What a difference a year makes!

NYE 2008:


NYE 2009:


WOW.

Decade in Review

I got this great "Decade in Review" idea from the Bump 12-24 boards, but realized that my memory is super spotty...I can't remember which year most events took place! So here are the major events that happened from 2000-2009 (at least they're in order! I think...)

started college and working full time, got my first brand new car, met my future husband, learned a huge family secret, switched jobs (bank, loved it), Nana and Pop passed away, got a sweet little puppy dog (Zoe), got engaged and moved in with Chris, graduated college and started teaching licensure courses, traveled out of the country (twice, Bahamas), got married, did a bunch of student teaching, made new friends, lost touch with old friends, parents got divorced, lost more beloved family members (most of them way too soon), became a teacher, built a brand new house, made a baby, birthed a baby, raised a baby (successfully) her first year.

That's a whole lot of change in 10 years, some bad, most good. I have so many hopes and dreams for the next 10 years. I hope you all have a fantastic 2010, and that the New Year brings you much happiness!

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

Audrey had her one year wellness check this morning. She weighs 19.7 lbs and is 29 in tall. Iron is still low, so we're upping the iron drops to 2x per day and getting it rechecked in one month. She goes for another wellness check at 15 months (I'm writing this down here so I don't forget to make that appointment!) She's absolutely perfect in every developmental aspect, such a wonderful girl! She got 3 shots today, and as she was screaming, I took the opportunity to really get a good look at her gums. OMG...I thought she just had 4 top teeth, 3 bottom. Well, she has two more coming in, on top, on both sides, but they're towards the back. I never would have seen them had she not had her mouth wide open!

We've started her on milk (mixed with formula.) She's doing great with it and has even been off bottles for over a week now (we pretty much went cold turkey and she was perfect!) I'm sure giving up the paci won't be nearly as easy. She only takes it for naps and bedtime, so I'm not even going to worry about weaning her from that anytime soon.

Chris installed her car seat last night, and this morning she took her first car trip forward-facing. She loved it!



She's getting so big, so fast. Before we know it, it'll be time for another!

Christmas 2009

Between Audrey 1st birthday and Christmas, it was a very tiring couple of days! It's hard to believe that last year on Christmas Day we were in the hospital with a tiny newborn. The nurses brought her to us on Christmas morning in a stocking:



And here she is, a year later, walking to see all of her presents:






Eating a yummy Christmas breakfast


She wasn't really interested in opening presents, but she loved lounging on her new Dora couch!


She passed out while drinking her milk as we were leaving Mom Maw's. She had skipped her afternoon nap amidst all the excitement.

Last year our Aunt Karen asked the question: "Do Christmas presents get Christmas presents?" I think we now know the answer to that: Yes, yes they do!

Our ONEderful Girl

Well, we made it! Audrey is still alive and well, survived her first year with us as parents. Yay us!! What an exciting day. We started off by serenading her with "Happy Birthday" when she woke up. Then she ate a special birthday pancake for breakfast:



The rest of the day was pretty normal: play, eat, nap, repeat.



We had family over for a special birthday celebration and it was so much fun! Dad made a spaghetti dinner (which she LOVED!) and we got to sing her Happy Birthday (again...and she was thrilled!) and of course we had cake and opened cards and gifts.


"SOOOOOO Big!"


Serious about spaghetti.




She ruled that cake!!




I think we have a favorite! Thanks, Aunt Sarah!!


She LOVED being sung to!


Writing her letter to Santa before bed.

She had a very special and wonderful first birthday. Thank you to all our friends and family who took the time to send cards and buy gifts (she was spoiled again on Christmas Day with tons of b-day gifts!)

I cannot believe how fast this year has gone by. She has grown and changed so much. I've experienced many different emotions since the day she was born, but the one that sticks out the most for me is pride. I'm so proud of our sweet Audrey Cate and the beautiful, fun little person she's developing into. I'm proud that Christopher and I are truly a team in raising our daughter. We've accomplished a lot together over the years, but Audrey, by far, is the best thing we've ever done. We love you, Sunshine!

A slideshow for our lovely girl

Merry Freaking Christmas

SOMEONE didn't take too kindly to Santa:

What a difference a year makes!

Exactly one year ago today we left the house with our suitcase and headed to my weekly doctor appointment. I was getting my membranes stripped again (and it was going to work this time, damn it!) We left the doctor and headed straight for the mall where we could walk around for hours. We walked and ate, walked some more, and ate some more. We finally left after a couple hours because I was having regular contractions. We made the decision to go to the hospital where they put us in a tiny room and checked me periodically:



Between checks we walked the halls for hours. My Dad even came to visit and brought some sweet gifts. We were officially admitted at 9:00 pm and that's when all the family started showing up!! By 10:00 we had parents, grandparents, and siblings in the waiting room. And amazingly they spent the whole night. It was such a comfort knowing they were there. Before midnight my water broke and I got the miraculous epidural. I slept on and off all night, so nervous and yet so excited about soon meeting Baby Burns.

Fast forward a year later...

I'm at the mall again, but this time it's to take that sweet Baby Burns to get her 1 year photos taken. It's crazy how much has changed in just one year.


Uncle Scott, making her laugh


Hanging with sweet Bella


Conked out!

When we put her to bed tonight, I thought back to a year ago. I remember the anticipation of finally finding out if Baby Burns was a boy (we were so sure there was a Jack in there!!) or a girl. I remember feeling anxious (would I survive childbirth?! lol), nervous, excited, and kind of sad that my pregnancy would soon be over. But nothing compares to watching your baby lay down , turn over, and curl up, looking like an angel as she sleeps. I can't believe she'll be one tomorrow!

Blizzard of '09

On Friday night (12/18) it began snowing non-stop, literally as we got home that evening. There had been talk about the storm ALLL DAAAAY, which made for a very crazy day at school! My 2nd graders were so excited. We made our snowman ornaments and wrote our Christmas cards just in case we didn't come back before Winter Break (which was supposed to start Wed, 12/23.) Sure enough, Saturday night they cancelled school for Monday and Tuesday, leaving us with a full 2 weeks of Winter vacation (which, seriously, is how it should have been in the first place!) Anyways, I'm bummed that we didn't get to have our Holiday party. I was really looking forward to decorating cookies and singing all the Christmas songs we learned (my kids especially loved Feliz Navidad!) But of course I'm super happy to have more time at home with my sweet girl. Here are some pics!








Every time I stood her up, she wanted to walk to me...


...see!


LOVED this!





It's been a long time since I went out and enjoyed the snow. As kids we used to go to the school and slide down the massive hills, come back home for some hot chocolate and freshly baked cookies, where a warm fire would await us. Audrey's still too little to "play" in the snow, but I'm looking forward to years and years of enjoying the snow again and making it memorable for her and her little brothers and sisters!

Stepping it up for Dad's Birthday

Soooo, it was exactly a month ago that Audrey took her first steps. Since then she has gotten so good at walking, mostly when holding your hand, cruising, and pushing her push toy. Well today she started letting go and walking by herself, without any prompting! I'll be completely honest, as wonderful as it is to see her walk, I am dreading the days where she won't crawl anymore. She is the cutest little crawler!! I love hearing her hands and feet move across the floor and watch her smile as she gets closer to what she wants. I love watching her pull herself up and explore. I'd be totally happy with her crawling for another few weeks.

But I am very proud of our sweet Audrey Cate. The look on her face as she walks towards you is PRICELESS. She has really learned to slow down so that she can actually make it more than 4 steps. And when I scoop her up in my arms she laughs and gets so, so excited. How can I not love that??





I love watching her push this toy around...I think she's so smart, the way she knows how to back up and maneuver it.


Today we got pounded with 2 feet of snow! I cannot wait to get Audrey Cate all bundled up and outside. Hopefully tomorrow the wind will have died down enough for us to get out and play!

What a difference a year makes...part 1

In honor of Audrey's 1st birthday coming up (WHAAAAA???) I'm starting a new series of blog entries. I really enjoy comparing our lives from year to year. Example: This time last year we found out we were pregnant! Or, this time last year I looked like a cow!! It's so fun to see how far we've come (especially that now I don't look like a cow anymore...most days:))

So, here is a picture of me last year in front of the tree. One of the very last photos taken of me while pregnant:



It's a little blurry, but trust me, that's a good thing. Notice how I am as wide as our tree. Zexy.

And here I am a year later, with that bundle of joy in my arms:



A year ago I had no idea that the little person in my belly was a GIRL. A sweet little girl we'd come to know as Audrey Cate, the most beautiful person we'd ever laid eyes on. Now we look at her and can't imagine our lives any other way. She is truly the best Christmas gift!

My Christmas List

It's funny how your wish list changes when you have a child. Almost everything I would like involves Audrey:

*picture frames from BBB (the ones where you can slide out the pictures, which makes it super easy to change them often)
*one of those cool level thingies that help you mark where you want to hang photos and shelves
*a Sham Wow & a Shark (for cleaning up the trail of puffs and juice and drool)
*a big, fluffy bathrobe for the days we don't change out of our PJs
*Therma scarf (it has pockets which inevitably end up filled with baby stuff)
*a heated throw (I would say this is for snuggling with Audrey...but let's be totally honest, it's for staying warm while watching Audrey play)
*a new memory card for my camera (because I took over 9,000 pictures of Audrey's first year and I'm pretty sure I'll surpass that amount during her 2nd)
*a Smart Mom teething necklace (because I really, really want to preserve the pretty necklaces Christopher has bought me over the years)

What I am looking forward to most of all is seeing Audrey unwrap all of her gifts. While this is not her FIRST Christmas, it is certainly much, much different than last year. It is our first Christmas home as a family :)

Busy, Busy!

Audrey will be one in just 3 weeks and she has some cool new tricks. She loves playing with Eddie and Zoe. She chases them around, plays peek-a-boo with them while she's in her high chair, and tries to pet them:



She thinks they're hilarious, yet they do absolutely nothing. I do everything but stand on my head for a laugh and SOMETIMES i'm rewarded for all my hard work. She's starting to shake her head "no" more and more to communicate what she doesn't want (for example, if she doesn't want to be picked up...b/c she's busy playing with dogs.)







I've been busy myself. Audrey's party is soon and I've been having fun planning. I even made a practice giant cupcake:

The colors will be different, but I'm really excited how it turned out! It actually looks good if you don't look too closely :) This is an insanely busy time of year...and it's going by waaaaay too fast.

Tutu cute!!

Tiny dancer:

The tree is up!

Audrey loves it! She doesn't bother with it too much (unless I force her to sit next to it...you know, for photo ops.)