Wrapping up 2010

Well I can't say I know where this year went. Here we are and it's December already! Christmas is just 10 days away. I imagine the busier the year is the faster is seems to fly. Our 2010 sure did bring a lot of changes into our lives. We are all so happy in our new home which reminds us every day how lucky we are to have been able to make this change. Not a moment too soon either since the added space is much needed for the growth of our family. Baby Henry will be here in just 3 short months. We're staring to get things ready for his arrival (or at least thinking about it). For the past 5 months Audrey has enjoyed the spare bedroom as a "Toy" room but she seems to be very open to giving it up for baby "Hemry" (This is how she says it) once he arrives. After Christmas we'll be slowing rearranging both kids bedrooms. Henry will take on Audrey's gently used furniture while Audrey will get all new "big girl" furniture. We've pepped her up on this for some time now that she is actually asking for her big girl bed.

I'm just over 6 months along in the pregnancy and everything is going great. I can't say this is a better pregnancy than with Audrey but it is certainly different. I seem to be growing at a rapid rate with this one. Sometimes I can't believe that my belly is going to stretch any more over the next few months. I've gained about 17lbs already (I blame the Holidays) however I've been told I only look like I'm smuggling a basketball under my shirt (comforting). Early in the New Year we should have a birth date scheduled for the planned c-section. I assume it's like riding a bike ...all this newborn stuff will come right back to me (I hope). Audrey I know is going to be a big help! She already hugs my belly while saying, "I love you so much baby brother"!

On a sadder note, while our family is growing in one aspect, we have decreased in another. Our 17 year old dog Tia has passed on. It was a tough decision for Mike to have to make and one that was postponed for quite some time but in the end it was impossible to ignore the signs. While she still had most of her health she was fighting the toughest journey of all ...old age. Audrey sometimes asks where her dog is and we tell her that she's in Heaven with her mom and dad. George is now Audrey's best friend. It seems, that since Tia's passing, he's taking a great liking to her (....hmmm, perhaps he things she's the one who makes the decisions in regards to who stays and goes around here). He loves to wake her up in the morning with his extra powerful Siamese cry. This can usually turn "grumpy" Audrey into "giggly" Audrey.

Well as I said Christmas is right around the corner. Audrey is very excited and I think she's starting to understand the idea of Santa. She has gotten a little confused when it comes to the feastive decorations though. Christmas trees and Christmas lights are refered to as Birthday trees and Birthday lights. We don't correct her mostly because it's cute but also because she's not all that wrong ...we are celebrating the birth of Jesus.

Heather and the kids are coming to town in a couple of days. I absolutely love it when all the kids are together ...the big kids and small ones :)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!

Fall Fun

Fall is in the air! I absolutely love this time of year. Pumpkin picking and cider mills with warm donuts and cider have replaced our summer time camping weekends. As much as I love fall camping we have put the RV to bed for the winter. It was proving to be difficult the further along in my pregnancy to plan even the shortest of trips away.

Speaking of pregnancy, all is going well. We had a brief scare at about 14 weeks but were quickly reassured from our doctor that the baby had a strong heart beat and there was nothing to worry about. I think he could tell that we weren't all that convinced so he ordered an ultrasound to help ease our minds. He was right ...we saw our precious little one moving around and growing at a perfect rate. We also found out that we're having a bouncy baby boy! When I asked Audrey what she wanted to name her new baby brother she responded with "Sister"! She is so sweet with her baby dolls that I have no doubt that she's going to be a great big sister, even to a boy.

The rest of the pregnancy is going good as well. I'm growing much faster than I did with Audrey. I'm amazed on how big my belly is already and can't believe it's only going to get bigger. I have the normal early pregnancy symptoms like back aches and heartburn but I'm so happy to announce that the morning sickness (all day sickness) has subsided. I've heard that nausea is worse with a boy ...that I can confirm! Our 20 week ultrasound is in just a few days. Audrey will get to see her brother for the first time. She's been asking to see him ever since we told her he was in there.

Little Miss Audrey ...where do I start. This little girl has developed into the biggest sweetheart of all. I know she has stolen her daddy's heart already but even the ladies at daycare said that she is the best behaved toddler they've had in a very long time ...even going as far enough to say that she is their favorite! She has no problem communicating and getting her point across. She's found a new love for chocolate and cake but unfortunately still no love for veggies. Loves to be outside, especially on her new swing set, and spending time with her BFF, Remi Roo. She loves to wear new clothes and to show them off. She'll say, "Look at my new coat!", even to a stranger walking by. She experienced her first tear-free doctors appointment recently with and even stood on the scale all by herself (this was an amazement for me). She also had her first in salon haircut in which she sat still like the perfect lady. She makes me so proud everyday. I'm so happy that her little brother will have such a great role model to look up too.

Where has summer gone?

We certainly do not have a lack of things to blog about so it has been entirely too long since my last post. It has been a crazy, busy summer! I can hardly believe that it's already September. Our summer begain normally. Had our first camping trip over Memorial Day weekend and had a visit up north in Lake City with Grandma and Grandpa Nelson. Heather and the kids came down for a week which was a great visit for us and all the kids. Audrey loved playing with all her cousins. We just closed out our Labor Day trip with the St Clawdale group. Our end of summer trip felt more like the start of Fall with chilly temps and rainy days however the kids didn't seem to be affected. We followed up our camping trip with a stop in Lake City to visit with Grandma and Grandpa Nelson before they head south for the cooler months. In spite of two instant bee stings upon arrival Audrey was really happy to see her Grandparents and her cousins.

In early June Mike and I found the house of our dreams. It was a perfect mixture of everything we both wanted so we made an offer. To make a long story short, we got the house and are now settled in our new home. Mike and I are already so comfortable here and feel like we've lived here forever. Audrey had no problems adjusting either however she still calls it the "new" house. The "old" house is still ours and we were lucky enough to find a renter. So far so good as we embarge on the landlord journey although we do have hopes of selling it one day soon.

Then, as if moving wasn't enough to keep us busy in July, we learned (the week of the move, no less) that we are expecting; Audrey is going to be a big sister! It was tough getting things settled while fighting "morning" sickness but somehow we got it done. I'm now 12 week and slowly starting to feel better. According to the doctors everything looks good and there is only one baby (Mike was glad to hear that)!
As for Audrey, she is really excited to be a big sister. When I ask she seems to be favoring a sister vs a brother but I think she'll just be happy to have a real "baby" around. She has crossed quite a few milestones herself. Audrey received her first haircut from Aunt Heather just a few weeks ago. It went over so much better than I had antispated, perhaps because it was her aunt and not a stranger. She also went potty on the big potty! She's only done it once so far but she was so proud and was especially excited to have received "potty treats", aka gummy bears. In July see was tested again to see if her urinary reflux has cleared and unfortuantely it hadn't. One more year of antibiotics and hopefully it will be cleared up by the time she's fully potty trained. We also attempted to change her crib into a toddler bed. She was really excited about a "new bed" as we pumped it up for days however three hours into her first night she began to cry. When I went in to see what was wrong she simply said, "I don't like my new bed!" so at 12:30 in the morning daddy gave her back her old bed.

Audrey has found a new love for Pixar movies, Toy Story, Finding Nemo and Cars are among her favorites so far. She's also found a new friend in her neighbor Grace. Grace is five however they play really well together. Probably because Audrey does whatever Grace wants. Remi is still her best friend though. There is not a day that goes by that Audrey doesn't ask to see Remi and luckily there really isn't a day that goes by that she doesn't see her.

We're now looking forward to the fall months ahead and forming Audrey into an Detroit Lions fan. Hopefully they'll deserve a new fan this season!

Look Who's Two!

Audrey celebrated her 2nd Birthday yesterday. Days leading up to the big day we made sure she knew what to say when asked how old she was going to be. There were times she'd say "two" and other times she reply with "dos". Thanks to Dora the Explorer, Audrey not only counts to ten in English but she can do it in Spanish too. We're certain she's a genius!

I took my first official extended weekend away. I went to Chicago with my sisters and my mom and had a great time. I will admit though, I missed Audrey a lot! I hadn't never gone a day without seeing her so this was a big step for me. Daddy and Audrey had a great weekend together, although he said she did asked for me at times. When I got home, I received the biggest Monkey hug ever! She's become very affectionate, giving a lot of hugs and kisses but only if the mood strikes her.

At just two years old she is talking quite a bit, even full sentences. It's so nice to be able to ask her what she wants or what's wrong and actually get an answer. While she's changing so much there are still a few things that remain the same. Like the fact that she is still a very picky eater. If it weren't for Mac n

Cheese and cereal she'd go probably go hungry. She's a late sleeper now. Most days we have to wake her up in order to get to out of the house on time. It's nice on the weekends though. There have been times I'm awake before she is. She's still a very strong willed little girl. She knows what she wants and wants it when she wants it. We've beared witness to a few tantrums here and there but luckily not in public yet. We've been contemplating her first haircut so something tells me we'll see that soon rather than later.

Easter and more

Time flies ...really! I swear I just did an update but apparently that was two months ago. Easter has come and gone, which by the way was really nice. We had a really nice early dinner with my mom and Wayne, hosted by the Partin family. It was a beautiful Spring day so we were able to enjoy our dinner out doors while the girls played. Audrey has really found a good friend in Remi. Even though there is a year difference you can certainly tell they enjoy each others company. God knows they spend enough time together!

Audrey recently went through one of her worst illnesses of the season. She had a sinus infection and ear infection that kept her out of daycare for a whole week. High fevers and runny noses make for no fun so we hope (finger crossed) that was the last of it for the cold season. We're now looking forward to her birthday and camping season which are both right around the corner! But first Mom gets to go on her first long weekend trip away! I'm going to Chicago with my Mom and my sisters at the end of April while Dada and Audrey will remain home having some fun of their own!

We knew she wouldn't go for sitting on the Easter Bunny's lap so we opted for the real deal. She LOVED this bunny and showed no fear what so ever when it came to sitting together. The sitting itself only took 5 minutes but I'm sure she would of been okay if we were there all day!

Terrific (and sometimes Terrible) Twos!

Audrey has molded into quite the sweet toddler recently. Well, okay, maybe not always sweet. She does have a tough-girl side too. She, like most toddlers I'm sure, does not like the word "no". It can sometimes send her into a full blown, red faced, tear streaking tantrum. But on her good days she loves to pamper her babies (and she has a lot of babies), will give many hugs and kisses when asked, and has become quite the "cookie" monster.

Some other recent developments:

*Little Miss Talks Alot. She'll pretty much repeat anything you ask her too (or even don't ask her too). This includes calling her dada "Mike". I've now been instructed to refer to my husband as "dada" at all times.

*She's wearing 2T clothes already and wears a 6.5 shoe! She's tall so it's a bit of a challenge finding pants that aren't floods. Shorts will be nice come summer.

*Her canine teeth have finally all cut. Now she's working on her second molars.

*Loves Dora, Golden Grahams, hummus and popcorn although if you ask her what she wants for lunch or dinner it's always "mac n cheese".

*Babies and Legos are her favorite toys. She's not "attached" to any one thing however at bedtime she has to have her "original" baby and "Elmo's Ducky Day" book with her.

*She can count to 10, mumble the ABC's, and is getting to know her colors.

*She now enjoys her books instead of destroying them. We read a few books every night before bed. She has her favorites but "Elmo's Ducky Day" is a given and must be read before she takes it to bed with her (I can read it by heart now). "Good Night Moon" and "Are You My Mother?" are some other favorites, but these can go back on the bookshelf before bed.

*She has a love/hate relationship with Tia the dog, but LOVES George the cat. I think he may be developing a soft spot for her too. Gracie, the other cat, is warming up to her however I think there are still some trust issues that she's hashing out.

*She still loves the outdoors! She has a great time in the snow and enjoys tossing snowballs however we're all looking for Spring though!

Florida and the New Year

Happy New Year everyone! We've had a pretty eventful last few weeks. Our trip to Florida was great. There were a few bummers, like Audrey's unexplained temperature, some crummy weather and the cold I was lucky enough to take home with me. The good stuff... Audrey is a born flyer, she loved spending time with Grandma and Grandpa Nelson, she got to pick oranges from a tree, and she played at the beach and the park with her cousins. We were a little surprised that her fear of the sand and water had returned. We though we had moved passed that last summer however she refused to get in the pool and would not walk on the beach without her socks and tennis shoes on!

In the last few weeks she developed quite a few quirky, cute and pondering habits. She loves to go for walks around the house while holding our hands, so we're "walking together" as she puts it. She loves to dance around the kitchen and run through the house at top speed hollering, "Ready, Set ...GO!" Her love for the bath is gone :( It's a struggle to get her in and she's usually the one to end it by saying, "All done now". We're not exactly sure why this changed but we're thinking it has to do with teething (she's got 4 more coming in) or perhaps she's just growing up and changing her ways. She still loves Elmo and SpongeBob but has a new-found love for Dora the Explorer. She enjoys being outdoors, even playing in the snow, but only after much convincing to dress properly for the elements. Once she's out there though, you can't wipe the smile of her face ...and her smile is priceless!