The first room when you walk in the house was also the messiest, with too many instruments and craft stuff in it to function!  But now, thanks to my sweetie and IKEA, I have a gorgeous new office to fuel my creativity.

Before:

UGH!!  That's pretty much what it looked like all the time.

After:

WOW!!!  I love it!!  Two desks, one for computer, and one for sewing.  Lots of storage, and cute too!!   New curtains to freshen it up, and the piano more accessible to the children.

 

My grandma's antique secretary desk still holds most of my yarn.

 

Doesn't this just inspire you to make something?  It sure inspires me!!

Thanks to my whole family who devoted a weekend and plenty of dollars to this project!!

The kids had fun too, because IKEA packaging contains lots of big sheets of paper:

 

This kept them busy for a while, and prevented us from using the table, so we had picnics upstairs at mealtime.  :)

"Welcome to Boxtown."  I didn't actually get a picture of Boxtown, but we build one every time we do something like this, usually after a trip to Costco.

Audrey likes to experiment with her boxes.

Bu was completely unimpressed by the whole thing.

So now that I have a new gorgeous workspace, I just want to hang out in here all day!!

Hello friends and family!  I just wanted to let you know that I am going to be better about blogging this year.  When the blog broke last summer I got out of the habit, and once it was fixed I never got back in.  Paul also had the blog linked to post on his Facebook page, and while I know that this is by no means a private blog, I wasn't comfortable "advertising" our family adventures to all of our casual aquaintances on Facebook.  But now it is not (thanks honey for accommodating me).  So now I need to get back into the swing of things.

I wasn't just lazy, you know.  Last fall I started up yet another venture, making and selling handmade items.  The Christmas rush of orders took up most of my free time and lots of my sleep time.  Now that things are slightly at a lull, it's a good time to rediscover blogging.  More about my business another time.

For now, here's a peek at the First First of 2010: Audrey's First Haircut!  Miss Bug has been getting shaggier as her superfine curly hair got longer...she had grown two loooooong tails on the back that we called her "swallowtails."  It gave her a crazy Einstein kind of vibe that really fit her personality but made her look like a little ragamuffin. 

So, in Hooper family tradition, Mommy sat her on the edge of the master bathtub with a lollipop and cut her hair.  (It didn't take long, hence the lollipop.  For Katelyn's much more involved haircuts, we use a bowl of chocolate chips to keep her still.)

 

I'd show you the finished product, but Paul didn't get a great picture because Audrey was ready to get back to playing.  She still looks like a wild thing, though!

These two crack me up!

 

(In the car, on the way to meet Daddy for dinner)
Mommy:  Kids, after dinner, I'm going to rehearsal and Daddy will take you shopping.
Katelyn, with disdain:  Mommy, Daddy is not exactly a shopping expert.

 

(At dinner, Audrey says the blessing.)
Audrey:  Dear God, please help us be sweet and Daddy's the boss.  Amen!!

If the last couple entries look weird, it's because I don't know how to do HTML, and somehow I have lost the ability to put it in "design for the programming impaired" mode. Anyhoo: Katelyn, sobbing after Audrey bit (!!!!) her: "Mommy, I was trying to hug her, and then she just started eating me!" * * * Daddy and Audrey are in the other room after the biting incident, having a talk. Daddy has the spanking spoon ready to go. Audrey looks despondent. Daddy: "Audrey, I don't like giving you spankings." Audrey lights up and throws her arms around him. Audrey: "You're the best daddy ever!!" (Imagine her dismay when she got a spanking anyways!) * * * Katelyn is watching ads for other games on her Leapster game unit. Mommy: "Kate, do I hear commercials? Please turn it off. Our rule is no commercials." Katelyn: "But Mommy, how else am I supposed to get my information?"

Audrey says the prayer at dinnertime sometimes now.  She does not like to use a song or a "formula" prayer, no...she tries to pray just like the grownups and Kate, from the heart.  It's so endearing!  Here's a sample:

 

I pray.  Dear God.  Tie together.  (=time together, something Paul often thanks God for in his prayers)  Daddy.  Momma.  Katie.  Audie.  Bayer.  Milk.  Boons.  (=balloons)  T-show.  (=TV shows)  Bocks.  (=blocks)  AMEN!!!!!!!

 

My mother tells me that someday I will miss this stage.  Will I even remember it?  It's a blur. 

Tickle wars in the "clubhouse."

 

The constant creative mixing of toys.  Imaginative, but a pain to clean up.  But so fun!  Daddy's shoes are great for dressup, too.

 

Secret puppy tea parties behind the couch.  Using blocks for food, of course.  Never mind that we have a twelve course meal of play food upstairs that hardly gets used.  The puppies prefer blocks.

 

The "art area."  This is surprisingly clean.  Usually it spills out all over the floor and someone trips on a crayon and gets hurt.

 

 

Piles of pink and pastel laundry.  There is no grownup laundry in this picture.

 

 

The Bu, content to sit with her ball right in the middle of all of the action. 

 

Misty of Chincoteague, our latest obsession.  (just like Mommy as a girl!)

 

 

Sight words all over the back of Kate's door.  51 to be exact.  Yes, the green one says "parrot", which was a word she really wanted to learn for some reason, so we added it to the door.  The rest came from a pack of post-its specifically for this purpose.

A growing pile of Babette squares.  Grandma, I am really putting your old secretary desk to good use.  It's stuffed to bursting with yarn, fabric, and sheet music, and all of the supplies that go with those passions.  I bet you never suspected that the little letterboxes inside would be chock-full of knitting needles.

 

So, future self, hope this helps you remember what you did all day when the kids were little.  You'll probably miss it a lot.  Right now I am just trying to enjoy every little moment and not get so caught up in the challenges that I miss out on the joys.

This sweet smile always helps!

Daddy is about to turn on the sod cutter we rented for the weekend.  Kate is totally fascinated.

Daddy:  Kate, this thing is pretty noisy.  You should probably cover your ears or go in the house.

Katelyn:  It's okay, Daddy.  My ears are very good at not listening to things.

 

*     *     *     *     *

Mommy is changing Audrey's diaper and talking to her to keep her from wiggling around.

Mommy:  Audrey, how old are you now?

Audrey (holding up three fingers): I two.

Mommy:  You are a big girl now.

Audrey:  Yes, I big girl.  (cocks her head funny)  Mommy, how much fingers you?

Mommy flashes fingers at her -- 10, 10, 10, and 4.

Audrey, eyes wide:  Whoa.

 

We had Audrey's party on Monday.  It had been postponed a week because of rain, but worth the wait.  It was cool that morning and clear, and just perfect for playing outside.  Jen came and took pictures and they are awesome!  To see them all, click here.  But here are a couple of highlights:

 

 

The next few are from my camera, and haven't been photoshopped, so they are definitely more amateur-looking.

Audrey even got a birthday smooch from Luke!  Paul was totally alarmed of course.

They grow up so fast!!

Can you believe she is 2 years old already?  How the time flies!

As you know, Audrey has such a giant, vibrant personailty she almost defies description.  Her zest for life and adventure reminds us so much of the Nash family (Amy's mom's side) and Kari.   The curly blonde hair and the grin look like Paul at this age (yes, he was blonde!) and her eyes look like Amy's mom's.  I won't tell you who she gets the drooling from.

Audrey's favorite things to do are: play the drum or other instruments, play with baby dolls, color, dance to music, play ball, climb, read books, and sing.  She is quite the jokester and will do practically anything for a laugh. 

She is eager to please but sometimes a little slow to obey because she is trying to make us laugh or chase her down (it is so hard to stay serious when she does this!)  She loves her sister and hardly knows what to do without Kate around.  She can say just about anything she wants to say now, although we still struggle to understand her at times.  Her favorite type of music is rock or anything with a hard beat, but her favorite songs to sing by herself are "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Oh Happy Day" (a song we did at church on Easter). 

She struggles with fear of bugs, Elmo (although less now than in the past), and robots.  Other than that, she is fearless and will try just about anything. 

 

She does throw 2-year-old-style tantrums now, but they seem related to teething pain, dining preferences, and bedtime more than anything else, so that makes her totally normal in my book.  She is having a really hard time giving up that paci (which is probably not a shock to anyone).

 

She is a joy and delight, and brings sunshine and smiles to everyone she knows.  We had no idea what we were in store for back when she was born! 

 

Happy birthday, little munchkin!  We love you beyond words!

 

Audrey is throwing a fit at the kitchen table because Mommy took her paci away.  Mommy attempts to stop the fit by changing the subject.

Mommy:  Audrey, are you thirsty?  What do you want to drink?

Audrey (stops crying immediately and grins really big): Dr. Pepper!!

I know you have been anxiously awaiting part 2 of our Hawaii blog post.  So here it is at last!  Here we have the major activities we did on the trip, other than laying around the pool and beach at the resort.

1.  Scuba diving. 

Kari is a certified diver, this was Paul's first time.  He took a crash course in the pool and then they went out and dove about 20 feet down.  He saw amazing fish and got inked by an octopus.  I wish we had pictures of the underwater stuff.  This will not be his last scuba experience and his excited descriptions of it have convinced me to try it next time.  Kari went out a second time and dove the wall of Molokini, which is a crescent shaped rock between Maui and Kahoolawe.  You could see it from our villa.

 

2.  Road to Hana.

Hana is a little town on the northeast corner of Maui.  The road along the northern shore of the island has become a tourist attraction in itself.  It's long, winding, and the scenery is incredible.  Waterfalls, rugged beaches, black sand, wildlife, and some of the most amazing views on the planet.  Paul and I left the kids with the grandparents and made a day of it.  We hiked away from the road a couple of times to see some waterfalls (although there were spectacular ones right up against the roadway as well).

One of my favorite things on that trip was this blowhole in a lava formation at Waianapanapa State Park.  The water would come whistling out the top like a geyser.

 

3.  Aquarium

On a very windy day we decided to go to the Maui Ocean Center to do a non-swimming activity.  The kids loved it, Kate especially because a sea turtle waved at her.  We also went to a truly memorable "Mexican" restaurant nearby.  The food was not good but there was a guy with a guitar singing very loudly.  Good times.

Kate touched a starfish, that was cool too.  She was scared at first, but after Mommy touched it and described it, she gave it a try.  It was pretty bumpy.

 

4.  Golf

Paul and Marc played the Wailea Old Blue golf course.  They had a blast.  They did not hit any cars.

 

5.  Ate at restaurants.

This is us at Mama's Fish House for the big anniversary dinner.  Spectacular food.  They could even tell you who caught the fish that day that you were eating.  Kari even ate some fish!  Katelyn had fish and chips and loved it; she wondered why the fish she had tried before wasn't as good.  Umm, because, darling 4 year old, the other fish you had before was Gorton's Fish Sticks, not mahi-mahi caught that very morning.  Other restaurants we visited during the week were:  Ko at the resort, Nick's Fish Market at the resort, and Sarento's.  We also grilled out on the patio a couple of nights, which was nice.

 

6.  Helicopter ride.

This is a spot on the northwestern coast of Maui as seen from our helicopter.  We took a tour of the remote northwest shore and the 'Iao Valley and then over to Molokai.  My mouth hung open pretty much the whole time.  It's just so wild and rugged and unspoiled.

I wanted to climb out and go for a swim in this mountaintop oasis.  The pilot said that sometimes when they come by there are actually people up there.  There must be a secret passage or something, because this is on top of a huge mountain with no roads or obvious trails.  No one is really sure how the Hawaiian tribesmen would get up on top of the mountains, they are so rough, but apparently they used to bury their royalty up there.

Elephant Rock, just off the coast of Molokai. 

The steepest sea cliffs in the world, Kalaupapa Historic National Park.

The coral reef was clearly visible, and the old fishing pond walls from long ago.  The colors of the reef were vibrant and the water was sparkling.  These pictures don't even come close to representing that.

 

7.  Whale watching

Just hours before we left, we went on a whale watching tour.  Audrey slept through the whole thing in someone's arms either on the deck or down below, we took turns.  Kate, however, was totally in her element.  She loves boats.

A whale waved at her.  She's pretty popular with those marine animals.

We saw some sea turtles ("Honu" in Hawaiian) in their natural habitat.

And a happy little dolphin that played chase with us.  It was a really fun trip and a great way to wrap up a spectacular vacation.

 

Be sure to look at our flickr site to see all of the pictures!  If you can't access them, just remind me and I'll re-invite you.

I am finally posting about our trip to Hawaii!  Sorry it has taken me so long.  As you know I went to OK right before and right after going to Maui, so I've been doing a lot of catching up on basic life maintenance around here.  Now that we finally have clean clothes and some food in the house, I guess you would all like to know some of the details.  This will be a multi-post series!

We stayed at the Fairmont Kea Lani in Wailea, Maui, on the beautiful shores of Polo beach.  It was a wonderful family resort, full of other families just like ours, with great restaurants and amenities.  I'll give you the photo tour:

 

The beach at the resort.

 

Our villa - 3 bedrooms and a beautiful ocean view.  See the island of Kahoolawe in the distance.

 

The view from the back porch.  There was even a little pool so you could get the sand off of yourself after some beach time.

 

This was the main pool.  There were usually lots of people there; I am not sure when Paul got this nice calm picture.

This is pretty much Katelyn's idea of heaven.  She could not get enough swimming!

Audrey preferred the baby pool.  She focused on pouring and splashing.

 

The tannest we will ever be.

Sigh.  Can I go back there yet?

 

(Reality calls:  "Mommy!  Audrey is poopy!")

Part 2 coming soon!

The Artist-in-Residence strikes again.  She also got the new recliner and her polka-dot chair.

 

Katelyn is very ambitious when it comes to burritos.  (She did not quite finish this one, though.)

 

Because they will grow up and stop using such cute lingo, and how quickly I forget!  Even as I am writing this I have forgotten many of the things I heard throughout the day that I wanted to list here.  Approximate translation follows in parentheses.

Audrey:

Elmo Wall-E!  (robot monster)

I yuck it!  (I don't like it)

Cah-see (coffee)

Keh-bup (ketchup)

Kicken (chicken)

Babas (bananas)

Geeps (grapes)

Bee-nuh and caa-yee  (Peanut and Catty, her nighttime cuddle friends)

I yah you.  (I love you)

 

 

Katelyn:

Mommy, will you separate my bed? (change the sheets)

It hurts berry berry bad.  (very very bad)

It's not gymnastics, it's a forward roll.

Audrey, stop being the boss!

Greenbear is my son.

Let's play puppet show! (that means any play-acting with toys)

You are my very best mommy.

3 weird things that happened today:

1.  Kate apparently tried to go potty during the middle of the night (good for her) but unfortunately in her half-awake state mistook the end of her bed for the potty.

2.  Kate fell on a cactus while playing in the backyard while I was cooking dinner (Audrey was napping).  Of course if I knew there was a cactus in the backyard I would have done something about it.  Didn't know I needed to be looking out for that sort of thing.  There were only a few spines in her leg but you would have thought I was removing the leg itself to hear her shrieking.  Drama!

3.  And then to make matters worse, when I threw her in the tub and put Audrey in there too, Audrey pooped in the tub. 

 

I'm sure it was no coincidence that today was Realife group night.  These kinds of weird things always happen on Tuesdays.

BTW, if you noticed that hell froze over today, it was because I cleaned the oven for the first time since Audrey was born.  I know it has been that long because the last person to clean it was the housekeeper.

Ok, since I can't remember which family members I told about this or not, here's the story:

Thursday 1/1 -- We eat breakfast tacos at about 11 am, and afterward the kids split a candy cane that Katelyn got from one of her friends.  In about 20 minutes Audrey started to cry unexplainedly, and wanted to be held.  She was clawing at her jaw and ears, so after holding her a while I figured she needed ibuprofen for teething or something.  I set her down on the kitchen counter and was about to give her some when I really looked at her face.  She was swollen, broken out in hives all over, and red.  Immediately I gave her Benadryl instead and the swelling lessened slightly.  I racked my brain to think of what she could have eaten to cause the reaction and the only weird thing was the candy cane.  I talked to Kari about this on the phone and we decided to keep her on Benadryl round the clock for a few days until the reaction went away.  She continued to break out over the course of the day on her legs and tummy.  She was extra sleepy that night because of the Benadryl.  After she went to bed I got out the trash bag and dug through it for the remaining 1 inch of candy cane that the girls didn't finish.  Yes I ate some of it, it was still wrapped.  It was some unidentifiable fruit flavor and packaged in Winnie the Pooh designs, info that would be helpful later (although I threw it away again, doh!)

Saturday 1/3 -- We went to a birthday party.  Audrey was still itching and had residual hives but felt good.  She ate a cupcake with a few sprinkles on it and broke out again within a few minutes.  Fortunately she already had Benadryl in her system or this could have been worse.  Bleeding diaper rash occurred later in the day, which was rough, so she ended up staying home from church the next day.

Monday 1/4 -- The kids ate Lucky Charms for breakfast, a very occasional treat.  I gave Audrey Benadryl again (she was still broken out and itchy) along with a children's vitamin.  We went to playgroup and within an hour she got really tired and crabby and I noticed more hives on her neck.  Later, at home, I noticed that she had now broken out all over her arms and the backs of her hands (these were previously unaffected areas).  At this point I was determined to get her in to the doctor the next day, and I started reading my Food Allergy and Intolerance books for more info.  I started to suspect a reaction to food coloring of some type.

Tuesday 1/5 -- Took Kate to school and a very miserable Audrey to the doctor.  He agreed with me about the likely cause of allergy, and he changed her antihistamine to Zyrtec to be more around-the-clock and pan-spectrum with less medication.  We will stay on that for 10 days then return for a blood test (RAST test) that can tell us more specifically what she is allergic to, hopefully.  He prescribed Epi-Pen (an epinephrine injection) to be used in case of a severe reaction (anaphylactic shock, which is when your airway swells shut and you can't breathe).  Usually in children it is not the first reaction that is the most severe, but a subsequent one.  So we are to avoid food colorings until further notice.  Yes she has probably eaten lots of food with these ingredients in the past, but the thing about allergies is that they can develop suddenly!

Now I took it on myself at this point to do some internet research (I had waited until the doctor offered his opinion, rather than let my mind run wild with frightening thoughts caused by awful pictures on the internet).  Thank goodness that stupid candy cane was printed with little Winnie the Pooh pictures, because it gave me some identifying mark to work with.  I got online and searched around and found what we think is the offending item.  The company that makes the product actually is VERY allergy friendly in terms of labeling and processing style, so I can say for certain that the candy cane did not contain the major allergens peanut, milk, gluten, wheat, soy, almond, or shellfish even in trace amounts.  It does however contain the big four artificial colorants in use in the US: yellow #5 (tartrazine) and yellow #6, blue #1, and red #40.  These are known allergy triggers in many children.  Audrey eats yellow 5 & 6 in large quantities in Kraft Macaroni and Cheese without adverse reaction.  Blue 1 and red 40 are also present in Lucky Charms, children's vitamins, and cake frosting and sprinkles, the other suspicious items that caused her to break out again over the weekend.  Tuesday night she took a bath and began to itch again afterwards.  I read the shampoo label and guess what I found: Blue #1.  So I think that she is definitely allergic to blue 1 and probably red 40 as well.

I am really overwhelmingly grateful.  First of all, she did NOT have a shock reaction, and now we are prepared if she ever does.  Secondly, she is still young enough that we have control over probably 90% that goes into her mouth.  Thirdly, and I can't emphasize this enough, it's not something she needs to eat anyways!  There are thousands of families that are daily trying to figure out how to give their kids a normal healthy life because they are deathly allergic to things like milk and wheat.  We are so blessed!

So anyways, that's what is going on.  It won't be a big deal if we just pay attention to it and read labels (which I am used to doing anyways, being allergic to soy and almonds and Tylenol, which is apparently in everything).  I know personally how PAINFUL an allergic reaction can be and I want to spare her from that.  So if I seem a little more neurotic than usual reading the labels in your pantry, grandparents, or bring my own cupcakes to your kids' birthday parties, friends, then please bear with me.  It's a small price to pay for my Audie-bug!

 

I'm all set up at the kitchen table, ready to upload some pictures.  Audrey is doing art next to me, and she keeps doing such cute things I have to pause a moment to blog them for memory's sake.  She is 20 months.

-"Mommy.  Mah-kers. Daw." (markers, draw)

-"Mommy.  A. D. R. E. Y.  Mah-kers."  (She wants me to write her name.) "K. A. T. N."  (Katelyn.)  "L. O. T. E."  (I finally figure out this means love.  How on earth can my child spell these words?  Oh yeah, she heard me recite these letter patterns a hundred times to Katelyn, when she was making Christmas cards.  WOW.)

-"Mommy.  Ah-oh.  Woh go doo?" (She has dropped the markers.  "uh-oh, what are we doing to do?" Drama already.)

-"Mommy.  Ah duh.  Peas?"  (All done, please?)

-"I goh Mommy shoes!"

She has taken a HUGE leap forward in her speech in the past week.  I remember this stage with Kate and even though I knew it was coming I was shocked at how suddenly one day Audrey woke up and was able to articulate her thoughts.  That morning her Nana asked her, "Do you want some chocolate milk?" and Audrey replied, "No, I want juice!"  Just like that.  The morning before, when asked the same question, she signed and said "juice."

Now she's singing Happy Birthday.  I love it when she sings.  Oh this is cute.  "Hah Burfday you, hah burfday you, hah burfday dee PAAAA-CEEEEE, hah burfday you!!  Yay!"

I took these pictures about a week ago.  I decided to take pictures of the typical michievous things Audrey does over the course of the day.  So here are a few.  I am sure some went undocumented.

1.  Breakfast.  I went to the bathroom and returned to find this.  Guess that box of cereal was in reach after all.

2.  Lunch.  That's ketchup.

 

3.  Art time.  Pirate-style pencil chewing.

4.  I went to the bathroom again and returned to find this.  That's crayon on the windowsill, not nearly as much as usual.  All I can say is that Magic Eraser is truly magic and we buy a lot of them.

5.  Audrey's new phobia is Chuck E. Cheese, and she spots him on these birthday balloons.  (I can't believe these balloons have lasted so long, and I don't mean helium loss.  See #6.)

6.  Audrey attempts to stab Chuck E. to death.  Should I be concerned?  Anyone know a good child psychologist?

7.  Work it out with a little boogie.  Mommy threw the balloons away.

8.  Chore time:  Polishing the glass with my slippers.

9.  Helping with the laundry:  checking the spaciousness of our hampers.

10.  Errand time:  she is "right-ready" as we say in my family.  This is why I keep the door locked.

 

11.  The second we get in the car, EVERY TIME WE GET IN THE CAR, Audrey takes off her socks and shoes.  No exceptions.  She doesn't even care if it is 40 degrees out like it was on this day.  Usually she uses a sock as a puppet for at least part of the trip.

12.  A little Blues Clues time.  Mommy was able to successfully go to the bathroom and return to a peaceful scene.

13.  Must be dinner time, she is climbing into the chair.  Usually the climbing starts around 5:00 and we don't usually eat until 6:00.  So there is always some battling with Mommy.

 

 

She sure keeps me busy!

 

Speaking of busy, I haven't blogged much because I have been extremely busy making stuff, much of which I can't post about, because it is secret in nature.  So just bear with me.  I'll add in some holiday pictures of the kids' Christmas programs and their holiday parties all at the same time.  Their last day of school for the year is Tuesday, and I have a slew of gifts and foody things to make before then.  Crystal and I got smart and decided to do our holiday baking together this year since we make all of the same recipes anyways, so we are doing that tomorrow.

So in mid-October we all went down to Panama City Beach to celebrate "Hooper and Jake's" wedding.  Hooper is Paul's dad (Hooper is one of those last names that makes a great nickname, you know) and Jake is his old-flame-turned-new-bride (Jake is a nickname as well, but it has become permanent, to my understanding).  Some of Paul's aunts and uncles plus his sister Kari were able to make it too so it was kind of a mini-family reunion.  We don't always make it to Lawton, OK during the holidays at the same time that everyone else does, so it was nice to see everyone.  What a gorgeous place!  It was a whirlwind, though.  We flew out Friday morning, got to Pensacola around 3, rented a car and drove to PCB, had dinner, then crashed.  Saturday we took the kids to Gulf World, lunch, Audrey and Mommy nap/Kate and Daddy on the beach, rehearsal dinner, crashed.  Sunday more time on the beach, then the wedding and reception, then we drove to DeFuniak Springs to see Kelly and Joe and got in around midnight (we had two flat tires that severely delayed us but it all worked out in the end.) Then we hung out with them until mid-afternoon Monday, drove back to Pensacola, flew home, got in around 11.  We were TRASHED and I think it took us about two weeks to recover.  Here are a few highlight pics:

Kate got to touch a dolphin at Gulf World.

 

Playing on the beach!  Kate and Daddy were very serious about this sandcastle/fort.  Audrey mostly ran around pointing at stuff.

 

 

Audrey and Aunt Kari.  The kids adore Aunt Kari, and of course she adores them too.  Kari and I had a whole conversation over lunch about Katelyn's greatest quotes, some of which are now permanently in the family slang.  ("Oh, sweet pickles!"  "Yippee!"  "Dear God, thank you for my bottom which looks so cute on me.")

 

What a good-looking bunch of Hoopers!  Kari, Dad, and Paul.  Dad was so happy, it was great.

 

The Hooper kids and the Morris kids finally got to play together.  Here they are dancing and singing along with Veggie Tales.  They were so cute together!  We were so glad to get to see them even for a short time.  Kelly is my bestest friend and we are still joined at the brain thousands of miles away.  Joe was Paul's roommate for a while (now there are some funny stories I could share).  We have known them and loved them just about forever and still miss them every day.

Well, I must apologize for this bummer:  I know we got pictures of Jake and the kids together, but I guess they must have been with Kari's camera because somehow I didn't end up with any.  (Kari, if that is so, could you upload them to flickr so I can blog them?)  Like I said, it was a whirlwind.  Much of the time I was doing good just to make sure we were fed, dressed, and where we were supposed to be.  As usual I had to work in a few trips to Walgreens to treat various conditions (Paul had wicked heartburn, Audrey had a bleeding diaper rash).  The kids did fantastic, though.  They never cease to amaze me.  The lack of routine, constant attention, meeting tons of new people that want to hug them, different food, late hours, being schlepped about -- any one of these things can bring on a tantrum, and yet they both endured it all with minimal fuss or distress.  They were wonderful on the plane, they slept or watched a movie or drew pictures, and they were quiet and obedient.  (So why is it that at home, if I don't have any bananas to serve with breakfast, they go absolutely psycho?  Hmm....a question for the ages...)  Anyways, I was proud to be their mommy, as I always am.

 

 

"Hug"

 

"Here go"

 

"Elmo"

 

 

"Pee-boo"

 

 

"Ta-da!"

 

"Cheese"

I just realized when uploading some pix that I never blogged about the first day of school. The kids have really been loving school.  Katelyn is in the "Marvelous Monkeys" class for 3's turning 4.  I can barely get her to say goodbye to me when we get to her classroom.  There is so much ART to do!  That child could do art projects all day long (and often does).  She loves her music class, too.  Audrey is in the "Beautiful Butterflies" class for 16-24 month olds.  She cries for about 30 seconds when I hand her over, but not every day.  Her teacher told me that she is the class clown (does that surprise anyone?)  Audrey has started singing some songs she learned in music class.  She has also picked up a lot of new words and has started expressing herself more with words than signs (probably because her teachers do not know all of the signs that we use). Both girls are really changing!

 

 

This picture cracks me up; I don't know what this pose is...

Kate is going to school Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday; Audrey just goes Tuesday and Thursday.  So on Wednesdays Audrey and I get to be together.  Last year we were together all the time, because Kate was in school, but Audrey was very much still an infant then.  She was still nursing and taking morning naps.  Now we really have all day to be together, and she has changed so much, I am having to figure out how to relate to her.  She really misses Kate and doesn't seem to know how to play alone or just with me.  I do play with just Audrey sometimes when Kate is here, but you know how it is...Kate is always coming up to see what we are doing  ("Hey girls!  What are you up to?  Can I play too?")  Audrey and I read books a lot, but only for about 10 minutes at a time, which is normal attention span for a toddler.  She really likes errands, so she can smile at strangers, so we do that a little bit too.  Katelyn and I get plenty of alone time in the afternoons after school when Audrey is napping.  We're adjusting to our new schedule and I really enjoy having time to myself when they are both in school.  I can get some things done, work or errands or cleaning, so when they are here I am a lot less distracted and enjoy them more.  Hooray for preschool!

Hi there.  This is Audrey.  I need to fill you in on an alarming situation going on at my house.  Perhaps I should start at the beginning.

Last Christmas, Santa (not that I know who that is, I never met him) gave me a “TMX Elmo.”   It looked harmless enough in the box, even though it kept staring at me.  My sister seemed really excited about it, and she said Lauren has one, and I think Lauren is cool, so I was willing to give it a shot.    I wasn’t sure what to do with it at first (do you cuddle it?  Does it read stories?)  Mommy said that you were supposed to tickle it, which sounded kind of fun, I like tickling.  So I reached out and tickled it, just a little bit.  And it started laughing, but not just any laugh, a cackle that would haunt my dreams.   And it WOULD NOT STOP.  And the Monster (for by now I knew for sure it was a monster) began to flail and roll about.  Of course I climbed up onto Mommy for her to protect me, but all of a sudden I realized that she was laughing.  And Sister was laughing.  And everybody was laughing at the Monster and watching it roll on the floor like it was entertainment.  This shocked me!  How could they not see?  Did they not understand that it was merely warming up before it went on a rampage to destroy us all?  Did they not see the mortal danger we were all in?

And then my parents put it in the trunk and TOOK IT HOME WITH US.  Had they lost their minds?  I sat still as a statue the entire way home, so not to alert it to my presence.  My rational mind told me that it could not get to me, but I just could not forget THOSE EYES.  Lidless, glaring, they haunted me.  I knew the Monster was simply biding its time.

So when we got home—you won’t believe this—Mommy put it on the shelf in the game room.  I would cautiously play under its relentless gaze, always aware of the impending doom.  I would try to alert Mommy from time to time, but she did not seem to understand me.  Occasionally she would bring the Monster into our midst, and it would dutifully perform its little ruse, but I was onto its scheme.  I would warn Mommy with my most blood-curdling shrieks of fear, but she would simply put the Monster back onto the shelf, where it would continue to plot against us.  A few times I even tried to telephone the authorities, but this only seemed to make Mommy upset with me.  Daddy would tell me, “Yes, honey, it scares me too,” but he would never do anything about it. (Perhaps they are double agents.  I am still researching this theory, as I am very fond of them and reluctant to believe they could betray me.) 

This has gone on for nine agonizing months.  But then, the other day it seemed that I finally got through to Mommy.  I gathered together all of the Monster propaganda in this house, in the form of books and toys, because they are a pack of lies and must be destroyed.  I presented this evidence to her, pointed at the Monster, and in my most emphatic voice declared an ultimatum:  IT'S EITHER THE MONSTER OR ME, MAKE YOUR FINAL CHOICE.  By some miracle she seemed to understand me at last, and she removed the Monster from the shelf.  It glared at me as they passed by (I kept a safe distance though--better her than me) and she took it out of sight.  I never actually heard her take it outside to the trash can, though…

There’s a little door in my room.  I’ve never been through it, and my parents call it “The Attic.”  I never knew what that meant, exactly, but now I suspect it means “Monster Hiding Place.”  So now I guess it is up to me to stand in the gap between my ignorant family and the Apocalypse.  I sleep the fitful sleep of the Protector, with one eye always on that doorknob. 

Audrey is almost 16 months, and I have been meaning to do an update on her for a while.  So here's a big one!

This week Audrey has:

1. Stole my Dr Pepper while I was in the bathroom at playgroup.  By my estimation she probably drank about 16 oz.  Naptime was pitifully short that day.
2. Overturned 4 cereal bowls, two weren't even hers.
3. Climbed onto a kitchen chair and up onto the table, got my coffee mug, and poured it out all over the floor.  Thank goodness it was lukewarm and not steaming hot.
4. Snatched Kate's cough medicine (dosed up into a medicine cup) and poured it all over one of the throw pillows.  Again, thank goodness, because she did not drink it.
5. Brought me my thyroid medicine while I was taking a shower.  (YIKES!!!!!)  Thank goodness unopened.  Seriously, we DO NOT leave the medicine in reach.  Her problem solving ability has taken a huge step forward this week, so she's figured out all kinds of creative ways to get stuff she never got before.  For the first time I might actually install cabinet latches, never used them for Kate.
6. Rubbed many different foods in her hair: ketchup, beans, applesauce, yogurt, ice cream, peanut butter, pineapple, banana, peach, and guacamole.  The guac is the worst - it turns brown and starts to stink almost immediately.
7. Stolen 4 dishtowels, which I haven't found yet.  If she gave them to the dog, I may never find them.
8. Fallen off of a kitchen chair onto the tile.  Stopped crying in 20 seconds.
9. Collided with Kate, giving Kate a big bruise under her chin, and a big knot on Audrey's eyebrow.
10. Climbed on the subwoofer repeatedly. (in spite of spankings)
11. Rubbed her nose on the TV.  Boogervision!
12. Brought me the remote and the phone repeatedly.  (A couple of weeks ago she actually pilfered Paul's cell phone and called me without his knowing, and we had a conversation.  Totally serious.)
13. Changed all of the settings on the CD player.
14. Unrolled 3 rolls of toilet paper completely, and emptied at least one Kleenex box.
15. Hidden some CD's separate from their cases.
16. Wiped down the kitchen table with the peanut butter side of a PBJ.
17. Changed the volume on Daddy's alarm clock repeatedly.  We never know if it will be ear-splitting or non-existent.
18. Removed her poopy diaper, fortunately, she couldn't get her pants off.  I consider myself very lucky here.  Find more unfortunate stories at Kelly's blog.
19. Tried to flush a My Little Pony down the toilet.
20. Drank about 4 cups of bathwater before I realized it.  (Kate: "Mommy, Audrey must be thirsty - she keeps drinking the water.")

And that's just the stuff I remember!

Here's some non-mischief things:

1. Says "I dit!" (meaning "I did it").
2. Grins that million dollar grin.  It's all I can do to not grin back when I'm supposed to be stern.
3. Gives everybody kisses and running-full-on-crash-into-you hugs.
4. Can do all of our (little kid) puzzles now.
5. Loves to play Little People.
6. Makes me kiss all of her stuffed animals before bed.  And she tucks PeanutBear under a blanket in her bed, 'cause he's her baby.
7. Says "A-men" after the blessing.  Or "Ma-men."  Or "Hi-ya!"
8. Says "Tatelyn."  ("Mama!  I gah et.  Tatelyn bup."  translated: Mama, I got it - Katelyn's cup.)
9. Says "Hi Dad" on the phone. 
10. Instead of "boo-boo", she says "boba." ("Mama!  I gah boba.")
11. Started signing Thank You.
12. Signs please, points to the stereo, and then sways side to side - this is her way of asking me to put on the music so she can dance.
13. Loves to bang on the piano while Kate dances.  (My favorite moment of the week: Kate yelling, "Take it, Audrey!" then they just went to town.  Wish you could have seen it.)
14. Plays Mommy and Baby with Kate in her crib.  They take turns putting each other to bed.
15. Started making animal sounds like moo, meow, woof, etc.  She still calls everything "dogga" though, but she makes the right sound when I ask her what that animal says.
16. "Reads" aloud.
17. She's very sharing - she even shares her paci and cup with everyone.  This is not entirely a good thing, and she also expects the same in return.  Without asking.
18. Blows bubbles in her drink with her straw.  (I tell her to stop, because Mommy is supposed to teach good manners, but secretly I think it is adorable, because she is so proud of herself.)
19. Started eating at the table with a placemat and a (plastic) plate like the rest of the family.  This works most of the time, but she does like to put the placemat on her head.
20. She loves rock music and scrunches up her face and headbangs.  She's going to be my bass player.

What a character!

 

So the kids got their well-checks today, to see if they are healthy enough for preschool.  Official diagnosis:  "they are perfect."  As if we didn't know.  :)

Katelyn: 32.5 lb (50%), 38.5 in (90%). 

Audrey: 20.5 lb (20%), 31.25 in (75 %).

Somehow we missed some of Audrey's shots, but to catch her up today would mean 5 shots, and I just couldn't do that to her.  So we settled for 3 and we'll go back in a couple of weeks for the others.  Katelyn had to have a hepatitis A shot herself, and it was pretty rough.  There was much screaming and drama from both of them, so now we are all worn out.  We skipped Gymboree today because they were not in the mood for fun, just lollipops and TV.  Mommy is in the mood for Advil and knitting.

 

 

Ok, it's taken me 3 days, but I finally have all of the 4th of July pictures up on Flickr.  (well, the ones that didn't get corrupted by accident, but that's another story.  Paul is fixing them in photoshop.)  Anyhoo, they are up.  Now I just have to go backwards and get the pix from our trip to Edmond up there (the ones I took in June).

We had a great time.  The kids especially had a blast with Papa D. 

Kate isn't sick; she has blue lips because she was eating a blue sucker.

Fireworks are fun! 

So happy!

Audrey wasn't sure about the horses.

Can't wait til next year!

 

 

I (amy) don't know how to upload and edit videos from the really big video camera, but I do have a few from our little still camera.  Here's some random footage from playing outside.  I don't know what all those numbers are next to the video, but I'll have Paul check it out.

I will be getting a new computer sometime this year and have big plans for video editing after that gets all set up.

Up to somethin'.

Whiny.

Deadpan.

Impish.

But always cute!

Audrey turned 1 on April 27th. We had a party for her at Grammy and Grandpa's house and then another tiny party at our place a few days later. How fast this year has gone!

Audrey is walking fast now, and can climb the stairs in approximately 45 seconds.  She is such a sparkly little personality. She just lights up around people and loves to laugh and interact with others.  She loves to open and close things, push buttons, clean up toys, make a mess again, and dance. Her favorite song is "I've Got The Joy...", the kid's Sunday School song. She likes the "and I'm so happy, so very happy" part, and does the hand motions. She is only marginally interested in TV, but loves the remote. She loves to look at books and push little carts and play with musical instruments. She points with two fingers which looks like a crazy gang sign and it cracks us up. She is obsessed with hair and will sit and brush my hair for quite a while, although it really hurts, not from the pulling, but from her whacking me in the head with the brush. She also loves to brush her teeth. She does not like teething or being forced to sit at the table too long. She wants me to hold her a lot, partly because she is clingy but also because it gives her a better view of the world.  She is "early to bed, early to rise" -- she starts getting crabby at 7:30 regardless of when she got up from nap, which can make some nights very interesting.  She's my snuggly little bug and my silly little imp.  I love her coppery blond hair and how it boingy curls in the back. 

Her current "words": Mama, Daddy, Katelyn, Bay-er, Aud-ie, Nana, Papa, Gaga (Grandpa), done, dogga, more, guck (cup), gack (snack), gacker (cracker), uh-oh, ilk (milk), ck (yuck), baba (bottle), per (diaper), out, bush (brush). She also signs more, please, cup, juice, milk, sleep, diaper, bath, pick up, all done, out, play, and probably some others I have forgotten.  She can throw a world class tantrum now, especially when she doesn't want to take a nap and really needs one, or if she is sick of the car seat.  But overall she is a really good sport, and reminds me of Paul in that she is basically very adaptable and good natured, and it takes a lot to really rile her up (but once you do, watch out).  She has been consistent since birth in that her default mood is "happy."  She is vibrant and delightful and keeps us hopping!

Current food likes include: cheese, pears, crackers, ham, strawberries, mac and cheese, blueberries, grapes, bananas, chicken nuggets, pizza, spaghetti, guacamole, beans, and ANYTHING dipped in ketchup.  In fact some days I suspect all she eats is ketchup, licking it off of whatever she dipped in it, and then throwing the main food on the floor to be gobbled up by the dog before I notice.  Right now she is cutting molars and is super picky about her food - some days nothing sounds good but ice chips.  (We survived this stage with Kate so I am less worried about it the second time around.)  At her 1 year checkup she weighed 19 lb 4 oz (25%) and measured 30 1/4 in (80%).

Watch out world, here she comes!  We love you, sweetheart pie!

We did bluebonnet pictures again this year.  It was super windy and kind of overcast and I didn't get any spectacular pictures, but everyone was primarily happy and there were no ants.  So that translates to success in my book.

Kate and Noah share a kiss.  Daddy will probably flip out when he sees this.

It was impossible to get them to all be still and look toward the camera.  I don't know how those school picture people do it.  We tried everything.  Crystal even brought a whistle.

After picture time we went to the park and had a picnic then played.  Three buses of elementary school kids showed up but fortunately they were not allowed on the toddler playground.

You can find the entire set here.

 

So she's really walking now.

This video is from Friday. Since then she has improved tremendously and can now walk 3-4 feet before falling. I expect she will be running by next week. Yes, that's veggie tales music in the background. Yes, the light's weird, because Mommy doesn't really know how to use the video camera that well. And yes, that is a giant tea stain on our carpet. We like it. It's one of a kind.

OH MY GOSH.  This is going by too fast.  Is she REALLY that close to being a year old?

I call her my sugar because she is so sweet.  She gives great hugs and well-meant although very drooly and kind of bite-y kisses.  She's very very busy but always takes time out to give a great big smile to everyone.

She's crazy smart in the same way that Paul is.  I am amazed at her problem-solving skills and how she figures out how things work.  Recent examples:

• Refrigerator magnets: she loves to feel the pull as she holds them close to the fridge, and giggles to let them go mid-air and watch them snap into place.
• She can "do" a simple puzzle, that meaning she knows where everything goes but simply lacks the coordination to actually get the piece in the hole.  She sort of lays the pieces on top of the holes.
• She wanted to walk across the kitchen one day so she dragged a kitchen chair along with her for support.
• I gave her a snack trap with treats inside.  Instead of reaching in to get the treat and pulling her hand out, she grabbed it so the rubber lid was completely open, then shook all of the treats out.  So much for that.

Currently, she is refusing to nap, so I'd better cut this short.  She's a handful, but she's a delight!

Edited the next day to add:  Princess Smartypants also ran out of banana at lunch whilst Mother was away from the table, so she grabbed the banana off the table and started eating it like a big kid.  Mother returned to find Her Highness burying her face in the banana, raking her fingernails down the sides of it, trying to peel it.  Not sure how much peel was actually ingested.

In other news, a suspect only known as Little Miss Trouble went on a 10 minute destructive rampage this morning that included emptying an entire box of baby wipes and eating dog food.  She is still at large.  Rumor has it that a massive diaper explosion may occur later in the day.

Audrey took two steps on her own today!  She is 10 1/2 months old.

How the time flies.  I gave up doing the "milestones written on a sign" thing, she kept eating it.

Audrey is a live wire!  She crawls and cruises very fast to keep up with her big sister.  She is testing all the limits and keeps Mommy on her toes!  She stands briefly alone, but could probably stand for a while if she would ever BE STILL.

She LOVES the dog.  In fact, "dog" is one of her newest words, although it sounds like "dogga."  She has 10 signs but she reserves them for when she already has your attention; otherwise, a screech works best.  She is just shy of 18 pounds still but outgrowing her 6-12 mo clothing already.  She has 7 teeth, four on top and three on bottom, with more on the way in.

Favorite foods include bananas ("ba-bas"), macaroni and cheese (she models some in the picture above), minestrone soup (seriously!), and baby yogurt ("yo-ga").  Grammy let her try a cookie during our visit, and Audrey was very excited about it.  She's a little cookie monster, in fact.  ("Coo-kie!  Coo-kie!  Coo-kie!")

We all just adore her, if you can't tell.

So we just got back from a weekend in Dallas celebrating Kari's birthday, which was lots of fun, even though Audrey was sick and was a real handful at times.  I took her to the doctor today (3rd time in a week I have been to the pediatrician, 5th in two weeks) and poor thing has a DOUBLE ear infection and perhaps a little touch of pneumonia.  Antibiotics and more decongestants were prescribed.  In spite of that I think she actually was feeling a bit better today, as she slept in her own bed last night (until 8 this morning!) and actually had a little appetite this afternoon.  Seriously, why have my kids been so sick?  I just finished giving Kate her antibiotics for HER ear infection on Sunday, and then today started more for Audrey.  It is Audrey's second ear infection in two months, so if it happens again soon, I think a trip to the ENT will be in order.

This Friday Kate is having her birthmark removed, so we would appreciate your prayers.  It is outpatient but they do use general anesthesia.  We'll keep you posted.  I'm not really sure what to expect.

If Paul will help me fix the camera numbering thing, I'll post some pictures.  Until then, they are held hostage on the memory card.  Sorry.  He's been kind of busy, you know.  He got home at 8:30 tonight, we put the kids to bed, talked for a little while, and then he started working on REALife group stuff for tomorrow night.  But so it goes.

Ok, the long awaited (9 days) picture of my new haircut.

It's short in the back.  I was told this is called "The Posh" in reference to a particular famous person, but that's not why I asked for this haircut.  I just thought it was cute.  It goes nicely with my personal sense of style which also includes Infrequent Shampoos and Baby Drool Crust on My Shoulder.

Speaking of baby drool, look at this flirty little girl:

That's Audrey making eyes at Luke, Lauren's little brother, on a baby playdate.  I think she thought it was a real date.  She LOOOOVES him.

Audrey also has recently sprouted two top teeth, and two more are on the way in.  This accounts for much of the sleep trouble, I think, and will probably cause more for a while.  She's been pretty clingy.  She is learning how to eat all kinds of things and occasionally gets food in her mouth.

She's a feisty little thing!  And she turns nine months next week, so I'll have to update again soon.  Now, for this week's Kid Quotes:

Daddy: Hi Audrey.
Audrey, waving: Hi Daddy. 

--------

Katelyn (giving Audrey her cup): Here you go, Audrey.
Audrey: Taaaggg-ooooo. 
Katelyn:  You're welcome, Audrey.  (turns to Daddy)  She said thank you!

--------

Katelyn:  Mommy, dadh gooi hhe hoogok hllw.
Mommy:  I'm sorry, can you say that again, honey?
Katelyn, louder:  Djsll fooi whg jhkj aa.
Mommy, a little frustratedly:  Katelyn, I don't understand you.  Can you use your big kid words, please?
Katelyn, downright yelling:  MOMMY, SHOIGG WJ BOOHTW WATRKK FOSSSII PORU!!
Mommy, irked:  Alright, Katelyn.  I'll just wait until you are ready to talk like a big girl.
Katelyn, with dramatic sigh:  MOMMY, I'm speaking Spanish!

--------

(Katelyn has started calling us Mother and Father.)
Katelyn:  Hello, Father.
Paul:  Kate, I'm Daddy.  Why do you call me Father?
Katelyn:  Because I love you, Father!
Paul:  Aww, that's good enough for me!

Picture heavy post!  Prepare yourself!  And I know the formatting is terrible, but I don't really know what I'm doing, so don't be picky...

1. Kate's very first school concert!  She lost her shyness as soon as they started singing "Go Tell It On The Mountain."  She was one of the few kids actually singing, and was very animated.  Made mama so proud!  (sniff)
   
2. Christmas trip!
• People we saw during our trip:  Dad, Mom, Marc, Mom, Dad, Kari, David, Libba, Drew, Mick, Susan, Andrew, Butch, Mema, Guylene, Nona, Doug, Libby, Aiden, Laura, Blake, Scott, and probably about 20 other people I left out or forgot their names (sorry).  It was a blur.  Can you imagine how overwhelming this must have been to the kids?
• Kate was sick the whole week, poor thing.  She still managed to get excited about her presents, though.
• There was snow!
  
• There were Christmas hats!



3. Vacation at home!
• This was a good idea.  We needed some recovery time after the Oklahoma trip.  We finished the shelves.
  
• We played some Rock Band.
  
  
• We played with our new toys.
  

4.  Back to normal...

• Playin' in the backyard.
  

LOTS more pix on Flickr.  Sorry it took me so long to get them up there.   We're having fun playing with the new camera, too.

What we're doing this week: Kate is learning about ice at school, and Audrey is cutting several front teeth at once (she has not been her usual jovial self lately).  BUT overall we are sleeping more, yippee!  So Mommy is a nicer person now.  :)

Ok, we're SOOO busy...here's a little update on Audrey:

She's crawling a little, about 3 feet every 5 minutes.  Slow and steady.  She loves jingly things, and books.  Oh, the books.  She is actually saying "ook."  She always wants her "ooks" and everyone elses.  She is eating a lot of table food and slightly chews those baby puff things now.  She loves her cup but will throw it to get Mommy's attention.  She is STILL having trouble sleeping at night, ARGH.  But she gives sweet hugs and very drooly kisses, and she says "Mama" which melts my heart.  And she thinks Kate is hilarious!

We have taken pictures recently, but I haven't uploaded them.  The camera has been through some trauma after having coffee spilled on it (Audrey's fault).

Ok, to recap the Whirlwind:

10/30 Halloween party for 9 toddlers, 5 babies, and their parents.

11/10 Katelyn's birthday party, with out-of-town guests (Marc and Kandi).

11/14 Out of town guests Amanda, Brianna (3), and Beau (7 mos).

11/16 Tradeout of guests.  My parents arrive, Amanda leaves.

11/17 My First Thanksgiving To Cook extravaganza, went better than planned.

11/18 Katelyn turns 3, more out of town guests stop by (Jim and the boys), I eat soy accidentally and am unable to enjoy my Thanksgiving dinner.

11/19 No thanks to illness delays, David and Libba and Drew finally arrive.  Mom and I get some retail therapy.  Worship team rehearsal.

11/20 Mom and Dad leave.  Libba and I need more retail therapy.

11/21 I'm up all night sick again, and it's Kate's special day to go to Sea World.  David and Libba leave early.  I place a pathetic phone call to Crystal who generously gives me some of her nausea meds.  We go to Sea World anyways and have a blast.  It was worth it to see the look on Kate's face.

11/22 Thanksgiving Day!  Paul gets up with the kids and lets me sleep.  Bliss...

11/23 (today) up all night sick AGAIN.  I've had enough at this point so I go to urgent care and get a real prescription of my own. Today's plans include drinking Gatorade, laying on the couch, and knitting.

 

So now you know what we have been doing.  If I haven't promptly returned your phone call or email, now you know why.  :)  Maybe next week I will get to some Christmas shopping.  Pictures will eventually be up on Flickr.

Now, something I am thankful for:

I took a few of the semi-recent Katelyn and Audrey studio pictures, and compiled them into a desktop background.  As before, I made them in various sizes to match your own computer's desktop.  To find out what yours is set to, right-click on your current desktop, select Properties from the menu, select the Settings tab, and check out what it says for Screen Resolution.

Click on your closest match, and when the image loads, right click on the image and select "Set as Background"

1024 by 768 Pixels

1280 by 960 Pixels

1280 by 1024 Pixels

1400 by 1050 Pixels

1600 by 1200 Pixels

Kate gives her best thumbs-up, the only cheerleading move she knows.

That's Audrey, the crying Dalmatian.

Lots of stuff to share with you!  First up:  Audrey turned 6 months yesterday.  We took some pictures in the front yard and she was uncharacteristically stoic.

Audrey is usually our little ray of sunshine, don't let the pictures fool you.  Her current hobbies include drooling, shrieking, and kicking.  She loves having her clothes changed and when you pretend to eat her leg.  She is finally starting to appreciate being sung to.  She hates having her face wiped and being buckled into anything.

Next up:  we got some video of the two girls playing after dinner, both of them in their usual hyper state.  Paul translated the Kate-speak with subtitles!  Audrey only shrieks once or twice in the video, but prior to us turning on the camera the blood-curdling shrieks had been going on for about 15 minutes.  It puts a smile on your face and a migraine in your head all at the same time.  Anyways, observe the cuteness:

And in Mommy news, I wore my finished handknit tunic to church today.  It's made of bamboo yarn and I am very proud of it.  It was a big knitting challenge for me since I'm still a beginner.  Mom, thanks for all of those sewing skills, they really came in handy.  I wouldn't have been able to figure out the garment construction without them!

Audrey had her 6 month checkup today, and the doctor tells me that those bumps on her gums are NOT A TOOTH.  They are some kind of calcium deposit in her gums.  They are hard and painful but should go away.  I guess that explains the weird location!

She weighs 15 lb 3.5 oz and is 26" long.  She sure seems heavier than that when I pick up the car seat carrier!

Audrey teeth pic:

Isn't that weird for her to get those first?  The back one has the points already through- it's blurry but I think you can tell from the photo.  Yesterday I noticed that the eyetooth on the other side is coming up.  Poor kid - it's been rough.  But she is a good sport and today she was totally happy regardless.  BTW, she turns 6 months on Saturday.  It's going by so fast!

And here she is totally trashed in the Jumperoo:

 

Now for some priceless Katelyn quotes:

"Daddy and I are going to play Donkey Kong.  Audrey, you're invited.  Mommy, you do the dishes."

(after a fall) "Mommy, I hurt my yeg!  I need corn!"  (yeg=leg, corn=bag of frozen corn that I use as an icepack)

We took some great video of the two of them playing tonight.  Hopefully Paul can make that into a YouTube video this week so you all can see it.  Also, Kate's birthday is coming up soon and I am gathering gift ideas (for the family only, you friends know I don't want you getting gifts), so just be patient!  You have all given us so much it is very hard to find anything we need, still I understand the desire to get her something for her birthday.  We are planning to take her to Sea World as her gift from us.

Audrey has cut her first tooth!  And it is not at all where I expected.  I was so busy looking at the bottom front two hiding beneath the gums that I missed the one coming in on the side!  It is her left lateral incisor.  I am not sure how I am going to get a picture of it, might have to wait until it comes through a little bit more.

And she is signing!  She has signed "eat" a couple of times, and now she is signing "diaper" like crazy.  It's actually her version of the sign for diaper:  she slaps the top of her diaper two times.  Of course I thought it was a fluke at first, but after a full day of actually paying attention, it's obvious that she is signing deliberately.  I think she has probably been signing it for a while and I just thought she was flailing.  But now I can tell the difference, and when I recognize and respond, she gets so happy!  I remember this stage with Kate too.  It is so cool when they realize they can actually communicate with you.  It cuts down on the frustration for everyone. 

Check flickr for the latest pix of our trip to Sweet Berry Farms.  I am amazed we made it there at all, because we were running late then stopped to buy sunglasses then stopped for the potty then stopped for carsickness.  It was all worth it in the end.  A fun time was had by all.  Kate rode the hayride with Daddy and her friend Noah and his family.  She also loved exploring all of the pumpkins.  We really wanted to do the pony ride but the line was super long, and she did pony rides at Octoberfest in our neighborhood park just the weekend before.  (Paul has a few cameraphone pictures of this to upload sometime.)   Here are some more highlights:

 

 

Better late than never. She's only 5 1/2 months now. We've started fruits and vegetables! So far, carrots and sweet potatoes are a big hit - appropriate, given that her nickname is Sweet Potato Pie. Pears are ok, prunes are tolerated, and peas are a big thumbs-down. Or throw up, as the case may be. She is rolling tummy to back now a little, but it requires intense concentration. Her gums are really swollen, but when I give her ibuprofen and the swelling goes down, I can see the little clear line of her bottom two front teeth!

A pic from baby dedication:

And just some cuteness:

More on our flickr site!  Now, let's all pause a moment to soak in some Motherly Wisdom.

1.  Going to the bathroom is a privilege.  If you have the opportunity, take it.

2.  A happy heart is the most important ingredient for a good day.

3.  There is no such thing as too many stickers.

Ok, Audrey's night waking is really wearing me out.  This is really different that what Kate did so I am not sure how to handle it.  Here's what's up:

• About every 45 minutes to an hour, she starts to cry, but in a monotone, yelling kind of way, for about 5 minutes.
• Sleeping position does not seem to matter.
• She never truly wakes up, unless it's the daytime and there's stuff going on, or at 5:30ish for her first feeding.
• It's loud enough that it wakes us up every time.
• She doesn't usually need help settling down again, probably because she is really still asleep, but if she does wake up and get frantic her cries change.  She can be resettled easily with a pat and maybe the paci.
• She doesn't do it when sleeping in my bed with me, or on my chest for a nap, or in the car.
• She doesn't seem sleep deprived in the least - that's just me. She is super happy and eating well, and easy to put to bed.
• It's ALL STINKIN' NIGHT LONG.

I've heard of the "45-minute intruder" thing, where babies cry to change sleep cycles, and it is tempting to think that they are truly awake.  Some people equate that with not nursing enough, but she still nurses 7-8 times daily plus two cereal feedings, so SURELY that is not the problem.  Maybe this is a sleep-cycle related thing, but how do I deal with it?  I don't want to leave the monitor off entirely.  My first plan of action is to buy her a white noise machine, in hopes that it will help her sleep more deeply, or drown out the cries a little bit so I don't wake up so easily.

I just want to know if I am doing anything wrong, or if this is just a phase.  Any suggestions?

 

Man, we're sleep deprived around here.  Audrey has been waking up hourly during the night because of a cold.  She doesn't need help going back to sleep, but she is loud enough that it wakes me up every time.  This has been going on for a few days.

But finally, here is a picture of Audrey at 4 months:

 

Kate's preschool pix coming soon, flickr is having trouble.  She's been doing great at school.  Potty training has plateaued, but her teacher and I have a plan.  In a couple of weeks (let her get a little more used to school first) we're going to go cold turkey with the pullups.  Pray for me.  I know I'm going to have a lot of fits and messes to deal with.  But any child that can hold it ALL THE WAY TO OKLAHOMA has no excuse still being in pullups!  (except that her mother continues to buy them for her)

1/3 of a year!  Some Audrey facts:

• 13 lb (75%), 24 3/4 in (75%), head circ. 41 cm (50%)
• Rolling over from back to tummy
• Pushing up on her arms
• Bears weight on legs, when you hold her in standing position - she loves this
• Still nursing 8 times daily
• Sleeps 9 hours at night, only waking for a 5:30 am feeding
• Takes two big naps, morning for an hour or so, and afternoon for 2 hours, with occasional catnaps during the day

Stuff she does:

• Plays on the floor a lot, rolling around and grabbing at toys
• Puts everything in her mouth
• "Sings"
• Loves her bedtime routine - she gets really fussy about 9:30 pm so I know she's ready to go to bed soon.  When I take her into her room, she gets so excited, and laughs when I change her diaper and put her pj's on.
• Fascinated with her feet, especially with brightly colored socks and shoes on
• Cries when you take away her favorite toys (Buzz or the Sense-ations book), or if they fall out of reach
• Drools EVERYWHERE
• Is wigglier than ever!

I'll get a picture up eventually.  :)

A dearth of blogging lately...sorry...but here's a tidbit:  Audrey rolled over yesterday, from her back to her tummy!  She now just can't stop doing it.  She is 15 weeks old tomorrow.  Yay!

 

This is her after rolling over for the 3rd time. She worked so hard at it her pants are slipping down!

I'm so proud of myself!

On Friday, Audrey turned 3 months old!

Audrey's favorite things:

• being held with one arm hanging over yours (the grandmas got good practice with this carrying position while we were in OK)
• trying to get her hands in her mouth
• grabbing toys, esp. Buzz the bug
• looking at books
• trying to get her feet
• eye contact (seriously, she is an eye contact junkie and would love it 24-7.  this is how i get knitting done: i put her in the bouncy and just look her in the eye every couple of stitches - she's in heaven)
• Kate, but Kate never holds still long enough for Audrey to get the eye contact, oh well

Audrey does not like:

• mirrors, which i find weird given her love for eye contact
• hats (proof below)
• the hiccups
• the pack and play
• the baby swing
• being alone (but sometimes i can fool her with toys that have faces, just long enough to go to the bathroom or something)

Current silly Audrey nicknames:

• Sweet Potato Pie (to continue the Pie motif, Kate being the Punkin Pie)
• Crabcakes (when fussy)
• Audrey Audrey (Kate invention)
• Audrey-doh (another Kate invention, including Daddy-doh, Katelyn-koh, Mommy-moh)
• Baby Aud-a-dree (you guessed it)
• Baby Dree (yup)

And, oh, what a joy she is!

today's update:

• took audrey to dr because she is rubbing that right ear like crazy.  she has inflammation but no infection, got some eyedrops that we are going to put in her ear.  sounds weird but i guess it's so if she rubs her ears and then her eyes it won't hurt them.
• audrey weighs 12 lb 7.5 oz.  she is 12 weeks old today.
• katelyn is bored because she can't play in the backyard due to MORE RAIN and really tall grass.  she is literally bouncing off the walls half the day.
• mommy stubbed her right big toe so badly last night that it took off half the nail and hurts like the dickens.  now instead of my beautiful pedicure i am sporting a cartoonishly large gauze bandage.  merh.  when it grows back i want another pedicure.

check flickr for vacation and 4th of july pix.

Today, my Audrey turned 2 months old.  I can barely remember our family before her.

She is such a delight (most of the time, everyone has their moments).  My favorite Audrey things:

• how a diaper change makes her instantly smiley
• how she loves to push off of my chest and look around
• how she goes crosseyed when she concentrates
• the way she folds her little feet under her when sleeping on her tummy

• her little turned up nose and great big Paul-ish smile
• her squeaky noises
• how watching her is like deja-vu, and I get to freshly remember Kate's baby-ness, which has faded in my memory
• and how she is also totally different from Kate, so uniquely herself

And I can't explain how full my heart feels when I see how much Katelyn loves her:

Wow, what fun times lie in store.  Writing this now makes me miss them both now that they are asleep.  (Catch me at about 2:00 tomorrow and I might feel a little differently, but that's motherhood for you.)

Yup, he did it:  Paul got a Wii yesterday.  Ryan called yesterday morning to let us know that they had some at Fry's, so Paul picked it up on the way in to work.  And now, he is playing tennis with Kate!  Really!  Here's the proof:

In non-Wii news, we are all a bit under the weather. I think Paul is almost over it but I have a sore throat and Kate has a super runny nose. Since the actual weather is rainy today, we will probably just lay around and play Wii all day. Baylor won't be feeling well either in a few hours. We were away from the breakfast table for a few minutes taking care of potty and diaper issues, and returned to find Baylor had eaten approximately a pound of bacon off of the table. That won't end well.

Audrey:

• Had her 2 month shots today, and I cried almost as much as she did.  I just hate holding down my baby when she screams.
• Weighs 11.5 pounds and is more or less 23 inches.  Her height was difficult to measure due to squirming.
• Reflux is better and controlled with the Zantac, but we were warned that it may peak in the next 2 months.

Katelyn:

• Has been a real challenge this week in regards to potty training (read: all out war) BUT we are definitely making progress.  She is staying dry for longer overall and has told me she needed to go sometimes.  Keep praying that she will be compliant and that I will be patient.
• Still is not enrolled in preschool.  I am getting anxious about this.  I have not heard back from the school we really want (they have not returned my calls) and I am about to bail.

Amy:

• Did thyroid bloodwork and discovered that my dosage was actually too high; this is a first for me.  Might explain some strange things I have been feeling lately, especially my blood pressure being slightly elevated (super weird) and the night sweats.  I got new meds today.

I uploaded a bunch of pics to Flickr today, including this, my new favorite:

My three favorite people. Happy Father's Day to the sweetest husband in the world!

A Good Day: The Post-Children Version

• Audrey slept in her room for the first time last night, from 11:30 to 5, then 5:45 to 8.
• Because of this, I SLEPT TOO.  And not on the floor of the nursery, as anticipated.
• Katelyn woke up dry this morning.
• Katelyn has not gone in her pants at all today, only in the potty, and she earned another potty training reward!
• Audrey has been calm and pleasant this morning, and has taken a good nap.
• We're going out to lunch with Paul!

If I get a shower today, it might just be an all-time high for the Hooper girls!

Audrey slept from 11 pm to 5 am last night.  Yay!

Ok now that I have seen or talked to practically everyone I know over the weekend, and you were all so kind to ask about Audrey's reflux, I am finally able to steal 2.2 minutes to write an update.  But you already know.  Still, I love redundancy...

The Zantac is DEFINITELY helping!  I feel like I have my kid back.  That's not to say she still doesn't have moments of pain and fussiness.  Saturday and Sunday nights she had episodes that were painful, but they only lasted about an hour.  She was cranky in general on Saturday but it was (ahem) bowel-related.  I'm still trying to figure out what times of day are best to give her the Zantac.  It does seem to bring her some fairly quick relief when she is already in great pain, but I think primarily it is designed to reduce acid over a specific period of time rather than just be a quick fix.  It allows her traumatized esophagus to heal.  She still spits up and gets the hiccups a lot but there has been no bile or true vomiting.  THANK GOD!

And she continues to grow - I think this is the last pack of size 1 diapers we can use.  I still have about 3 more packs from my RLG girls and other sources but HEB will let me exchange them.

Times up, someone's crying.

I took Audrey to the doctor today.  They prescribed baby Zantac and we are going to try it as soon as I can pick it up from the Walgreens.  We had another rough night but I handled it a little better, at least.  Paul took a sick day (lack of sleep=sick Paul, as you all know) and having him here is a tremendous help.  I didn't have to take Kate to the doctor with us.

In spite of the reflux, Audrey continues to gain weight and be very healthy.  This is not always the case with reflux babies, so we are doubly grateful!  She is 23 inches long (97%) and 10 lb 15 oz (80%).  Getting to be a big girl!  More pictures to come eventually if I can find the camera charger.  :)

Poor Audrey's reflux has been awful the last few days.  She responds well to rice cereal in a bottle, but the benefits are limited to that particular feeding period.  Last night was particularly rough.  She woke at 3 screaming in pain, tried to nurse a little but it just hurt too much, and then wailed until about 5 or so, I kind of lost track.  Her cries were hoarse from the start and she vomited bile again.  Paul had to take her for a while because I was losing it.  I was barking orders at her.  ("Audrey!  Stop that crying!"  Yeah, like that was going to work.)  She has been really fussy off and on this evening.  I'm trying to just give her bottles to help control how much she is eating at any given time (I have lots of milk and tend to drown her).  She is not particularly sensitive, and when not in pain is very calm and friendly. We go to the doctor tomorrow.  We just don't know what to do.   I am hoping they can give me an antacid for her to ease the pain.

So Audrey turned one month old this past weekend!  And the really big news is...SHE SMILED FOR THE FIRST TIME!  At who?  Katelyn, of course!  This morning the girls were in my bed hanging out (A was in the Boppy) and Kate was talking up a storm, right up in Audrey's face as usual.  Audrey just gave her the sweetest little look and smiled at her!  It was definitely in response to the attention from her big sister.  Audrey always lights up when she hears Kate's voice.

So Audrey, the super-calm baby, has been fussy the last few days.  It progressed from just a little gas (that responded to medicine) to full on stomach pain.  She's been vomiting (so hard it comes out the nose sometimes) and screaming in pain during and after eating.  So today we took a little trip to the doctor to see what is up.  Basically he confirmed what I had begun to suspect: she has reflux.  In spite of this she is still gaining weight - 9 lb 14 oz today, buck naked!  He prescribed a teeny bit of rice cereal added to a bottle of breast milk twice a day.  We go back for her 1 month check up in about a week so hopefully we will see some improvement in her comfort level.  If not we may try a lactose-free formula or give her a baby-dose of antacid.  We'll keep you posted.  Still no signs of true colic - thank heavens!

Audrey is now 3 weeks old!  We are doing pretty well, and she is growing like a weed already.  And remember, here our weeds grow extra fast - you've seen our backyard.  By my scientific calculations (by that I mean weighing myself and then weighing myself holding her on my Wal-mart special scale) she weighs 10 pounds already!  So I guess that means that the nursing is going okay.  A few days early in the week she wanted to eat every hour and a half (hence my inability to complete thank you notes and simple housekeeping tasks).  She has struggled with some gas and tummyaches the last couple of days but thanks to the natural remedy gripe water, that is a little better.  I did not use gripe water with Kate, but I wish I had tried it - it seems to really help Audrey.  After about 15 minutes she calms down a lot and is able to relax enough to actually burp and pass some of the gas.  (Note:  I am sure that some of my readers are uncomfortable with this subject matter, just like the potty training stuff, but with a newborn, gas can mean that no one gets any sleep at all.  Therefore it is a very important topic around our house!)

In other non-baby news, the TV died on Saturday so we now have a new TV.  Goodbye, old friend, we only knew you 8 years.  The old console TV lasted some 20 years or something ridiculous.  They don't make them like they used to.  Anyways, it was actually me that insisted that Paul get out on Mother's Day and get one right away.  It is my only connection with the adult world sometimes, how sad!  Seriously, we don't go out to movies, we don't even rent movies, we watch DVR and DVD's.  It is worth buying.  And I really need the Little Einsteins right now, for those times when I am nursing and Katelyn feels the urge to climb all over me.

Well, back to the kid subject, because it is all I do:  Katelyn is a great big sister.  Really.  She is so loving, and very excited to have Audrey here.  She doesn't seem jealous at all, but does get clingy sometimes.  I just have to make sure that she gets lots of exercise (read: Daddy time) and eye contact playtime, such as tickling or books or just being silly.  If she has that, she sleeps well, and is content to play on her own for an hour or so at a time, which really helps me take care of Audrey.  Today Kate played alone and Audrey napped, so I actually got to clean the kitchen and do a few loads of laundry.  Paul's clean clothes situation was so dire that yesterday he actually BOUGHT new clothes.  Anyways, I think that after a few weeks, when we are really truly on a schedule I can sort of predict and Audrey is responding to her world a little more, that the two of them will have TONS of fun together.  I have heard it said that the firstborn lives in an adult world and any other kids live in a child's world.  That seems especially true when I see Katelyn right up in Audrey's face telling her all about the world.  I hope they grow up to be best friends.  It fills me with tremendous joy to think of the fun times to come.

So today Paul's family went home, and he was back at work, and the Hooper girls were left to figure it out on their own.  It did help break up the day that Paul came home for lunch and to take us to Audrey's doctor appointment.  But overall, we did very well today.  Katelyn is struggling with sharing Mommy (of course) - this took form in a lot of fussing and demanding to use anything Audrey happened to be using at any time.  For example, the Boppy.  What on earth would Kate want with a Boppy, other than just to get it away from Audrey?  Every feeding, she began whining about needing a turn with "that special pillow."  And at bedtime, she cried a lot and Paul and I had to go in there a bunch of times, which hasn't happened in ages.  I am sure this is normal and will pass in time.  This week we are going to do a lot of extra special art projects, read fun books, etc. - anything where she can be close to Mommy and feel important.

Audrey is just doing her baby thing, eating incessantly, sleeping lots, and occasionally giving us a glimpse of her eyes.  She's really agreeable this far, and we had another great night last night, with stretches of sleep from 12-4 am and 4:30-7 am.  I am having to set my alarm to wake her for night feedings.  Glory hallelujah!  Of course I have to literally feed her 9 times during the day for this to be possible, but it is worth it.  These are actually longer stretches of sleep than I had during pregnancy, what with all of the bathroom trips and pain from the elbow and all.  I really like that I can actually take some painkillers now if I feel uncomfortable!  Also, at Audrey's doctor visit today, we discovered that she is back up to 8 lb. 4 oz., up from 7 lb. 12 oz. a week ago.  She's almost back to birth weight.  The jaundice is almost completely gone as well.  She was very brave for her heel stick.

Now about me...this is a TOTALLY different recovery experience than I was expecting.  I guess I just thought that what it was like last time was what every Caesarean recovery was like.  Not at all.  I am moving around great and can actually feel my abs now - just a few days ago I could not.  The big difference surgery wise from is that the muscles were not severed this time, just pulled apart.  I can go up and down stairs.  I can bend down.  I am only taking a little Advil at night.  I'm tired, sure, but it could be SO much worse (and it is fresh in my mind how awful I felt just a few weeks ago).  Thanks to everyone for praying!

One last thing...a picture of my new little cutie:

I can't believe it has been a week already since Audrey was born.  Not that it has gone by quickly; actually, it feels like a year.  So much has happened, from the hospital stay to simply learning how to handle a newborn again.  Katelyn is doing really well with the transition and is so happy to have us home.  My parents left on Thursday and Paul's family came in the same day.  So a lot has been going on.

Audrey is a very sweet baby and is pretty alert for her young age.  She rarely cries or fusses; so far our only fussy times have been from an upset tummy.  She's very snuggly and likes to listen to our voices.  Katelyn's buzzing about doesn't seem to overstimulate her, probably because Audrey's pretty used to hearing her voice too!  So far she has been a great sleeper and eater.  I sure hope that continues!  I am recovering pretty well considering that I essentially had surgery 8 days ago.  The C-section pain is tolerable, but I am also still having to be very careful with the elbow.  It is hard to get myself in and out of bed without putting a lot of weight on it.  And of course my abs don't work well and won't for a while.  Yeesh.  All of the live-in help has been great but next Tuesday it is gone, because our visitors go home and Paul will be back at work.  Actually, he had to go back yesterday.  It totally stinks, but what are you going to do.  I am so thankful for the meals we have coming in the next few weeks - people are so generous!  And our friends are planning to come over to hang out and play with Kate and stuff.  We will be fine.  I just wish we had a little more time as a family to get used to the change, and I know it is hard on Paul.

I've taken more pictures, but I'm not sure where the camera is at the moment, so they will come later.  You can look at the rest of the birth day pix online at our flickr site.

Born: April 27, 2007 at 11:39am

Weight: 8 lbs. 5.9 oz.

Height: 20.5 inches

She's done very well her first afternoon.  She arrived very healthy, and was able to nurse and get milk at 1:30pm!  Daddy can vouch for the plumbing -- everything works as it should.  After writing this, getting a couple pictures up, and eating something, daddy will be heading back to the hospital to help.

She's already a joy to be around.  She doesn't cry very much, but she definitely can when she wants to.  She likes hearing daddy's voice and holding his hand -- both comfort her and she will stop crying.    Lately, she's been opening her eyes and looking around, checking out this big world around her.

Grammy and Grandpa brought Katelyn with them around 2pm, and that went very well.  Katelyn seems to really like being a big sister.  She got home, gathered all the stuffed animals into the "clubhouse" and told them all about it.

Mommy is doing very well -- this was much easier than 12 hours labor, 2 bags of epidural, and THEN a C-section.  She's still not really up for visitors, but tomorrow probably so.

OK, now for what you really want: the pictures...

  

And a video... eventually...

So tomorrow is the big day!  My parents are here, they are having fun with Kate and I am getting a lot of last minute stuff done.  Paul has to work, of course.  But we are going out for Tex-Mex tonight (duh) to celebrate.  We have decided to have a birthday party for Audrey on Monday, when she comes home.  Katelyn is really into birthday parties right now, because so many of her friends have had them lately.  So she has really latched onto the idea of having a party for Audrey, with cake and balloons and party hats and goody bags!  We (I) made some little "Happy Birthday Audrey" signs and she picked out a present for the baby.  She got a little stuffed doggie that makes a rattle sound, and we named it Cocoa.  She doesn't know that Audrey (I) picked out a present for her, too: a miniature version of Greenbear, so basically Greenbear is having a baby too.  I hope this works out to be as great an idea in real life as it does in my mind.

Overall, I feel great.  Yes, I'm enormous, tired, and sore in various places, but compared to where I was a month ago, I feel teriffic.  I can't believe that in less than 24 hours I will finally get to see her.  I can't wait!!!!!!!!  So here is a final picture of me at the end of it all:

And here's a pic of Audrey's room, ready for a tiny and adorable occupant.  There's the little doggie Kate got for her, on the new dresser (a gift from Paul's family).  Do you like the diaper cake that Jen made?

We'll post the big news as soon as Paul has the time.  Thanks for getting us through the last few months, it's been quite a ride!  I am sure that the next few will be too!

 

So we had our ultrasound on Thursday and I am just now getting around to posting the results.  Audrey has been given the official medical diagnoses of "healthy", "kind of long", and "rather squirmy."  Her weight was estimated at 7 lb. 9 oz., which I was told makes her about a week ahead in weight.  We could not see her face - she was face down head down, just like she is supposed to be.  I have repeatedly explained to Audrey that she can just take her head off of my bladder, out of torpedo position, because it really isn't necessary - and yet she ignores me.  I have gained 25 pounds overall. 

Today begins my 38th week of pregnancy; I will not achieve Week 39 because this kiddo is getting REMOVED on FRIDAY!!!!  It's very surreal to think that Paul and I will awaken Friday morning, take showers, fight traffic, struggle with our luggage, sign lots of papers, I'll get some tubes and medicine put in me, and then VOILA!  Some doctors I know and some I don't will slice me open and take out a daughter.  There's a whole bizarre un-natural-ness to this business.  But I can definitely see the perks.

1. It's convenient.  "Hey, grandparents, I'll be giving birth on April 27 at 10:30 am, so could you please come a day earlier?  Thanks, that'd be great."
2. It doesn't take very long.  "You can bring Katelyn to meet the baby around lunchtime."
3. It's safer for me and Audrey.  I just wasn't built for childbirth, apparently.

Truth be told, I AM nervous about the C-section, because it is surgery, and there are risks associated with that.  And the recovery will be tough.  And we are taking Audrey about 10 days early.  And the last one was so traumatic for me (although I know that had more to do with the gazillion hours of labor that preceded it.)  Still, I know this is the best decision and I am thankful for such a great support system that will get us through it.  God is awesome.  I think that if I lived in times when there was not so much medical intervention, I would not have been able to conceive or birth a baby at all.  I can't even imagine the world without Katelyn anymore, and in 5 days, I will have forgotten the pre-Audrey world as well.

It's true, the nesting thing.  Not a myth.  Add to that the relief from no longer wearing a sling, and here's what I've been up to in the past week:

• Cleaned the back porch.  Even had Kate "scrubbing" the back steps with a brush and soap.  Scrubbed the porch swing for the first time ever.
• Packing the hospital bag.
• Laundry galore - washing everything of Audrey's, even what has been previously washed.  Washing and returning all borrowed maternity clothes, since almost NOTHING fits anymore anyways.  Washing various clothing items that will probably fit me after birth.  IMPORTANT NOTE:  Not even nesting motivates me to use the iron.  Sorry, Paul.
• Organization of baby related medical receipts.
• Cleaning my office.  Those of you who have seen my office realize this is a pretty big deal and must be hormonally motivated.
• Knitting mania.  Finished Amanda's baby present (hopefully she is having that baby RIGHT NOW), Audrey's sweater (link to come soon, haven't taken the picture), and working on Kelly's baby present.
• Shopping.  Buying up all of the stuff we still need for Audrey.  And stockpiling yarn.
• Even got Paul in on the nesting - "we" cleaned out our cars and set up the new car seat and bases.  Once again, those who have seen my car realize that cleaning it must also be hormonally motivated.  And by "we" I mean that I occasionally pulled out trash within my limited reach, and mostly drew fancy doodles on the driveway with Kate's chalk, while Paul sweated up a storm doing the rest.  What a guy. 
• And of course, we finished the taxes.  Not completely to Paul's satisfaction; he has found a few extra bucks that we can legally squeeze out of the government, so he will probably amend the return in the next few days.  I personally don't really care, I'm just glad it is done.

So what, you ask, could POSSIBLY be left to do?  Here's what the nesting fairy keeps shouting in my ear:

• Hang Audrey's name on the wall in her room.  (Paul)
• Clean the carpets in the house, they are disgusting.  Ideally we'd just replace them, but what is the point?  (Paul)
• De-pile my bedroom dresser.  I am not sure how it collects so much stuff.
• Sterilize all of the bottles and pacis and various thingies that can be sterilized.
• Make ridiculously detailed instructions for the grandparents on How To Take Care Of The Kate.  They will, of course, patiently smile, nod, and read it through for my benefit, all the while restraining themselves from rolling their eyes at me.  As soon as I am out of sight they will go about handling Kate in their own way and she will be just fine.  It's like they have done this parenting thing before or something.  It must be their great love for me that causes them to humor me so.  And yet I can't help myself, I'm so neurotic, if I don't make a list I will feel like I've just abandoned her.  Motherly guilt is a strange and powerful thing.
• I'm sure the nesting fairy will come up with other bizarre things for me to do as soon as anything of real consequence is done.

So now, for your springtime enjoyment, a glimpse of MY Easter basket:

 

35 1/2 weeks.  Which means that if Audrey comes on the 27th as planned, that is only 3 weeks and 2 days away.  It is time to get the ducks in a row.  I have liberated my arm from the sling COMPLETELY (the orthopedist will tell me tomorrow if that was a good idea or not).  It doesn't hurt that much.  It sure improves my mood!  I just have to be really careful not to lift anything more than a couple of pounds or do things with my arm at certain angles.  I figure that the pain is a good indicator whether or not I should be doing something in particular.

Now that I am off of so many medications, Audrey is back to her normal perky self.  And by that I mean her judo-jabbing, rib-kicking, hiccuping, somersaulting self.  Motherly guilt has me wondering what kind of damage I did to her with all of that medicine.  But I don't really know what else I could have done, I have to breathe, right?  And the OB will tell me tomorrow how she is really doing.  Our ultrasound is bound to be soon, but it is not this week.

Here's a picture of my gargantuan belly:

Isn't that so attractive?  Shamu called me for a date the other day.  And no, that is not a trendy, one-sleeved maternity top, it's me in the sling.  What I find completely fascinating is that belly size-wise, I am about the same as with Kate at this point.  But I am a good *25* pounds lighter.  Yes, 25!  I don't have water retention in my legs and face and fingers and earlobes and every part of my body.  You know, if I had been retaining water like that, then when I fell, I might have just bounced!  Anyways, the "normal" sized ankles and feet have been a real perk this time.  THANK GOD.  He knew I needed a perk in the last trimester, what with all of this other stuff to deal with.

So only 7 weeks left...I will be having the C-section on April 27, if all goes as planned.  I have gained 20 pounds total (which is not bad, especially considering my chocolate intake lately) and am feeling pretty tired and sluggish.  My bloodwork showed some anemia so hopefully after a little while on iron supplements some energy will return.  But I am definitely getting ready to be done with this pregnancy business!  I want to see my little sweetie!

Kate has been a big helper, picking up things from the floor, dusting low-lying objects, and bringing me stuff.  Yes, it's more work being pregnant with a 2 year old, but there are definitely perks.  :)

 

Ok, here's the latest pic of Audrey and me:

Still not too miserable, mostly due to her being kind of low.  The heartburn has been manageable and I can usually get out of a chair or bed without help.  I caught up on my weight gain over Christmas (shocker!) and have now gained a total of 13 pounds.  I am still praying fervently that the water weight will not pile on like it did with Kate, but only time will tell!!!  Audrey is super active, and very predictable in her routine:  Snoozing in the morning, snoozing in the afternoon, elbows in the evening, nap from 8-11:30 pm, and then dance party til 1 am.  Hiccups anywhere from 3-4 am that make Mommy have to go to the bathroom.  She likes the loud music at church (love that subwoofer) and when Mommy sings.  (Of course that may change, since Kate used to like my singing in utero, but now she frequently says, "No like Mommy to sing!")

Now that Kate is in her new room, I am really looking forward to personalizing Audrey's room and making it special just for her.  :)

Name: Audrey Jeanette Hooper

Current Weight: About 10 ounces
Fingers: 10
Toes: 10

Here's a link to the video, BUT FIRST please read the instructions!  Please do not just click the link.  It's only two minutes long, but it's still large!  First, right-click on the link below, and select "Save Target As..."  Choose a place to save it, such as your desktop, and click Save/OK.  Then, minimize your browser so you can see your desktop (or where ever you chose to save).  Double-click the file (default name: December-12-2006.mpg) and enjoy.  We've tested playing the file in Windows Media Player 11, and it works with that.  Hopefully it works with your player, too!

December-12-2006.mpg

It's official!!!

Our 2nd child is definitely a girl!  Stay tuned for more news, her name, ultrasound pictures, and maybe even an ultrasound video.