Domestic Abigail

I have recently realized that I really have no cause to complain about housekeeping chores. Yes, I don't have a cleaning lady, and yes I do all the laundering, the ironing, the cleaning, the vacuuming, the sweeping, the dusting, the dishwashing, the tidying-up, you name it. But, in all honesty, when push comes to shove, I get a lot of help.

Abbie assists me in all chores, tirelessly and consistently. Of all things, she loves mopping the floor, and vacuuming the rugs. Whenever I get the Swiffer out, she grabs it and, without me even asking, starts working her magic. Here are some pictures I took a couple of months ago to prove my point...



What I like the most is that the kid doesn't cut any corners: she does a thorough job, she'll even mop under the furniture.


When I vacuum the rugs in the living room, she's definitely a big help, too: while I vacuum one of them, she'll tackle the other, with her popper... Back and forth, back and forth, under the chairs, back and forth, and once again.

Another one of her favorite chores is getting dishes in and out of the dishwasher: she'll climb onto the dishwasher's open door and start grabbing stuff and handing it to me. Then she'll climb off and close the dishwasher's door. She'll bend down, and lift that big door, pushing it in until it clicks shut.

I have to admit, I don't know what I would do without her... It's such a big relief to have a little assistant taking care of the house with me every day. So, I really am out of line when I say that "I keep up with the house".

There is no "I" in TEAM!!!

Itty Bitty Angel

We have recently found out that Abbie has a look-alike.... in the form of a drawing of an angel! Talk about coincidences, eh? :)

Some time ago I bought Abbie a bunch of Christmas books. One of them, "Deck the Halls with Holly Angels", features some really cute, caroling angels, and among them, you can totally see Abigail, check this out!




Really, I don't mean to brag or anything, but come on! Same curly hair, same little potato nose, round face, even down to the eye color... !





It's just cute, this is one of our favorite books of all time! :)

I'm Thankful for you

Dear Abbie: another Thanksgiving together!!! I just want to tell you that what I am most thankful for is you. I love you so much, and I am so proud of who you are, my little baby.

Thank you for the bear hugs; for smiling big each time you see me in the morning; for the kisses you send me and give me; for the chats that we have; for calling me "mammy"; for wanting to dance with me; for being so curious about everything I do; for asking me to read to you your favorite books; for hugging my leg; for running to me; for following me every where I go; for putting your toys and books away when I ask you to; for cooking with me; for being mine, and mostly, for loving me so.

I love you too, always and unconditionally. Happy Thanksgiving!

~ Mammy

The Terrible Twos (Eeeeeeekkk!) -- a.k.a. Monster Abbie

I've never been one to strictly tell the good stories. In fact, during the lifespan of this blog, I've spoken my mind about the good, the bad and the ugly of motherhood, of my daughter, and of myself as a mother. To me, admittedly a very complicated person, it's not about whether the glass is half full or half empty, but rather what's in the glass.

These past few days, tantrums it's been the what. And this one mom feels half empty.

Since Sunday afternoon Abbie has been going through some sort of "phase" (according to Christopher, for whom babyhood, toddlerhood and 'lifehood' in general is an ever evolving series of "phases"). The "phase's" mechanism consists of the sudden vanishing of my little girl as I know her, and the appearance of this Abbie-look-alike who screams, cries, throws herself on the floor and misbehaves up the wazoo. We have been butting heads for almost three days, Abbie and I, and I am at my wits' end trying to impress upon the 14-month-old that I (of undisclosed age, but way older) am the boss. We don't see eye to eye on that... And while she cries tears of raw anger and disappointment, today she had me in tears of frustration and exhaustion -- and many of them. For once, and humbly, I say: I really don't know what to do.

My mother, who is here visiting since last week, is witnessing the worst "phase" Abigail's had since her entrance into the world. And she assures me that sparing the rod is spoiling the child, and that I "got my spankings when I deserved them". Looking back at my childhood and teenage years, I have to admit that I was a very good kid. I never really got in trouble, if you exclude the occasional white lies and the sporadic missed curfew... But, really. Never did drugs, cut classes only a handful of times, never went to wild parties, never drunk too much, and never went astray. So, I'm left to wonder: is "spare the rod spoil the child" really the answer? And when is a good time to start? While all the pediatricians who have seen Abbie have commented on how "advanced" and "ahead" she is is for her age (emotionally as well as cognitively), I don't think that she'd understand my spanking her. Then again, maybe she would and might benefit from some "tough love".

I absolutely hate having to wonder about things like these. But I do, oh I DO, hate Abigail's attitude as of late. It drives me up the wall, and it frustrates me to no end. It also causes me emotional pain for some odd reason. But even worse than all that is not knowing what to do. I don't want to scar my little girl for life... if you listen to some experts as well as regular joes, that's what "the rod" does. Others will tell you that "the rod", in moderation and at the right times, is an invaluable lesson.

Ok, so here is the thing, and more "whats" for my damned glass: I want her to understand the difference between what's acceptable and what is not. How do I do it? How do I handle my high-strung baby in such a way that it becomes a positive lesson learned with the least amount of trauma? I am looking forward to the "phase" to be over: to less crying, less screaming and less floor-wiping.

I think I am facing the "terrible twos" already. And my glass is full (yes, you heard me) of whats, self-doubts, fears and questions. Of course, I'm not surprised... Being "ahead" of the times comes with a price. I wish someone had told me that too.

P.S. -- It didn't help matters any that, right after I published this post I got an email from ParentCenter.com saying (and I am quoting): Why is discipline such a big dilemma? Because it feels like a tightrope act. On one side there's the peril of permissiveness — no one wants to raise a brat. On the other side there's the fear of over-control — who wants to be the hardliner raising cowed, sullen kids? 

Yeah, right?

My little Pony(-ies)

As everyone knows, all little girls want a Pony. So, on Sunday, we took Abbie to meet 'Pony', an old friend of Shelby's, in Middleburg.

When we got there, what a surprise to find the little equine, eating grass, and a friend of his: another jolly, chewing pony! Just so you know, and for the sake of simplicity, we have named them Yin and Yang: our long-time friend is an all black pony, while our new buddy, Yin, is a white one.

So, we introduced Abigail to the pair, and they just simply hit it off! It was a lovefest from the get-go! She squealed with delight, Shelby joined in with happy barks, and the ponies neighed and snorted all the way. Abbie was fearless, and she simply started petting Yang on the nose. And Yang just sat there, with those lovely languid eyes, and let our laughing Abbie have at it.




Immediately, no doubt to check out the commotion, Yin came trotting, nosing his way into Abbie's hand: apparently he loves being petted, because he followed Abbie around for a while from behind the fence. They really loved each other, Abigail talked with Yin, and Yin listened to her and stood invariably close by . At one point, Shelby joined in and the three of them shared opinions, stories and confidences. There were lots of laughters, so we can assume that the chatter was a happy one. Here are some pictures witnessing the meeting of the great minds:



Eventually, of course, Abigail wandered off, and Shelby followed her while the ponies looked on. She went all over the little park, checked everything out, and tried the swings and the slides. She was absolutely ecstatic!




As with all good things, this too came to an end, when dusk set in. We told Abbie it was time to go, and to say Bye-Bye to her new pals. Abigail threw the mother of all tantrums when we picked her up and headed towards the car... Oh well....


We are going to have to do this again :) Abbie now has her own little pony(-ies) too!

... Thou tree most fair and lovely!

Yesterday we set up our Christmas tree. Granted, a little earlier than we normally would (usually Thanksgiving Day), but since Abbie is super charged with energy all the time and we will be preparing a big Thanksgiving dinner, we thought we'd better get a head-start! What we would normally do in one day needs to be spread out in two or more days, now.

Abigail was totally taken with the tree and the lights, and got into all of the ornaments. She climbed onto and into our storage boxes, and discovered a whole new world of fun she had no idea existed: colored, shiny balls, bows, little figurines, wooden ornaments, stringy lights... Abbie was extremely chatty, too, and expressed her opinions on our performance trimming the tree. Admittedly, she also helped quite a bit by choosing the decorations, handing them to me, and also by taking down the ones she thought weren't placed properly: she has a keen decorative style, and set us back on the straight and narrow path when we strayed (which apparently we did often).

Abbie danced to the Christmas music and gave it an honest shot at singing as well. We all had a total, absolute blast! The tree has a lot less ornaments than is normally would, yet it took twice as long to decorate, I can't imagine why... ! It was a special evening, I will cherish it for a long time. The perfect prelude to Christmas!

Here Comes Santa Clause...!

Abbie had her first pictures with Santa Clause today at Fair Oaks Mall! At first, she was unsure about what was going on, and would not smile when the pictures were taken. She looked all around her, and mumble a few things to Santa. Other than that, she didn't seem extremely excited by the big event! In reality, Christopher and I had a lot more fun than she did :)

But nevertheless, here is Miss Abbie with a ruddy, Ho-Ho-Ho-ing Santa Clause! (NB - Not the best pictures in the world!!!)

Photography by Danie

Last Saturday we had our most awaited photo session with Danie, at Van Dyck's Park in Fairfax. Abbie spent two hours running around and posing for the camera, and I was impressed by how well Danie and Abbie got along. Danie was able to get and maintain Abbie's attention, and the two had a blast together.

Of course, it goes without saying, we had a lot of fun too, observing our little girl hamming it up for the camera and enjoying her experience. We have some samples of our session, which I am posting here. Altogether, all I can say is I cannot wait for our Christmas pictures!!!

Modeling Abbie

I have been playing around with Christopher's new camera, the super awesome Canon EOS. I am NOT a good photographer by any stretch of the imagination... but it's hard to take a bad picture with this baby (the camera!), even for me. I still have a lot to learn about settings: I am a simple minded point-and-shooter. Regardless, if you couple these two babies together (Abigal + Canon EOS), you are bound to get good results :)

Abigail is a consummate model. She loves the camera, and has the personality for it: playful, cheerful, and at times a little coquettish.

Here are some samples of our most recent home photo shoot.