Because it's been forever (2 of 2)

Picking up where I left off here, now it's time for some Audrey talk.

Where to start? Better question: Where'd my baby go? She's a "big kid" now, as I do believe she thinks of herself. She follows closely behind the bigger two and can almost keep up. Emphasis on almost because we all know those little legs can't quite move fast enough to really keep up. She has spirit though, and isn't afraid to throw down if they are purposefully discluding her. It's entertaining, but also ear piercing.

I know it's blurry, but look at the bearded grin!

She is wearing size 12-18 month clothes and a size 3 shoe. Her blue eyes are just beautiful - lighter than most people's. She gets more comments on her eyes than anything else. Her hair is kind of a mess right now though. It's slowly ever so slowly starting to get some length but it's not even close to long enough for any sort of style. The long hair in the front (affectionately called her Emo hair) helps keep the obvious "I'm a girl" status but other than that, I don't do much else with it. She is too quick for me and rips out any clip or ponytail I put in, so these days it's down and in her eyes most of the time. 

This is how she feels about hair clips.

She's a good eater. If she's hungry, she has no preference. If she's starting to get full, she can be the pickiest little girl, but I can't blame her for that. I've learned to never assume that she will like or dislike something because it completely depends on her mood and hunger level. I have stopped cutting everything up into tiny pieces and thankfully she is rocking the idea of taking bites instead of just stuffing it all in. She drinks milk out of her sippy cups and straw cups and basically acts like the big kids with all things food or drink related. I love it, since it makes life much easier for me.

I offer a fork, but she prefers hand.

She's become quite the daddy's girl, but this mama doesn't mind. I get all of her "ups!" all day long so daddy coming home means a little bit of relief from it. If you missed that, her favorite word right now is "up!!!" and she is oh so insistent when she wants to be picked up. I won't say that it is all the time, because she can be very content playing or meandering around the house. There are days, though, where all she wants is to be on higher ground, mainly being carried around by the tallest person. If I were to sit down while holding her, she'd want down to go to the closest person standing up. Better view I guess.

While it can be exhausting to have a screaming one year old at my feet while I make dinner, deal with a tantrum from the one of the older kids, or clean up a huge mess, I don't mind her love of being held. I know she'll outgrow it and I really do love the physical closeness with her that I never seem to get with the older two.

King Audrey, as royal as it gets in the Deyle house

She's figured out how to give kisses, and give them she does. Almost any time she's picked up or even if you just catch her eye from across the room, she's happy to give kisses (air kisses included). She has the most affectionate laugh and is either screaming mad or smiling. There is hardly any in between. She's ticklish and loves being chased. She puts on the charm by turning her head to one side and thinks it's hilarious to shake her head vigorously to any question.

We had a little scare when we noticed a black dot on her front tooth. I convinced myself that it would have to be pulled because it was dead but thankfully the dentist said that at this time, that isn't necessary. The black spot may get bigger and will probably always be there (until it falls out of course when she's older) but unless the gums are showing certain signs we don't need to worry about it. I was happy to hear that! (If that is what is wrong with it, it would have probably happened when she fell and hit her chin on our hearth a couple of months ago. She bit through her tongue with both of her front teeth and could have possibly killed her tooth nerve but it could take at least this long to show signs of that. And that, my friends, is my uneducated explanation.)



Her talking is happening more and more. Words she says now: Mama, Daddy, baby, Audrey, Jo Jo, UP!, HIII!, bubye, more, moo (the only animal sound at this time - oops need to work on that!), eat, no, yeah, and water. Each day there is a little more expression when she "talks" to us and slowly new words are emerging. I wouldn't be surprised if she has a huge burst with new words any day now. Her comprehension of language and speech has quadrupled in the last month or so and she is just communicating with us more and more. Of course, with that comes some sight of her little personality that we are still getting to know.

She is so happy. When we are out in public, she will make eyes with anyone, smiling, waving, saying Hi hi hi hi hi!! She isn't exactly shy but does like to be near mom or dad for the most part. Of course, we can be substituted by aunties and grandparents at any time. The "hi hi hi hi hi!" greeting is almost my favorite thing she says or does right now. When someone she recognizes walks in the door, she gets so excited that she runs at them with the biggest smile on her face, screaming "hi!!" over and over and over. Whoever it's aimed at is always surprised but who doesn't love a greeting like that? Answer: nobody, because everybody loves it.

If she puts a hat on, it stays on. If you put glasses on, they stay on. Headbands? Unlikely (although in the picture below, I lucked out). Socks come off and go into her mouth (gross, I know). She is often seen walking around the house with our Roku remote since it is the smallest of our three remotes and just her size.

She loves to dance! If there is even a second of music coming from anywhere near her, she's be-bopping along to it. She is the kid that lasts the longest when we have dance parties (although, to be fair, she also takes the most breaks). She isn't about reading books yet, but I have a feeling she'll get there. She seems to like the idea of it but just wants to flip the pages faster and faster and really she doesn't have time for a story. That's not what books are for, right?

Seriously. She's just fun. I have kissed her and squeezed her so many times and I still don't feel like I can get enough. How did we do life without her? I have no idea. 

Next up: A Sisters post. Keep your eyes open for it!