Why is it that as soon as you think you have this parenting thing down and a routine sort of 
established the person you are parenting decides to change everything? I had grown accustomed to our schedule, sure getting up at 7:30 was earlier that I liked but it was doable and I got to have a nap at 10. Now we are getting up at 6:30 and napping at 9, which is okay but not quite as nice. The advantage to our new schedule is sometimes John is around to change diapers in the morning and she now gets a little nap in the afternoon, making her a much more enjoyable person to be around in the evening. So I guess this new schedule is actually better. Great idea Abi!
Some other Abi updates. Abi has recently decided that she likes things to be her way or else (I'm blaming this personality change on teething and not genetics). I'm hoping she goes back to her more easy going self sometime in the near future. She is not walking yet, but getting better at standing on her own, she is almost nonchalant about it now. She has mastered another baby sign, this time for book (thats my girl!). She has become very excited about books in the last few days and claps and laughs when we pick up one to read.
In other news we have finalized our trip to Italy for the end of March. Venice, Orvieto, and Rome here we come! And John got his orders so we are officially headed back to the states, and earlier than we thought. We will all be in the states from the end of July. John will have to return to London for a week for check-out and then he heads to Virginia for a course while Abi and I will be spending some quality time in Spokane, McCall, Boise, and Seattle. Or at least that is the plan for now. You know how the Navy is.
Here is a picture of Abi playing with her friend Amy at a birthday party on Sunday. Sorry it isn't 
a better shot. The camera ran out of batteries.
I'm sure it is only a matter of time until she tires of entertaining me in this way but until then we will keep pointing and panting (the baby sign for dog is panting like a dog-makes sense sort of but it does make you look a little foolish in public). I have gotten some video as proof but have no idea how to post it so my webmaster will have to take care of it when he gets home. 
We had to get an "umbrella" stroller so we can be ready for our trip to Italy this spring. That's right we're back to the continent at the end of March for 13 days. We'll be in Venice for 4 days, a remote farm house for 4 and the last 5 days in Rome. Thats our news for now.
