Swimming!

Audrey & I took an aquababies class during the month of November. She learned so much & loved it! There were only two other kids in the class & one was our good friend, Jacob.

Audrey would start laughing & splashing as soon as we were in the water. We would sing songs like Ring Around the Rosie, Wheels on the Bus, If you're Happy & You know it, & the Hokey Pokey doing motions like reach & pull or blowing bubbles. She would reach for me as I sat her on the side & said "come to me!" We would kick, play w/toys, & go under.

It was a fast 30 min., but she loved it! Audrey also loved playing w\the toilet paper as I got dressed in stall & lockers, too!

Can I freeze time?

I love these moments!

Gavin still likes to cook or do crafts w/me & he has been DYING to make caramel apples. So, as soon as Audrey went to bed tonight we got to work!

He ALWAYS starts out wanting to do everything himself, but by the end he is saying "you do it."

However....I wouldn't change anything for the world!

Happy Birthday, Jim!

Today is Jim's birthday! I won't tell how old he is because it is making him crabby. We had cake tonight w/family & I posted messages from the kiddies on Facebook all day!

Happy Birthday to my favorite guy!

11 months!

Wow! Where did summer go? Oh, that's right! We spent it at the baseball park. I will catch up w/my children someday, but for now I'm checking out the blogger app for my iPhone. This lil miss is 11 months & into everything e en though she is not walking yet. Here are a few pics on her new outside toys.

NEED.TO.FIND.TIME

I really need to find time to tell you what we are up to! Here's a short list:

• Boys started baseball....enough said!


• However, Gman is pitching this year!


• Audrey started rolling on a Thursday and by Monday was trying to get into a crawling position!


• Audrey isn't sleeping 10-12 hours a night like I bragged about forever. She hasn't slept through the night since she started rolling three weeks ago. I wasn't sure if it was allergies, teeth, hunger, growing pains, ears...so after two weeks we went to the doctor. NOTHING wrong with her! We have thus begun to cry it out! I.WANT.TO.CRY!


• Audrey started blowing raspberries this week. The boys love it!


• I have too many projects going on at school to even begin to tell you about!


• Jim is again attempting to coach both baseball teams...ugh! I love that he is active in boys' lives, but I feel like we are constantly running in different directions.


• Ryan was home and Audrey fell in love just like the boys. He deploys at the end of the month.

I promise to catch up and post pics soon!

Unexpected...

An amazing lady in my life passed away yesterday. My stepgrandmother, Betty, lost her battle with cancer. She was always healthy, happy, and strong which is making this harder. I've been praying for peace and understanding for the last few days.

Betty took me in as family immediately and treated my kiddos like her great grandkids, too. It was scary how fast she went downhill this last week. Audrey and I saw her on Tuesday. She was sitting up in her chair eating dinner. By Friday, she was bedridden and they called in Hospice. Betty talked to Audrey Friday night, but that was the last time she knew we were there.

I'm glad that she is no longer in pain. However, it will not be any easier to say goodbye.

Guess who is sitting on her own?

Yep! Miss Audrey!

She isn't completely independent yet, but is getting the hang of it.

Audrey does pretty well until she reaches for a toy.

She can straighten herself up if she falls forward, but if we go to the side or back, we are down for the count.

Mommy is sad that her spring break is almost over!

Basketball

Bailey has been playing basketball at the Y this winter. Looking back at these pictures, I can't believe how big and skinny he is! He actually just walked in from a trip to his doctor and he is 5 feet, four inches tall and weighs 112 pounds!

He has scored points in several different games.

He is good,I just wish that he believed in himself more!

His team won all their games! Bailey had fun and now it's onto baseball!

First Taste of Food

Audrey has been trying to grab our food and since she is 5 1/2 mths, we decided to try food over Spring Break.

We went with sweet potatoes first because we heard green vegetables have more gas. Audrey is already a gassy baby :)

She LOVES sweet potatoes!

Give me more, mom!

Not a fan of green beans, but has been trying them more and more.

First Sickness = No Fun!

I'm on Spring Break and trying to play catch up. Maybe one of these days, I'll post things when they actually happen....

I need to learn to keep my mouth shut! I had said on Monday that "knock on wood, Audrey had been very healthy." Of course, my fellow teachers told me that I had just cursed myself. Low and behold, Audrey's junky nose started effecting her sleep Tuesday night. I decided to stay home and call the doctor because she had a low grade fever and had developed a cough. Doctor ordered breathing treatments ( I know way too much about these with my own health) and a chest xray.

Daddy showed up at the hospital as soon as I text him with the news. I thought, man, she's already a Daddy's girl. He claimed he didn't want me to have to go through that by myself. Dr. Larson warned me that chest xrays are no fun, but I really didn't know what I was in for. I should have let Dad take her in, but I hate hearing her cry and not be able to soothe her. The contraption looked like a medieval torture chamber! She had to sit on this bicycle seat with her arms stretched above her while they closed a clear plastic tube around her. Audrey screamed! Luckily the chest xray came back clear so it was a week of breathing treatments every four hours.

These nebulizers have come a long way since I was a baby! We still have mine and it is about 20 times bigger than Audrey's! Plus, it has a car adapter! Grandma Deb was a little jealous of that remembering all the times we had to stop for Uncle Ryan or my treatments when traveling.

Daddy took her back to the doctor a week later. We really felt that she was starting to feel better. It had been a rough week! Audrey HATED mommy because I was constantly wiping her nose and she was coughing and spitting up after the breathing treatments started loosening everything. We had her sleeping in her carseat, which helped keep her upright, until she was houdini and somehow got out of it and ended up face down on the floor perpendicular to the seat! Mommy freaked and ran to pick her up! I got the biggest grin from her! Needless to say, we are no longer using the swaddler (we have graduated to a sleep sack with arms pinned shut) and we went back to sleeping in the crib immediately!

Here she is the day before her follow up with the doctor. Does she look sick?

Audrey ended up having an ear infection at this appointment! Ugh! So we were to continue the breathing treatments, add an antibiotic, and come back in two weeks.

Audrey and I just got home from her follow-up! This girl is all better and now weighs 17# 4oz!!!

Four months old!

Audrey went for her four month well check last Thursday. It turned out to be a snow day, so Mommy didn't miss work.

This big girl weighs 15# and is 25 1/2 inches long!

She is eating 27 oz. of formula a day w/ cereal in her bottle twice a day.

Audrey is an A.W.E.S.O.M.E. sleeper at night, generally sleeping 10-11 hours!

(Still using the swaddler)

Naps during the day are a different story, though. She will only nap if held...

Audrey is wearing 3-6mths and 6mth clothes. She is currently wearing a size1-2 diaper.

Mommy thinks she is going to be a Daddy's girl because she smiles at him constantly! She does love smiling at her brothers, too....gotta be center of attention!

Audrey has laughed a handful of times. The first time was in church while everyone was praying. Daddy made a face at her and she laughed really loud. She has also laughed at Bailey & at an older gentleman at her cousin Makailee's birthday. We can't wait til she does it all the time!

Big girl!

These pictures are actually from over our long winter break, but Audrey is sleeping in my arms so I'm trying to get caught up on posts!

Audrey is really wanting to sit up, so we introduced the bumbo seat. She doesn't want to miss a thing! Here is our big girl!

Please don't think I only let Gavin play video games! However, it was very cold out and we were kinda stuck inside. It's hard having a lazy teenager, a baby who needs a nap & feeding schedule, and then Gavin. Nothing really keeps his attention for long. We will need to be creative this summer!

Cereal

Audrey is 4 months old! She has been watching us intently as we eat, so we decided to try cereal w/a spoon. I made the mistake of trying it first when she was crabby & that didn't work. She is getting more receptive. On this day, we got about half of the amount down before she refused & started screaming. I have a video, too, if I can figure out how to upload it.Brother had to sneak into picture!

Mommy, what is this stuff?!

Audrey rolled over!

I am one proud Mommy today! Audrey rolled from her tummy to her back for the first time today!

I was sitting on the floor talking to her during tummy time and she started to roll. I yelled for Daddy to look quick. He said she won't do it. She sure showed him!

Audrey did it again after Daddy went back to what he was doing, so he went and got the video camera. Think she would do it for the camera? Nope!

I have enjoyed being at home with my baby during my extended winter break. She has changed so much. Audrey is in a routine with sleeping and eating. She smiles all day long and is really moving her arms and legs. Audrey has discovered her hands as she grabs, bats, and pulls on toys. She also puts EVERYTHING in her mouth, including most of her fist. Audrey loves to flash her smile at Daddy and her brothers (think she enjoys being the spotlight?). She is really no longer a fussy baby.

Do I have to go back to work? :(

Christmas 2010

I'm catching up! Only 2 more posts to catch you up on the Sturgis' lives!

Christmas was fun this year! I will be the first to admit that when you come from a divorced family and have to share children in a divorced family that sometimes Christmas can seem to drag on forever and we usually get overwhelmed and very cranky. It was sad not to see some family this year due to illness, but was very nice to keep it low key!

We started our Christmas with my Dad, Vicki, stepbrothers, & families on the 23rd.

Audrey noticed that she had a cousin about two weeks before this and it was fun to see her interact with Cooper (watch out next Christmas, these two will be walking!)

The boys went to their mom's Christmas Eve, but came home that night to wake up Christmas morning with us for the first time. We opened gifts at my mom's Christmas Eve and then we (Jim) cooked a turkey and we had Christmas dinner at our house the next day. I guess that means I'm growing up if I actually host dinner, huh?

Gavin got his Kinnect. Can you tell that he was excited?

Bailey is at the age where he really only wants video games. He received a basketball hoop and can't wait for warmer weather for it to go up.

We feel very blessed on this holiday!

First Smile...

...at least the first smile captured on camera!

Grandma Deb complains that Audrey only smiles for Mommy, but she was the first one to capture a smile on camera. She sent this one to Mommy while working on December 14th.

Two Months

Mommy felt lucky to stay home with Audrey for 7 weeks, but had to return to work the Monday after Thanksgiving. It was rough, but not because she had to leave her baby. Audrey was staying with Grandma Deb and Mommy knew she was in good hands! Mommy just didn't miss her job at all! However, winter break this year was almost 4 weeks long and Mommy only had to work for 3 and 1/2 weeks before that 4 week break started. :)

Audrey's two month doctor appointment fell in Mommy's first week back to work, so Daddy took her to visit Dr. Larson.

We started Audrey on formula at 6 weeks. She really just seemed to prefer it to breastmilk. She slept through the night for the first time shortly after starting formula (only once though, but the sleeping hours definately started going for longer stretches). At her appointment, she weighed 11 # 8 oz, and was 23 1/4 inches long. Daddy said this put her in the 50th percentile for weight and 75th for length. Her head circumference was only in the 25th! We need to balance out here, Audrey!

Audrey continues to be pretty fussy. Daddy and I decided to ask to try the medicine for her reflux. Dr. Larson prescribed her Prevacid. We were very frustrated trying to figure out how to give these solutabs to her, but finally figured out that a syringe worked the best.

Audrey received several shots. She had to drink one and Daddy said she SCREAMED as soon as it was administered. He didn't want to leave her at Grandma's after that, but she gave him a big smile before he left. Grandma said she slept most of the day.

Mommy doesn't get much done in the evenings now. She picks Audrey and Gavin up from Grandma Debs right after school. If Audrey takes a nap when everyone gets home, Mommy runs around trying to get everything (laundry, homework, clothes pick out, pajamas on, etc.) done before baby wakes up so she can hold her the rest of the night. (That would be the reason this blog is just now getting updated!)

At two months, Audrey still absolutely LOVES bathtime! It really calms her down when she is upset....however, she is not at all crazy about getting out to dry off and get dressed.