Hand, Foot & Mouth and Anastasia State Park in FL

Abby is in the process of conquering yet another illness- hand, foot & mouth disease.  She came down with a high fever on Sunday and was really fussy from muscle aches which lasted about a day and a half.  She was drooling excessively and had a hard time with her solids.  I started noticing a couple blisters on her on Tuesday and brought her in to the doctor's office on Wednesday where it was confirmed that she has hand, foot & mouth disease- it's been going around the daycare center and is quite common.  Abby's throat is still hurting her now- there are two large sores on her throat- and she has blisters on her face, hands, and feet but she is such a trooper!  The doctor said that it was best to keep her out of daycare for the week as she is still contagious and we don't want to continue the spread of this nuisance!

Last weekend while shopping we came across a kitchen set that Abby went gaga for- I've never seen her react this way to a toy before!  It was on clearance and I just couldn't resist...  she's been playing with it a lot this week- practicing her cooking skills at such an early age!  ;)  It plays music, has a series of lights, and  plenty of things for her to examine.  I'll see if I can get a video of her playing with it at some point soon! :)

Abby tried fish for the first time while we were in Florida and absolutely loved it!  We've since given her plenty of it and it's still a big hit. :)  We've also been supplementing whole milk in her bottles for a couple weeks now and it's been a hit- a little at first and more and more as time goes.  She's digesting it well and I am excited to bid adieu to my pump for a while...  :)  She should be fully weaned by her first birthday- next weekend! :)

Speaking of Abby's first birthday- we're planning on celebrating her actual birthday at Woodman's for some fried seafood with the family.  We've taken Abby there many times in the past year so it seemed like a fitting place to celebrate! :)  I'm looking forward to baking her first birthday cake.  :)  We're also throwing an actual party for Abby the weekend after her birthday at a local play space with some friends and family and some cutie kids- some Abby's age, and some a bit older.  It should be fun to watch them all playing- we are especially thankful for the toddler room for our younger guests. ;)

Here are some more pictures from our Florida trip as well!  I've decided to post our beach pictures because they don't require much explanation ;) :)  We spent a day at Anastasia State Park in St Augustine, Florida.  They have a BEAUTIFUL beach and park where we enjoyed the sun, water, and excellent company.  :)  Here are some pictures! :)  Abby loved the beach- loved playing in the water- loved the waves crashing in to her, loved playing in the sand, and especially loved the sea gulls.  She tried eating the sand once, didn't think it was very tasty, and didn't try it again.  ;)  We really enjoyed our beach time and this day is absolutely my favorite day spent with Leif and Abby so far.  :)  Everything about it was perfect- including dinner at a local Mexican restaurant afterwards where the owner came out and serenaded us with his guitar and Abby danced.  It was all just oh so perfect. :)

 Abby trying the sand.  ;)

 When the first wave crashed, Abby was a bit scared, but loved it immediately following that initial shock ;)

 The gorgeous beach. :)

 Abby's clown tent :)  It made the perfect sun shelter ;)

Abby's Blueberry and our visit to Virginia Tech

We have a funny video to share from vacation that exhibits a couple things about our Abby.  Abby is a strong-willed girl when it comes to something she wants; she is also quite the ham; she can now say bubble; and sometimes she regrets sharing her food.  ;)  I recorded this exchange with my phone so the image isn't great but the footage is pretty priceless.  :)

Abby and the blueberry

I'm going to break down our Florida vacation in to a few posts so that I'm not posting a million photos to one entry. :)  On our drive down to Florida, we were able to visit Lauren at Virginia Tech for an afternoon.  We met up with her on Saturday by VT's drill field (which is gorgeous!)  Here is the field:

and here is Miss Abby playing by the drill field:

Lauren gave us a wonderful tour of the campus and filled our heads with all sorts of interesting tidbits about the university.  We walked across the drill field and over to a beautiful duck pond.  Abby was extremely excited to see the ducks and we snapped some good pictures while taking in the gorgeous sights.

Lauren took us through the center of Blacksburg, VA- such a cute little center of town!  We even stubbled upon the farmer's market!  It was excellent timing since my dad had asked us to bring home Virginia peanuts and they just happened to be selling them at the market! :)

We had lunch at Lefty's- excellent burgers!!!  Abby was quite well behaved in the restaurant- extremely vocal and putting on a show for everyone.  Abby took to Lauren right away and just loved her.  It was a wonderful visit that was just too darn short.

Back from paradise!

We have returned from Florida much to our dismay.  I have to admit though- I have so much work and email to catch up on that pictures may not be up for a couple of days still and I'm having issues uploading videos to youtube to post.  Here are a couple teaser photos though- I promise to post more pictures and share more stories once things have settled down.  I will say this- Abby is a saint- perhaps the most laid back baby in the world- she spent a total of 23 hours in the car for the ride down and another 23 hours for the ride back home and hardly put up a fuss.  We were and still are amazed.  :)  There are great stories that accompany all of these pictures and I promise to post them when things quiet down a bit. :)

VACATION!!!

We start our vacation adventure tonight!  What perfect timing too- as I was walking through Harvard Yard this morning, the students were running wild on campus- shouting with balloons- all wearing matching outfits.  I had forgotten that today is the day that freshmen receive their housing assignments!  The excitement completely matched my mood this morning- I woke up with butterflies in my tummy just like I did as a kid before our annual camping trip in Maine.  :)  We are so excited to visit with Lauren, and explore Florida.  We're even able to meet our friends Nikki & Francis at Sea World in Orlando for a day! :)

Abby has a little fishing rod that we packed last night and we promise to snap adorable pictures of her fishing with her dad. :)

Sending love to all! :) :) :)

Happy 11 Months!

I almost forgot what today's date is!  It didn't even dawn on me when I wrote the date on the sign-in sheet at daycare...  today our little baby girl is somehow 11 months old!  I'm not really sure where the time has gone but boy has it been a joyous 11 months.  :)  I can't believe that Abby is a month shy of being a year old.  How lucky we are to have her in our lives. :)

This morning when I dropped Abby off at daycare, her friend Asher came right over and gave her a big hug.  He was dressed in a tuxedo t-shirt today and the scene was just adorable- he had great timing too.  Though Abby has been better about drop-offs, and doesn't cry any more, she still clings to me while I try to make her crib and put her food in the fridge.  Asher's hug made her smile and she didn't need to cling to me anymore. :)  Asher is unfortunately transitioning to the next classroom though.  He is one of my favorites but Abby will have his company to look forward to when she eventually transitions as well.  Just wanted to share a quick hug this morning with all of you! :)

Abby's new boyfriend and FLORIDA ON THE HORIZON!

Yes, folks, Abby has a new boyfriend.  ;)  On Saturday Abby and I headed to the Burlington Mall to meet my friend Melissa, her husband Josh, and their adorable nine-month old son Jon.  There is a sweet little playspace by the food court where Abby and Jon could crawl around and interact with each other.  Jon has such a similar disposition to Abby's- so smiley and happy and talkative.  It was so great to see the two babes interacting with each other.  Abby kept offering Jon her toy, and then refusing to let go of it when he reached out for it.  She also barreled over Jon to grab a book that she wanted before he could get it.  The two of them enjoyed playing though and have decided to hang out again.  It was so nice to spend some time with Melissa and Josh too and share parenting stories.

We are leaving this week for vacation and we are SEVERELY in need of it! :)  Leif and I are frazzled, and stressed out, and yearning for some family down time.  We leave Thursday night and will be visiting our niece Lauren on Saturday before making the rest of our journey with our final destination of St Augustine on Sunday.  We're packing the bathing suits, sun glasses, and flip flops and hoping for great weather.  Our cabin has a porch with a swing that overlooks a lake- it sounds like perfection.

If you don't hear from us until after vacation, please know that it is because we're having way too much fun.  ;)  Sending love and warm rays to all!! :)