Baby Baggs

Life with a Preschooler!

2010-03-11T19:36:00.004-06:00

Life with a preschooler has been fun, rewarding, and an interesting experience all wrapped into one! We thought we would go stir crazy this winter but actually it has been great. Abbie has grown up so much in the past several months. She loves to play games - Candy Land, The Ladybug Game, and Don't Break the Ice - are her favorites.

Abbie has also been taking swimming lessons and we just signed up for her first Tumbling class!

Ready or not, here I come!

Since Ed has been taking so many pictures with his new lenses, we thought we'd turn the tables around and gave Abbie her first camera for Christmas. Thankfully, this little gem is virtually break/waterproof. Abbie has been taking pictures regularly for a few months now and I will post a "Life According to Abbie" picture post shortly! This should be interesting!

Abbie loves that she can take her camera anywhere, even the Bloomington Nature Center!

Abbie has also been exploring the world of dress up! As you can tell, playing "Doctor" is one of her favorite activities! instead of using fake instruments, we decided to give in and purchase a dress up set including a stethoscope, otoscope, and many others thingys that have very long/complicated names!

Let me listen you your heart, please.

Looking forward to this spring where Abbie is bound to love the great outdoors, just like her Papa!

Happy 3rd Birthday Abbie!

2009-12-06T20:29:00.000-06:00

3 Years of Abbie. on PhotoPeach

Summer Car Rides

2009-09-07T21:17:00.002-05:00

For the last, oh seven months or so, Abbie has decided that she doesn't like to sleep in the car when we go on long car rides. This includes driving in the evening/night when she would normally be asleep. Because of this, we have had some seriously interesting conversations which often turn educational. Here is just an example:

Abbie: What's that papa?
Ed: What?
Abbie: That!
Ed: I don't know what that is, describe it for me.
Abbie: That big thing in the sky above the trees, over THERE!
Ed: Oh, that's a water tower.
Abbie: A water tower, what's that for?
Ed: It holds water.
Abbie: For what?
Ed: For people to use.
Abbie: What do they use it for.
Ed: For everything.
Abbie: Why can't I see the water?
Ed: Because the water is in the tower.
Abbie: But I don't see the water.
Ed: It's in there, trust me.
Abbie: How do you know if you can't see it?
Ed: ...*silence*

Needless to say, we have seen a lot of water towers on our travels this summer.

It's August Already?

2009-08-12T19:22:00.004-05:00

I cannot believe that it is August already. Where did the summer go?! So much has changed in the past three months since our last post. Not only is Abbie not a baby any more but she isn't even a toddler any more! She has grown THREE inches since May, is 100% toilet trained (no idea when her last accident was - during the day or at night), she is in a big girl bed, given up the pacifier - finally, and is a HUGE giggle monster and dare devil!

We have been exceptionally busy this summer. Abbie spent a whole week in Duluth with Granny and Grandpa Mike. They had a blast! They went to the Children's Museum, the Depot, the Aquarium, and the Lake Superior Zoo. Ed and I went to the Pacific Northwest to visit Ed's brother Shelby, his wife Kate, and their almost one year old Judah. We spent a few days in Portland, OR and then headed up to Washington's Olympic Peninsula. We enjoyed our trip but missed Abbie and realized that a week is TOO long to be away.

Since we didn't have the greatest weather this summer, we had to learn to be creative with our time indoors. Here are a few pictures of Abbie building a 'cave' in our living room.

ROAR! Did I scare you?

Ha ha!

I want to ride in the VAN! and other toddler quotes

2009-05-06T14:47:00.004-05:00

When Ed decided, about 2 years ago, that he thought a the Honda Odyssey Mini Van was his dream car, I thought he was kidding. Unfortunately he wasn't and for months on end he razzed me about it - whispering ODYSSEY in the baby monitor, leaving magazine or newspapers open to Honda/Mini Van advertisements, and commenting on every single Odyssey we would pass on the road. Just when I though this craziness was behind us, Abbie gets her first ride in a minivan and for a week straight all she wanted to do was 'ride in Tiffany's VAN!'. Oh goodness. I guess I am now officially outnumbered and it looks like our next vehicle will probably be a van, oh joy.

We also learned over the past few weekends that Abbie loves to dig in the dirt, watch bugs, and pick up worms. I honestly didn't think she would be a girly-girl, but I had no idea she would have such a desire to get dirty every day. (seeing as I would just sit on the grass and not move when I was her age, this whole playing in the dirt is a new concept for me).

What, I'm not dirty!

Not only does Abbie love to get dirty, but she is also become a bit of a dare devil. We live near a park and go their frequently and for a long time Abbie would only go down the smaller slides on the small kids side of the playground, however Papa took her down the covered twisty slide on the BIG KID side of the playground ONCE and she was hooked. Now she goes down that big twisty covered slide all by her self, climbs up the faux rock climbing wall, and is becoming more ambitious every day.

Over Easter weekend we traveled to La Crosse, WI to visit the Sundstrom grandparents and Abbie got to see Uncle Shelby again and meet Aunt Kate and Cousin Judah for the first time. She had a blast! Of course, no visit is complete without a visit to the nearby playground. This time Abbie had a chance to go on the self-propelled twisting thingy, which she enjoyed (for about 5 seconds) and proceeded to stumble around for 5 minutes afterward. Not sure if she enjoyed the stumbling around part, but the adults we certainly amused! She asked to go back on the twisty thing later that day....we decided once was enough for one day.

Ed and Shelby helping Abbie go around the Self-Propelled Twisty Thingy

Abbie in her Easter dress complete with Easter Basket. Cheese

Goofy

2009-03-16T12:29:00.001-05:00

Need I say more?

A much needed update....

2009-03-09T19:20:00.003-05:00

A lot has happened in the month (or so) since I last updated this little blog. All of which is fairly unexciting or those thing we do not care to remember (crabby Abbie and illnesses).

Daylight savings has brought the Baggenstoss Household a lot of excitement, mainly because we survived today and Abbie was in a better mood than she has in weeks! The day began at a decent hour yesterday followed by bedtime at the normal hour (adjusted time even!). This morning was a little touch and go but for the most part the day was a good one. Abbie came home from school in an excellent mood and we are all glad to have this years 'spring ahead' out of the way.

We are looking forward to the weather warming up and the snow melting over the next few weeks. Abbie is too, just look at her poor snowsuit! Not only is it getting a bit small but we cannot seem to locate matching accessories which just makes her look silly!

What? I'm still cute. And I'm getting cooold!

We are all looking forward to warmer days ahead. Our options of activities will be much more...well, less dorky anyways!

Hat Day at the Baggenstoss House (pre-morning hours)

Reading during Hat Day

Our other big news is that Abbie has begun potty training! All in all it is going.........ok. Yes, just OK. Stickers, M&Ms, charts, and other glorious incentives here we come! Now if we could just get Abs to grow another 5 inches, it'd make things much easier! :-)

Just doing a little research

2009-01-20T15:19:00.005-06:00

It seems as though Abbie's developmental milestones have been slowing in the past few months, at least those we want to talk (ok, brag) about have slowed. No one wants to hear about how Abbie pushes our buttons, whines, and throws temper tantrums in attempt to get her way. yes, she is definitely a 2 year old!

Abbie started a new daycare almost a month ago now and is finally enjoying going to the new 'school'! We can tell that she is enjoying the new school as much, if not more, than the old one because she is sleeping better at night and in the morning calls us this way "Mama, lets get up to go to schoolooo! Mama, get up!"

Abbie still loves to read and when she isn't reading Dick and Jane or Curious George, she is doing research for Papa's new motorcycle which he plans (hopes) on purchasing this summer.

"Honda or Suzuki?"

2 Year Update

2008-12-29T08:43:00.004-06:00

Are you ready....for tickle time?

First the 2 year update -

Weight - 26 lbs
Height - 33 inches
Just below the 50th percentile for both!

Off the charts for verbal and social skills! - No surprise there!

It has been a busy couple of weeks at the Baggenstoss Household. All of the excitement has caught up with Abbie...can't you tell?

Now where are we going?

Abbie started a new school on Monday 22nd and she has been doing very well with the adjustment. The new school is much closer to our house so it will be easy for both of us to drop off/pick-up. We are really excited that she is doing so well with this transition so far as we were quite concerned.

Abbie has been handling the excitement of the holidays fairly well with the exception being this past Saturday where she had her first real temper tantrum in public which happened at our favorite local restaurant during breakfast with the Sundstrom Grandparents. Needless to say not everyone was able to finish their meal at the restaurant! Instead of going downtown to visit the old Dayton's auditorium to see the holiday exhibit, we ended up staying at our house to try to have a quieter afternoon.

This proved to be a good idea since Grandpa Sundstrom and Mama ended up putting together Abbie's kitchen! And you thought that Ikea furniture was challenging!

We are working on sending out Thank you Cards, but also wanted to say thank you to everyone for all of the great Birthday and Christmas presents. Abbie received loads of hats/mittens and clothes that was greatly needed since she is going through a growing spurt which has suddenly made her pants extremely short (both silly looking and cold in this crappy weather we are having!).

Thank you Great Aunt Amy!

Happy New Year! See you all in 2009!

A new year brings a new haircut and love of Pigtails!

2008-12-14T10:57:00.003-06:00

I'm gonna put pigtails on this girl, too!

Abbie had a great birthday party and enjoyed spending time with all of her grandparents, Uncle Mike, Aunt Kris and Uncle Bill. She loves playing with her new toys and the doodle board is a great invention.

Yesterday we decided to ring in her new year with a new haircut. Abbie didn't cry or fuss during the entire haircut (ok, it only lasted about 6 minutes but still!) and the stylist gave Abbie her first ever set of Pigtails. Needless to say, Abbie doesn't want to wear a hat, put on a bib, or take them out at bedtime. Funny, I've been trying to get her to wear something in her hair for months!

More to come...Abbie starts a new school next week (12/22).

Feeling Better for a Much Needed Update

2008-11-17T18:54:00.009-06:00

We are finally starting to feel a little bit better in the Baggenstoss Household.

New Developmental Milestones!

2008-10-22T12:47:00.005-05:00

I wasn't sure up until now if I was going to be one of 'those' moms that blogs about everything their child. I have also been tempted to discuss topics other than Abbie, but decided that would probably not be a wise decision (mainly because I am not well educated in the topics and would just sound like a moron). Here are the topics that I have decided are off limits on this blog:

politics (GO VOTE, TUESDAY, NOV 4th!!!)

the Green movement (Method is my new favorite brand and not to mention California Baby, now if we could just find Seventh Generation and/or Nature's Babycare diapers in more stores in the Twin Cities, that'd be great)

how much working full time and going to school full time - along with the fact that Ed is still struggling with the function of his right hand (he was in a minor motorcycle accident a few weeks ago, but is ok!) - really is the pits

But I have decided that I will discuss in detail the highlights of potty training. Abbie took her first step in that direction and went peepee (ok, urinated) in her little potty for the first time last night! :-) Ed's response was, "Oh, what a perfect topic for a new blog entry." We clapped and cheered, but all she wanted to do was clean out her little potty because it was wet! She doesn't understand the concept of 'wiping' in this context! How funny!

Here are a few pictures of some other milestones that Abbie has reached over the past week or so.....

Abbie is 'reading' on her own....

and singing "Twinkle, Twinkle little star. How I wonder what you are?"

"Up above the world so high..."

What a cutie pie!

Fall Activities

2008-10-02T09:40:00.003-05:00

Oh my Gosh!

Pick!

Papa, Can I eat this apple?

Hmm..yummmm!

Sunday at Como Park Zoo

2008-09-17T09:50:00.004-05:00

Last Sunday we decided to take advantage of the gloomy weather and the first Sunday Vikings football game and go to the Como Park Zoo. We thought it would be less crowded. Well. We were wrong. The zoo was as crowded, but Abbie still had a blast.

Most of the animals were sleeping when we arrived shortly after breakfast, but the Giraffe's were wide awake and Abbie had a blast trying to imitate their long necks.

These aren't real Giraffe's

We got home just in time for Abbie to take a long nap and watch the Vikings loose.

It started to rain right after Abbie woke up so we lounged around that afternoon watching Little Bear, a little bit of football, and being entertained by a silly Abbie (our favorite cloudy day activity).

Huh, I missed the chair!

First Haircut!

2008-09-07T14:47:00.008-05:00

As promised here is a few pictures of Abbie's first haircut. It was crowded when we arrived at Kid's Hair.

Before the haircut...definitely time to trim those bangs!

I was a bit nervous that Abbie would freak out at the sight of 6 or so other kids getting their hair done, but she sat at the table in the waiting area coloring quietly. Then her name was called. She perked up right away, but once she got in the chair...she wailed the whole time!

She cried and cried and cried the whole entire time, but as soon as she saw herself in the mirror and was out of that chair...she was fine! All giggles and smiles as usual! Thankfully there lacked kicking and flailing during her screaming, so the haircut itself lasted less then 10 minutes!

We decided to stop by the playground at Longfellow School, which Abbie had a blast!

Long day..I'm tired!

Abbie's little crop haircut - too cute!

End of Summer

2008-09-04T13:27:00.005-05:00

Well - summer is officially coming to a close. That was evident with the chilling 52 degrees we woke up to this morning. Abbie went to school in jeans and a sweatshirt and looked cute as a button. I began thinking of what it will be like on her first 'real' day of school and how it seems so far away yet right around the corner.

Abbie has hit some pretty big milestones lately. She has been drinking from a cup - no lid with quite good results, speaking in 4-5 word sentences quite regularly (telling everyone she sees "You are so funny!"), and actually enjoying the swings and slides at the playground!

Wee!

One thing Abbie isn't getting used to is dirty hands - Oh - Kate Gosselin would be proud!

Abbie should be getting her first professional haircut soon! My attempts at bang trims are starting to look pretty pathetic. Stay tuned...I'll post pictures..I promise!

Summa Time!

2008-08-06T12:47:00.005-05:00

We've had a busy summer full of heat, humidity, sprinkler play, travel, drama, dancing, manners, fun outings, and SWINGS!

I know I have neglected the blog a bit as of late, however we have been very busy. Abbie is now speaking in 2, 3 or 4 word sentences. One of her favorites is "I got it!" She is also learning manners and consistently says her 'please' and 'thank-yous', which is just too cute.

Abbie also has an uncanny ability to ask something in a voice that is just a little bit incomprehensible. She repeats herself until you finally repeat what she is asking - of course in a form of a question - "Do you want some yogurt?" Which Abbie replies with "OK", in such a tone that makes you believe that you actually had the idea in the first place. Pretty smart that girl!

Abbie loves to sit in her highchair and look out the window - especially when Papa is watering the lawn.

Papa wants Abbie to play the Tuba - I think she has other ideas.

Abbie is not a big fan of the sprinkler, but she doesn't mind the hose...thankfully hasn't figured out how to get others wet...yet!

Relaxing on the hammock with Papa.

Minnehaha Falls - 'Walkerfall!'

Abbie had a blast with her Sundstrom Grandparents at Minnehaha park, even in the sweltering heat. We ate at Se Salt and Abbie ate all of her fish! She definitely takes after her papa!

Catch me if you can!

Hope you are all having a great summer. Another update soon....hopefully!

New Found Independence

2008-07-27T18:34:00.002-05:00

It's official. Abbie has hit the terrible two's. Yes, slightly early, but right in sync with the rest of her developmental milestones to date. She has become very independent and needs to do everything on her own with the exception of bathing, clothing, and diapering herself. I am sure those are not far behind (yippee...potty training begins!).

18 month update

2008-07-01T21:44:00.003-05:00

Abbie went to the Pediatrician today. It was pretty uneventfully - no shots!

23 lbs
31 inches

50th-ish Percentile for both.

Average. How exciting.

I know..it has been awhile...

2008-06-18T19:36:00.005-05:00

I know, I know, I know...it has been awhile. And when I say that things really haven't changed much around here, that really isn't true! The only thing that remains constant is the time Abbie goes to be every night - between 5:30pm and 6:15pm - like clock work and regardless of what else is going on in the wold. Id doesn't matter that the Severe Weather Sirens are bearing or that the neighbors kids are having a water fight in the alley, Abbie will sleep right through all of the commotion.

The only exception to the rule (thus far) was several weeks ago when Abbie made it through her school's 'program' without a major meltdown. Ed and I were very nervous for said program because it began at 6pm, which if you were paying close attention, is right at her bedtime. We debated if we should even allow Abbie to attend this event because it was going to be so late at night, but we decided live dangerously and let her 'perform' with her friends.

The program consisted of 13 minutes and 43 seconds of the kids all lined up on stage with somewhat blank stares on their faces while their teachers sang their songs very loudly in the back ground. Nothing exciting happened. Thankfully. It was fairly boring, but entertaining at some level (ok, ok..it was only slightly amusing if it was your kid up there!). We won't bore you with the video, but here is a picture -

"I really am the shortest kid in the class."

The only other exciting thing is that Abbie's vocabulary has EXPLODED over the past few weeks. Yesterday on the way home, Abbie saw a man on a bicycle and she said to me "I wanna Bike." (Ok...it wasn't with the best annunciation, but she did say those three words in sentence form). I was flabbergasted. I didn't even know that she knew what a bike was, much less ask for one! Unfortunately, I don't think they make bikes and bike helmets to fit her..she is so darn short! I keep waiting for her 18 month growth spurt.....it will arrive at just the same time as her hair -poor girl!

This past weekend Ed took Abbie to La Crosse to visit Grandparents Ellen and Steve while I stayed home to finish on a paper for school and do some much needed projects around the house. She had fun. I did not, but we both survived being way from one another and it was a good trail run before we go on our vacation next week.

Showing off my marching skills. Just wait until I do the 'Funky Chicken'.

"Here we go again. Papa's idea of amusement."

"Ahh..Magic Mountain, here I come!"

Aren't we cute! Grandpa Steve, Grandma Ellen, Sophie and Abbie.

Anyone say slide?

2008-05-26T19:55:00.001-05:00

Plastic Slide - $10

Worth every penny.

Need I say more?

Night Terrors

2008-05-06T19:31:00.004-05:00

Well, things have been going smoothly here at the Baggenstoss Household. Abbie moved into the Toddler room at daycare and she is doing well. The teachers love her and she is doing well with the transition. Unfortunately, she has been exposed to a whole new set of germs which is reeking havoc in our household - enough said.

Not only has Abbie had a few colds over the past few weeks, but she has also decided to get her 2-year molars early (why does she have to get all of her teeth so EARLY!). Unfortunately pushing through a new set of molars on top of having (what we now believe) were night terrors, this past weekend was much more stressful than we had imagined. For those of you who have not experienced night terrors, I hope you never have to in the future. Abbie cried so hard, long, and was so erratic that we actually debated calling 911 (if our house hadn't been MAC updated, we are convinced that the neighbors would probably have done it for us).

Thankfully a new week has begun and Abbie seems to be back to her normal self, going to bed early and sleeping though the night without a peep. (Hallelujah!)

"I get to play outside...finally!"

Lots and Lots of Updates

2008-04-08T21:34:00.008-05:00

First I have to apologize for not updating this blog for quite some time. I (Sarah) have recently began graduate school! YIPPEEE! I am attending Minnesota School of Business pursing an MBA degree. We decided that since Abbie goes to bed between 5:30pm and 6:30pm each night, now is probably a good time to take on this grand adventure.

So they think this is a good idea, huh?

Other than that, things have been pretty quiet. Well...except for the fact that -

Abbie must only wear big girl shoes
We finally bought Abbie her own chair (about time Mom and Dad)

Followed by purchasing her own table and chair set. All of a sudden the house seems filled with toys!

Abbie has constant bad hair days - I just don't want to cut it! It has taken 16 months to get this long!

You thought they were kidding, didn't you?

Abbie has her first 'boy-friend' to whom she does not actually interact with him but she also doesn't want to be 5 inches from him when he is around (yes, that's a toy G-U-N, but don't tell anyone, especially Sarah. Abbie is a 'Protecting Minneapolis - One Park at a Time'

Abbie FINALLY had an enjoyable time on the swings at the park (after months of trying to convince her it really was fun, her 'boy-friend' convinced her by laughing at his own enjoyment - I swear! If Bry likes it than Abbie will too!)

Abbie kind had fun playing in the sand - Ed is so proud!

I promise that I will continue to update this blog...Maybe Ed will even add a post or two.

A Happy Birthday - Shout Out!

2008-04-08T21:28:00.003-05:00

Have some cake for me!

Abbie wants to say Happy Birthday to her 'Auntie's' Jules and Amy!

Happy Bunny Day

2008-03-24T20:51:00.008-05:00

Abbie had a great weekend. It all began with another trip to the doctor....just her 15 month well visit. We are beginning to think that these 'well-visits' are becoming quite a nuisance. Abbie must be thinking the same thing, she WAILED as soon as the doctor entered the room. She cried and cried the whole time! It was a new doctor and she seemed very nice, but Abbie didn't like her one bit!

Abbie's 15 month stats -

21 lbs 6 oz - 25th percentile
30 inches - 25th percentile
49 cm head circumference - 75th percentile (apparently all of the food she is eating is going to her head!)

The weekend was fun for everyone. Ed and I went to the Men's WCHA Hockey Tournament at the Xcel Energy Center. We watched Ed's beloved Gophers make it to the Championship game (very unexpected). During this time Abbie got to spend some quality time with both of her grandmothers.

The weekend ended with an Easter brunch at Pannekouken with the Maki grandparents and Uncle Mike. Abbie stole the show by amazing everyone with how much food she can eat in one meal!

Nice Eagle (Abbie speak = Ogle)

Ahhh...aahhhhh! Look at all of my teeth - 16 of them!

What did I get in my Easter Bucket?

Goldfishes - these are my Favorite! Thanks Auntie Priscilla!

Yummy!

Look - Mama and Papa got me hockey (Ock-Key) sticks!

The next Gilmore Girl?

2008-03-20T19:03:00.002-05:00

Granny Maki - This one's just for you....

Coffee please. You think I'm kidding?

Better behaved at Daycare?

2008-03-04T20:24:00.003-06:00

The last few days have been very insight full for us parents in the Baggenstoss household. We have come to find out that Abbie has some interesting behaviors at daycare.

Abbie does not throw her food on the floor during meal/snack time.
Abbie does not climb up on the furniture.
Abbie tells other kids to "sit down" when they try to climb up on furniture.
Abbie organizes and puts all of the toys away in their correct places on the shelves, even if other kids were playing with the toys.
Abbie loves to see baby "Bella" and quietly stand next to her when she is sleeping in the swing.

Things Abbie does at home.

Abbie throws food on the floor during meal/snack time.
Abbie tries to climb up on furniture.
Abbie has a blank stare on her face when you ask her to put her toys way back on the shelf.
Abbie does not allow mama to sleep on the couch on the weekends, instead gives her a head butt to announce her presence.

Huh. Interesting.

New Parent Oops #9

2008-02-29T21:08:00.002-06:00

Becoming a parent has definitely been a learning experience. Such as - 12 month old's are very squirmy and do not have a sense of height, setting a naked toddler on a hard wood floor in the middle of winter will induce immediate urination even when standing (from the child not the parent, in case you needed clarification), alternating waterproof mattress pads and sheets several times on crib mattress is a very good idea.

Since Abbie has 16 teeth (yes 16!), I figured that she would probably be OK having some pizza crust with dinner on Wednesday. Well, apparently Abbie's stomach is much more sensitive that I could have imagined. Several hours after eating a few bites of pizza crust (just the crust - no cheese, no sauce) Abbie fussed and fussed. For those of you that don't know Abbie is a REALLY good sleeper (knock on wood) and typically goes to bed at 5:45pm and sleeps straight through to 5:30am the next morning. Typically Abbie can fuss herself back to sleep pretty easily and even though it was taking her a little longer to get settled, I just figured she was getting another cold (it had been about 2 weeks and probably time for another one!). Since she seemed to be having troubles, I finally decided to go check on her.

And then I entered the room. Before I turned on the light, I knew I was in trouble. I couldn't tell if it was front end or back end mess, but I just knew there would be one. Then I turned on the light and instantly felt a waive of horrible guilt come over me. Poor little Abs wasn't even awake, but she had her face planted precisely in a LARGE pool of vomit. Poor girl. I felt horrible. After a nice short (but refreshing I'm sure) bath, new sheets, PJ's and blanket Abbie was back in bed. At least for awhile.

Long story short. No pizza for this little one for quite awhile.

I am sure you understand that there are no pictures to go along with this post.

Got Milk?

2008-02-22T10:04:00.003-06:00

Got Milk?

I do!

Thank you!

First Ear Infection

2008-02-17T21:04:00.003-06:00

Abbie has her first ear infection. This alone hasn't been bad, but coupled with getting last two bottom front teeth, what I fear is growing pains and a nasty head cold has taken us all by surprise. Abbie has been a bit cranky over the last couple of days and would not take a nap yesterday. She cried her self silly until she finally took a 3 HOUR nap this afternoon. I am hoping that this is almost over, since we have a big shopping trip planned for tomorrow!

Oh and we had to switch pediatricans starting Jan 1st due to a change in insurance. We went for the first time on Friday. Not impressed. At all. Hopefully, we can switch back to our old pediatrican in a few months! Abbie was 21lbs - with a wet diaper and all of her clothes on. She actually got to STAND on the scale! HA! It was pretty funny to see (even if we had been waiting for 45 minutes to get to this point).

Some Recent Pictures...In no particular Order

2008-02-08T19:51:00.000-06:00

13 month update

2008-01-21T20:56:00.000-06:00

A lot has happened in the past few weeks.

Abbie went to the zoo, again.

We finally picked out and purchased a new sofa for our living room.

Ed cleaned the carpets and Abbie and I went to Duluth to visit Grandparents.

Abbie got another two teeth and learned how to point out her eyes, mouth, head along with her nose, ear, and hair.

She talks ALOT, mainly babble, but she says down, mama, hi, bye, all gone, dog, cup, cat, bird along with a few other words we cannot remember at the moment!

She knows one baby sign - more (which she actually does incorrectly, but at elast she is consistant about it!).

She EATS A LOT, mainly solid finger foods, but she still loves her baby food squash and sweet potatotes. Her favorites are peas, grean beans, carrots, bananas, apples. She isn't a big fan of anything resembuling meat and hates juice. We tried to give her chocolate milk today and that didn't go over to well either. I swear if she didn't look like Ed and I, we'd wonder who this child belonged to!

Abbie finally gave up the bottle and is 100% drinking from a cup (YIPPPPEEE!!!).

And...she has definately gained some weight and we turned the car seat forward facing! FINALLY! (she is just starting to grown out of some of her 9-12 month clothes.

Abbie began climbing up on a basket (no big boo-boos...yet.)

And ate spaghetti for the first time using her own spoon. WOW. Wasn't that a mess!

Well...that is all for today! But I think that is a lot!

Best Toddler Toy for 2008.

2008-01-06T20:49:00.000-06:00

Need we say more?

I'm working on it...really.

2008-01-04T21:00:00.001-06:00

"whew"

It is official. Our 'holiday season' is FINALLY over! Everyone gave us all such great presents, we love everything! And I swear, I am working on those thank you cards...really I am! I hope to have them out shortly, but Thank you Everyone for all of the fabulous gifts! (We have already taken over 500 pictures on our brand new Digital SLR camera!!)

We also want to thank everyone that has bought us diapers this first year, it is greatly appreciated! We had to buy diapers for the first time this past weekend and we realized just how great this has been. Thank you Everyone (especially the Grandmas!).

More to come soon...

New Favorite Food

2007-12-30T21:00:00.001-06:00

Abbie has a new favorite food, graham crackers. They follow her everywhere in the form of crumbs. We vacuum more often.

"Yummy in my Tummy."

Happy Holidays!

2007-12-25T20:35:00.000-06:00

Whew! The weather proved to be a problem this Christmas. We were planning on leaving to go to Grand Rapids on Sunday morning, however the heavy snow and high winds prevented us from leaving as scheduled. In order to arrive in Grand Rapids at a descent time, we left the Twin Cities at 8am Christmas Eve morning. Almost 6 hours later we arrived safe and sound (albeit very road weary) at Great Grandma Wilma's house just in time for the traditional ground pork sandwiches.

Throughout the entire trip, Abbie was a trooper! She didn't fuss much and seemed to enjoy her first trip to McDonald's even though she didn't have any fast food, we were able to have a quick snack, give Abbie lunch, and take a much needed break. The weather itself was crisp and clear on Monday, however the previous rain/snow made the roads a bit slippery in places.

It was a good thing that Abbie had a very long nap before all of the festivities began. She openned many presents, tried new foods, and stayed up much later than her bed time...but as you can see below...she had a Fabulous Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! We wish you all the best for 2008!

Love,
Sarah, Ed & Abigail

Just for Grandpa Brian

2007-12-22T21:08:00.000-06:00

Thanks for teaching me about Hair...

2007-12-22T20:52:00.000-06:00

Abbie can point out her nose and ears. Recently, someone taught her all about hair. Unfortunately, Abbie usually likes to point out her newly learned body parts at dinner time. So it goes a little something like this....

"Isn't someone going to CLEAN me?"

"Hair."

"More hair."

"Nevermind, I found something to eat in my hair."

"All done. Bathtime."

Did somebody say Cake?

2007-12-09T21:02:00.000-06:00

Abbie's First Birthday party went something like this......

"This is new....are you trying to scare me with that?"

"Hmmmm......"

"I have a pretty hat!"

"What exactly do I do with this?"

"What? I'm not that messy."

"And now I will eat the plate."

"Did you take away my cake?"

You say it's My Birthday...?

2007-12-07T19:52:00.000-06:00

We cannot believe that Abbie is actually 1 year old today! The year has flown by!

Today we (the three of us along with "Auntie" Teresa) went and got Abbie's official 1 year/Holiday pictures taken. They turned out a bit better than her 9 month pictures, but she really wasn't in the mood for the really peppy blonde girl at the photo place. Either that or she just wanted to stay in home in her jammies all day with Mom and Dad, it's a toss up. Then Abbie and I went to lunch with "Auntie" Teresa. Abbie had a blast and even got free toast and a cookie out of the deal (yes it was a weird combo, but hey it was free!).

After a busy morning, Abbie and I went home for a much needed nap before our trip to the Pediatrician. Abbie took a 95 minute nap, which is unheard of these days! After waking her up to get to the doctor's office on time, Abbie proved to be a Queen of Crankville even before the shots came.

We were very excited to bring Abbie to the doctor on her birthday because of the whole car seat phenominon. For those of you that may not be aware, infants need to be in a Rear Facing car seat up until the time that they are 1 year AND 20 pounds. Rear facing car seats are fine and all, especially when you have a handy mirror set up so you can actually see the baby in the car seat from the drivers seat, EXCEPT that when your baby gets to a certain age...looking at the back of the back seat just doesn't entertain he/she like it used to. We are definatly at that stage and we were SOOO EXCITED to bring Abbie to the doctor on her birthday to confirm that YES we can turn that dang car seat around.

At least that was the plan.

Abbie was a whopping 29 1/2 inches long and NINETEEN POUNDS!

Needless to say she will be REAR facing in her car seat for a little while longer.

I rationallized my disappointment by telling myself that it is just too cold to be outside trying to turn that carseat around anyways.

All in all it was a great birthday! And tomorrow we'll eat CAKE!

And I forgot to mention...

2007-11-19T20:07:00.000-06:00

Abbie finally has enough hair to put in a cute little 'Pebbles'- like pony. She now has 10 teeth (two more on top over the past couple of weeks and I swear 2 more are just about ready to break through on the bottom). AND she is walking like a champ...here's a little snippet.

Busy Day!

2007-11-19T19:43:00.000-06:00

Abbie had a very busy day....

First she finally figured out how to hold the cup herself (although daycare says she's been doing it there for ages!).

"I could do it all along!"

Then she read a book...

went for a walk....
laughed and giggled...
went upstairs to play in her room......
played with some toys...walked around for a little bit.....
looked for some new toys to play with (ok..looked for dust bunnies).....
and finally....sat down to rest.
WHEW! One day with Abbie can be pretty tiring.

Just like Mamma.

2007-11-18T21:16:00.000-06:00

"Just a minute...almost done."

Back to Normal

2007-11-09T19:52:00.000-06:00

Well, things seem to be back to normal in the Baggenstoss house. Abbie is now going to bed after 6pm and Ed isn't quite as crabby at the early setting sun.

Last weekend we were able to get in both a walk and a visit to the Motorcycle store. Of course, Abbie had a blast at the Motorcycle store, but I think it is more because of all the shinny chrome and not the actual motorcycles (although Ed strongly disagrees with me!).

Abbie had a blast in her stroller walking...she was all smiles!

"Hello Papa!"

"CHEESE!"

"Still not sure about this grass stuff."

Abbie still doesn't really know what to think of the ground and grass. She loves to pull the grass out of the ground, but other than that she really doesn't do anything else or even move from the spot she is sitting. Hopefully, for Dad's sake, she is a little bit more outdoorsy than her mom...I guess we'll see!

Can't You Read My Shirt?

2007-11-09T19:38:00.000-06:00

"I said READ it!"

Daylight Savings, what?

2007-11-05T20:44:00.000-06:00

Not only does Ed complain EVERY SINGLE year daylight savings time rolls around, but this year proves to be especially difficult to deal with. Not only is Ed complaining about the early darkness, but Abbie doesn't seem to be dealing well either. Last night and tonight she has gone to bed at 5:30pm. We thought that her normal 6:15pm - 6:45pm bed time was a bit early and now it is even earlier! Hopefully she adjusts in a few days and we get to see some of Abbie's walking (ok, stumbling).

" "

Babble..Babble..and more Babble

2007-11-01T19:11:00.000-05:00

Just a quick update. Today Abbie said "Bye" for the first time (she already says "hi", "Dada" and "mum")! I was picking her up from school today and just we were waving our goodbye's to the ladies and she just said it! It was pretty cute! The head teacher got all excited, much like when she walked for the first time for them. It is nice to have another word into Abbie's new, and very short, vocabulary.

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-30T20:00:00.000-05:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Abbie in her 'costume'. Scary!

"Raaahhhrrrr!"

Cheap Toys

2007-10-30T07:20:00.000-05:00

Who needs to spend $20-$30 on a walker-toy for your baby when a laundry basket turned upside down works just as well.

Abbie's been taking some more and bigger steps these days, however we have not managed to capture it on video yet.

Abbie seems to be enjoying fall with all of the leaves and pumpkins, and oh yeah, the hats and mittens!

"Here I come...watch out!"

Quite a Busy Few Weeks

2007-10-18T12:10:00.000-05:00

Well, over the past few weeks we've had a lot happen. Ed's brother, Shelby, came into town to meet his niece. Abbie took her first steps and I got my tonsils out. Right now, Abbie's at 'school' and my mom is here taking care of me (and trying to figure out what type if kitchen faucet we have in hopes of not breaking everything when I have to replace it). The past 48 hours have been pretty crazy and we still don't have hot water!

"Another picture?"

"Let's go, Shelby. Hurry up!"

Hopefully once we get our plumbing problems solved, I'll be able to get some good video of Abbie walking (which is more like 3-4 steps and then a dramatic leap into Papa's lap or fall to the knees).

And who needs to spend $20 on a walker/baby shopping cart toy when an empty tipped over Landry basket does just the trick!

Random Apples

2007-10-02T21:40:00.000-05:00

Abbie has decided that she really likes apples. Ok, that's not entirely true. Abbie has decided that she likes EVERYTHING I am eating (or trying to eat). This evening I was trying to eat an apple, but she had to have a taste as well.

"Um"

"Well.."

"Ok..I'll just take this over here..."

Hello from Duluth

2007-09-29T14:40:00.000-05:00

"I am determined to be more photogenic than my parents"

Sorry for the delay in posting again...it's been a busy, albeit quiet, couple of weeks. Abbie's been either growing or getting more teeth ( I KNOW!) and hasn't been sleeping very well (no, it isn't because it's too cold in her room because we won't turn the heat on. We've already learned that lesson).

Abbie and I are currently in Duluth for the weekend visiting the Maki grandparents and having a jolly ol' time. We went to a popular portrait studio this morning to have some pictures taken. Abbie's first professional photos. Here is how it went. Plop her down, shoot. Change background. Plop her down, shoot. We had three different backgrounds to work with. It was great. We only had about 3-4 good pictures, but considering that is about 30% of the total pictures taken...I suppose those are pretty good odds. Even though the pictures didn't turn out that great we still ended up spending a lot of money (at least I think it was a lot). If anyone has any suggestions as to where to go...feel free to let me know!

I guess it would also help if Abbie would stay in one spot for longer than 5 seconds (but you'd think that these are professionals and know how to take a picture in that 5 second window!).

Jinx

2007-09-23T19:52:00.000-05:00

Per usual, I talk (or in this case type) about something and I mess it all up. It never fails. Last time I wrote about the cold weather setting in...well that's LONG gone. Last week it was cold one day and we actually had to TURN ON THE HEAT! Yes, we had the heat on September 15th. This was the earliest Ed and I have ever turned on the heat (and to be honest, if we didn't have Abbie, we wouldn't have turned it on). After two nights of Abbie waking up in the wee hours because she was cold, we finally turned the heat on. Thankfully it was for just one day. The next day we had the windows open and the day after that we had the air conditioning on. Is this what Global Warming is all about? (HA!) We broke down again today and turned the air conditioning back on....so much for the start of fall!

We took a small road trip yesterday to Northfield and saw some pretty trees. Other than that nothing else is new here. Pretty boring and quiet, but that's ok.

Ed is going to download some pictures, so we'll update pretty soon....HOPEFULLY!

9 Month Update and the end of Summer

2007-09-13T20:22:00.000-05:00

It hasn't been that long since the HOT weather was here. The cold definitely seems to have settled in for the duration (of course I say this and we will probably have a 90 degree day next week!). For labor day, we had a picnic at the Hidden Falls Regional Park in St. Paul. Abbie had a blast! Fortunately for us, she loves her stroller and doesn't put up too much of a fuss when we want to go on a long walk.

"Yeah, I'm just hanging out...let's ride."

Since it was so hot that day, we decided to get out the kiddie pool and filler up! It was a blast. Abbie had a wonderful time splashing and crawling around. This was only the second time she had been in the pool this summer and I must say that the second time around went much better! She will have a great time next summer.

"Why won't this duckie stay still!"

Over the past week or so, Abbie has become a bit of a klutz (or maybe we've slacked off on paying as close attention as we should, it's a toss up!). She has two scrapes on her forehead right now. I feel like such a bad mom every morning when I bring her to daycare. But then I remember that we have MANY more bumps and bruises to come and considering how active Abbie is, this is NOTHING compared to what we will probably see in the not so distant future.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Well, we've had some pretty somber days here at the Baggenstoss house. It is amazing how quiet it is around here (although, our neighbors are probably a bit thankful) now that Chelsea is not barking at every squirrel, rabbit, person, dog, cat, leaf that makes it way past one of the 30 windows in our house. We were excited for a bit of a distraction and Abbie was able to provide that to us. Yesterday we took Abbie to the eye doctor and her pediatrician for 9month well-visit. The eye doctor went great and Abbie is, of course, perfect! Abbie only received 2 shots at the pediatrician this time and was an absolute champ and hardly cried! Here are Abbie's 9 month stats:

18 lbs 4 oz - 25-50th percentile

26 1/2 inches- 10-25th percentile

She is still such a little peanut, but that's ok. She continues to develop and grow like crazy, even if she seems small. We finally got a good picture of all of her Teeth!

"Cheese!"

In Memory of Chelsea

2007-09-11T04:02:00.000-05:00

We apologize that some of you are hearing about this for the first time via Abbie's Blog, however we are not quite ready to make phone calls spreading the news. Thank you for your understanding.

For those of you who may not know, our first "child" Chelsea has suffered from a fairly rare kidney disorder, Polycystic Kidney Disease, for all of her life. For the most part she has acted like a typical Wheaten Terrier, spunky, crazy!, loves to jump and give kisses, ears were her favorite (followed by a close second of belly buttons!). However, over the past few weeks she has been acting very strange and not at all like herself. Even so, we were quite surprised when Chelsea woke us up early this morning and was bleeding from her nose. We of course went into panic mode. Ed brought Chelsea to the emergency vet and found out that her blood is not clotting. The treatment for this disorder would take months and would be really hard on her kidneys. There is also no guarantee that the treatment would work with Chelsea given her existing medical condition. We had to make hardest decision of our lives.

We dreamed of the days when Chelsea would snuggle with Abbie and sleep in her room as she grew older. While we know that will not happen, we are glad that Abbie was able to get to know Chelsea, even if she won't remember her! We are just disappointed that we weren't able to get a good video of the two of them.

We will miss you Chelsea...Love, Mom & Papa & Abbie

8 and counting

2007-09-06T19:07:00.000-05:00

I realized today that Abbie has yet another tooth (now..if we could just work on that hair!). That makes a total of 8, with equal number on top and bottom. Pretty soon she is going to be ready for some prime rib!

Abbie took her first real tumble, unfortunately I don't have pictures to prove it yet. She was trying to WALK from one chair to the table and well...it didn't go so well. At first I thought we would have to bring her to the ER, but all is well and she was fine after about 15 minutes. let me tell you, trying to apply ice (as they say to do in all the baby/toddler books in the 'first aid' section) is not at all possible on a 9 month old. What were they thinking?

"Don't laugh, I look cool in my shades! "

"Smile! He He! And give me some food!"

Hello!

2007-08-30T21:08:00.001-05:00

Stairs and Teeth

2007-08-26T20:57:00.000-05:00

So, you'd think that Abbie would be done getting new teeth for awhile, but no...Abbie cut ANOTHER tooth this weekend. One cute little tooth on the bottom this time.

We were hoping that Abbie would be slowing down a bit on the developmental aspect of things, but we were sadly mistaken. Abbie learned how to crawl up stairs this weekend. She began with the bottom two (up to a small landing), but she can now crawl ALL THE WAY up the staircase. (Hopefully we will have some video tomorrow..stay tuned!).

Oh my are we in for it!

Teeth, Rashes, and all around crazies..Word.

2007-08-22T20:40:00.000-05:00

Well the last couple of weeks have been a bit CRAZY in our house. first Abbie got sick with Roseola, fever and then a rash. Then I got sick. It was so bad both Grandma's had to come to take care of us! Just when everyone was feeling better, Abbie and I went out of town for a week to Duluth. Thankfully, Abbie is a great traveller. She just sits in her car seat (we've switched to the non-infant carrier variety last week) and sleeps.

We had a great weekend visiting people and places, too many to mention tonight. Abbie did however get a horrible yeast diaper rash (ICK!) and another rash virus! We knew that snot and poop filled diapers were in our future, but who knew babies get a variety of different rashes as well! She is comfortable for the most part and the anti-fungus treatment seems to be going well (ok, enough on that). Abbie weighed in at 17lbs 12oz at 8 1/2 months.

But the really exciting news is that............

"Geez mom, could ya dust soon."

Abbie has FOUR new teeth! They all came this weekend! We have been waiting forever for these teeth to make their grand entrance. Pretty soon Abbie is going to look funny when she smiles, but we can't wait. Yes, she cut all of her teeth at the same time (at least the same day or so) and no, she wasn't too cranky. THANK GOD!

Word on the street is that we can now link video to our blog now via You Tube. Once we have that all figured out we'll be adding video. Hopefully within the next week.

Off to LaCrosse this weekend on another great adventure.

More to come....

Update

2007-08-13T21:00:00.001-05:00

Just a quick update..

Abbie is crawling, pulling herself up, eating solid foods 3 times a day, and BABBLING like CRAZY!

"Papa, say Cheese!"

"I can see you!"

"Chelsea, I'll give you a dollar if you get me outta here...come on."

And I'm Standing

2007-07-30T20:18:00.001-05:00

Holy cow. She just started to crawl on her hands and knees and now she is pulling herself up to STAND! We have kicked it into high gear with the baby-proofing. We put up gates last weekend and currently shopping around for an electrician. We live in an old house and, unfortunately, we have only a few outlets in each room (which are, of course, not placed in the best places!). Needless to say, we are a bit extension cord happy. Hopefully we will rid of that habit very soon!

"OK, so I can stand...I just gotta figure out how to get my upper body up."

"Well, I dold you that my nose was running and I'm tired and I can't help it if you can't get the mixed veggies in my mouth the first time."

Ummm...Food

2007-07-16T21:46:00.001-05:00

Introducing "solid" food has been quite interesting, even more so than the crawling! Abbie has become quite good at letting you know that she is hungry (especially when it is something she likes, such as Bananas or Sweet Potatoes).

"More! More! I want more NOW!"

"No more, Mama. No more."

Here I go...

2007-07-16T21:38:00.000-05:00

And we thought Abbie was starting to crawl a week ago! WOW! How a week has changed. Abbie is now moving so fast she can be on one side of the room one minute and clear across the other the next (oh, wait...that's because our house is so small!). We have a big task of 'Abbie-proofing' the house this weekend...gates and other various un-nammed gadgets HERE WE COME!

" I think I'm Gonna..."

"go..."

"over here!"

Soon

2007-07-12T20:13:00.001-05:00

We'll it's official. Abbie will probably be an early walker. She is already crawling, pulling herself up to her knees, and now her FEET when she has something to hold onto. We have yet to capture these new developments on camera, but we will soon. She spends most of the day at daycare pulling her self up and then falling down on her bum. She rolls around from one end of the room to another. The teachers just love to watch her move about all day and laugh at her. Abbie is also laughing, dancing (well, butt dancing, it's cute!), and waves pretty well. Every day seems to bring something new and we are scared and excited for what tomorrow will bring.

"Chelsea...just sit still. You know I'll always win!"

Good Luck Jules! we'll miss you....

2007-07-08T17:04:00.000-05:00

Our good friend Jules left Minnesota today to pursue a new adventure in Alaska. We all wish her the best, even though we'll miss her dearly! Jules came over to visit me and Abbie while I was on leave and we had a great time chatting and taking turns changing diapers! I miss those afternoons since I went back to work and so does little Abs.

"Mama, I don't want Julie to go..."

P.S. Jules...I've researched it and the Gophers play Anchorage the last weekend in February, so I've started putting a little gear in motion to convince Ed to go out to visit. We even researched the sunrise/set for that time of year and it really isn't that bad. More to come..

Happy 4th of July!!!

2007-07-05T21:37:00.001-05:00

We had a fairly low-key 4th. We went over to a friends for a BBQ and Abbie got her first "ride" on a motorcycle, even if the motor wasn't technically running! She had a blast.

"Faster Papa! Faster!"

A day in Red Wing

2007-07-05T21:24:00.000-05:00

Ed finally took Abbie out on a day trip by himself last weekend. They went to beautiful Red Wing to meet the Sundstrom grandparents for lunch. I got to work and clean the house, uninterrupted!!

Of course they took some great pictures...

"Want it? Want it?"

"Go get it!"

After an Abbie free day at home, I started to miss her. Of course, when she got home she looked as cute as ever!

"It's not my fault I can only belly crawl backwards."

Our little Punk Rocker

2007-06-28T19:21:00.000-05:00

(WOW..swimming is so much like a bath, without the soap of course.)

(OK..stop staring at my hair!)

For some reason Abbie's hair keeps growing thicker and longer right in the middle. Because of this she constantly looks like she has a Mohawk. On Monday, we bought Abbie a little kiddie pool and gave her a new hairdo...she seemed to love it! So does Dad!

I am cute!

2007-06-26T20:22:00.000-05:00

If Abbie wasn't cute enough, she recently became cuter than ever! Now when she is in a good mood and really giggle -e, she will raise her shoulders and chuckle. It is soo cute. I wish I could add video to this blog (hopefully they'll add that function sometime in the future!).

(giggle, giggle)

(Here I am, learning how to stand...watch out cause I'll be running around the house soon!)

Is it possible...

2007-06-20T21:42:00.000-05:00

Is it possible to be both a cutie and a NERD?

Watch out...I'm on a mission

2007-06-20T21:11:00.000-05:00

Rolling...Rolling...Rolling

Well, it's official...Abbie is very independent. She is very close to crawling, but can still get around well by rolling. She is so good at it, she can roll herself around the entire room!

"Yeah, I rolled off my blanket...aren't you glad you cleaned those carpets?"

"Here I go...you better watch out!"

"See, I made it to the other side of the room...before you could even take another picture. Now I'm stuck."

Baby Buddha: "Hush now, I must reflect on my accomplishment."

Abbie has also been eating more foods these days including Apples, Sweet Potatoes, and Peas. The peas were the best, in my opinion, because they created the greatest reaction...it was fabulous!

"You are so mean Mama. Why do you laugh?"

Hope you are all well!

Love,
Sarah, Ed and The Abs.

6 month update!

2007-06-07T16:12:00.000-05:00

(Mom, can't you see I'm busy...)

The Abs went in today for her 6 month checkup! She weighed in at 15lbs 14oz and 26 inches. She also got 4 shots, which she of course loved! Since I had to take part of the day off for her appointment, I decided to take the whole darn day off and host coffee for the 'mom and baby' group I joined in February. It was exciting to see everyone since it had been a month or so since I'd seen everyone. It is amazing how big all of the babies are! Abbie is the only girl, the oldest, and the smallest! The babies are starting to interact with each other a bit and it should be interesting to see how they really begin to play together in the upcoming months.

See I do cry

2007-06-05T21:29:00.000-05:00

I know that you didn't believe us, but Abbie does cry from time to time. Here is the proof.
(And she is still stinkin' cute)!

(So, we aren't sure if she is crying because of the runny nose...or the God awful wallpaper in our room!)

Busy..Busy...

2007-06-05T21:10:00.000-05:00

Cutest Girl on the Block!

Well, daycare has definitely started to 'strengthen' Abbie's immune system. She has been going to daycare for THREE full weeks and has come home with THREE different illnesses/viruses. AHH! We were really looking forward to a long weekend over Memorial day because we had LOTS of plans to get some things done around the house. Unfortunately, the big bad virus had other plans for us and Ed and I took turns being sick (thankfully Abbie wears diapers!!!). But all is well and we are all fine.

Abbie did go to the doctor yesterday because she had a high fever over the weekend. She is fine, of course! She weighed in at 15lbs 10oz and is still a little peanut! We love her.
Abbie can now sit on her own (for the most part).

(Yeah, I'm just sittin' here looking pretty with my Mohawk)

5 months, Hot Weather, Back to Work, Mother's Day, Start of Daycare

2007-05-14T13:25:00.000-05:00

WOW! It has been a crazy couple of weeks. I went back to work last week, which is going OK..so far (still hoping that a really sweet Part-Time job will pop-up and this will all end, but probably won't happen anytime soon..if ever). Grandma Ellen came into town on Thursday and Friday to babysit Abbie and she had a blast.

Abbie having a blast in our backyard!

Abbie started daycare this morning, it was only a half day to ease my transition! The ladies said that she was a good happy baby and had a blast. She is sleeping right now and I am enjoying the quiet. I don't know what is up with this crazy HOT weather, but it doesn't seem to bother Abbie! Today it is going to be in the low 90's. We broke down and turned on the AC...it's way to early for that!Rollover-Rollover

Abbie is now rolling over from her back to her front and she will NOT stay on her back for any length of time! It is quite funny until she gets so tired and frustrated. For some reason she hasn't 'remembered' that she can roll over from her front to back! What a doll!Just chillin' in my stroller.

Abbie also had rice cereal for the first time. She really hasn't gotten the hang of it, but we're working on it. She is definitely a funny eater!

I guess that's a thumbs down on the rice cereal.

My 1st Mother's Day was pretty low key. We just went to a local park and hung out most of the day, but it was special and I had a good time.

Until later,

Sarah, Ed and Abbie

and another tooth!

2007-05-02T21:39:00.000-05:00

Little Abbie cut another tooth last week. She now has both of her front bottom teeth! Although you can't really see them...trust me they are there and they are sharp. Abbie hasn't been too cranky with the teeth, thank God! She definitely wants to chew more now as she doesn't suck her thumb, but gnaws on it...it is cute!

More later!

Love,
Sarah, Ed and Abbie

A tooth!

2007-04-24T20:37:00.000-05:00

Abbie officially has her very 1st tooth! We are so excited. It popped through this past week and (thankfully!!!) she hasn't been to cranky.

Abbie is also starting to sit (kinda) and has found her feet...which makes diaper changing quite challenging at times.

We are all so excited that the weather is starting to get a bit warmer since we will be able to go for walks more and more.

~Sarah, Ed and Abbie

Abigail Update....4 months

2007-04-10T21:27:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone. We cannot believe that Abbie is 4 months old already! I, sadly, have to go back to work exactly one month from today. I am not thrilled, but we did find a day care that we like (and won't totally break the bank), so it makes it a bit better.

Abbie went to the Dr. today for her 4 month check-up and shots (yikes, she could only get two out of the four she needed today, so we'll have the pleasure of going back at the end of the week..thankfully they don't seem to affect her too much). She weighed 14lbs 10oz and was 25 inches long. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT! This is up 3lbs 3oz and almost 3 inches from two months ago. WOW! She is such a happy baby!

Today was also a great day for Abbie as she grabbed her foot with her hand for the first time AND she giggled, a real laughy giggle! It was GREAT!

Abbie is really doing well and we love her to pieces!

More updates soon...since Abbie is changing more and more these days.

Love,

Sarah, Ed and Abbie...oh and Chelsea too.

PS> Feel free to leave comments, I tend to run out of things to say, so if anyone wants to leave a comment/question..please do!

Pictures:

Top to Bottom

#1: Abbie 1 day old
#2: Abbie 4 months

#3: Abbie Flying...she likes it! Doesn't her hair look RED!

#4: Abbie playing in her activity Gym, looking inquisitively

Visit to Duluth

2007-04-02T20:07:00.000-05:00

Abigail and I took our first overnight trip together to Duluth. It was great fun. We left last Thursday and came home yesterday (Sunday). It was a long weekend, but a good one. We stopped in Barnum and met some of my mom's (Granny Maki) friends, they were all excited to meet Abbie. Later that night, Abbie met her Great-Grandmother Verna. On Friday, Abbie and I went over to my friend Tiffany's house and meet the newest addition to their house, Berkley...he is tiny! I know it sounds crazy, but I can't believe that Abbie was that small and it's only been 4 months!

On Saturday we went to Grand Rapids and had lunch with Great-Grandmother Prokosch. The Maki Grandparents and Uncle Mike had a wonderful time with Abbie and were very sad to see us leave. I was very sad to leave as well and wish I could have stayed a bit longer, but Ed was missing Abbie sooooo much. I think Abbie had a good time traveling and only had two mini meltdowns.

It seems that Abbie and Chelsea missed each other this weekend. Chelsea pouted and moped around all weekend and she was very happy to see Abbie when we got home. Chelsea licked Abbie's face like crazy. Then later that night, Abbie seemed equally excited to see Chelsea and even started "talking to her". She watched Chelsea walk around and tried to get her attention, very loudly. It was very funny. Ed and I were surprised, but of course we missed getting it on video!

Overall, Abbie does very well in the car, but the weekend was a bit too much for her and next time I'll make sure she gets a little bit more quiet time (live and learn!). We don't have any plans for this weekend, but it should be pretty quiet we hope.

Wish everyone well,

Sarah, Ed and Abigail

Picture 1: Ed and Abbie making kissing faces for the camera

Picture 2: 4 Generation Picture, mom's side (Prokosch)

Gophers...lose

2007-03-25T21:51:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how much changes in one little week. Last Saturday the Gophers beat UND in OVERTIME to win the WCHA Tournament title. Well, overtime wouldn't help the MN Golden Gophers today in the Men's Hockey NCAA tournament, but this time they lost to UND!. Ah well...Ed is bummed, but there is always next year!

Abbie and I are going to Duluth this week! YIPPEE!! It is going to be our first trip just the two of us AND it is going to be Abbie's first overnight trip! We are excited!

Not too much new here. We are all doing good and Abbie is getting bigger every day. We think she weighs about 14.5lbs right now (we are both too afraid to get on the scale alone, much less get on it with Abbie!). We have been enjoying the summer-like weather by taking walks around the lake and neighborhood. Today it was in the mid-70's and we were able to take Abbie out with just a short sleeved onezie...no jacket! It was great!

Hope everyone is well...

Love,

Busy Weekends...

2007-03-18T21:08:00.000-05:00

We've had a busy couple of weeks! We took Abbie on her first long car ride to LaCrescent, MN (by LaCrosse, WI in Southern Minnesota) to visit the Sundstrom Grandparents. The trip was a lot of fun and Abbie had a blast!

This weekend both Grandma's came and spent a day with Abbie while Ed and I went to the WCHA Final 5 Hockey tournament...it was great fun for everyone! It was the first time I had been away from Abbie for any length of time and I actually did quite well. Both Grandma's had a good time hanging out with Abbie.

Abbie and I are planning our first overnight trip to Duluth in two weeks and we cannot wait! I am excited because I get to meet the newest addition to the Messel clan that arrived on St. Patty's day! I am SOO EXCITED!

Love you all,
The Fam.

Pictures:

Top: Abbie getting ready for an afternoon of shopping. She likes spending Papa's money too.

Bottom: Abbie all dressed up to watch the Gophers on TV.

Abigail update...3 months

2007-03-08T20:11:00.000-06:00

WOW! We cannot believe that little Abbie is already 3 months old! It seems like it was just yesterday that she came into this world (except we are getting MUCH MORE sleep these days!).

Abbie is doing great. We suspect that she is about 13-14lbs and around 23 inches long. Abbie is becoming much more fun...she is all smiles most of the time and giggles when she eats (which makes feeding time much more interested..and long!). She just started growing out of her 0-3 month clothes! Now if I could only lose weight as fast as she is gaining it!!!

Yesterday, Abbie started rolling over from her front to her back. She is making tummy time more interesting. Abbie also started paying attention to Chelsea and even started smiling at her and following her when she walks (or runs) by! Abs and Chels are going to be great pals when Abbie starts to be more mobile. Abbie can hold her head up pretty good now and is funny to see that she actually has a neck (her double chin isn't nearly as big as her moms, thank god!).

Only 2 more months until I have to go back to work, bummer. We found a good daycare that we like in our neighborhood. It feels great to know where she is going to be but is going to break the bank because good daycare is soo darn expensive in the cities, but we have seen that you do get what you pay for.

Hope everyone is doing well!

~Sarah, Ed and Abigail

Snow..Snow...go away!

2007-03-02T12:18:00.000-06:00

Well, Abbie has now experienced her first snow storm...well kinda. We just received about 12 inches of fresh fluffy snow and Abbie is absolutely oblivious. Yesterday we attended our 'Mom and Baby' class as normal and I drove in this horrible snow. The drive wasn't too bad yet and we just took it easy. It must not have been too bad because the instructor and all the other moms were there (that or we just needed to get out of the house that bad!). Abbie slept in the car and didn't have a clue as to what was going on outside.

Abigail is doing great! She is getting bigger every day and we cannot wait until she can go outside and play. She is starting to roll over on her side quite consistently...gotta really keep a hand on her during diaper changes, she is so squirmy! Almost grown out of all of her 0-3 month clothes! YIPPEE!

Hope you are all doing well!

Love,

The Family

PS. Happy 2nd Birthday to MacKenzie! Sorry we couldn't make it, but we'll see you soon!!

**Picture** Ed calls this picture "Jazz Hands"!

A Happy Abigail...

2007-02-23T08:48:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to share a picture of the little Abbie smiling. She really is a sweetheart! Abbie is really starting to become a fun little baby..she smiles all the time and has a cute little giggle/laugh. She coos a lot and it is funny when she tries to imitate what we are saying because she ends up blowing spit bubbles! She is becoming quite the little drooler too...which I swear she is starting to get a tooth, even though I know it is way too early for that!

Hope everyone is well.

Love,
Sarah, Ed and Abigail

Abbie Update - 2 Months!!!

2007-02-09T14:36:00.000-06:00

Abbie is 2 months old already. We cannot believe it! She went to the Dr yesterday for her first shots (owww!), cried like crazy and slept most of the evening away, but seemed to recover quite well from all the trauma!

Abbie weighed in at 11lbs 7.5oz and 22 1/4 inches long. She is doing great! She is such a cutie. Abbie is smiling and cooing and almost laughs, it is cute. Abbie also sleeps in her crib, in her OWN room! Ed and I weren't getting any sleep because she is such a LOUD sleeper, snorts and grunts and gurgles all night long! Fortunately, the transition from cradle in our room to crib in her own room went fairly smooth, but we are waiting for the day to come when she doesn't want to be in there alone (but for now we all enjoy it!). Abbie sleeps about 6-7 hours straight every night, so we are all getting enough sleep.

Abbie loves her play gym and squeaks at the blinking lights on the musical star. Her own little personality is starting to shine through and we think she is going to be an active little girl (hopefully she'll whip us all into shape and we can shed a few pounds!)

Oh..and the ankle is doing MUCH better. I can walk now without a limp and I am back to running up and down the stairs 800 times a day (those stairs are a GREAT workout!). Now if it would just warm up Abbie and I will be able to start a workout routine...we'll probably go back to mall walking for now (which is actually quite interesting, but easy to spend a lot of money if you aren't careful...key is to keep the wallet in the car!).

We wish everyone well!

More soon...

Love, The Fam

Pictures: 1st pic is of Abbie finally falling asleep after spending the day with the Maki Grandparents and Uncle Mike. She was showing off all day, smiling and googling, but as soon as they left Abbie was out cold. (she looks like she's thinking "Oh my goodness, finally some peace and quiet!")

2nd pic is of Abbie smiling up at her Papa after having some lunch this afternoon, 2/11.

What a Klutz....

2007-01-29T09:36:00.000-06:00

Sarah had a bit of a klutz-y moment on Friday. She was walking through the back yard and twisted her ankle and fell on an uneven portion of the sidewalk. Thankfully Abigail was in her car seat and she was fine. Sarah on the other hand sprained her ankle really bad and had to go to the doctor for x-rays. No, it isn't broken...but it looks like it should be.

Jenny, I guess now you don't have to worry about Abbie...since she has now been officially dropped (BUT SHE IS OK!!).

Here is a most recent picture of the little girl and of course the ankle!

Decisions

2007-01-17T07:39:00.000-06:00

OK, so...we've decided on Abigails nickname (for now). We are going to spell it.....ABBIE! Like father, like daughter!

Not too much new here. Abigail is growing and growing and growing. We swear her face gets chubbier every day. She has started to coo and gurgle and make other noises other than crying (yippee!). No real 'social smiles' yet, but they are coming soon we think.

And..she is FINALLY fitting into most of her 0-3month clothing. Mom (Sarah) is excited because now Abbie has more options for clothes (oh it is sooo fun to get her dressed in the morning, so many cute options).

More updates and PICTURES to come soon.

Love,
Sarah, Ed & Abigail

1 Month Old

2007-01-09T19:47:00.000-06:00

How has a whole month passed so far? We cannot believe that Abigail is already a month old!!! Even though she is not mobile yet, Ed is already saying "People with newborns should have 4 arms!" We are in for it.. But honestly, everything has been going quite well. We are starting to get into somewhat of a routine, which is nice (and of course, subject to change at any time!!!).

Abbie had her 1 month check up today and she weighed in at 9lbs 11oz and 21 inches long! YIPPEE...

Top picture is Ed and Abbie at the hospital (less than 24 hours old)
Bottom picture: Ed and Abbie in Abbie's room (1 month and 1 day old)

Happy New Year!!!

2007-01-01T07:45:00.000-06:00

We would like to wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We rang in the New Year in unceremoniously....we were all sound asleep! Which was GREAT!

Ed and I (and Chelsea, although she doesn't know it) are looking forward to 2007 and all of the FIRSTs that lie ahead. We can't wait!

Love you all!

~The Baggenstoss Family

Merry Christmas

2006-12-25T11:21:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas everyone! Abbie is enjoying her 1st Christmas. So far we've taken a couple of naps and had a bath. What fun! Later on this afternoon G-ma and G-pa Sundstrom are coming over to visit. We hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.

On Friday, Abbie weighed in at 7lbs 14 1/2oz and 19 1/4 inches long.

I think Ed picked out Abbie's outfit!

Love,
Sarah, Ed and Abbie

Abby, Abbie, or Abbi

2006-12-20T11:20:00.000-06:00

So, we are having a dilemma on how to spell Abigail's nick name. I like the traditional ABBY and Ed likes ABBIE because he is an I-E (Eddie, which is what most of his family calls him). So, thought we'd get some other ideas. How do you think we should spell Abby? Not that it really matters because in a couple of years she'll have a personality all of her own and change it! Her is a recent picture of her.

She weighed in at 7lbs 10oz today. I think that it all went to her cheeks!

Baby's Home

2006-12-10T20:45:00.000-06:00

Quick update:

We are proud parents of a Baby Girl!
Abigail Marie Baggenstoss
Born: Thursday December 7th @ 7:02pm
6lbs 14oz
18 inches

Mom and baby are doing great and everyone is excited to be home.

More info to come soon....

Almost there...

2006-11-29T20:10:00.000-06:00

Well, only a few more days to go..Until the due date that is. Monday is "the day", but I am almost certain that day will come and go with absolutely no excitement. Went to the Dr this week and still not dilated AT ALL! Oh well, guess baby just wants to come on it's own schedule...that or baby is waiting for a huge snow/ice storm to decide to come into the world. The Nursery is all set to go and I am hoping to get some pictures online soon. We've made some recent changes to the set up and decor. Yup, we are getting excited... we'll keep you updated! Until later...S & E.

Shower

2006-10-27T20:34:00.000-05:00

Well, I have two of the most wonderful friends EVER. They threw me a wonderful baby shower in Duluth on the 14th. Tiffany and Amy...Thank you for everything! It was a blast. Everyone had a great time and the games were fun.

To Everyone: Thank you all for the wonderful gifts...Ed and I truly appreciate everyone's generosity and well wishes. Only 5 weeks to go.....

(PS. Anyone else get the flu besides me?).

Your Guess....

2006-09-15T20:01:00.000-05:00

For those of you who don't know the sex of the baby (heck even if you do..they could be wrong!), wanna guess? Add your comments to this post! I am curious what people think....

Baby's Room

2006-09-15T19:48:00.000-05:00

Well...we've finally done it. The baby's room is painted and the floor has been re-finished. What a mess that all was. Here is an after picture of the room before any of the 'stuff' was put in. Right now it looks like a disaster area because we were able to put the Crib together (why do they give you directions that are extremely complicated, especially when it is mostly put together and all you have to really do is put the sides together with four simple bolts..ahhh!), but we were unable to put the changing table together because the box did not contain Directions or Hardware. Great! So we are just waiting for the manufacturer to send us the replacements...no biggie we have time! Other than that the baby's been kicking regularly and I passed my Glucose tolerance test! More to come...Stay tuned. 11 weeks to go...

Painting

2006-08-26T20:28:00.000-05:00

Today we started to paint the baby's room.
When we moved into our house a little over a year ago we painted the soon-to-be baby's room a nice beige color. We did a horrible job, which we think is mainly because we really weren't in the mood to paint, but because the room had been MINT GREEN we had no other choice! So, we started with a off-white color which turned out to be way too light. We then went to this nice beige color. When we found out that we were pregnant we decided to keep the beige color because it was a nice neutral color. At first we weren't going to paint, but then when we emptied out the room and took down the pictures we decided to just go ahead and paint it again because we had extra paint left over. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough paint....No problem we thought. We have the cover that has the color information, so we just went to the store and got small can of the paint...No problem! When we got home it was the absolutely WRONG color. We had no idea what had happened. The store was really busy earlier that day, so we thought that maybe they had screwed up. Nope...Not them. Come to find out a couple hours later and yet a different gallon of paint later. That we had actually mixed the lids on the paint can. We put the lid from the FIRST attempt on the can that we actually used on the walls. The kicker to the whole thing is that we realized our mistake at the time and instead of changing the lids...we just kept the other lid...on another shelf of our paint cabinet. We are idiots sometimes when it comes to painting!
Unfortunately, a two hour project just turned into a 2 day project!

HOT!

2006-08-06T19:25:00.000-05:00

Nothing much new has been going on here. It has been pretty hot lately and we have been keeping pretty quiet these days. Just the thought of it only being 85 degrees made Ed want to open the windows, so we did! It is a lot less humid today, so it really isn't bad.

Started feeling the Baby Baggs over the last week, nothing too consistent and thankfully the kicks and twists haven't been brutal. Over the next several weeks the kicks and jabs should become more pronounced and consistent, which I am looking forward to because it means that Ed should finally be able to feel and see it.

More updates to come.....

Sarah and Ed.

Chelsea

2006-07-22T10:11:00.000-05:00

Chelsea is very excited to have another addition to the family. She probably wishes it were of the 4 legged variety, but we think she will get along just fine.

Ultrasound Pics 20 Wks

2006-07-20T19:04:00.000-05:00

Left: Baby Baggs sucking it's thumb (already just like Mom!)

Below: Baby Baggs profile shot, isn't that cute!