Catch Up (again)

Audrey is almost 1 and a half.  How does time go by so quickly?  Audrey had a very enjoyable Halloween playing with her Bapa Flood (all Grandparents are hereby declared 'Bapas' according to Audrey).  She enjoyed giving candy to all the neighborhood kids -- Dan and I think next year she'll be able to do some trick-or-treating (I wonder how much candy she'll actually get after we take out all ones w/ potential allergies).  Audrey dressed up as a Packer's Cheerleader -- she was pretty cute with her pom poms and pigtails. 

 

The following week, I joined Dan in Northern California (picture above of the Bay Bridge that had recently re-opened).  Audrey stayed with her other 'bapas'for 3 nights.  This was the longest (and furthest) I had been away from her.  She did just fine (oh yeah, me too!).  It was nice to get away and see a dear friend of mine, but, I was happy to come back home to my girl.

  

Health wise, Audrey has been doing very well.  Now that she's out of day-care and back home with me, we have yet to have any major health concerns.  She did get her H1N1 vaccine last month (and is due for a booster next week, if it's available).  I also invested in a new vacuum to help cut down on the dust/allergens in the house.  I never thought the day would come where I was so excited about getting a vacuum -- and here it is.  Sweet.

Looking forward to Thanksgiving next week and seeing family whom we don't get to see as often as we would like.  I have also been quite busy with photo stuff, which has been a great stress reliever from the day-to-day mom lifestyle (and helps pay for the endless medical bills).

Wishing all of you a wonderful, and thankful, week ahead!

More Fall Photos

Here's some photos we took last weekend out at the Smith Berry Barn -- Audrey picked out her pumpkin and enjoyed talking to the chickens.  We also made a quick stop at the Heritage Apple Farm to talk to some horses and get some honey-crisp apples (those things are delicious!)

Fall Happenings

Hello!  A belated blog post yet again.  We've remained quite busy the past few weeks.  Audrey went on her first plane ride with Dan and I out to Minneapolis to visit family.  It was so great to see so many Floods/Palmquists, but we did miss a handful of the Wisconsinites -- next time!  Audrey adored seeing her Great Grandma Audrey and 'Bapa' Bruce as well as meeting her little cousin, Siri, and big cousin, Connor, for the first time.  She also loved cheering on her 'Uncle' Troy during the Twin Cities Marathon.  She became particurally attached to Mike and Deb, Dan's Uncle and Aunt, whom we stayed with during our visit.  Thanks, guys!  The week flew by, and we were sad to leave.  

Last week was not a good week.  We took Audrey into the ER as she was having complications breathing from being sick.  Long story short, she needed assisted oxygen for a 24+ hour period and we were admitted to the hospital for a few nights.  This was very difficult to see our daughter go through this.  They treated her as though she had the flu (although we later got her results back saying that she did not have any of the 'main' viruses).  Rather, she was diagnosed with what is called 'Reactive Airway Disease' that is triggered when she gets a virus.  Audrey is now on preventative medicines, and has had an inhaler that we'll be using when she gets sick.  We have pulled her out of daycare indefinitely until she is older as prescribed by her doctor.  Because of this, I had to make to tough decision to not to return to work after all.  In the end though, both Dan and I are happy in knowing that Audrey will continue to grow stronger and be healthier while at home.  Thank you all for your continued thoughts and prayers!  It truly means a lot to us.

Okay, here's some happy photos from our trip out in Minneapolis.  Wishing you all a happy and healthy fall season!

Update

Hi all!  Small little update (minus pictures, boring I know).  Audrey is doing well and has been fighting off a small bout of pneumonia this past week (note that the said pneumonia came on during day #2 of me being back at work, I am lucky to have an employer who understands the work/life balance!).  She's on antibiotics and inhalers and still has her sweet Audrey disposition despite being under the weather.  We are scheduled to head out to the Midwest this week to visit family -- Audrey is looking forward to seeing her great-grandma Audrey and meeting her cousin, Siri (and seeing everyone else, too!)  I'll be bringing my camera with and my new 8GB memory card, so I'll have plenty of photos to post after our Minnesota/Wisconsin voyage.  Until then, keep Miss Audrey in your thoughts for a healthy recovery... she seems to be getting sick a lot these days...

Thanks!

Ok, ok... here's a photo of Audrey trying to lift a 20lb medicine ball at our gym... hard to enforce a toddler to keep still and rest up!

"He 'go"

That's Audrey speak for 'Here you go'.  Followed by, 'gank-goo' (thank you).  Our sweet little cherub! 

Audrey Flood, Nike Shoe Tester

Last week when Audrey and I went to visit Grandma Flood at her work, Audrey was requested to return the following week to be a Nike 5c Shoe Tester -- we happily accepted the offer (and by 'we' I mean Mari and I).  Today Audrey tried on the Fall/Winter 2010 line of the toddler Michael Jordan's.  As a shoe obsessed female, I have to say that they were pretty sweet (oh yeah, Audrey liked them too).  Photos were taken, small videos were shot, and notes were jotted for every pair she tried on.  After 30 minutes of this Audrey got to pick out a pair of her own shoes (pictured).  Audrey kept saying "shoesh" the entire time, she had a blast.

Miss Audrey goes back in 2 weeks for round #2 of the shoe testing.  More shoe testing = more shoes.  Maybe I should look into this myself... 

We also shared some coffee/oatmeal with Grandma.  Audrey passed out on the car ride home -- she remains sleeping as I update this blog.

"El-MO"

Audrey can say many things -- but, her favorite word is 'Elmo'. She has an obsession with this red, fuzzy toddler whether we like it or not. I figure Elmo is a pretty harmless crush and welcome it for the time being (not looking forward to 12 years out when she starts crushing on acne covered, voice-cracking boys). Audrey can also say "he-go" (here you go), "gan-goo" (thank you), "ganks" (thanks), socks, shoes (very important word), kitty, key, net (on her basketball hoop), book, 'nana (banana), and juice (even though we don't ever give her juice... ??) She's a very busy girl and enjoys playing with her blocks and reading her books... and, of course, watching Sesame Street.