My sweet, sweet girl

So, it's been awhile since I posted.  Nearly a full year.  I think I needed some time to step back and enjoy where we are. Who we've become.  I'm sure I'll regret not writing things down but, we've spent some wonderful moments together since last November.  First of all - my sweet, sweet girl is BIG.

She talks, she laughs, she sasses, she loves.  Man, does she love.  This girl, this girl loves her pups (Cha-ee and Minn-ah), her Momma and Dada, her 'guys' (aunts, friends, everyone really), her babies (I had no idea that girls loved babies so young!).  I suspect my dad is her favorite person in the world.  She loves to sing, and dance, and twirl, and jump.  She is fearless.  She is the sweetest thing I have met.  Bathtime is her new favorite part of the week.

She is opinionated and stubborn.  She demands that you read to her and that she turns the pages.  She hates bananas.  Heaven forbid you offer her a banana.

Little Miss loves shoes.  Tries to dress herself and is happy to pull around her little wagon.  She answers to Lulu, Audra, Monkey, and Baby.  She calls herself baby.  She will conquer any playground put in front of her.  She loves to buckle things - the carseat, the shopping cart straps, the stroller or high chair.  She is excellent at peek a boo.

She gets excited when we turn onto the street of her daycare provider and yells 'Icky!" for Vicky.  She loves the boys and daycare and carefully watches the babies.  She will carry any purse she sees.  She's inquisitive. Want's to know 'where'd they go?' about her pups, her toys, everything and everyone she sees.

This Momma?  This Momma feels like the luckiest person on the planet each and every day.  I adore her (can you tell?).

This post?  This post doesn't even begin to do her justice.  But, we'll try our hardest because she deserves nothing but the best I can give her.

It's been awhile...

Hope you're well.

We sure are.

More soon.

Soo big!

I can't believe that a) November is almost over b) my baby is 8 months old c) Christmas will be here any minute.

I have lots of obligatory pictures to post but, for those that haven't heard - Audra is on the move.  I got a video of her about 2 weeks ago.  The army crawl is still pretty much the same.  I think it's because she can't get any traction on our floor and that she's always had really strong arms.



She also has an excellent pivot point with her belly and can turn fairly quickly.  Last night, I put her on the floor while I picked up her room a bit.  I turned around and found this.

While I'm talking about her being on the move, might as well show you this - no one is safe in our house.  Poor Minnie needed a haircut so badly that she couldn't see the small child sneaking up on her.

 I'm the terrible mother that didn't take a picture of my baby in her pretty dress on Thanksgiving.  Instead, I took a picture when she passed out in her Exersaucer.  Dan and I were trying to finish getting ready to head to his aunt's house and I found girlfriend like this.

Another abnormal napping spot on Thanksgiving.

I love that the older that she gets the more her personality is shining through.  I think this picture gives us a good glimpse of the future. I call this picture 'blatant refusal to do what Mommy wants because I know I Daddy won't make me do anything I don't want to.'

 My mom and sisters came to visit after Thanksgiving and Audra put up with a lot of shopping.

She's so inquisitive right now.  As long as she has something to do, she's happy.

We also met Santa over the weekend.  I love that she's more confused as to why some strange man with a long white beard is holding her than upset about it.

Sorry this is so picture heavy and discombobulated!  

Jamie

Thirty days of thankful - Day 2

I'm thankful for co-workers that understand me.  Yesterday was a tough day and they let me vent and understood what was bugging me.

Thirty days of thankful - Day 1

I'm thankful for my sweet little girl. - she means everything to me.

Oops

I'm a terrible blogger/mom.  It's been almost 5 months since my last post.

Oops, hope you'll forgive me.

Maybe you'll forgive me if I give you this : Audra's 6 month pictures.  The password is cute (because she is).

(3rd?) Cousins

We went to a party for my uncle and a wedding in Cedar Rapids last weekend and got to stay with Mike and Kirsten and their daughter Lila!  It was so much fun to watch Lila and imagine Audra being her age in two years and getting to spend so much time with them!  Thanks again Eddins family for letting us crash at your house!  Hope to see you again soon!