Mom.......?

About 2 months ago, Ryan and I started doing Abel's talking for him. Ryan immediately had Abel asking me questions....and for those of you who know Ryan well, you know that he LOVES to ask LOTS of questions! The two most entertaining questions I have fielded are, "Mom, what are suspension bridges?" and today was, "Mom, how does a pineapple grow?" Sometimes, when I don't know the answer perfectly and immediately, I suggest he go and look it up on the internet. One of my first days back to school, I got an email from Abel with a link to facts about suspension bridges. Today, I took this picture of Ryan helping Abel look up facts about pineapples. I'm not sure how healthy it is to have Abel so intrigued by the computer so soon, but at least he's practicing the very important lifeskill of curiosity!

Discovery!

A long time ago I woke up to Abel searching and searching for his thumb over the intercom. It was one of the loudest sucking noises I had ever heard! This weekend, he finally found it and LOVES it. Whenever he wakes up he lets out a cry and then you hear the sucking noise. It is so so cute! I snapped this photo before I got him out of bed after a nap yesterday morning! I just hope he doesn't suck his thumb until he's in his double digits like I did!

New Routine

My return to work wasn't too bad this week. I got really lucky that my first day back was a cold day (windchills of -35 degrees below zero closed schools all over Wisconsin), so Monday was an extra free day and Tuesday was the official return. The week was incredibly busy with trying to figure out where the kids were in their curriclum and doing all of the report cards that my sub decided not to do (they had to go home on Friday!). But, I made it through, and it really didn't seem that bad. In fact, it went very quickly! It was very odd to be the one walking out the door leaving Ryan and Abel hanging out together, but it was so so fun to come home and be able to spend the evening together. Ryan will be home on Mondays and Tuesdays and we have a nanny coming the other days. I think it's going to take a while to get used to our morning routine though! We have so much more to think about now than just getting ourselves ready to go to work!

On Tuesday, when I got home, we took these pictures. The first is of me and Abel in our back to school outfits and the second is of Abel and Ryan keeping me company while I made dinner. I heard all about their day and shared stories of my day. It was fun! I just love the fact that Ryan and Abel have the same eyes. I've always loved Ryan's eyes and when the two of them were sitting there like that, I thought they both looked so handsome!

Cousins!

This weekend, Ryan, Abel, and I drove down to Chicago to see my sister and her family and to meet Harper for the first time. It's a pretty easy and short drive from Madison as long as we don't hit too much traffic when we hit the Chicagoland area! Kevin and Loralie also came up because they hadn't met Harper yet either. Kerri and Matt made pizzas for lunch and we all just hung out and chatted. It was really fun to see Henry and Hannah interact with their new baby sister and to have the four of the kids together for the first time. The first picture is of Harper and Abel in their carseats taking snoozes, and the second is the first picture of the four cousins. I'm sure there will be many more!

...Or Maybe He'll Play Soccer

We tried hard, but couldn't get this kid to wake up to watch the game. That's fine by us, I think I'd rather he play soccer anyway!

Go Colts!

We went to our friends' house, the Raduly's today for a pre-superbowl party. Everyone there was a Bears fan (interesting seeing as they are all in Wisconsin, don't you think?). After looking for Colts clothing around Madison all week, I finally called my mom on Thursday and asked her to go to the Colts store in Indy and overnight it to us so we'd have it for the party. Cheers and more cheers to Grandma Peggy for pulling through for us! Abel looked super cute (of course!) and the party was lots of fun....even though Ryan and I both got walloped in ping-pong by Beth and Jozsef!

Thankful

So...Court's maternity leave comes to an end this week. Monday is her first day back in the classroom. While I'm happy for her students (I'm sure they've missed her.), I wish that all three of us could stay at home with each other for another 12 weeks! I'm so thankful that Abel has such a wonderful mom, and the 12 weeks has been wonderful family time. I'm looking forward to Spring Break...

12 Weeks!

He is just so sweet! He is smiling all the time now. My favorite smile is the one I get in the morning when I go in to get him after he's woken up. This is the picture I put in a frame to take back to school with me on Monday. I'm already suffering from separation anxiety, but it will be nice to get into our new routine.

Go Bulldogs!

Butler's College of Education sent us this Butler bear when Abel was born. Abel is becoming a quick fan. Plus, seeing as Butler's basketball team is ranked 12th in the country right now, we are working hard to cheer for the Bulldogs!

Happy New Car Day!

Our leases were up for our Hondas, so we went to Toyota and let them lure us to them. They were so friendly and cut us a great deal on a Corolla and a Highlander. It's so fun to have new cars! I laughed really hard when I walked into the dealership and saw a sign with our names on it that said, "Happy New Car Day!" Our salesman took the picture of the two of us outside in front of the Highlander (Abel was home with his new nanny). It was about ten degrees outside in this shot (I know this because when I got in the car I read the temperature on the fancy thermometer inside the car!).

Growing Growing Growing!

These pictures are a comparison of Abel in his carseat when he was 3 days old and leaving the hospital and when he was almost 12 weeks old. He's doubled in size!

Bumbo Seat Smiles

We got this Bumbo seat for one of my showers and I've been looking forward to putting Abel in it. It being his 12 week birthday yesterday, I decided to try it out. His neck isn't quite ready for it, but he was so happy!