Almost Christmas!

It's the most wonderful time of the year.... unless you have a baby getting 4 teeth at once.  Ugh.  Okay, it's still a great time of the year and we've had a fun time getting ready for Christmas, but poor Miss Aberly has been having a rough time this past week.  Luckily two have broken through and the eye teeth are almost through. 

Since I just realized I don't have our most recent pictures uploaded yet, I'll summarize the last month.  It was an exciting one! 

First, Miss Aberly turned one on November 21st!  We had a drop in party for friends and family with snacks and mini-cupcakes.  Aberly was a bit overwhelmed by it all but warmed up after a while.  She wasn't interested in her gifts at all, so mom and dad took care of them for her.

Thanksgiving was right after Aberly's birthday.  We packed up and headed to the valley for a Johnson family get together.  The trip started out rough with Aberly catching a bug (all of us eventually) and not feeling well, but Thanksgiving day itself was great.  We got to see relatives we hadn't seen in quite some time.  This picture is of Aberly with my cousin Melinda's kids.  None of them were in the mood for a group shot!

The rest of our trip was spent with my parents and Andrew who was home from college in New York.  Colin and I had a great afternoon out wine tasting while my parents watched Aberly.

Our last event of the trip was visiting Colin's grandmother Diane in Albany.  Aberly loved going up and down her stairs.

Since then, we've been gearing up for Christmas.  The snow has been falling.  Aberly isn't sure about playing in the snow since she has a hard time getting around. 

 
Aberly still loves her bath time.  The second picture is of her trying to get in the tub.  She does this most nights.  Patience is not her strength!

What happened to the last two months?

Oh my goodness.  My mom reminded me the other day that I hadn't updated my blog in awhile.  I was like, "Oh, I know.  It's been crazy".  I didn't realized how outdated it was.  I don't know what happened to the last few months.  They have flown by.

Well, first we'll get the boring "adult" news out of the way. 

I am back to work!  I found a part time job at Fincham Financial Group (they do New York Life Insurance primarily) working in the office.  I do Mon/Tues/Thursday 11-4 and Friday 11-5.  Twenty one hours all together and a day off midweek to be home with Aberly.  It's been a weird transition back to the working world and I admit I got used to being a stay-at-home mom, but bills call and we aren't quite in a place for me to be home full time.  That day will come!

Colin's big news is finishing his program!  After a long haul through summer and this fall, he has finished his manuscript and been granted approval for graduation.  He is so excited and thankful to be done.  Most of his evenings and weekends were taken up with writing and he was getting very burned out.  Aberly and I missed him too! 

Now the fun news!

Aberly is almost 1 years old and already turning into a little girl.  She has lost her baby look and now toddles around like a champ.  She picked up walking at 11 months and never looked back to crawling.  It is so fun to watch her interact with, learn about, and understand the world around her.  She hasn't learned any words yet besides "mama" but babbles all day long and yells at us when unhappy.   We often have her underfoot, trying to get out attention (she isn't quite an independent player yet). 

Her two bottom teeth are full in  and her top two teeth have just broken through.  This has made for some grumpy days and not so great nights of sleep but we're pushing through and know there is light at the end of the tunnel.  We've heard it gets easier after the first four teeth.  We hope that is true.

Here are some pictures of our love!

 Aberly got food in her hair so we had some fun with it!

 Go Beavers!

 Aberly loves pulling books off her shelf!

 Cutie pie with her bottom teeth!

 Halloween is coming!

 Pumpkin patch!

 Aberly loves bathtime.

 Halloween outfit.

Our Halloween ballerina.

80 degrees in September?

The above average temperatures are sure a surprise!  Aberly's summer clothes are getting a last hurrah.

I start my new job on Thursday, which is very exciting.  As much as I've come to enjoy being home with Aberly full time, there is a part of me that needs adult interaction and an outlet for my energy (besides household chores).  I'll start at two days a week, part time, and move up from there.

Aberly is on the verge of walking as she cruises the furniture and has become very good at balancing while standing and doesn't need something to hold onto.  The other day, she actually pushed up into a stand unaided (by a prop).  She is enjoying playing on her own more and is discovering how to use many of her toys.  She loves stacking the wood rings on her toy.  She also has become a climber and wants to get up on anything she can.

Crazy hair!

Practicing walking!

Playing in the neighbor's sandbox on a hot September day!

Our beauty!