Our blossoming girl

Abigail for several weeks has been making incredible, adorable fish faces and now--she is sucking in her bottom lip in the most darling way--still haven't been able to capture it on film (working on it!)

Last weekend, we went to the zoo and saw lots of animals but it was the chickens that actually caught her eye (or was it the fact that Papa was holding her and making chicken sounds that she noticed them at all--who cares, she had a great time and so did we!)

On Mama's birthday, she bought her the most beautiful flowers! We celebrated with friends and family at...Bubby's! And, then we took a walk along the beautiful Brooklyn Bridge Park. It was a very memorable birthday in part because Amanda now knows the true meaning of birthday and in part because she got to spend it with people she loves dearly.

She's grabbing both feet now!! And she's even grabbing her own pulkes (thighs)...there's a lot to grab and more every day!

We visited the Botanic Garden this week. They were watering their grounds and the sprinklers hit their pathway--it was sort of unavoidable. I tried serpentine maneuvers so that Abigail wouldn't get wet and yet, it was bound to happen--she let out a yelp but took it in stride as I patted her dry she giggled with delight.

A tree has been planted in Abigail's name, in Israel, thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Happy girl, happy parents

We love how Abigail wakes up in the morning--talking to herself. What do you think she's saying? "I wonder what adventures I'm going on today, hey...there's my hand!" Or, "Will I be able to eat that orange or green stuff again today?" (Sweet potatoes and avocados have been added to her solid food menu!)

Last weekend we hung out with lots of older kids (the Tot Lot with Hayley and Charlotte and then the next day trying on costumes with Beatrix and Millie). We discovered too that Abigail thinks puppets are hysterical (especially if they're shiny, have big eyes and a mouth). A fish puppet spoke to her and she laughed and laughed. We bought one for her own this week and while she doesn't think it's as funny she's still mesmerized by it.

We went to the MoMA yesterday with Wanda and baby Aaron. They ate through much of the trip, but still had a great time discovering the works of Matisse and Picasso.

We're off to our fourth sign class today! Abigail hasn't quite picked up any of the signs (in fact last week was the first one she didn't eat or sleep through most of the 45 minutes), but Mama has and can't wait to show them to her when she's ready.

We are more amazed than ever of our girl. Whether she's laughing, wiggling, crying or reaching for our hands we are simply in awe that she is our daughter. Our daughter! It's no longer, "I can't believe she's here" but more, "how did we ever live without her?"

Abigail sure is growing up

First it's days, then it's weeks and then it become months--how we gauge how old our Abigail is. (Though we have thought she'll be a year old in just 8 short months!) Then we started gauging Abigail's growth by milestones--she found her hands, she's picking her head up while on her tummy, she's laughing...and now we're noticing the smaller, delicate, heartwarming things that tell us she's beautifully growing.

Like when Amanda kisses her good-night, Abigail rubs her belly and smiles with approval (and then, hopefully will drift off to sleep easily), or when Jonathan couldn't feed her fast enough when she was taking her first bites of rice cereal and now BANANAS! Abigail is turning into quite the person.

And...

She's found her foot (just the left one for now)!

We took a trip to the Brooklyn Museum and Abigail discovered she likes looking at African masks and headdresses. She cooed as she sat in her Papa's arms, transfixed. She also seemed pleased with a lot of Andy Warhol's paintings. She'll be an art historian, just like her Papa!

Solid food!!

That's right--Abigail has tried and LOVED eating rice cereal! At first, she wasn't so sure about it but then, YUM, mouth open ready to eat. So much so that when she wasn"t eating--she cried for more! She finished the 2 tablespoons in no time at all and even had room for some of mama's milk. Next stop--beef stew! There is video, click on First taste! located on the right.

Happy 4 months Abigail!

Back from Vermont

Well, we're back from a week in Craftsbury, Vermont. We had a lovely time with all that glorious space, green mountains, and fresh air. The farmhouse was so different from when we went up in December — last time Daphne trudged through snow, this time through tall grass. Hard to believe that on our last trip Abigail was still inside Amanda's belly, and we hadn't yet met her.

At the Cabot Creamery, Abigail scoffed when she heard milk comes from cows. She cried out (wailed, actually), apparently disturbed at the spreading of such vicious lies — clearly, milk comes from mommies, not cows! Needless to say we did not finish the tour.

She did much better when we did the Trapp Family Lodge history tour. (The Sound of Music family) Though we arrived an hour and ten minutes early to take the tour (we thought the tour started at 10, not 11), Abigail slept through most of it. We were thrilled when Rosemarie, one of the von Trapp children–now in her 80's–told us she looked like a happy child. To hear that from one of the 'hills are alive' children, was very gratifying.

And now we're back. Abigail has done a lot of growing in our time away from Brooklyn. She can pick her head up while on her belly, she's enjoyed an infant massage and she's laughing more each day. Life is pretty swell.

Check out the new photos by clicking on the albums to the right (there are 2 new ones!). Enjoy!

Laughter!

Abigail is enjoying life--all 15 weeks of it! Fifteen weeks old--can you believe it?! She has been known to let out a laugh or two, and is constantly smiling! Jonathan gets her to grin by saying, "who has a stinky tooshie?" to her, and Abigail beams when Amanda does Eskimo kisses with her. Her smiles are rays of sunshine that light our world.

Abigail is also making sounds and producing lots of bubbles and drool (so much so that sometimes she needs to wear a bib!).

She still loves to bounce in her chair and now she likes to spin her wooden toys while she bumps up and down (which she can sometimes do on her own using her own momentum, and not just have someone else rock her).

We went to Uncle Jason and Aunt Vivian's party, met up with other babies in the park, and while we stroll--Abigail is now in the stroller seat (no longer her carseat resting on the top of the stroller)--she's such a big girl now!

Click here to see our pictures!

Hope everyone is having a great summer! Next week we head up for some peace and quiet in Vermont!

The fourth trimester is done

Three months. How did that happen? In one of the books we read, it said to think about the first three months of life as the fourth, and final trimester of fetal development. Well, now it's done, and Abigail welcomes the world again with new engagement.

Our lady is now sleeping basically through the night--the big change is she is slumbering unswaddled. That's a big deal. One night she was squirming too much in her swaddle and we decided to give it shot; the shot being sleeping, simply, in her footsie pjs and that's it. She seemed to love the idea. She wiggled her legs up and down, she flapped her arms, she cooed to herself and then...she fell asleep! All on her own. The first night she woke up once in the night but then the second night, she slept for a nice long stretch, woke up after that long stretch to eat and then...a nice long nap on her papa and THEN she even slept more in her crib. That's our girl!

So, she's a good sleeper at night and early mornings. However, sleeping in the carseat, in a car (as opposed to when she's in the carseat strolling in her City Mini), is another story. She wails in cars, except when she doesn't, which has happened too. Just when we think we know her likes and dislikes, she changes them. Just when we think we have a pattern in anything she does, she switches it on us. This constant fluctuation reminds us we just need to live moment to moment with her and enjoy her for who she is right at that very second. And we certainly are revelling in her.

She met lots of her cousins, aunts and uncles in Long Island; along with visiting her Grandma Roxy in NJ this past weekend. Though we have no photographic proof of any of this encounters, we do have other pictures. Enjoy!