Gobble, Gobble, Gobble!

Audrey's first thanksgiving was quite a success! We've got a full house (17, including Audrey) and I don't think the holiday could've gone any better. Kathryn and Jeff came over from Seattle and the Moore Family is in town from Vancouver. That makes quite a crowd in our huge house and the chaos that ensues is fantastic. Most of the time, people are pretty well spread out, but it reminds me of the holiday scene from While You Were Sleeping when the whole gang is sitting around the dinner table trying to have 12 conversations at once:

All the Great ones were tall!
Alan Ladd wasn´t tall.
Marshal Dillon was six-foot-five.
Well, we all know who Lucy´s type is.

These mashed potatoes are so creamy.

You like brunettes.

l could never make a good pot roast.

You need good beef.

Argentina has great beef. Beef and Nazis.

John Wayne was tall.

Dustin Hoffman was five-six.
Would you want to see Dustin Hoffman save the Alamo?

Our conversations are slightly varied to include sports references and Jeff's witty one-liners, but the format is still the same.

Amid all the hustle and bustle, we managed to pull off a Thanksgiving feast any Gamelin (or Pfaff for that matter!) would be proud of. We also did the Turkey Trot with Audrey this year. Grandma & Grandpa S., Great Gma S. and half the Moore Brood made it out in the cold Thanksgiving morning for the one-mile walk. I like getting my walk in before breakfast as opposed to Grandma G's mandatory one-mile walk AFTER eating turkey...no, thank you!

Audrey has been loving the amount of activity going on around the house this week and she also got to see a Christmas tree for the first time today; Grandma S. put up the family tree early this year since we'll be gone. Lil A was pretty impressed with the lights and I know we'll be spending most of our time in the living room with her until it comes down.

In the true spirit of Thanksgiving, I would like to take the time to acknowledge how blessed John and I feel; we have quite a bit to be thankful for this year. The most obvious, of course, is the blessing of having Audrey as an addition to our family; any mother knows how thankful I am that she's in our lives and anyone who's not a parent would have to become one to understand the unbelievable amount of love we have for her.
I'm also thankful for everyone involved in Audrey's life:
My Amazing Husband: who is a better father than I ever imagined possible.
Audrey's Grandparents: my parents who must love her to bits and pieces from half way across the country and have been amazingly supportive of John and me as parents--and John's parents who we are lucky enough to have helping us every day; I can't imagine how insane we would be without their helping hands.
Every family member, friend, and friend of a friend who has expressed their love and well wishes for us and our new family: I wish I could single you all out and thank you properly--we have been overwhelmed by the amount of love that we have received from everyone involved in this little girl's life. You know who you are--and we are thankful for you too.

As always, I am thankful for my health, the health of my family and friends, and all the other amazing blessings God has bestowed on us, which are too many to count.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, took the opportunity to reflect on the blessings in their own lives and slipped into a turkey-coma to dream about delicious leftovers and pie.

4 Months Today!

Audrey is already four months old! And that means it's only a month until Christmas! Since Thanksgiving is right around the corner and there will be incredible amounts of pie to be eaten, we decided to downplay the desert for Audrey's "Birthday" Celebration today. Instead of cake or pie we're getting turkey shortbread cookies from my favorite bakery in town. (They just look like turkeys--not made with turkey...goo!)

Audrey has been very busy the past few days trying to figure out how to roll from her back to her belly by herself. Most of the time she still needs a little help, but she's really starting to figure it out. I'm excited, but not necessarily in any rush to get this kid to be mobile. I have a hard enough time getting laundry done on a regular basis, much less trying to find time to nail down everything in the house.

In an effort to figure out how to roll over, Audrey has developed a new posture we call: The Banana. This involves contorting one's body until your feet can touch the back of your head. It looks amazingly uncomfortable, but she seems to be enjoying herself; she even started doing it when John was feeding her last night--hilarious.

The Little Dragon is talking more and more; her "I'm happy" sound is "mmmmmmm" instead of cooing now, which is really cool that she's developing her own little language. She gets more and more excited about seeing faces--especially her Papa. We even took her over to a friend's house to meet their kids who are 3 and 18 months. Audrey was very excited to see people closer to her own size. She got a lot of little people hugs and kisses and made more "mmmm" noises that I've ever heard before.

Altogether, this kid is a keeper and I can't really believe she's only been with us for four months. It feels like she's been around forever. (In a good way!)

I'm off to attempt to get some rest...it's a never ending quest. I hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving and is safe in their travels!

Pumpkin Chuck '08

We officially started a new tradition this year since we never got around to carving Audrey's pumpkin: The Great Pumpkin Chuck! Half the fun of buying a pumpkin really is getting to chuck it over a fence anyway.

Check out the pics @:

http://picasaweb.google.com/GGamelin/PumpkinChuck08#

Poo Watch: 2008

Just a disclaimer: (for the faint of heart) If you're uncomfortable with the topic of poo...this entry is not for you. If you're a mother--this is sissy stuff.

Never in my life have I been so consumed by poop...and it's not even mine! I'm guessing this isn't going to change for many years to come either. Audrey has never been a big pooper and when she does, it's always cause for celebration. (I REALLY hope she gets to read this when she gets older and is amazingly embarrassed.)

Anyway, we were going on day 5 of no poo and having already tried sugar water and apple juice in her bottles, the pediatrician suggested feeding her some straight apple prune juice and if that didn't work the next step would be a suppository. (eeek!) So we really, really wanted the prune juice to do the trick.

Now, prunes are not my cup of tea, but apparently Audrey doesn't know that there are far superior fruit juices out there and was pleased as punch to drink it. She even sat there licking the nipple of the bottle and smiling after she was full. Yum! Doctor D. said it should take anywhere from 2-6 hours to see results from the juice.

2 hours came and went....6 hours came and went....she slept through the night and still no poo!

It was excruciating! I've never been on pins and needles like that--not for exam results, not even for a pregnancy test! But, I'm not giving up easy--first thing in the morning The Dragon got a little more prune juice (heaven!) and John and I sat around doing leg exercises with Audrey, willing the poo to come with everything from songs and chants to stern lectures on the importance of intestinal fortitude.

Then, right in the middle of a "push-it-out, shove-it-out, waaaayyy out!" chant....she did! One fell swoop was all it took and I've never smelled anything so repulsive in my life. Thank God we were using disposable diapers in preparation for something horrid!

So, this is what my life revolves around now: poop. And I couldn't be happier. Never in a million years would I have thought I would put those two sentences together!

Audrey's First Grand Adventure

Well, Audrey, John and I bit the bullet and took our first official family adventure together to see the Emerald City. As you can imagine, we had some reservations since Audrey has been inclined to scream when forced into her car seat lately, but I would say she spent maybe ten minutes crying in the car round-trip. *cue Hallelujah chorus* Apparently traveling seems to agree with Audrey...or at least make her sleepy and I'm happy with either option.

The trip was pretty last-minute; John's Brother-In-Law, Jeff, had scored VIP Club Level Tickets to see the Seahawks and thought that John would want to go with him. (Kathryn is notoriously anti-any-sport-but-baseball and declined the honor of being amongst so many tools--as she would phrase it.) Since John hadn't been to a Pro Football game yet, we jumped at the opportunity. We all actually drove downtown to the Stadium before the game and Kathryn and I left the boys at the Field to go gallivanting in Pioneer Square . It was a little weird for me to be the wife dropping her husband off at the manly event to go shopping. Luckily, I was spending time with Kathryn, who is by no means a girly-girl, and we hit up toy stores instead of looking at clothes.

John and Jeff had a great time at the game even though the 'Hawks lost (surprise, surprise) and it was good to get out of the Tri-Cities. Sometimes going away for a whirlwind weekend is just what it takes to appreciate being home again.

p.s. On a sad note, Audrey's thunder thighs have officially outgrown her awesome leggings; you know they're too small when there are copious fat rolls spilling out the top. Alas, the one consolation is that the chubbier Audrey's drummies get, the cuter they are.

And now...even more pictures!

I didn't want to tac this to the end of the last post in case people couldn't make it through--sorry, I'm long winded! Anyway, there's a new Album up for November:

http://picasaweb.google.com/GGamelin/November2008#

Check it out!

What a Champ!

So, Audrey got her second round of vaccinations today and I really think that these things are causing me waaaaay more grief than they do her. I'm really not one of those moms who tears up when their baby gets poked with a needle, (not that there's anything wrong with that...) it's just the incredible amount of planning it takes to get this kid somewhere at a specific time and in a good enough mood that she doesn't think her car seat is attempting to murder her by "immobilization"...whew! I literally counted back from the time of her appointment this afternoon and had goals in mind for when each nap would be. Keeping in mind, this could all easily be thwarted should Audrey decide to take a turn into crabby...I mean...misunderstood-ville.

Well, the stars were aligned and we made it to our appointment with ten minutes to spare and even a few happy coo's from the carseat...wohoo! They got us right in to the nurse who was doing vaccinations and when does Audrey start crying? When the nurse goes to hold down her leg so she can rub alcohol on it. I swear--no one is going to tell this kid what to do; poke her with a needle and she'll be your best friend, but try to tell her she can't move her legs and you will surely be burninated! After all that preparation and it's anticlimactic finale, this frazzled mama stopped for a caffeine fix at Starbucks on the way home--The Dragon was happily batting at her rattle in the back seat, unaware that her carseat was plotting against her.

On that note, I can put up with all the teary-eyed objections to napping and shrieks at being strapped into an evil carseat as long as I get to see the world's most beautiful smile when Little A wakes up from her nap or is finally extricated from the car. What a kid! I think we'll keep her!

Also, for your viewing pleasure--the Dragon Burninates a poor, defenseless butterfly (he actually deserved it.)

Weekend Update

Since the Seahawks are doing so poorly (understatement of the year), we've actually been focusing more on getting some small projects done around the Schweighardt house on the weekends. I've been bitten by the interior decorating bug and the past two weekends have been dedicated to painting the living and dining rooms. I'm thinking my equivalent of Spring cleaning for this time of year must be Fall Redecorating; I just can't get enough.

Anyone who knew me pre-John must know how out of character this Martha Stewart-esque behavior is. Before, my idea of decorating was either wallpapering my room with photographs until the drywall fell apart from tac holes or a strategically placed poster of Orlando Bloom as Legolas from Lord of the Rings (What can I say? It was a phase!) But today I spent an hour (yes--an hour!) looking through art prints and frames in Michael's because I had to find three prints with the perfect shade of orange to match the roses I was inspired by for our wall decorations.

...who is this lady?

Anyway, I'll stop boring you with weird home decorating details and turn to the subject I know most of you would rather hear about: Audrey...who is really starting to show a strange affinity for ducks. I don't know if it was pre-destined, but the only repeat gifts we got at her baby shower were rubber ducks. It must be something about the bright orange beak that fits easily into an infant's mouth, I suppose. Aside from gnawing on her ducks, Audrey is now sucking on her fingers at every possible moment (look out for slobbery hands!) and is also trying to say b's. She accidentally buzzed her lips while blowing spit bubbles and is now fascinated with the sound. This means we've been saying "boo" a lot more than "poop" lately. John is thrilled.

On the napping front, I am slowly regaining some of my sanity. Audrey no longer has to be simultaneously bounced, swished, swayed, shushed, and butt-patted to sleep while actively resisting. (It literally felt like trying to put an octopus in a straight jacket while dancing) Now she will usually settle for 20 minutes of dancing or walking to get her to sleep. Hallelujah!

We've been getting up at 5:30am ever since the time change too and we actually kind of enjoy being early risers. Audrey wakes up and usually squawks a few times to get me to come pick her up, then she and dad hang out in bed while I make breakfast. John and I get a pretty good show at the breakfast table; Audrey tires to eat her duck and tells us stories that mostly come out something like this: "squawk! squawk! squaaaaaaawk! *gnaw on duck* dribble, dribble, bbbbbbrrrrr!" Someday we will write them all down and make even more money out of this kid.

Well, the Dragon is already asleep for the night and that means that I should follow suit. Stay tuned for more Adventures in the wild world of Audrey.

Finally!

We caught some video of the Dragon squawking! Hope you enjoy it!

Yo ho! Yo ho! A Pirate's life for me!

Much to her Grandma G's dismay, Audrey spent her first Halloween as a surly deckhand (emphasis on the surly) instead of a princess or something of equal femininity. Honestly though, this couldn't have been much of a surprise.

I'm not sure if Grandma S. snuck into Audrey's room and fed her Halloween candy before I woke up, but we had a napping mutiny on our hands for six hours. Joy!! Then Audrey spent the remainder of the afternoon taking naps or wondering why she wasn't taking a nap. We finally got to get some pictures in before bathtime, but there was no pumpkin carving. It hasn't been entirely ruled out yet though; I'm pretty sure Audrey and her pumpkin had some kind of falling out and carving a silly face into his side may prove to be the perfect retaliation.

In other news: It seems that Audrey's new favorite word is: "poop" John insists that she just likes the "o" sound and gets upset when I sing her songs in which poop is the only word just to get her to giggle. (My mother is most likely at this moment rolling her eyes and muttering some variation on: Oh Lord, did I raise that child?) It's okay, Mom. You can blame it on the hours I spent being corrupted on the school bus.

Audrey has really been vocal the past few days and we've been trying to catch some good video of it to post on the blog, but all of them are too long to download. Instead, I have a cute video of her in her costume smiling (at the fireplace, not me). I'll try to get some dragon squawks downloaded soon.