12 Apr And then there was Audrey
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Poor Miss A seems to get left out of this little corner of the bloggy world too often. It’s almost always about Keegan, and when time alots, well…then there’s Audrey. That is rarely the true case in our house most of the time though!
If you can believe it (which I truly have a difficult time doing), Audrey is 10 months old now!
Audrey, you are doing so many fun things!
– You weigh about 16 1/2 pounds, wear size 6-9 month clothes mostly, and still a size 2 diaper. You have darker hair than your brother did at this age. It definitely is a true auburn, deeper red than his orange-ish red.
– You can clap your hands, play peek-a-boo, play “SO big!”, wave bye-bye, and shake your head “no”. Here you are showing off some of your talents. (Apologies in advance for the poor, one-handed filming job and the annoying mommy-speak.)
– You have 4 teeth. Two on top, two on bottom. Those top two were not nice to you making their appearance.
– You still take 4 bottles and two naps a day. You’re starting to fight the last nap, so one nap might be in your future in the next month or so.
– You sleep pretty well overnight most nights. You wake up within 10 minutes of 7:30am almost every day.
– You eat three meals at the table a day. And boy, can you eat!! Funny since you’re such a little thing. Your poor ol’ mama hasn’t ever had to feed a healthy baby before, and you amaze me every day. Pureed food has given way to any regular food we put in front of you. You love most carbs, cheese, meat, fruits, carrots, peas, green beans, yogurt, pasta, and thanks to living with your Mamie and B.D. for most of the last month…cookies. We can cut up just about anything into little bites, and you will try it. Random foods you like include hummus, guacamole, and refried beans. Your two favorite purred foods are still spinach and broccoli. Go figure!
– You prefer to eat your cut food off of a fork than with your hands. Always a little lady.
– You prefer to drink out of straw cup than a sippy cup, probably because you do it all by yourself instead of Mama having to lift it for you. You drink only water or formula by cup, but milk is coming up here in just another month!
– You are officially mobile. Watch out world! Your brother had the “peg-leg” crawl. You still prefer to boot-scoot, but you’re awfully quick about it. You extend your hands out in front, then pull your bottom forward. (Video to follow soon!)
– You can pull to a stand most of the time and like to pull up onto your knees to reach into any basket, cubby, or nook you see. Preferably ones that do not belong to you.
– You talk…a lot. Mostly babble, but you do say “dada”, “mama”, “bubba”, and “bah-bah” (bye). You have a penchant for blowing raspberries and testing the decibel limits of whatever room/car/place you find yourself.
– Your favorite time of day is absolutely, 100% bath-time. You can move around the tub and stake your claim to any tub toy you want. You particularly love to hold your little hands under the running water as the tub fills up. But your truest love of all is the little sugar shaker from your tub-time tea set. Daddy has to let you hold it even through getting you lotioned and pj-ed.
– You are the smiliest, giggliest little girl most of the time. However, you’ve recently hit a shy stage and are not the uber-performer your brother was at this age. You are apprehensive about other adults, even ones you’ve known since birth, like Keegan’s doctors and nurses at the hospital.
– Your brother is your favorite person in the whole wide world. You give him hugs and kisses and follow him around like a little puppy dog. You want any toy he has at the moment. I’ve never seen your eyes light up the way they do when you see him for the first time after being separated during an inpatient stay. You hate anyone who is poking him or making him cry. You love him with your whole heart, and it shows.
I worry too often that Audrey will come to resent Keegan’s illness, to feel that she is not as important because she is healthy. I worry that she will forget me or not have as strong of a bond with Gray or me because she has been and will be separated from us so much due to hospitalizations. Projecting my fears on her does nothing but underestimate her potential. Audrey has already shown to be a resilient, strong, courageous, tough, and yet, easy-going little girl. One day (even some months or years maybe), she will come to us and say those very words. She will grieve the loss of not having her own normal childhood. The things she isn’t allowed to do because of him. And that’s ok. We will deal with it in it’s own time. She is allowed to feel that way because it’s not fair. But I do hope and pray that Audrey’s love for Keegan will overshadow all of those feelings. I hope she knows we love her to the ends of the earth. She is one precious miracle. An absolute blessing, and we are so very happy to call her ours.
