2 months

Showing his muscles
Big smiles!
There's that tongue :)

Gabe @ 2 months-

• He LOVES his bouncy seat and spends a lot of time in it during the day :)
• Full of smiles and cooing...smile is kind of shy and turns his head during big smiles
• Loves sticking out his tongue...takes after his Great G'pa Fred
• Sleeps pretty consistently 7 hrs in a row at night from about 9-4, then falls asleep again until morning and will even snuggle with me in the morning until Ben gets up! Can't complain...I am ready for the complete nights rest but it could be worse :)
• Doesn't really have a nap schedule during the day yet
• LOVES the baby carrier...so do I!
• Weight at 2 month apt. 12lbs 13.5 oz
• Length was 24.5 inches
• Starting to look more like his big brother (i will post a comparison pic soon)

Ben is so much fun too! He is riding a big boy bike (16inch) with training wheels and does an awesome job. Has something funny to say every day...he is such a riot and can't wait for his birthday. He points out EVERY 3 he sees and says "I'm going to be that number"...its really cute!

We have been super busy this summer which is good but puts me behind on blogging but soon enough summer will be over and I will have to be inside so I will be better with keeping up. We are all doing excellent and can't believe Gabe is almost 3 months old (which is way I made sure to post this...before its the next month already!)

1 Month

1 month old

Gabe had his 1 month check up on July 9th and everything is going well. He weighed 10 lbs. 6.5oz and was 23 inches long. He is starting to seem more awake during the day now and we are starting to feel like he doesn't look like such a newborn. He is getting one good stretch of about 5 sometimes 6 hours of sleep at night...if only I could go to bed by 9! He loves the bouncy seat and the swing just like his big brother did :) How fast time has gone by already...its pretty bad when I already need to pack up the bassinet and newborn clothes! Oh well, we are trying to enjoy it one day at a time because we know how fast it will go.

First Few Weeks at Home

Gabe @ 1 week with Big Brother Ben
Gabe @ 2 weeks old
Story time with Big Brother
Close up of Gabe @ 2 1/2 weeks old

Sound asleep in the car seat at the carnival

Gabe and Sam napping together at the Balloonfest

The Abbott Grandkids minus Kylah

Sleeping in the Bouncy Seat- 3 weeks old

We are finally feeling like things are back to normal around here. We had a crazy first week at home but it was mostly due to trying to get some major things done around the house while Greg was off on paternity leave. Our landscaping is officially complete around the house...YAY! Every year we have been adding to it...next year I actually should be able to only plant pots and weed the beds we have, not plant more bushes and trees. Ben enjoyed having Daddy home and was a huge helper outside...however he wasn't quite ready for Dad to go back to work but he has been adjusting well and getting use to sharing his mom :) Gabe is a sweet baby and wow how different it is with the second baby...we are more relaxed and we don't sweat the small stuff. I feel like I don't have very much time during the day with him because as soon as he is asleep I put him down...with Ben I definitely had more snuggle time. Gabe reminds us a lot of Ben at this age but he has his own little look too...we can't wait to see him grow into a little person :) He is starting to grow out of 0-3 month clothes in length so we are in 3 month one piece outfits but he is just like his brother...long and slim! He has huge hands and feet too :) I am doing well too and healed up pretty quickly, just enjoying my boys now!

Welcome Gabriel!

Gabriel Frederick Abbott

June 8th, 2009

10:40 am

8lbs. 9oz.

21 inches

Potty Time!

1st Poop on the Potty!

We are SO proud of Ben...on vacation he decided he didn't want to poop in his bathing suit so he decided to start going on the potty! By the time we got home we were able to put him in big boy underwear and now we are going on 2 weeks! HOORAY :) He has only had about 2 pee accidents and those were during day 2 or 3 in underwear and it was more of a matter of starting to pee and then telling me, but since then (knock on wood) we have been free and clear...he tells me when he needs to go and he gets very excited about wearing underwear! It is so crazy how it all works out...we never felt the need to push it and he just decided on his own he was ready! I am preparing myself for possible regression after little brother comes but at the same time he is the one who wanted to do it so I think we should be okay. We have a trip to Chuck E Cheese's planned for this Sunday to celebrate what a big boy he is...Ben is so excited :)

South Carolina Vacation

Hilton Head Island

This year we decided to head back to Hilton Head Island, SC for another family vacation. The last time we went Ben was 8 months old and we had a good time then, so we knew that now at 2 1/2 yrs old he would have a blast. We went back with Jeff, Jess and their boys, Michael and Andrew again too. The vacation was exactly what we thought it would be. The boys had a blast playing together and the beach in HHI is so much fun for kids. The tide pools are great for kids to sit and play in and to of course make mud pies. This year we went about a month earlier then the last time (due to baby #2 due date) we were there and the weather was not as warm as last time but it was still in the upper 70's to low 80's the whole time. You could tell the biggest difference in the temp. of the ocean and pools...however it didn't seem to bother any of the kids...just the parents :)

The "Tree house" we stayed in at Sea Pine Plantation
The boys during our first stop at Salty Dog
Checking out the tug boat at the marina

This is what you get with "Fake Superman Ice Cream"
Our little Pirate!
Family Beach Pic

The Boys and their volcano

The waves taking out the volcano

Michael and Ben making mud pies :)

We had such a great time, we are already looking forward to making it back there again in a couple of years. The biggest change next time will be that instead of 3 boys there will be 5 boys...my oh my!

Isle of Palms

We decided that we just weren't quite ready to go home after a week in SC so we called Greg's parents who were driving down for their 2 week vacation after tax season and asked if they would mind some company for a couple of days...surprisingly they allowed it and we extended our vacation until the following Tuesday! Hooray...Thanks Mom and Dad A :) We had such a great time in IOP it is a quick drive across the bridge from Charleston, SC and the place they stay has a great pool right on the ocean, so you have the best of both worlds.

Ben eating his LARGE sucker

Playing in dad's shoes by the kiddie pool

Jumping the waves with G'pa Milt and Dad

Dad, Ben, Gma Becky, and Gpa Milt in the pool

We were sad to leave SC, but we were all ready to be home sleeping in our own beds. Ben was a great traveller for us both there and back and on the way home we left at 5am and only stopped 2 times...so we are definitely grateful that Ben was such a trooper for 13 1/2 hrs :) We love being in the south and can't wait to plan our next family vacation...however next time our family of 3 will be a family of 4...we can't wait!

34 weeks

Last Monday we finally took another pregnancy picture to show the growth of our new little guy. I am definitely popping out the front but still feeling pretty good. Just like Ben this little one gets the hiccups on a regular basis...pretty much every evening around 9-10 he starts with them and they last for about 10 minutes. He is also just as much of a mover as Ben was...sometimes my stomach looks quite "alien-ish". Doctors appointments have been going well and I am on the right track at this point still. After this Thursday I start with appointments once a week and I get another ultrasound to estimate weight and position. The countdown is definitely on and we are getting quite excited...even though we have a lot to do still. Once the nursery is completed we will post pictures of that too :)

Sorry for the lack of posts lately...I finally posted Greg's Birthday that I started a month ago! We have been trying to get things around in our house before Baby Brother comes and the computer has been moved, Greg got a new camera (so now there are two to upload pictures from), Ben doesn't take naps any more and most of the time in the evening I am just too comfortable to sit in front of the computer all night! But enough excuses...I will do my very best to stay on top of it :)

Greg's Big 3-0!

Daddy and Ben posing with the Birthday Cake
Family Pic

Marnie figuring out the bumper car at WhirlyBall

Good job teams!

Doug and Greg posing with their Ice Cream Cake

Valentine's Day is special in our house every year because we also get to celebrate Greg's Birthday! This year was extra special since Greg hit one of his milestone birthday's-30! We had a great day, my parents came up so they could babysit and we made plans with our friends to go out to dinner and then play some WhirlyBall. Dinner was really good although our waiter was interesting...WhirlyBall was a blast to play and to watch :) We are so glad we have such great people around us to celebrate with and the night would not have been the same without all of them there! Thanks again to everyone who came :)

Cousin Fun!

Ben at Castaway Cafe...going down the slide like a Big Boy
Picture Time :)
The Cheese Bandits...and Ranch too!
All the cousins snuggling watching a movie
After bath, snack, and movie time :)

The Abbott Family is super busy after Christmas too...the majority of the immediate family celebrate birthdays in Jan/Feb. it is crazy but it is also nice to see everyone on a regular basis! Ben has been spoiled with spending a lot of time with Emma, Kylah, and Sam recently and they all have such a good time together! I just had to share some of the cute pics we had of all these little cuties together :)

Hands On Museum

Ben playing with the water wheel
Ben checking out the spinning egg
Pushing buttons to hear animal sounds

Ben putting himself in a large bubble

Ben was not so sure about the Tornado

A few weeks back Ben and I met my dad (aka. Grandpa D) at the Ann Arbor Hands on Museum. We all needed to get out of the house and it was something that I thought Ben might really enjoy at his age...I was right! It was a blast :) We checked out the Preschool Section first and the only thing that Ben was really interested in was the water table, other than that he was ready for the big kid stuff. Obviously Ben doesn't understand the science behind any of the exhibits but he sure enjoyed testing them out and pushing all the buttons. My dad and I even had a great time exploring. You could easily spend an entire day there but we were good for about 2 hours before I was starving and ready for some Mongolian BBQ! It is def. something I would enjoy taking Ben to again and again...maybe next time we can go when there isn't a herd of Kindergartners running around though!

Baby Brother

Straight on view of the face
Side profile
I'm a Boy
Me at 21 weeks and 1 day

Well I am FINALLY updating with the fact that Ben is going to have a little brother! We couldn't be more excited and I know Ben will have a blast running around with his little brother when he is big enough. My doctors appointment was a little under 2 weeks ago and the little guy is growing great and looks healthy...that is always good to know too :) He is measuring right on so all dates are staying the same. I know that having 2 little boys is going to be quite the handful but I am up for the task! Greg is a great dad and he will have so much fun playing with his little guys. I am starting to think that maybe we need to get a female dog or something though...including Riley I am outnumbered 4 to 1. Oh well, on a side note I am still feeling great and have definitely felt the baby a ton at this point. It started off as just in the evenings around 16 weeks or so but now has moved to through out the day and then going crazy at night while I am watching TV...Greg has even felt him which is always so cool too! We are excited to meet this little guy and can't believe we are over half way there :)

Ben and The Wii

Ben playing Shawn White Snowboarding with Daddy
Ben preparing to jump

This is too cute not to share...we got the Wii from my parents for Christmas and Ben just loves doing it with us. At first he always wanted to step on the Fit board when we were on it so we had to create Ben his own board (his Aqua doodle folded in half). As soon as we get out the Board he will say "Mommy I want my Aqua doodle" and he puts it right by the board. He will attempt to do just about everything we do...Yoga, Strength, and of course Snowboarding :) It is so cute that some times I can't even concentrate while I am doing it! He has actually used the real board too and he loves playing the penguin game on the Fit. Greg and I were so impressed the first time we put him on the board when it is registering your weight it shows you your center of balance...Ben was right on the center the whole time...shows you how good of posture we all HAD as kids :)

A Wintery Weekend

The "Kids Tables" at Aunt Carol and Uncle Gordon's House
Ben helping sweep the ice for skating
Jeff and Michael skating

Doug with the girls...Kylah is an impressive ice skater :)

Greg taking Ben and Colton for a snowmobile ride

Family Photo Opportunity

Ben sledding with Mommy

Two weekends ago Jeff, Jess, Michael, and Andrew drove up from Tennessee so that the boys could enjoy the snow. We were so excited that they decided to make the drive that we all packed our snow gear up and headed to the lake for the weekend. On Saturday the kids mostly helped the dad's clear a spot for a skating rink and then the older kids (Michael, Kylah, and Emma) skated around with some of the dads. They also took a few rides on the snowmobile :) Saturday was the coldest day...maybe 10 degrees without windchill, so the activities were some what limited. On Sunday we had breakfast together and then we packed the kids up and drove to the Country Club to do some sledding...Ben had a great time, he took one spill in the snow (face first) but once I put my scarf around his face to keep it warm he still had a blast :) He even went down the big hill on his belly all by himself...Greg right behind him so we wouldn't have another face plant :) The hardest part about sledding with a toddler is that they want to be carried back up the hill...I obviously wasn't up for that task but with all the people there someone was always willing to help. We had a great time...I think everyone was exhausted by Sunday night...tons of activities and lots of cold, fresh air. It is always nice when all the cousins in Greg's family get together...there was only a handful that were there that weekend and there were A LOT of kids! Ben always has such a blast and it is fun for me to watch him run around and play with the big kids...he just thinks Michael is a riot and does pretty much whatever he does. The Guilds left Monday morning and it was actually snowing when they got to TN but of course within a few days they were back to playing outside...and as for us Northerners, we just keep getting the snow and cold.