Audrey is 15 months!

It’s amazing how fast Aurdrey is growing.  Today she is 15 months and is on the go, nonstop.  Every evening before bed, Shane and I pick up the playroom, because Audrey has single handedly taken every toy from its cubby and scattered all of their tiny parts around the playroom.   The playroom looks like a tornado makes regular visits to our house.  Now in the past, when Avery and Amelia were of a similar age, we would have made them “help” clean up the mess they created, laying a good foundation for future “tantrum free” cleanups.  However, with Audrey we just don’t have the time.   So we will report back to ya in about a year, about Audrey’s willingness to help clean up the messes she has created…HA!  In the meantime, cleaning up the mess ourselves is just easier.  On another note, Audrey seems to be walking more every day.  She still prefers bear crawling, something I will greatly miss seeing, but takes steps daily as her balance continues to improve.  Audrey’s eating habits have been so different for the older two, and if she wasn’t my 3rd I think I might consume myself with worry.  However, since life seems to be streaming before my eyes at light speed, I’ve put some of her culinary pickiness on the backburner.  To be specific, she still doesn’t like the texture of fruit.  Sometimes she will eat blackberries and raspberries, sometimes she will eat grapes and blueberries, and sometimes she will eat an apple or pear, but she refuses to pry her lips open for a banana, orange, pineapple, strawberry, or mango, in which case I must return to the pantry for some pureed baby food.   Audrey is a good sleeper and it teetering between 2 naps and 1 nap a day. Like her sibling, she is loud and likes to be in the mix of things.  Audrey isn’t shy and I’m pretty sure will be an extravert.  She says “ma ma”, “da da”, “ssssss” for snake, “ha,ha,ha” for dog, “oo oo, ah ah” for monkey, and “ut oh” for anything.  One of my favorite things about Audrey is her need for a good snuggle.   I can always tell when he wants to sit on my lap and cuddle for 5 minutes, which is always a pleasure, and then she is done and off to find her next adventure. 

Baby Steps

I'm not sure when it happened - it's been so gradual, how it happened - she still seems to highly prefer crawling, but Audrey is walking.  I know as mothers we all want a definitive date, one that says my baby started walking on ______.  I can recall with clarity the day that both Avery and Amelia walked, however, Audrey is a different story.  She seems to be easing into walking s-l-o-w-l-y.  She started taking steps about a month ago and has added a few steps "here and there" over a 4 week period.  Shane and I have been waiting for “that moment”, the one we will always remember, and since Audrey is set on tap dancing around "that moment" we decided to take fate into our own hands and spent a day attempting to create "that moment."  We have several clips and the one below is a short snippet, but a clear picture of Audrey's baby steps.

Audrey, my 14 month old!

Today Audrey is 14 months old and I am happy to report - busy, busy, busy!  She continues to “bear crawl” as a primary mode of transportation and is quite fast when something catches her eye.  Audrey enjoys “bear crawling” her way to the center of any activity, making sure not to be left out.  However, more often than not, she complicates a card game, bothers brother while building Legos, messes with older sister’s hair bows, or adds special challenges when trying to read books for story time.  I giggle every time I am sitting down working with Amelia and Avery, because Audrey’s bum is magnet for my lap.  Watching her find my lap is the funniest part - she locates my lap, positions herself by turning around (bum towards me), backs it on up (beep – beep – beep), and plop she is sitting in my lap looking at her older brother and sister happy as a clam.  Audrey loves playing with Avery and Amelia, but sometimes bites off more than she can chew, leaving everyone frustrated.  Avery and Amelia sometimes lock her out of their rooms, which ALWAYS makes Audrey MAD!  At lunch time if Avery and Amelia are silly, Audrey is silly.  If Avery shakes his head back and forth, Audrey shakes her head back and forth.   If Amelia laughs hysterically, Audrey squishes her little nose and tries to also laugh hysterically.  After watching my three “go around” I find myself laughing so hard my sides ache.  They are an active bunch!  I feel compelled to mention for milestone sake, that Audrey has taken one or two steps, but I am waiting for 3-4 consecutive steps before making the official call – she’s walking!

Audrey is 13 months old! Didn’t she just have her first birthday? I feel like the past month has been a blur, and having her birthday in the midst of holiday activity just adds to my already hazy brain. With that being said, I am aware my little Audrey made zero plans to slow down her developments and discoveries in light of the holidays and for this I am glad. Her continued growth brings smiles to all she encounters. Over the month of December she has become quite the little speed demon, while bear crawling on her hands and feet. Like her brother, Audrey has chosen to bear crawl instead of a traditional crawl, which can be humorous when standing from behind. She also enjoys playing with her tongue and swishing it back and forth in her mouth. At dinner time her demands are kindly communicated with her form of sign language (clapping), which changes into squeals, loud yelling, and then high pitched shrills when her wants are not met in a timely manner. When Audrey plays, she plays with purpose. There always seems to be a reason, rationale, or intent in what she is playing with and why she is playing with that particular thing. Sometimes her resolve turns into frustration and when she is frustrated she tenses up her arms, squishes her face, and then stiffens her body until it shakes, and then resumes her determination. She makes me laugh and smile daily! Recently, Audrey had her 12 month well baby check-up and here is how she measures up.

Weight: 22 lbs (66 percentile)


Height: 31.1 inches (94 percentile)


Head: 17.52 inches (29 percentile)