Photo Shoot

We love Olivia and Elizabeth at our house so when their Mommy asked me to take their 5 and 3 year pictures I was delighted! "ee-ahh" is what Audrey calls Olivia and she gets super excited anytime she comes to the door--even though she's closer in age to Elizabeth. Audrey jumped in the frame more than once this day, but I decided to actually capture the moment once. Here are some of my favorites:

Sarah

Swingset!

Two Grandpas, two Uncles and one Daddy collectively put in over 50 working hours last Saturday to built Audrey and Allie a swingset. My job was to take pictures and feed everyone, so for the most part I don't know details, other than the instruction booklet was over 25 pages. They started at 7 am and almost finished by 7:20 pm. Audrey was able to go swing in the dark before dinner but the next day I was able to get some pictures of her checking it out for the first time. Note: the order of these pictures is horrendous--I apologize. I was trying to feed a baby while uploading......

Audrey swinging for the first time on her new swingset!

Coming along...

Transferring the tower from the front to the back

the swing section

getting ready to move the tower

industrial/commercial grade swings! That means, mommy can swing too without it breaking!

coming down the slide the next day

note her outfit--I didn't know we would be staying out as long as we did. ballet flats

don't mix well with climbing!

of course Big Bird had to swing too!

working on the tower
Sarah

Playdate

Audrey was invited to Jaiden's house for a playdate today. We nearly didn't make it, as Allie's melt downs nearly caused me to have one myself. You know it's a crazy morning when the coffee that began to brew on its own at 7am (because you remembered to set the timer the night before) is still sitting there 2 hours later untouched. The coffee pot has now shut itself off and the coffee is luke warm. Gross. Once Allie is calmed down we head out to the very least, get Mommy some coffee. In the McDonald's parking lot I ask Audrey if she'd rather go home or go to Jaiden's and she replied, " ainens." So off we went to Jaiden and Tyler's and I'm so glad we did. Audrey had fun, Allie behaved and I enjoyed chatting with my friends as well. Audrey's friend Noa was there too. The girls played so well together. The moment that sticks with me most from today (besides Noa's nasty fall down the stairs) was when we found Audrey in Tyler's crib and Jaiden halfway up the changing table. I laughed at first and then stood there stunned. How on earth did she get in there!? and couldn't believe she'd climbed in there. Audrey jumps--but she's not that good. There she was, just standing there in poor Tyler's bed looking all innocent. Still to this moment I have no idea how my daughter, whom I've never seen climb anything, managed this!

Sarah

Me Jump Mommy! Me Jump

If you know Audrey at all, you know she LOVES to jump. In fact sometimes she jumps more than she walks. She jumps over blocks, she jumps off the stairs, she jumps on her balance beam, she jumps off her step stool in the bathroom, (most often when other people are in there minding their business!) and she'll often jump from point A to point B. The girl loves to jump. We hear, "me jump!" all the time, which means she's getting ready or just did jump over or off something. Just today while at a friends house, I caught her up on the bathtub, ready to jump off onto the floor. (the girls were playing in the empty/dry bathtub). She'll jump anywhere you let her, and often the places she's not supposed to (her bed, the couch, the bassinet..) Our neighbors just put up their trampoline for the season and luckily they don't care if we use it--and of course by we, I mean Audrey. Audrey calls it "t- jump." Her love affair with jumping started last summer and really took off when we enrolled her in gymnastics at the Jump Spot. She always wants to "jump hello" at Kindermusik. She's a good jumper. She should be, she practices all the time! This week at home we worked on jumping over Clippos on the balance beam--and landing ON the beam, instead of straddling it. Then, for fun I had her jump off the end and jump over the Clippo box. Spotting her the whole time, I kept moving the box further and further away from the end of the beam and she kept clearing it! Perhaps a long jumper in track and field???

Sarah

Pink and Blue

Audrey calls her Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty bath toys, "Pink and Blue." She started calling them this a few months ago when she could only say their colors and not their names. She carries Pink and Blue everywhere. The two places she must have them are the bathtub and her bed. If she misses them, and she will, she'll yell, "Mommy, pink and blue, pink and blue!" I don't have a picture of her with them yet.

Sarah

Allie 3 months

Holy cow. It's been 3 months. Allie continues to be such a joy! Her laugh is infectious and I get lost in her blue eyes. I can't stop kissing her chubby cheeks and her meaty thighs crack me up! She's that cute fat baby that people ooo and ahhh over. The moms at Kindermusik love her rolls and people always say how beautiful she is when they catch a glimpse or I show off pictures. I'm not just saying that as her mother either. No, I haven't gotten professional pictures done yet and when I try to take some of just her, Audrey jumps in the frame. Big Sister Audrey continues to be a big helper. She helps us get diapers, entertain Allie when she's upset, get her paci, steal her paci.......The adjustment from one to two has gotten better this past month even though life still is crazy at moments, we're managing a lot better than we were at two months.

Allie and Daddy at a birthday party

Playing with toys in her bassinet

Attempting a 3 month picture.

Development:

• I found Allie on her side this morning playing on her gym. She's started to work on rolling over.

• I have a hunch she's already teething. She's really drooling these days and if you hold her just right she'll drench the arm of your shirt in minutes. This past weekend she seemed to be in a lot of pain. It was a toss up between gassiness, gums or a sore throat. She's starting to prefer her hands to the paci--which is fine with me.

• We finally got her to sleep in the pack n play again instead of the car seat. It seems her congestion has subsided enough to allow for that. She's still sleeping in our room. I just can't bring myself to move her to her room yet. I know she should be sleeping in her $500 crib, and she will.....eventually.

• She will reach for her toys and hold onto them now. I notice this mostly when she grabs hold of my hair and won't let go! She's started to bring those toys to her mouth! Uh, does that start this early!?

• Her head control is awesome and this past month we even put her in Audrey's Jumperoo. She will fall asleep in the swing but she only likes the swing when she's super tired.

• She no longer fits in the Bumbo! Her legs are too fat. In fact, when I have gotten her in it and go to pick her up, the seat comes with her.I'm not sure how much she weighs, but I do know our back hurts when we stand and sway with her for longer than 5 minutes. She wears 9 month clothes! I have no idea how many ounces of formula or breastmilk she takes at each feeding. I must have kept better track of that with the first child, but I'm guessing between 4 and 5. I know sometimes she just takes 3 and then she'll finish it later.

It seems when you're taking one day at a time the days start to add up before you know it.

Sarah

March 16 2010

Sarah

Playdate Thursday

We try to have a play date every Thursday. I don't always get pictures, but this week I did. Audrey's friend Maya came to play yesterday. They haven't seen each other for a long time and were struggling to find their groove until we brought out the Cinderella movie and the goldfish. Note in the picture, they both have Cinderella cups!

Allie hanging out with Cari (Maya's Mom)

So thirsty! Our two little princesses with their Cinderella sippy cups!

Sarah

Out for a Walk

It's been nice outside lately--nice enough to let Audrey go out to play for a little bit and nice enough that Daddy sneaks home a little early from work to play with her. Since our swingset is here, but disassembled, we take walks. We don't have a double stroller yet so I push Allie in the stroller and Jeremy pulls Audrey in the wagon....or so that's what we thought he'd do.

Our little Miss Independent wanted to pull her baby in the wagon. She wanted no part of riding. For 8 long blocks she pulled her wagon as fast as her little 2 year old legs would. The second day of this we convinced her to ride for a little bit which allowed us to get a little bit of exercise! She began this last spring and summer when she'd rather push her stroller than ride in it. I think she has a little Type A personality, no?

Note everything in the wagon:

Mower

Sidewalk chalk

Her puppy

sippy cup

snacks

Our little Miss Independent wanted to pull her baby in the wagon. She wanted no part of riding. Note everything in the wagon:

Mower

Sidewalk chalk

Her puppy

sippy cup

snacks

Sarah

Crazy Monday morning

It was one of those mornings.....Audrey, Allie and I were off to gymnastics at 10. We needed to leave at 9:50 to make it there on time. Needless to say we didn't.

There are a million reasons why we were late this day. Turns out, a week later we no longer have to get up and make it to gymnastics at 10 on Monday mornings. Audrey advanced to the next class up, Saturdays at 9 am! Whoo hoo! This is her first independent class, which means Mommy and Daddy only watch, not participate. We tried it this past Saturday and she did great. Best part is, Daddy gets to go on Saturday mornings which means no more crazy Mondays for Mommy! After this last Monday, I'm not sure how many more I could take:

Time to get Audrey and I dressed for gymnastics. I manage to get Audrey's clothes on and hair in pig tails before Allie wakes up. ( Literally 10 minutes later). I go downstairs and fetch her from the bassinet. I have her half undressed and diaper off on her changing table before I realize we have no wipes. I ask Audrey to go downstairs get me some wipes. She complies. I hear "tay mommy" which means mission accomplished, and she's on her way back upstairs. She walks in the room with one half of a dried out wipe. (heavy sigh) Allie is now crying, quite impatient with her sisters speed as she lay there half naked. I strap Allie onto her changing table and go in search of wipes. I get Allie dressed and sit her in the bouncy seat in my bathroom. It's 9:20. Plenty of time for me to get ready (which these days doesn't entail a lot). I get myself together, which always requires one or two trips up and down the stairs to fetch a missing item. It's 9:40. We've got to hurry. Allie is none to happy about being placed in the car seat. I give her a paci and start to throw things in the diaper bag. 9:42, we're still on pace, no need to stress. I get Audrey's drink for afterward, get a bottle for Allie and tell Audrey to get her shoes on. by this time the paci isn't going to suffice for Miss Allison. Audrey's diaper needs changed. (ugh) Allie is now crying so hard her face is reddish purple. (heavy sigh). Her diaper is wet. Of course it is. I take her back out of the car seat and change it. 9:45, now for sure we'll be late. Audrey, go get your coat on please and stand by the door. This is the third time I've asked her to do this, over Allison's screams. Allie's still not happy with a dry diaper so I will have to feed her before we leave. By this time Audrey is entertaining herself with a Dora puzzle. I think she would have forgotten about gymnastics if I decided to throw in the towel and not go. I see 9:48 and 9:54 before we're able to finish getting coats on, buckled into car seats and out the door. I grab Allie and her 25 lb car seat, the diaper bag and shut off the coffee pot--with my freshly brewed coffee that I didn't get to drink or put in a to-go cup. There simply isn't time. I set the alarm. Everyone is buckled in and ready to go. No keys. Of course! The keys are in the house, hanging where I put them yesterday. Ugh! I go in, shut off the alarm, grab the keys, set the alarm again and get in the car. We will be 15 minutes late today I tell Audrey. Thank heavens she's too young to actually understand what that means. In 20 years this won't matter, I tell myself. I take a deep breath as I head to the end of our street.

Sarah

Gymnastics

Audrey began taking Gymnastics at the Jump Spot in the fall of 2009. She has improved dramatically and loves it! Her favorite thing to do: Jump! And the uneven bars. After Allie was born she began going with Daddy on Monday nights. Allie and I visited a few weeks ago and took some pictures.

Audrey on the bars all by herself

Daddy helping her up on the bars

Before the circuit begins they do fun activities that incorporate

fundamentals, like stretching. Here Audrey is making a pizza.

Donkey kicks!

Sarah

How the girls like to play

So this is how I found the girls last Sunday: both laying underneath Allie's play gym. There's actually three of them if you count Audrey's baby doll. They are laying there now as I update this blog, Allie working on her gross motor skills and Audrey eating her fruit loops. (Don't judge me for giving her Fruit Loops--they now have more fiber! But don't be fooled fellow moms, the first ingredient is still sugar! Regardless, we use them to work on colors!!! Or, at least that's how I justify her eating them.)
Sarah