Happy 17 months

WOW where had time gone?? 17 months oh my goodness!  You are so.....much fun Audrey! We have a party everyday and I REALLY love that.  You sing songs now. YES FULL SONGS.  ABC's in English and in French and the itsy bitsy (as you call the itsy bitsy spider) .  You ask me to sing the wheels (wheels on the bus) skina (skinnamarinky dinky dink YES I loved that show.  Come on...admit it, you loved that show too!  I knew it was a song with lots of hand motions and you cannot ever hear it enough) bunny foo foo and do all the hand motions. Be on the lookout for a video of Audrey doing any of the above.  I am hoping I can catch it on video, she usually just freezes and won't do anything, what a stinker!  You know every word in your alphabet books and recognize letters.  We got you those sandpaper letters and we are working on those.  You still recognize most of the letters.  You tell me "dirty diaper" when you have gone pee pee and sometimes tell me beforehand.  We go through spurts where you go on the potty like 3+ times a day to maybe once.  I don't force it because I want you to want to go potty.  Of course, I usually get you to go by saying "Audrey why don't you go get a book and we can read and go potty together"  She seems to only go if I am pottying as well. go figure... Little girl, you learn probably 5 new words a day that stick, it is ridiculous!! You are so....smart and so beautiful.  I can't tell you how many times papa and I tell you both of those each day.  You are getting really good at helping pick up.  each time we get a new book, you put up the old one on the shelf.  It's too cute.  I usually lounge on your pink elephant and you come full speed to jump on my belly. I catch you mid-air and put you on my belly and that's how we read.  You ask me every morning to go on a walk. You go to the door and say "walk mama" "Eli Eleanor" The puppies come with us. You'd swear going down the street I had 3 heads jogging with a baby in a stroller who is usually signing and singing her alphabet, and a puppy on each side.  It's really amusing to see the reactions.  I have now been doing this everyday since April.  You went swimming for what I consider the first time. Sure we went to Destin last year but it wasn't like you had a choice to go in the pool. You hated it anyway.  This year you REALLY went swimming.  In what you called a "boat" check out the pictures from Greenbrier.  We put your hair in piggy tails the other day. You call it "piggy"  You now tell me when you want to nap and go to bed.  I usually hear "mama nuni night night" then I ask you just to make sure and you say "yeah" in a slightly swedish way I have no clue where that comes from but it's hysterical.  Just today you climbed up your rock wall side of you swingset.  I wasn't there but papa was.  I had been helping you learn how to climb up and where to put your feet but you finally did it!!!  I actually watched you climb up and go slide ALL BY YOURSELF!!!  That's when I realized I have a toddler and not a little burrito anymore.  It does make me sad that you are growing up so....quick but we have so....much fun each day!!  It's always a new adventure. We now eat breakfast and lunch at your table and when I say "it's time for lunch" you say "table mama"  I always say yes, but I have to make lunch first"   You want to use your spoon and do a good job overall but when you're done eating you start "cooking"  I always know because you don't want anymore food but simply want to stir aka make a huge mess.   You know how to use your new tea set that we got at Greenbrier.  I showed you how to dunk the tea bag and the pour the cream if you want and then stir it.  It's too cute. Oh and of course pour the hot water.  You ride your horsey yourself now, you have been doing that for a while but you REALLY rock it hard! You sing too!  You certainly are my little girl with the singing all the time.  You know all your colors including pink and brown only because we have rocky mountain and fuzzi bunz in those colors and you help put the laundry from the washer to the dryer.  You try to ride Eli while singing the horsy song (a French song) it's too funny. He would just let you but I couldn't let you ride my 1st baby like that, poor buddy.  You also like to wiggle his ears which I think is hysterical.  As long as you do it gently, I have no issue.   You have a spoon obsession.  No matter your mood a spoon will make you happy.  You have 3 spoons around at all times, you sometimes ask for the spatulas I cook with or your little spoons.  You crack me up with your obsession.  I love you more and more everyday little girl and the same goes for your papa.  You are wrapped so...very tightly around his finger and are certainly a papa's girl through and through.  We love you little girl.

I love that smirk!! Papa put velcro rollers in your hair while I was getting my hair done. You left them in for at least 2 hrs!

Happy 16 months!

16 months.  WOW this month SO.....much has happened.

You started wearing headbands because your hair is REALLY getting long.  It's curly and I simply love that it's slightly wild.
You learned to climb on EVERYTHING. You hop on your rocking horse and rock yourself. You climb on the sofa (with the help of a step that's really made for the bathroom! lol) you can climb on the dining room chairs as well as your little chair to your little table.  We relocated the table and chairs from your room to the living room and we now eat part of breakfast (you eat toast on our morning jog and then have egg, and fruit when we get home) and lunch there.

You can sing your alphabet now, yes the whole thing although you personally like through P and usually stop there but you do sometimes continue singing.  You attempt to sign your alphabet and can usually name a letter if I sign it.  Your book reading skills are truly amazing.  With your letter books you will grab a book look at the letter, say what it is, then read the book. With your other books you look at the front cover and know what's in it.  Yesterday you came to me saying "mama book" I asked you what was in that book and you quickly said "bubbles".  It was a book about bath time and you LOVE bubbles!!!!    Your French is really coming along you know "vien ici" and can say "bonjour" "pomme" "ananas" and "fraise" and "lunette". You also ask for the French alphabet by changing the pronunciation ABC.  It's too cute!  On a side note I need to learn how to speak French.  I remember phrases and words, but the verb conjugation gets me.  I  also understand most conversations when spoken in French but really can't say anything back for fear of insulting someone! Knowing me, that's exactly what I would do!!

You still love outside, something I never expect to change.  Too bad it's already 90+ degrees here everyday! UGH!!! so.... not a fan of this heat!  Of course, the normal 97% humidity doesn't help!  Still, we go outside an hour in the mornings around 6:30 and then again around 4:30 in the afternoon.  You have an obsession with mulch. You don't eat it but love to put it in containers and carry 1 piece around with you.

You love going bye bye because that means Adele. Yes, that's right Audrey has an Adele obsession!!!  Adele has to be on in the car and when Adele is on everyone must have their sunglasses AKA Hollywood on.  When you say Adele you mean the song Rumor Has It although sometimes Rollin' in the Deep or Set Fire to the Rain are acceptable.  Of course, you love singing in general you frequently ask for "ABC or A ah ah ah or Itsy Bitsy or Skinny.  A ah ah ah is really A is for Audrey ah ah ah B is for baby ba ba ba (you get the idea) and Skinny is the closing song to the Elephant Show that I LOVED as a little girl (skina merinky dinky dink, come on I KNOW y'all know this one!!) Audrey, you are ALL about hand motions and singing, oh and Pat a cake is a BIG favorite too!

You now prefer being in the cart than me wearing you :-(  I truly love wearing you, always have, but it's your decision whether you want your mei tai or cart cover.  I have both in my trunk and ask you which one every time we go to the store.  I always respect your wishes but am just learning to deal with not wearing you.  We still have fun and you help me put things in the cart, you literally just toss items over your shoulder into the cart it's too cute.  I still let you smell the herbs, fruit, and any veggies that smell, which you love so I suppose it's not all that bad.  I love interacting with you.  Grocery shopping is such a great learning opportunity because of everything that's there.

You now tell me "dirty diaper" when you have a dirty diaper.  This is AWESOME.  A lot of times in the middle of the night you will say "nuni" but then won't take it so I ask if you need to go potty then you say "yea yea yea" So....4:30 is not the ideal time I want to be getting up to let you go potty and read books but I will take that over a wet diaper.  To me that means you are getting closer to potty training (I really don't like that phrase by the way....)  Not that I have ever had an issue with doing diapers but it's cool that you realize when you have to go especially in the middle of the night.

You know where your: nose, teeth, tongue, mouth, eyes, eye brows, chin, cheek, hair, ears, arm, leg, feet, toes, toe nails,  hands, and fingers are!  You know: shirt, skirt, diaper, (dirty and clean) pants, socks, shoes, make-up. (yeah the last is b/c she sees me doing mine in the mornings sometimes, lol) your vocabulary grows every day. We have to watch EVERYTHING we say and do because we know you would pick up bad words and actions on the first try.

You enjoy your bed and usually do running jumps onto it.  Somedays I move your bed into your room for naps, other times I leave it in our room.  You sleep the same in either place.  As long as your elephant blanket is on the bed you are GOOD.  (you hate cold sheets, it always wakes you up)  You sleep beside our bed on your mattress at night and stay there sometimes until 3am.  Sometimes I pull you in bed early around 11pm because well I know I won't be able to snuggle with you forever and want to take advantage of extra snuggle time.   

You amaze me everyday Audrey.  You are too cute, even when you're fussy and clingy and needy, you are still too cute.  I do worry about the big changes that are coming in the fall, but I think you'll be great, it's me who may not be!  Always know how much mama and papa love you!! You are our world little girl!

Dear 11 month old, 1 month late!!!!!!

Hey readers,

     Long time no post! It has been crazy!!  I have been busy with clarinet gigs.  I am currently working with a clarinet section at a somewhat local high school on Wednesdays and sometimes Fridays. Of course, I still have my lessons, and I am playing for a friends masters recital for conducting. I am loving all of the playing and teaching, but I am more busy than I have been in quite some time.  In any case, so much has happened but the biggest thing is that Audrey turned 1!!!! It's crazy I know.  I can't believe my sweet little girl is one.  I know I didn't post my dear Audrey for 11 months ( I actually wrote it in the notes on my itouch  when you turned 11 months but have yet to type it and post it on my blog) but I am doing that NOW. (yes it's over a month behind but better now than never)  Beware this WILL be long. I am also going to include some awesome pictures of Audrey throughout this year.  Thanks for hanging in there while I have been MIA. Y'all are AMAZING!    Stay tuned because tomorrow my Dear 1 year old Audrey will be posted!


                     Dear my sweet 11 month old, you have done SO.......much this past month.

For starters you know have 14 teeth!! SERIOUSLY!!! You have 3 molars and 2 canines that are coming through all at once.  Teething has been rough this go round.  Amber helps, but the nights are difficult.  I am hoping these teeth come in soon so you feel better.

You now blow and give kisses.  You think giving kisses is blowing kisses. So, for a kiss on the cheek we ask you to give us a kiss and point to our cheek.  Sometimes you give us a kiss on the cheek other times you just blow us one. Either way it melts us both completely.

You now know where the puppies are and try to say Eleanor! Eli is still something you haven't attempted to say.


You also know where your duck is. You point to it and say duck. You also know what your baby is (your glow worm)


You said Nonna on Christmas Eve!! Nonna was thrilled of course

You occasionally want to feed yourself with a spoon and do a pretty good job.  Of course, you like the spoon upside down in your mouth but you get the idea and the food most of the time!

You moo for the cow, bark for the puppy, quack for the duck.

You know where noses and mouths are

You haven't learned any new signs but are working on it.  I am hoping for nooni and more.


List of words you say: mama, papa, nonna, hi, hot, duck, bye bye, mum mum (your favorite snack)

You took your first steps on Christmas Day!! It was the best present EVER!!!

You wave and say hi to EVERYONE! You get confused when people don't wave or say hi back


You LOVE where's Audrey and you hide behind a towel

This month you also got sick. You had rubella and had a 103.8 fever. Talk about scary. It was awful.  I had to give you tylenol for the first time :-(

I also had to give you benadryl for the first time too because a humidifier with eucalyptus didn't work, and neither did elderberry AND syringing your nose AND putting saline spray up your nose (which you LOVE, no really, you do! it's pretty amusing)     My poor baby, well it passed fairly quickly so that made me happy.






Below is Audrey through her first year.  Every month we took a picture of her with papa bear.  That was Carlo's stuffed animal.  He was a gift to his mom, Nonna, before he was born.  Papa bear has been with me when Carlo was back and forth every 2 weeks between Lafayette and Albuquerque.  I hug him when Carlo is out of town.  He is Audrey's FAVORITE stuffed animal.  It made sense to have a way to see how fast Audrey grows.  ENJOY!  

Dear Audrey, 10 months old, this IS long!

Hey Readers, so…I am two weeks late on my “Dear Audrey” letter but I suppose better late than never right? Anyway, here goes.  I am sure by now you all know how long winded I am. I have this feeling that this post is going to be even longer than normal. I just felt I should warn you in advance. J

Dear little monster,

                You are getting to be so….big!  I look at you and think “you’re still so little and but yet so BIG!!”  Well, to me you are. You are actually rather petite, in weight that is. You are in the 75% tile for height! We know you certainly don’t get it from me! You have more Bentley genes than you know!  It was such an eventful month. You went through Halloween AND Thanksgiving and survived both!  Here’s a run down of this month:

For Halloween you dressed up as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz while I dressed as Tin Woman and papa dressed as Scarecrow.  We went with one of your friends Amelia Fournerat, and her parents Krista and Lane. Amelia dressed as the Cowardly Lion, Krista  was the wicked witch, and Lane was the Yellow Brick Road.  You took a late nap and woke up cranky!!  I wish you would have enjoyed walking around more, but like I said, you were cranky.  You did perk up right as we got home though and managed to have some fun with Amelia before they left. 

Thanksgiving went much better than Halloween.  You loved my GF stuffing, momee’s fresh cranberry relish, and the turkey the most.  Papa even gave you a little taste of the GF bread pudding I made from his grand-mon mon’s recipe. I am pretty sure that was the most sugar you have had. You weren’t crazy about it, and that’s a good thing to me.

You still LOVE yoga! We have been going now since you were 4 months old and you love playing, and sometimes tackling, with Morgan and Malaki. We all enjoy watching the three of you interact and play.

You have been trying ALL kinds different foods lately. Of course, you still have something against eggs even though you used to love them.  You recently tried escargot, one of my favorite foods, and you loved it! This made me very happy. You love meat. It doesn’t matter what kind of meat really just meat.  One of your favorite dishes is a bolagnese sauce I make. You threw the pasta off of your tray and still couldn’t get the meat sauce fast enough. 

Even though you eat all types of food, you still nurse every 2-3 hrs.  That makes me very happy. I have no intention of weaning you.  I know when you’re ready you will wean yourself.  It’s natural.

You now know so many signs. You sign fan and light, those were your first two, you signed those in mid-July.  You also sign milk aka nuni, pronounced noo-nee.  Although, most of the time you would rather just pat my boobs and smile when I ask if you want nuni. Your most recent sign  is puppy.  You love the puppies! You sign puppy and then bark. You also love going in and out of their crate while acting like a dog.  I am pretty sure you think you’re a dog. You love waving as much as you love acting like a puppy.  You wave to everyone you see; and it hurts my feelings that those who see you usually don’t wave back.  Seriously, who doesn’t wave to a baby!?? You always get a confused look on your face wondering why people aren’t waving. Again, seriously, who doesn’t wave to a baby!!??

Naps were great this month. You usually sleep for 1.5-2hrs in the morning. Afternoon naps are not always a guarantee, but you tended to get tired around 2:30 or 3. You now nap to Norah Jones AND rain on your sound machine.  I love that you are all about snuggling these days.  It makes me happy that you hug me or just love on me.  I melt every time.  You still sleep in your crib in our room and I like it like that; you are the perfect distance from us.  Plus, you wind up in bed around 3 or so every night anyway and we snuggle.

You crawl all over in your silly little crawl with your hands and feet on the ground.  Lately, you have developed a little scoot that you use as well. You push with one foot and scoot the other behind you. I am amazed at how fast you move scooting. 

You now open cabinets, enjoy watching the washing machine and dryer, and try to climb into the dishwasher while attempting to take dishes out.

The biggest thing that happened this month is that you now consistently go pee pee and or poopie on your little potty daily. You use your potty at least once every day, but you usually use it 2-3 times a day.  I can’t believe how easy it is and yet I feel like an idiot for not starting this sooner. I wish my parents understood how cool this is and how proud they should be. Instead, they think it’s odd and say well at some point every kid learns to use the potty. That’s okay honey, we get it, and are so very proud of you.

You get excited when we play music, which is what we have on most days.  You run up to the record player and start dancing. It’s so..adorable.  Sometimes I ask you to dance when there’s no music and you always make sure to point to the record player just to remind me where the music you dance to comes from. 

You now know the word dance and wave You even say “mama” “papa” “puppy”  and “hi”.  The puppies are your favorite thing in the entire world. You love them so…much.  They love you, but are still trying to figure you out.  Of course, once you learn to pet them gently and not yank on their tails they will love you even more.  Eli likes you the most simply because you can throw the ball now to him. You do a great job at throwing the ball and don’t even try to put it in your mouth you just throw the ball.

The scariest thing that happened this month was that you cut a molar.  Yes, that makes 9 teeth.  You were taking a bath and brushing your teeth like normal when your molar cut through!!  Papa was bathing you and called me in. You had blood dripping down your chin.  That was a very scary moment for both mama and papa.  Of course, it was nothing a little chamomile and catnip tea couldn’t handle. I also rubbed your gums with some vanilla extract which seemed to help as well.

I can’t believe how smart you are. You astound me everyday with the new things you learn and take in. You are also growing way too quick and need to slow down.  I wish 1 month were really the length of 2 months because then you would be 5 months instead of 10.  When did you get to the double digits in months anyway!!?? You are such a fun little girl, and we enjoy everyday with you.  I try to take in every moment because time flies.

I love you my little monster

                                   Mama