what if I have stretch marks all over my tummy? WHO CARES? I thought about it for a while, and then decided nobody does. Nobody except me. 

But why do I care so much? I've decided it's at least in part because of what I think other people think about me when they see me. Do they see me and think, "Woah, her buns are huge"? Or, "She has man shoulders!"? I don't think anyone thinks those things. And even if they do, who cares? 

I have been thinking about that a lot lately, and while I definitely still have things about my body I'd like to change, I also feel so, so grateful. 

• My feet have supported me my whole life, walking miles upon miles in Brazil in terrible shoes. They never gave out, and they never even really hurt that bad (other than just normal aching.) That is such a huge blessing.
• My legs have carried me through so many half marathons, hikes, and walks. Those things bring me such huge amounts of joy.
• My hips are wide enough that I was able to give birth to Abigail the way I wanted to. That was hands down the most amazing and humbling experience of my life. 
• My tummy stretched out because I literally grew a tiny, perfect human inside of me. It stretched to accommodate Abby and still keep me alive. What a miracle.
• My back holds me upright every single day, pretty much without complaint. Do you know how many people suffer from chronic back pain? A lot. I am so grateful I don't have to deal with that. It is such a blessing.
• My arms and shoulders are strong, and have helped me to hoist up a growing baby over and over and over again. They have lifted heavy things and rendered service to other people. I am grateful for them. 

So even though I may never look like an Instagram fitness model, I can still be healthy. I can be strong. I can be happy. I can feel worthy. Because my body has done some incredible things, and it ain't stoppin' any time soon.