The Boat

Eric got Audrey a tugboat for the bath as part of her Christmas present. She loves that boat. It has a fish, life preserver, and captain. She loves to sink the boat, let the captain drift out to sea, eat the fish. I try to get her to rescue the captain with the life preserver but apparently rescue is not what that thing is intended for. Her boat plays music and says a few things, which seem to take Audrey by surprise since, well, her bath toys just aren't supposed to make sounds. Tonight, it played a song, and she had to stop what she was playing to, well, dance of course! You know, just with her torso. Each night, she gets to choose 1-2 toys to take with her out of the tub to help with the process of getting her pajamas on. Tonight, we managed to get 3 out, I think because the captain was holding on for dear life via the life preserver. After she was dressed, I told her she could play with her toys for a few minutes before bed. When I picked her up to head into her bedroom, I had my hands full, and she did too with the fish and life preserver. But, how was she to carry the captain? I held him out for her to see how she'd manage to carry him, too. She looked at her full left hand. Glanced at her occupied right hand. Then looked at me. She then looked at the captain and opened her mouth up wide! I'll hold him this way! Poor captain.

Wa Wa...Cupcakes...and Dancing!

Wa Wa~
I'm not sure how this developed, but Audrey now calls Frisbee, Wa Wa. She misses her. Fris is on a week long vacation at her grandparents. Audrey noticed on Saturday that Fris was missing, especially when no one was there to help clean up dinner. "Wa Wa? Wa Wa?" She will be delighted to be reunited with her friend later in the week. She did receive a toy pup for Christmas that she can walk. I thought this would be good practice for Audrey before she tries walking Fris. Audrey's version of walking this pup is having him hang in the air by his leash. It's best that Fris didn't see this...

Cupcakes~
We had Audrey's 1 year pictures taken today. She took only a short time to warm up to the photographer and then was smiling at the camera even when she was supposed to look in a different direction (I've taught her well!). I had baked her a cupcake for her picture, and she dove into it as soon as it was put in front of her. Parting with the cupcake was very, very difficult. She has quite a sweet tooth. No idea where she gets that from...

Dancing~
It struck me the other day that Audrey dances like Eric, which is concerning. She does not need her lower body when dancing. Instead, she dances while sitting or kneeling, moving her torso left then right, then back again. No doubt if she could snap while dancing, like her dad, she would. She loves dancing to the Hallmark snowmen (especially the one involving a penguin partyhouse...) and the radio on her new playhouse. Her dance moves are actually dangerous. Today, she crawled up on me after smacking her hand on her playhouse when her dance moves got a little out of hand. Maybe we should sign her up for ballet lessons ASAP...

Happy Birthday!

One year-old. It's so hard to believe that her first year has passed. I spent a lot of time thinking of how to spend her day, trying to figure out something really fun to do. In the end, I decided she would most like to play all day, at home. And that is what we did. Eric and I serenaded her this morning - she is starting to recognize this Happy Birthday song after we sang it to her dad on Friday and celebrated her great-grandma's 90th birthday at her party on Saturday. We serenaded her again this evening when she enjoyed her cupcake. She opened her presents this morning and not so patiently awaited Eric putting together her gift from us. We did head outside only for brunch (high of 16 degrees today), where Audrey made a friend with the waiter who brought her a chocolate chip pancake doused with chocolate syrup and whipped cream for her birthday. She got a taste of the whipped cream before I could snag it and have her eat applesauce first. She was so unhappy to not get to eat her special treat first that I caved, and she got her wish. She happily ate her applesauce though too, and waved and offered her brunch to the waiter whenever he would pass by. Friends for life.

We recounted to Audrey the events of 1 year ago today. How I didn't keep much of anything down, even up to the day of her birth. How I insisted on Eric taking my picture that morning (and not really much before then). How Eric forgot his wallet and cell phone, despite this being a scheduled delivery. How we were running late to the hospital, and Eric kept saying they were going to cancel the delivery. This still makes me laugh. How excited I was when the nurse told me I was having contractions when she hooked me up to all the monitors, then said they were no where near what's needed to be anything of help to move things along more naturally. How nervous I was that Eric would pass out during the surgery since he put his head between his legs during the c-section cartoon video during childbirth class (our instructor had to stop and ask Eric if he was ok). How the nurse said we either had a blonde or a redhead. (I knew it - a redhead!) How when I said hello to Audrey, she looked up at me, examining me carefully, as if thinking, "So, THIS is what you look like!" We don't remember much else since Audrey had her days and nights mixed up, and pooped too many times to count that first day (all for her dad!). I do remember Eric taking Audrey for a stroll in her rolling crib to try to get her to sleep. I also remember him thanking her for sleeping for 5 minutes and asked her to sleep for 10 the next time. He also helped with her first bath and stayed with her during her EKG. All the nurses couldn't stop talking about her red hair.

Audrey makes the holidays, especially Christmas, so much better. Best gift ever.

11 months, 3 weeks

Audrey had a fun but busy last weekend as a non-1 year-old. She loved seeing Liam at his party but it took the two of them a minute to place each other outside of daycare. Once they did, the chattering began. His family loved meeting her. ("Oh, so this is Audrey! She's cuuuuute!") The two of them chatted until Liam passed out in his highchair from all the sugar he had from cake frosting. Audrey was too busy playing with the other kids, and Liam's toys, to care about him being asleep.

She has started trying to brush her hair with her brush and puts her new toy cell phone to her ear to chat. She loves her shape sorter and is especially fond of putting the circle in the correct hole. This yields quite a round of applause from her parental audience. We don't always notice she's done it, but she lets us know by doing it repeatedly until we do notice, and, ahem, applaud!

Lunch date

While I was reviewing Audrey's daily sheet at daycare, I asked her teachers how she had done at lunch. She isn't a big meat eater and was served a hamburger.

Teacher: "She did fine. She held Liam's hand."
Me: "Um, ok. The whole time?"
Teacher: "Yes, throughout lunch."
Me: "Who initiated that?"
Teacher: "Audrey did. She always does."
Me: "Always?"
Teacher: "Yes, she often holds his hand."

We will see Liam's parents this weekend at his birthday party so we can talk with them about this then. After I kissed Audrey goodnight, I started to close her bedroom door behind me as Eric was giving her a bottle. I heard him say:

"Now let's talk about you holding boys' hands other than your daddy's..."

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Audrey met Santa yesterday. She did fabulous. We had prepped her a little as we had hung up a Santa Claus last week after we received him from Aunt Amanda and Uncle Andy. Audrey stopped in her tracks when she noticed him on the wall. Hmmm...what's that guy doing? She just stared at him. I take her to him daily, and when I do, she'll smile, especially when I say, Ho! Ho! Ho! She'll bring her hand to him, closer, closer, closer, but won't touch him. It's the only thing she'll refrain from touching. Not sure why.

When waiting to meet Santa, the little girl in front of us in line cried, and Audrey couldn't figure out why. When it was our turn, I took her up to him, and she stared at him. Confused. You're pretty funny looking, she seems to think. Santa said, "Merry Christmas." Um, Santa, you gotta do your signature phrase. And he did. "Ho, Ho, Ho!" Audrey looks shocked. What did he just say? Is that the guy from the wall at our house? We approach him, and she doesn't look too sure but she's eyeing his big fluffy sleeves so he offers to let her touch his sleeves. She of course declines. You can't touch Santa! Eric prods me to just put her on Santa's lap, so, I did. She mildly protested but was easily calmed. I got a great picture of her talking to Santa. When I scooped her back up, she turned to Santa and gave a big grin. So, they said let's try for a smile with another picture. No such luck. She'd only smile at Santa from a distance. She did great, and we were so proud of her. Wonder what she asked him for...

First Thanksgiving

Audrey had a great first Thanksgiving. She didn't actually eat Thanksgiving dinner since she was so tired that she slept through it, but she still had a fabulous time. She loved spending time with cousin Heather and couldn't believe all the things she can do - like walk! We also exchanged a few Christmas presents and Audrey and Heather had a ball with the tissue paper instead of their presents.

Eric and I talked about how much we have to be thankful for. He said it best when he said that what he is most thankful for was riding with him in the car for the long drive. Yes, we are very blessed.

And, we have standing!

Audrey stood all by herself today. This resulted from her letting go of her push toy to steal the kitchen towel. I was watching her as she did it, and she looked at me and I squealed so much she got wobbly and fell over. Eric turned for just a moment and missed it. I was so excited that I couldn't remember how to tell Eric to look at her! She's getting so close to walking!

Back to the kitchen towel. Audrey is obsessed with it. She loves to steal it first thing in the morning and then have it with her while using her push toy. Eric calls it her racing flag since she waves it around while she's running circles around the kitchen and living room. She also has fallen in love with her sippy cup. I mean, good stuff comes out of it! I noticed yesterday that she has found the perfect spot to carry it - lodged in the handle of her push toy - upside down. She can now carry the kitchen towel AND her sippy cup while racing with her car. What more could a girl ask for?

Spiderwoman

Audrey spent the day as Spiderwoman. Instead of being on her hands and knees, she tends to get around by being on her hands and arching her butt up in the air, like Spiderman. At first, I thought she was hurt or something since her crawling was different. It turns out, she's trying to get to a stand on her own. Any day now, no doubt. She also spent the day climbing the staircase. Must have climbed it a half dozen times under Eric's supervision before I even got out of bed. How much I adore Eric for letting me "sleep in" on weekends. Audrey likes to come to bed with me and lay her head on my chest on the blanket. She doesn't stay still for long though. There is a staircase to climb!

11 months

It's hard to believe that Audrey is now 11 months. I had a hard time leaving her at daycare yesterday but she didn't seem to mind too much that I was leaving. Her teacher said she had been a "wild woman" but she was sleeping quietly when I arrived to pick her up. So innocent.

It's amazing how much personality a little one has. I don't know why this surprises me given my profession, but it is clear that Audrey will be a leader. Everyone at daycare loves her, and there has not been a single store that we've been in that someone hasn't come over to talk to her. I'm not sure how to describe it, but when she spots someone she likes, she holds her hand out to them. I think it looks she's gesturing, "Ta da!" She does this with a big grin, and the other person inevitably melts. She's just so social.

And so, um, headstrong. Eric says independent. We've been trying to get her to stand alone, and I think she could do it, but really won't. When I hold her hands, she gets "jelly legs" and wants to sit down. Today, we noticed that she is trying to get to a stand from sitting. She likes to do things the hard way. She also gets angry when we try to get her to use a sippy cup. I WANT TO HOLD IT! Ok, but stop throwing it. Sometimes nailing a completely innocent dog. (Ok, maybe the dog is in the line of fire while trying to get her second dinner). Last night though, she tried to lap up the bath water. Oh, great. Been watching Fris take a drink. She also learned how to really SPLASH in the bath - limbs flailing, giggling as the water splashes her, and outside of the tub.

And we wouldn't change a single thing about her.

Two Peas in a Pod

Audrey and Liam. Liam and Audrey. Two peas in a pod.

Liam is one week older than Audrey. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Quiet. Easy-going.

Audrey and Liam are inseparable. They are inevitably right by each other when I arrive to pick up Audrey. They race each other. Chase each other. Plot together in the corner. Try to escape together. Inseparable. Liam's mom and I talk about them getting married. Ah, Audrey marrying an Irish lad!

The funny thing is that they don't seem to notice each other! I'll lean over to have Audrey say good-bye to him in the evening, and she could care less! He's the same way. It's so funny to see.

Over the past week, I've noticed them noticing each other. Liam comes up to her to say good-bye. I love it.

Audrey and Liam were the first to arrive this morning. Audrey found HER push toy. Liam tried to share it with her. She looked right at him and YELLED. He didn't get her point, but Liam's mom did, while cracking up. She went to get the other, identical push toy. Within a few minutes, Audrey wanted this one as well. Alpha female. Liam isn't as stable on his feet as Audrey, and when he toppled over, Audrey went for it. BOTH PUSH TOYS. Mine! Liam was trapped between the push toys, and Audrey was running him over! I was horrified. Meanwhile, their teacher and Liam's mom said he could hold his own. What??? She's running him over! Repeatedly! Forwards and backwards! At this point, their teacher is telling Liam's mom and I just how smart the two of them are. The things they come up with. How they watch everything going on. How they stand out from the other kids. How they like to lead the other kids.

After moving on from the push toys, they move on to the tunnel mat that is set up. Liam has a hard time getting to a stand because his pants today are apparently slick. His teacher comments that this may slow him down today. I comment on the fact that the shoes Audrey is wearing today don't have much traction so she may have a similar problem.

"Oh, um, no NOTHING slows Audrey down. NOTHING!"

Ok, then.

Meanwhile, Audrey peeks her head out of the tunnel, cocks her head, and bears a big grin. Liam is busy admiring himself in the mirror by the tunnel.

Audrey and Liam. Liam and Audrey. Two peas in a pod.

Just so I won't forget...

We have been putting Audrey to sleep without much rocking for about 1 1/2 months now. She sleeps so much better and falls back asleep on her own if she wakes during the night. Ever since she had croup a couple months ago, she has been curling up on my chest for a few minutes before she lays down to go to sleep. She'll usually climb on my chest, let out a few tired giggles, and then rest her head on me. I love when she does this since she is often too busy at other times to cuddle for long. That being said, since it has gotten chillier, she has started snuggling under the blanket with me to read a book or play with one of her toys. She is inching to get back down on the floor though in no time if something else catches her eye. Anyway, I noticed tonight while she had her head on my chest just how tall she has gotten. Her legs midway down my lap. She still finds a way to make herself comfortable and will stay on me until she decides she's too tired to be anywhere but in bed.

When I put her in bed, she'll tiredly crawl to the very head of the bed. Stay on her belly. Turn her head. And pull her legs up underneath her. Just like I do...

Christmas shopping!

Audrey and I had a fun day of Christmas shopping. The stores were busier than expected but Audrey rarely complains when she gets to ride in her stroller. We even met Audrey's twin while shopping. She was a few months younger than Audrey and was much quieter (!), but had red hair and blue eyes. We were tired from shopping but got lots of people crossed off Santa's list. When we arrived home, she enjoyed her first grilled cheese (wow, can that cheese strrrrretch!). While I was laying on the floor playing with her a little later, she managed to press her cheek next to mine, and give me a nice, long hug. I guess she likes shopping as much as I do!

The model.

Audrey is now nicknamed 'The Model' at daycare. They have had to move buggy rides to indoors, just riding around the center, due to the changing weather. Audrey spends the rides waving to everyone and everything (including the wall, apparently). She of course does this from HER seat - which apparently has been determined to be the driver's seat. Considerable skill is required for one to drive and wave simultaneously!

She is scheduled to begin having food prepared at school next week. So sad that this will be the first time she won't be eating meals from home.

She's getting so big.

You sound kind of bossy, baby.

I was told this evening when I picked up Audrey that she has been stealing the other kids' snacks. Out of their hands. I thought maybe it was because she wasn't liking the snacks I was packing for her, but her teacher assured me that she enjoys her snacks just fine, but she also likes other kids' snacks. They often times will throw her their snacks, I later learned, so at least she's not always stealing the snacks. It sounds like the kids throw each other their snacks so they each get some variety...sounds like a good strategy to me...

I was then told that if she doesn't like what someone else is saying, she covers the person's mouth with her hand.

Ok, where does she learn these things?

I told Eric about these things tonight while Audrey was eating dinner. He sat down next to her in her highchair, and very seriously said to her:

"You sound kind of bossy, baby. You know you're not in charge, right?"

I like that he asked her if she knew she's not in charge. I couldn't stop laughing about his such serious demeanor that I had to leave the room. It's hard to have a serious conversation with a kid stuffing her face with a combo of meat sticks, pasta, broccoli, cheese, and pears.

Election Day...finally!

I don't usually care about politics, but this year, I've really been following the issues and have been excited about the possibilities. MSNBC (almost) every night. So, I couldn't wait for today to arrive. Eric and I had spent time figuring out how to work voting into the daily schedule. He insisted we be at the polls when the doors open. I thought we could tag team it, and I could stay home with Audrey while he voted, then we would switch, and then both head our separate ways. As it became more and more clear that lines would be long in our "battleground state", and I realized that the polls were only open until 6, I decided it would be best for all of us to go first thing in the morning.

So, we told Audrey that Tuesday was a really important day. A historic day. So important of a day that she could wear her clothes for the next day to bed the night prior! Anything to increase the likelihood that we were out of the house on time. Eric woke her at 5:15 AM, and I heard her tired groan. Within a few minutes though, she was smiley and ready to start the day.

When we got to the polls just before the doors opened, and there was only 1 parking spot left, I knew Eric was right. And, yes, I told him this. The line was wrapped around the building. I had brought a pacifier, the rest of Audrey's morning bottle, some books, and some snacks. Audrey was by far the youngest patron there. She managed to make friends with those in line, offering her pacifier to those who seemed to need some soothing. She also forcefed Eric one of her snacks. By the end of the 1 hr, 20 min wait, Audrey was restless. Almost there, I promised.

I agreed to take her in to the voting booth with me. She was not happy to still be contained after such a long wait. The kind poll official offered to hold her while I voted but I told her it was fine. I can handle it...Eric went his way, and I went mine.

And then, finally, it was time to vote! After a brief tutorial from the official, Audrey and I were ready to cast our vote. First up, president. That was an easy one! Ok, Audrey, why are you trying to press the button for the Libertarian candidate? Seriously, we've gone over this. We know who we're voting for on this. For weeks, your dad has been saying, "How does a parrot go? Bwaak for President." Ok, distracted her from that button. Ok, now stop SHAKING the voting booth. Squirm, squirm, squirm to get downnnnnn!!!! Ok, just a few more minutes, and I promise we'll be done.

"DADADADADADADADADADA!!!! DADADADADADADADADADA!!!!!"

Oh my god! Seriously, baby, we're almost done. Daddy's over there. We're almost done.

"DADADADADADA!!!!"

Just as I had pictured this going.

Turns out, "dada" was completely oblivious to any of this. Audrey was yelling for me? Oh, I was too in the 'voting zone' to hear her!

Next time, Eric takes her into the booth!

1st Halloween

Audrey had a fabulous first Halloween, complete with beautiful weather. Daycare had a "Fall Festival" in which the kids could wear their costumes. I told her teacher that I did not think this was a good idea since she would not fit in a highchair as a pumpkin! So, we brought her costume along. When we arrived in the morning, Audrey and I spotted what her classmates would be, including a lamb, a ballerina, a doctor, and um, another pumpkin. Darn. Audrey was the cuter pumpkin though, in my biased opinion. I promised Audrey that I would be back for part of the party, kissed her good-bye, and left for work. When I arrived back a few hours later, all the babies were fast asleep! Audrey's teacher said they were all worn out from a full morning of trick-or-treating, pumpkin painting, and several games. I got to see some pictures of her day, including the fact that she somehow kept her pumpkin hat on while at daycare. She must have been having too much fun to care she was wearing it. She was so proud of the pumpkin that she painted, with her feet. She helped me carry it out to the car.

We arrived home early, and Eric was sitting out front with two big bowls of candy. Um, Eric, why are you sitting outside? That's not tradition. I soon learned that in our new neighborhood, people sit out front to hand out candy. I thought this to be odd but ended up liking it a lot since we got to meet several of our new neighbors. Audrey sat outside with us in her costume, and our neighbors across the street said she was the loudest pumpkin ever. She enjoyed eating some snacks and playing in the front yard while meeting some of the neighbor kids and looking at all of the funny costumes. She got many compliments on her attire.

No doubt she will have a blast next Halloween. Fris, on the other hand, is delighted Halloween is only once a year...

I call shotgun!

I went to pick up Audrey this evening at daycare. I was greeted by Liam's mom, who informed me that she had just broken up Liam and Audrey, who were "sharing" a push toy they were pushing all over the room. There's two of these toys in the room, so they each could have used one, but instead they chose to share. Very cute. I think Liam has a thing for Audrey.

The director then greets me with the following:

Director: "Audrey, um, really needs to sit up front during our buggy rides."

Me: "Why does she need to?"

Director: "She insists. The whole, um, daycare, hears about it if she isn't allowed a front seat."

I see. So, I then ask her teacher about this:

Me: "I hear that Audrey calls shotgun before a buggy ride."

Teacher: "Yeah, she gets really upset if she isn't allowed up front. But, sometimes, it's a back seat she insists on. It just depends. We never know her preference until she, um, let's us know that was definitely NOT her preference. But, it's NEVER a middle seat. We all know Audrey does not want a middle seat."

Me: "Well, do any of the other babies do this?"

Teacher: (averts eyes) "Um, no. Just your daughter."

A spitfire. That's what we have on our hands. A spitfire.

And, we have clapping!

I've really enjoyed the fact that many of Audrey's "classmates" have been with her from the beginning. There's Liam, Hadley, Taylor, Sam, another Sam, Will, and Cooper. A few have since moved on to the toddler room, but Liam, Hadley, and Audrey are within days of each other in age. So, each morning on the way to daycare, I talk with Audrey about her getting to play with her friends, and then proceed to name them all (Eric can't believe that Audrey and I have this "other life"). Well, Liam has been clapping for a couple months, for as long as Audrey has been waving. I've been working with her on clapping, but I'd get nothing! Meanwhile, Liam always seemed to clap anytime I was around, just to show off...

So, this morning, Audrey got up, I got her changed, and we started down the stairs to see Eric making her bottle. As is typical, we ask that he turns down the lights since Audrey doesn't like lots of lights in the morning. She and I wait on the stairs for him to make sure it isn't too bright. He then says "Good Morning!", and she gives her typical first morning scowl. Then, she breaks into a smile for Eric and CLAPS! "Do it again, baby!", I ask. And, she CLAPS again! It's adorable because she doesn't make any noise when she does it. But, she's oh so proud.

When I picked her up this evening, there was a painting she had done that I was told I could take home. It was labelled, "Autumn Sunrise". I showed it to Audrey and told her it was the most lovely Autumn Sunrise I'd ever seen. She looked at me, looked back at her painting, and CLAPPED. So stinkin' cute.

I told her teacher she had just started clapping this morning. Her teacher said that she was vehemently clapping while they were playing the song, "Wheels on the Bus". Tonight, Eric sang it to her, and she started clapping. She also clapped when she saw I had finally hung up our family handprints we had painted a while ago. Ok, that's rubbing it in since I know I've been slow to hang up pictures since we've moved...

So, take that Liam the Clapper!

Top Ten at Ten

Double digits today. Sigh. These pictures used to be so easy to get...

I stayed home sick from work today, and the house seemed so empty. So quiet. Too quiet. It's hard to remember what things were like before Audrey. Quiet, I suppose, but oh so boring!

~Top Ten Things To Love About You at 10 Months~

1. How much you continue to love my version of Barbara Ann. This is the one thing that I can do, no matter how upset you are about something, that instantly calms you. It is a favorite on our car rides.

2. How your wave always stops me from what I am doing, to wave back. It's irresistable.

3. How you've managed to cut two bottom teeth and two incisors, BEFORE ANY FRONT TEETH! A true Hoosier, I'm afraid.

4. How excited you are to see me when I pick you up at daycare. I am not allowed to do anything but scoop you up - first - and then gather up all your belongings with one hand, you in my other arm.

5. How you "run" to whatever your target is when you realize we are coming to redirect you as we've just told you "no".

6. How much you love "big orange cup" in the bath. I use this to rinse her hair. When I tip her head back, I must tickle her chin because she starts to giggle every time. Then, she holds her breath and waits...waits...for the water to pour over her. Still holding her breath, she looks to me for my reaction. As much I hate water in my face, I reassure her that this was fun, and she gives a big grin.

7. How you SHOVEL (with your LEFT hand!) your various meals into your mouth. Such a fool I was to ever try to feed you from a spoon.

8. How you love dancing with me to some Harry Connick on our days at home. You especially love the "dips" and "twirls".

9. How you love to watch for daddy from the front window. I know he's home when I hear you giggling at something he's doing thru the window!

10. How you decided to say "mama" and "dada" at the same time this past weekend. So impartial!

The Tongue!

We had family pictures taken last evening. We went to the Museum of Art and had pictures taken on the grounds with lots of trees, flowers, and foot bridges. It was a lot of fun, and these were the first family pictures we've had taken. We all dressed up, even color coordinated, and prepared to smile for the camera.

Soooooo....

Audrey decided to stick out her tongue every time a picture was taken! Eric called it correctly, that she was getting another tooth (actually, she's still trying to get a front tooth thru!), but, seriously! I couldn't stop laughing at what she was doing so I can't wait to see the proofs! The photographer sent a few to us after the session and it seems she did manage to get a few without the tongue out...but boy did she have to work for those!

Of course, I can't judge - there is that infamous "puss" face family picture that still manages to surface way too often...

First Cool Autumn

I always try to give Audrey a preview of what to expect of her day on our drive to daycare/work. This morning, I was telling her about how it is supposed to *finally* feel like Fall beginning today. I was telling her about all the changes that happen in Fall, including the leaves changing color and then falling off the trees, and the temperatures becoming nice and cool. When I told her this would be her first Fall since last year she wasn't here yet, I told her that her last Fall must have felt like the Fall we would have in Houston. She giggled. I said it again. She giggled.

How does she time these things so well??

Audrey and I had such a good day today. We played, we cooked, we read, we snoozed, we sat outside, we went to the grocery store, we took pictures of her in her Halloween costume, she gobbled down anything I put in front of her for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Nothing exciting but she is such a good baby that I enjoy my day at home with her so much more every week. Now, mind you, she did manage to make a mud puddle with the dirt Fris tracked inside together with water from Fris' water bowl that she played around in. She managed to get her wooden spoon stuck in the register. And, she managed to pull out more of Fris' fur (Fris lets her!). Of course, she also managed to pull out more orangutan fur from her animal book. She is obsessed with this! If she spots the book, she'll crawl over, immediately turn to the orangutan page, and start pulling out his fur. Even Grandma Smith couldn't keep her from doing this in church, orangutan fur floating through the air. I've told Eric that Audrey isn't allowed near orangutans anytime soon.

Some of Audrey's favorite things of late: reading with daddy, soft pillows, watching for daddy, her new sunglasses (thanks, Aunt Christy!), and of course, Fris!

Busy Day

Yesterday, Audrey learned how to do the following:

1) Close the car door, on me.
2) Stand alone (albeit briefly and with arms flailing!)
3) Get 1 knee up on the couch to try to sit up high like mom and dad, and sometimes Fris!)
4) Use the top of her shape sorter as a bat to hit a ball.
5) Cut two teeth (thankfully, one is a top front one!)

Let's see, yesterday I learned, well, to just sit back in awe at Audrey's emergence from baby to toddler. :(

Go......

ahem, Cubs! I had to do this. I had rules in place - she wasn't allowed in public, only wore it for a few minutes, etc. - but I felt this had to be done for her dad. I put a red bow in her hair to make me feel better that she really does bleed Cardinal red, not Cubs blue. For some reason, Fris insisted on being in the picture. Stood right in front of the camera. Then Audrey tried to run away from the camera. Then Eric was covering up her Cubs shirt but it was the only way to keep her from running away. "Three ring circus," I hear Eric mumble under his breath.

Of course, it's best that Audrey is in bed for these games. The minute Eric sits down to watch the game (Cubs ahead 2-0), they fall apart. When he looked away from the screen, they threw strikes. But, the minute he looked back to the game, the Dodgers hit a grand slam. What's that about a goat?

Worth repeating

I've said this before, and I find myself saying it again: Audrey is getting so big.

Tonight, when I was combing her hair after her bath, I noticed that her hair has grown past her neck. It's been getting quite long on top, but not so much in length. No longer the case.

Yesterday, she managed to perform the following:

1) Put her first shape through the shape sorter. I showed her 1 time how to do it, and she did it. Of course, she then proceeded to tear off the top of the darn thing, looking at me like, "Duh, it's a lot easier to just put the shapes in without the top even on!" :(

2) She helped to get herself dressed by putting one arm thru, then waiting patiently for me to find the arm of her t-shirt so she could get her other arm through. :(

3) She fed herself her entire lunch. :(

4) She is starting to RUN when using her push toy. :(

I take solace in the following:

1) She is not yet saying parallellogram when completing her shape sorter. (That one is for Uncle Patrick and Uncle Ted)

2) She refuses to cooperate when getting her pants on. (Why bother when they don't stay on?).

3) She still doesn't hold her bottle. And she puts the spoon down and instead dives in to her bowl to feed herself with her hands.

4) She prefers to hold on to me than try to stand on her own.

Now I feel better.

Nine month stats

Audrey had her 9 month dr's appt today. This was unfortunate timing since she is still sick, and she had to get 2 shots. She was not happy. Fortunately, she glared at the meanie nurse who stuck her instead of blaming me. Audrey watched her carefully until she left the room. Of course, Audrey also pursed her lips until she spit at the dr while she was checking inside her mouth (turns out the poor kid also has strep throat again!!). The dr said, "Well, I guess I deserved that."

Audrey actually lost an ounce from when she was at the dr's 1 month ago. I knew she wouldn't have gained as much as expected since she's been sick for a few days, but I thought she would have gained at least some weight. She was 28 inches (75th percentile) and 17lbs, 9oz (25th percentile). When I asked the pediatrician about it, she said she's "likely just settling in to her genetic predisposition".

Bwaaaahhhaaa! Tall and skinny? The pedi has told me this before, and I've laughed each time. A lot. Of course, it would be great for Audrey to be tall and skinny but can we get a little meat around her waist to keep her pants up?

We came home early and she played outside for a while and enjoyed the weather. She then fed Fris a large portion of her dinner. Perhaps this explains the lack of weight gain...

She's back!

Croup. Ugh, I hope we never have to deal with this virus again.

Audrey has sounded like a seal for the past 3-4 days. Very irritable. Lot of crying and (hoarse) screaming. Won't eat. Can't sleep.

All very sad.

But, our Audrey seemed to return this afternoon. She ate some lunch (anything she could get her hands on), had a bath, took a looooonng nap, and awoke much more like herself. Smiling easily. Giggling. Babbling. Chasing Fris. I caught her tossing her diced apples on the floor, offering Fris some dinner, and then offering her more.

So glad she's back.

Nine months-old today!

Audrey enjoyed the weekend with her grandma and grandpa. She turned another month older today. She's working on her second top tooth and is getting quite good at cruising around the furniture. Wonder what the next month will bring!

Two reasons I love having a little girl!

Hat 1!

Hat 2!

We're ready for Fall!

Sharing

Instead of sharing her dinner with Fris this evening, Audrey offered to share with me. I was torn! Here was this gorgeous, red haired, blue eyed, little girl, covered head to toe in her dinner. She was smiley offering me her slimy Ritz cracker covered with a mixture of peas, chicken, and oatmeal. What to do? She popped it right in my mouth and held her breath for my reaction. It was...delicious:). At least that's what I told her.

Fris then licked her clean as we passed her on the way up the stairs, to my version of a bath.

Deal breaker

Audrey still isn't enjoying the taste of beef. I've been trying to hide it with her oatmeal or vegetables, but she still won't eat much, if any. Today, she wasn't opening for any of it, so I decided to slather it on her toast. She loves to feed herself so anything bite size that is on her tray, she usually won't complain too much about. However, she really doesn't like toast either. I swear the following conversation occurred as soon as I put the toast on her tray:

Audrey: "I'll throw you my toast with beef on it if you let me pet you."
Fris: " 'Kay."

Toast launched onto the floor. I hear it hit. Fris dives for it and sprints into the other room. I tried to get it back from her but she looked at me like, 'Don't even try it.' She ate it quickly and then returned to the kitchen for more.

Audrey holds out her hand to Fris, who is just out of reach of her. When she realizes Fris isn't close enough, she starts SCREAMING at her.

Audrey: "The deal was I got to pet you if you got my lunch."
Fris: "No such luck, kid."

They made up later.

Dinnertime!

Audrey has started eating meat much to Fris' delight. Fris no longer clamors for her own dinner. When I feed her, she doesn't even get up to check her bowl. Instead. she stays close by Audrey. Waiting. Waiting. Six o'clock - dinnertime! Pacing. Why aren't you feeding her already? Don't you know it's dinnertime? Audrey has learned how to get Fris on her good side. How to let Fris play with her feet. And her tail. It involves sharing. Most of her dinner. She likes to finger feed Fris some cheese and then will throw her a cracker. Neither of them like toast so she'll throw it for Fris to eat, Fris will investigate, nose it, and then sit back down. Then I have to vacuum. But the meat, oh Fris just can't wait for me to sit down to give Audrey some of that. I swear she's calculating how she can sit in the high chair with Audrey. No doubt Audrey would scoot right over to share her seat. Eric said Audrey gobbled down her first jar of turkey but tonight's session with beef didn't go well. I think I heard a little doggie sigh when she realized Audrey had blew it, responding with a big smile to the sign for 'All done?'.

When did she get so big? - Part II

Audrey has enjoyed beating up her bouncer for a few weeks now. In the good ole days, we would put her in it and let her play quietly for a few minutes. The last time we did this, just a few weeks ago, she was WIDE awake at 3 AM, and I wanted to get some sleep. The sad bouncer was running low on batteries so it's songs were slow and sounded sad. Eric was making fun of her when I put her in and her, ahem, butt was hitting the ground as she weighed too much for it. :( She played for a few minutes but kept looking at me, laying on the couch, frustrated that it just wasn't the same bouncer. She eventually slept on me that night, on the couch, and the next day we went to the dr's to find out she had strep throat.

Anyway, today, she was beating up the bouncer again, and I watched her climb into the darn thing. Backwards. Then she made it bounce by jumping up and down in it. I called Eric over, and he said, sadly, "You're just getting so big." I eventually got her out of it when she just couldn't figure out how to turn herself around.

Thanks, babe, for the reminder to put away another of your toys for which you're too big. :(

When did she get so big?

Here is Audrey on the day she went home from the hospital, at 3 days old, and a picture from today. No, this doesn't make me sad at all. Not at all...

At least she humored me later by losing her Cheerio on her chin. That made me feel better that she's still little, at least in some ways...

Ba bu

Audrey has started calling Fris "ba bu". I noticed yesterday that every time she saw Fris, she'd say, "Ba bu". Of course, Fris could care less, but I was excited! She also teased me by saying "ma" while we were heading out the door in the morning. I encouraged her to say it again, but I got nothing! This morning, when Eric was getting Audrey out of bed, I heard her say "Ba bu". I looked around, and sure enough, Fris had entered her room to say good morning. She then used the /f/ sound while looking at Fris. I tried to remind her of the 8 months of nausea I endured, to guilt her into Fris not being her first word, but we'll see!

Busy body

Audrey's teacher asked me this morning if Audrey has a planner. Um, no. "Well, she seems so busy all the time that she seems to need to block out some downtime!" Apparently, she was under one of the cribs yesterday while crawling around, and tried to take a couple screws out! Eight months old and going to get kicked out of school!

What's daddy doing?

Audrey had a busy weekend visiting family. She got to see two of her great-grandmothers and wowed them with her new tricks. She has started crawling with her belly off the floor, and likes to give open mouth kisses!

In true form, the nice weekend ended by us being locked out of the house. So, Audrey watched her dad "break into" our house, by climbing thru a window. Fris tried to climb in first, she was so excited to be home, but she thought better of it. Audrey looked at Eric climbing thru the window, then at me, then back at Eric. I tried to cover her eyes so she wouldn't see such behavior being modeled, but she nixed that idea. At least we got inside!

"You have a very determined daughter"

I am always greeted with some entertaining story of Audrey when I pick her up at daycare. Today, the director was in with Audrey's class, and was sitting next to Audrey on the floor, who was busy crawling in a different direction. The director greeted me by saying,

"You have a very determined daughter."

Me: "How so?"

Director: "My cell phone rang and since it was my mom, and she never calls during work hours, I answered it to make sure it wasn't an emergency. Audrey heard the cell, saw it, and immediately climbed over me to reach for it. She then tried to talk to my mom."

Me: "Yeah, she always wants to grab the phone to talk to her grandparents, but then she won't."

Director: "What does she do instead?"

Me: "She licks the phone."

Director: "Yep, that's what she did with mine, too."

Me: "Audrey Ruby!" (big grin from the red head)

We'll be working on manners next.

Poor baby...

Does this look like a sick baby? She's done pretty well considering I was told at the dr's this morning that she has the equivalent of strep throat (I didn't know babies can't get strep). She was pretty irritable all weekend, which is very unlike her typically calm, easygoing demeanor. We had a really rough night last night, in which she finally fell asleep on my chest. She had a low grade fever on Saturday and Sunday, and wasn't keeping everything down over the weekend. So, I called in sick today, and we went to the pediatrician's office, mainly to make sure she wasn't developing another ear infection. Her regular pediatrician is off on Mondays, so we saw one of her colleagues. Audrey had him all in stitches since she was quite smiley when he came in the room, and he caught her in the midst of tearing up the tissue paper on the exam table. She kept waving to him while he was examining her. It was quite cute. He stopped his exam to tell me that I should enter her in an All American Baby contest (with her red hair, blue eyes, and beautiful smile). Hmmm...

First trip to the zoo

Audrey had her first trip to the zoo today. No doubt we chose the hottest day of the summer thus far for this excursion. She mostly saw fences, rocks, people's legs, and sweaty kids, but she did manage to spot a polar bear and a random duck which chose to cross in front of her stroller. Nonetheless, we got some good pictures to help her learn her animals. We also got to see the koala bear exhibit, which is only available for another couple weeks.

She was exhausted at the end, and fell asleep before we left the parking lot! It's not surprising that all the zoo animals were snoozing today, too!

The picture says it all...

"Mommy thinks she's in charge."

One year ago today...

We found out we were having a little girl. I was so sure we were having a boy, I had the u/s tech double check! I just couldn't believe it! Eric was quietly shaking his head in disbelief, but with a grin on his face. (I think this was partly due to his earlier question, while watching the u/s, of "Was that a FOOT I just saw?" Yep. ). When I prompted him for his reaction of having a little girl, he said, "I just keep seeing ice sculptures I'm going to be paying for at her wedding!"

We're not rushing things though as we'd like to keep her this little as long as possible. Even if she did get angry with me when her bunny towel stayed on her tooooo long for her liking...

Happy Birthday!

You say it's your birthday

Na na na na na

Well, it's my birthday, too!

I've been singing this for about a week now, ever since I realized that Fris' 7th birthday fell on Audrey's 8 month birthday. Audrey is thrilled to share her day with Fris, but Fris, not so much. Since the day fell on my day off, I had decided that Audrey and I would go get Fris' traditional cake from the Three Dog Bakery. We got her cake, complete with her name written in caribou (doggie chocolate) as well as some peanut butter bagels. We may go back for the "Bark for Barack" doggie t-shirt.

Back in the pool!

I've been enjoying watching my favorite events of the Olympics, including the amazing accomplishments of Michael Phelps. The other night, Eric and I were watching when they did a segment on how Michael Phelps has the perfect swimmer's body. Turns out, Audrey does too! Most great swimmers have a long torso and short legs (ok, they also have big feet which Audrey definitely does not have - Eric keeps telling her that her feet are going to have to do some significant growing before they can be useful with the whole walking thing).

I would be beside myself if Audrey turned out to be an Olympic swimmer! :)

Success!

Audrey was successful for the first time yesterday getting a "puff" cereal into her mouth! She didn't seem to think it tasted nearly as good as she was hoping considering how hard she worked to get it in there! And, might I add, she got it with her LEFT hand!! Tonight, she ate like a champ and yelled at the box on the kitchen table when she was out of puffs or Cheerios. Fris is also figuring out that things are starting to fall on the floor during Audrey's dinner time. She'll only sniff at the Cheerios that land on the floor, but Audrey sure offers her hand for Fris to lick. She'll do anything to win over the Fris.

Dance, Eat, Repeat!

Audrey has had limited interest in baby food since we started her on it at 4 months. I hadn't sent her to daycare with any because of this, wanting her to get some more practice at home before sending her off into the wide, wide world of daycare. When she didn't eat much there the day before, I decided to try it and see what happened. I warned her teacher in the morning that it would likely be an experience, with Audrey needing to have whatever was on the menu first put on her lips, then allowing her to decide whether she will agree to eat anymore (she typically only opens up for strained peas mixed with oatmeal - yuk!). Well, when I went to pick Audrey up, her teacher was so excited to tell me about Audrey's day. She said that Audrey had eaten all her baby food. This has never happened so I asked how that was possible. Her teacher said that Audrey seems to need musical accompaniment when eating. Now, her teacher has told me repeatedly that Audrey is very stringent that the music keeps playing in her classroom. She tends to only stop what she's doing when the music stops, and she then gives her teacher a look of "Aren't you going to do something about that?". Ok...apparently, she started dancing after being put in the highchair, her teacher then danced with her, and then Audrey opened up. They repeated this game until she'd cleaned her plate clean. I thought I had tried everything, including resorting to using a loud screeching sound which for some reason results in Audrey opening up wide! I'm not sure what kind of music Eric thinks they play at daycare, but when I told him this story as I was getting Audrey reading for her dinner, he proceeded to turn on some Run DMC song. It wasn't as effective, but Audrey seemed to think it was entertaining all the same.

Downward dog

Audrey is perfecting the popular yoga pose of downward dog. I have no idea how this developed. It's hilarious though as I just sit back and watch her make an inverted V pose, with her butt straight up in the air. It's as if she's making her own tunnel for others to pass through!

She had her first "school" pictures today. She was a ham for the camera and loved the photographer. Thankfully, she didn't strike a downward dog pose for him.

Who needs pants???

I have had longstanding problems finding pants that fit Audrey. Despite her consistently falling in the 75th percentile for length, she can still fit into 3 month pant sizes. When I got to daycare to pick her up today, she was crawling around in just her t-shirt. I knew immediately that she'd crawled right out of them. When I asked her teacher, she said that they finally just kept her jeans off her since she kept crawling out of them. Apparently, the first time it happened, her teachers looked down and saw Audrey crawling toward them, twirling her pants up in the air over her head! Maybe that's why her teacher greeted Audrey this morning by saying, "Hi Audrey! You look like you're ready to get this party started!", to which Audrey gave her a big grin!

I think we're going to need some back up during the adolescent years...

Wrestling

I've decided that trying to feed Audrey her bottle is like wrestling an alligator. She wiggles and squirms and attempts to jump out of my arms. No doubt she burns off any calories she's just consumed. There was a new teacher who started recently at Audrey's daycare. Her primary teacher told me that they gave this new teacher Audrey to feed ("to help break her in!"). The teacher didn't know what to do with her because she kept wriggling around! They said to just let her play, and she'll let you know when she wants to eat again!

Oops!

Audrey and I have a game while in the car, in which she will babble something, and then I will repeat it. She LOVES this game, giggling in the backseat while I drive. The game progresses until she's yelling her various sounds, and I do in turn as well. She decided this was a good game to play in the store today as well. I don't know why I was surprised by this, but I think it's because we've played this game for a while now, as a means of entertaining her on the drive to work, but she's never tried to play it in public. I couldn't help but laugh the entire time we were in the store because she was yelling trying to get me to respond. She thought it was funny that I said repeatedly, in between laughs, "Oh baby, we're not supposed to play that outside of the car!" Oops!

Indiana Jones

Audrey's teacher informed me this morning that her nickname is "Indiana Jones". She's the little explorer. When I picked her up yesterday, all the other babies were sitting nicely on the play mat. Where was Audrey? She was heading into the tunnel of the obstacle course. I've learned to let her go thru, meet her at the other end, and THEN pick her up. This takes considerable restraint on my part since I go thru Audrey withdrawal each day at work.

She's becoming increasingly restless on the car rides. This morning, she work up earlier than usual and was fighting her typical nap on the way to daycare. I used my one-handed pacifier move a half dozen times, but she had no interest in her pacifier. So, her protest of being restrained in the car seat resulted in my singing Barbara Ann for ~15 minutes straight. She was quiet so I thought she was asleep. She began to protest though when I stopped serenading her. She's the only one that will tolerate my singing (and, frequent repetition of the one and only verse I know!).

Audrey is looking more like an inchworm these days while crawling. She scoots her butt up in the air as she inches along. Quickly, that is.

It's hard to remember what life was like without this little girl.

Yuck, peaches!

Audrey has not been a fan of peaches. She really hasn't been a big fan of any baby food, until she recently began gobbling down peas with oatmeal mixed in! I've been trying to continue introducing her to the various foods that she often refuses to eat. With fruit such as pears and peaches, she often turns up her nose or refuses to open her mouth. This morning, when Eric sat down to feed her peaches with oatmeal (it's like peach cobbler, I tell her), I heard Eric say, "Oh no!" while I was upstairs getting ready for work. Audrey decided she needed to resort to drastic measures to get her point across that she does not like peaches - with just a touch of peaches on her lips, Audrey threw up part of her bottle. Ok, babe, I've got your point. No more peaches. She smiled when I signed, "All done?"

She must have forgiven me for the earlier peaches incident given her greeting for me at daycare. While I was signing her out, she used both hands to turn my face toward her. She then proceeded to plant a big, wet kiss on my mouth. She grinned from ear to ear, she was so proud. It was a great greeting after a long day at work.

Audrey pulled to a stand on her own tonight while trying to climb over Eric to get to Fris. Fris is such a good motivator for Audrey meeting her milestones!

SOOO Excited!

Audrey SQUEALED with delight today when we walked into her classroom at daycare. She was so excited and smiley that she almost jumped out of my arms to go hang out with her friends. Eric's comment of "It's nice to know how much fun we are," summed it up nicely. Apparently we aren't too entertaining on the weekends. We were admittedly pretty exhausted from starting to paint her room.

Audrey is starting to pull to a stand when she's climbing on me. I'm sure it won't be long before she's cruising around the furniture. Fris is starting to realize that Audrey is mobile now, and I notice she takes the longer way to get where she's going so as to avoid the approaching baby. Poor Fris.

Reflections

We have a makeshift nursery set up for Audrey while we're painting her nursery. Her rocking chair is now close to the door. While I was rocking her to sleep this evening, she kept smiling at something. After a few minutes, I figured out that she was smiling at her reflection in the DOORKNOB! This kid can find her reflection in anything (computer screen, etc.) and always gives herself a big smile. I hope that never changes.

T-R-O-U-B-L-E

Audrey got her first ride in the laundry basket yesterday - she LOVED it! Trouble seems to find her (tearing into the CDs, playing in Fris' water, pestering Fris while she's trying to eat breakfast, etc.), so I ended up throwing her in with some clean clothes, and pushed her around as we delivered the clothes to the respective rooms. She enjoyed it so much that she stayed in it and watched me get some other chores done. She didn't even try to get out! I'm thinking maybe it's time for a lil' red wagon!

Audrey continues to army crawl, and I'm not convinced that she'll use the traditional crawl prior to walking. I've noticed she uses simply her right big toe to move her 16 lb body - that's one strong toe! She's been crawling on top of Eric and I, and likes to try to stand with support. She'll even move her legs to "walk", with help of course.

She's been holding her hand out to catch the water streaming from her bath toys. She loves the bath, especially her new bath book. She'd stay in the bath until she was one big wrinkle if I let her!

We are starting on her nursery this weekend. I am so excited! Eric is shaking his head over what I plan to do with her room, but he knows how excited I've been to decorate her room. Can't wait til it's done!

Do the wave!!

Audrey waved good-bye to me at daycare today. I tried to get her to wave good-bye again before I left, but she seemed to think she got her point across the first time. She also waved hello to Eric when he came in from mowing the grass this evening.

There is an obstacle course set up at Audrey's daycare. Apparently, she is the only baby that understands that one goes THRU the tunnel. She has been trying to teach the other babies, especially the boys apparently, how it's done. I think she's becoming a (ring)leader.

I bought her a book for her bath the other day. She loves it! She looks at me like I've lost it when I put it in the bath with her ("but, won't it get WET??"). She tries to stand to get it when I put it up to dry off. I love her love of books.

It didn't go swimmingly!

Audrey's first dip in the pool was not as successful as I had hoped. I think perhaps she has inherited her mother's love, er, dislike, for water. We'll try it again soon.

Audrey signed 'milk' last Wednesday. It's a good thing I was headed to get her a bottle! She has started eating oatmeal, and she had her first taste of bananas on Thursday. Those things are slippery! She was getting frustrated she couldn't pick up the piece of banana, then it got away on her! She then lost it when it got stuck on her wet fingers, and it ended up on the floor. Needless to to say, the same thing happened with a Cheerio. We'll keep trying!

She pet Fris' muzzle today. Fris seemed to like it! Fris spent the weekend at the doggie spa and hotel while we were out of town for a wedding. Fris came to Audrey's room almost immediately when she got home, to check out Audrey's status. She then passed out in front of Audrey's crib while I was rocking her to sleep. Still closely monitoring, but it's nice to see this emerging relationship.