Lara Family on a Sunday Afternoon

Sunday, June, 23, 2013

 We went to church matchy-matchy this Sunday, which meant that we needed to take some family pictures.

Kisses.

 See that tongue?  This is how Valette kisses. Very wet.

 This is Eric showing how Abbi's leaky diaper got to his Sunday shirt.

 I love this family.

 Grandma and Grandpa with all the grand girls.  Unfortunately Abbi was super hungry at this point and wouldn't have it.

So Abbi had a second go at a photo after she felt better.  What a cute girl.

Don't Want to Forget

Last night as I was finishing feeding Abbi the last time before bed I was browsing facebook and pinterest on my phone.  Typical nursing behavior.

When Abbi decided to be done she looked at me so intently and started talking and smiling so big.  She was telling me, "hey, put that stupid phone down and pay attention to me!"

I was smart this time and I really did put my phone down.  I looked at her and we smiled and giggled and Abbi just kept cooing and gurgling.  She was loving the attention.

It was really time to wrap her up and lay her in bed.  (Eric wakes up really early, so bedtime is a big deal around here, especially since we were already running late at this point.)  But I just wasn't ready to let go of her.

I had the overwhelming thoughts of how she won't be my baby for long.  She is already FOUR months old.  She holds toys and follows you with her eyes and giggles and looks for her daddy in a room and scoots around on her back.  I  don't want to miss out on her.  I love her smiles and giggles.  I love that she loves her Daddy, Eric didn't get that last time.

So I didn't wrap her up for bed.  I brought her in my room and smiled at her some more and took her picture and enjoyed her a little longer.

I love my girls.  I just don't want to forget the sweet smiles or the giggles or the excitement.  I don't want to forget what it was like to have little ones.

Binky Time

It has been entertaining to identify differences in my girls, and I don't just mean hair color.

June 12, 2013

 Abbi is so very easy.  Just like Valette, she goes to sleep very quickly once you wrap her up and give her the binky.  Very unlike Valette, that is the only time she really wants it.  I can give it to her when she fusses at other times, but she will only suck on it for about 2.5 seconds.  She prefers her fingers.  (Notice she has the first two fingers of her right hand in her mouth in this photo?  That is a favorite activity.  Another difference from Valette, who never sucked her fingers.)  But when it is time to sleep, she loves her binky.  That might only be because she can't get to her fingers at that point, who knows?

Valette, has always LOVED her binky.  She took it easily and used it all the time.  We switched to the binky only being allowed in her crib around her first birthday.  This was pretty easy to manage, when I would get her out, I could take the binky and usually I put it out of her reach.  When she moved up to her big girl room and big girl bed she started getting out of bed with the binky.  I would let her keep it until I changed her diaper the first time in the morning and then put it away.  She started throwing fits about it being where she can't reach it, I was lazy and let her put it on this shelf above her head.  (She saw me put the binky on the high closet shelf the first day she moved in there, and then copied me.  Sometimes she would go in her room to get a "binky fix," knowing that she was not supposed to have it she always stayed in the closet for these.  On this day she fell asleep while hiding with her binky.  I had to get a picture.

On July 12 (a week ago) we finally took the no-binky plunge. I have been wanting/needing to do this since about January, but I didn't because I was dreading losing the ease of naptime and bedtime.  Valette was always excited for her naps because she knew she could have the binky.  I took Abbi to the pediatrician on July 11, while there I asked when to get rid of the binky because I was worried about it affecting teeth.  He said by 18 months, that was the final straw.  Eighteen months was a year ago.   The next morning I went and cut the binky down the middle while Valette was not in the room.  She noticed a while before nap time (probably when she went in there for a fix) but didn't cry about it.  She just came and told me the binky wasn't working.  When naptime came I let her go get it and then talked to her about how a broken binky means she is a big girl and doesn't need it anymore.  She cried, but only for about five minutes and then slept easy.  At bedtime she rehearsed back to me the things I had told her about being too big for a binky and went to sleep just like that.

The next two nights involved crying and weren't as easy, but since then it has been great.  She mentions it sometimes but doesn't ask for it.  I guess I didn't need to be so afraid.  I am so pleased.

(Next we will tackle potty training.  I'm hoping to find I didn't need to worry so much about that one either.)

Abigail Lynn's Blessing Dress

May 21, 2013

I ran for the camera to catch Abbi's smiles.

 She makes me so happy.  And she loves her Daddy.  Eric is so thrilled.

 Then I had the idea that we should do a mini shoot in her blessing dress.

My mom made this dress.  It is amazing.  I love all of it.

Please check out the detail in that sleeve.  The band has pin tucks all around it, and then a ruffle coming out the bottom.  This was a  personal request.   

 Now admire the silk embroidery done BY HAND across the boddess (sp?).   This was also a personal request.  My niece Aubrey had those on her dress too, and I have always wanted them on one of mine.

 Sunday, June 2, 2013

 I didn't get any of just me and Abbi after her blessing, so we took some this day.

 Also notice the detail in the skirt, it is done in light yellow thread. Very sweet.

The multi-ribbon bow that Abbi has in her hand is like a "signature" of my Mom.  She has put a bow like that on every dress that she has made.

And believe me, she has made A LOT.  There are 14 granddaughters and Mom made a fancy dress for all of them but Valette (who wore my dress, which was also fancy, but my aunt made it, not my mom). She also made one for a friend's daughter.

Baby Horse

I had the opportunity to photography this baby horse and her mom the day after she was born.  It was sweet to watch them.

I thought Valette would be really excited to see them, but she was way more interested in the yard toys.

She does frequently talk about going to see the horses with Grandpa, though.

 Monday, May 20, 2013

 This is the only one I could get of her looking at me.

 This is Uncle Michael.  The horses are his parent's.

 Abbi was there too.  She slept through almost the whole thing.

Abigail's First Smile on Camera

 Thursday, May 16, 2013
Just a cute sleeping baby.  I never tire of looking at sweet sleeping babies.

 Friday, May 17, 2013
I ran for my camera because she was smiling so dang cute.

 Unfortunately when I put the big camera in front of my face, she stops because she can't see my eyes anymore.

 She is still dang cute.

I'm sure you have noticed the deep purple-red spot on her head.  It is basically a birth mark.  It showed up at about 1 and half weeks old.  She has one on her left elbow too, but it isn't a squishy bump like the one on her head, it's flush with the skin.  They are the same thing.  The Dr. calls it a mangioma or something like that, it's a lot of capillaries too close to the surface of the skin.  It should go away on it's own before age five or so, but if it's not gone by ten I will have a dermatologist remove it.

Valette has one too. Hers is tiny and right below her right eye. Valette's is already going away.  It is now a light pink and mostly flat.  So I have great hope for Abbi's to go on it's own too.  It does not cause any pain.  That is happy.

The best one I got on my phone. So the quality of the image is sad, but she is so fabulously cute. Best smile ever.