All about Abby...

This is our sweet Abby. Or "Abba-dab" or "Babs" or "Abby crabby." (This last name fits quite well if she doesn't get sleep or food in a timely manner.) Oh how we love this girl! Right after she was born, I remember the overwhelming feeling that this perfect little babe in my arms had a very special spirit. I know she's special. And I know there's a reason she was born into our family. This sweet girl has experienced many miracles in her short little life. Because of her, my testimony is so much stronger. Because of her, my faith is stronger. Because of her, I have a stronger love for our Heavenly Father. Because of her, I am determined to keep my family together forever. One day, she will understand how many people love her and have prayed for her to be able to stay with us on this earth. How honored I feel to be called her mother.

Her are some of the things that make Abby special.

*My very favorite thing is when she says "Hi Mee-Mee!" That's what she calls me. I love it!

*She loves her sisters. She loves to copy whatever "Sissy" (Emily) does. She loves Sophie and calls her "Bee-bee." She is very interested in Sophie's paci. She knows it serves a purpose, but she's just not sure what. I often find her trying it out.

*She loves to give kisses. (Big open mouth, tongue sticking out, kisses)

*Abby is quick to give loves....and then a smack on the cheek.

*She finally understands how to fold her arms for prayers.

*She loves her "Dad-eeeee."

*She's sneaky. When nobody is looking, she climbs anything that can be climbed. She gets into the garbage if she spots any food. And, she's fasinated with the potty. This girl definately keeps me on the edge of my seat....literaly....I don't get to sit down very much!

*She can chug Root Beer.

*She is an excellant listener. She always follows simple instructions. I love when we ask her to do something...she is so pleased with herself when she completes her task.

*This is her very best friend. They go everywhere together. She is always by his side. Whenever we pull up to Grandpa's house she claps and cheers and when it's time to go, she sobs. I can't wait for her to get a little older...she is going to learn lots from him!

*She LOVES shoes. All shoes. Anyone's shoes. If she spots a shoe it must be tried on.


*Abby absolutely loves food. She is happiest when food is in her hand. Her favorites are: pears, chicken nuggets, rice, pasta, popcorn, bananas, applesauce, ice cream, pretzels, graham crackers, PB&J's, oh the list could go on and on! She L.O.V.E.S. food!!


*She has this horse, raspy voice that I totally love. I hope it never ever changes.



*She's fearless. She will try anything. (She is the total opposite of Emily in this area!) The only thing she's scared of is basketballs, helicopters, stangers, doctors, and nurses.


*Abby loves to tease and be teased. She loves to play hide & seek. She loves to be chased...and loves it even more when she gets caught.


Our Abby is by far the happiest and sweetest girl around. She challenges me everyday. She has given me quite a few gray hairs. She makes me smile everyday. She makes me laugh (the huge belly ones) everyday. She amazes me. She has reminded me what's important in life. My favorite part of the day is when I get to rock her to sleep at night. It's our special time. I love looking at her beautiful face. Her giant eyes. Her full lips. Her sweet grin. How grateful I am that she is my girl. She has changed me for the better. She has made our family even greater. What a blessing! I sure do love you Abba-dab!!!

All about Emily....

Yesterday Emily asked me, "Mom, why do you think I'm so special?" Honestly, I didn't even know where to begin! This girl is special in so many ways. She special to me in countless ways. The only thing I could come up with right off the top of my head was, "Because you're a child of God. Because you're my girl. And because so many people love you." This question has been on my mind since then. Oh man, is this girl special! She is our miracle girl! She made me a mother when I didn't think I'd ever be one. She saved me! Maybe one day I'll be able to explain to her without crying my eyes out just how special to me she really is.

So, here are just a few special things about our sweet Emily.

*She loves gymnastics. I mean L.O.V.E.S. it!! We have been so amazed at how much she has improved and how much confience she has gotten because of it. The girl can do so many forward rolls in a row that it makes me dizzy just watching her! She has mastered a front flip, backward rolls, and round offs, among many other tricks.

*She is very determined to get things perfect. She works and works at something until she has it perfected. I love that! What a talent that is to not just give up when things don't go your way!

*She loves her sisters. She has really taken to being a big sister. She drives Abby crazy, but she's also very protective of her and Sophie. She's sad when they're sad. She hurts when they hurt.

She's an early bird. She loves to eat breakfast the minute her eyes are open. She gets dressed right after and wants to know what we are going to be doing that day. She always needs to have a plan for her day.

*She's a party girl. She loves to have a party. Which means that we have alot of parties at our house! Anything we can think of turns into a party for her. Her favorties are pajama parties, sleepover parties, campout parties (which means Geoff pitches a tent in the living room and they sleep in it), swimming parties, beauty parties, and birthday parties. I swear, this girl would eat brussel sprouts if we told her it was a brussel sprout party!

*She has a very strong bond with her Grandma Sant. They are best of friends. I am so grateful that she is so close with her grandma! Her favorite thing to do with grandmas is to "take a nap." Meaning, that they lay in bed and read stories and tell secrets.

*Emily loves her cousins. She was shocked and overjoyed when it dawned on her that her cousins are part of her family! That just made her day!

*Her favorite foods are "butterfly noodles" (bowtie pasta), "loaf meat" (meat loaf), "hamaburgers", strawberries, pears, mac & cheese, "daddy specials" (grilled cheese), and she loves a "nice cold drink with ice." She's very concerned about eating "helpthy foods." (Even though a Milky Way is at the top of her food pyramid!)

*She is still obsessed with Tangled. She checks in the mirror everyday to see if any of her hair has turned golden.

*She is also in love with Justin Bieber.....still! She let the doctor know that she had Bieber Fever. Sometimes I find her nose to nose with Sophie and she's singing "Baby" to her because she knows that it will make her happy.

*I'm amazed at how well she can memorize things. She knows so many songs. She will listen to one song over and over until she knows the whole thing. And then she moves on to the next song. She also knows directions. She can tell exactly where we are going by what streets we turn on.

*Emily finally got her first big kid bike. She absolutely loves it! (Even though she rides it slower than an old lady walks!)

*She is very cautious. Anything she tries, she has to be sure that it's safe. (I hope she stays that way when she becomes a teenage!) If she sees someone else doing it and knows she'll be okay, then she'll go for it.

*She is a worrier. She has a very tender heart. She doesn't want to disappoint anyone. It breaks her heart when she knows she did somthing wrong.

This girl has blessed our home in more ways that I can explain. She makes me smile everyday. She amazes me with what she knows and how quickly she learns. She's always making us laugh. She stretches my patience. She keeps me on my toes! I still remember the day when I found out I was pregnant with her. What joy filled our broken hearts! And then when I held her for the first time....ahhhh...fresh from heaven. I will never forget that feeling.

I love you sweet girl! More than you'll ever know!

We'd like you to meet....

Sophie Jane Meredith

born June 13, 2011

7 lbs. 10 oz.

20 inches long

still undecided about hair color

I still can't believe we have three beautiful daughters! We are so blessed! The labor went very smooth (as soon as the drugs came!). And the delivery was very fast...so I couldn't have asked for a better experience. Sophie came out screaming and wouldn't stop until we got her a bottle. She immediately drank 2 oz. and was content from that moment on. I can honestly say that we can count on one hand how many times we've heard her cry. She is the best baby and is very patient with all of us! She is our smallest baby and doesn't have any fat on her...except a big roll right under her chin! She is a great eater and burper (which explains all my burping during the pregnancy!). Her sisters are so in love with her. I'm surprised how well Abby is handling it. She has grown very attached to Sophie. She loves to give her kisses and calls her "Sissy or Beebee". Emily is totally in love with Sophie, too. She has been a great big sister and loves to hold her and love on her. She has a hard time remembering her name, though! Once she even called her "Sofa"!!!

I know that these girls are going to be the bestest of friends and I'm so grateful for that. Sisters are the best.

We still can't decide what color of hair Sophie has. The sides are blond, the top and back is brown, and in the light it has a reddish tint all over. It's beautiful! She has very pretty olivey skin...something she didn't inherit from either of her parents. Can you tell we are completely in love with her? She is so sweet and has brought such a special feeling into our home.

Update on Abby

(This was Abby's favorite place to be....in the wagon with her toys. Can you see the IV in her poor little head?!?!? So. sad.)

After a very stressful 10days of high fevers and puking, Abby was finally admitted to the hospital last Wednesday. They ran tons of urine and blood tests and also did an ultrasound on her kidneys to check for any abcesses. I'm happy to report that everything came back normal. She did have a severe kidney infection and a UTI, but the anitbiotics cleared that up. Her white blood cell count was a tiny bit high but our doctors think she may have been fighting a virus on top of everything else. I had a gut feeling that she was dehydrated. I kept mentioning it to the doctors, but she wasn't showing any signs of it. I KNEW she was, though. Turns out....she was! I'm really learning to trust my instincts in times like these! As soon as we got some IV fluids in her she was a new girl. Thankfully we only had to stay overnight and she hasn't spiked any fevers since. We still have to do one more test, a VCUG, on Monday to check for reflux in her kidneys. It's going to be a miserable day for her....and for us. Hopefully they don't find anything wrong, but if they do...well....we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

I have to say have grateful I am for the wonderful doctors we have! They have taken such good care of her! While we were in the hosptial, Dr. Murdoch mentioned to me how much he likes our little Abby because she makes him think....she never follows the normal curve of sicknesses.

I am grateful for Dr. Yost and Dr. Murdoch for not cutting any corners and checking every possible thing. Even though these tests have been so hard on our babe, I know it needs to happen. They are always so sweet and kind with her.

I'm also grateful for the kind nurses who took care of her in the hospital. You know you're there too much when they actually remember your names, the room you normally stay in, and the rocking chair you like!

I'm grateful for the wonderful friends and family who were so concerned about Abby. There were so many prayers offered for her. Her name was put into so many temples as well. What a blessing! Thank you!

I'm also grateful for the wonderful gift of the Priesthood. She received a few blessings during this trial and what a special feeling of peace and comfort this brought to us!

I'm most grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who heard our prayers....even the quick ones...and gave us the strength that we needed.

What I'm not grateful for....IV's in the head! I completely LOST it when I saw her with that sticking out of her tiny head. She was so sad and it drove her crazy. She finally pulled it out that night! I would've too!

Well, we are happy to be home and hope we don't have to see the walls of another hospital until baby girl #3 joins our family in June!

On a side note, tonight we are going to the rodeo. Emily is beyond excited to see the rodeo queens and show them her new cowgirl hat, her cowgirl shirt, and her cowgirl boots. Abby is going to love seeing the horses. Should be a fun evening!

I'm feeling a little sorry for myself....

Well, I shouldn't say that I'm feeling sorry for myself......I'm feeling sorry for my poor sweet Abby. She sick....again. I'm not over her last sickness yet. It's still in the very front of my mind. I still worry about her breathing at night. I still have to check on her a thousand times while she sleeps, feeling her tiny belly to make sure it's still moving up and down. I can still hear her saying "Ma ma ma ma ma" as the nurses and doctors ran tests. Two weeks in two different hospitals. An ambulance ride. A very blue baby. A surgery.....maybe a few more. Lots of tests. Lots of doctors. Even more prayers. And many miracles. It tends to stick with you for awhile. We have tried so hard to keep her away from any kind of sickness....and I think we've done pretty good.....until this one snuck up on us.

*

The doctor kept telling me that it's nothing I've done. It's nothing I could've prevented. As a mother....you don't really believe that. Abby has had a fever for the last 5 days. The poor girl has been miserable. We figured it was either a flu bug or an ear infection. We weren't that worried about it. Her breathing was great, so we relaxed a little. I figured I'd just run her up to the clinic to get her ears checked, get some meds, and be on my way. Quick and painless trip. Well, her ears checked out fine. Her lungs sound great. She's getting 4 teeth. I kept thinking "Okay...easy. I can handle this. But why the fever?" The doctor decided to check her urine for a UTI. I really didn't think it was necessary....babies don't get those....right? Well, her urine looked awful. Plum full of infection and grossness. He's even sending it out for more tests. "Okay....get her on some meds and lets get rid of this." My mind kind of shut off the minute he said "kidney or bladder abnormalities, more testing, possibility of surgery, and Primary Children's." I'm sure he saw the glazed look in my eyes.

*

I need to keep telling myself not to get too worked up about all of this until we actually know if there's a problem. But it's my sweet baby, who's already been through so much in her short 1 year of life. I need to keep telling myself that she won't remember any of this when she's older. I need to keep telling myself that Heavenly Father has a plan for her. I need to keep telling myself that we have a wonderful doctor who is just covering all the bases so we don't have any future problems. It's just scary, ya know?

Happy Birthday Abby!

It's still so hard for me to believe that our Abby is already 1!! She has got to be the sweetest thing around and we have absolutely loved having her in our family.

Here are some facts about our special girl:

*She loves to sleep and hates early mornings*

*She is a total pro at walking now*

*She's a sucker for anything soft*

*She loves macaroni and cheese, rice, pasta, and ice cream*

*She hates baby food, yogurt, and oatmeal*

*She doesn't like anyone dressed in scrubs or carrying a stethascope*

*She loves music and must stop whatever she's doing to dance a little*

*She is the fastest crawler around*

*She loves any and all animals*

*She can say "Mum", "Dad", "Sissy" and "Kitty"*

*She still has a ticklish bum*

*She loves to play peek-a-boo"*

*She hates all headbands, hair clips, hats, or anything else touching her head."*

(And can't stand to see anything on anyone else's head either!)

It was a total shocker that she actuall liked this headband!

We had her 12 month check-up yesterday and she's doing very well.
She weighs 21 lbs. 8 oz. And the doctor is very pleased with how well she's doing. We had to put her back on prevacid to help with her acid reflux, but other than that she's doing great!

Happy 1st Birthday Abby Anne!!
We love you sooooo much!!!

I know, I know, I knnnooowww!! I should be utterly ashamed at how long it’s been since my last blog update. I do have a good excuse! I DO!! Two busy kids and being pregnant with our 3 girl kinda takes it out of ya. Just getting through each day with everyone still alive and hopefully smiling is considered a huge success in our house.
Geoff is still busy working every single day….the poor boy never gets a day off. He does it with a smile and never ever complains. What a man!
Emily is sweet, sassy, and loves to keep life interesting. She’s into Justin Bieber and princesses right now. (When I say “into” I mean she LOVES him, is going to marry him, and has all of his songs memorized.) We bought her a portable karaoke machine for Christmas and she carries is everywhere singing and dancing to the Biebs, Black Eyed Peas, Carrie Underwood, and Rascal Flatts. No Itsy Bitsy Spider or Wheels on the Bus for this gal! She wants to dress like a dancer or a rockin’ star every single day. She’s always planning a party and loves when someone’s birthday comes around. She tried snowboarding for the first time and did pretty well. She cried and giggled the entire time and made her dad so proud. She is determined to grow her hair out so it can be long and golden like Tangled’s.
Abby is sweet and sour. She’s very patient with her sister…for so long…and then the wrath comes out. We are learning not to mess with her when she’s in a bad mood. (I didn’t realize 1 year olds were capable of such mood swings!) She loves Grandpa Sant and Grandpa Meredith and macaroni and cheese. She hates anything that might resemble baby food. She is starting in with Bieber Fever as well and stops to dance anytime she hears “Baby” come on. She’s doing remarkably well since being in the hospital and having surgery. There is still a possibility for two more surgeries in the future, but we’re trying not to think about that. Any sniffle or cough sends us into a total panic, but so far we’ve been able to keep her healthy. She is starting to get more confident with walking. I love watching her walk! Did I mention that today is her 1st birthday? Happy Birthday sweet girl!
Baby Girl #3 is growing and growing and kicking and kicking. I’m still trying to grasp the thought of having 3 girls. Thinking about it scares me a bit. I am so excited to meet this sweet one and get to know her. So far, this pregnancy has gone very well. We had a few scares when Abby was in the hospital, but I’m sure that was due to all the stress. We only have 13 more weeks and I seriously can’t believe how fast it’s gone.

(this is Abby's new accessory....she loves this green necklace and must have it on at all times)

Well, as you can see, life is busy! So great! But so busy!