tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9039314471816618132024-02-19T04:41:20.073-05:00The Unsurly.surlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10268300189314186802noreply@blogger.comBlogger212125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-903931447181661813.post-43847053577252005952010-11-08T19:23:00.002-05:002010-11-08T19:28:38.808-05:0011 months old / first steps!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBVZ__5McQvNALypjVAj2fZ0bQ2Mmh9cV70BiTssNjYEcITPR176jUoBaKzs4A3hsHJ_Udw_YQKHKayOJDGkjb-ttRuWlgwNX5_btaVrWrgkCjjN-SvNfCPF6J2F0HlZr_Ze9DEzMxVoSF/s1600/audrey+11+months.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBVZ__5McQvNALypjVAj2fZ0bQ2Mmh9cV70BiTssNjYEcITPR176jUoBaKzs4A3hsHJ_Udw_YQKHKayOJDGkjb-ttRuWlgwNX5_btaVrWrgkCjjN-SvNfCPF6J2F0HlZr_Ze9DEzMxVoSF/s400/audrey+11+months.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537339280510289458" border="0" /></a><br />She's one month away from being a year old -- I don't believe it. Someone has some serious party planning to do!<br /><br />And to celebrate her new status as an 11-month-old, miss Audrey took a few steps on her own today. The bad: it was for the babysitter. When the husband told me, I burst into tears, causing him to say, "Uh ... I guess I shouldn't have told you?" But then she stood up and took a couple of shuffle-y steps toward me with a big grin on her face, and I decided it didn't really matter that much. I won't lie, though -- I was already struggling with some going-back-to-work guilt and that didn't make things any easier.<br /><br />Audrey is such a ham -- she loves to laugh and dance, and she's just really ... jolly, as friends call her ... most of the time. I can't wait to see how she and her big sister interact when she's a little older.surlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10268300189314186802noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-903931447181661813.post-87516660693779121062010-11-05T20:14:00.002-04:002010-11-05T20:26:55.313-04:00long time no blogFirst order of business: Halloween!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://media8.dropshots.com/photos/122440/20101031/042815.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 400px;" src="http://media8.dropshots.com/photos/122440/20101031/042815.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Olivia and Audrey are pictured with the newest member of our extended family, their adorable candy corn cousin, Mr. T.<br /><br />I think Halloween sort of blew Olivia's mind. My favorite quote from her was: "I go to the house ... and they give me CANDY?!" She was really, really into it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://media8.dropshots.com/photos/122440/20101031/060902.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 400px;" src="http://media8.dropshots.com/photos/122440/20101031/060902.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />She wanted to go home after a few houses so she could eat her candy. Not wanting to deal with a crazed toddler on a sugar high, we gave her a few minutes with a sucker and had her put it away for the next day.<br /><br />Some random cute Olivia-isms:<br /><br />-- Enthusiastically exclaiming, "Soor!" (sure) when you ask if she wants to do something<br />-- Saying a d instead of j: SkippyJon Jones is SkippyDon Dones<br /><br />Audrey will get her own post in a couple of days, when she turns 11 MONTHS old!surlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10268300189314186802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-903931447181661813.post-33813678949461678732010-10-17T09:28:00.005-04:002010-10-18T21:32:07.642-04:00way behind on postingAudrey turned 10 months old on 10/7!<br /><br />she:<br /><br />is getting one of her top front teeth<br />can stand up without holding onto anything<br />is cruising all over the place<br />says dada, mama, and kitty (kih-TAY!)<br /><br />Olivia is just a few months away from her third birthday, unbelievably.<br /><br />she:<br /><br />absolutely loves her preschool class<br />talks even more, if you can believe that ;)<br />says jump like dump and chocolate milk as tok-lat milk, which is adorable<br />can be moody, but so so sweet.<br /><br />And me? I got a job offer I couldn't refuse and went back to work full time. I miss the girls terribly during the day, but they seem to be handling things really well. I'll try to get some new photos uploaded soon of my sweeties.surlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10268300189314186802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-903931447181661813.post-49028169078261713072010-09-24T07:03:00.002-04:002010-09-24T07:16:34.283-04:00first baby signAudrey did her usual 11 p.m. wake up last night (this girl just refuses to sleep through the night, like, ever), and when I went to get her out of her crib, she was opening and closing her hand like this:<br /><br /><a href="http://babystrology.blogspot.com/2008/03/baby-sign-language-milk.html">milk sign</a><br /><br />It was so cute! I haven't done a ton of signs with her so far, but I think I'll step it up now that I know she's learning them.<br /><br />She's also standing up every chance she gets, and more importantly, has mastered how to get down from standing (which means I don't have to rescue her every 5 minutes all night long when she wakes up to practice her newfound skills). She says an excited hard k sound when she sees the cats, just like Olivia did, is starting to learn to clap her hands, and also knows what I mean when I tell her to dance, kick her legs, and pat her belly. She'll sit on the hardwoods and use her legs to spin herself in circles, then laughs when she gets dizzy. As her speech therapist recently said, she's a seriously cool kid. :)<br /><br />Suddenly, waking up at 6:30 a.m. is her new thing ... which I really wouldn't mind if I wasn't up with her at midnight and then from 3-4 a.m. But I keep trying to tell myself that she won't be sleeping like this forever -- her first birthday is less than three months away, which seems absolutely insane!surlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10268300189314186802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-903931447181661813.post-90826894584997292432010-09-18T08:38:00.005-04:002010-09-18T08:49:14.097-04:00big girl goes to school<span style="font-size:130%;">Olivia started preschool last week. I, of course, was terrified -- how would she do? Would she cry? Would I cry? We talked it up a lot, but then I'd hear her crying in her crib at bedtime:<br />"Mama! Please! Pleeeeease don't leave me at schoooooool!"<br /><br />So I was understandably nervous. For her first day, I was scheduled to volunteer in the classroom. She did fine, but I thought maybe it was because I was there. Tuesday was her first drop-off day, and we talked a lot about how I'd give her a hug, leave, and then come back after a while. We got to school that day and waited outside the classroom until the teacher opened the door. O looked a little wary, especially because there were a few kids crying in the hall. When that door opened, though, she started pushing me toward the door, saying, "Hurry up, mama!" I was only there for a few minutes when she asked me if I was leaving and if she could have a hug. I'll admit that I sat in the car down the street from her school for the full two hours, sipping coffee, reading a book and missing her a little bit, not wanting to be too far away.<br /><br />Today, we got to school and she clapped with excitement when we pulled into the parking lot. I hadn't even been in her classroom for 2 minutes when she TOLD me to leave. "Mama! You go bye-bye now! See ya!" When I picked her up, one of the moms told me that Olivia is one of the most social kids in the class. When there was a lull in conversation during snack time, Olivia said, "Hey! Let's talk about our friends! What are our friends' names?"<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_lC6qpWGg3S9Kw6K_BKWj74PP4FTUjVqAumjLO8-X9mJvEyVRn4rx-SKdlebRTRT1xuoRqVulufOl6nU4WDj2GHt0iNwpIUZ0ntyPOw-PmEvwL15kx1N7EYv0YyJrJEZO4SFBgVxMvr2l/s1600/O+first+day+of+school.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 290px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_lC6qpWGg3S9Kw6K_BKWj74PP4FTUjVqAumjLO8-X9mJvEyVRn4rx-SKdlebRTRT1xuoRqVulufOl6nU4WDj2GHt0iNwpIUZ0ntyPOw-PmEvwL15kx1N7EYv0YyJrJEZO4SFBgVxMvr2l/s400/O+first+day+of+school.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518233110130095938" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtyYMxVx-UrXA78ia2ksdG58KMMRYRNbab5ctAbPLtPYCMYXWYv47B0L5pDCFbNMISR57P4V3LUzIspYkjL3742pBp7q45z549X_S4BZ69xd-u6VI-0qWeZt3NilsRDw-jQMRohlC-58PB/s1600/O+first+day+of+school+sand.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtyYMxVx-UrXA78ia2ksdG58KMMRYRNbab5ctAbPLtPYCMYXWYv47B0L5pDCFbNMISR57P4V3LUzIspYkjL3742pBp7q45z549X_S4BZ69xd-u6VI-0qWeZt3NilsRDw-jQMRohlC-58PB/s400/O+first+day+of+school+sand.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518233032252057522" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgyB3fgOQGk_EMA962Rx_9W_5ULLsLbK0HY2gCsoitY8_iwZj6t8_RTYZSM5uw1CCGpic9Zbvi9hTND37me0sGAjpFoLbDNZHVTsnkPNV3j_aKiJIgftc34Qs1hVFfCMpw4l87jYvr-rO2/s1600/O+first+day+of+school+rug.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 358px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgyB3fgOQGk_EMA962Rx_9W_5ULLsLbK0HY2gCsoitY8_iwZj6t8_RTYZSM5uw1CCGpic9Zbvi9hTND37me0sGAjpFoLbDNZHVTsnkPNV3j_aKiJIgftc34Qs1hVFfCMpw4l87jYvr-rO2/s400/O+first+day+of+school+rug.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518232916191238290" border="0" /></a></span>surlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10268300189314186802noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-903931447181661813.post-13939843807453313422010-09-12T18:31:00.002-04:002010-09-12T18:33:37.849-04:00a conversation with Olivia<div><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" >It lasted for what seemed like forever.The phone rang, so I muted the song I was playing for her to answer it. She started whining:<br /><br /></span></div> <div> </div> <div><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" >O: bumcontrol!</span></div> <div><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" >me: what? what's bum control?</span></div> <div><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" >O: I said, bunnkinstrol.</span></div> <div><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" >me: (giving up on my phone conversation) Um, Olivia? I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're saying. Can you show me?</span></div> <div><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" >O (exasperated, louder): BUMCONTROL!</span></div> <div><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" >me: uh ...</span></div> <div><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" >O: bumcontrol?</span></div> <div><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" >me: does something hurt? </span></div> <div><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" >O: NO! i said, bunnkinstroll.</span></div> <div><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" >me: what is that? can you show me?</span></div> <div><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" >O: look at the computer and see.</span></div> <div><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" >me: Oh, it's on the computer? Is it a game? </span></div> <div><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" >O: Silly mommy! It's not a game!</span></div> <div><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" >me: a song?</span></div> <div><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" >O: yes! I SAID: bunnkinsroll.</span></div> <div><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" >me: bunkinsroll? a song? how does it go?</span></div> <div><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" >O: (hums an inaudible melody)</span></div> <div><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" >me: (finally figuring it out) Jenny Jenkins?</span></div> <div><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" >O: YES! bunnkinsroll jenny jenkins!<br /><br /></span></div> <div> </div> <div><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" >The song I had been playing before the phone rang was <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuPWn_YIVbo">Jenny Jenkins by Lisa Loeb</a> ... but I always change one of the lyrics to "roll, buddy bumkins roll" (we occasionally call Audrey buddy bumkins for some reason). She's always been so verbal and understandable that it was really puzzling and frustrating for us both for me to not know what she was talking about!</span></div>surlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10268300189314186802noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-903931447181661813.post-23547913736989103152010-09-07T22:34:00.000-04:002010-09-10T22:41:53.682-04:009 months oldAudrey is 9 months old!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhuR7wf0BjRaLMSXPWN5MyOP4roPnUP8G8cjswaFb4UuS4vmrVlrWGOj4e07f1wrlhw89-AZbv5bQPWW3wRjLjF7hqUVLDGzWsuc9n1wwogNWXtdZsNR8Z-88rhCHds_qaWFbtcrCnLYwG/s1600/Audrey+9+months.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhuR7wf0BjRaLMSXPWN5MyOP4roPnUP8G8cjswaFb4UuS4vmrVlrWGOj4e07f1wrlhw89-AZbv5bQPWW3wRjLjF7hqUVLDGzWsuc9n1wwogNWXtdZsNR8Z-88rhCHds_qaWFbtcrCnLYwG/s400/Audrey+9+months.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515478848747726258" border="0" /></a><br />She has two teeth that finally came through ...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZsk-jqMtEkOTsY3tB-t8OyquoZNL1G00XMS9xKAUPK7xlqWo6oeDyXAaOgUs4tI9rtgh4GInpBM-f7xqaZkgD9qm5JQoJcShIG9BNU9seklsDQ0FzLYD0Ca3kf8zs4ohtHB7GNRepfJqy/s1600/audrey+teeth.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZsk-jqMtEkOTsY3tB-t8OyquoZNL1G00XMS9xKAUPK7xlqWo6oeDyXAaOgUs4tI9rtgh4GInpBM-f7xqaZkgD9qm5JQoJcShIG9BNU9seklsDQ0FzLYD0Ca3kf8zs4ohtHB7GNRepfJqy/s400/audrey+teeth.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515479772181329730" border="0" /></a><br />and, just like her sister, she has a fun little silly face that she makes when you ask her to. :)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8MWM0bRA1_cdM8pCU2nrzyX9Qa1lvPyFiLyttrgTyUHK7-juFEp9wtFieHB0NG_Ja9d8WWjNLZnsPqvuHYtURA-FzFIZ79TYW6L78RZ82as_Kzhnxw9PFThvSHwGBM5x1Q3tdbP5yduN/s1600/Audrey+silly+face.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8MWM0bRA1_cdM8pCU2nrzyX9Qa1lvPyFiLyttrgTyUHK7-juFEp9wtFieHB0NG_Ja9d8WWjNLZnsPqvuHYtURA-FzFIZ79TYW6L78RZ82as_Kzhnxw9PFThvSHwGBM5x1Q3tdbP5yduN/s400/Audrey+silly+face.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515478982366029074" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhuR7wf0BjRaLMSXPWN5MyOP4roPnUP8G8cjswaFb4UuS4vmrVlrWGOj4e07f1wrlhw89-AZbv5bQPWW3wRjLjF7hqUVLDGzWsuc9n1wwogNWXtdZsNR8Z-88rhCHds_qaWFbtcrCnLYwG/s1600/Audrey+9+months.jpg"><br /></a>surlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10268300189314186802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-903931447181661813.post-48677664854642102492010-09-07T22:26:00.000-04:002010-09-10T22:42:41.711-04:00brief hiatusI've been slacking on updating the blog, but need to get cracking! This week is a big one -- Audrey turned 9 months old on the 7th, and Olivia has her first day of preschool tomorrow.<br /><br />Another update and pictures soon ...surlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10268300189314186802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-903931447181661813.post-70372715703398796522010-08-12T23:17:00.002-04:002010-08-12T23:24:04.777-04:00pulling the plug on the paciI'm full of dread over this. We should have really done it long ago -- before she was super attached, before she had it so long that it started giving her an overbite, before she could remember that her mean mommy took away her most favorite thing in the world. Alas, we did not, so here we are. <br /><br />We've determined tomorrow night is go time. We'll both be around all weekend, so I can spend as much time comforting her / helping her sleep as I need to. Dan will have to help with overnights, as miss Audrey is still waking up every few hours. Everyone tells me she'll have a few bad nights and naptimes and then it'll be a thing of the past.<br /><br />I've been talking up the paci fairy, the idea of her sending her pacis to babies who don't have any, and telling her what a big girl she is, but I think it's still going to seriously suck. I've offered her a trip to the toy store to pick out something new -- anything she wants, even -- but I'm not sure she gets the concept. Last week, I told her that she could have M+Ms if she went on the big girl potty. She walked in, sat on the potty chair for 1.2 seconds, then came over with her hand outstretched, saying, "Mommy, I'm ready for my M+Ms now!" Those two year olds are so darn literal!surlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10268300189314186802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-903931447181661813.post-63013432242449771022010-08-07T21:59:00.003-04:002010-08-07T22:21:22.722-04:008 months / 2.5 years!<span style="font-size:130%;">Olivia turned 2.5 and Audrey turned 8 months old today!<br /><br />Olivia, as she likes to say, is "VERRRRRY busy" lately -- her imagination amazes me. She's always doing things to entertain her baby sis, a favorite being sniffing her toes and then yelling, "P.U.!" Such a lady. ;P<br /><br />She had another tooth incident during the week that was nearly identical to the one last November: running ---> tripping in kitchen ---> tooth, meet tile floor. She'd just been to the dentist the day before for her 6-month cleaning and was very brave ("I just cried a little bit!"), but her bravery waned slightly in the face of a second visit in a week. She did fine, amusing the whole office by stating that she wanted THREE silly bands AND A DUCK TOO! as her prize at the end. We go back in a couple of weeks to have the previously-restored tooth re-restored. Poor OE.<br /><br />Audrey has been having a big couple of weeks: learning to sit up on her own, working on honing her crawling skills, showing the first signs of her two bottom teeth peeking through (finally!), saying dada and mama, and just today, pulling herself to standing while holding onto a toy. I wish I'd been quick enough with the camera, because the look on her face as she stood there was something like, "Hey wow look at this cool thing I did hey mom look I'm standing up OH MY GOD HOW DID I GET LIKE THIS AND HOW DO I GET DOWN?!"<br /><br />We went to a picnic for families of kids with hearing loss today, and everyone was absolutely gaga over her tiny pink hearing aid. Some of the older kids who had hearing aids themselves came over to see it, and it was really great to see these kids, some of them with profound loss in both ears, even, doing just fine. She starts speech therapy next week, which I'm really excited about!</span>surlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10268300189314186802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-903931447181661813.post-1853308387888063032010-07-30T14:07:00.002-04:002010-07-30T14:09:20.271-04:00solo sitting upTwo nights this week, I've woken up (at Audrey's request, natch) and found her sitting up in her crib, sort of like, "Oh, hey! What's up, mom?" I still haven't seen her do it live, but suspect that this newfound skill of hers along with her recent scooching development may have something to do with her sleep getting even worse. Oof. Good thing she's cute!surlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10268300189314186802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-903931447181661813.post-29120075588914593242010-07-26T13:29:00.003-04:002010-07-26T13:30:55.581-04:00nearly mobile!I think this might count as officially crawling. I just watched Audrey scooch her way across her playmat, onto the hardwoods, turn around and go all the way back again. She also made a beeline for my laptop that was on the floor, as well as a couple of Olivia's toys that she shouldn't have.<br /><br />Two mobile kids? Hold me!surlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10268300189314186802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-903931447181661813.post-40462907174480672412010-07-17T12:53:00.003-04:002010-07-17T13:09:56.032-04:00you know you go to McDonald's too much when ...<span style="font-size:130%;">... your almost-2.5-year-old has the following conversation with someone in your family:<br /><br />Olivia [to brother-in-law]: Let's go to McDonald's to get a happy meal for you! </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Produces two different Happy Meal toys, procured during two stops during our 2-day, 13-plus-hour car trip, to share with him</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br />brother-in-law [ever the good sport with Miss O]: Ok, great!<br /><br />O: Let's get some chicken nuggets.<br /><br />BIL: That sounds good.<br /><br />O: Then we eat some apple dippers.<br /><br />BIL: I like apples.<br /><br />O: And maybe get a small french fry?<br /><br />[at this point, I'm doubled over with laughter in the kitchen -- such attention to detail, specifying the size of fries. Though I suppose I should be glad she didn't say something about large or super-size options -- I have been on Weight Watchers, after all.]<br /><br />BIL: What will I have to drink with my happy meal?<br /><br />O: a diet coke!<br /><br />Note to people reading who may be aghast at the notion that I serve my toddler diet coke -- I do not! I </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >do</span><span style="font-size:130%;">, however, allow her to eat nebulous blobs of chicken that <a href="http://nearing.newsvine.com/_news/2010/07/05/4615789-us-chicken-mcnuggets-contain-silly-putty-chemical-and-more-calories-and-fat-than-in-britain">may contain an ingredient similar to that in Silly Putty</a> -- they're sadly one of the maybe 10 foods that she'll eat right now -- but she gets milk with her anti-foaming agents.</span>surlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10268300189314186802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-903931447181661813.post-73073150445049542142010-07-07T20:40:00.003-04:002010-07-08T08:54:57.511-04:007 months old!<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Our sweet baby Audrey/Oggie is 7 months old today!</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-NrIZF9J6vZ3T3cneit7c7amQVU0AgbSpA0rktI0lpxHfMWZ8_RNmGv50LshoUYx_TZWrHVBTWVPeLLk4Xb7LGLC32wjp75RQ8RqreTAvo5egaUvdpjYycxuqxn6r3iKtVTmZlayFEV3d/s1600/audrey+7+months.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 327px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-NrIZF9J6vZ3T3cneit7c7amQVU0AgbSpA0rktI0lpxHfMWZ8_RNmGv50LshoUYx_TZWrHVBTWVPeLLk4Xb7LGLC32wjp75RQ8RqreTAvo5egaUvdpjYycxuqxn6r3iKtVTmZlayFEV3d/s400/audrey+7+months.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491329249062776914" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">She is such a sweet little chunk of chub. Check out her jolly demeanor:</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuTrWxj129w">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuTrWxj129w</a><br /><br />Editing to add that she's been saying "mama" for a couple of weeks now. According to the baby books, they can say mama and dada indiscriminately at 6-7 months, so it's not that surprising ... but it is super heart-melty when she turns and says it when I walk into the room. Sweet Ogg.<br /></span>surlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10268300189314186802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-903931447181661813.post-3385813442051900422010-07-05T23:37:00.006-04:002010-07-05T23:44:52.259-04:00Audrey's timeline<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I had to get this together for a hearing loss advocacy group that's helping me fight to have speech therapy added for Audrey -- it was declined due to her age and because she hasn't been diagnosed with a delay -- so I thought I'd post it here. A little keepsake, if you will. Maybe another overwhelmed mom with a newborn who has just been diagnosed with hearing loss will stumble across this via Google and it'll help somehow ...
<br />
<br />This timeline doesn't include every single one of her audiology appointments, and I don't have our meetings with the parent advisor from the advocacy group listed, either. And I wonder why I've felt so busy.
<br />
<br />12/7/2009 – Audrey born
<br />
<br />12/9/2009 – told upon leaving hospital that she failed her hearing screening twice (didn’t know about first test); were given pamphlet for First Steps
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<br />12/17/2009 – First Steps intake appointment
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<br />1/8/2010 – 1 month old; ABR at St. Vincent
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<br />1/13/2010 – ENT appointment
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<br />1/20/2010 – CT scan (advised by audiologist and ENT) at St. Vincent under general anesthesia
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<br />1/29/2010 – First Steps evaluation
<br />
<br />2/2/2010 – pediatric opthalmologist appointment
<br />
<br />2/11/2010 – First Steps IFSP meeting
<br />
<br />2/17/2010 – hearing aid evaluation/fitting appointment with audiologist
<br />
<br />3/4/2010 – first meeting with parent advisor
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<br />3/11/2010 – pick up hearing aid (just a few days past 3-month birthday)
<br />
<br />3/18/2010 – parent advisor meeting
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<br />3/25/2010 – audiologist
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<br />4/8/2010 – another audiologist appointment
<br />
<br />4/8/2010 – parent advisor meeting
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<br />4/22/2010 – parent advisor meeting
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<br />4/29/2010 – audiologist … again!
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<br />5/3/2010 – decide parent advisor isn’t good fit due to insistence upon heavy sign language use; call First Steps to terminate advisor. Request new parent advisor and to add speech services to IFSP at that time
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<br />5/13/2010 – you guessed it: audiologist
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<br />6/9/2010 – 6-month audiology booth test
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<br />6/29/2010 – receive paperwork to add new parent advisor to IFSP
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<br />6/30/2010 – request for speech services declinedsurlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10268300189314186802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-903931447181661813.post-14971622851125383952010-06-22T23:27:00.004-04:002010-06-22T23:37:43.686-04:00100% pure toddler<span style="font-size:130%;">I took Olivia to get her hair cut today, something she's been dreading pretty much since the day she last got her hair cut over a year ago. I started talking it up a week ago, explaining all the steps: first, she'd go into the salon and meet Yvette (who also cuts my hair). Then she'd sit in a special big-girl chair that goes up and down. Yvette might spray a little water on her hair, and then she'd use scissors to cut it, and it wouldn't hurt at all. And the best part -- that when her haircut was done, she would get a sucker and a sticker.<br /><br />She talked about all the steps in the car on the way over, even cheerily adding, "And then we be all done and I get lollipop, sticker AND a balloon!" She did fine walking into the salon and greeting Yvette and my sister, who graciously agreed to swing by and wrangle Audrey so I could give O my full attention.<br /><br />But then she got in the chair and the tears and "NOOOOOO!"s began. We decided she should sit on my lap so it would be less scary. Yvette busted out a sucker for her and explained that people love to get their hair cut. Then, in a moment of brilliance, she suggested that maybe she should cut mommy's bangs first and then Olivia could have her turn. "NO!" she interjected through her tears. "It's </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >MY</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> TURN!"<br /><br />If you ever had any doubt about her nearly-two-and-a-half-ness, you need look no further for proof!</span>surlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10268300189314186802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-903931447181661813.post-66543686304500875492010-06-13T09:35:00.004-04:002010-06-13T10:07:36.507-04:00scariest parenting moment ever<p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;">We were in the Starbucks drive-through on Friday and I heard Audrey making a gagging noise as I pulled up to the window. I thought maybe she was spitting up, but she whimpered in a weird way, so I flung my door open as the barista was trying to hand me my drink and opened hers to check on her. She seemed ok ... she had a wet chin like she'd just spit up, so I got back in the car, got my drink, and started driving. Then I heard the gagging noise again and something just didn't seem right, so I looked for a parking space -- there weren't any at Starbucks, so I sped to the next parking lot over and screeched to a halt.<br /></span></p><p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;">I got out and unbuckled her from her seat, and it definitely seemed like she was choking on something, but I didn't know what -- she didn't have any toys in the seat or anything like that. I thought maybe she'd spit up, aspirated it and couldn't catch her breath, but I turned her over my knee and started hitting her on the back because I was sort of at a loss for what else to do. I flipped her over and noticed that her lips and feet were sort of turning blue, but she was still whining and conscious, just getting more limp. Gah. My heart is racing just typing this.</span></p><p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;">When I saw the blue lips, I grabbed my phone and tried to call 911. But first, I accidentally hit redial on one of my friends, then a freelance client who lives in CA -- stupid easy-to-redial iPhone + shaking hands! I vaguely remember a women in her car one parking lot over staring at me -- I wondered briefly if she thought I was losing my temper with the baby or something. I just kept pounding her on the back, and she finally coughed up a bunch of foamy saliva all over me and the ground.<br /></span></p><p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;">She didn't cry, but the awful gagging/choking noises and the strange whimpering had stopped and I could hear her breathing clearly, so I told the 911 dispatcher I thought everything was ok. She told me the paramedics were almost to us and to just stay where we were. While I was standing there in a daze, I looked down by my feet and noticed a folded up pink band-aid. Then what happened hit me -- when she had her shots on Monday, one of her band-aids came off when I was putting her in the car and got stuck to the seat back. I meant to take it off and forgot, and then didn't even notice it when I put her in the car. I guess she kicked it off the seat and somehow managed to get it in her mouth. <img src="http://ttcpgmommy.lefora.com/static/forum/t.gif" class="emote0 e0plain" alt="plain" title="plain" /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><img src="http://ttcpgmommy.lefora.com/static/forum/t.gif" class="emote0 e0plain" alt="plain" title="plain" />To say I feel like mother of the year is an understatement. :(<br /></span></p><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">The paramedics were so nice -- Audrey charmed them with her babbling and grinning like nothing happened, and flashed a super huge grin at the very cute EMT. I called the pediatrician's office when I got home, and they said as long as she could eat without an issue, she didn't need to be seen. The nurse said, "Great job, mom -- you did the right thing!" But I don't feel like I can take any credit for it ... the right thing would have been to have gotten that band-aid out of the car when it happened.<br /><br />The most important thing is that she's ok. Me? Not so much. I keep flashing back to it, remembering how I kept saying, "Audrey Audrey Audrey!" and telling Olivia to be quiet so I could think. My dreams the last two nights have been filled with topics even the most novice dream analyst could figure out: planes crashing before my eyes, horrible car accidents, Audrey choking on grapes, toys, plastic bags, you name it. And there was the dream about Bret Michaels hitting on me, which ... who knows about that one.<br /><br />Olivia keeps saying things like, "Audrey coughing and the am-ba-wance came!" She pretended to choke while she was eating and told me to call the ambulance (not funny mere hours after The Incident, but pretty hilarious now!), and says "Mama hit Oggie's back and the red firetruck came!" -- that line will surely be the one she yells at top volume the next time we're at the store. ;)<br /></span></span>surlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10268300189314186802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-903931447181661813.post-4972667502048650202010-06-08T14:57:00.003-04:002010-06-08T15:03:15.414-04:006 months!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWclzQgKUcymzU50olVZz0TTjk7Xma_Xv-Dhj7_HBLEldZ35iuUG6fycQ8rQtUM1LnwZ4LSh-cRiYDt69tZlpwxY14CtU0p3OCRlUjKaSHnlHAzLyO8VfS2kmkOD002w8gBvCda0kIPHil/s1600/A+6+months.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 342px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWclzQgKUcymzU50olVZz0TTjk7Xma_Xv-Dhj7_HBLEldZ35iuUG6fycQ8rQtUM1LnwZ4LSh-cRiYDt69tZlpwxY14CtU0p3OCRlUjKaSHnlHAzLyO8VfS2kmkOD002w8gBvCda0kIPHil/s400/A+6+months.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480479157555790418" border="0" /></a><br />She's starting to sleep for several hours at a time now -- last night, she was only up once, but it was from 3-5 a.m. Baby steps. She rolls from back to belly and belly to back, and is starting to get the hang of sitting up, though she's still super wobbly.<br /><br />At her ped appointment today, she weighed 15 pounds 8 ounces (45th percentile) and was 26" long (60th percentile). She's definitely more of a chunk than her big sister was at this age, at least from looking at her chunka chunka thighs.<br /><br />She has 6-month testing at the audiologist tomorrow, which I'm a little nervous about for really no reason. I know I'll be holding her in the testing booth, and that she'll be wearing her hearing aid and will have her other ear plugged for the test, but other than that, I'm not sure how it'll all work. More on that tomorrow.surlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10268300189314186802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-903931447181661813.post-22730669885218189562010-06-02T22:51:00.002-04:002010-06-02T22:58:03.178-04:00crocodile rollAudrey can apparently now roll herself over and over and over to get somewhere. How do I know this, you ask? I haven't yet witnessed it personally, but I put her on her playmat this afternoon, went in the kitchen to get a drink, and came out and she'd rolled herself partially under the entertainment center. Thankfully, the Wii Fit board kept her from going all the way under. I'll take that mother of the year trophy now!<br /><br />We joined the summer reading program at the library today. Olivia got a card with her name on it, and she'll get points for every book I read to her. Right now she's loving "If You Take a Mouse to School" and "Please Baby Please." Audrey and I also got cards, but I'm thinking neither of us will be doing much reading right now. ;)<br /><br />Olivia cracks me up lately -- she says some of the cutest and funniest things. Tonight when I was getting her ready for bed and hugged her, she said, "Once upon a time, mama gave OE a big hug! Once upon a time, OE gave mama a big kiss!" Sweet, right? While changing her dirty diaper, she proclaimed that it was full of "walrus pebbles." I think she must have gotten that from daddy.<br /><br />And last -- but definitely not least -- Audrey only woke up once last night for a bottle. Thank you, baby sleep gods! I apologize for cursing your name repeatedly over the last 5.5 months.surlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10268300189314186802noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-903931447181661813.post-56195735563503513702010-05-26T18:56:00.002-04:002010-05-26T19:05:25.073-04:00sibling rivalry alreadyOlivia had her first major encounter with someone who completely ignored her in favor of her little sis. We were at Target, OE in the cart, Oggie in the bjorn. An older woman walked by and started loudly oooooohing and aaaaaaaahing over Mr. Ogg. She even went so far as to squeeze her leg chub (which is plentiful). This woman went on and on and on about how cute Audrey is: those eyes! those dimples! that CHUB! Olivia sat there totally silent -- if you know her, you know how rare that is -- and gaped at this woman. I could tell she was probably thinking, "Really, lady?" She finally did turn to O and tell her she was cute, and she replied, "Yep." I had to laugh.<br /><br />So we're sitting here eating dinner (well, <span style="font-style: italic;">I'm</span> eating; she's eyeing her food with distaste and begging to get down). I break out paper and a marker for her as a stall tactic. She starts writing and says, "I'm making a naughty list!" [note: this is from a Dora Christmas episode we last watched in December, not some parenting threat I'm busting out. Though now that I think of it ...] She finds a piece of scrap paper with a picture of a baby on it, starts scribbling on his face, and says, "Look! That's baby Audrey on the naughty list!" I asked her what Audrey did to get on the list: "She talks like a baby." Watch out, Audrey -- this probably won't be the first time Olivia throws you under the bus.surlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10268300189314186802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-903931447181661813.post-62292765143316979442010-05-24T08:59:00.000-04:002010-05-26T12:42:58.189-04:00a few Olivia-ismsJust have to jot these down before I forget.<br /><br />"poop my face" = what everyone else in the world calls a zerbert.<br /><br />"I so sweaty from the birthday party/park/car!"<br /><br />"Say!" -- as in, "Say! Have you seen my piggy?"surlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10268300189314186802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-903931447181661813.post-82911832280534676102010-05-12T09:43:00.003-04:002010-05-13T14:40:09.274-04:00never enough time<span style="font-size:130%;">I felt like I was so busy when Olivia was a baby -- I laugh now at all that free time I had. Oh, free time ... how I miss you.<br /><br />I've obviously been bad about keeping up with this blog. Hopefully sweet Audrey won't think this is out of any sort of imagined 2nd child syndrome. I find her just as adorable and brilliant and fabulous as Olivia, but with two kiddos now clamoring for my attention nonstop, plus trying to freelance here and there ... it's just difficult.<br /><br />My goal for the week -- hmm, maybe next week -- is to get my photos uploaded and caught up on here ... Audrey's 5-month birthday was on May 7th, and I got a shot of the two girls together for Mother's Day as well.<br /><br />[editor's note: 5.5 hour has elapsed since I began typing this post.]<br /><br />A quick rundown on recent events:<br /></span><ul><li><span style="font-size:130%;">I ran the entire Talk Walk Run 5K for Hear Indiana! It took me 39:06 to do it, but the course was hilly and I'd only trained at a slow pace on a treadmill. I'm contemplating a 5-mile race in early June, and I've already signed up for the 500 Festival mini marathon in May 2011. I was also the top fundraiser for the event, bringing in $1800. Another guy got a big chunk of donations at the last minute, so technically I came in second, but the director had to cut off the fundraising at some point. Thanks to everyone who donated, and my great family and friends for all the support. A special shout-out to Uncle Na-Na, who ran with me and kept me motivated (and from trying to speed up during the flat patches).<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;">Audrey is still not sleeping much better. This pains me. ;)<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;">I've had a pretty steady stream of freelance work lately. This is both good ($$, mental stimulation beyond repeated viewings of Elmo's Potty Time) and bad (difficult to work when your children refuse bedtime). Grammy has been wonderful about helping out when she can, which is much appreciated.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;">I just enrolled Olivia in a pre-pre-preschool. It's 2 days a week for 2 hours each time, and is obviously play-based. It's a co-op, too, so I'll get a chance to be in the classroom with her once or twice a month. Mainly, I'm hoping that this will help her get more comfortable around other kids.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;">The girls ;) got me a really cute card for Mother's Day and a gift certificate to my favorite pedicure spot. It was a nice day. Now I need to figure out how to top last year's awesome Father's Day Kindle gift. I'm thinking <a href="http://theunsurly.blogspot.com/2009/06/baseball-or-bust-bust.html">I won't attempt another baseball game</a> like last year, though.<br /></span></li></ul>surlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10268300189314186802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-903931447181661813.post-66433098822986394572010-05-03T21:17:00.007-04:002010-05-03T22:10:32.223-04:00It's 9:00. Parents, do you know where your children are?<span style="font-size:130%;">#1 just fell asleep, despite skipping her nap today (I sense an alarming trend there);<br /><br />#2 is still wide awake after a 30-minute cat nap at 7pm. Last night she was still kicking at 10:30.<br /><br />Have I mentioned I'm on a deadline for a huge freelance project?<br /><br />Dear universe:<br /><br />I surrender! Here's my white flag. I apologize profusely for ... well, whatever it was I did in my previous life to get such crappy sleepers in the international baby lottery. Are these moms whose newborns sleep through the night at 6 weeks old paying you off? Because I want to get in on that racket. It's been almost five months. Five. Long. Months. Please, universe ... can you call off the dogs already? Surely it's quite entertaining, giving me a bad sleeper for my first kid and then an equally bad sleeper for the second when the world is full of "your second will be so much easier" adages. I'm tired. So tired that even 4 straight hours -- no, make that 3! -- of sleep sounds positively delightful. Can you transfer this house's bad-sleeping juju to a vapid celebrity who can afford a night nanny or two? Maybe one of those Kardashian girls? That'd be swell.<br /><br />love,<br />me (the girl with the permanent dark circles who yawns a lot)</span>surlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10268300189314186802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-903931447181661813.post-2158998971133823072010-04-26T16:09:00.003-04:002010-04-26T22:54:22.512-04:00plodding alongI had typed up a long, whiny post the other day about how hard it is to stay at home with two kids, but eh ... no one wants to read my overly indulgent self pitying. :P<br /><br />Audrey still isn't sleeping more than 2 hours at a time at night, making me wonder just how bad I was in a previous life. She's sleeping in her crib more these days, and took naps for both grammy and daddy today. She's cute as can be, though -- rolling over, smiling and chatting a bunch. She loves looking at her hands and grabbing her toes, even managing to stick some in her mouth this week. She doesn't seem to mind when I put in her hearing aid, and her face lights up when she hears the little intro song it plays when it starts up.<br /><br />Olivia is enjoying spring so far, making use of her sandbox and water table as much as possible. Her speech is still off the charts, and she's becoming very funny. Last night, she requested that D read her a One Step Ahead catalog before bed. She said, "We NEEEEED to go to the store to get a new trike for OE!" She also requested a trampoline, a playhouse, and the more reasonably priced "<a href="http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=162&cmSource=Search">hippo head</a>" (which we actually can't use because our tub spout isn't shaped like that). I think we probably need to stay out of Toys R Us for a while ...surlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10268300189314186802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-903931447181661813.post-84210647249347351122010-04-18T15:43:00.002-04:002010-04-18T15:51:17.338-04:00no schedule, no sanityI should know better. And I actually DO know better, but I apparently temporarily lost my mind. On Wednesday, we were invited to a 6:30 p.m. birthday dinner for a friend's 2-year-old. Olivia normally goes to bed around 7:30 these days, but we said what the hell and decided to not only go to the party, but to let her have cake and ice cream at 8pm and to not get home until after 9pm. She passed out pretty quickly after being put in her crib despite seeming crazy wired, but woke up really early the next morning and had bad/short naps for days.<br /><br />And then last night, another friend invited us over for an impromptu cookout at 6pm. We were excited to have actual plans on a weekend night and again cast aside our good judgment. Olivia was so wound up from the two dogs there and all the attention from everyone that she wouldn't even touch the mac and cheese I made for her at home to bring along -- and her taste of my hot dog didn't go over so well. We got home around 9pm and she went right to sleep, but woke up at 7am SUPER grumpy -- like, crying and asking to go back to bed at 10:30. I'm hoping that we can get her into bed at 7 tonight with minimal drama. <br /><br />Audrey doesn't really have much of a schedule yet, despite my best attempts at creating one for her, but even she's been rocked by our recent nighttime socializing. She wouldn't sleep in her crib last night, so I ended up plunking her in the swing out of desperation and crashing on the couch. She was up every 2 hours all night long, and then stayed up from 9am until 2pm today, when I finally gave up on trying to rock/bounce/shush her to sleep and popped her in the carseat for a little trip around town.<br /><br />Note to self: do not deviate from the schedule under any circumstances!surlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10268300189314186802noreply@blogger.com0