Saturday, October 16, 2010

8 Short Months

Isn't this just the sweetest face you ever saw?
8 Months:
  • Lots of crawling
  • Lots of Pull ups
  • Babbling whole conversations
  • "Whispering" (yeah, it's the sweetest thing ever)
  • Teething (still)
  • Laughing
  • Screaming

Abby's become a pro crawler. She's mastered it not only on carpet, but on hardwood and other slick floors. I love to watch her crawl around and play with toys. In some ways it's helped her become more independent, but in more ways it makes for more mommy watching. Shes constantly crawling to things so she can pull herself up. Once she gets up, she can stay up for quite some time, but then she almost always falls down. Lots of crying all day long because there is lots of banged heads and faces. I try not to "bubble wrap" her by preventing her from falling all the time, because I feel like thats how she will learn how to get down more gracefully. Am I wrong? Or just Mean?
Abby talks a lot and she has such a sweet little voice (when it's not used for screaming). I love it when she gets a serious look on her face and talks so quietly like she doesn't want anyone else to hear. I give her my undivided attention when that happens because I think it's just precious and when she's done talking she's such a happy baby.
Yes, she is still teething but I can finally see that they might break through soon! I wish I could have a timeline, but then again I don't because I fear it will say "About another month".... Grr. Needless to say, she is v.e.r.y. cranky lately.
Luckily, Abby's been taking lots of naps (usually 2 short and one 1 long) during the day. If she doesn't get them in you will know. But now that she's napping more bedtime is a JOKE ... But the lame kind that you never want to hear again. She stands, she cries, she cries, she cries, she screams, she cries... Did I mention she cries? And screams? We have the suspicion that she might be afraid of the dark so tonight she's sleeping with her closet light on but with the door pulled too so there isn't too much light.
As a result to the endless hours of crying each night, Paul or I rock her to sleep a lot. Only after we've tried to wait it out and feed her and wait... It's exhausting and causes both of us to be short tempered on occasion. Luckily, we are never short tempered together. It's wonderful. One of us is always able to take a deep breath and regain control of this loud situation.
So tonight as I rock and rock and hummm and rock and "shhh" and rock and hummm, Abby attempts to cry her way out of it so she can play OR she takes her paci out of her mouth and tries to stick it in mine OR she just starts "whispering". All of these happen when it is not the time nor place. Then the thought comes to mind "What if this were the last time?" Bam. I pray so hard to my Father in Heaven that tonight wasn't the last time I would get to have the priceless privileged to rock my baby girl to sleep. Heaven knows how much I would regret tomorrow if I hadn't taken the time to comfort tonight. As Abby finally fell asleep I found myself once again grateful for this huge blessing in my life. This blessing that drives me to tears of frustration and joy. I thought back about how fast these 8 months have gone. I really don't want to have many regrets when I look back next month, so Heaven help me to keep my patience through this trying stage of Abby's time with us. I hope the crying, teething, hissy fits will all be over soon, but even if they last another year (and fits till she's 30), I hope I can dig deep to find the patience to sit and rock and humm and shh and rock and humm and shh and love this little bundle who is growing so insanely fast. I hope that when she's a nutty teenager that maybe she will just have an inkling of a feeling that maybe her mommy and daddy love her more than she could ever imagine.
And when I finally got her in bed I saw that sweet "sleep smile" that has become quite the stranger around here the past 5 months.


4 comments:

Anonymous said...

it does seem to be a "tender mercy" of the Lord that you and Paul can tag team with the crying and fussing. I'm proud of you that you can try to remind yourself that Abby is truly a blessing, and not doing the crying/fussing/screaming routine on purpose. she is a baby...and doesn't have another way to communicate her needs. she will eventually have a mouthful of teeth, a normal sleep routine, and do much more than whisper!!! count among your blessings that she has a healthy body, the ability to cry, has learned to crawl and will soon learn to walk. it means she's normal! :/ whatever "normal" is...

anyway...she's a darling child. and when she's older, hopefully she will have a subliminal memory of mommy rocking her to sleep and comforting her and caring for her every need. it's worth it...every second!

love you lots,
mom/nanna

Chelsea said...

You are such a FABULOUS mommy!! I see how much you love that little precious and all the tears that go into her happiness! She is the cutest little "abby" i know!! And lyla loves her to pieces! Every baby is "abby" now!! Love you all and am so grateful for your little bundle of "screams" and "cries"!!

Danielle said...

she is so adorable, mahrls! i just loved watching her today during sacrament meeting. she really is such a sweet girl! her little smile, with her tongue sticking out KILLS ME.

mike & i rocked maddy to sleep for a long time, and you know what? though it drove me nuts at the time, not a night goes by when i don't wish i could rock her to sleep. so you're right, about all of it. love on her as much as she'll let ya - it goes too freaking quick.

love ya!

Jennilee said...

im so glad you can look at the good things of life!! im sorry that she has been so cranky for so long!! perhaps she can have a play date with asher christmas time:)