Outside

Audrey has discovered the joys of going outside. We have a glass door to a deck right off the kitchen and today I looked over and she was kissing the door.

New due

Hair can be tricky at any age, but at 13 months...

Audrey has long hair on top and short/no hair elsewhere. So in order to keep the long hair out of her eyes while it is growing, I have been using a hair clip to the side. This worked well, until Audrey figured out that they were always there. Now she pulls them out (even when it hurts and makes herself cry) and tries to put them back in (after a taste or two).

So I tried the "ouchless" pony-tail holders, pig-tail style on top of her head. Unfortunately, her hair is not thick enough to fill out two pig-tails. Finally the solution is, one Pebbles-style pony-tail right on top.

Call for pictures

Hey friends and family,

I know most of you who read this are far away and don't get to see little Audrey very often, so I have a favor to ask of you.

I have a little book with pictures of people who love Audrey. Lately, it has been her favorite book. She loves to look through the pictures of people and point to them. The only problem is, I don't have very many pictures. So if you have any pictures of yourselves that you would be willing to share, please send them to me.

My hope is that by seeing everyone's pictures, Audrey will be able to warm up to people she doesn't get to see very often much more quickly (and remember people longer).

Any picture will work. Please keep in mind, Audrey will enjoy seeing pictures of the people who love her as much as you enjoy seeing pictures of her.

Thanks in Advance.

Daddy's Girl

Today at dinner time...

Ryan: while speaking to Audrey, "Where's Daddy?"

Audrey: looks directly at Ryan, points to him and says, "Daddy"

We both responded by clapping and being very enthusiastic. When Ryan tried to teach her "Mommy" by pointing at me, etc., Audrey clapped enthusiastically for him. It was as if she was saying, "very good Daddy, you know who Mommy is."

Snaggle tooth

Audrey's front bottom two teeth are old news. And several times I thought she was just about to get the top teeth, but they haven't popped out yet. That was until the garbage can helped her out - about two weeks ago...

Audrey was trying to push the kitchen garbage can again and tripped a little. She banged her mouth on the edge but didn't fall, so I thought she was okay, until we saw blood. She cut her upper gums on her left side. It all healed nicely within a few days, except for a little white spot of a tooth that was exposed on that side. Now that little white spot is really on its way down, while on the other side, the tooth is still hiding safely below the surface.

Somehow, Audrey manages to still look amazingly beautiful even with a snaggle tooth.

Pool time

While we were in Utah, Audrey had her first pool experience. She liked it - except for the water over her head part.

Now that we are home, I set up the little blow-up pool on our back deck and jimmy rigged the hose up to the second floor to fill it up with water. Audrey was thrilled. I made her wear little non-slip booties on her feet to prevent both slipping and splinters, but she didn't mind at all. As long as she could haul the water out of the pool and onto the deck for redistribution, she was a happy camper.

Bud's Wedding

Audrey's Aunt Bud just got married and this was the dress Bud picked out for Audrey and Tori. It was almost as if Audrey knew she looked fancy. She kept showing off for everyone. If no one was around to show off for, she walked around until she found someone.

In this picture she is on her way out of the reception in search of new people to make friends with.

Packing Fun

Audrey is always trying to help. Here she is sitting inside my suitcase and pulling out all of the stuff I put into it. She was quite pleased to discover just how much fun suitcases can be.

Fancy Shoes

In order to get ready for Aunt Bud's wedding, Audrey had to practice wearing shoes. Here she is seen examining them very closely.

table talk

It seems like everyday stuff to me, but today Grandpa (my dad) asked what Audrey likes to eat and I realized that this everyday stuff, may still be of interest to the rest of you.

Audrey's favorite foods so far are - bananas, apples, corn, yogurt, chicken, and whatever I am eating.

Recently, Audrey has really taken to scrambled eggs. She even says eggs - which actually sounds more like a slow "x" - but she is close.

She now likes to feed herself and almost won't let me spoon feed her anymore. With eggs, that isn't too much of a problem, but yogurt, applesauce and babyfoods are scary. I have visions of food flying every time I reluctantly hand over the spoon. Thankfully she really is aiming for her mouth, so the food hasn't flown too far yet....

Her Aunt William came up with a game where she basically chanted "A" or "O" depending on the finger food and then put it in Audrey's mouth. Well, the game is a huge hit and Audrey now chants the "A" and "uh" (her version of "O") at each meal.

Basically there isn't anything that Audrey won't eat. She will make a this-is-awful-face while eating her food if she doesn't like it, but when that bite is over, she will still open her mouth for another.