Abigail under the weather

Abigail has been a bit unwell over the bank holiday weekend. She started with a croupy cough at the end of last week which has now progressed to a full cold and really tickly cough which makes it difficult for her to catch her breath. We are well aware of the indicators for progression to a chest infection (which can be dangerous for Abby) but thankfully this virus doesn't seem to have gone to her chest. Yesterday, Nix took Abby to the local hospital to have her checked over and to try and get her on a course of antibiotics to clear the virus, and it was confirmed that her chest is indeed clear. She should be over this in a few days, but we were remarking that there really is a difference in her when she's under the weather - you can tell she's unwell from her demeanor. She doesn't 'smile', doesn't respond to us as much and generally seems quite cheesed off!

Standing up!

We've recently taken delivery of a toy for Abigail that gives her a whole new perspective on the world. It's a standing frame and she already uses one at nursery, but now we have one at home too. It's an unwieldy looking contraption, but essentially Abby is strapped in to a tight fitting harness that allows her to stand upright. She is supported around her hips and back, but in such a way that her legs and feet are bearing her full weight. As well as offering her an upright view of things, it's really good for her legs and back muscles to be stretched and used to bear her weight and helps prevent curvature of the spine. Amazingly, Abby's head control is superb when she's standing and she can lift her head up for long periods. In front of her is a table that she can put her hands on or feel various objects that we place in front of her. The table top also makes way for a bowl underneath, and at nursery her helpers put dry pasta and rice into the bowl for her to feel.

All in all, it's really lovely to have Abby upright and looking around so much and we've also begun to realise just how big and tall she's getting. Plus we think that this is the best picture so far of Joshua, Abigail and Rebekah together!