Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Last Baseball game of the Season for me...

I have been to 3 games this season and we have LOST every single one...I heard daddy tell mommy that we aren't going to any games next year. :( I like going to the games! Maybe mommy will change daddy's mind. I did get to see my first home run though...Some player named Belliard hit TWO of them. I didn't like the fireworks though...They were loud!!

Me and Daddy and some man called Musial...



THE NEW BUSCH STADIUM!

I think I feel like ....

Listening to a little....

Mahler....

maybe Mozart?

No daddy I wasn't touching

your LPs.

A week in my life...


I love playing in boxes

I really just love playing in general....

Silly Homer...

Wait, he ate all my food...I'm still hungry

Splish Splash I was taking a bath...


Me and My Daddy...good morning!!


Oh not another picture

I'm off to my last baseball game

of the season

I'm going to sit right here and

wait for you to come visit me!

I hope you come soon.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

BABY ABBY HAS BEEN FOUND ALIVE AND WELL!

Shannon Beck, the Franklin County woman suspected of kidnapping newborn Abigale Lynn Woods, has been charged with four felonies in connection with the abduction. The Franklin County prosecuting attorney’s office charged Beck about 11 a.m. with first-degree assault, child kidnapping and two counts of armed criminal action. The assault and kidnapping charges are Class A felonies. Beck, 36, was charged under her maiden name, Shannon K. Torrez, and is being held on a $1 million cash-only bond. Beck’s arraignment is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Thursday.

Beck was arrested after her sister-in-law, Dorothy Torrez, contacted authorities. According to court documents filed today, after Torrez confronted Beck with her suspicions about the baby, Beck told Torrez she had given birth Friday at her home and that the baby had died. Beck told Torrez she found the baby she is accused of kidnapping while driving near the baby’s home. At a late afternoon news conference, authorities cast doubt on the claims about the baby and even the reported pregnancy. Franklin County Sheriff Gary Toelke said investigators are trying to determine if Shannon Torrez had actually been pregnant and lost a full-term baby on the same day she attacked the baby's mother."There is speculation maybe she wasn't," Toelke said.

Law enforcement officers served a search warrant early Wednesday at Beck’s Franklin County home, seeking to link Beck to the attack and abduction as well as looking for anything that would corroborate her story.They haven’t found anything to back that story up and haven’t found the body of a child, authorities said at the press conference. They are seeking medical records but haven’t yet reviewed them, they said. Prosecutor Robert Parks said there could be additional charges against Beck, but authorities said they didn’t plan to charge her husband. "There isn’t anything at this point that indicates he may have known where the baby came from," Toelke said. Beck shares the home on Yellow Dog Road with her husband, Rodney H. Beck, 40. The two are newlyweds, having married July 9, according to Franklin County court records. Franklin County sheriff’s deputies took Beck into custody Tuesday evening shortly after the baby was turned over to officers and returned to her parents. As authorities continued their investigation into the case, Stephenie Ochsenbine cradled her daughter before a national television audience Wednesday morning and spoke of how she couldn’t describe her feelings on being reunited."She belongs with me," she told MSNBC. "We’re doing great now, we’re whole again and she’s very content, actually." Said the baby’s father, James Woods: "I just wanted to hug her." Ochsenbine said she had no knowledge about Beck before and no reason to suspect her of anything. "That's why this is such a shock," she said this morning on NBC's "Today" show.

On the injuries she suffered when the baby was taken from her, Ochsenbine said: "Other than superficial wounds on the outside, the inside's perfectly fine."The sheriff talked about how they naturally had to be suspicious of the parents at first, but the parents were understanding about that."Unfortunately," Toelke said, "that's something you have to consider, but it has to be done. The family cooperated with us 100 percent."Relatives fanned out Wednesday and tore down missing baby posters at service stations, on street signs and at other public places.Stephenie Ochsenbine's grandfather, James Ochsenbine, said the weekend was emotional torture for the young couple and relatives."They went through quite a lot," he said. "I couldn't really say there's a silver lining to it, except for the idea that Abby is back safe and sound and as beautiful as ever. And she's going to be safe from now on."The small rural eastern Missouri communities near where Abby was abducted celebrated her safe return. The clerks at a convenience store in St. Clair drew a cardboard sign that said "Welcome home Abby.""We were upset and now we're excited and we can't even concentrate," clerk Debbie Young said."It was a tear-jerking time for the whole town," said Regina Hampson, manager of the only gas station in town.

Our earlier story:UNION -- A small smudge of makeup turned out to be the big break in the case of abducted newborn Abigale Lynn Woods, leading to the baby's safe return Tuesday to her parents.It was just one of several unexpected twists that arrived in quick succession, ending five days of a nationwide manhunt just as authorities were beginning to fear the worst.Shannon Beck, who lives just a few miles from the victim's family, is accused of kidnapping the infant and passing the baby off as her own to her husband and friends, said Roland Corvington, special agent in charge of the FBI in St. Louis.Key to the deception was Beck's attempt to cover the baby's distinctive forehead birthmark with makeup, Corvington said.But her sister-in-law became suspicious and used a cap worn by the infant to wipe the baby's forehead. "And she observes the birthmark," Corvington said.That set into motion a series of confrontations that ended with the unhurt infant being peacefully handed over to stunned deputies along a rural road about 5 p.m. Tuesday, according to authorities.The baby's mother, Stephenie Ochsenbine, later was reunited with Abigale at a hospital in Washington, Mo.Authorities said Beck suffered a near full-term miscarriage on Friday, the same day she is accused of stabbing Ochsenbine, slashing her neck and stealing little Abigale.Beck then told her family that the baby had been born to her. A few days earlier, Beck's sister had given birth to a healthy baby, perhaps adding pressure to Beck's situation, police said. Authorities said they believe Beck acted alone.On Sunday, Beck told her sister-in-law Dorothy Torrez, that she'd given birth to a baby, police said. Torrez visited the mother and baby on Monday. She returned for a visit on Tuesday, when they drove to St. Anthony's Medical Center in south St. Louis County.Torrez noted a bit of makeup on the forehead of the baby, Corvington said. When Beck went inside the hospital alone, Torrez wiped at the baby's forehead, revealing the birthmark.Stunned, Torrez called both her husband and Beck's husband, Corvington said. On the drive home, Torrez confronted Beck and challenged her on whether she abducted the infant. Beck at first insisted that she just found the infant on the road, but then admitted to having abducted her, Corvington said.At the house, Beck's husband handed the infant to Torrez who, along with a friend, delivered the tiny baby to deputies.Franklin County Sheriff Gary Toelke called Torrez the hero. "She's the one who made it happen," he said.He added: "You talk about getting the lead that breaks the case - this was one."At a news conference, Corvington said the sign saying "Welcome home, Abby" in the yard at Ochsenbine's home played a role in the events that led to the kidnapping.Beck was in police custody Tuesday night. Charges were expected sometime today.FBI profilers had said the kidnapper might be a woman who either wanted to be pregnant, recently loss a pregnancy or was faking her own pregnancy. Authorities said they did not know of any relationship between the baby's family and the accused kidnapper.Just as deputies received the infant from Torrez, Toelke was meeting with Abigale's parents to deliver sobering news - that searchers had discovered the infant's clothing near the house."When you find something like that, it's not really a good sign," Toelke said.Toelke's phone rang as he sat in a basement and talked with several family members, he said. Upon hearing his chief deputy's voice, Toelke assumed the worst. But he quickly learned that police believed they had found Abigale safe and sound.Toelke confirmed she was alive and returned to tell the family. "Things went wild from there," he said. "They were obviously very excited to hear that."The baby was found to be in good health and was taken to reunite with her mother at St. John's Mercy Hospital in Washington.Torrez gave the baby to police at the intersection of Yellow Dog Road and Highway 47, about six miles south of the baby's home at Lonedell.The search for the missing newborn had intensified around her parents' house during the day Tuesday. At least four teams of search-and-rescue dogs scoured the woods surrounding the house shared by Stephenie Ochsenbine and James Woods. An FBI team, some wearing blue evidence gloves, searched the family's house. Two divers from the Missouri Water Patrol searched a manmade fishing pond.Doctor's reportDr. Peter McCarthy, an emergency room physician at St. John's Mercy Hospital, said the baby appeared to be in good health with no problems immediately evident."The baby is here, she is well, she's been reunited with her family and all are doing well," McCarthy told a crowd of reporters from local and national media outlets Tuesday evening. Police blocked entrances to the hospital to keep reporters and others out.McCarthy said Ochsenbine had just wanted to hold her child again. "It was a touching moment," he said. "She's a wonderful child."He added: "The family is elated, and they wanted to thank the community for their support and prayers."By 8:30 p.m., the family - including the mother and baby - had left the hospital.Neighbors see handoffOne Franklin County resident, Terry Lacy, said he noticed a maroon Dodge Durango parked near the intersection of Highway 47 and Yellow Dog Road, close to his home, when he arrived home from work about 5 p.m.About half an hour later, he saw four unmarked cars pull up, and then a detective's pickup. Two women and a man got out of the Durango and turned a baby over to the law enforcement officers. The child was taken away in an ambulance. "I knew it was the baby immediately," he said.Other nearby residents, Scott and Debbi Brown, were sitting down to dinner when the handoff took place near their home. Debbi Brown said she was relieved when she realized it was the missing child."It was so scary for me because I'm home all day long, and I've been freaking out about anyone coming to the door," she said. "It just makes me feel so good that the baby's alive and healthy.Two sheriff's deputies in patrol cars guarded a wood-and-metal gate to a home in the 3400 block of Yellow Dog Road late Tuesday night. They said it was where the baby had been kept and that investigators were inside. The home wasn't visible from the road in the darkness.Authorities on Monday released a sketch of the kidnapping suspect and a photograph of a scarf possibly worn by the suspect. More than 500 leads flooded in, most of them spurred by the sketch, said Corvington. The sketch showed a woman with a mustache, wavy hair and dark eyes. She was described as being around 200 pounds, and 5-foot-4 to 5-foot-8.Authorities noted on Tuesday that the baby's father had passed a lie-detector test and the mother had agreed to take one. The locations of the mother's wounds had prevented her from immediately taking a polygraph, Toelke said.

Up UP and AWAYYYY


UP UP AND AWAY



Not only did I get to ride the MetroLink for the first time, but we went to Forest Park and watched the balloons. It was sort of windy, so not all the balloons lifted off, but I loved watching the ones in the sky. I also got to see some puppies and kitties. After the balloons took off, we sat on the blanket and I ate dinner and hung out with daddy while he 'tried' to nap.

Laying here quietly with daddy...

I think I'm going to sing....

LOUDLY :)

Me and mommy

Monday, September 18, 2006

My first trip on the MetroLink

On Saturday, mommy and daddy and aunt tab and me rode the metro link to the Forest Park Balloon Race. I have never been on a train before. It was so much fun looking out the window as we traveled. Here's some pictures of me on the train. I hope I get to ride it again when we go to the Baseball game!

What's out there daddy?



I love watching trains go by

I'm holding on tight

Me and daddy watching the trains
Not sure what I'm smiling at....

Saturday, September 16, 2006

AMBER ALERT---PLEASE READ-PLEASE FORWARD


Please keep this family in your prayers. Abby Woods is still missing! The police have had some leads but the kidnapper/attacker still has not been identified. Here's the article from our St. Louis Post Dispatch.

LONEDELL
Police searched for a newborn girl Friday after the infant's mother reported that a woman who had asked to use her telephone attacked her with a knife and fled with the infant.The kidnapping and assault were reported at 12:40 p.m. from a home on Missouri Highway 47 near Lonedell, in southeastern Franklin County.The sheriff's office issued an Amber Alert for Abigale Lynn Woods, 7 days old, who has black hair and blue eyes and wore a pink dress with a flowered collar.
The mother, identified by officials as Stephenie Ochsenbine, 21, was taken by helicopter to a St. Louis-area hospital, where she had surgery for multiple knife wounds. She was expected to survive, authorities said.Maj. Mike Copeland, chief deputy of the sheriff's office, said Ochsenbine told deputies a stranger knocked on her door and asked to use the phone. The visitor then held Ochsenbine at gunpoint with a handgun and they struggled. Ochsenbine was stabbed in the neck and arm with a filet knife and then forced into the bathroom, police said. The intruder locked the bathroom door and then fled with the infant and Ochsenbine's cordless telephone, they said.Ochsenbine fell unconscious, although it was not known for how long. When she woke up, she managed to get out of the bathroom, although police would not say how.Ochsenbine then picked up her 1-year-old son, Connor, and ran across the street to a neighbor's home to call for help. Nobody was home, however, so she walked another 300 yards down a gravel path to the home of Pat Bearden, 69, and rang the doorbell.Said Bearden: "She was standing there with blood all over her and said, 'Somebody stole my baby.'" Bearden let her in, called 911 and then handed the phone to Ochsenbine."I'm just praying they find the abductor and get the baby back," Bearden said. "We're afraid to let our little granddaughter ride her bike now."Father was at workDeputies said Ochsenbine lives with the infant's father, James Woods. Police said Woods was at work and not near the house when the intruder came.Two relatives of Ochsenbine's came to the scene Friday evening in a pickup to talk to sheriff's deputies. "We just want Abby back," one said.Copeland said police believed the mother's account. "You bet your boots," he said.He also said the relatives were not considered suspects. "They wanted this child. They were very excited about the child," he said. "We don't have anything to indicate at this point that the family is involved."The home is in a heavily wooded area just south of Missouri Highway 30. A metal sign with the words, "Welcome Home Abby," is in the front yard, as are toys and a soccer ball. There were chickens in the back yard.The website for St. John's Mercy Hospital in Washington, where Abigale was born Sept. 8, shows her picture and first name, and first names of her parents, but does not give an address or last names.The sheriff's office called in help from the Missouri State Highway Patrol and FBI, who together used dogs and search teams in the area around the house."We're doing a full-court press," Copeland said. "We're going to knock out all the stops."Description of attackerThe kidnapper was described as white, 30 to 40 years old, 5 feet 8, weighing about 200 pounds, with dark or black hair pulled under a baseball-style cap with a worn bill. She wore sunglasses, a black scarf around neck, a gray or brown T-shirt and blue jean shorts.Copeland said investigators did not know whether the attacker fled in a vehicle.Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or the Franklin County Sheriff's Department at 636-583-2567.
Can you help?Anyone who may have information about the location of Abigale Woods can call 911 or the Franklin County Sheriff's Department at 636-583-2567.The kidnapper was described as a white woman, 30 to 40 years old, 5 feet 8, about 200 pounds, with dark or black hair pulled under a baseball cap with a worn bill, and wearing sunglasses, a black scarf, a gray or brown T-shirt and blue jean shorts.
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WE WILL POST UPDATES AS WE FIND OUT MORE

Friday, September 15, 2006

All wore out!

Naptime...

Ready to go

All ready to go...



I'll drive

Hmmm why won't the door open

What are you waiting for?

I'm a stylin' dude

Do you like my new hat as much as I do?

HI!!!

Not another picture mommy!


I'm on a mission!

I'm on the hunt....

Almost there....

He's within reach....

Wait where are you going kitty?

Mission foiled!


I'm going to catch that kitty some day!

I need your help!

I have 2 halloween costumes and I don't know which one to wear on Halloween. This being my first halloween, I'm new to all this. :)

Costume #1: Ice Cream Cone (mommy bought this along time ago, before I was born and even before she was married to daddy! Her maiden name was Kohn (cone) and so she thought it would be very cute for me to wear a cone costume. My head is too big for the cherry on top though)

Costume #2: Monkey (I'm always acting like a monkey so it's fitting that I would be a monkey. Mommy likes to call me her little monkey)


What do you think? Which one should I wear? Please add a comment and let me know what you think.