Abby will be four weeks on Saturday...crazy. Our little girl is growing up fast. These past few weeks have been a lot of fun! Some of Abby's favorite things to do, at the moment, are: walks on the trail and in the neighborhood, car rides, looking in the mirror, and hanging out with Dad. Being a mom is so wonderful! This little girl has definitely won our hearts, we sure love her!










Here are a few pictures of Abby exploring the world around her. She is a curious little bug. (As you can tell, the backgrounds of the pictures tend to follow a common theme...the changing pad. Abby tends to really show her smiles when she is on the changing pad, don't ask me why.)













On the left is Abby during 'tummy time.' She is suppose to hang out on her tummy for a little bit every day. This picture is of Abby lifting her head a bit during 'tummy time'; she's starting to get stronger every day. The picture on the right is of Uncle Dave and Abby. Abby loves it when Uncle Dave visits on Sunday's.

2 Weeks Old!

Our little Abby is now 2 weeks old! She had her 2-week appointment at the doctor today and it went well. Abby now weighs 8 lbs. 11 oz. and is 22 inches long. Wow! She's healthy and growing fast! Time is flying by, though the nights can be long. :) Abby is a very active baby and always wants to be looking around and checking out the world. We have managed to catch her with a few smiles the last couple days and that is a lot of fun. She is already showing some personality. We love our baby girl! We are blessed to have her in our lives.

The other day when I was changing Abby, she discovered the mirror in our room. She was fascinated by the mirror, but couldn't quite figure out who that little person was looking back at her. It's fun to watch her investigate the mirror, and pull faces at herself.










Here are a few of Abby's smiles that we have caught with the camera during the last week. It's so fun to see her smile!












Sleeping and 'head bobbin' while she's being burped. Abby has a hard time holding still. :)






Daddy-Daughter bonding...I love this picture. Brett is such a great Dad!




Here is a quick video of Abby in the hospital. (She wasn't too interested in the camera.)

A Piece of Heaven

Abigail Elizabeth Hamilton

Abby was born July 19, 2008 at 2:47 in the afternoon. She weighed 7 lbs. and 9 oz., 21 inches long. We are so happy to have Abby in our little family and we love her! Emily was in labor for about 13 hours. During the last hour, the doctor decided that it would be wise to deliver Abby via c-section. When Abby was first born, she had some difficulty with her breathing, so she was admitted to the NICU for a few days, to clear her lungs out and monitor her breathing. We are very grateful that she is doing great and a very healthy baby. We have been blessed to have Abby come into our lives. She is definitely a piece of heaven in our home! We want to thank our family and friends for all the love and support they have given us through these last few days and weeks.










Waiting for Abby to arrive...











Playing games to pass time. Holding hands as we prepare for surgery





















Abby's heart beat and the contractions. On, right headed for surgery...



Brett holding Abby for the very first time.




















Emily giving Abby a kiss soon after she was born.













Brett, Laura and Dave with Abby.
Aunt Laura giving Abby her bear.














Uncle Dave and Abby bonding. Abby enjoys being cuddled by Grandma Ashton. :)


The whole gang at the hospital.














Laura holding Abby. On right, Abby in her ducky outfit.














Grandpa and Grandma Hamilton holding Abby for the first time.


Our little family going home from the hospital!












Ready to ride! We love our little Abby and we're so excited to have her in our home.

"Shower in a Box"

The other day we found a big package on the doorstep that the postman had delivered. My mother-in-law and her friends had put together a "Baby Shower in a Box." Since my family is in town, we had our own little baby shower, and my brother even enjoyed attending his very first shower. We had a lot of fun playing games and eating the yummy treats. The prize winners for the games were my Mom, Dave and Brett. :)
Thank-you for a wonderful baby shower, that was very kind of you and it was a lot of fun! We can't wait for everyone to meet our little one when she arrives and hopefully it will be soon, especially since my due date was last week. :) We'll see what happens...














"Refreshment card" on the left and Dave posing the ducky onesie...Dave has a passion for ducks.

Here are two beautiful blankets that Brett's mom and his cousin Angie made...they are beautiful!
Brett posing for the camera. He also enjoyed attending his first baby shower.:)

Baby Shower!

My good friends from our ward held a baby shower for me a few weeks ago. The shower was perfect and so thoughtful! We have such wonderful friends out here in Virginia!
Thank-you for a great baby shower and for thinking of us!












Nine- months and counting! Here is a pic of my baby belly...'Thanks for the fun pictures Erin!" On right, a picture of the hand knit hat from Amy. We're excited for her to wear it.













Here are some faces from the baby shower! :) Lil' Joe and cute Emily.









Here is the baby wreath Steph and Erin made out of diapers and onesies...so cute!

4th of July Celebration

We had a wonderful 4th of July weekend! The day started with a yummy breakfast at our church. Later, we had a BBQ with friends and had a lot of fun, even with the rain. :) We ended the night with an amazing display of fireworks... on TV. :) Fireworks are one of my favorite things, but this year we decided to take it easy at home, with me being 9 months prego. Next year we'll have to go see the fireworks downtown. It was neat to be living near Washington DC to celebrate the 4th. DC has so many beautiful places to visit that remind us of those who have done so much for our country, and given their lives. The 4th of July always reminds me of how blessed we are to live in this great country!

My brother Dave made a 1-day excursion to NYC last week and while he was there, he saw a Flapjack advertisement at Times Square. Also, Brett and I were enjoying some free movie tickets today and before the movie, one of the advertisements was for Flapjack, the cartoon. Flapjack is soon to premiere on Cartoon Network and the creator is my cousin Mark. My other cousin, Jonny, is also helping create the production! Way to go Mark and Jonny!! We're excited to watch it on TV!