It's A Girl...

Our baby girl has joined us! Abbygail Lyla was born March 11, 2011 at 9:53pm, she weighed 8lbs., 7ozs., and 20" long. She is beautiful just like her Mother, Ashley. Her Daddy, Alan & big brother AJ and of course her Mommy are all doing great and happier than ever! I am a very proud Grandma. I got to spend the whole day with them when they got home from the hospital. Looking at Abby was just like looking at Ashley 20 years ago when I brought her home it's amazing, wonderful and special to have them in my life. I can't even put into words how I feel and how much love I have in my heart for them.

We are having a baby!!!

My daughter, Ashley is in the hospital about to give birth to her second child, a baby girl she has named Abbygail Lyla who will be joining her big brother AJ who is 2 1/2 years old. Ashley is at 5cms and has been given an epidural so there is no turning back now, her water has broken and the baby is on her way. Ashley is hoping to hold off until after midnight tonight because she wants Abbygail to be born on the 12th because Ashley's birthday is Feb. 12th., that's really cute actually. So by tomorrow we will will have a new addition to our family a beautiful little baby girl who I know is going to look just like her mommy did 20 years ago when I gave birth to her on Feb. 12th, 1992 at 11:03am. We will see how close Ashley comes to hitting that time frame for her little girl to be born. Everyone please keep my daughter, son-in-law and my grandson in your thoughts and prayers thoughout this night, forever and wish them only wonderful things to come and a lifetime of happiness, health, joy & love. I love you Ashley, Alan, AJ & Abbygail so much and can not wait to meet you Abby and see all of you very soon. Ashley & Alan you are wonderful parents to my little AJ and I know you are going to be great for Abby as well, I am so proud of you and your doing a great job. I miss you and will see you tomorrow with your new little pink bundle and my little baby boy to. LOVE YOUR MOM!!!

You are 266 days pregnant.

14 days to go!

• At this point in development, the average baby weighs about 6 1/3 pounds (2,900 g) and measures almost 13 1/2 inches (340 mm).
• Use relaxation exercises such as deep breathing to help ease the pain of the contractions.
• Childbirth in Other Cultures: A number of tribes lubricate a laboring woman’s birth canal with saps or oils to make the delivery easier.

Your Baby
Your baby’s intestines are accumulating considerable meconium, a dark-green mass of used cells and waste product from the baby’s liver, pancreas, and gall bladder. The meconium in your baby’s intestines will be eliminated shortly after birth, but it sometimes can be eliminated before, if the birth is delayed too long. In the latter case, fecal material will be present at birth in the amniotic fluid.

By today, the baby’s toenails have reached the end of the toes. After the baby is born, you may need to trim its fingernails and toenails. As a point of interest, the fingernails and toenails actually begin to form on the palm of the hand and sole of the foot and then migrate to their final positions at the end of each digit.


In about another week, your baby’s foot will be slightly longer than the length of his thigh. Take a look at your own thigh to see how big that is relative to the size of your feet. Such odd proportions will change somewhat after birth.

As you might expect, the baby’s limbs are bent and drawn close to its body and her grasp is firm. Because of the space limitations in the uterus now, the movements of your baby are quite restricted.

Within the next three days, the circumference of your baby’s head will roughly match the circumference of its shoulders and its hips. After this time, the abdomen may be greater than the head.

At this point in development, the average baby weighs about 6 1/3 pounds (2,900 g) and measures almost 13½ inches (340 mm).

Your 2-year-old now

Rain or shine, hectic day or slow one, your busy tot wakes up with boundless energy to work off. Playtime should include physical games that help him burn off energy and practice his skills such as balancing, catching a ball, and controlling his speed. Some fun physical games:

• Follow the leader. Have your child follow you, and also imitate the kinds of steps you take. Go fast, then slow. Take big giant steps, then bitty steps. Hop like a kangaroo, leap like a dolphin, and slither like a snake.
• Catch. It's a classic that you can adjust to your child's proficiency level. Start by rolling a big ball back and forth on the floor between your open legs. Switch to a smaller ball. Gradually increase the distance between you. Then see if your child is ready to catch a big ball thrown underhand; start by standing just a few inches apart.
• Danceteria. Play different genres of music and encourage your preschooler to make up a dance that matches it. (All her dances might look the same, but that's irrelevant.)

Your life now

It's easy for a bedtime routine to spiral out of control with an adorable, ritual-loving preschooler. Rule of thumb: If the routine is so complicated you have to write it down for a babysitter, it's probably a little overboard. Stick to the basics — a bath, pajamas, a book — and finish off with some special touch your child loves, such as saying goodnight to some of the things in the room (like in Goodnight Moon), singing a favorite lullaby, or reviewing what happened that day. The whole event (after the bath) should take 15 to 20 minutes.