Audrey's new stats

Audrey had her 18-month check up at the doctor today...
Height: 31 1/2 " 50th percentile
Weight: 25 lbs, 4 oz 50th percentile (both up from 25th percentile at 15 months)
Head Circumference: 95th percentile (surprise, surprise!)

The doctor said she looked great - totally healthy. We talked about her "words"; she said if I was concerned in the next few months that Audrey wasn't progressing and saying new ones to give them a call and they could refer us for a speech evaluation.

From what I can understand, Audrey can/will say:
Mama
Dad
ball
banana (her version of it, which is more like nana)
tree ("ree") sometimes
she seemed to pick up "Weyla" and tried a couple of pleases this weekend ("lees")

The Cottage

We (the kids and I, plus Mom and Dad) just got back from a weekend at the family cottage in Cochranton, Pennsylvania. We had a good time - nothing exciting, just hanging out and lots of fishing for the little boy (he didn't catch anything, though).







We went to the Columbus Zoo on Thursday and met up with Aunt Erica and Levi.
Conner enjoyed fishing and riding in the boat with Papa.

Audrey had fun in a mud puddle that she found while we were on a walk! The funny thing is that Conner hated to be dirty when he was her age... and still can't stand it!

Eric stayed home and worked on the stonework on the front of the new fireplace that was installed on Thursday.

Old:

New (still being worked on!):

My big girl. . . and the new toy!

My baby is 18 months old today! Where has the time gone? She's a sweetheart, but I think Aud's going to be a pistol - she's got quite a temper!

We got a new "toy" the other day - a 12' trampoline in the back yard. Eric's brother, Greg, is moving and couldn't take it with him. Conner was very excited about it, but has promised not to jump without an adult out there with him. (It will definitely help that he can't climb up by himself!) We didn't make it out there today because we spent qute a while at Coney Island, but it definitely got some use yesterday! Now we're looking for a net enclosure to put around it (so he doesn't fall off) and it also needs new padding around the edge. The trampoline is actually fun to jump on, and quite a workout! I was feeling it after just a little bit.

I have no idea what she's talking about. . .

This is from an e-mail my mother sent me today. . .

Once upon a time there was an adorable, usually happy, little four year old girl. She was the delight of her parents, except at bed time! Even without an afternoon nap, she was never ready to go to bed! She would sneak out of her room and sit at the top of the steps while her parents were downstairs, watching TV in the family room. (Sometimes, the mother would lay down with her little daughter, trying to help her fall asleep, but she knew this couldn't happen every night.) When they discovered that she was leaving her room, their only option was to lock this cute little girl in, something her pediatrician had suggested. She hated that and would lay on the floor screaming and violently kicking her bedroom door, thinking they would somehow give in. The parents were amazed that the door was never damaged, and they were so frustrated that bedtime had become such a battle. They wondered if there would ever come a time when the child would climb into her bed, and stay there, and fall asleep without a major scene. I'm not sure when the story "ended" but I guess that little girl reached a point where she enjoyed going to bed!!

What is it that they say about paybacks?

Sleeping? Who?

Conner's working on a 2-hour nap right now. . . though I've probably jinxed it now! We went to Coney again this morning and played with some friends, and he and Eric didn't get home until around 11:00 last night, so he was definitely tired!

This is Audrey around 10:00 last night. . . she woke up at 9:30. How's that look for mischievious?

A video taken yesterday afternoon with Aud's new word:

A Good Day

Seeing as my last "wordy" post was such a downer on the boy, I felt it necessary to post today! We had a good day today. Audrey had some issues last night while sleeping (and Eric said that he heard Conner, too, but I didn't), so she and I slept in until around 9. I don't think Conner was up much earlier than that, though! He was definitely worn out from spending the night and day with Papa Doug and Weyla Marge (who so graciously gave me a day off!). We didn't get home from softball until 9:00 or so (after suffering our second loss of the season - boo!).

It was supposed to be a nice day today (and it ended up beautiful!), so I decided yesterday to head down to Coney Island this morning. We got there around 10:30, found a good spot in the grass close to the pool, and headed for the water! It was chilly at first, but Conner and I got used to it pretty quickly - Audrey was a little more slow-going. We all ended up having a great time; we spent an hour or so in the pool (most in the shallow part, some in the deeper part where Conner can jump off the "island"), then got out for snacks, then back in for a little bit. At that point I told Conner he had a choice - either we stay in the pool for a little longer, or he could go ride 3 rides. He chose the rides (not a surprise!). He picked the planes, rockets, and turtles (all of which just go around in circles) after I nixed the roller coaster and the Flying Bobs (rides which he can't go on by himself, and I couldn't leave Aud by herself!). In the same area of the park are the trains and the Frog Hop, so I let him do those, too. Audrey rode the trains with him, and was so cute! She waved the whole time (to whoever would wave back to her) and had the biggest smile on her face when she saw me! Super cute.

Anyway, after the rides, we gathered our stuff and headed home. Aud was asleep pretty quickly; Conner was sruggling to keep his eyes open by the time we got home. At that point, he actually went up and took a nap! It was wonderful. Aside from having a nice quiet hour or so in the middle of the afternoon, Conner came down pleasant and rested and we had a nice rest of the day.

He and Eric went over to a friend's house tonight - Eric's helping with a basement refinishing and Conner's playing with his buddy, their 5-year old son. Audrey and I went for a short walk - it took a while, though, because she decided that she wanted to walk (even though I'd brought the umbrella stroller) and needed to stop every 5 steps or so to check out the new rocks on the ground. We were 15 - 20 feet from the end of our driveway when she took a spill and bumped her knees. . . then she just about crawled into the stroller by herself!

So Aud's asleep, Eric and Conner are gone, and the All-Star game is about to start. Things are pretty good!

We're going to head back to Coney tomorrow and meet some friends, then Conner and I are meeting some other friends for a trip to King's Island on Thursday. I told Eric I'd take them to Coney on Friday because his buddy Ed is coming over to help him do some work on the chimney. It's shaping up to be a busy week!

These aren't from today, but the 6th of July when we were playing outside with a mat I'd gotten last summer. It's made to be like a 4-square game, but we used it pretty much just like a sprinkler. Doesn't Aud look cute in her suit?

That's as close as she got.

Then she found a hat that Conner had brought outside... our own little Davy Crocket (or Davina Crockett?).

This is a mommy deer and her two babies that we've seen around the neighborhood lately. They were about half-way out to our mailbox.

Pictures from the Zoo

We took a trip late this afternoon to the Cincinnati Zoo (after Conner's nap!!!). It was fun; hot, but not very crowded!

Audrey and Daddy checking out the rhinoceros. She's in the pointing and grunting stage.

Where's your nose?

4 year old for sale - cheap!

It's been quite a night with the boy. He hasn't napped for several days now, and I know he's exhausted. He fell asleep in the car on the way home from Milford late this afternoon (5-ish), laid on the couch once we got here, ate 2 or so chicken fingers, fussed, and I sent him to bed at 6:45. Around 7:00 I took Audrey up to bed and laid down with Conner (because I knew there was no way he'd stay in bed on his own). Most of the times we do this, it takes 10 - 15 minutes for him to crash. Tonight, though, I was still up there an hour later. I finally told him that I wasn't going to spend my whole evening laying down with him, so I came downstairs. I said that if I heard him get out of bed, he was going to get a spanking.

I have no idea how many times I've gone upstairs to get him back in bed. It's now 9:15, and he's still awake, crying. Every time I hear that door open, I head upstairs.

Last night, our friends were over for our small group. Because he hadn't napped during the day, I told Conner that he was going to have to go to bed while his friends were here (normally he doesn't go to bed until around 10:00 on Thursday nights because everyone's over). Needless to say, he wasn't happy about this (but he made the decision). Around 8:30, I made him go upstairs... I don't think anyone had heard him cry like this! He didn't go to sleep, but was separated from his buddies and was very upset about it.

So it's been a fun Friday night. Eric's out golfing, and I'm getting my exercise going up and down the stairs (I made 4 trips while typing this entry!).

I've heard that it gets better at age 5. But that's still 7 months away! I'm not sure we'll make it.
"Terrible Twos" is a misnomer... it should be "Fearsome Fours".

Breakfast or lunch?

Audrey hasn't had a very happy couple of days lately. She had a temperature on Thursday (ranging from 100 - 102 degrees) that kept us home from the North American Christian Convention with Andy and Erica. Yesterday the fever was gone, but she was just cranky. She was whiny and cried and I think needed to sleep more during the day than she actually did. I'm hoping that it's just some more teeth coming in!

Regardless of her mood, we went to Milford yesterday to hang out with Andy, Erica, Levi, Papa, and Weyla. Levi's almost exactly 2 months older than Aud is, but she's actually taller! (Only by a teeny bit, but that counts!) Conner enjoyed playing with his cousin; he was disappointed that we didn't go Thursday night, because the kids were all going to play together while we were at the service.

Both Audrey and Conner fell asleep on the way home, so we made a side trip down to New Richmond and checked about the possibility of fireworks. After finding out that they were scheduled for 9:30 last night, we came home to relax for a couple of hours before heading back down to the river to watch.

Conner enjoyed the fireworks, but he probably was one of the very few that was down in New Richmond to watch them that felt that way. It was like this:

Boom.

Pause.

Pause.

Pause.

Pause.

Boom.

Repeat that for about 25 - 30 minutes, and you get the idea. Not good at all. Oh well! We had a good time just hanging out - got ice cream and cotton candy. The fireworks also started at least half an hour late, so it was past 10:30 by the time we got to the car and heading home. Probably not the best idea for a little girl who hadn't been feeling good all day!

Which leads us to the night. . . I woke up around 12:00 to both kids crying. I got Audrey out of her bed, then went to see what was up with Conner. He was lying on the floor underneath a pillow - I'm not sure how he ended up down there! I don't think he fell out because of his position, but I can't imagine him climbing out of bed to sleep on the floor. Regardless, I got him back in bed, then Audrey and I went into his room (Conner was sleeping in the guest room) and laid down in bed. We both slept restlessly until around 3:00, when she woke up crying... and wouldn't stop. I brought her downstairs to get her a drink (and a cracker, which she didn't want), then she passed out while we were lying on the couch. Around 4:00 I got her back in bed.
.

I'm not sure what time Conner got up this morning (I think it was pretty late) but I didn't get out of bed this morning until 10:45, and Audrey was still sleeping! She slept until 11:45. Crazy! So now it's 2:00, she's taking her first nap of the day, we had a little breakfast and no lunch, and the whole day is totally out of whack.

Drawings

Conner and I laid down on the floor this morning to draw pictures for Daddy. He's never drawn/colored anything besides big blobs, so I showed him how to draw a person. Here's what he came up with:

He also signed it with his name.