May 30

Daniel has always wanted to get a seat for his bike, so he could take Audrey for rides. So he got one and installed it this morning. Then he took Audrey for a ride. Audrey was really excited about her helmet and about riding a bicycle. Until they actually starting riding, and then she wasn't so sure. She did not like the bumps, and Daniel said she whimpered and whined for most of their ride. But then when they were done, she starting whimpering and whining about how she wanted to go back on the bicycle and go for another ride. So who knows if she liked it or not??

Daniel decided he didn't really like the seat and the way it fit on his bike either. He wasn't sure it was worth the money, especially since Audrey wasn't a huge fan. So he ended up taking it back to the store tonight. At least it kept them occupied for the morning.

I have been on edge this afternoon/evening. This bedrest stuff is driving me insane. I really feel for people who have to do this for months, because five days is enough to send me over the edge! It is such a frustrating feeling to lay here and not be able to do anything. I feel guilty and lazy, though I know I shouldn't. And I don't think any woman at the end of her pregnancy should be given so much free time to sit and think and worry and wonder.

Today, I was worried for a while because I hadn't felt the baby moving much. She just seemed less active today than normal, though I am still feeling her move. I'm pretty sure I am just being paranoid simply because I have time to sit here and think about it. I also have time to sit here and think about labor and delivery and all that could go wrong. And time to think about all the possible things we could hear from the doctor tomorrow. And time to think about how stressful life is going to be with a newborn and a 2 1/2 year old. Too much time! Too much thinking!

Therefore, I am now going to stop thinking completely and devote myself to some completely mindless, trashy television: The Bachelorette.

May 29

One more day and then...well, I don't know what will happen then. But we should at least know more then than we do now.

Today was a better day. I didn't feel as bad as I did yesterday, and I was not so restless.

I found a super cute and fun birthday party idea for Audrey's 3rd birthday. So I started to research some ideas for a Rainbow Paint party...it is going to be lots of fun, even though it is still about 5 months away!

I did a little typing work for my dad., which made me feel like I was using my time wisely and being more productive.

And I finally forced myself to read. Once I made myself focus on the book, I realized it's a really good book (These is My Words by Nancy Turner). I'm enjoying it! I got about halfway through it today. I think my goal for tomorrow will be to finish it.

Thanks to Lindsey for helping with Audrey at church this morning. And thanks to Braden and Angela for stopping by tonight...it was nice to have some company! I am really grateful for all of our friends here and their willingness to help us out!

May 28

One day down, two more to go. It has been a blah kind of day for me. I think laying around all day long is making me feel kind of yucky and lethargic. Plus I've been feeling kind of crampy and have had lots of Braxton Hicks contractions. I've been feeling those for a couple of weeks now, but I think I notice them a lot more when I'm just laying here doing nothing!
Audrey may look happy in this picture, but she's been having a rough couple of days at home. I think being moved around from place to place, along with picking up on the idea that Mommy is not quite normal, is affecting her a little bit. She has had quite the little attitude lately, being very temperamental and demanding at times. Other times, she is so sweet and cute and funny...it's hard to stay frustrated with her for long.

Big thanks to Amy for watching Audrey this morning while Daniel got some work done. And big thanks to Katie for stopping by to chat and bring me a goody bag. And big thanks to Daniel for cooking and cleaning and taking care of Audrey while I am forced out of commission.

I can't wait to hopefully get some sort of answer on Tuesday. I am not very good at sitting around and waiting patiently! I have been having a hard time focusing on anything for very long. I would love to be spending all this extra time reading, since I love reading and never have time for it. But I just cannot focus.

Instead, I've been spending my time on stupid, mindless tasks. Like playing Oregon Trail and other dumb games on the ipod or solitaire games on the computer or obsessively stalking everyone on Facebook or reading random blogs or just sitting here and staying into space. I'm going to try to be a little more focused tomorrow!

May 27

I think this baby is trying to stress me out before she even gets here!

The good news from today's appointment: my fluid levels were up. They were up to 10 today, which is considered good and normal. Hopefully the levels will stay that way!

The bad news from today's appointment: the baby's belly is measuring small again. I am 36 weeks, 3 days and the baby's belly measured right at 34 weeks. Her legs measurements were normal, and her head measurements were actually big. But the small belly is a cause for concern, because it could indicate that the baby is not getting the nutrients that she needs.

This was a concern about 5 weeks ago, at my 31 week appointment. The baby's measurements were all on track (the head was a little big then too), except for the belly which was 2 weeks behind.

But then at the next appointment (33 weeks) all of the measurements were right on track, including the belly. At that point the doctor was feeling good about the baby's growth and was no longer too concerned.

Now it appears that her growth has slowed down, which again is cause for concern. On Tuesday, I will go see a high risk baby doctor at the hospital, where they will do a Doppler ultrasound to look at the baby's blood flow. I think this will give them a good idea of whether or not there is a problem with the baby getting enough nutrients. If there is a problem, then we may be talking induction/delivery. If they don't see a problem, then hopefully (maybe?) I can just go back to normal life and wait for the baby to come naturally. We'll just have to wait and see! (that's my motto in life right now).

Besides the small belly, this baby has shown no signs of being unhealthy. Her heartrate, movement and diaphragm breathing have been good every time. It is possible that she is just a small baby (like her sister), and that is why the belly measurements are small. The doctors are just being thorough and cautious and checking to make sure everything is okay. I'm grateful for that, but it does kind of stress me out too!

Until Tuesday, I'm on strict bedrest. More sitting here, more waiting and wondering. I'm seriously going to go crazy! And I think Daniel and Audrey might go crazy too! If anyone wants to stop by and say hi this weekend, you are more than welcome. We're going to need some company and a few distractions around here.

May 26

Audrey went to play with Lindsey, Simon and Elliot this morning so I could "take it easy." Lindsey sent this picture...they were playing "bedtime" and pretending to go to sleep and wake up. Audrey loves going to visit the Lanters. I think she would be perfectly happy to go to their house and stay forever.

We are very fortunate to have friends who are willing to help us out by watching Audrey. And we are fortunate that Audrey enjoys going to new places to play with new friends and doesn't have a hard time being separated from us. Yesterday, during my doctor's appointment, she went to play with Michele, June and baby Mason. Today she was with the Lanters. And tomorrow, during my doctor's appointment, she is going to Miss Lisa's house to play. Fun times for her!

I spent my day hanging out on the couch...sitting, waiting, drinking lots of water, and going to the bathroom about every 5 minutes. I don't see how this water is going to help me at all, as it doesn't stay in my system for long at all...it feels like it is just going straight through me! I did find some projects that I could complete while sitting down...so I wasn't completely bored out of my mind all day.

I am starting to get anxious about tomorrow...mostly because I just don't know what is going to happen. I have spent a lot of my time reading about low amniotic fluid and induction and whatever else I can find searching the web (never a good idea, I know...but I just can't help myself!). I don't think I am in too bad of shape, since the levels weren't in the dangerous zone yet. So as long as they haven't dropped any more (how could they when all I have been doing is sitting around and drinking water??), my guess is they will tell me to keep resting and drinking water, and they will keep monitoring me in the coming weeks. I don't think I will make it all the way to 40 weeks, but at this point, I am doubting that induction/delivery will happen this weekend.

However, there is still the possibility that, for whatever reason, the fluid has gone down more to a point that is considered dangerous for baby. Which means there is a chance that they will talk about induction...assuming that my cervix is "ripe" (what a strange term to use...it just means that I have started to dilate and efface) and they think the baby will do okay through labor and delivery and after.

So I think the possibility of induction is pretty low, but the chance is still there. I am trying to prepare myself mentally that we could be having this baby very soon...like this weekend. I want to make sure we have bags packed for all of us, and our house is in order...just in case that remote chance becomes a reality.

Ugh...how am I ever going to sleep tonight????

May 25

So I had my doctor's appointment this morning. Sonogram showed that my amniotic fluid levels were low. My levels were at 7.6. (normal range is between 5 and 25, so I'm definitely on the low end). The Dr. said they start to get very concerned about levels that drop to 5 or lower. So I'm not quite in the dangerous zone yet, but they want to keep an eye on it.

I will go back in for another sonogram on Friday. If levels have dropped to a 5 or 6, then they will send me to the hospital. Probably they would monitor me and baby there for a while and give me IV fluids to try to increase amniotic fluid levels. There is also a possibility that they would talk about induction/delivery if the levels are too low.

I don't think induction will be seriously considered at this point unless they are pretty confident something is wrong with the baby. 36 weeks is still pretty early...I'd prefer to make it to closer to 38 weeks to ensure the baby's lungs are completely developed. The baby's movements and diaphragm breathing today indicated that she was still very healthy, so that's good. However, the doctor did recommend packing a hospital bag and bringing it with us to the appointment on Friday, just in case.

For now, Dr's orders are to rest, take it easy and drink lots of water. No cooking, cleaning, shopping or chasing a two year old. Basically, she told me to hang out on the couch and rest and read and watch TV. Hopefully taking it easy will help the fluid levels to go up to a more normal level, and things will progress naturally from there.

The Dr. did not check for dilation today, so I have no idea if anything is starting to happen yet or not. I'm feeling lots of crampiness and some contractions, but that can go on for weeks before real labor hits.

We'll just have to wait and see what happens...I have a feeling I am going to be saying that a lot over the next few days/weeks!!

May 24

36 weeks now...a full nine months!

I really don't look 9 months pregnant. At first it was flattering when everyone would comment on how small I looked. Now it just makes me nervous! When I was 36 weeks with Audrey, I was just about measuring normal and my doctor wasn't worried about being too small anymore. She seems to be a little more concerned this time around, which makes me a little more concerned as well.

I have my sonogram and doctor's appointment in the morning. Most likely, everything is fine, and it will be fun to get another look at our healthy, growing baby. But there is still that little chance that something is wrong. At least, I'm far enough along now that if something really horrible was wrong, the baby is developed enough to be safely delivered.

I'm also a little nervous because the reality of all this is hitting me. No matter what--whether it is tomorrow or 4 weeks from now--this baby is coming! My to do list is growing much shorter. Next up is to pack our bags and get the car seat cleaned and installed. Then pretty much all of the major tasks will be done, and we will just be sitting around waiting for baby!

May 23

Audrey and I went to the park this morning. It is so much fun to take her to the park, now that she is more independent and willing to climb and play and slide by herself. She is very proud of this newly discovered skill too. Before she did anything, she would emphatically say: "I do it ALL myself!"



I've been completely distracted today by all the news coverage and Facebook talk about a huge tornado that hit Joplin, MO yesterday. Daniel and I went to school in Joplin, and it was home to us for 4 1/2 years. While living in Joplin, it was fairly common to hear the tornado sirens go off. So common, that sometimes it was tempting to just ignore them. Tornadoes are common in the area, and I remember one tornado that was especially bad in the area while we were there...but it was nothing like this.

The pictures of the destruction are unbelievable. And it is even more unbelievable for us because we are familiar with these places. Today I saw the Joann's fabric store where I used to work, completely stripped down to its skeleton...no roof, no walls. The church where we had our first ministry completely lost the auditorium. So many buildings and houses completely leveled. Fortunately, I believe that everyone I knew in Joplin is safe and well...but wow...it is just unbelievable. 116 people confirmed dead so far. Keep the people of Joplin in your prayers...more tornadoes are in the forecast for the area tomorrow!

May 22

Tonight we hosted a cookout with our small group. We had lots of food and a full house...fun times! I took a few pictures of the kids playing outside.



Audrey is the slowest eater. Every other kid and adult had cleaned their plates and gone back for seconds and dessert, while Audrey was still working on her first plate. She must have sat here for at least 45 minutes eating her meal...maybe longer. But she was perfectly content to just sit there and nibble and watch everyone else run around and have fun!

May 20

How about a picture of our little baby for today's picture? This is from her 31 week ultrasound, which was about one month ago. It is a close up of her face. If you look carefully, you can see her little profile...and what looks like a big frown!
I had an OB appointment today. Here are the stats: I am 35 weeks and 3 days pregnant. I have gained 25 pounds so far. My belly is only measuring at 33 weeks.

I've been measuring about two weeks behind for a while now...which is why I've had the extra sonograms. The doctor still thinks everything is okay, as I am growing at about the right rate. I'm just not growing to the right size. But she still wants to keep an eye on things and make sure my fluid levels are okay and that the baby is still growing.

So next week I will go for my 36 week appointment, and they will do yet another sonogram. And they should check for dilation and all that fun stuff too!

May 19

Today was our last day of Sprouts for this season.

It was also a big morning for Audrey.

We have a former Burger King playland in our play area at Sprouts. In order to get into it, you have to climb up several platforms and then go through the tunnel to slide down the big, fast slide.

Audrey has never been brave enough to go past the first platform by herself. Until today. She REALLY wanted to climb up it and go down the big slide. But there was no way that I was going to (or even that I possibly could) climb up there and help her. So I told her if she wanted to go up, she would have to do it all by herself.

There was one platform that she just couldn't quite do by herself...it was just a tad too big for her. So with only a little boost from me, she climbed all the way up by herself. Then she went into the tunnel and saw the slide.

That's when she started crying and saying, "No, it's too big". I yelled up at her from the bottom of the slide and finally convinced her to come down by herself. She cried the whole way down and had a look of terror on her face.

Once on solid ground, she smiled and said, "Do it again." And she proceeded to do it again and again and again, all by herself (with only a little boost from me to get up on the tall green platform).

She still had a look of terror on her face and a wide open mouth every time she went down. But she loved it. I'm so proud of her for being so brave...too bad this was the last day! Hopefully, she will still remember how to be brave in September. Our next goal: get her to conquer the McDonalds playland all by herself.



And I am continuing to feel better. Still lots of nastiness coming out of my nose, but I still say it is a sign of improvement that all that junk is getting out of my head. The pressure and pain was much, much better today. Hoping to be all cleared up very soon!

May 18

I'm still not feeling so great today, but I think that antibiotic is starting to work after just the first dose. This is probably too much information, but I did the sinus rinse today and a crazy amount of green snot came out of my nose. Seriously, it was a ton more than normal...and it was totally disgusting. So I figure that must be a sign that things are improving...it has to be good to have all of that out of my head! Compared to the past two days, the pressure and pain in my head did seem to be a little better. Between the sinus rinse and the antibiotic, I'm thinking this is going to be the end to my sinus troubles. Positive thinking!!

For some reason, when I'm not feeling well, I am more motivated to plan fun things to do with Audrey. Maybe it makes me feel less guilty about being grumpy and impatient. Or it might just be because it keeps us busy and helps time pass more quickly.

So we started the day at the library. Audrey loves that place and never wants to leave. I was really impressed with her memory today. We pulled into the parking garage, and I parked the car. Audrey said, "Mommy find place to park? Mommy happy now?" She was remembering two weeks ago when we went to the library, and I was frustrated because the lot was full...and she kept telling me to "stay happy Mommy". It is so crazy how many little, seemingly insignificant events that she remembers!

We also started learning about the letter G today. We made a green, grass G.
And we read the book In the Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming.

Our backyard just happens to be full of tall, tall grass right now! With all the rain we've had recently, our grass has been growing like crazy. I'm glad Daniel hasn't had the chance to mow yet, because it was the perfect object lesson to go with our story!
I gave Audrey a bag and we went on a search to see what we could find in our tall, tall grass. She collected quite a few little things...mostly rocks and pretty yellow flowers (i.e. dandelions).
Maggie thought the tall, tall grass made a very comfortable place to rest.
The idea of having Audrey collect things in a bag was brilliant. She loves to carry bags around and put things in and out of them. It kept her occupied for a long time outside, while I was able to sit and recline in the lawn chair and enjoy the nice weather.
And now it's time for what I have been waiting for ever since I got up this morning: SLEEP! Good night!!

May 17

Piano recital is over...what a relief! I didn't even have to play anything, but these recitals still stress me out. Especially when I am 9 months pregnant and not feeling well! Everyone played really well tonight; I was very pleased with and proud of all my students. Here we all are after the recital!

Audrey was very cute at the recital tonight. First she passed out programs to everyone who came. Then, as we were waiting to start, I asked a couple of the kids "Are you ready, guys?" Audrey heard me, and a few minutes later, she walked up to a couple of students and said, "Are you ready, guys?" Then she went on to tell them about what was going to happen after they played at the recital. "First, we clap. Then have cake! It a big cake, guys, a very big cake." It was pretty adorable.

I did go to the doctor today, and I got my third antibiotic for this sinus infection. I kind of worry about taking all these drugs while pregnant, but the doctor says it's okay. Plus, having an unwell mommy is not really good for the baby either, so I think getting well is the number one priority right now. HOPEFULLY, this one works and I will feel better and STAY BETTER!

While I was at the doctor, my friend Amy watched Audrey for me. She had a little photo shoot with Audrey and Cael, and her pictures turned out great. Such cute pictures of Audrey...you need to go check out her blog right now: www.amysyearinpictures.blogspot.com.

May 16

Ugh, no picture again. I have a feeling those words may become quite common on this blog over the next few weeks. I am going to try to do better.

Our living room remodel is just about complete, so I will be posting "after" pictures soon.

I am also almost finished with some decorating projects in the girls' room...so again, more pictures to come soon.

Tomorrow night, I have a piano recital with my students...so I will probably have a picture to share from that as well.

So there are some pictures to come in the near future. And once the baby gets here, I will hopefully have more motivation to post pictures daily!

In the meantime, I am going back to the doctor tomorrow morning. The congestion that started last week is getting worse. I thought I was managing fairly well with the daily sinus rinse, and the congestion seemed bearable at least. But today I woke up feeling much worse with a lot more pain and pressure in my head and face. I haven't quite reached the point where I am unable to function, but I am quickly getting to that point. Like maybe in the next 5 minutes.

So tomorrow, I am hoping the doctor can help figure out something that will make feel better and stay better. Because seriously, going into labor and pushing a baby out of my body and taking care of a newborn (and a 2 year old) is pretty difficult on its own. I really don't think I can handle all of those things on top of the misery of a sinus infection. Actually, I know I can't handle all of that. Really, I can't. So, here's hoping for some answers tomorrow!

May 15

I almost went through another day without taking any pictures, but I did take this one of Audrey tonight. She was taking her shoes off in the rocking chair after we got home from church. And singing songs. I needed to use the video camera, because the photo doesn't quite the capture the cuteness of her little voice singing "Jesus Loves Me".

May 14

I'm going to have to start calling this blog the "Daniel's iphone photo of the day blog". I just haven't been doing very well at taking everyday photos lately. Daniel, however, is excited about his new phone, and he has lots of pictures to share!

Audrey loves Old Navy. Actually, she loves Old Navy's mannequins at the front of the store. She loves to go up to each one and shake their hands and talk to them. Today, she stopped to pose for pictures with a few of them!

May 12

Blogger was not working yesterday, so I couldn't post this last night. And somehow my May 11 post got deleted as well...weird!

OK, here’s the promised 34 week picture! I’m now 34 weeks and 2 days, to be exact! I think I’m looking just about the same as last time right now. Even though I’m not too huge at this point, I am feeling very uncomfortable. Everything just feels like it is being pushed and pulled and stretched in every direction. I don’t remember being so uncomfortable all the time while pregnant with Audrey, but I guess then I didn’t have to take care of a 2 year old all day long!

I go back and forth between freaking out about the end (beginning?) being so near and being really excited. Right now, I have a huge to do list that I would really like to complete before this baby is born. Before Audrey was born, we also had a to do list (and way more free time!). My water broke just as we were crossing the last thing off of our list…Daniel was on his way to Goodwill to drop off a few bags of clothes we had just cleaned out when I called him to say it was time. I’m kind of hoping this baby will be just as cooperative and wait until our to do list is complete before she makes an appearance!

One last picture…Audrey and I were both wearing blue skirts today (I always seem to coordinate our clothes without consciously doing it). I thought we should get our picture taken. And Audrey was happy to show off her belly, just like Mommy!!

May 11

I don't have a picture today. I was going to take a picture of me at 34 weeks, but I'm too tired and I look horrible right now. Maybe tomorrow.

My nasal congestion/sinus pain stuff is starting to come back again. And that makes me very annoyed, to put it nicely! It's still fairly mild right now, but I'm afraid it is going to get worse and turn into the miserable pain that I had for over 3 weeks last month. And I really can't handle feeling bad for the next 3-4 weeks...especially if I go into labor!

I bought a Sinus Rinse today and tried it. It is quite gross and not pleasant, but if it helps prevent a sinus infection, it will be totally worth it. I'm debating on whether or not I should call my doctor. I don't feel absolutely horrible right now, so part of me thinks I should wait and see if it gets worse before making a doctor's visit. But I don't want to let it go too long, because I really don't have a lot of time to spare right now and can't afford to be sick for the next few weeks!

May 10

Tonight we celebrated Daniel's birthday with a few friends at Osaka, a Japanese hibachi grill.

Daniel got a free birthday dessert--fried ice cream with a sparkler on top!

May 9

First--happy birthday to Daniel! I tried to take a picture of Audrey singing happy birthday to him before we ate his birthday cupcakes, but my card wasn't in the camera and I missed it. She sang happy birthday a lot today. She sang to Daddy several times, but she also sang to herself and me and Maggie and even to her shoe!

I'm super excited about the package that I got in the mail today. I ordered big sister/baby sister shirts for the girls, and they arrived today. Super cute! Audrey modeled hers for a few minutes tonight.And here are both of them. Obviously, there is not really a black box on the baby shirt...I just can't let you see the name yet. Not much longer until the name is revealed...I will be 34 weeks tomorrow!

May 8

Happy Mother's Day! Audrey went out with Daddy early this morning to get me a bagel and some flowers. She was very sweet when she brought it back home, running up to me, saying "Happy Mother's Day" and giving me a hug.

In our Sunday School class this morning, we made photo frames for the kids' moms. And then I took their picture holding this sign, and we printed the pictures and put them in the frames.
Our photo frames did turn out pretty cute. However, it was about the only thing that turned out well in our Sunday School class this morning. Pretty much everything that could go wrong went wrong including: me being the only teacher in the classroom for the first 20 minutes, kids escaping our classroom, kids throwing fits of kicking and screaming, one kid who locked himself in the bathroom, at least four cups of water spilled during snack time, multiple kids who did not want to listen to our story, and technical difficulties with my computer and printer while trying to print the pictures for our frames. It was a ROUGH morning (at least for me) in our class.

Fortunately, I think the kids still enjoyed class and might have even learned something about Jesus' ascension. I hope the moms were happy with their new photo frames. And this was a pretty abnormal morning...next week should be better. That's what I keep telling myself at least!

May 7

Our weekend full of company continues! My mom left this morning, just as Daniel's parents (aka Mimi and Papaw) were arriving. They came over to celebrate Mother's Day and Daniel's birthday with us. I'm pretty sure Audrey is loving yet another day of attention from grandparents!

Daniel's parents are staying in a hotel with an indoor pool, so we went over there tonight to take Audrey swimming. She enjoyed swimming with Daddy and walking up and down the steps all by herself. Every time she walked down a step, she made this face...it was pretty cute!

Also, we officially do not have a closet door in our living room anymore. Daniel and his dad took out the door today and filled the opening with dry wall. It's not finished yet, but we can no longer walk through that closet into the piano room. It's only been a few hours, but I can't even count how many times I have tried to walk through there to go to the other room. It is going to take some time to get used to it, but I think I'm going to like the final result. Our living room is feeling much more open and spacious.

May 6

It's been a good day! My mom came up for the day to go to my doctor's appointment with me and to do some garage sale shopping.

The sonogram/doctor's appointment went really well. The baby measured exactly as she should this time. Her belly was measuring right at 33 weeks, so maybe she went through a growth spurt over the past 2 weeks and caught up to where she should be. Or maybe the measurements they take are just estimates and far from an exact science. Everything looked good...heartbeat, breathing, size...so nothing to worry about right now! They also confirmed that she is still a girl, so it's good to have reassurance about that. (I keep reading stories about people who were told they were having a girl and then had a boy....which wouldn't be the end of the world, but it would be annoying as we have spent money on new girl things!).

According to her measurements at this sonogram, they estimated that the baby should weigh almost 8 pounds at a full term birth! Quite a bit different from the 6-7 pounds they predicted two weeks ago (again, I'm not convinced about the accuracy of these sonogram measurements!). My doctor thought that was a little big, and she also said she doesn't expect me to go all the way to 40 weeks. Her predictions were that the baby would weigh 7 lbs, 2 oz and be born before 39 weeks. It won't be too long until we find out if she is correct in her guesses!!

This evening my mom and I, along with Daniel and Audrey, headed out to garage sales. We didn't find any super amazing deals, but we did find a few things that made our trip worthwhile. Then we had dinner at Lake Point Grille, which was very yummy!

Here's another picture with Daniel's iphone, because I didn't have my camera with me. Audrey LOVES hanging out with her Nana. She has been so happy all day long!

May 5

(this photo courtesy of Daniel's iphone)
Elliot and Simon just got back from Florida today. And then they came straight over to our house to play while their mom and dad hosted an event at church!

Life is definitely more lively with two boys added to the mix!! We've decided that Audrey is much more of a follower than a leader. She just sits and watches Simon and Elliot, and then when they start doing something she thinks looks fun, she mimics exactly what they are doing.

Here are Audrey and Simon, playing with Barbies!

May 4

We finally got back to some letter of the week activities tonight. I think we did "E" way back at the end of March. Then I was sick for like 3 weeks, and then we had our garage sale. But now, life is somewhat calmer, and we jumped back in with the letter F.

We made a letter F craft tonight, decorated with flower stamps and flower stickers. And then we planted some flowers. I got these little pots at the dollar spot at Target. Most likely flowers won't even grow in them...but we had fun mixing up the dirt and putting the seeds in tonight.

I think it's time to record a few more funny things that Audrey has been saying and doing lately! One of these days, I'm going to gather these all up together one place...

• Me: "Audrey do you want peanut butter and jelly or chicken nuggets for lunch?" Audrey: "More choices."
  
• Me: "Audrey, do you like Mommy?" Audrey: "No, I like poop."
• Today, I was circling around the library parking garage multiple times trying to find a parking spot. And I was getting a little frustrated. Until Audrey said, "It's okay, Mommy. Stay happy."
• I found Audrey climbing up on the toilet the other day and sitting on the lid. I asked what she was doing, and she replied, "I sitting on a pretty rainbow." I had to have her repeat it three times to make sure that is what she said, but I think that's what she really said...I have no idea where she came up with that!
• She is starting to play "pretend" games more and more. This morning while I was getting ready, she said, "Bye-bye Mommy. Gotta go to the clubhouse (as in the Mickey Mouse clubhouse). See you later." And she walked out and shut the bedroom door. Then she repeated this game over and over, substituting different places each time (church, mall park, Nana's house, etc.).
  
• Audrey has been really interested in stoplights lately. She knows that green means "go" and red means "stop". The other day, she noticed a yellow light and asked what it means. I told her it means to "slow down". She said, "Slow down. Be careful. Mommy says that." I guess I tell her to slow down and be careful a lot!
• Audrey loves to know the order of what we are going to do. We just have to tell her once or twice what we are doing first and then second and so on. She loves to repeat the order over and over again! For example, here she is telling our "plan" for the night:

She is always distracted by the camera, so she never says things as clearly when the camera is on. Here's a translation: "First make craft. First listen bells. Then ice cream." She normally will add "do ALL these things" at the end, but she didn't this time. And that is what we did tonight: we made our flower craft, then went to listen to Daddy and the handbell choir play at the nursing home, and then we went to Dairy Queen for ice cream.

May 3

Audrey was in a super silly/happy mood tonight. She and Daddy had fun making lots of silly faces for the camera!