Abby=LOVE=great life

16 Months already have flown by. It goes soooo fast. Each day Abby does something new and fascinating. It is so unbelievable to watch. There is no greater joy. We celebrated our niece's 1st birthday--Abby's adorable cousin--this past weekend. Abby now has a new favorite ice cream "Party Cake" Ice cream. It's really good. We'll stay away from that in the house--only at parties. It's addictive!

Smelly Feet

I can't believe Abby's feet smell at 15 months. What's going to happen when she's 8, 12 or even 35? It's her one pair of sneakers. Her feet sweat in them but I think they're really good sneakers. Now she has another pair of adorable just canvas sneakers--and no sweat and smell. Any suggestions? Help Moms and Dads! I'm even at the point at night of airing out her feet! Crazy I know! Have a great Memorial Day Weekend! With all of the picnics and family and friend gatherings remember to catch a parade and hug a troop or a veteran. It's our time to say, "thank you" to the fallen heroes and the heroes serving now! I feel I should be doing it everyday...."thank you".

What Is It About Balloons?

What is the fascination with balloons? Abs loves her balloon. We don't know if its the big red ball or the string. And she loves when her balloons pop; kinda weird I know. She's walking everywhere now. Thank God someone invented child gates. I wish I would have thought of them. Now that she's walking all over the place she finds things on the floor. And she reaches, so she reached up and grabbed my deordorant--and you know what happened next--she ate some! The good news is she didn't like it very much.

The words and noises that come out of her are so cute. At night when she's laying in her crib we listen to her and the conversations that come out of her mouth are great...I should tape it.

Abby Goes To Six Flags

Don't eat my hair!

Hope you had a great Mother's Day weekend. We went to Six Flags Great Adventure with my parents. Oh boy we had fun. The Wiggles World at Six Flags is fantastic for kids. Abby loved it.

Abby is walking now...everywhere and all around. She looks so cute up on her tippy toes and wobbling all around. She can point to her mouth, nose and eyes.
I think we're at the age now she stays clear of vegetables, at least in the baby food jars. She'll eat string beans but whole beans and corn & peas only if we're eating them. Abs does love lettuce but no dressing. It's fun to have her try new things and the faces she makes, I wish I'd have my camera on me 24-7. She's also at the age we just don't want to miss anything she does. Any advice on vegetables that your kids loved? Email me sue@wobm.com!

Mother's Day Poem

A member of WOBM's Loyal Listener sent this to me and I'm passing it on to you.....
Enjoy! Happy Mother's Day!

This is for the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, wiping up throw-up laced with Oscar Mayer Wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying," It's okay honey, Mommy's here."

Who have sat in rocking chairs for hours on end soothing crying babies who can't be comforted.

This is for all the mothers who show up at work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains on their blouses and diapers in their purse.

For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes. And all the mothers who DON'T.

This is for mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see. And the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes.

This is for the mothers whose priceless art collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors.
And for all the mothers who froze their buns on metal bleachers at football or soccer games instead of watching from the warmth of their cars, so that when their kids asked, "Did you see me, Mom?" they could say," Of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world," and mean it.

This is for all the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair when they stomp their feet and scream for ice cream before dinner. And for all the mothers who count to ten instead, but realize how child abuse happens.

This is for all the mothers who sat down with their children and explained all about making babies. And for all the (grand) mothers who wanted to, but just couldn't find the words.
This is for all the mothers who go hungry, so their children can eat.
For all the mothers who read " Goodnight, Moon" twice a night for a year. And then read it again. "Just one more time."

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school. And for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead.

This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.

This is for every mother whose head turns automatically when a little voice calls "Mom?" in a crowd even though they know their own offspring are at home -- or even away at college.

This is for all the mothers who sent their kids to school with stomach aches assuring them they'd be just FINE once they got there, only to get calls from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up. Right away.

This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, who can't find the words to reach them.
This is for mothers whose children are difficult to raise, who hear the whispers of those who will not understand, who become stronger in spite of the special challenges they face every day.

This is for all step-mothers who raised another woman's child or children, and gave their time, attention, and love... sometimes totally unappreciated!
For all the mothers who bite their lips until they bleed when their 14-year-olds dye their hair green.

For all the mothers of the victims of recent school shootings, and the mothers of those who did the shooting.

For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely.
This is for all the mothers who taught their children to be peaceful, and now pray they come home safely from a war.

What makes a good Mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time? Or is it in her heart? Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time? The jolt that takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 a.m. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby? The panic, years later, that comes again at 2 a.m. when you just want to hear their key in the door and know they are safe again in your home? Or the need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hear news of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?

The emotions of motherhood are universal and so our thoughts are for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation...
And mature mothers learning to let go.

For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers.
Single mothers and married mothers. Mothers with money, mothers without.
This is for you all.
For all of us.
Hang in there.
In the end we can only do the best we can. Tell them everyday that we love them. And pray. Please pass this along to all the Moms in your life. "Home is what catches you when you fall - and we all fall." Please pass this to a wonderful mother you know. ( I just did.)

Dressing Abby

I don't know what it is but this Spring is just brighter to me. Last spring I had Abby too, but this year the flowers and trees just seem so much brighter and more beautiful than usual. I think it's because of Abs. Daddy keeps losing all of her sneakers. But he makes her eggs every morning. You can't beat that. He's up with her every morning getting her ready to start the day. I'm at work very early so that's their time together. Most of the time I pick out her clothing the night before, but she might have an accident by the time he takes her to "working parents school;" then he gets to pick out the clothing. That's very exciting to see what he puts her in. Dad's and their daughters--there is nothing greater to me than watching them play together.

The Case Of The Missing Sneaker

Losing shoes and socks...does this happen to you? All the time I'm losing Abs' slippers, shoes and sneakers! Mismatching socks is a whole different thing; that happens daily. One purple and one pink. She doesn't know any different, and maybe she likes it. A funny thing happened yesterday to Abs: we lost her sneaker. We thought she lost it in her school. The teachers looked everywhere couldn't find it, the one sneaker. "Oh well" I thought, "another one lost no big deal." Daddy found it in his truck...but not before she went into school with one sneaker. How cute...I end these these blogs all the same but here it goes...She's definitely my daughter! One shoe on one shoe off and mismatching socks just like Mommy.

Mac & Cheese!

UH OH I've started it now....Abby ate her first Mac & Cheese and wouldn't you know it she loves it. She's 15 months old today. She's already changed so much just from when she turned 1. Time is flying by or in her case walking and falling by. It's so funny when we go to the Pediatrition's office-- I can tell the Moms that let their kids' watch tv and the ones that don't. Where's Abby? Sitting right in front of the tv. I respect the Moms so much that just don't allow tv for their kids. There's only a couple I put on for her--Sesame Street, and on Noggin--The Wonder Pets ( she loves them a lot)! Ok.. It's a Big Big World is cute, too."