Catch-up!

So far behind! This year has been a very blessed one for us. Busy, but blessed. We have been able to start our own business which allows me to stay home. It has also allowed us to move into our (my) dream house. Sooo much has happened since my last post, but I'll try to give a synopsis.

Aubrey has cut 7 teeth. Four upper and three lower, all in front. The first couple came together and were really painful. The rest weren't as bad. She has been working on some back teeth (I can only tell because she'll put her finger back there when it bothers her), but I haven't been able to see anything yet.

Aubrey moved quickly from crawling to pulling up. She started standing on her own around Easter and began walking shortly thereafter. She is running now, although I'm afraid she's inherited her mother's gracefulness. She falls a lot, and even hits her head most of the time, but rarely cries. She just gets up and keeps on going.

Aubrey loves, LOVES, our pugs. I'm pretty sure she thinks they are her playmates. When they go outside, she wants to go too. She runs and plays with them, yells at them, hugs them and kisses them. She'll feed them from her highchair, give them her cookies (although I think she expects them back) and even share her juice. I really need to get her out and around more kids.

In mid-March, we moved into our house. We are still working on financing, but are lease purchasing for now. It is the perfect house for us and we have room to grow. It is a four bedroom, three bath with a garage and huge backyard with patio. I have an office right off the living room so I can watch Aubrey while she plays. My mom came to help us move (actually, she said she came to watch Aubrey while we moved!). It just so happened that the weather turned and it was 30 degrees! Oh well, it gave us a chance to use our fireplace before Spring/Summer. We are settled in now and have hosted a few family events since the move. We love our house and the space we have. Aubrey loves to play in the backyard with her slide, pool, etc. She doesn't understand that she can't go out when it's over 100 degrees, which it has been almost all Summer. We live in a small, very safe neighborhood. Our street is a cul-de-sac and kids are always riding bikes, scooters and skateboards in front of our house. I love that even in this crazy world where people snatch kids from their front yards, we found a neighborhood where Aubrey can play and I don't have to be so worried.

May through August is Chad's busy time at work and the busiest time for our company as well. Kids move in and out in May and in and out in August. We haven't gotten to see him as much as we would like, but he does the best he can. Aubrey is a daddy's girl. She follows him everywhere when he's home and loves it when he takes her for "a ride" in his truck. They go to McDonalds or somewhere to get a drink or food. She really loves that we have turned her seat around so she can see out the windsheild.

June 24 was her First Birthday. I had been planning her party for months. We had a Fairy Princess party. There were tons of balloons, pink and purple decorations and each little girl got a goody bag with a tiara, boa and play jewelry. We had hamburgers and hot dogs and CAKE! Aubrey loved her cake and completely destroyed it. I think she ate almost all of it. And she'd never had sugar before! We had so much fun and she got lots of great gifts. Thanks to everyone for making her party so memorable!

Aubrey isn't talking yet, but she's really trying. She says Mamamamama, Dadadada, and recently started saying Popopop. She's working on belly button and pug butt. We always tell her "pug butt" when she's naked and running around. And she knows where her belly button is (and yours too!), as well as where her nose, ears and eyes are. She knows what we are saying to her. She is VERY stubborn. It comes from both sides of the family. She has been testing us since before she turned one. There are 2 places in the living room where she knows she isn't to touch. She'll go to them when she's feeling particularly devilish, stand there and stare at us. Just to see what we do. We have had to resort to spanking both on her hand and on her butt. She gets plenty of warnings beforehand and we have used time-outs, but she's still testing. Dog bowls and trashcans are another temptation for her. We're working on it . . .

Last month, she started throwing temper-tantrums. They are usually fairly small and involve her throwing herself down to the floor, flopping her head on the floor and "crying". Her Uncle Shane will have NONE of the whining and is shutting her down pretty good on this. I usually ignore her and it clears up quickly. I've caught her looking at me while "crying" to see if I'm paying attention and if it's working. Once she figures out it isn't, she moves on. She does need more playmates. Kennedy (my best friend's daughter, who's 2) has come over to play a few times. She is still amazed when she sees other kids. She just doesn't realize that there are other people like her in the world. I think Chad and I have decided to put her in school at A&M Church of Christ at least one day a week this year. It will be good for her and give me time to catch up on work. That's where she'll be going to elementary anyway, so might as well get used to it now.

The first couple of weeks in July, we went to swimming leasons at the city pool. She LOVES the water. She was ready to jump in as soon as we got there. She learned how to jump in off the side after I counted to three, she learned to "swim" (while I held her) on her tummy and kick. She is more hesitant on her back. She will go on her back, since that's what we do in the tub, but not for long. She would also go under water, but I had to convince her to close her mouth beforehand. The whole time she was smiling and so happy. I think she was one of the youngest there and everyone thought she was soooo cute. We had a blast and Daddy came to watch on her last day. We even got to go down the kiddie slide. This kid has no fear and always wants to be in the water.

Other things Aubrey does now ... She loves to climb on anything and everything. She has recently learned to climb up on the couch or chair. She loves to help. She'll bring you something or close a door. She is very very loving. She is always willing to give kisses (usually several at a time) and big hugs. She is very happy, with the exception of those pesky tamtrums. She wakes up and lays in bed for a while. She'll talk to herself and finally wake me with Mamamamama. She graduated to her own room. It was actually a transition she sort of initiated. She stopped sleeping through the night in our room and she stopped going to sleep in our bed. I think it's because of the TV. Anyway, after a few sleepless nights, I decided that she could start sleeping in her own room. She did without any problems and has been since. She doesn't cry when we put her down. She listens to music for 10 minutes and then rolls around until she finally gives in to sleep. Such a good baby! She has really done most of these things on her own. I don't push her to be independent, she just is. She eats cereal and drinks milk for breakfast. I put cereal in a bowl, sit her on the living room floor and she eats until she's full.

We are so proud of our little girl. She is growing up so fast, but we are very honored to be her parents and to watch her develop. She is amazing to us and we love her more each day. I think this gets us pretty much caught up. I know its a little random, but I'll try to keep up better. I have pictures, but I haven't uploaded my camera since we moved! I'll post pictures soon...

--Amy

Teeth

Aubrey is cutting teeth! She has been attached to me all week and sooooo cranky. I've been giving her Tylenol and Orajel. There are two coming in, both in the front. One on top and one on bottom. I check each night before bed and I can see them coming in more and more. I hope this is over soon! I feel so bad for her!

--Amy

Happy Half-Birthday!

If you think I'm behind on my blog, you should see Aubrey's baby book. Updating all this stuff and photo albums have been on my To do list for a while. My list has finally gotten down to where I can do stuff like this now. Thank goodness! I am ready for a few "slow" months after the hectic months we've had.

On Christmas eve, Aubrey turned 6 months old! I simply cannot believe she is this old already. And she is growing so big! We didn't have her well-baby check up until Jan. 6, but the dr. was still impressed. She is almost 18 pounds and 27 1/4 inches. He said she is 95th percentile for weight and length and 90th percentile for head circumference. Her spitting up and decreased dramatically. Not gone, but much better. A lot of this is due to eating baby foods, especially oatmeal cereal. Most of the time, she would rather eat food than formula. She loves everything we've given her, although she'd rather have oatmeal cereal than rice cereal. I asked the dr. about her eczema and he gave us some tips to help. It's much better now and I give her benadryl for the itching. At the dr. office she really loved the mirror. She was kissing the baby in the mirror and putting her hand up on it. Really amazed and so cute! The only pictures I got are on my phone though. Overall, he said she is doing great! She got some more shots and was more upset this time. So sad!

She is really growing and trying new things. She is such a good baby! She doesn't fuss much unless she's tired or hungry. She's usually smiling and happy. She sleeps great, but has stopped letting me put her to sleep like a little baby. She likes to lay beside you and fall asleep with her blanket in one hand and the other hand in her mouth. She's very independent! She wants to hold her bottle or put her pacifier in her mouth by herself. She's not my little baby anymore! I'm so proud of her, but sad at the same time.

I guess it's time to start planning a birthday party!

--Amy

Christmas pictures

Aubrey's First Christmas!

I have been so excited for Aubrey's First Christmas. This is my favorite time of year and I couldn't wait to see her reactions. I know it will be better next year, but she actually did more than I expected.

We went to my mom's in Arkansas the weekend before Christmas. Since it is such a long drive, we decided to fly. I found a good deal on tickets, so it was just a matter of trying to get all our stuff and presents in suitecases. Plus, I had no idea how Aubrey would react. She was GREAT! She slept the whole drive to the airport, ate while we waited to get on the plane and went back to sleep almost as soon as we got in the air. I was so relieved! And everywhere we go, including on the plane, people just smile at her and say she is so cute. She really is adorable! Even I am amazed! She keeps us laughing. She is always making a funny face or doing something adorable. I don't know how she'll get in trouble because you just can't get mad at her!

At my mom's we had dinner and Christmas with her side of the family and Aubrey learned to open presents. I may not have mentioned this, but Aubrey LOVES paper. She will play with a napkin, a postcard or whatever I can find. So presents were right up her alley. She would put her mouth on them first and then after I tore a piece for her, she'd start tearing the rest. I really didn't think she would be so involved this year. These last couple of months she has really become more aware of everything and wants to be involved. Anyway, then we went to visit my dad's family, ate dinner, opened more presents and stopped by his gravesite to put some flowers. Then we had Christmas with my mom, sister, Aaron (Sally's husband) and us. Aubrey got MANY more presents and had such fun. She was really good on this trip and we all had fun playing with her.

We got home on the 22nd. I had a lot to do before everyone came to our house on Christmas eve. I made my husband go with me (again) to the super Walmart to get groceries. He really hates this place and I've talked him into going there at least 5 times in the last couple of months. Chad's mom and her husband always come and spend Christmas with us, then we go to his grandparents house in Brenham on Christmas afternoon. Well, his grandparents decided that it is now tradition (because we did it last year) for them to come up to our house on Christmas eve for appetizers and dessert. So, I had to find some food and get it cooked. Not to mention cleaning and laundry and, oh yeah, I have a baby to care for as well. It was a little crazy, but we pulled it off.

They finally went home and it was time for Santa. I really had a lot of fun stuffing stockings and putting out gifts. We shot video on Christmas morning, but I haven't edited any video yet. I also got some good pictures, but my memory card was full and some of them got deleted. Aubrey got a rocking horse, lots of new toys and new clothes. She is outgrowing everything! She had fun opening presents, but I think she was a little overwhelmed. She didn't know what to do first. But she's had a lot of fun playing with her new toys! We went to Brenham that afternoon for dinner and presents with Chad's family. Aubrey got a rocking chair from her great-grandparents. It was nice, but Aubrey gets tired of so many people. After all this, I have decided we will not be travelling anywhere for at least a month. Her schedule was so screwed up that she would stay up until 2 or 3 am! We've had time to calm down now and she's sorta back on a routine. At least she goes to bed and wakes up at the same times!


--Amy

December . . .

I don't really know why I've been putting this off. I think my excuse was that I needed to upload pictures, but I just realized that I've already done that. Anyway, Aubrey has been keeping us very busy! Since I'm so behind, I'll start with Thanksgiving/December.

We stayed home for Thanksgiving and I cooked the meal for us. Chad's brother Shane came over to eat with us. We watched the parade and ate and watched football. Aubrey had sweet potatoes and played with Uncle Shane. It was fun and I was glad to get to spend time with everyone. We watched the Texas/Texas A & M game last night. I like to support our local team and Chad has always been a big Texas fan, so it's always a fun time! A & M lost (as expected), but there's always next year.

December was a BUSY month for us. We started by getting out all the Christmas decorations and getting the house ready. We put icicle lights across the front of the house. Aubrey watched us from her walker and had such fun. She really loves to be outside and the weather was just the right temperature. However, that would soon change. It took me 3 days to get my tree up. I decided that I wanted a pre-lit tree, so I got one at Walmart. As I was putting it up, I figured out that it looked awful. So, back to Walmart we go (at 11 pm!) to return that tree and pick out a new one. Only they don't do returns after 10 pm. We bought another one and took the first one back the next day. If you're counting, that means that for a while I had 3 trees! And I dragged my husband to Walmart twice. He wasn't happy! I finally got it up and decorated and it was so pretty! Aubrey just stared at it. I could almost see her thinking Why is mommy putting a TREE in our living room?? But, this year at least, she didn't mess with it at all. I wish I could say the same for the pugs. It's never a good sign when you find dog hair under the tree when you take it down! Anyway, I didn't even put out half of my Christmas decorations this year. It just seems like there is not enough room. We have got to move!


On December 10th, it got really really cold. Chad's mom was visiting and she was playing with Aubrey while I tried to get some work done. Then we looked out the window and it was SNOWING!! At first little flakes, but as it continued (for over 4 hours!) the flakes got bigger and bigger! It ended up covering the ground and everything. It was so pretty. And so unusual for Texas in December. Usually we don't get weather like that until January. I found a fleece suit for Aubrey to wear and we took her out to take pictures of her first snow. She looked at us like we were crazy! (Seriously, you can tell in the pictures.) Well, it was fun for us anyway.

We took Aubrey to the Children's Museum to meet Elmo and Santa. Surprisingly, she didn't cry. She just sat on Santa's lap while I took a few pictures and then we left. I'm sure next year will be very different.

During all of December, Aubrey is really getting up on her hands and knees and rocking. We thought she would crawl at any time. Finally, towards the end of the month she started "army crawling" on her belly. She didn't get around too much until New Year's eve. Then she started trying to follow us around the living room. Once she got started, she really didn't stop. I'm just trying to keep up!

--Amy

Aubrey - 5 Month pictures

Aubrey at 5 (and a 1/2-oops!) Months

Yeah, I'm waay behind! There are many reasons, mostly just that it's a busy time and Aubrey keeps me on my toes these days. Also, there are a lot of new things happening with our little family. I should start there, I guess . . .

Chad has been really progressing at work. I mentioned previously that he's been getting some side jobs to make extra money and that allows me to stay home with Aubrey. Well, it's going so well that he and his business partner have decided to start their own business together. It's complicated, but basically, they are a one-stop shop for apartment complexes when "turning" their units. Maintenance, cleaning, painting, new fencing, sand volleyball courts, etc. They can do it all and we think that even with the economy struggling, we'll have steady business since the apartments are always hopping around here. We have truly been blessed this year and I thank God every day for that! Also, I've been doing some simple accounting work from home. I was doing this before at the law firm because the lawyers own this other business too, but, since I wanted to stay home with Aubrey, I offered to continue just the bookkeeping from home. It doesn't pay much, but it helps. Well, a few weeks ago, I was contacted by the attorney's daughter who asked if I would also keep the books for her husbands construction company. It's nothing too difficult, so I agreed. Plus, I'll be keeping the books for our new business as well. So, I now have 3 jobs and a baby! Now you can see why I'm so busy!

Back to Aubrey! She is blossoming and growing so much! A few days before her 5-month-birthday, she started laughing at us on her own (as in without being tickled or anything). She is smiling much more at everybody, not just me and Chad. And she is talking more. She makes the funniest noises!! You just never know what she'll do next. Today, she was playing in her walker and yelling/squealing with delight. She is a loud child! But so adorable. A couple of days ago, she started laughing at the dogs! We were just sitting on the couch and she looked at the dogs and started giggling at them. Chad and I were so surprised.

We've had both grandmas visit this past month. She had a blast playing with them and getting all that attention. And it really helped me get more stuff done. She went through a brief phase where she screamed when she saw a stranger, but seems to have overcome that for now. She has a few bumps on her gums where teeth are trying to come in, but nothing yet. We think she will be crawling any day now. She gets up on her arms and even on her knees, but then just ends up rolling over to her back. She hasn't quite figured out yet that she can crawl from that position too. She scoots sometimes, but mostly just rolls wherever she wants to go. She has rolled all over the living room floor exploring all the furniture. She really enjoyed it when I put up the Christmas tree and we took her outside in her walker to watch us put up the lights. She has really done well eating her baby foods. She loves eating everything I've given her, both fruits and veggies! I am very grateful that she can sit up well enough now to sit in the grocery cart or in a high-chair at a restaurant because a) she is too heavy to carry around in her carseat and b)when I do take her in her carseat it takes up too much room.

We have been really blessed with a happy baby. She sleeps well, at least 2 naps a day and all night, she's usually smiling and happy to play and only cries when she really needs something. I am so thankful!

I know this may not make a lot of sense, but it's late and I'm writing as I remember things. I was trying to wait to write this until I'd uploaded her 5 month pictures I took, but I just haven't found the time for that either. Soon, I promise!

Happy Holidays!
--Amy

Aubrey's New "Tricks"

Aubrey has really been learning new things lately! I mentioned before that she has learned to reach for a toy that is near her and even roll over to get to it. Well, her favorite thing to do recently is reach out with both hands and grab my face, then pull it to her with her mouth open wide. It's like she's trying to eat my face and it's hilarious! She just smiles and laughs. She's also becoming very good at grabbing my hair, even when it's pulled up, and the girl has a good grip. Anyway, tonight Chad was holding her on the couch and Maggie jumped up and sat beside them. All of a sudden, Aubrey reaches out both her arms and tries to grab Maggie by the face! She's really started to notice the pugs over the last couple of weeks and she'll watch them a lot. Sometimes they'll be close enough that she can touch them with a hand or foot and feel the different texture. I guess tonight she decided she would like to get to know Maggie a little better. To Maggie's credit, she was very good and didn't react negatively. She tried to lick Aubrey, which I stopped, and then she just tried to stay out of her grasp. Surprising since Maggie is not the best behaved dog. Both dogs have been very good around her since she was born, thank goodness.

Another milestone we reached tonight was real food! I decided that since she has done so well with her cereal we could try some other things. I started with applesauce because she's had apple juice before and I figured the taste wouldn't be so foreign to her. She loved it! I gave her a little cereal after her bottle to follow the routine we've established and then switched to applesauce. She made a little face, but I think just because it was a little surprising. She kept opening her mouth and wanting more. I gave her almost half the jar. I'll try a vegetable in a couple of days and see what her reaction is. I can't believe she's growing up so fast!

Here's some pictures from tonight . . .

Halloween 2008

Aubrey was a Pumpkin for Halloween this year. Mostly because there wasn't a lot to choose from at the store. October 18th we took her to the "Pumpkin Patch", which is really just a place that sells pumpkins and the proceeds go to charity. We picked out a big pumpkin to carve and we got a little pumpkin for her. I know she really has no clue what's going on, but I wanted to make sure we still did something for her first Halloween. And, I want to start traditions for us to continue through her childhood. We also took her to Target to pick out her costume. I must say, those costumes are very hot for such little ones in Texas. And we even had a cold front this year! Normally, it's nearly 90 on Halloween.

Anyway, the next weekend I took her outside in her high chair so she could watch me carve the pumpkin. I'm not particulary good at carving pumpkins, but it's the thought that counts. When Halloween arrived, she wasn't having a very good day. She was pretty fussy, so we decided just to take her to some relatives houses for trick or treating. We took a few pics and came home. It'll be better next year!

--Amy

Aubrey at 4 Months

I am sooooo behind! Aubrey turned 4 months on Oct. 24th! She is growing so fast and learning so much. She's really keeping us on our toes and keeping me really busy.

I guess I should just start at the beginning of October. We took her on her first trip to Arkansas so she could meet the rest of my family and friends. It is a long car ride (8 hours!) for such a little one, but she really did pretty well. We figured out that she does not like to be in the back seat by herself for long periods or in the back seat in the dark AT ALL. We had a really good visit with everyone and I'm so glad we were finally able to make it up there. Luckily, she slept most of the ride back.

Aubrey has learned so many things! On our trip to Arkansas, she discovered her feet and has barely left them alone since. Most mornings I find her with one foot in each hand, trying to get them (and her hands) in her mouth all at the same time. She's usually cooing as well. It's really a sight, but such a great way to wake up each day. She is not a quiet child (I can't imagine where she got that from!). She will coo at you and then yell at you and then back to cooing. We try to play on the floor with her at least once a day. She learned to roll over from front to back pretty early in the month. Last week (I think), she started rolling from back to front. Now, she is rolling back to front and front to back, but only in one direction. She is pushing herself up on her forearms and has recently been trying to scoot over to get a toy. She will roll over to reach a toy that is behind her but just out of reach.

We went to her 4 month well-baby check-up. She is 25 1/2 inches and 14 lbs., 15 oz. He said her spitting up is fine as long as it doesn't bother her and that she's healthy and developing well. She also got 4 shots. She did really well. She cried initally, but stopped before the nurse left the room. He also said we could start her on solids as soon as we felt she was ready. Since I've been feeding her cereal in her bottle almost since she was born, I decided to start her on some cereal mixed with formula using a spoon. It is a work in progress, but she seems to enjoy it and is doing pretty well. I have a hard time trying to keep her hands out of her mouth and she loves to smile at me with a mouthful of cereal.

We have been very blessed to have such a good baby. Until recently, she was sleeping in until about 10 am. Now, she gets up about 8 or 9, but takes a nap about 11 am. She is generally pretty happy. She does have her bad days, which can be very trying. The time change really threw her off, but she slept a lot on Monday and has been pretty well adjusted since. Usually, I can figure out her issue and take care of it without many tears. Thankfully, she loves her high chair (I think that was the best purchase ever!), so that helps me get more done. I can just wheel her in the kitchen to watch me or to the living room to watch tv.

Here are some recent pictures of her . . .

Aubrey's 3 Month Pictures

3 Months Old!

Well, I should start with an Ike update. We did get some high winds and rain, but nothing like everyone around us got. While most counties around us lost power and/or flooded, we did not. It was all over by 12 or 1 pm that Saturday and we went on to have a normal day. We were very blessed because it could have been MUCH worse!

Now, on to my growing girl! She was 3 months old Wednesday! She is growing and changing so much. She eats 8 oz. about 4 times a day. She still sleeps really well at night! And she's learning more about herself each day. A few weeks ago, she started smiling when you smiled at her. Now she grins and even laughs a little anytime you look at her. The other day, she even smiled at Laila. I guess she thought Laila was smiling at her! When she's in her swing, she waves her arms around. I think she's trying to grab the bird's spinning around above her. She smiles at them too. She's discovered her mouth, tongue and hands. She sucks on her bottom lip, or sticks her tongue in and out. And she is constantly fidgeting with her hands in front of her face. It was a real issue when we took pictures yesterday, but otherwise, it's really cute. And she's really "talking" now. Sometimes she'll wake up happy and I'll just leave her in the bed. She scoots around, eventually flips herself over onto her back, and she's just cooing and gurgling the whole time. So adorable! She has learned to turn over from front to back. I don't have it on camera yet, but it's so funny to watch! She sticks her butt waaaay up in the air and moves her feet until she finally ends up on her back.

We went to take her 3 month old pictures Wednesday. Of course, I don't know how many good ones he got since her hands were constantly in front of her face. And I planned around her schedule. The one she's been on for about a month. But yesterday, it changed! Just my luck! I'm still looking forward to seeing how they turn out. I'll post them as soon as I can.

More later . . .
--Amy

Here comes Hurricane Ike!

Well, it's about 4:30 am and Hurricane Ike is moving into College Station. We have taken all the precautions we feel are necessary for our area and have plenty of supplies on hand for ourselves and especially for Aubrey. The videos I'm seeing on the news out of Houston are amazing! They are showing windows blowing out of the downtown high rises as the eyewall moves over downtown Houston. The wind between the buildings created a tornado like vortex with glass and other debris whipping around in the street. They said if you look in the blown away windows (from a building across the street of course) you can see the office furniture blowing around in the offices!

Currently, we have about 25-30 mph winds here with some rain, but nothing heavy yet. It is moving our way, so the worst is yet to come. They are predicting 75+ mph winds and about 10 inches of rain.

Boy, I am so glad we don't live in Houston any more and we are praying that all those people who live there took the warnings seriously and got prepared.

I'll update as I can . . .

--Amy

Aubrey's One Month Photos

Pictures by InPhocus Photography, Bryan, Texas

Two Months?

Really? My baby girl is two months old already? I just can't believe it. Time is flying by. It seems like she grows and changes overnight. We went to the dr. today for her well-baby check-up and shots. She weighs 10 lbs., 15 oz., is 23 3/4 inches and her head circumference is 39.6. She is getting so big! She reaches out to grab your shirt or touch your face. She has really starting cooing in the last few days and smiling a lot more. She loves to "dance" to music and wave her arms around. She is a GREAT sleeper! She doesn't feel so good today, since we had shots this morning, but she didn't scream very long at all. I thought it would be much worse, especially since I had to wake her up to go to the dr.

I'm not doing a good job posting updates on this blog. This is our busiest time of year. Every year we get super-busy in August and it really doesn't let up until after Christmas. These past 2 weeks have been Chad's busiest time at work. Everyone moves out, they have to clean and paint apartments, then everyone moves back in all in the same 2 week span. Plus, they had to let someone go, so Chad gained more responsibility right at the busiest time. However, this does mean he got a promotion! He is now the Maintenance Director over about 6 properties in this area. We are VERY proud of him! Anyway, Uncle Shane came in from Austin last week to help me with Aubrey since Chad really was only home to sleep last week. I find it difficult to take care of Aubrey and 2 dogs and still get things done (like Work!). Also, I had a meeting on Thursday night and needed a sitter since Chad was working (very) late. Shane did a great job taking care of her and even had to change a poopie diaper. I'll never hear the end of it!

I did get Aubrey's one month pictures back and they are wonderful! I'll post them above this post.

It just seems like time is flying by and before I know it, it's been nearly a month and I haven't posted an update on here. School is starting here already and that means that you can hardly get around town. It also means it's FOOTBALL season! Yay! My favorite time of year. Aubrey already has A & M t-shirts and a Texas Longhorn outfit. I'm sure my mom will have a Hog outfit for her soon. I don't know where the summer went, but I am sure excited for Fall!

--Amy

The First 6 Weeks . . .

6 Weeks already!

Well, time is just flying by and I am barely keeping up! I've been working from home since Aubrey was born and there is just not enough time to get everything done. Therefore, my blogging and fun projects get put to the side. I wish I had more time! I have a To Do list that keeps growing by the day.

Anyway, she is doing well. We went to the dr. yesterday because she's been fussier than usual and is spitting/throwing up a lot more. Dr. says she has reflux and gave us some Zantac. I hope it helps because I was up at 2 am on Monday night. Just so happened, I had a meeting at 8:30 am on Tuesday at the office that I HAD to attend. And, there was a tropical storm headed for us! Luckily, it wasn't nearly as powerful as they once thought and we ended up just getting some MUCH needed rain out of it. We finally got a good nap in about 4 pm. She is feeling much better and slept pretty normally last night.

I'm still waiting (and not patiently anymore) for the photographer to post our pictures on his website. I haven't taken a lot of pictures or bothered posting any because I was waiting for those. He says they'll be ready at the end of the week. But, I'm posting some that I've taken over the last few weeks anyway.

She is growing! She weighs 9 lbs, 14 oz. And she loves to eat! She stays awake more and more each day. She is very good (most of the time) about holding her head up. She loves to look around any time we take her places. In fact, we took her to Shane's Arena football game a couple of weeks ago. These games are really loud and, more so than NFL games, they play loud music and it's a very hyped-up atmosphere. Chad was nervous that it would be so loud and she'd cry the whole time. Boy, was he wrong! She LOVED it! She was looking around the whole time with her eyes wide open. We would "dance" to the music and she would just be so excited. She had a blast! And she got to meet Uncle Shane!

Chad is learning to change diapers and help with her more. He was apprehensive at first, but he's doing better now. He kept her on Saturday night while I went out with my friend Tayler. It was some much needed time with adults who were not family. I felt much more relaxed when I got home. I should clarify. . . Chad didn't keep her by himself. He cheated and took her to Lance & Crystal's to play Madden. Lance and Crystal love her and that way Crystal would care for her. But I'm not complaining. So long as I got out of the house!

I'm posting pictures in a separate post. Things are good here, just really hot! We are anxiously awaiting football season! My favorite time of year!

--Amy

Aubrey is One Month old!

I cannot believe that Aubrey is one month old today (well, yesterday since it's after midnight when I finally get this done)! It seems like we just brought her home from the hospital. She is
growing so much!

She's eating 6 oz. and a tsp. of rice cereal every 5-6 hours. She usually sleeps most of the time in between feedings, but she does stay awake for an hour or two. She loves to look at everything around her, no matter where she is. She loves to sit in her swing and listen to the music and watch the birds go around above her (she has the nature swing from Fisher Price). She loves to look at me with her beautiful big blue eyes while I'm feeding her. And she's recently started to grab and hold on to my shirt or hair while she's going to sleep. I'm still trying to get her used to sleeping in her own bed, but she usually sleeps in bed next to me or on my chest (her preferred spot). I secretly enjoy that, but it doesn't make for very restful nights! She smiles a little and is starting to make cute little faces by moving her mouth around while she's awake. We just love to watch her! She is starting to enjoy her baths more, although she doesn't like being naked afterwards. Chad is starting to take a more active role with her. He hasn't changed diapers, but he will feed her sometimes. He'll hold her, but gets frustrated if he can't get her to stop crying. I'm trying to get him to understand the more time he spends with her, the better it will be. She just has to get used to him too. He's so busy with work right now that he doesn't get much time at home with her. It will slow down soon and they'll really have time to bond. He does his best to love on her when he's home and I can tell he loves her more and more each day.

We went to take some family pictures and her one month pictures yesterday. I'm really excited to see how they turn out. She slept almost the whole time, but I think we did get a few with her gorgeous eyes open. I'll post them when I get them. It's amazing to see how big she has gotten in just a month.

I'm enjoying this time with her, but I'm so anxious to see how she grows and develops in the coming months!

--Amy

Update and Dr. visit

It's been busy around here and I don't get to the computer near as often as I'd like to. Aubrey is growing and growing! She stays awake a little more each day and she's wanting to eat more. I've started giving her a little cereal with her bottle at night and it helps. She's been sleeping about 6-8 hours a night.

Her 2-week check-up was last week. She weighed 8 lbs., 10 oz and measured 21 inches. The dr. said she is doing great and progressing just right for her age. My check-up was this week and he says my stitches are healing well. Also, my bloodpressure is back to normal (which is amazing considering I'm trying to work from home too!). So, we shouldn't have to go for any visits for about a month, which will be nice!

We've had family in every weekend since she was born, so this will be our first weekend alone. We are looking forward to getting in a good routine and doing "normal" stuff. We decided to postpone our Arkansas visit until September because Chad is so busy at work right now. I don't think he could get away for 4 or 5 days and I really want him to be able to enjoy his time off.

I hope everyone is doing well!

--Amy