Audrey at a Year and a Half

Audrey is 19 months – we missed the one and a half year mark but I wanted to document some of what makes Audrey — Audrey.IMG_6724

She keeps jumping in the growth chart. At her 18 mnth appointment she was 99th percentile for height and 85th percentile for weight.IMG_1681

Likes: Music and dancing, books (especially Llama, Llama which sound like mamamama when she says it, and Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do I see?), holding hands with Jack, being understood when she talks. Food. She is going through a phase where she eats a lot and isn’t picky about anything. She tried blue cheese this week and was not a fan at all, but I think that is the first thing in awhile she hasn’t eaten. Outside and swinging (when talking about swinging she makes the best swing motion and squeals “sing, sing!”). Her hat, sunglasses (sunnies) and purse.IMG_20160518_171706072_HDR

She loves going on bike rides on what Jack has named “The Orange Krusher.” The duck pond is a highlight on the ride as she yells “dack dack” (her version of quack quack).IMG_6713

Play:  She plays well independently but loves to be playing near Jack. Trains and blocks are fun for both of them until they each want the exact same piece. Ahhh!IMG_6784IMG_20160521_105813489

Dislikes: anyone touching something that she has deemed hers (Mine! Mine!), Being told no. She gives a finger wag if she really wants to emphasize she’s unhappy with you. IMG_20160501_150948232

Personality:  She is such an affectionate little girl (selectively!) giving unprompted hugs, back pats, kisses and “lub yous.” She talks all the time! (sometimes she is understandable).IMG_20160419_081344864She is the life of the party with her dance moves. She really gets into it! She is pretty opinionated about her tunes. While she does love some toddler music, her most frequent requests are “Cake by the Ocean” and “Shake it off.”IMG_6681

She is a caretaker. She usually gets picked up first at the end of the day, and immediately points down the hall and says “JACH!” and runs to go get him. We do stories and bedtime together some nights and on those nights she likes to help me rub Jack’s back. So sweet! She started by putting her babies to bed and loving on them, but now she really likes to love on “Jach.”IMG_20160521_154245701She is a good combination of fearless but not reckless. She thinks she can do everything that Jack can do – and pretty much does. She tows the line between baby and big girl. Some days she wants to sit in her highchair and some days she wants to sit in her big chair at the table. But either way, Audrey wants what she wants. She has an opinion and she make sure we know what it is!IMG_20160521_154150007

She brings so much joy to our house!

2016 March Madness

The kids have grown so much since their last updates that I thought I’d give some updates on Jack at just over three years (3 yrs, 3 mnths) and Audrey at 17 mnths.P11

Love:  The are starting to play together more. And they are very affectionate with each other (with the occasional shove and tattle)P2

Food:  They eat LOTS! Both kids are big fans of oatmeal and fruit in the morning, Jack’s version is doctored up with peanut butter and jelly and Audrey’s with a splash of milk. They pretty much eat everything. Case in point:  We had sauerkraut this week and Audrey scrunched up her face with every bite, but would smile and grab another bite.

Sleep:  Audrey is still the champion sleeper. She goes to bed easily and likes to get a good 11-12 hour stretch at night, plus a decent nap. But Jack makes sure no one is too well rested, as he takes longer to fall asleep and likes to make an occasional visit in the middle of the night.  Imagine this scenario:  3am, pitch dark, I’m in my bed and open my eyes to Jack’s face inches away from mine as he whispers, “Mommy, can you please sing me some songs?” Who needs uninterrupted sleep anyway?! (Thank goodness he is so cute!)

Play:  Like all kids, they love to play. Both kids love cars, puzzles, and books.  They both request and sing along to music all the time.  The both love blankets and their two stuffed animals (each). P15

Out of the mouths of babes:  I feel like I need to do a better job recording some of the funny things they say.  Audrey equal parts makes me smile and breaks my heart when I ask her “Are you mommy’s baby?” and she responds “noo noo, Au dee.” She talks all the time, and expects us to understand everything she says.  She is such a happy little dancer, and is still a big mommy’s girl.  She has started giving unprompted “I love you’s,” melting our hearts. But it comes out very enthusiastically “I yoooou!” She also loves to give hugs and kisses.

Jack is such a fun (and funny!) little person. Matt and I were discussing him not being able to handle a spicy food and he told us “I can handle anything.” When I laughed and told him he was kinda awesome, he responded, “I’m a lot of awesome!” with a huge smile.  He is in soccer and gymnastics each one day a week, and seems to love both. He also loves his balance bike.

Speaking of bikes, look at Matt’s new toy. Every time Audrey sees a bike, she points and shots “bike, bike!!” I think it’s a three-way tie for who likes the bike best! We are looking forward to warmer weather and lots of outside time. IMG_20160228_151836827

 

Audrey at One Year

Audrey turned one year old October 17th – and I am just now getting around to documenting some of the fun things she is up to lately.1yr collage

Here were her stats at her one year appointment -Height and weight:  21 lbs 4oz and 31.5 inches (73% for weight and 99% for height! ) For comparison she was 8 lbs 1 oz and 20.5 inches at birth.IMG_4133

Food:  Audrey is a great eater! There are very few things she won’t eat (I’m looking at you, carrots), but her favorites are avocados, bananas, clementine oranges, peas, green beans, black beans, string cheese, cottage cheese, oatmeal, and all meat from fish to chicken to (especially) red meat.  She always wants to eat food other people are eating, as evidenced from her kale chip face below.  IMG_6135

Teeth:  8 adorable baby teethGoldstein2015-38

Photo credit:  Kim Davis Photography

Party tricks:  Signing milk, hungry, more, and banana.  Clapping, waving, blowing kisses, spinning in circles and dancing to music.  She especially likes the song “If you’re happy and you know it” and is adorable with her arms up “hooray!”IMG_6084

Words:  dada, momma, and daa means Jack.  Hooray! (always with her arms), hi, byebye, and head.

Likes: Chasing Jack as fast as she can, giving hugs, music, reading books and turning the pages, anything outside, clothes and shoes, bathtime.  She loves cars.  One of her favorite birthday gifts was a pink dump truck.IMG_6316

Dislikes:  Jack taking any toy away from her.  She is feisty and doesn’t give in easily!

(Tinkerbell & Peter Pan for Halloween)IMG_6289

Personality:  She has the sweetest personality – and is such a hugger and cuddler.  She is so friendly too and loves telling people hi.  She giggles and loves to play.  She is so reasonable, and seems to understand explanations.  But she is no push-over…she’s strong and assertive and let’s you know what she wants.

To say we’re in love with Audrey would be putting it mildly.  Happy first year, sweet girl!  We’re so happy you’re part of our lives!Goldstein2015-94_bw

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Photo credit:  Kim Davis Photography

 

Audrey – 11 months

Lots and lots of new stuff in the last month.  Most notably – Audrey is walking! (and walking quite well)  She is a very controlled walker – deliberate, but not overly cautious.  And she is really fast!IMG_6029

Oh guys, I just adore her.  She is so affectionate and loves to give hugs and kisses.  Last week I got home late and she gave me the best squeal and nearly ran to give me a kiss.  It was the most enthusiastic greeting I have been given in some time.  She is so independent and really can play along side Jack or by herself well, so her cuddles are especially endearing.  And when you ask her for a hug, she wraps her arms around you and is a complete cuddle-bug!IMG_5917

She loves waving and clapping.  She can sign for “drink” and loves communicating with us.  She says dada, mama, and Jack (daak) and seems to use “yeah” in the right context.  She seems to love waving and saying “hi!” Like her brother, she really enjoys music and having songs sang to her.IMG_5896

We have started giving Audrey her bath with Jack and both kids love the extra company.  Jack likes to ask about Audrey’s teeth – she has six now and is working on two more.  IMG_6066

Audrey had her second flight in the last month for a trip to Kansas City.  I loved getting to introduce her to friends and she traveled really well.  She also went to Memphis to visit Godmother, Mira, and her husband and kiddos.  She was in heaven getting to play cars sitting by all of the big boys.  The adults were outnumbered that weekend so I somehow came home with no pictures.  Good memories though!Audrey 11 mnth

Next time I check in I will have a one year old!  What will Audrey be up to next?

 

 

Audrey – 10 Months

Wowza, wowza! We’re in the double digits, folks.10mnth

The last month has been a really good one!  We had a trip to Effingham for one of Matt’s cousin’s weddings – beautiful and fun celebration. Plus lots of good time with Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Tina.IMG_5793

This month has also brought along increased playfulness.  Audrey loves her little red car, cars and trucks, her stuffed giraffe and anything of Jack’s.  She bobs and claps to music, and has days where she is in a nearly constant giggle.  What a joy!IMG_5803

Our independent girl has gotten a bit cuddlier.  She give kisses and hugs very often when she takes play breaks.IMG_5623

She eats pretty much everything we eat now, which makes dinner time pretty easy.  She still nurses around 6 times a day, and I’ll have to admit I like that it can buy an extra hour of sleep most weekend mornings.IMG_5622

Audrey cruises along furniture, and has taken a couple of steps on her own.  She can crawl up the stairs on her own and is quite the climber.  I’ll be ok if she decides to wait on the walking for just a bit longer.IMG_5643

IMG_5757I think this will be another big month. Lots of travel and more milestones to come.  Have a wonderful week!

Audrey – 9 Months Old

9 months – equal time on the inside and outside for our little girl.

This has been a really fun month full of big milestones.Audrey9Months

Audrey moved into her own room in the last month…I’ll admit I miss waking up to her sweet little talking.  (I think Matt was afraid I’d try to room with her until she leaves for college!) I also had my first few nights away from her.  I traveled to a conference for a few nights and she got extra special time with her boys at home.  Unfortunately, this has coincided with her mommy phase. She needs me in her site at all times – equal parts flattering and confining.

2015-07-20 06.51.42She waves “hi” and “bye bye” really well.  And her giggling…oh, she has gotten silly and even sweeter over the last month.  She loves to jabber to us and laugh.  She loves peek-a-boo and gets a kick out of being the one to hide.  Audrey has started clapping in the last week, and we all love it.  She is just such a happy baby.

2015-07-06 18.32.52Audrey so far is a very easy eater.  She usually has one puree a day and does table food for the rest of her exploring.  Favorites right now are peas, sweet potatoes, cheese, avocado, banana, and scrambled eggs.  She had her 9 month appointment on Friday and is 99th percentile for height (30.25 inches) and 67th percentile for weight (19 lbs 4 oz).

photo (18)She plays with toys more than I remember Jack playing at this age, but I think it is because she can sit playing beside him and loves to be busy like him.  She is a fast crawler, pulls to stand and loves to climb.  She loves to tease Jack by climbing in his toddler bed to grab his stuffed animals.  I can see my refereeing starting already!

Happy 9 months, sweet baby girl!

Audrey – 8 Months

Wow!  A lot changes in a month with a baby. Since last update, Audrey is pulling up on everything.  She wants to be standing all the time and has done a little bit of cruising too.  In the last month she has also perfected her crawling –  and that little girl is fast!  She is still in 9 month clothes for the most part but sleeves are starting to look a bit short.  I think most babies get a 9 month growth spurt so we’ll see what happens in the next month.Audrey 8 Months

Audrey still naps 2-3 times a day and still (thankfully!) is an excellent nighttime sleeper who rarely wakes in the middle of the night.

She is working on her top two teeth.  Lots of hands in the mouth but she is still so good-natured.IMG_5562

Matt and I joke about her comedic timing.  She responds to questions and statements with the perfect tone and timing.  And she likes shaking her head “no” and seems to do it at the funniest time. (Audrey – do you want to share your toy with Jack? [head shake with smile])

She seems to like all the food she has tried.  She is getting proficient at feeding herself and seems to want to eat if everyone else is eating.  She especially likes feeding herself peas.

Audrey had her first plane ride to Seattle this month.  Way to start out big!  A long day of travel wasn’t too tough with her.  And the three hour time difference just meant that I got to fully experience sunrise in Seattle every morning (wink, wink)!  She loved the double stroller we rented and loved getting to see her way around a new city.IMG_5410IMG_5544

I don’t even know how to convey how delightful Audrey is.  She has such a sweet disposition, and her smiles just light up my day.  Seeing how she looks at Jack is such a joy for both me and Matt.IMG_5396

What will this sweet little daredevil be up to next month?

Seattle – Jack’s first ocean dip

We are back from a wonderful time in Seattle.  I had a conference and the whole family came along.  We all had SUCH a wonderful time.  One of the best parts?  Jack’s first visit to the ocean!

Audrey – 7 Months

Somehow we are over half way through Audrey’s first year.  Boy, oh boy this little girl is busy!  She loves to sit and play and is really good at her army crawling (creeping?) to get anything she wants. In the past couple of days she has gotten really good at getting herself gracefully in a sitting position.  Audrey 7 Mnths

She is trying more foods every week and so far seems to enjoy everything.  I remember Jack having fish as his first animal protein…but I don’t remember when.  I think I will need to brush up on baby food basics for this little one!  She eats solids 2-3 times a day and is regularly eating oatmeal, bananas, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, broccoli, peas, avocado, green beans, and carrots.  She still nurses 6-7 times a day.  And she can drink out of a straw!  I hope that will make the transition to whole milk easier in 5ish short months.

She naps 2-3 times a day, and admittedly naps much better at home than at daycare.  Her evening sleep is wonderful!  She is in bed for the night around 8.  I wake her/dreamfeed her around 5am before I head to the gym and she falls right back asleep until around 7.  (I probably shouldn’t have typed that because she has been so easy I probably jinxed myself!)

IMG_5349Audrey loves her big brother, bath time, being sang to, and her Fisher Price barn and animals.  The picture of Audrey and Jack is from earlier in the week.  Jack said he wants to go to Purdue but “Audrey no go to Purdue. Audrey go to Illinois.” So I had to dress them appropriately.  🙂

IMG_5232I’m sure this next month will bring many more fun milestones.  Increased babbling?  Pulling to standing? Audrey says bye bye for now!

Audrey – 6 month update

Half a year old already!  These 6 months have definitely been the quickest of my life.  The little girl we welcomed into our lives is full of personality and has amazed me with how quickly she is growing.IMG_5132

Audrey can get around in a couple of different ways.  When she wants something (especially one of Jack’s toys) she will army crawl for it.  She gets up on her hands and knees but when there’s a toy in sight she just goes for brute force and speed in an army crawl, much to Jack’s dismay.  Trains and cars are the favorites so far, but at least they are temporarily keeping her away from dirty shoes.  Audrey really likes to “play” with her baby toys and loves music.  She loves her crib mobile and often turns it on to listen to music and talk to the animals before going to sleep.IMG_5145

Sleep is going really well.  She sleeps in her crib in our room because I’m just not quite ready for her to be sleeping in her own room.  I love how sweetly she wakes up!  We are at a transition point where most of the time she wakes once to eat but sometimes she sleeps straight through.  Audrey tries to stay awake but 8pm is about as late as she can cut it.  She naps 2 to 3 times a day, depending what we are doing.  Her routine seems pretty fluid.IMG_5196

And Audrey started foods this week.  Her first was oatmeal and she loved it!  Her next food was steamed broccoli florets – another huge hit!  I let her feed herself and when she would drop one she would yelp for me to get her another one.  Today she had a little bit of banana – and, again, she loved it.  I think Audrey is going to be an excellent eater.  I hate the diapers after starting solids (TMI?) but it is so much fun to see your little one exploring foods.  We will continue to do a combination of purees and self-feeding finger foods (baby led weaning).IMG_5124

Audrey has a very agreeable personality.  If she is fed and dry, and is around her people she is happy.  And if Jack is near she is all smiles and giggles.  Matt and I have to work hard to make her laugh but Jack only has to make eye contact.  Love these two kids!P5-52e86

We had our 6 month doctor appointment today and Audrey is still very tall — 98% for height and 40% for weight.  Happy half birthday to our growing, sweet baby girl!IMG_5094