"Butterflies and Sweetness"

Audrey loves her baby sister.  

She loves that I call them Big Sissy and Little Sissy.

She loves to give Tessa big wet kisses on her super chubby cheeks.

I love that they have each other and always will.

One night, a few weeks back, after I had given Tessa her bath and gotten her all lotioned up and in her jammies, I was rocking her.  Audrey came running in after her bath and said, "can I smell her Mommy?", I said "sure".  Audrey sniffed her head and said "Oh! She smells like butterflies and sweetness."  

Now I am pretty sure that is the sweetest thing a Big Sissy can say about a Little Sissy.:)  It melted my heart and, well, it's true!  That baby girl does smell like butterflies and sweetness.  Well put, my sweet Audrey!

some silliness

Driving to church this morning there was an Oldsmobile Sedan in front of us.
 Audrey : " I wish we had a car like that"
 Me: "you do?  I like the Volvo"
 Audrey:  "we should get another car, the Volvo needs a friend, you can get them at the Walmart"

:)  Funny girl!

She opened a new baby doll that was given to her as a big sister present and as she runs through the house to show Patrick, she says..."Daddy! Look at my new baby!!! She just came out of my belly!"
He asked what her name was and she said "Lanna Shanna".
The girl is hilarious!  She comes up with crazy names for her baby dolls, but very basic names for her stuffed animals...
piggy, bear, doggie, etc.
:)

Favorite Things She Says

Lately, Audrey has started saying some of the sweetest things.....I never want to forget her at this age, or any age, for that matter.  And while she has her share of 2 1/2 year old flip outs (hold onto your hats people!), I am holding onto these sweet utterings she dishes out to her Daddy and I. 

"Mommy, I'm going to really miss you"  (laying her head on me and snuggling up when I drop her off or leave for work).

Last night, as soon as Daddy came home, "Daddy I missed you".  Then a little later, while hugging his face to her chest, she says, "I really love you, you're my best Daddy".

"I want it to be saturday!"
"Hooray for Saturday!"....quoting jammies that she has. 

In the car, "where is the Zoo Mountain Star?, I really want to see it!"

Waking up from nap, the first thing she says always intrigues me.....for instance:
"I need a carrot!"
"Can I go say hello to Vivian?"
"Can I have some brocolli?"
and the one that is most often said, "Can I go see Daddy?"

Learning new words

Audrey has learned the word dissappointed - and is using it correctly.
She said to me on Saturday at snack
"Mommy, I am dissappointed."
"In what honey?"
"About the stringy-ness of my banana."
Me.............stiffling a laugh.................."let me just peel them off for you then"
"thanks Mom."

THAT cracks me up!


Later in the day, when we came in for nap
"I'm dissappointed that I can't go back outside."
"We can go back out after nap though."
"But I am still dissappointed."

Thought this was hilarious...
Audrey loves to read the comics with Patrick and will point to the ones she wants him to read to her. Sometimes he reads what's there and sometimes he makes up his own words to go with the pictures, which can also be very entertaining!
This morning on my way to work, I was on the phone with him, and she was in the background saying "Daddy....Daddy....read the round one again!!!" (she meant the family circus)

16 week appt.

I had my 16 week appointment yesterday and I will be 17 weeks pregnant tomorrow.
It was a good appointment and all looked good with the baby and me. I have gained almost 4 pounds total, my blood pressure was perfect, the babies heartbeat was in the 150's...perfect....and my bump was measuring right on track. I talked to him a bit about my leg and vain pain and he checked, said he felt no knots or issues like that and encouraged me to wear my compression stockings and drink more water. I already visit the bathroom every 30 minutes, it seems, so I figure if I up my water intake even more, I will have to begin conducting my classes from right outside the bathroom door! I asked my doc about a quick gender check, which he was happy to do, but alas, baby Harmon was not cooperative. We did get to see lots of flips, rolls, sweet face shots, soccer kicks, good looks at the spine and arms waving.....but NO booty shot. He or she was just moving too much to be able to tell. So, we will find out March 2nd....my brothers birthday! whether this littlest bit is a boy or a girl. That is also when they will do the detail ultrasound to check for proper development and presence of all the organs....super important part!!! Way more important than what's between those legs!
I am feeling definite movements these days and I love the feeling and reassurance that our littlest bit is doing well in there. I usually only feel movements in the evenings, after I have put Audrey to bed and finally nestled into my place on the sofa, but occasionally I will feel flips and rolls during the day. 3 more weeks and we will be half way to my due date.
I have a few friends who are due in the same month as I am, so we are having fun comparing baby bumps and pregnancy symptoms.
Audrey is growing more attached to my bump and will randomly stop in the middle of us reading a book or fixing dinner to hug ("uhhhh" she says while hugging...as if to express the power of her hug better) and kiss the baby. Last night after bath, Patrick, Audrey and I were sitting on the couch reading books. She handed Daddy a book to read and says "Daddy, you read this one, you a good reader". After he read his book, she handed me one and said "Mommy read this one...cause you a good reader too". I said "thank you. this is our last book, then it's time to go to sleep". I started reading the first page and she stopped me, raised up shirt and said "you hear that baby, this is the last book before night night!", gave the baby a hug, then asked me to keep reading.
She's a big sister already!

Audrey knows the word trapezoid and can identify the shape, only when she says it, she actually says, "crapazoid". It cracks me up every time! I know it's immature....but it's so so funny.

She has also been regularly using the following words....correctly, in fact:
Reflection
Investigate "I am investigating it mom!"

She wanted me to call her Dr. Harmon yesterday while she used her Bitty Baby Better Kit to check my vitals then state that I would need a shot! Dr. Harmon gave me a good once over, then proceeded to run circles around the coffee table.

Mom said she woke up from nap yesterday and she listened to her over the monitor. She sang, talked to her babies and stuffed friends before belting out "what the heck!!!??? what is going on here!?". We don't know what she was referring too, and we don't encourage that language, but what a trip! The girl never ceases to make us laugh!

We were playing with some wooden blocks and she was making herself a little pile of triangles and sees one I have on my tower and says, "can add this one to my collection?" .... yes, of course you can! so sweet.

She is learning to ride her tricycle and is really doing well. She does great for about 4 or 5 yards, then needs a reminder to watch where she is going, pedal your feet....right left right left. We have been so lucky to have some really beautiful weather lately. It was 70 degrees yesterday! 70! On January 31! We spent time riding her trike, playing with the neighbors, playing on her little playground, and drawing all over the driveway with chalk. Honestly....I would be fine if it just stayed like this and Spring came right on in! I really wanted some snow....aka....snowdays off from school! but I am not complaining about the shining sun and option to head outside. I am even getting antsy to start working in my flower beds and get new annuals for my pots! I already have bulbs popping up! We'll see what the groundhog "says" tomorrow!

Things she says...

"vanillo" = vanilla
"my baby is kicking".....looking at her belly
"you have a boy baby in your belly and I have a girl baby in mine Mommy"
"pell my tinky feet" =smell my stinky feet. and if you tell they smell good, she says "no!, they tinky!!!"
"Ohhhhhwa" .....when she's disappointed about something
"but I really want to!" ....this one usually follows the "ohhhhhwa!"
"I want to do it".......she wants to do most everything by herself, from getting in the car seat to climbing onto and into her bed.

She loves to roll play and will say she is someone and then assign you someone to be. Hilarious!

She can climb into her crib and thinks it's the greatest thing ever. She will say "watch me!", do it then say "you see that? I did it!"....oh mercy, it's nearing time for a toddler bed. She has yet to climb/fall out of it, but she climbs up like a monkey in there and it's only a matter of time before she gets brave enough!

She also climbs onto the kitchen counter by scaling the drawer handles. We have a monkey on our hands! I have walked in there before and she's on the counter eating something, or trying to open a package. Crazy girl!:)

Some good advice from my 2 year old

I'm singing Audrey this little made up song while she's in the bathtub and, rather proud of my musical abilities I say...
"That is some good singing, I need to go on the road!"

Audrey: "NO Mommy! Don't go in the road....there are cars on the road! You have to be very careful when you go in the road."

Gotta love it!:) It's still cracking me up!

I've been drying Audrey's hair at night before bed, which she isn't a fan of. The other night she said "No Mommy, no! Don't dry my hair. It makes me hairy.........in my face!"

I guess it's because I am her Mom, but she is so darn funny!

at two.....

Audrey is:
-24 lbs.
-her hair is getting so so long and she likes picking out her bows.
-she likes to hold her hair, and mine, when it's windy outside so our hair doesn't get messed up.
-she loves to build! duplos, wooden blocks, mega blocks, stacking cups...she's our little architect
-she loves animals and learning about them and playing with small replicas of them. She also loves playing zoo.
-she loves babies and now says she's their Mommy. She's sweet with them and will say....
"awww.....little baby, you so cuuuuuute", "whasa matter little cutie?" all the while making this sweet little scrunched up face of love at them.
-loves loves loves playdoh, painting, coloring and all things crafty and artistic! Mommy's girl!
-enjoys riding on Daddy's back and asks him to multiple times a day. It's her preferred means of travel!:)
-loves books and always asks to "read nother one!!!"
-has lately, when Patrick and I are having a conversation or talking on the phone she'll say "What are you guys talking bout?" Cracks us up!
-Also while Patrick and I are talking, especially at dinner and we laugh at something, she covers her mouth and pretends that she thinks what we said was funny too, and does this little pretend laugh. :)
-Still loves fruits and veggies and exists mainly on them.....though she has definitely inherited her Daddy's sweet tooth. The girl loves candy and will do nearly anything for a gummy bear or a lollipop(dumdum).
-loves her cousin and her friends. She'll talk about playing with them all the time.
-enjoys singing and dancing and fully expects everyone to get up and dance with her...she insists!
-loves her music class and story time at the Library.
-loves to spin...the thrill she gets from spinning around...it's dizzying!
-enjoys puzzles
-loves baths with Mommy
-has a ton of loveys, including: her Mimi's, "soft blankey" as she calls it. It has the satin on one side and minky in the other, her "lemon blankey", the one I made her at the beginning of summer this year, and Bear, who has had a post all his own. She has quite the entourage when getting out of bed in the mornings and after nap.
-thinks if anything is broken or torn, Mommy can fix it. She is always saying "Mommy can sew it" or "Mommy has tape....tape it Mommy".
-is funny, beautiful and full of LOVE and LIFE!

Is it possible that we love her even more now than we did 2 years ago when she was placed in our arms!? Somehow we do. She brings us such joy and laughter. Thank you God for this gift!

and I quote.....

"It's beeutiful", "I made it for you!, Have it!"

"Mommy, you draw me a cow?"

Daddy: "Audrey, what do you think is a blessing?" Audrey:"Um, God." (big smiles from Mommy and Daddy:))

Holding up her shirt to show her belly
"Get your sugar!"

"Mmm, it good"

Driving in the truck on our way home from the land.....

"I have baby Lucy.....in my belly" (Lucy is what Audrey is calling her new baby cousin, we're not sure if this is her official name or not yet, but Audrey thinks it is!) Patrick says: "You mean Aunt Julie Ann has baby Lucy in her belly" "NO, I have baby Lucy, in MY belly"

After eating chicken 'n biscuits (one of my fav. things to make).... "It was pretty good!"

Funny Words

Time flies!
I find myself forgetting little things, how old Audrey was when she did certain things, the way she sounded when she first started talking, stuff like that.
It makes my heart hurt to think that I might actually not remember how she says certain words right now, or some of the silly things she says and does.
Life is busy, and while I do live in the moment and totally enjoy listening to her talk and taking in the ways she phrases things, I find myself, just hours later forgetting exactly what she said sometimes!
So, I am making an effort to record, here on my blog, Audrey's funny sayings, grammer, pronunciation and silly little nuances that make her, her. And even though it will be only typed words, and I won't always be able to get the inflection just right....I'm hoping it will jog my memory later and I'll be able to remember these precious moments, that are all too fleeting.

• "Cawberries" (Strawberries)...:) love to hear her say it! It just makes me smile everytime



• "Pell It" (smell it!)



• The way she puts on chapstick. She sees me with it and in a whiny voice says " I need some!!!", then "I do by myself".....then she puts in on all loopy, hitting pretty much anything but her lips!:)



• "You read me a book?"



• After nap or first thing in the morning when I pick her up from her bed, "hold me, go in living room" or "go in there" (pointing to the living room) where she then asks to read a book:)



• "I don't need to go pee pee, I already went with Daddy" (when Daddy hasn't been home since that morning!) ha