Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

Tonight we went to the library to have dinner with the cat in the hat! I was so excited to see my Grammy working the food table. I kept waving to her! I got a hat & colored. They had sandwiches with cat shapes on them. I liked the blue jello with a red fish in it! I sat in my seat like a big girl. The cat has been my babysitter before! I was getting antsy so mommy didn't think I would sit for the story or face painting. She took me downstairs to look at books. I didn't want to leave & threw a small fit for mommy. She hopes I get better before story hour this summer!

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!

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.

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!

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? :(

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.

One Month

Audrey likes her food!

At one month old she weighed 9 pounds and was 20 1/2 inches long!

The doctor thought Audrey was having some reflux by the symptoms I described and watching her. She said we could try the medicine prevacid or add rice cereal to her bottles. I decided to try the cereal first.

Audrey was still in newborn size diapers at one month.

She was wearing some 0-3 size clothes, but alot of newborn sized as well.

I was feeding her strictly breastmilk from a bottle and she was feeding every two-three hours.

I have to admit, Audrey, you were a pretty fussy baby at this point!

Jaundice...ugh!

We left the hospital thinking that our perfect daughter was just that...perfect! However, when we went to the doctor on Monday, she said that word...jaundice.

We were sent next door to the hospital for a blood draw.

I.HATE.HOW.THEY.DRAW.BLOOD.FROM.BABIES!

I'm very thankful that hubby was with me that first day (I had already had my first emotional breakdown on Saturday) because he held Audrey while they drew blood from her heel. She screamed!!! In fact, the receptionist made a comment that she heard her by the front door! We then headed home to wait for the results. Her levels had doubled since we left the hospital on Friday. Doctor said to feed her every two ounces every two hours, put her in the sunlight, keep track of all diapers, and return to the hospital for a blood draw the next day. I have to admit I was a mess that night! Worried that something was going to be seriously wrong and that I didn't do enough that first weekend to protect her.

The next day, the nurse who drew Audrey's blood was awesome. In fact, after the initial poke, Audrey went back to sleep. Her levels were slightly lower, so we were instructed to continue the sun, feedings, and diaper details.

One week later, we returned to the doctor. Hubby was at work, so my mom went with me. Doctor thought Audrey was still jaundice so we headed next door. I was praying this was the last time for that dreaded blood draw. My prayers were answered! Her levels were much lower and we didn't have to return to the doctor for three weeks.

Here is our little sunbather!

Lots of visitors...

The doctors actually released both Audrey and myself a day early. I wanted to come home because the boys were going to their mom's and it would give us a chance to settle in before the boys came back home on Sunday night. My wonderful mother-in-law stayed with us Friday night. However, she was so busy cleaning and doing my laundry that I didn't get to visit with her much.

I'm as horrible at taking pictures as I am of printing them, but we did have lots of visitors in the hospital. All the grandparents were there to meet Audrey as soon as they were allowed in. Tim, Chelsea, & Cooper stopped by early in the day. Betty and Mary came by later.

Since we left early, we had a houseful that night. My Dad and Stepmom were there. Todd & Jill came by, along with Kristie Spencer. It was nice to see so many people.

Cousin Makailee is surrounded by babies as her little brother Cooper is two months older and she will be getting a little sister in March.

Great Grandma Trant was there bright and early Saturday.

My Godparents, Joe & Sue, made a special trip to Galesburg to meet Audrey.

Audrey's other visitors included all the Spencers, Sandi, Tanya & Samuel, and Mary & Reese. She is loved so much already as so many other people sent or dropped off gifts.

Labor...or what I remember of it...

Audrey entered this world pretty quickly. Of course, I was uncomfortable and ready for her to come long before she did. I had some weird symptoms on Sunday, but felt better towards the end of the day. However, I started spotting and decided to call the hospital. They said to come in to get checked out. I knew I wasn't staying, but it was a trial run for us. We got home from the hospital around midnight that night. Poor hubby had to work all the next day while I got to start my half days. I came home and took a long nap!

I had my weekly appointment on Wednesday. When I had finally sat down around noon, I noticed that my contractions seemed to be pretty regular. They were coming every 7 minutes. However, at my appointment at 2:45, I was only a two. She said to go to the hospital when my contractions were every three.

My evening went pretty normal, except for the contractions which started going irregular. I picked up Gman and helped the boys with homework. Hubby made dinner while I walked the dog, did the dishes, and vaccummed. After the boys went to bed, I decided to take a bath because some people said it would help ease the discomfort of the contractions. Nope! They lied! I was in extreme pain by the time I got out. My contractions were regular again and this time they were every three minutes! I laid on the couch for awhile longer, but then told the hubby to call my mom to stay with the boys because we were going to the hospital!

After getting all set in the hospital, the nurse came in and said I had two options. I was still only a 2. I could go home or take a sleeping pill. She said if I was truly in labor, the sleeping pill would do nothing, but if I wasn't in labor then everything would stop. I just wanted the pain to go away (EXTREME back labor) and thus took the sleeping pill. Forty-five minutes later, I was a 4 and was admitted. I opted for an IV med first, and shortly after that my water broke. At this point, the IV med was doing nothing for my back labor. I decided to have an epideral and all my pain was instantly gone. My midwife appeared early and told me to get some rest, that she thought it would be awhile. My family filtered in and then disappeared. I started pushing after ten. They called the midwife three times and told me I had to stop pushing until she arrived. I remember being in a good mood and joking with my hubby at this point. Finally, the midwife appeared and Audrey was born. We hadn't even been in the hospital for twelve hours yet! It all happened rather quickly and painlessly (once I got my epideral)!

Her big brothers came to the hospital after school and were very excited to see their new sister!

She's here!!!

Actually, she's been here for 9 weeks....

......hey, I've been a little busy being a mommy to 3!

AUDREY JANE STURGIS

arrived 10/7/10

weighing 7lbs. 8oz.

19 inches long

at 10:55am.