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!