way past THE 1ST OF DECEMBER

Well, the holiday season is a busy busy time! Audrey is growing just as fast as time flies...She isn't as interested in the tree as we thought she might be, but every once in a while we find her over there under the branches.
Audrey has been fairly clingy lately...she is starting to notice when we leave the room. She has also had a pretty bad cold, so that could be part of it. She doesn't much like getting bundled up to go out in the cold.
She is now going to a babysitter, which she seems to really enjoy. It is nice that she'll get some social interaction!

I haven't got too much to report on and life is pretty crazy right now. We're working on getting the Christmas cards for Audrey's 1st out, sometime in the next couple of weeks!
Audrey has been silly, though, so I'll leave you with a video of the bucket-on-the-head game and a clip to show you she LOVES popcorn. She also glares at Daddy when he doesn't share his candy canes.

Make video montages at onetruemedia.com

8 MONTHS!!

So, Audrey is 8 months today and we can't believe it! She is growing and changing so fast! I'm sure you've read our other post, but for a quick update, we visited Utah for Thanksgiving, she did great on the plane and she is going to start at a babysitter next week!
Audrey now has TWO bottom teeth! :


Audrey now makes some strange noises. She growls a lot also. She shakes her head "no" all the time. She still LOVES her baths...and she's sort of "crawling"! She will be on the move in no time!

Here is a video of many of Audrey's new feats:

Photo and video editing at onetruemedia.com

Some photos from Utah:




Let's see...
Audrey being silly with a bucket:


Peeking out the dreaded car seat:


Enjoying the Bathtub:

Photos

Audrey has a tooth now! Actually, I'm a bad parent because I'm just now reporting what happened a few weeks ago! Audrey has been trying some new foods with different textures and things which are supposed to teach her to chew. We also think she said her first word, but we're not sure if we're going to call it that just yet. She will say "Baba" refering to her bottle or a bottle of water. She has figured out what a bottle of water is all about and she always insists on drinking out of ours.
She also says "mama" and "dada", but most of the time she's just making the noises. It does seem like she uses the words occasionally for what they mean, especially "baba". We'll see, though.
We've also gone on a Backyardigans kick. Thayne has to explain to me what is going on half the time when we're halfway through an episode and I sit down in the living room. Audrey really only like the beginning/ending song. Zeke likes the show, too, though, so its nice to have. It is funny how you don't notice kids toys and things everywhere until you have a kid. I never know Backyardigans existed until just recently. Now they've got toys, like the "sing and spin Pablo", even. Thayne tells a funny story about Dora. Well, it's somewhat funny.

Anyway, Here's some photos I haven't posted yet. Again, if you get email, you've probably seen her:

Halloween

Baby's First Halloween was...as much work as we thought it would be! But, it was fun too. We took Audrey around the town to visit people we thought would like to see her. We went out to Creat Grandma Osborne's in Crescent around 5 and didn't get home until after 9!!!
Audrey was a lion!

And she got her first sucker:
She liked it so much, she wouldn't even let me help!

Needless to say, Thayne got a lot of candy., She does love her book and Snoopy she got from gRandma and Aunt Becky, though. We can hardly wait until next year when she can walk and start to get the idea of what is going on!

Silly Little Sunshine

Audrey is so cute and we love her so much!!
She has been very silly and fun lately...and grouchy, too, ironically.
Her tooth is definately cutting through now. You can feel it on her bottom right gum, poking it's sharp little top through. Poor baby.

So, back to silly. Audrey plays with just about anything now...laundry baskets, lids and containers, your hair...the other day she was playing with a plastic bottle and it somehow ended up IN her shirt:


And then, Mommy was folding the sheets and she just started giggling:

Make video montages at onetruemedia.com

We can't help but laugh along with her.

Besides that, Audrey has been having a lot of fun. Aunt Rachel bought her a stuffed elephant which was fun:


And ONCE Audrey and Zeke got along enough for another photo!:


Okay, okay, so I've been sorta cheating by filling this whole post in with cute little pictures. Really, there is a lot more going on than us just sitting around the house taking photos!! BUT...
It will have to wait until at least Wednesday cause there's housework and Halloween, and papers to be written. Enjoy!

Photos

6 months...

So we've been very busy it seems and we're not doing such a hot job at keeping y'all up to date!! Audrey is now over 6 months old! She weighed almost 14 lbs. at the doctors, which is in the 10th %ile...she's still SHORT (poor thing has no hope, really), and she's in the 25th for head circumference. All is well, I guess, just a big head for a little girl.
Audrey had been quite cranky lately on account of her teething. She wakes up a couple of times a night on average...she must have decided she missed it. =o)

We put Audrey in a pumpkin. She really didn't like it much but it turned out alright. We were going to carve it but then Audrey needed a bigger hole to get into so we cut it more and now the "hat" doesn't fit on it, so we haven't done anything besides set it outside our back door.

We also put Audrey into that Gap casting call...with a zillion other babies in the world. We think she's really cute, though, so that's all that matters. =o) We've been looking into new babysitting options so that the schedule isn't so frustrating and hard to work around. As parents, you always worry about where your baby is going and what is being done for them. The doctor keeps telling us to feed Miss Audrey more...I don't even know if I could eat that much... she's doing well, though. She makes some pretty funny faces when we give her new foods. The other day she was in agony over "Blueberry Buckle". Not nice to laugh at her, but we couldn't help it. Every so often she'd even "pretend choke". Next day, of course, she ate it like it was her favorite food ever. Silly baby.

So, she's sitting, scooting, rolling, inching, pretty much all but crawling. She can even sit herself up after she's tumbled over! We're looking forward to the Holidays.
Audrey's firsts are going to be exciting...

First Laugh

Audrey has giggled before, but we've got laughter tonight! Check out the video at the end of the post (sorry it blurs at times).
Audrey is also sitting pretty well now. Sometiems she decides she'd rather not, though. It is amazing how one week she can't even sit for a second and the next she can sit for minutes without any support!
We've been trying to decide what we're going to do for a babysitter if schdules change with school and all. Melia would consider being a paid nanny (yeah!).
Audrey's starting to really recognize faces, espcially her Mom and Daddy's! She knows Aunt TAsha, Aunt Melia, Aunt Bekah and Ben and Sarah...and her grandparents , although it turns out to be quite situational! She almost always has a smile for Grandpa Craig. She started crying for Grandpa O. though, just the other night. Kids are so funny. It is strange getting used to the personality that emerges, but so much fun too. Well, its getting late and her parents have stuff to do, so Audrey will leave you with a little rendition of "You are my sunshine"--enjoy!

Edit video online at onetruemedia.com

5 months and counting

It really has been five whole months since March and Audrey is just moving right along. We were watching some videos the other day and it is AMAZING how much they change so fast!

Edit video online at onetruemedia.com

Hopefully that link works so you can watch the video we found the other day! Look at her little arms flail about!

So, Audrey is moving into stage two foods now. She absolutely loves her Hawaiian delight. Named it right for her. She's moving everywhere too! The other day, Daddy put her down on one end of the blanket and before we knew it, she was across the blanket, up against the egde of the coffee table, knawing on it's leg. She's still sleeping a lot better which is fortunate for us! We're also working on sitting up and she's really doing well. She prefers to be straight though...standing or laying around most of the time. She loves to stretch to reach things too...and her Aunt Tasha says it is always for something she can't ahve.
We did buy this new teether that's supposed to "encourage" future dental hygiene...she loves it, so thats enough of a benefit right there! Grandma bought Audrey some new clothes which are really cute! She might actually get to wear some of her new stuff if she grows a little! We're over 13 lbs now so we're getting somewhere! It may be her next appointment before mom finds time to update the webpage again, so until then!

Grass...

Audrey found grass today! IT is so much fun to be able to explore now and she's starting to really get to know her surroundings! We can't even leave her for a second or she'll get away...We are excited to watch all that is going on with her and it is amazing! Here is the video footage we took outside today:

Edit video online at onetruemedia.com

Feeling Better

Miss Audrey is feeling better!! (and so are her parents).
We've been adding a whole bunch of foods to the menu lately and its been fun. We're going to have to capture some of the faces so we can keep them for future purposes...like graduation parties.
With everyone starting school, it makes me sad to think about how fast it all goes. In a few years I'll be sending the little snookums off to school!
We're working on the transition to the crib for nights with Audrey. She does pretty well with naps, but wakes up about half way through the night in the crib. She does well in the swing after that.

We finally received the rest of Audrey's wardrobe for next year. Thayne and I were talking about how much fun it is to fold all of the little clothes. We got her a Hallowen costume this week! It is a cow sized 6-18 months...she';ll be 7 months, so hopefully it fits! We've been putting some 6 months outfits on her and they are a little big. It is hard to believe she'll be 5 months old in a week!

So Audrey is finally ready to move. She has figured out how to roll from her back to her tummy now (Tues Aug 8) and she just flips back and forth. I have a few videos so maybe we can upload those here...

A new Toy

Audrey got a stationary walker and she seems to love it! Lets see if I can post a photo...

There's been a lot going on! We had a surprise birthday party for my dad's 50th this weekend and it seemed to go well. Audrey hung out with her grandpa for awhile. She has caught a cold so we're hoping to get rid of it pretty quickly. Her cousin Zeke had a tough time with it and the doctor's office...so we're waiting to see how that goes for Audrey. Pediatricians are tough!

We thought about getting a little kiddie pool this wekend and letting Audrey try swimming, but she just wasn't up for new things. We are going to get a Halloween costume though, even though it is more for us parents! They are just so dang cute! Babies are so much fun.

Anyway, Miss Audrey needs a lot of attention because she's just not feeling well, so I have little time to update, but soon enough!

New clothes...

Audrey got some new clothes! I know she's getting big, though, because we're buying two-piece outfits instead of just onesies. We took advantage of Iowa's tax-free "holiday" on Friday and bought her fall wardrobe...including some shoes. And I know, I know, they can't walk so they shouldn't have shoes, but THEY'RE SO CUTE!
So, now Audrey can dress up like a big girl because she has some jeans and shirts and some onesies that seem rather large. Thayne and I were looking at her winter coat and thinking she may not be big enough (it is a 12 months coat from her shower), but maybe next year! Or even Christmas...
Audrey is trucking along on her solid foods. She loves sweet potatoes! New things don't go too well, but they grow on her. Sometimes it is like you can't shovel it in fast enough.
There's no real new developments on the mobile tasks, which is not okay for Miss Audrey but just dandy for her parents. She seems to think she needs to be crawling around looking at the world. Soon enough, baby, soon enough.

Audrey's New Web Log

So this is my first REAL post on this "web log" for Audrey...the others are things I wrote on our web page before I set this up...now we can keep you up to date on all of the Audrey happenings!

Most recently, Audrey has started eating solid foods! She doesn't like peas, but there's still time to work on that. So far she's had rice cereal, peas and bananas. We have to start them one at a time for three days each so the introduction is going slow, but she's starting to understand the whole concept.

Audrey is also batting at her toys and rolling (very occasionally) over from tummy to back...she can't seem to get her arm out of the way to roll over onto her tummy, though.

At her 4 month appointment, Audrey weighed 11 lbs. 14 oz...which is pretty small. I just say "we're small people", but that's the main reason we're starting cereal. Dr. O says its time when they drop on the growth charts.

Audrey has also discovered a love for her inch worm. She will lay around and chew on him for a good hour at a time. She is also playing with rattles and linking toys and the cow that sings on her chair.

And finally, she is starting to sleep through most nights! We are so grateful for the much-needed rest and now we can truly enjoy all of the things parenting has been bringing our way.

April 16!

Her due date has arrived! Easter Sunday and Audrey is already 3 weeks old (almost) and we dressed her in her Easter dress! She seems to be sleeping a little longer at a stretch, but definitely still prefers to do so during the day. We are getting much better at taking care of a baby and being tired. We got to spend a lot of time with family this weekend. Great Grandma & Grandpa Moore were in town. We've decided we need to keep Grandma here for awhile...Audrey didn't get to go egg hunting yet but next year will be fun. It is amazing how fast they grow...she already feels heavier! She is starting to smile and she is very animated in her sleep. She also loves to wait until daddy changes her diaper so she can get him.

First Week Home

When we left the hospital Thursday, Audrey weighed only 6 pounds. Luckily, the doctor said this is normal for a breastfed baby and that she didn't lose so much that we needed to supplement. So, we strapped her into her car seat and took her home. It is both an amazing experience and terrifying to have your bundle of joy home all to yourselves. You just kinda stare at her and say "okay, what now?" Little do you realize that you've just started to understand what sleepless nights and poo'd diapers is all about.

We had Audrey's first check-up Tuesday, one week after she was born. She was back up to 6 lbs 10 oz which is comforting...she likes her "food". If she keeps this up, she could grow pretty fast! Considering how fast babies grow anyway, it is amazing to think she's already been here so long!

Birth Story

After a few trips to Labor & Delivery, Audrey decided to make an appearance 3 weeks early--which mom and dad were absolutely fine with! Sarah wasn't feeling well Sunday so we made a trip to the hospital. after little progress and almost too much examination, the doctor left it up to us whether we wanted to go home or not. We were dilated to 4 and 75% effaced, but nothing too painful was happening. We decided another night of sleep in our bed was worth the effort, so we went home. Sarah went to work on Monday and she was feeling alright. The contractions weren't bad and we were just waiting it out.

After work, we went for a walk in the mall and headed in to the hospital. The contractions were still not painful, but the machine was registering them 2-4 minutes apart and we were dilated to 5. The evening was long. Very little progress was made but the nurses were concerned about the water breaking because it was "protruding". At 11 PM, the doctor decided to help the contractions along with pitocin. The anesthesiologist came in and talked Sarah into an epidural, saying he was about a half hour away if we wanted it later. So, we got the epi, got the pitocin and we waited.

Nothing much changed still. The doctor came in around 4AM Tuesday morning and checked the progress. He said we were still only about 6-7 cm, but that he was going to break the water for us. So, at 4:30 the water was broken, Sarah started having big contractions (painless, of course) and then the pressure. After a few pushes, Dr. Fahmy arrived and decided to use forceps because Audrey's heart rate was dropping with each push. So, at 6:31 AM, Audrey came screaming into the world and changed the lives of her mommy and daddy forever.

We've discovered that a baby takes a lot of time and that a blog such as this will be much easier to keep up...so...