Annabelle Visits Florida

This past week Annabelle got to visit her family and friends in St. Petersburg, Florida. Annabelle and I flew down a couple of days before James so everyone could have ample baby time.

While in Florida Annabelle got to meet so many new people. One day Annabelle got to meet both Pops and Nana's coworkers. She did a great job showing off her "tricks" (as Nana calls them), specifically her smiles. She must have been held by twenty people that day and was so wonderful and content the whole time. There was one day dedicated to Annabelle meeting two of her Great Grandmother's. That was a very special day filled with joy and love. And of course, the Waechter's hosted a family picnic so the whole extended family could meet Annabelle. She was held and loved by so many Dudley's and Waechter's and appeared to enjoy every minute.

My favorite day was beach day. Being a beach lover, I was so excited to introduce the experience to my daughter. Annabelle had all the beach necessities: sunglasses, hat, bathing suit, and bathing chair. I am thinking over 100 pictures were taken that day because of all the cuteness.The water was so warm she was even able to go into the ocean with her Mommy and Daddy. We also brought a little tub for her to soak in under the sun tent. Her smiles and relaxed demeanor showed us that she was definitely going to be a beach girl.

When Annabelle wasn't engaging in new experiences or meeting new people, she was enjoying her quiet time with her Nana, Pops, Aunt Kate, and Uncle Chriff. It was wonderful seeing Annabelle with the people that love her the most.  Nana was determined to spend as much time as possible with her, that Annabelle even slept in Pops and Nana's room so Nana could do the early morning feedings. I learned that Annabelle was spending parts of the night sleeping with Nana and Pops in their bed! I was fine with it, but told Nana we will be calling her at 3am if Annabelle can't sleep because she got use to sleeping in between two bodies (her first night back she did fine, so I guess no bad habits were learned at the grandparents).

It was a great trip to Florida and of course it was sad to say goodbye to everyone. I told Annabelle the whole trip home that she is so lucky to have so many people love her and she must be special if she could put a smile on so many people's faces.