Peek-a-boo!

Jack went to a birthday party with Nana and Papa Carl last night, so Jacob and I had a few hours alone with Audrey.  She ate it up.  She loved every second of our time together and was quite the ham.  This video was from the car ride home:

A big pile of dirt

We recently had four scoops of dirt delivered for our garden.  For a little boy, what is better than a big pile of dirt? Jack played in this all afternoon and talked about it every time he woke up from a nap for a whole week.  "I go play in dirt?  Big dirt?"

Audrey is 9 months!

Our little peanut is 9 months old!  Audrey (who is mostly called Awa by Jack and Audie by Jacob and I) has a ton of new 'tricks' this month.

She loves to wave hello and goodbye, she'll give a high-five when you put up your hand, she gives sweet kisses and sometimes will even lean in to give a hug, and she plays peak-a-boo with her blankie every time we put her to bed.  One of the best things about this past month is that she is learning to enjoy books.  In the past she has only wanted to play with or chew on books while we read to her.  I started giving her a book to play with while I read to her.  Now she helps to  turn the pages and lift the flaps.

She has increased her desire to feed herself this month.  She eats pretty much anything you put in front of her and basically refuses to let us feed her anymore.  One thing she doesn't like is avocado.  Seriously? I am wondering if she's really my daughter.  Or maybe I ate too many avocados while I was pregnant?

Audrey still is having a really hard time with separation anxiety.  She is getting more comfortable with our family and has a few people at church that she'll actually let hold her.  (Thank you Chanteal Stapler and Stephanie Dennis!)  But typically, if we're in public and I leave her line of sight, she quickly melts down.

Aside from her separation anxiety, Audrey is a happy and sweet little girl.  She has a beautiful smile and adores Jack.  I've recently been putting them right next to each other in the car.  You should hear the giggles coming from the back seat.  It is a pretty sweet sound.

I love this little one.  I'm thankful for these past few months and am looking forward to seeing more and more of her personality develop as she continues to grow.

Here are a few pictures of our little girl this month:

My two favorite thumb suckers

Skyline Time!

One of her favorites - Spinach quiche

Audrey and her cousin Cohen Koesters

Neither of the kids have enjoyed Cheerios at home -- but they sure do love them at church!

9 months

Thumb sucker #2

On March 4th we took away Audrey's pacifier. It was a fairly easy transition and nap/bedtime was a breeze. I have given it to her in public places, like church or restaurants, and I've let her use it when she's sleeping somewhere different, like at grandma's house.

Occasionally I've seen her try to suck her thumb, but it just hasn't stuck...until this week.
I've noticed that she's been sucking her thumb when I get her from her crib and she occasionally will do it when she's getting tired.  But here's the reason I think it's going to stick:  today she did it to soothe herself when she was upset.  And it worked!

It's been sweet to see her curl up with her thumb and blankie when I put her in her crib... just like her brother.  I'm sure I could find a few pictures of Jacob and I doing the same thing as kids, too.

I'm not saying that you'll never see the pacifier again, but as she grows the small pacifier isn't comforting her as much as that thumb hopefully will.  I'm sure that my dentist would disapprove of thumb sucking, but what are you going to do?

Jack hit the high note

If you're going to watch this video, just know that it's a bit long and the punch line doesn't come until the end.  

Jack was talking on the phone with my dad and was going on and on, so I decided to pull out my camera to record their chat.  I've never heard him try to really sing before, so I'm so glad I caught it on tape.  He hits his high note around 1:18.  Enjoy

Time to potty train

This is happening, folks. If Jack can intentionally pee on the bathroom floor every time he gets out if the tub (and then giggle in a proud, "look what I just did" kind of way) then he can do it in the toilet, right?

Here goes nothing!

Audrey is 8 months!

Today marks eight months for Audrey.  She's still a little peanut!  We don't go back to the doctor until next month, and I'm excited to see if she's grown much since she's been consistently eating solid food.

She loves to eat and really enjoys feeding herself.  We had stuffed shells last night and she had her own helping plus all of Jack's leftovers.  She even ate the sausage and spinach inside.  It's fun to watch her eat and it will be nice when she can always eat with the rest of us.

If you come over to our house, watch out!  You will step on a Cheerio while you're here.  I don't know how they get from her high chair to the rest of the house, but they are everywhere!

Audrey is going through a bit of separation anxiety.  And when I say a bit I mean a she cries almost every time I walk away from her.  I'm hoping that this is a quick phase, because I'd love to drop her off in the nursery or leave her with our family without leaving behind a screaming baby!

Every week I take the kids to a music class that is taught by a childhood neighbor of Jacob.  Audrey really enjoys the class, and she is beginning to anticipate the rhythm of some of the songs and the order of the class.  Last week the whole family got out our musical instruments and played along while Jacob practiced for worship.  Here's Audrey in her overalls watching her daddy play.

8 months in the big red chair