Over the weekend I had high hopes as I stalked the weather forecast...Not one, but TWO storms were going to come together and give us 1-3 inches of snow! But on Monday afternoon I felt like a deflated balloon when I heard that one storm moved out to sea. I was still hopeful though! I continued to follow the forecast but was sad to see that the snow totals kept dropping...and then finally it was down to just sleet and ice. We were released 2 hours early on Tuesday because it was supposed to begin in the afternoon. I was totally shocked to see that we were closed on Wednesday! I thought maybe we'd have a delay at most...but of course I'll take it!
Now we have a 3-day weekend and I'm so happy. I took a 23 week belly picture last weekend but I swear this week alone my belly has doubled in size! Last night as I lay on my side the baby was doing some serious moving. We were pretty excited :)
23 weeks
My 24 week appt is Monday, as well as Audrey's 2 year check up. Hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday weekend!
I'm starting a new series of posts. I've been inspired by my blogger friend Shannonlea, fabulous mom to adorable twins Josh and Emma. Every Thursday she posts about things she wants to remember. I'm not committing myself to a weekly schedule, but I love the idea of taking time to write down all the things I want to remember, big or small...after all, that's what this blog is for! Here goes...
I never want to forget Audrey's newest craze....the shower! One day last week I had just stepped in. She immediately dropped the toy she was holding (the toy I purposely brought in to keep her occupied) and said, "In there?" I figured, why not? I stripped her down and she stepped right in. She loved it! I was able to shower and keep an eye on her at the same time. She really just likes to stand there and get wet (and play with the sponges!) She'll ask to be picked up and I put her right under the spray. As soon as I turn the water off she says, "More?"
I never want to forget our newest bedtime ritual...kisses through the crib slats. I kneel down and she gives me a kiss. Then she moves over to the very next slat and says, "Over here?" and we kiss again. It continues until we get all the way down to the end...then we say, "Yaaaaay!" and high-five. Perfect ending to my day? Definitely!
And for Baby Burns...I never want to forget what it feels like to watch him or her dance around in my belly. I've been feeling kicks for awhile, but to actually *see* my belly move is simply amazing. I wish I could hold that little hand (or foot!) and give it a million kisses. I love you so much, baby!
Thanks Shannon for the great idea. I'm looking forward to keeping up with these posts :)
What a nice break this has been...hanging out with Audrey every day, getting things done around the house, even preparing a little here and there for Baby Burns. The only downside is that we've been under the weather for most of it...stuffiness, sore throats, headaches...and poor Audrey has an eye infection. It started in her right eye and has moved to her left. The pedi gave us an ointment and it seems to be clearing it up (hopefully in time for her birthday party on Saturday!)
The Christmas decorations are put away and it was bittersweet...by the time we put them up again we'll have a 7 month old AND a 3 year old! I'm feeling great (22 weeks) but when I stand for too long or move around too much I have major pain in my lower back. Other than that pregnancy is awesome :)
We had some snow the day after Christmas. It's all gone now, but I'm really hoping for more soon, I can't get enough time with my girl!
All bundled up...her snowsuit from last year fits perfectly even though it's 12 months! Also, notice the Mickey & Minnie in her hands :)
Uncle Craig got her a sled for Christmas...she loves it so much! After I pull her through the yard she says, "Again?" LOL
I've enjoyed the break but I'm ready to get back into our routine and I can't wait to see my kids! Dance starts again- she's perfected her "princess turns" and "alligator kicks" over the break. I'm very curious to see if she actually does them in class :) We'll be busy this week preparing for her little party and getting back into a good routine. Happy New Year!
2010 was incredible for so many reasons! Audrey had just turned one and began walking...her growth this year has been incredible to witness. I had a terrific year at school and was able to loop up with my awesome class. We became pregnant with another little baby and couldn't be happier!
I'm sure 2011 will be amazing as well. We're healthy & happy & together. What more could we ask for?
Before Audrey was born I began looking for a photographer who would come to the house for photo shoots. I had seen many blogs and websites with such gorgeous images of newborns and babies...and while I think studio photos are very nice, there's just something so special about the home setting. So we've had photos taken at home (or at some other pretty outdoor location) for her milestone birthdays (nb, 6 mo, 1 year, 18 mo.) The problem with these shoots is that our photographer was SO EXPENSIVE! The session alone was pricey and the prints were outrageous (for just ONE print!) But I sucked it up because the photos were always gorgeous and they would last a lifetime.
Then my friend Stacy from high school became a mom and started her own photography business. Through FB we'd kept in touch and she started blogging, too. I absolutely loved seeing her work, mostly of her beautiful daughter Addisyn. She now lived in DE but often visited her family who still live in the area. I knew she'd be perfect for Audrey's 2 year portraits.
Our sneak peak was posted on her blog last night and I love how they came out so far. Stacy was so great to work with...she directed us, had great ideas, and even insisted we take pictures on Main Street. If you are in the northern VA/MD/DE area I highly recommend her...you get more than your money's worth and it's such a fun experience!
One thing I love about Stacy's work...she also focuses on the parents...what a change! After all, it all starts with 2 people in love...
On the 23rd we celebrated at Grandma & Grandpa's house with Aunt Sarah & cousin Bella. The girls got so many cool toys including a MMCH table with chairs and an indoor play tent with a tunnel. They had so much fun unwrapping gifts and playing with their new toys.
On Christmas morning my family came over for breakfast and to open presents...there were so many!
After all the presents were unwrapped she walked around and gave everyone a hug. Adorable!
She got so many cool toys; Little People zoo & scooters, Minnie's Bowtique, books, a sled, clothes, a basketball hoop and much more. Santa knew she was a very good girl this year :)
After Christmas morning with my family we headed up north to see Mom Maw and the rest of Christopher's family. More birthday gifts and Christmas presents!
She loved playing with cousin Teddy. He's so funny! I love this picture...we're both looking at the camera for once! By this time Audrey was pretty tired of opening gifts. She got new PJs, books, DVDs, a jewelry box and a beautiful silver bracelet. What a great day!
I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and that you were able to spend it with loved ones. I'm so depressed that it's all over! I'm going to start putting away Christmas decorations today but the tree stays up until January 1st :)
It was a wonderful day...we began with a photo shoot and ended with a party. She got some really great gifts: an art easel, a bathrobe with matching slippers, MMCH stuffed animals & laptop, a Radio Flyer tricycle, a Nerf gun (lol!) and more. She was much more into unwrapping her gifts this year... she would say, "Open!" after it was unwrapped. She had a wonderful birthday!
Traditional birthday breakfast: pancakes with candles
Blowing out the candles (she got one!)
Balloons!
So many presents...
Loved the bike from Nana!
Really loved the stuffed animals
She was super excited about the Nerf gun...we set up Woody from Toy Story as target practice, lol
One day as I was driving to work the song Forever Young by Rod Stewart came on. As I listened to the lyrics, I got so teary eyed- how perfect they were to describe my hopes and dreams for Audrey's future:
May the good Lord be with you Down every road you roam And may sunshine and happiness surround you when you're far from home And may you grow to be proud Dignified and true And do unto others As you'd have done to you Be courageous and be brave And in my heart you'll always stay Forever Young, Forever Young Forever Young, Forever Young
May good fortune be with you May your guiding light be strong Build a stairway to heaven with a prince or a vagabond
And may you never love in vain and in my heart you will remain Forever Young, Forever Young Forever Young, Forever Young Forever Young Forever Young
And when you finally fly away I'll be hoping that I served you well For all the wisdom of a lifetime No one can ever tell
But whatever road you choose I'm right behind you, win or lose Forever Young, Forever Young Forever Young ,Forever Young Forever Young, Forever Young For, Forever Young, Forever Young
My favorite part of the song is about standing behind her, win or lose...it is very much true. I knew when I heard the song that I wanted to use it in her slideshow. On her first day of school, on graduation day, on her wedding day and at the birth of my grandchildren I know I will always look at her and see my little girl, my sweet Audrey Cate.
Two years ago we were admitted to the hospital (after hours of walking the maternity ward!) Our family members started to show up around 10:00...I had a nice hot soak in the spa tub and shortly thereafter in my comfy hospital bed my water broke. Within minutes I was having intense contractions and by midnight my epidural was complete and I was determined to get a good night's sleep before meeting Baby Burns.
I consider myself to have a very terrible memory. That's the whole reason for this blog...it's for me, so that I don't forget all the precious (and not so precious) moments of raising my children. While my memory is pretty bad, I know I will never forget certain things about that night...Chris closely watching the monitors and trying to get comfortable on the couch. My in laws, grandparents, & sister in law waiting outside of our room. My mom coming in much later, then my brother sometime past midnight. I'll never forget my nurse who held my hand through the epidural and made me feel so comfortable and at ease. Waking all through the night as the nurse came to periodically check on my progress. Clicking the button for pain relief over and over because there was no way in HELL I wanted to feel this huge kid being ripped from my loins.
I remember waiting until about 5 am before telling the nurse that I had been feeling a lot of pressure. It had been building all night but I kept wanting more sleep! I remember everything happening so fast. Lights came blaring on, Chris holding one leg, being told to push for 10 seconds at a time (those were 10 very long seconds!) The doctor was called in and after just a couple more pushes we had a baby...I couldn't wait, was it a boy or girl?! I heard Chris say, "It's a girl!" and I nearly died with anticipation to get my arms around her. "Hi, Audrey, I love you!" I kept saying...I just couldn't believe it! I will always remember those moments.
They weighed her and cleaned her and I got to hold her again while Christopher told everyone the good news. Then they all came in to see our sweet Audrey Cate. I know that when I'm old and I look back on all of the best moments of my life, that will be one of my proudest.
Tomorrow Audrey will be two years old. Everyday I look at her and I know my purpose in life is to love and support her unconditionally. I am so thankful to her for teaching me how to love in that way. Happy birthday sweet Audrey Cate!
We went to the doctor today for our 20 week u/s and check-up. We got a bunch of cool pictures...Baby Burns was doing somersaults! We were very good and looked away when we were told :) Everything is measuring great, looks great, and we're still on track for May 7th. I weighed in at 135 which makes me dread the next 4 months...this is when I start packing on the pounds.
I still can't believe we're having another baby...when Chris picked up Audrey and brought her home tonight, she seemed so BIG to me...she's going to be a big sister, not the baby anymore. But this doesn't make me sad...it makes me really, really excited to help her build a bond with her little brother or sister. I think she will be so wonderful.
Tomorrow is our last day of school before break. Audrey will be 2 on Friday and Christmas is on Saturday. I can't wait to spend all of my time with my sweet girl!
