Merry Christmas and 2010 wrap-up!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I had the most wonderful Christmas... two Christmas's really!  We celebrated a week early here in VA with my dad's family (Nana, Auntie Em, Cousin Olivia and Jesse) - and then we were off to Connecticut to visit my grandparents.  This was the first year that my uncles weren't able to be there.  Uncle Alex lives in Portland and Uncle Charley moved to San Francisco in October.  They both had only 3 days off from work, and Uncle Alex has a 2 year track record of canceled flights and complete disaster - so they decided to spend Christmas together on the Left Coast.  (Turns out it was a super smart idea since we got buried in snow and they'd have NEVER gotten back!) We missed them - a lot - but it meant that Christmas had no choice but to revolve around me.

Uncle Charley and Uncle Alex in SF. 

So for their Christmas present to themselves, my parents decided to go see a Broadway show... WITHOUT ME!!!!!!!!!  THEN, (like that isn't bad enough!) they decided to go out to dinner in NYC before the show... WITHOUT ME!  Well!  They learned their lesson.  By the 2nd act of the show - neither one of them felt too great.  And a few hours after they got home: simultaneous onset of food poisoning.  They'll think twice before they try to go out and have a good time without Abby ever again!

So - Christmas Eve was a little non-traditional... Mom and Dad recovered fairly quickly (as food poisoning can go) and they were at least able to get out of bed by the middle of the afternoon... so we embarked on our family tradition of decorating Christmas cookies.

 Well... Mom and Dad decorated.  I sampled.  That is the point, right?  Plus - Mom and Dad weren't going to be eating any - at least not that day!


I love a good cookie!!
(Grandpa photographed the cookie decorating experience for us.)

Jen came out to visit us for the afternoon!  We decided to go back to the beach and try out my favorite slide on the playground that I had discovered this summer... it was still LOTS of fun - but since it was so cold and windy down at the beach - I only lasted 20 or so minutes on the playground.

This was Dad's first time on the slide.  I took a moment before his first ride to make sure he was prepared for the AWESOME experience on which he was about to embark.

The next morning was CHRISTMAS!  Most of the gifts were for me (please tell me that didn't surprise you).  My awesome holiday PJ's are from Auntie Em - she's still keeping me well dressed.

I got really good at tearing off the paper and playing with all the fun toys inside!

So, I keep telling you what an awesome dancer I am... but I thought it was time to get you some video evidence.  Anytime there is music on, I like to stop and "shake it"... so here's a video clip of me opening my dancing Elmo - and shaking it as he sings!

The day after Christmas Connecticut got some SERIOUS snow - a blizzard!  Now, I have a lot of experience with blizzards thanks to living in Virginia last year.  This was a pretty decent blizzard - LOTS and LOTS of wind.  I was tired of being trapped in the house - so we decided to go out and play... but the thing is:  I hate the snow.  I hate the cold.  I won't wear hats and mittens and pull them off immediately and then complain (see expression above) about the cold.  The ONE thing that snow and cold had going for them was that I look adorable in my snow suit... on which the zipper BROKE right before I went outside.  So now, let's review:  (A) it's cold (which I hate)

(B) It's snowy (which I hate)

(C) I refuse to wear mittens and a hat and I'm freezing (which I hate)

(D) I have my coat safety pinned shut and I look like a FOOL (which I REALLY hate!!!)

Oh - here we go - point (E) snow and ice are really hard to walk on - and you know how I love to walk these days!

Aww - hi Nikki.  Nikki is Grandma and Grandpa's dog.  Although Grandma and Grandpa would probably tell you that she's my mom's dog.  Anyway, Nikki is pretty old, and she's practical - and she walks on shoveled paths - unlike my crazy dog Callie - who's off bounding through snow banks or something crazy like that.

So after several days of being trapped in the house (first because my parents were too sick to leave - then because of the blizzard) we decided to go to the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, CT.  I've been on a fish kick recently.  I just LOVE the movie Finding Nemo (LOVE!!) - and I love to talk about fish (or as I call them, "sshhhhh".  So we all figured I'd like to see some up close.  Plus, there was a visiting penguin exhibit - and "Penguin" is one of my favorite signs!  (You put your hands out at your sides like flippers and shake your hips like a penguin waddling). 

 As I stood here watching the penguins, I kept signing "penguin" - since the average individual does not know ASL - a lot of people nearby thought it was so cute that I was imitating the penguins.  Ugh.  Ignorant fools.  I am adorable - but seriously people - I am using advanced forms of communication here.

I had to make sure Grandma didn't miss seeing any of the good stuff.

I LOVED the floor-to-ceiling tanks that they had - it was helpful, (being vertically challenged as I am.)  I'd go walking up to the tanks and start signing "fish" and saying "sshhhh" - a lot of the kids around me thought I was trying to tell them to be quiet.  I mean, it's not a bad secondary message, right?? But it wasn't what I was really talking about.

So - they had this funny display at the aquarium.  You could pose like a fisherman and hold on to these two giant fish and thus look like you just came back from an extremely successful fishing venture.  Well - we knew it wouldn't fit me QUITE right - but we never imagined it'd make me look like I was walking down a dock holding a pair of (ugly!) pants while two random huge fish dangle mid-air nearby!!!  So, there are upsides (or downsides!) to being vertically challenged!

SO: to wrap up the year, I figured I should give you a few medical updates and things that I'm working on...  

At my 2-year-old check up I weighed in at just under 25 lbs (25th percentile!) and I was 30 inches long (5th percentile).  The doctor was SUPER impressed (like: almost shocked) at how many signs I know and how I use them spontaneously - (I kept telling him "no" and "all done"- but he must not know ASL, because he kept right on going!)  In fact, he said that I'm doing "surprisingly well".  What?!?!  Why is he surprised??  Just who does he think he's working with here?  I am no average girl.

Around September I went off of all prescription medications (I was still on one for reflux - which I appear to not have anymore!) - for the first time in my LIFE I am medicine free!  So - it followed that I was dismissed from seeing my gastroenterologist AND, since my lungs are beautiful and there's no more risk of reflux leading to aspirating food - my pulmonologist followed suit and dismissed me too.  I'm pretty certain I saw tears in both their eyes.

In December I saw my cardiologist for my once a year check up.  She did say that she saw a new hole in my heart - BUT - she said it's a hole in the muscular wall and that if it's there now it's always been there.  It's REALLY small - and she says it's NOTHING to worry about.  It just makes me a little more amazing, and she doesn't believe in keeping any information from parents- or she never would have even mentioned it.  She's been my doctor from the start and she has NEVER led us astray -she's always been totally honest with us - so if she says don't worry - we're not giving it a second thought.  Plus, she said "See you next year" so you know she's not worried!!  She used to make Mom bring me to come see her every few days back when she was worried!

Ahhh: My glasses.  They never even really make it out of their case these days.  I just REFUSE to wear them.  Which is too bad, because they'd totally solve my problems.  BUT - my eye doctor has moved on to new ideas.  He has been witness to the show of mom trying to get me to wear them - and he quickly came up with Plan B.  Right now - once a week- mom puts a little bit of this cream on my good eyeball (you can imagine that I sit perfectly still while mom sticks her finger in my eye - NOT!) this makes my vision pretty blurry for a day or two and forces me to use my weaker eye.  Kind of like wearing a patch - but the doctor went ahead and skipped that idea since he witnessed how much I adore things touching my face.

As for my therapy - I'm still doing physical therapy once a week and education twice a month (Because I'm crazy smart and don't need as much of that stuff!).  My gross motor skills are pretty much awesome.  I walk all over the place now - I'm working on walking on uneven terrain though.  I can go up and turn around and slide down the stairs - which means that in moments I can ditch my parents and go get into trouble somewhere.  (I LOVE to turn Callie's water dish upside down and spill out all the water.  You should try that game some time.  It puts my mom in SUCH a good mood).  I'm really working on fine motor skills (stacking blocks, using a shape shorter, feeding myself) all of which would be easier to work on if my attention span were slightly longer than that of a gnat - and quite possibly if I would wear my glasses and be able to see small details more clearly - but that's really asking a lot, now isn't it?  As for the spoon to feed myself thing - I much prefer to use my spoon to catapult food around my dining room...

I'm starting to do just a little bit of talking.  I say "buh-buh" for bye bye and have an adorable wave to accompany it.  I say "mama" and "dada" pretty much when I want them, and I say "ba-ba" when I'd like my milk cup.  Other than that, I can mimic about one sound per word.  Even though I can mimic most letter sounds (don't you worry - my mom the first grade teacher is always taking me through my ABC books going "A, Apple, AAAAA - Abby do it") I really don't put them together yet.  But I use my signs - and (since I'm 2) I scream at people - until they figure out what it is that I want.

So, to wrap up 2010, I'm healthy, I'm a rock star and I am DARN good looking.  Bring on 2011 and a little sister for me to start to train to be as awesome as I am!

Happy New Year Everyone!!

Thanksgiving and getting ready for Christmas!

Alright, well, in a completely unconventional move for this blog; my mom says that I have to lead with a story that doesn't revolve around me. 

 You can see how I feel about that!  But, my shirt says it all: I'm going to be a big sister.  My parents are attempting to duplicate perfection.  They should know you don't get this lucky twice.

That's her.  My little sister.  She's due on April 12th.  She's pretty easy going and apparently quite flexible.  (We'll have to have a little competition when she gets here - anyone can be flexible in a swimming pool.)  And that is all I have to say about that - now let's move on to the important stuff - all about ABBY!

 For Thanksgiving we all went out to Mt. Vernon, IL to visit my dad's family.  We're having some issues loading all the pictures we took while we were there- but there were 20 of us!  My great-grandparents, my grandparents, my aunts and uncle and my 2nd cousins!  This is me and my 2nd cousins having a little birthday party since so many of us have November birthdays. 

 Any chance you could move a little faster with that, Mom??

 Ella and I took good care of our babies - at least in front of the camera.  Ella just became a big sister, so I'm looking to her to provide me with some ways of coping.

 My Aunt Amy is a dancer.  She was teaching me some moves.  For some reason I found it easier to dance without my pants.  Mom says that's an "Under 3" type thing.  I copied everything Aunt Amy did.  Everything.  I am a super awesome dancer.

Doesn't this look like such a sweet picture?!  Here's the real story:  My mom was reading to Ella - I saw it, didn't like it, got in there- and you can see where I'm using my left hand to start to edge Ella out.  Like I said, Ella and I were practicing to be big sisters!

We may have to re-visit Thanksgiving in a later blog - there were lots of other pictures to share.  But sufice it to say we had a great time visiting with family.

 We came home to beautiful weather and decided that it was time to start getting ready for Christmas - so we went off to cut down our own Christmas tree again. 

 I made a case for an Abby-sized tree.  (Maybe next year, with my sister to help out - we can finally win the tiny-tree battle!)

 We compromised (got what my parents wanted) on this one.  Dad cut it down.

 Tucker and his parents came too.  Tucker and I discussed the benefits to tiny trees - but as you can see, no one was around to listen.

 It was a lovely day - not cold at all.  I sat down to sing some carols.  I felt that "O Christmas Tree" was most fitting in this situation...

 When everything was cut down we were ready to head home.  Tucker and I hitched a ride.  Are you wondering where our trees are?  Yeah - our moms would be the ones behind us, taking pictures AND pulling the wagons with the trees on them.  Have I mentioned that Tucker is going to be a big brother almost the same time that I'm a big sister?  So yeah, the two pregnant moms are lugging the trees on wagons and taking pictures.  (Don't worry - the two dads are having all their hair pulled out!)

Aw, that Tucker.  He just can't get enough of me!

 So later in the month, (when it was MUCH colder out) my friend Big John-John invited some of us over to see Santa come on a firetruck to his neighborhood!  I wasn't sure about the Santa thing - but I was very much into the brunch food and play time thing - so I went with it.  Here we are waiting outside for Santa to arrive.

 John pulled out some of his toys for us while we waited.  This is what my dad insisted we get John for his birthday this past year.  He told me the weather is always perfect for golfing - so I decided to give it a shot.  He feels this picture proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am his daughter.  Anyone willing to golf when it's 30 degrees outside must share genes with him.

Then Santa arrived!!!

 I insisted on watching from afar for a while and then came to the conclusion that I am not a fan of this Santa guy.  Let him do his thing and come at night and bring me gifts.  I will contact him via note, sent to the North Pole and tell him what to leave.  In this day and age I see no real reason for this kind of face-to-face encounter.

 Mom wanted me to look at the camera and smile - but there was NO WAY I was taking my eyes of the creepy guy in the red suit.  I don't need any funny business.  What I need is a 10 foot radius, thank you very much.

 It was so cold for so long it was just a matter of time before the white stuff finally came!  An entire 2 inches of it!  At first I was amused...

A little cold...

Yeah, okay - this is cold and unnecessary.

Merry Christmas 2010.  Notice Abby is the CENTER of this card.  Fingers crossed that's how it stays in 2011...

Oh - anyone want to place any bets on whether or not my sister gets blue eyes too???
(Thanks to our friend, Erin Cole, for the beautiful Christmas card picture!  She made Mom and Dad look great!  Really - we all know - I need no help looking great.)