Party in SC!!!

It is safe to say that we had an incredible vacation in SC. It was beautiful, relaxing, fun and easy. Gabi met her cousins and aunt and uncle. She loved them all. Griffin and Spencer were very sweet to her. She's very lucky to have such wonderful cousins. Gabi liked hanging out with Aunt Hilary and apparently thinks that her Uncle Stephen is fascinating. She has a thing for him.

As for Kiawah Island... it probably couldn't have been more delightful. We had perfect weather all weekend. We celebrated my in-laws 40th anniversary and my 33rd birthday. We swam on the beach, swam in the pool, rode bikes around the island, watched the alligators and hung out together. It was a very welcome break from the chaos that exists at our house right now. Gabi LOVED the beach and the bikes and the pool and the alligators and the swings and the........

We returned on Tuesday evening and the packers began packing our things early this morning. They'll be here for the next 3 days. Gabi is doing well with all of it. I keep waiting for her to freak out. So far so good.

Some pictures from the weekend.

We Have an Official Walker!!!

Just one of the girls...

Representation from the E'ham Crew

Gabi decided that today was the day! She has been able to walk for a few weeks and seemed so close to taking off. She just didn't want to let go of that support. Tonight after Her MK and Eileen had been here with GG, Ed and I, she just up and did it. She walked about 8 steps, then 10, then finally 14. She did it over and over again. We're so excited!!! Just in time for our trip to the beach.

Gabi has had a rough 48 hours. Her gums are swollen on both sides of her bottom molars from front to back and on the top too. It is so sad. She's so uncomfortable. Of course, it's making it harder to sleep. And without good sleep, everything seems tougher for a little one. She's been a trooper but we've had to keep the teething tablets, Orajel, and Tylenol coming. Despite that, she walked!

Here are some pics from the last few days.

Weekend in the 'Ham

We headed to Effingham on Sunday morning to spend some time with friends, family and more friends. Gabi spent the morning with Nana and Papa. Then Aunt Anne and Uncle Frank came over. After Gabi's afternoon nap, the Ts, Zs, Aunt Nancy and Uncle Larry headed over to meet Gabi. We had delicious BBQ and hung out with the people we love. Kaitlyn, Grace and Emma took excellent care of Gabi while the adults got to talk.

This morning, several of Nana's friends came over for breakfast and met Gabi. Gabi was a bit out of sorts from all of the attention the day before. But as soon as the world focused their attention on her, she powered through. She's all about taking one for the team. The team being Gabi. She's a trooper. But we didn't get to the end of the driveway this morning before she was asleep. I have pictures to share, but I'm not completely certain of the location of the camera.

I'll get back to those pics as soon as humanly possible.

My Kid has a TBI...

Gabi playing with Her MK and Nana C.

Gabi with Kip and Michelle

Playing with Davis

That's Traumatic Brain Injury. Ok, maybe not. But she has a big ole pumpknot on her forehead. She was trying to take her ladybug chair with her around the living room and something went awry. Next thing you know... Gabi was all cracked up. She cried for a whole 30 seconds. I think that's a record or something.

I used to get aggravated when bloggers wouldn't update their blogs regularly once they got home. I now understand. Our house has a revolving door. There is a constant stream of people in/out of this house. I can take the pictures and have the visits, but I can't get them posted. Also, I've been working this week and Ed and I (more Ed than me) have started the prep-for-packing process.

Gabi and her new baby doll from the Ts

This week the Ts (Chris, Michelle, Davis, Emma), the Cs (MK, Kate, Donna), Chaz, Corinne, Eileen, Christy and Lucy, and several others have dropped by. Some of them more than once. We got some pretty cute pics of Gabi playing with her friends-- but not all of them.

I apologize for my lack of correspondence. And I have to do this fast because I have to work tomorrow too and I'm one tired girl. It's not easy going back to work-- even if it's only for a few days. So here are a few pics from the last week.

Signs Everywhere...

Gabi is amazing. She is now using the signs for "please" and "more" consistently. She is beginning to use "all done, milk" and we're working on "help." It took us a while to get going with "please", but once she understood that it works, the other signs have been coming much quicker. What a smart little cookie she is! It is so exciting to see her learning so quickly.

Another Graduate... Congrats Daddy!!!

Edward walked in his graduation ceremony Saturday morning. He officially has his MBA and is FINISHED!! We're so glad that this box is checked and we can move on to the next great adventure.

We shared Ed's graduation with his parents, my parents and our beautiful DAUGHTER! I prayed very hard for Gabi to be home in time for this milestone in her daddy's life. Edward has missed a lot of occasions in the last ten years because of deployments and our overseas addresses. I really wanted this to be one that he could share with his daughter.

We went to graduation, had lunch out and returned home in time for Gabi to meet her Aunt Jana and Uncle Leo. Then she took an almost 3 hour nap. Gabi was soooo good yesterday. She sat in the restaurant for 2 hours and never made a peep. She took pictures with her MBA friends/family. And she met a lot, a lot, a lot of people. She barely fussed.

Here are some great pics of a few of our friends and family from Ed's graduation.

Busy, Busy, Busy

I'm sure I'm probably in trouble for not posting for several days. This is what we've been up to.

• Ed finished exams and Gabi and I went shopping with Our MK and Amanda Z
• I worked a half-day at the hospital
  
• We completed a post-placement visit
• Gabi and I went to Mt. Vernon
• We visited with Aunt Cheryl, Uncle Chester and others
• We were able to visit Aunt Sue's classroom to meet 7 Gold and all the students who have been following Gabi's story
• We went to another party with the lab crew at Laura's
• We went to Gabi's daddy's MBA tent party

We've had a wonderful week. We especially enjoyed the party with Aunt Sue's class. The kids and Aunt Sue gave Gabi lots of toys. Gabi received several things for playing in her new pool in Houston. She got a new ladybug towel, bib, Disney Princess backpack, outfit, kickboard, pool toys, a wagon to put them in, a new ball and a TON of attention. Gabi loved every minute of it!!! She especially loves her Aunt Sue. Thank you 7 Gold and Aunt Sue. We love you!

After we visited the school and Gabi had a nap, GG, Gabi and I went to get some new clothes with a gift certificate Aunt Linda gave us last year. We ended up with six new outfits. Gabi is going to be the best dressed kid in Houston. She has the most beautiful coloring and it makes shopping for her so much fun! Thanks Aunt Linda!!!

Bizarro World

I feel like we're living in our own Bizarro World (remember that Seinfeld episode?). For the last two nights and for one nap today, Gabi has gone to sleep without a peep. She's not one to really fight sleep but she routinely cries for at least 30 seconds when she goes down. The last two nights... nothing. It is so dreamy and delightful, I hardly know what to do.

She has also become quite the cuddler. This morning she cuddled with Daddy for at least a half hour after getting up. Throughout the day today she was so lovey. Tonight, she and I played for an hour on the floor and she just couldn't get enough. Cuddle, cuddle, cuddle! I love it. She is one sweet little girl.

Also, a couple of nights ago I had a dream that Gabi was in bed with us-- which she has never been-- and I couldn't find her. I thought I had smothered her. I woke Edward up while I was still dreaming and yelled, "Where is she?" He woke me up. But it scared him so much that he told me the next day that he had to go make sure she was still okay in her bed. The next night I said as clearly as could be, "Isn't she just beautiful?" I don't think he wondered who I was talking about. I hope that I get over this soon. Edward can't take it.

What's Happening?

Not much, frankly. We've been running errands, visiting friends, being visited and playing, playing, playing. In unfortunate news, Gabi has decided that she doesn't need to be fed by us even when it's applesauce or yogurt of Cream of Wheat. She spits it out and puts what she wants back in her mouth. As you can imagine, it's very messy, which I can deal with. But more importantly, it decreases the number of foods we can get in her. So she isn't eating as well. It's really just a developmental thing. She wants to be independent and do it herself. So we're waiting it out.

She is such a happy, sweet little girl. And she is becoming more and more of a Daddy's girl. Although, I'm jealous, I'm also so happy that they have each other. If Edward were my dad, I'd be crazy about him too. He's so sweet and gentle with her.

Latest developments are that Gabi is pointing to her dog, nose, and mouth when asked. She finally signed "please" once this morning. She's decided that she absolutely loves ladybugs, which is a bonus since her room is ladybugs everywhere. Every time she gets up from a nap, she points to the wall with her ladybug hooks and name. And she kept returning to the ladybug page in her counting book yesterday. She loves those darn bugs. Does her mama know her or what?