Aubrey Ann’s 1 Year Video

Here is the video we played at Aubrey Ann’s birthday party last Saturday.

For Mari Jo’s birthday Darlene got her a mylar balloon. After Sherlock ate most of the plastic string it floated to the roof. For the next 3 weeks, Aubrey Ann would point and stare at the balloon.

So her favorite word right now is “Baoo”, which means “balloon”. Next time you see her ask her where the balloon is and she’ll point to the ceiling and say, “Baoo!”

Every month I am shocked to see how much our little one has grown. You are in constant motion all day long. Which means, in turn, that Mommy is in constant motion all day long too! I love chasing you all around the house!

You really started this month off with a bang…you said “Mama” for the first time! So who cares if you said it to your Daddy first, you still said it! I cannot tell you how much it warms my heart to hear those two sweet little syllables! What is really funny, is that you learned that whenever you say “Mama” you can really get my attention. Uh oh, you are already learning little tricks to get mommy to act fast!

Here is a video of you saying “Mama”, it is actually from month nine:

On the fourth of January you started blowing kisses on Mommy and Daddy’s belly. Really, you are just leaving little puddles of drool everywhere, but we don’t mind the cleanup! I can’t believe how big you are!

Here is a video of you blowing on Mommy’s belly (caution-Mommy’s belly is shown here!):

On the 7th you started cruising around the furniture in the house. For days I spent all day trying to be right behind you to catch you in case you fell. Finally, I realized that your bottom is tough and it can take a few drops. Now you love going from place to place all over the room.

On the eleventh of January, you started standing up in your crib. I have always figured that when you started standing in your crib, that we would have some sleep problems. I figured I would have you waking up several times per night enjoying a little cruise in your crib. But, you are such a good girl, you never missed a wink. You have never woke once in the middle of the night standing up. What a sweet baby!

On January 11th you got your first haircut. Of course Meme gave you the haircut and we saved the hair for your scrapbook!

For weeks your top gums were SO swollen. Mommy kept telling Daddy that you were going to get a visit from the tooth fairy VERY soon.

Here you can see those teeth ready to make their appearance:

Well, on the 15th your third tooth came in. It was one of the top teeth. Then, exactly a week later, your fourth tooth came in. This was your other top tooth. You look ADORABLE with those two top teeth in. I keep thinking that there is nothing that could ever make you cuter, then all the sudden you get another tooth and you are even cuter than you were before! You were such a good baby while teething. Other than the swollen gums, I never saw any difference in how you looked or acted. You are such a sweetie.

Finally, on the 29th, while Mommy was pointing to the light fixtures and saying “light”, you mimicked me and said something to the effect of “yight”. I thought I was going crazy so I called your Daddy and Meme in to watch you, and sure enough, you said it again. We have a smarty pants on our hands!

Here are some more pictures of this special month:

Mom and Baby ready for a walk:

This is the picture we used on our Valentine’s day cards:

Look at the window, it’s not even morning and Aubrey Ann is waking up Daddy!

Aubrey Ann hiding behind the couch playing Peek-A-Boo:

Who’s the cutest baby in the world?

I don’t know where you got this hair, must have been from Daddy:

Baby girl, you are so amazing. Daddy and I feel incredibly blessed that God has trusted us with someone so special. Know that we will always love you! XOXOXO

December was a big month for you little one! I thought we might get a little break since you learned to crawl during month 6, but I was wrong.

This month started off with a trip to Lake Tahoe with Meme and Pa. I was VERY nervous about how you would do with the drive, and staying somewhere else other than home, but you were such a good girl! The drive was so easy (you never cried) and you slept like a champ the entire trip, just like you would at home. Just goes to show Mommy, that you are much more flexible than I give you credit for!

Here is a picture of you an Pa playing Peek-a-Boo:

Up at Lake Tahoe, you had such a great time with your Meme and Pa. You even started “yelling” whenever you wanted your Pa’s attention. Whenever you Pa was in the room and didn’t have his eyes on you, you just couldn’t stand it. So, you would start to make a sound that sounded kinda like a grunt and “ahhh” mixed together, until your Pa gave you his complete attention. Since this trip, you do this ALL the time. Mostly to strangers. Especially in restaurants. You can’t stand for people to sit at their tables and not look at you. Right before Christmas, I caught you yelling at your Rudolph stuffed animal because his back was to you. You little stinker!

On the 5th we went to Cobb’s Christmas Tree Farm and got your very first Christmas tree. The next night we decorated it together as a family. It was so beautiful. And you got your very first ornaments for the tree.

Our family at Cobb’s, standing next to our tree:

Here is our tree all lit up:

On the 9th, your second bottom tooth came in. You were such a good girl the whole time, I can hardly believe it!

Here is that second tooth:

Then, on the 10th, you said “Da Da” for the first time! I got you out of the crib one morning and put you on the changing table. You looked right up at me and said “Daaaa Daaaa”, and gave me the biggest grin. You were so proud of yourself little girl! You were stuck on that word for WEEKS before you finally moved on to another one! You should see the way your Daddy just melted every time you said it. You really know how to work him already, don’t you? Smart girl!

Also, one of my favorite things you learned to do this month was giving kisses! Sure, they are wet, drooly little messes, but we love them just the same. We ask you for a kiss, and if you are in the mood, you will lean towards us with your mouth wide open and give us a big, wet one. We LOVE it, and ask you for a zillion kisses a day. Eventually, you get tired and want to play with your toys, so we have to give you a break. But, if it we up to me and your daddy, we would just sit around and get wet baby kisses alllllll day!

Here you are a few weeks before Christmas crawling and finding your presents. Kids have a sixth sense for which present is theirs.

One thing that happened that wasn’t so happy, was you got your first illness. On the 21st through the 24th you were VERY sick. You had diarrhea, lack of appetite, a low grade fever, and a bit of vomiting. Mommy was so sad. I wished I could take it all away. I prayed many times that God would make you better and I would be sick for you. You slept tons while you were sick, and Mommy slept very little. I was worried about my little stinker! Unfortunately for Mommy, on the 24th your Papa’s family came for Christmas. There were about 25-30 people here, and Mommy had to have the house clean, and homemade pizza’s and beirocks for everyone. So, it wasn’t the best time for a family illness, but we made it. You are such a little trooper.

On the 24th, you started using your walker forwards:

On the 25th, Christmas day, you started getting yourself into a sitting position. Which made it nice for opening all your presents! On Christmas morning, we got up, and looked at our Christmas tree, then we headed to Mamaw’s to open gifts. There were so many! You were not nearly as interested in the gifts as you were the bows. I think you tried to open a total of…..hmmmm….one present. After that you were bored, so Mamaw and I ended up opening the rest. However, you did like the toys.

On the 27th you started waving “bye-bye”. You don’t always do it on command, but it is so cute. Everyone loves taking ten minutes to leave because they are trying to get you to wave to them. The real problem is, that they don’t want to leave, they want to stay with you forever! Can’t say I blame them!

Also on the 27th, your Daddy’s whole family came for Christmas. Their were about 15 people in and out of the house at different times. They stayed until the 31st. We had such a blast. You got to meet you Uncle Frank for the first time. You weren’t too sure about him at first, but he won you over in the end.

During that same time you had a fun time laughing at Mommy. Especially when it was time for a drink of water!

On the 11th you started trying to pull yourself up, but you weren’t successful. But finally on the 29th, you got it all figured out! You were so proud of yourself when you finally stood up. I couldn’t believe how big you looked standing up by yourself. Mommy was actually kind of sad. You seem like such a big girl now.

Here you are standing after pulling yourself up:

Just as proof that you’re a big girl, here you are taking over the business in Daddy’s office:

Daddy and I have taken a vote and decided that you can’t grow up anymore. You have to stay right where you are now. Ok? We love you sweetie peetie! xoxox

I know, playing with plastic may not be your favorite past time, but Aubrey Ann can’t think of many other things that she would rather do!

I know, you need proof, well here it is:

It has been a long time since Mommy updated this site, but I guess it is better late than never! Month number 6 (and 7 and 8!) have been VERY busy!

You are such an amazing little girl. You have such a big personality. We are so blessed to have you Aubrey Ann. Your Daddy and I could not imagine life without you, and we thank God for you every morning and every night. You gave us so many more reasons to be thankful on this Thanksgiving.

Well, let’s take a look at a few of your many achievements this month!

In the very beginning of the month, you mastered sitting up on your own. It was rather funny how you decided to show the world you knew how to sit. We were in the doctor’s office for your 6 month check up, and the doctor asked if you could sit on your own. I told her that I couldn’t ever get you to try, unless you were sitting in the grass (because you absolutely HATED the way the grass felt!) so I didn’t really think so. So, right then and there the doctor propped you up on the examination table to a sitting position, and you sat like a PRO! I felt so silly. You little stinker, you have been sitting up like a champ ever since!

Here you are sitting up:

On the 15th you started to play “Patty Cake” with us. You haven’t quite got the clapping down yet, but you will hold your hands in the air as we play with you. You just smile every time we hit your hands!

On the 16th, you started giving us “High 5’s”. The first time you figured out how to do it, you gave the BIGGEST belly laugh. For the first 5-10 times you did you, you were just SO proud of yourself!

On the 21st you started crawling. This was the day before Thanksgiving. Luckily, it was a rather, slow, clumsy crawl at first, so you didn’t make it very far. Otherwise, I would have had some very big troubles getting dinner ready for everyone!

Another first you decided to have right around Thanksgiving was your very first tooth! It actually came through Thanksgiving night (the 22nd). It was amazing because you never cried or acted fussy at all. You are such a sweet girl.

You’ll have to view the full size picture, but circled is your little tooth poking through:

For Thanksgiving this year, we decided to have the entire family over to our home. It was wonderful being surrounded by so many friends and family. Mommy had aprons made for the grandparents that had a picture of you on them with the saying “What’s Cookin’, Good Lookin’” underneath your picture. It was a lot of fun. Of course, right before dinner Mommy had to make a little speech saying how thankful she was for you and Daddy. You are such a blessing, and your Daddy is the most amazing father and husband in the world. I am so grateful for you both.

On the 24th, you started pursing your lips together and blowing a stream of air. We couldn’t figure out what you were doing, that is, until the next day. On the 25th, you started whistling! It was so adorable. I never knew that a baby could whistle. I can barely whistle! I guess you were imitating your Daddy, because he always whistles when he holds you.

As was expected, you’ve been extremely cute! We were able to capture a few of those moments.

This is your in your funny hat. If you can get that hat off of your head, you like to bite the corners:

You like technology about as much as Daddy. You would love to slobber on a camera or computer. This is the look on your face right before the slobbering begins:

You’ve really been liking all of the different baby food you’ve been having. You haven’t quite mastered the art of getting all of the food in your mouth, and much of it drops to the high chair. Once it hits the high chair, you think it’s a toy and put your fingers in it.

You’ve also really began to help around the house. You always try to be a little vacuum cleaner, which means we have to vacuum every day to stop you from putting everything into your mouth. Your favorite chore is definitely the laundry.

Here is you playing with Meme the day before Thanksgiving:

Meme says that when you’re Daddy was your age, he would always roll onto his side and stick one leg out. Then you started doing it too!

Whenever you starts to feel like some exercise, you prefer push-ups. You can do about 1 push-up before you fall and start laughing.

Here you are playing with cousin Micah:

Every Saturday we have Daddy-Daughter day. Dad gets up with you and does as much as Mom will let him. Most of the time is spent on the ground tickling each other and playing with your toys.

I always have a good time playing with your hair. Unfortunately no matter what I do it always wants to stand up!

Here you are with Daddy, Grandma Nita, and Pa in the 4 generation picture:

All in all, it was a good month. You have really reminded Daddy and I of all we have to be thankful for.

We love you bunches and bunches baby girl! xoxoxoxo

If you were at our house on Christmas morning, Aubrey Ann would have told you she was awake by saying, “Da Da Da Da”. Then you would walk in her room and see the following, a little jail bird trying to escape.

Dearest Peanut,

My goodness, Aubrey Ann, you are one busy girl! You have learned a lot of new things this month, and have really kept Mommy on her toes! There have also been a few different exciting event this month as well.

Ever since you were first born, you loved sleeping with things cuddling around you. So, as you got older, Mommy bought you a sleep positioner, that made you feel cozy while you slept. It also prevented you from rolling over. Well, on October 12th, you decided that you were a big girl and didn’t need that positioner any more. Now you roll all over your crib. Daddy and I hooked up our video monitor so we can spy on you while you are sleeping. It is so cute to see you rolled on your side, cuddling your bumper. One night, Daddy and I went to your room to watch you sleep, and it was so sweet to watch your Daddy get teary-eyed as he watched his little girl sleep. You have the best Daddy in the world little girl!

Here is a video of you sleeping without your positioner:

On October 15th, you started making the sweetest squeals. You started squealing at EVERYTHING! You squealed at your Mommy, your Daddy, Sherlock, and even your toes. We thought it was adorable, and even encouraged it, that was, until we took you to the Olive Garden with us for lunch. Oh my! You decided to squeal all lunch long. Luckily, everyone who we were sitting around thought you were adorable, and they just smiled as you squealed away.

On October 19th, you started mimicking Daddy and I when we squealed at you. It was so sweet to squeal at you across the room, and have you give us a goofy grin and squeal back.

Here is a video of you and your sweet squeals:

On the 22nd, you started pushing yourself in your walker, however, you can still only push yourself backwards. Most of the time you are content to stay in one place sucking on the head of the little dinosaur on the walker.

One of the cutest things you learned this month was when you started doing the boot scoot. You get up on your hands and knees and try to scoot your little booty across the floor. It is so adorable! Daddy and I just have to laugh every time we watch you and that little booty of yours up in the air.

Here is a video of you doing the “boot scoot”:

And other of you trying to crawl:

On the 25th, you started a little bit of babbling. Mostly just /g/ and /b/ sounds so far. I am still waiting to hear that Mama! You also LOVE blowing raspberries. It is so funny when I take you places and people lean in to say hello to you. One of your favorite things to do is blow a raspberry. What a personality you have!

You are all over the place, and you haven’t even started crawling yet! You love attacking sherlock, and fortunately, Sherlock is very patient, and lets you scalp him on a daily basis.

Here is a video of you getting Sherlock:

One of the most exciting things we did this month was our trip to the pumpkin patch. It was so exciting, and you loved checking out all the pumpkins. Actually, I think Daddy and I enjoyed it much more than you did! It was very windy, so we didn’t get to stay as long as we would have liked. The wind sure made your monkey hair crazy in all the pictures!

Here are a few pictures of our littlest pumpkin’s first visit to the pumpkin patch:

Ooooh pumpkin, I’m gonna eat you!

Hey Mama, let’s take this for a spin!

Who knew that pumpkins could be so cozy?

Pumpkins are SO FUNNY!

Check out those monkey hairs!

Ok guys, let me down so I can get those pumpkins!

Daddy, I sure do love you…

And last but not least, your fifth month went out with a bang. On Halloween you were the world’s cutest fishy. Daddy and I dressed up as fishermen. We told everyone that we had, “caught the big one!” No way were we gonna throw you back! We went to Mamaw’s house, and to the Church’s Hallelujah happening. You had a lot of fun, and everyone thought you were the cutest little fish they had ever seen! Too bad you only stayed in your costume for around 10 minutes. You absolutely hated it!

Here is a few pictures from Halloween:

I am not sure If I like being a fishy…

Ok, seriously….GET ME OUT OF THIS COSTUME PEOPLE!

That’s MUCH better!

Also, you got your first taste of solids this month. It was so exciting to watch you eating your first bowl of rice cereal. Of course more food went out and in! At first you weren’t quite sure if you liked it or not. Now, you gobble it down like crazy!

Here are a few pictures from that special day:

First bite!

Hmmm….not bad….

Ok, I think I am ready for my bottle now…

You know, I think I could get use to this!

Mommy and Daddy sure do love you sweet baby girl. You are the most amazing thing God has ever created. I am so blessed to be your Mommy. Watching you as you grow up is such an honor. I love you baby girl!

Miss Aubrey Ann,

You are getting so big! It is so funny to watch you grow. Your belly is getting bigger, and you are getting little rolls on your thighs. I still get so many compliments on how beautiful you are. Everyone (most of all ME!) just wants to eat you up! I wish I could just make time stop for a little while, and keep you this small for a couple more years!
So many new things this month. Since you are doing so much more moving, most everything is on video. You are growing up WAY too fast.

First of all, you have become an expert roller. You learned to roll from front to back during your third month, and this month (on September 24th ) you learned to roll from back to front. Since you have mastered the art of rolling places, you no longer are interested in sitting up. As soon as I put you on the ground to sit, you immediately dive down to your belly.

Now that you are rolling, I really have to keep an eye on you. You are already into EVERYTHING. So far, your favorite things to attack are my plant, and Sherlock. Poor Sherlock, you try to scalp him every time you get your hands on him. He is such a good kitty, and just sits there and takes it. You are lucky he is so patient. I think he is still big enough to eat you!

Here is a video of you getting into some “trouble” rolling over:

Here is a video of you attacking my plants….you have successfully pulled off many of the leaves and even broken a few of the branches. You owe me a new plant when you get older. Heck, you owe me a whole garden!

Daddy already posted about how you reached out for me that day (Sept. 24th). That has probably been one of the biggest highlights for Mommy this month. I keep trying to get you to repeat it, but you decided that you are going to do it in your own time. I can’t even tell you how wonderful that felt to me.

You have also perfected your belly laugh. It is hilarious! Every time you laugh, I can’t help but crack up with you. Your little laugh is just like music to Mommies ears! I would do anything to make you laugh. Unfortunately, I am just not as funny as Daddy, as you will see in this next video clip.

I am however, one heck of a tickler! I can get a giggle every time. You love when I kiss your ribs, and you like when I tickle your thighs. You are such a joy! Here is a video of Mommy getting you REAL good!

On September 16th, you were dedicated at Grace Community Church. It was a really neat celebration, and it was wonderful to have everyone pray for you. I know God has huge plans for you. You are going to be an amazing woman. When you give your life to Christ, it is amazing what he can do through you. I can’t wait to watch you grow into an amazing, Godly, young woman.

Here are a few pictures from the baby dedication:

One other thing that you learned how to do this month, was squeal. Sometimes it is happy, and other times, not so happy. Of course, you learned this right before your dedication, so everyone in the church got to hear your squeals! You have since stopped doing this squeal, unless you really need Mommy’s attention.

One of the most exciting things (at least for Mommy!) is that you have stopped hating the car so much this month. Typically whenever we go for a ride, you shriek like someone is poking you in the eye. But, as of your fourth month, you have started only mildly hating the car. You will fall asleep, and play with your toys, with only the occasional break-down. It makes it much nicer, when we go places. And we love going places these days!

Did I mention that you are still a Daddy’s girl? You need your Mommy, but you WANT your Daddy. When your Daddy gets home, you immediately stop what you are doing and twist and turn around to try and see him. As soon as you can see him, you smile, chuckle, and start pumping your legs. NOBODY can get you to laugh like your Daddy can. I always knew you were going to be a Daddy’s girl, you loved him even inside Mommy’s tummy. Whenever Daddy would talk you would kick up a storm! Nothing has changed!

Here are a few miscellaneous pictures from month number 4:

Hey Pa! Your getting me!

Mommy, if you are going to do laundry, then I am going to help!

Don’t worry, I come in peace.

Dad! Let’s get this show on the road!

Aaaaaaahhhhhhhh!

No Mommy, I will get YOUR nose!

Hey, take the picture already!

Cheese!!!

Bye everyone. See you next month!

Well, Aubrey Ann, I cannot even express how much Daddy and I love you. We look forward to everyday with you, and love seeing all the changes you make everyday.

Today while we were eating lunch, I was holding you on my lap. You were tired and getting a little cranky.

Just about that time you looked up at Mom and reached out your arms for her to pick you up. It was the first time you had ever reached towards someone. Almost instantly Mom got tears in her eyes and was so happy to see you express love towards her.

We love you.