Into the pool!

Audrey had fun playing in her little pool this afternoon. The water was c-o-l-d so it took her awhile to decide to sit down, but once she did, she kept saying, "Audrey is having fun!" Her new bathing suit can barely stay up though without the help of a diaper. What on earth are we going to do when she's 100% potty trained??

Wow, that's a low price!

Audrey has taken to the Staples commercial with the guy continually shouting, "Wow, that's a low price." She has even thrown out "Low Price" as a possible option for a baby name...I heard her repeating the commercial about a month ago, and she will say it at seemingly appropriate (but still funny) times. Typically at home or in the car. Though Eric had yet to experience it.

Until their weekly trip to Kroger.

Audrey decided to walk over to various products, point out the price, and yell, "Wow, that's a low price!"

She's been hired by Kroger...

Morning conversation

A: Max threw kitchen toys at school yesterday!

Me: Oh, that's not good. Did he get into trouble?

A: Yeah! He did!

Me: Yes, we shouldn't throw toys. Does Audrey ever get into trouble at school?

(Long pause)

A: Um, noooo. Audrey only gets into trouble at HOME!

A-U-D-R-E-Y

I had fun re-designing Audrey's wall letters for her new room. I hung them over her bed, and she was THRILLED with them.

She walked into her room, and started spelling her name (I think she was actually checking to ensure I had the correct spelling :)

"A-U-D-R-E-Y!"

Little did I know that Audrey would be so excited about her letters, she would have trouble closing her peepers. I mean, she had to lay at the foot of the bed so that she could see her letters as she was trying to fall asleep. All we could hear over the monitor was Audrey spelling her name again and again, and then making the correct sounds for each of the letters. I told Eric I didn't want to take the letters down since they weren't the easiest to hang up (mainly due to my large belly), but she needed to get to sleep.

"Well, that's what we get for teaching Audrey her letters."

Point well taken.

Eric and I went to check on her before we went to bed a few hours later, and she had fallen asleep looking up at her letters. I asked him to turn her around so we could cover her up. As soon as he started to pick her up, she got really, really mad:

"NOOOOO! I want to see my letters! NOOOOOO!"

We couldn't stop laughing. How on earth does she have that kind of a mindset when she first wakes up?

So, Audrey now sleeps at the foot of the bed, so she can get a good look at her wall letters. I must have done a *really* good job with that project!

Audrey announced at lunch the other day:

"Audrey is soooooo exhausted!"

I have no idea where she hears such things...

Parental Qualifications

While I was getting Audrey dressed into her pajamas last night, we were whispering sweet nothings to each other:

Me: How much does mommy love you?

Audrey: Lots and lots! And daddy loves me, too.

Me: And I like you a lot, too!

Audrey: No, Audrey likes daddy. No, I mean Audrey likes the scale (yes, I was getting her dressed near the bathroom scale).

Me: (with a sad face) But the scale doesn't take care of you. Mommy and daddy do.

Audrey: No, the scale doesn't take care of Audrey. Silly! The scale doesn't have hands!

Art Fair

We had a fun weekend at the Art Fair, complements of our local SF agent. Audrey got to try her first funnel cake, and though it did not have beloved icing, she requested pieces with the most powdered sugar. She said during lunch today, "Audrey had so much fun at the Art Fair! We ate a funnel cake on the grass!" Maybe next year we can afford some of the art!

Catch up from the past week

Audrey is showing by leaps and bounds that she is such a big girl. Last Mother's Day, she learned to drink out of a straw, and this past Mother's Day, she seems to have really caught on to this potty training thing. She has had incredible success for the past week at home, and she is getting good at school, too. I think this week at school will be even better since she got to choose her potty seat today to bring with her.

This past week she also learned how to successfully tackle buttons. She can now put on her jackets and button them up herself. Such a big help! And she is sooooo proud of herself! She's also been using a regular cup to drink water. I'm not brave enough to try milk this way full-time. I do get accolades for drinking out of a regular cup, too, "Such a big girl, mommy!"

She also tried to teach Fris some phonics. She's been very interested in the sounds of letters, so we review this when we get a chance. I am amazed at her progress. The other night, Fris walked by and Audrey said, "D like dog. Like you, Fris. Can you say, '/d/, /d/'?" Blank stare from the dog. She had earlier pounded on the screen door from outside, yelling for Fris, "Hey Fris! Do you want to come outside and play with me?" Fris humored her and went outside, but there wasn't much playing going on. Thankfully she'll have a playmate soon.

I also got many, many spontaneous, "Happy Mother's Day, mommy!" Can't hear it enough!

And, perhaps the highlight of Audrey's week: sneaking in a kiss, on the lips, to her boyfriend, Lucas. Her teacher keeps telling me that they're going to get hitched one day. She said he pesters Audrey until she gets mad at him and tells him he's not supposed to be doing something. Apparently she likes him enough to kiss him as he's leaving for the day. I don't know what his mom's response was, but Eric's conversation with Audrey involved discussion of exactly who she can and can't kiss on the lips - and it didn't include Lucas. Poor Eric. I don't know how many similar conversations he's had with Audrey in her two short years. I'm sure it will get better. :)

A Monday in Pictures

Audrey and I had a really, really good Monday. I have always enjoyed my day at home with her, but I've been particularly treasuring our few remaining Mondays with just the two of us. Though we usually start the day with a trip to the neighborhood park, we instead waited for it to warm up a bit, and stayed inside in the morning. We did puzzles, and Audrey had storytime with her babies. She's been naming her babies lately, including assigning one of them the boy name that we've agreed on. Maybe she'll come up with a good girl name we can agree on, too!

I don't want to jinx it but she has been doing fabulous with potty training at home. So much so that Eric didn't get much done at work yesterday since he kept getting phone calls from his proud little girl, announcing, "I went potty, daddy!" Her increased success worked out well since I had told her that we would be going to get some special jellybeans in the afternoon. Yes, we've been using jellybeans as a dangling carrot for successful pottying. We needed to go to the bookstore anyway, and I had spied jellybellies there on an earlier date. Little did I know that they have Coldstone Creamery flavored jellybellies! How perfect.

After the bookstore, we went to the nearby playground, which is where Audrey plays on Fridays after she has her Coldstone fix with Eric. I of course decided to try out my new camera.

We were both having a lot of fun with our respective activities, Audrey climbing and making her mother nervous, and me messing around with my camera. I was then given the following command:

Mommy, stop using your camera and sit down on the bench! Sit down like daddy does! Right there!

The redhead yelled at me again when she realized I could still take pictures from the bench. :)

This was followed by her striking a pose, with a big grin, saying, "Cheese!"

Mother's Day!

I had a fabulous 3rd Mother's Day. Though given the opportunity to sleep as late as I wanted, I only slept ~15 minutes later than usual. I really can't sleep in the way I used to. Audrey greeted me with a hug and a kiss, and the first of many today, "Happy Mother's Day, mommy!" Not something she was able to say last year! She was so excited to show me the card she, Eric, BP, and Fris had gotten me, especially all of her signatures she included! I love that she signs her name as little circles! Of course my card also HAD to have a stamp on it, much to Eric's dismay.

I had received my gift from Audrey on Thursday, when she arrived home from school. She came bounding inside, saying, "Happy Mother's Day!" and showed me the plant she had grown in the pot she had painted at school. I asked she and Eric what kind of plant it is, but they said they didn't know since the teacher that helped with the project just transferred to a different school. Soooooo, not sure if it's a sun-loving or a shade-loving plant, but I love it just the same. I think it looks like a bean plant so maybe we'll end up with a green bean plant in the house! And she's so proud of the pot she painted, which is beautiful, so I'll eat least always have the pot if the mystery plant doesn't survive.

I also received a new camera, which is what I had asked for as a combined Christmas, Valentine's, birthday, and Mother's Day gift. I love it and can't wait to learn how to use it! We took a few pictures with it today after Eric got it assembled. Audrey agreed to pose for more pictures for me tomorrow. And the next day. And the next. Such a good sport.

I was thinking today about how we got to share our news about Audrey with the grandparents four Mother's Days ago. I had no idea what that little person would be like. She is just such an amazing little girl. Best thing we ever did. Makes me want to do it again. :)

Frogs

Audrey and I were having a nice conversation about frogs today in the car. Then the conversation took a turn for the worse:

Mommy, did you know that some people eat frog's legs?

Who told you that?

Daddy!

I knew the answer to that question before I asked it...

Little teapot

Audrey very seriously asked me the following today:

Mommy, can you tip me over and pour me out?

She giggled when she asked Eric or to I do this about 100x more today...

Night 2

I think I can safely say that Audrey transitioned very, very well to her new room. She is so excited to sleep in her bed at night and for naps that she runs into the bedroom. And, I love that she wants to read in bed rather than the rocking chair. We snuggle together under the covers, or she lies on her belly to help turn the pages of her chosen books. I was a little concerned that I wouldn't be able to climb back out of her bed last night after reading to her, what with my large belly and the double bedrails, but I accomplished the feat without issue. She did discover after her nap today just how much fun it is to jump on her pillows. I knew there was something going on when I heard her wake up but there was no subsequent effort to call for myself or Eric. She didn't even look guilty when I opened the door to her room...And, while she still heads to her old room when we talk about picking out pajamas for the evening, she isn't upset when she's reminded that all her stuff is in her new room. So proud of her (and thankful!!!)!

It's noteworthy that this picture and the last one of her in her crib were taken in total darkness. I had no idea whether Audrey would even be in the picture. As I look at this picture, it looks like Scales the alligator is about to have himself a little Audrey snack...