Yup...that kid was me. :)

One of our family stories that I heard often growing up, was that our neighbors teased my mom she would have to come to pre-school with me for snack time since I was still breastfeeding at an "older than westernally accepted age". To my knowledge, my mom never did actually come for snack time...goldfish crackers and juice was all I needed while at school. :) It's funny how often this comes to mind now as I'm getting ready to have our own baby and looking forward to breastfeeding...and also talking with friends about their own breastfeeding experiences. It usually comes up most when people say something along the lines of how you can't breastfeed once the child can ask for it, and I sheepishly say that that was me...though to be honest, I have no recollection of this...I just have heard the stories. Pehaps it was my upbringing, or examples set by friends and my sister, that have continued to reinforce the fact that breastfeeding is healthy for both mom and baby, and that there really doesn't have to be a set age for weaning. I'm also very aware though, that this is not the view shared by everyone, or even an option for everyone. That's okay though...everyone has to do what is right for them and their family. But should you be interested in the benefits of extended breastfeeding, feel free to check out these articles:



Hmmmm...I'm not sure why these links are not showing up when I click "Post"...I'll try fixing this.

Kraftin' it up at Grammie's!

Two nights ago Grammie and I had Kraft Macaroni and Cheese for dinner. Now, maybe you need to meet Grammie to know the significance of this, but it's HUGE! When I asked her what she wanted for dinner, and she said Macaroni and Cheese, I about fell over. Grammie is very proper, not too many food items come from a box or a can, and everything is eaten on nice plates. She said two months ago that her friends, Bebe and Belle, introduced her to Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and she's been hooked ever since. She even confessed to being able to eat a 'whole box' in one sitting. Ha! I love it.

This year has been nice and relaxing with the days leading up to Christmas. No last minute crafting or wrapping, just lots of enjoyment of dinner parties, and the glow of the Christmas tree. I hope all of you have a truly wonderful Christmas!

Gingerbread Houses All In A Row!

Last night my friend Eileen hosted a Ladies Night! Warm soup was consumed, gingerbread houses made (candy consumed), and cookies exchanged (as well as consumed!). It was an absolutely fabulous night that got me totally in the festive spirit...and feeling re-connected to very dear friends that I hadn't seen much of since we returned from our last tour almost a month ago! Thanks Eileen!!

Abby, Samantha, Blanca, Melissa, Eileen, and Anita


Samantha (aka Martha Stewart)'s gingerbread house:


My gingerbread house, which Ryan lovingly (?) called a gingerbread shack later that night...


My growing belly (possibly with the help of the holiday sweets!)...

Little House on the Prairie...THE MUSICAL!!

For my birthday (yes, I turned 30 a few weeks ago!), we went up to Phoenix to see Little House on the Prairie the Musical! It was wonderful..truly, wonderful in every way. And, none other than Melissa Gilbert (the actress who played Laura Ingalls on the TV show) starred as Ma (Or Caroline Ingalls if you will). Every time she would smile, she looked just like "Laura". And, the person who played Nelly...had her role nailed down perfectly. Every mannerism and bratty action totally fit the part. I cried when it was over...no, it was not a sad ending like so many of the episodes are, I was just happy to have seen it...and sad it was over all too soon. I definitely think a certain Ellen W. I know would have made a great cast member in the show...maybe for a future tour they do. :)

Melissa Gilbert as Ma.

Reusable bags in stock!

Hello All!

For those of you who have been encouraging me to re-stock my etsy store...your wish has been granted. :)

funny quotes

I've been working part-time at the Botanical Gardens Cafe for the past couple of months. And, the trainees have me laughing, not intentionally, but they just say the funniest things (in all seriousness), with which I have to restrain myself not to laugh outloud at, but rather practice my parenting skills of keeping a straight face.

"This weather is cold {mind you "cold in AZ means 60 degrees}, and I am used to cold weather because I used to live in Louisiana and California, and let me tell you...it gets cold there!"
(hmmm...I used to live in Michigan and Massachussetts, I don't buy that it gets all too cold in LA and CA.)

Trainee: "Abby, what do you plan on naming your baby?"
Me: "We're keeping it a surprise, but we do have names picked out."
Trainee: "Well, just make sure that you don't use one of those common names that is getting overused these days."
Me: "What are the common names I should stay away from?"
Trainee: "Ralph, George, and Juanita...that's what everyone names their baby."
(really?? I haven't met a Ralph, George, or Juanita under the age of 60 in quite sometime...but don't worry, we are taking his advice and steering clear of those common names anyway.)

Growing!

The belly grows on...




This past Friday was the first day that strangers (3 in one day!) have confidently asked me when I am due. So it's official, I really look pregnant! :)
The baby is now 13.5" long and weighs 1.5 pounds. All is going well...with a bit of acid reflux on the side. :)

Weekend Getaway

Last weekend we went up to the White Mountains of Arizona (not to be confused with the White Mountains in New Hampshire) for a belated celebration of our 4th Anniversary which was this past July. It was wonderful! Ryan's grandparents have a condo up there, so we had free lodging...with a fireplace, and nothing to do but relax. :)
Much of our time was spent in front of the fireplace...knitting, reading, playing music (Ryan on mandolin and me on guitar), and watching my belly to see the baby moving around.

There were several great walking areas that we explored...the rim walk, woodland lake, and the turkey trail. It was seriously one of the best trips. I don't think I've experienced relaxation to that degree in a long time.


Oh, and we made lots of yummy meals...including farm animal shaped waffles. :)

On our last day there, we woke up to SNOW! I had been "worried" that this would be my first winter not seeing any snow...but I have nothing to be worried about now. I do miss big blizzard-like snowstorms though. The kind that more than just coat the ground...the kind where its so gorgeous out you don't want to ruin it by driving, but rather just walk around and feel the silence and beauty that is all around.

So glad we got to have this weekend getaway together!

Thanksgiving!

This year for Thanksgiving my friend Jana and her roommate, Libby, drove down from Boulder to be with us! I honestly cannot put to words how wonderful it was to have them here. There is something special about friends whom you've known and been known by for a loong time. For this, I am truly thankful!

Playing Cranium at "our house" for the weekend (we've moved out of our house for renters already, so we stayed at a friends' place for the weekend while they were out of town)...


A walk in the desert...


Pre-concert, downtown...


A visit to the Botanical Gardens (where I work at the cafe as a job coach for adults with mental illness). Chillin' in my favorite garden...


And, what is a proper visit from Jana without the prom pose photo?

The butterflies!

This moth is larger than my hand...look at tree trunk for size reference...

Jana's sonoran hotdog experience...the final verdict is not in, but I think she liked them. :)

That's all I have for photos...the rest are on Jani's camera! Perhaps she'll post them on her blog soon (no pressure:).
Miss you already!

Showered with more love...

While in Michigan last weekend, my family threw me a wonderful baby shower! Friends, aunts, great aunts, cousins, neighbors, everyone was there...THANK YOU!

Here are some photos...

Kelsey, Abigail Marie holding baby Abigail Marie (yes, it's true...we have the same name, and I'm pretty sure it was totally after me, even though her mom's first name is Marie too. :), and Kelly


Cousin Julie, second cousin (is that how it works?) Lucy, and Aunt Alta...


Nieces Lydia, Haleigh, and Alyssa...


My mom, niece Emma, and niece Lizzie...


And now for an up-to-date belly shot... (please ignore my facial expression and just look at the belly)...

Home...for a day...

This morning I flew home to Tucson...it's actually quite hard to believe right now that I woke up in Michigan this morning...wow, long day.
And tomorrow, we'll be moving out of our house so that our renters can move in. Along with that means that Ryan Alfred (our housemate) will be moving out and getting a place of his own. I'm sad that our time of having a housemate has come to an end. Ryan Green is playing banjo right now and Ryan Alfred on guitar...a great jam session happening in the dining room...I'm going to miss their regular impromptu musical gatherings at about this hour most evenings that fill our home and make it feel so cozy.

In other news, I had my first international reusable sandwich bag sale today!! Someone from France placed an order on my etsy site! The only problem, is that I never expected to get an international order, so I didn't have an international shipping rate...and well, they paid the usual $2 shipping, but I'm pretty sure it is going to cost more than that to send. Oh well. It's fun to know someone in Nice, France will be snacking out of a little house creation.

And...on Thursday Jana and Libby arrive for Thanksgiving!! Can't wait to have you both here!

Boston Baby Shower Photos!

Here are some photos from my shower last weekend!

SURPRISE!


Ryan talking with Peter, Claire, and Ellen...dear friends we met while street performing at Fanieul Hall.


Kids at play!


Ryanhood burpcloths (and onesies!)...


Charlene!



THANK YOU!!!

A day with the fam...

After the movie last night, I spent the night at Nichole's...and then spent the full day over at her house with the kids today. Such a treat! Here's a little photo collage of our day...(Alyssa was there too, but napping during the photo shoot)...
Lydia cutting out letters to iron on to a t-shirt...

Roger drawing...

Lizzie chasing after everyone...

Emma frosting cupcakes...

And, Emma posing in front of the "Thankful" banner we made together...

So thankful for a day with family!

In Michigan...and New Moon!

Last night (or this morning rather) at 12:01am, I attended my first midnight movie showing ever! And I'm not just talking movie at the movie theater...I mean like movie anywhere, even at home, starting that late at night. I'm pretty much guaranteed to fall asleep during a movie even if it starts at 10pm usually. But, somehow I never even had a "long blink" throughout the entire movie. I went with my sister and my two oldest nieces, Lydia and Alyssa. And, of course we had to make shirts for the event...


As one might expect, the theater was packed over an hour ahead of time with people waiting in line to get seats together as soon as the doors opened...the photo is a very small fraction of the zig-zagging line...


And, as also might be expected the theater was 98% filled with female middle school, high school and college students. Which, was quite entertaining. Any scene that had Jacob or Edward shirtless provoked lots of yelling and cheering. I can honestly say I've never had a movie experience quite like it. A great night...thanks girls!

a long way from home...

Last night after our show in Connecticut, we drove 30 minutes for a spontaneous visit to see our friend Branco from Uganda! He is the one who started Bitone Home for Children. He's currently living in the US on a Fulbright Scholarship getting his masters in music composition, and then will return to Uganda in May of 2011 to work with the kiddos (that we simply adore!).

Branco and Ryan on the couch in Uganda (with Stephen and Roscoe on the bench)...


Branco and Ryan in Connecticut last night!

Lovely Day!

The weather here has been GORGEOUS! We are catching the beautiful tail end of autumn.
Photos from our walk home from church yesterday...






After church, we had plans to go over to our friends' place for lunch, when lo and behold an entire condo of friends were waiting there to surprise us with a baby shower! It was so nice to see soo many people from various walks of life here (and Kolleen and Doug who drove up from Connecticut!)...we felt super loved!! Thanks to all of you who were there "showering" us and our little one with your love! I can't wait to introduce our babe to all of you, our family here, next time we visit! (I got carried away with mingling and didn't take photos during the shower...soon I'll get some from others who did and post them...but for now here is one!). :)

Ryan, me, Charlene (our Godchild), Liz, Martha, Orla, and Will (the organizers of the shower!)

Cozy day...

We had big plans of waking up early and going to the ICA (Institute of Contemporary Art) in Boston today. The family we are staying with has a membership, and they always have great exhibits. BUT, it's raining out, and the fire place is lit...so staying cozy inside is the plan for now instead. Although, I do have plans for a walk with a friend in a little bit...however I think we are going to change it up and sip some warm coffee somewhere indoors instead. For now...a little rest and hibernation before the show this evening.

A couple of things that have me laughing right now:

1.) Ryan, Cam, and Stace all on their Macs in a row...(clearly Stace is looking at something quite interesting)...


2.) Our friends that we are staying with, their neighbors wifi name is "steal me and get herpes"! It makes me laugh everytime I go to get online and see that.