By 7:00pm

Failed to mention that I don't get Abrie at 9pm anymore for her "last" feeding. On Monday (so, 9 1/4 weeks old) I started just letting her make it to 7pm for the last feeding of the night, and she sleeps now from then until about 2am- sometimes later, and occasionally earlier- and then until morning. She can't quite make it to 7pm, so she usually goes to sleep by 6:30pm or so, and I just get her at 7pm to feed her and then she goes straight back to bed. She's awesome.

******

Little woman has been smiling up a storm at her sisters lately. Maddie was so incredibly proud of herself today because Abrie would pretty much smile on cue if her Dee made a Faith "monster face" at her! It was too cute. Maddie and Faith beam with pride when they do something that elicits a smile from their baby sister. Abrie's starting to grab at their hair now too, and they think this "tickles." However, I do think they will change their minds about it only "tickling" when she really starts grabbing AND pulling!

Perhaps cliche, but yet true

I am so very in love with our littlest lady.

Abrie has been with us now almost 10 weeks (as of tomorrow) and I wonder how we ever thought our family was complete before her. I was just telling Dan tonight before he left for work that next week it will be 10 months since we found out we would be parents for the third time. Before that day, we always talked about how our life was complete. We had our two beautiful little girls. We were not planning on any more babies. We both truly feel that God felt differently. He knew we just were not done. And, I am so very thankful that this was His plan for us. 

I hold my Abrie, and there are so many times that I am flooded with emotion. Louis Armstrong's song "What a Wonderful World" pops into my head, and I find myself singing that to her all the time. Maddie improvises the last song in "Bolt" to the lyrics, "There is no Abrie like the one we've got, because this Abrie belongs to ussssss!" Quite true. I couldn't be luckier, or feel more blessed. I have a constant nagging guilt that overwhelms me because of my initial reaction at finding out we were pregnant for the third time, and I am sure that will stay with me forever. It's crazy how I let fear overwhelm me thinking that I would never be able to show three little individuals the unconditional love I always promised myself I would show my children. The love that I never necessarily felt as a child myself. A love so deep that, as I have learned, prompts those unnecessary fears and begins that vicious cycle of Momma guilt. 

It's a cliche I have always said since the day we brought Maddie home from the hospital and still remember was written on one of my favorite neutral Maddie outfits, "If they could just stay little." I wish all three of our girls could stay little forever. I feel this now even moreso with Abrie, wanting to hang on to every little smile, coo, and even her precious baby farts! It's inevitable, and it's already happening inevitably with our Breezer. 

I just hope Abrie always knows how incredibly loved she is. She may be just two months old, and yet I am already so proud of the person that I know she will become, and the person that she already is. She has completed our family, and taught us to "never say never!" No matter how old she is in life, I will always remember my darling little Beeba-- our happy little girl that came into our lives and made us even happier.

I love my baby, and when she smiles at me with that irresistible smile of hers, I know that she loves me right back-- unconditionally. 

Bookworm already

I love it. My baby loves her books already.

Maddie was a bookworm since a tiny newborn. Faith used to wriggle in our laps when we would read to her, but of course was loving books- and had a better attention span- by 6 months or so. And, Abrie? She loves reading.

Her favorites are a Sesame Beginnings book and a Baby Einstein book that Faith also loved as a baby. Faith and Maddie come running when they hear us reading in Abrie's room. So long as Abrie is not ready for a nap (which means her attention span is non-existent!), she is so attentive and has read as many as 4 books in a row, and has loved it.

My girl

Went for a walk with my sweet little Abrie this afternoon-- just she and I. 

Maddie and Faith stayed to "help" clean the deck with Dan, and the sun had just come back out again after a brief thunderstorm. It was an awesome time with my baby girl. It's the little things that count the most, and I love having one-on-one time with each of my girls.

2-month old smiley girl

I swear there isn't anything cuter than those first smiles... well, and those first big giggles!

Abrie has been smiling (and not gas smiles) since about 3-4 weeks, but not on a regular basis at anything that we would do to her. She is smiling all the time now, and we know what to do to make her smile. She loves all of her toys that make sounds (in particular, a little giraffe and a monkey that used to be Donovan and Ella's) and Faith's Ernie doll that sits in her crib. It's too cute! Now I'm just waiting for some better light so that I can sit her in front of the big window to try and get a better picture of her 'first' smiles!

Abrie's 2-month appointment was yesterday. She had her 2nd round of bloodwork at the lab on Monday to check her total and direct bilirubin and to do another liver profile test. Maddie and Faith were NOT looking forward to this. They are such excellent, and protective big sisters. They are all business when it comes to anyone remotely making Abrie upset, and they both stood right next to her carseat holding whatever they could to make themselves feel helpful to their baby sis. 

Her bloodwork came back fine yesterday at her appointment. Her total bilirubin is still slightly elevated, but her direct is fine (which is the one that would indicate any liver problems apparently). Her eyes look pretty much perfect to me now, and the doctor said she looks "tremendous!" She said that the elevated bilirubin could still be the aftermath of my extremely elevated blood pressure that was borderline eclampsia (I am still being treated for it). She said it could be that Abrie's liver is just taking a little longer to develop and do everything it needs to do correctly since the preeclampsia can hurt my liver and hers. But, she said there should be no serious repercussions whatsoever, and that she is totally fine.. which was awesome news to us!

My little Breezer weighs in at a whopping (drum roll....!) 9 lbs, 13 oz. She is 22 inches long, and her head measures 14 1/2. I used to always call Beebster our little girl, and Breezer is even "littler!" I love it! She's such a roly poly little woman though, and I just think she's so precious. Maddie was a staggering 12 lbs, 14 oz at 2 months, and Flop was 10 lbs, 8 0z. Abrie is our shortest and smallest little lady! But, the girl has outdone her big sisters in firsts thus far. Dr. Sergi couldn't believe me that she's been rolling since 5 weeks, but considering she nearly rolled off the exam table, she trusted me on it;) 

She had her first shots yesterday too. Poor little woman. Bloodwork on Monday and then shots on Tuesday. Needless to say, all I heard out of Maddie yesterday was "pooooooor Abrie!" and from Faith "Beeba waaah!" 

Piece of cake

I never grow tired of watching her do this!

8 weeks tomorrow...

... and, she was supposed to stay 2 days old forever.

I don't know why, but I just can't picture our Abrie any older than a couple days. It feels like we just brought her home from the hospital, and yet we're nearing her 2-month birthday already. Time goes too quickly.

In the meantime, we are enjoying our sweet Abrie. They don't make them any sweeter. The girl has got a set of lungs when she is angry, and she has voiced her opinion on her gas lately when she eats (refusing to eat at times and leaving me feeling anxious!), but when she is observing the world she is so darn adorable with those big eyes of hers.

Took the big sisters to play basketball this afternoon, and they had a blast running and jumping through the big puddles on the basketball court. Abrie couldn't have been happier just being held and watching them. She stares intently, and it's so cute.