Chit-chat!

I thought it would be a good time for an update on the words Audrey is now able to say. Though they may not come out perfectly clear, below are the words/phrases she uses to communicate with us! It has been very fun lately watching her try to use more words! Looking forward to hearing her speech continue to develop!

Fun day at the mall

Audrey is almost 21 months old, and she says...

• Uh-oh (first word)
• Mama & Dada
• No (pronounced "mo!")
• Me ("meee!" especially when we show her a picture of herself)
• Maaax (my Grandpa's name, she says it, "Naaa!")
• Papa ("Baa-paaa")
• Help me ("ep me")
• Baby
• Bath
• Pee-pee
• Ball (she also says "Ball" for balloon)
• Juice ("juuu")
• Bye-bye ("Buuuuh-byeee")
• Jill ("Juull")
• Nice ("nii nii")
• Car
• Go
• Banana ("nana")
• Eat
• Look ("luuaaa")
• Church ("chuch")
• Walk ("wal")
• Tree
• Whoa!
• Shoes
• Up
• Down
• Night-night
• Peee---U! (When talking about a stinky smell!)
• Aiden ("Eee-Eee" - our sitter's little boy) 
• Yeah (2 syllables: "yea-yeah")
• Wiggles ("Lu lu")
• La (when she sings, she says "La!")
• Cookie

I am sure there more that I can't think of at the moment, so I'll add those later! She also has started singing ABCs ("A, B, A, B, A, B, B!" is usually how it starts), and she knows the tune very well! It's so cute!

Who needs toys when I have a box to play in?

She also is able to identify her nose, eyes, ears, hair, belly, hands, arms, feet, tongue, teeth, etc! She has some animal sounds down too! She can tell us the sounds of a dog, cow (which comes out more, "Mmmmm"), monkey, turkey (had to teach her at Thanksgiving!), and snake (sometimes duck and frog, too). She also knows that Santa says, "Ho, Ho, Ho!"

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

We went to the doctor again today for this cough, and they are beginning to seriously believe it is due to asthma. I had asthma as a child, so it wouldn't be surprising. The doctor gave us a new steroid for the nebulizer, and we're going to be seeing a pulmonary doctor soon as well. We certainly hope this can kick this awful cough once and for all, especially since we leave soon for the holidays. Other than that, we are just preparing for the upcoming holiday break and very anxious to have some time off to spend with family. Below are copies of proofs of the Christmas pictures we took. We are so happy for this joyous time of year!

Someone couldn't figure out why the cookies wouldn't come off the plate!

Family Photo

Oh so thankful!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope everyone has had a wonderful day giving thanks and being with those you love. The 3 of us have had a wonderful day just staying home! Last year was the first year we didn't go anywhere for Thanksgiving or spend it with anyone but "just us." This year, the "tradition" continued. We started cooking mid-morning, and boy oh boy; did we have a feast! As I said before, it was just the 3 of us, but we could have easily fed another family or 2! I was slightly nervous because last year, we just baked a turkey breast, but this year, we decided to go for it and cook the whole bird! It was a very good decision, because the turkey was amazing! It was so moist and flavorful! It also helped me to make some really good homemade gravy to go on our mashed potatoes and bacon dressing/stuffing (whatever you may call it!). Yep, I said bacon. Jerry got a recipe from someone for bacon stuffing, and he wanted to try it. It was pretty good! Besides the turkey, gravy, potatoes, and dressing, we also had broccoli, crock pot mac & cheese (mouthwateringly good!), and sweet potato casserole (which really could be called a dessert rather than a side with all those marshmallows and brown sugar!). We also made a loaf of "beer bread" that we had bought on a whim at Aldi of all places, and it was DELICIOUS! Our dessert of chocolate chocolate chip pound cake hasn't been touched yet today because we're still so full! We have leftovers that will last us DAYS upon days, and we know they'll still be just as delicious! It truly has been a day to give thanks!

Daddy busted out the guitar today, and Audrey loved "playing" along!

 So many people choose today to stop and recognize all they're thankful for, and we do the same. However, we also stay pretty thankful throughout the year. We constantly thank God for the blessings He has given us, including our home, church, jobs, and of course, our beautiful, healthy daughter. We are so thankful for each other and our marriage that has continued to grow, and we know we owe it all to our Father.

Who wouldn't be thankful for this beautiful girl?

The past month or so has been busy. We had to say goodbye to our neighbors and friends, but Audrey has done well with Mrs. Angela, the new sitter. So glad kids adjust so quickly! Audrey has also been fighting a cough/runny nose, so we've had to use the nebulizer again, but fortunately, she's a champ with it. We're hoping we've kicked it, but we're trying to stay on top of it at the same time. It is no fun to have a sick little girl, especially as the cold weather has been moving in!

From Halloween last month...She touched the pumpkin once or twice
then decided she didn't like the slimy feeling on her hands!

Our babysitter sent us this one day. Yep, she's a princess!

Nebulizer pro!

 As Thanksgiving ends and the Christmas season approaches, we are looking forward to more time off of work to travel and spend with family, seeing Audrey's eyes light up at the sight of Christmas lights and Santa Claus (She's already started saying, "Ho! Ho! Ho!"). Until next time, have a wonderful season!

Thanksgiving morning, watching the Macy's Day parade,
holding her baby, & eating a waffle!

Overdue updates

The past couple of months have actually been pretty eventful, so there's plenty to share (ya know, since we have so many avid readers of this thing!)

Audrey is now over 19 months old, and we just can't get over how BIG she is! Just the other day, Jerry said to her, "You are just not even the same child we brought home from the hospital!" and he's right! She's so big and grown and independent! Over the past couple of months, we have enjoyed visits from my parents and my grandparents, and she has really been able to remember them, which is sweet and special to them, since they live so far away. Last weekend, we even got to enjoy the fair with my parents. Audrey had a ball looking at all the colors, people, food, etc!

Our little cheerleader

YUM! The girl loves milkshakes!

As I wrote in our last post, we went to the doctor to see about Audrey's ears, and it was determined that tubes were necessary. On Oct. 8, she had her surgery to put them in. Jerry is taking her to her follow-up appointment this Wednesday, so we're hoping everything is going well with them. She did great for the procedure, and there were no problems. 

In her gown before her surgery

Over the past 2 months, we have also faced some trials and challenges. Last month, Jerry was in a fender bender (he was totally fine). The damage just outweighed the value of the car, so the insurance company declared it as a total loss. This left us to find a replacement in a pinch. With Jerry traveling multiple times a week for work, we had to find something fast, but it also had to be affordable, as this was a very unexpected expense thrown at us. Fortunately, we found a great deal, and Jerry now has a new (to him) car.

The past couple of months have also brought us some heartache and sadness. After suffering from health issues for quite awhile, Jerry's grandmother passed away last month. It was very sad news, but Jerry was thankful he was able to be there at the hospital with her during her final moments of life. While he is sad to no longer have grandparents living, he is thankful for the memories he has of them. The one thing he wanted to keep was his grandfather's old coffee thermos, covered in paint splatter, simply because of the memories it had for Jerry.

Another piece of sad news we were given last month was that our dear neighbors and friends, Charlie and Karen, were going to be moving back to Florida. Not only did this mean we were losing our friends, but we also have lost our childcare. Karen has kept Audrey ever since I went back to work after having her, and she has been WONDERFUL. She and Charlie have fit Audrey right into their family along with their own 3 children, and we always knew she was loved and cared for wonderfully at their house. This devastating news hit us hard, and we are deeply saddened as they actually leave today to head to FL. While no one will ever replace Mrs. Karen, we are fortunate that we found another neighbor down the street who was willing to take over. She also stays at home with her 1 year-old son, so Audrey has already adjusted pretty well having a new little friend.



Our family (9/22/12)



In the midst of all of this, we have stayed busy with work, family visits, and church. Our church, NewSpring, has just moved into a temporary location downtown while we wait on our new, permanent facility to be built. We are excited through this transition and have already been shown God's blessings to our church! We are thankful that we have jobs to pay our bills, family that comes to see us, and a church we love. Now, in this autumn season, we are enjoying the cool air, football games (Go Gamecocks!), and already looking forward to relaxing and spending time with family when the holidays arrive!

Just taking it easy one afternoon after Mommy got home from work!