Tonight will be a first. I will be picking Abbi up from daycare because today is the one day a year Jenn has to work late. Its conference day which means she's working a 12+ hour workday to see all of the parents of her kids for individual conferences. So...I'll be picking up Abbi and probably giving her a bottle. I'm a bit nervous about it, but hopefully she'll do ok with just me and won't scream herself to death while we have our first alone DD time (that's Daddy Daughter btw).

And as for this picture - its a shot of just Abbi while she was playing with Jenn, same night/time as the picture I posted the other day.

Smiley

After we took pictures of Abbi for being 4 months old, we of course played with her some more. Jenn was laying on the floor getting her to laugh and smile when I took this picture.

Playtime

She's a growing little girl! Yesterday Jenn and I took Abbi to the doctor for her 4 month visit. She got a few shots which knocked her out pretty good for most of the day unfortunately, but she seemed to do ok. Abbi is strong and healthy according to the doctor. Doctor said Abbi has a strong core which is helping her to situp and so forth. Abbi seems to be developing just as she should, which is awesome.

We were told that we can start her on solid foods if we'd like. So I think the next week or so we will probably start giving Abbi some rice cereal, and I'll be sure to post pictures and info on that.

Finally - Abbi got weighed of course and measured. She now weighs 15 pounds 7 ounces and she's 25 inches long! The weight gain has slowed down a little bit, thankfully, we were thinking she'd be in a 20 lb car seat by January, but now maybe not!

4 Month Update

Last week Abbi wore this outfit and Jenn thought she looked really cute, so of course there were a few pictures taken. It was some neat clothes, sleeveless vest and all.

Stylin'

Last week when it was really cold outside we had to make sure to bundle Abbi up to keep her warm. So Jenn put this little hat on her, and she seemed to happy to be headed out for the day. Had to take a picture.

Staying Warm

So today Abbi is four months old! Every month she gets older, I still can't believe it. Like I've done the past few months, today I wanted to reflect on Abbi and how's she doing.

I suppose I should start with the newest development, and that is the result of Abbi's first laser treatment yesterday. Things went very well for Abbi, and Jenn and I were able to deal with it. Jenn definitely had some anxiety over putting Abbi in pain when she didn't consent to it, but as her parents we felt it was the right decision.

The whole process only took about 30 seconds. The doctor used a little laser pen to treat the birthmarks on Abbi's face. So that we would know the level of pain involved, the doctor also lasered our forearms. I would equate the pain to that of a needle or pin prick. It was uncomfortable, but wasn't to bad. And, it only hurt for the split second while it happened.

So Abbi has a little bit of bruising from the laser yesterday and it will take her about 7-10 to heal back up. We've scheduled our next appointment for February. The doctor said we should expect to go 8-15 times in order to significantly reduce the visibility.

In other Abbi developments, she is strong! That little girl has got some crazy strong legs. I like to help her get up on her legs and then help her stand, and she loves it. The other night she stood barely assisted for like 30 seconds or more, it was incredible. Just like last month, she loves to sit up and isn't to much a fan of laying down these days. She's also go incredible control over her neck!

As for Jenn and I, I think the pains of a new baby in the house are taking their toll. I don't think either of us ever get enough sleep, and Jenn is pretty much non-stop busy with school work that needs to be graded and otherwise taken care of. There just doesn't seem to be much time these days.

Luckily, the time we do have is made better and more enjoyable by Abbi and her smiles. She smiles pretty much all the time now. Yesterday we were in Target and Jenn was goofing off with Abbi, walking weird and singing to her in the car seat and Abbi loved it. She laughed and laughed over and over. She doesn't laugh a whole lot, its almost as if she hasn't quite figured out exactly how to do it.

The final awesome thing Abbi is doing these days - she is starting to get some great control with her hands. If you put something in front of her she will reach out to you/it and grasp it. She got a strong grip too! She still loves bathtime, changing time, diaper changing and all that. Something she's not to fond of though, a new development, is being left alone. We used to be able to walk away from her while she was in the bouncer or bumbo or whatever and she'd be fine, not anymore. These days she wants more and more attention. So Jenn and I are working hard to try and give that to her and make sure she feels all the love we have for her!

This picture by the way, was taken last week before all the leaves got soaked. I wanted to get a "fall" picture of Abbi and I love how this turned out. Her sticking her tounge out pretty much epitomizes her personality these days.

4 Months

Today is a pretty big day for us. Today we are taking Abbi to get her first laser treatment for her port wine stain birthmarks. As I'm sure everyone has noticed throughout the multitude of photographer I've put online, Abbi has two birthmarks on her face, on her forehead and one on her right cheek.

Back a few months ago we took her to see a specialist at Johns Hopkins to have the birthmarks looked at and verify that they were in fact port wine stains, and they are. So one of the options that we have is to attempt to have them removed using lasers.

Jenn and I have gone over and over the idea of having something done to Abbi without her knowledge and consent to do so. So as her parents, we are doing what we believe to be the best thing for her. Today, at 3pm Abbi has her first of what will be many laser appointments at Johns Hopkins. Today starts a process that will likely take more than 3 years to "complete". I put that in quotes because there is no guarantee that the birthmarks will go away completely and even with the laser treatment they may not stay gone forever.

However, the doctors told us before that we should expect a 50-90% reduction is visibility with the treatments so we're hopeful that by treating them at a young age she won't really remember, and it will be a non-issue for her as she grows up!

All that being said, if you're reading this please keep Abbi and us in your thoughts and prayers today as we take this first big step.

Big Day