Audree turns 1 and 11/12 month photo update

I will have to apologize to myself for taking so long to update.  I don't know why it's been such a challenge to get to the computer to write a little something about our kids or daily life.  I'm really hoping to make a change and pick up on this at least once a week.  The longer it takes to write I feel like I lose so much detail and it makes me sad. 

Anyways, little Miss Audree has been growing up so quickly.  As her birthday approached, I couldn't help but think how fast the last year has gone by.  Through 11/12 months Audree learned how to walk, talk and has expanded a lot of her eating.  Just recently she decided that she was ready for walking independently.  It only took her about 6 weeks of taking steps to get to that point, but now that she's there, she's everywhere (and fast!).  Just over the past week when Jake and I were gone on our trip she has become a lot more independent, fast and confident.  It's been really fun to watch.

She also has started to pick up on a lot of words.  She now says "no", "go", "bubble", "baby", "bear", "cracker", "mama", "dada", "dog", "more" and I'm sure more that that.   She has picked up on talking so fast and I'm so not used to it.  Josh didn't really start saying words until about 18 months and even then he wasn't really talking or associating words together until he was about 2.  So this is a huge difference for us, and a really fun one at that. 

She also has expanded a lot of her eating.  She is open to eating just about anything that's on her plate, which is super nice.  Every now and then she can be a little picky, but overall she eats much more than Josh did at this age and I think as a parent it's just a learning phase to feed them what you're eating and if they don't want it, don't compromise. 

As for everything else, she is such a happy, cheerful baby.  She can be a little needy at times, but that makes for some good cuddles.  She is equally drawn to both Jake and me.  She loves to play with Josh and is incredibly self-entertained.  She loves books, baths and music.  She is down to one nap a day right now, which is pretty surprising.  She sleeps less than Josh does most days, but has much more energy.  Makes me a little nervous for when she's a toddler, but she's pretty darn cute which makes her energy easy to handle. 

Overall, I know that Jake and I are extremely blessed to be her parents and to have her in our lives.  One year ago when we delivered her on our kitchen floor, was just a glimpse of the happiness that she would later bring into our lives.  I look forward to many years of happiness with her.

We celebrated her birthday last night with her butterfly cake and parents on Skype/Facetime joining in on the fun.  I love technology.  Anyways, it turned out to be a fun night.  Small and sweet, but that's just what she is.  Her stats for her 12 month appointment were: 12 month stats: 28 1/4" tall (20%) and 20lbs5oz (60%)

Playing peek-a-boo

First toenail painting

This bear hung in my bedroom for as long as I can remember growing up.  I decided to give it a little update for Audree's bedroom

First pony

She ate it so daintly.  Never really dug in and ending up wanting to eat it with a spoon.  She is so funny and definitely her own little personality.

The little damage.  A tiny bit in the hair and a little in the hands.

Audree loved watching Josh throw all of her birthday presents around.  What an awesome laugh she has: