Cutie Butie Abby Kate

First of all, the title is one of AK's many nicknames around our house. That one was chosen by Carlie, also known as Car Car. She loves nicknaming everyone in the family. :)

I'm trying to pace myself on the "catch up blogs"....there are quite a few to come. :) So, I thought I would post about my baby, as she continues to grow up way too fast. (Well, really, she's only 5 months, so that's hardly "grown up". But, I still think she could slow down a bit!)

The poor girl has been sick most of the summer, beginning way back in May, and continuing the awful cycle of infection even as I type. She has had three double ear infections in a row, along with green nose, gunky eyes, and a cough. Three antibiotics later, we're hoping that she kicks this junk for a while. We've already been referred to the good old ENT, who we know very well from our other two girls. But, Abby Kate has won the prize for "quickest to need tubes" in our family. Goodness gracious, it's SUMMER! This wasn't supposed to hit until FALL at least! Needless to say, she's been a little more clingy, a little less happy, and a bit miserable every time the cold and ears flare up again.

Despite her sickness, she has still continued to stay busy. She loves watching her sisters, rolling around in the floor and even pushing off her feet to scoot around! She wants to be sitting or standing all the time, and lets us know when she is bored with a toy or is losing interest in the bouncy seat she sits in way too much. :)

Another thing she has enjoyed lately is watching TV with her sisters. Her favorite is Blue's Clues. Really. She lights up when Joe appears. Here she is cuddling with Carlie one morning...my favorite part about this pic is the way AK has her feet. If she is awake, then her feet are crossed---no matter what! It is just precious to me. Such a little lady.

The latest addition in AK's life is rice cereal. She's not so sure about this new addition to her diet. Here is her first experience with it:

She even survived her sisters feeding her!! That was quite a hoot. :)

It's hard to tell if her appetite is less because she has been sick, or because she is getting teeth, or just because she hates the stuff. But, now, she just tries to spit the cereal back out, unless she accidentally swallows some while she's crying. We've started giving her a bite, then putting her paci in, so she has no choice but to suck it down. It's working!! At least until she figures out our tricks!

Here are a few new pictures of her in the last month or so. Here's her photo shoot that was supposed to be her 3 month pictures....it was more like 4 1/2 (due, yet again, to ear junk.)

(I don't know why that one is so small!)

And, this is one of my favorites---not because she has a beautiful smile on her face---but because she's wearing a dress that my mother smocked for my little sister, Cailee, 17 years ago! I love seeing those sweet dresses being passed down to the next generation.

So, there's the latest on our Little Bit. Every day is so much fun to watch her learn and grow. I can hardly believe she'll be six months old in a couple of weeks!