How big is Abigail?

Soooooo big!

When life gives you lemons...

...suck on 'em!

10 months

Hi! Have you missed me?

Things have been crazy over here. Life with a 10 month old is exhausting - even more so than than it was when Abby was a newborn. She's crawling, pulling up, exploring, and is quite vocal about her demands. No longer content to just sit in her Bumbo and chew on a toy, she requires constant entertainment. Add the recent time change to the mix? Yeah, Mama's tired.

Getting ready for work in the morning has become a daily battle. Usually we're up by 5am, have a bottle / nurse, and then it's operation Destroy The Bedroom. First mission: attempt to insert finger into electrical outlet. Then it's straight for the trash can to fish for some papers and q-tips, followed by a nice game of "pull all the books out of the bookcase." I know I could really lock down the house, put up bumpers on all the furniture, etc. but the thing is, eventually we'll go somewhere that's not babyproofed. I'd rather just attempt to teach her what's appropriate to play with and risk some minor bumps and bruises now. Plus, I'm just a glutton for punishment. Also? Bumpers on furniture are ugly.

Don't get me wrong; I've taken some basic safety precautions. I've plugged up the outlets and plan to get locks for cabinets that contain dangerous chemicals. But I'm not going to line the house with feather pillows.

I'm having a really hard time with just how quickly this year has gone by. In less than two months Abby will be a year old, and that just blows my mind. Sometimes I find myself thinking back to the early weeks when she was so tiny and helpless and I have to fight back tears. I think this feeling is compounded by the fact that we're slowly weaning. I had no idea how much I would miss breastfeeding my baby. The closeness and bonding that I experienced while nursing Abigail is almost indescribable, and I'm sad to see that aspect of our relationship go away.

Wow, do I sound sappy or what? Sorry about that.

Yes, 10 months is exhausting, and yes, I do miss the baby days, but this is also the most fun age ever. When she figures out a new trick she just beams with pride and gives me a big toothy grin. She cracks up when I sing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" to her and tickle her belly. Watching her explore and learn and grow is just the most amazing and rewarding experience, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Missing her

My baby girl is sleeping at her father's house tonight and I am miserable.

I don't have anything more to say.

The hits just keep on comin'

Today Abby had an eye appointment to assess her progress with the patch and re-evaluate her post-op situation.

First, the good news. The patch is really helping to strengthen the vision in her left eye. Also, since the surgery, her "tilt" (torticollis) is really improving. Excellent!

Now for the not so good news... Abby will need surgery to correct the placement of her eye. I don't totally understand the details, and will be calling the doctor for clarification tomorrow, but the bottom line is that she will need to undergo an outpatient surgery under anesthesia.

It could be worse. It could be a hell of a lot better, but... all things considered, it could be worse. So now I guess now we'll just soldier on and hope for the best.

Sigh.

Abby Overload

Katie made this lovely video montage of Abby during her visit. Six minutes of ridiculous cuteness! You can really see how well Abigail is recovering here. Thank you Katie!

Sunday at the pumpkin patch, and other assorted bits and pieces

Well, things are getting back to normal around here after Abby's surgery. It feels weird to not have this big scary event looming ahead. I'm still kind of reeling from all the stress and emotion of the past few months, but I'm so glad the worst is behind us.

My friend Katie was here last week, and having her around was wonderful. She can make me laugh like nobody else. It was just what we needed.
Of course Abby loves her Aunt Katie to death, and my dog Lily is still moping around the house wondering where her playmate went. It goes without saying that I miss her too. Hopefully we'll be able to go down to Florida early next year to visit Katie as well as Abby's Great Grandparents, who live in the same town.

Yesterday we had breakfast at Nonny's house, which was great. All the kids were so good with Abby, offering her their toys and making her smile. Conrad cooked a delicious meal, and it was really nice have some "family time" with Abby.

Today was so beautiful, we just had to get out to the pumpkin patch. Katie bought Abby a great little pumpkin hat, perfect for the occasion. Along with her "Mummy loves me" t-shirt, we were dressed for the season.


Tomorrow Abby goes back to daycare and my half-days at work are over. I'm nervous about sending her back. It almost feels like the first day I dropped her off, and I'm sure there will be some tears tomorrow. I know her teachers will take extra special care of her, but it's still hard to send her off.

Photo Time

One of my best friends in the whole world is here visiting me this week, so I don't have time to write a lot here. Katie is such an amazing photographer, though; I just had to share....

Race for the Cure

About a year and a half ago I got a phone call from my mom. We chat all the time, so I was just expecting the usual banter about our dogs, friends, life, etc. But this call was different. She called to tell me that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. I can't imagine how hard it was for her to break that news to me over the phone, and when she told me, it was like the wind was knocked out of me. I crumpled up into a ball on the couch and cried.

A few weeks later she had her right breast removed. My mom is so amazing; I remember walking into her hospital room only hours after the operation to see her sitting up in bed smiling, so happy to see me.

Shortly after that, my mom began chemotherapy. That was when it all became very real to me. She has always been a strong, active woman, but the drugs sapped her energy. I went back home to be there with her for a chemo session, and seeing her hooked up to an IV drip of poison, exhausted and weak, broke my heart. When her hair began falling out in clumps, rather than sit and wait for it all to come out, she shaved it off. We celebrated her strength with champagne and tears.

Even though she had a gorgeous wig that looked fabulous on her, Mom opted to go around bare-headed most of the time. I'm sure it made some people feel uncomfortable... Oh, that poor woman has CANCER. But it made me so proud to see her hold her bare head up high, looking the world directly in the eye and saying, "yeah, I have cancer. So what?"

Mom is healthy now. Last year I walked by her side in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Baltimore. I was about six months pregnant, so I like to joke that I was "waddling slowly towards the cure."


This year my mom is once again organizing a team, but unfortunately I can't join her on the walk. Please consider donating to her team. She says it better than I could:

October 14th is just around the corner and I'm shamelessly soliciting for donations to Komen Race for the Cure. Last year was a crazy one for my family, friends and myself. I'm happy to report that I'm cancer free and life is beautiful. Of course, there are so many, too many, who are just learning of their own cancer or in the throes of it all. Komen's research has been working hard and making progress in discovering new ways to eradicate this disease. I met with an extremely bright researcher from Texas last week and there is so much good being done on the cellular, molecular and other levels that it is theirs(and mine) extreme hope that this disease will be something that our daughters and our granddaughters will never have to face. Please consider donating again this year to the Komen Race... Thanks in advance, Kathy and all of "Team Ciambruschini"

Phoning it in

Hey, why write a real post when I can put up a video of my child eating banana puffs?



I went back to work for a half day today and I'm tired. Working 4 hours will wear a person out. I promise; more dragons tomorrow.