Audrey-isms

Audrey….

• went through a very short very adorable peekaboo phase (as seen in a video we posted on Facebook recently)

  

  playing peekaboo with mommy through the window

• is very good at pointing.  She has been nicknamed 'the pointer' (among other things) by Grandpa Hanaike

• seems to be an early talker!  I'm so excited about this because it' one of the few things she is advanced in.  She can clearly say and understand what she's saying with these words- baby, daddy, dog, more, Jesus, nana (banana), ball, cheese, shoe, fish.  She understands plenty more than she can say and I love seeing how smart she is.

• is also suddenly very good at climbing- especially slides and strollers.  Oftentimes she wants to get out of the stroller just to turn around and climb in and out of it herself several times.  She is fearless.  Always sticking her leg over the side of the slide like she's going to walk right off of it into the air.  

• is constantly perfecting her dance moves

• has begun a temper fit phase.  She throws herself on the floor when she is upset and cries and cries.  Beyond this, I am not prepared to comment…we're still figuring out the discipline thing!

• signs the words outside and milk.  She's starting to do more but it kind of depends on how much of teaching mood I'm in during the day.

• enjoys putting things in things and taking them out.  She gets very proud of herself each and every time.

• has a ghetto streak

• is starting to be a picky eater

• loves blueberries and other fruits, pasta, goldfish, sweets.  For dinner she almost always prefers Italian food.

• still enjoys books, but mostly wants to look at them herself now, or 'read' them to us

audrey and her little partner in crime, miss tenley

• loves elmo and ernie and celebrity sesame street songs, particularly Usher's ABC's and many others.

• still loves Frozen (ahem LOVES Frozen), but has branched out to Tangled and Beauty and the Beast

• loves to play with balls and other toys

she got in the toy bin with the toys...

• recognizes pictures of things and people.  If I say we're going to see Mariah, she immediately looks over at the fridge where Mariah and Ross's wedding announcement is

• claps after every song, no matter where we are or whats going on.  In the car, at a restaurant, in sacrament meeting, even just when I'm singing to her during the day.  The other night Andrew was singing to her as he rocked her for bedtime and she was snuggled into him completely still.  He assumed she was asleep so he made his way to put her in the crib.  As soon as he finished the song, she suddenly leaned back, looked at him, and gave him a round of applause! 

• plays with pots and pans

• enjoys opening and closing doors

• occasionally feels a great need to play by herself- sometimes if we're in a group of kids she will drag a toy away from everybody to play by herself.  She also loves to play in carseats, strollers and baby swings…activities that don't require a playmate.

• likes to watch other kids though, and sometimes will try and join a group game…such as knocking down a block tower an older kid has been painstakingly building.

• enjoys being goofy with mommy

i had a little too much fun with hair bows one day…the funny thing is that she thought it was really fun too!  she kept looking in the mirror and smiling

• is usually very good at bedtime.  Reading stories and singing songs to her is a very cozy part of the day.

• loves and adores her pacifiers.  

• hugs and kisses her dolls and stuffed animals.  She is so loving and sweet to them, particularly with this dog stuffed animal we have that is about as big as her.  She has also started to 'rock' baby dolls in her arms while saying "baby, baaaby, baaaaaaby."

after our little ' ALS stuffed animal challenge' she just stood there hugging a teddy bear

• has been sleeping really well, up until the appearance of her first tooth.  Now it's anyone's guess how each night is going to go.

• is ansty and active- doesn't want to be in someones arms for too long

we went out to look at the rain and she immediately pried herself out of our arms to sit on the step by herself to look at it

• is still easily scared, although she doesn't freak out screaming and crying like she used to.  Her latest tendency when a big scary sound happens (like the garbage truck coming by, for example) is to drop whatever she's doing and frantically crawl to me lightening fast, clammer into my arms, wrap every limb around me like a starfish and hold on for dear life.  The other day she was playing with a toy on my lap when she unexpectedly let out a very big deep man-burp that startled her so much she dropped the toy and suctioned herself to me looking around for the sound!  As I type this I can't stop laughing at the memory of it.  It will definitely be a story for future boyfriends.  (Okay maybe not boyfriend, but at least her husband….and children.)  

this is my favorite face she makes

• tries SO hard to put shoes on her feet.  Doesn't matter what shoes.  Most of the time their daddy's shoes because they're bigger and easier I guess.  She concentrates SO hard and is so silent as she does it.  She doesn't get frustrated with it, just stays determined.  She very rarely gets them all the way on…she's tried putting both feet into daddy's.  Sometimes with flip flops she will give up and instead wear it as a bracelet.
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• is a little bit of a troublemaker.

• thrives on praise- I guess this is is normal for any kid, but I LOVE seeing her light up when we praise her.  She knows the phrases 'good job' and 'yay' and she claps for herself whenever we say them, cause she knows what clapping means too.  The proud little look on her face when I freak out about her standing on her own or walking is just priceless and indescribable!  It makes her do it over and over again, every time looking at me expectantly and excitedly.

• is working hard on walking!  Everyday she gets a little braver about it.  

And that's a little bit about our Audrey.

I think back to those days of midnight feedings, swaddling her, putting on a show so I wouldn't be trying to hurry her through a feeding.  I'd have Gilmore Girls on and a big bowl of muddy buddies by my side on our ugly pink couch.  Our apartment was still a little makeshift.  Now we feel really settled here with all of our things set up nicely and each room looking like the room it's supposed to be- living room, bedroom, and baby room.  So much has changed in a year…Audrey has grown into an almost toddler, we've grown into our role as parents, and we have grown as a family.

Throughout this year when she's been in a particularly happy mood, when she looks like she's just loving life, I've heard myself saying, "Are you just so happy to be Audrey?  Are you happy to be you?"  I hope she always will be happy to be Audrey, because I am so happy she is Audrey and I'm so happy she is ours.