Devin & Rachel visit

Devin and Rachel, our friends from New York came to visit us this past week. They were vacationing in Daytona first and then made their way to Sarasota for some more time in the Sunshine State. Of course they came bearing tons of cute outfits for Abby. Rachel LOVES to shop for little ones and has great taste!! :)

We were quite busy while they were here.... spent a beautiful afternoon at Marina Jack, walked the beach, played putt-putt, and had a nice dinner out. It was fun having friends visit that we hadn't seen since October and look forward to seeing them again soon!

Devin & Abby

Abby is trying to hide that smile with her fingers... we can still see it!!

Abby had fun playing with Rachel!

Can't believe it... 5 months old!

I simply cannot believe Abby turned 5 months old yesterday. How is that possible?! She is still amazing us with every coo, smile, and laugh and I'm loving my new camera that is able to capture so many of these cherished moments.

Abby is trying to do so many new things these days. She is still working on rolling over from back to tummy, she can sit up more with our support, and she loves playing with her toys. It's so fun just watching her take in the world around her. Abby loves to be outside, so any chance we get, we pack up what we need and head to a park. She just started swinging in the baby swing and she likes to swing with me too!

I took little Miss Abby to the doctor's this morning... I know, I know, anything out of the ordinary and I'm at the doctors before you can snap your fingers. Since Friday, she has had diarrhea on and off, but with no fever. Anyway.. took her in and she has a viral infection that will go away on its own. Dr. Meyer gave us some probiotics which will give her immune system a boost. Of course, Abby just laughed and smiled at him the whole time and he said "She is not a sick baby!" Glad to know she's okay and at least I got her weight.... 14 pounds 4 ounces!

Abby's BIG smile :)

Times like these make Mommy's heart melt.

LOVE that LAUGH!!!

There is NOTHING as sweet as a baby laughing. Abby and I had a lot of fun today. I only wish she wasn't laughing at me talking about her poopy diaper. Ahh well, I'll take a laugh any way I can get it! :)

Click on the following link to download. Sorry there is no video, I only had my phone and I couldn't get to my camera in time!

http://www.box.net/shared/jadyo0h3k3

What a day! :)

I was a bit worried what the day would bring when little Abby became overtired and only napped for thirty minutes this morning. (not even a nap!) Then she napped again at noon for an hour, which is much better but at such an unusual time for us. After Abby woke up, she was happy and ready to play. So we decided to take her on a whole new adventure... mini golf! Since it was a BEAUTIFUL Sarasota day and we have friends in town, we thought it would be fun to get outside. Abby had a wonderful time and got her first taste of putt-putt. She even fell asleep towards the end with only 3 holes left. So she napped again for about 30 minutes and I soaked up every minute. I love when she falls asleep on me.

Get ready Abby, here we go!

So sweet...

After mini golf, we headed home and hung out around the house for a bit before heading to Bonefish for a nice dinner. I was a bit nervous taking a baby to this restaurant since it's a fancier, quiet restaurant with lots of older people that may get annoyed by a babies cry. However, we did it anyway and Abby was an absolute angel. She sat in her carseat and played with her toys, sat on Mommy's lap for a little bit, and before dinner was served, she was asleep again.

Abby is such a happy, beautiful baby and its days like these that I LOVE and LIVE FOR!!!!! :)

So busy... and ready to relax!

Wow, the Johnson family has been busy!! It was such a special holiday season with family coming to visit. First Aunt Jenny came at the beginning of December. Then Nana and PopPop Johnson came, followed by Gramma and Grandad Rowland. Abby had such a fun time with everyone, and of course, Jim and I enjoyed our families just as much. Its the times we share during these visits that make us realize how important family is and just how much we miss everyone.

For the next few days, we have Jim's friends from New York visiting and then we head to Baltimore for FanFest next weekend. It will be great to see family there, along with some friends and their babies!

Here are just a few random pictures since I've been slacking on the blog updates. It's finally time to relax and enjoy some family time together before Spring Training begins in February!

Cold day at Marina Jack, but at least we got a family photo! :)

Gramma and Abby .... look at Abby's crazy hat head!!

Abby fell asleep on Grandad... probably the highlight of his visit :)

Smiling and laughing with Mommy ... love this :)

Abby loves the swing at the park now... and she likes to sleep in it too!

So sweet ... couldn't find her binky, so she found her thumb instead.

Best Friends :)

Grandad, Gramma, is that really you?!?!

"Hey, I remember you... It's Grandad!!!"

Grandad and Gramma Rowland arrived in Sarasota last Saturday night, bringing the cold weather with them. :) It's been a cold week, leaving us to mostly indoor activities. Believe it or not, snow flurries are in the forecast for this weekend. CRAZY!! So far, Abby has really been enjoying Grandad and Gramma's visit. She has been busy telling stories, cooing constantly, smiling, and laughing. Gramma, Abby, and I have done a little shopping, but mostly just enjoyed hanging out at the house and spending time together. Grandad has helped Jim put in the new fence in our backyard. Of course, he is enjoying his granddaughter too! :) We attempted the marina today but realized it was colder than we thought after getting there. So after getting a family picture, we headed home. We still have the weekend together and may even witness our first Sarasota snowfall. Haha, not betting on it.

Sharing stories with smiles ...

Playtime with Gramma

Kisses for little Abby

Look at this happy baby!!

Abby loves her new high chair ...

... and now she loves her cereal! :)

A few firsts....

"Wow! What is this huge toy?"

"I'm just taking it all in before I decide if I like this...."

"Yup, I like it... it's FUN!!"

Here we are trying cereal... again. This time Abby seemed to like it a bit more, but still very unsure.