Abby meets someone "GREAT"

Wow...88 years meets 7 weeks ~ Abby got to meet her first of 3 great grandfathers. George Morales met his very first great grandaughter and appropriately, got a great smile from her. We were marveling at how much of a Morales, Abby is already becoming. We joked about how they not only share the same last name, but they also share the unique trait of repetitive sneezes and uncontrolled bowels...haha.

Age doesn't always seem to matter to us. But when you have four generations all in one room together, it puts age in a completely different perspective. George shared with us how in his day, carseats weren't used, and to travel with a baby, women just carried them in their arms in the car. He was blown away with the concepts of wipe warmers, vibrating bouncer seats, and video baby monitors. Robbie shared about how he plays a computer game at 3am on the internet when Abby's fussing and trying to fall back asleep, and George was stunned, as he recalled his late nights of simply being bored sitting in a room with his babies, doing absolutely nothing. I still can't even fathom what women did without medication in labor ~ LOVED the epidural!! I guess as we go through each stage of life we never expect that at that moment everything around us may change to something even more advanced. Crazy to think about.... But for now, I'm going to appreciate what we have...especially the three remaining "GREATS" in Abby's life: Grandad Morales, Grandpa Ferris, and Grandpa Fear.

Butterfly kisses to the "GREATS" that we will never forget and that we can't wait to share with Abby as she gets older: Grandpa and Grandma Kalla, Nana Morales, Grandma Fear, and Grandma Ferris.

Happy Firsts!!

Abby has now had her first St. Patricks Day, Easter, and last Monday we got our first SMILE!! Now she smiles often and has even started to coo a little at daddy. Smiles are such a reward for all your hard work, and it makes the long hours of crying or little sleep in the evenings all the more worth it! I'll be dragging myself out of bed to feed her at 2am and be groaning about how early it is, and once I get her in the nursery and she's sitting right in front of me, she stares right at me and gives me a couple smiles and even makes a few cute noises that make the early hours feel like happy hours.

Along with those though, we're still managing her first diaper rash and her first bouts with "colic" (we're still not sure if that's what it is, or if she just has a special attachment with crying everyday for hours in the evening, usually starting around 5pm and on until she goes down for the night). I'm surprised our neighbors haven't come over wondering what we're doing to our child to make her cry so much...we're trying our best to be the best parents. This is our first too...

We're still alive and kicking!!

Wow...after 5 long weeks, I can actually say now that we're starting to get a hang of this whole parent thing. Definitely not experts, but certainly now experienced and ready for the new day ahead. Minimal sleep still invades our evenings, but when the hours stretch to just a couple more each night, we're thankful for what we can get!

I'm really excited about trying out this whole blog thing because it will force me to slow down and stop and think about my days and all the exciting new things that come out of them. God has been just humbling Robbie and I through all the many ways we should be recognizing His love for us in our lives. I know I get so caught up with the to-do's in life and how I can accomplish one other thing, and instead He's asking us to slow down and appreciate what we have and what He's providing for us every day.