Abby loves our dogs, Gordie and Scout. Most babies get startled or cry when dogs run their way, but Abby just laughs and laughs. She grunts and coos to get their attention. She can’t get enough. She thinks Gordie is especially hilarious. Laughing wildly every time he comes near. And Gordie loves it too, since most people push him away when he gets too close. She laughs hysterically when his little tongue licks her hands. And that’s as far as I ever let it go, being the germaphobe that I am. And Gordie sure loves to lick. I let him get one or two licks in, then immediately wash her hands with soap.

Then the unthinkable happened. I put Abby on her playmat on the floor, and went into the kitchen to make a bottle. For the most part, Gordie leaves Abby alone when she’s on her mat—he knows her toys and playthings are off limits to him. From the kitchen, I hear a BURST of hysterical laughter from Abby. She was laughing so hard that I actually thought she was crying at first. I ran into the family room and screamed. To my horror, Gordie was standing over Abby (who was on her back) tenderly licking her face, including the INSIDE OF HER MOUTH as she was laughing and screaming with delight. I haven’t seen either of them happier. Ever.

I scooped Abby up, and immediately called my mom (Granny Nanny) in a panic to find out if Listerine and/or toothpaste were safe for babies in an emergency such as this. She suggested that I wipe Abby down with a warm washcloth and be sure to get the inside of her mouth. I ended up just giving her a real, full-blown bath. But no matter how much I lathered her up, it couldn’t get rid of the picture in my head of Abby’s first kiss. Blagh.

I know this is SO three months ago, but in a frenzy of I-can’t-believe-I-have-to-go-back-to-work energy and guilt, my mom and I took Abby and went to Disneyland THREE times in the same week. Did I mention it was the week before I went back to work? Now that I look back on it, it was pretty much the worst idea ever.

The first trip was a wash. Literally. It was pouring rain and freezing. And clearly, it was all worth it, since Abby had a memorable and exciting time. And if the thunder and lightning weren’t enough, try getting on and off the freaking DL tram with a baby seat, stroller, diaper bag, baby bjorn and two purses. What a mess. By the time we got home, my hair looked like Top Ramen. But at least it got washed that day, well, sort of.

I hate to admit it, being that I am a writer and all, that I’ve been pretty resistant to this whole blogging business. But now, out of sheer desperation for more time in each day, I’ve decided to give it a try.

This way, I don’t have to deal with sending too-slow slideshows on Shutterfly, and ya’ll can stay in the loop. And because the only time I have to work on this puppy is late at night, I can’t promise anything witty.

But I will do my best. Now comes the hard part, taking enough pictures on a regular basis that I have recent stuff to post.

More to come.