Don't worry, I'm not lost.

So I’m sure you have been wondering…where is Megan? It’s been almost two weeks since her last blog. You were ready to send out a search party for me, weren’t you? Don’t worry, I’m still here. I haven’t been hospitalized or been on some exotic vacation where I sit on the beach sipping on Margaritas and having some young male apply lotion to my pasty white skin. I think I would blind the poor lad and scar him for life with my giggly, post baby body. But I do have an excuse for the long absence. I have been playing hostess with the mostess. Last week was a busy week in the Vogt household. My steppy type father made a visit on the 30th. He is a truck driver and we had found out the day before that he had to drop off and pick up a load nearby. He left his truck in the Wal-Mart parking lot and came and spent the evening with his favorite (whoops, did I let that slip) granddaughter. Abbie wasn’t too sure what to think of him. She has been going through stranger danger these days. But about a good 40 min later, she & Grandpa B were the best of friends. It was nice having him visit even if it was only for a short time. We hope he gets many more loads down this way.

Every year for Labor Day weekend, we usually have a big party at our house and we invite “The Group”. That refers to the bunch of friends that I used to work with at Affiliated Foods Midwest. We received that name from another coworker that didn’t care for us too much. We have been friends for almost 10 years and have many memories together. Well this year, things didn’t work for everyone to come down so we just had Shelly & her boyfriend, Dave, flew in from Colorado. Dave and Charlie have a lot of the same interests so they get a long great. Neither of them is big into sports so we never once had a football game on (kind of hard to do anyway since we no longer have cable). They are also both big motor heads so they spent one day putting breaks on Charlie’s 1967 Firebird. Shelly & I went and got a massage the day they arrived, did a little bit of shopping and laid around the house. We also went out as a group for Mexican food and Margaritas, spent a day at the zoo and had a late night of grilling, drinking and story telling around the firepit on the deck. I can tell that it’s been a while since I’ve drank any alcohol. I was pretty tipsy by the end of the night. But don’t worry, I pumped and dumped all weekend so Abbie didn’t feel a thing!!

Well that is what has been happening with the Vogts over the past couple of weeks. I hope to fill you in on some milestones with Abbie over the next couple of weeks. She is definitely growing up and becoming Mommy’s big girl.

This girl has my genes for Mac & Cheese

Abbie has reached the age where we can start giving her soft table food.  I'm ecstatic over the whole idea because I was really getting tired and bored of steaming fruits and veggies when there are so many different foods out there for her to taste.  Well tonight I introduced her to one of my favorite meals...MACARONI & CHEESE!!  Her father isn't a big fan of mac & cheese.  He really isn't a fan of anything cheesy.  I know, can you believe I married him?  When we make Velveeta Shells & Cheese from the box, he will only add maybe 1/3 of the cheese packet.  Who does that?!?  It's called Macaroni & CHEESE!!  Now he is to the point where he doesn't even want to eat it.  So I was so excited when I could enjoy this meal with Abbie.  I was hoping that she wasn't going to be like her father.  And thankfully she wasn't.  SHE LOVED IT!!  With most finger food, she will nonchalantly drop her food on the floor for the dogs to eat.  Or she will miss her mouth and there will be a pile of food sitting next to her when I take her out of her highchair.  But tonight, she made sure every little bit of cheesy goodness ended up in her mouth. 

Video of the Week

To keep in tune with my last post, "Tales from the Tub", I thought I would post a video of Abbie before one of her baths.  Can you tell that she is a little bit excited?


Excited about Bathtime from Megan Vogt on Vimeo.

Tales from the Tub

Bathtime with Abbie has had it's ups & downs.  First there was this.  I don't know how I did it back then.  Thankfully she was only taking baths every other night and let me tell you, I dreaded those nights.  Then I decided to have Abbie shower with me.  That went well until she became long and lanky and would squirm and I was terrified that she was going to slip and fall out of my arms.  Then we went back to her little tub once she began sitting up on her own but that didn't last long once she became mobile b/c she wanted to move and hated being confined in such a small place. 

Now we are bathing in the plain ole tub on a nightly basis.  And let me tell you, when she hears that water running, she could be clear in the living room and within minutes she will be standing next to the bathtub wanting to climb in.  I never thought eight months ago that she would ever come around.  Now she screams if she can't take a bath.  I don't even have any privacy while showering.  I have to leave the door cracked a bit and Abbie will stand there until I'm done. 

The other night as I was giving Abbie a bath, I experienced something that has never happened before and I hope never happens again.  I put some of her toys in there and she was just having a grand ole time.  Then all of a sudden I heard a grunt.  I looked in at Abbie and said, "Are you poopin?"  I looked down in the tub and there it was...a foreign object floating next to her!!  I screamed, "CHARLIE, GET IN HERE!!  ABBIE POOPED IN THE TUB!!  He comes in and starts laughing hysterically for what seemed like forever.  Then he walks out of the bathroom!!  Men can be so stupid sometimes.  "Uh hello, can you please get your daughter out while I try to figure out how I'm going get the poop out of the tub!?!"

So as Charlie is entertaining Abbie walking her around the house buttnaked (she already pooped so what harm can happen now?!?), I began to contemplate how I was going to remove this piece of poo out of the bathtub.  I have heard this happen many times before from other mothers.  But they never told me what they did after their kid shit in the tub. 

• Do I just rinse it down the drain?  (ewww, what if it gets stuck in all of the clogged hair?) 
• Do I pick it up with toilet paper?  (DUH, the paper will desinergrate once it hits the water) 

I decided on the pooper scooper method.  I took her pitcher that I rinse her hair out and scooped it up and threw it in the toilet.  But she had sat on some of it so it stuck to the tub!!  So then it was operation disinfect!!  I took all of her toys that were in the tub and put them in the dishwasher along with the "pooper scooper".  Then I throughly cleaned and scrubbed the tub and we were back in business.  Although Abbie was sliding around more since there wasn't any soap scum for traction.  I guess it's time to invest in a bath mat. 

My Favorite Lullaby

On the nights that I rock Abbie to sleep, I sing her this lullaby.  It was the same lullaby that my mother sung to me when I was little.  And some nights (like tonight) I cry as I sing it to her.  Listen to it and tell me if you get a little teary eyed too...

9 Month Check-Up

While my mom was visiting from Nebraska, I scheduled Abbie's nine month check-up.  I can't believe my baby is nine months old!!  I thought this visit wasn't going to be as bad as the others because there was no shots to be administered.  Just a simple finger prick to take some blood to check her blood count.  Well it wasn't just a simple finger prick to Abbie.  She wailed and cried and cried after the poked her finger.   And then they put a Band-aid over her finger and everything would be better, right?  Oh no, then Abbie was determined to get the Band-aid off her finger.  We noticed by the time we got home that it was missing and figured it was somewhere in the car.  Well after drinking a 6 oz bottle and taking a 2 hour nap, she awoke with the Band-aid in her mouth!!  We still don't have any idea how she never swallowed it!!  I guess I am grateful that she didn't choke on it in her sleep!!

Anyway, here are her stats from her doctor visit.

• Weight: 19 lbs, 4 oz (61%)
• Length: 30 1/2 in (above 97%-off the charts)
• Head Circumference: 46 cm (94%)

Before the finger poke.

The doctor used a term that I had never heard before.  He told me that my daughter was very "svelte".  Svelte is an adjective defined as slender or graceful in figure or outline; slim.  I always called her long and lanky but I think I will start using svelte now.  It sounds so much more distinguished!!

I have also come to realize that Abbie has exceeded the length for her car seat.  The maximum length for the one is using now is 29 inches and the maximum weight is 22 lbs.  I would wait to buy her a new car seat until she has reached 22 lbs but I'm sure she will be way too long by then.  She is already mashing her feet into the seat.  So I guess it's off to the store this weekend to find her a bigger car seat.  You know, one of those big ones that stay in the car at all times.  WAHHHHHHH!!!  Someone please tell me how to get my baby to quit growing up so fast!!

Today is Special...

Today was a special day to me.  Seven years ago, I married my soul mate.  We have made it through so much over years we have been together.  I am so happy that I have had him by my side through it all. 

Also on this day, nine months ago, we were blessed with this girl. 

She is the light of my life and I couldn't imagine my life without her.  My life wouldn't be complete without these two special people in my life.  I owe the world to both of them for making me the person I am today.