Sleepy Smile

This weekend was my annual girls' trip which was a blast!  We decided to go to Dallas this year since Sallie, Sophia, and Lily all live there.  The weather was practically perfect and we had a great time eating, eating, and talking.  I'm so glad the girls instilled this trip a few years ago and that we have made it a priority to get together just the girls once a year. 
however...this was a three night adventure which was also the LONGEST time I've been away from my sweet angel!  Because of my job there have been plenty of nights away or even a few days where I've not been able to see her awake but I've at least seen and kissed her sweet cheeks.  So I knew being away this long was going to be so much fun with Sallie and the girls, but I also knew it would be difficult.
Lord have mercy I didn't realize how much I would miss her!  As a mother, your body will physically ache when you are not with your child.  A friend recently quoted  Elizabeth Stone who sums it up best, “To have a child is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.” Yep, that's pretty much the way it feels.
I can handle it for 12 hours, probably even 24 hours without wanting to break down...but 72 hours was excruciating on that final plane ride back to her!  When my mom rolled up to the Hartford-Jackson curb I was ecstatic to hop in and squeeze those baby cheeks.
Abney was sound asleep.
How could this be?!  I had strategically planned my flight to be during nap time so that when I landed she'd be wide awake and ready to play with me for a few hours before bed time. :(  Sigh.
We began the ride home and I sat quietly in the back staring lovingly at my sweet baby girl.  Admiring how beautiful she is and marveling at how much she had grown while I was away.  I swear it was 2 or 3 inches...
As I was gazing at her with a huge grin on my face she began opening her eyes some in her sleep. One of those moments where she's still sleeping but she has her eyes open.  She briefly looked at me and then she smiled.  This huge goofy grin in her sleep.  She smiled, closed her eyes and snoozed with a smile on her face.
Never been happier or felt more special in my entire life.
I love you Abney Rae.

Day is Done

I owe way more updates than this, but needless to say we have been busy. :)  Where did the last few months go and how is my baby girl growing up so fast!?

Every night before you go to sleep, we sit in your chair and read a few stories.  After that you know what time it is, TAPS.  Oh yes, the Ton-A-Wandah girl in me had no idea how to sing a lullaby to a baby...so I did the only thing I know how to do and that is to sing you Taps every night before bed.  We rock gently and you nestle into me and I sing the sweet song that has put countless soldiers and campers at ease before they doze off.

It only recently occurred to me when admitting this to a neighbor, that it is not necessarily "normal" for someone to know every word to Taps.  In fact, said neighbor didn't even realize there were words to the song and assumed it was just a great tune they play on the trumpet.

Have no fear my sweet angel, as you will most certainly know every word to the song...and I'm quite certain you already do.  Why do I think this?  Oh, about two weeks ago you started singing the melody with me when we break into song.  It is quite possibly one of the sweetest sounds I've heard and makes me giggle while we sing.  I am not sure I will know what to do with myself when the time comes that you can sing the words with me.  Please note, your voice is already ten million times better than mine so when you can sing the words I may just let you take over!

For those of you that need a reminder, here are the solemn words that we softly sing before the Buerger girls say their prayer each night.

Day is done, gone the sun. From the lakes, from the hills, from the sky.
All is well, safely rest, God is nigh.

Good night, we must part.  God keep watch over us all through the night.
We will meet, with the dawn.

Good night!

Lights out.

Keep on Trucking...

Abney and Mommy both had big weekends. Mommy had LOTS of training with Team in Training, which started Friday with a 26.8 mile ride in 102 degree heat with Uncle Ben.  Over all it was a great ride, but I did fall and scrape up my left knee and give some serious bruising.  I was able to work through the pain and the heat, to finish strong.

Saturday I woke up early and ran a challenging course for 10 miles!  That is the longest I have run ever in life.  It feels so good to have accomplished that feat and to know I can do it for race day (plus 3.1 miles...)
Sunday I woke up REALLY EARLY, as in 4:00 a.m. and drove three hours to Augusta.  Around 9:00 we got on the road to ride the 56 mile course, and then run afterwards.  It started out great and I was feeling pretty good about myself.  I had some issues with the chain on my bike, but no big deal.  Then around mile 39 I got out of my saddle for an uphill and the same moment my chain dropped.  Yikes!  I went down.  Hard.  It was probably a combination of exhaustion and compensating for the injury I already had, and exhaustion.  I bit it on my right knee, and gave it full throttle of my weight.  Ouch.
I'm fine now and have spent the last 24 hours icing with an assortment of frozen vegetables.  Most of the swelling is gone and I'm hoping to be back out training tomorrow.  I have a commitment here and I will BEAT it!
Enough about me, you all come here to read about Abney.  I know, I'm so last year.  Where was my beautiful baby while I was doing all this?  Well Saturday she was with her future boyfriend's parents at the Aossey Posse home.  They claim they didn't teach her, but when she came home to me on Saturday she was whistling!  Not quite dixie yet but she has learned how to purse her lips and make a whistling noise.  If she gets any better she will be better than me, but that's not saying much. LOL
We both enjoyed a looong nap after the tough mornings and then spent the evening celebrating a 30th birthday at Dave & Cessy's house.  It was very exciting to see friends we had not seen in a while and to learn of multiple reasons to celebrate for some of those friends.  It seems to be raining children in Atlanta these days.  Yes, mommy should have gone to bed early on Saturday night instead of playing with friends...
Sunday while I was in Augusta and Ben was working, Abney got to visit her cousins.  I'm not sure how you define it, but they are Ben's first cousins so I guess that makes them her second cousins?  Or are they removed?  I don't know, and will keep calling them cousins. :)  She had a BLAST!!!  I wish I could have been there to see this in person, but if a picture is worth a thousand words:

Oh yes, this woman is moving and will soon be running around without a support.  That's the real reason I am training for the Half Ironman, so I can keep up with Abney when I'm chasing her around the house!

Dreams Come True

I just finished rocking Abney into her morning slumber.  As I sat holding her tightly in my arms and gazing around her beautiful room, it reminded me of all the time I spent doing this very act dreaming of what it would be like when my baby girl was finally here.  She has been more than I could have ever dreamed and hoped for.  Abney is such a blessing in my life and every time I look or think of her I can't help but smile.  She brings me joy, love, and hope.
My cousin Cade had her second child this past Wednesday, Catherine McNeil Daniel.  Little Catherine is beautiful and a perfect addition to the family.  Cade and I spent some time talking about how incredible it is to add to the brood and how much your heart continues to grow with a second child.  Just when you think you cannot love anything more, you find that with more children comes more love.

So today as I sat rocking my Abney, and realized that all of my dreams of becoming a parent for the first time are coming true.  I continue to dream of what it will be like to watch Abney grow and to one day meet her future sibling(s).  I realize now that this is my life's purpose and that I was born to be their mother, and I will do everything I can to insure I do my best.

Next Steps

See what happens when I take the computer out of my closet?  No posting!  This week has been another busy one but also fun.  Ben has been in Costa Rica for 9 days (I'm desperate for his return tomorrow) and Nana came in town to help take care of her girls.
I never realized quite how many times a day I have the urge to talk, text, or email Ben.  I probably have 900 things per day I need him to know and/or confirm for me.  I had no idea I was this codependent! LOL Having him out of the country has been difficult but he is having fun, and we discovered the ease and joy of Skype.  We can hear and see each other without paying crazy roaming fees.  I can't believe we haven't been using this for years.  My code name is juicybuerger. :)
This week they have started transitioning Abney into the "First Steps" room at school.  I now realize I should be excited and proud that my little girl is developing so quickly and moving up in classes early.  But oh my did I have a mommy meltdown about it on Monday.  It already seems like time is flying faster than I know how to handle and this just made it seem more tangible.  My little baby, no longer in the baby room. Wow.
Here is a picture of my little mover and shaker from last month.  She is very close to taking those first steps.

9 Month Check Up

"Your daughter is perfect."-Dr. Hines

Have I mentioned yet how much I love our pediatrician?  She may say that to 99% of the children she sees but I love it every time I hear it.  My daughter is perfect, or as close as you can get. :)  Alright so time for the stats: she is 20 lbs 7 oz (75th percentile), and is now 27 1/4" tall (50th percentile).  I really thought she was weighing in heavier than that...so I probably need to start lifting weights now to prepare.  The only scolding I received was also given by Abney's teacher, and that is to start feeding her "puffs."  They are these fancy puff balls that are allegedly made of fruits and veggies.  I thought we need to wait until she had teeth-that is WRONG.  Good parents start feeding these puff things at 6 months, so we are 3 months behind.  So what will we add to the diet this week besides meat?  Yes, puffs.

Tonight Ben and I are going on a date to Stoney River while one of our favorite sitters takes over the nest.  We have two regular sitters and tonight we are blessed to have Miss Melissa over.  Here is a shot of the girls together, Abney clearly loves spending time with Melissa and we are lucky that Melissa loves spending time with her.

I'm so excited to get a night out with my hubby, especially since he leaves on Saturday for Costa Rica with the Emory team for almost ten days!  I'm going to miss him terribly but am hoping the Nana will be here to keep me and Abney company.  It's hard to believe we are about to head into another soccer season so quickly.  It seems like just yesterday that Ben made the move back to coaching and shortly after we found out we were expecting.  Time really flies...this is the post from the last time Ben and I did date night at Stoney River.

I'm Back

In typical me fashion, I want to detail every moment and after getting behind on a few posts I let the idea of capturing everything keep me from doing what I can.  So here I go, back in the swing and hoping to post back logs as I can.  In the end, having them noted is better than trying to make everything perfect and missing out on these moments.  How do I plan to do a better job of posting you may ask?  By putting my computer in my closet.  For many the closet may sound strange, but with all my shoes and finally my favorite pair of "skinny jeans" back on the rack, this room is probably my favorite room in the house.

Today was a great day.  Nothing replaces the way it feels to have Abney squeal and wiggle with delight when she sees my face.  I love picking her up from school, and quite frankly I love dropping her off.  I may not always love the extra time it takes, the extra traffic I run into, and the extra time in the heat.  But I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the way it feels when my daughter sees her mommy.  NOTHING in the world is as cool as being Abney's mommy.  I am such a lucky woman.

The little nugget is just over 9 months old now and she is moving like crazy.  Yesterday she stood up all on her own for the first time.  She immediately fell when I screamed in excitement for Ben to look at her, and she still doesn't realize she can do it without assistance.  I anticipate we will have a walker on our hands in a matter of weeks if not days.  Our little girl is growing up way too quickly, and I am loving every minute of it.

She also started getting teeth finally!  She has her first two bottom nubs, and they are slooowly creeping in.  I am not sure why I wanted her to start getting her teeth quite so badly because the mild fevers, mood swings, and general crankiness that comes along with it has me wondering if maybe we can get the rest of these teeth to hold off for a while.  LOL  That sweet little toothless grin is gone, but in its place comes a new smile that will always make me smile back.