Another Video of Duke and Abby

Here's another video of Abby and Duke. I couldn't decide which one was better so I decided to put them both on the blog. Enjoy!!!

Poor Duke!

Over the past month or so Abby has taken a real shining to Duke. She watches him run around and she gets such a delite out of his craziness that she will smile at him from across the room. Here's a shot I took of Abby and Duke laying together in the morning. It looks sweet and harmless but right before this was taken Abby grabbed onto Duke's beard and would NOT let go. I don't know if he loves her enough that he continues to lay by her or if he's just too stupid to move?! Poor Duke!

Darn near 5 months now!

It seems like just yesterday Julie and I brought Abby home from the hospital and now our baby girl is almost 5 months old. Today Abby had her 4 month check up (a little late but the doctor wanted to hold off on the vaccinations for a bit due to Abby having RSV about a month ago). We are happy to report that Abby is in perfect health and thriving. She weighs in at an astounding 16 pounds 7 ounces and is 27 inches long, neither Julie or I know where she is getting this height. While the appointment as a whole went great, there is nothing more heartbreaking then seeing your baby get their shots. The last time Julie took Abby and it was my turn on this one as Julie said she wasn't ready to watch Abby be in so much pain. At first I thought how bad can it be, but then Abby received the first of four shots and my whole outlook on it changed. She looked up at me with eyes full of tears crying and as if to say "Daddy why are you letting them do this to me, please make it stop!" Needless to say Julie and I spend the rest of day cuddling and holding her as much as we could.
Another big thing in Abby's life right now is she has begun eating rice cereal. She seems to love it and while she is only eating a small amount each day Julie and I are learning how much work and fun feeding solid food to an infant can be. Well I think that is it for now, as always here are some pictures of Abby we have taken over the past few weeks we hope you enjoy them.

Abby and Duke

This is a video clip of Abby performing fantastically at 'Tummy Time.' It must be hard to hold up all that weight since her head is so big.

A healthy and happy Thanksgiving.

Well we have a lot to be thankful for this year, mainly that Abby has gotten over her RSV and is feeling much better! She still coughs a bit but her nose is much more clear and she was able to spend Thanksgiving with both Julie and my side of the family. We were a little concerned how she would handle the busy day but she did great. She cried very little and let anyone who wanted to hold her. The pictures below are of her in her cute Thanksgiving day dress that Grandma Beal bought for her.
The rest are pictures Julie and I have taken over the past weeks. As you will see Abby and Duke have become pretty good friends over the past 4 months.

"Luke I am your Father!"

As some of you know Abby hasn't been herself the last week. About 6 days ago she started having the symptoms of a common cold, we never would have guessed that "cold" would send us to the hospital. On Thursday Abby was running a 99.8 temperature so we called our Pediatrician and were told to bring her in on Friday. So I took the day off and Julie and I took Abby to the doctor. Well after 2 hours at the Pediatricians office we were told they were admitting Abby to Children's Hospital because she had RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus). So after being quite shocked we went home and packed our bags for what our doctor told us could be one night or up to two weeks depending on how she Abby did the first night. Once we got to Children's we sat in the ER waiting room from 2:15 until 4:30, once in a room they put Abby on oxygen to bring her O2 saturation up. When we first got in the ER her levels were at 85% when they should be no lower than 92%. She was so good, every doctor and nurse who saw her couldn't take their eyes off her and kept telling us how cute and good she was. At around 9 o'clock we were moved to a room where Abby would be staying. Unfortunately only one of us could stay at the hospital with her, so I stayed and Julie went home. While Abby slept great, I didn't. At about midnight we got a roommate, another baby with RSV. Due to RSV being so contagious a baby with RSV can't be in a room with a baby who doesn't have it. Anyway, Abby did great and they took her off her oxygen around 2 a.m. and she her O2 levels never dropped below 90. So to everyone's excitement they let us go home Today around 2 in the afternoon. We are so happy to be home and we can tell Abby is feeling better. She is her normal bubbly self and make Julie and I smile and laugh almost all the time. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers, and for those of you we will be seeing at Thanksgiving we can' t wait to see you.

Abby is almost 4 months!!!

Well this blog is going to be a short one as we have been really busy with school and work, not to mention taking care of our little peanut Abby. Abby is continuing to grow and learn, but unfortunately growing means teething. For the most part she is extremely happy but occasionally has several day spans where she is very crabby and has intense drooling as her teeth are trying to come in. So far she has no teeth to show for her pain but both Julie and I got our first tooth pretty early so we expect hers to show up in the next month. She is also beginning to master the use of her hands and regularly grabs items and shakes them around. Her favorite toy is a little doll who's head ends up in Abby's mouth as soon as she grabs her.

We know the favorite part of the blog is the pictures so here are a bunch. Oh and Abby wants to thank Emma for letting her borrow some of her old clothes, she really looks cute it them especially the pink and white butterfly onsie "It looks wonderful darling!"

Abby Smiles!

I just took this video of Abby Smiling. She always smiles after she wakes up so I caught the video after a car ride. That's why she's in her car seat still.

Mommy Post!

Well, it's October so I figured we should probably update the blog again for our interested readers! This month I (Julie) decided to write the post.

As we said before Abby is growing so quickly and it is so fun to watch her learn new things that to us may seem so simple. For about the past month Abby has been quite talk-a-tive. Her first baby talk word was "Gah!" She was laying on her changing table being very alert and looked straight at me, you could tell she was thinking about it, and blurted out "Gah" quite loudly. She has mastered "Gah" and has a whole slew of new sounds that she is stringing together to make baby talk. She even has a favorite stuffed animal that she talks to when we go in the car. Every morning, on the ride to daycare, she has a very long conversation with Mr. Frog. I wonder how long it will take before she gets frustrated that he never responds to her?

As for her vaccinations, they went pretty well. She did alright afterwards but got a very mild fever the night after she got her shots. All in all, we did everything we could to keep her immune system working at full capacity to help adapt to the vaccinations. A few days before the vaccinations she was adjusted for the first time and she was also adjusted a few days after. The first time she was adjusted she slept for about 5 straight hours at day care and pooped a TON! For those of you who don't know what an adjustment is like for a baby, it's nothing like getting an adjustment for an adult. Because babies bones are not fully developed it's very easy to move their joints. So easy, in fact, it only takes a few little finger taps or vibrations to get the bones to move. It's quite interesting and it's very effective.

One of the biggest events in Abby's life is that she no longer sleeps in her bassinet in our room. Just last week she started sleeping in her big girl crib. We have the monitor on all night in case she needs us but we'll put her down to sleep at about 9 or 10 and we always have to wake her up at 6:30 every morning. Although I don't want to admit it, think the reason she was waking up at night when she was sleeping in her bassinet was probably because I was snoring (oops.) But, the sleep is excellent and we're spoiled because she sleeps so well.

Although we've been getting great sleep with Abby sleeping in her own room, Jason and I have been very busy with work and school so he has planned a weekend get-a-way to Redwing at a Bed and Breakfast for us to relax and also celebrate his Birthday which is on Oct. 15th. Abby will be staying with Grandma and Grandpa Beal and Duke will get his own mini-vacation at Grandma and Grandpa Peterson's. Thus, the cat's will also get a vacation from Duke because it seems recently that Duke has been taking his frustrations out specifically on Leon. (Poor Leon.)

That's it for now! Here are some new pictures of Abby. The one where she's checking herself out in the mirror is pretty cute but, my favorite one is the one where she's laying on my Chiropractic table.

Growing up so fast!!!

Our sweet little girl Abby is 2 months old today! Julie and I know we haven't been very good about updating the blog but we have been so busy. But we figured we better make some time to update everyone on the life and times of Abby Paige. Last week Abby started daycare at Vickie's house. I am pretty sure it was harder on Julie and I than her. While it is tough to leave her she is doing really well, Vickie says she is just an terrific baby. The other kids also love Abby, when Julie comes to pick Abby up at the end of the day all the kids have to say bye to baby Abby. Other developments are her ability to hold her head up better and better each day. She has also started sleeping later and later, which is really nice. The last week she hasn't gotten up any earlier than 4:30 in the morning.
Other up coming events in Abby's life would be her first round of vaccinations on Friday, which Julie is pretty nervous about. As many of you know Julie is going to school to be a chiropractor and recently had to write a paper on the pros and cons of vaccinations. And while we decided to vaccinate Abby, Julie was forced to read about the horror stories when vaccinations caused far more harm than good. Abby is also getting baptized this Sunday, which is going to be a big day for her and the whole family. Abby's grandma Janis will be putting on a little party for her afterwards.
The attached pictures just show how Abby has grown so far, you may notice her smiling in a few as she has begun smiling at people and things she likes.

Abby's Updates

Abby continues to be a great baby, more than any parent could ever ask for. She eats well and sleeps even better. On Thursday night she went to bed at about 11:30 p.m. and didn't get up until 5:45 a.m!!! Unfortunately this hasn't been a nightly thing but she has been sleeping more and more every night. Other big changes are that Abby has now started sleeping in her bassinet and not with Mom and Dad. She is doing well but needs a little love before she goes to bed. Abby has also started eating breast milk and formula. Since Julie will be going back to school soon and Abby will be going to daycare we have decided to start the process of feeding her formula. It was a really tough decision to switch to formula but with Julie studying for boards and going back to school it seemed like the best option.

The pictures we have attached today are of my sister and mom both holding Abby. We have also put on some more cute pictures of Abby by herself. And Bealblog first we have also attached of short movie of Abby just hanging out on our bed.

Also for those of you have are frequent viewers you may notice we have added a link to the Mach's Blog. Tim and Bobby are the proud parent's of their second child Tyson who is Abby's 3rd cousin and exactly 1 month younger then she is. You will see lots of great pictures and posts about Tyson and his big sister Emma.

Abby is almost a month old!

Abby has been in our lives for almost one month, and boy has she had an impact on us. While being parents is even more work than we could have ever imagined, we wouldn't trade it for anything. While getting up at 2:30 in the morning is not our favorite thing to do, knowing we are doing it for Abby makes all worthwhile. Everyday that goes by Abby is showing more and more of a personality and everyone thinks she is as cute as button and sweet peaches.

As for the rest of family everyone is doing OK. Duke is back home and doing very well with Abby, he likes to lick her feet and steal her pacifier. While Julie loves being a mom, it hasn't been easy. First she labors for 28 hours and then has a C-section and all the complications mentioned in the previous blog. Then she got a uterine infection which came with 2 prescriptions and a fever of 100.8. Then just last week she got mastitis which had a 101 degree temperature and another prescription. I am doing pretty well, tired and sucking down the iced coffees at work but other than that I doing fine. Well I think that is all for now, we have attached some cute pictures of Abby that we think show how she has grown from the last blog.

Everyone welcome Abby Paige Beal!!!

Well it finally happened, Julie and I are parents! Abby Paige was born July 18th at 9:12 at night weighed 8 pounds 15 ounces and was 21 inches long, and what an ordeal it was for her to come into our lives. As our last blog said the doctor had decided to induce Julie on Tuesday July 17th, so we headed to hospital ready to have our wonderful little girl. After 28 hours of rather painful labor Dr. Block decided that Abby was just too big and Julie would have to have a C-section. Needless to say things didn't go as we had hoped. As if the C-section wasn't enough Julie hemorrhaged pretty bad and lost a lot of blood, but I am happy to report while her hemoglobin is still low she is feeling better and better everyday. Now as for Abby she came out perfect, just as cute as Julie and I could ever imagine. She was very healthy but did get a mild case of Jaundice in the hospital and had to be under billi-lights the last 3 days we were at the hospital. The picture of what looks like a real life glo-worm is Abby catching some rays to help with the jaundice. After 5 days in the hospital we were finally able to go home, which was a big relief for all us as trying to get sleep in a hospital is almost impossible. There seems to be someone popping in to check something every hour.

Now that we are home Julie and I are starting to adjust to having a baby around the house. For the most part Abby is as perfect a baby as a parent could ask for. She rarely cries, eats well, continues to gain weight, and loves to be held. She still likes to keep Mom and Dad up at night but she is so sweet and cute we really don't mind. Julie is continually getting stronger and feel better from her surgery, however she has managed to get a cold in the midst of all of this. But being the trooper she is she never complains about her motherly duties. That is it for now, but we will be sure to keep everyone updated on how Abby, Julie and I are doing. Even if we don't have a lot to write we will be sure to put up pictures as much as we can.

Mark Your Calendars!

As you may have noticed last week we didn't put up a new blog due to no significant changes. But let me tell you things certainly have changed this week. On Wednesday we had another appointment with Dr. Block, and this is when things got interesting. Dr. Block noticed how uncomfortable Julie was and how she hasn't had any contractions yet. And with the baby being the size they believe her to be Dr. Block decided the best course of action would be to schedule Julie to be induced around in the evening of Tuesday July 17th. In order to do this there had to be a stress test done on the baby to make sure she was up for her epic journey into our lives. During this stress test the baby would not sit still and the MA's were having a tough time tracking the babies heart rate. Just as a precaution Dr. Block sent us to the hospital to get things checked out there. Once there Julie was hooked up to a fetal monitor for about 45 minutes to track the babies heart rate. Everything looked great but they still had us do an bio-physical check the babies gross and fine motor movements. She passed that test with flying colors and they the nurses at the hospital sent us home with a clean bill of health and no concerns as to the babies well being.

In the home stretch

Nothing too exciting to report this week. The last doctor's visit went well and everything is looking great. We had another ultrasound just to check the size of the baby and she has continued to grow very rapidly. Currently she is estimated to be 7 pounds 4 ounces, which put her in the 90th percentile. The funny thing is her head is average size but her belly is almost off the charts. One thing is for sure, she is getting enough nutrition. Julie still isn't dialated but again things are looking good. She also thinks she has had a few contractions but still isn't 100% sure they are contractions or just the baby moving around.

While we still are about a month away from the due date we have almost everything in order. We are registered at the hospital and our bags are packed just in case we get a late night wake up. Julie is currently working very hard to get her school stuff organized as her finals are about 2 weeks after the baby is due. She has already worked out early test times with several of her professors. Sorry there aren't any new pictures this week but we didn't have anything new to post.

The count down begins

Well Julie had her 35 week check up today. She measured a perfect 35 cm, which means she is right where she should be. At this point Julie is not dilated at all but the Dr. Block says things are looking right schedule. Although she is right on schedule that gives Julie 5 more weeks to be very pregnant and extremely uncomfortable. Due the size of the baby, Julie will be getting another ultrasound next week which will mean more pictures of our little girl. If the baby continues to grow at the rate she is growing (currently in the 85 percentile) it is looking like tough a labor and possibly a C-section. But Dr. Block is very adamant about avoiding a C-section if at all possible.

That's a big baby!

Well, Julie had her 33 week check-up on Thursday with an ultrasound. The doctor suggested we do an ultrasound to check the size of the baby. As it turns out Julie is still on schedule for July 24 however, the baby is around 5 pounds 11 ounces which puts her at 85% for her age group. Considering she isn't due for another 7 weeks that will put her at around 8 to 8 and half pounds when she is born. Other than checking for the size of the baby we also got to see some other features of the baby. She has chubby checks, Julie's nose, and she has also got the start of a great mullet. Apparently she has a ton of hair but so far it is only growing in the back. We also got more verification that the baby is for sure a female. The pictures we have attached display well the features we pointed out above, well all but the mullet.

31 or is it 33 weeks?

So Julie just had what should be her 31 week check up with doctor Block. However Julie is currently measuring 33 weeks along. Dr. Block believes the baby just had a growth spurt but to be sure we will be going in for an ultrasound in two weeks to verify. Julie has been really tired and has an high pulse so she had her blood checked for hypothyroidism. Her results came back borderline and we will be rechecking again in a few weeks.

Last weekend (May 19th) Julie had her second baby shower with our mothers, family friends, and all her friends from Northwestern school of Health Sciences. We got a lot of great stuff and we really appreciate all the gifts we received. Because of all of the great gifts we got we were able to finish filling the nursery and we have attached a few photos of the baby's room. Our dog Duke also made an appearance in one of the pictures. Something else to take note of is the art on the walls. These are actually Julie and My art projects from elementry school that we decided to frame and use to decorate the baby's room.

29 weeks in

Today was the next scheduled visit for Julie and the baby with Dr. Block. Everything is looking great and the doctor is already telling us to be ready becuase this baby is going to be mover and shaker as she is is already very active. We are also half way through with our birth and parenting classes and learning a ton. This week we found out one of our classmates had to have an emergency C-section 2 months early as she had Toxemia. It is scary to think that if problems were to arise we could have this baby any day. But no worries things are going great! We do have the constant back and hip pain but Julie is suffering through like a champ.

The picture with todays blog entry is off little baby Beal's feet.

It's a Girl!!!

Well there may not be a baby yet but Julie and I decided to start this blog to keep people up-to-date on how things are going. As of today Julie is about 6 months pregnant and she is feeling the little lady moving all over the place. Not only can she feel it but I can feel it as well. And if we catch the baby at a really active moment you can see her movements. Since we don't have any real pictures yet, an ultrasound will have to do for now. You can already make out the features of the face and a little hand by her mouth. As of the last doctors appointment she weighed 1 pound 9 ounces and was about 8 inches from head to butt.