Nana and PopPop Johnson visit Sarasota

Nana and PopPop arrived in Sarasota on Monday evening and left early this morning to head back to their warm weather in Arizona. The week was full of fun and went by way too fast, just like always. Of course Abby was spoiled with Christmas gifts and she loves her new toys. It's so fun to watch her facial expressions as she plays with them.

PopPop helped Jim do some projects around the house, while Nana, Abby, and I did what we do best... SHOP! We also spent an afternoon at Marina Jack, where we walked by the water, took a lot of pictures, and had a nice lunch outside. It was a gorgeous day in Sarasota. Abby tried some new things too while Nana and PopPop were here. We tried cereal again ... this time with just a little bit of applesauce mixed in. She was okay with it, but still not so sure. Abby also began to play in her Exersaucer... what a big girl!!! (Pictures to come later...)

Not only did Abby enjoy her grandparents, Max got a lot of extra attention from them too! He was in heaven.... playing ball, going for walks, and even getting some comfy sleepy time in bed with them.

It's always nice to have family in town, especially around the holidays. It's so special for grandparents to visit and see how much and FAST little Miss Abby is changing. She just adores her family! :) Now it's time for Gramma and Grandad Rowland to get into town... more fun ahead!

Abby loves her new caterpillar from Nana and PopPop!

Abby was telling Nana stories before bathtime.... she had a lot to say!

PopPop and Abby enjoying a walk at the marina.

Playing around with the new camera .... Abby was too serious!

Swinging at the marina with Nana and PopPop .... is Abby a happy baby or what?!

Abby taking a turn on the swing with Mommy and Daddy ...

Kisses for such a sweet baby! :)

Abby's First Christmas

Baby's First Christmas

The Johnson Family :)

It was this time last year, Christmas Day, that Jim and I found out we would be welcoming a baby into this world. That was the best gift I could have ever asked for. Here we are a year later, celebrating our first Christmas together as a family, with our new bundle of joy.

Kisses from Daddy...

Mommy with Abby

Our first Christmas with baby Abby was wonderful. On Christmas Eve, we took Abby to the children's service at church. She seemed to enjoy the children's choir and loved the candlelight part of the service. Sometimes she would get upset when the organ became really loud, but for the most part she sat on Daddy's or my lap and just looked all around. Santa visited Olive Avenue later that night, leaving tons of presents for a baby that would have no idea what this holiday was all about!

Santa made it!

On Christmas morning, Abby woke us up around 8, ready to go! I fed her while Jim made us waffles with his new waffle maker. Then, Abby opened a few presents from her Daddy and Santa. Daddy loves to spoil his little girl... more clothes, books, and toys! Abby's favorite thing of all was the wrapping paper.... the way it crunched, crinkled, and of course.... it went straight to her mouth. Hmmm... guess we didn't need so many toys?! After a while, Abby went down for a nap (with lots of presents still unopened) and Jim and I were able to exchange our gifts. Jim loved his new dovetail jig tool, even though he intercepted it in the mail weeks ago. Abby gave him some personalized golf balls with her picture on them... very cute! I absolutely LOVED my gift... the Canon Rebel. This camera will capture many laughs and smiles for years to come!!

Yum... that wrapping paper must taste good!

Abby liked her gifts too, especially watching the butterfly crawl around!

After Abby woke up from her nap, we headed to Valrico to continue celebrating this special day with some dear friends of ours. The Brancas have been kind enough to invite us into their home the past two Christmases. Since it's just us here in Sarasota, it's nice to have another family to reach out to. They always go all out, which isn't necessary, but well enjoyed! We shared a wonderful meal, played with Abby and MORE new toys, and enjoyed being a part of the family for the day!

The Branca Family loves little Abby!

Sue finally has a girl in the house!

Our first Christmas with Abigail was a special one. Abby is such an amazing addition to our lives and I can't even imagine what life would be like without her anymore. Jim and I are truly blessed to have some a wonderful, happy baby to make us smile every day. We look forward to continuing the holidays with our parents visiting us. Abby is so excited to see you Gramma and Grandad, Nana and PopPop!!!! :)

Abby's First Bite

After being given the OK to start cereal, Jim and I decided to give it a try yesterday. However, I forgot to warm it up.... and she wanted NO part of it. Could have also been that she was hungry and did not want something out of the ordinary. Either way, she screamed and stopped after only a few bites.

Today went a little better, but she still doesn't know what to make of it. We'll try again in a few days! :) Enjoy the video - it's a funny one!

What's that Abby?

(Can you guess what Jim was doing before this? Knee pads, grout all over his arms......)

For Christmas, Carol gave me a video monitor and I already love it after only using it one night. We are able to see her every move and you can even see her breathing! At one point last night, I saw her smiling under that binky... she must of been having some good dreams! I would have never thought it would make things easier, but it does. Instead of getting up at every cry or wimper, I can just look and see what's going on without getting out of bed! Love it... thanks Carol! :)

Mommy watching Abby sleep ... so peaceful :)

Close up ... this thing is AMAZING!

THIS and THAT....

I always look forward to Abby's well visits to the doctor, but quickly remember how dramatic they can be when those needles come out. I can't stand watching her get those shots, she just screams and looks at me with that "why are you letting them do this to me?!" face. Poor thing. Besides the shots, Abby is doing excellent. She weighed in at 13 pounds, 3 ounces, which puts her in the 50th percentile for weight and her height puts her in the 25th percentile at 23.5 inches. Abby is just growing like a weed!

It was overall a great visit and a lot of my questions were answered. We were given the go ahead to start cereal whenever we are ready. Looking forward to that next step ... hopefully it goes well! The doctor expressed a bit of concern about Abby's neck strength since she still prefers to look to her right. It may be a mild case of torticollis, which can easily be reversed with some help. I'm doing things at home with Abby that seem to be helping a lot and we will probably have a physical therapist take a look and show us some things to do with her.

Cute random pic.... this is how I picked her up from daycare last week. The teachers put her hair in pigtails!! :)

In other news, Abby and I had a busy weekend with Aunt Jenny. She came to visit and spend some time with us! It was great and I already miss her company. We spent a lot of time playing with Abby, shopping, looking at Christmas lights, visiting Santa, and walking to the park. Jen and I had some time to ourselves too baking Christmas cookies and seeing the play "Annie." Here are some pictures to show off the fun we had together!

All smiles for Aunt Jenny ....

Abby enjoyed every second!

Abby's new friend... glow worm. She loves it, thanks Aunt Jenny!

4 months old, already?!

"Look at me... I'm 4 months old!"

This picture says it all. Abby is truly such a wonderful baby... she is happy, finds humor in almost anything (even the white ceiling can make her smile), and she is able to melt the heart of anyone that simply looks at her. Just look at her... how can you NOT smile?!

I can't believe it... 4 months already?! Abby has great head control now, is enjoying tummy time more and more, and can roll over from tummy to back. She smiles all the time, giggles but we have to really work for it, and coos like she knows exactly what she is saying. Her hair is starting to thin out a bit, especially the bald spot on the back of her head and it's also starting to lighten in color. Abby is still napping well and sleeping well most nights. Yesterday, Jim and I decided to stop giving her Prevacid (the medicine she was taking each day for acid reflux). I'm not sure that was really the main problem to begin with, so we'll see how she does without the meds. I hate the thought of medicating our baby if she doesn't need it. We'll see how her tummy does over the next few days!

Abby's four month appointment is on Monday so I will update her weight, height, percentile, and all that good stuff afterwards. :)

"Who... me? I'm the cute baby?"

Baby's First Christmas with Santa

Abby's first visit to Santa was a success! Aunt Jenny and I took her to the mall today to meet Mr. Claus himself. I was nervous that Abby would be unsure of Santa and cry but she was such a happy baby and sat on his lap for a few minutes smiling and looking all around. After placing Abby carefully on Santa's lap, I told him that he looked like the "real" Santa and he quietly whispered, "but I am." To this I could only respond, "We believe..."

Abby is on the GOOD list this year! :)

More park pics...

Here are a few more shots

from the park taken with

Carol's new camera. It takes

beautiful pictures and you

are able to catch moments

that happen in a split of a

second.

Hmmm, we may need to invest in one of these eventually!

Abby is so interested in the world around her.

I love this little girl.