1st Christmas

Audrey's first Christmas was good however very exhausting, at least for Mike and I. She didn't sleep very well Christmas Eve night which we though was just another round of teething issues (...or the excitement for Santa coming) however it turns out she was coming down with a tiny little cold that Mom got as well. She was still a champ most of Christmas Day though. We opened up some presents at 6:30am and finally finished that by 10:00am ...and no, thats not because we spoiled her that much but because we had to pause a lot to eat, nap, change diapers, or whatever else came up. She was still more interested in the wrapping paper, cards, bows or cardboards box than the actual gift itself however once that was all out of the way I think she finally took a liking to all her new toys. After all that we headed over to Aunt Sara and Uncle Dave's for Christmas dinner which was really nice once we got the pac n play, booster seat, diaper bag, food and presents unloaded from the SUV (how do people do it with a car)! Then, after just four short hours Audrey insisted it was time to go home because it was past her bedtime! So Christmas was over just like that. We were home and Audrey was sound asleep in her own bed (crib) by 6:30pm! Twelve hours had come and gone in what felt like a matter of minutes! Jeesh ...I can't wait 'til next year!

Thank you to everyone who got her some new toys and clothes! She sure is starting to take over just about every inch of our home. Thank you to Grandma Nelson for the Christmas outfit. It sure was a big hit with everyone!

Good News!

Test results are back ...she is Spherocytosis free! Yippee! The doctor said her results confirm that she currently shows no signs of the hereditary gene. It is possible though, as her immune system matures, that she could start to develops some (I wasn't diagnosed with it until I was 2 years old), however he's very optimistic that she'll be healthy this time next year as well. We're optimistic too however we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

She's starting to take a bottle in the afternoon now. It's still somewhat of a battle however I think she's becoming more receptive to it, especially if Mike gives it to her. This is good news because come mid January I will be going back to my previous job full time again. Mike and I have some work to do between now and then, first and foremost finding her a daycare. That's all I'm going to write on this for now because my stomach starts to turn whenever I think about it (...God grant me the strength...)!

I still have a lot of Christmas shopping to do so I'm grateful that tomorrow is Mike's last day at work until after the New Year! Audrey will love spending all that time with her dad too! Merry Christmas everyone!

Presents? Who needs presents when you have the paper?

So if anyone was wondering what to get Audrey for Christmas just go ahead and forget the present and just give her the wrapping paper, she'll be entertained for hours! The above pictures, compliments of Heather Z, were taken at Sammy's 1st birthday party. Sam had a lot of presents to open and Audrey was just happy to sit back and watch as long as she had some wrapping paper to play with. Just a couple of days prior to this I discovered her new found love for paper as I was browsing through a magazine that she just insisted on having. I tore out a page and gave it to her and she was happy as a lark ...and then so was I.

We went to the Hematologist last week to test her for Spherocytosis however we don't get the results back until later this week. The good news though, her hemoglobin levels where normal which is a good indication that she'll test negative (knock on wood) but we still have our fingers crossed.

We've also been very busy this week in trying to master the bottle. I'll tell you what, she is definitely a Taurus, sign of the bull! The first day I gave her the bottle she took it like a champ ...sucked it right down! I was in shock, and I'll admit even a little heart broken, but happy that it went over so easily. Then the next day came and she looked at it like it was the most evil thing she'd ever seen, and that's where we've been for the past three days. She is being so stubborn that she'd rather just skip a meal then to have to drink from a bottle or even a sippy cup. I really wonder what we are in for when she starts going to daycare. Yep, that's right, mom is going back to work full time, hopefully sometime soon within the new year. I'll post more about that when or if the time comes. First things first ...OPERATION: Bottle intake! Stay tuned ;)

Below is a picture, compliments of Krista, of our little snow bunny! She's such a trooper when we feel it's necessary to bundle her up in this cold, cold Michigan weather.

Santa!

Audrey had a little visit today with a jolly old man that we all know and love! That's right, her first visit with Santa! She obviously has a lot of trust in us because she didn't even flinch when Mike just plopped her in the lap of some weird dude with a really long white beard. She looked at him, then looked at us and even smiled at first (mom didn't have the camera ready for the smile and it was gone as fast as it came). We're just so proud that there weren't any tears!

Thankful for Four Generations

Audrey's first Thanksgiving is in the books! Grandma Billie had us over along with GG (great grandma Weil) for a lovely turkey dinner. Aunt Sara and Uncle Dave made a special trip over just to visit with 'lil Miss Audrey before they headed over to his parents house for dinner (...now that she's married we have to share her)! Audrey was in a great mood that day, all smiles, and even took a small nap at Grandma's house! I was very thankful for that ;)

Four Generations:

Grandma Billie:

GG (Great Grandma Weil):

Aunt Sara:

Hello Sippy Cup!

So I thought I would introduce a sippy cup to Audrey with hopes that I might get a break from nursing now and then (...and maybe even help me when it comes time to ween her). As the pictures show she was a bit confused in the beginning but eventually got the hang of it. She became really intrigued with her new toy when she got her first sip of water though!

Silly Girl!

With teething Audrey's toys are 99% of the time in her mouth and well sometimes she just gets too lazy to hold them there! She makes me lol a lot these days!



























December 10th she'll be tested for spherocytosis! She's practically her dad's twin, lets hope she is in this regard too! I'll keep you all posted.

Happy 1/2 Birthday Audrey!

Audrey has already made it through half of her first year and she's growing like a weed! She weighs 19lbs 3oz and is now 26 6/8in long which puts her in the 97th percentile for weight and the 75th percentile for height. Obviously she is getting enough nourishment from nursing however we've started her on solid foods to introduce her to some new flavors. In the morning she has oatmeal with some fruit and in the afternoon we've been experimenting with a mixture of fruits and veggies. So far she likes most of the fruits however I can't say she's a big fan of the veggies yet. Let's just say her gag reflex is in working order.

As the posted video shows she is sitting up all by herself now, with just a little wobble left. The doctor seemed to be really impressed with this and told us that it's time to start baby proofing the house! Even though Audrey shows no interest in rolling over or crawling yet the doctor told us once the back muscles are strong like that it's just a matter of time before they start to become mobile. She's also cut a bottom tooth already and I believe a second one is already on it's way. I realize I have a long wait but I'll be really happy once she's got a full mouth of teeth! Regardless of teething pain though, she's still sleeping really good at night. She typically goes 12 hours with just one quick feed so I can't complain about that. Naps on the other hand are still my worst challenge. Some days I may get lucky and get a 60-90 minute morning nap in but afternoon naps are pretty much nonexistent. A sure fire way to get her to take an afternoon snooze though is by taking her out on errands or for just a quick car ride. There's no way she can resist a comfy nap in her car seat!

This video isn't all that entertaining but for those of you who don't get to see her that much may enjoy seeing this more than those of you who do.

Halloween

Halloween was fun! Audrey was able to play with some friends at the Zeller's house for a couple of hours before bedtime rolled in. There was Sam (Dog) of coarse and then her new friends and Jake (Lion) and Tatym (Flower/Pumpkin). Audrey was a Princess, a costume that her Aunt Heather bought for her months before she was even born! Most people thought she looked more like a ballerina though, which was just fine with her. All the babies deserve a big applause for putting up with us grown ups as we humiliated them with picture after picture ...oh, good times! Audrey however could not keep her eyes open past 6pm so we had to head home early and pass out candy to other little ones in our neighborhood as she slept for the night. I anticipate that next year she'll be able enjoy this holiday just a tad bit more then her first or at least she'll be able to stay up later for it!

Caught on tape!

Finally!

Audrey's New Discovery

You might not find this as amusing as Mike and I did however we tought we'd share it anyway. This is Audrey eating her afternoon cereal which hasn't been anything special up until a few days ago when she's realized how to use her tongue! She's much more enthusastic about it now!

Operation: Cry Out Update

Hi all. Just thought I'd give a little update regarding Audrey's sleeping, or lack thereof. Actually I’m happy to report (knock on wood) that she is doing very well at night. We started the "cry out" method about two weeks ago and surprisingly it went better than we had anticipated it would. If you are a mother (or father) you know how hard it is to hear your child cry and not be able to comfort them however we knew this was something that had to be done in order for her to learn to self soothe. The first night she didn't even cry, just went right to sleep. Of course we were shocked and thought there was no way it was going to be this easy. The next night she proved us right however still not as long as we expected. She cried for 38 minutes before finally falling asleep …we were preparing ourselves for hours of crying! The next night was 16 minutes and from then on it has varied anywhere from 30 seconds to no more than 45 minutes of crying and then she's out for at least 4 - 7 hours before getting up to eat. She usually only gets up once for a feeding however there are times she wakes up at 5am thinking it's time to start our day. For a while I was getting up to feed her and trying to get her to go back down but it wasn't working. That made for really long days! Now I just let her lay there and eventually after talking to herself (she never really cries) for while she puts herself back to sleep until 6 or 7am (Yes, still early but manageable). Now, her naps are a totally different story. If I can get her to take a nap, (that's the challenge) it usually only lasts 30 minutes. On some rare occasions I've gotten an hour or 90 minutes out of her but on average she's just a short catnaper. My hope is that the older she gets the better she'll get at napping ...fingers crossed!
In addition to all that she's also starting to sit up by herself, although for only a few seconds at a time before she tumbles over to her side. She has also rolled over a couple of times however I can't seem to get her to do it on a regular basis ...almost as if she looks at me and says, "No thanks, I'm just fine where I'm at.” She’s also started eating cereal once a day which I think she’s finally starting to enjoy now that she’s really gotten the hang of how a spoon works. She doesn’t really need it though …I think she’s pushing 18lbs however we’ll found out for sure in a couple of weeks when she goes for her 6 month check up. Stay tuned!

Baptisim

On Sunday Audrey marked her fifth month of life and to celebrate we had her baptised at our family Luthern church. She was in such a great mood, thank the Lord, so she didn't seem to mind when the Pastor repeatedly dumped water on her head. Krista and Randy did us the honor of accepting the role of Godparents and there to help us celebrate were her Great-Aunt Joyce and Great-Uncle Ron (my Godparents), Aunt Sara and Uncle Dave, Great Grandma Weil, Grandma and Grandpa Nelson and of coarse her best friend Sarah.

Now at 5 months Audrey has rolled over (just once though) and has discovered new vocals ranging at all volumes (Heather - remember Sam's possesed voice, now Audrey has it). She laughs (and giggles) all the time now and what I love the most is when she buries her head into my neck when she gets shy with new people. We're still struggling with napping and just tonight we started with the "self-soothing" processes. This is only day one of the process that could take us up to two months to accomplish however it will help us all sleep better in the long run once she is able to put herself to sleep. I'll keep you posted on our progress.

Check out those cheeks!

We caught it! A smile on camera! These are very rare to come by so we thought we'd share.

Audrey is approaching 5 months this weekend. We're still struggling with consistent napping and bedtime has recently become a battle now too however we're just taking things one day at a time. Perhaps she's teething however we've yet to see any evidence of one, well aside from the constant drooling that is!

4 Months

September has been a busy month for all of us. In just one month Audrey has experienced her first cold, her first wedding and her very first taste of cereal, not to mention her first photo shoot. Aunt Sara and Uncle Dave tied the knot earlier this month and Audrey got to walk down the isle with her dad (...made me choke up a bit knowing he'll be doing that again some day in the future). Her cousins were in town for the wedding too and I believe her cousin Jackson became very smitten with her. Unfortantely the boys were sick with a mild cold when they arrived so naturally Audrey come down with it as well. It really wasn't that bad though, a couple of stuffy nights then she was back to normal ...strong immune system I guess. Uncle Zach took some really great photos of the three out at his Aunt Kim's Castle (as Jackson calls it). Audrey was Miss Serious as usual although I have to say, within the last few weeks she has lightened up a bit however you'll be lucky to catch it on camera. If you smile at her she'll always smile back and her dad can really work up a giggle session. At her 4 month check up she is now weighing in at 16lbs, 13oz and she's 25in long. The doctor suggested we try some cereal soon so we took the plunge tonight. I think it's safe to say she's not a big fan of rice cereal, but then again who would be. We'll try again and hopefully graduate to better solids soon. Now all we need to work on are naps. She sleeps great at night, usually 11-12 hours getting up once or twice, however she dosen't nap very well. I'm lucky if I can get 15 mins out of her. I'd rather her sleep 8 hours at night and nap more during the day however I've learned that you just can't bargin with a 4 month old. She is who she is and I love her just the same.

Labor Day Weekend

We took our annual Labor Day camping trip this year, Audrey's first of coarse, and I think I can speak for her when I say she loved it. I was a little concerned on how well she would do away from home for some many days but to my surprise she was great! She has out grown her co-sleeper so we were forced to make up a makeshift bed for her in the RV and it worked out really good. I hate to say it but I think she slept better in the RV these past few days then she ever has at home. She even took naps on a sort-of regular basis! Our adventure began Friday when we headed up to a campground just outside of Frankenmuth, MI. We stayed the weekend there, camping with friends, then on Monday we headed further north to visit with Grandma and Grandpa Nelson. Audrey was an absolute angel during the drive too. She slept every time we put her in her car seat and didn't make a peep until we arrived at our destination. Sapphire Lake is where Audrey made her first dip in the water. I'd like to say she loved that too however she really made no reaction to it either way. These days she's all about sucking on her fists ...signs of a tooth coming?!? Perhaps, however we've yet to discover one. Stay tuned.

Mini Mike?!?!

3 Months and growing!

Audrey is offically 3 months now and changing everyday! At her 3 month check up we found that she is now 15lbs and 24in long. Not extremely big or small, just perfect! Her colic is getting much better too, if not completely gone (knock on wood) and she's been napping pretty regularly, at least in the morning, about an hour after she's gotten up. I say it's her way of spending just enough quality time with dad before he heads to work, then she's like, "I'm going back to bed!" Sometimes they're 30 minutes and sometimes they're 3 hours, just depends. She's usually very happy in the early morning, all smiles, but the rest of the day she's a pretty serious baby. Her facial expressions (see photo) sometimes imply that she thinks I'm crazy, but none the less she loves me ...I can tell. She's starting to recognize that Mike and I are her comfort but will occationally take a nap in the arms of a friend, especially if they hold her just right. Aunt Sara saved the day this past weekend while we were camping. Audrey was out of her usual elimate and did not sleep well in the camper. This photo was taken at about 6pm after a long day without one single nap. The poor girl was pooped and pasted out cold on Sara's shoulder. She didn't wake up until 11pm (we rescued Sara though and moved her to her bed) and that was only because I woke her to feed her and go to bed myself. This was only her second camping trip so we're hoping slowly, but surely, she's going to grow to love it as we do. The next trip is planned for Labor Day weekend which will be a 3 night, 4 day trip ...crossing my fingers that goes well. Then we're heading up to Lake City to see Grandma and Grandpa Nelson for a few days before we finally head home at which time her cousins Jackson and Max will be here to play, as the Shea family heads to Michigan for Sara's wedding the following week! Audrey just might sleep for the whole month of October after all this excitement!

Trainees for twins!

The future Mr. and Mrs. Samuel S. Zeller

Sam and Audrey ...match made in Heaven, wouldn't you say?

Bachlorette Party

So last Friday was my first night away from Audrey. I have to admit it really wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be to leave. Don't get me wrong I was so ready to come back after 24 hours away but it was indeed nice to just get away. There were 13 girls that joined us in Put-In-Bay for Sara's Bachlorette party, 3 of which are new moms so we decided to only stay for the one night. We had a really good time starting with a nice dinner on the water, then drinks and dancing followed by beautiful sunshine by the pool the next day.

Mike and Audrey were on there own for the night and they did just fine without me. Audrey was putting up a fuss the week before my departure in regards to taking a bottle from him but we quickly learned that she'll take it with no problems as long as I'm no where to be found. Mike said the night was long (welcome to my world), and went by with very little sleep (...again, welcome to my world) but all was well. I'd like to say that she lit up with excitement when I got home however I'm not really convinced she even knew I was gone. It's okay though, I'd hate to think she'd be misserable without me because there will be many more Daddy/Daugther overnight events still to come!

Funny Business

...Audrey thinks mom looks funny!




















Okay, so she's not quite tall enough yet but she seemed to enjoy it for a brief moment.

11 Weeks

Audrey had a very busy week and unfortunately a tough one at that. A week ago last Friday we were set to take our second camping trip when she woke up with a fever. After a 6 hour visit to the ER we found that she was fighting a Urinary Tract Infection. Doesn't sound like a big deal, as a matter of fact the ER doctor told us that it's pretty common in young females, however our primary pediatrician wanted to dig more into the fact of why she got the infection. She wanted to test Audrey for vesicoureteral reflux which is when urine from the bladder flows back up into the kidneys, hence causing an infection. I was optimistic the whole time, certain she didn't have it however I was wrong. After a very uncomfortable (and painful for mom and dad to watch) procedure involving a small tube inserted in the bladder and x-rays it was found that she does indeed suffer from this condition. At this time there isn't much we can do for her but keep her on an antibiotic for 1 year and hope that within time, as she grows, the problem will fix itself. The good news is that as long as we can keep her infection free this is not painful to Audrey in any way. As a matter of fact, within 24 hours of having her on the antibiotic her fever broke and she was back to herself again. She has an appointment with a Urologist at the end of August so we'll keep you posted on her progress.
Now on to happier times. Audrey is really starting to focus on people, especially Mike and I. Mike can almost get her to giggle at times. She does however smile a lot more now even though she still has her cranky time in the evening. We're hoping that will miraculously disappear once she turns 3 months ...fingers crossed! I've also recently discovered that she likes her mobile now (plays John Lennon's Imgaine) and she's starting to tolerate the swing more but only if it's on the fastest setting. She likes speed ...must of got that from her dad.

Next weekend I'm going away for the first time for Sara's bachlorette weekend. Dad and Audrey are on there own! I'll blog all about it went when I get back ...or maybe I'll have Mike blog about it. I'm sure they'll do just fine together ...I'll probably have a harder time then they will!

I've posted some photos of the smiles I was able to capture ...they're much more precious when you catch them in real life though.

Booger Update

I know it's been a while since our last update but we've been pretty busy around here. Last week my sister Heather came in for my sister Sara's wedding shower. This was the first time Audrey got to meet her Aunt Heather and her cousin Max (cousin Jackson didn't make the trip this time). She was very excited to meet them however her "growth spurt" got the best of her and she sleep most the weekend :( hence the lack of photos. The whole Shea family will be in town in September though for the wedding so we'll be sure to get lots of cousin photos then.

Audrey also went to the doctors last week for her 2 month check up ...and those darn shots :( That was heart breaking however I think she handled it like a trooper. She now weights 12lbs 7oz and is 22 inces long. According to the doc that means she's in the 75-90th percentile for weight and the 50th percentile for height. In essences, she'll be short and fat! No, I'm just kidding however she is filling out quite nicely ...and that's just on breastmilk.

Speaking of breastmilk, we're coming to the home stretch for breastfeeding. I always said I'd give it three months and that's just 2 1/2 weeks away. I'm still going back and forth with it but with all the problems I've had I think it would be wise for me to just throw in the towel however there's something in me that is makeing me second guess that. Perhaps it's the cost of formula! I don't know, but whatever it is I can now see why women breastfeed for year and sometimes beyond. It's a bond that's really hard to give up.

In two weeks I'm leaving Audrey and Mike for the weekend. It's Sara's bachlorette weekend and it will be my first time away (not counting my frequent hospital trips in the begining). I'm really apprehensive about it however I know they'll be just fine without me. Maybe that's what hurts the most ...well, I'll blog about it when I get back.

Happy 4th of July!

Audrey's first Fourth of July and she pratical sleep through the whole thing! She was a trooper tough as we woke early to catch the parade (which went right down our street this year) with the Zellers, took a quick stroll through the Clawson Fair with Uncle Randy and then back home for a BBQ in the backyard. I know she'll enjoy more of all this next year but I have to say she made the day easy for us as she just slept on through! She even went right to bed half way through the fireworks ...yes, in her own crib! It just must of been an exhausting day for her!