Audrey, 9 months: Predictions and Observations

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that my nine-month old baby has her own personality. She is nothing like her brother and sister.

Let me elaborate.

I have made the observation already that Audrey is mischeivous and stubborn. At five months old, she figured out how to twist her way out of the baby swing and climb out of the bumbo. And at 8 months old, she flipped herself out of the excersaucer. If left alone too long, she will twist out of her buckles in the high chair and stroller. Neither of the other kids did that. Does this mean she will be climbing out of her crib at eighteen months?

Her latest trick is pushing her legs against the kitchen table during mealtime. This means that she either tips her chair back, or pushes the table away. It is only a matter of time before she tips her chair all the way over!

Audrey is opinionated and outspoken. If she doesn't want to do something, then doggone it, she will simply not do it. She went on strike last month while cutting her first two teeth, in which she refused to nurse, take a bottle, take a binky, or take a nap. There was a lot of tears involved in this, and not just from her. Sleeping at church is out of the question. She cries instantly when I put her in the playpen, or (heaven forbid!) leave the room. She is very social and does not like to be alone. I'm sure this has something to do with being the third and never having been alone to begin with!

Don't get me wrong, she is a very sweet baby, and generally eats and naps very well. She is (finally!) sleeping 10 hours at night. When her needs are met she is a charm and full of smiles! But if she is not feeling well, and if the circumstances are not perfect for sleeping (like, being in her own bed...) she will make sure everyone knows about it.

Developmentally she is right on track. Yesterday she weighed in at nearly 17 pounds. She is a very fast crawler and is pulling herself up. She uses the pincher grasp for picking things up, she can wave and clap (so cute!) and she reaches for mom and dad. She knows the signs for milk and more. She says MaMa, NaNa, LaLa, BaBa, and Ga, but her favorite is DaDa. Another favorite noise to make is a throaty two-tone growl, which she employs constantly. (I'm trying to get this on video...) Audrey loves taking a bath in the big tub. She loves to crawl around, and spashes like there's no tomorrow! She loves peek-a-boo, and is starting to pull the blanket on and off her face by herself during the game.

She has very delicate features. Her face is round and smooth and her eyes are wide and full of life. She has dainty features, with her long curly lashes, and a sweet, contaigious smile. While her hair doesn't stick straight up anymore, it is still quite long and reaches all the way to her eyes. It is still soft like feathers. She smiles when I blow my breath on her forehead.

Oh, how I adore this little girl!

Playpen

So far everyone is getting along. And the big kids seem to be enjoying the baby toys.

Da Da

Audrey, 8 months old.

See and believe

In case you needed proof that my six-month old is crawling.

How did she get to be six months already?

And as Audrey is about to get her first tooth, Leah is about to lose her first tooth!

Inchworm

I blinked, and now my not-yet-five-month-old baby is trying to crawl. I am not prepared for this development. See for yourself: she has the legs figured out, so its only a matter of time until she pushes off with her arms and then never stops. She wants to go places, thats for sure. Is it normal for babies to crawl before they can even sit up by themselves?

Some close-ups of those irresistible baby cheeks and afro-hair. She is generous with her smiles! Coming soon--teeth! And solid foods! Won't that be fun!? (Does it seem to anyone else that this baby is growing up too fast...?)

Perhaps only the Grandmas will truly appreciate all four minutes of the baby-trying-to-crawl video.

"Eventually" has come--Audrey at three months

Daily checklist:

1. Sleep
2. Cry
3. Eat
4. Poop
5. Spit up
6. Smile!

7. Repeat.

Audrey is such a sweetheart. She is getting better at sleeping most of the night. She can hold up her head for a little while, loves tummy time, and she can accidentally roll from her front to her back. Chris is an expert at tickling her and getting her to laugh. "A smile behind every binkie" is what he says, and it is true! We get the greatest comments on her awesome hair--if I had a nickle... She can wiggle 360 degrees around and get herself stuck in the bassinette-time to move to the crib!

I finally bit the bullet and moved Leah and Samuel to the basement and put up the crib in the upstairs bedroom, which is now the baby's room! (She has previously resided in the living room her whole life!) It was a big project to rearrange all the bedrooms--the basement has actually been a work in progress for several months, involving moving the weight room and reallocating all the rooms and closets in the basement. But now that everything is in its place, it is so nice to have a nursery with crib, rocking chair and changing table all in one place.

Leah and Samuel are having a blast with their baby sister. She recognizes their faces and instantly grins. Thery are very protective. They always tell random people (cashiers, waitresses, people at the front door...) all about their baby sister-her name, how old she is, that she spits up a lot, etc. It is quite entertaining. We are so glad she is part of our family!

And a video!

Audrey's Baby Blessing

Audrey was given a priesthood blessing by her dad in church on Sunday, July 3. One of my favorite parts of the blessing was when Chris blessed her to be "physically and spiritually triumphant." It was a special day for all of us! We were very blessed to have family and friends join us for the occasion: Grandpa and Grandma, the Stansfields, the Coombs, Aunt Sue and Uncle Jess, Aunt Janet and Uncle Grant. Audrey was so beautiful in the little green dress that I wore for my baby blessing nearly 28 years ago. (Can you tell who is who?)

Momnesia

I think I lost brain cells giving birth.

This week I have said the following stupid things:

• I can't remember lunch.


• Where did I put the baby?


• Go left. I mean right. Which way is right?


• Was he naked when you got here?


• Did I pee today?

Audrey's First Week

Audrey is now 9 days old, and my mom is leaving today--the nerve! Mom has done wonderfully taking care of us--she has successfully proved herself and will have her Grandma License renewed in full for another year. She has done the yardwork, the laundry, the cooking, the dishes, the breakfast shift, the mending, the window washing, and so much more. I have been able to get naps when I needed it. It has been so nice to have her here. Tomorrow Chris will go to work for 10 hours and I will be the one in charge of all of us! That will be interesting...

The first couple days were impossibly exhausting for me, having had a physically demanding delivery and being expected to feed a hungry baby constantly with...nothing! for 3 days.

Now that the pump works, Audrey is a wonderful baby. She is an excellent nurser, although she thinks that if she is awake, she needs to also be eating. Otherwise she wants to be asleep--we took her with us on some errands to get her to have some awake time, afraid that if she were to sleep all day it would consequently result in being awake all night. She slept completely through all of her public appearances! The store, the baby carrier, the carseat, the park...she slept through it all. I am teaching her from the start that I will not be a human pacifier and that I intend to get sleep at night, thank you very much. When fully fed, she will sleep for 3-4 hours at a time in the night, which is delightful. Should I worry that it won't last? What if I become accustomed to four hour sleep segments, only to have my baby suddenly revert back to nocturnal again? Ahhh!

Audrey has already projectile pooped on me, resulting in a wardrobe change for the both of us. That was gross. And after nursing, she promptly falls into a delirious, drunken partial sleep in which her eyes flutter, she spontaneously smiles, and she drools milk. Priceless.

Having a baby in the Spring has been a dramatic and much needed contrast from my first two winter babies. I have been able to get out of the house--it has been so nice to get sunlight, go on a walk, sit in the grass, not having to worry about wind and snow and bundling up in layers. And I want to get out of the house! Knowing that I am predisposed to depression has also prepared me better--I know what I can handle and what I can't; when to say yes and when to say no; what will help me feel human and what will make me want to hide in a dark cave. (Trying to avoid the urge to hide in a cave this time around...) Even so, with my well-behaved kids and my peaceful baby, and my supportive husband and my mom here to help, I am still exhausted--my entire body hurts and my emotional core is particularly tender. But that's just part of the package.

Here are some photo highlights of Audrey's first week on Earth.

What I got for Mother's Day

This!

Meet Audrey Margaret! Born: May 6, 2011.
7 lbs 10 oz, 20 inches.

Chris, my awesome nurse Allie, and Flavia de Luce kept me company all day. Labor and delivery seemed eternal and were exhausting, with Audrey to blame for coming out face first. Ouch. (for me, not her.) It was especially hard to be nauseated the whole time. I threw up no less than four times in the process.

Narcotics don't seem to agree with me, so I was up all night itching instead of sleeping, doing things like vowing never again to eat orange jello, looking up Audrey Hepburn movies I need to watch, and researching the famous people that share a birthday with my baby girl. Notables include Sigmund Freud, Orson Welles, and George Clooney. In case you wanted to know.

Grandma is hard at work cutting the big kids' hair, washing dishes, and truly earning her grandma license, and she's only been here a matter of hours. Now time for me to get some sleep.

Baby Sister, 33 weeks

Here are some pictures of Baby Sister at 33 weeks (last week). She measured about a week big, and if I remember correctly, that happened with my other pregnancies, and by delivery time they measured a week small. The doctor said she is about 4 1/2 pounds. I can't wait to meet her!

So far, we still haven't decided on what her name is. I like a lot of little girl names, but I just don't know which one is right! I am hoping that I will know the minute I look at her cute little face. Every day, I have a different favorite name. This week I have cycled through: Abbie Rae, Lexie, Gracie Margaret, and Margaret Hannah. Chris is kind of tired of my baby naming indecision, and is now saying "Yes, honey, that sounds great!" to everything I come up with. Who knows what we will end up with! Plus, I am still holding on to a sliver of hope that she could be blond, and that will definately affect what her name is, don't you think?

In the face picture, it looks like there are some bubbles under her chin, which I at first thought were hands, but they are the umbilical cord. Cool, huh?

Criteria

It's kind of like a quiz. To see what baby names you can come up with that fit my criteria.

1. Traditional but not too popular. And not made up. And it has to be spelled normally, like you could find it on a license plate keychain.

2. Our first two have biblical names that are two syllables. That works, but is not a requirement. Obviously we are not doing the same first initial for everyone; that's not my style.

3. It has to work with our last name and our other kids names. I've had perfect strangers advise me not to name any of our children Richard. I think I'm smart enough to know that. And I'm even going to make sure their initials don't spell something weird.

4. It has to be gender specific. That rules out Taylor and Jordan (and many others).

5. And I have to like it. So even though the name Jared fits the criteria, it makes me think of the Subway guy.

Everyone has a right to name their kid whatever they want, so of course I don't intend to offend anyone. These are my personal preferences for my kids.

Can you think of baby names that fit these criteria? Hopefully you will think of some that I haven't thought of yet. And vote on the sidebar on what you think it will be, a boy or a girl. We will probably find out the baby's gender some time after Christmas.

The twins club

I can't believe I've kept my pregnancy a secret for so long, but it's finally time to share the news!

With Carl and Lala having twins first, followed by us about 2 months later, this brings Grandma and Grandpa's grandkid total from 5 to 9! AHHH! I'm so excited!

All about Bobo

Bobo is a friendly baby monkey in Jez Alborough's picture book "Hug". We affectionately call Samuel "Bobo" because he acts like a monkey and gives the best hugs.

Here's some pictures of the little guy. He is such a sweet heart. He gives the best hugs, talks constantly (in sentances!), sleeps well at night and still takes an afternoon nap, loves milk and stuffed animals and baths, can count and a-b-c, and smiles constantly with those adorable dimples...you get the idea. We love our Bobo!

Last week we had strawberry smoothies for dessert. With straws (a real novelty!). Samuel kept picking up his cup and trying to drink it like water, but it was too thick. Then as soon as I looked away, he picked up his cup and smoothie dropped onto his face. He had smoothie all over his shirt, in he eyelashes, ears, nostrils, etc. It was so pathetic. I was too sad for him and the smoothie was just too cold for me to take a picture before cleaning him up. He was a good sport and recovered quickly.

One time the kids were playing in the backyard with ice cream cones. I took Leah inside to go to the bathroom and when I came back out a few minutes later, Samuel had apprently lost the scoop of ice cream from the top of his cone. Being a good sport, instead of crying about it, he left the ice cream in the grass and proceeded to play in the sandbox, using his empty cone as a scooper. Very resourceful!

Halloween Preview

Here's Cruella and baby Dalmation.

More pictures to come!

The Folly of Youth: Why Ignorance is NOT Bliss

Okay, here is just one example.

When we were newlyweds living in a BYU married student ward (with so few children that there was no Primary or Nursery), I had the opportunity to babysit a little boy. We'll call him Chip. He was younger than my Samuel is now, so about 8 months old, and if I remember correctly, he didn't have any teeth yet.

Well this is what I was given to feed Chip during my 2 hour babysitting stint: a banana and some rice cereal (no big deal).

And a tuna sandwich.

Did I mention that this little boy had no teeth?

Being a childless and ignorant 20 year old, I had no idea what to feed a baby, nor did I have a box of Cheerios stashed away at the back of the cabinet. But I could tell that a tuna sandwich was an unusual menu item. I could also tell that Chip was not happy. He tried and tried to eat that tuna sandwich, gumming it for 30 minutes until he had finally eaten half of it. Based on his determination and long suffering, I'm comfortable assuming that this was not the first time he had been given a tuna sandwich. But boy, was he grumpy about it.

Chris had been present when Chip was dropped off by his mom, and was witness to my sheer excitement at having a "trial run" at the baby business. He stopped back in briefly after an hour and found me, most likely in tears, rocking and bouncing and swooping the little guy to get him to stop crying and go to sleep (since he had already eaten his tuna sandwich). By the end of my 2-hours when Chip had gone home, Chris came home again only to find me fast asleep on the couch, completely exhausted. He decidedly announced that we weren't having any babies yet, and teased me for my naive longing for a baby of my own.

Ah, the advantage of hindsight. That day I was just as clueless as Chip's mom. Poor baby. Poor mom. At least I could tell that he was not happy with a tuna sandwich for lunch.

In case you are wondering, here is a website that gives some good guidelines about what to feed an 8 month old. I don't see any mention of tuna or sandwiches.

After all these years, finally coming out of the closet

They have been hiding in the back of my closet for 3 1/2 years (in which I have moved twice). I just couldn't bring myself to part with them, hoping against hope that someday I could again wear them proudly. I have longingly gazed upon their well-worn seams and subtle wash, even trying them on ocassionally only to be disappointed. At times I feared I would never wear them again.

Today was the day. Yes, you heard me right. I am wearing my pre-pregnancy jeans. Pre-Leah-pregnancy jeans.

And they look dang good.

Picture a September