Can you believe....

....these pictures were taken in February? The weather was beautiful today and Abby and I decided to take advantage of it! It was 80 degrees today, perfect for splashin' around and getting wet! After Abby's nap, we headed outside to water the garden Andrew planted last weekend. We had a lot of fun and tomorrow is shaping up to be nice too!!!

Cousin Ben Visits

Andrew's cousin Ben and his buddy were in town this week all the way from Germany for a conference. We were lucky enough to be able to have Ben and his friend Nark over to our house on Monday night. We went out to dinner at Hooters and then came back to our house and played some board games. We play Trivial Pursuit and Catch Phrase and it was a lot of fun! It was just like old times when we lived in Pensacola and Ben lived in Ft. Walton Beach and we would spend many a nights playing games. It was so good to see Ben, we miss having him around!!

Bittersweet

So, Andrew and I are gearing up for our first vacation without Abigail. I am very excited and at the same time I am nervous and sad. I know Andrew and I need this vacation, and I know we will have a BLAST but, I still can't help to be sad that Abby won't be there with us. I know she won't know the difference, but I will. I know we are going to have a lot of fun, and it is a break we both need and deserve. Plus, I know my little one will be in VERY capable hands. My mother in law is coming to watch her while we are gone. And she did afterall raise a wonderful son, so I know she can handle Abby! We leave on Friday for a 3 night/4 day cruise to the Bahamas. Wish us luck!!

Shana Banana

On Saturday afternoon we made our way over to Pensacola for a day of fun. We made a quick pit stop at one of mine and Andrew's favorite sandwich shops, Philly's to pick up a couple of cheese steaks. Yummy! Then we went over to the park to have a little picnic and let Abby play for a little bit. Then, we went over to Pensacola Junior College for a free concert. We had never heard of the lady before, but it was kids music and it was free so we had nothing to lose. Her name is Shana Banana and it was actually a lot of fun. (she's no Laurie Berkner, but she was entertaining none the less). Abby LOVED it! She danced and laughed and at times she was just totally enthralled. I had been worried that she was too young to enjoy live music, but boy was I wrong! She had a blast! After all the fun Abby was exhausted and she slept like a log all the way home.

Abby is so excited....can't you tell??


Abigail and Daddy before the show


The set


"Tailgating" after the show

Brief Update

Abigail went to the doctor again today just to follow up and make sure she was all better. Well, I am happy to report...we got the all clear. No more rash, no more throwing up, no more diarrhea, no more fever, no more ear infections!!! YAY!! Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers!

Papi Visits

My dad came to visit over the long holiday weekend. It was a last minute trip and a very nice surprise. Unfortunately, Abby was sick for the bulk of his stay (see below) but we had a good time anyway and it was great to spend some time with him. He brought his golf clubs assuming it would be warmer here than in Colorado and he was a bit disappointed, it was pretty chilly last weekend. He did manage to get a little golf in with Andrew though, and they played ALOT of backgammon! Abby finally warmed up to her Papi this visit and let him hold her and she even gave him a few of her famous kisses. It was great to spend time with him and hopefully, he will come back to visit when the weather is a bit nicer and Abby isn't so sick. Thank you for everything dad, we love you!!



MUAH




Helping Papi pick out some tunes at Waffle house

My poor baby....Part 2

Well, the fun never ends! I guess I posted too soon. We were BACK in the ER on Saturday night. I thought Abby was feeling better and I put her down for a nap on Sat. When she woke up her rash had started to turn PURPLE! It was scary and I called the doctor right away. He told us to go to the ER in Pensacola because he wanted her to be seen at the Children's hospital ER. So, we got in the car and made the trip to Pensacola. Abby was in great spirits until we saw the doctor and then she became hysterical. Good news though...her rash wasn't anything serious, it was something called erythema multiforme which could have been a reaction to her antibiotics but it also could have just been a virus. We were in and out of the ER in about 3 hours. This time we felt confident about her diagnosis and we all slept easier that night. On Sunday Abby woke up and her rash was 98% better. We have a doctors appointment yet again today just to follow up and make sure everything is 100%. What a wild ride!

Here we are at the ER:



This is at Steak and Shake after we got the all clear from the DR's!!

My poor baby!

****WARNING, these pictures are not pretty!*****

Well, what can I say? We have had a rough couple of weeks. It all started 2 weeks ago today, Abby woke up with a little cold and things just went downhill from there. She was sick all week and I finally took her to the doctor that Friday because I didn't want to end up in the ER. I thought they were going to tell me it was just a cold and there was nothing we could do about it. I was wrong, she was diagnosed with a double ear infection and put on antibiotics, ear drops and a decongestant. Over the weekend and into the beginning of the next week she stayed about the same. Then, on Wednesday when I went to get her out of bed in the morning she had thrown up all over the place and had diarrhea. Later that day, the vomiting and diarrhea continued to the point where she dehydrated herself. Andrew and I made a trip to the ER with her and she was treated for dehydration with an IV drip and she was given a shot of antibiotics because her infections were not improving. When we got home at 1 in the morning we saw that Bucky had eaten 2 bags of Valentine's chocolate and he was sick all night with a stomach ache and throwing up too!! The next day, we followed up with her regular doctor and he put her on a new set of antibiotics as a supplement to the injection she got at the hospital. To make the day even better, we got a flat tire after we went to the doctors office. We just couldn't catch a break. Thank goodness my dad and Andrew were there to take of that situation!! Then, on Friday morning Abigail woke up and started throwing up again and she had a horrific rash all over her body. Back to the doctor for us!! This time she was put on a steroid to treat the rash and taken off the antibiotic because we believe the rash was caused by an allergic reaction to one of the three antibiotics she was on. Today, the rash had traveled to her arms and legs and looks awful. She is very uncomfortable and itchy but she is eating which is a good sign. At this point all we can do is watch her and hope the steroids take care of the rash. If its not better by tomorrow or the next day I guess we will be making yet ANOTHER trip to the doctor. My poor girl! :( The following pictures really don't do the rash justice, the rash is much more red and puffy than it shows on the computer. But here are a few so you can get the idea.






These are pics from when the rash got REALLY bad on Abby's face and we almost went to the ER again:







This is the rash on Abby's arms and legs:

xoxo Happy Valentines Day xoxo

Abby was very excited this morning because she had a special Valentine date today. She got all dressed up in her Valentine dress and we met Daddy at Ruby Tuesday for a special lunch date. After lunch, we stopped by Nolan's house to drop off his V-day gift. Don't tell daddy though because she doesn't want him to be jealous. And Daddy will always be her special Valentine, no matter what!!! We hope everyone is having a great Valentines Day and thank you to everyone who sent Abby gifts!! We love you all!



Here is Abby going for the "sexy" windblown look.


Here are the love bugs holding hands...too cute!!

Abbys 1st Picnic

It was so beautiful outside today, we decided to take Abigail to the park and bring a picnic lunch. We had such a good time. Abby is getting so brave on all of the playground equipment, she climbs up all by herself and goes down the slide no problem. They have a section for toddlers at the park with littler slides and such but she would rather hang with the big kids. It makes mommy very nervous, but Abby has a blast. Playing so hard really worked up Abby's appetite so we set out a blanket and had our picnic lunch. At first Abby laid down on the blanket like she was going to take a nap, she had to watch mom and dad to see what was going on. Give her a break, she usually eats meals in a highchair so this was a totally different experience for her. She chowed down her lunch and what didn't get in her mouth got on me and her jeans and her sweater. After refueling it was time for some more playing and then we walked down to the lake and fed the ducks our leftover bread. It was such a warm, sunny day the ice cream man was there but that was our cue to leave. Abby was exhausted and we headed home to have a nice long nap!


"WWWWEEEEEEE"


Abby in her "Big Red Car"


Time for lunch! I love Cheetos, they make EVERYTHING orange!


Yummy, Daddy makes really good PB&J sammies


Hey Daddy, can I have some more of that yogurt please??

Monkeying around!

Last Thursday Abigail and I met Sam and Nolan at the zoo in Crestview! Thats right, Crestview doesn't have a Target but we've got a zoo...go figure. It's actually a pretty decent zoo, you cant complain for $6...it definitely kept the kiddos entertained. We had the whole zoo to ourselves and we just let the kids walk around going from animal to animal. The kids really liked the camels and the monkies, one of the monkies was really putting on a show for us. (I think he thought we were going to smuggle him some food). The weather was perfect, sunny and in the low 70s. Abigail and Nolan were even able to feed some of the animals. They were both a little shy at first, but they warmed up to the idea quickly. After the zoo, Sam and I took the kids to lunch at Ryans which is a local buffet. It was such a nice day! By the way, thanks for the pictures Sam! (I had to steal Sams pictures because my camera ran out of batteries right after I took the first picture of the day)


Abby found it was easier to sit and feed the goats because she kept dropping the food before they would actually get it. Sitting down made it easier for her to reach her fallen soldiers and try again!





Abby was telling the peacocks to "come here" I wish Sam would have edited me out of this one because who knows what my dorky self is up to in the background


Sam and Nolan in front of the bear cages

Where's the Poop?

If you look closely at the picture, you will see a book called "Where's the Poop". It is Abby's favorite book these days. In fact, she walks around the house saying "poop, poop" until Andrew or I read her the book. It's a silly book, and the other day I noticed it does have educational purposes. Abigail and I were in the living room and I realized she was taking a number 2....I left her alone and let her do her "business". When she was done she came up to me and waved her hand in front of her face (that's her way of saying stinky) and then she said "poop". She laid down and let me change her diaper. I guess the book is sort of a pre-potty training book for us!

Future Firefighter?

There is a sandwich shop here in town called Firehouse Subs and they have the best subs ever! Abby and I go there quite a bit and she just loves their PB&J, probably because they put GOBS of jelly on it. Anyway, they give the kids the fire hats and she just looked so cute. It was funny too, because she put it on while Kristi was here and her boyfriend is a firefighter. I told Abby she shouldn't be a firefighter herself (I was thinking a doctor or lawyer) but she should definitely date one!!

Abby with her "firehouse" dog


Abby in her "firetruck"