Can someone tell me the secret to....

getting good pictures of a 16month old? Seriously she won't sit still. Every time I touch the camera, which is a lot, she says cheese really quick, and is done. She knows what the camera is for and gives me the appropriate cheese, but by time the camera is on, she is gone! Hopefully it will get better!

Gabbie is saying a lot of words now. Her favorite word that she is saying and using correctly is please. She knows when to say it and said it today at least 20 times alone today. I know that it is wonderful, except for she says it sometimes when she wants stuff she can't have, and then gets mad when she doesn't get it. Her temper is really starting to come out! We have a feisty one!


Gabbie reading her Santa book

Cheesing way to much for the camera

Check out the wild hair! We have decided to get it trimmed in March when I get mine done next. Hopefully this will tame it down some. In the above pictures it was wet so it was much more calm than normal.

Computer Genius???

First off let me start by saying this has been a wonderful 3 day weekend. I love long weekends spent with my baby. Gabbie was pretty good all weekend with the exception of church yesterday. She is starting to get a little temper when things don't go her way though. Every time you tell her not to do something or get her to do something she doesn't want to she lets out a scream. Honestly it is so hard not to laugh because she is such a stinker. Tonight she was standing on the couch which she loves to do. This would be fine for most children but you see Gabbie likes to just walk off the couch. She knows how to get down the right way and does it a lot but also likes to just walk off. So Steve told her to sit on her bottom while on the couch and she screamed. The screams just last a second. It seems once she gets it out she has released her frustration and is okay.

Her food consumption today consisted of an entire nutrigrain bar for breakfast, cheddar cheerio mix and marshmellows for morning snack, lasagna and carrots for lunch, 3/4 of a snickerdoodle cookie from Mrs. Fields, 2 chicken nuggets, broccoli (she loves broccoli), and entire dole fruit cup. Sounds like it should be enough for a small Guat tot right? Not so. When mommy decided to eat dinner which consisted of green beans and a Angel Hair Marinara from WW, Gabbie decided she needed some of that too. So she then proceeded to eat 20ish of my grean beans and about 5 or 6 bites of my WW meal. That seems like a lot to me today now that I type it out. She really has taken a liking to eating lately.

On to the computer genius part. I ate dinner upstairs while on the computer with Gabbie sitting on my lap. So after we shared my dinner she wanted to stay on my lap and play with the computer mouse. She loves to sit on my lap and look at pictures of other children, or babies as she calls anyone pretty much under 4. She also likes to look at puppies. So I pulled up a couple of my favorite baby blogs and I swear she took over the mouse and was able to scroll down and look at the pictures. She was going fast of course but would stop and say baby every time. She was so excited and would let out a happy scream too. I went to take charge of the mouse and she was swatting my hand away(not good I know, but remember she is a stinker and we are working on it).

So for Grandma here are some pictures. I have included some of her doing her computer work! Do I have a computer geek in the making?





Excited over a baby





My sassy girl. The shirt says it all.

One year ago today...

we received the call that we were out of PGN. I cannot believe it has been a year. I remember that day like it was yesterday. We had entered PGN on 11/24 and had been waiting nearly 8 weeks for news and I was starting to get nervous. Our process up to that date had gone perfect. I just kept thinking that something bad was going to happen because it was so rare to have a perfect process.

It was about 4:00pm and I was sitting at my desk. A friend from our agency who went in a week before us had gotten out 3 days before so I thought news could be coming soon. Also I saw someone from our agency post that they had gotten out and they went in right around the same time as us so I had a feeling we would hear something, whether it be good or bad. Well wouldn't you know, I got up to go to the restroom and came back to a red light. I listened to the message and it was Vinny with FTC saying she had a question for me. I called her back and some of my friends gathered around. I was shaking and she answered. I will never forget her words. She said she had a question for me and then asked what I would say if she told me Barrios had signed our file and we were out of PGN. From that point I lost it. I was crying away with more and more co workers gathering around in excitement. I asked her if she called Steve and she said no but she could. Instead I asked if I could call her back because I needed to call him right away. I called Steve and then my mom and the rest is history!


Now on to other things. My child loves being naked. I assume this is normal right??? She tugs on her shirt wanting it off and is truly happiest with no clothes on. I never get good pictures anymore because she is a wild woman and doesn't sit still. Anyway I have included some pictures of my naked, kind of getting chunky, baby girl. Notice her stomach....Her 12-18 month pants are all getting too tight and her belly laps over. Thank goodness for stretch pants!


She loves this Mrs. Potato Head


I think her teeth were bothering her tonight. She now has 15 teeth and 1 more is making its way through. She really has been wonderful through all of this teething.


Final one of my wild woman naked with her belly hanging out! She likes to eat!

It is really 1/10?

I seriously cannot believe it is already 1-10 and next week we will be in the middle of Jan already. It feels like Christmas was just yesterday. I am amazed at how time is flying by. Gabbie turned 16 months on New Years day. She is continuing to amaze us daily. She says so many words that I lost track. There is not a day that goes by that I don't thank God for her.



Check out her hair! It is growing like crazy.
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She is always so serious when she plays with her baby.

Seriously mom do you have to take another picture of me?

Playing basketball with the football.

Diving for a touchdown