that's what she said

Senator Obiden...yep, that's what she said. nice.

all through the night

audrey and i had a day yesterday. she had quite the morning...she ate, we played but when it was time for her nap, she would not have it. i tried a few times and she would not let me put her down without crying, even after i had rocked her to sleep in my arms. this is not her normal behavior at all. then we went downtown to meet daddy and our friend carrie for lunch. she cried the entire way there. this is also out of character for audrey. she usually calms right down and falls asleep in the car. she was calm through lunch but boy did she look tired. after lunch we went to auntie rachel's house to visit with her and jj. they were so sweet. rachel even sent me home with some peaches, which dave LOVED by the way. i guess i better can some next year...jj kept wanting to read to audrey and sing to audrey and kept calling audrey his friend. it was so darling but she still wouldn't sleep. i was happy to let her nap in my arms because princess needed a nap so very much. nope, that wasn't happening either. when we got home, dave went and put her in her crib, that was around five and she slept and slept and slept. finally, i went to feed her around eleven because it had been about six or seven hours since she had eaten and she ate but it didn't really wake her up. i put her back down and she slept until six in the morning. i don't think she will always sleep through the night. i just think she was so very tired. she has already napped today for a little over an hour. maybe she realizes she is much happier (so is mom) when she naps.

fun holiday package from the Reeses

audrey got such a fun holiday package in the mail, complete with outfits and pajamas for halloween and christmas, plus socks, an elmo christmas book, a halloween costume, a valentine t-shirt and a fun fall dress with a matching hat. she is going to be dressed to the nines! a big thanks to John an Gayle Reese for such a thoughtful "welcome to the world" package for our little princess.

you can't see it in this picture but the sleeper with the pumpkins on the feet has a big pumpkin on the bum! so cute.

i can't wait to get audrey's christmas picture taken in the velvet red dress!

thanks again. we love it.

blame it on the rain and getting over sickness

i have been sick for over a week and even though i am feeling a little bit better, i still have a horrible cough that is waking me and keeping me up at night. my voice sounds a little better too, though not quite back to normal. i have been very glad that audrey has not become sick but dave is not feeling well today and i think i may have given this bug to him. yuck. anyone that knows me knows i have the immune system of an infant (well, maybe weaker than that since audrey hasn't gotten sick yet) and i fear that i will get better just in time to pick it up again from dave (audible sigh). it is tough to be sick when you are the mom. audrey and i have spent most of our week at home in comfy loungewear. let's hope that dave can recover quickly!

today we took the princess to get her pictures taken. i can't wait to get them back, i will post some of them on my blog for sure. as i was getting ready so we could take audrey, i was listening to my ipod and what comes on? blame it on the rain by milli vanilli, haha...i haven't heard this song in years and didn't even realize it was on my ipod. oh, it took me back. whenever i hear this song i think of my friend megan tall. one saturday when we were in sixth grade i had the dreaded chore of cleaning the bathroom. at my house you didn't go and play with your friends until your chores were done, no exceptions. my friend megan wanted to hang out and so she came over and we put on old t-shirts and boxers and got into the shower to scrub it down with scrub brushes as we listened to milli vanilli. ever since, the song "blame it on the rain" reminds me of cleaning the shower with megan that day. this morning i couldn't stop thinking about how nice that was of her. how many friends want to be with you so much that they will clean your family bathroom? not many. in case i didn't say it then, thanks meg.

julie and megan, macaroni grill, february 3, 2000




julie and megan, heritage gardens, june 20, 2006

the bodies exhibit

dave lined up a sitter for audrey and planned a date for us last saturday. it was such a fun day. first he took me to see the bodies exhibit at the leonardo downtown. it was so cool. i have had a new respect for my body since having little audrey and this exhibit left me in awe of all that our bodies do for us every day. there were a few moments during the two plus hours we were there that i got a little emotional. it was fascinating to see each part of the human body and read about it's function and how it interacts with the other systems in the body. i would strongly encourage anyone who hasn't seen it to go. it is incredible.

dave and i then jumped in the car and drove to the movies. we saw lakeview terrace. although it was not the best movie in the world, it was entertaining enough and it was fun to be together.

then we went out to dinner and ordered fun fruity drinks and talked and laughed and really just enjoyed each other.

thank you dave for planning this fun day for us. thank you for being such a great husband and father. thank you for taking the overnight shifts with audrey so i can sleep and be rested for the day. i love being a mom so much. i am hopelessly devoted to our baby girl who i adore more than i could ever have imagined. it was nice to get out and spend some quality one-on-one time with you because as much as i love being a mom i love being a wife, more specifically, your wife.

two months old

my dear sweet little audrey jane,

today you are two months old. i can hardly believe it. it was heartbreaking to watch you get your shots on friday. you turned bright red and stopped breathing for a few seconds before you started screaming. tears were just streaming down your face. daddy and i just held you afterward and you calmed right down. you were sleeping before we even left the doctor's office. you now weigh 11 pounds 14 oz. you are such a strong little girl. your pediatrician was impressed when we told him that you are already rolling over because that is a four month milestone and you have it down at just two months old.

you are so verbal. when daddy and i talk to you, you always respond with all sorts of noises, cooing and gurgling in delight. you love to sing. i notice it most when i sing you lullabies, i can hear you "hmm hmm hmming" rhythmically to the song i am singing like you are singing along. you are always flashing us big smiles. ana spent lots of time with you when you were brand new, just home from the hospital. she said you were the most smiley baby she had ever seen. one of your favorite things to do is to kick your legs. you don't enjoy tummy time and you now almost always roll over so you can be on your back. you have discovered your tongue. you often stick it out and look around (almost as if you are rolling your eyes, haha. dad says you got that trait from mom) and it makes us laugh. you sneeze in multiples, usually four at a time. you love to blow bubbles and do rasberries with your tongue. i love you my baby girl. i love holding you in my arms and locking eyes with you. i love watching you watch the world around you with eyes full of wonder and your response to every new thing. you love music, whether it is a lullaby in the evening or a fun activity song dad is singing to you at playtime, music calms you.

your new toy this week is your bumbo seat. we sat you down in it on sunday and you weren't sure what to think of it at first. you were ready for something else after ten minutes...but today you were happy as a lark for about twenty-five minutes. way to go princess!

i think about how fast time has gone since you were born and i want to slow it down. i want you to be my baby girl forever. dad says you are never going to grow up and get married because he wants you to stay his baby girl forever too. i think that even when you are a grown woman with children of your own, to me you will still be my baby girl to love, nurture, protect, and take care of.

daddy and i could never express the love we have for you our little audrey jane. you are the most precious and important thing in the world to us.

love, mommy

this one makes me laugh

with her little tongue out

caught her on camera mid-sneeze


here are her two month pictures we had taken at a studio:

so long, farewell...

today i told my boss that i would not be returning to work when my leave was up. it is hard to believe that i am not going to be going back. i am going to miss my friends and coworkers there a lot. i feel very lucky to be able to stay home with my audrey. today was also the first day of my new job. i got a job i am able to do from home when i have time here and there while audrey is napping or dave is home. it does not have the social benefits that my last job had, but being able to work in my pajamas is a definite perk.