Week 10!

Well, the cool thing about week 10 is that Miss Audrey has started talking to us! She’s smiling more and more, and now she’s started really cooing and making noises when you talk to her.

This week was pretty calm, especially when compared to last week! We did get a visit from Jane, David, Andrew, & Grandma Judy, which was cool. Andrew had a baseball tournament in Kansas City, so they dropped Grandma off on the way by, and then picked her up on their way home. They hadn’t seen Miss A. since she was literally days old, so they were amazed at how much she had grown and changed!

Audrey & Grandma

Audrey & Grandma took a nap together! Gotta love a comfy couch & and afghan!

With someone else there to make faces at Audrey, I took the time to document some pretty sweet baby faces!

Love that she smiles with her eyes already!

My favorite!!

This was a really sweet moment- Laney was sitting by Audrey and talking to her, and Audrey was just smiling away at her. So sweet!!

Well, that’s really about it for week 10! She continues to grow like a weed and changes every day. She’s slept through the night for the last week or two, so it’s about time to move to her own crib. Will probably do that this coming week, we just need to move the mattress up higher so that it’s easier to reach. Going to be nice not to have the bassinet in our room anymore… I hope she doesn’t wake Laney up!

Love my girls!! :)

Week 9!

Well, I made it 8 whole weeks without being late with a post… that’s pretty good! :)  But this week we have family in town, so I just didn’t have time yesterday.  I do have some great pictures from week 9, though, so at least it should be a good post! 

The most exciting thing about week 9 was that she started really smiling- responsive smiling, not just reflexive.  She actually started last Thursday, the very beginning of week 9, and then she’s really been smiling more and more every day.  You have to catch her in the right mood, but it’s pretty adorable! 

One of the first smiles that I managed to catch on camera… just my phone camera, but it’s pretty adorable!

The other exciting part of week 9 was Memorial Day weekend.  We took advantage of no church on Sunday night to go to Springfield and spend a long weekend.  We spent a lot of time with Grandma & Grandpa Looten, who hadn’t seen Audrey since she was 2 weeks old!  They couldn’t believe how much she had grown!  Springfield also involved Audrey’s first trip to Silver Dollar City, and the zoo!  It was quite the busy weekend!

Hanging out with Grandpa Looten, watchin’ a movie!

Audrey did really good sleeping in the pack and play, she still slept until 6.  We tried to get a little more sleep after she ate, but the only one who slept was her- the grunting kept Daddy & I awake!  At least she looks adorable…

Saturday morning we got up bright and early, loaded up the double stroller, and headed to Silver Dollar City!  We decided we didn’t need to push around the extra 10 pounds of the carrier, so we just laid down the back and put Audrey in. 

She looked pretty comfortable in the back… and spent a lot of the day napping!

We did switch part way through the day to let Laney lay down in the back and take a nap.  Audrey looked like such a big girl in the front!

We got a lot more attention pushing the stroller around with this face leading the way! :)

And, of course, everyone was happy to carry Audrey for a little while!  Here she is hanging with Grandma Looten!

Sunday we got up and went to church, then we had a picnic lunch and headed for the zoo in Springfield.  Audrey didn’t see much of the picnic or the zoo, because she mostly looked like this:

She did wake up towards the end of the zoo, and I got a few cute pictures of her.

This one is actually cute…

And I just thought this face was funny! :)

Sunday night we spent some time outside enjoying the beautiful weather while Grandpa & Daddy grilled up some dinner!  I did manage to get a few smiles out of her while she sat in her swing on the back porch!

Almost a smile!

Definitely a smile!

To finish off the long weekend, we spent awhile on Monday at Grandma De & Grandpa Don’s house.  They hadn’t even met Miss Audrey yet!  Drew, Morgen, Meghan, Marra, and Jeff all came, too, so it was quite the lunch party!  It was fun getting to introduce Audrey to all of that family, and for them to see how much Laney has changed since Christmas!

Audrey and Grandma De!

and Audrey & Grandpa Don!

Audrey is already all about giving high fives!

and Audrey & Marra!

After meeting all those people, Audrey was exhausted, so she and Daddy settled down for a nap on the living room floor!

Really, we had an absolutely GREAT weekend with so much family.  It was a nice relaxing break for us, as we have been so busy lately.  It’s always awesome to take a weekend just to enjoy ourselves, and visit some family at the same time!

Doctor’s Appt

Audrey had her 8 week check up today!  She seems like she’s been growing like a weed, so I was excited to see how much she weighed.  She did not disappoint! 

Her stats:

Height: 21 3/4 inches

Weight: 10 pounds, 1 ounce

Head circumference: 15 inches

Her weight and head circumference are both about the 30th percentile, and height is in the 25th.  Turns out her body has caught up to her head! :) 

Anyway, just thought I’d share the stats, and this adorable picture of her newest trick… smiling! :)

8 Weeks!

Wow!  Our little girl is 8 weeks old!  We can hardly believe it.  I am so loving the time I’ve had home with her so far, she’s starting to really develop personality, and I get to be here to see it all! 

We did have a pretty fun week 8, mostly because we spent Saturday celebrating Josh & I’s anniversary.  You can read all about it on the other blog, but I thought I’d post a few pics from Miss Audrey’s perspective on the walk! :)

 

Her first time in the carrier… she’s still pretty little for it! :)  But she didn’t seem to mind being snuggled up to Daddy, despite the 80 degree day! 

 

See, she can breathe! :) 

We did take her out when we stopped for a snack at the cave.  She was pretty relieved to be out of the carrier!

Hanging with Daddy!

Pretty girl!

Other than Saturday, it’s been a pretty normal week around our house.  Audrey is really starting to pack on some weight and look bigger.  Her arms and legs don’t look so skinny, and she’s even got some thigh rolls! :)  I can’t wait until next week when she goes back to the doctor and gets weighed again.  She gained 2 pounds the first 4 weeks, wonder what she’s done this time! 

I did have to clean out her closet for the first time, and take out some clothes that she had actually outgrown!  She’s also just right on the edge of really smiling.  She’s given us a few smiles and half smiles that sure seemed like they were on purpose.  And when she makes eye contact she just looks like she wants to smile.  I imagine she’ll all of a sudden start smiling all of the time… I can’t wait! 

Other than that, not much new with Miss Audrey.  She’s really a great baby.  We’ve had several days in a row that she’s slept until 6:00 in the morning, and that’s been awesome!  She usually goes to bed around 10:30, so 7 1/2 hours is awesome!  Means it’s about time to move her to the crib.  Which will be nice, because the bassinet makes the room so crowded, and the grunting does get old! :)  She doesn’t grunt much during the night, but as she’s starting to wake up she does. 

So that’s about it… this weekend we’re taking Audrey to Silver Dollar City for the first time, and to meet Grandma De & Grandpa Don, so it’ll be an exciting weekend with lots of pictures! :)  Plus, we’re headed to the doctor next Tuesday, so there’ll be an update then, too!  Exciting week for an 8 week old… 

For this week, I’ll leave you with a few adorable sleeping pictures.  Is there anything cuter than a sleeping baby? :)

 

Week 7

Well, week 7 was purposefully UNEVENTFUL!  We spent the weekend hanging out at home, not doing much of anything, which was exactly what we needed! 

So, not much exciting to tell, and not many pictures taken.  Just time spent enjoying family.  I did whip out the camera for a photo shoot when Audrey looked particularly cute one afternoon laying on the couch!  :)  Some of my favs…

Actually awake… she’s bright-eyed a lot more often now.

But, tummy time is hard work, so she had to take a nap!

Sweet baby feet!

Like I said, a wonderfully relaxing week for all of us, including Miss A!  She is starting to “talk” or at least make noises that aren’t actually crying or grunting.  She still DEFINITELY is the loudest sleeper I’ve ever met.  She sleeps pretty good the first half of the night, but after I feed her in the middle of the night she spends the rest of the night just grunting and groaning.  The only way we get any sleep is to put her bassinet out in the hall after I feed her.  Feels kind of wrong to wheel her out in the hall and shut the door, but Mommy (and Daddy) gotta sleep!!  Plus, we can still hear her if she cries, but she doesn’t keep us awake with her Hulk impression!  She is actually a pretty good sleeper, she even slept all the way until 6:30 one morning!  Mostly she sleeps until 4 or 4:30.  And goes back to sleep until 8:30 or 9:00.  So, that’s pretty good for a newborn! :)

Other things I’ve noticed this week about Miss Audrey- she is starting to not curl her toes around my my finger if I put it on her foot, which is kind of sad, ‘cause that’s such a cute thing!  She’s had a lot of dry skin since she was born, and it has finally started to clear up.  And I’ve noticed that I think her eyes are starting to change color.  I don’t think she’ll keep her blue eyes!  She has started really taking a binky, which is nice. 

Being a mom of two is actually really fun… it takes longer to get us out of the house (between getting them and me dressed, and feeding Audrey at the last minute it’s like 45 minutes!), but both girls are really good when we’re out.  Laney really likes being a big sister (despite what last week’s picture of her feeding Audrey would suggest).  And we really love both of our girls! 

We have decided to take Audrey out to Cannery Row Preschool, where Laney goes.  We were going to take her to CLDC, where Laney started, because it’s right next door to my office and I can walk over and nurse.  But, well, I like Cannery Row better… I’m just more comfortable with the owner, and with the teachers.  Since Audrey’s going to be older, and since I’m home so much longer, I don’t think I’ll have trouble keeping my milk supply up, which was the main motivation for being able to feed Audrey at lunch.  I have been pumping since she was born, so I already have a couple of weeks’ supply built up.  In the end, I just felt like it was more important to be comfortable with the teachers than to get to see Audrey in the middle of the day.  Plus, it’s way more convenient to only drop off at one daycare!

So, that’s about it from here… Josh & I are celebrating our 6 year anniversary this weekend, so we’re taking the girls hiking before sending them with Grandma & Grandpa & Ruthie while we go on a date!  Should be fun!  And I’ll leave you with this picture of Audrey from the church garage sale: 

Still a little small for a bumbo, but isn’t she great at holding up her head!!  She’s definitely getting bigger… although her legs look pretty scrawny sticking out like that! :)

Six Weeks!!

I absolutely cannot believe that Miss Audrey is 6 weeks old!  It seems like time has just flown with her.  I was thinking yesterday that, if it was Elena, I would have to go back to week this coming Monday.  I’m not sure how I did it, because I can’t imagine leaving this little one!  So glad I still have over 2 more months to be home with her!

We’ve had a really good week, it was actually a little calmer around here… at least calmer for us!  The big development for Audrey was learning to drink from a bottle!  I have been pumping from the beginning, so I have quite the stockpile of milk, I just didn’t really have a good reason to start teaching her to drink from a bottle.  Well, Friday night, Josh & I wanted to go to a movie after the Improv show, but we didn’t have time to feed Audrey and still make it to the movie on time.  So we kind of threw her and Laney out with Grandma Price, and said “Milk’s in the deep freeze!” (I think this might be part of the mellowing that comes with being parents the second time around).  So Grandma actually got to give Audrey her first bottle!  There aren’t any pictures, but Grandma said she took the bottle like a pro!  And, after giving her one myself this week, I have to say Grandma was right… there was none of the choking, spitting, and “Oh my gosh I’m drowning” thrashing that I remember with Laney’s first bottles.  I don’t know if it’s because Audrey is just that much more mellow than Laney, or we started her off with the bottles that we found were best with Laney- which took a few trials to find!  Probably a combination of both!  Either way, she’s really good at it.  We probably won’t give her bottles very often, but at least now I can go to Sunday School and church on Sunday mornings!

And on to what you’re really here for… PICTURES! :)

Is there really anything sweeter than a sleeping baby?!

She’s not so good at tummy time… she always falls asleep!

  

Despite all of the sleeping pictures, she is really getting to be awake and bright-eyed more and more now.  She really makes eye contact, and follows you around the room.  It’s cool to see her actually connect with the people around her.  CANNOT WAIT for the first time she looks at us and smiles on purpose!

Until then, I’ll have to keep trying to catch faces like this on the camera: 

I know the expression isn’t on purpose, but it is so funny!!

 

Sleeping again… tummy time is so exhausting!

My favorite… the bird face, or the whistling face!

 

Daddy actually got some evenings home this week, and had fun bonding with all of his girls.  Notice the dog sniffing the swing in the background!  Isabelle seems to be accepting the new addition pretty well, just very curious!  Babies smell funny, you know!

The second bottle… Mom mentioned that Laney wanted to help with the first one, but waited too long to ask and Audrey was already done.  So I let her help with the second one.  She wasn’t too interested this time, but she at least played long enough to snap a few pictures!

See, Audrey is a pro already! :)

I’ve started giving her baths in the sink in the bathroom.  It just seems like such a waste of water to even just fill up the baby tub.  Plus, this way I can give both girls a bath at once!  I get the feeling that someday we will be shocked she even fit in the sink like this!

So that was the exciting week 6!  We sure love our girls!  Audrey is doing pretty well sleeping, one night this week she actually slept all the way until 6:30!!  Not a normal occurrence, though, she typically wakes up around 4 or 4:30.  Good nights she sleeps until 5:30, not so good nights she’s up at 3:30.  So, a pretty good sleeper, all things considered, but I am definitely yearning for 8 hours of consecutive sleep!  Laney started sleeping through the night around 8 or 10 weeks… here’s hoping Audrey does the same! 

Week 5

Wow, so I have almost no pictures from week 5… we didn’t do too much exciting, except go to Mom & Dad’s to celebrate my birthday.  Other than that, there’s been a lot of hanging around the house.  We did take a trip to the park last Friday with Laney; we managed to sneak it in during the morning, before the storms rolled in.  But, since a trip to the park for Audrey mostly consists of this:

 

there are only so many pictures to take of her! :)  Although, that is a pretty cute one… they just get boring!

Audrey did have an important first for my little girls- her first softball game!!  On Thursday the two girls & I headed to the fields to watch Grandpa, Uncle Charlie, Corey & James play (yes, Grandpa is playing softball again!).  I think it was actually Laney’s first trip to a softball game, too, and she loved it.  She didn’t really understand why she couldn’t go on the field, though.  So that led to some fit-throwing!  Audrey didn’t notice much of the game… mostly, she noticed it was bright and windy!  She wasn’t sure what to do with the wind, she just kept licking her lips and her mouth and tongue was constantly going.  Pretty cute!

 

We’re continuing to learn about this little girl’s personality, and it is definitely different from Laney’s!  Laney was loud, pretty much from the start.  Audrey is loud in a different way- she grunts!  Constantly… and I don’t mean petite little grunts like she’s stretching.  I mean major grunts and groans and noises I didn’t know could come from a baby that small!  It’s not so bad, except during the night.  She usually is pretty quiet until I feed her (typically around 4:30), but after that she grunts and groans and keeps Josh and I both awake.  Thinking it won’t be too long before she moves to the crib!  I think big sis could sleep through the noises better than Mommy & Daddy!

But, lest you think Miss Audrey never cries (she cried very little at first) she has definitely learned how to get attention when she feels she deserves it! :)  Particularly if she thinks it’s time to eat:

She wanted to eat… I gave her a bath.  She was not pleased, and even less happy when I didn’t dress her right away!

Totally abused… she has the meanest mommy ever!

The good news is she’s started occasionally taking the binky (like when she’s hungry) so that has bought us a little flexibility!

We also went to the doctor’s this week for a check up.  I was excited to go because I wanted to see how much she weighed.  In the last week or so I’ve looked at her and thought “Wow, she’s getting bigger!”  She’s started having thigh rolls and a double chin (clearly- see above).   So her stats:

Height- 20 inches (10th percentile)
Weight- 8 lbs 4 oz (25th percentile)
Head circumference- 14 1/2 inches (50th percentile)

So, like her big sister- she is short with a big head! :)  I couldn’t believe she gained 2 pounds in 4 weeks!  Guess all that eating she’s doing is paying off!  She is still a little smaller than Laney- at 5 weeks Laney was 8 lbs, 13 oz & 20 7/8 inches... but oh well!  Other than that, Dr. Garb said she looked really good.  He actually just said “Keep doing what you’re doing.”  That was just really reassuring to hear.  I know we’ve done this before with Laney, but I’ve forgotten a lot, so it’s nice to hear that she’s doing so well. 

Up next week: learning to drink from a bottle!  I’m sure there will be funny pictures from that!    Until then, a cute pic of the sisters: