December 31, 2009

Happy New Year! Audrey and I are enjoying a night at home along tonight. Ringing in the new year together. Actually, we should both be sound asleep at midnight and it will be delightful! The perfect place to be.

We had a great holiday with our family in Litchfield. Uncle Scott, Aunt Rachel and cousins James and Billy came from Tampa, Florida. Uncle Rod, Aunt Shannon, cousins Jillian and Leo were with us for a few days before they left for the wedding in Hawaii. Playing in the snow with Gramma Syl and Grampa Jim was the highlight of the holiday for the kids, especially for the Florida cousins. What a treat for them to enjoy a white Christmas!

Cousins Leo, Billy, Jillian and James with Baby Audrey


Uncle Scott and Audrey


Aunt Rachel and Audrey


Grampa Jim and Audrey at the London Tea Room in downtown St. Louis


Audrey and I enjoyed a girl's day with Aunt Shannon and Aunt Rachel. An annual tradition. Pedicures, a visit to the coffee shop (for nursing and a diaper change - I'll nurse this baby anywhere!) and lunch at Ruby Tuesday's.



Family dinner at Pizza Man! Uncle Scott & Grampa Jim are featured on the sports photo wall behind us. Grampa Jim as a Head Football Coach and Uncle Scott for basketball and football. Mommy and Aunt Shannon's cheerleading outfits were on display, too.




More cute pics...





Audrey and I spent most of our holiday in this spot on the loveseat...

...or in this recliner. My, how my life has changed! Lots of sitting these days.

December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas to all!

It took me four hours to get dressed for the day, pack for both of us to stay in Litchfield for the week, load the car and prepare my house for family to stay with us. My life as I knew it is over. And that's just fine with me! Audrey is so worth it.

It was an extreme pleasure to join the Burgers for Christmas morning at Daddy's house. Jordan and Lucy were so excited to give gifts to Audrey that we could barely get in the door before her gifts were being handed to us. Those kids love their baby sister! It was so kind of everyone to give gifts to both Audrey and me. I'm getting spoiled! But I'm not complaining....

Daddy and his girls on Christmas morning


Jordan and Audrey...just before Liz the Lizard was found lounging on the train...you had to be there


We traveled to Litchfield (it took 2 hours to get there) and settled in at "Aunt Pat's" house with the family for a fabulous Christmas dinner. We were, once again, showered with more lovely gifts for Audrey.

Mommy, Cousin Jillian and Baby Audrey on Christmas Day (also known as EJ, JJ and AJ)

December 24, 2009

What a terrific couple of days we've had! Uncle Eric met his new baby niece on Wednesday, the 23rd. We all enjoyed Imo's pizza for lunch - a Burger family tradition when Uncle Eric is in town. Audrey had the good fortune of spending time with her Daddy today while I handled last minute shopping. Those two sure enjoy their time together. Gary handles Audrey very differently than I do. He seems to notice new and different things about her than I notice. It is a delight to see her respond to us both.

We spent Christmas Eve dinner with our friend Reba (aka Audrey's "Beba"), Reba's sister Susan and Susan's boyfriend Jim. As always, Reba was a terrific hostess and her home was decked out in holiday splendor! Reba's four legged kids - Boomer, Belle and Beatrice - joined us throughout the evening. They were very well behaved around Audrey and didn't bother her while she sat in her car seat on the floor during dinner. We received lovely gifts from Susan and Jim. There's been so much love and generosity showered on us lately!

Reba, Belle & Boomer


Happy Birthday (yesterday), Uncle Scott!

December 22, 2009

Audrey pooped all over us both yesterday while I changed her diaper in the waiting room at the dentist. What an adventure! I'm in official "mom" territory now. I found myself licking my fingers and smoothing her hair the other day, too. Ugh...

Last night was the first time I didn't get a full night's sleep. She was awake from 2:30am to 5:00am. No fussing really, just awake.

Daddy hung out with Audrey this morning while I ran some errands. Jordan and Lucy introduced their baby sister to their friends.




We met my friend Amy at Starbucks for a visit this afternoon. She showered us with some delightful gifts including a massage gift certificate for me. Thanks, Amy!

December 20, 2009

Happy Sunday! I love the lazy pace of Sundays. We had a ladies luncheon at Jimmy's on the Park in the DeMun area with our friends Diane, Tracey and Caroline. We four gals get together once a month or so for great conversation. Always uplifting. Caroline introduced me to Gary...and the rest is history I suppose.

Diane, me & Audrey, Caroline, Tracey


We visited the Living Insights Center after lunch. One of my very most favorite places in St. Louis. A true sanctuary. Then off to dinner at Gramma Joan & Grampa Gary's house. It was so nice of Gary to invite us!

Audrey had a quick bath before we headed out for the day. We only had a few minutes so I bathed her in the bathroom sink. This baby is too darn cute.


It was a big day out for Audrey and she did a great job being with all the activity.

December 19, 2009

Some friends of mine, Jennifer and Erik Niemann, were passing through town this morning. We met them out for breakfast at First Watch in Clayton. It was great to see them and to hear about their recent adventures. Audrey nursed and slept while I enjoyed multiple cups of coffee and the best oatmeal in town.

I had the pleasure of meeting James Faron at breakfast. He's a friend of the Niemann's. He shared about his 4 month old son, Ellis, being born with meconiun in the water sack. Audrey had the same condition when she was born. In some infants, this condition can be fatal. Ellis fought for his life, survived multiple surgeries and was left with brain damage. Hearing James share about the trauma they've been through with their new son sure had me counting my blessings for this healthy baby girl.

We had a good time at Daddy's house tonight. It was just the girls (Lucy and Audrey) with Daddy. Well, the girls, the new hamster and the new lizard. They've got a full house over there now with the fish, Bailey the dog, Fur Ball the hamster and Liz the lizard!

December 18, 2009

What a lazy day at home. We didn't even get out of our pajamas today! But....we won't be doing that again. It really drained my energy to lounge around ALL day. We've gotta get out of the house at least once per day from here forward. My body started to ache from holding Audrey too much throughout the day. She's just so snugglie!

My friend Pat Jordan visited today. As always, we had some great conversation. Audrey fussed for a few minutes during Pat's visit but that's about her limit, a few minutes of fussing. It's very easy to soothe her. She's an Angel Baby!

Cute Pics

December 17, 2009

My postpartum doula, Kim, came over for a 2-hour session with us this morning. She is such a great resource! We covered all sorts of topics from traveling with Audrey next week over the holiday to nursing, sleeping and diaper rash. Working with Kim is certainly contributing to my super positive overall experience of being a new mom.

Audrey accompanied me to Salon Dacota for my regular hair appointment with my good friend Jesse. She nursed while I had my hair color applied, processed and rinsed. She was awake and hung out in her pumpkin seat during my cut and style. What a trooper!


We also had an appointment this afternoon with my good friend and chiropractor, Dr. Tracey Fink. Tracey took GREAT care of me during my pregnancy and kept my body feeling as good as possible. Dr. Stefani Sanger made an impromptu visit to the hospital when I was in labor to work on me towards the end of my labor. She was a lifesaver and took all the remaining pain away.

Dr. Stefani, Audrey and Dr. Tracey


Dr. Tracey gave Audrey her first chiropractic adjustment. Looks pretty complicated and technical, doesn't it?

Audrey is two weeks old today!

December 16, 2009

Gramma Joan came to visit with Audrey today while I ran out for a manicure. It was my first time leaving Audrey. I wondered how it would feel and I'm happy to report that it felt totally natural to leave her with Gramma. I was only gone for about an hour and a half since that's how much time there is between Audrey's nursing. Audrey slept the whole time Gramma was here!

We had our first solo outing this afternoon with a quick spin through Target. It was uneventful. :)

Audrey had her first bath this evening. She loved it! My good friends Diane & Tracey gave us this Tummy Tub baby bath. It is supposed to simulate the womb but it really looks a lot like a bucket on a stand. It's kinda nice to sit in a chair to bathe a baby versus kneeling over the bathtub.

Enjoy my one-handed photos...

December 15, 2009

My mother, Gramma Syl, left today after staying with us for nearly 10 days. We had such a good time! It was a delightful experience for us both. I didn't need much help taking care of Audrey so my mom spent most of her time running errands, doing housework, cooking and such. We both agreed it was an experience we would treasure forever. I just wish I had a photo to post...

My good friend Reba came to visit this evening and brought a great dinner for us to share. She also started a darling collection of Wedgewood Christmas ornaments for Audrey and gave me a beautiful one as well.

Cute Pics

Family Dinner

Gary hosted a lovely dinner party for us last night. Audrey's first dinner party. Gramma Joan, Grampa Gary, Gramma Syl, Grampa Jim, Mommy, Daddy, Jordan and Lucy enjoyed a delicious dinner of beef tenderloin, baked potatoes, roasted asparagus and ice cream for dessert. Audrey got to meet her Dog Brother, Bailey. Daddy held Audrey all through dinner. He's an old pro at these things.

Audrey let out quite a scream after dinner as we sat and chatted around the table. First time we've heard her make that kind of noise! I'm tellin' ya, the girl hardly ever cries. She's an Angel Baby! She slept in two 4-hour blocks last night waking only to nurse and going immediately back to sleep. How lucky am I?!!!

Jordan & Lucy were a joy to spend time with. They are such great kids! After dinner Jordan sported a Dark Knight outfit while Lucy turned into a Wizard.

We're so blessed!

Audrey's Room

Gary did all the work to get Audrey's room ready for her arrival. The paint job he did is impeccable - butter cream walls with bright white trim. After three bouts, we finally got the curtain rod installed on this brick wall. The black-out shade only took two tries as I had the first one cut too short. The natural lighting in Audrey's room is so beautiful.

We were so fortunate to have all of Audrey's nursery furniture gifted to us from my dear friend Matt Brown and his wife Angela. You can see the musical crib item Jordan picked out for Audrey in the photo below. Gary, Jordan & Lucy had their own little baby shower for Audrey a few weeks before she was born. Lucy picked out some fabulous things for Audrey as well.

My very dear friend Reba Green (aka Audrey's "Beba") prepared Audrey's quilt for hanging on the wall. All in all, it's a cute little nursery. I'm committed to having her sleeping in her crib before too long!

Third Time's a Charm!

Daddy came over to hang out with us this afternoon. We're putting finishing touches on Audrey's nursery. Poor Gary worked on this window three times for me just to get some simple window coverings hung. Third time's a charm! What a good sport.


Audrey and Daddy are settling into quite a nice groove. They hung out together for hours today just cuddling. Her little umbilical cord fell off just as he was leaving for the night. Baby belly buttons. So cute!