Oh Audrey Sue

I Love You Because You're You

2012-02-20T18:26:00.000-06:00

My most favorite book to read to Audrey is "I Love You Because You're You" by Liza Baker.

Audrey has started reciting it along as I read it...

I love you when you're happy and grinning ear to ear.

I love you when you're sleepy and want to snuggle near.

I love you when you're silly and dancing 'round and 'round.

I love you when you're frightened and hear a scary sound.

I love you when you're bashful and hide behind my knee.

I love you when you're brave and from my arms you flee.

I love you when you're curious and searching here and there.

I love you when you're proud, your head held in the air.

I love you when you're sick and need to rest in bed.

I love you when you're frisky and standing on your head.

I love you when you're sad and need a kiss and hug.

I love you when you're playful and rolling on the rug.

I love you when you're angry and cross your arms and pout.

I love you when you're wild and yell and scream and shout.

I love you any way you feel, no matter what you do.

I love you any way you are.

I love you because you're you!

...it's perfect, right?

Recap of 2011

2012-02-16T20:29:00.000-06:00

January 2011: Toe Removal Surgery.

Things to know - Successful - Recovery lasted 3 weeks

February 2011 - Daddy - Daughter Dance

Things to know - Audrey stayed up past her bedtime and danced the night away with her Daddy

March 2011 - Kitchen Update Complete

Things to know - Painted cabinets - new appliances - new hardware - new floors - Update to sell

April 2011 - Mommy turned 3-0!!

Things to know - 30 is the new 20...right? - Audrey is cute!

May 2011 - Audrey had her annual scan

Things to know - Shunt working great - House went on the market Memorial Day

June 2011 - Audrey's First Family Vacation

Things to know - she loves the beach - sand gets everywhere - she asked to go swimming all the time!

July 2011 - Found our Dream House!

Things to know - we found our dream house and a young couple saw our house as theirs on the same day - Contracts signed to sell our house and buy our dream house.

August 2011 - First day of Preschool

Things to know - Audrey looks adorable wearing a backpack - she loves the school bus

September 2011 - Moved!

Things to know - we moved into our new home - Audrey's in a big girl bed - we doubled our square footage and Audrey loves walking around the house screaming our names

October 2011 - Hydro Angels Over Texas Boot Scoot'n Across Texas Walk

Things to know - I'm the Dallas area Hydrocephalus Support Group Leader for Hydro Angels Over Texas - I helped the Bomer's put together Dallas' 1st Hydro Walk - We raised over $12K!!!!

November 2011 - Welcome Baby Owen

Things to know - Owen is our best friend's first baby - My baby fever is at an all time high!!

December 2011 - Daddy turned 30!

Things to know - Audrey came down with croup a week after his birthday - Mommy organized a surprise party at the skating rink that Daddy DJ'd at in high school. It was an after-hours private party with BYOB. SUPER FUN and Daddy deserved it!

Also...

Christmas in the new house was awesome! I'm working on a tour of the house soon!

So, this is our year in a nutshell!

Did you forget about us?

2012-01-26T20:10:00.000-06:00

Yes! I got a post in before I hit the 365 day mark! HOLLA!!!!

So... we are still here!

Kicking and Screaming

Growing and Flowing

Shaking and Baking

...you get the idea.

I would like to say that Audrey is doing amazingly well. I do apologize for falling off the face of the Earth... 2011 was probably our busiest and best year yet. I have some posts in mind that I think will probably catch you guys up on our year...as well as, continuing to catch you up on everything that is Audrey Sue.

Snowmaggedon

2011-02-05T18:03:00.000-06:00

Don't worry World Wide Web, we've survived Snowmeggedon in Dallas...

FOUR straight days of NO school or work for this family...

Cabin Fever running rampant in this household...

Worrying about next week's forecast that includes more snow and ice...

...but one thing you can't forget in this weather is style. Isn't that right Audrey Sue?

Audrey's feet are healed up beautifully from her toe removal surgery - I will soon post pre-op pics, post-op pics and the challenges that went along with the 2 week journey of going from left-overs to just having piggies with roast beef.

Oh Audrey Sue

2010-12-30T20:33:00.000-06:00

Something has happened to my sweet Audrey Sue... Something or someone has replaced my sweet Audrey Sue with a cranky and crabby Audrey.

I don't have any hard evidence but I suspect the culprit is the dreaded two-year molars... Oh Audrey Sue please come back to me. Please return with that sweet, lovable, happy attitude that your Daddy and I love so much.

If I had the authority to take teething down... I would! I would take it down, oh I'd even take it downtown, baby... It'd be on like Donkey Kong!!!!

Watch your back teething... This Momma is on to you...

Funky Funk

2010-12-20T20:29:00.000-06:00

So... I'm still in my little funk. I'm not sure what it is. I just don't have the desire to update this as much as I used to. I think it's exhaustion, the cold weather may keep me tired. I'm in bear mode right now and am in hibernation. It's probably not the weather, it's most definitely a rambunctious toddler.

She had her first Christmas program at school last week. Her class dressed up as elves and sang a song about Christmas to the tune of "The Wheels on the Bus". She sat in the middle and did such a great job. I don't have video or pictures to post tonight (I know, such a tease) but I promise I will get those up ASAP (Grandma Sue - I promise!). It may be after Christmas, but they'll be up soon after. She did all the hand motions and even at one point stood up on the stage almost like she was trying to steal the show. She may not have stolen the show, but our hearts were done. This Momma smiled proudly the entire time.

I went to her first Christmas party last week as well. The class latched on to me as soon as I walked into the classroom. I like to think it was because I'm awesome, but really it was because I was carrying cupcakes. And, they made it clear to me by screaming at the top of their lungs "CUPCAKES!" All the kids gave me hugs after Audrey hugged me and she was having some issues with all her friends showing affection towards me. The Christmas party was in the cafeteria and I walked Audrey down to partake in the festivities. We started out holding hands and then one of Audrey's friends took my other hand. Audrey wasn't really keen on that and she tried to shove her friend's hand out of mine. Wonder how she's going to feel when there's another baby in the house (not for a while, guys, not for a while).

So, last week was very eventful at school. She even came home with the coolest art work on Friday night. We got about 7 or 8 new ornaments for our tree. I love her artwork. I love seeing the progression she has made this year. We are calling 2010, The Year of Progress. In fact, our Christmas card details the Top 10 Moments of 2010... and guess who won almost every moment of 2010. Well... why don't you check it out for yourself :)

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas!!!

Music to my Ears!

2010-11-18T22:14:00.000-06:00

Audrey doesn't refer to me as Bubba anymore... I have been upgraded to Momma!

I ask her to say Momma over and over and over and over and over again. I never truly felt that warmth of the heart until she pointed to a picture of me and said Momma. My heart instantly felt something I have never experienced before. Her hugs, her kisses, her smiles produce a particular feeling within me but it's nothing like hearing her say Momma. We've been trying to tell her that she doesn't need to cry when she's ready to get up, that she needs to call out our names and we'll come get her right away... this request is proving to be more difficult for her to learn - she knows that crying gets a swift reaction from us. Smart girl.

I think it's also safe to tell you guys that Audrey's hearing has tested the last two months within the normal hearing range. Before October, she was testing with Moderate hearing loss in her left ear and mild-moderate in her right. She has been aided since June 2009. We have no idea why the sudden change but in the last two months that she has not worn her hearing aids, she is imitating more sounds, forming new words and recognizing certain noises like cars driving down the street, dogs barking outside, music playing. Her auditory impairment therapist has been with us for her last two audiograms and she is amazed with the results. She said her colleagues have been calling her the Miracle Worker.

We go back in January for a follow-up audiogram and we have asked the audiologist to recommend that Audrey continue to receive Auditory Impairment services through the school district... I pretty much begged because losing this particular therapist would not benefit Audrey at all. We love Suzi and we still depend on sign language for Audrey's expressive language.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T20:14:00.000-05:00

Audrey the Penguin would like to wish everyone a Happy and Safe Halloween.

Watching her walk up to our neighboring houses was one of the highlights of our lives. She was so proud of herself for carrying her trick or treat bag and walking up on her own. This time last year she was just figuring out how to crawl. This past year has been filled with unbelievable milestones and progress.

Next year she'll be running up to the door, knocking on her own and saying "Trick or Treat".

Now that Halloween's over... We can start planning for merriest season of the year. Bring on Christmas!!!

So... Umm... Yeah...

2010-10-28T21:10:00.000-05:00

I just went through the camera and there's a month worth of photos. Which means you get a month worth of photos. I'm in a bit of slump right now. My house shows my slump... okay who am I kidding, it's always been in a slump. Work attitude definitely shows my slump. My motivation to update you all on Audrey has slowed down way too much even though she's moving a top speed. I think I'm just worn out. Having a toddler is exhausting - even more so than sleepless nights when she was an infant.

And, now for our feature presentation....

Audrey

Audrey's favorite thing for the last 2-3 months is to watch this Baby Einstein movie. I have it memorized.

Audrey's 2nd favorite thing right now is going on walks or just hanging out on the front porch.

We are working on her climbing stairs. She has gotten really good at it this last month, going down is the hard part.

We recently had family portraits done and this was Audrey's outfit. It's kind of pirate-esque but she looked adorable!

Day at the park

Daddy thought this image was funny... here's me not liking my big butt hanging out of a yellow tube!

Mommy getting Audrey ready for her first performance at her school's Hot Dog Fundraiser Dinner.

Audrey's front and center. Her class sang I'm Bring Home My Baby Bumble Bee. Only 2 of her 5 classmates came as well. They did a great job (but we mostly heard Blake and Ms. Caren - Annabelle was shocked at the audience and Audrey was interested in the bumble bee cutout she was holding) Afterward, Audrey spent 3 nights with her Nanny and Paw-Paw while we went camping with my parents and some of our friends.

Anonymous Commenter...

2010-10-22T11:26:00.000-05:00

Dear Anonymous Commenter on Audrey's Little Piggies,

I have been in search of other people with Grieg's to find more information on this syndrome and how it affects the person long-term. Our geneticist has provided little help because she says that the information available on this syndrome is limited. If you are reading this and are open to questions, please email me through my profile.

And, thank you for commenting. I'm hoping maybe you could help outline a picture for our future so that we can add our own color to it :)

Thank you again, I hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Stefani Hannon

Audrey's Little Piggies

2010-10-12T21:04:00.000-05:00

Last week we had an appointment with Audrey's orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Lund. Dr. Lund treats Audrey for her clubfeet. Since, we started seeing him in December 2008, we've had many discussions about her extra piggies.

We finally had the big talk last Monday... the big talk about removing the two little piggies that had left over roast beef. Originally, the plan was to have her big surgery on November 2nd, but after discussing the recovery time with Dr. Lund we have pushed it back to January 4th. Shawn and I feel that we should wait until our vacation resets. Our original plan was to both be off on Surgery day, I would be home with her until the following Monday and then Shawn would be home with her until Veteran's Day. However, after hearing that the recovery could be very uncomfortable for Audrey and she won't be able to walk for almost two weeks, we feel being home together would be much less stressful. Plus, it'll be nice to have Shawn home so we can work as a team to keep her off her feet. I feel that we will be doing a lot of video watching...

So, that's the plan. I have attached one of her x-rays to show you all which toe will be removed. Dr. Lund will do a wedge incision to remove the toes. When he stitches her up, it should pull the first toe in to her foot more. He advised us to keep her in shoes the majority of the time. She will wear her clubfoot braces at nighttime and her daytime shoes will go on immediately. He wants us to keep the big toe positioned this way because that stretch that tendon out and keep the toe lined up properly with her feet. If we do not follow these instructions, her big toe will stray outward and create a big gap between her toes.

The surgery should be an outpatient surgery. Dr. Lund feels that Audrey will be most comfortable at home... and we agree.

So now, we just count down the days. As I have said before, I'm really upset that Audrey's feet will look totally different. I can't imagine those little feet with only five toes. In fact, I almost talked myself out of the surgery because I was afraid we were just doing the surgery for cosmetic reasons. But, Dr. Lund convinced us that the surgery is both medically and cosmetically driven. Both reasons being that the toe is non-functioning and the bigger Audrey gets, the bigger her foot will get. It's already difficult searching for the perfect shoe and she has to wear shoes a size too big, I can't imagine finding shoes for her in two years.

I've got some ideas though to help us all remember what her feet looked like with extra piggies.

Individualized Family Service Plans

2010-09-26T20:31:00.000-05:00

We had Audrey's IFSP last Wednesday and I'm thrilled to report that it went really, really, really, really well.

We were there for two hours with her three therapists, her daycare director and assistant director, Audrey was present (until it was snack time).

Audrey's three therapists are Lori, PT, Andrea, ST and ECI Coordinator, and Suzi, Hearing Specialist and they each see her weekly. Andrea and Suzi work together with Audrey's speech therapy so she basically gets two sessions a week. Lori, Andrea, and Suzi asked us several questions. I'm always afraid of IFSP's because I never know if our answers are "right" or if they show delays... that is until the end when we hear the results.

So, that's why this year we made a CAN list. We listed out everything that Audrey CAN do. These sessions tend to focus on what the child "can't" do and we wanted to make sure we had something positive to focus on. On our list we wrote down all of the words that Audrey communicates... and that list came to 37 on Tuesday night and what she knows how and is able to do. But, that list seems to be growing faster everyday :) Audrey's brain is just soaking up EVERYTHING and she is very eager to learn. She's always pointing to objects or pictures to see what they are. She signs new words everyday. She makes a new sound everyday.

At the end of the meeting it was determined that Audrey's physical development is an average of 16 months. Her Gross Motor skills are at 14 months and her fine motor skills are at 18 months. I am more than thrilled that her Fine Motor Skills are older than her Gross :) Her cognitive development is about 20-22 months. This is AMAZING to me! They indicated to me that her expressive language is 21-22 months (a year ago it was at 8-9 Months) and her hearing age is only 19 months. Her expressive language is high because of her sign language vocabulary and because she tries to imitate all sounds that we make.

Our goals...
PT - We know her Gross Motor Skills will improve once she becomes more stable and balanced so we decided to focus on her Fine Motor Skills. Between now and May 11, 2011, our goal is to teach her to string beads together (improve hand eye coordination), twist off caps (get that range of motion in her wrists), and to imitate simple movements by drawing on paper instead of scribbling (such as drawing single horizontal lines, vertical lines and circles). At home and and at school, we will help teach her to pull down and pull up pants (my personal goal is to have her close to potty training or trained by her 3rd birthday).

ST - We will focus on 2-3 word phrases so that she can communicate without getting frustrated. We will focus on one sound each week. We will improve her sign language and continue to model sounds. We will encourage imaginative play (like feed the baby, change the baby). We will also lengthen her attention span.

Her directors offered to move her up to the 2A classroom (she's currently in the Toddler B class with about ten 18 month olds). So, tomorrow she will be in a class with four other two year olds. Her teacher will be able to focus on Audrey and our goals.

Her therapists and childcare directors are thrilled of where she is today and where she will be when she's ready for the PPCD program. We talked about whether we want her going to the Plano School for the Hearing Impaired or if we want her to go enroll in the Richardson ISD PPCD. We are leaning towards Plano, but I'll go into that further when we're ready to make a decision. We plan to visit both programs before the end of the year.

Big smiles are happening in Texas!!

Momma

2010-09-16T15:05:00.000-05:00

Is what this Momma is hearing more and more. I don't know if Audrey is intentionally saying my name or if she has discovered a new sound. Either way. I am thrilled and answer to each call.
...And she just smiles. This morning she woke up early and watched me get ready. She whined "momma" and I looked at her and replied with "what sweetheart?" She just smiled and went on with what she was doing. I asked her to say "Momma" one more time.
...And I got "Bubba"
What a tease!

Living and loving and laughing with her is what makes my world complete.

I have a funny story to tell, but for another day.

We are Ready!!!

2010-09-14T20:09:00.000-05:00

Audrey's daddy was never really into football or into any football team before she was born. He enjoyed watching a game at a sports bar every once in a while with his brother in college but never really got into the sport. His sport was baseball. However, when we purchased our first home and found out a couple of months later that we were expecting... it was time for football season. I think the thought of throwing a football in the yard with his child was exciting to him. And, it's a good reason to get the boys over and drink a few beers. But, back to my first point, I believe he saw some bonding time in the near future with his child that we were expecting.

We found out in December, around his birthday, that we were expecting a girl and her name would be Audrey Sue. Now, that our daughter has been in this world for 2 football seasons, the hope that he and she bond over a good football game is in full force.

Sunday, September 12 at 7:15 we sat down to watch some Cowboys football. Audrey went to bed at exactly 7:20. The hope is still very much alive with Audrey's Daddy. Too bad the next two games have noon kick-off times... that's Audrey's nap time. I personally love only a few things about football season - opening the windows to let the fall breeze circulate throughout the house and cuddling up under a blanket while the football announcer puts me to sleep for my nap.

After My Last Post...

2010-09-10T20:27:00.000-05:00

Audrey decided it was time that her Momma and Dadda saw things in a different light. So, what does she decide to do? She decides to become a full-time walker, a talker, and most of all a little comedian.

In the last several weeks our moods have changed drastically. She's walking all around the house, following us into different rooms. Her balance is still a little wobbly and when she falls, she gets right back up. I think we could all take a lesson from her persistence and her pace. She's the tortoise not the hare, I completely understand now. She's winning this race even when we think she's way behind. That girl's clever, she is.

Now, when I say "talker" she's not necessarily forming true words, but she is definitely making an effort at modeling words that we say. Every once in a while she will sign a word and even attempt to speak the word. It's starting to click with this little one. In fact, tonight, I heard her say "Momma" but I don't know if she was intentionally saying MOMMA! I'd ask her to say it again and it would come out as "Bubba", she's probably just toying with my heart. Also, she is saying "Dadda" better and better every day. She also says "Pease" while signing "Please". Her hearing therapist, Suzi, says that Audrey's hearing age is about 13 months (she's had her hearing aids for 13 months) and her expressive language is almost relative to her hearing age. However, her receptive language is almost relative to her actual age. She seems to understand everything you ask her or tell her to do... except when you ask her to be patient. What I love about this is that everyday we hear something new. Our homework for the next couple of weeks is to keep a journal of new words we hear from her. So, we have to try to keep up with Audrey now.

Her little personality has changed a lot, as well, in these last couple of weeks. She's more playful, lovable, affectionate and happy. She will randomly give us hugs and kisses. We are absolutely adoring this stage that she is in.

I'm a little embarrassed that 2-3 weeks ago, I poured out my feelings and, truthfully, felt sorry for myself. But, it just pushes me harder to be a better mother for Audrey. Those weak moments make me stronger for her. And, I find myself taking a lesson from my daughter, I fall and get right back up again.

Enjoy the video below, it was taken on my phone so it's kind of pixilated. I hope it brings a smile upon your face.

One of Those Days

2010-08-03T19:40:00.001-05:00

Shawn and I are having one of those jaded kind of days.

The great thing about Audrey being in daycare with typically developing children is that they provide a lot of motivation for her. She's up and moving around, she tries really hard to keep up with them, she's more vocal. The drawback is we see up close how behind she really is.

She's just a different type of girl, that's what we keep telling myself. When she was in the infant room for 20 (long) months, we would see babies a year younger than her crawling, walking, and talking. And, as I was most definitely happy for these children, there was always a feeling of yearning for Audrey to be "there" with these kids. Now that she's with children more her age... the delays are even more heart wrenching.

Don't get me wrong, we are more than thrilled with where Audrey's at today. Our cup runneth over and God has enriched our lives more than we could ever comprehend... but we do long for a since of "normalcy".

And... today is just one of those days. On my way home from work tonight, I listened to Dixie Chicks "Top of the World" and the meaning of the song made me break into tears. It begins with a wish to be smarter, stronger, wishing life was easier instead of any longer. It talks about not having a voice, slowly disappearing without even a word... And, wishing nothing more than to be on top of the world... This is my ultimate fear for Audrey. I fear that she will be burdened by her disabilities and my heart aches. I have a deep fear that her world will not accept her. Our number one goal is to teach her to be accepting of herself, to be her advocate and teach the world that disabilities are not be feared.

These are the days that I worry about Audrey as she gets older and how accepting the world will be to her. What will her world develop into? Where will she go? What will she accomplish? Who will be supporting her on her journey? Will she always be as happy as she is now? Will she see the world with a pure and loving heart or will she feel jaded by everything she has gone through?

It's just one of those days when our hearts are weighted by the unknowns of this world...

Kidney Update

2010-07-15T21:28:00.001-05:00

Now that Audrey's appointments have slowed down tremendously... I sometimes forget about all of the issues we were dealing with two years ago.

One being... her kidneys. As many of you know, she was born with bilateral hydronephrosis and we see a wonderful pediatric urologist here in Dallas. As a result of the hydronephrosis, Audrey could be affected by chronic urinary tract infections. But, I'm very happy to say that in 2 years, we haven't had one (knock on wood). She was put on Amoxicillin for the first 3 months of her life (of and on but almost continuously) to fight off any possible UTI's. When we first saw her Urologist she was one month old and had traces of fluid in her Left Kidney and her Right was dilated to 10mm. Keep in mind 15mm or above is considered severe. A two month (August 2008) follow-up concluded with traces in her left and Right decreased to 7mm and she was taken off of Amoxicillin. We saw him again in December 2008 and if memory serves me correctly her Left increased some to 3 1/2 mm and her Right increased to 10mm. We went back April 2009 and they stayed about the same. Fast forward to yesterday and... they both have increased. Her Left is now at 6 1/2mm and her Right is at 13mm. So, over the last two years we've seen some decreases and increases. And, he wants us back in 4 months. They don't see any signs of blockage or reflux so I don't know why there's been an increase. But, as long as they stay under 15mm, we can find some relief but will remain cautious. We'll keep you updated on the two kids...

The rest of the month we are appointment free and have her ENT follow up in August as well as her hearing aid check-up. Thank you for reading... now you can see that beautiful face.

Who Rocks the Microphone? Audrey rocks the microphone!!!

Feast Your Eyes On...

2010-07-13T20:57:00.001-05:00

This...

And, This...

Isn't that a lovely sight to see? She's not quite walking 100% on her own, she's mostly just braving the several steps for some enthusiastic clapping and cheers from her Momma and Dadda... and everyone else we show her newly found skill to in person. Maybe if we can get all of you to cheer, hoot and holler, and clap as enthusiastically as her parents have, it will be enough spirit for her to realize that she can do this!!!!

C'mon... I can't hear you!!!!!

Signs of Independence

2010-06-24T20:33:00.001-05:00

Audrey is starting to show more and more signs of independence. Which I love because that means we are one step closer to adding a new addition to our family. We're still a couple of years off... but still!
One of my coworkers is pregnant with her first child and oh man does it take me back to when my belly was rapidly growing with a little miracle inside. My baby fever is running high right now and I need to take something that will temporarily break it. However, Shawn's baby fever is staying pretty low at the moment. I'm not a relationship expert or anything but I'm pretty sure we both have to be running a high fever for something to happen... but as my parents say, "It's not up to us, it's up to Him."

Anyway, I was saying that Audrey's showing signs of independence... you get me talking about another baby and I go off on a little tangent. So... where was I? Oh yes, Sunday morning, Audrey and I were cooking up some biscuits and gravy for the man of the house. I was at the stove, Audrey was in her cabinet playing with her food as she always does while I cook. She likes to pull everything out and then put everything back in and then pull everything out... and most of the time she just leaves it for me to put back in. I let her do it because she enjoys it and it's better than her crying with her head dug into my legs while I stand at the stove, I'll just be honest with you folks.

That particular morning, the kitchen got awfully quiet all of a sudden and I turned to find the cabinet open, food all over the floor... but no Audrey. I walk into the living room and found her sitting in front of the television with her goldfish just eating away (and crumbs everywhere). This was a P.M.M (Proud Momma Moment) for me. She got into her cabinet, found her goldfish, crawled into the living room holding her goldfish bag, opened her goldfish on her own all because she wanted a snack!!

That's my girl!!! So, next should be breaking her of the pacifier (ahem we still haven't done that), walking, fully potty-trained, and verbally communicating with people (not in that particular order) and then Mommy and Daddy's baby fevers should start to go up a little.

Daddy's Hands

2010-06-23T21:51:00.001-05:00

Only Daddy can put Audrey down for a nap.
Only Daddy can get Audrey out of a tantrum.
Only Daddy can put a huge smile on that face.
Only Daddy can play the guitar like a rock star.
Only Daddy can play the piano like a composer.
Only Daddy can make bath time so much more fun.
Only Daddy can have dinner waiting for Audrey by the time she gets home.
Only Daddy shares a bond with Audrey that no one else could comprehend.
I got so lucky because I married the right man to be the father of my daughter. He is exactly everything I have ever dreamed of as a husband and as a Daddy to my baby. I even love it when he's the one who is "right" and I'm wrong... I know, but it's fun to see him gloat on the rare occasion that he is right about something ;)

Audrey got Daddy a Keychain...

Mommy got Daddy a new car tonight, because the old key just wouldn't do the new keychain justice.

We had a great Father's Day. It was spent with three incredible men. Audrey and Mommy made Daddy's favorite breakfast and we thought we were full for the day. But... then we all got dolled up for lunch with Paw-Paw and the Hannon Clan. And, then we had dinner with Papa and the Agnew Clan. All that eating must have really wiped Audrey out because she slept great that night! Audrey also got her Papa and Paw-Paw a t-shirt that say "Great Dads Get Promoted to Grandpa". She sure does love the men in her life!

I read something recently that a Father is a Son's first Hero and Daughter's first Love. Maybe Audrey's Daddy will be a Hero to a son someday too... it could happen.

Summer Time

2010-06-17T20:20:00.000-05:00

Hey Miss Hollywood!

Today when I picked her up from daycare, she saw my sunglasses sitting on top of my head. She reached up and tried to grab them off my head, but I caught her hand before she was able to. I strapped her in her carseat and she stole them from my head as I clicked all the buckles. She attempted to put them on but couldn't quite get it and needed Mommy's help. We sat there for a couple of minutes as she wore them and laughed each time she pushed them back up over her eyes. Then we were ready to go, I grabbed them back from her and hopped in the front seat.

She whined a little as we pulled out of the parking lot and even more so at the first stop light. So, I reluctantly took them from my face and passed them back to Miss Audrey Sue. Audrey kept trying to put them on her face but they ended up around her neck and under her chin, so I turned around thinking this would hopefully occupy her for a while. I began singing a song on the radio and as I got caught up in doing so I figured I'd better turn my head to make sure Audrey hadn't bent my sunglasses to pieces. I turned my head and immediately got a chuckle at what was staring back at me.

Audrey had her head tilted up, cheezing away with a big smile because she got the sunglasses up above her nose and they were where they were supposed to be. I had to laugh because you could tell she was thinking she was Miss Hollywood with those shades on.

I got the hint that she needs her own pair.

Is It Too Early?

2010-06-14T20:55:00.000-05:00

...so innocent, huh?

Audrey has developed a nasty little habit of lashing out at her Mommy when she's tired, fussy, or when she's about to throw a tantrum by hitting me. We say no, grab her hand, shake our head at her but she still acts out towards her mother.

Tonight, she hit me and she really only stops when her Daddy talks sternly to her. So he grabbed her from me and told her to stop hitting her mother. She buried her head into his shoulder and stuck out that bottom lip. Then she reached out for me and I got close to her to pull her away from her Daddy and she slapped at me again.

So, is it too early to start time-out? I feel like we need to start now so she learns early,
Shawn feels like she wouldn't quite grasp the concept yet and that we need to wait. I wouldn't put her in timeout for 2 minutes, I would only start out for about 30 seconds until she slowly recognizes that there are consequences to her negative actions.

Tonight, I attempted to put her in time-out and I'm happy to report it was successful!! She started to throw her tantrum and hit me when I tried to play with her. So, off she went into time out. She sat in eyesight of Shawn and I. We continued to go about what we were doing and she sat in her corner trying to test us. She would try to crawl away and we would just say her name and she sat back up and leaned her head against the wall puffing out that bottom lip for a second. She did really good, and as soon as she was done, I asked her if she was 'Sorry' and she said 'yeah'. And, then we played.

I don't think the next one will go quite as easily but it's a start. It's a start...

And Now... The Birthday Pics!

2010-06-04T20:58:00.000-05:00

Audrey's Strawberry Cupcake after her Birthday Dinner Celebration with her family!

She really enjoyed that frosting...

Audrey's cousin Madi decorated all the cupcakes with a number 2 and she did a fabulous job!

Audrey got a push cart for her birthday from Mommy and Daddy and has so much fun pushing her toys around... However, it's very easy to pull over onto Audrey so adult supervision is strongly encouraged.

I'm 2 and I'm Audrey Sue!

Audrey's 2nd Birthday was a Ladybug Theme... the cupcakes turned out beautifully thanks to the wonderful helping hands of Nana (only she can make icing like Grandma Jean), Aunt Staci (eased my stress by decorating the cupcakes with grass), Heather (helped me make the marzipan ladybugs)

A whole field of ladybugs.

The backyard

Aunt Staci and Heather

Uncle Chad and Tim

Nanny and Audrey Sue

Audrey's cousin Madi. Madi was wishing more kids were at the party...

Audrey's favorite part of birthday parties... CAKE!

Proud of herself for taking a bite... she wants more!!

Big Bite!

Trying to give her Mommy cupcake kisses... and I obliged. You can't not kiss this girl, it's unfair to you and to her!

And... done. Now, on to presents...

Audrey's riding toy from Nanny and PawPaw. Audrey received a lot of wonderful gifts, but I'm only sharing the big one's.

A Radio Flyer from Nana and Papa!

On a joyride with her cousin Madi in the backyard.

She loves this thing, especially on our evening walks around the neighborhood when she can just sit back and watch Daddy pull her around!

A water-sand table from Mommy and Daddy!

Oh the learning and fun begin!

They were born cousins but will grow up as friends.

She's flirting with the man behind the camera, our friend Clint.

This little angel LOVES the water!

The entire day was a success and Audrey slept really hard that night. All the guests, the sun, the heat, the fun really pooped this little one out. The following weekend was even more fun when she got to be in the pool for the first time this year. Pool pics are coming soon.

Birthday Trip to the Zoo!

2010-05-31T11:02:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday Audrey Sue!

Audrey Sue spent May 12, 2010 at the zoo with her Mom and Dad, or as she likes to refer to us as Baba and YeahYeah, respectively. We saw all of her favorite animals. We saw monkeys, elephants, giraffes, hippos, zebras, flamingos, fish, and of course her absolute favorite... penguins.

She was ready to go home after about 2 hours spent teaching her new signs for different animals. We took our sign book so that we could learn as we went along. It was a lot of fun watching her and showing her. We will definitely be going back next year!

More to come tomorrow... Photos of her Birthday Dinner Celebration with the family that spent all day at the hospital waiting to meet their little Audrey Sue.

Coming Soon!

2010-05-25T21:05:00.001-05:00

Birthday Photos... But for today, just look at this face.

Doesn't she turn your world upside down? Doesn't she make you want to scream from the mountain tops?

Doesn't she fill your heart with happiness?

That face, that smile, those kisses, those hugs, that laugh, those tears make me the luckiest Mom in the world.

Cold Turkey

2010-05-16T08:02:00.000-05:00

We failed at going No Pacifier cold turkey. We gave in when Audrey woke up an hour later demanding her pacifier. The cries were too unbearable. So, we've decided the only time she gets it is when she's in her crib. I think we're going to work on a 3 step process.

Step 1 - Deny pacifiers during the day and during car rides. Let her adjust for a week or two.
Step 2 - Deny pacifiers during nap time. Let her adjust for two weeks. Hopefully daycare will be able to work with this too. She is supposed to move up to the next class soon and I want her completely off the pacifier during nap time prior to the switch of the classes.
Step 3 - Deny pacifiers during bedtime. This will be the hardest to adjust to.

Any mom's have any other suggestions, please let me hear them!!!

Terrible Two's Or Did Your Mommy Steal Your Paci?

2010-05-14T20:41:00.000-05:00

Oh your mommy just stole your pacifier? The one thing that helps you go to sleep so easily, the one thing that comforts you in the car when your fussy, the one thing that helps you calm down at the doctor's office, the one thing that you will see laying on the ground and put in your mouth? ~Okay, that last example is a fib, Audrey puts lots of things in her mouth~

The three of us ~okay, really, it was just Mommy~ decided that once Audrey turned 2 she would be completely off the bottle and we'd begin the phase out period of the pacifier.

Successfully, we are officially OFF the bottle. However, the last attempt began this evening. We put Audrey to bed without her pacifier and suffered her cries for about 20 minutes. Then she fell asleep. Step one accomplished. Step two happens during the middle of the night when she cries out to us to let us know that she is stuck in the corner of her crib and needs to be moved down. Usually when we do this, she searches for her pacifier too. Then tomorrow during nap time will be just as interesting. We shall see.

Audrey's always been really good at adjusting so we're hoping we all adjust very well to no pacifiers. Wish us luck, please...

Happy Birthday Audrey Sue!

2010-05-12T08:00:00.001-05:00

I've made a little video. The song that is in the video is a love song by The Avett Brothers and every time I hear about it I think of Audrey. Especially the very last verse.
Happy birthday to our sweet Audrey Sue.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Anxiously Waiting for 05/12

2010-05-11T10:56:00.001-05:00

I am working on something special for Audrey's Birthday Post. I can't believe tomorrow will be 2 years when I met my daughter for the first time.

Shawn and I recently went through her birth-day pictures and all I remembered was I was so scared. I was ecstatic to meet this child I had carried for 9 months, but I was so afraid of not knowing what our future had in store. When I met her for the first time I was laying on the operation table and the nurse brought her over to me only allowing me to catch a brief glance before they carted her away to the NICU. I waited ever so impatiently in the recovery room so they could wheel me up there and I could hold her for the first time. Plus, all the narcotics they gave me during the surgery made me incredibly sleepy so I wanted to see her before I passed out.

As I held my bruised and swollen baby girl for the first time, I did the usual motherly glance over to make sure everything was "perfect". It's in that moment I realized perfection is a relative term. I noticed she had perfectly crooked feet, with a perfect sixth toe on each of them. I noticed she had perfect webbing on her fingers and a perfectly crooked thumb on her left hand. I also realized that she was perfect in every way because God made her perfectly for us.

God, thank You for opening my eyes and heart to someone as beautiful as Audrey. She has made my world flip upside down and my perspective on true, unconditional love is so much clearer. I will love her today, tomorrow and forever because she has completely swept me away.

2010-05-07T19:03:00.000-05:00

Please pray for Cayman, her family has been through a lot in the last 42 hours.

Dear Momma,

2010-04-28T20:10:00.005-05:00

Momma, I love you dearly. You hold me when I need to be held, you sing to me when I need to hear music, you make me laugh when I need to see something funny, you feed me when I'm hungry, you know exactly when I want my milk. But, Momma, you don't post enough about me on my blog. You know I can't do it myself yet, and I wish you would focus more time after I've gone to bed to share me with the world. I make your world shine, I may help someone else's world shine too. Now, please share me and all my accomplishments with them.

Love, Audrey

My dearest Audrey - Thank you for putting me in my place. You are your mother's daughter. As you wish Audrey, as you wish.

Okay World, that was a little embarrassing, but lets get updated on Audrey, shall we? Audrey only had 4 appointments this week. She had her hearing aid checkup and everything checked out fine. They cleaned them up really well and glued the ear molds to the tubing. And, looked up the data from the hearing aids. They can see how many hours she has been in her hearing aids since the last time they pulled the data. It wasn't very many because she has had so many ear infections since we saw them last. They attempted to test some information without her hearing aids in but she wasn't having it. I think her new ENT may want to do another ABR soon... which requires sedation.

Speaking of new ENT... we decided to go to a new ENT because of the chronic ear infections and we weren't really impressed with her last one. Her ear infections have gotten so bad that they ooze thick puss and sometimes bleed. After she got over an ear infection 3 weeks before her appointment, I decided that we needed to see him. Well... one week before her appointment, her ears started draining and she had another double ear infection. She was put on a stronger antibiotic and ear drops until we saw the ENT. We LOVE the new ENT. He immediately went into action mode and not cautious mode. He put her in this papoose type of restraint so he could get a good look into her ears under the microscope. He prepared me by what he was going to do, he was going to take a swab of her infection to test for MRSA, suck out the fluid, and then shoot an antibiotic/antifungal powder into each ear. He warned me that this would be chaotic and it certainly was just that. She screamed the hardest I have ever seen her while he did it all and it lasted about 10 minutes. It was painful for both of us. He asked that we come back in a week to look at her ears, discuss the results of the culture and put a plan of action together. He also put her on eye drops in case she did have MRSA. He said the eye drops would start the process of killing the bacteria as well as help transfer the powder behind the ear drum.

At our follow-up visit, we found out NO MRSA!!! He put her back in the papoose restraint (NOOO) and checked out those ears. He said the right was clear and there was some granulation in her ear tube, her left ear had some fluid and some granulation in her ear tube. He put her on Ciprodex to flush out the granulation and told us to put her hearing aids in during the weekend. We go back in two weeks :)

Her last appointment was with her Clubfoot Doctor, Dr. Lund! We love Dr. Lund! He was very pleased with her feet. He says we're still following the Ponseti Method and will keep her in night-time brace wear until she's 4. Also, we discussed when we should remove her extra piggies. We will probably do it January 2011. The goal is to do it after she's walking. He assured us the recovery won't affect her clubfoot treatment and that she will be up in no time. But, the thought of removing her extra piggies makes me sad. In just 9 months, her feet will look completely different. I have spent so many hours staring at them, wondering what they'd look like with only 5 toes and it's almost a reality. I don't see her feet as looking odd, her feet are completely normal... in fact, I have to look twice when I see a 5 toed baby foot because that looks odd to me. I have big ideas of what I we're going to do to honor those little piggies that have extra roast beef. Please stay tuned for those ideas. And, also, I will explain the necessity of removing them later on.

And, now for a video of Audrey hanging out with her Daddy while I shopped... so this is what they do alone, huh?

Happy Easter!

2010-04-05T20:40:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter! The Hannon household spent a wonderful day with family!

We woke up very early and made it slightly late for 8:30 service at our parents' church. Even Uncle Chad accompanied us and spent the day with us. Audrey did really well through the service and got a little bored towards the end of the service. Daddy was happy to take her to out to the lobby (I know it's called something else) and keep her occupied. The service was wonderful, it made me want to find a home church of our own. So, we're on the search now.

Madi picked out their dresses, don't they look adorable?

This is Audrey's Easter Egg Hunt. She knew exactly what to do with the eggs once she picked them up!

See?

I asked my sister what she was wearing on Easter and she said this dress, so I went out and bought the same dress :) If our girls are matching, shouldn't we? She was embarrassed.

After church we headed over to my parents house and ate an incredible feast of Pecan Stuffed French Toast, Biscuits and Gravy, Frittata, Bagels and Cream Cheese and Assorted Fruit. Audrey loved the biscuits and gravy. That's one of her Daddy's favorites, guess I should learn how to make it from scratch like my Momma.

We headed over to Maw-maw's to spend some time with her. She picked up a really cute play-outfit for Audrey, the t-shirt says "Born to be a Princess"... isn't that the truth?

Audrey after devouring about a third of a Potbelly's Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie!

That's my little girl rocking "The Godfather" t-shirt with some spunky pants. I think Daddy put her in this.

Look at that mouth full of teeth. She's been drooling like crazy so I think her 2-year molars are coming up.

Daddy and his Princess.

Almost Two Weeks

2010-03-21T19:55:00.000-05:00

It's been almost two weeks since I put Audrey in her hearing aids. A week and half ago, Audrey's left ear started draining and we don't put them in while their draining. Audrey has medicated ear drops that we have to use when the drainage starts. Audrey's left ear only drained for 3 days but then the day after I had her back in her hearing aids, her right ear started to drain. And, it's been draining for over a week and today she started running a fever.

Audrey has a history of chronic ear infections and she had tubes placed January 2009. I'm happy that the fluid is draining and not sitting behind her ears (this is what caused her hearing loss, apparently), but the more she's out of her hearing aids could affect her speech development.

The cause for her chronic ear infections was a direct result of her laryngeal penetration. She had 6 weeks of vital stem therapy which caused her laryngeal penetration to decrease from 85% to less than 20%. She was on a thickening agent for all her fluids for over 3 months and we weened her off in November. Since her vital stem, we feel like her laryngeal muscles have gotten stronger and she's able to eat every day foods.

Could the less than 20% of laryngeal penetration be causing all the drainage? I have set up an appointment with a new ENT. And, unfortunately it's not until April, but I will be discussing her history and hopefully he can help us figure out what can help these ear infections.

But, I suppose the cause of her fever and cold could be that Texas weather is bi-polar and can't make up it's mind if it should be 70 degrees and sunny one day or 33 degrees and snowy... It snowed last night, but it was 70 degrees on Friday.

Audrey's Sign Vocabulary

2010-03-14T20:59:00.000-05:00

My goal for today was to get a video of Audrey showing the world how large her sign vocabulary is... However, things happen like Audrey waking up at 9am (Spring Forward time = 8am yesterday time) which NEVER EVER happens. She went to bed at 6:45 last night and woke up at at, yup, 9am! I promised Shawn he could sleep-in, which normally means 8-8:30 but we all got to sleep in today! And, then we headed up to the grocery store for our weekly groceries, came home filled our pantry back up, headed back out to Maw-Maw's (Shawn's Grandma so she could get an Audrey fix) and she treated the whole fam (PawPaw, Nanny, Shawn, Audrey and me) to a great lunch. Audrey stuffed her belly from the food of everyone's plates and then was becoming VERY sleepy. We didn't make it out of the parking lot before she was conked out. Her normal nap time is noon until about 2pm, but today, due to our activities, it was 1:45 - 4:00. She woke up, got a bath and then ate dinner. Daddy had a softball game at 6, so we went up there and watched their team lose 21-1. It's okay Hippos, better luck next time! As soon as we got home, we got Audrey ready for bed and she held out until 7:45 as we played. So, you see we really had absolutely no time to video her sign vocabulary.

However... the other day I got some pictures of her - it's really not the same effect but you get the picture... get it? Get the picture? I make myself giggle! And, one more sign that is not photographed but I found out today she knows, is "Piggy". We saw her sign it the first time today when she saw a picture of a Piggy in a book. God is SO good!

"More"

"Milk"

"Sleep"

"Please"

"Thank You"

"Food"

"Penguin"

"Bye-Bye" (she's also saying it)

Sunshine

2010-03-14T15:28:00.000-05:00

Springtime has arrived in Dallas! Daddy and friends went to practice softball today because it is a beautiful day. So, Audrey and I decided we'd join them to sit in the sun and watch.

She was a little nervous on the playground, but enjoyed the slide - I wish I could have gotten a picture of her going down. She had a pretty big smile the entire time :)

She enjoyed the sunshine so much!

But... she enjoyed playing with the contents of Heather's purse most!

...And, Heather just encouraged this habit that she will bring home

...In fact, every time we are all in the living room, Audrey crawls her little happy bottom into the kitchen to find Mommy's purse.

...Oops!!

A Love Story

2010-03-10T20:05:00.001-06:00

Once upon a time there lived a girl who dreamt daily of the day she would marry. She had many (not too many) suitors come and go but she could never see herself standing next to them at the altar reciting her vows to them. She had a very good friend who was a boy. He was very tall, slender, and handsome and could keep a smile on her face. Then one day something magical happened. This girl and this boy spent a lot of time together in the summer of 2000. They had started having staring contests. These staring contests would happen when everyone in the family household had fallen asleep. They would lie down on their stomach facing each other, propping their heads up on their elbows and hands, and just stare into each other's eyes. These staring contests would last a couple of hours before either one of them would crack or the other would give up. They found something magical in looking deep in each other's eyes without saying a word. They noticed something they had never seen before in each other and a friendship turned into love.

Boy and Girl dated for about 6 months and then Boy decided to go away to college. Girl was very saddened but thankful that 6 months of relationship wouldn't ruin 2 years of friendship. Boy and Girl appointed a "Break-Up Day" a week before Boy left and each were very reluctant to end the day, but it was ended with a kiss. A week after "Break-Up Day" Boy was preparing to leave and asked Girl if they could try for a long distance relationship. Girl and Boy tried their hardest to make it work because although they hadn't told each other their true feelings, they knew they each loved each other.

True feelings between Boy and Girl were finally revealed after 15 months of dating and almost a year of living apart. Girl finally heard the words she had waited so long to hear, Boy said "I Love You". Many would ask why Girl waited so long to hear these words for the first time and especially after living 3 hours away from each other. You see Girl could finally see herself standing next to said Boy at an altar, in a white dress, and promising him she would spend the rest of her life loving and honoring him.

Happy Anniversary to my Husband Shawn! We have spent many many years together, 9 to be exact, and this is our 3rd Wedding Anniversary. We have shared more in 9 years than most couples have in 30 years. He is my breath and I am still head over heels in love with him. He is the man I have always dreamt of and the father I had always hoped to raise my children with. Shawn, I love you today, tomorrow and forever.

You Must Be Asking Yourself

2010-03-08T20:03:00.004-06:00

Have I seen this blog before? It seems familiar but I'm having trouble recognizing it.

Yes, we're the same. The Oh Audrey Sue blog has gotten a face lift, courtesy of Erin Williams over at The Williams Family. Erin has a beautiful 6 month son and she has quite the talent when it comes to Custom Blog Design. I am so pleased with our new look!! Thank you so much Erin!!! If any of my blogger friends would like to check out Erin's creations, go to her Blog Designs website - e.b.designs she also does announcements and invitations.

And, the photos were taken in November by Emily Mulkey Photography. We had them taken for our family Christmas gifts and she did an incredible job of capturing Audrey's sweetness and those baby blues! The one's I have included are some of my favorites, especially the photos of Audrey and her Daddy. They make a cute pair, don't they? Plus, I spent many summers with Emily's husband (and part-time assistant) traveling and doing some great work on our church youth mission trips.

I've been very fortunate to come across these two very talented ladies because they both have creativity that I seriously lack and have given me a beautiful blog to share many memories of my beautiful daughter and incredible photos to share with my family and friends.

And, because I shouldn't leave you with a pictureless post, here is my little princess. That smile will get you every time.

New Blog Look!

2010-03-08T12:31:00.000-06:00

I have a new blog look as well as a new "Grab Button"!

I Knew This Day Would Come

2010-02-20T08:02:00.002-06:00

When we first found out we were pregnant we were filled with a lot of emotions. We were married only 6 months prior and had purchased our first home. We were planning to start our family after the first few years of marriage, but things never go as planned and life has a way of figuring things out for you. So, on that Saturday in September when I took my first pregnancy test it was positive, I did my thing with it and left it on the counter facing down. I had Shawn go into the bathroom to check it out, he went in and had no idea what it meant... it meant we were having a baby. So, we each called our siblings to tell them the news but to keep it a secret from our parents until we knew for sure. Shawn was insistent that we needed confirmation from my doctor first - a week later he got his confirmation and we told the news to our parents... who were very excited and we were very scared. I think our parents found our deer-in-the-headlights-look because it probably took them back to when they were first having their children.

Fast forward several of months - we found our crib, it was perfect and it was a gift from Shawn's parents. It's convertible and will grow with her as she grows. It's a sleigh-bed type crib, it's cherry and it's beautifully matched with Pottery Barn Kids bedding, pink and white striped quilt with a white bedskirt detailed with pink dots along the hem. As Shawn and I put the crib together in my 7th month of pregnancy, it was a stressful time because I was trying to read the directions as Shawn did all the work. If he wasn't listening to me, I'd yell, if I messed up and went in the wrong order, he'd yell at me. Isn't this standard when a husband and wife try to assemble something together?

As we finished and placed it in the right spot, we stood back arms wrapped around each other and admired our hard work. And, then Shawn expressed one of the sweetest thoughts to me. He said he couldn't wait for the day to walk into that room and Audrey is standing up in her crib with a big smile on her face and arms raised up waiting to be picked up. Well - that day finally came for him. Last Sunday, after nap, he went in and she was up on her feet waiting for him. He said his heart had melted.

This morning while Audrey napped, I was making banana nut muffins and I thought to myself "I can't wait until Audrey is old enough and we can do this together". I know that day will come! I don't know when but one day the two of us will share the most sacred mother-daughter moment. The moment when I help her stir her first batch of chocolate chip cookies. Don't worry Audrey, Mommy will make sure she has perfected all of her baking skills (or skillz) so that she can pass this love on to you.

Snow Day

2010-02-12T19:05:00.006-06:00

Audrey, Daddy and me spent our first snow day together. Audrey and I stayed indoors the entire day in our pj's but Daddy got out to wipe the snow off the satellite, his car, some of the snow weighing down on bushes - okay really he was just playing in the snow. He made a snowman while Audrey and I took a little nap. Last night we lost our power from 10pm until a little after 3am. We were all in bed asleep. Daddy and I both woke up when we heard the heater click off and thought oh great! I called Oncor immediately to report the problem and then we tried to go back to sleep. But, something kept me up thinking about Audrey. Audrey is known to kick her covers off and is quite the little rolly polly in bed. So, I, of course, was worried about her and brought her in bed with us. She didn't like all of us sharing the same blanket and felt a little constricted between the two of us. I had to grab a lighter blanket to sleep with so that she could sleep comfortably. I also slept on the very edge of the bed so that Daddy and Audrey could sprawl out on the bed (Daddy would probably say he didn't have much room either, but we all know that he likes to sleep on his side with his butt pushed way out... we all know Daddy). Daddy and I heard the heater kick on around 3am and he carried Audrey to bed. We slept soundly until about 6:15 when Audrey decided it was a good time to start the day.

Taken about 4:30pm on 02/11/2010, the snow had been falling continuously since 5am and fell for another 7-8 hours after this was taken. Winter Weather record in Richardson, Texas. It was the most beautiful thing to wake up to this morning.

Snow off our driveway

Audrey wasn't really interested in the snow, she seemed a little sensitive to the bright white

Daddy is spending the evening with our friends at a Olympic Opening/Birthday party for a Olympic Figure Skater in the 30's. I was also invited to attend, but since Audrey will be at her Nanny and PawPaw's tomorrow night, I figured I'd stay in this evening for a little Mommy relaxation time. Tomorrow night we've invited some friends to come over for a Valentine's Karaoke Jam - I am very hopeful that I will be belting out some Celine Dion to my Valentine at the top of my lungs. I'll let you know if we have any friends left after tomorrow night :)

Audrey liked it better when she was on the outside of the hamper and Daddy was inside (he got stuck and needed assistance - it was pretty funny!)

Audrey is amazing everyone with her progress. She is pulling up to stand with a lot more ease (and less grunts). She has been pulling up to stand at Mommy and Daddy's bed, Mommy and Daddy's legs, our desk, couch, piano (which is awesome because she's figured out that with a little more reach she can get to the keys), the refrigerator, the cabinets, pretty much everywhere. She has even attempted to pull up to stand in the tub - which makes me really anxious because a little boy (one of her boyfriends, I might add) came to school on Monday with a big shiner on his left eye from a fall in the tub. Poor little guy. She is even cruising more than one or two shuffle steps to the side - she is going around corners, reaching across from the coffee table to the couch. Progressing nicely.

See what I mean?

Pulled herself right up to stand with me...

Daddy and I are three weeks into our Signing Exact English classes. Audrey's hearing specialist who works with her weekly suggested we attend this class to help our communication at home. We are in the beginners class, but it's a lot more detailed than learning basic signs. We're learning how to communicate using signs. Our homework is to learn 5 sentences in sign language using signs from weeks 2 & 3, hand spelling some words, and incorporate numbers. It's very cool and hopefully this will encourage Audrey to communicate.

Seriously!?!?

2010-01-28T23:19:00.007-06:00

It's been over a month since I have posted about Audrey... I knew it had been a while but seriously!?!? A month?

I have been in a funk about everything lately and my poor family has had to go without photos of Audrey Sue for over a month... SHAME ON ME!

Look at this silly face... Why deprive you all of it for over a month?

Let's start off with Christmas - this is like waiting an entire month after Christmas to take the tree down. I feel so ashamed. Audrey had a wonderful Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve at our house with the Hannon family and it snowed the majority of the evening. I have never seen a White Christmas and was thrilled that my first was also Audrey's first! We've had many firsts since then, and I will get to that later on :) Christmas morning was spent at our house, just the three of us and we spent the majority of the morning trying to figure out if we were going to get out to spend the day with our families. It didn't take much convincing to get us out - and by the time we had all the snow and ice was melted, but Daddy drove extra careful because of our precious cargo. Christmas brunch with the Hannon's and we did our Fields/Hannon gift exchange which was a lot of fun. Grandma Dee and Audrey spent a lot of the morning asleep, but fun times were had by all. Christmas Dinner was held at the Agnew's. Our traditional Christmas dinner is homemade spaghetti and meatballs, fettucine alfredo and french bread. My mom started cooking this about 15 years ago and it has been something we look forward to all year long - Audrey thoroughly enjoyed the dinner but was delighted more with my mom's cheesecake.

Audrey loved it when she got toys more than clothes...

Check out that posture - waiting patiently to see what's in her box... but was ready for the next present when she realized it was only clothes.
Mommy was happy with her toys too :)
Daddy was happy with his toys too - he got a surround sound system from Audrey and me.

She loves taking the Mommy and baby out of her car and putting them back in - back and forth they go over and over again.
Does a child live here?

New Year's was spent just the three of us. Audrey stayed up late that evening, made it a little past 7:15. Daddy and Mommy made it to midnight, but barely - we were alseep by 12:05. Things change when you have a baby - staying up late to us means going to bed around 10pm.

I had my first "girl's trip" ever and I have to say even though it was a lot of fun, I probably won't be taking one again. I missed Shawn and Audrey way too much and it's a trip I would have rather shared with Shawn. I went to Las Vegas with some co-workers for one of my co-workers birthday. Things that happened, should probably stay in Vegas, but I will share that I came back $122 richer!!! I put a $5 bill in a penny slot and won!!! I cashed out immediately and probably only gambled about $20 total. The best part of the trip was getting back home to my family.

It's difficult going more than a day without her on my hip.

My parents shared their 30th Wedding Anniversary on January 19th. And, on Saturday my sister and I threw them an Anniversary Party at their home. My sister asked them what their dream wedding would have been like and they listed off several items, ice scuplter, band, fireworks, you get the idea but we had to stay realistic to our budget. My parents were able to give both my sister and I our dream weddings and throwing them a party was the least we could do. They have been excellent examples of what true love is and what kind of marriage we should expect and work towards. I truly believe that my marriage with Shawn will take a lot of hard work, a lot of tears, a lot of laughs and a lot of strength but we will make it to the 30 year mark and be an excellent example for Audrey. Pictures of the party will come soon - we have to pull them off the other camera. Our friends were a big help - Shawn played DJ and Karaoke Jockey, Clint played photographer, Chad and Tim played bartenders, Heather, Jennylind and us played servers for the evening.

Audrey had her first double ear infection which was HORRIBLE! Both ears were draining puss and liquid. She went without her hearing aids for almost two weeks. The day after I returned from Vegas, her left ear was bleeding. A call in to her doctor and we were put on a different antibiotic. We had to make sure both ears were cleaned at all times and we are still putting drops in her ears. Her teacher said you would have never known she had one except for the drainage because she didn't cry at all. That's funny, because the week before we found out she had it she cried through out the night and we blamed it on teething... Now, they seem to be a lot better and Audrey is back to pulling out her hearing aids as soon as I walk in to daycare :)

...it's a wonder how I can even leave this pretty face every day at daycare...

...or even this silly face - she is the silliest of little girls, always trying to make us laugh - She's amazing!!

You can say it... she's the cutest little Princess around... I don't mind hearing it.

And, saving the best for last... Audrey has learned how to pull up to stand. Her therapist is very pleased with her progress and has given us several useful tips on what we can do to get her to cruise more. She stared pulling up to stand when I was away in Vegas and I got to see it for the first time when I got home! It was beautiful. Audrey grunted the entire way through by getting herself up on one knee, using her arm strength to grip onto the table to pull herself up and then stepping forward to stand up straight. Now, a week and half later, Audrey can do it with ease! Her therapist has suggested that we straighten her knee in front of her because Audrey puts her kneed out to the side and also to encourage Audrey to use her right knee as well as her left knee which has been the dominant one. She's taken a couple of baby steps and we are working on encouraging her to cruise.

Isn't she amazing? She pulled herself up next to the piano bench and then took a few steps over to the keyboard.

Santa Claus is in the House!

2009-12-21T18:55:00.006-06:00

Audrey had the ~~pleasure~~ displeasure of seeing Santa twice! Nana and Papa took Audrey and her cousin Madi to see Santa at Bass Pro Shop and the picture of Madi is so sweet, the picture of Audrey is, how shall I say this… not so sweet. She’s not being naughty or nice, she’s clearly uncomfortable. So, was the torture of visiting Santa in the morning enough for Audrey’s parents? Yeah, not so much.

Yesterday, I made homemade chicken noodle soup for us after our visit to Santa’s Village. I knew we would be a little chilly waiting in line to see him and thought it would be the perfect thing to warm our little bellies. Santa’s Village is AWESOME! The city of Richardson creates an incredible winter wonderland for all boys and girls. The main house is Santa’s House and you get to tour his workshop before sitting down with him to take a photo and tell him what you want for Christmas. Then there’s Santa’s Reindeer Shed where you get to sit on a saddle and get your nose stamped, then the kids receive “magic” reindeer food to put on your lawn for Santa’s 8 Reindeers! You could stop by Santa’s Safety Station and receive a good citation from a North Pole Officer. Or, take your card to the Polar Bear Bank ATM machine and redeem you card for a prize from a teller. More stops include an interview at the K-ELF TV Station, help make an ornament at the Ornament Factory, pet puppies and kittens from the Richardson Animal Shelter at Santa’s Pet Shop (Madi’s favorite!), play an instrument at Santa’s Little Symphony, get weighed and measured at Santa’s Beary Good Hospital, watch a Marionette performance at Santa’s City Hall, meet Mrs. Claus and receive a cookie from Mrs. Claus’ Bakery, listen to a book reading at Santa’s Library, send off your letter to Santa at Santa’s Post Office, play firefighter at Santa’s Fire Station, grab a bite to eat at Castle Café, or visit Frosty at Frosty’s House. Last night was the last night Santa’s Village was open and it was PACKED! We waited in line for an hour to see the big guy in the red suit and headed home. Madi got to walk around and enjoy the activities like the pet shop and Mrs. Claus’ Bakery.

My beautiful and darling niece Madeline and Santa Claus

Audrey is so in love with her cousin Madi!! I am so hopeful that they will share a bond like their mother's share.

I dressed Audrey in her PJ's so she could hop into bed as soon as we got home!! Plus, doesn't it seem appropriate that you should see Santa in your Christmas PJ's

We had a lot of fun and it was just the right thing to get us into the Christmas spirit. We are looking forward to seeing what Audrey does with all her presents this year. She enjoys playing with the bows on the presents under our tree at home… so my prediction is she will more interested in the bows on her presents rather than the actual present itself. We don’t know if she was able to share with Santa what she wanted for Christmas so it will be one big surprise for all of us!

We pray you are filled with many blessings this Christmas and that they follow you into the New Year!!

Merry Christmas to all of our Family and Friends!!

I've been tagged?

2009-11-26T19:17:00.002-06:00

One of my blogging friends, Josephine, tagged me as a "True Authentic Mom" and I'm not sure what exactly that means... but here goes my 5 things that make me a true authentic bmabma (as Audrey calls me).

1) As a True Authentic Mom, I inspect my daughter's diapers (NOT thoroughly - just a quick glance) to make sure everything is digesting fine.

2) As a True Authentic Mom, I shield my daughter from coughing children and adults in public (and give them the evil eye when they don't cover their cough).

3) As a True Authentic Mom, I sing The Wheels on the Bus to Audrey every day on the way home from daycare because it makes her smile (I will sing it as many times as necessary to see those dimples)

4) As a True Authentic Mom, I have lost all inhibitions when I am trying to make Audrey laugh. I can dance and twirl wildly around the house, sing horribly, act stupidly without embarrassment.

5) As a True Authentic Mom, I sometimes put off bathtime for 3-4 days.

I now have to tag 5 other True Authentic Moms.
Staci
Brandi
Marla
Jo-Ann
Sarah

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Sick Day

2009-11-20T15:49:00.002-06:00

Audrey had to take a sick day today :(

She woke up with a low-grade fever around 100 and it's been breaking and coming back all day. She woke up at 5:15AM very warm and wouldn't go back to sleep until 8am. She took an almost 2 hour nap this morning, woke up without a fever and took a bottle, she seemed well enough to play a little and then it was like someone turned the light off. She became very irritable and needed another nap about an hour later. She woke up with another fever but was hungry enough to eat a sandwich, but refused her juice. Then it was down for another nap that lasted 45 minutes. Up with a fever and ate a snack and drank some juice. Played a little and then the light went back off - she's down for her 4th nap today.

Poor baby. She doesn't want me to hold her, but then she does. She's happy one minute and then she's sad.

Why is she sick? Oh I don't know. She got her flu shot about 2 weeks ago, we opted to not do the H1N1 vaccine. I'm thinking it's either an ear infection or she's teething. If she's sick throughout the weekend, we'll obviously take her in to see Dr. Porter on Monday. We just need to keep the fluids up and keep a close eye on her.

She did come home with a goose egg on her forehead yesterday from daycare. And, she screams at me when I swipe her temporal thermometer across her forehead. Now that she's mobile, that won't be the last goose egg.

Someone needs her Mommy - got to go.

One Step Closer

2009-11-18T18:53:00.005-06:00

That's right, we are one step... or a couple of steps closer to seeing Audrey walk.

I think she's on her way to being a dancer - look at that high kick!!

Oh... and we're one step closer to her turning out just like her father... we discovered that she enjoys chili dogs (baby proofed, of course). We mushed and mushed half of a Hebrew National hot dog so that she could eat with ease, sprinkled some shredded cheese, hot dog bun and some chili (not a lot, very little actually because she is like her father). And, then it was followed by some gas drops.

18 Month Check-Up

2009-11-11T19:44:00.004-06:00

Audrey had her 18 Month Check-up today (one day before her actual year and half birthday). She is starting to getting a little anxiety at the doctor's office, which our favorite Dr. Porter said was normal. He also said that at her 2 year check-up, she should be a little more social and tolerant. But at any rate - he was very pleased with everything she is doing and where she's at.
So, here are her stats:

Weight: 25 lbs 14 oz and 73%
Height: 30 1/2 inches and 20% (she's going to be petite like her Mommy)
Head Circumference: 19 1/2 inches and 99% (I asked them to check since her sutures are still open and it hasn't changed since she was 1!)

I've been reluctant to give Audrey eggs, peanut butter and orange juice because I've been worried about food allergies. He said it was fine - so it looks like Audrey might have her first peanut butter sandwich for lunch on Saturday. Something tells me that this will be one of her favorites (like her Mommy) just like the ole grilled cheese sandwich. And, her Papa has already promised Audrey that he will make her eggs and french toast the next time she stays the night.

Audrey loves bathtime more than anything right now!

You can't hear what she is saying here, but she is say "HI"

Blowing Raspberries

Splish Splash, I was taking a bath!

More?

Audrey wants a kiss...

Would you like to see a funny video of Audrey?

Where's Audrey?

2009-11-04T19:07:00.004-06:00

Well... she's EVERYWHERE!!!!

And, here's Audrey playing with Daddy!

And... a few Halloween photos of Audrey Sue and Family.

I made Audrey's costume this year - she was an Octopus. She ripped off one of her legs as soon as I tried it on her... But kept them all on when we went trick-or-treating with the family.

She would not let anyone hold her but Daddy and refused to get in her wagon that her cousin Madi helped decorate with Nana. And, Shawn was dressed up as a 70's Detective.

I think this picture is hilarious because she HATED my beard and would not look at me, talk to me or even let me hold her. (I don't even care that I'm making a weird face - this is pretty funny, plus I was feeling like crud at this point) And, I went as Willie Nelson.

Aunt Staci as a Sexy Kitty Cat and Cousin Madi as a Beautiful Mermaid (she wanted to coordinate with Audrey).

The Under The Sea Wagon

Audrey has the best cousin in the world!! Aren't they cute together?

Trick or Treat!

All-in-all, our first Trick-or-Treating was as successful as it could be. Next year maybe we will see her walking door-to-door. I'd say that the amount of love she receives from EVERYONE makes up for the lack of candy we received. :_

Keeping Us Busy

2009-11-03T19:55:00.003-06:00

This last week and half has been insanely busy for us. I haven't had any time to check facebook, blogger, email - it's been insane. Sunday, October 25, I woke up in the very EARLY morning to some abdominal pain. I shrugged it off as gas and tried to lay on my stomach for some relief. I rocked on my tummy hoping that would relieve some of the pain but it only got worse. I got up to see if I needed to use the restroom and to take some tums - that wasn't helping. I walked around the house for about 15 minutes to see if I could work something out and the pain only intensified. Finally, I climbed into bed and woke Shawn up telling him I was in the worst pain of my life. I told him I thought that he should take me to the emergency room and he said he would. He got up, got dressed, called Clint and Heather (they live 2 blocks away from us), I put on my shoes, Shawn then helped me climb into the backseat and then waited for Clint and Heather to arrive. I found out later that Heather and Clint came in through the garage and they could hear me moaning in pain. Shawn drove way above the speed limit to the hospital which was less than 1 mile away from our home. When we walked in, no one was there to greet us and that made Shawn very nervous. He was looking all around for someone and loudly pronouncing that we were there. Then someone came out of the back and took me to triage. While the nurse was getting my vitals he asked me where the pain was, I told him and he said it sounded like it was my gallbladder. They gave me an IV and some morphine and the pain was gone :) We waited for about 2 1/2 hours for Radiology to come get me for my sonogram. It turns out it was my gallbladder causing all the pain and I have a polyp on my gallbladder. I saw a surgeon this past Thursday and he wants to run a certain type of test to see how my gallbladder is functioning. If it is contracting sporadically then he will most likely want to remove it, if it's functioning okay, we will just continue to monitor the polyp. If the polyp grows any bigger over the next 6 months, he will remove my gallbladder. So... it's not looking so good for the ole gallbladder. That part of me maybe gone over the next couple of months.

We've also been busy making Audrey's costume and putting my little getup together, Shawn was busy getting our Karaoke song list together and putting his books together, we were busy planning our adult Halloween party that we co-host with our friends Clint & Heather, and Tim & Jennylind. Work has been extremely busy. Friday night Shawn and I took turns helping the C&H and T&J setting everything up for the big shebang. Saturday morning (Shawn's morning to sleep in), I woke up feeling great and was really excited about what the night had in store. But, around 8:30AM, something fierce came over me and knocked me out. I was so relieved that Audrey was happy to go down for a short morning nap. When she woke up, Shawn got up with her and let me nap a little bit longer. He woke me up at about 10 am and that's when it got worse for me. We did our chores around the house - me not doing much because I was nauseated and had a couple bouts of dry heaving. I thought it was my gallbladder but something happened that made me think otherwise. Around 9:30, something fierce caught Shawn while at the party. We began the Karaoke part of the party, which was Shawn's contribution but he was not feeling up to working the laptop and organizing everyone's requests so he asked Tim if he would mind working the Karaoke. I took Shawn home and Tim did an excellent job running things on the laptop and the microphone. I had to get back to the party because Shawn wanted me to bring the laptop home that night - so it was a long night for me. I enjoyed my time with friends and got home around 2am.

Sunday, Shawn still wasn't feeling 100% and to tell you the truth, I was not feeling 100% either. I had to go to a client event that night. I wore a beautiful black polished cotton dress, and borrowed a aqua wrap from Heather - it matched my earrings. I met several of our clients which was very nice placing faces with the voices that I speak to almost daily. Then I volunteered my time at the client's golf tournament.

I have been so out of touch with everyone and I do apologize to my family and friends. Everything's all good especially because it only took Audrey one week to go from army crawling to Hands and Knees Crawling. I have video of this and will post tomorrow night along with photos of her Trick-or-Treating with her cousin Madi. But for now, I must say goodnight and try to catch up on some sleep.

We're Making Progress!

2009-10-22T19:26:00.004-05:00

There are times when we have a lull moment in Audrey's development. It's usually a discouraging time for me because I don't know why she doesn't want to do the things she can do. However, we are not in one of those times now... we are very much in a momentum moment (tongue twister). She is just thriving... and I think it's because she finally crossed her midline when she learned to clap!! See... those cross crawl exercises were working!

And now for some proof...

Clapping because she knows she's happy!

Audrey is a good helper in the kitchen. This was taken last Saturday when I spent the majority of the afternoon in the kitchen baking my grandmother's whole wheat rolls. She sat in her high chair playing and eating animal crackers for a good 30 minutes - I was impressed!

Eating Mommy's Spaghetti - she couldn't get enough and was even taking it from my plate too! She's showing signs of independence by wanting to feed herself!

The two videos below should bring a big smile to your face. The first video is of Audrey playing patty cake and I apologize beforehand for not knowing the nursery rhyme - I need a good tutorial on all nursery rhymes. The second video is of Audrey army crawling - YES! You read that right ARMY CRAWLING!?!?!?!?!?!?! She's amazes me every day - even in our lull moments of development. Gosh, she just fills my heart with more joy than I think my heart can take.

Happy Birthday Uncle Kevin!

2009-10-20T19:49:00.003-05:00

Twenty-seven years ago today God gave me the best brother in the world. My parents were quite surprised when they found out they were having a 3rd child only 18 months after having twins. The three of us were very close siblings. Yes, we had our share of fights but we laughed a heck of a lot more! I was very fortunate to have a brother that was always there for me. And, I'm even luckier that my daughter's Uncle Kevin will live in her heart forever and will always be watching over her.

My brother was a happy boy, always smiling and laughing. I see a lot of my brother in Audrey. Her smile is similar to his - from ear to ear. When my brother was a teenager, my sister and I would pester him about girlfriends and crushes... but he always knew where to turn if he needed some good advice on girls. As an adult, my brother was a lot more mature than my sister and I. He knew what his priorities were way before we ever did - he knew God came first, family second and everything else falls beneath the two. He inspired me to live a better life and to live it for God, to consider everything in my life a blessing even when others may see as a burden.

My brother was on this earth for almost 20 years, passing away very suddenly 9 days before his birthday. He lived a wonderful and fulfilling life for God and his family.

Happy Birthday Kevin - Love you!! I wish I could have some oreo cake for you but Shawn's watching his cholesterol... maybe that's something the parents will enjoy this fine evening.

If You're Happy and You Know It...

2009-10-12T20:25:00.002-05:00

Clap those hands!!

*Clap! Clap! Clap!*

We have been working so hard these last several months trying to teach Audrey how to clap. When we would try to play "Patty Cake" with her by clapping her hands for her, Audrey would pull her shoulders back and pull her hands out of ours'.

Recently she began clapping our hands for us. She would take our hands in her's and move them back and forth. When she would stop moving them, then "Patty Cake" would stop. She was getting very good at knowing when it was time to roll the dough and throw it in the oven for Baby Audrey.

But, I am VERY PROUD to say that she can now clap on her own. Last night I was playing "Patty Cake" with her, guiding her hands to clap by grabbing her elbows. She wasn't pulling away so we continued one or two more times this way. Then she signed "more" by slapping one of her hands to her knees (that was the sign we made up for "more") and I told her to clap her hands. She did it! She moved both of her OPEN hands together and they touched! She did it again, and then I asked her to do it again. And, she missed and got the cutest confused expression on her face. It said "Hey... they're supposed to touch"

Tonight, while I was preparing our dinner, I gave Shawn some french bread to snack on and Audrey started moving those lips which is always a good indication that she would be delighted to take a bite if it was offered. She wasn't too satisfied with just one bite and Shawn asked her if she wanted more... so she signed "more" but she signed the correct way! It was similar to her clapping but it was definitely her saying "more"!!

I live for these Proud Momma Moments! Two very PMM in less than 24 hours!?!?! I am the luckiest Momma in the world!

Like Mother Like Daughter

2009-10-09T20:38:00.003-05:00

Who knows if her taste for food comes after my pregnant cravings or what... But she is definitely leaning towards my taste.

Food I couldn't get enough of when I was pregnant:

Macaroni and Cheese
Graham Crackers
Cheez-Its
Bananas
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Mashed Potatoes
Tortelline/Ravioli
Spaghetti
French Fries
Chick-Fil-A Grilled Chicken Sandwiches
Anything at all Sweet

Foods we have discovered that Audrey loves (just as much):

Macaroni and Cheese
Graham Crackers
Cheez-Its
Bananas
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Mashed Potatoes
Ravioli
Pasta in Tomato Sauce
Anything at all Sweet

This little princess is a girl after my own heart and she sends me over the moon every time we discover a new food interest!

Looooong Post

2009-10-04T14:27:00.004-05:00

I have so much to fill you in on that it's not even funny.

Two weeks ago, we had our first ER visit. Friday, 09/18, Audrey woke up with a fever 100.3 (probably higher but our Temporal Thermometer is ridiculous) and Daddy stayed home with her. I made her an appointment to see the doctor that day, but the earliest they could see me was 5pm. But, soon after I spoke to the nurse she didn't feel like it was necessary for us to come in... And, then around 2:30 Shawn called me at work and insisted I get home ASAP. I called the doctor again and got in to see them at 6:45PM (on a Friday, by the way). Got home to find vomit all over the living room floor and Shawn rocking a almost naked Audrey in her room. Her fever got up to 102 and she was very uncomfortable. Audrey gave the doctor a lot of attitude and screamed at him every time he touched her. Her ears were clear, her chest was clear, throat normal... no reason for such a high fever... except her shunt maybe? So, he sent us to the emergency room, we got right in after 20 minutes. And, Audrey gave them a piece of her mind - they drew blood, attempted 3 times to get a urine sample by administering a catheter. That's when Momma stepped out of the room because I couldn't take it. When I walked back in the room I could tell that she had peed on the ER Doctor - Audrey 1 Doctor 0. So, once they were finished and out of the room, Audrey collapsed out of exhaustion and fell asleep in my arms. She wouldn't let us put her down on the bed so Daddy and I had to take shifts holding and rocking her. The tests all came back negative - even a flu test. After speaking to Neurology, they didn't feel like it was her shunt and that it was only a Viral Syndrome and sent us home.
She had a fever all weekend long, Monday rolled around and still feverish, Tuesday rolled around (about 4am when Audrey was ready to wake up) and I found red spots ALL over her belly. Tuesday was the beginning of our vacation and about this time we were 95% sure we weren't going on our trip. We got Audrey in to see the doctor at 9:40am... Doc came in and took 2 looks at Audrey and said she had Roseola. He said once the fever tapers off, the viral infection causes a rash and then is non-contagious. He gave us the green light that she could go to daycare the following day, which gave Mommy and Daddy the green light to leave on their little getaway 3 hours away.
The following day we left for the Inn Above Onion Creek - had a wonderful time and Friday before we headed back to the big D - we stopped in Wimberly, Tx and did the Wimberly Zipline Adventure. It was AWESOME!!!
Last week, Audrey was in a mood. She refused to eat, drooled like crazy, cried uncontrollably, refused all bottles except her morning bottles. On Tuesday, Shawn and I were this close () to taking her to the emergency room for dehydration. She only took 10 oz of milk that day, refused her lunch and dinner, and had some massive blowouts - two wardrobe changes at daycare. She had big dark circles under her eyes when I picked her up and even her teacher said she was acting a little different and she was worried about her. So... I took those concerns home, we watched her carefully and attempted to give her milk, juice, pedialyte, water and all were refused by Audrey. She hadn't had a wet diaper since 1pm that day at daycare and a blowout at 4:00 - At 7pm she was wearing the same diaper she came home in and it was BONE dry. We decided to let her go to sleep at 7pm. At 8:30, Shawn suggested we go to bed because he was thinking it was going to be a long night. I laid in bed until 9pm worried sick about Audrey so I called the Pedi's emergency nurse's line. The nurse said that she may have a virus and I told her she just got over Roseola, she suggested I try to give her more fluids, but not juice because that can make diarrhea worse, and not milk, and not pedialyte because some babies find it too salty tasting. She suggested that if we had Gatorade, we should try to give her diluted Gatorade... so that's what I did. We drink grape G2 - I mixed 2 oz of G2 and 2 oz of water with half strength thickening gel. I picked her up out of bed, she took the fluids while sleeping and then I put her back in bed. I set my alarm for 1am to check on her -but woke up an hour early. I was relieved to find that her diaper was a little squishy :) And, even squishier in the morning!
So, the rest of the week sort of went the same way and she started to eat and drink a little more each day. By Saturday, she was BACK!
Why she was suffering through this, we have absolutely no idea. We are leaning towards teething... and yet they haven't popped through so maybe they're on break?

And Lastly...

Audrey had her annual evaluation with ECI. They are pleased with her progress and gave us the ultimate compliment - She's the happiest baby they have seen.
Here's the breakdown:
Social Development: 16 Months - RIGHT ON TARGET!!!
Cognitive Development: 13 Months - Only 3 months behind!?!?! That's not bad at all - but to us she's a genius because really whose first word in sign language is "Penguin"? Only a genius, right? Audrey's a thinker, she contemplates everything!
Physical Development: 10 Months - 6 Months behind which of course could be due to her 3 different serial castings that totaled 6 Months of her life and then 6 months of Full-time bracing. So, she spent a full year of life without the ability to learn what her legs can do. She's had 4 months to figure out what she can do and she can get up on her hands and knees, she can stand against furniture for almost a full minute, she knows how to bounce in her jumper, she knows where her feet are, she kicks and kicks her legs.

Our goals for the next 6 months are to have her drinking from a sippy cup, feeding herself independently, we know she'll be crawling but we want to get her to walk around furniture, and to continue to work on her vocabulary.

Tomorrow, Audrey's Nana will be having surgery to remove a herniated disk in her neck. She has been suffering for almost an entire month and will finally have some relief in less than 24 hours. It's hard to see my Mom in so much pain. And, you know it's painful when my Mom is hurting because this woman is STRONG. She had my twin sister and I withOUT any pain blocking medication. She pushed out one baby, then 13 minutes later she still had enough strength to push me out and I was the bigger twin. She's an awesome woman and I thank God that He will be there tomorrow guiding the surgeon's hands to remove all my Mom's pain and He'll be there giving my Dad some strength and relief in the waiting room. Please pray that the surgery goes well and my Mom finds some comfort afterwards.

The Inn Above Onion Creek

2009-09-24T15:14:00.004-05:00

Shawn and I thought a little getaway would do wonders for us. We felt that it would benefit our marriage to go away for a few days and reconnect. We've been together for almost 9 years, married for 2 and a half years and we became a family of three 16 months ago. Transitioning into three was easy and we have loved every moment with Audrey... but it's nice to have three days of isolation with just each other.

I hope I don't sound selfish by needing to getaway. I think all too often when a couple has a baby the energy and focus of the wife is directed primarily on the baby and the husband gets shoved out of focus. And, in our little picture that we've created, we've both focused all of our attention and needs to Audrey and her special needs. These few days have given Shawn and I a chance to reconnect and find love again - even though that sounds awfully cheesy. Let me clarify by saying we weren't falling out of love and we have a very healthy marriage but I do think we pressed pause on giving each other attention. And, I think this little retreat will make us even stronger and a better team at home.

We have two shared porches and they face East and West. The porch above that Shawn is playing on is facing West. I'm sure if we weren't having rain we could take in a couple of beautiful sunsets. I must say though, there's something about a cool and rainy day that is very relaxing and peaceful. It's nice to sit and rock on the porch with Shawn playing the guitar and watching the rain. Music is a huge part of Shawn's life and he almost didn't bring his guitar but I told him that he was... just for this reason. He's a very antsy person and always must be doing something - I'm the COMPLETE opposite. I'm very content with doing absolutely nothing. So, we compromise - I do nothing besides listen to my talented husband play his heart out on the guitar.

See what I mean? Doing nothing is what I do best! My intentions for this trip were to laugh as much as possible with Shawn, which he knows exactly how to make me laugh (or kackle as other's would call it), to relax as much as possible and to hold my man's hand as much as possible. It's hard to hold Shawn's hand when I have a baby on my hip.

And, finally, a small video of the Inn Above Onion Creek... enjoy!!

You've Been Warned:

2009-09-09T19:18:00.012-05:00

Careful! The eyes of Audrey Sue have been known to hypnotize the masses. Once you're under her spell, you'll live your entire life with her in your heart. ;)

Audrey loves her Daddy so much she forces him to kiss her!
It's the sweetest and most adorable thing ever!!

Would you believe me if I told you that Audrey is a Momma's girl right now?

True Love!

Who sees Staci Agnew in this photo?

She had a Naked Baby Day on Labor Day - She was in just her diaper the majority of the day.

She's getting there...

My little beauty

I love all the colors in this photo - especially her eyes.

Our big girl trying to stand up!

With just a little help from Daddy - She's up!

Shawn's love of music is reflecting on Audrey!

Proud Momma Moment #1,287

2009-08-26T20:18:00.004-05:00

We have seen tremendous improvements with Audrey in the last three weeks and I have several videos but will have to post tomorrow night (it will give me an excuse to not clean for my girl's night Saturday night). But, I couldn't wait to share what we've been doing for her.

It's called Cross-Crawl and babies begin life with a 'homo-lateral' pattern whereby the right side of the brain governs the right side of the body and the left hemisphere the left side. The idea of Cross-Crawl is to get both hemispheres to communicate with each other. This link will give you a good idea of what we're doing (scroll towards the bottom X-Crawl). I contacted the lady who runs "Happiness Pages" and told her that we've seen a lot of improvement and asked her for other Cross-Crawl games/exercises. I've been making Audrey touch each cheek, shoulder, knee, elbow and all seem to be really helping her.

I do it every night when she comes home from daycare and when we have diaper changes. Shawn has even taken it up when we plays with her. Audrey loves these exercises and now will grab her foot when I pull it up to her mid-section.

She can now get on her hands and knees with her belly off the ground. In the last two days she has put one hand forward and when she tries to go forward - down she goes. She will push herself backwards (in circles around the living room) to get where she wants to go. She's a pro at sitting up by herself, even when she's laying on her belly. And, tonight I asked her to show me "food" in sign-language and she did it!!!

I know that her therapists are working so hard and all of their hard work has gotten us to this point, but I also truly believe that it's with the extra help from our Cross-Crawl exercises. I don't know why I wasn't doing this to begin with.

That's it... that's enough of my Proud Momma Moments :)

WANTED!

2009-08-21T21:58:00.002-05:00

The Right Sippy Cup:

We're on a quest to find the perfect sippy cup for Audrey Sue.

So far, we have attempted to give her three different types of sippy cups.

We've tried the Nubi:
She likes to chew on the spout, which is fine (for now) but it's big and bulky and she can't seem to hold the wide bottle up for her to drink.

We've tried the Nuk:
And, this one we actually may want to try it out again but the nipple/spout part comes out of the bottle so easily which would result in huge messy spills.

Our last attempt was the Avent Sippy Cup (and we're still working on this one):
She may do okay with this and the handles will help her pick it up one handed and then pull up to her mouth.

However, since we have to thicken her liquids it seems like it takes a lot of effort for a small amount of liquid to come out. Hopefully once we complete her round of VitalStim Therapy, it will help her take liquids easier and she can get the hang of these sippy cups. But for now... we're going to keep putting them in front of her to play with, chew on, suck on as much as possible.

She's about 3 weeks from being completely on whole milk because we're adding 1 oz every week to her bottles. We started adding 1oz every 3 days but I don't think that was enough time to let her tummy adjust because she had the most horrible diarrhea and diaper rash. Now, that we've slowed down the increase - it's all adjusting just fine.

Who knew that Audrey would be good at adjusting to casts, then braces, then casts, then braces then back to casts and then back to braces; she'd be good at adjusting to hearing aids; she'd be good at adjusting to VitalStim (only after one session - fingers crossed it stays that way), But my crystal ball predicts it's going to be hard weaning her off the bottle...

If you have any suggestions/advice, I would love to hear it :)

I Like to Eat

2009-08-18T20:35:00.004-05:00

That's my girl!

Audrey loves to make a liar out of me. Anytime, I try to show someone a new thing she is doing, she doesn't do it. When I try to get her to say something, she doesn't. When I tell someone, a teacher, a therapist, a family member of concerns, she does something to change the concern. Audrey had a Barium Swallow study done in February and it came back that she had laryngeal penetration with some aspiration, we had a follow-up done in late June and it came back with similar results. So, we were advised to get her in for VitalStem Therapy and she needed it three times a week for six weeks. The VitalStem is supposed to build her laryngeal muscles and help her stop aspirating as well as help her get solids down her throat. Well, it has taken me since the end of June to work everything out with this therapy group called Therapy 2000. They are one of the only in-home therapy groups who are licensed to do VitalStem Therapy for children in our area. If we didn't have this group available, we'd have to go to the hospital. And, unfortunately that is not something I believe I could work out with my company. Anyway, so it has taken me several weeks to start this process and get our insurance company to approve these sessions... Tomorrow we have our initial evaluation with a speech therapist licensed in VitalStem Therapy. We shall see how it goes.

...but, guess why Audrey's making a liar out of me. She ate some pasta at her daycare yesterday - some non-pureed pasta. She's eating more and more puffed rice cereal, yogurt melts, graham crackers, you know... anything. Tonight, I ate some Mac 'N Cheese for din-din and gave her about 5 bites and she got them down no problem. She has been feeding herself more too.

Shawn gets a little freaked out when Audrey's messy like this :-)
He's a bit of a clean freak! Not me though, I say bring on the mess!

You know, I wonder if I said that she can't crawl then maybe she'll say to herself "Oh Whatever Mom, watch this..." and then she'll be all over the place.

Today, I left work early to take her to the pediatrician's office. Her right ear has been draining for a couple of days and the ear drops we've been using hasn't stopped it. I felt like she had an ear infection and if the drops hadn't stopped the fluid, I was thinking oral antibiotic should. Also, she's been pulling out her right hearing aid a lot too. She's a little stinker! At the doc's office, we were playing in the room just the two of us and she was having a great time. But, when Dr. Porter stepped into that office, she got really quiet and reach up for me very quickly. He attempted to check her lungs but she kept pushing the stethoscope away from her chest and then she pushed out that bottom lip as far as she could and started crying. She is really starting to get a little nervous around strangers. When we were leaving, she did say "bubye" to the nurse and receptionists. All three of them were really surprised to hear her repeat "bubye" - Proud Momma Moment for me!!

Audrey and her PT Lori - She is stretching her side muscles.

She's eating her braces - anything and everything goes into her mouth
right now because she is teething.

Yes, that is a Jonas Brothers t-shirt. No, Audrey is not a fan,
but my 7-year-old niece Madi is and she wore this shirt about 5 months ago.

You can't tell it, but Audrey is playing her new favorite game
which is to trick us into thinking she's about to fall backward and
then she catches herself... it's pretty funny!

Been a Long Time Gone...

2009-08-05T19:40:00.006-05:00

Pretty Cute, eh?

I have severely neglected Audrey's blog for over two weeks. Audrey's been keeping us very busy - in a good way!

This 2nd year of life has started out very quietly. Which is significantly different than the beginning of Audrey's life. I am truly blessed that the doctor's visits have slowed down. And, when I say slowed down I'm talking about once a month!!! God has answered so many of our prayers and given us the gift of a happy, beautiful, different, sweet baby. She's so unlike every baby that I see on a daily basis, and I'm so proud of that. It's funny how happy I get when I see her learn something new or babble to me on the car ride home. Nothing in this world could make me as happy as I am sitting on the floor playing with my Audrey Sue.

She makes you happy too, doesn't she?

So, the more she wears her hearing aids, which is full-time, the more she talks and the more active she gets. Was that her missing component to getting her where she needs to be? She has been more playful with us, laughs all the time and making so many different noises. When she's sitting, she pushes herself over onto her knees to grab something out of reach. If we are sitting on the floor beside her, she pushes herself up onto her knees to lean on us and reaches up to be picked up. She's rolling all over the place, sitting 100% independently, eating more and more solids, learning to self-feed yogurt melts and rice puffs. We started to slowly introduce whole milk to her this week and like everything else she's adjusting to it well.

See what I mean about getting mobile?

Yogurt melts are her favorite and Cheddar Corn Puffs, too!

Although, she's throwing us for a loop on this one. Our awesome sleeper has been fighting sleep at least once a week. We attempt the cry-it-out method which usually lasts for about 5-10 minutes. But, on one occasion we broke our cardinal rule and she fell asleep in our bed. Shawn made no attempt to give Audrey some room so I had to fall asleep literally on the edge of the bed... any slight movement and I would have been on the floor. An hour after the three of us had fallen asleep, I woke up to carry her to bed - and then she slept until 8am the next morning. I love the idea of co-sleeping and if we had a bigger bed, it might have been done in our house. It would have actually probably been easy for us to transition Audrey from co-sleeping to her own bed because she does so well at adjusting to new things, our next child may be different.
Speaking of next child... No, I am not pregnant but Shawn and I have decided that when Audrey is 3 or 4 we will begin the process of trying for another baby. We need to wait-and-see (scariest term when it's used medically) where Audrey's at in her development and where we are financially with Audrey's medical expenses and everything else. Once we have our green light, then that's when we'll sit down with a genetic counselor and my ob to make sure we're good to go. So... I'm sorry grandparents, aunts and uncles that new baby smell won't be around for a few more years. We'll let you spend time (watch) Audrey as much as possible though to make up for it.

What is it about cell phones and remotes that attract Audrey?

I have an awesome video of Audrey pushing herself up into a sitting position while laying on her back, but it's 169MB so I need to figure out how to load it or do something. Hopefully I'll be able to post again in less than 2 weeks.

Keep it Down Now... Voices Carry

2009-07-16T21:10:00.005-05:00

Today, Shawn took Audrey to have her hearing aids fitted. She woke for the day screaming and crying which made us very concerned with how well she was going to do when the audiologist attempted to put her hearing aids in. Shawn said she fought them, then she fought him when he was learning how to put them in and then she finally gave up and let the audiologist put them in. She was pooped by the time Shawn got home and he took them out to lay her down for a nap.

Audrey spent the day with Aunt Staci today because I was worried she was coming down with something... turns out she just needed some Aunt Staci time. Last night, Audrey screamed and cried uncontrollably. She would arch her back and push her bottom off the floor and then slam herself down on the ground. It scared Shawn and I, so we went through the events of that evening. She came home from daycare and seemed hungry... so I fed her some Broccoli, Carrots and Cheese (Stage 3!!! She's getting better at taking solids!) Ah HA! Eureka that was it... Broccoli + Cheese = bunches and bunches of gas... Poor baby had a tummy ache. She barely slept all night long and we were up for a good hour and a half with her. And... then she slept until 6:45 when she awoke screaming and crying uncontrollably. So, the theory still remains that it was what she ate and we're to believe it's too early to introduce Broccoli.

When I got home from work today, I had my first go at putting her hearing aids in. We opted to leave them out with Aunt Staci and to make sure Audrey was feeling well. Well, I was successful in my first attempt (but I had Shawn distracting Audrey). She kept them in from 5:45pm until 7pm. She would try to grab at them but a gentle push of her hand and a little "no-no" would stop her. Tomorrow will be interesting to see how she handles them at daycare and how her teachers handle them.

Check them out!

Once they were in... it was pretty cool to see her look all around and try to locate the source of what she was hearing...

I was afraid her left would be the one harder to fit, but it sits flush against her head.

You can see in this photo that her right is kind of loose and when I put my ear close to her ear I thought I could hear some feedback... maybe I'm doing something wrong.

Ready... Set... GO!!!!

2009-07-12T18:00:00.013-05:00

Our sweet Audrey Sue is keeping us extremely busy these days. She is out of her braces for 9 hours a day from 11am to 8pm. Since we were ordered to triple her free time, she has been amazing us!!! Why don't you take a look for yourself...

Bearing all her weight on her legs!! Daddy's hands are there to catch her though.

The cube she has in front of her is one of her favorite toys. She turns it to the side she wants to play with... And, she's learning to catch herself when she's falling to the side!!!

More weight bearing on her legs before bath time... She knows what 1,2,3 UP is now, too!

And... she's starting to turn on from side-to-side on her bottom. Her left leg stays in this position though... not sure how to break her out of this habit.

Audrey is wanting to take her bottles on her own now and she has been doing this for awhile... but I just wanted to post this picture because it was after bath time and we had combed her hair straight... she looks so much older!

And, here we are free as a bird!! Day that we saw Dr. Lund and he told us to leave his office without her shoes on and not to put them on until she goes to bed!!!

Thursday, July 16th Audrey is getting her first set of hearing aids. We're curious to see how quickly she adjusts to them... if there's one thing Audrey is good at, it's adjustments!!

She is saying Baba all the time now... we're even getting "Hi's", although I don't really know if she is meaning to say hello. And!!! the best for last... my sister and I were coming home from a baby shower on Saturday and Audrey said MAMA!!!! It was awesome... she hasn't said it since but I know she can do it!

Her teacher, Miss Alice (we LOVE Miss Alice) said that she is teaching her to wave and Audrey has done it a couple of times.

Oh and we had a very, very sad in-home therapy session last Thursday. Amy, Audrey's ECI coordinator/Interventionist saw her for the last time :( She wanted to take Audrey home with her but I wouldn't let her. Amy has done an incredible job with Audrey over the last 7 months. She has kept me very informed of different resources that we have available for Audrey. We saw tremendous progress after Audrey's shunt was put in, but with Amy's little pushes during her weekly visits, Audrey was able to progress a lot quicker. We are going to miss Amy so much!!! And... when we get off the CLASS waiting list, maybe Amy can be Audrey's therapist again!!! *we're working on it Amy, I promise!!!

Grandma Sue - I hope this post is a sweet homecoming for you from the hospital and seeing photos and video of Audrey Sue helps you make a speedy recovery. We're so thankful that the procedure was successful and you're home!! We love you!!!

Below are videos of Audrey that we've taken over the last month.

Audrey pivoting in a complete circle on the floor. She's really starting to build up her arm strength and she's pushing up off the floor so much!!
This is going to AMAZE you - Audrey's playing the piano!!
Audrey's Daddy playing piano and you can see in the video how much she adores her Daddy.

Girl, You have no faith in Medicine...

2009-06-23T18:46:00.003-05:00

So not true, but this post is all about doctors... and their "magic".

Audrey has had 2 doctors appointments this week - I'm predicting a busy summer.

Yesterday we saw her Pulmonologist and I voiced a few concerns because Audrey has had this nasty little cough for over a week and half. We though maybe she was showing signs of allergies to animals because we dogsitted Audrey's uncle's dog. Audrey's uncle would prefer me to say "cousin" but I just can't force myself to say it - he'll change his mind one day when he has a baby. Anyway, we watched Orsen Welles, who did wonderful around Audrey. He was curious of her, she was curious of him and watched him run around everywhere, but we tried to keep the two apart after the second day. Previous to watching Orsen, we spent Wednesday evening at our friends for dinner, they have a cat and dog. The following morning, her cough started. Friday night, she stayed the night with her grandparents, they have a dog and cat. Her cough continued. Saturday we spent the majority of our night at her other grandparents - they have a dog and that night was the beginning of our dogsitting term. Sunday we started her on her breathing treatments of Xopenex and Pulmicort twice a day and we've been doing it since... Not only did she have a cough, but her nose was runny, she was sneezing and she had purple tinted circles under her eyes - I researched and it said those are possible signs of allergies in little ones. So, this is what I brought up with the Pulmo Guy and he said it was very possible... He checked her lungs because she was wheezy and rattly sounding, but said she checked out fine. He sent me home with long list of instructions to help her ashmatic symptoms. Continue doing Xopenex every 4-6 hours, he increased her Pulmicort dosage and that's twice a day. If she doesn't seem to get better, we put her on Orvapred (an oral steroid) and then he said we should try Zyrtec rather than Claritin for her allergy symptoms... I'm checking with her Pedi on that one though.

Today, we had our hearing aid discussions with Callier Center at UTD. We met with an audiologist, she immediately took impressions of Audrey's ears. Audrey tolerated that better than I thought she would. We sat there for 5 minutes, Audrey and I talked to each other while the putty hardened. The audiologist came back with a couple of hearing aid models for me to choose from. Audrey will be sporting a pair of Phonak Nios micro. We found out that Aetna doesn't really contribute a whole lot towards hearing aids - they will give us up to $1000 for 3 years. I'm not one to discuss finances on here, but we were hoping our insurance would cover a little bit more than that... But, that's what we have a savings account for, right?
Here's what they will look like, of course in Pink:
The ear molds will be a pink and clear glittery swirl - at no extra charge. We will get them in about 3 weeks. They will do a fitting and then some hearing tests... and then we'll be on our way to learning language!!! We will need to go back once a month so they can make sure everything is working properly. I'm sure Audrey will adjust to them very well!!

Okay, I've got more to add but I can hear in the next room that Audrey's ready for her bath. Until next time.

What'd You Say?

2009-06-14T17:48:00.004-05:00

You heard that correctly... She said "GAGA" like "DADA". She is babbling more and more each day. And, hopefully when she gets her hearing aids she will want to babble even more!

I know it's been two weeks since I last posted and I'm really sorry for not posting updates on the happenings of Audrey... but today is not going to be an update either.

Below, I've attached another video of sounds that make our lives worth living.

Serious Time...

2009-05-25T21:40:00.005-05:00

Funny Girl!

We have had a lot on our mind lately... Are you ready to hear this?

1) Scottish Rite may not be the best fit for Audrey. I emailed Dr. Lund about a month ago to ask for his thoughts on the removal of Audrey's extra toes. He confirmed what I was worried about and told me that removing Audrey's strongest toe (the 1st big toe) would not only create difficulties in learning to walk but it would cause her to develop calluses under her big toe and toes 2-5 would develop hammertoe in about 20 years causing her to have pain and future surgeries to correct them. Dr. Lund also told us that she should not even be considered for ATTT surgery until she's 3.5 or older because some children's feet can improve after they've walked on them for a couple of years. And, he said he doesn't feel like Audrey would even be a candidate in 2 years... Hearing this was a big blow because we were so hopeful for Scottish Rite. So many people have benefited from their doctors and services, we hoped we'd be that fortunate. Shawn and I have toyed with the idea of pushing back to Scottish Rite and suggesting we find a different solution for Audrey - one that Dr. Lund would do... but I feel staying under Dr. Lund's care would be best for Audrey. He's not afraid to voice his concerns with his approach to her treatment and if something's not working, he helps us find different solutions. So, that's where we're at with her feet...

2) Audrey had a CT scan and her 6 month follow-up post Shunt surgery with her Neurosurgeon, Dr. Price. She cried the entire time they were scanning her because she hated being taped and bundled up to the table. She had an MRI scan on her ears mid-March at Children's and Dr. Price used that scan to compare with her most recent CT Scan. Results were good! Ventricles are slightly smaller, still enlarged but they've gone down!!! Her head circumference was 49cm and when she charted it, the dot was only about a millimeter away from the top line of the curve. Dr. Price said she may never be on the curve - heck Shawn and I aren't on the curve (we follow our own drum) - but Audrey looks great!!

3) Audrey has a follow-up ABR tomorrow morning. She will be having a clinical ABR rather than a sedated ABR. I'm hoping she cooperates with the audiologist and allows her to put the ear things in her ears... If she doesn't we will have to schedule a sedated ABR. I pray that God will help her stay calm tomorrow morning because having her go under general anestethia causes me serious anxiety. I get really upset watching them put that mask over her face and then having to watch her try to understand what's going on as she wakes up. Let's also pray that her hearing has improved since January. Her ENT said that sometimes ABR's done after ear tube surgery aren't always accurate because there could be tissue swelling from the incision or possibly fluid behind her ear... We shall see tomorrow. If the hearing loss has not changed, then she will require hearing aids. Her hearing specialist that has started working with her said that they like to see babies in hearing aids by 12 months. She said this will help Audrey with her language development and hopefully will help us meet our goals sooner than 6 months.

The Three of us have each caught an upper respiratory infection. It started with Audrey a couple of weeks ago when she had a slight ear infection in her right ear (even with tubes) and an upper respiratory infection. She was given an antibiotic for the ear infection and then a 3 day oral steroid to stop her cough followed by a week of breathing treatments. It then came to me on her birthday but I overlooked my symptoms because we had so much to do for her birthday party. Her party came and gone, along with my voice. I finally hit a brick wall and stayed home from work last Tuesday. I went to the doctor and she gave me a zpack and some POTENT cough syrup. I took one dose of cough syrup at 2pm on Tuesday and slept until 6:30 pm, woke up to spend see Audrey until she went to bed. Once I put her shoes back on and said goodnight, I was out again until 6am the next morning. It probably would have been in my best interest to stay home from work another day, but I had some loose ends I needed to tie up so I went in... but, that's when Shawn contracted this little infection that lived in our household for over 2 weeks. He stayed home from work last Wednesday and Thursday. I came home from work on Wednesday to find our house CLEAN! Who cleans when they are sick? I told him to stay in bed all day long so he would get better, but he didn't. On Thursday, he did it again!!! When Audrey and I got home from her CT Scan, he was not at the house... he was at Blockbuster getting a movie because he was bored. But, I'm happy to say the Hannon household is upper respiratory infection free and it wasn't Swine Flu!!!

Audrey went swimming yesterday for the 2nd time ever!! We hope to spend a lot of weekends at Nana and Papa's enjoying great food and relaxing in the pool this summer! Enjoy these incredible photos of her swimming!

WOW, What a Year!!!

2009-05-16T21:16:00.007-05:00

I Love Sweets!

This isn't going to be your usual post. First of all, this is not Stefani typing this. This is Shawn. Yes, Shawn the father of the most beautiful baby of all time! (Yes, I believe that just as much as Stefani does!) First of all, let me just say that it has been a whirl wind of a year. From the time we found out that we were going to be a mommy and daddy till today has gone by so fast. I am so proud to see my little baby girl grow up to be one year old. (Or is it one year's old? I've never understood that) Not only have I seen my beautiful little Audrey Sue (Bubba as I lovingly call her) grow up and develop, I've seen my beautiful wife grow and develop into the greatest mother in the entire world. I know it might sound biased but Stefani has done so much for our daughter already, I just can't wait to see how she improves her role as mother AND wife of the century!

My Beautiful Wife and Beautiful Daughter

Stefani and I had big plans for Audrey's party today. The weather did not cooperate with us so we had to wing it the best we could. There was a great turn out and we mostly had her party indoors. Thanks so much to Staci, Tami, David, JennyLind and everyone else who helped us either clean or get something ready for Audrey's party. The house looked spotless and the decorations looked even better!

The Cupcakes and Autograph Invitation Frame Table
Pink was everywhere, thanks to Staci for hanging these!

Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate this family event with us. It has been a wonderful year of blessings and we look forward and cannot wait to see what next year brings.

Mommy getting me ready for everyone to adore me.

One of the many outfits I got.

One of the many cards I got.

Happy Birthday Sweet Audrey Sue!!

2009-05-12T20:38:00.008-05:00

Our little Princess!

Today, we celebrated Audrey's 1st birthday. We had everyone that was present at the hospital on her day over for dinner and it was cramped, but wonderful!

Her guests:
Papa and Nana
PawPaw and Nanny
Great Papa Turkey and Great Grandma Sue
Maw-Maw
Aunt Staci and Little Madi
Uncle Chad and Aunt Maddie
Clint and Heather

Her guest list for the BIG party on Saturday is quite a bit longer. We're very excited to show her off to everyone!!!

Audrey was wonderful and enjoyed the company. Towards the end of dinner she was ready to go to bed but we kept her up for the best part... CAKE!

Daddy saying Grace and thanked God for Audrey!

Audrey is and always will be a dainty little lady - she kept it very clean and collected. I, on the other hand, was an emotional wreck. I've been on the verge of tears all day today and once we started singing Happy Birthday - they came rolling down my face.

She's Ready!

What is this?

Her first bite of cupcake!

And... she's done!

Daddy documenting everything.

Madi felt bad for the cupcakes that didn't make the good plate, so she was trying to pass them out to everyone...

This last year has been a rollercoaster, a whirlwind of emotions but it has also been perfect. I will always be grateful to God for having faith in me that I could do this job. And, I will always have faith in Him that I'm a mother because I was meant to be Audrey's mother. She is loved by more people than I could possibly imagine. She lights everyone's day with that sweet smile and her little squeal of delight. To be her parents was our purpose in life and although, everything else may distract us, we always make our way back to what was meant.

Audrey opening her present from Clint and Heather.

I had to have Shawn read the card because I started crying...

And, her expression was too cute not to put up :)

Audrey, we love you more than you could ever know. We are so proud of what you have accomplished in one year and remain hopeful that you will do great things with your life. We hope you teach people about compassion, true happiness and true love. You're our sweet little girl, the sweetest in the world and we love you so much.

*** the following are Raw images, no work has been done and if Shawn knew I was putting these up, he would plead that I let him work on them in photoshop... Sorry hon!***

One Year Ago Today

2009-05-11T21:32:00.004-05:00

I was admitted into Labor and Delivery and anxiously awaiting for tomorrow to come. They gave me Cervadil around 8pm, to help thin out my cervix. I was 39 weeks and 1 day and I was HUGE! I had polyhydramnios and I was induced because my doctor said it would be best if my water broke in a "controlled" environment - it was going to be a gusher!

The parents-to-be anxiously waiting to go to the hospital.

The next morning my doctor took the cervadil ribbon out and said I was 1 cm dilated and my cervix was thinned out. She suggested I shower and then she'd be back in an hour to start the pitocin. I showered and as my sister was in the bathroom talking to me as I toweled off - the flood gates opened!!! I hopped on the toilet quickly, screamed for help, still releasing amniotic fluid. And, then decided to make a run for it to the bed... leaving a trail of amniotic fluid for the nurse to clean up. Hopped in bed and still it wouldn't stop!!! Now, this is where I think Audrey got in the position that she was in... The fluid came out of me so quickly that it pulled her down into my cervix face first.

Once I was in bed, the contractions hit me hard!! Now, I thought I was going to be prepared for that type of pain but I discovered something about myself that day... I'm a wimp!! I think I went through 3 contractions and then requested my pain-go-away medicine. During my pregnancy, I started to show at around 4 1/2 months and I started having braxton hicks contractions. At around 6 months they were pretty much every 30 minutes and I would call the doctor on a weekly basis (almost) asking her if this is normal. Audrey wasn't much of a mover or a shaker while she was in my tummy (she had a lot of fluid to wade in) but whenever I'd have a BH contraction she would thump me a little.

My pregnancy was very different than other women, I never got a kick to the rib, a jab to my bladder - she just floated peacefully. And, my feet would swell up so bad they'd be the size of thighs. I waddled more when my feet and cankles were the size of tree trunks because I lost the ability to move my ankles and knees.

I slept the entire day on May 12, 2008 to prepare for the big push. My doctor came in around 2:30 pm to check on me and discovered Audrey was face presentation. She worked on her a couple of times to try to get her to tuck her chin under - Thank God I decided on an epidural - this probably would have been a little more than uncomfortable for me... I was dilated to a 7 (and I dilated every hour prior to 7). At about 4:15, she came in again to check to see where I was, but I was stuck and Audrey was starting to become a littles stressed in her environment. That's when we discussed a Cesarean. It was the best decision for our situation, it wasn't my first choice, but it was the right choice. Entering the world face first isn't an easy task, this banged her up pretty badly and our doctor warned us she was going to swollen and bruised.

She came into this world at exactly 5:12pm on 5/12/2008 - her timing was impecable!! And, that's when she sent my world a whirling and completely swept me away.

Audrey sweeping Mommy away into motherhood.

Tomorrow, I will post her 1 year pics in her birthday outfit!! you're in for a treat!

Did Ya Miss Us?

2009-04-27T20:31:00.011-05:00

Our dear friend Clint took our family photos and Audrey's 1 year pics... Grandparents do not print this out on your office/home printer, we will give you copies!!

Boy, have we been busy!!! This little princess has us so tightly wrapped around her little pinky!!

Or, should I say Daddy's pinky?
My most favorite thing about being a Mommy. Nothing feels better than to
have your baby rest their head in the "nook"
We should do this to her right before her first date... She would be so embarrassed!

Audrey had her first Easter and it was wonderful! We met her Nanny and PawPaw up at church for Easter Sunday and she was dressed so pretty!! Then, we ate lunch and came home to rest before heading over to Nana and Papa's for Easter Dinner. The day was wonderful and Audrey had the sweetest little dress on.

Audrey's 1st Easter!

Dress was chosen by Audrey's Papa!

We had our appointment with Scottish Rite and they said her feet look great and Dr. Morcuende in Iowa did a great job! Great news! They offered a different solution with her toes, though. We've heard the same thing from 3 different doctors and they've told us the second big toe is the one they would remove. Dr. Karl at Scottish Rite said she would remove the first big toe, which also happens to be the strongest of the two. She said that we have plenty of time to think about it and that's exactly what we're going to do. She also said that she would to an Anterior Tibula Tendon Transfer, which they will transfer the tendon in her big toe to the center of her foot. She said it will help with her dorsilflexion and she will be able to walk a lot easier. (Dorsilfexion is the movement pulling your toes upward - all you clubfoot Mommies know what I'm talking about) I'm very conflicted about these two procedures, although, I've had this strong feeling that she would need the ATTT anyway. But, I'm really leary about them removing the first big toe, the strongest toe. She didn't take any x-rays at our appointment, it was mainly a consultation and she said that if she does this surgery, we should also commit to Scottish Rite being the primary treatment center for her clubfeet as well. Financially it makes sense and I know they would put the best interest of Audrey in their treatment plan, but I'm very sad that Dr. Lund will not be treating her anymore. Dr. Karl gave us better news when she told us these two procedures would be an outpatient surgery and Audrey would be home same day!!! She would be in casts 6 weeks after the surgery so the tendon can heal properly. Shawn and I are leaning towards having the procedure done after Audrey starts walking. We feel that doing the procedure sooner rather than later would really slow down her development even more. Our goal is to have her up and walking by 20 months... so we shall see!

Audrey also had her hearing evaluation with a hearing specialist from Richardson Independent School District. She said Audrey's hearing at 2 month level with her receptive hearing and a 4 month level with her expressive hearing (and understanding). I half agree with this but I think her services would be really beneficial to Audrey. We set a goal that within the next 6 months, Audrey will be understanding baby signs and hopefully even communicate with them herself. She starts next week... if I can get the enrollment info in to her! I'm the world's worst procrastinator.

This photo was waiting for me in my inbox when I got to work one day!! (well, actually my birthday!!)
Shawn and I went to the Texas Rangers game on 04/19 with his family for Audrey's PawPaw's birthday. We did not bring Audrey because we weren't sure how she would do, but the weather was very touch and go so it's was best we didn't.

This past weekend, Audrey stayed with her Papa and Nana while we went camping for my sister and I's birthday. We had so much fun, relaxing by the fire and singing. Shawn brought out his guitar and I'm sure our wonderful singing kept our neighbors quite entertained!! We went with our friends Clint and Heather, who are always great company. My sister and I celebrated our 28th birthday... dundun dunnn... This weekend is the big celebration with friends at my house. Audrey's staying the night with her Nanny and PawPaw. I'm really starting to miss my little angel on Sunday mornings, but it's been nice to sleep in the last couple of weekends. Grandparents are the absolute best!!!

Also... If I might add, Audrey's therapists are very, very, very pleased with her progress physically and cognitively. She's reacting more to sounds and facial expressions, she's also communicating A LOT more!! She has become more and more vocal over the last month. It's wonderful to hear her start to babble.

She enjoyed Mommy's Birthday balloon!

I keep telling myself that she's moving at the pace she needs to be moving at. I love that she's doing it at her own speed (with some loving encouragement from all of us). Her Daddy works really hard with her leg strength every night during her free time. It's usually while I'm preparing dinner, but I can hear them work together from the living room. Audrey's wonderful Daddy will say "1, 2, 3, Up" and pull her up into a standing position. Every night, we see the improvement because she stands a little more each time. We're up to 5-7 seconds!!! GO AUDREY!

The house is coming along nicely. We've gotten all the painting almost 100% completed but need to go back and touch up the trim and ceilings. This weekend I'm hoping to do a little curb appeal but our weather forcast calls for rain, rain, rain and more rain.

I'm sorry for going almost an entire month without an update or photos for the grandparents... But, I promise I will not do this again to you. I get to see that little darling face every single day, I can't imagine going an entire month without even a photo to look at her... I fall to the mercy of the Mommy court, "Please, Please, Please forgive me for not showing off my beautiful baby... I vow to never, ever, ever, ever do this again to my family and friends."

It's Official

2009-04-07T21:28:00.002-05:00

I am going offline for a while until Shawn and I can complete our to-do list. And, it's official - Shawn and I have different decorating styles. But, I think he's coming around to some of my ideas. We have spent the last 2 weekends painting and it has been painful!!!

The items on our completed list:

Office - Done!!
Full Bath - Done!!
Hallway - Done!!

To-do Items:

Living Room - this weekend warrior project
Kitchen - next weekend
Half Bath - next weekend
Landscaping - May 2nd.

I will attempt (and, I'm using this term loosely) to get on and post photos of Audrey... but don't hold your breath.

Let me just say, that she is out of casts, in her bigger shoes and tolerating them very well. That's my girl, she can adjust to anything!! There have been several mornings where I go in to check on her and she is sleeping peacefully on her belly. She's gone from side-sleeping to belly-sleeping.

Also, she's perfected the kiss. She turns her head towards me when I make a kissing noise and waits for a kiss. She will even go in for a kiss, but if I try to show you she just turns her head and ignores me :(

The Easter Bunny is visiting her daycare tomorrow, so I will post a copy of the photo soon!!! I'm looking forward to dressing her up for her first Easter!!

*kisses* from Audrey

Now, where was I?

2009-04-02T20:29:00.006-05:00

this was taken by Shawn... I have to give him credit, because I can't capture Audrey like this.

I love my husband so much! Fatherhood does something to a man. It makes them more attractive and I can't believe how much more respect I have for him. Right after Audrey was born, I thought I would be carrying the majority of the weight around here... and I have to admit, I would punish him a little bit because I truly believed I did. Grant it, I was soley responsible for all of her medial care, but I also blurred that with home care too. How dilusional was I?
I can see clearly now, though. My husband does everything and without complaints. A little snip-it of our daily lives:
Weekdays:
5am - I get up and get ready for work.
6:30 - Shawn's alarm goes off (my cue to heat Audrey's bottle up and prepare her bag for daycare). Shawn gets up soon after and gets Audrey ready for school.
6:45ish - He puts her in the car and I drop her off at school on my way to work.
5pm - I pick Audrey up and we get home. Shawn comes out to the car, gets her and takes her inside.
5:30 - I make dinner while Shawn gets in some Daddy-Audrey time.
6:15-30 - Shawn does the dishes while I get Mommy-Audrey time and feed her her dinner .
7pm - I give Audrey a bath and get her ready for bed. And... this is when Shawn does everything. He cleans up after Audrey's bath. He prepares her bottles for the next day, saving me one to feed her before bedtime.
7:30 - He brings me her bottle and I feed Audrey while Shawn fills her vaporizer and straightens up a little bit. When she's done, we read a story, rock and sing a lullaby.
8pm - we lay her down, kiss her goodnight and then Shawn tells me the computer is all mine...

I married the right man!!! On weekends, he gets up with her on Saturdays and lets me sleep in :)... but the rest of the day, it's a team effort. Sunday's are my days to wake up with her while he sleeps in a bit. It's all about give and take...

So, Shawn took Audrey to her Urologist appointment. Audrey had not been seen since December. They waited to see the doctor for a while and then saw him for a whopping 5 minutes. Dr. Ewalt did a sonogram on Audrey's kidneys. Last December her Right kidney was at 13mm and her Left kidney was at 6mm. This go-around, her right decreased to 10mm and her left decreased to 5mm. YAY!!! And, Dr. Ewalt told Shawn he'll see Audrey back in a year! Mommy is a happy lady!

Audrey gets her casts removed tomorrow! We're so looking forward to that. Dr. Morcuende ordered us a bigger shoes so I've been working on those and I want them all ready for tomorrow!

Next Friday, Audrey goes to her first appointment at Scottish Rite!! We'll keep you updated.

Audrey trying a teething biscuit for the first time... Success!
She threw her first one on the floor, so I gave her a new one... After gnawing on it for 10 minutes she threw it on the floor too. And, then I got a taste of the ol' temper tantrum medicine because I wouldn't give her another one. That made me very happy to see that reaction, I don't know why, but it did!

Her Early Childhood specialist came to my office today to do Audrey's 6 month evaluation review. We're keeping her goals the same until after her PT can work with her with the braces on. Once she has a good idea of what Audrey can do, we'll make new goals. But, I'm happy and will take what we get from Audrey. When we first started ECI, our goal was to get her to reach for Mommy and Daddy, to sit, and to reach for toys. Audrey's not reaching for Mommy and Daddy but she is leaning... that's good enough for me! She's sitting but she hasn't taught herself self-defense when gravity is pulling her down... but she is sitting!! She reaches for toys. We have met all of her goals, in my eyes and I think we can set newer goals!
She did mention to me that they feel Audrey will most likely start walking around 20 months. I feel like that is a reasonable prediction and I'm completely fine with Audrey pacing herself slowly. Reminds me of the story of the Turtle and the Hare... I think I'm the Hare in our story and Audrey's the Turtle. I'm trying to get "us" to the finish line and don't know how to pace "us". Audrey knows exactly the speed she needs to be at to succeed. I can learn a thing or two from her.

Shawn and I realized our calendars for the next month and half - YIKES! We have something going on every single weekend until May 16th (Audrey's birthday party). I've been planning her shindig for a month now and it's going to be HUGE! Shawn and I have given ourselves a "honey-do" list of things to get finished before the big day and that's what's keeping us busy. I'm going to have a grudge against paint by the time her birthday rolls around, I just know it!

It's been a long time...

2009-03-31T20:29:00.004-05:00

I know, I'm sorry! I have seriously neglected updating my blog... but with good reason, I promise.

We have been unbelievably busy and at this point, I just don't even know where to start... I can't even remember where I left off. Checking on that now... Oh my gosh! I haven't posted in over a week. What in the world was I thinking? Grandma Sue, this one's for you...

Audrey got her GreatPapa Turkey and Great-Grandma Sue fix a couple of weekends ago. Papa Turkey and Grandma Sue were able to see first-hand how far Audrey has come in the last several months. They were very proud of how strong she has gotten and were impressed she was able to roll all around with those heavy casts and sit up on her own for a good solid minute! Grandma Sue brought a little present down from Bonham for Audrey and she has fallen in love with her new pink bunny! Every time I set it down in front of her, she gets this huge smile on her face. That was the highlight of our weekend... I don't think we did anything all weekend long :)

Last week was a little hectic. Audrey had an MRI on her ears on Tuesday. This is supposed to tell Dr. Bauer, her ENT if her hearing loss is due to sensorial damage or if it is genetic. Audrey's Daddy and PawPaw both have hearing loss, but their hearing loss is not genetic, it's simply sensorial damage. We have not gotten the results back yet, but will hopefully hear something from their office later this week. They have suggested we get another ABR done as well, but I'm a little reluctant to put her through that again. To me, her hearing loss seems better now that her tubes are in. I whisper, she turns her head, I sing in high pitches, she turns and smiles - I cannt believe she is laughing at my voice! She hears behind her, above her, below her... everywhere around her. I have requested from my wonderful husband to have his hearing officially tested and I would like to compare their results. Her insurance will most likely pay for hearing aids if she truly needs them, but I want to make sure 100% she really does need them and I'm not quite sure what I need to do to find out.

We have also changed her bedtime to 8pm and this has worked out beautifully for us!! She was going to bed between 8:30 - 9:30. That was working for us for a while but after reviewing her daily sheets from daycare, I noticed that she's sleeping much less during the day and she's eating more solids (that's got to be doing something). So, we put her down at 8pm one night because she was a cranky baby, she slept all night, Mommy and Daddy had a good 2 hours alone before we went to bed, and all was well the next morning. In fact, Daddy had to wake her up the next morning, too, and every morning since he has had to! Go Mommy and Daddy for making a good decision!!!

I've been really bad about taking photos of Audrey too... mostly because the camera is never available when I need it. I've had many prime photo opportunities but that camera hides from me! It's still hiding from me, I have no idea where that thing is... I'm not able to post any photos because that little camera plays hardball and won't surrender!!! Shawn and I might have to issue out a search and rescue tonight before bedtime because the few photos that are on it are really cute of Audrey, which I would love to share! Wish us luck!!

Also, wish Shawn luck too! He's taking Audrey to her Urologist appointment tomorrow afternoon. I may have mentioned before but Shawn and I have split our doctors up. It was getting really stressful for me to keep up with all 8 (then 9) of her doctors and appointments. He took her to her Swallow Study and they both came out whole and the same, so this shouldn't be too bad. I do have to make sure he has everything he needs in the diaper bag and plenty of pacifiers! Dr. Ewalt will do a sonogram of Audrey's kidneys. At her appointment in December, both had increased and were a little more dilated than they were when she was 4 months old. He said they could have increased because of her recent Shunt surgery and wanted to see us back in 4 months. We are praying that they have not increased because if they have, they'll have to run some tests to find out why and I just feel that Audrey has been through enough already! Let's give our little princess a break!

Photos to come after we've released the hounds and they lead us to our camera... hopefully later this week.

*MUAH* kisses from Audrey. Yeah, you read that correctly, 'kisses from Audrey' - she just learned!!!!