Twenty Weeks!

Oh Our Little Audrey,

Where has the time gone? I remember when I was 20 weeks pregnant with you. We hadn't even found out that you were a little girl yet. Can you believe that was 40 weeks ago? I remember thinking I only had 20 more weeks until I got to hold you in my arms. 

I truly cannot believe I have now held you in my arms for 20 weeks. 

We have been so busy raising you that blogging seems to come last in line. I truly wish this was something I was better at keeping up to date. I say I will make an effort and then I get side tracked by you and I forget. 

These last 6 weeks have been so wonderful.

Let's start with your first Christmas! You didn't receive many gifts due to not needing that much because Mommy buys you everything under the sun! You went to Grammy Gerri's & Grandpa Frank's house for Christmas Eve. You were in great spirits all night long. Auntie YaYa & Uncle D were there as well.  We even took you to look at Christmas lights. I think this will be something you'll appreciate in years to come. 

Christmas morning was wonderful with you. It had been one entire year that we had found out we were going to have you. You will always be my favorite Christmas present of all time. You gave me a very nice Pandora charm to add to my bracelet along with a beautiful letter. Thank you for such a sweet and kind gift. 

Here is a photo of you sitting on Santa's lap. You did great until the very end when you realized you weren't sitting on Mommy's lap anymore. 

On New Years Eve we went to your boyfriend Carter's house. We had a grand old time and even had a sleep over. Yes we allowed you to sleep at a boys house when you were just a baby! This will be the last time we allow this so please don't even think about asking.

Here are some fun facts about you:

*You now have 4 teeth on the bottom only. (2 arrived at 11 weeks and another 2 arrived at 16 weeks)

*You love your Taggy blanket very much! 

* You have rolled over a few times from tummy to back, but this is on your terms only. Daddy still hasn't seen you do this. 

*You weighed 15 lbs. 8 oz. and 26 inches long at 17 weeks old.

*You LOVE food! You're first taste of solid food was oatmeal cereal and Daddy has been having fun making you homeade meals. You've been eating sweet potatoes, prunes and plums. Tomorrow you'll be trying avocados.

*You started sucking both thumbs and still try to stick your entire hand in your mouth.

*Your friend Betty bought you a great teether which you get very frustrated at. Sometimes Mommy & Daddy have to take it away from you because you won't stop screaming at it!

We took 3 month pictures of you and for Christmas. Here are a few that we just love!

Audrey Marie you are truly one of the happiest babies I have ever been around. You constantly smile and demand the attention of everyone you meet. You bring such joy to this family and when times are tough you make them easy. 

We love you so much!!!

Love,

Mommy & Daddy

A Giggle...

Our Little Audrey,

You are now 14 weeks old. Mommy took you to the doctor last week and you weighed 14 pounds 10 ounces. You are almost 24 inches long. In 14 weeks you have almost doubled your weight and you've grown 4 inches. It truly is amazing how quickly you have grown.

Speaking of growing you now have 2 teeth! Yes teeth! They are so little but oh so sharp. You sometimes bite Mommy and when she says NO you smile. It's so hard to be upset about biting when you have no idea that it hurts Mommy and then you look adorable after you do it. We know that this will eventually change once more teeth arrive. But for now we'll take the 2!

You have a new toy that you have a love/hate relationship with. You love to hold onto it and play with it. However when you go to try and bite it you struggle to actually get it into your mouth so you start yelling at it. You've even thrown it a few times. At 3 months old you now know what frustration is. We aren't sure if this is a good thing but for now we'll let you continue to work hard and figure out your new toy. Here's an adorable picture Daddy took of you.

Our favorite thing that you've learned to do is giggle. Mommy and Daddy have never heard such an amazing noise in their entire life. We both were home when you laughed for your first time. Daddy was so happy he started to cry. Mommy just couldn't believe you were laughing.

We cannot wait for you to learn more things. However we would love for you to slow down just a little!

Love,

Mommy & Daddy

2 Months Too Fast

Our Dearest Audrey Marie,

Once again it has been far too long since we've written to you. We are so busy raising you that we just haven't had a lot of spare time. In fact, as we write this you are laying on your boppy on the couch next to us. We aren't sure how long this will last.

You have grown so much in the last 2 months; kicking and moving your arms as if you were doing the back stroke all the time. You love sucking on your hands as if they were a pacifier. Sometimes you even suck on both hands. You are also making “coo” and “ahh” noises all the time which means you may talk as much as your Mommy when you get older.

You love going to meet your new friends and Mommy's friends for lunch, walks and even shopping. Some of your friends are Emery, Carter, Julep and Betty. They are all so adorable and we all can't wait for you kids to grow up together. Baby Lang will be here in December and she'll be another addition to the Kid Clan! 

Grandma Chris came to visit you. She loved every minute with you and she even let Mommy and Daddy go out one day. She was very sad to go home to Washington but we promised her you'll be there soon for your very first vacation. 

Mommy went back to skating 2 weeks ago, when she goes to skating you go to Grandma & Grandpa Weber's house. You are very well behaved until about 5:30 and then you have your BIG meltdown. Note: Grandma Gerri laughs when you cry because she thinks your cry is so funny. Daddy picks you up and takes you home. Sometimes you behave for him and sometimes you don't. But when Mommy comes home you behave because you get to eat!

You've been making this sad face lately when certain people sing to you. Mommy & Grandma mostly but you have made the sad face for Daddy also. Here is a video of what we are talking about. Mommy & Grandma did this to you for about 30 minutes because we thought it was so funny. Sorry about that, we hope it won't have a major effect on you as an adult.

You're gaining weight and getting so much bigger each day! At 5 weeks you weighed 11 pounds 1 once. Which is 3 pounds bigger than when you were born. Monday, November 3rd we headed to your 2 month checkup. You weighed 12 pounds 12 ounces and were 22.75 inches.  We truly are so proud of you for being such an amazing eater and gaining so much weight. You also needed to get your 2 month shots. This made all three of us very sad and we cried very hard! 

Another big milestone for you is you've found your hands! You love sucking on them. Sometimes you put both in your mouth. It's pretty silly. You also love to smile at Mommy and Daddy. Nothing is better than a gummy grin! You love to make cooing noises and try to talk everyday. Soon you'll be saying Dada & Mama in no time!

For Halloween you were a Baby Zebra.The cutest little zebra we have ever seen!

Daddy went to New Orleans for Kevin's 40th Birthday. You are too little for New Orleans so you and Mommy stayed home. We had a girls weekend with Emery and Meaghan. It was such a great time. The two of you will be amazing friends! 

So many other things have happened over the past 10 weeks. We promise to update you more often. It's just hard sometimes because you are always growing and always changing.

We love you more and more each day. 

Love you,

Mommy & Daddy

Happy Birthday Audrey Marie!

Our Little Audrey,

Happy Birthday! September 1st, 2014.

Sorry it has taken Mommy and Daddy 13 days to write to you. Lately we've been busy taking care of you, which we absolutely LOVE to do!

Here's a little recap of when you arrived: 

Thursday August 28th, 2014 came and went. After spicy foods, long walks and even jumping jacks, you were not coming out. Mommy had to sit back and just relax (which was very hard to do since she wanted to meet you so badly).

Friday night, Mommy and Daddy went to their favorite pizza place in Minnesota: Pizzeria Lola. Mommy had a spicy pie for dinner thinking that would do the trick but still, you didn't want to come out!  

Saturday morning Mommy wanted to go to the St. Paul Farmers Market so we started our morning with that. Afterwards we hit up the grocery store and did our shopping for the week. This tired Mommy out so when she got home she decided to lay down. 

And that's when it all started...

You wanted out! Mommy's contractions started and increased to 4 minutes apart 1 minute in length for about 3 hours. To her it was GO TIME so we packed up the car and headed to the hospital. Mommy got all hooked up to the monitors and suddenly everything slowed down. You weren't quite sure about entering the world quite yet! So Mommy and Daddy were sent home for a long night.

Sunday morning Mommy was having very strong contractions-stronger than the day before. These lasted all day long but stayed about 6-8 minutes apart. A few times she pleaded for Daddy to bring her to the hospital but he stood strong and wouldn't let her go until she was really ready. She was not going to be sent home today! At 5:45 pm her water broke! She was so excited about this because now the nurses couldn't send her home. In the car they both went (a little faster than Mommy would have preferred with just a couple red lights run). When they got to the hospital Mommy even commented to the nurses that we she wasn't going home without her Daughter!

Hours and hours went by. Midnight had come and gone. 

Daddy was amazing through all of this. He rubbed Mommy's feet, back and head. He calmed her when she was in pain. He was by far the best support system she has ever had in her life. Mommy could not have gotten through this without him.  

It was now 6am and Mommy's nurse Jodi said she was ready to have you. 

Emotions were running high. We have never been so excited to meet someone in our entire lives. We were about to become a family of three and couldn't have been more thrilled to have you join our lives.

It was now Labor Day & Labor Time!

Monday September 1st. At 7:35 am Mommy started to push and at 8:35 am you finally made your entrance into the world.

Perfect! Beautiful! Stunning!

You weighed 8 pounds 1 ounce, 20 inches long. You had beautiful dark brown hair. Your eye color was dark grey. Your skin tone was a beautiful reddish/olive color and you didn't have a cone head at all. You honestly were perfect. 

You spent time laying on Mommy & Daddy's chests, getting to bond with them more and more. You even nursed within 10 minutes of being born. Something you're amazing at!

By Tuesday at 1pm you were home. 

Amazing how two happy adults can leave home and come home two days later as a family of three. 

We are so happy you are a part of this family. Our hearts are overwhelmed with love for you and one another. 

It's very suiting that we found out we were having you on Christmas Day and you arrived on Labor Day. 

We love you so much and we cannot wait to see what this new journey brings us.

Welcome to the family Audrey Marie!

Love,
Mommy & Daddy

Day 279...

My Little Audrey,

As I sit at the kitchen table eating breakfast with the warm sun beating down, watching the hummingbirds fly by, I realize there is silence in our home. A silence that in time will be broken with cries, laughter and little words.

I am having a hard time lately. All I want to do is meet you, hold you in my arms, kiss your forehead good night and feed you. To soothe your cries and read you hundreds of books. You truly are running out of room inside of me and I feel you would be much more comfortable in my and Daddy's arms. 

This time with you in my belly has been the most amazing time. You and I have done so much together already and it's only just begun. More adventures are in the coming days, months and years of your life. 

You were truly an amazing little daughter to carry. I only got sick one time, I gained the correct amount of weight, my feet didn't get huge and I didn't retain much water. The only issue I am having at 279 days is my right hand seems to be going numb. The doctors said this is normal because you are laying on some nerve on my left side. You see little girl you love the left side of me. It's your favorite place to be. Sometimes you wedge your entire body on the left side and then panic because you get stuck. I just roll over and try to help you move your little bum back to the middle. 

Your Grandma Gerri thinks that you'll show up on your due date August 28th, 2014. She believes this because your Great Grandma Audrey was always on time. If you don't show up tomorrow it's ok. You'll learn to be on time as you grow older. 

You see Miss Audrey Marie you are named after two very important women.  

Your Great Grandma Audrey was the matriarch of her family. She had 5 wonderful children and raised them to be wonderful adults. You will see this as you grow up in this family. We all love and care for everyone. We treat all as equal and do our best in each community that we live in. She was a wonderful wife to Great Grandpa Bernie, loved him and cared for him. She was an amazing Grandma to all of us Grandchildren. She taught us to play games and sing songs. We all loved our days with Grandma & Grandpa they made each one of us seem so special to them and we always felt their love.

Your Great Great Grandma Marie was born in Austria and came to the U.S. on a ship with her parents, eventually settling down in the small town of South St. Paul. That's right, you live in South St. Paul. She raised 4 beautiful children in this town. All graduated from South St. Paul High School. Your Great Great Grandma was an amazing baker. She made the best streusal and donuts. She was 96 years old when she passed away. One of her best qualities that I can remember as a little girl was how sweet and kind she was. 

As each hummingbird flies to the window to feed I see a piece of Great Great Grandma Marie and Great Grandma Audrey. For these little birds remind me of each of them. So peaceful and calm. Able to fly in each direction so quickly bringing a smile to many faces. You will soon love the hummingbirds in our yard.

I do realize Audrey that I need to calm down, relax and take these last days of silence with just that. Silence. I know you'll be coming soon.

I love you so much! 

Thank you for being the most wonderful Daughter.

Love,

Mommy

Week 38....

Our Little Audrey,

This may have been the longest week of pregnancy that your Mommy has experienced. The days are slowly passing and we still have 2 more days until 39 weeks. As a figure skater and dancer her feet have never hurt so bad and she's been having stronger contractions for a week now so hopefully you'll be making your big appearance soon!

She just can't wait to have you in her arms rather than carrying you around in her belly. You are starting to get heavy and are still kicking her on that lower left side. She's pretty sure it's a knee or an elbow and you're little butt is up next to her belly button.

She wouldn't change anything about this pregnancy no matter how long it has been. It's an honor to be your Mother; to have cared for you over these last 38 weeks and knowing that soon you'll be here in our arms. You have been very good to your Mommy throughout this pregnancy. She only got sick once, was able to travel, teach skating and come out of this pregnancy with no stretch marks. She thanks you!

On Saturday your Daddy had the boys over for a Fantasy Football Draft Party. You'll learn lots about this when you're a little older. He was a little concerned that you'd arrive on this day so he had a firm talk to you about waiting to arrive so that he could enjoy this day with his friends. He was only kidding, as he wouldn't care when you arrived no matter the day or time.

You might even help him make important decisions with his team. Mommy was shocked to hear that he re-drafted Arian Foster after trading him last season due to him being an older, oft injured running back. Clearly your Mommy wasn't around to help him make this decision. He did however draft Colin Kaepernik. You will have a difficult decision to make when you're older as you'll be a Vikings fan like Mommy or a Niners fan like Daddy, or maybe a fan of a totally different team like...the...ugh...Packers :(. Daddy said if you're a Vikings fan you'll learn what true heartbreak is at a very young age. Mommy somewhat agrees with him.

Monday, Mommy and Daddy celebrated their 2nd Anniversary together. We did a mini celebration on Sunday and then dinner on Monday. On Sunday, Daddy took Mommy to the Basilica in Minneapolis. This is where he proposed to her. It was a very sweet of him to bring "us" back to where it all began. Your Daddy is an amazing man and we are both very lucky to have him in our lives. Don't ever settle for anyone that doesn't treat you like your Daddy.

Mommy had a pretty cool gift made for Daddy for our anniversary. Here's a pic of it.

As each day passes and we get closer to 40 weeks we cannot wait to meet you. If this is our last blog before you arrive, know that it was been a blast writing to you these last 39 weeks and that we'll continue doing so as you grow.

We love you so much!!!

Mommy & Daddy

Soon to be the End of an AMAZING ride!

Hello our adorable Little Audrey,

Mommy is now almost 37 weeks along. Mommy is getting bigger and bigger. Last week you "dropped". Don't worry this just means Mommy can breath and eat again. You are now just sitting lower in her belly. You are still kicking and pushing more than ever. Still on that lower left side which seems to be your favorite spot.

Daddy is doing great! He's been busy working a lot lately but wishes he could be home with Mommy for these last few weeks. When he is home he works on your room. He's gotten all the pieces together and we now just need to bring your clothes into the room. Which you have a ton of! More than Mommy and Daddy combined. 

Over the last couple of weeks things have been pretty low key. Mommy has decided to stop skating on the ice. Not because she didn't feel safe but because it's the right thing to do. She made it to 35 weeks which is pretty amazing, and you still love going to the rink each day. Even if it's to stand next to the boards. Last Tuesday was Mommies last day of watching the Karl girls. This was very difficult for Mommy as for the past year she has grown very close to them. She plans on staying close with them though so that you will have great role models growing up. 

Daddy and Mommy went to a soccer game last Tuesday with TJ, Sandy and Stefan. It was at TCF Bank. That's where the Gopher Football team plays. It was lots and lots of fun. Especially listening to Daddy yell and scream for Olympiacos. 

Sunday was Grandma and Grandpa's 35th Wedding Anniversary. We celebrated with them, Auntie Sara and Uncle Darin at The Smack Shack. We had such a wonderful lunch laughing, talking and enjoying each others company.  Mommy ate not one, but TWO lobster rolls. You clearly were very hungry that morning. We all had a "neat" time. Ask Grandpa about that one. 

Monday we went to Foster the People. You are quite the concert goer little girl. It was very loud and Mommy thought it might hurt your ears. So she moved to the back. But you loved it! You were kicking and pushing the entire time. We clearly have a dancer! Or a ROCKSTAR!

You also attended your first National Night Out. The neighbors are thrilled to meet you once you make your grand appearance. 

The weeks are counting down and days are flying by. We know you'll be with us very soon.

We love you so much and can't wait until you're in our arms. 

Love,

Mommy & Daddy