Baby Bardolf

Santa Haters

2009-12-17T12:33:00.000-08:00

Told you so. Here's Audrey and Parker sitting on Santa's lap. He must have told them Elmo isn't real, or that Pablo (Backyardigans) is CG animation.

18 Months

2009-12-17T11:41:00.000-08:00

Audrey had her 18 month appointment with doctor Myers last week and received a clean bill of health. She's an ounce over 23 lbs (still ~25th), and is 34 inches long (~75th +). Dr. Myers even made a point of mentioning her height to Theresa, and that she keeps expecting to see it slow down, given both of our relatively short statures. I imagine that will happen at some point, but for now, we're stuck with the possibility that she'll be over 7 feet tall. Theresa said Audrey couldn't have been more well behaved, and was completely intrigued with whatever Dr. Myers was trying to check out at any given time. Poor thing wouldn't even look away when it came time for her shots...she's just that interested in what's going on.

Dr. Myers was glad to hear some of Audrey's words (she's not a big on-camera talker), and made mention of her attempt to string words together (repeating 'right back' when Dr. Myers had to duck out of the room for a minute). Dr. Myers also seemed surprised that Audrey is able to jump clear off of the ground at her age (which she's been doing for months...current vertical measured at 2-3 inches), and basically informed us that we can expect a number of accidents, similar to the shiner, because she's way more physically ahead of the game for her age than she is mentally. Basically, she's great at sprinting, jumping, climbing, but not so aware of when it might be a terrible idea to do those things. So we'll see how it goes.

I've been a little remiss about posting things related to our every day lives rather than events and occurrences. But it's sometimes hard to step back and figure out what's 'news' when you're living it every day. But, in an effort to make up for that a little bit, here are some other points of interest: We just took her pacifier away last week (which she only used to sleep with anyway). She put up a little bit of a fight, especially at naptime, but now she seems to be back to her old sleeping habits. Of course we replaced it with a taggie towel/blanket thing that Grammy gave her, so we'll have to start the whole process over in however many years when it's time to take that away. She loves Elmo ("Melmo"), and would wear her Elmo shirt every day if we would let her, and proudly points to him on her chest every time she has it on. She still loves her vegetables, but also has a weakness for pizza ("pu-pa"). She refused ice cream the other night, so she might have avoided inheriting her father's sweet tooth. She loves trucks and buses (any large automotive, really) and stands at the front door to say hi to the garbage men every Friday, who wave back to her. She loves to be outside, and doesn't seem to care when it's only 30 degrees. And she always makes sure she and everyone else has on their hat ('at') beforehand. She loves books, but can't wait to skip to the end (which frustrates her parents). She also likes to draw, but almost refuses to do so on paper, which is the only place she's supposed to do it. And she knows that, but just smiles and blatantly disregards us while we try to act stern (which I secretly think is cute. For now.) She always has to be a part of whatever is going on in the kitchen, especially on the counters, so each of us is getting pretty good at making dinner one armed. She loves to throw things in the trash, sweep the floor, and put away the dishes. She has shown almost no interest in using the potty since we bought her one. The first thing she does after she wakes up in the morning is to turn on the Xmas tree lights. She really seems to like Santa, but is scared to death of him when it comes time to sit on his lap (we tried 3 times).

Anyway, that's all I can come up with off of the top of my head. We'll do our best to keep up with the little things in the future...

Dancin' Machine

2009-12-17T11:31:00.001-08:00

When I got home from work the other night, Audrey was doing this crazy dance for about the next fifteen minutes. The video doesn't nearly represent it well enough - I think she was tiring by this point - besides, we've noticed that she gets a little camera shy when she knows she's in the spotlight. To explain, it was basically a cross between high knees/running in place, torso-twisting, and arm flapping (picture Ed Grimley, Martin Short's SNL character). And it was hysterical. Nevertheless, here's a little bit of semi-dancing action for your viewing pleasure. Forgive the video if it's a little dark, but for whatever reason it always ends up uploading a few shades darker than it actually is on the camera.

Editor's note: although you wouldn't know it by watching, she really does know where her hips and her nose are, she's just distracted. Honest. :-)

Shiner

2009-12-09T18:16:00.000-08:00

Last week Hilda called Theresa at work to tell her that Audrey had a little accident...apparently she fell on the back patio and landed almost directly on her face. Theresa and I were worried that her whole face would be brushburned from the fall, but luckily it was just a bruise. A relatively big one though. So, here's Audrey's first shiner...and hopefully the last.

Gymnastics

2009-12-09T17:56:00.000-08:00

Because of her constantly active nature, Theresa thought it would be a good idea to sign Audrey up for a gymnastics class once a week. Turns out she loves the classes, and even though she was reluctant to follow instruction during her first class (i.e. station to station), she's definitely getting the hang of it. The instructor told Theresa last week that Audrey "has no fear", which we've been aware of for quite some time now, but apparently is a good thing in the world of gymnastics. Most of the stuff she's doing is just climbing and tumbling, but it certainly looks like a lot of fun.

Leaves

2009-11-30T17:58:00.001-08:00

We spent last Sunday raking leaves and generally cleaning up the yard (I said it was a busy few days). Audrey was a great help, although she made it a little difficult to focus on raking for too long (climbing the stairs, etc.). Overall it was a pretty good day...she was introduced to a giant black fuzzy caterpillar (which she tried to stomp on), helped to rake a few leaves, jumped in a few leaf piles, and got to scamper around for most of the day. These 65 degree late November days are really brutal. Here's some of the action...

Audrey 1, FSU 0

2009-11-30T17:45:00.000-08:00

While Theresa took a trip to target Friday morning, I was able to seize one of the very few opportunities I've had so far in Audrey's life to dress her and take full advantage. This was the first time we've had her in the proper attire for gameday (courtesy of Aunt Nikki), and the result couldn't have worked out any better. She seems to like alligators, she's done the 'chomp' once or twice, and even signaled a couple of touchdowns on Saturday....all good signs. We'll try to make it two for two this Saturday afternoon...maybe I'll try to teach her to say "Tebow" this week.

Tree Trimmin'

2009-11-30T17:35:00.000-08:00

We had a busy couple of days after Thanksgiving getting into full Christmas gear. Theresa and Audrey did a little shopping on Friday afternoon while I set up the tree, and Audrey had a great time helping to get the tree in ornament-ized Friday night. She's spent the last few days absolutely fascinated by the tree, and we've been lucky so far in that she hasn't been trying to tear down every ornament yet. She's particularly fond of the outside lights - we even got a few 'oohs' and 'aahs' out of her Saturday night when she saw them for the first time. She and Santa are already relatively familiar, to the point that she's managed to produce a couple of "ho-ho-ho's" for us.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-30T17:27:00.000-08:00

Audrey's 2nd Thanksgiving celebration in 2009 went off without a hitch...she continued to show a love of holiday food, especially sweet potato cupcakes. She also had a great time hanging out with her cousins Parker and Sophie...we've included a picture of them gossiping under the ficus. A sign of things to come....

Pre-Thanksgiving

2009-11-23T17:52:00.000-08:00

We were all up in York last weekend for pre-thanksgiving Thanksgiving at Aunt Meredith and Uncle Jereme's house. We crashed at their place and got to spend some serious quality time witht them and cousins Kollin and Brady. They couldn't have been better with Audrey, spent a good deal of time playing with her and generally spending time together. It was a great time for Audrey to spend time with her whole York family, and might have been the first time she'd seent the Tates since over the summer. She really liked Thanksgiving dinner...turkey, green beans, mashed potatoes, cranberry, and seemed especially fond of the stuffing.

Audrey also got to make a trip down to the farm to see Aunt Kristen and Uncle Matt's horse, Cleo. She was a little intimidated by the horses, especially the really big ones, but warmed up a little more the more time she spent around them. Luckily there were about five dogs that hang around the barn, so she had plenty of distractions.

Grammy & Grampy

2009-11-23T17:44:00.001-08:00

Grammy, Grampy and GG all came for a visit the Sunday before last. Audrey loved spending time at the park with everyone...she's especially fond of the swings, but even got into teeter-totting this time around. This was great quality time for Audrey in advance of pre-thanksgiving thanksgiving this weekend.

Weekend in the Woods

2009-11-10T18:50:00.000-08:00

We spent last weekend with some friends right outside of Shenandoah National Park. Audrey got to hang out with Parker and their friend Hunter again, take a couple walks in the woods, and check out some wildlife (a couple deer and a black bear). She definitely seemed to enjoy herself out in the woods, although she wanted to walk a little more than she could, due to rocks, roots, etc. Here are some pics of the goings-on.

Trick or Treat!

2009-11-01T05:54:00.000-08:00

Halloween weekend started with a party at the neighbor's house Friday night, when even Mommy and Daddy got involved. We didn't want Audrey to get sick of her Supergirl costume, so we decided to mix it up for the party. Unfortunately we don't keep gold foil on hand, so she had to go as a silver medalist instead.

Our first trick or treating experience went off without a hitch. Well, except for the fact that she stopped wanting to walk about halfway through, even though she was able to muster enough energy to get up people's stairs by herself. Cousin Parker and Audrey's friend Hunter all joined in on the fun. It was a little chaotic, but still a lot of fun. Bad news is that Audrey really loves Haloween candy, and has been pretty much obsessed with it since last night (she must take after her father).

Halloween Parade

2009-11-01T05:45:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was Audrey's 2nd annual Burke Station Square Halloween parade. She liked checking out all of the other little kids, and even though she got tired of her costume after about 45 mins., we think she still had a lot of fun. And Uncle Bugsy, Nikki, and Nonna even tagged along. Unfortunately Theresa got stuck behind the camera.

Little Miss Fix-It

2009-11-01T05:38:00.000-08:00

We've noticed Audrey is pretty fascinated with screwdrivers (and trucks...I wonder how this is going to work out for us). Every time I have to change batteries in a toy, or do anything else screwdriver related, she can't help but get involved. I was fooling around with this wireless speaker we have at our house, and she was a big help. She even got screwdriver head on screw a couple time, but she still needs to work on turning her wrists. Still plenty of time for that though. Now I just need to teach her to mow, weedwack and clean the gutters, and I'll be all set.

Haircut - Part II

2009-11-01T05:34:00.001-08:00

We didn't really get good pics of the finished product after her first haircut, but Theresa managed to snap this one late last week. We had been comparing her to Randy Quaid's amish character in Kingpin before, but at least this helps a picture to the description. (She also happens to be standing on a chair in this picture - one of her new-found skills).

My First Haircut

2009-10-21T18:43:00.001-07:00

Audrey's hair was getting a little scraggly in back (almost like a rat tail), so we decided it was time for her first real haircut (we already trimmed her bangs a little bit over the summer). The barber-ess took a little too much off of her bangs, but the rest looks great and the good news is it's all going to grow back soon.

Overall she did pretty well...she had to sit on Mommy's lap, but the lady did a good job of keeping her entertained and made fairly quick work of the whole thing. And Audrey even has the hair and a certificate as proof of her first cut.

Punkin' Patch

2009-10-21T18:22:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend before last at the pumpkin patch with cousins Parker and Sophie enjoying the fall weather (and avoiding the Redskins game). This was the 2nd trip for all of them, but now that they're a year older they were all able to enjoy themselves a lot more, even though Audrey decided she didn't have time to memorialize the trip with a photo (these days she's pretty difficult to contain). She also didn't really have time to get her face painted either, which explains the half-hearted pumpkin on her face.

She has definitely developed a fondness for pumpkins, or "pa-PA" as she calls them, but she needs to learn to show her love a little more gently, as all of our pumpkins right now have the stems ripped off (they are super-gluing back on as we speak). Theresa and I might have to improve our Halloween spirit, because it seems like a holiday Audrey's really going to enjoy.

This weekend....the Burke Station Square Halloween parade...stay tuned for costume updates.

Jumpin' Bean

2009-10-05T07:52:00.000-07:00

The other day Audrey was upstairs playing with a jump rope, so I thought I'd show her how to use it. Apparently she took good notes, although she prefers to do it without the rope...

Chef Boyardee

2009-09-26T19:28:00.000-07:00

...or maybe Rachel Ray?

Apple Pickin'

2009-09-26T18:54:00.000-07:00

We promised ourselves after our last few posts that it would be less than two weeks until our next one....

We just recently found out about this farm/apple orchard about 30 minutes away, so we decided to take Audrey out to pick some apples and enjoy some nice fall weather. The farm had acres of trees, some farm animals to feed and pet and a hay ride around the property and out to the pumpkin patch (which Audrey wasn't a huge fan of...pumpkin vines are prickly, for those that didn't know). We all had a great time, got out on a nice fall day, and managed to pick up about 17 lbs of apples (pickin' is easy)!! We were able to get rid of a little less than half of them by making two apple pies this afternoon, with a little help from Audrey, but we'll have to find some other apple-related recipes to get rid of the rest. Anyway, pics of the goings-on follow...

More York Fair

2009-09-21T18:16:00.001-07:00

The pig races were by far her favorite part of the fair. It might have been the crowd that got her excited, or the endless supply of junk food that she ate, but she was putting on quite a show. She was like a social butterfly, which up to this point is completely unlike her, but she was having a blast.

York Fair

2009-09-21T18:01:00.001-07:00

Audrey spent last Friday night (and our 5 year anniversary) at the York Fair. It was actually her 2nd trip, but she wasn't really old enough to enjoy it last September. We were lucky enough to have Grandpa, Gma, Aunt Mere and cousin Brady join us for most of the night. Even though she was too small for any of the rides, we had a great time anyway. And she was loving the food...crabcake sandwich, corn on the cob, pizza, waffles and ice cream and orange soda.

Lately she's been pretty obsessed with trucks and big automobiles (buses, etc.), so she really liked seeing some tractors, backhoes, etc. that were on display. Grandpa even let her ride one of the tractors. And we got to see a bunch of familiar animals...pigs, cows, goats, a baby calf, and of course, the famous pig races. It might have been all of the sugar and junk food, but she was definitely putting on a little show at the pig race.

Potty Time

2009-09-21T17:54:00.000-07:00

Recently Audrey's shown a good deal of interest in the potty, and while Theresa and I have no idea if she's ready to be potty-trained, we're doing our best to entertain her whims. It started a few weeks ago at the beach, when she came running out of the bedroom with a diaper in one hand, came into the living room and laid back like she wanted to be changed. We mention her "going potty", and she'll try to take off her diaper/pants and head into the bathroom. This is our latest potty adventure...most of them result in a few minutes spent on the seat without any action. Maybe once we buy a little potty just for her we'll see some progress. But who knows. Maybe we need to start thinking about a magazine subscription...

Double Fisting

2009-09-21T17:50:00.001-07:00

Audrey's been getting pretty good at feeding herself (for the most part), so much so that she's started trying to challenge herself a little more...